The T. got a copy of Brazilian Girls recently.  It is really good. 

As we listened to them the first time, we both thought they were German.  They have that I speak a thousand languages and play keyboards sound!  But from their website, they don't seem very Deutsche. 

I think they might be American but there is not much info about the band members on the site.

Recently my niece turned fifteen.  I decided to buy her a couple of books to read.  Share my love of literature with the younger generation etc.

Here are the constraints:
1. She is not into fantasy or sci-fi.
2. I don't want buy her a completely fluff - bordering on offensive book, such as this garbage.  (One of the reviews even said something like Teens can learn how the rich and famous live.  Right.)

There have been a lot of  light women's fiction (aka chick lit) ported to the teen group.  However, some of the books I read while I was in the store did not handle issues of sexuality and body image appropriately for that age group.

So what to buy?  I found the book "Alice, I think" by Canadian author Susan Juby.

 I just finished reading it myself and encouragingly, it is similar to the Judy Blume novels that were the main stay of my generation of girls.  "Alice, I Think" accurately reflected the awkwardness of being a teenager.  However, the protagonist, Alice, grew up with an 'alternative lifestyle' (home schooled and actively hippy parents). So, sometimes Alice was hard to relate to (even for me) and I'm not certain how well other teenagers would relate to her.

Still I was happy to see that there is an author trying to offer teenagers fiction that is a reflection of the world that they actually live in.  I look forward to reading more of Juby's work.

The Booker Short List was posted and includes Zadie Smith's book On Beauty.  On Beauty also received a positive review from the New York Times.

The Guardian Observer has an article on the iPhone and why it is not innovative.  It is a very practical example of why companies have difficulty being continually innovative. 

As Naughton writes, "The iPhone is considerably less than the sum of its parts for one reason: it was designed by a company that has become a prisoner of its previous success at innovation."

There are several good books on this topic but my favourite is The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christiansen.

The iPhone is almost just a (poorly chosen) brand extension.  I mean isn't this just a Motoral Rokr phone with Apple brand.  I hope that Apple does not go down the path of endless brand extension (i.e. Krusty Brand Sulphuric Acid).

The Apple Nano is an incredible device but it merely represents incremental innovation.  Apple did what it has already done, incrementally better. 

High-Fi 'Hard to Beat (Axwell Remix)' - Euro pop at its remixed best

Franz Ferdinand 'Do You Want To?' - It has that head bop to it that we have come to expect from British bands.  But it is guaranteed to get the girls on the dance floor.

The Go! Team - 'Bottle Rocket'

Arcade Fire - Rebellion.  Go buy this album this weekend.  Do it. Do it.

Okay here is a bloggish post.  I was in my elevator and these three young guys get on.  They are friends and have been having a conversation about spam and hacking.  One guy makes the obvious Microsoft joke about Microsoft software being a virus that attacks your computer because it has so many bugs. 

Dude A: "I hate Microsoft.  Linux is so much better'.
Dude B: "I hate Microsoft too'.
Dude C: "I hate Microsoft too....you know I don't really care.  I think its okay.  I mean the first computer I bought had Windows 2000 on it.  I heard it was pretty crappy before that".

Oh man, I am getting old.  The first computer I (my dad) bought had Windows 3.0 on it.