Reviews

Practical Open Source Software Exploration – Free Open Source Textbook

Amihan
“Can Professors Teach Open Source?” The answer is a resounding yes. In fact, TeachingOpenSource.org has written a book that work pretty much in the same way as any other open source software project – improvements, technically known as patches, are very much welcome. The textbook has a foreword by Greg DeKoenigsberg, a Senior Community Architect at Red Hat. He was the founder and first chairman of the Fedora Project Board, the governance body for the Fedora Project, an open source software project.
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Zoe.LeelA’s Queendom Come – vibrant electro-pop

Melissa
German pop songstress Zoe.LeelA describes her music as "New Plastic Soul," and to be honest I can't think of a better category to put it in. This 6-song EP, appropriately titled Queendom Come, is a bold statement of feminist energy and sexual tension. Zoe already has quite a following in Germany and France, but it remains to be seen whether her very European sound will translate well across the pond.
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The Silent Ballet Volume XIV – compilation album from The Lost Children netlabel

Amihan
The Lost Children Netlabel and The Silent Ballet have teamed up again to present some of the most talented but yet to be discovered musicians around the world. As the album's title says, they are now on "Volume XIV." There are 12 tracks in this compilation album of ambient-electronic music. The tracks are combination of relaxing and emotionally stimulating music, but it is predominantly trance. Some tracks have a far more intense energy than others, so I am not quite sure whether I'd be playing that as background music for a "quiet me time." Most tracks, however, are decidedly soothing.
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Darwin’s Tree of Life – see how living things are related

Amihan
Tree of Life is a collaborative project by Wellcome Trust, BBC, and The Open University. It was aired on BBC1 in early 2009 as part of BBC’s Darwin season. It serves as homage to Charles Darwin, whose 200th birth anniversary falls in 2009. In Darwin's “On the Origin of Species,” he used the term 'tree of life' to describe the evolutionary relationships between all living things on Earth. The collaborators intended to produce an updated version of the Tree of Life, created by Shadow Industries. Sir David Attenborough narrates this six and a half minute video, which invites you to “see how living things are related.”
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I Am Not Lefthanded “Time To Leave” – Indie Pop Rock Sound with Captivating Vocals

Valerie
Pop indie music with dashes of alternative and coupled with sweet girl vocals. They might not be lefthanded but they sure can create good lovely music. I Am Not Lefthanded makes simple music sound as if it's the only kind of song worth listening to. Their short album Time to Leave is a great blend of melodic indie rock with small doses of alternative rock. Citing some of Indie music's darlings (Rilo Kiley, Deathcab for Cutie and Weezer) as among their top favorites; it's hard not to notice the obvious influence in sound and lyrical quality. Citing some of Indie music's darlings (Rilo Kiley, Deathcab for Cutie and Weezer) as among their top favorites; it's hard not to notice the obvious influence in sound and lyrical quality.
AcousticAlternative PopAlternative RockMusicPop Rock0 views 0

Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning – Meet Captain James Pirk!

Valerie
Perhaps one of the most elaborate fan movies ever made, Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is definitely a movie to watch if you want a good laugh. A movie that started off as five friends decided to create a good satirical and dark sci-fi comedy about a crazed leader who is set on world domination, Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning certainly doesn’t disappoint. Under the direction of Timo Vuorensola, this movie parodies both the Star Trek and the Babylon 5 universe. Why not join "Captain Pirk" and the "CPP Kickstart" crew as they hatch up a plan to t
AdventureComedyFull Feature FilmSci-FiVideo0 views 0

Pull My Daisy (Ex Lillian Gish) – Yellow Cake & Velvet Crash

Valerie
A touch of dark, industrial, melancholic and straight up rock music with a French twist. Pull My Daisy rose up from the remains of French band Lillian Gish and came to create a soundscape filled with rockish guitars, a 90s flair and easily likable tunes. Yellow Cake & Velvet Crash is filled with dark noise rock, instrumental beats that makes you to listen from one track to the next without putting up much of a fight. It's easily likable especially if you still dream of the days when great angry 90s rock music filled the radio.
Alternative RockAmbientElectronicElectronicaIndustrialInstrumentalInternationalMusicRock0 views 0

L’autre endroit – A Golden Sound of Silence

Valerie
Heavy guitar trip-hop all to the sound of Silence. Native Belgian, Vincent Gires, dubs himself as a Silence and creates music infused with trip-hop, industrial and ambient. Although some might argue about labeling his music as trip-hop when its leaning more towards straightforward industrial sound, there is no doubt that certain tracks on this album centers on thought provocation which is the core of trip-hop. Stop!, for instance, features a woman on the verge of being a victim to a crime. L'autre endroit compiles heavy guitars and synthetic beats that takes you for a ride into the unknown.
AmbientElectronicIndustrialInstrumentalMusicTrip-Hop0 views 0

Done the Impossible – The Fan’s Tale of Firefly and Serenity [A Documentary]

Valerie
It's about time the Firefly geeks take center stage. Done the Impossible chronicles the birth of the cult TV show Firefly. The only difference is that its told through the eyes of the fanboys and girls who made the show a hit. Moreover, it relates of how they came to be a key in helping to create it counterpart movie, Serenity. Done the Impossible compiles interviews of cast, crew and fans of the show. It showcases their passion for Firefly and their struggles in keeping the show afloat. The cast and crew also join in on the action and share funny and insightful experiences they had in the show. So if you are a big Firefly geek, then you've hit the jackpot on this one.
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