Thursday, August 31, 2006
How BIG is big?
I sat back for a moment, reflected, and decided that the best way to approach this query was with broad strokes of general blah about my beloved blog(s).
A blog, I told myInquisitor, is a personal web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest to the user, also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user (dictionary dot com agrees with me ;)
"So what's the point?" he asked. To that I responded, "Ah, hell. Just to rant and rave I guess." But that's not really it, is it? It's more. It's about a growing number of conscientious, internet-savvy free-thinkers doing just that: thinking freely. It's about content provided for the masses, by the masses.
This is all redundant, so I'll stop.
It's the questions that his questions raised in my own mind that are more interesting. By asking me flat out "What's a blog?", my Inquisitor made me realize that the blogosphere, while large, looming, and ever-expanding (sort of like a cyber-big-bang) - isn't as big as I thought it was.
To me the word blog, as a noun, verb, whatever, is part of commonplace language. To others, it's not.
To some, blogs are these things that are creeping up and are full of crap, and that folks don't, or don't want to, understand. To me, they're an endless source of semi-reliable but all-infotaining content rivers, full of goodness. Like nutella. Yep, nutella.
See you in the funny pages...
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Anyone Feel Me?
So help me, never have I ever been so horrified at a live 'musical' act. Throughout high school and college I played in a few different bands, and I've seen some...variety...in terms of bands and beat makers. This past Friday was the first time that I could scarcely stand to stay seated, and not start throwing steel chairs into the ring a la WWE.
What is it about amateur rappers, and musicians in general, that make them think they have to scream as insanely as they can into any microphone in front of them to sound good? Why is it so many amateur rappers spend soooo much time talking about what they're going to do, or about to do, or are in the process of doing - but so little time telling you what they've done?
Personally, I think it's because they, like many of their professional counterparts, are full of shit.
Don't misunderstand. I like rap quite a bit. It's just that my idea of quality hip-hop and rap doesn't usually extend to the likes of what I saw last Friday night.
I remember, way back when, buying my first NWA album. Mix in some Wu-Tang. A little Tribe. Hell, even a little bit of Jay-Z and Nas. Maybe some Biggie. Maybe even som 'pac. But please. Pretty please. Hold the Luda, and the Em, and hand over the 2 quarters making up your 50 cents to me...I'm 'bout to feed that meter.
A'boogie.
Monday, August 28, 2006
A Case of The Mondays
There are generally three constants to my (week)days:
1) An early morning blog crawl.
This usually consists of various smut ridden, celebrity related, paparazzi-themed stuff that does nothing but provide eye candy to wake me up. Also, I throw in pinch ze frank, a dash of Rocketboom, and a big giant glob of my favorite podcast out there: Merriam-Webster's "Word of The Day", for good measure. Oh, and Amanda UnBoomed isn't bad, either.
2) Dunkin Donuts.
Consisting of either a hot coffee w/cream and sugar - or an iced coffee, with the same treatment. This is a hugely important part of my day - to the point where last weekend in Montreal, I plugged "Dunkin Donuts" into Google Maps Mobile on my BlackBerry - and got me some coffee, dammit.
3) Kempo.
Just about every day that isn't a weekend one - and sometimes on those, too - I can be found at Craig's Kempo Karate Academy in Watertown, MA. Mind, body, and spirit.
On this oh-so-drab Monday AM, I though I'd take a moment and share some of my day with you all, my Lovelies. For no other reason than it seemed like a good idea while I had my coffee during this morning's jaunt through the blogosphere.
See you in the funny pages...
Friday, August 25, 2006
Weekend Plans
Have you ever had a steak, grilled by USB? If not, go out and try it - better you first, than me.
More travel is on the horizon. At some point within the next few weeks, I'll be in NYC for no reason other than I feel like going. Maybe I'll drag the ThinkPad along, and make use of one of the new WiFi hotspots in The Park.
Next weekend I'll be in fabulous Toronto - that's in Canada - for the Canadian National Comic Book Expo. Yes, I'm a fanboy and I'm damn proud.
If you don't already watch The Show w/Ze Frank...please do yourself a favor and check out the episode from August 23rd...especially if you've ever been on a plane.
Oh, right. Last night I attended the Black Eyed Peas concert at The Tweeter Center. This show was supposed to feature The Pussycat Dolls as the opening act - sadly, they were unable to attend and I was forced to sit through 15 agonizing minutes of some horrific thing calling itself Danity Kane. Being that I was in the second row from the stage, when the lead "singer" (quotation marks here denote loose usage of the term) barked into her mic "Do y'all want us to sing you some more songs?" and I shouted "No. Please leave." --- ya, I'm pretty sure she heard me.
Ah, well. This is that asshole from the 2nd row, signing off.
See you in the funny pages...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Waxing Conscientious
"Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Dan Halutz has for the first time publicly admitted to failings in the conflict with Hezbollah."
This is the headline from BBC News' latest article on the continuing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah (full story here).
What sort of 'failings' are we talking about here? Are we talking about the civilians (on both sides) that have lost their homes, their livelihood, or worse?
Are we talking about the beautiful cities of Beirut and Haifa that have been beaten back 20 years, and buried under the rubble of intolerance?
Or are we talking about the fact that the instant a nation makes the decision to revert to war - a grievous 'failing' has occurred?
With the death toll already high (over 1,000 Lebanese dead, and over 100 Israelis) what's really been accomplished?
In the short term, sure, the looming threat of a militant militia has been quelled. The so-called 'party of god' has felt the wrath of the Israeli military. But what about the long term? This conflict will soon be just another page, or worse - a footnote, in the annals of this long conflict between Israel and its neighbors - brushed over by a reader's saccade.
It's important at times like these, for me at least, to ensure that my memory lasts longer than just the last sweeps week on the news. Before this latest conflict, countless others have all been part and parcel of the larger one - and that larger conflict is the one to lament.
In the long term, the onus to commit to peace in good faith (no crossing of fingers) falls on Israel as much as it does on the aggressors acting against it.
As for the 'failings' mentioned by the Israeli military chief of staff - I'm pretty sure he's ok. Lt Gen Halutz sold off his stock portfolio before fighting broke out.
Anybody see borders on this map?
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Feeling groovy?
In other news. This isn't a "What The?!?" Award, and it's not a links post - but I really want to 'share' this video with you:
In other news: look for The Rebel Yell's new vlog (tentatively called "Rebel Yell Live" (thoughts?) to premiere over and around the first weekend of September, when I'll be 'casting from the Canadian National Comic Book Expo, in Toronto.
Oh, and if anyone's seen Snakes On A Plane - please let me know how it was. Being that I was in Canada last weekend, I missed its bow.
See you in the funny pages...
Monday, August 21, 2006
The "What The?!?" Award of The Week (belated)
Saturday, August 19, 2006
The post-midnight, midnight post
Some dialogue from the tail end of this evening's festivities:
Sarv: I know kung-fu.
Amanda: I know tae-kwon-do.
Sarv: TKD is predictable. It's all kicks.
Amanda: Have you seen my legs? I'll kick you from across the street.
Mmm-hmmmm...
See you in the funny pages...
www.TheRebelYell.org
Friday, August 18, 2006
Bonjour, Salut, et Bon Vendredi!
Blog! Live!
So here it is. This is the very first 'moblog' entry on The Rebel Yell. This post comes to you live from fabulous Montreal, canadia...more specifically, a small town called Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
Already the festivities have begun. Look for video of said 'excitement' to be posted early next week.
Oh. And stick around for the weekend and read more about various exploits north of the border.
See you in the funny pages...
www.TheRebelYell.org
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Ignorance Excused By Pop Savvy ?
Is it strange to hear that the same majority can tell you what planet Superman is from, but can't identify Mercury as the closest planet to the sun? (is the planet named after that stuff in the thermometer?)
A recent survey, reported on here by Reuter's says this is all...sadly and pathetically...the case
...and don't get me started on the stats involving over-glorified-karaoke-crap-fest American Idol.
Sure. I can answer most of the pop culture questions the survey inquired about - and I don't feel the least bit embarrassed by that fact. Actually, I'm quite proud of my pop savvy - but certainly that's no excuse for the sheer ignorance of the world around them that respondents to this survey have displayed.
When three quarters of Americans can correctly ID The 3 Stooges...but less than half can tell you what the 3 branches of our own government are - is it any wonder that we find ourselves wondering "What the $#@* ?" so much of the time?
Maybe this is me being an East Coast/New England snob.
Maybe I should stop being such a Masshole.
Maybe...but I don't think so.
See you in the funny pages...
Zod? Wha?
-- Sincerely, TheRebelYell.orgSee. No harsh words here.
Funny pages and all that...
The Midnight Snack
In late breaking news, experts have said that the Mammoth is poised for a comeback in the near future. Yes, I mean the big hairy animal of yesteryear. Not biting?
"The woolly mammoth could be brought back from extinction using sperm extracted from animals encased in ice."
but how, you ask?
"The idea would be to inject mammoth sperm, assuming it could be retrieved, into the eggs of female elephants."
as far as why...you're on your own there.
Snacktime's over, and I'm a bit off my oddy knocky...and so now it's time to retire.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Do not pass Google...in fact, don't even cross it.
Was Xerox bothered when the name of its product became synonymous with photocopying?Did kleenex shed a tear when the term 'tissue' went out of vogue?Did Christmas care when we officially re-named it?Ok. Yes. Google needs to protect itself and its intellectual property. But this has encouraged copyright-happy Apple to follow suit, leading my mind to wander to places I'd nay visited before.Can Creative hit us with a copyright for the word zen? What about ask.com? Heck, I know there are others - and I'm just drawing me a blank right now. Can y'all think of any?
Oh, and by the way: Googdesk, anyone?
[note* insert witty title here before publishing]
It strikes me that this would be a good time to address the thing that I'm suuuure you're all curious about: my travel plans.
Will I still be going on a roadtrip across the country? ...yes. But in an effort to avoid the cruel midwestern sun - I love AC (note: AC is NOT a city in Jersey) - I'll be waiting until the fall & the calm repose it brings...mmm...football.
Will I still be coming back from said roadtrip? ...as my grandmother would say - it's depend.
There. Now that that's out in the open.
This weekend, The Rebel Yell will be blogging live (via BlackBerry) from glamorous Montreal, Canada. Follow various scandalous exploits here...and maybe on Cops Canada & Canada's Most Wanted.
See you in the funny pages...
Friday, August 11, 2006
The 'What The?!?' Award of The Week
A Minor Musing...
lo: I told you you would.
lo: you just didn't listen.
lo: that's quite common w/ you.
ed: i dont heart listening
I [link] I like you, but you like this whole room...
If you're reading this...
If you're reading this, then I've successfully posted my very first moblog entry via blackberry.
A'boogie.
"See you in the funny pages..."
www.TheRebelYell.org
Breaking news from the BBC...and Gizmodo
At least according to one study (bbc.com). This isn't like cd's, or regular old fashioned digital video discs - this is 1080p for 1080p's sake.
Sure, I'd love to replace my DVD library with the new discs - but which one to choose? Blu-Ray? I do like the color blu. But what about HD DVD? Isn't there room for a little love there, too?
As far as I'm concerned, Sony and Toshiba (among others) - you should be ashamed of yourselves. When two media juggernauts like yourselves go to war over ownership of the new standard in home video formatting - it's US that lose out. Because you two don't feel like getting along - you're forcing studios and retailers into deals that, in the long term, may end up keeping your discs out of the hands of people who don't want to fork up $30/movie (not to mention the cost of the player - one for each format - and the 1080p-capable television, without which this is all useless).
The biggest question still looms. Which one of you two is the Betamax of a new generation.
See you in the funny pages...
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Pre-Midnight, Midnight Snack
In any event, enjoy!
Temptation thy name is...
Since getting my mitts on this little sucker, I've not been able to put it down.
When I'm driving, there it is. Staring back at me with it's sultry LED. Asking...no...demanding that I pay it heed while doing 80 on I-95.
Have I been outbid on that lamp on eBay?
What new music came out on iTunes today?
Did Yanni write back about the carpool plans for next weekend's trip?
Will GCalSync ever work properly?
In an effort to get a bit more Zen (no I don't mean the new theme) - I'll leave you with this BlackBerry haiku:
BlackBerry don't you see
You're what's troubling me now
Gosh it hurts so good.
Where you (are)?
You can get to it by clicking the nifty little "Where you at?" link in the right hand menu - or just click here, to open the map in a new window/tab.
Oh, right. Once you're there, the "Add Yourself" option is up top and to the right. Feel free to add some photos to the slideshow (just please keep it somewhere under NC-17...we've got kiddies about).
Aboogie.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Family Guy Unplugged
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
The 'New' Rocketboom: Hit or miss?
Don't get me wrong, I'm still giving Rocketboom a chance becauseI'm all for trying new things, but Rocketboom, if y'all don't pick up the pace real soon - you'll be off my iTunes Podcasts list quicker than Amish folk on a BlackBerry.See you in the funny pages...
Monday, August 07, 2006
I Am of 'The Hype'
I did something today that, after swearing off my Palm PDA last year, I swore I'd ne'er do again - succumb to the smart-phone craze
Well. To heck with all of that. I'm a proud crack-berry owner now. In fact - look for live posts from the road (if I can figure out how to get that to work), in the near future.
To all of you that may be disappointed in me - get over it. And to me, who swore he'd never be caught reading emails via scroll wheel in traffic - just embrace it, man.
See you in the funny pages...(as long as they're mobile funny pages)
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Out, out darn spot!
Some notable items:
#4. James Blunt
#28. Noisy Eaters
#33. Novelty Ring Tones
...and the obligatory
#67. People who write 'text back' in texts
Text yo...err...see you in the funny pages...
Friday, August 04, 2006
I Like The Way You (L)ink
The Top 10 Manliest Superheroes of All Time
Can't say that I agree 100% - but good effort!
(Bam!Kapow!)
The 10 Best Will Ferrell Skits
How'd they narrow this down to just 10?
(cracked.com)
Kim Cattrall's Banned Nissan Commercial
Sex and the sedan. A losing combination.
(askmen.com)