AEROPLANE - new disco-pop dj-mix

AEROPLANE's new dj-mix comes with this month's mixmag magazine and it originally is called "disco balearica", but fortunately it is not very balearic, but more disco-pop and quite danceable. It features some of their amazing remix productions (Friendly Fires, Shortwave Set) plus some very unusual songs (Alphaville...anyone?), but it all fits perfectly and goes down very smoothly...
I really like it cause you can perfectly relax or dance slowly on this one! It would also be nice for a drive through the countryside on a sunday afternoon, but my car just died...

>>>AEROPLANE-DJ-mix

aeroplane myspace

Three books of found photographs...

Michael Abrams' book from Loosestrife a couple years ago, Strange & Singular, raised the bar on collections of found photographs and just when I thought there was no need for another book of them, no less than three have crossed my doorstep in the past few weeks that have been refreshing in approach and presentation.

The first two books Lesen and #01-105: Anonyme Fotografien aus Deutschland come from the same author, Gunther Karl Bose and the Institut fur Buchkunst in Leipzig.

Lesen, which means "read" in German is my favorite. Credited with Bose and Julia Blume as the authors, the book opens with several pages of spotty xerox black which seem more appropriate to open a Dirk Braeckman book than one of found photographs. The concept seems to become clear as we come upon the first plates which are family snapshot-type photos of people reading while on the opposite facing page is a xerox image of a page from an open book. Is it supposed to be the page the person is reading at the moment the photo was snapped? This conceptual implication is belied by close examination which reveals inconsistencies but still, the presence of the pages greatly expands our own imaginative fancy.

Lesen has a great design and that in itself makes this book one step above the norm. The contrast of the well-printed photographs to the xerox images is visually dynamic as is the gap of time between images clearly made in the distant past sitting opposite modern reproduction.

Published in 2005 by the Institut, Lesen is only 300 copies. ISBN: 3-932865-40-5. According to the Institute's PDF catalog this book is only 13 euros which makes it certainly the cheapest and most enjoyable books I have had the pleasure of viewing so far this year.



#01-105: Anonyme Fotografien aus Deutschland is an earlier book from Bose published in 2003. Also very inexpensive (13 euros) it has the production values that most 40 euro books do not. This a collection of 105 anonymous photographs from Germany run in a linear fashion across the bottom of the book pages. The design, like in Lesen, makes itself felt early on and encourages reading the links between each photograph.

Most of the photographs do not have dates but those that do seem to have been made between the early 1900s and the late 50s. One interesting design characteristic is the sporadic inclusion of any numeral or identifying marks that appeared on the original print. For instance one reads: Stealit - Magnesia - AG Bln. - Pankow Florastr. 8 Weihnachten 1933, which seems to indicate the type of photo process, the company address and the photo's caption which for this was Christmas Day 1933. Many of these markings are cryptic and nonsensical while others indicate dates or location. They float in the large white space on the page due to the bottom alignment of the images.

If you get a copy, be sure to peek under the dust jacket for an interesting design of debossing into the cover board. There must be something in the water at the Institut fur Buchkunst in Leipzig because I have now acquired several books from their catalog which I will be mentioning in the future. Great stuff and wonderfully inexpensive!!



The last I will mention is another offering from Paul Shiek's publishing company These Birds Walk. Away by Abner Nolan starts on the road with a couple speeding down the highway with the top down, the tones of the print fading almost to oblivion. The following images take us on a short tour of family and place, intimacy and detachment.

His choice of images reflect a fascination with deterioration and technical flaw which interrupt much like the hazy veil of memory. These become open ended fragments which when pleasantly paired can achieve interesting dynamics but I feel the book is either too short or too sporadic for it to lead up to a larger understanding of why these images, in this order, etc. Fragmentation can be interesting as memory itself is not a continuum but bits and pieces often shuffled and fleeting much like the opening and closing images.

Away follows the format of the TWS Subscription Series #2 that are a bit larger in size and have the fun repetition of the author's name and red title stamping on the cover.

Just some cute cupcake stuff

I used these cards today and it reminded me of a bunch of cute cupcake stuff that's crossed my path recently. These are letterpress cards from Dingbat Press. If you've been following the site for a while, you'll remember these she made for me a while back. I love letterpress. Love it. It's so substantial and makes writing much more fun. Check out her site and you'll find a ton of other gorgeous designs.

www.dingbatpress.com


Want to see more?

Okeedokey.



See this bag. It's a camera bag that was offered to me by Tracy Joy Designs. She had one cupcake design left and gave it to me for the price of shipping. Now, I usually don't like pattern stuff. I'm a solids kind of girl, but I thought what the heck… that's a pretty good deal… and maybe I'll do a giveaway with it or something.

It arrived the day before I went to Oklahoma to visit the Pioneer Woman and as it would happen, I needed a carry on bag for the flight. How convenient! It was perfect. Lots of pockets for lenses that I used for stuff and a long strap to hang over my shoulder so I could lug two other bags full of cake pop supplies.… Kinda smooshable so I could stuff it under the seat in front of me. Needless to say, I'm not using it for my camera and I'm not giving it away. It's my new travel companion. (sorry)



And, here's the best part - that I didn't even notice until I was on the way home. The flap is removable. You can switch it up with different designs. Cute, huh! I don't think this style is available in her store, but I bet you could do a special order. And if not, she has other cute bags.

www.tracyjoy.com

Oh no. I was wrong. I just went to their site to get the link for you and it turns out they are closing shop. Serves me right for waiting so long to post this. But, the good news is they are having a BIG sale on all their remaining inventory. Maybe you can score a deal.


Now, control yourself. These are really adorable.



Heavy metal cupcake measuring spoons. Look at the inside and the handles. Eeeeeeeek! Keeeeeuuute!



Look at their bottoms. And look at the handles, they have tiny hearts on them.

My new friend, Pioneer Woman Cake Pop Demonstration Winner, and blogger… Starwoodgal, gave them to me. She found them at a charming little store in Arkansas called Signed Sealed Delivered. I looked on their site and couldn't find them, so here's another place to get them.





Recognize these little guys? They're from Cakespy. You know how much I love Cakespy and her L'il Cuppie character. I have several of her paintings and now I can spread the sweetness with these little cute note cards. She also has buttons, magnets and a bunch of fun paintings.

Cakespy Shop





How could you be blue with this hanging around your neck. I bought this vintage necklace with plastic cupcake pendant recently from Very Happy Everything. They just got started on etsy, but have tons of cute necklaces. I'll warn you, though. You need to have a little whimsy in your bones for some of the designs… like the Hammerhead sharks with bow ties. Oh, to be in their brain for a few minutes.

Very Happy Everything





Crocheted cupcakes! A reader sent me these the other day. Hi Jackie from New York. How are you? Thank you so much for these and all the time it took to make them. I've never crocheted anything, so I have to say, I'm super-impressed.





Cupcake Pops! Nope. They're actually cupcake soaps on sticks. LoveLeeSoaps gave me these. They look pretty real, huh? You should see some of the other stuff she makes. It's all crazy cute! I promise.

LoveLeeSoaps





I also found this in my pantry today. Sprinkles cupcake mix. Sprinkles was very thoughtful to start selling a mix version of their fabulous cupcakes at Williams-Sonoma. Especially since I have been waiting FOREVER for them to open a store anywhere within a day's drive from me. I had the real things once, and I've been thinking about them ever since.

But, here's the problem with this mix and things like it. If you notice the expiration date on the right, you'll see that I've had it for quite a while… way before that date even. It's a quirk of mine. I find it extremely difficult to open cute packaging. I would rather just look at it contained, than open it. Quirky, right?

Sprinkles Cupcake Mix



Here's another example of really cute packaging from Chronicle Books. Take a look at this Cupcake Kit! It's so cute, I haven't even opened the box to hold and look at all the fun stuff inside.

But, guess what?! I have two of them.

So, maybe you can help me out. If I give one away, will you open it and tell me how fun everything inside is?

Please, because I'm going to put the other one on a shelf and stare at it.

Okay, it's settled. One of these kits is up for grabs. But which one of you wants it? Let me know.

Enter for a chance to win:
A Cupcake Kit

• Just leave a comment on this post and let me if you want to tear into this box. Easy.
• Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
• Deadline to enter is Friday, May 29th at 9 p.m. Sorry, Time's Up! Winner below. (recorded by the time stamp of your comment)
• One winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Saturday morning on this post.

* One winner will be chosen at random, using random.org's integer generator.


Time to reveal the winner.

It's…


It's…


It's comment number…


1,132

Congratulations eRika! The goodies will be in your hands soon. I hope you have fun with it.

Now, guess what?! I've decided to go ahead and give the second one away also. That's right. Two winners. Why? Because you guys are always so great and I know I will just be staring at mine on the shelf. I think I would feel guilty knowing how badly so many of you wanted one.

And the second winner is comment number 40. Ooooh, a low number this time. Who's it gonna be?
Jenni, of course. And, I'd love to see any results from your new cupcake kit.

Thanks everyone who entered and graciously agreed to tear into this box for me. Some of you even have the same packaging problem as I do. (Yay, I'm not alone.) And, some of you… well, let's just say I wouldn't want to come between you and any sort of wrapped gift. But, it would be fun to watch. There were a total of exactly 2,800 entries for this giveaway and it was one I really enjoyed reading. Made me laugh, smile and wish I had even more kits to give. And Carissa, even though you didn't win, and you were "number two-thousand-four hundred and fifty," I did read your comment. Hi!

3 of Stockholm's fashion influencers: Carin Hellman, Emma Veronica Johansson, and Agnes Braunerhielm

Carin Hellman, Head Beauty Editor of Swedish ELLE

While snacking on fruit from the Story Hotel buffet, she told me she felt like whisking herself away on an enchanting vacation that morning, so she wore her tribal inspired dress and bracelet to indulge that fantasy.  

During a cigarette break outside a cafe in Södermalm Emma Veronica Johansson, model and Head Fashion Editor of Swedish Cosmopolitan told me a bit about her clothes:.

glasses -- Eley Kishimoto

ballet flats -- Cashott

Coffee break in Östermalm with Agnes Braunerhielm, Head Fashion Editor of Rodeo Magazine

The Depravity of the Occupation

According to the London Telegraph:

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.

Detail of the content emerged from Major General Antonio Taguba, the former army officer who conducted an inquiry into the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

Allegations of rape and abuse were included in his 2004 report but the fact there were photographs was never revealed. He has now confirmed their existence in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, denies their existence during the course of a tirade about the credibility of British newspapers.

Perhaps, Gibb was unaware that the source of the story was Major General Taguba himself. And, he was likewise probably unaware that the photographs confirm accounts provided to Taguba during the investigation:

Maj Gen Taguba’s internal inquiry into the abuse at Abu Ghraib, included sworn statements by 13 detainees, which, he said in the report, he found “credible based on the clarity of their statements and supporting evidence provided by other witnesses.”

Among the graphic statements, which were later released under US freedom of information laws, is that of Kasim Mehaddi Hilas in which he says: “I saw [name of a translator] ******* a kid, his age would be about 15 to 18 years. The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets. Then when I heard screaming I climbed the door because on top it wasn’t covered and I saw [name] who was wearing the military uniform, putting his **** in the little kid’s ***…. and the female soldier was taking pictures.”

The translator was an American Egyptian who is now the subject of a civil court case in the US.

Three detainees, including the alleged victim, refer to the use of a phosphorescent tube in the sexual abuse and another to the use of wire, while the victim also refers to part of a policeman’s “stick” all of which were apparently photographed.

Unfortunately, it is looking more and more obvious that we can expect similar disclosures at some point during the Obama presidency, especially when someone like General Stanley McCrystal is appointed to conduct miltiary operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Painting Groups with the Same Brush as Outliers: Is That Ethical?

I, unfortunately, though some may consider it fortunate, have created a series of topic threads which has stimulated some of my visitors to make negative and derogatory comments seemingly referring to members of an entire class rather than those outliers who might well deserve these comments. Example threads where you can read the comments to which I refer deal with infant male circumcision, hysterectomies, patient modesty and also a probably unfortunate title in this context, “I Hate Doctors”.

As having been a patient myself, I can understand and even empathize with those who have experienced instances in medical practice which could be the basis of and promote negative comments. However, my point is that these comments should refer to specific individuals of a class and not necessarily to the entire class itself.

On the other hand, extending this issue to the “bad apple” analogy, should one or two “bad apples” in the basket cause all the apples to turn "bad" and that there is a responsibility of every class of healthcare providers in medical practice to be responsible for their “bad apples”? If they are not carrying out this responsibility to get rid of them then shame on the entire group and thus the painting of the group with the same brush.

I would be most interested in my visitors’ opinion. ..Maurice.

Graphic: Photographs composed and modified digitally by me using ArtRage.

German Debate about Child Porn "Filters": Delete - don't Censor!

In Germany, we are approaching the show-down in a heavy political battle around how to fight "child pornography" (correct: documentation of child sexual abuse) on the internet. The government, lead by family affairs minister Ursula von der Leyen, is proposing a filtering system based on DNS poisoning. The Federal Criminal Police (BKA) would maintain the block list and send it to the ISPs once a day. Domains on the list would then be re-directed to a "STOPP" website instead of the originnal IP address. The list of course would be secret (as long as it does not end up on Wikileaks like many such lists from other countries before), no judicial oversight is planned, and people visiting a site on the block list (Rickrolling and tinyURL, anyone?) would have to fear criminal investigations, because the law enforcement agencies would get access to IP addresses ending up at the "stopp" site.

The plan has met heavy opposition from the already politicized German internet community. An online petition to the German parliament to not adopt this law today broke the barrier of 100,000 signatures. A parliament hearing yesterday showed massive problems with the current draft. The crucial question in the next two weeks, before the parliament ends it's session and everybody is heading towards the election campaign, will be if the Social Democrats, who are ruling together with the Conservatives, will understand that it does not make sense to adopt a quick&dirty law around such a serious topic.

The German blogosphere and twitterverse are furiously analyzing the factual errors in data presented by the government to support their proposal, discussing the constitutional problems, and pointing to the massive overblocking on leaked lists from other countries. They are organizing most of the core work in the "Working Group against Internet Blocking and Censorship" (Arbeitskreis gegen Internetsperren und Zensur / AK Zensur), which is more or less modeled after the successfull Working Group against Data Retention (AK Vorrat).

But interestingly, a lot of things are also happening extremely decentralized, only glued together by hashtags on twitter and similar microblogging services. The most popular hashtag is "#zensursula", which is a play of words with the German word for censorship (Zensur) and the minister's first name (Ursula). Last Saturday, there were public readings of the German constitution and many other protests on the streets in around 30 German cities, all triggered just by a blogpost and a tweet.

I'll speak about these methods of "activism 2.0", among other things, next week at the "Computers Freedom and Privacy" conference in Washington DC.

Now, a member of AK Zensur has made an interesting experiment and showed that it is not even necessary to block sites, because you can easily take them down completely. Stefan Graunke was so kind to do an English version of the press release:

Delete, don’t block: It works!

This is the English version of a German press release on ak-zensur.de

Within 12 hours, 60 child pornography sites were removed from the internet

In the ongoing German dispute over the appropriate action against documented child abuse on the Internet(child pornography), the supporters of a mere blocking solution argued that it is often not or only with considerable effort possible to remove the illegsl content or to get hold of it’s originator.

Alvar Freude of the Working Group against Internet blocking and censorship (AK Zensur) put this argument to the test. He analyzed the various European blocking lists via automatic procedures and wrote to each provider on whose servers child pornography was located according to lists. He received an impressive response: Within 12 hours after sending the first e-mail 60 websites were already deleted.

Further results and insights:

• The first reactions respectively deletions followed after a few minutes and came among others from the USA, Holland, Denmark, Russia and Germany.
  
• Three of the the deleted websites were located on servers in Germany.
  
• A total of 348 providers in 46 different countries were contacted automatically and informed of 1943 allegedly illegal websites. A previous individual analysis of the web sites content has not been made. (It is completely illegal in Germany to look at child pornographic content.)
  
• 250 providers have responded to the request, but they mostly found legal content. Samples that were taken afterwards confirmed the legal content.
  
• Ten providers indicated that a total of 61 cases of illegal content had been removed. With a simple e-mail you can achieve a lot.
  
• The examination through the providers showed that the vast majority of websites, including some from Germany, appeared to have no child pornographic content, some do not contain any objectionable material at all – therefore the websites were blocked in error. In Finland several domestic websites were blocked, that contain a critical examination of the blocking issue.
• The providers have not been informed that some of their hosted websites were put on the blocking lists.
  
• When made aware of this fact, the providers are more than willing to cooperate and remove illegal content as soon as possible.
• A certain part of the illegal material was located on ‘hacked’ websites, ie sites that were exploited through security holes to spread external material. Here too the providers were very grateful for the supplied information.

The process to shut down websites with child pornographic content does not take longer than the transmission of a blocking list. This shows the absurdity of the reasoning behind simple blocking – there is no rational reason to just block criminal content and leave it on the Internet, still accessible for everyone who uses minimal effort to circumvent the block.

What was possible for a citizens’ initiative, such as the Working Group against Internet blocking and censorship, should be even easier for the German government and law enforcement agencies and their results should by far exceed the results of AK Zensur.

Delete, don’t block – the motto of AK Zensur – is possible!

Released by: Working Group against Internet blocking and censorship (AK Zensur)
Web: http://ak-zensur.de/ (in German)

Press Contact:
Alvar Freude
presse@ak-zensur.de
+49 179 13 46 47 1

About the Working Group against Internet blocking and censorship (AK Zensur):

The Working Group on Internet blocking and censorship (AK Zensur) speaks out against the Federal Government’s planned Internet blocking and promotes an effective fight against child abuse instead of ineffective symbolic politics that only promotes ‘looking the other way’, does not help the victims and establishes an infrastructure that restricts basic public rights. AK Zensur coordinates the work of Internet blocking opponents, but is also appreciates the many activities that are happening decentralized in the on- and offline world.

The members of AK Zensur are amongst others: Chaos Computer Club (CCC), FoeBuD, Association for Information Technology and Society (FITUG), Forum of Computer Scientists for Peace and Social Responsibility (FIfF), Victims Of Abuse Against Internet Blocks (MOGIS), netzpolitik.org, the online platform ODEM.org, Trotz Allem e.V. and numerous individuals.

Baghdaddy's, indeed!

.

Caption: Alas, Saddam Hussein did not make the list of gay icons.
Photo Credit: Special To The Washington Post

Article: For One Night, Baghdad Gets a Pink Zone, May 22, 2009

Being so culturally sensitive, are some of those that "they" have liberated inivited to the party?

"Grainy footage taken on a mobile phone and widely distributed around Baghdad shows a terrified young Iraqi boy cowering and whimpering as men with a stick force him to strip, revealing women's underwear beneath his dishdasha (Arab robe).
"Why are you dressed as a girl?" roars one of the men, brandishing his stick as the youth removes his brassiere. The sobbing boy, who appears to be about 12, tries to explain that his family made him do it to earn money, as they have no other source of income."

Iraqi gay men face 'lives of hell', April 18, 2009

"Iraq’s gay population is being targeted by militia groups in a wave of killings that has claimed the lives of up to 25 young men and boys in the past month.
"They know I am gay. I don’t know if I am going to be killed, this is up to God," said Moyad, a 38-year-old Baghdad resident who would not give his last name out of fear for his safety. Visibly frightened, he said that he has many friends who have been sadistically tortured, some even murdered. "They are sticking glue up their anuses; some hospitals refuse to treat them. Is it a war waged against homosexuals?" he asked."

‘They Kill People Like Us,’ Says Gay IRAQI, May 4, 2009

What Just Happened To The Long Tail?

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson has been the rage for a while. It’s actually a fad. I keep hearing from people who want to “reach the long tail.” Some big journalist types—those who have not read the book—seem to be under the misguided impression that Chris and his people sure know how to coin a catch phrase. It is a catchy book title, but let me clarify the term for you:

Wikipedia says: the long tail is the colloquial name for a feature of statistical distributions.

The phrase refers to the appearance of a line graph where the left side is high on the Y axis and tapers down quickly to a sustained lower level. As the lower level is maintained, it cumulatively equates to more than the initial short-term burst. (Here, Yellow > Green.) It sounds like calculus (ugh!), but it really is just common sense. Commonsensical, helpful knowledge.

In a nutshell for PRists out there, Anderson has postulated that smaller niche audiences have more cumulative value to businesses than larger audiences reached over a short timeframe. Being editor-in-chief of Wired probably has something to do with why Anderson’s book puts everything in the context of cool tech.

I’m sure The Long Tail is well-written and insightful—I haven’t read it, but you knew—and groundbreaking for what it says in the long run. (Rimshot. Try the veal!) But I can’t help but roll my busy eyes when someone thinks they’re giving me something so unbelievable and ground stopping as they inform me about the importance of niche audiences and the fabulousness of blogs. I’m told the sequel will tell me the sky is blue.

As a blogger: “Really?”

See, in PR we’ve been dissecting audiences for many years. Look, tailees, blogs are not the first long tail (italics mine) form of communication. Some consider this example archaic but the “fad” of the weekly newspaper is still one of the best long tail communication tools.

The weekly newspaper reaches a niche who cares: community. That’s saying a lot. I wonder if that’s just a little too old-fashioned for Anderson groupies to grasp. Alas, I’m grateful to Anderson because his statement will influence the suits and help them finally get that “PR By The Pound” is a 1990s concept. Yes, you want to reach a lot of people with a message. However, doing so indiscriminately will not work since there’s no power in the message-less story that gets to the wrong (untargeted) individual.

Targeting is back! Which means that as with other trendy pseudo-new ideas, The Long Tail has made a core componentof PR fashionable.

Uh, again.

Unfortunately it leads some CMOs to believe that a successful PR program can be based entirely on niches. Smart practitioners of our field know that PR delivers return when it reaches both broad foundation of the pyramid and the specific audiences that inhabit the top.

Let me tell you how PR works. (Yes you can laugh.)

A Brief History of PR and Audiences

A while ago—think no computers and only 12 channels—we all tended to talk about audiences in general terms. Our demographic breakdowns included sex, age and geography. There were consumer stories (we called them features) and business stories (we called them business stories). News was by its definition new, and we were intimately familiar with the outlets we patronized because there were comparatively few.

As the sheer number of outlets increased we shifted focus to less tangible angles and discussed corporate reputation ad nauseum. Newsworthy events became stunts, some of which kinda worked.

Then online came into being. Those of us who had enough coffee knew early that the Web would change PR and once again we turned it into a process story, and fell in love with discussing it to death. Now we seem to be having a hard time moving past any discussion but that one.

Reality Check, Please

Online media is not in the least new. It’s not at all mysterious. It simply is. We must get over treating blogs – even this one that you love– as Brightest Shiny Object in the toy box, and get on with integrating what used to be new (and is now fairly old) media outreach into our programs. If you don’t understand how “new” and “traditional” media interact by now, let me come over with my portable White Board.

Dear Martha Stewart: It is not complicated.

So what about Anderson’s elongated extremity? Congratulations, sir, for stating the obvious. I’m staring at some of it on Amazon and (my gosh!) he has used a lot of fancy words. Then again Dickens got paid by the word so what can I say?

May I sum up? Niche audiences are important to people in PR—they always have been, always will be, bla bla bla—pointing it out seems to be a big hoohah moment. But niche is not the be-all-end-all.

At the acclaimed, wondrous and decades-old (!) RLM PR, we use what we have dubbed an Audience Matrix to identify how to reach niche audiences. Outreach is not conducted in a silo. If hardcore online gamers are important for one of our fabulous (read: paying) clients, we ensure that our tactics also appeal to the broader audience—like 20 year-old males who don’t play online but might be one of their eventual consumers. So we are reaching the whole tail and then we are also going after the head and torso.

That’s it for me. Drop me a line – and not one in the sand, please.

*****

Twitter @laermer; that’s where I’ll be. Rubbing my tail - naturally!

Shir Khan - Bombaklaatlivemix 1

Long time no sign from me....I have been locked finishing my upcoming Cd, doing some remixes ect. This week I am playing 4 times...exhausting. 2 Partys not to be missed are these here... Fanklub Deejays are cool Djs from Belgium who run the monthly BLAST YOUR GHETTO-Party in Antwerp. Also included on the lineup: Dancemachine who I have already Djed with and I really liked her set last time in Brussels. Saturday is Picknick-time in Berlin....they are opening the outdoor-area which will be nice. Me and the Roundtable Knights taking it to the next level....and you wanna know how next level shit sounds? Here: download my 1 hour live-mix - no editing. Since there is a lot of exclusive material in there I dont post a playlist.
Shir Khan - Bombaklaatlivemix 1

BYE BYE SCALA

Last weekend we've lost our home. Thank you Scala for all the great parties. Bye bye.
Cry a bit while checking the Scala Blog with lots of photos.

At least ONE post in May...

Apologies for being slack on the blogging action, but after quite an extensive tour through the EU I'm back home now trying to find my groove in the studio. On the release front, things have been going well ; my album has been out for about a month now and I'm happy to see people are enjoying the music. Also, my two remixes of Efdemin's "Acid Bells" have been released on a very pretty little coloured vinyl 10" thingy on the Belgian Curle label - grab it while you can because these are limited! Then there are two tracks of mine on Aus Music's compilation CD "All Night Long", namely "For Lost Relatives" and "Electric Purring", the latter will have a vinyl release very soon. Check my space for a clip of it.. And make sure you check Tectonic's superb "Tectonic Plates volume 2" CD, which features serious music by the likes of Pinch, 2562, me, Mala, Fly Lo, Peverelist etc etc..

Anyway, time for some gifts... My good friends at LowerDepths made three short radio mixes available for you to download and pod, I recorded these in the studio for Gilles Peterson, Rob Da Bank and James Mountain's shows a few weeks ago - enjoy!

MARTYN - GILLES PETERSON GUEST MIX 7 MAY 2009

Cooly G – ‘Love Dub Refix’ (Hyperdub)
Roy Davis Jr. – ‘About Love’ (Classic)
Actress – ‘Hazyville’ (Prime Numbers)
Roska – ‘Gone To A Better Place’ (Roska Kicks & Snares)
Erobique – ‘Arf Patzo’ (Mirau Music)
Martyn – ‘For Lost Relatives’ (Aus Music)
Martyn – ‘Phone Lines’ (3024)
Flying Lotus – ‘Disco Balls’ (Hyperdub)
Slum Village – ‘Disco’ (Capitol Records)
Waajeed – ‘Tron’ (Bling47)
Martyn – ‘Natural Selection’ (Flying Lotus’ Cleanse Mix) (3024)

MARTYN - ROB DA BANK GUEST MIX 20 APRIL 2009

Martyn – ‘Natural Selection’ (3024)
Kloke – ‘Basement’ (Entrada Recordings)
Millie & Andrea – ‘Black Hammer’ (Daphne001)
Uncle Bakongo – ‘Makonde’ (Roska Kicks And Snares)
Apple – ‘Seigalizer’ (Slim Ting)
Hard House Banton – ‘Reign’ (SRE)
Efdemin – ‘Acid Bells Martyns Dark Mix’ (Curle)
Martyn – ‘Elden St.’ (3024)
Karizma – ‘Groove ‘A’kordingly’ (R2 Records)
2000 And One – ‘Funk That’ (100% Pure)
Adam Marshall – ‘Rose Mountain’ (Cynosure)
Martyn – ‘Bridge’ (3024)
Goldie – ‘Truth Ft. David Bowie’ (Ffrr)
Martyn – ‘Far Away’ (3024)
Uncle Bakongo – ‘Anlo Ewe’ (Roska Kicks And Snares)
D-Malice – ‘Gabryelle Refix’ (White)
Deadbeat – ‘Incinerate’ (Wagon Repair)
Manoo – ‘Agoe’ (Earthrumental Music)
Shut Up And Dance – ‘Epileptic Martyns No Strobe Mix’ (Shut Up And Dance)
Martyn Ft. Dbridge – ‘These Words’ (3024)

MARTYN - JAMES MOUNTAIN GUEST MIX 9 APRIL 2009

jason fine - put it out 2562 mix (kontra musik)
millie & andrea - black hammer (daphne)
kode9 - black sun (hyperdub)
efdemin - acid bells martyns dark mix (curle)
radio slave - tantakatan the drunked shed mix (rekids)
brian harden - live in chicago (nite life collective)
martyn - elden st (3024)
martyn ft dbridge - these words (3024)

Indications for Autoinjectors of Epinephrine

I had a brief chat with the Dey folks at the FAAN conference a few Saturdays ago. Did you notice that the indications for when to use your Epi-pen have changed? What’s the difference and why should you care?

For a more formal answer I turned to colleague board certified allergist Dr. Matthew Greenhawt whose bio is here. Here's what Dr. G had to say:

Dey Pharmaceuticals (Napa, CA) recently modified the prescribing indications for EpiPen® and EpiPen Jr.®. Formerly, the prescribing indications were limited to those with a history of having an anaphylactic reaction, overlooking the potential of those with milder reactions to have more severe reactions upon their next encounter. The indications now recommend use “in patients, who are determined to be at increased risk for anaphylaxis, including individuals with a history of anaphylactic reactions.”

The distinction is an important one, allowing the physician a liberal interpretation of who needs the device to include anyone who they feel may be at increased risk of anaphylaxis. Most allergists were likely following these “new” indications all along, as the medical literature has long supported this practice. However, this wording change may provide incentive to primary care and emergency room physicians to prescribe more devices, which will ultimately protect more at risk individuals.

A person “at increased risk” for anaphylaxis should be interpreted broadly, and include persons with milder food induced or insect sting induced symptoms, in addition to those with a history of recurrent angioedema or anaphylaxis without a known provoking cause, to name a few examples of how this could apply.

As an allergist, my rule of thumb has always been to consider anyone who has shown even mild evidence of the potential to react to food or a sting as someone at future risk of anaphylaxis, because no individual can accurately predict the severity of one’s next allergic reaction.

Current data has clearly shown the association between fatality (at all ages) and the lack of having an available epinephrine auto-injector.

*As always, if you are concerned that you may be at risk for anaphylaxis and are interested in exploring if you need an epinephrine auto-injector, discuss your concerns with your allergist as soon as possible.*

Not everyone who feels they are at risk may actually need the device, as one must actually have evidence of a condition that would place them at risk. If you do not have an allergist, discuss with your primary care physician if a referral to an allergist is necessary. And, most importantly, once you are prescribed a device, it should be carried with you AT ALL TIMES. Having the device at home while you are having a reaction outside of the home is akin to not having the device at all.

Well said Dr. Greenhawt, thank you!

Additional resources from Dey Pharmaceuticals :
--a video on how to use your epi.
--a slide presentation about allergic reactions.

THE DISHES

The Radio Dept.

The Radio Dept. - Keen on boys (live video)
NB : Keen on boys is an old song of theirs, not a new one.

Références musicales : Archive, Air, The Legends, Sébastien Schuller
The Radio Dept - David (mp3)

There are two kind of music : the one you listen to carefully alone in your bedroom and the one you listen to while you're washing the dishes. To me, The Radio Dept. belongs to this second categorie : their music is close to a background noise which lets your thoughts go without actually focusing on the sound. Some will call it elevator music. I admit this is usually not really my thing. But The Radio Dept. are better than most "ambiant music" bands. Especially on this David, their new single. Basically : regular Radio Dept. music with a catchy beat.


Pour mes compatriotes français

Il existe deux types de musiques : celle que vous écoutez attentivement seul dans votre chambre et celle que vous écoutez pendant que vous faites la vaisselle. Selon moi, The Radio Dept. appartient à cette seconde catégorie : leur musique se rapproche d'un bruit de fond qui laisse vagabonder vos pensées sans que vous ne vous concentriez réellement sur le son. Certains parleront de musique d'ascenseur. Cela ne correpond pas vraiment à mes goûts habituels. Mes The Radio Dept. sont meilleurs que la plupart des groupes de musique ambiante. Surtout sur ce David, leur nouveau single. En gros : du Radio Dept. classique avec un beat accrocheur.

The Wild Swans

The Wild Swans have just released a new single. its been 21 years !, go grab it !

thewildswans.co.uk

How am I to treat patients with H1N1 flu? How am I to protect them from the treatment?

The 2009 "Swine flu" A (H1N1) outbreak has been recognized for the past six weeks. It has been studied intensively, we are told, and a number of Americans have died from the disorder, although less than 1% of those diagnosed with this specific virus. It apparently is a bit more contagious than the usual flu, but may cause the same or fewer deaths than usual flu. However, since we have no good data on the number of Americans who die from flu every year, it is very hard to say how this swine flu compares to others in virulence.

CDC has told medical practitioners from the beginning to use Tamiflu or Relenza (the generic names of these drugs are oseltamvir and zanamivir) for treatment, or for prophylaxis of exposed persons. An Emergency Use Authorization has been issued for these drugs, which allowed them to be released from the Strategic National Stockpile for distribution to states and localities, to be used outside the labeled indications, and to somehow avoid GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards if necessary.

However, although CDC has repeatedly told doctors to use the antivirals above, what it has failed to tell us, even once, even on its frequently updated website, is how effective we can expect these drugs to be. Nor has CDC gone into much detail about safety, particularly when the drug is being used on very young children, off-label.

Since safety and efficacy are the only two facts one needs to know about any drug (apart from the fidelity of the manufacturing and distribution processes) these are two very big omissions.

Furthermore, I want to know what clinical syndromes patients are developing that occur in those who become critically ill, so that I can treat those aspects of the illness in the best possible manner. Are seriously ill patients developing a secondary, bacterial pneumonia, sepsis or Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)? Do they benefit from mechanical ventilation, steroids or antibiotics? This could be life-saving information, yet it is not being disseminated and I could not find anything related to it on the CDC website.

If that is not bad enough, you may be interested to learn that the government has invoked the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), which makes it almost impossible to sue the manufacturer (as well as the government) for injuries you sustain from use of Tamiflu and Relenza. How is that, you may ask: there has been no media coverage of this. But you can confirm it on CDC's website and in the Federal Register of October 10, 2008. Here is how it works.

Guess what? Tamiflu and Relenza were given the benefit of the PREP Act in 2008, by Secretary Leavitt, before there was any swine flu pandemic. The Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy at the University of Minnesota had this to say last December:

... A recent declaration by HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt provides that state and local governments will be immune to liability related to the use of oseltamivir and zanamivir only to the extent the drugs are obtained by voluntary means, not confiscation. The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP Act) gives the HHS secretary the authority to do that, the document states.

For a good primer on PREPA, the Congressional Research Service has written a valuable report.
If use you Tamiflu or Relenza and develop a serious adverse reaction, you will be on your own. The manufacturer, distributors and the government program planners involved in the decision to invoke the PREP Act, were all given near-total immunity for liability by the Act. The Declaration (and immunity shield) will remain in effect through the end of 2015.

The Beginning of the End (Part 4)

From The German Revolution: 1917-1923, a rich, profound, tragic history written by Pierre Broue:

It seems that from November 1921, the magnates of German industry decided that the general situation must deteriorate before it could improve; runaway inflation to wipe out Germany's debt, bring the state to its knees before them, exhaust the working people, and leave the great capitalists alone as masters of the situation. The mark fell steadily throughout 1922, and its fall became precipitous when the Ruhr was occupied.

From an article in the Financial Times by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard:

Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, said: "Senior officials of the Chinese government grilled me about whether or not we are going to monetise the actions of our legislature."

"I must have been asked about that a hundred times in China. I was asked at every single meeting about our purchases of Treasuries. That seemed to be the principal preoccupation of those that were invested with their surpluses mostly in the United States," he told the Wall Street Journal.

His recent trip to the Far East appears to have been a stark reminder that Asia's "Confucian" culture of right action does not look kindly on the insouciant policy of printing money by Anglo-Saxons.

The reporter's reference to Confucian culture as a reason for Chnese objections is quite humorous. I'm not aware of people from any culture that appreciates having the value of its assets diminished through deliberate government policy.

With that said, I'm still a deflationist, for the reasons presented by Mike Whitney yesterday:

The economy is in the grip of deflation. Commercial banks are stockpiling excess reserves (more than $850 billion in less than a year) to prepare for future downgrades, write-offs, defaults and foreclosures. That's deflation. Consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending; driving, eating out, shopping, vacations, hotels, air travel. More deflation. Businesses are laying off employees, slashing inventory, abandoning plans for expansion or reinvestment. More deflation. Banks are trimming credit lines, calling in loans and raising standards for mortgages, credit cards and commercial real estate. Still more deflation. Bernanke has opened the liquidity valves to full-blast, but consumers are backing off; they're too mired in debt to borrow, so the money sits idle in bank vaults while the economy continues to slump.

It is important to note that the Chinese concerns and Whitney's deflationary perspective are not contradictory. It is possible for economies around the world to continue to contract, even as the US deliberately orchestrates a decline in the value of the dollar. In this, Americans would experience the worst of all possible worlds, domestic deflation and continued job losses even as the cost of imported goods increased dramatically.

In such a situation, American capitalists could achieve many of the goals described by Broue in the context of German capital in 1923. Whereas the German capitalists hoped to inflate their way out of reparations, the American ones would likewise seek to inflate their way out of its foreign debt through currency devaluation. Whereas German capitalists wanted to destroy the autonomy of the working class, American ones want to eliminate what little remains of the social protections of the Great Society and the New Deal. In each instance, they have decided that the general situation must deteriorate before it could improve.

Could it get as bad here as Germany as 1923? Doubtful. But when finance capital plays these sorts of games, the door is opened to all sorts of unpredictable consequences. Indeed, the phrase the law of unintended consequences now hints at ominous, heretofore inconceivable possibilities.

Ethical?: The Child in a Study and Parent is the Investigator

There is a challenging ethical question that is posed in an article in the current Journal of the American Medical Association May 27 2009 titled "Parent-Investigators A Dilemma" by David B. Resnick, JD, PhD. It's about whether medical investigators or those investigators who do research in social science should be permitted to use their own children in their studies or trials. I present an excerpt from the beginning of the article below. Unfortunately, the article cannot be accessed online except by subscription.

A recent news story reported that some psychologists and neuroscientists have used their children as study participants.1 In one case, a neurology professor had 3 of his children undergo a brain scan with magnetic resonance imaging. In a language development study, a psychologist videotaped 70% of his son's waking hours for the first 3 years of his life.1 Other investigators have also conducted research on their own children, including Edward Jenner,2 who tested his smallpox vaccine on his 11-month-old son; Jonas Salk, who tested his polio vaccine on his own children; and psychologist Jean Piaget, who constructed his theories of child development based on studies of his own children.

Should investigators conduct research on their own children? Federal research regulations3 do not address this issue and regulatory agencies, such as the Office of Human Research Protections,4 have no policies dealing with it. Other research guidelines, such as the Nuremberg Code5 and the Helsinki Declaration,6 also do not address the issue of parent-investigators. When laws and professional codes do not provide guidance concerning human research, investigators and committees that oversee research, such as institutional review boards (IRBs), must rely on their ethical judgment to decide.7

So, do you find any conflict of interest and how would you express it? If the parent is the surrogate decision-maker for a young child, how can the parent make an unbiased decision about the risks and benefit for the child participating in the study if the parent is also the investigator? Might the presence of the child, cause the parent to change the protocol of the study? What is any benefit for the child to be part of the study? Would it make any difference if the investigation was a medical one where the child might be exposed to a drug or procedure as compared with a social-science study where the child is asked questions or behavior is being observed? Should official committees that rule on the ethics of a scientific investigation be notified by the investigator that his or her child is within the study? I would be most interested to read the views of my visitors on this issue. ..Maurice.

Business community for chatbots launched

Business community for chatbots launched

The evolution of chatbots, artificial entities designed to have interesting or entertaining conversations with us; also named 'conversational agents', is now supported by a worldwide community for chatbot developers, affiliated industry and users. Chatbots are getting a lot of attention from businesses right now as they can save costs in customer service centres and are therefore very welcome in the current economic climate. As there was no such business community in the world, Chatbots.org is now filling the gap.

Relevance
Chatbots are not just another hyped technology. They are part of the brand dialogue trend, as outlined in 2005 by futurist Erwin van Lun. Chatbots are today's representation of the growing ability of brands- of organisations - to move away from advertising- the automation of sending messages - towards the automation of listening to individuals. In the future, advertising will disappear and be wholly replaced by Chatbots which cannot be distinguished from real people, representing brands in an (extremely) intelligent conversation. Therefore the 'business news' feature within chatbots.org is demonstrating the evolution of business communication.

Features
Business news is the most important new feature. It will cover news on 'conversational technology', 'human identification' (biometrics for example), 'sensing' (like voice recognition), and 'appearance' (such as holographic projections). Individuals from the participating industry are all allowed to publish news themselves and the community invites professionals to comment on news or start as an editor for Chatbots.org. Furthermore, professionals can use their own page to profile themselves to the outside world.

About Chatbots.org
Chatbots.org was founded by Erwin Van Lun in 2008 and started as a worldwide listing of chatbots. Today, it's mission is 'to be the leading community for chatbot developers, users and affiliate industry on research, technology and innovation driving commercial success for all participants'.

Links and additional information for the media
Business News & Community:
http://www.chatbots.org/conversational

Background information:
http://www.chatbots.org/conversational/agent/welcome_to_chatbots.org_2.0

Brand dialogue trend:
http://www.erwinvanlun.com/ww/trends/brand_dialogue/

Copyright free images to use in your publications:
http://www.chatbots.org/gallery/

Information about Erwin van Lun: (contact information, including HiRes picture):
http://www.erwinvanlun.com/ww/erwinvanlun

Soured on the Cost, Service and Value of Medical Care? Look to Mc Allen, Texas vs Grand Junction, Colorado

Yes, with the current increasing interest and need in improving medical care within the United States along with making it less expensive, less wasteful and more easily available to all the people, this article in the New Yorker by surgeon Atul Gawande “The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas Town can Teach Us about Healthcare” provides an excellent perspective into this important issue. Click on the above link, read the article, then come back and share your views. ..Maurice.

Graphic: Photograph composed and taken by me and digitally modified with Picasa3.