Free the Basement

Well I guess this is growing up

2011-02-14T20:27:00.004-05:00

Today, we all are (apparently) Arcade Fire fans.

Please, don't confuse my snark for displeasure. Arcade Fire are a great band and deserve whatever accolades come their way. But somehow this feels less like a victory and more like watching something you love slip away.

For what feels like the past ten years, the Grammys have meant almost nothing to any serious music fan. And even less to casual music fans. Serious music fans are lucky if a handful of artists considered "good" win anything of merit (and it's always off-camera anyway). Mainstream fans already know what they like. A trophy changes no one's mind. I am sure the Academy Awards committee has a good laugh over the music industry's most important night of the year -- the one which manages to celebrate the most safe and mainstream manifestations of it's art form and still screw it up.

Think of all the iconic Grammy moments. Milli Vanilli. Alicia Keys winning a number of trophies far too large for her to carry. Elton John and Eminem. I list these disparate things with less than 100% certainty they didn't happen during MTV's Video Music Awards or some other music award show no one cares about for more than the day after it airs.

But last night one of us -- one of the good guys -- finally broke through, took down the Biebers and the Gagas and the Antebellums and changed the music world forever.

The thing is, Arcade Fire is pretty fucking popular. And I don't mean just with the cool kids. I mean, they won a Grammy, they must be popular. Kidding aside, they cracked your parent's subconscious by attaching "Wake Up" to Where the Wild Things Are (a film which I am sure falls into "the trailer is markedly better than the feature" category). Their songs were used in NFL broadcasts. Honestly, they are just a slower-developing, more critcally accepted Kings of Leon at this point. Now, with a trophy to show for it.

As fans of any degree of something labeled as "indie" (or counterculture or whatever tag you choose) will tell you, the day you watch your favorite things grow up and are co-opted by the masses is a sad, angry one. I bet this is how Watchmen fans felt. Or Nirvana fans. On the one hand, yay! Success for the thing you like! On the other, "these people don't like X like I do." But once things go from writing on the wall, to watching the acceptance speech, well it's tough to go back.

It can be done. I watched M.I.A. go from unheard of, to "Paper Planes" becoming every college girl's anthem, to obscurity again. "So, what do you guys think of MAYA? Oh, you remember M.I.A., right?" I'll stop the hypothetical there. Radiohead half did it, performing at the Grammys while still being awesome. But even they are in the Guitar Band video games, where a new generation can learn how mediocre Pablo Honey is via "Creep."

I don't love these artists any less than I did pre-breakthrough (well, a little). But they lose...something. An edge? A mystique? A feeling of intimacy? They won't mean as much to me as the bands I love who will (hopefully) never breakthrough (sorry, guys).

I've learned nearly all my Facebook friends are Arcade Fire fans today. Who knew? It's the most pretentious thing one can do -- decry something once loved after it becomes popular -- but I feel it happening. Arcade Fire just seems less special now that millions of people are listening to Funeral for the first time. The chances I hear "Ready to Start" or "Month of May" in some bar just went up by 1,000 percent.

I want to wish them well. To wish them all the best on whatever wonderful opportunities await them post-Grammy. But I can't. I won't wish them ill, but indifference. I'll buy (pirate) their next record and probably enjoy it. But I'll scratch them off the list of "bands to see before I die." I don't feel like fighting hundreds of thousands of people through Ticketmaster the day they go on sale, selling out Madison Square Garden.

Welcome to the mainstream.

Untamed Might

2010-12-04T11:53:00.003-05:00

Since it's inception, there have been many Youtube all-stars. Players who exist for the 30-second highlight. Players who once would have been lost in obscurity even 15 years ago, now find themselves cult heroes.

Captain of the Youtube All-Stars as of 2010? Blake Griffin.

By now, most of you have seen the way he ruthlessly murdered a Russian. But how about poor DJ Mbenga? Jeff Green, Blake Griffin. Scouring Youtube, one would think Griffin has been playing for ten years -- there are just that many insane highlights. One more, full embed:

"It's an unbelievable dunk, but based on all the other dunks..." Yes, Griffin's dunks are compared to one another. In the same game.

The phrase "Griffin on the break" is enough to elicit euphoria from even the most mild-mannered announcers, in the most one-sided of contests. That was laughter you heard in the above clip. Some things are impossible to describe with words.

I found myself gasping at the prospect of Griffin throwing one down on a three-on-two the one time I've been able to watch the Clippers this season. Shawn Kemp, a young Amare (who himself realizes this kid is something), whoever Griffin is compared to, there is always one common thread: power. Unlike the next Jordan or Magic or Bird, Griffin is not compared to greatness, but to unbridled strength.

Griffin is what makes the NBA great. And it's more than the myriad highlight reels. It's his ability to astound multiple times on a nightly basis, to take your breath away at the idea of what might be. Football games have their high-octane violence, but rarely display feats of amazement outside of wide receiver catches (and those guys all wanted to play in the NBA anyway). Baseball has it's pastoral appeal and "no margin is big enough" tension, but nothing compared to even one alley-oop.

You can bet I circled March 19th -- the one game the Clippers visit the Celtics this season -- as a must go-to game. Because while he will live forever in Youtube highlights, it is almost certain that those who see Blake Griffin in person will not soon forget it.

I am reminded of Kanye West: No one man should have all that power.

Also, he's a motherfucking monster.

Indie rock :: The NBA as Peanut butter :: Chocolate

2010-11-20T13:29:00.004-05:00

In his latest column Bill Simmons wrote the following: "When you watch Miami, it's like watching a White Stripes concert -- tons of talent, great music, but still just a little bit gimmicky because it's only two people."

First off: fuck you. The White Stripes are not a gimmick and will go down as one of the best bands of the 2000s and are certainly seminal for almost everyone my age. Second of all: fuck you for not going further.

If we are to believe the Heat are the White Stripes (which is wrong anyway, because see one Bosh, Chris), then who are the Lakers? Celtics? Thunder? Hornets?

LA Lakers = Animal Collective

Simply the best. Anyone who argues otherwise is a fool. They both have ruled the 2000s and remain stronger than ever, often with different iterations as the years wore on.

For reference:
Kobe = Panda Bear - Unquestioned leader/most talented. Capable of going solo to great success, but achieving true transcendence as a part of something greater.
Artest = Geologist - Willing to do the dirty work. The eccentric.
Pau = Avery Tare - Is the actual alpha while ceding the spotlight to Kobe/Panda Bear.
Odom = Deakin - Unrealiable, but when he's on, they go to another level.

Boston Celtics = New Pornographers

While individual members from both found success apart, together they embody the term superteam/supergroup. Able to supplant egos and personalities for the greater good. Rondo is obviously Neko Case, while KG is Dan Bejar, and Pierce is A.C. Newman.

OKC Thunder = Sleigh Bells

Led by/composed of two uber-talented stars (KD as vocalist Alexis Krauss and Westbrook as everything else-ist Derek Miller), also may be a victim of too much hype. Frenetic, up-tempo, and fun to watch. Still much to prove.

Utah Jazz = Vampire Weekend

Safe, white, rooted in traditions that came before them, and sneaky great. Both have very annoying fans.

New Orleans Hornets = Kanye West

A sublime talent supported by a revolving door of guests. Both West and Paul should be considered all-time greats by those who don't and both still have more bullet points to add to the resume.

San Antonio Spurs = Spoon

Sustained, subtle greatness. Every year it seems they remind everyone how rock-soild they are, only to fade in the background amidst our lust for the new. Eventually we will look back and realize how defining they were.

Miami Heat = Arcade Fire

Each have two all-timers (Funeral as Lebron, Neon Bible as Wade) and one question mark (Bosh and Suburbs), along with not much else. When they are on, there is absolutely no one better. Not nearly as deep as most contemporaries and historically, may be destined to fall short.

Magic: The Neverending

2010-09-12T01:00:00.002-04:00

I grew up on games. I think our entire generation did, whether it was Monopoly or Risk or Pong. Even things like Hide-and-Seek, Tag, or, my personal favorite run-around-kids-game, Ghost in the Graveyard are simple games that teach kids rules, social interaction, and (some level of) critical thinking.

As we grow older, games fade in the background and work rears it's ugly head. “Play” becomes “try to get a girlfriend” or “go to a party” or “*insert whatever teens do*”. But for us – the gamers of the world – games never go away.

And as we move toward the end of 2010, video games are quickly becoming exponentially more mainstream. They're featured in movies, referenced in TV shows, promoted by celebrities and have generally moved from “niche” to “insanely popular.” They generate billions of dollars, create ad revenue, and shatter entertainment records. They have their own television channel, countless web sites devoted to them, and have spawned a retail giant. Games are a big fucking deal.

I, of course, am a gamer. So are all my friends. But as we inch toward (shudder) thirty years old, some of us find it harder and harder to game. This past year I found it very difficult to game. But not because of awesome things like a new family or an exciting career, but because someone took that option away from me.

I had my current-generation gaming consoles stolen.

Now, that fact in and of itself is not a huge deal. After all, my games were not taken and a Wii/360 costs, what, $300 to replace? Suck it up and get back to it! But about a thousand other factors factored in to my decision to not replace (as of writing) my consoles. Money was one (I'm poor). Losing my first writing job was another (that sucked). Moving to a new city was yet another (rent, poor, etc.).

But the biggest one was a reappearance of an old, old friend. Magic: The Gathering.

See, now you see how much of a true gamer I am. Anyone can play Wii Sports of Call of Duty. It's now completely socially acceptable. Even a legendary game like Dungeons and Dragons has some allure to it. At least my parents have some vague idea of what it is and maybe even tried it once. But those of us who play MTG? Let me tell you, there is still the good old stigmas – the sideways looks, the stereotypes – that once existed with video gaming.

Just before I moved to Providence, RI, I was getting “the itch” as people who play the most popular and successful collectible card game ever call it. “When was your break?” is a common conversation topic between MTG players. You never really quit the game, you just take a vacation.

A little history regarding my MTG experience. I have been playing since about 1998. I am 24 years old and the year is 2010. So I have been playing the game roughly half my life. That is insane. I remember playing in grade school during lunch and indoor recess or even after/before school. I had a friend who played so much he won $1,000 scholarship and the local newspaper wrote an article about him, calling the game “a mix between Poker and Chess.” One of my earliest jobs (and, truth be told, most rad) was at a baseball card store – which I got solely on my near-encyclopedic knowledge of Magic cards. In short: Magic was a huge part of my development as a person, not just a gamer.

But back to playing it. I had found a place that held events near my new apartment and decided to check it out. In the blink of an eye I was back. Chatting with people about how long I had been playing or arguing about strategic decisions. Even my background working at a similar shop. A great thing about the game is you always have something to talk about with someone who plays it. Unlike music (or even video games, there are so many), taste is not really a factor when it comes to MTG conversations. You can just as easily give a ten-year-old kid a tip on what cards he should put in his angel deck as you can argue with someone about pick orders in M11 draft. I've never had such easy and interesting conversations with complete strangers as I have when talking MTG.

It wouldn't be hyperbole to say nearly every person I've met since I've lived in Rhode Island has been because of Magic. Go to enough of the same places, and you get to know people. Hell, you even get that thing where people go from “Magic friend” to “real friend.” It's the best part about the game – the social aspect. Sure, you can play Xbox Live and “meet” people, but it isn't the same as matching wits across the table, shaking hands after, swapping bad beat stories, talking about the latest set's rumors, or pulling out your trade binder. The face-to-face, sportsman aspect is a huge part of what makes MTG great. I love competition – and don't get me wrong, Halo can be (and was) very competitive – and I think it is something that most gamers can relate to. But the perfect balance of decision-making, preparation, and a little luck, MTG has makes for an intoxicating mix.

But beyond that, the ritual of going to your local card shop every week for a tournament or after work to pick up some packs or singles or playing with some friends at some 24-hour restaurant – it's these things that keep people hooked for decades.

I can happily say I'm firmly entrenched in Magic again. I consume articles the way I did video game blogs. I think about the game constantly at work. I look forward to tournaments and release events. Cards are (much to the lady's chagrin) strewn about my apartment. I even dabble in writing about the game. And I love it.

Magic has filled the void left by having little to no video games. And it's not for lack of trying. I still have my DS but rarely play it. I find Magic just an overall more fulfilling and pleasing hobby. There will always be a place in my heart for video games and, if they're anything like Magic is, I will find my way back to them someday soon.

But for now, I am happy slinging spells with some great people. Long live tapping the cardboard.

The blog... MUST CONTINUE!

2010-08-26T22:20:00.000-04:00

I give you, Hot Drinks:

The basement must live!

2009-10-19T23:06:00.002-04:00

As Grish said, we can't let this blog die. Unfortunately, all I do these days is work, go to the gym, and try not to spend money. This makes it really difficult to write anything of substance. Plus, DC is a city that is difficult not to spend money in.

For some entertainment I pose this question:

What movies have you seen this past month and what'd you think?

I did drop $10 and go see Surrogates cause it seemed somewhat interesting. It was in fact somewhat interesting, but they took the action movie route way too soon instead of letting the ethical debate flow. Killed pretty much any emotional connection to characters or potential connection. That was a bit of a bummer, but not bad if you go to rent it.

Not dead yet

2009-10-14T20:22:00.003-04:00

[I refuse to let this blog die. Not on my watch. Possible spoilers, definite formatting laziness ahead]

As far as pop culture is concerned, I think I owe the horror genre a lot of credit in sculpting my personality. I have a dark sense of humor, the seeds of which were cultivated by Freddy Kreuger one-liners. I find violence and gore more entertaining than disgusting, in no small part due to Evil Dead’s Ash and the elaborate kills of one Jason Vorhees. My teenage brain was fostered on games like Doom and Halo – blessed amalgamations of the horror, sci-fi, and action genres.

Thus, it’s broken my heart that there has been this dearth of quality horror films in the mainstream over the last decade or so. I am young enough to have no moment I can point to when I was actually frightened seeing a film in theatres. I’ve had to traverse the world for films like Audition, Man Bites Dog, and Oldboy to find my thrills. In US theatres, The Descent and (don’t laugh) Cabin Fever were probably the closest I’ve come to thinking “damn, that was scary.”

That streak has now ended. It’s unbelievable that if you are reading this you have not at least heard of Paranormal Activity. The hype surrounding it has reached Blair Witchian (or, for a non-genre comparison, Snakes on a Planeian) proportions, becoming drive-a-few-hours appointment viewing for anyone with even the slightest bit of pop culture curiosity.

If you are the one among your group of friends who has no idea what I am talking about, the set-up is simple. Guy sets up camera in bedroom to catch what his girlfriend claims is a haunting. Activities of the paranormal variety ensue. That’s it. Just like Blair Witch’s “people run around in woods, horror ensues” tagline, there isn’t a whole lot of complication here. But it’s this “it could happen to you” feeling that makes both films effective.

And is Activity ever effective. As the day/night cycle continues (camera timestamp and all), the audience’s feeling of dread grows. What starts off as doors creaking and objects moving inexplicably, turns into disturbing sleepwalking and, later, let’s call them “physical actions.” By the sixth or seventh night you are really on edge, expecting anything and everything, or possibly nothing. By the last clip of footage you’re really just ready for it to be over, unable to handle much more escalation.

It’s really this slow build that makes Activity shine. Much like Audition (and really, all good horror), it lulls you to sleep somewhat, leaving you to question whether anything will ever happen. But you know it will. Just when and what becomes the tension.

The film is far from perfect though. There are shifts in tone that take away from the terror on screen. Boyfriend Micah jokes far too much (his lines, far too clever to be unscripted), eliciting too many laughs from the audience. The very end of the film also falls into one of the worst trappings of the real-but-not-real horror films – the “they were never found” cop-out. By now most people know Activity is the work of some very enterprising filmmakers, not some unearthed documentary footage of a real haunting, so save the Unsolved Mysteries ending. No one’s buying.

But really, one cannot put a price on what Activity delivers on – genuine scares. I would label what happens more disturbing, unsettling, tense than terrifying, but for a modern horror movie, one cannot ask for much more.

I am not going to tell you to believe the hype. I am telling you to discard it. Forget the “scariest movie ever” or “the new Exorcist” talk. Just know that if you see Paranormal Activity you will not forget it. You will talk about it with those you saw it with. You will be compelled to pick the box up when it comes out on DVD, just to see what the film is like in your darkened apartment, as opposed to a crowded theatre.

And yes, there are a handful of moments you will be genuinely scared. You may even jump once or twice. And you will definitely get goose bumps with some regularity. Yes, Paranormal Activity has reached this jaded, desensitized horror fan’s heart.

I can’t imagine what it was like for normal people.

Interesting Promotion

2009-09-30T18:31:00.003-04:00

Can't believe the candy companies didn't think of this.

New Yankee Stadium

2009-09-28T16:56:00.004-04:00

I finally set foot in New Yankee Stadium this past Saturday. Upon arrival, the first thing you will realize is that The House That Jeter Built is gigantic. Walking into the the entrance hall took my breath away. In the hall towering banners line the wall showcasing the teams history. It is hard to go anywhere without seeing a picture of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, etc. staring at you. It seems that beyond updating the amenities, preserving history was the most important thing to the orginization. One of the new additions is the Yankee Musuem. Though small, the museum packs a hefty punch. Lining the room are display cases documenting the history of the team Ruth to Jeter. Not only is Thurman Munson's locker on display, but there is a recreation of the current Yankee lockers that can be customized with your name for a photo. The middle of the room has a giant case of autographed balls bookended by Yogi Berra and Don Larsen statues. The autographs range from people who barely touched a Yankee uniform (Mike Lowell) to the most famous Yankee of them all Babe Ruth. If you don't get excited to see an autographed Ruth baseball you aren't a fan of the game.

The food, oh the food. The New Yankee stadium did food right. Sure two cheesesteaks and sodas will run you $30, but god damn it is good. Basically every food you could want is there. Pizza, cheesesteaks, burgers, fries, shakes, sushi, noodle bowls, nachos, a steakhouse, sweets, everything. I regret not eating the garlic fries, next time they are first on the list. I found the prices comparable to other stadiums and events, $8 beers $5 bottled water. New Yankee Stadium is top notch.

My ass was happy to find an extremely padded seat waiting for me. There are cup holders for every seat and plenty of space (there are actually less seats).

My favorite part of the new stadium is the same as the old stadium, The Bleacher Creatures. The roll call, the Ric Flair woos, and the hilarious heckling of the right fielder were all fantastic. Rocco Baldelli was in right for most of the game, and he heard some good ones. In the funniest voice I have ever heard, somebody screamed "Baldelli, your mother's a drunk!" with such speed and passion. When J.D. Drew came into the game later, there was never a moment of silence. Between the usual "overpayed!" and "you suck!" chants were some real winners. My favorite was "Hey Drew! You should change your name to Baldelli (long pause) BECAUSE YOU SUCK!!!", great delivery. Nick Swisher was treated like a god of course. If you go to New Yankee Stadium, sit in right field. The Bleacher Creatures are the heart and soul of Yankee Stadium old and new.

I have nothing bad to say about the stadium. While it isn't cheap to go, I can't say I didn't get my money's worth.

The Sunn O))) also rises

2009-09-23T09:29:00.003-04:00

I am fully aware what that the following paragraphs you are about to read sound hyperbolic, foolish, and/or just plain wrong.

But Sunn O))) (from now on, Sunn because I’m lazy) was, by far, the most unique live experience I have ever had. When I am old and grey, my memory fading, there is no chance I will forget even one aspect of what I saw that night.

I am no Faulkner or Hemingway, and even if I were, the English language does not have words to properly describe what transpired 9/19 at AS220 in Providence, RI. I was hypnotized, mesmerized, flabbergasted, horrified, stunned, and amazed all at once. If you don’t feel like reading why, let me summarize: if you, in even the most minor way, love music, go see Sunn. Do it. Pay the $15 and drive an hour and a half. Make a friend go with you. You don’t even have to have heard one song by them. Just go. You will not regret it.

Now, one man’s feeble attempt to encapsulate just what it was like.

As my friend and I turned the corner on Empire Street a good two hours before the scheduled start time, we heard it: a fuzzed out, booming, feedback-filled note that sounded like some sort of primordial creature’s roar. We were at least a half block away from gallery/restaurant/venue AS220 and we heard the sound check. At that very moment I knew much of the rumors about Sunn were true.

Sunn is a doom metal band—a genre they probably didn’t invent, but sure as hell carry the flag for. They can be defined in a few words. Heavy. Loud. Slow. This is not the home of blast beats and face-melting guitar riffs. This is the home of one note stretched to the point of numbness, of bass so heavy you can feel them in your stomach and of songs longer than some films.

The band’s reputation precedes them. Stories of fleeing concertgoers, unprepared for what was unleashed upon them, are not uncommon. Loosened bowels and stomach contents from the sheer sonic weight coming out of dozens of imposing amps, was something I fully expected. And the black cowls, heavy fog, and minimal lighting creating a nightmarish vision.

To my knowledge, no one puked or fled the scene in terror on this Saturday night. But what did happen is nearly as strange. As the plodding, cavernous sounds of Sunn’s Monolith’s and Dimensions filled the small venue, everyone stood motionless. Unlike most shows, earplugs were standard issue. The twenty or so amps, along with the band’s rep, caused everyone to wear protection. The earplugs, along with the bled together nature of Sunn’s music, had a strange isolating effect on everyone present. You were relegated to your own head and whatever sounds Sunn decided to subject you to. No talking (no one could hear you if you tried), no dancing (difficult without a drum beat), nary a fist pump in sight (your arms were too heavy).

This was a wholly unique experience for me. No matter who it was, I had always seen some sort of movement during concerts. Not so here. One well-placed push would have knocked over the entire crowd, that’s how paralyzed we all were. The volume of the music—the waves of sound actually hitting you—made your clothes vibrate. For the vast majority of the show I stood with my arms at my sides just absorbing the wall of sound. There were moments where I had to shake myself in an effort to snap out of this trance Sunn had created.

And then, like something out of a Hitchock movie, Sunn decided to really mess everyone’s night up. As had happened a couple times earlier, guest vocalist of the night Attila Csihar made himself scare while the other members played on. In what seemed like an instant something appeared on stage. It was Csihar, but instead of his cowl, he was adorned in a full-body burlap sack, complete with a crown of sticks and an arm covered in bark. The scream he unleashed as his faceless visage scanned the crowd was unearthly.

For at least thirty seconds I was legitimately scared of what I was seeing. This also marked the only time my friend and I acknowledged each other during the show, as he turned to me, mouth agape and eyes wide open. We were lulled into such a stupor that this costume, this stark change in what we thought we were beginning to understand, was horrible.

Just as the shock of the tree monster had worn off, the show was over, the band finally lifting the veil and accepting applause. There was no encore (there never is), nor did there need to be. We were all spent.

The combination of a cold New England night, it being past midnight, and my body readjusting to not being bombarded with sound, stepping outside was like jumping into a lake in January. “If a car hit me,” I remarked as we crossed the street, “I don’t even think I would feel it.”

As I started the two-hour drive back to Cape Cod at 1 a.m., I knew it was just what I needed. The lonely highway and silence allowed me to process what had just gone on. I probably would have failed a field sobriety test had I been pulled over.

If that doesn’t make you want to see Sunn O))), I don’t know what will.

Pretty Hate Machine

2009-09-15T22:06:00.002-04:00

Before his now infamous Hall of Fame speech, if you asked anyone to describe Michael Jordan, they would have used words that amounted to some combination of reverence, awe, and worship. He was the best basketball player ever. It's really not a debate. He was an assassin, ending the championship dreams of many. He remains the most famous player the NBA has ever seen – at least until the internet/ESPN/24-hour news cycle beneficiary, LeBron James. His HOF induction seems like more afterthought than affirmation.

But a funny thing happened during his acceptance speech. The real Jordan showed his face.

Here are some highlights from his speech:

On being passed over in high school for the taller Leroy Smith: “I wanted to prove to the coach who actually picked Leroy over me, you made a mistake dude.”
On roommate, Buzz Peterson: “He ain't never played against me yet, how did he become player of the year?”
On not being picked as a starter at UNC: “From a basketball sense, I deserved to be on that Sports Illustrated. And he understands that.”
Responding to “organizations win championships”: “I didn't see organization playing with the flu in Utah. I didn't see him playing with a bad ankle.”
On his kids: “You guys have a heavy burden. I wouldn't want to be you guys if I had to because of all the expectations you have to deal with. I mean look around you, they charge $1000 for this whole event. It used to be $200.”
On scoring 20 straight points to win a game: “There's no 'I' in team, but there is one in win”

Jordan reminded all of us – not even hoops fans, but anyone aware of pop culture – that Jordan was the most single-minded sportsman ever.

As Al Davis says, just win baby.

Look at that line about his children. He actually feels bad for them, that they have to live in his enormous shadow. He's a minute away from “good fucking luck.” At this point, it's not even an ego. It's a school of thought. No one is safe from Jordan's wrath.

Jordan was the greatest player of all-time because of this. He holds grudges. To this day it appears as though he would play Bryon Russell – a man whom he probably spent the most time talking about, not say, Scottie Pippen – in a pickup game simply because he had the audacity to question his retirement. He says – in all seriousness – that he may play when he's 50 years old. Because “limits, like fears, are often an illusion.” Are you kidding? Jordan comes off like your dad after a few too many Fourth of July beers. “I can take you. Come on, let's wrestle.” The thing is, no one would be really shocked if he tried to comeback.

Unlike a certain #4 we are all sick of, Jordan doesn't simply know and love the game he played for years and years. He needs it. He needs to be slighted. Mocked. Doubted. It comes across in his love of golf and love of (presumably) high stakes gambling. “You don't think I can win this hand? Nail this chip? I'll show you.” It's no stretch to picture Jordan in a high-priced retirement home at age 75, hustling fellow residents at Bingo, shuffleboard, checkers – anything competitive.

Before his Hall of Fame speech, we remembered Jordan in snapshots. The Shot. The Pushoff. The Tongue. Free Throw Line. 63. The Shrug. 6 Fingers. Air. All these moments were what a Hall of Fame speech should have been: a celebration of moments of greatness and being gracious toward those who helped him get there.

Like John Stockton and David Robinson – the pictures of grace and humility in their speeches. There was a small movement when it came time to induct Jordan that thought he should have been inducted alone, that such a mammoth figure would overshadow all other deserving candidates in his class. I was in favor of that sentiment. Now? Without Robinson and Stockton, Jordan's speech would have been so soul-crushing it may have tainted what should be an untaintable career.

As the years passed and the highlights became deeply ingrained in our memories, we seemed to have forgotten the greatest player in NBA history was an asshole.

WANT.

2009-09-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

A Great Start

2009-08-30T19:54:00.003-04:00

Here are a few videos to start the week off right.

I just caught the documentary "Tyson" last night, a must see for any boxing fan. Here are some of the great moments of his career.

Blur still rules. Here is their best song, "Coffee and Tv", from their reunion show.

I think the fact that somebody looped this is funnier/more absurd than the actual video.

How 'Major League' changed baseball forever

2009-08-29T18:23:00.006-04:00

[Author's note: I felt this aside was necessary. If you're a writer, just get/use Twitter already.

Twitter is a lot of things. But it's best use is an inspiration receptacle. See exhibit A, from my feed:

Was the film "Major League" the root cause of the deification of closers? I say yes.
11:05 a.m. July 26

Nearly a month ago I wrote that. Now, notebooks are for dorks, so pre-Twitter that thought would have been awash in a sea of daily errands, song lyrics, Team Fortress 2 strategies, and movie quotes.

Now, that thought is a full post. That's Twitter for us non-celebrity writers.]

Major League is not a particularly great film. It's funny enough, especially among typical sappy sports affairs. But it is a movie I have probably seen at least twenty times. Probably much, much more, but I need to maintain some veneer of coolness.

For the uninitiated: Major League follows the story of a shitty Cleveland Indians baseball club. There is a wild and varied cast of characters who represent all manner of MLB stereotypes. From the Dark Continent-hailing Sorano to the fast-talking, base-stealing Willie Mays Hayes to the crotchety, mustachioed manager -- they're all here. There's a bitchy owner, who wants the team to lose so they can relocate and make more money. But it was really to make her seem more bitchy.

But guess what!? ::SPOILER ALERT:: Against all odds, they win the pennant in a dramatic and satisfying fashion! There were bunts. Strikeouts. Hugs. It was glorious.

Everyone who saw Major League remembers one thing more than anything else. Wild Thing.

It really doesn't lose that much in Spanish.

Charlie Sheen played Rick Vaughn, the team's hot-tempered, mohawk sporting closer. He entered the game to a cover of The Troggs' "Wild Thing" (due to his penchant for outside pitches and outrageous hair).

If any of this sounds familiar, it should. While Major League came out in 1989, it changed the course of baseball forever. In positive and negative ways. All because of one little song.

*****

When I say the name Mariano Rivera, a few phrases should pop into your head. Dominant. Yankees. Cutter. Even G.O.A.T. If "Enter Sandman" does not come to mind, you don't follow baseball closely enough.

Or Trevor Hoffman. Changeup. Padres. All-time saves leader. "Hells Bells."

Did you know nearly every closer in baseball (at least those who are worth a damn) have some sort of supposed-to-be-intimidating entrance theme?

And it all started with Hoffman and Rivera (or the P.A. guys) -- some ten years after the film -- emulating Sheen and Major League. Now, the relationship between closer and entrance theme has reached wrestling status, becoming a mini-theme song to the narrative film that is The Closer.

As cool as that is -- a movie affecting real life! -- there is a bigger issue at work here. Major League -- in all it's closer-as-God postulating -- single-handedly elevated the closer to the ridiculous heights the position has reached.

*****

I am no film scholar, but I can tell Sheen is the main character of Major League. He has sex with a woman. Punches out a guy. Does a lot of silly things. Main character stuff.

It stands to reason -- he was/is a big actor. But what is interesting is his position in the film. He's a relief pitcher, which is by far the most boring position in baseball (with the exception, maybe, of second base). He's not the big hitter. Or the tough-as-nails catcher. Not even the flashy center fielder. He's the closer.

I can't imagine many Average Joes knew what the hell a closer was in 1989. I suppose images of Eckersley-to-Gibson still resonated, but Eck was probably the most iconic modern closer. The non-baseball fan populous wasn't inundated with ESPN and highlights of 9th inning strikeouts with fistpumps yet.

But if you watch that above clip -- the way the stands are bumping, everyone ecstatic that Vaughn is entering the game, the music blaring so loudly -- it might as well be in 2009, in Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium or Dodger Stadium. Rick Vaughn was the best, most exciting, most entertaining part of that film and that fictional Indians team.

Just like Eric Gagne was in 2002.

"Steroids? Fuck yeah!"

The similarities between the fictional Vaughn and the real-life Gagne are startling. The Dodgers closer chose a ridiculous goatee/rec spec look, compared to the equally ridiculous mohawk/horn-rimmed glasses. They were both clearly dominant pitchers, Gagne recording 84 straight saves spanning two seasons, while Vaughn struck out that mean-looking Yankee who spit a lot.

But the similarities between Vaughn and Gagne's entrances is what gets me. Gagne had his own graphics featuring "Game Over" and a silly pixelated avatar of the Canadian closer. Fans began wearing the goggles and the goatee during games, just in the off-chance he'd come in and close. The man was a superstar. A real-life Vaughn some twenty years later.

The cult of Gagne -- all "Welcome to the Jungle" and Game Over -- would not have existed without the precident set by Major League. Concious or not, the fingerprints of Rick Vaughn's entrance theme, the fans going bananas over one of the most overrated position in sports, the costume-y getup, can still be seen today.

*****

Today, nearly every closer looks like a descendant of Vaughn. Boston's Jon Papelbon sported a mohawk for a time, even mentioning the film's icon. The closer position is home to some of the most flamboyant, borderline crazy players in all of baseball. Just look at Francisco Rodriguez (whose celebrations push the limits of good sportsmanship), Brian Wilson (in all his tattooed glory), or Fernando Rodney (who just threw a ball into the press box after nailing down a particularly tough save). Even if your team stinks, at least you have that ninth inning song, that cartoon character coming in at the end of the game, to cheer for.

In the seminal book Moneyball, Oakland GM Billy Beane admits he would pump up the value of his closers by making sure they recorded saves, despite thinking the stat was pointless. For the amount of "work" they do, the closer is probably the highest paid position in baseball. Somewhere in the long history of baseball it became necessary to have that end of the game guy. Someone to nail down those close games.

That moment may not have been when Major League hit theatres, but how else can you explain the unbelieveable similarities between and Vaughn and nearly every closer in baseball since?

Closers are rock stars and it's beacuse of Major League.

Free the Basement Fantasy Football League

2009-08-27T22:49:00.002-04:00

Who wants in?

Bill Withers

2009-08-25T11:48:00.002-04:00

This is such a solid groove that I had to put it up. It's been stuck in my head for days and I'm happy to have it. Also Bill Withers is one of those "That's them too!?" artists who secretly did "Ain't no Sunshine", "Lean On Me", and "Just the Two of Us". Dig on it.

Why the NFL is #1 (hint: it's nationalism)

2009-08-24T18:16:00.009-04:00

This post is, in part, a response to Bill Simmons' "Soccer is so much cooler than anything else and I am cooler for liking it" column up on ESPN. I have no problem with soccer or those who love it, but Simmons comes off as pretentious and, shall we say, late to the party (soccer has gone from chic to trite in terms of fringe sports to love).

But it did get me thinking: we (Americans) fucking love football. Way more than baseball, hoops, or especially hockey. And it's because of one reason.

Nationalism.

That and violence. But mostly nationalism.

Internationalization -- that is, the ever-growing presence of players not from the States -- seemingly grows in sports every year. The numbers may not back it up (which I cannot find, dammit), but it seems as though there are more and more international stars in the NBA, NHL, and MLB. If there's not more, I guarantee it's not going down.

Think about baseball. Pujols, Ortiz, Ramirez (both Hanley and Manuel), Rodriguez, and Ichiro are some of the biggest, most famous stars in the sport. And not one of them is American.

Or the NBA. Still firmly entrenched with American superstars, there is still a host of successful and famous international stars from far away lands. Dirk, Manu, Parker, Duncan (kind of), Nash, Gasol, Hedo (sort of), and at least 1-2 role players per team.

I don't follow the NHL, but they've got a ton of Europeans and Canadians. One of the sports two best players is Russian.

But oh the NFL. I challenge you to name a single player of any repute from another country. The way the NFL is structured -- U.S. college star or nothing -- effectively kills any chance a poor kid from, say, Spain, can even have a chance at breaking into the sport.

Does the NFL even have a single Asian player?

Well-off American athletes go to college, play football, get drafted, get rich and get famous. Football is so painfully American -- expensive/difficult (in terms of organization) to play, necessary to attend college to turn pro, a good number of white people playing -- it's priced out international talent.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

The draft/farm system of other sports is much more conducive to grooming oversea talent. The MLB -- with their wild west, "sign you out of Cuba when you're 14" system. The NBA -- where international leagues are gaining more and more cred (see Rubio, Ricky). And the NHL -- where kids are born stick in hand, skates on feet, any cold climate will do.

But the NFL? "Oh, you didn't play for Florida/USC/*other enormous NFL feeder system*? No thanks." Hell, American players who can ball, but are from tiny schools, are often overlooked. Forget about being from another country.

Secretly, or honestly, a lot of American sports fans probably don't like international players. And it's not too hard to explain. It's easier for me to relate to oh, Tom Brady, than it is for me to relate to Yao Ming.

He doesn't speak English well. He looks funny. He's not like me.

Is that an ignorant, wrong, foolish, outdated point of view? Yes, yes, yes, yes. But it's true.

That's why the NFL is number one. If you're a white kid from Wisconsin, you've got your Bret Favre. The South? Eli or Peyton. Maybe you relate to T.O. or LDT. Or Brees, Palmer, Ochocinco, McNabb, Moss, Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Fitzgerald, Peterson, or every fucking star in the league.

Whoever it is they share one thing: they're American. And that's why we love football the most. It's one of the few vaults those scary foreigners haven't broken into yet.

Famous Folders, Celebrity Crinklers

2009-08-23T16:28:00.004-04:00

Health care schmealthcare, wiping technique is something that effects everyone. Whether you are a toilet paper folder, a toilet paper crinkler, or the rare switch wiper, you take great pride in your method. It is impossible for the folder to fathom the primitive crinkle, improbable that the crinkler will evolve to the fold. There may truly be no right or wrong way to wipe, at least you are wiping, but the debate will surely last until the end of days. Free the Basement has uncovered some famous folders and celebrity crinklers.

Ric Flair
One of the greatest humans to ever live, Flair has won countless professional wrestling championships. Every woman's dream, Flair has not wiped his own ass since he hit puberty, his harem does that for him. We have learned that Flair's women are strictly told to fold his silk toilet wipes. Folder

Andrew W.K.
This man loves to party, and while he may be an eloquent speaker and the voice of a generation, he is also wild in the bathroom. Crinkler

Ichiro Suzuki
Baseball's best hitter comes from a meticulous Japanese culture, it should be no surprise that the outfielder is a folder. What may surprise the reader is that Ichiro folds his t.p. into origami cranes before use. Folder

Megan Fox
Girls don't poop.

Barack Obama
The chain smoking, blackberry toting, super smooth, ruler of the free world is clearly short on time. When Mr. President gets the job done he doesn't waste a second. Crinkler

Threefor

2009-08-12T10:38:00.002-04:00

I am slightly obsessed with sequencing when it comes to albums. I think (foolishly, probably) which songs are first, fifth, last, etc. is very important. It's probably because I am neurotic.

I twittered that Wolf Parade's epic three-way of "Shine A Light", "Dear Sons and Daughters..." and "I'll Believe in Anything" is the best three songs in a row of the past *span of time*. That is what spawned this list.

The one rule: the three-span has to surpass the overall goodness of the album. I don't care if *album X* has ten great songs and you pick three in a row. In the Wolf Parade example, I believe those three songs destroy the rest of the (fucking great) album.

That's it. In most albums you'll find great songs are rarely three in a row. Smart artists will spread them out, with average to below-average songs in between. It's the smart move. So when there are three in a row, giving my skipping thumb a much needed rest, it's great.

Here are some I've found in my iTunes.

Blood Brothers - Young Machetes - "Set Fire to the Face on Fire", "We Ride Skeletal Lightning" and "Laser Life"

I've been listening to these crazy bastards a lot lately (for some reason, incoherent screaming and squealing guitars makes for awesome basketball music) and found out the three openers off their 2006 album are 500% better than the rest of the album. Luckily for them, they rode that momentum wave to create a solid album. Still, nothing beats those three.

Fuck, I miss music videos

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - "The Wolves (Act I and II)", "Blindsided" and "Creature Fear"

On the complete opposite end of the sonic spectrum from the Blood Bros., Bon Iver's heartbreaking '07 album is full of wonderful, slow-building folk songs. And while only nine tracks, he constructed the album like a baseball lineup, with the 4-5-6 hitters (of course, stand out "Skinny Love" is third. I am pretty sure Mr. Iver is a baseball fan) being the big boppers. Well done sir.

Fucked Up - Hidden World - "Crusades," David Comes to Life" and "Invisible Leader"

If you like hard rock/punk/hardcore/anything with guitars and yelling go out and buy/steal/burn/torrent this album. It's one of the best punk albums of the past five years. It's so good, it actually has two spans of three spectacular songs. Here -- again, the first three songs -- Fucked Up flex their "punk with brains" muscles. "Crusades" is a seven-minute anthem that people probably would have bashed each other's skulls in to in 1987. And "Invisible Leader" has some of the most insane and awesome lyrics I've heard in any song: Rip the flesh with the gnashing teeth / Search the insides of the dying beast / From the book of Enoch / To the Bible codes / We'll spend our final days still looking for that gold.

What?!?!

Not for the audio, as much for the 300+ pound bear yelling

Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances - "Upon Viewing...", "Titus Andronicus" and "No Future"

Similar to Fucked Up, I have no idea what this band is talking about most of the time. There's some Camus in there (like actual excerpts from The Stranger). There's some Seinfeld references. Whatever. One thing I do know is they sure know how to construct a rock song. The 5-6-7 on this nine-tracker are the best, with the self-titled anthem sandwiched between two sprawling, weird-yet-great songs. They may scream pretension, but damn if I care when the songs are this good.

Again, I really miss actual MTV

Jay Reatard - Blood Visions - "Oh It's Such a Shame," "Not A Substitute" and "Nightmares"

It just wouldn't be right of me to not include the man I am listening to on constant rotation in this list. I happen to think Blood Visions is a fantastic album. But if I were to sell some on Jay, it would be, without a doubt, these three. Clocking in at just over five minute total, these three tracks embody everything I (and every American music fan should) love about Jay Reatard. Fury. Cleverness. Truth. Seriously, I want him to be mainstream popular. And I am not just being an indie asshole (even though that's what one would say).

Just spend 20 minutes with the man and get a good cross-section of his tunes. Oh, and he's a genius.

Games, fun and you

2009-07-31T15:00:00.005-04:00

The above video (from by far the best games site out there) is long and more than a little soap-boxy, but it gets at something I have been mulling over a lot lately.

Do video games have to be "fun" to be "good"? I use quotes because those terms are very fluid and kind of meaningless, but the basic question -- does the act of playing a video game have to be pleasurable for said game to be deemed worthy of your time/money -- is a valid one as the world's newest medium of art moves forward.

I just finished a review for the DS title Flower, Sun, and Rain. It was not a fun game. The main gameplay conceit is sifting through a large collection of information to find a numerical code to unlock story elements and move the game forward. This was not fun. At all. There was no thrill of discovery in solving the puzzles, no joy in finding the solution. But the story is compelling.

I ask, is this game worth playing? Despite giving it a 2/10, I say yes, it is. If only because it's one of the first games I have ever come across (reading about or playing) in which playing it was not fun, yet I wanted to keep going.

The above video argues that fun is not enough, that games need to be more serious, even unfun, in order to succeed and mean something. I struggle with this, as I find it very difficult (puns always intended) to play a game which is difficult to have fun with. I look at a book like Gravity's Rainbow. When it came out, it was deemed "unreadable" and "shitty" (the Pulitzer board may have used cleaner language) and yet, is undeniably important and looked upon as one of the best novels of this century.

So we wait. We wait for the day when a game is so great, has such an amazing story or commentary on life, but is not fun to play. Will anyone want to play it?

Boy Meets Liquor

2009-07-30T17:03:00.001-04:00

And you will know us by the trail of Paul O'Neil

2009-07-29T12:12:00.000-04:00

Can I Play With Your Dandelion?

2009-07-26T15:02:00.002-04:00

Grish already posted about Super Mash Bros (and Wig played me some songs), but I was a bit unconvinced for awhile, until I got their (free) albums from their Myspace. The following is maybe the most wonderful two minutes of music I have ever heard:

I've also been listening to some good summer tunes from JJ and Ganglians.

JJ are Swedish, kind of tropical-influenced (but not in a lame way), and totally rad. Here is a link to one of their tunes. Ganglians is a more far out, reverbier version of the Beach Boys: dig it. "Voodoo" is one of my faves.

Also, does anyone know how to embed music files? On some blogs I've seen, they embed a Lala thing that plays it, but for some reason whenever I try it crashes my computer, which is being a POS?

2009-07-24T02:34:00.002-04:00

This is so great. My friend from Japan was here this week and showed it to me. They convinced some small children that there was a zombie in the town and they had to defend the house. I love seeing what the kids came up with and seeing the zombie get caught in every boobytrap. It's like Zombies + Home Alone + Japan. My favorite part is the letter he sends to the kids. "I'm Coming Soon. Sincerely, Zombie".

Great line.

2009-07-19T22:28:00.000-04:00

Fixing Errors

2009-07-18T16:54:00.005-04:00

I took it upon myself to fix some errors that I have noticed.

I refuse to live in a world where Taro Gomi gets away with lying. We all know girls don't poop.

Enough is enough.

Thai Music Thus Far

2009-07-13T04:47:00.003-04:00

Inspired by Grish's post, I decided to post again about Thai music.

I posted a while ago about what music's like in Thailand but I've been here far longer and now I have a better idea of how it really is. The most important thing I've discovered is a genre or music called Isan. Isan is the rural territory to the far North and East in Thailand and has it's own style of righteous jams. I've included one song that I absolutely love. It's called "อย่างนี้มันต้องถอน" which sounds like "yong ni mon dtong tawn" and translates into something about having to drink in the morning to get over a hangover. When I first heard the song, I loved it. Then I found out what it's about and I loved it more. Then finally I saw the music video and it wasn't possible to love this song any more than I did. There's really no end to the great things about this video. The visual effects, the singers appearance and mannerisms and air-guitaring to his own song, the rapid-fire karaeoke thai, the FUCKING DANCERS! It's almost too much!

อย่างนี้มันต้องถอน

I'll also include our second favorite song which is another great sing-a-long. I'm not sure of the name of this one but as far as I'm concerned it's just "Doo doo doo". It's a solid reggae tune with a solid reggae singer. The chorus is "look, look, look (that's the doo doo doo), how can you do that to me?"

ดูดู่ดู้

Also, I'm not sure how to embed the videos right on to the page, how do you do that?

doo doo doo,
j

Music of 2009: Halfway progress report

2009-07-10T10:51:00.004-04:00

So (I guess) 2009 is roughly halfway over. To break the posting drought, I decided to follow what a few blogs I read have done and do a "favorite music of the first half of 2009" post. Enjoy, and I encourage others to do similar posts. Here's what I'm grooving on.

Best album of 2009
Animal Collective - Meriweather Post Pavillion

Not much else to say, other than nothing has topped it yet.

Favorite album at the all-star break
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

This may not be the best album of the year, but so far, I have listened to it the most and believe YYY have done something amazing with Blitz -- changing (or least modifying) genres successfully, while maintaining the original spirit of the band. "Zero," "Heads Will Roll" and "Dull Life" are Fever-era YYY jams, and songs like "Skeletons" and "Soft Shock" highlight their new sound. I doubt that I personally will like any '09 album as much as this one. It also has an awesome cover.

Album I don't understand why people like
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

I will admit to not giving this much of a chance, but after listening to a handful of songs I immediately said "fuck this." I can sum their sound up like this -- it's like Bjork (whom I love) with a band. For some reason I cannot stand it.

Disappointment of the first half
Handsome Furs - Face Control, Wavves - Wavvves

I loved Wolf Parade side project Handsome Furs' first record, so much so, I still listen to it today. But their 2009 showing did/does nothing for me. It's hard to put my finger on why -- they sound similar, there are a few very good songs -- but it makes me sad I don't love it like Plague Park.

One of the most divisive releases I can remember has been Wavvves. This super lo-fi, feedback-y, noise pop album seemed right up my alley. I was sold once I heard "So Bored" and excited about the album. But boy does that shit get old after three songs. The "production" isn't good lo-fi, it just sounds lazy/shitty. And I guess that's the point? Either way, this isn't Vivian Girls (or other good lo-fi bands), who can actually write a catchy song.

The boner award (for "grower" of 1/2 of '09)
Dan Deacon - Bromst

I won't say I don't like Bromst -- there are some really rad songs -- but I can say I think it will only get better as the year rolls on. The shit is complex, layered sounds upon layered sounds, with songs taking 6+ minutes to build up to an epic explosion. I like it right now, but I bet I will love it come December.

Slayinist riffage of 50% 2009
2:12 - 2:54, "Divinations" off Crack the Skye

Seriously. If we lived in 1986, Mastodon would be bigger than Metallica.

Most badass lyric(s) of .5 2009
Major Lazer - "Lazer Theme"

"Me and my motherfucking gun stay smoking."

Assorted summer jams

Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait for the Others"
Just a really, really great song off a very good album.

Major Lazer - "Hold the Line"
It's no secret I love all things Santogold, and she's featured on this crazy song, which samples a horse neigh and is totally great.

Sunset Rubdown - "Idiot Heart"
This song is Krug canon as far as I am concerned. It builds so well -- going from slightly reigned in, to off the rails over it's six minutes -- and is one of my favorite songs to sing to in the car. "I hope that you die/With a decent pair of shoes" is also a great lyric.

Super Mash Bros. - "Bruce Willis Was Dead The Whole Time"
Great title aside, this mashup -- bringing Lil Wayne's "A Milli" and that song they play at sports stadiums all the time which no one knows the name of -- is fucking genius. The album is free and highly recommended.

Peaches - "Show Stopper"
Her 2009 release came and went pretty quietly and I liked it, but this song is the definition of a jam. Her style (overtly sexual rapping); she's still got it.

Dan Deacon - "Build Voice"
Ever since I saw the video of him programming a player piano to play the riff on this song, I was hooked on it. The song tells you all you need to know about the album -- it's crazy/good.

Death of a hero

2009-06-26T12:23:00.003-04:00

For all his "character flaws" (to put it softly), the King of Pop is now dead and the world of music a little emptier. He hasn't been relevant in a while and was/is one creepy motherfucker, but, in the immortal words of Dave Chappelle:

Enjoy this video of the great one versus the great one in a game of ball.

So moonwalk into heaven Jacko. Your music will live on forever.

Birth of a Hero

2009-06-23T22:26:00.001-04:00

I haven't been this excited about a documentary in a long time...

2009-06-23T20:41:00.001-04:00

Jimmy Page? Check.

The Edge? Check.

Jack White? Check.

Check it

Why athletes are super-human: exhibit 27367 B

2009-06-09T16:52:00.002-04:00

Yeah, nothing else to say really.

Mark's Drawing of the Week

2009-06-03T14:46:00.001-04:00

Are you fucking kidding me?

2009-06-03T14:04:00.002-04:00

So I'm sitting here happily watching Modern Marvels on History Channel when the next show comes on: a multi-hour show called "Ancient Aliens" which starts off with them interviewing the Vatican about whether aliens were angels. Are you fucking kidding me? Who the fuck authorized this waste of money? Like ok, maybe on the scifi channel with their ghost hunting shows, but seriously, on the history channel? What the fuck happened?

Remember when the history channel was good? Then it became the WWII channel, went back to being good, the waffled a little bit running only shows about hitler and kinda lame shows like modern marvels which really aren't what the channel should be about. Now they've pretty much hit rock bottom with shit like this. Like seriously, this is beyond lame.

Remember awesome shows on the history of jazz and baseball on history channel? Yeah neither do I, those were documentaries by Ken Burns on PBS. This is what the history channel should be, not this fucking lame bullshit they're airing these days. My, how the mighty have fallen (straight down to the lowest common denominator). I can't wait till they start airing "historical" episodes of Cops. Fuck that.

Embarassment of riches

2009-06-03T13:06:00.003-04:00

Being a Red Sox fan is pretty OK. Your team is always competitive, has lost it's "lovable loser" moniker and generally seems to care about putting a winning product on the field.

But holy shit is the media awful.

WEEI -- which I listen to often in the car because I hate myself -- is one of the most alarmist, irrational, moronic outlets related to anything, sports aside. Their latest (see: only) topic? How terrible David Ortiz has been. With the Bruins and Celtics done, and the Pats not up to much, there's not a lot going on in the Boston sports scene. And yes, Ortiz has been awful and is a concern, but one would think the Red Sox are sitting in last place, the amount of burn the Ortiz story is getting.

And this phenomenon is one of the reasons being in the Red Sox loop is horrifying.

Ortiz, the number three hitter who is a few seasons removed from hitting over 50 homers, is probably done. He looks old, his may be off the juice, he has no Latin players to hang out with (untrue, but said), he wants out of Boston, he needs a new hitting coach, all these and many more have been thrown around regarding Ortiz.

But the point is, it doesn't matter. It's a joke that this is such a big deal. He's done. Move on. Let him hit down in the order until he gets it figured out. Or doesn't. It happens. Boston is top ten in runs scored, homers, RBI, average, on-base, and OPS. It's not like they are the Nationals here. They have not one, but two MVP canidates from last season, Pedroia and Youkilis, the former hasn't even begun to hit for power yet. They have Bay, who has 16 homers and four more hitters with more than seven home runs. Are those guys playing over their heads? Somewhat, but the lineup is deep, they back each other up. If any other team -- except maybe the Yankees -- had this amount of offensive talent, and was still bitching about one slumping star, while sitting one game out of first, they would be told to shut up.

So I'll do it. Shut up, Red Sox media. Please.

There's so much about "Our number three hitter is a black hole!" Solution that has finally been discovered: Move. Him. Down. Here's what ridiculous lineup the team could have -- and not by making a trade -- but just moving Ortiz down.

Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis, Bay, Lowell, Drew, Ortiz, Varitek, SS du jour.

That is a deep playoff lineup, Ortiz be damned. Your 2-6 hitters should average 20 homers -- with Bay closer to 30+ and Pedroia closer to the low teens -- which is crazy.

I am against trading for Nick "Glassman" Johnson or Victor Martinez, simply because it's foolish. Ever since the Nomar days, there has been this prevailing thought that the Sox need an All-Star at every position, a player who hits 50 homers. Guess what? It's OK to not have a batting champ in the nine-hole. Would I like a Martinez or Hanley Ramirez? Yeah, I guess. But at what cost? And to what end?

This team, as currently constructed, can win the division and make it deep in the playoffs. Our bullpen is great, the starters will be fine, there's help in the minors and the lineup is deep as hell. So forget Ortiz. Let him languish in the seven or six spot. Maybe he gets it together and hits like 20 homers. Crazier things have happened. If he doesn't, whatever. He's your seven hitter. Rotate him with Baldelli and other DH types. Bring up Lars Anderson or something. Just don't trade three of four pieces for some DH.

The Red Sox don't need big bats at every spot in the lineup. It's a little embarassing already.

On E3 and metal

2009-06-03T11:16:00.002-04:00

I've finally figured it out: E3 is the Oscars of video games. There are no awards that mean anything for games, and that sucks. But dear God is E3 awesome. There so much amazing news (Metal Gear: Rising for the 360, Left 4 Dead 2, project Natal, a new 2D Mario, new Zelda and Metroid titles, footage from every rad game coming out), it such a huge event, that it is the date on the gaming calendar. Sure, other shows like PAX and GDC have taken a bit away from E3, but all the big wigs save their best shit for now. All my internet time for the past few days has been catching up on all the comings and goings. Other years have been hit or miss, but this year has been great. My goal is to be there writing about it in the next year or two.

Video collection: Day 2
Video collection: Day 1

Sunn O))) has been one of my favorite metal bands of the past few years. They can be a little, shall we say, dense (five albums span 23 songs, with more than 2/3 of those songs going past ten minutes), but they are the heaviest band ever. Their new one, Monoliths and Dimensions, is pretty great, and their most "accessible" (if 16-minute doom metal songs can ever be that) to date. It's definitely not for everyone, some people even dare to say it's not music, but give it a chance. Everything you need to know about them can be summed up in the first ten seconds of the following video.

I've also been into Les Savy Fav (how did no one tell me to listen to you before?!), the new Sunset Rubdown, and some of the new Grizzly Bear.

Music Parody at its Best

2009-06-01T10:50:00.003-04:00

Some group made a series of videos poking fun at some of the more popular bands in the world. I posted the Coldplay one because its hilarious, but they also do U2, Arctic Monkeys, Metallica, and Kings of Leon.

Is there anything funnier? You need to watch the whole thing.

The 8 ballers you play at the rec

2009-05-31T15:00:00.003-04:00

Whether you're in an intermural league at college, play every weekend with some buddies or head down to the park to take on strangers, playing pick-up basketball is the highest form of sports competition most of us will see.

And no matter how many times you play, you will always see these players, the eights rec ballers.

The Stiff

At first, the Stiff seems like a valuable asset because he's got size, a hot commodity in rec ball. But within a few minutes of play, the Stiff earns his moniker. He's uncoordinated, can't jump, doesn't run the floor well and isn't even very good at rebounding. He also has no post moves to speak of and can't play defense. He most likely plays for his high school or college team only because he's tall.

Signature move: A laser beam hook shot off the front rim.

The General

Not lacking in personal problems, the General sees rec ball as a chance to grab life by the balls and never let go. The General takes it upon himself to play coach in a game where there are no plays, defense is lackadaisical, and the most complex offense is pick-and-roll. Still, the General feels the need to yell "shooter!" anytime an opponent is open for a three, "board" in an obvious rebound situation and get on you for not switching on D. He's one of the more annoying teammates as his primary skill is talking loudly.

Signature move: Holding the ball at the point while gesturing teammates to move.

The Hustler

The Hustler knows rec ball is about one thing: running. If you run more than the other guy, you'll probably get easy buckets. The Hustler may not be very skilled, but he sets picks, moves without the ball and runs on fast breaks. Making up more than 50% of most rec ballers, they are a good teammate to have.

Signature move: Running off multiple screens for an open jumper.

The Veteran

While rec ball is a young man's game, The Veteran plays to recapture a sliver of youthful glory while staving of the effects of aging just a little longer. He's probably a former high school/college star, with memories of past game-winners faded grey with time. Clearly over 50, the Veteran has some skills and is not at all useless. From a propensity to pass the ball, to beautiful old school shooting form, to knee pads and a slow gait, the Veteran can be the glue that hold a good rec squad together.

Signature move: A 15-foot set jump shot with both feet touching.

The Wannabe

The Wannabe has seen far too many And-1 tapes for his own good. He's realized long ago that he cannot drive, can't shoot very well and isn't athletic. So he's practiced dribbling and three point shooting and isn't afraid to show off either. He'll jack up NBA-distance threes, even when you're just playing ones and is an awful teammate due to his illusions of grandeur.

Signature move: A series of fancy dribbling followed by a turnover at the three point line.

The Stud

The rarest of rec ballers, the Stud is far better than anyone else on the court and he knows it. He starts for his high school/college team and probably shouldn't be playing pick-up games at 2 on a Saturday, but he is. They can come in the form a highly skilled shooter, dominant center or even shot-blocking defender. They are so much faster, stronger and better than you, it's like you're not even playing the same game.

Signature move: A reverse layup past two defenders, created off a crossover.

The Blackhole

A variation on the Wannabe, the Blackhole actually has some hoops skill, but not nearly as much as he likes to think. Rec ball has become the Blackhole's stage, a vehicle for him to make himself feel better about his life. He will jack up threes, scream for the ball, yell at teammates for no reason and generally take shit way too seriously. If you pass him the ball, get ready to box out, because it's going up.

Signature move: A three with a hand in face, followed by sour looks at teammates for not getting the rebound.

The Godsend

There are some rec ballers who realize what rec basketball is about -- passing, moving and having a good time. The Godsend will hustle after loose balls, set picks, pass first, run the break, make open shots, gives you the heads up on picks, double teams at the perfect time and is always ready with a high five after good plays. They may not be the best, but they are the most fun to play with.

Signature move: A perfect pass off a drive that leads to an easy lay-in for someone else.

Now go forth and ball. And don't be a Blackhole.

The birth of a villain

2009-05-29T14:03:00.003-04:00

What makes a villain? I guess, at the most basic level, it's doing evil deeds.

So how has LeBron James -- by all accounts one the most likable, friendly, charismatic superstars ever -- found himself at the epicenter of a backlash?

Not from writers and the league -- they clearly love him -- but more so the couch surfing NBA fan. They hate his bull-in-a-China-shop style. His propensity to draw fouls, often justly, sometimes not. His selfish play at times, where the team's offense seems to be "watch LeBron." His alpha dog mentality, which many see as arrogance. It seems as though everything that has made James into the best player in the league has also made him into one of the most reviled. And in what amounts to the blink of an eye.

I was not around (well, I was, but like ten years old) for the Jordan era, so I have no idea if this sort of negativity followed him after he became a legend, but I assume it did. There is something about the career arcs of legends that lends themselves to being hated upon. They start off usually being handed fame. We've all heard the "Jordan was cut from his high school team!" story, but he became Jordan when he nailed that shot at UNC. LeBron is obviously a more glaring example, an icon as a young teenager, an international star at 18. It's something we as fans cannot relate to. LeBron was destined to be a great NBA player. And sure, he worked hard to get there, but all we see is "high school stud, genetic freak, NBA star, NBA legend" and think all he had to do was roll out of bed.

This is also why "scrappiness," "the will to win" and all other manner of sports cliches have found their way into the American zeitgeist. We love an underdog, a hard worker who gets the most out of what he has. LeBron seems like someone who is "just" 6'10", 280 pounds, who bowls his way into the lane, gets all the calls, and is a big selfish doo-doo head. We root against him because his team swept through the playoffs, waiting to sweep into the Finals and take what's his, an NBA title.

The Magic (and, for the same reason, the Nuggets) have become your team, simply because you're sick of all the LeBron/Kobe talk. It's no fun to root for the guy who's awesome and supposed to win. And in the Internet age, we are so inundated with story after story about him, we get sick of him before he's even done anything.

It may have taken Jordan a title or two before people grew tired of him, but LeBron -- who has won one of what should be many MVPs -- has only been to one Finals and there's already a palpable sense that we're sick of him. We are sick of what may very well be the best NBA player any of us will ever see play.

So is LeBron James destined to be the NBA's villain? Yes, and in a sense, he already is. No one outside of Cleveland (or team 2010) will be a fan of him, simply because he is too good. LeBron has done nothing to draw our ire but be the league's best player.

Kobe, keep that seat warm.

Come and see

2009-05-23T12:21:00.003-04:00

While the story of this NBA playoffs was made last night, with LeBron nailing the biggest shot of his life and probably the Cavs franchise, the bigger story -- which touches any and all fans of basketball -- is that this is an amazing Conference Finals.

Both series are 1-1, but what's more is there are no Spurs or Pistons -- faceless, defense-heavy monsters -- grinding out 90-89 wins. We have four superstars leading their teams to high levels of excellence.

The Four Horsemen of the NBA Apocalypse.

Revelation Six, King James (of course) version:

¹And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
²And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The first horsemen, Conquest, is LeBron James. Last night's "Jordan over Ehlo" moment is his crowning. Forget the Championship, which now looks like it won't be easy, this moment is historic. Win, lose or draw, LeBron James has his first of many huge moments in the playoffs.

And still he is going forth, conquering.

³And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
⁴And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Carmelo Anthony, leader of the manic Nuggets, is the second horsemen, War. The Nuggets have slaughtered their way through the playoffs to this point, led by oft-overlooked superstar Anthony. Before each series were tied 1-1, the Nuggets were seen as the threat to the inevitable Kobe/Bron finals, an agent of chaos in a predestined land.

And the reason is Anthony has finally reached his full potential, nipping at the heels of the current poster boys of the league. He carries a great sword, a skill set that is unmatched by anyone except Kobe. His scoring is so easy, so effortless, it's a joy to watch. Beating LA will take peace from this Earth.

⁵And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

In the wake of War comes Famine. Dwight Howard represents Famine, carrying the balance of the NBA with him. While the Magic rely on the three as much as Howard, with a huge game, Howard tips the scales of the Cleveland/Orlando series, with the chance to eliminate the NBA's prodigal son.

Howard is also clearly the most raw of the stars in the Conference Finals, a feast or famine player who can dominate or disappear from game to game, even quarter to quarter. And after Famine comes...

⁷And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
⁸And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

"Hell followed him" has never described an NBA player better than Kobe Bryant. This is his last, best shot at an NBA title. He is facing a star who may actually be better than him (Melo) and the King looms. He has 2-3 years at a high level of play, which will slowly deteriorate with each season and each deep playoff series.

And yet he still has the power to kill with the sword, hunger, death and the beasts of the Earth. He is still an assassin, a player with a killer instinct who can close games unlike any other. His team is also as talented and deep as any other and led by a legendary coach. This is his time.

It is rare we see teams this talented, this evenly matched, and led by such compelling superstars, meet at the apex of competition. So forget about the dream matchup of Kobe/Bron and enjoy these Conference Finals.

Review: 21st Century Breakdown

2009-05-21T14:50:00.037-04:00

7.9/10.0

Somewhere within the 70 minute, 18 song rock opera that is 21st Century Breakdown you will find Green Day's best album. The latest LP from the East Bay pop punk trio is a bloated mess of a record, but the kind of mess one might expect from a group trying to follow up an album that transformed them from middle aged apathy rockers to one of the biggest bands on the planet. After the critical and commercial anomaly that was American Idiot, Green Day responds with an album that throws a lot of ideas at the wall with varying degrees of success.

In 2004, American Idiot sold 26 million units worldwide, reached #1 in nineteen countries, delivered four top 10 singles, and won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Album. After buddying up with Bono (Uh oh), recording with U2 (Oh no), and performing a John Lennon cover on American Idol (Dear god), it was clear that Green Day had established a much wider fan base than ever before. For every 13-year old emo brat listening to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on repeat there were equal amounts of anti-Bush liberals pumping their fists against the "redneck agenda" and music critics responding to Billie Joe Armstrong's newfound lyrical inspiration.

Fully aware of the expectations all these factions had for a follow up album, Green Day disappeared for three years to figure out what to do next. Two side projects (Pinhead Gunpowder and the stellar Foxboro Hot Tubs) and a new presidency later, the band found themselves with a ton of new material (one interview suggests the band had over 70 new songs!) and no idea what to do with all of it. Should they completely abandon their new model for success and return to something more like Dookie? Should they release a stripped down affair that focused more on acoustic experimentation than electric pogo punk? Should it be political? Should it be about smoking weed?

Instead of committing to a more cohesive model, the band decided to release an album that offered a bit of everything. But by trying to please everyone, they satisfy no one.

The structure of 21st Century Breakdown is most in tune with their previous record. It is a concept album following two characters (Christian and Gloria replace Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy, and Whatsername) trying to make sense of a modern American landscape post-9/11, post-Bush, and pre-Obama. The band organizes the album's tracks into a silly structure, three awkwardly titled acts with names like "Heroes and Cons" and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades". This would all make sense if the album had an actual story to tell, but 21st Century Breakdown's narrative is infuriatingly elusive.

Lyrically, the album bounces all over the place. Tracks criticizing religious extremism ("East Jesus Nowhere"), war ("21 Guns"), over-medication ("Restless Heart Syndrome"), and complacency ("Know Your Enemy") are intercut with songs describing the character's backstories (the title track) and emotional states ("¡Viva La Gloria!" and "Christian's Inferno"). Billie Joe Armstrong has always been best as a lyricist when focusing on his own feelings rather than trying to speak for everyone else. On "Last of the American Girls," one of the album's standout tracks, he tenderly describes a young rebel girl who, "wears her overcoat for the coming of the nuclear winter" and is "on a hunger strike for the ones who won't make it for dinner." He observes a more hopeful world where "the non-believers go beyond belief" on closing track "See the Light". Even on the autobiographical title track, Armstrong focuses on his own childhood with a playfully vivid imagination:

"Born into Nixon, I was raised in hell

A welfare child where the teamsters dwelled.

The last one born, the first one to run

My town was blind from refinery sun."

From the wordplay on Insomiac's "Walking Contradiction" to the "GI Joe in pantyhose" on Nimrod's "King for a Day," Billie Joe has always had a knack for the tongue-in-cheek. But for every clever phrase and witty observation, 21st Century Breakdown also contains some of Armstrong's most cringe-worthy refrains. On past albums, his biggest weaknesses lie in his propensity to over-generalize or to speak in vague metaphor. On the bizarre "Christian's Inferno," he lazily describes a diabolic state that is "gracing [his] existence like a catastrophic baby". Equally painful is the main character in "¿Viva La Gloria?" whose "soul is purging of love and razor blades." And nothing is worse than his request on "Song of the Century" for a song that is "louder than bombs and eternity."

Luckily, the album's lyrical shortcomings are overshadowed by its ambitious sonic landscape. On 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day boldly expand upon their traditional three-chord punk pop model. Even when songs fall into familiar territory, they feel fresh amongst new surroundings. "¡Viva La Gloria!" opens as an Elton John piano ballad drenched in violins before departing into power chord riffing reminiscent of "Letterbomb" from the last record. Guided by Armstrong's falsetto vocal register, "Before the Lobotomy" opens with an acoustic arpeggio before morphing into a Who-like stadium romp. Two more piano ballads, "Last Night On Earth" and "Restless Heart Syndrome" find influence from Beatles songs like "Hey Jude" and "A Day in the Life."

The most adventurous tracks are found in the album's second act. The oddly effective latin cut "Peacemaker" (a speedier kid sister to "Misery" from Green Day's Warning) would have been disastrous if it wasn't for Armstrong's enthusiastic vocals. Less successful is "¿Viva La Gloria?" which just sounds like "Blood, Sex, and Booze" (another Warning song) without all the fun. Far more exhilarating is the second leg of "American Eulogy" which provides rare and impressive lead vocals from bassist Mike Dirnt and also contains the album's most infectious chorus (Try not to sing along to the repeated lyric "I don't wanna live in the modern world." I dare you.)

The problem with 21st Century Breakdown is there is just too much material. Even with lots of fresh ideas, Armstrong and company come off as repetitive and directionless. No doubt, the album contains some of Green Day's most inspired songwriting and the expansion of their ever-growing soundscape provides exciting opportunities for the future. But presented in this structure and at this length, Breakdown comes off as bloated and pretentious.

There is absolutely no reason why this album had to be 18 songs long (honestly, what do the songs "Murder City" and "Song of the Century" bring to the table?). Somewhere in an edited, twelve song reconstruction the band has topped American Idiot. In the end, however, Green Day is guilty of offering too much Green Day. When Billie Joe repeatedly asks us if we know that our enemy is ourselves in lead single "Know Your Enemy," one can't help but wonder why he didn't know the same rule applied to himself.

New Shit has Come to Light

2009-05-21T00:02:00.002-04:00

Browsing through Discover Magazine online today, I found two totally rad articles:

1. Zombie Ants!!!

2. Time Travel!!!

Additionally, I saw this article on NYT about Man United legend Eric Cantona and this strange but awesome-sounding new movie starring him. The article makes him sound like the coolest dude ever, mainly because of this anecdote:

After karate-kicking an opposing fan, he had a press conference to explain himself. He simply said: "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much." Awesome. Additionally, if you want to see a hilariously underrated classic football celebration, (as well as a disgusting goal, courtesy of Mr. Cantona) check out the following:

Amazing hoops ads

2009-05-20T12:30:00.004-04:00

From what is easily my favorite sports site and home to some of the best writing on the web period, Free Darko, comes these awesome Adidas ads. They are in the style of their book (which I must get) and are great despite some pretty clear product placement.

If you liked those, scope out the book excerpts, espcially T-Mac and Gilbert.

Greatest shirt/reviews ever

2009-05-19T14:25:00.002-04:00

A friend sent me this link today. The reviews are absolutely hilarious all the way through.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NZW3IY/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp

Don't dream, it's over

2009-05-18T20:37:00.003-04:00

Before seeing Animal Collective for my third time last Thursday, I remember thinking how awesome it would be to follow them on tour, Almost Famous-style. I imagined having all these weird conversations with the band, dropping acid or getting drunk with them (whatever they do) documenting it all and having it run in Rolling Stone (or whatever magazine people read). It would have been totally rad.

But then a funny thing happened.

I've only had one or two moments that really broke my heart regarding music. I remember being really bummed out when Death From Above 1979 broke up after one album and one EP -- although I begrudgingly admit MSTRKRFT are actually pretty good -- but that's pretty much it. I don't really remember Kurt Cobain dying, but Nirvana was big for me, so I was probably sad.

But after seeing Animal Collective on tour supporting their amazing Merriweather Post Pavilion, something just wasn't right.

I can recall many a conversation revolving around Animal Collective being the best live band I'd ever seen or the only band I would actually want to follow on tour. Hyperbole like that. But it was all genuine. I really did feel they were our generation's Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd. A band so weird, so brilliant, so trippy -- that seeing them was an experience that seemed like it would never stop feeling fresh. And I don't even smoke weed.

This may all sound weird to anyone who doesn't love Animal Collective, but they are mine (and many, many others) favorite band at the moment, and easily one of the most important acts of the past five years or so. And one of the hardest things in life is admitting something you love isn't so great anymore.

I am afraid Animal Collective -- live, at the very least -- has reached that point.

Maybe it was the fact that I felt old for one of the first times in my young life. Yeah I'm only 23, and everyone over 30 is telling me to die in a fire, but I also just graduated college, have a job (not a "career") I am not a huge fan of, am seeing a lot of my friends move further away, living at home again and have no money. Life is weird for the college graduate. You aren't a partying college dude anymore. You aren't a care-free high schooler anymore. You're an adult. But you still like going to concerts, drinking yourself silly, playing video games, staying up late watching pointless TV and doing all the other dumb shit young people do.

But the thing is, everyone who between the ages of 16-20 likes doing all that too. And I swear, the average age of the kids at the House of Blues in Boston that night was 16. Seventeen at the most. It was very odd. It made me think, "Why am I here? Should I be going to see Hall and Oates (the answer, of course, is yes) or something?"

And as Animal Collective went through a particularly unremarkable rendition of "My Girls" -- probably my favorite song of 2009 so far -- I knew seeing them would never be what it used to be. And that sucked.

A certain Satan Manning remarked that Animal Collective are driving the motorcycle up to the ramp, ready to jump the shark. They haven't quite yet, but it's coming. And this is going to sound like indie kid douchebaggery, but fuck, that sucks. I don't want to see my band become what hundreds and hundreds of other bands have become.

I guess I can can chalk it up to this being the third time I've seen them. The first two were great, unforgettable. But this performance was completely forgettable. Not good, not bad. When I go to write my book of all the concerts I saw and what happened (with somewhere between 50-75 percent of the facts made up), this Animal Collective show will not get a chapter. Or maybe it will. I'll call it "The Day the Music Died" or something dramatic like that.

Animal Collective are still a great band. Merriweather Post Pavilion is still a great album. Hell, I will probably see them the next time they come around.

But if it's anything like this night, I have no idea how I'll feel. Probably really, really old.

Funny(?) People

2009-05-18T10:51:00.002-04:00

Here is a great article about Judd Apatow's new movie in the Times. I'm interested to see how this turns out.

Kobe Doin' Work

2009-05-16T22:54:00.002-04:00

So, as much as I despise Kobe, I really am enjoying the Spike Lee directed Kobe Doin' Work on ESPN. Basically, it is a beautfully shot chronicling of one game (Lakers vs. Spurs) basically done in real time, with Kobe narrating the game. What I find most fascinating is how analytical he is about the game, and how the program gives you the sense that Kobe's greatness is as much because of his ability to understand the game at a higher level, and make decisions based on this higher level understanding, better than other players as it is about his athletic abilities. I also appreciate that Spike Lee doesn't try at all to gloss over how douchey Kobe is to the refs (although I do have some misgivings as to Kobe being overall less of a chode because he knew he was being taped as well as Kobe's narration, since it is premeditated, not necessarily being an actual window into his mind as it s during the actual game). Overall though, it is super interesting if you have any interest in how high-level basketball is played. As a side note, this is kind of a rip off of a movie that came out a few years ago that basically followed Zidane's actions for a full 90 minute game (although he did not narrate, that would have been so awesome).

The Road trailer looks like it's made of asses

2009-05-16T00:22:00.003-04:00

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (of No Country and Blood Meridian [coming soon!!] fame) is one of my favorite books. I was pumped about the movie because, hey, it's a movie of something I like and I am not so pretentious that I whine whenever I hear something is being made into a film.

But this trailer. Oh doctor, does it look awful. They made it look like a damn action flick -- which it is most certainly not. And, (lemme hit ya with a SPOILER ALERT) Charlize Theron plays the mother in the film, who fucking kills herself in a flashback scene and has, at most, two pages devoted to talking about her. But here, she looks like she is there all the time, nagging and bitching. (END OF SPOILERS). Stupid Hollywood.

I am holding out hope that this is good. Cormac has gotta go 2-2 in the adaptation department.

Dig It

2009-05-12T21:08:00.005-04:00

Here are something various things I've been digging lately:

MUSIC:

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career: Still not sure if I'm as into this as their last (awesome album), but it is pretty wonderful, and I love the sound of the drums. The single "French Navy" is a gem.

The Horrors - Primary Colours: This is probably the craziest reinvention I've heard between two albums by a current band. Their first album was raw, retro garage rock and punk. Their second album is beautifully atmospheric and layered shoegaze and it is probably my fave album of the moment.

TV: River Monsters - Probably the raddest show I've seen in awhile, it features Jeremy Wade, some crazy British fisherman, going to various locales to find insanely huge, possibly man-eating fish in fresh water. My favorite part is the majority of the animals so far I never knew about beforehand, but they are super badass. Case in point: this fucking thing.

MOVIES:

There Will Be Blood on Showtime HD (DRAAAAAAAINAGE).

Also, I'm planning on checking out a bunch of good TV series on DVD this summer (current ideas include Sopranos, Rome, Battlestar Galactica, Friday Night Lights). Any other suggestions???

BOOKS:

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien: Wonderful collection of vignettes about Vietnam that plays with and explores the role of truth in storytelling. Highly recommended.

No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy: I enjoyed the movie more, but I quite liked the book. More philosophical in parts, especially because Tommy Lee Jones' character has quite a few long monologues, but I really appreciated it in the book (in the movie it would have been to much).

Celtics/Magic game six liveblog

2009-05-12T19:18:00.005-04:00

So this thing got started late beause I was watching Breaking Bad. That show is great.

A great man once said: "You start me up." Strap in, because this is a 2,000-word, three hours in the making, monster -- of a game you probably already saw. But there are jokes! Kind of.

-----

8:30 - Rajon Rondo passes like Fran Tarkenton. Big Baby misses the low/mid-ranger off a Rondo side arm, one-handed bounce pass.

7:02 - How do announcers not talk about Alston being a former street ball player every time he does anything? This should have been beaten into the ground by now. 8-8 after a Turkoglu non-three.

5:41 - Howard misses what looked like a shot attempt. He has so few moves, it's amazing to me he is considered an elite player.

4:45 - Doc T.O. Your shooting percentages right now: 23 and 43. I just found out there will be a Deadpool movie starring Reynolds. Up next: Robin starring Shia LaBoeuf!

3:58 - Allen barely misses a three, his eleventh miss from deep. And the series is tied at two games. Nuts.

2:57 - Correction, Howard does have one move. Get fouled. After the foul, the manfreak turns it over.

2:16 - Sexy break from the Magic (ball didn't touch the floor on two passes) for the easy two. 16-14 Magic.

1:04 - Reggie tells me Dwight has eight boards already with no points. There's got to be a way to adjust his rebounding numbers playing on a team that shoots 60 threes a game.

End of first: 22-16 Magic. The Celtics are shooting % is almost less than my age, so it should be much worse.

Look, Land of the Lost looks shitty, but Kenny Powers and Ferrell can't both be in a movie that isn't at least funny at some point. If I had children, I would not be opposed to seeing this.

11:40 - Perkins picks up foul number two on what looked like defense to me. Starrrrrrrrrrrbury comes in and is ready to look awkward.

11:23 - And we have a Tony "Batman" Battie sighting!

11:02 - Scal makes a three, making the crowd forget he's already missed two. 24-19 Magic.

10:31 - I am convinced Davis cannot dunk, or chooses not to. He comes up with some funky lay-in for two off a Starbury assist.

10:01 - House for three. The "burning house" puns are writing themselves as we speak...

8:52 - The tired phrase "twin towers" should never be thrown around -- but especially not when it involves Battie.

Reggie's toughest defenders is relevant to my interests.

8:11 - Scal does what he do -- foul better players. Lee hits a jumper to push the lead to eight.

6:38 - These profiles on foregin players featuring what we all (ignorantly) imagine when thinking of said country never cease to amaze me.

5:54 - Scal for three again. He's good for at least five more attempts this game.

5:30 - House with the steal and lay in. Most exciting play of a game consisting mostly of missed shots and non-shooting fouls. Uncle Mo is at the door. 33-28 Magic.

Of course MBV3D is the best 3-D horror film ever. There have been < style="font-style: italic;">actual play that difficult? Wait, then they show video of what was just telestrated. Awesome. And during the NFL draft? Please. "Oh look, we can move picks around!" Well guess what, so can a TV graphic, and it costs a tenth as much and makes you look less douche-y. This is why our economy is balls right now -- unnecessary $10,000 touch screen telestrators.

Just so you know, Kenny's twitter (@TheJetOnTNT) is ridiculous and makes no sense. He has one long post split into three that reads like a complete sentence. Actual post: "before the game.. HE also said he did call him and his agent with no response" regarding Cuban and Ms. Mart.

"This is...Kenny Smith with...TNT." You're doing it wrong!

Steady as She Goes by The Racontuers as the half-time lead-in? What universe am I in? Back to ball, finally.

11:10 - Rafer with a nutty floater/and-one on Pierce. 48-37 after the freebie.

10:54 - Dwight bumps Rondo, who throws up an off-balance bank that only falls because he's Rondo.

9:35 - We were dangerously close to seeing the Redick celebration.

9:27 - Pierce goes 6-6 from the line, the only Celt to get to the line. ~ 12 FT for a game? That is not good at all.

9:03 - Howard picks up foul number three pushing Rondo after a rip. That was a flop. No doubt about it.

7:18 - SVG calls a T.O. after a Pierce jumper cuts the lead to six. Vinny Del Negro would have waited until it was at one.

And the Bruins are going to game seven at home. Not that I will even pretend to be interested, but I think the NHL would rather have BOS than CAR deep in the playoffs.

7:02 - Lewis hits a three while some Celtic (Baby?) attempts to defend. 55-46 Magicians. The threes are dropping (already more than last game) and when that happens, the Magic win.

6:32 - GORTAT IS BETTER THAN HOWARD. Takes the charge, four on Rondo. Enormous play.

5:32 - Both teams hover at 31% shooting for the quarter. Where amazing happens indeed.

5:02 - See, Gortat drops in nice hooks, not thunderous dunks. He's a gentle European. 57-46 Magic after a Starbury miss. Yeah, he probably can't give the Celtics what they need (scoring, passing, decision making, basketball playing skill) right now.

3:45 - BLOCKED! (note: this picture is [as far as I know] real. I did not Shop it)

2:50 - Allen abuses Redick, who is, depsite reports, an actual paid, NBA bench player.

2:08 - Gortat flops. I will not mention Vlade/Varejao, I will not mention Vlade/Varejao, I will not mention Vlade/Varejao. 59-52 The Kingdom.

1:41 - Great ball movement from the Celtics big men, Perkins to Baby for the easy one.

1:21 - Viva la France! Pietrus for three. 62-54 *Sponsored by Disney*

0:37 - Pierce goes into Lee's chest, draws one, and drops it in. 64-59 after the gimme.

0:26 - And the Whirling Turkish answers with a three-the-hard way of his own.

End of third: House hits a three, but it's during golden time. No bucket.

Best parts of the Yao/shrimp ad? Both from Yao: "Don't be like a baby" or "Eat the head!"

From Simmons, then Skeets via the Twit: "Dwight Howard might be the worst great player ever. I swear that made sense." And me in quarter one: "He has so few moves, it's amazing to me he is considered an elite player." I am pretty sure I should be a basketball writer.

11:04 - Tattoo head for two. 70-61 at the start of the fourth. Final: 86-80? It could happen. Blech.

10:24 - Uh oh, Anti-Isiah is heating up...

9:03 - It's become the "watch Pierce dribble around" show for the Irish. French Jordan gets an oop from Anthony and the Johnsons. Magic Men up 14. The numbers say there's about an 80% chance the Magic win...

8:26 - And of course MarBURies a three. This could be good or terrible.

7:50 - Check one for "good." 77-68 after another Starburst score.

6:28 - Your defensive player of the year, ladies and gents, posted up by Large Infant.

5:55 - Marbury with the and-one on Dwight Schrute. Unreal. He actually did have this kind of game in him. 83-75. We may be in for a nice finish.

4:55 - Scal with just a great foul on Lewis. I mean, when a guy dribbles baseline well outside the paint, you can't let him do so without sending a message.

4:29 - Do we live in a time when Glenn Davis can make jab-step 18-footers with consistency?

3:56 - Yes. Yes we can. 85-79 Card Tricksters.

When Rob Hubel drops the "In the faaace!" line on The Hangover ad, I can't help but laugh. Also good to see very funny dude Zack Galifianakis in a big movie.

With one or two more big moments, along with the child push and "you motherfuckers!" line at the end of game four, Ey Bay-Bay becomes a must-sign.

3:24 - Pierce can't drive 55. But he can drive for two!!!!! 85-81 Pagans.

2:59 - Lewis with a monster clank job, but Rondo misses a layup.

2:33 - Great feed from Ray with an expiring clock. Perkins with an easy two. 85-83, Celtics ball after a Turkish flail.

1:20 - Ray with a monster three. More of a creature, really. Shuttleworth gives them a lead for the first time in a long while.

1:01 - Of course Rondo whips the loose ball off a Magician for the turnover. Insane comeback in the making.

0:36 - Strange play where the ball may or may not have hit the rim on a Rondo three, resulting in a shot clock violation. Or not. Celtics ball.

0:09 - Celtics get an offensive board on another rim-grazer. Luck of the Irish, I guess. Up by one with an Orlando foul on House.

0:08 - House hits both, Woad Raiders up three. Simmons talked about it today, and I totally agree; win, lose or draw, you can't ask for much more from a defending champion down one of their best players and a score of other injuries.

Here comes a DEN/DAL foul situation...

0:07 - And Pierce wraps Lewis up. It becomes a FT game. Lewis hits both.

0:06 - Ray gets the ball in his hands and is fouled. The 95% FT shooter nails both. Ice water.

0:05 - Just terrible inbounding from Orlando. 55% Howard ends up with it and nylons the first. Of course he does. Intentional miss, Small Toddler gets it and is fouled. If this was the Bulls series, I'd be mortified of something crazy happening now.

0:04 - The Child Pusher hits both. Game. Blouses.

And the Magic make it official. It's really crazy to think Stephon Marbury was integral in this comeback. Like, really fucking crazy.

This was 7/8 a shitty game, with the last half of the last quarter being some entertaining basketball. I've got think this is going seven games. Again. Regardless, heart of a champion.

Best video game viral I've seen in awhile

2009-05-11T23:17:00.001-04:00

Well done Nintendo. Y'all may have seen it though at this point.

Spark the Net (NBA) 5/11/09

2009-05-11T17:54:00.003-04:00

You know the drill, five statements taken from five NBA star's Wikipedia entries. You guess the hoopster.

1. * has cited Pearl_Jam as his favorite band and befriended them in the mid 1990s. During their No Code Tour, on September 26, 1996, he briefly came onstage to the excitement of the crowd and gave frontman Eddie Vedder a piggyback ride. * later received a Walkman carved with Vedder's initials and containing the concert recording. He has since cited this as one his most thrilling experiences and claimed, "If it wasn't for Pearl Jam, my life would be a hell of a lot less fulfilling." Not long after, * also gave his unworn #69 Lakers jersey to Eddie Vedder.

2. During his career, his nicknames were "The Stormin' Mormon, "The Deathstick", "Missionary Impossible", the "Mormon Mantis", the "Praying Mantis" and "Siggi" (during his time in the German national basketball team).

3. Offered * a 3-year, $21 million contract extension, substantially less than what his then-current contract paid him. Insulted, he publicly vented his outrage, declaring, "I have a family to feed." He declined the extension, and, having once more drawn the ire of fans and sports media, had the worst season of his career in the final year of his contract.

4. During his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, he was subject to criticism for applying for a job at Circuit City, just to get an employee discount.

5. However, when Shaquille O'Neal was asked to make an assessment about the three prominent shooting guards he had played with, he made an analogy to The Godfather, comparing Dwyane Wade with Michael Corleone, Kobe Bryant with Sonny Corleone, and * with Fredo Corleone, the weakest of the Corleone brothers.

NBA Observations

2009-05-07T00:53:00.002-04:00

1. I despise the Lakers so, so much. I despise pretty much every player on the team. Derek Fisher is my new most hated (although I've hated him for a long time), largely because of the cheap shot foul he put on Scola tonight.

2. The Rockets rule so much. Yao's Willis Reed in game 1 was pretty sweet. Artest is a badass, Battier rules, and Aaron Brooks is fun to watch. On a semi-related note, is McGrady dead? Shouldn't he be on the bench? I swear I haven't seen him once, whereas KG is shown at every TV timeout (god, KG rules).

3. Pierce is playing like he has mono. He just seems so fatigued all the time. I hope since he barely played in Game 2, he is going to be back Game 3 with some energy, but I have my doubts.

4. Fuck Kobe so much. He just threw an elbow into Artest's throat, and then Artest got thrown out (maybe semi-legitimately). My hope when I saw the replay was that Kobe would be suspended for Game 3, but that's as likely as the Hawks winning their series against Cleveland.

5. Ugh, I'm so disgusted with the Lakers game I can't think straight.

Working on a new site

2009-05-03T19:50:00.003-04:00

Hey team, I'm working on a new site for the blog based in drupal. I'd like you guys to put up a wish list here of features you'd like to see. Here's something things that are built in:

User Accounts

Comments

Forums

Static Pages

User Blogs

RSS Feed

Polls

Any special requests?

Flawed perfection

2009-05-03T16:57:00.003-04:00

There were so many stories birthed from the amazing Celtics/Bulls series. The emergence of Rondo and Rose -- who look like the East's version of Chris Paul/Deron Williams. Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis, Joakim Noah and John Salmons growing into much more than fourth or fifth bananas. Ray Allen carving his name alongside the all-time best shooters in NBA history. The Paul Pierce twilight years. And a seemingly endless number of overtimes, thrilling plays and clutch shots.

But most interesting was the play of Ben Gordon. How he represents everything we love, admire and appreciate about the NBA, while embodying everything we loathe, decry and hate about it. All at the same time, even in the same few minutes.

Gordon has one elite basketball skill -- scoring points. He can do it in bunches, from anywhere on the court, at any moment. He is a pure shooting guard in that he is a guard that shoots. He was arguably the second most important player for Chicago in the series, carrying the scoring load with little sense of pressure most mortals feel.

Everyone who is an NBA fan likes scoring. Sure, a block or charge is great, but we'd all rather see 105-104 games than 84-85 games. We also love players who put up gawdy scoring numbers. You even get a title for doing it the most.

Ben Gordon gives us that. See his 42 point outburst in game two. He puts up such absurd shots, it appears at times he could not care less about things like balance or double teams -- and it's great. None of us can sink one-footed, 19-foot jumpers with a hand in our face. Ben Gordon is an elite scorer, at times, unstoppable. He is a rookie poker player in a professional tournament -- unpredictable, making decisions seemingly at random and taking risks no pro would take. And dangerous as hell.

But Ben Gordon gives new meaning to the term "volume shooter." Gordon took 134 shots in seven games, over 19 per game. His point totals will often match his shot attempts. His 33 in game 7? Took 23 shots, making seven. His 26? 21 shots, making six. These are not exactly efficient numbers.

Look at the man Gordon played against much of this series and one similar in style, Ray Allen. Allen is "the best pure shooter ever," a shooting guard with range, a quick trigger and fearlessness. But Allen will never be accused of being a bad teammate. His scoring comes in the natural flow of the game. If he scores six going 2-14 and they win, great. If he's hot, teammates know to find him.

Allen only took more than 20 shots once in the seven games series, when he took 32, scoring 51. Gordon took 20 shots four times. Allen is the type of scorer we really like. Efficient, with high percentages and happy to shoot ten times as he is shooting 30 times. But he's boring.

Gordon is a selfish player. The kind of teammate we would like to play with in a pickup game for a while because he can score and you may be winning, but then quickly realize the game has turned into "three dribbles and a miss while we stand around." We are always taught passing is the best thing you can do in basketball. Pass, and good things will happen. This was shown even in this series, as Rose and Rondo constantly deferred to (marginally worse) teammates for easy scores.

But not Gordon. The dark side of Gordon is he will only give you that one thing, that dizzying ability to put the ball in the basket. His defense is mediocre to bad. His passing, nearly nonexistent. Rebounding? Forget it. But damn can he score.

Ben Gordon is what's wrong with the NBA today. A league fill of "me-first" stars who just want to score and get on the highlight reel. The guys who grab their balls in victory. The guys who jack up 20-foot turn around jumpers with 18 seconds left on the shot clock. The guys who don't play defense or pass the ball.

Ben Gordon is what's right with the NBA today. The best athletes in the world competing on a plane that we can never reach. Nailing three-point daggers as the game clock ticks down. Scoring 30, 40, 50 points almost at will. Catching fire and becoming an unstoppable force of nature.

As the TNT post-game show was running highlights of game seven, the indomitable Sir Charles was opining about how you cannot win with those types of shots, the kind Gordon was taking all game. And he's right. Ben Gordon was the reason the Bulls lost game seven. But he is also the reason there was a game seven.

Ben Gordon is flawed perfection. He's a green poker player in room full of vets. He's Kimbo Slice fighting MMA. He's that kid at your rec league you've nicknamed The Black Hole. He's everything we hate and love about the NBA.

Great, Great Humans

2009-05-02T18:29:00.003-04:00

Here are some Wikipedia entries for some truly glorious individuals...

Bob Log III has soared to the top of Musicians I want to see live. Please watch his videos, they are true high brow hilarity.

This guy talked with dolphins, really high.

One of the greatest athletes ever, Dan Gable. His page used to document his "badassness" much more, something about wanting to destroy the Russians. The fact that he didn't surrender a single point in the Olympics is insane.

What's wrong with Jon Papelbon?

2009-04-30T21:16:00.003-04:00

You might be apt to say, "Nothing! Dude's 6/6 in saves." And you'd be right. Of course, unless you were wrong.

Saves being overrated aside (seriously, they are stupid), I see a number of things to be concerned with regarding the Red Sox closer. Ten innings is a small sample (at this point 1/6 or 1/7 of his season), but so far, things do not bode well.

Let's look at the worst thing a closer or any pitcher can do: walk a batter. Paps has six base on balls already this season. He had eight all of last season and 15 & 13 since he's been the full-time closer. Most new-fangled projections had him pegged walking between 12 and 16, right in line with his history. But he's, and here's that magic phrase, on pace to walk something like 36-42 batters this season. Of course it won't be that high but that's awful.

K-rod faced a similar problem last year and broke the saves record, so who cares?

Well, Papelbon has also been unbelievably lucky so far this season. His strand rate is a staggering 95.6%. With a number like that, he could post a 0.50 ERA with 90 saves -- kind of like Dice-K last season [zing!]. So clearly that will come to Earth, somewhere in the 70s. This will lead to a higher ERA (his fielding independent ERA is a shitty 4.53) and thus, more blown saves.

But where can we find some answers? Pitch selection could be one. While the fastball seems fine (averaging 95, being thrown 79% of the time), it's the other pitches that are worrisome.

He seems to have fallen in love with the slider, throwing it almost 11% of the time, with a velocity down slightly to 84 mph. Also, arguably his best pitch, the split finger, is down from a career 15% to a career low 10%. Not dropping the splitter in as often has lead to a fly ball rate hovering around 61%, way up from his career 48%. And, as well all know, fly balls lead to homers. Which are bad.

My final conclusion, and one that has been whispered at other places, is that Papelbon is injured. Unless there is some odd change in philosophy (i.e., let's pitch worse), why else would he be throwing much less splitters?

I think a DL stint is in Papelbon's future. Luckily, it looks like the Red Sox will be fine if such a thing happens.

But try not to be blinded by the fist-pumps and 97 mph heaters. Something is wrong with Papelbon.

Fan films

2009-04-30T20:42:00.003-04:00

This trailer just came in from my slashdot feed and I am surprised its actually good looking.

There've been more and more fan films out on the net in recent years and I'm wondering what people think of this model of creation and distribution. Distribution makes perfect sense, but is there a strong future ahead for them?

Personal Finance: the saga continues

2009-04-30T18:42:00.002-04:00

Last week I ordered the book I Will Teach You to be Rich by blogger Ramit Sethi through amazon.com. I started reading it the past few days and so far it has blown my mind. So good in fact that I've changed my entire banking based upon it in order to keep up with inflation and grow what I do have while I continue my job hunt. Contrary to the title this isn't a book about getting rich quick or anything. What it is about is learning to better manage your money and grow it for the long term while learning good spending habits and optimizing the accounts you already have. I highly recommend it. It is geared towards 20-somethings and is generally a fun read, do yourselves a favor and go out and buy this. You won't be sorry.

Popeyes runs out of chicken

2009-04-30T14:45:00.004-04:00

Ok this has got to be the funniest thing I have seen in weeks. I love how full of rage some people are, like it's unfathomable that someplace runs out of something. Chicken is not an infinite resource people.

Source

Allonzo Trier and the Insanity Behind "Amateur" Youth Basketball

2009-04-24T23:01:00.003-04:00

Allonzo Trier is in 6th grade, and he already has his own shoe.

His mother is already being called by agents and scouts. This is the world that young basketball prodigies inhabit, and it blows my mind. The commercialization of the game at this level seems unreal and reeks of exploitation. Signs of this trend exist elsewhere. Last year, Brandon Jennings, because the NBA now requires players to be at least one year out of college before being draft-eligible, decided to go play basketball professionally in Europe rather than go to college. He is now predicted to be a high pick in this year's draft.

As a parallel though, (and it is undoubtedly a system), consider how things operate in Europe with soccer. David Beckham was 14 when he was signed into the Manchester United youth academy. Most European clubs have these youth academies, and I believe (though couldn't guarantee) that they sign players before they would attend what would be high school. I'm not sure how schooling goes post-signing (whether they keep going but also play for the youth squads), but I could almost guarantee that whatever schooling they got in those years isn't nearly what they would get if they were not in this system. Players can play for the actual club at any age after they have signed. I think Messi was playing for Barca at 16, and Federico Macheda, who is from Italy, now lives in Manchester and has played a few games (and scored this disquentos game-winner) for the first-team.

So now, the question arises, are these systems equally exploitative and (potentially) harmful? Obviously, those who go through the system and succeed in the professional game are not really the concern here. Of concern are the Arthur Agees of the game, players with potential who are encouraged and wooed by promises of wealth only to be discarded with no preparation for the future when players fail to reach the level that is expected of them. My natural inclination is that the basketball system is, but I can't decide if that is simply because it gets more negative press (or, rather, I am exposed to more of the negative press). Is the fact that, in the European system, there is no false pretense of amateurism important? Perhaps. There also may be more troublesome issues of race as well as class in the American system, where it is very often poor blacks that are. However, I couldn't guarantee that class doesn't play a factor in Europe. I think what troubles me most about the US system is that there is very little effort anywhere to really develop talent. The article from the beginning talked about how those Adidas camps and the like basically consist of players hogging the ball to show off their skills for scouts. The youth academies, while more obviously commercial (as they pay the players in the hope that they will develop to play for their first team), actually care about the success of the players. The purpose of these academies is teaching the players how to play the game at the highest level, and while this may be an artificial difference that I'm noting, it seems at least worth thinking about.

Thoughts?

Crackle Cinemactive

2009-04-23T19:22:00.008-04:00

Hey guys,

Help me out while having fun at the same time. I've been interning at Sony Pictures Television this semester and we're launching a web-based trivia site in the vein of "Scene It" and I need to get people to start playing it.

Do you guys mind making Usernames and playing some of the pods? It's free and you won't receive any emails because of it.

You get to watch some pretty awesome video clips from movies in the Sony Catalogue and check out what me and 5 other interns have been working on the past few months!

The website is www.cracklecinemactive.com

Cheers!

Sharing, Caring

2009-04-23T17:18:00.002-04:00

A few links and such...

"I'd have no problem playing here." Looks like my prediction is halfway there.

Kill yourself Billy Corgan I'm proud to say that I am not a Pumpkins fan.

For the soccer fans

Seen on XBOX Live

MansonsStudent

Seksy Meksy (this is great because you know somebody already has Sexy Mexy)

MLG cum on me

Poonhandler82

Demonwomb

Crusty Poon

Tokerbabie420

The NFL Draft -- of cats

2009-04-23T14:15:00.005-04:00

Mr. Whiskers -- QB, Detroit Lions

Look, you can question Whiskers lack of experience, he's only taken 385 naps in his young career, but you cannot question his skill set. He's got vision, decision making, the guts to make a throw with dogs in his face, everything you'd want. Detroit needs to build around a cat like this and it's the right pick.

Queen Princess -- OT, St. Louis Rams

Strength is what you look for a the O-line, at Princess has it in spades. Recording over 120 pounces as a kitten, Princess shows aggressiveness and tenacity you need at the next level. A low-risk, high reward pick.

Heathcliffe Garfield -- OLB, Kanas City Chiefs

K.C. is not far away from contending, and Garfield will give them the total package at linebacker with his quick reflexes, speed, intelligence and experience. Not afraid to bust out the claws when needed, Garfield notched 201 scratches last season, with 4 forced yarn ball fumbles.

Archie Tippytoes -- WR, Seattle Seahawks

In a bit of shock, the Hawks go wideout with the ultra-talented Tippytoes. With huge paws, unmatched quickness and a diva attitude, Tippytoes is already prototypical NFL receiver. Although mercurial at times -- he was accused of going "missing" for a day, only to return when hungry -- Tippytoes should bring good value at this spot.

Pausey Boddington the Third -- OT, Cleveland Browns

I hate this pick for Cleveland. Boddington showed up late for workouts, came to the combine overweight (he had trouble with table scraps as a kitten), has a noted problem with catnip and they already have a solid O-line! Boddington -- or PBIII, as he likes to be called -- is talented, no doubt, but you have to question his commitment and attitude.

Katian Sonayera Big -- DE, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals were probably going to roll the dice with Boddington, but they grab the much safer Big with pick number six. Big is prickly, but that is good with D-lineman. He led the SEC with 14 hisses and 85 shrill meows (an SEC record) as a kitten. Great pick here for the tough-luck Bengals.

Yvette Meow Mew -- TE, Oakland Raiders

Meow Mew has some of the softest paws in the draft and has shown he's a great teammate, well-known for rubbing up against owners' legs and purring. Nice to see Oakland go for someone a little more friendly than in years past.

Captain Stinkbutt -- RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

With RB being deep this season, Stinkbutt falls to number eight to Jacksonville. The Jags get a speed runner with great vision. Coaches insists Stinkbutt can see in the dark, and true or not, seeing the field is a neccesity for an NFL runningback.

Hewbert Sebastian -- QB, Green Bay Packers

Showing yet again, the draft is unpredictable, the Pack select Sebastian, despite having a starter in Aaron Rodgers. Sebastian brings an electrifying, scrambling style to the position, but is a bit of a loose cannon. It is well-documented that he routinely brought dead birds, squirrels and other small animals, and left them on owners' doorsteps. Although this story got a lot of press, he was just being territorial.

Scarlett O'Hairy -- LB, San Francisco 49ers

O'Hairy brings leadership and a veteran quality from the linebacker position. While older than a number of the cats in the draft, O'Hairy has shown consistency (eating at the same time everday, letting the kids play with him) teams look for.

Names courtesy of greatcatnames.com. Yes, such a site exists.

Insane Athletes: Part Two

2009-04-22T22:37:00.004-04:00

If anybody missed this, it is a pretty great read, and dovetails nicely with Grish's piece about athletes totally losing touch with reality. For an alternative perspective, dig this bad larsen:

Et tu, Melo?

2009-04-22T13:00:00.001-04:00

How a spot on MTV Cribs may hide the truth behind the demise of Carmelo Anthony.

The 2003 NBA draft will go down as the defining draft of the next decade of pro hoops. Six years later, that sentiment rings even louder.

LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, David West, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich and T.J. Ford have all played major to semi-important roles on a number of NBA teams. And while the '03 draft may lack legendary depth, it's undeniably top-heavy, with LeBron and Wade as the two biggest, and best, stars in the league right now – and for the foreseeable future.

But it wasn't always that way.

The order of the actual draft has been muddled by history, and people forget Wade went fifth, a sure number two if we were to re-draft today. Bust Darko Milicic went two, with Melo and Bosh preceding Wade.

It was Anthony, not Wade, who was poised to battle LeBron for NBA supremacy the duration of their long and illustrious careers. They were pegged as rivals before they shared the same court – one a high school phenom, the other a polished NCAA national champ. Although they were a conference apart, they were expected to be the new Magic/Bird, meeting in multiple finals to decide who was king of the NBA.

Six years later, things haven't gone according to script.

I don't know Anthony beyond what I have seen on the court and I never will. What I do know about Melo is one surreal television moment – MTV's Cribs. On the surface it just seems like another successful and wealthy athlete showing off his whips and sneakers, and maybe it is. But there are moments in that five-minute TV spot that, looking back, are unbelievable. Could part of the answer as to why Melo went from the NBA's prodigal son to relative obscurity in such a short amount of time be in this tour of Anthony's pad?

One character trait Anthony shows immediately is an enormous ego. We get a look at his trophy case, which contains, of all things, an ESPY award for best male college athlete. Far be it for me to denigrate such a prestigious award, but it's a freakin' ESPY. Didn't you win an NCAA championship, nearly single-handedly? Shouldn't you be showing that off instead?

But then it dawned on me. The ESPY was for him. The NCAA title was for Syracuse. He tells the camera that he thanked himself, which, apparently, not a lot of people do these days. Think about that, he thanked himself. Only Kanye West does that. In a way, this hyper-inflated sense of self pride is not unexpected. Carmelo is fresh off being the alpha dog on a national championship college basketball team. He just went number three in the NBA draft and is primed for a launch into the stratosphere of stardom. He was also barely 20 years old. All his young adult life he's been the guy. Who else would he thank?

Next Carmelo shows us an arcade cabinet of House of the Dead 2. And why not, lots of stars have arcade cabs in their abodes. But why House of the Dead 2? “At the beginning if the season it was so dead out here [Denver] til I came out I just had to get a game.” What really gets me about this is not his ripping of the city he has yet to spend significant time in, it's how humorless he is delivering it. There is not one hint of jest in his face or voice when he says this. Carmelo actually thinks Denver was dead before he got there. And he got a video game cabinet to represent that.

This also represents Melo's immature side. His house is furnished with the taste and expertise of a professional interior decorator. But he has an arcade machine right in the middle of his living room. This isn't surrounded by an Asteroids or Galaga machine in a game room. It's totally out of place and he decided to show it off to the nation on MTV. Why? To deliver his (clever) jab at the city of Denver? The best part is, I can totally picture him shooting zombies while sipping $5,000/bottle champagne, sitting on a $1,000 ergonomic chair, laughing like a 10-year old.

But the best is yet to come. As we traverse Melo's hall to his bedroom, we see a number of magazine covers. Pretty standard fare. Until we come across a portrait of Carmelo and – this is real – Jesus Christ, our lord and savior. The caption on the painting: “Blood Brothers.”

Let's take Melo's thought process step-by-step:

I want a portrait of me in my house because I am great.
It has to be hand-painted, with oil paints because it's more expensive.
What about me with Jesus?
I don't think the imagery is strong enough, throw some text up there. But what...
Blood Brothers!

This is about ten levels of insane. Painting yourself in with the messiah? Crazy enough. But implying, in not so many words, that you and the son of God are brothers? This is of course acceptable because he's a famous, ultra-talented athlete and who am I (or anyone) to tell him not to do that.

All this leads me to my conclusion. That Carmelo Anthony, along with LeBron James, was handed the keys to the NBA. And it's not that he couldn't handle the spotlight or perform well enough – it's that they were simply taken away from him. Dwayne Wade is better. Chris Paul is better. Brandon Roy is better. Kevin Durant is better (and similar). Dwight Howard is friendlier. LeBron James is certainly better. The Nuggets have been notorious chokers come playoff time. His teams have had awful, awful chemistry. He has lost endorsement deals to bigger stars. He was suspended 15 games for fighting, something I don't think Wade or Bron would ever do. He told people to stop snitchin'.

He doesn't seem to have the switch, that leadership and killer instinct truly great NBA players have. So many things – even at the onset of his career, him not going second to Detroit, which could have changed everything – have happened to bring Anthony to where he is today. And it's not where he, or anyone, thought.

I bet Anthony still believes he's one of the best, most famous players in the NBA. The thing is, I don't think he'll ever prove it. Wade took his draft spot as a slight. “I'll show you,” he said. And he did, winning an NBA championship. LeBron has made a Jordan-like leap in terms of competitiveness and will win the 2009 MVP and should make it to the NBA finals, again. Wade is where Anthony should be, battling with LeBron for king of the NBA. But instead, he is fighting to make it out of the first round, again, and doesn't seem all that interested. The great NBA players – the LeBrons, the Wades – take it to another level come playoff time. I think Carmelo is happy playing in the NBA, as the star of a team. And hey, if they make the playoffs, cool, more TV time.

Maybe Melo has grown up since Cribs. Tossed out the Jesus pic. Upgraded his House of the Dead to a Ms. Pacman. Sold his ESPY on eBay. But one thing is for sure – he is no where near the level of LeBron and Wade. And maybe he never could have been. But he was supposed to. And that's the saddest part of all.

The supreme genius of Deadliest Warrior

2009-04-22T00:42:00.003-04:00

File this under guilty pleasure. If you haven't been paying attention to Spike's quality programming (1000 Ways to Die leading the charge), you may have missed Deadliest Warrior.

Let me just say: there has never been a more perfect dude show. Ever.

In fact, it's as manly as great dude films like Predator and Rambo (but not quite Commando or Point Break) and makes us mere mortal men feel inferior for only having two balls.

The premise is simple. What would happen is quasi-historically accurate warriors fought one another in totally ludicrous battles? And what if we simulated it 1000 times, with a number of different weapons? Finally, why don't writers just quit their jobs? For a greater show can never be created.

In Samurai vs. Viking, we had the legendary Japanese fighter shoot a goddamn arrow in a dummy's fucking eye (go to about 3:30 in the video) -- twice. I challenge you to find something better on television. That includes anything on The Office.

Really though, this show's got it all: cheesy re-enactments, faux history, "science," computers, glorious arguments between supporters of each warrior, and high levels of violence.

But the crowning achievement of the show has to be how it changed my mind about the Indians vs. Vikings debate spawned by the feature film, Pathfinder. I, a staunch Viking supporter, have been converted. Apaches are fucking boss.

I can't argue with a guy named Snake Blocker.

Two Teams, One Post

2009-04-18T14:47:00.019-04:00

As we inch closer to the first Sox/Yanks series next Friday, FTB presents ten point bullet lists of thoughts, reactions and predictions from Grish (red) for the Sox and Satan (blue) for the Yanks.

Boston Red Sox

Despite a slow start, I am not concerned at all.

Look, anyone who is worried after less than 10% of the baseball season is a damn fool. As of writing, the Sox are 4-6 -- last in the division. It's natural to be worried after losing two of three to Oakland (who kinda stinks. A lot), but really, it's ten freakin games. Don't worry, they'll be there in the end barring injury.

Sadly I agree. This is the first season I remember where the first two weeks meant so much. Of course the media is stupid and it is a long season. See you in the playoffs.

That said, I don't think the offense will be where we thought it would be.

Losing Manny will hurt the Sox much more than they want to admit. There is not a single sure 30 home run threat in the lineup. There may be a number of 20-25 guys (Bay, Drew [knock on wood], Ortiz [if he gets back on HGH] and Youkilis), but -- and I hate to use the expression -- there is not that guy who scares opposing pitchers.

Is the order deep? Absolutely, they have two possible MVP candidates and go five or six deep with very solid hitters, as they proved last night coming back from down seven. But I don't think they are as imposing as the Yankees or as multi-faceted as the Rays.

The big thing is that they don't have a guy who is constantly on anymore. That being said, every one of those guys is dangerous and I would not underestimate them. I can't believe more people didn't go crazy for Manny.

Jacoby Ellsbury may or may not be a terrible hitter.

I wanted him to be sold high when Johan was available, but the brass thought he was Johnny Damon circa 2004. It's clear he is not. In 600+ PAs last season his on-base was .336. That is not very good. He can swipe 50, even 60 or 70 bags, but he can't do it from the dugout. He took 41 walks compared to 80 Ks. He should not hit leadoff for this team.

Jacoby is the perfect #9 guy. The only problem is it would hurt them to move somebody like Pedroia to leadoff. I really don't think he is a good hitter.

The bullpen looks disgusting.

Ramon Ramirez is nasty, with just one walk and four Ks in seven innings, including some high-pressure situations. Okajima, enjoy the seventh inning, because this setup man is the real deal. Okajima, Delcarmen, Vasquez, Papelbon -- they are all legit relievers who offer everything you need from your pen. It should make the starters' jobs a lot easier. And look for Bard and his 100 MPH gas to play the David Price role for this team later this season.

Advantage Red Sox. I am not looking forward to Daniel Bard in the majors.

David Ortiz is done.

I mean the Ortiz as we knew him. It was a great four+ seasons, David, but you look cooked. I have no confidence when he comes up with guys on. I would much rather have Pedroia, Youkilis and even Bay or Drew up in a men-on situation instead of him.

In fact, him batting third may be one of the big reasons they have struggled to put runs on the board. Those three Ks and five left on last night do not bode well. Worse, he has 11 K and only 6 BB this season. If he hits anymore than .270 with 25 homers and 90 RBI, I would be shocked.

He looks lost and I am relieved. I would try to trade him ASAP if I were the Red Sox. I am surprised they haven't already.

Lars Anderson will see time and help out in some significant way.

Drew, Lowell and Ortiz are injury concerns and it's not a question of if, but when one or more of these guys misses time.

Youkilis is much more valuable at third, so when Lowell goes down he can shift there. Ortiz will still DH and calling up Anderson to play first seems like the logical answer. He's hitting .316/.436/.526 with five homers, 30 RBI, 13 doubles and a 29 BB:43 K in 133 ABs in AA this season.

It's easy to get swept up with the prospect of prospects, but this guy (at 20) seems like the real deal. And with Ortiz in decline and a number of other lineup concerns, he should see time. If the Sox stunk, I bet he would be up in a few short months. As it stands he probably won't see time until late in the season. But you never know.

I feel like the clock on Lowell is ticking pretty quickly. I'm sure Lars will be in to at least give Lowell a break.

Matsuzaka will struggle with nagging injuries and ineffectiveness all season.

You can blame the WBC all you want (I don't), but Dice-K will have problems in 2009. He led the AL in walks last year (94!) in only 167 innings. By comparison, he walked 80 (still high) in 204 innings in '07, with 201 strikeouts. The fact is, by walking so many batters, the runs will catch up to him. It also causes him to throw a gazillion pitches in less innings, increasing his workload while decreasing his innings. Anything over 150 innings this season is gravy. He's basically our A.J. Burnett.

WBC has to be part of the reason. I think he will come back and be better than ever, if there isn't a secret arm injury. Besides, he always has the gyroball.

Beckett and Lester have to -- and will -- pitch at a Cy Young level.

It will be very difficult for Lester to completely replicate last year's phenomenal season, but I am confident he can put up a 3:1 K:BB ratio, a 1.25 WHIP, an ERA in the low-mid threes and top 200 innings again. If he does that as the number two (1b. maybe?), he'll prove to be very valuable.

Although slightly overrated, Beckett is a fine number one starter. Last year was not great, but he'll flirt with 200 Ks, keep his walks under 50 and be in the mid-high threes with his ERA. But he has to top 200 innings this season, something he's only done twice ('06 and barely in '07).

These two can carry a staff, regardless of the revolving door at the 3-5 slots, and will be asked to this season.

I'm curious to see how Beckett does this season. Of course I hope he loses it, but I think he will be in contention for the Cy Young.

The Red Sox will top 95 wins and win the AL East

Really going out a limb here, but with a deep lineup, great bullpen, quality starters and the pedigree, I think the Red Sox take the division crown. It will be as hard as it's ever been (Toronto and Baltimore are much improved) with the Yankees and AL Champion Rays not going quietly. The wild card will come from the East and I think it will be the Yanks.

Toronto and Baltimore will fade, there is only so much Halladay and Markakis can do. I do think the Yankees will be the AL East Champs this year. I feel like the starters of both teams cancel each other out, and the Yankees offense is a bit better (if A-Rod is good).

But they will fall short of a World Series.

The AL West stinks, but Texas has a scary, scary lineup and could take it with 85-90 wins. The Central is good enough, but Cleveland/Chicago/Detroit all have big flaws. Still, I just get the feeling the Red Sox won't have it this year. Francona will leave Ortiz hitting third all season long (assuming he's healthy) and he will continually let them down. The starters, beyond one and two, will leave a lot to be desired. If it comes down to D-Day -- Yankees/Sox in the playoffs with a healthy A-Rod -- I am afraid the Yanks will beat them.

I'm liking the Yankees chemistry this year. Good vibes baby.

Lastly, I look forward to being wrong on all of these.

New York Yankees

• The House That Jeter Built

The New Yankee Stadium looks unbelievable. If I were a rookie, I would crap my pants as soon as I walked on the field. It is too early to call it but apparently it should have been named Coors’ Field 2. If the ball is hit to deep right there is a 90% chance that it will be a homer. They should make the advertisers on the right field wall pay triple. Obstructed-view seats (stupid) and super high prices are really the only true downsides. I can’t wait to go.

The new stadium does look truly immaculate. I love that they have all the history -- from the statues to the plaques, to all the other Yankee stuff -- crammed in there. It may have cost more than many, many countries' GNP, but it's how you do a new ballpark right.

• Where is Carl Pavano?

Not on the Yankees, thank you Jesus. I feel good about the rest of the Yankees rotation. C.C. Sabathia has overcome the apocalypse (1st game of the season) and with health should be solid every five days. A.J. Burnett has been the best starter so far, and will be a Cy Young candidate barring injury. Pettitte is reliable, and I like Joba as a starter (sue me). I was going to write how Yankee fans shouldn’t worry about Chien-Ming Wang, I was going to say that he was going to pull it together. Watching him pitch less than two innings again today makes me think otherwise. CMW needs to keep the ball down. CMW is a giant question mark. Phil Hughes will be in the rotation by the end of the year somehow.

I was thinking the same thing about Wang. "Oh he's fine. It's just...wait, he gave up eight more in less than two innings?" I'd be officially worried. But he is -- so far -- the number three starter. So things could be worse.

• The defense is going to stink, again.

Tex is really the only bright spot when it comes to defense. Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner offer solid coverage in the outfield. Derek Jeter and Cano have very little range. If there is a close game I’m terrified.

Yeah, looking at the roster no one really sticks out as an above average defender besides Marky Mark. But with the team knocking on 900 runs and high K guys like CC and AJ, it shouldn't be a big problem.

• The Yankees will have a top 3 offense.

We are going to see bounce back years from Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, and Robinson Cano. Cano is going to be the number 5 guy come October, we are looking at a .300+ average and 20+ home runs. Tex will be Tex. I like that there is a little speed this year. Having a guy like Brett Gardner puts a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers, if he can get on base that is. I am not worried about offense this year.

According to the numbers, Cano should have hit .300 last season, but was super unlucky. He's a very good player. Although they are a little old, Jeter and Damon can still get the job done. Swisher and Tex are very good. Overall, they challenge the Sox for deepest lineup.

• A-Rod, man on fire.

A-Rod has a lot to prove. Will anybody be more motivated this year? I hate him, but if he doesn’t overdo it he will have a monster season.

Everything points to A-Rod clubbing 40 homers once he gets back and shutting everyone up. That, or he totally falls apart. But I think the 40 homer scenario is more likely.

• Nick Swisher will cool down.

But he will still be awesome! I too have fallen in love with Nick Swisher. I like that he has a party attitude, I love that he is a patient hitter, and I love that he struck out Gabe Kapler (retire now Gabe). There is no way that he stays above .300, but 30 home runs isn’t out of the question. “Swish’s Wishes” is the best charity name ever. I ponder purchasing a Swisher shirt.

He is this team's Kevin Millar. He may not be great, but he keeps everybody loose and gets on base when he needs to. But seriously, Kapler needs to quit right now. It was swinging!

• The bullpen will be better.

Bullpens are constantly evolving. No team has the same bullpen in September that is does in April. Brian Bruney IS our setup man. He finally has the control to match his power. Mariano isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, he is the best ever. If the starters can get to the 8th things will be fine. I am worried about the long relievers. It isn’t going to be the best, but the Yankees bullpen won’t be terrible once some of the minor leaguers move up.

How Rivera remains this good blows my mind. The bullpen lives and dies with him. So far, so good.

• There will be trades.

Matt Holliday is going to be the Yankees left fielder in the summer.

No doubt. And Oakland will need to keep the diapers stocked for all the kids they will have on their roster. Him hitting with that 190' right field fence is scary.

• World Series Champs 2009

A deep offensive team, a strong rotation, and Mariano Rivera. This is the most balanced Yankee team in a long time. We are going to see a Yankees/Red Sox ALCS and it will be a full seven game ride. Am I that far off?

Totally plausible. As it is most years. Tampa seems due for a comedown and all will be right in the universe.

• Health…

Everything I’ve said depends on the health of the players. It is baseball after all.

I think we can both agree on that.

I should note that I am terrified of the Red Sox getting Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, or Albert Pujols.

Dear God please get Cabrera over here.

New Single!

2009-04-18T12:34:00.006-04:00

Hey, guys. The attached link will take you to a website with the new Green Day single. I know most of you don't like them, but I'm wondering what you think of it in comparison to past singles...is it an average Green Day song? Above-average? Below?

Redesigning Education

2009-04-16T21:09:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting here watching this TEDtalk about creativity in education and it's got me thinking: how would I redesign my education?

It's an interesting question to ponder. The first thing it brings me to is what didn't I need in school that was forced on me? I can't think of anything. I may not have loved calc but it was valuable. Culinary arts was a throw away elective, but it was elective. So this brings me to a couple questions: what should be included in our educations, what is the goal of our education, and how are things are presented to us/how and why do we change that?

I'm going to think on this longer, but what do you all think about it? Ken Robinson definitely has a point.

Yacht Rock

2009-04-15T16:07:00.003-04:00

The Hall & Oates snub reminded me of this gem, notable only for their appearances at the beginning and end. Episode 2 continues with the song write off.

Hall (& Oates) of Fame

2009-04-14T19:48:00.002-04:00

Recently the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducted the 2009 class: Jeff Beck, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Metallica, Run D.M.C., and Bobby Womack. Jeff Beck is a great guitarist, but s my d. I have never even heard of Little Anthony, let alone The Imperials. I can't argue against Metallica or Run D.M.C., and nothing says "rock and roll" like Bobby Womack. Last year had Madonna and Leonard Cohen. Just call it "The Popular Music Hall of Fame" already.
Most importantly, why hasn't the corporate devil Rolling Stone run Hall of Fame inducted the great Daryl Hall and John "Stache" Oates yet?

Take a look at some stats...

- Six #1 Hits on the Billboard Top 100
- 60 Million albums sold worldwide
- Seven platinum albums
- Six gold albums
- Thirty-four Billboard Top 100 singles
- A fashion that defined an era
- Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- "Rich Girl"

Now let us take a look at Little Anthony & The Imperials...

- A #4 single in the Billboard Top 100
- Uhhh... they covered "You Only Live Twice"

Okay, they actually charted quite a few times on the Billboard Top 100 and R&B charts, but you catch my drift. It is a knock against America to not include the musical mastery of Hall & Oates in the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame".

Other notable omissions: Tom Waits, Weird Al Yankovic, T. Rex, Lou Reed, The Replacements

what a scary picture...

The Alley: Festival Bound

2009-04-14T00:43:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

I haven't posted anything in a while...thought I'd throw out a random update. Any chance people could do the same? I've lost touch with a bunch of you and I need to know what's going on.

"The Alley" (aka the film I directed my junior year) is making its festival debut this weekend at NYU's New Visions and Voices Film Festival. Over 100 films were submitted and will be screened for two full days. Saturday night there is an Awards ceremony. Wish me luck!

Also, I'm in the latter stages of post production on my senior thesis, "9/12". Just handed it over to my sound editor, so I have a few weeks of mixing to do. Then after my composer scores it and I do a bit of color correction, it should be finished!

I'm also graduating in Mid-May. I will be home for most of the summer and then I will eventually decide if I'm going to move back to New York or grow a pair and move to L.A.

Any advice? Anybody want to live with me in either locale? What are you all doing with your lives?

Love,

DePo

This disgusts me...

2009-04-13T17:59:00.003-04:00

Ok... I don't know how to embed a video because I am too dumb apparently. Any help in that department would be helpful. But if you haven't seen this video, please watch it and be horrified, just like I was...

Mr. Rogers is evil? COME ON FOX NEWS! REALLY!?!?

it really disturbs me...

"You know its gonna be tea baggin' 24/7 when it comes to the midterms"

2009-04-10T20:36:00.003-04:00

This has got to be one of the best things I've ever seen.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Another one-line video post

2009-04-09T18:42:00.002-04:00

This is honestly the most surreal thing I have ever seen.

The greatest goddamn thing I have ever seen

2009-04-08T20:51:00.002-04:00

I don't care if it doesn't count.

Wave of the Future, Dude

2009-04-08T00:44:00.003-04:00

I found this article really interesting. Drugs that can improve the faculties of normal people are already becoming prevalent (Adderol (sp???) for one) but future, more legal drugs will probably be available in the near future. There are many ethical issues surrounding this, but I think my biggest concern is that as much as we could feasibly improve ourselves, should self-improvement be so emphasized in our society. In effect, we will simply be raising the base-line levels of memory, intelligence or whatever else. Our society could be more efficient, but I don't think our happiness will improve at all, and all we would do is become less content with our basic selves.

The other major problem I have with this is that if new super-pills become available, only richer people will be able to get them, leading to an increase in the already large gap between rich and poor. What really scares me about this is, say, prestigious schools that have a combination of priviledged kids and poorer but talented kids. At school, the richer kids can get the smart drugs and will have a huge advantage over the poorer kids. In the end, this issue ties back in with my previous one, as in the end the kids just want to be smarter and perform better, but it is unlikely, and perhaps less likely, that they will be more content.

There are a ton of other interesting points in the article not about the drugs per se, but rather about memory. The thing about the girl who can remember basically every day of her life in great detail is nuts and makes me realize the brain is absolutely f-ing crazy.

Just Sharing

2009-04-07T19:25:00.007-04:00

I have been watching a ton of Kenny Vs. Spenny lately. If you haven't seen the show, it is two friends facing off in competitions like "Who can bone the most women?" and "Who can wear a gorilla suit the longest?", the loser faces a ridiculous humiliation. Spenny is the straight man, while Kenny is pure evil and absolutely hilarious.

Here is "Who can piss off more people?" broken into three parts 1 2 3 enjoy the mindless comedy!

Oh women...

Even Red Sox fans must agree that the media's reaction to the first Yankees game is absurd.

The new Mastodon record is brutal. I would put them in the running for best band, they are certainly the best metal band out there. Anybody else into it (Grish)?

Handsome Furs. Better than Sunset Rubdown? Better than Wold Parade?!? Perhaps...

Bank of America: FUCK YOU

2009-04-07T12:58:00.002-04:00

Bank of America just raised the rate of my credit card to over 15%.

Having brought them at least 4-5 new customers over the past few years, I just want to say:

Fuck you very much.

It's going to take every penny I have to pay that off.

BYAH!!!

2009-04-07T01:50:00.002-04:00

This popped into my head today and I couldn't help but dust it off...

BYAH

hahaha

and then well there is dave's take...

Haha...

Count it!

Soundscapes for Compromising a Remote Host

2009-04-05T21:23:00.003-04:00

So about 8-9 years ago there was a fantastic website called musicforhackers.com that played some fucking awesome ambient music that was great to just have on in the background. Then it disappeared. Every so often I google it or try the old url to see if it has been resurrected in any form. It never has been.

UNTIL TODAY!

Or, at least I found it was running again today. Click the listen link on the page and check it out. It's streamed as a shoutcast station, or an m3u that isn't native to itunes so your browser will download it like a file most likely, just click it and itunes will get it sorted out.

Edit: I should also mention that some of the stuff on there is experimental and kinda weird, but some of it is really really awesome. Hit or miss at times.

Adventureland!

2009-04-05T21:20:00.003-04:00

I saw Adventureland this weekend. If you want to see it with a fully open mind, I might advise not reading this...

You've been warned.

I went in assuming the movie was going to be an out-and-out, mindless comedy, but I would go so far as to say it was a comedic drama. The characters were beautifully developed (with the exception of Bill Hader's character, which I didn't mind because he was out-of-control hilarious), and, while there are certainly laughs to be had, there was a tremendous poignancy to the story. In addition, the music was absolutely killer (probably top 5 favorite soundtrack ever).

Interestingly, like most of the recent comedies that I've enjoyed, I was not overly amped about the movie after seeing the preview, which made the movie seem rather puerile. Superbad and Knocked Up both looked kind of lame to me (especially the former, which I ended up loving), and while the previews didn't hinder my enjoyment of the movies, it peeves me that marketers are taking a lowest-common denominator approach to the movies. That is, the scenes in the previews tend to be the most sophomoric ones in the movie. I understand that the producers want to make sure that the movie gets seen by the largest audience possible, and in that sense it is a necessary evil, but at the same time it saddens me that they aren't confident enough that the public will want to see a comedic movie with nuanced characters and actual drama. At the same, when Paul Blart is #1 in box offices for a few weeks in a row, I can't really blame the producers for going for the lowest common denominator, I suppose.

Ooooooh Yayuh

2009-04-05T20:43:00.004-04:00

My awesome girlfriend sent me this today. My favorite part are all the comments.

The Rise of Citizen Journalism

2009-04-04T20:00:00.007-04:00

With news coming out that the Boston Globe may be pushed to chapter 11, and the fact that several big name newspapers across the country are shutting down or switching format (the Christian Science Monitor went online only) I've been thinking about the decline of journalism of the past. Television journalism, with some obvious exceptions, focuses a lot of its time on sensational stories and gotcha journalism. My favorite thing lately is WHDH and the Fox boston affiliate going after public employees that are making decent money... by working over 100 hours a week - vilifying them for busting there asses to provide for their families and providing vital public services at the same time.

To me, the best journalism has always been one of the strong suits of the major newspapers. Writers that are able to get to the heart of the issue and know the inside actors and can actually get some access to their subject matter. It's not "gotcha" journalism in the sense that it is meant to be in-depth with analysis of subject matter, not a quick hit on some unsuspecting bus driver who happens to be 50 with 4 kids under the age of 18. Instead of trying to evoke rage among subscribers, it tries to find answers, reasons, draw connections, and provide explanations for the question at hand. These stories fall in many categories: human interest, business, politics, science & health, you name it. The point of this post is that I'm worried that we may be losing high quality journalism in the mass media.

One of the investigative journalism programs on tv is Front Line. Their programming is done by WGBH in Boston and is top notch, I've seen and heard of many of their programs used in academic settings. A loss of funding for that program would be a big blow to investigative journalism on tv.

What would fill the void if major publishers like the Globe went under? Would blogs have the same effect? I don't think so.

While we've seen a large jump in citizen journalists and bloggers, I don't think that most have connections and access to produce content of the same caliber as traditional journalists with big name outfits do. I also don't see most bloggers willing to invest the time and effort into this kind of thing. Blogs are typically narrow in scope and have no funding for these kind of things.

Enter: Arianna Huffington and the Huffington Post.

This past Sunday the Huffington Post announced their new investigative journalism fund. Their mission statement is essentially to combat the consolidation of newspapers and the cutting of investigative journalism by hiring laid off reporters and providing resources for staff members to conduct quality investigative journalism. They also want the citizen journalist to submit their own pitches and story ideas, and they'll be picking up many of them I'm sure.

One issue that I see with this is the ideological bent of the HuffPo (as its known). Being a far left blog it's easy to dismiss all of their content as ideological in nature, and in general being opinion oriented. Perhaps this is an opportunity for some rebranding for them, and to tap into another audience that they may not be reaching with their current format. Maybe its just a great idea to help preserve some of the best journalism out there and provide a way for these laid off writers with a way of maintaining cash flow. Either way, I think we come out ahead as the reader.

So what do you think about the fall of print journalism, the rise of the citizen journalist, and the merits of blog based investigative reporting?

You Broke My Fucking Sitar Motherfucker

2009-04-03T22:20:00.004-04:00

I was witness to the great one last night, a man by the name of Anton Alfred Newcombe, leader of possibly the greatest rock and roll band of all time, the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Anton was kind of psycho-looking but sedate during the show, but they played a bunch of their best tunes and I dug every second of it. And they still had time to be totally whacky, as, about halfway through, half of the (8 members of the) band left the stage, leaving the drummer, Joel, the bassist, and Anton. The drummer and bassist combined ot play this sinister rhythm while Anton screamed, among other things, "C'mon motherfucker I'm looking for drugs/ain't looking for pussy/ain't looking for love". It was ludicrous, hilarious, and nuts, and I loved it. Additionally, there was this great dude up in the balcony whose silhouette looked like a certain Jeffrey Lebowski (not the millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski) who was super into doing every air instrument that the opening act played (bass, guitar, drums, harmonica, singing) as well as giving the peace and rock on sign rather copiously.

Linksauce returns!

2009-04-02T09:57:00.004-04:00

New games if they had the sense to do NES box art. [The Minus World]

One of the few April Fool's Day pranks I thought was really, really great. [Topless Robot]

The Dragon Ball Z movie may be one of the worst movies ever. [io9/IGN]

An apocalypse movie starring Shaq? The reviews kill me. [Fatawesome]

The barking dog lives! [Youtube, seen on ESPN]

Colbert's Glenn Beck Followup

2009-04-01T16:22:00.001-04:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The 10/31 Project

comedycentral.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

NASA Name Contest

Colbert is a Genius.

Glenn Beck: Need I say more

2009-03-31T18:07:00.001-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Do It Live

2009-03-30T19:28:00.005-04:00

OK, first things first. My friend at work emailed this to me today. I'm still laughing. I love how the succinctness of it adds infinitely to the hilarity.

Besides this, here are some other varied amusements that I wanted to post about:

MUSIC

Fever Ray - Fever Ray: Crazy lady from the Knife's solo album. I dislike the lack of dancier beats (in comparison to the Knife), but she maintains the wonderful atmospheric edge. Fave tune is "Keep the Streets Empty for Me", mainly because of the rad flute (although the video for first single "If I Had a Heart" is pretty badass.

Dan Deacon - Bromst: I liked but didn't love his first album, although to clarify I loved a few songs but was lukewarm on the rest. I feel like those one works better on the whole, and there is a nice balance between his glorious hyper-looniness and more downtempo stuff that

VIDEO GAMES

Killzone 2: Oh my lord, I bought this yesterday and the graphics and sound effects probably top any game I've ever played. The gameplay is amazing as well, the multiplyaer super fast-paced, and the levels are killer. HIGHLY recommended.

BOOKS

Cormac McCarthy - Outer Dark: I'm also currently rereading Blood Meridian, but I picked up this one at the store the other day and, while it is definitely not in the same class as the aforementioned classic stylistically, the story (involving incest and 3 killers lurking in the forest) sounds intriguing to say the least.

A healthy debate: OnLive

2009-03-30T14:38:00.006-04:00

[Ever since we moved, I've wanted to do some sort of debate feature akin to all the ones we used to have on the forum back in the day. I hope by posting this conversation between The Blumpking and myself (which I hope is half as interesting as I think it is), it will spark the rest of us to get together and talk/argue about something. I've highlighted parts I think are the most interesting, fully knowing reading a conversation between two people might, possibly be boring. Consider it the Sparknotes.

Fair warning: shit gets very geeky -- it's about video games, after all -- but I think it's informative about something that sounds pretty revolutionary. Let us know in the comments if this conversation was as boring as hell or as awesome as hell.]

The Blumpking(2:12:19 PM): you read about onlive
Grish (2:13:19 PM): ohhh yeah
The Blumpking(2:13:34 PM): if that is real, and it works, i regret the 360 instantly
Grish (2:14:13 PM): well if it does work everyone who owns a console/gaming PC regrets it
Grish (2:13:37 PM): it seems like every few years something like that comes about
Grish (2:13:42 PM): and it never works

Remember Phantom's idea for a similar game console? Hint: It failed.

The Blumpking(2:14:09 PM): yeah, i cant figure out how its cost effective for them
The Blumpking(2:14:21 PM): they basically have to have a console for every player
The Blumpking(2:14:24 PM): and then stream it
Grish (2:14:38 PM): and have enormous servers to handle everything
The Blumpking(2:14:45 PM): exactly
Grish (2:14:52 PM): like a million people playing Halo at the same time
Grish (2:14:56 PM): or running Crysis
The Blumpking(2:15:05 PM): like ok, maybe you dont have to manufacture a console for every single person because people wont be online at the same time
Grish (2:15:15 PM): but a lot of people will be
The Blumpking(2:15:25 PM): plus the streaming quality cant be that awesome
The Blumpking(2:15:29 PM): especially at launch
The Blumpking(2:15:38 PM): you're talking huge data centers
Grish (2:15:43 PM): oh yeah
The Blumpking(2:16:58 PM): its the cloud concept in action though
The Blumpking(2:17:00 PM): which is cool
Grish (2:17:03 PM): yeah
Grish (2:17:56 PM): in a perfect world all the console big wigs would work together to put money into this, but come on, that would mean I wouldn't have to buy three consoles every 5-8 years
The Blumpking(2:18:08 PM): exactly
Grish (2:18:09 PM): and games
The Blumpking(2:18:14 PM): its got big developer support
The Blumpking(2:18:22 PM): so they must see it as viable
Grish (2:18:47 PM): I can see why, people are going to pirate shit so you may as well go through this instead
The Blumpking(2:18:51 PM): i mean if devs circumvent the big console makers then they win
Grish (2:18:56 PM): yeah
Grish (2:19:07 PM): especially PC and smaller ones
The Blumpking(2:19:18 PM): for sure
The Blumpking(2:19:36 PM): like theoretically, you should be able to use your pc as a connector as well
Grish (2:19:55 PM): yeah you don't even need that box as long as you have a PC/MAC

Will this change/destroy gaming as we know it?

The Blumpking(2:19:56 PM): if its just streaming input to them and receiving video from them
The Blumpking(2:20:03 PM): not even
The Blumpking(2:20:10 PM): cause your comp wouldn't be doing the computations
Grish (2:20:16 PM): no it's just the screen
The Blumpking(2:20:21 PM): you could use a ghetto comp
The Blumpking(2:20:25 PM): opening it to a huge market
Grish (2:20:55 PM): it would open it to people who can't afford $400 consoles too
The Blumpking(2:21:05 PM): yeah
The Blumpking(2:21:16 PM): although, its gotta be a monthly service
Grish (2:21:20 PM): oh yeah
Grish (2:21:22 PM): but still
The Blumpking(2:21:27 PM): so you wont be able to play when you aren't subscribed
The Blumpking(2:21:34 PM): unlike the current model
Grish (2:22:00 PM): $X/month instead of at least $50-60 two times a month for new games
The Blumpking(2:22:07 PM): yeah
Grish (2:22:08 PM): for the "hardcore" set
The Blumpking(2:22:33 PM): using a wiiware model you cut out the publisher
The Blumpking(2:22:38 PM): since you aren't putting it on the shelves
The Blumpking(2:22:46 PM): more profit direct to the developer
Grish (2:22:54 PM): less on packaging, marketing
The Blumpking(2:23:04 PM): in theory its like the end all, be all of console gaming
Grish (2:23:08 PM): oh yeah
Grish (2:23:21 PM): the IGN writer who wrote it said it would be the end and wasn't kidding at all
The Blumpking(2:23:10 PM): until we get holodecks
Grish (2:24:10 PM): and as far as PC devs go, they could just develop like the most gorgeous game ever, not having to worry if people can run it
The Blumpking(2:24:21 PM): exactly
The Blumpking(2:24:26 PM): it opens the market in a big way
The Blumpking(2:24:41 PM): they let the onlive devs worry about keeping up
The Blumpking(2:24:50 PM): and they just make the best product possible
Grish (2:25:19 PM): exclusivity also becomes a non-issue. It really could be the best thing ever
The Blumpking(2:26:19 PM): unless they go EA on everyone
The Blumpking(2:26:33 PM): and eliminate competition then nickle and dime everyone
Grish (2:26:45 PM): true
Grish (2:28:43 PM): there is much to be done in terms of making people buy into it. Everyone is pretty much where we are: sounds great, now make me believe it will work
The Blumpking(2:28:58 PM): yup
The Blumpking(2:29:14 PM): lag is the biggest factor
The Blumpking(2:29:27 PM): like could you imagine playing the original mario with lag
Grish (2:29:31 PM): hahaha
The Blumpking(2:29:33 PM): wouldn't work
Grish (2:29:35 PM): best thing ever
The Blumpking(2:29:52 PM): end up in the pit every time you went to jump as you ran towards it
Grish (2:30:07 PM): and people will not tolerate that. They'd rather stick with a lag-free console than an awesome, but laggy, game type machine

Wiki Challenge: Wrestlers

2009-03-30T03:40:00.004-04:00

Our bootleg copy of "The Wrestler" finally worked last night! (We've been trying once a night for about a month) I thought it was super rad. Not just in story and acting but also in the way the wrestling fans and locker room shop-talk was so dead on. I particularly loved "use! his! leg!!"

In any event, I was looking up certain fave wrestlers of mine on my day off and came across some interesting/funny passages that I feel would be good for another wiki challenge. In all honesty I really just wanted to post number 1 but I figured I'd try to expand it and see what else I could find.

As usual, your answers in the comments.

1 - "Garland normally precedes the Worm with a one-handed or two-handed bulldog. With his opponent rendered unconscious and left supine, Garland turns to face the audience, spreads his arms and pumps his legs. Garland then hops on one leg four times, with the audience generally chanting "W", "O", "R", and "M" in succession as his foot hits the ground. Garland then drops to his stomach and performs the "worm" breakdance move three times, slithering towards his still supine opponent. Upon reaching his opponent, Garland rises to his feet, swings his arms from side to side with the audience generally whooping in time with each undulation, before dropping to his stomach and executing a high-impact chop drop on his opponent's chest" I genuinely laughed out loud at this.

2 - "He had his own brand of perfume called "Arrogance", which was kept in a large atomizer and would be sprayed in the eyes of his opponents to blind them. He also wore a Turquoise sportcoat, complete with a large novelty button that read "Yes, I am a [*****]" to the ring." It's hard to find a great quote without the name appearing somewhere.

3 - "In 1996, Hickenbottom posed in a non-nude layout for Playgirl magazine.[152] It was not until after he posed that he discovered that Playgirl has a mostly homosexual readership, which was seen as humorous by his fellow wrestlers" I was gonna "bleep" the name but you should get props for knowing this guy's particularly funny last name.

4 - "Among his regular partners were Tommy Rich (as "TNT"), Dick Murdoch, and Rocky Johnson. He was also the very first man to press slam and pin Hulk Hogan though Hogan's foot was on the rope and the referee didn't see it.[citation needed]" I love this because 6 moths ago it didn't include the part about the leg on the rope..and I imagine the first guy re-visiting and angrily putting in the "citation needed".

5 - "...which culminated in a European title defense at Backlash, which was also billed as the night of [his] prom (he was said to have just earned a GED). [He]defeated Rios after arriving at ringside in a 1957 Chevrolet, even wrestling in his tuxedo pants and a bow tie" Classic.

And for anyone who reads my other blog, sorry about the lack of posts. I promise I'll put up a great big one tomorrow. Cuz..ya know..I got the big one.

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Hiring Yourself: Website design made easy still sucks

2009-03-29T22:57:00.002-04:00

This makes the 3rd installment in my little series here about this stupid idea I had that is slowly but surely becoming a pain in the ass.

After looking over all of my coding platform options and discussing it with my tech consiglieri (again, props to AJ), I've decided to go with Drupal as my platform of choice. This beat out Wordpress, Joomla, and Soapblox for the right to serve my needs. Integral to this choice was the ability to customize the layout and content. A huge plus to this is Drupal's modular design and the amount of support that is out there for it. Drupal developers have created thousands of modules that you can easily integrate into your website. There are hundreds of themes/layouts out there as well, you just have to put it together, customize, and configure.

Sounds easy right? Well, it was thanks to a great website called Learn by the drop.com. Learn by the drop features some great video tutorials that make it pretty easy to get a quick site going, and I've been using this to slap together a test site that I'm going to use on the 2nd domain that I bought for a resume site.

This is fantastic until you need to do something outside of what's discussed there. Then its all trial and error and constantly fucking shit up. Which is expected, but when you're fumbling around trying to get a browse button for image upload and you end up breaking things, that's not so fun. This is complicated by a round about administrator interface that seems straight forward but actually isn't. Supposedly, this is being addressed with version 7 of Drupal that is currently in development.

Drupal has a lot of potential for what I want to do. It seems I've lost my ability to pick up new computer things with ease. I'm gonna stick with it though, and try to make progress. More updates to come.

Facebook as a Microcosm for the Modern Age

2009-03-29T19:57:00.003-04:00

The New York times ran this article recently about how Facebook is changing, and what issues the Facebook community has had with these changes. The usual issues re: privacy are discussed (I hadn't heard about the Eagles employee who blasted managent for letting Dawkins go on Facebook, only to get fired because one of his Facebook friends who was a higher up in management saw it), but I think the most interesting thing to me is how people are getting mad about how much useless information they are seeing as a result of the new updates. This intrigues me for two reasons:

1. This new emphasis on using Facebook for real-time and more extemporaneous updating that the company seems to think is the future of Facebook mirrors the recent rise of Twitter, which serves a similar function. Now, both of these serve a distinctly different function than other modern technological modes of information sharing/communication in that they are a) impersonal (that is, not real-time person-to-person communication) and b) not as rational and premeditated as, say, a traditonal blog entry or an email. This leads to:

2. Does this information give us a deeper insight into societal change in general? Are current technological trends pushing us towards communication that is both wide-reaching and very impersonal? If so, what is the societal impact of this? I think this would be hard to tell from my own direct experience, because I don't really use Facebook too much anymore and have never used Twitter. But, if I grew up using Facebook and Twitter, I worry that, when it came to meaningful, in-person communication with people, it might be more difficult to express myself if I was used to expressing myself only in such impersonal ways. Additionally, because a Facebook friend or a member of the same online community is distinctly different than a real life "friend", would it become harder for me to distinguish how my interactions with these different people in life should be?

Goal Of the Week

2009-03-28T19:03:00.003-04:00

Two goals here (since I missed last weeks). I'd actually never seen this first one, but it is insane. This gem was what I had been looking for.

Features

2009-03-25T19:00:00.003-04:00

Hey folks,

I was wondering if there are any features people would like to see added to this site? I added a tag cloud on the right. It seems to be a bit buggy with varying lengths depending on when I load it. I'll be looking for another one to replace it if it doesn't fix itself. Let me know.

Hiring Yourself: Moving forward

2009-03-24T16:52:00.004-04:00

I'm moving forward with my plans for my new cyber-empire. I've purchased 2 domain names now and I've got my book mind mapped for all but 2 chapters and an appendix. My next step is going to be mapping out the site so I know what content I need to generate ahead of time for launch, and so I can get an idea for what I want the layout to resemble. I'm very lucky to have knowledgable friends that I can consult on graphic design (shout out to Kate), and all things technical (shout out to AJ).

My plan is to use the site as a lead in for the book. The site will generate income via advertising and be aimed at small campaigns that don't have money for big consultants or very experienced staff members, non-profits looking to expand their ground game/volunteer numbers, and local committees looking to become/stay relevant and useful, which is rarely the case, but if they were useful and every town had them, that would be a major benefit to campaigns big and small. The city of Chesapeake, VA has a Democratic Committee that was so well prepared we were able to let them run their own operation to an extent. Ultimately we were aiming bigger, but it gave us a huge advantage. Props to Dr. Ward for running that.

Expenses so far are at a total of $20 for the two domains that I purchased. Currently, I'm looking at hosting options. More updates as things move forward!

The official F.T.B. fantasy baseball league

2009-03-24T15:41:00.004-04:00

Not Jimmy Rollins' fantasy.

Opening Day 2009 is less than two weeks away and I am pumped. It also means fantasy baseball -- the greatest time-waster ever created -- is looming.

This is to drum up interest our league. We want to be a bit more "serious" than in the past. I want to get at least 12 teams (at worst 10), would like owners who check their teams everyday, want to do trades, etc. Not to discourage anyone from joining, but it's just better when all involved are on the same competitive level.

But if everyone who's done it in the past wants to do it this year, I have no problem being in multiple leagues, so by all means, let your voice be heard.

Drop a comment if you want in and we'll get a league started up.

Bootsy!

2009-03-22T22:47:00.002-04:00

GREAT banter, great solo.

Nobody Nobody

2009-03-22T04:22:00.003-04:00

Music is one of our frequently discussed topics so I feel like I'd be remiss in my duties as foreign correspondent if I didn't talk about what's big here. There isn't really much of a Thai music scene beyond Thai Pop and for every other genre they just turn outward. There are nearly as many English radio stations as Thai ones (not counting talk) and even then they're almost all pop/rock. Granted, this is information gathered through passing experience in taxis and I'm sure there are niches for everything in this city. My favorite place in the city is actually a small little blues bar that's about the size of a closet. There's about 4 or 5 bands that play there regularly and they're all really good. It's very cool to see Thai people singing old blues favorites. Likewise, there's a Thai Beatles tribute band that plays every Friday up the street. They have the mop-tops and everything. It's weird to hear them sing these songs perfectly but then when someone comes up to talk to them in English they have no idea what they're saying.

The main reason for this post is to share my new favorite pop song. It's actually from a Korean band called the Wonder Girls and the song is called "Nobody". It follows a pretty common Asian pop template with native language verse and then English chorus. I love it. Warning! it might get stuck in your head for a while. I linked to a live performance so you could see the dance that goes with it as well as admire the Wonder Girls. When this song comes on at a party or club, about 1/3 of the girls will do the dance with it. It's sorta like the macarena but 5 years later when most people forgot how to do it. As an added bonus I'll post the yt video of "Lucky" which is similar song I had a similar attraction to in Madrid. This one is also a "live" performance but you get the same effect as listening to the mp3..also you can sing along in French!

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