My newest obsession.

The only thing better than hearing a sweet new track that you love is being the first of your friends to hear it and being able to spread the joy by introducing them to it. I belong to a culture where it's all about being cool, and in the know, and when it comes to music that means having the newest, hottest beats before they go mainstream and get wrecked. Enter my newest obsession, SoundCloud, a website created in Sweden (obviously) that is dedicated to 'moving music'. SoundCloud provides a platform for artists and professionals to receive, send and distribute music, and this platform allows me to eat it all up. This site has the possibility to be a recording artists BFF, and if you are down for that check out the site tour, but I have zero to no interest in attacking the world with my vocals, so to my interest I scour the site to leach off everyone else's talent.

SoundCloud allows you to explore tracks, people, groups and forums, as well as providing some bad ass apps, if that is your scene. You can sift through tracks by newest or hottest, the site is especially good if you are into mashups, remixes, or the best electropop sweden has to offer ... the possibilities are endless.

If time is not your friend, and you are looking for some new music to fill your ears, but are also feeling picky, then head over to SoundCloud's equally awesome spawn, Tracks on a Map, where the world's music is at your finger tips. The site provides a map that is dotted out with hot pink SoundCloud bubbles, where you can pick a track by its exact geographical location, and even narrow it down by the genre you are looking for.

So, if you too are a music enthusiast like my self, head over to to SoundCloud and Tracks on a Map, I can almost guarantee you won't regret it.

Flickr Credit: ilina s

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practice safe ... breath?

Tonight at dinner, me and my housemates were watching tv, when the newest Dentyne Ice commercial came on. The ad features several steamy situations where people would normally be reaching for protection (condoms) but instead grab a pack of gum. We all agreed the ad was pretty funny, but questioned the message that the commercial would send to those of a younger, less informed, more malleable age group. In our twenties we understand the concept of safe sex, or at least I'd hope. We've all had the awkward talks with our teachers and parents, or at least seen enough pregnancy scares on our favorite tv shows to understand the repercussions of unprotected sex ... or have we. If you talk to some university students I'm sure they would tell you that a pack of Dentyne Ice and a oral contraceptive is all you need to have safe sex. Meanwhile, at least one American under the age of 20 becomes infected with HIV every hour of every day. I know it may seem extreme but this ad only encourages the trend of unprotected sex, with a slogan that says "Icy cool intensity, so you are prepared no matter how close you get." So, what do you think of this ad? Harmlessly hilarious or inadvertently irresponsible?


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You Have Got To Be Kidding Me ...

We all know that with celebrity comes big-headedness, but this is beyond ridiculous. Below is an ad that E-Trade aired during the Super Bowl. The ad features two babies video chatting, as he explains why he bailed on her last night (diversifying his portfolio of course), when in pops "... that milkaholic, Lindsay." This 30 second ad has apparently caused Lindsay Lohan 100 million dollars worth of pain and suffering, as she has filed a law suit against the financial company.

According to Lohan's lawyer, Stephanie Ovadia, she is just as famous and Madonna, Prince or Oprah, and is recognized by one name, "Lindsay".
She quotes, "Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit," Ovadia said. "They're using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn't they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody's talking about it and saying it's Lindsay Lohan." Or at least Lindsay Lohan seems to think it is.

They are currently seeking an injunction to force the spot off of the air. As down with Twitter Lindsay Lohan is, I guess she doesn't realize that taking an ad off of television does not remove its mobility. Call me naive, but this girl's ego astounds me, I mean I have a few friends named Lindsay who are known to hit the bottle, but you don't see them getting their panties in a twist. And lets get real here, when was the last time you met a baby named Susan?



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Global Ignite Week

As we are all familiar with our weekly Ignite presentations, I was interested to learn that this week is Global Ignite Week. From March 1-5, Ignite is going global, there will be more than 50 ignite presentations taking place in different cities around the world (our classroom included). Ignites will take place in cities around the world. While reading about this unique event I was drawn to the Ignite motto: "Enlighten us, but make it quick." To me this seemed like Film 345 in a sentence.
After browsing on the Ignite website, I went over to their YouTube channel and scoped around at some of the video episodes and stumbled upon one from last October on our so-called "Posting Economy" - so check it out!



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afv in the new age.

While watching tv pretty aimlessly the other day I came across what used to be my favorite show, AFV, or America's Funniest Home Videos. Obviously, I tuned in. While watching it, I began to question the show's relevance in the age of the viral video. When camcorders come with the ability to upload videos directly to your YouTube account, where it can then be instantly accessed by millions - without the "witty" commentary of Tom Bergeron, or Bob Sagot. The idea of catching a funny clip on video and sending it (via mail) to be judged, and maybe aired to a limited audience months from now, to maybe win money in a season or two from now, seems ancient to me. As much as I love the show, I was absolutely stunned when the host, Tom Bergeron's voice over made reference to Sarah Palin. What??? I thought, this isn't running on syndication? Now don't get me wrong I enjoy a good blooper reel as much as the next guy, but in the age of YouTube, Funny or Die, and the viral video, where does this show fit in? Mind you most of the clips were circa 1993, but that live studio audience was still alive, kicking and dressed to the nines. When I decided to further research the fate of this show ( ... and by research I mean go to wikipedia) I was surprised to find it selling 30 second commercial spots for almost $100,000 and pulling in viewership ranging from 6.8-10.23 million per episode. I was puzzled as to why so many shows are struggling for television viewership above online streaming, and here is AFV, a show whose content you can find by simply typing in 'blooper reel' on YouTube - thriving with time slot ratings in the top five, every week. So, what is the draw to a show whose variety of humor is at our fingertips 24/7? Tom Bergeron's comedic genius and witty voice overs? The "Naughty File"? The classic "Head, Gut or Groin"? Or, is it the comfort and familiarity of a show that has been on air for twenty seasons with little change to its format, function or furniture?

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Times they are a changing ....

When I was a kid we had VCRs not PVRS. CDs not MP3s. Facetime not Facebook. It wasn't Mii and Wii, It was Me and We. Things were simple then. Growing up, what we watched on TV was always determined by what was on, period. It was a simple task of narrowing down the options from what the preview channel delegated. When watching movies, you watched what your VHS collection had to offer, or at most what blockbuster had available. However, rainy days just got a whole lot more complicated. With the ever broadening collection of television shows and movies available on countless free streaming sites, watching television is not the brainless act it once was. Somewhere along the way the common frustrations related to watching television changed, from "there is nothing on" to "there is too much on." You can no longer just sit back, relax and tune-in. Don't stress though, Jinni has solved the problem. Jinni is a website whose slogan is "Watch what you wish for" ... and then some if you ask me. Jinni acts as a 'taste engine' for movies and TV shows, one can search by mood, plot, genre, time period, place, audience or praise. So, with that problem taken care of, what is next?

Image Credit: flickr *Tiny Dancer*

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In the split-second culture we exist in today, it is extremely difficult to make or create anything with a social relevance that lasts longer than fresh produce. Insert Landline TV, my personal favorite small scale production company that spits out parodies like sunflower seeds. A business who on Facebook lists their Company Overview as "Comically Relevant ... at least for a week or so" has latched onto an idea that illustrates just how short our attention spans have become, even when it comes to comedic culture. Their parodies target televisions shows, their stars, their characters and then some. They range from topics of politics, to sports, to reality television, just about anything culturally relevant. A few film titles being, "Obama's Boo-yah Address," "Lady Gaga's Christmas Album," "The Real Housewives of Lancaster County," and of most resent comedic interest to me was "Little Jersey Shore." Even if these videos are only funny for a few weeks, they create a great two minute time capsule of what was worth making fun of at that exact time.

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