SOPA and PIPA voting delayed

Apparently the voting process for SOPA and PIPA has been put on hold due to the tremendous pressure from the online protests and the big technology companies that has announced their opposition to these ridiculous proposed acts.

Good stuff. A good day for the internet!

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)

I encourage everyone to do a few searches regarding this bill and read about it. The bill is made and proposed by Lamar Smith and his group of sponsors. The bill expands the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual propery and counterfeit goods.

More information can be obtained from this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

I urge everyone to boycot all the companies that currently is supporting SOPA, as the negative impacts of SOPA are by far larger than the positive impacts. Basically corporations and the U.S. government will control the internet as we know it, and it will be able to censor and “ban” websites at will because of conflicting economic interests – not only because of piracy.

This is the current list of companies and institutions that currently support the SOPA bill. You can also call them or send them emails to telling them that you do not support their sponsorship of the SOPA bill. Phone numbers and website links for contacting them are listed in this document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xjisu18X6s7lPtAsIQg5Ol3KJjymPT2az1kasQVwGiw/edit?pli=1

Companies supporting SOPA:

60 Plus Association
ABCAlliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP)
American Bankers Association (ABA)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Americans for Tax Reform
Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies
Association of Talent Agents (ATA)
Beachbody, LLC
BMI
BMG
Chrysalis
Building and Construction Trades Department
Capitol Records Nashville
CBS
Cengage Learning
Christian Music Trade Association
Church Music Publishers’ Association
Coalition Against Online Video Piracy (CAOVP)
Comcast/NBC
Universal
Concerned Women for America (CWA)
Congressional Fire Services Institute
Copyhype
Copyright Alliance
Coty, Inc.
Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB)
Council of State Governments
Country Music Association
Country Music Television
Creative America
Deluxe
Directors Guild of America (DGA)
Disney Publishing Worldwide, Inc.
Elsevier
EMI Christian Music Group
EMI Music Publishing
Entertainment Software Association (ESA)
ESPN
Estée Lauder Companies
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
Gospel Music Association
Graphic Artists Guild
Hachette Book Group
HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, Inc.
HyperionIndependent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA)
International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE)
International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
International Trademark Association (INTA)
International Union of Police Associations
L’Oreal
Lost Highway Records
Macmillan
Major County Sheriffs
Major League Baseball
Majority City Chiefs
Marvel Entertainment, LLC
MasterCard Worldwide
MCA Records
McGraw-Hill Education
Mercury Nashville
Minor League Baseball (MiLB)
Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC)
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Moving Picture Technicians
MPA
The Association of Magazine Media
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)
National Center for Victims of Crime
National Crime Justice Association
National District Attorneys Association
National Domestic Preparedness Coalition
National Football League
National Governors Association, Economic Development and Commerce Committee
National League of Cities
National Narcotics Offers’ Associations’ Coalition
National Sheriffs Association (NSA)
National Songwriters Association
National Troopers Coalition
News Corporation
Pearson Education
Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
Pfizer, Inc.
Provident Music Group
Random House
Raulet Property Partners
Republic Nashville
Revlon
Scholastic, Inc.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
Showdog Universal Music
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Nashville
State International Development Organization (SIDO)
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
The Perseus Books Groups
The United States Conference of Mayors
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner
True Religion Brand Jeans
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
UMG Publishing Group Nashville
United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Olympic Committee
United States Tennis Association
Universal Music
Universal Music Publishing Group
ViacomVisa Inc.
W.W. Norton & Company
Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, L.P.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Nashville
Wolters Kluewer Health
Word Entertainment

Winter… Where art thou?

It is almost December. We should have had snow for a while now… And if not necessarily snow – we should have had a few days with some ice and cold weather. That’s Norway. That’s the way it’s supposed to be here during the winter.

However, the situation is quite different. We have not seen one single snow flake yet. We have seen a lot of rain though. The temperatures has been around +10 celsius. That’s very warm considering the time of year if is here. Normally the temperatures should have been well below 0 celsius.

So what’s going on? Is this global warming in effect?
I have no idea. However, my snowboard is looking mighty bored nowadays…

So join me and hope for some snow!

Fall has landed

The fall has arrived in Oslo. Actually, the winter has arrived. But there is no snow, only darkness.

We are in the darkest period of the year, where the snow usually gives us some light during our dark evenings. You wake up and it’s dark. Then you go to work and it’s still dark. Then you go home from work and it’s dark again. No wonder people get depressed during the winter.

Personally, I get very calm and relaxed during this dark period. I focus on doing the other stuff that I want to do; finding new music, gaming, learning new stuff and studying things that I have postponed during the summer. Learning some new licks on the guitar, watching some TV and movies, go to the cinema… And possibly read a book or two. And when the snow has arrived – it’s all about snowboarding and other winter activities.

What is your favorite thing to do during these dark hours?

Spring in Oslo

Howdy, Internet!

Last sunday was the first overcast day in a long time in Oslo. A perfect day to scribble down some words on this blog thing that I rarely use or update.

So what´s new? Well, lots of stuff actually! I started working for a new employer one month ago – a change that has been extremely positive – and really needed. Not only regarding the work that I do, but also everything else. Colleagues, the working environment, the management – everything is very, very good! A very positive change! My new work consists of the technical aspect of Cisco´s TelePresence communications systems. I love communication in general, so I couldn´t be happier!
I have also decided to permanently relocate to Oslo. The city and it´s surroundings has started to really grow on me, although sometimes I do miss being in a more relaxing environment. Luckily there are places to go to that fulfills those needs.

A new job also means many new people to get to know! The guys and girls that I work with are all really nice and cool people. Speaking of new people… I met a special someone a few weeks ago that really captivated me! And I am really looking forward to getting to know her better in the future

All in all, life is very good. And soon the summer will stop by and make it even better!

Have a great springtime folks! Enjoy those sunny days with friends and family! Enjoy the strawberries, the ice cream, the BBQs and everything that you only can do in the spring and summertime. Don´t save those smiles – and don´t forget that life is all about good experiences!

Sharing good things

Hi  there.

It’s been a while since i’ve posted anything on my blog. Almost seven months to be exact!
Time just fly’s by doesn’t it? Anyway, this isn’t a long post or a big update… I just found something that i want to share with you… A beautiful song – played by a incredible guitarist, entertainer, inventor and songwriter – Mr. Les Paul and his Trio – Over The Rainbow.



Mr. Les Paul was an amazing person that you can read more about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul
Mr. Les Paul invented, amongst several things, the solid body electric guitar (Gibson Les Paul) and multi-track recording.
He was also a brilliant guitarist, songwriter and entertainer – he played weekly at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway in the Times Square area of New York City until the end of his life.

RIP… You are a legend.

A Week in Hip-Hop!

EDIT: updated some of the YouTube links so that they work (Cypress Hill – Carry Me Away and Eminem – Airplanes Pt. 2)
EDIT 2: Eminem – Airplane Pt. 2 is by far the best song of the bunch. I can’t get enough of this song. It’s beautiful!
EDIT 3: Fixed video links. Again.

This past week I’ve found out that many of my favourite artists have released new albums. And all the albums are simply amazing! As you probably know, I’m a music enthusiast by nature. Music makes my days ten times better. Music  lifts me up. Music gives me enthusiasm and willpower. Music is therapy, it makes me feel gooood!

Anyhow, let’s get on to the list. I don’t have time to review all these albums, even though I wish I could! Simply because they are all so damn good! Look at the bottom of this article for YouTube videos of my favourite songs from these albums and start listening while you read! what are you waiting for? scroll down and start listening to the songs now – they are all totally awesome!
Go get these albums now! You will not regret it.

Cypress Hill – Rise Up
This album simply kicks ass! Finally these long-gone heroes of Hip-Hop/Rock are back! This album  is extremely good, and Cypress Hill really shows that they have no problem what-so-ever to do a knock-out on most of the modern Pop/Hip-Hop artists. The veterans are back! And they’ll smack you in the face with some fat beats!
GET THIS ALBUM NOW!

Instant favourite songs that kick ass
Carry Me Away ft. Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
Get It Anyway
Trouble Seeker ft. Daron Malakian of System of A Down
I Unlimited
Strike The Match ft. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine
Shut’em Down ft. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – The World’s Enemy
Yet another asswhoopin’ album from one of the old school veterans in Hip-Hop/Rap. These are some very nice beats in a typical Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Style. They have kept true to their style but they’ve managed to modernize their tunes and style in a perfect way! This album is kicking!
Again, GO GET THIS ALBUM NOW!

Songs that made me throw my hat off instantly
Rebirth
See Me Shine
Wanna Be

Nas and Damian Marley – Distant Relatives
Ok, I didn’t know what to expect from this album. Nas and Damian Marley? Hmm… Well, IT WILL SMACK YOUR BUTT! These are some fat beats with some african and reggae style tricks that will surprise you! Nas performs flawlessly and so does Damian Marley. The album includes many bouncing Hip-Hop style tracks and Reggae tracks. Heck, even one of the songs (Tribal War) has a background beat that reminds me of an old game called “The Secret of Monkey Island”. Wicked!
So why don’t you have this album already??

Bouncing tracks that made it to the top
As We Enter
Tribal War
Strong Will Continue
Leaders
Africa Must Wake Up

Eminem – I Am Marshall
This album is not a big release that is heavily promoted, it’s more of a mix-tape release. But actually there is a few songs on it that is really good! The style is that classical Eminem-style and the lyrics are booming! The beats are hard and ruff and i just love this album! Airplanes Pt. 2 is just an awesome song and I just love the lyrics from the female that sings in this song. And the beat. Oh lordy, why don’t you have this album already??

Songs that made me jump and scream
Not Afraid
Airplanes Pt. 2
Forever
Drop The Bomb On Em

Here’s the links to some of the songs on YouTube

Cypress Hill – Carry Me Away

Cypress Hill – Get It Anyway

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Rebirth

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – See Me Shine

Nas and Damian Marley – As We Enter

Nas and Damian Marley – Tribal War

Eminem – Not Afraid

Eminem – Airplanes Pt. 2

Album Review: Slash – Slash

Slash recently released his first solo album named “Slash”. This album has received mixed reviews, especially from those typical music reviewers in popular newspapers and magazines. In my personal opinion many of those so-called critics simply doesn’t understand a wide variety of music. It’s very clear that the have their preferences and judge by it.

I guess everyone knows who Slash is – but here’s a short introduction:

Slash is currently considered being one of the greatest soloists, if not one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The heritage he left behind from the era of Guns N’ Roses will forever be remembered. His success with Velvet Revolver has also become big – though maybe not that big here in Norway (compared to GnR at least).

Slash has received the following awards and accolades:

Best Guitarist prize in the 2005 Esky Music Awards in Esquire magazine
Honored with a star on the Rock Walk of Fame; his name being placed alongside Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix
Awarded the coveted title of “Riff Lord” during the fourth annual Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards
Honored by Time Magazine by being named #2 on its list of the 10 Best Electric Guitar Players of All-Time

Enough about Slash, let’s move on to his new album!

The album was released the 6th of April in the United States and contains fourteen songs. This is not a solo album with guitar play only – Slash has invited some of the most talented rock and pop artists in the world to contribute to his solo project. You probably know a lot of them, and here’s the list:

Ian Astbury (The Cult and Sonic Temple)
Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
Fergie (Black Eyed Peas)
Myles Kennedy (The Mayfield Four, Alter Bridge)
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother)
Adam Levine (Maroon 5)
Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age)
Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Jane’s Addiction)
Kid Rock
M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold)
Rocco DeLuca (Rocco DeLuca and the Burden)
Iggy Pop (The Stooges)
And Slash himself of course (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Snakepit)

Not a bad list of  musicians as you can see. This project smells good just by the list of the artists involved in it. And it delivers! One of the best things about this album is that every song is very unique and different. Different vocals in every song, and many different song styles.

Let’s take a look at the songs…

1 – Ghost (feat. Ian Astbury)
The intro here is awesome, and the guitar riff reminds me a lot of GnR’s “Appetite for Destruction” style of guitar play. The song is very catchy and i just love it. Ian Astbury performs well here, but i wish he would put more pressure on his voice than he does.

2 – Crucify the Dead (feat. Ozzy Osbourne)
Well, it’s Slash and Ozzy. What do you expect? This song absolutely rocks! The instruments delivers and Ozzy delivers. I love it!

3 – Beautiful Dangerous (feat. Fergie)
I was expecting this song to be tragic to be honest. Fergie in a hard rock song? This is the Black Eyed Peas Pop/Hip-Hop chick that sometimes sings in latino and jumps around and shakes her ass all over the place. She doesn’t fit in! Well… To be honest this is one of the best songs on the album! Fergie delivers amazingly well. It’s incredible. She’s got a really good voice! I’ve never heard her sing as good before – ever. She should seriously start with rock music permanently and drop out of the Pop/Hip-Hop scene. In this song (and this type of music style) her voice really shines and she performs flawlessly! The instrumentals compliment her voice perfectly. I love it!

4 – Back from Cali (feat. Myles Kennedy)
This song is kinda mixed. It sounds like something from Slash’s Snakepit. It’s a little biker-ish if you know what i mean. But not completely. Myles Kennedy performs very nicely and the guitar play is very nice. All in all a very nice song indeed.

5 – Promise (feat. Chris Cornell)
This song is ok, but nothing special in my ears. I like the chorus but otherwise it’s kind of boring. I end up just waiting for the chorus during the entire song. And the chorus isn’t that good either. Neither is the style of the song. It’s not a bad song, but i guess it’s just not my style.

6 – By the Sword (feat. Andrew Stockdale)
This song also reminds me of a typical Slash’s Snakepit song. Kind of classic rock’ish/biker’ish. I love the instrumentals in it but I’m not sure if i totally dig the vocals in it. All in all a nice song but it doesn’t measure up to the best on the album in my opinion. It’s kind of slow and speeds up in between.

7 – Gotten (feat. Adam Levine)
This song sounds like Maroon 5 straight through! It’s a very nice, beautiful and calm song that’s easily enjoyable. Levine’s voice is very comfortable and so are the instrumentals. The guitar riff that kicks in at approx. 3:10 is amazing! I love it!

8 – Doctor Alibi (feat. Lemmy Kilmister)
Now this is rock! The vocals are very unique and matches the instrumentals perfectly. The chorus isn’t perfect though, it should have had more “punch” in my opinion, other than that this is a kickass song. And when Lemmy sings without any instrumentals in the end you can really notice that gritty voice. I love it!

9 – Watch This (feat. Dave Grohl/Duff McKagan)
This is an instrumental song. And it ROCKS! I love the guitar play and the variation in this song. It’s full of punch. I love it!

10 – I Hold On (feat. Kid Rock)
Kid Rock? What? A country artist? Oh no, what’s this gonna be like? Well, it’s a lovely rock tune and there’s no country in the mix here. Kid Rock’s vocals flows very nicely with the instrumentals and everything just plays out very nice. As usual, the guitar play is top-notch! I love it!

11 – Nothing to Say (feat. M. Shadows)
Woaaah yeah, finally we’re back to a speedier and harder song. This song has very nice guitar riffs and the vocals are very nice. The song is aggressive and full of punch. I love it!

12 – Starlight (feat. Myles Kennedy)
I love the intro riff in this song. And i absolutely love this entire song. And the vocals in it. This is also one of the best songs on the album in my opinion. Even though it is one of the calmer songs on the album. The song just flows… And I looove the chorus and the voice of Myles Kennedy in the chorus. Very nice. I love it! (duh)

13 – Saint is a Sinner Too (feat. Rocco DeLuca)
Ok, this is a very calm and special song. It’s kinda too special for my taste. Too calm, too little instrumentals, and I don’t like the vocals at all. In my opinion this track doesn’t fit in on the album at all. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

14 – We’re All Gonna Die (feat. Iggy Pop)
My god the intro riff on this tune is simply awesome. This entire song totally rocks. Iggy’s vocals are wicked, the instrumentals are just as wicked. Everything is perfect. The tune has a “bad-boy” feel to it, and I love it! One of the best songs on the album.

Well that covers all the songs on the album. So what’s the final verdict? Well.. Totally awesome! If you like rock, Slash and nice instrumentals you should definitely get this album as fast as possible. The biggest strengths of this album is that every song is unique in its own way, and the vocals are different from song to song. This album does not get boring even after repeated listening over a longer period of time.

Thumbs Up! Go buy it now! It’s available in mostly all stores that sells music – also on the iTunes Store.

Check out this album preview to get a taste of some of the music, and some fun comments from the artists.

The last few weeks…

Has mostly been work, work and work! Me and a colleague has been working in Sweden – Malmö and Strängnäs (approx. 25 minutes outside of Stockholm) in addition to our regular work in Lier and Trondheim. Seven work days a week a few weeks in a row does make a difference – especially when you have to work almost 24/7 to accomplish your tasks.

But it was very fun too, in fact! Malmö is a very nice city. We met a friend of my colleague there and was invited to a nice dinner, a few beers and a city tour. Very nice people indeed! The late night life at “Lillatorget” in Malmö was also very pleasing, with exceptionally good food, beer, drinks and nacho’s.

We had a crisis at the main office during our stay in Malmö though – the power of mostly all our servers and our network systems went down late at night while we were working in Malmö. There were no flights or no way to get back to Oslo quickly so we had to call a colleague from Lier to go to the office during midnight and talk him through several scenarios and solutions to get the network and systems up again. Thanks to very good teamwork the problem was solved however, and everyone could work normally from 8am the next morning. Without the huge effort from our HR Director in Lier the next day would have been extremely hectic! Nobody would have access to our mail servers or terminal servers, and no one at Lier would be able to work either.

Strängnäs is also a very nice city, although – considering it’s size it’s very quiet and “empty”. The streets were almost always empty, especially in the evening. Everything closed early. The big bonus here was that every room in the hotel we were staying was booked except the two big suites that we got during our stay. Apartments with balcony’s, big screen TV’s, stereo’s that you could hook a iPhone/iPod up to and speakers in the roof of every room – even the bathroom and on the balcony! And a jacuzzi… Heaven! From now on, I only want to stay in room 314 of Hotel Rogge!

We had to drive from Oslo to Strängnäs to get there, thanks to the cancellation of our flights because of the volcano stuff happening in Iceland. But it was a quick drive of about 4 1/2 hours each way – mainly thanks to the nice roads in Sweden and the 120 km/h speed limits there… Perfect for quick cruising!

This weekend is all about relaxation. The weather is very nice in Oslo now, so it’s mandatory to go out and eat some food, drink a few beers and go to a pub or something!  Enjoy your weekend folks! Yihaa…

Here’s some photos from Malmö and Strängnäs:

Guitar VS Guitar Hero

Hello there!

So this is going to be an article about music, guitars and guitar/music games like Guitar Hero 5. I purchased Guitar Hero 5 a few months ago because i got it cheap. And i purchased a Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard guitar about 14 months ago and have since been practicing and playing on it as often as I can.

Many of my friends have been playing the Guitar Hero games for a long time, but i refused to buy the game myself – the reason behind this decision was that i would rather want to spend my time to learn to play real guitar instead of playing a game. I have always wanted to play a guitar – since i was a little kid and listened to Guns N’ Roses, Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Europe, Metallica and many more and got inspired by the music and the artists. One of my all time favorite guitarists is Slash (Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver). Not because he is the most skilled guitar players, but because he plays with a lot of passion.

Learning to play a guitar isn’t easy. It takes time and patience. But, it gives a lot back. The Guitar Hero games doesn’t give much back. Sure, you have fun – but what do you really learn? Not much.

I always thought the Guitar Hero games was easy to learn and master. But i was very wrong. Playing these games on a medium/high difficulty is very difficult and frustrating at times In the time it takes to master a Guitar Hero song on a high difficulty setting with a good score I can actually learn to play half of a real rock song on my real guitar. The choice is easy. The song I learn to play on my real guitar I can play on any guitar, anywhere, at any time. The song I learn in Guitar Hero I can only play on that specific Guitar Hero game, on two or three different gaming consoles, and I need a TV, a  PlayStation/Xbox360/Wii and a compatible plastic guitar with batteries and a USB dongle. Neat.

So my advice to anyone considering purchasing a Guitar Hero game – either for yourself or for your kid or spouse – I recommend purchasing either an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar with a cheap amp (you can get the beginner acoustic guitars just as cheap as a Guitar Hero game – and the electric guitar + amp combo’s for beginners cost virtually the same). Learning to play a real guitar is much more rewarding – and once you learn it, you know how to play guitars for the rest of your life. The choice should be simple!

And if you are worried about the noise of a real guitar – as I guess many parents and spouses are There is always the electric guitar + Vox amPlug combo. The amPlug is a small analogue amplifier that plugs into an electric guitar which gives you very rich and nice sound – all you have to do is to plug some headphones into it – and you can adjust the distortion and tone directly on the amPlug! It uses two AAA-batteries which lasts about 15-20 hours. Personally I have the AC30 amPlug – and every time I use it I’m amazed by the sound quality this little thing produces!

I will be making a second article on how to learn to play a guitar in a few easy steps in a short while. There’s many things that can be of good help when you’re starting with your first guitar. One example is the Guitar Pro application. More on this later

Which guitar would you prefer to play?