Posts by Bart Janssen
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And Royals hits number 1 on the US Billboard charts.
Whatever the reviews say, it clearly is popular. Grats to Lorde and everyone who helped make it happen.
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While most folks focus on the political insanity or cheerfully joke about a day off work (unpaid) this has consequences worldwide for science.
Jonathan Eisen has screenshot gallery of the science sites shut down because of this posturing.
Does this affect us directly, well not today for me but if it goes on for a week I predict a number of these sites would actually fall over due to lack of maintanance ... except of course most of them are maintained by scientists who actually want to get shit done ... unlike the politicians.
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Hard News: Rape and unreason, in reply to Rochelle Furneaux,
Or do we tell our sons not to rape??
I never had to be told. But yes, apparently we need to tell our children this because otherwise some of them grow up to be like Bob Jones believing it's a reasonable excuse if she looks hot ....ugh.
And as an aside did you ever tell your brother? I wonder how many "mates" don't realise just how low their friends will stoop.
Sorry that sounds angry and accusatory towards your brother but it is meant generally rather than specifically. And frankly this whole incident (pathetic word really) has made me angry.
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Hard News: Rape and unreason, in reply to Russell Brown,
I’ve been stuck in an increasingly weird Twitter exchange about all this with an ex-cop.
Yup that is an odd one. I wonder how he'd go at Eden Park when the ref makes a questionable call.
It's not even clear if he has any point to make other than you shouldn't use bad words to describe Mr Jones.
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I found it unbelievable that the editors in what purports to be a respectable newspaper would allow such a dishonest and disgusting column to be published.
There is nothing acceptable about saying these things. It is even less acceptable to publish them.
They may as well publish p0rn and be done with it if page views are a measure of success.
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This process reminds me very much of Connections the BBC series with James Burke. While he had a focus, his path from one point to another was interesting. And like the internet paths we now follow could easily have led in different directions.
It also reminds me of the literature searching we do in science. While in science the aim is usually to find the most in depth knowledge in a narrow area, the methods are familiar. You bounce from keyword, to author, to method, to institute and back, sometimes you get sidetracked into something even more interesting sometimes it's just a frustrating delay.
But I guess I'm loathe to try and coin a word for the way we navigate knowledge now. It doesn't seem as though words get adopted that way. I like meander, but would it grab everyone? Linkage analysis sounds too formal and organised but does fit to some degree.
Whatever name evolves, the process is so much fun.
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Hard News: Another Saturday Night, in reply to Stephen Judd,
Did some particuarly influential copper invent this bizarre style and it spread?
It sounds to me like the narrator for a reality show. But I suspect it may have more to do with courtroom presentation.
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I’m not saying she’s cleverly manipulated her audience of won’t-hear-a-bad-worders, strangely split between 16 year old girls and 50 year old men it seems.
Heh, apparently I was in Lorde’s target market after all, who knew. And cleverly manipulated to boot (not that Simon is saying that, no he wouldn’t mention that at all).
Again I’m interested in the way the music is being reviewed. It seems to me that this album was never expected to be anything other than a first effort. Her first go at writing and putting her words to music, a first go at seeing what could be done with a pretty nice voice. Nobody in their right minds could really have expected it to be anything other than a blip in the local market.
Had that been true I wonder if the reaction might have been more balanced. Recognising it for what it is, a pretty decent first go and perhaps, hopefully, a sign of things to come, “someone to watch” but still learning her trade.
Instead this first go has turned into a hit beyond anyone’s dreams. Well probably not – I suspect 16 yr old girls dream pretty big :). And somehow having become popular some people feel the need to review it differently. Even to extent of being critical to prove they aren’t “one of the crowd”.
It’s a pity, cause the music really is quite enjoyable, but hey I would say that since I’m her target market.
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Hard News: Friday Music: The Story, in reply to Danielle,
Well, to be fair, that’s not exactly how cultural theory works.
Yeah I figured that much and that would have been fine if the blog hadn't gone so ... er ... deep. You can't really describe the purported allusion to Marxist bees as mere (racist) cultural heritage. That does kinda imply deep intent on the part of the songwriter.
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Hard News: Friday Music: The Story, in reply to Russell Brown,
For the sake of completeness, here’s that Marxist one:
Bat shit crazy only just touches the surface.
Just for a second imagine that Lorde really did mean to imbue her lyrics with all these crazy ideas - that takes incredible skill - to do that within a pop song would take really amazing talent. To do it at 16 when her life experience is basically nil would imply she has to be one of the true geniuses of our age (if racist). In a way it's almost a compliment ... if it wasn't bat shit crazy.