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New releases at The Last Record Store
Time does fly. It's been over a month since our last LRS Newsletter.
Lots of new music has come out since then.
Here are some highlights…
New releases for October 5, 2018
Twenty One Pilots: Trench
Twenty One Pilots shook the world with the release of their 2015 album Blurryface, an album that would go on to sell over seven million copies worldwide and earn the band their first ever Grammy Award as they shattered longstanding chart records, and captivated audiences worldwide on sold-out arena runs and at international festivals. Now three years later, the duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have returned to write the next chapter of their story with Trench, the band's highly anticipated studio album. Trench finds Twenty One Pilots fearlessly reimagining the possibilities of their music through the same candid expression and genuine identity that helped to cement their place as one of the largest bands in the world.
Lady Gaga !
Original soundtrack to the 2018 motion picture, A Star is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Gaga and Cooper collaborated on the soundtrack album with an assortment of country musicians, including Lukas Nelson, who also stars in the film as a member of Cooper's band. For the more pop-oriented songs on the soundtrack, Gaga teamed up with recurring collaborator DJ White Shadow. The soundtrack also includes contributions from Jason Isbell, Mark Ronson, Diane Warren, and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow. A Star Is Born was produced and directed by Bradley Cooper, in his directorial debut. Cooper also wrote the screenplay with Will Fetters and Eric Roth. A remake of the 1937 film of the same name, it stars Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott, and follows a hard-drinking country musician (Cooper) who discovers and falls in love with a young singer (Gaga).
Eric Church: Desperate Man
from the platinum-selling country music artist. Church comes roaring back with his new album-the first single from which (the title song) has already done major damage to the charts. Ray Wylie Hubbard is among Eric's co-writers here, and you'll encounter Southern-rock power, funky rhythms and the classic Bakersfield sound across "The Snake," "Hangin' Around," "Heart Like a Wheel," "Some of It," "Monsters," "Solid" and more. Chris Church won the Album of the Year in 2016 for Mr. Misunderstood and has reached Platinum status.
T.I. : Dime Trap
Marking 15 years since he released his breakthrough album Trap Muzik, Dime Trap finds T.I.'s career coming full circle. A curator, culture-mover, and uncompromising creative innovator, the new album once again finds him gathering only the best around him for one of the most eagerly awaited hip-hop releases of the year. The 15-track project features a bold lineup of guest artists and previous collaborators, including Anderson.Paak, Jeezy, Teyana Taylor, YFN Lucci, the above-mentioned rhyme-slingers Meek Mill and Yo Gotti, and more.
John Lennon: Imagine
Two CD version features brand new stereo mix, bonus disc of b-sides and out-takes. Digitally remastered, remixed and expanded edition of this 1971 album. A truly unique expanded edition of one of the most iconic albums of all time. This new edition takes us on incredibly personal journey through the entire songwriting and recording process – from the very first sessions at John's home studio at Tittenhurst Park through to the final co-production with Phil Spector – providing a remarkable testament of the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their own words. Imagine is the second studio album by John Lennon. Recorded and released in 1971, the album is more heavily produced in contrast to the basic, raw arrangements of his previous album, the critically acclaimed John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The album is the most popular of his solo works and the title track is considered one of Lennon's finest songs.
Gregory Alan Isakov's Dualtone debut, Evening Machines, is poised to take his career to places yet unknown. Recorded at a converted barn studio located on Isakov's three-acre farm in Boulder County, CO, the 12-track album was self-produced and mixed by Tucker Martine (Neko Case, The Decemberists) and Andrew Berlin (Descendants, Rise Against). Since his 2003 debut, Isakov has self-released three LPs on his independent label, Suitcase Town Music and has toured extensively worldwide with the likes of Iron & Wine, Ani DiFranco, Blind Pilot, Passenger, Josh Ritter, Brandi Carlile, and Nathaniel Rateliff. Since his debut with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in November 2013 he has also performed with several symphonies including the Seattle Symphony, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Isakov also has a significant film/TV history with 50 syncs of songs like "Suitcase Full of Sparks," "Amsterdam," "Time Will Tell," "If I Go" and "Only Ghost."
The new ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN studio album, THE STARS, THE OCEANS & THE MOON will be released on October 5th. As previously revealed, this album sees the band return to their peerless back catalogue to reinterpret thirteen of their most beloved songs with 'strings and things'. The album also features two future classics – "The Somnanbulist" and "How Far?" Recorded at The Dog House Studios with co-producer Andy Wright, the Bunnymen hand-picked the selection of tracks for the album from their majestic, four-decade spanning archive. Mac said of the new versions: "I'm not doing this for anyone else. I'm doing it as it's important to me to make the songs better. I have to do it."
Marcus King Band: Carolina Confessions
Marcus King doesn't strive for authenticity, he doesn't have to-it's busting out of his DNA in every note he plays and every word he sings. He may be young but this 22-year old's eloquent songs, expressive guitar playing, and ecstatically soulful singing mark him as a force to be reckoned with. For corroboration consider Carolina Confessions, The Marcus King Band's third full-length album, a sprawling, scintillating work in the tradition of the Stones' Let It Bleed and the Dead's American Beauty.
Doyle Bramhall II: Shades
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Doyle Bramhall II's dramatic Provogue Records debut comes hot on the heels of his 2016 critically acclaimed fourth LP, Rich Man, his first solo album in 15 years. In the intervening years, Bramhall established himself as one of the most distinctive and sought-after guitarists around, performing with a dizzying array of artists that includes Roger Waters, Elton John, Gregg Allman, Allen Toussaint and T-Bone Burnett. More significantly, Bramhall had spent over a decade as Eric Clapton's musical right-hand man, collaborating closely with the legendary guitarist both in the studio and on stage. He's also produced albums and written songs for Sheryl Crow and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Shades is a spellbinding blend of grungy blues, raucous garage rock, transcendent psychedelia, and soothing, soul-stirring ballads that sees Bramhall reaching new heights as a multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist while responding to his heart's most urgent commands as a lyricist and arranger.
NEW RELEASES for September 28, 2018
Tom Petty: an American Treasure
Deluxe four CD edition. An American Treasure features 60 tracks plus a 52-page booklet with rare and previously unseen photographs of Tom, his bandmates, family and friends. The booklet also features detailed track-by-track liner notes by noted journalist and Tom Petty aficionado Bud Scoppa, who drew upon his previous interviews with Tom and new conversations with Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Ryan Ulyate, as well as Adria and Dana Petty. This is the first posthumous release from Tom Petty and is a career-spanning box set that focuses on Petty as a great songwriter. The compilation includes many of Petty's hits, usually alternate or live versions, but also highlights some of his lesser known songs – especially from the WBR period (1995 onwards). It includes songs from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty solo, and Mudcrutch.
Rick and Morty is the critically acclaimed, half-hour animated hit comedy series on Adult Swim that follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe. Rick and Morty stars Justin Roiland (Adventure Time), Sarah Chalke (Scrubs), Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live) and Spencer Grammer (Greek). The series is created by Dan Harmon (Community) and Roiland who also serve as executive producers. This release is the first official collection of music from Rick and Morty. Features 26 songs, 24 of which are from the first three seasons of the show, and 18 of which were composed by Ryan Elder specifically for the show. The album also includes songs by Mazzy Star, Chaos Chaos, Blonde Redhead, and Belly, all of which have been featured in the show, as well as two new tunes from Chad VanGaalen and Clipping inspired by the show.
Loretta Lynn: Wouldn't It Be Great
Wouldn't It Be Great is one of the most deeply personal projects of her career. Originally scheduled to be released in August 2017, this album was put on hold as Loretta worked through recovering from a stroke she suffered in May 2017. An exploration of Loretta's songwriting, Wouldn't It Be Great finds her sharing the universality of human experience-love in all it's intoxication and heartbreak, the abiding things of soul and spirit, the transformative power of music and connecting to the world. Comprised entirely of songs written or co-written by Loretta, the album premieres new compositions ("Ain't No Time To Go," "Ruby's Stool," "I'm Dying For Someone To Live For") alongside select soulful reinterpretations of classics from her catalog ("God Makes No Mistakes," from Lynn's 2004 Grammy-winning Jack White-produced Van Lear Rose) and immortal classics like "Coal Miner's Daughter" (the song Loretta says she's most proud to have written, also the title of her 1976 memoir and subsequent Oscar-winning 1982 film adaptation) and "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)," her first of 16 career #1 country singles. Wouldn't It Be Great communicates the hard truths and spiritual insights Loretta has gathered throughout her life and reflects the resilience that sustains her still. It demonstrates Loretta's enduring strength, both within herself and within the stories she shares in these songs.
Lil' Wayne: Tha Carter V
Regarded as the "Best Rapper Alive," Lil Wayne to release highly anticipated new album Tha Carter V via Young Money Entertainment on 9/28. Lil Wayne has sold over 100 million records worldwide and is a 5x Grammy Award winning rap artist. Lil Wayne will receive 'I Am Hip Hop' Honor at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards in October. Version Title: 2 CD Explicit
Rod Stewart: Blood Red Roses
from the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Living Legend. Blood Red Roses includes the single, "Didn't I." Sir Rod Stewart is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. He has had six consecutive number one albums in the UK and his tally of 62 UK hit singles includes 31 that reached the top ten, six of which gained the #1 position. Stewart has had 16 top ten singles in the US, with four reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity.
Alt-J: Reduxer
Reduxer contains 11 reinterpretations of songs from the band's third album, Relaxer, reimagined by a variety of hip hop artists and producers including Little Simz, Pusha T, Tuka, Alchemist, Goldlink, Kontra K and others. Relaxer was recorded in London with producer Charlie Andrew, who also produced Alt-J's first two albums. It includes songs composed entirely during the album's recording and songs dating back to the band's formative years at the University of Leeds.
Jon Batiste: Hollywood Africans
For his major-label debut, this brilliant singer/pianist entered a New Orleans church and recorded this album (primarily just Jon and his piano) with producer T Bone Burnett. A stellar showcase for Jon's virtuosity as well as his creativity, this dynamic set of originals and interpretations includes "Kenner Boogie," "What a Wonderful World," "Chopinesque," "Smile," "The Very Thought of You," "Is It Over" and more!
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Window
The world first learned of the incredible vocal artistry of Cécile McLorin Salvant when she won the prestigious 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. In just under the span of a decade she has evolved from a darling of jazz critics and fans, to a multi-GRAMMY® Award winner and a prescient, fearless voice in music today. 'The Window', an album of duets with the pianist Sullivan Fortner, explores and extends the tradition of the piano-vocal duo and it's expressive possibilities. With just Fortner's deft accompaniment to support McLorin Salvant, the two are free to improvise and rhapsodize, to play freely with time, harmony, melody and phrasing
Original soundtrack to the 2018 documentary Bad Reputation. The album features the classic songs from the movie performed by Joan Jett and her bands The Blackhearts and The Runaways, as well as Bikini Kill's 'Rebel Girl' (produced by Jett), Fea's song 'Feminazi' and Jett's, Miley Cyrus' & Laura Jane Grace's cover of The Replacement's 'Androgynous'. This greatest hits collection also serves as a soundtrack to the documentary of the same name; After premiering at Sundance earlier this year, the Joan Jett documentary Bad Reputation will finally hit theaters, on-demand, iTunes, and Amazon on September 28. The film, directed by prolific music video director Kevin Kerslake, charts Joan Jett's journey through rock history, including the founding of her band the Runaways in the '70s, her evolution as a solo artist, and the launch of Blackheart Records. The soundtrack released on September 28, 2018. Bad Reputation is directed by Kevin Kerslake and follows Jett from her early years as the founder and backbone of the all-female band the Runaways during the 1970s punk scene.
Phil Collins: Plays Well With Others
Four CD set. 2018 collection containing tracks that Phil Collins recorded with other artists. Includes tracks by the Bee Gees, Philip Bailey, Paul McCartney, Brand X, Brian Eno, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel and many others. Phil Collins is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer and actor. He gained fame as both the drummer and lead singer for the rock band Genesis, and he also gained worldwide fame as a solo artist. Collins is one of the most successful songwriters and performers of all time, singing the lead vocals on dozens of hit albums and singles in the UK and the US between 1976 and 2010, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. He has been described by AllMusic as "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond."
Linda Thompson: My Mother Doesn't Know I'm On The Stage
Linda Thompson's career begins in the much beloved late '60s, early '70s British folk-rock scene. At fi rst, she was mostly a session singer and a part of a short-lived duo with Paul McNeill with whom she released two singles in 1968 and 1969. McNeill happened to be friends with Sandy Denny, and soon so was Linda. She became one of the "supergroup" of musician friends related to Fairport Convention for the 1972 The Bunch album, a side project of sorts, featuring rock hits of the '50s. The album's single featured Linda and Sandy Denny covering The Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved." Also in 1972 Linda married Richard Thompson and Linda (with Sandy Denny) can be found in the credits for Richard's 1972 solo debut, Henry The Human Fly. Beginning in 1974, albums started appearing by Richard & Linda Thompson winding up with the classic Shoot Out The Lights in 1982 which also signaled the end of their marriage.
Prince: Piano & a Microphone 1983
Archive release from the late soul/funk icon. Recorded in 1983 at Prince's Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, MN and engineered by Don Batts, Piano & A Microphone 1983 is a nine track, 35-minute album features a previously unreleased home studio cassette recording of Prince at his piano. The private rehearsal provides a rare, intimate glimpse into Prince s creative process as he worked through songs which include '17 Days' and 'Purple Rain' (neither of which would be released until 1984), a cover of Joni Mitchell's 'A Case Of You', 'Strange Relationship' (not released until 1987 on his critically acclaimed Sign O' The Times album), and 'International Lover'. The album also includes a rare recording of the 19th Century spiritual 'Mary Don't You Weep', featured during the end credits of Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. For fans of Prince s spontaneous live medleys, tracks 1-7 of the album are presented in that same format as they were originally recorded. The striking cover photo was shot by photographer and Prince's close collaborator Allen Beaulieu backstage at the 1999 tour.
Joe Bonamassa: Redemption
Redemption is Joe Bonamassa's 13th solo studio album and third in a row of all original material and sees him at his most ambitious and diverse yet as he continues to redefine and push the barriers of blues-rock. It features a collection of 12 exhilarating songs that reflect the re-birth that he is currently going through. You see the real shades of light and dark, for every trip into the tender depths of emotion there are some glorious hip shaking moments of joy and all the while accompanied by supreme musicianship and Bonamassa's masterful and rich guitar playing. With 20 #1 Blues Albums on the Billboard Chart, Joe is an unrivaled guitar prowess and a once in a lifetime artist that has an insatiable desire to push himself to his best potential on every level.
Billy F Gibbons: The Big Bad Blues
the legendary ZZ Top member. Big Bad Blues, as the title suggests, focuses on Gibbons' lifelong love of the blues and rock 'n' roll, showcasing the blues-influenced vocals and guitar licks that have together served as the foundation for his numerous hits over the past five decades. The album features 11 tracks balancing some classic covers like 'Rollin' and Tumblin,' and 'Standing Around Crying' along with some of Billy's signature new blues originals. Gibbons is best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist of ZZ Top. He began his career in the Moving Sidewalks, who recorded Flash (1968) and opened four dates for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969 and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971. He was ranked at #32 on the 2011 Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Macy Gray: Ruby
Her tenth full-length album, 'Ruby', Macy Gray, reaffirms and reasserts that rare space in the canon of modern music, which she occupies. Channeling the spirit of the "grimy" R&B and smoky jazz closest to her heart, Macy made a leap forward by looking back to formative inspirations. However, she updated those elements with enriched, entrancing, and enigmatic soundscapes brought to life by producers Johan Carlsson [Michael Buble , Maroon 5], Tommy Brown [Jennifer Lopez, Fifth Harmony, Travis Scott], and Tommy Parker Lumpkins [Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber].
Take the first single "Sugar Daddy." Co-written with none other than pop superstar Meghan Trainor, the track swings from jazz-y piano into a cooing verse that's as sweet as it is sassy. Her voice takes hold on the hook, "Be my, be my sugar daddy and provide me with your candy." "Meghan and I thought it be great to collaborate," Macy recalls. "She had the concept in her head for some time, so we took a stab at it. It's really great fun and a bit cheeky. Her writing and talent is brilliant. It was the perfect song to come out with first."
Ruby canvases a wide spectrum for the songstress. Raucous horns that feel ripped from a classic seventies flick augment the grit on "Cold World" as "Jealousy" spins a covetous narrative that soars as it seduces. Gary Clark Jr. adds six-string firepower to "Buddha." Everything culminates on the reggaeinspired "Witness," which shuffles between mainland soul and island grooves as she croons, "I wish I was Jesus. I would make sure to fix it. Can I get a witness?"
Nashville Pussy: Pleased To Eat You
The band from Atlanta, Georgia (USA) has been establishing their reputation of being a super cult underground rock band over several decades. Their concerts in Europe, Australia, Japan and home country USA sell out within minutes. Nashville Pussy's musical style has been variously described as psychobilly, Southern rock, hard rock and cowpunk, as well as "sleaze rock".
Carrie Underwood: Cry Pretty
the sixth studio album from multi-platinum global superstar and seven-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood. The album marks the first co-producing effort by Underwood, who partnered with David Garcia for the record. Underwood says: "At this point in my career, I feel stronger and more creative than ever. I think you can hear that in this new album. It's emotional, it's soulful, it's real, and we also have some fun on there too. I hope everyone loves it as much as I have loved making it." Carrie Underwood rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol in 2005
Tony Bennett & Diana Krall: Love is Here to Stay
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall celebrate their shared love of the music of George and Ira Gershwin on their collaborative album, Love Is Here To Stay. The album is a subtle, sophisticated and beautifully rendered love letter to the Gershwin's music and their status as one of the premiere songwriters of the American popular standard. It is a masterclass in vocal delivery and phrasing and the command that Bennett and Krall display of the material in both their duets and solo tracks makes it appear effortless, belying the honed skill of the vocalists. The duet tracks include 'S Wonderful', 'I've Got Rhythm', 'They Can't Take That Away from Me' and 'Fascinating Rhythm' among them. Fascinating Rhythm was Tony Bennett's first physical recording in 1949, made under his then stage name, Joe Bari, which he revisits as a duet with Krall for this project.
Willie Nelson: My Way
My Way explores Willie's admiration and connection to Frank Sinatra's art and artistry across 11 fresh, intoxicating takes on songs made famous by the Chairman of the Board. Recorded in the tradition of 1978s legendary Stardust and 2016s Grammy Award-winning Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, My Way is a warm and personal nod from one icon to another. Included are Willie's takes on timeless tunes like "Summer Wind," "It Was A Very Good Year," "I'll Be Around," "Fly Me To The Moon," "What Is This Thing Called Love" (cast as a duet with fellow Grammy winner Norah Jones) and, of course, the anthemic "My Way." Add Willie's stalwart backing band plus lush arrangements for full string and horn sections – all produced by Grammy winners Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings – and you've got an album that's as cool as it gets.
Richard Thompson: 13 Rivers
13 Rivers is the artists first self-produced record in over a decade. 13 Rivers is a very stripped down, bare-bones recording and, according to Thompson, the album is a reflection of current events that have happened in his life. "This has been an intense year for myself and my family, getting older doesn't mean that life gets easier! There are surprises around every bend. I think this reflects in the immediacy of the stories, and the passion in the songs. Sometimes I am speaking directly about events, at other times songs are an imaginative spin on what life throws at you. The music is just a mirror to life, but we try to Polish that mirror as brightly as possible." The album was recorded at Boulevard Recording in Los Angeles, California. 13 Rivers features Richards regular accompanists, Michael Jerome and Taras Prodaniuk, as well as Thompsons guitar tech, Bobby Eichorn, on second guitar. Each track on the album was recorded in analog, with minimal overdubbing.
Alejandro Escovedo: The Crossing
On his scorching, cinematic new concept album 'The Crossing' (Sept 14 / Yep Roc), Alejandro Escovedo tells the story of two young immigrants – Salvo from Italy, and Diego from Mexico – working in a Texas restaurant in pursuit of the American dream. Mirroring Escovedo's own experience as the child of Mexican immigrants, and drawing inspiration from his relationship with Italian co-writer Antonio Gramentieri, their journey navigates cultural identity, ancestral weight, minority rights and racism as they realize they have arrived in a different America – one that's not as open and free as they believed it would be.
Says Escovedo: "Early on I'd play in San Marcos, San Antonio and get all these Chicano kids in denim vests and Iron Maiden patches. I remember thinking they were into us, not necessarily for the music, but for the fact that we were on stage. They loved that we were doing what we were doing."
Escovedo crossed borders of his own for 'The Crossing' sessions, recording outside the US for the first time ever at a farmhouse in Villafranca, Northern Italy with the help of co-producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron & Wine). Italian all-instrumental group Don Antonio – helmed by co-writer Antonio Gramentiere – bring the record's narrative to life with their sweeping arrangements, while cameos from Kramer and The Stooges' James Williamson serve as reminders that Escovedo's punk ethos burns bright (both bands name are checked in the lyrics as well). Elsewhere on the record, alt-country pioneer Joe Ely features on both the title track and his self-penned "Silver City", while Peter Perrett and John Perry from UK legends The Only Ones reunite for their first recording in almost 40 years on "Waiting For Me."
Asleep at the Wheel: New Routes
New Routes serves as Asleep at the Wheel's first new material in over a decade, a new chapter in the group's forty-eight year history with a fresh group of musicians and nimble musical palette. The eleven-track collection of both new and familiar country, jazz, jump blues, rockabilly, Western Swing and folk, offers a blend of originals, vibrant covers, superior musicianship, and a guest vocal appearance by Seth and Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers. Comprised of founder/leader Ray Benson (lead guitar and vocals), Katie Shore (fiddle and vocals), Eddie Rivers (steel and sax), David Sanger (drums), Dennis Ludiker (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Josh Hoag (bass), Connor Forsyth (piano and vocals), and Jay Reynolds (sax and clarinet), Asleep at the Wheel's performance agility takes center stage on the record.
Steve Forbert: The Magic Tree
Big City Cat – My Life in Folk-Rock is singer/songwriter Steve Forbert's exceptional new memoir, co-written with Therese Boyd in which he most candidly reflects on those specific circumstances that first brought him to the public eye. Sharing reflections and journals he kept at the time, he weaves an absorbing narrative that fully addresses the trials, travails and triumphs that would eventually play out over the course of his prolific 40+ year career including encounters with the Ramones, Sam Phillips, Keith Richards, Doc Pomus, Levon Helm and other notables along the way. The book is accompanied by it's own soundtrack as well, an evocative album entitled The Magic Tree that offers a series of songs gleaned from previously recorded acoustic demos, augmented with new backing tracks and fleshed out as a series of songs that ring with the verve and vitality that Forbert's fans have always come to expect. Consistently upbeat and optimistic, they convey a firm sense that age ought not diminish a lust for living. Then again, that's been Forbert's mantra ever since the beginning: honoring his past while plowing his way towards the future in a mindful, soulful and revelatory way.
Paul Weller: True Meanings
from the British singer/songwriter best known for fronting The Jam and The Style Council as well as his enormous solo success. True Meanings is an album characterized by grandiose-yet-delicate, lush orchestration: an aesthetic to which Weller's better-than-ever voice, singing some of his most nakedly honest words, is perfectly suited. A dreamy, peaceful, pastoral set of songs to get lost in, it is both an album that his faithful audience has been wanting him to make for a long time, and an album that many new people outside of that audience will relate to. True Meanings was recorded in just over three weeks at Weller's own Black Barn Studio with a revolving cast of characters dropping in for a day here and there. The orchestration was added soon after and that was that. It is always a good sign when the recording of an album is swift, and here you can just hear that the man at the center of these songs is more focused and inspired than he has ever been.
NEW RELEASES for September 7, 2018
Eminem: Kamikaze
Paul McCartney: Egypt Station
Paul McCartney invites you on a musical journey to Egypt Station. Sharing a title with one of Paul's own paintings, Egypt Station is the first full album of all-new McCartney music since 2013's international chart-topping album New. Egypt Station was recorded between Los Angeles, London and Sussex, and produced (with the exception of one Ryan Tedder track) by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck, Foo Fighters). Of the album's enigmatic title, Paul says, "I liked the words 'Egypt Station.' It reminded me of the 'album' albums we used to make.., Egypt Station starts off at the station on the first song and then each song is like a different station. So, it gave us some idea to base all the songs around that. I think of it as a dream location that the music emanates from." True to the inspiration behind it's title, Egypt Station's 14 songs combine to convey a unique travelogue vibe. Between the opening and closing instrumentals "Station I" and "Station II," each song finds Paul capturing a place or moment before transporting the listener seamlessly to the next destination. Stops along the way include an acoustic meditation on present day contentedness ("Happy With You"), a timeless anthem that would fit on virtually any album of any McCartney era ("People Want Peace"), and an epic multi-movement closer clocking in at seven minutes with a song suite structure harkening back to the days of Paul's previous combos ("Despite Repeated Warnings"). The result is a kaleidoscopic journey through myriad musical locales and eras, yet firmly rooted in the here and now-with Paul's singular unmistakable melodic and lyrical sensibility serving as a guide.
Paul Simon: In The Blue Light
In the Blue Light is the 14th solo studio album by American folk rock singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Produced by Paul Simon and Roy Halee, the album consists of re-recordings of select lesser-known songs from Simon's catalog, often altering their original arrangements, harmonic structures, and lyrics. The songs were recorded with the instrumental ensemble yMusic. yMusic is a sextet chamber ensemble from New York City. Consisting of a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, the group was formed in Brooklyn in 2008 by trumpeter C.J. Camerieri and violinist Rob Moose. Songs also include guitarist Bill Frisell, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the National's Bryce Dessner.
Lenny Kravitz: Raise Vibration
the 11th studio album from singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz. The album is one of Kravitz's most eclectic. "Low," the song that got the whole process started, developed into a smooth funk showcase; what Kravitz calls "my Quincy Jones school" complete with horns and a string arrangement. The title track is lean power-trio rock, while the ballad "Here to Love" features Kravitz backed only by his piano and a string section. "Johnny Cash," inspired by an encounter with the late legend, is what Kravitz jokingly calls "psychedelic funk meets country." As usual, Kravitz plays most of the instruments himself, with longtime guitarist Craig Ross. Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race and class into a 20-year musical career, one which revels in the rich influences of '60s and '70s soul, rock and funk. Kravitz's talents as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist have resonated now through eleven studio albums into a timeless catalog. He has also won four consecutive Grammy Awards, setting a record for the most wins in the "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" category.
St. Paul & the Broken Bones: Young Sick Camellia
from the critically-acclaimed Birmingham, Alabama outfit. Young Sick Camellia contains nine songs infused with the band's cross-section of soul, rock 'n' roll, R&B and funk, mixed with passion, intensity and a boundary-blurring musical exploration that has become synonymous with St. Paul & The Broken Bones. The band teamed up with celebrated R&B/hip-hop/dance producer Jack Splash for Young Sick Camellia, whose work appears on albums by Solange, Kendrick Lamar, Diplo, Alicia Keys, Cee Lo Green, Mayer Hawthorne and many more. Led by the insightful lyrics and extraordinary vocals of exhilarating front man Paul Janeway, St. Paul & The Broken Bones possess the unique ability to make you dance and shout while simultaneously making you think.
Mike Farris: Silver & Stone
It's in the quiet moments sprinkled deftly throughout Silver And Stone that Mike Farris reveals a previously hidden side of his singular instrument. His voice, widely known for it's power and range, becomes a vessel for something more subtle but infinitely more rare and challenging to capture-the pure, authentic nature of returning to your roots. Musically, the album delves deep into Farris' background with a wide range of influences, drawing as much from Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers as from Bon Scott and Steve Marriott. Farris' larger-than-life vocals, straight out of the South, sharpened in the clubs of New York City, honed over a lifetime of collaboration and stage time with the likes of Patty Griffin, Patti Austin, Double Trouble, and his own Roseland Rhythm Revue, deliver not only the funky danceable blues-rock that draws audiences to his live shows but also a deeper insight into Farris' hard-earned understanding of the complexities of the human condition. The album was produced by Compass Records co-founder Garry West and supported by a cast of top-flight musicians from across the Americana and soul spectrums including legendary drummer and 'Memphis Boy', Gene Chrisman, B3 master Reese Wynans (Double Trouble) and guitarists Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, John Hiatt) and Joe Bonamassa.
Grateful Dead: Pacific Northwest '73-'74: Believe It If You Need It
The Pacific Northwest offers up a rich feast of land, sky, and water. It is ripe with influences, abundant with symbols, deep and spirited. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that the Grateful Dead played some of their most inspired shows on these fertile grounds. Dip your toe in the transformative waters with PACIFIC NORTHWEST '73-'74: BELIEVE IT IF YOU NEED IT, a compilation that highlights performances from the complete boxed set
Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt
From the opening lullaby of "A Perfect Miracle" through to the Morse Code fadeout at the close of "Sail on Through," on And Nothing Hurt, Spiritualized wrap layer upon layer of gloriously transcendent sound together to create a mesmerizing and cinematic collection of songs. There are points where the waves of blissful noise are almost overwhelming – the thunderous climax of "On the Sunshine"; the spectral waltz of "The Prize"; the towering guitar solo on "I'm Your Man" – where one can imagine the studio's speakers vibrating themselves off of the walls.
Ruston Kelly: Dying Star
Ruston Kelly's highly anticipated full-length debut, Dying Star, was co-produced with Jarrad K (Kate Nash, Weezer) and recorded at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, TX. It includes 14 songs written/co-written by Kelly and features Kelly (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, xylophone, harmonica), Jarrad K (12-string guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, Rhodes), Tim Kelly (pedal steel), Ian Fitchuk (piano, organ, drums, percussion), Eli Beaird (bass) and Kyle Ryan (banjo) as well as background vocals from Jon Green, Natalie Hemby, Kacey Musgraves, Kate York, Abby Sevigny and Joy Williams.
Kathy Mattea: Pretty Bird
Hailed by The Washington Post as "one of Nashville's finest song interpreters," Kathy Mattea has enjoyed the kind of success many artists only dream of: two Grammy wins, four CMA Awards, four #1 country singles, and five hold albums (plus a platinum collection of her greatest hits). The dream almost ended thought when Mattea entered her 50s and began to find her voice changing. What followed was a three year journey through life challenges and vocal glitches that she describes as her "dark night of the soul," a trying time of personal anguish and professional uncertainty that threatened to silence her permanently. Instead, Mattea dug in with a vocal coach, re-committed to her music, and emerged with the most poignant album of her career, "Pretty Bird." Working with her old friend, music roots wizard Tom O'Brien, producing, "Pretty Bird" is a chronicle of her journey, song by song, back to singing for the sheer joy of it. It's an emotional, moving collection, one that draws it's strength not only from Mattea's touching performances, but also from her uncanny ability to weave seemingly disparate material into a cohesive whole. From a playful take on Oliver Wood's "Chocolate On My Tongue" to a tender rendition of Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now," from a British traditional to a Bobbie Gentry classic, these are the songs that helped Mattea reclaim her voice, and she inhabits each as fully as if it were her own.
Everlast: Whitey Ford's House of Pain
Platinum-selling artist Everlast returns with his first full-length studio album of original material since 2011's Songs of the Ungrateful Living. Whitey Ford's House of Pain is his seventh solo studio effort overall. The 12-track release offers an eclectic stylistic sampling from throughout Everlast's nearly-three-decade-long journey. The doomy, apocalyptic rap of the first single, "The Culling," which Everlast describes as one of his "chain-of-thought songs like 'Black Jesus'," offers a chilling dystopian vision that blasts "lying politicians," while warning about threats to our freedom. There's the self-analytical "The Climb," a song which in part references his own defenses as well as his eight-year-old's ongoing battle with cystic fibrosis, one of the chief reasons behind the long gap between records. Watching her suffer fuels his anger and challenging of God's existence in "One of Us," while the dirty delta blues of "Show Your Roll" suggests a dark glimpse of a world with the chilling Boyz N' The Hood refrain, "You wanna see a dead body?" and a growling vocal hook provided by Aloe Blacc, taking us back to his underground hip-hop roots. Everlast is best-known to most fans for his single 'What It's Like' and as the frontman of House of Pain ('Jump Around').
Waxahatchee: Great Thunder
This EP features a collection of songs written with Katie Crutchfield's now-dormant experimental recording group Great Thunder while she was also writing the Waxahatchee albums Cerulean Salt and Ivy Tripp. The original recordings have mostly faded into obscurity, but unearthing and reimagining them with producer Brad Cook at Justin Vernon's April Base studio in Wisconsin was a cathartic experience, she says. On the heels of last year's critically acclaimed Out in the Storm, Crutchfield found herself looking to take a sharp turn away from the more rock-oriented influences of her recent records towards her more folk and country roots. "I would say that it is a complete 180 from the last record: super stripped-down, quiet, and with me performing solo, it's a throwback to how I started." LP: Black vinyl with a full-color printed insert. Both sides of the record are identical and feature the full EP. Includes digital download.
Eric Lindell: Revolution in Your Heart
A charismatic singer with a gift for sublime, hook-filled songwriting, Eric Lindell returns to Alligator, the home of his greatest success. His three critically acclaimed Alligator releases garnered a ton of radio airplay, national television exposure, a crowded tour schedule and over 65,000 scans. Revolution In Your Heart reveals an artist hitting another creative peak. On Revolution In Your Heart, Eric Lindell again weaves timeless, infectious tales of family, friends and love. Lindell does all the singing and plays all instruments except the drums, making the performances exceptionally heartfelt and engaging.


Should we take nutritional supplements, or can we do without them? The answer is definitely yes, we need to take supplements in order to feel and look good. "But I already feel good so why bother?" I have heard this argument a dozen times before.
What most people are now aware of is that they shouldn't base their health on how they feel. A person's typical diet should include a blend of nutrients and vitamins found in carbohydrates, fats and proteins without which long term malnutrition may occur. When it suddenly hits us - a health problem, weakness, a sign of old age - we begin to look for herbal supplements to help us get through this critical situation. If your body has a proper nutritional balance it becomes more able to fight off sickness. Supplements also help you fight against the aging process. As you grow older you lose muscle mass, bone density and nutrients at a faster pace. Better nutrition means less illness, stronger immune system, better health.
Of course we shouldn't replace proper nutrition with health supplements. However, building a diet that meets 100% of all the recommended nutrients containing only whole foods can be quite a task. It is actually almost impossible to meet your nutritional needs on a consistent basis without resorting to a judicious use of fortified foods or nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements should complement your diet to make sure you get nutrients in their proper amount and help your entire body system to work properly.
Another problem with most people is that they end up getting low quality products and thus fail to take full advantage of what nutritional supplements can offer. So if you are concerned at all about your health you must take your choice seriously.
Taking supplements seriously could easily save your life or increase it by some years. Nutritional supplements don't just balance your nutritional needs but they also help you achieve an optimum health and minimize the risk of diseases. It's your chance to live a fuller and better life.


If heating bills throw your budget off balance, consider enrolling in Claverack's levelized billing program. With levelized billing, your current month's kilowatt-hour use is combined with that of the previous 11 months. This figure is then divided by 12 (the number of months in one year) to obtain a levelized total. You are billed the levelized amount, while a running balance accounts for the difference between your actual and levelized charges. In this way, the variance between billings is reduced, making your budget more manageable.
This member's lowest actual charge was $49.78 in September. The highest was $243.73 in March. The difference between these two extremes is nearly $194, allowing for a substantial range of payments. However, by paying levelized amounts the member's bill ranged for $109.93 in December to $143.19 in May, for a difference of only $33.26.
Levelized billing is not like fixed budget billing, where you pay the same amount each month regardless of your energy use and then make up for any shortfall or receive credit for any overpayment at the end of the year. As the 11-month time period changes each month, so will your levelized bill, therefore, the cooperative does not send an annual bill to settle levelized accounts. Instead, the system continues on a rolling basis, with differences between actual and levelized charges being settled through continued monthly levelizing.
It is necessary to have a 12-month billing history on your account to qualify for the levelized billing program, along with a current zero balance. Levelized billing is most helpful to members with electric heating or central air conditioning systems. It's also convenient for members on fixed incomes.
For more information on levelized billing, contact the billing department at 1-800-326-9799 or 570-265-2167.


Each year, in North Dakota, an average of 32 students graduate with credentials in computer engineering. North Dakota has 1 computer engineering schools to choose from, if you are interested in studying computer engineering. At computer engineering schools in North Dakota, you can expect to pay $6,455 per year in tuition for a degree in computer engineering.
North Dakota's largest computer engineering school, which is located in Fargo, is North Dakota State University-Main Campus. Approximately 23 students graduated with a computer engineering degree from North Dakota State University-Main Campus in 2009, which was 72% of the total state computer engineering graduates for that year. If you decide to attend North Dakota State University-Main Campus, you can expect to pay approximately $6,455 per year to earn your degree in computer engineering.
Computer Engineer is the most popular career choice for those who graduate with credentials in computer engineering.
If you work as a computer engineer in North Dakota, your yearly salary can range from less than $NaN to more than . In North Dakota, computer engineers make an average of per year.


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Home Insider Insider Culture Made in Myanmar: Local Handicrafts and Livelihoods of Myanmar Artisans
Insider Culture
Made in Myanmar: Local Handicrafts and Livelihoods of Myanmar Artisans
Min Ye Kyaw
In Myanmar, one of the most significant aspects of its culture is the traditional arts. To this day, many artisans in the country have created incredible handicrafts by using customary methods that have been handed down over generations. Ten forms of art are regarded as the Myanmar norm of traditional arts and crafts. These are called pan se myo (Ten Flowers) which consist of blacksmithing, bronze casting, goldsmithing, lacquerware, masonry, painting, stone carving, stucco work, and turnery.
Souvenirs play a vital role in the tourism industry while businesses provide living wages to local people and, in return, it helps with keeping Myanmar cultural traditions alive.
Handicrafts, more precisely called artisanal handicrafts or artisanries which are useful and decorative and made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. Making of these handicrafts is the main section of crafting as it also means making goods. Those made by massive production or machines are not considered as handicrafts. Furthermore, handicrafts are intended to be used, worn, etc.
At present, most of the handicrafts businesses in Myanmar are closed temporarily since the impact of COVID-19 is fierce on the industry.
"Since it's a COVID-19 period now, there are no visitors, even locals, in Bagan . Therefore, all the business stops and the employees are also taking long vacations until everything goes back to normal. The hotels are all closed and so are the lacquerware shops. No business relating to tourism are working at the moment", said Naing Lin Tun, son of the founder at Golden Cuckoo Lacquerware in Bagan.
Before the time of Coronavirus, the number of travelers coming to Myanmar has grown over years and years and so did the demand for souvenirs. As a country rich in culture and traditions, every city in Myanmar has its own unique souvenirs to bring back home as a small token of one's journey.
Inle Lake, Shan State's most loved tourism spot, is famed for its textiles made from lotus root with a magical touch by the hands of finest tailors and seamstresses despite being a magnificent scenery itself while Bagan, out of all, has become the marvellous landmark for Myanmar to be well-known in the world as it is today. And Mandalay, the last kingdom of Myanmar, is truly recognized for its wood carvings, marionettes and lacquerwares.
Around 2015, the handicrafts business in Myanmar has evolved into a sustainable and responsible market since some expats merged with local communities to support the livelihood of artisans in affordable ways. HLA DAY, Pomelo for Myanmar, Yangoods and dacco. Myanmar are one of the initiative social enterprises in Yangon that persuaded local artisans to prosper while maintaining an ethical and balanced relationship with buyers on the other hand.
Around 2015, the handicrafts business in Myanmar has evolved into a sustainable and responsible market since some expats merged with local communities to support the livelihood of artisans in affordable ways.
Moreover, as the industry is currently in the state of decline and each year, the number of local artisans that work in their crafts has lessened and many traditional motifs, techniques and materials are no longer in use. As it is one of the most promising sectors for economic growth in the country, it also offers the opportunity for social and economic empowerment, specifically for women.
Thae Thae, one of the board members from Pomelo for Myanmar talks about her forfeiture.
"Since we work with around forty individuals together with HIV victims, those with disability, refugees, orphans and so on, COVID-19 has, no doubt, killed the entire organization and cut out their income. We were very successful in 2014 but then in 2017 when the world denounced Myanmar for the ongoing Rakhine State issue with Rohingya, it went down again and we were just trying to rise again. We were not prepared for this".
In Myanmar, according to the analysis, various types of artisans can be categorized into four;
1) Running own business
2) Providing service in some handicraft unit with fixed salary
3) Proving job work of handicrafts regularly, and
4) Potential artisans doing handicraft in their leisure time only.
It is also noticeable that nearly half of the artisans are part-time artisans who are not currently employed regularly in the field of handicrafts. They are skilled people yet not getting regular work of handicrafts. So, suct artisans work in their leisure time to earn supplemental income. Some are employed in some other occupations.
Ma Su, currently working at Turquoise Mountain who learnt weaving at the age of 13, talked about her career before and then.
"I weave at home and sell my products to Thailand. But I wasn't making very much money. Now I work with Turquoise Mountain and joined a group of likeminded and talented weavers to produce fabrics for international clients and five star hotels", adding that she loves to weave in soft colours and could manage up to 60 heddles.
Not only in the pandemic, also in the normal world, the handicraft artisans suffer a lot due to being unorganized, lack of education, low capital, poor exposure to new technologies, absence of market intelligence and a poor institutional framework which is why the social enterprises as well as non-government organizations tried hard to protect the interest of handicraft artisans by providing them with financial, marketing, training and infrastructural assistance.
But the scenario doesn't stop since the handicraft artisans are not able to overcome their weakness and hence struggle hard for their existence. Some art has slowly lost relevance with the advent of industrialization and the sector carries the stigma of inferiority and backwardness. Therefore, there have been initiatives to tackle the weaknesses and challenges faced by such artisans engaged in the most popular area of Myanmar to support them as much as we can, just to make their lives a little easy to go forward.
Hla Day, known to be Yangon's favourite souvenir shop for its handmade craft products which range from paper to textiles representing different ethnic groups, has recycled glassware to upcycled plastic products for sustainability in Myanmar.
Ulla Kroeber, the founder and lead designer of Hla Day and an architect in other hands, told the circumstances of her enterprise as follows.
"We provide livelihood for the local artisan community by creating Myanmar contemporary craft. Our aim is to capture the unique flavors of Myanmar design by celebrating traditional skills and locally sourcing all materials, enabling both customers and artisans to enjoy and benefit from unique and quality Myanmar handicrafts".
"Most of our local staff are students from distant universities who are finishing their graduation with earnings. We encourage them to complete their education", she added.
Like most of the other businesses, Hla Day is also trying to focus on online sales outside Myanmar as well as to organize pop up shops in different cities outside Myanmar, to get maximum customers since tourism will take a major hit this year. But all this will only be possible once the flights resume operations, as they need to ship out their products.
Last but not least, I hope these people keep making Myanmar proud with their enchanting gifts to put a beautiful memory in everyone's heart who set foot on this golden land. I hope, by reading this article, you learn about the livelihood of artisans in Myanmar and your support is, indeed, a little endorsement for their hearts to keep doing what they are doing. In other words, they make Myanmar proud in a certain way. A great author of the UK, Ashleigh Brilliant once said,
"Keep some souvenirs of your past, or how will you ever prove it wasn't all a dream?"
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Newsletter Issue #656
THIS WEEK'S TECH NIGHT OWL RADIO UPDATE
As you've noticed from my recent articles about Microsoft's product announcements this week, I'm highly skeptical. Yes, perhaps there will be a Surface tablet that is not a coffee table. Perhaps one of those models will ship this fall along with Windows 8. But it may also be that Microsoft staged that demonstration — where it wasn't even clear the products were even close to ready to ship — as a wakeup call to OEMs who are doing pathetic work developing tablets for Windows 8.
So in that sense, maybe the Surface is intended to be a reference platform, a starting point where such OEMs as Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and all the rest, will be expected to build variations on the same theme. However, if the customers aren't attracted to Microsoft's choices of making the Surface essentially a mini-PC, the whole effort may come to naught. Or if Microsoft ignores the needs of its partners and ships the Surface anyway, it may be another Zune in the making.
I'm also concerned about the product's name, since it's already taken by another product that resembles the tablet version strictly by virtue of having a touch screen. Is that meant as a smart branding move, or did Microsoft not have a more suitable trademark in their repertoire? Or maybe the Surface was never meant to go into production. It's just another of those vapor demonstrations for which Microsoft is notorious that may or may not lead to a little more innovation from the long-suffering OEMs. Let's just say that the OEMs are clearly not happy, regardless of what they might say in public, and I'll have more to say about this later in this issue.
On this week's episode of The Tech Night Owl LIVE, we focus on this week's announcements from Microsoft that have dominated tech news, such as the demonstration of the 10.6-inch version of the Surface, and the first presentation about the new features forthcoming in Windows Phone 8. We'll also cover the potential and some of the key problems that have appeared in the forthcoming Windows 8 upgrade.
Our guests include outspoken columnist and former industry analyst Joe Wilcox, from BetaNews, commentator Jim Dalrymple, Editor in Chief of The Loop, and Mike Prospero, Reviews Editor of Laptop magazine.
We'll also continue our coverage of Apple's amazing new MacBook Pro with Retina display, and its impact to the note-book market.
On this week's episode of our other radio show, The Paracast: On the anniversary of the fabled sighting of nine disc shaped objects by Kenneth Arnold in 1947, Nick Redfern returns to discuss his new book: "The Pyramids and the Pentagon: The Government's Top Secret Pursuit of Mystical Relics, Ancient Astronauts, and Lost Civilizations." Explore ancient artifacts, the faces on Mars, crop circles and other mysteries the Pentagon may or may not know about.
Now Shipping! The Official Paracast T-Shirt — Now with New Design! We're taking orders direct from our new Official Paracast Store, where you can place your order and pay with a major credit card or PayPal. The shirts come in white, 100% cotton, and feature The Paracast logo on the front. The rear emblem states: "Separating Signal From Noise." We've also added a huge selection of additional special custom-imprinted merchandise for fans of our show, along with a redesigned storefront.
DOES MOUNTAIN LION FULFILL THE PROMISE OF LION?
Although over 40% of Mac users have already migrated to Lion, that OS hasn't exactly gotten the love. A fair number of people won't upgrade simply because they need to run PowerPC software, and Apple removed the Rosetta translation capability from 10.7. This makes Lion a non-starter to them, and it's clear Apple has no intention of restoring Rosetta in 10.8 Mountain Lion.
I also get the impression that some of you are put off by the iOS-inspired elements of Lion, particularly Launchpad, the app launch system that, of course, you never have to launch. A couple of interface elements, such as scrollbars that require a mouseover to appear, and reversing the direction of scrolling, are readily disabled in System Preferences.
From our Comments section, it's also clear some of you are a mite confused by Apple's decision to hide the User > Library folder by default. Yes, it's visible if you Option click the Finder's Go menu, but I suppose there's reason to be concerned that such places will ultimately become impossible to access. At the same time, the main Library and System folders, where anyone who knows an admin password can do all sorts of dire mischief, remain unchanged.
Now the usual reason to browse through your Library folder is diagnosis. You may want to dump an app's preference file because it's not running properly. But otherwise rummaging through there may not be something you'd do very often except, perhaps, to check Apple Mail message files and for backups.
I do suppose there's some reason to be concerned about Lion's Auto Save system, since the cherished Save As feature was removed. But it's restored under Mountain Lion with a new keystroke (Command-Option-Shift-S). The real issue of Auto Save is that few apps really support the feature, other than Apple's. Eleven months after the debut of Lion, neither Microsoft nor Adobe seem to have come aboard, although a number of simpler third-party apps have gotten with the program.
My impression of Lion is that it was somewhat unfinished, as if Apple ran out of time to add and perfect new features, so they simply set them aside for Mountain Lion. Yes, the adoption rate was high, with Lion and its predecessor, Snow Leopard, sporting similar user bases. But a lot of Lion's apparent success appears due to the fact that Apple sold millions of computers on which 10.7 was preloaded. It's not the same situation as a Windows PC, where it's often possible to downgrade to an older OS. That, and Microsoft's troubles making new Windows versions must-haves, has meant that over 40% of the world's Windows user base still uses XP, which was first released in 2001.
Apple, in turn, is quick to make older Macs ineligible for OS upgrades because of critical changes that make them unable to run with good performance, or at all. So we have a ragtag collection of recent Macs from three to five years old that will be forever stuck with Lion as the latest OS they can support. Yes, I suppose some will hack their way into somehow installing 10.8.
Here's the official Apple list of hardware that's compatible with Mountain Lion:
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)
I see that my son's 2008 black MacBook, which is otherwise barely functioning because of endless hardware issues, is officially being abandoned by Apple. But the list is too wide and varied to actually estimate the total number of Macs that are part of this list, other than the fact that Apple wants to move forward with as few restrictions as possible.
When you examine the feature set for Mountain Lion at Apple's site, you'll see that, yes, there are over 200 new features, although, typical for such listings, a reasonable number come across as minor enhancements rather than major changes. Regardless, most of what's there appears to represent positive improvements for your Mac. Yes, some apps are renamed and redesigned to more closely match their iOS counterparts, but that's not a reason to regard Mountain Lion as an insignificant upgrade. Compared to previous OS X versions, the number of improvements is fairly similar.
I'm actually anxious to experiment with the system-wide Dictation feature, which, according to Apple, "works with any app." You don't need a special mic, nor do you have to subject yourself to training the system to recognize your voice. I'm certainly planning on experimenting with that — well, one of these days. I've grown too used to just typing, and I have been lucky enough to avoid serious wrist injuries after decades of intense typing. Or maybe I have right keyboard: The magnificent and expensive Matias Tactile Pro.
The buzz from the developer community and others who have worked with the prerelease versions is extremely positive. For the most part, Mountain Lion appears to be a credible and compelling upgrade. It's good to see the enhanced security and direct support for social networking. For any Lion user that has a compatible Mac, I don't see any significant downsides. And, assuming the final release is stable and snappy, the $19.99 purchase price would seem to make it an upgrade that vindicates the promise of Lion and makes OS X a lot more useful.
THE MICROSOFT SMOKE AND MIRRORS REPORT: LOOK, BUT TOUCH QUICKLY
Some members of the media are still struggling to make Microsoft's demonstration of a line of Surface tablets seem credible. As they've done many times in the past, Microsoft staged a media event last Monday to introduce a new product initiative. After selling a line of expensive touchscreen-based coffee tables known as Surface for several years, they decided to use the very same product name for a line of 10.6-inch tablets.
Now I don't pretend to understand the fuzzy logic behind that decision beyond the fact that Microsoft needed a trademark real fast, and that one was readily available. Regardless, it's all for naught if the product itself doesn't pass muster — in fact, it's not at all certain if the Surface tablets will ever see the light of day.
With lots of pomp and circumstance, Microsoft tried to outdo Apple in preparing for the media presentation. Normally, with an Apple event, selected journalists receive an invitation, usually via email, about a week in advance. The invitation will give the date, time and location, and some sort of hint about the products and services that will be introduced. In contrast, Microsoft withheld the actual location of their Los Angeles-based session until the morning of the event. If that was meant to trump Apple's secrecy approach, they failed.
The rollout of the Surface is regarded by at least some members of the media as disappointing; others believe that the iPad is facing a real challenge even though they couldn't actually spend extended facetime with a Surface that's supposedly close to shipping.
The specs are barebones so far, and don't reveal such things as display resolution or estimated battery life. The original version didn't even mention Wi-Fi, though Microsoft later confessed the first units will be Wi-Fi only. So no LTE. The battery in the ARM-based Windows RT version has a much lower capacity than the one in the new iPad, and Microsoft has yet to estimate battery life. Remember that Microsoft has no history building such gear (the Zune music player doesn't really count) and, unlike Apple, they aren't using custom components to improve power efficiency.
Worse, the assembled members of the media were given very little opportunity to play with a prototype. An AP reporter seemed impressed by one of the physical keyboards that's installed on the inside accessory cover for the Surface. But, while Microsoft's demonstrators claimed you could type upwards of 50 words per minute on the thing, the AP person wrote that "I didn't have access to the device long enough to test my ability to input "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."
Is Microsoft serious?
Where reporters had a chance to experience the touch interface, it was found to be slow and buggy. The AP reporter commented, "I detected a lag when swiping, which just seems wrong on a touch screen."
Wrong indeed! Even the very first iPad demonstrated to the press ahead of its release had a touch interface that was snappy and fluid. More than two years later, Microsoft's PR stunt reveals a product that, in its present shape, still cannot match the iPad released in 2010. That's not a very promising beginning.
Consider the promised ship date. If Microsoft is to be believed, the Windows RT Surface will arrive this fall when Windows 8 goes on sale. Assuming an October shipping date, that would mean that they are but weeks away from committing to volume production. You'd think at this point that the prototypes available to the media would be in near-final shape, that they'd be able to perform the basics credibly.
Now it may well be that the Surface isn't meant for production, and it's not that Microsoft plans mass distribution if it does appear, since availability will be limited to their online store and the tiny number of Microsoft retail outlets. Nowhere else. But Microsoft can't ignore those awful Windows 8 tablets that are being shown by their OEMs, so maybe they are hoping the Surface will be regarded as either a threat or a wakeup call.
But even if the Surface goes on sale, it appears to be designed as basically a small PC, rather than a tablet. Microsoft believes in PC/mobile hegemony, the marriage of the refrigerator and the toaster oven. But Apple has shown that the marketplace still regards the two platforms as separate. So perhaps the Surface isn't meant to be a direct competitor.
For now, though, considering Microsoft's past questionable history about technology demonstrations, it's safe to label the Surface just more vaporware. If it truly appears, don't expect it to fare any better than existing potential iPad-killers.
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Newsletter Issue #656
This article was posted on Monday, June 25th, 2012 at 12:00 AM and is filed under Newsletter and tagged with: 10.7, 10.8, Adobe, AP reporter, Apple, ARM-based Windows RT, Barbara Kaplan, Dell, Dictation, Finder, Gene Steinberg, HP, iOS, iPad, Jim Dalrymple, Joe Wilcox, Kenneth Arnold, Launchpad, Lion, Mac OS, Mac Os X, MacBook Pro, Macintosh, media presentation, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface, Microsoft Windows, Mike Prospero, Mountain Lion, Nick Redfern, online store, OS X, Powerpc, Rosetta, Sharon Jarvis, Snow Leopard, Surface tablet, System Folder, technology demonstrations, The Loop, The Paracast, Wi-Fi, Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows XP, XP, Zune.
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9 Responses to "Newsletter Issue #656"
Newsletter Issue #656: Does Mountain Lion Fulfill the Promise of Lion? | The Tech Night Owl — Cutting-Edge Tech Commentary says:
[…] Continue Reading… Related Posts: The Mountain Lion Report: Too Quick? […]
Lion is not aimed at geeks like you and I. It's aimed at non-techheads like my wife.
I said, "Oh look, Save As is coming back in Mountain Lion" to which she replied, "What is 'save as'?"
The hand-wringing in the forums over Lion is from geeks, normal people love it. I'm trying to think like a normal person as I prepare for ML.
Also, I watched the entire Surface presentation and was perplexed by the entire thing.
First of all 'Surface' seems to be a solution to a problem that does not exist. The iPad is successful because it is there when a laptop is overkill – that's the point. Making a tablet like a laptop (keyboard, trackpad, mouse/stylus) therefore is redundant. Ergo, Surface is redundant.
Next, the product was obviously not ready – the crash during the demo has been seen 2 million times on YouTube. Several of the presentation elements felt exactly like an iPad keynote (I actually laughed out loud when they snapped the cover onto the tablet, have they no shame??) and the entire thing was just painful to get through. No please, tell me more about the 'kickstand'….
Predictions: I have no doubt they'll sell some Sufaces (oh good grief, what an awful name) but not in any meaningful numbers. After an initial rush sales will plummet like John Carter and will take from Google, not Apple. iPad market share will go down 2 points and then rebound. Sales to the colorblind will be brisk.
BDK says:
Microsoft's Surface tablet is the Zune 2. It was created out of desperation to keep the Windows brand alive. Microsoft will not win over Apple customers because there's one app that Apple hasn't created for Windows 8 – iTunes.
The XBox 360 is the last thing Microsoft did right. Now they are in serious trouble. They need to forget about Windows on PC's and concentrate on the XBox.
Gene Steinberg says:
@BDK, When it comes to the Xbox 360, far too many members of the media want to ignore the billions Microsoft dumped on the product before it became successful. So far, I do not see any indication that recent profits have made up for the previous losses. Also, do you remember when Microsoft took a write down of over a billion dollars to address serious hardware defects in the gaming console? It was reported, then quickly forgotten by a tech media that gave Microsoft a free ride for far too long.
@Gene Steinberg,
"tech media [that] gave Microsoft a free ride for far too long."
I did not know that. I always thought that Microsoft paid for those glowing reviews. I guess the people that call me a conspiracy nut are right.
I hope Mountain Lion fulfills the promise of Lion. Apple took quite a few small backwards steps in 10.7.
For me speed and stability are the big sticking points. I have both 10.6.8 and 10.7.4 on a 2010 MacBook Pro. Lion is noticeably slower and uses more RAM to run the same apps. Waking from sleep has also become an unwelcome adventure. The two culprits are WiFi and external displays. Neither is an issue when I'm booted into Snow Leopard.
Kernel panics are more common in the office since people moved to Lion. Those who are still able to do their job with Snow Leopard are enjoying the fact that being sticks in the mud has allowed them to avoid the problems.
Lion Server is a mess and it's release prompted many here to speculate that it would be the very last version of OS X Server. The situation wasn't made any better by Apple's ongoing neglect of the Mac Pro.
IT here are talking about moving back end services to Linux and/or Windows and virtualizing Mac servers to run Xcode. I've heard that Mountain Lion Server is much better, but we'll probably still move ahead with a transition away from Apple hardware.
I don't mind the reverse scrolling or other easy adjusted new behaviors, but they really need to work on their small bundled apps. Things like Address Book and iCal should be shining examples of usability instead of prime opportunities for third party apps.
@David, Not knowing the precise configuration of your office Macs, I won't comment on the reasons why you've seen slow performance, and kernel panics.
I have none, and have not seen any noticeable slowdown with Lion compared to Snow Leopard on a recent iMac, and a 2010 17-inch MacBook Pro.
I do see pockets of problem reports, but none seem more severe than previous OS X versions, most of which were declared as inferior to their predecessors in one way or another.
The assumption that one's local installation scenarios represent the entire Mac user base is wrong.
degrees_of_truth says:
Re the Mac Pro, what Tim Cook said was, "we're working on something really great for later next year", which might mean something other than an evolutionary update of the current Mac Pro. The big-box-with-expansion-slots-and-bays form factor has been around for decades.
Re Mountain Lion, the feature that caught my attention was AirPlay from OS X, but then I saw that that feature is not supported on my not very old MacBook Pro. So I'm still not very enthusiastic about upgrading from Snow Leopard. For iPad use, I'd rather iOS become more like OS X than the reverse.
@degrees_of_truth, My exposure to Lion and Mountain Lion doesn't make me feel that I'm lost in iOS-land. Some of this seems overblown.
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Home » Reivaj Garcia
Reivaj Garcia
Carrier Gets Carried Away and Pacheco Gets Carted Off, Leaving Remaining Cubs in the Dark
Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 06/10/2018 - 2:19am
Chris Carrier drove-in two runs with a solo HR and two singles and scored twice, Fernando Kelli tripled, singled, walked, and scored a run. and Jonathan Sierra and Reivaj Garcia each drilled an RBI double and a single and scored a run, in an eight-inning Cubs Extended Spring Training intrasquad game played Saturday night on Field #1 at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.
Carrier hit his HR in the bottom of the 6th right after being informed that he was being called-up to one of the Cubs full-season affiliates (presumably South Bend, but it could have been one of the others), so after blasting the bomb far over the LF fence, Carrier gathered his gear, hugged his teammates, and made a bee-line for the UAPC (slip-sliding on the concrete in the process) and then to Sky Harbor Airport. (It's always a trip when a player at Extended Spring Training gets called-up during a game).
On a more somber note, Carlos Pacheco was carried off the field after suffering what appeared to be a serious leg injury in the top of the 7th after tripping over 1st base while attempting to beat-out an infield hit.
The game was called with a score of 8-6 prior to the start of the 9th inning after the lights suddenly switched themselves off. (Unbeknownst to Carmelo Martinez and the rest of the EXST Cubs, the lights were pre-set to turn off automatically at 10 PM so that the Riverview Park ground crew and City of Mesa personnel could go home without having to wait around for the game to end, but none of the Cubs knew how to over-ride the timer and turn them back on). Dalton Geekie and Yan de la Cruz were warmed-up and ready to throw one inning each, but obviously they were unable to get their scheduled game-work. (The Field #1 sprinklers also turned themselves on automatically a few minutes prior to start of the game).
The Cubs will be playing AZL home games at both Sloan Park (the Cubs Spring Training stadium) and across the street at Riverview Park Field #1 (the only Riverview back-field with lights) on nights when both AZL Cubs #1 and AZL Cubs #2 are scheduled to play home games, so it's probably good to be aware of potential problems and get the glitches worked-out now rather than after the AZL season starts.
Here is the box score from the game:
Read the rest of this entry >>>
Cubs Extended Spring Training game report
Chris Carrier
Fernando Kelli
Jonathan Sierra
Nic, Bug, and Mac Are a Rockie Concoction for Cubs at Riverview
Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 05/23/2018 - 5:12pm
Nic Motley doubled twice, walked, and collected two RBI, Tyler Bugner singled twice, stole two bases, and scored twice, and RHSP Pearson McMahan hurled five innings of two-hit/one-run ball (retiring the first nine men and the last six men he faced), helping the Rockies edge the Cubs 7-6 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training game action Wednesday morning on Field #5 on John Arguello Way at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.
Luis Hidalgo smacked a three-run HR, Luis Vazquez drilled a single and an RBI double and scored a run, Reivaj Garcia singled, doubled, and scored a run, and Yovanny Cuevas belted an RBI triple and drove-in another run with an RBI GO for the Cubs in a losing cause.
The game was pre-planned as an eight-inning affair, but was extended an extra half-inning so that all of the Rockies pitchers who were scheduled to throw could get their work.
Prior to the game, LHSP Justin Steele (July 2017 TJS) threw "live" BP (two innings - 35 pitches) on Field #4 and it went very well (FB velo good and flashed a plus-CH). Next step is three innings (45 pitches), and then he will begin to throw a breaking ball.
In EXST Cubs roster news, RHSP Erick Leal (missed 2017 season with a non-TJS elbow injury) has completed his rehab and has rejoined Myrtle Beach, replacing RHRP Elvis Diaz on the Pelicans roster (E. Diaz was released). In addition, RHP Kyle Miller (Cubs 2015 19th round draft pick - Florida Atlantic) has been released from Extended Spring Training. (K. Miller had a lot of difficulty throwing strikes at Minor League Camp and was left behind in Mesa to work on his mechanics when Myrtle Beach departed Arizona at the end of March, but he was unable to overcome the problem).
Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):
Luis Hidalgo
Luis Vazquez
Yovanny Cuevas
Erick Leal
Kyle Miller


text:
Multi Sport Games
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SDM Blitz e-Newsletter
> Destinations
> Mid-Atlantic
> Pennsylvania
Related topics: Golf, Marketing & Sponsorships, Sports Facilities
New Owners of Slippery Rock Golf Course Make Their Debut
Slippery Rock Golf Club & Events Center, formerly the Oakview Golf Club, is under new ownership. Eric and Julie Prebula, two of the four new owners, purchased the 182-acre golf course and tri-level clubhouse in December of 2019.
The property had been for sale off and on for the last few years by the previous ownership, ACC Holdings, who purchased the property from Armco Steel. Prior to that, Armco operated the facility for 49 years as a private recreational facility and golf course for their employees.
The vision of the golf course formed in the early 1920s when Ralph Nicholas drove his mortgage lender to what was then farmland surrounding the Slippery Rock Creek and Ralph shared with him his idea of constructing a golf course on the property. In 1928, Ralph Nicholas's vision became a reality when the first 9 holes were designed and constructed by F.T. Stafford. In 1945, the property was sold to Wynn Tredway, the architect who repaired the original 9 holes and went on to design and build out the back 9 holes, to the completed course that welcomes players today. Ten years later, in 1955, Mr. Tredway sold the course to Armco Steele and went on to design many more golf courses.
"Our family has a long history of serving this community starting with my great-cousin, Ralph Nicholas, who along with my late grandparents, Senator Donald O. and Ann M. Oesterling and my uncle, club member, Peter J. Oesterling, were instrumental in many improvements for the community," stated Eric Prebula.
A recent mixer with over 150 past and present members featured a representative from Club Car, the golf cart manufacturer who showcased the new fleet of golf carts that are equipped with GPS tracking and touch screen options and a demonstration from Tempo Walk™, a handsfree, autonomous caddie that offers GPS yardage, carries bags, coolers and other accessories. Both items were well received by the membership, and will be making their debut on the course this season. There will be a total of 50 new Club Car carts complete with all the bells and whistles.
Another announcement was the alliance with ClubCorp, the largest owner and operator of private clubs nationwide with 200+ country clubs, city clubs, athletic clubs and stadium clubs. By offering the new Slippery Rock Golf Club Signature Gold membership package, members will now have access to this extensive network that includes Treesdale, Diamond Run, The Rivers Club and the prestigious Firestone Golf Club, to name a few.
"I couldn't be any more excited about the future of Slippery Rock Golf Club & Events Center, and I believe big things will come out of it."- Daniel Erb, President of Slippery Rock University Golf Club.
To learn more about Slippery Rock Golf Club & Events Center, visit the Facebook page or contact Julie Prebula at julie@slipperyrockgolfclub.com or call 512.309.0886.
About Slippery Rock Golf Club and Events Center - The semi-private club located in Slippery Rock, PA, offers an excellent golf experience at the best rates in its class. In addition to the well-groomed fairways and greens, guests will find a pro shop, driving range, 19th hole bar, special events facility and banquet room that holds up to 300 people. 2020 marks the 92nd anniversary of this ageless western Pennsylvania course, the perfect place to host your milestones and special events. Now under the new management of the Prebula family, the course expects a new restaurant and lounge to open in spring 2020.
Mission Statement - Slippery Rock Golf Club & Events Center was established with the goal of bringing families and friends together while bridging the gap between work and play on and off the golf course. Open to our valued members, the surrounding communities and visiting guests, the venue strives to provide a comfortable, relaxing environment as well as a destination to celebrate personal milestones, special events, golf outings and private parties.
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Santana I, Other Shape Guitar from PRS.
decibel82's review"The first of 3 Good Guitar make for Carlos Santana..."
I think really this guitar is for me the best off Santana Model because the two mini toggles for select the zebra coils !!!
Everything is good the only differences is the finger board.
"What a great guitar"thank you G.G.
This Paul Reed Smith guitar is an American made guitar, a Carlos Santana signature guitar that is supposedly built to his exact specifications. The guitar has a tremolo bridge and a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The guitar has two Santana humbucker pickups, a volume and tone knob, and a three way selector switch which is located far behind the bridge. The guitar has 24 frets.
This guitar plays really well, as do most guitars by PRS. It's a heavier guitar, not quite as heavy as a Les Paul but more weight than a Strat. The guitar feels and plays really well and isn't too difficult to move around. The guitar that I played was in great shape, stable, good action, and overall a comfortable instrument. Honestly though, I don't know if it's quite as comfortable as some nicer PRS's, which in my opinion, feel better than almost any electric guitar out there.
This guitar, for some reason, doesn't seem real to me. By that I mean, I don't think that this is the actual guitar that Santana plays. I think that he endorsed this product purely for monetary reasons. PRS sells these for far cheaper than some of their other models, guitars which, in my opinion, are far superior. The tone just isn't there on this one, the other PRS's give you far better sustain overall, and they ring with a great middle range that really cuts through. They also set you free to really wail, this one just falls a little short with it's generally bland tone. I know I'm not going to sound exactly like Santana no matter what I buy, but I feel like this guitar does a pretty weak job in even approximating his sound. It just feels like a subpar guitar from an otherwise outstanding manufacturer. Since the PRS tones aren't exactly my favorite (but are quite nice in their own right), I can't endorse this one as much as the others.
This guitar, unlike most PRS's, isn't too expensive. I can't say I wouldn't recommend it to other people, especially since most of my peers wouldn't be able to buy a nicer PRS without some serious saving. However, I realized a long time ago that it would be worth it to eventually just buy a nicer one, it will pay off more in the long run. If it wasn't a PRS, and it didn't have Santana's name on it, I doubt I'd be so disappointed with it, which is why I'm giving it an overall high score. But it feels to me like PRS is putting out lesser instruments to increase their sales, and using Santana's name as a marketing ploy more than a sign of the instrument's quality.


text:
Q: How to fix a Bad Request while trying to display chat history with the BotFramework? I'm trying to display the user's chat history with my bot so that when they come back they can see their previous conversations. When I'm trying the function "SendConversationHistory(conversationId, transcripts)" I keep getting a Bad Request (400) and the history is not displayed in the chatbot. Does anybody knows how to fix this?
I'm using BotFramework SDK v.3 in C#.
What I do is:
1. Checking if there is any conversation ID stored to be able to reconnect using that conversation ID
2. I send an event to the bot to restore the history
3. I'm able to fetch the previous activities and create the Transcript
After setting my transcript I tried this SendConversationHistory function which is not working.
I can chat with the bot even if this fails using the old conversation ID. I also tried to make the bot do a ReplyToActivity and this works.
I'm following a js sample (v4), this stackoverflow question and this thread about history in github but none of it helped to solve this issue.
MessageController.cs (in HandleSystemMessage)
else if (message.Name.Equals("restoreHistory"))
{
    string convId = message.Conversation.Id;
    List<Activity> activities = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Activity>>((string)message.Value);
    var incrementId = 0;

    if (message.Id.Contains("|"))
        int.TryParse(message.Id.Split('|')[1], out incrementId);

    foreach(var a in activities)
    {
        incrementId++;
        a.Id = string.Concat(convId, "|", incrementId.ToString().PadLeft(7, '0'));
        a.ChannelData = string.Empty;
    }

    if (activities != null && activities.Count > 0)
    {
        var connector = new ConnectorClient(new System.Uri(message.ServiceUrl));
        var transcripts = new Transcript(activities);
        connector.Conversations.SendConversationHistory(convId, transcripts);
    }
}

default.htm
var botConnection = new BotChat.DirectLine({
    secret: ...,
    conversationId: getPersistedConversationId(),
    token: params['t'],
    domain: params['domain'],
    webSocket: params['webSocket'] && params['webSocket'] === "true"
});
BotChat.App({
    botConnection: botConnection,
    user: { id: ... },
    bot: { id: ... },
    speechOptions: speechOptions
}, document.getElementById("BotChatGoesHere"));

botConnection.connectionStatus$
    .subscribe(function (connectionStatus) {
        switch (connectionStatus) {
            case 2:
                if (botConnection.conversationId === localStorage.getItem('conversationId')) {
                    botConnection.postActivity({
                        from: user,
                        type: 'event',
                        name: 'restoreHistory',
                        text: '',
                        value: localStorage.getItem('conversations')
                    }).subscribe(function (activityId) {
                        console.log('sending chat history.');
                    });
                } else {
                    saveConversationId(botConnection.conversationId);
                }
        }
    });

function saveConversationId(conversationId) {
    localStorage.setItem('conversationId', conversationId);
}
function getPersistedConversationId() {
    return localStorage.getItem('conversationId');
}

The errors I get are those ones:
Exception thrown: 'Microsoft.Rest.TransientFaultHandling.HttpRequestWithStatusException' in Microsoft.Rest.ClientRuntime.dll
Response status code indicates server error: 400 (BadRequest).

Activities' Json
[
    {
        "type":"message",
        "id":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h|0000001",
        "timestamp":"2019-06-19T10:37:40.1175096Z",
        "channelId":"directline",
        "from":{
            "id":"MyBotName",
            "name":"MyBotName"
        },
        "conversation":{
            "id":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h"
        },
        "text":"Hello, I'm MyBotName. How can I help you? To get started ask me a question.",
        "attachments":[

        ],
        "entities":[

        ],
        "replyToId":"7E6AtBm9iXL"
    },
    {
        "type":"message",
        "id":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h|0000003",
        "timestamp":"2019-06-19T10:37:43.4034223Z",
        "localTimestamp":"2019-06-19T10:37:43.2484146+00:00",
        "channelId":"directline",
        "from":{
            "id":"MyBotName",
            "name":"MyBotName"
        },
        "conversation":{
            "id":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h"
        },
        "attachmentLayout":"carousel",
        "locale":"en-US",
        "text":"",
        "attachments":[
            {
                "contentType":"application/vnd.microsoft.card.hero",
                "content":{
                    "title":"Title1",
                    "subtitle":"",
                    "text":"",
                    "images":[
                        {
                            "url":"http://..."
                        }
                    ],
                    "buttons":[
                        {
                            "type":"openUrl",
                            "title":"Button1",
                            "value":"https://..."
                        },
                        {
                            "type":"openUrl",
                            "title":"Button2",
                            "value":"https://..."
                        }
                    ]
                }
            },
            {
                "contentType":"application/vnd.microsoft.card.hero",
                "content":{
                    "title":"Title2",
                    "subtitle":"",
                    "text":"",
                    "images":[
                        {
                            "url":"http://..."
                        }
                    ],
                    "buttons":[
                        {
                            "type":"openUrl",
                            "title":"Button1",
                            "value":"https://..."
                        },
                        {
                            "type":"openUrl",
                            "title":"Button2",
                            "value":"https://..."
                        }
                    ]
                }
            },
            {
                "contentType":"application/vnd.microsoft.card.hero",
                "content":{
                    "title":"Title3",
                    "subtitle":"",
                    "text":"",
                    "images":[
                        {
                            "url":"http://..."
                        }
                    ],
                    "buttons":[
                        {
                            "type":"openUrl",
                            "title":"Button1",
                            "value":"https://..."
                        },
                        {
                            "type":"openUrl",
                            "title":"Button2",
                            "value":"https://..."
                        }
                    ]
                }
            }
        ],
        "entities":[

        ],
        "replyToId":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h|0000000"
    },
    {
        "type":"message",
        "id":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h|0000000",
        "timestamp":"2019-06-19T10:37:33.8526334Z",
        "serviceUrl":"https://directline.botframework.com/",
        "channelId":"directline",
        "from":{
            "id":"anonymous",
            "name":"Anonymous"
        },
        "conversation":{
            "id":"6Tklwkie30H7oCI1eyWx9i-h"
        },
        "recipient":{
            "id":"MyBotName@WI6mwV4z0jY",
            "name":"MyBotName"
        },
        "textFormat":"plain",
        "locale":"en-US",
        "text":"i'm looking for this",
        "entities":[
            {
                "type":"ClientCapabilities",
                "requiresBotState":true,
                "supportsTts":true,
                "supportsListening":true
            }
        ],
        "channelData":{
            "clientActivityId":"1560940638882.6146258363791712.0"
        }
    }
]

A: If you're debugging in Visual Studio, you can click on "View Details" to see the whole exception object.

For an ErrorResponseException, you can see the actual error message that was returned in the HTTP response. In this case it says "Invalid activities" which makes it clear that something is wrong with the activities you're trying to send.

It turns out you're not specifying the recipient of your activities. If you specify a recipient then you should get past your "BadRequest" exception.
However: There are a few more gotchas you might run into. Even if you don't get an exception, there are some things that can make SendConversationHistory fail without error while providing no feedback for why your activities aren't showing up in the chat.
Your strategy for populating the ID property is risky because your bot might send a message to the conversation before calling SendConversationHistory. If your bot had sent a message to the user during that same turn, it will have the same activity ID that you're trying to assign to the activity in the conversation history. This will cause a conflict and you won't see the activity show up. I recommend formatting the ID in some unique way that doesn't resemble the ID values that Direct Line automatically generates.
I was able to send your activities successfully by modifying the code like this:
foreach (var a in activities)
{
    incrementId++;
    // Use your own ID format
    a.Id = string.Concat("history|", incrementId.ToString().PadLeft(7, '0'));
    a.ChannelData = null;
    a.Conversation = new ConversationAccount(id: convId);

    if (a.From.Name == message.Recipient.Name)
    {
        // If the activity was from the bot, assign the user as the recipient
        a.Recipient = message.From;
        a.From = message.Recipient;
    }
    else
    {
        // If the activity was from the user, assign the bot as the recipient
        a.Recipient = message.Recipient;
        a.From = message.From;
    }
}

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