In Music: Nirvana

One of the most marking thing in my life has been the passing of Kurt Cobain in the 90s. I don't really know why this event was so important to me as a 17 year old. It was a man that died under questionable circumstances at the other side of the world—I was in the Netherlands at the time—but since music was such an important part of my life, grunge in particular, perhaps a decade passed before I listened to another Nirvana song.

When I read the letter that Steve Albini wrote to Nirvana about producing their last album, it struck a chord, particularly the phrase "If a record takes more than a week to make, somebody's f######g up. Oi!" Albini actually presses this point for most of the first two pages and it fits how I feel about Nirvana and about good music. It has to be spontaneous and raw, rather than over-produced and clinical, in order to really touch your soul. 

Even if you're not into Nirvana, I think that what Steve Albini writes is interesting and relevant to whole bunch more in life than just one band. So check that out.

I hope that I've stated my love for Nirvana enough. While it isn't a band that I listen to frequently, once a year would be generous, there are plenty of bands that are inspired by them and they did have that raw talent that is hard to reproduce. It was unique for its time, much like Bob Dylan was unique for the 60s (perhaps more on him at another time).

In Software: iOS 7 part 2 ... and what that means for Mac OS 11

For lack of a better space to post this, I can still clearly say that the Apple ecosystem is generally a favourite of mine where it comes to technology, design, and strategy. This post will be more about strategic thoughts regarding Apple's resource allocations after Steve Jobs passed away and Scot Forstall, former head of iOS, was removed from that position.

Company- and product building are not that different. Screws and bolts can be interchanged with people, buildings, skills, and activities. Apple is a collection of all four, combined with a strong, if not very secretive vision of the future, centred entirely around quality and "being different." It doesn't matter what Apple machine I've owned, iBooks, Macbooks, iPods, iPhones, or iPads, there's a logic behind all of them, both in "product - market fit" and in the construction of hardware and software.

iOS 7 has been called the "harkening back to the original coloured iMacs" days and you can perhaps recognise the initial playfulness, largely inspired by Johnny Ive's work, in iOS 7 (also under Ive's supervision).

 




Jonathan Ive's and Craig Federighi's collaboration for iOS 7 represent what I think the ideal state is for Apple, the perfect melding of hardware (Ive's territory) and software (Federighi used to be responsible mostly for Mac OS X, but now largely for both OS X & iOS 7). Good article on that here, but don't expect to find the answer to everything. I love this quote from Federighi:

OK, I’m a technology freak, but I think probably if someone mapped my brain, you would find that there were moments when I lit up the love pattern in my neurons in association with our products. I mean, literally, there is love, and I think that is true of many of our customers. I think when we build something we love and that others love, then we have done our job.

When I see the little tidbits in iOS 7, I see Love. When I see Game Center, I see playfulness. When I see the whole thing, I see logic that transcends individual apps, software, and even hardware.

Why this affects Mac OS 11...
Mac OS is the Apple device OS. Just because it's called "Mac OS" doesn't actually mean that it's the operating system for the Mac computer, but it's simply the software that Apple writes for its computers. So, Apple TV, iPod, iPhone, iPads, they are all computers. And the only reason Mac OS looks different is because the interface needs to be different and the hardware capabilities have (so far) been different. A laptop or a desktop will never become a "touch" device, it doesn't make ergonomic sense. But what we have to focus on here is the greater achievement of iOS 7 and devices like the iPhone 5C (color). The strengthened interplay between software and hardware.

Clearly a prediction, but everything suggests that for new computing devices this bond is meant to become stronger. Apple products are neither meant to be hardware or software, but tools that are useful, that we love to spend time with, and that don't get in our way. Apple is slow when it comes to changing things that work, so I don't believe that Maverick will do anything revolutionary to bridge the software - hardware gap. But Ive's & Federighi's collaboration is sure going to be applied to their "traditional" devices as well, which means that we will see more of iOS 7 (maybe not the visuals, but the ideas behind it) in Macs and Apple TVs as well.

In Software: IOS 7

Just a few titbits:

Speed: I love the little settings pop-up. Whether it's to adjust screen rotation, to quickly change the brightness or to turn airport mode on and off, it just so much more convenient and faster to do just that.

Usefulness: I love the look of the new notification pull down window. 1. It's a nicer way to read the weather in plain text as that's a more human way to interact. 2. it's well organised with the calendar and I appreciate it letting me know how busy I'm always the next day. 3. Thanks for shifting the notification to other, less used panels, those were just guilt inducers for me.

Hardware compatibility: Until I decide to switch or until this damn phone dies, I'm still using an iPhone 4. And while I thought the last update to IOS 6 made the phone slow already, it still feels plenty usable with iOS 7. I also noticed that multitasking is more responsive, even not recently used apps load faster when "multi tasked," and being able to quit running tasks quickly also speeds up this older phone by quite a bit. Apple could've chosen to make me feel antiquated, instead they breathed new life into this old dog.

The Look: it feels like a modern interface, I would primarily describe it as elegant with a lot of colour play. As I've heard other people say, I agree that iOS 7 makes iOS 6 feel outdated. 

In TV Shows: Scandinavian Shows Evaluated

Scandinavian TV shows have always had a particular aesthetic, different from e.g. German shows, not to mention French or British TV shows.Don't ask me why that is, according to my girlfriend, very talented photographer, it's the way they frame and film the scenes, but I think there's a cultural emotional subduableness, subtlety, and design aesthetic, not to mention very good story telling that makes Scandinavian TV shows special. In this piece, I'll shortly go through some shows worth watching.

The Killing

I think that this show is easily the second most famous one (after Millennium) coming out of Scandinavia. A strong female character, to the point that she doesn't work well with people, silent and determined to solve the different crime that each season is centred around. The 1st season is obviously the best one, the middle seasons feel like filler to me, but the show ends with a bang. Could not stop watching, it lead to plenty of woollen sweaters around the house as well. Don't watch the US remake, watch this!

The Bridge

Comes in part out of the team responsible for The Killing. Another strong, but sincerely messed up female protagonist, from Sweden this time (The Killing is Danish), teaming up with a Danish policeman to solve a crime that happened exactly on the intersecting bridge between Sweden & Denmark. Most entertaining is the interplay, the psychological derangement of the female character, the way it is shot (less dark than The Killing). The story itself was not as good as The Killing, but still pretty exciting. Don't know about the US remake, but this one is worth a watch!

Borgen

Completely different show, a drama with another strong female protagonist (!). This time the focus is a politician's rise to power and challenges in balancing being a prime minister with being a mother and a wife. Very relevant topic to today's society, but also compelling to watch. Looking forward to the new season if/when it comes out.

The Ones Who Kill

New show that I started watching, playing in Denmark, another (disturbed) female protagonist who partners up with a profiler to solve pretty gruesome crimes. It's well-filmed, but sometimes a bit too graphic for my taste. 

Bonus:

Millennium: infamous book and movie trilogy. I liked the Scandinavian film version of it, though this kind of story is better told across a season, rather than 3 movies.

Let The Right One In: thriller about vampires, great movie, more atmospheric than bloody. Liked it a lot.

Insomnia (1997 version): psychological thriller about chasing a killer during the 24 hour daylight that haunts some Scandinavian countries during mid-summer. Very haunting and effective. 

In Books: 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami

This book was recommended to me by a friend, who couldn't stop reading it on a 24 hour road trip. I couldn't put it down either. It's the type of "unusual" book that I am attracted to reading, unusual in plot, world, and perspective, but clearly and simply written.

The story is about a Japanese man and woman, one a writer, the other an assassin, who are attracted to each other across different parallel realities. I'm afraid to write more, because I don't want to spoil it.

P.S. if anyone has read it and has tips on books that are equally enticing, long, and hopefully on a good intellectual level, please let me know!

In Places: Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

It's hard to describe places in the short amount of words that I allow myself to write for this blog. I had 1 day in LA last Saturday and since I don't have a car or drive one, I started my journey on foot at Union Station heading towards Los Feliz, which I heard was interesting. It takes ca. 15 minutes of walking to get to Sunset Boulevard, passing through El Pueblo, an interesting, but highly touristic Mexican hotspot.

The nice if not magical thing about this street and perhaps LA is the random places you encounter on your journey. Everything is spread apart and I understand why people think it's a car city, though in fact I see LA best travelled by foot, bike, and/or metro (a subway or bus, which goes everywhere and frequently). 

Along this journey under roughly 33 degrees Celcius (ca. 91.5 Fahrenheit), I encountered many little "villages", featuring a flea market with a live reggae band, a farmers' market with the biggest strawberries I've ever seen, vegan places such as the one serving the aforementioned smoothie, bookstores, vintage/secondhand stores, and I even got to see the Hollywood sign as Los Feliz lies at the foot of the Hollywood hills.

My activity tracker told me that I walked 20km that day (ca. 15 miles), it was exhausting but pretty much an amazing experience. I'm so happy to have done it on foot, because I would've missed many of the small touches in a car, metro, or even by bike.

In Food: Lobster Cappuccino at the FRIÐRIK V restaurant in Reykjavik, Iceland

This one is a bit of a back flash to June of this year, but is still worth a note. I had tears welling up during a 3 course / beer tasting meal at FRIDRIK V, and this "Lobster Cappuccino" was the absolute top, along with some very good local Ales. I can't tell you the recipe, it had lobster, cream, quite some salt, all in a tiny cup. Worth a visit on your next visit to Reykjavik!

Oh, and I just saw that the restaurant lists a number of recipes on their site. The food was brilliant, cook it at home! 

In Food: Greena Colada Smoothie at Sage Organic Vegan Bistro in Los Angeles, CA

Ingredients from the website: Coconut milk, banana, pineapple, spinach, kale. That was a $9 shake but totally, and utterly worth it. On a 33 degree Celsius day (that's 91.5 Fahrenheit), it kept me fed for well over 4 hours.

In the absence of being in LA right now (very cool city), I'm going to try making this at home ASAP.

Oh, and it looked something like this:

In Food: BEAR FLAG BURRITO at Bear Flag Fish Company in Newport Beach, CA

How do I best describe this in one word: "Mmmmmmmmmh".

I should just leave it at that, right? Let's talk a little more about what made this work. I think it was the simple combination of having a white fish (yellow tail?) with cajun spicing, and avocado. I've never tasted anything quite as delicious in a while.

Ingredients mentioned on the restaurant menu: Grilled Fish of the Day, served with rice, black beans, avocado, chop lettuce, Pico De Gallo & Tommy Sauce. In the absence of being on Newport Beach, California, surfing the sunshine, try this at home! :)

Newport Beach, California, September 2013

In Film: Kings of Summer

This movie could best be described as a mix of Stand By Me and The Goonies. But with a strong comedic undercurrent, made possible by both the script and some very comical actors, in particular Moises Arias.

Laugh factor 8/10. Drama factor 6/10 (while there were dramatic moments, they didn't penetrate skin deep).

Definitely on my top 10 movies for this year.