The Logic Off Topic list

>> I probably overreact unconsciously
>> to perceived lack of understanding of the UK
> I think so, actually!!

Well, I'll examine my own behaviour and try for more detachment in these
matters.

 >It read like you were a bit narked, actually ... and trying
> very hard to make a point. But ... maybe that was just me.

Wasn't, honest, but could basically have done with not bringing it up if it
bugged people that much.

> Nonetheless, when e.g. I got to  University, I couldn't help but notice how
few other Africans were there.  Obviously, I had worked very very hard to
get there and I wouldn't for one  moment want it any other way.
Nevertheless, it's still IMO pretty  ridiculous for anyone to suggest that
there are no institutional obstacles  to Africans and West Indians entering
university rampant in British  society.

Agreed.  I was speaking with reference to the music business in particular,
where if the system keeps you out then the way to deal with it is to make
your own alternative system/institutions, which of course many people have
done in the last few years.  Little bit harder to do with universities!

>> So, Kool - are we any closer to understanding each other here?
> Yup. Basically, we're in firm and absolute agreement that the best way to
> change society is for each individual person to deal with their own lives
> and not to priss about with 'general trends' or any such guff.
> Additionally, I am interested in counting up numbers and trends whereas it
> doesn't appeal to you much. That about right? (Except, of course, for my
> subsidiary and unspoken question of trying to understand the nuts and bolts
> of where people are to get their ideas on what to do next from if it isn't
> from occasionally thinking about general principles like 'be good to your
> neighbour' and asking themselves if they've really done enough seeing as
> how things haven't changed much around them!!!)

I had to read that last sentence several times to get my head round it, but
I presume you're separating numbers and trends from general principles. The
principles go way back and are quite simple. Statistics and sociological
research  can end up being great stuff for journalists and politicians to
make a fine hash of and get everyone confused. Who does the research, how
it's done and the motivations behind its commissioning are also important
questions. I suppose I'm quite cynical and tend to feel that people issue
nice well-bound reports, appear on breakfast television to discuss issues
and then stuff gets buried again for another few years until it's time for a
report on the lack of progress on the report and another round of breakfast
television interviews.
 
>> I've just finished an experimental remix of a Nigerian songwriter's
>> track ahead of time,
> I'm curious. Who?

It was a favour. A brother of a friend of a friend - nobody in the least
known. He'll stay like that unless he stops trying to do 80s-style pop songs
with middle 8s (no - middle 16 - quite long) where the melody goes from a
little stroll round the countryside and gets lost on the way, at least the
way he sings it. God bless hard disk editing and Logic's ability to cut out
such mess. I slowed it down from 118 to 91 and added more of an  r & b vibe.
The basic idea wasn't bad, but the singing was doleful and draggy in the way
that solo writers often can be without external feedback. Nigerian music, in
my experience, is strong on good simple melody and he hasn't really drawn on
that enough. If he can get someone else to sing it it might make a decent
album track.  Fundamentally he needs a steady hand producing him, so he
needs to make his mind up about what he wants to do with the material.

>> so this string of cross purposes can't have totally used up my
>> energies!
> OK. Next time I promise I'll try a lot harder to totally mess up your head
> and render you unable to do any work, OK!!!!!!!

I'm striving for a nice clear mind empty of irrelevancies, so I'm obviously
far from success yet. I'm probably clogged up so much with my own junk that
any input of yours won't register on the scale.

Tony T