[music] // MISC: The Middle East Split

If you happened to be at The Middle East's last show on July 31st then you're already aware of the news, but in case you weren't in Queensland recently, Aussie indie darlings TME put out a Facebook note early this morning (or whatever time of day it is in Australia) stating:

"TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN :

writing to inform you that we're ceasing. i'm not sure if we'll make more music later on or not.

we don't feel like playing anymore for a whole lot of reasons that i won't list here and i'm afraid if we continued any longer it would just be a moneygrab. i'd rather go hungry. thank you to all those who came to shows.

we had fun.

t.s elliot wrote 'you are the music while the music lasts', but he also wrote that confusing little book about cats so don't put too much stock in his quotes.

i'm very tired. until next time.

sincerely yours,

the middle east."

Their final record I Want That You Are Always Happy was released this past April.

[music] // PLAYLIST: "Breakfast" -- Chiddy Bang feat. Kate Nash

Super sweet mashup--or mayhaps a remix--of "Skeleton Song" by Kate Nash. It's the Nash-riginal, somewhat truncated, with signature Bang panache and dub-step distortions interspersed. It's an awesome remake of the song, preserving the, what now seems long-lost, Kate Nash style, and the only complaint I have of the track is the abrupt end, peetering out when it feels like there a lot more to offer. Still, up to that point it a real triumph.

Listen to "Breakfast" here: 
Chiddy Bang-Breakfast (feat. Kate Nash - Skeleton) by stndrdeviations on SoundCloud

[games] // HELP: Connecting your XBOX 360 to a Wireless Network through a Laptop Running Windows 7

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I thought I would post this little helpful guide just in case there were others out there who faced the same XBox Live quandary I had. I share internet with the rest of my housemates through one wireless router that is centrally located. My XBox, on the other hand, is not centrally located but in my room and running an ethernet cable from the router to the console would be crazy and cumbersome. A laptop, however, can be used as an effective medium and can mean you save a whole bunch of money by not having to buy a USB wireless adapter for your XBox--super-pricey!

Here's how you do it:

1. Make sure you laptop is connected to a wireless network.
2. Run an ethernet cable from your laptop to you XBox 360.
3. Turn on your XBox.
4. On your laptop: click on Windows start button, Control Panel, Network and Internet, and Network and Sharing Center.
5. Click on the Change adapter settings link on the sidebar and you should see a list of your connections.
6. Hold control and select both the Local Area Connection and the Wireless Network Connection (the Local Area has a picture of an ethernet jack and it may take a few moments for Windows to identify the connection), right click once highlighted and choose the Bridge Connection option--it's probably the only one available.
7. A new icon should appear in your list of connections called Network Bridge, give your computer a few moments to complete configuring this bridge.
8. Once up and running, pick up your XBox controller and Connect to XBox Live. (My XBox panel group, select the second slide--the one with your avatar and profile--and choose Connect to XBox Live). Follow any instructions as they appear on your console.

Your laptop should be on whilst on XBox Live but you can still surf the web with your laptop. The only trouble I had was with disconnecting the ethernet cable and just using my laptop wirelessly again--it had trouble re-establishing contact singularly with the wireless network. Deleting the network bridge (and possibly restarting Windows) seemed to resolve the problem however.

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