Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Nick Rhodes recommended Man-Machine by Kraftwerk in Music (curated)

 
Man-Machine by Kraftwerk
Man-Machine by Kraftwerk
1978 | Dance
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Kraftwerk were a major influence on me musically and stylistically. They were really the first truly electronic band I'd heard. Afterwards, of course, I listened to all the other German things like NEU! and Can. I'd listen to The Human League and whatever came out of England in that time period. But, Kraftwerk were right at the centre of it. The first album I heard in its entirety was Trans-Europe Express, which I almost picked for this because I do love that album. But, I think Kraftwerk’s absolute masterpiece is The Man-Machine - be it visually, song-wise, arrangements or sounds. It is as close to a perfect record as I feel has been made in that genre. There is nothing that touches it. When I used to DJ at the Rum Runner club - I was 16 or 17 and starting out - I used to play a lot of tracks from The Man-Machine because almost everything on that album you can play. Funnily enough, I'd never seen Kraftwerk until recently when they played the Tate Modern. I went to three shows - The Man-Machine, Trans-Europe Express and Computer World - because I felt as they had had such an impact on me I should go and see a whole load of the shows. They weren't a letdown, the 3D effect was extraordinary and it was such a joy to hear those songs loud through a system like that. You don't tend to get to hear synthesisers that loud unless you go to a club and listen to some horrible remix. Kraftwerk had great taste and a lot of music is about taste. They didn't make so many albums over a period of time but everything has been impeccable - every sound, every delay, every vocoder. They really paid attention to detail and that's something I have a complete obsession with. I can fiddle with something for ages and ages that I feel changes the whole track and nobody else will hear what I'm doing. Kraftwerk had a great ability for that. They made really impeccable records."

Source
  
    AutoScout24

    AutoScout24

    Productivity and Business

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    AutoScout24 is the largest online marketplace for cars in Europe and offers about 2 million...

A Column of Fire
A Column of Fire
Ken Follett | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
127 of 200
Book
A column of fire ( Kingsbridge 3)
By Ken Follet

Christmas 1558, and young Ned Willard returns home to Kingsbridge to find his world has changed.

The ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn by religious hatred. Europe is in turmoil as high principles clash bloodily with friendship, loyalty and love, and Ned soon finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry, Margery Fitzgerald.

Then Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen and all of Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country's first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans.

Elizabeth knows that alluring, headstrong Mary Queen of Scots lies in wait in Paris. Part of a brutally ambitious French family, Mary has been proclaimed the rightful ruler of England, with her own supporters scheming to get rid of the new queen.

Over a turbulent half-century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed, as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. With Elizabeth clinging precariously to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents, it becomes clear that the real enemies - then as now - are not the rival religions.

The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else - no matter the cost.



Ken Follet and this series has completely stolen my heart I love these books! I’m a huge fan of historical based fiction and I think he just does it so well!! I did find some parts were a little rushed but it was still an amazing book. The characters were as usual full of life, I have loved and hated them he has a way of hooking you into these peoples lives. If I had one issue it was this one spent a lot of time away from kingsbridge I think the characters weren’t as linked to the city as they were in other books! I’m looking forward to to the new kingsbridge book!
  
    OsmAnd Maps

    OsmAnd Maps

    Travel and Navigation

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. OsmAnd...

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL

    News

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    The free, official Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty mobile application – the ultimate news...

40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated the PC version of Euro Truck Simulator 2 in Video Games

Oct 29, 2019  
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Euro Truck Simulator 2
2012 | Simulation
Lorry-driving sim sounds like a joke, but then you try it just to see what it's like. 130 hours later you find yourself managing half-a-dozen garages across Europe with two or three times as many drivers working for you, while you simultaneously worry about getting a load of cement from Birmingham to Dusseldorf on time. The combination of driving, business management, and strategy/RP really does exert a peculiar attraction.

A big time sink, obviously, but not quite as easy as it sounds: the trucks are not easy to control on some of the roads, and every time you ding your rig or some idiot drives into the back of you it costs you money and can reduce your profit. Much of the time you can still relax and enjoy the beautifully rendered environment of the game - countries really do look different, although famous landmarks are a bit thin on the ground. Possibly not where the kids are at, but still a weirdly relaxing and absorbing experience.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies

Jul 3, 2019 (Updated Jul 3, 2019)  
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Seventh Spider-Man movie gets off to a slightly wobbly start, almost seeming to have been slipped a real hospital pass by Endgame: clearly it feels obliged to address the rather messy state of the MCU, in addition to making a big fuss about being a proper MCU film (much more than the non-Sony MCU films do). However, once Spider-Man and his moderately amazing friends head off to Europe the film perks up considerably, especially with the appearance of Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio (Gyllenhaal is very good value).

The film is genuinely funny and benefits a lot from a clever plot - the problem is that the nature of the plot is extremely guessable, even if you're only passingly familiar with the comics. Still, good jokes, nice performances, and the best Tower Bridge-based VFX sequence since Gorgo in 1961. I think it would be unwise to try and intuit the whole future direction of the Marvel project from this one film, but this is still good (if slightly uneven) fun.