The Null Device

I'm Wayne Kerr, and if there's one thing I HATE... it's the piped music at Museum Melbourne Central station. The station has an expertly-designed PA system which gives uniform coverage of all parts of the station, from the escalator leading into it to the platforms. Unfortunately, some marketing type at the newly-privatised operators of the station decided to "add value" to the waiting-for-a-train experience by piping music through this system. The music, in this case, being past chart hits, adult-contemporary rock ballads and bubblegum R&B. Supposedly, on average, people like this.

Thanks to you, Mr. Bayside Trains Marketroid, I now have I've Had The Time Of My Life playing in my head, I hate you, Mr. Marketroid.

¶ annoyances earworms piped music public transport wayne kerr 0

A good piece looking at the degeneration of copyright law into a corrupt, undemocratic system for enforcing corporate hegemony.

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I just remembered: When I went to the sinny to see The Monkey's Mask, there was an interesting poster in the foyer, advertising the upcoming movie of He Died With A Felafel In His Hand; good to know it has been made. It's by Richard Lowenstein, who also did '80s Michael Hutchence share-house punk classic Dogs In Space, and the poster features a black-haired, suited fellow who looks rather like Nick Cave (who is featured on the soundtrack). Now this is one film I will have to see.

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And now, a solution to the global warming problem that even Dubya could love: altering Earth's orbit, so that we can burn all the fossil fuels we desire as we sit in our extra-wide SUVs, with CFC-laden air conditioners going full blast. If NASA pull it off, not burning lots of oil could be considered harmful, putting the Earth at risk of global cooling; wouldn't that just tickle the White House pink? No news on whether the scheme would also stop epidemics of cancer, cholera, AIDS, etc.

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Military scientists in Britain have developed a system for tracking stealth aircraft by measuring discrepancies in cellular telephone signals. Though didn't the Chinese develop something very similar some months ago, only using radio/television signals?

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Bolshie radical and veteran of numerous protests (including S11) Steve Jolly is running for Mayor of Melbourne. It'd be interesting to see what would happen if he won; would the State Government (keen to preserve its business-as-usual definitely-not-socialist credentials) disband the Melbourne City Council, as happened with the Greater London Council under Loony Left Red Ken in the 80s?

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