Remember how Napster totally changed our lives once upon a time ago? Even my mom got into it. She and my sister were stealing music long before I stopped waxing poetic about online ethics. Then I lost my steam, and got on the bandwagon.
Then I stopped. Because after a while, it started to make me feel icky. I admit, I don't really do the mp3player thing. Not into itunes at all, don't have time during the day to walk around with earplugs. But I still really, really like finding new music. And now the music industry has changed so much that it seems musicians are into sharing their music for free a little bit more than they were before. You've heard about the whole Radiohead thing, haven't you? Where they released their new album and told their fans, "pay what you think it's worth to you." Really! It was quite revolutionary. Or, even if it wasn't, it at least garnered tons of press.
But all that means is that there is a lot more free stuff out there, and I don't have to feel guilty about downloading anymore. I get a lot of new music from blogs. But recently I discovered this awesome website that will do all the searching for you, so you don't have to sort through a billion blogs yourself.
Here it is: http://elbo.ws/posts/
Type the song you want into the search box, and it will deliver results containing all blogs that have the mp3 posted, all blogs that talk about the music, and more relevant info. It's really cool and such a great resource. And they've led me to some really obscure stuff!
Also, another revolution to hit the net is this: http://muxtape.com/
The premise is that you can build your own mix tape (like we used to do with cassettes). Only 10 songs allowed I believe. And it's a FAST upload, I can tell you that. Awsomeness. Share your muxtape with your friends, or whomever, and enjoy. Keep it open in another window, and the whole playlist will just stream for you. On the homepage of muxtape.com are all the playlists you should check out today. I think the list changes. Here's my playlist: http://ihavetotellyou.muxtape.com/
Listen and enjoy.
I'll leave the link up on the right sidebar of this blog.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Funnyness: Jake and Amir
I cannot emphasize enough how enthusiastic I am about Jake and Amir. I've been wanting to write about this comedic discovery, but I guess I was too busy laughing and forwarding their videos to my sister.
J + A are two guys who work for CollegeHumor.com and are, in a plural word, comedians. They write, act, direct, edit, produce, and so on.
They started putting these little videos together called, "Jake and Amir" in which they play characters with the same names, and with everything or nothing to do at all with their own personalities. I think that's the whole point. You want to believe they are playing themselves, but it's pretty safe to say these characters are more of a conglomerate of many personality types. Particularly the insecure ones.
But I am so over analyzing this. Forgive me, it's just hard to explain their shtick to you. It speaks better for itself, on it's own terms. So I shall give you a tour.
First, you'll want to check out the Jake and Amir homepage, and watch "the best of the best". The top videos. This will give you a great sense of what we're dealing with here.
http://www.jakeandamir.com/post/2336490
If you're a vimeo fan, then subscribe to their channels, so you'll always be alerted to new stuff.
Amir: http://www.vimeo.com/Amir
Jake: http://www.vimeo.com/jakeh
Past that, just keep your eyes and ears open, because these boys are going to do very well for themselves. What makes me so happy, is this stuff just keeps coming out of them. I really liked Clark and Michael, a LOT, and it was too bad that it ended. But this new duo just keeps on producing. It's like their brains can't stop. I like people whose brains can't stop.
I showed it to a friend of mine, and he said he thought Jake had it harder than Amir, as an actor. Because Amir gets to be a lunatic and bust out with whatever comes to mind, but the Jake character has to stay composed. And, he has to stay on his toes to catch anything that Amir throws at him. Actually, I've always thought the Amir character reminds me of a girl version of Trudy Weigel on Reno 911.
What I'd really like to say is, at the end of a long day, to come home and see my little igoogle app alerting me to a newly posted Jake + Amir video, is one of the highlights of my virtual day. I freaking love their shit. They're hysterical, adorable, they make me laugh, and plus I feel inspired to do more of my own stuff.
So, if you boys google yourselves, and find this, THANKS for the laughs.
J + A are two guys who work for CollegeHumor.com and are, in a plural word, comedians. They write, act, direct, edit, produce, and so on.
They started putting these little videos together called, "Jake and Amir" in which they play characters with the same names, and with everything or nothing to do at all with their own personalities. I think that's the whole point. You want to believe they are playing themselves, but it's pretty safe to say these characters are more of a conglomerate of many personality types. Particularly the insecure ones.
But I am so over analyzing this. Forgive me, it's just hard to explain their shtick to you. It speaks better for itself, on it's own terms. So I shall give you a tour.
First, you'll want to check out the Jake and Amir homepage, and watch "the best of the best". The top videos. This will give you a great sense of what we're dealing with here.
http://www.jakeandamir.com/post/2336490
If you're a vimeo fan, then subscribe to their channels, so you'll always be alerted to new stuff.
Amir: http://www.vimeo.com/Amir
Jake: http://www.vimeo.com/jakeh
Past that, just keep your eyes and ears open, because these boys are going to do very well for themselves. What makes me so happy, is this stuff just keeps coming out of them. I really liked Clark and Michael, a LOT, and it was too bad that it ended. But this new duo just keeps on producing. It's like their brains can't stop. I like people whose brains can't stop.
I showed it to a friend of mine, and he said he thought Jake had it harder than Amir, as an actor. Because Amir gets to be a lunatic and bust out with whatever comes to mind, but the Jake character has to stay composed. And, he has to stay on his toes to catch anything that Amir throws at him. Actually, I've always thought the Amir character reminds me of a girl version of Trudy Weigel on Reno 911.
What I'd really like to say is, at the end of a long day, to come home and see my little igoogle app alerting me to a newly posted Jake + Amir video, is one of the highlights of my virtual day. I freaking love their shit. They're hysterical, adorable, they make me laugh, and plus I feel inspired to do more of my own stuff.
So, if you boys google yourselves, and find this, THANKS for the laughs.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Language: Quote Unquote
I was sitting in traffic this morning. I looked out the car window and saw a large banner for this west side establishment. Nekkid girlies, basically.
But what struck me was the liberal use of quotes. "Beautiful Entertainers" and "Unforgettable" and no quotal attribution! WHO said this?? If you put something in quotes, it's either because someone said it, OR, you're being ironic.
So, was it some dude who mumbled into his beer one night, "unforgettable", after his $20 lap dance was over, and the bartender heard it, and told it to the guy who does their marketing, and the guy was like, "That's it! We'll put it on a banner!"
Or, are they mocking themselves, and the quotes are more like a *wink wink* to passing patrons. Yeah right we're unforgettable. Surrrrrre they're beautiful.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Life: Gaming
Went to a very large education conference this week. Took in a lecture about Gaming and Education. Wrote notes really quickly in a free notebook I got from one of the zillion vendors who were there trying to sell me things I didn't need.
Here are my notes:
Kids produce today (music, videos, blogs), not because they aspire to be next great filmmaker or composer, but because media-modules are a form of CURRENCY within their social network.
My thoughts: This concept stayed with me for a long time, and I kept thinking about how interesting that is! And true. Kids want a certain # of myspace friends, a certain # of youtube appearances, a certain # of AIM buddies. None of that really has anything to do with anything resembling real friendships, or real budding acting careers. They know that. What they want is volume. In my days, our currency was stickers. We traded, hoarded, invested in the big ones, gave away the smelly ones. Until money starts to mean something to these kids, one cent is as valuable as one thousand dollars. Either way, they know they're getting fed tonight. BUT. Getting to the next level on the new Wii game, that gives them value in their social network.
Kids today, through gaming, learn on a NEED TO KNOW basis.
New term: GAMING LITERACY
This does not mean "let's play a specific game to learn our multiplication tables", but the understanding that Gaming is a MODEL FOR THINKING.
Gamers look for a visual representation of an underlying system.
They question: What do I need to know now in order to succeed later?
COLLABORATIVE GAMING: Recruit people who have certain skills, combine those skills to conquer the game. Gamers organically figure things out as they go along. Gamers know they need to communicate with one another in order to succeed. In recent studies, grad students are more likely to huddle by themselves and hide their research from others for longer periods of time. Middle school kids thrive on the collaboration, practically sitting in each other's laps sharing information in real time. That is a SHIFT in learning styles.
Gamers care little about visuals (design) and more so they look for DATA. They seek and desire DATA at all times in order to see how they are doing. When designing games, EMBED ASSESSMENT. Don't just tack it on at the end.
Gamers are now using the BODY as well as the MIND (Wii)
Instead of being the GAME PLAYERS, we should encourage kids to start being the GAME DESIGNERS. It requires them to think about content, and about something.
When designing games, don't put too much pressure on the game itself. Games are really about creating an EXPERIENCE for people. HOW are your players going to learn?
Site to check out: www.gamestarmechanic.com
In a recent study watching the way kids design games, kids produced DENSE NARRATIVES for their games, which came as a surprise to the experts. Kids with learning disabilities, who were normally hesitant about writing, were very driven and successful in this experience.
---> !!! The GIRLS were deeply invested in the physical space they would be playing in, and spend tons of time DESIGNING THE SPACE before they even began to play. The BOYS quickly filled the whole space with enemies, pressed play, and then realized they didn't have a game. So they had to go back and revise.
Look into beta: M.I.L.K.
Mobile Informal Learning Tool
Kids designing games solely for cell phones. Encourages turning any space into a gaming space.
As a game designer, kids learn to anticipate their player's moves. You have to figure out WHY someone would want to play your game.
In order to be a game designer, a kid has to:
-- have a theory
-- test it
-- get reviews
-- revise
Kids are very excited about building FOR EACH OTHER.
Here are my notes:
Kids produce today (music, videos, blogs), not because they aspire to be next great filmmaker or composer, but because media-modules are a form of CURRENCY within their social network.
My thoughts: This concept stayed with me for a long time, and I kept thinking about how interesting that is! And true. Kids want a certain # of myspace friends, a certain # of youtube appearances, a certain # of AIM buddies. None of that really has anything to do with anything resembling real friendships, or real budding acting careers. They know that. What they want is volume. In my days, our currency was stickers. We traded, hoarded, invested in the big ones, gave away the smelly ones. Until money starts to mean something to these kids, one cent is as valuable as one thousand dollars. Either way, they know they're getting fed tonight. BUT. Getting to the next level on the new Wii game, that gives them value in their social network.
Kids today, through gaming, learn on a NEED TO KNOW basis.
New term: GAMING LITERACY
This does not mean "let's play a specific game to learn our multiplication tables", but the understanding that Gaming is a MODEL FOR THINKING.
Gamers look for a visual representation of an underlying system.
They question: What do I need to know now in order to succeed later?
COLLABORATIVE GAMING: Recruit people who have certain skills, combine those skills to conquer the game. Gamers organically figure things out as they go along. Gamers know they need to communicate with one another in order to succeed. In recent studies, grad students are more likely to huddle by themselves and hide their research from others for longer periods of time. Middle school kids thrive on the collaboration, practically sitting in each other's laps sharing information in real time. That is a SHIFT in learning styles.
Gamers care little about visuals (design) and more so they look for DATA. They seek and desire DATA at all times in order to see how they are doing. When designing games, EMBED ASSESSMENT. Don't just tack it on at the end.
Gamers are now using the BODY as well as the MIND (Wii)
Instead of being the GAME PLAYERS, we should encourage kids to start being the GAME DESIGNERS. It requires them to think about content, and about something.
When designing games, don't put too much pressure on the game itself. Games are really about creating an EXPERIENCE for people. HOW are your players going to learn?
Site to check out: www.gamestarmechanic.com
In a recent study watching the way kids design games, kids produced DENSE NARRATIVES for their games, which came as a surprise to the experts. Kids with learning disabilities, who were normally hesitant about writing, were very driven and successful in this experience.
---> !!! The GIRLS were deeply invested in the physical space they would be playing in, and spend tons of time DESIGNING THE SPACE before they even began to play. The BOYS quickly filled the whole space with enemies, pressed play, and then realized they didn't have a game. So they had to go back and revise.
Look into beta: M.I.L.K.
Mobile Informal Learning Tool
Kids designing games solely for cell phones. Encourages turning any space into a gaming space.
As a game designer, kids learn to anticipate their player's moves. You have to figure out WHY someone would want to play your game.
In order to be a game designer, a kid has to:
-- have a theory
-- test it
-- get reviews
-- revise
Kids are very excited about building FOR EACH OTHER.
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