in the matrix

FBi Radio hath been saved by the good graces of Sydney’s clubbers, music industry sponsors and pink-faced binge drinkers.

From a wave of fundraising events to an insidious PR campaign aimed at the top rung – $ir Richard Bran$on - the funds needed to keep the station solvent and on-air have been banked.

Every person that contributed even just one cover charge towards these events should pat themselves on the back. Either we're fantastic supporters of community radio or just a bunch of raging alcoholics that didn’t care so much who performed, but rather how many drinks we could carry from the bar at once. Don't fall over sweetheart.

Also in Blouse's awesome! books are the numerous music venues, bands and DJs that donated their blood, sweat and mojo to these fundraisers. What we’ve seen in the past few months isn’t likely to happen until the next global recession in 2109. The ability to fight the GFC is quite an achievement.

By contrast, one organisation that hasn’t been asking for help is Google. I feel like my time in the internet cloud, way up ‘there’, is slowly being taken over by these guys. If it's even run by humans.

Apart from owning most of the observable universe, Google have that fantastic Chrome web browser which shits over Explorer, Safari and Firefox for its speed and simplicity. It isn’t the prettiest of them though. In fact, it’s positively sterile. Chrome has the aesthetic character of a condom.

I’ve also been using iGoogle, which pushes email, news and blog feeds into the same browser with the Google search engine (I call it Dad) sitting above them.

Just to test it I even wrote this post in Google Documents. It was rad. Just as good as Word, maybe better because I can write from any PC or laptop - and I use several a day. Don't even get me started on Gmail. Or the Android OS for mobiles.

Then to add another shackle to my life ‘Dad’ recently announced the Chrome Operating System. It'll probably be shipped with netbooks by late next year and, if it’s as good as everything else they do, will give Microsoft a serious kick in the nuts. Soon enough we all might become converts and disown Windows, the OS that raised us.

Google is...the Matrix.

Here's some Friday night happy tracks, to keep your mind on the fields-of-daisies at over at FBi.

Tellier & Oizo & SebastiAn - Chivers as a Female

Dragonette - Fixin To Thrill (Villains Remix)

The Mint Chicks - Don't Sell Your Brains Out, Baby