Can't blame them really, might as well enjoy the cash now:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68735699

https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=132692&PID=6130229#6130229

Mark Knopfler (Of Dire Straits fame) is releasing his theme from 'The Local Hero' with a ridiculous amount of guitarists, here's the full list:

Joan Armatrading, Jeff Beck, Richard Bennett, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Brown, James Burton, Jonathan Cain, Paul Carrack, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Jim Cox, Steve Cropper, Sheryl Crow, Danny Cummings, Roger Daltrey, Duane Eddy, Sam Fender, Guy Fletcher, Peter Frampton, Audley Freed, Vince Gill, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, Keiji Haino, Tony Iommi, Joan Jett, John Jorgenson, Mark Knopfler, Sonny Landreth, Albert Lee, Greg Leisz, Alex Lifeson, Steve Lukather, Phil Manzanera, Dave Mason, Hank Marvin, Brian May, Robbie McIntosh, John McLaughlin, Tom Morello, Rick Nielsen, Orianthi, Brad Paisley, Nile Rodgers, Mike Rutherford, Joe Satriani, John Sebastian, Connor Selby, Slash, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Zak Starkey, Sting, Andy Taylor, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Ian Thomas, Pete Townshend, Keith Urban, Steve Vai, Waddy Wachtel.

It's being released Friday, March 15, 2024 for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America and 9:50 long.

I've just watched Why Planes Vanish: The Hunt for MH370 on the BBC (it's a really good watch btw ) and near the end it describes how an ex Avionics Engineer used tiny disturbances in these Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) signals to locate, where he thinks, MH370 entered the Indian Ocean (which is just outside the original arc search area). WSPR is used by amateur radio users for measuring transmission propagation. It's amazing technology that was created and used by radio enthusiasts (even something as simple as a Raspberry Pi can be used). I have a background in HF transmission and radio comms and this still blows my mind. Hopefully, a new search can commence using this new data to find the plane. I find this all fascinating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSPR_(amateur_radio_software)

I was planning on a new cartridge this year and had pretty much settled on the Ania Pro MC for my P6. However this announcement from Rega may change my mind - the new Rega MM Cartridge ND7 is coming around summer time (TBC) for around £450 (the Ania Pro is £825). Ooo choices, choices.

I've just read this over at PA:

"Last night Norway voted to send Gåte to the Eurovision Song Contest - an international and very popular annual show (or even festival) not usually associated with prog rock, to put it mildly. However, Gåte is listed in ProgArchives in the Heavy Prog category. https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4263  

The song Ulveham, while not prog rock, is both entertaining and powerful."

I came across this Horror/Comedy movie on IMDb - Destroy All Neighbors  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7884368/

"Struggling prog-rock musician William Brown finds himself in a living nightmare when he accidentally kills Vlad, the neighbor from hell.

William Brown, a neurotic, self-absorbed musician determined to finish his prog-rock magnum opus, faces a creative roadblock in the form of a noisy and grotesque neighbor named Vlad. Finally working up the nerve to demand that Vlad keep it down, William inadvertently decapitates him. But, while attempting to cover up one murder, William's accidental reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses who torment and create more bloody detours on his road to prog-rock Valhalla."

Alex Winter is involved too. I so need to see this 

I did think these Gentle Giant remixes would stop after Freehand, but we are getting The Missing piece now. I suppose Giant For a Day and Civilian will come too, maybe even Playing the Fool.

I probably won't bother with this one:

https://burningshed.com/store/gentlegiant

The first UK spaceport for vertical rocket launches is on Unst in The Shetland Islands. Impressive as this is I do wonder why this place was chosen. It's a twat of a place to get to and the weather is absolutely horrendous (it holds the UK's wind speed record). I lived there for 2 years in the early 80s and I've never known wind like it - scary stuff. So bad that in the 90s one of the radars there was ripped out from inside its dome and flung bits of metal all over the island. Before that, in the 50s a massive radar was blown off the cliffside. A strange choice indeed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-67741864

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Saxa_Vord

I came across this at Prog Archives :

https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=132126&FID=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwNzUHrxu50

A Furiosa origin story coming May 2024. Looks brill:

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1847248665/?listId=ls053181649&ref_=hm_hp_i_hero-video-1_2

I thought it would be interesting to share decent music videos you've come across over the years. Unfortunately Youtube doesn't allow the more risqué ones but a search can find them in the depths of the interweb - I'll post some links in the future.

From me, this is one of my favourites. I'm not a fan of Aphex Twin particularly, but some of the better known songs (and videos) are very interesting indeed. So here is Aphex Twin - Windowlicker, with one of the best beginnings of a music video ever IMO:

Just a month to wait and now on pre-order. I'm so glad there hasn't been that drip feed of tracks beforehand - there have been some invite-only listening events though, which have provided positive feedback (but they would wouldn't they).

https://burningshed.com/store/stevenwilson

"The Chronicles of Father Robin is a Norwegian prog-rock supergroup, with members hailing from Norway's symphonic prog kings Wobbler, the ever non-definable Tusmørke, seasoned post-rockers The Samuel Jackson Five and the elusive prog gem that is Jordsjø. "The Songs & Tales of Airoea", 30 years in the making, is a cohesive triple concept album with 18 songs set in an alternate archaic world for over a period of three decades. The first album, "Book I", will be released on September 15th, with the single Eleision Fields preceding it."

https://fatherrobin.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-tales-of-airoea-book-1

https://www.discogs.com/release/27469296-The-Chronicles-Of-Father-Robin-The-Songs-Tales-Of-Airoea-Book-I-III

https://www.youtube.com/@thechroniclesoffatherrobin4808

The excellent Black Mirror needs its own thread. So here is the official teaser for the new series to start in Jun 2023 on Netflix. I'm really looking forward to it:

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1853604889/?listId=ls053181649&ref_=hm_hp_i_hero-video-10_10

32 Discs! I love Camel, but this likely too much for me even. Not priced yet either. I didn't get the VdGG boxset or the Gentle Giant studio or live ones either. Is this all a bit too much?

https://www.loudersound.com/news/massive-32-disc-camel-box-set-covers-the-bands-mca-and-decca-years

QuoteA 32-disc box set covering UK prog legends Camel's years on both MCA records and the Decca label from 1973-1984 will be released through UMC later this year.

Air Born: The MCA & Decca Years 1973-1984 features newly remastered versions of every Camel album and single issued between 1973 and 1984, but also includes new stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound versions of the albums Camel, Mirage, Music Inspired By The Snow Goose, Moonmadness and Nude.

Well after another inkjet printer bombed out me yet again I had to do something about it. Why is it that they always seem to fail when you need them most? I was in court last week and was preparing some paperwork when the black ink failed in my HP Inkjet. I tried the YT hacks to fix it, only succeeding in getting black toner everywhere and the house stinking of IPA (not the beer btw). 

I've had different makes and models over the years and they all fail on me sooner or later, so I thought bollocks to this and have just bought a laser printer for the first time. They used to be very expensive but for a few hundred quid you can pick up a colour version with all the bells and whistles. I got a Brother one that was super easy to set up and is so much quicker, and cleaner, than those nasty inkjets. Time will tell of course but I'm impressed so far - it's like having a work printer at home haha.

I have my main PC and 2 laptops. Only one of the laptops is eligible for the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The other laptop has no chance, but my main PC could get the upgrade if I replaced the CPU and installed a TPM 2.0 module. I'm happy with Win 10 but support ceases October 2025. I'm not sure to even bother updating the laptop that can be done as there are rumours of a Windows 12 announcement soon.

It's a mess, as we all thought Win 10 was supposed to be it - with regular updates. But no we are screwed again with PCs that can never be updated unless MS allows older CPUs with no TPM requirement - highly unlikely. I'm even starting to think of running Linux on my computers in future once I can confirm my programs (or similar) will still be available on the switch.

I'm interested in what others are planning to do regarding Windows 10/11/12.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64624525

Maybe in his world, but I doubt music can be replaced by AI. Nick Cave certainly thinks so:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64302944

So who's right? The musician or a DJ?

I haven't watched The Brits in ages, but tonight's effort so far is jaw-droppingly bad. I had a glimmer of interest when Wet Leg did their Chaise Longue tune, but apart from that effort everything else is insipidly dull. I know I'm a grumpy old git, and my old man said the same about pop music in my childhood, but all these modern songs just seem so weak. Harry Styles, what the hell is he about? There is a lot of good, new music around (e.g. black midi, BCNR, Squid etc.), so why is none of this on here. And where is best Prog album/artist of the year award lol?