Soft and Music

Top UK trend bible the Sunday Times declared disco to be London’s new New Rave this week, suggesting office parties and hen nights are set to dominate the lifestyles of вЂ?cool kids’ in 2009. “Disco nouveau is here and it’s time to party,” declared Sunday Times style hack Hanna Hanra, “Whereas “cool” music scenes are often the preserve of kids taking drugs in dark corners, disco is camp and bright and sparkly and opportunist. Anyone can shake a tail feather to the anti-ageist, happy-go-luckiness of a disco tune,” she enthused. Singling out nouveau disco champions including Erol Alkan and Dan Beaumont from Disco Bloodbath, the leading London fashion DJ also name-checked Abba and the Village People, stressing вЂ?many of the tunes played are comfortingly familiar from the first time around; Which makes the trend much more accessible,” she added. The Sunday Times decision to elevate вЂ?nouveau disco’ could signal serious trouble for the nightlife niche, however, given the paper’s traditional treatment of their вЂ?next big thing’ favourites such as electroclash and new rave. Declaring вЂ?Rave New World- A bunch of crazy kids in crazy outfits is shaking up the zeitgeist,’ in November 2006, the paper interviewed Super Super magazine Director Steve Slocombe who told them вЂ?“We think about new rave on a daily basis here,” “I can look at a pot plant and think вЂ?how new rave is that?’” the Art Director added, “And can I wear it? To which the answer is вЂ?Yes, clearly?’ However, just three months later the 3 million selling newspaper U turned, with a typically brutal declaration in their in/ out fashion column in their Style magazine. “New Rave Music. Dare we say it? Yes we do. It’s rubbish,” the paper scoffed.

In my career as a software engineer, my job is always more a process of finding a particular solution in a particular context to solve a particular problem. Easy enough, right? Just have to have the right tools and the right parts to get from point A to point B. Well, you don't always have an easy time finding the right tools or the right parts. That's why I'm always on the lookout for books that can provide not only a set of tools I can use, but also describes the context in which a particular tool should be used. Algorithms are just one more tool in the toolbox for software engineers and people in other disciplines who write computer programs. The definition of an algorithm is simply a set of rules for solving a problem in a number of steps. When you were in school, teachers used algorithms (covertly or not) to provide a framework for solving problems in math, science, and even English. In Algorithms in a Nutshell from O'Reilly, George T. Heineman, Gary Pollice, and Stanley Selkow provide not only a range of algorithms to choose from, but a methodology for finding the right one and testing it once you have it implemented. In Part I, the authors explain why algorithms matter, ways to rate how a particular algorithm works in a particular context, and how to use patterns, languages, and algorithms together to solve a particular domain specific problem. Though the math in some cases was far above my head, readers with a firm grasp of statistics will have a better idea how to use some of the techniques and formulas to better apply these tools to their own problem domains. Part II walks through six chapters describing six different categories of algorithms: Sorting Searching Graphing Path Finding Mapping Network Flow and Computational GeometryMany of these algorithms have been around for a long time, such as the Quicksort, Bucket Sort, Binary and Binary Tree Search. But many others were quite new to me, such as the Graphing algorithm "All Pairs Shortest Path." Having never really needed path finding, network flow, or computational geometry algorithms, they were all new and interesting to me, but without an application to apply them to went over my head.

Who can blame the staff of Facebook for removing any photo of a breastfeeding breast wherein the least bit of nipple and/or areola shows? After all, it’s right there in the U.S. Constitution: neither nipple nor involuntary areola, except as a product of pornography whereof the party shall have been duly aroused, shall exist within view of the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. We may bear arms, bear our religion, and bear a fifth of whiskey; we may even use bears to block our doors so troops cannot quarter themselves in our house during peacetime; but at no time shall we bare the breast. Specifically we shall not bare the female breast; specifically we shall not bare the breastfeeding breast; specifically we shall not bare the female breastfeeding breast when an infant is in the picture, because most men find it inhibits their arousal. Think of the mayhem that would ensue if we allowed the female B-word out into the open. Just look at Europe, those threadbare heathens! Their car companies are on the verge of collapse, their currency is weaker than a spent whore, and only the richest have adequate health insurance. Oh wait — that’s America. My bad. Nonetheless, heretofore and whatnot, breasts are bad. Horrible, disgusting, inhuman even. The male of the species and those females who have never seen their own breasts have rightfully decided in what context a mass of mammary can be displayed -– and it ain’t to feed infants. Seriously, folks, why do you think God gave us formula? Am I right, China? The sole purpose of the breast is to be augmented, photographed in as unseemly a fashion as possible, airbrushed, placed on pages more glossy than a hooker’s lips, sealed in plastic, confined behind a barrier of particle board on a magazine stand (so children and men under 5’7” can’t reach it), and marked “Adult Reading Material.” A public show of the breast leaves nothing to the imagination. I know when I see a fully exposed breast on the train or at the playground the only thought running through my mind is “For cryin’ out loud, I might as well be looking right into the labyrinth of the labia.” Sure, it’s true that many people, both men and women, wouldn’t know a vulva from a Volvo; but while some think this is rank ignorance, I think it’s insuring the mystique of the female form.

Fraudulent checks, bank drafts, money orders, travelers cheques and gift cheques seem to be showing up all over the place. While a portion of these are passed by professional criminals — who sometimes recruit people off the street to pass them — a lot of people are being tricked into cashing them because they believed a (too good to be true) money-making opportunity. Unfortunately — with the current state of the economy — people seem to be falling for the too good to be true scam opportunities more and more frequently. Even though the quality of these fraudulent instruments varies, many of these counterfeit items are now produced with magnetic ink that scans. High quality check stock complete with the latest security features can be purchased in office supply stores or on the Internet. This means they scan through most of the readers in point of sale systems at businesses. When used with a real account number, which is why counterfeiting works, these items can be difficult to detect as fraudulent. The increase in counterfeiting isn't limited to checks. Complete sets of counterfeit documentation are being presented at banks to open new accounts. A small amount of money is put into the account so funds verify on an individual check and then an area is plastered with a lot of checks. Sometimes this is done over the weekend and the funds put in to verify the checks are removed the following Monday. The identities used to pass these checks are often stolen. Since the identities and checking accounts are changed frequently to avoid detection, it's difficult to tie all the activity back to one group or person. Frequently, people who are down-and-out are recruited to pass these items after receiving a promise for a few quick bucks. If they are caught they are normally considered "expendable" by the people behind the schemes. Sometimes, they even do this using their own identities. It should also be noted that the groups opening fraudulent accounts and counterfeiting checks also set up phony numbers and even business addresses that get listed in 411 and on information sites fairly easily. Most people would be amazed at how easily they accomplish this because little to no verification is done by the companies listing these numbers. This is also done in a lot of the Internet-related scams and it is not uncommon for them to list a number to a financial institution that isn't real. When they set up these numbers, while the scam is active, they have people answering the lines. Often, if you listen carefully, it's pretty obvious that it is not a legitimate business and sometimes calls are forwarded to cell phones. Another growing phenomenon is that fewer and fewer banks verify funds when businesses try to find out if a check being presented is good. In this instance, privacy laws and fear of litigation probably have enabled the problem to get worse. A lot of businesses use computerized check verification services, but when stolen identities are used, the checks pass through these systems fairly easily. Even worse, after the check is determined bad and the data goes in the system, innocent people are pegged as passing bad checks.

D'Haene, Vinyl D'Haene's new disc is spring-loaded with hard-locked rhythms, chunky guitar riffing, and metalized melodies sung with a bluesy, soulful inflection. If, vocally, D'Haene tends to be a touch more convincing on more easy-going fare ("Took Me So Long"), that's because of the soulful quality that defines his vocal style. One of the CD's best points is the way many of the songs surprise you with unexpected bridges and codas, as in "Wouldn't You Like To Know," or with varied flavors like the Latin opening of "Brand New Threads!" The impeccable musicianship and harmony vocals are also a pleasure throughout. The soul influence becomes explicit with the nodding triplets and organ bed of "I'll Be Your Man," though D'Haene's characteristic guitar buzz remains, maintaining consistency with the disk's overall feel. The same thing happens in the jazzy underpinning of "Playin' It Cool," complete with muted trumpet. Bookended by the hard-rocking "Another Like You" and "My Woman," this set of solid songs and ace playing is worthy listen. June Moris, White Spot June Moris' seven-song disc is a hypnotic set; her quavery voice sounds as if it's bubbling up from an underground stream, accompanied by the hum of insects and distant bells ringing. The atmosphere ranges from a strained, thinly angry pounding, slightly reminiscent of PJ Harvey, to a techno coolness, to a thick Brian Eno drone, but Moris' fluty voice carries through all. It's an effective, even thrilling tactic through the first five songs. On the sixth track, "The Memory," Moris tries for melodramatic balladry, leaving what seems her natural, postmodern sonic habitat, and it doesn't work as well. At the end one is left, not with melodies to hang a memory on – Moris isn't about that – but with a pleasingly disturbing sense of disquiet. Shivery mission accomplished.page 1 | 2