For the past week or so we've seen a ton of buzz about some political mudslingers "revealing" the "secret" identity of a rather well known cracking scene figure from the old days, Strider/Fairlight. The geek-driven ad-click-revenue-hungry websites have jumped on this like crazy, while the real and respectable media fortunately seems to be staying on the conservative side for now (no pun intended). Just to bring in some context, from a person who has gone through a lot of similar so-called-secret information thanks to a certain historical hobby project, let me clarify two things many of you seem to be confused about:

There is no story. The "posing with porn stars" bit should've tipped you on this one, but what we're seeing is just an old fashioned smear campaign with absolutely zero news value. By all accounts, this guy left the scene way back in the early 90s to focus on his real life, much like hundreds of others before and after him. If he actually did perform criminal activities, they'd be so ancient the statute of limitations would've passed 10 times by now - if such acts were even considered illegal in Sweden some 15-20 years ago. Besides, I don't recall reading anything about this person ever even being accused of any copyright violation, let alone convicted. Even with some interesting PO Boxes and BBS:es in the Arab Emirates and some money unquestionably changing hands, the scene was a lot more innocent in the late 80s and early 90s when people like the FLT founders were active. We're talking about a hobby of some geeky teenagers here, not organized crime. I'd be willing to bet large sums on the fact that a large percentage of politicians active in both major US parties have engaged in similar, if not worse activities in their rebellious teen years.

There is no big "revelation". Seriously. All information "exposed" here can be found using a few simple Google searches and other publicly available material. Anyone could do it. Of course you need a political agenda to motivate you actually go hunting down people in such a silly way. While archiving old Amiga scene material, I've stumbled upon dozens upon dozens of real life identities behind scene people of the 80s and 90s, on both the legal and illegal side. In process I have also found out about the embarassing teenage shenanigans of numerous people currently in very public positions. The fact that these kids weren't too careful of hiding their identities back then might give you a hint on how serious their activities actually were. However, the potential for childish stunts like the one in question has kept me from ever mentioning these connections publicly in my database. Want me to expose the juicy bits? Fuck off and do your own "research". The material is available all over the place.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Anni escaped my evil clutches for a girls' night out last saturday, which provided me with the opportunity to arrange a little get-together with friends who share the ability to play other people's music. Joining in were No I.D. and Safe Vodka from Fraktaali as well as Coultier of Supergut fame. Armed with a connection to a streaming server (thanks Pasi), we spent the next 5 and a half hours spinning all kinds of electronic crap "on the air". It was real fun, and we actually managed to gather a very decent amount of listeners despite not doing any advertising beforehand. This will hopefully prove to be the first edition in a long line of not-too-serious streaming nights taking place at our place.

Sadly, the others weren't too keen on letting me distribute their sets later on as MP3s. It's of course perfectly understandable, as this was just a fun thing to do for kicks. But since I'm the one without any reputation to uphold, here's my technically crappy drunken house/techno oriented DJ set from the night, for anyone who missed it. Something a bit different this time, with a lot less jackin' and a lot more nitku. It'll be available for a limited time only, so be quick! Tracklisting might be available on request, but let's have some trainspotting for a change shall we?

Tunnelmanhuolto 01 Part 2

2008-05-03 | mp3 | vbr | 89min | 133MB

When will the next such night take place? Can't be certain, but keep watching this space. Maybe next time I can also persuade Anni, who already received tons of praise behind the decks at Never Grow Old on mayday, to join in.. :)

Some small things been happening on the inactive-hobby-DJ front.. I actually got a gig recently, thanks to the nice people behind Supergut. The sunday evening chillout session didn't yield massive crowds, but I had fun nonetheless playing some deep and melodic stuff for a change. With the current anti-house sentiments going around in the elite Oulu "scene", expect my next gig in about 12 months.. However, the same weekend I also recorded a guest mix for DJ Thomas' massive 8 hour Loopland show on Radio Säteily. As usual, it contains the finest of the latest groovy jacking house tracks along with some "oldies". The result is, in my opinion, the best mixup I've recorded so far, so I recommend giving it a go:

Säteily Especial

2008-04-12 | mp3 | vbr | 56min | 80MB

Oh and as a small non-paid ad, everyone who's around Oulu during may day should make sure they'll attend this event.. :)

Friday night is coming up, which means it's time for fun, and around these part that in turn means it's time for alcohol. If you've got some, have a bunch of friends at your disposal and are equipped with an internet connection, how about getting the party started with the brand new Hel-Looks Drinking Game?

It's all quite simple, really. Just point your browser to everyone's favourite fashion atrocity web site, and start going through the pictures at the pace of your group's choosing. If you've already done this recently, just continue around the parts where you left off, as they haven't yet implemented a "random douchebag" feature. Review the text and photo, and chug down n units of your preferred liquor as instructed below. The rules with "0" negate all previous ones, that is, you're not having any if those apply.

• 1 for every second hand clothing item mentioned.
• 1 for every item which used to belong to the wearer's (grand)parent.
• 1 for each mention of customization. "Self made" doesn't count.
• 1 for multiple neon colours. Combining other painfully cheerful and bright colours count as well.
• 1 for every item explicitly mentioned to been bought from abroad, except..
• 2 if it was from Japan.
• 1 for every mention of a decade as a source of inspiration, except..
• 2 if it was the 80s.
• 1 for every celebrity NOT associated with design/modeling being credited for inspiration.
• 1 for every self-consciously outrageous accessory. Ridiculously oversized bags, huge jewelry.. You get the idea.
• 0 if the person in the photo looks completely normal to you. Dude, you've had enough.
• 0 if it's someone you know. Instead, go stand in a corner for 10 minutes without your drinks. And be ashamed.
• 0 if it's you. Hand over all your booze to the person closest to you, then go buy some decent threads for christssakes.

If you think these rules are a bit too strict and result in too much consumption, either slow down the pace or just be glad that the monstrosities you've witnessed will be erased from your memory shortly. That said, this ruleset is still a work in progress, and suggestions can be mailed to yours truly. Happy playing!

Update (2008-04-21): The game has been tested by an impartial third party (thanks Ville), and resulted in intoxication. Great success! Now, to further illustrate the gameplay, here are some examples.

• 2 drinks. The 80s, the accessory (hat). Simple.
• 2 drinks. Second hand, grandmother. Still quite straightforward.
• 4 drinks. Neons, silly accessories, a DJ (seriously) as a fashion influence and Holland. Looking at the photo alone one would think it would be worse.

Still looking for more player testimonials..

Update (2008-04-25): Check this out, Qavu took my rules and created a WWW version with randomizing and visible ruleset! Great job man, have fun everybody! :)

Vittu. Oikeesti.

• Britneyn zombie-look seurausta kovasta lääkityksestä? Katso kuva!
• Madonnan lapsi pitkästyi kauneushoitolassa - katso kuva!
• Brittimies maistelee työkseen koiranruokia - katso kuvat!
• Jessica Alba aivan kauheissa kuvissa - katso kuvat!

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