So, I’d like to actually write an entry but there isn’t much going on right now that interests me right now. The biggest, most interesting thing going on in the media right now in my opinion has got to be the whole Boston v. Aquateen Hunger Force scandal. It has got to be the most ridiculous case of paranoia and stupidity I’ve ever seen in this country.The city officials in Boston should be the ones facing trial not these two guys. They caused mass hysteria and wasted tons of taxpayer money with this whole affair and insane. I especially love their insistance on calling a glorified Lite Brite a “Hoax Device” seeing as their whole case exists on some bizarre premise that light up advertising boards with cartoon characters and D-Cell batteries somehow look like bombs.To be perfectly honest I think this is one of the most interesting things to happen in our country for a long time. If these guys get any sort of punishment it’ll be a grave injustice in our legal system.I’d like to contribute something to the discussion about it but to be perfectly honest.. I don’t think there is anything left to add from my angle.For those uninformed, the best place I’ve found to get info regarding the topic has been Boing Boing.

I wrote an article over at MediaRebellion!

Hell is freezing over.

When I was young I really desperately wanted to have an arcade machine in my home. I remember that actually one Christmas I took all the money my family had given me for my birthday and Christmas and invested it in a bank account solely for the purpose of saving up enough money to buy an NBA Jam arcade machine.

Well it’s years later and I still have that dream. My love for NBA Jam has come and gone but something has stayed the same. For years I have put on my Christmas list that I know I will not recieve, but do anyway: A Dodge Viper, a Ms. Pac Man arcade machine and a Guns N’ Roses Pinball machine.

Well, it’s been years and well that money… that account grew a lot, it’s actually enough money to barely cover the purchase of an arcade machine. So I’ve decided, once I’m in and settled in Chicago I’m going to honor this promise I made to myself years and years ago and buy a machine. G N’ R Pinball’s not going to happen, at least not till I’m mega rich… those machines are R A R E. However NAMCO put out something that recently caught my eye:

PAC-MAN 25th Anniversary Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga… all in one machine.

It will be mine.. oh yes, it will be mine. I think younger me would be pleased.

It seems as if Midtown, while not officially broken up, will not be preforming or recording any longer… at least not any time soon… if ever.

I think I’m going to have to suck it up soon and buy the Cobra Starship record and attempt to like it.

…and I was just about ready to accept my inner angsty hipster too.

Oh well.

No matter how BS it is or how many times I read it… this always manages to make me laugh.
Very interesting, very thorough.

So, I’m home sick from work today and bored as heck.  In an effort to cheer me up my friend Robin pointed me to an Amazon.com link for Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 fl oz.

That quite possibly might be the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen. Who in their right mind would buy a perishable food item online? Especially considering that with shipping and handling to get the item to your household without spoiling it might cost you as much as 10 times the price of going to your local store.

The best part by far is the product reviews, all 835 (and counting) of them that get a good laugh at the absurdity of the idea.  A worthwhile read.

For knowing exactly how to put it.

That is all

-J

Since March I’ve received a lot of feedback regarding my cleaned up remix of the Gimp version of ‘Supernothing.’ (In case you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about, take a look at this post here.) In fact the .mp3 file generates the majority of the traffic that this site receives. So much so that I needed to up my hosting plan. I don’t mind though. As a Streetlight Manifesto fan I’m just glad to be contributing and helping other people enjoy their music as much as I do. I’m really glad people are grateful for the work I did and I really appreciate the comments and messages regarding it. Most of which come from people from Skachilles (the official unofficial Streetlight Manifesto message board.)

It’s because of those messages that I’m prompted to write this. The majority of them come with curiosity as to what I’m working on and encouragement that I work on more. Most ask me to take a crack at Catch-22’s ‘Rules of the Game’ EP. I figured I should post something of a follow up to that since I get asked so often. Although I’m a graphic designer, not an audio engineer, back in March I was excited at the work I’d done and I took a serious stab at remixing ‘I’m Better Than You’. I even went as far as to buy good studio headphones to work on the project. However, once I got into it I found that the recordings of ‘RotG’ are a bit more challenging than ‘Supernothing’ was. Partially due to the recording quality, partially due to the speed / intensity of the songs themselves and mostly due to my own lack of expertise.

With ‘Supernothing’ there is a lot of silence and lows in the song. That gives me more to work with to take out the ambient tape noise. When working with a song like ‘I’m Better Than You’ that’s not so much the case. Thus far I’ve had no luck with any of the other recordings and haven’t produced anything worth releasing or commenting on here. I haven’t given up entirely, but at this time it’s not within my skill level, nor is it high on my list of priorities. (No offense!) While I appreciate all the encouragement and feedback, what it comes down to is… I’m a graphic designer, not an audio engineer. It’s just something I tried out and got lucky with. I’m going to keep trying and I’ll keep you guys posted should I manage any other future miracles, but I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up too much.

Thanks again for the interest and kind words, keep me in your bookmarks if something pops up, here will be where to find it.

‘Peace out bitches!’

The Prestige was everything a good movie should be. It had everything: thrills, suspense, mystery, heartbreak, humor and romance.

Much applause for Chistopher Nolan who really put together a fine film. I was also floored by the excellent cast and the stellar performances all around.

2006 has been a great year for movies, I’m curious what the holiday season will bring.

Apparently Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, was a bit annoyed by Green Day’s 2005 DVD ‘Bullet In a Bible’. In particular the performance of American Idiot and how Billie Joe pumps the audience during it.

“I just thought it was really cheap,” he explained. “To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren’t taking it the same way that he meant it. And he [Billie Joe Armstrong] knew it.”

After reading the article I tend to agree with him. There are parts of ‘Bullet In A Bible’ that kinda struck me as Green Day deliberately missing their own point and playing up anti-American hatred. That said, to get offended is kinda ridiculous if you ask me. What were they supposed to do, not play the song?

That said the phenomenon he’s referring to does bother me. While I was in Ireland in 2004 there were a ton of kids wearing ‘Not My President’ shirts with swastikas drawn on Bush’s forehead. I wore that shirt with pride as an American just as I sing along to American Idiot. With pride in my nation and what it stands for, in civil disagreement of my government’s policies. Not because I hate my nation, but because I love it. Somehow I don’t think those kids in Europe get that. In that sense I agree with Flowers and it scares me.
It’s just a shame it he’s saying it a year too late and for shamless self promotion:

The Killers frontman said he believed that his band’s new album ‘Sam’s Town’ is a much better representation of America.

“People need to see that, really, there are the nicest people in the world here!” he declared. “I don’t know if our album makes you realise that. But I hope it’s from a more positive place.”

(Via Punknews)