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Woody Woodmansey recommended track Changes by David Bowie in Best of Bowie by David Bowie in Music (curated)
David Byrne recommended Low by David Bowie in Music (curated)
Jarvis Cocker recommended The Moths are Real by Serafina Steer in Music (curated)
Karl Hyde recommended Last Poets by The Last Poets in Music (curated)
Dana (24 KP) rated The Fellowship of the Ring in Books
Mar 23, 2018
So I listened to the audio book for this because I don't actually have the physical book and my library has it online that way. This was a dramatization of the book, more like a radio play than anything, and I really enjoyed it! It was like watching a full production while I was painting!
I have obvivously seen the movies quite a few times and I feel that they tie in very well together. There were a few things I did not recognize. I think a lot was left out, at least in the prose sections, not the dialogue, so I will go back and hopefully read this when I actually have the book. It has been something I have been wanting to do for a while. I did think that the audio book would be more like a traditional one, but this was the only one the library had, so there we go.
I am going to read the other two as soon as they become available!
I have obvivously seen the movies quite a few times and I feel that they tie in very well together. There were a few things I did not recognize. I think a lot was left out, at least in the prose sections, not the dialogue, so I will go back and hopefully read this when I actually have the book. It has been something I have been wanting to do for a while. I did think that the audio book would be more like a traditional one, but this was the only one the library had, so there we go.
I am going to read the other two as soon as they become available!
Aurora recommended track Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles in Revolver by The Beatles in Music (curated)
Woody Woodmansey recommended track Sweet Thing by David Bowie in Diamond Dogs by David Bowie in Music (curated)
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in Books
Nov 14, 2019
What can be said about Douglas Adams' freewheeling science fiction comedy that hasn't been said before? Probably nothing but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a review.
I first came to the Hitchhiker's Guide series through this book. It was about 1981 I suppose and it was recommended by a school friend. I hadn't been aware of the radio series (although as luck would have it it was repeated on BBC Radio 4 within a few weeks) and it was a little while before the television adaptation appeared (which for all its faults - mainly a lack of budget - stayed true to the spirit of the books and the radio series rather more successfully than the film).
From the point I opened this and started reading I couldn't get enough Hitchhiker's Guide. Adams' style is so much like a swan on a lake - it all seems effortless on the surface but underneath there's a lot going on. As Adams' friend John Lloyd has commented, he had the ability to write backwards, so he would start with several pages of (what to other people would be) excellent material and after a couple of days' furious writing it would be down to 2 pages, but each sentence a carefully crafted gem. The result is like the difference between beer and vodka. You will enjoy drinking the beer but the distilled and concentrated vodka will knock you out.
There is real genius in the wit, ideas seemingly being pulled from nowhere and taking on a whole new aspect (towels for example). Delightful non-sequitors (especially from aliens who turn out to be pretty ordinary - or frequently less than ordinary), brilliant and inventive word play and sheer imagination and brio run through every page, all joined together by delightful asides from 'the book'.
The story itself is based on the radio series of the same name which was pretty much made up as it went along, Adams following whatever idea seemed to give him the best scope for a quick gag at the time. But somehow this all works and the story is remarkably coherent (although the book does veer away from the thread of the radio series at the very end). It has been said before that it resembles Gulliver's Travels as each new world reveals new wonders (or new banalities shining a light on our own humdrum existences here on Earth).
Oh the story? The book essentially follows one Arthur Dent, a completely unremarkable and normal human being apart from two things. Firstly his house is about to be demolished to make way for a bypass, a fact he was previously unaware of. Secondly his friend Ford Prefect (the book explains the name) is not from Guildford after all but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. When aliens show up to demolish the whole Earth to make way for an interstellar bypass, Ford saves Arthur from certain death and reveals he is a reporter for a book called The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and he got stuck on Earth for rather a long time.
Arthur proceeds to have a rather horrible time being shot at, thrown out of spaceships, patronised and generally baffled by everything that is going on around him. But The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is always on hand to try to explain things.
Incredibly amusing, brilliantly written and ultimately quoteable this not just a good book, it is something that really everyone should read.
I first came to the Hitchhiker's Guide series through this book. It was about 1981 I suppose and it was recommended by a school friend. I hadn't been aware of the radio series (although as luck would have it it was repeated on BBC Radio 4 within a few weeks) and it was a little while before the television adaptation appeared (which for all its faults - mainly a lack of budget - stayed true to the spirit of the books and the radio series rather more successfully than the film).
From the point I opened this and started reading I couldn't get enough Hitchhiker's Guide. Adams' style is so much like a swan on a lake - it all seems effortless on the surface but underneath there's a lot going on. As Adams' friend John Lloyd has commented, he had the ability to write backwards, so he would start with several pages of (what to other people would be) excellent material and after a couple of days' furious writing it would be down to 2 pages, but each sentence a carefully crafted gem. The result is like the difference between beer and vodka. You will enjoy drinking the beer but the distilled and concentrated vodka will knock you out.
There is real genius in the wit, ideas seemingly being pulled from nowhere and taking on a whole new aspect (towels for example). Delightful non-sequitors (especially from aliens who turn out to be pretty ordinary - or frequently less than ordinary), brilliant and inventive word play and sheer imagination and brio run through every page, all joined together by delightful asides from 'the book'.
The story itself is based on the radio series of the same name which was pretty much made up as it went along, Adams following whatever idea seemed to give him the best scope for a quick gag at the time. But somehow this all works and the story is remarkably coherent (although the book does veer away from the thread of the radio series at the very end). It has been said before that it resembles Gulliver's Travels as each new world reveals new wonders (or new banalities shining a light on our own humdrum existences here on Earth).
Oh the story? The book essentially follows one Arthur Dent, a completely unremarkable and normal human being apart from two things. Firstly his house is about to be demolished to make way for a bypass, a fact he was previously unaware of. Secondly his friend Ford Prefect (the book explains the name) is not from Guildford after all but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. When aliens show up to demolish the whole Earth to make way for an interstellar bypass, Ford saves Arthur from certain death and reveals he is a reporter for a book called The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and he got stuck on Earth for rather a long time.
Arthur proceeds to have a rather horrible time being shot at, thrown out of spaceships, patronised and generally baffled by everything that is going on around him. But The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is always on hand to try to explain things.
Incredibly amusing, brilliantly written and ultimately quoteable this not just a good book, it is something that really everyone should read.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Lords of Salem (2013) in Movies
Sep 24, 2019
Backmasking
Does any remember if you play any of the beatles songs backwards their are hidden messages. Same some of queens songs.
The term is called backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. Backmasking is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional.
So how does tie into the movie, well in the movie, the main person gets a mysterious cd and once she plays it, it has hidden messages, the measages are the notes and the notes in the song keep on repeating themself.
The Plot: A radio DJ (Sheri Moon Zombie) in Salem, Mass., is plagued by nightmarish visions of vengeful witches after she plays a record by a mysterious group known only as "The Lords."
Heidi the main charcter- has a vision of women who worship Satan, at an unspecified time in the past, ritually birthing a baby then damning the child. The vision stops once Whitey turns the record off.
If you play some of the beatles songs and queens songs backwards their are satanic messages, same with the cd the heidi plays, but itstead of words its just notes/the insturmentis. Hedi gets really invested of the cd, same with people who thought if you played a beatles song backwards you hear hidden satanic messages.
This movie is very underrated. Its scary, mysterious, horrorfying, thrilling and more.
I would highly reccordmend this movie.
The term is called backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. Backmasking is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional.
So how does tie into the movie, well in the movie, the main person gets a mysterious cd and once she plays it, it has hidden messages, the measages are the notes and the notes in the song keep on repeating themself.
The Plot: A radio DJ (Sheri Moon Zombie) in Salem, Mass., is plagued by nightmarish visions of vengeful witches after she plays a record by a mysterious group known only as "The Lords."
Heidi the main charcter- has a vision of women who worship Satan, at an unspecified time in the past, ritually birthing a baby then damning the child. The vision stops once Whitey turns the record off.
If you play some of the beatles songs and queens songs backwards their are satanic messages, same with the cd the heidi plays, but itstead of words its just notes/the insturmentis. Hedi gets really invested of the cd, same with people who thought if you played a beatles song backwards you hear hidden satanic messages.
This movie is very underrated. Its scary, mysterious, horrorfying, thrilling and more.
I would highly reccordmend this movie.
Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation) in Tech
Apr 18, 2019
Responsive (3 more)
Loud speakers
Large variety of extra widgets
Small for easy placement
I've had my alexa for a couple of weeks now and have to say it really is fantastic. It was so easy to setup, literally took a few minutes and she was up and running. I use her everyday from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed. I placed her in my kitchen which is adjacent to my lounge. I found this the most appropriate placement for her as I use her daily for timers when I'm cooking. I love the personalised routines you can create, my morning routine is "alexa, good morning" where she will then tell me a random 'on this day' fact, my daily schedule which is linked to my phone's calendar, the local weather and then she will play my chosen radio station. At night I say "alexa goodnight" where she will then wish me goodnight.
The app is really easy to use and I love looking through all the widgets that you can enable alexa to do, such as: speak in Chewbacca language or tell me a joke. I personally like the daily affirmations or life quotes. You can also meditate with her, that's quite interesting.
The reason my review is 9/10 is because there is an extra subscription charge for Amazon music, 3.99 a month I believe. Perhaps it would be out of kindness for Amazon to allow alexa product buyers a free subscription.
However, I do have the radio on all day anyway so don't really request her to play specific songs.
I'm quite excited to purchase additional alexas to use in other rooms. The drop in ability is fantastic, I drop in on my families devices to check all is well or to have a quick chat, they're like walkie talkies. Brilliant. This ability can be disabled easily for times you don't want anyone dropping in on awkward situations or during the night. I also find the drop in ability good for when I'm away, I can drop in on my cat and talk to him, obviously I don't get a response but I know he can hear me.
Lastly, she's also nice to talk to if you're lonely.
Overall, I'm very much enjoying my alexa and her wide variety of abilities.
The app is really easy to use and I love looking through all the widgets that you can enable alexa to do, such as: speak in Chewbacca language or tell me a joke. I personally like the daily affirmations or life quotes. You can also meditate with her, that's quite interesting.
The reason my review is 9/10 is because there is an extra subscription charge for Amazon music, 3.99 a month I believe. Perhaps it would be out of kindness for Amazon to allow alexa product buyers a free subscription.
However, I do have the radio on all day anyway so don't really request her to play specific songs.
I'm quite excited to purchase additional alexas to use in other rooms. The drop in ability is fantastic, I drop in on my families devices to check all is well or to have a quick chat, they're like walkie talkies. Brilliant. This ability can be disabled easily for times you don't want anyone dropping in on awkward situations or during the night. I also find the drop in ability good for when I'm away, I can drop in on my cat and talk to him, obviously I don't get a response but I know he can hear me.
Lastly, she's also nice to talk to if you're lonely.
Overall, I'm very much enjoying my alexa and her wide variety of abilities.