Free the Airwaves
Google's push from the clouds
If you think that Google is a search engine company, you are sadly mistaken - Google is essentially an advertising agency. Google provides free services such as its search engine, gmail, documents, picasa, and a plethora of others. Google then places ads in their free services through its advertising program named 'AdSense'; it has proven to be a successful model, and has driven Google's stock to almost $400 a share.
The web, Google has conquered - hands down. Now Google has its site on not only increasing their market share with web applications, but they are also developing an open source OS platform for wireless devices. Dubbed 'Android', this wireless device OS will utilize Google's technology and will allow Google to stream AdSense ads to mobile devices. Of course, Android will connect with Google's other established services such as Google Documents (Word, excel), Picasa (photo management), and of course web searching/surfing. The hurdle that Google faces is whether to build their own mobile device or convince established mobile device manufacturers (Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, et cetera) to use their OS. One thing that the Google OS will have to facilitate is heavy data usage; as content/data will all be pushed from the 'cloud' to the device. Enter Google's sponsorship about 'freeing the airwaves':
___
From : freetheairwaves.com
About freeing the airwavesOne of America's most valuable natural resources is our "white spaces" -- the radio airwaves, or spectrum, that have long carried analog TV signals. Three-fourths of the white spaces are completely unused today, and -- especially once TV is broadcast in digital only starting in 2009 -- could be used to kick-start a revolution in wireless technology, including universal wireless online access and numerous new products and services that can't even be imagined today.
This fall, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will decide whether to make this spectrum available for anyone to use. At Google, we think more open access to the white spaces is essential, not only for companies like ours, but for society in general. But this outcome is far from certain, so we've joined a broad coalition of public interest groups and industry peers who are working to convince the FCC to free the airwaves and unleash the next generation of Internet innovation. We hope you'll add your voice to the debate by signing our petition and helping spread the word about this campaign.
____
No doubt, that Google is interested in new products that can stream its AdSense in the new white spectrum.
For more info, and to voice your concern go to:http://freetheairwaves.com
.:: d.b ::.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Free the Airwaves (sponsored by AdSense)
Friday, September 12, 2008
If its NOT 'tricking', then what is it?
"It ain't tricking if you got it"
Then what is it?
I gotta make this a PSA .. 'tricking' is 'tricking', regardless if you have money or not.
I don't know when tricking was in style, and I don't even know how it got so popular, but I write this piece as a cry for attention to the mislead youth of the hip-hop world they may actually begin to think that tricking is acceptable. It started with Lil Wayne glorifying it in 'A Milli', to T-Pain, T.I., and now even Ludacris - hip-hop's top artists are slowly conditioning the masses to trick on women.
I am sure there are many definitions of 'tricking', but the one I subscribe to is this, tricking is an investment - a man tricks on a woman with lavish materials, fine dinning, et cetera, to ensure a reward or to ensure a repetition of such rewards. Hey, I guess we all got to do something to maintain the relationship, but what these rappers are preaching is kind of reckless, I mean to break it down:
'It ain't tricking, if you got it'
That implies that if you have a lot of disposable income, and you spend lots of money on your woman/women, then it is not 'tricking' . so what is it then? And, does that mean that if you DON'T have a lot of disposable income, and you spend lots of money on your woman/women, then is that 'tricking'? Well, rappers are not the most logical of beings, but what this message of 'acceptable tricking' kind of misleads the masses; hip-hop already conditions one to be overly masculine, have a tough bravado, stunt, and maintain a confidence demeanor. So, with the 'got it' (money), what hip-hop aficionado wouldn't assert that they have money? Even if they are struggling with employment, or living off their parents, a lot of the hip-hop masses will try to emulate the rapper lifestyle that they see in videos. T.I. can afford to 'trick', even if he does it see it like that (which he is wrong), but the average Lamar's & Omar's are not living like that - and playing into such a façade can be dangerous:
A) It conditions women that 'tricking' should be expected from men
- So you go to the club, see a fine lady, couple of days and dates past, and the woman will start to expect gifts, shopping sprees, and the like. Uh-huh baby girl, and even worse for the man, because if you can't maintain the 'tricking' that she expects, she step out on you - and then the man has an expensive high-yielded investment that went awry.
B) Credit will suffer, but disposable income amongst men will rise
- Here is some good news for slumping U.S. economy, but bad news for lenders. As men are conditioned to engage in tricking, they will incur large amounts of debt, taxed on with high interest rates, creating a problem for the lenders (in recouping their money), but it will benefit the shopping and restaurant industry as the hip-hop generation of men will continue to trick on their women, in the face of mounting debt.
I know I am asking a lot, by requesting that hip-hop artists show some responsibility, but I just had to address this growing popular notion that 'tricking' is NOT 'tricking', if you have money . it is still tricking, don't get it twisted.
.:: d.b ::.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Where the beef should lie
- DFB beefing with D4L over who created the 'Lean with it rock with it' dance
* note: both groups are irrelevant
- Ice-T dissing Soulja Boy because he thinks he is corny
- 50 Cent dissing Ja Rule for singing on the tracks, but then 50 Cent makes a career of singing on tracks ('21 Questions', 'candy shop', 'ayo technology')
- The rise of local/up and coming rappers jacking somewhat-established rappers (like Yung Berg), taking their jewellery, and showing such jewellery on YouTube
* note: YouTube jackings of rappers is a growing and alarming trend, rappers need to get their insurance game up!
Not one to condone beefing or dissing, but I think that rappers need to step up their game and take their dissing/beef to the next plateau; I mean verbally attacking a fellow rapper, saying that you are going to kill him, rob him, et cetera, is not that realistic - rappers should really be beefing with people that are detrimenting their community and society. Hip-Hop, in its childhood was heralded as a genre to address social issues and injustices, the classic song 'The Message', had a real message of how politics, media, and the government had left many inner city New York communities in perils.
Somewhere, along hip-hop's progression, the pursuit of using music for 'social messages' subsided for the pursuit of material wealth. Well, if a rapper is going to 'clap' at anyone, it should not be his fellow brethren, it should maybe be somebody like:
Bill O'Reilly
The popular Fox News pundit has a successful show called the O'Reilly Factor, where the tagline is 'No Spin Zone', this guy has been described as a neo, fascist, racist, biased reporter - everything from calling Michelle Obama Barrack's "Baby Mama", to actually challenging rappers; O'Reilly made Ludacris lose a sponsorship deal with PepsiCo over O'Reilly's rant of Ludacris and his questionable misogynistic lyrics.
Lou Dobbs
If I see another report on illegal immigrants from this guy, I will go crazy. Dobbs complains how jobs are being taken from Americans by migrant workers, but what he fails to realize most times that the jobs that are being 'taken' are the ones that average Americans will not do.
GWB
I think Kanye said it best in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but I have to give rappers credit - they have took jabs and shots at GWB, while more underground rappers have dedicated whole songs to his legacy.
Besides this list, I am sure that rappers can find other sources for beef than another rapper that may or may not have stole their dance, swag, or jewellery.
.:: d.b ::.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Paper Planes
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
Something about this song is very catchy, so I had to give it some shine as it comes from M.I.A., who is a British musician that uses music to spread political messages of injustices. M.I.A. produces music that encompasses various genres, with lyrics that voice politics, social realism and humour. Her artwork and clothes feature similar topics and have distinctive, often vibrant color schemes.
.::d.b::.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Workplace Etiquette for the Yuppy
Workplace Etiquette for the Yuppy
Some tips for getting through the day
The Yuppy (Young Urban Professional) is constantly on the go; most times though, the Yuppy needs to resort to a full-time job in order to fund their projects. However, the Yuppy has to be careful and walk that fine line of being productive at work, and being productive for their business. Thus, I thought I would share a few tips with my fellow Yuppielites.
Cycler
alt+tab (windows) OR apple+tab (mac)
You have more important things to do than prepare the 3rd-quarter report, you need to check your gmail and facebook. Instead of making it look bait by using your mouse to click back to the work your supposed to do, using alt+tab on the keyboard quickly changes your active window in a smooth manner.
IT Connect
Your IT Department is one of your greatest resources at work, befriend one of them as they can give you valuable Intel and help. The IT department can grant you special privileges, advise you what sites not to visit, and give you a heads-up on 'crackdowns'.
Avoiding the IDC Symptom
The IDC symptom can be defined as "I Don't Care", and is developed when your co-workers start talking to you about trite details: 'My kids hockey games', 'this boss is incompetent because ...', 'did you watch that show last night', and so on. My initial, instinctual response is 'I really don't care', and 'why are you talking to me', but since we need this job to generate income and living, we need to avoid the IDC's. Some common ways to avoid the IDC is:- Smile and nod: very effective, but can be deadly because it implies that you are actually intrigued in the conversation, and it shows that you are engaged.- Hmm, ok, wow: also very effective, alludes to you being not only responsive, but implies that you are listening to their every note and syllable
Outlook
Outlook is the enterprise e-mail application that most businesses use because of its powerful Exchange Server (even though Mozilla Thunderbird is better). I know you may have some documents to work on, and opening up MS Word may seem very suspicious as you may have to do a lot of 'cycling', however, Outlook can be used as a word processor and has some useful features such as 'tasks' and 'notes'. Better yet, if you are working on a document, compose it in an e-mail, so that even if someone walks by, it looks like you are composing a work-related email.
Punctuality
This really shouldn't be a point, but its important that you start on time, and leave on time. Because as with all work environments, there are snitches and informers - don't give them anything to use against you.
With that said, you are the future of tomorrow, get ahead today ... at work.
.:: d.b ::.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
King Corn
Irrelevant Rappers talking about others Relevance
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Bernie Mac R.I.P.
Stars Pay Homage to Bernie Mac
Chicago Fans Shocked at Bernie Mac's Death
The meaning of 'Motherfucker'
Bernie Mac on Sex issues
Friday, August 08, 2008
White Jewish NYC rapper disses Obama, Luda
E-Shy disses Obama, Ludacris
This is an interesting video, or a collage of images/videos with an audio track layed over it from a NYC based white Jewish rapper, E-Shy goes in on Obama's policies, Obama's deflection from the issues, and makes a strong argument to why he shouldn't be president. Of course, like all rappers, E-Shy attacks Obama's manhood, and even goes after Michelle Obama. Its good to see hip-hop getting political again.
.:: d.b ::.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Shades of Black w/ Beyonce
Shades of Black
Is it just me or is this ad of Beyonce for L'Oreal cosmetics a bit airbrushed to the point that you would think that Beyonce is a Caucasian model (if you did not know who she is). I understand that it is all about the money B, but don't forget your roots.
.:: d.b ::.
Jockin Jay-Z
Jockin Jay-Z
Jay-Z Comes out to perform with Kanye West. Spits first verse of record Jockin Jay-Z from the upcoming album Blueprint 3.
Jay-Z even goes out at Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher for his disparaging comments towards him and hip-hop music, rock on Bitch.
.:: d.b ::.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Colorofchange.org vs. Fox News
Colorofchange.org vs. Fox News
Nas delivers Fox News a message to their headquarters. The message is a petitions signed by over 600, 000 people claiming that Fox News spews propaganda and has been racist to the Obama family and to African Americans. The prime target in this speech by Nas is that of popular Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly; O'Reilly and Nas had some beef before as O'Reilly got Nas barred from performing at a Virgina Tech memorial concert a few years ago - inciting that Nas was a 'gangsta rapper'. So I am sure Nas jumped at the opportunity to stick it to O'Reilly.
Nas also disses Fox News and O'Reilly on his latest album 'Untitled' with the song 'Sly Fox'
What is more alarming than Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, and the rest of the 'reporters' they have, is the fact that Fox News have a huge following, so Fox is effectively 'supplying' a 'demand'. And if the 'demand' knows that the supply is fulled with hate/racist attitudes, then the 'demand' group really needs to be looked at it - and feared.
.:: d.b ::.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
From Ashy to Classy
Ashy to Classy
Jay-Z makes it into Vogue magazine
The August issue of Vogue magazine will feature black models and entertainers as the popular Italian magazine has came under fire in recent years for not representing black models in their magazines. Jay-Z is one of the feature articles in the magazine and it is really big that Jay-Z from the Marcy projects in Brooklyn New York can rise from the gutter to the pages of the exquisite Italian vogue magazine. Looking at the pictures, Jay-Z can be the poster child for what 'mature hip-hop' looks like ....
The Vogue magazine should drop sometime in July 2008 and will not only featuring Jay-Z, but Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Toccara, and other black models. Vogue gets a 'kudos' for at least attempting to open its doors to black models in their magazines, but lets see if they can keep it up.
.:: d.b ::.
Friday, July 11, 2008
WikiP: 'Trust'
Trust
Virtues: relationships, predictive actions, past knowledge
I've always known wikipedia to be a good resource for historical facts and events, but it never really dawned on me that wikipedia can be used as a dictionary - to look up terms and definitions of everyday words. Well, apparently to my knowledge, wikipedia is also some sort of a dictionary, but where dictionary.com only gives you the definition of a word, wikipedia gives you the definition and concepts behind the word, and relational concepts.
For example, let's look at the word 'Trust':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_%28social_sciences%29
Trust is a relationship of reliance. A trusted party is presumed to seek to fulfill policies, ethical codes, law and their previous promises.
Trust does not need to involve belief in the good character, vices, or morals of the other party. Persons engaged in a criminal activity usually trust each other to some extent. Also trust does not need to include an action that you and the other party are mutually engaged in. Trust is a prediction of reliance on an action, based on what a party knows about the other party. Trust is a statement about what is otherwise unknown -- for example, because it is far away, cannot be verified, or is in the future.
And it goes on, and on. Reading this, I particularly find the line 'Trust is a prediction of reliance on an action, based on what a party knows about the other party.' to be very telling as it really does not matter how long you have known someone to ascertain if you trust them, what is important is how much knowledge and/or insight you have on an individual - one can get that intel in years or in a matter of minutes. Family, lifelong friends should be 'trustworthy', but we may only perceive them as such because of the notion that such people should be the ones that we 'trust'. Well trust me, trust can be found in the oddest of places with even the oddest of people, as trust should really be based and predicted upon the reliance of an action - based on what you know about an individual.I believe I always have had this notion for years, but have never been able to articulated quite like the wiki has (but, I never really had the desire to do so either). Its very hard to say that I can fully trust someone - because we base trust on how we would hope/anticipate people to act in certain situations. Its a cliche to say well, "I hope they will do the right thing", but that 'right thing' varies from individual to individual. It would be best to base your trust based on the immediate action + what prior information you know about the individual.
For example:
You would not trust him with your kids:
Michael Jackson
You would not trust him with your 15 year old daughter:
R. Kelly
You would not trust her with keeping a secret:
Karrine Superhead Steffans
You would not trust him (Ike Turner) with your personal safety:
Ike Turner & Tina Turner
You would not trust his word:
O.J. Simpson
In all, you would not trust these people in the examples that I prescribed, but that does not directly correlate that you would not trust them in other scenarios: R. Kelly could be able to give you good advice & direction regarding the music industry, O.J. may be a trustful source of information for football skills & techniques, and Karrine 'Superhead' Steffans may be a good source of intel on how to keep a man ... any guess on how she would do that? (LOL).
But, in all importance, we all need to put our trust in ourselves as we must be confident and, we must try to attain a sense of surety that the decisions we make will be the 'right' one.
.:: d.b ::.
Nas ft. Keri Hilson - Hero
Nas ft. Keri Hilson - Hero
Universal must be very happy with this song because it is a single that they can actually promote and market - not saying that the new album for Nas titled 'Untitled' is bad; its just too geo-political-socially charged that I have a hard time seeing Universal Music Group pushing a lot of marketing dollars behind Nas' latest effort.
This song features Keri Hilson (Timbaland fame) and is produced by Polow Da Don - hit producer of such hits for Rich Boy, Young Buck, Young Jeezy, and others. Nas' albums usually don't have big time producers such as Polow as Nas likes to go for the grimier, dark, and more somber beats. 
Of course we all know that Nas was suppose to name his album 'Ni****' but that would be too hard to get retailers such as Wal-Mart and HMV to go along with such a bold and emotionally-charged word. To check out the 'Ni****' mixtape though featuring some album tracks and other material, download it free here:
DJ Green Lantern & Nas
Nas drops 'Untitled' on July 15, 2008 and is no doubt to continue to spark debate and dialogue .... which hip-hop is supposed to do.
.:: d.b ::.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Masdar City
Masdar City
The Green City in an Oil Rich Country
The project is headed by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC). Initiated in 2006, the project is projected to cost US$22 billion and take some eight years to build, with the first phase scheduled to be complete and habitable in 2009. The city will cover 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi) on a site 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi) in size and will be home to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses, primarily commercial and manufacturing facilities specialising in environmentally-friendly products, and an expected 40,000 workers will commute to the city daily. It will also be the location of a university, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), which will be assisted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Automobiles will be banned within the city; travel will be accomplished via public mass transit and personal rapid transit systems, with existing road- and railways connecting to other locations outside the city.
Masdar City will be the latest of a small number of highly planned, specialized, research and technology-intensive municipalities that incorporate a living environment, similar to Novosibirsk, Russia or Tsukuba Science City, Japan.
Renewable Resources
Masdar will employ a variety of renewable power sources. Among the first construction projects will be a 40 to 60 megawatt solar power plant, built by the German firm Conergy, which will supply power for all other construction activity. This will later be followed by a larger facility, and additional photovoltaic modules will be placed on rooftops to provide supplemental solar energy totalling 130 megawatts. Wind farms will be established outside the city's perimeter capable of producing up to 20 megawatts, and the city intends to utilise geothermal power as well. In addition, Masdar plans to host the world's largest hydrogen power plant.
Water management has been planned in an environmentally-sound manner as well. A solar-powered desalination plant will be used to provide the city's water needs, which is stated to be 60 percent lower than similarly sized communities. Approximately 80 percent of the water used will be recycled and waste water will be reused "as many times as possible," with this so-called greywater being used for crop irrigation and other purposes.
The city will also attempt to reduce waste to zero. Biological waste will be used to create nutrient-rich soil and fertiliser, and some may also be utilised through waste incineration as an additional power source. Industrial waste, such as plastics and metals, will be recycled or repurposed for other uses.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masdar_City
.:: d.b ::.
Isn't it messed that one of the world's richest oil nations is taking this green initiative, while nations such as the United States have not even considered taking on such a project?
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Any correlations to Hip-Hop?? A rock perspective.
The Demise of Classic Rock from 'Dwight K. Shrute'
When the Establishment gets involved with the music
First off, If y'all don't know about the hit NBC show 'The Office', it is one of the better shows on television that is clever and witty. The U.S. version of the The Office is an adaptation of a British version with the same name. Now, Dwight K. Shrute is one of the show's staple characters that has a funny personality; he can be described as the loyal office employee who is the ultra geek and has the brownest nose in the office. His real name is Rainn Wilson, and he provided an interesting comment on the decline of rock, and its current state ...
"I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock. I loved AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but as soon as it started to get girly, as soon as they were wearing women's blouses, mascara and eyeliner - guy-liner I call it - as soon as it went there then it kind of lost me."
I don't know about you, but basically Rainn is saying that when rock music got commercialized with other elements, the music was no longer the focus, and the image become more important than the actual musical content. Relating this to hip-hop, I think that many of the older hip-hop generation (anyone 25 and older or so) can identify when hip-hop's focus was no longer on the music, but on the actual image. Once it got commercialized, and corporations got more involved, and big music video budgets, many of the devoted hip-hop heads got turned off. In my reminiscing, this happened during the 'Diddy years', when P. Diddy came in with his flamboyant style and kinda changed the face of Hip-Hop as we know it ... and it really has not looked back since. Remember P. Diddy and the L.O.X. with the shiny suits, the bling bling of Cash Money, the foreign cars in the videos? All this was spawned in the mid 90's, and now in 2008, the formula is still the same, and the content in the music has gotten even dumber.
But I guess, as with Rock, Jazz, R&B, and other black-created music, once the establishment (corporations) get involved with a musical genre, the artform -- the essence of the music loses something that is really, really, really hard to get back.
.:: d.b ::.
P.S. And just in case you don't know who Rainn Wilson is, here are some clips:
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Pussification pt. 2: No, I don't subscribe
Pussification pt. 2: No, I don't subscribe
A more succinct way of disagreement
View pt.0 and get familiar
Society has become increasingly tolerant and sensitive to the needs of others; looking at our etiology we have come a long way from the tyrant, barbarian behaviour of our ancestors. As of late, after the feminist and civil rights movement, in an era I like to call 'social movements', we have a hard time of saying 'no' to the simplest of things. 'No' is a refusal skill that implies a disagreement or rejection to something (concept, question, etc.). Instead of saying 'no' we will substitute our disagreeable or rejectable response for longer, and more sensitive responses that can lead to ambiguity - meaning the respondee may be lead to believe that there is hope to their question.
So why do we do this? Having respect, and being respectful for others feelings could be a reason; as we are taught such behavior from a young age. However, we can still have respect for others, and their feelings, without embodying the qualities of pussification (pretentiousness, fake, ambiguity, non-genuine, not 'keeping it real').
Here are some real world examples on how you can un-pussificate yourself:
Can you help me out and do some of my work?
old: "I'll see if I can get around to it"
try: "No, I'm not going to do your work".
Did you mess up on that 1st quarter report?
old: "I'm not sure, I don't think I did that"
try: "No, I don't have any recollection to what you are referring to"
Honey, can we go see Sex and the City?
old: "I'll see, I got a lot of things to do later on"
try: "No, that is for chicks, I'm a man".
Do you like my outfit?
old: "Its okay"
try: "No, its wack - it needs work."
Want to hit up the club tonight?
old: "Not really, I'm kind of busy tonight, and the club is kind of expensive, and I'm trying to save my money"
try: "No, that club that your going to is weak and has ugly women"
In all, people respect those that give respect, and furthermore, people can - or at least should, respect an honest opinion. Its okay to disagree with someone - there may be some notion or perception that saying 'no' may lead to an argument of some kind, when in all honesty it is not a start of an argument per say, but the start of a discussion, a dialogue of sorts. An open exchange of opposing, differing, and even similar views - try it sometimes, you may be surprised with the results, and even with what you learn.
.:: d.b ::.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
BMW GINA
BMW GINA
The car with skins. An interesting approach to where the automobile may be going.
"With the development of the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model the BMW Group presents trendsetting solutions. Chris Bangle gives us a first impression of the ideas behind the process of sculpturing an experimental study. "
Monday, June 23, 2008
Silly Monkeys! Part 4: The Girlfriend's Friend
Silly Monkeys! Part 4: The Girlfriend's Friend
Get Familiar with the Silly Monkeys!:
Part 3: The Bouncer
Part 2: The Fly Designer
Part 1: The Banker
Part 0: An Abstract
At first she is nice. She can be pleasant and kind as she tries to sift through you; you know, to determine if you are right for her girl. She knows more about you than she leads on - she knows your good and your bad, your insecurities, your buttons. She is supposed to be happy for her girl, keyword is 'supposed to'. However she has grown up with her for awhile, and with woman, girls, females, and lets include humans in general, there will always exist a competitive spirit. She wants to be happy for her, but its very hard for her to be happy for her, if she isn't happy.
It says that thou shall not covet thy's neighbor's wife, maybe it should have just stopped at 'thou shall not covet', as if it were such a case, she would be a sinful sinner.
And she tries so hard to attain what she sees, and when she realizes that it is a paramount task, she gets calculating. She thinks, 'well, if she is happy and I'm not, then ...' she gets a case of crab-bucketitis - If she can't ascend herself to feel like her friend, then she brings the b*tch down.
Misery loves company, and she is looking for fellow employees - and she will try to bring you down to, directly or indirectly, and she has the power to do it. She knows, and will play off of your insecurities, jealousy, anything to get you emotional and cause a riff between you and your girlfriend.
But I play a different chord.
Fellas, understand that she only wants to break up your melody, because she wants a facsimile of your melody.
And with vocals like her, she will never harmonize, but will always be off-key.
And maybe the girlfriend will realize it as such and will end the sonata.
Aside:
I once experienced this dim creature and she purposefully and skillfully was able to affect me and caused problems between my girlfriend and I. Oh man, she was clever, she pushed a button that she knew would upset and trouble me. She got me. I was able to recover, naturally, because I am the trampoline-man (everytime I fall, I land on a trampoline). However she left her mark, and even Ajax, Vim, or Comet can't clean it. I haven't dealt fully with this silly monkey, maybe I will, maybe I won't, but I can say that in the future, if I ever encounter such a silly monkey again, I'll be sure to turn the silly monkey into a buffoon - expose her for what she really is, and what she is trying to do to her 'friend' (girlfriend); And that is what irked me most about this particular silly monkey, is that she was maybe trying to hurt me, but she ended up hurting her friend, and their friendship.
Silly monkey.
.:: d.b ::.
Friday, June 20, 2008
I Don't Know her anymore ... (that's a good thing)
I Don't Know Her Anymore ... (That's a good thing)
Discourse: change, history, adaptation Type: poetic style
I was told all about her;
Her nasty past - filled with chains, whips, confinement, guns;
She was troubled;
Filled with hate and fear for others, she built her self-esteem at the expense of others;
Breaking spirits, hopes, and dreams was synonymous with her name - as she rose to great powers;
Everyone wanted to have a piece of her though, a piece of her 'dream' - as her dream promised personal fulfillment for others whom worked hard and were dedicated;
For a long time, many were scared of her sight, her glare, her voice, her disdain for others;
She even separated herself from others - only to associate with those that resembled her;
And for those that were separated from her, were meant to feel below feces;
She enacted rules to sustain her behavior, guns to enforce her behavior, and persuasion & repetition to germinate her behavior;
However, the 'goodness' in man eventually led to a subside of her behavior;
And even thought her rules were gone, she had left a mark - a putrid stain that will never be forgotten;
Now, I don't get her, she seems so different;
Giving hopes and dreams to those she views different, but the difference I can't measure - don't even no where to start;
As it appears she is allowing a pigment change over her deep-entrenched red heart;
Maybe she has changed for the good - a complete 180 of what she was before;
Or perhaps it’s a change that will only be understood with time - as no amount of money could provide solace to all she hurt;
But her change may be retribution enough to those that had lost all hope with her;
One man is testing how much she has changed or is changing;
She was lost, and maybe, just maybe she has been 'found' or is in the process 'finding' … only time will tell
.:: d.b ::.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Financial Times of Rappers
The Financial Times of Rappers
Virtues: financial responsibility, planning, guidance
Let's see how the 'Greatest Rapper Alive' handles his money:
Here's a snippet from The Smoking Gun:
According to a lawsuit filed last month by businessman LeMarck deAndre, Lil Wayne (real name: Dwayne Carter) agreed to pay at least $120,000 for the repair and refurbishment of a 1999 Bentley, which is pictured below. However, after the 25-year-old rapper belatedly paid $78,000 for work on his ride, deAndre contends, Carter refused any further payments. deAndre's December 18 Alameda Superior Court complaint, which you'll find here, charges that Carter owes nearly $80,000 in fees for the storage of the burgundy Bentley, which apparently was going to be shipped from northern California to Louisiana, home to Carter and Cash Money Records, the label Carter headed until last year.
So what's Wayne's reason for not paying? deAndre says he never gave him one and people in Cash Money stopped answering his calls. But interestingly enough, Wayne was negotiating a publishing deal for several hundred thousand dollars around the same time he had this $120k+ worth of work done to this car. So, in typical Lil Wayne behavior, he was spending money he didn't have yet. And it backfired. Peep the 7 page complaint for damages here. Interestingly enough, I'm also told that the Bentley was originally a gift from his "Daddy" Baby and was signed over in Dwayne Carter's name. Why Baby gave Wayne a Bentley he had to pay the bills on himself is beyond me…but not surprising. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne is threatening to blame this whole incident on his managers, but his managers say Wayne frequently ignored their advice and/or just didn't tell them about his purchases.
------
d.b says:
Well, if this claim is true, it will just be another example of how the young, rich, and powerful are not financially astute. It could also say that these artists' have a circle around them that are not looking out for their best interests. Or, it could be that these artists' are just stupid and even though they are presented with the education and skills to manage their money, they are mentally unequipped to handle such a capacity.
The 'Best Rapper Alive' may need the best 'Debt Consolidation' Agent alive.
.:: d.b ::.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Importance of Media Training, ex. 2 "Effiminizing"
Importance of Media Training, ex 2 "Effiminizing"
Bobby Brown recalling an encounter with Usher:
"When I walked into the party I ran into Usher and we immediately gave each other a hug. While he was holding me, he turned to the side and kind of put my neck in a playful choke hold and started squeezing me. I tried to tell him that I couldn't breathe but he couldn't hear me because the music was loud. It didn't help that he was drunk. I was yelling, 'yo, yo, yo let me go! I can't breathe!' He was excited to see me and he was just expressing himself with this gesture. He was so drunk he didn't realize what he was doing."
When you are a recording artist, your image is everything - it defines whom you are. With that said, it would be wise to always present a positive image about yourself, in this case Bobby Brown made an ominous mistake of trying to present a negative image of Usher, but in the same breath as Bobby Brown is presenting an image of Usher, Bobby comes off looking bad also. It can be said that Bobby Brown was the King of R&B for awhile before the Reality shows and the coke; Usher grew up on images of Bobby Brown and was no doubt influenced by him. Now, Usher can be viewed as the King of R&B, and it is kind of sad that Bobby Brown appeared to be helpless as Usher had in a 'playful choke'. I mean, you want to have the appearance that you can hold your own and be a 'man' - but this situation has Bobby Brown looking like a real b*tch as he was pleading for mercy from the might 'Usher' … I don't even want to get into the metaphorical symbolism that is laced in this incident.
So for you new artists' out there, especially the dudes, in your press interviews & sound bites, you want to come-off as a man that can stand on his own, not as a man that is pleading for help and comes off as effeminate … not a good look.
.:: d.b ::.
Monday, June 09, 2008
El 'Nerbano'
The Nerban (nerd + urban) ... best of both worlds
The Nerban is the hybrid guy that has carefully meshed the two worlds of hip-hop/urban culture and nerd/geek isms. The Nerban can run in the streets, hang on the block, be affiliated with 'gangstas', and at the same time be abreast with technology, have a diverse investment portfolio, and have B.A.'s and Masters.
The Nerban is respected by hip-hop culture because of his nerdy-knowledge of technology and such; in the same breath, the nerds respect the Nerban because of his knowledge of hip-hop culture. Each group lives vicariously through the Nerban to get a glimpse into 'the other side'; the gangsta's get to learn about what's poppin' with the nerds, and the nerds get to see some urban swag and style.
With the ladies, the Nerban is the prime choice for the lady that is not looking for a gangsta, not looking for 'poindexter', but is looking for someone with a little bit of edge & style mixed with knowledge & ambition. Most ladies will experience a Nerban at some point in their life, but will have a tendency to disregard the Nerban because he isn't too 'street' enough, and usually these ladies end up where the Nerban was lacking (i.e. the Street - out on their own, lost).
The Nerban has always lived throughout history, from:
The Goofy Nerban
Will Smith a.k.a. 'The Fresh Prince'
~ His goofy style of rap lauded him to a Grammy and a hit TV show, he then used that to develop a successful movie career - All this from "parents just don't understand".
The Conscious Nerban
Common
~ The type of brother to school you with spiritual thoughts, but isn't scared to go into battle, remember the battle with Ice Cube anyone??
The Arrogant Nerban
Kanye West
The Righteous Nerban
A Tribe Called Quest
~ These nerbans are about having a good time, dancing, chilling, but can get grimey when need be.
The "Odd, but can't hate on him" Nerban
Pharell
~ Clothing and style has funky colors and patterns, social activities divert from the norm, but this Nerban can deliver in the streets or the boardroom.
.:: d.b ::.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tip What? pt. 3
The 'Included' Tip Get Familiar with Tip What pt. 1 & Tip What pt.2
I was recently out with a large group of people at a cafe/restaurant; roughly there were 10 of us. The joint was well designed, ambience was positive, and we were all enjoying the sweet delicacies of ice cream, crepes, and other fattening artery clogger-foods. When it was time to boogie, the waitress never asked if we wanted one receipt or separate receipts - she proceeded to give us one receipt with everyone's orders. I was fine with that; my portion totaled to like $4.74, so I believe I gave like $6 or $7 - figuring that it would cover taxes and would even add to a tip for the waitress. However, I was quickly prompted that I had to throw in $10 due to a gratuity that was already calculated into the bill. I obliged, but I was taken aback - it should be up to the customer if they choose to give a tip or not. Furthermore, automatically calculating the tip into bill is like a 'slap in the face'; the restaurant is pretty much saying 'you are going to pay a tip, regardless if you like it or not'. I guess restaurants engage in this practice because they figure with groups, they may not subscribe to socially practice of tipping (which is x% .... I don't even know, because I don't practice that foolery), meaning that the group may still tip, but below the 'acceptable norm'. And in retrospect, maybe the restaurants do this because dealing with groups can be problematic for their wait staff - for our group, some of the orders will wrong on the bill, some of the 'fresh fruit' was far from it, and a lot of the group members were not really pleased with their meal. I mean, look @ me; I really wasn't going to tip anyway - and I'm sure many of the other group members were going to follow in a similar fashion.
Its a very good thing though that I wasn't paying the bill for the whole group, because I would have ignored that 'auto' tip, and maybe even do a D&D (best way to work out calories ... instantly!).
P.S. d.b or its affiliates does not endorse Dine & Dashing at any restaurants, cafes, or the like.
Xtra Thought ~~
Look out for great pieces about D&D in the future though! D&D's are best done in foreign cities and when on vacations though.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Flashing Lights ver. 2 by Kanye West
Kanye West - Flashing Lights (2nd Version)
I get why Kanye is cocky, arrogant, obnoxious - not saying that it is 'right', but when you are so ahead of the pack (other rap artists), then it is only a matter of time before one gets 'gassed' and their ego takes over time. This video is very creative, and is a breath of fresh air into the 'hip-hop music video genre' - there is no rudimentary booty shaking or club scene, then a hood/block scene ... this video actually has creative treatment, and makes you think ..... some of y'all may have forgotten how that feels.
.:: d.b
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Simplicity in the 'Difficult'
The 'Difficult' can be described as those people that are problematic & troublesome to deal with; they put up a hassle, they b*tch, complain, argumentative, slightly to severely irrational, and have an insurmountable level of the quality of stubbornness. The stubbornness is the inability or unwillingness to change and/or embrace a new idea or concept; and stubbornness relates to inability to understand where another person is coming from and not listening to what they are saying. The 'Difficult' are all around us - at the office, school, family, friends; they all at some point will find a situation where they will only care about their self-serving interests and will ignore/disregard what you are trying to say.
Varying Degrees of the Difficult
The difficult have to be one of two people; either they are very cunning and crafty OR they are very ignorant and lack comprehension skills. Either degree of the two can create headaches and problems for the individual that is dealing with this difficult specimen of human; I mean, after dealing with difficult people, many experience nausea, high blood pressure, bewilderment, and even rage. Going back to the degrees of the difficult that I outlined, the cunning & crafty difficult person is difficult because usually it ties into some logical plan that they have outlined - and they wish not to deviate from their plan. However, the ignorant and lacking comprehension skills of the difficult is usually tied not to logical thinking, but to selfish motives; the "I want to do it my way" school of thought. This group of the difficult usually can not provide logical reasons for their actions, and the only reasons they can provide are self-serving and selfish.
Dealing with the Difficult
I used to think that I am a difficult person to deal with (keyword for you mofo's is 'used'), but I had to privilege to listen in on a conversation with two people that were having a logistical/business discussion. To surmise promptly, the difficult person had gotten himself into some trouble with what he had promised without consulting his business partner; the business partner explained to the Difficult as to why what he had promised could not materialize - there must have been 10 explanations with different visual examples, but the Difficult did not get it or choose to ignore. The Difficult continued to ask the same question(s) over & over again. The business partner had to eventually come off the phone as it was raising her blood pressure and she was becoming increasingly enraged.
The whole time I was observing, I was like 'wow', dude is very difficult - he is not or is unwilling to understand simple things. Furthermore, these simple things that he was not understanding was because if he chose to understand, it would make him look very asinine ... his behavior appeared to be very difficult, but the reasons for him behaving as such were simple - he was in a jam/mess, and was trying to get out of it the best way he can.
So in the dealing with the difficult, it can be a simple process, and its not anything really profound or deep, you just got to tell the difficult how simple it is to resolve your problem, and it starts with accountability, then grows to compromise.
Explain it once, maybe twice, after the third time, let 'Mr. Tone' do the talking, first name 'dial'.
.:: d.b ::.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Importance of Media Training, ex. 1
Importance of Media Training, ex. 1
Case: Lil Wayne
In a recent interview in Blender magazine, a little gassed off the success of his single, 'lollipop', Lil Wayne said the following:
"I don't do too many (drugs). I just smoke weed and drink. But I'll never f**k with no more coke. It's not about the bad high; it's just about the acne: Cocaine makes your face break out. I'm a pretty boy."
Media Training is very important - it helps artists not sound like ignorant individuals, and helps artists from looking dumb and un-intelligent. I can just imaging that Wayne's publicist must've had heart palpitations after hearing the quote. Lil Wayne says in this quote, don't do drugs, not because it could possibly kill you, but don't do it because it can cause acne on your face.
Remember, the whole point of interviews is to leave a favorable impression for your fans & potential fans. Not to come off as an ignorant mofo.
.:: d.b
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Intuitive Waitress?
Virtues: proactive, stereotypes, prejudice, customer service
I once worked in a restaurant, I only lasted a few weeks as a bus boy; carting dishes from the tables to the back for washing. One thing that I noticed about the waiters at the restaurant was that they took a proactive stance in trying to anticipate what the customer would want. Which makes sense, because the waitresses are trying to get a larger tip for providing good customer service. Keep in mind though, that the waitress has to use their preconceived notions about the customer in order to be 'proactive'.
Jumping to the present, my girl and I have gone out to a couple of restaurants and we have both noticed a trend in the way wait staff are being 'proactive'; we both have different interpretations of this proactive behavior.
Incident One:
Were at a nice Asisan Cusine restaurant, I order a pad thai, and a platter of spring rolls; my girl ordrers some noodle dish. The waiter, a middle-aged asian man comes over and asks me specifically if I would like some hot sauce with my pad thai. I've had pad thai many times before, and I was never asked such a question.
Incident Two:
In a trendy part of time at a cafe/restaurant with a romantic/intimate ambience. I order a pad thai (again), and my girl orders a noodle dish (again). Now, this particular pad thai dish already came with spices, and our waitress asked me specifically again, if I would like hot sauce.
So based on these situations, I got to pose the question, are the intuitiveness of the waiters a sign of being proactive to the customer (as is my position) or is the intuitiveness a sign of disrespect and racial stereotyping (as the girlfriend is advocating).
I can't call it, what do y'all think?
(P.S. I am a Young Black Entrepreneur Extradornaire ... may help with your assessment)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Blue Devils
Blue Devils
Jon Hope feat. Terminology
Hip-Hop isn't dead, the real hip-hop is just a lot harder to find, is not in the mainstream, and lives on the Internet as opposed to your pop radio station. Hip-Hop has always been the first medium/media to report on social injustices; from "The Message", "Self Destruction", and other songs, Hip-Hop gives insight to what problems are affecting the community.
This song by Jon Hope & Terminology was inspired by the recent events of the Sean Bell incident, and comments on police brutality and injustice.
.:: d.b
Friday, May 09, 2008
Super D's & Bill Clinton
Super Delegates & Bill Clinton
The Power, and the Questions the Super D's must ask
This Democratic race between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hilary Clinton is a nasty contest; as both candidates are fighting to secure the democratic nomination. In an election year, where the general public wanted to see a change from the Bush regime, that is to say to avoid another 4 years of Bush style politics in a John McCain, the Democratic party is so divided that they may have hurt their chances to win the general election. At the beginning of 2008, heck even 2007, the democratic party expected to win the '08 election because of the many ills the current administration has administered on the American people and the world.
Mathematically, Obama has the nomination locked - but not all math is equal; meaning all values are not treated the same. We all have been introduced to the term 'Super Delegates', and it is the super delegates that ultimately have the power to decide and can override what the delegates decide. And it appears that Clinton will have more Super Delegates than Obama.
Thus, the Super Delegates have some tough questions to ask of themselves:
1. What will be the social cost of selecting Clinton over Obama, even though Obama had more votes than Clinton.
Answer: This will send a message (direct/indirect) that even if a Black Man can win, ultimately he will lose. Furthermore, this can cause social upheaval as the cost of this decision is not just Obama vs. Clinton, but will also regress the progress that black people have accomplished.
2. How much loyalty do I have to Bill?
Answer: To the Democrats, Bill Clinton is the best thing since slice bread - on a whole, the Clinton presidency was one of the best eras in U.S. history in terms of economic and social progress; the economy was soaring, jobs were booming, and the healthcare industry was improving. Thus, a lot of the Super Delegates owe their status to Bill Clinton - meaning that Bill still has a lot of pull within the upper echelons of the Democratic Party, and if it comes to the Democratic nomination being decided by a bunch of Super D's in a back room, then Bill Clinton will be a power to be acknowledged.
In all, whoever the democratic nominee will be, they will have the daunting challenge to reunite a dilapidated party that is divided by gender, racial, and ideological differences, and will have to mount a tight campaign in a short period of time.
...... Looks like the Bush Regime will die another day, McCain can't be any worse, right?
.:: d.b
