MATT NG | WRITER & EDITOR
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I have a wide and diverse portfolio of work, having contributed to and collaborated with:
The Yorkshire Evening Post, The Yorkshire Times, Total Film, Total Guitar, Digital Photographer, Ethnic Restaurant,
Coaching Edge, Leeds City Council, Baseball Softball UK, Leeds Softball Association & North Leeds Life.

10 best movie soundtracks of all time (Featured on Stuff.tv, November 2022)

11/27/2022

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In short, even the greatest slices of celluloid magic are nothing without the greatest pieces of music serving as an almighty warcry.
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Ah, cinema, what a beautifully rendered treat for the eyes. According to very smart people, visual stimuli account for around 85% of human perception. By that theory, you’d think the audible side of things takes up much smaller importance in the way we perceive the world.
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However, does that mean we should be content with the silent, moving pictures of the early 1900s alone? Hell no, we don’t just want to have our cake and eat it; we want to clear out the buffet cart and be asked to leave by management.

It’s thanks to this yearning for greater things that treat the ears and the eyes that means yes, we can have Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now; we can tell that Baby had The Time of My Life; and we can watch Thor, God of Thunder, lay waste to undead legions to the mighty riffs of Immigrant Song.
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In short, even the greatest slices of celluloid magic are nothing without the greatest pieces of music serving as an almighty warcry.

With that in mind, here are 10 contenders for best movie soundtrack. Just don’t @ us, please.

​Top Gun

Who could predict a recruitment ad for the US Navy would have such an impact on pop culture (and many 80 kids’ career aspirations)? Top Gun’s soundtrack is just as iconic, featuring a vast array of tracks that remain ludicrously catchy nearly 40 years later. That’s thanks to some absolute belters, including Harold Faltermeyer’s unmistakable and rifftastic Top Gun Anthem, Berlin’s breathless Take My Breath Away or Cheap Trick’s synth-popping Mighty Wings.
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Say what you will about Tom Cruise, but we’re convinced that without Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone, fighter pilots would have gone extinct long ago.

​Baby Driver


You don’t get much for your money these days, but no one told Edgar Wright that, going off this 30-track masterpiece. This album accompanies the story of Baby, a tinnitus-afflicted wheelman stuck in a life of crime and heist getaways. However, its main USP is that every scene in Baby Driver is masterfully choreographed to its music. A car chase set to Bellbottoms? Check. Every bullet fired set to beats from Hocus Pocus’ Focus (that yodelly one from the Nike World Cup ad)? Yup.
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It’s a popping soundtrack that’s a smorgasbord of rock, soul and almost everything in between.

​Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim’s soundtrack is just as lively as its silver screen equivalent, perfectly capturing the frenetic pacing and editing of its comic-booked-based showdowns. With plenty of grungy bass and guitars, including tracks from Blood Red Shoes, Plumtree, and The Rolling Stones, this album is chock full of thump.
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The song lyrics for Sex Bob-Omb, the on-screen band in which our eponymous hero plays bass, are written by Beck, gifting it some extra music royalty.

If there’s one drawback, it’s the criminal omission of Brie Larson’s cover of Metric’s Black Sheep, which features in the film itself.
To read the full article, head on over to Stuff.tv.
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10 best headphone tracks: great music to listen to as you block out the world (Featured on Stuff.tv, November 2022)

11/25/2022

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Give your ears the respect they deserve with the best headphone tracks perfectly suited for your can.
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Welcome to our guide to the best head headphone tracks we know.
Is it just us, or is the modern world noisier than ever? Whether it’s adverts from all directions screaming for your attention, standup meetings on Teams, or that dreaded TikTok woman’s voice, your ears undergo a punishing amount of aural assault on a daily basis.

That’s why, sometimes, you need to unplug and unwind: it’s time to treat those lobes sandwiching your noggin with some exquisite musical experiences. Songs that take you back, whether back to simpler times, bygone memories, back to an old flame, perhaps.

The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

Seven Nation Army combines distorted vocals, a thumping bass drum, and one of the most ubiquitous basslines in modern music.
And yet that stinging riff isn’t actually from a bass guitar, trivia fans. To get that effect, Jack White hooked a semi-acoustic guitar to a whammy bar to apply an octave-lowering pitch shift.
And thus, one of the most famous basslines in modern music was born, with a song that’s continually graced movie trailers, sports stadiums and even political events the world over.
With its high dynamic range and throbbing bass, Seven Nation Army is sure to tickle your eardrums. Psst: did you know they’re not actually brother and sister?

​Journey – Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

First come the haunting synth hooks, followed by the iconic 80s guitar riffs, then the unmistakable sound of Steve Perry, aka “The Voice,” a moniker bestowed by none other than Jon Bon Jovi himself. Separate Ways will push your cans’ mid-range capabilities to their limits with its electric composition of melodic synth and axe solos.
It’s a worthy companion to Kate Bush’s Running up That Hill while battling the forces of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, which reinvigorated both songs in the public consciousness. Just maybe give the music video a miss.

​Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

This dark dance-pop number is a curious mix of toe-tapping synth bass, finger clicks, Billie’s breathless vocals and an Australian stoplight sound, to boot. Brace yourself at about 2 minutes 30 seconds in for the bass drop. While most pop tunes go for that all too familiar key change, Bad Guy slams on the brakes, before Billie herself usurps your chest-puffing self-visualisation and declares, “I am the danger.”
Despite its dearth of instrumentals, don the headphones to experience Billie alternately whispering in your ear with her intimate line delivery. And be sure you’re sat down for that drop.
To read the full article, head on over to Stuff.tv.
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Nextbase 622GW dash cam review

9/13/2021

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When it comes to top-end dash cams, Nextbase have more or less redrawn the battle lines with the 622GW. It comes with a colossal number of features to entice gadget lovers and those looking to upgrade their existing in-car camera.
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However, the 622 is one of the priciest models we’ve seen on the market. So how does it hold up, and is it actually worth the $400 price tag? 

Price and availability
The Nextbase 622GW is available for $399.99 from Nextbase.com. It’s a big jump in price from the brand’s next model down, the $260 522GW, at $259.99 and other rivals in the 522’s class.

Design & features
The 622GW shares a similar chassis with its sister dash cams, the 522GW and 422GW. But while the latter two feature a black case with brushed metal trim, Nextbase have plumped for a slightly staid-looking battleship gray this time around. It’s not the most exciting design we’ve ever seen, but then again, you won’t be looking at anything other than the back most of the time.

Read the rest of the review at Tomsguide.com

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Aldi likely has the best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deal this year (Eurogamer.net)

11/6/2020

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Aldi, of all places, has a real treat for deal-loving gamers over the Black Friday period, offering the Nintendo Switch for £229.99.

Yes, not content with selling rubber kayaks, inflatable Christmas trees and foam softball bats, the budget supermarket will be selling Nintendo's latest console for a whopping £50 off the standard price currently offered by most retailers. The offer was first spotted over at HotUKDeals and we have since confirmed with Aldi this Black Friday Switch deal is legit.

For those who have yet to take the plunge on the Switch, this is indeed a great deal for the base version of the console, which usually sells for around £280.

However, shoppers who love to comb through Aldi's middle aisles won't find it in-store - it's available online only via its Black Friday webpage from Friday 27th November. Eager beavers who don't want to miss out might want to stay up into the early morning hours of the 27th, as the deal may go live sometime overnight.

And with a hefty discount of 18% off the RRP, we're sure this offer will be gone in no time at all. Our tip? Grab a coffee and keep smashing that refresh button. If you miss the Aldi deal, have no fear - we've got you covered with our dedicated page featuring all the best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals.

Nintendo still reports strong sales of the Switch in 2020, and there have been supply shortages across the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's unlikely you'll find a bigger discount off its base model anywhere else.

However, thrifty customers might want to see what other retailers are doing, such as Amazon, Currys PC World, GAME and Argos.

These vendors usually offer decent gaming bundles, meaning you can likely snag a Switch plus a game or two for not much more than the price of the standard console. These games may include recent AAA releases, including Pokémon Sword/Shield, Super Mario 3D All-Stars or Mario Kart 8.
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This Is What Rubber Bullets And Less-Lethal Rounds Can Do To You (Forbes.com, July 2020)

7/10/2020

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Just one example of a rubber bullet. (Image credit: Mustafa_Bader, 2013)

​"Did you see me f**k up those mother**kers?"

It sounds like a line in a Tarantino movie. But it was said by a police officer in Florida, right after firing a rubber bullet into a protester.

Another officer's bodycam captures the incident that took place at Fort Lauderdale during a Black Lives Matter protest on May 31.

In the footage, the cop boasts to his colleague about hitting the protester, barely able to contain his glee.
He was unaware his bodycam was recording at the time.

Rubber bullets are known as "less-lethal" weapons, often used by law enforcement to help quash riots.​

Less-lethal ammunition first appeared in the 1880s, when Singapore police fired sawn-off broom handles to disperse unruly crowds.

This was later adapted by the British, who replaced the wood for rubber bullets. During the Northern Ireland conflict known as "The Troubles," it's estimated that British soldiers fired in excess of 55,000 rounds in just five years.

For starters, the term rubber bullet can be misleading. As well as solid rubber rounds, other variations exist. These might contain a wooden, metal or plastic core, housed within a rubber shell.

They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes: shotgun-style pellets, cylindrical rounds and those sculpted more like traditional bullets.

Less-lethal ammunition also covers beanbag rounds, lead pellets held in a small cloth bag, as well as sponge grenades, bullet-shaped plastic rounds with a dense foam nose.

And despite their toy-like names, all these weapons can often permanently maim, and in some cases, kill.

Since the George Floyd protests, media outlets have been awash with graphic images of injuries from rubber bullets and less-lethal rounds.

"The main injuries are bruising or contusion-based," says Dr. Jeffrey M. Goodloe, who serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the American College of Emergency Physicians.

"Some [of the bullets] can have sharper points or edges to them. In those cases we might see lacerations, abrasions or deeper penetrating injuries. And in situations where these weapons are not being fired as originally designed, we get more serious injuries."

Studies show the blunt force trauma inflicted by these weapons can lead to fractures, nerve damage and internal injuries that can be fatal.

A 2017 review published by the British Medical Journal looked at injury data from 1,984 people shot with kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs), including rubber and plastic bullets.

Of these people, approximately 3% died as a result of their injuries and 15% suffered a permanent disability.

"We find that these projectiles have caused significant morbidity and mortality... much of it from penetrative injuries and head, neck and torso trauma," report the study authors. "Given their inherent inaccuracy, potential for misuse and associated health consequences of severe injury, disability and death, KIPs do not appear to be appropriate weapons for use in crowd-control settings."

During these recent protests, the seriously injured include:

  • Art student Megan Matthews, who suffered a broken nose, fractured facial bones and deep lacerations to her face when a rubber bullet struck her in Denver.
  • Activist Derrick Sanderlin, who provides bias training for his local police force, was reportedly shot in groin in San Jose. He needed surgery for a ruptured testicle, and was later told by doctors he might not be able to have children.
  • A homeless man in a wheelchair, who was struck in the head in Los Angeles as a street protest passed him.

​Also caught in police crosshairs was photojournalist Linda Tirado. She was covering the protests in Minneapolis when she was shot in the face.

"I was taking pictures of the police when a round caught me in the eye," she says. "I remember a thud on my head, my goggles falling off and my face feeling wet with blood. I knew I'd been hit."

Tirado was led away and driven to the hospital by protesters. "There was so much adrenaline, I don't remember the pain. But I can remember the pressure in my swollen face."

She underwent surgery within an hour of arriving at the hospital, but the incident left her permanently blind in her left eye.

These are just a few of a catalog of reported injuries over the last few months of protests against police brutality.
In a list compiled by Los Angeles researcher Scott Reynhout, at least 60 people have suffered serious head injuries, brain damage, lacerations, bruises, broken jaws and severe eye trauma.

"It's very rare to have internal bleeding," says Dr. Goodloe. "But it's possible if there is a direct impact in the upper abdomen, over the liver or spleen."

There's currently little field data on US police use of less-lethal weapons. Officers are not required to log their use, while national standards do not exist.

This means police departments must set their own rules. Denver PD guidelines state that less-lethal projectiles should not be deployed "to the head, eyes, throat, neck, breasts of a female, genitalia, or spinal column."

The United Nations has also issued guidance on the use of less-lethal weapons, stating, "they should be used only in direct fire with the aim of striking the lower abdomen or legs of a violent individual."

The original idea was to aim these weapons at the ground so they bounce up and impact in the leg or thigh. "When used as designed, they should not cause deep or permanent injury," says Dr Goodloe. However, we're seeing them ricochet in unpredictable ways, especially if the surface ground is uneven."

And from the reported injuries sustained by so many, it is clear that more work needs to be done. These rubber bullets are reportedly being fired in close-quarters, aimed in such a way where they strike the head, neck or chest.

"America is having a realization similar to that of The Troubles," says Linda Tirado. "We're seeing how dangerous these weapons can be."

In recent weeks, physicians and medical organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, have called for an end of the use of rubber bullets.

For now however, the advice to stay safe is to put distance between you and a potential less-lethal weapon. "The further you're away from the bullet, the safer you are in many cases," says Dr. Goodloe.

"If you're not able to do that, then avoid looking directly at where these projectiles are coming from, and crouch down, turning to the side. Protect your face, neck and upper abdomen."
link to original article
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