Metal Monday declares Springtime!
It seems like winter is finally over in Finland. So is Easter. Even Metal Monday’s back from it’s hibernate state to welcome the time of year.
And what better way to get into Spring-mood than by listening to some metal?
The Scattering of Ashes by Into Eternity is the fourth studio album by the band. The album is fairly fast paced, dishing out tight riffs accompanied by the singer Stu Block’s talented vocals that vary from death metal screams and grunts to clean bits that are close to power metal. Switching between clean vocals and grunts isn’t a new thing, but Stu does it with such skillfulness that it’s a joy to listen to. I’ve yet to hear anything similar.
As well-informed metalheads already know; Stu Block has been captured by the evil band called Iced Earth and put to work as their lead singer. He appears on the recently released Dystopia-album. So keep an eye out for them, for Stu has taken Iced Earth as his main project. Into Eternity chose Amanda Kiernan to fill in for Stu in February 2012.
Your best bet to listen to the band online would be on YouTube or Deezer (if you have an account), as the band isn’t on Spotify. You can however, listen to some tracks on their myspace-site at: http://www.myspace.com/officialintoeternity/music
The difference between introverts and extraverts
“Just say what you think.”
Introverts are often mistaken for being shy and therefore are used to comments like the one above.
I just finished reading Revenge of the Introvert, a post by Laurie Helgoe.
Laurie discusses the differences between introverts and extraverts in day to day scenarios and gives pointers on how to approach introverts.
The way Helgoe confronts the topic with personal insight makes it feel a lot more accurate than some of the generalized information provided on the web.
For example Wikipedia claims that: “Extraverts are likely to prefer more upbeat, conventional, and energetic music than introverts.”
While I don’t doubt these behavioural-patterns to be found amongst some introverts, they still sound more like false stereotypes.
I found many of the describing features of introverts to be familiar. I’ve actually been aware for quite some time that I’m a bit introverted myself.
Personally I don’t feel the need to rule either one out. The extravert and introvert within me cooperate peacefully. As long as I get the occasional time for myself to wind down after, I don’t feel distressed by social situations.
This however may not be the case for every introvert out there and I encourage you to take time and discover what makes you tick.
Another quote I found fitting: “Introverts seek time alone because they want time alone.” And if this “time alone” is something that makes you feel comfortable, why not have it?
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – Kisses Over Babylon
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros are more known for their song Home (YouTube Link), which has had billboard success in Australia, Netherlands and Sweden.
The music videos work seamlessly together with the songs, depicting great stories vividly. And storytelling is definitely one of the virtues of ESATMZ.
The video above is the second in a series of 12.
You can watch part 1 of the series at: http://vimeo.com/4894006
Nippon banzai!
I was watching some Anime movies a couple of weeks ago, including
5 Centimeters per Second and Grave of the Fireflies. This reawakened my ‘obsession’ for Japan.
Photo by Alexander Safonov
Unfolding
I’ve had a soft spot for Japan ever since I first learned about the country when I was little. Over time the feeling grew bigger and got me to find out more about the culture. Including both Pop-culture and media, but also more traditional forms, like arts and history.
The aesthetic view of life that’s been present in the Japanese culture since early times has definitely been intriguing to me.
I’ve been wanting to travel there for a while now, but it’s not the cheapest trip and I’d don’t think a week would be long enough to experience the country at it’s fullest. And this may sound a bit obsessive, but I’d want to learn some of the basic language before visiting the country.
Photo by Miguel Michán
Yearning
The ambition to make the trip isn’t fading. For now it’ll have to remain a dream though, before a better time presents itself.
Noctua NH-D14 aka The turbine
So I ordered this monstrosity/cpu cooler last week and got it today, along with the Huawei Dual Sim Card phone I got for my dad.
I read a couple of reviews of the cooler and thought I was somewhat aware of it’s size, but I was taken by surprise.
The thing is colossal. After holding it in my hand for the first time, I started to doubt if it’d even fit in my case.
I won’t lie, installing was a pain and I don’t feel like ever doing it again.
All is well that ends well, after an painstakingly long hour, it was finally in place. Now I’m a lot more pleased with the temperature readings than I was before.
The idle temps are still a bit on the rise, close to 40 Celsius (104 F) on a slightly clocked (3,5Ghz) core i7 960, but on full load, I haven’t been close to hitting the 70 C mark yet.
Underground Death Metal
Bombs of Hades – Carnivores EP
This 14 minute EP takes you on a dark journey, down the rivers of Underworld.
The tracks sound good and I like the mix, though some might find the drums a bit quiet at times.
The variations in tempo between tracks is well placed and makes the listening experience more pleasant.
Disrespect their bones stood out to its benefit by being the most distinctive track in my opinion.
Here’s the EP on YouTube.
Free Photoshop brush set
Here’s a cool pack of 17 splatter brushes for Photoshop. It’s free to use in both personal and commercial work. Franz Jeitz stated in his post at Fudgegraphics that attribution isn’t required, but if you’re going to use this set in public work, I’m sure they’d appreciate a comment with some information or better yet, a link to the work itself.
Best free programs 2012
For today’s Tech Tuesday I decided to compile this list with some of the best free programs I’ve used over the years and still do.
This is only the first part, check back later for more free programs in upcoming posts!
Audio & Video
Aimp3
I got into using Aimp2, the predecessor of Aimp3, a couple of years ago when I bought my first set of monitor speakers and got more interested in sound quality.
Aimp (Artem Izmaylov Media Player) was written in Russia back in 2006.
And I know what you’re thinking, but it’s virus free. Aimp3 supports many audio formats right out of the box, including AAC, APE, FLAC and OGG. It even plays most MIDI files. As for the features, Aimp3 rivals many of the other, more popular players. You get Tag editing, Internet radio support and extensive settings fit for the most advanced tweaker, output options even let you choose the preferred driver. The search function is very useful and fast, even with large playlists. The player is also extendible with plugins and skins.
[Download]
PotPlayer
PotPlayer picked up where KMPlayer left off. This video player is feature-rich and prepacked with codecs, so you don’t need to install a codec pack to watch MKV files. Some of the options might be a little difficult to find at first, but once you get familiar with PotPlayer, you wont look back. Like Aimp3, PotPlayer has a ton of special settings, that most people won’t need, but better safe than sorry.
[32-bit download] (If uncertain, choose this.)
Psycho Surgery time!
Tourniquet is a band that’s mainly seen as Thrash Metal, but would also pass under some other sub-genres, including Progressive and Speed Metal.
The band was formed in 1989 in Los Angeles by Gary Lenaire (the guitarist), the singer Guy Ritter and the drummer Ted Kirkpatrick, who’s the only remaining member in today’s lineup.
From the very moment you hit the play button, you’re greeted with sharp bursts of riffs and a double bass drum beat, all the while classical music plays in the background.
This is an album that doesn’t just ask for a relistening, it demands it. To tell you the truth I’m not sure if I still comprehend it, even after listening to it several times.
As if the tracks themselves weren’t complicated enough, the lyrics include medical terminology. Oh f*** yes it’s metaphorical.
Although this might sound like the wet dream of any House M.D. fanatic, this album’s got a lot to offer to any open minded listener.
Have a go and see what you think!
Here’s the album on Spotify: Tourniquet – Psychosurgery (URI)
Tourniquet – Psychosurgery (html)
The Dragonborn comes
“Dovahkiin, Dovakhiin naal ok zin los vahriin
wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan
fod nust hon zindro zaan
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!”
These are the lyrics to the ending part of YouTube user Malukah’s video in which she covers both the bard song and the main theme of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. She also has two other Skyrim covers on her channel that you should check out, and she intends to record more.