From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V2 #120 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Saturday, June 21 1997 Volume 02 : Number 120 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Alloy:Brilliant Trees [Lem Bingley ] Alloy: Hi Ian! [RThurF@aol.com] Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....?(does the pope live in the woods?) [Lem Bingley ] Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....?(does the pope live in the woods?) [Ian ] Alloy: Re: Blinded By Science EP [p.louie1@genie.com] Alloy: Tea Without Respect [Melissa Jordan ] Re: Alloy: Hi Ian! [Beth Meyer ] Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....? [the copse ] Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....? [Lem Bingley ] Alloy: Budapest Lyrics ["Lazlo Nibble" ] Re: Alloy: List mail delayed at smoe.org [Elaine Linstruth ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 10:23:00 +0100 From: Lem Bingley Subject: Re: Alloy:Brilliant Trees At 19:16 18/6/97 -0400, Europa wrote: >Lem, my musical soulmate, >Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen - where are my points?! Here: .......... >have you ever found Brilliant Trees on CD? It >had eluded me for years. It's still reasonably easy to track down over here (in the UK), I think. Tell you what. If I can find a copy, and I mail it to you, you could send the re-imbursement to Jeff Wasilko as my contribution to the Alloy hard-disk fund, neatly avoiding the problem of dollar/pound check/cheque problems. How does that sound? Lem. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 07:26:02 -0400 (EDT) From: RThurF@aol.com Subject: Alloy: Hi Ian! Ian wrote: >do u want 2 know anything about me and if so should i be honest, lie or >just stretch it a little? :) >> Hi IAN! You can tell the truth here. For those of us who are Alloy members, the truth is always the most bizarre version of any story, therefore MUCH more fun. I have some questions for you ! ! ! Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies? Any pets? What's your favorite movie? And. . .are you a fan of Thomas Dolby, or willing to become one (that's the main concept behind Alloy, just so you know) Robin :) in Wonderland ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 13:56:41 +0100 From: Lem Bingley Subject: Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....?(does the pope live in the woods?) At 15:04 18/6/97 -0400, Ian asked: >for years now I have wanted to know the meaning of "quad erat >demonstrandum" but have always been afraid to ask. Your question is about three weeks late, Ian; we just recently finished discussing this very question. At 14:18 28/5/97 -0700, I wrote: >According to the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors it means (ahem) "which was to be demonstrated". >I hope that closes the matter. Lem ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 00:27:23 -0400 From: Ian Subject: Re: Alloy: Hi Ian! RThurF@aol.com wrote: > > Ian wrote: > >do u want 2 know anything about me and if so should i be honest, lie or > >just stretch it a little? :) > >> > > Hi IAN! You can tell the truth here. For those of us who are Alloy members, > the truth is always the most bizarre version of any story, therefore MUCH > more fun. > Understood! I have a million & 1 stories that people never believe! The funny thing is that I've never been a good liar! > I have some questions for you ! ! ! Where are you from? London, Ontario, Canada >What do you do for a living? I am a grraduate of audio technology. In other words I am studying to be an "IRP" or independant record Producer. I recently gave up my 6 year career as 7-11 clerk (oh how I miss THAT! ;^). >What are your hobbies? Woodchoppin' (acoustic guitar playin'), poetry (readin' & writin'), and excluding "g's" from all I say and write (it really is something I've practised for years) >Any pets? A german shepherd named Waverly, two bunnies named Ouija, and Piglet, and a house full of cute little mice (of which Waverly can usually catch the fatter, slower ones!) >What's your favorite movie? "Meet John Doe" (Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck), "Cat on a hot tin roof" (Paul & Liz) and "Jesus of Montreal" (Lothaire Bluteau) > And. . > .are you a fan of Thomas Dolby, or willing to become one (that's the main > concept behind Alloy, just so you know) > > Robin :) > in Wonderland Yes!!!! Have been a fan since age 12 or so (I am 27 now!) I can't quite remember exactly what year "she blinded me with science" came out but I saw it's video debut on a local station back then and FREAKED!!!! Thomas is pure genius (anyone think I am overstating it?) I have always believed so! My Favorite song is "Budapest by Blimp"! I have missed out on alot of his other work (imports, ep's etc., but have heard alot of them!) Thanks for the warm welcome guys! - -- - ---Ian Gifford (flirp/folkie) giffordstrasser@oiart.org =^.^= ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 00:30:02 -0400 From: Ian Subject: Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....?(does the pope live in the woods?) Lem Bingley wrote: > > At 15:04 18/6/97 -0400, Ian asked: > >for years now I have wanted to know the meaning of "quad erat > >demonstrandum" but have always been afraid to ask. > > Your question is about three weeks late, Ian; we just recently finished discussing this very question. Figures!! > At 14:18 28/5/97 -0700, I wrote: > >According to the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors it means (ahem) > "which was to be demonstrated". > >I hope that closes the matter. > Perfect Lem Thanks a bunch :^) - -- - ---Ian Gifford (flirp/folkie) giffordstrasser@oiart.org =^.^= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 19:50:31 +0100 From: Lem Bingley Subject: Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....? At 00:30 18/6/97 -0400, Ian wrote: >> Perfect Lem Thanks a bunch :^) No problem. Now, can anyone translate the French in Budapest by Blimp? In fact, there's heaps of French in Dolby's songs, but I can't for the minute remember which bits are most annoyingly untranslated... will get back to you with details on the stuff that has me vexed... I must search out the translated Russian from Dissidents that's lurking in the Tap Room too, and preserve it for posterity before it dissapears. later, Lem ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 00:27:08 -0400 From: jeffw (Jeff Wasilko) Subject: Alloy: List mail delayed at smoe.org While I was away from home for a few days, it appears that the main system at smoe.org developed some software problems. As a result, there is a huge (600+) message backlog. Please don't send multiple copies of your message, as it will only further delay processing of mail. I'm hoping that the backlog of mail will be cleared out soon. Sorry for the trouble.... Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 20:11:00 -0700 From: bcohen@LPL.Arizona.EDU (Barbara A Cohen via apocalypse ) Subject: Alloy: web pages c.f. the really slick page Sony put together for the Tears for Fears 1996 album Raoul and the Kings of Spain (VERY highly recommended, btw) at http://www.music.sony.com/Music/ArtistInfo/TearsForFears/ Hmmmm, another thing that the TFF people have is a rarities collection by some of their more avid fans. Perhaps we could send an audio tape around to everyone who has a rarity (in this case, something that's not on the regular albums) and put together our own? Perhaps same for video? Barbara Barbara Cohen Cosmochemical Cocktail Mixer, PhD to be ****************************************** Lemmings don't grow older, they just die. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 00:41:18 -0400 From: Melissa Jordan Subject: Alloy: Greetings from Tashkent! Hello, all! Well, I made it to Tashkent mostly intact (which you might already know via My Friend James - hello, James!) My attempts to reach out and touch the world via bad phone lines in Moscow resulted in almost $300 in phone charges for nothing. I don't intend for Goodwill to have to pay that bill - I'm ready to battle the Radisson! I'm going to try to send this tomorrow (Tuesday), which may be my one and only chance to visit an office with a satellite line clear enough to send and receive information. Fingers and toes are crossed. I arrived in Tashkent at 11 this evening. The airport in Tashkent is small and crowded, and with two planes full of sweaty folks adjusting to the heat, it was no party. I had to stand in a slow-moving line to receive my visa - I was in the midst of a group of anxious Czech businessmen in flashy fish-skinnys suits, fearful that their invitation letters had not been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In their nervousness, they began chain smoking, until the small room was filled with bluish smoke which burned my eyes and turned my stomach, already upset by lack of sleep. I was trapped in that room for almost two hours, and when at last I could bolt for my luggage, I did so with great speed. I had to climb over huge plastic bags of cheap goods brought in from Dubai in order to get through the customs line - no mean feet with two huge suitcases and numerous small bags. My colleague (another Melissa) was patiently waiting on the other side, her Uzbek driver ready to grab my bags and knock a pathway for us through the crowded hallway to the exit. I hate fighting my way through "soviet" airports. There is no understanding of personal space, and you have to literally push people out of the way - sometimes you can't breathe and those few moments are enough to make you dizzy, as you feel strange hands touching you, shoving you, covering you in an intimate, frightening way. I am always happy to see the open sky at the end of that gauntlet. I'm staying at the apartment of my colleague, Melissa. When I visit, she becomes "Melissa 2" and I am "Melissa 1." Melissa's apartment is on a dusty road that leads into the heart of Tashkent. Even at one in the morning, there are traders hawking Coca-cola, mineral water, and packaged pasta at ill-lit kiosks and street tables outside her building. Melissa is renting a large apartment from a woman who lives in a neighboring building. Melissa has some problems with the landlady, who also is the reluctant cleaning lady - - there are enough spider webs and dust cattle (to call them bunnies would be to deny them their due) to fill a house, and the state of the kitchen is disastrous. Melissa admits to being a bit lackadaisical about housework herself... in truth, she makes me look like Martha Stewart. Melissa lives on the third floor of this prefab Soviet building, with an enclosed balcony attached to a wider roof that shelters an abandoned pharmacy below. Neighbors above Melissa casually dump trash down onto the eaves outside Melissa's balcony, and, as a result, a small colony of rats has moved in. Melissa tells me that, so far, she has seen three rats - two large and one small one. I gave Melissa the bad news that, for every rat you see, there are probably five or ten more. She was not too thrilled. As I looked out the balcony window late last night, I heard furtive shuffling just a few inches from my hand (protected only by thin mosquito netting and widely spaced iron bars)and looked down to see a big, well-fed rat staring up at me. Needless to say, I made tracks away from the window in a split second. Don't think I'll be spending much time on the balcony for the rest of the visit. Finally got to exhausted sleep at about 3 this morning - slept 'til ten, and was very glad of a few hours nap. Our driver has just arrived to take us to the Goodwill office - I have to go now, but, hopefully, I'll get a chance to send more later in this trip - Uzbek phone lines willing. Hope you are all well! Cheers, Melissa Melissa R. Jordan Special Projects Manager International Programs Office Goodwill Industries International, Inc. (301) 881-6858 (301) 881-9435 (fax) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 97 05:17:00 GMT From: p.louie1@genie.com Subject: Alloy: Re: Blinded By Science EP >In the days of autochangers (remember them??) the record deck had a >device that detected the size of the disk as it dropped on to the >turntable, though it didn't know what speed they were of course, that >had to be set manually. Ahhhhh, happy days, or possibly not. > I think I actually have one of these. I just set the speed to AUTO, and then press START. The stylus would automatically move to the point where the record begins and drop the needle at that point. If it detected the beginning of the record at the outer edge, it would be set for 33rpm. Otherwise, once the stylus moves past the outer edge, the speed would automatically be set for 45rpm. Kinda cool. B-) Only problem is when I play a 12" single which is usually 45rpm. Then I had to turn the auto-detect off. It also could scan the tracks by playing a small bit of each song (like the scan button on a CD player/radio) and play certain tracks by pressing the numbers on the front of the player. It's too bad that I don't see anymore record players that can do all this. So, I'm keeping mine to listen to my not-available-on-CD songs. - -Phil ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 00:41:50 -0400 From: Melissa Jordan Subject: Alloy: Tea Without Respect Hi, everyone. It's 3:30 in the morning on Friday. I've been awake for 15 minutes, lying in the cool breeze that cuts across my colleague Melissa's apartment at night. I was startled out of sleep by the call to prayer booming through a scratchy loudspeaker in the minaret of a nearby mosque and almost rolled right out of bed onto the floor. I don't know how I've missed the the cry of "Allah akbar!" every other night here - I must have been exhausted. As I lay in bed, I listened to the street noises outside. A horse cart passed by, followed by a car, surely exceeding local speed limits, the theme to "The Godfather" playing on its horn in a strangely dopplered way (that's very popular here, as is "The Yellow Rose of Texas." I want to meet the person who thought it would be cute if car horns played oddly chosen melodies...) As I type, I can hear women in the alley, clattering cooking ware and speaking in hushed tones, countered by louder, male voices arguing about unloading a truck of fresh produce brought to market - they are speaking "Uzbekiston," a local dialect that is part Russian and part Uzbek - I can understand a small bit of what they say. The men don't seem to be too worried about the fact that is so early - there are already roosters crowing and a pack of dogs barking in response to the winding tune from the mosque. When the breeze picks up, I can smell non (the local bread) baking in tandeer, rounded clay ovens that poke up like grey beehives along rural roads and in city alleys (the Uzbek equivalent of tandoori, I assume.) The bread here is wonderful - you see young boys transporting fresh hot non all day in wide trays balanced precariously on the handlebars of their old bicycles. They deliver the steaming trays to their mothers, garbed more often than not in the traditional tunic and pantaloons of colorful tribal-patterned "Atlas" silk - which provides a stark contrast to the short skirts and bell-bottoms of neon greens and oranges favored by the hip youth of big city Tashkent. The bread women sit in the shade on street corners, chatting with their colleagues who market tea, spices, folk foods, bottled drinks, and western sweets to passersby. Even in the shade the temperatures hover around 90 (it was over 100 today - as it has been since I arrived) and the women keep their straight black hair pulled back into a brightly hued kerchief, revealing almond-shaped eyes set in rosy-cheeked faces the color of cafe au lait. The people here are beautiful - they have features that hint at their mixed ancestry of Asian, Slavic, and Semitic peoples - and their language (Turkic and Arabic, with smidgens of other tongues as well) demonstrates this too. For centuries, Tashkent was known as a hospitable caravan serai, providing shelter, food, and a market for traders and wanderers along the Silk Road. The hospitality of the Uzbek culture can be overpowering at some points, but I find parts of it delightful. Today, when I visited the first Goodwill store (which, of course, caters to the needier members of Tashkent society, but is ironically located across from the 5-star Hotel Intercontinental) I was immediately offered a full cup of steaming green tea. The people at Goodwill know I love green tea - both for the flavor and for the wonderful effects it seems to have on my blood pressure and temper when working with them. When one of my Uzbek colleagues handed me the full cup he said, "For you, May-leesa, tea without respect." I took the tea, but was confused. He laughed at my befuddlement and told me that, according to Uzbek tradition, when you have guests come visit, you show respect by filling their tea cups only half way. This way, you have to keep filling their glass (to the halfway point again) throughout the evening, keeping your honored guests with you. When your cup is filled to the rim, that is your host's way of indicating that the evening is at a close. To be given a full cup at the start, "without respect," indicates a familiarity and comfort found within families. I was very touched. This did not, however, keep me from cracking the whip on the completion of our federal grant project. I have tasked everyone in the local organization with a list of ten or fifteen nearly impossible tasks to attempt within the time parameters of my visit. By the last day here, I expect my tea will be served in half cup increments, with a full cup by the end of the day! Time to sign off now. I'm going to try to get a couple more hours of sleep. I don't know whether or not the phone connection I've found here will work - if I had a local account, it would be no problem, but trying to connect to a finnicky machine 8,000 miles away is a nightmare. Maybe more before I go - off to Samarkand (resting place of Tamerlane the Great) on Saturday and a horrid little place called Nukus on Sunday (where, reliable and shorn sources report, the hotel gives you lice. I'm planning to sleep on the street, myself...) With best wishes to you all, Melissa Melissa R. Jordan Special Projects Manager International Programs Office Goodwill Industries International, Inc. (301) 881-6858 (301) 881-9435 (fax) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 18:11:50 -0400 From: Beth Meyer Subject: Re: Alloy: Hi Ian! Hi, folks; Ian said: >>What's your favorite movie? > >"Meet John Doe" (Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck), "Cat on a hot tin roof" (Paul & Liz) >and "Jesus of Montreal" (Lothaire Bluteau) Whoa! Another "Jesus of Montreal" fan! What an awesome movie! (Sorry, I don't run across too many people here who mention having seen it.) It had us talking for weeks afterwards, and my husband doesn't normally go for those movies with subtitles (unless they're made in Hong Kong). Just had to show how well we tolerate digressions -- Cheers, Beth - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Beth Meyer School of Psychology Pager: +1-404-866-1362 Georgia Institute of Technology FAX: +1-404-894-8905 Atlanta, GA 30332-0170 bmeyer@psy.tfe.gatech.edu http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt9020a/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 00:04:38 BST From: the copse Subject: Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....? > Now, can anyone translate the French in Budapest by Blimp? I guess it would go something like Take a good look at what I have to show you ladies and gents... which I guess refers to the map and the diagram. There may be some que-type pronoun I can't quite hear, but that's the gist of it, and you could translate it more poetically, but French-English is rarely wholly satisfactory. OK, who's up for the Hungarian, or have we already done that... the_copse ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 10:45:57 +0100 From: Lem Bingley Subject: Re: Alloy: ....am I just ignorant....? Thanks for the translation - cool! the_copse wrote: > >OK, who's up for the Hungarian, or have we >already done that... On the sleeve it gives a name-check for Hungarian translation, so I can only assume that one of the verses is a direct translation. No idea which... Back to French. Can anyone make out what it is that Josephine murmurs so sexily in Valley of the Mind's Eye? Lem ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 10:57:50 +0100 From: Lem Bingley Subject: Alloy: TMDR's Manager speaks... Hi everyone, To keep you people in the loop; I got the following email last night... +++++++++++++++ Dear Lem, Hi, I am Thomas Dolby's manager in the US. I'm glad there is some interest in Thomas, his music, the Flat Earth site etc. I understand that you have posted some kind of design for a new tshirt - doesn't anyone like the Flat Earth Society t shirt we did????!!! We are going to do Aliens Ate My Buick too - any interest? Can you send me this picture of your Tshirt? Sincerely, Mary Coller Mary Coller management mary@headspace.com +++++++++++++++ to which I replied... +++++++++++++++ Hi Mary, it's great surprise and a pleasure to hear from you. I think most of the members of the Alloy mailing list would be delighted to own an official Flat Earth T-shirt - I know I would. There is one simple reason that I've never ordered one: the Flat Earth Web site has always appeared to be a little - how can I put this delicately - a little dead. The site's chat room has collapsed on several occasions, for example - and now it has dissappeared altogther. The site is also littered with items that say they are imminently about to change - but they haven't. Speaking personally, I was concerned that the T-Shirt ad on the site was a carry-over from some previously active period, and that money sent for a shirt might disappear into the ether. As you say, I have suggested a couple of designs for a Thomas Dolby shirt, and the best way to view these (and a few other suggestions) is to use a Web browser to visit Paul Bailey's site at: http://www.thehub.com.au/~paulb/artwork.html Paul is the moderator of the Alloy list. If you are unable to access the page for any reason, I can mail you the appropriate images. I do hope you realise we have no intention of selling TMDR shirts for profit. I think that there are at least 30 people keen to own an Alloy shirt, but I think the rest of the world would be a bit perplexed. The Aliens Ate My Buick shirt would be wonderful, by the way. Put me down for one. But of course what we'd all like to see, most of all, is some new tunes from Mr Dolby...or a tour... I'd like to send a copy of your message and my response to the Alloy list, if I may. Kind regards, Lem. +++++++++++++ and then I got this reply this morning... +++++++++++++ Dear Lem, Thanks for your quick reply. I will go check out that web site. Thanks for your candor about the FES site, yeah, we know it's not had much attention lately. Thomas and I started Headspace and in the last year it has grown from 2 people to 20, so we have been neglecting it. It's nice to know that someone noticed! (have you checked out the Headspace site???) Thomas' focus on Headspace is only for a little while. I know he has full intentions to go back to creating music for music's sake very soon. I don't know about touring anytime soon, however. Did you know we were just in London? Thomas was the keynote speaker for the Musicom conference last week. Anyway, feel free to post my last email. Add me to the Alloy list so I can keep up. I'll see what I can do about FES. Maybe there is someone out there who wants to help keep it up??? Best, Mary Coller ++++++ So there you have it. More music could be on the way from the man himself! - we just need patience... I guess Paul is monitoring this transmission and will enter Mary into the Alloy list... Any volunteers to run the FES site? Lem. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 10:03:56 -0600 (MDT) From: "Lazlo Nibble" Subject: Alloy: Budapest Lyrics > OK, who's up for the Hungarian, or have we > already done that... From the discog: [The Hungarian lyrics from "Budapest by Blimp" translate as: Konnyebb volna tan feledni (Perhaps it would be easier to forget) Mint tavozasom erteni (Than to understand my departure) Multobol egy kiszak itott lap (A torn page from the past) E kodbol indul egy vonat (A train is leaving from this fog)] - -- ::: Lazlo (lazlo@swcp.com; http://www.swcp.com/lazlo) ::: Internet Music Wantlists: http://www.swcp.com/lazlo/Wantlists ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 12:26:10 -0700 (PDT) From: Elaine Linstruth Subject: Re: Alloy: List mail delayed at smoe.org Seems to me it is we who should apologize, Jeff. ;) Thanks for the info, though. And thanks for even putting up with us as you do -- Paul was right. On Fri, 20 Jun 1997, Jeff Wasilko wrote: > While I was away from home for a few days, it appears that the > main system at smoe.org developed some software problems. > > As a result, there is a huge (600+) message backlog. Please don't > send multiple copies of your message, as it will only further > delay processing of mail. I'm hoping that the backlog of mail > will be cleared out soon. > > Sorry for the trouble.... > > Jeff > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 16:48:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Keith Dawe Subject: Alloy: Re: Aliens T-Shirt Hi, folks. Great to hear about the proposed Aliens Ate My Buick shirt--I've wanted one since the album itself came out. Should we be posting our requests here, or is there someone I should write to, or....do I wait till the Flat Earth Society is running again? ;) - --Omega - ------------------------------------------------------- omega@torfree.net Head of Dealer's Room -- ANIME NORTH Toronto's FIRST anime convention -- Sat. August 9, 1997 - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V2 #120 ***************************