Lifelock CEO is Victim of Idenitity Theft; More Than Once!
May 22, 2008 by Brian James
Remember those Lifelock commercials where Lifelock CEO Todd Davis shares his social security number with the world, daring criminals to steal his identity? Well several of his customers from Maryland, West Virginia and New Jersey are suing Davis because his own service has failed him; more than once.
Attorney David Paris found records of people applying for and actually receiving driver’s licenses (at least 20 times!) using Davis’ Social Security number. However, some applications were rejected since data didn’t match what the Social Security Administration had on file.
So what’s the lesson to be learned here? Don’t broadcast your social security number for the world to see or don’t try to deceive the general public with bold claims and blatant lies? Perhaps it’s both. Karma is a bitch.
Mr. Geek Squad Drops It Like It’s Hot at Best Buy
May 22, 2008 by Brian James
Three girls decide to test out one of those satellite radios at Best Buy. They turn up the volume and start bustin’ a move. The guy standing to the right is one of those Geek Squad gurus. At around :40 secs it starts to get interesting. Check it out and let me know what you think!
FREE Gas for New Jersey & Long Island - Courtesty of Opie & Anthony and K-Rock!
May 21, 2008 by Brian James
Thursday morning at 7 AM the K-Rock Street Team will be manning the gas pumps at two Luk Oil Stations:
Luk Oil on Route 17 South in Rutherford, NJ
Luk Oil on 3229 Sunrise Highway in Wantagh, Long Island
The first 50 cars will get a ticket valid for one fill up with an $80 maximum.
Thanks to Stefanie for the tip!
Indabamusic.com - An Online Virtual Recording Studio
May 21, 2008 by Brian James
Remember when you first heard Such Great Heights by The Postal Service? Remember how perplexed you were when you found out that Ben Gibbard and James Tamborello wrote and recorded those songs by sending recorded tracks on DATs back and forth through the US Postal Service? Well aspiring rock stars, here is your chance to follow in the steps of these musical innovators with the help of a new creative startup called Indaba Music.
I recently signed up at Indabamusic.com and it truly is a computer savvy musician’s dream come true. It’s a virtual recording studio and musician watering hole where musicians, composers, arrangers and lyricists can collaborate on songs together without ever stepping foot into the same room. The site offers a range of tools for uploading, editing and mixing audio tracks. Users can record and mix up to 12 tracks, which is pretty awesome for an online recording platform requiring no downloads.
Another neat feature of Indaba Music are the rich media and blogging tools that allow artists to communicate with each other as well as their fans. With that said, this innovative music site isn’t just for musicians. Fans have unlimited access to artists and their creative process, enabling them to engage with the artist like never before.
Don’t think this is legit? Indaba Music is already home to both professional and amateur musicians including Grammy award-winning producers. Sign up and look for me. Let’s see if we can pump out some hits!
Mike Edison Rocks A Chronicaster; aka The Bong Guitar
May 20, 2008 by Brian James
It looks as though Mike Edison is at it again. This time he’s wailing on a Chronicaster, or for the musically and drug impaired, a bong guitar. Check out the video below and in case you’re still confused: Chroni = some dank Mary Jane. Caster = Fender StratoCASTER/TeleCASTER. I hope I didn’t actually need to explain that. Anyways, if you don’t know who Mike Edison is then read my previous post Mike Edison - Spoken Word Goes Porno Punk.
I’m still waiting to pick up a copy of his book and spoken word album, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World. Sounds like a riot.
Catch Mike Edison on Tour
05/21- 7:00 PM Seattle, WA @ University Bookstore
05/22- 7:30 PM Portland, OR @ Powell’s Books
06/04- 9:30 PM Philadelphia, PA @ Tritone
06/16- 7:00 PM New York, NY @ Half King Reading Series
06/19- 7:30 PM Brooklyn, NY @ Pete’s Candy Store
09/30- 7:00 PM New York, NY @ KGB Reading Series
Aimee Mann’s New Album “@#%&! Smilers” Out June 3rd - Artwork by Gary Taxali
May 20, 2008 by Brian James
Critically acclaimed visual artist Gary Taxali submitted 17 original illustrations for the artwork of Aimee Mann’s 7th solo album “@#%&! Smilers” which comes out June 3rd, 2008 on her self-owned SuperEgo Records. Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz headed the art direction with design by Marowitz and Ed Sherman. Taxali and Aimee Mann are throwing a joint showcase/cd release party on May 31st at La Luz De Jesus, an art gallery in Los Angeles. Starts at 8:00PM. If you’re in the area stop by and get a signed copy of the new album!
Coldplay - Violet Hill - Dancing Politicians Video
May 20, 2008 by Brian James
I can never get bored with all these viral videos everyone is creating these days. Check out the unofficial Dancing Politicians video for Coldplay’s new single Violet Hill off their new album Viva la Vida I’ll let the video and the song speak for itself. Much respect to the director Mat Whitecross.
Viva la Vida will be released in stores June 17th with pressure from their record label EMI to pump out sales equal if not better than their previous success with 2005’s X&Y. Word on the industry streets is that the fate of EMI is to be determined by the success of Coldplay’s new album. However, with tracks straying away from their traditional verse-chorus-verse structure and with billboard reviews describing the album as Coldplay indulging in experimentation, EMI has yet to claim the album as music to their ears.
CW Releases Super Lame Promo Vid for the New Beverly Hills: 90210 Spin-Off
May 20, 2008 by Brian James
What are the executives over at CW thinking? Are they uncontrollably excited to be the proud home for such a lame TV show? The original Beverly Hills: 90210 was something special. It should be forever remembered and honored for all it’s glory; steamy and heavy petting make-out scenes, cars exploding (the death of Dylan’s dad!), Dylan and his gun, one girl looking way older than the rest of the cast?
Anyways, the narrator says the new 90210 will be “cooler, sexier, more provocative”. The cast includes 90210 veteran Jennie Garth, Full House hottie Lori Loughlin, and Rob Etes from Melrose Place. Check out the promo video below.
Looks like a bunch of garbage to me. Perhaps even worse than that reality TV hoopla that has had everyone glued to their couches for the past couple years.
Is Bigger Better? Munk Bogballe’s Thicker, Heavier Version of the MacBook
May 18, 2008 by Brian James
“The bigger, the better” always seemed to be the American way. We have the Big Mac. We have SUV’s and non-military used Hummers. We have mansions popping up in small town suburbs. We have enormous condos sprawling across the East River. In contrast, we have the Shuffle iPod, the Mac Mini and the MacBook Air. Technology has become an exception to the rule.
It was only a matter of time before this mindset made it’s way across the Atlantic and over into Europe, but it looks like they’ve got things a bit confused over there with European based Munk Bogballe’s heavier, thicker and more expensive version of the MacBook. For $6,800 you can own a single 2.4GHz MacBook with a 160GB drive and 4GB of RAM and an additional 2.5 pounds as well as an additional 2 inches to the width and depth of the laptop. The bigger, the better, right?
Okay. Maybe not, but this altered MacBook does come with WindowsXP and Microsoft Office, an anodized aluminum surface and a “European aniline leather” bottom (What’s with technology and leather these days? Hint: BlackBerry Bold).
So I’m pretty sure you’re sold on the bigger is better MacBook by now, but knowing that a portion of your $6,800 will be donated to the XO laptop program will probably seal the deal. XO laptops will be given to children around the world who aren’t fortunate enough to have computer access like we do. Does this “giving back to the community” promotion justify your hard earned $6,800?
Before you write that hefty check you might want to check out some of these alternatives first:
For $6,800 you can buy any of these alternatives:
- 17 inch MacBook with a 30″Cinema Display and an entry level iMac.
- A dual 3.2GHz quad-core Mac Pro with 4GB of RAM, 4TB of storage, and an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT.
- 11 entry-level Mac minis.
OR if the charity aspect is keeping you up at night… 17 inch MacBook and 26 XO laptops.
Millennials Taking Over the World One Twitter Update at a Time
May 17, 2008 by Brian James
During my Saturday morning nerdy internet surf, I stumbled upon this Millennials article on Radar by FREEwilliamsburg founder Robert Lanham. It’s an interesting article about Generation X vs. the uprising of Generation Y, aka Millennials.
Millennials are younger. Healthier. They got to do anal in high school. They think updating a spreadsheet while posting to a Twitter account about gossip on perezhilton.com is an essential corporate skill…. An egregious example of generational bias lies in Gen X’s stigma as the “MTV Generation,” a title that was always intended as a pejorative. … Ironically, when applied to the Millennials, who are similarly affected by the Internet, possessing a short attention span becomes an accolade. They just call it multitasking.
It’s really a great read and Lanham brings up some great points, but fortunately, I’m not worried because I was born in 1985. That’s right. I’m part of the 80 million Millennials vs. the 30 million Gen Xers. While Lanham reaches out for a call to arms, us Millennials have already begun to mobilize and steal your jobs, your sweet apartments and your wives too.
“We are the young and the arrogant that will take over your jobs…” - Michelle D. 2008 Graduating Class of Pace University - NYC
Expect more from me on the mobilization of Millennials within the next couple weeks.
Watch this video - Backflip into Pants?
May 17, 2008 by Brian James
A friend sent me this link while I was at work yesterday. Don’t much about these guys, but I do know that they’re clever and a little lame, but still awesome. Over 2 million views! If anyone knows more about these guys, feel free to post a comment and let us know!
This Is Only A Test - WFUV’s Emerging Indie Music Radio
May 16, 2008 by Brian James
I declined my acceptance to Fordham University, but four years later I chose to listen to their college radio station. I’ve been a loyal and avid listener of WFUV 90.7 FM for almost a year now and what consistently brings me back to this station is the music. The new buzz around the air waves is the recent implementation of This Is Only A Test, a test-drive for a new indie music program they will be launching this Fall 2008.
On Friday nights from 10PM to midnight, join host Rich McLaughlin for two hours of music from artists and bands like Coconut Records, The Teenage Prayers, Antibalas, Budos Band and TV on the Radio. You’ll not only discover tons of new music, but you’ll hear tunes from familiar artists like Arcade Fire, Bjork, and Death Cab for Cutie.
This Is Only A Test also features something called Drop the Needle, a segment of the show where Rich cues up the record player and spins tunes off some vinyl; something rarely done these days.
Check it out every Friday from 10PM to midnight!
Travis Pastrana Skydives Without Parachute!
May 16, 2008 by Brian James
Check out this video of 25 year-old Travis Pastrana jumping out of a plane with no parachute! At the age of 14, Travis became the world champion of freestyle motoX. He’s responsible for the creation of many of the sports tricks and was the first to land a double back-flip in competition, winning him the Moto X Best Trick Gold Medal.
More on Travis at: http://www.travispastrana.com
New Spider Named in Honor of Neil Young
May 15, 2008 by Brian James
An East Carolina University biologist discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and decided to name it after his favorite musical artist, Neil Young. The spider was ultimately named Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. However, Young hasn’t been the only musician to have a species named after them. A beetle was named Orectochilus orbisonorum in honor of the late rock ‘n’ roll legend Roy Orbison.
“There are rather strict rules about how you name new species,” Bond said in a statement.
“As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice.”
The 62 year old Canadian rock star is also releasing his entire music archive on Blu-Ray disc. The first series of Neil Young’s archive will cover his music from 1963 to 1972. The first Blue-Ray archive series will be released as a 10-disc set this fall 2008 on Reprise/Warner Bros. Records.
RIM Makes A Bold Move w/ The BlackBerry Bold
May 14, 2008 by Brian James
I just recently purchased the T-Mobile Dash to hold me over until the 2nd generation iPhone comes out, but how incredibly gorgeous does the BlackBerry Bold look? Bravo RIM. You guys did an amazing job. I might have to get my hands on this new toy. Everyone at work has been raving about this handset. Word on the street is that the BlackBerry Bold will be available sometime this summer on AT&T with a T-Mobile edition as well. The handset can handle 850/1900/2100Mhz for HSDPA/UMTS as well as T-Mobile’s 1700MHz band. For those of you who travel a lot, feel free to take this one overseas.
Here are some stats/features Gizmodo have reported:
- 802.11a/b/g plus good GPS
- GPS is enhanced and assisted; better map rendering
- 480 x 320 resolution screen with 65,000 colors
- 624MHz Intel PXA270/Marvell Tavor PXA930 processor (?)
- BlackBerry OS 4.6
- Keyboard has 8800-style “sculpted keys, but the rows are separated by curved barriers,” says PC Mag
- 4.5″ tall x 2.6″ wide x 0.5″ deep, weighing 4.7oz
- Side-loading MicroSD/SDHC slot for up to 16GB additional
- 2MP camera w/ flash
- 5 hours of talk time w/ 13 days of standby
- MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4 and WMV3 codec support
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Stronger Speakers
- 128MB of flash plus 1GB of onboard memory (with encryption)
- Black leather back panel that can be swapped for other color leather plates
- Pricing Range:Estimated $300 - 500
Apparently the BlackBerry Bold also has Wi-Fi capabilities while previous BlackBerry models lacked this feature which has quickly become standard on most smart phones. [Read more]
