Spotify.com and why you should care

I don't know about you but I love music, I love to hear it, I love to chair dance to it, I love to make those awkward hand moves on certain songs when you just feel it. I tend to have a sound track running in my head as I get into various situations, I may not always remember the name of the group or the song but I will remember one of the two. If I don't I'll remember the movie or TV show I heard it on, usually thats enough to get it stuck in your head and drive you insane. Thanks to all of our digital devices we can stream music pretty much anywhere, thing is it's some "created by an arbitrary rating process" playlist that sometimes may hit the song you want but other times it just has you waiting for your favorite or hoping something new and hot comes on.

Spotify allows you to look up the group or the song(I had to use it for Brick's Dazz earlier because ahem too many things use Brick in the name) and as long as somebody has uploaded it on a playlist somewhere there you go. I'm not saying it's perfect, I'll critique the only semi annoying thing I noticed later on, but if all you can do is remember the song or the group and you want to see what other songs they may have that you missed there you have it. And while the occasional ad here and there on the free version may bother some, dude my first day using it I was in 80's and 90's hip hop heaven, a 30 second ad here and there while I'm playing every number 1 from high school pfft radio doesn't give it to you that good. Now yes some of the groups didn't have every song I wanted, but I can always go buy those cd's myself and ADD it to the collective(I need to add my desktop to spotify since that's where the majority of my music is) I mean how is a global music database supposed to work if we all don't contribute to it?

There is also a playlist feature where you can add songs to either windows media player(I'm on the Toshiba so I have yet to download anything else "news at 11" to if it will add to more than just WMP playlists) or create a spotify playlist within the application. You can also star songs to help rate them up, the "What's New" page also lets you see any new artists or album releases. If you use the ad version you will get a chance to browse albums(I checked out a few tracks on Pittbull's Planet Pittbull earlier and now I grooving to Jill Scott's new album) that pop up either on the bottom or the right side. Now I'm sure since there is some tracking going on they will know that so far I am a big Hip hop, reggae, funk and Neo Soul fan so what if you can push more of those songs my way I have no problem with it. I just started my first playlist today(I have WAAAAY more funk songs to look up than the ones I have added so far, ahem what Child of the Funk get over it) and whew can I say putting in Parliament or Funkadelic was like my Dad's old record collection all over again. I think I reached the end of the list but then again I was only skimming for my absolute favorites, unfortunately some of them were live versions and while lives are nice you don't always hear the lyrics clearly. Then I looked up Dazz, then grabbed songs from the Dazz band, and the Gap band. I'll share that playlist on FB later, Jill Scott's new one has me making a neo soul playlist so yeah gotta pick up that album sometime this week.

The Motorola Backflip

As I noticed somebody hit my blog talking about Hammering their Backflip let me discuss some of my favorite "blackflip issues".

Backflip issue number one: Battery life, I don't know who or what sucks the power out of my backflip while it is in "sleep mode" in my holster not doing a damn thing, but as nice as the keyboard on this phone is, how pretty the screen is. Pulling out my phone after a 45 minute car ride and it's like half dead and I haven't used it to complete a call is a no no. And no it isn't a defective battery per se because this is a new battery I had my service provider send me one of those first when it initially reared it's ugly head.

My new laptop

Today was the day: I had saved up my money, decided what I wanted, and had weighed the pro's and cons of each of my potential new "toys."  Obviously due to years of distinguished service I was strongly rooting for the Sony Vaio, I mean while my first desktop was an HP(that did it's best but as the saying goes you get what you pay for) it was a budget PC and didn't last long. Due as much to it needing constant upgrades as to one fateful Christmas holiday somebody breaking in to our apartment and stealing it and the Christmas presents. It was one of those walk in the door and instantly be struck dumb moments, nothing makes sense, it couldn't happen to you and yet it did. Unfortunately for the exact same features the Vaio cost 400 bucks more, which yes I'm a Sony fan, and yes I don't mind paying for what I want, I just don't want to get raked over the coals due to brand preference.

Still 3 movies behind

I did the trailer blog for transformers yesterday but I didn't get a chance to edit it and add in the links so its sitting in draft. I'll leave this one link free so I can just post it. Man has it been hot here in the midsouth lately, I'm glad that our AC issues have been mediated because while I love to barbecue I myself don't need slow roasting.

The issue with being 3 movies behind is simply that another movie I wish to see premiered last night, HP7 pt 2, and my memory issues will not allow me to store up 4 issues. Now there is a bit of good news on the horizon I think I've narrowed my laptop choices down to two, a Toshiba or a Sony. Now as my last 2 desktops have been Sony's and minus a few minor hardware issues(the oldest one had its power supply die, and mine has a dead top dvd-R/W) and of course my current software issues 6 plus years in the game money well spent.

That's another blog though, X-men is being re-edited, I haven't gotten past the Oath for Green lantern, and I haven't even sprayed the mud out of the tires of Transformers 3. So I'll be 4 blogs behind whenever I get the laptop. Deadlines are your friend though, or so says a Pulitzer prize winner Eugene Robinson says(no relation, lol always wanted to say that). Okay enough procrastinating. I'm already working so let's post this and get on with other things

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And back to gaming, Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

This isn't a new game, it isn't even really a popular game it's just one of the games I'm playing at the moment when I'm bored and putting flame to incense.  Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is based on the Naruto Shippuuden anime and thus the Naruto manga and as with many anime based games there is an option to have the audio in English or in Japanese(being a HUGE sub fan, I of course opt for Japanese with english Subtitles), mainly because they usually get the actual voice actors who play the characters to do the voice overs. So it's pretty much a seemless immersion into the anime. NS2 is along the lines of a fighting RPG you have to walk around and do quests to help you get items to get strong but for the most part the story moves along once you go and have certain fights. You don't really level up though in this one, you get new versions of the character as the story moves along and you get past certain chapters of the story, that coincide with things that happened in the anime. In this case you get regular Naruto who just knows how to use the Rasengan, then you get Naruto who knows how to use the Rasen Shuriken, then you get access to the "sage mode" Naruto who also uses the Rasen Shuriken but it's alot stronger. There is also an "unlockable" Naruto if you beat the game.

Fighting Role Playing Games also differ from normal RPG's in the fact that your main goal is to get characters, items, and abilities to use in the actual tournament or P v P action outside the main story. You really don't have to play the Main story at all and can just fight with friends using the characters unlocked when you first open the box, there is also an online component. If you are going to play online though, I recommend you play out the story otherwise you will be catching a few Sasuke Uchiha Kirin, and Naruto Rasen Shurikens to the face. If you are a fan of the anime you will recognize some of the locales and the epic battles. In some of the fights there will be added "interactive sequences" where you can use button combinations and directional pad presses to attempt to earn stars. The faster you enter in the combinations the more stars you get(if you fail you will be sent back to the beginning of the sequence), you have the chance to earn what is called a secret factor. Which is usually a scene from the show itself or the Naruto anime in a kind of faded out 2D. It makes you want to fight harder and pay attention more, while it adds to the story it's unnecessary to go ahead and finish out the game. For those who have to have absolute 100 percent "gotta catch them all" completion of the game there is an option to go back and attempt to earn those stars later in a game. In the Hokage's(or Kazekage later in the game) office there is a ninja who will offer you the chance to go back and refight battles. 

*Yaaaaaaaaaawn*

Hey Ponderers, I'm tired as hell today another late night in a series of late nights. I have found the "tag/script of my dreams" on wordpress, its a little bit of code that allows me to basically let me turn long blog posts into book form. I know some would prefer that my more enormous blogs could be cut down a little into more bite-sized offerings, you know let you get to the bottom of the page and feel a sense of progress before you continue on with one of my rambles.

Unfortunately as of yet that doesn't help me here, I'm sure that there has to be some html code out there to "paginate" a non wordpress blog and I am going to find it. I don't know when or where but I am now determined. I know some would say "doesn't that just give you an excuse to be wordy?" Well yes, but you won't suffer because of my wordiness now will you, okay maybe slightly, mentally, and chronologically(because if it takes a minute to write it takes a minute to read).

Anyway this is just a quick, "write what is on your mind to keep the juices flowing" post especially tailored to my "barely keeping one eye open" state of mind right now.

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my barbecue on 3/27/10

Why this blog has been languishing in draft for the last 16 months is beyond me. It's just a blog about a barbecue, with pictures to show you exactly how I roll when it comes to throwing meat on the grill and getting it that nice smokey flavor. I didn't even notice that I had turned my grill around(I do admit to sometimes missing out on subtle details). I haven't even really decided on pic placement yet because I started putting pictures in this blog and then just forgot about it. I'm human it happens, I may come back later and go ahead and place the rest of the pictures from that day in this blog, it will just have to be one of those I sneak in hurriedly dumb a blog and then sneak out.

Since I have barbecued a few times since then of course I have a lot of pictures to go through, I actually think I have gotten a lot better in that time. I'll post this as a current post instead of sneaking it into last years count because that just wrong and while SOMETIMES I have been known to do that in this case I will bite the bullet and say yup I goofed. So enjoy these few pictures and if you're ever in the neighborhood and smell some good food come on by and get a plate.