Paul Nicholls http://www.r9paul.org Stuff Sat, 19 May 2012 08:21:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 I wonder if this works... http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2012/i-wonder-if-this-works/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2012/i-wonder-if-this-works/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:19:08 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=7185 About to give https://online.officerecovery.com/powerpoint/ a shot at fixing a corrupt Powerpoint... Will it work?

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2012/i-wonder-if-this-works/feed/ 0 Bands what I have seen live and that http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2011/bands-live/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2011/bands-live/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 11:44:58 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=663 Whilst my alcohol-addled brain allows, I thought it worthy to take stock of some of the fantastic (and not so fantastic) live music which I have been fortunate enough to see over the years. There are probably loads missing but I'll try and keep this list up-to-date as time goes on or memories come back to me...

In no particular order...

  • Kraftwerk
  • Ms Lynch (formerly B*witched) (and tech'd for)
  • Minuscule Hey!
  • Chase & Status
  • Hadouken! (and tech'd for)
  • Lethal Bizzle
  • Bat for Lashes
  • Metronomy
  • Nine Black Alps
  • Skream
  • The Trojan Soundsystem (and engineered for)
  • The Mystery Jets
  • Kid Harpoon
  • Freemasons (and engineered for)
  • Ash
  • Marc Ronson
  • Little Man Tate
  • Chas and Dave
  • The Delays
  • The Holloways (and tech'd for)
  • Pete Dohetry
  • The Rumble Strips
  • The Long Weekend (and engineered for)
  • The Len Price 3
  • Stuart Turner
  • Dans le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
  • The Maccabees
  • To My Boy (and engineered for)
  • Bender Crack Corn
  • Flashguns
  • Rusko
  • Gallows
  • The Cribs
  • Hella Cholla (and engineered for)
  • British Sea Power
  • Athlete
  • Gary Phelan (and engineered for)
  • The Circus of Horrors (and engineered for)
  • Florence and the Machine
  • Roni Size Reprazent
  • Underground Heroes
  • The Young Knives
  • The Indelicates
  • The Dolly Rockers
  • Frank Turner (and engineered for)
  • The Ambience
  • Fleet Foxes
  • Klaxons
  • Scott Mills (and tech'd for)
  • Elbow
  • Neon Kicks (and engineered for)
  • Does it Offend You, Yeah?
  • MGMT
  • Little Boots
  • Michael Nyman
  • Passion Pit
  • Seasick Steve
  • La Roux
  • Richard J Thompson (and engineered for)
  • The Hives
  • Upcleftcdowncright+ABC
  • Motion Theory (and engineered for)
  • Polka Party
  • Pendulum (and tech'd for)
  • The Sparrows
  • Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds
  • Status Quo
  • B.o.B.
  • The Karoshi Brothers (and engineered for)
  • Funeral for a Friend
  • Paramore
  • 2manydjs
  • Esser
  • Meat Loaf
  • Youngblood Brass Band (and engineered for)
  • Lily Allen
  • The Little Comets
  • Soulwax
  • Massive Attack
  • itch
  • The Small Screen Light Show
  • Field Music (and engineered for)
  • Friendly Fires
  • Doves
  • The Horrors
  • Zane Lowe
  • Dub Pistols
  • DJ Zinc
  • Polarsets (and engineered for)
  • White Van Man (and engineered for)
  • We Beat The System
  • The Shields
  • Two Door Cinema Club
  • Tinie Tempah
  • Iggy Pop
  • Example
  • The Kills
  • Plan B
]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2011/bands-live/feed/ 0 Google on Elections http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/google-on-elections/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/google-on-elections/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:21:13 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=484 Google's whole business is built on deep analysis of data. Google's blog did an interesting review of search during the election debate last night with some pretty neat insights, but what's more interesting is what Google Suggest thinks...

Aptly(?) Nick Clegg doesn't appear to be popular enough to have his own suggestion list!

So, vote for the hot, rich,  judaeo-christian freemason David Camerson; or the one eyed autistic shepherd Gordon Brown (or the guy Google hasn't heard of). The choice is yours...

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/google-on-elections/feed/ 2 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/1001-albums-you-must-hear-before-you-die/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/1001-albums-you-must-hear-before-you-die/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:23:33 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=470 This week, on the advice of a friend I am embarking on a journey into Quintessence's "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Originally published as a book, the list is also available on their website in a handy searchable table.

It's going to be a long task, but I'm looking forward to exploring some new music  as well as revisiting some classics; many of the albums are outside of my normal 'comfort zone' and I'm painfully aware that Durham's bubble doesn't do much for expanding my auditory horizons these days...

I'll list all the albums and chart my progress in this post, I'll also be tweeting my thoughts along the way.

The List

Bold indicates I've listened to the album...

  1. Sinatra, Frank – In the Wee Small Hours
  2. Presley, Elvis – Elvis Presley (1956)
  3. Louvin Brothers – Tragic Songs of Life
  4. Prima, Louis – Wildest
  5. Domino, Fats – This is Fats
  6. Ellington, Duke – At Newport (1956)
  7. Sinatra, Frank – Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!
  8. Crickets – Chirping…
  9. Basie, Count – Atomic Mr Basie
  10. Monk, Thelonious – Brilliant Corners
  11. Sabú [Martínez] – Palo Congo
  12. Davis, Miles – Birth of the Cool
  13. Machito – Kenya
  14. Little Richard – Here’s…
  15. Puente, Tito & His Orchestra – Dance Mania (1958)
  16. Holiday, Billie – Lady in Satin
  17. Elliott, Jack – Jack Takes the Floor
  18. Vaughan, Sarah – At Mister Kelly’s
  19. Fitzgerald, Ella – Sings the Gershwin Song Book
  20. Charles, Ray – Genius of… (1959)
  21. Davis, Miles – Kind of Blue
  22. Robbins, Marty – Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs
  23. Brubeck, Dave – Time Out
  24. Baez, Joan – Joan Baez (1960)
  25. Presley, Elvis – Elvis is Back!
  26. Makeba, Miriam – Miriam Makeba (1960)
  27. Everly Brothers – A Date with the…
  28. Smith, Jimmy – Back at the Chicken Shack
  29. Muddy Waters – At Newport
  30. Evans, Bill – Sunday at the Village Vanguard
  31. Charles, Ray - Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music
  32. Booker T & the MGs – Green Onions
  33. Getz, Stan & Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba
  34. Price, Ray – Night Life
  35. Beatles – With the…
  36. Dylan, Bob – Freewheelin’…
  37. Spector, Phil & Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You
  38. Cooke, Sam – Live at the Harlem Square
  39. Mingus, Charles – Black Saint & the Sinner Lady
  40. Brown, James – Live at the Apollo (1963)
  41. Getz, Stan & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto
  42. Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
  43. Brel, Jacques – Olympia 64
  44. Burke, Solomon – Rock ‘n’ Soul
  45. Springfield, Dusty - A Girl Called Dusty
  46. Rolling Stones – Rolling Stones (1st Album)
  47. Owens, Buck – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail
  48. Lewis, Jerry Lee – Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
  49. Sonics – Here Are the…
  50. Dylan, Bob – Bringing it All Back Home
  51. Redding, Otis – Otis Blue… Sings Soul
  52. Beach Boys – Today!
  53. Coltrane, John – A Love Supreme
  54. King, B.B. – Live at the Regal
  55. Beatles – Rubber Soul
  56. Jansch, Bert – Bert Jansch (1st Album)
  57. Byrds, Mr Tambourine Man
  58. Dylan, Bob – Highway 61 Revisited
  59. Who – My Generation
  60. Beatles – Revolver
  61. Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
  62. Neil, Fred – Fred Neil (1st Album)
  63. Byrds – Fifth Dimension
  64. Dylan, Bob – Blonde on Blonde
  65. Monks – Black Monk Time
  66. Kinks – Face to Face
  67. Mamas & the Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
  68. Revere, Paul & the Raiders – Midnight Ride
  69. Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!
  70. Rolling Stones – Aftermath
  71. Simon & Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
  72. 13th Floor Elevators – Psychedelic Sounds of the…
  73. John Mayall’s Blues Breakers – With Eric Clapton
  74. Yardbirds – Yardbirds [aka Roger the Engineer] (1st Album)
  75. Simone, Nina – Wild is the Wind
  76. Gilberto, Astrud – Beach Samba
  77. Nico – Chelsea Girl
  78. Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
  79. Country Joe & the Fish – Electric Music for the Mind & Body
  80. Buffalo Springfield – Again
  81. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Safe as Milk
  82. Moby Grape – Moby Grape (1st Album)
  83. Love – Da Capo
  84. Beau Brummels – Triangle
  85. Monkees – Headquarters
  86. Buckley, Tim – Goodbye & Hello
  87. Love – Forever Changes
  88. Cream – Disraeli Gears
  89. Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn
  90. Who – Sell Out
  91. Velvet Underground - & Nico
  92. Sinatra, Frank - Frank Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
  93. Doors – Doors (1st Album)
  94. Young Rascals – Groovin’
  95. Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow
  96. Kinks – Something Else by the…
  97. Donovan – Sunshine Superman
  98. Haggard, Merle – I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
  99. Hendrix, Jimi – Are You Experienced
  100. Electric Prunes – I Had too Much to Dream (Last Night)
  101. Lynn, Loretta – Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)
  102. Sharma, Shivkumar / Brij Bushan Kabra / Hariprasad Chaurasia – Call of the Valley
  103. Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
  104. Hendrix, Jimi – Axis: Bold as Love
  105. Franklin, Aretha – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
  106. Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
  107. Traffic – Traffic (2nd Album)
  108. Incredible String Band – Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
  109. Kinks – Village Green Preservation Society
  110. Shankar, Ravi – Sounds of India (1968)
  111. Mutantes, os – Mutantes, os (1st Album)
  112. Hendrix, Jimi – Electric Ladyland
  113. Cohen, Leonard – Songs of…
  114. Cash, Johnny – At Folsom Prison
  115. Nyro, Laura – Eli & the Thirteenth Confession
  116. Franklin, Aretha – Lady Soul
  117. Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum
  118. Byrds – Notorious Byrd Brothers
  119. Big Brother & the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
  120. United States of America – United States of America
  121. Dr John – Gris Gris
  122. Iron Butterfly – In a Gadda da Vida
  123. Pretty Things – S.F. Sorrow
  124. Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
  125. Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake
  126. Band – Music from Big Pink
  127. Beck, Jeff – Truth
  128. Veloso, Caetano – Caetano Veloso (1968)
  129. Walker, Scott – Scott 2
  130. Zombies – Odessey & Oracle
  131. Morrison, Van – Astral Weeks
  132. Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
  133. Beatles – Beatles [aka White Album]
  134. Mothers of Invention – We’re Only in it for the Money
  135. Young, Neil – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
  136. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica
  137. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country
  138. Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash
  139. Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears (2nd Album)
  140. Flying Burrito Brothers – Gilded Palace of Sin
  141. Cash, Johnny – At San Quentin
  142. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River
  143. Beatles – Abbey Road
  144. Who – Tommy
  145. Davis, Miles – In a Silent Way
  146. Bee Gees – Odessa
  147. Pentangle – Basket of Light
  148. Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed
  149. Drake, Nick – Five Leaves Left
  150. Springfield, Dusty – Dusty in Memphis
  151. Presley, Elvis – From Elvis in Memphis
  152. Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground (3rd Album)
  153. Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
  154. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1st Album)
  155. Band – Band (2nd Album)
  156. Led Zeppelin – II
  157. MC5 – Kick Out the Jams
  158. Temptations – Cloud Nine
  159. Sly & the Family Stone – Stand!
  160. Buckley, Tim – Happy Sad
  161. Chicago Transit Authority [Chicago] - Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
  162. Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking
  163. Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain
  164. Hayes, Isaac – Hot Buttered Soul
  165. Grateful Dead – Live/Dead
  166. Kinks – Arthur: Or the Decline & Fall of the British Empire
  167. King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
  168. Cohen, Leonard – Songs from a Room
  169. Fairport Convention – Liege & Lief
  170. Walker, Scott – Scott 4
  171. Stooges – Stooges (1st Album)
  172. Spence, Alexander ‘Skip’ – Oar
  173. Zappa, Frank – Hot Rats
  174. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory
  175. Derek & the Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
  176. Davis, Miles – Bitches Brew
  177. Spirit – Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus
  178. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1st Album)
  179. Doors – Morrison Hotel
  180. Carpenters – Close to You
  181. Still, Stephen – Stephen Stills (1st Album)
  182. Lennon, John – Plastic Ono Band
  183. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà vu
  184. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
  185. Young, Neil – After the Gold Rush
  186. Led Zeppelin – III
  187. Deep Purple – In Rock
  188. Morrison, Van – Moondance
  189. Grateful Dead – American Beauty
  190. Drake, Nick – Bryter Layter
  191. Shankar, Ananda – Ananda Shankar (1970)
  192. Who – Live at Leeds(1st Album)
  193. Soft Machine – Third
  194. Stewart, Rod – Gasoline Alley
  195. Harrison, George – All Things Must Pass
  196. Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
  197. Stevens, Cat – Tea for the Tillerman
  198. Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die
  199. Stooges – Fun House
  200. Taylor, James - Sweet Baby James
  201. McCartney, Paul – McCartney (1970)
  202. Santana – Abraxas
  203. Barrett, Syd – Madcap Laughs
  204. Jethro Tull – Aqualung
  205. Crosby, David – If Only I Could Remember My Name
  206. Sly & the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On
  207. Gaye, Marvin – What’s Going On
  208. Yes – Yes Album
  209. Bee Gees – Trafalgar
  210. Who – Who’s Next
  211. King, Carole – Tapestry
  212. Hayes, Isaac – Shaft: Music from the Soundtrack
  213. Allman Brothers – At Fillmore East
  214. Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
  215. Lennon, John – Imagine
  216. Beach Boys – Surf’s Up
  217. Yes – Fragile
  218. Doors – LA Woman
  219. Can – Tago Mago
  220. John, Elton – Madman Across the Water
  221. Parton, Dolly – Coat of Many Colors
  222. McLean, Don – American Pie
  223. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tarkus
  224. Led Zeppelin – IV [aka Untitled / aka Four Symbols]
  225. Gainsbourg, Serge – Histoire de Melody Nelson
  226. Stewart, Rod – Every Picture Tells a Story
  227. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Pictures at an Exhibition
  228. Cohen, Leonard – Songs of Love & Hate
  229. Mitchell, Joni – Blue
  230. Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
  231. Joplin, Janis – Pearl
  232. Kuti, Fela - With Ginger Baker: Live!
  233. Faces – A Nod is as Good as a Wink… To a Blind Horse
  234. Flamin’ Groovies – Teenage Head
  235. Clark, Gene – White Light
  236. Prine, John – John Prine (1st Album)
  237. Nilsson, Harry – Nilsson Schmilsson
  238. T.Rex – Electric Warrior
  239. Bowie, David – Hunky Dory
  240. Newman, Randy – Sail Away
  241. Deep Purple – Machine Head
  242. Big Star – # 1 Record
  243. Black Sabbath – Vol 4
  244. Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill
  245. Young, Neil – Harvest
  246. Mayfield, Curtis – Superfly: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  247. Slade – Slayed?
  248. Deep Purple – Made in Japan
  249. Yes – Close to the Edge
  250. Reed, Lou – Transformer
  251. Masekela, Hugh – Home is Where the Music Is
  252. Nascimento, Milton & Lo Borges – Clube da Esquina (1972)
  253. Rundgren, Todd – Something/Anything
  254. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
  255. Wonder, Stevie – Talking Book
  256. Still, Stephen – Manassas
  257. T.Rex – Slider
  258. Ackles, David – American Gothic
  259. Eagles – Eagles (1st Album)
  260. Buckley, Tim – Greetings from LA
  261. Drake, Nick – Pink Moon
  262. Simon, Paul – Paul Simon (1972)
  263. Roxy Music – Roxy Music (1st Album)
  264. Alice Cooper – School’s Out
  265. Temptations – All Directions
  266. Bowie, David – Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
  267. War – World is a Ghetto
  268. Green, Al – Let’s Stay Together
  269. Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St
  270. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd
  271. Incredible Bongo Band – Bongo Rock
  272. Bowie, David – Aladdin Sane
  273. King Crimson – Lark’s Tongues in Aspic
  274. Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Catch a Fire
  275. Hawkwind – Space Ritual
  276. Cale, John – Paris 1919
  277. Can – Future Days
  278. Reed, Lou – Berlin
  279. Genesis – Selling England by the Pound
  280. Gaye, Marvin – Let’s Get it On
  281. Martyn, John – Solid Air
  282. Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure
  283. Faust – IV
  284. Hancock, Herbie – Head Hunters
  285. Mott the Hoople – Mott
  286. Oldfield, Mike – Tubular Bells
  287. Rundgren, Todd – A Wizard, a True Star
  288. John, Elton – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  289. Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy
  290. Jennings, Waylon – Honky Tonk Heroes
  291. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
  292. Wonder, Stevie – Innervisions
  293. ZZ Top – Tres Hombres
  294. McCartney, Paul & Wings – Band on the Run
  295. Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Next
  296. Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies
  297. Iggy & the Stooges – Raw Power
  298. Isley Brothers – 3 + 3
  299. New York Dolls – New York Dolls (1st Album)
  300. Eno, Brian – Here Come the Warm Jets
  301. Bad Company – Bad Company (1st Album)
  302. Genesis – Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
  303. Otis, Shuggie – Inspiration Information
  304. Wonder, Stevie – Fullfillingness’ First Finale
  305. Clapton, Eric – 461 Ocean Boulevard
  306. Kraftwerk – Autobahn
  307. Morrison, Van – It’s Too Late to Stop Now
  308. Mitchell, Joni – Court & Spark
  309. Queen – II
  310. Roxy Music – Country Life
  311. Tangerine Dream – Phaedra
  312. Sparks – Kimono My House
  313. Supertramp – Crime of the Century
  314. Thompson, Richard & Linda – I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
  315. Scott-Heron, Gil & Brian Jackson – Winter in America
  316. Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
  317. 10cc – Sheet Music
  318. Young, Neil – On the Beach
  319. Jones, George – Grand Tour
  320. Clark, Gene – No Other
  321. Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic
  322. Newman, Randy – Good Old Boys
  323. Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Natty Dread
  324. Wyatt, Robert – Rock Bottom
  325. Parsons, Gram – Grievous Angel
  326. Eno, Brian – Another Green World
  327. Dictators – Go Girl Crazy!
  328. Neu! – ‘75
  329. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
  330. Jarrett, Keith – Köln Concert
  331. Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic
  332. Bowie, David – Young Americans
  333. Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
  334. Springsteen, Bruce – Born to Run
  335. Harris, Emmylou – Pieces of the Sky
  336. Dion – Born to Be With You
  337. Mitchell, Joni – Hissing of Summer Lawns
  338. Waits, Tom - Nighthawks at the Diner
  339. Burman, Rahul Dev – Shalimar (Soundtrack)
  340. Young, Neil – Tonight’s the Night
  341. Dylan, Bob – Blood on the Tracks
  342. Smith, Patti – Horses
  343. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
  344. Queen – A Night at the Opera
  345. Nelson, Willie – Red Headed Stranger
  346. Earth, Wind & Fire – That’s the Way of the World
  347. Mayfield, Curtis – There’s No Place Like America Today
  348. Petty, Tom & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1st Album)
  349. Modern Lovers – Modern Lovers [Rec 1972, not released until 1976]
  350. Bowie, David – Station to Station
  351. Mitchell, Joni – Hejira
  352. Boston – Boston (1st Album)
  353. Eagles – Hotel California
  354. ABBA – Arrival
  355. Kiss – Destroyer
  356. Rush – 2112
  357. Ben, Jorge – África Brasil
  358. Armatrading, Joan – Joan Armatrading (1st Album)
  359. Aerosmith – Rocks
  360. Parliament – Mothership Connection
  361. Penguin Café Orchestra – Music from the Penguin Café
  362. Jarre, Jean Michel – Oxygene
  363. Ramones – Ramones (1st Album)
  364. Kuti, Fela – Zombie
  365. Tosh, Peter – Legalize It
  366. Wonder, Stevie – Songs in the Key of Life
  367. Frampton, Peter – Frampton Comes Alive
  368. Eno, Brian – Before & After Science
  369. Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
  370. Joel, Billy – Stranger, the
  371. Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Exodus
  372. Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue
  373. Weather Report – Heavy Weather
  374. Muddy Waters – Hard Again
  375. Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus
  376. Clash – Clash (1st Album)
  377. Bowie, David – Low
  378. Steely Dan – Aja
  379. Wire – Pink Flag
  380. Martyn, John – One World
  381. Talking Heads – 77
  382. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
  383. Bowie, David – ‘Heroes’
  384. Wilson, Dennis – Pacific Ocean Blue
  385. Suicide – Suicide (1st Album)
  386. Iggy Pop – Idiot, the
  387. Gabriel, Peter – Peter Gabriel (I)
  388. Television – Marquee Moon
  389. Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell
  390. Costello, Elvis – My Aim is True
  391. Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
  392. Dury, Ian – New Boots & Panties!!
  393. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the…
  394. Pere Ubu – Modern Dance
  395. Kraftwerk – Man Machine
  396. Blondie – Parallel Lines
  397. Regina, Elís – Vento de Maio
  398. Pere Ubu – Dub Housing
  399. Only Ones – Only Ones (1st Album)
  400. Costello, Elvis – This Year’s Model
  401. Jam – All Mod Cons
  402. Ely, Joe – Honky Tonk Masquerade
  403. Adverts – Crossing the Red Sea with the…
  404. Big Star – Third (aka Sister Lovers)
  405. Residents – Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
  406. Public Image Ltd – Public Image
  407. Magazine – Real Life
  408. Springsteen, Bruce – Darkness on the Edge of Town
  409. Funkadelic – One Nation Under a Groove
  410. Throbbing Gristle – DOA: Third & Final Report
  411. Thin Lizzy – Live & Dangerous
  412. Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings & Food
  413. Buzzcocks – Another Music in a Different Kitchen
  414. Van Halen – Van Halen (1st Album)
  415. Colón, Willie & Rubén Blades – Siembra
  416. Cars – Cars (1st Album)
  417. Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
  418. Dire Straits – Dire Straits (1st Album)
  419. Saints – Eternally Yours
  420. Gaye, Marvin – Here, My Dear
  421. Nelson, Willie – Stardust
  422. Chic – C’est Chic
  423. X-ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents
  424. Eno, Brian – Ambient 1: Music for Airports
  425. Siouxsie & the Banshees – Scream, the
  426. AC/DC – Highway to Hell
  427. Sister Sledge – We Are Family
  428. Crusaders – Street Life
  429. Germs – GI
  430. B52s – B52s (1st Album)
  431. Czukay, Holger – Movies
  432. Police – Reggatta de Blanc
  433. Fall – Live at the Witch Trials
  434. Talking Heads – Fear of Music
  435. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
  436. Chic – Risqué
  437. Undertones – Undertones (1st Album)
  438. Clash – London Calling
  439. Japan – Quiet Life
  440. Faithfull, Marianne – Broken English
  441. Slits – Cut
  442. Costello, Elvis – Armed Forces
  443. Young, Neil – Rust Never Sleeps
  444. Gang of Four – Entertainment!
  445. Cheap Trick – At Budokan
  446. Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
  447. Pink Floyd – Wall, the
  448. Public Image Ltd – Metal Box
  449. Jackson, Michael – Off the Wall
  450. Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette
  451. Numan, Gary – Pleasure Principle
  452. Specials – Specials (1st Album)
  453. Adam & the Ants – Kings of the Wild Frontier
  454. Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
  455. AC/DC – Back in Black
  456. Cramps – Songs the Lord Taught Us
  457. Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
  458. Gabriel, Peter – Peter Gabriel (III)
  459. Soft Boys – Underwater Moonlight
  460. Cure – Seventeen Seconds
  461. Echo & the Bunnymen – Crocodiles
  462. Motörhead – Ace of Spades
  463. Killing Joke – Killing Joke (1st Album)
  464. Judas Priest – British Steel
  465. Circle Jerks – Group Sex
  466. Talking Heads – Remain in Light
  467. Joy Division – Closer
  468. Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden (1st Album)
  469. Undertones – Hypnotised
  470. Jam – Sound Affects
  471. Waits, Tom – Heartattack & Vine
  472. UB40 – Signing Off
  473. Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro
  474. Specials – More Specials
  475. Winwood, Steve – Arc of a Diver
  476. Pretenders – Pretenders (1st Album)
  477. Einstürzende Neubauten – Kollaps
  478. Siouxsie & the Banshees – Juju
  479. Heaven 17 – Penthouse & Pavement
  480. Go-Gos – Beauty & the Beat
  481. Motörhead – No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith
  482. Soft Cell – Non Stop Erotic Cabaret
  483. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture & Morality
  484. Eno, Brian & David Byrne – My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
  485. Black Flag – Damaged
  486. X – Wild Gift
  487. Psychedelic Furs – Talk, Talk, Talk
  488. Human League – Dare
  489. Gun Club – Fire of Love
  490. Bauhaus – Mask
  491. Womack, Bobby – Poet
  492. Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club (1st Album)
  493. Rush – Moving Pictures
  494. ABBA – Visitors
  495. ABC – Lexicon of Love
  496. Prince – 1999
  497. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – Message, the
  498. Costello, Elvis – Imperial Bedroom
  499. Cure – Pornography
  500. Dexys Midnight Runners – Too Rye Ay
  501. Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84)
  502. Madness – Rise & Fall
  503. Fagen, Donald – Nightfly
  504. Haircut One Hundred – Pelican West
  505. Bush, Kate – Dreaming, the
  506. Orange Juice – Rip it Up
  507. Jackson, Michael – Thriller
  508. Birthday Party – Junkyard
  509. Venom – Black Metal
  510. Springsteen, Bruce – Nebraska
  511. Associates – Sulk
  512. Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
  513. Duran Duran – Rio
  514. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (1st Album)
  515. McLaren, Malcolm – Duck Rock
  516. Def Leppard – Pyromania
  517. REM – Murmur
  518. The The – Soul Mining
  519. Waits, Tom – Swordfishtrombones
  520. Blue Nile – A Walk Across the Rooftops
  521. Hanoi Rocks – Back to Mystery City
  522. Lauper, Cyndi – She’s So Unusual
  523. Simon, Paul – Hearts & Bones
  524. Echo & the Bunnymen – Porcupine
  525. ZZ Top – Eliminator
  526. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
  527. U2 – War
  528. Police – Synchronicity
  529. Meat Puppets – II
  530. Culture Club – Colour by Numbers
  531. Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome
  532. Run DMC – Run DMC (1984)
  533. Sade – Diamond Life
  534. Cocteau Twins – Treasure
  535. Minor Threat – Out of Step
  536. Van Halen – 1984
  537. Prince – Purple Rain
  538. Replacements – Let it Be
  539. Style Council – Café Bleu
  540. Turner, Tina – Private Dancer
  541. Echo & the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain
  542. Minutemen – Double Nickels on the Dime
  543. Cole, Lloyd & the Commotions – Rattlesnakes
  544. N’Dour, Youssou – Immigrés
  545. Springsteen, Bruce – Born in the USA
  546. Fall – This Nation’s Saving Grace
  547. Ibrahim, Abdullah – Water from an Ancient Well
  548. Aha – Hunting High & Low
  549. Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair
  550. Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
  551. Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen (aka Two Wheels Good)
  552. Mekons – Fear & Whiskey
  553. Big Black – Atomizer
  554. Vega, Suzanne – Suzanne Vega (1st Album)
  555. Pogues – Rum, Sodomy & the Lash
  556. Bush, Kate – Hounds of Love
  557. Smiths – Meat is Murder
  558. Waits, Tom – Rain Dogs
  559. Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy
  560. New Order – Low Life
  561. Simply Red – Picture Book
  562. Dexys Midnight Runners – Don’t Stand Me Down
  563. Scritti Politti – Cupid & Psyche 85
  564. Costello, Elvis – Blood & Chocolate
  565. Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force – Planet Rock: The Album
  566. Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
  567. Metallica – Master of Puppets
  568. The The – Infected
  569. Griffith, Nanci – Last of the True Believers
  570. Bragg, Billy – Talking with the Taxman About Poetry
  571. Talk Talk – Colour of Spring
  572. Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?
  573. Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
  574. Sonic Youth – Evol
  575. Slayer – Reign in Blood
  576. Throwing Muses – Throwing Muses (1986)
  577. Simon, Paul – Graceland
  578. Run DMC – Raising Hell
  579. XTC – Skylarking
  580. Earle, Steve – Guitar Town
  581. Bad Brains – I Against I
  582. Baker, Anita – Rapture
  583. Smiths – Queen is Dead
  584. Gabriel, Peter – So
  585. Anthrax – Among the Living
  586. Dinosaur Jr – You’re Living All Over Me
  587. Parton, Dolly with Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris – Trio
  588. Def Leppard – Hysteria
  589. REM – Document
  590. Prince – Sign ‘O’ the Times
  591. Cult – Electric
  592. Depeche Mode – Music for the Masses
  593. Sisters of Mercy – Floodland
  594. Michael, George – Faith
  595. Hüsker Dü – Warehouse: Songs & Stories
  596. Butthole Surfers – Locust Abortion Technician
  597. Piazzolla, Astor & Gary Burton – New Tango
  598. Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come
  599. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
  600. Jesus & Mary Chain – Darklands
  601. Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Shaka Zulu
  602. Laibach – Opus Dei
  603. Napalm Death – Scum
  604. Sonic Youth – Sister
  605. Triffids – Calenture
  606. Jackson, Michael – Bad
  607. Pet Shop Boys – Actually
  608. U2 – Joshua Tree
  609. D’Arby, Terence Trent – Introducing the Hardline According to…
  610. Pogues – If I Should Fall from Grace with God
  611. Cohen, Leonard – I’m Your Man
  612. Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues
  613. Fishbone – Truth & Soul
  614. Everything But the Girl – Idlewild
  615. Living Colour - Vivid
  616. Mudhoney – Superfuzz Bigmuff
  617. REM – Green
  618. Happy Mondays – Bummed
  619. Go Betweens – 16 Lovers Lane
  620. Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Session
  621. Chapman, Tracy – Tracy Chapman (1st Album)
  622. My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything
  623. Pixies – Surfer Rosa
  624. Metallica – And Justice for All
  625. Dinosaur Jr – Bug
  626. Krause, Dagmar – Tank Battles
  627. lang, k.d. – Shadowland
  628. American Music Club – California
  629. Morrissey – Viva Hate
  630. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
  631. Sugarcubes – Life’s Too Good
  632. Yoakam, Dwight – Beuenas Noches from a Lonely Roomn
  633. Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking
  634. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
  635. Faith No More – Real Thing
  636. Kravtiz, Lenny – Let Love Rule
  637. Hooker, John Lee – Healer, the
  638. New Order – Technique
  639. Madonna – Like a Prayer
  640. Queen Latifah – All Hail the Queen
  641. Spacemen 3 – Playing with Fire
  642. fIREHOSE – fROMOHIO
  643. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
  644. Young Gods – Eau Rouge, l’
  645. Zorn, John – Spy vs Spy: Music of Ornette Coleman
  646. Stone Roses – Stone Roses (1st Album)
  647. Cherry, Neneh – Raw Like Sushi
  648. Maal, Baaba & Mansour Seck – Djam Leelii
  649. Bush, Kate – Sensual World
  650. Cure – Disintegration
  651. 808 State – 808:90
  652. Coldcut – What’s That Noise?
  653. Adamson, Barry – Moss Side Story
  654. Aerosmith – Pump
  655. Pixies – Doolittle
  656. Raitt, Bonnie – Nick of Time
  657. Fugazi – Repeater
  658. Soul II Soul – Club Classics: Vol One
  659. De La Soul – 3 Feet High & Rising
  660. Jackson, Janet – Rhythm Nation 1814
  661. Jungle Brothers – Done by the Forces of Nature
  662. NWA – Straight Outta Compton
  663. Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
  664. Shamen – En-Tact
  665. Deee Lite – World Clique
  666. La’s – La’s
  667. Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker
  668. Depeche Mode – Violator
  669. Pixies – Bossanova
  670. Megadeth – Rust in Peace
  671. Digital Underground – Sex Packets
  672. Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour
  673. Happy Mondays – Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches
  674. Michael, George – Listen Without Prejudice: Vol 1
  675. Young, Neil – Ragged Glory
  676. Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
  677. Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
  678. LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out
  679. Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
  680. O’Connor, Sinéad – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
  681. Tribe Called Quest, a – People’s Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm
  682. Sonic Youth – Goo
  683. Ride – Nowhere
  684. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
  685. Nirvana – Nevermind
  686. Crowded House – Woodface
  687. Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill (1st Album)
  688. Cope, Julian – Peggy Suicide
  689. Gang Starr – Step in the Arena
  690. MC Solaar - Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo
  691. Jah Wobble – Rising Above Bedlam
  692. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
  693. Ice T – OG: Original Gangster
  694. Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
  695. Public Enemy – Apocalypse 91… Enemy Strikes Back
  696. Tribe Called Quest, a – Low End Theory
  697. Pearl Jam – Ten
  698. Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha
  699. Sepultura – Arise
  700. Slint – Spiderland
  701. U2 – Achtung Baby
  702. KLF – White Room
  703. Massive Attack – Blue Lines
  704. Primal Scream – Screamadelica
  705. Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque
  706. Metallica – Metallica [aka Black Album]
  707. Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted
  708. Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
  709. Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of…
  710. Olomidé, Koffi – Haut de Gamme: Koweït, Rive Gauche
  711. Morrissey – Your Arsenal
  712. Maal, Baaba – Lam Toro
  713. Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray
  714. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1st Album)
  715. Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy – Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury
  716. lang, k.d. – Ingénue
  717. Dr Dre – Chronic, the
  718. REM – Automatic for the People
  719. Pharcyde – Bizarre Ride II the…
  720. Spiritualized – Lazer Guided Melodies
  721. Sugar – Copper Blue
  722. Waits, Tom – Bone Machine
  723. Sonic Youth – Dirty
  724. Stereo MCs – Connected
  725. Ministry – Psalm 69 (Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs)
  726. Amos, Tori – Little Earthquakes
  727. Ice Cube – Predator
  728. Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
  729. Alice in Chains – Dirt
  730. Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Henry’s Dream, by…
  731. Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali – Devotional Songs
  732. Harvey, P.J. – Dry
  733. Weller, Paul – Wild Wood
  734. Suede - Suede (1st Album)
  735. Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
  736. Auteurs – New Wave
  737. Phair, Liz – Exile in Guyville
  738. Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
  739. Mann, Aimee – Whatever
  740. Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy
  741. Nirvana – In Utero
  742. Jamiroquai – Emergency on Planet Earth
  743. Pet Shop Boys – Very
  744. Harvey, P.J. – Rid of Me
  745. Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish
  746. Crow, Sheryl – Tuesday Night Music Club
  747. Fall – Infotainment Scan
  748. Wu Tang Clan – Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
  749. Björk – Debut
  750. Orbital – Orbital [aka Brown Album]
  751. Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle
  752. Sebadoh – Bubble & Scrape
  753. Boo Radleys – Giant Steps
  754. Orbit, William – Strange Cargo: III
  755. Method Man – Tical
  756. Black, Frank – Teenager of the Year
  757. Girls Against Boys – Venus Luxure No 1 Baby
  758. Jeru the Damaja – Sun Rises in the East
  759. Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
  760. Portishead – Dummy
  761. Sabres of Paradise – Haunted Dancehall
  762. Nas – Illmatic
  763. Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
  764. Costello, Elvis – Brutal Youth
  765. Morrissey – Vauxhall & I
  766. TLC – CrazySexyCool
  767. Oasis – Definitely Maybe
  768. Soundgarden – Superunknown
  769. Offspring – Smash
  770. Drive Like Jehu – Yank Crime
  771. Blur – Parklife
  772. G Love & Special Sauce - G Love & Special Sauce (1994)
  773. Touré, Ali Farka – Talking Timbuktu
  774. Hole – Live Through This
  775. Massive Attack – Protection
  776. Manic Street Preachers – Holy Bible
  777. Suede – Dog Man Star
  778. Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
  779. Buckley, Jeff – Grace
  780. Orbital – Snivilisation
  781. Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York
  782. Nine Inch Nails – Downward Spiral
  783. Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation
  784. Green Day – Dookie
  785. Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters (1st Album)
  786. Garbage – Garbage (1st Album)
  787. Nightmares on Wax – Smokers Delight
  788. Tricky – Maxinquaye
  789. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
  790. Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness
  791. Rocket from the Crypt – Scream, Dracula, Scream
  792. Chemical Brothers – Exit Planet Dust
  793. 2Pac – Me Against the World
  794. Elastica – Elastica (1st Album)
  795. Supergrass – I Should Coco
  796. Radiohead – Bends, the
  797. Guided by Voices – Alien Lanes
  798. Kuti, Femi – Femi Kuti (1995)
  799. Verve – A Northern Soul
  800. Genius GZA – Liquid Swords
  801. Pulp – Different Class
  802. Leftfield – Leftism
  803. D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
  804. Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
  805. Goldie – Timeless
  806. Morissette, Alanis – Jagged Little Pill
  807. Screaming Trees – Dust
  808. Super Furry Animals – Fuzzy Logic
  809. Fatboy Slim – Better Living Through Chemistry
  810. Dr Octagon – Dr Octagonecologyst
  811. Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup
  812. Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die
  813. Beck – Odelay
  814. Belle & Sebastian – Tigermilk
  815. DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
  816. Eels – Beautiful Freak
  817. Divine Comedy – Casanova
  818. Apple, Fiona – Tidal
  819. Wilco – Being There
  820. Sepultura – Roots
  821. Adamson, Barry – Oedipus Schmoedipus
  822. Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself
  823. Maxwell – Urban Hang Suite
  824. Charlatans – Tellin’ Stories
  825. Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
  826. Everything But the Girl – Walking Wounded
  827. Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Murder Ballads
  828. Bukem, LTJ – Logical Progression
  829. Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants
  830. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Now I Got Worry
  831. Cardigans – First Band on the Moon
  832. Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar
  833. Fugees – Score, the
  834. Ash – 1977
  835. Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
  836. Blur – Blur (1997)
  837. Radiohead – OK Computer
  838. Quaye, Finley – Maverick a Strike
  839. Elliott, Missy Misdemeanor – Supa Dupa Fly
  840. Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
  841. Primal Scream – Vanishing Point
  842. Wyatt, Robert – Shleep
  843. Holmes, David – Let’s Get Killed
  844. Sleater Kinney – Dig Me Out
  845. Prodigy – Fat of the Land
  846. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
  847. Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Boatman’s Call
  848. Divine Comedy – A Short Album About Love
  849. Cornershop – When I was Born for the 7th Time
  850. Daft Punk – Homework
  851. Williams, Robbie – Life Thru a Lens
  852. Carey, Mariah – Butterfly
  853. Supergrass – In it for the Money
  854. Dylan, Bob – Time Out of Mind
  855. Size, Roni & Reprazent – New Forms
  856. Smith, Elliott – Either/Or
  857. Verve – Urban Hymns
  858. Spiritualized – Ladies & Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space
  859. Dandy Warhols – Dandy Warhols (1997)
  860. Dylan, Bob – Bootleg Series Vol 4: Live 1966 [rec: 1966 at Free Trade Hall, Manchester]
  861. Chao, Manu – Clandestino
  862. Bragg, Billy & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue
  863. Turbonegro – Apocalypse Dudes
  864. Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
  865. Gray, David – White Ladder
  866. Williams, Lucinda – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
  867. Pulp – This is Hardcore
  868. Madonna – Ray of Light
  869. Hill, Lauryn – Miseducation of…
  870. Hole – Celebrity Skin
  871. Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs
  872. System of a Down - System of a Down (1st Album)
  873. Queen of the Stone Age - Queen of the Stone Age (1st Album)
  874. Air – Moon Safari
  875. Singh, Talvin – OK
  876. Korn – Follow the Leader
  877. Khalèd, (Cheb) – Kenza
  878. Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause
  879. Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children
  880. Suba - São Paulo Confessions
  881. XTC – Apple Venus: Volume 1
  882. Skunk Anansie – Post Orgasmic Chill
  883. Incubus – Make Yourself
  884. Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
  885. Travis – Man Who
  886. Slipknot – Slipknot (1st Album)
  887. Orton, Beth – Central Reservation
  888. Sawhney, Nitin – Beyond Skin
  889. Death in Vegas – Contino Sessions
  890. Moby – Play
  891. Flaming Lips – Soft Bulletin
  892. Rhymes Digitales, les – Darkdancer
  893. Tigre, le – Tigre, le (1999)
  894. Eminem – Slim Shady LP
  895. Spears, Britney – Baby One More Time
  896. Metallica – S&M
  897. Bonnie Prince Billy – I See a Darkness
  898. Shack – HMS Fable
  899. Basement Jaxx – Remedy
  900. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
  901. Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun
  902. Doves – Lost Souls
  903. Air – Virgin Suicides: Original Motion Picture Score
  904. Adams, Ryan – Heartbreaker
  905. Gilberto, Bebel – Tanto Tempo
  906. Cole, MJ – Sincere
  907. Harris, Emmylou – Red Dirt Girl
  908. Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water
  909. Radiohead – Kid A
  910. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
  911. Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory
  912. Smith, Elliott – Figure 8
  913. Badly Drawn Boy – Hour of Bewilderbeast
  914. Harvey, P.J. – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
  915. Badu, Erykah – Mama’s Gun
  916. Coldplay – Parachutes
  917. Common – Like Water for Chocolate
  918. Ladd, Mike – Welcome to the Afterfuture
  919. Red Snapper – Our Aim is to Satisfy
  920. Eminem – Marshall Mathers LP
  921. Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain
  922. Giant Sand – Chore of Enchantment
  923. Lambchop – Nixon
  924. Lemper, Ute – Punishing Kiss
  925. Madonna – Music
  926. Avalanches – Since I Left You
  927. OutKast – Stankonia
  928. Radiohead – Amnesiac
  929. Silver Jews – Bright Flight
  930. Björk – Vespertine
  931. Gorillaz – Gorillaz (1st Album)
  932. Adams, Ryan – Gold
  933. Destiny’s Child – Survivor
  934. Strokes – Is This It
  935. Welch, Gillian – Time (The Revelator)
  936. Gotan Project – Revancha del Tango, la
  937. White Stripes – White Blood Cells
  938. Beta Band – Hot Shots II
  939. Jay Z – Blueprint
  940. Röyksopp – Melody AM
  941. Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera
  942. Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World
  943. Jurassic 5 – Power in Numbers
  944. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  945. Ms Dynamite – A Little Deeper
  946. Bees – Sunshine Hit Me
  947. Jones, Norah – Come Away with Me
  948. Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
  949. Coral – Coral (2002)
  950. Cash, Johnny – American IV: Man Comes Around
  951. Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
  952. Doves – Last Broadcast
  953. Elliott, Missy – Under Construction
  954. Springsteen, Bruce – Rising, the
  955. Aguilera, Christina – Stripped
  956. Roots – Phrenology
  957. Beck – Sea Change
  958. Timberlake, Justin – Justified
  959. Vines – Highly Evolved
  960. Hives – Your New Favourite Band
  961. Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
  962. Winehouse, Amy – Frank
  963. Calexico – Feast of Wire
  964. Darkness – Permission to Land
  965. White Stripes – Elephant
  966. Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner
  967. Kings of Leon – Youth & Young Manhood
  968. Thrills – So Much for the City
  969. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell
  970. OutKast – Speakerboxxx/Love Below
  971. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’
  972. Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium
  973. Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow
  974. Wainwright, Rufus – Want One
  975. Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters (1st Album)
  976. Zutons - Who Killed the Zutons?
  977. Morrissey – You Are the Quarry
  978. Björk – Medúlla
  979. Mylo – Destroy Rock & Roll
  980. Wilson, Brian – SMiLE
  981. Icarus Line – Penance Soirée
  982. Arcade Fire – Funeral
  983. Banhart, Devendra – Rejoicing in the Hands
  984. Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
  985. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (1st Album)
  986. N*E*R*D – Fly or Die
  987. Beta Band – Heroes to Zeros
  988. Ozamatli – Street Signs
  989. Libertines – Libertines (1st Album)
  990. West, kanYe – College Dropout
  991. Green, Cee-Lo – Is the Soul Machine
  992. TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
  993. Liars – They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
  994. Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free
  995. Wainwright, Rufus – Want Two
  996. Zutons – Who Killed the Zutons?
  997. Killers – Hot Fuss
  998. Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
  999. MIA (UK) – Arular
  1000. Beck – Guero
  1001. White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

Plus, from the revision in 2007 a further selection were added to reflect new releases...

  • Anthony & The Johnsons - I am a Bird Now
  • Common - Be
  • Hawley, Richard - Cole's Corners
  • Stevens, Sufjan - Illinois
  • TourC Farka, Ali - Savane
  • Winehouse, Amy - Back to Black
  • Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am
  • Aguilera, Christina - Back to Basics
  • Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
  • Newsom, Joanna - Ys
  • Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
  • Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
  • Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
  • Justice - Cross
  • LCD Soundsystem - The Sound of Silver
  • MIA - Kala
  • Radiohead - In Rainbows
  • The Good, the Bad & the Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Queen
  • Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/1001-albums-you-must-hear-before-you-die/feed/ 1 Exporting Contacts from the Durham Uni Database http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/exporting-contacts-from-the-durham-uni-database/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/exporting-contacts-from-the-durham-uni-database/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:11:20 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=459 Quick bit of example php code to pull people's details out of the Durham University user database (not LDAP, this is a separate database with slightly different details) - this database is just sitting on the mysql server without a password!

The applications of this database are endless, in this simple example the script grabs everyone from one college and turns it into a handy CSV file you could import into your address book, etc...

Quick example code to dump mildert student data into a csv
  1. function fixcase($string){
  2.         $words = explode(" ", $string);
  3.  
  4.         for($i=0; $i<count($words); $i++) {
  5.             $s = strtolower($words[$i]);
  6.             $s = substr_replace($s, strtoupper(substr($s, 0, 1)), 0, 1);
  7.             $result .= "$s ";
  8.         }
  9.  
  10.         $string = trim($result);
  11.         return $string;
  12.  }
  13.  
  14.     mysql_connect("mysql.dur.ac.uk", "nobody", "") or die(mysql_error());
  15.  
  16.     $sql = "SELECT * FROM UserDetails WHERE (college = 'Van Mildert College' OR department = 'Van Mildert College')";
  17.  
  18.     $res = mysql_db_query("Pdcl0www_userdata", $sql) or die(mysql_error());
  19.  
  20.     echo "First Name, Surname, Display Name, Email, Department, Company, Website, Year";
  21.  
  22.     while($row = mysql_fetch_array($res)){
  23.      $name = array();
  24.      $name = split(" ", str_replace(",", " ",$row['firstnames']));
  25.     echo fixcase($name[0]).','.fixcase($row['surname']).','.fixcase($name[0]).' '.fixcase($row['surname']).','.$row['email'].','.$row['department'].','.$row['college'].',http://www.dur.ac.uk/vm.jcr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=55&person='.$row['username'].','.$row['studyyear']."";
  26.     }
  27.  
  28.   echo $res;
]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/exporting-contacts-from-the-durham-uni-database/feed/ 0 Iris Exchequer Fails to Install http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/iris-exchequer-fails-to-install/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/iris-exchequer-fails-to-install/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:30:39 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=457 Had a strange problem with a machine at work failing to do a clean install of the latest version (v6.01.223) of Iris Exchequer (Pervasive edition) running on Windows XP... Windows reported the installer as not responding in its final stages and it crashed out.

Running the installer to upgrade other machines to the latest worked fine, but I couldn't get it to clean install. Couldn't find any support for this on the internet but after some investigation it turns out those 'final stages' are making changes to the registry -- the solution it turns out is to manually override the permissions of the Exchequer registry key in HKLM and give all users full access.  (Run regsvr, browse to HKEY_LocalMachine->Software->Exchequer, right click->Permissions).

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2010/iris-exchequer-fails-to-install/feed/ 0 Resignation of a JCR Officer http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/resignation-of-a-jcr-officer/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/resignation-of-a-jcr-officer/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:09:01 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=454 A public statement issued as the previous JCR Secretary of Van Mildert College, part of the University of Durham

Dearest Mildertians,

I send you this e-mail tonight with a heavy heart, and I hope you don't consider my sending this under the "Really Important Stuff" mailing list in any way presumptuous. It is however my duty to inform you that, as of 8pm this evening, I have resigned entirely from my position as Van Mildert College JCR Secretary.

I have not taken this decision lightly and the events leading up to this are not straightforward. I will attempt to outline the key points now in the remainder of this e-mail, but I am willing to discuss these matters in more depth with any of you individually as I believe you have the right to fully understand my reasoning.

As some of you may be aware the JCR Chair recently nullified the internal appointments within PA Committee. This decision was taken without informing the individual JCR members involved, and without even knowledge of who the affected members were.

As a member of Exec, as a member of PA Committee and as someone whose position was nullified in this way I am extremely unhappy. In fact I am disappointed with the way this took place and most importantly the JCR Chair's unwillingness to fully explain the reasoning behind their decision, especially when the decision doesn't appear to be properly supported by the Constitution and Standing Orders.

Last Wednesday I issued a statement to the JCR Chair and JCR President informing them that unless a satisfactory reason was given for the necessity of this decision, and the matter resolved in a manner myself and the rest of PA Committee were satisfied with then I would have no choice but to resign from my position as JCR Secretary and from the Executive Committee. In a meeting today it became apparent we would not get such a response, and therefore I have made my resignation official.

I cannot be seen to endorse a JCR Executive which refuses to account for its decisions, and refuses to properly support its fellow JCR members.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly. Ultimately the job of JCR Secretary is to keep our members informed of the actions of the JCR. The moment the JCR believes it does not have to account for its actions the role becomes redundant.

If anyone has any questions about this matter, please feel free to contact me on my personal account paul.nicholls@durham.ac.uk

Kindest Regards,

Paul Nicholls

(paul.nicholls@durham.ac.uk)

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/resignation-of-a-jcr-officer/feed/ 0 The Durham Hub is Back... http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/the-durham-hub-is-back/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/the-durham-hub-is-back/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:06:06 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=448 Returning to college residence might mean the end of bittorrent, but at least we can have ultra-fast internal file sharing again...

The Durham Hub is safe, secure, fast internal file sharing on the internal ESOL Durham University Network. It allows you to share copyright-free (obviously?) files from your computer and download files other people are sharing.

To get going on the system....

  1. Download your DC++ Client ...
    1. (Windows Users) Download the DC++ client program from Sourceforge
    2. (Mac Users) Try the Mac DC++ program also on Sourceforge
    3. (Linux Users) There's details of a Linux Port of DC++ here
  2. Install it, follow all the default options.
  3. Run DC++, File -> Quick Connect, enter hub.r9paul.org as the address *
  4. Share some files of your own, File -> Settings -> Sharing
  5. Done! Double click on a username to browse their shared files or use the search tool.

We'll aim for 24/7 availability during term time but note this might not always be possible, service updates will be posted on twitter with hashtag #durhub.

Any major problems get in touch

* this will only resolve on the internal network, you cannot connect to the hub from outside of the Durham Network.

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/the-durham-hub-is-back/feed/ 5 Working with MDI Window Backgrounds in .NET http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/mdi-in-dot-ne/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/mdi-in-dot-ne/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:53:36 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=443 Its not unreasonable to want to work with the background of an MDI container area; in a project I'm working on I thought it would be neat to have a custom background image in the container rather than the boring SystemColors.AppWorkspace gray. Turns out this isn't all that straightforward, especially if you want to be a little bit cleverer than just a static image... There's very little help floating around for this so I thought I'd document how I got it working.

The MDI parent window would be resized in infinite combinations, yet I wanted my background to remain in a consistent design, with a fixed-size (i.e. not stretching) background image and the company logo always appearing in the bottom-right corner of the window. To achieve this the background would have to be a  a composite of two images, an oversized background image anchored top-left and the company logo which would always sit in the bottom right corner. Whatever size the window was the logo should remain in the bottom corner as illustrated in the example below...

mdi_smallwindow mdi_bigwindow

What Doesn't Work

If it wasn't for the fact the control we are working with is an MDI Parent Form, the normal approach I'd take is to set the background image of the control, then add an PictureBox with the company logo inside it, set to Anchor right and bottom, so when the control is re-sized the logo is move accordingly. With an MDI Form though, this doesn't work because the actual MDI window area, where child forms may exist is a hidden control which you can't access at design time.

Setting the background colour or image of the MDI Parent form will have no effect, and any controls added in the MDI Window Area will always appear on top of any child forms. Not helpful.

What Does Work

To get a background image, you need to edit the background image property of the MDI Window area (known as the Windows.Forms.MDIClient), since this is a control added at runtime, to edit its properties and add event handlers you'll have to catch it at runtime. The code below demonstrates adding two event handlers which we'll use when laying the second image on top of the background. The code examples here are from Visual Basic 2008, but the same principles apply to C# or other environments using WinForms.

Finding the MDIClient Control
  1.         Dim c As Control
  2.         Dim mdic As MdiClient
  3.         For Each c In Me.Controls
  4.             mdic = TryCast(c, Windows.Forms.MdiClient)
  5.             If Not mdic Is Nothing Then
  6.                 mdic.BackColor = <a>
  7.                 mdic.BackgroundImage =
  8.                 AddHandler mdic.Paint, AddressOf Mdi_Paint
  9.                 AddHandler mdic.SizeChanged, AddressOf Mdi_SizeChanged
  10.                 Exit For
  11.             End If
  12.         Next

Now you've got handles on the events for changing the size of the MDI area you can use these handlers however you want. In this case to create the second image overlay we'll use native paint tools to simply repaint the company logo over the top of the background image each time the MDI area needs redrawing.

  1.    Private Sub Mdi_Paint(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs)
  2.         e.Graphics.DrawImage(Image, Left, Top, Width, Height)
  3.     End Sub

And whenever the MDI area is resized, we'll force it to get redrawn so our logo moves seamlessly.

  1.     Private Sub Mdi_SizeChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
  2.         CType(sender, MdiClient).Invalidate()
  3.     End Sub
]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/mdi-in-dot-ne/feed/ 3 Iconbase is Restocked! http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/iconbase-is-restocked/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/iconbase-is-restocked/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:43:05 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=423

In a long overdue move I've wiped out my icon collection - iconbase - and started again from scratch, this time with everything in lovely 32bit translucent glory and saved as individual PNG files for each icon size (working with .ico files was too much of a pain).

Iconbase now allows you to browse and download a wide range of 'real' (i.e. not replicas in the same style) of Microsoft Windows Icons and other product icons. I've imported all the 'Standard' Windows XP and Windows Vista icons (as extracted and acquired from a range of sources) as well as some others from commonly used applications such as Quicktime, iTunes, Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office 2007 and others. When I get round to it I'll upload some older styles from Windows 9x just for completeness.

You can use the icons to create a professional and intuitive user interface quickly, maintaining consistency with your target operating system. They're available to browse, download and link to online through a shimmie powered gallery, if anyone wants them all as a pack let me know...

Disclaimer, don't forget that re-use and distribution of these icons may or may not be restricted depending on what they are and what you do with them...

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/iconbase-is-restocked/feed/ 0 Ethernet Fail http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/ethernet-fail/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/ethernet-fail/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:58:11 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=419 Ethernet Drivers

O RLY?

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/ethernet-fail/feed/ 1 Van Mildert Summer Ball http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/van-mildert-summer-ball/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/van-mildert-summer-ball/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:30:11 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/?p=398 This year I was fortunate enough to be involved with Van Mildert's Summer Ball, as technical director I was responsible for all the event's staging, lighting, sound and PA, rigging and health and safety. A mammoth task!

The night was headlined by B*Witched (well, two of them...) and also featured boat rides on the lake, a ferris wheel, a three course meal or buffet dinner, comedy performances, living statues, burlesque dancers, professional magicians, living statues, gladiator jousting, angle grinding, a Ministry of Sound DJ, silent disco, popular motown and soul covers band "Souled Out", a jazz band, an incredible indoor marquee, a real outdoor marque, a giant bed, a theatre, fire artists, giant props, a chocolate fountain, cocktail bar and much much more!

The setup was ridiculous, over a week preparing decorations and fireproofing, three very long days rigging the event, not the mention all the rest of the paperwork, organisation and preparation that went into the night. With the support of Becky Grigg (who did an amazing job as Head of Summer Ball), the rest of Summer Ball Committee and various other helpers we pulled it off though... the night was an amazing success. We sold an unprecedented number of tickets, made a safe profit margin, got (almost) everything we wanted past the Health and Safety men, found enough electricity to plug everything in, and didn't have any major disasters (despite a slight technical hitch during B*witched, not our fault honestly!).

When we set out to organise the ball is was taken for granted we wouldn't be able to even get close to matching last year's event - it was suggested we didn't event try - but most of the feedback we've had from this year is that we pushed past even last year's spectacle, setting the bar even higher and without any shadow of a doubt giving K-Lee and the 2008 team a pretty good run for their money!

Now who will be crazy enough to take it on next year? Hmmmm....

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/van-mildert-summer-ball/feed/ 0 Web Services http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/web-services/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/web-services/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:51:41 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/comsci/?p=218

Web services are a new breed of Web application. They are self-contained, self-describing, modular applications thay can be published, located, and invoked across the web. Web services perform functions, which can be anything from simple requests to complicated business processes ... Once a web service is deployed, other applications (and other web services) can discover and invoke the deployed service

IBM Web Service Tutorial

Web services connect devices in new ways by using the internet to exchange data, the key to web services is on-the-fly software creation through the use of loosely coupled, reusable software components. This allows systems to be decentralised and distributed around the internet.

Web services are formed around the following attributes:

  • Web-based Protocols, based on HTTP so they can traverse firewalls.
  • Interoperability, by use of the SOAP (standard mechanism for sending XML over HTTP) common standard.
  • XML Based, to create standardised machine-readable documents.
  • UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration), a mechanism for clients to find web services by creating a platform independent framework for describing and discovering services.
  • WSDL (Web Services Definition Language), a method to describe the syntax of invocation and response of a web service.
]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/web-services/feed/ 0 Distributed Systems http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/distributed-systems/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/distributed-systems/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:30:06 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/comsci/?p=212 A distributed system is a collection of independent computers that appear to the user as a single coherent system, this is in contrast to a networked system. In a networked system computers exchange information, however in a distributed system an application has many parts running on different computiers, and information is shared to accomplish a specific purpose.

Distributed Systems allow resources to be more easily shared, to be location independant, to distribute human resources, to increase performance, to increase modularity and scalability and to increase availability and reliability.

In distributed systems a middleware layer masks the underlying networks, hardware, operating systems and programming languages and presents the system as a single service.

Certain design features have to be considered when designing a distributed system

  • Variable network bandwidth needs
  • Possible network latency issues
  • No hardware support for synchronization
  • No global clock
  • Unpredictable component failure model
  • Security Issues

Remote Method Invocation (RMI) is Java's implementation of object-to-object communication among Java objects to realise a distributed computing model. It allows objects to be distributed on various machines and invoke methods on objects located on remote sites.

Replication

Replication is the process of assigning mutliple copies of the same information in a system. It can enhance reliability and improve performance, but requires consistency. In order to maintain consistency it is important to check a replica is up to date, which could be achieved by use of a global clock, server-push, client-pull or regular updates.

  • In a strict consistency model we need an absolute global time, the concept of "most recent" must be unambiguous. This is akin to a uniprocessor system.
  • In a sequential consistency model the result of any execution is the same as if the operations by all processes on the data store were executed in some sequential order. So, processes can run concurrently and I/O operations may be interleaved but all processes are aware of this and the output will be the same regardless. The only different from strict consistency is that there is no reference to a global time.
  • In a causal consistency model writes that are potentially causally related must be seen by all processes in the same order. Concurrent writes may be seen in a different order on different machines. It is "weaker" than sequential consistency, and is based on the premise that if event B is caused or influenced by an earlier event A, then everyone must first see A and then B.

Consitency control can be enforced in Java with use of the "synchronized" keyword in a method declaration.

Synchronisation

Clock Synchronisation is a problem for distributed systems as the internal clocks of computers can differ, and even if set accurately can start to drift. The implication of this is the notion of physical time is problematic in networked computer systems, we are limited in our ability to timestamp events and nodes and thus accurately determine the order in which events occured.

Cristian's algorithm suggests getting the current time from a time server, which does use a level of estimation but by repeated requests to estimate the round trip time this can be minimised. The use of a time server does however provide only a single point of failure, although again this can be resolved through grouping servers and using multicast requests.

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a scalable protocol for synchronising time, it allows a logical hierarchy of servers and supports authentication of trusted servers. NTP utilises UDP.

Fault Tolerance

\mbox{ Availability }=\dfrac{\mbox{ Reliability }}{\mbox{ Reliability } + \mbox{ Downtime }}

Where reliability is measured in mean-time-between-failures (MTBF), downtime is measured in mean-time-to-repair.

Fault tolerance is the ability of a system to continue operating properly in the event of a failure of some of its components, this is particularly important in high-availability or life-critical systems.

  • Hardware Faults are often physical faults and are typically unpredictable. Redundancy can resolve fault issues.
  • Software Faults usually arise from specification or design errors, or implementation mistakes.

Replication can give fault tolerance in different ways:

  1. Replication (multiple instances of the same system, used in parallel)
  2. Redundancy (multiple instances of the same system for fall-back)
  3. Diversity (multiple instances of a different implementation to cope with errors in specific implementations)

Recovery may be needed to restore a system in the event of a fault

  • Backward recovery allows the rollback of a system to a previously saved state (can be used regardless of damage to current state, can handle unpredictable errors, however requires significant resources and is a risk of the domino effect)
  • Forward recovery attempts to find a new state from which the system can continue operation (includes tools such as error compensation, fault masking and self-checking components however can only remove predictable errors ).
]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/distributed-systems/feed/ 0 Network Security http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/network-security/ http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/network-security/#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 22:06:48 +0000 r9paul http://www.r9paul.org/comsci/?p=209 Network Security is concerned with three main areas:

  • Secrecy. Only the sender and intended receiver should understand the content of messages.
  • Authentication. The sender and receiver need to confirm their identities.
  • Integrity. Need to ensure the message is not altered without detection.

There are a number of threats to the security of a network, including:

  • Packet Sniffing, where a rogue NIC reads all packets passing through including those not addressed to it.
  • IP Spoofing, where a rogue NIC addresses packets from a different source to pretend to be it.
  • Denial of Service (DOS), where a flood of maliciously generated packets flood a receiver.
  • Distributed Denial of Service (DDSO), where multiple co-ordinated sources flood a receiver.

Cryptography

Cryptography is the technique of encrypting messages to ensure they can only be understood and endpoints with the correct encryption and decryption keys.

In Symmetric cryptography the encryption and decryption algorithms are the same and need to be kept secret. This can be implemented with:

  • Substitution Cipher. Can be easily broken by brute force.
  • Data Encryption Standard (DES), a US encryption standard with a 56-bit symmetric key. No backdoor method and brute force can take in the order of months.

In Public Key cryptography, the sender and reciever do not share a secret key, the encryption key is public buy the decryption key is private and only known to the receiver.

The Rivest, Shamir, Adelson (RSA) algorithm is used in public key cryptography.

Authentication

In order to prove the identity of a host digital signatures can be established (analogous to hand-written signatures). The sender digitally signs a document, establishing themselves as the creator, the receiver can than verify the original creator. The message is encoded by a private key from the sender, the sender also sends the private key, the reciever can then verify the message by aplying the sender's public and private keys.

Digests

It is computationally expensive to encrypt long messages with public key encryption, as such a fixed length digital signature, or fingerprint of the sender can be established by applying a hash function to the message. It is infaesible to find any other messages which generates the same hash product. MD5 and SHA-1 hash functions are widely used for this purpose.

Certificate Authorities (CA)

In order to validate public keys, a trusted certification authority stores a bind of public keys to entities. An entity registers its public key with a CA, which then creates a certificate binding the entity to its key and digitally signs this certificate with the CA's own private key.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

SSL works at the transport layer and provides security to any TCP-based application using SSL services. It is frequently used between web browsers and servers for e-commerce activty. SSL forms the basis of the transport layer security (TLS).

The SSL Security services provides server authentication by verification of public keys against trusted CA's; data encryption and client authentication. Data is encrypted in SSL by the browser generating a symmetric session key, which is then ecrypted by the server's public key so only the server may decrypt it.

]]> http://www.r9paul.org/blog/2009/network-security/feed/ 0