is the work of duncan wood-walker. recorded in 2000, OM84's only record was created exclusively with old keyboards and a vocoder. there's no irony in the music, just a wonderfully sincere and somber tone. all of the songs are available for download. check out .

from their kickass collaboration, another fun video paying homage to one of the best animated shows on tv. .

[]

the end of the year is a happy time for me since i think in lists.

here's a good way to start, thanks to the .

a recent vid to pass through the antville video page mixes some custom skatepark video footage with the creative commons/wired cd track by beastie boys (now get busy).
if you like skating, and/or the beastie boys.

No, seriously. Get some info and listen to a few tracks here:



(thanks, cw)

one iconic rebound you will be able to watch over and over again

the nba moves us one step closer to a world where any show ever made is instantly available. their latest venture is a project to make . it will take six years to complete and will most likely be available through the nba website and on-demand-type systems, but the first iterations will show up immediately. and the capabilities will be mindblowing.

Since 1996, courtside statisticians have been assigning time codes to plays so they can be matched to taped broadcast footage. That coding will make it easy for computers to search for, say, all the 3-point attempts by Michael Jordan with less than 2 minutes of play in a game where a team leads by five points or less.

download audio from and through itunes for free.

human vs. chimpanzee--who comes out on top? from today's sf examiner. please tell me that it's fake, that someone slipped a funny past the editor. anyway, read this scanned segment and be happy that 2006 is just days away.

with a few clicks you can find most of the songs on the list too.

[]

brain cannot hold anymore information about the lonely island guys after

associated press did not give into pressure from the bush adminstration to hold back the biggest story of the year.

thas right, biatches. just try to find the url, and you are finished.

a must-see for those who find nature fascinating and are amazed by the capabilities of earth's many creatures. this photo series shows the . it might just blow your mind. great webpage to show your nephews and nieces.

made with flash and a creative commons license, lets you practice theory, keyboard, guitar, ear training and more, for free, through the magic of your web browser. get those casios dusted off and start honing your chops.

i'm really enjoying the demo version of , an mp3 browser that lets you see album covers in a 3d-ish way. mp3s are represented as album collections, rather than individual songs which make things feel more tangible. it's a lot more fun to look at than a typical mp3 player. itunes is used in the background to play songs.

sure didn't take long for someone to throw together!

is a wikipedia-style info resource launching in 2006. it will differ from wikipedia by to review the articles that are submitted by the general public. despite nature's that wikipedia is as reliable as the encyclopedia britannica, many people about wikipedia's credibility.

check out . the mr. oizo collab is siiiiiiiick.

UPDATE: uffie denied my request to submit a song to sneakmove's minicomp002. screw uffie! just kidding, uffie. you're still ok by me.

this link's been floating around for a few, but i keep forgetting to post it. the game's dvd comes out in january. the promo site is hilarious -- from the url (theblairsnitchproject.com) to the hyperbole used to describe the movie ("the most controversial DVD in hip hop history") to the dvd's cover art (he's soooo fucking tough!). more proof that rap is wrestling. i love it!

Following up on Sam Biguity's post ragarding the possibly viral marketing campaign known as , I did a little investigation into the authenticity of one of the images presented as "evidence" on the site.

By this point, with a "BULLSHIT" stamped all over the website, it's not exactly speculation that the site is complete nonsense of Weekly World News proportions.

That being said, that at least one of the images on the site was doctored.

check out the *insane* that wack rapper and source ceo left for julia beverly of .

()

This spells out a scary new peice of legislation...

"The Digital Transition Content Security Act of 2005 (PDF) is sponsored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) (PDF) and would close that pesky analog hole that poses such a dire threat to the survival of the music and movie industries. The bill was originally planned for introduction in early November, but was tabled after hearings held by the House Subcomittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.

Calling the ability to convert analog video content to a digital format a "significant technical weakness in content protection," H.R. 4569 would require all consumer electronics video devices manufactured more than 12 months after the DTCSA is passed to be able to detect and obey a "rights signaling system" that would be used to limit how content is viewed and used."

that michael j. fox is talking about making a follow up to one of the mainstays of the 80's -- only this time he'd play doc. time to finally watch bttf3, everyone.

The former Spin City star wants to take over Christopher Lloyd's eccentric scientist character, Doc, in the sequel. He tells movie website Moviehole.net, "The only way it would work would be if I played Doc. I'm 44-years-old now and I'm not interested in running around on skateboards!"

posted on about.com and targeted to graphic designers, but it is widely applicable to anyone that has their own service-based company. . chances are, it's more than you think.

apparently hollywood has redone all the 60's and 70's classics, and now they're dipping into the 1987 catalog--word on the street is a . the movie would star professional wrestler john cena as the role of "the marine" (arnold). oh hollywood, you're so weird sometimes.

one of the top, if not THE top gadget sites, engadget, is in the search for a new . read the requirements and get your resumes in early.

I’m hiring a new ‘How-to’ editor for Engadget. We’re looking for someone who can contribute at least 2 how-tos a month. Original how-tos can cover hardware, software, and anything in between. We’ve covered software how-tos like streaming with VLC and setting up Synergy. We definitely want someone who isn’t afraid of a soldering iron and can do things like building WiFi antennas and embedding sensors in clothing.

it seems funny, ad guy funny not chappelle funny, that is appearing as hype builds for the remaining unseen episodes of the now cancelled chappelle show.

a little detective work makes us believe that in a few days you'll know if you've/we've been spreading some corporation's messaging for free.

(thanks, and will.)

does the excellent new adaptation of the e. annie proulx story by ang lee have anything new or specific to say about what it means to be gay? (free reg and mind required).

Jack and Ennis are not cowboys (if anything the two are shepherds), but they are, in Ms. Proulx's resonant words, "beguiled by the cowboy myth." It is a myth shaped as much by Hollywood as history, which is why when Ennis pushes his Stetson down to obscure his face, the gesture recalls nothing so much as James Dean pushing down his Stetson in the epic 1956 western "Giant."

(thanks, .)

the pixies are releasing a with 28 tracks from their 2004-2005 tour. got all the classics, recorded in wonderful cities around the globe. already available on emusic; itunes etc coming jan. 3.

looks like hiring andy samberg and the rest of could move the yankees of comedy back from being the bologna of satire into the blinding observational force it can be.

also, something historians should note: funny people love chris parnell, who is just about as nice and consistent as they come.

(thanks, johnny elks.)

a smiling larry page, back when he still had some integrity

the past few weeks have seen a quiet bidding war between three major companies: yahoo, google and microsoft. the prize? aol. things heated up when yahoo declared itself out of the competition. finally, today the announcement was made: google wins. but is it a win at all? for one billion dollars, they get a 5% stake in aol--and in return they agree to to meet aol's yucky demands. we'll find out more after the weekend, but things may be very different on the internet from here on out.

you don't have to be a star wars fanatic to appreciate how cool this would look in your bedroom, taking up more space that a queen sized bed. and with eight days remaining, who knows how many years of rent money the final price will set you back. but c'mon, it's worth it. please buy this.


(thanks, halfsie.)

add STD to LOL, BTW and LMAO and the other most annoying all-caps phrases on the web.

to warn someone that they may have an STD. good and awful in so many different ways.

ultimately my superego's verdict: if you can't figure who sent you this naughty e-greeting and are still nervous, see a doctor or priest, depending on your religion.

hot on the heels of top model kim livening up veronica mars, is slated to make a cameo on the teenage detective show.

the cover of the new is super gay!

dj bc's has been around for a bit, but somehow i just now heard about it. kinda fun and pretty much exactly what you'd expect.

apple killed off the ipod mini in favor of the nano back in september, but some consumers aren't having it. on ebay, the mini actually of its original retail cost.

Jeremy Horwitz, editor-in-chief of popular iPod site iLounge, said "there's no reason to prefer the iPod Mini (over the Nano) on technical specs." The Nano is faster, has better audio quality and a color screen, among other advantages, he said. So he can only guess that people are paying more for the Mini because it's now rare, comes in more colors, and, he said, is sturdier than the Nano, which has been accused of scratching easily.

one tenth of people surveyed frequently

. (scroll to bottom).

Mike Martinovich, manager for My Morning Jacket, says that even before the revelation of MediaMax's security problems, his company had been mailing burned, unprotected copies of MMJ's new album Z to fans who complained that MediaMax prevented them from transferring songs to their iPods.

is not a magazine i know much about, but i'm sure that it's more familiar to you video professionals. one great part of their website is the , which has a large repository of videos, categorized into animations, commercials, music videos, and short films. the stuff leans towards the more creative side, especially if you can find the art in a burger king commercial. and why do always seem so much cooler?

the best band from detroit isn't kid rock. it's electric six. they had a hit album in europe a couple years back but their american label wasn't so keen and didn't pick up their newest record. now, after almost a year, they announce their latest album senor smoke will be finally on metropolis records in feburary 2006, with a 43 date american tour through the spring.

always has something new to enjoy each time i check it. today there's a good video and a fun video to peep, and take the poll for .

got an email press release today with the news that prince (purple rain, little red corvette, etc etc) is signing with universal to release his upcoming album. see below for the full release:

Prince Signs Deal to Release New Album
- - - - - - - - - - - -
December 12,2005 | NEW YORK -- Prince, who has put out most of his music on his own record label over the past decade, is aligning himself with a major label once again. The 47-year-old superstar has signed a deal with Universal Records to release his upcoming album, "3121," early next year. A press conference was scheduled Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Prince had a similar deal with Columbia Records in 2003; that label distributed his acclaimed comeback album, "Musicology," for NPG Records, Prince's label.
Also Tuesday, VH1 and its affiliated networks, including Tempo and VH1 Soul, are scheduled to premiere the singer's new video, "Te Amo Corazon (I Love You Sweetheart)," directed by Salma Hayek.
"Salma heard the song and came up with the original concept," Prince said of the actress in a statement. "Salma is the most thoughtful, attentive director I have ever worked with. An absolute joy."
VH1 will also make the song available on its Vspot broadband channel and VH1 Mobile.
----
On the Net:

(thanks, steffy.)

In this deliciously ridiculous video, a member of San Francisco's acclaimed comedy group goes head to head against six MC's in a freestyle rap battle. Also, he's wearing a Jelly Donut costume.



(thanks, cw)

[via ]

the black eyed peas' will.i.am . go ahead and groan, but you simply can't deny the power of this team-up:

"I have Sergio Mendes, Pharoahe Monch and Justin Timberlake on a track," Will said. … "This is like classic beautiful melodies."

Apparently a while back David Cross said some things about in a Rolling Stone interview. Larry either read it, had it read to him, or was told about it, because he, in turn, targeted Cross directly (along with the rest of the "P.C. Left") in a chapter of his new book

Please enjoy David Cross' response to Larry's book:

anyone in sf without an office holiday party to attend on wednesday (dec 15) would be a real loser for missing out on the screening of 2000's at the yerba buena center (701 mission st). the film documents a violent and deadly war between and within the black metal bands hailing from the hidden northern reaches of europe. even if you hate black metal, this film promises to fascinate.
(thanks, steulo.)

makes guitar instruction dvds. they're also jumping on the video revolution with a (video) ipod-viewable guitar lesson videocast. 35 free lessons, just in time to get you set for your family singalong.

late onset schizophrenia is a terrifying monster. not being able to discern reality from imagination, fighting with voices in your mind, being treated with heavy chemical medications and ostracized from society.

artist louis wain was known for painting cats, his work published in a variety of papers and magazines. as he got older, he developed a case of late onset schizophrenia, eventually requiring permanent hospitalization. his sad case is interesting to observe , which denegrates from political commentary into psychedalic images.

only recently, i learned that sofia coppola is making a movie about marie antoinette. some good names in the film (kirsten dunst, jason schwartzman, molly shannon, rip torn--but it isn't a comedy). from the looks of , complete with synthy 80's mod-pop, it seems to be a grand film.

[ (read the heated debate in the comments section)]

copyright law pioneers announces a hot new promo contest for all you music magicians. their latest remix contest will get 12 winning tracks on a compilation cd, and the top pick will have a song featured in the copyright criminals documentary film about remixing.

.
.

read the rules and send in your submissions right away!

Creative Commons, along with filmmakers Kembrew McLeod and Ben Franzen, today announced the Copyright Criminals Remix Contest. The competition encourages producers, DJs, and remixers from around the world to use audio snippets from the upcoming documentary film Copyright Criminals in new, original songs. One winner will have his/her music featured prominently in the final edit of Copyright Criminals. The winning track, along with 11 runners-up, will be included on the film’s companion CD. The contest will be hosted at ccMixter from Tuesday, December 6 through Tuesday, February 28.

Drawing from more than fifty interviews with prominent musicians, artists, scholars, lawyers, and music industry representatives, Copyright Criminals looks at the development of sound collage (also known as sampling). The film explores the complicated impact that copyright law has had on the creative practice of sampling and studies the conflicting opinions artists and others have about appropriation.

“This contest, like our documentary, examines what it means to be creative in an age of digital reproduction,” says Kembrew McLeod, co-director of Copyright Criminals. “Artists have traditionally borrowed from each other and have been directly inspired by the world around them. But what happens when digital technologies allow for very literal quotes to be inserted into new works?”

Samples of dialogue by artists like De La Soul, DJ Qbert, and members of Public Enemy, as well as Matmos, Coldcut, and members of Negativland – all taken from interviews conducted for Copyright Criminals – are available online at the popular remix community ccMixter for use as source material to be included in entrants’ songs. The audio snippets are available to the public for free through the use of Creative Commons licensing, which allows for the sharing of and building upon existing creative works. Entries will be judged by McLeod, Franzen, and author/producer Jeff Chang. Contest rules and details are available at ccMixter.

it's almost like that map of the deathstar from return of the jedi

appleinsider reports today that . in fact, there is apparently an open gl version for mac making the rounds overseas, and they have screenshots to prove it. if you haven't tried google earth, you'll be blown away. it takes the magic of google maps and multiplies it by 1000, allowing you to take a detailed look at areas not only from above, but at an angle, with many many more parameters than just google maps. and it's free, while the report says a gps-enabled version will cost $20 a month. well worth it for you gps freaks (both of us).

there's also a part where a merry-go-round blows up in a huge fireball

a russian language song from the russian rock duet t.a.t.u. is online for your viewing pleasure. and what a pleasure it is--look out for the part where the bustier girl is really flashing some flesh. their videos, with all the melancholy and explosions, are starting to remind me of german rockers rammstein, except these girls are russian and look like teens, chesty chesty teens.


[]

i'm pretty sure this is fake because the only info i can find is from some guy's blog. either way it's funny. up-to-the-minute rss feeds printed on toilet paper right there in the restroom! appears to be a taiwanese product that can wirelessly deliver fascinating butt wipes.

emanon is a southern california hip-hop duo that's been making music since the mid-90s. their early stuff was genius. check out their classic track from back in the day. by the sound of things on , they're still doing good stuff. released their latest collection of songs, called the waiting room, in september.

check out the first episode of the , if you wanna. if you saw rick-dog and stephen merchant hanging out in the extra features on "the office," you kinda know what to expect.

remember when rush limbaugh went totally and suddenly deaf, right around the time he was facing charges for abusing his medication? i wonder if foxy brown has the same lawyer, as they announced yesterday that she has the . good luck with the trial, foxy! and stay calm--remember, rush's hearing came back as mysteriously as it went away.

EDIT: apparently his returned hearing wasn't a mystery, as commentor "ghh" notifies--rush had surgery to implant a hearing restoration unit. now we're sad again.

an entire industry exists for creating and selling plugins, but just like the software world there are some high-quality freebees out there if you know where to look. has a comprehensive list of free vst and au instruments and effects that will beef up almost any recording setup.

looks like intel isn't the only company fender is collaborating with these days. check out the affordable ($230) . apparently from the photos, it's for girls! looks pretty basic but not a bad present idea for your high school aged little sister.
[]

this video is going to make it even more horrifying when defeats some no-name democrat next year.

[]

i couldn't pick just one thing to post from today's edition of . lots of great stuff there today, including:

• which doesn't have a handle or steering wheel-- i feel my ankles snapping right now.
  
• that finally doesn't seem like some lame cheap plastic toy.
  
• for sale on ebay. the whole thing!

my hat is off to those gizmodo guys. always delivering a job well done.

after checking out a new band on gorilla vs bear recently (via pete's jennylewis s.m. post), i'm really digging this band junip. their haunting organs and faraway guitars create such a wonderfully somber, autumnal sound. their official website (with an equally great dark, sad skeleton vibe to it). i've found some other info on the band from various other sites (, ), such as this being jose gonzales' new project (i'm still confused by gorillavsbear's sweden reference).

it's fun to discover the source of samples used in songs you love. i got an lp in minneapolis by a band called . it looked interesting. UNI records and late 60s-looking seemed like a safe bet. when i got home and put it on, it had the crazy bass and guitar break used by in ! the fever tree song is kinda annoying as a whole, to be honest. still, it provides some insight into how beats get put together and is a testament to madlib's ear. check out the songs and love 'em.

espn, owned by disney (who also owns abc, a company now providing tv show video content to the itunes store) is to help promote their initiative of providing content, anyhow, anywhere. their initial analysis shows they could have double-digit growth with all their new offerings. time to buy some stock in espn, investors.

is a streaming web radio show that uses text-to-speech software to turn junk email into audio. why?

[Spam] invades your inbox every day with a sense of confidence. There is always a new sales pitch -- a new way that you can improve your life, if only you will take a few minutes to read. Anything this important shouldn't be ignored. Anything this important deserves its own radio show.

it's called . the "hollywood madam" has already hired her first whore -- actor , of another world. hbo is planning a reality series about the bordello -- sounds disgusting! and, well, we'll be watching.

"What I want to do is only good for the brothel industry here. I'm Heidi Fleiss. I know this business better than anyone in the world."

It is difficult for me to attribute any one reason to explain my change or growth in my musical preference throughout my life. Luckily the folks who created have developed , a software program that will introduce you to “new” music based on a song or artist that you currently like. Over the past five years they have attempted to dissect the D.N.A. of music in order to help the listener discover music that aligns with their listening pleasures. Give it a shot, I did. It looks like my love for has introduced me to a new world full of , , , and oh boy the list goes on!
[thanks, ]

using their secret formulas, forbes has created a profile of the -- people like bruce wayne, daddy warbucks, thurston howell iii. they even give a little background on each person and how recent events have affected their wealth ("Iraqi conflict has been kind to Warbucks; recipient of multiple defense contracts"). what an honor.

excellent rolling stone article about that calls into question the credibility of the la times' reporting on the crime.

311 and scott stapp got into a .

Stapp stepped in front of the screen and said, "311, I am ready to fight."

i love this so, so much.

.

james has been in and out of juvenile detention halls and prison from the time he became a teenager. hear how his parents finally locked him up, how he survived behind bars and how he is staying out of prison today.

(thanks, hurlow.)

(click the pic for a fun secret page!)

one of the best parts of the old 12" vinyl days was the big, pretty album art, and the page of notes and lyrics on the inside. casettes and CDs shrunk these down to incidental levels and mp3s have almost completly cleared them away. now a company called is offering a service to let you get all those extra pieces with your online music purchases. check out their for more information.
[]

on today's edition of his daily journal, david byrne for sending him a letter to cease his streaming music channel. the show in question? his november broadcast. he goes into an interesting explanation about how licensing of internet radio channels differ from terrestrial radio broadcasts, and some ideas on how sharing music ends up making money for the labels (but not as much for the artists).