Ektopia

Remember me banging on about the best clock in the world three days ago? Remember me saying that “…if I ever post another link about the best clock I’ve ever seen remind me about this one!”? Forget all that crap! I didn’t know what I do now…check out the NixiChron Satellite Controlled Nixie Tube Clock. How was I to know that this was around the corner? Isn’t it a thing of beauty? $500 + shipping…suit for the wedding or tube clock…put me down for a black one ;-) [via]

Finally got around to posting a few of the photos that I took on Sunday in London. These images were snapped while on the way to a photo shoot for the band I drum with, They Fight Crime (more on that at a later date). The piece in question was a very large paste-up on the corner of…you guessed it…Southwalk St! It stood about five to six feet tall, quite impressive.

Once again Wooster liked one of the images enough (the paste-up, not my photo!) to post onto their site…which was nice. Anyways, if you’re interested have a look at the full gallery.

Update (30/09/04) - Got a comment from Product_Two (p_two to his friends ;-) on the main gallery page who was the artist who created this piece. It appears that he’s part of the Thought Police (collective?), looks like they do some interesting work. I’ll let you know more as and when I find out.

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Ni9e is a really great site designed and run by Evan Roth and Max Asare (student and architect respectively). I originally found the site after seeing a link about a guy who was taking USPS labels and printing “USPS does not acknowledge the authority of the Bush administration” before returning them to the depot and placing them back in their racks for customers to use. Postal Labels Against Bush is one mans protest against Bush…it made me laugh!

Anyways, Ni9e have loads of goodies to feast your ears and eyes on including a couple of great videos, one called ffnyc & the other is titled ags. There’s also a mad typing masher (my name - not theirs!) called Typoactive. Great stuff, take a peek. [via]

The guitar rig database is a pretty cool site…if you’re interested in that kind of thing of course! What you get is an array of carfully researched gutar rigs from various gutarists, past and present. This info is then presented graphically with a hi-res image of exactly how the rig is wired. The images themselves are real works of art, kind of cute but really cool. Anyway, check out some of the rigs, from the simplicity of Ian MakKaye’s and Kurt Cobaine’s to the ultra-complexity of Robert Fripp’s and J Mascis’. [via]

Have a look at some of Dany Boy’s graffiti (click the little fella’s spray can). The work is really well presented, I especially love the “shakin’ da can” animation while the images are loading and spraying the images are fun. There’s also some nice wallpapers up for grabs.

We can no longer use samples unless they are licenced, no matter how small the sample is or how much it is modified beyond the point of recognition. The judges of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, who made this decision, “…do not see this as stifling creativity in any significant way.” The sample in question was three-note guitar riff from “Get Off Your Ass and Jam” by Funkadelic, which was used by NWA in their tune 100 Miles and Runnin.

Music Activist, Downhill Battle, disagree with this decision (as all of us do) and in response have called musicians to download the 1.5 second sample and create a unique 30 second tune…the main rule, “You can slice it, layer it, loop it, stretch it, filter it, smack it up, flip it, and rub it down, but you can’t bring any other sounds into the mix.” By doing this they “hope to showcase the potential and diversity of sample based music and sound art, and to call into question the relationship between a sample and its use”

The project goes by the name Three Notes and Runnin’, at the time of writing there are 72 tunes to hear (full list here).

Favourites so far are Changeiscoming / Sourcesauce by Music From Speakers, Art Crime by Mikrosopht, Deperising by Funkis & Gen Dobre by Smutek. [via]

Forget everything I’ve previously said about all the other clocks…this one really is the greatest…ever! Check the Kikkerland Motion Flip Alarm Clock. If I ever post another link about the best clock I’ve ever seen remind me about this one! While you’re there you should check out the other stuff at Funshop, loads of interesting stuff to look at. [via]

The Apartment make experimental music from “thrift store vinyl and great vintage stuff like 60’s movie soundtracks but also homemade tapes, crazy buss conversations, instructional records, even the occasional Japanese 8-track found in a box on the street corner”…and why not! It’s kind of dificult to explain the music it is but I guess that from his source material, and by the fact that he adds “electronic beats and melodies” you can guess what kind of thing it’s going to be…what you may not guess is how good the results are.

Anyway, have a listen to Three Forks and hear it for yourselves. [via]

Update (28/09/04) - There’s a couple more tunes here, the Comfort Stand Swingin’ Single!

More stunning graphics from French site Telmolindo. Seems like it’s a collection of pieces by a few different artists set out in book form with some chilled out music in the background. Contains some nudity so may not be safe for work. [via]