Quite possibly the best feature to recently hit Gmail along with the recent video chat addition. Themes have been added for your colorful and personal enjoyment. Here’s an enticing preview if you’re still stuck in Yahoo land deciding “I dunno, is Gmail going to treat me right and have my babies?”. Yes, yes it will.

Terminal theme. Little geeky, somewhat seedy. Let’s see what the Ninja theme looks like.

Hmm. Asking for Country/Region? Hopefully ninjas don’t come of no where…

OH SH-!

Overall, a nice touch to personalize your email experience online. Now when someone walks by your desk and sees ninjas in your email you’ll get a ‘wtf’ out of them. Only except they’ll really say “what the fuck”. If they actually say ‘double you tee eff’ proceed to escort them outside and show them the real world.

It happened.

For all of you hungry folk that enjoy limited human contact while ordering food, you can now place Domino’s orders from your comfortable couch on your Tivo. I don’t know the extent of which ordering capabilities are available as of yet, but when I do I’ll document my fantastic ordering experience here.

Check out what other cool stuff Domino’s is doing.

I own the Bose QC2 headphones. I effing love them. They’re $300 and I’ve had them for about 7 years with only one ear pad change. The amazing thing is I wear them at work roughly 6 hours a day, I also use them to record. So basically I have them on my noggin 50-60 hours per week. That’s a lot of wear time. Only draw back is that they operate on 1 AAA battery that usually lasts about 80 hours, if I stretch it. I use rechargeable batteries most of the time so I don’t mind the battery swaps.

I’m due for another ear pad change since I’m left with pieces of black leather ear dandruff every time I take them off. To replace the ear pads I have to call Bose and order the part for about $40. Then I thought ehh maybe I can live with the dandruff a little longer and see what else is out there. Cause the Bose headphones aren’t cheap. They’re not official studio quality but I love the noise cancellation feature and the overall roundness to the frequencies. Decent range from a great low end to manageable highs.

As I was contemplating this $40 purchase, I became curious as to what other headphones had big price tags.

Here’s what I found:

The ULTRASONE Edition 9

Retail Price: $1,799.00

Found at: http://tinyurl.com/2l25xt

For the price of 2 used 1960s Volkswagon Beetles you too could be swimming in audible luxury. Titanium drivers, Ethiopian sheep leather ear pads, black chrome ear cups, and a sleek metal attache’ case greet you at every decibel. For the money it better feel like you’re riding in a Cadillac when these are on your head.

The Casa Di Blingphones

Retail Price: $5,200.00

Found at: http://tinyurl.com/5ktwk9

You know what will make your music experience better? Diamonds and gold. Each earphone contains 59 diamonds that have been individually set in the gold, giving a sparking appearance. Richard Slack, managing director for the firm, said: “We were first shown these earphones by a client at an Aston Martin show and our initial rection was ‘wow’. As well as looking fantastic, the sound quality is also very good.” Shit I want 2!

The Sennheiser Orpheus

Retail Price: $27,999.00

Found at: http://tinyurl.com/36hj9g

“The Orpheus combination offers the audiophile the ultimate in reference sound reproduction. The Best Headphones In The World, that is the unanimous verdict on the Orpheus reached by the international trade press.” Frist of all, lulz. Second, who in the hell buys this shit. You should not even brag about wanting this. Settle down.

Ya, I think I’ll stick with my Bose and order new ear pads next week.

Guns N’ Roses are officially the Michael Bay of music. In short, here’s what I’m on about:

I heard 9 mixes from Guns N’ Roses months ago, and finally got the real mastered deal of Chinese Democracy today after almost two decades and millions of dollars later. The release for this record is on the 23rd. I sat with this all the way through, and for the money I think they made it work. The real value will be determined by the listener.

So initially here’s what I thought. I want to like it. I really do. It sounds pleasant going into my earhole, and there’s a lot going on to keep it interesting. The record seems to be more like a business venture rather than a group of guys with a passion for music. Axl Rose gives some decent performances that seem to have some integrity and believability. A lot of different drum eq automation effects distract from the overall quality of the drums (which sound like they were composed in BFD2, a midi drum program). The guitar work is surprisingly impressive even though some of the effects are gratuitously annoying. Pop inspired vocal effects and layering give Axl a decent makeover from his early days, although the vocal quality sounds like where the money went.

My first impressions going down the list of songs was amazement on the amount of production and imagining the number of tracks in the ProTools files and the hundreds of plug-ins used. It’s almost like as technology evolved over the years they discovered they could keep adding shit.. and did.

Axl is the spotlight in this record. No question. There’s no Slash for Axl to be arm and arm with, so listening to this I started to feel like I was hanging out with a divorced buddy and his new girlfriend, only without the chemistry.

As far as songwriting and melodies go, it’s no Appetite For Destruction. I’m not sure if anyone was really expecting it to be, a lot of people got a taste of their new sound with their pre-released single “Shackler’s Revenge”. There’s mega production and lots going on to distract from the core of the song… or movie if we’re talking about Michael Bay.

I’ll be honest, in a decade where less is more I don’t know how well this will be received by the younger generation. I think a lot of older women will fall in love with Axl again, older GnR fans will remember Use Your Illusion and might enjoy about 80% of Chinese Democracy, primarily the slower jams.

If their live show is just as impressive and on par with the production of this record, they just might be able to pull the trilogy of albums off and maintain interest. However if they’re promising 2012 they better keep that production time table or they will further piss off more people. Axl can’t show up 4 hours late to a show or prolong a release anymore, this ain’t the 80s.

My predictions:

- ‘Better’ will be the next single

- Washed up 80s party girls will slowly crawl out of their dark caves

- Metallica will have music production envy

- The press will fart all over this record then smell it

- The next album will be released 2 years late in 2014

- Kanye West will collaborate with them on the next record

- The album will be received by a limited audience and die off with the trends

If you saw Transformers three or more times in the theatre, you’ll probably dig this record. A lot.

And hey, if you don’t like the tracks, at least you’ll get a free Dr. Pepper.

More about that here.

Liz and I are officially married. I got to say that I thought I wouldn’t feel any different but I really do. A little more responsible, committed, and closer to a new family I’ve grown to know and love over the last 5 years. We had a great time and really enjoyed spending time with extended family as well as our immediate family and friends. Everything was perfect as could be, and everyone seemed to agree.

Throughout the night I kept telling myself to enjoy every moment because I knew our day was going to go by fast. If there was one thing I learned from hang gliding two weeks prior, it was that new and amazing experiences can kick your ass so hard and go by so fast without you being able to process how you felt or why. Even though I made an effort to enjoy every minute it still moved faster than I wanted everything to, but I loved every second.

We’ve been doing great as husband and wife for a little over a month now.. I can’t believe it’s almost been two months already. We’re just now getting back into our normal routines, even with the fall time change I still feel like I need another hour to catch up on everything I need to do. New gifts, new families, and new memories have enriched our lives along with our commitment to each other. We are very thankful to have had our good friends there to share in our experience. The holidays will be extra special for us and everyone in our family this year.

We’ve decided to make the majority of our wedding photos and videos public. They may not be the most interesting pictures or amazing action packed movies, but they serve a special place in our hearts. Regardless, enjoy a tiny look into our special week.
 

Here’s a slideshow of photos I have posted on my Flickr page. Special thanks to Dave Luchansky over at ACandidAffair.com.

On our way to Epcot

Walking around Epcot

Hotel hot tub

Hotel walk-through.

Mini Golf.

Worst tour guide ever.

On some People Mover thing at Magic Kingdom

Eating at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre.

Rocking the small boat on the lake.

My one request 2 weeks before my wedding day, was to run off of a cliff hanging from a giant kite. My brother Daniel, made that wish come true.

September 13th, 2008 - Sylmar Flight Park - Sylmar, CA

The following takes place between 8:45pm and 8:47pm.

What could possibly be called an epic battle occurred this Thursday evening. The two fierce and agile competitors battled for new grounds after a key piece of territory was introduced in the form of a cardboard box containing one wedding present.

Luckily this brave journalist was there on the scene to capture the key events:

Lt. Lucy guards her post from potential intruders.

A CHALLENGER APPEARS!

Perhaps it was just a diversion...

Suspicion sets in as Lt. Lucy turns to the journalist for intel on the enemy location.

Perhaps a quick glance to locate the enemy won't hurt...

The enemy strikes and engages in close combat!

Lt. Lucy is forced to retreat from the bunker!

Scout Ricky has claimed his territory... for now.

PocketGuitar has been re-released for all and updated on the App Store as of August 26th. In the thick mass of iPhone and iPod Touch music applications, it’s tough to find anything worth while for the money that suits my fun pants as a musician. Previously, it was circulated as a hack app, where a jailbroken iPhone/iPod Touch could download it for free.

99¢ isn’t bad. Here’s why.

I’ve tried aDrummer (Drum Hero - free), Thereminator (overpriced at $3, but potentially useful if you can’t afford a theremin to record), Drum Kit ($2 and lags a bit in response time), Pocket Piano (new and pretty cool), which have fun 15sec “huhuhuhuh” and “heheheheh”moments but still leave you $1-$3 short going “awwwww”. For $1, PocketGuitar challenges the best of guitar players to wrap your fingers around your device of choice like a fretboard and strum/pluck your favorite chords with your finger near the home button, or set your iPhone/iPod Touch on a table to touch the strings and play it like a lap steel. I managed to hit 4 strings with my fingers, and with a fret/string width adjustment option, Comic Book Guy’s fingers could probably hit all 4 strings.

The amazing part of this fun music app is the string branded versatility nestled within $1. There are a few instruments to choose from including Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Muted Guitar, Electric Bass, and my personal favorite the Ukulele. All have semi-realistic voices and string sounds.

Another great feature is the sound effects. You can stack up to 2 effects, including a combination of Distortion (Gain and Level controls), Delay (Time, Feedback, and Level controls), and/or Chorus (Level, Delay, Depth, and Speed).

I found the Acceleromter effect pretty cool and a nice touch as it introduces a whammy bar into your plucking. Controls include Raise Pitch, Lower Pitch, and a Sensitivity option which can get really crazy. Alternative Tuning setting provides a generous control to any Come As You Are lover who wants to upstage an air guitar enthusiast at a party.

The one draw-back to this app is, which may hopefully be enhanced in the future, there isn’t a setting option to softly strum the strings outputting various velocity voices. I hope the developer, Shinya Kasatani, implements this in the future along with different effect choices (like a flanger, different distortions, etc) to keep it interesting and updated. As a guitar player, I enjoyed it for what it’s worth. It’s cute, has a decent sound and operation, and can come in fairly handy when I’m bored at work and have a song idea in my head.

After my first attempt of an honest music review, I managed to get my hands on Knowle West Boy today before tomorrow’s release date to check out the new sound from Tricky. If anyone knows me, you know I’m a giant Massive Attack fan and have had thousands of track plays logged on iLike and Last.fm, so I was hoping for the best on this first listen. Tricky ran with Massive for a few years in the early 90s after their brief run known as The Wild Bunch, contributing to Blue Lines and one of my personal favorite albums, Protection. Since the mid 90s he’s been on his own, breaking out with his solo debut Maxinquaye in 95 and collaborating with an array of lesser-known talented vocalists.

On first listen through, its overall sound is a bit lacking and the attitude appears to be a bit trite, reserving any integrity I hoped it would deliver. Puppy Toy kicks off the record with a more groovy Puscifer REV 22:20 styled track, offering what would appear to be a taste of Bristol’s, Knowle West (and no, that’s not Bristol Palin’s future baby’s name; however, to be fair, I’m putting $20 on it).

This record didn’t hit me as hard (sonically) as I would’ve liked, similar to a bland dinner plate that looks like it would taste off the hook immediately but ultimately leaves you going “aww man” after you take one bite. Extremely diverse in styles, I would’ve liked to have heard more fast tracks like Tricky’s newest single, Council Estate. While Council Estate walked through the door, smelling like it had been sleeping with Outkast, it contained less polish and more gritty realism, which I liked, but at a total track time of 2:41 left me feeling unsated and wanting to be excused from the table.

I decided to stick around and see what else was on the menu.

The next track down the list that grabbed me was Coalition. While it reminded me of Lo Fi Allstars’ Battleflag, it never really hit hard like I was hoping it would. I really hope someone will remix it. The lyrics and lines on this track are probably the best and most upfront strikes on the record, sampling, “The revolution will be televised in Iran, And the Holy Koran, You can go on to the internet, log in to your local war. You can read your paper. Receive a mental scar. Gets your happy meal in your happy car”. Again, I had the feeling like it was just missing the bullseye.. or target.. or donkey ass.

The last track, School Gates, has amazing lyrics and a great rebel cowboy feel. In 3/4 with a great guitar pluck line, crisp acoustic guitar sound, slide guitar, alternate female vocals, this is possibly the best song that was put together on the record for its length at 3:47. Along with the haunting feel of melodramatic lyrics, it really set the tone for the 12 previous tracks for me as an undeserving feeling of melancholy sadness. 

I expect mixed reviews from consumers and semi-moderate praise from critics. Knowle West Boy hits a nerve that never really wanted to be hit. While the female cameos on the record are beautiful and somewhat moving, it’s not enough to distract me from the subpar song writing, uninventive production, and lack of anything hard-hitting. After one listen, it was enough to make me want to blast some Rage so I could get a dose of drops and slamming choruses I so sorely needed.

As I sauntered into work today (yes, sometimes I do in fact saunter), I sat down in front of my color calibrated monitor and wacom tablet with some coffee ready to create a perfect retouched reality, then proceeded to wonder, who in the hell reads magazines anymore? Why isn’t the CMYK industry moving faster to the RGB internet? Is the print industry dying?

I think about the amount of people who pick up a newsstand copy of the magazines I work on and how many will get a subscription in the mail. I think about the deadlines and stress everyone deals with at the job to push out issues on time to get them to a printer and distributer who will then take 2-4 weeks to produce 80k copies per title. I wonder why we’re working on dated information 2-3 months ahead of time that will be irrelevant when the magazine hits the stand.

Magazines seem lazy to me.

A tangible television.

A 20th century commodity.

An old business model.

Gossip aside, exclusive entertainment and information magazines don’t need to break stories as fast as US Weekly. They have the potential to handle content differently. By the way, what’s up with the redundancy of information on their site vs their magazine? Why must we receive news from one source.. 2 WAYS? In 2007 there was a quiet magazine study done on popular titles and their effect online vs print which revealed US Weekly’s website taking more hits than their print subscribers. Why not resort to only 1 source?

Oh right, advertisers.

Advertisers are keeping this old business model around through a tangible social status. You can’t hang a web page from a hook at the checkout line in Vons. It’s impossible sample a fragrance immediately online. Not yet, at least. And incidentally, you’ll look like a total geek reading news about Hannah Montana on TMZ.com in an internet cafe.

Basically, magazines are tangible market-targeted advertisement novels. You like big boobs? Here’s a list of pill manufacturers that claim they can make your dick bigger and last longer so you can keep your pretend girlfriend satisfied. You like fast cars? Oh, well here’s a thin book with an ad index of part manufacturers to dump your money into so you can get your car to look like the one on pg 12.

It’s an evil business that’s clouded with subliminal advertisements. 

I wonder if in 20 years, a green government will take control and condemn printing plants that continue to remain environmentally crude (unlike Printhaus) and will have to shift their base to the internet; in the coattails of the digital cable transition maybe? Even if the pages are made of recycled paper, the printing process and materials alone that are used to create, produce, and ship a product are extensively rich with toxic chemicals.

It’s in your hands then in the trash an hour later. This needs to change.