Today was better than yesterday.

Yesterday was all about bureaucracy, annoying email conversations with people who had nothing better to do than to make my life more frustratingly difficult for no reason whatsoever. Shouting at people takes the edge off, but it doesn’t make things all better (not usually, anyway. I actually got somewhere with it this time).

So the arrival of a couple of pieces of equipment, some good news and even a splitting headache all constituted an improvement.

The splitting headache had to do with a complete and utter absence of fresh air in the building I spent most of today in. It was enough to get me to leave work early and come home with the intention of heading straight to bed. Didn’t happen, and I still keep finding things that demand my attention as we approach midnight.

That’s always been my problem with sleep – I feel like I’m going to miss something (though naps are another matter entirely. Life waits while I nap).

The equipment that arrived today was the wireless router for the broadband connection at home. That – and the new laptop.

It’s just sensational. I’m lying on the couch, entirely disconnected from cables, listening to music I downloaded through the ether – and now, my neighbour informs me that my broadband speed is about to magically double from 1Mbps to 2Mbps thanks to a BT line upgrade.

I’ve had discussions with the podcast network guys in the last couple of days about doing a jazz show for them. They’re pretty keen, but it does depend on a lot. The good thing is that it could fall under the rubric of research. The music I’d source would be what Adam Curry refers to as ‘podsafe’ – in other words, music that the labels aren’t going to lay claim to.

Speaking of podcasts, I’ve landed on a couple I’m reasonably keen on. The Daily Sourcecode – the compulsory introductory podcast – is okay, but I’m getting more joy from traditional radio sources. Well – almost traditional.

The Morning Sedition from Air America radio is excellent. It takes a good twenty minutes to acclimatise to the comedy-jock schtick that the two hosts go for – but scratch the surface, and there’s some really well-grounded liberal politics in there. As Mark Maron says – ‘Listen to the radio – it feels like thinking!’

I’ve also finally come around to the Dawn and Drew show. If you start listening to podcasts, you will almost immediately be sent there. I have to admit I didn’t see the appeal at first. It was inane. It rambled. It was unnecessarily explicit (so I’m a prude. Deal with it). But it’s funny. It’s warm. It’s human. These are two married people who really enjoy each other and make each other laugh. I can relate – and now I’m a bit hooked.

But do you know what made today particularly good? Two minutes of streamed video that made me very, very happy. Watch this, smile – and Don’t Panic.

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Yesterday:
112. David Sylvian – The Good Son Vs The Only Daughter : Blemish Remixes Samadhisound (2005)

Today:
113. Gebhard Ullman – Bassx3 Drimala (2004)