Robots' Got Talent

Pathetic Earth Fleshlings,

Score 1 more binary unit for robotkind:

Humans are musically obsolete.

R.Vector-9

Lo-Bat and the chiptunes community vs. Crystal Castles: Creative Commons Woes

Last week on the program I mentioned the uproar that has been going on revolving around those indie-kid favorites Crystal Castles.

Essentially, they are being accused of using samples from Lo-Bay and Covox without crediting the artists, violating the Creative Commons license that the music is licensed under.

Here are some related stories:

http://8bitpeoples.com/
http://colortronic.blogspot.com/2008/05/crystal-castles-in-trbl.html

Show on Saturday

Greetings Deuce Project listeners,

First off, there is a show in Kalamazoo on 6.21.08 that may be of interest to you. The bands Aleph-1 and Land of Atlantis are going to be playing at Papa Pete's (502 S. Burdick Street) at 9pm. It is an 18+ show and the door price is $10 for the under-21 crowd and $5 if you are 21+. Obviously, Aleph-1 is the band that caught our eye at first, but both seem great. They also both have songs you can listen to on their myspace pages...imagine that. It isn't everyday that you get to rock out to the sounds of the infinity of the continuum.

Aleph-1
http://www.myspace.com/aleph1band

Land of Atlantis here
( http://www.myspace.com/landofatlantis ).

Here's the bio blurbs:
ALEPH-1
"...it’s the electro-jazz / power prog rock trio Aleph-1 from Ann Arbor, with their sleek sci-fi inflected synths and rapid rhythms... With staggering instrumental compositions that feel almost orchestral in structure, they still keep a distinctly jazzy improvisational looseness. Their debut self-titled album galvanizes cinematic sounding electronic odysseys that combine the fantastic urgency one might feel if we were trapped inside our computer fending off viscous viruses or rival 'red guy' motorcycle riders ala ‘Tron’; their sound is an invigorating clash of nostalgic '50's sci-fi film vibes with kitschy UFO synth howls charged by 80's new wave buzzy grooves and prog-rock trounced rhythms. Live, the band can be as fiery and ferocious as an amped up jazz rampage, utilizing drums with 2 samplers, 2 synthesizers and the occasional guitar. Their debut album is a staggering journey of invigoration, melodrama and dream-pop soundscapes; the transitions are baffling (the percussion on “DB” goes from hip/hop to speed-metal in one measure yet the flow is as natural as the sun setting); while the synths on “Plan 9” start with a Twilight Zone vibe then morph into a house-rave blitz; and “GoodCop” features a bass line so full of character and charm you’d think it to be born from the soulful grooves of Motown."


LAND OF ATLANTIS
Formed in 2007, Land of Atlantis is made up from some of the region's finest young musicians. This top-notch instrumental jazz/rock fusion group's lineup includes: on Rhythm guitar Dan Rucinski, bassist Josh Hanchar, drummer Nemanja Djorovic, his twin brother/lead guitarist Nikola Djorovic, and Justin w. Powell keyoards. They all are talented musicians years beyond their age. Nikola Djorovic is one of only seven finalists to compete in the national round of Guitar Center's 2005 Guitarmageddon contest and has appeared in Guitar World Magazine that same year. Members of LOA have peformed with Umphrey's Mcgee, Bobby Watson, The Afromotive, Brainchild,The Hue, John Wasem Band,56 Hope Road, Groovatron and openend for Sum 41, just to name a few. Bringing together just about every style of music into one group of musicians with compositions that make sense to the listener is why Land of Atlantis is one of the few, unique bands Chicago has to offer. From Metal to Latin Jazz, through World Music around to bebop and back; Land of Atlantis is a band to watch in the coming months. L.O.A. is currently working on their debut album release with engineer Manny Sanchez. and Chris Harding at I.V. Lab and Land of Atlantis Studios.Keep your ears open!

The Deuce Project: Now On I-Tunes

The radio station that the program airs on, 89.1 fm WIDR, has begun offering free podcasts of various shows via i-tunes. If you are interested in subscribing follow the below directions.

First, click here: https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/BrowsePrivately/wmich.edu.1552307471

This will open up i-tunes, or at least open up a screen asking if it is okay to open up I-tunes. From there you should be looking at the various line-up of podcasts available to be delivered via I-tunes podcast subscription. Simply click on the show you want, grab individual shows, or simply hit subscribe.

Currently the shows are all unedited and none include the individualized artwork or naming I offer on this site. I plan on keeping this site going and including all of the bonus goodies like that along with the one-hour downloads that work for burning onto audio cds. I'll see what I can do about getting album art etc... on the I-tunes stuff, but I am doubtful. However, if you want Sci-fi tunes delivered every week without needing to go through megaupload or mediafire, here is an alternative.

Best,
J-Unit 1

HULC Exoskeleton News or Better Living Through Technological Enhancements

On May 20 we posted a story contributed by Deuce Project friend Amytronic about a robotic exoskeleton that allowed users to lift loads of around 500 lbs. (Here)


Well, apparently robotic exo-skeletons are the new thing. Berkeley Bionics has started to accept orders for its HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier) . The HULC is a mobile exoskeleton that allows users to manuever effectively with loads up to 200 lbs.. Another interesting bit from this New Scientist article:

More impressively, the 'proprietary technology' within HULC actually reduces metabolic cost. Wearing the HULC, you consume about 5-10% less oxygen when walking than a HULC-less friend. The effect is even more pronounced when carrying a heavy load.

The link above also includes video of the device in action.

So human enhancements are coming along. Between exoskeletons and body temperature regulating gloves such as the Core Control, human beings seem to be developing a new means of non-organic environmental adapatation. Interesting stuff.