I saw a photo of the Kate Windsor (Middleton) portrait and immediately thought of the cover of the Swans album  "The Seer" which made a lot of people's best of 2012 lists.

Judge for yourself:-
http://www.voidstar.com/images/kate_seer_2.jpg

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Ah, yes, I remember it well.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QPrNK-qlGzI/UMZCOu1KzqI/AAAAAAAAEV4/CR6XtiSMkzc/s1600/rememberthe00s.jpg
From here. http://retromaniafootnotes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/800x600-normal-0-false-false-false-en_743.html

Running out of past? Or has retro now caught up with the present and is about to overtake it?

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Really, mankind, if you had to have an Existential Crisis, you should have done it before the industrial revolution. We can't stop now we're on the highway (to hell). http://cser.org/index.html [1]

And btw, please fund our research centre before the end of the anthropocene. Our university only has 200 years to go before it's millenium and we'd like the institution to still be around to see out it's first 1000 years. 

[1] Centre for the Study of Existential Risk: "Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy, Cambridge", "Emeritus Professor of Cosmology & Astrophysics, Cambridge", and "Co-founder of Skype" TOGETHER AT LAST!

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Nice, "Keep Cal ..."
http://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/40094968289/keep-cal#notes

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Vocaloids Attack!
Just come across an awesome new thing. Vocaloid is a computer tech developed by Yamaha to take lyrics and melody and output a synthesised vocal line. It's disturbingly almost realistic lying right in the middle of "Uncanny Valley". This first clip is a beautiful use of it to provide a soundtrack to some Anime. Tower of Sunz (English Sub) via http://kitschstortion.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/tower-of-sunz.html

Clearly the next thing to do is to add it to a virtual dance partner. http://gharrhome.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/making-your-own-3d-dancing-vocaloid/ Vocaloid Honey

And there's an obvious crossover with AKB48's newest member Eguchi Aimi who is an Idoru; a computer generated composite of some of the other members. Hre's a short vid explanation AKB48 ????? Making of Eguchi Aimi ?????CM???????? At the moment she (it?) has an overdubbed human voice but how long can that last? I expect to read soon that legions of soushoku danshi[1] (literally translated, "grass-eating boys." or herbivores that have turned their back on competitive society) have fallen in love with her and are wasteing away in their bedsits.

Vocaloid-Animated version of an AKB48 hit. Vocaloid Academy~RIVER And there's plenty more where that came from! http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=akb48+vocaloid

This was all prompted by http://kitschstortion.blogspot.co.uk/ Which seems to be a most excellent blog.

[1]http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2009/06/the_herbivores_dilemma.html

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And that was the moment I was waiting for, when Bruce hits his full flow as he talks about "robots" taking "jobs".
http://www.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/459/State-of-the-World-2013-Bruce-St-page05.html#post104 
"whatever happens to musicians will eventually happen to everybody."

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My favourite carbon atoms have travelled through time and space for 5 billion years to bring you this message.
[from: Google+ Posts]

Another reason to visit Trinity Buoy Wharf where the River Lea meets the Thames in East London. There's a listening post there in the top of the lighthouse to this. http://longplayer.org/what/overview.php

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State of the world 2013
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/12/what-are-the-big-issues-of-201.html
vs
http://www.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/459/State-of-the-World-2013-Bruce-St-page01.html

As usual the comment stream on the Charlie Stross blog is much, much richer than that on The Well around Sterling/Lebkowsky. I'm not sure what that says about the crowd involved as it's probably more to do with the medium of expression. Bruce Sterling has interesting stuff to say as always, at least as interesting as Charlie Stross. It's more the quality of the discussion I'm interested in here.

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Best of 2012 Music
They're not all in yet, but here's a placeholder of best of 2012 music (mostly dance/electronic) lists from people and sources that deserve a little respect (IMHO).

Resident Advisor
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1700
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1701
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1702
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1703
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1704
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1705

Xlr8r
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2012/12/see-you-2013-check-out-our-best-

White Noise
http://whitenoisereview.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/20-best-eps-of-2012.html

The Quietus
http://thequietus.com/articles/10924-the-quietus-albums-of-the-year-2012
http://thequietus.com/articles/11013-hyperspecific-19-tracks-of-2012-list-mix

Simon Reynolds 12 for 12
http://blissout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/12-for-12-normal-0-false-false-false-en.html

Drowned in Sound
http://drownedinsound.com/lists/the-best-of-dis-2012

DFRNT Sitting Ovation
http://sittingovation.com/articles/dfrnts-favourite-albums-of-2012/

Fact Magazine
http://www.factmag.com/category/endofyear/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/26/artists-best-of-2012-10-lee-gamble-patten-ital-mishka/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/25/artists-best-of-2012-9-blackdown-king-britt-dj-q-hoya-hoya/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/24/artists-best-of-2012-8-slugabed-hodge-christian-martin-deviation/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/23/artists-best-of-2012-7-wolfgang-voigt-lil-jabba-dusky/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/22/artists-best-of-2012-6-scratcha-dva-hyetal-soul-clap-tvo/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/21/artists-best-of-2012-5-dominick-fernow-peverelist-regis-andy-votel-raime/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/20/artists-best-of-2012-4-silent-servant-pan-holly-herndon-old-apparatus-pete-swanson/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/19/artists-best-of-2012-3-the-bug-jackmaster-logos-mista-men-type/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/18/artists-best-of-2012-2-starkey-faltydl-supreme-cuts-bok-bok-tri-angle/
http://www.factmag.com/2012/12/17/artists-best-of-2012-1-daedelus-ryan-hemsworth-trouble-bass-semtek-bloom/

MthrFnkr
http://mthrfnkr.com/post/36057609845/young-blood-sound-of-2013
http://mthrfnkr.com/post/37240184931/following-up-our-first-introduction-to-what-the

The Wire (in print or subscription)
http://www.thewire.co.uk/news/21457/rewind-2012-issue-out-now

20 Jazz Funk Greats
http://www.20jazzfunkgreats.co.uk/wordpress/cats/best-of-2012/

Pitchfork
http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9017-the-top-50-albums-of-2012/

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It's that time of year again. Bruce Sterling's State of the World discussion with Jon Lebowsky on The Well. So that's an enthusiastic, Italo-phile, Texan, Sci-fi author currently absorbing Belgrade's doom and gloom; An Internet evangelist, gonzo futurist, Texan, prognosticator; and a supporting cast of mostly Californian techno-shaman.

http://www.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/459/State-of-the-World-2013-Bruce-St-page01.html

Pretty much equal parts of amazing factoid, critical analysis and infuriating points of view then. And being on The Well, it's fairly hard to join in with any meaningful discussion. Oh well, I expect to be both stimulated and annoyed! That's what usually seems to happen to me. ;)

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Last.fm streaming going subscription only or shutting
So farewell then, Last.fm radio. From Tuesday 15 January 2013, most of the world loses access completely, United States, United Kingdom, and Germany retain ad-supported free access on the website but subscription only in the desktop and iPhone clients. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Brazil is subscription only.

A while ago, I did some work on a python proxy that uses the API to stream last.fm radio to things like Winamp. I imagine that will go subscription only as well.

Oh well. Streaming is apparently how we will all listen to music via Spotify, Pandora, Grooveshark, Google Play, etc. But it seems CBS (who own last.fm) can't work out how to make it pay or deal with the licensing issues outside a few countries. All a bit sad when last.fm was one of the first.

Announcement: http://www.last.fm/announcements/radio2013
Discussion: http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/2197072
Proxy http://www.last.fm/group/LastFMProxy

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J-Pop, K-Pop. So where's C-Pop?

One of those must-read articles if you're trying to make sense of 2012
world culture. http://thequietus.com/articles/11001-psy-gangnam-style-k-pop

I remember the future-rush.
It's different from the thrill of encountering a true original.
The sensation is electric but impersonal; It's about new forms not new faces; It's a much purer, harder hit.
It's the same scary-euphoric rush that the best science fiction gives: the vertigo of limitlessness.
I still believe the future is out there. (c Simon Reynolds)
It's all kicking off again. (c Paul Mason)

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Music I've failed to find in 2012

Toffler013 - DFRNT - Rising Tide / Sunflower / Triple Threat EP [Toffler]
OTE016 - DFRNT - The Big Freeze / Monday Morning EP [On The Edge]
DECA024 - Orphan101 - Patcher EP [Deca Rhythms]
Plan004 - Recondite - Plangent #004 [Plangent Records]
MAD016 - Some Truths - Midnight mornings drenched in dayglo [MAGIC + DREAMS]
Wigflex007 - Hizatron & Bashley - Discharge [Wigflex]
ABTV001 - Moodymanc - Tuck [Abstract Theory]
BW06 - Aidan Baker With Richard Baker - Smudging [Backwards]
MMAKEU01 U - Eah / Evil Spirits / Haunted / Heaven [Man Make Music]
Nocow - Yule [styrax]
FRJ014 - Geiom - Glesprin EP [Frijsfo Beats]
KING015 - A Thousand Years – Farmers in Fields of Stars [King Deluxe]
Syron - Waterproof

I suppose I could try and buy some of them. But then they may not be worth listening to or they may drop into my lap some time in the new year.
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Will Self on Radio4 - A Point of View. Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be!

Saw/heard this and thought of Retromania[1] and Hauntology[2]. A 10 minute essay on how nostalgia is an affectation of the young because they have so little of it. Touching on familiar territory about the digital availability of all of history and the ever-accelerating tempo of the news cycle.

words: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20726824#
audio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p7hf3
Source blog: http://will-self.com/2012/12/14/a-point-of-view-digital-
past/
[1] http://retromaniabysimonreynolds.blogspot.co.uk/
[2] http://www.scoop.it/t/hauntology

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I'm seeing more and more of these around London and the SE of the UK. Bins made of clear plastic bin liner so you can see what's in the rubbish. I have this horrible feeling that this is an anti-terrorist, anti-riot thing allied to public safety announcements about reporting unattended baggage. It makes me want to fantasise about dropping a smoke grenade into them, except that of course the heat would mean it would just burn straight through the bin liner. 

There's a delightfully "New Aesthetic" comment at the bottom of the tumblr post with reference to "the bin icon doesn't resemble the actual bin" "Failed skeuomorphism. We need... [a,sic] catchy word for that."

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Drummage
Simon Reynolds has called for examples of drummage here.[1]
This is about the human body possessed by rhythm, but more than that, about musicians who are physically close, sharing the same space, joining together in the moment to build that mundane miracle, a groove.

Every decade or so, some westerners re-discover what happens out in the desert in the northern Sahara of Morocco and especially up around the Atlas mountains. People like William Burroughs, Brian Jones, Ginger Baker and in this recording, Rebop Kwaku Baah, the percussionist from Traffic. This record has haunted me since I first heard it. I foolishly lent my vinyl copy to a friend that I lost touch with before I could get it back. 30 years later or so, I found an MP3 rip. Occasionally, some of the musicians get persuaded to go on the road and turn up in London or Paris for a few concerts before disappearing again.

So close your eyes, and imagine yourself by the camp fire in the middle of the desert. There's a bunch of desert people of all ages from apprentice kids to wizened old holy fools. The drum circle has been going for a few hours and it'll keep going for another few hours. People wander in, play for a bit and then wander out when they get tired.

Every one knows the way the rhythms develop but it's an exercise in group think and improvisation. Nothing's written down or pre-determined. There's no sign of 4-4 or even western style bars but there's a groove and it can take you to the stars.

REEBOP KWAKU BAAH & GANOUA . TRACK : RIF ZEF ZEF

[1]http://blissout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/all-talk-of-10th-anniversaries-and-40th_11.html

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And the first contributions are in from the drummage cru.
http://blissout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html

Drummage, part the second:- http://blissout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/drummige-cru-2.html. This contains a somewhat bizarre comment about me. Julian Bond at Voidstar with a really unusual pick that momentarily makes me understand why Can invited him to join the band. Err, what? Have I got an evil twin or alter-ego that was invited by Can to join them? Is this a joke that I simply don't get?

From the "Truth is stranger than fiction" desk.
Bio-engineered cyanobacteria squeezing "blue petroleum" from its colonies and then selling the high-value algal by-products as nutritional supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids.

So far so good but what happens when the encrypted gene sequences cross into human gut E.Coli and we get human spontaneous combustion, eh?

Apocalypse. It's so much easier in the real world. Ah Peter Watts, I love your sense of SciFi humour. Now hurry up and release the next Blindsight book.
http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=3813

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Digital remixes of 9 year old CDs
Finding this just a little strange. Four Tet's curation of Late Night Tales was one of the better editions in that series, back in the day. But does it really justify a digital remaster/reissue just 9 years later? Surely just a professional quality rip to 320kb or 192kb vbr is all that's needed. Or is this a retromania, hauntology and cynical attempt to capitalise on people spending money on buying all the same music again in yet another format. Or to capitalise on Four Tet's current rising stock and brand in the music scene.

What are we to make of a curated mix set in these days of people buying single tracks instead of whole albums? Or avoiding buying music directly by streaming it from Spotify or Youtube. And £8.99-> £14.99!!! really? I only discovered this because it turned up on one of the russian file-locker monitoring blogs. Free beats 15 quid, any day. But then Amazon is charging 11.50 for the CD and 5.50 for the MP3s. Truly, music pricing makes little or no sense these days.

http://www.discogs.com/mp3/Four-Tet-Various-Late-Night-Tales-Four-Tet-Remastered/1915601

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The Copyright Industry is trying to kill the (UK) Pirate Party
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/help

What this is all about
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/wiki/Reverse_proxy_of_The_Pirate_Bay
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/wiki/Richard_O%27Dwyer
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/wiki/Main_Page

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