Cool concept. Those guys need some haircuts, though.

I'm a whiskey fan, but prefer a nice Kentucky bourbon over Scotch. And I'm generally a shooter.

But I would certainly fancy these with a little Tanqueray and a twist. Mmmm... gin.

And they look pretty damn cool, too.

I believe the best part is the photo of Dick Boner and the Bonerheads.

I once bought a cheap pair of Rayban knock-offs from Amazon. The only reason I picked them over any other crappy pair in the same price range (they all looked the same) was because there were all these rave reviews about how they were so well made, high quality, made the person wearing them feel cool, etc.

Then when they arrived, there was a note in the package that said if I wrote a good review on Amazon, they would send me a coupon for their products. I felt totally duped, even though I knew I was just buying crappy knock-offs to begin with.

This is awesome. I'm gonna get one and put it next to my Beamz® Laser Music System.

BOC "Burnin' for You" has always been one of my favorite bad videos. In addition to the fact that it's horribly cheesy, it puts the subject of the song in a whole new disturbing light:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo2Aypi0R2c

Although I'd have to agree that the Starship and Billy Squire vids linked to above rank as close seconds for me...

Is it just me, or does it sound like he's talking about wanking?

That, or drugs.

I find it absolutely insanely creepy that Ramirez had that psycho stationary.

I remember being terrified every night going to bed when the 'NightStalker' was on the loose. To see that he truly considered himself some sort of rock star worthy of a personalized logo just makes it that much more bizarre and evil.

And anyone who feels sorry for these guys, or that the writer was being 'mean' needs to lighten up. If anything, they were simply amused to receive letters from a little kid. Hell, they probably all get twisted 'fan mail' from nutjobs all the time. And in Manson's case, he likely had no clue what the hell was going on. I'm sure thought he was receiving a correspondence from God or Satan or something.

Totally. F-ing. Awesome.

I have a Uke that I've never played. I guess it's time to put some strings on that baby...

John Cage would be proud.

Very Dada.

Who are all these Stuffypants McBuzzkills that think that this is so horrible and disruptive, deserving of suspension?

People need to lighten up. High School shouldn't be so serious - creativity should be rewarded.

When I was a senior, my friends and I took a day off to work on building the sets/costumes for the 'Air Band' competition. We were going to do 'Call me Al' by Paul Simon. It was a BIG deal to us. We were the 'returning champions'. Not only were we all over 18 and officially able to write our own 'sick' notes, we all had notes from our parents, just in case. On top of that, we were all graduating with honors, and had all been already accepted to major universities.

The asshole VP somehow figured out we were all absent the same day, and knew we were friends (there were about 8 of us), so they sent an actual truant officer after us, which at the time I didn't even know still existed. My friend's mom was with us at the house we were at, and said it was OK, but he still dragged us back to school.

We got kicked out of the air band competition and suspended. Their reasoning was that they had to set an example - they couldn't condone missing out on precious learning time to work on extra-curricular activities, even though we were all already going to graduate, even if we didn't show up for the rest of the year. (The massive irony, of course, being that we ended up missing MORE precious learning time than just that one day.)

Obviously, I have no love for high school administrators. Yes, I am still bitter, more than 15 years later.

But to the kid in the first post who's so concerned about his 'squeaky-clean' record, I say BAH!! You have no idea how little that means in the long run. Just keep your grades up, do OK on your SATs and you'll be fine. You're 'permanent record' ENDS after high school, and doesn't mean shit in the adult world. Seriously. Don't let them fool you. And 'walking' at graduation isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It's actually kind of boring. That's a silly scare tactic, and often a bluff. Have a little fun.

This guy's a hero.

But I also suspect he is now going to be a world of hurt.

He's probably going to have to move to a new town...

Well, it's much, much better than those ghastly 'shame on you' commercials that were around a few years ago, where they were warning ex-hippie baby boomer parents not to set a bad example for their kids and to effectively denounce their evil smoking pasts for the sake of future generations.

Those things pissed me off. 'Mommy and Daddy were losers when we were young, don't do what we did and turn out like the horrible freaks we are...' So ridiculous.

Ha!! I actually did still have that DL parking lot photo on my phone:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2825/disneylandyb1.jpg

And #24 (CS LOSER) - that's quite an unfair assessment. Having grown up primarily in SoCal, DL happens to evoke many fond memories of childhood for me, and many others I know. It's fun to go back now and then and rekindle those.

Perhaps in the 70's my parents belonged to the so-called "sheep-like demographic of Americans", but then so was anyone in SoCal with kids. And I'm sure I begged them mercilessly to take me there.

The ONLY way I can ever find my way back to the car at Disneyland is by taking a photo with my camera phone. That parking lot is gargantuan.

I probably still have the photo on my phone from the last time - it's about the only thing I use my camera phone for.

Holy jumping jackrabbits!!

This is fabulous news, indeed.

Fantastic!!

I just got myself my first Moleskine sketchbook recently. I love it.

Now I suddenly feel like I'm not putting it to good enough use...

@8 - Based on my very unscientific personal observations, yes.

I tend to play synthesizers frequently, and mostly I can blast sounds pretty loudly and my old cat will not bat an eye. He will sit very close to the amp, even, and not even seem to notice the sound at all, 98% of the time.

Then suddenly certain sounds completely fire him up. He will perk up, look somewhat annoyed and diturbed, and sometimes even go and quizzically sniff the source before darting away.

Although it seems that these sounds tend to be higher in pitch, I think it also has something to do with the timbre. It is my random conclusion that the sounds that annoy/intrigue him contain some sort of overtones that human ears don't pick up - sort of like the dog whistle effect.

And yeah, thoroughly amazed cat number two at the end is the kicker.

@41 - You magnificent bastard. The text 'roll. This is a great technique - one I must try out for myself.

At some point I saw a video that was the Rickroll, the Bel Air and Chocolate Rain all rolled into one. I can't seem to find it again though.

So for now, check out this totally unrelated, yet hilarious Muppets Bloopers video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KANI2dpXLw

This seems very odd.

When I was at UCLA, they had a university run note-taking service. I don't know if it still exists, but it was widely advertised on campus.

They would actually hire students to take notes in a class, then sell them to those who missed the lectures, for like a couple of bucks or something.

It was an office right in the student union, in fact, I think it was part of the textbook store. And obviously wholly endorsed by the university.

I haven't read the singularity book, but 'The Age of Spiritual Machines' is a very good read. At the very least, the way he expounds on the idea of 'uploading' your brain is an interesting thought experiment that forces you to think about the nature of the 'soul' and who you really are and what makes someone human or mortal.

Is your personality just a gray blob of cells producing complex chemical reactions? Most likely - but then if a computer could replicate those synapse connections, it would, in a sense, be you. Or at least it would 'think' it was you, and feel like you. Then it would be able to link to everyone else's 'computer brains' via whatever form the internet takes on in this hypothetical future.

Then these computer 'us-es' could possibly begin to think our fleshy selves inferior. That's when the cool science fiction Matrix-y stuff starts to happen, and we wait for Keanu to save us all.

Wow, two people beat me to the Mr. Show reference already? Damn.

Seems like life imitates Mr. Show all too often these days...

It doesn't get any better than this.

It really doesn't.

@CultureVulture: While I agree, in general, with your points about Radiohead/NIN and the severe advantage they have considering their huge existing fan bases, your take on the labels as friendly investors is a bit skewed.

Taking 'too much much of a cut on their biggest stars' is quite a serious understatement. They are more like loan sharks in the Mob who will make you pay them back in blood if your albums don't sell as well as they expected despite their marketing power.

Another commenter mentioned Steve Albini - read what he wrote here - he breaks down the numbers in a real way:
http://www.negativland.com/albini.html

This is also a fascinating take from a seasoned band manager. Basically there is no negotiating a 'fair' contract, only one that is less unfair:
http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2241769,00.html

While I would agree it is a tough question as to how a relatively unknown band can build up an audience and market/promote their music or shows without having a lot of money or resources behind them, the 'old' record label way of doing it is simply criminal, and needs to go. Period.

What I find even sillier, or perhaps, more frightening, is that it was evidently inspired by a
'contemporary' Christian song:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/001/9.12.html

If you have a strong stomach, and the musical equivalent of a unicorn chaser, feel free to preview this delightful little morsel of praise-ery on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Worship-Michael-W-Smith/dp/B00005NQJV

So, wait... I'm trying to figure out how this works.

I'm assuming the product was provided for free, so that an online review would be done, hopefully promoting the product/beer. This could be an incorrect assumption, but I'm basing it on the fact that there was skepticism about its usefulness from the start, so I'm doubtful that it was purchased.

Then a video is made dissing not only the new product but the beer as well, and continuously so.

And you get drunk in the process.

If I were Heineken looking for some promotion, I'd be pissed. On the other hand: How do I apply for your job??

Yeah, quite an honorable stance; he's definitely got some big brass ones.

But I sure hope he's prepared to guard his shop and his person/family with extreme vigilance around the clock.

Jazz musicians tend to avoid alcohol...

Wait... what? I'm not sure what you're basing this one on, but my experience has been quite the contrary. I've actually played with a LOT of jazz guys over the years. Booze is usually a requirement.

Sure, certain musicians have favored various drugs, but generally it is fairly well-known that cocktails are (or were, in the heyday) free-flowing at every session. It 'loosens' everyone up.

Read Duke Ellington's autobio - in one of his first bands, they were paid in corn whiskey, and the band drank a gallon jug of it during each set. Duke claims that there was never a moment in his entire career where he wasn't sipping on something.

This robot is no ED-209

YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO COMPLY.

I decided to pony-up the $5, just to support the cause. I haven't been too terribly impressed with NIN's latest couple of offerings, although I was a big fan as a younger man...

That said, I'm really impressed by this album. It's quite beautiful, actually. I think Trent's really matured, and he deserves success from this.

Impressive.

That looks absolutely mouthwatering. I may have to take lunch early today.

The last time I ate at Pea Soup Anderson's was at that very one in Buellton. Not only is the tourist-trap atmosphere the exact opposite of charming, it was THE worst food I have ever had. I ordered a grilled cheese, which was positively horrid, and the pea soup was bland as all hell.

I would have never thought it possible to mess up a grilled cheese, but apparently someone found a way.

This reminds me of a guy who hangs out on Sunset Blvd on stilts, camouflaged as a tree. It's pretty amazing - he stands right next to little trees on the sidewalk and you can't see him at all. Then he bends down ands speaks to passers-by perusing the Walk of Fame and scares the bejeezus out of them. Pretty clever.

Oh, and the photos are amazing. :)

With no penalty, there's no disincentive for misbehaving. There actually an incentive, as there's nothing to lose. If all the FCC does is a "do over" - performing rework on the public dime - they are not doing their jobs.

That's what I came here to say. We all know they're going to try to do the same thing again, but just figure out how to not get caught.

There's got to be some way to punish corporations for this type of behavior- Trying to unfairly influence proceedings is underhanded at best, no matter how common it may be. There should be something similar to contempt to slap on them.

Awww. Come on people, they're adorable.

Good for them.

Damn. That is one seriously cool dwelling. I would move to Mexico City to live in that piece of awesomeness.

"Dude, my hands are huge! They can touch everything but themselves!"

But seriously - you can add me to the list. I used to have this when I was a kid, too. Except my hands would feel REALLY tiny. Usually when I was sick, I think. Then all of the characters from McDonald-land would be coming after me.

Mayor McCheese was always so angry...

Man, that is awesome. I've just been watching DVD's of Cosmos this past week. I'd forgotten how amazing that stuff is.

Carl is THE sh*t.

Squashy: the guy was just trying to stop the kids from acting recklessly, before they ended up bowling some old lady into the gutter.

Your whole argument fails from the start, if this is what you are basing it on.

See, I ride skateboards, and many moons ago, I was that exact 14-year-old. It may be one of the main justifications behind ridiculous anti-skateboarding laws in public areas, written by people who have never skateboarded - you know, public safety and all - but, please...

If you have ANY semblance of experience riding a board, you have as much control over your movement as a person running on their feet. You have precise turning, stopping and starting control. Sure, your speed may make people jump out of the way when they see you coming, but you will NEVER hit anyone. I never have in 20-odd years of skateboarding, and have never seen anyone else do it either. They only person who would possibly be in danger of hitting someone would be an inexperienced, clumsy dufus, not someone good enough to be videotaping their tricks.

Have YOU ever seen someone 'bowled over' by a skateboarder? Do you know anyone who ever has? Can you point to any news stories where this is a regular problem, or has ever even happened ONCE? I doubt it.

There are many other more serious and dangerous things going on than kids skateboarding or mouthing off. The police aren't protecting ANYONE, not even themselves when physically assaulting a minor who is guilty of a very slight infraction, if any. They are wrong when they act like this. Period.

I have a strong suspicion that the artist (I'm resisting the temptation to use scare quotes) ran some photographs though two Photoshop filters

Or used the Rasterbator:

http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

I have a couple of these in my apartment.

Qozmiq: Is Yoko referring to herself in the third person? Who does she think she is, Ricky Henderson?

"Rickey Henderson, pick up the phone, man, it's me... you."

The cop should be given a medal. Even when I was growing up there seemed to be more respect for authority figures than there is now. Man and Dude are no way to address Cops, Soldiers, Parents or Teachers.

Do you also tell kids to 'get off your lawn?'. Jesus, man - I'm about your age, but give me a break. That's how kids talk. Maybe he never had anyone teach him how to say 'sir'. Here in California everyone calls everyone else 'man'. It's not derogatory. Besides, society just isn't as 'formal' any more, dude. Get over it.

Yeah, throw him to the ground and threaten to kill him. That'll learn him some respect. That kid's never going to call a cop 'sir' ever in his life now.

@ Technical Writing Geek: I came here to say basically the same thing. 20 years ago I was also that kid with a skateboard, running from/mouthing off to cops and security.

When you're 14 and trying to 'rebel', it's fun to be a smartass and test the limits of authority figures. Usually you probably deserve a good talking-to. But no cop should be threatening kids, and certainly not physically roughing them up, unless they feel in danger. I don't think that skinny kid was endangering Officer donut-gut physically in any way.

The kid probably has a rough home life and needs some guidance. But now he and his friends probably have a solid hatred for the police that may never go away. That cop ruined it all - the exact opposite of solving the problem.

Also, the kid has diabetes, which is sad. The officer has, as of now, been suspended with pay. That bastard should be fired. He is a disgrace to his profession. He is supposed to be helping the community.

Full story: http://wjz.com/local/youtube.salvatore.rivieri.2.651552.html

@ Technical Writing Geek: I came here to say basically the same thing. 20 years ago I was also that kid with a skateboard, running from/mouthing off to cops and security.

When you're 14 and trying to 'rebel', it's fun to be a smartass and test the limits of authority figures. Usually you probably deserve a good talking-to. But no cop should be threatening kids, and certainly not physically roughing them up, unless they feel in danger. I don't think that skinny kid was endangering Officer donut-gut physically in any way.

The kid probably has a rough home life and needs some guidance. But now he and his friends probably have a solid hatred for the police that may never go away. That cop ruined it all - the exact opposite of solving the problem.

Also, the kid has diabetes, which is sad. The officer has, as of now, been suspended with pay. That bastard should be fired. He is a disgrace to his profession. He is supposed to be helping the community.

Full story: http://wjz.com/local/youtube.salvatore.rivieri.2.651552.html

edit: whoops - I guess the midi control part is one of the 'extensions'- not standard.

I agree with beastmouth. Built-in speaker is usually a sign of cheesiness - no one looking to spend that much on a midi controller would want that.

But... (and I believe this was posted before on BB proper) the coolest thing ever is that there are add-ons that this extremely bizarre German dude has to offer. The video is awesomely ridiculous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8xZ4tmUkDY

I may just have to sacrifice my pride and get one of these...

@ #3 - The Cage prepared piano stuff is stellar. I love 'Sonatas and Interludes'; some of my favorite listening.

@ #7 - I'll have to check that one out, thanks! I am a big fan of Black Angels, as played by the Kronos Quartet.

Wait, what? DOES NOT COMPUTE.

Makes me happy, though.

I know where that is! Good is a cool little beer joint.

I love the influx of Obama signs with the 'Andre's got a Posse' design I've seem on street corners today. In all colors. Very cool Warhol/Obey aesthetic.

Frank Shepard Fairey should be given some credit for bringing a certain amount of artistic merit back to street campaigning. Fun stuff, regardless of who you're for...

Nothing beats the demos by this wacky Japanese guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjkXReNFTLo

5ive: I also like how people assume just because it is in cartoon form, it must be for kids.

Totally.

I love this quote: "I didn't think this was a subject for a cartoon character. I would have expected to hear this on a nightime, adult theme television series or on a talk show, but not as a general discussion for a cartoon character."

Ummm, yeah. The Simpsons IS a 'nightime, adult theme' show, jackass.

Yeah, Schoenberg would be rolling in his grave if he heard that. Christ, the music building at UCLA is named after him. Although, it is also henceforthto be known as the 'Herb Alpert School of Music'. Which is telling, I suppose...

And sure, I love Mahler, but I usually think of him as a 19th century guy. Although one of my favorites of his, the 10th Symphony (unfinished) was written in the early 20th, just before he died... I would certainly choose to listen to him over Falco anyday.

Isn't Strauss German? At least the one I'm thinking of is...

Rock me Amadeus.

Holy crap - what douche-tastic statements. Aww, man why did he have to go and do that?

But yeah, I would have to agree with Liquefied, unfortunately. I have a wee bit of hope for the upcoming album since Lanois is back on-board, but McGuinness going around spouting this nonsense isn't going to help any with my outlook.

"Because of acid, I now know that butter is way better than margarine. I saw through the bullshit."

"Acid really messes with your mind, man. When I was on acid, I'd see things that looked like beams of light... and I'd hear things that sound an awful lot like car horns..."

(RIP Mitch Hedberg)

Pure win. I will be mashing this somehow or another...

Does anyone else hear a crazy upper octave up above when he's doing those high rockandroll screeches?

Either there's some weird shifting vocal effect sweetening things, he's got some crazy Tuvan throat singing skillz, or I just didn't get enough sleep last night.

Could very well be option three.

Big-budget movies are getting harder and harder to justify.

I've been thinking about this a bit lately as well, with all the talk about the MPAA, RIAA and piracy/losing money/cutting jobs, blah, blah...

It's just way easier to do stuff these days. With a couple grand of recording gear you can make a decent album, and distribute it nearly free on the 'nets. Obviously the same is really happening for movies. The roles of expensive middle-men (record labels/production studios), have increasingly diminished, as has the need for massive fund-raising and 'advances'. Just how it is.

Movies could be cheaper to the consumer, and music could be cheaper. There are still jobs for people, just not as many, and their labor is not as valuable monetary-wise. You don't have to have so many highly-trained personnel to run a lot of complicated equipment any more.

As long as you make back a few million to pay Tom Hanks, you're set. ;-)

How the hell do they come up with that ridiculous data in the first place?

How can anyone determine the formula for causality where X amount of movies downloaded by group Y = Z total dollars 'lost'. It sounds like a weird farce.

I can't even imagine how they come up with even slightly accurate figures on how many movies are being 'illegally download', let alone by a specific group. And how they equate that to lost sales is a whole other story in itself.

To me, they've been more or less making these figures up from the get-go. 44%, 15%, whatever. Seems totally random.

This is probably one of my most favorite YouTube videos of all time. We used loops of it as part of a video projected behind my band at a show once.

Why I love teh internets, reason #1.

Holy crap. That's right by my place. Well, I know what I'm having for dinner...

Does anyone know of anything going on like this in LA?

I'm starting to think this is much creepier than we realize.

The TSA obviously has some sort of Philip K. Dick-style Precogs that know what's going to happen in the future, a la Minority Report.

They apparently know that little Sam is going to actually become a terrorist 12 years in the future.

What they don't fully understand yet is that the reason this is so is because they are actually the ones that are going to drive him to it by hassling him at the airport his whole life.

We need to consult Tom Cruise on this one.

Wow, they are on a roll. Must be deliberate on the part of the marketing firm. I wonder if they justify it in some fair use sort of way.

Here's some images on a NIN ripoff discovered in a UK Micky D's:

http://i19.tinypic.com/6tzbk38.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Spookymuffin/Misc/wholething.jpg

Why does AT&T care what NBC Universal has to say about the way the AT&T network is used?

My question exactly. Sounds fishy. Or like a big CYA maneuver...

...except that it doesn't really resemble the look of a '60s Moog.

Yeah, not exactly, if you're a synth purist. But it does have knobs and patch cords, and is, you know, black. But judging by the logo design - a 'Moog-inspired' look is what they were going for. Just trying to be clever.

It's still pretty sexy looking, whatever it resembles.

And it's most definitely blogue. :)

I prefer the term "Champagne of Meats", personally.

I was recently at Disneyland, or rather, California Adventure (Disneyland 2.0), and we had the funniest dude as our guide/elevator operator on the 'Tower of Terror' ride.

The guy was obviously improving, and was putting on this creepy/corny sort of persona which was absolutely hilarious. Adding to it was the fact that he was a rather portly young man wearing the weirdly ridiculous old-fashioned Bellboy sort of costume.

We kept going back, not only because the ride a blast, but we were hoping to get that same guy again. Sadly, we never did.

Say no to scripts for Disney Cast Members!

Is "aunt" a typo?

I suppose you could also write aren't, and if spoken aloud, you could possibly fool people from an area of Australia with a non-rhotic accent.

I like grilled cheese.

I know there's some creative pitch-shifting and such going on there, but it's kind of telling that you can hold the same exact beat and fit all of those songs on top of each other.

@CharlesV: Awesome. I like yours much better. KUTGW.

Seriously, guys. This is a big story. I think FEMA needs to hold a press conference, STAT.

I find some sort of tasty irony in the idea of MTV reporting on the 'death of the industry'.

Brian Eno is one of my heroes. But I'm far from being considered a 'youth' these days, and he's as old as my father. Doesn't quite strike me as 'hip to the kids' at this point...

Naturally, for the US, it should be K-Fed.

Great quote:

"Design inspiration was said to be equal parts Disney's Aladdin and Courtyard by Marriott"

I lol'd.

Holy crap did Krul's post give me a headache - and I could only get through the first couple of paragraphs.

That has got to be the longest, most rambling 'comment' I've ever seen on a blog - not to mention that it is a total tangent to what the actual post is about...

Dude, get your own blog already!!

Ahh. That's why it's been so hard to get lately!

Ahhhh! 'Shopped or not, that is disturbing. I demand a Unicorn Chaser!!

This intrigues me immensely, for some reason.

Sorta-kinda reminds me of those weird sticky spider-thingies that you could throw at the wall and it would 'crawl' down.

They have very inventive wackos over there in Japan.

What lazy American would take the time to drive around and spit coffee on women or try to steal doorknobs and filing cabinets from police stations?

@Geno: I want some of what you're taking.

Evel was a 'heck of a guy' alright. Anyone ever read the Wikipedia entry on him? It's quite a fascinating read. I had no idea about half the stuff he was mixed-up in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evel_Knievel

Total maniac, but I loved him as a kid for sure.

The Twist really is one heck of a silly-looking dance.

Man, that is hot. The dude hanging on the humongoid schnoobs is priceless.

Shoot! I was gonna get some Space Bags last night, but fell asleep before I got to the phone. It sucks because I only had 57 minutes to get the special $19.95 T.V. offer! They were going to throw in an extra set of TSA-approved carry-on Space Bags with 3oz Space Liquid Bottles inside.

Isn't the semi-fallacy of the logic mainly what makes the joke funny?

The fact that the diagram doesn't make complete sense, in a scientific way, is what makes it like a music snob's snobbery. Mostly nonsensical/pointless.

I think it's pretty obvious what the joke is right away, nonetheless. We all know what it's saying. Got a chuckle out of me. Maybe some people need to have their funnybones examined. ;)

David Cross as the piano-playing cat scab is just pure absurdity.

Hilariously bizarre.

And yeah, suck it, Mr. Daly.

Nice! I was recently perusing SkyMall on a plane and was quite entertained. There's all kinds of weirdo nonsense in there.

I was particularly fascinated/creeped-out by that animatronic Elvis thingy. Ridiculous and strange, but somehow tempting, nonetheless. I can imagine taking a circuit-bending go at that thing and producing some odd results that are even creepier than it already seems to be...

I just recently flew on Southwest (which I hate, but not my choice), and the flight attendants and other employees were making really odd, corny pun/jokes with ALL of their loudspeaker announcements.

Like: "Please be careful when opening the overhead compartments, as items may have shifted during the flight. And as we all know, 'shift happens'!" All with that cheesy Phil Hartman-esque fake-announcer/law-talkin'-guy inflection in their voice.

It's as if the airline sent all their employees to bad comedy customer service training camp or something. They were all doing it, even at the boarding gate.

@Bonnie - you should check out the whole illustration:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Touched_by_His_Noodly_Appendage.jpg

Great vid.

But I think everyone's barking up the wrong tree here.

These execs are smarter than you think. They may be old, but they didn't get to where they are by not being savvy. I think they totally 'get' it. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not about royalties or residuals at all.

What if, just what if, the producers of these shows encouraged the strike in order to cut budgets, and have no interest in settling? A lot of these long-term writing contracts will be nullified after they have been striking a certain number of weeks. They can swiftly cut staff/clean house without any fuss after that point, and force people to sign new, shorter-term contracts for less money while getting rid of the more expensive writers with long-term contracts.

I'm afraid this is way more shady than it seems on the surface, people. They've used some wicked slight-of-hand and have tricked everybody into focusing the debate entirely on a different side-issue. Just wait and see...

OMFG - that synth one is the greatest thing I have ever seen.

At least they don't blast reggeaton at all hours

Oh, don't get me started on that! I think I have that frigging beat permanently ingrained into my neural pathways...

I think my relative problem would also be dogs. When every second apartment in an 80-unit building has one or more large dogs, I would think that the noise/smell factor affecting the neighbors (me!) is much greater than a handful of hens in a large private backyard.

I'd much prefer walking by chickens in a closed area on private property than having to hopscotch over steaming piles of dog poop every morning when I walk out the door. THAT should be illegal. Oh, wait...

Oh, man - that is entertainment right there! I love how it's also part skate video for some reason. Works for me.

I used to have neighbors in a very densely-populated section of the Koreatown neighborhood in LA with chickens, and heard the roosters every morning. It was slightly annoying at first, but I got used to it. I never thought of getting the authorities involved, or even once considered the legality of urban chicken raising.

I have a feeling that mid-city LA is slightly more 'urban' than Missoula. I can't even tell the difference between the 'city' and 'country' folk in the video. Montana is a whole different world to me...

I think the 'slightly pro-chicken' guy at the end has the most astute comment. There's gotta be more pressing issues. I hope...

Wow. I was an amateur yo-yo enthusiast as a kid, and I had no idea it could get so serious.

Brake pads, friction stickers (huh?), bearings, counterweights... Goodness gracious. There are yo-yos that cost $450 for heaven's sake!

I really like the look of the aluminum, though. Quite spiffy. I may have to grab one of these and give it a go, for old-time's sake.

I'm SURE that if you had millions of dollars to your name that you would totally keep living in your crappy 600 sqft apartment so as to minimize your environmental impact.

I can assure you, if I had Leno kind of money, I wouldn't be spending it on McLaren F1s and outrageously giant garages.

I would build a compound on the moon. Environmental impact (to Earth, at least): Zero!

Dude, this guy must have WAY too much free time on his hands.

And an unlimited supply of LSD.

Awesome.

Reminds me of the lady who called 911 trying to get a date with some cop she was attracted to.

Or the lady who called 911 because Burger King didn't make her Western Burger properly:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/cops/burger.asp

You do realise that Jay Leno's garage is larger than our flat?

You don't say? :)

My 'flat' (or 'apartment' as us Yanks say) in Hollywood is about 600 sq. ft. So you could fit over 28 of them in his garage. Heck, his garage probably has more sq. footage than the whole 4-story building I live in.

So I'm assuming his actual house is what, at least twice that? Wowzers. Saving the environment, indeed.

@Lizzle - have you not heard of Pixelblocks? They are fantastic, and have offered me many hours of lovely distraction. I have a the beginnings of a whole robot army built from them...

http://www.pixelblocks.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/pbonline

Amazing. This is the best summary of the concept I have ever seen. He should be President of the Universe.

Also, what a handsome video player they've got there.

This absolutely sickens me.

My parents were evacuated yesterday morning. They are dangerously close to losing their modest home in Rancho Bernardo that they just paid off after nearly 25 years of busting their ass to provide a decent upbringing for their children (me & my sis).

My father is a retired Navy officer, and my mom is a veteran elementary school teacher. Probably the farthest from 'hating America' that you can possibly get.

Go to hell, douchebag.

Love,
Wingo

I agree with most of the sentiments here.

1. You had the option to pay ZERO. How can you complain about being ripped off?

2. Of course it was a promotional 'scheme'. That's what bands have to do. Who cares? It's a bold, ingenious one. Why not give them credit?

3. Can you really tell that it's 160kbps? Does it REALLY sound crappy to you? I'm a musician with a trained ear, and it sounds beautiful. Granted, I don't have a $5k stereo system, but how many people really do?

4. It's a fascinating social/marketing experiment. Look how much everyone is talking about it. Mission accomplished.

5. It raises questions about traditional models of distribution and mocks record labels. Isn't that EXACTLY what we need right now?

I seriously think all of this dissent is being fueled by the record industry propagandists in order to quash this kind of 'rebellion'. The record industry is freaking out and scrambling to put a negative light on all of this. If you really read Jonny Greenwood's statements, I think their ultimate purpose is really just to provoke debate, and try something totally different - which is exactly what happened.

More power to you Radiohead. I think this is a great album, and I'm glad they profited from it. They truly deserve it.

Didn't Eddie originally play that kb part live? Or was that just a bit of 'syth-syncing' in the original video?

You've got to hand it to them, though, for sticking with it. They definitely proved that they are seasoned performers, the way they just rolled with it and kept up the shtick/choreography.

But yeah, some sound guy SO got fired that night.

I read (most of) 2012, and was very intrigued at first. It actually starts off with some seriously compelling and thought-provoking ideas.

Then as it progresses, it starts to go off the metaphorical deep-end. First, in a slightly amusing way, and then in a ridiculous 'you've got to be kidding me' way. I got so disgusted I couldn't finish reading it. He comes across as just plain arrogant.

Then there was that weird Rolling Stone article that painted him as a total sleaze. Who knows how much of that is true - he went to great lengths to dispute the author's claims - but there's something about him that's just a little disturbing...

I like the iTunes/spreadsheet comparison. Never thought about it quite in that way. But I've had the same thoughts on content/context myself. I find myself checking the web for band members/lyrics all the time when I'm listening to a song.

I think it's almost hilariously absurd that the RIAA is threatening to sue lyrics websites for 'infringement' now. Like everything else, why on earth would they try to encumber the experience of enjoying the (music) product, yet again? If I bought the song on-line, why wouldn't they want me to delve deeper into the meat of it and appreciate it that much more? Answer: fricking money. I'm sure they're trying to figure out a way to SELL me the lyrics as an 'extra' product. All of the sudden something that was traditionally just a normal part of the experience is turned around as a 'bonus'. Thanks stupid, greedy a-holes.

This Ian guy is a true revolutionary. His argument is so eloquent and sensible. Too bad Yahoo's probably gonna fire him now...

phasor3000:downloading an illegal 128 kbps mp3 copy of Sonic Youth Daydream Nation, which they do not and have at no time owned in any format

This brings up an interesting point. I actually did purchase a copy of Daydream Nation back in the '80s on cassette. I used to drive around listening to it in my beat-up Toyota when I was in high school, and your comment made me want to hear it again. Seriously.

So my question to the 'downloading is theft' crowd is this: Is it OK (i.e. ethical/ morally justifiable) for me in this case to download that 128 kbps copy? I paid for it at one time, presumably about the same price for the cassette that one would pay now for the iTunes version. Even if I may/may not still have that cassette tucked away in storage somewhere and it may/may not still be listenable? Especially since listening to a new cassette at the time would probably be comparable to the quality of a 128 kpbs download of possibly questionable origin? Or am I supposed to purchase the same album again, essentially getting penalized for the progression of technology over the last 15 years? (I no longer have a tape player and only listen to CDs or my iPod in my car.)

I really don't know what the answer to this question is - it sort of takes an abstract turn in my head. It's a slippery slope at the very least. But it seems to me if you start breaking the discussion down to the level of paying the artist for their 'intellectual property', then I have already done that once, and the format in which I enjoy it in the present day should be irrelevant. Correct, or no? If you look at it in those terms, I have already purchased the 'license' for that album, and should be able to make use of it even this much later without having to re-pay the copyright holder. Right? Or is this the whole reason why the business model is failing, because this concept of 'license' and easily distributable content didn't come into play in the day of cassettes? I'm seriously wondering how this type of question is addressed by the industry...

What’s disappointing about this debate recently, is that it seems to me that the RIAA’s tactics seem to be working on one level. I’ve noticed a slow increase since the whole Napster debacle in the number of people that will vehemently insist that copyright infringement IS stealing, and this is a relatively new thing. We see it here in this discussion. Even when someone like Corey so eloquently points out the logical and factual fallacies involved with that kind of comparison. So the RIAA seems to be (however slowly) solidifying this notion to a certain level in the general conscious.

I like the earlier point made by Yamara about ACTUAL pirates of yore, and how sort of ridiculous the comparison is. Even when I was a kid, when you spoke of ‘pirates’, it conjured a notion of a seedy underbelly – these were unseemly characters who made shoddy copies of VHS tapes and sold them in back alleys in order to PROFIT. They were actually, in a sense, stealing a little part of the market share on the movies. But these people were of the criminal element, and most likely you associated them with the mob or racqueteers or the like. But me making a dub of an Oingo Boingo cassette for my school friend was only recruiting a new fan to eventually accompany me to the next concert, and then we’d both buy t-shirts that we would wear to school the next day. It really was about sharing, and developing a future-paying fanbase. There was a clear distinction in the concepts. Now the RIAA will have you believe that if you use torrents, you are as evil a criminal as a pillaging Pirate of the Spanish Main or the mafia scumbag selling crappy VHS tapes out of the trunk of a car.

I’ve noticed these days that younger folks will commonly refer to filesharing as ‘theft’. They still don’t care, and shrug it off, but do tend to believe more and more that it is actually stealing. When the whole Napster thing was happening, I made a t-shirt that said ‘I use Napster’ on the front. On the back it said ‘Thief’. It was a silly, snarky joke at the time. When I wore it, people were amused in the ‘I see what you did there’ sort of way. Because it was funny. OF COURSE using Napster didn’t really make you a ‘thief’. Nowadays, it seems there’s a growing element of the population that would not find it amusing at all. They would be more inclined to scoff and not get the joke. ‘OF COURSE you are a thief, and you’re admitting it?’ The RIAA may be losing money, but it seems that, sadly, they may be gaining ground in the propaganda war on the general culture with the whole ‘theft’ concept.

Holy craps, Batman! He moves so fast it looks like it's sped-up. Even in slo-mo his hands are blurred. I've never seen such a thing.

I think I may have a new hobby...

Whoa! Literal flashback...

Once I was on a very similar mescaline mountain (many years ago - ahh... college). I was listening to Coltrane's version of Mood Indigo, and with every phrase he played, a swirl of amazing color was splashed across the wall. One of the greatest experiences of my life.

Crazy. So many odd parallels. Great article. I feel as though I am REQUIRED to read this book now - especially being a musician.

Ha! I drive right past there almost every day. Never even noticed that...

#5: "It was much the same among musicians before the 20th century."

That's the first thing I thought as well. Being a musician myself, I always sort of wish it were still this way. As others mentioned above, it could be implausible based solely on the sheer volume of musicians these days. But I always felt like, if you wrote a great song, and everyone recognized that it was good - that's all you would need. Anyone could perform it (that's what you want, right?), but would automatically give you credit as the creator. If anyone else tried to falsely take credit for or in some way abuse your song, everyone would know who to really attribute it to, and shun or ridicule the offender.

But hey, maybe with the global magic of the internets, and the way it can make the world seem much smaller, a modern model of this could be possible... But it would require a sort of paradigm shift that would certainly unsettle more than a few of the people who are cashing in on royalties and/or locked into the modern-day model...

I decided to boycott SW airlines long ago, after several highly unpleasant experiences flying with them (delayed flights, lost luggage, etc.) In every situation I found their staff (on the plane and in the airport) to be rude, irritable, unhelpful, confrontational, and often just flat-out mean.

One time, on a cross-country trip that ended up being 15 hours longer than it should have, we were stuck on their plane for over 6 straight hours (on various runways, etc.) basically going nowhere. It was like we were held captive. There was NO food or beverage service the entire time because of turbulence (when we were actually flying) and other issues, and everyone was dying, and very irritable. At one point they changed flight crews, and the very first thing the head attendant said when she stepped on the plane was something like: 'Don't EVEN think of complaining to me right now, I've had a REALLY bad day', with a 'talk-to-the-hand' type of gesture. I never wanted to strangle someone so badly.

Is it also cruel to eat freshly shucked raw oysters (mmmmm...)? Seems to amount to about the same thing.

If the octopus were chomped by a shark in the ocean instead, would that make the shark cruel?

It's one thing to be against eating animals at all. I find it odd, but if that's what you are into, then OK. But if you enjoy any type of meat/seafood - it does have to be killed first. Heck, you have to kill a plant to eat it too. That live butter lettuce salad could be silently screaming in pain as you stab it with your fork as well...