In the last week or so there’s been a lot of internet buzz about SOPA and it’s various incarnations throughout the world. The issue of copyright infringement and how it can be dealt with by the courts and copyright owners seems to crop up every so often or at least get brought out into the open. While copyright infringement is black and white, that if you download something copyrighted without paying for it or if its not offered for free then yes you have broken the law and thats under current Irish law with no new powers or enforcement capabilities. My only problem with this whole ordeal about legislating in new powers for copyright holders is that it is the aptly named “Content Mafia” that are doing all the lobbying for these new powers.

In my own humble opinion it is these companies clinging to an archaic business model that is causing all the problems. The recording and movie industry believes that once they stop illegal downloading then the slump in physical media sales will stop. This is untrue and naive of them, the way people specifically the under 35 bracket experience media has changed. No longer are people tied to what the tv guide or movie shop has to offer. There is on demand content, you can rent the latest movies from iTunes from the comfort of your living room and never have the problem of all rental copies being rented. In truth the media industry does not have to innovate. Among my peers we have no problem paying for content provided we have a decent service that doesn’t have a time lag between the US and Europe for TV shows and at a reasonable price. If services such as hulu or the iTunes american store were available in Europe than there would be no need for the majority of people to download. It would also be the most effective way of tackling the problem and would eliminate the majority of piracy.

In short we do not need all these legislations and acts to combat piracy, all thats needed is a viable alternative.

6:26 am on Sunday morning and while some people are stumbling home from a night out, others just turning over to continue their dream filled sleep. I’m boiling a kettle to fill a flask and hastily chugging some berocca to kick some life into me. Out the door for a two and a half hour drive to Annamoe for a kayaking trip. It’s so early that we have to leave the headlights on to see into the shed to load up the gear. About this time I’m wondering whether it’d be better if I’d just stayed in bed. But as we head north, and get closer and closer to the river, dawn breaks around the car the sky going from black to a grey sheen before brightening up completely. The sun even makes a rare appearance.

The doubts had started fading around dawn but after we’re changed and about to get on the river the banter is flowing just like the river. When we get on it’s shallow but deepens into a continuous enough run of boulder gardens and drops. Thats when it starts to make sense. Running the rapids, getting that rush as you drop into a rapid make the couple of quick turns avoid the rock and finish with a bit of flare. Standing at the top of the last drop looking at everything that could go wrong….I realised that yes it could go wrong…..but how great am I going to feel if I nail the line, I didn’t but it was worth a shot. And in the end why paddlers paddle, climbers climb and mountain bikers bike……..it’s all for the jazz baby

I rarely get sentimental about times past or times present but it does occasionally happen. Last night was one of those times. At a work christmas party sitting at the table, it kinda dawned on me that this was the last christmas party with that group of part timers. An odd thought but this group has been working together more or less weekly for the last 3/4 years. It’s part of life moving on to better things hopefully. Thats life but none the less it’s a mild source of melancholy. In some ways it is the end of an era for some of us. Worked there through college and now moving onto proper jobs and becoming proper grown ups.

The worst thing about being in a situation thats better than what a lot of people have is the phrase

“Sure aren’t you lucky to have a job”

And yes i agree with the general sentiment behind it and agree that what I have is better than nothing. But that doesn’t make it ideal by any means. I didn’t spend 5 years in college with all the trials and tribulations that went with it to end up as a shelf stacker. That’s nothing against people who choose to do this but it isn’t me. Working in a warehouse/retail environment I can almost feel my brain start to shut down. It’s commonly said that the brain is a muscle and failure to use it means the same as stopping exercise does for any other muscle. It begins to deteriorate.

The worst part about my current situation is that there seems no end to it. No way of breaking out of the mediocrity of it. The job interviews I’ve had have been equally frustrating is that all the feedback I’ve gotten relates to my degree being to general. Not IT enough for a programming job and too general for an engineering job. So I dunno going back to specialise seems to be the best option at the moment. I suppose the only consolation is that I could always find a job while looking at postgrads……

“illegitimi non carborundum”

Something about Rory Gallaghers Shadowplay just hits me every time I hear it just hits me how amazing a track it is. The lyrics the rising and falling of the guitar tracks to the bass and the crash of the drums. It’s something about it that just hits the right notes. The best way to describe how it hits me it’s like pluggin in to an electrical storm. There’s something about it that makes my hair stand on end, goose bumps on my arms and that feeling that I should be doing more that just sitting their listening to it. I think motorhead described it best,

“On Your feet to feel the beat,
It goes straight to your spine”

Thin layer of fog starts to flow out from the tabernacle, starts swirling around the congregations ankles, the lights go down and the music starts softly, the Reverand Richards begins the opening Hymn.

“Please allow me to introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and Faith, I’ve been around for a long long time, prayed for many a mans soul……”

Greetings all we are gathered here today to mark the celebration of the birth of Leo Fender, an innovator and a man much responsible for the music that we express out faith through weekly. Our first reading is from the Book of Hendrix…..

“A Reading from the book of hendrix, chapter 4 verse 3, Well he stood up next to the mountain and chopped it down with the edge of his hand, he picked up all the pieces and made an island……. And on that island he proclaimed if I don’t meet you in this world I’ll see you in the next one don’t be late.”

The psalm today is taken from the book of Young,

“Livin’ Easy Loving Free,
Season Ticket on a one way ride,
Askin Nothing, Leave Me be,
Take Everything in your Stride”

Second Reading from the book of Page,

“Oh let the sun beat down upon my face
Stars to fill my dreams
I am a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been

Secret elders of the gentle race
This world is seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
All will be revealed”

And now we have our gospel the gospel today comes from the book of Osbourne and is very apt given todays celebration,

“How many times will they fill with lies and I listen again,
Twisting the truth Tears fill my eyes,
when I hear all the cries,
And they don’t really know even what they’re talkin’ about,
And I can’t image what empty heads can achieve,
Leave me alone, don’t want your promises no more,
‘Cos rock & roll is my religion and my law,
Won’t ever change, may think it’s strange,
You can’t kill rock & roll, it’s here to stay”

/*Sermon Guitar Riff*/

Final Blessing

“Be excellent to each other”

/*Closing Hymn*/

Bouncy Castle, Rum and BBQ are outside

I heard something on the radio earlier today a radio station was playing their daily anthem and it got me thinking, what makes an anthem? Every country has their own national anthem, bands have their anthems and the word has made its way into popular usage to describe songs that have that extra va va voom about them. Whether it’s a sing a long like “Hey Jude” or a floor filler like “Billy Jean”. This got me thinking as to what makes an anthem, and after a decent amount of swirling it around in my head I cam to the conclusion that I have no right to try and define what an anthem is or even give a rough outline of some common traits that anthems share. I came to the conclusion that anthems are either obvious such as “We Will Rock You” or “Amhran na Bhfiann”. But they can also be very personal defining a moment in someones life that the song was either played at or define an event for them. So to finish I’m going to list a few of my personal anthems,

The Rolling Stones – Start Me Up

Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars

Rory Gallagher – Shadowplay