Mentatul

Month: July 2016

  • Nervous Testpilot – The Plan

    Nervous Testpilot – The Plan

    Get ready for a unique blend of electronic music. It starts with a bang and then immediately quiets down, perhaps a sign of things to come? Through beautifully chosen vocal samples, it gently goes on its way, building up intricate soundscapes. Diverse, enjoyable and action-packed, this melody has quite a personality.

    The song and the entire album it belongs to is one of the best game soundtracks I know of. I’ve had quite a bit of trouble deciding what melody to feature, but ultimately, the female vocal samples and clever construction of the song won over its “competitors”. “Switch” and “Triumph” were almost tied with this one so, if you like what you hear, make sure you go searching for some more.

    You can listen to the song for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Nervous Testpilot’s album :).

    http://nervoustestpilot.co.uk/track/the-plan^

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkjpswQs42o

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkjpswQs42o^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/1wmqcun3qRHX4lMrIhAJGi^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00842-NervousTestpilotFrozenSynapseOST-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Nervous Testpilot – The Plan’ desc=’Through beautifully chosen vocal samples, it gently goes on its way, building up intricate soundscapes.’]

  • World Teeters on the Brink Of…

    World Teeters on the Brink Of…

    Welcome to mid-2016. Science and technology have progressed immensely. We’re continuously maximizing our agricultural output and we’re getting better at renewable energy^. We’ll soon have self-driving vehicles^ and our computers are getting better at understand our speech. We can escape to virtual worlds^ and we’re more connected than ever. At least in the developed world, even the poor have the luxury of running water and electricity. Are we on the brink of a new golden age, or is it all just clever brain-washing^?

    Welcome to mid-2016. A scary politician and a clever manipulator are tied^ for ruling one of the world’s superpowers (and owner of the largest nuclear arsenal). In Turkey, a failed coup^ provided an excuse for strongman Erdogan to purge his adversaries and head the country towards Islamic dictatorship^. We’re talking here about the country with the 2nd largest standing army in NATO. This is probably the single scariest event in 2016, at least until the elections in the USA. Topping things off, the UK decided to leave the EU. It also decided to prolong and upgrade its nuclear weapons-bearing submarine program^. And then there’s China^ and Australia^. Are we on the brink of war, or is it just the same old game of measuring who has the bigger gun?

    Erdogan - the Lucky Caliph
    Erdogan – the Lucky Caliph

    Welcome to mid-2016. The idealistic peace-loving project called the European Union seems to slowly unfold under the pressure of fear and terror. The USA and Russia are slowly squeezing the life out of Syria and Iraq, but it’s the EU that has to deal with most of the resulting fallout (sheltering refugees and dealing with a spate of terrorist^ attacks^). Are we going to vote in the next Hitler and give up our privacy, praying for protection from Big Brother? Or are we going to sit down at the same table with our worst enemies and enact sweeping social and political changes?

    Disclaimer: yes, both the USA and Russia are to blame for the crisis in Syria. Even though historically the USA has attacked the region most heavily, the superpowers never agreed on how to tackle the social disaster there. This is probably because they both stand to profit (enormously) from the economic and social failure of the EU. Divide et impera is the name of the game.

    Disclaimer: if it’s unclear who’s the “scary politician” and who’s the “clever manipulator” I’m referring to in the second paragraph, that’s as it should be. Welcome to 2016 ;).

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00838-WorldTeetersOnTheBrinkOf-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’World Teeters on the Brink Of…’ desc=’Welcome to mid-2016. Are we on the brink of a new golden age or on the brink of war?’]

  • Delerium – Flowers Become Screens

    Delerium – Flowers Become Screens

    At the crossroads between old and new, wonders can happen. This song showcases Delerium’s transformation from an interesting electronic music act into a new age wonder that fuses dance music with stellar vocal performances and surreal lyrics.

    From the very beginning, whispers and choirs ease the listener into a mystic mood. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the drum machine kicks in and the body wants to join the dance. Groovy and mysterious, hopeful and solemn, this melody has a flow like few others. It is the perfect opener for “Semantic Spaces”, one of the best Delerium albums (and one of my all-time favorites).

    “Rain you can’t hold on to it
    A treasure you cannot frame

    Rain somehow I’m drawn to it
    I feel engaged, one and the same

    When heaven’s dressing beads off my face
    Then pain is nothing that a downpour won’t erase”

    YouTube (GREAT VIDEO, shorter song version):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsT-Bdx-Dek^

    YouTube (full song, decent quality)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRlMld3AAs^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/0rPw4rU03hgzkKpeiAd1SW^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/76564404^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00807-DeleriumSemanticSpaces-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Delerium – Flowers Become Screens’ desc=’From the very beginning, whispers and choirs ease the listener into a mystic mood.’]

  • To Be or Not to Be an Activist

    To Be or Not to Be an Activist

    Being an activist has never been easy. Even in the 21st century, the death sentence for speaking the wrong words can be delivered unexpectedly by those that happen to disagree for whatever reason. This happens despite millennia of social development, now culminating with a sharp rise in our ability to exercise the right for free speech thanks to the Internet.

    Last month, just before UK’s referendum on whether or not they should stay in the European Union, a member of parliament was killed, probably because she was holding peaceful views in a country that is increasingly dominated by hate. Jo Cox was stabbed, shot, and then stabbed again, in a horrifying illustration of how the wrong politics and education have mutilated our society:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Jo_Cox^

    And, almost four months ago, Berta Cáceres, an activist that was militating for the rights of indigenous people was shot and killed in Honduras.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/03/americas/honduras-activist-berta-caceres-killed/^

    No, being an activist has never been easy. Yet, some amazing people have not been deterred by the fatal risks. I am humbled and honored to know that I have lived among such courageous beings. These two women, along with countless others sisters and brothers throughout history, have led us out of savagery and hate.

    I dream of a day when any man or woman can express their thoughts without fear of death. Even more, I dream of a day when everybody will care about what these driven individuals have to say. The most important thing that I believe we should all be aware of is that it is within our power to change our society’s course. Don’t let this blood be spilled without a change. Don’t let any more blood be spilled…

    Updated 2016-07-20: today the news came out that another “inconvenient” person was murdered, this time in Ukraine. Rest in peace, Pavel Sheremet^.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00805-BertaCaceresToBeOrNotToBeActivist-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’To Be or Not to Be an Activist’ desc=’Being an activist has never been easy. Even in the 21st century, the death sentence for speaking the wrong words can be delivered unexpectedly by those that happen to disagree for whatever reason.’]

  • Pink Floyd – Marooned

    Pink Floyd – Marooned

    Imagine a deserted beach. Imagine the blue waves, imagine a white sky, imagine a lonely guitar with emerald chords, imagine a ruby piano. Imagine seagulls gliding in the air, no effort at all, just waltzing in wind’s embrace. If there’s anything that can be said about this song is that it’s the spark that lights the fire of our imagination. Deep inside the mind, there’s a pyre made up of the thoughts that sometimes suffocate the purity of our soul. So let it burn, let unknowing innocence spread its wings, let go…

    YouTube (MUST SEE VIDEO):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7YMI39sObY^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    http://open.spotify.com/track/3SOAyMhaukOvGS9PMvoQ1b^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/117584458^

    This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This project was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

    When I first posted this melody on the Weekly Song FaceBook page, it was during the sad events that saw Russia take over the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. Then, I linked the following article, together with a plea for Russians to take notice at the tragedy unfolding in the other two break-away Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk. What you can see below is how the Donetsk airport ended up looking like after the fighting (included is a photograph of how the airport looked before it was turned into a ruin).

    http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/once-gleaming-donetsk-airport-ukraine-now-battered-husk-n314241^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00803-PinkFloydDivisionBell-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Pink Floyd – Marooned’ desc=’If there's anything that can be said about this song is that it's the spark that lights the fire of our imagination.’]

  • This Guy Talked to God

    This Guy Talked to God

    At long last, finally there’s somebody in our current generation that managed to talk to God! It’s been some time since this last happened, but judging by what this person wrote, he may belong to a new generation of prophets. Or maybe he’s just a good writer. Here, judge for yourself:

    http://www.fullmoon.nu/articles/art.php?id=tal^

    There’s quite a lot of interesting reading on that philosopher’s website.

    And in case his website ever goes down, I’ve saved the PDF and the text. You can find them at the links below:

    www.mentatul.com/axup/Harry Stottle – Talking to God.docx^

    www.mentatul.com/axup/Harry Stottle – Talking to God.pdf^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00794-TalkedToGod-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’This Guy Talked to God’ desc=’At long last, finally there's somebody in our current generation that managed to talk to God!’]

  • Solstafir – Fjara

    Solstafir – Fjara

    In the mood for some excellent metal music? This song’s multidimensional beauty never ceases to amaze. With every passing second, we are rising, step by step, towards the divine nature of art. The choir with which the song ends is one of the most evocative I’ve ever heard. Splendid instrumentation and structure complete the masterpiece.

    You can listen to the song for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Solstafir’s album :).

    https://solstafir.bandcamp.com/track/fjara^

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FZH1dxeM4o^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/4dtMFhx3OgRpQZXbOhxXoM^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/61602107^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00779-SolstafirFjara-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Solstafir – Fjara’ desc=’With every passing second, we are rising, step by step, towards the divine nature of art.’]

  • All Your Computers Are Belong to Us

    All Your Computers Are Belong to Us

    In recent years, Intel has moved towards integrating some pretty nifty remote administration features into its CPUs. While this may be a good idea for certain enterprises, it may quickly turn into a nightmare as soon as exploits and vulnerabilities are found. And guess what^?

    Software has bugs. Hey, it happens, everybody makes mistakes. But in this case, the mistakes can’t be corrected in time (before an attacker exploits them). That’s because, in typical monopolist corporation fashion, Intel is obscuring the process by not allowing the security community to analyze whatever code the company decides to shove into our machines. The same argument stands true regarding any proprietary code, especially Microsoft’s Windows, which after 20 years of fixes is still the most vulnerable mainstream operating system.

    The following article describes the problem pretty well:

    http://hackaday.com/2016/01/22/the-trouble-with-intels-management-engine/^

    It’s probably only a matter of time until a clever attacker will compromise the company’s buggy code. Of course, Intel will eventually patch its security holes, but given that the company’s CPUs are used across the world in some pretty sensitive contexts, there’s no telling how much damage such attacks can cause.

    As for us mortals, we are at risk of having our privacy compromised even by petty criminals. This is because there’s a large window of opportunity between the time when a security hole is found and the time that Intel moves to fix it for less prioritized customers.

    And don’t even get me started on how governments across the world can (and probably will) force Intel’s hand into giving over political dissidents on a silver platter. Privacy? What privacy?

    If you want to learn more, here’s another article on the same topic:

    http://boingboing.net/2016/06/15/intel-x86-processors-ship-with.html^

    I wrote this hot on the heels of a Dissected News piece about Cyber-Warfare^. There’s additional interesting information to be found there.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/00759-AllYourComputersAreBelongToUs-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’All Your Computers Are Belong to Us’ desc=’It's probably only a matter of time until a clever attacker will compromise Intel's buggy code.’]

  • Inofaith – Nocturne

    Inofaith – Nocturne

    This melody is a testament to the work of artists in general, and one artist in particular. The spoken lyrics underline the connection between art, love and the human drive to create universes. The relaxing and enjoyable music turns this into a highly-inspiring experience. And somehow, it always makes me move my body.

    “Most of my ideas come out of complete silence.
    My work, is a direct reflection of my personality.
    Work to me, you know it’s, it’s who I am.
    I think what’s hard, is, going against the current,
    …trying to be something else… you know.

    You have to love the process.
    Be good at what you do.
    There’s no substitution, for hard work
    There’s not a better feeling in the world 🙂

    You need to take that time for yourself, to realize why you’re here.
    You’re here to create!

    What happens to good artists is that,
    when you create art, from the need to be loved…
    …you do your best.

    Silence is very important.
    Most of my ideas come out of complete silence.
    We all need to allow, the silence.
    There’s so much noise.

    It’s important for people to create their own worlds.
    You have this world in which you live in.
    But I think that we should be creating a sub-world to protect us.”

    You can listen to the song for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.

    https://inofaith.bandcamp.com/track/nocturne^

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUO6tMTPWbI^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/3fNxE3Hg47056GbOjZ58uu^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/00755-InofaithDawnIsLate-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Inofaith – Nocturne’ desc=’The spoken lyrics underline the connection between art, love and the human drive to create universes.’]

  • The Overview Effect

    The Overview Effect

    When we become aware of our planet’s fragility and beauty, a cognitive shift in awareness occurs. This short but emotional presentation shows what a few of those that went through the difficult training required to travel away from Earth have to say about The Overview Effect:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHMIfOecrlo^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/00752-TheOverviewEffect-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Overview Effect’ desc=’When we become aware of our planet's fragility and beauty, a cognitive shift in awareness occurs’]