Is this our fault?

Great Fire of Smyrna

The title is wrong, was it a fire or was it one of the first uses of the word “genocide” ever used.

On 8th September 1922 Turkish troops entered the city during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). This was the last area the Turkish army had to take to end the war. At first the army was orderly and kept control of the city well but some Turks were after revenge mostly against the Armenians.

At this point many Greek people living in the area had accepted the war was over and had made their way to the city trying to escape. But on the 13^th of September the historic great Fire started and it started in the Armenian area of the city. But most people know this was not just a fire and a death toll from 10,000 to 100,000 has been guessed by many over the years. 

The lynching of Chrysostomos of Smyrna (Greek Orthodox bishop of Smyrna) was the starting point for the violence on the 9^th of September. The level of violence was so bad that many who fought in the war to take the city reported it was much worse than the war itself.

As the fire rages on during the killing many thousands of people were trapped in the harbor of the city trying to escape. This would go on for many days all the up until the 22^nd of September when the fire was finally extinguished.

Diamanda Galas recorded a track for her Defixiones, Will and Testament: Orders from the Dead album in 2003 the album is described as being "The performance is an angry meditation on genocide and the politically cooperative denial of it, in particular the Turkish and American denial of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Anatolian Greek genocides from 1914 to 1923" one of the tracks Orders from the Dead is about the Destruction & Massacre of Smyrna in 1922. The following video has English translation for the song. This version was covered by the Greek band Rotting Christ who added music to the vocals.

WARNING the video contains very graphic pictures of violence and very graphic subtitles that translate the lyrics. Please don't watch if you feel it is not for you as it is hard to watch. 

This song and video is why I have done this quick blog as more research into this genocide sends shivers down my spine. Some of the reports on the level of violence and sickening mutilation of not only adults but children are simply horrific and not something I read as enjoyment.

Above all the information I found that ships from various Allied powers in the harbor of Smyrna were ordered not to help anyone. Two US war ships looked on as the killing and flames killed countless thousands. As the killing makes a noise “people screaming” the US navy decided to play music to drown out the noises. All other Allied boats did nothing to help apart from one, A Japanese freighter, dumped all of its cargo and filled itself to the brink with refugees, taking them to the Greek port of Piraeus. The only act of kindness was by a Japanese boat. America still to this day says this was only a Great Fire and the genocide of Smyrna is nothing but a made up story. 

The Greco-Turkish War started after the Ottoman Empire ended and the partitioning of the lands started. Greece was promised lands in Turkey thus starting the Greco-Turkish War. And who was it that promised lands? Yes the British.

Albums of 2011

Mastodon – The Hunter

I have liked this band from the first album I got by them Leviathan in 2004. That was a good album and also the second in there concept albums that include fire, water, earth and air as the subject for the album. This is the first one not to have a heavy concept on the albums recording and I think it has opened the door from the classic sludge rock sound to evolve. Ok it has changed but not a whole load from the other albums. The album is still very heavy and at times not far from previous albums but the big change is the inclusion of more melodic parts in the songs from simple little guitar riffs to fit in with a tune to even some nice vocal work that takes you away from the usual grunt that can be heard on this style of rock music. The last album ‘Crack the Sky’ had a mix of clean vocals and screams as well so this is simply a natural progression from that. But the band really have stepped up and made this a great album.

Josh T. Pearson - Last Of The Country Gentlemen

This album has taken me months to get into but when I did finally start to like it you feel as thou you have heard it before. But when? I really don't know, possibly every acoustic gig I have ever been at. It is simply just Josh T. Pearson and his acoustic guitar singing songs that were never meant to be recorded due to how personal they are to him. He says they were written after his marriage broke up and depict pain he felt during the breakup of his marriage. And that is where I have heard the album before; so many songs/albums have been recorded on this very same subject. But few hit you as much as this album does; much of this may have something to do with the length of the songs. Four come in over ten minutes in length killing off any sort of mainstream attention instantly as most people have not got the attention span to listen to a song over 10 minutes never mind it only having basic acoustic and string accompaniment. It is not often you get an album that treats you like an adult and does not feel the need to cut and splice ideas into three minute songs. As Mr Pearson says "A gentleman is someone who tries to be good, tries to do good, who just always tries his best."

Michael Monroe - Sensory Overdrive

He was in the glam rock band Hanoi Rocks for two stints and in-between he has done many solo albums. This one is his sixth solo album and this time he asked other people to help on the album. My interest started when Ginger from the Wildhearts was drafted in on guitar. With Ginger being one of my favorite songwriters in the world this was a must buy. And I was well pleased with the result a fine cross of glam punk and rock. This is nothing more than a great album of fantastic rock songs, well produced and at times some of the best song writing I have heard in a while. Ginger has a certain way of writing and you can feel his input all over this album with Superpowered Superfly being one of Gingers highlights. 

Slabdragger – Regress

I love this album and it was more of an accident on you tube that I heard this. One false click and I was addicted, album ordered that day. Classic stoner/doom that fans of Black Sabbath would love. Think of Electric Wizard but heavier, they are only a three piece but what a racket they make. With the walls shaking and even me having to turn the stereo down this is one classic metal album. If next door make too much noise the Christmas this album is the one to make you even.    

Sonic Youth - Simon Werner a Disparu

This album is under the (SYR) series of albums. Simply some experimental music by the band released under a different name and label. Most of them are simply live recordings but this one is a new full album made as the soundtrack to a French film ‘Lights Out’. As you can tell it is not the classic Sonic Youth but more of a noise based project but on a much more relaxing output. Much of the album sounds a bit like a BBC radio sound effects CD but it is all mixed in with some nice guitar and piano. As the album is the soundtrack to a film I take it fits in well with that. I have yet to see the film but the soundtrack is very good and well worth a listen to noise fans.

Tombs - Path Of Totality

This is slotted in the Sludge category in many shops, but I think it is way over the top than that with some really great riffs and gritty sound. Classic death metal pounding drums the album chugs along as if there is no slowdown in sight. This is closer to a Black Metal album than anything else but fans of loud music will love this. Great production and some of the best riffs this year are on this album. This is the sort of album that could only be written in a studio as the music here would be hard to remember or demo before entering the studio. I notice Korn have an album out with the same name, I would like to see a Korn fans face listening to this after mistakingly buying it. 

Barn Owl – Shadowland

I love last years Ancestral Star album but this new release is more of an EP, still clocks in over 20 minutes. With three tracks of drone starting with the slow running Void and Devotion it feels as if you have been caught in a John Carpenter intro for 7 minutes. This is one of they albums you listen to over and over and find new bits you have never heard before. I love to read to this sort of music and it can help you relax after a crappy day. Mind you I can also relax to a Napalm Death album so don't take my word for it.  

Decapitated - Carnival is Forever

Technical Death Metal is what this album is filed under. I really don't consider any music to be technical but when hearing this album I can see why. Not so much as a noisy racket but a well thought out slab of volume. The whole band is at their best when recording and anyone who plays a musical instrument will be impressed. Great production and mixing and the album sounds fantastic the guitars are very clear and are not all that overdriven (Shock horror). 

Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage

It is about time a great Black Metal band cut out the bullshit and crossed over to other fans and this band seem to have done it. Most people have no idea what BM is or how it should sound. The reason is there is no rules involved and that has been the best kept secret for about 30 years. People think it is all just noise but a keen ear will find some great music here. It is more of a classic BM album using many elements bands back in the early 90s used to make the distinctive sound they had with a full on relentless rhythm section that slows down for nothing. Vocals that make Slipknot sound like they should be on Saturday morning TV. The guitar is classic and driving a fast and repetitive riff. Nothing new but just done well.  

Primordial - Redemption at the Puritans Hand

I am a metal fan but not the style of metal fan that only likes Metallica and a few Slayer albums. I do like how the style can take on so many ideas and make it into an album. Not so much a concept album but the vocalist has said the album is about death, themes deal with mortality and how we deal with it. Primordial have always had the Celtic folk style of their music mixed in with the classic metal style we have all heard countless times. But they as always have made a great album and one that makes you listen not just to the lyrics but to the riffs and also the great drumming that is included here. If you like a good story then this album is for you, perhaps it could be sold as an audio book as the vocalist is constantly giving you the lyrics in as clear and concise a style as the song/topic allows. Great album for a long train journey.

Kitty, Daisy & and Lewis - Smoking In Heaven

This could be thrown away as a novelty act and forgotten about in a few years but just now it is pretty good and also some fun in a year that has had quite a bit of chaos. The oldest member is just 20 years old but the band play a mix of ska, rockabilly and blues. But for a 13 track album in does not let up and you feel the foot tapping throughout the whole LP. Yeah I said LP as this has been released on LP 2x LP and 6x 10” 78 records. Keeping with the feel of the music the album can be purchased on something that would make it sound even more classic. The style may be out of date and the musicianship not very high but that makes music fun. 

Emmy the Great- Virtue

Her 2009 album was good but for me not quite right and lacked something. But just before making her new album she split up with her partner who she was engaged to, so the album has a love and lost feel to it. One thing that is great about this album is the production, every track is crystal clear and sounds superb. Her voice comes over so much better on this album, possibly due to the split she has made her pain into ten fantastic tracks that make you instantly replay the album once done. She is destined to be put into the Folk cd shelves but this is easily assessable to all people. With help some back vocalists the album has a real big feel at times but always keeps it personal. Notice no PJ Harvey in my best off, this album is why. 

I deal only in facts, that's why I'm a cocky fuckin' bastard.

I am available for children's parties, by the way.

Ok so now I am 33 I can now tick of something I wanted to do. Yup, sad but 33 is an age at one point I did not think I would get to. Nothing to do with being a grumpy sod just a little bit of reality as many people do die young (or old as I used to think 33 is).

Why did I think this? Take it back to the early 90s and Bill Hicks is the best stand up in the UK. His popularity was never that high in America but he made it over here in the early 90s. He was big enough to get a full tour and even a live video made here so we could watch his routine over and over. And I did, thankfully channel 4 were a fan and showed him as well.

But sadly he never really took over as the biggest stand up as he died on the 26th February 1994. At the age of 32 (Gulp).

To see a man on stage just a few months back on TV looking well to being dead IS a big shock to a teenager, more so as his routine and personality seemed to be invincible. I liken him to when you get an invincibility pick up in a game where you flash. And as you grow up through your teens his sort of stand up becomes more enjoyable as it is more than just alt stand up or satirical he was a political philosopher. His routines are now read in books and sold on CD.

Eight months after being diagnosed of liver cancer he was dead. He toured the UK and America while still gravely ill and while getting treatment. He did die due to complications from the treatment he was given to cure him of the cancer.

I remember hearing of his death and finding it unbelievable someone could die of cancer in their 30s but the smoking was not all to blame. He did go to AA all the time and years later more truths were published about his life. His drinking problems came on later in his life than many as he was sober till he was 20 or so. But the stand up lifestyle of touring clubs and halls were what made him hit the bottle.

He always was open on everything in his life and said so on stage. With the alt comedians now making money on telly and doing very little live work he was able to take some light in the UK comedy circuit.

As I hit 20 I could see 30 being an age away, I even remember the day I thought that. Then as my 20s trundled along I could see the big 30. It has never been a key age in history we all take the sweet 16, key to the door 21 and the 40s and 50s as a real age to stop and think (and most likely have a party).

But now at 33 I still feel as if I was 20 or even 18. A bit older and with some added grey hairs. Now I can see after 33 and onto 40. I just wish he could have had that chance.

Bill authored a verse to be published about him after he was dead

"I left in love, in laughter, and in truth and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit."  

Roll on 40...

Supersonic Weekend

Supersonic Weekend 2011

Ok my first ever Supersonic Festival and a quick review of the weekend for you all.

For years I have been wanting to go to this festival and after four years of being disappointed I decided to buy a ticket and go. Flights booked and hotel booked I had no choice but to head on down. And I am so glad I did.

I was in Birmingham at midday so had a few hours to explore the city. Nice city and plenty of shops and bars to visit if you are ever down. One thing I find handy to do in navigating the city is to remember the three train stations and where they are. As you will stumble upon them and when you do it will give you an idea where you are. So when you get to Moor Street Station you are very close to the gig area.

Friday night starts at 9pm so I opt to go down do Digbeth for a few drinks before the doors open. I get talking to the locals in a bar who I am shocked to find out they don’t know of the festival. I was a little bit surprised but then I feel I may be in the wrong area of the city. When I leave I see plenty of people all walking down a lane I follow hoping to find the entrance to the festival and do so.

The street that contains the festival looks like every other street and with only a few A4 signs taped to walls I can see why the locals may never have heard of it. This to me is a good thing and sets up a great start to the weekend. Quick tip, I had an E ticket that got me in way quicker than the normal printed tickets. I was told by security to ignore the line of people and go to the front. Within seconds I am in the gig and have my wristband.

The sound from the first stage is very good and that good the people waiting outside can hear the full blast of Slabdragger. I join the gig about 10 minutes in with a nice bottle of Ale and love the first band of the weekend. The crystal clear sound of the stage puts a smile on my face as does the size of the PA. No cheap set up here, also each stage has what I can see three projectors all showing images behind the bands also added in is films and all ties in well with the music. Between each band is a DJ so the music is always in full flow.

Next I see Part Chimp who I have been looking forward to seeing for a while. You go over a small bridge that has some nice lighting and again the stage is similar as the last one. The stages are pretty much old factory space cleared out and with a bar installed. Again a great PA and Part Chimp hit the stage. Some strings go during the gig (Due to the cold) but the band keeps going. The singer completes a great set with one of his strings still not repaired. Another great set and so far my money is well worth it. I stay here and enjoy Mike Watt + The Missingmen who again also provide a great Friday night set. During all of this I am getting great service at the bar with the staff taking into account who is next in line. Great work by them keeps the bar ticking over and the drinks flowing.

With the pain in my foot getting over powering I decide to call it a night.
I get out my bed after about two hours sleep, foot in a bad way bit I take some painkillers and start the first full day of the festival. Great thing about it is the festival is not just music but film and art shows are here as well. I was going to be involved in the Imperfect Cinema but due to the pain in my foot I have to pull out, also the time has been changed for the workshop but I am sure someone else had a chance to use one of the limited cameras.

After resting up I go to see the Grindcore: Cut N Paste, “This exhibition will give you an exciting insight into this period of music history – the formation of Grindcore” is what it is described as being in the Supersonic guide and it does deliver. It really is just a collection of hand written letters and newspaper cuttings but so powerful and a real look into the history of the music from the area of Birmingham. The punk DIY ideas that influenced the band can be seen in all the tapetrading and fanzines on show here. It does hit you that 25 years ago the country was in such a state and under government like now from the Tory’s.

I limp along to the theatre and enjoy From A to Zine a chat with a panel who discuss the history of zines from the punk era onwards. Great informative chat where the audience can ask questions at the end.

I stay in the theatre for the UK premier of Blood, Sweat + Vinyl: DIY in the 21st Century. Again I have been looking forward to this and I loved every second of it. I felt a shiver down my spine when watching the film as the three record labels included in the film have released some of my favourite albums. I felt the film was more about me in a way as it shows you the covers of albums through the labels history and I am constantly saying to myself “I have that album”. The story is nothing new to real fans of music but the film is so well made and the editing is fantastic. You are never treated like an idiot with dates being shown and pointless narrative. You are a fan and you will get it! Some real time has been spent on making this film and it does show, a great documentary and one that should be seen by far more people than just the label/bands fans.
A bite to eat from the great selection of food stalls and again something I loved was the lack of burger vans selling frozen chips and hotdogs for a tenner. Meatballs freshly made with parmesan cheese grated over the top. A quick beer and now my first gig of the day Wolves in the Throne Room who have some stage decoration to help the mood. Also a smell during the gig of what is like a burning damp forest comes over the audience. I do spot someone walking about the back of the room with a smoking handful of something. It is so nice to see a Black Metal band with as many people as this. I only ever see this music in the smallest of venues with at most 120 people. Great show and onto another class act that is Electric Wizard.

EW come on stage and start playing, no messing about, no hellos to the crowd. The guy next to me head bangs none stop for the whole gig. Pretty much all you need to know about them.
Zombi come on last and again I miss then end of the show and make my way back to the hotel via taxi while missing the last half hour of them but they were playing great and I do hope to see them again sometime soon.

Sunday morning I feel way better and have a look at my timetable. I will try and fit in as much music as I can so start with some death metal from Selfless. Then onto Barn Owl, both acts are as different as you can go and I loved the two of them. Cut Hands next and I find the hall is so full people can’t get in. I choose to leave hopefully someone else can get in as I was not a big fan. Quick time out for a pint and some amazing Chinese food I then catch about 10 minutes of Tony Conrad before Envy get on stage. While eating my food I get talking to the singer of Drunk in Hell. I say I will check them out right after Envy and I am glad I did the band of the day for me. Circle are the last act I see and as mad as you can get and as much fun as you can see in a gig. I leave the area and decide to walk back to the hotel.

What a great festival and all for £75 over three days is a bargain. I have never seen a festival like this before where the simple things mean so much from the art that is represented here to the way it is run. People seem to have more respect to the point beer cups mostly are reused or recycled. I never saw any real drunkenness or any problems. The sound on each of the stages was fantastic with most of the acts sounding great.
Birmingham is the birthplace of metal and I now think it is the home for alt music as well.

Song for a Nation

Most people now in Scotland may not remember where and when Flower of Scotland was first used as our national anthem. Yeah sure from the Treaty if Union in 1707 Scotland and England have been considered one nation and respectively we used the same national anthem.

But until the 1990 Five Nations game between Scotland and England we never really had a song for the people. It was never an official song and even till this day Scotland still does not have a national anthem that is the official song of the country.

Back in 1990 we were to play England in the last game for the Five Nations/Grand Slam/Triple Crown titles.

The SRU the year before were beginning to get fed up with God Save the Queen and with the Princess Royal as their popular patron decided to change the song played for Scotland to the Flower of Scotland. A bold step not just in using it as an anthem style song to encourage the support and players but the fact is it is a folk song and this is not a style of music many people like. But the SRU went for it and on the 17^th of March, 1990 a Scottish sporting team went onto the pitch and sang with the crowd to Flower of Scotland against a cocky English team whose fans wore Grand Slam Champs t shirts for the game.

The build up to the game was amazing with the press really trying to get copies sold and every day a new story. But one thing was missing in the papers, Will Carling was interviewed before the match and said he hated Scotland and Scottish people. The press back then were more understanding of the outcome of publishing this and instead of printing the story sat on it.

The second ever rendition of Flower of Scotland was sung and England captain Carling can be seen smirking at the song. But that day an anthem was chosen and chosen by the people who attended the game as the passion from the crowd was so amazing. Scotland went on to with the game and send England home to think again.

Tomorrow we have the first Calcutta cup match outside of the UK and again Scotland are underdogs for the win. We also have a unique chance to not only beat England abut knock them out of the World Cup.

We have a big number of ex pats at the game and people who may have never sung Flower of Scotland before as our national anthem against England.

Good luck Scotland!

An apple a day may kill you

Steve Jobs has stepped down as the chief executive of Apple. Well he is gravely ill with cancer so he really should have other things to do in his life then sell gadgets to people with too much money to waste.

Yes I am not a fan of Apple or Mr Jobs and I do work in IT so I know a fair bit about computers and many other things to do with them. I do admire how he sells his products, he does nothing different but what he says at the press conference.

When Microsoft does a conference they show off the new thing and then say how much it is. Steve does a big long slide show as if he has been on holiday for a month giving you the story. And people love it, nothing new or different is contained in any Apple products as it has all been invented before.

Gone are the days of the Apple computer made in the U.S.A. they now buy off the shelf components from China. I have a big problem with this as much of what comes from China has been made in a factory where the health and safety practices are none existent. Also a normal working week can be 60 hours for the workers who are on a pittance pay.

Just two years ago the Foxconn electronics manufacturer had a workers commit suicide. Blaming the working practices and hours in the job he had. This did then go on to start a strike in the factory that also spread to others companies as well. This is nothing new and for us Brits, from the coal miners to the trains many have done so. But in China you can face being arrested for going on strike.

Foxconn have in a space of two years had 18 attempted suicides and of that 14 have died. Last one was in July this year. Most have been from jumping off the building they work in. Investigations have concluded the job is what is causing it. Also 20 Chinese universities have done studies and reported the same facts.

I may have a unique view of this as I have worked for a Chinese company’s and it was in the electronic area. Luckily I worked in the UK and was covered by the laws we have. I found the companies to be the worse I have ever worked for. The job was simply horrible, you were physically sore in your hands from the repetitive movements, feet sore from standing in the same position. So when I talked to some of the Chinese workers who then believed to be lucky to have that job here cause back home it was way worse. Working close to 80 hours a week doing the same manual task in a factory with no window, pretty much none existent breaks and you can't talk to anyone when working. Add in pretty much no health and safety, people soldering PCB s in a room with no extraction or masks will poison the people working (solder has mercury in it). Something like 120 hours overtime was the normal amount of overtime people were working. So after a working week of up to 80 hours a worker would be expected to work on for overtime. Remember the people get paid a pittance, simply owning an apple product is a pipe dream.

This was to me knowledge in 1996 and it was not till 2010 I saw anything in the news about it. The reason being the boom of electronic sales like Apple stuff. Oh and I don’t just not buy Apple. Same goes with Sony, Dell and Nokia. I will never own one of their products till this is all changed.

Ok after the strike the workers had a pay rise to a whopping $312 a month. WOW!

The management has been to blame and this has been reported from inside and outside China. They say they have done many things to change the working conditions like putting up netting (Much like in old prisons) to prevent suicides. Reports have been made that the netting has saved lives. Still does not make you feel good thou, kids still jumping. The management introduced a document where you sign saying you won’t kill yourself. Fuck what a great idea; roll it out to all the people on suicide watch the world over. Problem solved EH?

Personally if you have to live in a room a few metres square and work 60 plus hours a week for $312 a month I’d say that is very close to slave labour. The only way you can make enough money is to work on. Again this is the sort of treatment that was normal in the cotton mills in Glasgow and the world over 150 years ago.

Apple responds to this by saying they think nothing is wrong and go as far as saying Foxconn are doing well.

So next time you are in Starbucks and you see someone with an Apple, Dell or Sony laptop sipping a free trade coffee you have the tools and knowledge to tell em that they are a fucking hypocrite.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/7773011/A-look-inside-the-Foxconn-suicide-factory.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10182824

Tramd if I do and Tramd if I don’t

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-14648510

The above link is the latest news on the Edinburgh tram joke. Now the cost has been put at £651m at canceling the whole thing.

I was always against the trams in Edinburgh. One reasons being history, as the city much like every other in the country decided to remove them. Reasons are simple, they are slow, prone to breakdown and when they do it holds up all the other trams and the traffic as well. Remember all trams run one way on one track so no overtaking. They can also be very expensive to maintain. Just look at the state of the rail network costs.

Ok history aside what about now? Well the city for me has a very good bus service. One that puts others in Scotland to shame. Whenever I go to the city I am shocked to find how clean and fast the buses are, not to mention cheap as well. I am at the moment £5 to get to my work in Glasgow where in Edinburgh the price is £3.50.

The tram project was to be over three lines but this was changed to one due to cost. The line runs from the airport to the docks at Leith. The city does not need an airport link as the bus service is again fantastic. I have used it and you never wait for a bus in the airport, also they do have many waiting at the airport as well, it is that good a service. Also the journey is ten minutes. Why would anyone what to build a tram to take this service, I have yet to be on a full bus at the airport as most people will drive or take a taxi. Say a family are away on holiday, two adults and two kids. Do they take the bus to town then get on the tram with all the luggage in tow pay for four people to use the bus and tram OR get a taxi?

I have to give credit to the SNP as they were the only party against the tram project. But they did give it a green light.

First was the parliament building now trams. Keep wasting out money MPs.

Hi Fi

I was at a friends house a few weeks ago for some drinks and a chat. They are into music like me and we play some music to go with the evenings chat. But they don't own a stereo or what was called years ago a Hi Fi. They do have MP3 files on a laptop that they then power up and play. I was listening to the quality of the music and I was shocked at how bad it is. Ok I am a bit of a geek and that but I was struggling to tell what some songs were.

I personally have what is known as a Hi Fi. Very simple, an amp, CD, turntable and speakers. That is it some connectors and that is what I play my music on. Top price now about £200. The sound makes the laptop a waste of time as you really do miss out on much of the music.

When an album is recorded and mixed it is never made so someone can listen to it on a laptop with a maximum output of 1 watt. It is made to be played on the most expensive system you can get.

Ok I am not saying you have to spend £20K on a music system but just spend your money wisely. Again I have MP3 files and I do play over my computer but I have a sound card at £80 and an audio lead that cost £10 hooked into my £200 stereo and again the sound difference is so big for such a little amount of money.

For under £300 my Hi Fi and computer will sound better than any laptop on the market and just about any set of speakers for laptops as well.

It is not just about the money but the sound is so important to the music, when listening to music in the old vinyl days the engineers made sure they could get as much from the recording as everyone used a turntable and a Hi Fi. People would complain about an albums mix or sound. But now people just don't care.

Just think when listening to Queen, A Night at the Opera. That album cost £1 million to make back in the 70s. All the hard work and dedication that was put into the sound and mixing. Then people play it on a camera phone.

So there I was in my mates house trying to work out what album he put on, I did wonder if I was spoilt but people do spend a small fortune on laptops and I pods and phones. To the point it is way more than a good quality set up. Why do people think new technology is always better? Whit is Apple considered better than everyone else when it is made with the same parts as the cheapest Dell laptop. Same for Sony who make their own components to the cheapest standard where others buy in the best quality.

I have yet to be given an answer from someone to explain why they do this. And every time I have friends round they always comment on how good the sound is when playing music.

Football match breaks out at T in the Park 87 arrests

Every year in Scotland we have T in the Park. A festival I liked when it was in Glasgow and was in a park. After a few years it got so popular it moved to Kinross. I did not like the first time I was at the new site and decided not to go back again. Some things just spoiled it for me, too big a site and so far away from anything considered a park (It is an old airstrip).

Every year the festival is congratulated for good behavior by the fans. This year it only had 53 arrests compared to last years 64 arrests.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14107955

The big news for Scottish football this year was not who won what but the shame game in March where 34 arrests were made.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-14105881

Why are the football fans given bad press when the music festivals are just as bad if not worse. Take a look at this years Rockness the festival that is made as an alternative to TITP.

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/News/Almost-250-drugs-busts-made-at-RockNess-13062011.htm

Again more praise for a lower arrest than last year. Only 11 this year including an assault. So when something happens at a football game the teams are forced to change kick off times and have more security etc.

How about forcing T in the Park to start at 7am and be done for 5pm just because of all the trouble. Why is the football fans punished and not the festival goers. I have been to TITP and I found it just as rowdy as any old firm match. Ok the football games happen more than once a year but it is not just a stadium but the whole of Scotland watching it on TV in pubs.

What happened at old firm games has went on to effect all other football teams in Scotland. The main one being the selling of booze. If you go to a Clyde vs East Stirling game you can't have a pint with your pie because you may start fighting or causing other trouble. Very unfair I would say. Or could it be made fair by banning booze at TITP?

Tinternet

Now the internet has been in most of our lives for over 10 years and for some even more I am of an age where I can remember not having any internet. A day and age where teletext was the most up to date way of gaining info instantly via the written word.

From the time I first used the internet it was more for geeks (Like me) and at times you were called a geek, looser or a sad person with no friends. I remember people who told me I shouldn't use it as having real friends is more important. They did not understand I used it for fun and it was nothing more than an hour a day and mostly for chatting to mates via ICQ or getting news and other info. Nothing that I would say is sad or pathetic.

But with the social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and the literally millions of forums on the net many of the people who said I was sad are now making friends and communicating on the net. I have had many people I knew from school try to add me as a mate on facebook. I tend to say no to the ones I was not friends with as to me that is a bit hypocritical in being a friend now when back in 95 we did not bother with each other. Same goes for many jobs I have had where I was regarded as sad for surfing the net and playing computer games.

The reason I am writing this is because of the article I read on the BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13389207

I just do not get where this sort of activity has come from, I like taking photos and sharing them on Facebook, but more so friends can see a night out we had or how nice a city I visited looks.

Why would you want to copy something as dangerous as that? Is it to look cool? Is it even fun? I really don't know but I do know it did not exist in 95. The same people who say I don't have a life are now on the net doing this shit to look like they have friends and a life and want to show off how wacky they are.

Remember the guy who was ironing on the motorway a while back, again another thing that has been done on the internet and people deem this fun and quirky. If you done that 20 years ago and gave your excuse the police would have locked you away.

But back when I was a geek or nerd I was pigeonholed as sad and pathetic for being in my room playing games. What does that make the guy who was great at football in college who said I am a looser for playing computer games? The same guy who asks me to be a friend on Facebook. The same guy that says internet is for losers. A fucking hypocrite that is what the prick is.

A quick google search and I find out he is no longer the cool kid he was. He works in a call centre and has Call of Duty as a hobby on his Facebook. He also seems to spend much of his day on a forum dedicated to football and has clocked up over 20,000 posts probably telling people he is a better footballer than who ever scores the winning goal in a cup final.

Vinyl Vs the World

I have always been a big fan of music and my favorite media for playing music is still to this day vinyl.

When I was a kid tapes were cool for use in personal stereos and then CD came along and overtook the tape and vinyl sales as the king of music.

But the music industry bullshitted you into thinking cds are better than vinyl. CD was the chosen medium as it was backed by Sony who in turn had their own record company and could easily release albums. Much of the time without you knowing it was a Sony owned company, Columbia and CBS were pretty much Sony corp.

Phillips invented the CD and could not get it finished due to a lack of funds. Sony finished off the idea and marketed it as the new way to listen to music. Sony made a packet as every disk sold they make money. You have a platinum selling album on CD and so does Sony.

With marketing telling you it was better, and adverts showing you how much more reliable the CD was people spent hundreds of pounds on new equipment on a lie. Don't get me wrong it is a great sound and when recorded right albums sound amazing but it is not the best.

Geek Time

Remember it is called Compact Disc. Is this due to the disk being smaller than vinyl or the music being compressed more to fit onto a CD? You miss out on 20kHz by low pass filter at the very least when mastering an album to CD. It can be compressed that bad only 25% of the music is left as the finished article. When recording an album remember many tracks are used to record the instruments so when mixing down say 64 tracks to two audible tracks (Stereo) is very hard. But with some great production work and skilled mastering it can work very well. But then you have the one area that robs you of the music you should hear and that is the CD.

When playing a CD you are playing a digital track that is made up of ones or zeros (11110010010) or what the laser sees in spaces on a CD. You have most likely seen a CD play. Very fast isn't it? With it going that fast and at some point the player will miss read something for this it has correction circuits. When it misses something it ‘makes up’ the rest of the info. Bit like an educated guess in a way. So you have this as one area that can mess up the sound also the CD as you know is digital, you need a digital to analogue conversion. Again that much of the time is not precise as you have already lost up to 75% of the music mastering to CD and also ‘made up’ parts to the music so unless it is going through a very good quality conversion you will lose more.

So you have a new album on CD that has been compressed up to 75% and misses out 20kHz of audio and you use a player that can’t read all the info then output it as an analogue signal. This goes into an amplifier then speakers for your enjoyment.

CD to MP3

With the compression on a CD being as bad as it is from about 2000 onwards more people have switched from CD to MP3. Again thinking it is a better medium. Apple made the I Pod and sold millions to help launch the new download market and give the music industry a new way to sell music to fans.

But they have again used the worse medium to sell to the public. The digital music file has so many other choices from MP3 to WMA to FLAC and many more. Why take one of the worst?

Some of the better music sites do give a choice in the download and at times you can get FLAC (Lossless compression) but this is very rare.

Don't blame Sony

I can complain but it is not the fault of Philips or Sony as we go out and buy the product. They have even released technology that is better than CD. First up is CD ROM, invented six months after CD it works in a similar way with a laser reading info of a CD. But the information has to be read in its entirety to be understood. No making up missing information and the media can store far more audio information than an audio CD.

Super Audio CD is another option, higher bit rates and over multi channels. Only a few albums were recorded to take advantage of the medium. It was ten times better than CD and was even better than vinyl. But the public just never took to it and it failed. A real shame as it was a great format and one that would have changed the studio album forever.

DVD Audio was much like the Super CD but it had a chance to make the album experience better as it could use a TV to show other contents of an album. Again it failed as no music was really made for it.

12” is not perfect

Vinyl can be compressed if squashed onto a record that is why the maximum length is about 45 minutes. So it is pretty much never compressed which is why you get a double album. Also it is recorded onto the plastic in analogue like how we hear it. This helps preserve much of the music’s feeling and stops missing out up to 20kHz. Then the turntable will play the music and not make anything up as it can only play what is in the groove. The only thing against the turntable is the actual touching of the needle to the record, this does produce sound faults and friction. Again helped by the use of 45rpm. Faster and less friction helps deliver better sound.

The music industry is now backing vinyl again, mostly as they sell more of it now that in 1991. Also they can make more money for the vinyl than on a £6 download from Amazon.

I have always liked vinyl and not just the sound it had but you get so much more. You don’t just get a music record but a bit of art and history. The white album by the Beatles was a work of art as was PIL Metal Box. Both really would not have worked well if it was a CD. And never have worked on an MP3 release.

All my computers that I have owned ever!

It is list time!

C16

First up is a very much a dark horse and for my still my favourite. The commodore 16 or C16 as it was called. Yup 16 k of ram and it was pretty much the wee bro of the C64. Built with a great case and white keys the games were on cassette tape and due to the system only being 16 k the games loaded very fast. Now you are talking 30 seconds or so but don’t let that fool you as the games were fantastic and fun.

C64

The big brother to the C16 but it did come out first and was the most powerful home computer when it did come out. 64k and 16 colours were a very strong characteristic. It was way better than the Spectrums and Amstrad machines. The machine was made from 1982 till 1994, something that may never be done in home computer/console market ever again. For one machine to last 14 years is amazing and that is the reason the machine still has programmers to this day. The machine had a cartridge version made to compeate with the consoles of the early 90s but it had a big design flaw, most cartridges did not fit and if the game had keyboard commands in the game you were rendered with an unusable cartridge or an unplayable game. Shame as the machine had more to offer.

Atari ST fm

A great computer and one of the first 1MB memory machines. The machine was a huge success in Germany as a technical drawing aid and the music industry used it as well due to the great midi connections the machine has. Again it is still being used today by music programmers due to it being so easy to use. Games were good but not great and compatibility was crap.

Atari Lynx

The first real 16bit console and it was full colour portable. The machine went head to head with Nintendo’s Gameboy and lost. The games were great, the console was great but the machine had niggles. Six batteries to power that lasted about 6 hours to the weeks the Gameboy had. Also the software companies were not backing it due to slow sales and little advertising. Such a real shame as I never played a duff game on it. I would even say the machine could out do many consoles now as the graphics were great as was the sound. Just a bit head of its time is the problem.

Amiga 600

I got this second hand due to missing having a computer to play with. It was a great machine smaller than the other Amiga computers by far and the first to have an internal HDD. It was great to play a game with no disc swapping. But the games were running out as piracy was taking its toll. Many game companies went to the PC or console market to make money and sadly the Amiga dies a death. But like the C64 people still do program for it. Windows and Apple both copied many features of the Workbench OS that was shipped with the machine and turned them into Windows and Mac OS.

SNES

The NES was a machine I looked at as a kids toy. A bit block with cartridges like a VHS tape for ease of use. Mario to me was no fun, jumping about some pipes collecting coins was just not what a teenager wants to play in games. The Snes was a big change for Nintendo and it paid off. Arcade games were converted to the system with such success one game made the machine so popular it has cemented Nintendo as one of the main console makers ever since. Street Fighter 2 was a teenager’s game and one that we never thought could be made to run on a home console that was so easily accessible to us. Follow that with Mario Kart, Super Probotector, Final Fight and many football games it was a fantastic machine that could even do PC games like Doom and Cannon Fodder so well the PC fans were respecting it. I still to this day play SF2, FF and others due to this console.

N64

For me this machine was a big letdown. With Promises of virtual reality style games it was never going to happen. The controller was nothing great, ok it was new but had nothing to do with VR or even good gaming. Goldeneye came along and launched the machine big time. Great game then a few more help it sell. But for me still a crap console with nothing new to offer. No wonder Sony done so well.

Cyrix 266Mhz PC

I now enter the PC market and start with a budget CPU. Don’t be confused I was a student and an electronic student so a computer was a must to design PCBs and stuff. Bonus is that you have a catalogue of 1000s of games. And at the same time the 3D graphics card is now taking real effect. Some of the games out were fantastic and pretty much helped staple the PC to the mainstream games market. Long gone were endless commands and set up to run a game. Just install and play.

Celeron 366Mhz PC

When I got this machine now you can sit back and see the PC evolve with games like Halflife breaking down the barriers and showing the game world where it is at. Also about now is when online gaming really took off. Quake 2, halflife and Unreal all going global with online play.

Pentium 2 800Mhz PC

First CD Writer

Athlon 2Ghz PC

First DVD Writer

Gameboy Advance

Just for a year the games world went crazy with Halflife doing so well on the PC and Sega dying. Sony took over and started selling a shed load. Nintendo had the advanced ready for over a year and choose to wait for its launch and it was a gamble that paid off. Great games and a great console I still play ten years later. My nephew plays Mario Kart to this day. It was a rehash of the first Gameboy, cheap, fun and easy to play.

Athlon 3GHz PC, AMD 2.2Ghz x2 PC, AMD 2.3Ghz x3 PC

And now

AMD 3.5Ghz x4 PC,

With the introduction for dual core CPU you now have computers that can be so powerful that you may never actually use its full potential. Most programs and games only use two cores of the processor so the 3^rd and 4^th processor is left unused. But in time this will change and the new games mixed with the graphics cards now will just floor everything else made. That is if the games makers want to. People who are scared to buy a computer in case it is too slow need not fear now as the machines made now will last for 4 years or more. A 4x CPU and 4GB Ram machine can cost about £350. Not much if you consider all the things a PC can do.

Time for Change

Over the last few years I have seen a dramatic fall in the quality of football in Scotland. This is along with a fall in attendances at games and also the fact the game up here is so dull.

On the 13^th of March 1873 eight teams formed the SFA and agreed to resolve that:

The clubs here represented form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules of The Football Association and that the clubs connected with this association subscribe for a challenge cup to be played for annually, the committee to propose the laws of the competition

See the term in the above sentence is to PROMOTE football. That is something that has not been done in a long time in Scotland. I don't see much promotion of football when the TV rights are sold to the highest bidder ESPN who are by any means just SKY TV with another name.

When the SPL was formed in 1998 the whole reason this happened was nothing to do with giving the fans a better quality of game or to make the tickets cheaper but only to make more money. Football was sponsored by one company over four leagues and the bigger clubs complained of a drop in revenue due to sharing the money out over 40 teams. So the SPL was born, to make more money.

Yes this should have gave the teams in Scotland more cash to spend on players but it really only lasted a few seasons till the teams started going bust. Four teams went into administration and the debt the SPL had was over £100m. Then TV coverage is taken by Setanta who also go bust and leave the SPL with no chance to take an offer from ESPN that is way lower than before.

So it is time to change the set up in Scotland, I have always been behind a regional league format as the traveling can be so expensive for lower clubs and the competition can be better locally. More derbies can make more money. Four regions where the top team in each region play off for entry to the SPL 2 league. Playoffs make money as well, just look at England. SPL can consist of 10 clubs, no split at the end of the season and one down and another play off for promotion. Team placed 9^th in the SPL against the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th placed team in the SPL2.

Each SPL league can have its own sponsor and each regional league can have a sponsor as well as the playoffs being championed by other companies. TV money can come in for them as well as gate receipts going up. It is a false economy playing more games to make money; exciting games bring in a crowd.

The Idea of a 14 team SPL is ridiculous, way too many games of no importance. Who wants to see Raith Rovers play St Mirren for who is in 9^th spot? In season 74-75 Scotland got rid of the 18 team set up in the top flight due to the same reason. Way too many crap games that mean nothing. Also the amount of people going to the games dropped as well. I would rather see Morton play Falkirk in a playoff for who is promoted or relegated any day.

Frozen Toes and Numb Fingers

Not sure if it is just me but one change to the football set up I think that has never been discussed recently is a switch to summer football. Who wants to go to a game when it is -10. And further to that when the game has a chance of being called off due to snow.

Year after year SPL teams get a kicking in European football and they blame it on the summer close down. Six teams in and five are out before the end of August. Again take Scotland back to the 80s when we had a 10 team top flight and then we had Aberdeen winning silver in Europe and Dundee United getting to a final after that. That shows the ten team league can work in Europe as well. And with a switch to summer football the teams entering Europe would be about half the way through a season.

I would love to watch football in the summer and being at a game in the sunshine at 3pm on a Saturday is something to look forward to. Not in the pissing rain when it is dark at 4pm and into minus temperatures.

Back to Scotland Vs England

It was all stopped many years ago due to violence at the games but we did enjoy the game every two years. And so did the world. Again starting this one off game every two years would ignite a huge amount of passion for football in Scotland and that is way more that the SFA could ever do. The security issues are all resolved now with the modern policing and technology. Tickets only issued to people with a proven background and tickets with names/photos that have to be scanned to get in the stadium. The trouble now would be nothing like it was back in the 70s. Again the football hooligan has died out as well. I have seen them myself try and fight in the east end of Glasgow to then see the locals come out and give them all a kicking.

Scotland Vs England would generate far more money now that it did back in the day. With TV, advertising, kit sales and ticket sales one game could easily make the SFA £5m for one game.

The Future

When Spanish football fans are making banners saying they don’t want their home football to be like ours that hurts. Even more so as Spain are the World and European champions. So they have problems but still manage to beat the rest of the world at football.

The SPL1 and SPL2 set up will be herald in big changes and the best change is more money for the lower clubs. From £600K to £3M for the second tier. The clubs are scared of the set up as relegation becomes more of an issue and no fan or player wants that. But failure should not be rewarded with a place in a league year after year by finishing 11^th.

Anyway the future for this set up has been placed on the table and does include going back to 12 teams and possibly even 14 in the future so a little compromise may give some clubs what they want in the future.

Interesting that after the SPL was started Scotland has never made it to a major football tournament. This could help change that.

Tramadol is Next.

Many of my friends and family know that I have been in pain for years with problems that arisen with a dislocated foot years ago.

I have had physiotherapy for this in the past and it seemed to get better but the pain never really gets much worse than a dull ache most of the time. But in March last year while working I had a small accident in my work. It was in fact on a building site and I simply tripped up on a piece of steel support that is generally concreted into buildings floors. It was a strange pain when it happened as I could walk ok and I did not feel as if I was in too much discomfort.

Fast forward on a few weeks and the pain is worse and to the point I am limping and a very bad limp at that. I consult my doctor to be given a week off work (That I did not use) and physio for the problem.

At the time I did tell my doctor that the pain was not like I have had before and I feel it is something out with the muscle or bone type of pain. As a rather stupid and young kid I was out on my BMX bike all the time and after riding down steps, walls and well just about anything I could cycle on with my bike had many falls. I know what the pain is like and I felt that it was not worth using physio.

The physiotherapy people are pretty good in the hospital I used and friendly so I tell them my story to be told they can only do as instructed. The pain is worse after six visits and I am then given a Podiatrist to see. Podiatry is something I know nothing about and on the first visit am told I have damaged my foot before and I also have a short leg. Both true. I am advised to use inserts in my shoes to cope with the height change and given painkillers.

This is where I get uneasy as I have never been a tablet person. When I have a sore head I don’t even take aspirin or Paracetamol. Don’t get me wrong I have tried some recreational drugs (but found them to be crap) and I like alcohol but I am allergic to many tablets and even tablet coatings. It is more of a stomach problem than an allergy but it is something I have found just too nasty to warrant taking tablets for a simple sore head.

I kindly take the prescription but do not get the medication like I have done for years. Weeks go by and I find myself on a few days away in Blackpool for a weekend. The pain has increased so much when I am sore I start to sweat very bad and also feel sick (This is a big sign of chronic pain when sweating and feeling nauseous).

The pain is so bad I can't sleep and I am getting increasingly depressed. All the time waiting for the next investigation on my foot to be done. I am told a wait of four weeks for the next part which is a consult on a possible surgical procedure. I see my doctor who gives me Amitriptyline. This is a wonder drug as it is used for Pain, depression and for insomnia. One big area is that it can be addictive. I wonder why? First week is great, amazing sleeps and some of the pain is away. I can work without snapping at people and shouting at strangers on the bus for “looking at me funny”. A few weeks later I am struggling to get out of bed. This is a sign of depression and I know due to having problems in the past. I see my doctor who increases my Amitriptyline prescription. And back to feeling better again, no more shouting at my family when they ask me if I would like a cup of tea. But again a while later I start to feel really depressed and I MEAN really bad. I miss work a few days and end up going in to fall asleep at my computer at random times. My foot is killing me and this is what is causing the problems. It is well known that chronic pain causes depression. My doctor gives me Dihydrocodeine as well as Amitriptyline.

I have heard of this drug before as it is used by people as a recreational drug and is very strong. I decide not to take any till the pain is really bad. About two hours later I take some and feel the effects, a great pain killer but it really does make you light headed. It is like a real buzz you get more like cannabis but it does relax you to the point I don't move from my seat in four hours.

I am now taking two pretty strong drugs and both are very addictive. Dihydrocodeine is taken by drug addicts and I mean heroin addicts. It can be that addictive the way to get people off the drug is to give them methadone. I will not bore you with what methadone is and what it is used for as we all have seen Trainspotting and like me do have eyes and see what it does and how bad it can be.

I now see why my dose went up on the Amitriptyline I was getting used to it and my body needs a higher dosage to make it work again. The Dihydrocodeine makes me so dizzy I can’t do my job and I have been signed off work for five weeks. During this I see a specialist who x rays my foot and shows me it (I did ask for a print out for my fridge door but I was told no way). No sign of damage to my bone or muscle. The evidence may point to nerve damage. I am now getting a scan on my foot to try pinpoint a nerve that is causing this.

And around all this I have to endure pain or take the pills that could lead onto other problems if you are not careful. I can see how someone can be hooked on drugs and a simple search on Google shows many people who are addicted looking for help.

My point is surely this can all be missed out if diagnosed quicker. In the long run it could be cheaper as I have missed tax payments due to not getting paid by my work and the pills alone could cost hundreds and all the time in physio/podiatry include all the office time for appointments… the list is endless for costs. Just think if someone is then addicted to painkillers after this, is the NHS to blame in the long run? It makes me look at a junkie in the street with a bit of sympathy.