The Null Device

2001/8/18

A copy of some early Swirl EPs landed mysteriously in my hands of late. Hmmm; their cover of Nick Cave's Ship Song is interesting.

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And I won't even mention the Bruce Sterling/A-list thing here, except to say that you'd have to be Bruce Sterling to get away with something so obnoxiously crass and come off smelling like roses. Talk about pulling rank.

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The future of online marketing? As banner-ad revenue declines and online marketers search for new ways to irritate their customers into paying attention, an English magazine firm has come across an attention-grabbing new tactic: Emap send email to customers, accusing them of accessing illegal pornography, telling them that details had been passed on to the police, and offering a link they could click to appeal against the charges. The link went to a web site advertising the MaxPower car show, orgainsed by Emap. What next? "I've been screwing your wife. Click here to see my AIDS test results.", perhaps? (via Found)

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The rise of the post-straight man, or how gay culture has shaped straight masculinity, and straight men are acting more gay, to move up the social ladder and have more success in business and with women. Probably a good thing, if it breaks down the meathead stereotypes of straight masculinity. (via Rebecca's Pocket)

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I just came back from seeing Prop; it was a great show. They played two sets, varying in style from mellow ambience to massive bootywhang funk grooves to Mogwaiesque post-rockish pieces, and ending with a rousing climax. Had the show been somewhere with a dance floor, rather than a mature, sophisticated jazz club with stylish round tables, people would undoubtedly have been getting up en masse to dance.

Anyway, their CD (Small Craft Rough Sea) should be making its way to the shops soon. If you missed them this time, they're coming back to Melbourne later this year, and playing at Revolver.

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Stranger than fiction: Norway bestows military honour on penguin. The penguin, named Nils Olav, resides in the Edinburgh Zoo and is the first penguin to hold rank in the Norwegian Army, and now holds the rank of honourable regimental sergeant major. (via Meg)

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