A big shared drawing pad

just try it

Moondog

September 8th last year saw the passing of one of the 20th C´s most respected musical icons. Louis T. Hardin better known as Moondog was a revered pioneer on the Avant-Garde/Minimalist scene, his revolutionary attitude towards composition and melody was lauded by such eminent notables as Philip Glass and Steve Reich, while his style and attitude drew comparisons to Harry Partch.

Crazy japanese chain-of-event type antics

some great chains of improbable mechnical systems delivered via the medium of video

april 6th early hours

april6 014
Originally uploaded by Spherical Roy.

What I've been up to of late. (one of a couple of projects. The others being some CAD tuition at the art school, and still plugging away at the 'tonepad' idea - a portable musical sketchpad for graphically scoring and playing back simple melodies, chord sequences and rhythms. Thats what the Webcam is for (atop the speaker). Click the picture for more info about what i was up to at this point.

Masters PDE graduates 2005 no.1

Masters PDE graduates 2005 no.1
Originally uploaded by Spherical Roy.

Here is a picture taken by I don't know who of my calss on graduation many moons ago...

Dave Gorman's Rock & Pebble Balancing Favourites

Banksy on Melbourne graffiti whitewash

Throwies

I like these little critters from Eyebeam in New York - build your own magnetic LEDs for chucking at metal stuff...

RecycleGlasgow Wiki

I've started a wiki (editable website) for recycling resources in Glasgow at:

http://recycleglasgow.wikispaces.com/

Please feel free to augment at will.
R

Found some better resources on recycling in Glasgow:
http://www.wascot.org.uk/html/glasgow_camp.asp?wsa=glasgow
http://www.wascot.org.uk/sort_it_website/html/frame_glasgow.htm

Also ordered a susbsidised compost bin.

Live Air Traffic Control | Live Airport Webcams | Live ATC

Ever wanted to hearLive Air Traffic Control broadcast off tinternet?

midnight motorway noises

Gilly has a new blog entitled midnight motorway noises. I like the look of it. She also has flickr pictures which are cool.

How Roy lost Edgar's parcel shelf and was forgiven.

You know when you unexpectedly put a lot of effort into what should have been a brief and mundane email, and emerge from the experience with pride for your tenacity and the work that sprung forth from it? Well that happened to me, when I was writing to the fine lady who helped me find a new parcel shelf:

"

Hi Natalé,

Well. Its a sad story. I was doing my friend, Gilly, a favour by donating my car, parcel shelf and driver and all, to the cause of the Student Theatre group at Glasgow (STaG). Gilly was producing STaG Nights, the group's annual festival of one-act plays, and desperately needed a bath. She didn't need to wash, she needed a physical, tangible, bathtub. And she found one, to her credit, as one tends to do living in the Woodlands area. Always some furniture on display in the street, for the general enjoyment of students. To the ire of most residents however.

Anyway, Edgar (my car) and I were employed to help move said bath from resting place on West End Park Street to the Gilmorehill Theatre. Not very far. Had I known the trauma that was to ensue I might have insisted that Gilly just carry the bath the few hundred yards up the road. I didn't though, so likewise I didn't. We got the bath alongside Edgar on the pavement, at which point Gilly took the opportunity for a wee rest while I opened up the boot.

I can remember vividly (and in the slow motion that often accompanies my memories of scoring the first and only goal that I will ever score, in a footy match on St. Thomas' CofE Primary School playing fields at the age of 7) carefully detaching the parcel shelf and placing it, oh so delicately, on the pavement, one end on the ground, the other leaning securely up against the railings of no.28 West End Park Street. That was my error, as no sooner had that occurred than the very memory of its occurrence was unexplainably erased from my, admittedly, shit memory. It took a fair while to wriggle the bathtub into what is, and only ever will be, a five door hatchback. All the time Edgar's amputated pacrel shelf watched on. Watched as we fought with the bathtub. Watched as I fought against Gilly's determination to get the bathtub in Edgar. Watched as I drove Edgar away, hot, angry and oblivious.

It was a wet weekend and the parcel shelf must have spent some time being rained upon before presumably being requisitioned by drunken students or the needy owner of a Mark 4 or 5 Fiesta with grey interior. Hopefully the latter. Probably the former.

A full 2 days passed before I had the need to use the car again (I'm a carbon emissions aware kinda fella) and it was only then that I realised my substantial and unforgivable error. Phone calls to friends who reside nearby to the incident as well as repeated monitoring of the site (presumably in the futile hope that the recipient of the parcel shelf might repent and compassionately replace the item, along with its snapped and redundant, yet loveable, fittings, where he or she had chanced across it) proved unsuccessful.

I thought all was lost. In desperation, monosyllabic with grief, I turned to my fellow man through the wonders of the interweb, and broadcast my plight. And you responded.

So thank you. Edgar now once again has a parcel shelf which, although entirely uncoordinated in colouring, works a whole lot better because the fittings actually fix onto the hatchback door. Cool.
Plus my flatmate, Gareth, with whom I share the car is talking to me again. He says thanks too.

"

Natalé replied to a request that I sent to the Glasgow Freecycle list, telling me to get one from the scrapper's on Scots Road in Paisley.

One explanation for my new found wordiness is I spent the whole afternoon with Mark refining his sitcom. Looking good.

none today sir

A blog for cyclists in Glasgow. Might go for the ol' critical mass ride this month..

I just spent a very enjoyable weekend in Durham with Dave and Maddy and friends. I met Roger who is editor of Durham21, if you're ever interested in student life in Durham - its very good. I also met Irish finally, of which I shall say no more..
except that I find him hilarious. :)

R

Season's Greetings!

and a festive start to the new Gregorian calendar year. We shall be here. Oh yes.
R
Lots of love to Dave, our regular reader.

The Arcade Fire!, Harry Partch!, Chris Clark!

Yo homies. My newst favourite band used to be the arcade fire, who, i have just discovered, have a charming website. Flash, but full of hidden treasures... You want the band site, not the fansite, although thats more useful for things like tourdates and stuff. Great band. Seemingly with connections to Supersilent and Deathprod of Norwegian fame..

Also, my friend Kath has just directed me to an archive of interactive instruments based on those created by American composer Harry Partch (1901-1974). You casn play em all!

Chris Clark (see earlier post) is playing at the Liquid Lounge, Glasgow this Thursday 11-3am, £6. If anyone would like to join me, I'll probably be goin'n
.
R

Paper Sculptures

more, and more specifically:

http://www.petercallesen.com/

Return

Hello. Gaz has reminded me of your existence, blog. It is indeed odd at the topsy turviness of the commercial sector lobbying harder than government in this particular area. My apathy says that its not really surprising from this government. the wrong attitude?

Today I have been recording with Adam Beattie. A good day, and chat often returned to general electronica themes and Chris Clark in particular, who, it turns out, Chris the guitarist has met and knows from his childhood days. How odd. I was told about him by Greg, my friend in Minnesota. A long way for a st. Albans lad to go. Chris Clark is playing at the Liquid Lounge here in GLasgow on December 8th, to which I shall go.
Anyway, this was partly why Adam and I were inspired to spend an hour tonight building contact microphones from piezoelectric transducers. The results were interesting, if surprisingly unversatile however.
I also returned to try my hand at a little electronic noise making as I have been meaning to do for ages. The results are here, on the newly rehosted thesound, and were made from the sound of my new printer (thankyou neel!) turning on.

Will you come to our party this saturday?

And have you met my nephew, Rowan?

And have you seen my business site?

So many new things.

lots of love
R

I got Picasa...

 Well lets see if this here works...
 

mnk::scanjam::words

mnk::scanjam::words