Top Picks of the Day - December 20th, 2010

Song: The Who - Eminence Front. One of my all time favorite songs that always seems to be lyrically relevant. Count this as a precursor to my blog entry coming on Wednesday.
"The news slows,
People forget,
The shares crash, hopes are dashed,
People forget,
Forget they're hiding."

News: Julain Assange police records leaked to the Guardian. Irony 1 Assange 0

Website: Seesmic: The swiss army knife of social media tools.

TV Series: Almost to the finale. Boardwalk Empire has been so rock solid. Easily the best series of the year.

Video: Mark Zuckerberg vs. Julian Assange. A lot of truth is said in jest.

Top Picks of the Day - December 16th, 2010

Good afternoon peoples. Is anyone else thirsty? I think tonight will be a World of Beer night. Anyway, today's Top Picks sort of took on a Wikileaks theme. This was not really intentional, but it seems that is is nearly impossible for a info-junkie to escape the 'Leaks. Enjoy!  

Song: Savoy - Intro. "Music. Automatic." I am reeling in my anticipation for up-and-ragers Papadosio to come into my hometown and blow the doors off the newly renovated Hooligans Bar. Even though Savoy wins the song of the day with this hard hitting mix of dirty synths and scattered snares, the track is really serving to get me jazzed up about the show Saturday night.  

News: Irony in a jar. Sweden exposed doing some sketchy stuff with the US. Kicker: via Wikileaks.

Websites: Sowhyiswikileaksagoodthingagain.com. If you are not a hopeless addicted news junkie like myself, this is a great site for Wikileaks cliff notes.

TV Series: Boardwalk Empire. Getting there...

Video: Wikirebels. A very well done and timely documentary on the Wikileaks history and rise to infamy.  Part 1  Part 2 Part 3  Part 4

Top Picks of the Day - December 15th, 2010

Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, or as the more risque might call it, Hump Day.

Here are the Top Picks for today:

Song: Childish Gambino Check out all of his albums and mixtapes. Actor Donald Glover from the great TV series Community is also a rapper. A friend of my brother Desmond suggested I check out Childish last night after dinner. I was playing them the new Lil Wayne track 6'7''. Although his flow does resemble Wayne  I like the word play and overall nerd hip-hop he has crafted. Look out for this kid in the future.

News: George W. Bush admitting his name is associated with the equivalent of legislative cancer. Good form W, I admire your honesty.

Websites: I am still waiting for my invite from Art.sy. In the mean time check out this Pandora-esque art genome project.

TV Series: I squeezed in one episode of Boardwalk Empire last night. At this rate I will finish Season 1 in time for the premiere of the next.

Video: The Brothers Mario movie trailer. The classic culture of Super Mario meets the graphic nature of Grand Theft Auto in a more than creative way.

Top Picks of the Day - December 14th, 2010

Hello Tuesday. I had some above-decent sushi at the Bluefin Sushi & Thai Grill for lunch so I am feeling mellow and meditative. To use a more American word - lethargic. Here are the picks of the day:
 
Song: Dobie Gray - Drift Away A solid feel good tune that comes to us from 1973. Some how Uncle Kracker's cover of Drift Away in 2003 reached a higher position on US Pop Charts than the near perfect original. Go figure! At least Gray was featured in the track as a member of a duet with Matthew Shafer.     

News: What Twitter and Facebook Can Learn From Phish. Yes, this is a real article. It is also a real good article that pretty much touches upon the facets of life that encompass my existence at work and abroad these days. Do you think he is on to something or just an above-average writer that spends too much time on Phantasy Tour and Facebook.

Websites: Kickstarter.com is a pledge to the project style site that allowes product makers to post descriptions and then users can offer money in return for a peice of the pie when it is completed. 

TV Series: Boardwalk Empire. Tonight is the night...maybe. 

Video: Lego biker hit by a car. Short. Sweet. Instant gold.

Top Picks of the Day - December 13th, 2010

Happy Monday. It is abnormally cold down here in south Florida which means it is unbearable in the rest of the country.  Here are some things to get your week going. 

Song: Blur - Song 2. Not a new song by any stretch but I have had the '90s Alternative station on Slacker Radio in constant play today. I guess I could say this is a nod to Damon Albarn for claiming he will seek sobriety, but in truth it is Monday and I really wish that the artificial wind in the music video would blow through the office right now. Everyone seems to need some energy today.

News Article: Uber-dangerous Mexican drug cartel most wanted collects pay for work as a school teacher. I wonder if La Tuta taught the Mexican rendition of D.A.R.E.? 

Website: Adding on to the list of websites high on my bookmarks bar is GrooveShark. This is a solid user-submitted music network that allows for streaming and playlist building that can then be sent and shared with friends on GrooveShark or even to their email address. 

TV Series: Life got in the way over the weekend and I am still trying to lock down a few hours to complete Boardwalk Empire. Go ahead and throw your hate at me for slacking on such a great show.

Video: Baths - Lovely Bloodflow. This is a cool music video I stumbled across on an article page for work. It is a moving piece featuring an injured Samurai warrior trekking through the forest. What happens next is a blur between fantasy and spiritual realities mixed with a Donnie Darkoesque flare for brilliant creepiness. I am adding Baths to my listening rotation for down tempo vibe tracks. 

Top Picks of the Day - December 10th, 2010

Song - Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More -  Dustbowl Dance: Anyone or any group that can pull of quoting Shakespeare and compares touring to Steinbeck is noteworthy in my book. This band and their genre usually reside outside of my favored listening sphere. Lyrically driven, instrumentally complex via simple acoustic devices - that transcend into a heavier realm in a subtle way. Among the best new bands to be produced in the UK and perhaps the world at large. Heavy rotation of their album Sigh No More for me this week and I suspect their Grammy nominations are an indication of its longevity in my Library. 

News Article: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/09/ent.jim.morrison.pardon/?hpt=T1
I love The Doors more than a friend and think Jim Morrison is an icon and all, but, why? First of all, there was never any proof that he committed the crime in the first place. Second, if he did do it, that only fuels his rock star persona - he also would not have cared or "been bothered" by dealing with this. Lastly, I am digging the nod by Crist as a fellow Doors fan, but isn't there something else you could be doing as Governor of a State that could use a lot of help in many different areas? Just saying...

Website: Since this is the first installment of my Top Picks series, I will go ahead and name drop my favorite internet site in general: Fark.com. The best source of self proclaimed not-news in the whole news sphere. I am also particularly fond of the Politics and Music sections.    

TV series: Boardwalk Empire. I plan to finish the series tonight. I have heard nothing but good to stellar things about the finale. I know, I know, why did I wait till now? I have no excuse.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFM9oyua2z0&feature=player_embedded Miley Cyrus smoking Salvia. Enough said.