Friday, 31 Aug 2007

I am not making this up.

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Distributor Atlus said Tuesday it will remove all 150 Arm Spirit
arm wrestling machines from Japanese arcades after three players broke
their arms grappling with the machine’s mechanized appendage.

“The machine isn’t that strong, much less so
than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it,” said Atlus
spokeswoman Ayano Sakiyama, calling the recall “a precaution.”

“We think that maybe some players get
overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way,” she said. The
company was investigating the incidents and checking the machines for
any signs of malfunction.

Players of Arm Spirit advance through 10
levels, battling a French maid, drunken martial arts master and a
Chihuahua before reaching the final showdown with a professional
wrestler.

The arcade machine is not distributed overseas.

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Wednesday, 29 Aug 2007

Since 1978, “The Fall” has had over 70 band members. SEVENTY! The only constant is one of the founders.

The circumstances of how people left the band (some willingly, some much less so) really sound like something out of This is Spinal Tap - band members abandoned at rest stops while on tour, band members arriving late to a pre-gig rehearsal to find their replacements playing with the band, one whole lineup quit after a brawl in a bar in NY (from the account, it sounds like the band was fighting with each other or at least with the band’s frontman).

Tracking down ex-members of The Fall

An official historical bio of the band (lists over 70 ex active musicians/singers).

Tuesday, 28 Aug 2007

My eldest daughter is a big fan of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (and Karen O). I’ve listened a bit and haven’t been that fond of their more punky stuff as it is a bit abrasive on my ears after a couple of songs, but in following random links from last.fm I found “Maps” and it’s a really good song. I also like “Turn Into”. I have a lot more appreciation for them as a good pop (in the good sense) band and for their songwriting/arranging talents. Musical similes never suit everyone, but they have kind of a “Blondie if Blondie had started playing in the early 90’s” vibe. Definitely worth a listen.

Tuesday, 21 Aug 2007

Finally got tired of tripping over too many chairs in various states of disrepair (seriously there were I think 5 functioning and 3 in-need-of-repair chairs in my smallish kitchen) and realized that waiting till I find the glue I know I own but whose whereabouts have remained a mystery for several months and bought some wood glue.  Fixed 2 out of the 3 needing to be repaired chairs - the 3rd I tried but I think the design is bad and glue is not  going to be enough to hold it together as a free-standing sitting apparatus.

Does it count to say I “fixed” a lamp that’s been in need of a replacement bulb for months if the way I “fixed” it was to buy a duplicate lamp at the Salvation Army store?

Monday, 20 Aug 2007

more songs that caught my ear:

“Music is my Hot, Hot…” - The Go! Team (a different song )

“Mister Blue” - Catherine Feeny (for some reason this reminds me of “Mister Blue Sky” by ELO. The audio is a 30 sec clip, the video is the whole song - turn off the audio player though or you’ll have both playing at the same time.)

“End of the Street” - The Bees [ short sample ]