Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

Last night marypcb and I went to see Jan Garbarek at the RFH on the South Bank. If you've heard anything on the ECM record label, you'll have an idea of the sort of music he plays. Somewhere there is a Venn diagram that mixes ambient, jazz and classical, with the ECM label right there in the intersection of all those sets. Garbarek's music epitomises the ECM sound, with his ethereal sax vocalising over Eberhard Weber's electric double bass, Rainer Bruninghaus's keyboards and the energetic percussion of the non-stop Marilyn Mazur.

The concert wasn't a long one, 4 pieces (mainly based on music from Rites) and two encores. But it was engrossing. The skill of the musicians, and the intimate nature of the RFH's main hall (despite its size) kept eyes on the stage. Mazur bounced around her array of percussion instruments, while Weber layered digital loops of sound through his system, turning one double bass into a whole orchestra. At one point Bruninghaus began to play the strings of the piano, producing a tortured sound that echoed through the hall, and pushed the music on and on...

Way back, back when my online persona was eesshglb@gdr.bath.ac.uk and I was starting to make my fledgling way in fandom, I wrote a poem about a jazz concert I went to. While Jan Garbarek isn't Barbara Thompson, there's still something in the sound of the saxophone that keeps drawing me back.

...and I have to write my XML column.

( Extreme acronym warning. Entire only if prepared to face raw jargon! )

Who made me the genius I am today,
The livejournaler that others all quote?
Who's the blogger that made me that way,
The greatest that ever got beer on their coat?

One woman deserves the credit,
One woman deserves the blame,
and Ta - Ta - Tamaranth is her name. Oy!
Ta - Ta - Tamaranth...

I am never forget the day I first meet the great Tamaranth.
In one word she told me secret of success in livejournaling: Procrastinate!

Procrastinate,
Let no one else's blog extend your wait,
Remember why the good Bill made your browser
So don't shade your eyes,
But procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate...
Only be sure always to call it please, "research".

And ever since I meet this woman my life is not the same,
And Ta - Ta - Tamaranth is her name. Oy!
Ta - Ta - Tamaranth...

I am never forget the day I am given first original blog to write. It
was on anecdote relating to events at fun con that everyone but me was at.
Bozhe moi!
This I know from nothing.
But I think of great Tamaranth and I get idea - haha!

I have a friend in Boston,
Who has a friend in Boulder,
Whose friend in Croydon
Has friend in Edinburgh
With friend in Putney.
His friend in Peterborough
Has friend in Feltham,
Whose friend somehow
Is blogging now
An anecdote in San Jose.

And when her blog is done -
Haha! - begins the fun.
From San Jose
To Feltham,
By way of Chicago,
And Southampton,
To Peterborough to Putney
To Edinburgh to Croydon
To Boulder to Boston
To me the link will run,
Yes, to me the link will run!

And then I blog
By morning, night,
And afternoon,
And pretty soon
My name in San Jose is cursed,
When she finds out I livejournaled first!

And who made me a BNF?
And brought me egoboo and fame?
Ta - Ta - Tamaranth is her name. Oy!
Ta - Ta - Tamaranth...

I am never forget the day my first entry is liked on a big name blog.
Every word I stole from somewhere else.
Hyperlinks I copy from old Slashdot flame war.
This entry, this entry was sensational!
Electrolite - ah, Electrolite - Electrolite said:
"Jeel beel kara ogoday blyum blocha jeli," ("It stinks").
But PNN! PNN said:
"Jai, do gudoo sun sai pere shcum," ("It stinks").
Fishlifter Enterprises bought the movie rights for six euros,
Changing title to 'The Eternal HREF',
With J-Lo playing part of W3C recommendation...

And who deserves the credit?
And who deserves the blame?
Ta - Ta - Tamaranth is her name.
Oy!

(Apologies to Tom Lehrer)