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I got my new MacBook Pro yesterday. It's fast, thin, Front Row works great, and it was super-easy to move all of the data from my old Powerbook hard drive to the new machine. Even the packaging had a good "wow" factor. My first impressions on the differences between this and the Powerbook:
In less-thrilling news, Apple announced the iPod Hi-Fi this afternoon. It's expensive, there's nothing really groundbreaking about it, and it's not portable with that iPod hanging off the top of it. I guess I was just expecting to see something with some crazy new features. Two strikes for Apple with this and the new silly-expensive leather cases today. At least the new Intel Mac Minis look good, even if I was hoping for some new whizz-bang features. I'll buy one of those as soon as they can put a HDTV tuner in there and I can use it as my PVR.
Update: I think the Hi-Fi makes a lot more sense if it's not thought of as a portable device first, but rather a home iPod system. It seems that's how Apple is marketing it.
Jerad posted this in Mac | Comments (9)
I've been inspired by Arrested Development's GOB lately to seek out and listen to Europe's "The Final Countdown." I've been watching a lot of the show, and that song is his excellent choice for his magic show's backing music. It makes me want to shuffle and dance around with a deck of cards in one hand, a colorful scarf in the other, and a knife between my teeth.
Last night I uploaded a few more photos to my Flickr account. There are a lot of pics from last week's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show, my dissected, busted Powerbook, and December's Mark Gardener show at the Paradise lounge.
Now playing: Queen - Greatest Hits
Jerad posted this in Music | Comments (1)
Web 2.0. If you don't get it, you're web has-been, living in the past. It seems that the connecting thread between all things labeled "Web 2.0" are that they're supposed to make you more productive. Unfortunately, as I've become more and more interested in how I can use some of these tools my productivity has been plummeting. I'm not trying to make a direct connection between these two items; I'm just really feeling like I'm not getting anything done. Part of my current excuse is that I'm in-between Macs since the PB was sacrificed to the Guinness candle gods. I have Big Plans to Get Stuff Done when I finally get my MacBook Pro later this week. For now, I'll just list some sites that I think can make my web life better if I actually use them.
Lifehacker - The mothership of How To Be Productive. I check it daily, and make notes and bookmark links that could be helpful. Next, I need to make a move on everything that I discover and save from there.
Flickr - Everybody likes to share their photos and search through other people's photos. It's easy to use and is fun.
blackrimglasses - This is a new discovery of mine, from the guy who brought the web one of my favorite websites ever. He has some good tips on how he best uses his always-online tools. Plus he has great taste in music.
43 Folders - The blog of productivity guru Merlin Mann. I actually prefer one of his other blogs, but that off the topic of this post, isn't it?
NetNewsWire - Using an RSS reader is the best thing that's happened to my web browsing in the past year. I've really missed this aggregator while I've been Mac-less since I'm too lazy to set up another reader on my Windows laptop.
Please let me know what other websites, blogs, or software I could use to make me feel like I need to be doing more.
MacBook Pro Feeling Tracker: Shipped from Shanghai this morning! Excited! Impatient!
Jerad posted this in Thinking | Comments (0)
A friend asked me today about the Arctic Monkeys after seeing a Globe writeup on their album. I don't religiously follow release dates like I used to do - I can probably tell you the exact dates that Monster (9/27/94), OK Computer (7/3/97), Be Here Now (8/26/97, but it's on the cover) and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (9/10/96) were released* - but I was surprised to hear that this album was just getting a US release. Of course, I've heard about it's #1 debut and all the hype in the UK, but these songs have actually been on the radio, and not just British Accents. I'm curious to see how much of the UK hype machine carries over to the Colonies. Now that I think of it, a 1-2 month delay between British and American releases isn't that bad, considering the months and years that it took for some albums from Kula Shaker, Muse, and many others. Even if the release dates are the "same", the UK still gets its new albums on Monday and we have to wait and wait until Tuesday. This used to matter to me a lot more when I was in college and was at the midnight sale once every month or so, but I still get steamed up about it.
*Correct me if I'm wrong
MacBook Pro feeling tracker: Not yet shipped, optimistic
Now Playing: Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Jerad posted this in Albums | Comments (0)
1. The guy in the new Volkswagen commercial who tells his girlfriend, "Honey, it's really hard for me to enjoy the sound of the engine with all that yakkin'." The overall "My Fast" concept is a bit daft, but I just like the way he says "yakkin."
2. On Arrested Development, Tobias Funke's decision to persue a new career. It's a combination of an analyst and a therapist, we can call it an "analrapist." He made cards.
Jerad posted this in Nuttin Much | Comments (2)
I'm in San Jose today, waiting to go out and meet with the customer. Last night I went to a Warriors-Clippers basketball game. It was my first pro b-ball game. The court looks much smaller in real life than it does on TV. Tonight I'm going to go into SF and maybe eat at this restaurant. Then I'm back on a plane to Boston tomorrow and I'll see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Avalon. I might go snowboarding this weekend. Does anyone want to come along? I promise no more boring posts like this.
Jerad posted this in Nuttin Much | Comments (2)
I was getting a bit bored with the pairs figure skating last night and I remembered that I really wanted to see if John Stewart would have much to say about our Veep on The Daily Show. Boy am I glad I changed channels. He started the episode by asking if you'd had one of those really great weekends where something wonderful happened, and then looked up and thanked Jesus (it's funny, you know, cuz he's Jewish). John and the reporters proceeded to say "The Vice President shot a 78 year old man in the face" as many times as they possibly could in as many different contexts as possible. About halfway through this, I realized that they weren't even trying to make jokes about it any more and that they had realized that this phrase was pure humor that needed no embelleshment. I think our favorite part was the caption under Ed Helms that just said "Man stops Vice Presidential bullet with face."
I don't want to come across as uncaring; I really am glad that Mr. Whittington seems to be doing alright. The Daily Show just went way beyond how far I thought that they could take a joke. Nice work.
Apple is still telling me that my MacBook Pro will ship by tomorrow. I hope it's soon, not just because I really want my computer, but because the forums in the support section of the Apple site are getting increasingly nasty as people keep posting fake "It's shipped!" threads.
Update - It's a love/hate Apple day. They've bumped my processor up to 1.83 GHz from 1.67 GHz for free, but now they're saying that it will ship by 2/28. I just want my MacBook!
Now playing: The Magic Numbers - S/T
Jerad posted this in Nuttin Much | Comments (0)
I woke up this morning to see the new ice age outside my windows. It was the perfect day to make some hot chocolate, curl up on the couch, listen to my new CDs, and stay warm. I only got as far as the hot chocolate before I bundled up and headed into the storm to the WMFO studio for the 1-3 pm British Accents show. Somerville was a ghost town on the way there. On the not-quite-a-mile walk I think I saw about 4-5 cars braving the roads (and some idiots without headlights on). The visibility was no more than 50 yards for most of the walk since it was quite windy and the snow was the dry powerdy stuff.
So, I made it to the studio, turned on the transmitter (the previous DJ couldn't make it in), and the got the music rolling. This was probably the most fun and frantic show I've done at WMFO. I had about ten phone calls, compared with the one or two that I usually have, and three more requests over IM. I was able to play almost everything that was requested, from St. Etienne to David Bowie to Happy Mondays. It was good to know that I had a captive audience since most people weren't spending their Sundays out and around town and were instead stuck in front of their radios or computers. The walk back was a little easier since the roads and some sidewalks were cleared, but the wind was still blowing in my face (why did that happen both ways?).
The show will be archived here for the next week, but not under the British Accents link. It can be found in the shows that are archived from 1-3 pm since the programming schedule has recently changed.
By the way, I'd like to hear if you were the one prank-seducing me with your requests. I was so confused.
The playlist is after the jump.
Jerad posted this in Radio | Comments (1)
I hope that I can finish writing this post about the Sigur Ros show without it getting eaten by my browser. As I mentioned, I saw Sigur Ros and Amina play at the Orpheum Theater on Tuesday night. I had forgotten to prepare myself to be blown away, so I was. I didn't really know much about Amina before the show except that they were a string quartet of four (as quartets are) women. Calling them a string quartet, though, is a bit of an understatement. Between almost every song they were switching from instrument to instrument, including bells, laptop, strings (naturally), and a bowed saw. It's such a beautiuflly odd thing to see a saw used as gentle theremin-like instrument. I picked up their EP in between the two bands' sets. It's good, but it doesn't have the same energy that they had on stage. The best description of the band that I've been able to come up with is that they're like Mum, without the vocals.
Sigur Ros came on stage and played the first song behind a translucent curtain, which was the first of a few colored curtains that they would use to enhance the backlighting and shadows on stage. Everything, from the lights to the music, gels so perfectly when they play that the only apt descriptions are the cliched superlatives - sublimely perfect, Heaven's house band, etc. The band on the stage was arranged so that no band member was obscured; they lined up 4 across in the front, with the Amina girls occassionally helping out in the back. The show closed with a trance-inducing playing of track 8 from the ( ) album. The drum beats in the middle of that song get the music moving until the crescendo at the end pushes everything off the cliff. And then it's over, with everyone in their seats trying to believe what they just heard. There's a good review at Random Musings from someone who remembered to buy tickets the last few times that they were in town, as well.
I didn't explore it as much as I should've, but it seemed like there were speakers set up against the back wall of the orchestra section. At the end of a few songs, it really sounded like the music was surrounding me, and the things on the back wall looked like speakers...can anyone confirm this? I really don't think it was just the reflected sound. This full enveloping experience was a great sensation and this is exactly the band who can and should pull it off. Another interesting crowd phenomenon was the silence that most people felt the bands deserved while they played. I actually heard a few "shushs" during Amina's set. Unfortunately, there were quite a few girls up front who really liked to hear themselves yell between songs, and while I usually don't object to that (I mean, it's a concert), the atmosphere there was just different. It wasn't appropriate while these bands played; it's almost like they deserved the audience's reverence, as silly as that might sound.
Throughout the show I was thinking about how their sound is really quite shoegaze-influenced with the distorted bowed electric guitar becoming a wall of sound with the keyboards and propulsive bass and drums. I felt like this must be close to what a My Bloody Valentine show, although I don't think I'd substitute anything for a real MBV show, given the chance.
I realized that Sigur Ros are one of those bands who I know I love, but don't pay enough attention to them until something reminds me, like this show. I've been listening to their three albums almost non-stop since Tuesday night. They always put on some of the best performances that remind me why live is truly the best way to experience a band, regardless of how good their recordings might be. If anyone comes across a recording of this show, let me know. I'd love to add this to my collection.
Now playing: Sigur Ros - ( )
Jerad posted this in Live | Comments (3)
My long, in-depth review of the Sigur Ros & Amina show was just eaten and spit out into the interweb's netherregions, never to be read and enjoyed by my hundreds of daily readers. I had just finished writing my rant about Fox scheduling their 2-hour season finale of Arrested Development against the Olympics opening ceremonies on Friday when I was checking the Fox site for the exact air time. That's when the browser crashed, and I know it's no coincidence. You can't silence me, Rupert!
I'll try to recreate something of the show review. Needless to say, it was an incredibly good show.
Now playing: Amina - AnimaminA EP
Jerad posted this in Complaints | Comments (1)
Michael Stipe has started the In The Sun Foundation that's providing help to the people displaced by last year's gulf coast hurricanes. He has this to say about the project:
I wanted to do something to help the displaced people of the gulf coast. So many people feel that we are living in divisive times, and I wanted to do something that might help unite all Americans to recognize that these are our people who are victims of hurricanes katrina and rita. I believe that in joining together we can begin to heal the trauma that has changed so many of their lives forever. We are a great people, and it is in unity that we reach greatness. I hope that this song helps.
I heard on NPR this morning that housing benefits for displaced families will be expiring over the next few weeks. The head of FEMA said something to the effect that they would assume that those who hadn't called to "register a code" to extend their benefits had obviously found alternate accomodations. I can't believe that the rebuilding (of both buildings and lives) of the gulf coast isn't a more pressing issue in our nation now. This is a full-scale ongoing distaster that's happened within our borders. How can we be expected to help people overseas if we can't even take care of our own?
Jerad posted this in Music | Comments (0)
I've been meme'd. The latest craze that is sweeping the b***osphere (I refuse to write out that word) is to make lists of four things about you. I'd guess this isn't going over well in Japan, where "4" is synonymous with "death."
Places I've lived
Shippensburg, PA
State College, PA
Leeds, England
Somerville, MA
Jobs I had
Subway Sandwich Artist
Cold storage warehouse french fry re-packager
Nittany Notes-taker
Rubber hose cutter
Guitars I've owned (and their names)
Epiphone LP-100 (Thom)
Alvarez acoustic (Jarvis)
Rickenbacker 360 (Justine)
Fender Coronado XII (still unnamed - any suggestions?)
Places I've vacationed
Outer Banks, North Carolina
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Italy
The Bahamas
TV Shows I watch
Lost
The West Wing
Arrested Development
The Office
Websites I visit daily
Gizmodo
Murmurs
Gmail
Foxtrot
Places I'd rather be right now
London
Any place where R.E.M. is playing
Venice
City Light Records, State College
Songs I could listen to again and again
"Frittering" - Mercury Rev
"Do You Remember The First Time?" - Pulp
"Drive Blind" (umm, yeah) - Ride
"I Know It's Over" - The Smiths
Foods I love
Shrimp scampi
Onion pretzels
Key lime pie
Meatball sub
People I'm tagging
You
You
You
And You
Jerad posted this in About Me | Comments (4)
You've gotta love a holiday dedicated to a rodent that's been made into a classic (yes, classic) movie starring Bill Murray. I just ordered the DVD, so I can pop Groundhog Day in if the Super Bowl gets boring.
I just entered the names of all of the tracks from Sufjan Stevens' Illinois album in iTunes. Those titles make Morrissey's look minimalist.
Speaking of Moz, in case you haven't seen it everywhere else yet, the cover of his new album Ringleader of the Tormentors is floating around. Let's hope that his gigs at SXSW mean that there's something of an American tour coming. Until then, I'll just enjoy my latest Netflix DVD, Who Put the "M" in Manchester?, a memento of his last tour.
Finally, Torr has a bit about Death Cab For Cutie and Franz Ferdinand touring together this spring. The only time I saw DCFC was from the nosebleeds in the Fleet Center when they were opening for Pearl Jam. It wasn't quite the right way to see them.
Now playing: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Jerad posted this in Nuttin Much | Comments (0)
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