Caffeinated Brew and a Music Review...

Ah, a fresh cup of coffee made from freshly ground beans.  'Tis a marvelous thing.  And the perfect companion for morning blogging...

I recently downloaded "Give Up," an album by The Postal Service from iTunes.  It's a generally good album.  I was a bit skeptical at first, because the singer for the group(which consists of only two members), Ben Gibbard is also the front-man for the darling of the Indie music genre, Death Cab For Cutie.  (Are you still Indie if you sign to a corporate label?  Hmmm?)  I am not a big Death Cab fan.  I went to see them live and I left before their third song.  It was just boring.  But, Ben Gibbard has a pleasing quality to his voice and is a good lyricist.  I enjoy his work in The Postal Service just as much as his work with Death Cab.  As for the actual music, it's pretty much all electronic.  The songs are comprised of electronic beats and melodies, which I would normally shy away from, but it is well done in this case.  The music is very mellow and it's pretty good stuff if you're looking for something relaxing.  The album came with three music videos, which was neat.  They aren't the sort of videos I enjoy, mostly because they try to be more artsy and Indie than is necessary.  I kind of expected this, however, since that's the way most Death Cab For Cutie videos are.  But, if you are a Death Cab fan, this would be something to check out.  Overall, an enjoyable album.

Happy New Year, etc.

"Age. Fac ut gaudeam."

Well, well, well... 

Here I am, stretching my limbs on my brand-new blog.  Why the Latin, you ask?  Why, because all the cool kids are doing it, of course.  I'm a sucker for trends, especially when those trends involve classical languages.  Latin has the power to make even the most mundane things that much more interesting.  Like Dirty Harry, for example.  How would you say ".44 Magnum" in Latin?  Oh, wait.  Nevermind.  

"This is your brain, this is your brain on college applications..."

I am about to embark upon a magical journey into the world of university bureaucracy and frightening amounts of paperwork.  Yes, I plan to finish applying for university this week.  Thus begins my life as a full-time college student, eh?  Smashing.  Trying to get up the motivation to apply is bad enough, let along having to worry about being accepted.  Ah well, such is life.  I am sure this will not be the last time in my life when I am confronted with daunting amounts of paperwork.  

Apple Computers, Inc.: Marketing Genius at Work.

Steve Jobs and his cohorts are very skilled at marketing.  They have somehow been able to convince most young people in our country that Apple computers are superior to Windows machines simply because Apple TV adverts tell them so.  Now, being Mac user myself, I don't like to get into the whole "Mac versus PC" debacle, because each system has its uses.  Nonetheless, I am highly amused by Apple's success in advertising.  Apple has been able to sell their products by using mere humour and wit in their advertising.  The commercials featuring the Mac and PC characters offer no empirical data as to why Macs are better, yet the viewer still buys into it.  Whether you're a tech-geek or just a normal consumer, you have to admire the marketing skills of the Apple staff.  Their advertising is both consistent and effective, despite the sometimes doubtful nature of their products.  COUGHiPhoneCOUGH.  Not a big iPhone fan.  But, as for me, I quite enjoy my MacBook.  It is definitely a good product.  However, I still maintain that Steve Jobs is attempting to take over the world.  One day, when you're using your iToaster to make your morning Macintoast, you'll see what I mean.  It's only a matter of time...

So far, so good.  Consider my day made.