The Frontier Psychiatrist

Palin Punk'd

2008-11-02T10:32:00.001-06:00

>
>

> Punk'd down to the bone.
>
> "I love that documentary of you. Nailin' Palin...that was so edgy."
>
>
> http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2008/11/those_zany_canadians.aspx
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone

iPhone

2008-07-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

So I finally got one. Watch this space for apps reviews. Shazam works
like magic (that one was free) (and short)!

Sent from my iPhone

The Best Four Bucks I've Ever Spent: Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog

2008-07-24T23:06:00.002-05:00

Um. I'm not supposed to like musicals. But that episode of Buffy was pretty good. And, hey, that was Joss Wheedon, and he's responsible for Serenity, which was pretty cool. So. I missed the live event over the weekend, but the damn thing is on iTunes, so I bought it and I'll be damned if I didn't laugh til I cried multiple times and I'm saying watch it and its going straight on my iPhone permanently. Trailer follows.

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

iPhone Launch: Epic Fail

2008-07-11T14:06:00.001-05:00

Appleinsider reports that all iTunes update servers are down and warns that old iPhone users who upgraded to iPhone 2.0 have temporarily bricked their phones, allowing only emergency calls. Sour grapes, but I'm glad I didn't get one today. No I'm not. Yes I am.

Link

Amazon Gold Box Update

2008-06-27T09:05:00.001-05:00

If you can't be bothered to refresh your browser today, according to Kotaku, these are the expected deals for the rest of the day. Gotta catch 'em all! (Too bad I own nearly all of these - look out Mario Party DS!)

Current - Super Smash Brothers: Brawl (Wii)
6:00 AM PDT - Yoshi's Island DS
8:00 AM PDT - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS)
10:00 AM PDT - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
12:00 PM PDT - The New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS)
2:00 PM PDT - Mario Kart Wii
4:00 PM PDT - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, presumably, though possibly Gamecube)
6:00 PM PDT - Mario Party DS
8:00 PM PDT - Pokemon Diamond and/or Pearl (Nintendo DS)

Thanks Kotaku! Link

From P4K's Review of Girl Talk's "Feed the Animals"

2008-06-27T08:59:00.001-05:00

"Which brings us to the Three Stages of Girl Talk: knee-jerk recognition, easy-to-swallow consumption, and, finally, cemented recontextualization.....no one has managed to match his unique mix of diversity, pace, and open-mindedness-- not to mention his exquisite ear for snagging the best 15 seconds of every three-minute track blaring from your clock radio."

8.0 Review of Girl Talk: "Feed The Animals" Link

Girl Talk update

2008-06-27T07:39:00.001-05:00

Avril's "Girlfriend" x Aphex Twin's "Boy/Girl"

Also spotted: "Born Slippy" from the Trainspotting Soundtrack.

Amazon Gold Box Deals: Nintendo Deals

2008-06-27T07:32:00.003-05:00

Today on Amazon's Gold Box Deal: 9 Nintendo Deals, released sequentially throughout the day.

First up: Super Smash Bros. for Wii $25.99 with free shipping. This is a great price point for an awesome pick up and play party game. If you don't have it yet, get it now here: Link

More to come.

Obtained: New Version of Risk 2008 (Retail Version of Risk: Black Ops Ruleset)

2008-06-26T21:15:00.004-05:00

Image courtesy Buffalo GameBuffs Blog

Earlier this year Hasbro released into the wild Risk: Black Ops, a limited-edition, droolworthy, ultra-sexy version of the new standard ruleset for the classic board game Risk. Hasbro sent out 1000 promotional copies to board game reviewers and press with the intention of drumming up support for the new release this summer. The game, as you can see from the pics at Boardgamegeek at the link above, is totally bad-ass. The box features dogtags and barbed wire, reminiscent of Cold War era Gulags. The board itself is black and white and very modern, reminiscent of Call of Duty 4. The tokens themselves are minimalist geometric shapes. Although I love the design sense, I can't see myself paying what these are fetching on Ebay ($117.50! Really?) At any rate, the goal of the Black Ops set was to get folks talking about the revamp of the standard ruleset. Unfortunately the revamp would not include the bleak Cold War component redesign.

All I've seen for the release date so far has been the ambiguous "Q2/Q3" or "late summer." Well, I went into Toys-R-Us today and I'll be damned if I didn't see one of the new sets in the wild. Naturally I picked it up (the last standard version I bought was the 40th Anniversary Edition with the die-cast figures). I haven't played it yet, but here's the scoop on the major changes:

1) Rule book is a folder filled with tabbed dossier components. Each tab references one of the rule headings: A) How to set up basic training (the beginner version of the rules), B) How to draft, C) How to attack, D) Objectives and rewards (more on this later), and E) ending your turn. The overall design here is militaristic and clearly explained.

2) The troops have been replaced with small arrows for 1 troop and larger arrows representing 3 troops. Clean and easy to read, I think these are an improvement from the Napoleonic Troop, Horse, and Cannon.

3) Instead of trading in a set of the aforementioned Troop, Horse, and Cannon, the cards in this game each have a star. Trade in at least 2 stars worth of cards for new troops, but the more stars the better. 2 stars nets 2 free armies, but 10 will score you 30.

4) Cities are randomly placed on the board at the start of the game. Controlling a city gives you the same troop resupply as a territory; in other words, troops plus cities divided by 3 is your base troop number.

5) Each player has a capital. You must control your capital to end the game. Controlling your capital nets you one additional army.

6) The goal of the game is not world domination (unless you optionally decide to play that way). At the beginning of the game, the team randomly places four major objectives and four minor objectives and the appropriate rewards for each. Win the game by taking into your possession 3 of the community objectives. They range from "Take over 10 territories in 1 turn" for a major objective to "Control North America" as a minor objective.

7) Troop maneuvers at the end of each turn occur along supply lines.

The idea behind the standard rule tweaks is to open this game up to the masses. A game should finish in about an hour. Unlike the sweaty 10-hour domination matches we used to play at Arkansas Governor's School.

Anywho. I haven't played yet and I don't have pics, but if you're interested in playing hit me up.

Watch this space for a gameplay review later this week.

Interview with Rob Daviau, one of the designers of the revamp on Gameshark. Link

Girl Talk update

2008-06-26T14:17:00.001-05:00

M.I.A. "Boyz" x Cranberries "Dreams" = genius

Girl Talk - "Feed The Animals" Impression

2008-06-26T14:09:00.001-05:00

Ol' Dirty Bastard + "Autumn Sweater" by Yo La Tengo = my mind is blown.

Some people may be bored by Gregg Gillis's shtick, but momemnts like this keep me coming back. More later.

Wikipedia article with all samples identified Link

Girl Talk at Myspace Link

Things to do: Foam Fest - June 27th

2008-06-25T08:39:00.001-05:00

Its that time of year again. The Little Rock Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation has moved back it's 11th Annual Foam Fest to this Friday June 27th (last year was around Easter). Enjoy samples of 65 varieties of craft beer and wine from around the world. I have to say last year was a lot of fun. Tickets are 25 bucks if you get them now, 30 at the door. Good beer, good cause. See ya'll there.

Foam Fest site Link

Video: "Stress" Justice

2008-06-24T23:45:00.002-05:00

This came up randomly on my iPod today during a run. I thought about this video and these punks and imagined them coming after me and it made me run faster. Well, maybe too fast for 90-something degree temps. Anyways, this is a cool video, even if Hillary left the room rather than watch it. (But later she spent way too long looking at Rotten.com. Take that as you will.)

justice stress (official video)
by 75_prod

Guitar Hero: On Tour for DS looks cool....

2008-06-24T07:36:00.002-05:00

...but only if the crazy dude does not come with the game. I love that you actually have to shout "Rock Out!" to activate star power.

How Guitar Hero Works on the DS

There is no way you will see anything cuter than this today.

2008-06-24T07:30:00.001-05:00

Dog born with no legs gets prosthetic front wheels.

RIP George Carlin

2008-06-23T08:58:00.001-05:00

Six Words You Cannot Say on Television

A verbatim transcript of "Filthy Words" (the George Carlin monologue at issue in the Supreme Court case of FCC v. Pacifica Foundation) prepared by the Federal Communications Commission

RIP George. You will be missed.

MBV Reunite: P4K Covers the story.

2008-06-23T08:37:00.001-05:00

Awesome review of the My Bloody Valentine reunion show at The Roundhouse in London, June 20, 2008. Gotta catch this band live.

Link

Tour dates courtesy Pitchfork:

06-20 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-21 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-22 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-23 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-24 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-28 Manchester, England - Apollo
06-29 Manchester, England - Apollo
07-02 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03-06 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-09 Paris, France - Zenith
07-17-20 Benicàssim, Spain - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
07-25 Naeba, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
08-08 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
09-05 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival
09-19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)
09-22 New York, NY - Roseland
09-23 New York, NY - Roseland
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh
09-27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic

The Slippery Slope To Big Brother - Congress Passes Telecom Immunity Bill.

2008-06-22T10:56:00.001-05:00

Thoughtful summary article by Ars Technica about the debate in Congress over telecom immunity for conducting domestic warrentless wiretaps.

Favorite quotes:

"Third, it contains specific provisions barring the use of
authorizations targeting parties abroad as a pretext for targeting U.S.
persons, presumably to be enforced by a board of psychics."

and:

"Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) invoked the specter of past intelligence
abuses, such as the wiretapping of Martin Luther King and the FBI's
controversial COINTELPRO operation—an argument Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)
dismissed by conceding the political abuse of surveillance powers in
the past but asserting that "those days are behind us." (The latter
development coinciding, as chance would have it, with the passage of
legislation prohibiting warrantless wiretaps.)"

Big Brother 1: Due Process 0.

Link

Welcome to Summer Babe!

2008-06-20T19:03:00.001-05:00

I got a lot of things I wanna sell but
Not here babe!

Video: Tokyo by The Books

2008-06-16T21:46:00.001-05:00

A treat for you! Sumo! Tokyo!

(Thanks Pitchfork.tv!)

Retro Sabotage: Cold War Missile Command Docudrama

2008-06-16T17:35:00.001-05:00

Retro Sabotage has been creating thought provoking remixes of classic video games. This newest edition turns Missile Command into a Docudrama about the creation of the game. Check it out here. Kind of awesome.

Link

"I'm Voting Republican"

2008-06-15T20:35:00.001-05:00

I'm Voting Republican

BBC Coverage of Beijing Olympics to Include Gorillaz!

2008-06-15T20:23:00.001-05:00

Well not exactly. More like a monkey fighing demons, but close enough. Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz, the Ravenous original score) and Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl, Gorillaz) are teaming up for the BBC intro to the Olympics 2008 with a story based on Journey to the West, a famous Chinese novel. The character models are kind of bad ass, no?

Link

Firefox World Download Day - June 17

2008-06-15T19:51:00.003-05:00

Head on over to the Spread Firefox site to pledge to download the new release of Firefox 3 on June 17. Firefox has served me well over the years, with tons of customization via extensions. Safer than IE, and quite a bit quicker (as I've seen since my job blocked Firefox last week). Fight the good fight and help Firefox dethrone IE with its latest version.

Link

Moleskine modded as iPhone book reader

2008-06-15T19:51:00.001-05:00

I'm a sucker for projects like these (see Make Magazine), which I always like to look at but rarely make (see also Make Magazine). This looks like a pretty cool solution for folks who say e-book readers don't seem book-y enough. Cool.

Link

As If You Didn't Know That It Would Sting....

2008-06-15T19:50:00.001-05:00

Hey ya'll. The new Wolf Parade album, At Mount Zoomer is now live for your enjoyment on their Myspace page. Take a listen and let me know what you think in the comments.

Link

This is a test post

2008-06-12T07:52:00.001-05:00

Testing a new blog publishing extension. This should make it easier to blog from my laptop.

OS: Ubuntu 8.04
Browser: Firefox 3 Beta 5

Here's a link for you:

Pledge to download Firefox 3 (to help Mozilla break the Guinness Download Record here:
Link

Carry on.

Young Hillary Clinton

2008-05-30T16:18:00.001-05:00

Sexism is ugly

Do Want: A Skin, A Night DVD

2008-05-14T22:25:00.002-05:00

The incomparable Vincent Moon (www.takeawayshows.com) followed The National during the making of Boxer, my most favorite album of last year. This is the end result. Also apparently comes with an EP.

Frontier Psych's Early Riverfest Picks

2008-05-14T21:35:00.001-05:00

To answer the burning question on all my readers' minds: These are the Arkansas Bands that I'd recommend for Riverfest. I know all of ya'll will be out there for Huey and Merle and Shooter and ZZ, but these are the bands I'm going to be checking out. This lineup is totally worth ya'll's 10 bucks for pre-ordered tickets. Links to Myspace pages below for samples.

Arkansas Rivervest Homepage

Friday, May 23
6:30 AR Music Tent Grand Serenade

7:30 Triple S: 607

9:30 AR Music Tent: The Moving Front

Saturday, May 24
1:30 Budwieser Tent: Smoke Up Johnny

3:00 Budweiser Tent: The Easys

6:00 Acxiom : Chris Denny and the Old Soles

Sunday, May 25
2:15 Triple S: The Munks

3:30 Triple S: Damn Bullets

5:00 AR Music Tent: Salty Dogs

6:30 AR Music Tent: Boondogs

All AT&T Phones $0.01

2008-04-24T15:25:00.001-05:00

I don't even know, man. But if you need a new phone and are close to contract renewal, might be time to pull the trigger for that wifi enabled Blackberry or Samsung Blackjack II. No iPhones, obvs.

ATT Amazon Sale Today April 23 only.

Ladies and Gentlemen If I Say I Am A Weed Man, You Will Agree That I Am A Weed Man

2008-04-24T07:19:00.003-05:00

"My boyfriend is a vessel for the god Shiva."

The Secret Origin of Walcott and Vampire Weekend

2008-04-15T21:11:00.002-05:00

I feel like crap right now. No reason that you should too. Check out P4K's exclusive with the boys from VW. Follow up with a three song set with a string trio and somewhat new arrangements. Nice

The Thermals "Returning To The Fold"

2008-04-08T22:05:00.002-05:00

Pitchfork.tv rocks so hard.

"I forgot I needed God like a Big Brother."

Update- My Web Presence

2008-04-06T21:52:00.003-05:00

I've been blogging less (obvs) and using some other stuff much more often. Here are the places I can be found on the web currently.

Twitter
Microblog. I use this from my cell phone and online to post my thoughts throughout the day and to keep up with my other friends who use it.

del.icio.us
Social bookmarking site. Just started messing around with it. Put some new stuff up this weekend.

Google Reader
Shared links from my Google Reader. I really love the trends feature on Google Reader.

FriendFeed
Captures all of my stuff I"m doing everywhere. Occasionally I put up links to cool new stories. I've thrown this up on my Facebook. Also. Link to my Amazon.com Wish List here. Hint, hint.

Ya'll can find my Facebook and (mostly abandoned) MySpace pages on your own.

Best,
Frontier Psychiatrist

Twitter In Plain English

2008-04-05T01:21:00.001-05:00

I love these little commoncraft videos. I have a hard time explaining what I love about Twitter. I've recently become addicted, but my friends don't get it. Here is the long and short (140 characters only, please) about Twitter, in Plain English.

Hellboy II trailer.

2008-04-04T19:06:00.002-05:00

Man. Guillermo del Toro has had this thing going where he made some really creepy crazy smaller foreign films (The Devils Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth (!!!) [did ya'll see that guy with his eyes on his hands? Crazy]) and some mildly disappointing Hollywood blockbusters (Mimic, Blade II). The first Hellboy movie bridged the gap between the two. Now. This this looks freaking awesome. Did ya'll see that man with a building for a face? The albino dude who looks like Uther Doul? Crazy. I'm super excited about this movie now.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army trailer

Future Weapons: Kitty Cornershot

2008-04-03T17:59:00.001-05:00

I'm going to turn Jens into one of these if he keep actin' crazy.

Awesome New Gmail Feature: Custom Time

2008-04-01T09:30:00.001-05:00

Go back and send an email from any time in the past up to April 1, 2004. Uses something called a "e-flux capacitor" to resolve issues of causality. Makes forensic report deadlines a thing of the past!

But you only get 10, because:
Our researchers have concluded that allowing each person more than ten pre-dated emails per year would cause people to lose faith in the accuracy of time, thus rendering the feature useless.

Gmail Custom Time

"This feature allows people to manipulate and mislead people with falsified time data. Time is a sacred truth that should never be tampered with."

Michael L., Epistemology Professor

Animal Phone

2008-03-23T17:23:00.001-05:00

Courtesy Cuteoverload.com

Forward through backward time

2008-03-23T13:42:00.001-05:00

It works best if you don't consciously think about how it happened, but just to let yourself get swept up in the dreamlike music. For some reason this makes me think of the movie Amelie.

Via BoingBoing

I Heart Yellow Drum Machine

2008-03-23T13:35:00.001-05:00

Cute Robot Chaser

2008-03-23T13:29:00.003-05:00

This little yellow guy rolls around and finds things to play drums on. He wouldn't team up with the crazy mule robot. He just wants to get on down. Anybody have any more video of him?

Link at Make

Suicide or Murder?

2008-03-23T13:19:00.001-05:00

Man, 81, kills himself with shot from 'suicide robot.'

Hate to be all pro-human, anti-robot these days, but with the robots eating all the old people's medications somebody has to stop them.

The Onion News Panel: Are We Giving Robots Too Much Power?

2008-03-22T14:41:00.003-05:00

"The president is just appealing to its 'Destroy all Humans' base'" "It happens every election cycle."

"Humans die, so that's a flawed system."

"Praise to the wise ones, our robot masters."

Flying Spaghetti Monster Sculpture Installed on Lawn of TN Courthouse.

2008-03-22T14:31:00.003-05:00

Any Pastafarians in for a pilgrimage? May his noodly appendage touch you.

Read the story here:
www.itlovesyou.blogspot.com

For more information about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster go here:
www.venganza.org

I don't even know

2008-03-22T14:14:00.002-05:00

Apparently from the Wicker Man remake. That's Nick Cage in the bear suit.

From Filmdrunk's Friday Free For All

Obligatory Easter Post

2008-03-22T14:08:00.004-05:00

Following A Special Way of Being Afraid's lead and giving ya'll a Hold Steady quote for Easter.

From "How a Resurrection Really Feels" by The Hold Steady:

Her parents named her Hallelujah,
the kids they called her Holly.
And if she scared you then she's sorry.
She's been stranded at these parties.
These parties they start lovely
but they get druggy and they get ugly and they get bloody.
The priest just kinda laughed.
The deacon caught a draft.
She crashed into the Easter mass
with her hair done up in broken glass.
She was limping left on broken heels and she said,
"Father, can I tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?"

Metal Gear Mk 1? or Creepiest Robot Ever

2008-03-22T12:59:00.001-05:00

I get a wave of revulsion every time this thing rights itself. And your precious human kicks and cinderblocks won't save you.

Obama's Speech

2008-03-19T08:53:00.000-05:00

For the five of you who have not seen it, the Huffington Post has the video and complete text.
Best speech of the campaign?

Link

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke

2008-03-19T08:51:00.001-05:00

The Guardian has a piece here:

Link

New Web Thingie: FriendFeed

2008-03-18T23:09:00.003-05:00

I've been experimenting with Twitter lately, among other Web 2.0 toys. Here's the newest thing.

friendfeed.com

Imagine, if you will, your Facebook feed, telling you about all the things your friends are doing. Put it in a blender with an RSS feed. Add all the other services you use (del.ico.us, Amazon.com Wishlist, Netflix Queue, Twitter, your blog, Flickr, even your shared feeds on Google Reader). Hit puree and you get Friendfeed. All your stuff, one place. You can even install a button in your toolbar to automatically add links to FriendFeed.

I'm trying it out. My address is:
friendfeed.com/hintonjeremya

Join me?

Takeaway Show: Yeasayer "2080"

2008-03-18T23:04:00.002-05:00

In 2080 I'll surely be dead
So don't look ahead.

#87.2 - YEASAYER - 2080
by lablogotheque

One of my favorite songs of last year, immortalized on my favorite video blog. Witness.

If you feel like singing along, the shout-out-loud chorus goes like this:

Yeah Yeah we can all grab at the chance and be handsome farmers,
Yeah you can have twenty one sons and be blood when they marry my daughters,
And the pain that we left at the station will stay in a jar behind us.
We can pickle the pain into blue ribbon winners at county contests.

Video: Bon Iver "The Wolves (Act I & II)

2008-03-11T07:27:00.003-05:00

From

"Someday my pain with mark you"

to:

"What might have been lost (Don't bother me)"

this is catharsis.

Do not miss Bon Iver at Sticky Fingerz in Little Rock tonight.

Violent Films Vindicated? (But Maybe Adam Sandler is Better)

2008-03-10T08:24:00.001-05:00

Ok. So I'm not sure about the math, but the theory is interesting:

A paper presented by two researchers over the weekend to the annual meeting of the American Economic Association here challenges the conventional wisdom, concluding that violent films prevent violent crime by attracting would-be assailants and keeping them cloistered in darkened, alcohol-free environs.

But just showing violent films might not be the best idea:

In other words, Professor Dahl suggested, Hollywood could help cut crime in more palatable fashion by cutting out the gore while making movies that still attract male teenagers and 20-somethings.

"We need more Adam Sandler movies," he said. "Even though I'm not a big fan of Adam Sandler, that's the implication."

How did I miss this study?

Link to NYTimes Article.

Don't Miss This Show: March 11 Black Mountain/Bon Iver

2008-03-06T10:53:00.001-06:00

Although I really hate that Ladyhawk can't make this stop, this will be the show of the (pre-) spring. The shaggy psych rock of Black Mountain and the fragile, plaintive, haunted folk of Bon Iver go together live peanut butter and chocolate. You can't miss this show.

$8 bucks.
Sticky Fingerz
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

NPR's Live in Concert: All Songs Considered. Black Mountain/ Bon Iver in D.C.
Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago at Jagjaguwar
Black Mountain's In The Future at Jagjaguwar
Link to Ticket Alternative to buy Tix

Do not miss this show unless you are somebody lame like Brent Anderson.

Torture Device Coloring Book

2008-03-04T18:46:00.001-06:00

Link

Thanks Joel from BoingBoing Gadgets.

Star Wars Titles, Re-Did

2008-03-04T18:41:00.000-06:00

Saul Bass style. Awesome.

Garfield minus Garfield

2008-03-04T18:32:00.001-06:00

Link

Disturbing. Courtesy Andrew Sullivan.

Mythbuster's Kari Cuts Down/Sets Tree on Fire with Minigun

2008-03-04T17:57:00.002-06:00

Thanks Geekologie, for bringing me Kari from Mythbusters, who every geek has a huge crush on, with high powered guns and fire.

"Smells good. Smells like destruction."

Legend of Zelda Song Played On a Carrot

2008-03-04T17:48:00.001-06:00

Thanks Joel from BoingBoing Gadgets.

Vampire Weekend PSA for Condoms

2008-03-04T17:37:00.002-06:00

I'm too lazy to figure out how to embed this thing. But stereogum.com has an awesome PSA from the boys at Vampire Weekend (if you say who, you are getting punched hard in the throat).

Condom PSA from Ezra and the boys.

Sorry for the absence from the blog. Been making time with a girl...

Album Review: Jason Collett "Here's to Being Here."

2008-02-27T17:23:00.002-06:00

Above: "Unofficial Video" for Out of Time

Jason Collett is one of the masterminds behind Broken Social Scene. I can hear why he doesn't add the "Broken Social Scene Presents...." prefix to his albums, unlike Kevin Drew. Collett's traditional southern rock could not be further from the chaotic mess of the full BSS. (e.g. "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" from BSS's 2005 self titled release.) Collett's vocal delivery will inevitably draw comparisons to Bob Dylan, but only in a good way. Here's To Being Here is an album of buttoned down, straightforward rockers. Get it.

Video: NO AGE: "Boy Void"

2008-02-25T07:45:00.002-06:00

Don't think just rock. Loudest two piece evar.

New Funniest Blog Evar

2008-02-25T07:33:00.002-06:00

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

It's funny to make fun of white people. And this stuff is totally true. Particularly acutely funny for this white guy are #72 Study Abroad:

By attending school in another country, white people are technically living in another country. This is important as it gives them the opportunity to insert that fact into any sentence they please. “When I used to live in [insert country], I would always ride the train to school. The people I’d see were inspiring.”

If you need to make up your own study abroad experience, they all pretty much work the same way. You arrived in Australia not knowing anybody, you went out to the bar the first night and made a lot of friends, you had a short relationship with someone from a foreign country, you didn’t learn anything, and you acquired a taste for something (local food, beer, fruit). This latter point is important because you will need to be able to tell everyone how it is unavailable in your current country.

And #70 Difficult Breakups:

Once breakup proceedings have been initiated, a white person is immediately thrust into the center of attention in their circle of friends. During this time, they are permitted to talk at great lengths about themselves, listen to The Smiths, and get free dinners from friends who think “they shouldn’t be alone right now.”

It is imperative that you do not attempt to kick them out of their misery by saying things like “get over it,” “there are other people out there,” or “I don’t want to read your poem.” Implying that there things in the world more important to you than their breakup is considered one of the rudest actions possible.

Particularly because those things are 1) true, and 2) happened in my life recently.

Laugh til you cry.

Thanks BA!

WKUK: "Dino Rap"

2008-02-23T13:42:00.002-06:00

An allosaur in the corner trying to pack the bong!
Hotboxin' in the john with a pteradon!

You're welcome, internet!

Thanks to Dr. G!

Ms. Pac-Man: Feminist Hero

2008-02-22T17:37:00.002-06:00

Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Sue (the Ann Coulter of Pac-Man).

Retro Track Review "I'll Believe In Anything" by Wolf Parade

2008-02-22T16:46:00.002-06:00

Above: The French Film "Duels with Cannons"

So sometimes you put your iPod on shuffle and you run into an old friend. "I'll Believe in Anything," was clearly the standout track from Wolf Parade's 2005 debut Apologies to the Queen Mary. This song features His Yelpy-ness Spencer Krug (of Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, others) on vocals, backed by a droning bass, and a sort of noodly guitar hook. The song starts with apparently randomly chosen laptop-y bleeps and bloops, and then gets into the dense lyrics:

Give me your eyes
I need sunshine
Give me your eyes
I need sunshine
Your blood
Your bones
Your voice
and your ghost

The song builds to a crescendo in the second verse, where the repeated

If I could take the fire out from the water
I'd share a life and you'd share a life

breaks it down into quicker, more insistent Wolf Parade rock outro, with:

I said nobody knows you
and nobody gives a damn either way
About your blood
your bones
your voice
and ghost

This is a song that you shout out loud. Perfect. 11/10

Changing it up

2008-02-22T16:40:00.003-06:00

As requested by RKM, comments are now open! Post to your hearts content, without fear that your intrepid FP will forget to approve your comment! Anything that sucks runs the risk of getting removed, earning you your own Dis Post Response, or getting you banned. I'm looking at you Anonymous!

Your Head A Splode!: Sonic Youth to play festival in Fayetteville!

2008-02-22T15:40:00.001-06:00

Charlie Daniels, Shooter Jennings, .38 Special, Little Feat

and Sonic "Daydream Nation" Youth. April 25-26. $30/$50. Walton Art Center Parking lot.

The world is always stranger than I think....

http://tinyurl.com/2edbfg

Album Review: Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago"

2008-02-19T23:01:00.004-06:00

Bon Iver ("pronounced: bohn eevair; French for "good winter" and spelled wrong on purpose") is the recording moniker for Justin Vernon. Apparently, according to his bio from his page on Virb, Justin went up into the woods of Wisconsin to his father's cabin and lived alone for three months, working and recording music, exorcising all of his fears and regrets. All of the songs were recorded by himself in his cabin. Jagjaguwar has re-released the album, which gives it a special seal of approval in my book because I love pretty much every band on that label.

What does it sound like? I hate defining someone in terms of someone else, but it's hard not to compare Justin's voice to TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe. Many songs contain multitracked harmonies of his voice on itself, creating a haunting, ghostly soul sound. The guitar has a sort of sameness to it, what you'd expect from a lonely singer songwriter. But occasionally the music swells, and the voice becomes transcendent.

The standout track for me is "Skinny Love" (with "The Wolves (Act I and II)" as a close second). It's rapidly becoming my favorite track of the year, and constantly on repeat on my iPod. Video of a live recording above. Justin's oblique references to lost love come into sharp focus here, with a chorus of:

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind

In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"
I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines

and ending with:

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?

Bon Iver is currently on tour with Black Mountain. The tour just started this evening in D.C. and hits Little Rock on March 11. Do not miss this show.

NPR's All Songs Considered Bon Iver/ Black Mountain Show.
Bon Iver page at Virb
(Five tracks for your sampling).

Update: The first video came down. A new one is up. Hopefully with no interruption of your service. As you were.

Why I Didn't Vote For Hillary Reason #92 (Collect 'Em All)

2008-02-19T19:19:00.002-06:00

Ok. This is a little unfair, since Jermain is Huckabee's boy. But. How is Hillary going to turn her back on Arkansas like this? Just for Ohio's delegates? Remember The Pride of Arkansas?

"Hillary Clinton held up a pair of boxing gloves inside the General Motors assembly plant in Lordstown Thursday, making it clear that Ohio is a fight she must win.

"We need a fighter and a champion in the White House," she said, referring to area boxing hero Kelly Pavlik.

Clinton was on the first stop in a two-day swing through Ohio that will also include Dayton, Columbus and Lyndhurst."

It's OK, Hillary fans. We can make up after the convention....

Link to Cleveland Plain Dealer's Blog

The Two Best Sites on the Internets

2008-02-18T23:00:00.004-06:00

You might disagree with me. But you will be wrong. You will hear Baby Cakes flow during group therapy, or hear the legend of the Cat People. You will witness David Bazan from Pedro the Lion cover "The Man in Me" by Dylan while walking around in San Francisco and you will change your mind.

Take Away Shows at La Blogotheque

I've featured videos from here before, but this site cannot be promoted enough. Vincent Moon captures the most intimate perfect performances by a wide variety of indie rockers. Even bands I don't know become new favorites. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon here.

Brad Neely's Page on Superdeluxe.com

Arkansas native Brad Neeley broke onto the online video scene with the one-two punch of "Washington" and "JFK". Sweet electro beats back up the knowledge-givers the Professor Bros. And man-child Babycakes busts out sweet flows about life as a misunderstood lovable giant. And huge rpg fan. I featured "Be Agressive" on these pages a few months back. Just start at the beginning.

If there are sites better than these, put 'em in the comments. I appreciate hearing the opinions of people who are Obviously Wrong.

Update: The Takeaway Shows link is fixed.

Horrible Motherboard Box Art

2008-02-18T12:50:00.005-06:00

Lots of you won't think this is funny, but, hey! I'm a dork. I thought you knew.

Anyway Joel Johnson is my favorite tech writer over at Boing Boing.

Check it.

Oh, hey. Didn't see you there. I was out flying this steel-belted radial out to farm some sweet space nugs. This may sound crazy, I know, but maybe you could come back to my hanger and we can... Oh, sure. No, I understand.
Boing Boing Gadgets

Clinton hamstrung by her own meta-narrative

2008-02-18T12:04:00.002-06:00

This a great little piece in New Yorker magazine about the over-arching stories told by the media about Obama and Clinton's respective campaigns. I realize completely the seductiveness of these simplistic, broad-brush profiles. Do I support Obama because of the swell of pride I feel in the media's portrayal of him? I hope not. Welcome to Elections 2.0

All these theories contain at least some truth, but it’s the last one that edges closest to what I think has actually gone on. Campaigns are, at bottom, a competition between memes: infectious ideas that gather force through sheer repetition. The most powerful of these memes are what Just refers to as meta-narratives, the backdrops against which everything plays out in the media. “Clinton’s meta-narrative,” she says, “is that she’ll do anything to win; she can’t be trusted, she’s ethically challenged; she’s manipulative, calculating, and programmed.” Obama’s meta-narrative is decidedly otherwise. “It’s the same, in a way, as John McCain’s,” says Just. “He’s authentic, honest, free of taint. Then you add in new, charismatic, and an agent of change.”

The Meme Prisoner Link

Thanks to K.B. for reminding me of this article.

The New Pornographers- "Myriad Harbor"

2008-02-14T18:02:00.001-06:00

If you don't like this video, I think that you may have a real psychiatric "issue." I say that as a Frontier Psychiatrist.

Dan Bejar is absolutely perfect here, man. I want to crawl up in that beard.

Graphic Novel Review: Essex County Volume 2: Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire

2008-02-13T23:34:00.003-06:00

If you had told me one week ago that I would cry upon reading a comic book classified by Top Shelf as "Farm Life/Hockey" I would have probably punched you. But. This comic is one of the most emotionally charged books I've ever read. From the back matter:

"Now the tale continues with Ghost Stories, the second volume in a trilogy of graphic novels set in a fictionalized version of Lemire's hometown of Essex County, Ontario.

Ghost Stories follows the lives and relationships of brothers Lou and Vince Lebeuf over the course of nearly seven decades.

Eldest brother Lou, now a deaf and lonely man, lives out his final days on his farm, full of guilt and regret for the decisions he made that tore his family apart. From their childhood on the farm to Toronto in the 1950s (where he and Vince played professional hockey), Lou revisits his life, a silent observer haunting his own memories."

Lou, now a demented deaf man, spends his last days recollecting his glory days as a hockey star and the regrets of his relationships with his brother and mother. The story cuts back and forth between Lou's current state of losing his autonomy to his lamentations of his failed relationships in his life. Jeff Lemire, both writer and artist, won a Xeric grant for this trilogy, and this volume really seals his place as a master of the juxtaposition of words and images into an emotionally affecting work. The images of Lou reminiscing of his life with his family becomes intertwined into his narrative of his loss of autonomy in a nursing home. Jeff Lemire is a giant who you should watch in the future.

Excerpt from New York Magazine: Link

Page at Top Shelf Comix Link

Freakangels

2008-02-13T22:42:00.002-06:00

I trust Warren Ellis because he is the From the Internet and is basically The Internet Jesus. He made me tell you about this. So go there.

To quote from the Avatar page:

"23 Years ago, 12 strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. 6 years ago the world ended. This is the story of what happened next. Young, gifted, and aimless, the Freakangels gang have built some sort of life for themselves in Whitechapel. A life that starts to show its cracks when a girl called Alice from Manchester turns up with a shotgun and a grievance, having met the lost, prodigal, last Freakangel, who had very different ideas about what they should do with themselves and this flooded future England. Freakangels is a free, weekly webcomic."

www.warrenellis.com

http://www.avatarpress.com/category/freakangels/

So You Wanna Vote For McCain: Yes We Can Parody

2008-02-13T22:34:00.002-06:00

I think 10,000 years is a reasonable amount of time to plan for. Usually politicians are only concerned with the next election cycle. McCain = Forward thinking.

Also: bombing Iran is a great idea. I hope we are there for a billion years.

BONUS: Another parody. Totally inspiring.

Don't Worry. Senate says ATT is Defending Our Freedom by Spying on us. Patriots basically.

2008-02-13T09:44:00.001-06:00

So. Lincoln (D-AR) and Pryor (D-AR) both voted to give telecom companies immunity from civil litigation for breach of contract and other complaints related to illegal domestic wiretaps. (Clinton (D-NY) didn't vote). I pulled this up from a post from mcjoan at DailyKos a few days back, in case you want this issue summed up simply.

"The telcos are not patriotic heroes. They broke the law. And when they stopped being paid for it, they stopped being "patriotic." They don't deserve protection.
If domestic spying was really so critical to the nation's security, the government would have kept paying for it.
The administration is hellbent on protecting the evidence of their illegal spying on American citizens by not allowing lawsuits against the telcos that helped them.
The administration is still hellbent on spying on American citizens with or without cause."

Attribution Link

American citizens - 0, Patriotic security theater - 1

The Antipode of the Last Post

2008-02-12T18:15:00.000-06:00

If anyone ever tells me that they like The Black Eyed Peas in general or, worse yet, (Professor?) Will.i.am in specific, then that person should be prepared to be shanked with the nearest improvised weapon.

Witness the worst song ever:

P.S. I realize that I posted a new Will.i.am post on this very blog a week or so ago. But I swallowed it because Obama actually wrote the words.

10 Years of "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"

2008-02-12T17:54:00.000-06:00

And she was born in a bottle rocket, 1929
With wings that ring around a socket
Right between her spine
All drenched in milk and holy water
Pouring from the sky
I know that she will live for ever
She won't ever die

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since the world first heard Jeff Mangum's impressionistic ode to Anne Frank (well, to Jeff's emotional response to reading The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time). The sound of this record has launched countless indie rock careers (The Decemberists, Beruit, Of Montreal, The Microphones, others). Other albums come and go, but this album has really stuck with me as my favorite since I've heard it. Jeff's plaintive voice, the singing saws, the noisy, fuzzed-out folk, and the oblique, beautiful lyrics all emotionally affected me from the first time somebody shoved a burned CD-R into my hands. There is not much more I can say except if you don't own this record, well, we can't be friends anymore.

Coverage over at P4K:
Interview with NMH
Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over the Sea

Software Crush: VLC

2008-02-12T17:47:00.000-06:00

VideoLAN is an ugly piece of software. Simple little cone with bare bones interface. But under the hood, this little dude has it where it counts. Ask it to open any type of media, it complies. I get the impression every time I offer it some obscure video file with a goofy codec type, VLC asks me: "Are you sure boss? Looks like a text file. If you say so, we'll give it a go..." I've never found a file that VLC would not play. According to the wikipedia article, it works by using codecs and it's own "muxer and demuxer" which I'll assume is some type of spellcasting ability or artificial intelligence. Best thing is, you can throw this guy on a flash drive (either in it's full blown state or in the version from portableapps.com) and use it to run video files for a presentation.

I love this program more than a man should be allowed to by law. I think I'm going to ask VLC to be my valentine.

Get it here:
www.videolan.org/vlc/
or
www.portableapps.com

Don't ask questions. Do this search.

2008-02-08T09:32:00.001-06:00

1. Go here: www.google.com
2. Type "Find Chuck Norris."
3. Press "I'm Feeling Lucky."

The Onion: Is the Government Spying on Paranoid Schizophrenics Enough?

2008-02-06T20:10:00.000-06:00

In The Know: Is The Government Spying On Paranoid Schizophrenics Enough?

I think what would be great would be a recorded voice on a loop, saying "Everyone around you wants to get you." In reference to help.

We already have the ability to make everything that's the color red signal data and images back to the government's underground bunkers and we should be using this technology to help these people.

"Riding on a Jesus Horse, you and me."

2008-02-05T18:31:00.000-06:00

If you live in Arkansas, you have roughly one hour left to not vote for Huckabee in the primary.

Super Tuesday Google Thingie

2008-02-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

Super Tuesday: Vote!

2008-02-04T19:07:00.001-06:00

Hey guys, seriously. Get out and vote tomorrow. Although it does burn me that by the time Arkansas's primary rolls around, my candidate is usually out of the race, this time that's not the case. I'm going all in for Barak Obama. The guy has a message of hope, and doesn't seem like party of the oily political machine of the Old Democratic Guard. So here's the viral vid, because everyone's posting it.

Other endorsements (besides the most important, obviously yours truly):

John Hodgman Link
David Rees Link

Best New Band: Vampire Weekend

2008-02-03T18:38:00.001-06:00

If you haven't heard them, please go here:
www.myspace.com/vampireweekend
or
www.vampireweeked.com

These guys have been blowing up the music blogs (I'm looking at you Stereogum), for about a year now. The self titled "Vampire Weekend" just dropped 1/29/08.

How does it sound? In their own words:

'The name of this band is Vampire Weekend. We are specialists in the following styles: "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", "Upper West Side Soweto", "Campus", and "Oxford Comma Riddim."'

Unpretentious, professional, African-laced pop. Sounds like? Talking Heads, I suppose, but also like the Shins. But really they just sound like themselves.

I've been sick this past week (still a bit delirious) and this album has been the joyous soundtrack to carry me back home.

This is a CD you can put on and listen to for a year straight.

Bravo, gentlemen of Vampire Weekend.

FP

Metal Gear Solid Drinking Game

2008-01-27T19:27:00.000-06:00

I'm a huge fan of this ridiculously awesome franchise. For a little while, Metal Gear Solid 3 (the Subsistence version) was the best game I'd ever played (until Resident Evil 4, subsequently displaced by Super Mario Galaxy).

Anyways, if you want to drink yourself into a coma, check out this drinking game from Sexy Videogame Land.

"You will need:
A copious portion of American beer.
A bottle of Russian vodka, well chilled.
Six pack of Red Bull, probably sugarless, since you don't want to get sick.
Some good, coarse salt.
Either lemon juice, lime juice or sour mix.
Calorie-Mate. Or something edible, to keep your stomach steady."

Basically you drink American beer if something red-blooded and American happens (checking out chicks, nukes). Russian stuff, Kruschev, etc, then drink vodka. Betrayal: eat lemom and salt then drink vodka to wash the bitter taste out of your mouth.

Funny. I'm totally going to replay MGS3 one weekend with this.

Link

La Blogotheque: Take Away Shows

2008-01-27T19:01:00.000-06:00

So this French site La Blogotheque (Link below. Helps if you speak French) (I'd tell you more about it but I don't speak French). Thing is, they have these awesome mini-concerts by indie-pop stars of the minute. The shows are tiny and intimate and usually in a very strange location. I posted earlier about Vampire Weekend's Mansard Roof (recorded in the back of a van). Other awesome videos include St. Vincent- Marry Me (lying on a bed) and Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (in a freight elevator. Ripping paper provides the percussion). So damn if these shows aren't awesome. Don't miss them.

"We're from Barcelona" - I'm From Barcelona

#24.1 - I'M FROM BARCELONA - We're from
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Description from the site:

"About Takeawayshow.com

You meet a band. You take them outside, in the streets, and ask them to play there, shoot the movie in one unique shot, whatever happens. Those are the Take-Away Shows, the weekly Video podcast from french weblog La Blogothèque.

The Take Away Shows are a Video Podcast produced by the french weblog La Blogothèque. Every week, we give away a session, shot with a band, in an unusual, urban environment.

Sessions are always filmed as a unique shot, without any cut, recorded live. We usually haven’t much time to record them, so the groups have to be spontaneous, to improvise, play with what they have with them, and with their environment, whether there’s a public or not.

The Take Away Shows are produced by La Blogothèque, based on an original idea by Chryde and Vincent Moon. They are directed by Vincent Moon, and supported by Kidam, who lends us the cameras and shot some of the sessions.

Our partner for the english version is the wonderful american site Daytrotter, who gives away twice week incredible audio sessions from the bands they love. Go and check their site !"

www.takeawayshow.com
www.lablogotheque.net

101th post! W00t!

Ah. The intelligence of the internets

2008-01-25T08:46:00.001-06:00

In my Inbox this morning:

"ShawnkaseySays has left a new comment on your post "Daft Punk - Alive 2007":

Your dumb as FUCK. Those are the damn robots from Dr. Who. A British show, that comes on scifi. So before you even dare to utter the name daft punk again. Make sure you know what the fuck your talking about.....fucking noob.

Publish this comment.

Reject this comment.

Moderate comments for this blog.

Posted by ShawnkaseySays to The Frontier Psychiatrist at 7:35 AM"

Dear Mr. ShawnkaseySays (if that is indeed your name):

Those are indeed the Cybermen, from Dr. Who. Good eye on you there. If you read my post you might see that I referred to the sound of Daft Punk as similar to the concept of the world dominating robots from the venerable British science fiction franchise. It actually airs on BBC, then replays on SciFi. I'm not sure exactly what I'm a "fucking noob" about though? Listening to Daft Punk? Identifying robots in pop culture? Additionally. Check into the proper usage of "your" vs. "you're". So who exactly is "dumb as FUCK?"

Never argue with the man holding the microphone.

Excelsior!
The Frontier Psychiatrist

P.S. Thanks for reading.

Bigfoot on Mars?

2008-01-23T12:08:00.000-06:00

I, for one, would like to be the first to welcome our Sasquatch (or possibly Yeti?) Overlords.

Mars Rover picture from 2004. Look closely in the bottom left of the pic, zoomed in. (Make your scroll bars about 1/2 inch from bottom left, and about 1 1/2 inch from bottom on the x axis.)

Photo. Link

Google News. Link

Vampire Weekend - "Mansard Roof"

2008-01-21T15:17:00.000-06:00

I swear,these La Blogotheque folks are damn geniuses. Exhibit #232. Music blog fave Vampire Weekend play sans amps inside cramped van.

Just wow.

#80.1 - VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Mansard Roof
Uploaded by lablogotheque

You Suck At Photoshop

2008-01-21T15:09:00.000-06:00

If ya'll need tips to photoshop something into a picture. You know, in case your wife cheats.

Copyright Free Photos Courtesy of the Library of Congress

2008-01-17T09:48:00.001-06:00

Check out this Flickr Stream of 3000 copyright free photos released into the public domain by the Library of Congress. This is the America of the early 1900s. Many many pics of baseball players and ladies working on planes for WWII. Check it. Link

Stream for Free: "In The Future" by Black Mountain

2008-01-17T07:12:00.002-06:00

My other most anticipated album of the year. Sounds like: a shaggy Black Sabbath/Pink Floyd but from now instead of the 70s. Heavy, dude. Stream the whole thing on their myspace page.

Link

Cheap Cell Phone Shipped?

2008-01-15T10:04:00.001-06:00

36 bones gets you a cheap third world model unlocked pre-Slivr Motorola MOTOFONE F3 GSM (wikipedia link) that is exactly the phone that my ex-girlfriend was issued in Argentina when she studied abroad. Might be a nice backup phone. $36 includes shipping.

Link

Stream for Free: "Disortion" by The Magnetic Fields

2008-01-15T08:02:00.001-06:00

One of my most anticipated new records for the year (I was a bit disappointed in i after the masterpiece of 69 Love Songs). Well apparently old Merritt has been listening to a whole bunch of JAMC.

Stream the whole album here at myspace: Link

Tech Crush: Asus Eee PC

2008-01-15T07:45:00.000-06:00

I am just about obsessed with this little thingie. Subnotebooks are definitely the wave of the future, and Asus leads the field now because of two factors: price and size. This little baby is only 9" from side to side, with a 7" screen. It weighs two pounds. Its about the size of a hardback book. Stats: 900 Mhz Celeron, with 512 MB RAM, built in WLAN, and 2 to 4GB Solid state drive. The solid state drive is much less fragile than hard disk, and it boots up like instantaneously. Full size (if cramped) QWERTY keyboard makes data entry substantially easier than a Blackberry keypad. Perfect compromise between a PDA (too small) and a laptop (too big). At only $400 for the 4GB, its a steal.

I seriously need one of these dudes, but I may hold out for the 8GB model for later this year.

Asus Eee PC page. LINK
Slashdot story. LINK