Comments for technopop: technology -v- culture ... abundant musicality ... and whatever else is on our minds

Comment on Without Fripp, All is Lost by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:03:40 +0000

great tune. Nice way to wake up on a jet lagged Friday morning. “your little wife won’t save you” =)

Comment on Californian by pyker

pyker — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:34:56 +0000

I don’t think California more closely resembles the UK, but even if it did, I guarantee you almost no one in the UK realizes there is wide variation between social support amongst the states. It would also be news here in the UK that we are striving towards an egalitarian ideal :-)

I think it comes down to California being an imaginary and special place in the minds of the brits. Silicone & silicon, as it were. And don’t underestimate the incredulous fascination people have here with the idea of a place that’s often sunny.

Agreed that the adjective treatment of the state name is just weird.

Comment on Californian by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:04:02 +0000

Perhaps they have a chronic case of Californication?

Comment on Californian by Rick

Rick — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:04:35 +0000

I guess I may have heard “Texan” used in this way. The bottom line is: In US journalist, the name of the state alone serves as an adjective: “the California politician”; “a New York bank”, “this Illinois university”. The adjectival forms, conversely, tend to work as nouns: a Hoosier, two Californians, a group of New Yorkers. (This isn’t as unreasonable as it sounds!) The problem I’m pointing out is that the Beeb and other UK sources seem to mix forms, using the adjectival “Californian”, but the noun forms in most other cases.

Comment on Californian by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:57:01 +0000

Several possible reasons come to mind:
1) Fascination with a state that more closely resembles the UK than the other 49. California liberals, taxation, government regulation and social support structure, are closer to the egalitarian ideal that the UK (at least ostensibly) is striving towards. Compared to fly-over red state country, California is down-right socialist.
2) Google’s meteoric success. To go from non-existent to market domination (and zero to 600+ stock price) in less than a generation, makes it stand out. NY Life and Wrigley by comparison are puny. I’ve heard the BBC state Exxon Mobile as a “Houston Based Company” and SW Airlines as “Dallas Based Company” and Delta as an “Atlanta Based Company” in past radio reporting. Which brings me to # 3…
3) Google’s HQ is in “Mountain View” and most people say “where is Mountain View?” if they are not familiar with California, so it is easier to say “California Based”, instead of the city.
4) European Business traveler affinity for the West Coast. As large corporations tighten budgets on travel, they often impose arbitrary limits on what is business class, and what is coach/stowage/cattle class acceptable in their individual corporate cultures. the multi-national I work for used to say “anything under 6 hours” of flying was coach, when their HG was in Upstate NY. That changed to “under 8 hours” when they moved the HQ to the SE US. Then, when they bought a large division of a major French company, that changed to “under 10 hours” and since 9-11 and belt tightening, the T&L policy has again been changed to “only flights to Asia and Africa can be business” – but in the years between the SE move and 9-11, many of my Euro colleagues would FIRST fly from London or Paris or Frankfurt to California, visit a local vendor or customer there (on the long flight) and then, head Eastward to visit the HQ or other facilities, making CA an ideal business destination because of the business class flying acceptability to corporate travel policy regarding time in flight.

These are just my theories, as an outside observer, not directly involved in journalism, or living in the UK (as you’ve done), so my microcosmic paradigm may not apply (and probably shouldn’t apply) universally.

Comment on Songs I Realized Today that I Like 2 by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:06:32 +0000

I Really Like the Black Kids song – catchy.

Perhaps the reason why (“Why do all of these bands sound like stuff I was listening to when I was 14?”) … and I say this observing Dr Desert Flower’s musical habits… is that the early HS years were formative in burning in the EPROMs of life, in more ways that we can admit or realize. Why does an adult cat that was taken from its mother as a kitten try to suckle? Why do some foods / fashions / places never lose their attraction, that we first encountered in those foundation years? Our reptilian brain stems, hippocampus adjacent, know these are familiar, seek comfort in their recognize-ability, and tries to bring order out of chaos.

That… or… maybe it’s related to when Western humans become sexually aware and begin to explore… I don’t know. =)

Comment on Songs I Realized Today that I Like by Rick

Rick — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:26:23 +0000

@Joe: If you like the Signals tune, check out the final album by their predecessor band, the Mae Shi. It’s called Hilllyh

Comment on Obscurantist prog-indie question by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:12:09 +0000

The Peter Banks Battle, was that Phil Collins with the very busy hi-hat?
shop.supermusic.sk/najdi.php?typhladania=album2 …more syncopated than I ever remember hearing Phil.

The “Battles – Atlas” I liked, except for the ‘Lollipop Gang’ vocals, which I found distracting. “Tras” is even better.

Comment on Wasted. And wasted. by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:02:39 +0000

I don’t “get” MGMT. And the video link emphasizes the point that the hairless adolescent ape singer needs to put a shirt on, until he develops some muscle tone, a decade or so from now.

Comment on Songs I Realized Today that I Like by JustJoeP

JustJoeP — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:04:55 +0000

I share your affinity for the “What Dreams” Signals song, though I know where dogs love to lick when peanut butter is not involved, so the video sorta repulsed me.

I am grateful for your mentioning Good Shoes. I really like their stuff, but many of the other songs on youtube they have sound even better as I browsed. (Wait, Things to Make & Do). Sorta sounds like a combo of the Jam, English Beat, The Smiths (on meth) & The Cure on redbull. “It’s got a good beat & I can dance to it”.

I cannot get past Johnny Foreigner’s out of tune, screechy, a-tonal Replacements vibe it gives me… but maybe if I was in an unpleasant mood, I might like it better.

Have you heard The Drums? I’ve been listening to The Drums, Hockey, and White Rabbits, often lately. (yes they are a lil over-produced, but I like how they sound)