Scott James, Music Director
Q Middays (weekdays 9:00 am-2:00 pm)
Scott was assembled in Mexico using 60% post-consumer recycled materials.
Hand wash Scott in warm water. Do not dry clean.
Scott has an SPCA-rescued cat named Shadoe. When Mike Evenson’s cat is on vacation, Shadoe looks after feeding Mike.
After taking college courses in Zeppelin repair, ice delivery and gas street lamp lighting, and not doing too well in any of those careers, Scott used compromising photos of Mr. Q, obtained via Facebook, to land a gig at The Island’s Rock in 1991. Or was it 1891?
A bit of a renegade – although somewhat confused about how to be a renegade – Scott spends most of his time at The Q with his feet up on the desk, talking to squirrels on the phone.
Scott James and Stewie Griffin have never been photographed together. Interesting, hey?
He’s Scott James, and Windows 7 was his idea.
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• Visit the Q Music area
• Visit cyberworld.ca
Scott update
Friday, February 3, 2012
Drummer Bill Ward Threatens To Quit Black Sabbath
The Black Sabbath reunion has hit another speed bump. Last month guitarist Tony Iommi announced that he'd been diagnosed with lymphoma, after which the band moved their recording sessions to London and reportedly pulled out of a planned Coachella headlining gig. Now drummer Bill Ward has issued a long statement indicating that he won't participate in the reunion unless he's presented with what he refers to as a "signable contract" which "reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band."
This isn't the first time Ward has publicly battled with Black Sabbath's management team. In 2004, Sharon Osbourne announced that Faith No More's Mike Bordin would be filling in for Ward on the Ozzfest tour. "Last week, I did receive a proposal which allowed no room for negotiation," Ward said at the time. "It was a cul-de-sac proposal, in my opinion, where the only answer was yes or no." The two parties eventually came to an agreement before the tour, and Ward did participate.
Ward was also going to play drums in the Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath reunion (billed as Heaven and Hell) in 2006, but he backed out for unknown reasons.
Below is the complete text of Bill Ward's letter.
Dear Sabbath Fans, Fellow Musicians and Interested Parties,
At this time, I would love nothing more than to be able to proceed with the Black Sabbath album and tour. However, I am unable to continue unless a "signable" contract is drawn up; a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band. Last year, I worked diligently in good faith with Tony, Ozzy and Geezer. And on 11/11/11, again in good faith, I participated in the L.A. press conference. Several days ago, after nearly a year of trying to negotiate, another "unsignable" contract was handed to me.
Let me say that although this has put me in some kind of holding pattern, I am packed and ready to leave the U.S. for England. More importantly, I definitely want to play on the album, and I definitely want to tour with Black Sabbath.
Since the news of Tony's illness, and the understanding that the band would move production to the U.K., I've spent every day getting to or living in a place of readiness to leave. That involves something of a task, and as I've tried to find out what's going on with the U.K. sessions, I've realized that I've been getting "the cold shoulder" (and, I might add, not for the first time). Feeling somewhat ostracized, my guess is as of today, I will know nothing of what's happening unless I sign "the unsignable contract."
The place I'm in feels lousy and lonely because as much as I want to play and participate, I also have to stand for something and not sign on. If I sign as-is, I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician. I believe in freedom and freedom of speech. I grew up in a hard rock/metal band. We stood for something then, and we played from the heart with honesty and sincerity. I am in the spirit of integrity, far from the corporate malady, I am real and honest, fair and compassionate.
If I'm replaced, I have to face you, the beloved Sabbath fans. I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted. Without fault finding, I want to assure everyone that my loyalty to Sabbath is intact.
So here I am. I lay my truth down before you. I'm good to go IF I get a "signable" contract. I don't want to let anyone down, especially Black Sabbath and all the Sabbath fans. You know I love you. It would be a sad day in Rock if this current situation fell to the desires of a few.
My position is not greed-driven. I'm not holding out for a "big piece" of the action (money) like some kind of blackmail deal. I’d like something that recognizes and is reflective of my contributions to the band, including the reunions that started fourteen years ago. After the last tour I vowed to never again sign on to an unreasonable contract. I want a contract that shows some respect to me and my family, a contract that will honor all that I've brought to Black Sabbath since its beginning.
That's the story so far.
Stay safe and stay strong.
I love every single one of you.
– Bill Ward
Cyberworld dot ca -- Next Microsoft XBox Console Will Be Six Times As Powerful As The Current Model
The current Microsoft Xbox 360 console is a pretty rippin’ powerful piece of equipment, considering the reasonable price for which you can pick one up these days – but the next model, currently dubbed the Xbox 720*, looks like it’s going to seriously up the performance ante.
Word on the street is that the AMD 6000 graphics processor is going to pack about six times the performance of the current model. So not only can we look forward to more detailed and realistic games, we can also look forward to improvements in things like HD movie reproduction – and for me, that’s the biggest draw. The Xbox is pretty much the center of both of my home theater setups at this point, and if I can finally get to watch an AVI movie without it stuttering or losing the audio synch, I’ll be a happy camper. Not that I’m a particularly unhappy camper right now.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to a Mashable article with more info.
*May or may not be as exactly as illustrated
Earlier today, I was saying on the air that with the awe-inspiring weather we're likely to see this weekend, I should probably wake up my mountain bike from its hibernation and get reacquainted with the fabulous Galloping Goose Regional Trail. I also mentioned the old abandoned lodge up by the potholes, and wondered if it was still there.
Well, it still is -- kind of. Paul called me to tell me what happened to it, and then Brian called me to tell me how his house has a connection to that old lodge.
I did a bit of Binging and came up with some great shots of the lodge, taken by Ressen (a forum username -- sorry, I can't give proper credit as I don't know the actual name). You can check those pictures out here.
Scott update
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Today's Rockline Theme Thursday
Eight years ago today, world+dog recoiled in shock and terror, ocean levels dropped five feet, aircraft fell out of the skies and all of the volcanoes on Earth erupted as Janet Jackson experienced a "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl halftime show, and one of her breasts (adorned with a nipple shield) was exposed on national television for about one half of one second.
CBS later fell all over itself apologizing, and was fined a record $US550,000 by the US Federal Communications Commission, which also increased future fines per indecency violation from $27,500 to $325,000. The FCC received about 540,000 complaints from citizens. And kids everywhere were reminded of a very important lesson: the human body is something of which we should be ashamed rather than proud.
Hooboy. Today on your Rockline Theme Thursday, I'll be looking for songs which mention body parts in their titles. If there's one you'd like to hear, send me an e-mail request, and then join me at noon as we celebrate our bits on Rockline Theme Thursday.
Cyberworld dot ca -- Microsoft Phasing Out Points As XBox Live Purchase Currency?
There’s a rumor going around – and it looks like a pretty verifiable one – that’s probably going to please anyone who uses Microsoft’s Xbox Live service and buys things on it.
Currently, the accepted currency on Live is Microsoft Points: you buy a certain number of them with a credit card and then buy your stuff with those. One problem with this is that unless you’re a math whiz, it’s hard to immediately figure out how much the purchase is actually costing you in real money. And another one is that you always seem to end up with points left over.
Well, apparently that’s coming to an end: new developer contracts for Live are including references to the fact that the points system will be phased out this year and all downloadable content will be priced in local currency. That means that your existing points will be converted to dollars, which can be used across the Microsoft online ecosystem. Hallelujah is all I can say.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to an Inside Mobile Apps article with more info.
Scott update
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Lost George Harrison Guitar Solo Found After 43 Years
A long-lost guitar solo originally recorded for Here Comes The Sun has been discovered after more than four decades. NME reports that George Harrison's solo, which was ultimately left off the 1969 tune, was unearthed by his son Dhani, Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles during a visit to Abbey Road Studios.
Dhani and the Martins were listening to the original multitrack recordings made for Here Comes The Sun when they happened upon the solo. George Martin remarked that he had forgotten all about the electric solo, while Dhani said he never knew it existed.
You can hear Harrison's rediscovered electric work at about the one minute mark in the video below.
The tapes also appear to contain some extra instrumentation which was ultimately discarded during the final production of the Abbey Road album.
Cyberworld dot ca -- $471 Worth Of Mac Software For $49? Yes, Please
Normally, if someone offered you 471 dollars worth of product for 49 dollars, you’d rightly think it was stolen property – but in this case, it’s on the level. Nova Development has a bundle of ten Mac applications for 49 bucks – and yes, the combined retail value is 471 dollars.
What might be the best part is that it includes Parallels Desktop 7, which brings the style, usability and productivity of your licensed copy of Windows to the Mac – normally, that alone would cost you 79 bucks. You also get a nice assortment of other applications: screenshot capture, system monitoring, HTML 5 design, animation software, slideshow generator, video converter, a sync tool, clipboard management and a bonus bill payment manager.
I looked really hard to find a catch, but couldn’t find one – and you even get a 30 day money back guarantee.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to the Nova Development page to find out more about this almost too good to be true limited time offer.
Scott update
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Cyberworld dot ca -- Following Code Theft, Symantec Advises Customers To Stop Using PCAnywhere
If you use Symantec’s PCAnywhere remote access software, Symantec is advising you to stop using it. This comes after some old program code was stolen by crackers, revealing some vulnerabilities in the application – the company says it would be prudent to disable the software, particularly if you’re using it in a business critical capacity, until it releases a set of updates which eliminate the risks.
As it stands, an attacker could potentially gain remote control of a company network and get access to sensitive information – and even if you’re using it on your personal system, if you use that system to do things like online banking, it’s probably worth taking a cue from the corporate folks and erring on the side of caution. Apparently no other Symantec products are affected by this.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to a Symantec technical whitepaper with more information.
Scott update
Monday, January 30, 2012
Joe Walsh: New Album Done? Check. Hate PCs? Check. Don't Like The Government? Check
Joe Walsh is done with his new solo album, Analog Man. It's due for release in May or June and will be his first solo work since 1992's Songs For A Dying Planet.
In a new interview with the San Diego Reader about the upcoming album, Walsh seems more concerned with technophobia and the state of the union. Regarding the album title, he says, "I just decided I better get with it. After all, it is the digital age. Back when it was all analog, we used to go in the studio, and studios had knobs. We used to turn knobs and say, 'let's see what this does'. Now, we have a mouse. We [members of Eagles] spend hours yelling at our computers. My son comes in and says, 'Dad, you're really stupid.'
"I was at a Lakers game last night, and everybody there was texting. Now and then they'd look up and check the score."
Walsh also had a few things to say about the current situation in the USA. "First of all, there is no more money. We have spent it all. Why is everybody waiting for things to get better? They're not gonna get better, and that's screamin' at me. Thirty thousand vets are comin' home and nobody gives a s**t."
Cyberworld dot ca -- Speedy New 802.11ac WiFi Standard Coming
If you’re considering popping for a new wireless router, you might want to stand by for a few months, particularly if you’re planning to use it for streaming HD video.
Boffins at the Institute Of Electrical and Electronics Engineers are busy working on a new standard called 802.11ac, and when they stamp it with their final approval near the end of the year, we should see several improvements over today’s fastest consumer WiFi protocol, 802.11n -- the biggest of which is a speed boost to more that 1 gigabit per second, which is almost three times that of the current n standard. It also promises better coverage with fewer dead spots.
Ahead of its certification next year by the WiFi Alliance, we’ll see equipment using a draft version of 802.11ac fairly soon – Buffalo demoed its first .11ac router at CES earlier this month – and within three years, it’ll probably be ubiquitous.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to a CNet article with more info.
An Aerosmith Update From Joe Perry: Everything Old Is New Again
Aerosmith are polishing up their first studio album in eight years, and getting ready to return to the road this summer, says guitarist Joe Perry.
"We're in the middle of a bunch of stuff," Perry tells the QMI Agency. "I'm out here [in Hollywood] finishing up the Aerosmith record that we started last summer. Hopefully we'll have it done in the next month or so.
"And we're definitely touring this summer. We're gonna put tickets on sale in February or March and we're going on the road in June. Everybody's lined up. We're ready."
As for the new album, the band reteamed with producer Jack Douglas, who worked with them on some of their biggest records in the 1970s.
Part of the "Jack Effect" was to recreate the vibe of some of their earlier work. But was it a success?
"It definitely has a feel like some of the early stuff," says Perry. "We've tried to bring that back. People are always asking for something that sounds like the old stuff, but you can't rewrite Mama Kin or Same Old Song And Dance. All you can do is go in and start from the same place you started when you made those records. So we just went in with Jack and we all worked on the record. There's a song or two that the band helped write, and Tom wrote and Brad has a track on there. So from that point of view, it's a lot more like an early Aerosmith record. We were all in the room when we were pulling these songs together and recording them. Every way that we used to make our records, that's what we did to get this to where it is. Right down to what we're doing now, which is going over the tracks and bringing them up to speed. Steven is finishing up the lyrics and we're just going to put the finishing touches on it."
The new album is expected this spring.
Here comes another music holiday: Intergalactic Prog Metal Day, also known as Rush Day, will be celebrated this Wednesday (2-1-12, natch), according to BraveWords.
In celebration of Rush, their landmark album 2112 and the numerous bands which have been influenced by Rush ever since, there are some special events planned.
"Rush's 2112 is probably the first album that can rightfully be called progressive metal, so it's only appropriate we blast the album from the rooftops, from our cars, from our [portable digital media players], from everywhere -- to celebrate this landmark album and Rush's incredible longevity and lasting influence," says Jeff Wagner, author of Mean Deviation: Four Decades Of Progressive Heavy Metal.
Wagner also has big plans for 2112 -- the year, not the album.
"We're only a hundred years away now until 2112," he said. "I'll be waiting in my hypercube, ready for the big one."
As part of the celebrations, The Q's Ron Larson will play the 2112 album in its entirety on Wednesday 2-1-12. Start time: 21:12, of course.
Van Halen: A Different Kind Of Truth (So Far) 
Ahead of the new Van Halen album release on Tuesday February 07, we've been hearing previews from the disc. Here are all of them, collected in one lump, as it were.
The most recent preview is She's The Woman, which was the only new song on the setlist at their recent Café Wha? gig for media hacks in New York City. And it's actually vintage material: it was one of the tunes they recorded for their Gene Simmons-bankrolled demos in 1976, and it was redone for their Warner demos the following year. The original version of the song contains riffs which were later heard in Mean Streets, from 1981's Fair Warning album.
Big River has also been floating around the Van Halen universe since the mid 70s -- originally titled Big Trouble (the title is the only thing it has in common with Big Trouble from David Lee Roth's 1986 solo debut Eat 'Em And Smile), it was also produced for the Gene Simmons-era demos, redone in 1977, and then redone again during the 1982 Diver Down sessions. It was slotted for inclusion on that album or 1984, but appeared on neither of them.
Here's the original demo-ish version of Big Trouble:
Bullethead sounds to be a bit of a heavy riff rocker -- there's no known original studio or demo version floating around, but the unreleased original was performed on New Year's Eve 1978 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood. Apparently it was written in one day during 1977 in the band's rehearsal hut: the basement of David Lee Roth's parents' house. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love was written the same day.
An dennnnn ... here's the track being played live at the Whisky A Go Go:
China Town was the fifth preview released, and again, they're rocking out on this one.
The Trouble With Never:
Stay Frosty:
Blood And Fire:
And the 1984 Eddie Van Halen instrumental, written for Cameron Crowe's The Wild Life -- on which Blood And Fire is based:
Scott update
Friday, January 27, 2012
Live From The Q Music Hut: New Queen?
In October of last year, it was announced that the surviving members of Queen would be recording a new album, using demos of Freddie Mercury vocals which had at one point been lost. Brian May confirmed that he and Roger Taylor were working their way through a stack of the band's old material to compile a selection of unreleased music for the new album -- which may also include some duets Freddie recorded with Michael Jackson. If not, those duets might appear on yet another album.
Meanwhile, some new music showed up at the Rock Research Center yesterday. It's a tune called I Like It, and I played it at 940am today. The streaming version appears below, along with some listener feedback.
Cyberworld dot ca -- Microsoft Recruiting Staff For New Victoria Game Studio
Looking for a gig? You could do worse than game development – it’s a multibillion dollar industry which rivals the film industry these days.
If you’re good at what you do, there just might be a place for you with Microsoft. Technical Director Chris Robertson says they’re on the hunt for 65 good people at their new game development studio in Victoria. Chris got on the phone with me the other day ... head to cyberwold dot ca to hear all about the new Victoria studio.
Scott update
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Today's Rockline Theme Thursday On The Q
Some of the biggest hits in rock are recycled -- that is, they're performed by someone other than the artist who originally wrote and performed them. Such tunes are popularly known as covers, and we're going to be playing a shwack of them on Rockline Theme Thursday today. If there's one you'd like to hear, fire me an e-mail request and then join me at noon as we go undercover on The Q's Rockline Theme Thursday.
Congratulations to Gord Wright, who figured out who recorded the mashup tunes first, and picked up his choice of three CDs from The Q's Prize Canoe:
After Midnight -- JJ Cale
All Along The Watchtower -- Bob Dylan
Blinded By The Light -- Bruce Springsteen
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You -- Joan Baez (Anne Bredon wrote it and performed it live, but Joan was the first to record it)
Wild One (Real Wild Child) -- Johnny O'Keefe & The Deejays
Knockin' On Heaven's Door -- Bob Dylan
Woodstock -- Joni Mitchell
Route 66 -- Nat King Cole (Bobby Troup wrote it, but Nat was the first to record it)
La Bamba -- Richie Valens
Big Yellow Taxi -- Joni Mitchell
Boy, Joni's gonna get a nice royalty cheque today ...
Cyberworld dot ca -- Google+ Adds A Meme Generator
The Internet is pretty handy when you need some help getting work done. It’s also pretty handy when you need help getting some time wasted, and some of the most popular timewasters are the memes: ceiling cats, Hitler movies with ridiculous English subtitles slapped on them, and pictures with smartass captions.
Google just made the process of creating that last type of meme a bit easier: when you upload a picture, you can now select a link which lets you add formatted text. It’s nothing new, really: you can do this with the most basic of graphics editing applications, but the Google+ system makes the process a lot quicker and easier.
Which can only mean those memes, which can suck up tremendous amounts of your valuable time before you know what’s going on, are only going to become more ubiquitous. You’ve been warned.
Head to cyberworld dot ca for a link to a Google+ software engineer post where you can see all the people whining about it like it’s the end of the world.
Bachman & Turner Land Roles In Will Ferrell Film
Great White North rock icons Randy Bachman and Fred Turner have scored roles in a new film starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. The rockers will appear and perform in Dog Fight, which is being directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers), according to the Winnipeg Free Press.
In the film, Ferrell and Galifianakis play North Carolina congressional candidates battling for the same seat. Guitarist Randy Bachman and bassist Fred Turner show up to play their hit Takin' Care Of Business at the winner's celebration rally.
"It was really hard work, long days and about 200 people on set," says the band's manager Gilles Paquin. "But it's one of the biggest movies of the year and it's great positioning for the band."
The film also stars John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Dylan McDermott. It's due for release later this year.
Live From The Q Music Hut: 7Horse
Remember Dada? They came out of nowhere (okay, actually, they came out of California) in 1992 with their Puzzle album, which coughed up a sizeable hit called Dizz Knee Land. That, unfortunately, was pretty much the high point for the band, although they've developed quite a reputation as an awe-inspiring touring act.
Two of the members of Dada -- Phil Leavitt and Joie Calio -- have a new project called 7Horse. They take some alt-country, mix it up in a bucket with a generous helping of dirty blues, and stir the whole thing with a few shots of whiskey and controlled substances -- and the results are pretty surprising if you're expecting anything remotely resembling the pop-rock flavor of Dada's songs.
Check out the first single from 7Horse's Let The 7Horse Run album, Low Fuel Drug Run; it's all about a late night race across the desert to return a rental car on time, and I'm interested in hearing your comments on it.
Scott update
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Steven Tyler And Joe Perry Rock Out With Jay Leno
Last Friday night, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno featured Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, along with his fellow American Idol judge Randy Jackson -- both of whom were on the show to promote the launch of Season 11 of Idol.
Following their beakfest, Tyler and Jackson teamed up with Joe Perry for a rendition of Aerosmith's Chip Away At The Stone, which was originally released in 1978 as the only single supporting the Live! Bootleg album.
Perry will be back in Leno's hut this Monday night to help flog Amnesty International's latest music project, Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years Of Amnesty International, for which Perry recorded his version of Dylan's Man Of Peace.
Cyberworld dot ca -- Intel-Based Windows 8 Tablets To Cost More Than iPads At Launch? Well, Of Course
Boffins are beavering away building Windows 8 tablets ahead of that operating system’s expected release – possibly early October – and word’s now out that those tablets are going to cost more than iPads, possibly with a starting price around $600. Based on that alone, some are saying they’re going to flop, but they’re missing the big picture.
The iPad is great for consuming content, but have you ever tried to edit a complicated Microsoft Office document or a video on it? Forget it. And then there’s the lack of USB and other ports -- not to mention the fact that if you want to print anything, you'll probably have to jump through hoops.
On the other hand, a Windows 8 tablet with a real keyboard dock, all the usual connectivity options and the ability to run most, if not all, existing and future Windows applications is something for which I’d pay a premium – because I need to get actual work done. And I’ll bet I’m not alone.
Head to cyberworld dot ca and hit the link to a TechRadar article with more info.
More NewOld Stuff From Van Halen's A Different Kind Of Truth
With the new Van Halen album coming Tuesday February 07, music from it keeps dribbling out.
The latest is a 90 second preview of a track called Blood And Fire; according to some ostensibly informed sources, Eddie Van Halen wrote it as an instrumental back in 1984, for the soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe film Wild Life. The track was originally called Ripley (because, like Top Jimmy -- which was also called Ripley at one point -- Eddie played it on a Ripley guitar), and only a segment of it was used for the film.
Here's the preview of the new remix, followed by the original.
Scott update
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tales From The Man Cave Episode 01
Last night, Young The Giant appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and did a couple of tunes. I thought they were doing an admirable job, so I backed it up, recorded the gig and formulated an evil plan to feature things from The Cave on a semi-regular basis. Perhaps once in a while I'll solicit your feedback on Cave items, and -- wouldn't you know it -- the debut edition is one of those once in a while occasions.
Young The Giant are from Irvine California and were previously known as The Jakes. Their first single, My Body -- which is damn catchy -- made it all the way up to number five on the Billboard alternative chart, and Amazon.com tagged their eponymous album as the third best of 2010.
I've had these cats under consideration for a while now, for inclusion on The Q's playlist. Take a look at the video below, and if you have any comments, send me an e-mail with your thoughts. Should we play 'em, or should we eschew 'em?
Cyberworld dot ca -- TurboTax Now Offers Unlimited Free Tax Advice From Experts
Tax preparation software makes that annual job a lot less of a pain than doing it the old fashioned way – if I had to ditch TurboTax and go back to pen and paper, I’d probably rip my hair out.
But little questions almost always come up: for example, is my website development cost current or capital? Luckily, if you’re going the TurboTax route this year, you’re going to get plenty of human help, as Intuit’s Richard McCann tells us. And that's unlmited advice, even if you're using a free version of the software.
Head to cyberworld dot ca for more from Richard on what’s new with TurboTax this year, and a link to the product page.
Scott update
Monday, January 23, 2012
Van Halen Vancouver Concert Info
Van Halen play Rogers Arena Monday May 07 with special guests Kool & The Gang. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10am via Live Nation or charge by phone at 1 855 985 5000.
Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster outlets and the Rogers Wireless Box Office. Text TICKETS to 4849 for full event listings and special offers.
For details on American Express Front Of The Line access to advance tickets, go here. VIP packages, which include premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more are available through VIPNation.
Ticket prices are $29.50, $59.50, $89.50 and $149.50 inclusive of HST.
Cyberworld dot ca -- IBM Breakthrough To Make 400TB Hard Drives Possible?
Add this one to the “stuff you never hear people say” meme: "Gee, I wish I had less hard drive space."
I don’t care how capacious that shiny new drive is – one of these days you’re either going to be figuring out what to move or delete to make room for new stuff, or scampering down to the geek store to get a newer, bigger one.
The good news is that they get bigger and cheaper all the time. But there’s a limit to how much can be stored with existing technology, so IBM’s going in a different direction, and they’ve figured out how to store a single bit of data using just 12 atoms rather than the 1200 or so we currently use. Or, to put it another way, one of today’s 4 TB drives using this technology could store 400TB instead, in the same space.
The company says this is just a starting point, and the possibilities could be even more dramatic. Make no mistake, though: we’ll figure out how to fill those drives up.
Head to cyberworld dot ca for a link to an IBM article and video with more info.
Scott update
Friday, January 20, 2012
Score: AC/DC Get Their Own Pinball Machine
AC/DC fans with some cash to throw around now have a pinball machine to call their own. Stern Pinball Inc. has revealed its newest model, and the contraption honors the legendary rockers with plenty of AC/DC-esque goodies.
The machine features 12 classic AC/DC chart toppers including Back In Black, Highway To Hell and You Shook Me All Night Long. It has two individual ramps, a pinball-shooting cannon, eight drop targets and cartoon animations of band members.
"The combination of classic rock and pinball can't go wrong," says Gary Stern, founder, CEO and chairman of Stern Pinball. "The music and play of the AC/DC machine delivers nothing less than the ultimate rock experience [that] both AC/DC fans and pinball players can appreciate."
If this sounds purpose-made for your games room, you can get one for your own bad self, if you have some disposable loot: $US5,699 to $8,499, depending on the version. You can find out more about the game at the Stern Pinball website.
If you're watching my hastily slapped together video below, hit it up fullscreen in 720p; there are some pretty awe-inspiring graphics on this machine.
Cyberworld dot ca -- Sony Developing Transformer-Like Windows 8 Tablet?
Along with drool-inducing OLED TVs, tablet PCs seemed to be a dime a dozen at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, with most of them sporting the Android operating system and a few, like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Hybrid, running both Android and Microsoft Windows 7.
For those who depend on Windows applications to get things done beyond surfing the Web and checking e-mail, a hybrid with a physical keyboard makes sense, and more manufacturers seem to be moving in that direction.
Sony showed a prototype Vaio 11 inch tablet with a dedicated Windows key and pen input capabilities, which ostensibly indicates that it’s destined to run Windows 8, perhaps alongside a tablet operating system. It can’t come soon enough: if you immediately want to miss your notebook’s keyboard, just try editing a Microsoft Word document on a tablet’s virtual keyboard.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to a Register Hardware article for a closer look at Sony’s prototype hybrid tablet.
Scott update
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Will the real (insert name here) please stand up?
Cyberworld dot ca -- LG's 55 Inch OLED TV Wins Best Of CES Award (Of Course)
Considering the awe-inspiring array of cutting edge gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, if your product manages to snag a CNet Best Of Show award, you can be pretty sure that you’ve got a hot property on your hands – and as I suspected would be the case, LG has it tied up with their new 55 inch organic light emitting diode smart television.
I mean, come on: it’s 4mm thick, with a 1mm bezel that almost looks like it’s nonexistent. The OLED display pumps out the kind of images that makes regular LCDs, plasmas and even LEDs literally pale in comparison. Throw in blazing fast response times, practically infinite contrast and wide viewing angles and … well, where do I sign?
Of course it’s expensive as all get-out, but Samsung and others are nipping at LG’s heels with beautiful OLED smart models of their own, so it won’t be long before mere mortals can afford them.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to a CNet article on the new LG TV to read more about it and take a look at it.
Springsteen Returns With "Wild" New Album
Bruce Springsteen is about to announce his 17th studio album and a US tour with The E Street Band. Springsteen's manager Jon Landau tells Rolling Stone that the record is an ambitious "big-picture piece of work. It's a rock record that combines elements of Bruce's classic sound and his Seeger Sessions experience, with new textures and styles."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, some of the music was played for Sony recently, and a spokesthing described the songs as having "unexpected textures -- loops, electronic percussion ... influences and rhythms from hip-hop to Irish folk rhythms."
The disc was produced by Ron Aniello, who has previously worked on albums by Candlebox, Jars Of Clay and the last LP by Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa. Members of The E Street Band play on the album, along with a variety of outside musicians including Tom Morello and possibly former Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain, who has often recorded on Aniello's projects. "It was an experimental effort with a new producer," says Landau. "Bruce and Ron used a wide variety of players to create something that both rocks and is very fresh."
According to Landau, the record has "social overtones" -- although it was largely written before Occupy Wall Street began, and doesn't directly address the movement. The LP also has a "very pronounced spiritual dimension," adds Landau. "It extends and deepens the vision that has animated all of Bruce's work." According to The Hollywood Reporter's source, [Bruce] gets into economic injustice quite a bit. He feels it's the angriest album he's ever made."
The E Street Band will spend most of this year on the road, including spring and fall US runs and a summer European tour. Dates haven't been announced, but concert business sources say the band has arenas booked starting in March, including an Austin show around Springsteen's Thursday March 15 keynote at the South By Southwest festival. One question floating around is how the group will address last summer's death of saxophonist Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's onstage foil for four decades.
Yesterday, Amazon.com posted details about a new single called We Take Care Of Our Own -- the artwork for which appears above. I debuted it this morning, and here's the streaming version.
Today's Rockline Theme Thursday On The Q
Are you hot, or not? Either way, I have you covered on Rockline Theme Thursday today, because I'm going to be looking for songs with "hot" or "cold" (or both) in their titles.
If there's one you'd like me to play for you, fire up your e-mail application of choice, toss me an e-quest, and then check in with me at noon, as we expand and contract on The Q's Rockline Theme Thursday.
Scott update
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Guitar Collection: George Harrison iOS Application Coming Next Month
Bandwidth Publishing have hooked up with the George Harrison Estate to create a special iOS application celebrating the guitarist and his historical guitar collection. The Guitar Collection: George Harrison application will be released via the iTunes Store on Thursday February 23 -- two days prior to what would have been George's 69th birthday.
Paraphrasing the media release:
The application brings George's private guitar collection to life through photographs, detailed descriptions, audio and video content.
For the first time, with the help of 360° imaging by photographer Steven Sebring, fans can see the scratches, dings and worn threads on the guitars almost as if they were holding the instruments themselves. As well, George will introduce many of the guitars via audio recordings, and play sections of songs.
The history of each guitar is laid out in great detail, including the origin of the guitar, when and how it became part of George's collection, modifications he made to it, and why each was so important in creating his distinctive sound. Songs from his catalog are organized by the guitars used on each track, which allows punters to appreciate the personalities of each instrument.
The video section of the application contains footage of Ben Harper, Josh Homme, Mike Campbell and Dhani Harrison, each playing and showcasing the guitars and exploring their feel and tone. As well, Conan O'Brien and Dhani discuss what makes these guitars so exceptional. Also in the video section, guitar great Gary Moore shares his views on what made George Harrison such a distinctive and influential guitar player.
The application will sell for $9.99; a preview appears below.
Cyberworld dot ca -- OnLive Puts (Almost) Full Windows On The iPad
Last year, I told you about OnLive – a company which was gearing up to provide streaming games to Windows PCs and other devices. They’re now doing that – very well, may I say -- and they also have an interesting side gig.
OnLive is now streaming Microsoft Windows to the iPad, complete with popular Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint – and until Microsoft delivers its native iPad Office suite, or Windows 8 tablets hit the market, this is about as close as you’re going to get to the real thing on a tablet PC.
There are some caveats: the free version doesn’t guarantee uninterrupted access during high traffic periods, although individual files will always be accessible. And it doesn’t include an Internet browser. The paid Pro and Enterprise versions remove those restrictions.
At production deadline, the launch had been pushed back a bit, but by the time you read this it should be available.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to the OnLive site to take it for a spin.
Steven Tyler And Joe Perry To Perform On The Tonight Show
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler will be a guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno this Friday, along with American Idol compatriots Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest, to promote the new season of Idol, which starts tonight.
Tyler, who's also scheduled to perform a song, will be joined by none other than his favorite Aerosmith sparring partner Joe Perry, who will be in the city working on the long-awaited new Aerosmith album. Tyler's fellow Idol judge, Randy Jackson (briefly a member of Journey) will also take part in the performance.
In other Aerosmith/Tonight Show news, Perry announced on Twitter that he'll make a return visit ten days later, on Monday January 30. He told fans, "Performing 'Man Of Peace' on Jay Leno Jan 30th for Amnesty International with some friends @RudyTanzi Paul Santo & Dave Hull (sic)."
Perry's solo performance is in conjunction with the release of Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years Of Amnesty International, which features his cover of Man Of Peace, from Dylan's Infidels album.
Scott update
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Cyberworld dot ca -- Put Your DropBox On Steroids With DropBox Automator
DropBox is in charge of keeping all of my data synchronized among numerous PCs, tablets and phones, and it does an awe-inspiring job of it, with the best part being that I never have to think about it – it just works.
Well, it just got even more awe-inspiring. DropBox Automator is a new application which piggybacks on the data synchronization utility and piles on a shwack of great new features.
For instance, now, when I drop a file into a particular DropBox folder, it’s automatically uploaded to an FTP server. When I drop a file into another folder, it gets zipped up and e-mailed to predefined recipients. And that’s just scratching the surface: you can set this thing to convert to PDF, swap PDF to text, upload to Google Docs, Slideshare, Facebook or Flickr, convert, rotate, apply effects to and write text on images, copy files to other folders, rename, encrypt, decrypt and much more. It’s a beaut, and it’s free.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to the DropBox Automator page to read more about it and put it to work.
Scott update
Monday, January 16, 2012
Tony Iommi Issues Statement On Cancer Diagnosis
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has issued a statement after revealing last week that he's been diagnosed with cancer.
Word came out last Monday that Iommi had been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma and that Black Sabbath would be moving the recording process for their new studio album from Los Angeles over to the UK so that he can undergo treatment.
In a statement on his website, Iommi wrote: "I just want to say how overwhelmed I am with all your messages of support, thank you so much. Well it's not what I wanted for Christmas, that's for sure, but now I can't wait for the test results to come in and get going with the treatment."
He continued: "It's really good that the guys are coming over so that we can continue working on the album as things are going great in the studio. Not much else to say at this time, so thanks again."
Cyberworld dot ca -- Play The Browser Version Of Cut The Rope For Free
From all the hype that surrounds it, you’d think that Angry Birds was about the only casual game out there. But the Android and iOS platforms are home to many other well-executed and very addictive games, and one of the most purchased is Cut The Rope.
Now, Microsoft has hooked up with the game developers to offer a free version which demonstrates the capabilities of the Internet Explorer 10 browser which is part of the Windows 8 Developer Preview – not to mention some of the awe-inspiring things you can do with HTML 5.
Although it’s designed for Internet Explorer, it will work on lesser browsers like Firefox and Chrome – however, you may miss out on some bonus levels and other features. Also note that if you’re running Windows XP with an older version of Internet Explorer, you’re probably out of luck.
Check out cyberworld dot ca’s link to the Cut The Rope page where you can read more about it and get snipping for free. Good luck getting any work done.
Joe Walsh Guests On Ringo Starr's New Album
Ringo Starr's new album Ringo 2012 is now available for preorder at the official Ringo Starr Store, Amazon and the iTunes Store.
Ringo talks about one of the tracks, Wings: "This is a song I first recorded on Ringo The 4th, back when an album meant vinyl. These are different days, and it's one of those songs I always wanted to revisit. I wrote Wings with Vinnie Poncia in New York, and he doesn't know I've done this yet. I'm going to surprise Vinnie and send it to him.
"I had Joe Walsh come over and play, and nobody can top Joe. Joe is the best, and he plays all over Wings. Joe was always family, even before we became related, but now he can't say no. I'm on Joe's next record too, if he ever finishes it. For the last two years, I've been listening to a lot of reggae, so this album has a reggae feeling to it.. What can I tell you? I'm a product of my environment. I always loved the sentiment of this song, and I'm glad we finally got it right."
Listen to Wings below.
