Song of the Day: The Jam, That's Entertainment

I finally understand all of these lyrics - and for once it makes the song better, not worse.



Lyrics
A police car and a screaming siren
Pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete
A baby wailing, a stray dog howling
The screech of brakes and lamplights blinking

That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

A smash of glass and the rumble of boots
An electric train and a ripped up phone booth
Paint splattered walls and the cry of a tom cat
Lights going out and a kick in the balls

I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

Days of speed and slow time Mondays
Pissing down with rain on a boring Wednesday
Watching the news and not eating your tea
A freezing cold flat and damp on the walls

I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

Waking up at 6 a.m. on a cool warm morning
Opening the windows and breathing in petrol
An amateur band rehearse in a nearby yard
Watching the telly and thinking 'bout your holidays

That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

Waking up from bad dreams and smoking cigarettes
Cuddling a warm girl and smelling stale perfume
A hot summers day and sticky black tarmac
Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away

That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight
Two lovers missing the tranquillity of solitude
Getting a cab and travelling on buses
Reading the graffiti about slashed seat affairs

I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

Geeky Stuff: Damien Katz reveals his path to CouchDB

Here is a very interesting, inspirational and funny talk by Damien Katz in which he reveals how he left the rat-race only to enter it again some time later, on his own terms:

http://www.infoq.com/presentations/katz-couchdb-and-me

It makes me a) want to quit my job and be somebody and b) learn about CouchDB!

-BT

Geeky Stuff: Software Management 101 by RandsInRepose.com

It's late and I need to get to bed but I had to post this first, if only for my own information so I know where to find it later. It's an extraordinary blog post about software management and hits on just about every problem you are likely to run into as you move from being a software developer to being a software manager:

A Disclosure by Rands In Repose

If you are in software management, particularly if you are new to the game, you owe it to yourself to read this.

Enjoy,

-BT

Song of the Day: The Smiths - There is a Light that never Goes Out

Why on earth did it take so long for this song to be a song of the day, I hear you ask?

Well, that's a good question. And I don't have a good answer.

Here's a tidbit from Wikipedia about this song:

Many of Morrissey's lyrics are borrowed from other sources. In particular, the title of this song has been a source of wonder. One credible suggestion has been that the title is a paraphrase of what Hugh Latimer said to Nicholas Ridley as they were about to be burned at the stake as heretics during the reign of "Bloody Mary," Queen Mary I of England:

"Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

And without further ado, here's the song!



And here are the lyrics:

Take me out tonight
Where theres music and theres people
And theyre young and alive
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I havent got one
Anymore

Take me out tonight
Because I want to see people and i
Want to see life
Driving in your car
Oh, please dont drop me home
Because its not my home, its their
Home, and Im welcome no more

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine

Take me out tonight
Take me anywhere, I dont care
I dont care, I dont care
And in the darkened underpass
I thought oh god, my chance has come at last
(but then a strange fear gripped me and i
Just couldnt ask)

Take me out tonight
Oh, take me anywhere, I dont care
I dont care, I dont care
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I havent got one, da ...
Oh, I havent got one

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine

Oh, there is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out
There is a light and it never goes out

-BT

Clockwork Orange Dictionary

I got about half way through "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess when I discovered this little gem:

A dictionary for Clockwork orange

I had figured out some of the strange made-up words used throughout the book by myself (based on context) but found the dictionary *really* useful, and interesting - most of the words are derived from Russian words, it turns out.

-BT