Amy's Web Log

Finding New Music

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:49:00 +0000

It is a triumphant feeling when you find a new musician or artist. Here are the top 10 tools that I use to find new music (in no particular order).

Pandora - You create a station with your favorites and Pandora will automatically include similar artists. You can create up to 100 stations, so you can organize based on genre or mood. You can also connect with friends.

thesixtyone - I recently discovered this site and I love it. It is full of new artists. When you load the site, a song will begin playing. You can "love", share or leave feedback on the song. The more "loved" the song, the higher it will rank. The concept is similar to Digg, but it is only for music.

The Hype Machine - The Hype Machine pulls feeds from all kinds of mp3 blogs into one location. Tracks with the most buzz migrate to the top.

music-map - I featured music-map a couple of years back when I first discovered the tool. The principle is simple. Enter an artist that you like. The music-map tool returns a grouping of similar artists in cloud form. Artists close to each other have the greatest probability that you will like both of them.

Last.fm - Last.fm is really similar to Pandora. The tool uses a process they call "Scrobbling" to discover more music that may meet your interests. Scrobbling works by keeping track of your most played music, music you have indicated you like, number of plays for a particular artist, the tastes of your friends, etc.

YouTube - I could easily spend all day browsing around finding music on YouTube. I'll find a song that I like and then start checking out some of the recommended/related videos in the right column. Like most social sites, you can "favorite" or "like" videos for return viewing. I often use Wikipedia in correlation with YouTube (and really with most of these tools) to find more information about the artist and their discography.

Amazon - Amazon is a great place to buy music. You can often find free music here. Search for an artist/album you like. As with all Amazon products, you can see what else customers bought when they bought the album you just searched for.

BBC - I have an affinity for Indie and British Folk Rock. The British charts feature more this style than the US Billboard.

Musicovery - Musicovery is a unique spin on searching for music. You hover over a mood and an artist fitting that mood will begin to play. When you click the area, it will up a stream for you. You can filter by genre or reset the mood at any time.

musicroamer - You type in the name of an artist, and musicroamer will return 5 or 6 similar artists. You can double click on one of these similar artists to open artists similar to them and on and on and on. This is similar to music-map, just a different interface. In fact, there is a link to music-map on the site.

Dogs & Star Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:21:00 +0000

Dogs & Star Wars. The first time I saw it, I would not have noticed their costumes if Paul had not pointed them out. The full commercial airs tonight during the Super Bowl.

Book Releases: February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:42:00 +0000

Releasing this month:

Berenson, Alex - The Shadow Patrol (John Wells, Book 6). (2/21)
Crombie, Deborah - No Mark Upon Her (Kincaid/James, Book 14). (2/14)
de Rosnay, Tatiana - The House I Loved. (2/14)
DeStefano, Laura - Fever (Chemical Garden, Book 2). (2/21)
Fluke, Joanne - Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, Book 15). (2/14)
Flynn, Vince - Kill Shot (Mitch Rapp, Book 12). (2/7)
Gardner, Lisa - Catch Me (DD Warren, Book 6). (2/7)
Garrison, Paul - Robert Ludlum™'s The Janson Command (Janson, Book 2). (2/14)
Jance, JA - Left for Dead (Ali Reynolds, Book 7). (2/7)
Kellerman, Jonathan - Victims (Alex Delaware, Book 27). (2/28)
Kinsella, Sophie - I've Got Your Number. (2/14)
Lutz, Lisa - Trail of the Spellmans (Spellmans, Book 5). (2/28)
McMann, Lisa - Dead to You. (2/7)
Palmer, Michael - Oath of Office. (2/14)
Patterson, James - Private Games (Private, Book 3). (2/13)
Picoult, Jodi - Lone Wolf. (2/28)
Rice, Anne - The Wolf Gift. (2/14)
Robb, JD - Celebrity in Death (In Death, Book 34). (2/21)
Robinson, Peter - Before the Poison. (2/21)
Shepard, Sara - Two Truths and a Lie (The Lying Game, Book 3). (2/7)
Stabenow, Dana - Restless in the Grave (Kate Shugak, Book 19). (2/14)

OK Go Visits Sesame Street

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:43:00 +0000

OK Go teaches Sesame Street viewers "Three Primary Colors":

I love it when artists pop by for a visit. Remember when Feist taught counting? Or when REM showed up to dance with monsters? How about last month when John Krasinski dropped by to explain "Soggy"?

Grace's Bookshelf for Ages 2 - 3

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Grace is turning three today!

In honor of her birthday, I want to share with you some of her favorite books. As we shared last year, we believe reading to children is tremendously important.

1. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

2. You Can't Move a Hippo by Michael Catchpool

3. Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough

4. It's Time to Sleep My Love by Nancy Tillman

5. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

6. One Lost Sheep by Rhonda Gowler Greene

7. The Big Yawn by Keith Faulkner

8. Over in the Meadow by Little Golden Books

9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

10. Llama, Llama Mad at Momma by Anna Dewdney

Friday Find: Marcella Tote

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:27:00 +0000

Marcella Tote, Z Gallerie, $59.95

(See the previous feature on the matching tray!)

Todd Oldham Art Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Coming in May to a Target near you...Todd Oldham's Kid Made Modern Art Supplies!

Friday Find: Aliso Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:29:00 +0000

Aliso 18" Pillow, Crate & Barrel, $39.95

End Piracy, Not Liberty

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:19:00 +0000

Many major internet sites went dark today to protest two controversial bills soon up for a vote in the United States legislature. The Protect IP Act (PIPA) (IP = Intellectual Property) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the house. These two poorly worded bills are a futile attempt to crack down on piracy on the web in the US. Instead, the bills will force censorship on websites from Google & Wikipedia all the way down to this little blog.

If the legislation passes, it will ruin social sites. Can you imagine a world without Twitter, Google, Facebook and YouTube? There is no way that all these sites can successfully police their content 24/7. We will be forced into a world without free knowledge.

Google joined in the protest by blacking out its logo. The internet giant summarized the issue well on its informational page:

"Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web. Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs. Too much is at stake – please vote NO on PIPA and SOPA."

You can find a literal ton of information on these two bills. Here are just a few links to get you started:

Goodbye, OLTL

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:56:00 +0000

Friday Find: Diamond Links Bath Mat

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:21:00 +0000

Diamond Links Bath Mat, West Elm, $29

See, You SHOULD Be Afraid of Spiders

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:13:00 +0000

Friday Find: Rutbo Pendant Lamp

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:50:00 +0000

Rutbo Pendant Lamp, Ikea, $39.99

Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:52:00 +0000

My word for the new year is Joy. I struggle with maintaining a positive attitude, especially lately. My focus has been on negative things and I have neglected living joyfully - grateful for the many blessings that I have. This year I want to focus on the positive. Living joyfully.

***

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."
-- Psalm 5:10-12

"When I dwell on the goodness God has expressed towards me, my heart rises up like an artesian well, my eyes gush forth joy that waters my face and leaves the observer in wonder."
-- Gary Amirault

"If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it."
--John Templeton

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."
-- Henri Nouwen

"Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy."
-- Mohandas Gandhi

"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
-- Mother Teresa

"There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain. One should sympathise with the colour, the beauty, the joy of life. The less said about life's sores the better."
-- Oscar Wilde

"There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward."
-- Khalil Gibran

"If my world were to cave in tomorrow, I would look back on all the pleasures, excitements and worthwhilenesses I have been lucky enough to have had. Not the sadness, not my miscarriages or my father leaving home, but the joy of everything else. It will have been enough."
-- Audrey Hepburn

"Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness - great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy."
-- Jim Rohn

"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough."
-- Emily Dickinson

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."
-- Marianne Williamson

"...joy runs deeper than despair."
-- Corrie ten Boom

"To have joy one must share it. Happiness was born a twin."
-- Lord Byron

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."
-- Thich Nhat Hanh

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge".
-- Albert Einstein

Book Releases: January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Releasing this month:

Clark, Mary Jane - The Look of Love (Piper Donovan). (1/17)
Crais, Robert - Taken. (1/24)
Evanovich, Janet - Love in a Nutshell. (1/3)
George, Elizabeth - Believing the Lie (Inspector Lynley, Book 16). (1/10)
Goldberg, Lee - Mr. Monk on Patrol (Monk, 13). (1/3)
Green, John - The Fault in Our Stars. (1/10)
Higgins, Jack - A Devil is Waiting (Sean Dillon, Book 19). (1/3)
Hyzy, Julie - Affairs of Steak (White House Chef Mystery, Book 5). (1/3)
Kellerman, Faye - Gun Games (Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus, Book 20) (1/3/2012). (1/3)
Kuzneski, Chris - The Secret Crown. (1/12)
Lescroart, John - The Hunter. (1/3)
O'Connell, Carol - The Chalk Girl (Mallory). (1/17)
Paretsky, Sara - Breakdown (V.I. Warshawski, Book 15). (1/3)
Parker, T Jefferson- The Jaguar (Charlie Hood, Book 5). (1/10)
Patterson, James - #1 Suspect (Private, Book 2). (1/2)
Preston, Douglas & Lincoln Child - Gideon's Corpse (Gideon, Book 2). (1/10)
Reilly, Matthew - Scarecrow Returns. (1/3)
Taylor, Brad - All Necessary Force (Pike Logan). (1/17)
Todd, Charles - The Confession (Inspector Ian Rutledge, Book 14). (1/3)

2012

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:17:00 +0000

A Handmade Christmas - One

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:27:00 +0000

The final selection for this year's handmade Christmas is near to my heart. There would be no Christmas were it not for the birth of Jesus. Read the beautiful Christmas story here.

I love the different textures and the red tones that artist Kelly Lish combines in the print below. She captures the warmth of the birth of the Savior and a piece of the genuine love that filled that Holy night.

Red Nativity Print, Kelly Lish, $32

A Handmade Christmas - Two

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:12:00 +0000

My husband's grandmother taught me to crochet a few years ago. I love all things crochet. Okay, most all things. Okay, a lot of things (after all, the internet is full of Crochet-Don'ts that are sadly unlovable). I could easily spend a day on pinterest pinning crocheted stuff to my board. So, naturally I love crocheted ornaments. There is nothing about the circles featured below from the peaqo shop that I don't love. I love the circles, the colors and I even love the way they are hanging on this branch.

Three Crocheted Granny Circle Christmas Decorations, Lesley Ann Gifford, $24

A Handmade Christmas - Three

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:12:00 +0000

The first step my grandmother took in decorating her house for Christmas was to add the Christmas pillow to the sofa in her living room. Also, she could always keeps poinsettias living longer than anyone else I knew. This pillow by bedbuggs reminds me of her. (Also see the Christmas Ruby Red Rose pillow, which could really be used year-round.)

Cranberry Poinsettia Pillow, bedbuggs, $26

A Handmade Christmas - Four

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:22:00 +0000

Gift presentation is important (to adults). Taking the time to wrap the gift precisely and with a touch of creativity is a lovely gesture. Hand made wrapping paper adds that little extra touch to brighten someone's day.

Hand Painted Christmas Wrapping Paper (25" x 30"), oscarandollie, $8.50

A Handmade Christmas - Five

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:11:00 +0000

Yarn crafts! Heartfelt Yarn Wreathes creates beautiful wreathes for Christmas or any other time of year. I loved the yarn Christmas trees below. They make excellent center pieces for homes with young children (meaning they can be safely knocked over!). While visiting the shop, be sure to look at the rest of the wreathes and felt flowers.

Christmas Yarn Trees (Set of 3), Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths, $25

A Handmade Christmas - Six

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:10:00 +0000

Pearle Northrop loves transforming objects into art pieces. Her Etsy shop contains a wide variety of items from jewelry to home decor. I love the dotted glass ornaments shown below. Also, be sure to see the Green and White Painted Ornament here and more lovely dots here.

Christmas Glass Ornaments, Pearle's Pretty Pieces, $75.50 (Set of 3)

A Handmade Christmas - Seven

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:21:00 +0000

It is very easy to get wrapped up in the chaos that holiday seasons bring. This print is a simple reminder to stop, take a deep breath and remember the sentiment of the holidays.

Be Merry-Golden Frankencense, Announced Design, $7

John Krasinski Visits Sesame Street

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Boyte) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:11:00 +0000

John Krasinski visits Sesame Street to explain the word "Soggy":