Friday, September 18, 2009

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Long Walk

Today we woke up much earlier than usual (for a Saturday) and the weather was so beautiful, we decided to head out with Chalupa and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We took a taxi down to Chambers Street, got a red Gatorade from the street vendor, and started walking. I haven't walked it since College, and last time I did it, I remember it being noisy and crowded and hot as Hell. Alicia had never done it, so we were all happy to be there.

Sure enough, it was crowded (difficult to walk Chalupa with her leash) and NOISY. The Bridge rattled and rumbled with traffic roaring by, and Chalupa didn't really seem to enjoy it very much. By 3/4 through, she was asking to be picked up and carried the rest of the way. It was very very sunny and hot, so, while I was fine, I think she was maybe just a bit overwhelmed.

Once we reached the far side (Brooklyn, of course) we sat in the grass under a shady tree for quite a while, just resting and enjoying the beautiful day.

Alicia had looked up some "famous" pizza place, so we walked there, only to find lines around the block! Forget it. We walked around in DUMBO, and enjoyed a little trek to Water Street, where we had a terrific lunch at The Water Street Restaurant and Lounge. I got the Fried Chicken sandwich (with delicious BBQ Mayonnaise? more like Honey, actually) while Alicia got Jerk Chicken Soft Tacos (with delicious Mango sauce) and a Polenta with Portabello Mushrooms. Chalupa sat on the bench at table level and enjoyed the sights and sounds, and hopped down to greet the gentlemen at the table next to us, while they proceeded to feed her French Fries for all of her tricks and dances she performed.

After Lunch, we got amazing home-made ice cream, and walked back towards the water, where we took the Water Taxi across the river to South Street Seaport (Chalupa hiding in our bag, since dogs were not allowed on the boat) and then a cab to the String Theory office, so we could cool down, rest, and I had to pick up a computer that was being repaired around the corner.

We are home, and relaxing watching TV, and I am sun burnt on my face.

A very good Day.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

One Down, One To Go

Sharon's surgury for her Detatched Retina went fine yesterday (although a bit more like "Grindhouse" or "Hostel" than she would have liked) and the Doctor was throughly optimistic and pleased with the outcome. Now she has to heal, and go back for followups, to assess how effective it was and if she would need any further procedures.

Apparently, for this type of eye surgery, the patient has to be AWAKE (I guess for the doctor to effectively see the eye and it's functions) so while she was NUMB, she was perfectly lucid and completely aware of what was going on IN HER EYE (for about 3 hours, no less!).

They would have had to hit ME over the head with a hammer, but SHE suffered it just fine.

She has a week and 2 days to heal, because next Thursday my Father has to go back in for his second round of surgery. I hope they got a good discount from buying their surgeries in bulk!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Step-Brothers



With Alicia away in North Carolina visiting Vivian and Jack, I spent the weekend fixing a computer at work (bad logic board!?!?), taking Chalupa to the vet (some topical medicine for her terrible and worsening rash, now all over her hears and little head), cleaning and doing laundry, and watching dumb movies. I rented a few horror movies (one being the absolutely fantastic "Motel Hell") and the crazy Will Ferrell movie "Step Brothers."

I have to admit, I expected nothing at all from this movie, and really only rented it because I got a free movie from our movie store (3 for 2 on Saturdays). I have not really liked many of Will Ferrel's latest movies (although fun premises, I just thought they were bloated and lazy) and don't even get me started on my detest for John C. Reily (of course Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Hard Eight are terrific, he as a character actor is pretty abominable... Dewy Cox, anyone?)

Imagine my surprise when I found myself, alone in the apartment, laughing out loud for about 2 hours straight. I had to rewind 2 or 3 times just to see/hear what I had missed while I was laughing so hard. I was blown away not by how silly or goofy it is (and BOY, it is) but really by how DARK and DISTURBING it is. It is very unsettling to see these 2 man-childs vie for dominance and attention from their exasperated parents. Imagine the Brady Bunch with 2 children rather than 6, and both of them are played by Baby Huey.

I loved it. I can't wait to watch it again. Maybe it was just my mood, but I sure needed a hearty laugh.

Friday, August 28, 2009

We All Could Learn From This

The Wheels Are Falling Off




I just got off the phone with my Father (remarkable in itself, since he just had surgery removing a portion of his tongue last week) and he actually sounded really good. Upbeat and positive, he was even thinking of going back to some of his work next week (at least a few hours, anyway).

He told me though, that not all news is good. Two Thursdays from now, it seems, he will have to return to Hopkins for additional surgery (ironically, they are going to perform something that the surgeon decided not to do while she was in session last week... ) She said she was very very sorry, while my Father replied "Not as sorry as I am!" I swear to god, I understand not wanting to over-operate if unneccesary, but jeez... he was JUST in there, and the plan WAS to do this procedure. to stitch him up without doing it, only to have to come back a week later is absurd (and cruel and unusual).

That's not the end of the drama in the Vondracek household though.

My dad told me while we spoke, that he was calling me from GBMC Medical Center. (uh oh)

He proceeds to tell me that they are there for Sharon, who was diagnosed with a detached retina, requiring emergency medical attention, and emergency surgery scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

Unbelievable.

He also tells me his car is in the shop (this is what bothers my dad most about all this, BTW!) AND, on top of it all, they are having plumbing/sewage issues in their brand new house (about 1 year old!!!!)

I am pretty sure if he was not drugged out of his mind, he would have committed Hari Kari by now.

Please keep them in your prayers, and send some positive JuJu their way!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Study: 74% Of Children Tenting Out In Yard Don't Make It Through The Night



WASHINGTON—According to a new report released this week by the Department of Health and Human Services, 74 percent of all American children camping out in their backyards never, ever make it through the night.

The study, which surveyed hundreds of innocent children between the ages of 7 and 12, found that, in almost all cases, sleeping outdoors in a tent with a flashlight and comic books and who knows what else lurking around in the dark ended in horrible tragedy.

"We now have definitive proof that most children who camp out in their yards will die a horrific death," said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services. "Whether it's a sudden wolf attack, an escaped mental patient, or just Old Man Greenly, who lost his hand in a gruesome mill accident and now seeks his bloody revenge, young boys and girls rarely live to see their parents or friends again."

Secretary Sebelius concluded the press conference by telling children to sleep tight, throwing her head back and cackling wildly.

Conducted over the course of two months, the study documented nearly 18,345 ways in which children, who never suspected a thing until it was far too late, met their grisly demise.

In 29 percent of all recorded cases, young campers were chopped up into tiny pieces by fugitive axe murderers. While a shocking 32 percent of kids, snacking on potato chips and candy bars, awakened the ghost of a little baby boy named Jeremy.

According to the study, 100 percent of all children tried to scream and yell for help, but nothing came out.

"Though a terrifying scenario, kids should not worry too much about the prospect of being attacked by killer ghosts," said Dr. Howard Fredericks, the study's chief researcher and a professor of forensic biology at Columbia University. "Especially since our data suggests they're three times more likely to be kidnapped by the Very Lonely Woman Who Lives in the Woods."

"She's this horrible-looking woman with scabs all over her face who had her children taken away by the state," Fredericks continued. "She now roams across the suburbs at night, crying and wailing, and mistaking young kids playing inside their tents for her own."

Although Fredericks claimed that the odds of an unsuspecting child surviving until morning were slim, he did issue a list of warning signs to watch for. The sound of a nearby twig snapping, Fredericks said, almost always indicates that a half-man, half-lizard swamp creature, who feeds on the organs of schoolchildren while they're still alive, is on the prowl. In addition, the study found that turning off one's flashlight or closing one's eyes for "even a second" is an open invitation to all disfigured hitchhikers in the area to suddenly attack.

"Children should know, however, that if they hear scratching on the side of their tent, it's probably just their older brother trying to scare them," Fredericks said. "And if the scratching suddenly stops, it's most likely because their parents have gone insane and crept up from behind with this really demonic look in their eyes and slit his throat."

As dire as these findings may appear, Fredericks claimed there was one way for children camping outdoors to escape their fate.

"If they are able to avoid being bitten by poisonous spiders crawling around inside their sleeping bag, can keep all their fingers and toes crossed long enough to ward off Sister Mary, and manage to run back home without the inbred family of cannibal people seeing them first, they may actually stand a chance," said Fredericks, an eerie smile forming on his lips. "But even if they do, there's no telling what they'll find once they get inside."


Couresty of America's Finest News Source

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Work Is Picking Up



String Theory has been busy the past 2 weeks, with 4 people cranking. In house now:

a. An Awesome animation series for AC/DC (will post as soon as it delivers)
b. A corporate video parodying the graphic styling of Top Chef.
c. A type-driven Pitch for Mello Yello
d. 2 x different episodes of A&E's "The First 48"
e. A PBS American Experience doc "Wyatt Earp"
f. An animation package for Legacy (A Sony Music Label)
g. A Type Animation for the Broadway musical: Jersey Boys
h. Logo animation for TimeWarner Cable

Not a whole lot to comment on, other than it's good to be busy. Fall is kicking in, and as I polish up the class syllabus for Cooper U, I just got to thinking that before we know it, it will be the Holidays again. Hoo Boy. Let's not rush too much.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Fortune




Fortune Cookie tonight (while watching tv):

"Idleness is the Holiday Of Fools"

Cancer




2 Weeks ago, on a pleasant (and long overdue) trip to Baltimore, we were in the way to my Mom's house for some R+R at the poolside, looking forward to a small meetup with her and Amanda, as well as Alicia's Mom, Tino and Linda, and even our old friend Lori.

On the way there, Sharon called and broke the bad news: that my Father was diagnosed with stage 1 oral cancer. His previous oral cancer scare from a few years back (where he immediately quit drinking AND smoking "cold turkey" **) was apparently not the end of the story. This was caught early, in a relatively premature stage, so with the proper series of tests and a meeting with a surgeon, should be dealt with in the easiest way possible.

That following Monday, he was hammered with tests, xrays, CT scans, and every other poke, prod and measurement they possibly could. By end of week, the results were in, and while they were still cautiously optimistic about treatment, it was upgraded to stage 2, and they began making difficult and gruesome decisions regarding surgery and treatment.

The following week (this past monday) he met with the specialist, who set up immediate surgery, taking him in on Thursday. They needed to remove part of his tongue (a terribly painful and long-healing process) which knocks out his ability to speak, eat, etc, as you can probably imagine.

On Thursday, he entered surgery, for a long tense day, where, during the course of the operation, we learned that a few things were looking better in person than they had in the xray, and not only did the surgeon downgrade his condition to stage 1, but also decided, while on the operating table, that 1 of the 3 particularly difficult aspects of the surgery did NOT need to be done after all. Good news? We'll take it.

He spent the night, leaving the hospital on Friday late afternoon, and has been resting and healing all weekend, mostly under heavy sedation and painkillers.

It looks like it will be a long and painful road to heal, but the doctors are optimistic that radiation is off the table (at least for the time being). Things can ALWAYS be worse, after all. We are wishing him well, and any and all good thoughts, prayers, letters, etc are appreciated!

I will post updates as I get them from Sharon!




** A Feat I NEVER thought he could or WOULD do. It's probably the most amazing and impressive thing I've known him to do. It also is a cold reminder that even if you QUIT after a lifetime of smoking, sometimes the damage is already done. Consider this if you are even THINKING of trying a cigarette in the near future.

Back To The Beach




We went to the Jersey Shore (Barnegat, NJ) this weekend to visit with the Cruz' sisters old neighbors. It was a lot of fun, and completely exhausting. Family, friends, dogs, a six week old kitten, 2 children with cartoons and video games, a beach, a bay, burger shack, dessert cafe, swimming pool, grill, sweltering heat, scorching sunburn, and beer pong.

whew!

Thanks to Jenn, Wes, Matthew and Meghan for hosting us (not to mention Sammy and Gracie!!! woof!) We had a great time, with great food to boot! Hope to see you soon, perhaps in Manhattan sometime? Dim Sum, anyone?

Sunday, August 16, 2009

It Might Be Awesome




Alicia and I just got back from the fantastic new doc "It Might Get Loud", directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) and featuring the guitar musings and brilliant flares of inspiration and imrov from Jack White (White Stripes, Racontours, etc), the Edge (a little band called U2, anyone?) and a small unknown studio musician from the other side of the pond, by the name of James Page. (Jimmy, if you follow that whole Led Zepplin-thing!)

intercutting documentary interview, ponderous musings while alone, interaction of the 3 generations in the same space, and archival and vintage performace footage, this "doc" really functioned more as a portrait, or series of character studies, not unlike The Wrestler...

but make no mistake... there is not an OUNCE of pretention or self importance to be found in this picture. It is charming, fast, witty, entertaining and genuinely warm and creatively inspiring. What struck me the most was how nervous EACH of the three are to meet each other in the scenes leading up to their first introduction. All three are so different, from their upbringing, country of origin, economic class, and agegroup, that it is clear to me that all three genuinely had an awe for the other, and once their intimidations came down, they genuinely seemed to bod and jam and open up in such a way that a traditional "interviewer" asking rote questions would never have been able to get them to do.

Warm. Candid. Genuinely smart and creative and entertaining, it is not to be missed by anyone even casually interested in rock and roll, and certainly not by anyone who has anything more than a passing interest in these 3 great (and very different talents. Do not wait for video. Support Independent film, and support rock and roll. See this on the big screen, in the dark, with a great surround sound system.

Who's That Ugly Mug In I.D. Magazine?



Here is a link to a crude PDF scan I made of the article, for those of you who can't blow $35 on a newstand issue!

Download Full 5-Page PDF Here

As you can imagine, it was a HUGE honor for me to be partnered with an MIT Doctorate, not to mention the other jurors (NASA designers, Art Director of the New York Times Magazine, etc). I am proud of our selection(s) and hope you all enjoy it as much as we did discussing it.

There Must Be An Open Door... For You... To Come Back

I am so sorry I have not been updating this blog the past few months. Your complaints have NOT fallen on deaf ears! (geoff, JoeRo, Amy, Alicia, etc!) I have been busy. Blah Blah Blah. Everyone's busy... so what?


Well, let's catch up, in Chronological order.

March (while I was still blogging actively) was a mess. I was forced to part with my business partner at The String Theory (those of you who know me well know all the gory details... casual readers, you will just have to use your imaginations, since I don't want to use this blog as a vehicle for bad talk). I was left with a business in flames, an assload of work and projects still left to do, and an unbearable and crippling back pain/muscle spasm because of the stress.

The Lawsuit continued unabated, and all I could do to get through it was to focus on work and getting new projects.

So I Did. After the slowest 2 month stretch of my entire career (Jan and Feb. Yeah, remember the whole economic collapse of the country?) I got busier than I had been in Years. Big projects. Fun Projects. Small Projects. Crappy Projects. I took them all. Did them all. Delivered them all. I did not rest until the machine was pulsing at full capacity again.

I wasn't exactly my usual chipper self. I had not been listening to anything new, nothing noteworthy. Just hunkered down, working through the misery. Without fun new music (or even the joy of listening to OLD music) I simply didn't have any interest to post a new entry. Facebook blips were ablout all I could muster.

But then the weather got warmer. The work started going Great. The clooud and Shadow that my old partner had cast seemed to be lifted from the office, and my life.

We went to Antigua (pronounced An-TEE-ga) for some MUCH needed R&R, as well as Peat's Wedding (which was beautiful).

The verdict for my lawsuit's "Summary Judgement" hearing came back in my favour (more on that later)... Although it is still going on, the Summary Judgement Ruling was a critical slap in the face to Capital One/NFB, and added some much needed wind to my sails.

The Annual Design Review Issue of I.D. Magazine released this month, and yours truly is featured in photograph and by way of 5 page article. Check it out, but with a $35 newstand price, I would not be offended at all if you read the scan I made of it, that I will post tomorrow when I get to the office (stay tuned)

Things are much improved. Work is stable. We have visited friends and family over the past few weeks, and all of a sudden, I feel like listening to music again. This of course, makes me want to share it again. Hence the new post.

sorry for the long winded tirade.

I just thought I owed you an explanation, and an apology.

Stay tuned to this program.

Download: Pearl Jam: Come Back (Live 2008, Washington DC)

P.S... on top of it all, my old website got hacked, and I am still in the process of sorting in all out. That is why there are no PICTURES or LINKS to ASSETS on my older posts...

As I sort it out, I will migrate all of it to the new server, and fix the links accordinly. Sorry for the hassle

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Chris Cornell: BBC Sessions



Here is a great recording of Chris Cornell solo acoustic at the BBC. Sound Quality is fantastic, some great songs and a few great covers.

01. The Original Fire
02. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
03. Black Hole Sun
04. Can'T Change Me
05. Like A Stone
06. Redemption Song

Download: Chris Cornell: BBC Sessions (zipped)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

If You Watched It Backwards:

• If you watched LOST backwards you realize it's the same thing as if you would watch it forwards.

• If you watch HEROES backwards you realize that it's been getting progressively better over time.

• If you watch FRIENDS backwards, Courtney Cox seems to get older somehow. I Think It's the hair.

• If you watch RAMBO backwards, It's Sylvester Stallone healing people with his magical bullet vacuum.
(and repairing helicopters with nothing but a Bow and Arrow)

• If you watch FIGHT CLUB backwards, you see Ed Norton turn from a crazy streetperson into a successful, productive member of society.

• If you watch the 1997 version of EPISODE IV backwards, Greedo Shoots first.

• If you watch MEMENTO backwards, it makes complete sense.

• If you watch THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY backwards, it's a saga about a little guy who gets a cool ring from a volcano and spends the rest of the film walking home.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Who Says Advertising Is Evil? Part 2



Unbelievable.

Huge thanks to Kamaur for helping me find this!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Who Says Advertising Is Evil?



Big Thanks to Karin Hayes for sending me this!!

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart



Last week a band was recommended by Bob L. in Baltimore, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. They played SXSW this year, to much critical acclaim. In fact, Alicia and I saw a really good short featurette on them on the Sundance Channel a month or so ago. They had been on my radar, but never sat down and looked them up fully. After their review in the New York Times, Bob looked them up, and sent them my way.

Bob wrote: "It was well worth the effort. They have a great retro sound that will at times remind you of the Smith's, early poppy REM and even a little of the Cure and one of my favorites the Ocean Blue. In short they have nailed the alterna pop sound of the very late 80's and early 90's." and I agree completely (even with a bit of Jesus and Mary Chain in there for good measure. But Ocean Blue, no doubt.

I posted a few of their album tracks for you to sample and hopefully enjoy. I can't guarantee they won't get taken down (I try not to post too many album tracks on this site, for fear of riling the RIAA) but they are hopefully meant to inspire you to get their album, which, to my joy, was on eMusic, the best music subscription service money can buy!!



Enjoy the music:

Download: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Come Saturday

Download: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Adult Friction

Download: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Gentle Sons

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Nirvana: Seattle, 1990 The Off Ramp Cafe



I have countless Nirvana bootlegs from over the years, but I came across this one last night and thought I should share! It is by far my favorite setlist of the bootlegs I have, and it is a very early show, the very first one in Seattle with Dave Grohl on drums. It is dynamic, energetic, upbeat and thrilling. Lots of covers and rarities, that later made it onto Incesticide, along with Here She Comes Now, one of my favorite rarities of theirs, from Velvet Underground.

Again, the bootleg was presented as a 2 CD file, which I have kept in tact for the sake of trading purposes, but have combined the 2 files into 1 zip file for your downloading ease.

It should be noted that this recording is a frankenstein of sources, all notated in the documentation in the zip file. Where possible, the soundboard recording is used, but for "holes" in this source audience recording is there instead. It really doesn't matter though. the Audience recording is still very very good quality, and very much worth a listen for all rock fans, not just the Nirvana die-hards. The first Seattle show with Dave Grohl is another cool reason this belongs in your collection. Also, makes a great gift for friends who think they have everything, Nirvana-related.

Nirvana - Live 1990, Seattle's Off ramp Cafe

Audio is Soundboard and Audience tapes. Detailed trading and source notes are included as a text file within the zip, along with album/CD cover art.

CD1: (50:28)
01 (Intro)
02 Aneurysm
03 Oh, The Guilt
04 Mr. Moustache
05 Stay Away
06 Breed
07 Floyd The Barber
08 About A Girl
09 Verse Chorus Verse
10 In Bloom
11 Swap Meet
12 Been A Son
13 Stain
14 Blew
15 Sappy

CD2: (51:07)
01 Lithium
02 School
03 D-7
04 Here She Comes Now
05 Sliver
06 Dive [aborted]
07 (Encore Break)
08 Dumb
09 Polly
10 Something In The Way
11 Negative Creep
12 Love Buzz
13 Where Did You Sleep Last Night [tease]
14 Spank Thru
15 Molly's Lips
16 Son Of A Gun
17 Sifting [cut]

Download: Nirvana: 1990 Seattle, The Off ramp Cafe (zipped)

Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation Outtakes



In Keeping with my good run of completely rare studio Recording session outtakes (Radiohead, NIN, Guns and Roses, Nirvana, etc) I figured I'd post this for you all... Aerosmith's sessions for Permanent Vacation. Lots of rare stuff, rough stuff, alternate versions (gotta loooove Hangman Jury!) It's broken down into 2 x CDs (the way I found it) but I zipped both CDs together into a single zip file for your downloading ease and pleasure. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation Session Outtakes

Outtakes and alternate mixes from "Permanent Vacation" sessions.
CD issued in the late 1990s, not able to pin down exactly when.

CD1:
01 - Magic Touch
02 - Angel
03 - I'm Down
04 - Dude(mix 1)
05 - St John(mix 1)
06 - St. John(mix 2)
07 - Girl Keeps Coming Apart
08 - Permanent Vacation(mix 3)
09 - Dude
10 - Magic Touch
11 - Got To Find A Way
12 - Samurai
13 - Walking on Danger Street

CD2:
01 - Rag Doll
02 - Feel The Pain
03 - Looking Like A Lady
04 - Gotta Find A Way
05 - Samurai
06 - Permanent Vacation(mix 4)
07 - Hangman Jury
08 - Hollywood
09 - Funky Thing
10 - Walking on Danger Street(mix 2)
11 - Sleeping Sickness
12 - St. John)mix 3)
13 - Girl Keeps Coming Apart (instrumental)
14 - Once Is Never Enough
15 - Heart's Done Time

Download: Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation Session Outtakes (zipped)

How Can We Sleep While Beds Are Burning?



I found a good one last night, and thought I would share! Midnight Oil playing Wembley Stadium, in their 1990 prime! It was Broadcast on the radio (Westwood One), so the sound quality is great. Not to mention the fantaaaastic setlist, heavy on the "Blue Sky Mining" album. I hope you enjoy!

Midnight Oil - Live From Wembley, 1990

01 - King Of The Montain (3:30)
02 - Dream World (4:13)
03 - River Runs Red (5:13)
04 - Warakurna (4:35)
05 - Read About It (2:33)
06 - Read About It Cont. (1:07)
07 - The Dead Heart (5:51)
08 - Best Of Both World (3:49)
09 - Kosciusko (4:22)
10 - Power And The Passion (5:34)
11 - Beds Are Burning (4:09)
12 - Bedlam Bridge (9:04)
13 - What's So Funny About Peace (6:27)
14 - Hercules (4:26)
15 - Now Your Product (2:00)
16 - Blue Sky Mine (4:14)

Download: Midnight Oil: 1990 Live from Wembley (zipped)

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Pearl Jam "Ten" Reissue



This has some of the grfx and 3D animation we did for the upcoming rerelease (and remastering!?!?) of Pearl jam's Seminal album "Ten"

While I may like a few of their other albums a tad more (mostly due to the mix... the new mix by Brendan O'Brian is SPOT ON!) I can honestly say there is no more important an album for me, really. I mean, c'mon... that tracklist is unbelievable, still today.

I can't wait to hear all the new mixes on those songs (plus the official release of the MTV unplugged show!)

enjoy.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Watching the Watchmen



Alicia and I saw the much hyped and much maligned 3 hour Watchmen movie yesterday, based, of course, on the genius work of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I am not a lifelong fanboy, having only read the graphic novel this past summer. Although late to the party, I loved the graphic novel for all the reasons everyone told me I would... a fantastically complex and morally ambiguous set of characters, worderfully fun ways to develop the story besides just cartoon panels... Intellegent winks to the format itself with a concurrent Pirate story running throughout... preposterous ending, etc etc etc. I was really interested to see the film even TRY to tell this story, which everyone claimed was "unfilmable" for the past 20 years. And perhaps it still is.

And let's be clear: every critical review you read about it is very very true. It is loooong. It is painfully faithful to the source material, at the expense of creating any new feelings of wonder that a movie might have the power to do. It is icy cold and completely unfeeling, unflinching, and does not engage the audience in any way emotionally. Anyone not extremely familiar with the book will just not follow it, and will most likely leave thinking what's all the fuss?

But if you DO savour the book, and it's characters and art style, and chaotic, dark, antisocial, nihilistic, anarchistic and critical themes, then there is absolutely, positively no excuse you could give me that you should not see it. It is NOT perfect. It is NOT for everyone. BUt is IS still very very good. And very interesting. And hard as hell to have come so far. It really brings the comic world to life in a fantastic way, that taken with the right grain of salt, can be a true joy from start to finish. Alicia and I saw it at the Imax, and I highly reccomend this. Performances have been criticized as being cold, distant, amatuerish... I disagree. I thought it was finely and interestingly cast, and some nice surprises (Carla Gugino Jeffrey Dean Morgan, etc) came through in that respect. (although Ozymandias/Veit was possibly the weakest link in the chain...)

The opening title sequence alone (a 6 minute sequence set to Bob Dylan's "The Times, They Are A-Changin") was unbelievably creative and effective, and for the right audience member, probably worth the entire price of admission right there. Speaking of Dylan, the rest of the unbelievably good soundtrack was used in extremely prominent (arguably overblown) manner, and I loved it. Most of the times, I hate songs coming so far to the front that it's just a musical interlude sequence... but this film was so big, and colorful, and cold as ice that it really seemed appropriate not only content-wise, but stylistically as well.

Zach Snyder is certainly not a "visionary" (A remake of Dawn of the Dead and another comic adaptation does NOT a visionary make) but he is to be commended for making a 3 hour superhero movie that held true to the source material, and created such a stylistic and clinical mood and feel that I was hypnotized.

The cold, calculating clinical view of Dr. Manhattan dominates the feeling of this movie in every frame. I think that's what the critics thought was wrong with it. I think that's what I thought was RIGHT with it. Eh, to each his own. But I strongly suggest YOU not believe everything that you read, and see it, and judge for yourself.

Who Watches the Watchmen? I sure did. You might want to as well.

P.S... the new ending? WAAAAAAAY better that the comic. No Joke. Seriously. If anyone wants to argue this point, I am open to hearing why you disagree... But I cannot imagine a reason why. A giant Squid? Really? The movie's tweak makes a MUCH smarter connection to the characters and their behaviours. It left me about a million times more content than the end of the comic did. So there. That's another good reason to give the movie a shot, and judge it solely on it's OWN merits, not the hype machine NOR the critical backlash.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Muppets take Manhattan (or 52nd street at least)



Patricia's friend from Baltimore stays with us a fair amount of time, since she is a performance artist who occasionally books gigs in New York or the surrounding 'burbs. She come in late, get's up early, and is out the door before Alicia and I ever even know she's gone. She's fun and interesting, and we usually just grab some dinner, and give her some setup for a restroom and some good nights sleep.

Last time she came, though, she had a huuuuuuge blanket and pillow and such, dragging around. We chuckled that she didn't have to do that, we had her covered, but she stays in so many places so often that she travels more comfortably by having these things on hand (no matter how cumbersome it is for her to lug.)

We haven't seen her in a while (other than Thanksgiving at Patricia and Geoff's house) because she was pregnant, and presumably wasn't traveling for work as much. She recently had her baby, happy and healthy.

Alicia told me the other day, that she wanted to come back again, she had another gig booked. Of course I said "fine" just as always, since it's never a problem at all.

There was a catch this time... She wanted to know if it was okay to bring her husband, toddler, and newborn.

Now she knows our place is always open, but she also knows how small that place is too... of course we won't say "no" but man... tonight is going to be something else!

Wish us luck... I jokingly told Alicia that unfortunately I had to pull an all-nighter at work tonight (I don't, really) It'll be fine. I just don't expect to have much rest (on this worknight) with 4 adults, 1 toddler, 1 newborn, and a nasty little dog (who treats children terribly, btw!) Oh well.. tomorrow is Friday, and I got most of my work done today... so maybe it'll be a breezy day.

Sleep Tight.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

National Treasure III?



Museum Reveals Engraving Hidden in Lincoln Watch
By: BRETT ZONGKER (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
March 10, 2009 9:16 PM EDT

WASHINGTON - For nearly 150 years, a story has circulated about a hidden Civil War message engraved inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. On Tuesday, museum curators confirmed it was true. A watchmaker used tiny tools to carefully pry open the antique watch at the National Museum of American History, and a descendant of the engraver read aloud the message from a metal plate underneath the watch face.

"Jonathan Dillon April 13 - 1861," part of the inscription reads, "Fort Sumpter (sic) was attacked by the rebels on the above date." Another part reads, "Thank God we have a government."


The words were etched in tiny cursive handwriting and filled the the space between tiny screws and gears that jutted through the metal plate. A magnifying glass was required to read them.

Jonathan Dillon, then a watchmaker on Pennsylvania Avenue, had Lincoln's watch in his hands when he heard the first shots of the Civil War had been fired in South Carolina. The Irish immigrant later recalled being the only Union sympathizer working at the shop in a divided Washington.

Dillon's story was passed down among his family and friends, eventually reaching a New York Times reporter. In a 1906 article in the paper, an 84-year-old Dillon said no one, including Lincoln, ever saw the inscription as far as he knew.

Dillon had a fuzzy recollection of what he had engraved. He told the newspaper he had written: "The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a president who at least will try."

For years the story went unconfirmed.

The watchmaker's great-great grandson, Doug Stiles, first heard the tale of the engraving from his great uncle decades ago. He said the story had reached extended family as far away as Ireland.

A few months ago, he used Google to find the New York Times story, and last month he passed the information along to Smithsonian curators, who knew nothing about the engraving.

On Tuesday, watchmaker George Thomas, who volunteers at the museum, spent several minutes carefully opening the watch as an audience of reporters and museum workers watched on a video monitor.

"The moment of truth has come. Is there or is there not an inscription?" Thomas said, teasing the audience, which gasped when he confirmed it was there. He called Stiles up to read his ancestor's words, drawing smiles and a few sighs of relief.

"Like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, this was the reaction he had (to the Civil War,)" Stiles said of the inscription.


Later, Stiles said he felt closer to the 16th president.

"My gosh, that was Lincoln's watch," he said, "and my ancestor put graffiti on it!"

Lincoln's family kept the watch until it was donated to the museum in 1958. It was Lincoln's everyday pocket watch, one of the president's only valuable possessions he brought with him to the White House from Springfield, Ill., said Harry Rubenstein, curator of the museum's politics and reform division.

"I think it just captures a bit of history that can transform you to another time and place," he said. "It captures the excitement, the hope of a watchmaker in Washington."

The watch will go back on display at the museum by Wednesday as part of the exhibit, "Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life." It will have a new label to tell Dillon's story and a photo of the inscription.

---

On the Net:

National Museum of American History: http://americanhistory.si.edu/

Monday, March 9, 2009

Bands That Are Not Cool With My Blog

Sorry Everyone

The latest post I had up for the past couple of days was a great broadcast of Kings Of Leon (broadcast in Germany)... It got removed unceremoniously by the RIAA.

This is the second time a band or the RIAA has pulled the plug on a post of mine. (the first was Snow Patrol) It's weird, because these have been RAVE posts, about my favorite new(ish) bands and I have provided links to their official sites, links to purchase the albums from amazon, And the music itself that I have posted, while of course I do not own the copyrights to, have been live performances, traded popularly online, and, in the case of Kings Of Leon, were BROACAST LIVE FOR FREE ON THE RADIO IN GERMANY. It's not like I'm posting a rip of the leaked U2 album or anything... I am trying my best to turn people on to a great band that IIIII thought could use the good word of mouth.

Oh well. It's a big machine, and that machine is broken and on fire. In honor of the RIAA, I am now adding a sidebar list of bands that yank their posts from my site.

Thanks again, RIAA. Good luck with all that.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

A Little Humor



Something funny. Bizkit The Sleepwalking Dog.

Getting Closer...



The lawsuit is raining down like hellfire now. Capital One's request for "Summary Judgement" is being presented within the next 2 weeks, along with our Answer. I really can't say for sure which way this cookie is going to crumble. The past few days I have been getting good feelings and good vibes from my attorney, and they even apologized for their first (insulting) response to our settlement offer, but their revised couter to our offer was still $50,000. I guess they thought they were being nice by offering to "split the difference" of the made up money I never really borrowed. I think 50K is still ridiculously too high, so I am rolling the dice. Perhaps we'll come to terms on some lower number, or perhaps it will proceed as scheduled, and it could go one of two ways:

If they are AWARDED summary judgement, then I lose big. All of it. An Open and Shut Case. My lawyer said, however, that "Summary Judgement" is a radical procedure, and not to be taken lightly by the courts. It is unlikely, but of course, always possible.*

If they are NOT awarded summary Judgement, I haven't won a thing, other than the right to fight them (and rack up more attorney bills!). But it WILL show them that it's not a "grand slam" and perhaps it will knock them upside the head that they need to come down a tad on their settlement offers.

It's a big risk, But I really don't see any other way to play it. My Attorney and I are in constant communication, and are considering how best to pursue a settlement discussion before the summary judgement hearing. But let's be realistic... 50K is certainly not realistic. If the Court decides against me, so be it. I will be sunk by the cold machine. But I'm not going to drown myself ahead of time for FEAR of being sunk. Dead is Dead... What's the difference, really?

* Remember, one of the earliest conversations I had with my attorney, he warned me that it is a "higher than you'd imagine" chance that the Judge is already on the payroll of the bank anyway. So argue all you want. You're F$CKED from day one.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Exhausted, But With Complete Consensus



Yesterday I spent the entire day at the offices of ID Magazine, judging the Annual Design Review for their Interactive category. Boy, did we see some amazing work. It was exhausting, spending about 11 hours there, but any day that I can not be chained to my desk making commercials, but rather meet and converse (and debate with) some of the brightest minds around is a pretty great day indeed.

I was supposed to have been one of the 3 judges for this particular category on this particular day, but a last minute cancellation by one of the judges (illness, apparently) left us scrambling at the 11th hour to find a third person. Everyone I suggested was too "close" to me (Alicia, Mike Essl, etc) and some of the other big-wigs I suggested are too busy to drop everything (Emily, Scott, Cadin) and one of the big-wigs was already judging another category another day, so it was pretty much a bust. But we soldiered on, the two judges that we were, and we ended up having a fantastic time! My other Judge was Neri, a brilliant Artist and Architect from the MIT labs, who lectures at every major university in the world and who's work has been shown at the MoMa, among many many others.

She was a joy to converse with, and inspiring to debate with and compare and contrast the work. I can't talk too much about the work until the issue comes out, just rest assured that it was (mostly*) jaw-dropping, and our top 3 were decided unanimously and instantly.

The Issue should hit newsstands in June, where not only will you read our commentary and see our choices (and reasonings behind it) but you will see a picture of the 2 of us as well... some of the photos they took of us looked like the prom! Ha!

I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say about our choices, and hope that our decisions hold up to the test of time. I think we did our best, and sure met some fun and interesting people in the process. Thank you again, ID Magazine, for the honor of allowing me to participate!


* There was some crap, and some by people Alicia and I knew too! Ha Ha Ha... At least nobody there knew I worked on Botulinum Toxin**... that is an Alan Smithee project for sure!

** Speaking of Botulinum Toxin, the project is wrapped, the witch is dead, and we are drinking ourselves into oblivion tonight after work... 7:00pm at the Rodeo Bar... Be there, or be square.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Thanks (Again), Lou!



Alicia had a Hood College Alumni event last night, a cocktail reception in the posh Midtown Executive Club. Andy Rooney was there, after his brief appearance at the last event (that Alicia and I reccomended the location for, the funky West Village's La Pallapa, wherein Andy came in, looked around, asked "What the Hell is THIS place?" and left after 15 minutes!) Ha! The Midtown Executive Club was MUCH more his scene.

Obviously not being a Hood Alum, I really didn't know too many people and didn't want to get in the way, so I hung back by the bar, where the gentleman in front of me was having a lively conversation with the bartender, being very specific about how he wanted his martini. This piqued my interest, and I mentioned to the two of them that it looked good, make mine a martini as well.

Then I noticed the gentleman pull out a silver container from his pocket, and he smiled and told me that he always brings his own vermouth! Double Ha! He spritzed some in his, politely asked if I would care for some as well, and I dutifully (and curiously) accepted.

He proceeded to tell me how he comes to this place at least once a month, because a club he belongs to meets on the top floor penthouse bar, and that this bar makes the best martinis in Manhattan (I guess it's just BYOV). I asked what club he belonged to, and he told me it was the Young Presidents Organization, a social organization of young titans of industry and robber barrons, who get together, and basically give each other work. He said that one of the requirements to join is that you need to be president of a company, and under 40... of course I meet these requirements. He mentions that it is a long waiting list, and it is very exclusive, etc etc, and I assure him I did not expecct to get in, laughing it off, and saying that my company was probably way too small to qualify anyway.

We change the conversation, and he asked where I went to school. I mention Cooper Union, and he asks me if I know Lou Dorfsman (ex-creative Director of CBS for 45 years)... Of course I do, he is only one of my biggest mentors, getting me my first job in television, and pretty much insisting that I even START in television, ditching my work in the web!

It turns out, he knew Lou very well, and had not one, but 2 company business cards designed by him in his wallet! I gave him one of MY cards, and he was taking down all my info, and he made a funny remark about talking to the Young Presidents Organization! Triple Ha!

Gotta thank Lou again. That guy is the most "connected" person in the world, even in his afterlife! And maybe nothing will come of any of this. But Aliciia remarked at the end of the night that I was "Something else" and that I wasn't even an ALUM and I had a great night. And if nothing else, it IS funny to picture a hippie like me hanging with the NY money men! I guess I should look into getting fitted for a monacle.

Monday, February 16, 2009

A Tribute To George Washington, Coke Doer And Cannibal



From 236.com:

Yeah, ok, George Washington didn't actually eat the brains of his foes, but this video's pretty awesome anyway. We resurrected it to help you celebrate President's Day in the lewdest way possible. Enjoy!

Friday, February 13, 2009

From The BBC: Fresh Start For Lost File Formats



From the BBC:

Long lost file formats could soon be resurrected by pan-European research.

The 4.02m euro (£3.58m) project aims to create a universal emulator that can open and play obsolete file formats.

Using the emulator, researchers hope to ensure that digital materials such as games, websites and multimedia documents and are not lost for good.

The emulator will also be regularly updated to ensure that formats that fall out of favour remain supported in the near and far future.

Called Keeping Emulation Environments Portable (Keep), the project aims to create software that can recognise, play and open all types of computer file from the 1970s onwards.

As well as basic text documents it will also let people load up and play old computer games that technology has left behind.
"People don't think twice about saving files digitally - from snapshots taken on a camera phone to national or regional archives," said Dr Janet Delve, a computer historian from the University of Portsmouth and one of the research partners on Keep.

"But every digital file risks being either lost by degrading or by the technology used to 'read' it disappearing altogether," she said.

Without work to preserve ways to access the formats that are common today, 21st century citizens risk leaving a "blank spot" in history, said Dr Delve.

Already the number of unreadable documents in archives is beginning to mount up.
Britain's National Archive estimates that it holds enough information to fill about 580,000 encyclopaedias in formats that are no longer widely available.

Research by the British Library estimates that the delay caused by accessing and preserving old digital files costs European businesses about £2.7bn a year.

"We are facing a massive threat of the loss of digital information. It's a very real and worrying problem," said Dr David Anderson, who will work with Dr Delve on the UK end of the project.

"Things that were created in the 1970s, 80s and 90s are vanishing fast and every year new technologies mean we face greater risk of losing material," he said.

Dr Anderson said emulation was more workable in the long term than the usual method of preserving old files which involves migrating information on to new formats with its attendant risks of data degradation and corruption.



Thanks to Paul Rachman for sending this my way!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Former Student Makes "GOOD"



Erik Winkowski, a former star pupil from Cooper's Motion Graphics class, has just completed a fantastic and informative animation on the complexities of Corn in America for GOOD Magazine. Go watch it, and leave him a great comment! And don't forget to pass it on to friends if you like it!

Way to Go, Erik! (Nice GIGANTIC CREDIT at the top of the piece, too! ha ha ha)

Monday, February 9, 2009

NYT: Applications Surge At Cooper Union



From NYTimes.com:

By LISA W. FODERARO
Published: February 8, 2009

Afreen Juli, a senior at the Bronx High School of Science, applied early to Cooper Union, a college in Manhattan that specializes in engineering, art and architecture. So did 10 of her classmates, the most ever from Bronx Science, one of the city’s most selective public schools.

Ms. Juli, who lives in Coney Island, said that she wanted to study film and art; she also applied to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. But, as she explained in an interview: “N.Y.U. is pretty expensive and I might not be able to afford it. Basically, Cooper Union is free.”

Founded 150 years ago by the industrialist and inventor Peter Cooper, Cooper Union is perhaps best known among New Yorkers for its iconic brownstone hall near Astor Place where Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Barack Obama have held forth. But for many high school seniors who are applying to college in the midst of an economic meltdown, Cooper Union’s commitment to full scholarships — regardless of need — has given the institution an almost mythic allure.

Already among the nation’s most competitive colleges, with an admissions rate of about 8 percent — on par with Juilliard or Harvard — Cooper saw about a 70 percent surge in applications for early decision this year, after annual increases of 5 percent to 10 percent over the last decade. Over all, the school expected to receive 3,300 applications this season for the 265 spots in the Class of 2013, including 750 students vying for 30 seats in the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.

“I’m pretty confident that the economy played a big role,” said the dean of admissions, Mitchell Lipton. “You probably had a lot of parents who said: ‘Look, I know you’re looking at Cooper Union. You ought to make it your first choice.’ ”

While many of the nation’s elite colleges underwrite the education of poor students, Cooper is among a handful of private colleges that are tuition-free for everyone (it does not, however, pay for room and board, though financial aid is available for living expenses, and many students from New York City live with their parents). Some of the free schools are even smaller and more narrowly focused, like Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass., with 300 students, and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, with 160.

Cooper’s applications have climbed steadily since 2000, and really took off this year amid the recession. That has complicated things for the admissions office, which involves faculty members in reviewing hefty portfolios that include take-home tests to determine a student’s creativity as well as drawings, architectural models and narrative writing.

“The home tests are a series of exercises that are difficult to fake,” said Anthony Vidler, dean of the architecture school. “We find it a very good filter for looking for talents that aren’t necessarily indicated by grades and SAT scores, even though those numbers are very high.”

At Fiorello H. La Guardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts, 63 of the 556 seniors applied to Cooper Union, 14 of them early. At Bronx Science, 11 seniors applied early decision — up from 7 last year and 1 in 2006. “What you hear over and over is that early decision demonstrates interest loud and clear,” said Darby McHugh, the college coordinator at Bronx Science. “Combine that with the economy, and it’s a perfect storm for Cooper.”

Paul Shao, 17, a senior at Bronx Science who lives in Hollis Hills, Queens, and plans to study engineering, had his early application deferred. If he gets in, he said, his parents plan on using the money they save on tuition to buy him a small apartment in Chinatown.

“It would really help my family out a lot,” said Mr. Shao, the son of a librarian and an accountant who himself works part time for a test-prep center. “My sister’s a freshman in high school, and my brother is 8. I don’t want my parents to pay more than they need to for my college experience.”

Each year, Cooper Union allots about $35 million to cover tuition. It is a tradition that was easier to sustain when the board of trustees included Andrew Carnegie and J. Pierpont Morgan. “There were five trustees and at the end of the year they would look at the deficit and divide by five,” said George Campbell Jr., the college’s president.

More recently, the college ran multimillion-dollar deficits every year, with its endowment bottoming out at $100 million after Sept. 11. But since then, the college changed its strategy regarding its significant real estate assets, renegotiating the lease on the Chrysler Building, which it owns; signing a 99-year lease on a large parking lot for $11 million; and leasing out its engineering building to a developer for $97 million. Last year, the college had its first positive financial ledger in a quarter century, and the endowment peaked at $608 million.

And because Cooper is so heavily invested in real estate, rather than the stock market, its endowment has held up better than most, and is currently valued at $594 million. This spring, the school’s first new academic building in decades is set to open at 41 Cooper Square.

“Cooper is ranked very highly both for quality and selectivity, and yet it’s an institution that has had to manage by its wits,” said Molly C. Broad, president of the American Council on Education, which represents two- and four-year colleges. “It is a great example of a set of characteristics that you just don’t typically find in American higher education.”

Yet Cooper Union and the other schools that offer free tuition have become so selective and are so focused that experts caution students and parents against putting too much stock in them. The Curtis Institute of Music received nearly 900 applications for about 40 spots in its incoming class, for example.

“It’s great that some people can go to these places, but they are few and far between and only the right school for certain students,” said Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst at the College Board and a professor of economics at Skidmore College. “And most people won’t get in.”

Those who do will enter an institution rich in history. The Foundation Building, where Mr. Obama gave a campaign speech on the economy in March, was also the site of the N.A.A.C.P.’s first meeting. The American Red Cross was organized there, and Susan B. Anthony had her offices there. It was built with its entrance facing the immigrant neighborhoods of the Lower East Side, symbolically welcoming the poor to a future of opportunity; each spring, graduates exit through another door, pouring out toward Fifth Avenue.

Ling Jessica Chu, a senior at La Guardia High School whose early application has already been accepted, said she was drawn as much to the small classes and the environmental credentials of the new academic building as the free cost. She planned to keep living with her parents, in Chinatown.

“I wanted to live in a dorm just for the experience, but then again I figured I’d save my parents the money,” said Ms. Chu, whose mother is a homemaker and whose father is a home attendant. “My parents were happy wherever I went. But I was pushing Cooper because of this economy.”

Other students, who come from out of town or out of state, have learned that tuition-free in Manhattan is hardly a free ride.

Natasha V. Broodie, a third-year art student from West Palm Beach, Fla., has had to juggle jobs to help cover her living expenses, namely rent on an apartment in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

Last semester, she had three campus jobs, working a total of 52 hours a week. Now, she is looking for a fourth. “My parents don’t pay for any of this,” said Ms. Broodie, who has a 3.6 grade-point average. “I’m pretty much on my own.”

Friday, February 6, 2009

House Of The Dead



Life in the Vondracek/Cruz house has been hell the past few days. Fevers, coughing, insomnia, blacklung, skin burning in sunlight, snot, drool, levitation, pea soup, crucifix desecration, speaking in tongues... you name it.

Too sick to be at work this week, but was here all week anyway. Alicia had it way worse than ME, and IIII feel like crap.

Enjoy the music:

Download: Mudhoney: Touch Me, I'm Sick

Download: Rob Zombie: Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones)

Download: Matthew Sweet: Sick Of Myself (live)

Download: The Fever: Gray Ghost (my friend's old band!)

Download: Faith No More: Zombie Eaters

Download: Sufjan Stevens: They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come

Now Excuse me while I go eat some brains.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Excuse Me, There Seems To Be Some C**k in My Superbowl



From DeadSpin.com:

For those Cardinals fans who claimed that Larry Fitzgerald's fourth-quarter touchdown catch was better than sex, they got a quick chance to compare. Immediately following the TD, instead of a replay, some Tucson area Comcast viewers got an eyeful of some full frontal male nudity from Club Jenna, an adult cable station. The porn flick images lasted anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds, according to which reports you read.

Fleshbot has the extremely NSFW video.

"KVOA will continue to investigate what happened to our clean signal and make sure our viewers get answers," Nielsen said in the statement. Comcast spokeswoman Tracy Baumgartner confirmed that the company's standard feed was interrupted during the Super Bowl, although she said its high definition feed was not.

Baumgartner said engineers at Philadelphia-based Comcast were investigating Sunday night. Tucson media outlets reported that they received calls from irate viewers about the pornographic material. Joel Hilander of Tucson told The Associated Press that he and his young children saw the clip. "I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't believe that my children were watching it either," Hilander said.

(Innocent children were not the only victims).

For more on this breaking story, let's go to the Arizona Daily Star message board:

• Yes, they did. I had two teenagers and a 10 year old watching the game with me and they all saw every graphic segment of it. What on earth is Comcast doing? I can't believe I pay them. — Celeste L. (Watchdog), February 1,2009 @ 8:35PM

• I saw it. Definitely about 30 seconds of a porn flick. — Kathy K. (kmkahle), February 1,2009 @ 8:35PM

• It was pretty bad. A Keith Urban-type guy is sitting down, and there's a woman next to him and she appears to have her hands down his pants. Then he gets up, and his pants drop, and there's a full reveal. It happened right after the Cards' last touchdown, so I wonder if there was a hacker/steelers fan on the loose at Comcast. — Gin R. (AZPainter), February 1,2009 @ 8:48PM

• This was disgusting and heads should roll. I would love to have someone come and explain this to my first grade students tomorrow! I am canceling my Comcast subscription tomorrow and I hope that all the other Comcast members do also. — jammie s. (densan), February 1,2009 @ 8:36PM

• OMG! I am SOOO angry about this. I don't think I will be watching the super bowl anymore. I had just called my teenaged daughter in to have her watch the replay of the last play. And then that comes on. I am furious. And it kinda kept you watching cuz you were thinking, 'ok, this HAS to be part of a really bad commerical' — Ann C. (backroadsann), February 1,2009 @ 8:41PM

• I had a 2 and a 7 year-old in the room and it was totally disgusting. Comcast better get ready to give all subscribers at least one free month of service for having to be subject to this filth! — Lisa D. (lisamb27), February 1,2009 @ 8:42PM

• My 88 year old neighbor lady called to verify if we had seen the same thing that she saw......she says she has a new lease on life!!!! — Keri H. (Keri), February 1,2009 @ 8:49PM

• Dang! I had a full living room of kids from 3-17 and their friends!!! What a horrible thing to happen! I'm going to have to disconnect...I can't trust that it won't happen during Barney or Sesame Street! — Tess L. (TucsonTess), February 1,2009 @ 8:58PM

• Yeah, well they interrupted my porn movie with 30 seconds of super bowl action. Nothing quite so disgusting as full-frontal football. Yeech. — Rowan D. (RowD1), February 1,2009 @ 8:58PM


Wow. How many people are fired for this?

Monday, February 2, 2009

Radiohead Unreleased Early Demo Tracks



Mother lode. I had a few of these a long time ago, and was waiting for the right time to post it (After all, Radiohead on this site is LONG overdue). But today in my trolling, I found the remainder of the set, and 2 other amazingly rare finds.

These, dear readers, are the first recording sessions of Radiohead, looong before they were anything even CLOSE to being popular. I must admit, some of the tracks are terrible (just like the early NIN demos I posted last year! ha ha ha)

But many are still amazing. If you are like me, and remember fondly the good old days when Radiohead played "songs," then this is a no-brainer... Radiohead fan? Collector? Rarities Hunter? Like to brag about stuff at parties? This posting should have you all covered.

Radiohead 1988 Woodworm Studios Demos

01 - Happy Song
02 - To Be A Brilliant Light
03 - Sinking Ship


Thom Yorke - Vocals, Guitar
Ed O'Brien - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jonny Greenwood - Keyboards
Colin Greenwood - Bass
Phil Selway - Drums, Backing Vocals
Rasmus Peterson - Saxophone
Liz Cotton - Saxophone
Charlotte Cotton - Saxophone
Recorded at Woodworm Studios, Oxfordshire
Engineered and mixed by Dave Pegg
Quality: Excellent A+

Download: Radiohead: 1988 Wormwood Demos (zipped)



Radiohead - On A Friday / Shindig Demos
June / July / August 1990


01 - Climbing Up A Bloody Great Hill - Clifton Hampden Village Hall
02 - Somebody - Recorded in one or more bedrooms
03 - Mr B - Recorded at Clifton Hampden Village Hall
04 - What's That You See? - Rec. at Nuneham Courtenay Village Hall
05 - Everyone Needs Someone To Hate - Recorded in a bedroom
06 - Upside Down - Recorded in one or more bedrooms
07 - The Greatest Shindig Of The World - Recorded in a bedroom
08 - Give It Up - Recorded in one or more bedrooms
09 - How Can You Be Sure - Recorded at Clifton Hampden Village Hall
10 - Life With The Big F - Recorded at Clifton Hampden Village Hall
11 - Keep Strong - Recorded at Clifton Hampden Village Hall
12 - Rattlesnake - Recorded in one or more bedrooms
13 - Burning Bush - Recorded in one or more bedrooms
14 - Tell Me Bitch - Recorded in one or more bedrooms

Download: Radiohead: 1990 On A Friday Shindig Demos (zipped)


You are all quite welcome!

*** EDIT: Thanks to Citizen Insane for notating the duplicate and incorrect posting! I got all the information from the included text doc in the DLs, and had not listened to the entire thing yet, I was so happy to rush and share it! Thanks Again, and I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Just What I Needed! The Cars: 1980 Live In Tokyo



KBFH (Un-broadcast?)
Tokyo, Japan
October 30th, 1980
* - Bonus tracks (raw versions or alternates)


Not real sure if this was ever aired or not.
The trader researched the KBFH archives, but couldn't find any details on this set.

As you can see, it is a fantastic setlist, at a fantastic sound quality, with some alternate takes too. Also included in the zipped file is some CD label artwork for your convenience!

Setlist:

1. Misfit Kid
2. Best Friend's Girl
3. Moving In Stereo
4. Just What I Needed
5. Gimme Some Slack
6. Candy-O
7. God Times Roll
8. Bye, Bye Love
9. You're All I've Got Tonight
10. Panorama
11. Don't Tell Me No
12. Double Life
13. Getting Through


Bonus Tracks:

14. Moving In Stereo *
15. Good Times Roll *
16. You're All I've Got Tonight *
17. Candy-O *
18. Best Friends Girl *
19. Just What I Needed *


Download: The Cars: 1980 Live In Tokyo (zipped)

As always, enjoy!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Born On The Fourth Of July



Last night Gandmom Luh passed away, putting to end a long and protracted series of terrible injuries and hospitalizaions over the past year. I think we all feel about 3 parts grief, 1 part relief, that she is at peace with her husband, parents, brothers and sisters, and old German Shepherd "Fritz." (as a matter of fact, she is proabably up there with MY old dog "Patches" too, who absolutely adored her!!!)

A long and happy life, she lived in pretty much every part of this country (Colorado, Florida, MD, etc) and across just about every important development of the past 84 years. She had 3 sons and 2 grandchildren, who will miss her greatly.

When I was a kid, she picked me up from school every Tuesday (her day off from working at her Hallmark Store in Parkville) and watched me every Tuesday during the summers. Patches and I always looked forward to those days, and I can remember about 100 of them vividly. Childhood frinds of mine lived in her neighborhood, and visits were always looked forward to greatly. I teased her about her awful singing (it wasn't, really) and her awful cooking (It WAS, really), and always enjoyed going over to her house, the general "meeting place" for all of us on every major holiday. Christmas Eves and Easter Sundays, Thanksgiving Nights, Amanda's Birthdays... She was always there smiling and watching football and laughing with everyone, even when her pain and illnesses were more than most people would be able to bear.

Her Birthday was the 4th of July, and she told me when I was really little that all the fireworks and parades? those were for HER birthday... I believed her for a pretty long time. I still always laugh and think of that when Alicia and I watch the Macys fireworks off the coast of Manhattan.

We will all miss her very much.

***Alicia wrote more here.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Gimme Shelter: Neko Case Free Download Benefits Animal Charity



According to Magnet Magazine:

Neko Case and her label (Anti-) are donating $5 to rescue organization Best Friends Animal Society for every blog post of Case’s new single, “People Got A Lotta Nerve.” The song from the forthcoming album Middle Cyclone (due March 3) can be downloaded by anyone for free at Anti-’s label blog, where you can also view Case’s public service announcement for Best Friends. Money will be donated from now until February 3. Additionally, a $1 donation will be made for every iLike user who adds the song to his/her profile. We predict widespread support for this effort, except maybe from this blog. (Why do we even remember that?) To read Magnet Magazine's forecast of Middle Cyclone, click here.

Here's the Song:

Download: Neko Case - "People Got A Lotta Nerve"

Thanks to Tim P. (and of course, Magnet Magazine, above) for the heads up about this AWESOME news!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Well, When you Put it THAT way...

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Who Says You Can't Toss a Fish at a President?



The guard at the gate said, "Don't trust the government"
I woke up dirty, wondered where my money went
Who says you can't toss a fish at a president,
Say you're sorry and be on your way?


And you all rise up
When the plant shuts down
Tighten up girl
When your man leaves town
I'll kill the work song
When you're making car bombs.

Well now Jackson from the union is a company man
He got a company song, sings in a company band
The company picnic at the forest preserve
He got what he had coming, got what he deserved
His tires were slashed, his wallet was gone
He was last seen kissing on the owner's son
In the parking lot after the workers went home
He'll never stink of fish
And he'll always fish alone

And you all rise up
When the plant shuts down
Tighten up girl
When your man leaves town
I'll kill the work song
Go on making love, now

Now the girls in the break room, don't trust the union
'Cause Jackson's taking money from their checks for uniforms
Won't back em up on an overdue raise
Don't wanna make it with the fish and messing up the workplace
Some, they wanna leave by the river or the rail
I'm in the slammer, couldn't make the bail
Someone from the fish plant snuck into the jail
It was Jackson with a threat and a pocket full of scales
Pictures of my daughter and one of my mistress
We're naked making love and bringing vodka and the fishes
Jackson is the blind man, the company fool
His bride is my mistress
My kid is swimming in her womb
Yeah!

The guard at the gate said, "Don't trust the government"
I woke up dirty wondered where my money went
Who says you can't take a shot at a president,
Say you're sorry and be on your way?



Download: The Ike Reilly Assasination: Fish Plant Uprising

Loving This Song Right Now... It seemed really relevant to the ecomoy and election. I posted Ike Reilly before, but now I have his full album, We Belong To the Staggering Evening. It was one of my 2 favorite albums I got for Christmas this year... (other fav? Kings of Leon, a post uto itself!) Enjoy.

Death Race - Rad To The Extreme



I know, I know, I know. You're thinking "How on earth could you have brought yourself to rent this? Why not get the cheese-fest classic original?"

To all you doubters out there, let me just say, i loved this movie. It so far exceeded my (albeit SMALL) expectations that I was thrilled. I've got news for you... you don't need to read this post at all... you already know if you are going to love or hate this movie. It is exactly what you hope it will be, or what you fear it will be.

IIIII found it very exciting, fantastically shot (and special effected) and loved the video game carnage and charcter motivations. The villans are BAD. the Hero is TOUGH. The sidekicks are smart and DEVIOUS. The (few) girls that are in it are used for eye candy only (a pretty serious charge one could level at the film) but it's so gleeful (and I would even say, sarcastic) about it, that I gave that a "pass" and still really had a great time. (what else would you expect from Roger Corman, anyway?)

If you think you might not like it, then you will HATE it.

But if you think you might almost like it... well, you MAY LOVE IT.

Count me in the latter group.

Wolf Creek - Now THAT'S more like it!



After the great review at Blog-Sothoth I was very much looking forward to seeing this one. I won't give too much away, but I WILL go on record to say that this was EXTREMELY well done. Acting was stellar. Writing was stellar. Cinematography/DP was beautiful and artistic and terrifying. I thought the pacing was fantastic, and while I knew the "twist" before renting it, I was lulled in and suckerpuncched none-the-less.

It's a shame America doesn't make horror movies like this any more. Thank god the Aussies still do! Up next (for me) is their whacked out Crocodile film... I'm not too sure about that, but I wasn't too sure about THIS one either and I was blown away.

Run, do not walk, to your video house and rent Wolf Creek.

Warning: Not for the squeamish (or cowardly).

Mirrors- Not Worth The Film It's Printed On



Mirrors wasn't even worth the film it was printed on. The acting was OK (Keifer Suterland, et al), but they simply had nothing of quality to work with.

This disappoints me to no end, because, despite the terrible reviews, IIII have a long-stanging "Irrational Fear" of Mirrors... so of all the people in the world this should scare, I should be in the top percentile.

Don't waste your time even with a rental or a Netfix. If it comes on cable for free and you are home alone on a dark and stormy night, I would STILL pass.

Bah.

Friday, January 16, 2009

ATTACK ON AMERICA!



Just 4 days before the inauguration of Barack Obama, a gaggle of geese attacked a commercial airliner over the Hudson River in New York City . The brazen assault, called a "bird strike," happened minutes after USAirways flight 1549 departed from LaGuardia. We urge President Bush to show no mercy to these geese by invading a duck pond.

Update! 7:15 AM According to the Today Show, these geese may have been Canadian. Figures.

courtesy of 236.com

Thursday, January 15, 2009

A Beautiful Life Cycle in Advertising



I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin and fuck with the stars
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars

This is our decision to live fast and die young
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun!
Yeah it's overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?

Forget about our mothers and our friends
We were fated to pretend

I'll miss the playgrounds and the animals and digging up worms
I'll miss the comfort of my mother and the weight of the world
I'll miss my sister, miss my father, miss my dog and my home
Yeah, I'll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone

But there is really nothing, nothing we can do
Love must be forgotten, life can always start up anew
The models will have children, we'll get a divorce
We'll find some more models, everything must run its course

We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end
We were fated to pretend

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Download: MGMT: Time To Pretend

Loving This Song Right Now.... Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Sacrifice 10 Friends for a Free Whopper



The Whopper Sacrifice, a new Facebook application from Burger King, pushes the limits to see how much a Whopper is worth. It's simple: Defriend 10 friends on Facebook and you get a free Whopper.

As Posted by Andi Wang on Gizmodo:

When I logged into Facebook today, I received a friend request from our recently departed intern, Seung, who I knew I was already friends with.

"Did you delete me on Facebook?!" I asked him. He responded with a cackle and told me that our friendship was definitely worth the cost of a Whopper. A few moments later, I realized that more Gizmodo staffers were doing the same. Goddammit, guys! I'm a human being, not a piece of meat!

Sacrifice your "friends" here.

I wish I could trade in some REAL people from my life and get free Whoppers... Well, I guess there is always Soylent Green.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

An Unkindness of Ravens



A group of birds of any type is generically known collectively as a flock. For a number of individual birds, there exist poetic collective nouns particular to the type of bird. Many of these collective nouns are fanciful, and not in common use in English. The book An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton is a good reference for the collective nouns and their etymology, the third edition being the most well-researched. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Today's fanciful exaltation:

An Unkindness of Ravens.

13-10 against the top-ranked Titans? A nailbiter, and thrilling from first play to the last 53 seconds!

Way to go, guys! One game away from the big one!

Read all about it here.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Chad Pennington's new career is off to a bad start...



After a diasterous confrontation with the Baltimore Ravens, Chad Pennington tries a new career.

(damn... this sucker doesn't even wait for the TRUCK to stop before he throws that hail mary! Somebody's brand-new something just got smashed!)

Friday, January 2, 2009

On New Years Day... (well, a day late)



I Started posting this latest collection on New Years Day, but since the internet at the Holiday Inn is so slow, it wasn't really finished till now... sorry. But the wait was definitely worth it. Here is a 5 Disc collection of solo rarities from U2's Bono. Sound quality varies from source to source, but in all it is a pretty teriffic collection For U2 or Bono fans, as well as the rarities hunters ot there!

Enjoy! I have RARed each of the 5 x discs seperately for your downloading convenience:

Bono: Solo
Disc 1 of 5


1 - Two shots of happy, one shot of Sad
2 - One
3 - Give me back mu job
4 - In a lifetime
5 - Hallelujah 95
6 - Billy boola 94
7 - Save the children
8 - Silver and gold
9 - Let The Good Times Roll
10 - Tomorrow 96
11 - In The Name Of The Father
12 - Can't Help Falling In Love
13 - I've Got You Under My Skin

Download: Bono: Solo Disc 1 (rar)



Bono: Solo
Disc 2 of 5


1 - Elvis ate america
2 - Slug
3 - Your blue room
4 - Sweet fire of love
5 - Perfect day
6 - Slow dancing
7 - One
8 - Miss sarajevo
9 - Dreaming With Tears In My Eyes
10 - Jesus Christ
11 - I'm Not Your Baby
12 - Testimony
13 - Do They Know It's Christmas
14 - Purple Heart
15 - Always Forever Now
16 - Christmas (Please Come Home)

Download: Bono: Solo Disc 2 (rar)



Bono: Solo
Disc 3 of 5


1 - Lean on me
2 - Re-wired
3 - Mother of the disappeared
4 - One
5 - Mother of the disappeared mix
6 - Audiotrack 02
7 - Don't Take your Guns to town
8 - Miami
9 - All i want is you
10 - North and south of the river
11 - Sunday bloody sunday
12 - Ground beneath her feet
13 - Mother of god english
14 - Mother of god spanish
15 - Interview bono on netaid
16 - Drowning man
17 - Staring at the sun

Download: Bono: Solo Disc 3 (rar)



Bono: Solo
Disc 4 of 5


1 - Bono and the edge - all i want is you
2 - The ground beneath her feet
3 - Sweet jane
4 - wild irish rose
5 - Slide away
6 - Air suspension & bono - mocean
7 - Bono & the edge - she's a mystery to me
8 - springhill mining disaster
9 - Just ask (rare acoustic demo)
10 - Bono and the million dollar hotel
11 - One
12 - Wyclef jean & bono - new day

Download: Bono: Solo Disc 4 (rar)



Bono: Solo
Disc 5 of 5


1 - Stuck in a Moment - Bono and The Edge
2 - Misere - Bono and Pavorotti
3 - What is Going On - Bono and Chris Martin
4 - Falling at Your Feet - Bono and Daniel Lanois
5 - L Incontro - Bono and Andrea Bocelli
6 - Stay - Bono and Graig Armstrong
7 - Jump Start - Bono
8 - One - Bono
9 - Children of the Revolution - Bono and Gavon Friday
10 - Joy - Bono and Mick Jagger
11 - Beat on the Brat - Bono
12 - The Hands that Built America - Bono
13 - Ave Maria - Bono
14 - If You Wear that Velvet Dress - Bono and Jools Holland
15 - American Prayer - Bono and the Wheaton College Choir
16 - Summer Wine - Bono and The Corrs
17 - When the Stars Go Blue - Bono and The Corrs

Download: Bono: Solo Disc 5 (rar)

Happy New Year to everyone out there!