There's someone up there...

In countries that are predominantly muslim, skies full of death-dealing drones are now the status quo. These machines are, as we all know, manipulated by young people nurtured on Space Invaders, from the safety of monitors in computer rooms halfway away round the planet.

This report in the Washington Post has some details of the latest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-building-secret-drone-bases-in-africa-arabian-peninsula-officials-say/2011/09/20/gIQAJ8rOjK_story.html

Through the Grass Darkly

Bob Sabiston, the man who oversaw that quiet mindblower of an animation, A Scanner Darkly, has a lot of other stuff under his belt, including this talking head session with park-bench philosopher A J Vadehra . Unless you live in a city big enough to support a cinema like, say, the GFT or the Watershed, the chances are you will not see this one on the big screen. Best not to wait for the message. Download, and let your mind relax...

http://www.flatblackfilms.com/Flat_Black_Films/Films/Pages/Grasshopper.html

Inside the blog

Geek news: this blog experimentally became EarlyExpress for several days. The original is back: All the grumpy attitudes and prejudices contained are as they were.

Israel Phil shouted down

Zubin Mehta was unable to conduct the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra at theRoyal Albert Hall after several pro-Palestine demonstrators interrupted right at the start. The BBC immediately pulled out of their broadcast, doing a quick fade to a chorus of booing and footstamping. Musicians born as Israelis often find themselves in an awkward position when travelling and performing abroad, but when they are billed as the legitimate cultural representatives of such an alleged legitimate state as the apartheid regime of Israel, their position is indisputedly not on the side of rock 'n' roll. It's a great pity that these musicians - my fellow artists - should be used in such a way.