Stuff I Like: Going Quantum

For the record, I should admit that if you don't like gritty electronic music, this isn't for you. I enjoy it, though:

Their channel is available [ here ].

Stuff I Like: Electro blogs.

I'm a fan of electro, I'll admit- I found house music to be bland (something about fifteen-second samples), but this blog covers much more than that- spanning music releases like Dada Life's GF#13 and a go-to list of events to hit up.

Check it out [ here ].

Low-Content: The Qemists

Deviating from the recent trend of "articles", here's a simple artist recommendation:

Check out the DnB (bordering on Dubstep) group, [ The Qemists ].

Something like alternative meets moody electro, I think. Their songs aren't necessarily the "repeated listen" sort of tracks, but they're a fresh step out of my recent rock binge.

That hosting article is on its way, I promise!

Finally back stateside!

So I'm finally back stateside.

Posts will resume at a slightly slower pace, but will begin to pick up speed over the next few weeks.

While you're waiting, have you seen Sara Bareilles' Uncharted?

Also of interest is [ http://turntable.fm ]. More on that later.

Things I like: Pitchfork.

Admitting to a tiny bit of hipsterdom:

[ http://pitchfork.com/ ] is basically where you go to get spoon-fed all of the music you should listen to.

If you like being ironic, anyway.

On an unrelated note, [ here ] is a picture of a tool designed specifically for demolition. For the sum of 60ish dollars, I'm thinking it would be a worthwhile purchase.

Stuff I like: The Lonely Island

[ http://www.thelonelyisland.com/ ]

Turtlenecks and chains, bro.

A hilarious comedic rap group, aimed at the same crowd that likes Mickey Avalon (who I also like).

[ http://www.youtube.com/thelonelyisland ]

Don't Worry, I'm Yours.

An excellent mix:

Jason Mraz vs. Bobby McFerrin vs. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
[ http://soundcloud.com/dj-dain/dont-worry-im-yours-mashup ]

Blending the voices and tracks smoothly enough that I have to listen carefully to hear any of the transitions.

This track is more evidence for why disc-jockeying is less of a science and more of an art, in my less-than-humble opinion.

Stuff I like: Jamendo.

Rights-free music?

With a large (and continuously growing) library of tracks spanning a multitude of genres, Jamendo is a service that provides "free and legal music downloads" for anyone who takes the time to peruse the sight.

Jamendo is where I discovered Jonay, who has a style that I'd classify as somewhere between Taio Cruz and Usher. I'm no connoisseur of music, though- check out Skydiving.

In a completely different genre, you have the Diablo Swing Orchestra, also on Jamendo.

Two artists (and a service) that are definitely worth checking out.

Minecraft Note Blocks: Music, made with logic circuits.

If you've got a copy of Minecraft, you should check this out: [ http://www.mediafire.com/?u7jhn6msdas8c2c ]

The world contained in that file encompasses the work of the man who brought you redstone-powered Bohemian Rhapsody.

Altogether, I'm quite amazed at the work that went into this- even if it's an automated music constructor, the fact that the end-result sound is relatively true to the actual music has me quite impressed, to say the least.

Stuff I like: Violin cover of I Gotta Feeling

[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUq9kJRKki8 ]

Just thought I'd share that with y'all.

I play the viola, but I thought I'd note his excellent form, technique, and how true he remains to the song (even if he does have instrumental backup).

The man responsible for this does other covers, too. His channels are [ here ] and [ here ].

Newgrounds Audio Portal tidbits.

If I continue to find little bits of enjoyable material (of which there is plenty on a content-generation-engine), this might become something like a series-posting. Regardless, here are some things I stumbled upon whilst trawling Newgrounds' Audio Portal.

[ http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/408662 ]
A relatively mellow Drum-and-Bass that is both easy listening and tastefully constructed.

[ http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/399437 ]
A simple "funk" loop that reminds me of some background music from Ragnarok Online. It'd probably do well when played low in a cafe or similar. It's quite relaxing, I find.

[ http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/133313 ]
"An oldie, but goodie," as Dan Stark might put it. From years ago, this is a song that I could easily fall asleep to and wake feeling amazingly well-rested. This requires analysis, I think, but I have neither the know-how or the tools to perform such a thing. A relatively low-key trance remix by an artiste.

[ http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/395082 ]
A bit different from the others, this one's a simple four-on-the-floor dance tune.

Saving some of the best for last, check out Reasoner. I've been a longtime fan of his and I've never been disappointed by any of his releases. [ 1 2 3 ]

Stuff I like: DRT's Rising Sun and DJ Okawari

For reference, I like DRT's 16-bit Rising Sun, available here.

Having discovered DJ Okawari from a post by a friend of mine, I was immediately smitten with the style.

A quick search on youtube yielded this freely available playlist, composed of mellow piano music and laid-back hip-hop beats. Turn on RainyMood in the background, and you've got a recipe for deliciously relaxing background music.

It's not quite the same as, say, Ride of the Valkyries, which is also fantastic music that makes everything you do seem incredibly important.

Medium-content: Sunday/Monday. Late and early, respectively.

Sitting in the dark while I grow sleepy and tired, I thought I'd share the names of a few folks who I think maintain interesting blogs.

TheWyrdrem, available over at [ http://thewyrdrem.blogspot.com/ ], writes pun-sorts of things and other tidbits and musings that I find humorous.

Overthinker, available over at [ http://overthinking-everything.blogspot.com/ ], writes some (really) well-thought out walls-of-text. Good bathroom reading, or late-night musing, as it were.

Smokin' D, available over at [ http://smokind.blogspot.com/ ], has published a series of so-bad-they're-hilarious horror movie reviews, definitely worth a peek if you're cool with a conversational sort of writing style.

Sprocket, available over at [ http://sprockety.blogspot.com/ ], is a fellow Minecrafter who has posted neat tutorials to help out new and experienced players alike. Word has it he's also got a good mob-grinder design, too.

Graendal, available over at [ http://www.geekcatholic.com/ ], is a friendly, geeky, catholic father who has a neat post about exorcism, among other things. Worth a read, even if your beliefs aren't aligned with the Vatican's.

Unrelated to blogs but still something I like, have a listen:

Sourced at YouTube, courtesy of UKF Dubstep. Most of their videos are the delicious grungy dubstep I've been binging on recently.

Until later, then.

(Did you notice that I really like hyperlinking things? If not, mouse over some clearly hyperlinked words.)

Techshare: Last.fm, Pidgin, VNC

This post (and its sequels) are intended to introduce readers to interesting bits of technology and/or software that's available for free that I find useful and/or interesting.

I'm sure that most people have heard of Pandora. It's one of a few popular free online radio services that provides streaming content to viewers (or listeners, if you prefer) and has a built-in recommendation service.

What I've seen less often (except in online communities, of course), is the use of [ http://last.fm/ ], which is another online radio service that is slightly less accessible than Pandora, but is plagued by fewer ads. Furthermore, it includes a social networking component through which you can compare your tastes to other folks around the internet.

TL;DR: Last.fm is a cool guy and plays free music. Minimalised advertising and more social networking capabilities.

I'm not so much a chatting machine, but I have a few instant-messaging accounts registered on different networks, to accommodate the rather large number of folks that I connect with online that are spread across different networks.

I previously used [ http://ebuddy.com ] for my multi-network chatting needs. It's a good cross-platform solution that utilizes webpages and an account management interface to allow for multi-network and multi-account usage, but it's a cumbersome webpage and some of the advertising doesn't act exactly as intended- occasionally doing things like covering half of my contact list. Not-so-bueno, to be frank.

I re-discovered [ http://www.pidgin.im/ ] a few weeks ago and have found it to be a much more simple-to-use application for all of my chatting-related needs. It also permits multiple-account and multiple-network behavior without error, and has none of the ads that discouraged me from using ebuddy. I also have the Psychic plugin enabled, so I get notified of people messaging me before they send it. It's probably a bit creepier on their end, but saying "Hey, what's up?" right before they've hit send is often entertaining.

TL;DR: ebuddy's good on mobile devices, pidgin wins hands-down as an open-source application through which account management is relatively simple and intuitive. It also has neat plugins.

Closing this post out, I thought I'd bring up what I think is arguably one of the best remote desktop access applications: VNC. Virtual Network Connection, available over at [ http://www.realvnc.com/ ] is pretty much an all-in-one comprehensive solution. When the server is set up on a machine (networkable through a VPN, which I'll post about later), it permits remote access as if you were sitting at the desk and using the computer. Depending on the connection speeds at both ends, the use of a VPN can permit access from anywhere that has internet access, even if both computers are behind routers and firewalls.

I use VNC to manage a gaming server that I run offsite, and it provides virtually unlimited access- including the ability to lock the local mouse and keyboard out such that one can work remotely while remaining relatively undisturbed.

The connection is encrypted in both directions, so connection-snatching is unlikely unless you are the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack and using an insecure password.

TL;DR: If you need RDP-level access to a machine, RealVNC is an easy, low-hassle solution that only requires the server software on one machine and the client software on another.

That's all for now; I plan on making these sorts of posts semiregular.

What tech would you like to share?