Loading ...I’ve Never Felt Less Smart. S-M-R-T.
By Evan ~ October 30th, 2007. Filed under: daily life, world news.
There’s a pretty cool and informative article in the WIRED blog today about how “Vinyl May Be [the] Final Nail in CD’s Coffin.” While I don’t think this is true (I believe vinyl will continue to be preferred mainly by hobbyists and purists), the author raises some very interesting points regarding the resurgence of vinyl purchases in recent years. Although I don’t like to read stories that perpetuate the auxiliary “records sound better than CDs” argument, recognizing the “loudness war” and mentioning the increasingly available vinyl/MP3 bundles are the most important aspects of the article. For me, having a tangible object that I can physically control (dropping the needle, flipping sides) has always been a fun perk of listening to vinyl records. Receiving high-quality digital files to enjoy through an iPod or my computer monitors is an added bonus. As the combination has become more accessible in recent years, the number of CD purchases I have made has plummeted. So, while I don’t believe vinyl is delivering the CD any deathblows, I think it is certainly making a steady comeback. And for that we can all thank the asymmetrical-haircut adorning hipster DJs at our local “indie” bars. Keep on spinnin’, you androgynous-looking motherfuckers! [story]
Yesterday afternoon, Ilya, Nicci and I ventured out from our little Echo Park bubble (not to be confused with the actual bubble that I built for our place — ooh, how meta!), drove to Pasadena to meet Lauren, and attended a lecture at the California Institute of Technology. No, you’re not reading that wrong. We three imbeciles went to CalTech to hear a famed scientist (John Hopfield) deliver a lecture on the subject of…uh, I’m going to have to get back to you on that one. CalTech’s website seems to be down at the moment, and to be perfectly honest I didn’t comprehend a single word Mr. Hopfield spoke. All I know is, I entered the auditorium hoping to learn more about how my brain wraps itself around Sudoku puzzles, and when I exited I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I think the first two remarks I made afterwards were “That was a nice lecture hall” and “One of his graphics looked like a kitty cat.” Then we plopped down in the middle of a lawn and I preceded to shove blades of grass up my nose in an attempt to make myself sneeze on cue. Look, I know I’m not that dumb, but that biological neuroscience stuff…it’s a bit out of my realm of understanding. When the three of us grew tired of all the anxiousness and insecurity that comes with knowing you are the stupidest person in a one-mile radius, we left the campus and ate vegan chicken teryaki burritos. Later that evening, in the comfort of our stupid home for stupid people, I discovered that I am not only functionally retarded, but I also suck at Battleship, can yell really loudly, and if I drink a whole bottle of champagne and eat a lot of apple pie a la mode I’ll wake up with crippling stomach pains the next morning. Pass the pills…
