i'm not saying it's bad, i'm saying it's too easy!

and by saying easy, i'm literally talking perceptually, playable, writeable, you name it. the hard part isn't the music, it's to get through to the audience! it has become much the same with art as with the animal kingdom - survival of the fittest. it is kind of darwinian; the music industry has become the strongest, and is now bashing it's competition to pieces.

music was once an artform mastered by few and enjoyed by many. there was a demand for genious, and many old masterpieces stand to live today (examples). which have you heard, or at least heard of? have these survived because of sales value? when this was made, do you think it was intended as a piece of good music, or as a product of capitalism?

along with the misuse of computer music software (amongst several other things) it's cutting many musicians off, and is by some means also killing the common musical sense. it's become easy to be creative, (and creativity is a good thing - may it forever flow freely!) but also far too easy to produce $}{¡† on conveyor belts, in an industry-like fashion (which is exactly what's being done). the music industry's demeaning role in it's own territory is terrifying.
to bring music back to the art it was once considered, there is a serious need for bringing quality back in business - literally! - not to say back into people's minds.

i'm not saying you can't like it - by all means, you might also enjoy staring at a white canvas with a black line on it, if someone markets it well, makes sure you see it everywhere, and makes you think it's a particularly cool black line. but i wouldn't call it quality art, just because you're 'tricked into liking it'.
and you might also enjoy drinking water that's sold in bottles (even when fresh tap water is easily accessable), if it's displayed everywhere with the right words accompanying it. crystal clear (we all like crystals, right? shiny and blinking and stuff?). healthy (duh..) directly from various exotic sources (exotic = rare = you want it). oh, and they put a "best before"-date on it, after claiming they tapped it straight from an ancient glacier (which by the way could be kind of toxic), onto a plastic bottle, and sold quite expensive.
mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur!
and i hope by now you get the picture. (if not, just make a ... comment, i could go on.)

so, do you think you like the 'big stars' of today because they're simply the best there are..? or do you think you might like them just because of exposure (marketing / PR / music business out of it's mind)?
do you like their songs because it's the best quality music possible to produce at the moment? or perhaps because they're actually the only ones making it (or should i say distributed) to the mass media?
do you go to concerts so you can tell your friends you were there, or do you go there because you really enjoy the music? (and by that, i mean you could close your eyes, ignore the looks, and gimmick, of the artist, and actually like what you hear and what it does to you)...

i'm not saying i'm better than any one of you out there that listen to music. i might be better than some of you in terms of playing some music, but i cannot do anything else then to express my thoughts, and my feelings through the music i play, or the words i write (or say, for that matter). i might just yet have put some more thought into what i like and not, maybe even why i like it, but i can still not tell you what you would like. that's taste.

perhaps the furthest i would go is to claim that i have some ability and training in identifying quality when i hear it. and now i'm not talking about taste, but about the notion of hearing a uniqueness in certain musicians way of treating their instruments. something that has been practised, and shaped with intention and effort. something that is not necessarily made entirely out of the purpose of reaching the billboard, or winning any reality tv-show. something i fear too many people are missing out on, merely by obliviousness.

i will not judge you. nor your taste in music. i do not hope you will judge me. or my taste of music.
i am just simply asking of you to broaden your boundaries. to keep an open mind. to appreciate the sound and feel of top quality music. to not accept anything that is thrown your way. i am challenging you to try and identify what you like. to find out what you want. and not to be afraid of demanding it!

music has no boundaries - all i want is for it to become as good as possible.
what's your excuse?

Laundry, reading, and how they relate.

Some of my fellow students like - and also like to laugh a bit of - the fact that i have found my own sweet spot for reading - the laundry room. Most of them don't really seem to get why. It's an ice cold room of concrete, with a lot of loud, changing noises. People coming and going all the time. Terrible chairs. A table that is not only far to high to in any ergonomic way combine with the use of the terrible chairs, but also most of the time taken up by undergrads rolling up another cigarette to go outside and be hip with. Because they are hip. Hipsters from head (with freaky hair-do's) to toes (not covered by socks or practical shoes, but some strange things that if anything should probably belong to the opposite sex.) Despite all of this, i have claimed that "it's just a place i can concentrate". Now, i think i might have a better answer to why i can concentrate.

All of the things above already bored me after fifteen minutes.

And, since everything else going on in there is so not interesting, apart from all the incredibly, not to say surprisingly stupid (in their interaction with technology FAR more easily mastered than their iPhone 9G's, iPad 3's, Kindle's, and what not) undergrad-hipsters. They always find new ways of making a complete ass of themselves, and those of you who know me also know a thing or two about how i react to people who make an ass of themselves, however unintentional - if the ass-making is a total one. This, of course, makes me a bit mad at them. But believe it or not, i can't seem to find it in my heart to be properly mad at them, mad enough to actually tell them "seriously..." and give them a look that should make them feel like the stupidest thing to exist since Miss Teen South Carolina 2007. I let it pass (maybe just with a little notice on facebook). But only because i (yes, actually i do) realise that they can't do anything else with their total lack of practical experience, than to build on it. (I should say, they build more on the lack, not on the practical part.)

However, since the reception in the concrete room filled with washing machines and dryers is too poor, and my patience is as long as the width of my new favorite fine-point pen, i normally just laugh it up inside and read the entire last page of the book i'm reading all over again, since i "read" it while doing all of the above.

(At this point, i kind of realise that i shouldn't be reading far too well in that dreadful place, and that i absolutely did not really explain "why i can concentrate". But in fact, this takes up just a few minutes in total, of my hour and a half spent freezing in there.)

I shall call it: Laundreading!

In a few hours, i will pay the laundry room another visit to once again re-test my concentration and reading skills. May the hipsters of tomorrow bless me with awkward silence and flawless laundry skills. Hah! And stop smoking, i know for a fact that it is actually possible.

The reluctant learner

Midt på natta.

Ja, det er nå man visstnok skal benytte tida til å sove for å lade opp.

Men noen av oss (studenter) er aktive nattedyr. Noen ganger er det til og med produktivt. Lese og skrive midt på natta, fordi da er det få andre som er våkne og kan distrahere.

Men, som tittelen sier, fortsatt motvillig. Av diverse grunner gikk jeg plutselig til innkjøp av en bok i studieteknikk. Du vet, man burde begynne å kunne sånt etter fem år ved universitetet. Men nei, man har god trening i mange ting, deriblant å skjule det faktum at man faktisk ikke har lest. Det har jeg fått nok av.

Allikevel, reluctant as always:

"The Six-o'clock-in-the-Evening-Enthusiastic-Determined-and-Well-Intentioned-Studier-Until-Midnight is a person with whom you are probably already familiar. At 6 p.m. the student approaches his (or her) desk, and carefully organizes everything in preparation for the study period to follow. Having everything in place, he next carefully adjusts each item again, giving him time to complete the first excuse; he recalls that in the morning he did not have quite enough time to read all articles of interest in the newspaper. He also realizes that if he is going to study it is best to have such small things completely out of the way before settling down to the task at hand.

He therefore leaves his desk, browses through the newspaper and notices as he browses that there are more articles of interest than he had originally thought. He also notices, as he leafs through the pages, the entertainment section. At this point it seems like a good idea to plan for the evening's first break - perhaps an interesting programme between 8 and 8.30 p.m.

He finds the programme, and it inevitably starts at about 7 p.m. At this point, he thinks, 'Well, I've had a difficult day and it's not too long before the programme starts, and I need a rest anyway and the relaxation will really help me to get down to studying...' He returns to his desk at 7.45 p.m., because the beginning of the next programme was also a bit more interesting than he thought it would be.

At this stage, he still hovers over his desk, tapping his book reassuringly as he remembers that phone call and text meddaging to his two fellow students which, like the articles of interest in the newspaper, are best cleared out of the way before the serious studying begins.

The phone call and texts coming back and forth, of course, are much more interesting and longer than originally planner, but eventually the intrepid studier finds himself back at his desk at about 8.30 p.m.

At this point in the proceedings he actually sits down at the desk, opens the book with a display of physical determination and starts to read (usually at page one) as he experiences the first pangs of hunger and thirst. This is disastrous because he realizes that the longer he waits to satisfy the pangs, the worse they will get, and the more interrupted his study concentration will be.

The obvious and only solution is a light snack, but as more and more tasty items are linked to the central core of hunger, the snack becomes a feast.

Having removed this final obstacle, he returns to his desk with the certain knowledge that this time there is nothing that could possibly interfere with the dedication. The first couple of sentences on page one are looked at again... as the studier realizes that his stomach is feeling decidedly heavy and a general drowsiness seems to have set in. Far better at this juncture to watch that other interesting half-hour programme at 10 p.m., after which the digestion will be mostly completed and the rest will enable him really to get down to the task at hand.

At midnight we find him asleep in front of the TV.

Even at this point, when he has woken up by whoever comes into the room, he will think that things have not gone too badly, for after all he had a good rest, a good meal, watched some interesting and relaxing programmes, fulfilled his social commitments to his friends, digested the day's information, and got everything completely out of the way so that tomorrow at 6 p.m..." (Tony Buzan, The Buzan study skills handbook).

Quick update

Okey. Så, jeg er fortsatt i London. Flyr straks hjem for å feire bursdag i LA..rvik. Ting går sin vante gang, det er pints all over the place.

Jeg var heldig og blei bedt med ut på middag av onkel i går! Bursdagsmiddag. Drinker på Sandersons og middag på C London (Cipriani). Staselig. Glad jeg ikke dro kortet. Den uka her har i det hele tatt inneholdt fryktelig mye bursdagsopplegg. Gave og greier, ekstern harddisk! Kjekt å ha. Eller faktisk - vanvittig praktisk akkurat nå! For samtidig som dagene går, går også forelesningene, og dermed også antallet digitale artikler rett i været. Eksponentiell stigning! "En dag skal jeg lese dem!" Jada...

En dag skal jeg lese alle bøkene også, forresten.

Men! Jeg har da overlevd (?) første måneden her borte i storbyen. Satser på at kunnskapstørsten snart overgår øltørsten. … But does it, ever?

Sudden impact of inspiration ...

... fikk meg til å sette meg ned en søndagskveld og endelig komme i gang med en røddig start på masteroppgaven. Så da får vi se om jeg får ned noen sider. Den skal fortsatt dreie seg om å spille utenat, fra et psykologisk og fysiologisk synspunkt - hvis det er noen som skulle lure på det.

For å ta ting derfra og bakover.

Tidligere på dagen stod jeg på undergrounden hjem fra Regent Park/Primrose Hill (hvor jeg oppdaga London Zoo) og Camden Market, da en gjeng med svenske jenter levde opp til alle fordommer man kunne tenke seg.

"Men, jag fattar inte. Vart är vi på väg nånstans??! Varför åker vi inte retta vägen!?" Mens alle passasjerene på togsettet blei informert over høyttaleranlegg både inne på toget og på stasjonen om at et tog stod stille med problemer nettopp på den stasjonen de skulle til - og at toget måtte benytte et annet spor sørover. Ja, beskjeden kom opptil flere ganger før vi faktisk kjørte. "Greit nok, de klarer vel å planlegge et bytte" tenkte jeg. Næ. Det vakke så lett!

"Det står et tog på Charing Cross, derfor har vi bytta spor," sa jeg rolig og tydelig til hu som stod nærmest. De var tydeligvis ikke vant til å bli snakka til på skandinavisk. "Excuse me?" - "Jeg sa, det står et tog på Charing Cross, så vi har byttet spor! Hvor skal dere?" - "I'm sorry, I don't understand you." - "Jeg snakker Norsk," sa jeg og smilte lett. "What? I'm so sorry, but, what are you saying?!" .. Jeg prøvde et par ord på svensk. "Jag pratar Norsk!" - "Ahaaaa! Förlåt, jag förstår värkligen engelska bettre enn Norska!!"

Vel, jeg prøvde å høre for meg det neste jeg hadde tenkt å si, for å sjekke om det var noen signifikante ord som ville vært annerledes på svensk, før jeg prøvde videre. "Dere må bytte tog på Bank!" - "Va? Jag fattar inte!"

Jeg ga opp. Ikke én av syv svenske jenter klarte å skjønne nabospråket. Hei skål.

På Lørdag var det konsert med London Philharmonic Orchestra, som for anledningen ikke var overimponerende, men fortsatt leverte en fin konsert i Royal Festival Hall. For ikke å nevne det 116 mann/damesterke koret de hadde bak seg. Sånt blir det musikk av.

Ellers går dagene med til dårlig "engelsk" mat. (Mat burde også egentlig stå i " ".) Og en god porsjon med lesing. Håper leselysten blir her noen uker til.

Så, ja. Prøver noen sider til før det er kvelden.

First lectures day.

Første forelesning i nevropsykologi: Action Potential! Høres jo lovende ut. Dreide seg visst "bare" om en elektrisk utladning som sørga for å sende et nervesignal videre. Litt om single unit recording - noe man åpenbart ikke bør prøve hjemme. På en annen side, jeg har verken tilgang til nanoteknologisk utformede elektroder, kirurgisk kunnskap til å skjære i hjernen, eller kjennskap til noen farmakologisk resistente epilepsipasienter - så jeg slipper å prøve.

Og sist men ikke minst, vi har ansiktsgjenkjennelsesnevroner! Og av en eller annen grunn likte det nevronet bildene av Jennifer Aniston og Brad Pitt dårligere enn det likte bildene av bare Jennifer sjøl.

I statistikk og forskningsdesign lærte vi vel egentlig something something something all forskning tar feil, men på en annen side tar den mest rett av alt vi har å forholde oss til - foreløpig. Statistikk på engelsk kan fort vise seg å bli en utfordring - ikke akkurat de samme matematiske uttrykka som på norsk!

Vant ikke quizen i går heller... Merkelig - vi som hadde velkomstdrinker på psykologien i fire timer først!

Første uke i Lån-don

Five rules for men to live a happy life.

1. It’s important to have a woman who helps around the house, cooks, cleans, and has a job.
2. It’s important to have a woman who laughs at your jokes and can make you laugh.
3. It’s important to have a woman you can trust and doesn’t lie to you.
4. It’s important to have a woman that is passionate in bed and likes to be with you.
5. It’s very important these four women do not meet each other.

Ja, uansett.

12 kvadratmeter. Seng, skap, veggmontert pult, og bad på rommet.

Ja, da var det ikke mange meter igjen å boltre seg på. Men jeg skal jo ikke være så mye i studenthybelen uansett, jeg bor jo i London!

Men for de spesielt interesserte:

Jeg begynner å bli kompis med kaldtvannet i dusjen, det var ikke så mange alternativer. Og brannalarmen har jeg fått med meg 2/3 ganger, så hvis jeg klarer å holde statistikken et sted rundt der, så går det vel bra. Og senga er ... ja, den er der i alle fall. Har ikke møtt så mange av de jeg deler oppgang med, men de dukker vel opp etter hvert.

Så, hvordan er det egentlig her?

Jeg har bodd her en uke. Det blir mye øl på en uke. Og burgere. Jeg vet ikke hva annet jeg har spist, enn burgere - unntatt et par besøk på en indisk restaurant. Variert kosthold sa folk! Men hei, de har jo ikke grandiosa her, så hva skal jeg gjøre da!?! Det er uansett junkfood uansett hvor du snur deg. Og øl. Nevnte jeg øl?

Jeg har møtt klassen min én gang, og det virker som en bra og engasjert gjeng. Første forelesning i morra - foundations of neuroscience. Jeg har til og med forberedt meg litt, lest om aksjonspotensiale i nerveceller og no greier. Og jeg må lære meg statistikk. Yes. Det blir hektisk framover. Sier de andre.

London by er festlig. Det er ting å se, og ting å gjøre, over alt. Til alle døgnets tider. (Som ... å drikke øl...?) Har heldigvis vært i byen før, så jeg har ikke trengt å bruke første uka på å lokalisere Piccadilly Circus/Oxford Street/Tower Bridge/Buckingham Palace etc. Derimot hadde jeg tilgode å se Westminster annet enn i regn og mørke. Check. Svippa fort innom Tate Britain i samme slengen. I dag blei det en runde i Greenwich. Litt turist skal man da være!

Men i kveld, som akkurat nå føles som siste kvelden før det virkelig smeller, blir det fryktelig rolig. Det har forøvrig vært uvanlig stabilt og ok vær i dag! Tilløp til sol i opptil flere timer.

Av ovennevnte årsak blir det sjeldent tatt bilder av meg, men det som har blitt dokumentert til nå finner du på facebook. (Blogger nekta å linke til den.)

Bare en ting som gjenstår nå før morgendagen.

Må... få.. i.. gang.. hjernen!