Wild Sweet Orange Tonight!

Tammy and I are going to see these guys perform tonight at The Social. If you haven't heard of them yet, be sure to check them out.

In another six months, all of your friends will be talking about these guys anyway. I just thought I'd let you know, so you can get a foot up on them.



"How bout that guy." - David Letterman

Manic Monday: Time for Some Campaignin'

With the DNC's Convention kicking off tonight (and therefore the start of the "official" campaign season) I felt it appropriate to post a video about our country's other favorite pastime: politics.

This clip made its rounds a few weeks back. It's from the guys at JibJab who bought us "This Land" four years ago.

Hilarious.

When Brands Respond: EA's Tiger Woods '09

A lot of brands are unsure exactly how to respond to the social media phenomenon. Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research even has a list of brands that have got punk'd by social media.

But every once in awhile, someone gets it right. Take EA Sports for example. Some punk kid thought he found a glitch in Tiger Woods 09 that shows the golfer walking on water. EA responded with a clip of their own.

Turns out Tiger can walk on water (see below.)



Here's to more brands not only listening, but joining in on the conversation when they have something valuable to add.

R.I.P. Leroi Moore

You may have heard by now that Leroi Moore, famed saxophonist of the Dave Matthews Band, passed away yesterday due to complications from an ATV accident in June.

This is a said day in which the music world has lost a great talent. Dave Matthews Band was my first favorite band growing up. Moore's rifts were just as memorable as Dave's lyrics in my opinion.

Although Jeff Coffin has been filling in for Moore, Dave Matthews Band will never be the same.



Rest in peace Leroi. You will be missed.

Four years ago today

Exactly four years ago today, I was passing bright orange Asplundh trunks on I-95 on my way to Walt Disney World Resort to begin the College Program. Hurricane Charlie, the first of four hurricanes to strike Florida in 2004, had just passed through Orlando two days before my arrival.


Since then I have met people from all over the world and become the closest of friends with many of them. I have had the privilege to work with some of the brightest and most talented people I know. And I have had the chance to travel to some pretty sweet places.

Looking back, I was taking a little bit of a gamble by moving down here. And if I had to do it all over, I wouldn't hesitate to roll the dice again.


UPDATE: Speaking of hurricanes, Fay's almost here. And she's projected to take a path eerily similar to 'Ol Charlie. Oh the irony.

Manic Monday: Top 20 Olympic Falls

Since everyone, myself included, seems to have caught a pretty severe case of Olympic Fever I thought this edition of Manic Monday should feature some of the more humorous moments from the games.

Olympians are super human athletes, but even they miss a step once in awhile. Here's the Top 20 Falls in Gymnastics. I have to warn you, it gets a bit painful at times.



Ouch.

The Fear of Striking Out

Do you know what major leaguer led the American League in strike outs in 1918, 1923, 1924, 1927 and 1928? I'm sure you probably do. He went by many names: George Herman Ruth, Great Bambino, and The Sultan of Swing to name a few. What's ironic is that the man that led the American League in strike outs for several seasons is also hailed as one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game. Today marks the 60th anniversary of his death.

Ruth's lifetime total of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record for 39 years, until broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. I could go on all day thanks to my trusty sidekick, wikipedia. But stats aside, I think Babe Ruth learned a great truth about baseball that applies to life in general. He's quoted as saying "Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."

There's something invigorating about that statement. He's acknowledging that by swinging for the fences he's going to strike out a lot. And that's okay. How many times do most people play things safe, because of their fear of striking out? I would venture to say quite often. It's as if we're willing to settle for a bunch of base hits to avoid the embarrassment of failure.

Base hits are good and sometimes they're just what we need. But sometimes they're not enough. Sometimes we need to think bigger than that. Sometimes we should go for something great. And that means swinging for the fences. And most of all, not letting the fear of striking out get in our way.

Batter up.

What's so new about Indie?

There's a recent post on my favorite blog, Art of Manliness, that calls into question the Indie movement and what it all means.

What began as a rebellion against record and movie labels, has grown into a movement. The ironic part, as the article points out, is that "the indie culture, while seeking to be unique and independent, has developed a somewhat uniform and readily identifiable aesthetic."

While attempting to debunk mainstream culture, the Indie-ans have based their identity around consumption which is the central component of the very thing they wish to discredit. Instead of Abercrombie they shop at Urban Outfitters. Instead of Dell, they belong to the Cult of Mac. And to fill their iPods, they use Last.fm to find bands that wouldn't be caught dead on the Top 40.

I know, because I dabble in this community. I love discovering new, often unsigned bands. Instead of seeing the latest blockbuster, I regularly opt for an indie flick. I drank the Apple koolaid just over a year ago. And I even like to shop at Urban Outfitters once in awhile.

But what's so new about teens and young adults acting rebellious to pop culture? Before Indie, there was Emo. Before that, there was Grunge. Before them were Hippies which were preceded by Greasers.

If anything has changed, it's the internet. The series of connected webs that weave our lives together powerfully influences each of us. Rather than only knowing what your closest ten friends are up to, you can now keep up with the latest tastes and trends among a wider circle of several hundred "friends."

So while teens/young adults being rebellious is nothing new, Rebellion 2.0 is different. Technology is not only bringing this "sub-culture" to light, but spreading it as well.

Thanks to various social media like FriendFeed, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, blogs, user reviews, etc we are entering an era of hyper-influence. Though a fad might start in a remote corner of the world, it has the potential to spread like wildfire if the online community deems it worthy.

Here's to thinking independently but acting collectively.

The Bible: Magazine Style

What if the Bible was a "264-page glossy magazine" instead of the 1000 plus pages many of us are use to? That's a question Dag Söderberg is happy to answer. Recently launched in Sweden, his Bible Illuminated book is coming to the US later this Fall.

The controversial book is a new take on the storied text that is meant to be a "hip, relatable, coffee-table book kind of Bible." Söderberg's book is sure to stir up quite a storm amongst Christian circles in the States. I can envision two sides to this argument.

Side A will say this is blasphemous and not something that aligns with God's teachings. Side B will argue that it's a creative attempt at making God's Word relevant to today's culture and should be given a shot.

What say you?


HT to BrandFlakesForBreakfast

Manic Monday: Showbiz Band Covers Usher

It's crazy what kids are listening to these days at their local pizza party joints.

Facebook Status Updates, 8/8/08 Edition

It's 8/8/08. Some people are getting married. Others are counting down to 8pm to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. Me? I'm packing for Disneyland. But here's what some of my friends are up to...

10. Elyse McKenna pulled her harpoon out of her dirty red bandanna, she was playing soft while Bobby sang the blues.

9. Ben Wilkins I left my iPhone at home and feel so.... empty inside.

8. Samantha Brooks is in the mist of color wars.

7. Mike Slack is ready.

6. Melissa Hearn is breaking the cycle.

5. Philip Brown Went to Cinderella's Castle Suite and look who I found...

4. Mark Hodges is wondering what the concessions at the Olympics will be, and does soy sauce replace ketchup and mustard?

3. Patricia Hillard gets to see the Dear Hunter tomorrow night, how lucky am I?

2 .Rachel Cox will never stake her word of honor on cows.

1. Logan Light actually just spent 2 minutes trying to think of something clever to put here...

Biggest Celebrity in the World

I'm sure many of you have either heard about or seen the political ad put out by the McCain Campaign last week. I have to admit, I'm confused. In the clip, the Senator from Arizona argues that Barrack Obama has been catipulted to the national stage and is the "Biggest Celebrity in the World."

Honestly, I don't know how that hurts Senator Obama. Is it such a bad thing to be known and liked by the rest of the world?



What do you think? Does this political ad by the McCain camp help or hurt Barack Obama? Or do you think it's a bit ridiculous to compare a politician to celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears?


UPDATE: Paris Hilton has just released a political ad of her own. Watch at your own peril.

Manic Monday: Montauk Monster

In case you missed it, this sick looking creature supposedly washed up recently on New Jersey's shoreline. Speculators have classified it as anything from a botched government experiment, some sort of alien, or promotional hoax.



My money is that its just a hoax.

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Anthropology & YouTube

Earlier this week Mike Wesch posted a video of his presentation at the Library of Congress in June. For those of you that may not know him, Wesch is Professor of Anthropology at Kansas State University. He is a recognized expert on Web 2.0 and particularly how it's changing the way we think about the world around us.

His presentation entitled "An anthropological introduction to YouTube" is highly insightful as both an overview on the influence of social media on global culture and communities. For any of you that are interested in social media, online communities, or just anthropology in general, I highly recommend watching the presentation below.

WARNING: Only click on the video if you're a dedicated viewer as it clocks in at about 50 minutes. Again, well worth your time. I promise.