After releasing their very successful album “the colour of spring” in 1986, the band had an open budget and schedule for their next two records. What happened next was the production of two of the most outstanding records ever made (“Spirit of Eden” and “Laughing stock“). listen to it and feed your mind with the soul of music:

Do you download Songs, Video or Software free from the Internet? Or if someone uses your Wifi without your knowing.

Your soooo fcuked if this UK bill is passed.

You may or may not have heard about this new Bill that’s going through the UK parliament at the moment. You might think that politics is boring and nothing ever affects you. Well, most of the time I would agree with you, BUT not this time!

This boring Bill, if approved, will mean that if your internet connection has been shown that you have downloaded any copyrighted material, be it songs,videos or software you will really be in the shit.
Not just a “slapped wrist” in the shit , I mean really “in the shit” so much in the shit that you will be doing jail time and paying a £50,000 type of  “in the shit”.

If that was not bad enough, and doing jail time for most people really is a no no, then the really scary part is that some if this can happen WITHOUT you ever going to court!

So much for UK democracy! But there is still a chance it can be stopped, if many people need to keep this in the news with Blogs, Tweets and emails to your MP’s.

The Bill looks like, if it goes through, will come into effect in two parts.

Three strike policy where your internet connection will be cut off after two warnings. A maximum fine for file sharing of £50,000. It also forces ISP’s to spy on you with a fine of £250,000 for any that don’t cooperate.

The scary part is set to come in, in 2011. This includes the power to disconnect file sharers without judicial review. It would also give the Secretary of State, Lord Mandelson himself the power to change and amend the provisions of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).

The UK ISP TalkTalk has taken a public stand against this bill with a website and a manifesto making pledges to its customers:

1. Unless we are served with a court order we will not surrender your details to rights holders. We are the only major ISP to have taken this stance and will maintain it.
2. We will continue to fight this draconian legislation as it makes it way through Parliament.
3. If we are instructed to disconnect your account due to alleged copyright infringement we will refuse to do so and tell the rights holders we’ll see them in court.

Please do all you can to keep it in the news, tweet it, write on Facebook, talk to your mates do anything legal. (Don’t climb on the houses of parliament and unfurl a huge banner against  “Mandy’s” bill as that’s a bit extreme, no wait… great idea   do it !

If you only do one thing about this, sign the Number 10 Petition against the Bill
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dontdisconnectus/

Also You can write to your MP at http://www.writetothem.com
Send them a constructive email explaining that the bill is outrageous and should not be allowed etc

Send Lord “Mandy” Mandelson a message http://threestrikes.openrightsgroup.org

I’m a few weeks late in putting this up, but the last stop on my recent UK vacation was Glasgow, Scotland, where I caught Spandau Ballet on their Reformation tour.

Glasgow was a nice city but actually the most boring one of the four that I visited. So how to pass the time? Shop for music!

Avalanche

Adam Ant, Strip. The second solo album by Adam Ant was produced by Phil Collins, which is why you hear that distinctive Collins drumbeat throughout the whole thing. Who knew Phil new from New Romanticism? Yet here the album is, replete with saucy Ant songs like “Strip” and “Puss N Boots,” each evoking Ant at his playful, dancing best. A double bonus? The title track features backup vocals by Frida of ABBA, whose album Collins also produced circa 1983. This disc and Adam’s other solo albums were remastered in 2005.

Associates, Double Hipness. The Associates were Scotland’s greatest contribution to New Romanticism and the world of music lost a giant in songwriting when vocalist Billy MacKenzie killed himself 12 years ago. Double Hipness, the last Associates album I was missing, is really a compilation of various leftover tracks and outtakes as well as stuff MacKenzie recorded under the Associates moniker at various points after the band were really done. Most interestingly, it contains the single “Steven You’re Still Really Something,” said to be a response to Morrissey in The Smith’s song “William, It Was Really Nothing.” (Morrisey’s first name is Steven, you see, and MacKenzie’s was William!) Moz denies a connection in the songs but it’s still a damn good glammed-up tune.

Human League, Secrets. The Human League have been touring quite a bit in recent years but haven’t put out any fresh material since Secrets in 2001. It’s a solid album that indicates that the Human League should record some more stuff. Supposedly, Phil Oakey has said, the band is considering a sort of duets album where they collaborate with other musicians in the near future? Meanwhile, Oakey has dueted with Little Boots on her debut album with the song “Symmetry.”

The Other Two, Selfish. Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert are awesome and deserve devastating amounts of musical respect as the drummer and keyboardist of New Order respectively. However, it’s hard to imagine that a lot of people were wondering what they were doing while Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook pursued other projects for much of the 1990s. Well, they called themselves “The Other Two” and recorded some tracks. Now that you know, you don’t really need to hear them. They are completely lovely but absolutely forgettable.

Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Scream (Deluxe Edition). One small advantage of not owning the first album by Siouxsie and the Banshees was that I could buy the deluxe edition eventually with no remorse of duplicating my purchase! The second advantage was that Avalanche had it at a fabulous price. As lovely as Siouxsie can be and as great a band as this was, the first album isn’t really their best work anyway. (Thankfully the extras here include such goodies as the 7″ version of “Hong Kong Garden.”)

Fopp

Bronksi Beat, Age of Consent. Surely, my admiration for New Romantic dance pop isn’t surprising to you at this point. So here we have vocalist Jimmy Somerville and bandmates Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek on keyboards and drums. Interestingly, Bronski Beat took their name as a riff on Roxy Music and partly inspired by Gunter Grass’ novel The Tim Drum, a big influence on many New Romantic musicians. Bronski Beat’s first album contains some extremely good dance tunes like the instantly recognizable “Smalltown Boy.”

Sonic Youth, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. The Sonic Youth rampage continued! This album, their ninth studio album from 1994, contains such exotic post-punk gems such as “Bull in the Heather,” which pretty much sums up the band’s entire musical attitude both musically and lyrically. A must-have for any new Sonic Youth fan, like me.

Sons and Daughters, Love the Cup. When in Scotland, buy Scottish bands! So here we have the first entry by Sons and Daughters, children of Glasgow, who I first heard at Liberation Dance Party when their latest album was released. It’s a fun jangle rock cacophony of Scottish wailing and ooh’s, which kind of serves as a hallmark for the band’s sounds. Not for everyone, but worth a try if you are looking for some new indie rock music to buy.

Talk Talk, The Party’s Over. I took the opportunity to round out my Talk Talk collection when I was in the United Kingdom and I could actually buy the physical albums in physical person (something that I can be a bit obsessive about at times). The Party’s Over, their first album, contains terrific tracks like “Talk Talk” and “It’s So Serious” and it would seriously rate on my list of best albums of all time (somewhere) due to its incredible synth arrangements and lush but dense production. Colin Thurston, who produced the first two Duran Duran albums, scored another New Romantic knockout with this album, in my opinion.

Talk Talk, The Spirit of Eden. By the time of their fourth album, Talk Talk had moved into experimenting with a lot of different instruments, which made record companies unhappy after their out-of-the-park hit “It’s My Life” on their second album. Still, while Mark Hollis was inventing a whole new genre with “post-rock,” he managed to create some beautiful, ethereal songs that will likely make you recognize what a tortured genius he is.

Television, Adventure. Punk band Television are among the slowest to ever produce an album, which might be unfair of me to say since I don’t know what obstacles they have really faced. Still, the three they have put out to date (with a fourth on the way perhaps??) contain excellent examples of punk guitar, yielding utterly respendent rock gems that make you want to listen to them again and again.

Estaba esta mañana escuchando a Sigur Rós y me han venido a la cabeza los dos discos “póstumos” de Talk Talk, “Spirit of eden” y “Laughing Stock”. Dos caras de una misma moneda y el cierre perfecto para una carrera que comenzó en el synthpop -principios de los ochenta- y que de repente escoró hacia lo que más tarde sería una influencia entre las bandas de post-rock, cuando seguramente este término ni siquiera estaba acuñado. Si afinamos un poco el oído, podemos notar ciertos cambios en la producción de “The colour of spring” (I don’t believe in you) que podían remitir a lo que sería su siguiente álbum, pero mucho había que creer en los oráculos para prever tal giro.

Cuando los directivos de EMI escucharon por primera vez “Spirit of eden” se debieron de llevar una gran sorpresa al encontrarse con un disco de tan sólo 6 temas (3 por cada cara), sin cortes y con canciones inradiables de 8 minutos de media. Y todo esto después de que el disco anterior fuese un superventas. Algo que debería haber preparado a los encorbatados para el “Kid A” de Radiohead, banda  con la que casualmente comparte sub-sello (Parlophone).

No lo puedo resistir. Estos “ataques” desde dentro me producen un dulce placer y me devuelven la fe en el ser humano.

Las portadas de ambos discos son otro de sus alicientes, así como la funda interior (yo los compré en su día en vinilo), aunque hay que decir que Talk Talk siempre ha cuidado sus diseños.

Si a alguien le ha erizado los pelos alguno de estos discos, puede continuar la experiencia con el disco en solitario de Mark Hollis, voz y alma de la última transformación de Talk Talk.

Aside from a few “lovely and brilliant” throwaways, Junior’s leading response to this was some zesty air guitar. There is some muscular soloing, but ‘Life’s What You Make It’ is about the big-fingered piano riff and Talk Talk’s new, ambitious, spacious, jazz-flirting sound. The Colour Of Spring album is the tantalising halfway house between the band’s synth-pop roots and the nearly ambient, breathtaking vision of Spirit Of Eden, the 1988 piece that wrapped commercial suicide in a startling prog-jazz overcoat. Give them their due – not everyone can carry off a prog-jazz overcoat.

Here, Talk Talk still make concessions to pop with almost-choruses and that catchy piano thump, but the shift has already happened. Critics’ fave Spirit Of Eden was not the bolt from the blue we’re led to believe; more than a couple of The Colour Of Spring’s meditative moments could flit between the two albums. The question is, did the band even lose something in their stubborn retreat from the pop fray? For me, it’s hard to pick between the two. It’s like asking if I prefer one daughter to the other. Well, it depends which day it is.

Don’t backdate it:

 Happy November!!!

This month is gonna be a busy one:

1. The babies’ birthdays!!! Damia is turning FOUR this 20th and Syifa is turning TWO on the 28th!!! And I’ve been a mother for almost 4 years 9 months already!! Am planning a kenduri doa selamat to celebrate their birthdays, InsyaAllah. – In progress

2.  The maid who has been menatang Syifa bagai minyak yang penuh since the day she was brought back from the hospital is leaving on the 30th. Jiwaku kacau. I’m going to miss her, especially her patience when handling the kids and the way she took over the kids whenever I’m starting to sprout horns of impatience. And I know the kids will be missing her like crazy, especially Syifa. My heart goes out to them as they are very attached to her, she’s almost like a mother already to them and I don’t think the new maid will be able to replace her. With her leaving, there are a few things that need to be checked off:

• plane tickets (for her and daughter who is also working here in Msia) checked
• luggage to be bought (dgn kunci mangganya sekali)
• the salary to be converted from rm to idr
• some immigration’s procedures to be settled checked
• shopping sket (I think she wants to buy some souvenirs for her children & grandchildren) checked
• pictures of the kids to be printed (utk kenang-kenangan katanya)

3. With the current maid leaving, I have to find a new one asap. We’ve decided not to use the agent’s service this time, instead we want do everything ourselves, with the help of a good friend who have done so herself. Things that need to be checked off:

• to find THE PERSON checked (org Surabaya kali ni, harap orgnya ok, pray that we won’t encounter any problems with this one)
• arrange for her passport/ visa, etc- sedang dlm proses, a friend in Surabaya is helping
• plane tickets
• immigration procedures

4. I’ve to make myself appear at the court. Something to do with an agreement I signed during my previous employment. Suspens wei nak kena gi court nih. – Turned out that I didn’t have to go, only the lawyer. Next 24.12.09 to file defence.

5. The dept.’s monthly report. – done!

Their seems to have been a fairly serious problem at my local exchange. I haven’t had phone or Internet for 4 days. They’ve been promising it’ll be fixed within 4 hours for approximately 24 hours now

It must have been a serious problem to last this long I suppose. I’m not impressed with Talk Talk tho, I feel a complaint coming on methinks

I’m just glad I’ve goty iPhone to stay connected with, I’m having withdrawal from broadband Internet, I’ve got the DT’s and everything

Hope it’s back soon

Received an ‘assignment’ from mdm silentscribbler. Sorry madam sbb lambat siapkan assignment, jgn tolak markah tau!

Nyatakan 5 fakta menarik tentang pemberi tag ini

1. pengantin tak berapa nak baru, tak berapa nak lama… heheh
2. in the US now, continuing her pursuit for knowledge
3. a university mate yang sama-sama dok kat asma’ (kan?)
4. an educator- from what I gathered from her blog, she loves teaching and very good at it too
5. I like reading her blog

Nyatakan 5 fakta diri sendiri sebelum memilih penerima tag seterusnya.

1. I have this ‘perasan-kurus’ thing on my mind. When people (friends, relatives) remarked on how I have ‘grown’, I would agree with them but in my mind I would be like ‘tapi… cam kurus je aku rasa, sama je mcm dulu, takde papelah!’
2. I like reading/ watching paranormal stories. Stories of people with extraordinary powers eg pyschic, witches & wizards (sudah semestinya la harry potter!), vampires, werewolves, back-to-the-future, etc
3. I like grocery-shopping. I can stand/ walk for hours checking out product after product, reading whatever it is on the product such as the ingredients, the how to use, macam-macam lagi lah. I am also easily drawn to products with colorful and attractive packaging, though there was no need for the product to be bought at that time. Recent purchases were 3-in-1 boh-caramel teacino and boh ice peach & blackcurrant tea, semata-mata kerana packaging yang cantik.
4. Lately, I’m like obsessed with handbags and I don’t know why. I think I need some help. They have AA for alcoholics, SA for shopaholics, etc. Ada tak HA for handbag-holics?
5. I’ve no idea to write anymore (hey, this is also fakta diri sendiri! The fact that I’ve no idea kan?)

Nyatakan 5 hobi diri sendiri sebelum memilih penerima tag seterusnya.

1. Reading!!!
2. Baring-baring bermalas-malasan di atas katil with a good book
3. Watching movies (I hardly go to the movies, most of the time en.somi will buy the pirated dvds and we’ll watch those at home)
4. Jalan-jalan
5. Duduk diam-diam kat rumah (contradicts the above pulak kan?)

5 orang penerima tag yang seterusnya

1. Pn. Azita
2. Maz
3. Senah (awat lama tak update nih?)
4. Wan Izyani
5. Wawa the digital crayon

… 365 Tage ist es her das ich meine letzte Kippe im Mundwinkel hatte und paffte!

Ich vermisse die Raucherei überhaupt nicht und bin sehr froh diese Nikotin-Sucht überwunden zu haben.

(Kai Peter Jasny)

Mein Song des Tages aus fast schon vergessenen Zeiten:

Talk talk – Such a shame

]]> http://martyrshow.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/podcast1-pilot/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:44:04 +0000 martyrshow http://martyrshow.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/podcast1-pilot/

Craig & I discuss Talk Talk’s purchase of Tiscali, the concept of “twin cities”, Dawkins, Tony Blair’s recent work, Terry Gilliam’s latest film & a whole lot more.

If it won’t stream, you can download it by clicking here.

Feedback would be appreciated.

Also, Craig would like me to tell you that he was using Tiscali’s 99p microphone & he apologizes for the “sub-par” quality of the sound it omitted.

In the UK, it’s been all over the news lately about the Labour Government’s plans to disconnect file sharers from the internet.

After having dinner with David Geffen (of Geffen Records), Business Secretary Peter Mandelson suddenly took a great interest in file sharing legislation and wants to impose a 3-strikes plan to disconnect repeat “offenders”. Bear in mind that Peter Mandelson is not currently an MP. Indeed, he holds the dubious honour of having had to resign twice from Parliament for alleged corruption. Yet he still manages to have a say in creating the laws of this country.

Disconnection of users on the say-so of a copyright holder – hardly a disinterested party – makes a mockery of the law. What happened to that whole innocent until proven guilty thing? You know, the presumption of innocence that has been the cornerstone of our law for centuries. If you believe someone guilty of infringing upon your rights, take them to court. That’s the way it’s always been done.

Recently, the All Party Parliamentary Communications Group published a well-researched paper on the subject. I’ve quoted a couple of their conclusions below. (Read the full report here).

58. We conclude that much of the problem with illegal sharing of copyrighted material has been caused by the rightsholders, and the music industry in particular, being far too slow in getting their act together and making popular legal alternatives available.

59. We do not believe that disconnecting end users is in the slightest bit consistent with policies that attempt to promote eGovernment, and we recommend that this approach to dealing with illegal file-sharing should not be further considered.

I like the straight-talking in this report – most unusual for politicians! Unfortunately our current government is rather infamous for commissioning a group of experts to research a subject … and then completely disregarding their findings if they don’t say what the Gov wants to hear. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the same thing happened here.

Anyway, getting to the point of this article! UK ISP Talk Talk, who has spoken out frequently about the problems with disconnection, has created a web site called Don’t Disconnect Us. On the site are various ways to protest the Gov’s plans, including signing an ePetition. Even if you do nothing else, why not take two minutes of your time to sign the Petition. Yeah I know it probably won’t make any difference, but at least you can say you tried. (NB petition is valid for UK citizens only, though I’m sure international visitors could join the Facebook group).

Although I’m not with Talk Talk, I applaud them for taking a stance on this matter.

Don’t Disconnect Us website

Akak tgh suspens ni.

Adakah budget 2010 yang sdg dibentangkan membawa berita yang dinanti-nantikan?

Boleh jugak topup downpayment ‘ehem…ehem’.

Ataupun…

Boleh tak saya tambah koleksi bag, yang? *kelip-kelip mata*

I consider myself an optimist, particularly of late.  Given the state of the world, I think a healthy dose of optimism is a pre-requisite for a life in diplomacy.  That said, I can say objectively that there is a very dark cloud following me.  Literally.

The Weather Channel website provides a very useful interstate driving map and it seems all of the harsh weather predicted for I-80 tracks my progress precisely.  Today, it was blowing snow and pretty dense fog as I crossed Wyoming.  Clearing Cheyenne, the snow gave way to rain which followed my progress across Nebraska to Lincoln where the day ended.  Having never been to Nebraska, I was amazed to see mile after mile of wheat.  I just figured it’d all be corn given the namesake mascot for the University.

Lest anyone forget, Cornhusker football dominates Nebraskan culture this time of year.  I flipped through the local stations on the radio and couldn’t get away from it.  AM Radio: Jesus, Jesus, Sports, Oldies, and Jesus.  The sports talk initially sounded promising until I realized that it was ignoring major league baseball playoffs, the full slate of NFL football games, hockey, and everything else but Cornhusker football and, specifically, a brewing quarterback controversy.  FM Radio: Classical/NPR (from Wyoming), Country, 80s New Wave, Country, Classic Rock, and Country.  News breaks talked of weather and the quarterback controversy.  This while I’m driving past an exit for the Tom Osborne Expressway named after the infamous Cornhusker head coach.

Don’t get me wrong.  I absolutely love sports.  When shooting a college game from the sidelines, it is very easy for me to get caught up in the drama and emotion of the moment even if I have no connection to either team.  I cried at the end of Rudy.  I can’t shake the feeling, however, that I’m driving through an episode of Friday Night Lights.

Radio — at least for music — appears well on its way to obsolescence as a medium.  Why listen to commercials interspersed with music you didn’t choose when you can craft your own commercial-free 20-hour playlists?  For this sometimes tedious trip, I’ve been switching between various playlists that include a mix of rock/pop, hip hop, and R&B that span stay-awake classics from the Who, Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, and George Thorogood to Black Star, Hieroglpyhics, and Mos Def to Grace Jones, Sly & the Family Stone, and Etta James with lots in between.  So far, drowsiness has not been a problem.

I’ve also tried out the concept of audio books.  I haven’t had a long commute in over a decade so I’ve never had the need before (other than a road trip to Los Angeles years ago during which we listened to the then-latest Harry Potter book).  I went to the library and found two books on CD of interest:  T.C. Boyle’s Talk Talk and Roddy Doyle’s Oh, Play That Thing.

I’ll leave the serious literary critiques to my eldest son who knows more about literary theory than I could ever hope to comprehend, but I really enjoyed Talk Talk.  I’ve been a fan of T.C. Boyle’s after reading Tortilla Curtain and Budding Prospects.  Talk Talk uses the same great ear for dialogue, both internal and external, and follows the events surrounding an identity theft nightmare encountered by a Southern California deaf woman and her boyfriend.  Bouncing perspectives between the victims and the thief, Boyle builds a surprising amount of suspense as the protagonists collide at the end of the book.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find one part of the book involving a cross-country driving trip that coincidentally followed my precise route.  The audio book definitely helped my miles slip by quickly, particularly since Boyle did his own reading, complete with accents for various characters.

M will no doubt take me to task for something I’m missing, but I think Boyle’s downfall is his endings.  While I thoroughly enjoyed all three books, I felt a bit disappointed when each of them ended.  Not entirely satisfying for me, but not enough of a problem that I’m giving up on him.  Tonight I downloaded Boyle’s Drop City from Audible.com to gobble up the last couple of days of driving.

My office is in Bukit Bintang, the segitiga emas, where all the famous shopping places are. When working in DsaraHeights, it was always MidValley during Friday’s lunch. Now, most of the time, my lunch breaks will be filled with ‘educational’ trips to Pavillion. The outcome? A sick bank balance. So today, I’d like to share a few personal tips on how to avoid spending on unnecessary things when you go for this kind of trip:

1. Do not bring your purse with you. Tapi… kang kalau kena tahan dgn pak polisi, dia ingat kita PATI lak? Ok, you can bring your purse, but leave behind all the credit/ debit cards, duit berkepuk-kepuk inside and leave only 20rm for lunch or to satisfy your occasional cravings for dome’s twister *occasional la sgt eh? Heheh.
2. Before you step out of the office/ home for this so-called trip, recite ayat Kursi minimum 3x, and tell to yourself I AM NOT GOING TO BUY ANYTHING (times forty). Kan orang tua kata cakap sampai 40x nanti jadi nyata.
3. Dressed as selebet-ly as you can. Why? Because… selebet people will be ignored especially in those posh-posh boutiqes. You get to check everything out without the SA hovering irritatingly behind you, and if you decide not to buy anything, you get to leave the shop/ boutiqe without the guilty feelings (this will only arise if the SA is super-nice, answered all your queries nicely, arranged the same design of handbags in various colors so that you can make better decision, etc, etc). Hmm… come to think of it, most SA’s nowadays, especially butik yang mula dgn huruf C tu, are all super-nice, regardless of how you are dressed. Hmm… pandai-pandaila korang nak tepis cobaan. Kiranya tip yang ni 50-50 la, boleh pakai ikut keadaan.

I think that’s it for now. Mati idea dah. Bolehlah cuba, kalau tak jadi gak jangan salahkan akak lak tau.

My SMS: Jemput beraya ke rumah esok di dotdotdot dari zohor- lewat petang.

A good friend’s SMS: Sapa ni?

My SMS: Junida

That was the end of our SMS to each other. She didn’t come to my house. No reply after I told her who I was. This someone was a best friend (or so I thought!). When she asked who I was, I was a bit surprised and also a bit hurt. She was one of many good friends from uni-time. We were even roommates for a semester. I thought we were good friends. And yet, she didn’t keep my number.

To give her the benefit of the doubt, I said to myself, maybe she lost her handphone, and with it, all of her friends’ number too. Or maybe while playing with her phone, her kid accidentally deleted my number. Or maybe, she got herself a new phone and had not yet finished transferring/ updating her friends’ number.

Tapi… why was there no response after I’ve introduced myself? Penat la weh… when I was the only one in this friendship yang beria-ia wanted to keep it alive. Aku jemput beraya, hangpa tak respon, aku ajak buat gathering, hangpa sibuk manjang, aku ajak itu, hangpa jawab ini, aku ajak sini, hangpa nak pi sinun. I even called from time to time, but most of the time the calls were never answered. The missed calls were never returned. Bosan ah!!

British ISP TalkTalk has staged a stunt aimed at proving to Lord Mandelson that his plans to cut-off file-sharers without due process is “naive”. The company’s stunt demonstrates how innocent parties could easily be disconnected for file-sharing done without their knowledge through a wirelessInternet connection.

The company, which has long been a critic of government plans to cut off file-sharers, sent a security expert to an ordinary street in Middlesex. The expert then obtained access to 23 unsecured wireless connections on the street and downloaded music from two of the connections.

Residents had given prior permission to be hacked and the downloads were legal, but with so many unsecured wireless connections it demonstrates just how easily a wireless connection could be hijacked for illegal file-sharing. TalkTalk plans to offer advice to all of the residents on how to make their wi-fi networks secure.

TalkTalks director of strategy and regulation, Andrew Heaney, believes that due process of law must be maintained.

“The Mandelson scheme is every bit as wrong-headed as it is naive,” he said, “The lack of presumption of innocence and the absence of judicial process combined with the prevalence of wi-fi hacking will result in innocent people being disconnected.”

According to the BBC, several cases of users being wrongly accused of illegally sharing video games have been highlighted by magazine, Which? Computing.

However, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is confident that innocent people would not be caught out, due to its “robust” evidence gathering.

BPI spokesman Adam Liversage said, “The account holder would receive a notification in the first instance, which would represent an opportunity to discuss filesharing with others in the household and which would provide the account holder with the information and tools to help ensure that the account is not used illegally again.”

“This information would extend to explaining to the account holder how they can secure their wireless router to ensure that it isn’t accessed by unknown third parties,” he added. 

A statement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that it would be important to ensure that there is an “independent and easy route of appeal at all stages in the process” and that they are currently envisaging a “tribunal system to which people would have recourse before any action was taken against them.”

The government’s decision on Lord Mandelson’s controversial plan is due in November.

Meine TopTitel vom Monat August:

1. The Rolling Stones – Angie (1973)
2. Queen – Another one bites the dust (1980)
3. U2 – An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart (1980)
4. Talk Talk – Another Word (1982)
5. O.M.D. – Annex (Peel Session) (1983)
6. Midnight Oil – Antarctica (1990)
7. And One – Anguish (1991)
8. A-ha – Angel in the Snow (1993)
9. Keimzeit – Amerikanische Liebe (1993)
10. Element of Crime – An einem Sonntag im April (1994)
11. Erasure – Angel (1995)
12. Moby – Anthem (1995)
13. Bloodhound Gang – Along comes Mary (2000)
14. Eskobar – Angels (2000)
15. Madonna – Amazing (2000)
16. Rammstein – Amour (2004)
17. Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub – And when the magic fades (2005)
18. Jakobínarína – 17 (2007)
19. Mattafix – Angel on my Shoulder (2007)
20. Mando Diao – A Decent Life (2009)

Dari masuk pejabat tadi tak berhenti-henti menguap. And the yawning was getting worse and worser (if such a word exist!). I had to perform a back-up task since one colleague was on leave and her partner was on emergency leave. To top everything up, hari aku jadi back-up ni la cek (cheques) nak mari berduyun-duyun banyaknya. So, to keep myself awake, I had to to turn the real-player’s volume to the max. Macam pekak jap rasa. Ok, kerja… kerja… jgn tido. Nak handbag baru kena kerja rajin-rajin!

Winter is approching

Hi awesome people who take their time to come and view this new blog. “Can you believe that winter is approching already?”

You: Err, yes. It’s getting colder, darker, and the X Factor has started! Also because I have education and know the monts of the year…in order!

Speaking about the X Factor, check out this awesomely amazingful email I recieved from their sponsors this moning:

Congratulations! Our judges loved you.

We think you’re going to be a star. Your video is live on the site and will be entered into the final stages for a chance to appear on The X Factor ad breaks.

To see your performance just click here:

http://xfactor.talktalk.co.uk/xbd-media-live/html/11/11/57/1111572714.html

If you shared your video with friends they will now receive it too. This could really be the start of something big… Let’s hope we see you on telly.

Well done. Have fun and just click here to make another Brightdancing video.

The TalkTalk Team

              

Oh em gee my “Brightdance” could be on the X Factor! You can also “Brightdance”! www.TalkTalk.com/XFactor Don’t get confused by the way when it says loading the numbers go down. When it gets to 0 it means it’s loaded

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So right now I am ill with a cough and a temperature, but no Swine Flu. I was ill last week today and didn’t go to school until Thursday, and then I started to feel fine. But now I have suddenly woke up continuesly coughing and with a temperature.

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Guess What?

What

It’s nearly Christmas!

Oh

sAm..T

Usually covers are not better than or become more popular than the original but sometimes they are. (Mostly they are worse like movie remakes).  Especially with the songs that you don’t realize are covers. 

Some of these songs have A LOT of covers, but I only put the original and most popular cover.

Tainted Love  Soft Cell cover Gloria Jones  original  Ever wonder why the song sounds like 60s?

Hazy Shade of Winter   Bangles   cover          Simon and Garfunkel  original

Self Control  Laura Branigan  cover   Raf  original

It’s my Life   No Doubt  cover  Talk Talk  original

MacArthur Park   Donna Summer cover  Richard Harris original

Which of these do you like better the original or the cover?  Did you know about the original before?  Know anymore better/more popular covers? I would like to know more.

Kagehime

Talk Talk - Such a Shame