More Mashup

i found this mashup the other day. i hope that you like it

A Thousand Kisses Deep

Late last month i saw Leonard Cohen perform at a Day on the Green. His performance was amazing, but since then i have had this poem stuck on my mind.
I hope that you like it to.

A Thousand Kisses Deep

1. You came to me this morning
And you handled me like meat.
You´d have to live alone to know
How good that feels, how sweet.
My mirror twin, my next of kin,
I´d know you in my sleep.
And who but you would take me in
A thousand kisses deep?

2. I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat.
I´m just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet,
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique -
With all he is, and all he was
A thousand kisses deep.

3. All soaked in sex, and pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
We made it to the forward deck
I blessed our remnant fleet -
And then consented to be wrecked
A thousand kisses deep.

4. I know you had to lie to me,
I know you had to cheat.
But the Means no longer guarantee
The Virtue in Deceit.
That truth is bent, that beauty spent,
That style is obsolete -
Ever since the Holy Spirit went
A thousand kisses deep.

5. (So what about this Inner Light
That´s boundless and unique?
I´m slouching through another night
A thousand kisses deep.)

6. I´m turning tricks; I´m getting fixed,
I´m back on Boogie Street.
I tried to quit the business -
Hey, I´m lazy and I´m weak.
But sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep.

7. (And fragrant is the thought of you,
The file on you complete -
Except what we forgot to do
A thousand kisses deep.)

8. The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it´s done -
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it´s real
A thousand kisses deep.

9. (I jammed with Diz and Dante -
I did not have their sweep -
But once or twice, they let me play
A thousand kisses deep.)

10. And I´m still working with the wine,
Still dancing cheek to cheek.
The band is playing "Auld Lang Syne" -
The heart will not retreat.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep -
You ditch it all to stay alive
A thousand kisses deep.

11. And now you are the Angel Death
And now the Paraclete;
And now you are the Savior's Breath
And now the Belsen heap.
No turning from the threat of love,
No transcendental leap -
As witnessed here in time and blood
A thousand kisses deep.

Simple Pleasures

My Monday mornings isn’t always this relaxing and indulgent but today is different. I am waiting for the local mechanic to complete his mystical mechanical magic on my car. I have three hours of self-indulgent, responsibility free nothing ahead of me.

When entering the trendiest café in town I am hit with the glorious smell of freshly made coffee. The morning will soon begin with a blast to the senses. One muffin and two coffees later I feel content. I am now refreshed and awake and can begin my day. The regulars in the café are revitalized from the weekend and awake to all the possibilities that the week will bring. They are alive with the buzz of conversation and are soaking in the soothing sounds of Carla Bruni and Norah Jones. For those enjoying coffee and a small bite to eat, the morning is a slow relaxing introduction to the week where the only troubles are completing the crossword puzzle within The Age.
“How do you spell annihilate?”
Young mothers with their toddlers’ gossip about the events of the last week, exchange cooking tips and restaurant reviews and discuss the first steps of their children. For the young mothers this is the time where life is still slow and relaxed before it becomes a hectic race to keep up. In the corner a retired couple enjoy the fact that the life has slowed down and there is time to indulge in the simple pleasures. Everyone has someone and no one has a care in the world.

The irony of the whole situation is that while I write this description I am sitting alone with my computer and ignoring the atmosphere, the locals and the music. I think that it is time to close down word and live.
There is nothing better then a lazy Monday morning

Best Albums of 2008

I know that it is late in the new year to be doing a “best of 2008” post however I have just got over my holiday hangover and I feel that it is time to have some direction within my life. So the first thing to do is to update my blog.

From Christmas until now I have been thinking about the music of 2008. Throughout the last year I have been listening to alternative pop and indie with a healthy dose of electronic, drum n’ bass and hip-hop. The albums of my top ten may not be critically acclaimed, however they have had a degree of high rotation through my stereo speakers. In fact if you asked my family they would say they have heard them a little too much. I believe I was told to “..turn off that bloody music I don’t want to listen to Laura Marling AGAIN.”

Without too much ado, I give you my top ten music albums of 2008.

10. Jazz Liberatorz “Clin d’oeil”
I have always had a fascination with jazz and hip-hop fusions. In my opinion the best hip-hop is slightly jazzy, like The Fugees or Jurassic 5. I quite liked the Jazzmatazz albums by Guru but I quickly became sick of only his voice and looked for some variety. I also felt that they were a little hip-hop oriented and didn’t incorporate the jazz to its full extent. The variety and jazz came within this album by the Jazz Liberatorz. From what I can gather the Jazz Liberatorz are a group of producers from Paris who have invited guests vocalists to perform on their album. The album is a perfect fusion of jazz and hip-hop and perfect to chill out to on these hot summers days. For me the stand out tracks are: Vacation (featuring J-Live), The Return (featuring Sadat X), I Am Hip Hop (featuring Asheru). This being said the whole album is brilliant. Highly recommended.

9. Amadou and Mariam “Welcome to Mali”
This album was created by a blind couple from Mali and carries a strong African influence. This being said, it does not bring with it the usual connotations that are associated with “World” music. The melodies are simple, beautiful and often inspired by western pop music. Damon Albarn (from Blur and Gorillaz fame) produced the opening track Sabali adding slight electronic eighties pop to African Folk/Blues. The stand out tracks are: Sabali, Masiteladi, and Je Te Kiffe. This album is poignant and relevant within our western world and culture. Four stars

8. The Bug “London Zoo”
By this time you the reader must be thinking “Tom, where is your party spirit? Let loose the party animal.” Well this album by The Bug is full of bangin’ party tunes. At the start of 2008 I was introduced to the musical style of Dubstep. This introduction changed the way that I listened to music. It’s awesome. (On a side note if you are interested in Dubstep you should check out the music of Skream and Benga.) “London Zoo” is dark, political, grimy and raw. My favourite tracks are: Poison Dart, Skeng, and Murder We.

7. Max Richter “24 Postcards in Full Colour”
Having gone to a Steiner School I should have an appreciations for “classical” music, however this was not the case until I heard the work of Max Richter. After listening to Richter I began to listen to classical music on purpose. Initially what attracted me to “24 Postcards in Full Colour” was the method through which one could listen to the music online. http://www.24postcards.co.uk/ displays 24 images that when selected play a song from the album. All the songs are short, very simple and eloquent. They are designed as art for mobile phones. (I have a fascination with phone art; see “Art within the Digital Age” within this blog.) Richter fuses many of the traditional elements of classical music with modern technology and sound manipulation. 24 Postcards in Full Colour is the perfect blending of new technology with a traditional from of art. Beautiful and wonderful.

6. TV On The Radio “Dear Science”
TV On The Radio have greatly matured since their previous album “Return To Cookie Mountain.” Dear Science is a hive of creativity and good times. Strings and horns are placed above driving rhythms that insight random acts of flamboyant and energetic public displays of dance. The stand out tracks are: Stork and Owl, Golden Age, and Halfway Home. Highly recommended to those that enjoy a good dose of creativity with fun times.

5. Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes”
The Fleet Foxes describe their music as "baroque harmonic pop jams," however this does not accurately portray the beauty that is revealed within the album. Originally from Seattle (a city that is renowned for such acts as Nirvana and Pearl Jam) the Fleet Foxes have created an album that defies modern music categorising. With a mixture of folk music with baroque harmonies that invokes meadows of luscious grass and woodlands in the summer, and indie folk that is similar to the likes of Bon Iver, and Iron and Wine, Fleet Foxes have created a classic that will transport the listener into simpler times. Highly recommended.

4. Pendulum “In Silico”
Those that know me will know that I can’t go past a good meaty drum n bass album. Pendulum has made it into my top ten this year because they helped me to relieve stress throughout the Uni year. They were a welcome distraction from homework and readings.

The music is very different from their previous album. It is created with a huge rock influence that makes the tracks even more epic then before. It is also a very dark record with dark lyrics and music. There still is the distinctive sound of the bass lines and the drums that attracted me to their first album “Hold Your Colour.” What a great way to be transported out of uni life and into one that has never-ending hype and parties. I am so looking forward to seeing Pendulum at the Big Day Out. This album ROCKS

3. Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend”
Fun and happy indie pop cannot help but gladden the heart, happy fun indie pop that has a recorder in it no less. There are many catchy songs that are great to dance to as well as to put on wanting to be relieved of all of your troubles. I like most of the songs within this album but the standouts are: Oxford Comma, A-Punk, and One (Blakes Got A New Face). This is sunny pop for all occasions and is great to listen to on a hot afternoon with a beer in the backyard.

2. Mystery Jets “Twenty One”
I have noticed that I can be easily wooed with simple and beautiful pop melodies. “Twenty One” is full of stories about being young, carefree and in love. The music reflects the songs well at time being cheeky and mischievous with beautiful harmonies, and at times holding the stark sound that is associated with British guitar based Indie. For me the best song on the album is the first single, that features Laura Marling, called Young Love. This song is so musically and lyrically relevant to my life at the moment. It is this album that kept me sane throughout the year at Uni last year. I love it. 5 out of 5

1. Laura Marling “Alas I Cannot Swim”
Alas I Cannot Swim is amazing. Laura Marling is a beautiful singer/songwriter from the UK. Her debut album is created with remarkable confidence; she was 18 when the album was released, with songs that have me hooked at every moment. The stories that are portrayed within the songs are both relevant to the youth of today as well as those that are more mature. Again the songs are simple with an almost organic feel that comes with the minimal arrangements. This album makes me think of love, youth and life. For me, listening to this record can lock me within the moment an all of life’s troubles become simple trivialities that are no longer relevant or important. The whole album is magnificent however I feel that the best tracks are: Ghosts, You’re No God, Failure, and My Manic And I.

New Blog and New Digital Image

with the start of the there is a new mew emerging. i am no longer a student and therefore no longer need to regularly blog. this being said i found the experience to be most enjoyable and have decided to tell you the reader (or if there are no readers the ether) more of my theoretical musings. these musings will no longer only be about the media but we shall see what the future brings. i look forward to sharing my stories with you.
piece out.
tom

Social Networking Websites and the Construction of Identity.

Thomas Erickson claims that personal websites are created and used to construct identity. At the time the article was written the technology and culture of personal websites was just starting to be explored. Within today’s society the phenomenon has moved from personal websites to social networking websites such as Facebook and Myspace. This essay will look at the ways in which Erickson’s notion of identity construction is evident within the media of social networking websites. To understand how identity is constructed, a comprehensive understanding of identity must be established. This essay will explore the humanistic theory of identity and discover how it relates to the social networking websites Facebook and Myspace.

There are many debates as to what constitutes identity and the self. The humanistic theory of identity claims that people have “a kind of double consciousness.” People have a social self that conforms to the social roles required of it, as well as a true or “background self which chooses to act out the roles and which monitors the success or failure of the performance.” Jonathan Potter and Margaret Wetherell describe the relationship between the social and the true self as that of an actor performing on stage. The actor has two levels of consciousness, the consciousness of the character that the actor is performing and the “actor’s real self.” The self of the actor is removed from that of the character portrayed on stage, however it is still present on the stage.
The social self is fluid and can change quickly if the need arises where as the true self develops at a slower pace. The true self takes time to grow and mature; thus it is over the life span of the individual that the true self becomes fully developed. The individual establishes the true self through the “quest for self-fulfilments and self actualization,” as part of the social interactions and expectations of everyday life. Liliana Cabral Bastos, and Maria do Carma Leite de Oliveira claim that a large part of the identity of a person is an understanding of their “autobiographical continuity.” Due to the slower development of the true self it is through the true self that this sense of biography is expressed. The “stability” of the identity can be measured through the continuity of the biography that is communicated to others.
Psychologists have noticed that people act and hold themselves differently within different instances and situations. This observation leads to the idea that people act out different social roles that are required. Within the humanist theory it is the social self that acts out the social roles or personas. The roles executed by the social self include those within the family and education, as well as those in one’s professional, religious and recreational life. The roles are prescribed through the activities, behaviour and appearance that are socially accepted. It is through social interaction and discovery that the social self learns the expectations surrounding the different roles it must perform.
When unmodulated by a mature true self, the social self can be seen as a “victim of social circumstance” and shallow . Critics argue that, when on it’s own, the social self is a superficial representation of identity. This criticism does not take into account the importance of the social self in negotiating the role and social status of the individual within society. The social self learns the notion of “‘face:’ the positive attributes that a person claims for [themselves] in the course of social interaction.” The individual is able to view the positive elements of their identity in relation to those around them, as well as compare and question the identity of others. One media through which identity is constructed is through social networking websites.
Research has shown that people spend a considerable amount of time using, updating, and socialising on their social networking website. Within today’s society social networking websites have become exceedingly popular. Myspace has an estimated 66 million unique viewers, with 25 percent under the age of 18. A study conducted by Steve Jones, Sarah Millermaier, Mariana Goya-Martinez and Jessica Schuler found that of the 200 high school students surveyed, 81 percent used Myspace and were spending an average of 72 minutes per day “sending, posting and reading bulletins.” With such a large proportion of the population engaging in social networking websites it is important to construct a strong online identity.
Identity is constructed on the social network websites, such as Facebook, through a variety of means. A description of the individual’s identity is established through both text and image. Identity is constructed through the self-descriptive narrative that the individual reveals. The individual can reveal this information through various different categories. The ‘about me’ section generally gives a short biography of the individual. This will include past events as well as a brief summery of their current life situation and worldview. The autobiographical element of social networking websites portrays the true self of the individual. As such social networking sights help to build Bastos and Oliveira’s afore mentioned “autobiographical continuity”.
Identity can also be constructed through the various ‘favourite’ media that the individual reveals. The forms of media include lists of favourite movies, TV shows, and books. People often annotate this list, revealing why certain medias appeal to them and linking this to personal memories and experiences. In doing this, the user reveals more biographical information, allowing the list to become and indicator of identity.
One of the strongest tools used to construct identity on social networking websites is the image; in particular, the profile picture. Frederic Stutzman’s study concluded that around eighty percent of Facebook users included a profile picture on their profile. Within Jones et. al.’s study a similar result was found; 61.5% of the those that had a profile picture used a portrait as the identifying image while a further 14.4% had an image of the individual with a friend or partner.
For the construction of an online identity, the profile image of the individual is of great importance. When one navigates to the profile it is the first thing that that the observer sees. Jones et. al.’s study found that people quickly gained racial, sex and age information from the profile picture alone. The television program Triple J TV: The Hack Half Hour documents the life of sixteen-year-old Sophie, a prolific user of the social networking website Myspace. Sophie tells how she spends a lot of time dressing up and taking pictures of herself. After taking out all the blemishes in Photoshop the images go online. Sophie claims the success of the photos can be measured by the feedback that others leave on her profile.
One similarity between the personal web pages that Erickson describes and social networking sites is the ability to link to other pages. Erickson claims that on personal web pages one indicator of identity is evident through the links to “interesting people and places.” Social networking sight, Facebook allows people to ‘become a fan’ of various things. These things can range from celebrities to television shows and movies, from emotions to food and places, the weather or the seasons. The viewer of the profiles can gain an understanding of identity through the media that the individual feels is interesting enough to share with the online community.
The profile picture is not the only image uploaded onto social networking sights. People keep an album of images. In the case of Facebook, one may have several albums, divided into different categories. This album allows the user to add another layer to their ‘autobiography’ by including pictures of events and memories that are important to them. This may include parties, friends, weddings; images of ones own childhood or children. In publishing these images, the user reveals information about themselves, the things they enjoy as well as their personal history. These images are often annotated, both by the person who posts them, and the viewers, adding further layers of meaning and a deeper understanding.
The social identity created on social networking websites is often viewed as shallow or false due to its highly controlled and constructed nature. This author however, would argue that social networking allows for a deeper, richer identity. Social networking creates a platform on which all people can build and create an autobiography. In the past, autobiography has been limited to books, which lack the opportunity to grow and evolve, or to diaries that are often kept private and go unread. A page on MySpace or Facebook is ever evolving, subject to the influences of friends, family and society. This evolution is visible to the general public and thus becomes a true representation of the growing identity.

Jonathan Potter and Margaret Wetherell comparison of identity to the actor on the stage is particularly relevant to the construction of identity, through the medium of social networking. At first glance, the ‘persona’ or social self, created on Facebook or MySpace appears shallow, just as the character portrayed by the actor is ‘false’. When one looks through this superficiality however, the ‘true self ‘ can be seen beneath just as an actors self is apparent even in the portrayal of another. As such, social networking not only constructs the social self; it creates a platform through which the true self can evolve.


Bibliography and References:


Bastos, Liliana Cabral, and Maria do Carma Leite de Oliveira, “Identity and personal/institutional relations: people and tragedy in the health insurance customer service” in Anna De Fina, Deborah Schiffrin and Michael Bamberg (eds.), Discourse and Identity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2006,

boyd, danah, “Friends, Ftiendsters and Top 8: Writing Community into Being on Social Network Sites,” First Monday, Vol. 11, No. 12, December, 2006

Doyle, Brendan, (director), Triple J TV: The Hack Half Hour – My Face, Australian
Broadcasting Corporation, September 22, 2008

Erickson, Thomas, “The World Wide Web as Social Hypertext,” 1996, http://www.plaint.org/Tom_Erickson/Social_Hypertext.html (accessed 20 September 2008)

Jones, Steve, Sarah Millermaier, Mariana Goya-Martinez and Jessica Schuler, “Whose space is Myspace? A Content Analysis of Myspace Profiles,” First Monday, Vol. 13, No. 9, September, 2008

Jordan, Ken, Jan Hauser, and Steven Foster, “The augmented Social Network: Building Identity and Trust into the Next-Generation Internet,” First Monday, Vol. 8, No. 8, August, 2003


Potter, Jonathan, and Margaret Wetherell, Discourse and Social Psychology: Beyond Attitudes and Behaviour, Sage Publications, London, 1987

Stutzman, Frederic, “An Evaluation of Identity–Sharing Behavior in Social Network Communities,” International Digital and Media Arts Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2006 at http://www.ibiblio.org/fred/pubs/stutzman_pub4.pdf, (accessed 21 October 2008).

The blurring of realities.

Within the class the other day there was the suggestion that people who play games like “second life” can often loose contact with the boundaries of reality and confuse the two worlds. At first I thought that this was complete BS. How can you confuse the two realities? You are either at the computer or you’re not. There is either physical contact with human or there are words on a screen. But as I thought about it I found that within my experience there has been a blurring of realities.

Although logic will always dictate that there was no actual contact with the person as they are many miles away, there is still some sort of emotional connection. When I talk to people online in real time through msn, skype or facebook chat there is an element of reciprocation on behalf of the other person. They can answer all of the questions in real time and it becomes irrelevant where the person physically is situated in the world. It is the conversation that I remember not the medium. This being said in the ‘real world’ it is the information that is revealed to me by the other person that I remember. I remember that I spoke to someone and I don’t remember if it down the shops or on the phone.

To me I think that the virtual and reality blur when there is only superficial contact. I don’t mean this in a nasty way but simply when there is a general conversation that doesn’t involve any issues or conflict. I believe that this is more my sense of, what I believe to be, proper communication in such an event then a reflection upon the media itself. I prefer the face-to-face contact when resolving a conflict then words on a screen.

Tell me what you think.

Anonymity breads vulgarity.

As I trawl the Internet I have found that when people are able to be anonymous they perform crude and offensive acts. Where I have noticed this behaviour is at the “comment” part of sites like youtube.com. I don’t care that people behave this way but I was just wandering as to the reason why they feel they can get away with it.

If you read the comments after the video ‘Trent from Punchy” on youtube http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=0RjC-vh06_c you will see that people are not afraid to vent their racist and elitist stereotypes. On user (freakytzank) says

“i live in roselands which is next 2 punchbowl, n i have 2 say he would b the cream of crop cos the whole area is just full of scums like that. FUkn pingasssss, hahaha best ambassador 4 canterbury area”

When I talk about anonymity I am allowing for the fact that you can see the username of the person. However this doesn’t offer any real world information. They are obscure (xitedbeava135) and gibberish and do not reveal the real ‘identity’ of the person. Without their real identity revealed to the world there is no consequence to rude behaviour. What can the website do? In my experience the worst that can happen is the banning and blocking of that username to that server or site. This proves to be a minor inconvenience and doesn’t stop the problem for people simply create another username.

I have a friend that plays an online war game where the player is part of a troop of soldiers that fight the enemy. It is set in a modern day country using modern day weapons, gear and machinery. For a while he found it entertaining to ‘hack’ the game so that he was able to see where the enemy forces were and to make his weapons more efficient. These actions were against the rules of the game and after about two minutes of such actions he was blocked from that server. To get around this problem he simply signed in under the same username to a different server. This proved to only be a minor inconvenience as he could continue playing the game as normal from then on.

The problem of vulgarity on the Internet is one that is not easily fixed. All the power in theory is in the hands of the website wizards. They can control who is allowed onto the site as well as the content of the site. People can simply change their online identity and continue their outrageous behaviour.

What is the media’s place in reporting the news?

These are just some of the things that I have noticed over the years, particularly highlighted within the last few weeks. Over the last few weeks there have been many issues with the American that has affected the world economies. How has the media influenced and contributed to these crises? And, another age-old question, what is the purpose of the media when informing the public about the news?

Please correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding of the stock market is that it relies on consumer confidence. My extremely simplified understanding is that people buy stocks and assets when they are confident that a good return and profit is possible. When this confidence is lost or do not supply a good enough return the stocks are sold off. Thus a stock market crash is when everyone looses confidence at once. I feel that it is important to understand the media can influence consumer confidence.

If you want to take an alarmist point of view, it could be said that the media directly influences consumer confidence and has the power to insight stock market crashes. By reporting in a hysterical sensationalist way people will become court up in a whirlwind of panic and quickly sell their shares. I have found that people act on an emotional impulse when there is money and high stakes involved. This point is highlighted when people committed suicide after the stock market crash of 1929. Money is highly weighted with emotions.

Mass media seems to have a very short memory. I am also doing history subjects and there is a saying that “the only thing that we learn from history is that nobody learns from history.” This seems to be the case with the recent stock market trouble. One day it is the end of the world and there is a huge crash, and the next consumer confidence is up and the stock market has evened only to crash the very next day.

Please let me know if I am on the wrong track here.

Record Labels find new ways to continue their reign of terror.

In the presentation that peter and myself gave the other week we discussed that downloading music is technically illegal, however people are not that concerned about copyright infringement. There is even an argument that by offering free music and downloads an awareness of the band will be profitable down the track. The theory is that after the band is well known people will spend more money on concert tickets and merchandise. I have found that this theory applies does hold up for me personally as I will spend money on tickets. Seeing a band live is sooooooo much better then listening to a recording.


These days bands and record companies are creating awareness around bands with a different media, one that is harder to pirate and steal. The video game. Playstation’s Guitar Hero games have breathed new life into many older bands that had gone out of fashion. Aerosmith used to be one of the world largest rock bands but haven’t released any memorable albums for the last decade or so. The Aerosmith Guitar Hero game has brought a new generation in contact with those old ‘classic’ songs.

Its not just “old” songs and bands that are profiting from Guitar Hero, earlier this month Metallica released their new album “Death Magnetic” in two formats. The first being the ‘traditional’ cd album format while the other was as a Guitar Hero game. It has been argued that Guitar Hero will introduce many people to Metallica’s music.


Guitar Hero has allowed many people to become excited about music for it offers an interactive experience. On the newer versions, the player is also able to play the drums and also sing. Now you are able to play games while rocking out to classic metal and rock from yester year. I could think of nothing better.

The music industry has managed to find other ways of getting around the copyright issues. By making music interactive and ‘fun’ the record companies have ensured that they are not going to starve and they can continue to be the soul destroying controlling conglomerations that they have always dreamed to be.

More information can be found at http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/21896070/rock_games_battle_for_bands/1