unastronaut*

Any who needs what they want and doesn’t want what they need, I want nothing to do with.

Honestly this video keeps on consuming me.  It gives me chills.  The song is great, but the video adds such a real dimension that it gives the song power.  At least for me.  

It makes me recall experiences from this week and fifteen years ago, all at once.  I think about a rich prick who doesn’t tip the valet, who insults everyone trying to assist them, who believes money buys respect and prestige.  Then I remember an old friend who lived in a 9′ x 9′ hotel-turned-apartment, who once stole a bag of dog biscuits from my neighbor to have as a snack when his mom didn’t have enough money for groceries.  What shocks me most about these two experiences is only how common they have proven to be over the years.  

Two generations can virtually sing the same the anthem in unison. It’s not a happy anthem. It’s still one of hope. But it takes votes to turn hope into reality.

We’ve never, ever been cool with it…

This song would get labeled populist or socialist if played today. Sean Hannity would tear it apart. He’d say this land is made for the smart, strong and wealthy.

It feels like “we” make these mistakes, but “we” also hate it all. People wonder why I’m pessimistic and I ask them if they took a history class.

One of the timeless questions. A sad one, as well.

A song about fighting for good causes, like never having to fight again.

One of the most offensively anti-war songs out there. It’s not sugar-coating anything. Even 30 years after it was new, it can still turn a head for daring.

A poem about the things you’ll see in a war-filled world, by the American poet himself.

1. SumKid - Puddn’head : This is one of my favorite new emcees. He’s got a flow that makes you nod your head and a vocabulary that doesn’t make educated folk cringe. The song title drew me in, the beat hooked me and the flow slowly tied me to my chair.
2. Glenn Case - I am the President of the Sony Entertainment Corp. Ltd. : This song is infectious and poppy in the perfect way, anti-pop. Glenn is somewhat of a legend on the 61, but a truly great musician and an awesome person in general. This is definitely one of my favorites on the whole site.
3. The Gin Riots - El Torro : This song reminds me of high school and the first day I heard Ted Leo & the Pharmacists at once. It’s upbeat yet raw and gritty, it even gets borderline pretty at times. This song is well worth the spot on a mixtape.
4. Lightwires - Can We Go Back : This song grows on me more with each listen. The layers of sound give this song a simple feel without being at all boring. Sometimes it’s the space between sounds we remember most.
5. Stab the Matador - Doctor : Stab the Matador reminds me of Paramedic, the band Zach Clancy played drums with in LA. Indie-prog rock in the vain of No Knife and the Mars Volta. The change here is a clear and simple voice that doesn’t take away from the music like Cedric from the Mars Volta. It may not be for everyone, but give it a listen, it may be for you.
6. Kina Grannis - I Know Who Took the Milk and Cookies : An old-timey sounding folk sound with a Christmas bend, and a beautiful sound for those moments that don’t need a thumping core. Her voice is also pretty amazing. She sounds closer to the listener, not like many female vocalists these days. She even reminds me of a young Joni Mitchell at times.
7. sweetie - Building : A building indie rock song for any fan of Snow Patrol, but don’t let that steer you away. This song actually has substance, unlike some songs with sparsely scattered lyrics and a building sound. I don’t know much of sweetie, but I’d like to hear more.
8. Joe Cang - Blackbird (originally by the Beatles) : Few covers really catch me and keep me, and even fewer Beatles covers make the cut. Having said that, this jazzy version of Blackbird is a great song and actually yields a cover worth listening to, over and over.
9. Philadelphia Slick - Culture Industry : Philadelphia Slick is a lyrical emcee in the vain of Talib Kweli and Mos Def. I’m surprised he hasn’t blown up to some extent, there’s everything to love about his beats and flow. Unless you truly just loathe the genre, this is a great song for a broad swath of people.
10. Zuba - Money : Zuba is quickly becoming my favorite reggae band, although I am hearing they have broken up. They remind me of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band in many ways. If they could get the kind of backing Buffett has, I have no doubt they could put on just as exciting a show for young and old. They have a great library of songs to check out.
11. Ve - I’ve got a Song : This sounds like the soundtrack to the part of a movie where a good person does a bad thing, or a bad person does a good thing. Either way this song is soft and catchy. It does have some Enya qualities I’m not entirely comfortable with, but for this compilation, I’ve got this Song.
12. Delightful Young Man - I’m Happy With What You Are : This is just a soft, almost sway-inducing song with a solid guitar line and an oddball array of female and male vocals. The final product is a great change-up from the over produced crap coming out these days.
13. Dust & Blood - Cops Kiss & Drool : I almost held this song out, not because it’s not as good, but because it’s a genre I don’t always like. It’s worth it, good song in that hard rock vain. Don’t worry, it’s not Nickelback.
14. birdlips - magicfish : Infectious is the word I would use to describe this gem. I really like it, can’t stop listening. It always puts me in a good mood, unless I’m in a Glassjaw mood.
15. YACHT - So Post All ‘Em : An instrumental track by one of my favorite electronic artists. He’s from Portland, Oregon and has collaborated with the Blow, another personal favorite. Check her out as well if you haven’t already.
16. WALE - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. : This guy reminds me of one of my old students in his vocal patterns. Great flow and some interesting beats (and fun samples). This is one of the more popular songs in the history of theSixtyOne.
17. McClain - Central Park : A slow folky song with a Joshua Radin meets Iron & Wine feel. Soothing as far as songs go, and a good one for the ladies.
18. BEARBOT - Quality Style (Remix) : What might as well be an instrumental track is good for backgrounds and an energetic break in your day. Most of my playlists are played while I’m trying to get other things done, and this song is a good motivator.
19. Dan the Automator - Relaxation Spa Treatment : An instrumental from my hero of beats, Dan the Automator. The guy who brought me such gems as Deltron 3030, Gorillaz and Handsome Boy Modeling School. This track holds it’s own water, but needs a vocalist to tear it apart. I recommend Mf Doom!
20. L.JULIUS - Yesterday : This is almost an Usher-esque song, but I like the feel and it’s calm nature. Everything sounds pretty crisp and the lyrics aren’t terrible. Not everyone will like this, but it’s a good slow jam in my opinion.

Hard Drive - These are your pockets. Got cargo pants? You can probably hold more CDs than me! Simple as that. Using an iPod as a guage of how much a GB is worth, their 4GB Nano is 1000 songs. For pictures, use a digital camera memory card. If you are worried about filling up ANY hard drive with documents, you are writing way too much. PowerPoint presentations maybe, but it will only be as big as the media you put in the presentation. Photoshop CS2 is 750MB, roughly 3/4 of a GB.  

RAM - Think of RAM as your hands. If you could have thirty hands would you be smarter? Nah. But you’d be able to get things rolling faster, and take on more tasks at once. Anyone benefits from upgrading RAM. It’s the most noticeable upgrade, so 1GB for a light user and 2GB for a computer addict at this point in the technology spectrum. 

Video - There are basically two ways to go: integrated chipsets and video cards. If you want a small, ultra-portable laptop and don’t plan on doing video editing or playing those $50 video games that people get addicted to, you are going to be fine with an integrated chipset. Basically, it just affects moving picture, so don’t think this will hinder your Photoshopping abilities (the smaller screen should do more to affect that). Video cards are pretty standard on larger laptops, but beware a big screen and an integrated chipset, especially if you get a DVD player or burner. 

At this point you should decide on an operating system. I can’t lie, my bias for Mac takes over at this point. Everyone will make a gut decision here, as the “best” operating system does vary, but I think the right OS for any home or student is Mac OS X. Simple. Safe. Complete.  If you take, edit, organize and backup photos…you’re better off with a Mac. If you doubt your eyes love looking at a Mac, just walk into an Apple store. The major drawback right now is that CS2 is running in Rosetta, but CS3 will be out soon. So again, for someone who isn’t doing professional editing, you’re fine until CS3 comes out, at which point you’ll again be faster and easier than PC.  [Update:  CS3 is out, I use picnik.com instead though.)

Having said all of that, I still can and regularly do use a WinXP system,[Update:  no longer true...I can barely stand the "experience", it's compu-torture.] on which editing and organizing photos is just as easy, just less pleasant. (Someone do a study!)  If you edit video…get a Mac. I’m not being a fanboy. I’m not kidding. If you DO work with video, you know this. If you want to, you soon will…whether it’s from experience or lack of it.If you play video games…get an iMac. I’ve seen this conceded to PCs, but a PC laptop at an affordable price is no better than a MacBook Pro running boot camp, and a PC desktop at a stupid price is still no more worth an iMac running boot camp. Gamers could disagree here, but 1) I’m not talking to gamers. If you call yourself a gamer, you should have stopped reading after “if you are buying a new laptop for college”.2) I’ve played some recent, high demand titles (I’m not a gamer, but observant enough to see that on my iMac they were as good as I needed them to be. They didn’t lag, they didn’t look ugly, they didn’t get choppy. It was a game, with good video and a smooth, hiccup-free computer.  If you’re an engineering or business student…get a Lenovo or Dell and then complain to whoever sets that stupid standard in your industry. The medical industry is increasingly becoming Mac-driven.  Ask questions, add comments. Next post: my essential mac freeware and building a home studio. 

** Software note:  Software for Starving Students (www.softwarefor.org) is 680MB or so, enough to fit on one CD and includes free open-source applications for your everyday tasks. It includes an office program (similar to Microsoft Office 2003, GIMP Image Editor…) If you don’t like paying for software, check it out.