kthxbye

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EN4GS6KL

This is a mix I put together to help me rhino-charge through the last remaining days of one of the most soul sucking semesters ever - these last 4 or 5 weeks especially. Add in a couple of recent 12-hour work days and I'm sure as shinola gonna need the crutch of some slammin' tunes to keep me up and balanced enough to finish the 2148-8#*8098 projects that are due in five minutes. Hence, this mix.

The only two Geico commercials that matter

The commercials where the cavemen have dialog just don't cut it, they're... let us say... "cheaper" in a way. Now, the two that I have posted here... these are the ones that matter. The airport one has always been the long running favorite of mine: This actor deserves his own super-cool-awesome-looking award for the brilliant and subtle acting as well as the face he put on after seeing the Geico add. He's all like, "I can't believe this, of all the... No no no... I won't let this make me angry. I'm better than this."
Just this very morning I saw the motorcycle commercial and it too tickled my fancy. It's not as potent as the airport one but the reactions of both the cavemen and the modestly-dressed/intentioned women are primo. The caveman depicted on the billboard is also chuckle-worthy.

Good stuff, man. Good stuff.

Mere words cannot justify

Mounting empirical evidence continues to lean in favor of Half-Priced Books. Case-in-point:

Exhibit: Quadruple-Z

Four months ago the retail asking price for this game was 50 dollars American. Fifty. Five. Zero. American. And while I think most Paradox titles are pretty slick this was not a price I was willing to pay. Historical grand-strategy games are cool even though I kinda suck at them but, oh well, no big deal. Fast-forward to this afternoon. I was running ahead of schedule and my route would bring me to pass HPB, so why not stop in and see what treasures have come in? What treasures indeed...

If you would please draw your attention to the subtle indicators of what Half-Priced Books so graciously charged. Not one, but two! Two price tags, as if to boast the store's supreme awesomeness: "Holy crap I rule! I don't want to rub it in your face but I'm going to anyway." I actually let out an audible little yelp when I saw this on the shelf. Oh yeah, a yelp. I didn't care what people thought, I was stoked. I bought the game at, like, a million billion percent discount. Thank you Half-Priced Books. Thank you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have history to re-write.

I love me some SPORE

My super-mega-awesome wife bought SPORE for my birthday. It's a way awesome computer game that I've lost precious hours of sleep while playing. To call it a game is only doing it half the justice it deserves. It also has a creation mode where you can make creatures, structures and various modes of transportation. Lately I've been playing the creator engine more than I have playing the actual game. I think it's a fun way to wind down at the end of the day to try and piece together the most cockeyed lookin' .... thing... imaginable. Below is a collection of some of my creations. Download and try the demo.

Spore is legit, man. Legit.

...............Trip..........

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SLXX39YR

Dead Meadow get it. Their music is organic, essential. It has an endearing quality that I’ve heard in very, very few other bands. Through the years they have earned the reputation for songs which lay solid, romping rhythmic foundations that eventually climb higher and higher soaring into freeform liquid sky-jams. Other songs stay nestled close to the campfire opting only to look up. Either path taken it is music that works from the inside out. All you have to do is let them in. “Time Dilation” is my invitation to you; my invitation to slip into the right headspace and allow Dead Meadow take you for the journey – A trip on which I embark frequently.

This was a difficult but fun mix to compile. Overall I wanted this to be an accurate representation of what Dead Meadow is capable of. These selections come from four separate albums: The re-issued S/T, Shivering King and Others, Feathers and Old Growth. As with the creation of mixes one is passionate about, I had to make some tough cuts. Track sequence was of utmost importance. Careful consideration went into pace, sound and vibe. This is an album, an experience – and a heavy one at that. It will demand a great deal from you. So, make the proper preparations… Pour a glass of your favorite beverage. Dim the lights. Bust out your cushy headphones. Ease in. Fortify yourself from all outside distractions. Press play. Submit.

Onward.

Upward.

And out…

Preperations for capstone lecture

Perception of loudness. Cochlea. Macrochronic Processes. Quasi-stationary processes. Membrane fluiditiy. Quarter tones. Whole tones. Phons. Air Chambers. Anechoic Chambers. Haas effect. Sound Reinforcement. Milliseconds. Phase issues. One over delta frequency. Duration threshold. Cupcakes. Bi-aural localization. Picofarads. Effects of fatigue. non-homogeneous sounds. Intonation Inaccuracies. Audibility of distortion. Volume fluctuation.

Holy crap, what was I thinking? Psychoacoustics? I could've done something like microphone anatomy or something. Instead I chose to merge two of the most complicated and contradictory things. Physics alone, with all it's cold, objective calculations is enough to make my left hemisphere explode, tie that in with all the subjective unknowns of the human mind and I've got a strong, legitimate formula for M-M-M-M-M-MADNESS!!!!!! (*&A # E R*&c8 7gtT^ F* ) uc)(8y*&(C*&*& T$# F8 g 49hG*C*&G C&c7c7Cy4hy 897G*YD*(*&(Y^*&cg G4#hfrhgf0*(CH 9ce789e76R CIUGEF9 *(YUV t7vrt
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Mitchell thinks it's funny to gag himself...

Let's talk about the weather

Hey look! It's snowing outside! It's a whiteout! And after the spring-like weather during last week? And now everybody's all groaning and dragging their knuckles about it. Mwahahaha!! I LOVE IT! I love hearing people bellyache about winter, it strengthens me. I love how the weather in NE Ohio this time of the year totally toys with us. It's like while we were sleeping Sunday night old man winter gently eased himself down to our ears, stroked our hair and said: "Awww, aren't you sweet? did you like playing outside in the park with your loved ones? Did you enjoy that cute little impromptu BBQ you had with all your little buddies last weekend? Good. I'm happy for you. NOW SUCK IT!!!!!" The next morning we're scraping ice off our windshields.

And everybody always acts so surprised when the weather throws us a curveball like this: "Awww man, I just peeled off the plastic from my windows, what just happened?!" What happened? WHAT HAPPENED? I tell you what happened, weakling: The same thing that happens every other week during this time of year! And guess what, it's gonna keep doing this until late April/May.

But, there's an upside. We as Ohioans are natural ADAPTERS. Deep down we're warriors. Because of these unstable climate blips we're ready for anything. If a nuclear winter happens to plague our planet, we will be the ones to emerge from our fallout shelters to re-build and re-populate - First thing on the agenda: Get Daffy Dans started up again - "Kiss me, I survived the nuclear holocaust." The strength is in us Cleveland! Buck up! You're a weather-hardened people. Quit crying.

Anyway, it's going to be a sad, sad day when Dick Goddard dies on us. It takes a special breed of weathermen to work at any TV station in the NE OHIO region, weathermen with BALLS. Dick may not always be ACCURATE, but then again, who can when the weather goes through these cursed climatic convulsions.




We love you, Dick. Your efforts are worthy and noble.

Friday sans Mitchell

Mitchell's Gramma and aunties offered to have him overnight Thursday and all day Friday. Sweeeeeeet. Knowing this well ahead of time, Sarah wisely and humbly called her superior's and told them to "suck it, I'm not commin to work Friday" - I was there, she really said it like that; it made me afraid and kinda turned me on. Knowing that Mitchell was under the watchful care of family who thinks this boy can walk on water, Sarah and I set out to make the most of the time that has been alloted to us. We love Mitchel, more than he will ever comprehend, but ohhhh baby it is was wonderful respite.

First thing's first: We slept in. While it was later reported that Mitchell was awake and ready to conquer the day at 6AM, Mom and Dad slept until the astonishing time of 8:45.... yay....

From there we parted ways. Sarah had a glitzy pampering appointment at 9:15 at Avon or Avean or Avieone or Calvin Cline or wherever the hell women go to do these things. She walked out with an lovely springtime haircut, she is happy with it too - and that right there is reason enough to celebrate. I had studio time booked from 9:30 - noon where I fretted and stressed over ever attempting to take on this burdensome project. It's not easy for a single person to work on something where 3 or 4 people normally would. I win.

We then met up at the West Side Market, a place we've been itching to revisit for some time now. First we had lunch and this Mediterranean place with Emily and her annoying, rude, know-it-all, geekfag friend Bruce or Blaze or whatever his dumb name is. After sitting through his autobiography while eating mediocre food we finally (and not soon enough) made it over to the market. We walked out with (amongst other items) A case of roasted/salted pumpkin seeds; various fresh produce including bell peppers the size of your frikkin head; Doublesmoked spicy brautwurst (it's great - you get a whiff of it everytime you open the fridge, then it lingers forever... I love it) various sweet decadent desserts; cajun spicy smokies (of course.)

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent napping. It was glorious. I miss naps. The fact that they aren't as easily accessible anymore makes me cherish them even more. We made dinner, and then watched Twilight where I was schooled and given heaps of background information by one of the series' rabid fans. Then Letterman came on and we laughed feverishly therein. Sarah fell asleep about 1230. I played Metroid until 3.

Horrah!

His majesty returns today. While it was nice to rejoice in his absence, we celebrate his return.

Mouth full of meat brains

Meat Brain is my first submission to the Big Red Robot Monthly Mixtape Brigade. This particular sequence is a definitive and bold declaration that I'm in it to win it, baby! Meat Brain is actually an older mix that I revisited and polished thus making it more scrumptious. The original title was "QUICK! Shave it then stuff it in the trunk!" (...Don't ask - I don't even remember...)
I feel that the current title is aptly named: Songs thick enough to sink your teeth into, with just enough breathing room for your brain to fill in the gaps. In all it's about 45 minutes long (as most of my mixes will be) and demands that you listen to it from beginning to end in a single sitting (as ALL of my mixes will demand.)

The dinner bell is ringing. Get your fill.