Lists
Eddie Van Halen’s 10 Best Solos
When the Van Halen brothers started playing music together in Pasadena in the 1960s, Alex played guitar with younger brother Eddie on drums and it was Alex’s growing prowess on drums that led them to switch instruments. From those humble beginnings, the duo formed their eponymous band with Eddie Van Halen becoming one of the most celebrated rock guitarists of all time. Eddie Van Halen, who died on Tuesday at the age of 65, was the rare innovator who was equal parts showman and scientist, a notorious perfectionist who married his explosive displays of technique to irresistible pop songs and was more thrilling to watch than any stage pyrotechnics. In celebration of his remarkable career, here are Eddie Van Halen’s 10 best solos, with and without his band, and on and off the guitar. 10. “Jump...
4 Tips to Securing your Safety while Shopping Online
With the start of lockdown in South Africa now over six months ago, certain behavioural and shopping trends have started to become clear. The extreme regulations necessary in Level 5 significantly contributed to an increased uptake in online shopping, and put eCommerce into the focal point as a viable way to buy everyday goods. Speaking in light of Cyber Security Awareness month OneDayOnly.co.za spokesperson, Matthew Leighton says that cyber safety is a big part of shopping online, but not nearly as scary or unknown as some may think. “E-commerce is no doubt starting to mature in South Africa. Our retail sales grew by 100% during lockdown and we are seeing an uptake in first-time users making it even more important for consumers to familiarize themselves with online safety. As soon as you ...
Saturday Night Live: 20 of Biggest Breakthrough Musical Performances Since 2000
Saturday Night Live is back! The late-night sketch comedy returns to NBC for the start of its 46th season on Saturday. After spending half of last season shooting at-home episodes due to the pandemic, promos for the show have revealed the cast is back at 30 Rock’s Studio H8 and ready to put on a show. Former SNL cast member Chris Rock (’90-’93) will host the season premiere, which also features the debut performance of hip-hop’s woman of the moment – Megan Thee Stallion. Over the years, the long-running late-night series has featured some iconic performances, usually bringing in artists at a pivotal moment in their career and giving them a legendary platform to transfix America. And so, in that spirit (and because it’s 2020), SPIN looks back at some of the biggest breakthrough pe...
The 25 Best Albums of the Britpop Era
Contrary to popular belief, Britpop was not a subgenre. It was also not a catchall for every bit of culture being manufactured in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (That would be “Cool Britannia,” and like Britpop it almost exclusively applied to English entities.) Instead, Britpop was originally a press-driven crusade to champion domestic talent that represented the customs and lifestyle in their music. The credit (or blame) for the whole thing really goes to journalist Stuart Maconie, whose “Yanks Go Home” cover story in the April 1993 issue of Select framed indie acts like Suede, Pulp, Saint Etienne and the Auteurs as an antidote to the “bad grunge” that was “killing British music.” Although Suede frontman Brett Anderson graced the Select cover, he publicly derided th...
5 Ways to Effectively Defend Against Cyberthreats
Sourced from Republic Title Garmin and Twitter recently joined the ranks of a string of global organisations that have fallen victim to crippling cyberattacks. A little closer to home, last year, the City of Johannesburg’s network was also hacked and held ransom for a hefty 4 bitcoins (worth around R520 000 at the time). While the nature of these attacks may be different, it’s clear that cybercrime is on the rise and companies of all sizes and across all sectors need to be vigilant. An ideal environment for cybercrime It’s no surprise that these attacks are becoming more common in today’s increasingly connected society. The rise of online applications and services means unprotected users are more exposed than ever before. Added to this, the current pandemic has pushed man...
Ted Leo’s 50 Best Songs
New Jersey native Ted Leo is one of the finest singer/songwriters of his generation, an unabashed anglophile who’s spiked his literate and melodious indie rock anthems with hardcore punk, dub reggae, Celtic folk, and Thin Lizzy guitar leads. He’s best known for his work since 2000 as the leader of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, but over the last 30 years, the prolific multi-instrumentalist has played in a number of bands including Chisel, The Both, Citizens Arrest, and The Spinanes, and has even contributed songs to Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe The Movie and Hulu’s Difficult People. Leo was born on Sept. 11, 1970 – perhaps a slightly symbolic date given that he’s written more than a few songs about the failures of post-9/11 American foreign policy. As he turns 50 this week, we’re lookin...
5 Tech Trends to Increase your Bottom Line
Technology has been constantly innovating and expanding the possibilities for organisations across the world. From AI and data gathering to overall productivity – here are five trends that could shape your companies bottom line: 1. Employees adopt AI Employees are constantly becoming more and more open to letting artificial intelligence (AI) take over some of their tasks – especially the mundane, routine tasks. Millennials are now the largest group in the workforce, and they are instinctively more prepared to use AI solutions. Yes, in fact, in the future, millennials might even expect routine tasks to be automated. In the not too distant future, in many workplaces, artificial intelligence will sort emails, proofread texts, book meetings, etc. As a company, it is, therefore, a good idea to ...
Who will win the 2021 Ballon d’Or? Here are the top six candidates
The decision to cancel the Ballon d’Or award for 2020 left fans across the world wondering who would have picked up the prestigious prize. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated proceedings in recent times, winning the award 11 times between them over the past 12 years. Both players were in the conversation this time around, although it would have been a surprise if either of them had added to their tally. Robert Lewandowski appeared to be a good bet after scoring 55 goals in 47 appearances to help Bayern Munich win the treble. The Polish striker is expected to be a strong contender in 2021, but which other players are likely to challenge him? Read on as we take a closer look. <div align=”center”><iframe width=”600″ height=”350″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/SbhOZj...
The 25 Best Soundtrack Albums of the 1990s
In the 1980s, music and film collided for cross-promotional blockbusters both transcendent (Purple Rain) and transcendently cheesy (Footloose). In the ‘90s, soundtracks continued to sell in the millions, capturing cultural moments like the Seattle grunge of Singles or the Britpop and electronica of Trainspotting. Auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson reached deep into their record collections to set the mood while movies like Above the Rim and Menace II Society pioneered the concept of soundtracks as hip-hop mixtapes. A great soundtrack can propel an unsuccessful single, like Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose,” to the top of the charts, or revive a decades-old hit, like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It can also push a cult singer-songwriter like Elliott Smith or Aimee Mann to an Oscar perf...
A Complete History of Musicians Running for Office
Celebrities making a run at public office is hardly a fresh phenomenon. That’s how we wound up with two terms of the Gipper in the White House, a former professional wrestler in the governor’s mansion of Minnesota, Gopher from the Love Boat in the House of Representatives, and the current political shitshow we find ourselves in. Nor is it a surprise to any regular person why they would think they could leverage their celebrity into a political career. This pathology isn’t unique to actors and reality TV stars either. Over the decades, a number of famous musicians have tried their hand at politics, some of them succeeding in their goals of policymaking and advocating on behalf of their constituents. While it may be jolting to see Kanye West weeping through a campaign event for his potential...
3 Ways COVID-19 has Digitised Education
The introduction of the fourth industrial revolution has already been transforming the education sector over the past two decades, with technology allowing students to access education from anywhere at any time. This, however, has been fast-tracked due to the impact of COVID-19, with institutions having to close their doors to stop the spread. Although it has been an adjustment for both students and teachers, technology is revolutionising education and paving a way towards a better future in learning – according to Dr Andrew Hibling, CEO of EDGE Education. Hibling says that technology is changing education in 3 fundamental ways: how we learn; where and when we learn; and our interaction with learning materials. 1. How we learn /* custom css */ .tdi_3_18f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.t...
3 Things You Should Do if You Suspect Infected Apps On Your Android Device
Sourced from Forbes A new variant of the Joker Dropper and Premium Dialer spyware has been discovered in the Google Play Store, according to researchers at Check Point. Joker, one of the most prominent types of malware for Android, keeps finding its way into Google’s official application market as a result of small changes to its code, which enables it to get past the Play store’s security and vetting barriers. This time, however, researchers report that the malicious actor behind Joker adopted an old technique from the conventional PC threat landscape and used it in the mobile app world to avoid detection by Google. To realize the ability of subscribing app users to premium services without their knowledge or consent, the Joker utilized two main components – the Notification Listener serv...
