Matthew

McSweeneys

In case you're wondering why "McSweeneys" is among the sites in my "other sites you might just dig" section, enjoy this list by Chris Song. You may also be interested in Wholphin, the new quarterly DVD magazine from McSweeneys.

The photo? I took it last year on our trip to San Francisco. It's a mural by Chris Ware above the 826 Valencia building. The folks behind McSweeneys started this tutoring center for kids. Read more about it here.

Comfort of Strangers

Beth Orton's latest is one of the best records of the year (so far). I've listened to her a bit over the years but this tops all I've heard from her. Ordinarily, I'd send you over to iTunes to pick it up for $9.99, but for some reason they're selling it for $12.99. Amazon's not much better, although they are offering a version with a bonus disc. I haven't heard it, but it may be worth it to check that out too.

If you like Comfort of Strangers, you might also like her cover of "Ooh Child" from "The Other Side of Daybreak"

Matthew & Daddy

Live on the Radio

I'm sure many of you have done this. I'll be listening to a song on the radio, then I'll turn the station and the same artist will be playing on another station. Well, I just assume the artist died and I go on thinking they died until the song's over and the DJ doesn't say anything about it. Let's face it, DJs can't pass up an opportunity to go on and on about someone who's just died.

THIS kind of proves the theory. Someone actually recorded a scan of the dial on the day John Lennon was murdered. (thanks to Boing Boing and WFMU)

Some great Chickamauga photos

I check out Lifehacker pretty regularly. I've added their RSS feed to my Google sidebar. I noticed today, this post, which suggests checking Flickr for photos tagged with the name of your hometown. Searching "Chickamauga" yielded some great results.

I was really impressed with photos by Chattanooga resident Matt Dunmore, including the Crawfish Springs tower and Gordon Lee Mansion. I emailed him and asked if I could let y'all know about his photoblog featuring his work. He's very talented. I suggest you check it out: http://matt.dunmores.com/photoblog/

30Boxes

In my house, I'm always wanting to try out new technology and Erin is the true test of whether that technology is successful. If it works the way it's supposed to and it's simple to use, she'll use it. If it doesn't work, she won't waste her time. I, on the other hand, will spend 14 hours trying to install a new component in the computer saying the whole time, "I just don't understand. This should work!".

SO, the point is, Erin's using 30 Boxes, the new online calendar that I've been testing recently. When I told her I was gonna post this she said "I use it because you use it and it's easy".

They're updating constantly and it has what's supposed to be a great sharing function. So if you're interested in trying this out, you'll find my "30BUDDY" button on the sidebar.

Gervais on The Simpsons

I reported in an earlier post that I thought the Simpsons episode written by and starring Ricky Gervais, would be March 19th. That is INcorrect, as I now understand it. The episode, called "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" will air Sunday, March 26th in the US. So set those TiVos. It should be pretty funny. (via SimpsonsChannel.com)

In other Gervais news, check out the latest Entertainment Weekly. In their music section, Ricky's painted up like David Bowie on the cover of Aladdin Sane. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the pic on the ew.com site.

The 150th post! A Year in Blog.

So, I'm a bit late in recognizing this on the blog, but at least we're in the right month. I started the blog a year ago this month, on March 1st, 2005, actually. Boy, a lot can happen in a year. I wasn't sure it would last or that I'd have anything to write about, but I counted up the posts and danged if this isn't the 150th. Thanks to everyone who's bookmarked this thing, all who listened to the podcast, and who cared enough to let me know what you think of all this. It's a lot of fun and I have no plans to stop blogging.

Walk The Line

Okay, so I saw very few of the Oscar-nominated films this year before the awards were handed out. Capote was one of the few I did see and I thought Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance was incredible. I had him picked, like everyone, and I thought he certainly deserved to win. UNTIL, I saw Walk The Line last night and realized that Joaquin was robbed. What a great performance. Witherspoon was good and for all I know, deserved to win. I didn't see any of the other performances. Great film. Great performance. If you haven't seen it, rent it. It's certainly worth your time. But then, you probably knew that.

The Simpsons

Big thanks to Scott for sending me this link. I'm stunned at how great this is and I'm pretty sure it will be all over the net and the news by Monday if it's not already. The word is that this was shot in England as an ad for The Simpsons there. Dunno. If you hear anything about the origins of this video, please leave a comment.

In other Simpsons-related news, I hear the episode written by and starring Ricky Gervais will air March 19th.

A Scanner Darkly

I have to say, I think I'm one of many film buffs who admire Richard Linklater more than I actually enjoy his work. From Slacker & Dazed and Confused to Before Sunrise to School of Rock to the Bad News Bears remake, that's an interesting career to me. While I really enjoyed School and liked the faithful Bears, I'm excited to see his latest, a sort of live-action/animation hybrid called A Scanner Darkly.

Waking Life did absolutely nothing for me as a film. But of course, the animation style had real promise and was amazing to watch. I think I even muted the DVD and just watched it for a while.

Check out the trailer for Scanner HERE.

Then be sure to read the WIRED magazine article for the background HERE.

Podfading

This is a phenomenon of which I'm sadly a part and now it has a name. Podfading.
Check out this WIRED article: PODFADING TAKES ITS TOLL

As I've explained in this previous post, podcasting is great if you've got the time. Unfortunately I don't anymore.

Matthew Davis Townley

This is Matthew Davis Townley. You can see from the previous post the moment he was born on Valentine's Day. He's home now and doing well. He was 8lbs. 7.6 oz. at birth.

Here he is...

Mother and son are well. More soon.

Why My Wife Is Not An Olympian

"You know, I think if I won a gold medal, I'd wanna win a silver and a bronze too. You know, just so I could have all three, all different colors."

New Online Calendar

I've been waiting for Google to release a calendar that works well with gmail. I'm sure it'll happen at some point, but until then, I'm happy to tell you about 30 BOXES, a new online calendar that's very easy to use and allows sharing with friends & family. Best of all, it's free. I've set it up as a tab on FireFox, so whenever I launch it, I'm signed in and I can take a look at my calendar immediately.

I suggest you try out the sample calendar they've got HERE.
Then, sign up, HERE.

Google...Film Distributor

Before the Super Bowl, the "popular" selections on Google Video were largely homemade. Web-cam karaoke, an audio-enhanced Robert Tilton clip reel called "farting preacher", and matrix pong (see it) often placed in the top spots. Post-Super Bowl, it seems the split is currently about 50-50 between big-budget (Pizza Hut, Budweiser) / no-budget productions.

I imagine Google Video will eventually go the way of podcasting. More companies will realize they can freely advertise directly and easily to the public.

What will be really interesting though, is the young man or woman who creates a digital film (short or feature length) and decides Google Video is the ideal distributor. The day is coming when word of mouth will spread worldwide on a film that might cost a viewer $2 per download. If I'm told it's an amazing film, I'd gladly skip a night's rental at Blockbuster to spend a couple bucks to support a new distribution model. From there, the sky's the limit.

Track Jack

This is fun. If you're a fan of "24" and have been watching this season, you might enjoy checking out this Google Maps project featuring locations from the show.

JackTracker!

I'm back

Boy, it's been a while since I posted. I've been working a lot and trying to get the house ready for our new addition. He should be here anytime in the next couple of weeks, so we're excited and anxious for him to come.

A tip for you film lovers out there, go to Turner Classic Movies this month for their annual 31 Days of Oscar. I TiVo'd Shampoo the other day. Good film. I'd never seen it. I can't understand why Lee Grant won a best-supporting Oscar for it though. Sometimes it just depends on the other nominees in the category, I guess. Anyway, some of my favorites are coming up this month:
2001 (2/10 at 10pm) & Dr. Strangelove follows at 12:45am
The Graduate (2/11 at 8pm)
12 Angry Men (2/13 at 11:45pm)
Coal Miner's Daughter (2/21 at 10:15pm)

and one that I'm anxious to see for the first time,
The Conversation (2/28 at 8pm)

The Ricky Gervais Show podcast & the end of The Shaun Townley Podcast

Ricky Gervais is, in my opinion, one of the most naturally funny people on the planet. Now he's got a podcast. And it's a proper podcast too, not some short advertisement for something else. It's him, Stephen Merchant (co-creator of 'The Office') and Karl Pilkington. Each podcast is around a half hour. There have been 5 so far, and I am anxiously awaiting the next one. I understand there will be twelve all told. Be sure to check it out at iTunes or just go to the podcast page at Guardian Unlimited. And of course, for all things Ricky, check out rickygervais.com.

Oh yeah, by the way, you may have noticed that I've changed the name of this site to "The Shaun Townley Blog" from "The Shaun Townley Podcast". That's cuz I haven't done a podcast in a really long time and I'm tired of paying $5 per month for a podcast that I'm not doing. So, sorry to those of you who enjoyed it and were awaiting more. There were over 1600 downloads of the podcast during its run, so I can't feel too bad about that. It was a fun experiment and it's been cool to see how podcasting has evolved since I began nearly a year ago. If you're looking for a particular podcast, email me and I can send you the mp3 no problem. Fear not, the free, fun & easy blog will continue. And if you desperately need to hear my voice, skype me.

THE FEED

Do you have a Gmail account and a personalized Google home page? What about a My Yahoo! page? If you'd like the last few posts of this blog to pop up with your other content when you check your google home page or MyYahoo! page, you can use my feed to make this happen. It's pretty easy.

On Google, just sign into the personalized home page and click "ADD CONTENT".
In "Create A Section", just enter this URL: http://stownley.blogspot.com/atom.xml

In MyYahoo!, again, just click "ADD CONTENT", then, "ADD RSS BY URL". Enter the following URL to add the feed: http://stownley.blogspot.com/atom.xml

It's really pretty simple. That way you can check the titles, then click on the posts that sound interesting to you.

10 bucks for a bunch of Bob

Happy 2006 folks, have I got a deal for YOU?!
You may have one or more of these three great records, but if you don't, you can't pass up the chance to get them all for $10!

iTunes is selling three classic Bob Dylan albums Blonde on Blonde, Blood on The Tracks, and Time Out of Mind, together for $9.99!!

Click HERE

KONG

I saw Kong later than most, I suppose, nearly two weeks after the initial opening. Box office wasn't what the studio hoped for, as I understand it. But I think it has a chance to hold on to the top spot for another week or two at least because the word of mouth on the film has to be this: incredible. Long? Sure. Go to the nicest theater in your area, the one with the most comfortable seats & the best sound.

Peter Jackson has again proven that he's today's undisputed master at using special effects to astound us, the frighten us, and to move us. Kong is a character, in fact, a misunderstood hero, caught without expression in a world where communication is king.

Some thoughts about podcasting

Well, I've done it. I've removed the last "independent" podcast from my iTunes subscription list. I was hanging on to The Dawn and Drew Show but I hadn't listened to an episode in a long time and I was getting tired of watching my PC work to find new episodes of a show that I knew I wouldn't listen to. Now I have subscriptions to KCRW's The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell, the New West Records podcast, ABC's LOST podcast, and the long-delayed Shaun Townley Podcast. Oh, and the Ricky Gervais podcast which I haven't been able to listen to on my iPod for some reason. It shows up, but skips to the next track. Weird.

Anyway, podcasting started out as a way for anyone to put their stuff out there to find a small but dedicated audience and I'm sure it will continue in that way for the foreseable future. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you see it, the cream has risen to the top. I think I've finally given in to the truth, that despite the fact that Dawn & Drew are pretty funny, I'd rather listen to Elvis Mitchell interview Peter Guralnick about the new Sam Cooke bio. That's just me. And it could be a phase, I don't know.

That's not to say that I think all independent podcasters should hang it up. There's lots of great niche stuff out there that you can't find anywhere else, the long tail, & all that. I hope people stay subscribed to my little podcast, because I hope to do some more stuff in the future, but unless this is your job, it's really hard to devote the time & energy necessary to make it great. It's been a fun experiement and I love the fact that it's only $5 a month for me to continue it. We'll see where it goes.

SNL / NYT

Okay, remember two posts ago, when I mentioned that the Lazy Sunday video was everywhere on the web? Well, the New York Times picked up on that too. This is actually a pretty good article.

READ IT HERE

"Feb. 14" for Dec. 25

A Christmas gift from Drive-By Truckers! They're releasing a completely free, no strings attached song from their upcoming record, A Blessing And A Curse. Go to www.blessingandacurse.com to download "Feb. 14" in a number of formats. The email I got from Jenn, their webmaster, said "No one will be chasing after ya for trading it, so share freely - Limewire, Gnutella, and MP3 blogs should feel free to pass this around." So spread the love & let everyone know that the new record's out in April. If you love what you hear, go to http://drivebytruckers.com for more on the band.

Don't forget, DBT will be playing a couple of shows at the 40 Watt in Athens on Jan. 20th & 21st, so all of you in the area, check it out.

Merry Christmas!

Crazy Delicious

Okay, it's everywhere now. If you didn't see the "Lazy Sunday" music video on SNL last weekend, you've probably seen it online by now. YouTube streams it HERE. iTunes Music Store has released it as a FREE download for the iPod. The bit's popularity on the web makes sense though. Andy Samberg, new addition to the SNL cast, came from Lonely Island, a web comedy troupe. In fact, I think the other two fellas from Lonely Island were involved in the production of "Lazy" behind the camera. All their stuff's available under a Creative Commons license which is a legal agreement between content producer and consumer, less restrictive than your standard, old-fashioned copyright. My blog & podcast are produced under a similar license. Read more about Creative Commons HERE.

Some Thoughts on Mobile Access to Content

I've been thinking about the progress we've made in mobile technology over the last few years. These days music and video content are often available freely online as "streaming" media, essentially allowing you to sample a song but not to "own" it, that is, not to have complete control over when and how you listen to it.

Record companies say you're allowed to listen to this song on your PC but you can't burn it to a disc and listen to it in your car and you're not able to download it for free and listen to it on your ipod whenever you want to unless you buy the CD or download the track for a buck at iTunes.

BUT...what happens when the promise of mobile technology is fulfilled? Content will be available for consumers to stream from their internet-ready devices, and in some cases it already is. Consider a blanket broadband connection covering a city. Consider a wireless device that can access streaming content in the car, on the street...anywhere. The line between access to streaming media and essential ownership of that media is blurred. Puts the content folks in quite a pickle. Why would I buy a copy of a song when it's constantly available for streaming?

XBOX 360 LINE AT BEST BUY

I was at the Best Buy on Route 10 in East Hanover, New Jersey tonight around 8pm and snapped this with my phone's camera. There was a sign on the door saying they'll have 45 of the deluxe 360s and 2 of the core systems at 8am Sunday morning. First come, first serve. As I type this it's 28 degrees outside in East Hanover. These folks really want their XBOX.

"Heard 'Em Say"

Did you like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"?
What about "Gold Digger" & "Jesus Walks"? What about Maroon Five? Do you like them?
And Macy's? Who doesn't like Macy's? They usually have great sales, right?

Well, if you said yes to all of these questions, you might enjoy the latest Kanye West video directed by video maverick Michel Gondry.

CLICK HERE to find out.

Baby Townley

Little baby Townley is about 4 and a half pounds and progressing nicely. We went for another ultrasound today. You can see the nose & mouth and his closed right eye. You can see there's a little bit of placenta or something in front of his left eye.

Horowitz for Christmas?

Are you looking for that perfect Christmas gift? The one that will arrive after the tree's taken down, the lights are rolled back into a knotty ball and the egg nog spout's grown a beard of mold?

Be sure to get your copy of The Mind of the Modern Moviemaker at Amazon.com (available Jan. 31st) by clicking HERE.

The author, Josh Horowitz used to work with me. Great guy, extremely knowledgeable and funny too. Don't believe me? See for yourself. Check out his site, betterthanfudge.com.

iPod Zepto at McSweeney's

Saturday Night Live recently tried something akin to what Jon Fitch has done much better here at McSweeney's.

THE IPOD ZEPTO: INCONCEIVABLY SMALL.
BY JON FITCH

HVD > HD-DVD & B-R?

The continuing battle over the next generation DVD format rages on. Will it be Sony's Blu-Ray or the HD-DVD? Both goofy names if you ask me (you didn't). Well, if the folks over at Hitachi Maxell get their way, it may not be either for long. They're working on HVD, a disc based on holographic technology that will allow storage of an entire season of Lost in high definition on just ONE DISC.

Read more at Red Herring.

Tivo on iPod

I posted October 6th and October 20th about how it would be great if we could transfer TiVo recordings to the iPod. I just found an article that says TiVoToGo will be expanding soon to allow transfers not only to the new iPod, but also to the PSP.

READ MORE HERE

Metropolis / Chattanooga

Chattanooga's downtown resurgence is featured in the November issue of Metropolis magazine. I picked it up initially for the cover story on the new Bloomberg headquarters in New York where I work. I was surprised to see that the issue featured an article on Chattanooga and glad to see that the article is available for free online.

READ IT HERE

"Development" is arrested

I read a report from Reuters that Arrested Development's season will be cut short. Only thirteen episodes will see air this season, presumably its last. Such a shame. The best shows never last. Let's hope My Name Is Earl keeps its viewership up so it doesn't meet the same fate.

Lord, I Apologize

A surprisingly insightful look at "redneck" comedian Larry The Cable Guy by Bryan Curtis on slate.com.
CLICK HERE to read it.

Incident Report

I was at a coffee shop yesterday morning and bought a medium coffee with steamed milk which I then spilled on my hands. It was extremely hot. The coffee lady came from the back with gels and creams and a cold pack. She gave me a new coffee free and I felt sufficiently mothered. The other customers waited for my skin to bubble up. The woman asked if I wanted to fill out an incident report.

Incident report was new to me but i knew instantly what it was. It's a "this is what i'm saying happened in case this ever comes up in court" document. I assured her that I was the idiot who spilled the coffee on myself, that it was my fault and no one else's. I don't want to go to court any more than they do. I'll make my money the old fashion way. As an assassin for the CIA.

Presidential Speechalist

You've probably seen this already, but boing boing posted a link to it and I watched it again and I'd forgotten how funny the debate section was.

CLICK HERE to the see the short.

Hitchcock on TCM

Over 20 Hitchcock films on Turner Classic Movies over the next eight days.
Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Strangers On A Train, and many more.
Visit www.turnerclassicmovies.com to search for your favorites.

I thought this was a podcast

I haven't posted a podcast in a long time. I know you probably don't care but you may be wondering why the podcasts have become less and less frequent since they began many months ago.

When I started podcasting I thought, this should be easy. I've got a lot to say and I've got an hour or two of free time to say them. Well, believe me, if you think you've got a lot to say and decide to share your thoughts with the world, you'll discover a couple of things.

1) You don't have much to say.
You have a few things to say and you say them over and over again. Try it. You'll see.

2) You don't have an hour or two of free time as often as you think you do and if you do have that time, you'd rather spend it with your spouse or your friends or with your good friend, television rather than plugged in to a computer with a headset on talking to no one specific.

My wife and I are expecting our first child (a boy) in February so we're spending time preparing for that and just kind of enjoying our last few months as a duo.

Podcasting has exploded since I started doing it and there are lots of interesting shows out there. Keep visiting. It's much easier to do a blogpost, so I'll do that more often, obviously, and I will podcast again. I'm just not sure how often, so keep me on the favorites list. You can even start personalizing your Google page and add my RSS feed so you can keep up with posts there.

Thanks,

Shaun

Video iPod

Yeah, so there's a video iPod. I think it's great in theory. BUT...what are we going to watch on this thing? Madonna's music videos? Episodes of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES for $2?

This guy says he's figured out how to create iPod-ready video from TiVo recordings, but it's complicated and slow. Trust me, I tried the process and I could't even get it to work. So...until TiVo and Apple strike a deal that makes transferring TiVo recordings to the iPod simple, or unless someone figures out a simple and affordable way to get content on the thing, it's like having a gun with no bullets, pretty useless.

BUMMER

I was pretty excited about the whole TiVo-Netflix partnership. We were going to be able to download films and store them on TiVo instead of receiving them in the mail.

I guess it was too good to be true. Read THIS POST ON ENGADGET for details.

It Was My Understanding That There Would Be No Math

Not only did I have to watch the Braves get POUNDED in the seventh inning and subsequently lose the third game in the NLDS series against Roy Oswalt and the Astros, but I was stupid enough to keep the volume up during the game.

The Fox announcers (I think it was Josh Lewin and Steve Lyons) spent the entire game talking about how young the Braves players were, saying stupid things like "You remember Michael Jackson's Thriller video? Well some of these Braves rookies don't. They weren't even born yet."

If you don't know anything about the players except what you can read off the back of a baseball card and what you can figure out with a calculator, go host a game show.

Okay, so I'm bitter my team's down 2-1 in the series. At least I know where the mute button is.

Apple Video iPod?

Well, the rumour mill's goin' nuts. Apple's got an event coming up in which everyone's speculating they're going to release a video iPod. Please, Steve, let it play shows that I've recorded on TiVo! I can already transfer them to the PC and watch them there. It's just one more simple step from the PC to the device.

First Season of "Lost"...completed

The wife and I just finished watching the first season of Lost on DVD and I have to say it was amazing. Like everyone else I can't say enough about it and I'm excited to watch the second season. We've been TiVo'ing each of the new episodes. I'm sure it won't take long to get caught up. If you didn't watch the first season, rent the DVDs and enjoy the first season 3 or 4 episodes at a time.

Who Knew?

Chewie's got a mean slider.

CLICK HERE for the explanation.

Peter Jackson: Lord of the RING

RING...HALO...get it?
That's right. Reuters is reporting that Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh are going to serve as Executive Producers for the film version of HALO. Jackson described himself as a "huge fan" of the game. Next time I see him I'm going to suggest the inclusion of an elite unit of warriors, code name: ABRACADAVER.

Nic Cage stole our NAME!

ABC News reports that Nicolas Cage has named his newborn son Kal-El Cage. I'm not joking. If you don't know the name Kal-El, it's Superman's name from Krypton.

Drive-By Truckers comin' to YOUR town

Drive-By Truckers are touring throughout the South.
They're gonna be at Rhythm & Brews in Chattanooga October 13th so be sure not to miss it.

CLICK HERE for a complete list of tourdates.

"Shining"

Okay, another fun one from boing boing. According to this New York Times story, Robert Ryang entered this fake trailer for "Shining" in a contest and won. The idea was to take visuals from a film of any genre and make a trailer for a new film in another genre. He took Kubrick's "The Shining" and turned it into a Cameron Crowe-esque dramedy.


CLICK HERE to watch the video.

New TV is Here At Last

The wife and I have a TiVo season pass for most of these. I'm looking forward to Lost, obviously. We're the only people in the country who didn't watch a single episode last season, so we're netflixing the first season on DVD now (thru 8 episodes so far) and we're TiVo'ing the second season so we'll be able to catch up. It's a great show. Also, House's new season is great so far. Hugh Laurie was robbed at the Emmys.

SUNDAY
The West Wing 8pm
The Simpsons 8pm
Family Guy 9pm
American Dad 9:30pm

MONDAY
Arrested Development 8pm
How I Met Your Mother 8:30pm
Two And a Half Men 9pm
Medium 10pm

TUESDAY
House 9pm
My Name Is Earl 9pm
The Office 9pm

WEDNESDAY
Lost 9pm
CSI: NY 10pm

THURSDAY
Smallville 8pm
CSI 9pm
Without A Trace 10pm

FRIDAY
Threshold 9pm
Numb3rs 10pm

Legos for the 21st Century

Great use of technology by the folks at Lego. Visit the Lego Factory online and use their virtual designer to create a virtual lego project. Then, (this is the cool part), send them your design online and they'll send you the lego parts necessary to build it!

Face Transplants

BBC News: US Plans First Face Transplant

This is pretty scary. There's no telling where it could lead. What if a mesomorphic supervillain decided to steal the identity of a slightly bigger family man? Of course, he'd need to disguise his voice somehow and completely change every other aspect of his appearance in order to fool co-workers and family, which is, let's face it, kind of impossible, but we're headed down that road, people!

It Was Only A Matter of Time

Pick these up over at bustedtees.com.

SIN CITY & THRESHOLD

I was pretty excited when I heard SIN CITY was going to be made into a film by Robert Rodriguez. But, as it often does, life got in the way and I didn't get to the theater to see it. I'm sure it was a much better experience on the big screen but I thought the movie was pretty amazing. I watched at home this weekend. The DVD doesn't have a commentary but these guys have fixed that. It was a Carla Gugino weekend here at the Townley household. She was featured in "Sin City" as Lucille, Marv's parole officer, and again in the new CBS Sci-Fi drama, Threshold. I watched the two-hour premiere and I'm hooked. Got myself a season pass for that one.

Vacation + Reunion

We've been back from vacation since Labor Day. I had a "short" week at work that seemed extremely long. I've finally gotten vacation & reunion photos posted at flickr. If you're interested,
CLICK HERE.

Fox News Coverage of Katrina

(via Boing Boing)

This is pretty funny. I wish I'd seen it. Blogs are reporting this exchange between Shepard Smith and a New Orleans man-on-the-street during Hurricane Katrina coverage:

SHEPARD SMITH: You’re live on FOX News Channel, what are you doing?
MAN: Walking my dogs.
SMITH: Why are you still here? I’m just curious.
MAN: None of your f**king business.
SMITH: Oh that was a good answer, wasn’t it? That was live on international television. Thanks so much for that.

California and Georgia

It's been a while since I've posted and even longer since the last podcast. I'm on vacation! The wife and I were in San Francisco for five days. Great town. Now we're in Georgia with my family and we're going to be attending my 10 year high school reunion. It's nice having some time off of work and seeing family. I'll try to get a podcast together soon after my return.

When I get home I'll be installing Google Talk to check it out. It looks pretty great. If you haven't heard about it, read more here: GOOGLE TALK.

Wanna see the world's ugliest dog?

I laughed for about a minute straight when I saw this picture of Sam, the ugliest dog in the world. He's been featured on MSNBC and in the LA Times in recent days. I didn't post the picture because it's a little much if you're not expecting it. If you WANT to see this dog, CLICK HERE to go to the LA Times article.

New Sigur Ros record coming Sept. 12th

There's a new Sigur Ros album coming out September 12th. It's called Takk, which means "thanks" in Icelandic. If you don't know Sigur Ros, I suggest you check out this site: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/. The MEDIA section contains some free downloads to whet your appetite. I recommend the live version of untitled #4 (a.k.a. njósnavélin / the nothing song).

You can also download Saeglopur, the new single, at iTunes.

Jason Harrod Interview - Podcast #12

This podcast is an interview with singer/songwriter Jason Harrod. The podcast also features music from his latest CD, "Bright As You". You can find more information about Jason and his music at www.jasonharrod.com. Enjoy!

Download podcast #12 here: stp-08-07-05

How do you say "fab four" in Arabic?

A friend told me if you call the Syrian embassy in New York, the hold music is a midi version of The Beatles' "Let it Be".

These are the things that make me happy.

WHITE is overrated

This CANNOT be good for you
http://whitelight.com/

Okay, so no podcast this week

I know I said there would be a podcast this week, but hey...there ain't one. So what are you gonna do about it? Huh? Huh?!! Come on punk! You got somethin' to say??

...yeah, I didn't think so. You'll get your podcast when I'm good & ready to give you a podcast...and not a minute sooner.

Upcoming podcast

The next podcast is scheduled for next week some time. I'll have a conversation with singer/songwriter Jason Harrod. It should be fun, so be sure to drop by next week to check it out. Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast and it will come to you!

For those of you who have never subscribed to a podcast before, iTunes makes it really easy. Just download the latest version of iTunes by CLICKING HERE.

Once it's installed, go to the music store and look for "Podcasts" on the left side of the page. Once you're on the podcasts page, type in "Shaun Townley" and you'll find my podcast and a "subscribe" button there. It's that simple.

PS3 price

Chief Executive of Sony's gaming division, Ken Kutaragi,
is quoted on the PS3: "it will be expensive".

To the Moon...

http://moon.google.com/
Funny stuff. Zoom all the way in.

30 Days

I just finished watching my third episode of 30 Days on FX and I have to say I'm really impressed. If you saw the film Supersize Me (I didn't), you'll recognize Morgan Spurlock, the creator and host of the show.

First one I saw was a Christian who lived for 30 days as a Muslim, the next was another Christian (sense a pattern?) who went to live with a gay man in San Francisco to confront his stereotypes about homosexuals. This most recent episode featured a guy who wanted to spend thirty days getting back to his old physique by taking around 40 supplements per day, testosterone shots, and daily human growth hormone as well as eating well and exercising. There's something to be said for growing old gracefully. If you get a chance, check it out.

A Free Acoustic Set By Drive-By Truckers

So maybe you've read about the band Drive-By Truckers or heard me talking about them on the podcast but you haven't bought any of their records. Well, enjoy an acoustic set they recorded for Sirius satellite radio. It's been released as a podcast on the New West Records website. If you like what you hear, head over to iTunes and pick up The Dirty South & Decoration Day. I just got Southern Rock Opera this past weekend. It's a great record too.


Click here to download the podcast: Drive-By Truckers on Sirius

Moving Advertising

I've been taking the PATH train more than usual lately on the way into work and was amazed to see an ad for the new Range Rover as I looked out the window of the train. As Brandweek.com describes it, there's "an installation in the New York subway that creates the effect of flip-book-style animation by the motion of trains themselves". It's hard to describe but it's extremely cool. There are a bunch of still posters on the wall of the tunnel, each varying slightly, so as you're moving past them in the train, the images appear to move before your eyes. It's pretty incredible. I encourage all of you to travel to New Jersey (and then, of course, on the PATH to New York) just to see it. Really. Come on. It'll be fun.

Defrag

I've never defragged my hard drive before. I had no idea you have to set aside a day to do it. This is taking FOREVER.

A few thousand bucks lyin' around?

Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz will be auctioning some props used in the films, including Luke's light saber and Yoda's cane.

College fund? What college fund?

Click here for more information

(thanks Boing Boing!)

Google Earth!

On April 5th, I blogged about Google Maps' addition of satellite images. Since then, Google has taken a giant leap forward. GOOGLE EARTH is now available. You have to download this free software and take it for a test drive. It's too incredible for me to try to explain.

Download it HERE

"Hamburger America" - Podcast #11

"Hamburger America" is a great new documentary by filmmaker George Motz. You can see it Monday, July 4th at 8pm on Sundance Channel. I had a chance to talk to George about the film Friday night, and I've included that conversation in this podcast. Enjoy!

Download Podcast #11 here: stp-07-01-05

New podcast coming soon...

Sorry it's been a while, y'all.
I should have a new podcast up soon!

Podcasts on iTunes!

It's here, folks. iTunes 4.9 supports podcasting.

I've been raving about iTunes for a while now. If you listen to the podcast regularly you're sick of hearing me talk about how great iTunes is. Well it got a whole lot better on Tuesday. I'm sure every podcaster is posting and podcasting about what they love or don't love about the new iTunes. You should go check it out for yourself. It's a free download and it just simplifies everything. If you want to subscribe to my podcast, just search "Shaun Townley" in the podcast section and you can click to subscribe. Simple.

It's "giant leap" time for podcasting.

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Boy, it's kinda been a while. I've been super busy lately and just haven't had the time to chill in front of the computer. I was upset to find that the latest Kings of Leon CD has copy protection that wouldn't allow me to put the tracks on my iPod. So, bumpin' around online, I discovered all you have to do to bypass the copy protection is hold down the SHIFT key while you're loading the CD into the drive. Then rip away. So, if you find yourself in a similar predicament where the music company won't let you do what you want to with the music you've purchased, remember, SHIFT happens.

I'm glad to say, the CD's pretty good.

Dude...

I been busy...a'ight?

Get Behind Me Satan

Get Behind Me Satan is the new White Stripes record.
It is great.
Buy it.

Podcast #10, An Interview with Josh Green

Podcast #10 features an interview with Josh Green, a friend of mine from way back. Josh is the drummer and a founding member of Infradig, a great "electro-funk-hop" band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. We talk about the creative process, the state of the music industry, and of course, we share some fun memories from our childhood.

Infradig's upcoming EP, "Clinical Indifference" is scheduled for release this summer. Please be sure to visit www.infradig.net for information about upcoming shows and the latest info. on the EP.

This podcast also contains a sneak preview of the title track. Enjoy!

Download Podcast #10 here: stp-06-03-05

Songs For Silverman

I've been listening to the latest from Ben Folds, Songs For Silverman, and have to tell you it keeps getting better each time I hear it. I suggest you pick it up if you haven't already. Now, I've yet to try this new DualDisc format so I can't vouch for it. Do your research first or just go ahead and buy from iTunes.
Here's the link to Ben Folds:

It's been a while...podcast #9

It's been a while, but podcast #9 is here. Podcasting news, book/tv/music talk, a bit about Star Wars, your quote of the day, & honor system trivia.

Download the ninth podcast here: stp-05-29-05

Submissions

A reminder to anyone out there with music or other audio pieces that they'd like to share, I'm always taking submissions for inclusion in the podcast. Send attachments to shauntownley@gmail.com

I don't think this is a joke

Uhhh... CHECK THIS OUT

Segway Centaur

Segway has a new concept vehicle called the Centaur that I first saw in the new WIRED this month. The video of this thing in action at the Segway site is pretty cool.

CLICK HERE: Segway Centaur Video

Creepy Kooky Robotic Cats

What would we do without Boing-Boing?
So many crazy things I never would have found if it weren't for this fantastic collection of oddities.

Take a look at this video: CLICK HERE

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

I forgot how great Chuck Klosterman is. No excuses. I just forgot. I picked up his book "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" tonight, flipped to a chapter about Star Wars, and remembered again. Chuck Klosterman is the man.

Exhibit A: "Luke went to the University of Dagobah with a major in Buddhist philosophy and a minor in physical education. There's not a lot of career opportunites for that kind of schooling; that's probably why he dropped out in the middle of the semester."

Exhibit B: His funny & revealing "Fargo Rock City", another great book.

Your honor, the defense rests.

Movies on XBOX Live...Part II

So, if you look back a few posts, I was going on about how I thought it would be cool if you could download video content via broadband to be stored and accessed via XBOX360. I was at Joystiq just now and they've posted an interview with Steve Ballmer and they asked him that very question.

Here's that part of the interview:

Q: Is there a plan for people to be able to purchase TV shows or movies via their Xbox even if they don’t have a Media Center PC?

A: Right now we’re working hard with a number of partners, like SBC, like Bell Canada, a number of others, to get IPTV to critical mass. As IPTV gets to critical mass, you will find that those partners are anxious to have as many people monetizing their investment as possible , and the Xbox community will be one of them.

Q: They’re looking at Xbox as a distribution channel?

A: I think so, we’re certainly talking to them about all of these things. Until there is some real business deal to announce I won’t announce it, but we’re set up technologically, but it does require some sort kind of business relationship.

Sith Happens

So it's 11:43pm as I write this and it occurs to me that folks all over are probably settling into their seats about now to see Revenge of the Sith. My folks took me & my sister to see Star Wars at the drive-in when we were less than a year old. I'm told I stared slack-jawed at the giant spaceships flying overhead. I fell asleep pretty quickly as I understand it, but hey, it was my first film.

It's incredible to me that 27 years later I'd have the opportunity to see the the final film projected digitally on the big screen as crisp as the day it was shot. It's a stunning movie in many ways and I had a huge grin on my face watching it. And this time I didn't fall asleep.

Hamburger America!

If you're in the NYC area, be sure to check out the May 24th screening of Hamburger America, a great documentary by George Motz. If you're not in the area, don't worry. DVDs are available at the site as well.

CLICK HERE for information about the May 24th screening. George will answer questions afterwords, so stick around for that. If you love burgers (and I know you do), don't miss it.

Movies on XBOX LIVE?

So, the grand unveiling took place Thursday night on MTV and I have to say, I was expecting more. But then I thought, this is just to whet our appetites. We'll get more information at E3. So, let's hope so.

I'm thinking if Microsoft is serious about positioning the XBOX360 as the new media hub in the home, why not USE that 20GB hard drive to store films downloaded from XBOX Live? I've been reading that you will be able to network a Windows Media Center PC to stream stored video to the 360, but what about the millions of us who don't have a Media Center PC?

Picture this. You go on XBOX Live and scroll through a list of new releases. Select a film from the list and pay $3 via your Live account to rent the movie in standard definition or HD. The download begins while you listen to music, watch a show you recorded earlier, or play a game with friends. Or you might choose to start watching the first part of the film as you download the rest of it. The film is stored on your XBOX hard drive for a specified amount of time or maybe until you rent another few films (the netflix model).

More announcements to be made about XBOX Live at E3, so we'll see.

Trivia Winner: Scott Ledridge!

Congratulations to Scott Ledridge. He's our honor system trivia winner for podcast #8. Believe it or not, he knew that the first Cracker Barrel was built in Lebanon, Tennessee. Also in the photo is his daughter Aaralyn. All together now...Awwwwwww.

Best cardboard sign...ever

Spending most of every day in New York City, you're bound to see some crazy stuff. On the way home today, I caught a glimpse of this dude with a wild beard and a big cardboard sign that read "Ninjas killed my family. Need money for kung-fu lessons". I usually have my camera at the ready for moments like this, but alas, I didn't get a photo.

It's times like these that the beauty of the internet is so abundantly apparent. I figured if I saw it and thought to take a picture, maybe someone else did too. Little did I know, this guy is ALL OVER the internet. The photo above comes from citynoiseorg.

I also found a mention of him in this "dear diary" entry in the New York Times!

Mickey's first podcast!

My friend Mickey joins me for his very first podcast. We talk about all kinds of stuff for a little less than an hour. Enjoy.

Download the eighth podcast here: stp-05-07-05

For those of you who don't know...

I'm a bit late in getting up this week's podcast, but for good reason. I'm in the middle of editing a sprawling conversation with my friend Mickey, who joined me via skype for the podcast. I should have it up in a day or two.

Eddie Izzard's new pilot

Eddie Izzard is extremely funny. I first saw him in the HBO special called Dress to Kill and made an audio cassette of it that I listened to constantly in my old Saturn that had a tape deck. I later saw his act on stage in New York and it was great. Sooooo...I was happy to hear that Mr. Izzard is working on a pilot for FX. You can read more about it HERE.

If it's as good as Denis Leary's Rescue Me (I can't wait for season two to start on June 21st!), we're in for a treat.

Follow the link to iTunes to get buy some of Eddie Izzard's live shows.

Patience is a Virtue

No podcast yet. You can listen to the post below to find out why. I called it in this morning. Ain't technology grand? I'll get one up as soon as I'm able. I appreciate your patience.