As many people know, the Foos are my favorite band. I bought the CD/DVD combo as soon as it came out like I usually do when their albums come out. I took it home, unwrapped it, and flipped through the liner notes as I let the CD play. The entirety of the book was all pictures spanning the band’s career until present, except for one page at the end. That final page was a reflection by Grohl not only on the band, but on his first experimental recordings and how those recordings helped shape them into the band they are today. It’s an awesome reflection and I recommend everyone buy a physical copy of the CD just to read it. Seriously.

I remember when I first heard the Foo Fighters. Actually, I saw them first. On MTV in 1997. I don’t know where they were, but they played on a rooftop of some sort. I believe it was above the sign of Radio City Music Hall in NYC. They played Monkey Wrench live, and I distinctly remember myself saying “wow, this song is awesome” right as the song hit that short bit of silence after the intro.

I didn’t know who they were that day, but I remember one day after seeing the video for the song. The distinctive red room is what I remember the most.

For a while after that I stopped paying attention to them. I knew about Monkey Wrench but it wasn’t until later that year when I got a tape from a fellow band member (thanks Dale!) that had an assortment of rock music. I had borrowed the tape for some project I was working on. The tape had the Green Day song, Time of Your Life, which I was using and was followed by Up in Arms. I often let the tape play into Up in Arms, and one day I discovered that Monkey Wrench was right after it. And then came My Hero. Those were tracks 6,7, and 8 off of The Colour and the Shape, and I didn’t even know it! I probably wore out that tape replaying those 3 songs over and over.

I got to college in 1999 and it wasn’t really until that summer that I had really started to enjoy rock music more and more. I got to the dorms and my roommate at the time passed me a copy of the Foo Fighters latest album at the time, There Is Nothing Left to Lose. I had heard Breakout, but it was Generator that immediately hooked me. After that, I had to get all the Foo Fighters I could find. I knew from then they would be my favorite band.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege to see them in concert 4 times, including one of their performances at the Pantages in Hollywood during their acoustic tour. It’s hard to believe they’ve already released their Greatest Hits album, as it’s never felt as if they needed to do one. It’s never felt like they were done.

One of the final thoughts Grohl has in the liner notes is the following: “I don’t think we’ve written our greatest songs yet. But that door is always open.”

I don’t think they have yet either and I look forward to what is next.

-m

P.S. I am rusty at writing and it probably shows. Hopefully I can get around to writing more and getting my thoughts down in a better fashion.

iris and i went to washington d.c. for the cherry blossom festival a few weeks ago… we toured the capital like most tourists, but we’ve been there a few times already, so we were really just catching up on stuff we hadn’t seen yet… there was a bit of a moment i had where, when we were walking thru the Roosevelt memorial, i said to myself: i wonder why we haven’t had presidents like these, who had convictions like these, in a long while?

unfortunately it doesn’t look like 2008 will bring us one, no matter who wins =/

i’ve finally gotten around to building a new computer… i was telling pip today that it’s been almost a decade since the last time i actually put one together myself. the reality of it is, building a computer hasn’t changed much really, but the amount of options that are out there is crazy… there are too many socket types and chipsets and ram types to keep track of nowadays, but a good guide like the ones that are published at ars technica can help… i used the hot rod guide, but with a few modifications to save on the final cost… it’s such a joy, i can’t believe how much fun i’m actually having building it! the sucky part is having to clean the desk to make room for the new comp, AND to back up my old data (most of which i probably will not even bother to use, so i’ll end up deleting anyway)…

finally, the second half of thrice’s the alchemy index came out this week, and i am enjoying it very much. the second half encompasses the elements air and earth. i still think that the first half, the fire and water albums, are a bit stronger, but as a whole the entire set is magnificent. in this set i have been enjoying the earth disc more, but air has some great tracks as well. their lyrics are very profound and i love how the last song is kind of macabre, yet hopeful and simulates someone (or something) being buried. if you listen to their entire discography, you can see their evolution as artists and it’s amazing. go check them out!

so that’s all for now really… pip and i are trying to work out a new schedule and format for 8bit Ideas, and we have a new logo in the works which is being designed by a great friend of mine at seeing spots. please check out their work!

-m

in no particular order:

Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, Foo Fighters –

the 6th studio album from the foo fighters, this disc really surprised me. i was quite impressed by The Pretender as the first single… i definitely thought it was a stronger first single than Best of You from their last album. i was expecting more along the lines of The Pretender from the cd, but it turned out to be quite a mix of stuff. But, Honestly reminds me of Floaty from the first album and Long Road to Ruin reminds me of Cold Day in the Sun from In Your Honor. Home belongs somewhere on the last album’s acoustic disc. i like the cd as a whole, but i can see difficulty in picking the next single. i am of course biased towards liking the cd, but i can see where the mixed reviews are coming from. standout tracks: those mentioned above, Stranger Things Have Happened, Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup is Running

From Screen to Your Stereo II, New Found Glory -

this is a follow-up album to their earlier set of movie soundtrack cover songs… there are more songs this time around, and while i don’t know all of the songs, i do love most of them. i’m a sucker for cover songs, and i loved the way NFG did their covers on the last cover album, so i found this very enjoyable. it does seem to lose its lustre after hearing the disc multiple times, so don’t overdo it. standout tracks: Kiss Me, King of Wishful Thinking, Love Fool

The Alchemy Index Vols I && II – Fire & Water, Thrice -

Thrice has become one of my favorite bands over the years… i started listening to them when Fry bought Artist in the Ambulance, and i’ve been enjoying their stuff ever since… this new album is a concept album (to be completed in 2008) based on the elements: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire. this first set is great! Fire is full of raw energy and is very much in the style of Thrice’s older stuff (pre-Artist), but with the writing and feel of stuff of Vheissu. Water is a deeper, more electronic disc, with super-deep lyrics and awesome harmonies. definitely check this out. standout tracks: Fire:The Messenger, Burn the Fleet – Water: Digital Sea, Open Water, Lost Continent

Riot!, Paramore –

this is one of those albums that i didn’t think would be very good, but turned out to be great! after hearing their catchy Misery Business, it was easy to fall into liking their other songs on this album. it’s definitely pop-rock, which i don’t mind once in a while, so this has become my guilty pleasures album. i love hailey williams’ voice, and i think the drumming and guitar playing is great. also a pretty feel-good album, worth a buy i would say. standout tracks: Misery Business, Miracle, We Are Broken, Born For This

so that’s all for now, hopefully i’ll be getting some new music soon!

-m

first is the vincent black shadow, whose video i saw on fuse one day and looked up merely cuz i thought the chick was hot… turns out their music wasn’t half bad, kinda poppy and a tad predictable at times, but the lead singer (i think her name is cassandra?) has a beautiful voice. the two songs that i really enjoy are metro and don’t go soft.

next is paramore… now, i don’t know too much about this band nor heard anything else but their current single, but i like the style and the energy the band portrays in their music video for misery business. i’m making an attempt to check out their other songs, but their single is pretty catchy.

third up is a band called flyleaf. their current single, all around me has some heavy guitar and a nice little guitar hook in the back, and the lead singer’s voice is pretty powerful. i’m trying to check out their music as well.

and of course there’s arch enemy, which may be a little too dark and heavy (and possibly frightening) for most people, but i list them because i think it’s awesome that a girl-fronted band can hold their own in the heavy metal scene, and i like their song we will rise… that’s prolly the execption in this list, and you’ll see why below…

and yes there’s evanescence and others, but let’s stick with this list for now…

the reason i mention these bands is that i’ve liked bands with frontwomen because of the melodies that i think most frontmen would not be able to make as effective if they sang it… what usually sets it apart for me are those recordings where the woman is harmonizing with herself… girls singing their own harmonies seem to work better than guys singing their own harmonies, and it may be due to a number of factors, such as timbre, range, etc… i’ve always singled out those parts in my ears and in my head, and somehow they seem to work well within these rock arrangements… in the end, listening to one specific part of a song actually draws me to like the entire thing.

there is one band in particular that i want to mention, only because the moment i was turned onto them (thanks pip!), they were no longer. that band is called estrela, and the only place you can find their songs is on myspace (when it’s working)… not only were the vocals super strong and had beautiful harmonies, the musicians were kick ass… the drums alone on surfacing got me hooked, and i’m super bummed they are no more.

anyways, if anyone out there has some other girl-fronted bands worth mentioning, don’t hesitate to post them in the comments!

-m

first of course, the new foo fighters single was released this week… it’s called The Pretender, and biased as i am, i can only say: it’s a great song! take a listen at mog.com

secondly, i am pretty stoked about webbalert.com, a daily (well, monday-thursday) podcast featuring Morgan Webb that sums up important tech stories in < 5mins. i think the way she integrates ads into the podcast is great, pretty non-intrusive for the most part and fitting in a natural break in her delivery. it took a while for me to warm up to her after being added to x-play, but she does know her stuff, and i think she’s pretty hot to boot. (note: she was the gaming goddess in FHM, before they became defunct)

all for now, will be adding more posts soon.

…

yes, i intentially put 2 equal signs in the title… it’s a programming thing.

so i’ve watched quite a bit of discovery channel lately, and man there are some good shows on there… iris found a show called man vs wild, which is a show about a former british special armed forces guy showing the viewer how to survive in various dangerous environments… some of the things he does are probably too physical for a lot of us, but he has a lot of useful information that one should probably carry around just in case. the thing that kills me about the show is the presence of his camera crew… i mean, just think about it… there’s no way those camera guys are out there struggling as hard as Bear (the host), and it must kill him when he’s struggling out in the jungle or something, and his crew is just a few feet away chillin’ in a nice tent… i mean, i’m not sure if it really is that way, but it would seem like that to me… great show nonetheless, and is shown off-season from most networks, so it won’t eat all the space in the DVR…

another show i’ve taken a liking to is deadliest catch… man, life out in the bering sea is crazy!! i didn’t realize there was so much to crab fishing, and it’s a very gritty look at the entire job… i think a lot of it has to do with the real humanity of the ships’ captains… there is a real human element, and it shows in those captains’ faces.

come to think of it, i suppose those have become replacements for me for monster garage and american chopper… i know american chopper moved to another channel, but i don’t think it’s as good now that they have a fancy shop and paul jr. is better at time managing the bike builds… not to mention that they have a full warehouse full of people to work on bikes… i guess it just seems that they show less bike building than before, and more of the extra fluff…

i’ve always been interested in those kinda nerdy shows, thanks in part to my dad who made me watch a bunch of PBS shows like Nova and National Geographic…

any other good shows to watch??

-m

the sucky thing is that ABC doesn’t show as much of it anymore… i think it’s cuz they took over the NBA stuff from NBC, so their weekends started to fill…

some people would find watching cars go in a quasi-circle for miles quite boring… i do sometimes too (NASCAR?? not for me), but what really draws me to IRL/CART is the entire mixture of physics, technology, and strategy… i love hearing the drivers, commentators, and pit crews talk about downforces, throttle, fuel efficiencies, pit strategies, etc… it’s just a good mix of really nerdy stuff!!

i particularly love watching the Indy 500 cuz it’s such a hallowed race, that all the racers go all out… it’s like the race that means all or nothing to a season, when it really is just another race. but the pomp and history does make it exciting!!

i would say this year’s Indy 500 was good, but maybe not as great as it could’ve been if rain hadn’t been involved… and it certainly didn’t have a finish like last year’s… the first half of the race saw lots of action, but the amount of yellow flags really slowed the race down… i think there was a crash on every other re-start… then, it started to rain! that was another bummer cuz it held the race up for almost 3 hours, tho i do appreciate that the folks over there were able to dry the track and get them going again…

it’s just too bad that another bout of rain ultimately caused the race to end early as well =(

i was personally rooting for danica patrick and i thought she legitimately had a chance to win… she was in 3rd after the first rain delay, which was a good sign, and i think had there been no rain, she could have been up there to give herself a chance to win… and of course, i was rooting for michael andretti… man that guy is due!! his kid, marco, is pretty exciting too, but michael needs to get one before him… i mean, marco is only 20!

prior to the first red flag, tony kanaan (tk) was racing sooo well… too bad someone hit him a few laps into the restart, and he had to drop all the way back and work his way back up… checkered flag when to dario franchitti, who also raced exceptionally well and i liked his strategy of working his way up from the middle of the pack…

i still feel a bit cheated tho as there was still about a quarter of the race to go, and i think there would have been some nice action in the later laps (barring any yellows of course!)… hopefully next year’s Indy 500 won’t be plagued by rain, and we can have a full race with few yellows =)

-m

i use a lot of open source software myself. firefox is my current browser of choice. at work, i like to write code in eclipse. i’ve been an avid fan of the linux operating system, as well as apache as a web server, and LAMP (and its variants) in general. and for instant messaging, i like to use gaim when using multiple screen names/messaging systems. heck, even to keep myself healthy at the computer, i use workrave to make sure i’m not staring at my screen during crazy coding sessions.

now, i’ve been taking guitar lessons for a while now, about half a year i would say… i’ve been learning a lot, and for some reason tonite while i was having myself a crazy practice session, i came up with this thought:

open source is a lot like music

it seems a bit strange at first, but to me it makes sense… despite what the RIAA says, music is very open and free when you look at the core makeup of a song… music and software are all built upon basic building blocks – music has its notes and chords, software its statements and functions (and i suppose objects if you wanted to include that as well). each musician takes those notes and puts them together to his liking… the same is with the developer. every song has elements that can be found in other songs. the same with software.

lately i’ve been learning to play guitar solos… my teacher, donovan, told me that in order to learn how to solo on your own, you listen to other great guitarist’s solo’s, take the style and parts that you like, and make them your own to create your style. i believe this is what is happening in open source now. take the above linked gaim for instance… the people behind that program took what they like about other software, the messaging protocols, and put it together to create their own program. they stripped what they didn’t like, and kept the stuff they thougth was good. the result is a messenger program, that, while not completely unique or new to the computer world, but has its own place in the world of computing much the same way a song has its own place in the world of music. the same can be said about lots of other software, like open office, eclipse, and firefox.

i found this small epiphany very enlightening and exciting for some reason… it’s strange how you start to see how things interconnect sometimes.

i also decided that there doesn’t seem to be too much open source musical software out there… i think what i’d like to do is create an open source music application… there are 2 programs that i’d like to create and maybe possibly merge or integrate together at some point… the first is a program that would aid in learning and memorizing different musical ideas, such as notes in a chord or scale, building and recognizing complex chords, and other such musical things… the next would be to create my own sort of guitar teaching program… i would basically take the lessons i got from mike granat (my first guitar teacher) and donovan, and try to put them in some logical order that would help someone learn the guitar… or, i would build it for donovan to give to any of his other students as compliments to one on one lessons.

i think this would be an awesome way to get my code into the open source community… the only thing that i’m unsure about is building the graphical parts, as it’s been a long time since i’ve done it, and i don’t know how to make it portable to the different platforms… i’m sure if i build it on the GTK framework, it should work on windows and linux, but i’m not sure about mac… we’ll see tho’, i’ll have to do some research and write some documents for each, and my time is stretched thin right now…

if there is anyone out there would like to join me on this, please feel free to hit me up on the comment section and i’ll write you a proper email… while i’m sure there are probably few developers reading this blog, who knows who might show up and find this interesting…

anyways, i think that would be pretty cool to do some programs like that… i could use the practice and would love to learn some new coding tricks.

so yeah, that’s that… go try some open source software, you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find!

-m

i was a little surprised to see Reggie Bush not perform to par tonite, and that lateral attempt was maybe a bit of nerves just getting at him… to see him falter really got Texas going… and Vince Young! that guy rolled over the USC defense all nite, i’m excited to see him, Leinart, and Bush in the NFL.

i must say tho’, Vince Young’s pitch should’ve been ruled a dead play!! where was the review on that?? that touchdown was USC’s loss right there!

oh well, it was a good season of college football… i look forward to watching it all again next year. congrats to the Longhorns on their championship… awesome game tonite.

-m

the link above gives a brief description of what has happened to one of my favorite channels over the years… i’d like to think of myself as an original, faithful watcher… for those who don’t know, G4 started as ZDTV, a technology-oriented channel run by the news company Ziff-Davis (who also happens to publish PCMag)… it then became TechTV, which was just a joy to watch… a few years ago TechTV merged with G4, a channel that was devoted entirely to video games… i was skeptical about this move, as i watched TechTV specifically for the “techie” type shows: FreshGear, Extended Play, Call for Help, The Screen Savers, even Spy School and Wired for Sex. the G4 merger made it more game-oriented, which caused most of those shows to die (and Extended Play becoming X-Play, which i didn’t particularly like as much as the former… but, it introduced me to Morgan Webb, who is now on my top 5 hottest women)

now it looks like G4 is looking to get rid of the last of the faithful (myself included) by making it more like SpikeTV… they even have episodes of the Man Show on G4 now… that is fucking retarded. if i wanted to watch the Man Show, i’ll watch SpikeTV, dammit i came to ZD-Tech-G4TV to stimulate my technical side… now the channel is full of crap shows like reruns of FastLane and some other show about import cars…

i think over the last few months the only shows i really watched was Icons, Filter, and X-Play… i don’t really see Icons anymore, and Filter just got cancelled, leaving me with 1 show left… on top of that, they used to show X-Play at 8 PM and 11 PM pacific, so i could catch it right after the 10 o’clock news… now, there’s only the 8 PM showing… i heard Call for Help was brought back, possibly to salvage what it could (and they even brought back Leo Lepore!), but i really think this channel is going to tank…

i am glad to see the TechTV hosts now doing some great stuff tho’… Kevin Rose has digg and theBroken, Sumi Das is on CNN now, and Leo Lepore has TWiT… i wonder whatever happened to Chris Parillo??

in any case, i’m probably not reaching many people with this post, but i just had to say it for the sake of saying it… i hope someone wises up and resurrects TechTV, or even brings back ZDTV (hint, hint Ziff-Davis!), and brings those great shows back.

it’s too bad they cancelled Filter tho’, on top of the interesting countdowns, Diane Mizota was pretty hot as well.

such is life i suppose. i really hope someone steps up and retakes or creates a channel for people like me (once again!)

-m