Before I freecycle it, I wanted to see if anyone here was interested in my old Series2 Tivo.
Drop me a comment or an email.
This is a single tuner Series2 TiVo, with a lovely remote, no service attached. I'll toss in the USB Ethernet adapter that I used with it, should you need it. This unit has provided me with many years of fantastic service, but I've moved on to a TiVoHD now...
Let me know - will freecycle it in 2008 if nobody wants it.
27 December 2007
NSFW
This isn't unsafe due to content, it's more unsafe because you'll never EVER get anything done once you've tried this. I'm certain I'm late to the party with this, but it doesn't hurt to share.
In any event, I give you Desktop Tower Defense 1.5
Several declarations:
1) I am writing this from my cubicle at work.
2) I have not played this at work, but
3) I was totally late to work because I was playing this in my home office.
In any event, I give you Desktop Tower Defense 1.5
Several declarations:
1) I am writing this from my cubicle at work.
2) I have not played this at work, but
3) I was totally late to work because I was playing this in my home office.
15 December 2007
Truer words.
Saw a friend of mine for the first time in months at a party last weekend.
This guy's a car salesman, but don't hold that against him.
Anyway - we're chatting over dinner and IA sked how business was. He said, "Busy". I said, "Really? Do people really turn up for this Toyotathon BS?"
He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Brian - people are fucking stupid."
Indeed.
This guy's a car salesman, but don't hold that against him.
Anyway - we're chatting over dinner and IA sked how business was. He said, "Busy". I said, "Really? Do people really turn up for this Toyotathon BS?"
He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Brian - people are fucking stupid."
Indeed.
13 December 2007
Number Three in a Series of Three
I saw a lot of concerts this year. More than I ever have seen in any previous calendar year.
1) Keane - 5/27/07 - Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA. I wrote a post about it at the time, and time has done nothing to change my opinion. This was a great, great combination of elements: super-involved crowd, an energetic band, and an incredible venue. I will return to Upper Darby in 2008 if I can find the riht show to see. And I'll see Keane again. And again.
2) Arcade Fire - 5/9/07 - Radio City Music Hall, NYC. The second of two evenings with the Arcade Fire this year. The first, in February at Judson Church in NYC, would probably be #5 or 6 on this list. This was my first show at Radio City and it was a great one. I never thought of it as a place to see a rock show. Obviously, I was wrong. Arcade Fire rocked the shit out of that joint - their set wasn't exceptionally long (about 90 minutes), but they played just about everything you'd ever want to hear from them, and the crowd was eating them alive. At one point the trumpet player ran up this support on the side of the theatre up to the balcony. It was incredible. (one of my favorite concert photogs got a pic of that moment)
3) Rufus Wainwright - 6/6/07 - The Blender Theatre at Gramercy./ I'm not going to go on about how great Rufus is, or how good his new album is. We had like, 5th row seats for this show. Another great venue I'd never been to before, another show highlighting excellent musicians playing excellent music, AND Rufus' mother and sister did a couple of numbers during the encores. Really really good show. Most other years it would have been my favorite.
There are so many others I could write about in detail here, but I'm tired, so I'll just give them a mention: Skye at Joe's Pub, Ricky Gervais at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, Editors at Webster Hall, David Sedaris at The Community Theatre and Shelby Lynne (doing a set of Dusty Springfield tunes) at Hiro Ballroom.
Much love and thanks to the people who made these experiences special by sharing them with me.
1) Keane - 5/27/07 - Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA. I wrote a post about it at the time, and time has done nothing to change my opinion. This was a great, great combination of elements: super-involved crowd, an energetic band, and an incredible venue. I will return to Upper Darby in 2008 if I can find the riht show to see. And I'll see Keane again. And again.
2) Arcade Fire - 5/9/07 - Radio City Music Hall, NYC. The second of two evenings with the Arcade Fire this year. The first, in February at Judson Church in NYC, would probably be #5 or 6 on this list. This was my first show at Radio City and it was a great one. I never thought of it as a place to see a rock show. Obviously, I was wrong. Arcade Fire rocked the shit out of that joint - their set wasn't exceptionally long (about 90 minutes), but they played just about everything you'd ever want to hear from them, and the crowd was eating them alive. At one point the trumpet player ran up this support on the side of the theatre up to the balcony. It was incredible. (one of my favorite concert photogs got a pic of that moment)
3) Rufus Wainwright - 6/6/07 - The Blender Theatre at Gramercy./ I'm not going to go on about how great Rufus is, or how good his new album is. We had like, 5th row seats for this show. Another great venue I'd never been to before, another show highlighting excellent musicians playing excellent music, AND Rufus' mother and sister did a couple of numbers during the encores. Really really good show. Most other years it would have been my favorite.
There are so many others I could write about in detail here, but I'm tired, so I'll just give them a mention: Skye at Joe's Pub, Ricky Gervais at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, Editors at Webster Hall, David Sedaris at The Community Theatre and Shelby Lynne (doing a set of Dusty Springfield tunes) at Hiro Ballroom.
Much love and thanks to the people who made these experiences special by sharing them with me.
Live Music
This post was inspired by two things:
1) I'm working on Part Tres of my annual music roundup, all about my favorite concerts this year.
2) Something I saw on eMusic was entitled "The Memphis Blues Again", and that phrase always reminds me of the Dylan song "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" and my favorite recording of that song, from the live Dylan album Hard Rain.
So I fired up iTunes and listened to Hard Rain again. It's a great live album - I bought it at the CD World in Parsippany years ago (when there was a CD World in Parsippany). They were playing it in the store and I asked who it was (n00b). I stood about 2 more songs, the decided to buy it. They didn't have any more copies of it (always a smart marketing technique, play music you don't have to sell), so I ended up buying the copy they were playing as a used CD. It was my first Dylan purchase (I know, shame on me), but as I collected more Dylan, I was amazed at how different the arrangements were in the live show than his studio versions. (I was only slightly less amazed that the song "Hard Rain" does not appear on the live album Hard Rain.) As I've listened to more music, I'm finding this was a common practice back in the day, re-arranging music for live shows in order to reinvigorate the artist and the song. Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen is another excellent example. (Also - Sinatra's Sinatra in Paris.)
Are there any bands that still do this? (Jam bands don't count. I am generally anti-jam band. Just continuing the same riff and adding some instrumental solos does not qualify as re-interpretation.) The last live recording that I've heard that offered new takes on the tracks from the album that the tour supports was Jill Scott's fantastic Experience 826+ from 2001. It's a great set with a small jazz combo and a couple of backup vocalists. Really incredible musicianship and energy.
Anybody else have a story about a live band or live recording that ventures far away from the studio source material? Examples of failures and successes are welcomed and encouraged.
1) I'm working on Part Tres of my annual music roundup, all about my favorite concerts this year.
2) Something I saw on eMusic was entitled "The Memphis Blues Again", and that phrase always reminds me of the Dylan song "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" and my favorite recording of that song, from the live Dylan album Hard Rain.
So I fired up iTunes and listened to Hard Rain again. It's a great live album - I bought it at the CD World in Parsippany years ago (when there was a CD World in Parsippany). They were playing it in the store and I asked who it was (n00b). I stood about 2 more songs, the decided to buy it. They didn't have any more copies of it (always a smart marketing technique, play music you don't have to sell), so I ended up buying the copy they were playing as a used CD. It was my first Dylan purchase (I know, shame on me), but as I collected more Dylan, I was amazed at how different the arrangements were in the live show than his studio versions. (I was only slightly less amazed that the song "Hard Rain" does not appear on the live album Hard Rain.) As I've listened to more music, I'm finding this was a common practice back in the day, re-arranging music for live shows in order to reinvigorate the artist and the song. Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen is another excellent example. (Also - Sinatra's Sinatra in Paris.)
Are there any bands that still do this? (Jam bands don't count. I am generally anti-jam band. Just continuing the same riff and adding some instrumental solos does not qualify as re-interpretation.) The last live recording that I've heard that offered new takes on the tracks from the album that the tour supports was Jill Scott's fantastic Experience 826+ from 2001. It's a great set with a small jazz combo and a couple of backup vocalists. Really incredible musicianship and energy.
Anybody else have a story about a live band or live recording that ventures far away from the studio source material? Examples of failures and successes are welcomed and encouraged.
11 December 2007
Part II of a III Part Series of music critic self-importance...
In the interest of brevity, I'll omit any songs from the four albums I highlighted as my favorite albums. I love em all. Nuff said.
But there are so many other songs I grooved to this year. Here are my favorites (though I'm sure I'm forgetting some) - these are really in no order, I'm just pulling them off of an iTunes list.
Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley Go ahead, I DARE you to sit still when Jenny Lewis gets to the "Ooh! It! Feels Good To Be Free!" break. If you can, then you are a whiter man than I, Gunga Din.
Still Alive - from the game Portal/written by Jonathan Coulton Some may know that I'm a bit of a gamer. This song was tucked into the end of the fantastic Valve game, Portal (part of The Orange Box). Sure, it's a novelty song, and the lyrics only resonate if you've played the game, and saying that I love this song exposes me as more of a geek than I'd like people to think that I am, but dammit - this is a great tune. I'm ashamed to say how many times iTunes says I've listened to it. (It's more than 25.)
Shoes - Kelly Damn you,;!
Let's Go To The mall - Robin Sparkles introduced me to this song, recorded as a gag on How I Met Your Mother (a show I don't watch). The song, and accompanying video, fill a much-needed gap in my music library. So many of my current favorite bands are trying to be the next Cure, The Smiths, or Duran Duran, but nobody was trying to be the next Debbie Gibson. Until Robin Sparkles. Thanks CBS!
Eternal Flame - Joan As Police Woman There's a certain low-techyness to this song that I really love, maybe it's the not-always-in-sync-with-each-other "Oohs". And the lyric is pretty damn good, too.
Mistaken for Strangers - The National I have no idea what this song is about. But I do know that I listened to it daily for about three months.
Firecracker - Voxtrot The rest of the CD was somewhat disappointing, but this song is everything that I like about Voxtrot. Great chorus, and I just love the voice on the singer. Especially when he's scaling up to his falsetto "Did I turn myself - oh! Against myself!".
Your Ex-Lover is Dead - Stars If forced to make a decision, I'd say this is my favorite song from 2007. (I know - it's not from 2007, but I didn't hear it until 2007. Leave off.) A pretty, well orchestrated tune about really being over someone. "There's one thing I want to say so I'll be brave/You were what I wanted, I gave what I gave/I'm not sorry I met you/I'm not sorry it's over/I'm not sorry there's nothing to say/I'm not sorry/There's nothing to say" is my favorite line of the year. I wish I felt so certain.
Trying to Pull Myself Away - Glen Hansard (from the soundtrack for "Once") A great tune off a really terrific album. Hansard's voice is the vocal embodiment of anguish. Just about every song on the soundtrack was in heavy rotation at some time this fall, but this is probably my favorite.
From the "I'm only human, of course I liked these, too" list: Rehab (Amy Winehouse), Smile (Lily Allen), 1234 (Feist), North American Scum (LCD Soundsystem)
But there are so many other songs I grooved to this year. Here are my favorites (though I'm sure I'm forgetting some) - these are really in no order, I'm just pulling them off of an iTunes list.
Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley Go ahead, I DARE you to sit still when Jenny Lewis gets to the "Ooh! It! Feels Good To Be Free!" break. If you can, then you are a whiter man than I, Gunga Din.
Still Alive - from the game Portal/written by Jonathan Coulton Some may know that I'm a bit of a gamer. This song was tucked into the end of the fantastic Valve game, Portal (part of The Orange Box). Sure, it's a novelty song, and the lyrics only resonate if you've played the game, and saying that I love this song exposes me as more of a geek than I'd like people to think that I am, but dammit - this is a great tune. I'm ashamed to say how many times iTunes says I've listened to it. (It's more than 25.)
Shoes - Kelly Damn you,
Let's Go To The mall - Robin Sparkles
Eternal Flame - Joan As Police Woman There's a certain low-techyness to this song that I really love, maybe it's the not-always-in-sync-with-each-other "Oohs". And the lyric is pretty damn good, too.
Mistaken for Strangers - The National I have no idea what this song is about. But I do know that I listened to it daily for about three months.
Firecracker - Voxtrot The rest of the CD was somewhat disappointing, but this song is everything that I like about Voxtrot. Great chorus, and I just love the voice on the singer. Especially when he's scaling up to his falsetto "Did I turn myself - oh! Against myself!".
Your Ex-Lover is Dead - Stars If forced to make a decision, I'd say this is my favorite song from 2007. (I know - it's not from 2007, but I didn't hear it until 2007. Leave off.) A pretty, well orchestrated tune about really being over someone. "There's one thing I want to say so I'll be brave/You were what I wanted, I gave what I gave/I'm not sorry I met you/I'm not sorry it's over/I'm not sorry there's nothing to say/I'm not sorry/There's nothing to say" is my favorite line of the year. I wish I felt so certain.
Trying to Pull Myself Away - Glen Hansard (from the soundtrack for "Once") A great tune off a really terrific album. Hansard's voice is the vocal embodiment of anguish. Just about every song on the soundtrack was in heavy rotation at some time this fall, but this is probably my favorite.
From the "I'm only human, of course I liked these, too" list: Rehab (Amy Winehouse), Smile (Lily Allen), 1234 (Feist), North American Scum (LCD Soundsystem)
A Holiday Request
I have a very large, very extended family.
As such, I don't exchange gifts with everyone, and I don't do cards. (Who wants a picture of me, lying in front of a Festivus pole, anyway?)
So, the last couple of years, I've put together CDs for my family of holiday stuff that I like. Usually some quirky holiday songs and some David Sedaris monologues.
I'm running short on these things this year -
Does anyone have any favorites that I should poke around for?
What's your favorite off-the-beaten-path Holiday song?
As such, I don't exchange gifts with everyone, and I don't do cards. (Who wants a picture of me, lying in front of a Festivus pole, anyway?)
So, the last couple of years, I've put together CDs for my family of holiday stuff that I like. Usually some quirky holiday songs and some David Sedaris monologues.
I'm running short on these things this year -
Does anyone have any favorites that I should poke around for?
What's your favorite off-the-beaten-path Holiday song?
05 December 2007
Part I of my Year in Music....
As I don't expect any earth shattering new music to hit my ears between now and the new year (except maybe the Rufus Wainwright Live at Carnegie Hall CD/DVD), I'm working on my best of blog for 2007.
My Favorite Albums -
I was fortunate to hear a lot of great new music this year. Well, new to me. Some of these CDs were released before 2007. These are in no certain order. I like them all equally. Okay. They're in order. 1 through 4. I lied. Sue me.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible I- ncredibly, the first of the top 8 that I heard this year is still my favorite release of the year. I'm still not certain what some of the songs are about, but I respond strongly to virtually every track on the disc. Some were immediate - I instantly liked the first single, "Keep The Car Running" and "Black Mirror". Others opened themselves to me more as I listened (over and over), including my favorite song "The Well and The Lighthouse". I read a blurb about Arcade Fire where their music was described as "melodramatic". I'm not certain I'd call it melodramatic, but it's certainly dramatic.
Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars - It's no surprise that this makes my list, as anyone who knows me knows I worship at the altar of Rufus. However, his last effort "Want Two" was easily my least favorite Rufus album, and I was worried he was becoming too self-indulgent and too self-important. I thought he'd abandoned the cabaret roots of his first two CDs for more operatic (and less accessible). The first single was a somber protest song "Going To A Town", so I was worried (It's a helluva song, but I was worried). Well, the first time I listened, all my fears were allayed. Rufus (self-producing for the first time, with help from Neil Tennant) finds his sound early and often here, moving from silent thoughtful pieces like "Leaving for Paris #2" to cabaret tunes like "Rules and Regulations" and the title track. There are pop tunes, love songs, and ballads. And he's firing on all cylinders, with terrific horn sections, some experimentation with guitar sounds, and and even a bit of Phantom of the Opera.
Skye - Mind How You Go - I had known Skye as the singer for the British trip-hop band Morcheeba. A beautiful woman with an incredible smooth, powerful voice. I knew she'd left Morcheeba (I was mistaken, though - it doesn't appear that it was her choice), I thought she'd left to have a child or something. Apparently, she'd bummed around a smidge, then set down to writing her own songs for the first time. The result is the exceptional Mind How You Go, a collection of intimate, catchy songs that float on the wings of her silky voice. Check out "Love Show" or "Powerful" to get a taste of what she's about.
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - Here's a band that's unafraid of making BIG music. It's sort of Queen-like in its scope. Some songs fall into the "Is this a science fiction film" sound (The excellent "Starlight"), but it is engaging, fun music to listen to - and lots of fun to try and sing along with (the lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, has a fantastic rock voice). I spent many nights this summer screeching "Take A Bow" with the windows down driving down the highway.
Honorable Mentions: Once (Music From the Motion Picture), Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight, Editors - The Back Room, Joan As Police Woman - Real Life
My Favorite Albums -
I was fortunate to hear a lot of great new music this year. Well, new to me. Some of these CDs were released before 2007. These are in no certain order. I like them all equally. Okay. They're in order. 1 through 4. I lied. Sue me.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible I- ncredibly, the first of the top 8 that I heard this year is still my favorite release of the year. I'm still not certain what some of the songs are about, but I respond strongly to virtually every track on the disc. Some were immediate - I instantly liked the first single, "Keep The Car Running" and "Black Mirror". Others opened themselves to me more as I listened (over and over), including my favorite song "The Well and The Lighthouse". I read a blurb about Arcade Fire where their music was described as "melodramatic". I'm not certain I'd call it melodramatic, but it's certainly dramatic.
Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars - It's no surprise that this makes my list, as anyone who knows me knows I worship at the altar of Rufus. However, his last effort "Want Two" was easily my least favorite Rufus album, and I was worried he was becoming too self-indulgent and too self-important. I thought he'd abandoned the cabaret roots of his first two CDs for more operatic (and less accessible). The first single was a somber protest song "Going To A Town", so I was worried (It's a helluva song, but I was worried). Well, the first time I listened, all my fears were allayed. Rufus (self-producing for the first time, with help from Neil Tennant) finds his sound early and often here, moving from silent thoughtful pieces like "Leaving for Paris #2" to cabaret tunes like "Rules and Regulations" and the title track. There are pop tunes, love songs, and ballads. And he's firing on all cylinders, with terrific horn sections, some experimentation with guitar sounds, and and even a bit of Phantom of the Opera.
Skye - Mind How You Go - I had known Skye as the singer for the British trip-hop band Morcheeba. A beautiful woman with an incredible smooth, powerful voice. I knew she'd left Morcheeba (I was mistaken, though - it doesn't appear that it was her choice), I thought she'd left to have a child or something. Apparently, she'd bummed around a smidge, then set down to writing her own songs for the first time. The result is the exceptional Mind How You Go, a collection of intimate, catchy songs that float on the wings of her silky voice. Check out "Love Show" or "Powerful" to get a taste of what she's about.
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - Here's a band that's unafraid of making BIG music. It's sort of Queen-like in its scope. Some songs fall into the "Is this a science fiction film" sound (The excellent "Starlight"), but it is engaging, fun music to listen to - and lots of fun to try and sing along with (the lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, has a fantastic rock voice). I spent many nights this summer screeching "Take A Bow" with the windows down driving down the highway.
Honorable Mentions: Once (Music From the Motion Picture), Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight, Editors - The Back Room, Joan As Police Woman - Real Life
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