Via Metafilter. Video of Sonic Youth studio performance. I got the new album last week and whilst it covers familiar ground, I think it's probably their best collection of tunes since 'Dirty'.

The Straight Dope has the answer to something we all need to know: -How large a file is a 128 kbps MP3 of John Cage's 4'33"?

Fang-Yu Lin

It was a pretty eventful weekend for me. I won't go into details but suffice to say the highlight was the Dylan concert in Pearse Stadium yesterday. The sound left a bit to be desired (especially at the back where the echo from the stands was horrendous; up front it was okay) but the gig itself was awesome. Dylan's band are one of the tightest outfits I've ever seen live. I reckon, the performance of 'Tangled up in Blue' bettered any version of that song I've heard before. And the guitar interplay during the 'Love and Theft' material, particularily during 'Summer days' was beautiful. 'Down on the Cove', 'Drifters Escape', 'The Man in Me', 'All along the Watchtower','Like a Rolling Stone'. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

The truth about Layne.

The four word film review

The Illustrated Smiths - Illustrate Some Smiths Lyrics!

99 Rooms.

I'll make no apologies. Big Brother may be lowest denominator entertainment but this season it's shaping up to be the best series yet.

It appears that one of my favourite bloggers Plain Layne may be a work of fiction. Triggered by her latest hiatus, regular readers have trawled the net in somewhat frenzied search for evidence of deceit. Heavyweight sites Kottke.org and Metafilter are now in on the action.

Balkanisation in Ballyhaunis?

Carrot-tops arise and behold the Realm of Redheads!

THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht

oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist

and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you

can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not

raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Prtety fcuikng Amzanig

huh?

Slime mould DNA music.

A great collection of music videos.

This weekend we have the Guinness Castlebar Blues Festival. It's being going for 12 years now - which is some achievement. It's a fun little festival with more of a focus on the Guinness than on the Blues, but hey, who can argue when so much good music is free?

The wonders of the internet. I'm currently listening to an official bootleg of last nights Pixies gig in London. Incredible stuff - it's like they never went away.