...the coming Apocalypse.
TMZ reported this morning, that Kim Kardashian is pregnant...with Kanye West's baby. It seems that the Mayans were about six months off.
Poor kid's going to be nothing but ass and teeth. Seven pounds three ounces of uncontrolled ego.
"But when you get on, he leave yo ass for a white girl...."
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Copyright Criminals
I've been having a difficult time getting back into the swing of things. I've really been wanting to write. I haven't done so in more than two months. It has become very hard to get motivated. So, I thought a good way to get my feet wet again would be by doing one of my old standbys...a mashup post.
I couldn't sleep last night, so I watched a short documentary on Netflix. Copyright Criminals took a look at the prevalence of sampling in today's music. More than anything, it asked the question, "Are DJs/samplers musicians?" "Does their work require talent?"
You had some people, mostly on the legal side of the issue, say that DJs and hip hop artists are talentless hacks. They're either not talented enough, or creative enough, to come up with their own material.
Interesting fact: Rick James sold 3 million copies of his Super Freak single. MC Hammer sampled Super Freak in You Can't Touch This. Hammer sold 10 million copies of his single.
Some artists argue that many jazz and funk tunes sampled in hip hop's heyday comprised of beats or trumpet hits that were, for the most part, improvised. The drummer or trumpet player was usually a studio musician that was paid a flat fee to record a backing track. They didn't receive any songwriting credit or any royalties from the track. If they're sampling a trumpet hit from a James Brown tune, why should they have to pay Brown's estate to get permission to use a part of the song he had nothing to do with?
One person in the film likened sampling/mashups to what Andy Warhol did with his work. He took copyrighted photos and painted over them. He took trademarked packaging and painted them on canvas. The world agrees today that he was a genius.
The documentary specifically brought up the case of Danger Mouse's Grey Album. If you've never heard of The Grey Album, Danger Mouse (the second half of Gnarls Barkley) mixed the vocals of Jay-Z's Black Album with music from The Beatles White Album. The result was legendary.
Danger Mouse never had any intention on releasing the album for commercial sale. As soon as he started distributing it on the internet, EMI, The Beatles music publisher, immediately sent a cease and desist. The original artists never filed a complaint. In fact, Jay-Z's label has never said a word about the album. The Grey Album became the most downloaded and widely distributed album of 2004. Had EMI been willing to play nice, everyone involved could have made a lot of money.
Another artist featured in the film was the duo Eclectic Method. Watch this and tell me, "Is this talent or technology at work?" There's a segment at 5:52, where they put a beat together using the swings of a sword. It's pretty badass.
One of my favorite videos is of a mashup done by a 15-year-old French kid. He mashes together 39 of his favorite songs in a matter of three-and-a-half minutes. Can you even figure out all 39 songs he sampled? Even if you could, are the samples recognizable to where anyone listening to it could say, "He ripped off _____."? Considering standard costs related to gaining permission from record labels, this tune could possibly cost $4 million or more in legal fees. Is he stealing the artistic creations of someone else, or has this kid created a completely new piece of art?
I couldn't sleep last night, so I watched a short documentary on Netflix. Copyright Criminals took a look at the prevalence of sampling in today's music. More than anything, it asked the question, "Are DJs/samplers musicians?" "Does their work require talent?"
You had some people, mostly on the legal side of the issue, say that DJs and hip hop artists are talentless hacks. They're either not talented enough, or creative enough, to come up with their own material.
Interesting fact: Rick James sold 3 million copies of his Super Freak single. MC Hammer sampled Super Freak in You Can't Touch This. Hammer sold 10 million copies of his single.
Some artists argue that many jazz and funk tunes sampled in hip hop's heyday comprised of beats or trumpet hits that were, for the most part, improvised. The drummer or trumpet player was usually a studio musician that was paid a flat fee to record a backing track. They didn't receive any songwriting credit or any royalties from the track. If they're sampling a trumpet hit from a James Brown tune, why should they have to pay Brown's estate to get permission to use a part of the song he had nothing to do with?
One person in the film likened sampling/mashups to what Andy Warhol did with his work. He took copyrighted photos and painted over them. He took trademarked packaging and painted them on canvas. The world agrees today that he was a genius.
The documentary specifically brought up the case of Danger Mouse's Grey Album. If you've never heard of The Grey Album, Danger Mouse (the second half of Gnarls Barkley) mixed the vocals of Jay-Z's Black Album with music from The Beatles White Album. The result was legendary.
Danger Mouse never had any intention on releasing the album for commercial sale. As soon as he started distributing it on the internet, EMI, The Beatles music publisher, immediately sent a cease and desist. The original artists never filed a complaint. In fact, Jay-Z's label has never said a word about the album. The Grey Album became the most downloaded and widely distributed album of 2004. Had EMI been willing to play nice, everyone involved could have made a lot of money.
Another artist featured in the film was the duo Eclectic Method. Watch this and tell me, "Is this talent or technology at work?" There's a segment at 5:52, where they put a beat together using the swings of a sword. It's pretty badass.
One of my favorite videos is of a mashup done by a 15-year-old French kid. He mashes together 39 of his favorite songs in a matter of three-and-a-half minutes. Can you even figure out all 39 songs he sampled? Even if you could, are the samples recognizable to where anyone listening to it could say, "He ripped off _____."? Considering standard costs related to gaining permission from record labels, this tune could possibly cost $4 million or more in legal fees. Is he stealing the artistic creations of someone else, or has this kid created a completely new piece of art?
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Sunday Comics
Did you know that the account of Jacob wrestling with an angel was the inspiration for 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Long Time No See
I feel like I've failed my site.
This is the first blog post I've written in over a month. And, fuck has it been a crazy month. While on my gluten free diet, my health started to deteriorate. The returning symptoms were primarily neurological in nature. Pain, asymmetrical numbness, but very little issues when it comes to my digestive system. I thought that maybe I would introduce gluten back into my diet, and see if I was truly gluten intolerant, or if it was merely a coincidence.
After eating gluten continuously for the last two weeks, I have noticed an occasional stomach issue. The biggest difference I can tell is psychologically. I am much more stressed out and depressed now than what I was before.
Last week, I saw an allergist. They did a series of tests for food allergies. Of the 82 foods I was tested for, I was allergic to none. Not allergic in the least to wheat, barley, oats, malt, or rice. The doctor wants to do another blood test for Celiac, but is saying that it will almost definitely come back negative. It is extremely rare for someone to be allergic to gluten, without having even a hint of another food allergy. I had a number of vials of blood taken to be tested for every auto-immune disease under the sun. I am scheduled to see my doctor tomorrow for the results. I don't know what makes me more nervous, finding out that I have an auto-immune disorder, or hearing that I'm fine.
In other recent news, I have been putting a number of hours into the animal rescue. It's easily the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I love helping these little guys find homes. There are days when it is extremely stressful, though. Not because of the dogs, or the work that I do. But, because of some of the cunts that I have to deal with, and the drama they tend to create. If we could only boot some of the egos and the arrogance from the group, life would be much easier. As it is, there are some days when it's not even worth trying.
I'm tired. It's as simple as that. I'm going to try to schedule out my life, as I have been neglecting some of the things that are very important to me. Dedicate so much time per week to my site. So much to helping my friends with their adoption blog. So much toward my political activism. So much to my family. And, so much to the rescue. It all sounds great in theory. It will be interesting to see how the logistics work themselves out.
This is the first blog post I've written in over a month. And, fuck has it been a crazy month. While on my gluten free diet, my health started to deteriorate. The returning symptoms were primarily neurological in nature. Pain, asymmetrical numbness, but very little issues when it comes to my digestive system. I thought that maybe I would introduce gluten back into my diet, and see if I was truly gluten intolerant, or if it was merely a coincidence.
After eating gluten continuously for the last two weeks, I have noticed an occasional stomach issue. The biggest difference I can tell is psychologically. I am much more stressed out and depressed now than what I was before.
Last week, I saw an allergist. They did a series of tests for food allergies. Of the 82 foods I was tested for, I was allergic to none. Not allergic in the least to wheat, barley, oats, malt, or rice. The doctor wants to do another blood test for Celiac, but is saying that it will almost definitely come back negative. It is extremely rare for someone to be allergic to gluten, without having even a hint of another food allergy. I had a number of vials of blood taken to be tested for every auto-immune disease under the sun. I am scheduled to see my doctor tomorrow for the results. I don't know what makes me more nervous, finding out that I have an auto-immune disorder, or hearing that I'm fine.
In other recent news, I have been putting a number of hours into the animal rescue. It's easily the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I love helping these little guys find homes. There are days when it is extremely stressful, though. Not because of the dogs, or the work that I do. But, because of some of the cunts that I have to deal with, and the drama they tend to create. If we could only boot some of the egos and the arrogance from the group, life would be much easier. As it is, there are some days when it's not even worth trying.
I'm tired. It's as simple as that. I'm going to try to schedule out my life, as I have been neglecting some of the things that are very important to me. Dedicate so much time per week to my site. So much to helping my friends with their adoption blog. So much toward my political activism. So much to my family. And, so much to the rescue. It all sounds great in theory. It will be interesting to see how the logistics work themselves out.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Fireworks: Give Us The Finale Only!
Last night, the three of us drove up to a mall parking lot in Tempe to see the fireworks. We then walked to a bridge that crossed Tempe Town Lake. The show was approximately a mile away at Tempe Beach Park. For standing on a sidewalk, we had a pretty great view.
The show lasted about 35 minutes. Honestly, it sort of dragged on. Jessi and I joked that it would bring so much more bang for the buck (sorry for the pun) if they used the same amount of fireworks, but in a 10 minute production. "Better yet," Jessi said, "wouldn't it be awesome if they just lit everything at the same time?"
For some reason, I envisioned it much like the fireworks scene from Coneheads.
Well...IT HAPPENED.
Last night in San Diego, a computer malfunction caused every firework to light simultaneously. The result wasn't as epic as I had imagined, (I'm sure there weren't any sunburns inflicted) but it was pretty damn cool.
I love the crowd reaction. You could tell they were thinking, "If that's the opening salvo, I can't imagine what the finale looks like." I thoroughly encourage you to watch other videos of the event on YouTube. Kids are crying. Every car alarm in the Bay area was going off. It's hilarious.
Talk about a once in a lifetime occurrence. If it was up to me, every fireworks show would be this majestic. Could you imagine this over Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland every night?
The show lasted about 35 minutes. Honestly, it sort of dragged on. Jessi and I joked that it would bring so much more bang for the buck (sorry for the pun) if they used the same amount of fireworks, but in a 10 minute production. "Better yet," Jessi said, "wouldn't it be awesome if they just lit everything at the same time?"
For some reason, I envisioned it much like the fireworks scene from Coneheads.
Well...IT HAPPENED.
Last night in San Diego, a computer malfunction caused every firework to light simultaneously. The result wasn't as epic as I had imagined, (I'm sure there weren't any sunburns inflicted) but it was pretty damn cool.
I love the crowd reaction. You could tell they were thinking, "If that's the opening salvo, I can't imagine what the finale looks like." I thoroughly encourage you to watch other videos of the event on YouTube. Kids are crying. Every car alarm in the Bay area was going off. It's hilarious.
Talk about a once in a lifetime occurrence. If it was up to me, every fireworks show would be this majestic. Could you imagine this over Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland every night?
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy Independence Day
I'll leave you tonight with one of my all time favorite performances. Filmed before game 2 of the 2001 World Series.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Meet Joey
Two weeks ago, I started volunteering for a local dog rescue. Ohana Animal Rescue pulls dogs from the county shelter that are on the euthanasia list. At that point, foster parents will rehabilitate them, and make them available for adoption. Ohana has adoption events three times per week at a Phoenix area Petsmart. Starting next week, we'll be holding adoption events at a second Petsmart location.
We started fostering Joey last Friday. He's a six-month-old wire haired Jack Russell terrier. He's a sweetheart. We absolutely adore him. In just the last three days, he's almost entirely housebroken. (He pooped on the carpet this morning, but it was right by the patio door.) Poor guy has an upper respiratory infection, so he's barking like a sea lion.
As I was on my laptop last night, he jumped onto the couch and set his head on my shoulder. Thought it was the perfect opportunity to get him on webcam.
We started fostering Joey last Friday. He's a six-month-old wire haired Jack Russell terrier. He's a sweetheart. We absolutely adore him. In just the last three days, he's almost entirely housebroken. (He pooped on the carpet this morning, but it was right by the patio door.) Poor guy has an upper respiratory infection, so he's barking like a sea lion.
As I was on my laptop last night, he jumped onto the couch and set his head on my shoulder. Thought it was the perfect opportunity to get him on webcam.
Monday, July 2, 2012
An Epic Mashup Monday
To be perfectly honest, I had no intention whatsoever to create a Mashup Monday post this week. Then, I accidentally stumbled upon Go Home Productions most recent track, which happened to debut today.
I have never heard anything like it. Something so seamless. So...flawless. It's one of the greatest tunes I have ever had the good fortune to hear. So, without further adieu, I present (I Am The) Trampoline (To The Other Side).
I have never heard anything like it. Something so seamless. So...flawless. It's one of the greatest tunes I have ever had the good fortune to hear. So, without further adieu, I present (I Am The) Trampoline (To The Other Side).
Feel Good Video Of The Day
This is the latest advertisement for Coca Cola. I've been debating whether to share it or not. It is truly a heartwarming video, but ultimately, it's to push a soda. In any event, this clip helped me to regain a little bit of faith in the human race.
Best JW Baptism EVER
The following video popped up on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. There is no information as to where or when it was taken, but I'm assuming it was during one of this year's district conventions. Thanks to Chris Fugue for adding Yakety Sax to the video. It makes it all the more enjoyable.
Now, why haven't any of us thought about doing that before? Gotta get wet to be part of their silly club. Makes sense that you have to get wet to get out. Rinse off all of the brainwashing.
Now, why haven't any of us thought about doing that before? Gotta get wet to be part of their silly club. Makes sense that you have to get wet to get out. Rinse off all of the brainwashing.
300
THIS.....IS.....AWESOME!!!!!
Tomorrow will be six weeks since I started a gluten free diet. In that time, I have lost 22 pounds. When I weighed myself this morning, I came in at 300.
Today is the first time in my adult life, 22 years to be exact, that I have been at this weight. The last time was during my sophomore year of high school in 1990. It's crazy to think that very soon, within the next day or so, the digital scale will have the number 2 as the first digit of my weight. I have never seen that before.
This is really hard to believe. And, all because of gluten. Wow...
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