the collapsaform libraries

La Belle Personne

2010-01-11T00:54:00.003-05:00

Just tried adding this to my Netflix queue but its not available yet. Instead I saved it and added several other films with Louis Garrel like: Love Songs, Ma Mere, and Dans Paris. Not familiar? Try watching The Dreamers as a first taste.

Fleet Foxes

2009-12-22T16:55:00.031-05:00

Life is so beautifiul. The world is your oyster. Tomorrow is your canvas. Despair is the Satan I will not allow through my gates. Fleet Foxes are the light that floods out between the bars of those gates. I'm not religious. I believe in some great being. I will drop the religious overtones now, thats not what this post is about.

This post is about this self-titled record by Fleet Foxes. When I first heard it I didn't know what to think. I didn't know how to feel. Should I have been sad? Should I have been happy? Should I have felt any manliness within me slip away? I'll tell you what it felt like. It felt like that part in some epic movie where the hero uses a legendary weapon on the entire marching evil force thats plaguing the right. The weapon robs all of their souls, sends their bodies to be consumed by the sun and are then shat out into an asteroid field light years away. The hero then gets the best woman in the world and BBQs are hosted on Monday's everywhere worldwide to commemorate this victory.

Download it.

Seriously, this band is best heard on nights when the weather is in the 60s, the wind is blowing, and the ladies in your car need to find a place to pop a squat. This really happened to me once. We stopped and parked on NE 29th street just off of Miami Ave. I was playing this record in the car and when the girls came back they had reported seeing a Fox in the distance. I came by and I shit-you-not there was a wild fox just hanging out running around. It was one of the few magical moments in life that happen from time to time. It needed to be recorded, and here is what I've presented you exactly.

Killer songs include but are not limited to (in order of how they appear on the album):

Sun It Rises
White Winter Hymnal
He Doesn't Know Why
Heard them Stirring
Your Protector
Blue Ridge Mountains

The band is currently a 5-piece from Seattle, you can label them as indie-folk if you want the easy way out. If you want to go the hard way, you're going to have to listen and generate your own opinion. They include a mandolin in their band which is an instrument that dates as far back as the days when simultaneous orgasms were introduced to man and woman. I hope you enjoy this composition and the record. If you are affiliated with Fleet Foxes, please come to South Florida. I know many people who will rejoice and be thankful. For me, this was one of the records that turned on the end of this decade and will inevitably welcome many to the next one.

I've intentionally not discussed the cover art, because although I think good things about it, that exposition would probably derail the prose above and would also require more intellectual prowess than I'm able to execute at this time. Don't hate. I'm spent and need to carry on to other orders of business.

The Bike Gods are Speaking to Me

2009-12-21T15:49:00.004-05:00

So yeah, I go reach in the fridge for a snack and realize the aluminum lid of my yogurt has Trek all over it. Maybe this is meant to take me the Trek way. Maybe I'm reading too into it.

The final three hard tails that I'm considering

2009-12-21T14:10:00.016-05:00

It's really just adding three more bike and a new color option to one of the bikes I showed below. The new bikes ares probably a bad decision in terms of how high I can go in price, I've seen them from $1300 to $1800, so I think its a pipe dream for right now but the 8000 is so beautiful. Here's the latest two-wheel drive action:

2010, Trek, 8000, 2-toned Matte White/Matte Platinum (drool)
2010, Trek, 6500, 2-toned Matte White/Matte Blue
2010, Trek, 6700, 2-toned Gloss Black/Pearl White
I think that sums it all up. I think that if I were to get any other mountain bike than the ones I've listed here thus far it'd be something used from Craigs, older bikes, a modded or custom made bike, if any.

The 8000 upgrades from the 6700 (shown below), mostly in part to the upgrade RockShox Reba fork and Trek's own "Alpha Red Aluminum" frame which is the lightest and stiffest frame Trek makes before upgrading to a carbon fiber ride. Allegedly, and as it should be expected, The Trek 8000 would be a bike that'd last for years and years and would probably be the fastest hard tail I'd ever own. Trek also has a 6 month 0% financing option which makes this move even more appealing.

For the full bike compare between the Trek 8000, 6700, and 6500, checkout this link. The MSRPs are listed but thats usually the highest price you should expect to pay for these. Any bike shop I've been to has, without heavy heckling or discussion, advertised lower prices.

One More Mountain Bike to Investigate

2009-12-19T10:22:00.009-05:00

I actually went browsing Giant's website a little more after having a discussion with my friend Chris Funk yesterday. He shared with me that he spent some time managing a bike shop and claimed that Giant carries better componentry for your dollar than other brands. This whole time for some reason I've had the opposite impression. I've felt that it was just a brand you were paying for but after a deeper dive and some investigation, I found a bike to compete in my lineup. Here's a new hardtail contender:

2010, Giant, XTC 1, Black with white and blue accents
The components are only a 'hair' better than the Tassajara on my previous post. Aesthetically I think its kind of classy, like a tux for mountain bikes. I also think color mods would actually look pretty cool if I try to personalize. As far as looks go, however, I'm still torn between the Tassajara and the XTC 1. I think my next point of investigation is how does the Giant warranty compare to the Gary Fisher warranty and then cross-examine model-specific reviews.

At the moment, this point in time, I'm in-between this bike, the 2010 XTC 1, and the 2010 Gary Fisher, Tassajara.

Looking to buy a new bike...

2009-12-18T14:44:00.013-05:00

My current bike, a 1999 Mongoose that my dad bought me in 2000 is just about retired. I regularly visit parks like Amelia Earhart Park, Markham Park, and Oleta State River Park and I feel that my bike is just too tired and heavy to deliver in more advanced parks that I hope to attend like Alafia State River Park.

My budget for a brand new bike isn't very high when you compare the bikes below - they're mostly mid-to-low end bikes. I've chosen to get a hardtail since I will also be riding in the street and want the extra stiffness to turn all the pedaling into forward motion. They also require less maintenance than full-suspension ride. My ass may be damned on severe drops but then I'll just get stronger legs to serve as the rear suspension technology. Full-suspensions are also typically much, much, more expensive.

Here are the contenders, click on the name to go to their product pages, click on the image to see the bike in a larger blown up picture:

2009, Gary Fisher, Hoo Koo E Koo, Rootbeer

2010, Gary Fisher, Tassajara, Dark Blue Pearl/Pearl White

2010, Trek, 6500, Pearl White/Gloss Black

I checked out Specialized, Giant, Fuji, Bianchi, GT, Mongoose, Cannondale, and Jamis but they didn't carry any bikes that met all of my criteria:

Fell between $900 and $1200
Were aesthetically pleasing
Were hard tails

If anyone reading this can make a recommendation from the bikes above or any other bike, I would greatly appreciate it!

Rainy Friday Morning 11 List

2009-12-18T08:36:00.012-05:00

Today is a week before Christmas and its grey in Miami. The good news is that it's going to get a little colder this weekend. After the cold front passes, I expect the moisture to go away and have a mostly-beautiful Christmas week. Here's a top 10 (err, 11) if you're online, bored, and want to see some new stuff.

A white bronze Rubik's Cube.
Asylum's top 100 weirdest stories of 2009.
I need a new watch. These are good candidates.
A new Clash of the Titans is coming.
Iron Man 2 is coming.
Enhance: a video collage.
Nuns snowball fight.
Growing up Mega Man was one of my favorites.
Vertebrae necklace.
Sexy times with Kyle Johnson.
Pin-up from Miami.

Postcard Project

2009-12-18T08:12:00.004-05:00

I have some postcards that I want to send out. I don't want to ruin what they look like. They aren't Christmas-centric which I think most of you would appreciate since it would be an unusual card to receive during these times. They were provided to me from a loved one in another country.

If you want to receive one, email me or comment your mailing address below.

Tim McMahon's Rockin' Christmas VI

2009-12-18T07:50:00.011-05:00

Every year, for the past 6 years, my friend Tim makes a holiday mix, scratch that, it's a proper Christmas mix. If you don't celebrate Christmas I ask that you look past that and check it out - this time of the year is festive and celebratory - those vibes are captured herein.

It's the 18th of December and I was beginning to lose hope on the continuity of these records. The mix is eclectic, atypical, includes classic and new bands, and is effective at it's message. Here's the tracklist:

Dear Santa Claus - Billy Childish & the Musicians of the British Empire
X-Mas Song - Fireflies
A Christmas Camel - Procol Harum
If Christmas Can't Bring You Home - Reigning Sound
Christmas in Space - Touchers
Little Stars - Holly Golightly and The Greenhornes
It's Christmas Time (Yeah We're Gonna Rock) - The Flat Duo Jets
Happy ChristM.A.S.S. - M.A.S.S.
Come on Santa - The Raveonettes
Space Christmas - Shonen Knife
Happy Fucking Holidays - Starfucker
Plastic Christmas Trees - Summer Cats
Flowers for Albion - Parenthetical Girls
I Don't Intend to Spend Christmas Without you - Claudine Longet
Mr. Santa Claus - Nathaniel Mayer
Ain't No Chimneys - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Christmas Time Is Here Again (1967 outtake) - The Beatles

This year's mix also includes a supplement mix, which is a tradition that began 2 years ago. I only began reposting his mixes last year and as long as he posts these, I will repost them.

4 8 15 16 23 42

2009-12-17T16:01:00.010-05:00

Titled, "Lockeness Monster" found on this post.

So now that Rita Morgan has passed my focus is in the direction of a different tropical situation. The final season of LOST is coming in less than 2 months. That's right. The final season. I can't believe it. I just may have to rewatch season 5. Also, checkout the original source of the image above. Lots of LOST "art" and toys.

The First Days of Spring - Trailer

2009-12-14T18:49:00.013-05:00

Caught this from Twitter after a friend posted about her "iPod in San Francisco." I can't see the connection. I don't know what it means but the video made an impression. The use of the seasons, although clichéd, appealed to me (of course it did) and it reminded me of 500 days of Summer - this would best be fitting as a prequel but I'm 99% sure there is no connection.
The beginning dialogue sounds like a dude and his conscience remembering a time when he felt alive, when things mattered, when adventure was the only priority. I reflected on that. Also found the video to be inspiring and become less fearful of change and evolution.

Explosions in the Sky

2009-12-12T10:27:00.008-05:00

I think the first time I ever heard Explosions in the Sky it was on WVUM 90.5FM while driving some place. I managed to remember their name when I got home and I started searching for stuff. That was at least 5 years ago. So I got this record first and to this day I still think its my favorite amongst all of them. I've seen them twice, once in Toronto and once in New York and their live performances were just as good if not better than the private experience. I've been lucky to see them with amazing weather and that really helps for some reason. Everytime I see them live I wish I could teleport some people there to witness the amazingness.

Download it.

They're considered a post-rock band, all their music is instrumental, the songs are long, dramatic, and require patience. If you give them a chance you just might find a special beauty, triumph, and vigilance not quickly realized from the slow churned beginnings of their songs.

If you put a gun to my head and ask me which my favorite song on The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is, I'd tell you it's Memorial. There's something about the way the drums pick up the guitars after the 3rd minute to a new soaring plateu and after the 5th minute the entire set of instruments are surviving evenly. After the 7th minute, they almost destroy it all but it still it seems like they're subtle at that too. Imagine Mogwai's "Like Herod" but a few degrees less conquering.

Memorial sweetly transitions into Your Hand In Mine, which is another great one. All their songs seem like victory-after-the-fall and illustrate that with long epic climbs with each instrument. This record inspires me. Even though sometimes I want them to crank it a little heavier, I can adapt. I think thats why I say they require a bit of patience. After thats said and done the reward is qualified. The image in mind is Mel Gibson as William Wallace after the long and drawn battle has been cleared.

I can't close the post without saying that the first track on the record is what ultimately drew me in: First Breath After Coma.

Intrumental Morning

2009-12-12T10:11:00.003-05:00

I think that if we didn't live in Florida the decision to go on a road trip would be so much easier. Last night Explosions in the Sky came on random via iTunes on my drive home and it triggered my weird mood this morning. Then I ran into AbstractNumbers Youtube page and found a few things in common. It's an Explosions in the Sky morning

Fall be Kind, Winter be Kind

2009-12-06T15:37:00.021-05:00

Lately I've been enjoying music more and more while being stationary. For as long as I can remember I’ve always enjoyed music the most when driving by myself. Staring into the road trying to beat the light rays to the horizon and letting every special wave of music splash into the middle ear is like an instant dose of medicine that propels every thought down the canals of reason, anxiety and cerebral release – a feeling most of us know quite well.

The year is coming to an end and this record proves that’s true… “Fall Be Kind,” Animal Collective's new EP, starts off with a song that reminds me of the first time I ever rode a Disney ride – remember the kinds that would take you through different areas with different music and the themes would go from dark to light and back again? It moves on to What Would I Want? Sky, and this track is quite lovely especially after the second minute it transforms into something beautiful like the first time you’ve ever really seen a sunset as an adult or the overwhelming nature of expectations of living and loving.

I’m gonna skip the third track because I don’t understand it yet. I don’t know whats happening and it’s all out of focus in my mind. #4 or On A Highway, reminds me of a Boards of Canada song I can’t remember and seems appropriate for this cloudy day full of cold fronts and warm fronts and rain. water. a heartbeat and an exit sign.

The last track, I Think I Can, is my favorite. Just listen to it.

Download the EP in a zip from Rapidshare.

Hope you like it.

Play it by Trust

2009-12-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

One of the other things that I saw that really blew my mind was a piece by Yoko Ono. I don't care that it was by Yoko Ono that much. What I thought was killer was that it was two chairs and a table with a chess set. All of it was in white. At first glance you think "oh a chess set, ok thats cool." Then the coolest gallery host in the show approaches and he tells me that that this piece is his favorite (amongst a whole set of chess-related art pieces that aren't really connected.) Anyway, this piece is called "Play it by Trust" and on the back of each chair there is a silver plaque that says "Play it by Trust." What's fascinating is that all the chess pieces are white. Therefore each player needs to memorize which pieces are theirs and which are not. This presents an interesting situation when after some time playing your opponent one of you begin to forget which pieces are whose. It is a true challenge and the notion of trust, chess, and the opposition harmonizing like that is pretty fucking incredible. Do you play chess? If not, you should start. Want to hear the bonus? The host asks me to pick up one of the chairs. the chairs are painted in a white enamel and are tall but quite slender. Anyhow, I put my arms around it and.... and... I ... I pulled and it was motherfucking heaviest fucking chair I've ever picked up in my life. True story. The piece is one in 6 in the world and it goes for a hundred grand. There was good chess and great chests too! Among that gallery there were other things like other amazing chess boards, photographs, a motion picture titled "8 by 8" which shows a feature story of an actual chess games -- some hotness dressed in a dress of another time is the queen and some vile dude traps her and kills her. It was rather funny. The "good chess and chest" joke is not mine. It was the host's. I did fail yesterday though. I didn't photograph the 7 foot cheese grater.

I had a dream last night

2009-11-25T08:02:00.008-05:00

I'm in a tropical or sub-tropical climate. My surroundings remind me very much of Miami Beach, city-side. It’s definitely a weekend night because there are people out and in their cars looking like they are going someplace with intentions.

Next thing I know I’m approaching the condo that I was heading towards which faces the beach and has several stories. The city-side lights and noise are drowned out by the building and the only source that guides me through the darkness is the full Moon’s blast of redirected sunlight. As I got closer to the specific apartment I noticed two individuals dressed all in black with masks and bags full of tools looking like they don’t belong. I quickly stepped back and leaned against the corner wall to analyze the situation. I noticed they were thieves, burglars, and possibly even ninjas and understood that I was the person that had to do something about it if good could overcome evil in anyway. This was a massive dose of responsibility I just convinced myself of and sure enough as they began to climb the wall to enter through what appeared to be a second floor bedroom window, I surreptitiously approached.

After I crossed the line of being-10-ft-close, I sprinted hard towards the dude closest to me, pulled him off the wall and body slammed him towards floor where he also connected with the concrete balcony – he was instantly unconscious due to the blow to his head and lungs. The second jumped down from the second floor and crash landed on top of me. Since he had so much weight with the tools and gear for their robbery he was clumsy and made his offense with his gloved hands. We both fell to the ground and I used his momentum to turn him on his back against the floor with my knees against his shoulders providing only a 10% chance of escape. It was either him or I so I made sure to land a few knuckle sandwiches and keep the goon at bay. I got up and noticed both dudes were sluggish, hurt, and only coming back to consciousness.

The next thing I did implicates me as the bad guy but I rationalized it as further punishment for the ninja goons. I took both their wallets and ran. I ran through the boulevard where people began to amass and I reentered the lights and noise that make the night alive. I crossed an intersection and almost got hit by what looked like an x-girlfriend in a red Yugo of a car (reminded me of the Bourne series). All I could think about was the notion that the ninja goons would be getting up soon and looking for me, chasing after me, and that my hands had blood on them. Real, red, krovvy on my hands and clothes. It now became a matter of the police as well as the goons so I fled towards the darkness again and the closest area seemed to be the port so I made my way and found a spot in the shadows where I could use my undershirt to wipe off the blood and then took the undershirt with me by folding it and putting it in my pocket. I was suddenly a twisted mercenary of justice, but why did I take their wallets? Not very heroic or Batman-ny. If I were to become a super hero, that would be the first and only time I would do that as a lesson to myself.

There was a boat about 50 yards away that was about to leave the port. It was about 300ft long and seemed to be a small cruise ship. It looked modern, new, powerful, high-tech, and expensive. I decided to go on and saw most of the passengers sitting on the upper-deck waiting for the captain’s announcement. They all anticipated a great journey. The captain began to mention with excitement that they were the first crew and passengers to embark on a trip of this kind. He reported the ship being the fastest and most fuel efficient in its size and will be the first to travel around the world stopping at every continent and unveiling some of the more beautiful and desolate parts of the wet world where civilization hasn’t yet sprawled.

The boat left the port and I was on it. I was stuck. If I showed myself the crew would call the police and I would surely get into trouble. I could see the city disappearing and I began to think of my family, my job, my loved ones, the unswimmable distance getting larger. I began to think that my life would now change. I would be considered lost. I would have to hide amongst the crew and passengers. Food and shelter would be difficult to find.

The reality in this dream was a parallel universe to our own. It reminded me of LOST, but different. The geography was different. A mere half hour outside of the port of what appeared to be Miami the captain announced that Mt. Lauderdale would be coming up to our left. Beside it on the bay I saw a beautiful arrangement of ships aligned to make a star in the water. The ships towards the inside vertices of the star had the largest masts and they had flags and festive lighting. The lighting was so powerful that you could see a pale blue of the water around them and small jet ski’s and fishing boats cruising around them.

The boat made a U-turn and headed into the deep darkness of the great ocean ahead of us. I understood a new adventure approaching, a life change.

Then I woke up and sent a tweet about this and decided I should get up and tell the story with as much detail as possible. This was it. Now breakfast. I’m off today. Won’t be back at the office till Monday – Cyber Monday.

Monday. Laundry. Music. Prints.

2009-11-23T21:14:00.011-05:00

The weekend was good because there was lots of bike riding for Charity, fun, and the sake of getting dirty on both days. Actually there was no time to do chores so today I took it upon myself to get on my laundry and clean.

Laundry Mondays are weird. The music progression has been all about The Pixies and PJ Harvey, and the result is definitely obscure. Getting home from work I noticed traffic had amplified about 3x from the usual and couldn't help deciding that it must be the holiday frenzy that has everyone losing their fuzzy warbles.

Thanks to MeMelodia I discovered this pretty sweet site - Visual Technicians - that sells various kick ass screen prints. My favorite are Bill Murray, The Gun Show, Mad Max, The Beastie Boys, and Jason Lee. Most of these are sold out. I think it'd be a great venture to collect every Bill Murray film, all the Mad Maxs, and compile the best film scenes with The Beastie Boys sampled. (Mad Max isn't sold out. wink ;)) That'd be quite the project anyhow. Just under these words is an example of Castle Greyskull which was way ahead of its time and is coming soon to the print making shop.

I actually owned the toy model but have no inkling of a fraction of a thought or idea of how it was disposed of or what its destiny became.

Cool Drawings in the a.m.

2009-11-21T09:02:00.005-05:00

I found these drawing by Mel Kadel and I thought they were really cool. Visit her site to see more. Read an interview with her on Fecal Face for more. Checkout the Google images produced when searching by her name.

Saturday Morning Top (and Odd) 10

2009-11-21T07:27:00.013-05:00

Today

I saw a white ninja eat his fist.
Creepy dog image with a cute girl.
The Ideal Woman Necklace.
T-Shirt Heaven at TopatoCo.
The Large Hadron Collider is back online.
An extremely brave and hard to look at series of self-portraits by Kerry Mansfield pre and post Mastectomy. (NSFW)
An extremely epic water skiing attempt.
We Are All Connected
What if your ears were your eyes?

7 years ago in Cuba

2009-11-21T06:36:00.017-05:00

7 years ago today I visited Cuba with my parents. It was my first, and only, time there since I was 8 months old. I took 394 pictures and, I can't believe it, nearly 90% of those photos were shot in 640 x 480. Here is one example.

I mean really? This is just one example. Could the digital cameras of 2002 been that low res? Maybe I was just trying to save disk space. Either way, its a shame. The photos aren't that great anyway. This one's is a shot of Ernest Hemingway's hunting closet. Yes, I was there. The house is very impressive and filled with his hunting trophies, relics from expeditions, and his art collections. Naturally, there is more to capture than what you see below but this blog is like a tiny window into a bigger story.

Cuban's used to call Hemingway "Papa" and they claimed him as his own during his time there. Coincidentally my father whom I also call Papa, took a flight 2 hours ago down to Cuba and is visiting my grandmother - his mother. She is now 94 years old.

Woke up this morning...

2009-11-19T07:15:00.010-05:00

...at around 6am for no reason at all, grabbed my phone and started to play this song off its speaker. What I did next was to play back the last 3 months in fast-rewind in my mind pausing every now and then allowing the playback to go slowly every so often. This song keeps coming up in my thoughts weekly.

It'd be cool to start a coffee book just on window shots from airplanes. Maybe I'd title it "Just Like Honey." Cheese?

Wilco's Greatest Hits

2009-11-18T00:37:00.014-05:00

So there's this Guatemalan girl who drives me a little crazy. Not romantically, we're just friends. Sometimes we annoy each other and she even calls me out on shit publicly, to set me straight, when she finds the need to. It's really like she's an adopted sister or a sister from another mother. You can follow her on Twitter @ctothethird if you want. Her updates are a'ight.

Anyhow she's been nagging me for what seems like decades for some tips and pointers on how-to enjoy Wilco and what some of my favorites are. I got fed up, I compiled this playlist and repackaged it in a zip file with the filenames changed to describe the order of the songs in the playlist, or how they should be played.

Here's the file C³!

Download via Rapidshare

For those of you who are Wilco fans and are curious of what this selection is comprised of, check it out here:

At Least That's What You Said
Hummingbird
Company In My Back
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
Jesus, Etc.
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Either Way
Impossible Germany
A Shot in the Arm
We're Just Friends
California Stars
At my Window Sad and Lonely
One by One

These songs have traveled with me around the world and will probably remain in constant orbit of my universe. I would also travel for these songs. They own a piece of me. This is my own Wilco's Greatest Hits playlist.

Checkout the poster section of the online Wilco Store. Some of the serigraphs kick ass.

Uncut, uncensored, video of a video: Flaming Lips "Watching the Planets" [NSFW]

2009-11-17T08:36:00.008-05:00

The main source of this video @NME isn't streaming very well here so I found this recording of a recording on Vimeo. I like the bikes, the forest, the booty, and the tune. Pretty radical of Wayne Cone, the main dude, baring all towards the end. This is part of the Flaming Lips' latest album, Embryonic, and is track #18 so you can effectively say that its their absolute latest piece of mass produced music.

Commemorating "El Barrio, Biking, and Salvatrucha"

2009-11-16T21:54:00.012-05:00

Who doesn't like what happens when black and white are close to each other? Who doesn't like Sharpies? Depending on how you answered those questions you may want to consider your stay here. Anyway some of this work I really enjoy but some of it I feel is also a guilty pleasure. I think some of it borders cheesy but for the most part its more than grated dopeness. What I've posted here I appreciate. Mike Giant has an online store too, buy a shirt or buy me a book.

I agree with omitting the spokes.

This one is part of the White Walls Gallery show in San Francisco. It's called "Salvatrucha." Checkout all the pieces from that show here.

Inspiration via Video

2009-11-16T20:52:00.007-05:00

I got on a Devo exploration tip after seeing that video from the previous post with the Wes Anderson faux-trailer. When I saw the video I started thinking about when I was a kid and in after school care playing Nok Hockey and it reminded me of the smell of freshly cut wood. This video rules because the music is like the sum of two waves, one with a well-defined period and then a very dissonant wave, riding on top. (If you can't visualize that just ask me sometime in real life if you know me and I will happily explain.) Props to these guys for doing it their way.

This next one just reminds of me elegance and the beauty of a cleanly executed proof. It also reminded me of Complex Variables where I got a C+ after working my ass off. It was one of the coolest classes I ever took. I got to bring in left-field examples from other classes such as the Wronskian function.

Untitled or 'Blogging again is like trying to start a chainsaw that's been in the garage for 3-years without turning once.'

2009-11-16T00:15:00.039-05:00

In the spirit of proper blog ejaculate on the internet backbone where we all connect, collaborate, and calculate, I’ve regurgitated a consecrate post. It’s been many months since I’ve blo-argh-gged. Nonetheless, I’m in a different dimension and the plow of life, thankfully, has provided a sturdy transmission.

That means its been a hard year but collapsaform will help defibrillate creativity outside of all the routine cycles. What's absent in my current existence is an outlet for words (new blog?), a hands-on hobby/craft, a muse, superhero powers, a cave I can call my own, and large sets of academic and complex mathematics. Sometimes a few good math problems do generate happiness and clarity (I'm serious). There is always a way.

More than just a stack of words, I've brought some goodies:

Some music: The latest Flaming Lips record, which I happen to appreciate - Embryonic. Available here for your downloading pleasure via Rapidshare. Go buy it if you really like it.
Some vids: This guy Alex apparently really likes Wes Anderson - and so do I. This project/video seems like it must've been a lot of fun to make. Here is his site. The video below shows what would've been a trailer for a mock-Wes Anderson film festival.
Wallpaper: A link to my current desktop background.
An illusion: A photograph or a painting? A painting I thought was a photograph.
I call this talent: Some inspiring and kick-ass illustrations of Thor, Loki and Odin.
Hotness: A cool photograph featuring Sasha Grey. (above) Gratuitous? Perhaps, and not very "in-line" with my standard posts but I wouldn't be honest if I said I didn't want to share it online. it's also part of an experiment.

Writing a post on an a blog that is clearly undefined is like being handcuffed to a toboggan on a clear day with no brakes or means of escape - live or die the journey will happen and the post will go live. Only after its been done will I know if it was the right thing to do. I need to take in any feedback, rewards and consequences and then learn.

Anyway I think its important to document what music I've been listening to these past few days, iTunes says my recently and most played are (in no order): Charles Mingus, Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue, Clinic, Clint Mansell (MOON soundtrack), Weezer, and Russian Circles.

The void

2009-11-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Frankel - Anyonymity is the New Fame

2009-07-05T14:16:00.005-04:00

Frankel - Anonymity is the New Fame (2009)
Download via Rapidshare
Official band site.

I got this record by association really. I was looking for new pop record. I can't remember how I found this but the cover, I think, is what got me. It reminded me of Arcade Fire's Funeral, probably because of the similarity between diagonal composition of this album art and the feather on Funeral.

The music is very soft with clear vocals, gentle guitars, defining keyboards, pianos, and subtle to amplifying percussion. It was exactly what I was looking for. I think this record is like 3 parts Elliot Smith, 2 parts The Shins, 1 part Catpower, and 1 part Blur. Among other tastes and satisfactions, the record makes for perfect Sunday music.. Favorite songs thus far include:

Faux Science
Nowhere
Weather Balloon
Comfortable
Keep You Inside

Videos inspired by the new Akron/Family record.

2009-07-05T10:41:00.007-04:00

Over the past couple weeks there are a few records I keep going back to and the new Akron/Family "Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free" is one of them. There's something about the sound that keeps me locked in. I found two videos on Vimeo where there music is featured and wanted to share them here.

One of the videos includes what is currently my favorite song on the new album "River." I have no idea what the video montage is about but I think the song is so good that I get mesmerized and end up watching the whole video. Towards the end of the video there's a closing clip with zombies that seems out of place. On that closing clip the music changes featuring a different band called St. Vincent. Not to be confused with a different Akron/Family title.

The other video is actually of them performing someplace in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. On this video they're playing "Sun Will Shine" which I think is the masterpiece on the new record. It's a public performance in an outdoor area and the band really lets the audience have it face to face.

Random 4th of July Links

2009-07-04T11:14:00.009-04:00

Lately, I seem to have lost some steam with the blog. It just doesn't feel like it used to. I've considered deleting it because it seems to be missing awesome. It's not that I don't have anything to say but by the time I get to the computer to blog all the things I thought I'd want to write about go away. Even these top 10 posts are getting kind of lame. This was the best I could muster this morning. Some aren't so bad.

Happy 4th of July, preserving the Declaration of Independance - WIRED.
The fattest states in the US - nom nom nom.
I would not want to be on this train.
There should be more bloody mary's in our lives. These mixes look promising.
Checkout this Vimeo video showing off some fixed-gear biking goodness. I'm inspired to get a road bike and a fixed gear bike. Priorities, priorities... sigh.
ffffound.com is a pretty cool site. I found this photographer's site off of it. This is one of his pictures. I think it shows a beautifiul young moment of love.
Awesome Soup of the Day!
The coolest outdoor sport's spaces. Of course it's in the Netherlands.
I remember seeing a lot of these posters in college.
My favorite pizza.
The most badass wolf t-shirt belongs to this guy.

Today's Top 10

2009-06-21T13:21:00.012-04:00

This looks like it JUST happened.
My friend's family restaurant was selected as Miami's Best Seafood by the Miami New Times: Boater's Grill. I need to go.
The best home parking space.
Geeky graffiti.
I enjoyed this, Bob Dylan cover.
Travel for your mascot: Petairways
I had a databank once. These are fancy.
Facebook vs. Twitter [pic]
Iranian Election Crisis, some content not suitable for everyone. [link]
Advertising FAIL

Not much of a top 10. Seeing as I haven't made one of these in a while and am rusty these will only get better since I've been posting more. Trying to get back into the swing of things.

Sonic Youth - The Eternal

2009-06-21T12:13:00.013-04:00

Sonic Youth - The Eternal (2009)
Download via Rapidshare
Visit their official site.
Checkout their store.

I've been meaning to get this. I first experienced Sonic Youth prolly on MTV's 120-Minutes in the very early 90's. One word comes to mind: Experimental. This word was slapped on the band everytime anyone would speak a word of them. Noise and Alternative were common associates as well. At the time of my first listenings I was a young buck and music seemed to be changing or at least I was conscious of music in a deeper sense than ever before.

Anyhow this post was inspired from a conversation last night were the evolution of music and how people experience it has changed over time. An example of that is how in the 50s most of the music culture was more Rock and Roll a-la Elvis. I don't mean to diss Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, or other amazing musicians of the time. The point is that with the entrance of the 60s music took on a different position on the world. So much so that the whole country was changing. The conversation went on to wondering on when would we be able experience a musical or artistic revolution as relevant as 50s to 60s?

But then the conversation caved on itself. Take into account how much information we are fed on an hourly basis today and compare that to the amount of information people would be subject to in say, 1957. I think the news we'd get in one day is equivalent to two weeks in the 50s. There's so much information and such a faster rate of generating ideas that its possible that we wouldn't be able to detect a musical revolution if it happened right in our face.

Anyway, I think there will always be time to enjoy Sonic Youth. Monday, Sunday, or Friday - doesn't matter. They deliver a sound thats easy to revel in, dance or sulk. Despite the progression of their music which has also become more clean, less noise (with this album). You can still here their signature in the vocals, instruments, and the musical structure of the songs. It's quite beautiful I think.

Daydream Nation, Goo, and Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star, are prolly the three records that I engage with the most and I don't do enough of that either.

Isis - Wavering Radiant

2009-06-21T11:45:00.009-04:00

Isis - Wavering Radiant (2009)

Download via Rapidshare

Visit their official site.

Buy the vinyl record from their store.

I saw Isis in Austin on May 19th at a great venue called Emo's with several indoor and outdoor rooms complete with graffiti, flyers and printed artwork, useable bleachers, and all on various levels/floors. It was actually on a trip for work and had to do a presentation at 7am the following morning but I didn't care. It was also a plus that I found out about the show from a work colleague in Austin who also provided transportation to the show, a very cool guy who also appreciates metal and Isis.

I had heard Wavering Radiant before attending the show so the material wasn't brand spanking new but the live experience was. I think, because of the cleanliness in the sound of their new material and the exploratory ventures having more of an ambient or atmospheric ecosystem, I have to say that the recorded media experience is better than the live experience. Not because they suck live, the performance was actually quite incredible and was very well delivered. Its just that I enjoy Isis moreso in a private setting when I'm doing my own thing. This over standing in the same spot nodding my head in a sea of heads. As the band progresses their music is more and more something that I play in the background to zone out, drive my car, or to help me get in the zone when trying to do other things - be productive, etc. This is what happens when I listen to Isis.

Radiohead Covering New Order

2009-06-21T11:27:00.004-04:00

Checkout this studio performance of Radiohead covering New Order's Ceremony. (You Tube link)

A friend of mine showed me this the other day and since then I got on a Radiohead and Joy Division binge and its never been so good, well almost never. I'm as much curious as I am cautious about covers. Most times they don't reproduce the original artists intentions but maybe thats not the point. I think the point in this case is just to turn down the suck and turn up the awesome.

I don't know if Radiohead is even in the business of doing covers. I think it does show that they do have great appreciation for this song and the artists behind it. If you haven't seen it, I hope you enjoy it, as much or more than I did.

Home, is where I want to be ...

2009-06-10T22:05:00.012-04:00

I've been in this weird place/phase lately where nothing and no one feels like home. This video and this version of the song reminds me that home does exist. It just needs to be rediscovered. The video shows off David Byrne's on-stage kookiness which I'm sure made him great during his hay-day. His outcries during the song make me get up and holler the lyrics to the top of my lungs. Checkout this display of synchronicity. (You Tube link)

Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (live)

I've never been a big fan of Talking Heads. Some of their songs I really like (this one, Once in a Lifetime, Psycho killer, Road to Nowhere), and some I don't care for. The studio recording of this song sounds completely different so be aware before you run off to getting it.

My brother, from another mother, who is a struggling genial architect, shared this video with me and since then I play this video at least once a week - which is more than I see him!

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

2009-06-10T21:34:00.003-04:00

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2007/2008)
Download via Rapidshare
Learn about the band from their Site
Learn about the band from the Wiki
Buy it from Amazon.

On Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 in Club Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale I attended a Bon Iver show. Bon Iver is pronounced Bon Ee-vair in case you're wondering.

Their live sound was more enjoyable than the original recordings because they mixed it up a bit. Some songs engaged the audience more than not and the percussion performance was much more pronounced than expected. I honestly remember very little as I was talking near the bar for most of the night but everything I remember I enjoyed and felt happy to be there. This post really sucks but it's an honest one. Hey at least you get something in the end. I've also been asked for a link on this material a few times this week. Enjoy.

I doodled tonight: w0rm

2009-06-05T22:23:00.003-04:00

I was going through a green duffel I use and somehow found this curled up worm on my bed. Not really a worm, probably a part of the millipede family. I picked it up with a sheet of paper and was going to flush it down the toilet. On my walk to the toilet I figured - how weird is it that this is what humans do now? After thousands of years if we find a worm in our house we throw worms in the toilet or put it in the trash. So, I decided to doodle him first. It posed for me in its curled up position and I did my best to capture its beautiful stripes and curled up toes.

When I was done I mistakenly dropped it and it uncurled and started running away. I was amazed at the fact that it was alive and that we had experienced that together. I picked him up again and threw him in the grass in the backyard. The End.

Russian Circles - Station

2009-06-05T13:59:00.008-04:00

Russian Circles - Station (2008)
Download via Rapidshare
Learn more from their official site.
Buy their CDhere.

So I visited Austin about 3 weeks ago and went to a Pelican/Isis show was very impressed with Pelican's live performance. I told all my friends and they all pointed me to this band. This is the first record of theirs that I deluge my ears with and I think I clearly understand why the band was recommended to me.

I've been enjoying the record all morning as it's helped me get through the day way faster. I drove to work with them on shuffle and I sat at my desk and got to work with my Sennheiser HD 580 Precision headphones on playing stations starting from track #1 titled "campaign." I don't know much about the meaning behind the songs as I've done little research but the record is definitely a campaign in well-defined, kick ass music.

Well-defined is to say that the songs and their recordings do an excellent, clear, job of expressing what each instrument intends to convey without a mash-up of sound in a series of longish, brooding eulogistic metal overtures.

As I listened I thought the music would be great for anything from a serious zombie movie or a super secret black ops film. I imagine the opening credits to a movie where passenger jet is being escorted to the runway for take-off. I don't remember the rest of the ideas that came out of that imagination daze. Anyhow, enjoy the record.

I doodled tonight: ChArgE

2009-06-05T03:08:00.007-04:00

Now with film grain.

A Band of Bees - Octopus

2009-06-04T10:15:00.005-04:00

A Band of Bees - Octopus (2007)
Download via Rapidshare
Visit their own site for up-to-date band info.
Get the CD from Amazon.

I got inspired to download this entire album after watching this YouTube video that they are not allowing to embed anymore. I thought it was pretty cool and I very much consider myself a listening man. ;)

The music is very easy listening pop that carries lots of psychedelic and garage influences. They're a 6-piece British band that I think will compliment this coming summer very well. Enjoy!

I doodled tonight: I call it (6,4,5) by 2

2009-06-03T21:04:00.011-04:00

Bicho raro. Rocketorch hexagon and blockeyelash parallelogram being absorbed by a pentapus black hole.

Today's was a weird/off day. At least I got to play some Left for Dead. Actually, I was on the phone and someone actually said the word "ridonculous." Could that word be so popular right now? The person who said it is actually a blogger. Two weeks ago some guy in Austin used it as well. Dear reader, if it happens again I will let you know.

So this is the second doodle post. I'm finding it therapeutic doodling and think will start a doodling series on here. Why not. Actually there should be a blog 100% dedicated to doodling. I'm gonna search for such a blog now.

I doodled tonight.

2009-06-02T23:36:00.005-04:00

I never doodle. i took the shot with my iPhone. The shapes come from a guitar pick that I traced over and over again. Towards the bottom of the picture there's a golf hole. I think the inspiration for that was to draw a cornered flag and a window with a view to a place with thousands of pomegranates.

That's my subconscious telling me to eat healthy - I think.

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

2009-06-02T21:41:00.014-04:00

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009)
Download via Rapidshare
Order from the band direct.
Order the LP from Amazon.

I'm going through my first run through this record. I'm on track 5 right now. After track 2 I knew I wanted to keep listening and I haven't flailed in the slightest.

Lately my writing has gone to shit because I find myself wanting to write about gardens and greens and everything that makes me feel like I'm in a garden with some kind of running water. I know its fucking horrible. Maybe I'm thinking of Hawaii, maybe I'm LOST-sick and am too anxious about the next season not happening till 2010. Today, for a second I decided I didn't want the series to end - ever. Maybe this record should be a part of the last season. Maybe it fits in with the island and the black smoke monster.

One of the excellent things behind the seemingly gentle music on this record is the impression that the band made a heavy investment in producing every recorded second to attain some kind of esoteric and intense sound. On every second the music carries many layers of sound with texture and depth within the instruments and within the voices. The record is a meandering in dreams and memories.

This stuff may never air on the radio. At its lowest point you may find this to be the soundtrack in some trendy clothing store. At its highest level it could find itself in a Kubrick-like remake 10 years from now. In between it would fit well in 80s classic The Abyss or a LOST episode.

These songs are soft, confident, and compelling enough to earn a whole record listen - and they do. I recommend this record when moving slowly or just wanting to relax, preferably with dimmed lighting. Seriously though, I think this will become a favorite for many. It already is.

I would love to hear your own thoughts. I feel some of these tracks like Fine for Now and I Live With You are like Jeff Buckley meets Super Furry Animals meets Animal Collective.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware

2009-05-31T13:12:00.011-04:00

Bonnie Prince Billy - Beware (2009)
Download via Rapidshare
Order the Vinyl LP from Amazon here.

Will Oldham writes incredible lyrics. I can end this post here. I really can. Bonnie Prince Billy is Will Oldham's pseudonym btw.

He's from Kentucky and I like this because I've met quite a few people, separately and without coincidence, from Kentucky in the past few years - all good people with unique and endearing stories to tell. I haven't met Will but would be pleased to. Anyhow, without a doubt, Kentucky and its culture seems like a hidden gem or a culture whom South Florida (where I'm from) has been sheltered from and is underrated. I'll be excited the day I step foot in Kentucky for reasons outside of BBQ and Bourbon.

Over time I've also, and without common incidence, suggestion, or tragedy, become curious and keen to country, folk, blue grass, and other Southern musical influences. Bonnie Prince Billy is the latest example and I've recently put his Beware record in heavy rotation. I think I listen to it because I hear happiness's ability to thrive in a whirlwind of endangered love and with each narrative lyric the narrator's triumphant sense of clarity is surprisingly refreshing - heroic even. Although most of these songs are about love, lust, and death and may seem dark or bleak, there's a sunlight-bright honesty in the lyrics and they've demanded my appreciation.

This music also throws away almost everything that is part of the daily routine. Makes me think of observing mountains and witnessing wildlife in a place where there's lots of green and dense trees. It makes me think of being outside. Standing on dirt. Getting struck by an evening gust of country air. Seeing a beautiful woman's silhouette wearing a dress with lace. Slow dancing. Full moons that make it seem like day.

As of this posting, my favorite songs on here are:

Beware Your Only Friend
I Don't Belong to Anyone
I Am Goodbye
Without Word, You have Nothing
Afraid Ain't Me

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Beck - Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime

2009-04-13T07:04:00.003-04:00

I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was the last movie that made me cry. This song/video captures one of the saddest songs in the movie - an adaptation by Beck of The Korgis' Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime (1980).

The moments captured show the extremes from which the relationship swung. From kisses and tossing leaves to paying someone to erase their memories of that person.

Funny fact: you know how there are songs you may sing on your own in the shower or in the car and you believe to the gods that you can sing and have a great voice? This is one of those songs for me - the Beck adaptation - not the original. The two songs are quite different if you pay attention.

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar (title song only)

2009-03-21T16:56:00.004-04:00

Download via Z-Share
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar (single)

I first heard this song at work from a friend's cellphone. It was like a gypsy version of Big Bird had just entered the office in the form of a vulture. The first appearance of the percussion in concert with the dramatic brass and the painful cries are what make this track an instant classic.

Saturday Morning Top ...

2009-03-07T09:02:00.009-05:00

Today's list...is in....
no particular order...

William Shatner became an element of comedy at somepoint in our culture. Can this ever become comedic? Personally I think they're trying to rip off some of the awesomeness from the new Batman movies. I don't mind much anyway...
For all the web nerds like me - I found this funny: What if web browsers were women?
An awesome collection of hubble collected star clusters.
This is going to deliver a lot of awesomeness. Seriously, actually, this is going to be friggin' amazing! AND it would make for an excellent birthday present to me ;)
New wallpaper on my desktop friends - I picked the one on the right.
Watchmen spoofs that are just begging to begin... heh.
Ha-ha
I used to think Sloane Peterson and Linda Barret were the hottest women in the universe.
Who says flip-flops can't be hardcore!?!!
Next Bike Miami is March 14th.
Pretty cool Hong-Kong based design house: AllRightsReserved
Cool pic of a car speeding through a tunnel. I like how the car, which is stationary in reference to the camera is SHARP.
Trying to finish reading Watchmen today. Silk Spectre isn't the highlight of the movie but here are a collection of kick ass shots of her.
I guess if you're going to visit a nude beach, it might as well be one of these - who's with me!?

So I don't forget.

2009-03-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

"La vida es una novela,
y viendo la con dulzura,
mas dura un cago de vela,
que lo que la vida, dura."

-my dad

Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious sings to me.

2009-03-02T09:29:00.010-05:00

Link.

I just learned that this - a Sid Vicious cover of Frank Sinatra's My Way - existed last night during a game of Cranium. Had to quickly check it out and now want to share it with everyone. Friggin' sweet!

I actually never got into the Sex Pistols. I was never introduced nor was I curious enough to engage with the band. They've seemed more like a novelty I dismissed because of all the other punk I was listening to when first exposed with the genre. Maybe my approach was backwards... In any event. I like this. I am sharing it with you.

This reminds me of the movie Children of Men and how the possibility of London being the last civilized city in the world is something I could see happening if it ever came to it. So many good things have come out of the UK. Will that ever stop?

Monday Morning Top 10: Making it Go Down Easier One Link at a Time

2009-03-02T08:03:00.009-05:00

Be glad you've never encountered one of these.
Ten tips to improve your Twitter experience.
Ever thought of publishing a book? Here are a few ways on how to do that.
A 4 year old's dream parade - Clifford inside!
Super solar. Super speeds. Super design. MIT is the bomb.
If you hadn't heard yet. Postsecret will be publishing a book.
Did you watch Slumdog Millionaire? Checkout the power lines in the slums.
The oddest encounter with Wolverine.
Whose Line is it Anyway + Richard Simmons. Click here.
Douchebag FAIL.

This has to be done. It is long overdue. It was done in 20 minutes. Now need to run to work!

Phantom Residual Conciousness

2009-03-02T00:17:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken from a random generation of the past 7 days of Flickr photos.

Remember when you were young? When you were really young? I'm talking 16. That was 1995 for me. I was moving on from comics to the internet. I think that may have been a major turning point for me. It wasn't an abandoning by choice. It's just that Marvel, Image, and DC, weren't pumping out anything that spiked my interest and I always felt I'd get lost if dove into the independents. I had very few independants - the one in particular that I miss greatly was a black & white Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles whose content was anything but what you'd see in a weekday afternoon special. The turtles were vicious. They took on enemies with serious martial arts and blood would spill. They were ripped but not cheesy. They had a code and a sensei. They were fuckin' ninja turtles! I'd sit for hours beside my bed taking care not to crease any of the pages because my comics were so cool and valuable that they were under the highest level of security. Still, if anyone finds this comic please contact me and return it for a large reward.

In 1995 a lot of paths began to open. I heard Fugazi for the first time. I was in a mosh pit for the first time. I had sex for the first time. I rebeled against my parents for the 84th time. I was taking my first physics class. I bought a quart of Mickey's from the Citgo on 87th ave for the first time. I'd leave the old man my change for posterity generated from the understanding that he knew I wasn't of age. Poor bastard. Who knows how many bad seeds he'd watered. How many car accident's he instigated.

There was nothing to encourage the deployment of a text message then. There weren't personal GPS's. I may have had a beeper. There was no sense of tracking of anything. No social community status updates. Today there are all kinds of tracking devices. Back then I think moments were better developed and decisions were more carefully executed. I think we would all think more often.

People would chill out and deal with things. They'd have more time to think about the situation. Today a text comes in and the normal response is to reply right away. A status update may be posted and you may be tempted to reply, repost, or make your own commentary. People use the words "link me" in their dialogue. The all-caps abbreviations - like LOL - make it to some people's daily vocabularies. I'm just as guilty.

This note is to tell everyone that its important to invest a little more time, think more, share more, and to communicate more. I want to tell You that you should actually dial and memorize someone's phone number. Talk to your friends and family for a few extra minutes when your'e about to hang up. Give your friends and family the time you think you don't have. Share things, with the internet and with your hands to their physical hands. Shoot them the latest YouTube video. Show them a shell you found on the beach shore. Hand them a photo. Tell them about something you love about them of which they're not aware. Walk with them. Think more about what you did and didn't do.

This post was written under the influence of Andrew Bird's Noble Beast and Angels of Light's Everything is Good Here/Please Come Home.

Slumdog Millionaire Origional Motion Picture Soundtrack

2009-02-10T19:50:00.000-05:00

Download via Z-Share
Slumdog Millionaire OST

This is the last movie I saw in the theaters and it made me think about what kind of person I would be had I grown up in Cuba. I say Cuba, because I'm Cuban and can only speak of what relates to me. I'm also aware that Indian society and Cuban society are two completely different animals but since the movie shows the development of these two brothers from childhood to adulthood and how their main mission was to survive and find happiness, which is common for many Cuban citizens, I couldn't help drawing the line.

The direction and the plot mostly make the movie extremely exciting for an outsider which obviously pales in comparison to what the actual experience of being a slumdog may be, to say the least. This soundtrack piggy backs that direction and I believe the songs are placed in chronological order to the plot.

I hope you enjoy it.

If you like the sample download, feel free to buy the record.

The songs definitely require you to be in the mood for the specific type of sound. Outside of the popular M.I.A. songs, most of the tracks are composed from A.R. Rahman and a composition of other artists and obviously, as far as I know, the songs carry influences from the Indian culture.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

2009-01-26T22:00:00.011-05:00

(tip: stare at the album art above, watch it move! does it move?)

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (320kbps mp3)
Download via RAPIDSHARE - check it out!

This is definitely the pick me up record of the moment. As a good friend of mine put it best, the first two tracks are kinda of hypnotizing. The soundscapes have a lot of layered tones with many subtle transitions. The first track introduces a great percussion section around 2:30 timestamp which set a great tone and induces the hypnosis. This is best experienced loudly for the deep dive. I like to think the creative direction for their album artwork handshakes well with the direction of the music.

The songs that follow continue delivering epic soundscapes that seem to push the listener in a certain direction. It's like moving through a labyrinth of sound. Some clips even have sounds that I'd imagine in a coming of age movie during an epiphanic moment or some kind of amazing discovery.

Order it here, in Vinyl which will give you a coupon to a free digital download direct from the band, or here as a CD.

I'm still digesting this record. Personal favorite tracks include My Girls, Summertime Clothes, and Bluish.

Johnny Cash - The Legend Of

2009-01-26T21:32:00.007-05:00

Johnny Cash - The Legend Of
Download via Megaupload

I admit, I hadn't seriously turned to this legend till after the movie. Those who want to hate - hate on or exit the blog....

Before the feature film, I had heard I've Been Everywhere and Hurt, which aren't bad songs but really aren't the meat and potatoes of this record or of any of his work. Now this record covers several eras of Johnny Cash's music, and I prefer the earlier works. The inarguable rawness, darkness, sense of humor and honesty are what make this music great.

Want your own physical copy, buy it here for less than $9.

Personal favorites from this record are Folsom Prison Blues, Sunday Morning Coming Down and Jackson.

Slowdive - Souvlaki

2009-01-26T21:29:00.003-05:00

Slowdive - Souvlaki
Download via Megaupload

For some this is an early 90's thing. For me it's an early 00's thing which means mid twenties and all that that entails. Particularly, during intimate times. Anyhow, they're a British band part of the dubbed 'ambient shoegaze' music categorium. Slow paced, introspective, romantic - somewhat more dramatic than most are willing to handle.

Order it from Amazon, here for less than $9 if you dig it.

Track 6, Souvlaki Space Station is the best song on the record.

Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (1973 - 1985)

2008-12-25T15:19:00.012-05:00

Download via Megaupload

Or

Order it here: Billy Joel Greatest Hits: Vol. 1-2 (2CD)

For the longest time, from before I was born, to the Atari 2600's last year in the limelight. Billy Joel had some good years. This post commemorates the best of that time period.

Sing us a song. We're in the mood for a melody. New Yorker. American. Inspired by the Beatles. Feel-good. Big shot. Blues. Pick me-up. Honesty. Women. Mythical uptown-women. The good songs I'd hear while in the car with my dad on the road before a day's hard work. Billy Joel inspires, soothes, and makes for good karaoka,ka,ka,ka,ka.... you ought ta know by now.

Keep Saying No to Smoking Cigarettes

2008-12-23T11:08:00.012-05:00

Still going. Proud. No need for a new year's resolution. It's still tempting. I've gone
1 year and 2 weeks since I've quit smoking.

At 1 pack / 3 days, that's 127 packs of cigarettes that I didn't smoke.
At $4 / pack, that's $508 bucks I didn't spend.
At losing 1 minute of my life / 1 cigarettes, that's 2,540 minutes of quality life saved. (hearsay statistic)

Christmas Eve Eve Morning Top 10 List

2008-12-23T10:21:00.007-05:00

The Nipple Hair Moustache!
Words that sound offensive but aren't.
New Packaging Porn for Monopoly.
I recommend this list from Rubin Recommends.
Single-Malt Whiskey lovers, peep this.
Mac vs PC [cheese]
Round trip with the NASA Endeavor.
Streaking footage at UC-Berkeley.
Some environmental changes we may witness in our lifetime.
Cool stuff with trees.

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

2008-12-23T08:33:00.009-05:00

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MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Order it here for $9.99: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Digitally released on October '07, released in retail January '08, it's safe to say I'm a little late to the party. Seeing as I just discovered it - to it's fullness - last week.

I had heard "Time to Pretend," the first track, when going out but had no idea it was MGMT. Anyway after listening to the whole record there more to say about it than they're just another trendy indie band.

Some of the tracks like "Weekend Wars," "The Youth," and "Pieces of What" remind of me Wes Anderson films. Maybe some scene where the meaning is significantly higher than the action on the screen - if you know what I mean. Dramatic, introspective, but still respectable sounds, including acoustic guitars, vocal cacophonies, and a soundscape soothing keyboard.

The singles are "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel." I had discarded both before my download last week. It was actually triggered by a discussion I was having with a coworker. He's 23 and I'm 29, and he had this - man you're too old and don't know whats good anymore attitude. So I decided to check it out and validate he or I, and I admit, he was right, this is pretty good stuff. The songs are a feel-good fun-time and are much less shallow than originally perceived to be.

Somehow this record also fits into this holiday time period. I recommend MGMT - Oracular Spectacular.

Tim McMahon's Rockin' Christmas V

2008-12-11T20:01:00.011-05:00

A good friend of mine, Tim McMahon, whom I met when I lived in Gainesville, FL, at UF, makes a Christmas music record every year. It's a compilation with music from different influences. Without fail he has come through with new tunes not used in previous records (to my knowledge). These are easy to listen with friends & family, or at a Christmas party and easlily allows you to engage in the mayhem that the holidays bring on. Here is the record. This is his fifth installment, that's five years of unique holiday records.

The Main Record
Download from Megaupload

The Playlist
The Sonics - Santa Claus
Deerhoof - Holy Night
John Maus - This IS the Beat
Troy Hess - Christmas on the Moon
Daniel Johnston - Rock Around the Christmas Tree
Asobi Seksu - Merry Christmas
Angry Johnny & The Killbillies - 6 Bullets for Christmas
Beat Happening - Christmas
Wild billy Childish & the Musicians of the British Empire - Christmas Hell
The Legendary Tigerman - Fuck Christmas, I Got the Blues
Beulah - Santa Kissed Me
The Legendary Pink Dots - Frosty
The Free Design - Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas)
Pizzicato 5 - From Party to Party
Sy Mann - Tijuana Christmas
Hasil Adkins - Santa Claus Boogie
Native Tongue - Do You Hear What I Hear?
The White Stripes - Candy Cane Children
Big Star - Jesus Christ
Jimi Hendrix - Auld Lang Syne

This year he also added a surprise disc which I haven't even checked out yet. This is the second time he implements this supplement. It's full of some really old songs best enjoyed on a dark and silent night.

The Surprise Supplement
Downlaod from Megaupload

Enjoy!
(FYI people - for some reason Tim made the record in .m4a files)

The Muslims (self titled record)

2008-11-25T01:18:00.014-05:00

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The Muslims - The Muslims

Wow. It's been a while. I mean, it's been a while since I've posted in the mood that I'm feeling right now: tired from the workday, getting sick, opting to blog for the goodness of blogging and actually having something to share with the reader, music searcher, blogger, Internet Cobra, etc.

I'm not sure how I fell onto this record - there goes that storyline. I can tell you that it's good if you want to hear a raw, garage, modern rock band that can propagate good vibes towards acting like a ninny, playing air drums and guitars, or simply rocking out while in the car. (Most of my music appreciation happens in the car.) Anyhow, I know the band's from San Diego and, no, I'm not sure or care if any of them are Muslims.

There are garage, early punk and pop-punk influences. There are the revolutionary Bob Dylan influences. This shouldn't enable any conclusions since many records have these things in common. It was just my first honest association.

The sexiest video I've seen in a long time...

2008-11-21T20:20:00.002-05:00

Beyoncé is pure sexiness.

Better quality here.

Deerhunter - Microcastle

2008-11-19T22:07:00.011-05:00

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Deerhunter - Microcastle

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Deerhunter - Microcastle

I enjoy this record. It's a new sound to me. I enjoy it and like a friend of mine on facebook simply stated, we should all find happiness through music. Or at a minimum, attempt to jam to it. This record is a part of that experience. I encourage anyone to download it.

Just a short history, the band started in 2001. They may be named after an old drama called "The Deer Hunter" with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep or that may just be a coincidence. At this point I don't care enough to find validate this.

Tonight it's 62 degrees out. The Miami Heat lost to the Toronto Raptors. 2008 is close to it's death and so be it.

The title track surprised me around time stamp 2:25. The slowly vanishing heartbeat suddenly gets a kicky snare and suddenly your head ticks and tocks, left and right. Insert dance here.

Microcastle is either terribly boring or wicked awesome at a live show, the venue and the crowd would easily be variables in the enjoyment of the live experience. Sometimes when I listen to it I think I'm hearing noises from a vast hall. That's the experience for half the record. Not to be frowned upon anyway. There's some value in remembering childhood memories where something holds a holy or omnipotent awe. Like Notre Damn in Montreal for instance.

The other half has some trendy/catchy dance beats. Like Never Stops and Nothing Ever Happened - these are definitely upbeat bootyswaying tracks. I'm not mad at these tracks. They keep the gas in the car chugging. They keep the heartbeat alive and protect the sanctity of youth. The dance beats/lyrics reminded of something that Blur is likely to produce. Listening to Deerhunter made me write this post. The vocals can sound like Sonic Youth, Blur or Belle & Sebastian during some moments. I know they're all very different bands but those are the closest bands I could come up with.

My Ol' Dual-Suspension Mongoose SX 6.7 is for Sale

2008-11-13T08:18:00.008-05:00

Checkout the reviews from mtbr.com here.

Product Summary:

Dual-suspension bikes allow anyone to ride longer and stronger on the mountain, but they're more of a luxury than a necessity for the first-time rider. However, this year(1999) finds many dualies, like the SX, slumming at unimaginably low prices, which make them extremely attractive first-time buys.

Strengths: An RST 281 fork with two inches of travel in front, three inches of travel in back, a journeyman 24-speed Alivio drivetrain with fingertip shifters, toe clips and a stunning brushed-metal aluminum frame.

Weaknesses: As you improve, you'll wish you had an extra inch of travel up front to match the suspension in back.

Bottom line: The SX is a great buy for the serious first-timer. As a bonus, it's the world's most beautiful budget bouncer. Take it anywhere to bring out its ugly side ($679).

My Take:

I bought it for $449 in 2000 brand new. Since then I’ve barely used it. It’s seen the most use in the last two years where I’ve begun taking it to Oleta State River Park and Amelia Earhart Park for their single track trails. I also used it at the Bike Miami ride and used it to vote for change in the 2008 election.

It’s available for sale now for $250 or best offer.

I will probably be upgrading to a Trek Mountain Hardtail 6000, (hi-res pic here). What I would like to buy is a full-suspension Trek FUEL EX 8, (hi-res pic here in rootbeer/white). I decided on Trek because of their brand name, their designs, and quality components. If anyone has any suggestions otherwise, please send them my way. See you in the trails.

Alienware M17 Notebook - ATI CrossFireX and Intel Quad Core in a 17-inch Notebook

2008-11-03T10:15:00.016-05:00

So friggin' cool. Alienware's first notebook with ATI CrossFireX™ graphics and Intel® quad core technology... the Alienware M17 Notebook. Way to kick off the post Halloween season. What can HP, Voodoo, or Apple do to compete? Maybe those brands are raising a white flag and admitting defeat in the mobile high-performance gaming segment. Which notebook would you get this holiday season?

This is also the first Alienware notebook with:

a 1066MHz FSB (front side bus) - Intel Montevinia platform for notebooks
ESATA port - up to 300Mbps storage transfers
fingerprint reader - Biometric Security
64-bit Windows Vista™ - up to 4GB of DDR3 1,066MHz RAM!

It also has the ultra-sweet soft black-touch cabinet previously exclusive to the Area-51® m9750. It has the 1920x1200p display option, HDMI 1.3b output for high definition gaming/media output, and RAID hard drives option.

It even starts at $1,399. Very tempting.

Jesu - Why We Are Not Perfect

2008-10-11T08:01:00.004-04:00

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Jesu - Why We Are Not Perfect

Jesu has been around for about 5 years and each album actually holds some uniqueness to it. Some records are quite heavy and toy with the metal and drone genres. Why We Are Not Perfect is their latest release and is a 5 track EP. This one however seems like what-you-would-get if you mixed Isis with Boards of Canada, baked the mix at 375º F and glazed with ambient marmalade on top. Tasty? Not for most, but you'll have to try. When I added it to my mp3 library I notieced the Genre label of 'doom avantgarde' and was somewhat discouraged because I think thats cheesy. After listening anyway it redeemed itself as appropriate.

The title track and farewell are the coolest ones in my opinion.

Mostly instrumental with some soft lyrics here and there - this is best enoyed during long walks on the beach or just hanging out in bed, your living room, or car.

Saturday Morning Top 10!

2008-10-04T08:46:00.014-04:00

It's been a while. I haven't done this in months. My inspiration comes from being wide awake. Somehow I am. Last night I went to a friend of mine's birthday dinner. We dined at a hidden gem I had never known till 12 hours ago. Actually I can't believe it - I just found that they, in fact, have a web page, Jesus, how have I never known of this place?.

My first time having Korean food. My metaphor to describe it comes out to - teppanyaki BBQ with kimchee - which translates to delicious in my books. Anyhow we had plenty of Mutsu-OH (my favorite cold junmai sake)and Sapporo. After dinner there was a 3 hour Karaoke session that drove all the restaurant's customers out. Perfect.

This morning Miami is like an excited, wet, and young vagina - angry, hot, wet, and keeps you in.

Now it's 8am or so, I'm up. Now the list:

Bill O'Reilly lays the smack down once again!
Palin's daughter has the right idea.
Giant penis crop circles exist.
Best ground based image of Jupiter ever.
Cheeseburgers with grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun - here.
I need to go here someday.
Iron Man Ultimate Two-Disc Edition Blu-ray disc, to buy or not to buy - that is the question.
I bought this shirt and this shirt - I need new t-shirts.
Imagine Havana Before Castro...checkout some photos(these are not related to the previous link).
A translation that is not so good.
Florida is weird - then again denial of sex can be tough.
Hotties from the Olympics - pics here.
This site is dope - www.behance.net

Ok so there's more than ten...

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

2008-10-04T08:30:00.007-04:00

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Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

I'm posting this primarily by request. When I first heard this album it seemed like a good idea. Then I could see how it would annoy the shit out of someone. Now I understand it as a record that given the right circumstances (driving like a zombie or behaving beligerently) depending on the circumstances it could be a good time.

This record is made by ONE GUY with a bunch of records. He's a weird ass white dude majoring in biomedical engineering. The style of this music is called "mashup" samples from all kinds of artists and creates a somewhat cohesive track - I've heard its a ton of fun when live. A friend of mine told me he sets up in the middle of a dance floor and everyoen dances around him. His mixing table is level with the floor so people are literally standing right next to him. It's quite popular right now among many circles.

The National - Alligator

2008-09-29T14:34:00.008-04:00

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The National - Alligator

The very first time I heard The National, I can't remember but, I dismissed them quick. They seemed like your typical '00s whinny band. Even after that experience when I saw them open up for Arcade Fire in Radio City Music Hall in New York City which I have to say is the venue where music sounds the best so far, in my experiences. (I'm obviously a fan of Arcade Fire)

Anyhow, now my best friend tells me, "...dude checkout All The Wine from Alligator..," so I gave it a spin and I was able to finish the track. I think he liked the lyrics where the guy says "I'm a perfect piece of ass," still I can't explain what he liked about that. Sometimes I think he's confused about his sexuality - but thats for another post. This is their third album of 4, and was released in 2005.

Anyhow I appreciated the monologue type story telling lyrics and the music itself was somewhat catchy and introspective - reminded me of memories from the early '00s and that I need to keep living. So I kept listening to see if there was more to have.

Then I gave this other song Karen a shot. Again, it was another introspective, sad, somewhat whinny song. Now, I know I keep using the word whinny but I honestly believe that after a few minutes of listening you can hear some real substance behind it all. This song could've been in "Garden State." Maybe you'll get it if you use that example and put it in that context.

Anyway, this weekend I enjoyed this album while driving. Some may call it blasphemous but some tracks like City Middle sound like something off a Lou Reed record, like Transformer.

Note to self: You're 29 and the Fall is here.

2008-09-27T13:27:00.004-04:00

The Fall is here. I live in Miami so I'm lucky if the temperature drops below 75° at night. Still, I haven't always been in Miami during the Fall, I'm familiar with changing seasons and different kinds of weather. It's actually 81° and mostly cloudy right now and as I drove from the bank I was just thinking how cool those ads for outdoor gear is where you see a bunch of kids standing near a pick-up truck wearing any combination of beanies, vests, boots, flannels, scarves with a cobalt mountain in the background and some kind of determined look in their face like they're about to multiply or turn into gremlins. I don't have any particular ad in mind, but most of you know the archetypes, scenery, and themes.

I don't want to be a gremlin but it'd be cool to see some snow this Winter.

Nuns and Pornography

2008-08-29T07:27:00.005-04:00

Checkout this awesome photo my friend Alex took while in Medellin, Columbia. I wonder what these two ladies of the cloth think and feel about this.

Some thoughts on Obama's campaign and Decision '08

2008-08-29T07:21:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd rant a bit...It can be argued that this campaign has done nothing but focus on a theme about change. I mean that outside of the actual printed materials that say CHANGE. Like an excellent written essay or manuscript should do, all of the marketing channels being used really engulf the concept of change. This speech reinforces that and I believe that it successfully deposits that theme into people's minds when they think about Obama.

Whether he is successful or not in improving where we are challenged he would definitely put us in a direction that is 'different' and potentially open new opportunities and challenges we have not seen before; ultimately making for a new, modern, more interesting America.

I don't think he will be able to fix our problems during his term(s) if elected, but I do believe that he is capable of setting us off in a new direction. This concept does not frighten me very much. I think it can't really get worse.

McCain although a hero, a great American, seems to me that his methods would be extremely traditional and is less likely to think outside the box. I don't think this would drive sufficient success to improve the lives of the common joes and janes. I also don't believe that because a man serves in war that we should feel inclined to elect him as president, and many people whom I've spoken to use that as a point of argument.

Lastly, I truly hope that the concept of religion does not become a point of argument the people focus on. Whether Obama is Christian or Muslim should not be a deciding factor for anyone. In the months to come I do see this as a potential target for the McCain campaign. We should not be basing our decision for President on what faith our leaders follow. There is no correlation between that and what a Great American President is, in my opinion.

Beck - Modern Guilt

2008-07-12T09:37:00.004-04:00

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Beck - Modern Guilt

This is the El Perdedor's latest installment. Pop, alternative, postmodern...those are just words. I believe Beck is one of the most original musicians of our time. Some of his tracks belong in a danceparty and some of them are the excellent choice for an introspective journey into the Self. This album continues to carry that torch.

Alienware Launches Back to School 2008

2008-07-08T13:08:00.006-04:00

Another year, another dollar? Another year, another fragger! Another year, another student with a kick ass gaming notebook sent to college to earn degrees, get good grades, and get laid! PWND!

Alienware's PC Gaming Season is put to rest with the launch of a Back to School campaign for 2008 it seems. Low and behold all systems now carry Free Shipping. (I can hear the readers going opening new tabs fleeing to www.alienware.com/backtoschool) This is actually very pleasing since it's usually about one Benjamin note to get a system shipped with peripherals. I'm not sure where they made that calculation from but hey free is free.

There are other deals if you're looking for some, they have three bundles with savings that are under $100 but its still a deal I guess.

Mobility bundle - an Alienware Orion backpack and 160GB portable USB HDD
Blogger bundle - Microsoft's Office 2007 Home 7 Student edition + Adobe Premiere Elements and Adobe Photoshop Elements
Media bundle - Klipsch Promedia 2.1 THX speakers + Alienware Ozma5 headphones

So the bundle savings aren't anywhere as good as the free shipping but I guess everything counts when you add it up. It would've been cool if I would have all of this Alienware gear when I was in school. Maybe I would've had better grades, maybe I would have never graduated...it's hard to tell...

Blogosphere Behavior (Funny)

2008-07-08T09:10:00.000-04:00

This is hilarious. I found this video after checking out my work friend's blog at http://airbourneinforums.blogspot.com/.

Even though this cracked me up I can't believe how true a lot of these things are. I'm not sure whether this is a good or a bad thing but I'm certain the topic is open for discussion in many English classes in high schools and colleges right now.

McCain Caught Lying? McCain for president! - not

2008-07-03T05:04:00.004-04:00

When Al Gore's presidency was turned over to President Bush, the nation was amazed. It was an incredible moment in American history. Who would've thought they'd see the announcing of a new president and almost immediately witness a revocation of that victory?

Anyhow, I think that after watching this video and thinking about all of the word of mouth regarding the upcoming election, looking at Google Trends' data, and observing the media's coverage, the world would be more shocked about a McCain victory than they were about the 2000 election.

Check this out.

R.I.P. George Carlin (1937-2008)

2008-06-23T22:33:00.004-04:00

George Carlin passed away. My condolences to his family. It's amazing how certain celebrities and comedians have the talent to seem invincible or immortal while on screen or on stage. I think I'd relate this with expressing one's humanity publicly without hesitation or reservation. George Carlin is one of those people.

One of his most popular skits.

Pictured here as the host for Saturday Night Live in 1975.

He passed of a heart faliure. He was 71.

Real Life-Size Cylon Centurions -- for Hire

2008-06-17T07:19:00.006-04:00

Hear ye', hear ye', to all the Battlestar Gallactica fans that have always wanted their own personal toaster, now you can own a full-sized hand-crafted replica of a Cylon centurion. Buy one , I dare you...

Ok, they're not for hire, but you can own one that frackin' freaks people out. It stands accurately at 7 feet tall, weighs 300 pounds, and has a red LED electric visor with the creepy hum. The body is made of 100% fiberglass with aluminum accents. Anyone would crap their pants if they ever saw this in your house for the first time. How much? $7,900 with a non-refundable deposit of $3,950. Delivery takes 8-12 weeks. How cool would you be though?

I've recently taken a fiendish addiction to this show. I'm on Season 3 Episode 4 as of this post. The season finale for Season 4 just happened last week. Please, no spoilers in any comments. If you haven't heard of Battlestar Galactica check it out here.

Spend an Evening With Saddle Creek

2008-06-14T13:52:00.004-04:00

Checkout this great video where all the great bands from Saddle Creek show and tell us their story.

Spend An Evening With Saddle Creek from Plexifilm on Vimeo.

I think I've seen all of these bands live at one point or another. This reminds me of the late 90's/early 00's when music really started to change for me. Between sophomore year of college and while I was at UF and even sporadically since then. My favorite Saddle Creek band is still Cursive.

Wolfparade "At Mount Zoomer"

2008-06-05T20:14:00.007-04:00

I feel the need to write something about music. It's been a while since I've reviewed any albums or offered a download.

Today I'm offering up Wolfparade's At Mount Zoomer. I've had the record for a few days and I'm not sure why I felt a need to download it or give it the many chances that I have to date.

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Wolfparade - At Mount Zoomer

Wolfparade is a Canadian band, signed to the American label known as Sub Pop Records. Many bands come from Sub Pop Records. Some young. Some old. I mean, like them or not, you have bands like Nirvana, Afghan Wigs, Soundgarden, and L7. Then there's The Shins, David Cross, The Postal Service, The Rapture, Iron and Wine and so on...

So their is obviously something ticking there. Now the record feels young. Some tracks sound like what you would imagine is a scene where people dance zombified with what could be confused for a disregard for everything or a deep moment before the epiphany they have always been waiting for. Some songs that resemble an attempt to a drama, a far cry to something tragic, carry a tune where someone else could giggle to. It sounds sophomoric during some tracks. Musically, they don't try to be very technical. Their main concentration seems to be a responsibility to cater to a typical young emotion.

The music's color varies through the record. Theres a track called "Fine Young Cannibals" where the music and lyrics try to be something close to provocative. What I mean by that is that there's these catchy slow striking guitar chords and while the singer tells a story the listener is being taken for a ride. It's like watching a movie where you have a king chase queen clip. But done bad.

Kissing the Beehive is my favorite song on the record. If you're patient you may see something worthwhile about it too. It turns out I think the meat in this song happens towards the second half. I think what pulled me to the song was it's title, the fact that it's 10 minutes long, and the fact that it's the last song. There's nothing wrong with intentionally creating a final, epic, track. I enjoy the transitions and the acceleration of emotion they try to convey as the song develops. The title is great anyway. It's obviously a reference to an entity carrying the attributes of a beehive or maybe a beehive hairdo. The literal meaning is pretty fracked up.

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the album but I can't talk about this particular record without being tough on it. There's something left to be desired of with grand ol' Wolfparade.

Anyway...

How different are the Leica C-Lux 2 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX series cameras?

2008-06-05T06:16:00.008-04:00

So I thought I'd do a little more research on the camera thing. It turns out Leica's C-Lux 2 compact camera is very similar to the Panasonic's Lumix FX series. I'd want to conclude that one of the two is a rebranding of the other camera with some minor cosmetic details. The fact that Leica decided to enable this platform and brand it as their own makes me more comfortable about getting the less pricey Panasonic. (The difference in price is around $100 and the feature set is less than) Check out the two cameras here:

They look the same!

I have no doubt they come from the same manufacturer both cameras leverages the same platform but are simply branded differently to make a few extra bucks off of the Leica fans.

Still the tolerance to quality on the lens should be the same since both are Leica made. I'm not mad at the Lumix design. If fact, how does the saying go? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The Leica was released way earlier than this particular Lumix. Maybe the save the newer designs for Leica cameras and then a few months the design is available for the Lumix series.

Should I buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35A digital camera?

2008-06-03T20:57:00.035-04:00

Ok, I have narrowed down my list of cameras to two Panasonic Lumix choices there's the DMC-FX33 and the DMC-FX35. I used to have the Panasonic Lumix FX9 until my car was broken into one night in my new and shady neighborhood. That was a few months ago and I haven't had a digital camera since. It's funny how digital cameras are typically things many people become anxious about when they don't have one. I need it most when it's not around. After they get one, it becomes a forgotten object unless they're working with photography or shoot pictures as a hobby.

I use cameras as a hobby. For blogging, personal record keeping, memorabilia, for storing good memories and having something to laugh at and even share once in a while.

I've chosen to go with the Panasonic Lumix series because of their Leica wide angle lens among other features. This series also has a fast shutter speed and a greater than 3x optical zoom which many cameras don't or just make the cut. It is also light and easy to use. The interface is actually easy to work with and there are some lite manual options available. I had considered the Canon Powershot SD1100 but the specifications of this camera imply that a better photograph will be captured with the Lumix...and here it is:

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35A - Panasonic's Site.
Compared to the FX33A, it's the "New!" model and has the advantage of 10MP vs 8MP, a 230K vs 205K: brighter screen, is capable of 720p HD videos, has a 4x optical zoom (compared to 3.6x), has a wider 25mm lens (v.s. 28mm), and is slightly smaller/lighter. It's actually $85 more expensive. Do these improvements merit the $85 upsell?

As a marketing person I cant' believe how susceptible I am being to this upsell. It's a difference of 85 bucks ($204 vs $289). I have actually been monitoring these prices and the DMC-FX35A has had a steady price for months. On the other hand the FX-33A is being discontinued and the pricing has been getting better. Which has more value? Maybe next paycheck I will test the waters and make a decision.

Help Save the Everglades Today!

2008-05-29T07:37:00.008-04:00

Imagine that. Signing a quick petition online to reduce the urban sprawl that is hurting the Everglades.

The Everglades is a 5,000 year old geologic and ecological formation that is the home of most of South Florida's wildlife. It also functions as a gigantic filter that cleans up our lakes, rivers, and provides clean water. Have you ever heard of Zephyrhills? Now you know where the water comes from. The Everglades is part of the water system that includes the Okeechobee river where most of the water we drink comes from in South Floria.

You can Sign This Petition and make a statement. You can do something important today.

I need a new digital camera.

2008-05-26T14:38:00.004-04:00

I think people's lives can be improved provided they have a camera from which to capture things in time and space. After my car was vandalized and violated, my old Lumix is now in the hands of a street walking degenerate.

I now have put together a small list form which I must choose. If anyone has any opinions please share.

Help Me Choose a Camera

Change is good.

2008-05-26T13:34:00.008-04:00

At this rate things will never be the same. I'll be turning 29 in September. The end of my twenties. Sure lots of people say that the 30s are really cool. But who are those people? Don't get me wrong I appreciate change. My head nods when people say "change is good" or "embrace change." I don't have a problem.

The funny thing is that change can occur for several reasons. Humor me while I create this subset of reasons:

time
A decision is made
chance

We're all way too familiar with time so I won't spend any time on that one - with time your fountain soda will get full and your crows feet will get large. There's also chance, which is what happens when it starts raining, you get a flat tire, and whatever you were going to do next is now in the hands of time or an outside force. What I find most interesting is change by making a decision. Here time and chance are completely uninvolved. Like if I quit my job and went on a 6 week walkabout with some friends in South America. That would make for change by decision and would specifically address a behavior not likely once into the 30s or so I'm lead to believe.

So I have no choice but to train myself to welcome the upcoming time frame, it's implications, joys and consequences.

How Bread was made in the 80s.

2008-05-24T13:29:00.003-04:00

This video is hilarious. It's amazing to see how people did things in the 80s. I hope you enjoy the laugh.

$100 Kobe Beef Cheesesteak

2008-05-19T14:53:00.006-04:00

I'm really not sure if this is delicious, gross, or just wrong. I'm not even sure how I found this video but I couldn't resist sharing it. They've taken super rare and expensive kobe beef, maine lobster, and truffle shavings to make what they call the perfect cheese steak sandwich and it goes for $100.

Would you eat this? It sounds interesting but nevermind what it's made out of. What about paying $100 for a cheese steak?

Landing Page Optimization

2008-05-19T13:34:00.003-04:00

Wow, so it's lunch time, I'm at work, and I wondering about the fact that there are a gazillion web sites out there and they all want you to do something. Sign up here, click here, buy this, join today, etc.

Still not all landing pages are created equal. There are three main goals to every online activity.

Acquisition
Conversion
Retention

So every online marketeer has three task they need to do well on. The first one, acquisition, is the ability to get people to come to your event. It's getting them in the door. It's showing them your campaign for the first time. Your best shot is at launch or during a time frame that is specific to the campaign. You create a plan and hope to get the highest yield out of your acquisition strategy. In other words you want to get the greatest number of impressions possible.

The next challenge is called conversion. It's a percentage. It's a division problem it's the number of people who took the desired action / the total number of impressions. Imagine, you have a safillion amount of users coming to your site. Some close the page right away. Some read a little and close. Others click one level deep and occasionally you get people to do what you wanted. The challenge here is getting the right words, images, and layout to match the type of user you have attracted from your previous acquisition strategy.

The last of the three is called retention. You, as a monetary entity want to retain as many users as possible to keep your campaign going and achieving more conversion. Your ability to retain also shows how much your users trust your campaign, product, or brand. This is a key item in what will propagate your campaign, product, or brand to the next level. It prepares you for your next campaign, product or brand.

So those things said. We have three key goals. What boggles us must be the fact that there is no example of a perfect landing page. If there is, I would like to see it. Proof or no proof. I would be thoroughly impressed if someone could show me a landing page I would have otherwise never had heard of and become converted. Is there a recipe for this type of success?

Bill O'Reily is a jerk - hilarious!

2008-05-13T07:28:00.005-04:00

I can't believe what a jerk this guy is... I think it's hilarious to see people turn into complete assholes.

Here's a direct link to this video.

Amazing video piece by artist Blu

2008-05-13T07:03:00.004-04:00

Everyone, take a look at this insane video of series of pieces created by the artist known as Blu. I can't begin to understand how long something like this would take... I'm jealous of people with this level of passion and commitment.

Check out his site for even more cool stuff at:
http://www.blublu.org/

Today's Not-So-Top 10

2008-05-10T07:25:00.003-04:00

Here we have it folks. Just a quick ten piece for our amusement.

Today's list:

1. How to get sex.
2. Buy me one of these. Still I'd be happy with one of these.
3. Dogs can be better athletes than you.
4. I would like to make hash browns today.
5. Ever wondered what a baby hare looks like?
6. I've always tried to get a good escalator subway shot. This one's pretty good.
7. We need more glove molds.
8. Fun list of post secrets.
9. Can someone give me the price of this item?
10. The state of the housing market. Lord of the Rings or SanFran?

Incredible / Identical Batman(1989) & Dark Knight(2008) Trailers

2008-05-05T16:02:00.006-04:00

It's amazing to see how both the trailers for Batman (1989) and the Dark Knight (2008) follow the same storyboard almost to the tee. It's somewhat of a cop out but its also kinda cool. Needless to say I can't wait to see the Dark Knight.

Here is a link to the site that I first found the video and article.

heyedgar: One of the Greatest Beings I've Ever Met

2008-05-01T09:54:00.004-04:00

This post is a tribute to a special friend of mine. I'm at work right now and don't have time to give a full descriptive exposition on my experience with Edgar Gonzalez so instead I will share a few of his own original quotes that were posted on a site communicating a memorial tennis tournament dedicated to him.

In Edgar's words:

You are #1 in every book I've ever written!!!

It would be a good life that I lived if I spent it bragging about my friends.

That's what you gotta learn: science isn't something done in class or in books or with lab coats. Science is a form of inquiry and experiment and notation. It includes kissing and stars and moons so bright they gauge your eyeballs out.

I think all you need in order to play squash, and I mean to play it well, is an ability to smile!

Thank you for being in the world.
Until then keep your feet on the ground while you reach for the stars,
Edgar

He will not be forgotten.

The Dark Knight: Bootleg Trailer 2

2008-04-30T13:11:00.004-04:00

So fucking cool! Shown at select theaters as a viral marketing campaign.
Link to page here.

The Concept of Meetings: this made me laugh instantly [PIC]

2008-04-30T07:36:00.005-04:00

The truth is I think meetings can be helpful and can increase productivity - I'm an optimist as you can see. I would say there is a sliding scale ranging from "A Waste of Time and Health" to "Development of Revolutionary Decisions & Direction." Most of the time they fall in between.

Anyhow, I thought you workfolk out there would appreciate this.

The Walkmen - Leonard Cohen Covers

2008-04-29T06:16:00.003-04:00

Previously unreleased. 4 tracks. One of which is a rarity from a 1973 live album called Live Songs. Link here.

Tracks

The Old Revolution
Lady Midnight
Tonight Will Be Fine
Passing Through

The new wallpaper.

2008-04-28T22:52:00.003-04:00

I've been carrying a rather old design for a few weeks and its time for a change. Here is my latest wallpaper.

What's wrong with the world?

2008-04-28T22:38:00.004-04:00

I need to share short list of items... First this YouTube video. I can't believe people get this produced or have someone buy into it. Is it ridiculous or genius?

This piece of news ha to be the most absolutely alarming news in quite a long time. This is some insane story about a father who kept his daughter locked up for over 20 years and repeatedly raped her. The details are gruesome.

On the polar opposite side you have events like the Coney Island Mermaid Day.

Lastly, the "coolest" bit for this post. Feast your eyes on this dope video put out by her majesty of swans. Wanderlust.

Avicultural Curse

2008-04-28T08:59:00.003-04:00

Jeez. It's not even 9am yet and oddities have begun. This morning while driving to work I was the murderer of a brown crow. I was driving south on 142 ave and I saw the bird swoop in front of my car and for a split second it hovered in front of me. It stared me in the eye and suddenly, as if it were tired, it gave up flying and it thudded against my windshield. I can vividly see it in my mind's eye. I looked back but there was no trace of the brown swooper. How freaking weird.

Thought that was weird? I've single-handedly killed about 4 birds while driving (that I can remember). What does this mean? Is this the normal frequency for bird vehicular homicide??

Just saw Lucas after many many years...

2008-04-28T01:50:00.002-04:00

2AM. Monday morning. I'm on the couch watching Lucas.

Where do I begin? How about some background. It was released in 1986. The world had just been introduced to Nintendo. The Bangles, Prince, INXS, Berlin, OMD, Stevie Nicks and Bon Jovi just to name a few of the other influences in pop culture. Not that everything hinges on that and I don't want to rathole this post.

The cast was a young one. Corey Haim, Kerri Greene, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder, and Jeremy Piven all starred here. The movie, in case you haven't seen it, is about a 14 year old nerdy kid (Corey Haim) who meets Maggie (Kerri Greene) and falls in love with her. He is driven by science and love and their correlation. It's funny, whatever makes him feel insecure he relates to superficiality - says, "thats superficial," "my parents are supeficial," "football players are superficial," etc. When school starts, she's the new girl and meets several people among them Cappie (Charlie Sheen) who plays for the school football team. Maggie and Cappie fall in love and Lucas is heartbroken and does whatever he can to impress her. After he understands they are together it no longer becomes about them too but about him proving himself to the school. So at a football game where the school is losing he goes out into the field after harrassing the coach.

This is the epic scene in the movie. He is left wide open near the goal. He catches the ball but drops it, there is a fumble, the opposing team takes the ball and he grabs on to the runningback for several yards. There is a tackle and he is severely wounded. The whole school is like OMGWTF and he is sent to the hospital. When he returns to school he finds a football jacket inside his locker and when he turns around everyone cheers him on. All the while everyone made fun of him, doubted him, and his devoutful moment of courage wins him a campus wide cheer in the middle of the hall way right in front of his locker. THE END.

Anyhow, I felt a responsiblity to post. The movie inspired me because I remembered what I felt like when i was that old. I remembered my own tribulations as a teenager and what great things I've experienced since. The scenery in the movie reminded me of my time in Gainesville, FL at UF. The train tracks. The importance of the football team. Driving in the middle of the night on dark roads. White people. Going to parties, etc. This also made me remember of times where I was more inspired in life than I am today - moments where I was actively pursuing higher education with a goal I could pride myself too. The moments I've found most inspiring is when I'm travelling. My first time in Boston was inspiring. Travelling to New York proved there would always be new goals. Seeing Spain showed me life can be simple and simplicities can also satisfy. Gallivanting in Italy showed me many beautiful things I never thought I would see, and in the presence of love simultaneously. Indulging in England showed me how great a musical experience can be, and how strong and precious certain relationships can be. So I guess you'd say I travel for education. My college graduation was good but lacked somethign and I can't put my finger on it right now... Today I am employed and feel that the volume of education that I'm receiving has narrowed. Not to say that I don't enjoy what I do, but that obviously there is a more stimulating and appealing life that I am not engaged in. I suppose this is a reminder to myself to keep breathing, mind my backbone, and never give up.

What's sad is that present day movies don't deliver the emotions films like these did. Granted they were different times and we were different people. Heck, I was 7 years old. Needless to say, I still think that an inspiring honest film is left to be desired within today's releases. I am hopeful however...

I should go to bed. This is becoming a rant. Anyway, this is also a feeling I haven' felt in years: waking up in the middle of the night and watching a movie to its entirety and being floored. I think the last movie I felt that with was House of Spirits. Anyway, goodnight.