More thinking...

I've been doing some thinking and making notes of day to day things I hear about in the news and other forms of media in general, and I think I want to start writing a little more now.

My ideas, my theories, my thoughts all put into words and shared with anyone who's interested in seeing the world from my perspective. Following in the footsteps of my idols, I just think some things need to be brought to light and thought about by people other than myself.

Ad lucem.

My analysis on Apple and ARM rumour.

I was reading my tech updates yesterday and came across an article that Apple was thinking about buying Processor manufacturer ARM. Why they would do this is simple. Now there's level of the playing field, but then there's also closing off the playing field and not allowing your friends in to play with you.

If Apple takes over ARM, that would probably be the end of them producing CPU's for other mobile phone manufacturers like Motorola, HTC and the like. Excuse my french, but if this is true, Apple is a big pu**y. I've been checking the amount of Patents these guys have been filing. They want to put a patent on just about everything so that nobody else can use "their" technology. On the other hand, if ARM is smart, they won't sell to these spoiled brats. How is that good for business? Go from supplying multiple clients to only one exclusive client?

Did you know an Icon based GUI on any Operating System (Windows, Linux, Android, etc) was patented by Apple? Or they at least tried, it's a bit late now. I'll be damned if you ever catch me with anything from them now, be it software or electronics.

Well done Apple though. If you can't beat the other team, buy the ball park and kick them out. And you fanboys complain about Microsoft...ha!

My Lexicon

My Personal Lexicon: My theories, ideas and terminologies analysing the modern world.

Just a collection of the things I think about. A basic analysis on the world around me and the people in it, my theories on what I would call phenomenons, and some terminology I use to categorize/understand behavioural patterns. I'm not a Psychology or Philosophy student, these are just thoughts of mine. They may/may not be correct/offensive/thought provoking, but I apologize in advance if I do step on any toes.

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Distorted Motives:

Motives that were conceived with positive objectives in mind, but which have now become unclear or misled due to various influences. Negative factors are a big influence, such as greed, jealousy, M.A.D. and revenge as may cloud the subject's judgement or motives, leading them to commit selfish acts of violence - verbal or physical -, or various other acts considered to be morally wrong and socially unacceptable.

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Seasonal Branding Phenomenon:

A Phenomenon that creates pandemonium during various seasons of the year due to commercialism. This Phenomenon manipulates the mindset of the average human being for a certain period of time, ultimately convincing them to acquire as much as many tangible objects as possible relating to the given season. These objects are usually branded, modified or manufactured specifically for the given season in order to attract attention and potential buyers. This usually occurs at three main points during the year (Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas/New Years) in much of the Western world, and some parts around the globe. However, there is the possibility that this Phenomenon can occur more than thrice a year, for example, any large sporting event(s) that involve most of the global community, either as spectators or participants. Avoidance of this Phenomenon can lead one to be seen as socially awkward.

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M.A.D:

Modern Attention Deficit. This occurs mainly among people under the age of 25, most being in the 12-19 years old group. It can occur however, at later stages in life, or continue from an earlier stage. Very different from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, this involves more the social status of a person rather than their own attention span. As the subject may feel bored, rejected or unnoticed, they will try to find ways of averting the attention of others towards themselves in order to feel socially accepted/loved/appreciated/needed/functional. An influence of Distorted Motives, M.A.D. may cause the subject to exhibit potentially self endangering behaviour or acts seen by many as socially/morally unacceptable, for example, public indecency or performing various "stunts". In certain cases, the subject might have been threatened or abused at some point in their life, be it verbally, physically emotionally, which could lead them to doing the same to others. Certain situations may become endangering or life threatening to by standers or people/animals in the same vicinity as the subject.

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Human Refinement:

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*work in progress. I still need to refine some of the topics and make them clearer while adding and expanding more*

E-Mail

Wow

Really Sorry but....in all honesty....

Oh yes this is gonna be a mean one. I'm sorry but I just have to get this off my chest. Call it sour grapes, call me a grump, whatever. But...hear me out.

These Facebook Fan Pages have destroyed the whole fabric of this social network. Yeah yeah I know, I have one, but it has a purpose. I don't give a flying squirrel what happens when you eat a pack of M&M's and take a dump or what you do after you go to bed. I think it's stupid and pointless creating the groups first of all, but joining them is even more pointless.

Why am I pissed? I'm trying to build a career but does anyone give a shit about someone genuinely making a page to share his creations with the world? NO! Do you even check your groups you joined now and again or do you just join them for the sake of joining them and showing off to your friends that you like having a coffee in the morning? It's stupid, it's senseless, and it's become an annoying thorn in my side because everyone is in the habit of joining stupid things, and the real stuff just gets glanced over and left.

I ask time and time again for feedback (Murray I hear you on that one mate) but it's pointless. If you don't give a shit about my project, don't make me happy by becoming a fan.

This whole stupid network has lost it's purpose and the amount of douchebaggery (yes I just made that word up. Go on, make a fanpage for that) and stupidity has grown rapidly over time. I'm sorry, but I'm even closer to closing my account. If it wasn't the only way to communicate with friends (how many can I even call that?) and relatives far away, as well as managing my music project, I would have left the moment stupid fan pages started popping up and revealing the percentage of complete and utter idiots on this network.

And just like MySpace before, this place has been overrun by scum. It's a free world though, you have the right to do what you want, and that means the right to delete you from my account if I feel your level of intelligence isn't worth the space on my list. Please note, I've gone from 340+ contacts to 60, so you KNOW I'm serious!

Again, yes I'm sour grapes....and maybe a bit of a bigot....

Testing

Just testing to see if my SoundCloud widgets work. For the ones that didn't know, everything to do with Gigitsu will now be posted on http://gigitsu.blogspot.com apart from this widget.

Gigitsu - Surrealism by Gigitsu

Reshaping Our Society

I urge you to read the entire document through and write comments if you feel it necessary. I
m open to all forms of criticism.

A couple of months ago, a concept was brought to my attention. You're probably going to criticise me for having no life at all, or assume that I've lost my mind and that I'm part of some cult. None of this is true. I just ask, where are the thinkers in our generation, and the next one. Have we all become so obsessed with superficial things?

Being a follower of the Zeitgeist movement, a project of theirs sparked my interest. If you have never heard of it, Project Venus is basically a concept that aims to reshape our society for the good. This got me thinking, because I myself have doubts about our future and how things will turn out if we keep letting things go the way they are now.

Taking recent events in Austria into account, when did it become right for one or more teenagers to hold a taxi driver at gunpoint? Sure, there have always been criminals, but when minors start falling into this sort of lifestyle, shouldn't something be done? Should we not question why this is happening? Within the space of one week, three taxi drivers have been help up at gunpoint or threatened with a knife, all of the perpetrators being teenagers.

I go back just a couple of months, still in Austria, when a fourteen year old was shot dead by police, and his seventeen year old accomplice wounded. The pair had broken into a supermarket at 2:25am and there is still debate whether they were shot out of self defence, or whether the police officer that opened fire was “trigger happy”. When did it become normal for fourteen year olds to even be out at this time of the night? Have parents become too lenient on their children?

The next question is, who do we place the blame on? Who is responsible?

As an atheist I will be honest and tell you that I don't believe in God. I don't believe that praying day and night will lead to society changing for the better. I don't believe in divine intervention. How many Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and the like, have prayed for the safety, protection and anointing of their people? Countless I'm sure, but have we seen much change, if any? Have our lives and our society not continued to spiral to the point where teenagers are now criminals? I do not believe anything has happened. I believe their efforts ultimately in vain.

Should we not be responsible enough to stand up and do something? Are we really so incapable and lazy? Why do we find it necessary to pass the blame onto someone else and assume THEY will do something? We are all responsible. We are the only ones who can do something.

I'll start of with the parents of this younger generation. I have personally seen many pay no regard to disciplining their children. This in turn leads to the children believing that they have the upper hand, and that they will always have their way. Many parents are far too concerned with either themselves, or with work. Instead of looking after their children, spending time with them, teaching them the fundamentals that build up a healthy society, they would rather earn more money or pamper themselves. I do understand that there is global economic hardship, and that some families do require extra income to survive, but there are some that give in to greed.

Their disciplinary measures are reflected in the schools where some children easily refuse to learn. They would rather play the class clown, the so called “badass”, or spend their time indulging themselves with different forms of media. I don't have a problem with a child owning a game console or mobile phone, as long as they are disciplined enough to know that there is a time to learn, and a time for leisure. If a parent has no interest in the education of their child, are they really worthy of being called a parent? If your child comes home from school, refuses to do their homework and heads straight for their room to lock the door and entertain his or herself, shouldn't you show the slightest bit of interest how much they are actually learning, BEFORE the school calls you in regarding you child s progress?

Is it right to spoil a failing student with all sorts of materialistic gifts? When your child has done wrong, should you just sit back and watch them continue to do the same thing without trying to stop them and teach them that their actions are wrong? How will they learn otherwise? Who else is going to teach them? The school? How can the school teach them when they have absolutely no discipline in their own home, when the concept of discipline has fallen through the fingers of their guardians and is no longer attainable?

I move on to the media. In the 21st century, it's impossible to escape this entity. We are surrounded by televisions, computers, cellphones, multimedia players, and the giant of them all, the Internet. While it is still largely impossible to censor the internet or even enforce an effective form of restriction in order to shelter minors from certain things, the other forms of media can be censored. I'm sure we have heard of the Censorship Board and many other institutions that carry out the same tasks. When you buy a DVD or computer game, there are clear markings throughout the inlay that state the minimum age one must be, or maturity level, before they are allowed to purchase, view or use the product. The titles that contain more violent, morally and sexually explicit content are clearly designed for young adults and older. And yet parents, other family members, and even the stores allow minors to purchase media containing such content. Not only this, but they blame the publishers and the creators when their children begin to imitate what they have seen.

A few months ago a German software company was banned from selling their games within the country due to a school pupil gunning down fellow schoolmates and teachers. Everyone knows that this is not the first time this has happened. And this is definitely not the first time a video game publisher has been held accountable for releasing a game containing violence. But people fail to see that, yes, they did design such a product, but no, it was not intended for minors, and no, it should not have been sold to minors. The creators and publishers only go as far as designing and releasing the product to the market. They are not responsible for who buys it, because they clearly state on the cover, in plain sight, who the product is intended for.

Again, I bring this down to discipline from the parents. They are the one's allowing, maybe even indirectly as well as directly, their children to purchase these articles. I look at all aspects of the media industry. While DVD's and videogames carry clear ratings, what about the music industry?

I don't mean to put them on the spot, but when did it become normal for artists, if we can even call some of them that, to release songs containing lyrics that are: Degrading to women, degrading to other cultures, not as such condoning but rather nowhere near discouraging the use of drugs and/or alcohol, being promiscuous, the use of foul language and the glamorising of violence? I'm sure you'll agree with me that substance abuse is one of the biggest problems among the younger generation, but the problem of promiscuity and all round moral is an issue in itself.

Albums do in fact carry a warning that the music does contain explicit content, and again, people ignore this. In fact, I believe that record labels have become so obsessed with making a profit, that they target anyone and everyone to buy their music, regardless of age or maturity level. I myself have stopped buying and listening to certain types of music because I totally disagree with the content. I find it offensive that someone should be able to make money and become an idol, when the message they preach is mostly sexist or violent. No, they might not condone this sort of behaviour, but they have managed to glamorise it and have done NOTHING about discouraging it where the younger fans are concerned. I'm looking mainly at what the Hip-Hop and Pop genres have become.

If I recall, when Rap and Hip-Hop first came onto the scene, they had nothing to do with being sexist or violent. They were created as a way for people to get a message out there, a story of their hardship and growing up in a ghetto. I still respect Tupac Shakur, because he did send out a message. He knew that the violence wasn't right, he didn't condone men being sexist towards women and objectifying them. But the more recent artists have use these as devices to make their way in the world and gain fame, fortune, and a global group of blinded followers who idolize them. And again, parents have sat back and allowed their children to idolize these idiots, rather than themselves. What happened to wanting to grow up like daddy, or daddy being your hero? All this next generation want is fame and fortune without really understanding the amount of hard work, talent and skill needed to achieve it. They don't even know the real price of such a lifestyle, because all they're been able to see are the glamorous parts of it. They driven by greed for material wealth and attention.

And we could bring the greed for attention back to the parents, AGAIN! As I said earlier, some parents are either far too concerned with their own well being, or with earning money. The children come home and have nobody to talk to or give them attention, so they look for other ways of attaining it.

I could continue to go on,but in conclusion, I hope you have read this through and I want you to ask yourself these questions and think about them. What is the next step? Who should take it? The answer is literally under your nose. If we as parents, or prospective parents, or one day will be parents, take it upon ourselves to try and teach our children the fundamentals, protect them from the wrong kinds of influences, and be attentive to them in that they are well disciplined and in turn, well educated, WE could reshape our society for the better.

For those of you that want to forward this on to friends and family or keep print a hard copy, I have uploaded the PDF for you to download at the following links.

Mirror 1

Mirror 2

My top tips for safe and secure browsing.

First off, I want to commend Microsoft for pulling Internet Explorer as their default browser in the European version of Windows 7. In my honest opinion, IE was only a good friend when i had no other friends. Now I'm no expert in the field, but i have some knowledge of web browsers. I've been experimenting with new ones from as far back as Netscape and the Neo browser. I remember K-Meleon which was another Mozilla browser.

Currently I'm running Chrome for quick access and videos because its so fast, and FireFox for extra features like RSS feeds and bookmark synchronization. The security in Mozilla based browsers is the best in my opinion. So here are my top tips of what to use.

1: Choose a browser.

Kick IE to the curb. I've had this computer over a year now, and very seldom used IE. I only needed it occasionally when a piece of software was directly dependable on it or didn't recognize that FireFox was my default. However in that short time of usage, there seemed to some sort of "bombard Gigi with useless toolbars" conference because I've never installed anything into the browser, and yet it takes at least 5 minutes to load up because so many toolbars have found their way into it.

If you're looking for performance, I hear Safari is the one to go for. Its based on the Mozilla engine, widely compatible, and I've used it on many occasions and I can honestly say the interface is beautiful. Load time is excellent but I've never really monitored how fast it loads web pages. As with most good browsers out there, it supports Tabs and Tab-Tearing, so you can pull a tab into its own window. It does get a little sluggish now and again when you have a few tabs open with streaming content. Even on my 2GB of RAM and dual-core.

Another excellent browser for performance is Google's Chrome. Although the browser lacks features (Safari is pretty basic too), it has all the basic things you need and maybe one or two extras the others don't have. Load up time is excellent and I've made it my default browser for that reason. As with the other Mozilla based browsers, the security is excellent. The popup blocker works to some extent, but the browser will automatically show a red screen when you're about to view an unsafe page. You do have the option to continue to the page, although I wouldn't recommend it.

My final choice here, which I will write about in more detail than the others, is FireFox 3. I've been a fan since the first release and I have been using it ever since. For most of my Internet experience, FireFox has been my default (until recently when it became too bloated and sluggish in the loading department). Not just because it was secure, but because it did load faster than IE and as far as i can remember, IE was the first one to support add-ons. And these add-ons are the reason I still stay close to FF.

2. Get FireFox.

Also Mozilla based, firfox supports a wide range of features. Add-ons, plugins, skins and with a few tweaks, you can make it even more useful. Think of it as the swiss army knife of browsers.

3. Get FireFox Add-Ons.

I've discovered a host of Add-Ons for Firefox. I've been using this computer for about a year and a half now, and never ever had a problem with it. I only recently started using a software firewall and yet, i've never had a problem with viruses and malware. The only viruses i've had are the ones i purposely downloaded. I've never had to restore windows from a backup, and never had to format my drive. Knock on wood!

The following add-ons are highly recommended by me and are all FREE.

• WOT (Web Of Trust). This is an add-on which is sort of based on a small social network. You can participate if you want, or just use the add-on. What it is basically, is a rating system. The WOT members surf the web and give the different websites ratings in four categories. Child Safety, Trustworthiness, Vendor Reliability and Privacy. If a website is deemed unsafe, WOT will automatically block the website with an overlay displaying information as to why the website is unsafe. Again, you have the option to continue to the page, but this is not recommended. You can get more info here. WOT Demo
• Ad-Block Plus. If you get sick of those ads that show up on all the sites with flash animations, this is the perfect add-on. Most of those ads display false messages telling you that your computer is infected. To the average person, this looks legitimate and they end up downloading what they believe to be an Antivirus or cleaner. This is just a piece of malware to turn your computer into a bot and/or steal your personal information stored on it. You have the power to block these ads, and entire domains so that non of their ads show up. You can even block any content you want. And you always have the power to disable the blocker and removed items from the black list if you make a mistake. When you download this add-on, make sure you subscribe to one of the servers so your black list is kept up to date with what to block.
• This last add-on beefs up FireFox's popup blocker. Yes Popups makes the built in popup blocker more aggressive. NO website is able to open a popup unless you whitelist it first. This can easily be done by clicking a link on a site, waiting for the bar to show up informing you of a blocked popup, and clicking the options button where you can select the option to allow popups from that domain. This is recommended for websites you trust, because Yes Popups is so aggressive that it will even block you from opening links if they try to open in a new tab. You can always turn it off and remove sites from the white list if you do make a mistake.

These are basically the only three security add-ons i use with my FireFox, and like i said, I've never accidentally downloaded and installed malware, trojans or anything of the sort.

4. Get an anti-spyware program.

There are a few out there, and the best I've come across so far are Lavasoft's Ad-Aware and Spyware Terminator. Please note that these ARE NOT alternatives to an Anti-Virus. Some Anti-Virus programs have malware removers built in, but a few don't, and this is for the people that don't have that feature. Ad-Aware comes in a very basic package that you can only scan your computer with and clean. If you want the background monitor, you need the full version which will cost you a bit. It is a good program though.

Spyware terminator is free and this one actually does give you the option of installing their own antivirus to go with it. I've never tried it out though because I'm happy with Avast Home Edition. Spyware Terminator also gives you the option to immunize your web browsers against certain bugs and loopholes in the browsers and your system. This will prevent your browsers from launching malicious code in the background.

You also have the option of using the Real Time Scanner, which works in the background. A useful feature, however it does get annoying at times. It basically monitors every action your computer makes. If it deems something unsafe, it notifies you and asks how you would like to proceed. If it is a program you purposely launched, it is added to the database and you will never be asked again. If its something you didn't launch, just click the block option and it will be blacklisted and never allowed to run. You do have the option of changing the levels of security. Disable does just that, the monitor is turned off. Allow mode, which i would only recommend when you're installing software from a secure source, i.e. a retail CD or a trusted piece of software from the official website. Game mode will allow you to play your games without the interruptions, and Normal mode prompts you for every unknown action.

As with all security programs, updates are frequent and scans should be run just as often. Again, you have the option of editing you white and black lists.

5. Avast! Home Edition.

I remember going out and paying 50 Euros for Norton Internet Security 2007. Not only did it slow down my entire system and hog my resources, but it let a piece of malware through MSN which destroyed my system. This was two years ago, and since then I've never touched anything with Norton on it again. I've never paid for an antivirus since then either.

Avast! comes in two versions. Home Edition and Professional. The Home edition will cost you nothing, and you'll get all the features you need PLUS a licence key that's valid for one year. And when it expires? Just renew it or, if you're feeling generous, pay for the Professional licence. This will unlock small extra features like a Script Blocker, PUSH Updates, the ability to store scan results and a few more other things. I still say Home edition is fine for everyday use.

6. Firewall.

Most Routers have built in firewalls, and company networks too. But sometimes an extra bit of protection does help, and the Windows Firewall doesn't cut it. I'm using COMODO Firewall. Another free program. Just like Spyware Terminator, updates are frequent and it will prompt you about every action you make if it finds it unsafe. Unlike Spyware Terminator that only prompts on local actions (starting of programs and services without connecting to the Internet or network), it does it's job of monitoring EVERY connection you make to the Internet. Every time a program tries to access a port or an outside I.P. address tries to communicate with a port, you will be notified. Its up to you to decide what's safe, but the program will help you if you don't know. As for security levels, it's much the same as Spyware Terminator, with the addition of Safe mode which will prompt for absolutely everything, and Training mode which learns which actions to allow. Network and Local actions have separate security levels, so you can adjust them independently.

7. Don't download just anything.

There are so many programs on the internet that are available for download, and most seem to good to be true. If you don't need it, don't download it. Theres countless weather applets, so called spyware removers, and little gadgets to add to your desktop to make it look fancy, but so many are full of malware and trojans. Instead, Google the software first and see what comes up. If other users deem it safe and reliable, go ahead and install it. This method has saved my skin countless times.

You can get more info on these programs by visiting the following websites:

FireFox

Safari

Chrome

Avast!

Spyware Terminator

COMODO Firewall

Ad-Aware

WOT

Ad-Blocker Plus

Yes Popups

Remembering the greats, part THR33

I'm one day late with my post but I can explain. Whether I actually want to or not is a totally different question. And now without further ado, we can begin part three.

This first one might not be trance, but I thought I would start off with a big track from...well 12 years ago. 1997 was the year and Bellini came out with something that was sure to get you on the dancefloor, and/or going to Rio De Janeiro. Samba De Janeiro. I wanna learn that dance too (Don't hate me). These guys are going by the name of Paffendorf now, and I can guarantee it's not the last you hear of them from me. ;)



As promised the other day, I bring you another track with Janeiro in the title. Solid Sessions, the name of the track, and 2000 is the year it was produced and released in. Another song telling an interesting story (which you can find out more about by clicking the link). A big big tune from back then, being remixed in 2002 by the likes of Armin Van Buuren and more, and again in 2006 by 4 Strings. I will feature the Van Buuren remix later on as it was also pretty spectacular.



Now this next one I'm sure EVERYBODY has heard of at some point. And the remix I'm including here is probably one of his best to date, if not THE best. Delerium, a Canadian band formed in 1987 (that was a good year, I know one other good thing that came out that year. Take a hint) as a side project to Front Line Assembly. Sarah McLachlan lent her vocals to the group and together they produced Silence. The track recieved airplay in 1997 but was only released in 1999. The track was then remixed by Tiesto, and in my personal opinion, I think this was one of the biggest trance tunes ever. And this, ladies and gentlemen, IS the track that actually got me hooked on trance for life. You remember it like your first kiss, or your first love, and really, the way I feel about this song is no different. Above & Beyond remix to follow later on.



Almost at the end of this edition, but here's another personal favourite and love of mine. Going back 13 years to 1996, we have Chicane with Offshore. Probably their best dance track, but I have a couple others coming later that are pretty much on par with this. Offshore is a true Ibiza anthem, and I enjoy both the dance and chilled out versions. Disco citizens also did a really excellent remix of this (another alias of the man behind Chicane, Nicholas Bracegirdle).





And once again we come to the end of this post, and I hope I leave you again with another cracker of a track. A german duo by the name of Cosmic Gate released their first single in 1999. This was not a very well known track, and they only became widely popular after their release of Fire Wire, but Exploration Of Space still gets my heart pumping. Oh by the way, ever heard of Nic Chagall? I'm sure you have. Nic Chagall is an alias of Claus Terhoeven, one of the faces behind Cosmic Gate. Over the years they've racked up quite a few remixes for various artists including, Oceanlab, Safri Duo, Ferry Corsten, and more recently, Markus Schulz.



More classics to follow. Tomorrow night we might even have a friday night pack to get you off to a good start this weekend. Lets see how things go ;)

Remembering the greats, Part Deux.

Extra points to anyone who picked out the movie reference in the title. But onto business, and believe me I have some hammers for you today. This first one is an amazing track. It might not be Proximus/Adiemus but I can guarantee you it's on that level.

Coming from around 1999/2000 (the best years of trance in my opinion), Finished Symphony was produced by Mike Truman and Chris Healings, a.k.a. Hybrid. The British duo had the Russian Federal Orchestra perform the symphony, blending it with progressive breakbeat, trance and house. I think it's a moving piece, and the chilled version without the breakbeat is just as effective.

The next one coming out from the same time, not really a moving track but it was one of the one's that got me into the genre. Actually I think the first dance/trance CD i ever owned was a compilation and this was one of the mixes. (Anyone remember the E.S.P. mixes? It was on the green one, forgot what volume or whatever, please let me know if you do). Some kicking bass and smooth piano, here's Limits by Marco V. and Benjamin.

I'm trying to work on a 5 per post system, so it's not stopping here. Something newer, and pretty massive by my favourite Trance/Dance group ever. Yes, it's Oceanlab. One year after Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamäki (a.k.a. Above & Beyond) linked up with Justine Suissa, they released this massive track. I find the original to be pretty moving, but the remix by Ferry Corsten was also pretty big. I'd post both but I'm gonna favour the original. The video is pretty awesome itself.

Now this next one i first heard on the Deeper Shades of Euphoria mix cd in the form of Solarstones After Hours mix. Very chilled and laid back, with intriguing lyrics and vocals by Carla Werner. The original is not much different, but with a more breakbeat feel. Out of 2002, featured on DJ Tiesto's In Search Of Sunrise vol. 3: Panama, here is Paul Oakenfold's Southern Sun remixed by Tiesto. There's actually an interesting story to this track, listen and you'll get the idea...or just look a the Wikipedia page.

And last, but certainly not least, a bombshell from Blank & Jones. I KNOW you will love this one. A very uplifting energetic piece with a very chilled out break. The climax in this one (not that kind but has similar effects) is amazing. I get shivers everytime (see, I told you it's similar). From 2002, here's Watching The Waves, with a trippy video to double the effects.

Hope you loved this post and I'm sure there will be many more for you fanatics. If you didn't, too bad, I'm still gonna do this just for the enjoyment of digging up classics. I've got more lined up for tomorrow, so check back again. Just a teaser....does Solid Sessions ring a bell? ;)

I'm off on a major trip now seeing as that last one got me in the mood.

Remembering the greats.

OK so I've remodelled the blog just a little. I think the bright pink and purple and all that was getting a little tacky. And maybe the sidebar was full of junk too...i don't know. But my new logo (I use the term loosely because I've been using it everywhere else for quite a while) is up at the top now, and I think it looks better....but that's beside the point.

I've been surfing youtube and wikipedia-ing, etc etc for a couple weeks now and I'm stumbling upon some really old trance and it's all really good stuff. So I'm deciding to start a segment on here called "Remembering the Greats" or something....I will work on the name.

Basically the idea is to find the monster hits from back in the day, so you can also refresh the memory and have a listen. All will be posted here with their YouTube clips, maybe even some extra info behind the song. I find it interesting and I'm sure there's people who want to broaden their knowledge of the genre, some of the songs and the big artists.

Starting off with probably the most emotionally stimulating hit, Mauro Picotto's "Proximus"



This song uses a sample taken from Adiemus for those interested. I've found a video of the original which I embedded below. This piece was also covered by Enya for Lord Of The Rings, but here is a link to Wikipedia with more info on Adiemus.

"Discover" promotional edit online.

It's been too long since I managed to make any music, even though I've been dying to. But in the past two weeks I have managed to do some work and this is the first complete one. This is just a promotional version, I'm keeping the extended ones to myself for now unless I see some activity generated.

Player is embedded below. Download, listen, comment, but most importantly, ENJOY! :)

Discover (Promo ed...

Keeping up with the @Jonesessessss....

In my never ending quest for exposure and a larger fan base, I've decided to keep up with the times and get myself a Twitter account dedicated to Gigitsu. And why not? Rather than sign in to facebook to update my fan page, i can just tweet from my mobile when im out and about.

And in other news, in my never ending quest to bring you, the people, some fresh new progressive tracks, I've managed to come up with 2 (now 3) new tracks in one day. I can't wait for friday so i can start putting some production time in and working on these. Demos will be released once i'm happy with them....if that ever happens. As well as those three, i'll be going back a couple of years to when i was still going under the D-Livid alias. I'll be taking a few of those tracks and composing them from scratch with new instruments and effects. I've learned so much more in the past 2-3 years, lets see what i can change and improve.

yeah so i'm full of excitement. Don't forget to tell your friends.... your mom knows already ;)

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Right well it's been a while since i wrote anything here and I can explain. I've been really busy travelling, working, sleeping, etc. But other than that, I just haven't felt that inspired lately. Until a couple of days ago.

I'm sure you're familiar with the painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper. If not, I can guarantee you've seen some sort of parody or pop culture reference to it. Google it and you will see. Do it now if you can, then read on after.

Right, so now we know what I'm talking about. Except that painting isn't the one I'll be referring to. A reinterpretation of it, probably almost as famous, named The Boulevard of Broken dreams, has been on my mind lately. In this piece, the characters are replaced by Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Elvis Presley and James Dean. All well known and loved celebrities who passed on tragically.

My interpretation is much the opposite. The original features the four celebrities, at least three out the four seem to be happy. They were all highly successful, although cut down in their prime as it were. The one i see in my head is a much gloomier feel about it. I'll try to describe it for you.

Imagine the diner. Now imagine it in Hollywood, except it's completely empty. Now one by one, I'll add more modern characters to it. Something we can relate to. Imagine a young girl, tall, skinny, blonde and wearing a leopard skin coat. She is holding a cigarette, seated at the counter with a cup of coffee. A very unsatisfied, depressed, confused look on her face. This is a model, unhappy because she sacrificed her health and body for a dream, and now she is bearing the consequences. Poor health, greed, and a life spent wasting time worrying about the superficial/material things.

The next character in the diner, a young man. His face almost identical to that of the young James Dean. Obviously a very good looking young man. He's behind the counter, busily serving the patrons as they come in. The look on his face makes it evident that he's deep in thought as he makes his way about his job. A young inspiring actor maybe, working the 9-5 shift just to get by while he tries to land a role in a low budget film. We all have to start off somewhere.

Character number 3 is seated at the counter on the side adjacent to that of the young lady. He is slightly askew on his stool, clothes somewhat tatty, large gold chains on his neck and wrists. A very wealthy man, however it's easy to see he has problems. His eyes are red and droopy. His face bears a scar just above the right cheek bone. From behind, the problem becomes clearer as one can see a mirror and a silver tin, just peeking out from one of his back pockets. Someone who made it in the industry, but somewhere along the line lost his way and started a journey down a very dark path.

Now the really sad parts. They might be too much for some people, but i have to be completely honest and open if i want to interpret this in a way that reflects our society as it is today.

Seated eerily close to the young lady, is an older man, probably late fifties to mid sixties. Another successful person, his suit is of a designer label, tailor made to fit his ageing body perfectly. He is the only one inside the diner with a smile on his face, albeit a cheeky one, as his eyes gaze at the blonde. I don't need to go into detail about his intentions, i think the man is fairly transparent enough for you to see them for yourself.

Across the road from the diner, in the background, a red light can be seen. A reference to the real Boulevard of broken dreams, Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

If i could paint, this is what i would paint :)

The Real Cost Of Second Hand Goods.

Right i know its been a while since i wrote on here but i've been really busy. So for a change, i've taken some time off to sit here and write about something i've been thinking about.

The hidden cost of second hand electronics has been on my mind. I was in the process of buying a new mobile but before i decided what i wanted, i checked out a few reviews and videos, the most noteable here being the "unboxing" videos on youtube.

Sure you may get the second hand mobile, mp3 player, laptop at a knockoff price, but you're not getting the full experience of the purchase. What exactly do i mean? I mean the actual unboxing of the device and seeing it in its raw, unscathed, untouched state, freshly wrapped in the packaging with all the extras that came with it.

A tech fundi like me would probably compare the experience of unboxing to that of child birth. Taking the device out of the box for the first time (i know what you're thinking, and no not that box, i'm talking about the phone and the packaging) and holding it in your hands, fresh, shiny and clean. Something like that new car smell.

With second hand goods, you don't really experience this. It's already been unpackaged, handled, most likely dropped and scratched a few times, and probably nowhere near in working order as it was when it was new. So your iPhone you bought for 300 bucks, might be a bargain, but you're missing out on a 300+ experience the original owner had.

The excitement when you first open the box and see it in absolute perfect condition for the first time is already gone and used on someone else. In this sense, i try to always go for a new device. This is probably why people like to take photos of the unboxing event and videos, so they can preserve that memory. Like a childs first words caught on film, or the first time he/she walked or got caught playing in the mud (i have a pretty memorable pic of a similar experience involving me and my brother haha. i just need to find it).

Really, what i'm trying to say is, theres a lot more that you pay for than the bargain price tag. And that, my friends, is what i believe to be the hidden cost of second hand goods.

Enclosed is a video of someone who just got his hands on the new Nintendo DSi. Have a look, you can almost feel the excitement and joy.

Nintendo DSi unboxing at CrunchGear.

Big F**KING HOUSE!

An old mix I dug up from Feb 2007.

Featuring, Pharell and Paul Oakenfold, Erick Morillo, Beatfreakz, Mr. Oizo and many more.

You can download or listen to it on eSnips or in the player below.

D-Livid - Big Fuxx...

M0H1T0 has landed!

It's here, and i'm happy about this one. Got some seriously big tunes in there along with a few new and lesser known ones which i'm sure you will end up liking. 3 or 4 weeks of planning this playlist and now i've gone and selected what i feel are the tunes that make you wanna dance and get lost in the music. One or two throwbacks (Madison Avenue, anyone?) and my three current favourites which i recommend you go and download (pay for it if you can, they're really good). These would be:

• David Guetta Ft. Kelly Rowland - Love Takes Over (Samman's 'Boom Boom' Club Mix)
• Bob Sinclar Ft. Sugarhill Gang - Lala Song (Tocadisco Remix)
• Pussycat Dolls - Jai Ho (DJ Fisun Extended Mix)

But enough about that, how about the rest of the tracks. My favourites have been marked and underlined, i recommend these most of all. Tracklisting is as follows:

1. Robin S vs Steve Angello & Laidback Luke - Show Me Love vs Be (Hardwell's Bootleg Mix)
2. Pryda vs Blaze - Precious Pjanoo (Marco Palacios Remix)
3. The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (Tom Neville Remix)
4. Ultrabeat Vs Darren Styles - Sure Feels Good (Soul Seekerz Remiz)
5. Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby
6. Kaskade & Deadmau5 - Move for Me (Extended Mix)
7. Flo Rida Feat Kesha - Right Round (Mark Brown Remix)
8. Britney Spears - Gimme More (Mike Candys Bitch Remix)
9. Benassi Bros vs Black Box featuring Sandy Chambers & Martha Wash - Illusion (Everybody Everybody) (Res-5 vs Benny Bennasi "Finale" Edit)
10. Albin Myers - Times Like These (Club Mix)
11. Bjork - Hyperballad (Mauro Mozart Remix)
12. Albin Myers - Times Like These (Club Mix)
13. David Guetta Ft. Kelly Rowland - Love Takes Over (Samman's 'Boom Boom' Club Mix)
14. Bob Sinclar Ft. Sugarhill Gang - Lala Song (Tocadisco Remix)
15. Pussycat Dolls - Jai Ho (DJ Fisun Extended Mix)
16. Ashlee Simpson - Outta My Head (Dave Aude Club Mix)
17. Jewel - Serve the Ego [Hani Num Club Mix]
18. Groove Armada - Superstyling (Kyle Watson Bootleg Mix)
19. Jesse - Leavin' (MSTRKRFT Mix)
20. Chris Decay - Hold Tight (Tim Verba Remix)

Download/Listen: http://www.zshare.net/audio/58991740dc57e9d3/
I know i know, its zSHARE and i'm not a fan, but MediaFire rejected the file. Their limit is 100MB per file, zSHARE is 500MB. Looking for a new host...

Old Mixes are online.

Here's an eSnips widget with some of my old mixes. No need to download, you can listen to them right there. I'll update the page later with links to MediaFire so you can download them from a faster server and in high quality (esnips doesn't like me).

Click to carry on to the eSnips folder.

DJ D-Livid - The Mixes

Holy F***, does he know what he's created?

Browsing through my usual subscriptions i came across an interesting headline.

"iPod Touch Controlled Mazda RX8"

April Fools joke it most certainly is not, because i used my usual "i gotta see this to believe it" intuition and opened it. I watched the video and was impressed with the concept as a whole, until he described how it worked. And then it hit me..... This man has just hooked up his RX-8 to one serious security system. As you will see in the video, the central-locking, starter, diagnostics and gps are all connected to a computer in the boot, which is hooked up to a 3G modem.

So in a nutshell, he can start his car, unlock it and get information on where it is and what its doing anywhere in the world. Which made me think. Think of the shock the guy who steals this will get when you start it up or cut off the engine for him even though he's miles away. With a few tweaks you could probably cut the fuel pump before he gets too far and use Google Maps on the iPhone to locate it.

I think he should go ahead and patent the idea and sell it to some security company. Kudos.

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Audible Cocktail now online.

Party time? Get yourself in the mood. Audible Cocktail, 24 hot house tracks back to back, cut, blended and served in one hot download.
If this mix doesnt get you dancing, then i don't know what will.


Track List:

• 1. Fragma Vs P Diddy - Tocas Last Night (Inpetto Mix)
• 2. Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan - Silence (Niels van Gogh vs. Thomas Gold Remix)
• 3. Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix)
• 4. Pryda Vs Pnau - Baby Bug Stockholm
• 5. Mark Ronson Feat. Lily Allen - Oh My God (Chris Lake Remix)
• 6. Lady GaGa - Poker Face (Jody den Broeder Remix)
• 7. Beyonce - Diva (Karmatronic Vocal Remix)
• 8. Muzikjunki & Myu Myu Feat. Todd Jordan - True Or False (Kid Massive Mix)
• 9. Ne-Yo - Closer (Stonebridge Club Remix)
• 10. Armin Van Buuren - Who’s Watching (Oliver Moldan's This Clogs Are Made For Dancing Mix)
• 11. Fatboy Slim - Star 69 (Ortega & Gold)
• 12. R.I.O - De Janeiro (STFU Radio Edit)
• 13. Hi Tack - Say Say Say (Waiting 4 U)
• 14. Col Hamilton - Catch it Kill it Scran it
• 15. Axel Neville Vs Run DMC - It's Like that
• 16. John Dahlback - Blink
• 17. Moby - Raining Again (Steve Angello Remix)
• 18. The Disco Boys Feat. Manfred M - For You (Freemasons Remix)
• 19. mr. oizo - flat beat
• 20. Didier Sinclair Ft. Lidy V - Feel The Wave
• 21. Rihanna - Disturbia (jody den broeder remix)
• 22. DJ Mujava - Township Funk
• 23. Kaz James Feat. Macy Gray - Can't Hold Back (TV Rock & Luke Chable Remix)
• 24. Cunnie Williams Feat. Monie Love - Saturday 2009 (Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney Remix)

Download here: http://www.zshare.net/audio/57486230e1cd64d6/

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