gedblog

They say confession is good for the soul, and since I’ve never had any problem with revealing my inner likes and dislikes, I jumped at the chance to join in on the fun of the latest group blog proposed by my friend Dave Caolo. This time around are songs that for one reason or another, you would be embarrassed to admit to liking in mixed company. I must say however that part of the reason I decided to throw my hat in the ring, was that it gave me the excuse to create the image you see above. What do Britney Spears and Bigfoot have in common? Well, read on my friends and find out!

• • •

Merry Go Round
The Brady Bunch

I’m not ashamed to say that I have an entire iTunes playlist devoted exclusively to the perky tunes of those crazy Brady kids from my youth. Back in the 70’s the TV network suits figured the child actors of The Brady Bunch needed to compete with The Partridge Family and the Brady Six was born. Who among us can forget classics like Time to Change or Sunshine Day? Good times. Of all the Brady tracks I have however, Merry Go Round has to be the most sugar-coated piece of hippy jerky in the entire lot, and I love it! For some reason I can listen to Eve Plumb hit off-key notes until the cows come home and I just don’t care. Take a listen, but beware, the song is a total ear worm. Once I hear it, I usually can’t get it out of my head for days.

• • •

You Drive Me Crazy
Britney Spears

Ah Britney! Back in the day, this familiar teen-pop queen commanded respect and actually worked her ass off to become successful. One day I broke down and bought You Drive Me Crazy for no apparent reason other than it was stuck in my head. To me, all of Britney’s songs sound somewhat the same (beat, rhythm, breathy lyrics), so I only own one… and this is it. I’m kinda ashamed to even have the one track in iTunes, but every time it comes up on random play, I relive a little part of 1999 and think back fondly on what Britney used to be. Ah Britney!

• • •

Wannabe
The Spice Girls

Everyone says they hate the Spice Girls, but I think secretly, everyone really loves them. I find the bulk of their songs incredibly infectious, bubbly and the perfect pick-me-up when I’m down. Their music is like watching a summer popcorn flick - a meaningless plot combined with a pulse-pounding soundtrack and dazzling special effects. It’s not academy award winning material, but it’s still a great time. I mean, how much more fun can it get than this:

“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really
really really wanna zigazig ha.”

• • •

America
Neil Diamond

If there is a more idealistic, or emotionally manipulative song in this world, I can’t think of one. I first heard America when I was 11, right around the time the classic Saturday morning cartoon School House Rock became popular. I think the SHR connection helps explain why I find this song so darned great. After all, it was SHR that taught me to love catchy songs about history like The Great American Melting Pot and The Preamble. Diamond’s America is like a top 40 School House Rock song on steroids. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

• • •

Love Theme from Boggy Creek
Charles B. Pierce

Ask any of the guys at the Iconfactory and they’ll tell you I’m obsessed with bigfoot/sasquatch/yeti and have been ever since I was a child. This embarrassing music track is one of my own making since it was impossible to purchase the soundtrack to the movie from which it came - The Legend of Boggy Creek. The song tells the funky tale of the Fouke Monster (bigfoot) and his lonely plight among the other creatures of the swamp. The song, like the movie, is cheesy, low-budget and so bad it’s good. I bust it out every year around Halloween, much to the dismay of my patience-filled wife. And now you know what Britney Spears and Bigfoot have in common - my twisted sense of musical tastes.

• • •

Other blogger’s musical confessions:

1. Living in the Now - Get the Funk Up!
2. Sharp Corners - Sing a Song of Sixpence
3. Hardcore Geek - The songs I hate to love

Today, at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco, the computer maker unveiled its plans for the next generation of iPhones as well as a sneak peek into third party applications headed our way. Due to hit public airwaves July 11th, Apple’s new iPhone/iPod Touch “App Store” as it’s being called, will allow users to purchase third party mobile applications directly over the air. I speak for all of us at the Iconfactory when I say we were just as surprised and delighted as you probably were to find our very own application, Twitterrific, featured heavily on Apple’s website.

It seems after flying high and far, sometimes to shady destinations, the little blue bird has finally gone legit. I don’t think any of us at the factory realized just how popular Twitter, and in turn Twitterrific would become in this past year. We’ve been making various software applications for a decade now, and in all that time, none of us would have expected such an unassuming little app to become our most well recognized piece of code. Twitterrific’s success speaks volumes about the fine work of the folks over at Twitter, and the hunger for today’s users to stay in touch with friends, relatives and co-workers via new media like social networks.

We’re very pleased the Mac community took to Twitterrific so well and helped make it the success it is today. We’re looking forward to bringing the application to a whole new generation of users for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and would like to extend our thanks to Apple for giving the blue bird such a fine new home. We feel both excited and privileged to be a part of the new App Store and are committed to bringing our users the best software we can offer. We look forward to these first steps on what is sure to be, a fun journey for both users and developers alike.

That’s right folks, I’m here to tell you that episode 009 of Sci-Fi Cast is now online and ready for your auditory digestion. We’re back to Battlestar Galactica with the review of this past week’s episode Sine Qua Non, so if you’re not caught up, you’ll want to hold off. Our conversation, as usual, is pretty spoiler heavy, so don’t say we didn’t warn you! Without saying too much, I can reveal that this time around we have all four of your geeky friends on the podcast and we delve into such important subjects as pets in space, what Sol does when the cameras are turned off and Krystyn’s latest (and most believable) theory on who the final cylon will turn out to be. As we approach the mid-season break, this is one installment you won’t want to miss. Be sure to head on over and check out The Sci-Fi Cast, your drive to work will never be the same again!

For months leading up to the presidential primary, Republican strategists, pundits and media mouthpieces were all chomping at the bit at the prospect of facing Hillary Rodham Clinton in the fall. The battle between the forces of Reagan-Bush conservatism and the “morally bankrupt” Clinton clan was one of the good fights that right-wingers everywhere were counting on to fire up the base, draw new, young Republicans and energize the religious right. Clinton herself perpetuated the myth that she was entitled to the Democratic nomination. When her campaign failed to plan for the political bombshell that turned out to be Super Tuesday, she had to know things were not going as planned.

I knew the right feared facing Obama in the general election. My suspicions were confirmed when Rush Limbaugh effectively told his ditto-head listeners to vote for Clinton in deep red states like Texas, a place where no God-fearing republican would admit to even liking Hillary, let alone pull a lever for her. Operation Chaos, as it was called, may have been sold under the guise of prolonging the battle between Hillary and Barack, but I suspect it had more to do with the desire of the right to give Clinton the boost she needed to take the nomination.

The best laid plans.

Ever since it was understood that Barack Obama would be the Democratic nominee, we’ve hear rumblings from the right that Obama was the wrong choice. Hillary is the more competitive candidate. Obama doesn’t have the “electoral math” to win against McCain in the fall. The simple truth is they’re scared shitless. Obama’s nomination puts them just where they didn’t want to be. This is now a race between a young, energetic and intelligent man who stands for real change and an older opponent who effectively represents “the status quo”. Obama has raised over 280 million dollars from over 1.5 million donors averaging about $100 each. McCain has to re-schedule his fundraising appearances because he doesn’t want to be seen with Bush.

I’m not going to kid myself and say this election is going to be easy. It won’t be. The right wing, from the Bush insiders like Karl Rove, hate radio jocks like Hannity and Ingram and internet right wingers like Drudge and Malkin are about to throw everything they have at the Senator from Illinois. They will do anything to try and slow down the speeding locomotive that is the Obama campaign. They and others fear the loss of power that Obama as President would represent and the shift in policies that would limit corporate control and restore the rule of law. They can feel the country slipping from their grasp like the snake oil they sold this country for the past 7 years. McCain stammers to a room of a few hundred and Obama draws crowds of tens of thousands. McCain and his supporters offer the rest of us unending war, promote the climate of fear started by Bush after 9/11, and attempt to drive a wedge between Americans. To these folks and others like them who live in ignorance of what true change is and what Barack Obama represents, I have only one thing to say…

Bring ‘em on.

Found these awesome Star Trek TV Mashups on YouTube last night and I just had to share. It’s amazing what a DVD collection, a video editing package and too much time on your hands can get you these days. The Battlestar Galactica re-mix is my favorite, but I’m a sucker for 80’s TV so the Love Boat and Dallas versions don’t trail far behind. If you liked these, be sure to also check out the Star Trek version of A-Team and the Voyager mix of Buffy Angel. Live Long and Silly!

Back in March I wrote a post about some of my favorite local restaurants that, for one reason or another, have kicked the bucket. As much as we’d love for our favorite hangouts to thrive and flourish, unfortunately this isn’t always the case. A city is a living, breathing thing and businesses are born, live, and then eventually they sometimes die. If you live in a place long enough, you see it happen all to often and in today’s tight economic times, it seems to be happening more and more. Here is a short update of two places that I used to frequent that have gone to what I call, Greensboro’s Restaurant Graveyard.

Imperial Gourmet - Vanishing International Buffet

Until a week ago, Imperial Gourmet was located near the intersection of W. Wendover Ave and Stanley Road here in Greensboro. If you drive by on your way to Home Depot or Best Buy, today you’ll notice only an empty lot. Bulldozed to the ground, Imperial Gourmet was the only real option for chinese dim sum in Greensboro. Before it opened back around 1998, one had to travel as far away as China One in Durham for pork sticky buns and turnip cake. Sadly the food had been declining in recent years and the owners couldn’t decide if they wanted to offer Japanese Sushi, Chinese-American fusion or authentic dim sum, none done well. Despite having a prime location on one of the busiest roads in Greensboro, Imperial Gourmet exists only as a memory and now even China One is closed. The search or good dim sum in the Triad starts anew.

Giacomo’s Italian Market - Beware the Ghost of Simply Italian!

The intersection of Hilltop and Highpoint Road must be cursed. It previously claimed my favorite drive thru of all time, Simply Italian, and now it has murdered another local favorite, Giacomo’s Italian Market. While Giacomo’s isn’t a traditional sit-down restaurant, it did offer some of the best quality Italian food anywhere in Greensboro. I’ve written about the chain’s other location on New Garden Road and their wonderfully delicious sub sandwiches before. And while I had not visited the Highpoint Road Giacomo’s for several years, I have no doubt it was the location that finally did it in. Highpoint Road has been dying slowly for years as traffic and development shifted west to Wendover Ave, leaving several businesses in dire straights. Giacomo’s Italian Market was only the latest casualty in a long line of eateries that went up to dining heaven. Hopefully the New Garden location will survive for years to come.

Restaurant Death Watch Update

I’m pleased to report that my original picks for Restaurant Death Watch are still here and kicking. Of the three, I most frequently visit Mykonos Grill and I have to say every time I eat there the place is jumping. So much so that I think they could stand to move into a larger space, but then again I don’t want to upset the delicate balance that they have going so I’ll just squeeze in when I can.

Panizzo’s Cafe & Bakery - This fun little cafe has some of the best lunch fare and baked goods anywhere in town. Unfortunately when I and the guys from work visit for lunch, the dining room is usually close to empty. I’m not sure what’s keeping the place from being successful, but if things keep going the way they are, I fear a new addition to the graveyard any time now. Keep your canolis crossed. UPDATE: Talos just learned that Panizzo’s is closing for “renovations” soon. Hopefully these are renovations of the temporary kind and not “permanent” if you know what I mean.

What about you? Have any favorite restaurants that bought the farm? Feel free to add yours in the comments below. Misery loves company!

While we patiently wait for the new Apple Store to open at the Shops At Friendly Center here in Greensboro, a small bit of placation has appeared in the meantime. Yesterday when I walked into the Best Buy off of Stanely Road, low and behold part of the formerly all Windows PC section had been ripped out and replaced with an ultra-mini Apple Store. Right where Toshiba laptops, Dell desktops and other Microsoft loving hardware had stood was the familiar spartan trappings of Steve Jobs’ retail store. It was like the Borg had sliced out a 15×20 foot section of the Southpoint Apple Store in Raleigh, and transplanted it directly into the middle of Best Buy, carpeting and all.

While a surreal experience, it was great to finally see someplace in Greensboro where Apple products can be purchased. Since we lost our local CompUSA back in December, if you wanted to pick up a new MacBook or iMac, you had to make the trek to Raleigh or Charlotte. The inclusion of Apple goods in Best Buy is an impressive about face for two companies that have not always been on the best of terms. I think mini-stores like this one in Greensboro are a testament to Apple’s growing popularity and the strength of the brand. No matter what caused it, I’m just glad to see a tiny bit of Apple in Greensboro once again. Maybe now I can stop driving over to Friendly once a week to check on any signs of life. Nah!

If you’ve been tuning in for our weekly installments of Sci-Fi Cast, then you know I’ve been bummed out about the direction that Katie Sackhoff’s character on Battlestar Galactica has been taking. It seems like Ron Moore was using Starbuck as a kind of space version of Captain Ahab, obsessed with finding Earth, and only caring about what shade of burnt umber would look best on her cabin walls.

Even if last week’s episode hadn’t been a complete 180 for the hot-shot space jockey, I’d be tempted to throw all that out the window thanks to a photo shoot of Katie and her two Galactica co-stars, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park, which was recently published by Interview Magazine. Lords of Kobol, I think I’m gonna need a cold shower! You gotta hand it to Galactica’s creators, they sure know how to promote the series to the 18-25 (and 39) year old male demographic. With all the gritty, realistic scenes that Starbuck and her co-horts get thrown into every week, photos like these seem somehow surreal. I just can’t picture Starbuck riding around on a Harley in a bikini, let alone chumming it up with Six and Boomer in the California desert. But since the series is coming to an end, and we’ll probably never see the likes of these three lovely ladies together again, who am I to wonder why? So say we all!

Straight from the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” department comes this beautiful little email from a reader over at Andrew Sullivan:

“I am Floridian, and was told from the beginning that “my state would not count.” For that reason, I stayed home … to now “count” the Fl vote would disenfranchise me even more than if Fl were not to count at all. To the DNC & Howard Dean: I played by your rules, decided that you were telling me the truth when you said Fl votes would not count so I stayed home. Now, you’re going to count it? Well, screw you.”

This person is pissed and I don’t blame them. First they’re told their vote won’t count, so they stay home. Then Hillary manages to strong-arm Dean and the DNC and we hear rumors that some sort of “compromise” will be reached. We’re talking no-win scenario here folks. I really wish the Democrats would grow a spine every now and then, especially when dealing with their own. Yet another part of this campaign that Hillary Clinton managed to frack up royally. Calgon, take me away!

Just in time to help the crew of the Battlestar Galactica divine the identity of the final five cylons, comes this helpful PSA style poster from Quantum Mechanix. It reminds me a lot of the infamous Wii Safety stuff we did over at the Iconfactory a couple years back and would make a fine addition to any geek’s wall.

Some of the funnier tips include:

• Do they seem unusually strong, smart or self-assured?
• Do they say God instead of Gods?
• Do you see them hanging around secured or restricted areas?
• Do they seem to hear music that no one else can hear?
• Are they unusually adept, almost empathic, with machines?
• Does their spine glow red when they get… excited?

Be sure to also check out the über-cool retro BSG propaganda posters they’re offering. And before you ask, no, I don’t get a kickback on this stuff