PRI's "Fair Game with Faith Salie" interviewed the GRI's Evan Roth about its recent technological projects and the conflict between graffiti and advertising. It's a great interview, and I'm not just saying it because he's my sister's boyfriend.
Evan, I want to participate in The Summer of Blood.
June 22, 2007
See you on July 4th
I'm going on a cruise to Alaska with my Mom and Tina, so I won't be posting until Jul. 4th at the earliest. I'll try to squeeze in a post before I leave about Ronnie the Rat (or as my delusional roommates call him, "Fluffy the Mouse").
June 20, 2007
Lord of the Rings: The Musicial!
I don't know whether to laugh or order tickets. I watched a few video clips, and none of them have any emotional resonance. The songs are bland and I'm not sure it's possible to combine an epic mythology with the silly, fleeting aspects inherent in musicals.
The set is absolutely gorgeous though. Watch clip #2 on the site. The visuals are almost as cinematographic as the movies, which is amazing for a play.
What this play really is though is the first test of LotR fans' nerdosity. (I know it's not a word, but it should be). It has been a few years since the movies. Will LotR have the same cultural resonance that Star Wars did, where fans devoured spin-offs and related merchandise for years after the movies?
My guess is no, for reasons that have nothing to do with the movies and everything to do with how it is less likely nowadays for people to find identity in just one or a few groups.
This is my definition of (cultural) group identity: something that you take pride in being part of or having an interest in, along with an awareness that there are other people that share your interest.
The second part is important because twenty years ago, it must have been more difficult to find people that shared an obscure interest. If you liked an unknown band and knew no one else you did, wouldn't you feel a little lonely? There was probably a gravitation towards national cultural phenomenons, like Star Wars or Dallas, because it was easier to have that feeling that there were other people with the same interest. You could put a "I Shot J.R." bumper sticker on your car and know at least some people would get it.
It's a nice feeling. I remember seeing a Homestar Runner bumper stickers and feeling a little happy seeing it. I felt positive about the mysterious person who owned that car, like we shared a bond.
My guess is that today, with all of the media choices available, and the ease in finding people who share our interests, that we belong to many more groups than people twenty years ago. At the same time, this makes being part of a particular group less special. I love the LotR movies, but I don't have the psychological need to be part of the LotR group that I likely would have had twenty years ago. There are dozens of TV shows, interests, and bands that I like that help satisfy my need for connection.
That's why I think the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars will never be repeated. There will be more wildly popular movies like Titanic or LotR, but none of them can have the long-lasting psychological impact that they could have had twenty years ago.
The long-lasting part is the critical word. In the short-tern, I do think The Matrix, LotR, and so on were as beloved as Star Wars was initially. But there are so many new movies and TV shows out there, along with ways to connect with people, that there is no psychological reason to devote yourself to just one. The same way that it is easier to find a group, it is easier to leave one too.
(On a side note, I realized as I was writing this why I try so hard to encourage my friends to share some of my interests, usually a TV show or movie that I love. I feel a little disconnected to them if they haven't seen or heard something I like a lot, as if I joined a club that they're not members of.)
The set is absolutely gorgeous though. Watch clip #2 on the site. The visuals are almost as cinematographic as the movies, which is amazing for a play.
What this play really is though is the first test of LotR fans' nerdosity. (I know it's not a word, but it should be). It has been a few years since the movies. Will LotR have the same cultural resonance that Star Wars did, where fans devoured spin-offs and related merchandise for years after the movies?
My guess is no, for reasons that have nothing to do with the movies and everything to do with how it is less likely nowadays for people to find identity in just one or a few groups.
This is my definition of (cultural) group identity: something that you take pride in being part of or having an interest in, along with an awareness that there are other people that share your interest.
The second part is important because twenty years ago, it must have been more difficult to find people that shared an obscure interest. If you liked an unknown band and knew no one else you did, wouldn't you feel a little lonely? There was probably a gravitation towards national cultural phenomenons, like Star Wars or Dallas, because it was easier to have that feeling that there were other people with the same interest. You could put a "I Shot J.R." bumper sticker on your car and know at least some people would get it.
It's a nice feeling. I remember seeing a Homestar Runner bumper stickers and feeling a little happy seeing it. I felt positive about the mysterious person who owned that car, like we shared a bond.
My guess is that today, with all of the media choices available, and the ease in finding people who share our interests, that we belong to many more groups than people twenty years ago. At the same time, this makes being part of a particular group less special. I love the LotR movies, but I don't have the psychological need to be part of the LotR group that I likely would have had twenty years ago. There are dozens of TV shows, interests, and bands that I like that help satisfy my need for connection.
That's why I think the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars will never be repeated. There will be more wildly popular movies like Titanic or LotR, but none of them can have the long-lasting psychological impact that they could have had twenty years ago.
The long-lasting part is the critical word. In the short-tern, I do think The Matrix, LotR, and so on were as beloved as Star Wars was initially. But there are so many new movies and TV shows out there, along with ways to connect with people, that there is no psychological reason to devote yourself to just one. The same way that it is easier to find a group, it is easier to leave one too.
(On a side note, I realized as I was writing this why I try so hard to encourage my friends to share some of my interests, usually a TV show or movie that I love. I feel a little disconnected to them if they haven't seen or heard something I like a lot, as if I joined a club that they're not members of.)
June 19, 2007
I'll Get Back To It Later
(As I'm going through my posts, I'm finding a few unfinished drafts of posts, most of which make little to no sense. This is one of them.)
The Police Police
"Yeah, I know you're the police. But I’m the police police. That’s going to cost you 5 marshmallows. What’s that? Don’t have 5 marshmallows? Okay. $200. Plus another $100 for not having any marshmallows."
"Don't like it? Fine. Take it to Court Court."
The Police Police
"Yeah, I know you're the police. But I’m the police police. That’s going to cost you 5 marshmallows. What’s that? Don’t have 5 marshmallows? Okay. $200. Plus another $100 for not having any marshmallows."
"Don't like it? Fine. Take it to Court Court."
I Have an RSS Feed!
And I wouldn't use it for a few days.
First, thanks to Jim M. for the link that made setting up the feed easy.
For the past few days, I've been adding metadata to almost every post I have written. It started on a whim, something I did for a handful of recent posts, and went on from there. My thoughts are often a cluttered mess, and it feels good to be organized in at least one part of my life.
I think the RSS feed is updating every time I add a keyword to a post. I finished 200 so far, and have around 1,000 more to do. If you are reading on a newsreader, you may end up seeing four years of blog posts by the end of the week. I suggest waiting a few days and clicking on the "poop" tag to catch up on the best ones. Or for the very best, "poop monkey rocket". Man, that monkey's handlers were so pissed off when he returned back to Earth. Ahh, the stories.
First, thanks to Jim M. for the link that made setting up the feed easy.
For the past few days, I've been adding metadata to almost every post I have written. It started on a whim, something I did for a handful of recent posts, and went on from there. My thoughts are often a cluttered mess, and it feels good to be organized in at least one part of my life.
I think the RSS feed is updating every time I add a keyword to a post. I finished 200 so far, and have around 1,000 more to do. If you are reading on a newsreader, you may end up seeing four years of blog posts by the end of the week. I suggest waiting a few days and clicking on the "poop" tag to catch up on the best ones. Or for the very best, "poop monkey rocket". Man, that monkey's handlers were so pissed off when he returned back to Earth. Ahh, the stories.
June 18, 2007
License Plate
One of the lesser-known facts about Virginia is that it has more drivers with vanity license plates than any state in the U.S. Nearly one in five people have one. That's LUNASEE (for Pagans). Or CRZ4CRS. Or...you get the point.
A few days ago, I was at a stop light when I had an weird, almost overpowering urge to buy a gun. The mystery was solved when I looked at the license plate on the pickup truck ahead of me. "BUY GUN".
Hmm, you make a good point, six-letter license plate. You make a GD PNT. But when should I buy one? Hey, look, a SUV!
"BUY NOW"
Well, hold on a moment. Volvo has something to say.
"GUN KILL"
Is that a criticism or an advertisement? Why did I want a gun in the first place? Red pickup truck...
"I FRGOT"
("BUY GUN" + "I FRGOT" are real license plates. I don't know about the rest).
A few days ago, I was at a stop light when I had an weird, almost overpowering urge to buy a gun. The mystery was solved when I looked at the license plate on the pickup truck ahead of me. "BUY GUN".
Hmm, you make a good point, six-letter license plate. You make a GD PNT. But when should I buy one? Hey, look, a SUV!
"BUY NOW"
Well, hold on a moment. Volvo has something to say.
"GUN KILL"
Is that a criticism or an advertisement? Why did I want a gun in the first place? Red pickup truck...
"I FRGOT"
("BUY GUN" + "I FRGOT" are real license plates. I don't know about the rest).
June 17, 2007
Dogs vs. Cats
I found a link to a Vancouver travel site in the “Failed Referrers” section of my web page stats. It's a list of broken links that people are trying to reach, mostly missing photos that didn't get transferred when I switched web hosts.
A few dozen people have been unsuccessfully trying to find a photo that used to be on my web site. I clicked the link to see what Vancouver wanted from Pancake City.
Surprise #1: The link, to a message board discussion, had nothing to do with travel or Vancouver. It was a long, angry argument on which was better, cats or dogs.
Surprise #2: It was absolutely hilarious.
I searched Google's cache to see the photo they were trying to find. It was of a cat holding a sniper rifle while perched in a window sill.
I was going to post snippets of the discussion, but the first half-page is so funny that you have to read the whole thing.
"Get back to the thread DO YOU LIKE CATS OR DOGS!!!!"
June 16, 2007
Screen Window
I saw this on a screen window in the kitchen of one of my dog walking clients.
"Warning: This screen will not prevent a child, or object, or anything from falling out."
Get some self-confidence, screen window. When I tossed Brewster a ball and it bounced over the sink, who stopped it from going out the window? You did. When the neighborhood was invaded by carpenter bees, who stop them from flying in the house and stealing Brewster's kibble? You. And I don't see any flies in the house. Must have been the frog. Oh, wait. Brewster ate him. Guess we have a certain perforated stranger to thank.
Screen window, you are more important than you think. You are the gatekeeper, the TSA agent, the club bouncer. You keep the riffraff out and let the air in. Look, no one is expecting you to keep a child out. If someone tosses a baby at you, you can only do so much.
At the same time, no one will be surprised if the baby happily bounces off you and into the arms of the gypsy outside who was trying to return it. You're more special than you think.
"Warning: This screen will not prevent a child, or object, or anything from falling out."
Get some self-confidence, screen window. When I tossed Brewster a ball and it bounced over the sink, who stopped it from going out the window? You did. When the neighborhood was invaded by carpenter bees, who stop them from flying in the house and stealing Brewster's kibble? You. And I don't see any flies in the house. Must have been the frog. Oh, wait. Brewster ate him. Guess we have a certain perforated stranger to thank.
Screen window, you are more important than you think. You are the gatekeeper, the TSA agent, the club bouncer. You keep the riffraff out and let the air in. Look, no one is expecting you to keep a child out. If someone tosses a baby at you, you can only do so much.
At the same time, no one will be surprised if the baby happily bounces off you and into the arms of the gypsy outside who was trying to return it. You're more special than you think.
June 15, 2007
'You Are Never Alone" --Socalled
I got this song from Salon.com's Song of the Day podcast. It's the best song I've heard in a few weeks, although obviously that doesn't mean you will even like it. It's at least worth a listen though.
Is it me, or is there zero correlation between one's taste in music and personality? I wouldn't say that about books, television shows, or movies. There seems to be at least a faint connection between one's pop culture interests and world view. I haven't seen a connection between personality and taste in music though. Maybe that's because music is less language-centric than books, TV shows, and movies. Music may engage people on a simpler, more primal level, and our enjoyments of melodies may have to do more with our genetics than the sum experiences of our lives.
Is it me, or is there zero correlation between one's taste in music and personality? I wouldn't say that about books, television shows, or movies. There seems to be at least a faint connection between one's pop culture interests and world view. I haven't seen a connection between personality and taste in music though. Maybe that's because music is less language-centric than books, TV shows, and movies. Music may engage people on a simpler, more primal level, and our enjoyments of melodies may have to do more with our genetics than the sum experiences of our lives.
June 14, 2007
Glory Be To Him
For $500 or more, you can sponsor a day of NPR programming and have a message of your choice read three times during the day. I heard this one yesterday:
"This show is sponsored in part by Brad and Amanda Richards in honor of their son, Jacob, who turns 6-months old today."
I'm guessing it's their first child. Child #2 is just getting a mug. Child #3 will be lucky to get an off-sized "All Things Considered" T-shirt.
"This show is sponsored in part by Brad and Amanda Richards in honor of their son, Jacob, who turns 6-months old today."
I'm guessing it's their first child. Child #2 is just getting a mug. Child #3 will be lucky to get an off-sized "All Things Considered" T-shirt.
June 12, 2007
Trashy Celebs
Two friends of mine, Amy and Lori, have a very funny blog called Trashy Celebs. Where else are you going to find headlines like "Joey Lawrence’s Man Boobs are Blossoming?"
June 11, 2007
The Pancake City Guide To Indie Music
If "Even Jesus Hates Creed" T-shirts make you laugh, but you would feel uncomfortable talking to the music-hipster wearing the shirt, this guide is for you.
There are literally hundreds of wonderful bands that are under the mass media radar. These bands are on independent labels who can afford small promotional campaigns for them at best.
Most of these groups make their livings playing small- to mid-sized venues and catering to devoted groups of fans. It used to be difficult to hear about these bands. For me, it was a mix of not knowing where to start and my (mostly false) perception that people who liked obscure bands were music snobs, clones of Jack Black's character in High Fidelity. I was already a comedy snob and movie snob at the time, and didn't want to waste my third snobbery on music. (We all get three snobs. Dem's the rules. If you have any complaints, send them to LOL CATZ)
What if I wanted to become a cheese snob? Or a robot snob? I didn't want to waste my last snob. The future is a mysterious place, even if you are from the future, because then you wonder where the glee-glerp is your time machine and why do these people keep showing your photo on tabloids shaking the hand of Elvis?
Tangent. Sorry. My worries of succumbing to music snobbery were over-rated. Contrary to what I expected, one doesn't have to throw the Baby Got Back out with the bathwater. More important, the maturing of podcasts and the Internet has made it a lot easier to stick one's toe into a different music world and hear songs that, and here I guess I am being a music snob, are better than 95% of what you could hope to hear on the radio.
It helps to know where to look though. Without further ado, here are some good places to start.
Pancake City Guide To Indie Music
1. Internet Radio
a. Pandora--The best place to start for anyone first exploring the world of indie label music. At Pandora, you type in the name of a band you currently like, and it streams full-length songs from bands with similar music qualities. You can further refine the music you hear by voting "Yay/Nay" for each song, save your stations, and listen to stations from other members.
b. MPR: Online Radio--If you have half-an-hour free, load MPR's stream and let it play as you work. Their song selection is excellent, and while you may not like every song, you won't have to wait long to find a gem.
c. NPR's All Songs Considered--Bob Bollen does a good job sorting through the hundreds of CDs he gets a week and presenting some of the more interesting choices to listeners. You can subscribe to the podcast or listen online. Sometimes the show can't get full play rights on the podcast and you can only listen to whole versions of the song online.
2. Songs of the Day
MP3s for free. You can subscribe to these podcasts on ITunes or directly from the website. I recommend all of these highly.
a. Salon.com: Song of the Day. Many good selections with only a rare dud.
b. MPR: The Current Song of the Day. This newish podcast is slightly less mainstream than Salon.com's, but I like it as much.
c. KCRW's Today's Top Tune.
d. KEXP Song of the Day.
3. Free downloads hubs
I haven't explored this area much as I get enough new music from the above sources and EMusic. Let me know if you have other recommendations.
a. Music.download.com--CNET's music download site has grown greatly in the past year. They have good relationships with most major and independent labels, offer a large catalog of songs to stream for free and have a growing number of free downloads to boot.
Unfortunately, their music is mostly indexed by category and thus more difficult to find music you'll like than sites like Netflix, Emusic, and Amazon that use social networking software to filter the near-overwhelming amount of songs to choose from.
4. Pay sites
Obviously, the reason bands release MP3s for free is to get new fans who may want to buy more of their work. I won't repeat my whole rave for EMusic, but it's the only pay-site I use. It's cheap, DRM-free, and has a wide selection of independent label music.
Subscription sites like Rhapsody may be a good deal, where you have to stay subscribed to continue to access the music but can download all you want, but I can't personally vouch for the site. (Click for 50 free Emusic downloads)
5. Twelve Bands To Look Into
Andrew Bird, Beirut, Camera Obscura, Cloud Cult, Interpol, Joanna Newsom, Lambchop, The National, Peter Bjorn and John, Stars, Sufjan Stevens, Voxtrot. You can copy n' paste these bands into Pandora's search box, and likely hear one or more of their songs.
Let me know if you like the guide or have anything to add. Good luck.
There are literally hundreds of wonderful bands that are under the mass media radar. These bands are on independent labels who can afford small promotional campaigns for them at best.
Most of these groups make their livings playing small- to mid-sized venues and catering to devoted groups of fans. It used to be difficult to hear about these bands. For me, it was a mix of not knowing where to start and my (mostly false) perception that people who liked obscure bands were music snobs, clones of Jack Black's character in High Fidelity. I was already a comedy snob and movie snob at the time, and didn't want to waste my third snobbery on music. (We all get three snobs. Dem's the rules. If you have any complaints, send them to LOL CATZ)
What if I wanted to become a cheese snob? Or a robot snob? I didn't want to waste my last snob. The future is a mysterious place, even if you are from the future, because then you wonder where the glee-glerp is your time machine and why do these people keep showing your photo on tabloids shaking the hand of Elvis?
Tangent. Sorry. My worries of succumbing to music snobbery were over-rated. Contrary to what I expected, one doesn't have to throw the Baby Got Back out with the bathwater. More important, the maturing of podcasts and the Internet has made it a lot easier to stick one's toe into a different music world and hear songs that, and here I guess I am being a music snob, are better than 95% of what you could hope to hear on the radio.
It helps to know where to look though. Without further ado, here are some good places to start.
Pancake City Guide To Indie Music
1. Internet Radio
a. Pandora--The best place to start for anyone first exploring the world of indie label music. At Pandora, you type in the name of a band you currently like, and it streams full-length songs from bands with similar music qualities. You can further refine the music you hear by voting "Yay/Nay" for each song, save your stations, and listen to stations from other members.
b. MPR: Online Radio--If you have half-an-hour free, load MPR's stream and let it play as you work. Their song selection is excellent, and while you may not like every song, you won't have to wait long to find a gem.
c. NPR's All Songs Considered--Bob Bollen does a good job sorting through the hundreds of CDs he gets a week and presenting some of the more interesting choices to listeners. You can subscribe to the podcast or listen online. Sometimes the show can't get full play rights on the podcast and you can only listen to whole versions of the song online.
2. Songs of the Day
MP3s for free. You can subscribe to these podcasts on ITunes or directly from the website. I recommend all of these highly.
a. Salon.com: Song of the Day. Many good selections with only a rare dud.
b. MPR: The Current Song of the Day. This newish podcast is slightly less mainstream than Salon.com's, but I like it as much.
c. KCRW's Today's Top Tune.
d. KEXP Song of the Day.
3. Free downloads hubs
I haven't explored this area much as I get enough new music from the above sources and EMusic. Let me know if you have other recommendations.
a. Music.download.com--CNET's music download site has grown greatly in the past year. They have good relationships with most major and independent labels, offer a large catalog of songs to stream for free and have a growing number of free downloads to boot.
Unfortunately, their music is mostly indexed by category and thus more difficult to find music you'll like than sites like Netflix, Emusic, and Amazon that use social networking software to filter the near-overwhelming amount of songs to choose from.
4. Pay sites
Obviously, the reason bands release MP3s for free is to get new fans who may want to buy more of their work. I won't repeat my whole rave for EMusic, but it's the only pay-site I use. It's cheap, DRM-free, and has a wide selection of independent label music.
Subscription sites like Rhapsody may be a good deal, where you have to stay subscribed to continue to access the music but can download all you want, but I can't personally vouch for the site. (Click for 50 free Emusic downloads)
5. Twelve Bands To Look Into
Andrew Bird, Beirut, Camera Obscura, Cloud Cult, Interpol, Joanna Newsom, Lambchop, The National, Peter Bjorn and John, Stars, Sufjan Stevens, Voxtrot. You can copy n' paste these bands into Pandora's search box, and likely hear one or more of their songs.
Let me know if you like the guide or have anything to add. Good luck.
June 09, 2007
Headlines
Man accused in Letterman kidnap plot escapes from prison
Top Ten reasons to improve prison security...
Dinosaurs Died Agonizing Deaths
Yay! The front page of Yahoo has all the kid-friendly articles.
Shuttle Atlantis Chasing Space Station
Hey, have you seen my space wallet? I could of sworn I tethered it to the table. I don't know, nothing. I checked the instruments, Space Station came over to visit, and ....SPACE STATION! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!
The Battle of the Grills
This is false advertising by The Washington Post. I had every reason to think this article was about rappers.
Top Ten reasons to improve prison security...
Dinosaurs Died Agonizing Deaths
Yay! The front page of Yahoo has all the kid-friendly articles.
Shuttle Atlantis Chasing Space Station
Hey, have you seen my space wallet? I could of sworn I tethered it to the table. I don't know, nothing. I checked the instruments, Space Station came over to visit, and ....SPACE STATION! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!
The Battle of the Grills
This is false advertising by The Washington Post. I had every reason to think this article was about rappers.
Are We Being Too Hard on Paris?
A reenactment of the past week:
SHERIFF: "Do you want to finish your sentence at home?"
PARIS: "Really?"
SHERIFF: "Sure. Three days in jail is enough. You can do the other 42 days as home arrest."
PARIS: "Thank you so much!"
Paris goes home. A few hours later, the Sheriff's phone rings:
SHERIFF: "Hey."
JUDGE: "Did she buy it?"
SHERIFF: "Oh, yeah. It was hilarious. Her face lit right up."
JUDGE: [laughing]: "Oh my God. This is going to be great. Get one of your guys to bring her to the courthouse. Tell her the judge needs to speak with her for a few minutes. Tell her it won't take long, and to leave her things."
SHERIFF: "This is so wrong."
JUDGE: "I know. Isn't it awesome?"
At the courthouse:
JUDGE: "Paris, I have some bad news. We're putting you back in jail. Right now."
PARIS: "What? But he said I could do my sentence at home!"
JUDGE: "Lee, did you tell Paris she could serve her sentence in her house?"
SHERIFF: "Don't believe I did, Mike."
PARIS: "You liar! Yes you did!"
SHERIFF: "Hold on a second. Let me think." [Sheriff strokes his chin slowly.] "Hmmm. Hmmmmmmm. Wait, yes! Yes!"
PARIS: "You remember?"
SHERIFF: "I remember that 'The Simple Life' sucked. Now get your scrawny ass back in your cell, bitch."
JUDGE: "Oh! Smoked!"
[SHERRIF + JUDGE give each other a high-five. An officer shakes his head and escorts PARIS out the courthouse.]
SHERIFF: "Do you want to finish your sentence at home?"
PARIS: "Really?"
SHERIFF: "Sure. Three days in jail is enough. You can do the other 42 days as home arrest."
PARIS: "Thank you so much!"
Paris goes home. A few hours later, the Sheriff's phone rings:
SHERIFF: "Hey."
JUDGE: "Did she buy it?"
SHERIFF: "Oh, yeah. It was hilarious. Her face lit right up."
JUDGE: [laughing]: "Oh my God. This is going to be great. Get one of your guys to bring her to the courthouse. Tell her the judge needs to speak with her for a few minutes. Tell her it won't take long, and to leave her things."
SHERIFF: "This is so wrong."
JUDGE: "I know. Isn't it awesome?"
At the courthouse:
JUDGE: "Paris, I have some bad news. We're putting you back in jail. Right now."
PARIS: "What? But he said I could do my sentence at home!"
JUDGE: "Lee, did you tell Paris she could serve her sentence in her house?"
SHERIFF: "Don't believe I did, Mike."
PARIS: "You liar! Yes you did!"
SHERIFF: "Hold on a second. Let me think." [Sheriff strokes his chin slowly.] "Hmmm. Hmmmmmmm. Wait, yes! Yes!"
PARIS: "You remember?"
SHERIFF: "I remember that 'The Simple Life' sucked. Now get your scrawny ass back in your cell, bitch."
JUDGE: "Oh! Smoked!"
[SHERRIF + JUDGE give each other a high-five. An officer shakes his head and escorts PARIS out the courthouse.]
June 08, 2007
Someone Build a Dam--I'm Gushing About Emusic
If you have already been thinking about subscribing to EMusic, there is a link at the end for 50 free downloads. If you haven't heard about EMusic, keep reading. It's my favorite online music source.
Emusic is the 2nd biggest online music store, behind ITunes. I've been a subscriber to Emusic for several months now, and I absolutely love it. The songs are high-quality, DRM-free, and best of all, cheap. You pay a certain amount of money a month ($10-$20) and get to download 30-75 songs, depending on the subscription to choose. It will ruin ITunes for you. I don't think I can ever buy a song from ITunes for .99c after paying the equivalent of .25c per song.
I should mention first that the reason they can offer songs for 25c-33c is that almost all of the music they have is from independent labels. You are not going to find anything played on commercial radio here. I hate commercial radio, so this isn't an issue for me, but major-label bands like REM, Nine Inch Nails, and Britney Spears won't be found on the site.
If you are interested in discovering new music though, there is no better web site than EMusic. Their business model of cheap, high-volume downloads meshes perfectly with their efforts to tell customers about great bands. They have a "Most Downloaded" section, a 'New and Noteworthy" section, and suggestions for bands you may like based on past downloads. You can listen to 30-second samples of all songs, which gives you a good idea of whether you'll like the song or not.
I discover about 1/3 of the songs I download from EMusic's recommendations. Another 1/3 from shows like NPR's All Songs Considered and various "Song of the Day" podcasts. The last 1/3 is from friends and other EMusic members. The site keeps track of what you download and gives you the option to make various lists like "Songs I Love" or "Future Downloads" and let other users view them. I've found a many good bands I never would have heard of otherwise by browsing through people's download lists. Also, I have to give a shout-out to my roommate, Meghan, who has excellent music taste (among other things).
EMusic has convinced me that the high-price/low-volume revenue model of ITunes and major record labels is screwed up. I listen to so much more music now than I used to, happily pay for it, and it's almost solely because I can download a song for a quarter. It's much easier to take a chance on a new band when downloading a few singles costs less than a dollar and you can download the whole album for $2-3.
Not only that, I would download more if I could. I get 70 downloads per month on the plan I am on. I already used them up and I have two more weeks to go until they will be renewed. I have 40 albums saved that I'm considering downloading later. My love of music has slowly grown over my life, but it definitely shot up once I joined EMusic and was able to try out new bands at whim and for relatively cheap. Perhaps I'm atypical, but I think if ITunes offered a similar bulk rate discount, the increased volume would more than make up the lost revenue.
Okay, I'm done gushing. If you are interested in trying the site out, click on the link below. It's a trial offer where you can get 50 free downloads. I get 50 free downloads if you end up subscribing, so that's part of my motivation. Although if the fact that I want to download 50 more songs on top of the 70 I already downloaded this month isn't a good testimonial, I don't know what is.
If you want any recommendations on stuff to try out, leave a comment or shoot me an email. Or if you have some bands to recommend, please do. I enjoy sharing music and getting recommendations too.
50 free Emusic downloads.
Emusic is the 2nd biggest online music store, behind ITunes. I've been a subscriber to Emusic for several months now, and I absolutely love it. The songs are high-quality, DRM-free, and best of all, cheap. You pay a certain amount of money a month ($10-$20) and get to download 30-75 songs, depending on the subscription to choose. It will ruin ITunes for you. I don't think I can ever buy a song from ITunes for .99c after paying the equivalent of .25c per song.
I should mention first that the reason they can offer songs for 25c-33c is that almost all of the music they have is from independent labels. You are not going to find anything played on commercial radio here. I hate commercial radio, so this isn't an issue for me, but major-label bands like REM, Nine Inch Nails, and Britney Spears won't be found on the site.
If you are interested in discovering new music though, there is no better web site than EMusic. Their business model of cheap, high-volume downloads meshes perfectly with their efforts to tell customers about great bands. They have a "Most Downloaded" section, a 'New and Noteworthy" section, and suggestions for bands you may like based on past downloads. You can listen to 30-second samples of all songs, which gives you a good idea of whether you'll like the song or not.
I discover about 1/3 of the songs I download from EMusic's recommendations. Another 1/3 from shows like NPR's All Songs Considered and various "Song of the Day" podcasts. The last 1/3 is from friends and other EMusic members. The site keeps track of what you download and gives you the option to make various lists like "Songs I Love" or "Future Downloads" and let other users view them. I've found a many good bands I never would have heard of otherwise by browsing through people's download lists. Also, I have to give a shout-out to my roommate, Meghan, who has excellent music taste (among other things).
EMusic has convinced me that the high-price/low-volume revenue model of ITunes and major record labels is screwed up. I listen to so much more music now than I used to, happily pay for it, and it's almost solely because I can download a song for a quarter. It's much easier to take a chance on a new band when downloading a few singles costs less than a dollar and you can download the whole album for $2-3.
Not only that, I would download more if I could. I get 70 downloads per month on the plan I am on. I already used them up and I have two more weeks to go until they will be renewed. I have 40 albums saved that I'm considering downloading later. My love of music has slowly grown over my life, but it definitely shot up once I joined EMusic and was able to try out new bands at whim and for relatively cheap. Perhaps I'm atypical, but I think if ITunes offered a similar bulk rate discount, the increased volume would more than make up the lost revenue.
Okay, I'm done gushing. If you are interested in trying the site out, click on the link below. It's a trial offer where you can get 50 free downloads. I get 50 free downloads if you end up subscribing, so that's part of my motivation. Although if the fact that I want to download 50 more songs on top of the 70 I already downloaded this month isn't a good testimonial, I don't know what is.
If you want any recommendations on stuff to try out, leave a comment or shoot me an email. Or if you have some bands to recommend, please do. I enjoy sharing music and getting recommendations too.
50 free Emusic downloads.
June 05, 2007
Yabba Dabba Do
My window fell a few days ago, devolving back a technological age in the process. The front grate cracked, leaving a gap where one could insert a small object, like a pair of scissors.
This is useful as now the fan won't start on its own. I have to insert a small object in the gap, like a pair of scissors, and push a fan blade to the right to get it going. It takes about a half-dozen whacks on average to jump start the fan. It was fun the first few times. I even put a record on the pterodactyl to celebrate.
Now it's annoying. I wish my "WeatherWorks" brand fan was in its original condition. "WhetherWorks?" is not the whimsical adventure the name implies.
I have other items and gadgets that are in the gray zone for a poor person: broke enough to frustrate, not enough to replace. The MP3 player that I need to wrap the headphone cord around the body in a certain way to get sound to play in both ears. My 1994 Toyota Corolla that rattles increasingly loud when it comes to a stop. (I noticed it right after my MP3 player started acting up).
It can be exciting to pretend that I'm in an episode of Mission Impossible where a long red light can spell the doom for my car, and perhaps the life of innocent cars around me. My workarounds for objects in disrepair make me feel manly and smart too at first. "I'm not going to let an empty black ink cartridge stop me from printing. That's why brown is a font color in Microsoft Word."
But when these small inconveniences grow from a few to a dozen, I find myself getting frustrated, perhaps because I view my jury-rigged surroundings as a metaphor for the frustrations in my life. I feel like a broken person who's missing a few parts. I see my friends in careers, getting married, buying houses, pursuing their dreams, and can't help thinking, "What's wrong with me?"
Well, I wasn't expecting that to come out. Oh well. It is what it is. Yabba Dabba Do. Next post: why I find Tiffany soooooooo annoying!
This is useful as now the fan won't start on its own. I have to insert a small object in the gap, like a pair of scissors, and push a fan blade to the right to get it going. It takes about a half-dozen whacks on average to jump start the fan. It was fun the first few times. I even put a record on the pterodactyl to celebrate.
Now it's annoying. I wish my "WeatherWorks" brand fan was in its original condition. "WhetherWorks?" is not the whimsical adventure the name implies.
I have other items and gadgets that are in the gray zone for a poor person: broke enough to frustrate, not enough to replace. The MP3 player that I need to wrap the headphone cord around the body in a certain way to get sound to play in both ears. My 1994 Toyota Corolla that rattles increasingly loud when it comes to a stop. (I noticed it right after my MP3 player started acting up).
It can be exciting to pretend that I'm in an episode of Mission Impossible where a long red light can spell the doom for my car, and perhaps the life of innocent cars around me. My workarounds for objects in disrepair make me feel manly and smart too at first. "I'm not going to let an empty black ink cartridge stop me from printing. That's why brown is a font color in Microsoft Word."
But when these small inconveniences grow from a few to a dozen, I find myself getting frustrated, perhaps because I view my jury-rigged surroundings as a metaphor for the frustrations in my life. I feel like a broken person who's missing a few parts. I see my friends in careers, getting married, buying houses, pursuing their dreams, and can't help thinking, "What's wrong with me?"
Well, I wasn't expecting that to come out. Oh well. It is what it is. Yabba Dabba Do. Next post: why I find Tiffany soooooooo annoying!
Maybe It's Okay To Make an Ass Out of You and Me on This One
I hate to criticize the media for not being assumptive. In the race to report news, media outlets often gloss over details, report hearsay as fact, and broadcast unverified information rather than take the time to analyze it first.
But how do you allegedly drive a car through a street festival and injure 43 people? The only doubt is whether to call it a street festival or an open market. (I suggest using The Clown Rule).
If you missed the story, I'm referring to an incident that happened last Sunday in SE D.C. No one died, so the article was already off the front page of The Washington Post by Monday night. How many people do you have to maim nowadays to get some staying power? I find it a small miracle that no one died, but there's little information on what people did during and after the situation to avoid casualties.
The story resurfaced briefly today. The police department stated that the driver was a single Mom, high on crack, with her 7-year-old daughter in the back seat. This item got almost as much attention as the original incident. As it should. It's bad enough to get hit by a car, but who wants to get run over by a stereotype? That's no way to die.
FOX News sent over a camera crew after this development. Their latest report states that when the car finally crashed, a group of Mexicans popped out of the trunk and started singing La Cucaracha ("La Cucaracha" is Spanish for "We don't actually sing this song. It sucks."). They released a correction soon after the initial report. They meant to say allegedly.
But how do you allegedly drive a car through a street festival and injure 43 people? The only doubt is whether to call it a street festival or an open market. (I suggest using The Clown Rule).
If you missed the story, I'm referring to an incident that happened last Sunday in SE D.C. No one died, so the article was already off the front page of The Washington Post by Monday night. How many people do you have to maim nowadays to get some staying power? I find it a small miracle that no one died, but there's little information on what people did during and after the situation to avoid casualties.
The story resurfaced briefly today. The police department stated that the driver was a single Mom, high on crack, with her 7-year-old daughter in the back seat. This item got almost as much attention as the original incident. As it should. It's bad enough to get hit by a car, but who wants to get run over by a stereotype? That's no way to die.
FOX News sent over a camera crew after this development. Their latest report states that when the car finally crashed, a group of Mexicans popped out of the trunk and started singing La Cucaracha ("La Cucaracha" is Spanish for "We don't actually sing this song. It sucks."). They released a correction soon after the initial report. They meant to say allegedly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)