This Topster image (from https://www.neverendingchartrendering.org/) is imported/generated from my Last.fm account - about the last 6 months worth. In this image these are about 95% vinyl albums (I only use Last.fm for vinyl plays and I use a scrobble app linked to my discogs account to add album plays). I saw these Topster images all over Reddit music subreddits so I thought I'd have a go (but there is a dedicated r/Topster too). I'd prefer it if it was just purely album total plays rather than tracks played as something like Echolyn - mei is only 1 track, so the higher rated albums are a little skewed somewhat. Good fun though (I probably have too much time on my hands too lol). A prize for finding the one Rush album:

Rush1 1980-89: http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Music/Rush-1980-1989-402779.html

Rush2:  http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Music/Rush-Fever-231344.html

I got 11/15 for the first one and a terrible 5/10 on the second.

I've just updated my trusty Rega Planar 1 to a P6. Sticking with the Rega Exact cartridge for now as I only have an MM pre-amp - maybe I'll update to MC in the future. I replaced the belt with the Rega EBLT reference as well. Lovely.

Firstly, Zerotier is not a VPN like Nord or IPVanish which are used to create encrypted tunnels to remote servers for on-line security or by-passing geo-restrictions so you can watch Netflix US in the UK for example. Instead Zerotier is a personal VPN which creates your own private LAN, which is accessible from anywhere in the world with pretty much any device and appears, and works, just like you are on your home LAN. So it's really useful for accessing files at home or movies or music servers available on your LAN. I know there are VPN Servers you can run from home for things like this e.g. VPNServer on Synology NAS - but this normally involves opening ports on your router and is all a bit complicated really.

Zerotier takes minutes to set up. Simply register an account at Zerotier, create your unique network, get the Zerotier client on your device and connect to that network. And that's it. I did it yesterday and now I've got my small VPN set up with 4 devices (a PC, my phone, my NAS and a Raspberry Pi) all connected in their own LAN. On my phone I can just run any music playback app that can access a LAN and point it at my Zerotier VPN network, where my NAS is sharing out a music folder, and securely stream my own tunes saved at home. I had it all running through my car using Android Auto and with it I could access my music on my LAN at home while driving about. I'm not sure how good it will be with large movie files, but that mainly depends on the speed of the network you are connected to.

Zerotier themselves calls it a Global Area Server and their spiel:  "Connect team members from anywhere in the world on any device. ZeroTier creates secure networks between on-premise, cloud, desktop, and mobile devices." As I indicated there are apps/programs for NAS, Android, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi - I'm sure there are many others. A great and really useful tool:

https://www.zerotier.com/


Here is a pic of my network from the Zerotier website. As you can see the LAN network range (all automatically created, but changeable) is 173.23.0.0/16 and each device has been allocated an IP address in that range. I've blanked some personal info, but at the far right is the Physical Address, i.e. the WAN, which are all the same as they are all off my home router. Of course if I go out with my phone that IP address would change but it would still be connected to the virtual LAN on 172.23.x.x.

For $300m, though nothing from Gabriel or Hackett. Seems to be the thing to do these days.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63094007

This show is currently airing on iPlayer. I was hesitant at first as it just looked a bit odd (see the programme titles), but it's brilliant and really funny. I've watched 2 from series 1 so far, but will certainly watch the rest. Surreal and certainly different but he has a real eye and manages to link the strangest things - and it's good to see how weird New York is.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0cltlm3/how-to-with-john-wilson

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/how_to_with_john_wilson

Playing at the cinema, streaming and then to DVD/Blu-ray.

https://www.dgmlive.com/news/itcotck-global-launch

That's one of my Xmas presents sorted then 

Anyone use these things and what do you think? I'm looking at the Ring 2, but any recording requires a monthly account which is putting me off and it can't do local storage. Cheaper, but with local recording (via a sync module) is the Blink, but that gets some poor reviews with speeds being an issue despite being Alexa integrated,

I already have a pro-installed Hikvision CCTV system with cameras at the front and rear of my house. Unfortunately there is no simple way of adding a doorbell camera to this, but the cameras do have motion/line crossing alerts and it works well. I also uses 2 Synology NAS which can run Surveillance Station, but I can't seem to find a doorbell camera that works with it.

Thing is I'm not really sure of the usefulness of these doorbell cameras, but my wife keeps going on about them. I'm really wondering about how they work day to day.

Riverside begin recording new album: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=575032970658914&set=a.206061530889395

Everything Everywhere All at Once scores 8.6 on imdb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474/

What the hell have I just watched, have I had an acid trip? This movie is incredible and a true one of a kind; a spectacle to behold. I can't really describe it properly either, you just have to watch it. Let's say though that this movie was made on a relatively small budget and 10 times less than the latest Doctor Strange - but 10 times better. It's profound, comical, emotional, action-packed, superbly scripted and acted, yet so creative too. The direction is phenomenal and the poor editor must have really earned their pay-packet - it's that good. But there are ridiculous, bizarre moments that make your jaw drop too.

For me this is the best movie this century and I have no qualms making that statement. Mixed in some of the imdb reviews are the odd 1 or 2 out of 10. I really get that too and can understand why someone would hate it, but that's the level of feeling this film evokes. And a final note - Jamie Lee Curtis: you'll never see her like this again, brilliant.  Easily a 10/10

Saw this on Prog Archives. Funny 

This sprung up in the vinyl thread, but probably needs its own place. So what albums do you think most people would own.

I'd say Brothers in Arms, Automatic for the People, Tubular bells, Dark Side of the Moon.

Slim came up with Zeppelin IV, Abbey Road, Sergeant Pepper, Rumours, Thriller

Thenop added Back in Black too.

Also what album(s) do you own, have owned, most copies of. Mine is The The - Infected. I owned it on vinyl and VHS (a video was was made for each track). When I first met my wife she had it on cassette and then we bought it on CD. I've since bought a remaster - so 5 different copies/versions.

Saw this on another forum.

Give yourself one point for each thing you haven't done:

Skipped School
Broken a bone
Fired a gun
Been in a limo
Gotten a tattoo
Ridden a Horse
Sung karaoke
Gotten a ticket
Been arrested
Been on TV
Been on a cruise
Gotten a piercing
Met a celebrity
Been skydiving
Had a one night stand
Skinny dipped
Been drunk

6 for me:

Gotten a ticket
Been arrested
Been on a cruise
Gotten a piercing
Been skydiving
Skinny dipped

So how did you score?

Well I have actually seen Star Wars, but I'm using the title of the Radio/TV show which invited guests to come up with list of common things not done and try them out. Inspired by Matt2112's admission of never having seen Aliens, what well know movies or TV shows have you not seen.

Off the top of my head 3 movies I've not watched (and probably never will) are:

Four Weddings and a Funeral
Love Actually
Titanic

Luckily my wife hates 'chick flicks' and 'rom coms' and prefers Sci-Fi and horror like me 

For the last few days - Japan - Methods of Dance - great song though.

Like we really need another spin-off. 

https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/walking-dead-spinoff-sees-maggie-and-negan-take-manhattan-in-isle-of-the-dead/

2 singles have now been released from the new album - Closure/Continuation schedule for release 22 June 22.

I've got the album pre-ordered, but I'm not keen on these single releases (much like The Future Bites) as when the album eventually appears half of it will be out already. I like to hear an album as a whole - to get the context. Anyway the 2 singles so far:

Harridan


Of the New Day

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=128588

Notable for me are Big Big train, A Formal Horse, Mastodon and Frost* in the list, but even better to see black midi and Shamblemaths at 2 and 1.

My favourite albums of 2021:

A Formal Horse - Meat Mallet
Evership - The Uncrowned King
Perfect Storm - No Air
Frost* - Day and Age
black midi - Cavalcade
VOLA - Witness
The Emerald Dawn - To Touch the Sky
Konom - Konom
Big Big Train - Common Ground
Porcupine Tree - House of Blues
Caligonaut - Magnified as Giants
Shamblemaths - Shamblemaths II

Some other good ones that need a bit more of my attention:

Motorpsycho - Kingdom of Oblivion
Gojira - Fortitude
French TV - All Our Failures Are Behind Us
Mostly Autumn - Graveyard Star
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - L.W
Jordsjø - Pastoralia

Only had one play so far but have potential:

Elephant9 - Arrival Of The New Elder
Needlepoint - Walking up That Valley
Squid - Bright Green Field
The The - The Comeback Special (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

Just picked up a mint copy of Pallas - The Sentinel from ebay for a few quid.

Slim, is it possible to bring the like button back? Some people need liking and I miss it