December 2008
15 posts
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The Sensitive Female Chord Progression →
Even though Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy” hit radio too late to be the song of the summer, there’s still a case to be made that it’s the perfect song to cap off the year. It’s not because of the empathetic lyrics, or B’s heartrending, disappointed vocals. No, it has everything to do with the four chords that underpin the song’s verse, circling from...
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Songs From The Heart Of A Marketing Plan →
I remember hearing a Pepsi radio ad years ago that consisted entirely of a custom 1-minute song by Britney Spears. That was the day I witnessed the fate of pop music. Artists (or their labels) seem to be releasing dual-use songs that are ready-made licensing opportunities. (e.g., Beyoncé - “Upgrade You”, “Video Phone”)
Resolutions and stuff or something
A few years ago, Fierce Brosnan and I started picking up on the way people couched sentences when they weren’t comfortable owning their opinions. Specifically, the endings “…or…” and “…so…” were all-too-common.
“Do you want to eat Chinese, or….?” “I’m gonna go to the store, so…”
I didn’t use...
Email Subject: Marcus Camby
Me: had 27 rebounds last night. if any of my other rebounders were doing their job or not injured, i might have a chance.
Jesse: oh, i'm aware. i'm aware of marcus goddamned camby. this week is an interesting matchup—we both have injury issues, and right now you're leading me in categories i'm supposed to dominate and vice versa. it's too bad i have to wait until sunday to unleash CalDeRondo, my three-headed PG attack from hell.
WatchSaw him live a few years ago. One of the best birthday gifts ever. [Mildly NSFW]
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis (with Jon Hamm)
[from Chris Glass via Merlin Mann]
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"Clean Coal": This Is Reality →
I just saw the commercial for this site on TV. Check out the page titled The Facts.
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A Better Finder Rename →
We (SoPo) recently began rehearsing a new work flow for recording a bunch of instrument samples and slicing them up for use by MIDI data. This is all in preparation for a gig building a music library for a very exciting startup client. The problem is that after slicing and exporting everything, I end up with a bunch of files that need to be renamed consistently and in sequence:
...
Real Advice Hurts →
We can’t get good at something solely by reading about it. And we’ll never make giant leaps in any endeavor by treating it like a snack food that we munch on whenever we’re getting bored. You get good at something by doing it repeatedly. And by listening to specific criticism from people who are already good at what you do. And by a dedication to getting better, even when it’s inconvenient and...
Starting my biggest project ever (Merlin Mann) →
This is so popular and outdated (over a year old at this point) that it has been indexed by Google as a navigation link under the search result for Merlin Mann, but it’s still worth posting.
Just wanted to let folks know that my wife, Madeline, and I are expecting our daughter to arrive in our lives very soon. So, when that day gets here (amazingly soon), I’ll be starting a paternity leave...
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Honda Insight to Introduce Ecological Drive Assist... →
Boring headline, amusing concept.
Activated by a green “ECON” button on the instrument panel, ECON mode optimizes control of the transmission, engine and other powertrain elements to conserve fuel. ECON mode also adjusts air conditioner operation, increases the potential for engaging the idle stop feature sooner and increase battery charging during regenerative braking.
The...
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