07 Nov, 07
Off I go to HardRockHell Festival, Bristol, UK. Discussing about my photo and laptop bag with Ryanair will be fun, because they absolutely allow only one piece of cabin luggage, period. And I don’t think I’d like to check in several thousand euros worth of either…
Asides, Music, Photography, Metal, Festival, Travel, mattness and Great Britain
20 Aug, 07
Canon today announced the EOS 40D, successor to the EOS 30D. It features the new DIGIC III processor, 6.5 frames per second, a larger and brighter viewfinder, live view with autofocus(!), buffer for 75 JPEGs/17 RAWs, weather-proofing, 1D-style menus (with “My Menu”), a new AF system, dedicated AF button, automatic dust-removal and a 10.1 megapixel sensor. Also, the 40D doesn’t just shut down and lose all unsaved data when the card compartment is opened. The cam will come to the European market in October.
Maybe I’m just a little annoyed since my 30D is still rather new, but I think this cam is too good for this segment. Especially with weather-proofing and live view, this gets uncomfortably close to the 1D-line features. Comparing price tags and looking at the problems that still affect the 1DmkIII, this might be a convincing alternative for those now holding out or saving for a 1D.
General, Photography, Announcement and Canon
28 Jul, 07
*Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. If you think it is, seek help immediately.*
Various reports on the web say Virgin Mobile has used images from flickr in their advertising campaing in Australia, and now people are outraged.
Here’s an idea: If you don’t want your images being used commercially, use a non-commercial license.
And another (they’re free today): If you don’t have a model release for a photo, don’t license it. Period.
Luckily, some commenters do get the idea. Yay, voice of reason!
How common is it for large corporations to steal amateur photos like that?
See, Virgin aren’t stealing (and that’s leaving aside the distinction of physical and virtual property). They are very likely completely in the right! The photographer released the picture under the CC-BY (Creative Commons-Attribution) license, which makes it okay to use for any commercial endeavour. That comes with at least a moral implication that you have actually gotten the necessary release forms, too, since otherwise the whole license is pointless.
I just can’t believe they would USE it like that!
Well, that’s the idea behind the CC licenses, that you can just use CC-licensed things by following the terms of the license. And that’s why you use any of the CC-NC (Non-Commercial) versions if you do not want to allow commercial usage. Seems simple, right?
And if you don’t have all the rights to the work… then you don’t license it at all.
27 Jul, 07
Lately I found myself cussing at computers more than usual. Actually, not only computers, but almost all technology I encounter in my everyday life just annoys me very quickly now. Now, for a total geek like me, that’s a very strange thing to discover. I used to really like computers, programming, all the great things you could do with them… and now it seems more like a chore, something I have to do, but if I had a choice, wouldn’t. Even just using the computer, for example to sort through my photos is almost painful since it’s so slow and feels like everything is just getting in my way all the time.
Photography itself hasn’t grown stale or annoying yet. It’s a really stressful job at times, and it’s by far not as easy as it might seem, but it’s good stress. I like doing it, I believe I’m doing a good job with it, I’m getting to know people and people like my photos. It gives me a feeling of achievement.
On the other hand, programming has lately been either for myself (to fix stupid bugs or get missing features), or largely invisible and/or unsuccessful (work). It’s like continually running against a wall, without any personal gain or growth, or worse, just a whole lot of negativity wearing me down. I barely had any time to work on the chosen projects, which makes me feel even worse for kinda, sorta, abandoning them for so long.
Add to that the other blows in my personal life in the last few months, which I won’t detail here, and the result is not very pretty.
I need to reevalute my life.
All kind words and good tips are duly appreciated.
19 Apr, 07
I just ordered:
And now I want stuff to arrive, like, this instant!
THE ALGORITHM CONSTANTLY FINDS JESUS
General, Photography, Canon and Gadgets
11 Apr, 07
This year’s edition of the [Headway Festival][hw]—the fifth—took once again place in club [P60][] in Amstelveen, The Netherlands. A promising line-up including big names such as Zero Hour and Redemption, and soon-to-be big names like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Loch Vostok, put this festival on the must-visit list for me. Amstelveen is a nice city just south of Amsterdam, where the roads are wide and the trees are green and the people are nice, and everyone speaks English and German at least, and public transport works. Also, cabs and restaurants are expensive, but it cannot all be sunshine, right? (Also, public transport went belly up in the Easter chaos just when I tried to catch a train, but that’s another story.) The venue, while a little small, is still very nice, featuring two bars, and a snack café next door. They offer a nice selection of beverages (read: beers), the food is comparatively cheap and very tasty, and the sound and light technicians actually listen to the music, as Sleepytime can confirm. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Read on for the review of the first day of the festival, Friday, April 6th. [All photos from the Headway Festival 2007][hwp] are online at [mattness.net][mattness]. * Review for [Friday, April 6th](2/) * Review for [Saturday, April 7th, and conclusion](3/) #### Friday, April 6th #### **[Obsidian][]** opened the festival on Friday. Hailing from Amsterdam, NL, they can almost count as ‘local’. Playing a technical style of progressive death metal, they can well be compared to Textures, although they miss the polish of their fellow countrymen. They put on a solid show, but the vocals appeared to be weaker than on the records. Nevertheless, a good beginning for a great festival. Coming up next were **[To-Mera][]** from the UK. Having heard some samples before, I had dismissed them as a rather generic, female-fronted prog metal outfit. I haven’t warmed much towards them from their Headway show either. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good musicians and the band performs well, but I personally don’t find the music interesting. The vocal lines seemed to be detached from the flow of the music, and the stage presence was lacking. In the end, the impression that remains was that of a band with much potential (and a good-looking singer), but which could do a lot better. If you like jazzy prog metal with strange female vocal lines, check them out.
The day started with the industrial-seeming hardcore prog of Dutch Transmission0. While their performance was good, their unique blend of hard riffs and soundscape lines takes some getting used to. There is no doubt they are good, but early in the afternoon, after a night of 3 °C and too little sleep, I couldn’t really appreciate them.
Seventh Wonder were noticably softer, almost mellow at times, and also more fun since their announcements were in English and thus, understandable by yours truly. Also, the speaking voice of singer Tommy Karevik was a little messed up, which ended with him asking people to call him “girl”. The audience cheerfully obliged and everyone had fun. Musically, Seventh Wonder are rockish and symphonic with heavy overtones. Their sound is well-rounded and multi-layered at once, which grabs and holds the listener’s attention all the time.
Billed as “a side project of Kristoffer Gildenlöw” by their label, and as “a serious band” by Kristoffer Gildenlöw, DIAL definitely showed that they mean business. With Liselotte Hegt on vocals and bass, Kristoffer Gildenlöw on most everything, and even their drumer going to pick up the bass in the middle of the show, DIAL laid down a sound carpet of progressive gothic death rock-metal. Unfortunately, technical problems caused a few delays which also broke the flow a little. Their first studio album, ‘Synchronized’, will come out May 8th and should go on your pre-order list right now.
With superb virtuosity and stage chemistry, Christophe Godin’s Mörglbl project then flooded the venue with a multi-layered prog-jazz power metal inferno. Christophe Godin is a crazy, crazy man; most importantly, however, he and his friends are a lot of fun on stage. When they’re also playing technically perfect jazzy riffs over a snazzy groove, nothing could possibly go wrong. A great way to spend an evening, definitely.
The Prog/Industrial/Death/Power Metal mix of Loch Vostok welcomed the audience after the dinner break. Their singer & bass player Teddy is a powerful force on stage, and their songwriting is strong and uncompromising. The songs would work just as well, if not better, with less screaming and growling, IMO, because I couldn’t help getting the impression that the aggressiveness of the music is forced at times. Nevertheless, Loch Vostok are dead serious and seriously good.
Now, writing about Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is a lot like dancing about architecture. I would just write ‘HOLY SHIT, these guys ROCK’, and that would conclude my review of Sleepytime. Their first ever European concert, they stood up to their reputation of uncompromising avantgarde artists. Self-made clothing, make-up, self-built instruments, and just the right level of weirdness. Did I already mention how great their show was? If you missed them at Headway, look at their websites for more European tour dates.
Redemption, headliners of this year’s Headway Festival and met with high expectations, finally entered the stage to bring the festival to a good finale. However, their show seemed a little half-hearted. I’m not a huge fan of Redemption; they play Fates Warning meets Threshold, a little more perfected and technical—and white-washed. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a surefire recipe for good prog metal. It just isn’t unique most of the time, and as such, nothing to write home about. Their performance at Headway was further clouded by the accumulated delay, Ray Alder’s voice not being in all too good shape, and little interaction on stage in general. Whether it was because they had to shorten their playlist a little, or because only a few hundred people came to see them, their show appeared to be nonprofessional—although the performance itself was musically almost flawless. Except for when they played their encore, Ray missed the cue for the final chorus, that is. It is unfortunate that they played such a mixed show because they should be capable of doing much better. Thus, the festival sadly ended on a slightly down note.
Altogether in the end however, it was a great festival. Many thanks to the organizers! It’s a pity that only a few hundred people came this year.
Greetings to Margaret, Carla, Giuli, John, Nils, Hans, the barkeepress from Friday, the security guy (sorry, I have no clue how to spell your name), and the public library girl. See you on Headway 2008 (or ProgPower)! :)
General, Photography, Metal, Festival, Netherlands and Review
06 Apr, 07
I’m getting ready to go to the Headway Festival 2007 in Amstelveen (near Amsterdam), NL, this weekend. Although Headway is happening indoors, in P60, I will take a tent and a sleeping bag; I suppose I’ll be in for a little adventure.
The original plan was to go see both days of the festival: To-Mera, Sun Caged and California’s Zero Hour on Friday, and Saturday ending with a triple play of Loch Vostok, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and finally, Redemption. (Besides, what is it with Californian prog metal acts and websites that end in …web.com?)
So, I would go with some friends, we’d get some hotel rooms, and drive home Saturday night. As is often the case with plans, they’re subject to change. It turned out that we had to leave Friday night for personal reasons. Aside from not seeing SGM, that raised some problems: A week after we planned the trip, I got accredited to take photos for Bright Eyes Magazine, who, naturally, want me to cover both days. There was also the minor issue of having to cancel the hotel reservations, but that was free of charge, luckily. However, with no one else staying, I had to look for new accomodation, and good luck with that in Amsterdam, on Easter.
There was no chance I could get any hotel close enough to the venue for that time, and there was no chance in hell I would pay €230 per night at the Dorint or some similarly luxurious place, when all I needed and wanted was a floor to lay on, and maybe a roof over my head. Only rather late did it occur to me to check for hostels, bed and breakfast, and… camping grounds!
So now, after everyone else leaves on Friday night, I will try to get to the camping site Het Amsterdamse Bos, crawl into my tent, and hope I won’t freeze. Then, on Saturday night, do the same thing. On Sunday, well-rested (I hope), I’ll start marching towards Amsterdam Zuid WTC train station, to board an ICE going back home. Sound fun? Hell yes. Until you try to put two sleeping bags and a tent and some clothes into a photo backpack… :)
I’m off to bed, for too little sleep and trying to fit too many things into too small a bag, and then to go to the Netherlands for some good, old, concert photography. Cross your fingers for good weather :)
‘Till Monday! \m/
25 Dec, 06
… sind doof. Was ich aber unbedingt bald machen will:
22 Nov, 06
The new Pirelli Calendar is exceptional. Exceptionally boring.
Asides, Comment and Photography
28 Sep, 06
Jetzt ist sie wieder weg, für mindestens einen Monat. In der Küche schwappt noch etwa eine Achtel Tasse Tee in der Kanne herum, das Teelicht verausgabt sich eher nutzlos, aber jetzt aufzustehen und es auszumachen, ne, lass ma.
Salbei und Pfefferminz haben beschlossen, dass es eher unergiebig ist, die Wohnungstür in der Hoffnung anzumaunzen, dass diese sich aus lauter Mitleid öffnet, also maunzen sie statt dessen das Fenster an. Vielleicht klappt’s ja da. Was der besorgte Katzenbesitzer von heute allerdings noch unbedingt bräuchte, der Markt aber leider noch nicht begriffen hat, ist ein Holodeck für Katzen. Die lieben Kleinen kriegen ihren Auslauf, Spiel, Spannung und Schokolade, aber ohne das Risiko, als Straßenbelag oder Rheumadecke zu enden. Na, Markt, wie wär’s? Ich würd’s kaufen.
Was mach’ ich jetzt mit der ganzen Freizeit Einsamkeit? Nun, es wäre Photokina, aber danach ist ja auch schon so bald ProgPower, und Köln liegt da zwar eigentlich auf dem Weg, aber man will ja über Luxembourg und muss ja nicht mit zwei Autos fahren. Was die Bahn für einmal Köln und zurück haben will, erwähne ich an dieser Stelle lieber nicht - besonders mit Blick auf die aktuelle Bahn-Werbung, wie viel günstiger als das Auto sie doch sei; vielleicht wurde das mit dem Verbrauch eines Leopard 2 verglichen, man weiß es nicht. Nach Köln jedenfalls wäre die Autofahrt inklusive Messeparken so viel billiger, dass ich noch in ein Restaurant essen gehen könnte. Leider muss man Geld zum Sparen aber auch erst mal haben…
… um es zum Beispiel auf ProgPower ausgeben zu können! Gut, Hotel und Tickets sind bezahlt, Frühstück is auch schon drin, aber man muss ja noch zum Chinesen, und Merchandise will sich schließlich auch verkaufen. Was, außer Band- und Festival-Shirts, soll man als Metaller auch sonst groß anziehen? Außer vielleicht ein “fun, anyone?”-Tanktop oder -Girlie? Ne, wir wollen hier doch bitte keine Werbung machen :)