Posted in Books | December 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off on On the Ending of John Green’s young adult novel “Paper Towns”
Some time ago I made a song/video about me not having the novel “Paper Towns”. It actually won me a copy of the book signed by its author John Green. That made me very happy! I started reading it last week. That was a mistake, because only a few pages into the story I was hooked. But I had to work. And to eat. And to sleep. Still, I finished it before the weekend and wanted to write couple of things about it ever since.
The book is good! John Green writes for young adults, so technically I’m not a member of the target group. And I must say that his first two books (“Looking for Alaska” and “An Abundance of Katherines”) were very enjoyable, but not, like, a must-buy for each and everyone. But this time around, well, “Paper Towns” is still not a must-buy; but I totally recommend it to anyone looking for, well, a young adult novel that is original in its conception, excellent in its execution, and very enjoyable in its language. Here’s just a couple of (not necessarily representative) quotes to give you an idea:
Nothing is as boring as other people’s dreams. (p. 86)
Peeing is like a good book in that it is very, very hard to stop once you start. (p. 183)
As much as life can suck, it always beats the alternative. (p. 287)
Anyway, let me reiterate: it’s a good book. Buy it. Read it.
This part contains major spoilers, so read on at our own risk. I enjoyed reading the book and was sad to see it end. The last few pages managed to give the plot a satisfying conclusion. Almost. I was left wondering, how it actually ended. Do they get together? Or is the last scene more of an afterthought that’s to vanish as soon as the sun comes up again? Ultimately, I can live with this ambiguity. I can live with it, because I figured that I can’t relate to Q. I mean, he’s the narrator and I like him more than some other of the other characters. Still, when he finally finds Margo, he comes up with his idea about the vessel and about the future. And I find it not very convincing. Sure, a big lesson at the end wouldn’t have the suited the story. Neither would have an overly romantic happy ending. I just wanted to remark that I preferred the little chunks of wisdom throughout the book. The ending was quite charming, but it didn’t add anything to what I got out of the story. But then again, I’m not the target audience and I still recommend you read “Paper Towns”.
Today’s music recommendation goes out to everybody who enjoys the mainstream kind of melodic punk rock. “The Days that Follow…” by Multiball (Vampster-Review) is a strong album that could totally be in the charts. The vocals are rather clean and melodic, the music itself rather powerful than catchy. It’s not the most original album; yet it sound rather fresh compared to many successful pop punk albums out there.
Posted in Internet, Manticess | December 1st, 2009 | Comments Off on Adventszeit ist Blogzeit
Für die nächsten 24 Tage werde ich diese Seite in einen Adventskalender verwandeln. Es wird täglich Einträge geben, jeweils mit einem Link zu Vampster, wo ich parallel täglich schreibe (i.d.R. CD-Kritiken). Wer noch musikalische Geschenkideen sucht, wird hier vielleicht fündig, da ich noch eine sehr bunte Mischung hier zum Besprechen herumliegen habe (Prog, Punk, Weihnachtliches und eben Heavy Metal).
Aktuell gibt es eine neue Runde im Song Fu-Songwriting-Wettbewerb. Manticess (also Susanne und ich) sind wieder mit dabei, auch wenn die Deadline – und damit die Aufnahme – direkt in die Erkältungszeit fiel. Immerhin hat das Lied (1998) nun einen Charme, wie man ihn von Manticess bislang noch nicht kannte. Ach, was fasele ich: Anhören! (Ja, am besten alle!) Abstimmen! Bitte. Danke.
Posted in Music | November 19th, 2009 | Comments Off on Paul and Storm live in Dublin
As I wrote earlier, I attended the Jonathan Coulton-concert in Dublin on 6th November. He brought along Paul and Storm as opening band. I had grown a bit tired of their podcast rambling. But their performance in Dublin reminded me of their awesomeness. More than that: it convinced me that they’re actually incredibly talented entertainers. Add to this their amazing singing voices and you get 50 minutes of pure musical humour. Although they relied mostly on their battle-tested material – it was their first gig in Ireland, after all – everything sounded fresh, including the three (!) Song Fu entries they played.
Much to my liking they started with their Theme Song, before launching into their signature song Opening Band. They had won over the audience by the time the first panties were thrown half-way through the song. Still, Paul kept being intimidated by the audience. Unlike most of their gigs, this was a standing audience and whenever possible everybody sang along loudly. Each song was a highlight, so just look at the setlist below to figure out which songs to check out in case you’re not familiar with the duo.
The true fascination comes from the combination of flawless vocals and witty (if not dirty) lyrics. This combination also showed in between songs, when Paul and Storm have their own way to communicate with the audience and each other. In short, they were genuinely enjoying themselves (despite jet-lag and work-permit trouble) and you just had to smile at their stories and antics.
Posted in Manticess | November 18th, 2009 | Comments Off on Manitcess – 423. Red (Song Fu #5, Round 1)
Russ Rogers (of Gödz Pöödlz) said it much better than I ever could. Please read on:
The first challenge for Masters of Song Fu #5 was posted last week. The challenge was to write a song based on one Mole-man from a list of 700 Mole-men created by John Hodgman. (Hodgman is the “I’m a PC”-guy from the Mac ads. You’ve seen him on the Daily Show. He’s got two books out. The Mole-men are from his second book, “More Information Than You Require”.)
The first round songs are now posted and ready for your votes. The songs are phenomenally creative and diverse. Seriously, a good crop.
You can vote ONLY once, but you can vote for up to FIVE different songs.
So take some time to listen to at least part of every song. There are 33, so it will take a little time. Listen closely to ALL of the songs you like. Then, choose your TOP FIVE SONGS and vote for them.
You can even download ALL the songs for FREE!
You will receive Special Silver Bonus Points in Heaven if you comment at the bottom of the Song Fu page. This can be as brief or as in depth as you like. But speaking from experience, one person taking the time to comment on my song with either praise or constructive criticism was worth more than 50 votes to me! You’re comment could be as simple as listing the five songs you voted for. If you want to be more complex, give your reasons and mention the songs that almost got your vote (the ones you wish you had more votes to give). Try to stay positive or constructive.
Extra Special Heavenly GOLDEN Points are awarded to folks who encourage other folks to check out the songs and vote. Post it to your facebook status. Twitter about it. Blog about it. Make sure you link to the Song Fu site. Talk about Song Fu. This is a concept that deserves viral attention from the Hive-Mind.
Masters of Song Fu is a special contest. There is NO prize money involved. The songwriters are doing this out of love for their craft and in the hopes that SOMEONE will notice, enjoy and appreciate their efforts.
So take some time, VOTE, COMMENT and POST about the contest.
This is the first of 3 preliminary rounds of voting. The Challenger with the most cumulative votes after 3 rounds will meet a Super-secret Champion, “The Master of Song Fu” in a final head-to-head challenge for the title and trophy of Master of Song Fu!
Voting will end this Saturday, November 21 at 11:59 PM EST.
The website’s system is designed to lock out IP Addresses that have already voted. So, when I say you can only vote once, technically it means that each computer only gets one chance to vote. Sometimes the voting system gets locked up, allowing NOBODY to vote for a while. Don’t let this frustrate you. Just come back another time and vote. You can always leave a comment, even when the voting system is SNAFU.
Thanks for Supporting Song Fu. Now, got Vote, Comment and Post.
This being quoted, and yes, I second every word Russ wrote, here’s a list of my six favourite entries, followed by the video Susanne and I shot last Sunday to go with our own entry, “423. Red” by Manticess.
Jonathan Coulton returned to Europe. Last Saturday he played a fantastic concert at the Academy 2 in Dublin, Ireland. I had a splendid time along with 200 Irish people. The audience sang along like there was no tomorrow. We even got an unplanned encore. There just wasn’t a weak moment in the whole show. I wish I could indulge in all the little details and communicate better the awesomeness of JoCo. But I really don’t know where to begin and where to end and how to describe the simple fact that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Here’s the setlist:
A couple of days ago I got hold of the book The Workflow of Data Analysis Using Stata by J. Scott Long. I haven’t yet delved into it. But I’m already loving and condemning it. Loving it, because it covers an integral part of scientific data analysis, filling a void that left by both the literature and the courses taught at university. Condemning it, because I had wanted to write a book on the same topic (how to ensure your data analysis is documented well, i.e., replicable) during the next years. It wouldn’t have been the same book; in fact, it would have been vastly different, possibly much worse.
It’s too early for me to review the book in a conclusive manner. Still, the content looks very promising and I think it’s telling that Long focuses on Stata as the software of choice. This is going to be fun!
Posted in Internet | October 11th, 2009 | Comments Off on Ist Schweigen Gold?
Leider weiß ich nicht mehr, wer einst meinte, es sei unmöglich, einen YouTube-Kommentar zu schreiben, den man klar als gewollt sinnlos/dämlich/ironisch erkennt. Es scheint mir aber ein Gesetz des Internets zu sein. (Und wie ich vorgestern mal wieder feststellen durfte, ist es unmöglich, sich als Natalie Portman-Fan zu outen, ohne dass einen andere (normale) Leute für bekloppt halten.)
Es gibt einige Blogs, die ich gerne lese. Die meisten davon werden leider nur selten oder überhaupt nicht mehr aktualisiert. Ein paar würde ich gerne hin und wieder kommentieren, komme aber irgendwie nicht mit der Technik des Blogger-CAPTCHA klar. (Ja, in Wirklichkeit bestehe ich nur aus Zahlen und Schaltkreisen.)
Ein paar andere sind so einladend geschrieben, dass ich nur schwer widerstehen kann, meinen Senf dazuzugeben. Doch wenn ich mir die Kommentare der anderen Leute dort anschaue, will ich nicht dazugehören. Tief in mir drin halte ich mich für besser, toller, klüger, worgewandter und schöner. Wer tut das nicht? Tatsächlich besteht meine Ãœberlegenheit (bzw. Ãœberheblichkeit) zu einem gewissen Teil aus fremden Federn, mit denen man im flüchtigen Echtleben viel problemloser Schmücken kann. “Wirtschaftswissenschaftler haben neun der letzten fünf Rezessionen erfolgreich vorhergesagt!” Das ist ein toller Witz, der natürlich nicht von mir stammt. Ich habe ihn irgendwann in einer Facebook-Gruppe aufgeschnappt. Von wem er ursprünglich kommt, wusste vermutlich nicht mal der Mensch, von dem die Person, die den Spruch gepostet hat, ihn kopiert hatte. Doch selbst wenn ich originelle Sachen schreiben will, schreckt mich die Belanglosigkeit der anderen ab. Ich will lieber im Dunkeln stehen, als in schlechtem Licht erscheinen. Zumindest in diesem Fall; denn eigentlich müsste man sich ja der Gefahr aussetzen, um darin umzukommen.
Dieser Beitrag ist natürlich nur dazu da, dem spärlichen Kommentaraufkommen auf meiner eigenen Seite etwas Gutes abzugewinnen. Wo kämen wir denn hin, wenn jetzt bei einem Eintrag wie diesem, jemand sofort ohne näher erkennbare Motivation als Kommentar den Wikipedia-Link zum Titel gebenden Sprichwort posten würde?
Posted in Internet | October 8th, 2009 | Comments Off on Feedback Webmailer 2.0
As you might defer from the administrative details of this homepage I am a costumer of 1&1 (which is a member of united internet). Yesterday evening, they upgraded their webmailer. The first odd thing is that it’s the second upgrade while I’m using it; still, they call it Webmailer 2.0. Similar logic was probably applied while creating the new, allegedly improved webmail interface. In a vain attempt to turn it into a web-based MS Outlook, they managed to slow it down. The new layout clutters the screen with windows, leaving only tiny frames for the actual emails when you’re using a somewhat small screen resolution. (800×600 in my case.) Of course, I didn’t expect them to make the webmailer better. Of course, I wrote them a message. Of course, they responded with a form email. Surprisingly, it contained useful information, i.e., it’s still possible to switch your accounts back to the old webmailer via the admin configuration; a fact that could have been included in the actual welcome mail. Of course, I proceeded to switch back. A feedback form appeared half way through. So I wrote the following message. (I don’t know why I wrote all this in English whereas the feedback is naturally in German. Yet another of life’s mysteries.) It’s just one example of what in German is called “Verschlimmbesserung” (making things worse while trying to improve them); I could write similar things about most message boards, MS Office 2007 and even WordPress.
Das Produkt reift beim Kunden, jaja. Der Webmailer 2.0 sollte ein grünes Layout haben, damit es schön ins Auge sticht. Das Blau ist noch viel zu subtil. Und dass man kontraintuitiv zu Weblinks (und dem alten Webmailer) doppelt zum Mail-Öffnen klicken muss, sollte auf alle 1und1-Links übertragen werden. Wenn schon einheitlich, dann richtig! Nachdem die vollkommen überflüssige Funktion/Pfeillinkfläche “nächste/vorherige E-Mail” bei der E-Mail-Ansicht eingespart wurde, würde ich mir wünschen, dass “E-Mail löschen” und “E-Mail beantworten” auch noch wegfallen. Braucht doch kein Mensch. Auch beim Gesamtaufbau bleiben dem User viel zu viele Möglichkeiten. Ein paar Leute sollen sogar schon herausgefunden haben, wie man den Kalender von der Startseite entfernt. Zum Glück wurde immerhin am Erfolgsrezept festgehalten, den User nach dem Ausloggen mit Werbung zu überschütten. Sonst hätte ich mir schon wirklich ernsthafte Wechselgedanken gemacht.
Update: Spitze, ungefragt wurde bei der Umstellung das Verzeichnis mit den gesendeten E-Mails gelöscht. Endlich wieder Platz! Was interessiert mich schon, was ich das letzte Jahr über geschrieben habe?
Und noch ein Update: Und siehe da, es ward ein Verzeichnis “Gesendete Objekte” zusätzlich zum Verzeichnis “Gesendet”. Tzehe.
Posted in Life | October 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off on Vegetarian Shoes
Don’t worry, I won’t turn this into a fashion blog. Today’s lunch conversation was about vegetarianism. And I totally forgot to point out my shoes. You see, a couple of months ago I was in Amsterdam and bought a pair of awesome vegetarian shoes. They are made without leather and in an eco-friendly way. I wish I could delve into details, but Star Wars is on TV. And you don’t really care about my shoes, do you?
Die schlechte Nachricht zuerst: Ich habe Mokka-Joghurt, aber keine Corn Flakes. (Ja, ja, da war ein Erdbeben und eine Bundestagswahl, ich weiß.) Trotzdem werte ich meinen ersten Tag in Konstanz als Erfolg. Wer mich kennt, weiß, was es mit obiger Nahrungsmittelkombination auf sich hat, und dass es auch nicht mein allererster Tag in Konstanz gewesen ist.
Heute drehten sich einige Gespräche um Kaffee. Ich mag ja Kaffee überhaupt nicht. Meine Vorliebe für eine bestimmte Joghurt-Sorte habe ich vorerst nicht erwähnt. Das stiftet anfangs immer nur Verwirrung. Dafür steht jetzt das Gerücht im Raum, ich sei Raucher. Dabei haben wir reichlich Stühle; es könnte sich ruhig setzen.
