Coffee, Adamski and prohibition

• More good reasons to drink coffee: apart from weight loss, it is mentally stimulating, reduces risk of Parkinson's, cardiovascular disease, gallstones. Good stuff.
• Adam Gorightly has a rather nice and thoughtful kooky piece on the various strands of the New Gnosis. It includes the following neat piece of George Adamski trivia:
  In the 1930's — prior to his "Space Brother" encounters — Adamski operated a monastery dubbed "The Royal-Order of Tibet," which afforded him a permit to make sacrificial wine during the Prohibition. After the Prohibition ended, Adamski's monastery suddenly closed its doors, and he afterwards opened a burger stand near the Mount Polomar Observatory. While there, Adamski claimed to have helped astronomers photograph several UFO's — a claim that afterwards was never verified by anyone at the observatory.
  

Thoughts on job interviews

• Recently I have had to interview a number of candidates for technical support positions at my work, and it has been rather an eye-opener. I'm no stranger to interviewing people, but never have I seen such a consistent range of inappropriate behaviours.
  Let's start with the most minor: dress. Now, I do not believe that dress code is at all appropriate for the average tech support position, but I like to see someone make an effort for the job interview itself. Preferably a jacket and tie. Failing that, at least a shirt. But, no. Quite a few of the people I've been seeing (for what is actually a fairly well paid position) just show up in jeans and t-shirt. Guy a couple of weeks ago came in the varient of an old sweatshirt, with t-shirt on top, a combo which irritates me even outside work. OK for beer and pizza, maybe, but not a job interview.
  Then there is the demeanour of the person. It is pleasant for everyone to keep it relatively informal and friendly. But it is a job interview after all, and I don't think much of people that laugh loudly, crack jokes, or lean back in their chairs and put their hands behind their heads as if to nod off.
  And show up on time for god sake.
  And the rambling on and on. There is virtue in keeping answers short and to the point.
  And when speaking of past jobs, there is really no point in letting me know that their previous manager had it in for them (for some unknown reason, or because they were a given religion, or whatever.) Maybe that is true, maybe it isn't, but bringing it up in an interview tends to be rather unimpressive.
  There is another one that I have seen, which isn't irritating, but rather a bit sad. I have a set lot of rather easy technical questions that I put to people in the interview. Those that don't have the necessary skillset, and can't answer most of my questions correctly, inevitably quickly assure me that they are both a very quick learner, and would be an asset to the company. Sorry man, maybe that it true, but I need someone with a certain base skillset.
  

It finally happened

• Nerdcore that is actually good and not just funny. MC Frontalot's 'It is Pitch Dark,' video directed by Jason Scott.
  

Brief: Iraqi metal and tapirs

• Stop Smiling has a brief report on what looks to be Iraq's only heavy metal band, Acrassicauda. At present they are in exile in Syria.
• From the sad to the cutesy, which I usually hate. But Curious Animals is an interesting blog to play around in. Here is there entry on the tapir.
  

Brief: Greys and linux command line shutdown

• The blog Damn Data takes a look at that most well-known aspect of the Greys: their big bonces. I rather feel sorry for the female Greys, as getting those big noggins through their birth canals must be quite an arduous business.
• This thread in the official Ubuntu forums gives some usual command line shutdown options.
  

Darkest of the Hillside Thickets CD release party

The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets is a pop punk (maybe) band that sings about Lovecraftian themes. I think that in some respects they were a bit ahead of their time, and deserve greater respect among Science Fiction fandom. Anyway, they are still going strong, and here is a press release for their CD release party.
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Saturday, September 1st I.M.U. presents THOR & The DARKEST OF THE HILLSIDE THICKETS Double CD Release Party @ The Media Club, 695 Cambie. Doors 8pm / $12 Advance @ Zulu, Scratch, Scrape, Neptoon Records & online @ http://www.imuproductions.com/tix . $15 Cover at the door

PLEASE NOTE: Presale tickets purchased at Record Stores and online for originally scheduled Aug 18th show @ The Lamplighter will be honored at the door this evening or you can redeem tickets at point of purchase.

The Rock Warrior THOR is about to take you on a thunderous, epic quest where he and his band journey to the center of the mind on his new concept album 'INTO THE NOISE' (SDR Records). With a live show set to showcase a new look with new costumes, the mighty Asgardian THOR will be unleashing metal to the masses with an all digital release and a limited edition collector's CD, available at his CD release show this evening! Joined by fellow masters of fantasy The Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets, who are celebrating the release of their new CD 'THE SHADOW OF TIM', it's a fantastical double header come to life!

THOR is an enduring icon of glam rock/metal and one of the true originators of rock theatre. His enviable career got off the ground with an appearance on the Merv Griffin Show and he's maintained a steady pace ever since, selling hundreds of thousands of records. Starting out in Vancouver, THOR first made waves in the bodybuilding world, becoming Mr. Canada and Mr. USA, always using heavy music as an intensive training tool. He has become a movie actor and producer, turning out collectible cult classics like "Rock & Roll Nightmare", "Zombie Nightmare", "Graveyard" and others. Most recently, THOR appeared in the USA Network movie "Murder At The Presidio" and stars in "The Intercessor" (both are available on DVD), and appeared in the Lifetime Network movie, "A Family Lost" to rave reviews. Long a champion of environmental causes, Thor is proud to be associated with Smog Veil Records, a label which has embraced an all-Green, environmentally friendly office HQ. With videos being filmed for the title track and the song "Evil Twin", stay tuned to Thor's adventures on YouTube and download free tracks from the album on myspace.com/thorrockwarrior! http://thorcentral.com

The DARKEST OF THE HILLSIDE THICKETS - When is an H.P. Lovecraft story not a book? When it's an album by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, of course! Following their seven year tour of outer space in support of "Spaceship Zero: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", The Thickets return to Earth and the waters off New Zealand in a very special operatic adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Shadow Out of Time." In HPL's original tale set in 1913, Professor Peaslee of Massachusetts has his mental faculties swapped by an alien mind and learns terrible truths about life on Earth and beyond. The latest full-length Thickets CD "The Shadow Out of Tim" features modern marine biologist Dr. Timothy Vess' descent into madness brought on by similar circumstances. The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, a cult mainstay since 1992, take you on a rock'n'roll tour through space and time, painting sonic pictures of the ocean deep, mysterious ruin-covered islands, and Paleocene jungles. Five out of five Cthulhu scholars agree - "The Shadow Out of Tim" is the perfect soundtrack to occult investigation! The single 'A Marine Biologist' was recently released as a free download on MySpace and thickets.net. http://www.thickets.net

Incas in Norway, coal miners.

• Weirdo archaeology news from Norway:
  The remains of two elderly men and a baby were discovered during work in a garden, and one of the skulls indicates that the man was an Inca Indian. - There is a genetic flaw in the neck, which is believed to be limited to the Incas in Peru, says arahaeologist Mona Beate Buckholm. The Norway Post suggests that maybe the Vikings travelled even more widely than hitherto believed? Why could not the Viking settlers in New Foundland have strayed further down the coast on one of their fishing trips? Well, that seems rather... unlikely. A quick web search didn't find any other material than that presented in the Norway Post article. Anyone have any futher information on this?
  
• My ancestors. (Link to photo displayed at Vintage Photos Livejournal Community.)