Last FM

I’ve been using an online music tracking service since March 2007. What it basically does is to monitor the music you listen to over a period of time. It has other uses too but this is one of the key things I use it for.

One of the features I like best is finding out which tracks or artists I’ve listen to most over a period of time. Last FM makes it easy to do this and track the last 7 days or even the past year or previous years and also provide a list of the overall most listened to.

You don’t have to tell the last FM site what music you are listening to but it tracks the music you are listening to via a small application known as an audio scrobbler. This works with iTunes, Windows Media Player and there are various other players out there which natively support scrobbling such as Songbird. When you finish listening to a track the scrobbler sends a message to Last FM site with the track name.

Obviously due to having to use the scrobbling app Last FM hasn’t managed to capture every single track I have listened to over the years, but mainly the ones from iTunes.

You can create your free account at http://www.lastfm.com

One other neat feature is you can make available your music listening habits to other websites to create fancy tag clouds one website which offers this is http://lastfm.dontdrinkandroot.net like the following

Most listened to albums

Music genres most listened to

Artists most listened to

Lovely Head

Gold Frapp – Lovely Head

It starts in my belly
Then up to my heart
Into my mouth, I can’t keep it shut
Do you recognise, the smell
Is that how you tell us apart

I fool myself to sleep and dream
Nobody’s here
No-one but me
So cool
You’re hardly there
Why can’t this, be killing you

Frankenstein would want your mind
Your lovely head
Your lovely head

Your lovely head

The unspeakable sadness…

The unspeakable sadness… the terrible loneliness… is it any wonder that they spend their time all huddled together, talking, drinking, with loud music filling the air? lighting cigarettes, drinking coffee… they’ll talk about anything. Laugh loudly at anything remotely humorous… or there’s various forms of electronic entertainment… or, you can even read a newspaper, a magazine or a book… anything other than being alone with your thoughts, memories, speculations, uncertainties…

Posted in Sad

The guy’s a genius

Letter to City of Melbourne – Parking and Traffic branch:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to dispute the above-mentioned “infringement” notice, which was presented to me at 8.26am on March 11th 2010, approximately 30-40 seconds after I pulled into the car space in La Trobe Street.

Firstly, allow me to congratulate the officer involved, who’s application to his job is something we can all learn from. How’s this for dedication: I park my car at approximately 8.25am. I get out of my car & walk around to the boot, where my briefcase is. I dig into my briefcase & come up with the $8.00 required to pay for my 2 hours of parking. I close the boot & start walking towards the ticket machine (which is right next to my car), when at precisely 8.26am old mate gives me a puzzled look, asks me “where did you come from?” and proceeds to tell me I’ve been written up & given a ticket.

Seriously, I’ve gotta hand it to him – this guy’s a genius. Somehow he knew I fully intended to comply with the regulations and pay for my parking, so he did what any good parking officer would do – he wrote me a ticket before I even had the chance to walk the 8 steps to the machine & pay for one. Officer 355 must get a raise, no questions asked. If the city of Melbourne had more officers that demonstrated this type of innovation, imagine the revenue that could be raised! We might even be able to afford – I don’t know, some police? Another giant wheel near Docklands? More parking officers?!

I accept full responsibility for not getting from my car to the ticket machine in time. The 30-40 seconds I let lapse between parking and finding my $8.00 was clearly my fault. Can you please advise me what the threshold is for time lapsed before purchasing a ticket? In the interim, I will commence winding down my window as I pull in and throwing my coins at the ticket machine in the hope that some find their way in to the coin slot – if I can then get a passer- by to hit the button for me, this should enable me to have the ticket before I get out of my car.

Or you could waive the ticket. Please check the officer’s notes & do so – this is bullshit.

Yours in disbelief etc,

XXXXX XXXXXX


Reply from City of Melbourne – Parking and Traffic

Dear Mr XXXXX XXXXXX

Thank you for you correspondence regarding the above parking infringement.

When we receive a letter contesting a parking infringement, we review the infringement based on evidence we have collected and on the evidence you have provided. Please be advised the infringement has now been withdrawn.

Sincerely

Customer Compliance – Parking and Traffic