Posts tagged Good News

Frontier Is Everywhere

Despite all our failings and downfalls, we are capable of greatness.

John Cage silence

Silence for Christmas Number 1

This is perhaps my favourite Christmas single release of all time. If not the only one I will ever buy. You will no doubt have heard of last years succesful campaign to get Rage Against the Machine to Number 1 in order to beat the winner of X Factor in protest of its awfulness, and Simon Cowell. This year could prove to be even more embarrassing for the both Cowell and his TV show.

John Cage silence

I am totally for this protest. I think the X Factor is quite simply gross. It is so false. None of these people will be successful and few are even remotely talented. But what I hate most about it is that it is forced upon us. How many people really want another series of this shit year in year out? Let alone the awful horrible songs these people are forced to sing on the show. Simon Cowell, you are past it. You have not successfully found a good artists for the best part of a decade. You are forcing bad music that you wish to remain on us because you can. Nobody wants to listen to Westlife covers any more! Nobody want a new boy band! We want new, exciting and different music that comes from people with heart and soul, that can sing and write music. The only reason people watch X Factor is because you refuse to let anyone do anything new!

So in protest this year, a group of actual respected and decent musicians are to record their version of one of the most experimental songs in music history. John Cage, for those of you that don’t know, is responsible for some of the strangest music ever written, with a passion for minimalism. This year a coalition of artists are gathering to record their version of perhaps his most profound piece 4′33″. It is essentially an orchestra sitting down at their instruments but playing nothing for the songs 4 minutes and 33 second duration.

Artists including Orbital, Imogen Heap, Pete Doherty, Billy Bragg, Coldcut, John McClure, The Kooks, Heaven 17 and The Big Pink are attending the recording session at Dean Street Studios in Soho, which will be produced by Paul Epworth, who won the Brit Award for best producer this year.

The proceeds of the track will go to charity, and would certainly outdo last years achievement of getting rage against the machine to number 1. It would without a doubt be the biggest upset to the mainstream music industry of all time, but at the same time the biggest achievement for real music fans ever. Get involved people. John Cage was a genuine legend and getting this to number 1 would allow him to have a legacy as big as he deserves.

Speed Camera Lottery

Just because we already have a system in place, even if it has been in place for years, does not necessarily mean it is the best solution. In many cases it seems, they mar be far from the best.

So it is down to people like me, you and the young to take a new perspective, innovate and create new ideas. This is what progress is. Change. Here is a perfect example. Everybody hates speed cameras. Fact. But they do, to some extent, make the surrounding area of road a bit safer as drivers slow down to avoid a fine, statistically not reducing the amount of accidents, but at least the severity of them.

So the problem here is people driving too fast and the current solution is to charge those who do. But why stop there says Kevin Richardson of the USA. Law abiding doesn’t have to be all punishment no gain. Why not make it more fun to obey the speed limit than exceed it?

So Richardson invented the Speed Camera Lottery. Those caught speeding will still be charged. But those who obey the speed limit will be entered into a lottery to win some of the money lost by those driving too fast. A much better system many would agree, but is it more effective? Volkswagen built one for a trail run in Sweden on a busy urban road and the results were clear. The average speed of cars and vans dropped by 22%. See for yourself:

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