10 posts tagged “nin”

There and back again...

Over this past New Year's Eve I sat and listened to Leo Laporte and Amber Macarthur's podcast Net @ Nite. The subject that night was of course New Year's Resolutions and what resolutions the callers to the program had in mind for year 2007. A common resolution that came up again and again was a commitment by various individuals to learn a programming language.

Quite honestly this struck me like a bolt of lightning  because I had been telling myself for years that I would eventually sit down and learn one of the newer languages but for one reason or another I just kept putting it off. Well, I'm putting if off no more!

 

So, in the first two weeks of January I began exploring what languages were available, which ones were used for what purpose, and how easy it would be if for a new student to pick them up. By mid-January, I had settled on the Python Programming Language. I spent a couple weeks learning intensely from various tutorials online as well as discovering the Python411 podcast. In the first week of February I purchased my first two Python books: Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, second edition by Michael Dawson and Python for Dummies by Stef and Aahz Maruch.

Python, for those who aren't familiar with it, is an interpretative object oriented high level programming language that is similar to PHP, Java, Ruby and Perl.

The founder of the language, Guido Van Rossum, named the language after Monty Python, the British comedy troupe, whom he was quite fond of. It is open source, which appeals to me, and they seem to have a very friendly community, which I also dig.

NINcryption

While learning the Python language it has become clear to me that I really only learn things of this nature by creating my own programs. I find that these self created programs, silly as they may be often force me to seek out new solutions to programming problems, which in turn enriches and furthers my knowledge base, which brings me to my current programming project, NINcryption.

NINcryption is program that will allow fans and roleplayers of NIN's "Year Zero"  album to immerse themselves a bit more into the Art is Resistance role-playing movement . It gives them the ability to encrypt messages into a binary code I've devised that is comprised entirely of the letters "n" and "i". The program also allows you to decrypt other messages from fellow members. It is a fun way to send messages back and forth, even on public webpages, without making every message entirely public. It is not intended of course to be secure by any means, since it is only a role-playing tool.

Right now the program is in alpha. I've got the encryption, the decryption, saving and loading of files worked out. Additional features that I have planned and that are in various stages of development include GUI implementation, Python language/NINcryption packaging as either an .exe file or a .zip file, error exceptions, and Macintosh compatibility that still need ironing out. I'd like to keep it open source and under the GPL so that anyone who would like to have fun with it can.

Besides I haven't obtained approval from Reznor or his cohorts, so I want to stay out of trouble there as well. I'm hoping to get closer to beta release by the time the "Year Zero" album is released to the masses on April 17th. I fully intend to host the finished file on my server, as well as posting links to it in The Spiral (the official NIN fan club), and also a link on Sourceforge.

I understand that by just about every standard this is a very simple program. I don't expect it to necessarily excite many of my fellow programmers out there. I only offer in my defense that what I love about the project is the potentiality that I might be able to enrich the Alternate Reality Game that has arisen from the Year Zero material. Doing so would fill my need for creating art that has both form and function. If you have suggestions, links or information that could help me with this project, I would appreciate it.

At the risk of being flamed, I am also interested in what you think about this project. Worthwhile fun, or complete waste of time?

	Because you've downloaded music by Nine Inch Nails from iTunes in the past, we thought you'd like to know about their new album, Year Zero. Check It Out Coded messages embedded on T-shirts lead fans to websites that unveil government conspiracies. USB drives containing unreleased Nine Inch Nails tracks and videos found in public bathrooms are promptly circulated on the Internet. The latest NIN release, Year Zero, is proving to be a full-blown multimedia extravaganza. Described by frontman Trent Reznor as "a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist," Year Zero is a concept album based in the year 2022, where the world is nearing destruction and you're a participant. With rumors of an actual movie to come and an upcoming sequel album, the adventure has only just begun. Pre-order Year Zero and the track "Survivalism" will download today, plus you'll also get a remix of "Survivalism" when the album is released on April 17. Check It Out		More to Explore With Teeth The Downward Spiral Live: And All That Could Have Been Broken The Fragile Further Down the Spiral Music Videos
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This email was in my inbox this morning. When I read it my eyeballs just about popped loose from my head and rolled across the floor. I had heard that there have been discussions about a possible Year Zero film being made, but an upcoming sequel album? Now that is news to me. Year One: a follow up to the Year Zero album? Frank Miller, eat your heart out! I can feel goosebumps creeping over me just thinking about it. Goosebumps, I tell you! 

Hollywood in Memoriam

Art is resistance.

BONUS: I happen to live where it rains a lot.
Fact: if you use hairspray like spraypaint, the design is invisible until it rains, at
which point it fades into existence, fading out again when the concrete dries. Not
that I’ve ever done it....

I'd forgotten to mention that I've written and posted my music video script treatment of Nine Inch Nails song "Beside You in Time" which appeared on his 2005 album "With Teeth".  A previous script treatment of Seabound's "Watching Over You (Haujobb) mix" ended up being more popular than I had expected and there had been a request for additional scripts. So enjoy.
 

For maximum enjoyment,  I highly recommend that you play the song in your headphones at the time of reading. I've included a timecode in the script so that you can feel the rhythm, tone, and pace of the video as you read the script and listen to the song.

There is not a chance in hell that it will ever be produced of course, but I thought you might enjoy seeing all the might have beens and the could have beens.

::grin::

After reading it, feel free to share any comments.

found in water closet number one
 razzmatazz, barcelona, spain:

I posted awhile back that Trent had released recently "My Violent Heart". Beginning this past Friday, he also released the third track from his forthcoming album, "Survivalism". It was the song that could be heard briefly in the phone message I posted a few days back.

So without further ado, enjoy:

As I mentioned before, NIN is releasing their new album Year Zero

in April, but that isn't entirely the whole truth.

Recently, as NIN makes their way through Europe a variety of exciting and bizarre clues from USB keys found in men's bathroom stalls to Tour shirts with subliminal codes that lead to phone messages, has made this is one of the most interactive and intriguing NIN experiences to date.

An astute fan noticed that if you write down the unusually off-colored numbers on the back of the 2007 European NIN tour shirt you came up with the phone number: +1-310-295-1040.  A call to the phone number results in a bizarre message that is interlaced with bits of a new NIN song. I recorded a copy and posted it below.

The following song Nine Inch Nails song "My Violent Heart" was released by leaving USB keys in locations such as men's bathrooms at venues on their European tour. This copy was found in the Lisbon, Portugal bathroom.

A NIN related wiki has spawned to cover all of these unusual events.

While promoting his fifth album, "With Teeth", Trent Reznor vowed to fans

that he would not take the usual five to six years to put out his next masterpiece. It seems, that sobriety has made Trent more productive than ever, for even while touring non-stop, he has finished recording his next album.  Alan Moulder, his producer and collaborator on "The Fragile", is putting the final mixing touches on his new album "Year Zero", preparing it for the mastering stage. They are shooting for an April 2007 release date. He has already warned that many of us will probably hate it as he is creatively going in a new direction. He has also vowed that it is NOT a hip hop record, which comes as a relief to more than a few of his fans around the world. We have also be informed via his blog that these 15 new tracks are not leftover tracks from sessions while recording "With Teeth".

This comes on the heels of his announcement over the past months of a new European/Japanese tour to begin in February and end in May, as well as a new video performance disc, "Beside You in Time",

to be released in the DVD, HDDVD and Blu Ray formats with no accompanying CD release as he did with his previous DVD performance release "And All That Could Have Been".  It is scheduled to be released on February 27th of this year. Has there ever been a better time to get an HD television? Prices are dropping like mad and finally we are beginning to get some compelling content that makes the whole thing worthwhile. Now if could just the standards problem worked out, life would be peachy.

Get the trailer and visit the official site here.

I only hope he gets it right this time and puts either the whole thing on one disc, or the performance on one disc and the special features on the other. The breaking up of the performance between two discs last time was really annoying.

I also have it on a tip that he is still navigating the legal permissions nightmare to get his 1997 video performance release "Closure" legalized and formatted with additional content to be released in a DVD format. Here is crossing fingers in that regard.

It also appears that he will be hitting the road this fall for a new U.S. tour as well. In short it appears that Year 2007 will be the year of NIN.

I'm sorry I couldn't make this post earlier. I've been struggling with a cold that I earned (as you will learn from the following post) while attending the NIN/Bauhaus/TV on Radio show.

Saturday, May 27th, as it turned out was an eventful day.  Around noon, we hopped out of bed and gathered our things before we jumped in the van. Unfortunately we seemed to have forgotten a number of key things and had to make more than one trip back home. After plenty of sighing and laughing at ourselves, we finally hit the freeway around 2 p.m. After road delays, rain, and rush hour, we were able to finally get to Portland around 3:50 p.m.

It was while entering the city limits of Portland that we decided we weren't going to have enough cash on hand to enjoy the concert, thus ensued the ATM run from hell. First of all, it was your typical Portland day, which means it was raining buckets. The ATM was located near a Shari's restaurant. And of course, I, ever the foolish type, ran wildly, in the direction of the ATM, over some smooth stone inset pavement, in the direction of the ATM when I wiped out big time. I must have slid an easy 10 feet, grinding over the pavement on my left side, before I realized that I had even wiped out. Customers who were just exiting Sherry's stood agape, as I scrambled precariously to might feet. A quick once over of my body and I knew that it was going to be bad. My thumb felt broken, my wrist was hyperextended, and there was more than a mild trickle of blood flowing down my inner forearm from the two inch gash that fluttered open beneath the pouring rain. I quickly sped inside to the Shari's bathroom. I hoped to briefly wash the cuts off, grab some towels, and make my exit, perhaps all completely unnoticed by the Shari's customers, management, and staff inside. No such luck. First I was visited by a perplexed customer in the bathroom, who claiming they worked in the ER, and whom promptly ran off to get the manager. They disppeared before I could protest. So, soon the assistant manager appeared, followed quickly by the big honcho of the restaurant. I assurred them I was fine, accepted some of their bandages to placate them, and reassured them that I would not being suing them (after all, I was the bozo, running full speed on wet pavement in the rain)

After all of this, I finally made my way to the ATM. By this time Raven had gathered what had happened and was peppering me with questions. I withdrew the money we needed and hopped back in the vehicle. Raven was ashen faced and insisted after a cursory glance of my wounds that we would be visiting her mother, who lives just a short distance down the street for the Sherry's for some first aid gear.

To make a long story shorter, we finally resumed our trek to the NIN concert sometime around 4 p.m. after some bandaging, gauze wraps, and donning of a pair of purple Nitrile gloves.  The show wasn't scheduled to begin until 7 pm, but we were racing so furiously because at previous Spiral concerts we were way back in the line and had missed a sound check or meet and greet. We intended never to make that mistake again.

I should mention that the Ridgefield show was of course an outdoor show, just as the rest of the shows are supposed to be on this 30 date tour. The rain had picked up and there was a delay, as we were not allowed to enter the primary County fairground entrance. We finally parked and made our way to the will call booth where our tickets awaited. Fortunately we were greeted by a friendly face at the booth. Brandy, who we had met on the previous Spiral fanclub show dates was still running the ticket verification. We obtained our tickets and jumped in line. Fortunately we were only about 75 to 100 people back in the line. After about a half an hour wait, we were finally admitted to the fairgrounds proper, and eventually to a special VIP section of the grounds. Unfortunately for the guy standing in line behind me, he was given the choice of returning his umbrella to his vehicle, or disposing of it in the garbage. He chose the latter of course, as, evidenced by other umbrellas, many others had.  It must be said that everyone in the Spiral line were great people. Everyone tried to be helpful for the most part to everyone else. We met a very nice couple, an daughter and her mother, both adults who just share a passion for NIN. We sat next to them in the 3rd row. They were nice enough to guard seats while we were away, as well as providing so much soothing Advil when my injuries were starting to kill during the Bauhaus show.  By the time NIN came on, I was in sonic and Advil induced heaven. We went to Shari's on 181st St after the show for a late night snack. I learned afterwards that there was an informal after party gathering at one of the Shari's restaurants. I wish I had done more research before I went to the show. It would have been nice to trade a few war stories while at previous NIN shows. Anyhow, after another 45 minute wait standing in the howling wind and pounding rain, we were finally admitted inside. The good news was that the Spiral members were guaranteed the middle section of the seats, and because we were so close to the beginning of line, we ended up in the 3rd row. With all of my injuries, I was relieved to see that we had some seats. It was nice, not having to battle in the pit for a view of the concert. I know this pissed off alot of general admission people, but I say fuck'em. I don't know how many times I have been kicked in the head or body by the combat boots of some moronic jock or teenager, who mutters beneath their breath constantly "So when do you think they will play the 'Fuck Me' song?"  

**spoiler alert**

If you haven't seen the show yet and don't want to know what the setlist consisted of, don't read any further.

The setlist wasn't exactly what I would have chosen, but I was happy to get an opportunity to hear some real obscure gems that Trent never plays live, of which I have put into bold.

somewhat damaged
know what you are
sin
terrible lie
march of the pigs
something i can never have
closer
burn
gave up
help me i am in hell
non-entity  (sort of, he did play this last tour, as well as "Not So Pretty")
only
wish
la mer
into the void
the big come down
suck
get down make love (probably one of maybe four or five songs that everyone wanted to hear live sometime)
hurt
the hand that feeds
head like a hole

I missed hearing "Love is Not Enough". I loved the way he opened the show last tour with it. They sort of did the same thing this time with Venetian blinds on Somewhat Damaged, but it wasn't the same. Other noteworthy things: Trent was bald! He also was wearing a black hoodie when he started our show, which was cool, because it kind of made him look like a crazy dwarven sized hip hop artist. 

He was considerate enough to understand the torture we were experiencing from elements when he made some comments about the band also "freezing their balls off", but then again he ironically also found enough time to dowse the first couple of rows with water during a song moments before.

Other notes, Bauhaus played great and had some great theatrical moments, particularly the creative use of rose petals, the murphy dance, the murphy moonwalk, and a cool sax intro by Daniel Ash into a song that sounded familiar, but I couldn't come up with the name, but not enough. While we enjoyed the music, the show itself became a bit long. 

TV on Radio was very cool.  When asked to describe their music I can't help but describe it as  gospel inspired vocal styling layered over jazz, funk, rock, and speed metal riffs. Like most opening bands they struggled to get us moving, but in less than  three songs they had the front row up and dancing. And by the end of their half and hour set, they had most of the entire middle section of the 100 level up and bopping. They were much, MUCH more interesting than Queens of the Stone Age who appeared on the last tour. I think these guys are destined to be headlining their own shows in the near future, probably once they have released another full length record.

Here are a few pics. None of them mine. I wanted to credit the photographer of the last two, but alas I couldn't seem to locate a credit anywhere. If anyone knows who took these, please let me know.