retroblog.net

Netbooks are all the rage nowadays. It seems that consumers finally realized that they really don’t need the fastest Intel chip or the biggest hard drive just to surf the web and read emails. These lightweight, underpowered laptops are small and more importantly, cheap. Interestingly enough, these little netbooks arrived on the market just in time for the economic downturn which helped push consumers toward these gadgets in droves. Parents are finding that these laptops are perfect for their kids to use. I’ve even purchased on for my 11 year old. With the limited amount of RAM memory and no video card, my son was initially disappointed that he couldn’t play the latest games on the netbook. So, I’ve helped him realize that there are some great, entertaining games online.

Online flash games are perfect for netbooks since they don’t require a lot of processing power on the user’s end. One great site that features free online flash gaming is MagNext Virtual. The online gaming portal has been created by MEGA Brands, a trusted company that produces educational toys like Mega Bloks and the iCoaster. Not only is the site safe for kids to use but the games are quite unique and fun to play. They’ve got puzzle type games like like the iCoaster madness game, a battle arena and a cool Spheron racing game.

And the whole virtual world that connects the various games keeps things interesting by letting you collect items and customizing your own avatar. The best part is getting your friends to join and playing against them online. Check it out for yourself and see why MagNext Virtual is the ultimate in family-friendly online gaming.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the new comedy album titled Incredibad by The Lonely Island. Like a lot of folks, I’m a huge fan of those SNL digital shorts created by the Lonely Island trio – Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer but since a good portion of the CD is comprised of their past video hits (including “Lazy Sunday”, “Jizz in my Pants” and “Dick in the Box”) the album understandably suffers and feels a bit dated because of this. I suppose the problem stems from the fact that this type of comedy tends to be disposable and due to the short shelf life, there isn’t a lot of “replay value” here. Just think of it as “fast food” comedy where it’s good in short bursts but not so good for the long haul. and although I recognize the creativity that went into the recordings, the “Beastie Boys” retro style rapping overstays its welcome after a couple of spins. Plus it doesn’t help matters when each song contains only one or two punchlines. Some tracks like “I’m on a Boat” or “The Old Saloon” don’t even really have a punchline to speak of. I guess it’s nice for the comedy trio to have “official products” out on the market to sell but their type of humor really works best as online videos or as SNL shorts. and I don’t know about you but I feel like a pimple faced fourteen year old listening to all the toilet-humor on this album. heh.

highlights include: “Who Said We’re Wack?”, “Sax Man”, “Like a Boss”

retroGrade: C+

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Incredibad
artist: The Lonely Island
label: Republic
released: February 2009
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As electronic gadgets get thinner and smaller, they become even easier to lose. Think about it – it’s just so easy for your iPod, your cell phone or even your Nintendo DS to fall out of your book bag without you even noticing. It’s a common situation and gadgets get lost all the time. And what about the honest citizen that comes across your lost items and wants to return them to their rightful owner? Sometimes there’s no way to determine who the original owner is. But not if you’ve registered your items with TrackItBack. By simply placing a small barcode on your gadgets and registering them online at trackitback.com, you can enable a way for your lost items to find their way back to you. With the TrackitBack tag, the honest citizen will know to send the items to TrackitBack. TrackitBack will then send the found items to the original owner plus reward the honest citizen by giving him a finder’s fee. How cool is that? They offer a variety of different sized labels for all sorts of gadgets. and the system also works for wallets, luggage, cameras and even keys. Check out their website for more information.

As I’ve mentioned recently in previous post here, the wife and I are bound and determined to get this old house of ours back into shape. We’ve procrastinated long enough and let our duties as responsible homeowners fall by the wayside. In this sorry state of the economy, you just never know what will happen in the future so if the time comes when we need to move away, we want to be in a situation where the house would be pretty much ready to be put out on the market. We still have a way to go in getting our home in tip-top shape but I have to say that the exterior looks fabulous now with the recent paint job. Next on our list is to redo the window treatments that are located on the front side of the house. The sun rises on that side of the house so most of the blinds we have currently have discolored over time. We’ve been looking at various products that are currently available and stumbled across these new Eco-Solar Shades. Not only do these shades look cool and modern but they are also energy efficient – absorbing the heat of the sun during the summer months and keeping the cold out during the winter. I like the fact that you can still see through them while the shades are down which helps small bedrooms feel less closed in. But even with the shades being viewable, they still do their job and reduce the sun’s glare as well as protect us from harmful UV rays. And lucky for me, The Shade Store is currently offering 15% off purchases made on their website by using the code: IZEA01. Not only that but they’re offering free shipping as well. Now, how cool is that?

Bad news for west coast Yes fans looking forward to seeing the In the Present shows in February. Chris Squire apparently had a blood clot in his leg and had to go into surgery last week. So the bulk of the February shows have been canceled in order for Squire to recover from surgery. At the moment, there are a few shows still scheduled for the band but obviously under the circumstances, things may change.

the remaining dates are:
Feb 25 Wednesday Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
Feb 27 Friday Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
Feb 28 Saturday Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
March 2 Monday San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
March 3 Tuesday Friant, CA Table Mountain Casino

***sending out healing vibes to Chris Squire and hoping for a full and speedy recovery!***

the big rumor going around is that there might be a big “prog” summer tour package in the works involving YES and ASIA with Steve Howe doing double duty for both bands. I guess it’ll all depend on the health of Squire as well as if original Yes frontman Jon Anderson is up for it. we’ll see…

**[UPDATE: 19Feb09]**
no surprise. All the remaining dates of the tour have officially been canceled.
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Andrew McNiece posted a great new interview with former Journey frontman Steve Augeri on melodicrock.com. You may remember Augeri losing his vocal abilities in the middle of Journey’s stint with Def Leppard back in the summer of 2006. Well, Augeri finally goes on the record about what all went down during his time with Journey as well as offer up some comments on new vocalist Arnel Pineda. I’ve always like Augeri and it’s good to see that he doesn’t sound bitter about the whole ordeal and owns up to some mistakes that he made during that time.

here are some excerpts from the interview.

looking back on his 8 years with Journey:
I would certainly say that there were probably a good many vocalists that could have done EASILY the job that I did. But it just so happened that I was the lucky one. I won the Journey lottery back in 1998. I was lucky that eventually the fans came around. You know, um… it was difficult at first. The fans didn’t want to know about it. But, you know, the band persisted – they had faith in me and we persisted. We went out year after year and we built. The audience started out in 1500 seat theaters in 1998 to the mega concerts that they are doing today. And so, yeah, I’m proud of the time that I spent with the band. I think they, I know that they are well aware that we did it together. And frankly, unfortunately for me, I couldn’t continue on. My health—I couldn’t make it. The whole journey.

on the grueling tour schedule that affected his singing abilities:
I’ll tell you what – the unfortunate thing is that it comes down to the individual. I can never point a finger; you can’t point a finger at anyone but yourself. So, if the schedule was grueling, then I didn’t have the backbone to say, “Stop. I’m getting off the train.” Do you know what I mean? That’s the bottom line. So, the only regret I have is that I didn’t have the courage to say stop. I may have…you know what.. frankly, to be honest with you, I did.. but the train kept going.
That’s.. we had built from 1998 to 2006, and God knows to the present, there was an absolute and gradual…it was if you had a locomotive just started up, just restarted, let’s face it, cause they were there. We started and there was no stopping it. The machine was going.

His regrets about being on the road for so long:
The first year, I had my bags packed a week before we left, before the plane left.
(laughing) And, by the end of my tenure with the band, my bags may not have even been packed until the day I left. The other thing was after 8 years, you start missing your wife more. You start missing the little creature comforts of home. I felt like I missed half of my son’s growing up. And that, I tell ya, is one of the biggest regrets I had was missing that. Those were the moments you can’t go back and retrieve.

On Arnel Pineda:
They were fortunate enough to find Arnel. And I can’t think of a better guy to fill the spot that he’s filled. I think his voice is absolutely spot on for the Journey sound. And when I say the Journey sound—the legacy that Steve made with them…
As a band member, not alone but as a unit, and I think Arnel does it so well. As I said, it’s remarkable when I listen to him. I’m looking at myself as an out of body experience, thinking about myself when I first joined them in ’98 and thinking, you know what, this is This man’s big shot and his big chance and that was YOU. How great was it for you and so be happy for him. Quite frankly, that’s exactly how I feel.
I’m literally, I’m totally, totally all for the guy cuz I see myself several years ago doing what he’s doing and I’m thinking, boy, he’s having the ride of his life right now.

read the full interview at melodicrock.com.

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Well folks, it’s time for another edition of the RetroBlog mix tape. And surprise, surprise, it’s the annual Valentine’s edition. Since last year’s theme was skewed toward the cynical end of things, so I thought I’d balance it out by swinging back toward the sappy side. I’ll call this set, “Love, AOR style”. for those that might not get the term – AOR refers to an old rock radio format called “Album Oriented Rock”. enjoy.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Can’t explain all the feelings that you’re making me feel
My heart’s in overdrive and you’re behind the steering wheel
Touching you, touching me,
Touching you cause you’re touching me

Love Will Find a Way – Yes
Here is my heart waiting for you
Here is my soul, I eat at chez nous

No Matter What – Def Leppard
No matter what you do, I will always be around
Won’t you tell me what you found, girl
Ooh girl, I want you

Oxygen – Bryan Adams
My pulse racin’, my head’s in a spin,
I need to see you darlin’, ’cause you’re my oxygen

Every Night – Paul McCartney (soundcheck, 1993)
Every night I just wanna go out, get out of my head
Every day I don’t wanna get up, get out of my bed
Every night I want to play out
And every day I wanna do
But tonight I just wanna stay in
And be with you, and be with you

I Want You So Bad – Heart
When the wind blows through your hair
I want you so bad, want you so bad
I see your smile boy everywhere
I want you so bad, want you so bad

When You Love a Woman – Journey
When you love a woman
You see your world inside her eyes
When you love a woman
You know she’s standin’ by your side
A joy that lasts forever
There’s a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere..

Hold On my Heart – Genesis
So hold on my heart please tell her to be patient
‘Cause there has never been a time
That I wanted something more..

Keep it Right Here – Survivor
There will be nights some restless nights
When you’re alone your thoughts start to wander
Wonderin’ if it’s right, you search the night
Baby you’re home, why look any farther..

*Note*: as always, files are hosted on savefile.com for a limited time. So get ‘em while you can.
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Well, it was MUSIC’s “biggest night of the year” last night. And as usual, after all the hype, the Grammy Awards was pretty much a snooze-fest. I was looking forward to all the live performances scheduled during the live telecast but none ended up being “breakouts” or “water-cooler” worthy. here’s a breakdown of all the performances from last night -

performances that registered a pulse -

Jennifer Hudson – love her voice. a touching performance.
Kate Beckinsale – yes, I know she didn’t sing. But seeing Kate introduce Paul McCartney was a highlight of the evening. she’s absolutely gorgeous!
Sugarland and Adele – since so many of the performances during the evening sucked, Adele and Sugarland’s “OK” performances stood out even more.

performances that were just “meh” -

Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Boyz II Men and Keith Urban – another needless collaboration. Although Keith had a nice tasty guitar solo moment.
Coldplay with Jay-Z – meh. double meh.
Kid Rock – the man can’t sing. he’s got a good stage presence but that’s about it.
Taylor Swift with Miley Cyrus – I would have liked the performance better if Miley wasn’t there. blech.
Estelle and Kanye – eh.
Kenny Chesney – zzzzzzzzz.
M.I.A. and the Rap Pack- M.I.A. still looks cool preggers but all that rapping was just pointless.
Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl – after seeing Kate Beckinsale on screen, anything afterwards is a big letdown. and Sir Paul singing an old beatles tune on the grammies is just pointless. why bother?
Radiohead – why did they have Coldplay’s wife introduce Radiohead? it just didn’t feel quite right.
T.I. and Justin Timberlake – Justin sort of ruined it for me.
The Four Tops tribute – it was OK. felt like a time-waster. Levi Stubbs will be missed!
Lil Wayne – not impressed.

DOA performances -

U2 – Bono and company opened the night’s broadcast with a brand new song. and the song landed with a resounding thud!
Carrie Underwood – I like Carrie Underwood a lot. She has definitely matured as an onstage performer but that song (and that dress) didn’t go over well at all. bad choice on her part. the audience was nice enough to award her a “golf-clap”.
the Jonas Brothers with Stevie Wonder – why torture a living legend like this??? what a shame! God, those boys can’t sing worth a lick.
Katy Perry – boy, what a mess. Katy looked embarrassed to be there on stage singing her signature tune. and obviously she CAN’T dance. awful, awful. I like her and all but she sure does suck live.
Neil Diamond – gaw, that was painful to watch. Sweet Caroline?? can you be any cheesier than that? and that transition to “those who passed on this past year” montage was a bit awkward, esp. right after old man Diamond.
Zooey Deschanel – Just had to mention that Zooey has bad taste in dresses. made herself look as bad as Katy Perry!
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – I desperately wanted them to impress. But they tanked. ouch. and Robert’s acceptance speech just made things worse!
Stevie Wonder show closer – I couldn’t take anymore and turned it off midway through his song. sorry Stevie.

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oh and did anyone else experience bad sound during the telecast – something associated with the limiter/compressor perhaps? weird. it definitely got on my nerves. definitely a “no-no” during a musical telecast. oh well.

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oh, and the best quote of the evening was from Chris Martin (Coldplay) while accepting the best Rock album award – “we’re not the heaviest of rock bands… we’re a limestone sort of rock.” heh.

After previewing the MagNext Virtual online gaming site for my kids last month, they finally had the opportunity to get online and play the online games this past weekend and they had a blast. Like most parents with young kids, I make it a point to know which websites my kids spend time on and monitor their time online. We all know the dangers lurking about on the world wide web so we as parents need to be proactive in keeping our kids safe. So, it’s reassuring to know that the folks over at MEGA Brands MagNext have created a safe environment for kids to play on. Best known for their creative toys like iCoaster and Mega Bloks, MEGA Brands is a trusted company that focuses on bringing educational and unique products for kids all around the world. I like the fact that they brought their hugely popular iCoaster into the virtual world for kids to utilize their problem solving skills on. My seven year old spent the majority of his time with the iCoaster game and says that he’s planning on logging back on next weekend to play some more. Since puzzle games are his favorite genre, filling in the correct missing track pieces in the iCoaster game is just right up his alley. The MagNext Virtual world is pretty straight forward for the kids to navigate through with a wide range of games that challenge the mind and not just your reflexes. If your kids are in need of a new online experience, be sure to check out MagNext Virtual for some unique, flash-based family-friendly gaming.

You know, I pretty much had my mind made up when I picked up the latest release by Taylor Swift titled Fearless. It’s easy for anyone to categorize Swift as an over-glamorized cross-over princess, hyped up and marketed by the big corporate machine. In fact, her record label is even called “Big Machine”. heh. And yes, she’s only nineteen and her vocals on the album are auto-tuned to death. So, as you can see there’s a lot going against her at least on the surface. But interestingly enough, it turned out that I really enjoyed listening to her album these last few weeks. Forget for a minute that the corporate big-wigs are running the show and that her heavily processed vocals make her sound like all the other female pop acts on the charts. Even with all that, there still remains some credibility since she writes her own songs, plays guitar (and you know how I have a soft spot for girls with guitars!!) and is even a co-producer on her latest album.

I do have to mention though that her lyrics are filled with cliches and “young love” angst that sort of limits the scope a bit on these songs but obviously they connect with millions of teenaged girls across the U.S. looking at her incredible sales figures in 2008. Having said all that, the girl knows how to write a big hook. The big choruses and the sing-a-long simplicity in her songs sink right into your skull and remain there for days on end. The whole album is pleasant to listen to with no obvious clunkers to mar the experience. Standouts include – “Hey Stephen”, “Fearless”, “Forever & Always” and “the Best Day”.

Lastly, if I did have to nitpick, I would have left things a bit more open-ended in the song “Love Story” instead of tacking on the happy ending in the last chorus. It feels a bit hokey especially since the tragic love stories “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Scarlet Letter” are referenced in the song. But it’s a moot point I suppose since the song is a number one hit.

retroGrade: B

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Fearless
artist: Taylor Swift
label: Big Machine
release date: November 11, 2008
produced by: Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift

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