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Introspective to it's core, Black Sun relishes the pain of lost love. Public breakups aside, Gibbard and the Death Cab for Cutie gang find new ground on their 2015 release, Kintsugi, which as the album title suggests is about navigating life's 'in-repair' state. You'll receive the lyricism you've come to know from Death Cab, but there's new sounds, some crunchy haunting undertones, and a refreshing level of vulnerability that hipster indie-rock bands have been trying to copy since 1997.

#music #spotify

Recreational Hazard returns! This week the gang chats: - Why does Cold-eez suck so much? - Is darwinism dead? - Is Eric and expert on all the Olympics? - Is Nick going to kill everyone in the world? - What are your favorites of 2013? All this and more on the 7th episode of RecHaz!

I'm Sorry Baby.

I’m sorry.

I fucked up. I was stupid and maybe I drank too much, but I made a mistake.

I switched to the Galaxy S4.

I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe it was the fanfare, maybe it was the stupid impractical features. But I did it. and I’m sorry.

I’m sorry because that phone (and android in general) are not as advertised. That is unless of course you’re looking to hover your finger centimeters away from your phone to swipe to tap apps rather than using the TOUCH-screen interface. Or if you’re looking to use your shoulder, elbow, and wrist in a large wiping motion to swipe between photos in the gallery like some bastardized XBOX kinect rather than, once again, using the screen god gave you.

If you want to use non-sensical gestures with limited success rather than the intelligent, intuitive ones, then man do I have a device for you.

The once Android Market is now Google Play. As a branding professional, most certainly a better choice, but aside from a logo, little has changed. Sure the rise in market share has forced many developers to create offerings for android, but much like their knock-off, no name, dime-a-dozen, handsets, the app offerings are crappy Chinatown wannabe’s of the iOS offerings.

Don’t believe me? Find a friend with the handset opposite yours and open: Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and one of your choosing. Trust me, Android looks like it’s from a long long time ago in a Galaxy far far from the first world.

If your company uses an intuitive and popular project management software like Basecamp or Teamwork, good luck keeping up on Android. The apps don’t exist, and trust me, I found out the hardest of ways. Want to forward along an email to a colleague so that they can reply to your client? Too bad, Samsung’s native email application (not Google’s) doesn’t have the capability to forward along email addresses.

That’s right: hover based gesture technology, but it doesn’t have the same contact forwarding capability of a singing telegram.

So I fucked up. And for 4 months I tried to tell myself this was a new and exciting time in my life. A time of freedom and experimentation. A time to get away from the locked down old shrew of Apple.

But what started out as a sexy romp with a flashy new piece turned into a psychotic reign of inexplicable freak outs and non-functioning lunacy.

Not just with my flashy Samsung Galaxy S4 but with my ‘pure android’ Nexus 7 too. It’s inconsistent performance has been the most consistent feature.

Sometimes I wake it from sleep and the clock is upside down.

Upside down. The clock. What the actual fuck?

Sometimes hitting the volume button turns it down, sometimes it does nothing at all, and sometimes it causes the screen to dim, it’s like a ‘shuffle’ button for my rage level. Pretty cool feature.

And so, like a man who spent one too many nights in Vegas, I’m home. Back to my strict but reliable darling, my iPhone (5S this time).

And you know what? After the seemingly tequila fueled hellish blackout nightmare that was the last 4 months.

It’s perfect.

#tech #apple #iphone #android #funny #comedy #wtf #technology #smartphones #nexus #google #samsung #review

Old Acquaintance Be Forgot.

You guys. It's here. The moment we've all been waiting for. NEW YEARS! The time where each of us gets to become a new person. Entirely new. Unrecognizably new. Michael Jackson circa 1993 new. This is big. We can become vegans or gym rats or even something called "nice".

With everyone soon to be asking me what I'm 'giving up' for New Years, I knew I had to think of something. But what? What does a man who has so little give up for the Holidays? And that's when it hit me...

EVERYTHING.

I'm giving up everything. I'm just going to NOT do things. Not get things. Not go places. I'm simply 'giving up'. I'm not going to talk you about things. Or go with you to do stuff. I'm not going to be better or try harder. I'm giving it all up.

Nick, this worries me. What possible benefit could this have for you?

Shut up left-brain. I know what I'm doing. Just think about the free time I'll have. Think about the possibilities:

Any human: 'Hey Nick, we're all going to head down to the Ol' Mill to check out some awesome carpet samples! You should come!'

Me: "I'd really love to that thing with your general group of people but I can't."

Same human: 'Aw you gotta Old Pal, we're going to talk about our mundane daily tasks and everything!'

Me: "Sorry human person, I gave it up for New Years."

And just like that I'm out of doing crap I don't care about with people I don't want to get to know. This could be you! Simply 'Give up' and you'll never have to do things again. You can't very well go to work if you gave it up for New Years can you? What about that distant friend's New Years party in a Suburb you've never heard of? Can't do it. You gave up, remember?

Diets? Nope. Eating more 'leafy greens'? I don't think so.

Once you 'give up' you really can't betray your own trust, It's not an appealing quality in a mate. I want someone I can trust.

So, if you need me this coming year, I'm afraid I just won't be able to make it. Why you ask?

Because I gave up.

#new years #funny #holidays #resolutions #nye #comedy

How I feel about your holiday plans

Al Dente

I had a root canal yesterday. Man was that awesome. Seriously guys, who needs Amusement Parks when you can have a heavy set lady who doesn't even introduce herself jam metal instruments in your mouth and prod at a severely infected tooth?

I was escorted into the room by an angry looking Russian woman, she took me by the shoulder and pushed me into the dental chair and then left without saying a word. After a short time a different woman who looked an awful lot like 'The Penguin' from Batman waddled into the room in a white lab coat. She got straight to work inside my mouth. It's probably for the best that she didn't introduce herself, because only after about 20 minutes of excruciating oral exploration did I find out she wasn't actually a Dentist. I learned this because, whilst being up to her elbows in my cracked molar, I heard a voice from behind me say "What are you doing, Gail?".

The mystery voice? My actual dentist. Gail seemed dumbfounded, stammered something to effect of 'Umm... Prepping for X-rays' as she removed shoulders, elbows, and fists from my mouth. It was then that my Dentist informed our dear Hygienist Gail that X-rays had been sent over from the office I was just in... 9 minutes prior.

Now that the dentist had arrived we got down to business. FIVE shots of Novocaine later, I sounded more like late 2000's Dick Clark than I would have liked, and the procedure began. It wasn't so bad really, just a lot of grinding noises and having to keep my mouth open for about 50 minutes straight. In the middle of the procedure our wonderful assistant Gail informed the Dentist that she would be leaving and that Danielle would be replacing her. You see, it was time for Gail's lunch. I was pretty astounded that, mid-procedure, an assisting hygienist would up and leave. But looking over at Gail, I thought it was probably safer for all of us if she got to have her daily Cinnabon and fritos.

At the end of the procedure and a 400 dollar copay, I was informed that this was actually just part 1 of a 2 part saga. Which is great, because I love sequels. I'm hoping it's "Root Canal 2: Journey to the Center of the Nerve", I would even pay an additional 400 dollars for a ticket to that show, and that's good, because I'll likely have to.

Howlarious out.

#funny #dentist #root canal #comedy #journal #dental

Puzzles.

Over the last 4 weeks I’ve successfully managed to do the following:

Lose my keys Lose my sunglasses Lose my phone Lose another set of my keys

These recent successful ventures have led me to an exciting conclusion:

I am a goddamn mess.

I can’t hold on to anything, I can hardly remember what plans I have for the coming day let alone what I’m doing in a weeks time. Maybe I should do some puzzles. They say puzzles are good for restoring fading memories. Though this usually in reference to forgetful geriatrics who leave their Nissan Sentras in ‘DRIVE’ when they pull into a handicap parking spot at Walgreen’s to pick up their discreet adult diapers.

I’m not worried about the fact that I have the memory of my Great Aunt Gerty at the ripe age of 25, I’m more worried about the things that I forgot I’ve forgotten.

If there’s a pair of keys rolling around in the back of a gypsy cab, does that mean I have an estranged wife and 6 kids that I absent mindedly wandered away from at Mount Rushmore? Or what if I dropped a barrel of cats into the tortoise exhibit at The New England Aquarium? The point is you just never know.

What’s worse is that I could be screwing up the things I DO remember. Like we all know Martin Luther King jr. was our first president and that’s great, but what if I’m messing up some other important facts. Like how many planets there are? Or which is the ugly Kardashian?

I guess what I’m saying is that I need to make some changes: More rest, a balanced breakfast, and more puzzles. This way when you say, “Hey Nick!” I don’t have to pretend to recognize you. I’ll actually remember why I dislike you. There's nothing I hate more than having to make a snap judgement about your clothing or your terrible face.

Yes, it’s time to turn this sinking, leaky oil tanker known as life around. Starting with puzzles!

If only I could remember where I left the damn puzzle boxes…

#organization #forget #memory #puzzle #funny

Short Change Hero is one of The Heavy's strongest outings. The quintet from England take the best aspects of today's most popular rock, funk, and dusty country artists and blend them into catchy, kick-ass tunes. Give it a listen, you won't be dissapointed.

#music #spotify

If someone you are dealing with isn't 100% awesome, give them 0% of your time

#awesome

To the occasional listener it may seem as though Trent Reznor has been having something of a rennaisance in the past few years. Winning both an Oscar and a Grammy award for his spectacularly peculiar soundtrack for David Fincher's 'The Social Network', it's easy to assume that a man who rocketed to popularity in the early 90's with his signature industrial electronic music had found a new lease on artistic life. But loyal Nine Inch Nails fans know the truth: Trent Reznor never went away to begin with.

'Hesitation Marks', Nine Inch Nails 2013 outing, is a reminder of the submissive genius found in the bands sole creative member. As gripping as it is ominous, 'Hesitation Marks' plays well in an age of electronic overload, giving soul to otherwise ghostless machinery. From a group that has had a major album release ever couple of years consistently for nearly two decades, it would be easy to dismiss the album as 'more of the same', but it's not without its experimentation, "All Time Low" is a testament to Reznor's ability to experiment within the comfort of his own record.

Nine Inch Nails might feel a bit odd to blast in the car on the way to work when you remember blasting them on the school bus, but hey, that's what headphones are for. Give in to your inner angsty teen and give 'Hesitation Marks' a listen, while wrapped in the sounds of new-age nostalgia, you'll be glad you did.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Howls

#nine inch nails #music #reviews #spotify #mp3 #album

Haunting, punchy, and as kick-ass as we’ve come to expect from a band that’s managed to consistently grow it’s fanbase and yet somehow shrug off the mainstream.

The album begins with the pulsating ‘Keep Your Eyes Peeled’ with it’s oscilating melodies and ethereal vocals sound more like something you’d hear on an old Victrola in a haunted house than on a modern day rock record. And you know what?

That’s awesome.

#music #spotify #queens #qotsa #foofighters

Daft Punk's new album, Random Access Memories, is another testament to creativity equating to longevity. For a group that's been producing music and collaborating with other industry virtuoso's for 20 sum odd years, they sound as fresh as ever. Coming off of the club-remixed hit of the Tron Legacy soundtrack, Random Access Memories, is a record completely independent of tie-ins, allowing the duo to take each track in new and interesting directions.

This album puts you in a good mood.

It doesn't grandstand, it doesn't make many statements, but in a day and age where everyone and their mother has 'something to say', an album that's truly about the music couldn't be more refreshing.

If you're a life long fan, got in during the Tron uprising, or hardly know the 'android beings' that make up Daft Punk, do yourself a favor.

Listen to this album. You'll be happy. You'll smile. And if the track 'Lose Yourself to Dance' has any sway over you... you just might.

#daftpunkram

Sarah so hip.

donaldnewman

howlarious

With Google's new 'conversation search' feature built into their Chrome web browser your interactions with the web can be far more natural than ever before. With contextualized search chrome remembers what subject you're asking about and uses that to inform results for your follow up questions, allowing you to dive even deeper into subjects and issues you care about. The web may finally become the curiosity-quenching resource it was always meant to be.

Though I suppose people can always say, "Show me funny pictures of cats."