Sent Item

Any idea how many email messages get sent worldwide on an average day? 100 million? 500 million? 10 billion? How about 60 billion. Sadly, and not surprisingly, a huge percentage of those are spam.

Rockin'

I listened to old Neil's "Living with War" 3 times while I worked today and the verdict's in - it's pretty damn great. The music sounds live, urgent and honest. Subtle, it ain't.

Living with War

According to this story, Neil Young's hastily recorded and much anticipated "Living with War" will be offered up as a free stream at neilyoung.com beginning April 28 and in stores sometime around mid-May.

Genuine protest music (!) from an artist who never stops trying. He's gonna be way, way out on a limb with this one - if nothing else, you have to admire the spirit.

Six Feet Under

Now that my wife and I have digested all 5 seasons, it's time I spoke up about my admiration for HBO's "Six Feet Under." Masterfully written and always compelling, the show kept delivering every season and ended exactly when it should have. It felt complete and honest to the characters, right to the end. It was great art.

Now, when is season two of "Carnivale" coming out?

Images from Films

A quite decent collection of screenshots from movies.

Nightscapes

Beautiful collection of photos from German photographer Martin Wolf Wagner.

One Simple Haircut

A new Brad Pitt haircut prompts waaaaay too much interest. Why are so many people fascinated by the private lives of celebrities?

"I'm sure the bracelets signify something...even Brad has one now...my theory is some sort of family union thing like when she adopted Maddox and they wore one each...she now has 3 more ppl in her life.....".

Break On Through

What would Jim think? Who cares, just keep those T-shirts and box sets rolling. If some stupid teenage girl fails to grasp the irony, that's her problem.

Boards of Canada Video

I've never been a big fan of moving images connected with music (I like my audio pure) but I couldn't deny I was quite interested in the just-released Boards of Canada video for "Dayvan Cowboy" from their latest CD, "The Campfire Headphase." It's their first video ever and much like their music, it has an elegant mystery about it, with big metaphors at work. Thankfully, it's not an attempt to duplicate the "faded memory" feel of their packagaing, but it certainly feels right for the music.

See it here.

...overcoat hanging on a barbwire fence

Great thread over at I Love Music (the ultimate music junkie site) - made up Tom Waits lyrics.

I Know That Voice

Stephen Hill, creator of the long running Hearts of Space radio program (I helped design the website) has done the voiceover for "Green" - one of seven short films being released as part of Adidas' viral campaign for their re-released Adicolor series. The shoes are all white but come with a set of markers for customization.

After hearing Stephen introduce his "slow music for fast times" for many years, it's odd to hear his voice in this context. The film is wickedly compelling, by the way. See it here.

Read about more the project here.

A New McDonalds

McDonalds is spending 1.8 billion to refresh, rebuild or relocate 7,000 outlets. New elements include enhanced seating and décor elements, contemporary artwork, modern lighting and fixtures, wood and metal seating, updated restrooms and double drive-thru lanes.