Anyone else a big funk fan? Just bought a Funkadelic complation t'other day, an I've been listening to BBC 6 Music's The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show for ages now. I also love the funkier stuff from Red Hot Chili Peppers and the James Taylor Quartet.

my sis was giving away lots of cds and i snagged all 5 Muse albums. their older stuff reminds me of radiohead from the kid-a days. you should check them out, if you havent already.

more music picks below:

Microsoft have fired their first real shot across the bows of Apple's Ipod with the release of the Zune music player in the US - a 30gb model retailing for the equivalent of £130.

i'm really enjoying the new job. it's been 9 weeks or so now, and while i DO miss hanging out with the family every day, i enjoy more having actual responsibility and being able to prove my skills and even learn something new on a daily basis. there is always a sense of accomplishment when i print a final piece of art for production (whether created by me or by someone else and adjusted by me to fit our pre-print specifications). this was the perfect move for me, especially at this time with so much happening with Damien's printing company, GLPD (2nd year has been phenominal and we're expecting the 3rd to be even better). i get to do something i enjoy, with even some side projects at work that will eventually allow me to put my web design and coding skills to work as well. i feel like the job is a weigh-station between where i didnt want to be (dad's) and where i do want to be (GLPD), but i can be happy there in the meantime, doing what i like and being good at it. something else is that this job has shown me that i AM good at it, and not just floundering to stay afloat to get through whatever art and/or order crisis is at hand. and i have learned a lot about pre-press in general, and now Damien and i "talk shop" a lot, usually him giving me ideas how to fix some problem i'm having, since i didnt know much of the pre-press/offset side of printing before i started the new job. it's definitely a challenge sometimes, and can be stressful at times, too, but always in a good way, and never without a sense of satisfaction when the day is done. my one and only complaint is that country music plays all day long, whether in the office or in the shop. i spend my lunch breaks in my car, blaring whatever rock/alt rock music i happen to have in my cd player.

Was on September 5th (I know, I'm late!). He would've been 60.

Freddy taught me to sing. No I don't mean literally, sadly I never had the opportunity to meet Him.

I mean that apparently I used to sing myself to sleep with Queen songs before I could even talk (without the words obv)!

Feels like he was family and 15 years on I still miss him terribly.

But then, who wants to live forever?

Meatloaf, yesterdayMeatloaf is the latest celebrity who's apparently desperate to guest star in Doctor Who, according to that most trustworthy organ the Daily Star.

The star of Spiceworld: The Movie is a big fan of the show, and is petitioning to appear as a villain - a source told the Star "Loaf would be really chuffed if he could land a cameo role in one episode and thinks it would be really good to play a baddie."

Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are.

Hot on the heels of the devastating loss of Smash Hits magazine, it's now been revealed that founding presenters Simon Amstell and Miquita Oliver are leaving it's TV equivalent, Popworld.

Is this the end of Pop as we know it? More here.

Millions of 20 something women will soon return to their previous hysterical obsessive teenage selves as Take That are reforming for a tour - without Robbie of course.

After a 10 year wait the band are set to thrill us again with such hits as 'Never Forget' 'Babe' and 'Relight My Fire.'

One twentysomething woman in Winchester has been quoted as saying 'This is the most exciting thing to happen since Mark Owen won 'Best Male Haircut' at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party two years running'. More wonderous details here.

Like most consumers I was very worried to hear the scare stories about Sony BMG's "XCP" copy protection system, and the underhanded tricks it performs on a Windows PC.

I was relieved to see this list, however, detailing all the artists and albums which might potentially have infected my computer. The only people on it I've heard of, I can't stand, and something tells me the rest are of a similar middle-of-the-road ilk. Celine Dion, anybody?