retroblog.net

As some of you already know, we recently had a rash of rude, obnoxious and just plain uncool comments here on retroblog. And like most bloggers, I like getting comments for the most part but when some oddball starts posting nonsense or starts harrassing others, it just gets on my damn nerves. Why should I empower these idiots by providing a platform that allows them to post whatever crude remark comes into their pea brain with absolutely no accountability for their actions? I guess in the Wild Wild Web it was inevitable and so I had to start placing all comments under moderation. I really didn’t want to do it but after what has been happening the last few weeks, it seems like the best thing to do. What this means is that your comments will have to be approved before they appear on the site.

And just to make things crystal clear, I thought I’d post some guidelines on what I consider an appropriate comment on a blog.

1) First of all, the comment needs to be on-topic. In other words, you should be posting something about the subject at hand and not about what you ate last night at Wendy’s (well, unless THAT was what the blog was about. heh). If you want to post something off-topic or want to address another user, please use the forums to do so and not on the blog.

2) Your comment should be coherent and should add some value to the blog. If it’s something like “You rock dude!” or “you’re full of crap!” don’t count on your post showing up here.

3) Be respectful to the blogger and the other commenters on the site. I’m open to other points of view. We don’t HAVE to agree on every subject. We’re all human so we’ll never see eye to eye on every issue. But if you are going to disagree on something, please put some thought behind your statements and add information to back up what you’re saying. If you’re going to criticize, please be constructive about it and not throw a hissy fit. We’re all adults here so let’s act like it.

4) Don’t be crude. No foul language and no harassing other individuals here.

Now don’t let this discourage you from commenting here. I’m all for comments and feedback. But I feel that this process needs to be put in place to keep the site healthy and in good running order. Thanks for your understanding.

—
**Update: 16Apr09 – After receiving feedback from all my regular commenters here, it appears that I may have overreacted in this situation. So, for now, I’ve opened comments back up for those that have “previously approved” comments. New commenters/visitors will still be moderated. Also, I’m going to be more proactive to placing those that don’t abide by these guidelines back into the “moderated” category.
—

oh, crap. another one of my favorite magazines bites the dust. It was inevitable, I suppose, with the way the internet has affected print media over the years. According to the news item, it seems that their website blender.com will still continue to operate. RIP Blender Magazine! you’ll be missed.

excerpt from Advertising Age:

Alpha Media Group closed Blender magazine today, eliminating about 30 jobs and reducing its portfolio of titles to Maxim alone. The April issue of Blender out now will be its last.

Alpha, the former Dennis Publishing, has endured a series of difficulties and hard choices since its acquisition by Quadrangle Capital Partners and magazine-industry veteran Kent Brownridge in August 2007. The new owners punctuated the $240 million deal by immediately closing Stuff magazine, a sort of laddie shopping title. Blender.com will continue, much as Stuff continues as “Stuff Magazine” at stuff.maxim.com.

OK, here’s what I’ve been listening to lately. Hopefully I’ll be able to crank out some reviews of these releases here on RetroBlog when I finally get some time to sit and write out my thoughts. who knows when that’ll be!

Wetton Downes – Icon 3
Circa - HQ
Ben Folds – Stems and Seeds
Katy Hudson (AKA Katy Perry)
Yes – Alternate Generator (boot)
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

I’m really enjoying the new Neko Case album. love her voice. Oh and there’s also a fairly recent Jimi Jameson CD that I might post about as well.

(more…)

new Journey U.S. tour dates are trickling in. Nothing official has been announced but fans are anxious to see if the band will be making it around to their neck of the woods this summer. Arnel Pineda and company did a phenomenal job in bringing in the numbers last summer (along with Cheap Trick and Heart), so expectations are high for this summer’s tour. As for the tour package this time around, it’s anybody’s guess at this point but there’s some buzz that Bryan Adams might be one.

here are the U.S. dates so far:

May 23, 2009 – Sacramento, CA – Raleys Field
July 18 (?), 2009 – Cadott, Wi – RockFest
August 21, 2009 – Louisville, KY – State Fair – Freedom Hall
August 23, 2009 – Des Moines, IA – State Fair – Grandstand

more to come…

apparently an overnight billing system glitch caused hundreds of webhosting accounts (including mine) to be shut down. The glitch caused the system to view our accounts as delinquent and in turn, automatically switched our websites off. I’ve been trying to contact my web hosting provider all day but since they’re located in Australia and I’m in the eastern U.S., it’s impossible getting a hold of someone there during EST business hours since it’s night time on their side of the world. So, just in case any of you were wondering, that’s why the site was down today. Everything has been sorted out, I think. The support team is still investigating why the billing glitch occurred in the first place.

It’s a sad day for gamers today. Ziff Davis is shutting down the long running video game magazine EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly). We all know the print industry has been hit hard over the years but EGM is (was) a *giant* among gamers, video game enthusiasts as well as in the game industry itself. I’ve been a subscriber for years so the news is pretty shocking. I suppose all this was inevitable since the latest news and game reviews can easily be accessed online but there just something to be said about receiving a well written print magazine in the mail and browsing through the pages each and every month. ..it’s a sad day…
The magazine as well as its talented staff will be missed.

Have you been wondering where I’ve been? Well, outside of spending time with the family during the holiday break, I’ve been fiddling around with my brand new laptop. I’ve had my old laptop (with Windows XP) for approximately five years now so I’m trying to get the hang of Windows Vista and the other new applications that came with the new PC. As most of you know, customizing windows and installing programs can quickly eat up your spare time. The thing that was a pleasant surprise to me while fiddling with the new system was using the Windows Easy Transfer utility in Vista. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with the file transfer app but it sure did make things a whole lot simpler in getting important files, photos and music transferred over to the new system. The cool thing about the whole process is that the program offered several different options to transfer my files including using CDs, thumb drives, DVDs or via the home network router. Microsoft made a wise choice in not forcing the user to purchase their specialized USB cable to use this lil’ utility. I simply connected my two laptops to my router (my first attempt was doing it wirelessly but I found that being “hardwired” was faster), ran the app on both systems and selected the files I wanted and presto, worked like a charm! pretty simple and I’m surprised that I didn’t have to pay extra for something like this.

anyway, once I get my new laptop running the way I want it to, I’ll be back posting more regularly here on Retroblog.

ugh. our house is falling apart. I can’t keep up with all the maintenance that’s needed. talk about a money pit. It’s more like, a bottomless black hole. The house is overdue for a paint job and there’s a bunch of rotted wood (mainly the trim) that needs replacing. And now we’ve been informed that our heat exchanger is cracked. and since our whole HVAC unit is approximately 11 years old, it’s recommended that we replace the whole unit instead of replacing just the heat exchanger. to make matters worse, they cut off the gas to the heat exchanger so we’ve got no heat right now.

so let’s see now…

exterior paint job
+ wood replacement
+ HVAC unit replacement
= I’m oh so screwed!

happy, happy, joy, joy!

This song is dedicated to my close friends who recently lost their jobs. It feels awful to not be able to do anything to help their situation. All I can do is be supportive during this time of transition. I even feel a bit guilty for being able to keep my position while my close colleagues weren’t able to. But in the state our economy is in right now, I suppose nothing’s a sure thing. good luck, my friends. as a matter of fact, good luck to us all!

Walking, stumbling, on these shadowfeet
Toward home, a land that I’ve never seen
I am changing, less and less asleep
Made of different stuff than when I began
And I have sensed it all along, fast approaching is the day

When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in You, still standin’
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through I’ll be found in You
When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in You, still standin’
Every fear and accusation under my feet
When time and space are through, I’ll be found in You..

-Shadowfeet by Brooke Fraser

(more…)

I guess if you’re in the entertainment biz, one of the standard requirements nowadays is to have your own official youtube channel. It’s pretty much a no-brainer since everyone and their grandma uses youtube. And when a website attracts such a wide demographic, you’d be a fool not to make your presence known on the site. The latest to succumb to the ways of youtube is Monty Python! They recently announced the launch of their official channel. I would have thought they’d come up with a funnier video clip announcing the new channel but unfortunately it comes across a bit stale and heavy-handed. Nonetheless, fans will now have access to better versions of their all time favorite skits including the Argument Clinic, the Dead Parrot Sketch and the French Taunter clip. enjoy!!

purchase The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset on Amazon.com!!