John Peel: 1939-2004

John Peel: 1939-2004: "JOHN PEEL: 1939 -2004 When John Peel’s sad, sudden death at the age of 65 was announced today (October 26) BBC Radio 1, the station that had been his home for five decades, broke with programming and played The Undertones ‘Teenage Kicks’ – his all-time favourite song.

It was a fitting tribute to a man whose dedication and unerring passion for all that was fresh and vital and youthful and vigorous about music saw him reject the dictats and mores of broadcasting to pursue a singular path launching the career of hundreds of bands, and soundtracking the youth of millions of music fans.

Born John Robert Parker Ravenscoft in Heswall, near Liverpool, in 1939, Peel was the son of the wealthy owner of a cotton mill. He was sent away to boarding school in Shrewsbury, which he hated, an ordeal made bearable when he first heard Elvis Presley singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.

'Everything changed when I heard Elvis,' he said. 'Where there had been nothing there was suddenly something.'

In 1959, after National Service, Peel moved to America where Beatlemania soon took hold. The Liverpool connection helped Peel land a spot as DJ on WRR radio in Dallas. He moved back to England in 1967, where he first joined Radio London, before moving to BBC Radio 1 for its launch. He was to remain with the station for the rest of his life, the only original DJ.

His style was immediately different to other presenters. He played the records from start to finish without interruption – which later became useful if you wanted to tape the tracks - providing an informative commentary for listeners. During his early period, Peel was a friend and supporter of some of the biggest names in rock. Marc Bolan, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix all recorded Peel Sessions and Peel famously once showed up on Top Of The Pops miming mandolin for Rod Stewart on the chart-topping‘Maggie May’.

As the 70s progressed, Peel’s tastes evolved. He was in the vanguard of punk, pushing the sounds of The Ramones, The Clash, The Undertones, The Buzzcocks and the Sex Pistols, then latterly Joy Division. In the 80s, he kickstarted the careers of New Order, The Fall, Smiths and any number of other acts you care to name. We would never have heard the Pixies or Pulp or The White Stripes if it wasn’t for John Peel.

As the years rolled on, the scope of his radio show widened. He moved between gum-bleeding German techno, world music and the occasional Roy Orbison hit with ease – even if it was sometimes a little taxing for his legions of fans. Until recently, a place on his annual countdown of the best singles of the year – Peel’s Festive 50 – was a much sought-after berth for bands on independent labels.

In recent years, Peel built a new army of fans. His award winning ‘Home Truths’ programme on BBC Radio Four grew into a must-hear for middle-aged listeners in middle England. And his spots on the BBC’s ‘Grumpy Old Men’ – a series featuring irritated men of a certain age riling against the things they found most absurd about modern life – were frequently the funniest and most telling.

Balding, a little plump, a devoted father, grandfather and husband not to mention a big fan of genteel radio series The Archers, Peel kicked open the door for people like Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe, letting the mainstream programmers see that an audience existed for music that was not always a chart fixture.

His influence is immeasurable.

John Peel often told the story hearing ‘Teenage Kicks’ for the first time. He was driving in his car listening to the song on a demo tape. He was so overcome by the tune that he pulled onto the side of the road to have a cry.

There are thousands of people across Britain today who will have had a similar experience on hearing of his untimely death.

Paul McNamee"

i don' want to imagine a world where kids will no longer be able to dig through bins of peel sessions...

:(

Pumping Up the Power of the IPod

Pumping Up the Power of the IPod: "Wired News tested a $40, high-capacity, 2,100 mAh (milliamp hour) replacement iPod battery from Newer Technology. It was easy to install and delivered 22 hours of continuous play -- more than double the play time of the original battery. (The battery tested is for first- and second-generation iPods; Newer also sells one for third-generation iPods.)"

big up mike for pointing this one out!!!

Oasis and Blur unite for Band Aid III

Oasis and Blur unite for Band Aid III: "The Oasis and Blur stars, who famously fell out back in 1995, have become the latest big names to agree to help raise cash for stricken victims of famine in Africa, according to a report in today's (October 22) Sun newspaper. Ure told The Sun: “Noel said he’s going to do it and I heard Damon is going to do it as well, but as one of the Gorillaz. “So whether he’s going to actually be in the studio or whether it’s going to be a cartoon character, I don’t know. But they’re both going to do it.”"

Marc Almond critically injured in bike smash

Marc Almond critically injured in bike smash: "MARC ALMOND is critically ill after a motorcycle crash in LONDON. The Soft Cell star is currently in hospital after an accident in central London yesterday. Almond was a passenger on a bike that was involved in an accident with a car near Cannon Street station around 4pm yesterday. He was taken to hospital for emergency surgery."

:(

The Hardware Behind Echelon Revealed

The Hardware Behind Echelon Revealed: "'Techworld has got an interesting article on the technology behind the Echelon spying networks run by the US, UK, Cananda and Australia. Apparently the super storage and analysing technology used in the US is sold by privately owned Texas Memory Systems. It can deal with one trillion floating point operations per second. Now that's some technology.'"

Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire

Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire: "'Instead of plugging his new book, Jon Stewart tonight on CNN's Crossfire used his time to slam the media's coverage of the election. Although Stewart leans left, he attacked political shows and begged them: 'Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America.' Is it time to really stop all the political games that both sides play? Torrent of the event is available.' And another set of .torrent links."

please watch it! it brilliant, but more than that, its important! if you can't or don't know how to get torrent files, let me know and i will get you my copy of the program!!!

Brain Controlled Computing a Reality

Brain Controlled Computing a Reality: "'Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems told attendees at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation annual conference that a 25-year-old quadriplegic with wires run from 100 tiny sensors implanted in his brain and out to a computer can use his thoughts to control a computer well enough to operate a TV, open e-mail and play Pong with 70% accuracy.'"

Red vs. Blue Season 3 Begins

Red vs. Blue Season 3 Begins: "'Episode 39 'Best Laid Plans' weighs in at 8 minutes and 45 seconds and is available in Divx, Quicktime, and WMV. You can download it from our Video Page. Thanks for being so patient waiting around for it. '"

Supreme Court Rejects RIAA Appeal

Supreme Court Rejects RIAA Appeal: "'Recall that the RIAA originally used to directly send DMCA-laced supoenas to ISPs to obtain information about a P2P user. Then recall how Verizon and other providers balked saying the RIAA had to file John Doe suits first. It ultimately reached SCOTUS, with the RIAA appealing a decision that was in Verizon's favor. SCOTUS has declined to hear the case, effectively casting the Verizon opinion in stone. Wahoo! Part of DMCA shot down!'"

Google Launches SMS Search Service

Google Launches SMS Search Service: "'Google's been busy introducing a lot of new things this week. The latest, a SMS search service. SMS a message to 46645 (googl) and find local business listings, product prices, dictionary definitions, and more. Go Google!'"

U.S. album sales in a groove

U.S. album sales in a groove: "The U.S. record industry showed continuing renewed health through the first nine months of the year, with album sales rising 5.8% during that period, according to figures released Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan. The American public bought 463 million albums in the first three quarters of the year versus 437 million during the same period last year. The ongoing upswing in sales, which began in the fourth quarter of 2003 after a downturn that lasted nearly three years, is encouraging as the music business approaches the December holidays, with its slate of major album releases. In the wake of last year's iTunes boom and an ongoing crackdown on illegal downloading by the industry, the digital music business continued to explode. Consumers purchased 94 million digital tracks through September, compared with just 19 million in the first nine months of last year."

BPI to sue 28 UK file sharers

BPI to sue 28 UK file sharers: "The BPI have announced this morning (October 7) that they are taking legal action against 28 UK file sharers, kicking off a rolling programme of legal action against “major uploaders”."

EFF Goes To Court To Fight The Broadcast Flag

EFF Goes To Court To Fight The Broadcast Flag: "'The Electronic Frontier Foundation and nine other organizations including Public Knowledge (PK) and the American Library Association (ALA) have gone to court to fight the Broadcast Flag. The press release sums it up: The brief argues that the FCC has no authority to regulate digital TV sets and other digital devices unless specifically instructed to do so by Congress. While the FCC does have jurisdiction over TV transmissions, transmissions are not at issue here. The broadcast flag limits the way digital material can be used after the broadcast has already been received.'
"

Stern Will Jump To Sirius In 2006

Stern Will Jump To Sirius In 2006: "'Howard Stern announced it on his current radio show, and several feeds including this CNET article are reporting that Stern has signed a multi-million dollar multi-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio starting in January, 2006. As I've watched technology grow from the time I was listening to Stern in the eighties, I can't wait to hook into a shockjock-timeshifted-podcast...'"

NASA Quakesim Predicts 15 Out of 16 CA Quakes

NASA Quakesim Predicts 15 Out of 16 CA Quakes: "'NASA's QuakeSim project has successfully predicted15 out of 16 of California's earthquakes with magnitude > 5, including 11 since the map was published in 2002. 'So far, the technique has only missed one earthquake, a magnitude of 5.2, on June 15, 2004, under the ocean near San Clemente Island.''"

Court To Reconsider Decision On ISP Mail Snooping

Court To Reconsider Decision On ISP Mail Snooping: "'In June, Slashdot reported that ISPs can read email (according to a decision by the 1st circuit court of appeals). In short, the court felt it was not a violation of U.S. wiretap laws. Last month, the Justice Department asked for the full court to reconsider the decision. C-Net now reports that the court will 'reconsider its June 29 decision'. Arguments are scheduled for Dec 8.'"

Two Women Found With HIV-Immune Mutant Gene

Two Women Found With HIV-Immune Mutant Gene: "'China Daily reports that researcher Tuofu Zhu has discovered two women in an HIV Research program that are immune to the disorder via a mutant gene.'"

Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82

Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82: "Rodney Dangerfield (news) knew 'I don't get no respect' was funny when it cracked up New Yorkers, notorious for being tough. From there on out, the one-liner became his catchphrase — and the pudgy, bug-eyed comic became the perennial loser. Dangerfield, 82, died Tuesday afternoon at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, where he had undergone heart surgery in August, said publicist Kevin Sasaki."

:(

SpaceShipOne Captures the X Prize

SpaceShipOne Captures the X Prize: "SpaceShipOne's second flight was a success, the craft successfully launching from mothership White Knight and returning safely about 20 minutes later. If the flight is certified to have reached the X Prize's target height (62.5 miles) before its safe return, it will win the $10 million purse, and more importantly attain the prestige of repeatably (if only technically) reaching space, on a budget embarrassingly smaller than NASA's. Today's flight was manned by 51-year-old test pilot Brian Binnie (rather than Mike Melvill, who piloted last week's trip), and according to spectators present at both launches seemed even smoother than last week's flight. The view from the sidelines was incredible. flapjack submits a link to CNN's coverage of the launch (which lists a claimed height attained of 368,000 feet), noting 'Interesting to note that a majority of its funding ($20-$30 million) was put up by Microsoft's own, Paul Allen.' See also the official X Prize site for continuing live coverage. Update: 10/04 17:05 GMT by T: I was able to attend the launch; read below for my short sketch of the event."

The Newton O.S. Creeps Toward New Hardware

The Newton O.S. Creeps Toward New Hardware: "'As previously reported, the Apple Newton refuses to die! The Worldwide Newton Conference 2004 has wrapped up (photos) and, thanks to Paul Guyot, there is real hope for an emulator. His talk, titled 'Newton never dies, It only gets new hardware,' describes and shows the Einstein Emulator, that will eventually allow the Newton OS to be built and run on top of Unix. Will your next Linux PDA boot Newton OS next year?'"

Astronaut Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, 1927-2004

Astronaut Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, 1927-2004: "'Leroy Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, one of America's first seven astronauts, died today in his home at the age of 77. A number of space related sites are carrying the news.' Grant points to coverage at SpaceRef.com, Space.com, Nasa Watch, and CNN, writing 'His accomplishments will continue to inspire and he will be missed.'"

:(

Suing Your Customers a Good Idea?

Suing Your Customers a Good Idea?: "'Boycott-RIAA is running Fred von Lohmann's article which looks like the ideal answer to solving the P2P problem. He suggests setting up a payment system similar to SESAC, ASCAP, and BMI, collecting organizations for songwriters. This seems such an obvious solution and a great way to get artists paid and give listeners the right to listen to their favorite songs cheaply and keep them out of jail. Why wouldn't this work?'"

haven't had the opportunity to read it yet, but fred's a wise man. all his writings are worth a read too all!!!

White House Lied About Iraq Nuclear Programs

White House Lied About Iraq Nuclear Programs: "'This New York Times article reports that in 2002, the Bush Administration's assertions that Saddam Hussein was rebuilding his nuclear weapons program were based on evidence that was doubted by the government's foremost nuclear security experts. Specifically, aluminum tubes most likely meant for small artillery rockets were interpreted by the administration as parts for uranium centrifuges.' In a nutshell: while Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld were announcing to the American public that these tubes were slam-dunk evidence of Iraq's nuclear ambitions, they already knew that there was completely overwhelming evidence that the tubes were just for artillery rockets (as Iraq said) and that the tubes were totally unsuitable for use in centrifuges."

Kodak Wins $1 Billion Java Lawsuit

Kodak Wins $1 Billion Java Lawsuit: "'The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle is reporting that Eastman Kodak Company has just won a patent suit against Sun on the Java Language. According to the article Kodak owns a patent which describes a way for a piece of software to 'ask for help' from another application. What they are claiming is that Sun violates this patent when Java byte code uses the Java engine to run the code. This may really upset the industry, because not only Sun uses this technology for Java but Microsoft uses this technology in .Net.'"

i wonder if under this logic, plugins or libraries count. or for that mater anything that might ask the help of say a complier?! guess we better stop using non-kodak software!!!

Stars come out for Libertines in LA

Stars come out for Libertines in LA: "LIBERTINES TAKE LA, Members of The Charlatans, Queens Of The Stone Age and Hot Hot Heat were amongst the audience who packed in to see The Libertines as they stopped in Los Angeles on their US tour last night (October 2). The sell-out show at the 1,000 capacity Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre in Hollywood saw Charlatan’s frontman Tim Burgess, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy van Leeuwan, Hot Hot Heat’s Steve Bays and Paul Hawley and ‘That 70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson in attendance. It was The Libertines biggest US show to date. The Libertines ripped through a 90 minute set including new single ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’, ‘Boys in the Band’ and ‘I Get Along’. One fan in the enthusiastic crowd managed to get on stage twice, though he was eventually corned by security and led away. The band have thirteen dates left on their North American tour, which will wrap up October 22 in Florida."

worth every min! go see them where ever you are! they fuking rock!!!

Blizzard Stomps Bnetd in DMCA Case

Blizzard Stomps Bnetd in DMCA Case: "'The EFF reported that the Vivendi/Blizzard vs. the good guys case has been decided, and it doesn't look good. Some highlights from the ruling are: A clickthrough EULA isn't unconscionable (and thus enforceable); Fair Use rights can be waived in a EULA; First Sale rights (!) can be waived in a EULA; The DMCA's interoperability provisions are not a defense. If this ruling is allowed to stand, it will allow one-sided EULAs to force the waiver of the rights of First Sale and Fair Use. This, combined with the Supreme Court's recent assent to perpetual copyright, a few decades at a time, will destroy any semblance of balance in U.S. copyright law. Fortunately, the EFF plans to appeal the ruling.'"

bad bad shit, watch what you click kids!!!

N.Y. Ruling Overturns Bootleg Law

N.Y. Ruling Overturns Bootleg Law: "Bootlegging live concerts in New York isn't a federal crime anymore, at least for the moment. A federal District Court on Sept. 24 held the law to be unconstitutional. The 1994 anti-bootlegging law, enacted by Congress to fulfill its obligations under an international treaty, makes the unauthorized recording, transmission or distribution of live musical performances a crime."

GmailForums -> GMail via WAP

GmailForums -> GMail via WAP: "GMail via a WAP enabled browser." give it up for these guys! direct link is http://www.nodrm.com/gmail!!!

Iceland and USA Feel the Copyright Industry's Wrath

Iceland and USA Feel the Copyright Industry's Wrath: "'Iceland's Internet traffic saw a substantial decrease this week as police raided the homes of 12 individuals suspected of sharing massive amounts of copyrighted material over a private, local DC hub that was infiltrated by SMAIS, the Association of film right holders in Iceland. The people who were raided were questioned by the police, and had computer equipment confiscated. It is unclear at this point what their fate is, but there is a distinct possibility might face charges.' And in the U.S., an anonymous reader writes 'The Recording Industry Association of America strikes again with yet another round of lawsuits. Jon Newston over at P2Pnet.net doesn't hold back anything in his great commentary on it today. Best quote 'It's almost as if having lost its bitterly fought case against the p2p application owners and failed in its many obvious (and expensive) attempts to disrupt the p2p networks, the music industry is now determined to vent its wrath on helpless men, women and children who can't hope to stand up to it with its tremendous political and financial power.''"

they are now starting after closed networks!!!

Senator Alleges White House Wrote Allawi's Speech

Senator Alleges White House Wrote Allawi's Speech: "'In a letter to the White House, a leading US Senate Democrat, Diane Feinstein, expressed 'profound dismay' that the White House allegedly wrote a large portion of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech to Congress last week. 'His speech gave me hope that reconstruction efforts were proceeding in most of the country and that elections could be held on schedule. To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives, jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks.''"

thats a whole new level of king making, if true!!!

Red vs Blue Meets The Sims

Red vs Blue Meets The Sims: "'The folks over at Rooster Teeth Productions, best known for their Red vs Blue comedy movies based on the Halo rendering engine, are branching out with a second series, with more of a sitcom flair, called The Strangerhood. This time, they're using the Electronic Arts Sims 2 game as their rendering engine.'"

glad to someone doing this, after reading an article recently in wired about the new sims, it was the first thing i thought of! can't wait to see it, red v blue was dope!!!

Details On Inflatable Space Modules

Details On Inflatable Space Modules: "'Although it's been mentioned on Slashdot twice now, this article contains more details about Robert T. Bigelow's plan to orbit massive inflatable space habitats, with the first test modules to be launched next year. It also details the $50 million 'America's Space Prize', with the objective to 'spur development of a low-cost commercial manned orbital vehicle capable of launching 5-7 astronauts at a time to Bigelow inflatable modules by the end of the decade.''"

The Cure take over Radio 1

The Cure take over Radio 1: "THE CURE TAKE OVER RADIO 1! THE CURE’s ROBERT SMITH is just one of the guest presenters who will fill BBC RADIO 1 DJ JOHN PEEL’s slot in October. The presenter will be taking a holiday from October 19, and in his absence three musicians will be given a free reign to play what they want, and to raid the BBC archives. Rod Stewart will kick things off on October 19, followed by Siouxsie And The Banshees’s Siouxsie Sioux on October 20. Smith will round off the week of guest presenters on the John Peel show (October 21) when he takes over the studio. The star will also be chatting about Peel sessions The Cure have done in the past, as well as playing a few tracks from them too. The John Peel show airs between 11pm and 1am on Radio 1 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays."

Features: A Small New Future

Features: A Small New Future: "ALEC HANLEY BEMIS on the casualties and survivors in the war between the Cynics and the True Believers"

a very interesting article on the future and recent past of the music industry. holds water till about 3/4s of the way through where it gets a bit soapboxy and fails to factually back its argument. not that i disagree at all with the argument made, but that last bit could be made stronger. anyway definitely worth a read to anyone who is interested in the effects of new technology on the copyright industries!!!

Sony Japan to Abolish Copy Controlled CDs

Sony Japan to Abolish Copy Controlled CDs: "'In a complete reversal of their policy and on the heels of Avex's partial cessation of copy protected CDs (translation), Sony Music Entertainment in Japan has announced that it will abolish its Label Gate CCCD format (translation) beginning in November 2004 and move back to normal CD-audio format discs for all future releases. Reasons cited are music users' increased consciousness about copyrights and maintenance of legality (conformity to the CD-audio format specification). In related news, Sony also released a slightly updated HD walkman (translation) due to pressure from the iPod, but because of hardware limitations the device still does not support MP3 playback.'"