Paper Planes Tastic Wednesday

First: Maya and Diplo before they split up. Adorable.



Next: The official video, complete with gunshots.



"Running when we hit 'em
Lethal poison for the system."

Second Favorite Review Site

My all time favorite of review sites is, of course, Reviews of New Food from McSweeneys. The thing on Cherry Nyquil and the other thing on Brain Burrito, I assure you, are worth the price of admission (still free!).

My second favorite review site is Amazon.co.uk's sales page for Bic Crystal ballpoint pen, medium point, black, EACH.

Keep reading and you will find such gems as:

"DO NOT BUY!...
3. The first time I tried it, complete gibberish came out. Legible gibberish, sure, but the worst kind of trite, meandering waffle."

and

"Be Careful What You Click On...
I was attempting to order a Bic Crystal ballpoint *penis*, medium point, black.
Imagine my surprise when the mailman delivered this pen instead!"

Enjoy!

Band Crush Part Two

Hold On Now, Youngster will be the best album of 2008.

Los Campesinos! - Death To Los Campesinos!

I absolutely believe that this is a documentary about how confetti and rainbows and kittens explode from the speakers when these kids play. If any band deserves to have an exclamation point after their name its them.

OMGFTW!!! Machine Girl = Yakuza + Ninjas + Drill Bra!!!

Why are you still here reading this?!? Watch this trailer for the ZOMG Movie of 2008!!!

Daft Punk - Alive 2007

Wow. Just wow. I wasn't exactly sold on the concept of an album of "live" electronic music. But. This is effing Daft Punk. I mean who can argue with human robots who DJ in an electronic pyramid?

I could listen to this album on repeat every day for the next year. The best versions of their hits ever? Possibly. The mashup of "Around the World" with "Harder Better Faster Stronger" (you know, the Kanye song that they covered? Ha) is nonstop perfection.

I feel compelled to obey the robotic commands of "Touch it/Technologic"

"Touch it Bring it Pay it Watch it Stop Format it
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, melt - upgrade it,
Charge it, pawn it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick - erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick - rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip - unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, curl it, find it,
View it, coat it, jam - unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pose it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, twitch - update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax - rename it,
Touch it, bring it, obey it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, stop - format it."

Sounds like: The Cybermen from Dr. Who conquering our weak flesh bodies with dance.

Can't. Stop. Dancing.

Listen to the whole thing at AOL Spinner here.

Watch This: "This Film is Not Yet Rated"

Great documentary about the MPAA's ratings board is apparently up now on google video. If you haven't seen it, do watch. It drags a bit when the director tries to find out the identity of the board members. It doesn't when he's interviewing indie directors who's movies were rated NC-17 for gay scenes less explicit than straight scenes in an R-rated flick. Especially interesting is the Orgazmo vs. South Park Movie experience.

Watch it in its entirety here:

Aristocrunk

Saturday 12/8/07, Sticky Fingerz.
A man painted gold and another man wearing an aristocratic white wig and blue ring will attempt to save the rap game from conspicuous consumption by taking it back to revolutionary France.

Paint yourself gold and get in free.

In their own words:

"Genetically engineered over generations of obscure royalty, Maurice Eloise XIII, Lord Treadwell, and Myster E are of "sang real rap" or translated to the current tongue - rap's royal blood. They have emerged from the past to save the present, waiting for the right moment to spread their gospel of the good life. At a time when rap hooks have degenerated to, excuse my pun, lyrical "laffy taffy" and verbose veneration of "rims, bitches, and benjamins," it is time to usher in a new era of consumption. As you dine on these rich melodies, be very careful that you drink your water; you may develop a case of gout. It is a common affliction amongst fans of these great Lords - Lord T & Eloise and the always elusive, Myster E.

A bientot,

Lord T & Eloise"



myspace.com/lordtandeloise
www.lordtandeloise.com

Scott Pilgrim is the best comic book ever?

Scott Pilgrim is about a lovable Canadian loser who plays video games and plays bass in rock band "Sex-Bob-Omb." He starts off dating a high schooler (Knives Chau, age 17), but then falls hard for the American Amazon.ca delivery girl who can take shortcuts through dreams. Scott has to fight her 7 evil ex boyfriends before she can give her heart to him.

Still with me?

Scott Pilgrim is charming in all the kinds of ways that books should be charming. The bit characters are really fleshed out. Video game logic prevails (complete with save points, 1-ups, and items that Scott can use like coins and Skateboards). Look for a Bollywood style fight-off in Episode 2 followed by a Boss Bass Battle in Episode 3!

Look here for some previews.

Scott Pilgrim Previews

Scott Pilgrim at Amazon.com

Weekend Reading #3

Last of the lot, I promise.

The Wire hits its final season on Jan 6. This is bittersweet news because this is The Best Television Show In The History Of Television.

What is this The Wire, you might ask? Apparently you are not one of the 11 viewers (10 of who are critics) who keeps up with this show. The New Yorker has a great 12 page article about the series and a biography of David Simon, genius behind Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Corner. This is a man who is not afraid to chase Big Ideas. Required reading.

Stealing Life (from The New Yorker)

A favorite phrase of David Simon’s is “You can’t make this shit up.” In the opening sequence of the very first episode of “The Wire,” Jimmy McNulty—the half mensch, half jerk of a Baltimore cop, played by the British actor Dominic West—is sitting on a stoop across from a crime scene. McNulty is talking to the compatriot of a dead guy called Snot Boogie, and can’t resist a little philosophizing on the subject of his name: “This kid, whose mama went to the trouble to christen him Omar Isaiah Betts—you know, he forgets his jacket, so his nose starts runnin’ and some asshole, instead of giving him a Kleenex, he calls him Snot. So he’s Snot forever. It doesn’t seem fair.” Snot Boogie liked to shoot craps with his pals in the neighborhood, it seems, but, every time he did, he’d steal the pot before the end of the game. So why, McNulty wants to know, did they still let him play? “Got to,” his interlocutor answers. “This is America, man.” It was a perfectly crafted setup for Simon’s themes: how inner-city life could be replete with both casual cruelty and unexpected comedy; how the police and the policed could, at moments, share the same jaundiced view of the world; how some dollar-store, off-brand version of American capitalism could trickle down, with melancholy effect, into the most forsaken corners of American society. But, as it happened, the Snot Boogie story was real—Simon had heard it, down to the line about America, from a police detective, and it appears in “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.” Simon’s gift is in recognizing an anecdote like that for the found parable that it is—“stealing life,” as he once described it to me—and knowing which parts to steal.

Weekend Reading #2

Sleater-Kinney = Awesome Rock Band
Rock Band = Apparently Awesome Rock Band Game

You may wonder what Carrie Brownstien from S-K thinks about this silly Rock Band game.
You are in luck.

Rock Band vs. Real Band (from Slate.com)

Weekend Reading #1

Slate magazine pointed me to this pretty comprehensive story of how the U.S. Government bungled the war on drugs.  Journalism like this and "The Get Your War On" strips in the letter column make R.S. worth the cover price.

How America Lost the War On Drugs

All told, the United States has spent an estimated $500 billion to fight drugs - with very little to show for it. Cocaine is now as cheap as it was when Escobar died and more heavily used. Methamphetamine, barely a presence in 1993, is now used by 1.5 million Americans and may be more addictive than crack. We have nearly 500,000 people behind bars for drug crimes - a twelvefold increase since 1980 - with no discernible effect on the drug traffic. Virtually the only success the government can claim is the decline in the number of Americans who smoke marijuana - and even on that count, it is not clear that federal prevention programs are responsible. In the course of fighting this war, we have allowed our military to become pawns in a civil war in Colombia and our drug agents to be used by the cartels for their own ends. Those we are paying to wage the drug war have been accused of ­human-rights abuses in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. In Mexico, we are now ­repeating many of the same mistakes we have made in the Andes.

LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"

I just turned 30 this year and I've been thinking a lot about getting older, mortality, etc. This song hit me at just the right time. The double keyboard polyphony, the insistent snare, and James Murphy's wry lyrics have put this song at the top of my most played tracks on my iPod. DFA forever, baby!

Bonus points to my girlfriend for totally missing the LCD Soundsystem in Buenos Aires so she could go to a male strip club.



"And with a face like a dad and a laughable stand,
You can sleep on the plane or review what you said,
When you're drunk and the kids look impossibly tan,
You think over and over 'Hey I'm finally dead.'"

Low - "Breaker"

I'm starting to make my year end short-list of best songs. I negelected Low's "Drums and Guns" on my last list, but this song won't be missed on the Best Of List. This album is quite a bet sparer than Alan Sparhawk's earlier efforts. The organ gives the perfect sense of tension for the killer's lament. Cake eating is a nice incongruous touch. Bravo, Low.



"It's just a shame
My hand just kills and kills
There's got to be an end to that."

The Thermals - "Returning to the Fold"

Ok. Maybe Thermals overkill here, but the day after I posted that live video of "Returning to the Fold" they released the official video. Here goes.



"I regret leaving my soul
I forgot I needed it to feel.
Maybe when I die, when I die,
I'll just grab it real quick, I'm coming right back..."

Bonus Thermals Clip

Sorry my Porteña girlfriend is way into The Thermals lately.

"I regret leaving at all
I forgot I needed God like a Big Brother
Maybe when I die, yeah, I'll die escaping
I'll die returning to the fold."

Welcome to The Theocracy

Courtesy The Thermals

Hear: "Pillar of Salt" Courtesy Subpop 2006.

Boing Boing TV tells the True History of LOLCats

I first came to know Ape Lad (Link) from his Hobo Project (Link) related to John Hodgman's "Areas of My Expertise." (My favorite book ever? The Audio Version plays in my car nearly constantly). Well did you know that his grandfather invented LOLCats? I know, right?
Permalink



BTW Watch Boing Boing TV every chance you get KTHXBYE

Daily Show Writers on the WGA Strike

Follow the money, bitches. Great argument. I wouldn't expect any less.

"You Just Got Slapped" - (Apparently from 'How I Met Your Mother')

I liked it a bit better without the context.

The incomparable Jason Segel, who most of you know from "Knocked Up" as the sort of creepy guy who hits on Leslie Mann (Judd Apatow's wife btw) for the most of the movie. But those in the know will always remember him as Nick Andopolis from "Freaks and Geeks" (and the creepy ex-boyfriend from "Undeclared"). Well I guess he's also on "How I Met Your Mother."

I don't care about the damn show. Jason Segel needs better work. But as a I-just-slapped-you-in-the-face song, it works.

Stephen Stahl - "I am the very model of a psychopharmacologist"

Wow. Um, to nerd out on Gilbert and Sullivan and Psychopharmacology. High grade nerd patholgy.

This guy's book taught me everything I needed to know about the Essentials of Psychopharm.

Enjoy.

Game of The Year?

Desktop Tower Defense is a lot like pretty much every other desktop tower game, but, like, better. The types of towers are varied and none of them seem redundant. The hand drawn sprites, the desktop background, and human sound effects are icing on the cake. Waste 5 minutes or 5 hours on this bastard.

Link to Desktop Tower Defense 1.5 at Kongregate

After you play it, go here for some awesome strategy videos.

Presidential Logos and Design

What do the campaign logos say about each candidate? Political cartoonist Ward Sutton is here to answer that question in a catchy set of slides from NY Times.

(Link to slideshow here) (Fixed. Thanks Conrad!)

(Link from Warren Ellis)

Mom + Guitar Hero III

Mom: "How do I put it on that one Black Sabbath song. You know Paranoid?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm spending the day being thankful for my mom, who's currently rocking out on Guitar Hero III.

Coming soon to a theater near you:

"Thanksgiving" by Eli Roth

"White meat, dark meat. All shall be carved."

Bootleg: Arcade Fire ft. Bruce Springsteen - "Keep the Car Running"

What can I say about this one that the kid in the crowd hasn't already said.
Bruce Springsteen aping Win Butler aping Bruce Springsteen = Priceless.

And We're Back!

Lame excuse: Psychiatry Board exam studying.
Slightly less lame excuse: Playing Super Mario Galaxy til my eyes bleed! (Review pending! Sneak preview: Awesome!)

More to come.

Test Post

Please ignore this.  Nothing to see.  Move along.  KTHXBYE.

North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?"

Nice parody of the 80s cheesetastic Band-Aid charity record. Listen for:
Arcade Fire's Win & Regine + Redd Kross' Steve McDonald + Beck + R.E.M.'s + Joey Waronker + Buck 65 + Rilo Kiley's Jenny & Black + David Cross + Roky Erickson + Devendra Banhart + Sloan's Chris Murphy + Elvira, Mistress of the Dark + Smoosh's Asya & Chloe + Feist + Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore + Gino Washington + Sparks' Russel Mael + Les Savy Fav's Syd Butler + Subtitle + Islands' J'aime + Sum 41's Stevo + Malcolm Mclaren + Tagaq + Peaches + That Dog's Anna Waronker + Postal Service's Jimmy Tamborello + Wolf Parade's Dan & Spencer + Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O

VICE Records put this thing out last year as a download for UNICEF.
Find out more here: Link

Enjoy!

Bat For Lashes - "What's a Girl to Do?"

More Spookies! Nataha Khan's ethereal voice over a smooth groove. Witness, all in one take:
1) Sweet Masks!
2) Hand Claps!
3) Sweet Jumps!

This video is very spooky and cheesy and Donnie-Dark-Tastic!

Happy Halloween!

Aesop Rock - "Coffee"

Happy Halloween from Aesop Rock. The newest video from None Shall Pass is Grindhousey and Spooktacular. Cameo in the last verse from my favorite Mountain Goat John Darinelle.

This should be your first stop for last minute Halloween costumes:
"The Brides of Transylvania"
"The Grendel Brothers"
"The Rebellion (Earth's Last Hope)"
"Chainsaw Kid: Zombie Exterminator"

We don't need no walkie talkies.

T-A-K-E-N-O-P-R-I-S-O-N-E-R-S

Halloween Countdown: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

History goes like this: Henry Lee Lucas (1936-2001) was one of the most notorious serial killers in recent history. (Wikipedia Article) He confessed to 3000 murders (most of them he had an alibi for) but more realistically he killed 350. His preferred victims were drifters who would not be missed. HLL was probably a psychopath (the sequel to Henry was subtitled The Mask of Sanity, a reference to the classic text on psychopathy by Cleckley from the 1930s. (Link to PDF of The Mask of Sanity). HLL's death sentence was commuted in 1998 by then Texas governor George W. Bush (!!!) based on the premise that his conviction was for a murder he confessed to but did not actually commit. HLL spent much of his time killing with an accomplice Ottis Toole, who, some speculate, kidnapped and killed Adam Walsh (son of John Walsh of America's Most Wanted), but died in prison in 1966 of cirrhosis before he could be charged.

So. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer follows the exploits of these two friendly, prosocial dudes. I hesitate to call this a horror film, (given its more reasonable place as a true crime film), but the callousness and bleakness and nihilistic tone of this film can only be be described as horrific. The scene that has shaken me since I first saw this thing is the home invasion scene. Not for the weak of stomach. Henry and Ottis invade a home with the purpose of raping and killing the inhabitants, and videotape it. Absolutely chilling, and made more so by the image of the two watching the tape later for gratification. I cannot recommend this for general audiences, but, if you want to watch something horrific for Halloween, this is probably it.

Trivia: Michael Rooker, who played Henry, also played the Sheriff Grant Grant from Slither, a more lighthearted horror film from 2006.

Review: Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

I cannot stop listening to this album. Spencer Krug is one of the hardest working dudes in indie rock. Current bands: Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, Sunset Rubdown, and (likely a one off) Swan Lake. Random Spirit Lover is an obtuse, baroque masterpiece, like much of his earlier stuff, but this album really transcends all my expectations. Vaguely fantastical lyrics mostly seemingly chosen for how they will sound coming from his yelping maw, this album kills me every single time I hear it. Standout tracks include the opener, "The Mending of the Gown", which includes the doozy:

"It was the tender mending of this slender gown that brought me bending to the ground."

And then from the ?Irish Sea Shanty? "Upon Your Leapord, Upon the End of Your Feral Days."

"‘Cause you’re the one who’s riding around on a leopard; (ba-da-dum)
You’re the one who’s throwing dead birds in the air.
And you’re the one whose wild hide will weather
In the weathering days
To a leather made soft
So princes can lay down their princely white heads! OF HAIR!
Say goodbye…
Say goodbye to your feral days.
Say goodbye—bye-bye-bye.
Your highness is holding your chains."

Listen for ramshackle glockenspiel, piano, cymbal crashes, and noodly guitar.
A masterpiece that threatens to capsize from pretentiousness, but doesn't quite. Impossible to do it justice without a listen. Glorious.

Tracks (from Jagjaguwar)
"Upon Your Leopard, Upon The End of Your Feral Days"
"Winged/Wicked Things"

BONUS TRACKS!
From Swan Lake's Jagjaguwar release "Beast Moans"
Find them HERE
"All Fires" - I heard this track more than many others last year.
"The Freedom" - Dan Bejar (Destroyer) wounds my soul.

Re-Animated

Dressed up as Herbert West, Re-Animator this weekend to attend the ACAC Halloween Cover-up, followed by a midnight showing of the Re-Animator at Market Street Cinema. So. Didn't update my blog like I wanted to. Consolation prize = pictures.

Halloween Countdown: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Ah. The classic, the true original. This movie blew me away when I finally sat down and watched it end to end. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was loosely based on the story of Ed Gein, the famous Wisconsin killer and necrophiliac (as were Psycho and Silence of the Lambs). Follow a group of kids traveling through Texas who run out of gas and into the arms of a family of cannibals. Enter the infamous misunderstood giant Leatherface. The original film had a grim nihilistic tone marked by a near complete absence of blood. Tense, terrifying, and darkly funny (witness Grandpa trying to knock out a girl with a hammer using his cattle-felling slaughterhouse smash). This film set the scene for a string of bleak horror films in the 70s, including Wes Craven's Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes. Definitely the granddaddy of serious horror films in America. Ignore all the silly sequels (except for the Tobe Hooper-directed TCM 2, a vastly underrated comedy horror starring Dennis Hopper). This movie is the real deal.


Bonus Trailer: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

Halloween Countdown: The Devil's Rejects

One of the most disturbing movies I've seen (the week is not over). Rob Zombie's follow up to House of 1000 Corpses (a vastly inferior movie). This film follows the exploits of a family of psychopaths on the run. This movie features Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, the rottenest clown you'll ever see, Bill Mosely (Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) as Otis, and Sherri Moon Zombie (Rob's wife) as Baby. Look for: a gun in a woman's underwear, a friendly pimp (Ken Foree, from Dawn of the Dead), a girl wearing her boyfriend's face, and a classic escape scene to the tune of Freebird. This film will challenge the strongest stomach, and, to be honest, owes a huge debt to Q. Tarantino. But, this film is not to be missed.

Halloween Countdown: Death Proof

Next up is Q. Tarantino's masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, Planet Terror was a tasty first course in Grindhouse, and those trailers (especially "Thanksgiving" by Eli "Hostel" Roth) were like little delicious appetizers. But Death Proof was the filet mingon of that double feature. Kurt Russell plays Stuntman Mike, a former stuntman who kills hot girls with his car. Plenty of tension building Tarantino dialog at the beginning makes you care about about chicks. Especially the incandescent Sydney Portier as Jungle Julia. This movie is a slasher film ripped apart and stitched back together into something new. The music is boss, especially the particularly delicious "Chick Habit" in the trailers. The last half of the movie is pure Grrl Power Revenge Fantasy, as the girls, this time stuntwomen themselves, flip the situation. The 18 minute-no-special-effects car chase at the end is harrowing. Best Chase Scene Ever Period. I walked out of this film breathless at the power of cinema as spectacle. I demanded that Jenni see it, ASAP, and she did, and loved it. Do not miss this movie.

Lansing, MI: We are ready for zombie attack!

When it comes to then Armageddon...and how do you know you are in the Armageddon? Oh yeah. ZOM-BIES! - Patton Oswalt

Well if you ask the police and emergency management personnel in Lansing, Michigan, they are ready for the Armageddon. Full story below, with a print-and-clip handy pocket sized "How to Survive a Zombie Attack" cheat sheet.

Quotes by Max "The Zombie Survival Guide", "World War Z" Brooks.

Link

Halloween Countdown: Re-Animator

So since Halloween is coming up really really soon, I thought I'd go ahead and start a new feature. For the next 7 days I'm going to feature some of my favorite horror films, in no particular order.

First up is Stuart Gordon's classic Re-Animator. Somewhat loosely based on (and much campier than) the source story Herbert West, Re-Animator by the greatest horror writer ever H.P Lovecraft, Re-Animator fits best into the horror comedy mold. Cheesy, gory special effects punch up the story of Herbert West, a medical student banned from university in German for his questionable involvement in the death of his mentor. He enrolls in Miskatonic Medical School in Arkham, Mass and begins to develop his experimental Re-Agent, which will allow the resurrection of the dead. He enlists the reluctant help of his roommate, and the inevitable story of the dangers of man's hubris in the realm of the gods ensues. Buckets of blood, decent special effects, and the overly zealous mad scientist Herbert (played by Jeffery Combs) make this a must see.

And if you haven't seen it, you are welcome to come with me to Market Street Cinema on Saturday night, October 27. Gordon and Combs will be in Little Rock as part of The Full Moon Horror Convention for a Midnight Showing of the original cut of Re-Animator. I, um, may be in costume as Herbert West.

Best. Picture. Ever.

Yes. This is Yours Truly, allowing Gisele to bask in my presence.
Someone said I look like a wet psychiatrist.

OVERDRIFT!!!!

If you like:
1) Illegal Street Racing!
2) Alternate Dimensions!
3) Dinosaurs!
4) PEOPLE YELLING ALL THE TIME!
5) Anime!
6) Archeology!
7) Fake Moustaches!
8) Energy Drinks!

And don't like:
1) Driving Straight!

then you will love Overdrift!

Just watch it already!

DUKE OUT!

LINK! (for more from the Duncan Bros!)

Casanova #8 Free!

Go to the myspace comics page to read the entire Casanova comic book #8. Heavily influenced by 60s Jim Steranko Nick Fury comics, James Bond, Kurt Vonnegut, and Brit Pop, Casanova is one of my favorite comics right now.

The story involves a top secret super spy organization, an evil twin who goes to an alternate universe and takes the place of the good version of himself, orgone, sexbots, Berserkobots, flying casinos, and W.A.S.T.E. (Pynchon reference).

Monthly from Image. $1.99

Link

How to Get a Human on the Phone

Ever have a hard time figuring out how to get an actual human operator? The helpful folks at Get Human will help you out. Find at their site a database of the quick hacks to get through the tech support B.S.

Examples:

Visa F 800‑847‑2911 Press 0 at each prompt; ignoring messages.
NetFlix F 888‑638‑3549 Press 0 at each prompt.
Cingular Wireless (AT&T) F 800‑331‑0500 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

OK. So a lot of them are just hammer on the 0 key. But there's helpful stuff there too.

Link (Via LifeHacker)

How To Have Somebody Committed

Seems like every day someone asks me how to take care of an insane person. Most of the time it's 'crazy' in the perjorative sense, but occasionally it is work related. I'm looking at you Captain Jones.

The Explainer from Slate Mag (always an enjoyable column) has the lowdown, which varies slightly from state to state.

Link

!!! Show Review

If you weren't dancing, your ass was broken.

Plan Your October in Arkansas

For starters:

1) Little Rocktoberfest is Saturday Sept 29 (OK, not technically in October, but I'm going to cut Rocktoberfest a break because it has October in the name). Find the local homebrewing club sampling their wares, and Diamond Bear, New Belgium, Bosco's, Vinos, and brats. 20 Bucks gets you in. Link

2) !!! and the Field, Rev Room, Wed, Oct 3rd. Don't miss this show. 12 Bucks in advance. Link (See also this blog, below, for details).

3) Full Moon Horror Con and Film Fest. Split between the Statehouse Convention Center and Market Street Cinema, this festival has tons of cool stuff. Esp a Zombie Walk through downtown Little Rock, a midnight screening of the original cut of The Re-Animator with Director Stuart Gordon, Linda Blair, The Candyman, Shawnee Smith (the chick from Saw), all the girls from the new Rob Zombie Halloween. Film fest is three days at Market Street for a reasonable $25. Oct 26-28. Link

And that's not counting the State Fair (Oct 12-21), and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (Oct 19-28). And falling leaves! And Halloween!

God I love October.

The Final Reason to Quit iTunes

Sure, EMI and Apple started selling DRM free music on iTunes, at a premium, back in April. Link

But this is truly the way to do it. Amazon already has strong internet cred with their awesome shipping and return policies, and basically pro-consumer stance.

Amazon opens DRM-free downloadable MP3 store. It's still in Beta, but I bet once they integrate it into the CD sales pages, iTunes will be on the ropes.

Link

iTunes Perfect Equalizer Settings

Although on the DRM issue, I really don't like Apple, I realize that for most folks iTunes is their default media player. This is an old post, so many of you have probably seen it but it's new to me so what the hey.

Open iTunes and look for the equalizer at the bottom right. Click the box that says "Default" and press "Make new preset" then type "Perfect".

Now make your settings look like above. The numbers from left to right (ignoring preamp) are:

db +3, +6, +9, +7, +6, +5, +7, +9, +11, +8 db

Check it out. It will probably make your ripped mp3s sound a bit fuller, less muddy. Don't ask me for a technical reason this works. Just change your settings for God's sake.

Original post at macosxhints. Link.

The Next 40 Years of Halo

This is one of the funniest videos evar. Well, the punchline is kind of dumb, but the rest is cool. Kinda has a "Children of Men" vibe. Look for:

1) nutsuckler
2) Fake Kotaku web pages
3) Dead Spartans
4) Cell shaded graphics
5) A home pregnancy test
6) 1.4 copies per person
7) Circle Strafe Hopping and Corpse Humping
8) The Halo

Shadow Cowboys Video #1

Hard to explain just how funny this is if you aren't in LRKA Laid Back League. Not hard if you play. Anywho. Shadow Cowboys vs. Atomic Catsicles this Sunday at 12:00 noon. They usually have videos vs. the teams they play. We beat any damn video they have. Starring Suds, Ross in a Bikini, and Breezy.

Best Albums of the Year

My fiscal year just started over (30 years old! WOOT!) so I'm trying to put together a list of the best albums I've heard this past year (since I turned 29). Most are probably predictable, but screw it. Maybe my tastes are pretty predictable.

In no particular order:

Boxer by The National (OK this one is the best, sorry other bands)

Neon Bible by Arcade Fire

Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem

The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf

The Stage Names by Okkervil River

The Reminder by Feist
Can't resist adding this video from David Letterman with a billion indie rockers clapping along.


From Here We Go Sublime by The Field

Cryptograms by Deerhunter

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer by Of Montreal

Ys by Joanna Newsom

(Video for "The Sprout and the Bean" from The Milk Eyed Mender)

The Crane Wife by The Decemberists

Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady

What would you put in your Top 10?
Comment below.

Apps for Life: Portable Apps

This application suite has become absolutely essential for me. Basically you install this suite to your USB drive (I got a 2GB on sale at CompUSA). Plug it into any USB port and run the programs from the USB drive itself. It contains a launcher application which runs in the toolbar, and whatever other stuff you want to add.

Applications include: Portable Firefox, which saves your extensions and bookmarks; OpenOffice.org, with Writer, Calc, Math, and Impress, for those times when you need to use PowerPoint on a PC that doesn't have it*; 7-Zip, a zip utility that can compress and password protect your files on the drive; and VLC Portable, the best all-around media player for all file types, to use as a portable jukebox.

So basically you can have a portable functioning desktop environment for any PC you go to, from work, to school, to home, to laptop. Great to keep your surfing habits private, since it all runs from your USB drive. I've found this thing to be completely irreplaceable.

Best news: It's all free.

Link

* For those of ya'll not using it yet, Open Office is completely compatible with Microsoft Office file types and is completely free. Check it out on your desktop.

Instant Band Crush: Los Campesinos!

These guys are simply too much. A cross between the wild ADD rambling musical styles of Architecture in Helsinki and the post-punk stylings of the Futureheads. This Cardiff based septet just signed to Arts & Crafts (Broken Social Scene, Stars, Feist, Metric, others). Who doesn't love a band with titles like "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives!" or "You! Me! Dancing!" My first internet crush: this video for "International Tweexcore Underground" which references an old Heavenly 7" series.

From Stereogum:

I never got my ears pierced, and look how I turned out!

I bet you can find more of their songs on elbo.ws for preview purposes before you acquire their awesome EP "Sticking Fingers Into Sockets."

Sorry for the lack of posts.

Internet connections were muy spotty in Argentina. Saw lots of sights. Updates for the trip when mi novia decides to email the trip pictures to me. Glad to be back in a country where a simple financial transaction is not hopelessly bewildering.

Do Whatever the T.V. Tells Us

Tired and wired we ruin too easy....

Internet People (annotated version)

Ok. Here is the video.



What follows is the link to every (?) reference in the video. If you find better or more complete links for any video, please let me know in the comments.

1. Dramatic Chipmunk
2. South Park
3. Star Wars Kid
4. Numa Numa
5. BSB - I want it that way
6. Napster Bad
7. Winnebago Guy
8. Bert is evil
9. Goatse.cx (SFW Wikipedia Article)
10. Jib Jab
11. G.I. Joe PSA (Must Watch !!!!!!!!!) Link2.
12. YTMND
13. Spongemonkeys
14. Andy M.- The Superbowl is Gay
15. Ask A Ninja
16. Danny Blaze
17. Lonelygirl15
18. House of Cosbys
19. Chad Vader
20. ZeFrank
21. Lazy Sunday
22. Kid from Brooklyn
23. Bubb Rubb and Lil Sis
24. George Lucas in Love
25. Kramer Blowup
26. MySpace the Move
27. Chuck Norris List
28. Geriatric1927 (YouTube)
29. I Kiss You Guy
30. Stanley Kubric Audition
31. Leeroy Jenkins Doesn't Listen
32. Homestar Runner
33. Grape Stompin' Lady
34. Paris Hilton Sex Tape Find It Yourself (Sick Bastard)
35. All Your Base
36. Diet Coke + Mentos
37. OK Go
38. Shining Trailer
39. Rocketboom's Amanda
40. Sneezing Baby Panda
41. Dick in a Box
42. Yacht Rocks
43. Snakes on a Plane
44 Angry German Kid
45 Otters Holding Hands
46 daxflame
47. Bride Cuts Hair
48. Steven Colbert Roasts Bush 1, 2, 3
49. Little Superstar
50. Lightning Bolts LARP
51. Kelly Shops for Shoes
52. Tom Cruise Zaps Oprah
53. Weird Al - White and Nerdy
54. K-Fed Rocks PopoZao
55. Washinton - Brad Neely
56. Ashlee Simpson Lip Synch
57. Boom Goes the Dynamite
58. Lily Tomlin Berserk
59. Peanut Butter Jelly Time
60. Christmas Light House
61. Shatner Rocketman
62. Evolution of Dance
63. Tayzon Day - Chocolate Rain
64. Zombie kid likes turtles.

Wu-Tang Tiger Style vs. Ninja

I maybe need to watch out for the pirate internet community. If they hear that I think ninjas could kick their asses, I might end up at the end of a pirate tort.

Internet dude says on a message board that ninjas beat Shaolin monks; Shaolin demand apology, threaten lawsuit!

Link (from Slashdot)

Be Aggressive! Be! Eee! Aggressive!

Brad Neely says it best about this awesome vid.

"In a perfect world, this jam would stay perched on top of the Billboard charts longer than "Dark Side Of The Moon." Mic in hand, Baby Cakes spits some mad lyrics about D&D role-playing and his two-word philosophy: be aggressive."

Deliver Us From Evil

This documentary is one of the most terrifying films I've ever seen. It recounts the story of Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse. O'Grady was alleged to have had hundreds of victims, as young as nine (!!!) months old, male and female. The most compelling parts of the film are the interviews with victims and their families affected by this guy, the well researched evidence of a cover-up by the Catholic Church, and the interviews with O'Grady himself, certainly the most memorable psychopath since the Iceman.

Rotten Tomatoes agrees. 100% fresh rating. Watch it ASAP.

Link

Mystery Science Theater 2007

Ever wonder where the stars of MST3K have gone? If you are like me, the answer to that question is yes. When we (OK, I) last saw Joel Hodgson, the series creator who left in 1993, he was the disco-dancing leisure-suit store manager in the series finale of Freaks and Geeks. This guy finished out the series after Joel, left, kinda like the new Darren from Bewitched.

Well today, he's doing the same damn thing, only with feature films like The Matrix, 300, and The Bourne Identity! Wow! Kinda misses the point of MST3K, which was making unwatchable B-movies watchable. Now listen to an MP3 of Mike's zany commentary track while you watch a movie (ala Dark Side of the Rainbow). But I can't deny that the sample track from Star Trek V is really pretty funny and everything I missed about this show.

Take particular note of: Mike in a cheerleading outfit. The toaster with a moustache. All the tracks are rated 4 stars (out of 5) or above. The site's name: Rifftrax. Groan.

Link

Psychiatrists are Godless

From the most recent Psychiatric Services:

"Compared with other physicians, psychiatrists were more likely to be Jewish (29% versus 13%) or without a religious affiliation (17% versus 10%), less likely to be Protestant (27% versus 39%) or Catholic (10% versus 22%), less likely to be religious in general, and more likely to consider themselves spiritual but not religious (33% versus 19%)."

I guess that's true in at least one case I know of. Maybe it should say that Psychiatrists are Brighter?

Link

From BoingBoing. Via Japan

Ah. The Japanese Butt Biting Bug video. If you get it, you tell me about it.

Out, for a bit

Well. Metroid Prime 3 is out today, and I'm probably going to be playing it til my eyeballs explode. Catch up with guys in a month or so.

Republican Senator Locked In The Closet

Senator Larry Craig, (R-ID) arrested for sexual conduct and plead guilty to disorderly conduct three weeks ago.

Hey Republicans. It's ok to be gay. It's ok for everybody to be gay.

Shadow Cowboys

1 Poole Getting Ready
Originally uploaded by shadowcowboys

First game last night with DIE! and we won pretty soundly. 11-7(?) Your Frontier Psychiatrist's stats?
Batting average 1.000 with 2 at bats (kicks?)
Runs: 2
Falls: 1 (but it was the stupid horse's fault).

RSS in Plain English/ DotSUB

This post does double duty:

1) Watch this video to learn in Plain English how to start using RSS to use the internet more efficiently. I've been using Liferea for Linux and Google Reader for the past week or so to have my favorite sites delivered to me. It's simple, and fast, and the animation is charming (a hand brings in scraps of hand drawn pages to a markerboard).



2) The site that hosts this video, dotSUB.com is a free service for generating subtitles for video. It works like a wiki. Folks who watch the videos correct the subtitles in real time. This makes a pretty free resource if you need something translated, or just want to watch foreign video

Link

Enjoy!

P.S. If you get an RSS feeder, you can have my blog sent to you, rather than you having to come to it. Just click the Atom link in the bottom left.

File Under: Glad I Use Windows for One Program.

From Slashdot.

Skype for Linux users (whoever they are; Hello? No Video Call support?) discovered over the weekend that Skype reads etc/password and Firefox add-ons. What possible legitimate reason could Skype have for capturing that information? What harm could be done?

Considering a switch to an open source VoIP software.

Link

US Military "harshly interrogates" Whistleblower.

From Forbes, via Crooks and Liars:

"For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.

There were times, huddled on the floor in solitary confinement with that head-banging music blaring dawn to dusk and interrogators yelling the same questions over and over, that Vance began to wish he had just kept his mouth shut.

For his trouble, he says, he got 97 days in Camp Cropper, an American military prison outside Baghdad that once held Saddam Hussein, and he was classified a security detainee."

Link

Video: Avalanches - "Frontier Psychiatrist"

Origin of the blog name. With a ridiculously awesome (and completely literal) video for the Avalanches track.

"The man with the golden eyeball!"

Beautiful CC Cartoon Explains DRM

This cartoon is really really cool. And its released under a "Share and Share Alike" Creative Commons license. Grab it, mash it. From Red Hat Magazine.

Announced: Pirates Vs. Ninja Dodgeball

I can't think of a better theme for a game. I just love how it rolls of the tongue. "Pirates vs. Ninjas" sure, but throw that "Dodgeball" on the end and now you've got a party.

Because who didn't love Super Dodge Ball for NES? And who doesn't love the age old rivalry between these two zany groups of caricatures. Only problem is that ninjas will totally flip out and kill the pirates, so it's hardly fair.

Kotaku article: Link

Track Review "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. (from Kala)

If you haven't heard this song:

"Paper Planes" - M.I.A.

It's got a great sample from The Clash ("Straight to Hell") and a pseudo friendly terrorist vibe. Need a fake visa, no problem.

"i fly like paper get high like planes
if you catch me at the border i got visas in my name
if you come around here i make 'em all day
i get down one down in a second if you wait."

Then she asks you to "hit me on my burner prepaid wireless", and then ends up with the boasting line:

"I got more records than the KGB."

Perfect mix of nursery rhyme, gunshot effects, flirting with violence, samples, and ambiguous geopolitics.

In a perfect world, this song would be the "Hey Ya" of the summer of 2007. Or the "Since U Been Gone." Or "Toxic." Or "SexyBack."

This song will not leave my head.

Wired Takes The Piss Out of Lifehacking.

So I'm late to the game of Lifehacker. (And 43folders, etc.) I still think it's pretty cool to make yourself more efficient. (Just set up Ubuntu Linux on my computer, started using a feedreader, Remember The Milk).

But this humor columnist has a devestating satirical FAQ for the whole lifehacking movement.

Wired: Condense your day with the lifehack FAQK
Excerpt:

"A: [Lifehacking is] the practice of using clever little tips and tricks to make your life easier, more efficient or more productive.

Q: Really? That sounds kind of familiar. Hasn't it been around for a while?

A: Yes, previously it was known as Hints From Heloise.

Q: But life hacking is different, right?

A: Judge for yourself. As I write this, the top entry at lifehacker.com is '10 uses for lemons.'

Q: Yeah, but they're like cool techno-uses for lemons, like overclocking your Wii or shorting out surveillance cameras, right?

A: 'No. 8 - Freshen up your dishwasher.' "

Locals Only - !!! and The Field at the Rev Room

!!!, (or Chk Chk Chk, or whatever the hell you call them) are playing Oct 3 at the Rev Room.

I saw their sister bad (the sadly defunct Out Hud) at Whitewater Tavern a few years back. Elbow to elbow sweating, dancing.

Promises to be a real ass shaker.

Bonus! Opener The Field's From Here We Go Sublime is currently the highest rated album of 2007 by Metacritic. Dreamy ambient electronic shoegaze(?).

Dick Cheney = Flip-Flopper

Cheney in 1994 predicting a 'quagmire' if the U.S. invaded Iraq.




Cheney's office then tried to disavow the comments in this interview after it began making the internet rounds. Rationale?

"He was not Vice President at the time, it was after he was Secretary of Defense."

However, in an interview with Tim Russert in 2000 (when he was a vice presidential candidate), Cheney did support his 1994 comments.

Full Story Here: Think Progress

Most Disgustingly Delicious Wikipedia Category

Offal.

Mmmmmm. Anybody hungry? (also don't miss the Blood dishes category!)

Sony's Next-Next Gen Plans

From McSweeney's humor section.

A MEMO FROM
SONY COMPUTER
ENTERTAINMENT
AMERICA'S EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
ANDREW HOUSE TO
THE NEW PLAYSTATION
NEXT GENERATION
DESIGN TEAM.

Awesome Ebay Tip from "Rule The Web"

I know, I know. I've been like a broken record about this damned book. But Rule The Web is one of the most remarkable books I've ever read. Written by Mark Frauenfelder (former editor for Wired, founder of Boing Boing [most widely read English language blog]). It's funny and smart.

I was initially skeptical (since I've surfed to the end of the internet like 6 times now), but check out this tip for eBay. Totally obvious, but I've never thought of it.

"Search for misspelled items to find a bargain on eBay. Bless our educational system for producing so many people who can't spell. Many sellers on eBay accidentally misspell the name of the thing they're selling. Go to eBay and do a search on "plam." You'll find lots of Palm brand handheld computers and cell phones for sale (as well as plenty of "plam" tree art jewelry). A "plam" is often bargain priced, because it doesn't show up when people search for a "palm" Pilot or Treo cell phone. Other words to try: "micorsoft," "snoy," and "dinsey." Even easier: go to the Misspelled Auction Search Engine ( misspelledauctions.com) and enter the correct spelling for an item, and it'll search eBay using multiple misspelled variants at once. Used in conjunction with sniping, this is the best bet for getting a great deal on eBay."

Link to Rule The Web on Amazon (only like 10 bucks!)

Manifesto

Hey ya'll. Since the beginning of 2007, I've sent out links to my favorite places to all my friends.

After reading Rule the Web, by Mark Frauenfelder, I've challenged myself to start recording all those emails for posterity here. The real question will be whether more folks will come here to get that information, or fewer.

Here goes, anyway.