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Wednesday, July 26, 2006
nerd-rage ahoy...
Hey, have you seen that advertorial meets ‘ohhh technology is scary’ article, “Security-Minded Firms Banning iPods at Work”, that’s popping up all over teh interweb?
It’s the biggest piece of shit I’ve read in the last 6 months.
For those too lazy to click, here’s the jist: Sun commissioned a survey of “senior decision makers” from 259 Canadian “mid- and large-sized businesses”, from the resulting data a series of random statistics and random conclusions are thrown together with the precision of a kindergartener using white glue and popsicle sticks during craft time. The stat positioned front and centre: 30% of businesses have banned iPod’s and other MP3 players from the workplace. The underlying message: workplace change is scary, and you’re not ready.
Some questions for Ipsos Reid, the survey respondents, Sun, and the jack-ass who wrote the piece in the first place:
- are we to believe that the 259 companies surveyed were actually knowledge-based companies (i.e. all employees have constant interaction with networked data)? McDonald’s is a “mid- and large-sized businesses”, are the kids behind the till really a threat to their data?
- are we to believe that the 259 “senior decision makers” are technologically savvy or strategic-minded? Yes, I realize many CTOs and the like were interviewed, but those in technology governance positions are often not informed.
- have any of these “Security-Minded Firms [who ban] iPods at Work” considered actual network security applications instead of knee-jerk policy? Forbidding media players over restricting network access and logging activity is kin to putting a band-aid across a belly button to heal a ruptured spleen.
- is it really “pointless to try to anticipate how the next wave of technology will affect data security”? If you critically thought about the future and did impact assessments you could avoid pulling employee adverse stunts like banning media devices… plus, I wouldn’t have to read crap articles like this.
- hey, Scott McNealy... jealous much?
A question for you, blog consumer:
- does anyone actually work in a place that has banned iPods for security reasons? If so, huh?!
elsewhere
new pela | two men enter, jackie warner leaves
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Monday, July 24, 2006
"I would spend good money to see that girl dance to rap music"...
Vegas, recapped in a nut shell: We all had pretty high expectations for this trip, but each of us agreed that these expectations were completely blown out of the water. With that said, the purpose of the trip was a stag, it was a bit of a reunion for a bunch of people who grew up together (but hadn't hung out for years), and we all spent money better than p-diddy ever could. So you know, it was a recipe for pure awesomeness.
Also, I can't get over how euphoric an afternoon at the Lazy River can be. That also might be why I went there 3 days in a row there and why charged $333 USD in booze on my room tab whilst pool side.
As for the rest of the sorted details... bla bla bla... what happens in Vegas stays in bla bla bla. That, and I'm far too bagged to sit here and type for much longer.
And now, I'm going to commence my self-imposed 7 day diet/cleanse where I will eat nothing but lettuce.
elsewhere
advice for chappelle: don't listen to advice
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Wednesday, July 19, 2006
my weekend will be better than your weekend...
Hey! I realize I'm late to the Yacht Rock party (in fact, I'm so late, that the party has come, gone, and been canceled) but man-o-man that's some funny stuff. Don't believe? Watch the clip above. Note: If you don't agree with me, you're dead inside.
Related:
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Recommended reading: Exclaim's interview with MSTRKRFT.
I like the article because Jesse Keeler comes across as someone who's very in touch with the state of indie music and someone who has a real understanding of how musical tastes / trends evolve. Further, he talks about his DFA 1979 days and his plans to build himself a working profitable studio financed through his "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine" dollars. As a bonus, they throw around fancy words like "careerism". I don't know... this kinda artist pre-meditated diligence and discipline seems rare in the music biz. No?
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Hey! People sure are making a fuss about that Biggie/Gnarls mash-up album that's floating around teh internet. I mean, it's ok, but it's not gushing with technical creativity like the Gray Album or Girl Talk. Of course, with that said, I can't deny the goodness of this jam:
A refreshing take on a track which has been done to death.
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This brings me joy to no end:
Dudes. Are they bad enough?
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And on that note... I'm off to Vegas, bitches.
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Tuesday, July 18, 2006
uhhhhhhhhhhhh...
"The One: Making a Music Star - the series will follow the lives of contestants as they attend a fully functioning music academy that turns aspiring singers into music stars through professional training. The winner will receive a recording contract with a major record company."
Could someone please tell me what to think about George Stroumboulopoulos hosting ABC's The One?!
I mean, hooray!, dude is expanding his profile by going to a US show... but it's a reality program, and it's tacky/cheesy/lacks credibility... which aren't really the attributes that George possesses. I mean, the guy is The New Music personified. So what's better: exposure or brand consistency? Follow up question: where does George go next with this gig under his belt?
Also, related: what the F is this shit?
Oh, faded youth and misplaced cool... this guy is trying way to hard. He makes the kids in Cobra Snake pictures look brilliantly stylish.
elsewhere
The Grates at mercury lounge | vitriolic anti-rock propaganda
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Monday, July 17, 2006
quoteable quotes...
Yesterday a post about Ryan Adams' plans for upcoming album releases surfaced on Stereogum. This, of course, lead the comments section to be instantly populated with endless polarized arguments between over-passionate gushing fan-kids and jaded apathetic hipsters (none of whom, I'm sure, have ever picked up a guitar or tried to write a song themselves). One side argued that Ryan is brilliant, the other argued that Ryan is an idiot. Oh, kids... Ryan is actually a brilliant idiot. And that's the awesome thing.
The interesting twist to all this is that Ryan himself actually posted in the comment section. He had a good point:
Either way, 3 albums worth of material will be released in the next year... wow.
And now because I'm a smart-ass, here's a couple cover mp3's:
elsewhere
CordMag interviews We Are Scientists
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Sunday, July 16, 2006
ipod-ready video de jour...
You know how it's done... right-click, save-as...
- MSTRKRFT - Work On You [m4v]
Is it me or is MSTRKRFT treading in Daft Punk territory with this track? Yeah, there are audio similarities (electro vocoder much?), but even the video feels a bit like the Discovery-era anime clips. I realize that if you really look at this track very closely you'll be able to come up with a laundry list of differences... but it's a music video, and it's sunny outside, so you really should just generalize these things and focus on working on your farmer tan.
Either way, this video is a far cry from the "Pepto-Bismol Bukkake" stylings of Easy Love... and either way, it's a pretty decient track from a couple of dudes with roots in noise/synth/rock bands.
elsewhere
download: feist live on WRLT-FM | broken records
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Thursday, July 13, 2006
pre-weekend linkage...
And now, some very hyper links that have been burning a hole in my pocket as of late:
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Tuesday, July 11, 2006
reviewed: acoustic foo fighters at the orpheum...
There are a few things we need to get out of the way before we dig into this review of Monday night’s Foo Fighters show:
Yes, since the bands inception a decade ago, they've charted a steady course from the post-grunge fringe to the middle of the mainstream. And yes, the last couple of albums put out by the band have been far less than inspired.
But with all that said, I have the softest of soft spots for Dave Grohl and the band. True fact: the track "Hey, Johnny Park" back in the day was the catalyst for me...hearing that track for first time got me thinking that the years of hip hop and hip hop DJ’ing I had done wouldn’t be as satisfying as picking up a guitar.
Thus, my desire to see the Foo Fighters perform live.
I’m happy to report that Monday's show was surprisingly good. If there was one thing that really stood out, it was the fact that the show seemed incredibly thought out. Unlike a standard rock show which just barrels through track after track, this show had a real cadence, and the revised acoustic arrangements were legitimately built for the 8 (eight!) piece incarnation of the band.
I should point out that the above might sound a bit pretentious... but it wasn’t. Dave was big on the between song banter, lots of profanity, lots of jokes... usually at his expense.
Also of note: the sound quality for the evening was incredible. The combination of the band ditching their amp stack / pedals and opting for acoustic guitars coupled with the venue choice of a genuine theatre (instead of, say, the plaza of nations) made the layers of strings and vocals pour out crisp and clean. You could, if you were so inclined, hang on every word of every phrase.
With all that said they didn't play "Hey, Johnny Park"... but everyone did sit down for the entire show, and that was pleasing as punch.
elsewhere
a new episode of the polaroids of androids podcast
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Sunday, July 09, 2006
the july mixtape is hot to go...
Whomp there it (finally) is, kids. 18 tracks of audio wonderfulness... this mix would have been perfect for last week's long weekend but, you know, I was busy.
As always it's a limited time offer. Get on it.
elsewhere
broken mascis scene | state of things
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Friday, July 07, 2006
hey toronto, hey montreal...
Hey friends to the east... vancouverite & best friend of vanmega.com, Rob Wilson, is performing a couple of unofficial/one-off shows in your neck of the woods this weekend.
Specifically:
- Friday July 07, 2006 (9:30 PM) at Cafe Esperanza (5490 St. Laurent) in Montreal
- Saturday July 08, 2006 (9:00 PM) at El Macombo (464 Spadina Ave) in Toronto
For the few not in the know: Rob does the singer-songwriter thing with huge soul influences. Think Ray LaMontagne minus the depression and injected with the hip moving tendencies.
You can stream a bunch of his tracks here, or if you're more ipod oriented download them here.
So put on a nice shirt and then go to one of Rob's gigs and slop it up (the shirt, that is). Bonus points: when you're there tell him I sent ya.
Keep in mind that Rob's on tour with Buck 65 and Kinne Star right now... there's a pretty good chance of cameos this weekend. Nothing's confirmed... but I have hunches.
elsewhere
belinda stronach has a myspace space?! | gloaming
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Wednesday, July 05, 2006
quickie: oh, canada...
It appears that the ad server at canoe.ca has a delicious sense of irony...
This Government of Canada ad:
Sits above the following article:
"Feds can't force businesses to pass along GST cut"
For those too lazy to click through, here's the jist:
"Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says it's 'outrageous' that some companies are choosing to absorb the GST savings rather than passing it on to consumers. But he says there's not much Ottawa can do about it. Flaherty says consumers can retaliate by avoiding businesses that don't pass along the savings."
Cripes. Don't make us call Warren G to regulate.
This is the point in the post where I'd normally make some snarky comment, but to hell with it, the Vancouverite nicely summed up the perceived useless of the GST cut. Watch me sample:
"So this Monday I can buy an extra 1% worth of stuff because I am paying 1% less in GST. That's pretty sweet. 4 liters of milk will cost me $4.22 instead of the outrageous $4.26 I am paying now."
elsewhere
download: real & imagined dancing
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Monday, July 03, 2006
reviewed: jamie lidell at the commodore ballroom...
I recently read a one sentence review of Jamie Lidell, which claimed that he was "the tits".
Whoever wrote that wasn't kidding... dude is serious talent... and on a level that most artists only dream of reaching. His live show was like a bipolar collaboration between Sam Cooke and The Chemical Brothers. One minute it was a scornful, soul session, the next it was a improvised, loop and sample knob tweaking implosion... but the lines between the two extremes were so blurred that you didn't even realize this shift was taking place. Best of all, this was all done by Lidell himself, solo. He'd bounce back and fourth between his deck of synths and samplers and to the front of the stage. The entire set felt heavily improvised, most of the tracks he performed off Multiply sounded nothing like the studio versions... and this was a very good thing.
This was the most impressive live show I've seen so far in 2006. If you have a chance to see this dude... get on it. Jamie Lidell plays Hi-Fi in Calgary tomorrow (and Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto later this week)... buy a ticket, stay up late on a school night and thank me later.
Update... some Jamie Lidell goodies:
- AOL music has a live in-studio performance + interview for download here
- A bunch of live stage show video clips here
- NPR World Cafe sessions for streaming here
elsewhere
raekwon deconstructed | download new dears | ____rhapsodical
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