new m83 song - 'couleurs'

Monday was a good day. m83 went public with the first single from their upcoming (april 2008) album "Saturdays = Youth". The song is called "Couleurs" and I've ran it through my head many times since then.

You can read details and information about the production, mindset, and mood of the upcoming album on m83's myspace (link). I must say it is very exciting and the song sets the stage for an amazing album. I think of the song as acknowledging and paying homage to everyones warm sensations of the 80's. It is innocent as it is complex - vast, yet structured. COmpared to what I know of the 80's (mostly movies are my examples) they seem the same way, totally innocent and naive, yet people in the 80's weren't from the 50's! The tinge of production help from Ken Thomas and Ewan Pearson is evident in the reverb soaked drum fills reminiscent of some of the best New Order drum transitions of the past. Synth wise it sounds a little bit heavier than some of the past m83 works, a lot of low end, and the morphing breakdown 3/4 of the way through the song with the vocals is a sound Anthony seemed to be scratching the surface on in the past, and now embraces fully in this offering. It truly seems like m83 has a major passion for the 80's era and he is honoring that in the most classy way possible, and I for one, do not mind one bit.

up on it

the best news i have heard in a long time, from wikipedia:

Saturdays = Youth, M83's fifth studio album will be released on April 15, 2008 on Mute Records. It was recorded with Ken Thomas (known for his work with Sigur Ros, The Sugarcubes, Cocteau Twins and Suede) and Ewan Pearson (who has also produced for Tracey Thorn, The Rapture and Ladytron). The album is said to deliver the rich sonic textures for which M83 is well known, but with a more focused approach to song structure and form. "Graveyard Girl" will be the first single from the new album in spring 2008.

Taxtime just got upgraded.

Still Alive, But(t) Kicking?

Just wanted to post this for those who might actually read this...

Woah Patrol is still alive, between issues with Blogger, and issues with organization - the patrol has been lacking lately - however within a week of 2008, Woah Patrol will be back with updates on the regular, new posting software so each member of the patrol can update with ease (sorry Blogger, you fail), and (probably) it's own domain.

Our significant voices SHALL be heard! *fistpump*

Re: Politics. = Cute

It seems like everyone is freaking out over the election which is still about a year away, high tension...like the gore-fest movie "High Tension" better seen as the French version "Haute Tension".

I don't feel like talking politics at all right now, other than here is an awesome candidate calculator...and it worked for me!

"Find Your Candidate for the 2008 Election"

On side/personal note, posting frequency will be increasing as my cross country move is complete and I am settled!

New Feature!

Blogger/Google introduced a fancy new feature that allows me to mark RSS feeds in Google Reader as "shared". It then puts them on woah patrol as it is tied to my Google account....FANCY. Seems pretty neat though, so keep your eyes open and toward the top right of the woah patrol page to view postings I find interesting for various reasons on other blogs.

RIP Amp'd Mobile

Somewhat sad news for flashy startup company Amp'd Mobile....on July 24th they are indefinitely suspending service....I have mixed feelings.

The "blingy" commercials that insulted our intelligence as the startup company attempted to market to its main demographic were obviously quite effective.

In my opinion, here was their main flaw: They were obviously pushing to obtain young customers in the 14-27 or so year old market, mainly in urban areas, and suburban kids who wish they were from urban areas. Forcing kids in this demographic to be cellphone users has a plus and a minus. The plus: they know about the phones, and they will use the heck out of them. The minus: they don't pay! The company declared BANKRUPTCY quite quickly when half of its 175,000 customers failed to pay their bills. Oh yeah, they also owe Verizon $56+mil.
A cell phone is a huge responsibility. Making sure you don't lose it, and also to paying the bill! The target audience of Amp'd Mobile were obviously not so great at living up to these responsibilities. If you think about it, many national and regional carriers have accepted the burden of customers who need a little help with their priorities....however most have learned the hard way and now have measures in place to minimize costs in maintaining these customers, yet still getting paid. These protective and procedural measures are those that have been in place and constantly revised for years and years.

I'm a huge fan of smaller start up companies that do things better and offer better service - I'm all for getting behind an invention or service or product that might take one of the big 3 mobile carriers down a notch. However Amp'd Mobile just seemed to have the same mindset most Americans in $8k plus of debt have....

m83 Thoughts

It was announced the other day that my personal favorite band/composer/musician of all time is going to be bringing out a couple more new albums in the next 6 months or so. The first email I got about it was from the m83 newsletter and was in French. The free translation website gave me hints that a new album (or two?) would be coming out from m83!

A couple days later, I received communication in the form of English:
M83, "Digital Shades Volume 1" - OUT SEPT 03 2007 in France & USA
Release date in UK & other countries... will be announced shortly !

Just after the « Before the Dawn Heals Us » US tour, Anthony Gonzalez decided to develop a musical direction already heard on some earlier M83 tracks and he started to write and record a collection of ambient works. Having long been a Krautrock and Eno fan this was a kind of music that Anthony has always been familiar with. Recorded primarily at his home studio with the assistance of Antoine Gaillet, who had previously worked on “Before the Dawn Heals Us” , Anthony was able to work without pressure, knowing he could work on the record at his own time and pace. The idea of digital, relevant during all the process (from creating the music to sharing it), gave him the idea to call the project "Digital Shades vol.1", and to make the album part of an ongoing series.
Originally recorded in 2006, “Digital Shades vol 1” marks the beginning of a new period of activity for M83, since Anthony is already back in the studio working on a brand new album which will be released in January 2008.
This first volume of the Digital Shades series shares many qualities of previous M83 records but also follows its own individual elegiac, lunar and dream-like path. In keeping with the creative thinking behind the album, “Digital Shades Volume 1” will naturally be released on all digital download formats worldwide, as well as on more traditional formats such as vinyl and CD in France.

Now, this is pretty much very exciting. Though I don't know about this whole Digital Shades business...I don't really enjoy ambient albums, but I'm convinced that if I ever DO enjoy one, m83 will produce it. Whatever happens with 'Digital Shades' and the upcoming album in Jan 2008, I am definitely very much looking forward to them both.

m83 myspace (link)

reviewtime: Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde

I've recently been from the school of thought that modern music coming from France worthy of my attention must include at least one synthesizer keyboard (m83) or a pop sensation with a body and dance routine to make you feel erotic at any given moment (Alizee). After giving the new Alcest album: 'Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" (loosely translated to "Memories of Another World") a listen, I found I may just be flunking out of school.

The simple premise is this: black metal got fresh with shoegaze, and they had a baby. Check what people are saying about this album anywhere and you are bound to stumble upon those saying its black metal, and those saying it isn't and yada yada. Doesn't matter, it is completely both - and neither genre is in a position to lay sole claim to this sound. My favorite aspects of each genre are represented here, and I always subconsciously knew they were the same, Alcest proves it. The droning, sonic guitar layering providing the framework for the aural wall of sound is executed with grace and absolutely no pretentiousness. This becomes obvious a short way through the first offering on the record entitled "Printemps Emeraude" which slowly builds upon the backbone of layered metal riffs and a submissive yet not at all laid back drum beat. The jaw dropper on this track is the injection of vocals, which to me weren't even necessary, although they are what set this record apart, as the instrumentation alone could carry it strongly.

The seemingly short six song collection travels on through each song with deliberate and crafted transitions between loud/quiet, melodic/sonic, black/shoe (oh funny!). Nothing is rushed, nothing is left out, giving the listener the feeling that this guy is in complete control of where he is going with this vast sound scape being built in front of you. The third song, "Les Iris" is another stand out song in my opinion. As in many of the songs, acoustic work compliments and carries the dreamier parts which carry the song to the next stage. Each part of building up seems to out-do the one prior, pushing you to think "wow, I didn't even think this was possible". A true example of beautiful music.

So many positive descriptions will be given to this record and it is quite deserving, I know I haven't had a record take me quite like this one has in some time. The most refreshing part I find about it, is it does something I think people have been thinking and feeling for a long time. It seems to hit on what some have attempted and already done, but does it to a higher level of discipline and accurate execution.

Alcest's MySpace: (Link)

indie rock jackpot

I don't really like the term 'indie-rock'. It has been over used, and is used in the 'forefront' media as a loose label for just about anything these days. It is incorrectly used more and more to describe a sound, rather than a culture or drive.

It was exciting today when a friend of mine pointed me over to Daytrotter Sessions. (Link) Ran out of a studio in Rock Island, Illinois (midwest=heartland) - Daytrotter brings in a vast array of acts to record a couple songs for them. These songs may be new or old, release or unreleased, new versions or established renditions. Being in Rock Island gives them a great geographic location to hook up with everyone either inbound or outbound from Chicago.

Check it out, it is really a nugget of something new and valuable to hold you over through those dry times of "I just haven't been impressed by music lately". I'm most glad about Aloha, Six Parts Seven, Grizzly Bear, Owen, Velvet Teen, Of Montreal, Conner, and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone being involved - and they are just a small example of the 75+ bands available in the archives.

Kobe Bryant: Overpaid Drama Factory with a Good Jumpshot

As if it weren't obvious enough that Kobe Bryant has communication and attitude issues, check out the news today where at the start of the day he tells Stephen A. Smith (Sports Radio Host) that he would welcome being traded because of things he wasn't happy with inside the Lakers' Organization, to telling Dan Patrick (ESPN) he would like to be a Laker for life.

Check out what Bill Simmons has to say (here).

Dear Kobe Kobez:
PLEASE, be a Laker for life. Your dynasty team is in shambles, and honestly the thought of you being a hot commodity for the Suns or Mavs made me sick!

still kicking

In important music news, Anthony Gonzales of M83 is surfacing again.

Collaborating on an upcoming Montag album out 6/5/07 on Carpark, he lends his assistance on the opening track entitled "I Have Sound"

This will be incredibly looked forward to and I can't wait to get home to try and obtain this early.

Paying for faster web servers...site by site by site by site by site by site

I saw a link on Live Journal's main page about paying for speedier service. Clicking the link took me to this basic description and "justification":

"The Express Lane is a priority request queue that makes LiveJournal faster for Paid and Permanent users. When logged into your Paid or Permanent Account during times of heavy site load, your requests for LiveJournal pages are sent to the web servers before other users' requests.

LiveJournal's main priority as a service is to offer all users, Basic and Paid alike, fast and uninterrupted access to the site at all times. LiveJournal's fast and numerous web servers ensure speedy access most of the time; however, like any service, LiveJournal does encounter unavoidable periods of heavy site load. The Express Lane is designed to speed access for our paying users during peak times."

What a horrific attempt at extra revenue. I sure hope NO ONE signs up and actually pays for something like this, and I hope it is not a trend that catches on with more sites on the web. It does look like a small baby step in undermining Net Neutrality [wiki] and that is a shame.

buzz

Young Love's album comes out January 30th on Island Records.
Dance punk in a nice, easy to swallow pill. The masses will comply.

Expect it on everyone's spring/summer mix....and yours.

Their myspace page has the obvious single: 'Discotech'

23 hours in airports

I had to get from Montana to Iowa (via Minneapolis) the day after the big Denver snowstorm. Here are some pictures about how things get crazy.


"December 21 No USA Today papers due to the storm in Denver"
This was at the Billings Logan Airport.



"WOAHOWHAOHWHAO MY RIDE CAN'T FIND ME I BETTER GET UP ON THIS BENCH AND KICK OVER MY STARBUCKS!!!"
(He also took it as his cue to help the police direct traffic) - Minneapolis Airport



What you don't get to see here, is how the jerk in the Hummer was on his cellphone, going about 10 miles per hour, stopping every 10 feet, and drifting lane to lane, backing traffic up like a jerk. Benchman's signaling was ignored by Hummerdriver.

Longest day ever - hope everyone made it to where they were going and are having a good holiday!

Action Needed!

I would just like to go on record and say that I fucking detest blogspot and I can only assume that it was made by a bunch of women who are total whores. Woah patrol needs a new blogging solution before its too late.

Heres a holiday message to the blogspot "higher-ups"

A Real iPod Solution

I don't own an iPod so I cant speak from personal experience here regarding this subject. I own a Sandisk Sansa and I thoroughly enjoy it mainly because I dont have to use any program other than Windows to manage my Sansa'a MP3 content. But I am constantly hearing my friend complain about iTunes, the companion software to the iPod. I decided to do a little bit of research here because I'm sure a lot of our regular readers are likely to be frustrated by iTunes as well. Theres a very comkparable product called "Anapod." There are six different versions, 4 for the 4 different types of iPods, one is a universal version, and one is a free version. The price of $25-$30 is very reasonable considering the benefits of Anapod over iTunes.

Visit this website for a largely comprehensive comparison overview: http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/getanapod.php

Last Christmas!

There are a lot of people who do versions of the Wham! song "Last Christmas".
Since Sweden is the new Canada in terms of indie rock, the winner of this years' 'Last Christmas' off:

LeSport - Last Christmas (mp3)

While compiling information for this post, I learned that LeSport has unfortunately broken up!

LeSport - (Myspace)

The DL on XM

On a recent trip out of town, my rental car came equipped with all 130+ stations of XM Satellite Radio. Up until this time, the only thing I knew about XM was the barrage of ads I had seen and heard claiming it was the next best thing since sliced bread. Granted, this was before ipods, zunes, and sansas became commonplace. Still though, I was excited to have 4 days to play around with this bit of technology I had (somewhat purposefully) overlooked.

The XM player was integrated with the stereo system in the 2006 Buick LaCrosse I was driving, so the way to switch over to it was as easy as switching from FM to AM - by pressing the 'BAND' button. (I just threw up a little bit, remembering the whole "AM/FM/XM" ad campaign) Anyway, after switching over to XM, I spent about 5 minutes flipping from channel to channel, each with its name displayed on the factory stereo when it came tuned. Some seemed like interesting channels, others I knew I definitely would not like. One station XMLM seemed pretty good, it was playing some flavor of metal, and I skimmed over a couple alternative/indie stations, and a couple of techno stations. Nothing really jumped out at me, so I kept on going through the dial, putting trust in the fact that 130 stations would have something to impress me. Pretty soon I hit the news/sports/talk end of the dial (appx 40 stations), then it started back at the beginning. Immediately let down, I started trying to find those few select channels that seemed "OK". I found those to be the following:
XMU - a "college radio" station, playing stuff they find to be indie rock, but most of it is pretty predictable. I heard Conner, new stuff from the trail of dead album I hadn't checked out yet, les savy fav, something from the new rapture disc and a bunch of boring stuff that made me switch stations.

XMLM - 'LM' stands for LIQUID METAL, why liquid? I have no clue. XM's only metal station. This station was really more funny than good, I heard DEEP CUTS from our friends Hatebreed, Slipknot, 3 Inches of Blood, Black Sabbath, All Shall Perish, among other unimpressive selections.

The System - This was a techno trance channel, that I actually enjoyed for background music. It is all pretty predictable and deliberate, but I find that sort of thing done with electronics to be soothing sometimes.

Ethel - Ethel was a "New Alternative" channel according to XM themselves, selections from this station I remember being Built to Spill, Sunny Day Real Estate, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, The Bravery, AFI. My first 3 examples are why you should agree that this station is hilariously miscategorized by XM, but not a total loss.

My overall impressions were decent, I feel a little dumb thinking "Oh man! 130 channels, there just has to be one for me!!!" More realistically, it is like real radio - every now and then you find something you don't mind hearing at the time, but damn you wish you had your CD Player. It is good for the times when you draw a blank when it comes to your own personal music collection, and for some - you may even discover something new. I like the idea of having XM or something like it in a retail/business setting, no advertisements and I'm sure its better than most things you can pay to have piped in.

In terms of competing with mp3 players, it doesn't stand a chance. A good mid range player/tuner? will run you over $100 and the service is $12.95 per month unless you purchase it in blocks of a year or more at a time. For personal/mobile auto, an mp3 player and a an hour or two a week stocking it is a much better solution.

XM's website (link).

Merry Christmas from The Killers!

I'm still trying to figure out if I really like "Sam's Town", but I thought The Killers' offering of a Christmas song was cute. "A Great Big Sled"

Stream it here, or go buy it in itunes. Proceeds benefit (RED).

OTH

For those of you who like talk radio, an interesting show worth checking out is Off The Hook. It is on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York on Wednesdays at 7pm EST. Off The Hook is hosted by Emmanuel Goldstein (Eric Corley), who runs 2600: The Hacker Quarterly (wiki). Topics are usually on the basis of technology, telephones, and security.

The OTH site describes all the ways available to listen to the show if you don't live in New York, including a simulcast as well as my preferred method: podcast. Back shows are also available.

Definitely an exciting and very interesting hour of my week.

A Small Victory: Over the Fed

I had something pointed out to me today I figured would be of relevance to pretty much everyone in America.

Because of some court proceedings, the federal government has deemed the "Federal Excise Tax" charged on your phone bill, since forever, to be wrong... and you are eligible to be reimbursed. They have set up a special tax credit available for 2006 on your tax form to claim this credit. You can add up all of your "Federal Excise Tax"es charged (From Feb 2003-July 2006) and submit for a total, or go for the flat rate.

Check out this link (IRS), for all the details and how to get the refund. It is setup similar to an FAQ which is really helpful and pretty easy to follow even for the IRS!


Update: This is my personal favorite excerpt from the IRS Site:

What is the total amount the government expects to refund?

Economists at the U.S. Department of the Treasury estimate the amount refunded to individuals will be about $10 billion.

Thats $10 billion of OUR money coming back to US!

Shit in a Blender

Blender magazine recently published an article naming "The 50 Worst Artists in Music History."

http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=466

       I found their selections to be based on everything but musical merit, rendering the entire article as viable and intellectual as slanderous pre-teen gossip.  They seem to single out bands or artists that werent very well recieved in their hayday because of conflicting trends in the mainstream.  Or bands that everyone regrets liking in the past, therefore being magnetic to harsh opinions from people doing everything they can to erase the past by calling Richard Marx a bad singer just because he had a mullet.  Everyone is entitled to like or dislike anything for whatever reason, but this law of order also gives me the right to call you an asshole for judging music on everything but music.  They name Iron Butterfly for smoking too much pot.  They single out Skinny Puppy, because you cant sing along to them.  They name Primus at #22 for having vocals that sound like a cartoon.  Finally, Emerson, Lake & Palmer are at #2, I shouldnt have to tell you how wrong that is.  If "Tarkus," "Carnevil No. 9," or "Brain Salad Surgery," dont make this clear, then you are just as awesome as the people that wrote this article.
      I dont have a problem with this collection of assholes writing this article.  The thing that bugs me the most is that this article is going to be considered legitimate and most of the people that read it are going to be very receptive to it because Blender is poised as a musical authority and its readers are low life shit-fucks who think Murder By Death are the second cumming of christ.

What Jory is really trying to say....

Thanks Jory for the introduction. I hope I can bring some interesting topics to this blog without to many geek/drunk rants. In the future look for some tech reviews from me and maybe a slice of the video game pie. From time to time expect some music and politics mixed in. Feel free to comment on our posts and if you have any suggestions or anything you would like to know about, we love the internet and will be able to cook something clever up.

hi patrick!

We have a new contributor here at woah patrol....patrick!

It is also his birthday today but his membership does NOT count as my present.

Patrick's specialty is somewhat geared toward tech/computer topics as well as a good take on most things music/media/art so definitely keep an eye out.

Welcome to the patrol patrick!

called in sick...

The first time I actually promise something in terms of a post - I fail!

Thursday night I came down with something that I can only describe as a 48-hour sinus infection, which prevented me from going into the madness on Black Friday. If you care, consumerist.com has pretty decent coverage of some madness, and you can find some hi jinx on youtube no doubt.

I did end up venturing out after I felt rested up well enough (appx 11:30am) and surprise surprise - every single awesome thing I wanted (I had compiled a list of several things at a few different stores), was GONE! So there really are advantages to getting up early in this town.

I did however find a wonderful external DVD burner at Office Max for $50.00 and an inexpensive pack of 50 blank DVDs. Now, I am a little behind on this technology and wasn't completely sure which format of discs to buy at first (DVD+R or DVD-R), Ben helped me, saying most modern players should be able to play both, but thats about as much as he knew for sure about it as well.



SO in case anyone else needs to know the difference, I did some research and here it is:
The difference between -R and +R are actually driven by the manufacturers of the players.

DVD+R is supported by Philips, Sony, HP, Dell, Yamaha (and others)
It allows writing to a disc a single time, it is permanent, and cannot be recorded onto again.

DVD-R is supported by Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp (and others)
It too allows writing to a disc a single time, permanent data, and cannot be recorded onto again.

If you add a 'W' to either (DVD-RW, DVD+RW) it will allow you to write over the data multiple times.

BOTH DVD+R and DVD-R should play properly in *most* commercial DVD players. (Ben was correct).

In short, there really doesn't seem to be a discernible difference between the two that I could find, other than who funded their development. On the packaging of my particular player however I notice it claims it can write to DVD+R twice as fast as DVD-R, 16x and 8x respectively. However, I know for a fact I am writing to my DVD-R discs at 16x, and they work great.

black cats NO black dice HECKNO, black friday !YES!

I must admit I am sorta getting caught up in the Black Friday hooplah going around. There are some pretty decent deals, and exciting things going on...but I think the more interesting thing is that fact that I am all about Black Friday not because of what I can purchase for other people, but because of what I can purchase for MYSELF. Selfish? Maybe.

These two deals from Best Buy are ones I will be waking up early/staying up all night for:
Toshiba Satellite Notebook with Intel Celeron M Processor 420: $249.99
Samsung 19" WS LCD Monitor: $129.99

If the laptops are gone, I would sure love to replace my nasty CRT.
BFADS.net is an awesome resource for Black Friday action going on around the retail sphere.

What are you doing for Black Friday? Anything you can't live without? Too good to pass up?

Expect a report from '5am mayhem' in Cedar Rapids.

Classical Ass

       So-called “Guitar legend” Esteban was stripped of his legendary status this week when it was discovered that he is an entirely fictional character created specifically to sell pressboard guitars in infomercials.  Allan Holdsworth, guitar legend and president of “Real Guitar Legends For Truth” released a statement on Wednesday calling for the immediate cessation of all applications of the appellation “Guitar legend” to the television character known as “Esteban”. According to the statement, “Esteban is a fictional character created by L.A. session guitarist Dan Fernaueu for the express purpose of marketing a cheap, poorly constructed guitar-like instrument on the Home Shopping Channel.”
       The scandal intensified when the Recording Academy revealed that claims that “Esteban” had won “several Grammys” were false.  These charges come on the heels of last month’s statement from the Musical Instrument Manufacturers Association that the “Esteban” guitar could not, in fact, be classified as an actual guitar due to the fact that it is constructed out of reclaimed materials such as discarded telephone directories and medical waste. The MIMA demanded that the instrument be classified as a toy.
 

Beaver Trilogy

I'm an avid Crispin Glover fanatic and I had until the other day had no knowledge of the movie titled "the Beaver Trilogy" which stars Crispin Glover as Groovin' Larry and is directed by Trent Harris who also directed Rubin & Ed. The movie has no commercial release, and isnt distributed at all. It is only available from Trent Harris himself on his official website: http://www.echocave.net. Anyways, the reason I am posting this is because there is an interesting story on This American Life regarding the movie. You can stream the whole episode for free here.

Review of Blut Aus Nord - "Mort"

I like to think of Blut Aus Nord as a monstrous creature living beneath the surface of a blackened lagoon. Each time it rears its head at the surface we see an even more decayed, bloated, pallid and disfigured being, going back down to the depths to further erode what was never a holy being. The last time Blut Aus Nord reared its head we were blessed with "The Work Which Transforms God," a ghastly album of black metal with strange bending and contorted riffing coupled with percussive fury and eerie enigmatic vocals. "The Work Which Transforms God" is almost a pre-requisite to "Mort." If you picked up "Mort" without ever hearing black metal, it would be like sending a blind child into a dark cave to look for a dead bobcat made out of clouds.

"Mort" is a vague and complex menagerie of asymmetrical tones, discordant tangents and constantly diverting elements whirling about. There are no stable or solidified elements here. Lazy drum patterns pan from the every direction while unfamiliar vocals noises emerge from beneath your cerebral cortex. The loose fitting textures and almost serene anti-harmonies weave one of the most intricate and spacial listening experiences I have ever witnessed with an other-worldly authority. Each track on this album could be described as an instance of conversion. Non-chalant guitar noodling, unmusical ,all too unhuman percussion, and ghastly vocals float about in your mind until they converge in one axis causing the aural havoc that is "Mort."

"Mort" is an album that you need to prepare for in order to truly digest it. Actually I'm not so sure that it is you who does the digesting, this album has digested me every time I have listened to it.

Mozilla 2.0 : My Hero!

Mozilla just released Firefox 2.0 which is getting amazing
reviews. I know I love it so far.

Even "The IE Team" at Microsoft seem to be fans:

Lifehacker has a great post about some of the advanced settings and how to get in and tweak it. This is something that can be helpful for those of us still struggling to obtain the "perfect" browsing experience. A great wiki on the config interface for it (its all done by keys) can be found here. All I see is one huge awesome project to keep me busy for 3+ hours.

AVEC SOINS

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING SINCE "VESTAL MASTURBATION"

!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!!


          

Dan Quayle Quotes

Whenever I am down and I need a lift of my spirits, I read Dan Quayle quotes.


"I have made good judgements in the Past. I have made good judgements in the Future."

"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is."

"Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it."

"For NASA, space is still a high priority."

"I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix."

"I want to be Robin to Bush's Batman."

"I was known as the chief grave robber of my state."

"If Al Gore invented the Internet, I invented spell check."

"It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago."

"The other day the President said, I know you've had some rough times, and I want to do something that will show the nation what faith that I have in you, in your maturity and sense of responsibility.  He paused, then said, would you like a puppy?"

Flimsy America

    America is known to the rest of the world as a melting pot society (among other expletives.) Europeans took over the land of Native Americans in the late 1400's, and invited all other Europeans to join us on the continent so rich with possibility. The Europeans that ended up here shipped Africans here to work for us, and since then we have experienced an influx of Mexican and Cuban immigration from the South. So we are a society comprised of every known walk of life forged with centuries upon centuries of morals, beliefs, ethics and religions. America prides itself in being accepting of all these differences and living with the freedom to practice such ideals and social standards in any way we see fit so long as it abides with the laws and Constitution. This I believe has led us to a great big problem.
    Any values, moral codes, social standards, and ethics that we establish as a nation, and which often strongly influence the laws that we abide by, are rendered subject to the whim of our American culture. These malleable and flimsy manners in which we conduct our lives can only be viewed as temporary in retrospect.  Look at the discrimination laws and civil rights reforms that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made in the 1950's. Today, look at the anti-gay laws being bowled over from state to state. I'm not here to say whether any of these specific acts are wrong or right, but how much can we respect any laws, if they are all subject to the winds of social change?
    With all of these different cultures and moral backgrounds; Catholics, Blacks, Gays, Jews, Muslims, gun owners, Men, Atheists, Christians, Women, what have you, we can at any time rise up and form a movement to debunk or "reform" any law that we see as standing in their way of conducting the life that we wish to. This formula has painted a veritable war zone out of our land of freedom, pitting Americans against American Government, and even more venemously, America against America. Aside from this precarious situation, this situation is also conducive to all kinds of social unrest. Resentment exists between Americans for opposing viewpoints and ethics. Some of us are brought up in societies that tell us never to let go of the strong grip on our values, while our neighbors are fighting to make new laws that prohibit us to do so.
    This new millennium we are experiencing a new America. Gone is the notion to "let freedom reign." Freedom can only reign as long as your freedom doesn't impede my freedom.  Keep your damn freedom off of my goddamn property or you're libel to get yourself shot.

DISCUSS

Posting about posters, or another punny blog

Aesthetic apparatus is one of my favorite band poster sites to go to on the web. Not only do they have name brand/semi name brand bands to buy, (The Racounteurs, Wolfmother) but other not so well known names ( Frong Eyes, Marah).

There are usually only 500 posters made at a time and then "retired".  This would be useful since I have gone to countless people's houses and seen the same "Joy Division" or "Smiths" poster up on the walls.

They are a Midwest based duo that has been going strong since 1999. 
So Go, BUY, CONSUME! And tell them we sent you.

Link 

Free International Calls! No Really....

When something awesome and exciting happens regarding phones, I get excited. I also get excited when something of that sort has connections with Iowa.

Futurephone.com is a site for a service to make free unlimited international calls. Just dial the local access number (local as in domestic USA toll charges apply, so use your mobile with unlimited domestic long distance) and dial your international number. Pretty easy and straight forward. Right now there is a specific list of countries you can call, its over 50 and seems to be growing steadily. (712) 858-8883 is the number to save in speed dial, which is based in western Iowa.

Lifehacker readers have left many good comments about the service - Article
Futurephone is promising about 3 years of this service being free, so go nuts until 2010.