Hey Rosetta! – Seeds

The third effort from Nfld’s Hey Rosetta is more polished, yet somehow more organic that their sophomore record. Each song is quite “epic,” which some people find a bit draining. I can see their point, but I can’t fault Tim Baker and crew for treating each song with a sense of purpose and leaving no melodic stone unturned. This is a poppy, sweeping, emotional record that I just can’t stop listening to. “Welcome” might just be their most straightforward (and shortest) rock and roll tune yet, “Bandages” is the perfect album closer with its singsong chorus and sweetly glockenspiel, “Seeds” starts the album off with a gorgeous strummed mandolin and then kicks into high gear with a pumping baseline, and “Yer Spring”  is the epitome of HR!’s epic style – delayed guitar intro, thumping bass drum, catchy melody, string section breakdown that sticks in your head, a choir, and a huge build up to a rocking finale before slowly being deconstructed and ending with as much peace as it began.

“but young hands can build you up and carve your face in honest rock / sunlight on your noble jaw / young hands build you up”

Hey Rosetta! – “Welcome”

Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune

Dan Mangan has been on my radar for a few years, but for some reason I only really got into his music recently. This was sparked by the announcement that he would play Halifax Pop Explosion this fall. His Nice, Nice, Very Nice album has two of my favourite songs (the singles “Robots” and “Road Regrets”), and I was very excited to see him live. His show at St. Matthew’s United Church was incredible. He is an endlessly entertaining performer. This record has a bit more space than his previous efforts – it has more instrumentation, and he is experimenting with his sound more as well. It sounds gorgeous, especially on vinyl. :)

“people don’t know what they want, they just know they really want it / I should know better by now - there’s only so much to go around”

Dan Mangan – “Rows of Houses”

Feist – Metals

It’s been a few years since Feist was in the limelight. During the lead-up to the release of Metals, she put some behind-the-scenes videos on her website documenting the making of the record. Upon seeing the first one, I was sold. I just knew the sound of the record would be worth the price admission, to say nothing about Feist’s excellent songwriting skills and other-worldy voice. I was not disappointed. There are so many incredible moments on this record. From the arpeggiated strings and acoustic guitar in “Caught a Long Wind” to the pounding rhythm of album opener “The Bad in Each Other,” to the group vocals of “Undiscovered First,” there is much to discover. This one is really a musical treat.

“fill me up and pour me out / realize the doubt / we had the same feelings / at the opposite time”

Feist – “The Bad in Each Other”

Rise Against – Endgame

Rise Against could easily be passed over as just another alt-punk-rock band whose sound has become more and more “mainstream” over the years. And that may describe them in one sense, but I have to give credit where credit is due. They write some catchy, hard-hitting songs with lyrical content that stands above a lot of the tripe that fills the alt-rock airways of late. At least they practice what they preach – they are active in the political arena. This record is full of great tunes – the angsty singalong “Help is on the Way,” the poppy Whoah-oh’s of “Make it Stop (September’s Children),” the earworm chorus of “Disparity by Design.” If you need to let off some steam, put this record on and sing along.

“and like a single domino that falls while the rest stay vertical / we’re fed these empty fairytales and I’m through believing”

Rise Against – “Disparity By Design”

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

I still can’t get the main guitar riff of opening track “Perth” out of my head, even six months later. And the drums are mesmerizing. The whole song sets the mood for the rest of the album. Although it is more of the same Bon Iver we’ve grown to love – moody, whispy vocals with sparse instrumentation – there’s a lot more on offer here. For starters, there are lots of great grooves, like the distorted bass that pushes “Minnesota, WI” along and the foot-tapping beat of “Calgary.” And then there is “Beth/Rest” – a ballad straight out of the 80s complete with cheesy electronic piano and vocals dripping in reverb. Read McNutt’s take on it. I immediately fell in love with it, and it’s the perfect cap to an excellent record.

“I’m tearing up / across your face / move dust through the light to find your name / it’s only faint”

Bon Iver – “Perth”

Rich Aucoin – We’re All Dying to Live

What can I say about Rich Aucoin? He’s no longer the local best kept secret. His brand of fancy poppy synth fun has now made its way across the rest of the country, as well as overseas. His live show is second to none (parachutes and confetti and music synced to public domain cartoons and much crowd participation and surfing on a surf board on top of the crow – the list goes on), and he’s been prepping this release for several years. It has been worth the wait. There is no way to avoid tapping your feet to “Brian Wilson is A.L.I.V.E.” The deep synth bass and vocoded voice in “P:U:S:H” are perfect Daft Punk fodder. And then there is “It” – Aucoin’s magnum opus. This is the fun, feel good, dance while no one is looking, and then dance when everyone is looking, album of the year.

“remember what we’ve been given / remember what we’ve been / give in”

Rich Aucoin – “It”

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing

This is not “Hometowns” (Rural Alberta Advantage’s debut record), and that’s a good thing. Their sound has evolved, but the same frantic energy is bursting from the seams from every song on this album. The band sounds small and yet huge at the same time. Listening to “Stamp,” you might think this is just more of what made their first record a huge hit. But then “Tornado ’87″ adds more dynamics, and opening track “Two Lovers” plays like an alt/country ballad. The album is more polished, but not in a bad way. This album is a logical progression for a fantastic band.

“I lost you / I held you tight / the black sky will come for us tonight / our heart’s shaking in the empty night / let’s lie down in the basement tonight”

RAA – “Tornado ’87″

Wilco – The Whole Love

It took me almost a month to get past opening track “Art of Almost” – it’s that good. The opening sixty seconds could be Radiohead – the choppy drums, the bleeping synths, the wavy bass, and the chaotic orchestral crescendo. Then Jeff Tweddy’s familiar voice floats in with a staccato melody and reassures you that it’s Wilco. As the song progresses, every instrument gets its time in the spotlight. The bass funks it up, the guitars shimmer and bite, the piano and synths float in and out and then start to help build the rhythm, and then the strings come in and take it to another plane of musical bliss. And, just when you think it’s over, an overly compressed/gated snare drum starts beating a war cry over a buzz saw-like guitar drone. This is all a lead up to Nils Cline’s blistering, insane lead. And now you’re banging your head to the ruckus that is the final two minutes of one of the best Wilco performances on record.

“Art of Almost” alone is worth the price of admission, and there aren’t really any other tunes on the record that are similar in style or scope, but the rest of the album does not disappoint. “I Might,” “Dawned on Me,” and “Born Alone” are catchy, guitar-based rockers that would fit on any recent Wilco record. But there seems to be more instrumentation on this album. It’s so well-produced, and it takes many listens to really start to hear how much is going on in every nook and cranny. This is an album that just keeps giving and giving.

“I can’t help it if I fall in love with you again / I’m calling just to let you know / it dawned on me”

Wilco – “Art of Almost”

City and Colour – Little Hell

Dallas Green is finally free of his commitments with Alexisonfire. And, while I appreciate what they did for that genre especially being Canadian and touring to small places all over the country, the best bits of every song were always Dallas’ soaring choruses. Since his first solo record, Dallas has been branching out beyond the acoustic guitar, and there are no tracks on this album that are solo acoustic numbers. “Northern Wind” is the closest, but there is a gorgeous violin line near the end. As with any City and Colour outing, there are plenty of of gorgeous harmonies and lots of heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The instrumentation is fairly simple, but it works wonderfully. Everything has its place in the well-balanced mix, and it all compliments Dallas’ don’t-know-how-he-sings-so-high powerful voice.

“there’s a degree of difficulty in dealing with me / from my haunted past comes a daunting task of living through memories.”

City and Colour – “Little Hell”

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Well, once again Radiohead shakes things up. An eight song “album” released without notice that pushes their sonic boundaries even further. There is no denying the influence of electronic and dub step artists here. Heck, they even named a song “Lotus Flower” (Flying Lotus is a huge influence on this album, and he has remixed a few Radiohead tunes in the past). This record is even more of a “grower” for me than any of their previous albums. Even at a mere eight tracks, there is a lot to take in here. Sure, there is a lot of repetition (especially in opener “Bloom” and the rest of the first half of the record), but there are many slight shifts in tone and instrumentation to keep you interested. This is definitely a beat- and feel-based record. Gone are the intricate instrumentations of “How to Disappear”, the multi-part opuses like “Paranoid Android”, and the straightforward rockers like “15 Step.” This is an exercise in simplicity and restraint. The record is gorgeous, but for a slightly less sterile take on the tunes, check out The King of Limbs – Live from the Basement – Radiohead. Once again, Radiohead keeps things interesting!

“there’s an empty space inside my heart / where the weeds take root / tonight I’ll set you free / I’ll set you free”

Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”

Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay seems to take a lot of flack. They were at one point beloved harbingers of british alt-rock. Then they exploded and became the biggest band on the planet, and for good reason. They write incredibly catchy melodic rock songs with singalong choruses and decent lyrics for the most part. But now, even though you can’t get their songs out of your head, it’s become uncool to like them. Well, like Lester Bangs, I’m uncool. They put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen (Osheaga 2009), and I have genuinely enjoyed each of their records. This new one puts a Brian Eno spin on things – lots of synthy, ethereal bits throughout, but it’s still the same Coldplay. Plenty of “ooh’s” and “oh’s” to sing along to, lots of earworm melodies, and just enough cheese to be monumentally popular. You can’t fault these guys – they are honest and open about what they do and aren’t ashamed to lead tens of thousands of people in chorus after chorus of sweet melodies.

“maybe I’m in the black, maybe I’m on my knees / maybe I’m in the gap between the two trapezes / but my heart is beating and my pulses start / cathedrals in my heart”

Coldplay – “Hurts Like Heaven”

Gordie Sampson – Almost Beautiful

I’m not the biggest country fan, but I’m not one to discriminate when it comes to well-written songs. There have been plenty of pop-country tunes that have made their way onto my playlists over the years, and not ashamed to admit it. And I do like some old country, too. My grandfather got me into John Denver, Johnny Cash, and even Hank Snow. I also love me some Celtic music. So, when a Cape Breton boy makes a country rock record, I’m there. Gordie Sampson has gone from playing virtuoso celtic tunes to releasing huge pop-rock hits (“Sorry” and “Sunburn“) to becoming a Nashville resident and writing country hits for huge stars (“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” anyone?). His previous record was more rock and pop than country (and contains a few of my favourite songs of the past several years like “Davey jones“), but Almost Beautiful turns back the other way.

There is plenty of acoustic guitar, lap steel, female harmonies, and other country-isms, but somehow Gordie transcends all of that with his undeniable talent for writing melodies that move you or at least make you want to sing along. “Fear of Flying, “Wake My Heart,” “I See You in Everything,” and “Any Other Memory,” “Thank My Lucky Stars” are world-class country tunes. I’m glad he’s keeping a few for himself! You can check out his Songs That Need a Home to see which tunes might end up his next record, or maybe on the radio sung by any number of country stars. Even if country isn’t your thing, give this record a shot and support a fantastic local musician who is doing Cape Breton proud in the big leagues. Can’t wait for his show at the Carleton on Monday.

“we’ve been running from the truth for so long that we can’t catch our breath / and now heartache and bottles of whiskey is all we got left”

Gordie Sampson – “Fear of Flying”

Noteworthy:

2012

There are a few things to look forward to in the coming year:

• Joel Plaskett is releasing a track a week starting on January 10th. Scrappy Happiness will be revealed a song a time until March 13th.
• John K. Samson (of The Weakerthans) is finally releasing his first full-length solo album, Provincial, after several EPs.
• Radiohead have hinted at a release of some sort in 2012
• Wintersleep have completed recording their fifth album, so I’m sure we’re looking at a late spring release if all goes well.
• Other possibilities: Green Day, Springsteen, Tool, Soundgarden, Ben Folds, The Killers, Sigur Ros, The Offspring
• My friends Something Good have some great new stuff in the works as well

Unfortunately, even though you are using the internet, you still need to deal with people. Annoying, stupid people. The same people who would come to your yard sale and try and haggle with you over a $2 set of dishes are now harnessing the power of e-mail and low-balling you on the iPod you are selling on Kijiji.

I can’t count the number of times I have received ridiculously low offers for items I have for sale on Kijiji. I know everyone loves a good deal, but if I’m selling something that is in great condition at an incredibly reasonable price, offering me a fraction of that price is annoying.

A few months ago, I posted an ad for a camera lens. The lens was retailing for $389.99 at the time. I had purchased it as a bundle with my camera, and I had only used it once. It was still in the original plastic covering in the original box, all mint condition, and I was throwing in a UV filter as well (~$25). I was asking for $250, knowing I would probably take $220 or $225 – either way, a great deal on a essentially new lens that still had ten months of warranty left on it that would cost around $475 new.

The responses come flooding in. Nearly all were lowball offers. One that stood out:

i’ll give you $150. your not gonna get anymore than that. call me today at 3 and i will tell you my address.

Wow. Not only was this guy low-balling me, he was basically telling me he was doing me a favour by buying it, and he was also insisting I call him at a certain time and insinuating that I would deliver it to him. He was also terrible at grammar and spelling.

I responded:

I am looking to get $225 for the lens. If you are still interested, let me know and we will set up a day and time to meet up somewhere convenient for both of us.

His repsonse:

fuk that man. i just looked and i can get that same lense from the states bran new for $200 with shipping and like five filters. $150 is my final offer and expires tonight.

My last snarky comment:

Congratulations. Order it from the States then.

Freecycle is another site that I have had some mixed success with. It’s similar to Kijiji, except it is just for items you are giving away. I put an ad up for a dining table we were trying to get rid of. In the ad, I mentioned that it is a dining table, but that it could also be used as a card table or something along those lines since it is not too big and the finish is sort of laminate and not what people usually have for dining tables.

A response from Kim:

I assume it folds up. If so, I will take it.

I responded:

Oh sorry, it actually does not fold up. It has removable legs, but it doesn’t fold. I only mentioned that it could be used as a card table, etc. because of its size and finish.

Kim again:

I really don’t have space to keep it if it’s not collapsible. I understand that the legs come off, but, really, that’s a bit of a leap for a card table.

I’ll reiterate that I was offering this table for free. I did not mention anything about it folding in the original ad. This woman is acting as if it’s a huge inconvenience that this free table is too big for her needs. Then she ends with a rude comment about the fact that I said it could be used as a card table. Nice.

These types of experiences seem to be happening to me more often lately. I’m not sure if it’s just because more and more people are using Kijiji than before, or if the economy has turned everyone into a lowballer, but it’s enough that I cringe each time I get an e-mail from a potential buyer.

I also don’t understand why so many people write and ask “Is this still available?” and then never respond after I tell them it is indeed still available.

Lastly, I have had several people who pull the sneaky move of making an offer via e-mail only to try and get a deal when they come and pick the item up. I sold an old cell phone a while ago, and the buyer offered $200. I was asking $250, but agreed to his price. I then offered to meet the guy at an exit that he was going to pass on his way back into the city from the South Shore. After he checked the phone to make sure it worked, he said:

Ugh, could I get some money off since I came here to pick it up?

I started to laugh it off, but said:

Uhh, you were driving by here anyway and I came out to meet you. It’s a pretty good deal at $200. If you don’t want it, I’ll find someone else.

He paused and kind of shrugged. He then shook his head and handed me the cash, saying “Fine, whatever.”

I have much better luck selling items on related forums, like ehMac for Mac stuff, and photography-on-the-net for Canon gear. Maybe I’ll try and stick to those from now on, but it’s tough to find a table enthusiasts site…

Anyone else have any bad experiences with Kijiji and the like?

I had a training session with a client who had purchased a new iPhone. I noticed from his account information that the phone was for his construction business. I always like to tailor the training to the clients needs and interests, especially if they own their own business as there are many ways a smartphone can help in that regard. Halfway through the session, I asked him if he still worked on the “front lines” or if he was in more of a management position.

He told me he ran the company. Four years ago he realized family is what is most important and that he decided he needed to be home more and have a better life/work balance.

“That’s something my daughter taught me. She passed away four years ago.”

I told him I was sorry to hear, and asked him about her and how she died.

“She was eighteen years old. She had a heart defect.”

He went on to tell me that they had filed a medical malpractice suit because they had known what was wrong with her for some time, but the doctors ignored them. The main doctor complained about parents doing self-diagnosis, and told them that the condition they thought she had was very rare and that they shouldn’t worry about it. She was fine.

It came out in court that tests the doctors eventually begrudgingly ran did show she was a candidate for the condition, but that these test results were left unread by some and ignored by others. There was a settlement in the end, but the whole process was exhausting and none of it would bring her back.

He pulled out a photo and slid it across my desk.

“I always have to show everyone her picture.”

I stared at the snapshot of a beautiful girl whose life was cut short. I looked across my desk at a man still hurting; a man who would be haunted by the circumstances of her death for the rest of his life.

He was also a man who was immensely proud of his daughter, and one who was now completely committed to his family. We agreed that it sometimes takes these horrible happenings for us to wake up and realize what is important in life.

We got back on track and I passed him my laptop so that he could sign in to his webmail. We needed to get some server information to set up the e-mail on his iPhone.

While he was doing this, I stood the tiny photo up against a book and took a picture with his iPhone. It was tough with the glare from the overhead fluorescent lighting, but I did manage to get a nice shot of the weathered photograph.

I set the photo to be his lock screen and background. Once he was finished on the laptop, I slide the phone back across the table and told him what I had done.

“Now you have a digital copy. And you’ll see her every time you turn the phone on.”

His eyes welled with tears. He took a deep breath and looked up at me. He took another breath. His voice was shaky.

“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

He smiled and wiped his eyes. He paused again to compose himself.

“That makes my day. Thank you.”

I smiled and fought back tears of my own.

It was a small gesture, and one that most people probably take for granted. But it meant the world to him, and I was more than happy to help.

It made my day, too.

Photo by godwelder on flickr.

Last week I started my healthy kick. For the whole week, I ate mostly fruits and vegetables, and drank green tea and water. I lost over 5lbs. These first pounds are the easiest to shed, but it still felt great. The best part was I did not find myself hungry or jonesing for the bad stuff. I did have an ice cream and some s’mores on the weekend to reward myself, but it didn’t affect my weight.

This week while in Toronto, I will try my best to eat well and maybe even exercise and swim at the hotel. However, this will be my vacation, something I haven’t had in a little while since I have been doing my Master’s and working during the usual vacation times over the past two years. Rest assured that next Monday I will be back on the train fully. :)

Last night I shopped for groceries and Amber wanted me to pick up something easy for supper. I almost caved and brought home a pizza or some Quiznos, but I stuck to my guns and made some yummy vegetarian chili. This was not only delicious and filling, but it made enough to last three nights, so we won’t have to worry about supper this week before we head out on vacation.

I have found the most important things so far have been a large breakfast, and eating/drinking preemptively. If I can munch on some whole grain cereal and drink some water or tea before I get really hungry, I avoid those cravings and caving into the easy/cheap food I’m surrounded by. My breakfast is large – one or two boiled eggs, two pieces of whole grain toast, a mug of green tea, a glass of orange juice, a banana and other fruit like strawberries, and sometimes a bowl of cheerios with soy milk. This holds me over for quite a while, and during first couple of hours at work I throw back lots of water and an apple, and I’m not hungry until lunch.

Hopefully I can keep it up and work towards my weight goal. My fitness goal is to run 5km four or five times a week and slowly get my time down, but I am not adding that to my plate until July.

Photo by Marxfoods.com, on flickr

Mmm. This stuff is good. And pretty healthy too! It makes a huge pot, 6-8 good-sized portions.

Try and buy local produce, and reduced-sodium canned beans if you can!

Note 1: For the cans, most beans, etc. that we have here in NS/Canada come in 19-oz. cans, but sometimes they come in 15-oz cans. The recipe is for 19-oz cans, but you can adjust things accordingly depending on what you pick up.

Note 2: Do not drain the cans of beans/tomatoes/corn!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used red and green)
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 can navy beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 28oz. can whole tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chili powder, divided
• 2.5 tablespoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons basil
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Steps

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Toss in garlic and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.
2. Throw in the bell peppers. Add 1 tablespoon of the chili powder. Cook until peppers are tender.
3. Add mushrooms, and stir until combined.
4. Add the tomatoes, black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, and corn.
5. Season with the remaining 2 tablespoons of chili powder and the cumin, oregano and basil.
6. Turn up the heat a bit and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20mins.
8. Season with black pepper to taste (shouldn’t need salt).
9. Serve! (Ideally with yummy, fresh LaHave Bakery whole grain bread or equivalent)

Photo by foshydog, on flickr.

In the summer of 2009, I lost over 20lbs. I have always had a high metabolism, and I used to be able to eat anything and still look unhealthily skinny.

That started to change as I entered my mid-twenties, and by age twenty-eight all the beer and ice cream was catching up to me. All of a sudden I was the heaviest I had ever been – I had cracked 200lbs, and it scared me. It only showed in two places – my face and the tire above my waist – so it kind of surprised people when I told them how much weight I wanted to lose. “There’ll be nothing left of you if you lose twenty pounds…”

There was definitely enough fat to warrant a big life change. Amber and I don’t really eat lots of unhealthy food on a regular basis, but there were some changes that could be made to my diet that would help for sure. Mostly it came down to exercising. I started running.

Within a couple of weeks, I was running 5-6km per day. The BLT Trail happens to start very close to my house, and winds around the lake that is just behind us. Even more conveniently, it connects back to St. Margaret’s Bay Road just down from my house as well. This makes a loop of 4.8km. With a little spin around my subdivision, I can make it just over 5km, and with a detour through another subdivision I can make it 6km.

I did well that summer, and the weight stayed off until Christmas time and then I lost the will to do anything healthy. I still haven’t reached the fatty heights of 200lbs, but I have gained some of the weight back. And I feel it’s time for a change – but one that I can hopefully sustain.

So, inspired by a sweet new pair of New Balance’s, this post by my friend Kayla, and my desire to feel and look better, I am starting on my path today.

Exercising will slowly ramp up, but I hope to get out for a short walk/jog/run tonight, and work my way up to my 5-6km loop within a month. I will also utilize our elliptical machine on rainy days, and throw in some cardio, small weight training, and Wii Fit as well.

Photo by gimleteyes on flickr.

As for food, Kayla’s excellent cleanse post is the basis of everything I am doing to start. Slight modifications will be made since I detest all types of onions. But the basics are simple – water, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and good foods that keep me feeling full longer. No dairy, no red meat, no alcohol. I am not a coffee drinker, so tea-only will not be an adjustment. No refined sugar will be tough, as will no pasta. But this isn’t set in stone, and the first couple of weeks are meant as a cleanse. After that I can start to introduce some pasta here, some red meat there, etc. in moderation if need be.

I will be keeping a food journal, and here is today’s entry:

Breakfast

• 2 pieces of whole grain toast (with a tiny bit of Nutella)
• 1 cup of probiotic yogurt
• 1 glass of 100% orange juice
• 1 mug of green tea
• 1 hard-boiled egg (Eden Valley Farms free-run)
• 1 banana
• water

Lunch

• Salad: baby romaine, orange pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumber, hard-boiled egg
• water

Supper

• Lemon Lentil Soup
• whole grain bread

Snacks (throughout the day)

• 1 apple (Scotian Gold Jonagold)
• water
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of whole-grain cereal with or without 1 cup soy milk (today Cheerios without milk)

Films I have yet to see, which could end up on this list:

• 127h
• True Grit
• Winter’s Bone
• Biutiful
• Rabbit Hole
• Blue Valentine

So, what are the benefits of this unit over a 16×9 56″ TV? As you can see in the image above, when you watch a film that was shot in a wide film format like 2.39:1, the image fills the screen of the Philips unit. Regular HDTVs would show black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Which films were shot in 2.39 (or 2.4 & 2.35 confusingly), you might ask? Looking at my Bluray collection – Across the Universe, Batman Begins, Braveheart, The Dark Knight (non-IMAX scenes), The Departed, Fight Club, Friday Night Lights, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Magnolia, Memento, No Country for Old Men, Wall-E – 12 of the 28 discs I own. In short – a tonne of movies.

There is no question that these films will look ridiculously great on this TV. The problem is that the majority of content is not filmed in 21:9. Nearly all television shows are now shot in 16×9 – the exact ratio of HDTVs, the standard. Most films, and nearly all film shot or created digitally, are now 16×9. On the Philips unit, these films would show with black bars on the sides.

The image itself would then be the same size as it would be on a regular HDTV. Looking at it one way, you get the same picture size you normally would, and when you watch 2.4:1 films you get an incredible viewing experience.

On the other hand, the thing costs £2,779 right now, refurbished and on sale from £4,500. It is only available in the UK, but it Canadian funds that’s $4,500, down from $7,288. These prices are approximately two to three times what it would cost to buy a high quality plasma or LCD 16×9 HDTV of the same size.

So, is it worth it? Without seeing it in person, I can’t really say for sure. For most people, it would be a resounding “no.” The cost is very hard to justify, and I think this model has a very limited buying audience. I’m sure it’s an incredibly immersive and amazing experience, but for the same price you could get a bigger, top of the line 16×9 TV, and for the most part your screen would be filled to the brim with HD goodness. You’d just have to suck it up when watching 2.4:1 content…

Interactive Demo of Ambilight Feature
http://www.cinema.philips.com/gb_en/

Product Page
http://www.philips.co.uk/c/cinema-21-9/30849/cat/

Engadget Video
http://www.engadget.com…showcased-on-video/

Fast-forward one year to the 2010 VMAs. As Mr. McNutt posted in his live-blog of the event, these award shows mean less and less each year. Not that they ever really meant anything… but they’ve really gone from rewarding the best to rewarding the most popular in search of ratings.

Yet, the MTV show still tries to take itself seriously from time to time. The majority of the acts featured really have nothing relevant to say. For some. that’s not what their music is about. For others, they just generally suck. But this year, Taylor Swift had something to say. And MTV provided the forum. She performed a new song called “Innocent.” The lyric that most papers and blogs are quoting:

“Thirty-two and still growing up now; who you are is not what you did.”

Taylor has taken the high road. She is forgiving Kanye of his transgressions. She is seeing the bigger picture. She will be labeled as understanding and even empathetic. She’s a nice girl. She does as nice girls do.

That’s all lovely, but here’s a question: was this really necessary? Wouldn’t the real high road route mean moving on? And not writing a song and singing it in front of millions of people after replaying the incident? I know folks are going to say that this is what being an artist is about – taking the things in your life and making art. The good and the bad, and all that jazz. But, honestly, doesn’t anyone feel like this is just a bit too much? It just reeks of beating a dead horse, and and it feels like a publicity stunt.

McNutt says it best:

If anyone else was so bluntly playing into that moment in a performance like this, they’d be criticized as crass and exploitive. Swift, of course, won’t, because she’s still clinging to this fascinating innocent persona. Will she ever be allowed to grow up?

I am not trying to knock Taylor Swift too much here. I think she’s a great songwriter, she has a decent voice, and she works hard. Incredible marketing has combined with her natural talent, and she’s a genuine superstar. I just can’t tell if this was a still-slightly-immature artist calling her own shots, or if someone pushed her to do this to take advantage of the situation.

Separating what is truly genuine from the crap seems harder and harder these days.

Kanye also wrote a song about the incident. His was a self-deprecating affair, exclaiming “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags.”

Does this make him not a douchebag now? Is Taylor Swift a doucebag? I don’t even know anymore. Either way, bottoms up.

Dear Taylor Swift writing that song makes what Kanye did not so bad after all

Dear Taylor Swift. He stole your microphone. It’s been a year. Get over it. It’s not like he broke up with you on the phone or something…

Dear Taylor Swift, making a horrible song about Kanye West does not change the fact that Beyonce had one of the greatest videos of all time!

Dear Taylor Swift, Kanye didnt interrupt you this year but you still embarrassed yourself in front of millions of people smh… #TryAgain

Dear Taylor Swift, just because your lucky number is 13 doesn’t mean your music should reflect that… in age. u haven’t been 13 for YEARS!

Dear Taylor swift he stole your moment not your virginity, stop being so depressed

So this is what a sunny, August Apocalypse might look like in rural NS: