An award-winning charity which supports dozens of local community groups, including the elderly, the homeless and people with mental health issues, is on the verge of closure due to a funding crisis.  http://209radio.co.uk/

The community radio station 209radio, which broadcasts on 105FM in the Cambridge area, will not see out the year, unless it can gain substantial financial support from the people of the city it serves.

209radio uses education, training and the power of radio to support many vulnerable communities. Programmes such as Homeless Truths, Making Mental Notes (mental health), Headliners (head injuries), Silver Lining (elderly and homebound) and Polish Waves are a prime example of how the charity embraces the Cambridge community.

The Homeless Truths team recently managed to raise over £600 off their own back to support the relaunch of their worldwide unique show - entirely produced and presented by homeless and vulnerably housed people.
Andrew Gardener CEO of Headway, the charity behind Headliners, explains the importance of the show:
"209radio provides a voice for a group of people with acquired brain injury to run their own radio show. I've seen the group grow in confidence, skills and be able to live independent lives once more. If we didn’t have 209radio it would be a tragic loss for a group of people who are already disadvantaged through no fault of their own."

The station has only recently announced big plans to offer more to the citizens of Cambridge in 2010, which include renaming the station to reposition itself more strongly within the Cambridge community, but it can now only survive if someone comes forward able to offer it a lifeline. Chairman of 209radio Clive Woodman is calling for support today or lose the station for good.

"We have reached a point now whereby we need stable regular financial support to help with our core costs and continue to provide this incredible and unique service to the residents and community groups of Cambridge. We are calling for anyone who can help financially to come forward now!"

We are also looking for the business community to step forward and take advantage of extremely competitive and low-cost advertising and sponsorship.

If you can help 209radio then they would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Louise Hawes on hawes.louise@209radio.co.uk Tel: 01223 488413 / Mob: 07717 643940 or Jordan Chambers Tel: 01223 488418 / Mob: 07910 670970

Photo / t-shirt of the day
Seaholm - http://seaholm.com

Music
Jonathan Perry / Musgrave Ritual
Squeeze playlist - http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=17CC1775BDD0CD57

Bike shop
Y's Road - http://www.ysroad.net/shops/fuchu.html

Art / design / crafts
Andres / Marie Taillefer - http://www.marysmith.fr/
McKenzie's shop - http://mckenzieelizabethandcompany.bigcartel.com/
Makiko's shop - http://makikomo.etsy.com

Charity
Charity threatened with closure - http://www.209radio.co.uk/news/

Language podcast
Desde el baño with Sofia - http://desdeelbano.blogspot.com/

Football (soccer)
Ireland vs France, or why there will never be an Irish Pope

Art show review
Yo Fukui in L.A. - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/08/art-review-yo-fukai-at-david-salow-gallery.html

Haiku

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, mix tapes, playlists, jacket, Thanksgiving, facebook, artwork, design, language, linguistics, español, castellano, português, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin American, South America, Uruguay, ta, Brazil, New Zealand, impecable, machete, amarete, examen, cheat sheet, Champion, sapatilla, Paraguay, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, 言語学, 三軒茶屋, 東京, 日本

Subscribe to Tokyo Panic Living on iTunes

Subscribe to Tokyo Panic Living on iTunes

In this podcast
Hans and Rob talk about all the season end transfers and rumors thereof.  This time of year the road action shifts off road to cyclocross or indoors to six-day track racing, but we're already looking ahead to the Tour Down Under which is when pros like Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans will be back at it again.

There's no draft in pro cycling, so can't wait to see who is making the right moves and who is screwing up in the transfer game.  Only time will tell, but we've already weighed in with our two-cents worth, for what it's worth.

Not mentioned
One thing we neglected to mention since the last podcast was the death of Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, however, we chatted a bit about it around that time, and as sad as his passing is, neither of us was surprised to hear about him joining the Pantani Club in the sky.  All we could do was shake our heads and mutter, "poor Frank."

His demise has only added to the pre-existing cloud that has hung over the sport during the past few years.  What will make the cloud go away?  Not a lack of positive doping controls, that is for sure.  Anyone who thinks for a moment that any race is ever 'clean' just because there were no positives, is naive.  WADA, the UCI and AFLD need to be relentless.

The UCI are crazy (what's new?)
Another thing we forgot to mention was the UCI's plan to scrap the Men's and Women's Individual Pursuit events in order to foster equality by replacing them with the hokey Omnium* and fake Keirin**. 

*What's an omnium?  Not many cycling fans could tell you, including myself, so I looked up this 3-year old World Championship event on Wikipedia.  According to them, it consists of 1) a 200m flying start time trial, 2) a 5 km scratch race, 3) a 3 km individual pursuit, 4) a 15 km points race and 5) a 1 km time trial. 

While I am a huge fan of the scratch race, I don't really see the point in a 3 km pursuit.  Why not go the traditional distance?  The same goes for the 15 km points race.  Maybe the officials are hoping to use this event to educate the masses about the various forms of track racing.  If that were the case, then why not have all the events at their usual distances, i.e. a 15-20 km scratch race, a 5 km pursuit and a 40 km points race?

**What's a keirin?  Well, the real thing is betting on cyclists the way one would on horses.  There's no motorcycle, rather there's a rider as a pacer.  I could go on, but you'll find all the details here, just refer to the section under the heading 'Keirin in Japan'.

Anyway, here's a petition to keep the real Individual Pursuit in the Olympics:  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/keepindividualpursuit/index.html

And here's the Belgian proposal:  http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rlvb-urges-uci-to-reconsider-olympic-track-changes

The Hour Record
Fabian Cancellara is thinking of going for the Hour Record which, according to current UCI rules, is restricted to being ridden on old-fashioned high wheelers these days (just kidding, of course), while Graeme Obree has given up doing it on his latest homemade bike made from the parts of various home appliances (only half joking).  I recently looked up the record on Wikipedia, when I realized I'd missed the last few record attempts. 

It seems that since the UCI erased a couple decades of records broken or attempted by some of the most exciting racers of my generation and the one before mine, and created some kind of "human record" (which they should've called the EDDY MERCKX or, Retro Hour Record (we're talking 1972 technology here), with another category for those who continue to evolve with the times (which they should've kept as the official UCI record), everyone has more or less lost interest.  Sorry about the run on sentence there. 

When I started cycling, Francesco Moser's 51.151 km/h was a sacred number we spoke with awe and reverence.  It was sacred precisely because it had previously been held by Merckx.  Some of my friends had it etched into their handlebars, so they saw it every time they rode.  In a span of a little more than 12 years, there were 9 new records!  How's that for excitement?  What do you mean Moser, Obree, Boardman, Indurain, and Rominger never had the record?  Bah! 

The more riders who attempt it, the more tantalizing the record.  Let's see Cancellara, Armstrong, Wiggins, Phinney and others go for it on the coolest bikes money, innovation and imagination can create!

Photo:  The "puddle" that crashed me by Ron

Posted by Rob.

P.S.  Well, speak of the devil and... is Stijn Devolder really skipping the Tour?  http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/devolder-to-concentrate-on-spring-classics-skip-the-tour

Tags:  NFTOS, Olympic, Pursuit, women's, men's, Tour of Lombardy, Paris-Tours, doping, Christian Pfannberger, Vinokourov, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Philippe Gilbert, Alberto Contador, Taylor Phinney, World Champion, Championships, Tour Down Under, focaccia, Magic Hat, Cuvée Mythique, owl, Specialized, BMC, Team Sky management, Radio Shack, Team Columbia-HTC, High Road, Astana, Caisse d'Epargne, Lotto, Garmin-Slipstream, Cervélo, Quick Step, Eddy Merckx, bicycles, 7-Eleven, Motorola, Subaru-Montgomery, U.S. Postal, Discovery, Tokyo, Bicycle Film Festival, Fixed Gear, Chicago Cyclocross Cup

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Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Wall, 20th Anniversary, Berlin, Germany, Deutschland

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Because of the title, I was expecting another of Quest's trademark chilled out tracks, but I like how this one is totally different from the others--short and sweet.

What does the title mean?
"The Sweet Science is a boxing reference. There is an old book called The Sweet Science of Bruising, and over time the term was shortened to the sweet science and is used among boxing fans." - Hayden a.k.a. Quest

Photo:  creativecommons.org, found by Hayden.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Quest, Hayden, creative commons, boxing, boxiana, bruising, sweet, science, music, download, free, .mp3, electronic, Lincoln, Nebraska, 音楽, エレクトロ, アメリカ, ネブラスカ, ボックス

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"Video by Ned Wenlock [oneedo]. It got the honourable mention at 2009's Handle The Jandal competition, i.e. best of the 100+ vids that didn't get shortlisted. The concept is the randomness of nature created electronically.

'Red' is from free EP, Biddy Bids."

http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp198.html

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Jet Jaguar, Malty Media, oneedo4you (YouTube), Ned Wenlock / oneedo (blogpsot), oneedo's photostream (flickr), Wellington, New Zealand, music, video, animated, animation

Some of today's topics:

Podcasts
Prapatang Living #8
CyclingNews.com podcasts
BikeRadar.com
KATG / KATG.tv

Japan Podshow

Internet Radio
Malty Media (10 Nov. show is up!)
Oasis Radio
Headstand

Food
Boy Bawang - Cornick Adobo Flavor!
Banana carrying case

Corporatism
The Gervais Principle, or The Office According to "The Office"

Events
Cream Latte DJ events

Local news
Obama is in town.

Posted by Rob.

Photo:  Freshly cleaned coins from around the world.

Tags:  NFTOS, hope, lose, loose, spare, change, cycling, Kanagawa, Tama River, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

Subscribe to Tokyo Panic Living on iTunes

Subscribe to Tokyo Panic Living on iTunes

Tune in for a 2-hour show later tonight, Japan time (I'm not going to try to do the math, you'll have to check the time zones for yourself).  If you miss it, subscribe to the podcast.

http://maltymedia.co.nz/radioshow_10nov09

They write:
Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Malty Media, Aquaboogie, Jet Jaguar, radio, music, program, NZ, New Zealand

Below are some links to entertain you, while I get around to blogging something here (which may never happen)...

Comigo - A Brazilian music event I just found after finishing this podcast, so it didn't get mentioned, is taking place in Aoyama from 5:00 p.m. this Sunday.

Mayutan - A Tokyo musician & artist who I saw perform in Osaka back in 2004, or 2005, apparently had a show yesterday.  She keeps a blog full of colorful photos and videos (in Japanese).

Liz - Has recently merged all her various Japan bloggings back onto her original Transit Lounge homepage.

Ady - Is always posting cool Japan photos on facebook via his posterous blog.

Podcast intro & outro music by Seaholm.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, haiku, 5-7-5, Fuji-san, Mt Fuji, cold snap, rebirth, Kira Kira, Fab, Random, Rukus

Subscribe to Tokyo Panic Living on iTunes

Subscribe to Tokyo Panic Living on iTunes

...has it?

Warning: Watch your volume on this one! There are a couple of clunking sounds that might hurt your eardrums if you're wearing headphones.

Graphic:  As reported, Life Is Random will be joining a bunch of Tokyo artists in Shibuya for a group art show called Kira Kira.  This will be Random's Tokyo debut.

http://www.rukus.jp/kira.html

And just in time for Halloween!  D-Mac's Grip of Terror mix:  http://www.djdmac.com/downloads/Halloween-A-Grip-of-Terror/index.htm
(downloadable as a zip file, 34:41)

Here's another link about the subway/train line, which I've mentioned several times that passes through our neighborhood.  It's the line which we use to get into Shibuya and to the rest of Tokyo.

Den-en-toshi Line:  http://www.hackwriters.com/slowtrain.htm

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, and many more to come!

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Here's another track from Quest a.k.a. Hayden that I was withholding because I was planning on doing another Music From The Other Side show.  Well, I can hold it back no longer.  Here it is...

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, MFTOS, Quest, Hayden, Lincoln, Nebraska, music, instrumental, download, .mp3, electronic

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Don't know much about the above video. Just had it forwarded to me on facebook by Thomas, a former resident of Shimane Prefecture now back in Detroit.

Links and stuff coming soon.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Tokyo, Japan

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I've been reading some religious material lately--Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, in fact.  Pure literary crack cocaine.  Wait.  Is there an oxymoron in there somewhere?

Norvie (that's what some of his old friends call him) sent this track to me quite awhile ago, but it just felt right to me at this time. 

It is a cover song, so there's really nothing new about it, other than you've probably never heard it done by him before. 

Those of you who have heard the song before, will probably recognize the original author immediately.  If someone with existing rights to this song would like us to take it down, that's cool.  No one is making any money off of this, believe me.

Photo:  His current facebook profile pic, as of today.

Links 
You can also find Norville on myspace.com, on twitter.com and at Sucia music.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Norv, Norvie, Norville Parchment, song, music, cover, myspace, twitter

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Makiko and Rob tell of their travels through Viet Nam & Cambodia.  Part one of two, in other words, to be continued...

Photo:  Weaving factory at a Muslim minority village near the Vietnamese-Cambodian border, upper Mekong Delta.

Related podcast:  Panic Living #77:  和牛！ (Rob talks about the first two-thirds of the Vietnam-Cambodia trip)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, places, gypsies, travel, Vietnam, Saigon, Hochi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Mekong River, Delta, Capital 1, tuk tuk, cyclo, spring rolls, duck eggs, Angkor, ABC, Black Panther, beer

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Couldn't think of a title for this episode, until I realized I had a recent Burger Fuel promo e-mail in my inbox...

Related podcast:  Our Gipsy Life vol. 1 (Makiko joins Rob to continue telling the Vietnam-Cambodia trip story)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Tama River, Tamagawa, Haneda Airport, cycling, Fusa, Hino-o, Viet Nam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hochi Minh City, Saigon, Phnom Penh, farfalle alla arabiata, pasta, bagna càuda, bagna caôda, podcast, download, .mp3, Sangenjaya, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, Japan, Wagyu, Wa gyu, 和牛！

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Hans and Rob reflect on La Vuelta a España, Tour of Ireland, Tour of Missouri, the UCI World Championship Time Trial, and preview the Road Race.

Where would you look, but to an Australian homepage for news from a World Championship RR won by an Aussie?  Why, OzCycling.com, of course!

Photo:  Bicycle on Mekong River boat tour in Viet Nam.  There was a brief ride for tourists before lunch, probably to get us hungry for the "elephant ear fish."

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFOTS, UCI, World Championships, Road Race, Time Trial, Coors Classic, 1986, 1987, 1988, Raul Alcala, Davis Phinney, Connie Carpenter, Colorado, California, Hawaii, San Francisco, Cadel Evans, Fabian Cancellara, Australia, OzCycling

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Well, the summer is over, in the northern hemisphere at least.  Time to pack up and leave the planet. Here's another track from Jonathan Perry.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Musgrave Ritual, Jonathan Perry, music, song, download, free, Star Trek

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If you're a regular NFTOS listener / viewer / subscriber / reader / etc, then you've most likely read of Salads In Space, through NFTOS event postings. 

However, the music of Charles Billard, Jerry Gordon and Rick Tuazon, as Salads In Space, has not been uploaded for your listening pleasure here before.

This one is called Plink Plonk Muses.

Image:  Part of an art installation Charles created recently in Niigata (I believe).

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Salads in Space, Charles Éric Billard, charlou, Jerry Gordon, softlogicmonkie, moontriangle, Voice Box, plink plonk, Rick Tuazon, experimental, music, homemade instruments, slitar

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The Tour of Missouri kicks off with a star-studded field. Mark Cavendish takes the stage as Christian Vande Velde (broken hand), Heinrich Haussler, Tom Zirbel and others go down in the final straightaway.

Stay tuned for commentary by Hans and Rob on our Bicicleteiros podcast, which will resume when Hans gets back from doing some mountain climbing in the Rockies near Aspen.

Posted by Rob.

Subscribe to Bicicleteiros on iTunes

Witness the agony of racing in the wind and rain over grimy roads for over 5 hours only to hit the deck with most of the other contenders at 55 km/h (or more)...

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Vuelta a España, Tour of Spain, Giro di Spagna, Volta a Espanha, Tour d'Espagne, Belgium, Belgie, Belgique, Belga, Liege, crash, chute, caida, pile-up, André Greipel, Weylandt Wouter, Bert Grabsch, High Road-HTC, QuickStep, 4a etapa, 4eme etape, 4a tappa, CyclingNews.com, VeloNews.com, Steephill.tv, Cyclingfans.com, PezCyclingNews.com, ベルギ, 自転車レース, ブエルタ･ア･エスパーニャ, 第4ステージ

Posted by Rob.

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Videos: Olympic Champion Walter Perez gets arrested for a traffic violation while out training.  Apparently the police singled him out, and knew exactly who it was they wanted to arrest.  Go for the leader and...

Details: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/olympic-champion-perez-arrested-while-training

Posted by Rob.

Subscribe to Bicicleteiros on iTunes

New Watanabes video featuring a lot of familiar Tokyo scenery--Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Yoyogi Park...

Directed by Aaron Jenkin (www.aaronjenkin.com), the song is on their ablum "Independent Social Power," which is available on iTunes and in HMV and Tower Records various other music stores in Japan. The Watanabes belong to a collective called Favourite Tree Records: http://www.favouritetree.com

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, The Watanabes, Twenty Percent Chance, rain, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Yoyogi Park, Docomo Tower, Explosion, Hachiko Crossing, JR Yamanote Line, Tokyo Underground Music, Aaron Jenkin, Pop, Indie, Japan, hacky sack, ワタナベズ

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Here is a brand new track by a Tokyo resident who is somewhat new on the scene.  He has a couple events coming up in September, including one in Shibuya on the 13th.  Stay tuned for details! 

You can check out more of his tunes at http://myspace.com/fullpropulsion.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Riu, Full Propulsion, psytrance, trance, techno, electronica, music, Tokyo, Chiba, Japan

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Taiyo Record are moving, but they will stay in the general Kagurazaka area. They are only moving a little way up the hill and will be one block away from Kagurazaka Street.

Tuesday, 1 September 2009, is the big day!

A message from Ryosuke Itoh:

日頃は大変お世話になっております。
来る'０９年９月１日（火）、大洋レコード店鋪が同じ神楽坂の
中で移転する運びとなりました。
（新宿区矢来町１６２番地 東京メトロ神楽坂駅１番出口徒歩１
分）
ささやかながら移転オープンの当日に振舞酒を用意させていただきます。
お忙しい最中に恐縮ですが、どうぞお気軽にお立ち寄りいただければ幸
いです。

今後とも大洋レコードをよろしくお願い致します。

有限会社　大洋レコード
取締役　伊藤亮介

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Taiyo Record, Itoh Ryosuke, Kagurazaka, Tokyo

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See full report...

Photo/video collage by Jamie Williams for SpinEarth.tv.

Summer Sonic Tokyo 2009
http://www.spinearth.tv/report/summer-sonic-festivals-10th-anniversary-in-tokyo

Jamie's City Japan Project
http://www.spinearth.tv/city/japan-project/

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Summer Sonic, Aphex Twin, Mogwai, Tricky, Phoenix, My Chemical Romance, Nine Inch Nails, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Beyoncé, Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines, Grizzly Bear, The Flaming Lips, Mongol800, The Horors, Dragon Ash, Tha Blue Herb, Ego-Wrappin' and the Gossip of Jaxx, Tahiti 80, DJ Kentaro, The Big Pink, Kasbian, Boom Boom Satellites, Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS), live, music, bands, event, mega, concert, Tokyo, Japan, 2009

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This run-in on the first stage of this year's Eneco Tour proves why Euskadi riders shouldn't be allowed in the first 20 riders inside the final kilometer. They should be required to pull off to the right or left and sit up.

Watch for the all-orange jersey in about 9th position from about 6:35 of the video and count how many times he almost goes down in the final km!

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Tyler Farrar, Garmin Slipstream, Euskadi, Euskatel, Arashiro Yukiya, BBox Bouygues Telecom, Eneco Tour, 2009, Holland, Dutch, sport, cycling, bicycle racing, velo, cyclisme, radsport, ciclismo, bicicleta, 自転車, レース

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I haven't posted anything lately, and I've kind of been out of ideas, so I thought I'd post an old classic by Nathan Miller who has a video blog at Bicycle-Sidewalk.com.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Bicycle Sidewalk, Nate, Nathan Miller, Fukuoka, Kyushu, Kurume City

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Ooops!  I guess Großen Teich is not just any old pond, it just refers to the Atlantic, not the Pacific.  Too bad, it's staying on as part of the title.  You see, just as a little English is a dangerous thing (as proven by all the funny T-shirt messages one sees in Japan), so is a little bit of German equally dangerous!  So is a little bit of Japanese!

Image:  Yo Fukui art show flyer.

Links and more info coming soon.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros on Twitter, Tokyo, Japan, Charles Billard, Jerry Gordon, Osaka, German, pop, Summer Sonic, Wagner Love, Japan News, Earthquakes, Flo-Union, Andy MacKinlay, live music, Ponzi, New Zealand, kiwi, artist, live painting, Manchester, England, Earthquakes, Typhoon, Nori-P, のりピー, Re-entry permit, Spouse visa, Shinagawa, Immigration Center, Japanese elections, August 30, LDP, DPJ, incumbent, religious right, liberal, democratic, taxes, economy, government...

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Direct download links and full list coming soon, as well as an enhanced podcast version, probably an .m4a file with images where available.

...16. Bicicleteiros #57: Ocean City!.
17. Bicicleteiros #50: Bicicleteiros' 50th Episode!
18. Panic Living #70: Slash!.
19. By All Memes #2: What Do You Meme? (with Brian Ruckle).
20. Catching Up With Patrick #5.
21. NFTOS Top 20 of 2009.
22. Panic Living #65: I'm OFF!
23. Panic Living #64: ¡Viva La Tertulia!
24. Rowdy Ray's Report #1 (with Ray Dunlap).
25. Panic Living #71: Bicicleteiro.
26. Quest: Verano Sin Fin (music).
27. Panic Living #66: No! No! No! No!
28. Bicicleteiros #63: Tour de France Stage 13.
29. By All Memes #1 (with Brian Ruckle).
30. Bicicleteiros #58: Ain't Goin' Out (Giro d'Italia wrap-up).
31. Noticias desde el otro lado - parte 3 (con Andresito).
32. Bicicleteiros #59: TdF Preview.
33. Bicicleteiros #60: TdF Stage 5.
34. Panic Living #74: High Tension Please!
35. Quest: Cinema (music).
36. Bicicleteiros #56: Spring Classics Wrap-up.
37. Bicicleteiros #64: TdF Stage 18 (Time trial).
38. Bicicleteiros #62: TdF Stage 12.
39. Panic Living #73: Wear the Pants in Family.
40. Bicicleteiros #61: TdF Stage 4.

Image by Stone River.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros on Twitter, Top 40, countdown, podcast, audio, video, music, .mp3, .m4a, .m4v

This year, I'm going to avoid Tour de France withdrawal by building my fantasy cycling teams for next year starting now.  This site's graphic caught my eye, so maybe I'll give them a try in addition to Versus.com which a bunch of us used this year. 


And look who's back!  Shady's back...


So you think the peleton have kicked the doping habit just because this year's Tour de France didn't turn up any positives (yet)?  Think again!

I Want a New Drug (2006 Digital Remaster) - Press play, then read the following link.



Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros on Twitter, Huey Lewis and the News, AFLD, Pierre Bordry, cobblestone.be, Slim Shady, The Chicken, Michael Rasmussen, Mexico, Italy, Davide Cassani, man in black, men in black, whereabouts program

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Post Tour de France Blues?  No, no, no!  Time to get back outside and make up for lost time sitting in front of your TV or PC.  Plus, the cycling season has gone global and practically never ends.  Next up we've got:

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Bicicleteiros on Twitter, Tour de France, re-cap, recap, best of, review, resume, stages, victories, sprints, climbs, time trial, team, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Lance Armstrong, Thor Hushovd, Mark Cavendish, Franco Pellizotti, Circuito de Getxo, Clásica San Sebastián

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The Tour de France arrives in Paris!

Cavendish delivers!
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/96017/cavendish-always-delivers

Arashiro and Beppu become the first Japanese riders to finish le Tour!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/arashiro-and-beppu-complete-their-maiden-tours

Lance skips Alberto's victory party to hobnob with RadioShack execs who will be his sponsors next season:
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/96014/armstrong-skips-party-honoring-contador

Bicicleteiros Fantasy Cycling League (on Versus.com)

Paris - Stage 21 Results:
1st in Bicicleteiros League - 226th overall - bici - 377 points
2 - 1975 - hotness - 239
3 - 3733 - MakikoMotion - 191
4 - 4292 - Accentor -182
5 - 7497 - NFTOS - 125
6 - 12799 -the jokers - 99
7 - 13011 - Crofton Crushers - 91
8 - 14268 - Vieja y Hermosa - 82
9 - 16450 - Khromushkin Racing - 64
10 - 16272 - gb - 64
11 - 18089 - Aves - 25
12 - 31711 - Fuji Flyers - 0

Final General Classification:
1 - 2848 - Aves - 2204
2 - 3334 - bici - 2154
3 - 4390 - hotness - 2063
4 - 7189 - Accentor - 1867
5 - 8237 - NFTOS - 1804
6 - 8403 - the jokers - 1794
7 - 9611 - MakikoMotion - 1726
8 - 12847 - gb - 1553
9 - 18648 - Khromushkin Racing - 1225
10 - 20004 - Vieja y Hermosa - 1138
11 - 20724 - Fuji Flyers - 1082
12 - 20896 - Crofton Crushers - 1067

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros on Twitter, Champs Ellysees, Mark Cavendish, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Lance Armstrong, Franco Pellizotti, Thor Hushovd

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The good news:  Lance Armstrong & Co. have a title sponsor for next year, ensuring contracts not only for him and Bruyneel, but probably for some of his up-and-comers from the Livestrong developmental team as well.

The bad news:  As Paris looms closer, the finger pointing begins in earnest!

Cancellara - Motorcycles!

Reporter -What's your VO2 max?
AC - Otra pregunta.

Worse news:  Danilo DiLuca tests positive for CERA in the Giro d'Italia.

Comments related to DiLuca's positive on Twitter:


Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Annecy, Time Trial, Alberto Contador, Fabian Cancellara

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Over in Cambridge, Patrick must be reading my mind (or at least watching my playlists on YouTube).  His first two songs on this month's Headstand Radio were featured on numerous mix tapes of mine back in the day--Step On by The Happy Mondays, and Hit by The Sugurcubes--and his third song is Berlin by Semtazone, a band I first heard live here in Tokyo a couple years back (please watch our Semtazone interivew and subsequent NFTOS Talk Show #?).

As I am typing this post, Patrick announces Tour de France by Kraftwerk!  ...TOUR DE FRANCE!!

...You have to love it when he introduces the next song by knowingly advising, "and I must warn you, this song contains some strong language."

More links and stuff coming soon!  (Yeah right)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Hans, By All Memes, Brian, T-Shirt of the Day, haiku, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan, Panomatea, Risa, Argyle, Cream Cheese of Son, Pikarizumo, Pe, Elixir, Jerry Gordon, DJ Shogo, John from New Zealand, Jazz Studio Green, Deep Note, flute, event, Cafe Absinthe, Zerro, Osaka, Brazilian, drums, live, Shimokitazawa, Mark Woody Wood, Deep Fried Pickle Project, Kids' Rock, Kiddie Rock, Headstand Radio, Cambridge, England, Ivor Culter, Scotland, poetry, reading, Northern Ireland, Belfast, Kansai Scene, Metropolis

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Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros

Tags: NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Versus.com, fantasy cycling, cycling, cyclisme, velo, radsport, ciclismo, bicicleta, stage thirteen, 13eme etape, 13a etapa

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Bicicleteiros #62
Hans and Rob bring their 'podcast' program up to date.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, bicleteiros, Bernard Hinault, stage twelve, 12eme etape, ciclismo, cycling, sport, summer, outdoor, cyclisme, bicycle, velo, radsport, bicicleta

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It's a rest day at the Tour de France.  Actually, it's a transfer day, meaning the riders and their teams have to travel--not exactly what I would prescribe as rest.

Can't think of a better opportunity though to post a new track from Quest a.k.a. Hayden!

Here's what he had to say about it:


Could Hayden-san be the next John Tesh?

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, MFTOS, music, .mp3, download, free, new, track, song, electronic, samples, electronica, Hayden, Lincoln, Nebraska

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Podcast: Tour de France stage 4 recap (Part 2 of 2) and a preview of stage 5 with Hans and Rob (direct download).
http://media.libsyn.com/media/newsfromtheotherside/2009_Tour_-_stages_4__5.mp3

YouTube video playlist: Videos from stage 5 into Perpignan and previous exploits by the stage winner (not to be given away so easily here just yet!)

The door has closed for joining the Versus.com fantasy cycling contest, but you can still join us in our facebook group Bicicleteiros, where we've created a virtual fantasy cycling smack talk parlor.  Come join us!  I think we'll be carrying on there long after this Tour de France is finished.

Here are the standings after the first day of fantasy cycling that counts. (That sounds so legitimate, doesn't it?)  I cut & pasted the results, then added some details, such as team director, to help the casual observer.  Let me know if there are any mistakes!

1st (in our group) - 440th (overall) - Team bici (Jeb) - 280 points
2nd - 677th - the jokers (Patrick) - 258 points
3rd - 1865th - hotness (Torbjørn) - 209 points
4th - 4,316th - Accentor (Hans) - 161 points
5th - 12,272nd - Team Byrd (Peter) - 87 points
6th - 12, 255th - MakikoMotion (Makiko) - 87 points
7th - 13,455th - Khromushkin Racing (Ian) - 82 points
8th - 14,282nd - NFTOS (Rob) - 66 points
9th - 15,527th - Crofton Crushers (Angela) - 47 points
10th - 19,745th - Fausto Coppi (Krzysztof), gb (Graham) and bicicleteiros (Bobby) - 0 points

Next up:  Stage 6 from Girone (Girona, Gerona) to Barcelone (Barcelona), all well within the Spanish border.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Biciclceteiros, Fantasy Cycling, Perpignan, Catalunya, Catalan, catalana, versus.com, ツール・ド・フランス2009, 第５ステージ, 自転車レース

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In this podcast:  Time flies!  It's been an exciting first four days, and Hans and I catch up for just a sec. 

Stage 4 review (direct download)
http://media.libsyn.com/media/newsfromtheotherside/2009_tour_-_stage_4.mp3

More on Stage 4 and Stage 5 preview (direct download) 
http://media.libsyn.com/media/newsfromtheotherside/2009_Tour_-_stages_4__5.mp3

YouTube video playlist:  Everthing I've found so far on the stage four team time trial. (coming soon!)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, team time trial, stage 4, Versus.com, fantasy cycling, Astana, Saxo Bank, Garmin-Slipstream, Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, Fabian Cancellara, Denis Menchov, ツール・ド・フランス2009, 第４ステージ, 自転車レース

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Hans and Rob here with our Tour de France predictions, and we both pick Alberto Contador--sorry for being unoriginal!--with Andy Schleck and Lance Armstrong* filling out the podium. 

*(Unless Lance massively chokes and dutifully decides to play super-domestique instead of playing Bernard Hinault that the press--and he himself somewhat--have been making him out to be doing.)

Hans has been watching a lot more cycling on TV this year than I have, which gives him the clear advantage in crystal ball polishing.  I've been making due on a meager diet of YouTube race/stages finishes, and when I'm fortunate enough, live feed (links courtesy of Steephill.tv).

We discuss the other jersey competitions (Green, Polka-dot and White), look at the race route, discuss several key stages, and create a virtual dream team of non-starters (see some of the tag names below, if you need any reminders).

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Tour de France, preview, fantasy, cycling, league, prologue, time trial, stage 1, Thomas Dekker, Chris Horner, Simon Gerrans, Andre Greipel, Tom Boonen, Alejandro Valverde, Tadej Valjavec, Alexander Vinokourov, Astana, Johan Bruyneel, Monaco, Versus, Quick Step, Patrick Sinkewicz, Kim Kirchen, Steephill.tv, ツール・ド・フランス2009, 第１ステージ, 自転車レース

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A bunch of brand new songs up on Jonny Heartbreaker's band's MySpace page.  Here's the link for now:

http://www.myspace.com/conservativemusic

If you're in London (or anywhere within a day's journey) you won't want to miss these gigs:


Photo:  Greg and John Morrissey (from their facebook fan club).

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, London, England, rock, rock n'roll, live music, songs, new, events, Greg Morrissey, Jonny Heartbreaker, John Morrissey, John Brammer, Anthony Hoarau, 229 Club, Cross Kings, The Comedy Club

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Images, links and more info coming soon!  (I'm sure you've heard that before)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Criston, Altgate, Cona, Bistro D'Arbre, Sangenjaya, Shibuya, Nonbei Yokocho, Tokyo, Japan

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Message from the song's creator:

The song is named after the surfing documentary from the 60s and translated into Spanish. I was watching it last summer and experimenting with latin flavors in Garageband. Subsequently, I was inspired by the lifestyle and quit my job to create an endless summer of my own with my boys. I hope it expresses the the emotion of summer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Endless_Summer


Random text by the editor:

Brazil has its samba, but what does America have to animate its team and fans alike at next year's World Cup?

It's called GRINGOTÓN!

That's right, you can file this new track by Quest (a.k.a. Hayden) under gringotón, the sound all the young people have been dancing to lately!  The title means 'summer without end' or 'endless summer'.

This summer promises to be long and hot, so make sure you have plenty of beverages on hand, and it would be nice if you were near a beach, right?

Well, wherever you are, you can enjoy America's new favorite sport--all you need is a round ball, a somewhat flat surface and some big speakers for your tunes (don't forget to add some Quest to your iPod before you leave the house).

Last night, the USA put on a good show against Brazil (didn't they?!), after having just barely advanced to the second round of the Confederations Cup on goal differential, only to surprise Spain in the semis:  http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/index.html

The summer stretches out ahead of us, and only 246 days remain until the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa!

As always, stay tuned to NFTOS for football updates and more new music...

Image:  Endless by Quest.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Endless Summer, infinity, surf, surfing logo, Quest, music, song, Latin, electronic, soccer, football, Lincoln, Nebraska

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Join Hans and I in our (HUGE WASTE of TIME) fantasy cycling league appropriately named 'Bicicleteiros' on http://versus.com

It's free to join, but you'll need a US address and phone number (Canada will probably do) since Versus is a US-based service. Hans entered last year and says you can win stuff!

The way it works is you get to pick 15 riders, of whom you can rotate in and out of the race for different stages.  So, you are the coach, and just like hockey or NFL football you get to bench people (which is really helpful in the event of a crash or a doping positive).  You also have a budget (salary cap).

Hans is ready to coach us and give advice as he learned a lot of the tricks of how to play the game last year through trial and error.

You can start adding riders from Monday, and of course the Tour itself begins on the 4th of July.  I will be coaching team 'NFTOS' while Hans is in charge of Team Accentor (named after the alpine accentor, a bird species that lives in the high mountains).

Come race the Tour with us!

LET'S ROLL!!

Photo:  Villard de Lans 2004.

Links:  (coming soon)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Versus, versus.com, fantasy cycling, Tour de France, alpine accentor,

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Always one to rest on my laurels, watching the Trenchparrots climb the ReverbNation local charts for Lincoln, Nebraska, and their 'Pop' charts, has inspired me to see what can be done for The ALT Rap, which has been on the back burner for quite some time now.

Besides the 'Global' charts, The ALT Rap will also be eligible for 'Hip Hop' charts both 'Global' and 'Local' (Osaka, Japan).

TunePak: http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/1586473

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Roberto El Gringo, John Sanders, Alex Brooke, Quest, DJ Kung-fu Grip, Charles Billard, Jerry Gordon, Anarchy Larynx Tattoo, Osaka-shi, Japan

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This is our second show, and it's quite a departure from our first show which was spent mostly catching up, telling tales and continent hopping.

In an attempt to find some kind of focus, we've decided to use 'memes' as our official vehicle.

Posted by Rob

Tags: NFTOS

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"If you are in Tokyo between this sunday, june 21st and wed., july 1st, please feel free to stop by my exhibition at SPIN Gallery in the Jimbocho area, or / and invite friends to do so, especially for the opening party this sunday from 6 to 9pm...

I shall be present at the gallery everyday ( 1-8pm ) to receive you, except june 25th ( closed ) and 26th ( just absent ). Please find all information necessary attached here, or on my website in construction: http://www.tieryle.net ...

Merci beaucoup !
Yoroshiku,

Tiery"

Posted by Rob

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You Tube video playlist:  35 videos, with at least one from each stage of the Giro d'Italia.

In this podcast:  Hans and Rob wrap up the Giro d'Italia and make predictions for the Tour de Suisee and La Vuelta (but not the Tour de France just yet).

Links, details and other stuff coming soon.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Giro d'Italia, Dauphine Libere, Tour de Suisse, Tour de France, Roman Kreuziger, Taylor Phinney, Scott, Plasma

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Looking forward to Tiery's show which kicks off this weekend!

Links, details and more info coming soon!

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, NetworkedBlogs, twitter, etsy, makikomo products, Tiery Le, art, show, Tour de Suisse, cycling, bicycle race, racing, Tokyo, Japan

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Don't miss this interview of Patrick Widdess and Marcus Simms of Exposure 37, a collective of Cambridge photographers, as they discuss their current exhibit, film vs digital photography, and other photographic issues. 

209 Radio DJs Davina and Scratch provide the sonic wallpaper during their "Drive 105" show with songs from the likes of Dexy's Midnight Runners (Come on Eileen), The Psychedelic Furs (Pretty in Pink), The Proclaimers (Letter to America), US3 (Cantaloop), Eddie Grant (Electric Avenue), Beach Boys (Wouldn't It Be Nice?) and many more surprises!

Also, Nick Stibbs does the news, and there's a local politician (Sarah Whitebread, I think her name was) in the studio later on in the program, which was quite interesting to me, because they are actually talking about specific issues rather than just mouthing a bunch of party-line mumbo jumbo like they do where I come from.

http://www.209radio.co.uk/mp3archive/drive105160609.mp3

(This link probably won't be active for long, so listen now!)

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Exposure 37, photography, Patrick Widdess, Marcus Simms, Davina, Scratch, Nick Stibbs, headstand, Interview, Talk Show, talk radio, music, 209radio, fm radio, Cambridge, England, UK

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"The Irrepressible Urges of Spring" by The Trenchparrots is currently sitting at #14 on the ReverbNation local charts for Lincoln, Nebraska (yes, those are fake British accents they are using on most of their songs).  It climbed 56 places to #9,681 for pop, ranked globally, and moved up 222 places (!) to #145,076 global, across all genres.  

Play their TunePak and help them climb even higher!

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, The Trenchparrots, Pirate Stacey, Lloyd Stills, Norville Parchment, Roberto El Gringo, Footprints, Nuthin' to Say, My Ex-Girlfriend Walks In, Lincoln, Nebraska, '90s music, pop

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This June, a fantastic collection of fabulous artists put their out-of-this world pieces on display at the fun & funky Pink Cow.

Featured Artists:
Yukiko Tamura
Rob Holbrook
Natsumi Suzuki

Opening Party:  Sunday, 14 June, 5:00-8:30 p.m.
Live Music: Daniel Edwards with Ni-shimura ken and DJ Shintaro

Followed by FLO-Union, a monthly event of performances, live music, DJs, VJs and surprises!   8:30 till late.

This is also a good chance to catch three artists from last month's NFTOS Art Show whose works are still up on the walls of The Pink Cow.

Also showing:
Okha Ryu
Patrick Widdess
Raymond Dunlap

NO CHARGE, FREE ENTRANCE!
http://thepinkcow.com/

Posted by Rob.

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"The producers of Oasis Lounge are proud to present the much-anticipated launch of Oasis Radio.
This pioneering edm website, which is Kansai-based and will feature Japanese and international DJs producers alike, launches officially on June 1st, 2009.

Oasis Radio has finally become reality thanks to the ongoing vision and tireless efforts of a group of DJs who dared to think differently. Anyone who had the opportunity shake that ass at the legendary Oasis Lounge in Miyakojima, would be well aware that the “Oasis Lounge” sound is synonymous with words like forward-thinking, funky, alive and cutting-edge. Oasis Radio promises to carry these qualities into the future and beyond. Oasis Radio plans to provide a quality electronic dance music sound for the discerning clubber and the audiophile alike. Come help us celebrate this milestone in Osaka club culture at the Oasis Radio Launch Party @ Club Lunar on June 13th, 2009.

The deck technicians lined up for this cracker are Yashima, Ichiro, Toru Nakajima, Dom Pang, Shawn Basik and Dan Elliot.
Unmissable!

Starts at 10 PM till late...very late.

大変ながらくお待たせしました！大阪クラバーのオアシスことOasis Loungeが遂にカンバック!! 関西を中心に活動する日本人＆外国人DJ/プロデューサーをフィーチャーするインターネット・ラジオ、Oasis Radioが2009年6月1日に満を持して始動開始!!

大阪のクラバーの癒しの場であり、隠れ家的存在だった都島のOasis Loungeを支え続けて来たDan、I-becそしてIanの努力が実り、Oasis Radioが遂にスタート！Oasis Loungeファンにはお馴染みの、ジャンルレスでファンキー、そしてグルーブ感たっぷりのエッジの効いたサウンドをオンエアー。クオリティーの高いDJ ミックスやライブをどんどん紹介していきます。フロアーライクなダンスミュージックは勿論、チルアウトやラウンジミュージックもプレイ。耳の肥えたコアな クラバーからダンスミュージック・ビギナーまで楽しめるハイクオリティー・サウンド満載です。

Oasis Radioのスタートを記念して、Lunar ClubにてOasis Radio Launch Partyが決定！Oasis Radioにも参加してくれているYashima, Ichiro、Toru Nakajima, Dom Pang, Shawn BasikそしてMr. Oasis LoungeことDan Elliotが渾身のプレイを披露。Don't miss it!

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365 days until the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, football, soccer, World Cup, Japan, Yoshito Okubo, Tulio Tanaka, Uzbekistan, Tashkent

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Here's a catchy tune by The Musgrave Ritual (a.k.a. Jonathan Perry, a former college suite mate of mine).  I recently discovered (rediscovered?) it via the facebook 'music' app, although I had probably already heard it on his myspace page sometime ago.  Obviously, I didn't get a chance to hear it well, or I would've asked him for it right away.

According to Jonathan, it is "...inspired by dozens of family camping trips to the Redwoods of Northern CA, where the weather is much different from coconut weather..." 

"And what exactly is a Musgrave Ritual?" you're probably asking right now.  Well, you need look no further than this Wikipedia page--The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual--for an explanation.

Jonathan has at least one myspace page, but the one where you can find this track has been gathering cobwebs due to robust bachelorhood (and quite possibly the advent of the facebook).  Besides his myspaces, he has a blog from which he regularly extols the virtues of Bachelorhood appropriately titled The Domesticated Bachelor. 

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, MFTOS, music, guitar, vocal, podcast, download, free, iTunes, Jonathan Perry, Domesticated Bachelor, Musgrave Ritual Band, The Musgrave Ritual (Wikipedia), Musgrave Ritual Band II, Bionic Monocle, Lincoln, Nebraska

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In Tokyo, we'll be having English breakfast from 5:00 to 7:00 on the morning of Thursday, 28 May, as Patrick Widdess hosts his monthly radio show headstand, broadcast live from Cambridge in the U.K., where the local time will be 9:00 to 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, 27 May.

Once the show is done broadcasting, you can return to the headstand.209radio.co.uk page for the archived show file after a few hours.  If you haven't heard the 29 April show yet, you'll want to listen to it NOW, because once the new show is broadcast, it will become the new archived slot.

In this podcast (click on the link at the bottom of this post) Patrick reads The Problem of Living Underwater, which you can find on his Myspace blog:  http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=91922716&blogId=485343770

Photo by Patrick.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, headstand, Patrick Widdess, Cambridge, England, community, radio, FM, Andrea

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Rowdy Raymond a.k.a. "Big Tex" is back in his homeland.

More info, details and links coming soon!

Photo:  Raymond undergoing in Geisha training in Kyoto.

Posted by Rob

Tags:  NFTOS, RRR, Raymond Dunlap, art, artist, cowboy, geisha, Lone Star State, Texas, Don't Mess, Alamo, shoot, bang, guns, ammo, ammunition, rodeo, barbecue, BBQ, Southern, down south, Easter, Christmas, Irish, Catholic, tradition, swimming, skinny dipping, William S. Burroughs, Guido Saldaña, Gareth Jones, Rik Sanchez, The Pink Cow, Shibuya, show, Thierry Le, Wales, Welsh, Elixir, bar, cafe, Osaka, Japan, Nagai Stadium, marathon, Paris-Roubaix

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Video:  Final hour or so of our group art show's opening party.  This is a good sample of what went on as it includes part of DJ Miki's set, David Roy's VJing, Momiji & Ryosuke's live set, El Gringo slaughtering Tom's Diner, and the first few songs of DJ Kernstein's set.

Make sure you check out the rest of the nights videos on The Pink Cow's UStream channel:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1519554

Event photos by Eric Seaholm:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/48305684@N00/sets/72157618383819587/

More links will be posted as I get a hold of them!  It's Monday morning in Tokyo, and I gotta roll!

Posted by Rob.

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Canarias reductos de biodiversidad from Pedro Felipe on Vimeo.

This is a video recommended to me by Edo, a buddy from Canarias (The Canary Islands).

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Pedro Felipe, Canarias, biodiversidad, biodiversity, ecology, environment, Canary Islands, Spain, Atlantic Ocean, wildlife

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Take a bath with Lizzie who joined us for Time to Shine in 2009 and Of Gadgets & Nanpa.

Lizzie writes:  "I managed to get a sneaky film on the inside of an onsen while I was spending time in the Japanese North Alps in a small little town called Kamikochi. The onsen was empty so I thought I would take... "

Posted by Rob

Tags:  NFTOS, Transit Lounge, Transit Lounging, Dating in Japan, gadgets, Miss Riz, Liz, Lizzie, travel, visit, tourism, onsen, hot springs, Aussie, Nagano, Japan, Korea, China, Asia

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Today's Giro forecast:  The Giro has another mountain climb finish in store at the end of stage five.  Look for another long distance breakaway on the first climb of the day, and more fireworks from Mauricio Soler, the only contender who doesn't seem content to sit back and watch the others. 

Also, expect an attack (or at least something more than what we saw yesterday) before the finish from Stefano Garzelli, who looked like he was holding back out of fear of Di Luca.  That's no way to win a bike race!  Can Lance hang today with all that going off??

In the Podcast:  We have several guests with us this time around as we gathered at the same hotel the night before Hans's wedding.  Some of the voices you hear during the podcast belong to Hans, Rob, Rolfu a.k.a. Half Pipe, Parys and Makikomo.  Recorded in Ocean City, Maryland, 3 May, just after midnight.  Edited in Tokyo, Japan, 13 May.

Everyone gets to join in the fun as Hans and Rob recap recent developments in the wild & wicked sport, and give their Giro predictions. If you listen a second time, you can hear an entirely different conversation in the background about Canada, or something related to it.

Rob's hunch about Davide Rebellin came true--or had already come true--but was just waiting to hit the fan. Schumacher and Kohl's former teamate was set to ride the Giro with Simoni, until, in Hans' words:


Hans signals a possible power struggle on team Liquigas (let us not forget "Oil for Drugs") and declares would love to see Di Luca popped as well.

Finally, Hans clears up last year's Cunego and Riccò tattoo confusion. That's how rumors get started...

One of the wedding guests commented earlier in the evening that every single contender these days has either been busted or has barely slipped thought the net.  I guess that means almost everyone is on a level playing field!

Photo:  Rolfu, Jeremy, Rob and Hans.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Hans, Ocean City, Rob, El Gringo, Rolfu, half pipe, Parys, Makikomo, Ivan Basso, Andy Schleck, Carlos Satre, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego, Riccardo Riccò, Liquigas, Saxo Bank, Astana, Diquigiovanni, Ocean City, Maryland, Tokyo, Japan

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Hans is on his honeymoon, so for the moment, all cycling geeks should refer to Tokyo Panic Living (this here podcast) rather than Bicicleteiros, our usual cycling installation, for all the latest cycling goss and commentary.

One week to go 'til the News From The Other Side art show & party!

On the phone were Tom a.k.a. Stone River and Brad a.k.a. Goldhorn--recorded without express consent, although at least Stone knows the routine by now.  The mic is always on, and besides, he rang me.  The lads just got back from their cycling adventure up into the Tohoku region, and maybe even made it up around Hokkaido, but we'll just have to wait for more details.

In the meantime, you can read about their trip which has been mapped out here:

http://learnjapanesepod.com/stones-tour-de-japan/

Music intro and outro by John a.k.a. Momiji.

More details and links coming soon!

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, El Gringo, Stone River, Momiji, Bicicleteiros, ciclismo, cyclisme, vélo, Giro d'Italia, Tom Boonen, positive, American Airlines, swine flu, Dallas, Texas, Maryland, Eastern Shore, bicycle, cycling, racing, High Horse, studio, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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Patrick Widdess is back with an all new line-up.  "Two poets, Tim Clare and John Lyons are guesting with lots of music and poetry as usual," according to the man himself.

Tune in to Headstand Radio tonight from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (BST) in Cambridge on 105 fm or on the Web at http://headstand.209radio.co.uk and enjoy the show!  Of course, if you are not in the UK, you'll need to add or subtract the appropriate number our hours.  Here in Tokyo, it will be on in the wee pre-breakfast hours of Thursday morning, 5:00 to 7:00 a.m.

Tim Clair  http://www.myspace.com/timclarepoet
John Lyons  http://johnlyons.org/
Patrick Widdess  http://www.patrickwiddess.co.uk

Posted by Rob.

p.s.  It took a few hours for the 'live' show to be archived.  If you couldn't find it, it's available as an archived file now.

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Bon jour tout le monde,

This is a work in progress.  I'll be back with more links and stuff (stop me, if you've heard that before).

Here's a link to Japan Pod Show, the podcast I mentioned at the start of this podcast:

http://pokya.jp/japanpodshow/

...and here's the "back side" Kihira and Mieko's i-flyer for Saturday night's event.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=1000527774&albumID=895496&imageID=10153732

A tiny elephant stands in your heart working a foot pump... according to Patrick Widdess.

...and here's the haiku I forgot to read at the end of this podcast:


Musical outro by Seaholm.

Image:  SLASH i-Flyer.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, NetworkedBlogs, Japan Pod Show, Bar Bonobo, Kihira Naoki, Mieko, Jingu 2-Chome, RightMind, Pink Cow, Shibuya, Japan, art show, live music, DJ, event, lounge, Japanese

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YouTube Video: Inexplicable crash in the final stage of the Tour of Turkey. Watch for yourself and decide what Theo Bos* might have been thinking when he took down Daryl Impey.**

Audio Podcast: Rob and Hans catch up on the Spring Classics thus far--Tour of Flanders, Ghent-Wevelgem, Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne--as well as some of the smaller stage races--Vuelta a Pais Vasco, Tour of Turkey, Giro di Trentino, etc.

Hans picks Damiano Cunego for Liege with Philippe Gilbert and Roman Kreuziger as a spoilers, and Rob picks Andy Schleck with Cadel Evans as his dark horse.

Finally, a sad farewell to a troubled hero of ours. If you follow the sport, you know that can only mean one cyclist.

Intro music by Eric Seaholm.

*(link to Dutch interview)
**(link to English interview on PezCyclingNews)

Posted by Rob.

P.S.  We called this Liège!  Our 4 picks finished 1st, 4th, 7th and 16th.  Hans' dark horse was quite dark--46th!  (reports/results links VN, CN, Pez)

Tags: NFTOS, cycling, bicycle, racing, velo, cyclisme, radsport, ciclismo, bicicleta, mama chari, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, Maryland, Rock Racing, Tyler Hamilton, Theo Bos, Tom Boonen, Johan Museeuw, George Hincapie, Heinrich Haussler, Stijn Devolder, Davide Rebellin, Urs Zimmerman, Seur, Marco Giovanetti, CyclingNews, VeloNews, NetworkedBlogs, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Gila, Giro d'Italia, Midi Libre

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This week at Soho Gallery in Osaka.  Live music on the 18th.  See Charles' homepage for contact info.

Posted by Rob.

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Here is our Top 20 so far this year. For most of the rest of the past countdowns (some of which are scattered among various podcast categories), please check in the folder labeled "what is NFTOS?"

1. Time to Shine in 2009! with Lizze.

2. Bicicleteiros #48: Tour Down Under preview with Hans.

3. Bicicleteiros #51: Boa Idéia! with Hans.

4. Momiji vs El Gringo: My Ex-Girlfriend Walks In (song).

5. Of Gadgets and Nanpa with Lizzie.

6. Bicicleteiros #49: Virtual Winner! with Hans.

7. Bicicleteiros #51.2: Ouija Board, Ouija Board with Hans.

8. Bicicleteiros #50: #50!

9. Rugby in Japan with Ben.

10. Bicicleteiros #54: Ticket to Ride! with Hans.

11. Catching up with Patrick.

12. Bicicleteiros #53: The Clap! with Hans.

13. Panic Living #65: I'm OFF!

14. Rob Interviews Haqq in Sancha.

15. Bicicleteiros #55: Stayin' Alive!

16. Panic Living #67: Snack Forever!

17. Panic Living #66: No! No! No! No!

18. Tokyo Panic Living #64: ¡Viva la Tertulia!.

19. Noticias desde el otro lado con Andrés.

20. Panic Living #68: Sugi to Sakura (杉と桜).

The podcast track was re-uploaded (something was wrong with the file the first time around) and it was uploaded without intro-outro music because of trouble with my 'GarageBand' editing application.  Sorry!

Photo:  Totally random.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Top 20, podcast, audio, video, .mp3, .m4a, .m4v

This blog post and podcast have been retro-fitted with a title which won't become clear until the 2nd episode of the same name.

In this one, Brian and Rob talk about life in various countries, life on the road, learning languages and trying different careers.

Anyone out there know how to do split screens like on Bloggingheads.tv?

Photo:  Brian and Rob with a friend on the Beijing subway in 2001.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Mexico, Latin America, travel, Europe, Asia, deep South, Midwest, hitchhiking, South America, Spain, France, Austria, German, Spanish, French, cycling, bicycle racing, stick shift, automatic, gearshift, manual, transmission, joder, tio, culture, culture shock, La Tertulia, Skype, wiretap, China, Japan, Korea, World Cup, soccer, journalism, NGO, The Mill, Lincoln, Nebraska, Tennessee, Alabama, York, Maryland, Haiti, teaching, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Latin, based, romance, language, Tokyo, Sangenjaya, Osaka

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This blog post, titled "Sugi to Sakura" (杉と桜), contains a re-edited .m4a podcast file, featuring intro/outro music by John a.k.a. Momiji!  Please scroll to the bottom of this post and click on it!

The links mentioned in the podcast will be up soon, in the meantime, here are some random links I was going to tell you about, but forgot to check my notes ("...'cos I'm a blond, yeah, yeah, yeah!").

Sangenjaya, the place where I live now, is apparently way less cool than was once perceived, while Jiyugaoka, the place I used to work in, is now number one.  If only I knew then what I know now, I could've basked in the glory of it all!  http://www.japaneconomynews.com/2008/11/21/jiyugaoka-is-tokyos-most-desirable-neighborhood/

"They say lightning never strikes twice."  Wait a minute, who says?!  Statistics show the chances to be quite high actually.  Or at least I seem to remember reading something like that somewhere, but don't quote me on it, just say you think you heard it somewhere too.  That's how urban legends get started...

This guy survived not one, but both atomic apocalypses:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7963581.stm

I find it peculiar how the mainstream media delight in telling racist joke 'news.'  For starters, it shows they can't possibly be as liberal as some accuse them of being, nor as neutral or objective as they make themselves out to be.  Everyone has snickered at an off-color joke at some point in their life--oh, yes, but you were much less enlightened then than you are now--I understand.

They usually start with the news about the uproar, because they would look stoopid if they were just pointing out a joke they found particularly offensive themselves.  So, first they start by pointing out the uproar, and then by reporting on the forthcoming apology and retraction, if they do indeed come.  Finally, what they never forget to include is the joke itself.  You'll never catch me repeating this genre of joke (unless you have a hidden mic), so you'll just have to follow this BBC link for now:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7965058.stm

You really disappoint me!

Dave Barry once wrote a silly slapstick piece about uncircumcision for those who have suffered having their manhood pared at some stage in life (usually when still and infant).  Well, good luck with that.  Now there are some who are requesting debaptism who are apparently somewhat serious about it.  Good luck with that too!  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7941817.stm

Having so conveniently just brought up the male member, here's a rooftop with a penis on it.  (Who needs tabloids when there's the BBC?)  http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/newsbeat/newsid_7961000/7961224.stm

Photo:  Totally random.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, hanami, cherry blossom viewing, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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Devolder Doubles at Flanders!  Long time no Frank!  Please standby for our audio podcast and our recap of the 93rd Ronde van Vlaanderen pending expert analysis from Hans who is a busy man these days...

In the meantime, VeloNews has a new live ticker, which has a few new features, but didn't really blow me away.  CyclingNews.com though has a regular podcast now, which is great for catching up on all the action while commuting on the train.  You won't want to miss Episode 4 with a great intro of Jens Voigt getting bent out of shape about how much a second of his time was and/or was not.  Do I sense a hint of revenge here on the part of the CN interviewer?

Pez Cycling News has a monthly gallery called Pelo-Pics, which is filling up quickly with stunning images of Spring Classics and week-long stage races, and finally, you can find various Live TV, audio streaming and live ticker links at Steephill.tv, where they are focusing on Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco now.

Video:  The finale of the Tour of Flanders on YouTube.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Hans, Rob, El Gringo, cycling, audio, podcast, blog, bicycle, road race, Europe, Stijn Devolder, Heinrich Haussler, Thor Hushovd, Tom Boonen, Frank Vandenbroucke, velo, ciclisme, bicicleta, ciclismo, radsport, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders, Belgium, hanami, Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan

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We haven't had any music for awhile, so I figured...

How about a dog with 3 legs but two tails?  Wait, that don't make no sense. 

How about a new twist to an old classic?  This was our first take, and I forgot a verse.  Oops.  We plan to do a multiple track recording of this, and actually recorded voice and instrument separately, but this particular recording was just done with iTalk (a mic for iPods).  John Marrese a.k.a. Momiji (I think that's the name he's going to go with for our collaborations) is on the violin.  Roberto El Gringo on vocals.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, The Trenchparrots, music, song, download, cover, iTalk, iPod

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NEWS FLASH!  Lance Armstrong breaks his collarbone in La Vuelta a Castilla y León. (see Cycling News link below for video)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/mar09/mar23news3

In this podcast Hans and Rob give bicycle shopping advice to listener and NFTOS contributor Jarrod in Australia.  We listen to some tunes and watch some cycling videos and give our expert (*cough*) commentary.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong, Jesús Hernández, Levi Leipheimer) ride into La Vuelta a Castilla y León as the obvious favorites.

The Midi Libre is the Tour de France warm-up race that was slipping my mind.

Approximately 47 minutes in length.

Photo on the right:  Rob cycles on a free 'rental bike' in Nagano Prefecture over the weekend.

Today's video:  1985 World Road Race Championships won by Joop Zoetemelk at age 38.



Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Hans, Rob, el gringo, WBC, World Baseball Classic, Milano-Sanremo, Milan, San Remo, Italy, Spring Classics, cycling, velo, cyclisme, ciclismo, bicycle, racing, Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd, Heinrich Haussler, George Hincapie, Tom Boonen, cramps, Alberto Contador, Paris-Nice, Tirreno Adriatico, lead out, domestique, Allan Davis, Petacchi, Cipressa, Poggio, climb, Lance Armstrong, cool down, Dauphine Libere, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Andreas Kloden, Colom, Frank Schleck, Sanchez, Operacion Puerto, suspect, Michele Scarponi, Bradkovic (sp?), Castilla y León, Rebellin, Simoni, Oil for Drugs, Garzelli, Ryder Hejsdal, Tyler Farrar, Tyler Hamilton, bronchitis, Rudy Pevenege, Swiss cowbell, blood doping, Tinkoff Credit Systems, bad haircut, 1985 World Championships, Greg LeMond, Joop Zoetemelk, Moreno Argentin, Claudio Chiappucci, Mark Gorski, Tour de France, Winning Magazine, Stephen Roche, Dutch, Giro d'Italia, Tour de Suisse, Tyler Farrar, Stuart O'Grady, David Millar, broken collarbone, HTFU, Criterium International, Sean Yates, Ekimov, Tour of Flanders, Midi Libre, Austrian doping, K, Paris-Roubaix, Melbourne, Australia, Hagerstown, Maryland, Nagano, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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Spotted this one in Nagano over the weekend.  A 'snack' is a type of Japanese bar where the regulars have a 'keep bottle' on the wall with their name on it.  They are usually small, dark and full of cigarette smoke.  You go there, not so much to meet new people, but to hang out with the owner and/or their staff members who light your cigarette, pour your drinks and provide witty conversation at the end of a long day.  See 1.1.1 Snack bars:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostess_club#Snack_bars

Notes to be edited:

Chihiro art museum
http://chihiro.jp/ in Japan or http://www.chihiro.jp/global/ outside of Japan.

Onsen / Sento / Beer / Sumo

World Baseball Classic - USA 4, Japan 9
http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/schedule/brackets.jsp

7-Eleven, McDonald's sponsoring

Facebook:  Osaka hipsters, Brasil groups

Shout outs:

Deep Creative Collective - New mix from Neville C.
http://www.deepcratecollective.com/

Gadgets
http://gadgets.coolerthanthou.net/

Dating in Japan - Foreigner Fever
http://dating-japan.com/

Domesticated Bachelor
http://www.thedomesticatedbachelor.com/

Tags:  NFTOS, WBC, World Baseball Classic, J-League, Sumo, onsen, Korea, vs, Japan,

Vidoe 1: The 1977 Milano-San Remo set to disco. You gotta watch this one!

Video 2: This 300 km race ends in a photo finish and a crash!

The 100th edition of this classic, which the Italian fans refer to as 'La Primavera,' takes place this Saturday. I was lucky enough to see Sean Kelly cross the line first in front of some very disappointed fans who had pre-selected their hero Moreno Argentin to win it. This was way back in 1992...

Posted by Rob.

More M-SR links: CyclingNews.com, VeloNews.com, PezCyclingNews.com, Steephill.tv.

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The latest Malty Media Show (Mistakes) is up and available for download.  Here's the playlist:

Nik Kershaw	Wouldn't It Be Good	1984
Neil Young	Computer Age	1981
Queen	In The Space Capsule (The Love Theme)	1981
Pierre Omaar	Sometimes	2005
William Shatner	Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds	1968
Bread	Make It With You	1970
David Byrne & Brian Eno	Mea Culpa	1981
Sugar Minott	Oh Mr DC	1979
Kraftwerk	Tongebirge	1973
	Australian Blue Stratos ad	1983
Thomas Fehlmann	Little Bighorn (Liegend)	2007
Tycoon To$h	Dolphin	2008
Valentina Hasan	Ken Lee	2008
Unagi Patrol	A Quick Drink	2001
Malty Media	Munch Bunch Thoroughly Plowed	2009
New Order	Every Little Counts	1986
Jean Michel Jarre	Equinoxe IV	1978
Montano	Sun 6 (Remix)	2009
Oval	Textuell	1996
A Guy Called Gerald	Voodoo Ray	1987
David Tua / Phil Leishman	“O For Awesome" moment on Wheel of Fortune	1980s?
Jet Jaguar	Unco Drummer	2005
	Department of Health Noise Warning	1996
Aquaboogie	Korton Call	2009
Malty Media	Hilbert Space	2009
Kelley Polar	Matter Into Energy	2005
OMD	Radiowaves	1983
Holger Czukay	Traum Mal Wieder	1984
Malty Media	Failblog.com Follies	2009
Group Five	A Go Go	2008

 
I also strongly suggest you check out (Japan) while you're at it.  They have collected some very obscure and unique tunes as well as sound samples from the streets and railways of Tokyo.

Photo:  'Mischief,' from the Japan show blog page.

Posted by Rob.

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Introducing SUV!

Rough playlist, to be edited:
Hans DJs and MCs.
White Day - wiki link?
Tirreno Adriatico, Tyler Farrar - Slipstream Chipotle
Wayland Jennings, Wille Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristopherson - wiki link?
Tomac, Roll
Salt Lake City - Utah Liquor laws, pub membership - wiki link?
LDS, LSD, Mormons
1844 Link?
Horumon Yaki, I Like Meat video
Karaoke
Sweater song
Wedding
Happy Mondays - 24-hour party people
Ladies' only train car
29:30 - Dingleberry Fiesta
Urban Dictionary
Allergies, pollen count in Japan
Are Hans and Suv global warming non-believers?
BMX, Sears story, double basket bikes
37:30 - Distractions
Hans' Korean fajita recipe
Suveen introduces 'White Day' and 'Black Day'

Photo:  The old clunker which was mentioned in the podcast, found on the back streets of Sangenjaya, Tokyo.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  Allergies, pollen count, global warming, skeptics, skeptical, non-believer, Hagerstown, Baltimore, Maryland, Tokyo, Japan

Subscribe to Bicicleteiros on iTunes

Lots of notes and links coming soon!

Photo from Haqq's mixi.jp blog.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  Tags:  Abdul Qadim Haqq, Third Earth Visual Arts, Buzz Goree, James Pennington, Suburban Knight, Superbad Midi Breaks, Seaholm, hunting, guitar solo, day job, Denny's, 4:00 a.m., Ted Nugent, Eminem, U2, Morrissey, Damn Yankees, Motor City, Scratch Fever, East Lansing, Detroit, Eight Mile, Michigan, Underground Resistance, Bar Bonobo, Shibuya, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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I'm listening to the recent (Summer) radio show from Malty Media.  It was Summer there, and although the feeling may linger, it will be gone soon, if I recall from my fading memories of last year in Auckland.*

Here's the playlist:

Aquaboogie	Brown Lawn	2008
	Couple dancing at the Summer Palace, Beijing / Countryside ambience from Belgium	2006 / 2006
Sun Electric	In Vitro	1996
Aphex Twin	Ageispolis	1992
The High Llamas	Homespin Rerun (Cornelius Remix)	1998
Cocteau Twins	Feet Like Fins	1986
Miles Davis	Concierto De Aranjuez	1967
Aquaboogie / Group Five / Steve Satori / Janet H. / B. Dickinson	Aquaboogie rearrangement of Group Five's remix of Steve Satori's The Experiment based on a suggestion by Janet (feat Bruce Dickinson)	1998 / 2008 / 2009
Holden	10101	2007
Autechre	Silverside	1994
	Summer festival in Shimla, India	2008
Datsun Stereo	Rubini	2003
Unitone Hifi	Killer B	1996
The Cure	Harold & Joe	1990
Hu Vibrational	Transformation	2002
	Pontian Traditional Lyra Kemenche at the Protochori Summer Festivals 2008	2008
Malty Media / AC/DC / RHumphries @ FreeSound	Thunderous Truck	1990 / 2005 / 2009
Spiritualized	Shine A Light	1992
The Phoenix Foundation	St Kevin	2003
The Moody Blues	Nights In White Satin	1967
Aquaboogie	As yet untitled	2009
Jon Brion	Bookstore	2004
Koushik	Ride It Out	2005
Nightmares On Wax	A Night's Interlude	1996
Aquaboogie	As yet untitled	2009
Jet Jaguar	I've Got A Fist of Pure Emotion	2003

Their next show, (Mistakes) is coming up in a little less than 24 hours, at 21:00 their time zone, Tuesday evening, 17 March in Wellington.  There's even a link to a local time zone finder on their site, just in case you are globally-challenged.  Why, those clever Kiwis!

*(I've entirely missed both the Northern and Southern hemispheres' most recent Summers, and will completely lose my mind if I miss another one wherever it may be!)

Photo from their blog page.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Malty Media, Jet Jaguar, Aquaboogie, Angry Rabbit, internet radio, streaming, Kiwi, Wellington, New Zealand

Subscribe to NFTOS Music on iTunes

Saturday, 14 March 2009 in Yokosuka, Japan.

2000 yen w/ 1 drink
For a map and more details, check out
http://www.sickyokosuka.com/

More links:


Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, UR, Underground Resistance, Detroit, techno, house, electro, electronic, electronica, music, live painting, art, party, Kanagawa, Japan

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From bicycle racing on the windswept countryside of central France to the murky canals of downtown Osaka, where an ancient statue has been hauled up and a curse has perhaps been lifted.

Featured YouTube video:  'Colorado' by Fussible (Nortec Collective).

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Wouter Weylandt, Colonel Sanders, the curse

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This just in from the ever vigilant Stone River:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090311a3.html

Please allow me to remind you that the Colonel is full always of spice!

Photos used without permission.  We'll take it down, if threatened.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Colonel Sanders, Randy Bass, Hanshin Tigers, Central League, the curse, Kansai, Osaka, Doutonbori, canal, finger licken'

Hi!  There will be more notes coming here soon, after I've given the recording a listen.

Photo by Simon Lucas.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, audio, blog, podcast, Rob, El Gringo, Haqq, World Series, WBC, baseball, beer, soccer, football, Kirin, Brains, David Beckham, DJ, FLO-Union, The Pink Cow, life in Japan, Shibuya, Setagaya, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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The latest Headstand is available to stream/download now from headstand.209radio.co.uk Featuring all this music and spoken word a lot of it made/recommended by members of this group. If you're interested in contributing to future shows please contact me.

-Patrick

Lion Rock - Fire Up The Shoe Saw
Beth Anderson - Ocean Motion Mildew Mind
Twink - Not enough Crayons for everyone
Geoff Coombe - Horace Odes book 3 verse 29
Nick Dominguez - Wish you were here
Keith Dersley - Rough Shoes
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and De La Sol - Thou Shalt Always Kill (Playdoe and DJ Fuck Remix)
The Watanabes - Love Princess*
Bo-Peep - Dancing, The People
Death From Above 1979 - blood on our hands (justice remix)
Massilia Sound System - Jovent*
George Szirtes - Water
The Fall - Frightened
Alex Iamb - Welcome to Facebook
The Kropotkins - Crazy Hannah
David Thomas and the Pedestrians - Enthusiastic
OOIOO - IOA
Peter Blegvad & Andy Partridge - Savannah
Komar and Melamid and Dave Soldier - The most wanted song
Komar and Melamid and Dave Soldier - The most unwanted song
Big City Orchestra - Have you seen me?
Travis Bowman - leave your tag
Dylan Harris - Armchair Fire Fighting (viii)
Thiaz Itch - Binjoum
Nile - Black Seeds of Vengeance
Ivor Cutler - The Shapely Balloon
The Thai Elephant Orchestra - Little Elephant Saddle
Steph Brown - And No Tea Was Made
Malty Media - Bracken Bed*

*(these three were artists/tracks recommended by NFTOS)

Photo of Patrick seen on a TV screen starring in one of our videos.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Patrick Widdess, headstand, radio, poetry, spoken word, music, Cambridge, England

It's a sunny Saturday afternoon in Sangengaya, west side of Tokyo, and since the pollen is swirling, I think I'll just sit here in the sunniest corner of the house and record a podcast.

Here's where I'm going to put the links I mentioned (remind me if I forget any, and you come back later and they are still not here).

...and here are the Top 10 podcasts in January and February of this year, in order from #1 to #10:

1.Time to Shine in 2009! with Lizze.
2. Bicicleteiros #48: Tour Down Under preview with Hans.
3. Bicicleteiros #51: Boa Idéia! with Hans.
4. Catching up with Patrick.
5. Bicicleteiros #50: #50!
6. Bicicleteiros #51.2: Ouija Board, Ouija Board with Hans.
7. Of Gadgets and Nanpa with Lizzie.
8. Bicicleteiros #49: Virtual Winner! with Hans.
9. Tokyo Panic Living #64: ¡Viva la Tertulia!.
10. Noticias desde el otro lado con Andrés.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Roberto El Gringo, FLO-Union, The Pink Cow, live music, art, DJ, event, film club, Haqq, Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka, Japan

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As I'm re-listening to my chat with Ben Darwin, and editing a few bits here and there, I'm also looking for links on the net. I couldn't find any YouTube clips, so if anyone knows of any video footage of him on the field of play, please let me know!

He does have his own wiki profile page, as well as the sporting heroes profile link above and his journalist profile over on rugbyzone.co.za.

You can read his RugbyZone column, The Art of Japanese Rugby ( Part 1 and Part 2 have been posted so far).

Finally, as it was an injury which forced his retirement from playing the game, he would also probably like you to check out this link on sport and spinal injury.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Rubby, coaching, zone, union, Ben Darwin, Australia, national team, 2003 World Cup, spinal injury, Chiba, Japan, JRFU

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We are joined once again by the positively vivacious Lizzie from Down Under who has recently moved back up to Japan, though not to Osaka, but to Chiba rather (which is more or less Tokyo, for those of you not familiar with the geography of Japan). 

Previously a secret handshaking, card carrying member of BikeClubOsaka.com (R.I.P.) and editor-in-chief of The Transit Lounge, Lizzie returns to the Land of Wii with a double vengence: Gadgets.CoolerThanThou.net and Dating-Japan.com です。

Artwork:  "Moving Box" by ロベルト。

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Lizzie, The Transit Lounge, TransitLounging, gadgets, nanpa, dating, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Chiba, Tokyo, Sangenjaya, Japan

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Abdul Qadim Haqq (Third Earth Visual Arts, UR, etc) is back for another round of live painting, with gigs in Yokohama, Osaka and Yokosuka.


The Osaka event will be held at Sunsui in Unagidani and features an all-star line-up of DJs:  Alton Miller (Inner Muse, Yore & Swank Society Radio), Ageishi (AHB), Compufunk (Motech) and Kihira Naoki (Social Infection).  Chill out in the lounge with P.M.D.M.F. a.k.a. Tan Ikeda, Mongoose (newtone records) and Ooshima Shigeru (Social Infection).

More details and links coming soon.

Posted by Rob.

Ryousuke Itoh (vocals, guitar) and Shiho Itoh (flute, melodica) will be performing at Brusca, near Kagurazaka (Tozai subway) station tonight at 8:00 p.m. (that's 19 February here in Tokyo).  There will be a second set starting at 9:15. 
 
Charge:  1000 yen
Address:  新宿区矢来町107, 2F
Phone:  03-6457-5788
Map:  http://kagurazaka.sanpomania.com/article/brusca.php
More info:  http://kagurazaka.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/438/

See you there!

Photo from Ryousuku Itoh of Beakers and Taiyo Record.

Posted by Rob.

Suffer with us as we try to figure out what the heck is going on with the Amgen race tracker, when we should've just been following the feed from the VeloNews and CyclingNews tickers instead. 

For starters, the course profile on the official race tracker has been showing the previous day's race profile rather than the same day's elevation changes.  Adding to the general confusion is the race map of California on VeloNews which still shows 9 stages and no prologue.  I guess nobody is really prepared for much public interest in their coverage this early in the season.

Another example are the commentators on the official race feed.  Frankie Andreu might have been a fine pro cyclist in his day, but on this stage at least, a fine commentator he was not.  [Oh, and his co-host was Joe Silva, not Neal Rogers, as Rob mistakenly slanders.  Sorry Neal!  My bad. -Rob]

Since we don't have our own Ouija Board, we've borrowed (stolen) an image from a CityPages.com interview of Bob Marley.

Not mentioned in this podcast, but worth reading:  Frederiek Nolf editorial.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, cycling, bicycle, racing, ciclisme, vélo, radsport, ciclismo, stage race, podcast, blog, commentary, Mollema, Louder, Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, whale watching, French roast, red wine, Andy Schleck, Frankie Andreu, John Tesh, Phil Liggett, Bob Roll, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Thor Hushovd, AToC, Hans, Rob, el gringo, Hagerstown, Maryland, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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I had originally posted a collection of YouTube "Latin" videos in honor of the 10 years+ since La Tertulia started, but the first video in the series, one by Lila Downs, has already been disabled upon request (death threats from the drug cartels). Several members of 'La Tertulia' were also the earliest members of the NFTOS community on the now defunct 'MSN Groups' service (Brian a.k.a. The Ruck, Hayden a.k.a. Quest, Hans, Rolf and a few more) and have been NFTOS participants in one way or another since it's inception over 8 years ago now.

La Tertulia is back now, in virtual form at least, on facebook! (Update: We've just started a small group to practice our languages every Sunday afternoon in Tokyo! 26-Mar-2009)

Photo taken from the Facebook community I Japan went to and now English no speaky can do.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, La Tertulia, language, Español, practice, study, Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Japanese, exchange, Roberto El Gringo, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

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"Noticias desde el otro lado" con Andrés y Roberto El Gringo. Andrés y Roberto hablan de La Tertulia y de otras temas.  (En español con un poquito de japonés y inglés en la parte final del podcast)

News From The Other Side with Andrés and Roberto El Gringo. Andrés and Roberto talk about La Tertulia and other topics. (In Spanish with a bit of Japanese and English at the end of the podcast)

The photo is from one of our many "Tertulia" meetings.  Around the table, from left to right:  Rod, Rob, Eya, Jesse, Meric, someone obscured, Pat, Brian, Steve.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Andrés, español, inglés, japonés, Spanish, English, Japanese, Mexico City, México D.F., México, Tokyo, Japan, メクシコ, スペイン語, 英語, 日本語, 東京, 日本

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This is the first NFTOS video I made in Tokyo, three years ago today. I'm just reporting what I see here. Don't ask me for my opinion. There has been plenty written and said already on the topic. Feel free to join the YouTube chatter!

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Tokyo, Japan

Stand by for links.

Logo:  Cachaça / Pinga 51

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, podcast, blog, commentary, cycling, bicycle, racing, ciclismo, cyclisme, vélo, radsport, sport, Hans, Rob, el gringo, Hagerstown, Maryland, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan

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How many bigs is that?  I'm streaming the latest 'Headstand' radio show with Patrick Widdess in Cambridge, England, as I type.

He kicks off the show with Dan Deacon's "Big Big Big Big Big!" which I love, but it might put some off, be warned, and never mind it.  The second track was one that I selected, and the song that almost played third was one of mine too, so I know it's going to be a GREAT SHOW!

Links, logo and more coming soon!

Posted by Rob.

The Watanabes, a Tokyo-based band who came together from all ends of the Japanese countryside, performed at The Pink Cow last night for the Australia Day festivities. They have a MySpace page with a few of their songs on it as well as a dozen or so videos on YouTube:

myspace.com/thewatanabes
youtube.com/duncanwalsh20

Check them out!

Other performers included DJ El Gringo, Ami (a gal we met at an outdoor event in Shimokitazawa a few weeks back, David Mashiko (an actual Aussie!), DJ Craig (another Aussie!), Koichiro Suzuki (a wicked didgeridoo player). Last train time came far too early!

Posted by Rob.

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Without giving everything away, Patrick tells us what's in store for his next radio show, Headstand, on Cambridge's 105 fm / 209radio.co.uk. As Patrick also mentioned in our podcast, he's started studying Japanese again, and that's what the YouTube video is that you see above.

Here in Tokyo, there's a double booking in my schedule, as I'll be DJing a bit for "Australia Day" at The Pink Cow, while the Learn Japanese Pod crew get together at Bar Popeye in Ryogoku for some local and imported craft brews.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Patrick Widdess, Headstand, 209radio.co.uk, spoken word, poetry, music, Cambridge, England, Beggar's Banquet, DJ El Gringo, Rob, Australia Day, The Pink Cow, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

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Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Hebi Jazzu, Heavy Jazz, DJ Jules, Osaka, Japan

Recorded a day or two ago, this podcast might just be a first--two bicicleteiros in a row!  Not much else going on for NFTOS lately, but it won't stay that way for long I'm sure.  Going out to see Cloneliness tonight at Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo (Not the one in Shibuya, not Aoyama either!). 

Here's the address for the locals:  〒 113-0033 東京都文京区本郷2-4-16 / TEL: 03-5689-5331 / FAX: 03-5689-7501

Check out the 20 January 2009 blog post for more details about Cloneliness (a.k.a. Charles-Éric Billard).  NFTOS regulars should need no introduction!  Just check out the music, music video, events and places folders on the right of your screen.

I won't be posting any links at the moment, because we covered most of the same events in the previous podcast, please refer to Bicicleteiros #49.

Photo: "No Bicycle Parking" at JR Namba Station / Osaka City Air Terminal (OCAT) in Osaka.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Hans, h-monster, O Irmão da Xuxa, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Lance Armstrong, Stuart O'Grady, Greipel, Brown, kangaroos, wallabies, Adelaide, Melbourne, Australia, Tour Down Under, Sangenjaya, Tokyo, Japan, Hagerstown, Maryland, facebook, Nebraka, Lincoln, Bike Pedalers, Chicago, cycling, bicycle racing, etc

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Hans tries out new virtual race headgear and beats McEwen and Greipel by a bike length!

We discuss the early season calendar (previously considered training races until only a decade or so ago) with increased interest as the Tour Down Under gains ProTour Status. Oh yes, The Pro Tour is back.

Follow along with our spontaneous banter by checking out the complete UCI Road Calendar on cyclingnews.com.

Besides the TDU, check out these other races that are gaining prominence and respect among racers and fans alike: Tour de Lankawi, Tour de Qatar and Tour of California.

Why is Basso back? VeloNews explains what the deal is. Apparently he's done his two years, and the gentlemen's agreement to keep riders out of the ProTour has already been ignored by Bruyneel & Co once before regarding Basso, so this time no one is paying any attention to it.

Basso has recently posted his blood values online--but it's not what you might think, the blood is not for sale--as has Patrick Sinkewitz.

Someone of this might be old news to die hard cycling fans, but our commentary is always FRESH! Um, I'm about a week putting this up, so I guess that means "better late than never."

Intro and outro music by The Man From Uranus.  Thanks to Patrick Widdess!

Links coming soon!

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Hans, h-monster, O Irmão da Xuxa, Rob, el gringo, TDU, Tour Down Under

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This from Charles-Eric Billard, a.k.a. Cloneliness:

"As part of the ON SITE EMERGING ARTIST SUPPORT PROGRAM MUSIC 2008, I will be presenting "3-D Space Slitar," a multi-media performance involving live music using home-made instruments called slitars, some projections of videos visible through 3-D glasses as well as some old classics (music videos): "The Bath Project," "Tabo and Charles sur le Toit," and my slitar version of "Oshiri Kajiri Mushi."

This is by far the most comprehensive solo live show I have done so far, so be sure to come if you're in Tokyo on the 22nd.

If you're interested, please contact : contact@tokyo-ws.org or 03-5689-5331 to reserve your seat.

Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo
〒 113-0033 東京都文京区本郷2-4-16 / TEL: 03-5689-5331 / FAX: 03-5689-7501

And if you're around, from January 15th to January 24th, at Cafe KURAGE, some of my videos will be playing as well:  Cafe Kurage Information

Here is a link to Tokyo Wonder Site's ON SITE EMERGING ARTIST SUPPORT PROGRAM MUSIC 2008:  experimental sound art festival

Hope to see you there!"  charlou2006.blogspot.com

Posted by Rob.

Get two for the price of one!  First of all, it's the monthly Flo-Union Media Lounge at The Pink Cow tonight (that's Sunday in Tokyo), and it's the return of Stone River and El Gringo providing the sonic wallpaper (as DJ Don't Panyk Danyk is fond of saying).

It all starts at 8:00 p.m. and there's NO COVER CHARGE.  How can you stay away?

Since last month's FLO, I've DJed in Osaka at Cafe Absinthe and Elixir, so I'm starting to get my groove back.  You can stream or direct download two of my old mixes--they are kinda long, but they'll give you an idea of some of the music I might play tonight.

Live @ Laba Laba
My earliest live "mix" back when I didn't have hardly any records of my own (not from 1991 as the page mistakenly says, but rather from around july 2004)...
bikeclubosaka.com/audio/live_at_laba_laba_by_dj_el_gringo

Live @ Oasis Lounge
The only other live "mix" I've made (nothing special, mostly just songs placed end-to-end)...
bikeclubosaka.com/audio/mind_mangle_part_01_by_dj_el_gringo

Photo of Stone River and El Gringo by Prapatang Hunyaga.

Posted by Rob.

A scorcher of a new mix from D.C.'s DJ D-Mac:

http://www.djdmac.com/downloads/Promophobia-vol-2/index.htm

Enjoy your weekend!

Posted by Rob.

Posted by Rob.

Checking in with Melbourne's Miss Riz on her past life in Osaka, her present life in Melbourne and her future life near Tokyo Disney...

Photo:  NOT Miss Liz there on the left, but the cross-dressing oyaji we were talking about on the podcast rather.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Transit Lounge, Bike Club Osaka, Liz, Lizzie, Melbourne, Australia, Osaka, Tokyo, Chiba, Japan, rugby

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The YouTube video is a walk down memory lane for Hans who was recently in the vicinity of the 2003 World Championship course.

Hans predicts 2005 TDU Winner Luis Leon Sanchez and Rob predicts dark horse Ivan Dominguez on the final podium in a couple weeks' time. Link: Tour Down Under roster.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Hans a.k.a. O Irmão da Xuxa, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, 2003 Worlds, Igor Astraloza, Victor Hugo Peña, Baden Cooke, Graeme Brown, Rock Racing, Michael Ball, Armstrong, Merckx, Contador, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Hagerstown, Maryland, Shibuya, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, Japan

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Patrick Widdess is back with his monthly fm radio show from Cambridge, England, which features music, poetry and spoken word from all over the world. If you miss the live feed of the show, you can stream it for a month, until the next show is uploaded. The next headstand will be broadcast on Cambridge's 105 fm radio and at http://www.209radio.co.uk/shows/profile.php?show=headstand from 21:00 to 23:00 GMT, on Wednesday, 7 January. Tune in with us!

ENJOY!

Moth Conspiracy photo by Patrick.

Posted by Rob.

Osaka mission accomplished:  Much fun was had. [Photos: Elixir photo gallery, more to come]  We're now back in in Shiga eating osechi and basically just being lazy.  I've been alternating between the computer screen and the window, watching wet sloppy snowflakes steadily plummeting to earth as random daytime TV broadcasts ekiden exploits and shogi strategies into our lives.  The Emperor's Cup final has just started under sunny Tokyo skies--Osaka Gamba vs Kashiwa Reysol.  Go Gamba!

Posted by Rob.

NFTOS will be back after the holidays (unless Alex has something to post during our absence).

Osaka is rockin'!  After DJing at Absinthe (28 Dec) and Elixir (29 Dec), my next stop is Cafe Balbora on New Year's Eve, where Sachiko and friends will be DJing.

http://www.geocities.jp/balbora_cafe/

Photo:  Mt Fuji from the Shinkansen.

Posted by Rob.

Hans will be heading north to Ontario as Rob takes off for Osaka.

Photo of Hans by Rolf.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, Bicicleteiros, Marco Pantani, Tom Simpson, Osaka, Japan, Ontario, Canada, DJ, event, Cafe Absinthe, Shawn Basik, Tokyo, Yokohama, cycling, night rides

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Winter chills? Deep basslines and green fairies* are the ideal remedy.

Come nod your head to a funky, minimal-tech hybrid sound with Ian Handsley (KIX) and Shawn Basik (formerly of Oasis Lounge).

Start Time: Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 8:00pm
End Time: Sunday, December 28, 2008 at 2:00am

Location: Cafe Absinthe in Kita-Horie, Osaka, of course!

Facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=33355278038

Pre-listen on soundcloud:
http://soundcloud.com/shawn-basik
http://soundcloud.com/enh

*La fée verte:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritueux_aux_plantes_d%27absinthe

Posted by Rob.

Jerry Gordon, Takezo Aoki and Yuichi Arai will perform as Baku at Elixir, a new venue rumored to have Guido Saldaña connections.

The show starts at 9:00 p.m. on the 26th and is FREE of charge.

Location: Elixir Cafe Bar: Dakota House (just south of YMCA and the National Museum on Nakanoshima)
Address: 1F 1-23-30 Edobori Nishiku, Osaka, Japan
Phone: 0664442001

Posted by Rob.

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Get two for the price of one, no, make that four for the price of none!  First of all, it's the monthly Flo-Union at The Pink Cow this Sunday.  Second, it's also the Learn Japanese Pod Bonenkai (year-end party).  Third, it's El Gringo's return to DJing after a 10-month hiatus.  Fourth, it's Stone River's DJ debut at the Pink Cow.

It all starts at 8:00 p.m. and there's absolutely NO COVER CHARGE.  How can you stay away?

Still not convinced? You can stream or direct download two of my mixes--they are kinda long, but they'll give you an idea of some of the music I might play on Sunday. I've added a lot of records and maybe some skillz as well since these live recordings were made almost 3 years ago, but them skillz is probably a bit rusty after such a long time off.

Live @ Laba Laba
My earliest live "mix" back when I didn't have hardly any records of my own (not from 1991 as the page mistakenly says, but rather from around july 2004)...
bikeclubosaka.com/audio/live_at_laba_laba_by_dj_el_gringo

Live @ Oasis Lounge
The only other live "mix" I've made (nothing special, mostly just songs placed end-to-end)...
bikeclubosaka.com/audio/mind_mangle_part_01_by_dj_el_gringo

Photo of Stone River and El Gringo by Prapatang Hunyaga.

Posted by Rob.

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I've just finished listening to Patrick's Christmas edition of headstand, and as one who is not a fan of this season's music, I'd say he started off the show on the right foot by playing The Pogues' Fairy Tale of New York. 

Tune in for two hours of music and spoken word at:  headstand.209radio.co.uk

Posted by Rob.

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An Invitation from Charles Billard:

"We're doing a gig at DESTINE, small cozy bar in Umeda! Hope to see you guys before flying home for Christmas!"

Salads in Space is an improvised music trio composed of :
Rick Tuazon (laptop computer, drums, etc.) - projektivity.net
Jerry Gordon (clarinet, drums, saxophone, etc.) moontriangle.blogspot.com
and Charles Billard (home-made instruments, keyboard, etc.) - charlou2006.blogspot.com

saladsinspace.blogspot.com
myspace.com/saladsinspace

Posted by Rob.

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Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Talk Show, Alex, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Coffeebot3000, Stone River

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Yes, it's that time again. The event also doubles the 3rd anniversary party for Taiyo Record of Kagurazaka. That's today, 7 December 2008, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Here are links for info in French and info in Japanese. (Sorry, I don't have time to post coherent details, just cut n'paste stuff as it's been a fun-filled and busy weekend. Lot's of tales to tell in the next talk show or Tokyo Panic Living!

Good luck to everyone taking their JLPT this weekend! You know who you are, if you know what that is...

Posted by Rob.

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This audio podcast contains recorded sounds from my neighborhood, during the day and at night, cycling off into the northwestern suburbs (by accident) and more local brew tasting. Parental guidance advised.

Big shout out to Learn Japanese Pod crew, Alex, Waka and Coffeebot3000 who gave us a shout on their latest show, Fun Friday. Make sure you check out Wes's blog Hiking in Japan which was mentioned on their show.

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, NFTOS, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Asakusa, Flamme d'Or, Ueno, Kuramae, Kasuga, Kagurazaka, Otsuka, Ikebukuro, Shin Egota, Kan nana, Meijiro, dori, Oedo, sen, Koenji, Setagaya-ku, Sangenjaya, Shimokitazawa, Chazawa, Tokyo, Japan

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The sun also rises in Kuramae, and Rob wanders home via the sunniest route possible, thus taking the long way home.

Without internet at home, I'm getting really bad at posting links and detailed notes, so as usual, standby for that kind of stuff, but don't hold your breath!

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Rob a.k.a. El Gringo, Stone River, tachinomiya, Hoppy, shochu, Kuramae, Okachimachi, Ueno, JR Yamanote Line, Yoyogi, Shibuya, Chuo Rinkan, Denentoshi, Hanzomon, subway, Setagaya, Sangenjaya, Staion, Line, walking, walk, train, ride, Christmas, x-mas, Run-DMC, Samuel Flynn Scott & The B.O.P., audio, podcast, enhanced, iTalk, Tokyo, Japan

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Panic Living is back in Tokyo and in video form. New studio set with Stone River on camera!

Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Tokyo Panic Living, Rob, El Gringo, Japan, High Horse Studios, Sangenjaya, Setagaya, beer, haiku, senryu, books, t-shirt, Stone RIver

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Posted by Rob.

Tags: NFTOS, Live music, London, England, The Conservatives, Jonny Heartbreaker

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