So on the way from work home today I ran into the Hypnotic Brass Orchestra in the subway (just like how I found out about them!). I love this group. Seriously funky jazz, hypnotic like their name, and so full of energy it blows through like a tornado. I saw them this summer at the eastvillageradio.com fest at South Street Seaport, and we just got tickets to see them again on 12/5 at the Jazz Standard (mmm... jazz and barbecue). Definitely check them out.

Through the interesting site Bearings which a friend pointed out to me, I found this amazing set of pictures: Modern Military Ruins of San Francisco. Some of the best pics are the then-and-now pairs - I love looking at historic photos, and the comparisons to today that show the decay, change, or similarities. (The NY Times also does this on a weekly basis with a cool drag-slider).

So we actually have someone coming into the White House that respects rail and infrastructure. Maybe now, passenger rail will be allowed to compete on equal footing (or at least more equal) as a transportation mode. The same for local public transit. Amtrak actually managed to get a multi-year authorization, even with the current president, as the members of congress actually have constituents who are increasingly using rail in their travels. California voters actually passed a high-speed rail funding ballot measure - hopefully now the California High-Speed Rail Authority can make good on its plans.

Obama-Biden have actually talked about infrastructure, and their words are promising. Let's hope they can work some magic to start doing something about sooner than later - infrastructure investments pay off and we could certainly use an investment that pays off right now.

We went to see Tricky play at Irving Plaza (sorry, The Fillmore at Irving Plaza) on thursday night. Wow. I haven't seen and probably won't see a show that heavy in a long while. And I never thought that I would hear Cornucopia live. He played many songs from Maxinquaye, not exact album versions, but they still sounded brilliant.

He's touring for his new album Knowle West Boy, and it seems like a good mix of styles from his career (comes out in a few days). One of the ways I know it was a good show - songs I didn't even know sounded awesome. He even did a cover of Dear God by XTC. Sweet.

I just have to say that his first three albums (as Tricky) are pure genius. Maxinquaye, Pre-Millenium Tension, and Angels With Dirty Faces. Beyonds words, all of them.

I even liked the opening group, Telepathique, from Brazil. The singer occasionally sounds a bit goofy, but the music is solid electronics - like most things these days, a mix of styles that builds and sounded great in performance. It even looked good, the guy playing laptop and keyboards looked like he was having fun, with a presence on stage unlike most knob-twiddlers.

From the Listening Post, more ways than you could ever want - Wonderwall by Oasis. My favorite is the Aggro1 (vs. LCD Soundsystem) version.

Yes, not only does it taste good (if it's made well), but it seems to be

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From ED, some basic facts on transportation in the US. Of note - the fact that not owning a car and using public transit can save a decent amount per year (which mortgage companies take into account), coupled with the fact that nearly half the population doesn't have real access to public transit. Then notice that even more drilling for domestic oil production won't have much of an effect for a while (I think ED is shooting a bit long, but at least 10 years is a good guess).

 

So you'd think this would be something our government would be interested in helping out with. Not really. our current misguided transportation secretary used some carefully constructed words to intimate that since the gas-tax funds for road construction are running out (surprise - people are driving less now), they might want to use some of that transit money to fund road construction. Hopefully we've all misconstrued her (nice to hear from the feds that road projects might actually have to prove themselves the way that transit projects do), but no way to tell at the moment.

 

I don't even want to talk about malicious neglect that the current administration has shown towards Amtrak. Oh that we had a good regional rail system in this country (on, and on, and on, and on...)

So what we have at the moment: mass transit use is growing pretty much everywhere in the country, and at the same time the transit providers, often forced to rely on sales, petroleum use, property, and other taxes for operating income, are hurting for money. So they're going to the other source they have - raising fares, and some even cutting service.

But hey, maybe the USDOT will find a way to fund those roads that are being used a bit less now.

If you're in the Scranton area (fan of The Office, perhaps?), I would highly recommend taking a swing by the Olde Good Things Warehouse.

 

So congress held hearings for many hours on why oil prices were so high, mostly focussing on the effect of speculators in the market. I was wondering if what they were talking about had any merit - in my view, speculation can jack prices up in some markets, like housing - you can only bet it one direction, really - but it depends on how it works. In commodities markets, it's a useful tool for hedging by actual companies.

 

It's was nice to read this article in the NYTimes about how the congressional hearings were mostly bluster. Some good quotes:

Even if you eliminated speculation entirely, the price of oil wouldn’t fall. Thankfully, no one is proposing to go that far ... because even members of Congress understand that futures markets serve a crucial purpose. They help companies hedge their oil prices, and they help energy companies manage their risk, for starters.

The energy speculators I spoke to say that Congress has it exactly backward: the futures market is actually taking its cues from the physical market, where the buyers and sellers of oil do their business. Last week, the Saudis promised to produce an extra 200,000 barrels a day. But it is pricing that oil so high that oil companies are balking at paying for it....

 

Both speculators and oilmen say that supply and demand is the real culprit. ... said Gary Ross, the chief executive of the PIRA Energy Group, and a well-known energy consultant. “Look at the data.... The world economy is growing by 3.9 percent a year. World oil demand should grow by 2.3 percent just to keep pace. That’s an extra two million barrels a day. We don’t have it! It’s obvious.”

 

I also think there is something else at play. After years of ignoring the rather obvious fact that oil is a finite resource, the world has suddenly become acutely aware of that reality.... That is not speculation at work — it’s market psychology. There’s a big difference. If there is indeed a bubble, that’s what is causing it.

Jamendo, a site based in Luxembourg, has a ton of CC-licensed freely downloadable music. And I was even able to find some pretty good stuff in only a few minutes of looking around and listening. That's pretty good for free music. And you can 'tip' or donate to artists you like.