silence of the lambs

I hope that just because you all have a new teacher you are not going to post here.  Well I won't be posting so much as I don't wan to  intrude on your space... 

In the meantime head on over to my newest blog.... T's corner

 you'll have to click on blog from the welcome screen  This means I can kill or start new blogs without having to invent new addresses :-)

I hope life is treating you all well.

Robots and other things

After our great discussion in class I though I'd follow up with a few details. Firstly, the name of the book I'm reading is Pandora's Star by Peter F Hamilton. It is in this book that the idea of rejuvenation and storing of memories is common.

Another book which discusses creating human clones is Spares  by Michael Marshall Smith, though this time it is far more sinister. 

The BBC also ran an interesting article yesterday about artificial intelligence reaching the complexity  of man's  in just over 20 years...

Let's just hope we are smart enough to use technology intelligently. The picture shows the danger of technology getting into the wrong hands :-)

Eurovision 2007 - France

Well, you know Eurovision, that amazing spectacle where super-star artists are revealed, like Verka Serdushka... Last year, another talent was discovered in the band Les Fatals Picards, with the music L'Amour A La France, or maybe not... no... not really... no way!

PS: I do not take any responsibility for any psychological traumas that this kind of videos may cause you

Hey hey!

Well...it's better late then never so...I'll post my Supergroup homework xP


"Dear Sirs / Madams

As the agent of a newly formed supergroup, “Pint’o Guiness”S, I hereby come to propose a deal to your recording company. The Band intends to start recording its first album and is already being touted as one of rock/metal’s greatest promises.

This six member band is performing a fresh and yet old Progressive/Heavy Metal/Rock genre, combining the freshness of symphonic and progressive rock with the fans favorite “Old-School” heavy metal. Small Tours done so far suggest fans will eagerly embrace the band and its music.

The Band’s members are all renowned in their field and have managed to achieve a level of understating beyond ordinary. As vocalists we have Norwegian, Kamelot’s power/progressive metal singer, Roy Khan, also known for his spells at Conception, and Dave Mustaine, a legend in the world of thrash metal, former Metallica lead guitarist and Megadeth’s central figure. Furthermore, he is also the guitarist of the band and is sure to take the fans back to the “Old-School” metal times with the help of his Megadeth string partner, bassist James LoMenzo whose genius his fans have long worshiped. But the twist here is that, besides thunderous rock drummer Neil Peart, the band counts with Celtic Woman’s fiddler Mairead Nesbitt and Dropkick Murphy’s Josh “Scruffy” Wallace playing the bagpipes and tin whistle. As you might have well noticed, the mix of genres makes it a unique musical experience.

Regarding the future of the band, all the members are enthusiastic and are sure things will flow mellifluously. Adding to some of the original pieces of work the band has already produced, is the fact that lyrics’ composer, Mustaine, claims to be full of ideas to help the band grab a place in History.

Hope you will consider supporting our great endeavor. You will certainly not regret it and neither will the fans.


Yours Hopefully,

António Lopes"


I had a great movie of bassist James LoMenzo to show you but it seems the embedding was disabled so I'll just leave the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFi9NlxAJmE

Here's a clip from Megadeth (rock on! xD) with Dave Mustaine and James LoMenzo:


And a clip from Mairead Nesbitt:

Homework by Carolina Bruxelas

Hello! I hope this is what we were supposed to do...


Essay:


Music has an incredibly important role in our daily lives. It is present everywhere. What is happening with our soundtrack? What is its status in the world today? In this essay, I shall explore this theme from the professional musician’s and the school music teacher’s point of view, giving my own opinion on music in our society.

It is a fact that music is more available to us than ever before. From the music channels, continuingly broadcasting the latest releases, to the devices which enable us to store and transport in our pockets, what once were piles of CDs and thousands of vinyl, music is always surrounding us. It is very frequent to find live music in small local venues. In the subway, for instance, rare are the days when you do not hear music. But where is music more important than in a party? It is a fundamental part of any festivity.

Professional musicians are seen as highly skilled individuals yet their earnings do not always reflect their talent. In contrast to this, great well-known performers, as famous pop stars, gain a great deal. From the classical point of view, however, it is really hard to find orchestral positions, which is quite demoralizing for those who spent their lives improving their skills.

On the question of teaching music in school, teachers state that not enough is done. People tend to regard music as a less important part of the curriculum than mathematics. At the same time, children who learn music at a young age benefit academically. This is not to say that everyone should be able to read music, as it is not a fundamental life skill.

No one would dispute the fact that music brings many benefits. Not only it improves the social life of the performers, but it also allows people to be creative. Considering the advantages of listening to music, it is both relaxing and enjoyable.

Music is very important in our lives. If music was given more value, maybe much more talented performers would be discovered and maybe that would result in greater joy to us all.


Carolina

Homework, by Nuno Coelho

thomas, I could really use your email for sending you my homework, but since i don't have it i'll just paste it here on the blog

The aim of this essay is to examine the effect of music in society, having in account the perspectives of professional musicians and music teachers. My opinion shall sometimes be provided as well.

It is often said that music was born with mankind, providing a rather useful mean of communication, due to its universality; one cannot dispute that music is nowadays more available than ever before. Nevertheless, some find current music quite unpleasant – “way too noisy”. People don’t seem to realise the role of music in our society, and it is yet remarkably important: take marketing, for instance. Marketing experts have mastered the use of music for profit – recall the music you hear at the supermarket: it is proved that people will buy more or less according to what they’re listening to.

In what regards professional musicians, they can be split into three groups: those who play in local rock bands, profiting little from CD sales (even though many of them exist due to the fact that making one’s own CD is nowadays easy) and earning mainly from minor events; the classical performers, who fairly claim there to be little offer and low wages, regardless their skills and hard work – I personally find this worrying, as there will be ever less people to pursue this career; and the top performers, who make quite a profit. It’s certainly true that they are very skilled; however I think their earnings might be just a bit too high, especially when compared to those of classical musicians.

Moreover, music teachers rationally support the idea that some school subjects, such as Maths, are more important than music. On the other hand, they argue that children should have lessons from early age. I agree to this point, as it is true that children who develop musical skills tend to have more academic success.

From the teachers’ point of view, music brings other benefits besides the one previously mentioned: one argument in favour of this is that it has been proved that playing increases one’s creativity and self-acknowledgement; and listening is in fact relaxing and amusing.

After presenting all these arguments, I consider music to play an important role in society. Still, should everyone possess musical skills, in a way that would forbid a few people (professional musicians) to earn for their livings through music?

Little Tortilla Boy

Here's the next blockbuster: