W♥M

Update (May 2013)

Setlist courtesy of Brian Read More Johnny Marr The first band that I fell for was The Smiths. By the time I discovered Morrissey (on the Johnny Carson show in 1991), The Smiths were long gone. When I said that I fell for the band, I really meant it …

MARR-VELOUS
Yeah, I know, I missed Marr at the Varsity Theater, but I think I got a better deal with a personal one-on-one with the legendary guitarist at Twin Town Guitars. An employee there (Andrew Bell) said that Marr stayed over three hours to sign and personally talk to everyone in line:

"He is that kind of person, and he did stay until everyone in line had a chance to ask questions, greet him and get a personalized autograph. He's a great, generous person. He stayed at Twin Town for over three hours greeting fans."

It did make me think that I went to see Johnny Marr + the Healers at First Avenue on Wednesday, May 7th, 2003. I still have a stolen poster, which lists a couple of key things about that show: (1) it was a 21-and-over gig, (2) $20 at 6pm, (3) DAMF booked and presented the show, (4) Drive 105 was promoting it, and (5) Paloalto was the opener. This was a decade ago, so I actually have a very poor memory of it. I remember I was in front, it wasn't that crowded and I did touch Johnny Marr's arms and guitar.

Special thanks to Brian who provided a photograph of the setlist from that night. Yes, no Smiths songs, which was disappointing, but hey, he threw in a Bob Dylan cover for "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".

On another note (and I did verify this with Marr when I met him) that Johnny Marr wanted to recruit Ian Brown (Stone Roses) to sing for his pre-Smiths band called Freak Party. Obviously that all changed when The Nosebleeds' Morrissey became singer of Freak Party. This information was from STONE ROSES: WAR AND PEACE book from St Martin's Press. I will have a review of the book up very soon.

MINNESNOWTA
The weather here in Minneapolis blows. It is freezing and I think it even snow for a bit on Wednesday. I thought they said it was going to snow today (05/03)! Yes, we're talking May 2013. Will Spring ever arrive? I came out of hibernation earlier last month, but it looks like I might have to stay indoors for a bit longer.

MY NEX CAMERA
I have a new camera. After rave reviews from Engadget (and other places), I have purchased the Sony NEX-3N. This is the perfect camera that I've been looking for: a small/compact camera that can produce DSLR-quality photographs. I did request a few recent shows to do some real-world testing: Twin Forks (previously known as Twin Falls) and Cloud Cult at First Avenue.

The former had terrible low-light (as usual for 7th Street!) I will try and see a show at Triple Rock - certainly the worst when it comes to bad lights.

For the price ($500) the NEX-3N is quite a bargain, considering its more expensive brother (NEX-5N) is double the cost but only offer slightly better options. The only downfall in this nearly perfect camera is its battery life. Shooting a regular show with turning on and off (for a total of on-time of about 15 minutes), will drain the battery to about 80%. Charging also seems to take forever. Otherwise, I am so impressed with the camera that I may invest in and get a 200mm e-mount lens. The kit lens only zooms in about 50mm.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU
This Saturday is known as Star Wars Day (May the 4th). It's also Free Comic Book Day, which usually falls after or near a release of a comic book movie. This year, it would seem that FCBD is following Iron Man 3, which comes out this Friday (today?).

Although I thought the first Iron Man movie was alright, I wasn't that excited to see the sequel, and probably less than excited to see the upcoming movie. I'll probably pick up the Blu-Ray, but will probably skip the theatrical release.

Anyway, if you live near a comic book store, just show up on Saturday and get free comic books. Lists of free comics is available on www.freecomicbookday.com.

Some comics of interests:

SUPERMAN SPECIAL EDITION

TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES

WALKING DEAD SPECIAL

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE HULK AGENTS OF SMASH #1

DC NATION SUPER SAMPLER #1

JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS

VALIANT MASTERS SHOWCASE ED (mostly for Barry Windsor-Smith)

SET PHASERS TO PUNS
Again, I love Star Trek. I own all the DVDs and didn't feel the need to upgrade. That is… until I finally experience the high-definition of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS in theaters last week. I was so impressed that I picked up Season 3 on Blu-Ray with a $5 extra to grab The Best of Both Worlds on BD at Target.

I have not watched everything, but a couple of notes: (1) Wesley Crusher has pimples, which I've never noticed before, (2) on HD, I also noticed seams in the costumes, (3) Everything looks so much better, especially the rich colors and extraordinary details, and (4) on a few episodes are audio commentaries. Overall, I love it; it's like the series again for the first time.

Random note: I have some duplicate DVDs that I will likely take into Best Buy and convert them for $5 and buy Men in Black III Bluray Steelcase, which is on sale at the moment for $18. With $5 taken off, it'll be $13, which is a "steel".

CROFTING THE PERFECT TOMB RAIDER
I picked up the Target Steelcase version of the new Tomb Raider game. I beat the game last night (with about 75% complete) in about a good 4 hours of playtime. I tried going back to do all the side quests to make it 100%, but quickly got bored of re-playing levels. What does this mean? Well, when you play it, it's like a sequential movie… when you get to the end, there's really no reason to go back and replay it again.

Also, the game seems to be inspired by ABC's "Lost" and that movie "Descent" (especially when Lara Croft rises from a pool of blood).

Anyway, as much as I love playing the game, I am regretting paying $60 to buy it new. It's definitely a rental game. I know there are online components to the game, but I have no desire to explore it… so my time with the game is at an end.

FREEDOMFIZZLE
You know that saying, "you get what you pay for?" It's true.

I was initially happy with the service, but after a few months of usage, I can safely say that Freedompop is one of the worst ISP I've ever dealt with. I think when I downgraded my service to its basic $10 a month, they started consistently disconnecting me from the internet. I have tried moving the modem closer to the windows with no change in service. I'm going to cancel my service this month and only keep its "free" service (for my Skype telephone).

Since the service is so bad, I am currently shopping around for a more reliable internet service (again). I may eventually just give in and call Century Link for its DSL service.

So the short answer is: avoid Freedompop.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Site Update: January 2013

So, hey again, this is Vu. As I've previously mentioned, I've moved, so with the new move, I'm also limiting my internet usage. I've divorced myself from the "unlimited" and costly Comcast internet (good riddance) in favor of a cheaper/affordable alternative. A lot of my friends and family have suggested I try out Century Link/Qwest. I believe they are DSL, but I haven't looked into it any further because I've decided to test out Freedompop. I've ordered the "Home" modem, which is $89 and will allow me to connect to their service for 10gb a month for $10. If I use only 1gb or less, it's free. I'll monitor my usage, but I can't see myself spending more than $30 a month for internet - previously I was paying Comcast $60… so it's still an improvement, no matter how you look at it.

I'll report back if the service is worth it. I haven't received the modem yet, I think they said it won't ship until February 2013.

Also, Technorati is listing us +129 jump in the music section, so we're now hanging out with MTV Buzz and Brooklyn Vegan.

By the way, I actually wanted to use Le Tigre's "Get Off the Internet", because I can't get on the internet - but since I'm on limited internet, I'll just use a song that's already uploaded of the same name. The instrumental is by Odd Henning Skyllingstad, and he (or she) doesn't really have any information about his/her music or how to contact them. All I know is that they're from Norway.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ anthonydamatomusic.com

Site Update: W♥M Community and Slim PS3

Ryan created a W♥M Community on G+:

I don't really "get it", what's the difference between a G+ Product Page and a Community Page? I'm not the only one confused by this, no one I know uses G+. It's a dead social network if no one uses it.

Remember how I said I was going to trade in my Xbox for a new PS3? Well it happened. I traded in about 30+ games and the Xbox and made enough to cover a 160GB Fourth Generation PlayStation 3. Let's be clear, it's not the fifth generation "Super Slim" with the clam-shell slide to open machine. The reason why I don't like the new model is because it exposes the Blu-Ray laser. I've had bad experiences of accidentally touching the laser and screwing up my DVD or Blu-Ray player, so from personal experiences, I would prefer to never see the laser.

Setting up the new PS3 was really easy. I had to verify my ID, so now all my games I previously downloaded are available again for me. It's nice to have a 160GB drive! I can now save more movies on the HD or install more full games on the system.

The only thing that I found was annoying was the YouTube app. It used to ran just fine on the 1st Generation, but this version seems problematic. It would load up, but after you play one or two videos, it starts to stutter. Bandwidth isn't the problem, it's probably with the new PS3 itself. I'm waiting for the app to get updated, but in the meantime, I can't really use it. Crackle and Vudu seems to run just fine.

Other than that, the new PS3 works just fine. In my opinion, it's still the best media and Blu-Ray player in the market right now. No other players compare to its speed and power to render 1080p videos. Plus, it plays games.

If you want to hold out, the PS4 is rumored to be out in 2014.

PS, Been listening to Baxendale again.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Site Update: Walking Dead and Crackle on the PS3

Read More Television If you haven't been keeping up with "Game of Thrones" Season 2, you can skip #8 as nothing happened in that episode. The best episode so far is the one that aired this Memorial Day (Sunday, May 27th), "Blackwater"......

I haven't done an 'update' in a while, mostly no thanks to Rocktober. Since I've officially started my winter hibernation that will leave me my evening free for music reviews and spotlighting on CD packaging (this is especially important for the upcoming gift-giving holiday!)

First off, with my free nights, I've been catching up on Season 3 of The Walking Dead. Since I already own The Walking Dead: Compendium One, some of the events in Season 3 didn't surprise me (although the more darker aspect of The Governor has not been filmed yet), but I still recommend reading the comics because the TV show is in a different universe.

Anyway, Walking Dead fans should want to check out AMC and Republic Records' "The Walking Dead" singles. The second single, Baby Bee's "Love Bug" (the first was Beth & Maggie Green's "The Parting Glass") was featured in last Sunday's episode. Immediately after the show was aired, the song was available for purchase exclusively on iTunes. This trend is interesting, it naturally works for Glee or Smash, but will it work with The Walking Dead?

Also, I was wondering if the songs will be collected in a compilation or included with Bear McCreary's soundtracks? At the moment, these are just singles.

The other thing, my beloved PlayStation 3 (First Gen) got that yellow light of death, due to many years of usage. Thankfully, my brother fixed it by re-soldering the heatsink and now my PS3 is working again. To be honest, if I can afford it, I wouldn't mind buying the new PS3 with a larger harddrive because I end up downloading a lot of game content that six years ago wasn't even an option.

My other option is I can always upgrade my HD on my old PS3, but buying the biggest drive I can find would almost cost as much as buying a new PS3. Check out this year's Black Friday ads, you can get a PS3 bundle with two free games for $199. I recommend it over the Xbox any day because it's free Crackle, free YouTube, free VuDu, etc (Xbox you have to pay $80 a year to access anything.)

Speaking of which, I got a hold of Crackle version 1.03 via the "My Video Channel." Already there are issues. Loading up a video caused it to black-screen (probably because it was loading up an advertisement). The only way to stop this is to turn off the PS3.

The other problem is that the 'play' and 'enter' button on the PS3 remote doesn't work. Instead, you have to use the "X" or the "O" button.

Some videos like "The Antichrist" isn't subtitled, despite it being an Italian film with an Italian soundtrack. The videos look watchable, Netflix-standard quality. I don't think any Crackle films are in HD, but for the price of FREE, it's not bad for what you get.

These are small annoyances, but at least there is now an official Crackle app.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Site Update (June 2012)

Today is going to be really busy for me. Just wanted to point out that I've updated a few things on the side-bar of W♥M, notably the new custom Twitter logo (yes, I know they have a new "upward" logo).

Anyway! Just got done with season two of "Flight of the Conchords" via borrowed DVD (yes, three years too late). It is a true shame that there won't be a season three, but reading about the duo's struggles to write season two I can understand why. Apparently the band used up most of their music comedy material in season one, so when it came to filming season two, they simply didn't have enough songs to carry season two.

I was so inspired by the duo that I put together this vu-art of Bret, Jemaine, and their stalker Mel.

BONUS: I'll be attending The Daredevil Christopher Wright this June 23rd. Here's some details on the band.

THE DAREDEVIL CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT
thedaredevilchristopherwright.com

I remember a few years ago, Brody was telling me about The Daredevil Christopher Wright and I thought they were superheroes from some pulp magazine. DCW is from Eau Claire, a city that has the benefit of being between Minneapolis and Milwaukee, and I have been told many times, has a huge music scene.

The trio has a new album called The Nature of Things, which is coming out June 26th. Starting next week, the band is doing a few dates between here (Minneapolis) and there (Milwaukee).

UPDATE:

THE DAREDEVIL CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT

06/22 Eau Claire, WI Grand Little Theater 06/23 Minneapolis, MN The Cedar Cultural Center 06/26 Eau Claire, WI Volume One (Free In-Store) 06/29 Madison, WI The Frequency 06/30 Sheboygan, WI Paradigm 07/01 Milwaukee, WI Cactus Club 07/17 Milwaukee, WI Paste Mag - Live at Aloft 07/28 Avoca, WI Shitty Barn Session: Field Trip 08/01 Chicago, IL Subterranean * 08/02 Iowa City, IA The Mill *

08/03 Cincinnati, OH MOTR Pub * 08/04 Lakewood, OH Mahall's 20 Lanes * 08/14 New York, NY TBA 08/15 Boston, MA Great Scott * 08/19 Shippensburg, PA The Thought Lot 08/23 Kalamazoo, MI Old Dog Tavern 09/13 Hayward, WI The Park Theater 11/02 Madison, WI UW-Madison 11/16 Minneapolis, MN United Methodist Church * = Via Audio

PS, maybe it's a local thing, but the cover artwork to The Nature of Things reminds me of Chino Latino.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

How to create MP4 files with multiple audio and subtitle tracks, plus The Medicine Show and Site Updates

This is a cross-post for We♥Movies. This would be really helpful if you have music videos on DVD with lyric subtitles or alternate mixes or commentaries.

Also, I have business cards now (that was fast!). If you see me, just ask me for one, I'll be more than happy to give them out. I've also added a 'follow' @weheartmusic button on the right side for easier one-click following!

In an effort to get more 'likes' via facebook, I will spotlight a band who 'likes' us. First band:

THE MEDICINE SHOW
facebook.com/themedicineshownet

According to The Medicine Show's biography, they're from Brisbane, Australia. Their influences are from the Delta Blues to "real" country and "hillbilly" music.

Check out their cover of George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone":



Here are some of their upcoming shows:

May 4, 2012 - Punxie and the Poison Pens at the Chardon's Corner Hotel
May 18, 2012 - Live at Beetle Bar - Medicine Show and Cal Peck & Tramps

>>>
How to create MP4 movie files with selectable multiple audio and subtitle tracks

Okay, I wish someone would've told me about this before I started ripping all my movies for easier access... and I'm sure there are plenty of ways of doing selectable audio and subtitles, but this way works for me.

One of the biggest problems I had was that I missed the audio commentaries. Once in a long while, I do break open an old DVD and put on the commentary while I write articles, but it's not very often. So below is a step-by-step guide on how to rip your movie for your iPad, Apple TV, WD-TV, and PS3. I'm leaving Xbox out because Xbox does not support "complex" audio and won't play MP4 files since they updated their dashboard.

If you have an unprotected DVD or Bluray, you can just skip to #3: Handbrake.

#1: Rip your movie
I have a lifetime license for DVDfab.com, so it's the software I use. It is expensive, but I think it's worth it. You might already have similar ripping software, just make sure your software can rip movies with multiple audio and extract subtitles. For DVDFab, what you need to do is rip it in MKV remux, capturing the multiple audio and "extracting IDX" (subtitles) in your options. Generally, I would rip the main audio and the commentary and the English subtitles (if available).

#2: Convert SUB to SRT
Because the subtitles are stored as images, you need to convert the images to text. I use a free software called SubtitleEdit. For images it doesn't understand, it will ask your input. It's not perfect, but it is free. The optical recognition software has a hard time understanding "I" and "1" and often mixes the two. When you're done, save it as a SRT file (this is a text file).

#3: Handbrake
The latest Handbrake is pre-set for the best quality, so you don't really need to muck around too much, unless you want to downgrade your video. What I would recommend is to scale the video to 720p or less because of streaming issues (anything larger will take a long time to buffer). Under audio, select "add all audio" and under subtitles, click on "import" and add your SRT file. Do not select "forced" (this is only applies to forced dialogue). Select "burn" and "default".

3.5: Hardcoding (alternative option)
Step #3 is for Closed Caption (Apple devices can turn on and off the CC as Subtitles), if you prefer to Hardcode the subtitles you can use the free Any Video Converter. You just need to have the same name as SRT with your MKV file. NOTE: Hardcoding is permanent; you cannot remove the subtitles.

#4: Tag your file
You don't really need this step, but if you're already going through all these processes, you might as well make it pretty. There is plenty of tagging software, use the one you like. I recommend MetaX, which was originally free but now costs $10. I believe it's still free on Mac OS.

Congratulations, you now have a x264 movie file that will play on most devices, including your iPad and PS3. The PlayStation 3 does not have the ability to view Closed Caption, however, you can always switch to the English audio track. If your player knows how to read SRT files, then just include the SRT file, along with your movie file and you're golden.

I know it's a lot of work. Most people have stopped at step #1, or they are more than happy to fork over $15-20 to "own" a digital copy. I reckon if I already own the disc, I'm not going to pay for the same movie again. I hope this guide helps you out. I had to go through a lot of mistakes to get here.

Here's the files, as seen on my iPad.  Note: subtitles can be turned off. I'll probably update the cover artwork with a high res version, not happy how it looked.

Site Update (April 2012) - Blogsy

NOTE: The entire post was composed and created using Blogsy on the iPad.

W♥M on iPad..

I have been searching for an app like this, because the iPhone TypePad application needs a lot of work. One of the main thing I need the application to do is to insert images, along with my text, and there just wasn't a way for you to do this via iOS. Unfortunately, TypePad currently does not offer iOS Safari support (this is terribly frustrating for mobile bloggers).

Unless you know the name (Blogsy), it's hard to find this application in the iTunes store. Searching for "TypePad" or Blog Editor doesn't exactly return Blogsy. There isn't a demo version, so I had to pay $5 to basically test out the application.

I'll admit that I haven't played around with it enough, but one thing I wasn't sure about is how do you save things in draft? I understand that you can save it to TypePad in draft mode, but I want to save it in draft locally on the iPad. Then it turns out that it was automatically saving it locally when I accidentally clicked on the "+" icon and panicked because I thought I had deleted my entry.

The other thing I didn't care for is the way they implement inserting images. You have to "upload" it to your TypePad image icon and then you can insert it into your article. That's a minor complaint, it's just not obvious to me. Even accessing your photo gallery is a pain because you have to allow the application to access location services. Since I automatically disable location, I had to go into my settings to allow this application access.

Some improvements I wish Blogsy had:

(1) Autocorrect and dictionary/spellcheck. iOS offer access to its dictionary throughout its system... yet it sometime works and sometime it doesn't work (this is evident when you flip back and forth to HTML). (2) A better image inserting system. I've used application that has "insert" and then you just select images from your gallery and voila, it's done. (3) Remove certain icons from the dock (could not figure out how to remove these icons).

(4) Once you insert an image, moving it around is not obvious. I had to delete it and then re-insert the image at a different location. I'm sure there is a way to move it around, but I just couldn't figure it out. (5) Allow better HTML editing option. I tried to add some CSS style to the image (adding a 1 pixel border), but Blogsy just stripped it out. (6) Changing the post date to a future date doesn't work - it will publish your article anyway.

Anyway, those are really tiny little complaints. I'm sure 99% of users don't really care about these things because I'm sure they're all WYSIWYG users.

My last mo-blogging misadventure was last year in Canada, so I can tell you it was a lot of work to get around the restriction. Compared to working with Blogsy, it's definitely a lot easier. I am looking forward to a future articles via my iPad.

To end this, I'll test out the video embedding option.

 

 

Site Update (February 2012)

Whatever happened to Technorati?

I guess they're still around because they just recently interviewed TypePad GM Jeff Reine from Say Media. Reine pointed out that Rdio recently imported their blog to Typepad (you can follow Rdio via Typepad, although it's not made clear it's a TP blog when you land on its front page).

I did give Rdio and MOG a try, and, the long and short of it, is that I wasn't willing to pay to listen to basically on-demand radio. With cellular data caps and hassle of downloading music offline, it just seems much easier to turn on the radio in my car and listen to random traditional terrestrial radio (for free!).

Also, you might start noticing the hideous advertisement on the right sidebar. I'm experimenting with it. As a web user, I'm trained to not pay attention to ads, but if it gets too intrusive, let me know.

GADGET LUST: PLAYSTATION VITA

Sure, I had gadget lust when I first heard about the Sony Vita. If I had the money, there's no question about it, I would love to get my hands on one. The fact is the cost of owning the Vita is just way too expensive.

Here's a breakdown of a typical cost:

$300 Sony Vita 3G Model
$60 16gb Vita Memory Card
$50 Uncharted Game
$20 AT&T Data (optional)

That's about $430, which is pretty crazy when you compare it to a $250 Playstation 3 (outside of gaming, it is really an all-in-one media player device).

What bugs me is that the Vita requires you to have a Vita Memory Card (which I don't think is swappable with other Vita systems).

Since I can't afford it, I might as well dream about it in a Pro/Con listing for the 3G version below:

PROS ■ Graphics are the best among portable gaming ■ Upgradeable storage (maxed out at 32gb) ■ Free Applications like Maps, Web Browser, Email, Flickr, Hulu Plus and Netflix* ■ Physical buttons with Sixaxis and rear touch ■ Camera (better than iPad Touch) ■ Optional data plan with GPS

CONS ■ Battery life is not removable, only lasts 3 hours ■ "Too big" and "too thick" to fit in pants ■ Too expensive, games averages $40** ■ No video output (cannot put it on your HD TV) ■ Not UMD backward compatible ■ Requires a Vita Memory Card ■ Vita will only support a single user ID.

* Take that Xbox's "Gold" annual fee
** iPhone games averages $1

You have to ask yourself: Do I travel enough to warrant an exclusive gaming device? It's a hard sell, and not only the pricing, but if I'm just hanging around the house, why wouldn't I just game on a bigger screen with a real console? Also, as far as I know, the Vita isn't a product for productivity – I would rather much prefer to bring an iPad (or laptop) instead.

The cons outweighs the pros in my case, I probably won't be getting a Vita anytime soon. Perhaps when a second or third generation comes along, we'll see.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Sweet, Sweet Catatonia

W♥M is five years old today. I don't really have anything special lined up.

Catatonia: Sweet Catatonia Read More Catatonia From Britpop, comes Catatonia with their song, "Mulder and Scully". I used to really love this song, but it sort of wore thin when I realized that there were only a handful of great songs from their 1998 International Velvet.

I thought I'd talk about music purchasing in general. I don't normally go out a lot to music store, but I was out on Chinese New Year and ended up at a music store (I think it was called Disc Land) and I bought a pretty rare Catatonia CD compilation called Catatonia 1993/1994: The Crai EPs - For Tinkerbell & Hooked.

Although Catatonia enjoyed success in the UK, they never quite made it in the US, so you had to import most of their early records. So I bought the EP and I thought to myself: someone in Minnesota must have loved Catatonia to have imported the CD and then sold it back to this record store.

Anyway, this 1999 compilation collects Catatonia's first two EPs, "For Tinkerbell" and "Hooked", although only three tracks of "Hooked" were used on the compilation due to the limitation of the CD format.

Track listing:

1. "For Tinkerbell"
2. "New Mercurial Heights"
3. "Dimbran"
4. "Sweet Catatonia"
5. "Gyda Gwen" (Welsh version of "New Mercurial Heights")
6. "Hooked"
7. "Fall Beside Her"
8. "Difrycheulyd (Snail Ambition)"

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Site Update (December 2011)

I'm back, after spending nearly a week playing occupy couch.

Some things I receive and bought for other people, I'll talk about my thoughts on them.

For $50, I thought this Sony Media Streaming box would be the "end all" to all streaming boxes that's currently popular. Unfortunately, it falls flat. The main reason why I bought this was to stream DLNA content to the box, but the box doesn't support .H264 or even Mpeg 4 (despite listing it on their website). The support doesn't even list format size, which I rip at 720x404 or 1280x720, both of which streams just fine on the PS3.

What the Sony Streaming Media box comes down to is a glorified Youtube player... I'll look into its Amazon Prime service next, but I think I have to register the device on Sony's website.

My initial reaction: it sucks, save up your money for a PS3 or Western Digital TV.

Speaking of PS3, with all the great sales, I ended up buying a Playstation Move, the bundle came with Killzone 3 and Resistance 3 and the Move controllers with Sharpshooter for $100. This is a great deal, those two games retails for about $80 already. Anyway, I bought the Everybody Dance for the Move. It was fun, but you quickly realize how small the 40 song playlist is!

The game is really geared towards younger kids, so, all the pop songs are here. I was surprise to see Republica's "Ready to Go" on the playlist. The other surprising "hit" song on the list is Duck Sauce's "Barbara Streisand". This isn't the original mix, it's been re-done for the American audience (so maybe they didn't like their original mix of the song?)

- Amerie - 1 Thing (2) - Barry White - You're the First, The Last... (1) - Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At (3) - Billy Idol with Generation - Dancing with Myself (3) - Bodyrockers - I Like The Way (2) - Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting (1) - CeCe Peniston - Finally (1) - The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl (2) - Chromeo - Night By Night (2) - Dam-Funk - Hood Pass Intact (1) - Deadmau5 - Ghosts 'N' Stuff feat. Bob Swire (2) - Diana Ross - Upside Down (2) - Duck Sauce - Barbara Streisand (2) - Elle Goulding - Starry Eyed (1) - Elton John - I'm Still Standing (3) - Fatboy Slim - Praise You (2) - Groove Armada - Superstylin' (2) - Ida Corr Vs Fedde Le Grand - Let Me Think About It (1) - Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne - Down (1) - Kool and the Gang - Get Down On It (1)

- Lady GaGa - Born This Way (3) - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem (2) - M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up the Volume (3) - Miami Sound Machine - Dr Beat (3) - New Kids on the Block - You Got It (2) - Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath (1) - Ok Go - Here It Goes Again (3) - OutKast - The Way You Move (1) - Puretone - Addicted to Bass (2) - Raphael Saadiq - Radio (2) - Republica - Ready to Go (3) - Rihanna - Rude Boy (1) - R. Kelly - Step In The Name Of Love (1) - SNAP! - The Power (3) - Sublime - Santeria (1) - Tiesto v Diplo feat Busta Rhymes - C'mon (3) - Tinie Tempah - Pass Out (1) - Usher featuring Pitbull - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (2) - Usher featuring will.i.am - OMG (1) - Willow - Whip My Hair (2)

Anyway, the game only lets you upload the video on Facebook, which I have not set up yet (and slightly too embarrass to actually try and upload). We'll see.

So hope you have a happy holiday and looking forward to the new year.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M