Daily Power Pop Dose: Cheap Trick

I discovered Cheap Trick in 1979 and to this day I think In Color (and in Black and White) is by far their best album. The video is from a song off that album performed on the Dick Clark show.

Sweet Little Sixteen

"Today marks the 16th anniversary of the World Wide Web. According to the timeline on the W3.org site: 'The first web page [was] http://nxoc01.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. Unfortunately CERN no longer supports the historical site. Note from this era too, the least recently modified web page we know of, last changed Tue, 13 Nov 1990 15:17:00 GMT (though the URI changed.)' A lot has happened in 16 years and this little 'baby' has grown into quite the teenager."

I'm sure I've geezed about this before, but I remember FTPing the source code for Mosaic, compiling it, and being able to connect to only a handful of web pages.

Air Guitar T-Shirt

Scientists at the CSIRO's Textile and Fibre Technology division in Geelong have woven electronic sensors into a T-shirt so that it can be played liked a real guitar.

Movements by the wearer's arms are mapped and beamed by radio to a computer which interprets them and turns them into musical notes.

The wearer only has to act out playing the instrument to make sounds.

"The left arm chooses a note and the right arm plays it," said Richard Helmer, a CSIRO chemical engineer who led the project. The arrangement can be reversed for left-handed musicians.

When I first read about this I thought it was a put on. I've changed my mind after watching the video. When you are watching it, keep in mind that the player is only playing limited chords to a backing track that includes lead guitar. There seems to be a noticeable lag which is inherent in synth guitars too.

Office Space

Jimmy Akin posts about a funny re-make of the Office Space trailer that makes the movie look like a thriller.

Am I the only one who found Office Space to be tedious? Duller than day old dishwater. Yes, it has many memorable, funny scenes that we often make reference to at the office, but those funny scenes are stretched out over a full length movie when they could have all been boiled down to a fifteen or twenty minute short. Sort of like Wayne's World, or for that matter, any Saturday Night Live skit that has been turned into a movie.

Hey Bulldog!

Awesome video of the Fabs in the studio recording "Hey Bulldog". The audio was added later to an originally silent film. I never thought of the Beatles as playing SGs, but you can see both George and John using (the same?) one.

This has always been one of my faves. Over the years since the breakup, Apple has at various times released "new" Beatles singles. I can clearly remember "Got to Get You into My Life" all over the airwaves in the late seventies after such a release. "Hey Bulldog" would be perfect to release now.

Meet The Smithereens

NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 07, 2006 -- KOCH Records announces the release of "Meet The Smithereens!," the new album by New Jersey's The Smithereens in January 2007. Paying homage to The Beatles' groundbreaking album, "Meet The Beatles!," the Smithereens have rerecorded the album in its entirety, and the result is a fun and nostalgic trip through 12 classic songs done Smithereens style. The CD also features liner notes by legendary promoter Sid Bernstein, musician (and some would say musicologist) Lenny Kaye, Beatles historians Bruce Spizer, Dennis Mitchell and Andy Babiuk, author of the fantastic book, "Beatles Gear."

Eyesight to the Blind?

A revolutionary stem cell treatment developed by British scientists could restore sight in the blind.

In a world first, blindness has been cured by replacing worn out and damaged retinal cells with stem cells.

Is it more than a just a little odd that you have to read three-quarters of the way through this article before you find out that the stem cells in question are not harvested from embryos, but rather are adult cells from the patient's own eyes?

While stem cells are often obtained from embryos in the first days of life, it is thought the patient's own eye could hold a bank of cells suitable for transplant.

Researcher Professor Robin Ali, of University College London's Institute of Ophthalmology, said: "Recent research has shown that a population of cells found on the margin of the adult retina have stem cell-like properties, in other words, they are capable of self-renewal.

"These could be harvested through minor surgery and grown in the lab before being re-implanted onto the retina."

Using the patient's own cells would also avoid the possibility of 'foreign' cells being rejected by the body.

Remember: adult stem cells have been the only stem cell treatments that have yielded results. Take note, Mr Fox.

Daring

This evening at daily Mass as I was returning to my seat from communion, I saw a man rush in through the back side door. I recognized him as someone whom I often see at this particular church during the week. He looks to be in his late sixties and in good health. He was obviously in a hurry and I realized he was trying to make it in time to receive communion. I looked towards the front of the church and saw the back of the priest as he was heading back to the altar.

For a brief second the thought "foolish virgins" crossed my mind thinking he should have planned better and made it on time, but I quickly rectified my intention and felt sorry for the man. After the final blessing I was making my thanksgiving and reflecting on this man and the great spirit he showed in trying to make it to at least communion even though he obviously knew that he was late. Most people would have glanced at their watches as their car approached the church, realized how late they were, and driven on to their next appointment.

I looked up from my thoughts towards the tabernacle and saw the same man walking out of the sacristy with a wide grin. He obviously showed holy daring and approached the priest (probably with a sheepish grin) after Mass explaining that he was late, but wanted to receive Our Lord anyway. The man looked at me, smiled, and gave a little wave.

That made my day.

Be more daring still, and, when you need something, don't ask, but — always mindful of the Fiat — say, 'Jesus, I want that... and that... and that', for this is the way children ask.

St Josemaria Escriva, The Way - Point 403

Made to Order

A friend of mine has a great idea about helping to maintain order. He has made a resolution that whenever he misplaces something, he will start throwing things out until he finds it.

Maybe I should start hiding my car keys in the stacks of old bills and paperwork in the home office.