TimsBlog

I wasn’t sure when I was leaving so I waited. I will be leaving for Sao Paulo, Brazil on Feb 11th for business. Ever since I found out I keep thinking of Street Fighter and the Braaaazil sound bite used for the character Blanka. I always played Ryu with his fireball Shoryuken! Also made me track down the Terry Gilliam movie Brazil. I’ve been wanting to download it for a few years now and just found it. There was a crappy copy floating around a few months ago but I didn’t bother. It would defiantly be my second favorite Terry Gilliam Movie after Time Bandits. Sorry got off track there I was having an 80’s moment.

Heres some photos from a flickr search on Sao Paulo

Heres the wiki page on Sao Paulo:Population 17 million. Largest city in the souther hemisphere and 4th largest city in the world. Tokyo, Japan (28 million) being #1 then Mexico City, Mexico (18.1 Million) coming in at #2, and Mumbia, India (18 Million) at #3, New York, New York (16.6 million) rounding out at #5 (and I’m Casey Kasem with Americas top 40 hehe sorry its late)

48 minutes long and 2 GB big. Most files are about 350 mb in that time range. The guy who encoded it says the birate spikes at 10 to12 Mbit thats about double a DVD bitrate.

Screenshot 1

and

Screenshot 2

You will have to click on the image once it opens to see it in real size otherwise it will just fit it to your screen

Its not like most its in the form of a forums. Tons of BBC documentary along with all the other flavors. Best of all alot of them are is HD 720p. Finally glad to see someone doing HD encoding on torrent site. Most of the stuff you download is encoded from an HD source , but at a lower resolution of 480p. Right now 720p is fine since my cpu is just under the required specs to run 1080p smooth. Mainly because I don’t have dual core. With my 24 inch monitor set to the maximum screen resolution of 1920X1200 that gives me the vertical height of 1200 just over the 1080 vertical height. So hopefully by the time I upgrade my CPU again there will be more 1080p content out there.

Check out the forums for tons of Documentary’s . You have to register but its free.

I’ll make some screen shots of the HD stuff when they get downloaded.

I’ve got these coming now

BBC Conquistadors Episode One: The conquest of the Aztecs
BBC Conquistadors Episode Two: The conquest of the Incas

BBC Conquistadors Episode 3 and 4 air later this week
BBC Planet Earth Episode 7 (of 11): Great Plains

PBS The American Revelation Episode 1 (of 6)

Ah I’ve had this for about a week and just forgot to give it a listen. The album is just fun fun fun. From the first song Spleens where their alter egos killer The Snow Fairies to (Love at the) Driving Range a cute little song that uses golf as a metaphor.

Their album Voila! can be downloaded here for free The Snow Fairies - Voila!

Heres the official site with links to the download and their myspace page.

Camera Obscura and Math And Physics Club.

Camera Obscura reminds me of Mazzy Star. Her looking is sort of Mod and sort of Hippe. I guess you’d call that a 70’s look. Beautiful voice and catchy melody’s.

Check out her Video If Looks Could Kill here

best line might be ” Still you act like a man who is cross with every woman he’s never had”

Ok now on to Math and Physics Club. Good pretty little nerd college songs. Saturdays and Holidays is a pretty and creepy at the same time.

We can bear this burden I’m not scared

We can lift this weight up off our head

I can come and visit you up there

Holidays and Saturday

Watch 3 videos shot in a book store here. 

Check out their website for more streaming songs

Was listening to a podcast this morning and they got into a debit card VS cash argument. Summed up in two statements.

Pro Cash statements: Cash is King
Pro Debit Card statements: Cash is Dirty

Both valid points. I use a debit card in the states and cash when I travel, so I agree with both. Conversation was a little deeper than this. Mostly about RF payment with a card. RF being radio frequency. Like as in the mobile “wave your wand” payment thing.

This would be my general pick of the year. Well Rounded.

Clap You hands Say - Yeah Over and Over Again (Lost and Found) Video 

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth Video 

One: Cut a hole in the box

Two: Put your junk in that box

Three: Make her Open the box

Its my dick in a box…my dick in a box girl

The videos funnier than the pic. See it Here

Not part of my list. Just a Christmas Video.

The Black Keys are going to be compared to the White Stripes since both are a two piece band. Only difference is The Black Keys have a real drummer and have deep blues roots. After listening to them I reignited my interest in playing blues riffs on my guitar. Playing Rockn’ Blues riffs are fun because its the heart and soul of a guitar in my opinion. Basics.

They would make one hell of a Friday night at any neighborhood corner bar. A little Stevie Ray Vaughn, a little Cream, mixed with a bit of AC/DC. A Band Like The Black Keys reminds you why women throw panties on stage. Its Pure sex in a performance. The whole Jimmy Page thing. I mean Page is butt ugly but made his guitar do all the talking when it came to charming the lady’s. Basically a band for any rockn’ blues fan. Lesser know as the original devils music.

Links:

The Black Keys Website

NPR Live Concert Series  The Black Keys from Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club November 6, 2006

Video The Black Keys on Letterman Stack Shot Billy

10 A.M. Automatic Video

Warning this is totally pop music. I can’t remember how I found out about The Feelings. They have a way of making just another love song work. With lyrics like “People in love get fast and foolish-People in love get everything wrong-People in love get scared and stupid-People in love get everything wrong.” Very honest and not pro or anti love. Just leaving the final statement “At least they’re not lonely” and giving you the decision as far as is it worth. I do wonder if they would have the same appeal without the piano.

The lead singer came out of the closet last month. Not a big shocker. What was a shocker was the title of the article where I read about his outing. “I’m Gay and SO are my Mums” What? What? and What?! Also quoted as saying ““Not only did I have two lesbian mothers but my mum was in a wheelchair.”

Check out their Video for “Never Be Lonely”

No its not the British Clark Kent

Proof that when the hit the states on tour it will be a good show “Strange” Live

and another video “sewn”

I ran my list by a friend of mine and he suggested I mention The Flaming Lips. I most certainly would have but I thought it was a 2005 release. Good thing because they are defiantly worth mention.

The Flaming Lips catering to the audiophiles with their close attention to 5.1 surround recording is a major step that seems to be the complete opposite direction of everyone else. In a time when things are being degraded to 128 bitrate it is really nice to know someone thinks like I do. I’m not an audiophile by any means yet I can totally tell the difference between the itunes 128 bit and a good 192 and up bitrate. I want my highs to pop. In the meantime it seems noone else is noticing.

I missed out on the STL show due to its rapid sell out at the Pageant.  After seeing a live video I really am sorry I missed out.

W.A.N.D. and Free Radicals are both very fun to play on guitar. Just makes me wish I had a fuzz pedal. The lyrics of Free Radicals sums up my feelings towards a few people.

You think you’re so radical
I think you oughta stop
(Say what)
But you’re going international
They’re gonna call the cops
(No, No, No)

You’re turning into a poor man’s donald trump
I know those circumstances make you wanna jump
Oh no

You think you’re radical but you’re not so radical in fact you’re fanatical
Fanatical X2

I’ll tell you right now
(right now)
You oughta change your mind
(yes)
All of your friends are (uh huh) standing in line
They’re getting tired of your attitude fast
You better loose it X2
Without all your bodyguards
How long would you last?
Not long
(not long)
Check out the live video for W.A.N.D.

Check out the slow motion pillow fight video of W.A.N.D.

Excellent look and feel. Check out the Eames Arm Shell Chair in the background

I’m going with Cold War Kids to kick of my Best of 2006. I’ll post the list over the next few weeks one band at a time. Its a short list this year. Many of the bands I loved last year failed on their sophomore albums. I’m not naming names.

Love the concept for the video.

Check out the video for “Hang Me up To Dry” 

Or a sample of my other favorite “Tell Me in the Morning”

Combines ebay craigslist and googlemap. You can search by keyword and your zip code. No more shipping if your lucky.

http://www.bidnearby.com/