Absolutely the best Odds and Sods post in the World Ever! This Month! Part Two

Yeah another one of those mix and match posts I call odds and sods. 

Keen readers (those left) may have noticed I haven't mentioned the words "recruitment"  or "agency" for a while. Two reasons for this; it was boring me rigid whinging about the same thing all the time, and I've managed to get a job. Now when I say 'job' I mean that in the "any port in a storm' sense rather than the 'the next stage in my career'. The details of where and why aren't that important (trust me) although I now have first hand experience of the old saying "never go back'.

Another thing I haven't written about in ages is HMV. Why? Again I think I've discussed it through, and another progress report on its demise doesn't really add anything. Anyway the real action will take place after Christmas.

I was reading an article earlier on the BBC site about educational attainment in Northern Ireland. The gist of the piece is that NI's education system isn't as great as we are led to believe. The detail doesn't really interest me very much but one sentence just stuck me as good an example of "stating the fucking obvious" as I've ever seen. "There is a marked difference between highest and lowest performing students and a significant long tail of under achievement." claims a well regarded Prof. Now just roll that sentence around in your head for a moment. So there's a difference between the highest and the lowest. Cheers for pointing that out Prof. I'd never have worked that one out on my own.

My pursuit of SACD's has taken on a life of its own. The prices of the discs on ebay are little short of bewildering. I've seen Peter Gabriel's "So" for £79.99. I kinda kick myself now when I recall the mountains of these SACDs which Fopp in Cambridge had for sale. God knows what I was thinking about not buying them. There are bargains to be had - a new copy of the rare as hens teeth collectors SACD version of Depeche Mode's "Violator" was picked up for a £10. I couldn't believe I got it for so little. The guy in Head in Belfast was bemused when I told him the price second hand versions were going for. Although I think he was even more baffled by what SACD was. A week later I picked up an even rarer Can SACD in the same place for a fraction of the cost of one on ebay. Now? I've taken to trawling the second hand shops for them. Just in the off chance. The point is - they sound absolutely incredible so it is well worth the effort. "Violator" sounds like nothing else, and renders the CD version as unlistenable as MW radio. I described it elsewhere as being like someone wiping the Windolene from a dirty window. And it is. Only better than that. 
  

Angry Since 1967 'to split'?

Rumours are circulating 'Angry Since 1967' will split after its next post. While the full details have yet to emerge it seems 'Angry Since' will attempt to go-it-alone, without "1967'. Word reaches us that 'Angry Since' has been  trying to gain the exclusive rights to the blog. An insider claimed the site had been "riven" with internal disagreements. Recent attempts at relaunches and "reconciliation" between the two camps had been 'abject failures'. "Angry Since' just doesn't think "1967" is doing its fair share any more". Questions as to the blog's future were further fuelled by the recent public spat when "Angry Since" claimed it was carrying '1967'. "They've contributed nothing in the last two years, beyond dangling their numerals at the end of our words". Although denials were issued, and claims the quote was taken 'out of context by the media' it seems an announcement concerning '1967s' continued participation is imminent.  

A commentator makes wild stabbing guesses at what possible outcomes await the protagonists. 

It seems incredible to consider that something which has had such a massive impact could be about to come to an end. I'm sure we can all remember the first time we encountered 'Angry Since 1967'. How we marvelled at its growth, from humble roots into the globe spanning behemoth it is now. The impact this blog has had on our lives is almost incalculable. Indeed It is hard to imagine a world without "Angry Since 1967". Like you, I find it difficult to comprehend such a thing. That said, there has been a sense a peak has been passed. Recent posts, which have been proclaimed as "stunning returns to form" by some, seem to lack the old bite, preferring (seemingly) to fixate on bewildering obscurist parodies* and in-jokes no-one gets. So what of the two camps? While "Angry Since' is most likely to succeed and prosper, it is much more difficult to see what '1967' can do on its own. Cast adrift, perhaps a career on the celebrity TV circuit awaits? What an ignominious irony that would be. One question, begging an answer, is whether the whispers about "Angry Since" sounding out other years are true. The well documented relationship which has developed between 'Angry Since' and 1979 has been a source of much speculation, and although "Angry Since 1979" does sound odd, it does have a certain comforting familiarity. The one thing we can be certain of is that in this period of uncertainty nothing is certain any more.  

* Which is exactly what this is. Although telegraphing it as such rather defeats the point I'm making**. That's why this sentence is down here. With an asterisk. 
** Although, and on reflection, not as much as actually stating the fact that I'm making a point about defeating the point***
***That's the sort of comment which could, if followed to its logical conclusion, tie people in metaphysical knots .So I'll give over.   
   

Thinking the unthinkable about Unthink

A new social networking site has set up - Unthink, After much ho-ha it's there for all to see. And? Well I'm unaccountably reminded of Current TV. Same vaguely defined, yet lofty goals contrasting with the bollox reality of their provision. Take these two examples from their about page

"Unthinker...never lose sight of their potential, hate stale thinking, never tolerate intrusive or wasteful behavior and actively participate in shaping our future."

And

"All Unthinkers ...have adopted a win-for-all attitude, People - Business - Nature, and use the UNTHINK TREE to communicate ‘In Partnership with Nature’" 

Clearly unthinking is a prerequisite for participation with this crowd, as anyone with a semblance of rational thought should wonder; what the fuck are they talking about? This reads as a cross of new age guff (complete with its crystal energy, magic beans and spiritual trees), the mission statement of the worst type of company to work for (Publicly? Cuddly. Internally? Run like a Stalinist gulag), an irony free reading of Orwell's 'newspeak' and the unspecific intonations of fortune tellers and psychics. 

I think I'll pass.     

Blogger - Singing Opera's Finale?

You may have noticed that my posting has dropped away. Two reasons for this - I'm not feeling very inspired (no change there then) and, more problematically, Google have decided to stop supporting Opera* (that's Opera the browser not the other sort, although they've probably done that as well - just for a laugh). What to say about Google? That their status as "loveable internet geeks" has been transformed to "a bunch of tyrannical fuckers, only interested in controlling and logging every single part of your online life". They bought You Tube and Blogger and introduced a browser. Then, to "simplify things" forced you to create a single account for all of them. As I'm logged into Blogger, I'm now logged into Google and You Tube. Why? Why do they think I need, or more fucking importantly, want this? But like anything you learn to deal with it. Or I did until last weekend when I logged in to post some bollox about the BBC Proms; Only to be greeted with a little thing asking me to "try the updated blogger interface". And do you know what? It doesn't work in my browser of choice - Opera. Now you could say "big deal. Download Chrome and be done with it" but I'd respond "why?" It worked previously, I didn't get any notice it was changing, so why should I? It's hard not to be cynical, but it strikes me that by forcing Opera users to switch to their browser they are, in effect, trying to undermine a competitor. Microsoft tried the same thing by blocking access to Hotmail from Opera a few years ago. It didn't end well for them. Looks like someone hasn't learned from their expensive mistake.  

So why do I use Opera? Initially it was to wind people up. A previous employer, a company who only knew the price of things, not how much they cost, decided to move from Microsoft Exchange to a thing called Zimbra for the email and calendars. Why? Because it was free and 'Open Source' - something which delighted a certain individual who'd been employed to..er..to...no it'll come to me...no....tip of my tongue...nope, 'fraid I can't work out what they did, beyond sitting in the sunshine photosynthesising and making the odd wibbling noise. So Zimbra - Open Source - it'll work with any browser except IE. So I downloaded Opera just to see. Delightfully it didn't work. Cue furrowed lower lips and burrrring noises. Then they locked down the PCs just in case we'd download porn or something. Opera updates much more regularly than other browsers. The admin guy must have spent an hour every month just getting it updated. So I have to admit I downloaded Opera entirely for badness (and before anyone gets the idea - my fate with this company had been sealed long, long before this) but, shock horror, it turned out I liked it. Now? I'm so used to the mouse gestures I find myself trying them on software which doesn't support them. Odd that. So you'd imagine in the face of this bollox from Google I'd do something similar. You'd be right