New music, a soundscape of "Trains of Hell" posted on SoundCloud

Decided to test the limits of one of my favorite synths and my favorite DAW by creating a complex soundscape. I was getting audio dropouts so had to quit while I was ahead. Posted the whole thing, "Trains of Hell", on SoundCloud. It's a mere 2 minutes, 40 seconds or so out of your life so have a listen.

New music: "We Come in Ambient Peace"

Update for 020150523:

I was very pleased, hands in the air excited actually, to see I made the final cut of seven favorites picked by Propellerhead staff in its "Ambient challenge".
 

Original post, 020150517:

Propellerhead, the Swedish company who make Reason and a couple of interesting iOS apps called Figure and Take, are running a contest called "The Ambient challenge" for the week beginning May 15. I cranked out a 3 minute, 20 second extravaganza I called "We Come in Ambient Peace". You can listen to it here:

http://phead.mu/s/Gycn7pZC

Undersea Gardens Demolition, 2014

Shot on June 9, 2014 along Harbour Road opposite Point Hope Shipyard.

New music on SoundCloud: This Is My Groove

This is kind of a chillout/ambient piece, sort of danceable, that I called through lack of imagination "This Is My Groove". It's just a short excerpt as the entire piece is just under 7 minutes.

Time to switch (back) to Shaw? -- Telus to start charging BC and Alberta customers for data overusage

Telus is not getting any kudos for its decision to begin charging BC and Alberta customers who go over their monthly Internet data plan limit. This would include any Internet services accessed through Telus' Optik TV service. Shaw has no such plans (yet). Telus will be phasing in the charges between March and July.

Here is the Telus online statement about its course of action. And a CBC News story about customer backlash. I'm sure Shaw would love to welcome (back) any disgruntled Telus customers.

"The Peripheral" 2014 novel by William Gibson

I very much enjoyed Vancouver science fiction author William Gibson's latest novel The Peripheral. He said he drew inspiration from the 1985 story "Mozart in Mirrorshades" by Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner. That story appeared in Mirrorshades: the Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling (1986). I'd call Gibson's novel a sci-fi thriller, one that would make for a pretty good movie in the right hands. The novel's short chapters more or less alternate between a future, not our own, and a past whose future has been changed by that future. It's time travel, but not in any physical sense nor between the same time streams. I found the novel to be a real page turner. There are some strong female characters, including one of the protagonists. You might find it a little tough to get into at first, but if you stick with it I think you'll find it a rewarding, stimulating read.

http://www.amazon.ca/Peripheral-William-Gibson/dp/0399158448

Star Wars movies costumes exhibit debuts in Seattle

The EMP Museum in Seattle is the opening venue for "Star Wars and the Power Costume" featuring original costumes from all six films. The exhibit opened on January 31, 2015 and will end on October 4, 2015. It's organized by the Smithsonian Institution and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts. The 12-city tour across the USA will conclude in 2020.

The Darkest Hour (2014) novel: if Germany had won World War 2

Finished an absorbing first novel by British author Tony Schumacher called The Darkest Hour (2014). It's an alternate history where Germany won World War 2 and occupied much of England, including London. Set in 1946 in London, the work is very dark but compelling. It follows a former police sergeant and war hero, John Henry Rossett, who's being used by the Germans to round up Jews and deport them to the Continent. I thought I had the ending figured out, but I got fooled along the way as the novel took a different turn than I expected. Highly recommended for anyone into alternate  histories. This one also has movie all over it.

Freebase.com winding up

I see that Freebase, founded in 2007 with a goal of becoming a "Wikipedia for structured data" is being shut down by June 20, 2015. Users will be directed to Wikidata. I wrote about Freebase for the February 2008 issue of Searcher magazine, so kind of sad to see its demise.

Fun with timelines at Histropedia

Histropedia, powered by Wikidata, a data storehouse for Wikipedia and other sister sites, lets you make your own timelines of various events. The only catch of course is that the information has to be accessible through Wikipedia and Wikidata. It's pretty cool concept nonetheless and I hope to make some timeline contributions.