Video of the day - 7/06/06

Crown City Rockers - B-Boy






100% pure hip-hop. Not from concentrate.

Why I love my job

Cheers.

For a glimpse into T's world, I give you my work schedule from last night.

12:00 - 12:20: Arrive at work. Bullshit with afternoon staff.

12:20 - 12:35: Walk a patient and her family up to the child and adolescent unit.

12:35 - 1:00: Check email, ESPN.com, various blogs of interest

1:00 - 3:00: Watch Deadwood Season 2 on DVD. Eat lunch.

3:00 - 4:00: Poke around on YouTube for music videos. Update blog. (Zounds!) Bullshit with coworkers who aren't sleeping at the time.

4:00 - 5:00: Watch more Deadwood.

5:00 - 5:05: Go up to the cafeteria for free ice cream. Employee appreciation week! Yay!

5:05 - 6:30: Eat ice cream. More Deadwood. (Thank god for Netflix, by the way).

6:30 - 6:35: Upstairs for more ice cream.

6:35 - 7:30: Finish DVD. Complain to coworkers that "my tummy hurts."

7:30 - 7:35: Deposit DVDs in mailbox. Drink half a pot of coffee.

7:35 - 8:00: Update blog while listening to Pandora.

8:00 - 8:10: Morning shift arrives. Complain about how busy we were.

8:10: Go home.


One of the biggest mistakes they made here at the hospitals was updating to computers with DVD drives.

Don't hate.

Video of the Day - 6/09/06

ESPN NBA Basketball - Tracy Morgan





I know I'm getting pretty lazy with these posts, but damn if YouTube isn't the greatest.

Video of the Day - 6/08/06

Placebo - Song to Say Goodbye





One of these days, I'll spend some time explaining how Placebo is one of the best bands you've never heard of. Until then, enjoy...

Video of the Day - 6/05/06

Camp Lo - Luchini

Skippy. It's Time.

Lions fans' Super Bowl is this Saturday and Sunday. Some brief thoughts on the upcoming festivities:

• One of the great things about the draft is the obscene amount of irresponsible speculation that leads up to it. Name me another sport where the amateur draft gets this much coverage. Most of the time, this is a good thing. But it seems as though the more time is spent dissecting prospects and their attributes, the more ridiculous the opinions become. Merril Hoge suggested on SportsCenter 2 weeks ago that neither Leinart nor Young were worthy of a first round pick - Leinart because of his perceived lack of arm strength, and Young because of his delivery and lack of time under center. Suffice it to say that this is ludicrous. Young may or may not be the next Michael Vick, but Leinart will be in the Pro Bowl in four years. Which brings me to my next point:
• Anybody who passes on Leinart will be sorry. I can see how the Texans could come to the conclusion that they should take Reggie Bush - speedy blah shifty blah Gale Sayers blah blah. For a moment, let's forget the inevitability of Bush spending the majority of his seven year career on the injured list. One very important fact makes Leinart the right pick in this situation: The gap in talent between the best and worst starting QB in the NFL is much bigger than that for running backs. The Pro-Bowler you drafted in the 7th round is much more likely to lining up seven yards in the backfield than under center. That being said...
• I don't envy the position that the Saints are in. I still feel as though Leinart would be the right choice, but he wouldn't contribute on that team for at least a year or two. If you believe that Mario Williams is the next Julius Peppers, I can see how you'd justify selecting him with the second pick, especially considering the historical inaptitude of the Saints' defense. Hell, I might even consider A.J. Hawk. Let's not forget though, that the 2 best seasons of Brees' career came with top 5 pick right on his heels on the depth chart.
• Part of me hates to say this, but the best case scenario for Detroit would be for Hawk to drop to them at #9, although it won't happen. I think there's some truth to the Spielman comparisons.
• The consensus seems to be that Huff will be the guy when Millen and company are on the clock, and this seems to be a good thing. Ever since the "Ty Law rules" were put into effect a few seasons ago, we've seen a shift in the nature of NFL secondaries. Gone are the days of the shutdown corner. In this day and age, your Pro Bowl CBs are the intelligent guys who understand the intricacies of the zone defense, and have the agility to quickly close the seams in the zone when the ball is in the air, and make a solid tackle. Sorry kids, but Charles Woodson is not headed to Honolulu anytime soon.
• As a result of this trend, we're seeing the emergence of versatile safeties. Guys like Williams, Reed, and Polamalu are as likely to return an INT 90 yards as they are to separate you from your cranium. (To the Batcave!) Part of this trend is probably related to the increased athleticism of TEs, but that's another story. Some are saying that Huff has the speed and hips to play CB as well, which is great. Especially considering that all the king's horses and all the king's men are still working on Fernando Bryant.
• Anybody baffled by Michigan's 7-5 season should look to this year's draft for reasons why. The only guy who's a lock to go on day one is one of the biggest underachievers in school history. Avant is a solid if unspectacular possession receiver (Future social worker. Respect.) and there's the two meh O lineman that will go on day 2, if at all. No Braylon. No Perry. No Hutchinson. See what I mean?
• I would not be surprised (disgusted maybe, but not surprised) to see the Lions take a QB in the first round.
• With all of the OSU guys being drafted (especially on defense), why are the Buckeyes in the National Championship discussion? Is Troy Smith actually that good?
• Vince Young analogy: Drafting him in the top 10 is like doubling down on 12.

As Promised

Something very interesting happens when people badger me about updating the blog. I catch an attitude and cripple their computers. Ha! Prepare as I revert you to papyrus.

Deltron 3030 - Virus - (buy)

It's been a long time. We shouldn'a left you...

Apologies to all. I too, am a delinquent blogger.

Today's group is Binary Star. I originally came across these guys by listening to OneBeLo (also known as OneManArmy), who prior to his solo venture, was one of the original members of Binary. These cats hail from Pontiac, and their first release - Waterworld - is a reference to their home state. Waterworld was later "re-arranged" and released as Masters of the Universe on Subterraneous Records.

Binary Star had broken up prior to the release of M.O.T.U., so there's not much of an opportunity to see them live. It actually sounds like the breakup was acrimonious at best - Senim Silla uses the liner notes to gripe about all the money OBL still owes him. But whatever. It's a quality CD. Much of the appeal of M.O.T.U. has to do with its lack of over-production, as opposed to the other 90% of hip hop that's being distributed in the last 5 years. The beats are simple yet catchy, which allows the listener to appreciate the main appeal of this duo - their lyricism.

Here's a couple of tracks. Make your way over to the Subterraneous site or allmusic for some more history. I'll also include a single by OneBeLo, off his solo record S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. I dare you to not bob your head to the beat.



Binary Star - KGB - (buy)

Binary Star - New Hip Hop

Binary Star - Conquistadors


OneBeLo - enecS eht no kcaB - (buy)

Old School Wednesday

Whodini - I'm a Ho -- (buy)

Whodini - Friends

Treacherous Three - Body Rock -- (buy)

Spoonie G - Love Rap

Kool & the Gang - Get Down on It -- (buy)

Gap Band - Party Train -- (buy)

Gap Band - You Dropped a Bomb on Me

...And there was much rejoicing.

DiAllo Johnson taught him this move



Have a nice life, Jim Herrmann!

Oh Leon....

Playmakers.mp3

Bueno / No Bueno 2/10/06

Bueno: Techno-remixes of cartoon theme songs:

Alpha Team - Speed Racer

No Bueno: Tayshaun Prince's hurt feelings

Bueno: Parodies of ESPN.com

No Bueno: My January Detroit Edison bill

Bueno: Season 5 of 24

No Bueno: Having to wait for Season 3 of Deadwood

Bueno: DC Ron English

No Bueno: You just know Herrman is going to light up the NFL now.

Bueno: Some music to usher in the weekend...


Mos Def & Massive Attack - I against I - (buy)

Eric B & Rakim - Don't sweat the Technique - (buy)

Eric B & Rakim - Casualties of War

Diamond D & Psychotic Neurotics - Sally got a one track Mind - (buy)

Pearl Jam - Hard to Imagine - (buy)

Steve Winwood - Valerie - (buy)

Eric Prydz - Call on Me

Rhymin' and (not) Stealin'

So during the course of my occasional posts here, I've realized that the method of posting audio and video is far from user-friendly. Having to download each track is frankly a pain, especially if you're at work and trying to do it on the D.L. I've arrived at a solution: links that lead directly to the tracks themselves (assuming you have WMP as your default.)

My lack of CSS expertise leads me to list the following disclaimer here, rather than in the sidebar:

Tracks posted here are intended for the promotion of the artists and the music itself. If you represent any of these artists, and you would like the content in question removed, email me. It will be done with the quickness.

Otherwise, check out some of the songs I post. If nothing else, this blog affords me the opportunity to share some of my eccentric musical tastes, and maybe turn some people on to artists they've yet to discover.

I should also mention that many of the videos I link to were originally posted at a couple of great blogs for hip-hop videos:

The Video Crates

&

Old School Music Videos

So go ahead and stop by once in while. And make sure your computer at work has speakers.

Gangstarr - Jazz Thing (video)

D-Nice - Crumbs on the Table (video)

Pep Love - T.A.M.I. - (buy)

RJD2 - 1976 - (buy)

Beware the Rockbiter

Yeah. I don't have anything clever to say today. Just needed to share this ridiculous picture of Graham Brown.


Speaking of ridiculous, how about some more catchy flash animation?


Steve Spacek - Dollar - (buy)

Aceyalone - Fire - (buy)

Xmas 2006 wishlist....

Actually, yes. Diddy does love TiVo....

It looks as though TiVo has announced the release of their Series 3 DVR in late 2006. Check out this video from CES.

General Elektriks - Tu M'intrigues - (more free, legal downloads)

Wordsworth - Shoulder - (buy)

Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens...

'Tis the season y'all. Time to Celebrate with Run DMC. Make sure to turn up the speakers in your office so everyone can enjoy.

Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis

Friday Morning Music

3-plus weeks between posts. Not bad. At least I am updating with greater frequency than Ryan and Sujay.

I haven't really got anything clever today, so I'm posting some music for everybody. In different categories, no less!

Humerous International Music Videos

-Yatta!

-Daler Mehndi: Tunak Tunak Tun


Contemporary Rock (as seen on SNL last week)

-James Blunt - Goodbye my Lover - (buy)

-James Blunt - You're Beautiful


Hip Hop Videos
(courtesy of The Video Crates and Old School Music Videos)

-Funkdoobiest - Dedicated

-Buckshot Lefonque - Music Evolution

Fun at Work 11/14/05

Although I have some great coworkers, there are some dim bulbs that work here as well. Case in point...

As I walked past one of my colleague's desks yesterday, I noticed why he hadn't said much in the previous few minutes. He was busy Googling the word "Google." Knowing Mark, he probably expected some sort of IT paradox to rip apart the space-time continuum.

Brilliant.

Tipoff 2005

Welcome to the best time of year for sports fans. College Football and NFL seasons are in full swing. Hockey is back (hooray!), and Pistons' fans will get their fix starting tonight.

• Here's ESPN's take on the 05-06 Pistons. Their one-sentence analysis of Ben Wallace:

"Who else could make Ron Artest back up like traffic?"

Who indeed.

Lions Report 10/24/05

Lions win today, so Detroit fans should be happy, right? That depends on your perspective on this season. As I see it, there are two choices we have at this point:

• Hope for an 8-8 season that will probably be enough to win the division, followed by a hasty exit in the wild-card round.
• Hope for a whole bunch of losses in order to usher in the Matt-Leinart-in-Honolulu-Blue-Era.

As it stands now, we're realistically looking at 6-10 or 7-9, followed by using the 8th pick to take another WR. Charles Rogers will be carpooling with Joey on their unceremonious departure from the Motor City in January. So long, guys. Have a nice life.

Still, it was nice (although somewhat strange) to have some confidence in the offense while watching Sunday's game. If Garcia can do this well with Vines and Martinez, well, that's good. Still, he's not the long-term solution. Too early to tell if Orlovsky is, either.

Here's a few takes on this year's team thus far...

Quarterback

See above. Joey Harrington is a nice guy. He plays the piano pretty well. Too bad he also has an anxiety disorder. He should write a thank you note to Jeff Tedford for his millions of dollars, and proceed to live out his days as a third string player for the Giants (or some other team where he has no chance of ever seeing the field.) Don't feel too bad for the guy - it's a good gig.

The length of Garcia's tenure will be dictated by his health. I anticipate that a high draft pick will once again be spent on a QB. Unless perhaps a quality free agent becomes available. Billy Volek? Matt Schaub, anyone?

Running Back

Kevin Jones is Kevin Jones. No need to worry about this position. I've definitely been encouraged by the increased PT for Artose Pinner. He's the type of guy who can keep the chains moving as long as he has good blocking. He would get 1300 yards in Denver, to put it another way. Jones, on the other hand, has the ability to make something out of nothing. Bryson rounds out this stable of backs rather nicely. Until Jones further refines his pass-catching game, he remains the best receiver out of the backfield. With the return of fullback/bulldozer Cory Schlesinger, the running game should only improve as the season continues.

Receivers

Charles Rogers appears to be a bust. Somebody apparently forgot to tell him that medicinal cannabis is not an approved treatment for osteoporosis. And I still think he looks like Osmosis Jones. If (if) Roy Williams could stay healthy, he'd probably make the Pro Bowl, or at least Plays of the Week on a semi-regular basis. Mike Williams looked decent against Cleveland, but it's still too early to tell how he'll do. Something tells me he'll be playing TE in three years. Considering all the drops by Pollard & friends, this might not be a bad thing. Scottie Vines has filled in admirably when called upon, but he's a #4 receiver at best. Kevin Johnson was supposed to be the veteran leadership at this position this year. It looks as though he's spending the rest of the season in street clothes and one really large boot. Glenn Martinez has apparently won a raffle drawing of some sort where the prize is an NFL roster spot. Good for you, Glenn.... now please assume your position next to the Gatorade cooler. And I just realized he kind of looks like Jesus.

Offensive Line

After watching Sunday's game, I'm not sure what to think of this unit. Either: a.) They looked good because they were playing, well... Cleveland. or b.) They are awesome, they all hate Joey, and let the pass rush upfield for their (and our) collective amusement. Hahaha.

Defensive Line

Rogers and Wilkinson are bueno. Shaun Cody appears to be solid as well, but he needs a nickname. How about Big Poppa or something. Hall and Redding, while not spectacular, round out the starting unit. Many thanks to whoever woke up Kalimba Edwards from his three-year nap.

Linebackers

Here's the position with the most quality depth on the team. Boss Bailey (welcome back) has enough range to possibly play SS in a pinch. Holmes is a force in the middle, and Teddy Lehman continues to improve. Curry and Rainer are valuable special teams contributors, and James Davis has one of the coolest nicknames in the league. Check out his website. Alex Lewis will add to the group when he returns from injury.

Secondary

Did anybody know that Dre Bly was going to be this good? My only complaint is the hot-potato antics on interception returns, but I'll take it as part of the package. Fernando Bryant weighs 120 pounds, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at his fragility. As I correctly predicted, R-dub has been a great addition at CB and KR. Goodman got a pick Sunday as well. Time will tell if Keith Smith and Stanley Wilson pan out. Terrence Holt has been solid if unspectacular thus far in his first year as a starter, and Kennoy Kennedy is a league-imposed-fine waiting to happen. Just ask Jake Delhomme.

Special Teams

A coworker asked me today what life would be like without Jason Hanson. Amazing how much we take him (and the kicking position in general) for granted, isn't it? Here's hoping that his successor has a similar 15 year run. As an aside, what do folks think his Hall of Fame chances are? People have mentioned Eddie Drummond in the same breath as Dante Hall from a couple years back, but he needs to stay healthy.

Coaching

Am I the only one who feels like Steve Mariucci is too nice of a guy to coach the Lions? After the last six or seven seasons, what this team needs is a no-nonsense results-oriented guy. I'm not sure if Mooch is the guy to maximize the results from this team's talents. If somebody tells me that Parcells and Dungy are holding bocce tournaments during the off season as well, then I'll gladly retract these comments.

Management

Perhaps people were too quick in their praise of Millen's draft success. We'll see.