Maybe one of the coolest vintage NASA pictures I have ever seen was released with a bunch of others via NASA Flickr, yep NASA is one hip group of scientists.

Full Size Here

Collaboratizing

With the collaboration of Eau Claire native Justin Vernon and Kanye West, I made the bold statement that the next big thing for the Music industry is going to be the all-star cross genre collaboration, here is a few collabs that will/should/need to happen..

Madonna + Danger Mouse

While it would be more accurate to say that this would simply be an album Produced and co-written by the Gnarls Barkley and Broken Bells member, a collaboration between Esther and Danger Mouse would seem to be a good fit for both. A joint performance at the Grammy awards a couple years ago mashing Hung Up with the Gorillaz Feel Good Inc adds to the case for a heavier, funkier Madonna.

Martina Topley-Bird - Phoenix (Danger Mouse Produced)



Justin Timberlake + Ratatat

I'm not sure why Justin is so reluctant to reenter the music space with an album of his own but teaming up with Ratatat would ensure great beats and stellar production for Timberlake's falsetto laden vocals to reign supreme. If anything has held Ratatat back, it is the lack of any vocals, instrumentals are great but it's often hard for me to think up a 'memorable' track, Timberlake would act as the cherry on-top of the ever so tasty electro-pop sundae.

Ratatat - Falcon Jab



MF Doom + Vampire Weekend

While this might seem like a ridiculous idea, I think that combining these two artists would create something utterly compelling. The big problem with MF is that he has overstayed or more accurately ran out of ideas with Madvillian and needs something to reinvigorate his musical sensibilities and I think the lighter tones and song writing of Vampire Weekend could provide an interesting backdrop for Doom.

MF Doom - That's That

Animal Collective + The Dream

Self Explanatory: Floaty electronic beats, a song writing direction that would make Animal Collective songs feel complete, and most importantly HATS!

Animal Collective - What Would I Want Sky*

*More towards the end of the song with the 'traditional' song part

Gorillaz + Blur

So I guess this is kind of cheating since it is really the same guy behind both of the groups, but a little more pop combined with the batshit insane ideas of Gorillaz is something i'd like to see. That and all of the meta humor that would happen in the music videos.

UNKLE + Rihanna

UNKLE is the kind of producer/artist that always seems to be on the verge of something great yet seems to fall short every time. I don't want to say I've disliked what Rihanna has done in recent years, but a departure from Eminem collaborations would be appreciated.Half of UNKLE's problem is that he chooses awful contributers, not awful in the sense of their performances, but in the sense of growing his popularity, or pushing himself as an artist.

Not sure what to post as an example as I think it would be a pretty big departure for both, but one I think both would be capable of.

Prince + Mark Ronson (But anyone would work)

I know that my love of Ronson is probably pushing this, but seriously, Prince needs to get with a real producer STAT.

Mark Ronson ft Daniel Merriweather - She's Got Me

So I was feeling innovative, and by innovative I mean playing around with a Dave Chappelle soundboard

Cash Cab is great, everything else? not so much

While there is no shortage of television programs that show off the “best,” and of course by best I really mean worst, of America (I don’t write this with the intent of perpetuating the disdain of individuals with anti reality show sentiments, as every reality television show ever created is preferable to anything scripted on CBS) but I really have beef with the offerings and programming schedule of three channels, Discovery, TLC, and History – Yet much like any other American I watch them nonetheless.

I suppose I’ll start with TLC since it is the most easily lampooned, as little of the content is focused on appealing to me. I guess my major beef is simply what TLC pretends to be, and that is a channel all about ‘Family’ continually seems to try and one-up itself with dysfunction. I wouldn’t say that this strategy has necessarily gone very far in hurting their brand, but whenever I’m watching it just feels so fake and cheap. Every time I flip past ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ I die a little inside, but who am I to judge? TLC makes me feel bad for my snap judgments, as they manage to humanize any action to a certain extent. Droves of women line up to watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress,’ to recapture the lost excitement of that time in their life, but underneath the surface, the show just seems like a huge middle finger to poor people – who I guess aren’t watching because Comcast doesn’t accept EBT.

‘What Not to Wear’ is also possibly the DUMBEST premise for a television show ever: Lets take someone with no fashion skills, criticize them, throw away their wardrobe, educate them as to how they should be dressing, throw them money for a shopping spree in New York City, give them a makeover, then finally throw a party for their closest friends to debut a vastly better dressed and looking individual. Am I missing something? What happens when the cameras move onto the next person that wears unitards or sequenced bath robs in public? Although it would probably make for less compelling television, wouldn’t it prove far more effective to educate the American public as to how to dress within their means? Providing a ten thousand dollar wardrobe consisting of four outfits isn’t realistic for the average consumer, especially the one watching the show in the first place. Throwing a new coat of paint on a car doesn’t change the engine or performance.

Discovery Channel has Cash Cab – Awesome. The three survival shows + The Post Apocalyptic scenario program, The Colony, not so much. Bear Grylls is quite possibly the manliest man around, and I thoroughly enjoy Man Vs Wild, but his show, much like the others on the channel are far too unrealistic. Bear regularly scales vertical cliff faces and repels down waterfalls like it’s as routine as brushing your teeth, yet for the average person, who is most likely to get stranded, it is out of the realm of possibility. Bravo, E!, MTV, and VH1 know that the television they make isn’t compelling, but these channels try and operate behind the guise of being informative, when in reality they aren’t.

Pawn Stars exemplifies this point better then any other. It and Antiques Roadshow pretty much appear on the surface to be one in the same, yet as an end result Pawn Stars is far less compelling. Trading the understated road show for an in your face “I’m a biker/intimidating dude” vibe seems to have paid off for History, but at the cost of credibility. Pawn Stars, as opposed to the Roadsbow, is all about the hustle, which can and does expose the point at which money is more valued over a family heirloom.

I suppose this wasn’t the most organized criticism of these channels, but you get what you pay for.

A Picture is Worth

BBC's Radio 1 A-List

I couldn't make this up

"A German student created a major traffic jam in Bavaria after making a rude gesture at a group of Hell's Angels motorcycle gang members, hurling a puppy at them and then escaping on a stolen bulldozer.

German police said on Monday that after making his getaway from the Hell's Angels club, the 26-year-old dumped the bulldozer, causing a 5 km (3 miles) traffic jam near the southern town of Allershausen, local police said. He then fled to his home nearby where he was apprehended by the police." Reuters

Mix Tape - August 2010

There's a theme.