robbieplayer.com

February 7th?

Good grief. I knew Lost was going on a big break, but February 7th? I guess the show doesn't have the clout with ABC that I thought it would.

Pentagram 2007

The Pentagram 2007 Classic Typography Calendar looks pretty nice. I'd like to see a shot of the 33-by-22 inch version hung on a wall, but imagine it would look nice.

Getting Real

The 37signals book Getting Real is now freely available to read online. You can still grab the PDF version and they've published a paperback version. I may opt for the paperback. The cover looks similar to The Elements of Typographic Style, but I'm sure it's on purpose. Glad they weren't inspired by The Elements of Style cover.

Stay the course?

Never heard of it.

Shock and Awe

In a move I thought I'd never see, the new FCC Commissioner, Michael Copps, argued recently for more diversity in media outlets as well as more independent media ownership. This will either be very good for radio and TV or Copps will be gone in 6 months.

9/11 Report Adaptation

This graphic adapation of the 9/11 Commission Report is pretty smart. The whole idea being to "render the complex accessible." It's sad that it took pictures to do it, but I'm actually interested in reading the document now.

In The Studio

Radiohead has posted some new studio shots on Dead Air Space. Oddly, the first image is of Nigel Godrich navigating a mess of cable, despite the fact that last year Radiohead said they weren't working with him any longer. But, Green Plastic says they're working with Godrich again. Whoever is ultimately involved, it'll be great.

Rant

Chuck Palahniuk is starting to release details about his upcoming novel, Rant. I have to say I'm ready for a new book from Chuck.

IE7 Released

Internet Explorer 7 is officially out and CNET already posted a review. I wasn't aware of the SP2 requirement. Looks like you don't have to worry about blocking the impending Automatic Update, Jeremy.

Media Temple

Nerd alert: Ben told me about about the new Media Temple server setup today and I'm impressed by the whole concept. Grid-Servers sound promising.

Happy Birthday

Birthday wishes go out to two of my most favorite people on planet Earth: Amy and Jeremy. I'm glad I get to share my life with you two.

Succession

As I mentioned before, most of Studiobanks is playing in a golf tournament tomorrow. Wish us luck throughout the day, we'll need it.

Barack Obama

I think if there's a chance the US will have a black president any time soon that chance rests squarely only the shoulders of Barack Obama. While I'd definitely like to see him run and he's already got my vote, I hope he waits until 2012. I'd like to see McCain and then Obama, which would move the country back to a more moderate balance. I think we've seen that moving too far left or right has undesirable consequences.

Blame Game

Apparently, the Bush adminstration and Republican party decided this election year that the easiest way to get out of being accountable for their mistakes is to blame the Democratic party and Bill Clinton. I don't blindly support decisions made by either party, but passing the buck is just lame. Have some backbone, take responsibility.

Internet Explorer 7

IE7 is coming to an Automatic Update near you, this month. Hide the kids!

Nicole Atkins

Looks like a fellow UNCC art major is hitting it big; Nicole Atkins recently signed with Columbia Records. I know The Avett Brothers have fended off major-label offers in the past, but Nicole actually took the plunge. I hope it works out for her, she has great voice.

Hairy Pizzas

This interview with Troy Sanders of Mastodon conducted by his daughter makes me laugh.

Cold War Kids

Everyone needs to download this MP3 of "Hang Me Up To Dry" by the Cold War Kids and play it several times today. Definitely a Friday song.

Lost

After managing to stay completely away from the Lost until late last month, Amy and I completed our three-week, 48-episode marathon tonight. I had been trying to keep it somewhat of a secret, in efforts to keep the experience pure. Thanks to some discreet friends, we made it through without spoiling any of the story. Now that we're done, we can finally let the cat out of the bag. I'm ready for Wednesday.

Hodgmania!

This John Hodgman interview with Radar reads just like one of his Daily Show segments. No surprise he's actually a Mac user.

A textbook definition of cowardice

Keith Olbermann says everything I've been thinking regarding this whole Fox News vs. Bill Clinton mess. Watch the video for the full effect.

Weekend Recap

It was a fun weekend. Mitch getting married on Saturday afternoon was definitely the highlight. Believe it or not, I actually posted some photos on Flickr from the wedding.

As mentioned, Amy and I also attended a couple of shows. Jose Gonzalez was definitely the best of the two, since his sound really comes alive in the live setting. We only saw one and half songs of CSS and Ladytron was pretty much everything I expected. I'm sure Amy will agree the people watching at that show was more fun.

Lastly, I watched Team USA get their collective butts stomped by the European team to lose the Ryder Cup yet again.

Big Weekend

Reasonably big weekend starting up tomorrow. Amy and I are heading up to Asheville for my brother's wedding, going to see Ladytron, CSS and Jose Gonzalez at the Orange Peel, hanging out with my Mom and trying to catch some of the Ryder Cup.

Edvard Scott

I like the work of Edvard Scott.

XGL Demo

This XGL demo for the Linux desktop is pretty impressive. Some of the stuff is over the top, but hopefully Apple and Microsoft take notice.

Wii in stores November 19th!

The Wii hits stores on November 19th for $249.99! Wii.com is live!

Yay Can Cook

All of Tristero's dishes over at Yay Can Cook look delicious. I'm long overdue to prepare one them.

Thanks, Wachovia

I just closed two old Wachovia credit cards from college that have been carrying a zero-balance for over two years. I was fully expecting to get resistance, but they were agreeable and closed them right away. By far the smoothest customer service call ever.

Brand New School

Never thought I'd see the day that Brand New School updated their website.

Threadless CNN Spot

On the heels of my last few skinnyCorp related posts, Threadless landed a segment on CNN's "On The Rise". Awesome.

Vitamin Water

I believe it was about two years ago I called Scott names in NYC for drinking Glaceau Vitamin Water. It took about that long, but now I'm addicted. If I don't have one in the morning during the work week, I feel like there's something wrong. I'm hooked.

No Pattern

Chuck Anderson launched a new No Pattern, complete with a highly customized osCommerce cart. I've tackled that gangly beast. Wish it could've been for those types of products.

Steve Irwin

Horrible news to start out Labor Day: Steve Irwin was killed while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. I'll miss the Crocodile Hunter.

Instant Comedy

Next time you watch a video with speech or dialogue through Windows Media Player, press Ctrl+Shift+S and prepare to laugh. If you can't use the shortcuts, right-click the progress bar and go to Play Speed > Slow.

Get Shorty

If you feel the need to shorten long URLs, but would like to have the tool installed and hosted on your own server, then get Shorty from Khoi Vinh of Subtraction.