Trapped in Time

Pink Floyd - “Pigs”

This album is so damn good. Probably Floyd’s most cohesive album, and certainly one of my favorite.

Phish - Harry Hood
11.02.96 - Coral Sky Amphitheater - Palm Beach, FL

(via thebutterroom)

This is a stellar version of Hood, can’t wait to get this DVD.  Thanks to Phish for hooking up The Butter Room with these videos!

Double Vision

It’s been kinda nice being able to give them a backyard to play in again, where they can just relax and enjoy the sun or run around without worrying about leashes or even needing me around.

New Workstation

Black Keys - “Your Touch”

I used to just love this riff. Now I think of Kenny Powers every time I hear it and its excellence has exponentially increased.

Arcade Fire - “Modern Man”

In my dream I was almost there
And you pulled me aside and said you’re going nowhere
They say we are the chosen few
But we’re wasted
And that’s why we’re still waiting
On a number from the modern man
Maybe when you’re older you will understand
Why you don’t feel right
Why you can’t sleep at night now

Can’t get this song out of my head right now. What an amazing album start to finish though. It grows on me with every listen.

Wolves’ Evolution Into Domesticated Dogs

(Wired Magazine, September 19, 2010)

(Source: Wired)

Alupen from Just Mobile ($20)

I love using my iPad for a number of activities, be it reading eBooks, watching movies and TV shows wirelessly from my desktop (whether I’m at home or elsewhere), listening to music, taking notes or sketching out ideas.  For the latter, sometimes your finger just doesn’t cut it. I often find myself having to zoom in to gain greater control of an area I’m sketching or writing, then zooming back out to see the entire thing. Usually the problem is that your finger just doesn’t provide the precision needed to quickly write like you would on paper.

This seems like a great solution, with a well-crafted aluminum shell and a rubber tip that works on any capacitive touch screen (your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or any other capacitive phone or tablet). I’m gonna try one of these out in the near future and see how it works, but I have a feeling it will improve the usability of a number of apps, and increase productivity on the iPad. Sorry Jobs, but some of us DO want a stylus for things fat finger tips weren’t meant to do on a touch screen.

A Contrast of Styles

Though their age certainly creates many differences in their personalities, I like how this photo sums up many of the differences between the two of them. Both of them are fond of cuddling with you (they are lap dogs), but Floyd’s eyes say it all: he’s ready to pounce or move at a moment’s notice, reacting to whatever change he perceives in his environment. Then there’s Forbin in the background, licking his nose after a good yawn, unlikely to move unless the crumpling of packaging alerts him to the potential of food that he must inspect. Having one laid back, calm animal and another that’s high energy and attention seeking can at times be quite the juxtaposition. Yet, they both are as sweet and affectionate as you could ever ask for.

Chromeo - “Grow Up”

The Montreal-based duo’s third LP brings a familiar, although somewhat subdued sound to the table. It also marks the first time they have recorded a song in their native French. This is the closing track which is probably the most akin to their previous releases. The album, Business Casual, drops on September 14.

Radiohead has always been a little different than its peers, but very few bands would not only applaud efforts dabbling in copyright infringement, but assist their fans in putting together a bootleg DVD.

“On 23 August 2009 a group of Radiohead fans descended on the Výstaviště Holešovice exhibition hall in Prague to capture the band perform, using as many different angles as possible. Bringing together the exceptional talents of many contributors, here is the result.”

*Audio masters kindly provided by the band*

The band provided this HD-shot with the soundboards, allowing for a masterful concert experience to be shared with the world featuring dozens of great angles capturing the lighting, close-ups, crowd shots, etc.

Even better, the fan group has set up this website in which you can find downloads available in nearly every format imaginable, ranging from a full 10 GB HD version, a DVD version, and multiple formats for your iPad, iPod, and more. For those unaware, Radiohead has only released one DVD of their live performances, 1995’s Live at the Astoria. Though the band said they loved their 2006 Bonnaroo concert and would be releasing the footage in full, it has yet to appear, making this the only modern day hi-definition full concert video of the band. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed with the results!

(via thebutteroom)

(Source: radiohead-prague.nataly.fr)

There was speculation abound from gadget blogs and Wall Street about the potential a $99 iOS Apple TV might hold.  So when Steve ended with one more thing this week, I was rather disappointed to find a stripped down version of the existing Apple TV that doesn’t provide many things consumers (see: digitally savvy TV and movie viewers) are looking for right now.

To sum it up, the new Apple TV is an ARM processor powered hard drive-free device that features 720p HD video with HDMI and optical audio outputs, 802.11n wireless and ethernet.  Compare this to the previous version that has seen so hardware improvements since its release in 2007, and the difference is rather striking.  The original Apple TV offers a 40 or 160 GB hard drive, with all of the new device’s specs plus component video as well as analog audio outputs, and most importantly a USB port.  While the old version runs a rather toasty Intel processor, it can be modified by users to function in ways Apple didn’t intend in place of or in addition to the interface provided by Apple.  

And speaking of the interface, the 2010 iteration is running what appears to be a very similar GUI to what existing users received in a firmware update late last year.  The only improved functionality is the ability to a.) rent movies and b.) stream from your Netflix account.  Granted, Netflix streaming is a nice selling point for many users, but not a make or break, especially if you own a gaming device such as a PS3, XBox or Wii. Basically Apple seems to think a smaller device (1/4 the size of the old one) with less options (see: no hacking for more functionality) but reduced total ownership costs is an improvement.  I tend to disagree for a number of reasons.

I purchased an AppleTV at the end of my summer internship in 2007, and have enjoyed its functionality, albeit not as much as I probably could have if I’d invested more into consuming my content via HD video torrents. I’m happy with that purchase cause I’ve done a lot of streaming to my living room’s 61” flat screen. But because it has a hard drive, I can still use Boxee and stream content I have acquired from online in any reasonable video format, not just Apple’s mp4/m4v formats.  Likewise, I’ve also owned an Airport Express for 6 years, and much of my use of the AppleTV comes down to the streaming audio from my iTunes library of 70,000+ songs much the same as I use the Airport Express.

At $99, this is a very affordable product, but I have no intentions of upgrading in the near future, nor do I think I would buy this when there are other streaming solutions, such as Plex, that also have iOS remote apps (which I believe is a great way of controlling media devices, and something that will redefine the remote experience over the coming years). The real beauty here is going to be the integration with AirPlay when iOS 4.2 comes out in November. Being able to send content from my desktop to my iPad or iPhone, and vice versa, sending that content to my Airport Express or Apple TV (which I can already do but not from my iDevices) is pretty awesome.

I was really hoping this thing would be a true iOS device and run iOS apps, such as Air Video, which would allow you to stream any content to and from your HDTV.  Imagine being able to really leverage an iPad to send ANY QuickTime video to your big screen! Take an iPad app like BBC News, ESPN ScoreCenter, or even videos from Safari and watch them how you’d watch any other HD content.  AirPlay still hasn’t been explained well enough to know if this is possible, and because the new Apple TV runs an iOS-variant on ARM technology, it’s also possible that iOS apps could run on the device down the road, but without any kind of on-board storage, there would have to be an Apple cloud storing your apps. Don’t see that happening in the near future either.

What’s unfortunate here is that Apple offers the most integrated personal media solution, with the best management for large libraries of content (iTunes). It also makes the best mobile devices. While this certainly isn’t a bad solution, no one else is really in a position to offer a solution that delivers the integration Apple can, even if they do make up for the gaps in codec support, video output (1080p vs the 720p Apple settled on for bandwidth concessions), and on-board storage.

Honestly, besides the ability to stream Netflix (which PS3, XBox, and Wii currently do), what does the new Apple TV offer that the 3 1/2 year old product doesn’t offer? I may have paid $230 in 2007, but I’ve had 3 years of enjoyment in the mean time, and I can still buy content directly from the store if I so choose, and utilize 3rd party media solutions based on XBMC such as Boxee to watch any content type I wish.  If Plex offered its own device like Boxee has begun to do, I think it would be the ideal solution for an iMedia consumer right now.  And apparently as of today, they have (sort of) with a fresh deal struck for integration into LG’s new line of HDTVs.

I’m pretty sure Forbs knows he’s not going back to Chicago and he seems to be taking it pretty well. Today is also the four year anniversary since I brought him home with me. I couldn’t ask for a better dog after all these years.

Van Morrison - “Tupelo Honey”

You can take all the tea in china
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea

The title track to my favorite album from the Van Man.

Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Live, from Stop Making Sense

(via jmarie3:cargohoo)