BunkBlog

These two articles show the schizophrenia in the music industry: Linkin Park is #1 and Radiohead bitches about piracy.

Having looked at the alt.binaries.sounds.mp3 newsgroups lately, I noticed that the Linkin Park album (Meteora) was pirated long ago and posted about 10 times in the past 3 weeks. The Radiohead album (Hail to the Thief) was also pirated a while ago and has been posted a few times (not as much as Meteora though). Now, Linkin Park is #1 even after being pirated and copied weeks earlier, yet Radiohead thinks the piracy is going to hurt them somehow? Going back in time, the last two Radiohead albums were extensively pirated, yet debuted in the top two spots on the Billboard charts. So, where exactly was the damage?

‘TIME-TRAVELER’ BUSTED FOR INSIDER TRADING – That’s right, the fella went from $800 to $350,000,000 in two weeks, so the feds busted him for suspicion of insider trading. He spent four hours regaling them with his confession – as a time traveler.
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Think it’s subversive enough?

Futurama is on DVD. I can totally get behind owning the complete Futurama series, oh, yeah…

This gadget to translate between dogs and humans sounds suspiciously like the toy I got in a Happy Meal the other day.

the friday five

1. If you had the chance to meet someone you’ve never met, past or present, who would it be? Isaac Asimov
2. If you had to live in a different centurey, past or future, which would it be? Let’s say 22nd, so I’ll not be too lost.
3. If you had to move anywhere else on Earth, where would it be? Rosarito, Baja California Norte
4. If you had to be a fictional character, who would it be? Trent Castanaveras
5. If you had to live with someone else’s face as your own for the rest of your life, whose would it be? John Cusack

British Kids asked to blow each other
I can’t believe I missed this article when it was new.

I can’t believe the Cool 2B Real site is still up. You’d think after all the bad publicity and outright mocking, they’d have pulled the thing by now.

When I left San Angelo in 2001, the town had no radio station worth listening to. The best you could hope for is something inoffensive, such as the Top 40 Station. Upon returning a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to notice the one rock station, which had been using a 9-volt battery for power, now was actually capable of being received anywhere in town. I was happily jamming to Sister Hazel or Zwan on the way around town.

This morning I got in the car and was horrified to hear the soulful strains of 80s light rock coming from the stereo. With no fanfare, no information, and no apologies, the one station that didn’t make me cringe at regular intervals has morphed into the one station that can make me cringe non-stop. Great.

In other news, KDGE and KNDD no longer have webcasts, thanks to the predations of the RIAA and ASCAP. Bastards. At least 91X still streams. Equis Te Ere A, Tijuana, Mexico. Woohoo.

current_mood: annoyed

This is an interesting new twist on the battle between music downloaders and bands/labels. The new Foo Fighters album has an accompanying DVD (and I think the new 3 Doors Down does the same thing) with cool content, such as a couple music videos and screensavers, etc. Also, the CD will launch you to a website where you can stream cover songs the Foos recorded. Alas, this is where my pathetic dialup connection fails me, but that’s to be expected.

And, I can rip the CD to play on my MP3 player just fine, thank you very much, RIAA.
current_music: Foo Fighters – All My Life
current_mood: happy

Friday Five is slacking off a bit this week…

1. Where are you right now? At work, bored.
2. What time is it? 9:45am
3. What are you wearing? Sounds like a bad chat… I’m wearing baggy jeans and a polo shirt.
4. Any people or animals around you? Describe them. None in sight. I hear Bill down the trailer. He’s a tall skinny guy, looks like the guy in the Curious George books.
5. What are your plans for the weekend? Hang out with The Boy, try to avoid strangling him when he asks, “What’s that?” for the 100th time in an hour.

current_music: 3 Doors Down – The Better Life
current_mood: tired

Hey, the Friday Five is back!

1. What holiday(s) do you celebrate this time of year? Christmas.
2. What was the best gift you have ever received? At Christmas? Er…Drawing a blank. Gonna have to go with the skyscraper construction kit when I was a wee lad.
3. What was the worst gift you’ve ever given? I don’t give bad gifts. This is because I rarely remember to give anything at all.
4. Where will you be celebrating the holidays? Are you hosting or going away? I’ll spend Christmas Eve with my family in Arizona, spoiling the boy. Then, Christmas Day I fly to Minnesota and return on New Year’s
5. If you could spend the holidays with someone who isn’t around, who would it be and why? Not applicable.

current_music: Stevie Wonder – Someday at Christmas
current_mood:

Women – they come from a Drying Planet

After consultation with , here’s an alternate Friday Five. You can choose whether the questions apply to holiday gifts or sexual favors…

1. What would you most like to get this year?
2. What would you least like to get?
3. What’s the best you have had in the past?
4. What’s the strangest?
5. What is the best you gave?

hehe
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1. Did you vote in your last elections? Yes
2. Do you know who your elected representatives are? Yes
3. Have you ever contacted an elected representative? If so, what was it about? Tried to get my rep to take care of an Army screwup several years ago – he just said the army is blameless in all things; he never got my vote. I also contact my rep and senators occasionally when issues of interest are up for vote.
4. Have you ever participated in a demonstration? Nope.
5. Have you ever volunteered in an election? What was the result? Besides the Mayfair Hall of Shame in 1988, nope.

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Yeah, I skipped last week, so what?

From the home office in Boise Idaho, the Friday Five:

1. What is your favorite scary movie? Scary movies are bad.
2. What is your favorite Halloween treat? Candy. All candy.
3. Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, describe your best Halloween costume. No, so N/A.
4. Do you enjoy going to haunted houses or other spooky events? Sure.
5. Will you dress up for Halloween this year? Not bloody likely.

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Anna Nicole gets second season on E!
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From Fred On Everything this morning:

The function of psychologists is to serve as secular priests for an irreligious age. They provide comfort for people who want reassurance from insipid hand-holders who smell slightly of some inner truth. They form a vacuous clergy relentlessly certifying the obvious. Talking to one of them is like being patted on the head and having your face wiped with a warm moist rag. It doesn’t accomplish anything, but you feel attended to.

Asked to characterize the sniper, [the psychologist] said, “Well, I think we can say that these killings are the work of a disturbed individual….”

Oh.

I received this insight with gratitude. It was comforting to learn that serial snipers weren’t normal. It is well that we have psychologists to study these truths.

Entertainment Tonight is really reaching for news items. They are promo-ing the sexual escapades of Bob Crane. Um, how can that be anything shocking? Everyone knows he was a perv who died in mysterious circumstances after making lots of home porn with John Carpenter. What could possibly be shocking now?
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FAA Considering Passenger Ban

WASHINGTON, DC–Seeking to address “the number-one threat to airline security,” the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that it will consider banning passengers on all domestic and international commercial flights.
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