An Exercise of Restraint

As the newest Lady Gaga video for Alejandro approaches release, I figured it was only a matter of time before her rumored 7-minute black-and-white splash will spike up the charts and cannibalize even Telephone. It won't be a conversation-starter because of product placement, as Telephone primarily was, it will probably be a conversation-starter for something even more negative: her increasingly annoying penchant for pretentiousness.

You can't really say that music video length already equates to being pretentious- I mean, Michael Jackson has two music videos (as far as I know) that famously exceed 10 minutes- but when you think about it, there's something in Gaga's videos that pretty much scream for attention.

Is it because Stefani Germanotta, the lady behind the mask, actually knows what she's doing? Could it be her way of taking advantage of the fickle American taste and overstating herself to make a metaphor? Or is it because... she just doesn't know how to exercise a bit of restraint?

If there's one thing OK Go, or even Madonna in some cases, does well, it's restraint. Why do you think Madonna always gets buzz for her concerts moreso than her music videos, and why does it always feel like a huge event when OK Go quietly releases a new video on their YouTube page? You don't always see them on the tube, that's for sure.

One could argue that all this rambling about Lady Gaga is a product of being overplayed, overexposed or just plain ear fatigue, but in fact, it's kind of the opposite. Personally, she remains a bit of an exciting artist, if only because she seems to be the only current influential artist whose music will undoubtedly endure time. In a decade, people will barely remember 7 Things, but they'll be nostalgic for Just Dance. It's all uncannily Madonna, and Germanotta- who to my disappointment, is classically trained (thus making her automatically and technically better than Madonna)- is all the smarter for it.

But by practically releasing several consecutive music videos that exceed the tolerable threshold of 4 minutes, Lady Gaga risks her becoming obscure faster than you could say Ke$ha (who I doubt will endure enough to make a second album), if only because these videos risk her becoming a very tiring figure to gawk at. The aesthetic, the sex, the "quirky" imagery, the pointless storylines, they get tiring, and because of Lady Gaga, everyone else is keeping tabs as if she were the Apple of the music world. Now we have Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and even Christina Aguilera following suit, making the music video industry even more unbearable than Pauly Shore.

Lest trendsetter Gaga comes up with something else and actually keeps things simpler, someone else will have to steal the spotlight away from her some time, if only because every mainstream artist following her example makes things sickening by the minute. When Alejandro goes live, be sure to see people looking in the other direction, hoping for someone else to come down and lift them away.

12 Days of Random Gift Ideas (Day 4)

If you like music, and have a deep appreciation for the noun in general, then you simply must listen to the Beatles. Hell, if you don't know a Beatles song, then you're either a toddler or a living corpse.






Featuring a very fancy piece of non-environmentally-friendly but oh-so magnificent packaging, the Beatles Remastered discography collection is a purchase that any true music fan will surely love. From 'I Saw Her Standing There' to the bickering days of 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', it's all there and at the best sound quality ever to be heard on a Beatles record yet.

This amazing remastered set is worth the hefty price, as it features classic albums of what is arguably the world's most influential band ever.

Rock Band Network: Don't wait for the third one

One of the major features people talk about when comparing the lasting value of Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 is the music creator (GHTunes) of the former. While it makes for a little bit of amusement, the amusement doesn't really last long what with the decidedly un-user-friendly creation interface. Now, the arguments can be put to rest, because Harmonix has announced something even better: the new Rock Band Network.

Aimed as both a promotional tool for independent labels/artists and a DIY DLC creator for established labels, the Rock Band Network is the place where the artists themselves can create both the song and the Rock Band chart, then upload them to the community for evaluation. They can set their price (.50c-$2) and they'll get a share of that profit.

Nobody said creating the crap was easy though, and that's because one will need an account before they gain access to the same tools Harmonix uses. So no, it's not the same consumer-oriented composer tools Guitar Hero offers, but the real deal. Now it won't have to sound like a ringtone (unless your song sounded like a ringtone intentionally).

Perhaps one deal-breaker to this new tool comes with the current incompatibility with other consoles-- namely the PS3 and the Wii-- but Harmonix says that they're "working on those versions" as well.

I envision Rock Band Network as one of the biggest promotional tools the music industry can exploit. I mean, since a creator can simply release the song/s on a date he chooses, labels could say, simultaneously put out Rock Band DLC and a new album.

For the interested musicians out there, you better have a 360 if you want to participate in the beta. You'll also have to get your e-mail address and type it in the site though.

On My Playlist

Just thought of putting this up just for the heck of it. Anyway, I've recently been avidly adding plenty of unfamiliar artists and enjoying the fresh structure they have given to my music habit, and I just thought that I'd share it with the rest of the world. Well, here are some artists you could try listening to. Of course, it's not guaranteed to suit your taste, but whatever.

1) THE TING TINGS
If you're Filipino, the first thing you'd do is laugh at the silly name. It's like saying that the band name could've just been 'The Brooms' instead, or 'The Sticks', but no, they're the Ting Tings, and they're actually the kind of band you'd hate at first, but grow to love later for some reason. Their songs are unique and catchy, the grooves are nice, and they're as indie and British as you can get. Highlights include "That's Not My Name" which reminds me of "Hey Mickey", "Great DJ" and the song that skyrocketed them to fame in the first place: "Shut Up and Let Me Go" in the Apple iPod ad.

2) OK GO
Have you ever watched a certain YouTube-esque video a few years ago on either MTV or Channel V that involved treadmills and 4 gentlemen? Well, if you haven't, try and look for Ok Go and you'd probably see that video at the top of the list. But the Chicago-based band doesn't rely on cheap but fun videos solely, they have a whole album- and it rocks hard.

It sounds like a mix of retro rock and current trends, and you don't exactly get nicely made songs of this kind all the time, which is why I love this band.

3) MIKA
This guy loves his falsettos.

He was a struggling artist, and then he finally got the notice of a major recording company, thus Life In Cartoon Motion. The songs here are extremely infectious and smothered with the stuff of pop and cryptically weighty subject matter, thus making for a unique but wholly enjoyable listen. Highlights include the overplayed "Grace Kelly", "Stuck In The Middle", "Happy Ending" and the giddy "Lollipop".

4) BOYS LIKE GIRLS
I haven't delved very deep into their album yet, but from what I've heard, the tracks are pretty solid.

5) SARA BAREILLES
She's a nice singer, and her songs are pretty nice. Many radio-friendly tunes can be found, and they're all pretty pleasant to the ear. Highlights include "Vegas", "Between the Lines", "Morningside" and "Love Song".

Posted with LifeCast

The Sims 2 Gets Toxic

This was just too funny, as a Sims 2 player, because it's just too 'uncanny valley' since it duplicates almost every scene in the real music video despite the limitations of the game!

And as a bonus, here's the famous leaked new single from Whitney Houston's new album. Quick, call your grandmother!

Stuff to Download: Windows Edition Part 1?

Here are some great applications that'll guarantee your piece of mind and convenience- and they're free! (Download links are obviously on the program names.)

Security
Avast! Antivirus (TOP PICK)
Avast! Antivirus has the power of the other anti-virus applications you'll commonly pay for. When I reformatted just recently, this one was the first program I downloaded even before Mozilla Firefox or whatever.

Plus, you can personalize this thing with "skins" that are downloadable from the site- and it won't even slow your computer down.

ZoneAlarm Firewall
OK, I know firewalls are very much annoying all the time, but it's better to be safe than sorry, and ZoneAlarm's Firewall provides what you pay normally for free.

Have you a program that you didn't install but magically appeared? Well that's what a firewall is for.

AVG Anti-Virus
Although in my opinion, AVG Anti-Virus is very slow especially during updates (which are daily), it's the thing that everyone downloads- at least, that's according to Download.com.

Besides, two heads are better than one, so you can download both Avast! and AVG for better protection- and a second opinion.

Hijack This!
Not advised for uber-n00bs, Hijack This! is Trend Micro's answer to anti-spyware problems, and it has proven effective for several people. Plus, it's only a quick 800KB download, and it installs without a hitch.

The problem with this, however, is that Hijack This! also lists some safe applications so it'll be very confusing to pick which is dangerous and which is not.

People say it's effective, lightweight and zippy! So if you've got a real pro in the house, Hijack This! will be the answer to your spyware problems.CAPTION: n00bs beware.

But maybe in another edition, I will list a better suited anti-spyware app.

Entertainment and Media
VLC Media Player (TOP PICK)
It can play any video format from A-Z, from the 90's to 2008, licensed or independent, the works: in short, it's the only player you'll ever need. You can even stream stuff from here, and convert one video to another. Plus, its code is open to anyone to modify so there'll be a lot of updates.

Awkward (multiple) Open commands will confuse however, but if you learn about it, you're home free.
Windows Media Player 11
Forget 10, go 11. It's probably the best Windows Media Player version made in years, but you have to have a genuine check before download, and that's the thing that sucks about it.

QuickTime
QuickTime is a good media player that can play almost anything except Windows media files and MPEG2. You can stream some great quality trailers from Apple trailers, or get some crystal quality HD from that website. It slowly opens though, and some features like Full Screen are premium features- which means you have to pay just for that, and other semi-useful tools you can normally find for free in VLC.

QuickTime 7.1 makes streaming media a significantly better experience however, because it has less stuttering and smoother playback all the way for those watching Steve Jobs' keynotes on-demand.

iTunes
It's bloated, really bloated, so it is a pain to download. Plus, it loads slow as a slug. At least in Windows anyway.

Those things do not stop it, however, from being the number 1 jukebox for both Windows and Mac, and that's because it's the only program officially able to connect and synchronize with iPod/s and iPhone/s. Other than that, it has a decently fast audio ripper and converter, and you can view your music in its graphically stunning Cover Flow mode.

SUPER
Although it is disputed to have viruses because of its auto-update feature, SUPER Video Converter is a free program that's really good when it works. Yeah, its website looks very suspicious, and downloading it is hell, but when you get it, it really works.

Only thing is that your computer has to do absolutely NOTHING ELSE if you want it to work 100% guaranteed, and chances are you won't want that.

Handbrake
When you say "DVD to iPod, PSP, iPhone, etc. etc. etc.", I say "Handbrake". It does what you want: rip DVDs into PSP, iPod, iPhone-compatible movies. You only have to see the length of the "titles" to get it right. Other than that, you can queue several videos for conversion if the DVD contains episodes of your favorite series, and more.

Miro
Miro is a video organization program that can search, download and convert files from YouTube, Metacafe, Google Video, and lots more. Plus, you can watch and subscribe channels, probably through Media RSS, as well as download movie torrents.

PicLens for Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox (TOP PICK)
PicLens is simply the best, most immersive media exploring experience in the net. Simply click the table columns icon on the top-right side of your browser (Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox) or the Play button when you search Google Images or something like that.

CAPTION: Surf through its beautiful 3D walls while searching for that YouTube video, all in this small sized plug-in.

What it presents is a beatiful 3D wall that will have you screaming: "THIS IS FREE?!". Yes, it's that good.

Downloads
LimeWire
LimeWire is still the most popular P2P downloading application in the universe as it delivers almost anything you search. Yes, there are a lot of viruses and fake adware, but if you've got a great sense of intuition, you'll probably find more or less what you're looking for be it music, movies, applications, documents or pictures.

uTorrent (TOP PICK)
Actually, "micro-Torrent" is probably the right way of pronouncing it, and it's probably because the download size of the app is actually really small, and it definitely loads without a hitch.
If you want to download torrents, uTorrent is the best, most user-friendly way to do it.

GetRight (TOP PICK)
GetRight is great shareware that's not as irritating as, say, iGetter. You can go on downloading whatever you want forever without having to pay for the price of nag screens basically. I don't need acceleration, I couldn't care less, and that's because I can just pause, play and state the time of shutdown whenever my download finishes.

Computer Management
CoreTemp
CoreTemp is very much a lightweight program that enables you to see whether your processors are overheating. It only works with dual-core Intel processors however, and that sucks for the rest of us.

Browsers
Mozilla Firefox 3
It's faster, better, and ACID2 compliant. It's the new Firefox 3!

But OK, there are no "killer features" included in this point zero release, but the awesome bar is very much a welcome addition to its great features. Include that with extensive customizability, and you can have all that you need in one browser... although when I say faster, it means faster than Internet Explorer 7. IE 8 does not work at all.

Flock (TOP PICK)
Flock is a rising star in the browser race, and it's a social junkie's dream come true. Got a FaceBook account? Then log in and check on your friends from the browser. Got a YouTube account? Then see what your friends recently uploaded, and favorited in its cool Media Stream toolbar.

How about photos? Well, your photos can be uploaded to your Flickr or Photobucket account using the built-in multi-photo uploader. Offline blog editing and easier photo management? Of course. And you can publish them to your Blogger, TypePad, WordPress, or practically any blog.

Oh, and did I mention it's also based from Firefox? That means it's safe, powerful, and speedy all at the same time.

Safari 3.1
When it comes to speed, Safari can't be beat. When Firefox crawls, Safari is the browser I turn to, and it helps me get work done in a short time.

Oh, and it's probably the browser that opens fastest, at least for me.

Also, it's standards-compliant, so there will be no broken parts of pages here and there, and you can even resize text fields!

SnapBack is also an underused feature meant for jumping back to that search results page whenever you wander to far from it, and you don't want to have to click Back millions of times.

Compatibility issues stem from various websites like Yahoo! Mail though. But the Mac version is ironically supported.

In addition, its look may get boring after some time, and no, Safari doesn't offer official ways on how to change your browser's look.

If you're downloading Safari, download Inquisitor for Safari
Like Flock, Inquisitor's search add-on for Safari gives you instant results and intelligent suggestions.

Opera
Opera is the most underappreciated underdog of the FireFox-Internet Explorer browser wars, and that's because it offers some great, innovative features to the table like Speed Dial which assigns a webpage to a number like a real phone, built-in torrent downloading, and mouse gestures. It also has great versions on mobile phones and Wii console (Internet Channel).

***
I'll probably end the download suggestions up to here. If I forget something, then I'll just put it on Part 2. But anyway, all of these apps are must-downloads, and as for the browsers, you'll probably want to check all of them out before settling into one browser.

UNRELATED:
But on a side note, here's a milestone:

I've successfully downloaded my first movie torrent. And the movie? Superbad. I don't know, I'm just curious. It is a Judd Apatow to be honest.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Tech Tips: Karaoke Your Music

Sunday and my father had tasked me to separate Michael Ball's voice from his whole album. I scour the net, I scour Yahoo! Answers, and there it was. A link from a certain person who got best answer, and well, well, well. It was about Audacity, a free music editor, and an effective way to get vocals out of the instruments. And frankly, it was a lifesaver cause I thought I had to buy a pirated version of the Logic Studio software by Apple as was stated on a similar question that won best answer.

So after finding a few additional tools, I practically sped through the process, Mac at lap and well, I think there will also be a time when some friend or family member will request you, a member of the Internet generation, to do the same so I got the sense to actually record the process on video so we will be on more understanding terms.

TECH TIP: Get songs (and movies) out of your iPod

Say you're planning to reformat your computer and you want to back-up all those music files. Well, you've got an iPod to do that. Then your computer is finally reformatted, yet you cannot even put all those damn songs back into the computer. What gives?!

Well, since Apple is one of the biggest companies in the US of A, it also has to observe its piracy/Digital Rights Management rules so you can't just as easily put it on your computer as you put music on your iPod. (Though lately, iTunes is capable of syncing music from iPod to iTunes... Purchased music, that is.)

So if you haven't already Googled for ways on how to put your music back from your iPod to your computer, then you seriously need to follow this guide.

1) No other software needed.
If you don't like bothering/downloading software from the Internet, then you can put music from your iPod by dragging and dropping anyway, though you'll have to follow a few extra rules and test a few songs.

Step 1. Access iTunes, do not automatically sync, then check the Enable Disk Use box. (Though I'm pretty sure that it's checked by default.)
If that option is checked, then it will most probably get read by My Computer (or Computer in Windows Vista) as a "Removable Disk", or maybe any other name you put it.Step 2. Access the iPod in My Computer and you'll see a list of folders. Of course, the music you have won't be here just yet, because the folder is hidden. Reveal it by selecting Tools on the menu bar, Folder Options and click Show hidden files and folders.
Step 3. When you click OK, you'll get to see the hidden folder called iPod_Control. Open it and go to Music. Ironically enough, you'll also find your videos here, but for your photos or games, well, that's for another time. But when you enter the Music folder, get ready for a nightmarish time.

No, that wasn't renamed by the website I got this pic from, the iPod did. Fortunately however, the titles and tags are all intact and if you open, say, Windows Media Player or whatever other media players you have, you'll be able to read them all. You have to open them one-by-one, though. (And that's what's so nightmarish about it.) But then again, you're putting everything, right?

Step 4-A. You can even press CTRL+A and drag-and drop everything to iTunes (just make sure that the Keep iTunes Music folder organized and Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library checkboxes in the Advanced preferences found in Edit, then Preferences in the menu bar).

Step 4-B. Or you can select File, then Add Folder to Library, and select the iPod_Control folder directly and wait for iTunes to work its magic. Of course, the options selected above should also be enabled so that iTunes can sort everything (and not make your library look like hell!).

But if you don't want to do this, I can take a hint.

2) Third-Party Software: The Easy Road
Free Software Candidate #1: SharePod
Though the import process is not as easy as its counterparts, the software is quite decent, and it's free too. You can just highlight your songs, and press Copy to PC.
It will then ask you as to where you'll want to import these songs. Note that all of them are saved in a so-called XML file which you have to manually Import from iTunes, so pick an ultimately convenient location (you know, like the Desktop?).Once you've selected a destination and clicked OK, the file that will appear will be called SharePod_iTunes_Import.xml, and if you access iTunes, select File, Import, then the that specific file, the music will be loaded into the library.

Sure beats that other step, huh?

But then again, there is also another software candidate:

Free Software Candidate #2: YamiPod
Designed to work on all major platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux), YamiPod is a less user-friendly solution that offers simple music import to whatever folder you select. But it more than makes up for the fact that you can run it from the iPod so you can import music even if the computer doesn't have iTunes. (Though I don't really know how to do that... yet.)

CAPTION: Honestly, it's a bit intimidating.

After selecting all of your music, click File, then Copy to.... Select the place where you want to import the songs (NOT on your desktop this time, but maybe on a folder) and wait for it to finish.

Open iTunes afterwards (and remember to close YamiPod because it doesn't want to be opened alongside iTunes) and select File, then Add Folder to Library and select the folder you used as the destination for all those music files and wait for it to finish. If you have the aforementioned preferences (Keep iTunes Music folder organized and Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library checkboxes) enabled, then you can safely delete that certain folder and go on with your business.

After that, you can do whatever you like to your music. Listen, delete, manipulate. WHATEVER.

Credit: iLounge

Lotsa stuff to type about today...

======Pinoy Big Brother: What's the hype for? (IMHO)======

The second season has just ended and now there's nothing to see of the other housemates except their appearances in ASAP or Ysabella (sounds like a hair salon if u ask me lol), etc. But this overhyped show has become somewhat annoying and I'm guessing why the heck people still watch it and/or be intrigued by it. I mean, the crazy housemates do indecent things like most notably, bathe in pig's blood (it was a task... and I'll never eat dinuguan again) as well as put a hand in someone's pants (I don't watch the show obviously, so I don't know any names... oh and this one was explicit and intentional). So reiterating my question again, why the heck do people watch this show???!! (sorry, Mr. Spam) And in case you want to know where I got all that data, it's from reading the paper!

======RSS and How It'll Help the Student Body==========

In case you don't know what this is, it's an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. Just click it and you get to subscribe to the so-called feeds. It may arrive in your Inbox (Mozilla Thunderbird, MS Outlook), web mail (My Y!, Google Reader) or a built-in reader inside the browser (Apple Safari). It brings you up-to-the-minute news, stories, etc. from all the different sorts of sites in the web. Heck, you can even use it to subscribe to my blog! Or to anyone else's even! But how will it help the student body, you ask? Well, this sort of technology can be useful for posting homework online or posting news regarding classes whether there will be any or none, etc. I mean, there are so many possibilities, or rather benefits if schools praticed using this...

======Software Reviews=========================

Apple Safari 3 Beta for Windows/Mac

Overall: 8/10

Stability: 7/10

Speed: 9/10

Ease of Use: 8.5/10

Features: 8/10

Apple's browser has become the preferred one to use in Macs, will it be the next one for Windows? Not quite. But though it isn't a Firefox, it's still a diamond-in-the-rough, hence the word Beta, but it's still quite a fast experience in Vista.<-- reading RSS in Safari

My Vista is definitely, undeniably slow, but if I want to load Safari, it only takes a milisecond compared to the few seconds it takes Mozilla (which means that Apple lived up to this promise) but being a beta, its stability is still needing some work as well as the pop-up blocker (check the checkbox that says "Block pop-ups" and it'll literally block ALL pop-ups, so it's quite a hassle to turn this on and off) which is not so smart. But Safari gains plus points for being a great RSS reader as well as an enjoyable Bookmark organizer. I mean, I've NEVER organized my Bookmarks before! But the New Folder button needs to be on top and not necessarily on the bottom like iTunes. All in all, Safari is still needing some work, but if you want to read RSS without having to connect to the Internet, this is the pick. (RSS feeds that can be read offline are the headlines and its summary)

Realplayer 11 Beta

Overall: 7.5/10

Stability: 8/10

Speed: 7.5/10

Ease of Use: 8/10

Features: 7/10

RealPlayer is THE player that can play almost anything. And now, it can play AND download YouTube videos... but not convert it. Of course, that's not the thing that bogs the rating down (it's a big, great blessing to be able to do just that) but the very strict limitation set in the free version. I mean, you can't burn a CD with out subscribing to Rhapsody! That'd be bad news for us Filipinos because we can't do that! It's only open to other countries wherein the nearest is Australia. But still, it's a relatively reliable player and is more stable than other betas (of players) I've tested. Speed is also faster than the last version (and that was when I was still in XP!) and it still has a user-friendly interface. And of course, the only revoulutionary step it took is the recording and downloading of on-demand, live or YouTube web videos (I think this is the first mainstream player that offers this). It also plays DivX, and other formats where you normally waste more time downloading alone (RealPlayer is 15MB compared to 30MB on DivX!)

============Movie Reviews==================

Vacancy Released by Sony Screen Gems

Starring: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale

Rating: 4.5/10

Yawn. It's about a couple who checks in a motel which shows slasher flicks which are actually caught in their own room. Now, they want to escape before they're the ones who become the next stars of the motel's next flick. Obvious ending here... and it's not scary at all. It's a bit absurd even. There are just a small amount of cheap thrills and nothing more. So I don't think you'd want to watch this movie anyway.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer released by 20th Century Fox

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon

Rating: 6.5/10 (Yes, it's better than Vacancy)

Childish and occasionally funny, Fantastic 4: ROSS is faster, better and has much more action and meat than the very boring first one but it has its cheesy moments. (Cameo: Stan Lee's a regular in Marvel hero films... and this one is funny actually) The comic book fans, as well as the kiddies will like it more than the ones 10 and up. Oh, and the Thing still has bad, blocky presentation but Chris Evans sizzles the screen as the Human Torch, Ioan Gruffudd is better off as a scientist than a partying type of guy (awful dancing scenes!) and Jessica Alba is... Jessica Alba with bad force field effects.

============Music I'm Listening To========================

Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

*And Catherine, it's not the usual "scary" video, lol

Umbrella by Rihanna

The song doesn't get out of your head... (Umbrella ella ella eh eh eh)

Wait For You by Elliott Yamin