BrewBlog

Fertilizer Anyone?

After work one day last week, I reluctantly answered the phone, foolishly letting my guard down.  Reluctant because I don't like answering the phone if the number isn't familiar and that time it wasn't.  The woman on the other end of the line immediately assured me that she was not going to try to sell me anything.  The call was a request to participate in an audience study.  "Sure", I answered, knowing that I was now stuck on the phone unless I unexpectedly hung up.  After answering some demographic questions, the survey lady wanted to send me a video cassette tape of a television program for me to review.  She was adamant about watching it on a specific day and then calling me the next to talk about it.  The idea was that I was going to review the show so that they would gather feedback about.  I immediately thought that this was going to be a pilot of some kind and I was lucky enough to possibly see it before anyone else.  Plus, the idea of providing feedback about a new program seemed pretty cool.  So after thinking through any potential scams I could be falling for, I gave the lady my address and that was that.

A few days later the tape arrived with some paperwork.  There were two packets, two different colors, with several grocery store items listed in categories.  Hmmmm.  The instructions were very specific about selecting preferred brands in one booklet before watching the tape and then fill out the other booklet after watching the tape.  Ahhh, so this is about commercials?  There was also a question sheet about the sitcom I was about to watch, just some basic questions about the show.  The tape itself was interesting.  Instructions were specific with it as well.  DO NOT FAST FORWARD OR REWIND.  The tape also claimed to erase as it played.  I considered copying it just because they didn't want me to, a favorite albeit juvenile motivation.  Feeling a bit lazy, I decided not to copy it, and I'm glad.

The show was "Dads" and was pretty lame.  One of the Golden Girls was in it and she didn't look much older than when she was on Golden Girls.  No, I didn't watch Golden Girls, but I still recognized the lady.  As suspected, the show had commercials throughout, like any regular program.  I had TIVO withdrawals but worked through it and just sat through them.  At the end of the show I noticed the date in the credits was 1997, which explained the lady not aging as she should have.  STOP TAPE NOW.  What the hell?  This definitely not a new show.  The products listed in the pamphlets I filled out before and after the show weren't featured in the commercials, at least I don't think they were.

The next day, the lady called at 6:01 of my 6:00 to 9:00 call window.  The call lasted for 30-40 minutes.  We spent 3 of those minutes talking about the show, 5 minutes talking about me and 30 minutes or so talking about fertilizer.  Specifically, we talked about Scotts fertilizer.  She asked me a bunch of questions about a Scotts commercial that ran during the show that I barely remembered.  Then, while I was on the phone, she had me play the tape again, from where I had stopped it at the end of the show.  Sure enough, the Scotts commercial was magically cued up for me to watch.  While she is on the phone, I re-watched the commercial again and answered a whole bunch more questions.  There was one more step where I read back some of the answers I gave in those pamphlets.  I never actually checked to see if the tape was erased.  What's the point?

The whole thing was simple.  The "review a show for us" was a rouse.  For one, it's more enticing than "review a commercial".  Also, if I knew what they were really doing, it would skew my opinion and it would be impossible to get a real reaction to the commercial in terms of my awareness of it.  The cost of contracting the audience study companies to go through the lengths they do must be pretty high.  This post is too long.  So if this ever happens to you, just know that you probably aren't going to review the next "Friends" or "Everybody Loves Raymond".

Best of 2001

Best of 2001:  Juno - A Future Lived in Past Tense

1. Juno - A Future Lived in Past Tense
2. Silver Mount Zion - Born into Trouble as Sparks Fly Upward
3. Rammstein - Mutter
4. Tomahawk - Tomahawk
5. Spiritualized - Let it Come Down
6. Clutch - Pure Rock Fury
7. Slayer - God Hates Us All
8. Fantomas - Director's Cut
9. System of a Down - Toxicity
10. Monster Magnet - God Says No

The two far and away winners for me in 2001 were what would be the second and last release from Juno and Silver Mount Zion's "Born into Trouble...".  Either one can be considered best in my opinion.  Juno only had two releases that I know of and both of them are great.  I like this one the best.  It's difficult to describe what I find so enjoyable about their formula of guitar/bass/drums but it works for me.  The vocals work for the music and makes me believe whatever it is they are trying to tell me.  Plenty of steady paced songs with some slower, somber tracks mixed in throughout.  Where the hell did they go?  I hate it when a band gets me hooked and then they are gone.

Silver Mount Zion is at their best in this second release.  "Born into Trouble as Sparks Fly Upward"  is simply great for what it is.  This is my favorite of theirs, possibly because of the impact it had on me at the time.  Repeat listens remind me of how much I like this CD. 

I thought Rammstein was great with "Mutter".  Even though I cannot understand a single thing they are saying (all German), it doesn't matter.  I've derived my own meaning after hearing it a bunch of times.  Although, a couple guys from Germany were visiting my roommate and they translated some of the lyrics for me.  This CD pretty much rocks and I like feel of it, more so than there other music.  It's more rock or metal and less techno. 

Mike Patton was busy and had a debut from Tomahawk and a second release for Fantomas.  Fantomas did some very entertaining movie soundtrack songs in "Director's Cut".  Tomahawk is cool and fans of Mike Patton must check it out.  It's not too out there either. 

"Let it Come Down" from Spiritualized has some really good songs on it, along with a few I could do without.  It's good though, enough to make my list.  Clutch's "Pure Rock Fury" is solid, increasing Clutch's reliability for good music.  I'm not as huge a fan as I used to be but they are still among my favorites for their extremely groovy form of rock, delivering some punch.  System of a Down, Slayer, and Monster Magnet round out the top ten.  I'm happy with where System of a Down went with "Toxicity".  Monster Magnet started a bit of a decline with this release but I still like it.  The songs I like on this CD still put it above other music that came of that year.  Slayer's most recent studio release, "God Hates Us All", was very good and better than their past few, in my opinion.

One more step back in time and then I can move on...

5% of US adults are illiterate

Link: 11 Million Adults Illiterate, Study Shows.

An estimated in one in 20 U.S. adults is not literate in English, which means 11 million people lack the skills to perform everyday tasks, a federal study shows.

11 million people are not literate in English?  What?  This may not surprise some and maybe I'm naive but this seems very bad to me.  I know there are a lot of immigrants that don't bother to learn the language and many of the people included in this statistic are not educated.  Think of the cascading problems this causes in so many ways.  Crime is certainly higher in areas high in illiteracy.  Many work in labor type jobs but many don't work I'm sure and that creates an obvious burden on the rest of us.  Too many kids are brought up in a piss poor environment and never get the chance for a decent education.  We need solutions to problems like these but the forces contributing to the problem are stronger than those trying to solve it.  Taking more money out of my paycheck isn't the answer either. 

Perhaps I'm overreacting to this information.  Many countries have multiple languages and people that are illiterate.  I haven't even looked into this enough to see if this is a trend, getting better or worse.  This article did say it was getting worse but who knows.  Even if this information is even close to being right, it's an unfortunate sign of the times. 

Merry Christmas!

Offended?  I didn't think so.  The recent so called controversy is annoying.  Most people, a vast majority I would guess, think of Christmas as an okay idea and phrase, regardless of their religious beliefs.  I'm not a religious person at all but I have no problem celebrating Christmas, saying Christmas or getting and decorating a CHRISTMAS tree.  The idea of replacing merry Christmas with happy holidays to ensure people are not offended is just sad.  People do not need to be Christian and to me this isn't really about religion, it's about this weird shift in America where some clusters of ...people, want to erase tradition and change things on the grounds that it is offensive whether it's because of the reference to Christ or something else that doesn't align with their specific requirements.

This issue is over hyped, really, so my little blog post is not helping since the best thing to do is not give credence to the issue by wasting time writing about it.  But I did and the main point really is that political correctness is out of control.  We need a shift in the other direction.  Why are we becoming more and more subject to political, social and corporate pressure to conform to political correctness?  What are we afraid of exactly?  It's frustrating as hell.

Best of 2002

Best of 2002:  Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.

1. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.
2. Girls Against Boys - You Can't Fight What You Can't See
3. Nada Surf - Let Go
4. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
5. Sigur Ros - ()
6. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags and Code
7. Interpol - turn on the Bright Lights
8. Doves - Last Broadcast
9. Beck - Sea Change
10. Bad Religion - Process of Belief

What a great year 2002 was for music!  The highlight for me without question was Godspeed You Black Emperor's Yanqui U.X.O.  This is their most recent release, my guess being because key members have been focusing on Silver Mount Zion.  This GYBE title is my favorite of theirs even though I really like the one before this as well.  They are all very good.  Yanqui U.X.O. is all instrumental and gives me chills when I listen to it.  It's my favorite of my "escape" music. 

"You Can't Fight What You Can't See" is also the most recent from Girls Against Boys and is among my favorites of theirs.  It's very good all the way through.  I'm nervous because they have nothing new (that I know of) in over three years.  I definitely don't need another good band to go away. 

Nada Surf really got themselves on the map with "Let Go", their critically acclaimed third release.  This is an easy CD to like, moving song to song with ease and changing tempo here and there.  It seems basic enough but repeated listens reveal much more, which is true with most good music.  Queens of the Stone Age also got on the map with "Songs for the Deaf", my favorite of theirs.  This is more great stuff from them with some impressive guest appearances. 

Sigur Ros continued to enchant with "()".  Much of "()" sounds very similar but I like it so it doesn't matter.  Trail of Dead has always had plenty of energy and I really liked "Source Tags and Codes" because it had a lot of feeling to it, making it a great mix of drama and action.  Interpol was a pleasant gamble a friend of mine took.  He bought the CD as a risk when it first came out and we listened to it on the way home from the music store.  We knew just from the brief listen in the car that this was a great CD. 

"Last Broadcast" from the Doves is a formidable follow up to their first.  Beck's "Sea Change" is great.  It's very somber and mellow which is a different direction for Beck.  It definitely works for me.  Bad Religion is on the mark lately as far as I'm concerned.  I would guess that some prefer their older stuff, which I like too, but I'm happy with their current direction.

Well I hope they have learned their lesson

Link: BBC NEWS | Technology | Sony BMG repents over CD debacle.

Sony BMG is rethinking its anti-piracy policy following weeks of criticism over the copy protection used on CDs. The head of Sony BMG's global digital business, Thomas Hesse, told the BBC that the company was "re-evaluating" its current methods. It follows widespread condemnation of the way anti-piracy software on some Sony CDs installs itself on computers.

Using virus-like tactics to solve the copyright infringement issues is NOT OKAY.  It should be obvious that sneaking software onto someones PC is not a good idea.  Making people "Accept" terms that opens unnecessary vulnerabilities on their PC is irresponsible.  Shame on you BMG.  Sure, they didn't know the vulnerability was there but they likely didn't evaluate the risk properly.  I don't envy their task of trying to control all the illegal copying but then again, resisting this technology instead of embracing it to begin with has only made the problem worse for them.  Granted, some of these things are legitimate business lessons but some of it stems from the greed of the industry. 

Resisting the digital music technology and refusing to pass reduction of certain costs of CD production and distribution to the consumer has contributed to the illegal music trading becoming so widespread.  Basic price of a new CD in 1988 is $14.95 and it hasn't changed much for the major labels, even though you know their costs have gone down in some ways.  It's true for electronics in general.  When new features are added or notable improvements are made, prices of electronics can sustain.  The only innovation we've really seen with the compact disc is that you can fit more data on it.  Where all things are considered equal, prices of electronics and their respective media goes down.  Why is a new CD at Border's $18 in some cases?  New CDs at many places can be purchased for $10 or $12 when on sale, which makes sense.  Smaller labels have been better about evolving and I'm guessing that is because they don't have to make as much money to break even.  That reduced break-even is because of the reduction in overhead (cough...useless management layers....couch).  Again, speculation on my part but it makes sense to me.   As usual, I got off topic a bit. 

The bottom line to me is this:  Record companies - Don't attempt to put your crappy software on my PC when I copy a CD as my right for fair use because I will defeat it anyway.

Best of 2003

This weeks "Best of" will focus on 2003. 

Best of 2003:  The Mars Volta - De-loused in the Comatorium

1. Mars Volta - De-loused in the Comatorium
2. Grandaddy - Sumday
3. Tomahawk - Mit Gas
4. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
5. Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band - "This is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing
6. Deftones - Deftones
7. Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
8. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
9. Yo La Tengo - Summer Song
10. Strapping Young Lad - SYL

2003 was a pretty good year overall, although probably tied with 2004 in terms of weakest overall in the past five years.  Still though, good music to be happy about and not a bad at all.  For starters, The Mars Volta released their first full length title and it totally rocks.  They get beat up by reviewers for being too indulgent in their music, whatever that means.  Indulge if that's the case.  The Mars Volta is in part what used to be At the Drive-In.  Not everyone can handle falsetto vocals but if you can or think you can get used to it, then this CD rewards.  It was my favorite of the year.  Grandaddy is a band from Modesto, believe it or not, and I was impressed since first hearing them playing over the speakers at the record store.  Actually, come to think of it, I discovered The Mars Volta the same exact way.  Huh.  Grandaddy has a unique sound and refreshing lyrics.  They have a simple style about them and are definitely more light hearted than I typically enjoy. 

Tomahawk seems like an experiment to me but "Mit Gas" is their second release and it's good.  I absolutely love half of it and am just warm to the other half but it still ranks.  Tomahawk features a member from each of the following bands of old:  Faith No More, The Jesus Lizard, The Melvins and Helmet.  the Melvins are still very much alive but that's about it, really.  Mike Patton is great with this band and is the highlight. 

Broken Social Scene seem to have many directions they can go with their music, some of which I really like and some not so much.  Again though, this is a solid enough release to appear in my favorite list. 

Silver Mount Zion makes the list even though this is my least favorite of their five recordings.  It's still better than much of what appeared in 2003.  A least favorite Silver Mount Zion still serves it up, despite being the least favorite of the bunch.

Deftones go "harder" again with their S/T, which is good.  I wasn't crazy about their commercially successful horsey title.  I'm glad to see them rocking again.

Mogwai has an okay CD with Happy Songs for Happy People but I'm crazy about the first song, "Hunted By A Freak".  Damn what a great song. 

Radiohead's "Hail to the Thief" is my favorite recent Radiohead title.  Fans of Radiohead tend to rank them on the very top all the time but I like them a lot whereas many think they are the greatest thing ever.  Still, this is solid and probably should be a little higher on this list.

Yo La Tengo is just such pleasant listening it seems impossible to not like them at all.  I'm a big fan and I like the direction they have taken in the last 10 years or so.  It's happy music.

"SYL" is the big metal title for me in 2003.  My metal appreciation is dwindling as I morph into an old man, which is expected.  But I still really like some of it and Strapping Young Lad is one I keep my eye (or ear) on. 

Some of the CD covers on the "Best of 2003" list on this blog are wrong and I can't get them to correct but it will have to do because an almost right image is better than none in this case. 

That's it!  Next week will be Best of 2002.

This is f&$%ing interesting

Link: Howstuffworks "How Swearing Works".

We all know what "bad words" are. Unlike most other language rules, we learn about swearwords and how to use them without any real study or classroom instruction. Even very young children know which words are naughty, although they don't always know exactly what those words mean. But swearwords aren't quite as simple as they seem. They're paradoxical -- saying them is taboo in nearly every culture, but instead of avoiding them as with other taboos, people use them. Most associate swearing with being angry or frustrated, but people swear for a number of reasons and in a variety of situations. Swearing also serves multiple purposes in social interactions. Not only that, your brain treats swear words differently than it treats other words.

Being the potty mouth that I am, this article jumped out at me.  To me, anything brain related is interesting anyway.  Maybe we can better understand what makes people stupid.

Hari-Kitty

Our beloved cat Barley lopped off another one of his lives a little earlier this week when he fell from the second floor in the house.  Barley is a piece of work for sure and this is just more evidence.  We have a game room upstairs that looks down to the dining room and hallway over a railing.  Just the day before yesterday, Barley was in the game room and attempted to jump onto the railing, which is a very narrow and slippery wood surface.  He has lived here for over a year and a half and I wonder if he's successfully attempted this in the past or if he was just suddenly inspired in his little brain.  Somehow he bailed and ended up falling over the top of the railing and falling 13 feet to the hardwood floor below.  He attempted to grab onto the railing, ripping off his the end of his dew claw on his front foot. 

We think he hung on for a several seconds because he made so much noise for several seconds.   The railing has a nice gash in it and I found the end of his dew claw on the floor upstairs.  Downstairs, the ends of several of his claws were sprinkled around on the floor.  They must have broken off in his struggle.  He ended up being okay from what we could tell, other than the dew claw damage which bled for a few hours.  His little dew claw stump was a little nasty looking but he'll survive.  Within no time Barley was acting normal, as though he didn't just about fall to his death.  Scary at first, hilarious for a lifetime.