Actor Heath Ledger Found Dead

Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, and police said drugs may have been a factor.

Police said Ledger was naked in his bed with an unknown number of sleeping pills near his body.
The Australian-born actor was 28.
[READ MORE]

My life right now is, I wouldn't say reduced to food, but my duties in life are that I wake up, cook breakfast, clean the dishes, prepare lunch, clean those dishes, go to the market, get fresh produce, cook dinner, clean those dishes and then sleep if I can. And I love it. I actually adore it.

I'm not good at future planning. I don't plan at all. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I don't have a day planner and I don't have a diary. I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future.

SOURCES: KTLA.com, IMDB.com

On this day in history…

Francis Bacon,
1st Viscount St Alban (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. He is also known as a proponent of the scientific revolution. Indeed, according to John Aubrey, his dedication may have brought him into a rare historical group of scientists who were killed by their own experiments.

His works established and popularized an inductive methodology for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method or simply, the scientific method. In the context of his time such methods were connected with the occult trends of hermeticism and alchemy^{[citation needed]}. Nevertheless, his demand for a planned procedure of investigating all things natural marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, much of which still informs conceptions of proper methodology today.

Bacon was knighted in 1603, created Baron Verulam in 1618, and created Viscount St Alban in 1621; without heirs, both peerages became extinct upon his death. He has been credited as the creator of the English essay.

SOURCE: Wikipedia.org

It's a 2-fer!

BLACK MOUNTAIN
In The Future
JagJaguwar

Favorite psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers BLACK MOUNTAIN are back with "In The Future", their second full-length album that resonates with the same epic ring, beloved deep rock touchstones and genuine folk fragility that made their self-titled debut full-length an instant classic. The new album possesses immense breadth, seamlessly showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along with driving modern rock masterpieces, peaking with "Bright Lights", a seventeen-minute multi-dimensional opus that gives Pink Floyd's "Echoes" a run for its money. [READ MORE]

"In the Future is an expansive statement of an album, full of big guitars and cold space, a variety of sounds and a hard-earned and ever-present brilliance."
— 8/10, POP MATTERS

"Confident but not copyist, in the future few records will sound this dominant." -- 8/10, NME

"…an ambitious state-of-the world address that delivers on an emotional and visceral level."
— 4 stars, MOJO

"Impossibly brilliant second album. Listen to In The Future and you'll probably care about this band for a long long time"
— 4.5/5, THE SUN

In The Future "eclipses their previous output and hits a consistent note of righteous force."
— WIRE magazine

"…heady, heavy and brilliantly executed: stoner rock for the masses."
— WORD magazine

SOURCE: JagJaguwar

I hate cover records…but

CAT POWER
JUKEBOX
MATADOR

I've made it my entire adult, musician life never joining a cover band. It's simple: Other bands have already cashed in on the material. Why would I cover someone else's material at a pittance of what they're compensated? ’Nuff said.
So why can't I stop listening to the new Cat Power covers record? It started moving me the moment 'New York New York' started playing.
Yup. A Sinatra cover.
Go Figure.
One word: Remarkable!

Check it out here.

SOURCE: Zelo

From Seth's Blog…

Workaholics

It was hard to imagine someone being passionate about mining coal or scrubbing dishes. But the new face of work, at least for some people, opens up the possibility that work is the thing (much of the time) that you'd most like to do. Designing jobs like that is obviously smart. Finding one is brilliant. [READ MORE]

DON'T FORGET TO GET THE DIP BY SETH GODIN.
IT WILL IF NOT CHANGE YOUR LIFE, IT WILL
CHANGE FOREVER WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
WHAT YOU DO.

SOURCE: SethGodin.typepad.com

Albert Schweitzer: Artist

Artist Statement

Quirky characters is what I paint. Much of the time,
I let spontaneity and being open create the characters first. I later then organize these beings and put them in an environment where they live and interact with each other. The use of fluid lines and splashy shapes make up the paintings and sculptures. I use bright colors to add cheer
to the sometimes dark and ominous states of some of these characters. At times, these images are autobiographical,
and sometimes they are of people I know or have experienced. It is my intention that I paint a world that
is filled with the various states of the human condition
and how they relate to the rest of the world.

— Albert Schweitzer

SOURCE: AlbertSchweitzerArt.com

This just in from Wired…

Apple Insider Leaks Ultra-Portable Details




An Apple insider told Wired today that the company's new ultraportable, expected to be seen in public for the first time tomorrow, has an extremely thin profile and is shaped like a teardrop when closed — thicker at the top behind the screen, tapering at the bottom behind the keyboard. "It's unbelievably thin," said the source.

SOURCE: blog.Wired.com

"From the Gutter to the Glitter…"

Introducing the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Since 1995 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has traveled the world, bringing its unique hybrid of vaudeville, circus, burlesque, and sideshow to theaters, clubs, colleges, and festivals. The company has produced innumerable cabaret shows, custom performances for special audiences, all-ages and family productions, and sophisticated adult shows. Over the last five years the company has begun developing more theatrical productions, including 2001's Buckaroo Bindlestiff's Wild West Gender Bender Jamboree, 2003's High Heels & Red Noses, and 2005's From the Gutter to the Glitter: A Night Out with the Bindlestiffs.

[GO TO THE SITE]

Separated at birth

Multiple Emmy-nominated actor Oliver Platt (left) and
up-and-coming new media instigator and
unofficial Genesis visual biographer Lou Spirito.

SOURCES: IMDB.com, LouSpirito.com

Crispin Glover. Enough said.

SOURCE: hifilofi via YouTube.com

The secret knowledge of gamers…

15 Minutes of Fame:
Noor the pacifist

I prefer doing stranger stuff, as opposed to grinding high-end instances. Once, my 70 mage was in Southshore, and someone was asking directions to Ghostlands in zone chat. I told him how to go through EPL. Then I clicked on him, and he was something like a level 12 Draenei hunter. I asked him why he wanted to go there, and it turns out he wanted a red cat for a pet -- so I escorted him through EPL, and he only died a couple of times getting there. I've also done a few quests on PvP servers with non-hostile Horde players (not pre-arreanged or anything), such as the mechanical chicken escort in Feralas (twice, so we could all get credit)

Does anyone have a Gamer-toEnglish translation handy?
Just checking.

SOURCE: WowInsider.com

Reel Geezers

SOURCE: ReelGeezers@YouTube.com

1, 2, 3…

SOURCE: YouTube.com

I heart Flash!

Badgers
(Badger, badger,
badger, badger.
Mushroom, mushroom!
Snake!)

by J. Picking


SOURCE: AlbinoBlackSheep.com

Sleazy McQueen

“It was simple, really; each month, he and his Evil Twin Maxula would hire world-renowned deejays willing to play for bargain prices and two-bit haybed accommodations to play for the two of them and one or two other townsfolk, and each month the pair would lose a few hundred more dollars.”
[READ MORE]

SOURCE: myspace.com/SleazyMcQueen

"Karate was actually a dynamic and exciting band"

Karate
595
[Southern; 2007]

If there was ever a band that struggled to overcome sounding cold and mannered, Karate was it. Guitarist/singer Geoff Farina's deeply considered Donald Fagan-meets-D. Boon noodling, aching yet oblique lyrics, and clean, almost skeletal guitars hardly made for sexy listening-- unless you somehow associate aural-hotness with post-structuralism or wet shoes. So it's a surprise that 595-- Karate's first live album-- is so warm and energetic.
[READ MORE]

SOURCE: Pitchforkmedia.com

Charlie Skinny Neck

Charlie stops by the mcglinch-cave every once in a while.

He of small head, long skinny neck and beady black eyes…

SOURCE: McGlinch.com

Strange sightings in Second Life, indeed!

DID YOU KNOW THAT:

Second Life avatars can fly, which is convenient when buildings float above the ground.

Who knew?
I sure as hell didn't.
Damn it!

SOURCE: VillageVoice.com

What rating would you give to the movie of your life, so far?

SOURCE: FilmRatings.com

A Relevant topic…

SOURCE: RelevantMagazine.com

"Where websites do battle"

Jelly! anyone?

Jelly started in NYC in February of 2006 when roommates Amit and Luke realized that they loved working from home, but they missed the creative brainstorming, sharing, and camaraderie of a traditional office. (Office politics, not so much.)

So they started inviting friends to come work from their home one day a week. They soon found that working in close proximity to new and interesting people every couple weeks resulted in new ideas and interesting conversations.

Emboldened by their early success, they made it a more regular thing. Jelly was born.

SOURCE: workatjelly.com/

Announcing the definitive slogan for 2008

"User experience as art:
where is it?"


SOURCE: twitter.com/everyplace

A standout in a year filled with amazing Canadians

Fond of Tigers
Release the Saviours
[Drip Audio]

by David Nadelle/TinyMixTapes

Very quietly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jesse Zubot is building his empire with Drip Audio, a label that releases an odd contingent of jazz, ambient, and experimental bands, many of which feature the master violinist himself. In Fond of Tigers, Zubot is one part of a seven-strong post-rock, experimental jazz juggernaut.

SOURCE: TinyMixTapes.com

Eureka! Albums of 2007

SOURCE: tinymixtapes.com

…obviously!

This just in from…

Zen formalwear daily

Do what you want and success will follow. It’s true, but it’s also completely irrelevant. It’s what you do next that really matters. Imagine you worked like hell to make something cool. People start catching wind of what you've done, and before you know it, you're rich and famous. You revel in the success. All eyes are on you. You're the new hotness and everyone wants to know what you're going to do next. So what do you do next? You flop. Your reputation descends, and your success rapidly dwindles. Everything you do just makes things worse, spiraling you down the drain. People start thinking maybe you never had it in the first place, or you got lucky. Nobody likes you anymore, and if anything you're worse off.

SOURCE: Atomicwang.org

This just in from GapingVoid…

It's Blogumentary, Watson!

He sees blog people

Chuck Olsen is the founder of Minnesota Stories, called one of the best videoblogs by the New York Times. He is the producer-director of "Blogumentary," the first documentary film about the rise of political and personal blogs. His work has screened at the Walker Art Center, Harvard University, and on renegade laptops all around the world. He is the Minneapolis correspondent for Rocketboom and works as a freelance producer, videographer, editor and educator.

SOURCE: blogumentary.org

Tricky, where you at?

SOURCE: brownpunk.tv/trickyblog

This just in from Seth Godin's blog…

Who you know

One of the mantras of networking (and the many social networking sites that people are flocking to) is that it matters who you know. The goal of having a thousand or more friends online is that you're well known. Connected. A click away.
I wonder if there's a more useful measure: who trusts you?

SOURCE: Senthgodin.com

Thank you, Qburns…

The music biz blows it, while Orlando blows up

LAST DANCE?

…So how can you possibly explain the banner year that little-known artists experienced in 2007? Thank you, MySpace. Gracias, YouTube. Likewise to CDBaby, Last.fm, satellite radio, CMJ, NPR, iTunes and all you other beautiful acronyms and jabberwockies.

The musicians have turned against the labels, and listeners besides. Hoist by their own petard, the corporate tastemakers have relinquished their right as victors to pen the history books of music each year, and strangely enough – impossibly – Central Florida and its neighbors have moved into the leader’s spot.

Record stores are dead? Tell that to Park Ave CDs, who have grown into not only a successful record store but a synergistic multiplatform hotspot. Small labels can’t get the word out for their peeps? Talk to Orlando’s X:144 & SPS, staples in ’07 on college radio Top Ten charts, or Band Marino, whose profile as one of the top 5 “MySpace bands” in Rolling Stone led to a talked-about performance at South by Southwest this year, or local rapper S.K.I.P, one of URB magazine’s “Next 1000” for 2007-2008, or Jacksonville’s Black Kids, named by Rolling Stone one of the 10 bands to watch in 2008. Even in Tampa, Yo Majesty was featured in Stereogum as a “band to watch.” Label-less Orlandoans Summerbirds in the Cellar were so big this year that their CD release party spilled into two shows.

[READ MORE]

SOURCE: OrlandoWeekly.com

This just in from Orlando…

Make plans to attend the
4th Annual
Orlando Latin American
Film & Heritage Festival
from the edge ... and beyond the frame

SOURCE: olafest.org

Happy New Year!

Stereogum brings you a New Year's gift of sound.
Enjoy!

SOURCE: Sterogum.com

This just in from Drowned In Sound

Drowned In Sound posted its top 50 albums of 2007. Read and compare to your own list (if you've been keeping up with it all.)
Enjoy!
Zelo

SOURCE: DrownedinSound.com

Radiohead Celebrate New Year With Webcast

Al Gore brings the rock to your television set

Although there are already plenty of nice musical options to entertain you on New Year's Eve this year, here's a last-minute surprise: Today on Dead Air Space, after wishing us all a "peaceful Christmas", Thom Yorke announced that Radiohead will be "broadcasting a pre-recording of some songs and other bits on New Years Eve.." over at Radiohead.tv. It starts at midnight GMT on December 31, which is in the early evening here in America, leaving plenty of time to go get ready to see Spoon or the Black Lips or R. Kelly or whoever. "this is a wee celebration of the release of the physical manifestation of 'in rainbows'," Thom continues, referring to the fact that the new Radiohead album is finally due in stores. It's out today in Japan (via Hostess Entertainment), the UK December 31 (via XL), and the U.S. and Canada January 1 (via ATO/TBD and MapleMusic, respectively). Apparently the webcast is going to consist of a performance of In Rainbows in full, taped at the band's Oxford studio, a place we are already intimately familiar with. In America, the live show will be aired commercial-free on Al Gore's television station, Current TV. It premieres at 12 a.m. EST/9 p.m. PST. Current's website will also archive the show, so you can watch it again New Year's Day while writing your resolutions. (Resolution #1: Watch less television.) [MORE...]

Link-arrowVideo: Radiohead: New Year's Webcast Teaser #1
Link-arrowVideo: Radiohead: New Year's Webcast Teaser #2

SOURCE: Pitchforkmedia.com

Marshall Arisman: The Ayahuasca Series

Mr. Arisman is the subject of a full-length documentary film directed by Tony Silver titled 'Facing the Audience: The Arts of Marshall Arisman.'

SOURCE: MarshallArisman.com

M. Night is trying to tell us something…

After months of rumors, cast updates, and hints about the film's content, we finally have our first official look at M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, in the form of a teaser poster.
The poster, first made available by ComingSoon.net, shows a city skyline in the distance, with a number of abandoned cars scattered over a long stretch of highway. At the top, it contains the following tagline: "We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening."

SOURCE: MNight.com

The Death of High Fidelity

In the age of MP3s, sound quality is worse than ever

David Bendeth, a producer who works with rock bands like Hawthorne Heights and Paramore, knows that the albums he makes are often played through tiny computer speakers by fans who are busy surfing the Internet. So he's not surprised when record labels ask the mastering engineers who work on his CDs to crank up the sound levels so high that even the soft parts sound loud.
READ MORE

SOURCE: RollingStone.com