all songs considered

25 Şubat 2013 Pazartesi

David Graeber: On Bureaucratic Technologies & the Future as Dream-Time

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David Graeber: On Bureaucratic Technologies & the Future as Dream-Time
School of Visual Arts

The twentieth century produced a very clear sense of what the future was to be, but we now seem unable to imagine any sort of redemptive future. How did this happen? One reason is the replacement of what might be called poetic technologies with bureaucratic technologies. Another is the terminal perturbations of capitalism, which is increasingly unable to envision any future at all.

David Graeber likes to say that he had three goals for 2011: to promote his new book, Debt: The First 5000 Years (Melville House), learn to drive, and launch a worldwide revolution. He's done well on the first, failed the second, and the third may be on the way, in the form of the Occupy Wall Street movement that Graeber helped initiate. He teaches anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is also the author of Towards an Anthropological Theory of Value, Lost People: Magic and the Legacy of Slavery in Madagascar, Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology, and Direct Action: An Ethnography, among other books.

David Graeber gave this talk in the School of Visual Arts theater on January 19, 2012.

Web Developer's Lament

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This one's for all the web developers out there...

I'm on a "working vacation" for a couple weeks up in Belfast, ME, staying in a house on the bay. Somehow working from here doesn't feel quite as much like work as it does when I work from my usual office location. However, events have conspired to make it feel as much like work as it possibly could - namely, a client has been doing their best to make sure that no piece of code I write this week is ever actually done, due to the specifications changing daily, not unlike clouds shifting in a summer breeze.

So I wrote this song to explain how I feel. [This isn't all about this particular project, but that was a good starting point.]

This is a live recording made down by the water.

Lyrics:
They changed the specs again
Just when I was nearly finished
Said the client changed their mind
I don't know if I can take this

They changed the specs again
I've already written so much code
And the thought of starting over
Makes my sanity erode

Chorus:
Why won't they just let me finish?
Why can't I just be done?
Why won't they just let me finish?
Is this their idea of fun?

They changed the specs again
Pushed the launch up by 2 weeks
They've added a shopping cart
God, my knees are feeling weak

They changed the specs again
To match the new designs
They want it to just "work like Google"
Lord, I'm losing my mind

[Chorus]

I give up, I give up.
I give up, I give up.

Let's add some features, I give up.
Let's build a CMS from scratch, I give up.
Let's refactor every function, I give up.
Let's start calling ourselves agile, I give up.
Let's have a status meeting, I give up.
Let's adopt a framework, I give up.
Let's add members' only area, I give up.
Let's change databases, I give up.
Let's review my timesheet, I give up.
Let's never document anything, I give up.
Let's outsource to India

Still More Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck

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SK Holiday Open House by flickr user vastateparksstaff

"Christmas music." "Holiday tunes." "Mind-numbing winter-themed muzak pabulum." Call it what you will, our ears are subjected to a lot of crap every winter. Well, Wired For Music is here to help, with yet another edition of our patented "Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck" playlist.

This year's playlist has some songs that a lot of you will probably already know, but I've had enough people ask me about them in the past that I finally decided to put them on. Hopefully there'll be some surprises on here too for more "advanced" listeners, whatever that means. And it even features one song I swore I would never, ever include (it grew on me).

Enjoy, and be sure to check out the playlists from previous years!

Dean Martin - A Marshmallow World
"The King of Cool" gives us his take on this sugary classic. Dean's version was never as popular as Bing Crosby's, but it does feature some of his trademark near-drunken slurring, particularly on the last verse's "take a walk-with-yourfav-or-itegirl." This song makes me wish it was snowing right now.
Gruff Rhys - Slashed Wrists This Christmas
This is the first track of the Super Furry Animals' frontman's brilliantly titled "Atheist Xmas EP." It's a bit repetitive, but then, so this this whole season, isn't it?
The Futureheads - Christmas Was Better In The 80s
Not entirely sure why these guys are so nostalgic given that I think they're younger than I am, but it's still a great song. Apparently it's a big deal in the UK to release a single at Christmas time, which explains the existence of a few tracks on this playlist. Some of them work out great, and others...don't make it to this playlist.
The Gasoline Brothers - Hungover Boxing Day
This Dutch band really nails that feeling of waking up on Boxing Day and realizing - wait, what the hell is Boxing Day? Europe is weird.
Badly Drawn Boy - Donna and Blitzen
This song definitely sounds like it was written a few days before the deadline for getting on the Xmas single charts or something like that. The lyrics read like he was doing a holiday-themed Mad Libs and just plugged in words like "sleigh ride" and "reindeer" here and there. But the music saves it, especially those massive timpanis.
Marvin Gaye - Purple Snowflakes
Nothing says Christmas like (a presumably high) Marvin Gaye singing about "purple snowflakes" while his backup singers sprinkle phrases like "chestnuts roasting" and "tootsies toasting" all over the place. This song is ridiculously good, and his voice is just angelic.
Okkervil River - Listening To Otis Redding At Home During Christmas
I can't decide if this is more depressing than Tom Waits's "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis" (featured on 2008's playlist), but it's damn depressing regardless. Seriously, go read the lyrics, I'll wait. Can you imagine if Jeff Tweedy still wrote songs like this? Wow, that would be awesome.
Morphine - Sexy Christmas Baby Mine
Still not depressed? Listen to a dead man croon "Merry for you. Not too merry for me./I want you here with me. Misery loves company." You're welcome.
The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York
I resisted this song for the past 5 years - in fact, I really hated it until late last year when it suddenly just clicked for me. I don't know if it's living in New York or what, but one of my most-hated Christmas songs ever has finally wormed its way into my heart. This one's a classic that I'm sure you've heard a million times, but it still belongs on this playlist.
Barenaked Ladies - I Saw Three Ships
Just a pretty little palate cleanser. They really should have let Steven sing first, but that's being nitpicky.
Lord Nelson - A Party For Santa Claus
Feeling chilly? Let the hot island rhythms of Tobago (by way of Brooklyn) of this little ditty warm you up (or go drink some cocoa, I don't care). I like the message of this song - how come no one ever gets presents for Santa?
The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
Of course The Beach Boys would write a song about Santa's sled. This song is stupid, but I love it. And it features the brilliant line: "Christmas comes this time each year." Deep.
Aimee Mann - I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas
A happy little song about getting off the ol' drugs for Christmastime. Isn't that sweet?
Ella Fitzgerald - Good Morning Blues
Leave it to Ella to have a bad time at Christmas. "Don't send me nothing for Christmas but my baby back to me" - it's a great time of the year to be alone, isn't it?
dj BC - Waltz Of The Flowers (reflower)
An interesting mix of a classic, from dj BC's "A Very Re:Composition Christmas." Lots of interesting stuff on that album, it's really worth checking out if you like classical music, remixes, or both.
The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight)
A message of love and peace for the holidays from Joey Ramone. [Presumably he and the person to whom he was singing were allowed to resume fighting on Boxing Day.]
Kanye West ft. CyHi Da Prynce & Teyana Taylor - Christmas In Harlem
Despite famously being from Chicago, which does not include Harlem, Kanye does a serviceable job with this sequel to Louis Armstrong's "Christmas Night in Harlem" (featured in 2008's playlist). I think the best verse here belongs to CyHi Da Prynce, who raps in character as Santa Claus. This song gets extra credit for the part at the end when Teyana Taylor starts singing the melody of "Strawberry Letter 23."
Milly & Silly - Getting Down For Xmas
Looking at Santa's outfit, I'd say that playing funk music at this time of year is pretty much a no-brainer.
Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop
These guys really do a great job with the whole "suicidal but catchy" thing. Sample lyric: "Oh it's Christmas so we'll stop/'Cause the wine on our breath puts the love in our tongues/So forget the names/I called you on Christmas Eve/In fact forget the entire year/Don't reflect just pretend and you won't feel scared." Yikes.
David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy
For a song that was conceived of, written, rehearsed, and performed in a little over an hour, this is pretty amazing. If you haven't heard this before, you're probably going to like it. I think it's all the more incredible considering the backstory (see link above).
Lovebyte - Auld Lang Syne
I actually cut another electronic instrumental song off this list, but I just had to give a nod to the robot inside me with this overly upbeat, bizarre version of the New Year's classic.
Sarah McLachlan - Song For A Winter's Night
Sarah McLachlan's take on Gordon Lightfoot's beautiful little song is spare and beautiful, and I find it really evokes the feeling of a cold winter's night effectively. Great harmonies, too.

Like the list? Download it! [you can now download previous years' lists, too!]
Hungry for more? Check out some of these awesome holiday playlists:

Annals of Spacetime
Fuel/Friends
ilovethis
Wired For Music

What are you listening to this holiday season? Tell me in the comments, and have a happy December!

Friday Playlist: Baby's First Playlist

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My ridiculously cute daughter

My wife and I recently had a baby girl (Alison, pictured above sporting a stylish baby towel). Parenting, of course, has its challenges, but it also has its joys - and a big one for me these days has been sharing music with my daughter. Music is a primary way that I communicate with the world (hence this blog), and my communications with her have been no exception. When I'm not singing her improvised lyrics to lullabies (or making up new songs entirely), I've been playing her different songs from my library and noting her reaction to various things. For example, Metallica seemed to make her gassy. She liked Aimee Mann, but only the early stuff. And she absolutely loves Spiritualized.

So I've compiled her very first playlist, comprising some of her favorites for chillout time, dance time, and sleepytime. I hope you enjoy it as much as she does.
PS A friend of mine gave me the gift of 3 albums from Rockabye Baby, namely lullaby versions of songs by Queen, Radiohead, and Led Zeppelin. Those are all awesome, and have the added bonus of lulling me to sleep, but I prefer to save those as secret weapons when I'm trying to conk her out, as opposed to just putting on music for her to chill to or dance with me to, etc.

Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (Original Version)
I first played this for Alison when she was only a few days old. She had just finished eating and was in what baby experts call the "quiet alert state." So I figured it would be a perfect time to play her some tunes. I asked my wife what she thought a baby would like, and she said "Spiritualized?" I said yes. This is the original version of this song which includes lyrics from Elvis's "Can't Help Falling In Love" (the Presley estate made the band remove that portion of the song from this album's original release). The lyrics to the whole thing are pretty perfect to sing to a new baby. This is probably Alison's favorite song thus far (and one of my favorites, too).
Thievery Corporation - From Creation
She wasn't too taken with other Thievery Corporation songs, but she really seemed to click with this one. By "click," I mean she got quiet and stopped fussing and seemed to chill out a bit. I assume she likes these guys because, like her parents, they're from DC.
K'naan - Fatima
This song is actually kind of a downer, lyrically (it's about a young girl who was murdered, I think), but Alison really seemed to enjoy the rhythm, particularly in the chorus. [Editor's note: I'm saying things like "seemed to," "appeared to," etc. a lot because when I asked her what she thought of all these songs, she gave me no answer, so I'm having to go on educated guesses here.]
Cat Power - Living Proof
This is my favorite Cat Power song. Alison definitely seemed to enjoy it, but I don't know if it was genuine or if she was just trying to please me because she knows it's my favorite. Either way, she enjoyed being gently swayed in my arms to this song. Who wouldn't? Babies are supposed to like simple, repetitive melodies, and this one definitely fits the bill.
Yellow Ostrich - Mary
She seemed pretty relaxed during this song, which seems to be about the singer's friend who's on drugs. Alison overlooked the content and just focused on the soothing background, which definitely chilled her out.
The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cakewalk
Alison definitely identified with this song's ethos of "I just want to do the things that I feel like doing, and I want to be rewarded for same." Basically a baby's mantra.
The Beatles - Flying
I've been told that when I was a wee tot, almost nothing would soothe my jangled nerves as much as when my parents would put the big headphones on me and throw on either a Beatles record or something classical. Alison has a lot more Beatles to go (and classical, for that matter) but she seemed to take to this track - not a bad start.
Phish - Horn
I first played her "Bouncing Around The Room" which I thought she'd love, but I guess it was a little too simplistic, even for her. But she loved "Horn," especially the intro/chorus. She says she's psyched to hear Trey's solos on some live versions when she's a little older.
Self - Uno Song
I don't know a lot of Self songs after Subliminal Plastic Motives, but this one came up on shuffle the other week and she really dug dancing along to it. And by "dancing" I mean "me waving her around in my arms." Tapping out the beat on her back also seemed to help her burp, so hey - bonus.
Her Space Holiday - Sleepy California
Despite this song being about the slow death of the singer's estrangement from his mother and the painful death of his grandmother, Alison really seemed to enjoy it. She can be kind of dark that way. Or she was sleepy, it's hard to tell sometimes.
The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Another song that appeals to Alison because of her DC heritage. Also because it's slow and soft and beautiful and has a cool beat. And she likes when I sing along to it.
Jane's Addiction - Stop!
The first time I played this for her, I bounced her up and down vigorously along with the music - taking her up really high on the downbeats, particularly during the intro and chorus. My wife thought I was going to scramble Alison's brains, but Alison seemed genuinely happy. And it's hard to tell if a baby's brains are scrambled anyway, they don't do all that much higher-level thinking at this phase.
U2 - Trip Through Your Wires
U2 was another Amanda suggestion, and so far Alison has enjoyed most of what she heard. This song seemed to be her favorite, meaning she fell asleep during it. Right now her TTS (time to sleep) is a pretty indicator of how pleased she is with life overall. Alison also seems to love "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" but I'm not a huge fan of that song, so it didn't make the list.
Grateful Dead - Box of Rain
I think Amanda suggested this album, too, and Alison seemed to love every track, so I picked this one because it's awesome. And she just fell asleep to it while I was writing this, so that's one in the "plus" column.
Radiohead - 4 Minute Warning
I mentioned above the lullaby version of Radiohead CD a friend gave us - it got me thinking about Radiohead songs in general, and I had an inkling that this song might be lullaby-esque enough in its current state to work on a baby. And I was right. I ended up playing this about 10 times in a row one night as she gently drifted off to sleep in my arms. [Editor's note: the fact that she woke up crying 10 minutes later has nothing to do with this song, that's apparently just how babies are sometimes.]

What do you think? For those of you without kids, what would you put on a baby playlist? If you have kids, what have you put on a baby playlist? What worked? What didn't? Tell me in the comments.

2012 Holiday Music That Doesn't Suck

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People have asked me over the years, "why does a nice atheist Jewish boy like you love Christmas music so much?" To that I have several answers, but here's 3:

1) About 60% of all holiday music [Editor's note: percentage not determined via any remotely scientific method] is different versions of the same song. I love cover songs for the way that a good cover can bring out what is unique about a band's sound. So it's not a big leap that I would really love hearing a bunch of different bands/composers/etc. all try their hands at the same handful of songs.
2) If you're going to imply that a Jew can't love Christmas music, you should probably tell that to the Jews who wrote many of the Christmas songs that are so famous today.
3) Most of these songs are not about Christmas. Seriously, why do the goyim get a monopoly on riding in a one-horse sleigh? Or letting it snow? Or walking through a winter wonderland? Or date-raping your girlfriend when it's cold outside?
So I guess my point is, music is music, and good music is where you find it. And this music is good.
What are you listening to his holiday season? Tell me in the comments, and have a happy pagan December holiday!

The Yule Ghoul - Sleigh Ride
The Yule Ghoul was one of my favorite Christmas music bloggers, though he/she (I think it's a he) seems to have abandoned the site last year. A couple years ago, he posted cover art and a track supposedly from an album called "The Merry Moog," which would be fantastic - if it existed. Turns out it was just a little joke, and this fantastic take on Sleigh Ride is actually a homegrown production by the Ghoul himself.
Moses Kahumoku - Joy to the World
A lovely example of Hawaiian slack-key guitar playing by one of the masters, this peaceful rendition is perfect for sipping some eggnog by the fire (or in my case, by a TV showing a DVD recording of a fire). I love the pizzicato bits in the second verse.
Barenaked Ladies - Hanukkah O Hanukkah
This version is feisty and joyful, enough so that I can overlook the fact that apparently Steven Page doesn't know the word "sivivon" (Hebrew for "dreidel") and so substituted something that probably sounded right to him, but sounds like the name of a character from the Star Wars prequels to me.
Benny Goodman - Santa Claus Came In The Spring
I love the way the singer says "Santey Claus" in this one. And I love the arrangement. And the fact that it's really just a love song masquerading as a Christmas song. I like to think this song answers Dean Martin's question in "Marshmallow World" of "what if spring is late?".
Half Man Half Biscuit - It's ClichÃ©d To Be Cynical At Christmas
Come for the title, stay for the mournful melody and clever lyrics from these sardonic Brits.
Atmosphere - If I Was Santa Claus
This song strikes a nice balance between aspirational and depressing, just like the holiday season itself. Fun fact: the guy rapping goes by the stage name "Slug."
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects
This song makes a good counterpoint to James Brown's "Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto." The horns get me every time, as does the "Jingle Bells" tease in the sax solo (which of course is also a callback to the aforementioned James Brown tune).
Black Prairie featuring Sallie Ford - (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With the Bag
This was one of only a couple stand-outs on the Starbucks "Holidays Rule" compilation. The Shins cover of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" is decent, Paul McCartney's version of "The Christmas Song" is lackluster at best. Fun.'s "Sleigh Ride" is an overproduced saccharine nightmare, but I usually like that sort of thing, so maybe I'm just being Grinchy. I love the syncopation on the "if you've done everything you should, extra special good" part of this version, but it took me several listens to be able to sing along on the beat.
DJ John - The Christmas Massacre of Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown like you've never heard him before. I love how the samples describe what's going on in the song musically.
The Kinks - Father Christmas
A classic that's been absent from my playlists for far too long. Favorite part is when he asks Santa for a machine gun.
Darlene Love - Winter Wonderland
Another classic from the amazing "A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector." To be honest, all the songs on there kind of sound alike, but that's OK, because they are all absolutely fantastic.
Jimmy Butler - Trim Your Tree
This one's a great entry in my favorite musical genre: songs that are supposedly about Christmas but are really about getting down. Way down. Sample lyric: "I'll bring my beautiful Christmas balls/And sprinkle snow up on your tree." Yeah.
Matisyahu - Happy Hanukkah
Matisyahu released this song in conjunction with a Hurricane Sandy relief donation site, so go pay for a download and help out the good people of my adopted hometown.
The Raveonettes - Come On Santa
A simple comma would have dramatically changed the perceived meaning of this title. This one's got a nice repetitive drone, but the drums liven things up a bit.
Ukulele Christmas - Deck The Halls
I don't know who this really is, I couldn't find the artist information, but it's a really nice little version of Deck The Halls - it's nice to hear ukeleles not trying to sound precious.
Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Christmas Eve Can Kill You
This Everly Brothers cover is sad and beautiful and really rewards repeated listens to catch all the detail in the lyrics and arrangement.
Six by Seven - I Believe in Father Christmas
A nice cover of a sad Christmas song by Greg Lake (of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer fame). According to Wikipedia, Lake never intended for this to be a Christmas song. Huh.
Blitzen Trapper - Christmas is Coming Soon
I don't really have any idea what this song is about, but it's pretty.
Jordan Hirsch - Xmas Medley
I arranged and recorded this in December 2010 and I love it. It's a mix of "Angels We Have Heard On High," "Good King Wenceslas," and "Do You Hear What I Hear?".
BONUS TRACK!

Download this year's playlist here.Be sure to check out previous years' playlists!

24 Şubat 2013 Pazar

MIT Technology Review: Geeks are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties

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Geeks are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties: Recent events have highlighted the fact that hackers, coders, and geeks are behind a vibrant political culture.
By Gabriella Coleman
MIT Technology Review

A decade-plus of anthropological fieldwork among hackers and like-minded geeks has led me to the firm conviction that these people are building one of the most vibrant civil liberties movements we’ve ever seen. It is a culture committed to freeing information, insisting on privacy, and fighting censorship, which in turn propels wide-ranging political activity. In the last year alone, hackers have been behind some of the most powerful political currents out there.

Before I elaborate, a brief word on the term “hacker” is probably in order. Even among hackers, it provokes debate. For instance, on the technical front, a hacker might program, administer a network, or tinker with hardware. Ethically and politically, the variability is just as prominent. Some hackers are part of a transgressive, law-breaking tradition, their activities opaque and below the radar. Other hackers write open-source software and pride themselves on access and transparency. While many steer clear of political activity, an increasingly important subset rise up to defend their productive autonomy, or engage in broader social justice and human rights campaigns.

Despite their differences, there are certain websites and conferences that bring the various hacker clans together. Like any political movement, it is internally diverse but, under the right conditions, individuals with distinct abilities will work in unison toward a cause.

Take, for instance, the reaction to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a far-reaching copyright bill meant to curtail piracy online. SOPA was unraveled before being codified into law due to a massive and elaborate outpouring of dissent driven by the hacker movement.

The linchpin was a “Blackout Day”—a Web-based protest of unprecedented scale. To voice their opposition to the bill, on January 17, 2012, nonprofits, some big Web companies, public interest groups, and thousands of individuals momentarily removed their websites from the Internet and thousands of other citizens called or e-mailed their representatives. Journalists eventually wrote a torrent of articles. Less than a week later, in response to these stunning events, SOPA and PIPA, its counterpart in the Senate, were tabled (see “SOPA Battle Won, but War Continues”).

The victory hinged on its broad base of support cultivated by hackers and geeks. The participation of corporate giants like Google, respected Internet personalities like Jimmy Wales, and the civil liberties organization EFF was crucial to its success. But the geek and hacker contingent was palpably present, and included, of course, Anonymous. Since 2008, activists have rallied under this banner to initiate targeted demonstrations, publicize various wrongdoings, leak sensitive data, engage in digital direct action, and provide technology assistance for revolutionary movements.

To Read the Rest

Web Developer's Lament

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