Шарманщик

Сегодня чудесным образом открылось мне наконец значение слова Grinderman - название прошлогоднего альбома Ника Кейва. Почему-то я никак не мог связать напуганную и раздражённую обезьяну на обложке и глагол молоть (to grind). Образ бездомного шарманщика и его несчастного спутника всплыл в рецензиях на детские рождественские книги. В догонку, вот отличная по-песенная интерпретация альбома от Кейва и соратников. "In the video we made for the song Grinderman, the ape, trapped by the lurid porno lights, flails ineffectually, while off-screen, the organ-grinder, God, the Grinderman, cranks the handle that makes him dance. This would seem to be some kind of clue", says Cave.

Listen:
alpha_to_omega/nick_cave_and_the_bad_seeds/

Sixtoo

Sixtoo is a Canadian who mixes electronica with live instruments to create a mash-up of abstract hip-hop, a dark rendition of dub, noir-beat. All in all, makes for a good background music. I don't mean it in a bad way, Kruder and Dorfmeister, for example, produce great background music, chilled, trippy and humorous. I can work to it easily. I guess it should be and probably is played in elevators around the globe -- makes an elevator ride a relaxing and pleasant experience. Sixtoo's music is a notch too dark and sarcastic to be accepted in shopping malls. For now. But, in malls of the future, it could, for example, be comforting customers shopping for a new iBanksy.

alpha_to_omega/sixtoo/

Amsterdam Canals

Apnea and Diving Reflex

Apnea is suspension of breathing. Free divers can stay under water on a single breath of air for more than 9 minutes. That's at least 3 times longer than they can stay on a single breath of air on dry land. Instead of damaging their lungs under high pressure and destroying their brains due to lack of oxygen, they go as deep as 200 meters to take photos of say leopard sharks and come back smiling. Apparently, when submerged, human body adapts in the following way:
1. Drops pulse
2. Redirects blood stream from limbs to heart and brain mostly
3. Releases blood cells carying oxygen
4. Fills blood vesels in the lungs with blood plasma
These are the factors of diving reflex, the whole thing sounds like sci-fi to me.

Update: Blaine's static apnea attempt

Georgia Anne Muldrow

This is 21st century jazzoetry. I am surprised how these broken beats and thick intertwined bass lines and all these free jazz things are so light and uplifting. This music makes my happy. Truly positive vibration, springtime energy, this lady is a healer and she plays all the instruments as well.

@stones throw

О! Нашёл рецензию по-русски в Афише на Olesi: Fragments of an Earth.

alpha_to_omega/georgia_anne_muldrow/

Would You Snore While Faking Inemuri?

inemuri is a phenomemon also known as "napping at work", but only in Japan where it is socially acceptable. It's clearly a very healthy thing to do, but can be taken to extreme: "Inemuri is viewed as exhaustion from working hard and sacrificing sleep at night. Many people fake it to look committed to their job".

Кактус потрогай кактус
достань из кармана атлас и усни на посту.

Make Чай Not War

It seems like a mixture of art, science and sorcery, however, there are some guidelines on how to make a cup of tea:
1. Start with cold, fresh, soft water
2. Warm your ceramic teapot
3. Use as hot water as possible to facilitate infusion
3. Brew your loose tea (1 teaspoon per cup) for at least but not more than 3-4 minutes (2 mins for tea-bags)

There is also an illuminating discussion going on: what to pour first, milk or tea. In fact, you should not use milk at all. If you do, then, according to George Orwell, always add milk to the tea. Doing so will make the brew taste stale discovered the Royal Society of Chemistry and hence, the process should be reversed. Physicists disagree and add: china would crack if hot tea is poured directly, so, historically, cold milk was poured first, simply to chill the brew and save cups from cracking (unless you're rich and can afford porcelain).

The picture is Gong's Flying Teapot by the way.

Loudon

Maybe it's just the way they all, i mean bards you know, sung back in the last century, like you're so drunk and/or stoned, you're about to collapse, and then before you do, you deliver this witty, painful truth about the world. Well, anyway, that's how I'd describe the way Loudon Wainwright III sings, in a true troubadour style, mixing pain, love and laughter, hilarious and surreal, awsome stuff.

alpha_to_omega/loudon_wainwright_iii/

Antimatter

Antimatter@Wikipedia

Today's antimatter news:
1. Scientists create most powerful antimatter beam
2. The parallel universe of anti-matter
3. Antimatter Announce European Tour Dates