Zeroconf / mDNS / Bonjour

I have just discovered a whole area of IP based LAN technology I knew nothing about until this week! It’s known by various names including Zeroconfig, mDNS and Bonjour and I think this has the potential to completely change home networking.

I have been toying with setting up a DNS server at home to resolve all the host names for the machines on my local LAN, but in my research I spotted a suggestion to use Zeroconfig instead. After a bit of digging I realised this stuff looks very good.

Pandora – Free Personalised Web Radio

Another recomendation from the BBC’s Click tv show is Pandora. Pandora is very clever. You start by telling Pandora the name of an artist or a track you like then Pandora starts playing a stream of music which is similar. The concept is very simple but the technology behind it looks quite sophisticated. Once your “station” is playing you can train Pandora by adding extra artists or by using the thumbs up and down buttons as each track plays.

So obviously I created a station based on Massive Attack and then added Portishead and Faithless to it. I have called my station “The Trip Hop Lounge” and it can be accessed by anyone (just click the link). Pandora really works because before long it also played tracks by Dubstar, Cabaret Voltaire and Tricky.

The really interesting thing about Pandora is that it is playing music that I like from many artists that I have never heard of before. I have already ordered two CDs by Curve just because they keep playing on my trip hop Pandora station.

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Collected – The Best Of Massive Attack

My top three favourite CDs are all by the same artist Massive Attack; Mezzanine, 100th Window and Protection. I’m rubbish at describing music but I will say that it’s very electronic, often with very moody atmospheric vocals and some times just a little bit dancy – I think the young people call it “trip hop”. Basically if I had any musical talent at all, this is the kind of music I would want to make. So if I have all their albums why did I buy this ? Well I was in an airport again on my way to the USA and just had to have something to listen to in my hire car (which by the way was a new convertible Mustang). If you haven’t heard Massive Attack before then this “greatest hits” collection is a great introduction to the band. If you like this then make sure you also check out U.N.K.L.E, Tricky’s Maxinque, Portishead and maybe some Faithless too.

Canon IXUS 55

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Canon Powershot G2 but often it’s just too big and bulky to carry around. I’ve had my eye on the little IXUS range of Canon cameras for a while and during a recent trip abroad spotted this new IXUS 55. Being stuck in an airport waiting for a delayed plane is a great opportunity to check out a new gadget. One thing I really like about the G2 is that it’s digital camera shutter lag is much better than many other digital cameras, i.e. when you press the button it takes the picture very quickly and you don’t miss  too much of the action. However I was amazed that the lag on the 55 is almost non existent. In fact it was the speed of this little thing that made me decide to buy it there and then.

Depeche Mode – Playing the Angel

I have been a huge fan of Depeche Mode since I was a teenager. In recent years they have been going off the rails a bit, but this new album is brilliant. It’s the CD that is constantly played in the car now. Reiss’ favourite track (and mine) is John The Revelator, he just keeps playing it over and over again – I’m scared I might end up getting sick of it !

Goldfrapp – Supernature

I first spotted Goldfrapp on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on NewYears Eve (yes I know I’m sad watching TV on New Years Eve – I had the Flu so TV was the only option this year). With their great synth pop they sounded just like they had fallen out of the 80’s – absolutley fantastic. Although the whole album is great, there are three tracks that really stand out; Ooh La La, Ride A White Horse and my favourite Number 1. I’m looking forward to check out their 2 earlier CDs.

Philips SBA290 Compact Travel Speakers

I spend a fair amount of time travelling and staying in hotels so I really enjoy having my iPod with me. It’s not always convenient to wear the head phones – have you ever tried shaving with head phones on ? I looked around for a small pair of speakers for some time until I found this unit from Philips.

Scott’s back with the podcast novel Infection

My favourite podcast author, Scott Sigler, just released his third podcast novel called Infection. His previous novels, Earthcore and Ancestor, had me on the edge of my seat so I have high hopes for this story too. I am now on a mission to get as many people as possible to experience Scott’s work as possible – so if you are reading my blog, I insist you go to http://scottsigler.podshow.com/ now and start listening!

Scott Sigler’s Ancestor

Hot on the heals on Earthcore, Scott Sigler is Podcasting his next book, Ancestor. I’ve been batching up a few episodes at a time and listening to them in the car on the way to work. Earthcore was really good, but this story is even more exciting. Great job Scott, can’t wait to see the movie