U.S. Archive
Zero Days (2016)
Zero Days (2016) Cast: George W. Bush & others Director: Alex Gibney Studio: Magnolia Home Ent. 1115 (1/17/17) Video: for 16:9 screens, color Audio: English, DD 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Extras: Interview with director, Theatrical trailer Length: 114 min. Rating: **** This documentary/thriller is about Stuxnet – a self-replicating computer malware that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy the centrifuges of the Iran nuclear facility. The U.S. researchers on it had no idea it had come out of the U.S. but they figured it was a nation-state that did it. It ultimately spread way beyond its intended target, and while it delayed Iran’s development for a nuclear weapons capability, it brought us to a worldwide situation of continuous cyber warfare – where even the smallest country can now threaten to turn off all the electricity in the U.S. or specific places. The origin, background, development, implementation, discovery and investigation of, and fallout from Stuxnet are clearly laid out in this informative documentary. It ends with the general subject of state-sponsored cyber warfare. The less knowledge one has of Stuxnet and consequences of cyber warfare, the more important the documentary will probably be to the viewer. There are some […]
Audio News for November 22, 2016
Biggest Tech Turkeys of 2016 – according to Cnet, first Microsoft’s Surface tablet. Second, Google’s messenger overload; Third, watching sports in VR; Fourth, NFL draft prospect Laremey Tunsil smoking weed with a grass mask on Twitter – it went viral; Surface went offline during the AFC championship game in January; Twitter unceremoniously dumped Vine – a new service for sharing six-second videos; Uber is losing money; smartwatches are so 2015 – nobody is buying them; McDonald’s Un-Happy Meal, which has had a recall for burns and rashes; Microsoft would like you to forget about Tay, an AI they let loose on Twitter – she turned into a horny racist; Facebook declared war on the Philippines; Kanye asked Zuckerberg of Facebook for a load; Hulk Hogan slams Gawker in a privacy lawsuit; Snapchat filters draw ire; Computers blamed for missed flights with several airlines; Tesla’s autopilot led to a fatal car crash; T-Mobile moved to a single unlimited data plan and angered many customers; Verizon added fees to avoid fees; The FBI backed down from pushing Apple to unlock their iPhone; Apple eliminated the standard headphone jack in their new smartphones; BlackBerry goes nowhere and outsourced their phone business; The founder […]
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque – Oddara – Linus Ent.
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque – Oddara – Linus Ent., 270244, 53:51****: Oddara is a surging, rhythmic, muscular offering. (Jane Bunnett – flutes, soprano sax, whistling; Danae Olano – piano, vocals; Celia Jimenez – bass, vocals; Magdelys Savigne – percussion ,vocals; Yissy Garcia – drums; Elizabeth Rodriguez – violin ,vocals; special guests: Melvis Santa – vocals; Dayme Arocena – vocals) Canada’s ties to Cuba go back to the 18th Century, and the Canadian Government has maintained an Embassy in the country continuously since 1945 (unlike the U.S.). Cuba has been a favourite Canadian tourist destination for many years (and also Portland Unitarians), and thus jazz musician Jane Bunnett’s fascination with the Afro-Cuban music tradition is not some Johnny-come-lately affair. Her latest foray into the genre with her all-female band Maqueque is entitled Oddara and is a surging, rhythmic, and muscular offering. Jane Bunnett’s accomplishments as a soprano saxophonist are well documented. The group of female musicians that she leads are primarily from Cuba, but spend significant amounts of time in Canada both recording and performing, when they are not on tour around the world in support of their music. In this release, the music has been penned, for the most part, […]
Audio News for August 23, 2016
Sennheiser Coming to the Big Apple – Headphones will take center stage in October when Sennheiser opens two retail outlets in New York. Both a flagship Soundscape showroom in Westfield World Trade Center and a pop-up store in SoHo will stock Sennheiser’s audiophile range of headphones, including the new HE 1 electrostatic reference headphone system, and demonstrate the AMBEO 3D audio technology. Starting in Chicago on September 27, Sennheiser is planning a series of special “HE 1 Listening Experiences” in selected U.S. and Canadian locations, continuing on to other cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto. Bryston Introduces New Digital Music Player – The BDP-π (yes, that’s the Pi symbol) is currently available for a $1295 suggested retail. The device is built upon the Raspberry Pi and HifiBerry platform, with a chassis that’s one-third the size of Bryston’s BDP player. The BDP-π will playback a range of digital files — from MP3 to lossless 24/192 — and can be connected to virtually any digital-to-analog converter, according to the company. It can also be connected to a network-attached storage drive and access Internet radio and Tidal streaming. The player features four USB 2.0 and one Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) input; […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E minor and Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture – San Francisco Sym./ Michael Tilson Thomas – SFS Media
Two Tchaikovsky classics ably played and generally well recorded.
Audio News for March 24, 2015
Consumers Not Satisfied with Audio System Quality; Panasonic Comeback – Best Profit in Seven Years; Common Chemicals in Home Electronics and Furniture May Contribute to Obesity; “Stringquest” Takes Classical Music on a New Turn
Audio News for March 17, 2015
Pay-TV Subscribers Fall by 4000 in 2014; Pioneer Car Audio Shows New Units; Wireless Audio Beginning to Take Over; Object-Based Surround Coming to TV
Francy Boland Playing With The Trio: Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Woode – Schema Records
A scintillating trio session.
Audio News for May 9, 2014
Consumer Demand for Apps; CEA Asks Senate for Patent Reform; Enhancement of Sharp’s Smart TVs; UK Survey Shows Youth Buying Physical Format Music But Don’t Listen to Them
Audio News for November 22, 2013
2014 International CES to Feature Record of Automotive Exhibitors; New Noise-Cancelling Headphone; Acoustic Sounds HiRez Store Offering Titles in DSD; TiVo Systems Added to Blue Ridge Cable; Reelin’ in the Years Finds Unseen Screen Tests from ‘80s & ‘90s
Audio News for June 28, 2013
Tacet to Release Pure Audio Blu-rays; New Group to Drive Awareness of Pure Audio Format; 4K/UHD Interest Causing a Rethinking of OLED Displays; PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360?
Audio News for May 21, 2013
Sony Starts 4K Marketing Campaign; CEA Backs Bill Ending Anonymous Patents; Anthony Gallo Ships New Satellite Speakers; Apple Lightning Connectors
Weekend, Blu-ray (1967/2012)
May be a watershed 1960s film, but it’s misantropic attitude to the bourgeousie turned me off.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
