Archive for April, 2008
Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale From Avery Brewing Co…
First reaction: This is some good I.P.A. After taking my second sip, I can say that my first reaction was on point. This has that great hoppy flavor that any good I.P.A. should have. Just as a note: I pour the beers I’m tasting into a glass to get the full effect, as far as flavor goes and in keeping with what any half-decent beer drinker would tell you. This oxygenates the brew and helps bring out the flavor. I’m a fan.
Anyway, this stuff is smooth as silk, and drinks quite nicely. This is definitely one brew that I’d like to have access to at any time…too bad it’s seasonal (available Mar. through Aug.) Coming in at 10.49% Alc. by Vol., this stuff packs a hellova lot of alcohol without giving much of a hint of it while being consumed. Like I said before, this stuff is smooth. This is beer I can recommend. Pick up one or two of these and you’ll be thankful you did.
Also, check out the cool label. It’s always nice to see that a brewery takes the time to get an artist to bust out something eye-catching and original to go along with their brews. Check it out–>
For more info: CLICK
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Dancehall Culture Takes Over Where Top40 Hip-Hop Left Off…
Bob Marley’s One Love is heralded as the song of the 20th century. Jamaicans are jubilant about this. We boast of the impact of such songs as Redemption Song in encouraging the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Millions across the world identify with the message in Bob Marley’s songs. We agree that music has tremendous power and effect. Isn’t this evident in how Jamaica has become known worldwide because of Bob Marley’s music?
How is it then that the same voices that acknowledge the powerful effect of Marley’s music now seek to deny the effect of dancehall artistes such as Vybz Kartel’s lyrics on the minds and subsequent behaviour of those who listen to them?
Dancehall is not just the music, but it is a culture which impacts dress, fashion and body language; it influences attitude. Dancehall dress leaves little of the women’s bodies to the imagination. It is this mindset that is now affecting so many of our young people in school. They are following the dancehall culture of ‘badmanism’, ‘hottie girls’, ’nuff girls’, ’nuff skin’ and body parts exposed, ’nuff slackness’, public wining and grinding, ‘bling and more bling’, and every thing else that the culture promotes.
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*Source: Jamaica Gleaner
My guess is that things have already gone too far. It all started in the 80’s with MTV and music videos. It’s sad (and pathetic) that kids feel they gotta emulate their favorite artists, tryin to act like a ‘video star’ in real life…and also that a lot of girls feel that they need to model themselves after the women in the videos…but what’s the answer? How do you snap people out of the funk? …seems impossible.
No commentsGoogle Introduces Image Rank for Image Searches…
Google engineers last week presented an interesting paper at the WWW2008 conference in Beijing which proposes to apply its PageRank system of finding relevant Web pages to radically improve the accuracy of image search results using Google. This new technology is being called VisualRank, according to an fascinating story on the subject in the New York Times.
The paper, titled “PageRank for Product Image Search,” (PDF) was published by Yushi Jing and Shumeet Baluja of Google. In it they talk about using PageRank to analyze the “visual link structure” that can be created among a group of similar images. This paper proposes to move away from the current model of many image search engine rankings, described as using “the text clues of the pages in which images are embedded to rank images.”
The new model would “identify ‘authority’ nodes on an inferred visual similarity graph and propose an algorithm to analyze the visual link structure that can be created among a group of images.” A numerical weight would be assigned to each image and, according to the paper, ranking would occur based upon “expected user behavior given the visual similarities of the images to be ranked.” The assumption, this blog points out, is that “people are more likely to go from an image to other similar images.”
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Source: PC World
Woohoo! Sounds like image searches are only gonna get better and better in the near future. Too bad Yahoo already jacked themselves on their image search by making all the Flikr results always rank highest. Just because they dropped Yahoo! Photos, they decided to sabotage their own image search? Weird, right? Get back on the ball Yahoo!.
No commentsThe Roots – Rising Down- 2008…
Umm… Well… I hate to have another hip-hop post sound so negative…but this new album is wack. I can’t recommend many of the tracks besides the title track, number two, which features Mos Def and Styles P (although I’d rather Styles P wasn’t on it). And even that track is just the ‘best’ of what is pretty bad, in my opinion. I realize that, according to The Roots themselves, they were trying to mix up the sound and that meant experimenting with different instruments, but I don’t think that most of the end result worked out too well. This album has a very dark feel to it and most of the tracks are on the ‘aggressive’ side, which sucks because that smooth jazzy sound is what made past albums (besides Phrenology) so great. My initial reaction to this album is to hit fast forward way too many times. That’s not a good sign.
One other track that stands apart from the rest is called ‘Criminal’ featuring Truck North and Saigon (again, I’d prefer less of the featured artists by removing Saigon). This track is more along the lines of what The Roots is known for (soundwise).
Anyway, I’m done talking bout this one.
If you dare, purchase this one and decide for yourself. Or better yet, download it first to see if you even like it.
*edit: Here’s that track ‘Crinimal’
peace,
zOnker
Guillermo Del Toro hired to direct ‘The Hobbit’…
I realize that I just posted that I’m out for the weekend…but I just saw this announcement and had to post (I’d forget by the end of the weekend). This is cool news. Check it out:
LOS ANGELES -Guillermo del Toro is directing “The Hobbit” and its sequel, New Line Cinema announced Thursday. The 43-year-old filmmaker will move to New Zealand for four years to make the films back-to-back with executive producer Peter Jackson.
Del Toro wrote and directed “Pan’s Labyrinth” which earned six Oscar nominations in 2006 and won three awards. He is also the director of the upcoming sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” whose monsters bear the unmistakeable surreal vision of the Mexican-born filmmaker.
“I am indeed blessed to become a part of the filmmaking community that Peter, Fran and their extraordinary team of collaborators have created in New Zealand,” del Toro said in a statement. “Contributing to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ legacy is an absolute dream come true.”
Jackson and Walsh called del Toro “a cinematic magician who has never lost his childlike sense of wonder.”
“We have long admired Guillermo’s work and cannot think of a more inspired filmmaker to take the journey back to Middle-Earth,” they said in a statement.
Jackson co-wrote, co-produced and directed the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which won 17 Oscar and 30 nominations.
Source: AP
Woot!
*Screenshot from Pan’s Labyrinth:
Bass Lake for the weekend…
Yo…no posts for tomorrow or the rest of the weekend. I’ll be in beautiful Bass Lake representin with some Rialto’s and various I.P.A.’s. Woohoo! ..a break from the digital world (besides cell phones, GPS navigation, etc….hehehe).
Peace,
~zOnk
Dialek-Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome…
So far I’ve posted either brand new albums or albums that were older but newly reissued. This is the first (probably of many to come) post that I’m highlighting an older album. This dude Dialek, from Minnesota, dropped this album in 2004, but as far as I know, not too many peeps know about this dude or this album. He’s a member of Purest Form as well.
Basically, this album is nice. It’s got both the conscious lyrics along with the requisite battle rap lyrics. The track “Alphabetics” is a good example of the latter. Dope beat, nice delivery, and lyrics to match. The only thing I wasn’t too stoked on in that track is the quest M.C. Sadly, homebwoy just doesn’t match the dopeness of the rest of the track. As for conscious lyrics, the track “Taken For Granted” is a doozey. It’s one of those tracks that delivers a message that I think we all need to hear, at least once inna while. From the hook: “..so when times get rough, remember it could be worse, and instead of complaining, count your blessings first.”
This album reminds me a bit of Last Emporer at times, but not in a ‘bitin’ type way. Just that there are tracks that are filled with real life observations that are approached and talked about with wit. …making you want to continue listening.
Basically, if you’re looking for something unique and cool, that you’re friends don’t have, get this.
Preview/Purchase Album and Info: CLICK
Here’s a video of “Breaking Point” live (I appoligize for the horrible quality and the especially offensive outro credits of this vid, but this is what was available):