Johnny Winter: Musical Discovery of the Month

I will be the first to admit that I am nowhere close to a music "aficionado". I love music, and am a firm believer in the idea that life should be more musical, whether that entails more song-and-dance numbers or epic scores to accompany everyday life. I mean, come on... who doesn't want Clint Mansell's "Requiem for a Dream" playing every time they open a stubborn jar of pickles or bike to the 7-11? However, despite my appreciation and adoration for the art, I cannot truthfully claim that I am some encyclopedic buff with a sweeping knowledge that covers the entire scope of musical history. I have the various bands that I enjoy, and that's about it. I don't go digging under rocks for those treasures buried in the windswept sands of forgotten time. I don't hang out at local underground bars in hopes of discovering the next "indie" phenom. I do, however, have access to programs like Rhapsody and, more recently, Pandora, and they're helping to open up my world musically, allowing me to freely explore as many different artists and genres as my heart desires.

And so, I thought it might be fun to share this journey with you guys, posting a new "Musical Discovery of the Month" every, well... month. Hopefully, you might be able to find a few new favorites here, too. So, without any further adieu, I'd like to introduce my first ever DiscoMo (????).

A Stroll Through the Cr(app) Store

I was searching through the App Store on my iPod recently and accidentally found this little gem tucked away in a corner. If you visit the link and click "more" under the Description section, you'll see this flight reference app is "useful for passengers and pilot" and can even be used "during flight to learn more about turbulence and ash clouds". Now, I don't know about you, but if I'm suspended in a moderately uncomfortable chair 35,000 feet above Nowhere, USA, I don't want my pilot referencing a $1.99 app on his phone to learn more about freaking anything.

A rough estimate of Nowhere, USA.

In light of this, I've decided to go in search of a few more apps that may have sounded great on paper, but kind of blow chunks on Retina Display. They may be crisp, clear, vibrantly detailed chunks, but they're chunks nonetheless.

13 Years on Rainey Street: Looking Back on King of the Hill

I've been a long-time fan of Mike Judge's Americana masterpiece, King of the Hill, and was thoroughly disappointed when Fox made the decision years ago to stop releasing the seasons on DVD due to cost/benefit reasons. While watching the first 6 seasons on DVD with my dad, we fell a little behind on the current seasons, and access to the episodes (legally or otherwise) was limited at the time, so we waited patiently for Fox to do something right for once. Not surprisingly, nothing came of it.

A Step Away From Brilliance: The Social Network Review

It's difficult to imagine what potential value, if any, there would be in a dramatic narrative film (as opposed to a documentary) made about a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter or, heaven forbid, MySpace (it even feels weird to type now). However, from the moment I first saw the trailers for The Social Network in theaters, I was inexplicably intrigued. There were no explosions, no spectacular special effects, no ridiculous stunts, and no Bruce Willis in sight. That's not to say I can't be drawn in by a riveting drama or a kitschy romantic comedy now and again, they're just few and far between. But Social Network had me curious from the get-go. Unfortunately, with my busy schedule around the time of its theatrical release, I never really had a chance to see it. And once it came out on DVD, the film had sort of slipped back under my radar. It turns out, all I needed was an excuse. So, when my good friend, Tim Gibson, suggested I review the movie for this blog, that was all it took to finally add the film to my library.

I'm glad I did. Aside from one major, though by no means deal-breaking, complaint (which I'll address later), I thought the movie was a stunning success.

The Green Hornet: Wickedly Mediocre

So, I just got back from the midnight showing of The Green Hornet, and I must say, it was an unfortunately hit-or-miss adventure. If you're wondering "Is it one of those films where basically all the good parts are in the trailer?", the answer is a resounding "pretty much". For a superhero movie that seems to tout its uniqueness from other superhero legends, the film is littered with clichés and characters who don't seem to take anything in their world seriously.

"You don't think I'm scary? Why don't you think I'm scary? I have a double-barreled gun. That should be scaring you right now! Do you think I'm old? Gah! I'm too old for being a crime boss. That's why you don't find me scary, isn't it? I knew it! Please, tell me how I could be scaring you better. I... I'm no good at this."

12 Addicting Video Games of Days Gone By (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1 [Duh] - make sure you read that first!)

6. Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 (PC): This was another one of those inexplicably enjoyable games. I mean, really? Managing a theme park? Hiring staff? Cleaning up vomit? Fixing broken toilets? Yet the game was a smash hit. Indeed, there was far more to the game than that, but all that stuff was in there, too, which is really a testament to everything else. Arguably, the best part of the game was designing your own roller coasters and trying to stuff as many awesome rides and attractions into whatever miserable plot of land you'd been assigned. Some missions necessitated your park rating and occupancy be at a certain level by a certain time, while others required you build a successful park around a specific theme.

Like this apparently Alcatraz-themed park.

12 Addicting Video Games of Days Gone By (Part 1)

I was a bit of a late-comer to the video game scene, because my parents had this inkling (as most parents do) that these virtual realities might, in fact, be soul-binding death traps of entertainment with addictive properties on par with a cake made of heroin.

Blow out your candles, honey!

They were (as most parents are) pretty spot on, but just to be sure, I insisted on doing some hands-on research. And, once I started earning an allowance and eventually got a job of my own, I was free to spend money on frivolous things like food and clothes or on necessities like video games. And so, throughout the years, I waxed and waned with the tide of different genres and series. Naturally, as with any relationship, there were good times and bad - Marios and Waluigis - but these are the esteemed titles that hold the fondest memories of sleepless nights glued to a screen.

6 Great Books That Need a Silver Screen Treatment

Books have been getting a makeover lately. With the explosion of eBook technology, and the market flooded with eReaders like the Kindle and the NOOK, it seems the printed word is getting a run for its money. But there’s another type of transformation many books have been undergoing recently: the silver screen makeover. Adaptation of comic books, novels, memoirs, and the like are spreading through Hollywood like wildfire. And yet, in all the chaos, there are a few greats (or at least personal favorites) they seem to have missed.

5 Reasons Why Dogs Are the Ultimate Pets

The human race has been domesticating animals for thousands of years in an attempt to make them do tricks, play games, guard homes, sport designer fashions, and generally be less sucky as our cohabitants on this planet we call Earth. However, among the chief reasons to domesticate animals is for companionship. Some of us are elderly and thus, many of our friends have passed on. Some of us are loners and prefer the untamed mountains or endless fields to pesky neighbors and “family fun night”. Some of us were born into solitude (here’s lookin’ at you, Richie Rich). Still others of us just plain suck at socializing; but despite the reasons, we humans have an underlying need for companionship, and for some of us that void is better filled by pets than people.

To Aspiring Authors and Other Insensible People

There are 1,001 reasons to hate writing. While it’s relatively easy to learn, it’s often incredibly difficult to master (something I have by no means achieved). With the advent of and easy access to online resources and audiences (via blogging *cough cough*, Twitter, etc.), the market is flooded with material. It takes time and effort and doesn’t always pay very well. Heck, I bet this isn’t even close to the first “Writers Writing About Writing” article on Blogger. There. You see? 1,001 reasons. So, why, might you ask, did I choose to open on this topic? Well...

- I couldn’t think of anything better to write about at the moment.

- I am vain enough to think I might have something new to offer on the subject.

- There’s the off chance that you missed all those other “Writers Writing About Writing” articles (in which case, just assume this is the only one).

- Oddly enough, writing is one of the easiest topics to write about.

- And because I can.