Happy New Year's, Kids

http://www.thetyser.com/

Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny

I've been watching Spectacle, Elvis Costello's new talk/music program on Sundance Channel over the last few weeks and while I'm a big fan of Elvis's music, I'm less certain of his future as an interviewer.  I was blown away by this performance by Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden a couple weeks ago though.  I didn't know the song before I saw them play it here and I was kind of entranced when I heard it.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

The Swell Season

 For fans of the film "Once", Amazon.com has The Swell Season (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova) MP3 album for just $2.99 today. Good deal for some good music, but I think it may just be for today.

Merry Christmas

 

The skies over North Georgia have been beautiful over the last week or so. I got home today and ran inside to grab my camera. I didn't want to miss this.

Horowitz vs. Theron

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Okay...favorite moments here are:
3. If you look VERY closely you can actually see Josh restraining himself the moment Steven Seagal says the words "essential oils".
2. Josh getting kicked...always fun
1. Charlize Theron's potty mouth

This is the coolest thing I've ever seen

I'm probably the last person on the planet to see this.  I have no idea if this is real and frankly, I don't want to know.  Just let me enjoy watching it over and over and over and over...

Matthew's List of Things He's Thankful For

Last night we made a list of things we're thankful for and wrote it on Matthew's white board.  Well, this morning he wanted to do it again, so this is Matthew's list from this morning.  My favorites are fingertips, blues, and hair.

Don't Worry, There's No Hole in the Internet...Anymore

Apparently we should all be thankful for this guy.  According to Wired magazine, he discovered a "hole" in the internet.  We're told in this amazing and terrifying article that any hacker worth his salt would have been able to essentially control the entire internet if this guy hadn't figured it out and told the right people.  Sleep tight kids. 

Amazon's $5 Sale

Through monday, there's some great deals at Amazon's MP3 store. They've got 50 albums for just $5. Included are these DRM-free gems:
Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie
Fleet Foxes - " "
Dear Science - TV on the Radio
Flight of the Conchords - " "
Everything that Happens Will Happen Today - Byrne & Eno
Vampire Weekend - " "
Volume One - She & Him
In Rainbows - Radiohead
One Kind Favor - B.B. King
Fate - Dr. Dog
Lay it Down - Al Green
Jim - Jamie Lidell

The Quotable Boy

Two great conversations with Matthew today:

1) We're in the car discussing where we'll eat lunch and Chick-Fil-A comes up. Matthew says "it's closed". I'm surprised he knows that and wonder if he actually knows a) that it's Sunday, and b) that Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sunday. So I ask, "how do you know it's closed?". He replies, without missing a beat..."because we can't get inside".

2) We've just finished reading his first book before bed and I say, "okay, put that book on the shelf and get your second one".
He looks at me and says sternly, "Be patient. Just be patient". Classic.

Klosterman on Chinese Democracy

Chuck Klosterman makes me laugh like few other writers. Here is his great review of the long-anticipated (awaited?) Chinese Democracy.

Nature

 

 

 

 

I'm glad that you complied with my request and that you did not, for one moment, stop believing

Back in '07, I wrote here about Journey and how I was no longer ashamed to admit that I'm a fan. Well, it seems I'm not the only one. I saw this today, first on The Huffington Post, which led me to hypebot.com, and I have to say, I'm not surprised. "Don't Stop Believin'" is the top-selling digital download of all time.

swype

I can't believe this works so well.
I'm sitting here watching it with the wife, laughing hysterically for some reason.

I knew we'd get there...

It's been a long time coming. Since I was a young child, I felt I would see this day. I just didn't expect it so soon. There's so much we can do if we just keep working at it. There were naysayers, I know. But they have no faith in what the American people can achieve. But today, I'm proud to say...princess leia-style holographic interviews on live television ARE possible.

(I may have a serious post about the election results when I can wrap my head around it. Just know I'm thrilled. If you pray, please take a moment today and say a prayer for our next president.)

Creed

Happy Belated Halloween

Got this from the Listening Post blog at Wired.com. Unbelievable.
François Macré - Thriller (reprise A'cappella 64 pistes)

Some Photos From Today's Trip to the Maze

 

 

 

 

We Voted

We voted today in Walker County and I think all of the machines were in use while we were there. If you haven't voted yet, look into early voting where you are. I think Election Day's gonna be pretty crazy.

Fairey for Obama

I'm a big fan of Shepard Fairey's art. This is a very cool piece from Current about his work on behalf of Barack Obama's campaign.

Kristen Wiig

Great "best of" list for Kristen Wiig, the most talented individual currently on SNL. Anyone else remember her on the Joe Schmo Show? No? Just me? Okay, sorry.

Brasstown

 

Took this photo from the back porch at Brasstown Valley Resort.

Quick reminder: If you live in Georgia or Tennessee this is your last day to register to vote.

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All Kinds of Funny

Three Sisters Festival

We had an amazing evening downtown at the Three Sisters Festival. Erin & Matthew packed some sandwiches & chips for dinner and we listened to some great music with a really chill crowd as the sun set. If you've never been, you've gotta go. It starts up again saturday at noon 'til late in the evening. See you there.

Just now I was in with Matthew before bed. We just finished reading books and he called for Erin.
"Mommy, I need you, a little bit!" he yelled.
"I'm coming!" she called back.
Matthew replied..."If you say so!".

This kid cracks me up.

Thank You

I'd like to thank everyone who supported me in the Race for the Cure. It was a great day for running, if a little warm. We began at the arena, proceeded to the Boathouse restaurant, then down along the river and looped back up to the arena. The shade along the riverwalk was a big help in the heat, but I still got a little burned.

My folks and my sister were waiting for us with Matthew at the finish line, cheering us on. I'm so proud of my wife, who fought bronchitis and soreness to train for this thing. She ran across the finish line, smiling and feeling good. It was a great day for a great cause.

Debate Night

Hey folks, be sure to tune in to WTCI this evening for the presidential debate at 9pm. McCain's decided to come and Jim Lehrer is moderating, so it should be a great evening of robust debate.

Fresh Catch

I don't usually post sports videos here, but, this is pretty amazing.

My Coffee Cup Said Something Funny Today

You know how Starbucks has the quotes on the side of their cups?  I got this one today:

So-called “global warming” is just a secret ploy by wacko tree-huggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start 21st-century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don’t let them get away with it!

– Chip Giller
Founder of Grist.org, where environmentally-minded people gather online.

In Case You Missed It...

I think you may like...

Nike +  (it's built into the new iPod touch...finally)
Mad Men (with Hulu, DVD, OnDemand, and iTunes, there's no excuse, folks)
Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish (working through the noise to get to the substance)
Picasa 3 (a great free piece of software is even better than before)
All Things Considered and Morning Edition (just break the knob off)
Facebook (Matthew told my wife "I wanna read that face book!")

I'm taking a poll.  Who thinks that during the season premiere of Saturday Night Live next week, they'll have a guest appearance by Tina Fey as Sarah Palin?  Add YES or NO in the comments.

Chrome

CEO Eric Schmidt said in 2004 that Google wasn't building a browser.  Well, they've got one now.
It's available tomorrow.  I'm anxious to check it out.  If they do for the browser what they did for email, I'll be thrilled.

That Tiny, Terrifying Voice

Hey, all you future fathers out there, remember this.  When your 2 year old is in the other room, and he's just recently showed an interest in potty training, and you decide to honor his request to be by himself while he sits on the potty, and though you've told him to let you know when he's done...there's nothing more terrifying than hearing, in a tiny voice, the words, "it's messy", coming from the other room.

40 Million Watched Obama Thursday Night

I usually take the Nielsen ratings with a grain of salt, but this is a staggering and hopeful number.  40 million viewers watched Obama's acceptance speech thursday night, more than the American Idol finale, the Oscars, and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.  If you're one of the few that missed it, you can download the entire speech from iTunes.

Funniest line of the convention so far goes to Bill Richardson:

"John McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but we're the ones who will pay for his flip-flops."

 Although, if I never hear the word "flip-flop" again in a political campaign (from either side), I'll be a happy man.

Al Gore...

I really like Al Gore but he didn't win an Oscar.  I keep hearing this mis-statement every time he's mentioned on television, but it's not true.  Davis Guggenheim won the award as the director of the documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth".  Just one of those things that bugs me...anyhoo.

I nearly posted this on 31 photos a couple of days ago but went with "bell" instead. 

Amazing Live Music...FREE

Hey kids...what if I told you you could download Tom Waits's July show at the Fox in Atlanta, free & legal with great sound quality?  And what if I also told you you could get recent shows from She & Him?  Jim James?  Steve Earle?  The Black Keys?  Well, you're in luck.  Full-length concerts are available for download from the NPR Live Concerts from All Songs Considered Podcast.  You can subscribe here in iTunes or just download the shows you want. 

Aja - $0.99

Steely Dan's Aja is just 99 cents at the Amazon store right now.
I don't know how long the record will be available at this price, but it's worth a buck just for the tracks "Peg" and "Josie" if you don't already have them.

Myrtle Beach photos

Here are some photos I took during our week in Myrtle Beach. Some I wanted to post on 31 Photos, but we didn't have internet access for a good part of the trip, so they're here.

The End is Near

 

This is me last week in the dugout at Turner Field.

Great story in Wired today about a fellow who, for years, has taken his old 78s and digitized them and put them online as MP3s. Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Spike Jones, Fats Waller, Ernest Tubb, you name it. It's an amazing collection of music.

Hunter Museum's Five Free Hours This Sunday

Just a reminder to folks in the Chattanooga area who are looking for something to do on Sunday. The Hunter Museum is FREE on August 3rd from noon to five pm. You can read about their special exhibition in this previous post. I think it's pretty spectacular.

From www.huntermuseum.org:
FREE First Sunday

Visit the William Morris exhibition, stroll through the Hunter Museum galleries and enjoy free studio activities. Enjoy the big band music of Sweet Georgia Sound on the Hunter Museum Terrace from 2 to 4 p.m. FREE First Sundays are made possible by the support of Regions Morgan Keegan.

31 Photos

I'd like to invite all of you to participate in an experiment cooked up by my friend, Josh Kring. During the month of August, you'll take a photo each day, and post it at 31 Photos (directions on posting are on the site). Hopefully we'll have a bunch of folks participating.

You do not have to be a professional photographer to do this, you basically just have to know how to turn the flash off on your camera! Yes, there are rules, so read them below and remember...Art is born of constraint, and dies of freedom!

The Rules:

-no cropping

-only use available light, (no flash or extra lights)

-no Photoshop or color correcting what so ever

-no in camera color effects, (as in selective color on the Canons)

-no more than 4 self portraits

-each photo must be taken that day

-only post one photo a day

 

I know the economy's not great, but this is ridiculous.

Neil Young

One of the few people I would have loved to meet when I was working in New York was Neil Young. Looks like I migrated south about a year too early. Neil sat down with Charlie last week. You can watch it here.


Also, if you like Neil but don't have a lot of his music, hurry to Amazon now, because their MP3 deal of the day is his "greatest hits" for just $3.99. I know, I know, don't get me started on how this compilation doesn't even begin to cover the best of Young's career. If you're new to the music, this is actually a nice place to start because you get a lot of great songs from both Rockin' Neil and Contemplative Neil.

...whoa

Watchmen Trailer in HD

(thanks Josh)

Some Recent Photos

Hunter Museum's William Morris exhibition

We had a chance to see the impressive William Morris special exhibition at the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga today. I wasn't familiar with his work, but I'm taken with these intricately detailed glass sculptures that compose an amazing collection very diverse in size, color, and style. Myth, Object and the Animal will be shown through September 29th. Be sure to check it out for free on the first Sunday of each month from noon to 5pm.

Photo Credit: Rob Vinnedge

This could possibly be the coolest shoe-related story of the decade. Remember those awesome shoes that Marty McFly wore in 2015 in Back to the Future 2? Well, Nike's making 'em. Well, a version of them anyway. No power laces...yet.

Halcyon Days

I took this photo on my phone this morning from the car window. Needless to say, the gas station isn't open anymore.

 

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'?

My mother emailed me this awesome photo of me on the first day of 2nd grade.
It's kind of tough to make out in the photo, but note the sweet, sweet Michael Jackson t-shirt (detailed at right). You know how you always wanted to wear your very best clothes on the first day of school? Apparently, at age seven, this was it.

Volt

Great article on The Atlantic.com about the current state of General Motors and the company's huge bet on the Volt.

 

Came across a mantis today in the parking lot at work.

Matthew and Erin and I went to the park for a picnic today and a tiny visitor landed on Erin's shoe for a while. He was kind enough to let me snap a few pictures before he went on his way. Click the photo to zoom in more.

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Just finished the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. It was on Sundance channel so I TiVo'd it and have to say I thought it was pretty good. Made me wanna go back and listen to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot again. If you're not familiar with Wilco's music, check this out. On their site, you can listen to a few complete live performances and even select the songs within the set. I'm partial to Impossible Germany, Either Way, and Hate It Here from their latest, Sky Blue Sky.

Lovins for Energy Czar

Chris McGowan, writing for the The Huffington Post, suggests Amory Lovins as Energy Czar for either McCain or Obama. Lovins is founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute and is unbelievably smart when it comes to practical solutions to energy problems. Of course, I suggested Al Gore would be a great Secretary of Energy in a previous post, but Lovins may be an even better choice. His non-partisan status is definitely a plus and there's no denying he's got the chops necessary to steer our energy policies in the right direction.

Paintball

Played paintball for the first time with some friends this weekend. We had a blast but I think we all realized we should have done this 10 years ago when we were a bit more nimble and when we had more disposable income. We are old.
(p.s. here's a tip...wear long sleeves)

Classic

Best line from the finale of How I Met Your Mother:
Robin: Oh, I love Springsteen! He's like the American Bryan Adams.

Here's a quick blog post about Tom Waits, one of the artists I most admire. First of all, you need to read this blog post at his record label, Anti. Mr. Waits interviews himself and the results are quite entertaining.

Secondly, he's playing at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta in July and I pray I'll be there to see it. So close, yet so far away.

And lastly, there's a lot of chatter online about the new record from actress Scarlett Johansson. She's teamed up with Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio (a band I like and respect) to make a record consisting almost entirely of Tom Waits covers. A) This seems like a horrible idea. B) I've heard pieces of the record (not the whole thing) and it will take some convincing to persuade me that this is not a horrible idea based on what I've heard. C) The samples that I did hear made me want to stop listening to what I was hearing and go put on original Tom Waits recordings. So, I guess that's a good thing.

This is the first time I've ever seen this and once I get a four-hour block to myself, I'm gonna figure out exactly what it actually means:
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
(Thanks Scott)

I know some folks who just figured out how to spend their economic stimulus check...

Dragon Fire!

If you have eight minutes to spare today, check out this early muppet footage for La Choy Chow Mein. It's great.

Watching some video online of Obama. I said to Matthew "who's that?".
"Bomama...rhymes with momma". Perhaps there's a second poetry major in the Townley family's future?

Thanks Feist

Matthew counted to ten perfectly for the first time yesterday. He doesn't do it correctly every time yet and when he does make a mistake it's often this: He skips seven and eight. Erin and I have a theory that this is due to that ubiquitous Feist song that we've been playing for him in the car. He loves it.

1,2,3,4,5,6, 9 & 10...

I read on her site that she's recently recorded a version of it for Sesame Street. Let's hope Elmo corrects her before the country's run by a generation of children for whom the numbers seven and eight are completely foreign.

Funny

Neil...no the other one

I started listening to the automatically-produced "top 25" playlist on my iPod yesterday and was a little surprised to see a bunch of tracks from Neil Diamond's 12 Songs. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's a great record. If you haven't heard it, forget everything you know about Neil Diamond and give it a listen. He's got a new one coming out next tuesday called Home Before Dark. It's also produced by Rick Rubin and I'm anxious to hear it based on the single streaming on his site. It's worth a listen.

A.V. Club

Every now and again, I'll re-discover a website. The Onion's AV Club is one of those sites. Check out the "primer" on Elvis Costello and the article about the wisdom of Kurt Vonnegut as examples of the cool work they're doing over there.

826 Valencia

Just saw a UPS commercial featuring music by...The Postal Service.

This is pretty awesome. You wanna contribute to the Watchmen film?
There's a contest going on asking you to create a tv commercial that looks like it was made in 1985 for Veidt products. The winners may actually be used in the movie. Check it out here.

We saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall this weekend and while it's not for everyone, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard in the theater. The cast was top-notch, especially Russell Brand, Jack McBrayer, and Mila Kunis (who knew?). I recommend it to those not easily offended by male nudity.

I've seen a lot of odd things online but I can't imagine the time it must have taken to coordinate this one.

The "One Week Only" feature at the new site Pitchfork.tv is now playing the 2004 documentary loudQuietloud about the Pixies reunion and if you're a fan or curious, it's worth a look. But if the "one week only" name is to believed better get over there today.

Muppetmaster

Here's a very interesting tidbit from the NY Times piece on Jason Segel, the amusing co-star of one of my favorite current sitcoms, "How I Met Your Mother" and the new film, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". By the way, Richard Roeper suggested he'd have to make room on his list of 50 funniest movies for this one so I hope he's right.

And despite his regular appearances on prime-time television, it is only in the prelude to the release of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” that he has found he can now take meetings with the studios, production companies and casting directors who previously shunned him.

In one such meeting, with Disney, he offhandedly mentioned that he would like to write a new movie for his childhood idols, the Muppets; within days the studio had signed Mr. Segel and Mr. Stoller to write the script.

(“I want to revive them to their previous glory, before they became a novelty act,” Mr. Segel said. “When it wasn’t, like, ‘Muppets Underwater.’ ‘Muppets in the Sahara.’ ‘Muppets on the Moon!’ ”)

Wanna have some fun? Next time you meet someone and invariably the conversation turns toward American Idol, pretend like you have no idea what they're talking about. A few ways to go?
A) Is that a movie?
B) Oh, I LOVE American Chopper!
C) Hmmm...sounds blasphemous.
D) I just watch PBS.

I very nearly cried watching this...
Someone's slowed down a 1999 mac commercial featuring Jeff Goldblum. The Huffington Post referred to it as "drunken hilarity". And I concur.

Battlestar Returns

Battlestar Galactica begins its final season tonight. If you're a fan, I'm sure you already knew that. If you "don't like space", just think of it as a soap opera.

Weary

Ever notice folks sometimes use the word "weary" when they really mean "wary"? The wife and I think we've figured out why. They're taking "wary" and combining it with its synonym, "leery".
Wary + Leery = Weary.
Yup. We're that boring.

Back to the Future

Seems one of my favorites, Elvis Costello, won't offer CDs of his upcoming release, MOMOFUKU and will be releasing vinyl as the only physical format. The LP will be packaged with a code to download a digital copy of the record. I think I'd buy every record this way if they were reasonably priced.
Thanks to Billboard and Wired.

I hesitate to tell you anything

Just watch...


(thanks to VSL for bringing this to my attention)

When I heard the Supreme Court would be reviewing the second amendment (DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA V. HELLER), I wondered if the amendment's odd punctuation would play a role in the decision. I did a quick search and was delighted to see this article in the Times just a few days prior addressing the very subject.

Link to the story at Boing Boing

Jean-noël Lafargue

Eric Clapton's Censored Song List in North Korea by Lionel Beehner

Mickey sent this to me. Very funny. Love the McSweeneys lists.

If you're not familiar with Eddie Izzard, this New York Times article is a decent place to start. I became a fan after watching his stand-up special, "Dress to Kill", and listening to it countless times in the car much like I used to do with Bill Cosby tapes when i was a kid. He'll be touring the US soon. Check here for dates. I saw him in New York a few years ago and he was great. Don't miss it.

For those of you keeping track at home, my Xbox 360 has been returned to me once again after THREE "repairs". I played a Sesame Street DVD for Matthew on it to test it out and had no trouble. Fingers crossed, folks.

Great Art for a Great Candidate

I'm a fan of Shepard Fairey (the Obey Giant guy) so I was thrilled to see his contribution to the Obama campaign. You can purchase the limited edition print here.

Batman Fans...

check out this article in the NY Times about the upcoming film and director Nolan in particular.

Remember when Leia disguises herself as Boussh, the bounty hunter in Return of the Jedi? Remember her voice in that mask? Matthew's got some chest congestion and when he talks quietly, he sounds EXACTLY like that.

Loss For Words

At the grocery store today, a slightly disheveled man wearing sunglasses asked me directly:

"Why is it women always assume we actually like Fruit Loops? I can't stand that sh*t."

A woman was with him. I didn't know what to say.

"Abra, Abracadabra
I wanna reach out and grab ya"
-The Steve Miller Band

If you think there are better rhymes from 1980s pop music, post a comment below.

Okay, this is cool. If you're my age, you know Randall "Tex" Cobb from Raising Arizona, The Golden Child, and from the funniest exchange in Fletch Lives:

"Bend Over"
"Ben? Nice to meet you, Victor Hugo"

He graduated magna cum laude in January from Temple University.
Read the article here.

Maybe next time, Mr. Jaynes...

Well, the Coen Brothers walked away with adapted screenplay, director(s), and best picture. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor. It's a really good movie. The one award I was really hoping they would win was for editing because I wanted to see "Roderick Jaynes" accept the award. The introduction of the nominees last night included a great photo of the imaginary film editor. Well, maybe next time. In the meantime, enjoy a piece of his bio from the No Country For Old Men website:

Mr. Jaynes resides in Hove, Sussex, with his Chow, Otto. He remains widely admired in the film industry for his impeccable grooming and is the world's foremost collector of Margaret Thatcher nudes, many of them drawn from life.

Also, a quick note about Jack Nicholson. Does anyone else get the impression he's constantly being whispered a joke no one else can hear?

Does Kevin Spacey do the voice-over for "previously on In Treatment"?
Watch the first 8 seconds here and add a comment with your vote.

List

Who I'd Like To See At Bonnaroo 2008:

* Pearl Jam
* Metallica
* Jack Johnson
* Kanye West
* Chris Rock
* Robert Plant and Alison Krauss featuring T Bone Burnett
* Phil Lesh & Friends
* My Morning Jacket
* The Allman Brothers Band
* The Raconteurs
* Willie Nelson
* Death Cab for Cutie
* B.B. King
* Sigur Ros
* Levon Helm and the Ramble on the Road
* Ben Folds
* The Bluegrass Allstars
* Iron & Wine
* The Swell Season
* Talib Kweli
* Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Revival
* Broken Social Scene
* Bonnaroo Late Night Chat About with David Cross
* Robert Randolph's Revival
* Rilo Kiley
* Mastodon
* Drive-By Truckers
* Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck
* Aimee Mann
* Janeane Garofalo
* Jose Gonzalez
* Zach Galifianakis
* Donavon Frankenreiter
* State Radio
* Brian Posehn

In Treatment

The wife and I are enjoying a new show on HBO called In Treatment.
It's one of those shows that makes you glad you've got TiVo.
A half-hour each weeknight is made up of a therapy session.
Gabriel Byrne is fantastic in it and the supporting cast is great too.
There are monologues here ripe for interpretation by psychology majors that need theater credits.

Other Things There Will Be, In Addition to Blood
A McSweeney's list by Meredith and Scott Rodkey

Vote!

I'll be voting in the Georgia primary tuesday morning and I hope that if you live in a primary state, that you'll be voting as well.
If you live in Georgia, you can find your polling place by clicking here.

If you're outside the state of Georgia, here's the national page that will help you find all the information you need:
USA.gov Voting Information

Why Reading IS Important, Even For Business Students

Headline: Shop pulls 'Lolita' bed for young girls

He Finds You

Saw this over on the Politico.com site.
If you type in "Find Chuck Norris" at Google
and hit the I'm Feeling Lucky button,
you get this.

Here's a fun story. After sending my Xbox 360 back for repairs a second time, I finally got it back earlier this week. I plugged it in, fired it up, and you guessed it...it DOES NOT work. This time, instead of "repairing" it, they're sending me a new one. Seems I'm not alone.

According to the NY Times, The MPAA now says it was wrong to blame illegal downloads by college students for 44% of the film industry's domestic losses. Apparently, they say college students are only responsible for 15% of the losses. I'd like to suggest that the studios are partially responsible because they're making stuff like this.

U23D

I had the chance to see an advance screening of the new 3D Imax film U23D (thanks Best Buy!). Despite some "ghosting", it was by far the best 3D I've yet seen. It wasn't overly gimmicky, in fact the film focused mainly on accurately reproducing the performance space and so I got wrapped up in the music, much as I did when I saw the band perform in Memphis years ago. Great setlist, so if you're a fan of the band, definitely take the kids and go to the Imax.

By the way, these Irish kids are an incredibly tight and expansive band. If you didn't see it, read Springsteen's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech here. There's no better description of who they are and what they do.

Watchmen

I just finished reading Watchmen and I'm really interested to see how the film will develop. The little bit that I've read and seen online leads me to believe that it will be a pretty faithful interpretation. I like the casting I've read about (Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan and Jackie Earl Haley as Rorshach) although I wonder how well some of the younger actors will portray "retired" superheroes.