I want to listen to Hype Machine today. So if the next 7800 people that read thisblogismyblog would please visit Hype Machine, I will be much happier at work today, and won't have to listen to this stupid creaking door somewhere off in the distance. Of course, I could listen my iPod or WFMU or something, but I wanted to listen to some mp3s over at my favorite mp3 blog aggregator, who has decided not to launch their new website until 10,000 people visit at the same time.

Bastards. The moniker is Hype Machine though, why should something like this not be expected?

The strange thing is...I feel so used. Right now, I'm doing exactly what they want me to do. And I can't say that I like it. Not that I don't use their site almost daily to find and hear new music. (Old music too, for that matter.) But still.

Although a stunt like this might backfire and get the RIAA looking their way. And their as much fun as a sack of wet mice.

In the time it's taken me to write this, only about 4 more people have visited the site. And don't remind how long I'll be waiting to listen to Hype Machine, if thisblogismyblog alone was responsible for directing 7800 more listeners.

Interesting presentation on the state of the digital music industry by Fistfulayen. And I dig the whole content versus context bit. It's very Marshall McLuhan.

Because the kids need cover art for iTunes, that's why.

Right now I'm partial to #98. Yep the thumbnail. Go figure.

The nice thing is you can add a different graphic for each track. Things won't get stale that way. It's late so I won't listen to the whole album right now. But, in case you don't already know, here's where you can get Radiohead - In Rainbows.

I hadn't visited A Softer World in awhile. You probably haven't either.

Sorry for the title. It looks like some blatant sploggery, but the post is done and the clever title is nowhere to be found.

Current inertia has really reduced the amount of posting here, and writing anywhere else, and I find it a bit inexplicable, other than the drastic reduction in free time, and my refusal to abandon time with my family. that said, it's inexplicable that I'm not sleeping and actually posting, but I missed my niece's radio debut on last week, and needed to stay up late this week to hear her on the air. My first attempt at recording the stream has failed miserably, and to record a whole six hours looks like it will eat up a significant amount of hard drive space. But she sounded great, and I'm quite proud, not just that she's on the air, but that she stayed focused enough and worked hard enough to get this far. Focus is not easy for anyone anymore. Distractions seem to run the world. Shutting them off long enough to get something done is a feat that I find impressive.

Ok...so back to distractions, while listening to her show, I've been skipping around the Internets and found some individual pieces of information that add to a greater whole.

Item A

Victoria Beckham To Play Alien Bride In Scientology Film

Plus Item B

John Travolta offers to fly Spice Force One

Equals Conclusion C

Those Scientologists really loves them some Beckhams. I don't follow that close but I didn't think the Church of Hubbard had nabbed Posh and David yet, but come on. The Tom Cruise bankrolled movie that is not yet listed on IMDB.com and has been turned down by every studio is titled The Thetan. Can't we just go back to simpler, more innocent Hollywood? These developments would be significantly less creepy if this was just an outrageous lie constructed to bang Mrs. Beckham. Which this is obviously not, we're talking Cruise and Travolta here. I long to hear casting couch stories when I hear stuff like this. If I go to a hotel in the Los Angeles area will there be a copy of Dianetics in the night table?

If George Steinbrenner was this persistent maybe he would have landed David Ortiz years ago and saved himself some grief. You know, Air Force One is pretty cool plane, too, I hear, Travolta's not trying to fly that one, but with the President's approval rating lower than his college GPA plus his shoe size, I guess he's no trophy.

I read Max Barry's books, actually just Jennifer Government so far. Sometimes I read what he writes online. Often I enjoy it.

Here's his recent post on DirecTV's blatant disregard for people on the Do Not Call list. It cannot be driven home enough how super awesome a post it is.

See what I did in that last sentence. I made like 12-15 (it was so many I just gave up counting) words into a link. I try to never do that. It lessens readability. Today that doesn't concern me. Reducing the linked text to just "recent post" or blatant disregard" are not things I care about today. I don't know why. I just figure it best to be upfront and honest about it.

If only because I want to watch this clip again, and hope at least someone else has their jaw drop against their keyboard after a drum performance that is beyond sick, or other adjectives that don't describe very well.

Go check out The Bad Plus covering Aphex Twin over at The Presidential Award for Aural Fitness

Much thanks for the find. This is a gem.

The other day "Sebastian", although he may going by original name now that the summer is over, (long story, but anything involving a pseudonym usuallly is) requested I forward him this Morrissey track. It's a cover of "That's Entertainment" by The Jam. Which is the only song I can name from The Jam myself, so this isn't going to be one of those posts that educate about The Jam, or about Morrissey for that matter. But it's a good song that I've also heard covered by Ted Leo (sort of) on WFMU. He went on to suggest maybe I should listen to The Jam, and maybe I should.

This track appeared on the Just Say Anything compilation released in 1991. This CD also introduced me to the song "Another Girl, Another Planet", which I had no idea at the time was a cover, but completely realized what a great song it was. The Only Ones were the original artist by the way, The Mighty Lemon Drops do a nice job with it though. I've heard some live Replacements performances of this track as well.

MP3s:
Morrissey - That's Entertainment
The Mighty Lemon Drops - Another Girl, Another Planet

I was in the middle of, actually, hopefully, the tail end of posting a comment over at Frameshop, (you see, I've been typing this for awhile, although it looks to you, humble reader, as if I'd just started), when the wonders of trackbacks just occurred to me. I can have my content and Jeffrey Feldman can, too. And how often can you have and eat the same cake? Plus I'm not sure if my links would display in the Frameshop comments.

So, the following is my commentary on PBS Should Fire Brooks, Apologize, and David Brooks' appearance on The Lehrer Report, where he equated lefty bloggers with terrorists. He wouldn't be the first to commit such a smear, but maybe the first on PBS.

...

It's unlikely that there will be an apology. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting board has a Republican majority of 5 out of 9 members, selected by the President and approved by the Senate. The current remaining board consists of two Democrats and one independent. There is one open seat, which surprises no one, as obviously President Bush will not select a Democrat to fill that final post, and the Public Broadcasting Act prohibits him from tapping another Republican, by limiting the number of board members from one political party to 5. (Interestingly, enough Bush nominated Democrat David Pryor for the board. I'm as shocked as you.)

This party of five is headed by Cheryl Halpern, who was mentioned in her Wikipedia entry as "outstanding in her field as a propagandist". I noted this in a previous entry, but it has since been removed from Wikipedia , but it is still listed in a Search.com entry about her.

The following quote from the current Wikipedia entry looks to be a translucent spin on the earlier passage.

"She has extensive experience with overseeing pro-American media campaigns abroad."

According to SourceWatch, Halpern contributed to the 2000 and 2004 Bush election campaigns. And in 2004 was also ranked among the Top 100 "hard money" donors by Mother Jones with donations to numerous Republicans, including Trent Lott, Sam Brownback, and Conrad Burns. Lott and Brownback also happened to sit on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The same committee which approves all Corporation for Public Broadcasting nominations.

Oh, and by the way, Patricia Harrison, the President of the CPB, is the former Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee.

What was that whole thing about an apology again? That said, there is still every reason to ask for an apology, but given the background of who's running the CPB, the odds of hearing one are quite low.

I twit but not too often.

Obviously I don't post too much anymore either.

Bloggers who are job hunting and use their blog as part of their portfolio shouldn't post on their personal blogs while at work. The message it says to those potential employers is, "I could really care less about your workload. My blog is more important."

Now there's really nothing wrong with the spirit behind this, because I hope your life comes before your work. Work is what you do at the moment to allow you the funding to do what you want with the rest of your time.

But think before posting. Think about the message you are sending.

That said, I'm on Day 5 of a new job, and I'm at my desk writing this. Think about the message I'm sending. Or think about something else. Just think once and awhile. But don't hurt yourself doing it.

The LEGO Indiana Jones trailer is up on the LucasArts website. And yes, Tt Games is attached to the project. My six year old loves Star Wars via the LEGO Star Wars video game. And we recently contemplated watching Raiders of the Lost Ark with him, since he's also a fan of the Legends of the hidden Temple. (Yes, it's in syndication, if that's what you call Nick Gas. Wait a minute. It's still Nickelodeon, so I guess it's not syndication, it's just reruns.)

We visited the LucasArts site to checkout the Force Unleashed trailer, and listed under games was LEGO Indy. My son's reaction said everything:

"Dad he's got the same pants as Han Solo."

I smiled. I'm not sure it's true, but Should I be surprised that LEGO Indy bears some resemblance to LEGO Han Solo. (Actually they both have the gun holster on the same leg of their pants.)

"Son, you know the same actor that played Han Solo also played Indiana Jones."

He didn't have to tell me he wanted to get this when it came out. They had me at "South America, 1936." And when I heard all three movies were included in the game. So I've got until 2008 to scrape a few pennies together.

Or they just don't like it, is all. So, it's here.



You'll understand if you read my Optimus Hasselhoff post. Perhaps I'll post it to the Capital Bullshit MySpace page.

Sorry I've been reading to much lolbots.

And lolcats. And lolnin. And loltrek. And lollost. And loltapirs. And lolpresident. And I can has cheezburger. And lol80s. And lolshoppincartz.

loltapirs has a pretty lengthy blogroll of this stuff. Hey! You think it'll catch on?

Oh yeah, the point was to claim this blog on Technorati. Technorati Profile

I still go back and forth deciding whether website should be one or two words. I thought two was correct for so long, but I've been seeing it as one word an awful lot.

I'm looking for web work these days to keep me busy until January, so I'm in the process of updating my resume, as well as the portfolios the creative talent agencies host at their web sites. (See, without thinking...two words.) As I was typing my description into their field, and if you've ever filled out anything similar, usually you don't know the character limit until after you type it in. Ok, so I said, "No, I'm not going to click submit and have my description deleted, or cropped to the point where I can't remember the rest of it. Uh-uh. Apple-A, Apple-C, Bitch."

Yeah, that's what happened. That's why there's a post now. Why the hell not? I never promote my work here, or at least not very often. Every record label, band artist, designer, writer, director, as well as people who I don't even know what they do send me bulletins, and blog updates on myspace. So, fuck it. You can always delete me as a friend. And I could do the same, but I don't. Not usually, most I've added for one reason or another.

So here's something I made. The HerSpace website. It was awhile ago, and probably not as good as the candle I made out of melted and cooled crayons at the YMCA as a kid. But still.

Ok...next paragraph is the description as I intended it. It's not set off by any special boxes or anything, and since it's about web design work I should probably do that, but I won't. thisblogismyblog is my writing outlet, not web design outlet. Version 2.0 of tbimb will have some of that, but not just yet.

While living in the Red Bank, NJ area, I tried to support many of the local businesses that were walking distance from my home. A flyer hanging on a wall promoting a Sun Ra concert evolved into becoming the web designer hired by advertising agency Ansorge Unlimited to create a web presence for their client. We bounced some ideas back and forth as to the main page and what information and headers needed to be included. I took it from there and developed the navigation and the look and feel for all the interior pages. I still do updates for this web site as requested, and may in the future create a blog for them as well. Did I describe my role well enough ? Let's see...umm...programming, layout, graphic design (they designed the logo, though), CSS, Javascript rollovers, embedded video, sub-navigation, and I even registered the site with as many search engines and directories as I could find. That's about it. This was was a pretty large project for me, and I'm quite proud of the way it turned out.

Why? Because they sell cheap flip flops that e-ther burn or unleash some sort of flesh-eating bacteria on your feet. The bright side is that only part of your foot in contact with the flip flop straps are affected. If you want the flip flops that just sever your feet entirely, it'll cost you 40 cents more.

Unhappy feet.

No, you don't have to thank me for linking you to some scabbed up feet just after you dinner. But if you actually read the story it seems that Wal-Mart is doing nothing about it.

In a world where Mad Cow Disease is not an illness, but a state of rural unrest. One cow mush rise up and awakens the herd. A herd fattened up and dumbed down by genetically modified feed. Normally docile creatures with a hive mentality that has finally, collectively mooed "Enough!" (Which may actually still just sound like "Moo", but with greater emphasis and intent.) The antibiotics and hormones pumped into this Slaughterhouse Nation has backfired against the government oppressors, who must confront the greatest beef to ever face their unchallenged empire. Special sauce and sesame seed buns are no match for...

...Cows With Guns.

Thanks for the link,...umm...Sebastian?

Stemspot. DJ Johnny Blaze. Muppets. Later.

One more time. Muppets.

I do. Really, I do. Dig Dug also has a kill screen.

See previous post for all about that. Or actually just a little about that. Then you have to click the link. I am conveniently not placing these links in this post, as I 'd like you to scroll down a bit instead. I dig my scroll wheel, too. Don't you?

My real reason for this post was to link to the Dig Dug inspired artwork featured in the thumbnail by Luke Chueh. And if you pronounce his last name in the one variation that's going through my head he's got as many Star Wars references as my second son has in his name. (Not intentional. But my friends have pointed them out to me. And my older son finds it quite cool. And cool has not been replaced by jealous, so that's good.)

And I might as well post a link to more Luke Chueh. Apparently he paints stuff that isn't Dig Dug related as well. And this post ends now, because I was about to put in such a God-awful that I can't even repeat to myself in my head. But involved "balance", and I will describe it no further and leave things cryptic, so the question mark dangles above your head as you scratch it.

Your head, not the question mark. Let the question mark scratch itself, you never asked the damn thing to float there above your head.

I am inexplicably fascinated by my discovery of the kill screen. And, no I didn't reach the 256th level of Pac-Man.

Note to someone: Make a t-shirt with the Pac-Man kill screen covering every square inch and you will have a buyer.

If I buy two can you reduce the shipping charges? Sweet.

I recognize the Andre the Giant sticker from Shepard Fairey, but I'm not sure about the Wide Awake Jake sticker. Looks kinda familiar, yet not sure if I can place it. Click the photo for larger version. Or click here even.