lifecycle

The old and busted.

Today I bid farewell to my LG Chocolate II phone.  So long, old friend.  You served me well. Except for the miserably short battery life and lousy signal strength at the end. I'll let it slide, and just remember the good times.

Welcome into the household, the new iPhone 5. I got the black one.  It's oh so slim and sleek, and lightweight.  Very impressive.  The screen is quite sharp and a joy to stare at.  I've spent a good portion of the evening loading it up with apps, music, and pairing it to my cars.  Even paired to the stereo via Bluetooth and played a few songs.  I haven't had a chance to try out the new ear pod headphones yet though.

The new hotness.

I guess you could say I've finally joined the 21st century by giving up the basic phone and picking up a smartphone.  Though technically I've been carrying a smartphone for a while, the Blackberry I have for work.  I never used it for much more than checking my emails and the occasional photo though, it just wasn't all that appealing to me as a smartphone option.  I think in this day and age a smartphone needs a touchscreen, without it you are just not able to interact intuitively with your data and apps.  Just my opinion.  It works for other people I suppose.

It was a natural pick for me to go with the iPhone since I already have an iPod Classic and an iPad.  Since I've already poured dollars into the Apple iTunes and App Store, it didn't make sense to go Android.

Of course that didn't stop V from recently buying the latest hot Android phone as an upgrade to her old HTC smartphone.  She got the Samsung Galaxy S III in white.  We spent a few minutes on Skype video chatting each other from opposite sides of the house.  What a pair of dorks we are.

MCA

Adam Yauch (aka MCA) of the Beastie Boys has died at age 47.  Wow that is yet another shock to the mind, reminding me of just how old I am getting.  I remember buying the Beasties' Licensed to Ill album, that was the very first rap record (yes, it was a vinyl record!) I ever bought when I was in 7th grade.

Some useless BeastieBoys trivia.  Did you know that the number on the tail of the plane from the album cover (3MTA3) reads backwards in a mirror as EATME?  I didn't even know that until last month when I read it in an Automobile Mag article.

RIP Adam and thanks for all the great music and memories.

Adam Yauch Dies (LA Times)

advertising

The Super Bowl, America's ultimate celebration of NFL football championship is coming this weekend.  To tell you the truth since it's New England vs. New York we West-Coasters don't really give a rat's ass who wins this year.   Since I'm not really a huge football fan I tend to watch just as much for the Super Bowl ads as for the game.  Usually there is a lot of hubbub about the incredibly expensive and often creative television ads that major companies will debut at this hugely-watched event.  No doubt Doritos and Budweiser will have some spots that will be the water-cooler talk-of-the-town for days after the game, but right now I'm seeing a lot of sneak previews on the automotive websites, showing both some pretty cool and pretty lame ads for various auto makes that are hoping to kick start their 2012 sales and become part of the  post-Super Bowl buzz.

Kia's new ad for the Optima sedan is one such ad that to me seems to hit the right spot:  it's creative, it's funny, it targets their ideal demographic, and it features Adriana Lima, Motley Crue, and UFC fighting.  Need I say more?

Oh, I do?  Well how about a supplemental 5-hour video of Adriana Lima waving a flag in slow motion, compliments of Kia?  Ok, you're welcome.  Hit the link below to see both the ad and the 5-hour slo-mo Limafest.  I envision lots of people just putting that up on their big screen TVs and using it as a backdrop... not just because Ms. Lima is there, but because the happy little bossa nova beat is just fantastic as background music.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/02/kia-debuts-adriana-lima-infused-super-bowl-ad/#continued

classic

It's October again, and we all know what that means!  Well it means a lot of things of course... changing of the seasons, Octoberfest (good beer), and SF Fleet Week.  The Blue Angels are performing in town like they do every year!  And thinking about that made me recall this classic Van Halen video from the 80's or 90's showing the Blue Angels using the older A-4 fighter jets.  Watching it brings back memories of watching airshows as a kid, and falling in love with jets and aviation.  And of course, Van Halen rocks.





Here's a modern updated version featuring the F-18s they fly today but showcasing the same awe-
inspiring cinematography and precision flying ... love the USN Blue Angels!

fame

If you haven't already, check out the latest overnight internet sensation that is sweeping Youtube and Facebook - meet Antoine Dodson. Some quick background: a young woman in Alabama wakes up to find an intruder in her bed, trying to rape her - she screams and her brother Antoine comes in and helps her fight off the would-be rapist; he manages to flee out the window he climbed into the room from. Police come, tv news crew comes, and it's all a very normal if unfortunate story for the six o'clock news... until they interview an angry and emotional Antoine, who has some things to say to his sister's attacker. After the story aired on tv, the video on the local news stations' website became their number one watched video, and Antoine becomes an unsuspecting internet star. As often happens these days, some creative types took the video and remixed it into what could become the next big internet viral meme -- and so I give you, the Bed Intruder Song!



The song and Antoine's diatribe are both incredibly funny, although the subject matter and his sister's ordeal are a serious matter. But the song is just so damn catchy, I can't stop listening to it over and over. I think it can be viewed as a powerfully sincere and angry anthem for Antoine and his sister Kelly, who want nothing more than safety and justice, and express their frustration at the environment and circumstances that they found themselves in.

You dont have to come and confess, we lookin for you, we gon' find you!
So you can run and tell that, homeboy!

Update: here are a few more covers that i found that I enjoyed.
http://youtu.be/HKraf32VU6M

http://youtu.be/Wid6V_f09rA

http://youtu.be/7wucEzYqTXk

http://youtu.be/Aud_wgLdrQI

iconography

By now the entire free world has heard the news -- King of Pop Michael Jackson has died. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that he was probably one of the most significant individuals of the 20th century... who else can you name besides religious figures, world leaders and tyrants who are recognized worldwide and had such a huge impact on society, culture, and of course music? For those of you who grew up the same time as I did, who doesn't remember listening to Billie Jean or Beat It, and trying to moonwalk like MJ?



For sure MJ was a controversial figure, ever since he grew up and stopped being the cute kid singer from the Jackson 5. His clothes were wild, his songs filled with shrieks and grunts, and his videos broke the mold of what music videos were expected to be. And of course there's countless things that could be said of his oddly changing appearance and the scandals involving him and children. However, society tends to try to focus on the positive aspects of an individual after they have passed on, and in my mind there is clearly a wealth of phenomenal music, pop culture influence, and humanitarianism that MJ left behind for us to remember him by. MJ we'll miss you, but because you were so prolific you left so much for us to enjoy and so in a sense, you live on in our hearts and minds.

Here are a few of my favorite MJ videos for you to enjoy.

Rock With You

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Never Can Say Goodbye

Beat It

Billie Jean