in_rainbows

Since I have such an interest in novel ways of marketing CDs, I had to make a brief comment about Radiohead’s new album, “In Rainbows.” First, I should say that I have no loyalty or interest in Radiohead for the most part, but that may change now. Radiohead announced yesterday that their new album will be available for download on October 10th, and a special CD box set will be available later in the year. What makes this insanely unique is that Radiohead is letting YOU CHOOSE THE PRICE! This is phenomenal! I am so impressed with their self-confidence and trust in fans, that I will undoubtedly purchase these MP3s. I haven’t decided what I will pay, but it will probably be in the 5 to 7 dollar range; since I believe that purely digital music should be about half the price of a physical CD.
I’ve seen this technique work first hand during my undergrad entrepreneurship class. For one class, we were sent out on the streets of State College with $40 per group and were asked to make as much money as possible in an hour… any way possible. Our group decided to buy roses to sell for $2 or $3 each. After some time of being frustrated and shot down, we decided to approach people with the roses and just ask for a donation. The response was much better and on average we probably received about $3 per rose… with some people giving only a buck and others $5. The latter method was less aggressive and people were more willing to participate. This is essentially the same idea that Radiohead is doing and I am very interested and excited to see how it turns out for them.

Seattle Escapade (and what not)

So… it’s been three weeks since my last post and looking at that post (“flying salmon action!!!”), I suppose I WAS quite excited about this year's fantasy football season. However, the picture to the right is more symbolic as to what is really happening to my fantasy team this year. But, I digress… so… yeah… I went to Seattle last week for a conference. Really good times. I was very impressed with all of the nice folks in the town. I met some really great people and drank some exceptional beer. Unfortunately, when I arrived in town, Ohio State just defeated Washington. Therefore, I had to deal with some cocky Buckeyes, but my Gator/PSU allegiance put me on the good side of Husky fans. On Sunday, I got to watch the Steelers’ game at 10:00AM… pretty sweet. I didn’t know what to do with myself the rest of the day. But probably the highlight of the trip was going out with some British guys I met at the conference. They were absolutely ridiculous. We had a few beers at this reception for the conference, but then it spilled out into downtown UDub. The beer selection was really fabulous. Every bar had only one light beer on tap (like Miller Lite or whatever), then the rest were a local selection. I drank far too much beer in the few days I was there. But luckily I had the state of mind to document my experience. Below is a list of all of the brews I tried while I was there. The most notable was the nitrogenated Hale’s Cream Ale and the Maritime Pacific Imperial IPA. I also put a few pictures online if you feel like checking those out.

Besides the trip… as usual I have a few comments about other items I’ve come across… so here they are:

- Don’t be cop hatin’ because of UF’s “don’t tase me, bro” idiot. He’s a Tom Green wannabe and has done stunts like this in the past. He even has his own web site, but I’m not including the link to promote his stupid, attention-grabbing, annoying ass.

- I found this outstanding web site documenting pretty much every football helmet design ever used. It has historic NFL, college, XFL, Canadian… whatever. It’s extremely impressive and worth checking out.

- I thought the story about the Oklahoma State coach going off on a sports writer to be mildly amusing and barely news-worthy. However, the first 11 seconds of this interview with the writer and editor are priceless. The editor inexplicably continues to stare at the camera doing his best Rock impression for about 7 seconds after the interview got rolling.

- It seems that more and more people I know are getting some sweet HDTVs, which makes me exceedingly jealous. But I did some research a while ago about getting HDTV over-the-air for on my laptop... but I backed down. However, I found a few sights that can help you get over-the-air HDTV for FREE (1, 2). I know that most of you who have a freakin' sweet ass TV can probably afford a good digital/satellite package... but I still think it's good information.
On a side note... how shitty is TNT HD?! Since when is like Tombstone, Mr. Deeds or Something's Gotta Give in HD? I suppose NBA games will be... but that's it! I think it's false advertising and there should be a daily quota of HD content to be called "HD"... and so does Mark Cuban.

- Speaking of Mark (and don't worry I'm not going to start discussing Dancing with the Stars), but he (and others) might have finally convinced me to go Apple. But not quite yet.

flying salmon action!!!

Even after the blistering start of my QB Drew Brees (yawn), I am still greatly excited about 2007 Fantasy Football League. And who couldn’t be in my position?... I am the proud owner of LDT (keep in mind this was an auction-style draft, so I wasn’t just blessed with the #1 pick). Am I guaranteed a trip to the playoffs? Am totally stoked to see if Edge and Ahman (sans Green Bay) Green have huge years? Am I looking forward to using all of Jeff Reed’s drunken antics to rip on his performance every week? Yes… I am.
Without further ado, I present to you…. FLYING SALMON ACTION!!!

He's out there...

The long lost Smars.

Devastatin' Album Covers

I recently found a couple lists of the worst album covers of all-time (1, 2). Looking through these lists will no doubt cause you to run a gamut of emotions, from laughs to tears to horror. Most of these wonderful examples were either low budget, made in the 80’s, or both. However, has album art ever caused you to buy an album or not? For example, I was severely letdown when AFI posted the artwork for their most recent album, but I still bought the album. I suppose I just miss the Art of Drowning days. And I recently chose not to buy a Tiger Army CD because it was cheaply packaged in one of those basic cardboard cases with no frills. But I must say that some album covers have always drawn me to them to buy it. I can think of Trivium - Ascendancy or Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon, just off the top of my head. I love the artwork for both, but only purchased the classic Floyd album. More so, I appreciate extra goodies with CDs or unique packaging. For example, I am addicted to buying albums from this website that always offers autographed covers with CDs. Or if there is a DVD with the album, then that is extra incentive. However, some album’s covers are so uniquely presented that it makes you appreciate the album more. Such as, Thrice – The Artist in the Ambulance came with a postcard for each song on the album. Similarly, Prize Fighter Inferno – My Brother’s Blood Machine had cards for each track resembling the different cards in a deck. Also, Zao’s latest had two layers to each page, which overlapped different parts of letters to make a whole when combined. Nine Inch Nail’s Year Zero has thermo-chrome heat-sensitive paint on the disc that causes it to change appearance when heated by the CD player. I applaud such innovative efforts, but rarely do I know of these presentation details before opening the case.
Anyway… I’m curious if any aspects of a CD (beyond the music) made you want an album (or made you decide against it), and if so what was it?

Rapid Blog Assault!

WOW… How has it been this long since my last post? I have plenty of good excuses, but none of them are good enough. This is unacceptable. This won’t happen again. I will be bombarding you with buffoonery just to make up for it. First, I’m back in Gainesville, FL, USA. It’s good to be back to the comfortable life with a car, cell phone, and the same time zone as pretty much everyone I know. It was an excellent experience in France and I’m very glad that I was able to see my top two places to visit: Rome and Paris. There are a few final pictures posted (if you’re so inclined).

OK… enough French crap… let’s get on with some random thoughts.

- I flew home last weekend to spend some time with the fam and go to Zoo Brew and Kennywood. Zoo Brew was excellent on several levels. Not only were we drink beer at the zoo at night, but there were astonishing creatures like a Komodo dragon and gorilla lurking about. Creepy and fantastic. And it even went to a good cause (Mitochondrial disease). Kennywood was same ol', same ol'. Phantom’s Revenge was faster than I remembered and Danny Rea won me a sweet PSU #1 plush finger.

- On the flight home I had a layover in Filthadelphia. I thought that my disgust towards Eagles fans had long since dissipated from my State College years, however it was all renewed with an idiot wearing an Eagles cap in front of me on the plane. He was mid-30’s and wore a sleeveless shirt to show off his hairy, Philly cheese steak-lovin’ biceps. He kept wowing this grandma sitting next to him with the plethora of electronics he brought for his flight. It was like showing fire to a caveman. Grandma was amazed with ring tones and iPods. There was a ton of “Oh my! Oh my gosh! What will they think of next?” type of responses that only fueled his desire to impress. Of course he doesn’t turn off the keypad volume on his phone, just to notify everyone sitting around him when he was flipping through pictures. And thanks for shaking in your seat the whole time and torturing my knees all 130 minutes of the flight. What an ass. You suck and so do the EAGLES!!! (end rant.)

- I finally got my CD pre-order (and autographed booklet!!!) of Davey and Jade’s Blaqk Audio. Davey is at a homoerotic-Santa Claus level for me, so needless to say I am pleased. But seriously though, it is catchy, beautiful electronica. My personal favorite is Snuff on Digital, which goes through the mindset of a porn actress’ desire to be loved and immortalized, even at the cost of her life. (Machine sold separately.)

- I went to Steelers training camp with my lil’ sis, and it was pretty nice. Willie Parker is fast. James “Silverback” Harrison is colossal. Santonio Holmes looks much better on the field in person. I got St. Pierre and Sepulveda’s autographs. Also, Ryan Clark is a super nice guy. He signed autographs, posed for pictures with kids, and gave away his gloves by letting kids pull them off his hands. Too bad they all aren’t like him.

- Carey Davis is a freight train.

- Fantasy football is coming soon and I’m ill-prepared and ill-tempered.

France Pt. III – Saint-Etienne: Returning to the dorm life

During my stay in St. Etienne, the university was kind enough to toss me into one of their cozy dorms. Surprisingly, I embraced this idea since I have been cooped up in my own one bedroom apartment by myself for far too long. At any rate, here I am… and it isn’t too painful. Below I listed a few more comments and observations regarding my stay in France, and I also posted a few pictures of the mountainous terrain that is: St. Etienne.

1. The dorm has its own bar. It is called the Cercle. It opens every night and has 50 cent beer. Fascinating how this works. Can you imagine such things at Perry Hall in Erie?

2. I walk to work each day, uphill both ways. Well… it's a bitch anyway… it takes about 25 mins and it’s no flat Florida, I tell you that! These are some bitchin’ hills. I swear that if I were to take a spill, I would go down like Chris Farley in Black Sheep.

3. Everything closes by 8:30PM in this town and on Sunday they close at noon. Well… at least my end of town (and that includes the buses). I really don’t know what these people are thinking. If there economy is in the dumpster, they really should consider some part-time work. And hey… try a 7-11 or something 24hrs, for God’s sake! By the way, I’m running for mayor.

4. Converse All Stars are super trendy here… and they also cost at least 3 times as much as they do in the States. Can you imagine paying $90+ for some Chuck Taylor’s? Believe it. And… 30 dollar Levis go for well over a hundred here too. Hence why I had to buy cheap, tight, European, “I’m never going to have kids” jeans.

5. Burping. I was warned of this phenomenon before I left from a French co-worker. Apparently this is just as offensive as farting in France. I was sitting in on a French stats class and kid let out a barely audible belch, and the class erupted in laughter. Given, maturity is not one of their attributes, but this was abnormal.

6. French know fast food. The name of the establishment is Quick, which is ironic, because both of my experiences there have been the exact opposite. French customer service is incredibly lacking… however the French do have excellent cheese, and they put it on their burgers. So yes… Quick is Quite good Quality.

7. During one of the weeks of my stay… I had the privilege of sharing the same floor as 3 visiting Romanian girls. During this week, I got almost no sleep. They were here to party and were amazingly annoying. Now, I’m not a “stick in the mud” but one of these girls had a laugh like you wouldn’t believe.

8. This doesn’t directly have to do with France, but while I was in Rome I bought a bottle of the traditional Italian liquor: Grappa. This is without a doubt the worst tasting and smelling alcohol on the planet. I didn’t even skimp… bought a moderate-level brand in a fancy bottle. However, I would rather gargle Banker’s Club than drink this crap!

InstruMETAL

Here is a countdown of the 10 best instrumental metal songs I’ve ever heard. The only reason I post this list is because it was the easiest music list I’ve ever tried to construct. This order is not open to much discussion as far as I’m concerned… however if there is a worthy contender I am not familiar with, please inform me. (I should note that I feel guilty and inaccurate since no Black Sabbath is on the list, but I'm not familiar enough with their work to do so.)

10. In Flames (Subterranean) – Timeless – This track is in the bottom spot only because of its duration. This is two minutes of the most delicately played guitar I’ve ever heard.

9. Darkest Hour (Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation) – Veritas, Aequitas – Not regarded as a band of great musicianship, but coming in at just under 13 minutes, this instrumental doesn’t give you moment to consider skipping to the next song.

8. In Flames (Whoracle) – Dialogue with the Stars – Another In Flames masterpiece that runs the gamut of emotions and techniques.

7. Dark Tranquillity (The Gallery) – Mine is the Grandeur – In the same vein as Timeless, Dark Tranquillity shows off their Gothenburg, sentimental side.

6. Metallica (Ride the Lightning) – The Call of Ktulu – Metallica had to be on the list, right? And though I don’t regard instrumental songs as their strong point, this dynamic tune entrances you throughout.

5. Iron Maiden (Killers) – Genghis Khan – I personally love the sound of the Killers album more than even Powerslave or Number of the Beast, and this instrumental rolls along nicely.

4. In Flames (Colony) – Man Made God – I know In Flames is dominating the list, but they just bring more instrumentals to the table at a higher quality than anyone else. Man Made God is unique in that it effortlessly combines all of the riffs and hooks of the entire album into one, making it a beautiful collage. I don’t know that any other band has attempted this, but the results are absolutely phenomenal.

3. Trivium (The Crusade) – The Crusade – I suppose it may be a bit early to reward this band with such a high ranking, however one should keep in mind that the title track of this album is an instrumental, so that should give you an idea of the intent of this record. The entire album is filled with breathtaking musicianship and is tainted only by sub-par lyrics, which don’t exist in this song.

2. In Flames (The Jester Race) – The Jester’s Dance – In Flames comes in at #2 with probably my favorite song of theirs. A fantastic mixture of clean and heavy guitar work from Jesper makes this the most enjoyable 2 minutes and 10 seconds of metal that I’ve experienced.

1. Van Halen (Van Halen) – Eruption – Seriously… how can the single best guitar solo EVER produced NOT be number one. Eddie has claimed not to be pleased with the result, however I am quite satisfied.

The Gator Empire Crumbling?...... NO!

Redact it!!!

Music on the Brain

I know that everyone has songs that remind them of things… first love, last day of high school, playing Nascar98 at 3:00AM, movies, people, series finale of Seinfeld, Steelers kickoffs, etc. However, I’ve noticed that there are certain entire albums that make me think of specific events in my life. I’ll spare you all of the heartbreak/mushy stuff, but here are some albums that subconsciously make me think of these moments… for better or worse.

Metallica – Black album – Every damn song is super played-out for me since I listened to it for the majority of 7th and 8th grade, doing all of my homework on my bed with that album in this Discman (above).

The Offspring – Smash – Playing Final Fantasy VII on mute for however many hundreds of hours it took for me to beat that damn game. I was just getting into punk at that time and just recently saw The Offspring for the first time. Luckily for me, the best RPG of all time has one of the most boring soundtracks ever. And you can read the conversations on the screen, so there is no need to have the volume on. I’m sure you can imagine me alone in my room going at it with Sephiroth and chanting along “You stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker!” Also, for anyone who loves FFVII and hasn’t seen this… do it!

The Living End – s/t – National honor society field trip to NYC during Jr. year (HS). Listened to a lot of tunes on the long bus ride. I need to experience NYC again… that was too long ago.

Papa Roach – Infest – Driving around with Danny, Billy Joe, and Jimmy B during the summer of 2000. This album was a group fave to play in the Subsmarine along with Blink-182, Weezer, NWA, and DMX (if my memory serves me correctly). There was a lot of traveling between grad parties, playing basketball, performing various heists, mall trips, SNS, and much more. Great memories… some of the best.

Saves The Day – Through Being Cool – I listened (and sang along) to this CD for almost every combination of trips between NHT-Erie-Bradford. That was a lot of quality time in the Neon! The first time I made it to Bradford to see my ex’s folks, I lost my voice from singing along on the drive up. Embarrassing, but I guess I never had a 4 hour-long performance before.

Let's talk about this...

The Gator Empire Crumbling?

Today, Billy Donovan will announce that he is making the best decision, that I didn’t want him to make. This is really a no-brainer decision, considering that his stock will never be as high as it is right now and he only has a 90 minute commute to work. At the Gators championship celebration, Donovan announced that he wasn’t taking the Kentucky job, saying “Money can’t buy happiness, and I’m happy in Gainesville.” Well now he can pretty much have both… good for him.

After dominating the college sports world for the last 18 to 24 months, the University of Florida will take a serious blow… but not as big as you might think. I’m not saying we are at Duke’s level of invincibility, but the momentum generated by winning back-to-back national titles will not be hurt that much by Donovan leaving. All 5 of our starters (and sixth man) will be gone this year, so it would take at least a year to build a team worthy of being nationally ranked anyway. But all it takes to get back to elite status is one Greg Oden or Kevin Durant to decide to spend a year of college in sunny Florida before making the big bucks in the NBA.

The tandem of Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer at the same university is one of the best college sports coaching duos ever. However, when looking at their coaching styles, you can understand why Donovan would be foolish for not going the NBA, and why Meyer would be a fool for going to the NFL. Donovan improved the state of Gator basketball so much that UF owes him nothing less than to name the court after him. However, this magical team over the past two years was not created by Billy, as much as it was exploited. Like the NBA slogan “These guys are good,” so were the champion Gators. Donovan had the perfectly balanced team… and then some. He used every player appropriately on offense and defense. He even had the luxury of allowing a Lee Humphrey pull up a seat outside the 3-point arc and let the other 4 guys develop plays. Plus, these kids were so self-motivated, that they turned down entering the NBA last year, just to repeat. It’s not like he had to discipline them or motivate these kids… just like he’s not going to have to in the NBA. In professional leagues, these guys don’t always give their all, don’t like practice, and even skip voluntary training camps. And really… I think Donovan will handle this well and just focus on optimizing the potential of his team. Whereas, Meyer is way too much of an old-fashioned disciplinarian to ever be able to deal with the egos and money of the NFL. And I think he knows this… as does JoePa, who would never be able to use his old school tactics (such as damning the whole team to clean-up duty the day after home games).

Billy will be missed at UF, but this just gives me more of a reason to closely follow the Magic in the increasingly exciting National Basketball Association.