Work’s been kicking my butt, so apologies for another “required listening” choice that’s from another era, but it’s been driving my energy as the work days maintain their length lately. So, onto another choice that you may be less familiar with: Cathy Dennis. Continue reading
Author Archives: Joshua O'Connell
Creating a used marketplace for digital?
One of the great things about the printed word, the vinyl record, or even the CD, was that the item always retained some sort of value. The fact that you owned that item meant you could also sell that item, and the proliferation of options to buy used books, CDs, or even hunting through a stack of vinyl at a flea market had its moments of joy. Continue reading
Getting value out of unwanted gift cards
If you’re like me, from time to time you acquire a gift card from various sources… friends, family, work, companies as an incentive, loyalty programs, etc. Because most gift cards are set to work at one or a few stores, they can sit dormant for months, or even years, with the value on them just waiting to be unlocked. The longer they sit, the more they lose their value thanks to inflation and ever-rising prices. Continue reading
Required listening: Swing Out Sister’s ‘Private View’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-11fCIrBgX4
It’s been 25 years now since Swing Out Sister unleashed a pop confection, “Breakout,” which became their biggest hit in the U.S. Although started as a trio, the group’s been a duo since their second album, and the music has evolved, but the cornerstones have always been there – strong songs that fit well in a variety of formats, musical ambition that always yields results, and an itch to play around with music, something that comes into vision with their latest release, “Private View.” Continue reading
I’m still here.
I intended on posting a blog post about my dog, Scruffy, who passed away a few weeks back. I wrote a long piece, held back on updating the blog for it… and then life got away from me, as it tends to. The Scruffy piece is basically done, so I’ll backdate it, but it’s time to get back into a rhythm, so more posts are on the way, starting tomorrow. I’ve got a backlog of music recommendations… some really good stuff too, so stay tuned!
Required Viewing: “Paperman”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTLySbGoMX0
Disney seemingly effortlessly blurs the line between hand-drawn and CG animation. Some have been noodling with this for years (think “Futurama,” for instance, with some moments rendered in CG that mimics hand drawing) but Disney’s taken it quite a bit further along and reminds us, with a short that echoes some of the best kind of moments Disney movies have so aptly created over the last century, why the studio was once so successful. I hope this is a starting point for bigger and better things from the studio.
Required Listening: Melanie C’s “Think About It”
I’ve got a personal post coming up, but I haven’t had the chance to sit down and finish it, so for now, here’s a fun song from Melanie C from 2011 that probably would’ve had a good chance over here if people hadn’t stopped paying attention to the Spice Girls after their breakup. Continue reading
Amazon rips open new AutoRip service
I’ve lauded Amazon for a number of its efforts over the years as a company that gets consumers, everything from letting consumers use credit card points to make purchases to their “read anywhere” approach to Kindle books that expand the reading options for eBooks and creating a true ecosystem. Their latest effort, AutoRip, is yet another consumer-friendly move that will only help their sales figures. Continue reading
Clever use of YouTube tech for timeline
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPozYQmYrf0
The blog’s getting video heavy lately… I blame my job, but hey, I get my music fix.
During one of those deeper dives for music recently, I tripped across the above video, promoting a timeline of Abba’s videos. It struck me as a clever use of existing YouTube tech to jump around in a video. Continue reading
It’s like watching a car crash.
http://youtu.be/AXz4P6EpX3s
Literally. Many of them. And more. Plus even more after the break. Continue reading