Category: My Stuff

Top 5 Albums of 2007

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Here’s a list of my favorites for 2007. I originally wanted to list 10, but then i realized that i hadn’t really listened to 10 albums. I’ve listened to lots of tracks, but not really 10 full albums. So here are the top albums of 2007 for me.

Honorable mentions

  • Easy Tiger by Ryan Adams
  • Icky Thump by White Stripes
  • American Gangster by Jay-Z
  • Magic by Bruce Springsteen
  • Endless Highway Tribute to The Band by Various Artists
  • The Stage Names by Okkervil River

#5: Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys

The album jams. That’s all i can really say. These guys have good lyrics and they hit hard. You have to be in the mood for the Monkeys but if you are, it’s pretty damn satisfying. As people say, “Arctic Monkeys play a less hooky brand of brat-punk than a lot of their peers and predecessors, but their off-kilter song structures—and Alex Turner’s witty, effusive descriptions of youth culture—make them every bit as unique and vital as their supporters claim.” While the albums is pretty much the same stuff as their first album, it’s still good. I also saw them live this year which increased my enjoyment as i was able to fully appreciate their skills

#4: Because of the Times by Kings of Leon

KOL are weird and strange and shrieking but they really deliver. The two songs “Ragoo” and “Fans” are truly great songs. The rest of the tracks grew on me over time, especially after i saw them live. They have a great sound and they are one of the last true rock bands. Most of the artists today are emo, electronic, pop, or some mix of all 3. These guys are just old school rock.

#3: Oracular Spectacular by MGMT

I was introduced to this by Tiger in December and the first time i heard it, i was hooked. The first track “Time To Pretend” is fantastic. They are rock mixed with electronic so you can jam and dance at the same time. A very, very enjoyable album


#2: The Stage Names by Okkervil River

This album is amazing.  It has depth in a way most others don’t.  It also rocks in a traditional rock ‘n roll way of rocking.  Let’s just say there’s only one CD i bought for someone as a present this Christmas and it was this one.  I like this review:

Usually, we go through life in a hazy bliss, emotionally and spiritually dead to what is going on around us. Sometimes, it takes something glorious to snap us out of this haze. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a new album from a band that is by leaps and bounds becoming one of the best currently making music. Am I speaking nonsense? Maybe, but then again you wouldn’t think so after you heard Okkervil River’s The Stage Names. Yes, this is an “indie” rock album but the layers and substance that fill and encompass it are utterly unmatched. In many ways, this album is the kind of musical collection that could alter your discernment and overall attitude on life.

While that’s going a bit far, it’s still a great album.  Check it out.

#1: In Rainbows by Radiohead

I was never a huge Radiohead fan but i really love The Bends. I was skeptical when the new album came out. That said, this was the one album of the year that i kept playing because it was so easy to listen to. This is what i just read in the AV section The Onion and i agree completely so i’m just going to repost it: “First, Radiohead announced the completion of a new album that few people even knew was in the works; then, the band said the record would be for sale in a week. And the price of this unexpected bounty? Whatever people wanted to pay, be it £100 or sweet fuck-all. After all that brilliant hype-stoking, the biggest surprise was that In Rainbows wasn’t some collection of afterthoughts or off-putting avant-garde exercises, but an honest-to-goodness Radiohead album—and an excellent one at that. Matching the glitchy sound of Kid A and Amnesiac to the fully developed rock songwriting of Pablo Honey and The Bends, Radiohead delivered its best album since OK Computer, renewing its heartfelt exploration of how the organic and the electronic can exist in creaky harmony.” You can download the entire album here.

Beer Scavenger Hunt: Capital Hill Edition

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We had a great hunt this weekend. In fact, it was the biggest turnout we’ve ever had for a hunt. It clocked in at over 55 people!

huntpic.jpg

Had a bunch of teams attend, such as:

  1. Team Mckendr: Mairead brought two 6’7″ dudes who were truly able to pimp out their hiding spots
  2. Team Davidson: Bryan Hozack + team. As usual Bryan was incredibly prepared and crushed the hunt.
  3. Team Newbies: Chloe Lewis, Meggy and Roy. They actually joined Team Pug for a super team. For newbies, they were great.
  4. Team Home Field Advantage: Erika, ScottyJ, Krug, Hercey. Great performance by the veterans.
  5. The Favorites. Team Just Graduated: Justin + GW team. All hype. For such a small team, they were pretty slow and put in rookie hiding spots. There’s always this spring.
  6. Team NY: Jules, Taco, Abbey. They joined with Team Pug for also. They get the MVP though for making the trip
  7. Team DJ Afterwards: Tiger, Daniel T, and Tom. They were rockstars because, well, they are rockstars.
  8. Team Pug: Danny, Percey and MPL (and eventually Samol and Shwabe). Any team with a dog gets huge bonus points.
  9. Team Loyola: Julia Turner Team (Julia and Molly). They get major points for just showing up. Although i think they were a bit in awe of the whole experience.
  10. Team Ohio State: Jenny led the charge to the most enthusiastic team i’ve seen
  11. Team No-Show: Molly Hill, Noah, Todd S., and Sara Pescatello. They get no points

The hunt’s best clue was:  “In the Church courtyard, the sack you’ll see next to the erect pipe is not the testicles of a priest but rather the container of some lovely spirits.”

Capital Hill proved to one of the best locations in DC for a hunt.  I was residential but also had some good stores and lots of spots for hanging out with a 12-pack.

Any ideas for where the hunt this spring should be?

Putting myself through pain: part 2

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I ran The Nation’s Triathlon this weekend.  A fun event for those watching and a painful, but rewarding event for those like me who are dumb

We started on the waterfront in Georgetown at 7am on Saturday. The fire boats in the Potomac were spraying water all over at the beginning. I’ve never seem them before – i must say i think they look pretty cool.  The water was really warm (75 degrees) and not that disgusting.  It felt just like a regular lake.

Just so you know how far it is. I entered right by that “Swim Exit” sign and swam to the bridge (in the distance) and back. Yeah, that’s right. To the bridge and back. Also notice how everyone else had a wet suit which makes it easier to swim. That would have been nice, but i like to think of it as cheating (only b/c i don’t have one).

Continue reading “Putting myself through pain: part 2” →

This would explain why i sleep so much

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Ever since i started my triathlon training, i’ve been going to bed earlier and earlier. I thought it was because i’m just getting old (turning 30 in 2 weeks), but today the NY Times has informed me that it is because i’m now an “endurance athlete” and these athletes require much more sleep than regular people. There’s a scientific reason for this….

One possibility, Dr. Chediak said, is that cytokines — hormones that signal the immune system — are making these athletes sleep so much.

Exercise, Dr. Chediak said, prompts muscles to release two cytokines, interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha, that make people drowsy and prolong the time they remain sleeping. In fact, those cytokines also are released when people have a cold or infection, which is why people sleep so much when they are ill.

It turns out that the single most important factor for increasing the release of those two cytokines is increasing the duration and intensity of exercise, Dr. Chediak said. And, he noted, that’s what is happening when endurance athletes train. “A sprint will not get you as great an effect,” he said.

Go ahead and read the entire article HERE  if you’re interested.

DC Beer Scavenger Hunt

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We had another great beer scavenger hunt on Saturday. Over 40 people from 6 states participated in the 12th hunt since the creation of the beer scavenger hunt. The highlight was watching Matt L. eat Mexican straight off the plate and the lowest point was losing my phone and keys (phone was returned by a homeless man). I encourage anyone in any city to implement this festival of brews – it is always one of the best days of the year. Details on how to do so are here (click). If you do have a hunt, let me know and i’ll get it up on the beerscavengerhunt.com site.

Plasma TV: 1080p and HDMI

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I’m about to purchase a new Plasma TV and thought i’d post about the new acroynms that have become my obsession.

Let’s start with 1080p. There are 3 types of HDTV’s available today: 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. What do these mean. The numbers refer to the number of lines across the screen, the ‘i’ stands for “interlaced” and the ‘p’ stands for “progressive”. Interlaced means that only every other line is refreshed whereas Progressive means every line is refreshed (both happens 24 times a second). To date, only 720p and 1080i have been available. Because ‘p’ refreshes every time, it’s better than ‘i’. But 1080 is better than 720 because it is more lines. So it’s a toss up between the two.

BUT, then came along 1080p, the best of both worlds. These TV’s are just hitting the market now and should be everywhere by this summer and definitely by Christmas. So, the question i ask myself is: do i wait for one of these or shell out for one of the others?

Doing this research (thank you Dr. Raduchel) i found out the following items:

There is NO detectable differnce between 1080p and 720p unless you have a screen larger than 50 inches

There are no HD-DVD’s, Blu-Ray DVD’s, TV shows, or anything available at 1080p. There will be eventually, but it is also true that most movies weren’t shot in high enough resolution to matter. Basically, most movies were shot in worse quality than 1080p so having a super nice picture showing lower quality doesn’t make sense.

The HDMI cord matters. This is the cord that carries the picture and sound to your TV. HDMI 1.3 was just released and you should get this version with your TV. It’s different than 1.2. Speicifically the transfer rate is much higher so if there is a high-resolution standard in the future, your TV can handle it. And, most importantly, it supports something called “Deep Color” which basically extends the number of colors from millions to billions. In the future, you’ll probably want your TV to be using HDMI 1.3. The PlayStation 3 was one of the first to have it and most TV’s will have it soon. (Go here if want to know more)

So all this being said, i’m probably going to go with a 720p Plasma from Samsung.  Anyone else have any thoughts or experiences that they’d like to share?

Next is a Terrible Book

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I just have to get this off my chest. I recently finished Michael Crichton’s latest book Next and am pissed that i wasted my time on it.

You would think this would be a book for me – i know i did and i actually bought it for myself for Christmas – as I’m a big fan of Crichton and love thinking about catastrophic genetic sceanrios (previous post i wrote on the subject). But i have to say that this is one of his worst books. The only reason i made it through to the end is because the look at genetic engineering and the moral, ethical and legal mess it creates is pretty interesting. The story and characters (both human and animals) totally suck though.

Crichton’s a smart guy and the premise to his books are really good. I just think he’s become too shallow in his character development. I think his older stuff is better and really love his memoir, Travels. If you have time, you should pick it up – he’s a strange guy and it’s a good read.

 

My Top Albums of 2006

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Yesterday i submitted my playlist for 2006. While individual tracks are great, i typically listen to music in album form. Becausae of this, i thought it necessary to also list of the Top 8 albums of 2006 .

This was a great year for me and music and these were the complete albums that i picked that really defined it for me musically….

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That

This was by far my favorite album of the year. So many of the songs are great and get me going. My one negative comment is that many of the songs sound similar but they are so awesome that this one aspect is easily overlooked. Album highlights: Long Distance Call, Consolation Prizes, Rally, and Napolean Says (download entire album)

#2: Jack Johnson – Curious George Soundtrack

This came out in the beginning of the year and dominated my playlists for at least 2 months. I’ve loved all of Jack’s previous albums but i thought they had been steadily decreasing in quality. Granted, they are always extremely listenable, but they were becoming less catchy and more bland. Nothing like Flake, Mud Football or Bubble Toes, which were on the first album, came on the subsequent albums. But, leave it to a little curious monkey to get him back on track! Songs and Lullibies is an amazing album. It’s catchy, fun, and completely feel-good. Songs like 3 R’s, Upside Down, Jungle Gym, and The Sharing Song are bouncy and catchy and just completely enjoyable. (download entire album)

#3: My Morning Jacket – Acoustic Citsuoca

Okonokos is the MMJ album that came out in 2006. It renewed my love of MMJ and took me to see them at the 930 club in November. One of my main complaints of the concert is that they were so damn loud that it took away from the great music and lyrics. So, this live album and concert caused me to explore Acoustic Citsuoca, a past acoustic album, which is my favorite. Citsuoca is a shorter EP album but the recordings of each song, especially Golden and Bermuda Highway are so smooth and mesmorizing, they are well worth about a 1000 listens. (download entire album)

#4: Bob Dylan – Modern Times

I wrote about this album over the summer about how it really surprised me. I didn’t expect Dylan to be able crank out new hits anywhere near his old stuff. Not only did he bring a new song but you can still get the same folkish lyrics that are funny and thought-provoking at the same time. Songs like Spirit on the Water, Thunder on the Mountain, and Workingman Blues are great additions to the Dylan list of hits. (3 downloads are here)

#5: Beastie Boys – The In Sound From Way Out

I’ve always been a big fan of instrumentals and especially funk-laden tunes. Some of my favorite Beastie Boys songs have been their instrumental jams. Songs like In 3’s on Check Your Head were my favorites on all their albums. So, you can imagine my happiness when i saw an entire album comprised of their instrumental tunes. These are great songs to work to or play in the background of a party. It’ll give everyone a little extra movement in their step. (No download, sorry)

#6: Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

This album came out in the beginning of 2006 and was one of the main albums that got me back into indie rock. These guys had some great guitar riffs (see Certain Romance) and some cheeky lyrics (Riot Van and Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor) and almost all of their songs are fun to listen to. A great album that’s worthy of a listen if you like indie rock. I actually think the EP “Who the F%#*k Are the Arctic Monkeys” has better songs but this is the real album that i actually listened to a lot. (download entire album)

#7: Justin Timberlake – FutureSex

I was never a big fan of Justin and never got into any of the boy bands. So when people were saying how great his new ablum was, i pretty much ignored them. That was, until i got hit with SexyBack and My Love over and over and over (and over) again at different parties and clubs. So much that i began to actually began to groove to them. There was something primal to the songs that made you want to dance. So, dance i did and so much so that there’s no way i could mention albums of 2006 without mentioning this album even though i’m slightly embarassed to do so. (download entire album)

#8: From The Cliffs – Guillemonts

This is a great album and Trains of Brazil is a great, great song. This album makes the list because i love these songs, but it’s not higher because i didn’t actually put this album on all that much (or more than any of the ones listed above). So, download the tracks, take a listen and enjoy, especially Brazil and Who Left The Lights on Baby? (No download, sorry)

MPL Playlist: Songs of 2006

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2006 has been a year of great music for me. When i first got into Computer Science almost a decade ago, i would have never thought that i would be this involved in the music industry. However, i am and because of it i have become exposed to some great artists – especially this year when i have been into the guts of our music recommendation service. From there, i’ve discovered some fantastic tunes. Some are sad, some are rockin’, but they are all amazing.

Here they are. I’ve linked each one to its track page on Qloud so you can listen to the entire song or if you want you can download each track.

  1. Astair – Matt Costa (download)
  2. Long Distance Call – Phoenix(download)
  3. Consolation Prizes – Phoenix (download)
  4. Body Language – Booke Shade (download)
  5. Tell Me a Lie – Griffin House (download)
  6. Fake Palindromes – Andrew Bird (download)
  7. Spirit On The Water – Bob Dylan(download)
  8. Numb/Encore – Jay-Z/Linkin Park (download)
  9. It’ll Take a 7 Nation Army To Hold You Back – Apathy (download)
  10. Mashup: 99 Ballons & a Bitch Ain’t One – Jay-Z (download)
  11. White & Nerdy – Weird Al (download)
  12. Ten Thousand Lakes – Kid Dakota (download)
  13. Son’s Gonna Rise – Citizen Cope (download)
  14. D’Artagnan’s Theme – Citizen Cope (download)
  15. Golden (acoustic) – My Morning Jacket (download)
  16. Bermuda Triangle – My Morning Jacket (download)\3 R’s – Jack Johnson (download)
  17. Waiting for You – The Guys All-Star Shoe Band from Prarie Home Companion (download)
  18. Hang Me Out to Dry – Cold War Kids (download)
  19. My Love – Justin Timberlake (download)