What I believe…

The Buddhist way of saying what I believe in:

You will be happy the day you realize that nothing happens the way you want it to.

The Submitters way:

You will be happy the day you realize that everything happens the way God has planned it to.

In reality, they’re both saying the same thing, eh…  What I’ve termed the Buddhist way though, may really have nothing to do with Buddhism.

By the way, I’m a Submitter to God ALONE!  Find out more about us at(all links open in new windows):

http://submission.nu

http://submission.info

http://submission.ws

http://mathmiracle.com

http://www.qurandistribution.com

http://www.masjidtucson.org

The Best Coffee or Espresso in only 30 seconds! You can make better than Starbucks!

Buy the Aerobie Aeropress Coffee And Espresso Maker.

Buy the Aerobie Aeropress Coffee And Espresso Maker.

The Next US President and another Step towards a Sound Nation…

Alternative Debit Link:  http://www.gravel2008.us/altdebate

Peace,

I invite all of you to please bother to watch the alternative Democratic Presidential Debate with our next US President, Mike Gravel (God willing). Let me tell you why this is important to EACH AND EVERY SINGLE one of us!

a) A recession in the US is now imminent, if not a global recession. The US Dollar not only is EQUAL to the Canadian Dollar, but its now falling against third world countries’ Currency. Did you know we are paying $86 per barrel of oil? Did you know that we’re not really paying $3 per gallon of fuel; That oil is actually costing us another 4 dollars to keep the troops in Iraq. Who’s going to pay for education? Who’s going to pay for Health Care? Who’s going to pay when China decides to stop lending the US money? What’s going to happen to the housing market when the Fed refuses to lower the interest rates one more time(may possibly happen in December)? Oh yes, that recession is imminent. AND IT WILL AFFECT YOU!

b) We’re scratching our heads wondering, How did we ever get here? Well, considering that the corporates are running the show, it’s fairly easy to understand. When the corporates own the politicians in Washington, they get to control EXACTLY what’s happening in our country; They even get to pick who’s going to be the next President. Don’t believe me, check out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nK7DRPyNAHA The corporates run everything! And, it’s for their benefit. When the country is run by the Military Industrial Complex(ie., Iraq, and next, Iran) and the Health Care Industrial Complex(ie., The Movie Sicko), you can recognize how the media is manipulated. Who do you think owns the media? Did you know that General Electric owns NBC? Which companies would profit directly from War? There you go; You’ve got answers(in case it’s not clear, General Electric gets HUGE contracts with wars). AND WE’VE BEEN WARNED BY THE BEST OF THEM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agwqJehK2Gw

c) Now is the time when each and every single one of us has to wake up! If we don’t, there will be dire consequences. Look, we don’t need to have the candidate who’s picked up oodles of money by all the corrupt means; She’s agreed to all their demands already! That’s why she’s staying the course and it’ll be NO DIFFERENT when she’s in office than what Baron Bush is doing? Would that make the procession Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, Clinton? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO FINDS THAT ODD??? How did THAT happen? Check out all the candidates earnings up till the October Quarter: http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.  Do you want to know who’s the MOST corrupt? Just follow the money!

d) There is a very simple solution, by the Grace of God! It is my belief, that God has selected Mike Gravel to be our next President. Want to know why I so firmly believe that?
Because he’s the only one who’s talking Straight! Everyone who hears him acknowledges that what he’s saying is correct and that he has the RIGHT solutions! The REAL, CORRECT, and EQUITABLE ones! Don’t believe me? Goto YouTube and look at ANY of the Mike Gravel videos and check out the comments! http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008/web/gravel-on-you-tube
Because he wants to serve only 1 term in order to initiate what are the important changes necessary to resolve the current problems! The most important of which is the National Initiative. The National Initiative is a form of governance in which the citizens will have the power to legislate directly; Instead of the current situation of Representative government, wherein it’s near impossible to find a single representative not getting kick backs from somewhere to enact a specific law. When more than 75% of Americans want out of a war (which no one would have agreed upon in the first place), what are we still doing there??? – And why is Hillary Clinton and Obama talking about still remaining there? It’s because all of our politicians in Congress have been hand picked by the Military Industrial Complex(ie., Corporates) and it continues to be profitable for them! BUT AT WHAT COST? And mind you, the recession is imminent and is a direct sequalae of the current representative government in place. Yes, we need Direct Governance, which Mike Gravel will have the people enact, so that our country truly is for the people, by the people, and of the people. You think this isn’t for real? Why don’t you check out Switzerland?
The corporates ABSOLUTELY HATE him! And Mike Gravel’s got the least money – He does NOT cater to any special interest groups! You don’t need money out the wazoo to run for President! The President probably gets a maximum of 500,000 per year for his\her services. Why does she need 100 million to get that job? Let me tell you what you need; You need people to Vote. You need people to vote their conscience. Not because the Candidate might win if enough people vote for him and so I will vote for him, but because he is the RIGHT Candidate.

An Alternative Debate???

Why:

As we’ve already established, the corporates hate him! And if they own the media(eg., GE owns NBC), it’s fairly easy to see why they don’t want him at the Democratic Presidential Debate. OK, so you still do NOT get WHY they hate him? – Then check him out at a debate he attended: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8LZaKkXADKg

Some REAL Evidence – Let’s link some facts together: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jSoCHfyYCew

Result: He was removed from the October 30th and today’s November 15th debates.

Now What?:

Well, Mike’s got a message. A real important one, too. He is going to be heard. Why watch a staged show? Watch it for real:

Senator Gravel’s Alternative Debate in Vegas!

When: Thursday, November 15th, 2007; 4:30 pm (PST) – OFFICIAL TIME
3:30 pm(Alaska Standard Time)
4:30 pm(Pacific Time Zone)
5:30 pm(Mountain Time Zone)
6:30 pm(Central Time Zone)
7:30 pm(Eastern Time Zone)
8:30 pm(Atlantic Time Zone)

To find your time zone, please check: http://www.time.gov/

Where to watch it? http://www.gravel2008.us/altdebate

Well, this is a plea to ask all of you to just check out what this man has to say. Why do I even bother??? Because this man has made me believe that one man can make a difference; And it is clear what a difference he has made: When he was Senator from Alaska in the 60/70’s he single handidly ended the draft through a 5 month filibuster! Many of us who are reading this would’ve been in Iraq fighting Baron Bush’s war! Mike Gravel also released the top Secret Pentagon Papers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ks8hz5Ulg Isn’t it time we got to know what top secret military stuff is really happening(eg., Guantanamo, Abu Grahib, etc.)? I know that Mike Gravel will be our next President, God willing. And this is only a part of that process. Hope you watch. I leave you with this last clip:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gravel2008

It’s Time for a Gravelution!,

God Bless,

shree

ps. Join us on IRC Chat during the debate and after: http://www.gravel2008.us/?q=node/2596

ps. Be part of The Gravelution!:

• Forward this email to everyone you know!
• Join us at: http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008
• Donate to Mike Gravel’s Campaign at: https://gravel2008.us/donate.php

–
I am yet to meet a human being who likes Hillary Clinton; Yet, she’s the Democratic Party’s Presidential Top Pick. Wanna’ know why?  http://youtube.com/watch?v=nK7DRPyNAHA
Who Mike Gravel really is?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcM-YvrLp_M

The Issues: http://www.gravel2008.us/issues.php

Which Presidential candidate fits you the best? Find out here: http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

“The most important thing in life is love. That’s what empowers courage, and courage implements the rest of our virtues.”
Sen. Mike Gravel
http://www.gravel2008.us
http://www.nationalinitiative.us/

Mike Gravel will be our next President, God willing. Come be a part of that process:
http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008

Why I’m voting for Mike Gravel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOchzHhE6OM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ykcMza___I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxuuadl7obA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBXwluhlVnE

Consolidating our efforts to make Mike Gravel President in 2008

Peace,

Mike Gravel is going to be President in 2008, God willing.  I hope you will join us in consolidating our efforts to see that happen.  Come join us at:

http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008

God Bless,

shree

Mike Gravel makes it to the Alex Jones Show

Yep, you heard it correct! On October 24th, 2007 Mike Gravel was on the Alex Jone’s Show. Listen to the interview here:

If you like what you heard, join the Mike Gravel group here: http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008

And vote for him here (Currently, he’s number one. Let’s keep him there!): http://www.chooseourpresident2008.com/email.html

Candidates@Google: Senator Mike Gravel

If you like what you heard, join the Mike Gravel group here: http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008

And vote for him here (Currently, he’s number one. Let’s keep him there!): http://www.chooseourpresident2008.com/email.html

(Stolen) Coffee Pot Cleaning

Sometimes cleaning the inside of a coffee pot can be challenging. Unless you have really small hands you can’t put your hand inside the pot. So put some salt in the bottom of the coffee pot and add some ice cubes. Swirl the mixture around and the salt will act as an abrasive. Your pots will sparkle like new!

Oh, and if you’re looking for a great coffee and espresso maker, check out the Aerobie Aeropress Coffee And Espresso Maker.

Apple Mac OS X Version 10.5 Leopard for $20 Less than anywhere else! (a special discount offer)

That’s right! They’re selling the Apple Mac OS X Version 10.5 Leopard at Amazon.com for $20 less than anywhere else! Order today!

Click Me:

A Real Presidential Candidate: Hear Mike Gravel

If you like what you heard, join the Mike Gravel group here: http://groups.google.com/group/gravel2008

And vote for him here (Currently, he’s number one. Let’s keep him there!): http://www.chooseourpresident2008.com/email.html

Website: Cheat-Sheets.org

I found this site useful… And, they’ve got an extensive list of topics to take up, too…

The Manual.su’s project. All cheat sheets, round-ups, quick reference cards, quick reference guides and quick reference sheets in one page.

.NET, ActionScript, Ada, AJAX, Apache, APT, ASCII, ASP, AWK, C, C#, C++, Camera, Characters, Chemistry, chmod, ColdFusion, Colour, Computer Science, Countries, CSS, CVS, Debian, Delphi, Django, Doctypes, DOM, DTD, Eclipse, Ed, Emacs, Encoding, Emoticon, File, Firefox, Fonts, Freeware, FTP, Gift, Gimp, Gmail, Google, htaccess, HTML, Icons, Internet Explorer, IVR, Java, JavaScript, JSP, Languages, LaTeX, Linux, Logic, Math, MathML, MATLAB, MFC, Microformats, MIME, mod_include, mod_perl, mod_rewrite, MySQL, Numbers, OpenSSH, Oracle, Perl, Photoshop, PHP, Physics, PostgreSQL, Prototype, Python, Regular Expressions, Religion, rpm, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Screen, Sed, Sendmail, Smile, Social Bookmarks, Solaris, SQL, SQL Server, SSI, SVN, Sybase, Tcl/Tk, TCP, TeX, UML, Ubuntu, Unicode, Unix, UTF, VB, VBScript, Vi, Vim, Visual Basic, VoiceXML, Wikipedia, Windows, WordPress, World of Warcraft, XHTML, XML, XML Schema, XPath, XSL, XSLT, XSS, Yahoo

(Stolen) How to get RID of that irritating Windows XP’s Error Reporting notification

Note: This tip is for both Windows XP Home and Professional.

When Windows XP encounters a severe error that has the potential to crash the operating system, it immediately halts the offending program and displays an error message that says the application has encountered a problem and needs to close. Then, the operating system prompts you to send an error report to Microsoft. You can avoid having to click the Don’t Send button by disabling Error Reporting. Here’s how:

1. Press [Windows][Break] to display the System Properties dialog box.
2. Select the Advanced tab and click the Error Reporting button.
3. When you see the Error Reporting dialog box, select the Disable Error Reporting option. (If you don’t want to see any type of error message, clear the But Notify Me When Critical Errors Occur check box.)
4. Click OK twice — once to close the Error Reporting dialog box and once to close the System Properties dialog box.

Switched Themes on This Blog

It’s the 3 column digg theme.  I believe it makes things more readable than before.  Let me know what ya’ think, eh…

(Stolen) 10 things you can do to make your presentations more effective

You can download the .pdf here.

I found this useful:

To advance and succeed in your career, you need more than just technical skills. You also need to be able to present your ideas clearly and persuasively. Here are some suggestions that may help you in that regard. They assume you are in front of a group, using the ubiquitous PowerPoint and a projector. However, the principles generally apply regardless of your actual type of delivery.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: Channel your nervousness

You’ve probably heard of that survey, right? The one that said most people fear public speaking more than they fear dying? Nervousness grips nearly every speaker, regardless of the topic or the size of the audience. In fact, there’s probably something wrong with a speaker who fails to experience nervousness. The trick is to avoid having the nervousness paralyze you. Rather, channel it productively, allowing it to energize you and your presentation.

#2: Know the material

The best way to control that nervousness is to know your material. All of the other tips in the world are useless if you’re unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the material you’re presenting. I’ll talk later about how you should interact with the slides themselves. For now, I’ll just say that the more you know and care about your material, the more effective your presentation will be. If you’re talking about a product, how often have you used it — and what gotchas can you share? In other words, what can you offer beyond what people can Google for themselves?

Knowing the material doesn’t mean memorizing a presentation. Audiences will recognize memorization, and it will turn them off.

If you really know your material, you can be free of the lectern and be directly in front of your audience. Your presentation will have more life, and your audience will appreciate it more.

#3: Organize the material

Public speakers have an adage:

• Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em.
• Tell ‘em.
• Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.

In other words, a good presentation has an opening, a body, and a conclusion.

The effectiveness of your opening can determine the success of your presentation. You want to capture your audience’s attention and draw them into your presentation. For example, when I do my talks on customer service and communications, I ask the audience for examples of times they, as customers, have been annoyed or upset. Other effective openings employ humor (see below), a quotation (a good reference is Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations), or a hypothetical situation to stimulate or even scare the audience. (For example,. “Suppose you arrived at work and the CEO confronted you, saying the data for the entire company was gone. How would you react and how could you prevent such a situation?”)

In the body of your presentation, make sure you cover the points you allude to in your opening. Finally, conclude your presentation with a summary of what you said. Make sure your material makes logical sense and that it flows smoothly from one topic to the next.

When preparing your slides, remember the “six-six” rule: A maximum of six words per line and a maximum of six lines per slide.

#4: Make contact with the audience

Many guides on presentations advise the speaker to look attendees in the eye. This advice, while well-intentioned, can cause distraction for a speaker. A better technique, I have found, is to look not into their eyes but at the bridges of their nose. When I do so, I’m less likely to be distracted, but it still looks like I’m looking at their eyes.

The worst option is to avoid all eye contact at all. Your talk will fail to connect, and your audience will feel excluded.

#5: Consider using a wireless mouse or pointer

I have found the wireless device is the best option for advancing your slides. None of the other alternatives work as well. Moving forward to press the Enter key manually takes time and distracts the audience. Relying on an assistant to do so requires good communications with that person and carries the possibility of a missed cue. Setting timings in the slide show to advance slides automatically limits your spontaneity.

I once delivered a presentation using my wireless mouse and later got a complaint that its red light distracted an attendee. Since then, I’ve made sure either to cover that light with my hand or else to tape it up.

#6: Empty your pockets

Before I deliver a presentation, I clear my pockets of any loose coins and my keys. That way, there’s nothing to jingle or otherwise make noise. Just remember to put them back when you’re finished.

#7: Properly handle questions from the audience

If you take a question from the audience, first repeat it so everyone can hear. Then, thank the questioner and answer the question. Finally, follow up to make sure you answered the question. Repeating the question first helps put your answer into context. Thanking the questioner allows you to gracefully “cut away” from him or her, so that you’re talking to the whole audience.

If you sense that the answer will take longer than a few moments, offer to speak with the questioner after the session.

#8: Avoid looking at the screen

The audience wants to see your face, not the back or side of your head. Looking at the screen while you’re talking breaks eye contact, and makes the audience feel disconnected.

“But wait,” you say, “How else can I know what my audience is seeing unless I too look at the screen?” Position equipment in the following sequence: screen / you (the presenter) / laptop computer and LCD projector / audience. Now, set your laptop for dual display, that is, so that images go BOTH to the LCD projector AND to your laptop. With this setup, you no longer need to look at the screen, because you will see the same display on your laptop.

#9: Embellish, don’t read

My wife teaches English at a local college, and a few years ago I attended an academic conference with her. Looking back at the one session I attended, I would have preferred root canal surgery. Each participant (there were four or five on the panel) handed out his or her paper before the session started. They then proceeded, in sequence, to read their paper verbatim.

Don’t insult your audience. They can read your slides themselves. What they want is your added value. So when you present, embellish the slides with your own comments and insight. Don’t just read the slides yourself.

#10: Use humor effectively

Humor, when used correctly, can break tension for both you and the audience and can help them connect with you. You don’t need to be a Rodney Dangerfield. People generally aren’t expecting humor, and they aren’t expecting a professional stand-up comic, so your chances of making humor work are greater.

A great book that can help in this area is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Boardroom: Using Humor in Business Speaking, by Michael Iapoce. He talks about various aspects of humor, how and why humor works, and how a good joke should be structured.

My preferred form of humor is to make fun of myself. Once, I was doing a presentation right before one by Scott Waddle, the former commander of the submarine U.S.S. Greeneville, which struck and sank a Japanese fishing boat in 2001. The first thing I asked the audience was, “Who’s looking forward to hearing Commander Waddle?” As expected, the entire room raised their hands. “In other words,” I continued, “You can’t wait for me to finish.”

Hilarious

Kiva Loans; Loans that make a difference…

Hi!

I just made a loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva.

You can go to Kiva’s website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business – like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent – and you get updates letting you know how the business is going. The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back – and Kiva’s loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Sok Chantho in Cambodia. They still need another $125.00 to complete their loan request of $500.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this business off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Sok Chantho too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=17957&_isc=

It’s finally easy to actually do something about poverty – using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they’re using it for. And most of all, I know that I’m helping them build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world – one loan at a time.

Thanks!

Shree Mulay
———————————————————
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC

‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money

‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal

‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine

All Natural, Environmentally Friendly, and Economical Fabric Softener: Vinegar

An excellant way to keep your clothes nice and soft after a wash:

1\2 cup of vinegar per clothing load for the rinse part of a washing cycle

It’s very simple, and there are no environmentally hazardous chemicals involved.  Your clothes come out softer than with the synthetic stuff.  You’ll find it easier to iron your clothes, too!  Best thing is that Vinegar is an everyday, household chemical.

Warning:  Don’t use vinegar when you’re using bleach.  This causes toxic fumes to be released.

A little more on Vinegar:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar

Solution (Stolen) to Adobe Air\Pownce Error: The instruction at “0×10140d66″ referenced memory at “0×00000004″. The memory could not be “read”. Click on OK to terminate the program.

Haeggalog: Pownce Windows Client

To get the Windows Pownce Client to work, follow the steps below:

1. Open the file:

C:\Documents and Preferences\ $USERNAME$ \Pownce\META-INF\AIR\application.xml

2. Search for:

<rootContent> systemChrome=”none”; transparent=”true” visible=”true”>PownceDesktop.swf</rootContent>

3. change it to:

<rootContent> systemChrome=”none” transparent=”false“; visible=”true”>PownceDesktop.swf</rootContent>

Technorati Tags: Air, Pownce, error,

powered by performancing firefox

Declaration of Intention

Peace,

Thus far, I am a relatively unknown human being. I intend to run, most probably as an independent candidate, in the 2020 United States Presidential Elections. In the years till then, I must train for the position; I study daily to become familiar with the issues at hand for our country and the various different political and non political perspectives on various topics.

In the years till 2020, I must establish my name; People must know who I am; And, God willing, for good things.

God Bless,

shree

see my blog at: http://codedigestion.wordpress.com

See more progress on: become the president

Help Tob Chan get fully funded

Hi!

I just made a loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva.

You can go to Kiva’s website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business – like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent – and you get updates letting you know how the business is going. The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back – and Kiva’s loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Tob Chan in Cambodia. They still need another $300.00 to complete their loan request of $1,000.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this business off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Tob Chan too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=17115&_isc=

It’s finally easy to actually do something about poverty – using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they’re using it for. And most of all, I know that I’m helping them build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world – one loan at a time.

Thanks!

Shree Mulay
———————————————————
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC

‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money

‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal

‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine

(Stolen) Orbital: Halcyon + on + on

This following article is about a BRILLIANT song from Orbital. It’s called Halycon + on + on. It’s truely mood elevating \ uplifting. Excellant to wake up to in the mornings!

Video for the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhM4Iwzff0

Orbital: Halcyon + on + on

he 5.22 from Exeter St David’s, rolling alongside the Exe, the estuary touched with light, a thousand moon-kissed peaks rising and falling on their way to the sea, the rhythmic trundle of the train’s engine and the hum of wheels on rails, parallel steel lines kept cool on stacks of ballast, and the lunar glow outside, dancing on the surface of the water, going home…

This makes me believe in angels…

The Hartnoll brothers wrote “Halcyon + on + on,” if I remember correctly, for and about their mother, who was prescribed the drug for, well… you know the things which Halcyon is prescribed for. The piece itself, like the drug, is a mood-manipulator, a bringer of calm, a place of almost impossible serenity hidden deep within the mechanisms of modern life. Like “Belfast,” with its sunrise piano chord and heavenly voice arcing light across the present, it is the sound of being lost and alone at 4 AM when the crowds have long since broken up and floated home on the breeze, sitting on a kerb or roadside somewhere, one last melody and one last beat existing at the instant before dawn, waiting to be evaporated with the waking day and coming sun.

Orbital don’t create alternate universes for the listener to inhabit, as much as they find space and peace for us to inhabit within this universe, calling on us to open our eyes and minds and recognise the sublime potential of the everyday, the magic of the commonplace, the beauty of the mundane and the familiar. As such “Halcyon + on + on” is less abstracted escapism than it is a pause to look around and appreciate the now. As beautiful and ethereal as the melodic content may be, the rhythmic strength and insistence of the song prevent it ever becoming ephemeral. The kiss may not last forever, but the memory of it will.

There’s a gentle vent that sounds like a factory sighing, a mayfly whisper of piano, four, five, six notes carried on the draft… and this girl, this most beautiful girl, luminescent and transparent and golden with love, she whispers out to you above the breeze, exhaling bliss across your eyes and face, and you fall in love with her, with her impossible sadness and beauty and her place outside of time. This voice is organic yet intangible, and when the bass drops in the juxtaposition accentuates the beauty of that voice tenfold, because this bass is so electric and synthetic and so present that it threatens to overwhelm the voice. And then the beat… oh the beat… 4/4 and how, the most 4/4 beat ever, mechanistic and metronomic, tapped out by a computer, an industrial device. It’s so strong that the guitar and voice and piano vanish for a while, they have to, and we’re left alone inside this machine that would be uncomfortable were it not so perfect. I don’t know about dancing, but…

And of course the angel returns, placed inside the machine, and the combination of the two factors, the divine and the man-made, puts beautiful doubt in our minds, makes us ask which is real, where the divine comes from, whether we can create and manufacture beauty ourselves, whether that’s what we were doing all along…

Oh Nick, you’re doing it again. Shut up and dance.

The article has been ripped from: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=642