Random Thinking

Here is this week’s song off my iPod. This is a song from my years of clubbing.

Tears For Fears are an English pop duo formed by former members of the group “Graduate”, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in 1981. The band’s name was inspired by primal therapy which had become very popular in the 70′s and early 80′s. The group’s music was heavily influenced by “Talking Heads” and Brian Eno. The group’s music was heavily synthesizer based as was common in the music of the New Wave period in the early 80′s. The band has sold more than 22 million albums worldwide.

The groups first album, The Hurting, was very successful in the UK and had three hit singles but did not crack the US market. In 1984, they released Songs From the Big Chair and the pair achieved international success. The album reached triple-platinum in the UK and quintuple-platinum in the U.S. and had two #1 Billboard hits.

The duo broke up in 1991 shortly after the release of their third album. The split was blamed on Orzabal’s costly album production which required extensive touring to pay off debt. The pair reunited in 2000 and have released a studio album and two live albums. They are currently on a tour through Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the US.

The song Head Over Heels was the third single from Songs From the Big Chair and reached #3 on the Billboard 100. The video for the song features Orzabal attempting to catch the eye of a very pretty librarian in a very odd library.

Head Over Heels
I wanted to be with you alone
And talk about the weather
But traditions I can trace
Against the child in your face
Won’t escape my attention
You keep your distance with a system of touch
And gentle persuasion
I’m lost in admiration, could I need you this much
Oh, you’re wasting my time,
You’re just, just, just wasting time

Something happens and I’m head over heels
I never find out till I’m head over heels
Something happens that I’m head over heels
Ah, don’t take my heart, don’t break my heart
Don’t, don’t, don’t throw it away

I made a fire and watching it burn (yeah)
Thought of your future
With one foot in the past
Now just how long will it last
No, no, no, have you no ambitions,
Oh (What’s the matter with…)
My mother and my brothers
Used to breathing clean air
(Nothing ever changes when you’re acting your age)
And dreaming I’m a doctor
(Nothing gets done when you feel like a baby)
It’s hard to be man when there’s a gun in your hand.
(Nothing ever changes when you’re acting your age)
Oh, I feel so…

Something happens and I’m head over heels
I never find out till I’m head over heels
Something happens that I’m head over heels
Ah, don’t take my heart, don’t break my heart
Don’t, don’t, don’t throw it away

And this is my four leaf clover
I’m on the line, one open mind,
This is my four leaf clover
In my mind’s eye
One little boy, one little man
Funny how…time flies

I actually have had this link for quite awhile but never got around to posting it. Fortunately the students at MIT never deleted it and the government was never able to force the college to remove it. So if you are wondering whether you should be wearing an aluminum hat to protect yourself from the government, you better read this link.

On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets: An Empirical Study

We test people from foreign countries who want to be citizens. Maybe we should test everyone. So how would you do on a citizenship test? MSNBC has a sample test which the link to is just below. An 80% score is passing.

The Citizenship Test

I scored a 95% because I couldn’t remember how many amendments there are to the Constitution.

I found this website that has some cool cartoons. This one is “17 Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat.” It’s definitely worth reading so click the picture:

Here is this week’s song off my iPod. I only have two songs from this group on my iPod, this one and a song they did for the SpongeBob Movie called, “SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy”.

The Flaming Lips are an extremely odd alternative/psychedelic band from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma formed in 1983. The current members of the group are Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar), Michael Ivins(bass), Steven Drozd(guitar), and Kliph Scurlock(drums). Kliph (pronounced Cliff) is the newest member of the band, having been only 10 years old when the group formed. Kliph’s mother was in the first all-female mariachi band, Mariachi Estrella. She died in 1981 in the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in Kansas City, where she was performing.

The group is noted for their multi-layered psychedelic sounds with bizarre lyrics and titles. Album titles over the years have included, “Telepathic Surgery”, “In a Priest Driven Ambulance”, “Hit to Death in the Future Head”, “Transmissions from the Satellite Heart” and “Clouds Taste Metallic”. They are acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, puppets, complex light shows, giant hands, confetti dumped on the audience from giant exploding baloons, and lead singer Wayne Coyne’s man-sized plastic bubble that he uses to go out into the audience. In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die”. The group continues to perform and release albums.

In the 27 years the group has been around they have had only one Billboard hit although they have been more successful in Britain and Europe. They have won three Grammy Awards including one in 2003 for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their song “Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)”. Last year, the group’s song, “Do You Realize??” was announced as the official rock song of Oklahoma. GOP Reps. Mike Reynolds and Corey Holland attacked the choice because of the group’s “offensive language” and because Michael Ivins wore a hammer and sickle t-shirt to the announcement ceremony. Governor Brad Henry ignored them and signed an executive order saying the Flaming Lips are, “a truly iconic rock n’ roll band” and “proud ambassadors of their home state.”

The single hit song by the Flaming Lips was, “She Don’t Use Jelly” released in 1993. The song became popular after being featured on the MTV show Beavis and Butt-head. The group performed the song on the TV show, Beverly Hills, 90210 at the Peach Pit, the hang out of the main characters. The song is noted for it’s musical breaks and odd lyrics.

She Don’t Use Jelly
I know a girl who thinks of ghosts
She’ll make ya breakfast
She’ll make ya toast
She don’t use butter
She don’t use cheese
She don’t use jelly
Or any of these
She uses vaseline

I know a guy who goes to shows
When he’s at home and he blows his nose
He don’t use tissues or his sleeve
He don’t use napkins or any of these
He uses magazines

I know a girl who reminds me of Cher
She’s always changing
The color of her hair
She don’t use nothing
That ya buy at the store
She likes her hair to be real orange
She uses tangerines

Unless you have been living in a tent in the outback of Australia, I am sure you are aware that the BP oil company has been spilling 200,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico from their wrecked oil platform. They have been trying various solutions including a seawater/oil separator from a company owned by Kevin Costner.

But the solution that they have been using right from the beginning is a chemical dispersant. There are twelve different types of dispersants approved by the EPA for breaking up oil in seawater. Two of those are rated as 100% effective on southern Louisiana crude oil. But BP chose to use a product called Corexit. Corexit is less than 65% effective on southern Louisiana crude oil. Corexit is also one of the most toxic of the 12 dispersants rated at up to 20 times more toxic than the more effective dispersants.

So why would BP choose to use a chemical that is more toxic and less effective? Do they know something that we don’t know? Is their some secret that BP is trying to keep from us that explains their seeming madness? Corexit is manufactured by a company called Nalco. And guess who is on the board of Nalco. Did you guess executives from BP? Give yourself a cigar! Do you think the reason that Corexit is being used is because the executives of BP are basically selling the product to themselves?

Bruce Gebhardt, president of the company that manufactures Dispersit, a much safer and more effective product, says he could make 60,000 gallons a day of Dispersit which would cover the needs of BP. But he says his product has failed to get much market share. “When we came out with a safer product, we thought people would jump on board,” he said. “That’s not the case. We were never able to move anyone of any size off the Corexit product.” Maybe you need to put some BP executives on your board, Bruce.

Source: NY Times article, Less Toxic Dispersants Lose Out in BP Oil Spill Cleanup

I would have posted the song of the week last week when I should have but Michel ran over my ear buds with her car (and no, I wasn’t wearing them at the time) so I couldn’t listen to my iPod. So here is last week’s song off my iPod.

Eighteen Visions was a metalcore/alternative band from Orange County, California formed in 1995. Metalcore is a fusion genre combining elements of metal, hardcore punk, and emo. The band went through various members over the years but when they broke up in 2007 the band consisted of James Hart (vocals), Ken Floyd (guitar), Keith Barney (guitar), Mick Morris (bass), and Trevor Friedrich (drums). The band released 6 albums over the years and toured extensively with acts such as HIM, Lostprophets, Avenged Sevenfold, and Bullet for My Valentine. In 2007 the group broke up, announcing that the members of the band had been together for 12 years and no longer had the same vision for where the group should be heading.

Released in 2007, Eighteen Visions was the final album by Eighteen Vision and was their only album for Epic Records. The album was slightly different than the metalcore the group had previously produced towards a more alternative sound. However, it sold poorly and received little support from Epic. The album peaked at #74 on the Billboard charts but disappeared from the charts rapidly after the first week. “Tonightless” was the first single from the album and peaked at #38 on the Billboard charts.

Tonightless
We’ll be tonightless

We can’t wait another moment
Our time will come before we know it
With your heart you’ve got to open up this time
I don’t want to be alone tonight

Am I gonna be tonightless again?
All of the loneliness has got to end
I know the years have been so bittersweet
But you don’t have to go so please don’t leave

Our souls are lost without each other
We’ve gotta find time to recover
If you hold me close this heartache will subside
I don’t want to be alone tonight

Am I gonna be tonightless again?
All of the loneliness has got to end
I know the years have been so bittersweet
But you don’t have to go so please don’t leave

We’ll be tonightless
We’ll be tonightless
(You know we will, you know we will)
We’ll be tonightless again baby

This is for Beth and her friend Alexandra because I know that this is something that they care about…

In this day in history: 1536: Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, beheaded for alleged adultery.

I just received this email from my Senator, Charles Schumer and I wanted to share it with everyone:

Every day, we entrust more and more of our private information to websites and online social networks like Facebook. So I take Internet privacy very seriously.

That’s why I’m so concerned with the changes Facebook recently made to its privacy policy and use of personal data on third party websites. These changes take away important control that users had over who has access to their information.^[1,2]

I and others have expressed our concern about these changes and Facebook is starting to feel the pressure. Now, as Facebook considers how to respond to the outcry from its customers,^[3] we all need to keep up the pressure.

That’s why I’m asking you to join me in urging Facebook to stop sharing your information without your permission, by setting your status today to read:
“Facebook should stop sharing my personal info with outside companies without my permission. If you agree, set this as your status today and join this group: http://bit.ly/d1ZB6h”

Facebook provides a valuable service, but online social networks need to allow users to retain control over their own personal information.

The information that Facebook is now sharing with third-parties and with the public is very different from the spirit of the site’s previous terms of service.^[4] Certain parts of your profile, including your hometown, interests and activities, and your profile picture, must be made public or deleted—even if you restricted whom they were shared with before. Certain third-party partners now have access to all of this information, including your list of friends and their information, as soon as you visit their websites—without asking your permission.

These changes undermine the protection of your personal information on the web.

Recently, I sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking them to examine the use and distribution of personal information by social networking sites like Facebook.^[5] Three other senators and I also sent a letter directly to Facebook, urging them to provide an opt-in mechanism that would seek your permission before sharing your information.^[6]

Facebook can take immediate action to remedy this situation—but before they will they need to hear from enough users who care.

Can you join me in advocating for privacy on the web?

If you’re on Facebook set your status to read:

“Facebook should stop sharing my personal info with outside companies without my permission. If you agree, set this as your status today and join this group: http://bit.ly/d1ZB6h”

Thank you for joining me in advocating for a safer, better Internet.

Sincerely,

Senator Charles Schumer

Sources:

1. “Facebook privacy changes would share user data with other sites,” The Washington Post, March 29, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88264&id=20502-9916070-qXWcfRx&t=1

2. “The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook,” mattmckeon.com, May 11, 2010
http://mattmckeon.com/facebook-privacy/

3. “Facebook Calls All Hands Meeting on Privacy,” allfacebook.com, May 12, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88265&id=20502-9916070-qXWcfRx&t=2

4. “New Facebook Privacy Complaint Filed with Trade Commission,” Electronic Privacy Information Center, May 5, 2010
http://epic.org/2010/05/new-facebook-privacy-complaint.html

5. Press Release, Office of Senator Charles E. Schumer, April 26, 2010,
http://schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=324175

6. Press Release, Office of Senator Charles E. Schumer, April 27, 2010,
http://schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=324221

There was an article in today’s NY Daily News about issues with Facebook security. The issue is that Facebook is sharing more information with 3rd parties like Yelp and Microsoft. Facebook security used to default to protect their users but the default has been revised so that users need to opt-out of programs such as these. But Facebook doesn’t provide details about what a user needs to do to protect their identity on Facebook.

The NY Daily News published a list of instructions to protect your security which I have included below. I think the first one is wrong (or perhaps it depends on how your account is configured). For me, to get to privacy settings I have to click Account>Privacy Settings in the upper right. Anyway, here is the list:

Tips to protect yourself on Facebook:

1.These links will help you manage your privacy.

- On the upper right-hand corner of your screen, click Privacy Settings/Profile Information. Make sure you adjust your privacy settings next to all 12 categories on the page.

- Then click Back to Privacy/Contact Information. Make sure you adjust your privacy settings next to all nine categories on the page.

2. To ensure your friends don’t see your name when they view Facebook ads.

- On the upper right hand corner of your screen, click Account/ Account Settings/Facebook Ads.

- Select “No one” besides the section that reads “Allow ads on platform pages to show my information to & Show my social actions in Facebook Ads to.”

3. To make sure you are not enrolled in a program that gives Web sites like Yelp, Pandora and Microsoft Docs access to your information.

- On the upper right hand corner of your screen, click Account/Privacy Settings/Applications and Web sites

- Click Edit Setting beside Instant Personalization Pilot Program.

- Then uncheck the box at the bottom of the screen.

4. Maybe, though, you’ve had enough and want to deactivate your account. You go to this link:

- https://ssl.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account

- Click Submit. Enter your password and fill out the text box. Press Okay. And do not log into Facebook for two weeks, or your account will be reactivated.