My 2009 in Review
I find it just a little annoying that as soon as December hits, everyone needs to do their year in review crap. They seem to forget that an entire month has yet to happen.
It’s not like I have anything earth shattering to say, but I like taking stock of the past as much as the next guy. So let’s see what I can pull aside.
- What album did I listen to the most? A Strange Education by The Cinematics. It’s not a new album, but I listened to it more than any other singular album.
- What did I spend the most time on professionally? Probably a mix of more advanced CSS and modifying WordPress.
- What’s my favorite photo I took in 2009? Probably the morning I took a stroll down to see the large fire happening on the Indianapolis Canal (March 12th). This is probably my favorite image…
- My favorite concert of 2009? Easy. NIN/JA in the summer, but The Ting Tings were pretty good as was The Dandy Warhols.
- Favorite thing learned? Printmaking at the Indianapolis Arts Center.
- Favorite Movie of 2009? Probably The Hangover followed by Up In The Air.
- Favorite re-discover of an old song in 2009? Can I Get A… by Jay-Z
- Most impactful piece of technology in my life in 2009? The iPhone joining the family.
- Best TV show of 2009? Season 5 of Lost.
- Favorite game acquired in 2009? Wii Sports Resort.
Ya know? I feel like there’s more I’d like to say, but nothing is really coming to mind quickly. So I’ll leave it at that for now…
Vegas Recap
Time for the inevitable Vegas recap. It is nice not writing a blog on my iPhone, as it was kinda annoying to do so. But anyway…
Even after being home for a number of days, I’m not done processing the whole experience. I think it’s that I don’t get why Vegas is the way it is. I don’t get why people go back so often. I don’t get why it’s built up as high as it is. I really don’t get how it’s become a family destination…
It’s hard not to have some form of fun there. If you like seeing unique environments, sights and architecture – then you’ll like Vegas. If you’re into shows and entertainment – you’ll like Vegas. If you’re into trying a lot of different foods while traveling – you’ll like Vegas. If you like people watching – you’ll love Vegas. If you’re into the gambling thing – you can’t not love Vegas.
So what did I like the best about Vegas? I’m not sure. Probably just the experience in general that is unique from anywhere else in America that I’ve been… The world for that matter. It felt a little like some weird, trippy, choose your own adventure book. The myriad of different experiences available at all times of day.
What didn’t I like about Vegas? That’s kinda hard to articulate. Part of it is that there’s a place that exists solely as a result of taking money away from visitors. In most areas it also feels like some weird, closed environment that is built to control you more than you realize… Kinda like Disney World, but bigger and with a different seedy underbelly.
I’ve started a set on Flickr that I’ll be posting some images from Vegas. It’s HERE. Not sure how much I’ll post to it, but we’ll see.
I’m fairly certain that I’ll be back at some point in the future, but it’s pretty low on my list of places to return to. 2 to 1 that the next time we go back is because of a conference or seminar and not our real desire to do so…
The Phone and i
So despite my previous gripes with AT&T over their iPhone strategy and pricing, I’ve switched over to the dark side.
There was a convergance of events that prompted this change, and I’m not going to bother going into it… The result is though that I have an iPhone and absolutely love it.
Part of me wanted to hold out for Android, but it was a little slow in the past year – and the apps available for the iPhone are nothing short of astounding. The simplicity and keyboard of the Blackberry will be missed, but not the capability…
I’ve currently got 25 apps – only 7 of which cost a cent…
Given that I’ve only had it a month, it has a definate shot at becoming a larger part of my daily routine than any other comparable single piece of technology that comes to mind. I use it for music and podcasts… I use it for email on multiple accounts… I use it for gaming… I use it for reading (currently reading In Time Of Emergency by the Department of Defense)… I use it for navigation… I use it for News / RSS… And a lot of general internet things (weather, movies, etc)… It’s just so darn customizable to suit my needs. I never thought I’d be this geeked out by it, but I am.
My favorite so far? A friend pointed me towards an app that takes photos via the camera at specified intervals and stitches them into a time lapse video… That’s right up my alley.
But anyway… I’m not saying everyone should hurry out and get one… I’m just saying that it’s cooler than I thought it would be, but it’s not necessarily for everyone. I get geeked out by tech more than most.
The Ting Tings – 3 April, 2009
We’ve all heard the iTunes commercial [link] with The Ting Tings. I remember checking the song out then, and not being compelled to purchase anything or check further into the group. But once there was an NPR story about them, my wife started getting more into them, and then their music got into my head… In a good way.
So she checked into whether they were touring, and sure enough they had some US dates coming up. Not Indy, because we don’t get much in the way of concerts compared to many other municipalities. The Chicago show sold out quickly, but there was a show in St. Louis that was pretty affordable for a concert. So we decided to try and catch the show. Things fell in line, and we were able to go.
The venue was The Pageant, which is a very cool venue that seems somewhere in-between the sizes of The Riveria (Chicago) and Newport (Columbus, OH). The sound quality seemed to be very good…
The opening act was HotTub, which pretty much was not my favorite thing. Some good beats and use of rhythm, but it was a wannabe MIA rap act that’s more annoying then they are talented. But they have a MySpace page with 4800 friends…
The Ting Tings came on, and delivered. They only have the one album with 10 songs, and I think they played all their songs – so everyone was pretty happy to get their favorites played. There were little changes to the songs that the crowd loved that also played to the musical ability of the group. I was particularly impressed by the talent of Jules De Martino.
The disapointing part of the show was that there was either a backstage musician, or a sequencer working overtime during most of the show. I think the addition of a single, multi-talented, stage musician would have added a better sound quality. Don’t get me wrong, the performance quality was great, but it could have been a little better.
The Ting Tings are a young act, so we’ll see what they can follow this up with. If their next album is good, then I’d expect their live show to continue to be a good time.
The Grail
So I’ve been seeing the Gatorade commercial playing off one of my favorite movies – Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If you haven’t seen the commercial, its pretty good if you’re a fan of the movie.
As far as I can gather, there are two purposes of the commercial: To continue to advertise the current rebranding effort and to drive people to their website to view more content. I finally went to check out the site and check out the rest of the Holy Grail themed content.
Disappointing after the commercial, but it was a little entertaining. But only because I know and love the movie. If you’re not a fan, you won’t really like it. If you really have to go see it, it’s at missiong.com and find the “Quest for G” content.
I also have to just say it… The Garorade rebrand is completely retarded. G? It’s like a stupid idea from the early 90’s that found a home in a brand that already had a pretty well established market and brand.
un-Cable
Check this out… If it weren’t for the DVR, I wouldn’t be a cable subscriber. I pay for the privilege not to watch stupid-ass commercials. But that’s not how it really works…
Cable companies generally pay each cable station, or network, a flat fee based on the market value of that channel. I guess the current rate for Fox News is about $0.27 per subscriber. Now they want to more than triple that to $1 per subscriber.
Now I have a proposal… I’ll pay the cable company a dollar a month to make sure that Fox News doesn’t get a cent of mine. I have a feeling that there is a portion of the country that feels the same. It may not be a large percentage, but there is definitely a niche market with a huge distaste for anything Fox News related.
I could also do without The Golf Channel, Telemundo, The Family Channel, The Disney Channel, and many others… I kinda do wonder what my cable bill woluld be if I only paid for what I watched…
