Wednesday, May 25, 2011
PARROT FLIES- ALGERNON CADWALLADER (2011)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
5.19
Hello all, it's been a little while since my last update. I've been enjoying the daily show for the last few days. Jon stewart is the host, and he does a good job of it. Who else covers current political events in a way that, us the middle class can understand? Cnn? Don't make me laugh, actually just cause it's the internet i'll say LOL.
What i'm trying to say is Jon presents things in the most honest way possible. By telling the complete truth, and usually making the republican party look completely stupid while he's doing it. Alright, maybe i'm being biased, Jon Stewart makes every party look stupid while doing his job. How does he do this? By basically telling us, these guys may be politicians and rich but they're playing us like goddamn hustlers.
I also love the rest of the cast of the show. Whoever is writing these goddamn one liners deserves an award for sure. Heh, I just love that clueless American face that Jon and everyone else gives the camera at least once a show.
Monday, May 2, 2011
5.2
Today this blog will come to a close. I might end up updating it here or there but I have to admit it was fun. I learned a little bit about blogging and realized this was a really good assignment.
In the news today though something very, very important happened. Osama Bin Laden was captured. Being a bit of a skeptic, I just wanna see the body but still it's an exciting day. Our president Barack Obama told viewers all over the world last night not to celebrate. Celebration over a corpse would make us no better than the people who celebrated the deaths of the twin towers and it made sense.
Now, a lot of people didn't listen. There were people shooting off fire works. Partying in the streets of New York City and Philadelphia. I don't blame them but seriously it looks kind of stupid. Oh well, i'm glad we got the man who was behind all of those deaths.
The government has also announced that he will be buried at sea. From what many people are saying on the internet, that is a very disrespectful way to be buried in Muslim culture. I just hope that doesn't start any problems at all but really there is a way bigger question
Why did this take ten years? Why did it take Obama finally telling the special forces to go in and make it a number one priority? Did Bush know about all this and not care?
These are the questions I want to see answered and honestly answered. No, talking around it and not fessing up the truth. i want to know, did Bush not care about his capture? Did the government know anything more if they knew where Osama was? I'm not entirely sure that i'll ever get these answers but as a citizen I believe we all do.
Once more, i'd like to say good bye to you Raw Signal. It's been fun.
5.1
Let's take a break from all this political nonsense. In all honest who even wants to hear about it. Heh, just kidding, I hope! This blog post will be one about a failed video game system. A system that held so much potential and who's failure in a way revolutionized and inspired the gaming industry.
In 1995 Nintendo announced at a gaming show (which in later years would become their infamous and annual Spaceworld) that they were developing an add-on for the Nintendo 64. The add-on was to be called the 64-DD and would use discs along with Nintendo 64 cartridges to create unique and more advanced games.
The add-on wasn't only to advance graphics but would also be able to use with a mouse, a real life clock which would coincide alongside games and an online program called "Randnet." The strangest thing about all of this , is that this system was announced before the release of the Nintendo 64.
As Nintendo planned out many exclusive games and sequels such as Ura Zelda (a sequel to the legendary Ocarina Of Time), Super Mario 64 2 and the highly sought after Mother 3 (which would go on to be remade in 2d on the Game Boy Advance) they failed to come to a timely release. For four more years after the Nintendo 64 was released, the team working on the 64DD add-on would be plagued with difficulties in developing in the system. Finally, four years later it was released but not at all how they wanted it to be.
The 64DD came out with low expectations from Nintendo. The company felt that they had missed their time to release the system where it would really do good when it came to sales. In a last moment of desperation, they only released the system in Japan and only to people who subscribed for the Randnet internet subscription first. This would guarantee customers to have games delivered to them as they came out, sadly barely more than nine games ever did come out. Also, most of the systems exclusive titles had such a hard time in development that they were completely cancelled. This even included Ura Zelda, Mario 64 2 and Mother 3, the main three games that made the system appealing for most fans.
Now, you're probably thinking what was even the point of all this and why should I even care about this forgotten failure of a system. Well, all I have to say to that is raise your head and look at the good things that came from this failure. First off, Nintendo introduced the idea of online console gaming. Though, they'd touched upon that base in the SNES (Super Nintendo) days but 64DD took it to the next level by being fully functional for it's customers. Nintendo also introduced the idea of video games that would work alongside real life time. This has gone on to be emulated in many genres of games such as The Sims, Rollercoaster Tycoon and Animal Crossing. Nintendo also released Doshin The Giant for the 64DD which has gone down in history as one of the greatest obscure god-based video games of all time. Doshin also influenced Pikmin a gamecube game in a number of ways.
These days the 64DD is worth over 500 dollars. It has a long legacy of good and bad. I'm not exactly sure how to end this but hopefully you'll do some of your own
4.30
Barack Obama spoke at the White House Correspondents dinner today. Our president had just revealed his long form birth certificate and was definately in a cheerful mood. Obama made jokes and took note of Donald Trump being a member of the audience.
Our president made jokes about his birthing video ( the lion king opening scene.) Right after coming out to a montage video of his birth certificate over an american flag blowing in the wind. Barack went on to makes jokes at Matt Damon and even judge Donald Trump himself.
The question that Obama posed sarcastically was "how he would lose sleep over the celebrity apprentice." In the context of how the statement was made though, it basically called Trump out on knowing how to control things that are of importance to a mass amount of people.
It made me proud of my president for the first time in a long time. To see the man running our country personally outing the people who make a joke of our country and patriotism. Below i'll link the video that is the subject of this blog post. I hope you enjoy it, it's hilarious.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
4.29
Donald Trump is running for president and all I can say is. WHY? Who would really vote for some old rich man to come and really mess up our government. I guess other rich white people or just most Republicans who want Obama out of office.
In all honesty, this entire brouhaha that Trump has been starting is borderline embarassing. Making statements about Barack Obama's birth certificate got him shot down today as it was released. Other statements are that Barack has been in metal bands, and cannot be trusted because of his ethnicity.
The sad part about all of this is it's getting Trump so much attention. We've talked about it in my various classes. People are always saying how he's wrong. No matter what though, this guy is getting attention and is beginning to be a "potential" candidate.
Though, most of the media is not taking this too friendly. The other night on The Daily Show (particularily the 4/25 edition) John Stewart had a segment dedicated to Donald Trump's recent media popularity. John talked about the recent polls for who republicans will vote for in 2012. The majority of people who participated in the poll had actually voted Donald Trump. John Stewart then went over the results of these polls in previous years for politicians running for candidacy. More times than not, these polls had shown left field candidates showing up in the number one spot due only to popularity in the media at the time. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had both come in 10th place or lower in their polls even.
In my opinion Donald Trump is just an object of the public media. I do not blame Trump though, he is using it all to his advantage. On his own show, he is getting more attention than usual due to all the hype surrounding him. I believe the tables will begin to turn soon as Obama has released his birth certificate.
Also, check it out we've got the birth certificate and everything!
4.28
Do you remember your first punk band? Not like super fast and loud but your first band with actual punk ideals. I remember mine, it was Kind Of Like Spitting. K.O.L.S was a band that was mostly acoustic band that was all about caring, friendship, broken hearts and taking care of the world around you. Their front man Ben Barnett was the first guy who I listened to play a guitar and just say whatever he felt.
I could compare Ben to a modern Bob Dylan. Ben wasn't too emo like Conor Oberst or boring like the Decemberists. Ben was just right, in the middle of all the things I enjoyed about music. He sang very raw, wrote short songs and always put really cool guitar parts in. To be honest i've never heard anyone play a song half as good as Ben does.
Sadly, nowadays Kind Of Like Spitting is broken up. Ben plays in a new band called Blunt Mechanic and teaches at a School Of Rock in Portland. The new stuff definately doesn't touch King Of Like Spitting at all but it's a good try.
If I had to pick one KOLS release that sticks out the most, it would have to be "In The Red." The entire album is always switching up. Songs that are acoustic, songs with a full band, and even songs just with Ben by himself. It's a great album and for me, an album that defined my life and the person that I grew up to become.
4.27
For anyone that follows independent music, you most likely know Julie Doiron. The female guitarist that once played in Eric's Trip from Canada is still playing music. I listened to her LP "Broken Girl" and this is what I have to say.
The entire LP is extremely Lo-Fi for starters which to me is awesome. Most musicians these days depend too much on effects and perfect studios. Julie makes this record sound perfect even with the sound quality of a four track. Julie also brings beautiful melodies along with her amazing guitaring.
This LP is just really really good. That's definately the easiest way to put it. Broken Girl came out in I believe 1996, and it's just crazy to look back on it. At the least you could say it feels perfect to listen to right now. It's even better that she's still playing these songs.
I feel like what I just described is what makes this album so good. When a band releases something that ten years later still holds up. There is no trend, there is no music of the 90s in this. It's just respectable girly lo fi folk music.
If there were more people out there who listened to Julie Doiron i think the world would be a better place. Julie represents smart girls who worry about their community and the politics of the world. Not only that but girls who make music that isn't just about their looks but what they're actually about.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)