A New Dwarf Planet = Cool Art

NPR had an article posted today entitled: "New Dwarf Planet Found At The Solar System's Outer Limits". As the title suggests, the article discusses how there may be additionally dwarf planets located at the very edge of the solar system. This discovery is fascinating enough, but that wasn't what grabbed my attention. It was the image that was posted with the article that has blown me away. I've posted it below:

Scott S. Sheppard/Carnegie Institution for Science

 

The utter simplicity of the image grabs me. When I first saw the image, and before I read the headline, I thought the article was about art. This serves as a nice reminder for me that the Universe is very much alive, and full of beauty, always waiting to be discovered.

WWE Network: The Future of TV?

So my curiosity got the better of me, and I bought a six month subscription to the WWE network. After the first week or so, all of the bugs were fixed, and the network really came alive. So far it has lived up to its potential, and I've been absolutely glued to it.

It got me thinking. This is the future of TV. For $10 a month, I have full access to the PPV library of WWE, WCW, and ECW. (Every single PPV.) Original programming such as "The Legends of Wrestling" roundtable discussion show, WWE "Countdown", and the most controversial, in the cable companies opinion, live PPVs.

This is the first true step in OnDemand programming. The viewer is no longer shackled by cable companies, and their different pay scales. If you're a wrestling fan, this is the absolute best way to watch professional wresting, and even learn about the business. It will not hurt your pocket book like cable bills are beginning to. The WWE Network is a wrestling fan's dream come true.

 If I were companies like Disney, Warner Brothers, or any other entertainment company, I would be watching this very carefully. Instead of paying cable companies to deliver your product, why not deliver it yourself, and keep most of the subscription fees? Imagine a "Marvel" channel, or "DC" channel. The potential is limitless, and in my opinion is taking television in a new and exciting direction.

Some Great New Music

Thus far 2014 is shaping into a pretty fantastic year for new music. I've recently discovered two new artists, that I cannot get enough of.

St. Vincent
St. Vincent is a former guitarist of Sufjan Stevens, who has gone solo. She recently released her third solo album entitled St. Vincent. It is beyond amazing. She has this great vibe to her music, and is one hell of a guitar player. After listening to this album, I felt like I had just found a new favorite band. And the best part, is I have.



Stark Sands and Punch Brothers
This is a track off of the Inside Llewyn Davis movie, which was released late 2013.  The musicianship on this song is out of this world. I love the fact that this is a quiet song, but grabs your attention, and does not let go until the song is over. I'm currently on the look out for new music from Stark Sands.

New York City... You're Pretty Awesome!

The view from my hotel room

So this past weekend, I journeyed for the first time ever to New York City for a college radio conference. I thought that I would be prepared for New York, because I've lived in Chicago my entire life. How didn't could New York City be from Chicago?

Lots as I learned. I think what blew me away the most was the speed that New York moves at. Everyone is moving at high speed all of the time. Add to that the vast amounts of people everywhere, and you get a city that lives up to its reputation of a "City That Never Sleeps".


Although, there were portions of NYC that were quite calm. The upper west side where, Strawberry Fields is very much like Lincoln Park in Chicago. I found Central Park to be very peaceful. Additionally, Greenwich Village is an amazing area. It's like a combination of Hyde Park, Oak Park, and the Gold Coast all in one. If you are ever there, visit Bleecker Street Records. It's the best record story I've ever been in, in my entire life.

I am so grateful for my experience in New York City, and I look forward to visiting it again in the near future. But it also made me appreciate Chicago, just a little bit more.

The Late Great Harold Ramis

https://www.facebook.com/NinjainkArt

I cannot believe that I wrote the headline above. It's still sinking in that Harold Ramis passed away this past week. His work has entertained, and has really inspired me for a majority of my life. When I was little, Ghostbusters was my absolute favorite movie, and I would run around the house dressed as Egon Spengler busting ghosts. (Ghostbusters is still my favorite movie of all time.)

As I read about his life, I am blown away by the accomplishments he quietly achieved. Movies and comedy would be a very different entities if Harold Ramis was not an active member of them. Knowing his strengths, he moved away from being in front of the camera and the center of attention, to behind the camera, writing and guiding other actors to greatness.

http://twitter.com/Mega_Ashra

As I continue my career in radio, I know that I will never be an on-air personality. My strengths are behind the scenes, and helping others shine. Looking back, Harold Ramis serves as an inspiration professionally for me. His career reminds me that you can be successful behind the scenes. But it needs to be said that his professional accomplishments pale in comparison to the quality human being he was. God bless him and his family.

ProCamera App

This past weekend, I was able to attend the Illinois College Press Association's ICPA conference and banquet at the Double Tree hotel in the north loop. It was a remarkable conference, as I was able to attend a session on multimedia journalism. I find the field of multimedia journalism to be incredibly exciting, and full of possibilities. A portion of the session focused on what were the best apps to use for shooting photography, video, and editing the material, all on your smart phone.

An app that the presenter suggested all multimedia journalists download, if they have an iPhone, is the ProCamera App. For $4.99, this app gives you white balancing capability, shutter speed control, and tons of other great functions.

And I got to say, the pictures I have taken with this app so far, I find to be very impressive. I noticed that they are much sharper, and much richer in color. But for me the coolest aspect of this app is the filters. They have a technicolor filter for your pictures. I haven't been this excited about photography in a long time, and I think this will help me get back into it. Below are some pictures I took with the app as practice.

The shimmer of the silverware is really captured

My cat

The technicolor filter. It's very red, but I still really
love how rich it can make a setting feel

A Brief Review of Morning Phase by Beck

One of my favorite perks of working at a college radio station, is getting new releases before they are available to the general public. Needless to say, I was especially excited when I went through the mail today, and discovered that we received Morning Phase, the first new album from Beck in almost six years.

Now Beck is one of my favorite artists of all time. I've always admired how he is able to reinvent himself from album to album. You have the 70s funk/soul inspired album Midnite Vultures in contrast to the quiet self-reflective acoustic album Sea Change, and to top it all off, there is the classic 90s alternative cornerstone album, Odelay. Each album unique and amazing in their own way.

When the lead single from Morning Phase, Blue Moon was released, I was absolutely captivated. This song shows Beck revisiting his self-reflective period, which made me very excited because Sea Change is one of my favorite albums ever.




I popped the album into my CD player, and was treated to a familiar sound. The first full track on the album is entitled Morning, and it almost sounds like Beck very quietly samples part of a song on Sea of Change entitled: The Golden Age in this new track. Thus far I have listened to the album all the way through twice, and I cannot get enough of it. It seems like Morning Phase could be considered a direct sequel to Sea Change. The music is quiet, yet powerful, the lyrics show a man looking back on his life thus and self-reflecting on the choices he has made. Did I make the right decision? Can I live with these regrets I have? Some truly moving music!

It's been six years since we've had new music from Beck, but in my humble opinion it was well worth the wait. Here's a new single from the album entitled Waking Light: