Late night music

I just came across this old cover version of an even older song. Well I quite like it...

Fairport Convention - Heard It Through The Grape Vine
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Support an impoverished sceptic!

Settling down to listen to something interesting this evening, I was delighted to find an interview with my old friend Andy Roberts on the Righteous Indignation podcast. Agg, as I will always call him, was interviewed following his talk at Weird Weekend 2010 discussing the Berwyn Mountains UFO case.

Synopsis: In the winter of 1974 residents close to the Berwyn Mountains area of Wales, UK, were shaken by a rumbling explosion and rushed outside to see lights in the sky and beams coming up from the ground. The event entered UFO folklore as a 'flying saucer' crash site with a subsequent 'alien recovery' and cover-up by the government/military.

Variously described as an 'arch-sceptic' and 'renowned Fortean', Agg disassembles the events which gave rise to the 'Welsh Roswell' with his usual depth of research and clear thinking.

So watch the presentation, listen to the RI interview and, most important, buy the book - UFO Down? The Berwyn Mountain UFO Crash. It's the dedicated research of people like my friend which helps stem the tide of bullshit we are already up to our necks in.

WEIRD WEEKEND 2010: Andy Roberts


And I must say he looks much better that he did for his talk at last year's meeting.

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A thought for a Sunday

"Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life".

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (121 – 180 CE) Grow into these trousers... >>

A thought for a Sunday

"It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace".

André Gide (1869 – 1951) Grow into these trousers... >>

Another reason to like Hitch

I was saddened to hear recently that Christopher Hitchens has been diagnosed with cancer. I wish him well.

Hitch is not a 'light in time of darkness' but a small glow of rationality which, I hope, may herald a sunrise. I like his wit, erudition, honesty and unshakable self confidence. Even in illness he is a wise sage:

Christopher Hitchens Interviewed by Anderson Cooper


But Hitch is just Hitch:

Christopher Hitchens - The State of Human Intelligence
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A thought for a Sunday

"Why shouldn't we give our teachers a license to obtain software, all software, any software, for nothing? Does anyone demand a licensing fee, each time a child is taught the alphabet?"


William Gibson (b. 1948) Grow into these trousers... >>

A thought for a Sunday

"The really good idea is always traceable back quite a long way, often to a not very good idea which sparked off another idea that was only slightly better, which somebody else misunderstood in such a way that they then said something which was really rather interesting".

John Cleese (b. 1939) Grow into these trousers... >>

I'm just taking a break...

...from playing bass guitar. We've a series of gigs over the next couple of months, and more in the pipeline, so I've been practicing a lot over the last few days. Right now my fingers hurt so I'm typing gently.

Got to get my stamina (staying power?) up to scratch, the last thing I want is for my hands to cramp up on stage. I don't use a plectrum, just my digits, and some songs are a relentless top-speed thrash! I love it but the 6 fingers I use to play (4 left hand, 2 right) are growing thick calluses. Not like the old days when I had to trim my finger-ends with a razor blade, but enough so I notice a diminished sense of touch. It's strange what we do to ourselves for fun!

What am I learning? I'll post them here, mainly for myself so I can easily fire them up and play along. This is why my fingers hurt:

Joey Ramone - What A Wonderful World


Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize


Bad Company "Can't Get Enough" Live 1974
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A thought for a Sunday

"Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely soley upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake."

Christopher Hitchens (b. 1949) Grow into these trousers... >>

I can say no more... than this...

"Offensive Ideas" - Campaign for Free Expression PSA #1
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