m@: überesque vägeries. [masterfeed]

Page 2: High of 70? Today would make a brilliant Sick Day. Who’s in?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:23:32 -0800

High of 70? Today would make a brilliant Sick Day. Who’s in?

Page 2: A bazillion (still drunk?) Yankees fans by City Hall for parade. Don’t you snotrocket people...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:05:13 -0800

A bazillion (still drunk?) Yankees fans by City Hall for parade. Don’t you snotrocket people work?

Page 2: Video

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:29 -0800

Page 2: I kinda love this visual style — and the video is...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:37:09 -0800

I kinda love this visual style — and the video is cute.

(Thanks Dan.)

Page 2: Voted.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:52:24 -0800

Voted.

Page 2: Could do without Mondays. Am, however, looking forward to hurling some balls at dodgeball...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:13:58 -0800

Could do without Mondays. Am, however, looking forward to hurling some balls at dodgeball tonight…

Page 2: This is dorktastic. Sometimes viral videos are fake, sometimes...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:56:36 -0800

This is dorktastic.

Sometimes viral videos are fake, sometimes they are real, and sometimes you don’t care either way. This ad by Vodafone NZ’s Symphonia features 1,000 cellphones syncing 53 different ringtones from 2,000 sent text messages to reconstruct Tchaikovsky’s famous 1812 Overture. Don’t believe it’s real? There’s videos showing how they did it. [via]

Check out how they did it by clicking here and here.

Happy 'ween.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:18:00 -0700

Why not a little Mac-o-Lantern action for the Halloween holiday? Find out how to make your own over at the always-loverly Instructables.

I have no idea what shenanigans tonight and tomorrow may bring, but Halloween in NYC is always pretty amusement.

Be sure to check out some of last year's fun posts:

Page 2: Sometimes you gotta tweeze your ‘brows on the 5 train...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:28:23 -0700

Sometimes you gotta tweeze your ‘brows on the 5 train while singing at the top of your lungs at rush hour. What?

He's into Bears.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:29:00 -0700

Check out musician, penpal, and total hottie Jake Koortwah. He's got some Pet Shop Boys meets Depeche meets fantastic sounds. He just got back from out west and is gearing up for a show here in NYC. Until then, hear his demos here.

Page 2: I love me some infographic porn. Check out the world’s...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:24:14 -0700

I love me some infographic porn. Check out the world’s flags as pie charts wrt color. Amazing.

Page 2: Street puddle spotting is key to avoiding drive-by splashings.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:30:01 -0700

Street puddle spotting is key to avoiding drive-by splashings.

Page 2: Anyone know anyone that works at Big Spaceship in NYC? I think I’m in love…

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:13:18 -0700

Anyone know anyone that works at Big Spaceship in NYC? I think I’m in love…

Page 2: Just witnessed a freakish softball-sized hunk of ice fall from the sky & shatter in the parking...

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:40:26 -0700

Just witnessed a freakish softball-sized hunk of ice fall from the sky & shatter in the parking lot outside my window. And it’s not hailing.

Page 2: My Internet doesn’t work when it rains.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:33:07 -0700

My Internet doesn’t work when it rains.

Made My Day: Marshmallow War Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:18:00 -0700

Who's up for a Marshmallow Civil War battle on Saturday?
Looks like it'll be downtown near me somewhere!

Troop movements in the Marshmallow Revolutionary War in Bay Ridge, 1779

Page 2: Caught the xx doing sound check at the Apple Store in Soho....

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:54:30 -0700

Caught the xx doing sound check at the Apple Store in Soho. Their new cd is great.

Page 2: Treating myself to a solo soho lunch in cute café. Bring on the bloody mary and croque madame....

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:38:22 -0700

Treating myself to a solo soho lunch in cute café. Bring on the bloody mary and croque madame. It’s almost Friday, right?

Page 2: has many shades of black.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:36:13 -0700

has many shades of black.

iTunesday: FallFantastic.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:47:00 -0700

Heyo boys and girls. It's time for another exciting installment of iTunesday, special Fall Fantastic edition.

I don't have much time before a meeting, so you're going to have to imagine the flowery editorial for yourselves:

Another A!r album? Yes please.
Everyone's obsessed anyway. Enjoy.
3 leaked tracks off the upcoming album, poptastically wondeful.
I'm not the biggest fan, but you might be.
Total pop trash, but definitely listen to "Ego" (and try to count the number of songs that sound like Jordy Sparks ripoffs).
Yodel eh.
40 tracks of total pop remix bliss. Fill your gympods! (Thanks Robbie!)
Uh, fantastic. Who knew? (Thanks m.Tye!)
The best album in this giveaway. A bit of a different direction for The Sevens, but I love it nonetheless. I've drooled over the Man of Medicine track before, now hear her wail on a few more.

Enjoy!

a!r
wildebeasts
gayleak
meek uh
days before sunday
yodelqueen
dj billy b remixathon: part 1, part 2 (fixed)
ex ex
seven ghosts

Page 2: I found my Halloween costume for this year… (via lukees)

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:38:27 -0700

I found my Halloween costume for this year…

(via lukees)

Page 2: Birthday #164: Gospel Brunch in w.village. Oh tranny mess. :-P

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:54:41 -0700

Birthday #164: Gospel Brunch in w.village. Oh tranny mess. :-P

Page 2: Looking for participants willing to swap/trade Libra friends. They’re high-qual specimins, but...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:51:44 -0700

Looking for participants willing to swap/trade Libra friends. They’re high-qual specimins, but the concentrated bday libations = pain.

Page 2: I empower my Cheerios to live in a state of constant fear by creating an environment of irrational,...

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:21:16 -0700

I empower my Cheerios to live in a state of constant fear by creating an environment of irrational, random terror.

Dia:Date and Fallfantastic

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:44:00 -0700

Finally accepting that summer has come and gone, there's nothing quite like dressing up like an old man in my flannel and cardigan, jumping in a Zipcar MiniCoop northbound along the Hudson just as the trees are starting to turn, and enjoying a gorgeous Fall Sunday with The Boif. After heading to Fire Island on the off-season a few weeks ago, I've been all about enjoying the hoodie/sweater/jeans weather while it lasts. (About this time last year it was a trip to the Pumpkin Pickin' patch and Corn Maze with the boys.)

Our goals were simple: get in some "car-commercial driving" (y'know, where you fly down cute little roadways and the leaves billow behind you in a frenetic wake), finally see the Dia:Beacon museum (see website or Josh&Josh), and enjoy the cloudless fall day.

Aside: Since picking up tickets on Friday, I’ve been totally addicted to this new Zero 7 tune called ‘Medicine Man’… (It’s like 2 parts Jamiroquai, 1 part Sam Sparro Black & Gold, and 1 part quirky Zero 7.) It's been playing on repeat as the theme for my entire weekend. Click play on the embedded player above (or link here) before reading onwards.

The Boif was really sweet and made sure it all happened. He had overheard conversations about me wanting to get up north and check out the Dia museum. Perhaps unrelated, The Boif and I have also been wanting to satisfy a strange manual transmission itch (you have to have owned a stickshift car to understand), but sadly Zipcar stocks exactly zero manual cars in the NYC area. After a homemade breakfast of Challah french toast, scrambled eggs, and provolone cheese-infused chicken sausages, we headed on our merry way sipping the last few drinks of our coffee.

The Dia:Beacon is an adorable modern art museum with great selections from Dan Flavin (the florescent light guy), Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, and Richard Serra (the big steel art guy). In addition to its works, the building itself is a gorgeous, light-filled piece of architectural wonderment. A former Nabisco box printing facility built in 1929, it's a mammoth space with extraordinary skylights and windows that peek out on the fall landscape. Being in this space is worth the trip alone. (And don't fret -- the museum is literally situated across the street from the Beacon Metro-North railroad stop, so a Zipcar is certainly not required. It's a beautiful train ride up the Hudson river, to boot!) After scoping out the museum, The Boif and I drove around the neighborhood, grabbed a late lunch/early dinner, and headed back towards the city.

It's worth a quick mention: the Zipcar iPhone app is really pretty spectacular. Most apps are either amusing time-wasters, awkward alternate interfaces for web things that are still easier on the computer, or something stuck in the middle. The Zipcar app, however, proved truly useful. It's pretty, full-featured, and most importantly provides easy access to features that are incredibly relevant during a Zipcar reservation. Honk/Unlocking your car via the app is mostly glam, but other features couldn't be better. Encountering some unexpected traffic on the way back into NYC, we easily added an extra 30mins twice via the app with a few touches (it even tells you when the car is next reserved). It's always been easy to do that via the Zipcar automated phone line or even text, but this feels a little bit more secure and painless. It's also pretty great to plot your trip back to the car's "home" in-app. My one critique is that some of these useful features aren't available until your reservation time actually starts -- it'd be really great to automatically plot the route to your car's 'home' from MY home via a click, or the ability to extend/modify your reservation ahead of time, but I think they'll get these worked out in the next revision. Overall, an incredibly useful app that makes for a brilliant extension of their web services. (iTunes link)

Happy Fall, everyone.

That's gay (no homo)

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:28:00 -0700

An apt mockery of the prevalence of "no homo" in both youth and "hip hop" culture, brought to you by Current mag. What the hell are they talking about? Take a long, hard, glistening look at this piece (no homo).

The Good Enough Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:12:00 -0700

I know I've been slacking a bit lately (things be crazy, yo), but I wanted to share a great article I read in Wired. It's no secret that I'm a bit of a dork, but Wired is one of my favorite publications. It's gorgeous. The stories are pretty varied, but they keep them short. And their lead stories are often really intriguing. They're not trying to break big news. They're more like the Discovery Channel meets the History Channel meets the Nerdosphere.

For anyone who works in a field where there's some sort of output or product (especially web), Wired's article called "The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine" hits things on the nose. A chronic pixel-perfectionist myself, it's hard to embrace the "just get it out there" mentality, but time and time again it's proven that those who simply DO SOMETHING do much better than the multitude of those who could actually DO IT BETTER, but don't actually end up doing anything at all. Sometimes quantity IS actually better than quality. And something is generally better than nothing.

The article explains how simple concepts and low-level technology have completely changed the way we live. The Flip cam made a huge splash because it was simple and easy to use. Skype is becoming the leader in telephony because it's free(ish), even if the quality isn't the best (but with AT&T nowadays, does it matter?). Hulu's quality may be low, but it's accessible on-demand and generally free. The article goes on to explain the MP3-effect (a crappy quality became the norm and redefined music):

To reinforce his point, he pointed to the MP3. The music industry initially laughed off the format, he explained, because compared with the CD it sounded terrible. What record labels and retailers failed to recognize was that although MP3 provided relatively low audio quality, it had a number of offsetting positive qualities.

Shirky's point is crucial. By reducing the size of audio files, MP3s allowed us to get music into our computers—and, more important, onto the Internet—at a manageable size. This in turn let us listen to, manage, and manipulate tracks on our PCs, carry thousands of songs in our pockets, purchase songs from our living rooms, and share tracks with friends and even strangers. And as it turned out, those benefits actually mattered a lot more to music lovers than the single measure of quality we had previously applied to recorded music—fidelity. It wasn't long before record labels were wringing their hands over declining CD sales.

It's a good read, although it'll seem very obvious and familiar. You've been living the principles. The challenge now is applying them in new endeavors.

To those who make time fly...

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:58:00 -0700

Despite lawsuits or layoffs, recessions or reunions, breakups or babies, or whatever may come our way next -- it's nice to look back at these arbitrary milemarkers and see all the beautiful faces that filled each moment. As year 27 bolts forward, here's a quick look at a few snapshots along the way.

Whether it be those who've witnessed the many transitions since the early years, or those whose paths have only just now intersected mine, we've many more memories to make. To those who've accompanied me along my journey: I salute you. It's all of you who truly make time fly.

Made My Day: Year on foot. Beard timelapse.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:32:00 -0700

Amazing trip. Great video. (And he's cute.)

Christoph Rehage
November 9th 2007 - November 13th 2008: one year on foot - 4646km through China
unlimited beard & hair growth
thelongestway.com

Additional info:

I never finished my original goal of walking to Germany. Instead, I walked for a year and roughly 4500km, passed the desert of Gobi, and then decided to stop walking for now.

All of the distance from Beijing to Ürümqi has been completed solely on foot, straight good old walking. There are instances where you can see me in the video sitting on a plane or riding a boat, but those are during breaks I had to take from walking, either to sort out bureaucracy issues or to take care of some personal things.

I had been planning this trip for over a year before I even started, and getting as far as I got was an experience for which I am very grateful.

Obtaining the necessary visa for a trip like this was not very easy, hence I had to go back to Beijing a few times to resolve some issues.

The songs I used in the video are 1) Zhu Fengbo - "Olive Tree" and 2) The Kingpins - "L'aventurier" - visit the Kingpins website if you want to know more, they are very cool I think.

This is not a strict "1 pic a day" video, because I wanted to make it a bit more alive by adding some additional movement. Sometimes during the film you would follow me turn around, or something would happen in the background. I tried to capture these moments to make the video more interesting.

The core of this project is in fact my website "www.thelongestway.com" where I have posted my extensive travel diary, starting from day 1 (Nov 9th 2007) and describing every single day until the end one year later.

Made My Day: Ways to be Cool

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:33:00 -0700

There's a long tradition of noteworthy items being posted to the refrigerator -- and this work is no exception. I saw this a week ago and just had to snap a pic. "Ways to be Cool," a brilliant work of art by a kid of indeterminate age, is completely and utterly amazing. One can only ponder exactly why this kid's perception of "cool" might be attributed to each. Facial hair, speaking 'European', eating TONS of meat, and a good use of irony is always cool.

The list transcribed:

motorcycles
wear cologne
move to williamsburg
learn to speak European
grow facial hair
helmets
mowhawk
designer shades
subscribe to Vice
psychrock...?
leather jackets
"Ambercroombie & Flitch"
learn to play guitar
irony
become a band photographer
wear all black
"Hollywood"
online friendships
360s
make my own movie
"exxxtreme (everything)"
eat more meat
hang out w/ Steve

iTunesday: Couchcushion Crumbs

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:49:00 -0700

It's that time again. Hopefully everyone is feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after the long, holiday weekend.

After the last iTunesday posting and all its electropop goodness, I realized that there were some fantastic albums that slipped through the cracks in the iTunesday listening couch. I've dusted off the cushions, threw out the abandoned Cheez-its, identified the strange red thing, and found some goodies for you.

Like last week, there's a "listen" link for my fav track off each cd:

As usual, since no one else ever enlightens my musical betterbeing, big thanks to m.Tye, Skylor and Calabresion.

The REAL High School Musical

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:08:00 -0700

Tivo, DVR, iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu -- it's amazing we even have to pay for cable nowadays. We've become an instant-access, instant-gratification, show-me-what-I-want-right-now media consumption culture, and I'm pretty much all for it. The art of channel surfing, however, is on its last, dying breath. I can honestly say, I don't intentionally watch anything when it actually airs, much less actually surf around to see what mundane programming might be of, at best, vague interest. I've got a backlog of DVR-ed shows, Netflix rips, Podcasts and other various wishful thinking multimedia aspirations & indulgences to last me at least a solid month of isolation or quarantine. Call it my tsunami of television.

Apparently Showtime was the last channel Tivo was recording from (probably for Weeds & Nurse Jackie) when I flipped it on the other day. 90 seconds passed and I realized I was still standing there with my finger hovering over the Tivo icon on the remote, still watching the default-channel "live" tv feed. 30 minutes in, I realized I was still standing there. I decided to sit down. A glorious accident had occurred outside my realm of predetermined entertainment.

You know those random categories during the Oscars or the Emmys when they give Showtime or HBO a pile of statues for a miniseries or documentary you've never heard of? Well, the same feature that had me glued to the television is bound to be included in this year's stack. Unfortunately titled Guys 'n' Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals, this pseudo-documentary follows three southern Indiana high schools through their respective theatrical productions. And it's amazing. Read Variety's writeup. Find out when it's airing and set your DVR accordingly. No really, I demand it.

I was immediately drawn into the story, not necessarily because of the subject matter or storytelling concept, but because of the way they chronicled these kids, capturing the nuanced interactions within the microcosm of The Musical. (The production quality and editing is what really enables this story to be so intriguing.) With Fox's Glee and HSM and a neverending slew of reality shows exploiting their subjects in a desperate search for a storyline, Divas looked closer into the lives of some not-so-spectacular kids. The theatre crowd always drew a mixed bag at my midwestern high school: not exactly the popular kids, but not inhabiting the low end of the food chain, either. I laughed. I cried. And even more strangely, I found the whole feature to be incredibly disturbing. A significant period of my midwestern high school existence was playing out before my very eyes, feeling uncannily autobiographical.

Turning 27 later this month, I'm now at least a few significant chapters beyond my high school entries. An unspoken divide was marked when I moved away from Kansas to attend college on the east coast almost 8 years ago. In fact, the great majority of those who know me now might be surprised to learn that I participated in theatre in high school, and even more shocked to learn that I starred in some of its productions. Yes, I'm actually that gay. You had no idea, did you?

As I'm sure you'll all love the throwback, I thought I'd share a few pictures from my Senior year production, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (also 1967 movie), where I played the role most notoriously filled by Matthew Broderick. And the others? Peter Pan, Bye Bye Birdie, Cinderella, and Fiddler on the Roof. I was supposed to play as Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat as a frosh but the rights didn't come through. (It also helped that all the senior talent couldn't sing that high, so my prepubescent pipes lent an advantage.)

To this day, I have no idea how exactly the show came together each year. I couldn't even tell you what the budget might have been (not that much). I don't know how the music director did it. I remember that the efforts spanned beyond that of just the performers: the Shop crew helped cobble together our sets, the AV nerds ran the sound system that always seemed to be mysteriously borrowed from the local university, the Band Geeks learned & performed the whole score. It all just happened as if by magic. The bulk of my high school memories are centered around this seemingly strange theatrical magic.

When the shellshock from returning to school after a too-short summer started to lift and the leaves began to fall, Musical Season was always a magical and mysterious time of the year for me. Never really subscribing to any particular stereotype or clique, the fall musical brought together an interesting cross-section in the high school demographic, stealing talent from across the board to convene with a shared (and sometimes unglamorous) purpose. You'll see it all in Divas: the awkward interactions, the racing from school to the auditorium (strangely separated for my school) and making a pit stop for drinks (Sonic Cherry Limeades were a given), the bonds (and hookups!) that were forged, and even the Natural Order of Seniority (a frosh would NEVER have been given a lead role). Much like the podunk schools in Indiana portrayed in the documentary, our high school had an unnaturally talented pool of kids involved with the arts. Being the only public high school in the area, the musicals also drew a lot of support from the community. We'd sell out the 1000 seat auditorium for two, sometimes three of the four nights we'd run. The elementary and middle schools were bussed over for special matinee performances during the school week prior to opening night (acting as rough "dress rehearsals"). Every year we grew into a little family. I loved the process. I loved the performance.

To my knowledge, my name is still scribbled as tradition on the walls in the basement ~~catacomb~~ dressing room ceiling, each signature standing as a benchmark for the five musicals and three plays in which I performed on the stage directly above. Each sharpie-etched achievement stood as an affirmation of the blood, sweat and tears exchanged for the feeling during the final bow before the curtain fell. As you'll see in Guys 'n' Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals, there's so much more going on than just a performance.

Made My Day: Bathrobery.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:03:00 -0700

I'm sorry, but this Craigslist Missed Connection post is hysterical. If everything went down as described, I kinda think you forfeit anything you left in the apt prior to fleeing. I'm not sure this qualifies as a "missed connection," either. Also, this is a good example of why I tend to avoid HK nowadays. At least you had "a great time!" I mean, sex, Washington Heights, robbery, getting picked up by the police, sleeping in a park and losing all your stuff -- great time!
We met at Vlada Bar last night, after which you took me back to your apartment in what I think is Washington Heights. Anyway, for some reason I decided to run out of your apartment wearing only a bath robe that I found. I then walked across the GW bridge, and was stopped by a police officer on the NJ side. He drove me back to Manhattan in his cruiser, and I proceeded to sleep in a park on the ground for a while. Finally I found a cab willing to take me to a friend's place. That same friend took me back to your place this morning, but I could not remember which apartment was yours. My wallet, phone, and all of my clothes are still inside your place, so please check my phone for a bunch of missed calls and then call that number. I very much need my things back, especially my drivers license as I will not be able to board my flight home to California without it and will be stranded in New York forever. I had a great time though! Please call me. Thanks!

PS: Here's a screenshot of the ad for archival purposes. It's just that good.

Waterskis and Wakeboards

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:17:00 -0700

After the obvious purpose of seeing family and friends, I had but one goal during my trip to the heartlands: get my lake on.

Sneaking in a trip home after my cross-continental worktrip, it's always a bittersweet experience. I love seeing my family, but being there reminds me how much I'm missing my half-siblings grow up, or helping my mom out with her perpetually overgrown lawn or Bob Vila-esque house upkeep. I think I've settled on trying to make more numerous small trips, since big midwestern benders are hard to come by these days.

Joining me on my lakeventure were my Uncle Todd (boat owner), dad, my sister (and all her lakeblown hair glory), her current Boif (en raft), his roomie, and the always-adorable Truan, my 6yo halfbro.

PS: After only having ever wakeboarded twice in my life (and probably 4-5 years ago), I finally got up on the 4th try or so. Only to board around, take a huge wave and totally break the cheapie wakeboard. Oh well, I returned the wakeboard (and wetsuit) less than 24hours later (as intentioned) for a full refund. Free rental!

Made My Day: MTV does West Side Story

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:31:00 -0700

Looks like someone found a few sheckles for a real budget. Kudos to the Promos department (and I used to intern for 'em) for putting together this superswank West Side Story themed promo.

I'm kinda curious if they filmed it in LA or NYC. I can tell you for sure there's no alleyway from which you could view Radio City Music Hall. But welcome back to NYC, VMAs. They're always more amusing when they have to cram it all into Rockefeller Plaza...

Check out the cast list via Pat's AblogAboutThings (who gets credit for passing this along):

This extended version of the VMA promos merges the "Tonight" performances of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and others like Ne-Yo and Cobra Starship.

The list of performers including P!nk, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and more has me totally stoked! Are you ready for the 2009 VMAs?

iTunesday: ElectroPop-Tart.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:19:00 -0700

It may be long overdue, but there are some goodies in here. A little too sweet for your taste? Check back next week for a heaping dose of bittersweet chocolate-covered tunage.

Without further delay:

The most electropoptastic of 'em all. Repetitive lyrics? Check. Synthetic backbeats? Check. Tang-rimmed glass? Definitely. While I'm not entirely sure what she's saying in track #2's chorus, I'm pretty sure it's "I'm gonna buy shoes -- and I'm ready for the weekend." (listen)
Guet your own opinion about this one, but I'm not too convinced. I'm not sure when exactly love is gonna take over, but it's dominating the airwaves and homoclubs. Is this the Since U Been Gone for the summer of 2009? (listen)
I'm probably the only one, but super-excited about my heap-ing goodness. Great chilltrax and GrooveSalad-esque soundscapes. (listen)
In case you don't have it already. (listen)
Fan. Frakkin'. Tastic. First of all, check out that hair. Second of all, check out the spastastic music video that accompanies 'Bulletproof' below. It's like they created the song on 8-bit Nintendo and then layered vocals. (listen)
Originally packaged in one of Calabresion's fantastic mixes, I couldn't figure out why ßad ßlood sounded lots like the lead singer of Haut Ch!p. Turns out, it's because he's a guest singer. One of the many. Start with #7. (listen)

PS: As usual big shoutouts to Skylor, Orlando, and Calabresion!

And then funstuffs:

Grizzly and Gorgeous.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:06:00 -0700

Sometimes the things fans come up with are just amazing. This video remake of Grizzly Bear's 'Two Weeks' by Gabe Askew is absolutely stunning. His CG effects are so out-of-this-world that there are times when I wonder if these are true panorama / picturebox moments. This guy is gonna be battin' down the job offers from all over in about a week.

Oh, and it's got some beautiful homomoments goin' on. Truly superb. I think I've got to snag this cd...

Props to Dawson for passing along.

Dead Body Found on Roof Above Hipster Fashion Mecca

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Gawker's headline was too good not to steal.
I basically work across the street from here, and saw the emergency vehicles.
The person that found the body was my coworker's friend.
I still think Manhattan is one of the most safe big cities in the world, but crazy shit happens here, nonetheless.
Eep.

PS: The adjacent article is humorously unrelated: 'How to not go to jail for weed.'

PPS: If you want to scare the shit out of yourself and you live in NYC, peep the Gothamist Map mashup that combines the police scanner with Google Maps. Oh. Murder on 132nd street? Great. Bank robbery on Lafayette? Didn't hear about that one. I'm not sure what 'Injured Mos' implies, but do hurt homosexicles really deserve their own category?

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:19:00 -0700

MiniDisc? DOS? Privacy? All things of our past, but certainly not our childrens'. Wired, one of my favorite nerdy magazines, published a fun blogstory listing out their 100 extinct techno items/activities.

Here are some of my favs. Which ones are yours?

1. Inserting a VHS tape into a VCR to watch a movie or to record something.
11. MiniDisc.
28. Counting in kilobytes. (Mattnote: Heck, megabytes. Even gigabytes won't be here long.)
30. Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.
35. Recording a song in a studio.
37. Finding out information from an encyclopedia.
45. Not knowing exactly what all of your friends are doing and thinking at every moment.
62. Getting lost. With GPS coming to more and more phones, your location is only a click away.
66. Pay phones.
70. Taking turns picking a radio station, or selecting a tape, for everyone to listen to during a long drive.
71. Remembering someone’s phone number.
73. Actually going down to a Blockbuster store to rent a movie.
86. Finding books in a card catalog at the library.
91. Having to manually unlock a car door.
95. Cash.

(photo: makelessnoise)

Dodgeball: Open Play & Registration Starts Monday

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:25:00 -0700

It's that time again. The time of year where you can come out and play along, whether or not 5th grade was the last time you hurled balls at someone's face, or Saturday night.

Go back and look at all the fun I've had. Plan on joining me on Monday.
When: Monday, August 10 @ 6:30pm
Who: EVERYONE is invited, so if you want to try it out before registering, now’s your chance.
Where: Tony Dapolito Recreation Center (directions)
Cost: $5 donation for the Youth Enrichment Program (YES) at The LGBT Center
You know you've wanted to. Now's your chance.

UPDATE: Registration opens to the public on Monday. I don't have any clue where they'll cut it off this year, but I suspect it'll get filled up after the first or second open-play events. Get in early if you're interested.

Fallon-ated.

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:12:00 -0700

Everybody loves watching the "magic of tv" happen live and in front of you. As you might have seen yesterday, I thought The Boif might get a kick out of seeing a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It aired last night with guests Channing Tatum, Joan Rivers and the Arctic Monkeys. Good times.

If for some reason it's still on your DVR, let me know if my hi-five with Jimmy during the end credits made the final edit.

SNL Ticket Lottery

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:17:00 -0700

It's that time folks: the SNL Ticket Lottery!

It's pretty simple, just send an email to snltickets@nbcuni.com with your contact information during the month of August and you're done.

The full details (link):

To enter the Saturday Night Live ticket lottery for the upcoming 2008-2009 season send an email in the month of August only to snltickets@nbcuni.com. Please include all contact information and do not request a specific date. If you are selected, you will receive two tickets to a random show date and time. You may only send one email per household and all audience members must be at least 16 years of age. Please note that entering the lottery does not guarantee tickets, and you will only be notified in the event that you are chosen.
Stand-by tickets are distributed at 7am on the 49th st. side of 30 Rockefeller Plaza on the mornings of the tapings. You may choose a stand-by ticket for either the 8pm dress rehearsal or the 11:30pm live taping. Aside from minimal, necessary breaks, all stand-by line members must remain in line at all times. Stand-by tickets are limited to one per person and are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. NBC staff reserves the right to revoke or not issue any ticket to anyone in line if proper procedures are not followed. Please arrive no later than 7:15pm for the dress rehearsal or 10:45pm for the live show. A stand-by ticket does not guarantee admission and no one under the age of 16 will be admitted.

Made My Day: Dances with iPhones

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:28:00 -0700

You all know my love/hate relationship with Guys with iPhones. Turns out the boys from SYTYCD might have some beef with it as well.

Towleroad & Fleshbot have the pics, as I'm sure they've been pulled from GWiP by now. Speaking from experience, I do think Andy's article is a *bit* flawed in the sense that rarely do (the cute-ish) guys submit themselves, it's usually trolls stealing from elsewhere.

Call for Help: Chairme, please!

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:43:00 -0700

I've been looking for these for two summerseasons now. I want a set of beach chairs like this. They're simple, classic, lightweight.

What are they called? Where can I find some? Having described them to Anothermatt and The Boif on our ~~one-and-only this season~~ previous beach adventure, they both looked at me like I'm crazy.

See! Not crazy. Now, where do I find some...?

UPDATE: I couldn't help myself. I walked back by the store window where I snapped a picture. Calypso, despite my "nyc-there-one-day-not-the-next"-panic was moving across the street. I cornered an employee and quizzed them. At $135 smackers apiece, I'll be looking for them elsewhere. Anyone shop at flea markets anymore? Keep your eyes peeled. PS: They called them, simply, "beach chairs."

UPDATE 2: Yay, lots more pretty pictures! (Thanks SFmatt)
They seem to be called variations of:
-folding french beach chair
-french sling chair
-sling back beach chair
-deck chairs

Best site I've found is Quelobjet.com, but they're $140. :( Birthday present, anyone?

This person totally gets my pain.

Canadian Shirtless Shenanigans

noreply@blogger.com (m@) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:12:00 -0700

After endless proclamations about how fun Montréal is in the summer, I promised to return during warmer weather. The unexpected result, however, tends to be a strange amount of shirtless pictures. I swear we had clothes on the great majority of the time, it's just that "camera time" and "oops, where'd my shirt go?-time" seemed to overlap more than it should have.

Anyway, you already know that we snuck off to Canada over the 4th of July (how patriotic, I know). It's time to post the proof.

Oh what a grand time we had. The stories shall remain sealed at the border, but you can derive your own from what little pictorial proof remains...

[Bonus: There's video from the rockin' Sunday party, Piknic down below... as well as the most awful couple's picture ever taken of The Boif and I. You'll get a laugh out of both, guaranteed.]