Xenophilia (True Strange Stuff)

Blog of the real Xenophilius Lovegood, a slightly mad scientist

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Archive for the 'Music' Category


Xenophilia Plays Arco Arena, 5:30 PM Tuesday, 9/9/2008. Black Hole Swallows the Earth: 9/10/2008?

Posted by Xeno on September 7, 2008

Many experiments go wrong. If the Big Bang Machine experiment goes wrong, the entire Earth could disappear in a nanosecond this coming Wednesday, 9/10/2008.

Luckily, this is the day AFTER Xenophilia plays the Arco Arena, in Sacramento CA (as foretold by prophesy 10 years ago) … and the day before the anniversary of the attacks of 9/11, so we will not have to re-live the whole thing again.

So, why not join us. What possible better thing do you have to do on the day before the end of the world? Come see some music and basketball. We have only a handful of special $10 lower level seat tickets left.

Actually, due to the time difference–or someone just running an early test–it may be that as we hit our last chord (even before the basketball game begins)… right as we hit our last A11th chord, THAT is when it will happen. We will all vanish, painlessly and instantly, and nothing that ever happened on the Earth will have mattered.

If we all survive and the experiment goes right, however, we might understand how the entire universe was created.

The most powerful physics experiment ever built, the Large Hadron Collider will re-create the conditions just after the Big Bang in an attempt to answer fundamental questions of science and the universe itself.

On September 10th, CERN - the largest centre of particle physics research in the world, will switch on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and in the process begin arguably the most ambitious science experiment ever undertaken. This “Big Bang Machine” will recreate conditions just a billionth of a second after the big bang and in the process may answer some of the most profound questions about our universe and how it all began.

By smashing particles together at speeds 99.99% the speed of light, scientists hope to answer some of the greatest mysteries in particle physics. What is mass? What is dark matter - the invisible but massive substance that fills the universe? Why is there no antimatter ? Are extra dimensions and parallel universes science fact rather than science fiction? - bbc

Personally, before the end, I had hoped for a big discovery, like one of the following being shown to definitely exist: Aliens, bigfoot, chupacabras, or cold fusion. What have I been doing to prepare to be consumed by a black hole? Cleaning mostly. You?

Here is a bit of trivia. What is a hadron?

In particle physics, a hadron … is a bound state of quarks. Hadrons are held together by the strong nuclear force, similar to how atoms are held together by the electromagnetic force. The best-known hadrons are protons and neutrons. - wiki

In case I don’t see you at the show, so long. We had fun, didn’t we? Thanks for reading my blog.

PS. Perhaps we will all emerge in another universe as we are ejected from a white hole somewhere.

Posted in Band, Music, Physics, Strange Happenings, Technology | 2 Comments »

John Lennon anti-war interview few have heard

Posted by Xeno on August 12, 2008

In 1969, a 14-year-old snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. This is the interview.

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon’s every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon’s boundless wit, and timeless message.

Posted in Music, Politics, Popular Culture, War | No Comments »

Chinese abuzz over lip-syncing singer in Olympics opening ceremony

Posted by Xeno on August 12, 2008

China’s $100-million Olympics opening ceremony Friday, the most expensive and lavish in history, set a new standard for spectacle and pizazz and impressed viewers around the world.

As the afterglow gives way to the thrill of competition, however, some Chinese have questioned the expense, aesthetics — and why organizers apparently misrepresented some elements to the public in their quest for perfection.

When Lin Miaoke, 9, belted out “I Sing for My Country” as the Chinese flag entered the national stadium, she became an instant celebrity and was quickly dubbed a “smiling angel.” The image of her dressed in a pretty red dress appeared around the world.

But she apparently wasn’t the one singing. Chen Qigang, the ceremony’s music director, told state broadcaster CCTV that the voice hundreds of millions of people heard was that of 7-year-old Yang Peiyi. Yang had the voice and was supposed to perform but was yanked at the last minute because she had crooked teeth.

“It was for the national interest,” Chen told CCTV. “The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings and expression.”

The Chinese Internet quickly lighted up, with many online users condemning the apparent bait and switch at the government’s big show. … China’s propaganda ministry moved in today, deleting many online discussion entries and blocking access to video links showing Lin’s lip-syncing.

Another sleight of hand involved the massive fireworks display that exploded the length of Beijing at the culmination of the ceremony. The display was real, involving 29 pyrotechnic “footprints” exploded sequentially from Tiananmen Square to the Olympic Village. But the 55-second version that most TV viewers saw was an animated three-dimensional studio re-creation, Gao Xiaolong, visual-effects team leader at the Crystal Stone animation company, told the Beijing Times. Only the last “footprint” closest to the stadium known as the Bird’s Nest was filmed in real time. “Most viewers thought these were live shots, so our work achieved its effect,” Gao said proudly. - lat

I am purposefully going to keep my teeth slightly crooked to protest human shallowness.

Posted in Music, Politics, Sports | 2 Comments »

Explore music in a new way

Posted by Xeno on July 19, 2008

Wow, I’ve discovered that I love dark energetic jazz! Find your own sound with http://musicovery.com internet radio.

Posted in Music | No Comments »

Bizzare Musical Instruments - Super Tuba

Posted by Xeno on July 13, 2008

I wish they had sound samples to go along with the photos of strange instruments on boredspace.

Posted in Music | No Comments »

Four unreleased Xenophilia songs discovered

Posted by Xeno on July 10, 2008

Albert, Amy, and I were working on some a new CD before he went off to find work in another part of the world. Thanks to the magic of MySpace, I found that he has posted some of our work under the name Satellite Dish Gazebo. The ones I wrote are: Mister Nobody, Salvador Dali, Kiss you on the Moon, and Get Off My Head.

Posted in Band, Music | No Comments »

Lost Beatles tape airs on BBC radio

Posted by Xeno on July 2, 2008

A Beatles interview from the 1960s in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney discussed the way they composed songs together was broadcast on British radio Tuesday after it was found in a film can in a damp garage in south London.

The Beatles were at the height of their immense popularity when the tape was recorded at Scottish Television studios on April 30, 1964. The band had recently toured America, winning huge audiences on the Ed Sullivan show and shooting to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

The interview was only broadcast in Scotland and sat in a film canister until it was discovered by film historian Richard Jeffs, who was astonished to find the familiar Liverpudlian accents of the Beatles on the tape. It was not immediately clear who owned the garage or why the film was there.

The audio portion of the tape was found to be still usable for radio broadcast, allowing the British Broadcasting Corp. to showcase its interview 44 years after it was recorded.

On the nine-minute tape, Lennon describes the fateful day in rock-and-roll history when he first encountered McCartney. Both were unknown teenagers at the time.

“I was playing at a garden fete in the … village where I lived just outside Liverpool, playing with a group, and he came along and we met,” said Lennon, who was a member of a soon-to-be-forgotten skiffle band at the time.

McCartney said they were introduced by a mutual friend called Ivan.

Lennon and McCartney became fast friends — once they found out they had skills in common, and a shared taste for American stars like Fats Domino and Little Richard — and they soon joined up with teenage guitarist George Harrison to form the nucleus of what would become the Beatles.  - more on yahoo

Posted in Music, Popular Culture | No Comments »

Segen Max Drumming

Posted by Xeno on June 19, 2008

A two year old with better timing that you might think should be possible. www.segenmax.com (with Abandon). This little guy is like the Energizer Bunny. Imagine seeing him play 5, 10 or 15 years from now if he keeps up with this hobby.

more about “Segen Max Drumming “, posted with vodpod

Posted in Music | No Comments »

Kiss with who?

Posted by Xeno on June 17, 2008

I’m out listening to other 12 string acoustic guitar players tonight and I found this…

more about "Kiss with who?", posted with vodpod

Posted in Music, Popular Culture | No Comments »

A cool little drum robot

Posted by Xeno on June 6, 2008

more about “A little drummer robot“, posted with vodpod

Posted in Humor, Music, Technology | No Comments »