The Geekorium

Not your usual Christmas Candy

I’ve scoured Soundcloud (for literally hours) to find the best Christmas music I could find and my playlist is finally complete. It’s chock full of Christmas favourites (and a few new ones) that are guaranteed to:

1. Bring Christmas cheer
2. Not suck¹

30 tracks from the likes of Ivy Levan, Swing Republic, Pomplamoose, and Owen Pye. Who are these people you ask? Well, they’re all great musicians and they each have a unique sound to bring to your Christmas celebrations. Including favourites like Away in a Manger, Carol of the Bells, and even the Theme from Home Alone.

Over an hour of music, all completely free (although Soundcloud lets you buy tracks if you so desire)!

{{< soundcloud 2946037 >}}

2010 Playlist

About a year ago I began writing a story for my daughter Amelynne, using her toys as characters.

by Brittany Lowe

It took me about 3 months to write and 9 months to type it up, and I’ve finally got something to show for it. Right now it’s still a work in progress, as I need to read it through a few times with Amelynne and make sure she’s happy with it. I also need to add some illustrations.

HTML version
MOBI version for Kindle

I’d be interested to know what you think. Let me know if you notice
anything wrong too.

Amelynne in a conversation with Mil.

Amelynne: (muttering something uninteligable) Does it Mama?
Camilla: Does what?
Amelynne: Mama.
Camilla: What does what?
Amelynne: Does it?
Camilla: Does what?
Amelynne: Mama.
Camilla: What does what do?
Amelynne: Does it mama?
Camilla: What does what do?
Amelynne: Yes!
Camilla: What?
Amelynne: Does it?
Camilla: Does what?
Amelynne: MAMA.

I think my daughter is a troll. Or a comedy prodigy.

Ashamed to say that I only recently learned about Victor Borge who from only a few YouTube clips I can tell was a genius - a brilliant musician and comedian. I found him watching old Muppet Show clips, and it’s clear to me now that his style of comedy inspired a lot of the most well loved Muppet Show routines.

What a guy

I’m sad that I’d never heard of him until I turned 30 (although I suspect my Dad may have told me some of his jokes). A man who was an entertainer for about 70 years and still doing shows until he died at 91.

It just goes to show that fame is fleeting. No matter how well known or popular you may be, your fame will be lost in the noise of the next generation. To think that one day our generation will forget that girl who yelled “Leave Britney alone!”¹ . We’ll forget even MJ, Gaga and Hannah Montanna.

I think the only way to truly be remembered is to be so famous that great works of art or literature are created about you. Take Julius Ceasar. His name is still well known thanks alone to the work of that fine English writer, Rene Goscinny². Of course the only problem with this plan is you have to know which painters/writers/playwright are going to be good enough that their works are going to be held as an example of magnificent art for the next century or so.

Christmas by Joshua Nunn on Grooveshark

Embedded here are a bunch of Christmas favourites done by some of the best modern artists I could find[^modern]. No Boney M for my family this Christmas[^sister]! Let me know if there’s anyone I’ve missed out! And no mum, Celine Dion doesn’t count.

Oh, and here’s a special playlist just for Paul.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[^modern]:And yes I know some of them haven’t been “modern” for some time, but it’s not John Denver at least. [^sister]:Who am I kidding - my sister loves them

I think I’ve mentioned before how much I like Caravan Palace - one of my favourite Electro-swing artists. Here’s one of their video clips to admire.

{{< youtube 1RaKSRU60bw >}}

As much as I miss the genius of Jim Henson, I realised the other day that I will miss something else just as much as Jim’s Muppet characters. I will miss the insane and brilliant pieces of comedy gold he used to create with Frank Oz.

Frank Oz is nowadays probably best known for being the voice of Yoda, but he’s also a respected and talented film director. He’s still entertaining, long after Jim Henson’s death and I hope he continues to do so for a long time to come.

But what the world has lost since Jim’s death is not only a talented puppeteer and performer, but some classic comedic pairings of his characters with those of Frank Oz. I cry a little inside when I realise that there will be nothing new created by these two fabulous men working together.

Let me give you some examples. First up the most obvious pair:

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This is the only video in this collection that I’ll forgive you for not watching in full. It’s a scene from my least favourite of the Muppet movies (Muppets take Manhattan¹) showing the “wedding” between Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, probably the most memorable Muppet pairing of all time (even if it’s not one of my favourites). Though an unlikely pair, Jim and Frank made the pig’s flamboyant declarations of love and the frog’s seeming indifference oddly engaging and has created a love affair that is still going strong.

The next classic pair were Kermit and Fozzie Bear:

{{< youtube eH2coWVi9Vg >}}

As well as some terrific running gags throughout the Muppet Show, this odd couple were the backbone of the first two major Muppet movies - as travelling companions in the first and as brothers² in the Great Muppet Caper³. I think their relationship is part of what made Muppet Treasure Island feel like old-school Muppets.

Rowlf and Fozzie:

{{< youtube fYiWWdzDYMs >}}

These guys had some great musical moments together (check out I got rhythm on YouTube for another classic bit). Frank rarely got to show off his musical talent, playing the fool in a lot of songs or singing shrilly in his Miss Piggy voice. It made for some great comedy moments though.

Sam the American Eagle and Rowlf:

{{< youtube ueuA-9pqRok >}}

Sam is one of the most hilarious characters to come from the Muppets, and can instantly make any other character funnier, just by being the worlds most over the top straight man. Once again, it’s almost like Frank is playing up a lack of musical talent, and it’s brilliant.

Moving briefly to some Sesame Street pairings, and the most obvious (and maybe even more famous than any of the above) is the classic duo of Bert and Ernie. With Jim playing the prankster and Frank the straight man, there was no situation too simple to be made into a hilarious farce - and even kids could get it.

{{< youtube 51ZhEjB_KvU >}}

I’m just not emotionally secure enough to do this Ernie.

And some rarer but no less fantastic pairings came when Kermit⁴ ran into the Cookie Monster:

{{< youtube shbgRyColvE >}}

or Grover:

{{< youtube vQj2_Zmq1-o >}}

These two men made comedic character pairings to rival some of the greatest in history: think Laurel & Hardy, Abbot and Costello, Aykroyd and Belushi, French and Saunders, Fry and Laurie, The Mighty Boosh, or Lano and Woodley.⁵ All things must come to an end I guess. The loss of Jim Henson alone was a dreadful blow, but the loss of the joyful playful scenes that these two men could create together make the loss that much harder to accept.

Of course I don’t mean to detract from the other brilliant pairings that the Muppet show produced. Statler and Waldorf come to mind as another well known pair (voiced by Jim and both Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt). Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker are the other two that spring to mind. Their sketches are just as fun, but I believe that Jim and Frank had a spark of something greater in their performances.

I’ll leave you with one other pair that might be less obvious, but is one of the defining partnerships of the Muppet Show - and is firmly entrenched in public consciousness. The pairing of Jim Henson’s head and characteristic voice, and Frank Oz’s out-of-control hands for the Swedish Chef:

{{< youtube UerBCXHKJ5s >}}

Here’s my favourite pancake recipe. It’s excellent with some good quality yoghurt and fruit instead of maple syrup.

I’ve worked out the Calorie count for these pancakes.

• If you use 1/5th the mixture per pancake, you’re eating roughly 890kJ or 215Cal.
• If like me you add 2 tbsp it’s only an extra 10Cal per pancake.
• A 1/4 cup of choc-chips adds an extra 100Cal to each pancake.

{{< youtube qybUFnY7Y8w >}}

I can’t think of a way they can possibly top this clip. Brilliantly shot in High Def, beautifully choreographed, and perfectly synchronised. If you liked their treadmill clip (symbolically shattered half way through) you’ll love how clever this is. It also knowingly nods to the Internet and Youtube crowd (did I see the mars rover? Something like the water bird that Homer uses to press the “any” key when he works from home? An OK Go concert rendered in Lego?).

What a joyful and exciting clip from a band that knows how to engage their audience. Bravo!

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I’ll be purchasing Caravan Palace ASAP. I’ve found a group that embodies the music I love. Apparently it’s called Electro Swing. I haven’t heard a single one I haven’t liked yet.¹

This was a sign used in the Singapore Design Festival 2007, that has somehow made it’s way out into the wild. We need more zones like this marked around Adelaide. Draken413o took this very artistic shot of it.

The next was an entry in a Worth 1000 contest to inject superheroes into well known works of art. I love it.

{{< youtube gnwyxr0UdSU >}}

not visually appealing, but a terrific track

When I find music that I like I can’t let it go until I share it. This is one of those tracks.

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This is so great I wanted to laugh and cry. I miss the Muppets so much. Whoever is responsible for their Youtube channel needs to be paid ten times what they are getting, for bringing back the spirit of the Muppets from before Jim died. The last few movies and straight-to-video offerings were quaint and fun, but nothing like what they used to be. Youtube is their new home, and is suits them well.

Bravo! Encore! More! More!

YouTube - The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody [1080p].

So while I’m girly-blogging (see my [cupcake post]({{< ref “/posts/rocketships-monster-trucks-and-flamethrowers.md” >}}) from earlier today) I thought I’d share a bit about our use of cloth nappies. I’ll try and give a blokey perspective, and as Mil says guys talking about cloth nappies are hot, I’ll willingly give it a go.

Before our little one was born, Mil convinced me to give cloth a chance. Cloth nappies are reusable and softer than disposable, and over the two to three years a kid can be wearing them, can save you a lot of money.

I love the smug feeling I get from using cloth nappies¹, but the biggest draw for me was just doing the math.

Over two years, at six changes per day, with nappies ranging in price from 39-66 cents per nappy, disposables would start in price at $1708². This is the absolute least it would cost for only two years of disposable nappies. All it would take for this cost to blow out is more changes per day, a slightly less cheap-and-nasty nappy, or for the child to take longer than two years to be potty trained. Cloth on the other hand has cost us about $1100 for a supply that should last us until she doesn’t need them any more, and even a couple more won’t put us over the cost of disposables. We splurge a little on special flushable liners so we don’t have to do any poo-scraping to keep our nappies clean which raise the price a little more, but all in all we’re ahead so I’m happy.

I’ll point out that cloth nappies aren’t the squares of white towel that they used to be. These days they have the functionality and usability of disposables without the waste. They look and behave like a regular nappies, but come in all sorts of cute styles and patterns (including BATMAN).

It has a goddamn CAPE

I was a bit apprehensive about keeping them clean, but it’s pretty damn easy. We toss used ones in a bin with a “wet bag” liner, and do a load roughly every two days. You have to hang them the “right” way or they stretch out of shape, which sounds a little fiddly but they’re really not that hard to keep on top of. Looking over our water bills for the last two years, we aren’t using significantly more water than we were before either. Importantly, we don’t have to touch them during the cleaning process, so it’s really not much more hassle than disposable at all.

Finally, most of the best ones are made from bamboo or hemp, and sewn by Australian mothers so we’re using products that help our economy and are great for the environment. They really are a better alternative.

Of course people can be very sensitive about their use of disposables, and I really don’t wish to offend. I can certainly see the appeal of disposables for time-pressed and stressed parents. But I’d encourage you, if you are about to have kids to at least consider cloth nappies - these aren’t your mother’s nappies.

If you want to know more, there is a lot of information on the ‘net. The entire Australian cloth nappy industry has flourished due to the internet, and information is everywhere. Mil informs me that two great places to start if you’re interested are the Australian Nappy Network or Nappycino. If you leave a comment I can try to answer some of your questions and point you in the right directions.

I’ve also written a review of one of the special night nappies we use over at Do I Keep It if you’re looking for a great night nappy.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled geekiness. Thank you for sticking with me through my namby-pamby posts today!

I’ve never known what I’d call the type of music I enjoy. Back when I was in high school it was whatever you’d call what that Snow guy was doing (also see the Jim Carrey Spoof). About the same time I enjoyed a very embarrassing singer named Gillum who happened to be the triumvirate of terrible nineties music all in one annoying package, a white Christian rapper. I’m including the video, but please only watch if you have a strong constitution or no longer value the will to live.

{{< youtube aRJHNh-90uU >}}

If you’re extra brave, skip back to the beginning and watch the intro…

I have to give my friend Ben Fuller credit for at the time pointing out that my favourite rapper wasn’t actually very good. If only I’d listened.

From there it was down hill for a few years. Until I reached my twenties. I’m not sure my taste was much better, but I happened to stumble on some music I loved. Still Christian stuff, but somewhat better. For a doubting Christian, there was nothing better than Chris Rice’s Smell the Color 9, and I LOVED Questions for Heaven.

I have to say though, my current taste in music is very different.

Somewhere in the last little while I’ve developed a taste for what I’m told is dance/electronica (well that’s what hey call it in iTunes). The problem is, that most music that pops up when I go looking under that category is repetitive synthy stuff that does nothing for me. The common link with a lot of the stuff I seek out is that old-timey sound from the 1920’s that’s associated with the Charleston. It’s full of muted trumpets and energetic beats. But really, anything energetic and slightly old timey really gets me.

Listen to bei mir bist du schön by Waldeck, Back and Forth by Doctor Steel, and Come on a My House by Nasty Tales and his Orchestra to get a feel for my absolute favourite sort of music.

That’s not to say I haven’t got wider taste than a subset of electronica. My iPhone Genius pulls up equal measures of Lisa Mitchell, Bertie Blackman, Gotye, Regina Spektor, Emiliana Torrini… I think I may have a thing for soft sounding women (sorry to lump you in there Wouter). I even (shamefully) purchased the Voodoo Child song with that woman from Neighbours ’cause it sounded fun at the time.

I’m a fan of the themes of my favourite TV shows (yes I listen to them as music, but if it includes the terrific new Doctor Who theme by Murray Gold you can understand right?). But I think this stems from my upbringing on classical music that somehow got pushed to the side by awful whiteboy rap. It’s cliched but I love Pachelbel’s Canon in D,¹ and the Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev.

My mother shared the Mamas and Papas with us, and I picked up a love of silly songs somewhere along the way too.

All in all I think my musical taste is pretty varied. I think like most people it incorporates a lot of stuff that made me feel good when I needed it at one time or another, or has memories attached. If you hunt through my site or my Twitter and Blip accounts you’ll find a bunch of other stuff I really enjoy too.

I’ll leave you with a new song that I’m enjoying a bit at the moment. It’s not my absolute favourite, but it’s pretty high up there, and very fun. It’s by an Aussie artist called Unkle Ho. It’s called Big Bad Rag, and has more of that trumpety old timey goodness I was talking about.

{{< youtube IjkjO0AvIDc >}}

And it’s listed as Hip-Hop in iTunes, so I don’t know, although it reminds me of something I tweeted

I like… What’s hip-hop called when people don’t ruin it by talking > over the top of the music?

Sorry Hip-Hop fans.

This post was inspired by discussion with Elle leading up to her posting “You are a radio star..