tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12485939031544530452024-03-14T05:47:00.823-04:00mercury-studios' bloHGDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-41504580384860009202010-03-15T11:33:00.001-04:002010-03-15T11:33:00.138-04:00Google Goes ‘Big With A Gig’<span style="font-style:italic;">This article was originally written for The Hartford Informer on February 18th, 2010.</span><br />In a huge announcement this week, Google announced last Thursday the development of a gigabit internet service provider (ISP). The California company and internet search giant is going to places it has never reached. Google provided more than 65 percent of the searches in the United States in 2009 and in recent years Google has moved from its Web based origins in the form of Gmail, Google Maps and Google Docs and has begun developing an operating system. Android, the company’s phone OS, was released in late 2008. Google also plans to release a computer OS, named Chrome later this year. This latest announcement is a clean departure from online and personal computing.<br />The idea is to gain the support of whole communities and provide this lightening fast Internet to them. In total, Google ISP looks to reach between 50,000 and 500,000 people in its first test run.<br />The real importance of this announcement is not that Google is now going to compete with the likes of Comcast, AT&T, Cablevision and Verizon but that Google will be providing a service capable of being 100 times faster than any single one of those companies can provide.<br />In recent years current ISP’s have been trying to boost their speed. Comcast announced it will rebrand its Internet service as Xfinity this week, but really this is still the slow network they’ve been running for years. Verizon is laying fiber optic lines around New York and New Jersey bringing FiOS to their consumers. Both services only provide up to 50 Mbps, and their only main motive is profit.<br />Google is not different and could technically charge anything for their new fiber optic service, given that companies like Comcast charge over $50 for under 20Mbps, Google’s gigabit would provide 50 times that. But Google’s mantra is “don’t be evil,” and (whether you believe it or not) this test isn’t about making money. This test is really about the physicality of providing 1Gbps to large numbers of people. The average internet speed for the United States is just 4.8Mbps, in Japan it’s 61Mbps. The kicker is that they both cost the same, around $15 a month for the average speed.<br />Seattle, Ontario County NY, Washington DC and the entire state of Hawaii have already expressed interest in “going big with a gig” with Google’s new service.<br />Google’s idea is to see the reality of providing amazing speeds at a low cost. With real-world cost analysis and implementation of the technology we can see just how viable high speed internet is.<br />It remains to be seen whether this will be a game changer or a massive failure. But with initial costs that could be in the billions, this is an experiment Google must be invested in for the long term.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-86731442089870240812010-03-14T11:31:00.000-04:002010-03-14T11:31:00.684-04:00Vampire Weekend Releases Sophomore Album ‘Contra’<span style="font-style:italic;">This Article was originally written for The Hartford Informer on January 28, 2010.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTL_J1szhghxnPRuN0ZTdZHQt91VC2wuIP2dvDWMuPNc_wlHNLjR-f1cfeQjxlkN7dkJt1GBJs1aZ0ZNjHb2_MEY7HNggxx_3t6p3ZQ-kH0OfCVQ0ovNKlwwwa3Qw_urNhI0hrp5uV0Y/s1600-h/VampireWeekend-780147.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTL_J1szhghxnPRuN0ZTdZHQt91VC2wuIP2dvDWMuPNc_wlHNLjR-f1cfeQjxlkN7dkJt1GBJs1aZ0ZNjHb2_MEY7HNggxx_3t6p3ZQ-kH0OfCVQ0ovNKlwwwa3Qw_urNhI0hrp5uV0Y/s320/VampireWeekend-780147.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447229492414085074" /></a>Vampire Weekend returned this month with a sophomore effort and follow up to the very unique and deservedly well received self-titled first album.<br />“Contra” picks up for the most part where their first album, “Vampire Weekend” left off. The clean and melodic music, is something that will get stuck in your head without really knowing it.<br />Released just shy of two years ago, the first album began with a sound which was at first hard to understand—a perky full sounding keyboard, heavy snare drum beat that left nothing to be desired, a clean guitar, almost ghostly vocal, and symphonic overtone—grew on the listener easily.<br />For some, this was not the case, and the music was far from appealing. The hype surrounding this relatively obscure band was huge, and even I at one point was a disbeliever—that was until I picked up their album.<br />I knew right off the bat with “Mansard Roof” followed by a personal favorite “Oxford Comma” that I truly liked the sound Vampire Weekend had so masterfully created.<br />“Contra” starts off much the same way.<br />“Horchatta” really emphasizes the African sound, which they so stylishly construct, beautifully mashed with orchestral accompaniment. The first single manages to perfectly capture the feeling of Vampire Weekend more completely than any of the other songs on the album, bringing more fodder to the already established factions who despise the music that Vampire Weekend produce.<br />Vampire Weekend has succeeded in bringing more abstract sounds into their bizarre concoction while still putting out something great. “Diplomat’s Son” located near the end of the album, samples M.I.A., putting it over a piercing keyboard and violin track. Truthfully strange yet appropriately fashioned. While “Diplomat’s Son” may be a slower song, it is immediately contrasted to a faster song like “Giving up the Gun” something that Vampire Weekend manages to do smoothly and without hesitation.<br />“Giving up the Gun” begins with a swift beat, which quickly turns electronic and ethereal by the end while still maintaining the distinctive melody.<br />The album ends with “I Think Ur Contra” an echo-ridden irregular background contrasted by a pinging melody, building with light beat, adding a violin symphony, a Spanish-sounding guitar lick and lead singers Ezra Koenig voice floating above it all before fading to the end.<br />The sounds that come from the album are abstract to say the least, but are so astonishingly woven to completeness no one would dare mention the fact that they shouldn’t be there to begin with.I wasn’t immediately impressed by “Contra” the way I was with their first album. It did take some time to grow on me. Had I written this review a week ago I would not have written as glowing a review as is currently spewing from the ends of my fingertips.<br />Whereas their first effort was straight in as a solid album, the latter falls slightly short of that achievement while still managing a good effort; delivering the clean, perky and happy music we have all come to expect from indie rockers Vampire Weekend.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-26903278921890340912010-03-13T11:28:00.000-05:002010-03-13T11:28:00.206-05:00Super Bowl Ads Fail To Impress: Denny’s, Dove Among Winners<span style="font-style:italic;">This article was originally written for The Hartford Informer on February 11, 2010.</span><br />It may have been the most watched Super Bowl ever—even beating the famous M.A.S.H. numbers to become the most watched TV show ever. Unfortunately the advertisements were less than spectacular.<br />For those who don’t watch the Super Bowl for the football, the tradition is to watch it for the commercials. It’s an ironic twist on the status quo. This year however, the football took precedent. The story of the New Orleans Saints was compelling, and the ads were not so.<br />The usual cornerstone of funny, Bud Light, put on a disappointing show. While a good idea, Bud Light’s “Light House” failed to get to the laugh out loud funny. The same was true for “Voicebox” in which all the characters had their voice auto-tuned. When it comes to the Super Bowl, I want to be rolling on the floor, not lightly chuckling.<br />Coke, whose major competitor Pepsi submitted no Super Bowl commercials, also failed to bring the class ad it has usually been associated with. While the Simpsons ad, “Hard Times” was relevant (given “The Simpsons” 20th anniversary) it wasn’t satisfying. Coke’s second effort of the night, “Sleepwalker,”fell way short of expectations.<br />Expectations it seemed were unmet by almost every brand. E*Trade, whose talking babies had really shined during last year’s Super Bowl, were unimaginative. Not to mention the fact that they changed the baby and stepped up the production values. Part of the charm in last year’s commercials was their jumpy nature.<br />Doritos took a different tack this year for their commercials. Instead of hiring giant ad firms like the other commercials did, Doritos looked to their fans to create and choose their ads. What resulted was a mixed bag. Viewers have raved about the “House Rules” ad (featuring the child defending his mom and his Doritos). Personally I liked “Snack Attack Samurai” (which featured a ninja dressed in chips). “Underdog,” with the shock collar, meets the same conclusion, but Doritos falls short on “Casket’”in which a man presumed dead, falls out of his casket covered in Doritos.<br />If one theme seemed to shine through this year it was the story. While I feel like in years past Super Bowls have gone with the slapstick-punchline, this year missed the slapstick comedy all together. This is not to say it’s a bad thing. Cars.com told the story of a man who knows everything but can’t pick a car in “Timothy Richman.” Unilever’s Dove told the entire life of a man from conception in song and ended up selling us a men’s soap in “Men + Care.” Finally, in perhaps the most talked about commercial of the night, and Google’s debut into Super Bowl Advertising, the ad “Search On” told the life story of a random guy.<br />Blame it on the recession and companies being a little more conservative both in their advertisements and their spending on the advertisements. Either way the ads this year left a mediocre taste in my mouth.<br />Given that, my top five favorite ads from this Super Bowl were, in no particular order, Careerbuilder.com “Casual Friday,” Dove “Men + Care,” Audi “Green Car,” Denny’s “Birthday Chicken,” and Mars’ Snickers “You’re not you when your hungry.”Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-91904050033351543282010-03-12T11:27:00.001-05:002010-03-12T16:54:21.857-05:00Chatroulette Makes Connections, Headlines<span style="font-style:italic;">This article was originally written for The Hartford Informer, February 25th 2010.</span><div><span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGncH92YnUxnbJ8FNLX7sCBpICfl3-Ww-k4eC2TgHVMQgQWfWcnP3Wbe9ooH_lFEpXGSBx327Vt5pUFT_YgDwhrm_9RkkGWioYt4FRAom0AfuANzYCbJr46TFL1PqG4RBbw_kZzvIy2E/s1600-h/chat.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 325px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGncH92YnUxnbJ8FNLX7sCBpICfl3-Ww-k4eC2TgHVMQgQWfWcnP3Wbe9ooH_lFEpXGSBx327Vt5pUFT_YgDwhrm_9RkkGWioYt4FRAom0AfuANzYCbJr46TFL1PqG4RBbw_kZzvIy2E/s400/chat.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447227511683274034" /></a>In a craze that’s sweeping the world, Chatroulette.com connects two strangers from around the world into a video chat.<br />Whereas applications like iChat, AIM and Skype connect you solely to your friends, Chatroulette connects you to anyone, anywhere. With more than 20,000 consistent users online, the range of users you may run into is diverse and varied.<br />The basic setup has the “stranger” video on top of your video, with a text box much like an AIM message to the side. The user interface is centered on two simple buttons on the top of the screen.<br />Next and Stop. Next takes you to the next stranger and stop stops the conversation between you and the stranger. With this you are instantly and randomly connected to a world of bizarre people.<br />The sheer simplicity of the website means that anyone can use it, and anyone does.<br />In 20 minutes online I spoke to people in California, Austria and Turkey. All three of these conversations were fairly pleasant. Despite the fact that two of the participants were in countries where English isn’t the first language, we could manage a simple conversation over instant message.<br />Unfortunately these three were an exception, not the rule. Videos flashed by of strange people, someone in a basement, a couple sitting in the dark, someone in bed, someone with the flu (and tissues to prove it), three Asian teenage girls dressed as gangsters, two guys holding a sign that said “show your tits” and the cap off of this terrible experiment a guy masturbating in full view of his camera.<br />The creator behind this absurd, terrible, yet addicting Web site is 17-year-old Andrey Ternovskiy from Russia. Ternovskiy said in a New York Times Interview that he created the Web site for “fun.”<br />He continued, “I decided to create a little site for me and my friends where we could connect randomly with other people.” But this hasn’t been an easy task, given the sudden explosion in popularity for the video chat Web site. Ternovskiy had to completely optimize the code as the Web site grew bigger, utilizing seven dedicated servers transmitting seven gigabits of data a second.<br />In all it’s a unique and terrifying Web site. The name is fitting as you definitely gamble with what you hope to see. Notably, the stranger factor, which allows people to do more absurd things to people they don’t know than they would to people they know, reigns without question.<br />But beneath the costumes and masks, bizarre dances and what has developed into an Internet meme, “chatroulette,” there is a deeper level to this.<br />Like the AIM phenomena that seems to have passed involving the Trout and Coho usernames, Chatroulette is a way for total strangers to meet and converse in ways thought impossible before.<br />While what they may do in front of each other is questionable, the substantive message here is that the world is shrinking and Chatroulette has only exaggerated that movement.</div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-11156661044374125382010-03-10T23:09:00.004-05:002010-03-10T23:44:12.544-05:00Better of Ted, Dead?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbK4XS-ckGvMNuyzOH5cz5f0ezI3gHPjDOTcPc79vzGQQ4B3vW50kUagrTaXUBVCjbBMzkw3sJpWVtAGAtj250YbfBBSk8j8yoYV-v8Bc2mvPmnyrjkcNzDYjE5hyphenhyphenphYtdB6EIZ4dwgU/s1600-h/Better+Off+Ted.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 323px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbK4XS-ckGvMNuyzOH5cz5f0ezI3gHPjDOTcPc79vzGQQ4B3vW50kUagrTaXUBVCjbBMzkw3sJpWVtAGAtj250YbfBBSk8j8yoYV-v8Bc2mvPmnyrjkcNzDYjE5hyphenhyphenphYtdB6EIZ4dwgU/s400/Better+Off+Ted.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447223912202809650" /></a>What’s the point America? It seems like every time I really get into a show it gets cancelled.<br />Today I learned of the pretty much certain death of one of those said shows. Better of Ted will not return tonight with its counterpart Scrubs (2.0). The show about middle management and office sociology echoes that of NBC’s The Office, except without all the whiney documentary and general downhill slide that that particular show has been experiencing. Don’t get me wrong I love The Office; it was one of my favorite shows. But it doesn’t hold a flame to what Better Off Ted was. For however smart The Office was, Better of Ted was smarter.<br />And that was probably its downfall. America doesn’t get smart comedies (Arrested Development, cough, cough). Instead we’re stuck with the same terrible comedy, the likes of which are only twisted further by “class-acts” like NBC’s The Marriage Ref and shows that should have been left to rot, yet somehow live forever (Simpsons).<br />In short, there was nothing wrong with Better Off Ted, save from this one seemingly fatal flaw. Sure it had a fairly bizarre name (is it a play off of ‘better off dead’?) but there wasn’t anything else wrong with it. Most people can appreciate the fight against a seemingly evil company who puts money before people. And each of the characters was unique and funny in their own way. Portia de Rossi, as boss Veronica Palmer, always stole every scene. In the end it was all the characters together playing off each other and in the situations that gave the show its amazing life. This only got better in the second series, making it definitively the funniest show to return this season—nothing had me laughing out loud quite like Better Off Ted did for its short 11 episode, second season, run.<br />So thanks ‘Ted for the laughs. And honestly ABC, I thought you were better than this. I thought you were a place where smart comedies would be respected (I’m looking at you NBC and FOX). After LOST is finished there will be officially nothing to watch on your network.<br />If you're looking for an first-class episode of this amazing show. check out ‘<a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/119287/better-off-ted-impertence-of-communicationizing">Impertinence of Communicationizing</a>’ on Hulu.com, although it my opinion they’re all good.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-17847812118124230932009-12-27T16:59:00.008-05:002009-12-27T17:26:01.090-05:00Movie Roundup 2009<i>so this began as a summer movie roundup, but then i forgot to do that, so here is a yearly roundup for 2009.</i><br /><br /><b>20. Taken</b><br />You know my thoughts on this one.<br /><b>19. Final destination 3</b><br />Stupid. Just stupid.<br /><b>18. The International</b><div><b></b>Not thrilling, and not entertaining.<br /><b>17. Planet 51<br /></b>Childish but still kind of fun.<br /><b>16. Fame</b></div><div><b></b>Rushed and slightly hard to follow. This musical remake doesn’t live to the same standards as others in recent years.<br /><b>15. X-Men Origins: Wolverine</b></div><div><b></b>Ok, lets just get the whole cast together and do X-Men 4, none of this origins bull.<br /><b>14. 9<br /></b>A story that might have been told before, but still beautiful in its execution.<br /><b>13. Inglorious Bastards<br /></b>I do appreciate Quintin Tarentino for his creative style and was glad to see it in this movie, but this didn’t live to the hype.<br /><b>12. Harry Potter 6</b></div><div><b></b>They continue to get better (proportional to darkness), but one can only go so far with substandard acting and mediocre storylines.<br /><b>11. Couples Retreat</b></div><div><b></b>Hey, let’s put 6 dysfunctional couples on an island and see what happens. The result, not as funny as it could have been.<br /><b>10. the Hangover<br /></b>Taking stupidity to greater heights, the Hangover finds what makes the worst-best night ever<br /><b>9. I Love You, Man</b></div><div><b></b>Fish tacos and all, the Paul Rudd stared comedy is lovable and funny.<br /><b>8. Funny People<br /></b>While it was billed as much funnier, the result was subtlety more fun than a stupid comedy could ever achieve.<br /><b>7. District 9</b></div><div><b></b>Taking the fakumentary to new levels, thrilling and entertaining.<br /><b>6. UP<br /></b>Pixar’s contribution to this year in animation, the highest ranking comedy on the list.</div><div><br /><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsyw4vmhTgJCaODceyYFY9-dThQWBS24Ff31wmIP9LcKq9pSmvGP_xSsZvNbb5rgUw-iwRqnth14NCIJUPcQUxP38eEWIuHAG6Kvwo89a3a7SwZcNobMThWOp2ERL8FoK5zaT_qpKRY4/s400/cizten.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420043683761241010" />5. Law Abiding Citizen<br /></b>A smart movie, the likes of which aren’t seen that often, it slides in at number.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgc5LK44T8XdDIrdo6WDYT2hz26g36WVA87G2EIWgRLuCEW05i19wZYeFo9P4wD_YkGSqZx86FDA8YdeJoP1pMnNal09tNwuSCapqPu25GhfQHw36-k6PhJzBUMSopkgxyoZovGAcP5wM/s400/startrek.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420043689789259106" />4. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Star Trek</b></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b></b>J.J. Abrams brings the old series back to life in spectacular form, I swear everything he touches is gold.</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjzoMC-yXgK699ANkxtoCOhB9Ek0Iqqeq0WCzUlOpNk43c9BH9qtB46dIdlKcvpcKj4Ppv174piSEaKx1hmA23jNOIrBgDfWgA6GmwRVtK0xd2gpGr8BEPFrtnZcCjTtfbLOkhrBDwM0/s400/button.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420043692768442370" />3. Benjamin Button<br /></b>Three hours, but definitely worth it in the end. An emotional ride as we watch Benjamin button grow young.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J3PImGBpFYd4-eMiZCpB7CxoV7m45DldWWdCv3kzL9GBELy8IJTKQwJ1Ln602kNrKdM4jruZ5VoA8T7zA0ijy0udLPYD_R8WVr-Avx1Mn2VCiPgih-YZV2FLC6qsmREmF8dVhExNQmg/s400/invictus.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420043697167256322" />2. Invictus<br /></b>While I do like Rugby, it had nothing to do with the liking of this movie. Morgan Freemans portrayal of Nelson Mandela just after he took office in South Africa is brilliant. The story is tight and compelling.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7DbshiW6RSD80KGOMXG2oG1schMpG_Ao6XpBgsQcuVhyphenhyphen1uezKtIZm9tL4obg8skv-FnIU907Dqqu0wVUuTn079_Is1wtnehdu_Xq6XsM3Pikvg-THUWkOnJyh3A0whmgKhDtnsveFxU/s400/watchmen.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420044680625064642" />1. Watchmen<br /></b>The movie form of the famous graphic novel by Alan Moore. I read the graphic novel before and was truly impressed by the comparison. Though some things were changed the characters remained mostly true to the book and were wonderfully brought to life in this Zach Snyder epic.<br /></div></div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-27746815850661659152009-12-23T17:37:00.013-05:002009-12-23T18:13:13.417-05:00Top Albums of the Decade<span style="font-style:italic;">So i couldn't, try as i might, limit this list to 10 albums. Thats why its 15 long. either way these are the albums that are both my favorite combined with their critical acclaim. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">15. Meteora – Linkin Park</span><br />-It was a toss up between this and Hybrid Theory, but this won out in the end as the album I much preferred.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">14. Stars of CCTV – Hard-Fi</span><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>-This London rock group’s first album tells the stories of young adults under the cameras; the stars of CCTV.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">13. These Streets – Paolo Nutini</span><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>-Unique and different, this album is a really good listen. Too bad his sophomore did not meet the same high standards.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">12, Graduation – Kanye West</span><br />-His most celebrated release, and the album that really defined the Kanye West brand. And who can forget those glasses?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">11. X & Y – Coldplay</span><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>-While others might point out A Rush of Blood to the Head, X & Y is the album that got me addicted and is the most played in my library.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10. Jimmy Eat World – Jimmy Eat World</span><br />-Another complete album, surprisingly varied yet totally unified.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9. Eye to the Telescope – KT Tunstall</span><br />-Can’t find a bad thing to say about this album, it has highs and lows but comes out solid in the end.</div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">8. FutureSex/Lovesounds – Justin Timerlake</span><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>-Without knowing it you can probably identify 4 songs from this album, JT reinvents himself from pop star boy to hip hop adult.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Hot Fuss – The Killers</span><br />-The debut album from the Killers, bringing a unique sound that they would soon depart from, going on to equally good things.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. The Black Parade – My Chemical Romance</span><br />-yea im a sucker for concept albums, but this one is one of the better ones.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>...and now the top 5...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i><span style="font-weight:bold;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOAtp1ebLUn3uMcsZ5hPutAFyG5dLsgZiQKYs7ccA_e0jlx4X78yjEZHvkxPr14BR__GBoPFj9AUFzQ2AFeg4T3pBv88jDfgbahLvfEK5KwTKzK_fBrqNwLUEzDGOztsPIK5Qeg0BYqE/s400/continuum.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418571617900128418" />5. Continuum – John Mayer</span><br />John Mayer’s third major release rounds out the top five. It’s a smart album that combines multiple influences into a string of likable and well constructed songs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKTddeH9TYzt2097N9ErNh-uVPVMjB1xhBzaLHaSrYdXLuFWYVc48WkLG_-nqe5LQ_WPXQPtnxgFiUrxMdUSIHkXxNBmlB55RWwbLEV9jSjLtZHCeQ081Mwwsy0oSTuEShSciXutF7Zo/s400/am.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418571612885062994" />4. Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not – Arctic Monkeys</span></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>-the longest album title on the list, thought this isnt suprising considering lead singer Alex Turner’s way with words that craft the eccentric lyrics to the Arctic Monkeys high intensity narrative-esque songs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGz1FoDIsgFksLBt3cEPFs8yK9MjnxUhPh4oY054IQioPxnOzWueAQc5rFBfXbaL3NVr7tLIBb5l9w8W1rbaJZs9hKLeXyW49OfxpykKAQnu9QvKIUr31lsCdqADL4nyJKljzEtlHV2Q/s400/sp.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418571611194026306" />3. Eyes Open – Snow Patrol</span><br />-This album manages to capture so many wide ranging feelings and emotions in a tight package it has squirmed into the number 3 spot. While many will only know this album for its major hit ‘Chasing Cars,’ the album is full of many other exceptional songs, ‘Hands Open’ and ‘Set Fire to the Third Bar’ to name a couple.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZexasZtD289aH2vdlf30K9HO1U1gAS-MJDnbqzB-UWjR5dIvikuobYUDMm1Ub3hh3QiP9EwNhL5YrwqHDUpBCC9tEc8K5fkuNsNVB_0P-JdgqFCdkMWIs_oTl1zN3SXNWi6HAPwGzBS8/s400/muse.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418571607215585170" />2. Absolution – Muse</span></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>-It was the album that brought Muse into the spotlight. Full of single worthy songs yet cohesive as a whole this album earned Muse the respect they had been due since ‘Origins of Symetry.’</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3CZ4qc6W7KbBM3k5IBpThkWwBBRGKjefod-Q_1N4Bdk8NYQUM8ixoa2vAIzjsoJqFYUzWUA6axDpU0CmdCeruA3rvUmGhSCfSzok-gaPHL9eumM-7efM5utkHPNLpEdcRZ52jK3kB4s/s400/gd.gif" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418571600891465042" />1. American Idiot – Green Day.</span><br />- If ever there was an album that captured the feelings of this decade, Green Day created it. A complete album that tells the story of angst, political awareness and love in times of hardships, this slips—although with much competition—into the number one spot.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-46364564809358435742009-11-15T21:46:00.001-05:002009-11-15T21:54:29.752-05:00The Fool Formerly Known as Rupert Murdoch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNndRChyphenhyphenDmZbKgabblPrfRdOzckYjiuS1ksxGZrJgwCECpRr1RsBsZMr0nNB2kfbFize3NgffsqzXM8nbBdXLduBDeDrNVkouY2ijktnVJ5qoYSSh2uc3WrtauCZ6ndUi2wj72XHvPKag/s1600/rupert-murdoch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNndRChyphenhyphenDmZbKgabblPrfRdOzckYjiuS1ksxGZrJgwCECpRr1RsBsZMr0nNB2kfbFize3NgffsqzXM8nbBdXLduBDeDrNVkouY2ijktnVJ5qoYSSh2uc3WrtauCZ6ndUi2wj72XHvPKag/s400/rupert-murdoch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404529194995389138" border="0" /></a>Maybe it’s the denigration of an old man stuck in an antique media showing the signs of his age, or maybe pay media is the way forward for the internet medium.<br />Rupert Murdoch, creator of the News Corporation (News Corp) Empire, discussed this week his plans to do two things to News Corp’s subordinate websites. One, to create a pay-wall behind which subscribers would have to pay money to read any one of the news stories on his websites. Two, to remove his websites and all their content listings from search indexers like Google and Bing.<br />News Corp owns, among many other Newspapers, the Wall Street Journal, and the Times (England).<br />Murdoch’s reasoning behind his decisions are mostly monetary based. He says to Sky News Australia, ‘no web sites anywhere in the world make serious money.’ Which is partially true, most news websites don’t make much money—but they do make some money. This system would not have worked from the beginning 10 to 15 years ago if the websites were not making money. Murdoch, in his infinite wisdom of all web-based media, counters this, ‘they [consumers and search engines] shouldn't have had it free all the time…and I think we've been asleep.’<br />While it may have been nap time for this old fart, he doesn’t realize cyberspace has grown up. We’re in a time when broadcasters can stream the entirety of their primetime shows to anyone in a nation for free over the internet. Admittedly, there was some foolish CEO the other week boasting about how Hulu.com would become a pay service by 2010 these rumors were quickly shot down. We will never know if they were dispelled because of the sheer uproar at the news, but we know that people would be entirely adverse to it.<br />And this is the reason why pay content will not work. One, people will never pay for it so you’re limiting your income base originally. You would then have to remove any income generating ads from a pay service, so that’s another step down in income. Not only that, but Murdoch intends to remove his websites from search engines. What he doesn’t seem to realize is that search engines are a major source of traffic for non-readers. New users will never become familiar with the site if they can never find it or see what kind of content it holds.<br />Murdoch says that you pay for a news paper, so why not pay for content online. But I don’t believe this is how things work anymore. But I could be wrong. The New York Times is making its decision in the next couple of weeks whether or not they will be constructing a pay wall. The New York Times has about 19 million visitors monthly (Compete.com), it will be interesting to see how this would affect that number. It would also be interesting to see the affects on a company who has no plans for a pay-wall, CNN.com (30 million visitors monthly). If consumers cannot get their content for free at the site of their choice, they will go to other places to get it without any sign of remorse. The internet is free and it will remain free. Murdoch might not get it at this time, but his empire is bleeding and this is not the bandage he needs.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-45809674186588802312009-11-02T23:02:00.003-05:002009-11-02T23:07:51.049-05:00Overrated: FlashForward<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgruSMEX3KC-T4HBr7c51_fAwXn64tj5s02_-8cTU9FTlscUdIS1qbFfjWbv5T70RIQx7ramokDl3MdLhG5CZEEnus6zAOMZ1Cw7RwsxhaJr7Mi9GtI2RFIcfpJkoEfFFC2uPBM5ZcwE/s800/flashforward.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgruSMEX3KC-T4HBr7c51_fAwXn64tj5s02_-8cTU9FTlscUdIS1qbFfjWbv5T70RIQx7ramokDl3MdLhG5CZEEnus6zAOMZ1Cw7RwsxhaJr7Mi9GtI2RFIcfpJkoEfFFC2uPBM5ZcwE/s800/flashforward.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Despite being based on a novel, this TV show falls flat on its face (see Dexter for TV shows that actually do well when based on a book). Billed as the next Lost, ABC’s FlashForward seemed to have a good premise. The previews looked exciting and new. What I found though was a show particularly hard to watch. Apart from the first 20 mins of the first episode which seemed to head in the correct direction, the show began a headlong spiral into obscurity and feeble stories.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The premise:</span><br />The entire world blacks out for two minutes. During that time they see the future—they FlashForward. Wow, you say, that sounds like an awesome premise. Well that’s what I thought too, unfortunately I was dead wrong.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What makes this show awful?</span><br />One key element of the premise comes back and bites the story writers in the ass. Everybody sees their future—and we as the audience see that future too. Personally I hate predictable endings and this plays directly into this. I’m sure there are twists and turns on the way there but as soon as they figured out all the FlashForwards occurred on the same day and time in the future I figured out I was over it. I did watch 3 episodes of the series. I did try, but what I found every time were revelations that were less than earth shattering. Maybe I was expecting the Lost effect, or just expecting too much. While it might be an original premise it all feels way to played out; From the way Dr. Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger) finds the man from her FlashForward, the fact that we know that Special Agent Demetri Noh (John Cho) will die sometime soon (its like Jack from 24, except the exact reverse), or even the way the uninspiring-ly acted main character Special Agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) pieces the puzzle together from his FlashForward.<br />You itch for it to get to the end—to some measurable point—at then you just can’t take it anymore when a revelation comes and it’s weak or a dead end. And while this may seem almost hypocritical from a big Lost fan, I’m calling this show Overrrated. On the same hand I can’t wait for ‘V,’ ABC’s other big mystery-drama of the fall.<br /><br />Check out the ABC Starter Kit for everything you really dont need to know:<br /><center><br /><object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/xXSKHV1aW99Wx3OdHpRiHw"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/xXSKHV1aW99Wx3OdHpRiHw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object><br /></center>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-78592814743119603292009-11-01T23:18:00.005-05:002009-11-02T20:50:19.696-05:00Underrated: Modern Family<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT3nehS732MU-J0iFGl2wUQ7UWy0H8GzFHC-h0U3Jbjw7yni6HBKS7V6TcKAuRx3W06SHe1Lbx1IxWm4K3x-wRVNHwnZU28Vh1BAI4adNql1TaltQt99N_A32bvQT_PlGI8TfdTUMNnY/s800/modernfamily.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT3nehS732MU-J0iFGl2wUQ7UWy0H8GzFHC-h0U3Jbjw7yni6HBKS7V6TcKAuRx3W06SHe1Lbx1IxWm4K3x-wRVNHwnZU28Vh1BAI4adNql1TaltQt99N_A32bvQT_PlGI8TfdTUMNnY/s800/modernfamily.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>As I watched this week’s episode of ABC’s new half hour comedy on Wednesday, Modern Family it dawned on me that this was definitively the best new show on television. The mix of comedy is both smart and calculated and of course funny. The characters are understandable, quirky likable and the storylines are interesting and usually beyond funny.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The premise</span><br />The show consists of three separate family units. The first is the traditional nuclear family, one oblivious dad who wants to be a friend as apposed to a dad, 3 kids and a mom who just wants to keep everything together. The second, a gay couple who recently adopted a child from Asia. And finally an older man who has remarried a younger Colombian woman with a single child.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What makes this show great?</span><br />The key thing to know for this show is that all three families are tied together. The older man is the father of one half of the couples in the other two family units (the super mom and the smaller half of the gay couple). What this means is that at times the story lines will intertwine to a single (and often hilarious) point at the end. Three separate storylines means that if one storyline sucks the other two generally make up for it. Each family unit works by itself, developing its own plot, but then takes it a step further when the families come together. From being learner parents to learning to drive the show takes on the most prevalent and funny issues and trivialities in parenthood and families. Without spoiling any of the multitude of jokes crammed into a half hour, some of the best parts of the latest episode (and the best of the series) were issues of driving, waking up, baby bumps and who could win a race, fitting in and the first day of school. Despite the humor the show usually always wraps up with a lesson—almost Grey’s Anatomy-esque—which ultimately ties the episode together nicely and completely.<br /><br />While NBC’s Community did have a good streak, it ultimately falls in second behind the admittedly lesser known but far funnier standards of Modern Family. Do yourself a favor and tune in Wednesdays at 9 on ABC; I’m fairly sure you’ll be glad you did.<br /><br />Checkout the clip below for a taste:<br /><center><br /><object height="296" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/jKK0IxV7NK9DVIRS4JsJgQ"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/jKK0IxV7NK9DVIRS4JsJgQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="296" width="512"></embed></object><br /></center>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-38421553047613754652009-10-29T00:02:00.003-04:002009-10-29T00:04:46.921-04:00The Mysterious Motorola<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_DBfxfXadlWecwJPN3Zj4taxp1Zh4CpMtx3ue3yWiE1XPMRTCZzvqz12AgNtg5cNq7hwrlFzB2UnVRIsSWUvO9fkCID7DbpTARqR33xFfRhEBmSOb0g2XkKBeNAhiIU3pGTvOO0rmzM/s1600-h/motologo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_DBfxfXadlWecwJPN3Zj4taxp1Zh4CpMtx3ue3yWiE1XPMRTCZzvqz12AgNtg5cNq7hwrlFzB2UnVRIsSWUvO9fkCID7DbpTARqR33xFfRhEBmSOb0g2XkKBeNAhiIU3pGTvOO0rmzM/s400/motologo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397867653397500114" border="0" /></a>Remember those commercials from what seems like years ago? ‘Hello Moto’ they would say. I would respond, ‘hello, but my name isn’t Moto so I don’t really know who you’re talking to, and I don’t really care for your phones either if that’s what you are actually selling because it particularly hard to tell in some cases’. These ads were about nothing, which says a lot for the brand it was promoting: they were nobodies. Not that I really cared at that point in time, but I don’t know a single person who owned a Motorola phone.<br /><br />Yet here they are—Motorola that is. Its 2009 now and Motorola have a new phone out which Verizon is going more that out of its way to promote. Sure Verizon is kind of PO’ed at the Apple and the iPhone, but still its aggressively promoting a brand which for one reason or another hasn’t actively existed for the past 5 years. The Motorola droid will be officially deployed on the Verizon network on November 6th according to Verizon today.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVuLmfl5fMAuim4YT0lKJrYiUZ_zxrxIHDUjTWkJJ6UFARNoxxRszrVzfE-123j6RgLAN3mDelnUm33kYmwZHsyyWc2_vTsJ3A9VVxKmZFu4UHK_pcZD-Pqa_lYl-QjCZJoxusvhF7EA/s1600-h/droid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVuLmfl5fMAuim4YT0lKJrYiUZ_zxrxIHDUjTWkJJ6UFARNoxxRszrVzfE-123j6RgLAN3mDelnUm33kYmwZHsyyWc2_vTsJ3A9VVxKmZFu4UHK_pcZD-Pqa_lYl-QjCZJoxusvhF7EA/s400/droid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397867653635880674" border="0" /></a>While 3 of the Droids four legs are the Android 2.0 Mobile OS, the final legs is one that I have never actually associated with Motorola before—Style. Yea I said it, this phone has style. It’s slim and sexy, and it’s also functional—camera, 3.7 inches of display, exchange support, Google maps with directional interface this phone has most of ‘it all.’<br /><br />From a company who’s only statically achievement in its history was the flimsily built but illogically popular Razr, this phone is their first foray into the Smartphone market. Critical reception for this new phone is good, and it might turn out to be a strong competitor for those of us not rich enough to buy an iPhone and all the strings attached.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-18453541557367343972009-10-26T23:48:00.001-04:002009-10-26T23:50:28.726-04:00So Long Geocities…and Good Riddance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_b7GqY6xp83Pn4sJXpIqWQKcEqK1iShgUfW3AdMpvjApcsSzlyZK4nqlgAnhEBTkSHaZp8hT5uBIWhqKyfucRN1Xt6cxDFBdKm4l7WWZXEHaePDXvLVhB53Y3JIgGuITKIF9r0phlrE/s1600-h/geocities.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_b7GqY6xp83Pn4sJXpIqWQKcEqK1iShgUfW3AdMpvjApcsSzlyZK4nqlgAnhEBTkSHaZp8hT5uBIWhqKyfucRN1Xt6cxDFBdKm4l7WWZXEHaePDXvLVhB53Y3JIgGuITKIF9r0phlrE/s400/geocities.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397121907121423442" border="0" /></a>Today marked the end of an incredibly long era. Yahoo Geocities, the original free hosting site has finally been taken down. It was just 10 years ago that Geocities was the 3rd most visited site of the web (behind AOL and YAHOO!) and with it came a whole host of intolerable things that the web has since grown up from. Looking back at any geocities site (Before they all got erased) it was like looking into another time, one that the world has moved far on from This is a dedication to some of those things that we can blame on Geocities.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Under Construction Banners</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CkkhZtlqH8G_Pp0vN2ZV5qyZQ92BWYgRSO854NXFcbyiMxlsCswbUmYWBaHyuM2l1eFGlS5u7w-dsoXEJoPC593euDrm-LIrcbVDMo6ZOI8s_AJ3iv2kE0clS6ZzDp33RvZJh_uzOhM/s1600-h/UnderConstructionBannerDiagonal.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CkkhZtlqH8G_Pp0vN2ZV5qyZQ92BWYgRSO854NXFcbyiMxlsCswbUmYWBaHyuM2l1eFGlS5u7w-dsoXEJoPC593euDrm-LIrcbVDMo6ZOI8s_AJ3iv2kE0clS6ZzDp33RvZJh_uzOhM/s400/UnderConstructionBannerDiagonal.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397121907080659314" border="0" /></a>It seemed like every page was under construction for eternity. It didn’t matter whether your site had been edited yesterday or hasn’t been edited in 3 years, the banner still remained—hinting at something better to come, but then never delivering. My personal favorite was the animated under construction gifs. In fact you can probably lump all dancing baloney in this category.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Webmaster</span><br />Aka the term I will never forgive Geocities for. The popularization of it can be inextricably linked to the existence of geocities. At its beginning everyone and they’re mothers were webmasters. And thanks to them that name has stuck. So the first word that comes to mind whenever they come to ask me or my contemporaries about their email or about a computer issue is webmaster. Unfortunately nowadays webmaster sounds like someone who rules dungeons in WOW and id like to stay as far away from that stereotype as possible. If you haven’t figured I despise this name<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Freedom on the Internet</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJ3S3xnb8YJe6HSG-6NYuMrc5xC8q4C6dnDNE5lTS9vArt39iw6DiZec02EcDZQSRZnIFSaE1_iC4jgoJDtKajgReczIcGqUbuIrjU-13tLd7PzeeSLFZDh17374KCyCobrbARI9FAyQ/s1600-h/broken_image.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJ3S3xnb8YJe6HSG-6NYuMrc5xC8q4C6dnDNE5lTS9vArt39iw6DiZec02EcDZQSRZnIFSaE1_iC4jgoJDtKajgReczIcGqUbuIrjU-13tLd7PzeeSLFZDh17374KCyCobrbARI9FAyQ/s400/broken_image.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397121904796717042" border="0" /></a>Perhaps the one good thing that did come out of Geocities was the simple fact that everyone could do it. Everyone was a webmaster. It popularized the notion that everyone had a place, space and purpose on the web. There is no doubt helped the Internet accelerate to its position in society today. So for that Geocities I thank you, because without you I wouldn’t have a career.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-84788426088416016652009-10-24T14:17:00.006-04:002009-10-24T18:02:22.818-04:00CNN.com Redesign--the Good and BadThis morning the big switchover to the new edition of CNN.com began. I’m sure the CNN crew are working hard still to bring the last set of pages up to the new design (health, tech and travel are a few still in the legacy version at point of writing). But this post isn’t about what hasn’t been done; it’s about what CNN has done with its web presence.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Design and Content</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jKMxLltudV398NCGAm4BQROw3Mo_XVXLOImrIiJAhXeTj6pduQPIVOvuW12WRE9xAVmbZ4zQ44VyZ3xRM0LkwrYmJ5mLH5yK6sGOM3rjghz7jhyphenhyphenM4V8crj1CAV2BY1lPnnTSi33CPVE/s800/cnnbbc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jKMxLltudV398NCGAm4BQROw3Mo_XVXLOImrIiJAhXeTj6pduQPIVOvuW12WRE9xAVmbZ4zQ44VyZ3xRM0LkwrYmJ5mLH5yK6sGOM3rjghz7jhyphenhyphenM4V8crj1CAV2BY1lPnnTSi33CPVE/s800/cnnbbc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The design is fairly consistent with probably CNN’s largest competitor the BBC—three columns, universal large banner and navigation bar. Content however changes the game. BBC’s homepage has three columns of news, while CNN has decided to have one column of news, then one column (notably the largest and middle) dedicated to video content. Now obviously this is because of CNN’s dedication to video content as a supplement to news, but to me this just seems wrong. The real news stories seem marginalized. Dimensionally speaking, the news story listings make up around 5% of the total page area (above the fold). This just seems like a bizarrely small area for a news website. Further stories are broken down into categories below the fold. We’ll have to see how this works for them, one article I read recently says that ‘the fold’ has no bearing on today’s internet user (<a href="http://www.cxpartners.co.uk/thoughts/the_myth_of_the_page_fold_evidence_from_user_testing.htm">http://www.cxpartners.co.uk/thoughts/the_myth_of_the_page_fold_evidence_from_user_testing.htm</a>).<br />The actual news pages look fairly beautiful. I’ve always been a fan of BBC’s pages which are headed by a large image or video. CNN takes this to the next level for their best content, increasing the size of the header. Whereas in the legacy version, had videos, pictures and article on separate pages, this brings everything together really nicely.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NewsPulse</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1Gd3kBT7n4tFBbLonObU1xF_vCyd_PW31EjCLaH-uw3bhAKg69bqXybHmhBuPmHZprM2IfZ_hyCKmGpQX7uchiU3S0QIbuPe8XCUEwj1dDagoa_65bAwNSkiqAxdhic9n0zCShIuqS4/s1600-h/newspulse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1Gd3kBT7n4tFBbLonObU1xF_vCyd_PW31EjCLaH-uw3bhAKg69bqXybHmhBuPmHZprM2IfZ_hyCKmGpQX7uchiU3S0QIbuPe8XCUEwj1dDagoa_65bAwNSkiqAxdhic9n0zCShIuqS4/s400/newspulse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396233182043520530" border="0" /></a>New to this revision of CNN.com is the NewsPulse section (<a href="http://newspulse.cnn.com/">http://newspulse.cnn.com/</a>). At first glance this looks like a fairly easy to use section. The top stories are listed, and there are more options to filter the stories. It’s a much more interactive feature than the BBC’s top stories. One note on UI, you can click on one headline to expand it, but you first have to close that headline before you can open another. The details are nice, but not at the cost of two clicks. (<span style="font-style: italic;">this has since been fixed--guess i shouldn't do a review while its still going live</span>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">iReport</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKd_k11YoSKIKHhZru6IHkQmlIozDZrC50yCmKK21ayBxe6bGn5v9JU0Maki3A7DIS0i0vxzzNAx_yX1-AsW-xltA336_l3h-IgME__rfCeSNFf98YtKRT4nXAzyp5hghsyP6LV1c9-WY/s1600-h/ireport.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKd_k11YoSKIKHhZru6IHkQmlIozDZrC50yCmKK21ayBxe6bGn5v9JU0Maki3A7DIS0i0vxzzNAx_yX1-AsW-xltA336_l3h-IgME__rfCeSNFf98YtKRT4nXAzyp5hghsyP6LV1c9-WY/s400/ireport.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396233190113189234" border="0" /></a>Thank you for finally integrating this into the CNN.com design. That blue for the legacy version was off-putting and caused some sort of cataclysm of brand in my mind. Also that’s a really nice flash interface on the homepage. I’ve never really found a point for browsing the iReport site, and this probably wont change, but it’s cool when iReports turn up the main news.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Profiles</span><br />Maybe they had this before, maybe they didn’t. Either way I signed up today to one minor nuisance: Usernames are limited to 12 characters. Anyone who knows me knows I use one username everywhere; the problem is it is 13 characters long.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Overall</span><br />The design looks good, the news pages look good, and it seems friendly, but I’m still bugged by how small an area the latest headlines takes up—this should not be a secondary section on a <span style="font-style: italic;">NEWS</span> site.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-18390241753295668262009-10-22T17:41:00.001-04:002009-10-22T17:41:00.197-04:00Droid does what iDoesnt; and what this means to the iPhone and Verizon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QBAW9LN4jM0W6J4TN1wfii86DhhyFbJ_IOntI717aMYwI5lE5IUDGwbb2eg6i2PQt0HMtfqBtf2OfbKLehULD9YfUNqbt7kuj761eej2_f7_HY9s9MHNhvIyrFXNgcayqphYGMMK_a8/s1600-h/map4that.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QBAW9LN4jM0W6J4TN1wfii86DhhyFbJ_IOntI717aMYwI5lE5IUDGwbb2eg6i2PQt0HMtfqBtf2OfbKLehULD9YfUNqbt7kuj761eej2_f7_HY9s9MHNhvIyrFXNgcayqphYGMMK_a8/s400/map4that.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394802424550067506" border="0" /></a>You may have seen over the past week or so several of the new Verizon attack ads on the TV. The target? Well originally it was AT&T, but as of this Sunday it’s been more specifically targeted at Apple.<br />Last week Verizon rolled out the ‘there’s a map for that’ campaign. Cleverly taking the AT&T-Apple iPhone slogan, ‘there’s an app for that,’ and turning it around on them. The ad shows Verizon’s 3G network (a map that is nearly entirely red shaded) compared to AT&T’s 3G network (a maps that has hardly any blue shaded). And while the maps may not be entirely accurate, points have to be given for Verizon finally taking a stand against the near unstoppable iPhone.<br />As of last week though, Verizon didn’t have anything to counter the iPhone in terms of phone power. This weekend changed this. In an even more direct attack on the iPhone, Verizon launched its Droid does commercial. The advertisement serves to pronounce all the things the iPhone doesn’t do with phrases like ‘iDon’t take pictures in the dark’ or ‘iDon’t run simultaneous apps.’<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvsc5f3rqEVYte4tMKzjlkarkiAreQ7ZWjC53aiIUNOO9ePxlg0PySy1KX3ExY1NV679MMpcTBYy0bvNMp1qn_0IEEtC-kihnnwOFpfb2PvFCEbdzXOiEnyFHj_eV_hNzh1AZ1jS3J7Q/s1600-h/motorola-sholes-android-verizon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvsc5f3rqEVYte4tMKzjlkarkiAreQ7ZWjC53aiIUNOO9ePxlg0PySy1KX3ExY1NV679MMpcTBYy0bvNMp1qn_0IEEtC-kihnnwOFpfb2PvFCEbdzXOiEnyFHj_eV_hNzh1AZ1jS3J7Q/s400/motorola-sholes-android-verizon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394801731630540306" border="0" /></a>The advertisement is smartly played along to a tune that could have come right out of any other iPhone commercial, and the font face is eerily similar. The ad ends with the saying ‘Droid does’ and ‘November.’<br />The product Verizon is advertising is the Motorola Droid, due for release on October 28th (as far we can figure from the droiddoes.com website). The phone will run Android 2.0, the latest version of Google’s Mobile Phone operating system; and will include a 5 megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard as well as all the other bells and whistles associated with the average touch-screen Smartphone.<br />The reason why all of this is significant is twofold. Firstly it marks the first Smartphone that has come close to rivaling the market dominance of the iPhone in terms of features and power. But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it signals that Verizon may not ever be getting the iPhone.<br />The current contract between Apple and AT&T is set to expire in 2010. And like with any Apple venture there is ample speculation about what exactly is happening in Cupertino. The speculation states that Verizon will finally have a piece of the iPhone pie—a partnership that could mean potential hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for Apple. Further rumors say that even at this moment a fourth generation iPhone is being tested on Verizon’s next generation LTE (long term evolution) network.<br />Looking at the UK for example, the iPhone has lost its single carrier exclusivity, and is now carried by the three major mobile phone networks. But how can this happen in a U.S market where Verizon is deliberately and unmistakably attacking the iPhone’s potential? And the truth is that it most likely can’t.<br />So dispel those 2010 CDMA Verizon-iPhone rumors because with the kind of money Verizon is throwing at knocking the iPhone down a rung on the mobile ladder they are burning all sorts of bridges that could have made it a done deal.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-60739469587085522612009-10-20T17:30:00.004-04:002009-10-20T17:39:44.040-04:00Lessons Learned: Backup!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YrCA5R8zM7rdP2x-8JEp3z0kF1WLcWs2gSe9WphOlGUxpdUVDbH1SwKGy5D98XrB9PzZIZVK34sAiy3-r1nKD8-KZc44q2sZeHU7FF_Q0lnC-oWl3rbRaZ5Nc5RbgCioN5IhGBbrm6c/s1600-h/harddrives.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YrCA5R8zM7rdP2x-8JEp3z0kF1WLcWs2gSe9WphOlGUxpdUVDbH1SwKGy5D98XrB9PzZIZVK34sAiy3-r1nKD8-KZc44q2sZeHU7FF_Q0lnC-oWl3rbRaZ5Nc5RbgCioN5IhGBbrm6c/s400/harddrives.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394799937550459234" border="0" /></a>Never underestimate the importance of a backup. Ask yourself, what would you do if every file, every song, every word document, every piece of data I owned was deleted? Given, there would probably be some people who it would not bother, but I would argue a majority would not know exactly what to do. Now what would you do if a corporation was somehow responsible for this data loss?<br /><br />In two separate cases this week, users saw they’re data eradicated without any chance of it ever being returned. In the cell phone market, T-mobile had server issues which caused rampant data loss. And in the OS market, Apple’s new release, Snow Leopard, was revealed to have a bug which could erase your hard drive.<br /><br />For owners of T-mobile’s Sidekick phone a simple power down would have meant the entire erasure of all the phones data. Here’s why, all the data on Sidekick Phones is stored in ‘the cloud.’ You might have heard of this magical term before, but in reality it’s not all that magical. In fact this fluffy good-natured white thing is generally just a nice name for a bulky black server located in some dingy basement continually hooked up to the internet. The particular servers that constitute T-mobiles cloud are owned and operated by Danger (a subsidiary of Microsoft). But Danger, in its infinite wisdom, decided not check the cloud or back it up, with that a remarkable reliable system became remarkably unreliable. So if in the time when the cloud was down your Sidekick shut down, you removed your battery or your battery ran out there was no hope of ever getting your contacts, notes or photos back from the black beyond. T-mobile did offer its users a $100 gift card and a free month of service for their troubles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdsJy_uE7rmlPC_ytQJYooIfjxRRxJogzHIwco_biA21zLmjUDzZRRFRBAdOZsyDIcAeMBdgGzhRNGdI9ysfFdjnJ-8BmC_a1PcQh0rtxNkAkAPky5YQD-46v36PFrubGFdDU-ZF84iI/s1600-h/sidekick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdsJy_uE7rmlPC_ytQJYooIfjxRRxJogzHIwco_biA21zLmjUDzZRRFRBAdOZsyDIcAeMBdgGzhRNGdI9ysfFdjnJ-8BmC_a1PcQh0rtxNkAkAPky5YQD-46v36PFrubGFdDU-ZF84iI/s400/sidekick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394798801158102482" border="0" /></a>Across the way in Cupertino, Apple was also struggling with a random bug in their Snow Leopard Operating System code. This hard to define bug has believed to been targeted down to a few steps. Take any Mac running the 10.6 OS update, log in with a guest account and then log back into your user account. At this point all the data in the user account is erased. No prompts or warnings, just massive data loss. Apple said in a statement to CNET that “We are aware of the issue, which occurs only in extremely rare cases, and we are working on a fix.” How widespread the problem occurs is unknown. Around 100 posts of similar complaints were submitted on Apple’s support forums over the last week. I would suggest that until 10.6.2 is released or unless you have Time Machine running correctly (and you’ve double checked this, because it’s a finicky thing) that you beware of this hungry snow kitty and its guest accounts.<br /><br />So what have we learned America? Firstly, backup. Secondly, backup. And finally, Backup! Don’t ever get the notion that your data is perfectly safe, because its not. Also beware drinks near computers (from personal experience).Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-54691734882778785712009-10-05T15:53:00.000-04:002009-10-05T15:53:00.244-04:00Drop your old browsers!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeQJCRWdvYVbIbvEUgfbSsFPv718aIr2aH0Ht662X1e09KMR2DEKkrcIV2Wb_YoO8omsgxbWi4Y4mtB8YMT2L_EB-UvoFenrzyjduAweEAS5rhJTGSENLR72J18KrSQeq1USYpom6mFQ/s1600-h/bringdown-ie6.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeQJCRWdvYVbIbvEUgfbSsFPv718aIr2aH0Ht662X1e09KMR2DEKkrcIV2Wb_YoO8omsgxbWi4Y4mtB8YMT2L_EB-UvoFenrzyjduAweEAS5rhJTGSENLR72J18KrSQeq1USYpom6mFQ/s400/bringdown-ie6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388836067703270578" border="0" /></a>Hey, old browsers, I don’t respect you and I’m not going to take it lying down anymore, there are better browsers out there and you might just be the worst of all time.<br />Like this Kanye West meme, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) isn’t going to die anytime soon. And this is a problem. Let me preface this all and tell you I’m a web developer. This means I build the websites and web applications you use on a daily basis (that might be a bit of an egotistical statement). So why is this a problem and, why does IE6 still command almost a 15% share of internet traffic (August 2009, w3Counter.com)?<br />Released in 2001 the browser is still prevalent in a vastly changed internet, and continues to be supported by Microsoft—until April 2014 to be specific. So why is it so bad? For starters it doesn’t even support 1 of 3 major image types on the web. Then, the basic building blocks of webpages are, for no specific reason apart from complete ignorance, completely different to any other standard browser. Meaning a page that looks one way in Firefox, Safari, etc. will render differently in IE6. Headaches are bountiful and extortionate hours are lost, from web design firms to digital ad agencies, across the world because of single outdated piece of software. This is not to mention that IE6 operates at an unimaginably lower speed than any of its competitors.<br /> But it’s not like there aren’t other products out there. In fact what we’ve seen over the past year is nothing short of a revolution in the web browser market. Google debuted the slim and efficient Chrome. Firefox put out its latest version, 3.5. Safari brought 4 out of beta. Opera developed version 10. And the diabolical Microsoft released IE8. All of these are stable and usable browsers, each with there own features, extensions, pros and cons and come in all shapes and sizes<br /> So why is it supported still supported, despite others and even Microsoft developments? Some say it’s the business programs that still require IE6 to run vital operations. But I say it’s the IT staffs fault for not picking up the ball, and showing support for the other options out there. Last time I checked (approximately three and a half seconds ago) Firefox could be installed next to Internet Explorer. But it’s not just IE6 that’s problematic, any browser that is operating on an older version poses problems to the development of the web.<br /> So I urge you take charge of your browser especially if you happen to be one of those stuck in IE6 rut. Even if your not, know your options, and find a browser that best for you.. And if your own a business machine locked down by the tyrannous IT crew, know you can install Google Chrome locally (which means you don’t kneed them anymore). Or, if you were so inclined, Google just released Google Frames which runs in the Internet Explorer browsers, brining standards to your doorstep without changing browsers. HTML 5 is waiting, and we (the web developers) are waiting for you to get on board so we can show its amazing power to you.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-9697189557296161212009-10-04T15:49:00.001-04:002009-10-04T15:52:45.072-04:00It’s Not Me, It’s You—Lily Allen Fights Piracy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGwd0JfAogUykFX_7TWeq16QuOhWwMNfRcyT_mouszgo9LUBolkBIcFl0wYv-Lctd1zGL_e3CXxc3OxNA1MA_JgUcjeu8YXkmm1pXbt7exoD7XrGP1ek6XuOukJIki3wFSulTZssZrNg/s1600-h/lily_allen_narrowweb__300x357,0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGwd0JfAogUykFX_7TWeq16QuOhWwMNfRcyT_mouszgo9LUBolkBIcFl0wYv-Lctd1zGL_e3CXxc3OxNA1MA_JgUcjeu8YXkmm1pXbt7exoD7XrGP1ek6XuOukJIki3wFSulTZssZrNg/s320/lily_allen_narrowweb__300x357,0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388835138509544034" border="0" /></a>It all began with a blog post on MySpace—A condemnation of illegal music piracy. Lily Allen, the 24 year old British singer who put out her second Album ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’ in April, is took up the fight that record executives have been battling for years. Unfortunately, she did not change the music industry, and what followed was probably not the response she was looking for.<br />On September 14, Allen posted “I think music piracy is having a dangerous effect on British music, but some really rich and successful artists like Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead don't seem to think so.” Allen promised to contact fellow British artist to help the British music industry. It was one response though that spawned the next generation of her fight.<br />After a counter response from, the particularly outspoken Matthew Bellamy of English rock band Muse, Allen set up ‘It’s Not Alright’ on BlogSpot (<a href="http://idontwanttochangetheworld.blogspot.com/">http://idontwanttochangetheworld.blogspot.com/</a> ). The blog featured the artists who had responded to Allen’s request for their opinion. As of Tuesday last week responses had come from Tinchy Stryder, Gary Barlow, a couple of the boys from Keane, producer Mark Ronson and James Blunt including 16 more responses, supporting the cause she was fighting.<br />At this point, various members of the record industry were rebutting Allen’s cause. But it was when Allen posted a response from 50 Cent to music piracy that her argument lost a lot of steam. Unfortunately for her, she had copied the paragraph response from a Tech Dirt (<a href="http://techdirt.com/">http://techdirt.com/</a>) without accrediting it. Michael Masnick, who had originally written the 50 Cent article, spoke to TorrentFreak who picked up Allen’s oversight, had their piece to say “The fact that she is trying to claim that such copying is bad, while doing it herself suggests something of a double standard, unfortunately”. This, of course, prompted a response from Ms Allen, “I THINK ITS QUITE OVIOUS [sic] THAT I WASNT TRYING TO PASS OF THOSE WORDS AS MY OWN.”<br />The disagreement escalated when a couple of mixtapes were found on Allen’s site. All of which contained copyrighted music, which Allen was distributing free of charge. Allen defended these saying ‘"I made those mixtapes five years ago. I didn't have a knowledge of the workings of the music industry back then.’<br />At this point though, the reason for her blog had become complicatedly entangled in one big ironic snag. Within days the blog was shut down, with Allen stating, “I'm proud of the fact that that I've been involved with this debate but I'm passing the baton on to other artists."<br />Unfortunately, what could have been a good undertaking by an artist to combat a problem in this industry has turned out to be one horrible mess. Allen did have some good points though. Preventing the Simon Cowell puppet nation and the same old crap circulating on terrestrial radio while still promoting new music and preventing the rampant job losses she has seen at her record label EMI as some examples. Despite this, Allen’s career as piracy thwarter wont be going any further.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-39624833782069454692009-08-31T14:03:00.005-04:002009-08-31T14:18:19.500-04:00FOTM: TarboyIts been a while since ive done one of these--a blog or a Flash of the Moment. but this flash animation is so awesome i just couldn't help myself. A mash up or amazing music and mind blowing animation, this one definitely deserves it.<br />this Flash of the Moment is <a href="http://www.tarboy.com/">James Lee's</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/509092">Tarboy</a><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI3HOmaK529RFoVkfDh7k07Ezpgd6i8xKZMI5ejODZ_zIYbeJHF_rVADIx8vIbEs6DW8S17LRi-DP4E8plKMAV6B8G4WLuY3M0Fgl68w2qN4FkQorDqTFQx8Bo9z200UH4aqCAn8RluY/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI3HOmaK529RFoVkfDh7k07Ezpgd6i8xKZMI5ejODZ_zIYbeJHF_rVADIx8vIbEs6DW8S17LRi-DP4E8plKMAV6B8G4WLuY3M0Fgl68w2qN4FkQorDqTFQx8Bo9z200UH4aqCAn8RluY/" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />As mentioned above, the music is great, the animation is great. but what also helps is the color-bold and vibrant yet simple. make sure you watch it all the way through for a great fight scene near the end composed entirely in the dark and set to a bouncy piano melody. im now waiting for number two, although as this one took 8 months to complete it could be a long wait.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-32654920888558273702009-05-20T18:03:00.004-04:002009-05-20T18:10:53.733-04:00Moblin 2.0, Netbook OSGotta say i love the look of this new OS based on Linux for Netbooks (interestingly developed by Intel).<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vsCpIeLLoT8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vsCpIeLLoT8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />walkthrough here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFJaDy6ySbU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFJaDy6ySbU</a><br /><br />wish i had a netbook so i could try this out.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-71225917953940432932009-05-04T23:11:00.002-04:002009-05-04T23:13:48.656-04:00NBC Fall 09- CommunitySo today’s big TV news revolved around the NBC ‘in front’ presentations. Infront presentations are basically an advertising/network thing for deals and such, but the TV community takes notice because it’s when a network announces its plans for the coming TV season. Today we got the official word on a number of NBC shows, although one was still conspicuously left off—chuck. It hasn’t been canceled and it hasn’t been renewed (I vote renewal). Today is also when the names of the pilots who have been picked up are announced. I was looking at some <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-NBC-VIDEO-1005716.aspx">trailers</a> for said pilots, and I definitely think this is the best one by far, and I can’t wait for it.<br />Staring Joel McHale (I lurrve the Soup, it’s the best show on E!) and Chevy Chase (?!!) it tells the story of a Lawyer who has an illegitimate bar degree, and now has to go to community college (gasp!). Anyway, it unfolds from there. Watch the trailer:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/49ffae298e5105de/49fefa3373dcca05/78570210/-cpid/8af960c6c32c4ec6" id="W4727a250e66f972349ffae298e5105de" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/49ffae298e5105de/49fefa3373dcca05/78570210/-cpid/8af960c6c32c4ec6"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></object><br /></div>Also Mercy looks good…Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-42845468712403278732009-05-04T16:45:00.002-04:002009-05-04T16:46:27.070-04:00Sing it Loud @ Webster Underground (05/01/2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0kLMno_qgO-kv3GaZz-O3C7hJW-3HPMBBPpHpp41S_cjHYGV5cm6eAZWh-6Q_UeSMY589wsnVr6MMFBeyi_9DoqIfqGoCJCMo3a8ilXPAkiVBRmIsDDALeOIIBrTzA5KxT3Hijk6oV4/s1600-h/singitloud2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0kLMno_qgO-kv3GaZz-O3C7hJW-3HPMBBPpHpp41S_cjHYGV5cm6eAZWh-6Q_UeSMY589wsnVr6MMFBeyi_9DoqIfqGoCJCMo3a8ilXPAkiVBRmIsDDALeOIIBrTzA5KxT3Hijk6oV4/s400/singitloud2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332072846058543538" border="0" /></a>Taking the stage in a nearly sold out underground, Sing it Loud played the Webster Underground this past Friday (May 1, 2009)—a night which was shared with Nightwish on the main stage. Sing it Loud brought with them their unique brand of Synth-Pop-Punk-Rock and gave their everything into their performance, capping out a night including The Morning Light, Friday Night Boys, Artist vs. Poet, The Summer Set and Thrash Unreal.<br /><br />For those lucky enough to be off the side of the Underground stage prior to Sing it Loud taking the stage by storm, you would have seen two things. The first was Pat Brown (lead vocals and guitar) playing along to New Found Glory’s ‘My Friends Over You.’ Even if you were in the audience you may have heard this one as his guitar was live at that moment. Secondly you would have witnessed Sing it Loud’s team chant—which is essentially the Mighty Ducks team chant—an interesting element to a fascinating band.<br /><br />Taking the stage, Sing it Loud opened with ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’, the first track off their new CD. With more energy than a toddler in a candy store, Sing it Loud bounced around the small stage. Despite the stage’s size limitations, Nate Flynn (bass) was able to pull off a full arial spin without taking out any of his band mates. Playing other songs off their new CD, Sing it Loud also included ‘Maybe I’m a Ghost’ one of the songs from their first EP. The crowd went wild for most if not all the songs. And when requested to ‘jump so high the floor caves in,’ followed without a moment’s hesitancy (and let’s just say the audience did a pretty good job). Finally, Sing it Loud closed their set at the Underground with ‘Come Around’, the title track from their new CD for which the crowd screamed harder than any other song.<br /><br />From the Underground, Sing it Loud plays Bamboozle in New Jersey this weekend (May 2-3, 2009) and then joins the Warped Tour for the rest of the summer.<br /><br />The Webster Star found Ben Peterson (keyboard and synthesizer) after the show and he gave us his best approximation of their set list:<br /><br />I've Got a Feeling, We're Not Afraid, Don't Save Me, Best Beating Heart, Maybe I'm a Ghost, Over You, Come AroundDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-66110006119094826462009-05-03T13:02:00.003-04:002009-05-03T13:07:02.128-04:00Pop Punks Not Dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcliD6F3S0GqMwVMASHytGtdPoGsW5l_vfQsOKKavnOVPDHG_odEBS_ApYeQ2aY3aPoFDeZ3SxoQYciipfrk7NZSHlnBqonqHjQ9lQ4jnN7YlPaNsY5s3ipu8r2XNANldIHO6YPacqss/s1600-h/newfoundglory.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcliD6F3S0GqMwVMASHytGtdPoGsW5l_vfQsOKKavnOVPDHG_odEBS_ApYeQ2aY3aPoFDeZ3SxoQYciipfrk7NZSHlnBqonqHjQ9lQ4jnN7YlPaNsY5s3ipu8r2XNANldIHO6YPacqss/s400/newfoundglory.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331644810067896626" border="0" /></a>New Found Glory rock the house, assisted by Bayside, Fireworks and Set Your Goals<br /><br />As I read on one attendees shirt during the night, ‘pop punks not dead.’ And after this Wednesday night (04/29/2009) at the Webster Theatre, I can concur with that statement.<br /><br />With a casual disregard for the last two days of the work week, New Found Glory stormed into town to play the Webster Theatre, supported by three fellow Pop Punk bands Bayside, Fireworks and Set Your Goals on April 29th. What followed was an incredible performance that I will remember for some time to come. Admittedly, I have only been a casual New Found Glory since the days of the major pop singles from 2004 (‘My Friends Over You’, ‘Failures Not Flattering’, and ‘All Downhill from Here’) but I can sincerely say I’ll be following this band a lot closer now after this performance.<br /><br />The night started with Fireworks who, even for an opener, had the crowd singing along to their songs and generally built the energy through their set. Set Your Goals followed, taking the stage with their two lead vocalists, building the energy further. Finally Bayside arrived to close off the openers half of the show. Bayside, eagerly awaited by the audience was received like free candy, with a core majority of the audience singing, chanting and otherwise joining along.<br /><br />Of course New Found Glory was not to be outdone and, without much time between the end of Bayside, captured the stage and the audience. Launching straight into their first song, ‘Listen to Your Friends,’ New Found glory was full of liveliness, bouncing around the stage and engaging the crowd who had gathered to see them. After their first song they quickly swung into second gear with ‘Coming Home.’ Interspersed in some of the crowd favorites and unique songs (like ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ which was only released as an EP) were two of the songs I was dying for, ‘All Down Hill From Here’ and ‘Failures Not Flattering’.<br /><br />Sidetrack: The only thing more disturbing than Ian Grushka (bass player) wiping the sweat off his naked plump upper half, was the supposed addiction the band has to Miley Cyrus. This stemming from a set of banter in which Chad Gilbert (lead guitar) announced he now <a href="http://twitter.com/XChadballX">has a twitter</a> and is addicted. And in doing so tweeted <a href="http://twitpic.com/4965p">this picture</a>. Talking about twitter, there were <a href="http://twitter.com/WebsterTheater">rumors</a> that New Found Glory might play one of the 5 Green Day songs they sound checked with. But no luck on that one.<br /><br />Finishing up their main set, they played their ‘fake last song’ as they proclaimed it and marched off stage before their encore. They came back and sidestepped their set list, brining one of the audience members, who had brought a sign, up to play drums for their first song. Not only did this guest drummer nail the song, he also got the live ending down which impressed the band. After that they took an audience vote over which song to play next, ‘2s and 3s’ or ‘3rd and Long.’ Finally, New Found Glory played their last song and a half, Finishing with ‘My Friends Over You,’ to complete my (and others) trifecta for the night.<br /><br />While there was so much that made this show great, it was perhaps the crowd that really made it. New Found Glory has more than a ten year history, and it was particularly exciting to see the reaction received when they played songs from their more obscure catalog. Overall it was a spectacular night, proving that pop punks still kicking.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-42014169487484695112009-04-23T00:20:00.002-04:002009-04-23T00:25:25.596-04:00Sit Down, Shut Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTMf8mqZOaZesUxLrv5DdrUW1vONgmzWDwysGDBTQF5WNLLrBnNtu9JN0ZFPhRtQPuejfvsx6u6v4-JBTRR4u-zYzTpEQv3Ry1sMY0Q5qgMdduAjl2MBBPRSxoEu4dI0HVtkkEachxpk/s1600-h/sitdown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTMf8mqZOaZesUxLrv5DdrUW1vONgmzWDwysGDBTQF5WNLLrBnNtu9JN0ZFPhRtQPuejfvsx6u6v4-JBTRR4u-zYzTpEQv3Ry1sMY0Q5qgMdduAjl2MBBPRSxoEu4dI0HVtkkEachxpk/s400/sitdown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327737300230516306" border="0" /></a>There are two new shows on my radar right now. The first is a comedy from the creator of my favorite comedy show that used to be on television (that is, arrested development), Mitch Hurwitz. In fact it even features some of the stars from that amazing TV show including Jason Bateman and Will Arnett. The show is sit down, shut up. Based on the Australian show of the same name (except animated, where the original was a live action sitcom) the show fits nicely into its 8:30 slot in FOX’s (fox the same company that cancelled arrested development) Animation Domination Sunday.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So why is it good?</span><br />Well I haven’t actually said it was good yet. But I will. Though it might be a little too soon to tell (having only seen one episode), the half hour comedy has the potential to be a spectacularly good program. Mixing animation on top of real photographs the show does something I’ve never seen a network animation do before. Next is the comedy. While some have called it nothing “above sniggering double entendre. Seemingly preoccupied with impressing teenage boys,” I think the comedy works well. One of my favorite parts of the show is Mitch Hurwitz style of comedy which includes the small double entendre (small nuts, rush the d, Miracle Grohe), which then builds to a bigger joke later in the episode/season.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Another Arrested Development?</span><br />The show would appear to be off to a start that mimics arrested development, creating a core group of viewers who truly enjoy the show. But then again it might be too early to tell. The whole show is very fast paced, and the number of cast members is somewhat astounding I can definitely see the point that the show is abrasive and a little off putting. In my half asleep state I was caught unawares as the show launched quickly into motion. Regardless what anyone else thinks, or any of the critics think, I’m going to continue watching this show, because I’m interested to see where it goes from here.<br />…Although for it to fail would be alright so long as Mitch Hurwitz moved straight to the Arrested Development movie…<br /><br />you can watch it on hulu.com <a href="http://www.hulu.com/sit-down-shut-up">here!</a>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-70652235079731344072009-04-15T12:49:00.003-04:002009-04-15T12:52:30.617-04:00TaskFox (or Ubiquity) preview for Firefox<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><object width="400" height="260"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4062903&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4062903&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="260"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/4062903">Taskfox Prototype</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user532161">Aza Raskin</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /></div><br />Looks neat. But do we need to add this functionality to Firefox (or all browsers)?<br />The problem for me might be that we’ve gotten to a point in browser design where everything can be contained inside one (tabbed) window, that we are now going back into multiple windows (as the developer in the video suggests). Despite this fact the ideas behind <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://labs.mozilla.com/projects/ubiquity/">Ubiquity</a> is creative and looks to me like a great addition to the functionality of a web browser.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248593903154453045.post-27431784901673836372009-04-14T20:00:00.002-04:002009-04-14T20:02:34.021-04:00SOTM: 22 by Lily Allen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0AblmnG0N0KX9r9WhGBqiM2m8flRJFcx0Cs9Q4YA6wCaD35EuLX8ClJOQTzUX2Ourpe2lHvVYeal5w-jS5GUkxFidD5O8cCbj_sVwLxbL3WXssdc5uRXwrYJeo-RcUCxYRHOaX7Gz8g/s1600-h/lilyallen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0AblmnG0N0KX9r9WhGBqiM2m8flRJFcx0Cs9Q4YA6wCaD35EuLX8ClJOQTzUX2Ourpe2lHvVYeal5w-jS5GUkxFidD5O8cCbj_sVwLxbL3WXssdc5uRXwrYJeo-RcUCxYRHOaX7Gz8g/s400/lilyallen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324701774864260210" border="0" /></a>I finally got the new Lily Allen album last week (It’s Not Me It’s You was released at the beginning of February) and I’ve chosen the fourth song off the album as my song of the moment.<br />It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were bopping along to smile, and hearing tales of people getting robbed in LDN. In each there was a crude note of truth, a revelation of the terrible nature of human society—each and every vice. Well I’m happy to say that this latest album is exactly the same. In fact the album opens with Lily Allen singing about how everyone is on antidepressants. One of my favorite songs off the album is 22 (coming in a very close second in F*** You, which might equate to how sesame street would tell someone to go F*** themselves in a song). Well 22 is like all other Lily Allen songs in that it tell a story, this one happens to be about a girl who, even though she’s only 22, her life would seem to be over. ‘She’s got an alright job, but it’s not a career.’ The song itself is upbeat, starting with a humming organ and moving into a finger snapping beat. The sung lyrics of the verses are nicely contrasted with descents and ascents in the music behind. You’ve also got to love the electric-xylophone type sounds (or perhaps the piano in the bar of old western films) that make up the background of the verses. Overall it’s a very sing-along-able song, and despite its ‘down’ sort of nature is very ‘up’.<br />My only complaint about the song is how it ends. The song is in a nice little solo, and all of a sudden its over (I guess a bit like the life of the character).Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07950445516413603248noreply@blogger.com0