LOLZ T. pallidum pallidum

-N. Votta

Half-Hearted Applause: The Military Goes Green

Scientists in Germany have developed a bomb that is not only more powerful than traditional carbon-based explosives, such as TNT and RDX, it is also less harmful to the environment. The new explosives, G2ZT and HBT, are based on tetrazoles. They're less apt to spontaneously combust than TNT. And did we mention that they're totally green? TNT and RDX release toxic chemicals, and even if the charge fails to detonate the the chemicals are released into the ground and water. The tetrazole bombs do produce hydrogen cyanide, but whip some oxidizers in there and you prevent that and make the explosion bigger!

I can see the press conference. Killing twice the people, now with 90% fewer carbon emissions!


-N. Votta

Special Edition: Things We Endorse

Brought to you by The Cure

The Cure at the Air Canada Centre, May 15, 2008.
The Cure opening with 'Open'.
Three encores.
The Cure playing for three hours.
Shadow animals during 'A Forest'.
The bass solo in 'A Forest'.
Singing along to 'The Lovecats'.
Robert Smith knowing when to play 'One Hundred Years'.
Simon Gallup's ass.
The Cure finally releasing a new single.
Hearing 'Hot Hot Hot' live.
'From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea'.
Robert Smith dancing.
The Cure still being together, making new music and playing live shows.


-N. Votta

The Old Haunts - Poisonous Times

I can see most reviews of The Old Haunts Poisonous Times touching on one or more of the following: A) The writer will tip the Gun Club and say something about vocalist/guitarist Craig Extine channeling Jeffrey Lee Pierce. B) The writer will make a big stretch and make some kind of witless White Stripes analogy based on Extine's voice. C) They'll tip drummer Tobi Vail's old band (Bikini Kill), then mention the Gun Club and the White Stripes. Me? I'm gonna say that it's a safe bet that Extine owns a couple of Gun Club discs and maybe some X albums, and yeah I could see the White Stripes thing...kinda, sorta...but that I hear more of that Johnny Thunders, You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory slur in songs like Hurricane Eyes and In Revolt. That and almost all the songs, while not sounding like Elliot Smith, have that dark, melancholy yet strangely hopeful vibe that I associate with his stuff. A good thing I think.

The Old Haunts @ MySpace

Thomas Ligotti knows sad songs

Thomas Ligotti is one of horror fiction's top stylists. For anyone not familiar w/his work, he writes profoundly unsettling stories that sit at the point where Poe, Lovecraft, et al. run headlong into Nabokov and Burroughs. He's also a sucker for a sad song. Here are 11 of his favourites:

Nico--Fairest of the Seasons

Lou Reed--Sad Song

Carpenters--Goodbye to Love

Cocteau Twins--Heaven

The Vogues--Turn Around

Bee Gees--I Started a Joke

The Poni-Tails--Born Too Late

Moby Grape--8:05

Mott the Hoople--Foxy, Foxy

Sweeney Todd (Broadway production not the movie), George Hearn and
others--Johanna

Julee Cruise/Angleo Badalamenti--Falling

Links!

Chas Ray Krider has a blog

J.G. Ballard is London's 28th most erotic writer.

Wine, Women, and Song is a very good music blog.

Our friend and ally Rachel Kendall was interviewed by a very cool zine called dogmatika.