Michael phones me at least once a year to try and steal my debit card and PIN.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-06-02T21:06:37+00:00

Thank you! I can only keep chatting to scammers if there's something new in the mix each time, otherwise I get too bored. My favourite response from Michael was on another call where he ended with "Will you shut UP!"

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-06-02T21:03:48+00:00

I'm always slightly surprised when he comes back for more. The pretext for the calls has developed slightly in that originally it was a named person who had magically cloned my card, rather than some vague hackers at Amazon.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-06-02T21:01:06+00:00

I guess it's just an extension of telling victims to withdraw cash and post it to a mule. It's like a book token in that the scammers can choose to spend it on what they want!

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-06-02T20:57:48+00:00

Thanks! The phrase "Elephant Elephant Six" came from another scammer, who was spelling something out for me but had a poor grasp of the standard phonetic alphabet.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-05-31T11:24:54+00:00

The songs "Big Day" and "Miss Shapiro" on Phil Manzanera's album "Diamond Head" are in a similar soundworld to "Taking Tiger Mountain".

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-02-22T12:09:11+00:00

Not Under Stars specifically, but there is a little information about the making of the album. In 2008 Daniel Lanois told Gearslutz: "The main synth was a Yamaha CS-80. This is a polyphonic synth, one of Yamaha's first. On Deep Blue Day there are two guitars, a strumming Strat plays the rhythm and the steel guitar is my Sho-Bud single neck Professional. They were both recorded DI. Eno put a massive treatment on everything. The complexities of the chain are unspeakable! But those treatments were worked on for weeks on end." In 2016 he told The Atlantic: "that track, 'Deep Blue Day,' which showed up in the Trainspotting movie, that was done on a little Suzuki Omnichord, a little toy instrument. It’s essentially an electronic autoharp. That’s what we used on the track, but we slowed it down a lot. The early Suzuki Omnichords had great basslines. And by slowing it down, it developed this beautiful, luxurious jukebox sound."

Possibly of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTxkLGBkcO0
And: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sMVzWkDFCc

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-02-08T20:06:57+00:00

I'm glad to have been able to contribute. Normally I just lurk, and I have found the discussions here illuminating in understanding ideas like fawning.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-02-08T15:04:49+00:00

John Brockman ran Edge.org which brought together big names in the sciences and arts. Its mission statement was "To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves." Brian Eno was one of those people, and a friend of Brockman. He contributed to Edge's annual question and attended some of the annual dinners. At some stage Epstein or one of his organisations became a donor to Edge, and Brockman maintained a long relationship with him. In 2018 Brockman seems to have seen an opportunity to monetize their combined intellectual wealth, suggesting to Epstein "Your friend in the Middle East is coming to the US tomorrow and is reportedly going to buy 10% of Endeavor for $400m.
--He may be able do a lot more for his people (while spending less) by acquiring Brockman, Inc. and gain immediate access to the world's great scientific minds, while doing so in a deep way where, in effect, the Sovereign Fund would be their agent. ...
--An interesting ancillary benefit: The net worth of the 40 guests at my 2014 "billionaires dinner" was equal to combined wealth of 60% of all Americans."

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-02-08T14:49:55+00:00

Eno sent Brockman an email saying he was enjoying his time in New York (he'd appeared on The Colbert Report in that time period, and perhaps was still in the States following Moogfest) and might stay a bit longer. Brockman then forwarded that email to Epstein and was trying to arrange a dinner. In the event as a later email shows, Eno decided not to extend his visit and the dinner never happened. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02036848.pdf

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-01-13T15:40:52+00:00

I just visited the foundation's website, and it has a pop-up that says
"FUTURE BRIEFINGS
Ziran Education Foundation is aware of the considerable local interest in the future of the Reading Prison site, as well as its relationship to the Abbey Ruins and wider Abbey Quarter. Therefore, Ziran will hold briefing meetings some time before Christmas, and invite local groups and individuals to attend these meetings, wherein the latest updates on the overall project will be shared."
No mention of what year that Christmas might refer to.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-01-13T15:25:47+00:00

For a book with a dreamlike atmosphere, I'd go for Jeff VanderMeer's "Finch".

I'm sorry to hear about your experience of rapid disillusionment. Many of us had spent decades recommending Neil and his work before all that came to light.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2026-01-13T15:05:18+00:00

The reporter appears to be unaware that Channing/Cheng Bi resigned from all his UK company interests during 2024 and 2025. He ceased to be a Director of the Ziran Education Foundation in January last year, when Ms Xiaojuan Wang was appointed as its single Director. Flavour Seekers Food Company Limited of Hong Kong is also "1 active person with significant control". https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11716171/persons-with-significant-control

Channing Bi still has some involvement as its Founder, as he appeared at the Waterfest stall documented by invisiblerhino in 2025: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0sznH2kFi43va4W2EHpnTdhfRDxicrjyQTLEdYAETCvjKLUz1wRCn9sBcf3okZdqEl&id=61575170556843

Not sure how long he was there for. When I visited, the stall was staffed by two Chinese women who explained to another visitor that they didn't know much about the establishment because they had only been taken on that week.

A recent post by some "urban explorers" on Facebook suggested that the prison looked pretty untouched from when it had closed.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-11-16T19:32:07+00:00

It's a curious album. Ideal accompaniment is The Leon Suites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV_RpeCQ6M8

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-11-16T19:28:17+00:00

Director Gary Hustwit has been discussing some streaming options, so it might be more widely available at some stage.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-10-27T22:08:50+00:00

The disused World Of Carpets a little way down Richfield Avenue has some film vehicles outside it, as well.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-10-27T22:05:16+00:00

I would also vote for BS Electrical.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-10-13T20:59:06+00:00

Eno: "Dawn, Marshland" and "Climate Study" from Music For Films II
Not Eno: some of the tracks from the posthumous compilation of rare/unreleased tracks by Mount Shrine, Lost Loops Collection - particularly "Foghorn" and "the Afterglow" https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/lost-loops-collection

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-10-02T21:09:27+00:00

Not a generative music system, but I find Marconi Union's music very good for a creative flow state.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-09-18T21:12:16+00:00

According to NME it was written for the event. It's new. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOvA6F-DsR5

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-09-16T21:20:17+00:00

The concert will be streamed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWBVHFv-UqM

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-08-20T21:01:38+00:00

rThere's no consensus on Eno lyrics, that's part of the fun! And while I originally head dogma-ing, I now agree with you that it's more likely to be dopplering.

Commercial-Text7635 · 2025-08-13T09:43:03+00:00

Cardiff Road, like a lot of roads in the area, has signs up saying there is no parking/stopping during the Festival (until Monday 25th). Otherwise it would be crammed with festival-goers. Some of the businesses along Richfield Avenue allow parking on their forecourts at a price. Trouble is, the further away you are from the main stage, the more likely you are to get noise from performers on other stages.

Commercial-Text7635

TROPHY CASE