Technology makes geeks happy - simply because it exists.

The first holographic storage systems, storing up to 300GB on a single disc, will go on sale towards the end of 2006.

InPhase Technologies and Hitachi are jointly developing the technology, which uses laser light interference to store data in a light-sensitive crystal material.

The technique could be developed to store up to 1.6 Terabytes on each disc - more than 300 times the capacity of a conventional DVD - and offer read and write speeds of up to 120Mbits/sec.

Unlike other technologies, that record one data bit at a time, holography allows a million bits of data to be written and read in parallel with a single flash of light, This enables transfer rates significantly higher than current optical storage devices.

The high transfer speed enables the playback of broadcast-quality HDTV content, of which 26 hours can be stored on a single disc.

Holographic storage works by splitting light from a single laser beam into two: the signal beam to carry the data and the reference beam. The hologram is formed where these two beams intersect causing a chemical reaction in the recording medium. By varying the reference beam angle, wavelength, or media position many different holograms can be recorded in the same volume of material.

The Best player never to play in the World Cup

No big sprawling tribute but just a short mention after hearing of the death of George Best today.

Being a long time Wolves fan (now clocking well over 30 years) I remember the former Manchester United and Northern Ireland player saying in his autobiography that through the magic of television he fell in love with Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the book, 'Blessed', he described how he became a Wolves fan by watching the floodlit games of the 50s on a neighbour's TV.

Just a little anecdote, that's all.

A wonderful trip to SynchroniCity

I had all sorts of things lined up to post but have been hijacked by another case of an unexpected visit to musical SynchroniCity. If you've never been there I can assure you it's a rather lovely place.

Only a couple of weeks ago I was on a train early in the morning and heard Kate Bush's new album for the first time. As the second disc, based around the passing of a day, built up the sun rose in front of me and it was a stunning moment where everything fitted just so. The sun rose on the album and I was watch it actually happening in front of me. As much as I love music and can be a bit of an aesthete at times this doesn't happen fully that often.

It has this morning though. I walked out of the Metro on the way in to work and things conspired again.

I know it's hard to get a feeling like that across but I'll try. It's starkly winter cold and a heavy fog is blanketing everything. The first Christmas lights were giving the whiteout a wonderful warm coloured glow and as I left the station and the frozen air hit my face "Glasoli" by Sigur Ros (purveyors of some of the finest widescreen music you'll ever here) kicked into gear and I was magically transported to SynchroniCity again.

It's really kind of odd when everything meshes like that - the cold, the mist, the lights, the xylophones, the strings, the vocals et al. You could sit and plan things for a week and still not achieve that sort of feeling.

"It's just music" somebody once told me when I excitedly explained this sort of thing to them.

No it's not - at times like this it's so much more than that.

Mums gone to Iceland

Just got back from the film - really excellent.

Although the director couldn't make it for the festival showing (he was still in Iceland waiting for a much delayed plane) we got a nice ever flowing supply of wine and huge comfy seats. Watching a movie on the big screen sunk into a mini-sofa with a big glass of red in your hand - that's very nice, trust me.

The film is amazing though, it really is. Seeing people like Sigur Rós, Bjork, Mum (hence the UK advert parodying post title) et al on the big screen is just amazing, especially with a big surround rig like you'd never have in your home. It's a great mixture of scenery, interview, music video and live footage - the glimpses of very early footage of Bjork and Einar Orn in their respective first bands is mint !

It made me want to go to Iceland. It made me want to start a band. It made me want to walk on a windswept coast. It made me fall for Bjork all over again - god, she's so amazing and that's too easily forgotten. It made me laugh. It put a lump in my throat.

All in 87mins - that's quite some going.

Those of you blessed with a large pocket of musical taste will be really stoked to hear that 90% of the bands in it are quite incredible - seems people like Sigur Rós are no unique fluke there. If anything there are some that are easily as good and could have been there instead.

If I wasn't at work on Monday I'd have gone to the other showing again, that's how good it was.

I'm off to find the soundtrack album online, even if only for "Odin's Raven Magic" by Sigur Rós and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson.

Don't let this film pass you by - your heart will bless your ears for making the effort..........

Much Ado About Puffin.....

I'm booking a ticket for something else tomorrow but, as it's a very international film, I thought I'd mention it. I figure it may appeal to a few of you out there in "everywhere else" land. I'm looking forward to one of my first "film festival" moments where the director of the film gets to blurb a few words before curtain up.




SCREAMING MASTERPIECE (12A)
Gargandi Snillol

An inspirational look at Iceland’s passion for music and how their unique combination of long dark nights, alcohol, a sense of community and self-belief is producing some of the most important and influential musicians in the world. From a population no bigger than Newcastle's, Iceland has given us the ever-brilliant Björk, band-on-the-international-rise Sigur Rós and a thriving jazz, folk, rock and classical music scene.

With lots of footage of live gigs punctuated with informal and informed interviews with everyone from Bjork to the country's head pagan (Iceland is one of two countries that was not touched by Christianity) this film is the perfect opportunity to see some of the leading lights of modern music at their most comfortable.

MEET THE DIRECTOR!
On Saturday 19th November director Ari Alexander Ergis Magnussen will introduce his revealing documentary.

Director: Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson / Music Documentary
English / 87 minutes / Iceland, Denmark and Netherlands 2005

Undead, Undead, Undead ...........quite literally

Peter Murphy
Daniel Ash
David J
Kevin Haskins

Recognise the names ?

Excited yet at what this post might be about ?

If you don't then this will mean very little to you, but if you do then you're most likely sitting up and taking notice with a large number of thoughts going through your head as to why I'm mentioning them.

Yep, it is what you might dare to hope. Swing the heartache no longer.

Bauhaus, one of the few post-punk bands worthy of the label 'seminal', have reformed and plan to make a new album in 2006. More importantly, and why I'm posting this, is that they are playing a 14 date European tour at the start of next year....and I've just got a ticket for Newcastle in January !!!!!

There are some bands you give up ever having the chance to see, let alone in their main line-up. This, for me, was one of them. You can probably guess how big my smile is now.

So, kids, don your best black outfits and join the bats, back in the belltower where they belong.

Undead ?

So it seems !

Like shaking hands with a distant person.....

An odd day today.

Last day of my leave before going back to work tomorrow but it was kinda bitty and all over the place.

Rather than just relaxing I had people coming round to upgrade the firmware on my TV, a visit from the gas people to put a new gas meter in and I needed to go to the sorting office to pick up a parcel.

In case you're curious the parcel was lalleshwari 'lullabies in a glasswilderness', a wonderful new lo-fi release by Katie Jane Garside. Some of you skanky types may remember Daisy Chainsaw or more recently have heard of Queen Adreena ? This is she from those.



A cd, a book and a DVD beautifully presented as a package - I had one of the first 100 copies so it's numbered, signed and the book has Katie's handprint on the back a la the pink bits in the pic above. You can feel the veins and marks - it's wonderfully tactile and such a beautiful personal touch. Those people clicking the link above will have the notes in their head for ages - just to warn you and all that.

Also I'm writing something which evolved out of something else - a prose piece which kinda came out of a single sentence and totally took over my head for a while. It might go on here or it might not.

I have to keep you on the edge of you seat, don't I ?

{grin}

Going away is good.......

......but coming back is better.

Just got home after a few days seeing friends and family. It was nice to get a birthday shared with them and I'm just home and unpacked. Strange to find myself coming straight here to tell you all - seems The Towers is well and truly back in action. That's quite a nice thought.

To add to the posts for The Young Golds and David Sylvian which seemed to win the "what do you lot seem interested in" post I've now simply GOT to do a post for the new Kate Bush album "Aerial".

Traveling down on the train last week I heard the album right through for the first time as I watched the sun break the horizon. This is a beautiful thing in it's own right but as you may know (if you have it yet) the album deals with this very thing as part of it's subject matter. I've never had such a synergy of sound and vision before - her words and music were drawing the scene that my eyes could see. Quite the most wonderful musical experience I've had for many, many years......

The album is wonderfully, ridiculously out of time. It just seems to sit in it's own bubble, seemingly without a single nod to anything contemporary. In doing so it sounds both like a natural followup work which could have easily been released 12 years ago and something which stands out against, yet works apart from, the music around now.

Who else could make a double album, part concept, featuring a song reciting PI to 112 places which works, an incredibly erotic track based around a washing machine, Rolf Harris as painter as God and singing blackbirds telling jokes that make Kate laugh.

There's been a lot of hype for this, mostly due to the time it's taken to record. There's something about Kate that excites and intrigues in equal measures.

Whichever of the two camps your interest lies in, buy this and fall in love all over again.

Genius is back behind the piano again like she's never been away.