Remarkable people

Vidal Sassoon’s streetfighting past

Emilie du Chatelet, woman of science

Germaine Tillion, resistance leader

Looking for more remarkable people? Why not borrow someone from the library?

New Mountain Goats Video

My favorite American band offers a new development of the old Subterranean Homesick Blues here-are-the-lyrics theme: “Sax Rohmer #1”

More Mountain Goats: “This Year”

“Song For an Old Friend”

Her Majesty’s Wall of Sound

Here are some entertaining British attempts to emulate Phil Spector’s production techniques.

1960s: The Walker Brothers, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”


1960s: Marianne Faithfull, “Is This What I Get for Loving You?”


1970s: Wizzard, “See My Baby Jive”


2000s: The Pipettes, “Because It’s Not Love (But It’s Still a Feeling)”


And one of Spector’s tracks with Starsailor from a few years ago, “Silence Is Easy”

Yusuf Islam Lets the Cat Out

Here are some nice new songs from the latest Yusuf Islam CD, An Other Cup.

Midday (Avoid City After Dark):

I Think I See the Light:

Heaven/Where True Love Goes:

GLASS: a Portrait of Philip in 12 Parts

At last, a movie that I’m actually interested in seeing:

An interview with the director:

Here are some Indian dancers and a piece from the excellent Passages collaboration between Glass and Ravi Shankar:

A mighty vision of Philip Glass in the clouds over Edinburgh:

And a video from the New York Times about a visually stunning setting of Glass’s opera Satyagraha.

Stephen Fry on Room 101

Here's a very entertaining interview with Stephen Fry. Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Wacky Graphs II

Good graphs that somehow didn’t make the front page of GraphJam:

see more funny graphs


see more funny graphs


see more funny graphs




see more funny graphs


see more funny graphs

Intriguing stories from the past month or so

“Supergrid” could power 100% of human needs from 1% of the world’s desert

Operation Cumulus: did UK government drown 35 people?

Wal-Mart, doing the right thing

A gripping read that’s just plain scary

Charity that costs government 14 times more money than it raises!

Thorium: abundant nuclear energy with minimal drawbacks.

Anyone want a free laptop?

Anyone want a free car? Israel goes electric (watch the embedded video – very inspiring)

Extra windpower to fuel Denmark’s cars

Greatest Beatles Covers from YouTube – a Top Ten

10) Regina Spektor: “Real Love”

9) Emmylou Harris: “For No One”

8) Johnny Cash: “In My Life”

7) Sarah McLachlan "Blackbird"

6) tied-Wilson Pickett: “Hey Jude”

6) tied-Cilla Black: “Step Inside, Love” demo

5) Los Fabulosos Cadillacs: “Strawberry Fields Forever”

4) Vanessa-mae: “Because”

3) Jake Shimabukuro: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

2) Fiona Apple: Across the Universe

1) Rick Wakeman: “Help” with “Eleanor Rigby”


Bonus newer Beatley track from Paul McCartney: “English Tea”


Honorable Mentions (good covers, lousy videos)

Will Downing: “Michelle”

Aimee Mann: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (not much of a video)

Maurice André, Trumpet Master

Here’s an extraordinary performance of Marcello’s adagio:

Maurice with Dizzy:

Yo, Granada!