Musings From New York

This is something to be proud of ... I guess?

My blog is now the 8th ranked result when you Google my name. Previous searches on my name never listed it ... well, at least upto page 5.

A new blog

Vidya has decided to create a blog focussed on her her treasure trove of recipes. The link is to the left.

In my defense ...

Vidya finally got around to posting some photos, to which I had some objections. Before I get roasted, let me offer these two webcam screenshots as proof as to how much better the "loose" look is.

My latest toy

So my iPod finally packed it in last night. Ironically struck silent while attempting to move away from Seal's Killer (I kid you not!)

So I've bought a new iPod video, 60GB edition, in black. First thoughts - damn, that's sleek!

Rational thought - why doesn't it fit into the docking station from my old iPod?! I dont want to leave it lying on the desk!

You know what's amazing?

Why, The Amazing Screw-On Head, of course. Watch the pilot at the show's website. If you like quirky stuff, I guarantee you'll like this show.

Think ... League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the comic, not the movie), but not as grotesque or macabre ... speaking of LXG, be sure to order your copy of the new book today.

I'm ashamed, but I can't help it

I HATE reality shows. But I can't seem to stop watching Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

It's like ... I'm watching my deep dark fanstasies on screen. Running around in costumes. Hanging out with well endowed women who dont wear much, that sort of thing.

It's like ... they're my peeps, yo.

According to Rock Mythology

To punish mankind, Elvis, the ruler of the Gods of Rock, ordered that a poisoned gift be created. This gift was given several traits from the different gods: Beatles molded her out of clay and gave her form; Jimmy Page clothed her and adorned her with necklaces made by Beatles as well as taught her manual dexterity and how to spin; Stevie Nicks gave her beauty; Pink Floyd gave her musical talent and a gift for healing; GNR taught her to tend a garden; David Coverdale gave her a pearl necklace and the ability to never drown; Elvis made her idle, mischievous, and foolish; ELP gave her curiosity; Rush gave her cunning, boldness and charm.

The most significant of these gifts, however, was a jar, (later mis-translated as "box"), given to her by Beatles. She was warned never to open the jar, but her curiosity got better of her. She opened it, releasing all the misfortunes of music (boy bands, girl bands, bubblegum pop, commercialism, staleness, lack of originality, etc.). Once opened, she shut it in time to keep one thing in the jar: Internet. The world remained extremely bleak for a long time, until she "chanced" to revisit the box again, at which point Internet fluttered out. Thus, mankind always has hope in times of evil.

Recognize the story yet?

I just love the Pandora website. I've even installed the widgit to the right. It shows my currently setup radio stations. Click on a link to go to the website, and load my stations. Happy listening!

(As an aside, Mike, I could've really used your encyclopedic knowledge in translating this myth :p)

Makeup!

Thanks to Vee for designing the current look for the blog.

I think she should consider a career in design. :-)

Stuff to listen to

Someone recently asked me what podcasts I listen to. I figured I'd take the time to list them here :-)

Let's face it, not everyone can put together a good podcast. First, you need to have a good continuous topic to mine, or be dependant on the vagaries of the world around you to have a inexhaustible source of speaking material. And then you really need a good "radio voice". There's no point in sounding like Harry the Hamster ... the Issac Hayes types of voice seem to do better. Normal sounding people have a chance, too. And thirdly, you need to kow how to keep the listener engaged and interested - a gimmick, if you will.

I have listened to some really bad podcasts - things I've given up on after an episode or two. But some have become part of my weekly routine. Presenting ... my favorite podcasts ...

1. This Week in Tech (TWIT) - Headed by Leo Laporte, formerly of Tech TV, a channel I used to love watching. The podcast is a weekly roundtable with Leo's friends, all of whom are industry commentators, or on the cutting edge of Web 2.0. The also occaisionally videotape their discussions. Leo also helms an entire series of podcasts, focussed on IT security to bio-tech trends, all to be found here. I fully support this show with my $2/week donations (the only show I feel strongly enough to support)! I love John C Dvorak especially, which is why I also listen to ...
2. Cranky Geeks - Another roundtable discussion chaired by John C Dvorak. The gimmick here is that they all complain (they're cranky, not so old men and women).
3. Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me! - A weekly comedy news quiz hosted by NPR.
4. Ask A Ninja - One of those indie-type comedy shows on the web. This is a video podcast (is that a vodcast?). Check out the review of Pirates 2. :-)
5. The Instance - A podcast about the World of Warcraft (c'mon, how could I not be listening to a podcast about WoW?!)

And there we have it, about 4 hours of new content every week! All the above podcasts are on iTunes, and are available via RSS feeds from their websites.

A totally nerdy groaner (don't say I didn't warn you!)

I was listening to my Rush collection today, and Bravado started playing. A line in the chorus goes, "We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost."

I remember a friend from UIUC - Vrushali, a Masters in Accounting student - hearing that and going "They must be cooking the books!"