Chiddy Cent.

Surfin’ through MySpace through the Hip Hop charts, trying to find something worthwhile (that’s how I found Snak the Ripper and I’m glad I did). It actually took a bit of time sorting through the trash on the charts, I don’t think they’re quite accurate. Some rapper named ‘Doin Dirt’ is #2 and Jay-z is #22. Anyways, I stumbled upon Chiddy Bang (no relation to 50 as the title would have you believe). I don’t really know what to call their type of music, I guess it’s a mix of Electronic, Indie and Hip Hop. It’s not really music I would go out and look for to add to my personal collection but it caught my eye (and ear) for sure. The first song has a sample from MGMT and is really well done. They’re not huge but they’re getting some recognition for sure as this video has over 500k views on Youtube. I have to give them props for a catchy song with good production and a video that is original and watchable entertaining. I encourage you to watch it in HD if your internet connection can handle it. The second song by them has much less in the way of views (30k) but is also quite good.

Chiddy Bang – Opposite of Adults

 

Chiddy Bang – All Things Go

[Via http://uhvnobrain.wordpress.com]

Things that are NOT okay:

1. No matter how close you are to someone…it is NOT okay to fart! Plug that shit up!

2. If your roommate is getting ready in the bathroom…it is NOT okay to decide you suddenly have to take a shit!

3. It is NOT okay to delete me awesome people from Facebook. Jerk.

4. It is NOT okay Photoshop pictures to make you appear more attractive than you really are!

==>>>

TO:

==>>>

[Via http://laughyourfuckingassoff.wordpress.com]

Nancy Pelosi Sums Up what is Wrong with the Democratic Led Congress and Barack Obama in One Sentence

“But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it” Nancy Pelosi, March 2010.

Let’s be clear, this nasty, evil person, with questionable number of Y chromosomes, is the gift that keeps on giving.  Of course she irritates those of us that are not cerebellar-flat-liners.  We listen to her continued lies, tax the rich, their fare share, we must pass this budget resolution, “500 million new jobs depend upon it”. This person must be relegated to the realm of  ‘in-flight-entertainment’. If she ever was taken seriously by anybody other than her own party, that time has long since past.  The Botox Babe is finished, stick the ole fork in her, she’s done.

With Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson Lee, thank God, Carolyn-Mosley-Brain dead, bit the dust last go around, Barbara Boxer, Mary Landrieu, Debbie Stabenow, Blanch Lincoln, Jeanne Shaheen, Barbara Mikulski, just a few of the usual suspects, Nancy Pelosi outshines them all for being the most vacuous, vapid, and obstreperous.

My guess is there will be a significant number of ’shovel-ready’ jobs digging the plots for both men and women on both the wrong side of the issues of the day.  Random thoughts, while waiting for the stench to be driven from congress, J.C.

By Jim Byrd

Canada Freepress

Nancy Pelosi addressed the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties earlier this week. With her vacuous hyperbole, Pelosi confirmed, yet again, that she and Maxine Waters are cerebrally indistinguishable from cork. Being a fervid pursuant of the prodigiously stupid and the intellectually irrelevant, especially in Congress, I was once again surprised that I could be momentarily startled by any maniacal doctrine Pelosi or Waters verbalized.

//
//

In one sentence, Pelosi transcended everything that has been written or spoken about the health care reform bill. All the conjectures, suppositions, conclusions, and interpretations could not summarize this bill, Congress, and Barack Obama more poignantly than the following first sentence of this paragraph of Pelosi’s speech:

But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy. Furthermore, we believe that health care reform, again I said at the beginning of my remarks, that we sent the three pillars that the President’s economic stabilization and job creation initiatives were education and innovation — innovation begins in the classroom — clean energy and climate, addressing the climate issues in an innovative way to keep us number one and competitive in the world with the new technology, and the third, first among equals I may say, is health care, health insurance reform. Health insurance reform is about jobs. This legislation alone will create 4 million jobs, about 400,000 jobs very soon.

Create 4 million jobs, about 400,000 jobs very soon. This is one of the oldest cons by the Democratic Party. This health care bill will not create one job now, nor in the future. When government pillages an industry of capital through oppressive taxation and regulation, resulting in layoffs or the financial inability to hire labor through a capitalistic eco-system of legitimate supply and demand, then redistribute that capital to another industry with an apocryphal job demand manufactured by the government, the end result is to have only shifted jobs from one sector to another, and by no stretch of the imagination should this be construed as creating jobs.  Complete Article

[Via http://dancingczars.wordpress.com]

Miley Cyrus Live Chat

MySpace will host an exclusive live chat with Miley Cyrus and the cast of Touchstone Pictures’ “The Last Song”  Click More for all the info.

Saturday, March 13th at 5:00 pm ET/2:00 pm PT on www.myspace.com/mileycyrus. Chat participants also include Liam Hemsworth, Greg Kinnear, Kelly Preston, author Nicholas Sparks, and director Julie Anne Robinson. Viewers will be able to interact via their MySpace, Twitter and Facebook by posting questions for the cast, director and novelist as the chat is happening. Don’t miss it!

[Via http://radiozone.radio.com]

"Right After We Had Sex..."

The Internet is a weird place.

A while ago I was in a series of sketches for Comedybox and Channelflip called The Very Real Adventures of Batman & Robin. In them, I played Warren a disturbed stoner who attached himself to Batman & Robin, and… Ah, the plot’s not important.

Yesterday, a German electro ‘musician’ called, as far as I can tell, Waterblip, wrote to Jamie (the director) to let him know that he had used samples from the series in his new songs. Mainly me droning “right after we had sex.”

So, if you’re into minimalist Euro-electro with samples from obscure Web comedy serieses put to squelchy beats ad want to hear something vaguely disturbing, I suggest you go to Waterblip’s MySpace page, and listen to the track called ‘Right After’. Alternatively, you could mash yourself in the ears with a dessert spoon for three minutes and 16 seconds.

You know you’ve hit the big time, when you’re being sampled in techno songs…

(Is it still called ‘techno’? You know, the one with the computers…)

[Via http://nathanieltapley.wordpress.com]

Conflict Resolution: Simple Change

How much time do you spend trying to resolve a conflict by changing the view, opinion or emotional response of the person you’re in the midst of a disagreement with?  You both have opinions on a subject that are, in your own opinions right on the money.  You both have an angle on the subject that just makes sense, and can’t for the life of you understand why the other just won’t get it.  However, one simple change in behavior, one tweak of your response to this situation will dramatically improve your success in resolving conflict and moving forward in a mutually beneficial way.

I’ve learned something over the years that applies to this situation.  If you approach these disagreements with the position that you’re right and that’s it, people put their shields up.  They dig in for the long haul and aren’t likely to back down.  You reciprocate with the same behavior in response to their own defensive posture and it’s a fight until someone breaks.  My dad always said, listen calmly to the other person’s opinion with an open mind that you may indeed be incorrect.  You might actually be wrong, and sincerely hearing what they say, and taking it into real genuine consideration, open the door for the person you’re speaking with to “lower the shields”.  They feel the intent behind your conversation as you really examine their point of view, not just give them a chance to talk.  That little change builds a bridge between the two of you towards a solution.

You might actually be correct in your view point.  You might not ever really consider the direction they want, much less changing your point of view.  But just showing that you’re willing to at least consider is a gesture that is usually well received.  You may even, in simply submitting yourself to the idea of being wrong, clear your mind enough to see that you actually are!  You may find that there is a better way to proceed that is neither yours nor theirs, but a blend of both that only open conversation between two people engaged in finding a solution together can see will appear. 

Give it a try.  This isn’t a “tactic” to get your way or manipulate the situation, it’s a simple method to remove everyone’s defenses from the situation and find the best way to resolve a conflict.  The best way, the mutual success is what we’re after.  It breeds success, builds relationships and moves teams forward.

Please let me know what you think.  Leave a comment, or connect with me on Twitter and let’s discuss your thoughts and experiences.  http://twitter.com/matt_schmitt/

Matthew Schmitt

[Via http://matthew-schmitt.com]

Bravotoosero: A bad John

Bravotoosero: Bad guy

Ladies, please be aware of this board member or handle : “Bravotoosero, Kl505, OnePanther, Panther1, Bravo115, Bravo

I did an out call to his hotel in Los Angles CA. He did not want to render the payment for the services and taken my clothes and threw them into the hallway of the hotel and threaten me he would call the police.

[Via http://liarcheatingbastard.wordpress.com]

love hurts.

Peep the new video to Nivea’s newest song, “Love Hurts”.

I am a fan of Nivea’s music, because she seems to have some artistic control, she has a strong pen game, a lovely voice and most importantly (for this blog entry at least), she wears her heart on her sleeve.  She has her fun club songs, swagger and confidence songs, but she also has love songs that seem to express from the heart her emotions (check “Complicated” and “ILY”).  This new track is no different.  What strikes me about the song and particularly about the video is how fearless she is in confronting her imperfections, her indiscretions and her pain.  By getting Lil’ Wayne (her ex and babyfather) to star in the video as her love interest, she’s vividly bringing to life her regret. There’s no subtext – only text.  Personally I don’t know how wise it is to be so utterly open with your conflicted emotions and reliving your love found and lost for all to see, but it’s undeniably brave and makes for compelling reading and listening.

I remember when I started my course at uni and I told a couple of people that I had some of my music on myspace.  One of them who went and listened to it said that he was really surprised how deep the lyrics were for someone of my age.  I think part of it is to do with my upbringing, seeing my parents constantly battling, going back and forth between love and hate, raging arguments that occasionally got quite violent.  As a child, it was a lot to handle and I don’t think that it’s something that ever leaves you, although I also readily acknowledge that many people go through a lot worse.  But that was more than enough for me to handle.  I think that being taught from an early age that “love is pain” is a realistic but not particularly healthy lesson to learn, and I often wonder how I ended up as seemingly well-adjusted as I have! *insert laughter here* I think that’s why I’ve often had tortured feelings for people I can’t have, why I blatantly have control issues (being conscious of power games), daddy issues and have emotionally attached myself to older, bad-boy style men, and why I was so nervous in starting my current relationship.  It took me about a month and a half to really see and appreciate how lucky I am, how wonderful my boyfriend is and to learn just to breathe, take it easy and start to be open to him about my vulnerabilities, my flaws and all.

Who knows what will happen in the future?  But right now, I am learning that although sometimes love does hurt and has hurt me in the past, it doesn’t always have to be that way.  Love can lift you up, and should lift you up more than it tears you down.  If I were either of my parents, I would have gotten divorced.  But although as a child I prayed for that nightly at times, I am glad that they didn’t and I admire their strength of commitment even though I still wholeheartedly believe that if it were me, I wouldn’t have deemed it worth it to go through what they went through.  But my parents’ relationship is not really any of my business – it’s between them and I can only complain when their shit affects me (which I do, when appropriate).  When does the point come when you put yourself first, your sanity and your heart?  Watching the above video, I wonder if Nivea has really started putting herself first or if she’s still in the midst of an emotional battle and a broken heart?  It is compelling viewing and listening, but it also really makes me think and I wonder if heartbreak and anguish is something a singer has to go through in order to really be able to write heartfelt lyrics and lend vocal credence and soul to singing those lyrics.  I guess that that’s why I had that feedback (and received comments on my lyrics and vocals throughout my singing ‘career’ to date) from my songs on myspace.  To me, my lyrics can and will get deeper as I continue to write and record, and my voice is edgier and more soulful live than it is on record.  (Those are my shortcomings with the technology, which is a constant work in progress!)

In short, I (like Nivea, I suppose) wear my heart on my sleeve, feel pain and am glad to be finally learning to appreciate love without the hurt that has come with it in the past, both in what I’ve experienced and also what I’ve learned from those surrounding me. I wonder if however, Nivea is torturing herself further by putting herself back in the situation with having Weezy in the video.  For me, that reenactment would rip me apart inside.  However she manages to keep it together, she’s a braver person than me and I salute that commitment to artistry and to baring one’s soul.

[Via http://iamchase.wordpress.com]

Social Media Etiquette

Normally I would have a question and answer session in this column, but today, today, will be a rant and general tips session. Mostly because I don’t have a question to answer, but also because this crazy lady shocked me today and I wondered why someone would think that the action was considered ok.

Social media, good stuff, right? I’m talking great stuff. I keep in touch with everyone on earth that I want to (and don’t want to). I’ve met some pretty awesome men to date and women to bond with via networks like myspace, facebook, match.com and tweeting on the twitter. Until recently I even work for a company who focuses on leveraging social media for businesses. All and all, we view these tools as a good thing. Connecting is good!

Well, sometimes.

So, this woman sends me a note on Facebook re: your dad.

“Hi Jill,
I am sure that you probably don’t remember me, but I used to see your dad about 23 to 24 years ago. You were just little. It was when he lived in his aunts house on the east side of town. You have grown up! Anyway, just wanted to check to see how your dad is.

Take care,
Brenda”

Let’s go back 23-24 yrs in Jill’s world. I was six, my parents were married. Nice, right?

My reply, re: your dad:

“Hi Brenda,

Well … I certainly hope you weren’t seeing my dad 23-24 yrs ago because that would have meant you were seeing my dad while he was married to my mother.

My father is doing well, I’ll let him know you touched base.

Best,
Jill”

her: “Well, actually they were going through their divorce at the time. It was in late 1986 and early 1987.”

OH! well, that makes its ok! Why would someone think that is cool? I mean seriously.

This isn’t a forum for me to discuss poor little Jill, child of divorce… maybe later . I post this only to ponder the thought of social media etiquette. Just because it’s so easy to touch base, to be heard, to communicate – where does one draw the line between sharing and, uh… over-communicating?

So, with the help of some friends, we put together our own list of social media etiquette tips and pointers, dos and don’ts, if you will:

1. Don’t write your ex-boyfriends daughter that you knew when she was six and you were dating her married father. (That’s mine.)
2. Don’t send a message intended for one person to the whole stream – most of us don’t really need to hear the response.
3. Share great stuff! If it’s awesome- share it. If it’s a teddy bear hug gift for VIP friends and you haven’t talked to the person you are sending it to since high school, rethink it, k?
4. Don’t say anything/post anything/link to anything you wouldn’t want your mom to see or your boss. They will find it – and this is what happens when they do.
5. Don’t lurk. You know you are out there. Lurkers sit on the edge of networks and watch (or stalk). If you’re going to be part of the community, participate! All your watching is giving us the eebie geebies.
6. Don’t start group, a blog, a cause, forum, etc. etc. if you don’t plan to keep it up. You’re wasting energy and clogging brains.
7. PLEASE don’t post “awesome to see you last night, you were WASTED!” on someone’s wall.
8. Just because you enjoy playing games on facebook doesn’t mean your entire list of friends does. Think before you click.
9. If all you do is plug yourself or your company, be prepared to be de-friended.
10. Don’t post incredibly personal and depressing status updates… these are ones I’ve read:

“My son just died in childbirth.”
“My grandpa is in a coma and has two weeks to live”
“I just found out that my boyfriend is cheating on me”

While we sympathize with these folks, the social networking sphere is not the medium to share this type of information, right?

Where does the line get drawn? I know you’ve got a rule for the list, add it in the comments!

[Via http://jillthixton.wordpress.com]

Bassists, Shows, and Downloads. Oh My!

Hey everyone,
So now that February is over, we’re looking at things to start picking up a little bit in March! We’re still recording every chance that we get but if you haven’t heard, Reilly has left the band due to some personal issues. His musical talents will be greatly missed. However, Brennan Jung has taken up the challenge of playing bass and just finished his second practice with us today!

In the next few weeks, we have a few shows coming up! Next Saturday, March 6th, we will be playing at The Grind Coffeehouse with Griffin’s old band “The Shivas”. It’s going to be a great acoustic show so feel free to come on out, drink some coffee, and listen to some amazing music!

I mentioned it in our last post but on Wednesday, March 10th, we will be playing a benefit concert for the Trey Foote Foundation with “If All Else Fails” and “Search & Rescue” at Skyview High School. The cover charge is $3 and tickets are available through either Griffin or myself! This will be our first show as a full band so hold onto your socks for they will be getting rocked!

Finally, we’ve been saying this a lot lately but we just finished recording “Layter 1″ about a week ago so go to either our MySpace (Which now has a new layout!!!) or our PureVolume page (We also have a FREE DOWNLOAD of “Lit Up” available!) to check it out!

Thanks for all your support and please share us with all your friends!
FdS

[Via http://fairedusurf.wordpress.com]

Representative Paul Ryan, WI, Gave Obama and the Summit an Econ 101 Lesson On The Smoke and Mirrors of Obama Care.

February 25, 2010

Jim Campbell

Paul Ryan, was not the only member of the Republican Congress that came with facts and figures, to show the Americans watching what an entire fraud the plan is.  To his credit, Obama appeared engaged and listened to him.  Will that change anything, doubtful.  This was designed as a major photo op for Obama and the democrats. Suffice to say it blue up in their faces.  Any American that listened to the back and fourth, could only conclude the republicans had spent more time in effort on this bill and knew more about it than the supposed writers. The seven point which the Republicans brought to the table were agreed upon by both sides, would have resulted in a major overhaul in the private sector and correct the wrong with the current system needing righting.

Sadly, when it comes to all things Obama and the far left, it’s all about power, creating a vastly bigger Federal Government, with resultant more unionized Federal workers, ie. Democratic voters.

Paul Ryan Eats Liberals and Obama for Lunch

Nancy Pelosi’s assertions during her wrap up that there was no government funding for abortion, was just another Pelosi lie. Ditto for her claim that this bell must be passed immediately, It will create, 4 million, or 4 hundred new jobs. Link below on over all take on summit shoes this to be a lie as well.  Random thoughts why more people aren’t ready to vote these frauds out as I’m in the upcoming November elections, JC.

[Via http://dancingczars.wordpress.com]

LevelStock.com: Max Media Group, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Original Content and Distribution Rights

Feb 25th 2010,  Braintree,Ma. LevelStock.com is pleased to announce to all of its members and investors information on  Max Media Group, Inc. (Pink Sheets:MXMI).  The Company released news as follows:

Max Media Group, Inc. (Pink Sheets:MXMI), announced today that it has entered into and closed on an agreement to acquire original video content and future distribution rights from two video producers; RockHard Entertainment Urban Outreach Inc. (aka The Ladies Hood Journal) and Perk TV. The deal includes acquisition of original video content and online distribution, as well as license agreements for future additional content. The Company intends to use the content for the site www.babelation.com, the targeted social media news and information site the Company is in process of acquiring.

James Grady, Chairman of Max Media Group, Inc. stated, “We have set out to create a whole new way of doing business in the online sector by acquiring and partnering with social media content providers. The deal with RockHard Entertainment and Perk TV is a significant step in that direction. The Babelation website and lucrative niche market of ‘News and Information’ continues to grow. With these two producers we will easily add 300 to 500 new videos to our portfolio.”

Grady continued, “We will continue to seek additional content to acquire and content producers to partner with through equity investments.”

Perk TV content on the other hand will consist of a blend of medical and “How To” videos that have built up a vast established following on YouTube and various other distribution platforms.

Glen Perkins, Perk TV founder, stated, “Babelation is a wonderful source for compelling videos, without all of the distracting, useless, poor quality videos found on other sites. I look forward to continuing our relationship far into the future.”

RockHard Entertainment content will consist of real-life hard-hitting first person coverage of issues that affect the inner city urban community. The Company expects content covering everything from homelessness, job outlook, Art, Entertainment and Politics.

Babelation senior editor and director of business development Ted Flowers stated, “Quality content that builds strong audience participation is the driving force in the growth of online social media news markets. These acquisitions do exactly that. We will set a new precedence in the social media news and info market by acquiring and purchasing content from producers as well as partnering with social media digital content producers in ongoing continuous production of digital content. “

About Ladies Hood Journal

Ladies Hood Journal creator is a well-known urban reporter and former superstar CNN Ireporter known for her down to earth urban production style.

The digital platform is designed for The Urban Voice. The Ladies Hood Journal is a Power Blogger, “Satire Artiste’” Hometown Filmmaker, and Producer. Ladies Hood is popular on many book-marking sites such as Twitter, CNN and Digg

About Perk TV

Perk TV is a producer and editor of a large video catalog of “How To” and educational videos. From medical questions to how to make jewelry, Perk TV produces quality, informative and sometimes just funny video.

About Max Media’s, Babelation: News by You4You

Babelation.com is a Leading User-Generated News and Information distribution portal focused on the aggregation of content from authors, bloggers, expert reporters, students, news junkies and everyday people. It is “News by You4You”.

Babelation’s business model differentiates itself by including revenue sharing cash payments to content providers, who historically have submitted their content to social networks like YouTube, MySpace, Flickr and others without receiving compensation. Basically working for free.

To the contrary, Babelation pays content producers and is a pioneer in the revenue sharing content market. Babelation pays a varying monthly rate of 10 – 25% to content producers. Babelation’s portal enables the general public to create and organize their own news and information; anyone, anywhere, can upload breaking news stories by text, photo, or video, through cell phones, mobile devices, or Internet connection posted on the Babelation platform.

The Company expects is previously announced intent to acquire Babelation to be completed shortly, without any dilution to the current shareholders.

The Company currently has 75,098,804 shares issued and outstanding.

The Max Media Group, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7021

Safe Harbor Statement

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “may,” “intend,” “expect” and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance.

About LevelStock.com

We are an investor community and investors relations website specializing in emerging growth stocks in today’s Hot Sectors and providing a platform of services for SmallCap, MicroCap, NanoCap Companies.

We encourage everyone to join our social media sites:

Free Subscription For Our Newsletters:  http://www.levelstock.com/

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=283660480870

Twitter: http://twitter.com/levelstock

LevelStock.com is not a registered investment advisor or broker-dealer. The information here is believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed to be accurate by LevelStock.com Please be advised that the information contained may or may not be complete and is solely for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer for complete risks and disclosures http://levelstock.com/news.php?viewStory=19

CONTACT INFO: LevelStock.com 288 Grove Street Suite 181, Braintree, MA 02184

Email: support@levelstock.com

[Via http://stocktradingnews.wordpress.com]

Excision Exorcises Minneapolis Pt. I

Dark.

Grimey.

Sub-sonic bass.

You are now listening to Excision. Or, at least you were—had you been wise enough to scoop over to the Loft last Saturday night for an evening full of true mayhem; a dubstep maelstrom of cataclysmic proportion. If you weren’t in house, you missed the most genocidal dubstep/drum and bass warpath ever blazed through Minnesota, an attempt to wrest Sherman of his legend, an offensive annihilating ear drums of the party faithful, a punishing sentence of non-stop dance which by the end of the show caused one kid to completely flop to the floor (remember to drink water, kiddies).

Supreme props to TCdubstep, as usual, for bringing the BC dubstep sensei to Minneapolis. Mark the seventh of May on your calendar as Excision’s comrade-in-bass, Datsik, is set to rage the Loft. Another aural apocalypse not to be missed…

Links:

• Excision on Myspace
• Excision on Twitter
• Excision on Soundcloud

More footage of Excision to come this week, as well as footage of openers Vaski and Smilodon later this week!

[Via http://507projex.com]

Networking, A College Graduate's Nightmare

Current college seniors, myself included, are being given the difficult task of securing post-graduate employment during the largest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Family, friends, professors, the media and online groups recommend the utilization of networking to aid in the daunting task.  However, even with our natural ability to build communities on Facebook and MySpace with our peers, reaching out to an unknown or lesser-known potential employer remains an intimidating endeavor.

Career-fairs, dinners and other networking opportunities are continuously pushed on students. Needless to say, the majority of attendees leave such events feeling as if little forward progress was made towards landing a job.  The mere exchange of contact information and no promise of job security in the future does not usually warrant a feeling of accomplishment.  The absence of a quantifiable gain from the time spent mingling is little motivation to attend another similar event.

A personal brand can be built using one, or a combination of, the many online channels.  These include, but are not limited to: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, FriendFeed, Delicious, Foursquare, Loopt, Flickr and the recently released Google Buzz.  With so many avenues to connect and voice a personal opinion, how do students know which resource will be most beneficial towards reaching his or her goal?

Networking used to require face-to-face interaction and the building of trust through reliability, sincerity and the test of time.  While these online tools enable students to network with potential employers, the same tools are available to allow employers to pass judgment on their applicants.  Students should be wary of the transparency created by having public profiles on various online communities.  It is just as important to have a consistent representation on each site, as it is to only post appropriate content.

While I attempt to maintain a similar user name, profile picture and demeanor on all of the online channels I participate in, I truly do not feel that reading material on the Internet can provide a potential employer with enough direction to deduct an informed judgment about me.

So, I pose a question: How do college students create meaningful relationships with our ever-expanding web of contacts?

[Via http://keithepetri.wordpress.com]

The MySpace LIVE stream of the ALICE IN WONDERLAND ultimate fan event!!!

The time is now, be ready to visit wonderland!!

As we said before MySpace will host the exclusive LIVE stream of Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND, the ultimate fan event, powered by Ustream.

To Watch the live stream just visit:

www.myspace.com/wonderland

Don`t miss the chance to be on line y one of the most epic redcarpets ever! with Tim Burton and his cast!

Good one Myspace, as usual!

[Via http://thespotlightreport.wordpress.com]

Contemporary Social Networking

Social networking is a concept that is fairly new, but is growing at a rapid pace. It appeals to people of all ages, regardless of being old or young. Examples of the most popular types of social networking devices are Twitter, FaceBook, and MySpace.

A video of the basics of social networking is as follows:

It has become so popular that social networking has expanded into political campaigns. Barack Obama was the pioneer of this as his campaign used social networking to expand his political views to people of all ages. All you had to do was click on his page, and you will be easily exposed to all of his ideals that he wanted to be posted on the website.

However, many see social networking as an invasion of privacy. Although there are privacy settings you can enact so that you are in control of who sees your site, there are ways of hacking so that you are able to see whatever you please.

Although this is a common flaw of social networking, it has made it so that it is very easy to keep in contact with old friends, family, and relatives, and is a concept that will continue to grow throughout years ahead.

[Via http://sspringborn.wordpress.com]

The Green Data Center Strategies of Web Giants

As ethereal as the terms “web services” and “cloud computing” sound, there’s nothing lightweight about the power and cooling required to make the Internet run. It takes data centers, plain and simple — each running 24/7 and housing thousands of servers and data storage systems – to satisfy our growing appetite to tweet all day long, watch the Olympics streamed online, and Skype our friends across the globe. If you’re thinking it’s a recipe for sky-high power bills and added greenhouse emissions, well, then you’re right. Let’s take a look at how some of the biggest web firms are handling IT infrastructure growth while bringing technology and innovative data center design principles to bear on lowering energy costs and reducing carbon emissions.

Google (s GOOG)

While the company fiercely guard its tech secrets of success, it has peeled back enough of the curtain to reveal how it tackles energy efficiency in the data center. It started with the surprise announcement that the company uses custom servers with built-in batteries, helping to eliminate energy loss caused by uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, and it has become in recent months a virtual blueprint for operating a green data center.

Part of this blueprint involves “containerized” data centers. Rather than organizing server racks like rows of dominoes, servers are packed into shipping containers that are easier to cool and maintain than a large enclosed space. Other environmentally-friendly methods include air-side economizers (free cooling) and re-using or recycling 100 percent of its servers. For an extreme example of Google’s approach, look no further than its completely chiller-less facility in Belgium. During the week or so that temperatures rise above the safe zone, work is offloaded to Google’s other data centers and the servers are shut down.

Facebook

Facebook is breaking away from leased data center space as an IT growth strategy and is now building its own computing facility in Prineville, Oregon. Expected to reach completion in 2011, the new data center will rely on free-cooling, evaporative cooling and a proprietary UPS to help Facebook reach its goal of a super-low 1.15 PUE rating (the industry average hovers around the 2.0 mark).

In a novel cost saving twist, it will also recapture server waste heat and use it warm up offices when the weather turns cold. Also like Google, Facebook is pursuing custom, energy efficient servers that are specifically tailored to the computing task at hand and avoid the power-sapping overhead of industry standard servers.

MySpace

Because it is part of News Corp, it’s difficult to disentangle MySpace’s IT infrastructure from that of its parent company. But nonetheless, some intriguing details have emerged. MySpace has also invested in solid-state storage from Fusion-io, helping the company boost performance and save $120,000 in energy costs a year. It’s a move that eliminates a lot of power and cooling costs associated with running some of its hard drive-based systems — 99 percent in fact — and helped the company massively downsize its server footprint.

Yahoo (s YHOO)

Chicken coops sound as far removed from cutting-edge data centers as you can get, but Yahoo is banking on elements of this low-tech design to maximize its free-cooling potential in Lockport, NY and reach a PUE of 1.1. Situated near Buffalo, the $150 million complex will draw from the region’s hydroelectric sources to power its servers.

It’s a combo that attracted the U.S. Department of Energy’s attention and helped Yahoo capture a nice chunk of stimulus funds meant to spur advancements in data center energy efficiency (subscription required). Apart from its new build, Yahoo has emerged as a proponent of cold-air containment and containers in recent years.

Microsoft (s MSFT)

Microsoft is adding data center capacity at a brisk pace as it ramps up its Web- and cloud-based services. In Northlake, Ill. near Chicago, the software giant employs shipping containers in conjunction with a more traditional data center design and uses hot/cold air containment to lower cooling costs. In Dublin, Ireland, the site of another Live Services and Azure cloud computing center, Microsoft is using the region’s climate to forego powering up its cooling systems up to 95 percent of the time.

Related GigaOMPro Research:

Report: Green Data Center Design Strategies

Report: The Future of Data Center Storage

Facebook, Apple Building New Data Centers, But Why?

Image is an artists rendering of Facebook’s datacenter.

[Via http://earth2tech.com]

New Mushen: 'Jitter Mittens'.

Head over to Yes Yes Yall to get a delicious little taste of underground beat assembler Mushen with ‘Jitter Mittens’, and if you’re picking up what he’s throwing down, head over to his Myspace to check out some more tracks or download his album Subsurface Flowers for free. If there’s even a shred of justice in this goddamn world, this won’t be the last you hear of Mushen, not by a long shot.

[Via http://ishouldgiveup.wordpress.com]

Looking forward...

It has been many years since I did not spend Valentine’s Day alone. I am looking forward to being with Kelly tomorrow, though I do not, as of yet, have a plan in place as to what we will be doing, I know that it will be a good time. It has been so good to re-connect with her after all these years. The ease at which our conversation seems to come is rare to say the least. There have only been a couple times in my life that it has been like that. I am looking forward to seeing just where this path takes me, the view, so far, is great!

I will likely post another blog late tonight or early tomorrow morning, but, I must leave you with this short one for now. I have much to complete here at home in order to be free of responsibility tomorrow. Please everyone, just take a moment, when you step outside next, just stop and look up. I find, most people don’t look up anymore. It is amazing the beauty that is right in front of us, and above, that we just take for granted…

Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support.
As always, take care and remember…

Every day is a chance to turn it all around!

- Kenny

<——- Back to Kenny Is Losing It – Home

Donate to Kenny Is Losing It

Read my articles on eHow.com

[Via http://kennyislosingit.wordpress.com]

Buzz. Google Buzz. Ratarea lui Google Buzz.

Acum cîteva zile Google a lansat produsul Google Buzz. Am aflat din mass-media (adică de pe internet, în cazul ăsta), dar, mai ales, am aflat atunci cînd am accesat contul de gmail. Nu m-am grăbit nici să-l activez şi nici să scriu despre el. Acum nu am nici cea mai mică intenţie să-l mai activez. Nu mă arunc niciodată cu capul înainte… aştept mai întîi criticile negative. De cele mai multe dăţi primele versiuni ale programelor au erori (asta mi-o spune experienţa ca programator şi de problemele pe care le-am avut cu diverse programe făcute sau începute de alţii). Din ce-am citit pe pagina lui Zoso (aici) cineva a dat deja peste o asemenea eroare.

Google Buzz nu reprezintă decît unul dintre aspectele “coliziunilor” dintre tehnologiilor folosite de cîţiva dintre jucătorii cunoscuţi de pe piaţă (internetul este, prin definiţie, o imensă piaţă de desfacere de produse). Facebook va intra în domeniul serviciilor de mesagerie electronică (email), sau cel puţin aşa am auzit, iar Google intră în sfera reţelelor de socializare (gen Facebook, hi5, MySpace, etc). Adică prin Buzz-ul ăsta. Ce vrea Google să facă este să agrege programele şi serviciile deja realizate de ei, astfel că Buzz este integrat deja în Gmail, utilizatorii pot să facă schimb de mesaje, imagini şi filmuleţe sau să le pună pe Picasa, Flickr sau Youtube. Se poate conecta şi cu Twitter. Serviciul Buzz va dispune şi de o variantă pentru telefoanele cu sistemul Android realizat tot de le Google iar mesajele vor fi localizate cu ajutorul lui Google Maps.

Bun, şi cu securitatea cum rămîne? Adică securitatea datelor personale, a vieţii private. Nu am reuşit să aflu foarte bune despre asta căutînd informaţiile pe internet, cel puţin în legătură cu Google Buzz. Doar eroarea menţionată mai devreme. De apărut e sigur că vor apărea şi alte probleme. Din punctul meu de vedere probleme de securitate sînt cele mai importante şi de aceea, cel puţin pe moment, nu pot susţine că Google Buzz este un succes.

Articol preluat de aici.

[Via http://danmariuss.wordpress.com]

Speaking of the First Amendment...

“What are the rules regarding free speech for GIs on Facebook?  Two are being brought up on charges for saying that Navy sucks.”

This from a GI Rights Hotline list I’m on. That threat both seems to belie and kind of explains why Facebook is permitted but MySpace banned on bases, at least according to this NYRB piece:

One of the most notable examples of class distinction…came from the US military, which permitted soldiers to use Facebook but banned MySpace in 2007:

Facebook is extremely popular in the military, but it’s not the [social network] of choice for 18-year-old soldiers, a group that is primarily from poorer, less educated communities. They are using MySpace. The officers, many of whom have already received college training, are using Facebook.

MySpace remains banned within the military to this day, while Facebook, despite security concerns, is still available to American troops.

My theory? The officers are on already on Facebook, chatting with their college buddies and juggling its news feeds; and they can use it to check on their soldiers. Whereas braving MySpace, with its relentless music and layout worthy of Kandinsky, takes effort.

Thus, using your real  name and posting NAVY SUCKS does sound like you’re testing something.  I’ll try to keep you posted about what happens next, unless it would violate confidentiality in some way. In the meantime, I suggest a new Facebook ID, with an upside-down flag in case of a photo.

[Via http://aintmarching.wordpress.com]

Compassionate Cash Shops and Charity Revenue share Virtual Goods in Social Games

It’s not exactly a new concept for game companies to raise money for charities, but it seems that now more than ever with the attention social games and MMOs, some game companies are pushing to get donation and charity drives on the front burner. They are realizing that the gaming community is larger than ever and using social networking to get as many people involved as possible is working.

There is a passionate and networked community out there of “grownup gamers.” In truth, we’re still gaming and never did give it up as our parents suggested. Obviously, not all of us are your “typical gamer.” We’re parents, teachers, engineers, and college students.  We are young and old, male and female. One thing is for sure: we’re showing the world that gamers care about people, animals, and the environment with out donation dollars.

There are many ways games can be used to raise money for charities. One way is from offering in-game items with special abilities (cuteness being one of those abilities).

Some companies don’t actually make games or sell virtual items, but raise awareness about a charity through gaming conventions and comics about games.

Penny Arcade is doing just that with their charity, Child’s Play. They were able to raise almost 2 million dollars last year for stocking children’s hospitals with video games and toys. Nothing is worse than being sick and having nothing fun to do. You can learn more about this charity and donate by visiting their site here: http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

CCP, creators of the popular sci-fi themed MMO Eve, is offering a virtual item that adds 30 days of game time to your paid subscription. This item will be available until February 15th. Once you purchase this item, all of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Haiti. More on that here: http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=726

Social games developer Zynga raised a stunning 1.5 million in 5 days for the recent earthquake disaster in Haiti by selling virtual goods in 4 of their most successful games: FarmVille, FishVille, Mafia Wars, and Zynga Poker. This is a huge accomplishment and it shows that their tagline “Transforming the world through games” might be becoming more of a reality. Zynga also helps animals in need by donating to the San Francisco SPCA to the tune of over $90,000 by selling virtual tabby cats and bull dogs in Yoville. You can find out more here: http://zynga.org/

Merscom has plans in the works to offer special virtual items in their social games which will help raise money for non-profits and charity organizations. Keep an eye on http://www.mercom.com for upcoming information on what you can expect to see soon!

For brevity’s sake, here is a list of some other game companies and publishers who are generously sharing their space: Sony Online Entertainment, Free-to-play MMO publisher Outspark, London-based developer Tall Trees, Runes of Magic publisher Frogster, Xbox and Activision.

With the number of large game companies following this trend, it’s safe to say if you play online games there is a good chance that you’ll be seeing a charity tie in soon. 

If I missed a great charity or cause, which is related in some way to gaming, I’d like to hear about it.

Also, would you buy one virtual item over another if you knew it was for a good cause? Have you donated to charities through games before? What was your experience like?

Thanks for reading and until next time.

Melissa Loy

Associate Producer

[Via http://merscom.wordpress.com]

MySpace and File Sharing: Vital or Viral?

MySpace and utorrent: Vital or Viral?

In 2003, the site myspace.com made history. With it’s astounding idiology that social networking on the web could be possible, it was one of the pioneering sites to offer custom profiles, open source development, record deals to many artists and much, much more. However, was it always this way? Is it still this way? Many theories are uncertain, but we know for certain that MySpace has been experiencing some lag in the past two years. From a murder and mutalation of a woman back in 2008 in Baltimore, to competition from rivals such as twitter and facebook, to the increased amount of spam mail, to ads popping up everywhere, and of course, lastly, viruses. Of course, this isn’t the fault entirely of MySpace. After all, they were trying to make it open for anyone. However, MySpace claims to be a secure web site. Tell me then, why everytime somjeone enters the realm of MySpace do they start to see spyware ad-ons trying to take hold of their computers. Why does Norton, Microsoft Security Essentials, Avast and other virus programs detect viruses contaminating the wonderful world of MySpace? I ask this same question myself, and therefore I have made a vow to no longer use MySpace. So, naturally, you won’t find the blog on MySpace. However, you can easily find it on facebook or wordpress.

If you’re a MySpace user, and you are reading this and have experienced none of the above with the MySpace interface, then the best of congrats to ya! However, Gary will be retreating from the MySpace world for now.

At the enclosure of this blog is list of viral infections I have discovered while browsing the MySpace site, including editing my profile, customization, sending instant messages, email messages and adding profile songs.

File sharing:

File sharing was first invented so that computers could share open source programs that were free for development. Utorrent and sites like this were great because they offered a place where files could be downloaded and obtained quickly and ifficiently. However, at around the early part of the millenium, someone got the idea that they could take albums and songs and illegally share them on torrents.

What is a torrent? A torrent file is a small file that points to the exact location of the file that you wish to download. Any files such as software, games, music and movies or any other content that has to be licenses, distributed or paid for is illegal to download. I no longer support torrents and MySpace for these reasons. Torrents are free and great to get ahold of, but there is a lot more that you may not want that comes along with that as well.

So, without further adue, a sample list of viruses that you may get by doing these things.

trojans

trojan downloaders

attempts to run spyware ad-ons as active exe controls

definitions:

trojan: A large file which contains a program that executes a command from an attacker on another PC, using a remote access method.

Basically, you use your PC and someone else controls your computer in the background, installing malicious software, and trojan downloaders.

Trojan downloaders: Files that download trojans and display deceptive product messages. For exampel, you may see:

10117.exe is requesting your permission to make changes to your computer. Do you wish to continue?

Click yes, and it’s easy for the hacker to obtain your information if you are not careful, such as email addresses, passwords, credit card numbers, etc.

That’s why it’s always good to do routine virus scans, clear cookies when exiting the net, and schedule system cleanups.

Note: I made this blog for all the other users that take advantage of these services. Viruses are dangerous and harmful to your computer. I had to do a whole system recovery and reformat my disc.

Is there another way to download legal music?

Yes. Try the amazon mp3 downloader at amazon.com, or ITunes.

　

[Via http://kristianigee.wordpress.com]

Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister

Review

Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister

If You’re Feeling Sinister is the album that made me really interested in Belle & Sebastian and twee. They are really cynical and sarcastic and good for if you want feel life is not worth living but to silly to end it. The music does not say anything like that but the soft and gentle touch of the vocals and the swishy guitar is polite and feminine but the lyrics are bitter and jaded like the winds of Scotland and England where these chaps are from. I did not like this album at first and did not understand the liking of Belle & Sebastian from the cools. It must have taken me many times of a suffering of a listen to get real intention of this music. I have to say if your not already jaded don’t even pick up this band because it’s like a schooling in the life of the misused and unappreciated. Real emo is this, and this hard to make any harder or brutal. Metal might be angry and violent but this twee is some of a different kind of monster. The characters are bookworms too afraid to speak or trendy pretty boys who use and lie for fun or women who are too pretty for their own good and others you might know. “When your legs are black and blue it’s time to take a holiday, it’s not as if they are paying you”

10/10 Replays

http://www.belleandsebastian.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thebandbelleandsebastian

[Via http://mymusicnotyours.wordpress.com]

Why Blog...

…considering that I view blogging as narcissistic?  Sadly, all of the web is narcissistic to some extent.  “LOOK AT ME! I’M IMPORTANT!”

To me, Twitter is the epitome of web narcissism.  If the sky was falling, millions of chicken littles would simultaneouly tweet “The sky is falling! #skyfalling”.  I find it annoying, yet I have a Twitter account.  However, 140 characters are extremely limiting, as I often want to say much more.

Such was the case a few days ago.  While researching something of interest, I came across numerous forum threads from years ago, which seems often the case.  I wished to contribute, but knew the threads were long dead.  Plus, forums tend to be more about opinion than information exchange. What does that leave me?

There’s always my website, www.djrcreative.com, but that’s a lot of work.  Sure, I could use a web-authoring program, but I pride myself on hand-coding.  Actually, I miss MySpace.  I still have my account, but am embarrassed to use it, as it’s become passé within my demographic.  To date, I have avoided Facebook, for reasons which will get their own post.

Indeed, I find myself with more and more on my mind lately, yet no way of sufficiently expressing these thoughts.  In addition, during the course of a day, my curiosity results in a lot of “research”.  Ultimately, I’d like to think that my efforts could benefit other people.  If for no one else, this would at least be a record for myself.  In the end, I suppose blogging fits my needs.

[Via http://djrcreative.wordpress.com]

Reading A special report on social networking: A world of connections | The Economist

Found at

A special report on social networking: A world of connections | The Economist.

Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better, says Martin Giles (interviewed here)

Jan 28th 2010 | From The Economist print edition

Illustration by Ian Whadcock

THE annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, currently in progress, is famous for making connections among the global great and good. But when the delegates go home again, getting even a few of them together in a room becomes difficult. To allow the leaders to keep talking, the forum’s organisers last year launched a pilot version of a secure online service where members can post mini-biographies and other information, and create links with other users to form collaborative working groups. Dubbed the World Electronic Community, or WELCOM, the forum’s exclusive online network has only about 5,000 members.

But if any service deserves such a grand title it is surely Facebook, which celebrates its sixth birthday next month and is now the second most popular site on the internet after Google. The globe’s largest online social network boasts over 350m users—which, were it a nation, would make Facebook the world’s third most populous after China and India. That is not the only striking statistic associated with the business. Its users now post over 55m updates a day on the site and share more than 3.5 billion pieces of content with one another every week. As it has grown like Topsy, the site has also expanded way beyond its American roots: today some 70% of its audience is outside the United States.

Although Facebook is the world’s biggest social network, there are a number of other globetrotting sites, such as MySpace, which concentrates on music and entertainment; LinkedIn, which targets career-minded professionals; and Twitter, a networking service that lets members send out short, 140-character messages called “tweets”. All of these appear in a ranking of the world’s most popular networks by total monthly web visits (see chart 1), which also includes Orkut, a Google-owned service that is heavily used in India and Brazil, and QQ, which is big in China. On top of these there are other big national community sites such as Skyrock in France, VKontakte in Russia, and Cyworld in South Korea, as well as numerous smaller social networks that appeal to specific interests such as Muxlim, aimed at the world’s Muslims, and ResearchGATE, which connects scientists and researchers.

To be continued at A special report on social networking: A world of connections | The Economist.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mobile Internet Users grow 245% [India] – Facebook becomes most popular mobile social network [global] – Report (trak.in)
• Who’s Who in Social Networks for Business (startupprofessionals.com)
• Privacy: Managing the New Currency of the Social Web (mashable.com)

[Via http://fredzimny.wordpress.com]

Cyberdog is blogging

Ya may think it’s just another blog, ya may think “what does that Cyberdog Vyper has to say?”, ya may think whatever you want… no-one is forcing you to follow this my blog… but I’m blogging now… you like it or not

Anyways, what is my plan with this blog? Well, first of all I just wanna have the same thing as always with it… fun…

Furthermore I gonna use wordpress, same as MySpace to share with you my thoughts, my ideas, my music (even if that gonna be difficult as lol.. gotta get somehow the MySpace-Player in here xD)

And, after all, I gonna post my sets from my recent playlists here, like I already do on MySpace… let’s give it a try lol

[Via http://djcyberdog.wordpress.com]

Social Networking and your library

Social networking tools are a valuable way to promote your library. As a school librarian, it may not be as effective as it is for public librarians, but you can be assured the children notice when the library home page announces its presence on MySpace, Twitter, or Facebook.

They may not be willing to be your friend, but they might check in to see what’s up.  A savvy librarian can also link twitter and Myspace or Twitter and facebook. If you get your connections right you can update three places at once!

Because of the increase in popularity of these social networking options, you can set up an account, search for libraries, and instantly you have at least a dozen friends! Post videos, update often, and advertise on your homepage. A little typing goes a long way…Here are some tips.

How to Better Engage Facebook Fans: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-better-engage-facebook-fan-page-fans/

There’s even a facebook group called Libraries Using Facebook Pages.

Here are the slides from a presentation on libraries and facebook & Second Life. http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/education/brownbags/spring2008/slface2/SLandFacebook2.pdf

This is an excellent article for libraries considering Twitter. It answers many FAQ’s and offers sound advice: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/may09/milstein.shtml 

Myspace also has a group called Libraries on MySpace.

Here;s an interesting article on how one library has used MySpace (It is from 2007) http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6456389.html

Just remember, keep it fun, multimedia is always a hit, and update often.

A Guide to Twitter in Libraries: http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2007/a-guide-to-twitter-in-libraries/

[Via http://dpsmarians.wordpress.com]

In Lights EP, The River Court, free download!

Earlier this month Toronto based pop punk band, In Lights released their new EP The River Court for free download. The River Court is a follow up to their 2008 full-length Constellations. The band consists of Dylan French on vocals, Gavin Sutton on guitars and vocals, guitarist Nick Dooley, Andrew Brunette on bass and drummer Tyler Jones. The band brings together catchy beats, smooth vocals, awe-inspiring riffs and amazing bass lines. You can check out In Lights by visiting their MySpace or download the free EP The River Court Here.

[Via http://visionthenet.wordpress.com]

Beach House - Teen Dream;

Where you thinking that you gotta run to now with the beating of a tiny heart?

For the last two months or so, I have found myself entrapped in an undertow brought on by the whirling, haunting and dreamy sounds of Beach House. (While they are by no means a recently discovered band, it seems as if a full appreciation for their artistry had not made its full circle around my mind until a certain Sheep that I can always count on, found a home for one of their new tracks on a fabulously constructed mix.) It has become a familiar process as of late; no matter the time of day, I find myself granting permission to put the real world on pause, reach for whatever sound producing device may be near by and select any one of thirty tracks by the aforementioned Beach House. The result is an instant lull, followed by a sheepish smile, a deep cleansing breath and conversation between my eyes and the sky or perhaps a simple sigh, which precedes a spell induced staring contest with whatever stands in the space between my current state of mind and the baggage that has fallen, so effortlessly, from my conscious. Eventually, I am overcome with the desire to make some sort of contact with the outside world and let them know just ‘how much I love this band.’ (Fortunately, the Sheep has unlimited texting and, um, patience.)

You’d think this was some sort of religious experience, or perhaps one involving illicit drugs but neither of the above are true, really. What it is for me is simple. It’s Beach House’s ability to elevate the simplicity of sound to such heights – where the air is too thin to breathe, forcing the overcharged and underpaid synapses in my brain to finally come to a rest and allow my subconscious to get lost for a while. Perhaps, Rebecca Solnit, author of “A Field Guide to Getting Lost,” said it best: “To lose yourself: a voluptuous surrender, lost in your arms, lost to the world, utterly immersed in what is present so that its surroundings fade away.” And that is what Beach House does for me. Their sound, so perfectly layered – like a big fucking ice cream cake – completely melts the taste buds of my mind, drops the temperature within my soul to somewhere deep below the point of zero and then transports me, stumbling gracefully through every note and hollow word, to a place where I am lost, yet comfortable with the idea of it all.

In an endless night,
could you feel the fright of an age that was and could never be?
So we hold it close when we feel the most
like a love that we could not leave behind
Turn the wheel to each way we feel until
I’m lost and I cannot find you there
Don’t forget the nights when it all felt right,
are you not the same as you used to be?

For the most part, my last two months have been spent procrastinating papers, cramming for exams, celebrating holidays, spending time with friends, learning how to speak Canadian and um, oh – that’s right – reevaluating the plans that I’ve been counting on and peeking through my hands as I fear for their unravelling. So, yeah, that might have something to do with needing an escape, but that does not away from how amazing this band actually is at what it does.

Have I gone too far? Personally, I don’t think so. A band has not had the power to make me feel this way since I was 12 years old. I believe that when one is lucky enough to have something affect them so strongly, it is important to realize how rare of an occurrence it truly is and to appreciate it, allowing it the space that it needs to consume, fulfill and eventually repair you.

With that being said, Beach House’s third full length album, Teen Dream (head over to NPR for a free preview), hits stores today, 1/26/09. I believe I can speak for both myself and our little wooly friend when I say that it is an album that needs to be heard, even if only once, you owe it to your soul. My superfreaky friend was cool enough post a great entry about the Teen Dream vinyl, including pictures – you should check it out.

Maybe this was not much of an album review but sometimes, some things are better left unexplained, especially when the opportunity exists to experience them. Take a deep breath, let your mind go and enjoy.

And thank you, Ms. Legrand and Mr. Scally.

Beach House Myspace
NPR Teen Dream Stream
Song of the Week

[Via http://wolvesamongthesheep.wordpress.com]

Social Networks: Finding People, Finding Trouble

YPSILANTI, Mich.- With the development of new technologies like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, it is easier than ever to reach out to people across the country and even through out the world to fulfill the unique human obsession of “social networking.”

The most common definition of social networking has something to do with technology, but if you really think about the words that make up the term, you might find that, even before the internet, computers and BlackBerrys, we all still had social networks made up of our friends, family and colleagues.

In Clay Shirkey’s ” It Takes a Village to Find a Phone,” Evan Guttman, the friend of Ivanna, a woman who lost her SideKick cell phone in a New York City taxi cab, uses his already established network of friends and acquaintances to track down and find the teenage girl who ended up with the phone.

The complexity and extent of the human network in the age of technology is astounding.  People use to play the celebrity-themed game ” Six Degrees of Separation”  where you would try to find a celebrity who can be separated by more than six relationships from Kevin Bacon, and it was fairly difficult to do.

Now, you can play that game with anyone from anywhere and connect them, through their social network, to just about anyone on the planet, though it may take more than six degrees to make a connection. But, in ” It Takes a Village to Find a Phone,”  the connections that were unearthed to find and retrieve the lost/stolen phone created a level of attention that had some unintended consequences.

Guttman turned the effort to find the phone and get it back from the teenage girl who possessed it, perhaps unintentionally, into a witch-hunt to avenge a perceived crime against his friend.

The unique circumstance of knowing who had the phone and knowing that she and her family did not intend to return it, made people following Guttman’s campaign to get it back take the hostage-takers’ position personally.

The concept of the “one-person media outlet” in this situation unfolded in the willingness of individual followers of the campaign to investigate and gather information that not only provided information to Guttman, but also added fresh angles to what became a national and international story.

The eventual return of the cell phone and the arrest of the girl who had it, raised a few questions.  Was it ethical to gang up on a teenage girl, making an example of her, humiliating her, potentially perpetuating  racial stereotypes and highlighting the disparity between classes in American society? 

Perhaps not, but it does show what the social nature of human beings, mixed with the latest technologies, is capable of doing.  There are undoubtedly better ways to utilize social networks. This just happens to be a case-study in how much power people can have if they work together.

[Via http://mattlane10.wordpress.com]

Claudette Jameson Must Die!

I wanted to build an empire off of this name, but it seems it has been tarnished since birth. A name I created for a virtual game that soon became an alias to keep my real name private soon spun out of control, and now the person who is Claudette Jameson is ruining my own well being.

This alter ego is turning me into someone online who I’m not in real life. An oversexed, attention whore, who never wears clothes, who is depressed or angry most of the time and wonders why she is single.  It’s effecting my personal life because I am now turning to drugs and alcohol to deal with the attack I’ve  experienced online.  This alter ego has made me addict to the internet, where I go in hopes of comfort and attention, things I’ve rarely get, and because of my actions on various message boards and websites many of my online friends have given up and abandoned me.

I don’t want to be this person anymore. I want to go back to who I was almost 3 years ago. I want to go back to being happy most of the time instead of crying all the time and making suicide threats for attention. I never did that in the past. Actually, I was afraid, embarrassed for people to know that I had those thoughts because I thought that I would lose friends or end up in a mental facility again.  I saw this alias as a way of  being able to say what I wanted and not be afraid. I thought I was in control of it, but at the end of the day it was in control of me.

So now she must die. I must destroy her. I have to do this so I can be happy.  If I just lived as me and stopped battling between these 2 people. I would be happier. It’s like she’s possessed by demons and now she’s controlling me.  That may be the reason why I could never go through with most of my suicide attempts. I don’t want to kill me. Claudette wants to die. She’s the one who is suicidal. She’s the one who is hurting, who cries herself to sleep, she’s the one who wants to end it all. I’m ok. I need to get rid of her and that first step to doing that is getting rid of her name. 

I have to get rid of everything associated with her. Her Twitter account, her Facebook page, her Myspace, as well as this blog and all the other blogs with her name. I’m sorry, but I have to let her die. She has done nothing but cause me pain over these few years.  All of this could have died down by now if it wasn’t for me wanting to keep her alive. I felt like I needed her to be known, but I don’t. Now she’s just a distraction from the real world and who I really am. I can’t find me with her in the way. So I have to kill her.

[Via http://claudettejameson.wordpress.com]

Web 2.0 Suicide Machine -- Just Do It!

Suicide is no laughing matter, but social networking is slowly killing us. Good thing you can now give in to the temptation to “disappear” from the world of status updates and mindless tweets by unplugging your online self (or selves) with the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine!

For those of you out there who are tired of your social network, the nifty Sucide Machine online application lets you “delete all your energy sucking social networking profiles, kill your fake virtual friends, and completely do away with your Web 2.0 alter-ego.”

The process to defriend, detweet, and linkout is so deceptively simple that demanding “you cease this activity immediately,” citing a violation of users’ privacy. Of course, this is nonsense since the more than 1,000 people who have committed “social suicide” release this information under their own volition!

Here’s how it works: Once you hand over your log-in details and click “commit,” the program will delete each bit of info one by one — Twitter tweets, MySpace contacts, Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections — so you don’t have to do it yourself manually.

But before you meet your real neighbors again, it’s important to bear in mind that there’s no UNDO button. Once you’ve committed social suicide, you are signed out forever and the only way to get back into the “matrix” is to start over all again.

RIP 2.0: the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine will host a cybermemorial in your honor, but don’t be surprised if some of your “friends” are tempted to sign out forever too — and join you in the real world in 52 minutes instead of 9 hours 35 minutes!

This article does not necessarily endorse social suicide, but if we highly encourage you to share it with anyone you know who’s in dire need of online intervention.

Posted via web from yellowperilist

[Via http://sixpondmeadow.com]

Facebook is an effective tool for propaganda

As we all know that social networking websites have been the centre of most of the internet community, and not to forget the youngsters, youngster interact with these websites (like Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Bebo, Hi5,LinkedIn) more than 30 times a day. The fact that these websites have became an effective tool for propaganda against top political leaders as a large amount.

There are certain advertisements roaming around on social networking websites particularly on Facebook. These kinds of advertisements often have text, photographs, audio or video clips in which unknown people try to present negative opinion against politicians.

While talking about Facebook particularly, here on Facebook anyone can create his own advertisement with the provided guidelines and can decide terms and conditions based upon per day payment through various sources.

All attempts to find out the source of any of these advertisements have simply failed because those who post them do not show their identity. But the data, given with the advertisements, showed that thousands of people view them regularly.

Azeem Ashraf, a software engineer said:

It seems that everyone is a member of a social network these days. Whether it’s your kids on MySpace and Facebook, or your colleagues on LinkedIn, people are taking advantage of these new online meeting spaces to make friends, communicate and expand business opportunities,

Some of the lawyers states that if there is no source mentioned then no legal action can be taken against the source that created the negative advertisements.

Khwaja Naumanul Haq, a lawyer, said

the users do not enjoy any of the immunities granted to social networking sites under the law, so they should be careful to always act appropriately when posting messages or files to the sites.

There is another trend that the top political personalities create their own dedicated fan pages (profile in other words) for their fans in order to interact with their fans. This trend is quite good and far more positive than that of advertisements.

For instance there is a page on Facebook by former military dictator Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and Pervez Musharraf has attracted 90,012 fans in just few months. The number of fans on the fan page of Imran Khan are 34,676. Both the personalities regularly interact with their fans and respond them accordingly.

[Via http://mansoorahm.wordpress.com]

TweetDeck, seamlessly integrate Twitter into your life.



Looking for a one-stop Twitter shop? With all of Twitter’s capabilities and options there has to be a place to contain it all to one screen. A place you can view it all tweets you want to keep up with, easily see message coming in to you, and respond to it all.

Such a place (really, it’s more of a tool) does exist. Meet TweetDeck (click here to download). TweetDeck makes tweeting not only easy, but also completely customizable to your dealership’s wants and needs.  TweetDeck just makes using Twitter easier than you could have ever imagined.  How you ask?

Why we love TweetDeck:

1.  It’s a one stop shop for all your Twitter needs.
TweetDeck allows you to see everything from your Twitter account in a single glance. You no longer have to click on mentions, the feed, or your direct messages. Just one screen to look at, and everything is arranged logically.

2. It can update everywhere!
Tweetdeck has buttons that allow you to send you tweet to not only Twitter, but also to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Myspace.  Send to all, send to one, send to a couple, and do it all from one place.

3. Customizable viewing.
You can customize your screen. View multiple accounts, your personal twitter account and your dealership account on one screen, AT THE SAME TIME! View mentions, direct messages, tweets and new followers, AT THE SAME TIME!

4. It allows you to the people you follow into logical categories.
TweetDeck allows you to separate those you’re following into groups (i.e. other dealers, RV Industry, customers, community etc.).

TweetDeck might be exactly what you need to kick your tweeting into high gear and make it (even more) enjoyable.

Find out more about TweetDeck at this “How-To” page, or check out this informative video.

[Via http://rvsocialmedia.com]

Strip Club Life... Revisited...

I visited my old life yesterday and I have to say that it was good. I have really been able to reflect on what truly has brought me to the place I am now. There was a perfect storm, if you will, of reasons that I decided to make the changes I have. I realize that it was really a matter of too much for too long without restraint. Whether it be smoking, drinking, partying, etc… I was just out of control!

I am on the verge of going back to the club where it all started. I stopped in to say hello, not really having any ulterior motives, and I ended up getting offered a job. I do not plan on making it a career, but more a springboard out of my poverty and on to a life that I want. The fact is, DJ’s do not stay anywhere for very long, usually, I was one of the exceptions to the rule as I was at Oasis for 3 years. I am going to say now that I am putting a time limit on staying in the business. I will do the best job I can while stashing away my earnings and making my exit when the time is right. All the while, I will be pursuing my interests in graphic design and photo restoration and design. Oh, and most importantly, going to the gym and continuing my return to health.

I also visited my girl D… It was so good to see her, though I feel that my absence has caused a bit of uneasy conversation and I found myself a bit at a loss for something to say other than the common pleasantries. For what reason? I really don’t know, it wasn’t her, she has always meant a lot to me. I think that it was just because I really feel like I made a total ass of myself at the end of my tenure there. I was really fucked up at that point, and I feel like I let a few people down, including and especially her. D, I love you, you are my sister I never had, and I am sorry for abandoning you!

I know that what I did was, in the long run, for the better. I am feeling good and thinking more clearly than I have in years. Though I have made a lot of good decisions lately, I still am second guessing some of my choices. I really think that going back into the fold is going to be the best route to take, and I turned down an offer from an old friend to help with a job. The job would have been one that I would have to be the loud, aggressive salesman again… but, I just don’t feel that I have that in me anymore. It’s not that I fear the work, but, I fear who I am when I do that work. However long or short my time is in this existence, I don’t want to be that person anymore.

I like who I am now, and who I plan to become. I am a happier person and have a life to look forward to every day, good times and bad. It is with that thought that I leave you for now.

Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support.
As always, take care and remember…

Every day is a chance to turn it all around!

- Kenny

<——- Back to Kenny Is Losing It – Home

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[Via http://kennyislosingit.wordpress.com]

I Love The Internet (pt. 18)

- Flexibility: it’s almost never, ever overrated.

- Christ. Look, I accept that this is essentially a nation composed of obese weapon fanatics, so the idea of a company that sells chocolate guns strikes me less a preposterous joke, than a great business idea. But chocolate ammo? Chocolate grenades? Really?

- I remember hearing about these Seth McFarlane-designed Alice in Wonderland figurines, but I never got to see the finished products until now, and…holy shit. Incidentally, for those of you who think I’m talking about the Family Guy writer, I’m talking about the guy who made things like this.

- In this crazy world of instant worldwide internet saturation, I am eternally grateful for the simple fact that a lot of hot girls don’t seem to realize that taking a sexy picture of yourself and put it on Facebook or MySpace doesn’t so much lead to that cute guy that lives a few houses down noticing you as much as it leads to random websites archiving your “private” pictures.

- It’s a known, but little-discussed fact that movies change a ton during the process from idea to full-fledged project, and the interesting tweaks that occur grow in stature when you’re talking about Avatar, a film that’s maybe two months old but is already the second-highest grossing movie of all time. Side note: I agree with this blogger when he says that this treatment might have made a “better” movie than what we eventually got.

- Mark Millar is one of the most prolific comic writers of the last decade or so, overseeing acts such as turning Superman into a dedicated commie, turning Wolverine into essentially a mind-controlled zombie ninja, and tearing apart the Marvel Universe, just to name a few. But when he says his newest work, Nemesis, can be described as…well, I’ll just let him describe it:

‘”Nemesis” is a reversal of the Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark archetype. What if this genius billionaire was just this total shit, and the only thing that stood between him and a city was the cops? It’s Batman versus Commissioner Gordon, in a weird way. Or maybe a super-villain version of “Se7en.” A billionaire anarchist up against ordinary people. The Joker’s the best thing in the Batman movies, so this guy is a bit of an amalgamation of all the stuff we like.’

Sure, Batman as the Joker seems like a good idea, but everyone knows DC won’t let that fly, so how close could it really be…

Well then. Note – DC is not amused.

- Are the citizens of Dubai incapable of showing even a modicum of simplicity in their architecture?

- I have some friends who don’t really like Michael Cera, because in their words “he plays the same character in every movie.” Um…just about every actor plays the same character in every movie, right? But I’ve been excited about the upcoming movie adaptation of fantastic indie comic “Scott Pilgrim”, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and this still from the last fight scene between Pilgrim and his nemesis Gideon’s cronies just has me even more excited.

- Out of all the hip-hop video vixens that have “blown up” over the years (Melissa Ford, Vida Guerra, Ki Toy Johnson, Gloria Velez, etc.), it is still absolutely insane that the painfully fine Nicole Ricca still gets almost zero recognition.

- Some people might say that this flamethrower/mosquito killer is total overkill. As a native Floridian, my only response is, “Why isn’t this in stores yet?”

- Did you know that with maybe five minutes of work, you can hack into your friend’s Kodak Easyshare Wireless Picture Frame? If you’re wondering why you would even want to do something like that, well…you’ve never pulled a prank on someone, have you?

- “Thou speakest rightly, sir. No man misdeals with Joshua Quince, by Jesu!” Verily, brothers and sisters, the most excellent comedie and tragic romance of Two Gentleman of Lebowski is as a drought of the most delectable heavenly nectar.

- Iron Man’s new armor is sick as fuck. That is all.

- Indie games! Thanks to Boing Boing for this guide to the 2010 Indie Games Festival; my personal favorite so far is Today I Die. Go check it out.

-People (mostly foreigners) always talk about how, despite large amounts of evidence to the contrary, Americans act like everything about our country trumps everything about every other country in the world, throughout time. Well, that’s just plain not true. My proof? The fact that any red-blooded American man will fucking melt if you throw an attractive foreign girl his way, as this list of the top 15 countries with the hottest women will attest.

- The Perplexus looks like a freakish mix between an M.C. Escher drawing, a pinball game and a couple of hits of LSD. I’m sure it goes without saying that I absolutely love it.

- I don’t care if you don’t give a shit about architecture or CGI; you need to watch this absolutely breathtaking video by the Third and the Seventh on the aspect of architectural art from a photographic viewpoint:

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

[Via http://noksblog.wordpress.com]

Wanna twitter my facebook in myspace?

The first social media network I joined was Myspace. I reconnected with about a dozen people from my past, got bored, and have since abandoned it. Nowadays, I only log back in if I get a notice that someone sent me a message or has sent me a friend request. Unfortunately, I usually end up spending 10 minutes trying to remember my login/password, only to finally log in to see that it was just spammer extraordinaire Jessica DD Juggs. (Just so’s you know, I accepted. Her brains are awesome.)

Facebook was the next thing to suck me in. It started out being alright. I actually made more quality connections through it, and I’m not ashamed to admit that most of my friends are my online friends that I’ve made through there. Or my “imaginary” friends as my husband likes to refer to them. It all started going downhill fast when the developers made all the interface changes in an attempt to become more Twitterfied. It’s one big ‘ole shitfest now, but I still log in to keep in touch with the girls. Ah, the things I do for boobs.

Aaaaand that takes us to Twitter. I personally have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. For most people, it’s just one big competition for attention where only a select few are declared victorious. To make it even more challenging, there’s the ever annoying character limit. So not only do I have the pressure of trying to think of something witty to say, I also have to do it right at 140 characters. What the what?

It cracks me up whenever I log into Twitter, because 90% of my timeline tweets are coming from people who are “working hard” at their job. Where the heck do these people work, and is their workload so light that they can spend so much time tweeting? And seriously, is it worth it to risk losing your job (you know, the thing that allows you to buy all those pretty, shiny distractions in your life) just so you can tweet to your online brethren that verra verra special NSFW picture of some pretty peen?

It’s Friday, so let’s take a peek at a few of the tweets on my timeline currently, shall we?

“boss passing thru, brb!”
“Lots of work to do today. Will be lurking”
“omg this day is made of suck. fml. tgif beeches!”

and my personal favorite :  “I mean the pic from last night where his wang looks huge…does anyone have that one??”

One of my friends – let’s call her Sadie – used to be on Facebook and Twitter all day long. The girl didn’t even bother trying to be careful about it because her supervisor started following her on Twitter, and she didn’t even notice! One day, she absolutely freaked out because she had been called in and was told that she was walking on thin ice with her “unproductivity”. Apparently her boss had been following her on Twitter for a little while and had taken screenshots of her Twitter page as proof. You’d think that at that point, she’d just give up tweeting cold turkey during company time, but nope. She just locked her tweets and sneaks in between tasks with her Crackberry.

A couple of other friends have the usual office desk job, and spend most of their time at work reading fanfiction. I shit you not. THEY ARE GETTING PAID TO READ SMUT.

Do we live in the Twilight Zone where people get paid whilst tweeting their work day away? It completely boggles my mind.

And yes, I totally said “whilst”.

[Via http://reignsreign.wordpress.com]

Psychic Chasms

Review-

Neon Indian- Psychic Chasms.

I had listened to the EP six months ago and was a little impressed by it’s poppy dance that I do enjoy, but this LP went flat after listening to it three times.  As I walked downtown from my house listening to it on my ipod I was unable to stop myself from walking with the groove and having a little uncontrollable dance in my step. As I faced the traffic jam from the red light behind me with lots of bored passengers who have nothing better to do then stare at me because their moving death boxes keep them separated from the outside world and they think I don’t notice which usually I don’t. The LP of same name as the EP is about the same funky lo-fi groove from the past couple of years many American artists have produced and will probably continue to produce. I did enjoy the album the first two times I listened to it and think it has lots of safe mass appeal. I do not think this album will be on my infinite repeat list or be my inspiration for the new year, but it’s good for a party as it’s not too off the wall and has that easy laid back groove. But Neon Indian sound like too many other bands and even has song titles that nod to his influences. I find this annoying and put off by the copycat or should I say cut copy style and I wonder how his MGMT felt like about his choices. Or if a black moth or a super rainbow blinded him in the studio or should I say bedroom and clouded his judgment? Because of this ability to pin down the other artists I am more reluctant to give it a high score. It it is a solid release, but just a little too much of weak lyrics and the sparklie mono tape disco for me. I would give this to a girl on her birthday. Don’t be surprised when talking to friends about your new Neon Indian purchase that you confuse it with lots of other hip bands that sound the same in name and feeling.

4/10 replays

http://www.myspace.com/neonindian

[Via http://mymusicnotyours.wordpress.com]

Blast From Tha Past: Floetry~<i>"Gettin' Late..."</i>

These are absolutely MY GURLS!  

These two chicks appeared on the scene from England with they own lil style!
~Floetry, consistin’ of  Marsha Ambrosius (“the Songstress“) -she looks like my baby sis, Aquila, and Natalie Stewart (“the Floacist“),  two friends who met attending Brits Performing Arts School.    In 1997, Ambrosius and Stewart began writin’ songs and playin’ shows in and around London.   Three years later, they moved to America.    To me they did the dayumm thang!.    The Talkin’  Headz say that Nat was  replaced with somebody name Amanda Diva,  for tours in 2007, and then ~Floetry  just faded off into the sunset.    :-(     Marsha  later signed as a solo artist to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment.     Heard nuthin new of Nat…but she’s on Myspace with some coo-ass shyt- “She Luv Like…”   is off the deep end…

I’m tellin U~~~

I’m “addin’ as a friend” as we speak!~♦

That’s all I know…

“Floetic” (the CD this song is on!) went Gold,  and is still the  “gol-darn”  shyt, part’ na!~

::I dare you to say it isnt!::

[Via http://benzbaby.wordpress.com]

myspace migration

I’ve been doing some digging around my old electronic self to get reminders on some favourite gigs/albums/culture of past years so I can post a little decade round up of my faves.I know this may seem late but I don’t know how people find the fine to do this before the year/decade is actually out. That’s what January is for!

So this research has consisted of searching old emails (frequently do end of year Top 5’s with mates)  and blogs; pre-”stranded” I was over there on old myspace, circa 2006/2007 getting introduced to blogging that way.  Funny how quickly I migrated to facebook- seems like it was spring/summer 2007- and started ignoring myspace. Anyhow – decided to copy and paste the blogs from myspace in here with their original post dates so that I have them in one place. I’ve tagged them all as myspace archive in case anyone is so inclined as to want to browse them. It’s the same sort of chat I do here really, music, culture, things to get to, reviews of things gotten to by me. I should really delete the myspace account outright- like the many millions that are being haemorrhaged from the platform in the past year- but I can’t bear to delete it fully just yet….soon, soon.

[Via http://stranded.ie]