The Null Device
2001/10/19
Gurnin Spacecase: Every bit as weird as the name suggests.
The one-line review in Future Music #114 of the demo I sent in. Needless to say, it didn't end up on the cover disc.
(And I wouldn't have thought it to be that weird; just straight big-beat/jungle/dub with some rather quirky samples. You'd think that "weird" for them would be arrangements of disjointed noise in semirandom time signatures or something.)
And justice for all: A man in North Carolina has been sentenced for adultery for having had sex with his live-in girlfriend. (In North Carolina, it is legal to have sex with an unmarried member of the opposite sex, or to live with same, but not at the same time.)
I don't think that means what you think it means: Perhaps those stories about abysmal education standards in America are true; how else would one explain having named a street Anthrax Street? Apparently, the story goes, some low-ranking staffer suggested the name of his favourite heavy-metal band and the supervisor, not being into either heavy metal music or microbiology, approved it as it was "unique and different". Now the residents, having abruptly learned what 'anthrax' means, are none too pleased.
(I wonder whether they have had problems with teenage metalheads stealing their street signs; I recall hearing that the street sign for a Nirvana St. in Melbourne's inner south-east is the highest street sign in Melbourne; the local council made sure of that after replacing signs stolen by grunge fans in the early 1990s.)
A good piece looking at how Bin Laden's terrorists organised and communicated. And no, it doesn't include encrypted messages in pornographic JPEGs and pirated MP3s. (Or, indeed, much in the way of encryption at all.)
The hijackers, many of whom lived in the United States for years, obeyed. They shaved their beards and wore western clothes. They hid their Korans. Some joined gyms and chatted about sports to neighbours. They took flying lessons and even military courses at US academies. Some brought their families to stay, warning them to flee at the last possible moment before the carnage began. They ate western food, and some even drank. No doubt they shopped at Walmart, and watched the Simpsons on TV. The Manchester terror manual even warned them "don't break parking regulations".
Even now, as US forces move in for the kill, bin Laden's satellite phone has not been cut off. But calls to the terrorist leader are going unanswered. His international phone number - 00873 682505331 - was disclosed during a trial, held in New York earlier this year. Caller to his once-active satellite link now hear only a recorded messages saying he is "not logged on".
The FourPlay show last night was excellent. They played two sets, with both old and new songs (bringing back their cover of PWEI's Ich Bin Ein Auslander; a rather timely inclusion, given the recent political climate), with Peter DJing in between, and playing all sorts of weird, glitchy beats. They performed with great energy and enthusiasm, and the crowd loved it, spontaneously clapping along during Meshugganah and erupting into wild applause after songs.