A Return To Old Things

You might think that this will be a rant about the new year coming and blah blah blah. Instead it will be a welcoming and refreshing journey into the advent of really good old fashioned big budget American style gore in movies. When the money is there and the actors follow suit and KNB is involved, let the body parts fly!!. KNB, by the way is a one hell of a special effects company see Imdb for links. Tranformers,Land of the Dead,Dawn of the Dead (redux) etc. etc. too many to list. And then last but not least to further propel me into the the halls of geekdom; I watched Law abiding Citizen and called it from the very first (gore) shot. I positively knew it was KNB EFX. They can't be beat. I of course have tried out my hand at gore and have triumphed by jumping out of the mold and trying my hand at creating my own stuffs.Observe.



Sure nothing to write home about but nonetheless I will worship the silicon Greg Nicotero works in to create his horrible masterpieces...

"OYE,HEAVY DOOTY"
I always pick the runner-up sessions


Burning up the mini-drive inside the Zune...

The Skyhooks-Living in The Seventies.

"Yeah I'm living in the seventies
Eatin' fake food under plastic trees
My face gets dirty just walkin' around
and I need another pill to calm me down"

Living in the 70's (G.Macainsh. Mushroom Music Aust.)

AUSTRALIA ROCKS!!! (no shit,right?)This gem was found under a friends couch and made its way digitally into my brain via bluetooth headphones which smelled of ear cheese which for those who aren't up on that smell you obviously haven't had any ear piercings that led to stretching to insane gauges.Your loss.

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros may sound old but they are very new.They are a band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot.Makes me think of the mountain ranges around where I live and crawling up in front of a roaring fire while tripping on microdots..Damn the cold is getting to me.Enjoy with a side of fine mexican agriculture.

My cousin recommended this to me and I have to admit the fat fucker was right.Sensuous,Arduous oh fuck I swallowed an adjective pill from a romance novelist.This album makes me wanna wax up my moustache into a very pointy thing and speak with a strong accent. CARAJO! You may find yourself growing a mustache like mine. I have dubbed mine "The Josetrix" It's dubious.

If you don like this then jou are a estupido senor!! Okay so the accent does not translate well onto the page I admit but this album makes me all fuzzy inside.The definitive final HUZZAH from Roger Waters,something cathartic about this album he once said. I thoroughly enjoy the journey through the entire album. I am not one of the "cassingle" people. You know, that ill-fated cassette single with one side of the song you like and some bull chets on the other. The eighties version of the 45. Waters truly delivers his final farewell quite poignantly..I was one of the people who hated seeing him leave Pink Floyd but he did surprise me with the follow up...

I remember sitting in my fathers house thinking "I am going to tear the roof off this house as soon as he leaves". He (my dad) had the very best in home stereo systems for as long as I can remember. He didn't even need the tkd4000 installed to produce more Quads per channel. He just knew how to wire up something truly great sounding for little to no money. That evening as I lay on the carpet in front of the speakers I watched a movie evolve from my ears to my minds eye...I dream in color and I didn't use any drugs at this period in my life so it was beter than the laser light planetarium show..A beast of a record all the way to the bone.I never looked at a person in a wheelchair the same after this album, I still cringe when I see the new motorized shits that are out now on the infomercials. I'm afraid they can control the launching of the nuclear missiles....with their minds.(shudder)

Tyrese Darnell Gibson-US-R&B artist slash model-born 1978

Jay Kay-UK-lead singer-Jamiroquai-born 1969-use the force

Tracey Ullman-UK-singer,actress,comedian,made Matt Groening rich as hell-born 1959

Patti Smith-US-musician extraordinaire,poet,vocalist-born 1946

Michael Nesmith and Davey Jones-US-vocalists for super group The Monkees-born 1945 and 1942 respectively

now poop the poop off,proper...

Why Capitalism Sucks or Merry Xmas

Vladimir Lenin wrote:
Capitalists are no more capable of self-sacrifice than a man is capable of lifting himself up by his own bootstraps. Now you sit down in your chair, relax , take it easy, don't flip out I was just quoting someone famous..I am not a full on Communist, I just feel 100 percent of what he says is truth. Let's face it, Capitalism hasn't worked for us (poor folk) in decades. If that were so then why is a third of the population incarcerated? I don't want to pull the race card so I will just say the "It's Us Against Them" vibe is clearly more active this time of year. Crime sprees are up, suicides, bomb threats, physical altercations abound, liquor store hold-ups, dogs and cats living together, MASS HYSTERIA.!! Tis' the season, indeed. We are a nation of complainers and spoiled rotten bastards. Lucky we are to have what we possess in this country. If not then why do thousand upon thousands of immigrants risk their life and limb to shovel chicken shit for a living. The industrialized nations of the earth draw countless souls into their dark underbellies, grind their bones and spit them out. I was very fortunate this season but I could not help think of all my friends and family in other parts of the world and the crap they had to swallow this year...a couple friends of mine are having some really hard times in South America right now and I feel hopeless. Ah. there is comfort in knowing that at least there is still compassion and hope left in this world. Heard about a lot of good deeds going on. Good shit, man. Makes me wanna keep on fighting the hellish crusades of Yuppie scum.

Speaking of yuppie scum. If I were so mentioned I would not desire to be sent to the Suzukan School for Boys. Based on a manga strictly devised for angry Tokyo teens,CrowsZero is a phenomenon straight out of Tokyo for the frustrated Yanki member in all of us. Or is that just me. Straight up I wanted to kick a mutherfucker in the teeth after watching this movie. Now I will always be a rabid loyal fan of The Warriors (the original cut,not that new cut with the animated cells in between it totally sucks major ass)but as far as gang movies this shines a light in its own path.Speaking of gang movies.....

Absolutely in no order I will present the (in my opinion,which is probably shite)All-Knowing-Shit Ass list of gang movies to watch when you're old and drunk...First off ," The Warriors a futuristic view of the aftermath of the hippie invasion of the sixties. Unlike most states the City of New York was in no mood to put up with that bullshit in the 70's. That's why they couldn't pass into Brooklyn after 1971 they's was tired of that shit.Good fights and awful acting toughness. Also I am upset that a gang member named Rembrandt couldn't fucking tag...

Aww, I had to mention The Outsiders, didn't I???But only because I was a REAL LIFE greaser not because of the hair product but because I am a greasy hispanic who could speak better English than most of the american rednecked folks I dealt with on a daily basis. Damn it if you could not relate to the inner turmoils of being white trash and bested by the towns rich folk. I could have wrote it in the 70's but I couldn't read or write yet.Some white girl beat me to it.

Yeah I blame the 70's on this honorable mention, like I said I went to Drive-In theaters alot.I grew up partially in New York and I was fascinated by the fact that years later I always felt like I was some sort of polyglot because I could understand Brooklynese.Don't expect any mind altering words of wisdom from this flick just bask in the innocence of a long gone era where "making it" was more sacred than getting an over-the-shirt titty feel.

What are you kidding me? I still yell "VATOS LOCOS FOREVER"whenever I can. Yes, the neighbors hate it but what can I do.Finally a white guy makes one of the best Hispanic gang movies ever.Oh yeah there was this one too.....

I really can't stomach the knife in the ass scene so this one can go under "Hardcore for no reason" only because at least "BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT" has a underlying message. And no, "Colors" will not get any merit..sorry not doing it.

Yeah he married Madonna but so what; he still had the great idea of filming all the twats in England that could fuck him up proper, yeah? Genius.
My idea of gangs because growing up this all I knew. You didn't bang for anything but the things you didn't have and other people were waving in your face and making you feel like shit for wanting it. A Hispanic caste system you say? Yeah maybe. The definitive modern gang movie. No frills here just straight up reality.Bitch.
Jared Leto-lead singer of the US band 30 Seconds To Mars-born 1971
Jay Noel Yeunger-bassist for the US band White Zombie-born 1967
Henning Schmitz-programmer for the German band Kraftwerk-born 1953
Phil Spector-producer,songwriter,creator of "The Wall Of Sound"-born 1940





now fuck off before I jump you in..

Music Is Music

MENTEZ AZTEKAZ

DNABEATZ/DJ DNA/PRODUCER/FILM MAKER/MARKETING/ | MySpace Music VideosThese guys are making it happen with the advent of Internet cafes and microsofts Movie maker. Someone knows someone uses the equipment BOOM viral..

What The Crap!!!

I WANT THIS!!!
Madhouse productions of "Paprika" fame has knocked it out of the park!!!
I am giddy as a schoolgirl.(WTF?)

Thank God for The British Invasion!!!

Seriously, can you not appreciate how awesome this shirt is? I couldn't vote this past election because of my religious beliefs(kidding)but I think I would have rocked this out in line waiting to vote. In the spirit of democracy I would like to extend the olive branch of friendship and eternal thanks to the Nation Of Britain. No, those two sentences have nothing to do with each other.

Thank you England for recognizing the talent of our black musicians, digesting it wholeheartedly then regurgitating it in our faces sounding much harder and angrier at times. The basis for rock-n-roll you say? Anyone? Bueller? The blues guitar lick, the slide guitar sound,the lyrics depicting something so very somber and gritty and shocking even at times. It probably sounded really relevant to the post war youth of Britain.They took it and ran like thieves man, I wish I could have lived that time period. They recognized the raw talent in Jimi Hendrix channeled it like a laser through a maze of mirrors and unleashed him on the masses at Monterrey where he lit his guitar on fire and gave birth to the punk movement whether he knew it or not.(this is all strictly heresy but I believe it sprang forth from his loins) Ungh !(crotch-thrust to the sky)

and without further ado...the new British invasion (no not fucking Coldplay)

"OYE, HEAVY DOOTY!"
poof means something different in England sessions

I have to give to this band man they is TIGHT! The first time I listened to this album it was on faith alone, maybe because someone mentioned it on some site or thru the random torrent searches I embarked on at 1am on a random weeknight. This time my gamble paid off and I was well rewarded.A solid back beat which makes me believe London has given birth to some great drummers.Lyrics and melodies fit for a king or for invading a small country and declaring a ruling monarchy,this album provides it all.

This was also a surprise I had downed it about a week before British Sea Power and also received a pleasant surprise.On the tip of an English version of Nick Drake but more rocking.The band is definitely ready for airplay.

Kasabian the band was named after Linda Kasabian a member of the Charles Manson cult. Now with that said I think we should not worry about that now because this band is amazing and they will soon be dispensing face-melting in the states with their power rock fused with Dan The Automators insane producing skillz(see Gorillaz)Some songs have a sense of dread attached to them.Maybe that's just me.True story from the carwash files some a-hole almost wrecked because I had to replay the track "Thick As Thieves"I didn't believe it belonged on the same album..In fact the whole album offers different styles of music crammed together.

This band requested my friendship on the Myspaces and I usually find out a little about them before submitting my answer which is almost always "HELL NO"..But..30 seconds into their first track I was floored..First off I am a big fan of instrumental bands and musics. My first forage in this genre was a band called Karma To Burn. Rock instrumental? Is that even a genre? Joe Satriani was rock instrumental. Well this band is going to blow the fuck up to say the least. Now where is my endorsement check?

Christina Aguilera-singer-born 1980
Raymond Herrera-drummer-For The U.S. band FearFactory-born 1972
DMX-rapper-born 1970
Daddy G. aka Grant Marshall-U.K. group Massive Attack-born 1959
Geordie Walker-guitarist-For the U.K. band Killing Joke-born 1958
Keith Richards-guitarist-For the U.K. band The Rolling Stones - born 1943


R.I.P.
Brian James "Chas" Chandler-bassist-For the U.K. band The Jimi Hendrix Experience-born 1938 died July 17th 1996


now fuck off proper....

Last One For Today

Found this by accident.. Pink Floyd's "Goodbye Cruel World" from the album "The Wall" covered by Helado Negro...damn he's good.

New Section Preview

Preview of new section entitled:


Some Birthdays Of The Day

Earl Hudson: drummer for the D.C. band Bad Brains born 1957
Ryan Key: guitarist for Yellowcard born 1979
Mick Quinn: bassist for the UK band Supergrass born 1969
Sarah Dallin: singer for the band Bananarama born 1961
Dave Harman aka Dave Dee: singer for the UK band Dave Dee,DozyBeaky,Mick&Tich
born 1943
Art Neville:singer for the band The Neville Brothers born 1937

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Of The Brain?

All Woody Allen jokes aside I have to admit this is one of those few times when I can't compete with the picture by adding some lame caption...I will just go on my way and let it sink in somehow.

I have been racking my brain trying to devise some "sitting at home but making money" scheme for the past few weeks but in order to make money you need money because that money in turn makes more money. Redundancy at its finest. I thought of selling plasma to get that "seed cash" but being covered in tattoos makes the people at the blood bank cringe. Maybe donating seed would be more fruitful you say? Yeah this town could definitely use a boost in its collective IQ. I may not be Mensa material but I will give a Jeopardy champ a run for his/her money. I am really trying hard to put a more satisfying spin on this blog to generate cash flow but according to my counter there really is no traffic around here. I could compare this blog to an off ramp gas stations public restroom but only more like the bathroom in "Trainspotting". The cash flow has been trickling in but not really anything to type about. Winter is hard for anyone around these parts but slap a shitty job on the fire alongside a collective group of employers that think $7.25 an hour is merit to berate you, well that's just grounds for alcoholism and falling asleep with a lit cigarette.

I love this country; don't get me wrong and twisted up in the mix,home skillet. I blame my DNA for dissenting so much. My family tree is a mix of angry people from South America and angry people from Europe. It's like ammonia and bleach. Tune in for more trash.

"OYE,HEAVY DOOTY"
the dissenter mix

The sheer talent and magnitude of Yoko Kanno could fill 26 blogs stuffed to the point of bursting. Her 3rd album in the Cowboy Beebop series is short but sweet and delivers on all gears (Jazz,Rock,Techno,etc.). Her musical genius is unrivaled in her hometown of Miyagi,Japan. I am certainly glad she chose music over being a writer only because I would have somewhat of a mental breakdown trying to compete with her.

Kid Koala has never disappointed anyone because he literally came onto the playground and kicked all of your toys out of the sandbox and buried them after he pushed you over the see-saw. This album is that,in a nutshell. That's why I always say never ever assume anything from a non descript cover. If you think DJ Shadow is the shit, grab another turd holmes, this one's nuttier.


If I catch anyone saying something bad about this man I will whip their monkey ass.
A genius who walked the earth for far too little time.Any album you listen to will prove this to you. Choice picks would be Blue Train,Impulse presents and John Coltrane plays the Blues..He played on over 100 albums in just 20 years. All the Jazz greats are attached to him whether you know it or not. Remarkable body of work we should all strive to be so great.

Speaking about dissenting, this cat was homeless in the Bronx NYC, rapping about whatever and finally had the chance to make his voice heard,LOUDLY with an album called Criminal Minded. His friend and longtime collaborator Scott-La Rock was killed shortly after at a party which then strengthened KRS-ONE's resolve to beat the streets that might also kill him. His power and pain shines through on this album which the cover was an homage to the brother Malcolm X's famous portrait. I remember the first time I heard the cut "My Philosophy"... words escape me. No literally I have to go and get my dictionary...




now fuck off...

The Smack&The Dopes

I think the caption should read,"Man they sell some weird shits at the Dollar Store in Japan!!" Blog picture shopping has convinced me that the internet is completely fucking useless.

But on a lighter note, I skinned my knees on a trip down memory lane this past week. A recent visit from my father bore unexpected fruits when he dropped a ton of really cool ideas for songs on me. We talked about his teenage days living in Ecuador and growing up in the time of Elvis and the birth of Latino Rock. Really good stuff was downloaded this weekend. Many pearls which I have not listened to in about 20 years. The building blocks of my formative years were stripped bare. All the sounds I heard in my childhood were laid out bare. It was a good visit.

Another reason I am so excited is because my band Espanish Leyser has kind of hit a cooling down period and I really don't want to see it fade out (I hate throwing things out sometimes) And to further heat things up I met a potential drummer who can play the slow stuff but wants to be in a rock band, hey, I know one.


....From the CarWash Files....

Saturday was just plain awful. Not because of the impending storm bearing down on my fair town but because that was the day I had to grace "The Wash" with my presence. Over the past 3 weeks I had escaped my sentence due to inclement weather so my psyche had scarred over enough to withstand the verbal assaults of my captors.(what a drama queen) It is quite liberating to be able to walk in, do my job and leave. I had fallen out the laser keen eye of my bosses (7 at last count) and slipped through the day without any incident. However before leaving for the day I was approached by a newer manager and was reprimanded on my job performance for the day. Maybe a month ago it would have bothered me but I had to laugh, in fact I laughed in her face and continued my job at hand. This was a trainee that worked under me so it was a real treat to be able to just walk away from it all. 20 minutes later I punched out and I was on my way.I'm curious to see what happens on my next shift. What-ev.



"OYE,HEAVY DOOTY"
The I Don't Give a Crap Sessions

This latest slew of musical obsession has me crazy with ideas. Teetering between a total rock meltdown and a crack fueled hip hop attack of the ear I give you the latest rotation of insanity burning thru the Zune...

Anything Bad Brains is good for your mind,your brain and your head too.

The Romeo and Juliet of the soul industry? Yeah add cocaine,gasoline and a right cross that puts Frazier to shame..Light, throw and run away. Good fucking music though.

If you don't like Weezer you can kiss my brown ass.
I follow anything Mark Laneagan does but I have to thank my son Estorio for loading this in the Zune, to sum it up briefly, incredibly haunting and beautiful.

This group was like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon not because of his broad filmography but because I don't have enough time to describe the catalogue of music which led me to this point in time but nonetheless truly captivating.


The expansiveness of this list can only be bookended by this album. I think of it as the heels of the bread, nice and crusty but filling at the same time. Japanese screaming punkrock for a film about fighting, yeah no love story here. Perfect for planning a bank robbery.The tagline reads "Birds of a feather, Fight together"



now eff off as hell....

I Think I Just Made Water In My Pantaloons

Uh, quick gift idea for anyone reading this. I just found out so now you just found out, I am Soooo sure, right? So with that being typed in I can resume my day of chasing the potty surfer.



now do it in the potty

Quick Shout Out

In case I never mentioned it Helado Negro is the newest addition to the myriad of musical screams in the night. Anyone has the chance to make their thoughts heard to the rest of the world and this cat is definitely making his mark on the world. I am extremely proud of him and I wish him the best of luck for all the years he has left to come and hope to sit in one day with him whilst he forges on throughout the storm that is music. New release is out on Asthmatic Kitty Records Tuesday of this week that means you are late go and buy it, NOW!

Helado Negro Past Shows | iCal | RSS
Friday 2009-12-11	State X New Forms Festival Den Haag, Netherlands Set: 11:50p
Saturday 2009-12-12	Folk Art Now Festival Bremen, Denmark Set: 10:00p
Sunday 2009-12-13	Cafe Video Gent, Belgium Set: 9:00p

Don't BullChet A BullChetter

I like a good fairy tale like the next person but I can't swallow a full on lie when confronted by it. The top 3 lies: (in no particular order)
1. I was just coming over to pay you the money I owe you.
2. Ok, this is the LAST drink and then we leave.
3. I'm just going to put the head in for one second, that's all.

I just spent a couple of days thinking about what direction this [blog] should head in and I have decided that the format will not change, the music section will get bigger and I will still tell people like it is. There is no room for being politically correct and tip toeing around because the truth has to be heard and dammit all to hell if I am going to censor myself. By the way I was pleasantly surprised to find a hidden movie on the Zune this week. An Academy award winning regular ass movie was hidden in plain sight, mislabeled of course, this was handed down to me by Estorio who has the worst spelling ever and apparently has problems reading. He was a product of whiskey and Rush. God's own blueprint handed down and left out in the rain so that all the ink ran together and they just threw shit together half-assed. The movie was "Unforgiven" and the plot was thin but sustaining. It was just long enough and moved fairly quickly like a summer storm. The characters were likable and full of hubris. I was satisfied with the conclusion and maybe the last person on earth to watch it but isn't that always the case. I banned the Academy Awards years ago after Fight Club was snubbed. They pretended it never happened so I in turn pretend that The Illustrious Academy Of Motion Pictures does not exist either. Regardless of the fallout created by the Academy I throughly enjoyed the movie and it does merit rewatching so I will purchase it, whenever I get some money.


"OYE,HEAVY DOOTY"
the broke ass sessions









The Zune has been blowing up with the oldies lately which is not a bad thing. Featuring the talents of Earth,Wind and Fire,Supertramp,Electric Light Orchestra,Sade and Thelonius Monk are a few of the artists that have been making this fools day passable. A virtual feast for the earhole. New mixpod playlist is coming out of this,trust me.


now go and ef the eff off...

Good-Bye To "El Coronel"

I had tried my fathers number since Wednesday night to try and wish him a Pre-Happy Thanksgving Day salutation and all that chet. Two phone calls and three e-mails later he calls me on the Sharon tonight to announce his trip to the eastern part of the U.S. A welcome trip since his recent brush with Diabetes, he brushed by Diabetes and Diabetes had to call in sick for the next couple of weeks. But seriously he did whip his ass into shape after being diagnosed. He also survived a near fatal 1200 sugar count bout in which he almost croaked according to the doctors. Tough as a coffin nail my old man, he definitely is a fighter. That's why when he called me tonight he seemed weird and out of sorts and his voice was kind of small on the other line like he had wrecked his truck or something. He said "I'm sorry I haven't called you but my brother called on Thanksgiving also to tell me that my dad died." I coughed a little and he said "But he was 97 so his life was full." I heard that but his voice lied a little. My grandmother had died 2 years ago and he had flown back to the motherland for that funeral so it was weird for him to hear it second hand from his brother I guess. My memories of my grandfather were real few because I had not grown up with him. The divorce really fucked things up so I was not privy to the delights of hanging with him but my fathers stories were more than enough to keep his spirit etched readily in my mind.(my favorite story is of my grandfather in EPCOT,everything there was made like shit and could be made better in Ecuador he repeatedly told my father about a million times) He presented himself to me as "The Colonel" and I was more than happy to oblige the old man because I had heard the stories of him from my uncles. He was a genuine HARD ASS, to say the least and his reputation for a disciplinarian was unchallenged. He ruled with an iron fist and many fell under his blows. I wasn't very close to him but he seemed to like me mainly because I always snapped to attention and saluted him even when I was a teenager. He got a kick out of that I suppose. So when my father is feeling bad it seems like I should be strong for us and kinda bring something out that makes my grandfathers life seem more real. So I offer these few memories to share. And some music.

Buenas Noches Coronel


"OYE,HEAVY DOOTY"
the colonels album






An excellent soundscape to quell the 2012 tsunami sized wave of utter helplessness of facing ones own mortality or not. Enjoy at a high decibel level. And don't worry, this too shall pass.



now go poo in the potty

My Vinyl Weighs 2 Tons

Vinyl People from Howard Silver on Vimeo.

I started collecting records when I turned 11 and I have never looked back. The very first piece of vinyl I bought with my own birthday money was Billy Joel "Glasshouses". There was definitely something empowering about being able to contribute to the Saturday morning record sessions conducted by my father on his direct drive Marantz turntable. I remember being mesmerized by the tiny reflective balls illuminated red by some mysterious light source emanating from the insides of the turntable. I imagined them as little blobs of oil out of the lava lamp my uncle Victor had in his apartment years ago. The weekend play list my father spun was seemingly endless, especially if we had company. It was a toss up if you really were trying to nail down a genre that was my father's favourite but it teetered between Motown and Rock Latino most days but in the evenings he slowed it down for the ladies with some Sergio Mendes and Sad Bastard Music that they listened to in Ecuador lamenting their lost loves and such and such.

I have currently amassed a collection so incredibly huge and ever propagating that it has moved into the realms of insanity but I am always looking for more.Enjoy the video.




now fudge yourself

Happy T-Day

I was totally drawing a blank for turkey day until the Japanese saved my blog.

But We Thinks Apps Are "Hot"

Big Bang atom smasher sends beams in 2 directions


AP FILE - This May 31, 2007 file photo, shows a view of the LHC (large hadron AP – FILE - This May 31, 2007 file photo, shows a view of the LHC (large hadron collider) in its tunnel at … * World's Largest Atom Smasher Slideshow:World's Largest Atom Smasher By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS, Associated Press Writer Alexander G. Higgins, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 43 mins ago


GENEVA – The world's largest atom smasher made another leap forward Monday by circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs, organizers said. The true test will be in first two months of 2010, when scientists plan to start colliding protons to see what they can discover about the makeup of the universe and its tiniest particles. The Large Hadron Collider has been advancing faster than expected in its startup phase that began Friday night, said Rolf Heuer, director-general of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. "It went much faster than foreseen," said Fabiola Gianotti, who speaks for the Atlas experiment, one of four major detectors in rooms the size of cathedrals about 100 meters (300 feet) underground. "We're all very happy." It is possible that some unintended proton collisions began Monday or will occur soon at the places where the two beams cross as a side-effect of trying to synchronize the timing of two beams. Intentional proton collisions could begin within the next 10 days, mainly to check how the machine is working, said spokesman James Gillies. Ultimately, the collider aims to create conditions like they were 1 trillionth to 2 trillionths of a second after the Big Bang — which scientists think marked the creation of the universe billions of years ago. Physicists also hope the collider will help them see and understand other suspected phenomena, such as dark matter, antimatter and supersymmetry. The collider was started with great fanfare Sept. 10, 2008, only to be heavily damaged by an electrical fault nine days later. It has taken 14 months to repair and add protection systems to the machine before it was restarted. The protons on Monday were traveling at almost the speed of light — 11,000 times a second in each direction around the 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva. Initial signs are very good, physicists told a news conference. The beam is of superb quality, with the protons tightly packed into hairlike lines and guided by some 1,600 superconducting magnets — some 15 meters (50 feet) long — operating at temperatures colder than outer space for maximum electrical efficiency. So far the machine is operating at 450 billion electron volts of energy, which is relatively low compared with its design capability of more than 14 times that. It soon will overtake the world's current most powerful accelerator, the Tevatron at Fermilab outside Chicago, which operates at 1 trillion electron volts, or TeV. Myers said the CERN collider should be ramped up to 1.2 TeV by Christmas. CERN might decide to make the first collisions at the current low energy or at 1.2 TeV, but that will be more for calibration purposes than for making scientific discoveries, he said. Physicists said the discoveries could begin in the first half of next year when the collider reaches 3.5 TeV. CERN is hoping to have the first collisions at that energy in January or early February, said Gillies. "That would really mark the start of the research program," he said. Myers said the collider may even go up to 5 TeV before the end of 2010. Tejinder S. Virdee, a physicist from London's Imperial College who represents more than 2,000 scientists on CMS, another of the experiments with its own detectors at CERN, said it could take several years before the collider discovers the elusive Higgs boson, a particle that theoretically gives mass to other subatomic particles, and thus everything in the universe. That is because the Higgs boson is believed to be hard to see and needs powerful energy to be revealed, Virdee said. "This is going to take a few years," he said. Director-General Heuer said CERN was being as cautious as a driver would be with the first production model of a new car. "We'll never accelerate this the first time with a kick-start to its maximum velocity," he said. Once it is tested out, he added, "we can open windows into new physics and that could happen already next year. It depends on how kind nature is to us."