About 1000 pictures and some hours of work went into recreating Super Mario Bros in excel. The only thing I can do in Excel is eliminate double lines.
Want: Darth Vader Toothpick Dispenser
This Darth Vader Toothpick Dispenser is available in Japan for about $30, but you can also get it on Amazon.com right here if the force is with you.
Hawksley Workman Announces “Almost A Full Moon” Tour, Vinyl Release And Children’s Book
Hawksley Workman has announced his Almost a Full Moon Tour on the 15th anniversary of the release of his Christmas LP “Almost a Full Moon”. Tour dates are below, tickets go on sale this Friday August 19th. In celebration of this anniversary, he will also be releasing a limited edition vinyl pressing of Almost a Full Moon, which will include a special Lyrics and Chords “Songbook” of the original album tracks, as well as a free download card for the album, including the two bonus tracks “Watching The Fires” and “Silent Night”.
Hawksley is also releasing of a very special illustrated children’s book titled, Almost a Full Moon. Based on the lyrics of a song from the album of the same name, Almost a Full Moon is a warm-hearted tale of family, community, food and home and is illustrated by Jensine Eckwall, who helps bring beauty and a hint of magic to Workman’s evocative lyrics. The book will be published September 6, 2016 by Tundra Books (a division of Random House Canada). Pre-order is available here.
Hawksley wrote a person note on his website detailing the inspiration behind the releases:
15 years ago i hired a piano for my apartment in paris. i was fasting and I needed a distraction. the piano came up 2 flights of stairs and was awkwardly rolled into an open corner. desperate not to catch lusty whiffs of baguette, wine and cheese, i stayed in and wrote. this was in the strange and heady time of late september 2001 and in those days life and reality pulsed uneasily with an almost druggy undulation. i was raw and wanting to connect to things that were real and comforting. i thought of my grandma. she was still alive then, and i wanted her to understand the influence she had on me while i still had a chance. her joy. her fascination with life and her love of christmas. i had 8 days till the band was landing at CDG airport to begin another european tour, which were never ending back in those days. i wrote all day, every day. after 5 days i had an album’s worth of music celebrating my grandma, christmas, food, family, fire and singing. it’s still one of my favourites. i’m blessed that some of those songs have gone on to find an energy of their own, and have found listening ears and willing voices to sing, three generations, first snow of the year, almost a full moon and the libidinous claire fontaine, among others. these songs, like diary entries take me back to a time and place, but they also reflect a glow into the future. a willingness to define and redefine the simple loves and pleasures it sought to celebrate some 15 years earlier… i still get teary eyed singing “3 generations”. i still feel the petulant grind in my gut when sing “merry christmas (i love you)” and the yearning and subtle humour in reciting the list of ingredients for a winter soup in “almost a full moon”. this december, my faithful musical brother mr. lonely and i set out to play and sing and enjoy and share this music again. to celebrate community and connection. to give voice to the benign bits of joy that straggle behind the big glowing events. the days will be getting shorter, and in turn the nights longer. let us gather with nostrils full of fresh pine, browning onions and burning fires. i look forward to singing with you, joining voices to brighten back winter’s hunkering gloom. see you in december.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Bill Gates, Usher at free concert at the Bell Centre in Montréal
Bell Media announced today its support of international advocacy organization Global Citizen and a Canadian concert in support of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Bell Centre in Montréal. With special guests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill Gates, the free-ticketed concert features performances by Usher, Half Moon Run, Metric, Grimes, and Charlotte Cardin. The concert is co-hosted by ÉNERGIE Montréal 94.3’s Patrick Langlois, Africa Rising Foundation co-founder Kweku Mandela, media personality Maripier Morin, as well as TV and radio personality George Stroumboulopoulos.
With a star-studded roster of performances in celebration of progress in global health and development, GLOBAL CITIZEN: A CONCERT TO END AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA will be broadcast live to Bell Fibe TV subscribers on TV1, channel 1158, on Saturday, Sept. 17 beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, in advance of the launch of iHeartRadio Canada in the coming weeks, the event will be the first-ever livestream at iHeartRadio.ca. The concert will be streamed on additional Bell Media Radio websites, also beginning at 7 p.m.
“Global Citizen is looking forward to working with Prime Minister Trudeau and the administration to eradicate HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” said Hugh Evans, CEO, Global Citizen. “Canada’s leadership in support of the Global Fund will have a lasting effect for the world’s poor for many generations and we encourage leaders from across the globe to follow the Canadian example.”
“Bell Media is proud to support Global Citizen through our participation in this important concert,” said Randy Lennox, President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. “It is our hope that through the Bell Fibe TV1 broadcast and iHeartRadio livestream that we will be able to engage and inform Canadians about the Global Fund and its mission to wipe out AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.”
Ten thousand free tickets to the concert will be given out to Global Citizens and people everywhere are invited to sign-up, take action, and enter the draw for free tickets. Starting today, fans and activists can start earning their tickets by joining the Global Citizen movement at www.globalcitizen.org/Canada, where they can take action in support of the Global Fund. The partnership of governments, civil society, the private sector, and people affected by AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria are united to end these epidemics by 2030.
Global Citizen: A Concert to End AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will be a celebration of the power of the world to come together for global health, driven by Canada’s leadership. Taking place after a pledging conference where governments and private sector partners commit to funding the Global Fund’s lifesaving work for the next three years, the event will celebrate announcements from world leaders working together with the shared goal of ending three of the world’s deadliest diseases. These funds, which will save an additional eight million lives and avert 300 million infections, are critical in the fight to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as epidemics.
The concert is supported by major partner Johnson & Johnson, and associate partners The Coca-Cola Company, Ecobank, Nando’s, and the United Nations Foundation.
The event is being produced in partnership with Live Nation and evenko, and official media partner Bell Media.
Spotify adds Kids & Family programming
Spotify this morning is announcing a change to its service designed to appeal to families with small children: it’s relaunching the app’s Kids category to include new playlists focused on vocabulary and language-development activities, as well as voiceover prompts in between songs that encourage parents to interact with their children while listening to music together.
The company notes that music, including singing with children from birth onwards, can help to promote early brain and language development, especially among ages 0 to 3. With this in mind, Spotify has relaunched its “Kids and Family” section to focus in particular on this age group.
The new Kids playlists are designed around everyday activities, like bedtime, bath time, or traveling in the car, for example. But what makes them different from the other curated playlists you would find on Spotify’s service is that there are breaks in between songs where parents will hear a voice prompt or conversation starter of some sort that encourages them to interact with their child.
TuneIn partners with Red Bull music program
Red Bull Music Academy Radio is now available via TuneIn thanks to a deal that has taken a year to coalesce. The partnership will include live broadcasts from Red Bull Music Academy events in Atlanta and Montreal this fall. Forbes reported that the two parties are collaborating due to their shared focus on music discovery.
40 Years Ago, Arthur C. Clark Predicts The Internet, Cell Phones And HD TV
In 1976, AT&T and MIT held a conference on futurism and technology, attended by scientists, theorists, academics and futurists. This interview with Arthur C. Clark during this conference is remarkably prescient, especially about the evolution of communications systems for the next 30 years.
https://youtu.be/BnGb8HETsvk
Canada’s Walk of Fame Announces 2016 Emerging Artists Music Mentorship Program Winner
Canada’s Walk of Fame is excited to announce that Ayaz Virani of North York, Ontario is the Grand Prize winner of the 2016 Emerging Artists Music Mentorship Program, supported by RBC. The program, valued at more than $100,000, provides musicians with the opportunity to grow and develop their skills and industry connections, and take their budding music careers to the next level. Seven talented finalists were selected from more than 350 hopefuls from coast-to-coast who submitted applications that ranged across all genres of music.
Shad Leaves CBC Radio’s Q; Tom Power Named New Host
Shad is being replaced as the host of CBC Radio show q by Tom Power. Power will be the show’s third host in three years.
Shad, whose real name is Shadrach Kabango, hosts his final episode of q on Tuesday, the CBC announced Monday.
The program had 168,000 listeners in June 2016, compared to 220,400 in June 2015. It had its highest audience – 282,000 – in September 2014. Power, who served as a regular guest host for several years, will officially take over the mic in October.
Shad posted a statement on his Facebook page, and Kabango and the CBC are discussing the possibility of developing a new program.
Well, my time at q has come to a close.
It’s been an honour and a JOY to serve in this role! Countless fascinating guests and don’t even get me started on my colleagues: Smart, funny, and dedicated is just the beginning. The show will continue and in great hands with Tom Power – an excellent host and a great guy. My relationship with the CBC remains strong. We’re discussing the possibility of developing a new show together. In the meantime and either way, I’m looking forward to having more time to put into music and I’m grateful for an amazing experience.
Thanks for your love and support on this adventure!
Watch Rick Astley Cover AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”
No Rick rolling here. Maybe. Rick Astley performs a surprise encore of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell at his showcase gig at The Troubadour in West Hollywood.
