By far the coolest political video I've ever seen. There are a lot of things about Obama that I don't agree with (immediate withdrawal, for one), but man is it hard not to like this guy.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --
Is there any particularly good reason why O-Rock and 740 both disappeared?
Surely, it's a money thing.. but man oh man.. Orlando local radio suuuuucks. Real radio during the day is okay, but then you have a poor mans love line mixed with stereotypical dj cliches at night. It's like listening to an ongoing family guy joke. My brother and I were reminiscing about how Monsters used to make fun of those idiots all the time.. now they're the night time show. Awwkward.
And yes, 101.1 is still around, but if I wanted to listen to Nickelback... wait.. What am I saying.. I'd never want to listen to those hacks, nor do I want to listen to any of the other corporate trash that WJRR plays.
Do the radio station corporations own a chunk of satellite radio? Are they trying to make FM radio die a painful death? Or has Orlando just rapidly changed its demographics to the point where only Spanish, manufactured pop and cheesy over-produced lameo-rock stations are able to survive?
I guess I just don't understand the business behind local radio. I'm sure margins are tight and everything is pre-planned and digital now. It just sucks, that's all.
Thank god for my iPod and my tape deck connector.... New school meets the old.
I'm heading out to Portland, Oregon for a little while to spend thanksgiving with Kathryn and some of her family. I have a brutal head cold and the thought of spending the next 12 hours on planes and in airports is bit much, but it'll be worth it :) Should be a good time. It's the precursor to our cross country drive back to Florida.
Music for the Plane:
Band of Horses: They've got that We-should-be-on-a-Zach-Braff-soundtrack sound going on, and I dig it. Gavin passed it along my way, which I find amusing because we all know what he thinks of people who like Horses.
The Hush Sound: Take the ben folds sound, through in an additional chick singer, and add the snappy-ness of a Panic! cd. I just got this album last night, and can already tell it will be a favorite
Book for the Plane:
Audacity of Hope: I read the first half on the way to Baltimore two weeks ago, figure I'll polish it off today. His writing style is just as strong as his speaking ability. Fun read.
Cute is What We AimFor also played Friday night, but I failed to snap a photo. They may have actually beaten Dashboard out for crowd sing alongs. Also, I think there were more 13 year old girls screeching and crying at Dashboard Confessional than at a European Michael Jackson concert. Wow. Either way, both nights were a ton of fun. Thanks to Jess Mack for the tickets!
Card board boxes are friggin' expensive. I've never bought them new before. I guess I just figured I had such a small place, I wouldn't need many. Wrong. This place is a wreck. I'm drowning in cardboard and bubble wrap as I try to orchestrate a quick like departure (my tenant moves in next friday). I'm rocking out though. I figure leaving D.C. justifies an overdose of Ian McKaye (get the irony? nevermind..). It's a fugazi / minor threat extravaganza over here.
Matt Weddle of Obadiah Parker - "Hey Ya" (Outkast Cover)
Amazing. Obadiah Parker has a 4 song EP for $3.96 on iTunes. Listen for free at their MySpace. After listening for the last few minutes, my vote is for the track Fall/Back.
YouTube Founders Celebrate - I guess that answers that. Purchased for $1.65 Billion (holy cow), and they're filming a video outside of... fridays? Seriously? If we ever sell one of our companies for that kind of coin, we're taking everyone to Sizzler.
Dusk and Summer by Dashboard Confessional - Go ahead. Say it. I'm a thirteen year old girl, I'll admit it. I'm a huge dashboard fan. There. Judge me. I take lots of abuse for it, but, you know what.. It's cool. Years ago, when Kathryn and I started dating, I was driving her somewhere and rocking out to Dashboard (slowly). I looked over and she had a look of horror on her face and said "You're about to f---ing cry, aren't you?"... Yeah.. I live my life in shame. Anyway, not all too long afterwards she surprised me with tickets for a show up in Maryland. The crowd involvement, the acoustic anthems and the overall atmosphere (outside pavilion show) made it a great memory. This CD has been taking some heat from folks for various reasons. I've heard it's not the same as the old stuff (almost all fans say that at some point for a band.. the cd is very vindicated-ish), I've heard it's unoriginal, I've heard that it's not "fragile" enough (hah!). At the same time, I've heard Spin say close to the opposite, and in my opinion, it's fantastic and will appeal to much wider audience (hopefully an audience of grown men, so I won't be so alone at the shows...... probably not). The track So long, So long might justify the album. If your a casual fan, pick it up on iTunes. The song features Adam Duritz from Counting Crows. The more I listen to the CD as a whole, the more it grows on me. Lyrically, it's on point and delivers much of what you might expect. Stolen is excellent. Anyway.. The CD is awesome -- with a sad looking lowercase a, of course.... ;)
We Were Here by Joshua Radin - I first heard Joshua Radin on an episode of Scrubs. I paid a dollar via paypal on his website to download one of his mp3s. Now he's on sony and has a big boy release of his own. Acoustic indie kind of sound going on with a kinda neat sounding airy voice. I've only been able to listen to the cd straight through a couple of times, but it's pretty good. Closer and Winter are my two favorites. Thumbs Up, if only out of admiration for Zach Braff.
Coming Home by New Found Glory - It's not bad, not great, but it's also not the typical NFG release, which, at this point in their career is probably a good thing, despite what the haters say. Don't get me wrong, I love the older NFG material, but at some point a band has to start maturing their sound, and I think with this album, NFG might be starting down that path. Here's the thing though, I'm not sure if they're "there" yet. This album has almost an in-between kind of feel to it, like a band searching for where exactly it wants to be. I just picked it up today though, so in a few more weeks, I'll have a better idea of whether or not it's a winner. I'll give it a tentative thumbs up, but only because it's NFG, and ya gotta support the florida scene.
Awake by Secondhand Serenade - This is totally a MySpace pick up, and is straight up acoustic emo. If you're a fan of such a thing, check them out. Gavin and I have both added this to our playlists lately, and it seems to fit pretty well. Maybe is my personal pick. Great acoustic guitar. Available on iTunes like all music should be.
Rikky Walsh is a friend of mine from back home. The Besties is the band he's in these days up in Brooklyn. Their CD is really a lot of fun and if you're ever feeling blue, it'll make you smile. Check it out.
Here's their new music video. Thanks be to YouTube.
I've always been a big John Mayer fan. I'm really kind of a fan of sissy rock all together, but especially John. His early stuff from when he was just some dude singing in Atlanta bars is some of the most talented acoustic music I've ever heard. The original 'Neon' for instance, still blows my mind.
When he went pop star and blew up, a certain element seemed to disappear. It didn't have the same bluesy influence that characterized his earlier work, it was more of the light-rock-for-ladies kind of thing, which again, is okay by me.. just.. something to listen to in private, not you know, with the fellas.
I heard his new song on the radio the other day, and it had traces of that original down home kinda feel to it. Pseudo-political undertones in music can quickly come across as cheesy, but the blues feel to this song I really like, and I especially like some of the lyrics.
and when you trust your television what you get is what you got cause when they own the information, oh they can bend it all they want
Damn right John. That's why you should go social. But yeah, "waiting on the world to change" is the name of it. Go get you some.
Kathy Sierra is a great writer. I love her style and have been a fan of her Head First books since my java "greenhorn" days over at javaranch.com. By the way, I credit the cow game for my certification ;).
Her blog, Creating Passionate Users, is a great read. I tend to be really busy though and sometimes bloglines gets really backed up on me. Her posts are usually cut out of the "catch up" routine. Not because of quality, but because of size. They take a committed reader, a passionate reader if you will (hah), to make it through.
Anyway, my bloglines account was backed up again tonight, only this time I decided to read one of her entries. I'm really glad I did.
"Hooverin' and the space between notes" is about things not said. The pauses in a great debate or a speech, the space between notes in music, the empty spaces on a clean design, the timing of a comedian.
There's something special about being calm, cool and collected -- in design or in presentation. It's an easy going confidence that draws your audience in. You can usually tell when someone is full of bull by their insistent need to fill silence. You can see a comedians nerves shake if they're timing is wrong. To bring it back home, you can tell when web sites are overcompensating for their lack of defined mission or focus by their clutter. Same with their feature set. Don't try to "boil the ocean", as someone recently advised us.
It's not just about the notes, it's also the spaces between them. That's sound advice that I'll gladly listen to ;) (my attempt at an Alveyism-tie-in)
Facebook goes corporate - I've said it before.. Facebook is the one in primeposition, not MySpace. I'm very curiousto see if the college seniors bring their social network addictionsinto the work place with them. I'm betting yes.
Is there any particularly good reason why O-Rock and 740 both disappeared?
I gotta say that's pretty awesome. If I had to come up with a list of people who I would like to see get the medal, B.B. King would probably be on it.
Card board boxes are friggin' expensive. I've never bought them new before. I guess I just figured I had such a small place, I wouldn't need many. Wrong. This place is a wreck. I'm drowning in cardboard and bubble wrap as I try to orchestrate a quick like departure (my tenant moves in next friday). I'm rocking out though. I figure leaving D.C. justifies an overdose of 
