We live in an age when people throw around words like historical and history and life changing and things of that nature without fully understanding the relevance. But certain things have historical relevance just because of the event. The Super Bowl is one of those few moments that just screams history. This year’s Super Bowl will be a special one because it has one of those historic first time moments.
Okay, okay, I’ll tell it for those who don’t know.
Prince is playing the halftime show.
Gotcha!
Actually Prince is the main performer for the halftime show, and for fellas he’s bringing Beyonce (Thank you, Prince) but that’s not the historical part.
For the first time ever, two African-American head coaches go head to head in the Super Bowl. Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and Lovie Smith, head coach of the Chicago Bears, face off for the big dance. Two African-American head coaches; needless to say, I’m smiling.
Oh, there are an abundance of Super Bowl stories already. Will this year’s Bears equal the legendary 1985 team? Will Peyton Manning, clearly the poster boy for the NFL, finally get his Super Bowl ring? Will the Colts, who are already heavily favored, finally win the one they’re supposed to or will they again be denied like Broadway Joe did to them so many years ago in what has been called the greatest Super Bowl of all time? Here’s what is not a question: an African-American head coach will win the Super Bowl.
Much of this must weigh heavily on Tony Dungy. He used to be the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After he essentially formed what would be their Super Bowl championship team, he was fired and they won the next year. Many of those players during the celebration thanked Dungy for bringing them to Tampa Bay. But, thanks don’t put a championship ring on your finger.
This time, it’s his shot. And let’s not forget Lovie Smith. A quiet man who, like Dungy, is a defensive genius. His defense schemes are stuff of legends. He understands that defense wins championships. His Chicago Bears defense nearly scores as many points as does his offense.
Lately the Super Bowl has been reduced to what commercial is the coolest, what show will follow and make history or fail miserably, etc. Nothing about the game itself. Not this year. The game itself is historical. The game has meaning. This year, 2007, it’s all about the game. Everything else is second place.
An African-American head coach will win the Super Bowl aka “The Big Daddy” of sports events in two weeks.
Now that, my friends….
That’s history. And we get to witness it.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Apple Inc pulls the old Dipsey Doo
There are times when a con is so evident, so in yo' face, that you can't believe that no one else sees what you see.
This has become the case concerning Apple's recent announcements.
Announcements, Slade? Plural?
Oh yes, my dear reader, because what so many people have thrown under the bus is the beauty of the con itself.
Apple recently announced two (yes, two) new electronic devices. The iPhone which will have Cingular/AT&T as it's mobile provider (and the only one for the foreseeable future) and iTV.
iTV? Ce qui est ceci iTV?
Forgot about that little snippet, didn't ya? Or, could it be, it wasn't that important?
I beg to differ, my friends. I beg to differ. The truly big deal out of all of this is iTV. The iPhone, while it sounds awesome, is the proverbial trojan horse.
Steve Jobs is a brilliant motherfucker. I don't throw out the word "brilliant" lightly. I love this guy; he's a hustler. He stays on his grind. And he loves to mess with the rest of the electronics society. And the general public, let's not forget that.
Here's the facts concerning iPhone: it won't be released until June or July. They have a name battle with Cisco. And the world has gone absolutely ape-shit over this new awesome cellular phone. Oh, praise almighty Apple.
Yeah, right.
Few other tidbits. Okay, I concede - it's one cool ass looking phone. The entire thing a freakin' touchscreen. 8 gigs. Oh hell - here's the little bastard in full glory...
okay, here's another one...
Got to say, Apple don't go half-ass, do they? But, still - the nature of the scam is to have you look left when the real business is right...
iTV. Yep, I said it again.
iTV is simply a glorified router but oh what a little powerful router it is. How many remember "The Rabbit"? The Rabbit let you watch on one tv what was being played on another. Then came TiVo and DVR's and you thought that's all there would be?
Oh no, friend.
iTV basically hooks your iTunes downloads to your widescreen/HD TV. It turns your TV into one huge home based iPod. Now remember, you can download television shows and movies onto your iPod now. For example, lets say you don't have time to buy Pirates Of The Carribean II DVD and you also can't watch say, Grey's Anatomy but you download the entire season from iTunes (btw - much cheaper than buying the season on DVD). Now, you hate trying to watch this stuff on your iPod. You get iTV, hook it up and watch at your leisure. On your TV. And listen to your music and check your photos, etc.
On your tv.
Now the link with all of this is the dreaded proggy, iTunes. Well, of all companies, the monolith named Microsoft has the answers to your problem, and it's name is Vista.
You think that it's a coincidence that iTV will be released early Feburary and Vista comes out late January? Are you kidding me? No, grasshopper it's not. You see, Vista is more linux based than Gates & Company would like to admit and remember that Macintosh is a basically a linux based operating system. Now, iTunes is still essentially a Mac based program that has been re-worked to work for Windows. But, if Vista is more linux based and not DOS based...see where I'm going here?
Basically, once you get Vista (and probably a new PC but with the deals these idiots are coming with - that's not a bad idea) problem solved. If you want a more immediate solution - get XP Pro with SP2 and make sure you have at least 3-5gigs space on your PC. That should solve your problems with iTunes on a PC for the most part. Yeah, it bugs me too sometimes, you're not alone.
Still - iTV is the one to watch (pun intended) while iPhone is the smokescreen and when the smoke clears... whoo boy.
That Steve Jobs...when I grow up, I wanna be just like him.
This has become the case concerning Apple's recent announcements.
Announcements, Slade? Plural?
Oh yes, my dear reader, because what so many people have thrown under the bus is the beauty of the con itself.
Apple recently announced two (yes, two) new electronic devices. The iPhone which will have Cingular/AT&T as it's mobile provider (and the only one for the foreseeable future) and iTV.
iTV? Ce qui est ceci iTV?
Forgot about that little snippet, didn't ya? Or, could it be, it wasn't that important?
I beg to differ, my friends. I beg to differ. The truly big deal out of all of this is iTV. The iPhone, while it sounds awesome, is the proverbial trojan horse.
Steve Jobs is a brilliant motherfucker. I don't throw out the word "brilliant" lightly. I love this guy; he's a hustler. He stays on his grind. And he loves to mess with the rest of the electronics society. And the general public, let's not forget that.
Here's the facts concerning iPhone: it won't be released until June or July. They have a name battle with Cisco. And the world has gone absolutely ape-shit over this new awesome cellular phone. Oh, praise almighty Apple.
Yeah, right.
Few other tidbits. Okay, I concede - it's one cool ass looking phone. The entire thing a freakin' touchscreen. 8 gigs. Oh hell - here's the little bastard in full glory...
okay, here's another one...
Got to say, Apple don't go half-ass, do they? But, still - the nature of the scam is to have you look left when the real business is right...
iTV. Yep, I said it again.
iTV is simply a glorified router but oh what a little powerful router it is. How many remember "The Rabbit"? The Rabbit let you watch on one tv what was being played on another. Then came TiVo and DVR's and you thought that's all there would be?
Oh no, friend.
iTV basically hooks your iTunes downloads to your widescreen/HD TV. It turns your TV into one huge home based iPod. Now remember, you can download television shows and movies onto your iPod now. For example, lets say you don't have time to buy Pirates Of The Carribean II DVD and you also can't watch say, Grey's Anatomy but you download the entire season from iTunes (btw - much cheaper than buying the season on DVD). Now, you hate trying to watch this stuff on your iPod. You get iTV, hook it up and watch at your leisure. On your TV. And listen to your music and check your photos, etc.
On your tv.
Now the link with all of this is the dreaded proggy, iTunes. Well, of all companies, the monolith named Microsoft has the answers to your problem, and it's name is Vista.
You think that it's a coincidence that iTV will be released early Feburary and Vista comes out late January? Are you kidding me? No, grasshopper it's not. You see, Vista is more linux based than Gates & Company would like to admit and remember that Macintosh is a basically a linux based operating system. Now, iTunes is still essentially a Mac based program that has been re-worked to work for Windows. But, if Vista is more linux based and not DOS based...see where I'm going here?
Basically, once you get Vista (and probably a new PC but with the deals these idiots are coming with - that's not a bad idea) problem solved. If you want a more immediate solution - get XP Pro with SP2 and make sure you have at least 3-5gigs space on your PC. That should solve your problems with iTunes on a PC for the most part. Yeah, it bugs me too sometimes, you're not alone.
Still - iTV is the one to watch (pun intended) while iPhone is the smokescreen and when the smoke clears... whoo boy.
That Steve Jobs...when I grow up, I wanna be just like him.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Off To See The Wizard?
It happens every New Year for about seven years now. I find myself at a crossroads of hope, despair, celebration and mourning which all lead to… nothing. Lethargic action or non-action because of multiple conflicting emotions. My wife is a new year’s baby while my mother had a homecoming late January. While I look forward with hope towards the new year and celebration of another year with the woman I love, the pain sets in remembering watching the closest person in the world to me suffer and then pass away and I was totally unable to help.
I’m not the only one who has these issues. Millions of people go thru conflicting pain and euphoria during this time of year. I find it interesting that between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day the following things happen in bunches: marriage, suicides, conception, resolutions to change physically and emotionally, and divorce. What a quandary!
I’m also pissed and excited. I was supposed to be in Las Vegas right now attending the biggest Electronics convention ever: The Consumer Electronics Show. And this year has already been a barnburner. Plus with Apple’s announcement of both the iPhone and iTV, it’s a wonderful and interesting time for an electronics junkie like myself. Plus, it’s fuckin’ Vegas, man!
But, and yes Virginia, there is a butt (oops, Freudian slip) – I’ve got new opportunities all over the place and my main problem is which road to take, if not all of them. This is the era of multitasking, isn’t it? I have websites to manage, businesses to manage, and a new and fresh idea – Games For Change. Imagine this scenario: video games that bring about a change for social, political and economic impact. This could quite possibly be the next phase in education. I might be on the ground floor of a new way of educating our youth. How utterly frightening is that?
So, I find myself staring point blank at not just a fork but also many forks in the road. So what have I done in the last ten days? Not a fucking thing. Nope, nada. Just lounging around wondering what to do. Well, the first step off the proverbial hump is this. Sharing this with all of you. Writing it down. Seeing it in front of me.
So, what’s it gonna be? Well, I don’t know but whatever it will be it will start today. Get off my ass and start cleaning the holiday away and pull 2007 in lock, stock and barrel. This year is gonna be full of change. What it will be is a road we all will be on.
Pack your bags, kids – the road is usually a rough one…
I’m not the only one who has these issues. Millions of people go thru conflicting pain and euphoria during this time of year. I find it interesting that between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day the following things happen in bunches: marriage, suicides, conception, resolutions to change physically and emotionally, and divorce. What a quandary!
I’m also pissed and excited. I was supposed to be in Las Vegas right now attending the biggest Electronics convention ever: The Consumer Electronics Show. And this year has already been a barnburner. Plus with Apple’s announcement of both the iPhone and iTV, it’s a wonderful and interesting time for an electronics junkie like myself. Plus, it’s fuckin’ Vegas, man!
But, and yes Virginia, there is a butt (oops, Freudian slip) – I’ve got new opportunities all over the place and my main problem is which road to take, if not all of them. This is the era of multitasking, isn’t it? I have websites to manage, businesses to manage, and a new and fresh idea – Games For Change. Imagine this scenario: video games that bring about a change for social, political and economic impact. This could quite possibly be the next phase in education. I might be on the ground floor of a new way of educating our youth. How utterly frightening is that?
So, I find myself staring point blank at not just a fork but also many forks in the road. So what have I done in the last ten days? Not a fucking thing. Nope, nada. Just lounging around wondering what to do. Well, the first step off the proverbial hump is this. Sharing this with all of you. Writing it down. Seeing it in front of me.
So, what’s it gonna be? Well, I don’t know but whatever it will be it will start today. Get off my ass and start cleaning the holiday away and pull 2007 in lock, stock and barrel. This year is gonna be full of change. What it will be is a road we all will be on.
Pack your bags, kids – the road is usually a rough one…
Friday, January 05, 2007
You Can Smoke Here... say wha?
If you look to the right, you'll see two links: one of which is a link to Newsarama for my buddy, Steve Fritz, two columns there - please look for them - "Animated Shorts" and "Weekend Viewing". Steve is one of the best in the biz concening the animation world.
The other is a link to "The Here & There" e-zine which also has the illustrious and future National Best-Selling author, Benthere, as a writer. My column is called "You Can Smoke Here" - an obvious take-off on all the smoking bans (To not be able to smoke in a bar or casino is against the natural order of things and you people should be shot for falling for that bullshit) which is essentially a music review column, although I sometimes rant. Anyway, the last column was just put up which was a "Best Of 2006 - Part One." Although I'm still submitting this one, here's a rare chance to see how I get down. Sorry Mike, I just wanted it out there...
Part one was my take on the year’s best from an industry view. This one is purely personal. Here’s my take on 2006.
It sucked.
No, really, it sucked huge. And is it me, or did it just zoom by? I mean, James Brown dies on Christmas day? How fucked up is that? Needless to say, I’ve been listening to James Brown tracks for the last couple of days (yeah, I got a ton of James Brown tracks – it’s the Godfather you knuckleheads…) and been watching some youtube vids of the man. And, it really just summed up the year for me – it sucked.
Hip-hop was horrible. Come on, you know it’s true. This was not what history will call a “banner” year. All this weak ass hoppity hop music – get the fuck outta here. Thank God for Lil’ Wayne – did Weezy hold down the fort, or what? His game stepped up like a mad man and did he ever get rewarded for it. He took Luda’s spot as the supreme guest artist for a track. If Weezy didn’t lay down at least a bar for you, your shit wasn’t official. All of this leads to why, for 2006 – Lil’ Wayne is my artist of the year. Just the amount of work alone gives him the title but “The Carter II” was the crowning achievement. With all that said, “The Carter II” barely made my top ten. Why? Because simply put, Wayne is a better sprinter than long-distance runner.
My album of the year in hip-hop was….
The Roots – Game Theory.
Yeah, you heard me. Moreso than the Clipse, Nas, Game, Ghostface, Styles P, any of em. The Roots. The whole album summed up 2006 for me. It’s some bleak shit and it’s time to move on. Grow the fuck up and deal. In a year of half ass wack rappers, The Roots took out the long-range rifle and plucked these herbs off one by one.
It also holds up. The beats are insane; Black Thought is a man possessed, and quite frankly (shout out to Stephen A.) you can listen to the damn thing months afterwards and it’s still hot as fuck. Let’s see who says that about most of the shit that was released this year.
Still in all, T.I. came thru like a champ, Obie Trice proved he’s a killer on the mic, and the loss of J Dilla looms large more and more. Snoop came back with a vengeance, Jay-Z returned to save hip-hop (and failed heroically), and Nas bodied hip-hop as the bitch she turned out to be.
Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake became the R&B artist we all knew he was by channeling Prince while D’Angelo was M.I.A. with Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, and others. Left the game to whom? Dwele proved that he’s far more advanced than R&B is ready for, and John Legend came in the last quarter like D Wade to save the day. What was so sad about R&B this year is that all the good stuff got overlooked. I mean, when y’all is making major noise over Ciara, the game is fucked up for good. Ciara makes a better CD than Janet? What the fuck? Leela James doesn’t get any love; neither does Vivian Green, Heather Headley, and Conya Doss? Beyonce makes a half-ass CD and you all wonder why I’m praying Alicia Keys comes out soon and smashes the game one mo’ time. People ain’t even making noise about Brian McKnight’s awesome “Ten”. Damn music game is a travesty right now.
Here’s my top ten Hip-Hop CD’s for 2006 10 – 1.
Jay-Z – Kingdom Come
The Game – Doctor’s Advocate
Lil’ Wayne – The Carter II
T.I. – King
J Dilla – The Shining
Nas – Hip-Hop Is Dead
Hi-Tek – Hi-Teknology II – The Chip
Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale/More Fish
The Roots – Game Theory
Yeah, no Luda, no Snoop, no Bow-Wow, no Kanye, and Nas was number five and I raved all over that shit. I love Nas’ new joint to death but on a personal level, it’s just not… well it ain’t killin’ it for me. And Jay only made it because of “Minority Report”, “Lost Ones”, “Kingdom Come”, “30 Something” and “Dig A Hole”. When Hov’s on, he’s on like a motherfucker, but that “Hollywood” bullshit was horrendous.
Actually, while I’m giving Weezy artist of the year, the man that made me think Hip-Hop has a chance this year was none other than Jim Jones. That ballin shit is contagious like cancer. Plus I just like the Dipset Capo’s swagger – he truly don’t give a fuck and I truly believe Jim Jones is the east coast reincarnation of Tupac. No one carries the flag on his back with more flavor than Jim Jones, baby….
And y’all can say Lupe is gonna save hip hop but Styles P, Termanology, Papoose, Saigon, Jae Millz, Game, Clipse, and Stat Quo are doin’ the damn thang….
My top ten in R&B? Y’all are so clueless, it’s gonna hurt…. Here’s ten thru one….
LeToya – LeToya
Javier – Left Of Center
Ne-Yo – In My Own Words
Anthony David – The Red Clay Chronicles
Mary J Blige – The Breakthrough
Christina Aguilera – Back To Basics
John Legend – Once Again
Lyfe Jennings – The Phoenix
Brian McKnight – Ten
Justin Timberlake – Futuresex/Lovesounds
Yeah, JT took the top spot. Can’t deny that shit. And yes, bitches – no Beyonce, Avant, Ciara, Janet, any of that bullshit. And yes, Christina beats Mary on this one. And I honestly love Mary’s joint but Christina made an album for the ages. People will be checking that joint years from now going – why didn’t this album take the top spot? Because 2006 sucked that’s why. No justice, that’s what it is. Hell, I’m still listening to most of 2005 because 2006 was such a letdown.
If I hear “Irreplaceable” one more damn time…. Alicia, when the hell are you going to drop a new joint? Tamia made one helluva CD but it’s a shame no one’s gonna hear that motherfucker because all these silly asses think Ciara’s got the goodies. Girl is cute, she can dance her ass off but let’s be real… she can’t sing her way out of a paper bag. Same goes for Carrie. Diddy must be kicking himself for signing that bust. You could’ve signed Mila J, kid…
Right now I’m listening to “Summer Love” by JT and it just shows me how much ahead of the curve he is. The harmonies, the beats, singing thru the change, the whole deal. Usher, will you come and shut this kid down already?
James Brown has gone home and JT is doing his best Prince/Michael Jackson impersonation. Lord, help me to hold out….
I swear, if this is where music is going, I’m taking a vacation and packing up my Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross (I miss you so much, Luther…), Aretha Franklin, and Miles Davis CD’s and hiding until D’Angelo comes to save the day like the freakin’ Black Panther.
But I do have to grudgingly admit, that “Set The Mood Prelude/Until The End Of Time” joint JT has is off the chain.
I hope 2007 sees the Mets in the pennant (fuckin’ Cardinals…), Spider-Man 3 top the box office for at least two months, Jessica Alba gain back that booty she done lost (girl, what the hell has Hollywood done to you), Entourage, Heroes, 24, and the Sopranos kick ass, and Halle Berry do a decent love scene with a brother. Bruce Willis, Halle? Are you serious? Where’s Angela Bassett when I need her….
Peace, children – I’m going to play Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Justice League Heroes so I can kick some ass….
The other is a link to "The Here & There" e-zine which also has the illustrious and future National Best-Selling author, Benthere, as a writer. My column is called "You Can Smoke Here" - an obvious take-off on all the smoking bans (To not be able to smoke in a bar or casino is against the natural order of things and you people should be shot for falling for that bullshit) which is essentially a music review column, although I sometimes rant. Anyway, the last column was just put up which was a "Best Of 2006 - Part One." Although I'm still submitting this one, here's a rare chance to see how I get down. Sorry Mike, I just wanted it out there...
Part one was my take on the year’s best from an industry view. This one is purely personal. Here’s my take on 2006.
It sucked.
No, really, it sucked huge. And is it me, or did it just zoom by? I mean, James Brown dies on Christmas day? How fucked up is that? Needless to say, I’ve been listening to James Brown tracks for the last couple of days (yeah, I got a ton of James Brown tracks – it’s the Godfather you knuckleheads…) and been watching some youtube vids of the man. And, it really just summed up the year for me – it sucked.
Hip-hop was horrible. Come on, you know it’s true. This was not what history will call a “banner” year. All this weak ass hoppity hop music – get the fuck outta here. Thank God for Lil’ Wayne – did Weezy hold down the fort, or what? His game stepped up like a mad man and did he ever get rewarded for it. He took Luda’s spot as the supreme guest artist for a track. If Weezy didn’t lay down at least a bar for you, your shit wasn’t official. All of this leads to why, for 2006 – Lil’ Wayne is my artist of the year. Just the amount of work alone gives him the title but “The Carter II” was the crowning achievement. With all that said, “The Carter II” barely made my top ten. Why? Because simply put, Wayne is a better sprinter than long-distance runner.
My album of the year in hip-hop was….
The Roots – Game Theory.
Yeah, you heard me. Moreso than the Clipse, Nas, Game, Ghostface, Styles P, any of em. The Roots. The whole album summed up 2006 for me. It’s some bleak shit and it’s time to move on. Grow the fuck up and deal. In a year of half ass wack rappers, The Roots took out the long-range rifle and plucked these herbs off one by one.
It also holds up. The beats are insane; Black Thought is a man possessed, and quite frankly (shout out to Stephen A.) you can listen to the damn thing months afterwards and it’s still hot as fuck. Let’s see who says that about most of the shit that was released this year.
Still in all, T.I. came thru like a champ, Obie Trice proved he’s a killer on the mic, and the loss of J Dilla looms large more and more. Snoop came back with a vengeance, Jay-Z returned to save hip-hop (and failed heroically), and Nas bodied hip-hop as the bitch she turned out to be.
Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake became the R&B artist we all knew he was by channeling Prince while D’Angelo was M.I.A. with Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, and others. Left the game to whom? Dwele proved that he’s far more advanced than R&B is ready for, and John Legend came in the last quarter like D Wade to save the day. What was so sad about R&B this year is that all the good stuff got overlooked. I mean, when y’all is making major noise over Ciara, the game is fucked up for good. Ciara makes a better CD than Janet? What the fuck? Leela James doesn’t get any love; neither does Vivian Green, Heather Headley, and Conya Doss? Beyonce makes a half-ass CD and you all wonder why I’m praying Alicia Keys comes out soon and smashes the game one mo’ time. People ain’t even making noise about Brian McKnight’s awesome “Ten”. Damn music game is a travesty right now.
Here’s my top ten Hip-Hop CD’s for 2006 10 – 1.
Jay-Z – Kingdom Come
The Game – Doctor’s Advocate
Lil’ Wayne – The Carter II
T.I. – King
J Dilla – The Shining
Nas – Hip-Hop Is Dead
Hi-Tek – Hi-Teknology II – The Chip
Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale/More Fish
The Roots – Game Theory
Yeah, no Luda, no Snoop, no Bow-Wow, no Kanye, and Nas was number five and I raved all over that shit. I love Nas’ new joint to death but on a personal level, it’s just not… well it ain’t killin’ it for me. And Jay only made it because of “Minority Report”, “Lost Ones”, “Kingdom Come”, “30 Something” and “Dig A Hole”. When Hov’s on, he’s on like a motherfucker, but that “Hollywood” bullshit was horrendous.
Actually, while I’m giving Weezy artist of the year, the man that made me think Hip-Hop has a chance this year was none other than Jim Jones. That ballin shit is contagious like cancer. Plus I just like the Dipset Capo’s swagger – he truly don’t give a fuck and I truly believe Jim Jones is the east coast reincarnation of Tupac. No one carries the flag on his back with more flavor than Jim Jones, baby….
And y’all can say Lupe is gonna save hip hop but Styles P, Termanology, Papoose, Saigon, Jae Millz, Game, Clipse, and Stat Quo are doin’ the damn thang….
My top ten in R&B? Y’all are so clueless, it’s gonna hurt…. Here’s ten thru one….
LeToya – LeToya
Javier – Left Of Center
Ne-Yo – In My Own Words
Anthony David – The Red Clay Chronicles
Mary J Blige – The Breakthrough
Christina Aguilera – Back To Basics
John Legend – Once Again
Lyfe Jennings – The Phoenix
Brian McKnight – Ten
Justin Timberlake – Futuresex/Lovesounds
Yeah, JT took the top spot. Can’t deny that shit. And yes, bitches – no Beyonce, Avant, Ciara, Janet, any of that bullshit. And yes, Christina beats Mary on this one. And I honestly love Mary’s joint but Christina made an album for the ages. People will be checking that joint years from now going – why didn’t this album take the top spot? Because 2006 sucked that’s why. No justice, that’s what it is. Hell, I’m still listening to most of 2005 because 2006 was such a letdown.
If I hear “Irreplaceable” one more damn time…. Alicia, when the hell are you going to drop a new joint? Tamia made one helluva CD but it’s a shame no one’s gonna hear that motherfucker because all these silly asses think Ciara’s got the goodies. Girl is cute, she can dance her ass off but let’s be real… she can’t sing her way out of a paper bag. Same goes for Carrie. Diddy must be kicking himself for signing that bust. You could’ve signed Mila J, kid…
Right now I’m listening to “Summer Love” by JT and it just shows me how much ahead of the curve he is. The harmonies, the beats, singing thru the change, the whole deal. Usher, will you come and shut this kid down already?
James Brown has gone home and JT is doing his best Prince/Michael Jackson impersonation. Lord, help me to hold out….
I swear, if this is where music is going, I’m taking a vacation and packing up my Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross (I miss you so much, Luther…), Aretha Franklin, and Miles Davis CD’s and hiding until D’Angelo comes to save the day like the freakin’ Black Panther.
But I do have to grudgingly admit, that “Set The Mood Prelude/Until The End Of Time” joint JT has is off the chain.
I hope 2007 sees the Mets in the pennant (fuckin’ Cardinals…), Spider-Man 3 top the box office for at least two months, Jessica Alba gain back that booty she done lost (girl, what the hell has Hollywood done to you), Entourage, Heroes, 24, and the Sopranos kick ass, and Halle Berry do a decent love scene with a brother. Bruce Willis, Halle? Are you serious? Where’s Angela Bassett when I need her….
Peace, children – I’m going to play Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Justice League Heroes so I can kick some ass….
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
The Dawning of a New Age - Volume 2?
This is a post I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now. Excuse me if it’s a bit long-winded, but you’ll understand why in a few minutes. Please, bear with me.
Around late October 2006, a couple of friends stopped by and we were channel surfing because, frankly, everything on my 1200 channel cable box was, well, boring. Not one thing held our interest. So much so, that when we hit upon one of the many shopping networks and they began hawking electronics, we were glued but because we were bashing everything they had to offer.
Finally one of my friends said, “Can’t one of these guys be up on the times?”
And nirvana struck me like a truck.
I said, “My friends, how many of us truly realize that we are living in a historical time? I mean, for all that’s said and done, we are living in what will go down in the history books as the new technological age. Think about it. How many of our kids even realize that radio was our MTV, BET and videos were virtually non-existent? How many know about 8 tracks, and reel to reel, and that if you wanted to carry music around, you had to lug what was akin to a freakin carry on with speakers and hope it wouldn’t pop your 120 minute cassette tape?”
The list goes on and on. Vinyl, cassettes, VHS, beta, Atari, Sega Dreamcast, the Walkman, and dare I even say, the mini disc? The remote control is commonplace. Do you remember what was our parents’ remote control? Us! “Slade, come here a minute.” “Yeah, mama?” “Turn that to channel seven, I’m missin’ my soaps!” Oh yeah, we were the fucking remote. Technics turntables were a luxury. Now, we look at vinyl and go, “I remember pops and scratches. Ha, ha, ha… what a time that was…”
I look at my vast VHS tape and cassette tape collection and even my enormous CD collection and think, “How fucking obsolete this all is.” Especially since I can download all of it or burn it on my computer and store it on an external hard drive that’s no bigger than an avant-garde key-chain. Just two short years ago, everyone thought that 60gigs was enough forever. What a joke. Now, if you don’t have at least 80 to 200 gigs on your PC, you got problems.
E-mail has replaced the answering machine while cell phones have replaced home phones and land lines. The only time a landline comes in handy is, God forbid, a blackout or disaster of some kind. How much you want to bet that give or take a year or two that will no longer be an issue?
Did you know that at least 45% of the general population of the world now does more online shopping than go to the store? And people wonder why obesity is a problem? Because by 2020, you won’t have to get up from your freakin’ multitask recliner to go to the freakin’ bathroom. It will be piped thru, complete with new sanitizer and potpourri scents.
Forget missing a television show, we got DVR’s and TiVo. Our music is so portable; we have a mini hard drive that is no bigger than a credit card with at least 500 to 2000 songs of our choosing on it. Even our portable phones are multitasking now. Can you say “Blackberry Pearl”? What about “Chocolate” and I ain’t talkin’ Godiva either, I’m talking Verizon.
Right now your kid is text messaging someone. Right now, your college child is not going to parties – the house party has returned in full force, and usually now they don’t even care about dancing and sex. Can you beat me in Madden on that PS3/Xbox 360/Nintendo Wii? I mean, the nightlife in major cities are all turning into lounges to lure back in the baby-boomers.
I don’t need to go to the movies anymore. Why bother? It will be on DVD in a couple of months. Hell, in a couple of weeks, it might be on youtube, or I can download it off of iTunes, Zune marketplace, Napster, Connect and those are the legal options. Limewire or Torrent makes even that look late in the game by comparison.
Our “friends” in cyberland know more about us than the people who live with and around us. Everyone is a journal keeper now. It’s called a blog.
It’s a wonder these kids even know how to pro-create given that they only see each other in school and that’s becoming obsolete in it’s present form as we speak. Cyber schools and home training are rapidly becoming more and more popular. Just log in and find the info. Google, anyone? Oh, I’m sorry – that was last year. Ask.com is new hip shit, right?
We now have access to a memory flash card no bigger than your thumbprint that can hold at least 5-10 full-length motion pictures. Magazines are online now, as are newspapers. You can read the news and not get ink on your hands? What a brilliant concept! And everything is in “real” time; so much so that the most decorated show is about “real” time. “24” is the hippest thing out there.
Why buy an air-conditioner when you can have central air/heat? Our water comes in bottles or we attach purifying contraptions to our faucets. Or we have a purifying bucket somewhere named Brita or Pur. And can someone tell me what the fuck is “trans fat”? And “soy milk”? I know about Soy juice, but Soy milk doesn’t exist, people! What your drinking there is a lie.
And we all are being educated at a faster rate. Did anyone really buy that whole “Weapons Of Destruction” bullshit? And where’s Osama? How is it that we can pinpoint anyone else’s location but we can’t find this guy? Are we even looking?
Sometimes nature likes to remind us that we aren’t the big dogs in the pool. But, not for lack of trying. Katrina reminded us of that in a hurry. And what did our so-called leaders do? Not a blessed thing.
Within ten years, the laser gun will surpass a regular gun. Within 20 years, you can order a meal for the each day of the week and it will be beamed to you. We just might even see that illusive flying car. Not that motorized thing with wings that has two wheels, I mean when your SUV can actually take off.
In the last 50 years, our technical advances have grown in number and size and into the collective at a rapid rate. But at what cost? In many ways, our children have lost their common sense and think that television is reality. And why not? “Reality” television is a regular thing now. American Idol, The Apprentice, Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, and of course, my favorite – everyone’s newest coon show, Flavor Of Love. We have women starving themselves to look like Paris Hilton or gaining weight to look like the video vixens we see on music videos.
Our sports stars have become walking billboards. Hell, our fashion is dictated by a billboard mentality. True Religions, Baby Phat, and Rock & Republic have become the new Jordache, Gloria Vanderbilts, Sergios, etc of their day. You know something is seriously wrong when freakin’ Levi’s cost over $50 a pop.
Look around you. You, yes YOU are living in an ever-growing historical time. So much so that Time Magazine has placed a mirror on their cover for Person of the Year.
That person is you.
Say what?
I won’t even get into medical advances. But you know it’s a bad time when we can cure dysfunctional male erections but we can’t cure Cancer, herpes, the common cold or HIV.
Welcome to the dawning of a new age. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to listen to my iPod, while setting up my DVR for my favorite show and saving this entry on my external flash hard drive.
That hard drive is portable, by the way.
Addendum: The Today Show just did a segment on the last 25 years of Technology. Plus, if you are into anime, animation movies, etc – you might want to follow this link to Newsarama’s “Animated Shorts” by my friend Steve Fritz -
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?p=2938983&posted=1#post2938983
BTW – he was actually in on that conversation above. We’re serious geeks when it comes to our tech.
Around late October 2006, a couple of friends stopped by and we were channel surfing because, frankly, everything on my 1200 channel cable box was, well, boring. Not one thing held our interest. So much so, that when we hit upon one of the many shopping networks and they began hawking electronics, we were glued but because we were bashing everything they had to offer.
Finally one of my friends said, “Can’t one of these guys be up on the times?”
And nirvana struck me like a truck.
I said, “My friends, how many of us truly realize that we are living in a historical time? I mean, for all that’s said and done, we are living in what will go down in the history books as the new technological age. Think about it. How many of our kids even realize that radio was our MTV, BET and videos were virtually non-existent? How many know about 8 tracks, and reel to reel, and that if you wanted to carry music around, you had to lug what was akin to a freakin carry on with speakers and hope it wouldn’t pop your 120 minute cassette tape?”
The list goes on and on. Vinyl, cassettes, VHS, beta, Atari, Sega Dreamcast, the Walkman, and dare I even say, the mini disc? The remote control is commonplace. Do you remember what was our parents’ remote control? Us! “Slade, come here a minute.” “Yeah, mama?” “Turn that to channel seven, I’m missin’ my soaps!” Oh yeah, we were the fucking remote. Technics turntables were a luxury. Now, we look at vinyl and go, “I remember pops and scratches. Ha, ha, ha… what a time that was…”
I look at my vast VHS tape and cassette tape collection and even my enormous CD collection and think, “How fucking obsolete this all is.” Especially since I can download all of it or burn it on my computer and store it on an external hard drive that’s no bigger than an avant-garde key-chain. Just two short years ago, everyone thought that 60gigs was enough forever. What a joke. Now, if you don’t have at least 80 to 200 gigs on your PC, you got problems.
E-mail has replaced the answering machine while cell phones have replaced home phones and land lines. The only time a landline comes in handy is, God forbid, a blackout or disaster of some kind. How much you want to bet that give or take a year or two that will no longer be an issue?
Did you know that at least 45% of the general population of the world now does more online shopping than go to the store? And people wonder why obesity is a problem? Because by 2020, you won’t have to get up from your freakin’ multitask recliner to go to the freakin’ bathroom. It will be piped thru, complete with new sanitizer and potpourri scents.
Forget missing a television show, we got DVR’s and TiVo. Our music is so portable; we have a mini hard drive that is no bigger than a credit card with at least 500 to 2000 songs of our choosing on it. Even our portable phones are multitasking now. Can you say “Blackberry Pearl”? What about “Chocolate” and I ain’t talkin’ Godiva either, I’m talking Verizon.
Right now your kid is text messaging someone. Right now, your college child is not going to parties – the house party has returned in full force, and usually now they don’t even care about dancing and sex. Can you beat me in Madden on that PS3/Xbox 360/Nintendo Wii? I mean, the nightlife in major cities are all turning into lounges to lure back in the baby-boomers.
I don’t need to go to the movies anymore. Why bother? It will be on DVD in a couple of months. Hell, in a couple of weeks, it might be on youtube, or I can download it off of iTunes, Zune marketplace, Napster, Connect and those are the legal options. Limewire or Torrent makes even that look late in the game by comparison.
Our “friends” in cyberland know more about us than the people who live with and around us. Everyone is a journal keeper now. It’s called a blog.
It’s a wonder these kids even know how to pro-create given that they only see each other in school and that’s becoming obsolete in it’s present form as we speak. Cyber schools and home training are rapidly becoming more and more popular. Just log in and find the info. Google, anyone? Oh, I’m sorry – that was last year. Ask.com is new hip shit, right?
We now have access to a memory flash card no bigger than your thumbprint that can hold at least 5-10 full-length motion pictures. Magazines are online now, as are newspapers. You can read the news and not get ink on your hands? What a brilliant concept! And everything is in “real” time; so much so that the most decorated show is about “real” time. “24” is the hippest thing out there.
Why buy an air-conditioner when you can have central air/heat? Our water comes in bottles or we attach purifying contraptions to our faucets. Or we have a purifying bucket somewhere named Brita or Pur. And can someone tell me what the fuck is “trans fat”? And “soy milk”? I know about Soy juice, but Soy milk doesn’t exist, people! What your drinking there is a lie.
And we all are being educated at a faster rate. Did anyone really buy that whole “Weapons Of Destruction” bullshit? And where’s Osama? How is it that we can pinpoint anyone else’s location but we can’t find this guy? Are we even looking?
Sometimes nature likes to remind us that we aren’t the big dogs in the pool. But, not for lack of trying. Katrina reminded us of that in a hurry. And what did our so-called leaders do? Not a blessed thing.
Within ten years, the laser gun will surpass a regular gun. Within 20 years, you can order a meal for the each day of the week and it will be beamed to you. We just might even see that illusive flying car. Not that motorized thing with wings that has two wheels, I mean when your SUV can actually take off.
In the last 50 years, our technical advances have grown in number and size and into the collective at a rapid rate. But at what cost? In many ways, our children have lost their common sense and think that television is reality. And why not? “Reality” television is a regular thing now. American Idol, The Apprentice, Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, and of course, my favorite – everyone’s newest coon show, Flavor Of Love. We have women starving themselves to look like Paris Hilton or gaining weight to look like the video vixens we see on music videos.
Our sports stars have become walking billboards. Hell, our fashion is dictated by a billboard mentality. True Religions, Baby Phat, and Rock & Republic have become the new Jordache, Gloria Vanderbilts, Sergios, etc of their day. You know something is seriously wrong when freakin’ Levi’s cost over $50 a pop.
Look around you. You, yes YOU are living in an ever-growing historical time. So much so that Time Magazine has placed a mirror on their cover for Person of the Year.
That person is you.
Say what?
I won’t even get into medical advances. But you know it’s a bad time when we can cure dysfunctional male erections but we can’t cure Cancer, herpes, the common cold or HIV.
Welcome to the dawning of a new age. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to listen to my iPod, while setting up my DVR for my favorite show and saving this entry on my external flash hard drive.
That hard drive is portable, by the way.
Addendum: The Today Show just did a segment on the last 25 years of Technology. Plus, if you are into anime, animation movies, etc – you might want to follow this link to Newsarama’s “Animated Shorts” by my friend Steve Fritz -
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?p=2938983&posted=1#post2938983
BTW – he was actually in on that conversation above. We’re serious geeks when it comes to our tech.
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