London - Somerset - London, 25-12-18 & 26-12-18

London to Somerset
Marie - David Guetta feat. Anne
Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65
Bernadette - The Four Tops
All I Am - Jess Glynne
Sweet Freedom - Michael McDonald
Nutrocker - B. Bumble And The Stingers
I can't control myself - The Troggs
Seasons (Waiting On You) - Future Islands
Buffalo Stance - Neneh Cherry
The Laughing Gnome - David Bowie
Hold On (single) - Wilson Phillips
Fast Food song - Fast Food Rockers
(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & The Comets
Le Freak - Chic
Give Yourself A Stereo Check Out - The Bran Flakes
Only You Can - Fox
Oh Boy! - The Crickets With Buddy Holly
Electricity (feat. Diplo & Mark Ronson) - Silk City, Dua Lipa
Jump To The Beat - Stacy Lattisaw
I Opened a Bar - Sophie Hunger
Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey
The Staunton Lick - Lemon Jelly
Silence (DJ Tiesto's In Search Of Sunrise Remix) - Sarah McLachlan
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Lovefool - The Cardigans
The Story Of Love - Misty's Big Adventure
Little Miss S. - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
The Tide Is High - Atomic Kitten
Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) - The Darkness
Don't Say Oh Well - Grouplove
She's Got That Vibe - R. Kelly
You're Unbelievable - EMF
We All Stand Together (Frog Chorus) - Paul McCartney
Doctor Pressure - Mylo Vs. Miami Sound Machine
Funny Little Frog (single) - Belle and Sebastian
Independent Love Song - Scarlet
Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Colonel Hathi's March (with voiceovers) - Disney Studio Chorus & J Pat O'Malley
Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? - Paula Cole
Romance (Edit) - Ex:Re
Summer Fun - The Barracudas

Somerset to London
What I Am (single) - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
Boyfriend (Repeat) - Confidence Man
Suck The Blood From My Wound - Ezra Furman
(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult
Promise Me - Beverley Craven
Won't Go Quietly (Radio Edit) - Example
Kiss Me Deadly - Reel Big Fish
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) - Cher
Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters
Let's Go Surfing - The Drums
Walking On The Milky Way - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
My Lovin' (never gonna get it) - En Vogue
Sweet Sixteen - Billy Idol
Yoda (parody of Lola, kinks) - "Weird Al" Yankovic
Back To You - Selena Gomez
Wild Tiger Woman - Giuda
Strut Your Funky Stuff - Frantique
Ready to Go (Dance Mix) - Republica
Little Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris
They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira Feat. Wyclef Jean
S Club Party - S Club 7
My Little Red Book - Love
Laid - James
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - The Crystals
Someone To Call My Lover - Janet Jackson
Buddy Stay Off That Wine - Betty Hall Jones
Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway
Touch The Sky (feat. Lupe Fiasco) - Kanye West
Sense - The Lightning Seeds
Martian Hop - The Ran-Dells
The Mummy - Rod McKuen
Slip In Mules (No High Heel Sneakers) - Sugar Pie DeSanto
Teddy Bear - Conor Molloy
Call Me - Spagna
The Look - Roxette
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
In The Name Of The Father - Black Grape
Roxanne - The Police
Lay All Your Love On Me - A-Teens
Time Warp - Damien
Bad Reputation - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
The Monkeys Are Breaking Out Of The Zoo - Belle & Sebastian
Lollipop (Candyman) - Aqua
Wipeout - Fat Boys
Road Rage - Catatonia
I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters
All around my hat - Steeleye Span
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Flight to Egypt

------------
Lonely travellers from the stable
Out beneath the hard blue sky
Journeying, wandering, hoping, praying
For the safety of their child
While our mother Rachel’s weeping
Fills the streets of Bethlehem.

Warned by angels moved to save him
Who was born our kind to save
Joseph leads his holy family
Far from Herod and harm’s way
Mary shielding and consoling
Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Fleeing from the land of promise
They in Egypt find a home
Strange the workings of God’s mercy
House of bondage now God’s throne
But for sons who all were murdered
Sorrow breaks the House of Bread.

True the tale of flight and exile
Out of Egypt comes God’s Son
Angels tell of Herod’s dying
All is ended, all begun
Jesus will grow up in Nazareth
And the world will all be stunned.

Vincent Uher

Image: The Flight Into Egypt – Jean François Millet
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Free Font - Potra

Potra is an intriguing and surprisingly legible display font designed by Alejo Bergmann.

Available from Font Squirrel.
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Waymo One 'Driverless' Taxis

Foxnews Tech reports: [edited]

Waymo One autonomous taxis are now on the roads of Phoenix USA for a beta test. So far users are reporting good service with no major mistakes or accidents. Only Phoenix residents who have already been using Waymo can request a self-driving car. And for the first few months of the program, there will still be a driver behind the wheel to ensure passenger safety.

The new Waymo One service will be available around the clock and works in a similar way to other ride-sharing apps: you input your destination, the app tells you the fare, and contacts nearby cars for availability. While the beta test continues, Waymo is encouraging customers to bring their friends along for the ride, to help expose more of the general public to self-driving cars.
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Free Font - Library 3 AM

Library 3 AM is a cleverly formed, all caps 'stencil' font designed by Igor Kosinsky. Each character is formed from a single line, making it more convincing when used as a 'neon' font.

Available from Font Squirrel in regular and 'soft' style.
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London - Wigan - London, 17 & 18-11-18

Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Drive-In Saturday
Panic In Detroit
Cracked Actor
Time
The Prettiest Star
Let's Spend The Night Together
The Jean Genie
Lady Grinning Soul

All This Useless Beauty - Elvis Costello
The Other End Of The Telescope
Little Atoms
All This Useless Beauty
Complicated Shadows
Why Can't A Man Stand Alone?
Distorted Angel
Shallow Grave
Poor Fractured Atlas
Starting To Come To Me
You Bowed Down
It's Time
I Want To Vanish

Automatic For The People - R.E.M.
Drive
Try Not to Breathe
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Everybody Hurts
New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
Sweetness Follows
Monty Got a Raw Deal
Ignoreland
Star Me Kitten
Man on the Moon
Nightswimming
Find the River

Blood - This Mortal Coil
The Lacemaker
Mr. Somewhere
Andialu
With Tomorrow
Loose Joints
You And Your Sister
Nature's Way
I Come And Stand At Every Door
Bitter
Baby Ray Baby
Several Times
The Lacemaker II
Late Night
Carolyn's Song
D.D. And E.
'Til I Gain Control Again
Dreams Are Like Water
I Am The Cosmos

Both Directions At Once: John Coltrane
Untitled Original 11383 (Take 1)
Nature Boy
Untitled Original 11386 (Take 1)
Vilia (Take 3)
Impressions (Take 3)
Slow Blues
One Up, One Down (Take 1)

Dream Letter: Live in London 1968 - Tim Buckley
Introduction
Buzzin' Fly
Phantasmagoria In Two
Morning Glory
Dolphins
I've Been Out Walking
The Earth Is Broken
Who Do You Love (live)
Pleasant Street / You Keep Me Hanging On
Love From Room 109 / Strange Feelin’
Carnival Song / Hi Lily, Hi Lo
Hallucinations
Troubadour
Dream Letter / Happy Time
Wayfaring Stranger / You Got Me Runnin’
Once I Was
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Art Institute of Chicago puts collection online

Kottke reports: [edited]

The Art Institute of Chicago recently unveiled a new website design. They have placed more than 52,000 high-resolution images from their collection online, available to all without restriction.

Check out the paint strokes in Van Gogh’s The Bedroom, the charcoal details on Charles White’s Harvest Talk, or the synaesthetic richness of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Blue and Green Music.
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Anthony Mancinelli – World’s Oldest Working Barber

New York Times reports: [edited]

Mr. Mancinelli is 107 and still working full time, cutting hair five days a week from noon to 8 p.m. He has been working in barbershops since he was 11. Warren Harding was in the White House.

He has a trim build, a steady hand and a full head of snow white hair. He spends much of his day on his feet, in a pair of worn, cracked leather black shoes.

Asked — for the umpteenth time — about his longevity, Mr. Mancinelli offered only that he has always put in a satisfying day’s work and he has never smoked or drank heavily.

Longevity does not run in his family, and he was never big on exercise. Diet-wise, he said, “I eat thin spaghetti, so I don’t get fat.”

He has all his teeth and is on no daily medication. He has never needed glasses.

“I only go to the doctor because people tell me to, but even he can’t understand it,” he said. “I tell him I have no aches, no pains, no nothing. Nothing hurts me.”

One reason he continues to work, he said, is that it helps him stay busy and upbeat after the death of his wife of 70 years, Carmella, 14 years ago. He visits her grave daily before work.

Mr. Mancinelli lives alone. He drives to work, cooks his own meals and is determinedly self-sufficient.
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London-Somerset-London, 03 & 04-11-18

London to Somerset, 03-11-18
Week In Week Out - Dubstar
Here We Are Nowhere - Stiff Little Fingers
Furious Rose - Lisa Loeb
M5 - The Fall
Evening Train - Van Morrison
I Just Stopped By Because I Had To - Shalamar
Bad Man - The Coral
High Into The Sky - Pilot
If I Were A Carpenter [Live] - The Small Faces
John The Baptist (Holy John) - Blood, Sweat & Tears
You're My Only Home - The Magnetic Fields
Machine Gun - Anne McCue
Please Don't Touch - Motörhead
Beatbox - Roni Size Reprazent
The Real Thing [The Joy Brothers Remake] - Tony Di Bart
Wrapped In Grey - XTC
Cripple Creek - Skip Spence
Wish You Were Her - Cousteau
Please Forgive Me - Bryan Adams
Where My Seed Might Find Purchase - Bill Mallonee
In My Heart - Texas
Things Can Only Get Better - D:Ream
It Ain't The Wind, It's The Rain - Mary Gauthier
Half Of Everything - Lloyd Cole
Hold Me Down - Gin Blossoms
Disco 2000 - Pulp
Goodbye Cruel World - Shakespear's Sister
Bounce (Totale Controle Remix) - Steve'N King
I Wish You Would - Billy Boy Arnold
I Trawl The Megahertz - Paddy McAloon
This Is Where - Richard Buckner
Le Freak - The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain
Mistress Of Storms - Bruce Cockburn
Love Factory - Eloise Laws
Stones - Neil Diamond
A Little Boogie Woogie In The Back Of My Mind - Gary Glitter
Berlin Tonight - Bruce Cockburn
Sweetheart Contract - Magazine
Broken Butterflies - Lucinda Williams
Catwoman - Shakespear's Sister

Somerset to London, 04-11-18
Try My World - Georgie Fame
Johnny's Garden - Stephen Stills & Manassas
Heard of Darkness - Syd Straw
Cyprus Avenue - Van Morrison
If Looks Could Kill - Transvision Vamp
The Monkeys Are Breaking Out Of The Zoo - Belle & Sebastian
The Maker Of Noses - Rich Mullins
Seamrider - Lowalk & DJ Loki
The Dance - Garth Brooks
Stormy Monday - Them
Once In A Blue Moon - Van Morrison
All The Right Reasons - Greg Kihn Band
It Is What It Is (And That's All) - Steve Forbert
Scarecrow - Chuck Prophet
Talkin' 'Bout The Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants To Live Forever) - The Flaming Lips
Deirdre - The Beach Boys
Donegal Express - Shane MacGowan & The Popes
Oh King Richard - Rodney Crowell
Satan Is My Motor - Cake
Dk 50/80 - John Otway
Mated - David Grant & Jaki Graham
Paid My Dues - Anastacia
What Do You Want From Me? - Monaco
Don't Cry Baby (Magnolias 2001) - Black Project Feat. Claude François
At Home At Work At Play - Sparks
I Need A Situation - Wreckless Eric
Choose Life - PF Project Feat. Ewan McGregor
Read About Love - Richard Thompson
She's Too Good For Me - Sting
Enola / Alone - Manic Street Preachers
Hold On - J.J. Cale
Attention To Me - The Nolans
Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
Dusk Till Dawn (Shapeshifters Remix) - Danny Howells & Dick Trevor Feat. Erire
Hometown Unicorn - Super Furry Animals
Saturday - Yo La Tengo
All Fall Down - Emmylou Harris & George Jones
Children Go - Fret Not
Live Till You Die [Album Version] - Tift Merritt
Baby Blue (Us Single Mix) - Badfinger
Simple Twist Of Fate - Bob Dylan
Twisty Bass - Neil Finn
Sweet Lullaby - Deep Forest
Big Wheels Rolling - Chicory Tip
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Free Font - Spectrashell

Font Squirrel reports: [edited]

Spectrashell began as a logotype for a brand of hard-shell, waterproof passport cases. The logo was required to fit a metal stamped hexagonal 20mm wide badge. The letterforms needed clear, obvious cuts to compensate for detail lost during the stamping process.
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Motiv Ring

spy.com reports: [edited]

The Motiv Ring detects:

— Active Minutes
— Heart rate
— Activity Types
— Calories Burned
— Activity Intensity
— Steps
— Sleep Duration
— Distance

and communicates with your smartphone via Bluetooth.

The ring is made from a durable titanium material, and it’s waterproof up to 5 ATM (165 feet).

The Motiv Ring has two days of onboard memory storage and will automatically sync your data when it detects your smartphone.

To charge the ring, you clip it onto a supplied USB key and plug it into a powered USB port. It takes about 90 minutes to fully charge. Once charged, you’ll get about three days of battery life.

Price: $199
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London - Somerset - London, 13-10-18 & 14-10-18

London to Somerset, 13-10-18
Joe Le Taxi - Vanessa Paradis
Wouldn't It Be Good? - Cascada
Twist And Shout - Salt-N-Pepa
Leader of the Pack - Twisted Sister
The Happy Organ - Dave "Baby" Cortez
Epic - Faith No More
Promise Me - Beverley Craven
Benny Hill [TV Theme] - Benny Hill
Zambesi - Piranhas
Mushaboom - Feist
Tthhee Ppaarrttyy (Radio Edit) - Justice
Burning Love - Wynonna
Prince Harry - Soho Dolls
In the Middle of Nowhere (Remix) - Dusty Springfield
I Should Have Known Better - Jim Diamond
Jaded - Aerosmith
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt (single) - We Are Scientists
I Love My Boss - Moxy Fruvous
Let's All Chant - The Michael Zager Band
Grace Kelly (single) - Mika
Toxic Milkshake - Kelis vs. Britney Spears
Foolish Little Girl - The Shirelles
Rich and Strange - Cud
Backfire At the Disco - The Wombats
A Bar In Amsterdam - Katzenjammer
Push the Button - Sugababes
We don't have to take our clothes off (ext) - Jermaine Stewart
I've Been Thinking about you - London Beat
My Sharona - Polysics
I'm a Believer (feat. Reeves & Mortimer) - EMF
Good Golly Miss Molly - Little Richard
When Smokey Sings - ABC
Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy
In For The Kill - La Roux
Fantastic Man - William Onyeabor
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love - The Blues Brothers
I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher
Torn - Ednaswap
White riot - The Clash
Rawhide - The Blues Brothers
Rabbit - Chas 'N' Dave
Ain't got a clue - The Lurkers
Video Killed The Radio Star (ext) - The Buggles
Our Lips are Sealed - The Go-Go's
(Is This The Way To) Amarillo (2005) - Tony Christie
The Land Of Make Believe - Bucks Fizz
All She Ever Wants - Spunge
Here I Go Again ('87 Remix) - Whitesnake

Somerset to London, 14-10-18
Screamager - Therapy?
I Will Survive - The Puppini Sisters
Take On Me (techno remix) - a-ha
Special - Garbage
Hippychick - SoHo
Valerie (Baby J Remix Ft Rukus, Precha, Alex Blood and Malik) - Amy Winehouse & Mark Ronson
The Wire - HAIM
I Can't Go Back To Savoury Now - John Shuttleworth
I Know Something About Love - Vonda Shepard
Cynical Girl - Marshall Crenshaw
Whiskey In The Jar - Metallica
Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - David Grant & Jaki Graham
I Wish I Could Fly (Orville's Song) - Keith Harris & Orville
Driving In My Car - Madness
Summer Nights - John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John & Cast
Sonic Boom Boy - Westworld
The Tide Is High (Lasgo Remix) - Atomic Kitten
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Your Love Is My Drug - Ke$ha
Little Green Bag - George Baker Selection
Rockabye (feat. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie) - Clean Bandit
banana splits theme - Dickies
Time To Pretend - MGMT
Hippy With a Banjo - Those Darn Accordions
I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
Jimmy Jimmy - The Undertones
I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor/I Predict A Riot - Arctic Monkeys vs Kaiser Chiefs
Familiar - Liam Payne & J. Balvin
Mr. E's Beautiful Blues - Eels
Diana - Paul Anka
Rent Boys - Kick Down The Door
Go Wild In The Country - Bow Wow Wow
Daydream In Blue (alt) - I Monster
Shiver - Natalie Imbruglia
Red Lipstick (Radio Edit) - Skint & Demoralised
Kiss Kiss - Holly Valance
Shut Up - The Black Eyed Peas
You Can't Fool Me Dennis - Mystery Jets
Bring Me To Life - Evanescence
(Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star - Bill Wyman
Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz
Just Dance - Lady GaGa & Colby O'Donis
Moonlight Shadow - Nightcore
The Ugly Bug Ball - Burl Ives
Dignity - Deacon Blue
Hi Lilli Hi Lo - Alan Price
Dizzy - Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff
Doctor's Orders - Carol Douglas
What Hurts The Most - Nightcore
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Sans Forgetica

news.com.au reports: [edited]

A group of Australian scientists claim to have unlocked the secret to improving human memory retention. And it’s hidden in the words you read on your computer.

Scientists from Melbourne’s RMIT University say conventional fonts make it too easy for your brain to skim over the important stuff. They have developed a font, called Sans Forgetica, which they claim will improve your ability to retain written information.

Sans Forgetica was developed by typographers, designers and psychologists all connected to the RMIT Behavioural Business Lab. The trick behind this font is that it forces our brains to slow down and work harder to process the words in front of us. When that happens, our brains are more likely to remember the information we have read.

The font is free to download here.
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London-Marlborough-London, 06-10-18

Move On Up - The Jam
Buildings and Bridges (live) - Ani DiFranco
Seven Curses - Bob Dylan
Red Rover - Fleetwood Mac
Absolutely Cuckoo - The Magnetic Fields
Sheep - The Housemartins
You Win Again - Bee Gees
Don't Burst My Bubble - The Small Faces
Does Your Heart Go Booooooomm - Helen Love
Sky Fits Heaven - Madonna
Stood Up - John Hiatt
Love Will Tear Us Apart (12" Mix) - Joy Division
Virgo Clowns - Van Morrison
Stronger - Kasey Chambers
Nobody Home - Amy Grant
To Be Counted Among Men - Villagers
Power To All Our Friends - Cliff Richard
Nothing Is Beyond You [Demo] - Rich Mullins
The Things We Did And Didn't Do - The Magnetic Fields
Swamp Thing [Radio Mix] - The Grid
Down Here Tonight - Bruce Cockburn
Writing - Elton John
She's Like The Swallow - Cara Dillon
Stage Fright - The Band
Hello Again - Neil Diamond
J'ai Fait Tout - Emmylou Harris
Crazy Dreams - Paul Brady
Wish I Were You - Alisha's Attic
Anna Pera - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Love Like You And Me - Gary Glitter
Going Underground - The Jam
Bryter Layter - Nick Drake
The Church Of The Holy Spook - Shane MacGowan & The Popes
Maybe An Angel - Heather Nova
Theme From Inspector Morse - Barrington Pheloung
Piano Music - Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Scattering - Cutting Crew
Beautiful Stranger (William Orbit Radio Edit) - Madonna
Beacon - Lone Justice
Talkin' Bout A Revolution - Tracy Chapman
These Hands Small But Mighty - Bobby "Blue" Bland
Sometimes (12" Mix) - Erasure
Not Alone Any More - Traveling Wilburys
Her - Tindersticks
Woman In Me - Sophie Zelmani
Opelousas - Victoria Williams
So Bay - Frank Black & The Catholics
Fitting In With The Misfits - E!E
Break Up (Cascada Remix) - Kim Sozzi
X Files [Theme] - DJ Dado
O Marie (live) - Daniel Lanois
You Tore Me Down - The Flamin' Groovies
Standing On the Water - Andy Fairweather Low
Kindhearted Woman Blues - Bob Dylan
King Harvest Has Surely Come (Alternate Performance) - The Band
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iPhone XS Camera

Austin Mann has posted an excellent piece taking a look at iPhone XS’ camera abilities, comparing and contrasting it with the iPhone X.

If you are interested in photography, especially the way that AI has allowed the tiny sensors/lenses on smartphones to produce increasingly high quality images, the post makes fascinating reading.

To quote Austin’s ‘Bottom Line’...

”Most of the time my expectations for camera upgrades on “S” years aren’t so high, but after shooting with the iPhone XS for a week, I can confidently say it’s a huge camera upgrade. There’s a lot of little improvements, but Smart HDR definitely takes the cake. This is a feature and technology that improves virtually everything you capture with your iPhone camera. I think you’ll be really thrilled when you experience the results yourself.”
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Clearmotion AI Suspension Enhancer

Wired reports: [edited]

Clearmotion’s aim is to build an intelligent suspension system that can do away with jolts, and let drivers change the feel of their car's ride at will.

The key component is an electro-hydraulic system that clips on to a car’s suspension and shifts the wheels as the car moves over bumps in the road. As the wheels move up and down, left and right, the car – and the people within it – stay perfectly still in the centre.

The other items are a network of eight accelerometers on – one behind each wheel and another four on the vehicle body. Five milliseconds after an accelerometer detects a wheel starting to dip into a pothole, it sends a signal to an electric motor that injects a fluid into the relevant units, forcing the wheel to extend downwards.

With every journey, ClearMotion’s sensors generate reams of data, which, over time, allow ClearMotion to build up a detailed image of every lump and bump on a given road. The the system can draw on this data the next time it encounters the same stretch. “As you're doing the same commute every day, the car is going to know what it's going over, and it's just going to get better and better with every ride,” says ClearMotion’s founder and CEO, Shakeel Avadhany. This information could be shared between cars, allowing them to alert each other about upcoming road features. For example, if a car were warned that it is approaching a speedbump, the suspension could adapt at just the right moment so that passengers would barely feel the bump.

Sensor data could even be used to improve the roads themselves. Avadhany plans to collaborate with governments – sharing data from ClearMotion to flag up roads in need of maintenance. He says that his system can identify a crack in the road long before it develops into a pothole, and passing that data on to city authorities could save huge sums in road repairs.
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Desiknio Pinion Urban Electric Bicycle

Desiknio reports: [edited]

- 13.5kg

- 80km Range

- Battery in Frame

- Rear Hub Motor

- Carbon Belt Drive System

- Ebikemotion App for Smartphones/Smartwatches

Price: from £4,495

The Web Design Museum

Kottke reports: [edited]

If you started using the web 15-25 years ago, prepare yourself for the nostalgic blast of the Web Design Museum.
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Square Off Chess Board

Digital Trends reports: [edited]

Square Off is a smart chess board. You move your own pieces, but the 'opponent's' pieces move automatically. Think Wizard’s Chess in Harry Potter, where the pieces magically slide across the board to their designated tiles. Pieces aren’t destroyed when captured, but they are dragged off.

Inside the board are mechanised arms and magnets that move the chess pieces, and when playing 'against the board' there are various levels of difficulty to choose from.

Alternatively, you can play online via the Bluetooth-connected iOS and Android apps. Square Off is linked to over 21 million users playing on Chess.com, so you should not have problems finding an opponent.

Challengers do not need a Square Off board to play against you. Make your moves on the board, and the board will listen to the remote player’s instructions and move pieces to the desired place, whether they’re using an app or the Chess.com website.

Price: $330
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Origami Simulator

Amanda Ghassaei has built a site that allows you to simulate how an origami crease pattern will fold. Fascinating.
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Naked Labs 3-D Body Scanner

Wired reports: [edited]

Naked Labs's scanner is a full-length mirror lined with 3-D cameras that capture a 360-degree image of your body. There’s also a turntable/weighing scale.

Three Intel RealSense 410 series cameras line the left side of the mirror frame, along with a laser pointer and a round indicator light.

To obtain a scan, you stand on the turntable which, erm, turns while the cameras scan your body.

The scan takes 15 seconds. Crunching the 2 gigabytes of visual data into a 2-megabyte file takes a few minutes. The processed image files are then transferred to remote servers, and then to the Naked Labs app.

The scans appear in grayscale, the goal being 'to make the body model as objective as possible'.

Your body fat percentage is shown, along with your weight, your lean mass, and your fat mass. You can swipe through different parts of your body and get measurements for your waist, chest, thighs and calves. You can look at comparative charts illustrating the changes to your body over time.

Body fat and bone density is calculated using a database of body shapes and DEXA scan data (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry).

Price: $1,395
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Naked Mole-Rat

Wikipedia reports: [edited]

Naked mole-rats are rodents, native to East Africa.

— They can survive up to 5 hours in only 5% oxygen.

— They can live in 80% carbon dioxide and 20% oxygen.

— They lack an insulating layer in their skin.

— Their body temperature tracks the ambient temperature.

— Their skin does not register pain.

— They have a high resistance to cancer.

— They live 10-times longer than similar size rodents.

— Only one female and up to three males in each colony reproduce.

— The other colony members function as workers.
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CeramicSpeed Bicycle Drivetrain

dezeen reports: [edited]

Danish company CeramicSpeed has developed what could be the world's most efficient bicycle drivetrain.

The Driven drivetrain has no chain or derailleurs, making it more than 99 per cent efficient. The prior drivetrain to beat was a Shimano Dura-Ace at 97.8 per cent efficiency — or 98.37 per cent when upgraded with CeramicSpeed parts.

The Shimano Dura-Ace, like the drivetrains on most bikes, is driven by a chain. While there are many advantages to chains, they eventually stretch and wear.

In contrast, CeramicSpeed's system is connected by a carbon-fibre shaft, which turns 90 degrees from the rear wheel and pedals. On either end of the shaft are 21 low-friction ceramic bearings, which transfer torque from the rider's pedalling through the drive shaft and onto the rear cog.
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London - Somerset - London, 14-07-18 & 15-07-18

London to Somerset
Daybreak (GoPro HERO3 Edit) - OVERWERK
Chillout Tent - The Hold Steady
Mambo italiano - Alma Cogan
Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill
I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night - Kiss
Love Hurts - Nazareth
I Can Only Give You Everything - Them
Robert De Niro's Waiting - Bananarama
Did You Ever? - Nancy Sinatra
The Girl Can't Help It - Little Richard
Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
Rapper's Delight (single) - Sugarhill Gang
The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix) - Passion Pit
Here Is A Song - Go Kart Mozart
Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky
Bulletproof - La Roux
Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Seven Little Girls (Sitting In The Back Seat) - Paul Evans
My Doorbell - The White Stripes
Confusion Girl (single) - Frankmusik
Feels Like I'm In Love - Kelli Marie
Chewing Gum (mylo remix) - Annie
In A Broken Dream - Python Lee Jackson
Black Betty - Spiderbait
Something In The Air - Thunderclap Newman
Jealous (I Ain't With It) - Chromeo
Planet Earth - Duran Duran
Let It Go - Idina Menzel
Dreamer - Supertramp
Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
Magic - Pilot
Feel Good Inc (Single Edit) - Gorillaz
You Spin Me Round (like a record) - Dead Or Alive
Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions
Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear - Alan Price
Living On Video - Trans-X
C'est la vie (radio edit) - B*Witched
We Bros - WU LYF
Might Be Stars - The Wannadies
Missing (Todd Terry Club Remix) - Everything But The Girl
Shine A Little Love - Electric Light Orchestra
Pump Up the Volume - M&A&R&R&S (Marrs)
Gangnam Style (강남스타일) - PSY

Somerset to London
Just A Girl - No Doubt
Bodys - Car Seat Headrest
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse
Moonlighting - Leo Sayer
Finest Dreams (feat. Kelis) - Richard X
Steal My Sunshine - Len
Astounded (feat. Curtis Mayfield) - Bran Van 3000
Xpander (7" Version) - Sasha
Wedding Bell Blues (Marry Me, Bill) - Fifth Dimension
John, I'm Only Dancing - David Bowie
Girls On Film - Duran Duran
The Boy From New York City - The Darts
Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
Creepin Up the Backstairs - The Fratellis
Dancing in the moonlight - King Harvest
Chain Reaction - Diana Ross
Macarena - Los Del Rio
Camouflage - Stan Ridgeway
The Diary Of Horace Wimp - Electric Light Orchestra
6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps
Whip It! (feat. Chloe Angelides) - LunchMoney Lewis
Skin Deep - The Stranglers
Informer [Radio Edit] - Snow
Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry
My Baby Loves Lovin' - White Plains
Ready to Go - Republica
Bang Bang - B.A. Robertson
Everyday I Love You Less And Less - Kaiser Chiefs
Show Me the Wonder - Manic Street Preachers
Faith - George Michael
All Star - Smash Mouth
Blue Moon - Showaddywaddy
He Said He Loved Me - Reverend and the Makers
Hole In My Shoe - Traffic
Come back and stay for good this time - Paul Young
Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
Misirlou (Theme From Pulp Fiction) - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
My Give A Damn's Busted - Jo Dee Messina
Hungry Like The Wolf - Reel Big Fish
Hotel California - SkaDaddyZ
Hot Pink - Let's Eat Grandma
Your Woman - White Town
The Distance - Cake
I'm a Believer (radio version) - Smash Mouth
Holiday - Madonna
What I Am - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
Ray Of Light - Madonna
Carey - Joni Mitchell
Django Jane - Janelle Monáe
Tonight's The Kind Of Night - Noah and the Whale
Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit - Gina G
Devil's Haircut - Beck
Call On Me - Eric Prydz
Dr Fell - Juliet Turner
Umbrella (Radio Edit) - Rihanna
Memphis In The Meantime - John Hiatt
Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
Superstar - Jamelia
------------

Icon Construct 3D Printed House In One Day

Wired reports: [edited]

A typical family home in the US takes an average of six and a half months to build. An Austin-based startup called Icon can produce a house nearly 200 times faster. In a day.

To be fair, the company is building houses that max out at 800 square feet. The fabrication is the work of a huge 3-D printer called Vulcan. Engineers run digital blueprints for the home through so-called slicer software, which translates the design into the programming language G-code. That code determines where the printer moves along its track, extruding 3⁄4-inch-thick layers of concrete like icing on a cake. The base material — a finely calibrated mix of cement, sand, plasticisers, and other aggregates — gets poured into a hopper at the top of the printer and flows onto the rising walls below.

The resulting abodes, which will cost $4,000 to build, are the latest addition in the tiny-house movement. In 2019, Icon intends to ship the Vulcan to El Salvador, where it’s slated to print 100 homes for disadvantaged families.

The startup’s next excursion may be even farther afield: Icon is participating in a NASA competition to develop printable space habitats using “indigenous materials,” the planetary soil available onsite.
------------

IBM Computer Debates Humans and Wins

Cnet reports: [edited]

IBM has created a system called Project Debater that competes in what the company calls computational argumentation – knowing a subject, presenting a position and defending it against opposition. At a press event, IBM pitted the system against two humans with a track record of winning debates.

In one debate, Noa Ovadia overall nudged two people among a few dozen in a human audience toward her perspective that governments shouldn't subsidise space exploration. But in the second, Project Debater soundly defeated Dan Zafrir, pulling nine audience members toward its stance that we should increase the use of telemedicine.

Project Debater was trained in advance on debating methods, but not the details of the debate itself, which it found out about only moments before the debate started. To formulate its argument, it had at its disposal a collection of 300 million news articles and scholarly papers, previously indexed for quick search results. But it had to find the information, package it persuasively, listen to its opponents' arguments and formulate a rebuttal.

Although IBM didn't try to pretend Debater is human, it speaks in a well-modulated female voice, and researchers call it "she." At the top of the pillar was a display showing its state of mind with curvaceous shapes in a soothing blue.

Debater showed a grasp of debating's nuts and bolts. It marshalled evidence, told you its stance, explained how its argument would proceed and made its case. It quoted authorities, like German ministers touting the economic benefits of space exploration or scientific studies showing better health outcomes for diabetes patients monitored from afar.

There were gaffes, like the moment Debater said subsidising space exploration "is more important than good roads, improved schools or better health care."
------------

7.3-gigapixel panorama 'timelapse' of London

Digital Photography Review reports: [edited]

Photographer Henry Stuart has created a 24-hour panoramic timelapse image of London that combines 6,240 raw photographs to form a picture that contains over 7 billion pixels.

Captured through a Nikon D850 and AF-S Nikkor 300mm F2.8 lens using a robotic mount by Nikon-owned robotics company Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), the 155° view presents the city in an incredible amount of detail, with Nikon claiming that you can read signs up to 5 miles away from where the image was captured.
------------

Wilier Cento1 Hybrid Road eBike

Digital Trends reports: [edited]

Based on the company’s best-selling Cento1 platform, this electric version comes outfitted with a rear-mounted hub motor designed by ebikemotion that provides pedal assist when riders need it. The electric motor is powered by a 250-watt battery pack that is hidden in the bike’s down tube.

The electric components of the bike – motor, battery, and control systems – weigh 8.15 pounds. The Cento1 Hybrid reportedly tips the scales at just 26.2 pounds, putting it within striking distance of traditional road bikes. The main controller is embedded in the bike’s top tube, enabling riders to turn the system on and off, and adjust the level of pedal assist, as needed.

The electric motor can also be connected to a smartphone via the ebikemotion app (iOS/Android), which allows the rider to track metrics like speed, distance, and time. It also offers navigation features, weather alerts, and Strava integration. The app can even help with route planning, keep a log of a cyclist’s activities, and in that respect is comparable with the Apple Watch and Apple’s Health Kit API.

The Cento1 Hybrid uses Wilier’s carbon fibre frame and fork, and Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes and crankset. It also features a Selle Italia X1 seat, 28-millimeter Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tires, and a geometry that is more designed for comfort out on the road than all-out racing.

Availability for the Wilier Cento1 Hybrid has yet to be revealed, but the new ebike is priced at 4,500 euros.
------------

Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ200

Digital Photography Review has published an in-depth review of Panasonic's latest compact travel zoom.

Snippets from the conclusion follow:

"There's a lot to like about the ZS200. It's 'jacket pocket' compact and feels like a premium product with good fit and finish."

"What matters the most about any camera is the quality of the images that it produces, and the ZS200 is a mixed bag. The combination of incredible zoom range, a complex optical formula and impressive compactness means the lens was a little softer than we'd like."

"The TZ200 is the camera I most often recommend to photographers looking for a small and highly capable option for travel or to have on hand for daily life photos."

"When I brought it along on a trip to a family theme park, I was impressed with how much it offered me from a capability perspective while it stayed out of my way from a user experience perspective. I was able to capture photos in a wide range of circumstances (from low light indoors to zooming in on the top of a roller coaster loop) without having to think too much about camera settings."

"The only thing I really missed was an articulated LCD screen, but that was a pretty minor thing to give up in favour of the incredible versatility and reach of the 24-360mm equivalent lens."

Price: £680.00
------------

M.C. Escher Prints & Drawings Online

Kottke reports: [edited]

The Boston Public Library has digitised their collection of M.C. Escher prints. The level of zoom you can get to with these images is amazing. Browse the whole collection here.
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London - Northampton - London 12-05-18

Dixie Drug Store - Grant Lee Buffalo
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Contact In Red Square - Blondie
Ready Or Not - Fugees
Every Day Hurts - Sad Cafe
Take on me - a-ha
You Are The One - a-ha
Dr. Jones - Aqua
Mr. Wendal - Arrested Development
technologic - Daft Punk
Special Brew - Bad Manners
Take On Me - Reel Big Fish
The Boys of Summer - DJ Sammy
Got To Have Your Love - Mantronix (feat. Wondress)
I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
Emma - Hot Chocolate
Spirit Of Radio - Rush
Freak Scene - Dinosaur Jr.
Relax, Take It Easy (single) - Mika
Tiny Dancer - Tim McGraw
Everytime We Touch [Club Mix] - Cascada
Killer Queen [2011 Remaster] - Queen
I Am The Mob - Catatonia
Carry on Wayward Son - Kansas
Borderline - Madonna
Falling - HAIM
I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman
Manic Monday - The Bangles
Burn Baby Burn - Ash
Keep Your Hands To Yourself - The Georgia Satellites
Sick Muse - Metric
Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
Sweet Talkin' Woman - Electric Light Orchestra
Only You Can - Fox
Hey you Rocksteady Crew - Rock Steady Crew
You Are My Sunshine/Open Up Your Heart - Frente!
Stand - R.E.M.
Rock Lobster - The B-52's
Call it Love - Poco
I Turn To You - Melanie C
Gertcha - Chas 'N' Dave
Reelin' & Rockin' - Chuck Berry
I Need You - N-Dubz
Robot - The Futureheads
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
Killing Me Softly - Fugees
------------

Honda Clarity Hybrid

Wired reports: [edited]

To combine the benefits of electric propulsion with the reassurance of internal combustion, Honda brought in two electric motors and a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Like a small company of actors putting on an epic play, each fills a variety of roles. Those vary based on whichever of the dozens of possible mode combinations the driver engages via buttons, paddles, and pedals.

The Clarity Hybrid can go 47 miles on battery power (340 miles total), gets the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon, and delivers a respectable 212 horsepower, in a large, comfortable package that starts at $33,400.

The logic behind Honda’s newest addition to its dedicated line of electrified vehicles is simple: function as an electric as much as possible, and use the engine to maximise efficiency by charging the batteries or directly powering the wheels – whatever makes the most sense at the moment.

Say you start in the default Normal mode, with the battery charged (just 2.5 hours to fully top off from a 240 volt home hookup). The Clarity will disengage the engine and operate on battery power alone, letting the electric motor drive the wheels. If you baby the throttle, you can keep it that way, even hitting the 100 mph top speed in electric mode. If you floor it, the petrol engine will kick in to help drive the wheels and produce maximum acceleration.

As the 17 kWh battery drains, the Clarity will automatically modulate use of the petrol engine based on the driving conditions. The petrol engine will supply electricity to the propulsion motor directly, via the second electric motor that functions as a generator, and may also drive the wheels directly at medium and highway speeds.

Where most hybrids link their engines to the wheels with a continuously variable transmission, the Clarity uses a single speed transmission with a direct connection to the wheels. This mitigates the efficiency losses that come any time the engine acts as a generator. When the engine drives the wheels directly, the loss is zero, and that power can either be supplemented by the motor’s propulsion or replace it entirely, if the driver wants to conserve battery use.
------------

Pipistrel Alpha Electro

Clean Technica reports: [edited]

With its short takeoff distance and an impressively powerful 1000+ fpm climb rate, the Alpha Electro can fly for over an hour plus reserve. The electric airplane is optimised for training schools and traffic-pattern operations. It uses aviation’s equivalent of regenerative braking, which gives it a 13% of energy recuperation on descent.

Originally, Pipistrel was working on its electric aircraft prototype the WATTsUP, developed in partnership with Siemens AG. Siemens provided the main electric propulsion components for the Alpha Electro, while Pipistrel refined the aircraft's components to be lighter, more efficient, and more reliable.

Using a 17 kWh battery pack designed to be dual-redundant and quickly swappable, it can be charged in less than one hour.
------------

Fog Harp

CNN reports: [edited]

In some of the most arid regions of the world, from the Sahara to the Andes, special nets have long been used to catch moisture from the air, turning fog into drinking water.

These fog harvesters are put up against wind streams to catch microscopic droplets which gather and merge on a fine mesh until they have enough weight to travel down into a water tank. They provide essential access to water to many communities, and the technology behind them has evolved over the years to offer a higher yield, resistance to the elements and a reduced need for maintenance.

Now, researchers at Virginia Tech University have developed a new design that they say has three times the efficiency of regular fog nets. They call it a 'harp', because its vertical pattern of wires makes it resemble the string instrument.

The problem with the classical design, according to Boreyko, is that the fog droplets end up getting stuck in the holes of the net, because the horizontal wires obstruct their path on the way down into the reservoir. The net then becomes heavily clogged with water, which makes it impermeable to the wind. As a result, the foggy wind simply flows around the net, instead of through it, which reduces the amount of fog that can be collected.
------------

16,000+ Sound Effects Available Free From BBC

NME reports: [edited]

Over 16,000 sound effects have been made available for free from the BBC library. The archive includes effects that have been used on the corporation’s radio output since the 1920s.

Now, the general public can download them for free for the first time. The libary includes the likes of a South American parrot talking and screeching, an 11 month old baby boy playing with toys, and a 16-foot speedboat with a 40hp outboard pulling up to stop.

Files can be used for “personal, educational, or research purposes” as per the RemArc licence. The archive is tagged and searchable.
------------

iPod playlist, 21/04/18 - 22/04/18

Well It's True That We Love One Another - The White Stripes
Dreamtime - Daryl Hall
You're Unbelievable - EMF
Wicked Game - Loni Rose
I Get Around - The Beach Boys
I'll Be Around - Joan Osborne
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
Paper Planes - M.I.A. (XL)
Papa Was A Rolling Stone (single) - The Temptations
Rocks - Primal Scream
I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis
Strong Enough - Cher
I Want To Be Your Boyfriend - Rubinoos
Waiting for a train - Flash & The Pan
Valerie - Steve Winwood
Hotel Yorba - The White Stripes
Telephone Man - Meri Wilson
All The Roadrunning - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Flying High - Jem
Free (single edit) - Deniece Williams
Nothing To Be Afraid Of - Lazyboy
Beauty - David Mead
Certain Surprise - John Martyn
Nikita - Elton John
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out - Katie Melua
Security Joan - Donald Fagen
Stop - Lizz Wright
Spanish Nights - Chuck Loeb
After All This Time - Darden Smith
Misguided Angel - Cowboy Junkies
The Game of Love - Daft Punk
Up In Fire - Andreya Triana
Munich (live, editors cover) - Corinne Bailey Rae
Dying all young - Chuck Prophet
Rise - Gabrielle
Under My Wing - John Martyn
The Runaway - Gallagher & Lyle
Right Now - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Holding Out For Love - Daryl Hall
Elodie - David Mead
Post - Cowboy Junkies
Heart Of Mine - Maria Muldaur
Oneplusone - David Mead
Safi - Idrissa Soumaoro
The Great Pagoda Of Funn - Donald Fagen
Love For Sale - Ella Fitzgerald & Cole Porter
Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu) - Dean Martin
For Crying Out Loud - Lloyd Cole
Call Me When You Get This - Corinne Bailey Rae
Chocolate Girl - Deacon Blue
Easy - Lionel Richie
Tropical - Chuck Loeb
Tell Me You'll Wait For Me - Cassandra Wilson
Astronaut - David Mead
Anyway The Wind Blows - J.J. Cale
Dreaming Wide Awake - Lizz Wright
Sensitive Kind - Eric Clapton Feat. Don White
Miss DJ - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Flake - Jack Johnson
Hey Sweet Man - Madeleine Peyroux
I'll Have to Say I Love You In A Song - Jim Croce
Don't it make my brown eyes blue - Crystal Gayle
The Last Train - Josh Rouse
What I Do - Donald Fagen
Man On A Mission - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Neighbor-Hoods - Josh Rouse
Bucket Of Girls - David Mead
Walkin' After Midnight - Cowboy Junkies
Just Like Heaven - Katie Melua
Thankyou, Stars - Katie Melua
Talkin' In Your Sleep - Crystal Gayle
Chutes And Ladders (Bonus Track) - David Mead
Morph The Cat - Donald Fagen
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Bringing It Back - J.J. Cale
Serenade - Emiliana Torrini
Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea - Diana Krall
Someday We'll Know - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Making It Up Again - David Mead
Secret Symphony - Katie Melua
Some Things Don't Come Easy - England Dan & John Ford Coley
Dream Dancing - Ella Fitzgerald & Cole Porter
Night Life - The Little Willies
The Trouble With Henry - David Mead
Snowbound - Donald Fagen
Fools Rush In - Daryl Hall
What I Want To Do - David Mead
Make You Stay - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Always A Use - Madeleine Peyroux
Enchantment - Corinne Bailey Rae
Body And Soul - Diana Krall
Never Let Me Go - Daryl Hall
Anniversary Song - Cowboy Junkies
99 Miles From L.A. - Art Garfunkel
What Can I Do (Tin Tin Out Remix) - The Corrs
La Javanaise - Madeleine Peyroux
I'd Really Love To See You Again - England Dan & John Ford Coley
The Road Is A Lover - Alison Krauss & Union Station
Was I? - Madeleine Peyroux
In Between - Josh Rouse
Sensitive Kind - J.J. Cale
The Frozen Man - James Taylor
Heartbreak Time - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Adrift - Jack Johnson
I Found Out - The Pigeon Detectives
Cruel Summer - Bananarama
Hush - AM Radio
My coo ca choo - Alvin Stardust
Shuffle - Bombay Bicycle Club
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
Top Of The Pops - The Rezillos
Video Games - Lana Del Rey
Ready for the Weekend - Calvin Harris
Over and Over and Over - Jack White
Punka - Kenickie
Give It (Radio Edit) - X-press 2 featuring Kurt Wagner
Ukulele Anthem - Amanda Palmer
when you look at me - Christina Milian
Jilted John [LP Version] - Jilted John
Johnny reggae - The Piglets
It Feels So Good (Dance Mix) - Sonique
Get Dancin' - Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes
Telepathy - Lene Lovich
House Of The Rising Sun (Live At Abbey Road) - John Otway
88 Lines About 44 Women - Nails
Too Young (Zoot Woman remix) - Phoenix
Jeans on - David Dundas
------------

Casino Hacked Via Fish Tank Thermostat

The Hacker News reports: [edited]

Nicole Eagan, the CEO of cybersecurity company Darktrace, told attendees at an event in London how cybercriminals hacked a casino through a internet-connected thermostat in an aquarium in the lobby.

The hackers exploited a vulnerability in the thermostat to get a foothold in the network. Once there, they managed to access the high-roller database of gamblers and then pulled it back across the network, via the thermostat, and up to the cloud."

Thanks to Brook for the link
Image: Delbert Pagayona
------------

Type Like The Songwriters Wrote

Songwriters Fonts reports: [edited]

The Songwriters fonts have been created to give musicians inspiration.

Being in the mood of Bowie, Cobain, Cohen, Gainsbourg, Lennon, might be purely imaginative... but that's precisely the point.
------------

Flying Whale Airship

Bloomberg reports: [edited]

France has entered the global race to develop a viable cargo airship with a 500-foot model design that will lift lumber from deep woodland.

Flying Whale is joining a contest that includes defence giant Lockheed Martin Corp. and a clutch of smaller players. What’s different about the latest project is the combined benefit of being able to lift an industry-leading 60 tons, without any requirement for mooring pylons.

The Flying Whale will be twice as long as a Boeing Co. 747 jumbo jet and have a rigid structure with individual pockets of helium. It will be powered by small diesel or electric engines.
------------

What Happens To Fat Cells When You Lose Weight?

The Independent reports: [edited]

It’s commonly believed that when you lose weight, the fat that you burn is converted into energy. The truth is that fat is converted into carbon dioxide and water.

Meerman and Brown surveyed 150 doctors, dieticians and personal trainers to find out what they believe happens to fat when an individual loses weight. Only three of those surveyed answered correctly.

“You exhale the carbon dioxide and the water mixes into your circulation until it’s lost as urine and sweat,” stated Meerman and Brown. “If you lose 10kg of fat, precisely 8.4kg comes out through your lungs and the remaining 1.6kg turns into water.”

With the exception of dietary fibre, everything that you consume is absorbed into your bloodstream and organs, which is why it’s important to increase the amount of carbon dioxide your body produces with physical activity.

“It’s not going anywhere until you’ve vaporised it,” Meerman and Brown explained.
------------

Prefab Home That Can Withstand A Category 3 Hurricane

Business Insider reports: [edited]

Tropical storms are becoming more common along the Dutch Coast When winds are particularly strong, they can wreak havoc on homes and other structures.

In preparation for future storms, Borren Staalenhoef Architecten BV bna has designed a house that can resist Category 3 hurricanes. The home's rounded roof and sturdy materials help it withstand powerful wind speeds. The house was constructed above sea level as well, helping it avoid the risk of flooding.

A construction crew assembled the prefab house in just two days in Vlieland, Netherlands.
------------

Google Release Bristlecone Quantum Processor

TechCrunch reports: [edited]

Teams at Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM and various startups and academic labs are racing to become the first to achieve quantum supremacy – the point where a quantum computer can run certain algorithms faster than a conventional version.

The purpose of Bristlecone, Google says, it to provide its researchers with a testbed “for research into system error rates and scalability of our qubit technology, as well as applications in quantum simulation, optimisation, and machine learning.”

One of the issues that quantum computers have to contend with is error rates. Quantum computers typically run at extremely low temperatures and are shielded from the environment because quantum bits are highly unstable and any 'noise' can lead to errors.

Because of this, the qubits in modern quantum processors (the quantum computing versions of 'bits') are often a combination of numerous bits to help account for potential errors. Another limiting factor is that most of these systems can only preserve their state for microseconds.
------------

Future Fonts

medium.com reports: [edited]

Future Fonts is a new marketplace for typefaces in progress, as well as a community of designers who create and use typefaces. It’s a way to gain access to interesting typographic styles sooner, and help fund the long process type designers undertake.

Future Fonts is a collection of brand new typefaces that designers are working on, and will be continuing to update. This platform encourages designers to release workable versions of their typeface throughout the process, similar to how software versions are released. This makes new styles available sooner and helps fund the long and expensive, creative process.
------------

London - Somerset - London, 25 & 26-02-18

London to Somerset
My Beloved Monster - Eels
You'll Never Again Be Mine - Levon Helm
Wham Bam Thank You Mam - The Small Faces
Halloween On The Barbary Coast - The Flaming Lips
Videotheque - Dollar
Pop Musik - M
Who's Stopping You? - Semisonic
As The Years Go Passing By - Otis Rush
Dweller By A Dark Stream - Bruce Cockburn
The Mayor of Candor Lied - Martyn Joseph
Solitary Man - Neil Diamond
Caterwaul (Non-Album Version) - Ryan Adams
Nothing Matters When We're Dancing - The Magnetic Fields
The Little Shoemaker - The Michael Twins
Responsibility (live) - Steve Forbert
Elijah - Rich Mullins
Chimes - North Sea Radio Orchestra
Since I've Been Loving You - Led Zeppelin
If You Just Keep Still - Mahalia Jackson
Hostage-O - Warren Zevon
Here Today - The Beach Boys
Chinese Bakery - The Auteurs
Evergreen - Matthew Sweet
Sacrifice - Elton John
Michelangelo - Emmylou Harris
Bricks & Mortar [John Peel Session - 19/07/1977] - The Jam
The Last Time - Talk Talk
Tonight, I'll Be Staying Here With You - Bob Dylan & The Rolling Thunder Revue
The Whole Of The Moon - The Waterboys
Brompton Oratory - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Guns & Dolls - Chris Whitley
Standing On Tiptoe - Martyn Joseph
After the Glow - Bill Mallonee
Me Encontraras - Pedro Conga
Union Sundown - Bob Dylan
Whole New You - Shawn Colvin
Brontosaurus - The Move
Burned By The Sun - Beulah
I'll Say I'm Sorry Now - Shawn Colvin
Working Girls (BBC Session) - Deaf School
Cherry-Coloured Funk - Cocteau Twins
Round Of Blues - Shawn Colvin

Somerset to London
Summer And Lighting - Electric Light Orchestra
La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh) - Manic Street Preachers
Gone Again - Indigo Girls
Tug Of War - Paul McCartney
Electro-Shock Blues - Eels
Rush Hour (Fonzerelli Hot & Sexy Remix) - SJB Feat. Jane Wiedlin
El Pussy Cat - Roland Alphonso
Blue Moon - Mud
Anyone For Tennis - Cream
Spin Around - Josie & The Pussycats
Strangelanguage - Charlie Peacock
Jump Up And Down - Helen Love
Haunting Me - Mary Lee's Corvette
Venus And Mars / Rockshow (Single Edit) - Paul McCartney & Wings
Brooklyn Roads - Neil Diamond
The Denial Twist - The White Stripes
Honestly OK - Dido
Touch Me, Touch Me - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Sweetheart Come - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Feed The Enemy - Magazine
Hang Onto The Night - XTC
I Don't Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats
Sprout & The Bean - Joanna Newsom
Röyksopp's Night Out - Royksopp
Distant Smile - Ultravox
Rachael - Buffalo Tom
Standin In The Rain - Electric Light Orchestra
Elizabeth My Dear - The Stone Roses
Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
What'd I Say - Ray Charles
Storybook Children - Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra
(Nothing But) Blood - This Mortal Coil
Janine - David Bowie
Touch Me - The Doors
Capaldi's Cafe - Deaf School
A Message To You Rudy - The Specials Featuring Rico
Pontiac to Home Girl - Thea Gilmore
Mama Look Deh - The Pioneers
Hard Times - Syd Straw
More Than You'll Ever Know - Wheat
The Long Division - Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach
Bring It Down To Jelly Roll - John Fogerty
Got Me Under Pressure - ZZ Top
If You Want Me To Stay - Ronny
------------

Free Font - D-Din

Font Squirrel reports: [edited]

DIN 1451 is a sans-serif typeface that is widely used for traffic, administrative and technical applications.

Datto commissioned Monotype to create D-Din and has allowed it to be open sourced under a SIL OFL v1.1 license.

It is available in 8 different styles, including italic and condensed versions.
------------

Oxford Comma Worth $5 Million

New York Times reports: [edited]

Ending a case that electrified punctuation pedants, Oakhurst Dairy settled a $5 million overtime dispute with its drivers that hinged on the lack of an Oxford comma in state law.

The case began in 2014, when three truck drivers sued the dairy for what they said was four years’ worth of overtime pay they had been denied. Maine law requires time-and-a-half pay for each hour worked after 40 hours, but it carved out exemptions for:

‘The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:

(1) Agricultural produce;
(2) Meat and fish products; and
(3) Perishable foods.’

What followed the last comma in the first sentence was the crux of the matter: ‘packing for shipment or distribution of’. The court ruled that it was not clear whether the law exempted the distribution of the three categories that followed, or if it exempted packing for the shipment or distribution of them.

Had there been a comma after ‘shipment’ the meaning would have been clear.
------------

Over 40s Should Lift Weights, Eat More Protein

New York Times reports: [edited]

People who would like to become physically stronger should start with weight training and add protein to their diets, according to a recent scientific review.

The review finds that eating more protein than the amounts currently recommended can significantly augment the effects of lifting weights, especially for the over 40s.

The sweet spot for protein intake turned out to be about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
------------