It certainly boasts more stick-in-your-head tunes than Beyond, or virtually any other Dinosaur Jr. album. Who knows why J Mascis writes better songs when Lou Barlow and Murph are around— maybe there’s something to the old cliché of “chemistry,” maybe the pair just know how to push his tunes from solid up to stellar.
Jun
15
2009
Video from upcoming (tomorrow!) Dinosaur Jr. video. Very funny. Weird. Funny weird. Funny ha ha. Mixed feelings.
Jun
11
2009
I've finally figured out to have iTunes add ALBUMS randomly to my iPod/iPhone
Years in the making!
I like albums, because I’m 41 years old. That’s how I roll.
I have bought a few albums, and sometimes I like to listen to something different than the same 5 records I’ve had on my phone for the last three years. So what I’d like is for iTunes to randomly select entire albums (rather than individual songs) and put them on my iPhone when I sync. Here goes, in three easy steps.
Tell iTunes to shuffle by Album, not by song. Control —> Shuffle —> By album…
Next, create a smart playlist (file —> New Smart Playlist) to randomly add music to a size or track limit with “live updating”. I usually have about one gig free on my phone, so I asked it to create a 1 gig smart playlist:
Finally, tell your iPhone or iPod to sync this playlist:
I suspect the list will change every time you add a new song to your itunes library (that’s how “live updating” is described in the iTunes help file).
I’d like to claim that I figured this out by myself, but it’s basically all here in this Mac | Life blog post… the step-by-step instructions are from a different version of iTunes, but other than that, I stole it.
Jun
04
2009
Somewhat less than crappy run at the Walt Disney World Doplhin
It’s taken 10 years, and the collobarative work of a small design firm, but I think I’ve found a route that is less crappy than all the other routes. Here’s what I wrote on MapMyRun:
Let’s face it, this is no runner’s Mecca. A friend and colleague discovered that you can sneak into the Caribbean Beach Resort, which isn’t as crappy as the other resorts for running — there are a bunch of paths and lakes. However, you have to sneak in — security will stop you from running down the main road. Run towards the parking lot for the Hollywood Studios (the old MGM), and take a left before the fence starts. You’ll be in the parking lot, from which you’ll have unfettered access to the resort grounds. Getting there is no picnic — it’s a busy road, limited sidewalks, etc. The happiest place on earth is not so happy for a runner. Coming back, I did a detour around the long way on Epcot Resorts Blvd, which kept me off the main road a little.
See the route here.
Jun
02
2009
“According to a short piece in the L.A. Times, [Wesley Korir] walked into a Subway sandwich shop last Sunday and ordered two subs. The next day, Korir won the L.A. Marathon. In record time.”
Jun
02
2009
I think these are good strategies for eating out without going nuts.
May
26
2009
This is a freakin’ AWESOME video, but it kills me to admit that it was on Jezabel, a blog I would only read when I had nothing nothing nothing to do. OK, it’s a lie — an old college friend, Ryan, linked to it on the Facebook. Which is way better than Jezabel.
It’s all about the video. Watch the video. Remember Sesame Street. And Freak. Like the kids.
Apr
19
2009
It’s a dark day for our industry; to see her work was to understand what lighting design could be at its very best.
Apr
19
2009
Documenting the return of U.S. war dead - The Big Picture - Boston.com
“In 1991, President George H. W. Bush implemented a ban on media coverage of returning war dead and their dignified transfer process at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Shortly after he assumed office, President Barack Obama asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to review this policy, and Gates later reversed it, giving family members of the fallen the right to allow or disallow media coverage. On April 5th, 2009, the repatriation of the remains of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Meyers became the first such event to be covered by the press in 18 years. This process has taken place, undocumented, over 5,000 times since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Collected here are photographs documenting the transfers of nine soldiers that have taken place since April 5th, 2009. “
Apr
08
2009
Etherea Records closed
I was very sad to be walking in the East Village the other night to discover my once-favorite record store — Etherea — has been shuttered. Of course, it’s a sign of the times. I used to love having (more than) a couple of beers and coming home with a bunch of CDs, used or new. More and more, though, those CDs felt like antiquated waste, in a sad way. I’d rip them into iTunes, and then wonder what to do with the remainder.
It was a great place, friendly staff, great used selection. Damn interwebs.
Wednesday; April 15, 2009: The owner of the store has a blog, which talks about the closing and what he’s up to now.
