Beatles "Love"

Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows

I listened to the "new" Beatles release today titled "Love." Since the Beatles haven't officially recorded as a band since 1969 I was under the impression that this release was same wine different bottle. I was way wrong.

Love begins with a twittering of birdsong lifted from "Across the Universe." And once the triple-tracked a capella harmonies of "Because" enter, followed by snatches from "A Hard Day's Night" and "The End," leading into a fired-up "Get Back," it became obvious that this was far more than just another Beatles compilation. Now, there's no new Beatles material per se, but the songs are all approached differently--some are cut together in a flawlessly mixed medley, some reassemble different backing tracks and vocal performances to create new spins on old classics; but all the songs are revitalized considerably. Case in point...

Now you may say, "why mess with perfection?" Well, why not? Especially, if the Beatles are backing the idea and their old producer George Martin is behind the controls. That said, I don't know if I would recommend this to brand new Beatles fan. This album is for the folks who really know the music. They're the ones who'll really appreciate this for its creativity.

Listen / Download other Beatles' mash-ups:
Beastie Boys (Beatles power sampled) - The Sounds of Science
Danger Mouse (Jay Z/Beatles mash) - 99 Problems.mp3

The Death of Barbaro

Equine Beauty Meets harsh Reality

Moving Forward in 2007

This website is about to go through a change in the next few weeks. I'm switching hosting companies and building a new template for this blog and the other pages associated with this site (resume, bio, contact, and a portfolio page). As I sat down to plan my attack for this project I reached for a piece of paper and started to write. Then I said, "wait a minute - I should post this." So in the words of the great Otis Day, "here it tis."

1. Sign up with Bluehost
2. Move site from Fatcow to Bluehost
   
3. Switch Blogger template to classic
   
4. Finish new template design
5. Build out template
6. Test new template
7. Build out old pages (resume, bio, contact, and a portfolio page) using new template
8. Organize old root file directory (including archived sites)
   
9. Go live

I'm shooting for an ambitious March 1st launch date. Let's see what happens. I'll leave you with my new "Screamer of the Week." I heard this song the other day and it really blew me away. It's a fun little song that drips with cheeky attitude. Enjoy.

Listen / Download:
Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out

Michael Altobelli Talks Trains and Cookies

Three year old Michael Altobelli talks about his trains and his passion for cookies.

eMarketer's 10 Key Predictions for 2007

What to watch for in 2007...

* Online Ad Spending Will Hit $20 Billion
* Some Money and Lots of Hype for Online Video Advertising
* Social Networks Are Set for a $1 Billion Windfall
* Downloadable Games Will Get Hotter
* Thirty-Seven Million Strong: A 'Minority' Bigger than Canada
* Mobile TV Arrives
* US B2C E-Commerce Will Cruise Past $200 Billion
* The Retail Power of Word-of-Mouth
* Broadband Services Will Matter as Much as Speed
* DVRs Pump Up TV Viewing

Online Ad Spending
Total US spending on Internet advertising will reach at least $19.5 billion in 2007. This is 19% more than total spending in 2006. This rate of growth is sharply down from the 30% or more that has been the norm for several years. However, even this reduced level of year-on-year growth would be considered spectacular for most industries. With total US advertising spending projected to grow by a mere 1.4% in 2007, the shift to the Internet is clearly set to maintain its heady momentum in 2007. {more}