The First 20 Hours - How to Learn Anything: Josh Kaufman at TEDxCSU

How to practice efficiently to acquire new skills in 20 hours (according to Josh Kaufman):

Freek de Jonge en Bob Dylan

Vandaag zat ik op café en opeens hoor ik de melodie van "Leven na de dood", maar stukken trager en duidelijk niet als komisch nummer gebracht. Het was duidelijk Nick Cave zijn stem en toen daagde het voor de allereerste keer in mijn bestaan: "Leven na de dood" is een persiflage...

Ongetwijfeld ben ik de laatste persoon op aarde die dat doorheeft, dus lach maar, maar voor mij was het echt een openbaring dat de melodie eigenlijk van Bob Dylan afkomstig is. Het nummer waar ik als puber zo vaak mee gelachen heb (en ja, nu natuurlijk ook nog) was oorspronkelijk dus doodserieus?

Bird sheet music

A piece of music that was composed by waiting for bird droppings to fall onto giant sheets of manuscript paper has received its premiere. (BBC, 20 January 2013)

Mark Applebaum: The mad scientist of music

Mind blowing...

Solidarity Forever

Picture taken from DeWereldMorgen (Kevin Van den Panhuyzen)

Today was the March for the Future at Genk, the unions and social organisations answered in big numbers and gathered in a long line of thousands of people heading for the old mine site where twenty-five years ago a similar social drama took place. It was heartwarming to see such a big expression of solidarity. But this is just the start. Yes, we have now marched and shown our empathy to the workers and our demand of the politicians to act,  but the struggle is still on: we need to constantly remind the policymakers that we will not accept this, we have to keep the story in the media and keep the public opinion sharp.

To all who where there: thank you, it was a pleasure marching with you, but the struggle has just started.

More:

• "We laten ons niet afslachten door Amerikanen" (deredactie.be, in Dutch)
• Pictures from the March: deredactie.be and De Wereld Morgen
• "Het deed deugd, de mars in Genk" (De Morgen, letter in Dutch)

Solidarity Forever

         G
When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run,
          C                      G
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun;
         G                                 B7                 Em
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one,
        Am    D7       G
But the union makes us strong.

Tjoez: Showreel

Very nicely shot in Antwerp, by Matthew Vandeputte (Homepage: Tjoez).

Song: Kito feat. Reija Lee - Sweet Talk

Nina Simone: My baby just cares for me

Triggerfinger: I follow rivers

Visiting Suikerrock last Thursday, I just had to see Triggerfinger. Their life performance is seriously thrilling and I have been whistling the tune of their cover of Lykke Li's"I follow rivers" for the past week.

Getting the chords was fairly easy, although I play it a full tune higher than the original video.

My version is as follows:

On my way to the North Cape

Today I have left on a roadtrip to visit the North Cape.

Estimated return: 5th of June, wish me luck!

1st May Concert Oslo

1st May Concert Oslo

Happy Labour Day everybody!

Brian May built his own guitar with his dad

Although I am a big fan of his musical skills and this is a video clip of 20 years ago, I had no idea that Brian May had built his guitar with his father.

Wow.

Haven't played it in 10 years

from Muzikum!

from Amazon

After this week's '5 of 91' from StuBru, I have also rediscovered two albums I probably haven't played for 10 years: Talking Timbuktu (from Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder) and Much Against Everyone's Advice (from the Belgian Soulwax).

StuBru gives you 5

The 5 of 1991 (StuBru)

Twinty years have already passed since the release of these five albums:

• Ten (Pearl Jam)
• The Black Album (Metallica)
• Blue Lines (Massive Attack)
• Bloodsugarsexmagik (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• Nevermind (Nirvana)

Riots in England

Are the current riots in England rooted into a social problem? (radio interview in Dutch)

Music: Panic by The Smiths












Update 11th August: Ten explanations for the riots in England (BBC)


Update 12th August:

Dismissing rioters as mindless is futile rhetoric. However unacceptable the UK riots, we need to ask why they are happening
--Russell Brand (The Guardian)

Update 17th August: The Connection Between Corruption and the Riots in the UK by Femke van Zeijl

May Silliness

Cuckoo! (from USA Manufacturer)

Nothing interesting to post today, so let's give in to useless silliness!

Just some lovely quotes, some stupid remarks and some silly links. Welcome to the geeky side of myself, which I anxiously try to hide during professional presentations, job interviews or family visits on Sundays:

Starry Starry Night

Orion, taken from Ethan

Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and gray,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.
-- Don Mclean

I admit it, I don't know sh** about stars or constellations, but there is something about it that makes me want to lay down and just look up, trying to make sense of it all or just enjoy the light show, the beautiful painting in the sky.

In other news... (April)

Taken from Bruce

From time to time I bump into news items that I would like to comment on without elaborating at length, making it plainly not worthy of its own post. So I will just list them up, here are the items that caught my attention during the past week:

Quelqu'un m'a dit

Detail from Geraldina

No, this is not a reprise of one of my French articles, I just have to tell a bizarre story today.

This morning I received an email from an unknown girl named "Geraldina". "Geraldina", I thought, "what a strange name."

Being part of the Information Generation, I can't handle unknown data without even glimpsing at the internet, so I fired up good old Google to see what kind of hits the name would give.

Open Mic night at Sparkles

Picture based on bagofnothing

This Saturday, the 16th of April 2011, Sparkles Restaurant in Tamale will organise a new Open Mic night.

Anybody who wants to perform before our audience can contact the staff and will be announced. Anybody who wants to come and enjoy the show, grab a chair!

Everybody welcome, free entrance as usual.

Fin, c'etait vachement bien

Pris de FLE

Et finalement, la fin de ma semaine francophone. Je n'ai pas eu beaucoup des réactions, mais pour moi-même c'était interessant de me (re-)entrainer. J'ai appris qu'en français celui-ci s'appelle "une contribution" de "mon blogue".