It is a known fact that in the rap game, the usage of the "N" word is a very controversial topic. Well, things become even more controversial when a rapper's album name is the "N" word. Nas has named his December release Nigger.
Many rappers and others have opinions on this title. Some of them support it, while others do not. For example, L.A. Reid, Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman, said on Nas's album, "We support everything our artists do, everything! We stand firmly behind and beside our artists with pride and with pleasure. Anything Nas wants to do, I completely stand beside him. Nas is prolific, he's prophetic, he's a genius, an amazing artist of respect. So, while I'm not sure exactly all that [the title] entails, I know it's smart, so I stand behind him. That's real." Some others to stand behind L.A Reid are Common and Akon.
Others, although, like 50 Cent and Reverend Al Sharpton, disagree with the title. About the title, Al Sharpton, who is trying to totally abolish the "N" word, said, "Again, I'm opposed to anybody using the term. We're in an age where they are hanging nooses, they're locking our kids up in Jena and Florida. We do not need to be degrading ourselves. We get degraded enough. I think we need artists to lift us up, not lock us down."
Nas says that the reasoning behind this title is to soften the meaning of the "N" word. But, after Al Sharton heard Nas's statement, he replied, "What they're doing is, as we're fighting to make [using the N-word word] a hate crime, they're making it not a hate crime, which is helping out the racists. You don't see [people from] any other race trying to take the power out of names being called to them. People [who use the term in their music] wouldn't put out a record against whites or cops or Jews because they ain't got the guts to do that. They only got the guts to beat up on their own."
In my opinion, I agree with Nas and I think that he likes to be controversial. Nas likes attention, and he is surely getting a lot of it from the title he has made.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Actually, 2 Album Reviews = No
On second thought, I don't really think reviewing the planned for album is necessary, especially after today's great album. It was Britney's album, Blackout, by the way.
Album Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold
This week, I am going to review not one, but two albums! The first out of the bunch is Avenged Sevenfold’s self-titled fourth album, Avenged Sevenfold. Avenged Sevenfold is from Southern California. Now, onto the album.
The album starts with some hardcore screaming and rocking out in such songs as “Afterlife” and their first single, “Almost Easy”. Also, Synyster Gates proves he is a guitar beast in these songs. Then, it gets a little softer with “Gunslinger”. After that track, the hardness of the tracks comes back with “Unbounded (The Wild Ride)” and “Brompton Cocktail”. Finally, the hardness comes and goes on the last three tracks. I could guess you can sort of call this album a roller coaster, going from hardcore rock down to not as hardcore then back up and finally back down with the ending track, “Dear God”. And then there’s the completely outrageous “A Little Piece of Heaven”, which lasts roughly 8 minutes and is very different from all the other tracks, but also similar. It uses trumpets and violin, unlike the rest of the tracks.
Overall, there were no bad tracks on this album (except maybe the last one) and a few good ones. The one that I like the most is “Critical Acclaim”, the starting track of the album. “Critical Acclaim” extremely bashes the government of today and how people complain about the government, yet never participate in it. I love the guitar riffs in the song, as they are very reminiscent of “Bat Country”, which has awesome guitar playing, thanks to Synyster Gates. The one track that seemed very good, yet unique at the same time to me was “Lost”. What I really like about it is the vocal edits that you can hear in the song. It goes very well with the melody.
I think that Avenged Sevenfold deserve a clean A for this for sure. It's awesome guitar, drums, bass, and vocal in one album. Basically, Avenged Sevenfold is a great band in my opinion.
Grade: A
Tracks to Get: “Critical Acclaim”, “Lost”
My next album review will probably be posted later today or tomorrow. Thanks for looking!!!
The album starts with some hardcore screaming and rocking out in such songs as “Afterlife” and their first single, “Almost Easy”. Also, Synyster Gates proves he is a guitar beast in these songs. Then, it gets a little softer with “Gunslinger”. After that track, the hardness of the tracks comes back with “Unbounded (The Wild Ride)” and “Brompton Cocktail”. Finally, the hardness comes and goes on the last three tracks. I could guess you can sort of call this album a roller coaster, going from hardcore rock down to not as hardcore then back up and finally back down with the ending track, “Dear God”. And then there’s the completely outrageous “A Little Piece of Heaven”, which lasts roughly 8 minutes and is very different from all the other tracks, but also similar. It uses trumpets and violin, unlike the rest of the tracks.
Overall, there were no bad tracks on this album (except maybe the last one) and a few good ones. The one that I like the most is “Critical Acclaim”, the starting track of the album. “Critical Acclaim” extremely bashes the government of today and how people complain about the government, yet never participate in it. I love the guitar riffs in the song, as they are very reminiscent of “Bat Country”, which has awesome guitar playing, thanks to Synyster Gates. The one track that seemed very good, yet unique at the same time to me was “Lost”. What I really like about it is the vocal edits that you can hear in the song. It goes very well with the melody.
I think that Avenged Sevenfold deserve a clean A for this for sure. It's awesome guitar, drums, bass, and vocal in one album. Basically, Avenged Sevenfold is a great band in my opinion.
Grade: A
Tracks to Get: “Critical Acclaim”, “Lost”
My next album review will probably be posted later today or tomorrow. Thanks for looking!!!
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Huge Difference Between Super Smash Bros Melee and Super Smash Bros Brawl, and how it Changes the Smash Bros Community as a Whole
As many of you should know, the long awaited sequel to Super Smash Bros Melee is coming out on Febuary 10th, 2008, called Super Smash Bros Brawl. There are many differences between the games, including character selection, a new adventure mode, and more. But the main diffwerence that makes Brawl that much better is the system it is for. That gaming system would be the Nintendo Wii.
If you are a Smash bros fanatic like myself and have been checking the updates in the Smash bros Dojo, you should see that Brawl really puts to use the fact that it is on the Wii. For example, like Melee, Brawl lets you take snapshots. Although, in Brawl, the pictures can be saved onto an SD Card, which makes them viewable on your camera and better yet, uploadable to your computer. So in stead of getting your friends to come over to see you Smash Bros pictures, you can share funny pictures of your fights with others around the world on your computer!!
Another way in which Brawl utilizes the Wii is with Wifi. Brawl has may Wifi features, including modes such as Wifi Home-Run Contest and of course, Wifi brawls. Plus, you can send videos of your best fights to your friends via Wifi. So, no more need for Youtube to view Smash Bros fights ^_^. What can be better than that, you ask? The Create-A-Stage mode, which applies both the SD card factor and the Wifi factor. First, you can save stages that you have made onto an SD card to show others. Second, you can get the top stages that people have made through Wifi and submit yours to possibly chosen as the best stage! Isn;t that fanatstic!!!
Overall, being on the Nintendo Wii makes this Smash Bros game much different than any other, in my opinion. Hope all of you are waiting for this awesome game!!!!
If you are a Smash bros fanatic like myself and have been checking the updates in the Smash bros Dojo, you should see that Brawl really puts to use the fact that it is on the Wii. For example, like Melee, Brawl lets you take snapshots. Although, in Brawl, the pictures can be saved onto an SD Card, which makes them viewable on your camera and better yet, uploadable to your computer. So in stead of getting your friends to come over to see you Smash Bros pictures, you can share funny pictures of your fights with others around the world on your computer!!
Another way in which Brawl utilizes the Wii is with Wifi. Brawl has may Wifi features, including modes such as Wifi Home-Run Contest and of course, Wifi brawls. Plus, you can send videos of your best fights to your friends via Wifi. So, no more need for Youtube to view Smash Bros fights ^_^. What can be better than that, you ask? The Create-A-Stage mode, which applies both the SD card factor and the Wifi factor. First, you can save stages that you have made onto an SD card to show others. Second, you can get the top stages that people have made through Wifi and submit yours to possibly chosen as the best stage! Isn;t that fanatstic!!!
Overall, being on the Nintendo Wii makes this Smash Bros game much different than any other, in my opinion. Hope all of you are waiting for this awesome game!!!!
Sorry for the delay of some sorts..
Today, I will be posting the article closer to nighttime EST. So sorry for the delay =(.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
My review of the Guitar Hero 3 setlist and more!!!
Hello people. With the release of Guitar Hero 3 today, I want to review the setlist (or at least the songs I know). Also, I want to share some songs that I think should be in Guitar Hero. So, let's start with the setlist:
1. Starting Out Small
* "Slow Ride" – Foghat
* "Talk Dirty to Me" – Poison † (Vocals re-recorded by Bret Michaels)
* "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" – Pat Benatar
* "Story of My Life" – Social Distortion
* "Rock and Roll All Nite" – Kiss (Encore)
2. Your First Real Gig
* "Mississippi Queen" – Mountain
* "School's Out" – Alice Cooper
* "Sunshine of Your Love" – Cream
* "Barracuda" – Heart
* "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello" (Original composition)
* "Bulls on Parade" – Rage Against the Machine (Encore)
3. Making the Video
* "When You Were Young" – The Killers
* "Miss Murder" – AFI
* "The Seeker" – The Who
* "Lay Down" – Priestess
* "Paint It, Black" – The Rolling Stones (Encore)
4. European Invasion
* "Paranoid" – Black Sabbath
* "Anarchy in the U.K." – Sex Pistols †
* "Kool Thing" – Sonic Youth
* "My Name Is Jonas" – Weezer
* "Even Flow" – Pearl Jam (Encore)
5. Bighouse Blues
* "Holiday In Cambodia" – Dead Kennedys
* "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Scorpions
* "Same Old Song and Dance" – Aerosmith
* "La Grange" – ZZ Top
* "Guitar Battle vs. Slash " (Original composition)
* "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses (Encore)
6. The Hottest Band on Earth
* "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
* "Cherub Rock" – The Smashing Pumpkins
* "Black Sunshine" – White Zombie
* "The Metal" – Tenacious D
* "Pride and Joy" – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (listed as Stevie Ray Vaughan in game) (Encore)
7. Live in Japan
* "Before I Forget" – Slipknot
* "Stricken" – Disturbed
* "3's & 7's" – Queens of the Stone Age
* "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse
* "Cult of Personality" – Living Colour † (Encore)
8. Battle For Your Soul
* "Raining Blood" – Slayer
* "Cliffs of Dover" – Eric Johnson
* "The Number of the Beast" – Iron Maiden
* "One" – Metallica
* "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" (The Devil Went Down to Georgia – Steve Ouimette)
Bonus tracks
* "Avalancha" – Héroes del Silencio
* "Can't Be Saved" – Senses Fail
* "Closer" – Lacuna Coil
* "Don't Hold Back" – The Sleeping
* "Down 'N Dirty" – LA Slum Lords
* "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." – The Fall of Troy
* "Generation Rock" – Revolverheld
* "Go That Far" – Bret Michaels Band
* "Hier Kommt Alex" – Die Toten Hosen
* "I'm in the Band" – The Hellacopters
* "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
* "In the Belly of a Shark" – Gallows
* "In Love" – Scouts of St. Sebastian
* "Mauvais Garçon" – Naast
* "Metal Heavy Lady" – Lions
* "Minus Celsius" – Backyard Babies
* "My Curse" – Killswitch Engage
* "Nothing for Me Here" – Dope
* "Prayer of the Refugee" – Rise Against
* "Radio Song" – Superbus
* "Ruby" – Kaiser Chiefs
* "She Bangs the Drums" – The Stone Roses
* "Slither" – Velvet Revolver
* "Take This Life" – In Flames
* "The Way It Ends" – Prototype
* "Through the Fire and Flames" – Dragonforce
Of course I don't know the majority of these songs. So, let's reduce it to the very few that I do know:
* "Rock and Roll All Nite" – Kiss (Encore)
* "When You Were Young" – The Killers
* "Miss Murder" – AFI
* "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse
* "Ruby" – Kaiser Chiefs
As I said, very few =(. So, let's review!
Rock and Roll all Nite: Widely known song from a great band. That is all I can say.
When You Were Young: I would never have expected this to get onto Guitar Hero, considering it's not that kind of song that goes along with terms like guitar shredding and the such.
Miss Murder: Great punk song. Uses the guitar really well in m opinion.
Ruby: Also uses the guitar well. And, I think Ruby is very catchy after hearing it a few times.
Knights of Cydonia: When I heard that this song was in Guitar Hero 3, I was like, "Folks, we have the new Crossroads/Freebird!!!" This song is amazing, and a perfect choice for Guitar Hero due to the song mostly being guitar solo. Sadly, though, KoC is only on level 7 out of 8. Now I wonder how hard it shall be...
Just a few quick reviews there. Now, I want to share some songs that I think should be in Guitar Hero:
Bat Country - Avenged Sevenfold: This song MUST be on Guitar hero 4, or I will probably destroy my guitar controller. This song has one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard in my life. It would make for a really hard song on Guitar Hero in my opinion. And a really awesome one. Also, look out for an album review of Avenged Sevenfold's newest album on Tuesday ;)
Icky Thump - The White Stripes: Icky Thump has some really crazy guitar playing. This makes me think that it would be a good song to be on Guitar Hero due to its uniqueness.
No More Sorrow - Linkin Park: I think No More Sorrow would be good on Guitar Hero due to its long chords. This could easily be a song in the 1st group. NMS seems like an easy song to play, making Guitar Hero a better time for newbies to the Guitar Hero franchise. Plus, Linkin Park has sold the most albums worldwide out of all albums released in 2007. Now is that an impressive feat or what?
Party Like a Rock Star - Shop Boyz: Now this may be pushing it, but I think Party Like a Rock Star does deserve some spot in Guitar Hero. This song would give the people behind Guitar Hero a chance to widen the genres of music in Guitar Hero. Plus, don't rock stars play guitars?
Well, that's all for now. See you tomorrow, my fans!!
1. Starting Out Small
* "Slow Ride" – Foghat
* "Talk Dirty to Me" – Poison † (Vocals re-recorded by Bret Michaels)
* "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" – Pat Benatar
* "Story of My Life" – Social Distortion
* "Rock and Roll All Nite" – Kiss (Encore)
2. Your First Real Gig
* "Mississippi Queen" – Mountain
* "School's Out" – Alice Cooper
* "Sunshine of Your Love" – Cream
* "Barracuda" – Heart
* "Guitar Battle vs. Tom Morello" (Original composition)
* "Bulls on Parade" – Rage Against the Machine (Encore)
3. Making the Video
* "When You Were Young" – The Killers
* "Miss Murder" – AFI
* "The Seeker" – The Who
* "Lay Down" – Priestess
* "Paint It, Black" – The Rolling Stones (Encore)
4. European Invasion
* "Paranoid" – Black Sabbath
* "Anarchy in the U.K." – Sex Pistols †
* "Kool Thing" – Sonic Youth
* "My Name Is Jonas" – Weezer
* "Even Flow" – Pearl Jam (Encore)
5. Bighouse Blues
* "Holiday In Cambodia" – Dead Kennedys
* "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Scorpions
* "Same Old Song and Dance" – Aerosmith
* "La Grange" – ZZ Top
* "Guitar Battle vs. Slash " (Original composition)
* "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses (Encore)
6. The Hottest Band on Earth
* "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
* "Cherub Rock" – The Smashing Pumpkins
* "Black Sunshine" – White Zombie
* "The Metal" – Tenacious D
* "Pride and Joy" – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (listed as Stevie Ray Vaughan in game) (Encore)
7. Live in Japan
* "Before I Forget" – Slipknot
* "Stricken" – Disturbed
* "3's & 7's" – Queens of the Stone Age
* "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse
* "Cult of Personality" – Living Colour † (Encore)
8. Battle For Your Soul
* "Raining Blood" – Slayer
* "Cliffs of Dover" – Eric Johnson
* "The Number of the Beast" – Iron Maiden
* "One" – Metallica
* "Guitar Battle vs. Lou" (The Devil Went Down to Georgia – Steve Ouimette)
Bonus tracks
* "Avalancha" – Héroes del Silencio
* "Can't Be Saved" – Senses Fail
* "Closer" – Lacuna Coil
* "Don't Hold Back" – The Sleeping
* "Down 'N Dirty" – LA Slum Lords
* "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." – The Fall of Troy
* "Generation Rock" – Revolverheld
* "Go That Far" – Bret Michaels Band
* "Hier Kommt Alex" – Die Toten Hosen
* "I'm in the Band" – The Hellacopters
* "Impulse" - An Endless Sporadic
* "In the Belly of a Shark" – Gallows
* "In Love" – Scouts of St. Sebastian
* "Mauvais Garçon" – Naast
* "Metal Heavy Lady" – Lions
* "Minus Celsius" – Backyard Babies
* "My Curse" – Killswitch Engage
* "Nothing for Me Here" – Dope
* "Prayer of the Refugee" – Rise Against
* "Radio Song" – Superbus
* "Ruby" – Kaiser Chiefs
* "She Bangs the Drums" – The Stone Roses
* "Slither" – Velvet Revolver
* "Take This Life" – In Flames
* "The Way It Ends" – Prototype
* "Through the Fire and Flames" – Dragonforce
Of course I don't know the majority of these songs. So, let's reduce it to the very few that I do know:
* "Rock and Roll All Nite" – Kiss (Encore)
* "When You Were Young" – The Killers
* "Miss Murder" – AFI
* "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse
* "Ruby" – Kaiser Chiefs
As I said, very few =(. So, let's review!
Rock and Roll all Nite: Widely known song from a great band. That is all I can say.
When You Were Young: I would never have expected this to get onto Guitar Hero, considering it's not that kind of song that goes along with terms like guitar shredding and the such.
Miss Murder: Great punk song. Uses the guitar really well in m opinion.
Ruby: Also uses the guitar well. And, I think Ruby is very catchy after hearing it a few times.
Knights of Cydonia: When I heard that this song was in Guitar Hero 3, I was like, "Folks, we have the new Crossroads/Freebird!!!" This song is amazing, and a perfect choice for Guitar Hero due to the song mostly being guitar solo. Sadly, though, KoC is only on level 7 out of 8. Now I wonder how hard it shall be...
Just a few quick reviews there. Now, I want to share some songs that I think should be in Guitar Hero:
Bat Country - Avenged Sevenfold: This song MUST be on Guitar hero 4, or I will probably destroy my guitar controller. This song has one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard in my life. It would make for a really hard song on Guitar Hero in my opinion. And a really awesome one. Also, look out for an album review of Avenged Sevenfold's newest album on Tuesday ;)
Icky Thump - The White Stripes: Icky Thump has some really crazy guitar playing. This makes me think that it would be a good song to be on Guitar Hero due to its uniqueness.
No More Sorrow - Linkin Park: I think No More Sorrow would be good on Guitar Hero due to its long chords. This could easily be a song in the 1st group. NMS seems like an easy song to play, making Guitar Hero a better time for newbies to the Guitar Hero franchise. Plus, Linkin Park has sold the most albums worldwide out of all albums released in 2007. Now is that an impressive feat or what?
Party Like a Rock Star - Shop Boyz: Now this may be pushing it, but I think Party Like a Rock Star does deserve some spot in Guitar Hero. This song would give the people behind Guitar Hero a chance to widen the genres of music in Guitar Hero. Plus, don't rock stars play guitars?
Well, that's all for now. See you tomorrow, my fans!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The Aftermath of Jailbreak.
Recently, I have Jailbroken my iPod Touch. Jailbreak is a program that lets you hack your iPhone or iPod Touch so you can put third party applications onto it.
Overall, I like a lot of the new programs, including the ones that let you keep in touch with others. Mail, which was previously unavailable on the iPod Touch, is convenient for keeping in touch with my email on the go. Same goes for Apollo. Apollo is an instant messaging program for the iPhone/iPod Touch that lets you use MSN, Yahoo, or AIM on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Now, I can easily keep in touch with my friends while I am away.
Customizing the Home page on your iPod Touch is very fun indeed. A program by the name of Summerboard lets you do this. Summerboard lets you customize the icons and background for the Home page (also known as the Springboard). My Summerboard theme is set as Retro neon. It looks really cool =).
Finally, what entertain me the most are the games on my iPod Touch. First of all, there is iBlackjack. That is a automated Blackjack program for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Next, I can entertain myself with puzzle games like 15 and Lights Out. Finally, there is the NES Emulator. I have a lot of fun with this most of the time, playing games such as Donkey Kong and Pacman. The only problem I have with it is the fact that it is hard to press the buttons correctly, due to them being on the touch screen. Otherwise, the games are really fun.
As you can see, I have a lot of fun with my hacked iPod Touch. Plus, the process is extremely easy. All you have to do is get the program Jailbreak (or iJailbreak for Mac)! And it's all legal!!So go hack away!!!
Overall, I like a lot of the new programs, including the ones that let you keep in touch with others. Mail, which was previously unavailable on the iPod Touch, is convenient for keeping in touch with my email on the go. Same goes for Apollo. Apollo is an instant messaging program for the iPhone/iPod Touch that lets you use MSN, Yahoo, or AIM on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Now, I can easily keep in touch with my friends while I am away.
Customizing the Home page on your iPod Touch is very fun indeed. A program by the name of Summerboard lets you do this. Summerboard lets you customize the icons and background for the Home page (also known as the Springboard). My Summerboard theme is set as Retro neon. It looks really cool =).
Finally, what entertain me the most are the games on my iPod Touch. First of all, there is iBlackjack. That is a automated Blackjack program for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Next, I can entertain myself with puzzle games like 15 and Lights Out. Finally, there is the NES Emulator. I have a lot of fun with this most of the time, playing games such as Donkey Kong and Pacman. The only problem I have with it is the fact that it is hard to press the buttons correctly, due to them being on the touch screen. Otherwise, the games are really fun.
As you can see, I have a lot of fun with my hacked iPod Touch. Plus, the process is extremely easy. All you have to do is get the program Jailbreak (or iJailbreak for Mac)! And it's all legal!!So go hack away!!!
Friday, October 26, 2007
How does the Internet affect Trading Card Games?
Would any of you think that that children’s card game that was created in 2002 known as Yu-Gi-Oh is still alive and well today? Well, as an avid player of the game, I can say with much happiness, that it is in fact even better than the beginning nowadays. If it wasn’t for the internet, cards games such as Yu-Gi-Oh would be dead nowadays.
The internet allows for easy communication between the various amounts of players of any card game. This leads to discussions of new ideas, easier spread of news on new cards being released, and more! The internet also gives people a chance to see coverage of Yu-Gi-Oh events, like national tournaments and such. Another good thing about the internet is that it gives an infinite amount of sources to buy cards if nowhere near you sells them. For example, back in 2004, I was a n00b (not newbie, but a person pretty bad at the game). Then, I discovered my first Yu-Gi-Oh message board. Getting opinions on my deck and hearing other strategies helped me become more interested and more involved in the game.
Another thing the internet can do for you in the Yu-Gi-Oh environment is let you meet people that may live near you. So, you can find out information on the local tournaments and make new friends. I have certainly made quite a few friends in Yu-Gi-Oh from them living close to me. I can meet up with them at various tournaments and such.
As you can see, the internet plays a big role in the liveliness of Trading Card Games like Yu-Gi-Oh. In my opinion, as long as the internet lives, Trading Card Games will live on longer than expected by the public.
The internet allows for easy communication between the various amounts of players of any card game. This leads to discussions of new ideas, easier spread of news on new cards being released, and more! The internet also gives people a chance to see coverage of Yu-Gi-Oh events, like national tournaments and such. Another good thing about the internet is that it gives an infinite amount of sources to buy cards if nowhere near you sells them. For example, back in 2004, I was a n00b (not newbie, but a person pretty bad at the game). Then, I discovered my first Yu-Gi-Oh message board. Getting opinions on my deck and hearing other strategies helped me become more interested and more involved in the game.
Another thing the internet can do for you in the Yu-Gi-Oh environment is let you meet people that may live near you. So, you can find out information on the local tournaments and make new friends. I have certainly made quite a few friends in Yu-Gi-Oh from them living close to me. I can meet up with them at various tournaments and such.
As you can see, the internet plays a big role in the liveliness of Trading Card Games like Yu-Gi-Oh. In my opinion, as long as the internet lives, Trading Card Games will live on longer than expected by the public.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The "Download Up" Theory
Hello again. Today, I want to share a theory in music that my brother and I have thought about. I call it the “Download Up” Theory.
For the Billboard Hot 100 positions, a song has to have good radio airplay, single sales, digital streams, and digital downloads. Our theory is about the reason artists wait to release a song digitally. We say that the artist waits until the single they released is at its peak of success, and then release it digitally. This allows for huge digital sales, meaning an pretty easy top spot on Billboard. Well, in the cases in which you release it at the exact peak of success. For instance, when Sean Kingston and Rihanna released their singles “Beautiful Girls” and “Umbrella” respectively at their peak of radio success, they shot up to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sometimes, this is not the case, as a single may flop, or just not get enough attention. For instance, the Akon single “Sorry, Blame it on Me” did not get enough attention prior to digital release, causing it to debut at a depressing #7 (as in depressing for Akon, who has had 2 #1 singles) and falling ever since. Another example of this is Jay-Z’s latest, “Blue Magic”. Just after about 3 weeks of release, “Blue Magic” was released digitally. Because of the lack of attention, it debut below number 50.
To conclude this article, I shall put in my hopes of “Kiss Kiss (featuring T-Pain)” by Chris Brown debuts this week at number 1, as it was just released digitally last week. Thanks for reading! Also, think of this theory next time you look at past Billboard number ones.
For the Billboard Hot 100 positions, a song has to have good radio airplay, single sales, digital streams, and digital downloads. Our theory is about the reason artists wait to release a song digitally. We say that the artist waits until the single they released is at its peak of success, and then release it digitally. This allows for huge digital sales, meaning an pretty easy top spot on Billboard. Well, in the cases in which you release it at the exact peak of success. For instance, when Sean Kingston and Rihanna released their singles “Beautiful Girls” and “Umbrella” respectively at their peak of radio success, they shot up to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sometimes, this is not the case, as a single may flop, or just not get enough attention. For instance, the Akon single “Sorry, Blame it on Me” did not get enough attention prior to digital release, causing it to debut at a depressing #7 (as in depressing for Akon, who has had 2 #1 singles) and falling ever since. Another example of this is Jay-Z’s latest, “Blue Magic”. Just after about 3 weeks of release, “Blue Magic” was released digitally. Because of the lack of attention, it debut below number 50.
To conclude this article, I shall put in my hopes of “Kiss Kiss (featuring T-Pain)” by Chris Brown debuts this week at number 1, as it was just released digitally last week. Thanks for reading! Also, think of this theory next time you look at past Billboard number ones.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My take on Wii Fit
The Nintendo Wii has revolutionized exercise, with Wii Sports. Now, the exercise isn’t only in your arms. Introducing Wii Fit:
http://e3nin.nintendo.com/wii_fit.htm/
Wii Fit uses the Wii Balance Board (included with Wii Fit) to make you use all of you body, instead of just your arms, like with the Wii Remote. The Wii Balance Board can measure you body mass index aswell as your center of gravity. Wii Fit will have over 40 different activities. These activities are such things as yoga, head butting a soccer ball, and hula hooping. Also, just like Wii Sports, this game integrates Miis into it as the characters.
Personally, I dislike the fact that Nintendo is putting fitness into a game. Then, people will just think they can lose weight and stay fit by playing Wii Sports and Wii Fit. I think that to be fully fit (exercise-wise), you have to go outside and play some sports or go on a treadmill for like 30 minutes. I mean, games such as these can definitely help, but they aren’t a full exercise.
Overall, I think this is a great investment on Nintendo’s part. Many people wanted the Wii for Wii Sports. So, this gives another game to those people. Going for $75.00, Wii Fit comes out on the 1st of January here in the US. Hope you guys get it and enjoy it!! Mabye not as exercise, but as a fun, creative video game!!
http://e3nin.nintendo.com/wii_fit.htm/
Wii Fit uses the Wii Balance Board (included with Wii Fit) to make you use all of you body, instead of just your arms, like with the Wii Remote. The Wii Balance Board can measure you body mass index aswell as your center of gravity. Wii Fit will have over 40 different activities. These activities are such things as yoga, head butting a soccer ball, and hula hooping. Also, just like Wii Sports, this game integrates Miis into it as the characters.
Personally, I dislike the fact that Nintendo is putting fitness into a game. Then, people will just think they can lose weight and stay fit by playing Wii Sports and Wii Fit. I think that to be fully fit (exercise-wise), you have to go outside and play some sports or go on a treadmill for like 30 minutes. I mean, games such as these can definitely help, but they aren’t a full exercise.
Overall, I think this is a great investment on Nintendo’s part. Many people wanted the Wii for Wii Sports. So, this gives another game to those people. Going for $75.00, Wii Fit comes out on the 1st of January here in the US. Hope you guys get it and enjoy it!! Mabye not as exercise, but as a fun, creative video game!!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Album Review: Serj Takian - Elect the Dead
As most of you know, the music week starts on Tuesday, with the release of many albums. Every week, I will review at least one album that has my interest. So, for this week, I chose to review the solo debut from System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian, called Elect the Dead:
After hearing the both slow and fast-paced 1st single from Elect the Dead, Empty Walls, I thought this whole album would be crazy. But I was somewhat wrong. Sadly, most of the songs are the same style, going from slow paced lyrics, to loud, quick melodies. Although, this album is still pretty good. Serj’s very unique voice fits the instrumentals well. For instance, on Empty Walls, the instrumental goes at the same pace as him, going from soft piano, to hard guitar playing. Two tracks on this album that I recommend are Feed Us and Baby. Infectious guitar on the former has gotten me to like it, along with how synced the guitar is with Serj’s voice. As for Baby, it starts out as a soft ballad, and rapidly changes into a hard guitar song, which I like very much. Overall, I think this album is good. Don’t worry; it’s the same old Serj from System of a Down ;).
Rating: B - Pretty good, but not well enough to hit an A mark.
Download This: “Feed Us”, “Baby”
After hearing the both slow and fast-paced 1st single from Elect the Dead, Empty Walls, I thought this whole album would be crazy. But I was somewhat wrong. Sadly, most of the songs are the same style, going from slow paced lyrics, to loud, quick melodies. Although, this album is still pretty good. Serj’s very unique voice fits the instrumentals well. For instance, on Empty Walls, the instrumental goes at the same pace as him, going from soft piano, to hard guitar playing. Two tracks on this album that I recommend are Feed Us and Baby. Infectious guitar on the former has gotten me to like it, along with how synced the guitar is with Serj’s voice. As for Baby, it starts out as a soft ballad, and rapidly changes into a hard guitar song, which I like very much. Overall, I think this album is good. Don’t worry; it’s the same old Serj from System of a Down ;).
Rating: B - Pretty good, but not well enough to hit an A mark.
Download This: “Feed Us”, “Baby”
Monday, October 22, 2007
My review on the iPod Touch
It may be a little after the release of the iPod Touch, but here is my review for it:
When I heard that the iPod Touch was coming out, I thought it was a bad move on Apple's part. That was before I tried it out. Now, I have found that the iPod Touch can be described as modified version of the iPhone, without the Phone part.
There are quite a few advantages that this new iPod has over the iPhone. First of all, being more of a music device than a communication device, the iPod Touch has a Wi-Fi iTunes Store. Besides for the lack of video products (Music Videos, TV Shows, etc.) and Pre-Order albums, I would say that this Wi-Fi iTunes Store is very cool and very handy if you either aren't near a computer or don't have one. Also, for this reason, the iPod Touch comes in both 8GB and 16GB, while the iPhone only came in 8GB. Next, the iPod Touch is much thinner than the iPhone, probably due to it not being a phone. Finally, with the lack of phone service, comes a lack of AT&T. This means that unlike the iPhone, you don't have to pay $50 a month for service on the iPod Touch.
Sadly, with advantages, come disadvantages, even without counting the obvious not being a phone thing. Firstly, the iPod Touch, unlike the iPhone, does not have a camera feature, which I was very dismayed about. Secondly, it doesn't have speakers, like the iPhone did. Maybe Apple couldn't make good speakers for the iPod Touch, as the ones for the iPhone were not so good. Finally, some of the applications on the iPhone do not exist on the iPod Touch (such as maps). Besides for these differences, the iPod Touch and the iPhone are pretty much the same.
Overall, I think the iPod Touch is a very cool device. I love using it to go on my favorite websites through Safari and to check what's new on iTunes. So, if you would like to have a very cool, sleek iPod, the iPod Touch is what you need.
When I heard that the iPod Touch was coming out, I thought it was a bad move on Apple's part. That was before I tried it out. Now, I have found that the iPod Touch can be described as modified version of the iPhone, without the Phone part.
There are quite a few advantages that this new iPod has over the iPhone. First of all, being more of a music device than a communication device, the iPod Touch has a Wi-Fi iTunes Store. Besides for the lack of video products (Music Videos, TV Shows, etc.) and Pre-Order albums, I would say that this Wi-Fi iTunes Store is very cool and very handy if you either aren't near a computer or don't have one. Also, for this reason, the iPod Touch comes in both 8GB and 16GB, while the iPhone only came in 8GB. Next, the iPod Touch is much thinner than the iPhone, probably due to it not being a phone. Finally, with the lack of phone service, comes a lack of AT&T. This means that unlike the iPhone, you don't have to pay $50 a month for service on the iPod Touch.
Sadly, with advantages, come disadvantages, even without counting the obvious not being a phone thing. Firstly, the iPod Touch, unlike the iPhone, does not have a camera feature, which I was very dismayed about. Secondly, it doesn't have speakers, like the iPhone did. Maybe Apple couldn't make good speakers for the iPod Touch, as the ones for the iPhone were not so good. Finally, some of the applications on the iPhone do not exist on the iPod Touch (such as maps). Besides for these differences, the iPod Touch and the iPhone are pretty much the same.
Overall, I think the iPod Touch is a very cool device. I love using it to go on my favorite websites through Safari and to check what's new on iTunes. So, if you would like to have a very cool, sleek iPod, the iPod Touch is what you need.
Intro
Come one and all, to the MusikTek blog. My name is Jaykk, and i will be writing on this blog about gadgets, video games, and most importaintly, music. Hope you <3 the blog, becuase it is gonna get really good :).
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