I am not going to post a link to the latest trailer for Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith, because I assume you a) have seen it if you heard about it, b) know where to find it if you care to, c) don’t care at all about it.
The reason I won’t post a link to it is because I don’t want to facilitate in any way you to get your hopes up, as I have mine, that this is going to be the best of the six in the series. I don’t want to make it easy for you to see it, get your hopes up, and then be disappointed when you actually go and see the movie.
Not that it’s a great trailer, but it does stir hope within me that perhaps George Lucas will finally pull something other than technical wizardry out of his director’s bag. Maybe this time there’ll be some emotional weight to the movie.
I have a sense that I may be disappointed. For I have seen the trailer. And from the trailer, hopes have risen.
There. And Not There
This weekend was one of those frustrating computer weekends. First, for whatever reason, my Picasa2 (a favourite, by the way, especially now that I have a digital camera) decided it would discount all the efforts we made to categorize and label our thousands of pictures. You know, the "any picture with Rob in it gets a "Rob" label" kind of stuff. Yesterday, I started up Picasa2 and it was showing zero pictures. It had to import them all again, and the labels we had created had disappeared.
Oh well, at least the pictures are all intact.
Then, today, I open iTunes and lo and behold, there is no music in the iTunes Library. The files are all still on the computer, but none were showing up in iTunes. Had a heck of a time trying to get things back in order without losing playlists and smartlists. I wouldn’t have cared too much, and would’ve just imported the files again, but I sync my iPod through playlists and smartlists, so I really wanted to find them. Fortunately, a google search gave me the problem and solution: a corrupted library file. A quick deletion and moving of files in my iTunes folder, another importation of the moved library file and voila, back in action.
I am sure you are thrilled. As if anyone read to this point.
There. And Not There
This weekend was one of those frustrating computer weekends. First, for whatever reason, my Picasa2 (a favourite, by the way, especially now that I have a digital camera) decided it would discount all the efforts we made to categorize and label our thousands of pictures. You know, the “any picture with Rob in it gets a “Rob” label” kind of stuff. Yesterday, I started up Picasa2 and it was showing zero pictures. It had to import them all again, and the labels we had created had disappeared.
Oh well, at least the pictures are all intact.
Then, today, I open iTunes and lo and behold, there is no music in the iTunes Library. The files are all still on the computer, but none were showing up in iTunes. Had a heck of a time trying to get things back in order without losing playlists and smartlists. I wouldn’t have cared too much, and would’ve just imported the files again, but I sync my iPod through playlists and smartlists, so I really wanted to find them. Fortunately, a google search gave me the problem and solution: a corrupted library file. A quick deletion and moving of files in my iTunes folder, another importation of the moved library file and voila, back in action.
I am sure you are thrilled. As if anyone read to this point.
I Should Have Died 3 Million Years Ago!!
According to 2 UC Berkeley scientists, the Earth gives itself a bio-enema of mass extinction every 62 million years.
People, it’s been 65 million years since the last mass extinction, with the dinosaurs and all. We’re 3 million years past due! I’m scared to go to sleep tonight.
The Earth was talking on the phone its friend, a teenage planet.
"Wait", said the Earth, "I think I hear something."
The Earth turned it’s head slightly and saw something moving in the shadow of the closet, and its heart began to pound fast.
"Seriously," the Earth whispered into the receiver, "there’s someone in the galax—-"
There was a scream, and then…
diiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaallllllllll toooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!
"Oh. My. God." said the teenage planet. "You better be joking, or I’m gonna be, like, seriously pissed!"
Teenage Planet waited a moment for Earth to stop playing its game.
But Earth wasn’t joking. It was dead.
The Gag is dead. Long Live The Gag!
Unfunny Jay Leno can once again make "jokes".
A judge has ruled that Jay Leno can once again tell monologue jokes about Michael Jackson, granting him an exemption from the court-imposed gag order.
I am saddened by this. While it’s obvious that Leno has no sense of propriety, good sense and fair play (not to mention worthwhile, funny material) when it comes to relying, overly, on news and scandal and celebrity as fodder for his unfunny gags, I was hoping the court order would spare us all.
iPod iWishes
I like my iPod. Very much.
There are things about it though, that I wish were better. I’d like to see these ideas implemented:
– When you select "Songs" on the menu, the alphebetized list of all your songs is displayed. It would be great if there was a better way to navigate around the (usually) huge listing. To get to a song that begins with "S" for instance, it takes a bit of wheel-scrolling and all of a sudden you’ve zoomed to the end of your list. I suppose that one could create Alphabet Smartlists, I suppose, to break the songs down alphabetically, but that’s kind of a hassle. I like being in the menu that contains all songs, and I’d like to be able to, I don’t know, tab through the alphabet, get to the letter I want, then wheel-scroll through them.
– I usually just listen to my full playlist, shuffled. I like not knowing what song comes up next. Sometimes, though, I’ll hear a song come on and I’ll think I’d like to hear more songs from that album, or artist. I wish there was an easy one-or-two-click way to access that album or artist. Currently I have to navigate to menu, then to artist, then to album and select it.
– I wish there was a bit more user ability to alter tags. Currently, about all one can do is give songs different ratings. It would be great if you could, on your iPod, add short comments to the tags, or put songs in different playlists from your iPod. For instance, let’s say I’d like to have a playlist of songs that I’d like to learn how to play on the guitar. It’d be great if, when listening to songs on the iPod, if I could mark the random songs that come on as "guitar" (or whatever). Currently, I’d have to remember to remember that song later when I am on iTunes.
Anybody have any tips on how to make a pretty smart iPod experience even smarter?
The Gag is dead. Long Live The Gag!
Unfunny Jay Leno can once again make “jokes”.
A judge has ruled that Jay Leno can once again tell monologue jokes about Michael Jackson, granting him an exemption from the court-imposed gag order.
I am saddened by this. While it’s obvious that Leno has no sense of propriety, good sense and fair play (not to mention worthwhile, funny material) when it comes to relying, overly, on news and scandal and celebrity as fodder for his unfunny gags, I was hoping the court order would spare us all.
“Homosexuals Are Strong”
So says James, The Southern Redneck on this season’s Survivor. He had just been bested, twice, by Coby, The Gay Guy in a physical challenge and was humiliated by the defeat. His rationale in justifying this incredible and surprising affront to his masculinity was that it makes sense because homosexuals go to the gym a lot and work out, so of course they are strong. As I watched that, I imagined civilised southerns just shaking their head and silently cursing him for squirting such a huge stream of Ignorant Brand Lighter Fluid to the Stereotype Barbecue.
Then, on The Apprentice, the Stereotype Barbecue kept on burnin’ as John (the Vince Vaughan of this season’s group) seemingly went out of his way to cook Male Chauvinist Hot Dogs. He and a couple of female team-mates were to meet with some Rock Stars and he all but told them to whore themselves up to please the male rockers. He called one of them "the fluffer". I had kind of liked John (much like I like Vince Vaughan) until then, but he lost me with his stupid "women are best when they sell themselves as sex" mentality. Glad he got fired. Too bad that Trump seems to share John’s basic philosophy about females in business.
Also on The Apprentice, I must say that George and Carolyn (Trump’s assistants) absolutely rocked in this episode. George owned the final board meeting. He was fantastic.
"Homosexuals Are Strong"
So says James, The Southern Redneck on this season’s Survivor. He had just been bested, twice, by Coby, The Gay Guy in a physical challenge and was humiliated by the defeat. His rationale in justifying this incredible and surprising affront to his masculinity was that it makes sense because homosexuals go to the gym a lot and work out, so of course they are strong. As I watched that, I imagined civilised southerns just shaking their head and silently cursing him for squirting such a huge stream of Ignorant Brand Lighter Fluid to the Stereotype Barbecue.
Then, on The Apprentice, the Stereotype Barbecue kept on burnin’ as John (the Vince Vaughan of this season’s group) seemingly went out of his way to cook Male Chauvinist Hot Dogs. He and a couple of female team-mates were to meet with some Rock Stars and he all but told them to whore themselves up to please the male rockers. He called one of them “the fluffer”. I had kind of liked John (much like I like Vince Vaughan) until then, but he lost me with his stupid “women are best when they sell themselves as sex” mentality. Glad he got fired. Too bad that Trump seems to share John’s basic philosophy about females in business.
Also on The Apprentice, I must say that George and Carolyn (Trump’s assistants) absolutely rocked in this episode. George owned the final board meeting. He was fantastic.
10 songs, 10 John Lennon References
Time for the list of the next ten songs I hear on iTunes.
Long Shadow – Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: a nice little acoustic folk ditty by Joe et al. Has kind of a Latin American rhythm to it. I read some survey that said John Lennon had the best rock voice ever. I’d put Joe Strummer right up there. A fantastic voice.
Save the Last Dance For Me – Harry Nilsson: This is an incredibly gentle demo version of that song we all know and assume we don’t like. Just Harry and a heavily tremaloed keyboard. Simply done and all the better for it. To keep the John Lennon references going, Harry and John had a drunk weekend in LA that lasted a year or so. If you can find this song, I’d recommend you get it. If you don’t like it, I’ll pity you.
54-46 Was My Number – The Maytals: Oh yes, I like the ska. I do. 60’s, 70’s, 80’s ska especially. It’s a genre of music that dares you not to dig it. This is a great song. Not sure if Toots is involved in this or not. He must be. Wouldn’t that be like The Crickets without Buddy Holly? Or The Beatles without, I don’t know… John Lennon (see the clever way I referenced him this time.)
To Sir With Love – Lulu: Oh Lulu, you troublesome high school student, you. Tough molly, wa’n’t she, guv’nah? Oh but this song tells us all how much Sidney Poitier means to White British Youth. What a great song, says I. Rumour has it that John Lennon and Lulu and Yoko Ono were going to produce some records, and they were going to call the record label Lulennono. Not really.
Children Go Where I Send Thee – Ralph Stanley/Keith Whitley: Even more than ska, I love me those high, tight bluegrass harmonies. This song follows the acapella "O Death" from O Brother Where Art Thou style of bluegrass. Seriously, does anyone sing as plaintively as Ralph Stanley. Speaking of O Death, John Lennon is dead.
Omobolasire – Prozzak: Yeah, that song that was on the radio there a few years ago. I’m not a big Prozzak fan, but my wife likes ’em. They’ll show up in the shuffle every once in a while and I’m no worse for wear for hearing them occasionally. I bet John Lennon would think these guys are okay, but probably wouldn’t fancy the fake British accents.
California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas: This is one of those songs that you have in your collection and you think "should I delete it?" because, you know, it speaks for the boomers, man, not to me. But then you listen to the harmonies and you say "You’ll do pig. You’ll do." John Lennon and the Papas toked a lot together I’m pretty sure.
High Class Music – Roddy Frame: I was an intermediately sized fan of Aztec Camera. Mostly for the neat voice of the lead singer, Roddy Frame. I came across an album of his last year and had to check it out. There are some really nice songs on it. This is one of them. I’m afraid the John Lennon reference well dries up here, friends. No wait. Roddy Frame was born in Liverpool. Yes he was. Go and prove me wrong. Provide me the link. You can’t. No. You can’t.
The Ballad of Hollis Brown – Bob Dylan: Early Bob Dylan is the best for me. I love ballads like this. Back when I was a teenager, my father and I bonded a bit because he appreciated these kind of Dylan songs. Bob supposedly introduced the Beatles to dope. I don’t believe that. I can’t imagine the lads wouldn’t have experienced some of that in Germany.
Money’s Too Tight To Mention – The Valentine Brothers: I’ve never heard this song. I don’t know where it came from, but I assume I downloaded it from some music blog somewhere. Sounds like a 70’s jazzy soul/funk type deal. Farty disco bass and some tootin’ sax. But I tell ya, when the Valentine Brothers start singin’ the woes of lovin’ on a tight budget, well, I can feel it, bro. A quick trip to allmusic tells me the brothers Valentine had appearances in the touring company of The Wiz. And that was pretty much a highlight. So. There ya go. Oh. And John Lennon.
And. There you go. Another random mix of songs. Not a bad apple in the bunch.
The Annekenstein Monster 