It’s been a little while, and I figured it was about time I put out another playlist. There are a few releases from toward the end of the year, but there’s already some great new stuff out in 2009. And you can probably tell from my inclusion of two songs from the soundtrack, I ♥ Slumdog Millionaire.
After going to CES every year for the past 5 years or so, I decided to take a break and head into San Francisco to check out Macworld. Considering this is the last year that Apple will be participating, it might be the last time worth checking out (even though the organizers are pushing forward with plans for 2010). And even though the show was a fraction of the size of CES, it actually was pretty fun to walk the floor. There was a lot higher percentage of things that I was interested in seeing versus the large swath of booths in Vegas and the countless flat panel TV screens.
One of the things that is different about Macworld is that it’s open to the public. And that means companies are more than willing to sell things straight from their booths. I managed to pick up a Drobo disk array and a new Gelaskin for my MacBook. Woo hoo. One of the funnier things I saw was a complete replica of the Delorean from Back to the Future at a booth selling backup/restore software, and Steve Wozniak was on the floor hocking a tablet computer.
Since I just got my new camera this week, I brought it to the expo. This video is a very short (90 second) compilation of a few video clips and pictures I took on the floor.
It’s been quite the year! We had one of the most energizing political campaigns ever culminating in the election of Barack Obama, whose inauguration is just around the corner. The economy has had a breathtaking collapse of historic proportions…. let’s hope for a better 2009. And while pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to new seasons for my favorite sports teams. You can’t get much worse than the Mariners (last place), Husky Football (worst in the NCAA), Sonics (awful & left to OK City), and the Seahawks (disappointing). But personally, it’s been a pretty big year for me…. specifically my decision to take a professional “extended sabbatical”, which has been fantastic so far!
Since I’ve had a little more free time, I’ve been able to put out KNAK playlists more regularly… we’ll see if I can keep it up. Most of the best-of lists out there are for full albums, not individual tracks. And while I respect all of the work that goes into them, it’s rare these days that I listen to full albums anymore. There are exceptions of course, like Girl Talk’s remix extraordinaire Feed the Animals. If you haven’t gotten it yet, you should. There was a lot to choose from for my end-of-year round up of my favorite tracks. Way too many. But I’ve cut it back, and cut it back some more, and here are the 25 that will go in my personal playlist to remind me of 2008. Everybody has their own favorites, and you’ll probably be surprised at some of my choices, and even more at some of my omissions. Think that I’m smoking crack? or that I’m missing your favorite? Let me know! Continue reading →
Hey, it’s my last playlist of 2008, except for a year-end recap. Right now, I’m checking out the new LP from Alaska in Winter and enjoying the new EPs from The Weather Machines and Stars. I’ve included a few tracks from these selections and more for you to enjoy.
To listen/purchase these songs, you can check out the iTunes iMix and Lala widget below. You can stream most of the full songs on Lala once for free, so it’s a great option to try out new music. Signup for Lala and add me as a friend.
Fall weather has definitely descended on the Bay Area. When it’s raining outside, I crank up the tunes inside.
Discovering new and interesting music can become an addiction, but it’s definitely not a bad thing, at least for me. I’ve been digging around for some new tracks that you will hopefully enjoy as much as I do. This time I’m including just the iTunes iMix and Lala widget below. (Let me know if you’d prefer any of the others, e.g., Amazon). I highly recommend listening on Lala, since you can stream most of the full songs once for free. If you signup for Lala you can find me there as “dnak” where all of my recent playlists are available as well.
I’m always looking for new suggestions so please continue sending them my way. And send me a note or leave me a comment to let me know what you think!
Much will be written about what just transpired tonight, about how a son of a man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas has risen to the most important position in the world, breaking the ultimate racial barrier in a country with a tumultuous history of race relations. It is indeed a defining moment, and a milestone for all of us as Americans. We should all be proud. I know I am.
It is also a clear break from the path we have been on. On economic policies. On energy and global warming. On social policies. On how we will engage with the rest of the world. With this choice, America has proven once again what our country is capable of and why the world looks to America as a land of opportunity where anything is possible.
If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to listen to Barack Obama’s entire acceptance speech: Continue reading →
dnak
