Been thinking a lot about the importance and entymology of enthusiasm recently. In the Greek original, it had a sense of being possessed by god, inspired. Wikipedia points out that it wasn't fashionable to be enthusiastic post Glorious Revolution as it had been seen as being factor in the start of the English Civil War. I've also been thinking about confidence and the ability of some to trick others into feeling confident too. Mark McGuiness has a nice sequence of thoughts about the relativities of the two conditions Wishful Thinking » Blog Archive » 5 Reasons Why Enthusiasm is Better than Confidence
Sport Relief Mile
- Sport Relief Mile
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I and itunes
Super
Zeep: Zeep: Nina Miranda & Chris Franck Present
The 21st century version of Getz/Gilberto, Nina Miranda and Chris Franck have also been Smoke City and Da Lata. The stand-out track here is Super. Psychedelic/folk/funk mayhem, once you've heard it you need it. Instant classic. Rest of the album is by turns whimsical, mid-tempo, summery-breezy blowing through Tropicalia.Getaway
Salsoul Orchestra: The Anthology
This latin funk monster emerged as I drifted along the iRiver. Shook my booty all the way home!Chicago
Sufjan Stevens: Illinoise
This artist, unbeknownst to him, provided the soundtrack to trailer for a crazy virtual world I was developing with the lovely Marc Williams at Mook. Since then, my boy Hari kicked off a compy CD with this track. Fragile vocals, great arrangement, everything an anthem should have. Martha has taught Alfie a dance for it. Apparently Sufjan is on mission to do an LP for each of the 50 United States. Go Suf!The Heart's a Lonely Hunter
Thievery Corporation: Versions
David Byrne vocalising over an Afro Beat derived track. Polyrhythmi-whimsy. Welcome to my spaceship.- Slipstream
Spiritual South: Slipstream / Stars [VINYL]
Electro Brasil at its finest. A mystical batucada with the lyric "our lives are not downloadable; a collection of MP3s". Speak the words sista!
Singing The Blues
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Bookwormery
Neil Gaiman: Anansi Boys
A playful epic, sending me spinning off on all kinds of symbolism of the importance of spiders, story-telling and webs. Sing if you're proud to be Gaiman. I know, I shouldn't. I can't help it. (*****)- Francis Wheen: How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World
Not what I was expecting, but a riveting wade through the utterly unhelpful, illogical swill of ideas that we imbibe unquestioningly as reasonable hypothesis from religion to monetarism. Awakened an interest in Enlightment thinkers, Locke, Hume - Wikipedia here I come. Plus, I got used to thinking that nothing was certain, all moral value is relative and that reality was illusory, now I'm not Saussure. Garrison Keillor: Radio Romance
A serendipitous find in an Oxfam in Woodbridge, I'd really enjoyed some of GK's radio show that had been syndicated to Radio Four. I thought this book was brilliant for detail and nuance in telling the story of a Minneapolis radio station and touching on many truisms of broadcasting. The character's voices and the intimacy of the stories made it read like documentary, but I'm pretty sure it was a novel. Garrison, if you're reading this, you made it up, right? (*****)James Ellroy: White Jazz
I can't get enough James Ellroy. I just get hypnotized by him. As noted in main blog, this immerses you in Los Angeles 1958 and all the nastiness you could imagine. One thing I wonder is how Ellroy gets away with is are the "real" characters like Howard Hughes etc. I guess you can't libel the dead? (*****)henning mankell: White Lioness
More airport thriller trash. Like literary fish and chips, I know I shouldn't but they're just too tasty. This one a bizarre plot to kill Nelson Mandela being expedited from Sweden and investigated by a downbeat local cop. Bonkers.
Illuminati
- Blatant Optimism
- polkadots & moonbeams
Colleague and friend, posting self-confessed "whimsical crap" - matt jones | Internet product design
Check the bag of Matt's idea hoover. - Mildly Diverting
Poly-mathmatical rigour and endless whimsy from clever Kim. - The Obvious
- Terra Nova
Essential multi-authored thoughts on virtual worlds. - Wonderland
Game culture side bars from Alice and friends. - Lawrence Lessig
Very grown-up notes from the frontline of the future of ideas - Grumpy Gamer
Ron Gilbert isn't really that grumpy. Is he?
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