Sega Urine Game!

I got the new Rolling Stone in the mail yesterday, and on the Threat Assessment scale there was mention of Sega intoducing "Toylets".  Toylets are pee-controlled video games for urinals.  Upon more research I learned they are only in a few locations in Japan, but this thoroughly excites me for the future.
I know this is a weird thing to be excited about, but who cares, sometime in the near future men will be able to play games with our pee streams.  We already do this, with the aiming and whatnot, now we will be able to keep score and compete.
Some women may think this sounds gross and disgusting, but your opinion may change as soon as they find a way to make games for your toilets.  I'm sure they will make some equal opportunities  for you (I do believe I read that one of the games measures volume).
With all of the motion sensor games these days, its nice to see Sega taking an extra step forward.  I grew up on the Sega Genesis, then switched to Playstation, but Sega will always keep a place in my heart.  I have friends who still wish the Dreamcast would've lasted, and honestly so do I, even though I never played one until they were already out of production.
Anyway, I was just really excited about this news for some reason, Buffalo Wild Wings already hooks you up with TVs at the Urinals, why not hook up a Toylet.

The Music Industry.

The music industry is at a very critical time right now.  The last decade or so its been going through a renaissance, sparked by Napster and the file sharing generation.  There seem to be more bands out there these days, but the bands aren't lasting as long because they don't have the money.  Many artists are forced fund their own records and tours and do much more of the work on said records and tours.

Record companies are about money, we all know that.  That's how the business got to the point where it is.  But also, the internet has fueled more artists to have the tools to do more of the things on their own.  They can promote themselves through social networking outlets and youtube and blogs.  They can gain popularity by playing shows and friends sharing pics and videos of the shows with these same types of things.  There do seem to be many more labels today with all of the indie labels that have popped up, but most of these don't have the money to last long.

I am very interested to see where all of this goes, I hope it turns out well with the more artists putting their music out there, but the record companies it seems have stopped promoting as many artists as they used to.  This is why mainstream radio isn't really relevant anymore.  Everyone gets annoyed with Top 40 stations because it seems they only play 5 songs.  And rock fans don't like rock radio because its all generic and sounds the same.  With the internet and the iPod generation we seem to be growing apart musically.  We all have our own taste and our own artists we enjoy, but because of this the artists don't last as long due to lack of funding.  I hope someone finds a way to make music easily accessible and lasting at the same time, soon.  I want the music industry to thrive again, but with people who do it because they enjoy the music, not just because they want fat checks.  I understand we all want fat checks, but the art form needs to be respected all the same.  I think we would all like some more variety instead of what seems like the same songs being put out over and over and over.  We've all got our own tastes, and that's something I love, our differences make this world a lot better, but it seems to be at least part of the downfall of the music industry.

I'm in support of us all having our own tastes, but I would also like for the artists that I enjoy to last longer; I guess they'll live forever in my iTunes, but I wouldn't mind them being able to maybe make a few more records.

Coachella 2011 Lineup Announced.

     Today is Dolly Parton's birthday!  Happy Birthday, Dolly!  Also, the Coachella 2011 lineup was announced.  It's in California and I'm a little short on cash so I won't be attending.  From what I've been reading people aren't too impressed by this year's lineup, but it doesn't seem that bad to me.
     The headliners are: for Friday, Kings of Leon; Saturday, Arcade Fire; and Sunday, Kanye West and The Strokes.  Kings of Leon are one of the biggest rock artists in the world.  Yeah, they changed their sound a little to get where they are, but we can't forget the catalog that they have.  All of the acts on Friday seem a little more pop friendly, anyway.  The Black Keys , The Chemical Brothers, Robyn, Lauryn Hill, Cold War Kids, Cee Lo Green and Brandon Flowers are some of the names that stick out to me.  It doesn't seem Coachella is really looking for street cred with this setup.  I enjoy a lot of the artists on the list, but most are not going to appeal to other festival crowds like Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza.
     The lineup for the usual festival fans seems to be Saturday.  Besides Arcade Fire, the bill includes Animal Collective, Bright Eyes, Mumford & Sons, Broken Social Scene and Scissor Sisters to name a few.
     They bring it home on Sunday with Kanye West and The Strokes.  The other acts on Sunday include Duran Duran, Ratatat, Nas & Damien Marley, Jimmy Eat World and Neon Trees.  This set seems like the most fun to me.  There are definately acts that I would love to see on the other days, but this seems like the one that would be the most interesting and fun.  While other sources are not amazed by the Coachella 2011 lineup, I would like to point out that it's pretty similar to most festival lineups in recent years.  The music business has been struggling and you have to put artists on the bill who will sell tickets, people aren't as willing to throw their money around in these hard times.


Happy Birthday, Dolly.

New Favorite Reality Show

I am not the biggest fan of reality TV these days, but perhaps that's because there haven't been shows about things I enjoy. I used to like The Real World before MTV made it all about people sexing and fighting, when it was about people living together and being exposed to different types of people. I've fallen victim to the marathons of VH1 reality shows like everyone else before, and just as I select to swear them off, they throw in The X Life, which focuses more on the wives of extreme sports stars, but the stars themselves are actually in the show a lot, too, which is enjoyable. I just found a reality show that is everything I want in a reality show, though.
The show is called Adrenalina and is on Discovery HD Theater. It's two guys traveling and making extreme sports videos basically. They incorporate some historical facts in, and they tell you what song is playing (which I don't understand why more TV shows don't do that, it was one of my favorite things MTV did when they quit playing music videos). They often have extreme sports stars on and just seem to be enjoying the places and cultures they experience. I recommend this show to anyone who enjoys extreme sports and/or exotic locations. It's on HD theater Thursday nights. They also had ads for another show that looks to be about kitesurfing which looks like fun, hopefully I get a chance to see it soon.

NUGGETS BLOW OUT HEAT!!!

     Last night the Denver Nuggets beat the Heat by 28 points.  The Heat were without Lebron James, but when you're supposed to be the top team in the league shouldn't you be able to compete without one guy?  The Nuggets were without Birdman, he's out for a week or so to rest his knee and back that he's had problems with recently.
     Some people may say this was Melo's Last Stand in Denver, and if so, so be it.  The rest of the team showed last night that this team has a future either way.  George Karl is keeping home that Carmelo may stay, so I am, too.  Last night, Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Nene and J.R. Smith showed that the team still has a strong core.  Seven guys scored in double figures for the Nuggets, and Chauncey Billups had 13 assists and 7 points.
     In the post-game interview, Dwayne Wade talked about how the Heat run much of their offense through James.  Which basically told me that Lebron is in no better position than he was in Cleveland.  Either way, the Nuggets were playing hard last night.  They were moving the ball, moving without the ball, and they were playing great defense and running the entire game.
     The Nuggets were wearing smiles during the game last night.  One thing I enjoy is when teams seem to have fun, and the Nuggets were definitely having fun last night.  Especially with getting such a big lead that the fourth quarter was reserved for the reserves.  It was nice to see them enjoying the night, its been awhile since they've been smiling with all the drama circling.  Who knows what will come of it, they're saying it'll be completed next week, but these rumors have been going on so long nobody knows what to believe anymore and everyone just wants to get it over with.  Personally, I'm with George Karl, I'm going to try not to worry about it until it happens.  Even though its hard with everyone talking about it so much.  I don't know much about Derrick Favors or the other players in the latest deal proposed, and won't go out of my way to look into them until they show up in Blue and Yellow.  And if they do, I hope they can enjoy the game and play as well as the Nuggets on the floor last night.
  

CLIPPERS BEAT THE HEAT!!!

Last night The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Miami Heat. The Clippers are a favorite team of mine, behind the Denver Nuggets. Miami makes the trip to Denver tonight, I'm looking forward to it, I have to work but should be able to watch most of the game.
Everyone was talking smack after the Nuggets lost to the Clippers and the Kings, which granted it was by more than the Heat did, but the Nuggets have had a lot of drama to deal with lately. I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just happy to see the Heat lose and the Clippers win.
The Clippers are finally making a name for themselves behind Blake Griffin (24 straight double-doubles) and Eric Gordon. Baron Davis also has started playing to his ability again. If they can keep their young core together they could definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years. Besides Griffin and Gordon, they have Deandre Jordan who is growing into a great rebounder and improving his game all the time. They also have Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe who are helping quite a bit as rookies (Bledsoe got a huge block on Lebron James last night, He's 6'1").
They haven't had the best season sitting at 13-24, but have gotten some key wins over the Spurs, Heat and Nuggets. I hope they realize what they have and stay together to become a force in the league. They have proven they can play with the top teams and they're starting to finish those games now (even if their way is to go huge in the first half, 44 pt first qtr vs. Heat).
The Heat are in Denver tonight, Carmelo Anthony guaranteed he'll be playing, we'll see how all that drama plays out, but tonight its Miami at Denver, and I hope the Nuggets are prepared because the Heat will be trying to prove themselves again after last night. The Nuggets are also trying to prove that they're still a contender, they've been left out of the talks this year, much do to the planned exit of Carmelo Anthony. But I am excited for this game, even more so after the Clippers taking the Heat down, both teams have some things to prove to the world.

My current state of mind (not in New York)

     Lately I've been all over the place with the music I'm listening to.  Techno, acoustic, rap, rock...a little of everything.  If I were to make a soundtrack for the way I feel right at this moment, I don't think I'd be able to, I would probably try to find some weird homeless man and throw him in a studio with Kanye West, T. Bone Burnett, Paul Simon and Daft Punk and see what came out of it.

     Music is where I usually feel I can find myself, lately I've been finding myself more in TV shows or movies.  I grew up on TV, which could explain my short attention span.  In my opinion, the best show out there these days is Community on NBC.  It started off as a normal sitcom with decent jokes, and has grown into itself.  It seems that its getting established, they're more free with it and are comfortable doing ridiculous things.  Last week, I Season One for the first time since it was on air.  It was great.  If you haven't watched this show, I recommend it. The character Abed is glorious, he is the heart of the show.  He mostly lives his life through movie references and seems to understand life more than any other character on TV. 

     This started as me wanting to write about my current musical state of mind, but it turned into me talking about my favorite TV show.  Oh well.  Life changes.

My thoughts on the Carmelo Anthony Trade rumor.

     The Denver Nuggets are my favorite NBA team, and currently are in the midst of a storm with rumors about Carmelo Anthony's departure.  The trade talks and rumors have been swirling since the Summer 2010 Free Agent class did their part in shaking up the league.  The next guy in line was/is Carmelo Anthony.  Immediately trade talks started with rumors of another Super Team like the one that formed in Miami.  Countless teams and players have been mentioned in the rumors swirling around this next big projected shake-up.
     The current deal said to be on the brink of closure has Carmelo Anthony taking Chauncey Billups with him to the New Jersey Nets.  Its a three team deal, with the Nets getting Anthony, Billups, Shelden Williams and Anthony Carter all from the Nuggets, and Rip Hamilton from the Detroit Pistons.  The Nuggets are also trying to include Al Harrington in the trade, but the Nets don't want him according to the rumors.  The trade would send rookie power forward Derrick Favors to Denver, along with some lottery draft picks.  

     Denver is trying to avoid getting "Lebron'd", a term that came about after Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers with nothing after deciding to take his talents to South Beach.  Derrick Favors and the lottery picks offer them a chance at rebuilding with a young team.  

     As a Nuggets fan, I've been in support of Carmelo Anthony through the whole debacle, but its starting to look like its affecting his play, as well as the play of the whole team.  Yes, I would like to see him stay in Denver, but I understand his want to be in a larger market, and somewhere where his wife will have more opportunities in the entertainment world.  It will be hard to see him leave Denver, but its beginning to look easier with the play of the last few games.
     So it looks as though the Nuggets will be rebuilding.  I think they already have a solid core to start with.  Ty Lawson is a very promising young point guard who, in my opinion, gets overlooked.  He has the ability to just blow by people on the court, he does have a disadvantage in only being 5'11", but the positives heavily outweigh the negatives.  They also have Arron Afflalo and Nene, who are both having career years.  Afflalo has improved greatly his last couple of years in Denver, he is now more of an offensive threat and still keeps his great defensive ability.  Nene is leading the league in field goal percentage, and has more speed than probably any other center in the league.  And lets not forget Kenyon Martin is still building back up to being able to play with no limits on time.  He is a defensive leader when he's on the team and helps in getting in the mind of the other teams.  Last year the short time he was fully healthy, he was getting double-doubles pretty much every game.  J.R. Smith also offers some positive, he hasn't been doing that great lately, but we all know he has the potential.  Coach Karl says J.R. is showing maturity these days, lets hope he can be mature and consistent with his playing.  When you figure in Birdman coming off the bench sparking energy, blocking shots, rebounding and giving another strong defensive presence and the long history of Coach Karl, you can see how this team still has potential without Anthony.  

     In my opinion, the Nuggets still have a strong core and have potential to remain a strong team in the West and in the NBA.  They will be lacking a franchise player, though.  With Anthony and Billups, the only closers the team really has leaving, the close games will be tough and some that should be close won't be anymore.  I'm keeping faith in the Nuggets and Coach Karl, though.  Perhaps if/when Anthony finally leaves it will clear the skies of Denver, and they'll start playing better because they won't have one guy to rely on.  They have players who have the ability, the time may be coming for them to step up and show they can compete with the league's elite.