Not a teen anymore...

Weird being 20. Not a teenager anymore. But who am I kidding? It doesn't feel any different. Happy Birthday to me.

Its sad really...

As I write this sentence I am embarrassed. Not at this single occasion but at what has become a ritual. I can't sit at my computer for less than 10 minutes. I get on to check email, then realize I have to check Twitter, then Facebook, then the blog. What's more is that this isn't a once a day thing, or even a twice a day thing. If I'm not doing it from my laptop, I'm doing it from my phone. I'd say on average, i check these ridiculous mediums once for every other hour I'm awake. It saddens me, yet at the same time I have no will to stop. I, like the majority of my generation, have an insatiable need to feel connected to everything. I don't want to miss a single thing, particularly tweets from celebrities informing me what they had for lunch.

We have so much technology at our hands. I'm not suggesting that we are wasting it. Every generation has had its form of entertainment. I'm simply suggesting that it is a very thin line. One I need to be very careful not to cross. For now, I have great respect for the access to information the internet allows me to have, and so long as I keep that perspective, I don't feel too guilty reading a tweet about what kind of couch Julie Benz wants to buy for her new house.

Street Sweeper Social Scene

If Barack Obama rapped (assuming he can rap, and no, not just because he is black)for Rage Against the Machine, you would be listening to something very similar to Street Sweeper Social Scene. The group, who writes self-proclaimed "revolutionary party tunes," is comprised of Rage Against the Machine Guitarist Tom Morello, and the Coup's rapper Boots Riley. The two combine to write some genuinely funky and politically aware jams that are very easy to groove too. No, there are no ground breaking hooks, or life altering creations in sound. But it is refreshingly original for some reason. If you're looking for some new music to check out they are worth a listen.

Check em out below.



Just in case I even NEED to say this. They are NOWHERE near as good as Rage against the Machine. I reiterate. Just something new and fun to listen to.

Who said a post has to be about something?

I've come to the realization that I need to write more. Not literally write posts more frequently, but rather put more of me into them. Yeah, its cool to compile current events and web gems and share them with readers, but what's the point of simply regurgitating information? I want to inject a little more "me" whenever possible. I want the injection of "me" into writing to be my career, so if that isn't reason enough I'm not sure what is.

So I'd like to start using this forum to keep my skills sharp. Not that I'm suggesting my writing is or ever has been sharp, but I guess I'm just saying I don't want it to worsen.

I envy writers who have such a strong voice that their audience can blindly read a sentence of their work and instantly know who the author was. Chuck Klosterman's Twitter is the perfect example. I was reading it earlier this week and the post simply said: "Kobe is like Yngwie Malmsteen; yeah he's good but I don't have to like him." For one, it mentions both music and basketball; two things of which Klosterman is known to be a fan. Secondly, the analogy and humor is so characteristically him. Sure, if you were simply handed a note with that phrase on it, you may not be 100% sure who the author may have been, but if you are at all familiar with him or his work it'd be hard not to notice the similarities. I digress.

This feels good; theraputic almost. I don't have any deep thoughts to share, or experiences to mention, or YouTube clips of post-anesthetized 5 year olds to introduce. Maybe its just the cacophony of keystrokes or the simple fact I'm writing that has me so relaxed right now. This post is trivial, but its working. This is what I have been missing.

The Texting Olympics

Texting can get you $50,000. Ask Kate Moore who won the US Texting Title. The article said that she averaged 14,000 texts per month. I wasn't even aware that was humanly possible. Some events int the competition involeved things like texting while moving through a obstacle course, as well as texting blindfolded.

The "final showdown" required the final two contestants to text three lengthy phrases with correct punctuation and spelling. The one who did so fastest won the title.

Who woulda thunk. Texting pays.

Click here for the full story

No need to charge your phone

Nokia has designed a phone that harvests ambient radiowaves from the air and turns it into power. Nokia states that the phone would not be able to gain power while using talk time, but it would be enough to slowly recharge during down time. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Click here to read the full story

Changing Landscape

The internet has been in constant change since its inception, but it seems with Twitter growing at mind-numbing speed and the release of Google Wave on the horizon, drastic changes could be in the works. What could make things even more interesting is the potential buyouts surrounding Facebook, Twitter and Google, although to this point it is unclear who will buy who, if at all, but as of now most believe Twitter's buying Facebook is inevitable.
When I initially jumped on the Twitter bandwagon I didn't see its potential. It seemed like a watered down Facebook for old people. However hearing people's input of its potential, and having taken the time to explore its features, I am beginning to see what separates it from its peers.

So for those who still wonder why they should take the 45 seconds it takes to make a Twitter accound, here are 17 reasons I have found compiled by online authors.


Personal Branding. Twitter is a social media platform you can use to build your personal brand. It has the primary benefit of developing a casual persona and establishes you as a social personality that is connected and approachable. As Twitter adoption increases, new users will be drawn towards well established Twitter personas.

Get Feedback. Need an alternative perspective on how a website looks or the right course of action to take? Blast out a message asking for advice and you’ll receive replies from other users. This collective intelligence can be used as fodder for articles or projects.

Hire People. Need a good logo designer, marketer or programmer? Send out a message asking for recommendations. This is a very quick and easy way to hire freelancers or even companies based on familiar recommendations.

Direct traffic. Twitter can be used to get traffic to your websites or the sites of friends. If you ask your friends to tweet about it, the message will spread faster and further as other active users pick it up. There is a viral nature to all types of news, even on a site like Twitter.

Read News. Twitter users often link to useful sites or articles and can be a source of scoops and alternative news. You can also subscribe to Twitter feeds for specific websites/conferences, which allows you to receive and view content quickly. This is very useful for active social news participants.

Make New Friends. Like any other social network, Twitter has a built-in function for you to befriend and track the messages of other users. This is an easy way for you connect with people outside of your usual circle. Make an effort to add active users you find interesting. A Twitter acquaintance can be developed into a long lasting friendship.

Network for benefits. Twitter can be used as a socializing platform for you to interact with other like-minded people, especially those in the same industry. It can be used to establish consistent and deeper relationships for future benefits such as testimonials or peer recommendations.

Use it as a ToDo list. Use Twitter to record down what you need to do while you are away from the computer. Mark the tweet as a favorite to file it for referencing. Another alternative is to use an Online task management service that is synced with Twitter. One example is Remember The Milk.

Business Management. Twitter can be used as a company intranet that connects employees to one another. Workers can liaise with each other when working on group projects. Particularly useful when certain workers go out often in the field. Updates could be set to private for security reasons.

Notify Your Customers. Set up a Twitter feed for the specific purpose of notifying customers when new products come in. Customers can subscribe via mobile or RSS for instant notification. Twitter can also be used to provide mini-updates for one-on-one clients.

Take Notes. Twitter provides you with an easy way to record important ideas or concepts you want to explore further. Include links relevant to ideas you want to explore. Note taking can also be done offline via mobile applications.
Event Updates. Businesses can use Twitter as a means to inform event participants and latest event happenings/changes. This is a hassle-free way of disseminating information, especially when you don’t have the means to set up a direct mobile link between you and the audience

Find Prospects. Twitter can be used as a means to find potential customers or clients online. Do a search for keywords related to your product on Twitter Search and then follow users. Tweet about topics parallel to your product and close prospects away from public channels by using direct messages or offline communications. Discretion and skill is needed in this area.

Provide Live coverage. Twitter’s message size limit prevents detailed coverage of events but it can allow you to provide real-time commentary which may help to spark further discussion or interest on the event as other Twitter users spread the message. Very useful for citizen journalism.

Time Management and Analysis. Twitter can simply be used to keep a detailed record of what you are doing every daily. This might be boring for others but this type of usage is useful when you want to analyze how you spend and manage your time.
Set Up Meetings. Twitter can help you organize impromptu meetups. For example, you can twitter a message while at a cafe, event or art gallery and arrange to meet fellow users at a specific spot. It’s an informal and casual way of arranging a meeting.

Acquire Votes. Send a link to your stories you’ve submitted in other social news sites like Digg. Sometimes your followers will vote up the stories because they agree with it. This allows you to acquire more support for your efforts on other social media websites.

Best moment on TV in quite some time

Jimmy Fallon struck again last night when he had Will Farrell on. The two's friendship from SNL spilled over and it made for one of the funniest moments I have seen on TV in quite some time.

Something is consistently funny to me about the way Ferrell makes Fallon uncontrollably laugh. It always has even since the days of SNL. Its like a watching a little kid hanging out with his idol.

I can't describe it, so if you missed it, check it out.

Battle of the Theme Songs

Tonight I saw Zack Morris (mark Paul Gosselar) on the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. Along with intense bouts of nostalgia, hearing the roots rock out their own version of the Saved by the Bell theme song, an idea struck me.

By the beginning of next week I'd like to have a bracket of a set of 16 TV show theme songs, and day by day pit them against each other until a champion is crowned. So for those of you who still read this thing, including the ones who read and don't comment, now is your time to come out of the woodwork and nominate which songs you'd like to see in the final bracket of 16.

This could be fun.

Friends, Diffrent Strokes, and Saved by the Bell are three that I'm really feeling as of late. Who do you nominate?

I didn't mean for that to rhyme.

Lose Yourself in F*ck

You read the title, so if the word offends you, go ahead and stop reading this post. Its gonna be in here quite a bit.

Its going to be in here quite a bit because I have decided it is finally time to acknowledge the greatness of the word.

Earlier this week, Amy and I were discussing the word 'fuck' and why we should or should not use the word. What has made the word so taboo. This past semester I took a course in linguistics that discussed how at one time or another MILLIONS of words in the English language were taboo and over time it slowly faded. I believe 'fuck' will be one of those words. It isn't slang, and it is versatile as fuck. See. Now I know I am not some pioneer to protect the word fuck and its versatility. In fact, the conversation with Amy promptly reminded me of a youtube video I had seen a couple of years ago. I posted it because it simply sums up a great deal of info I completely agree with and will save me the time of typing it. So please enjoy and I'll meet you in 3 and half inches.




So as the video said, fuck can take just about any part of speech. Its incredible. But that wasn't our main debate. IS IT OFFENSIVE. Well, in my opinion, just about anything can be offensive to someone. You just have to be responisble who you use it around. Pay attention. But I don't understand why it needs to be offensive. I suppose it stems from the fact that the MAIN meaning of the word is centralized around sexual intercourse, which is taboo to many Americans (whole 'nother topic) but that in itself is ridiculous.

It is probably one of the most used words in our language today. I know, you think I am exaggerating. But before I began typing this post 2 minutes ago, I typed 'fuck' into the search bar on twitter. Since then, in 120 seconds, Twitter now reports there have been 463 new posts containing the word.

The only thing I think is truly condemning about the word fuck, is the fact that it leads to a lack of verbal creativity. One word is so useful that it can become the default word for the less articulate.

But for those who are willing to use it responisble and relatively sparingly (I try, but its just so fucking great) lose yourself in fuck

Need more evidence of it's versatility? Allow the Saints to show you how...


"Certainly illustrates the diversity of the word"

Taking Woodstock

Nothing is more exciting to me than a movie based around real life music=based events. Almost Famous is about as good as a movie can get. While I twiddle my thumbs waiting for the next Cameron Crowe movies, one a feature yet to be named starring Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon, and the other a documentary about Pearl Jam, it seems like I am lucky enough to have a little gem to hold me over.

A movie about the creation of Woodstock

Move over Twilight... Word about True Blood is spreading fast

Two book series began just weeks apart. True Blood and Twilight. True Blood was released 3 weeks earlier.

It seems like after spending a year in the backseat word is starting to spread, and save the preteens, people are finally catching on.

I spent the last week watching all 12 of the hour long episodes of True Blood on HBO. And I admit I have never read a Twilight book but have seen the movie, and the True Blood series puts it to shame. With far more grit, plot, and of course way better special effects, True Blood is finally garnering the attention it deserves.

I AM NOT SAYING YOU CAN"T LIKE BOTH. Just try a taste of True Blood and make up your mind for yourself...

Season 2 premiers Sunday June 14th.

Half of My Heart

John Mayer has a way of continuously writing great songs. The first song from his new album is no exception. I'm looking forward to the release of the studio version, but this will have to do for now.