Google Doodle Today: Halloween On Google

Seperti biasanya Google memperingati hari-hari tertentu dengan membuat logo spesial atau lebih dikenal sebagai Google Doodle. Untuk hari ini Google di negara tertentu mengganti logo halaman utama dengan tema Halloween yang jatuh di tanggal 31 Oktober 2009, yang unik ada 4 buah logo sekaligus yang dapat dilihat bergantian dengan cara meng-klik logo tersebut beberapa kali. Kalo penasaran kunjungi aja homepage Google di http://google.de atau Google Jerman sekarang juga.

Kenapa tema Google Doodle kali ini Halloween? ya hari ini tanggal 31 Oktober 2009 diberbagai negara seperti Amerika Serikat, Kanada dan beberapa negara lain merayakan Halloween atau disebut juga All Hallows Eve, All Saints’ Eve, Samhain dan Hallowed End. Di perayaan ini sering kita kenal logo Halloween berupa llabu yang diukir membentuk wajah “menyeramkan” yang disebut Jack-o’-lantern. Di dalam Jack-o’-lantern biasanya diletakkan lilin menyala atau lampu agar terlihat lebih seram di tempat gelap.

Kadang ada beberapa pesta perayaan dengan mengambil karakter-karakter yang sering dikaitkan dengan Halloween adalah setan dan iblis dari kebudayaan Barat, manusia labu, makhluk angkasa luar, penyihir, kelelawar, burung hantu, burung gagak, burung bangkai, rumah hantu, kucing hitam, laba-laba, goblin, zombie, mumi, tengkorak, dan manusia serigala. Karakter film horor klasik seperti drakula atau monster Frankenstein juga dipakai untuk perayaan Halloween.

Menurut Wikipedia Halloween berasal dari festival Samhain (dari bahasa Irlandia Kuno samain) yang dirayakan orang Kelt zaman kuno dan merupakan perayaan akhir musim panen dalam kebudayaan orang Gael, dan kadang-kadang disebut “Tahun Baru Kelt”. Orang Kelt yang menganut paganisme secara turun temurun menggunakan kesempatan festival untuk menyembelih hewan ternak dan menimbun makanan untuk persiapan musim dingin. Bangsa Gael kuno percaya bahwa tanggal 31 Oktober, pembatas dunia orang mati dan dunia orang hidup menjadi terbuka. Orang mati membahayakan orang hidup dengan membawa penyakit dan merusak hasil panen. Sewaktu merayakan festival, orang Gael menyalakan api unggun untuk membakar tulang-tulang dari hewan yang mereka sembelih. Orang Gael mengenakan kostum dan topeng untuk berpura-pura sebagai arwah jahat atau berusaha berdamai dengan mereka.

Berikut Logo Tema Hallowen selengkapnya:





Buat penggemar dengan Google Doodle atau Google Logo Edisi Khusus dapat dilihat koleksi lengkap yang dikumpulin dari berbagai negara setiap ada edisi baru Google Doodle.

Link Koleksi:

http://pcholic.blogspot.com/search/label/Google%20Logo

Album Foto Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79164&id=719984551&l=9af4f913b7
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115456&id=719984551
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150729&id=719984551

Happy Halloween!

(And this certainly makes me happy!)

Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment

"Can you handle what I'm about to do?"

Well the day that I've been waiting for since May has finally come... the debut of Adam Lambert's first proper single. I'm only just listening to it now, so you're getting total first impressions here. While it's not as audacious or radical as I might have liked, For Your Entertainment is a VERY catchy, successful pop song. It's quite the modern post-Gaga exercise in synthesized dance-pop. Some might be upset that Adam's trademark wails are (mostly) absent, but the delivery and phrasing are still excellent without the overkill. I have a feeling that there will be some more interesting tracks on the album (including his cover of Gaga's Fever, one of my favorite Gaga demos), and I am thoroughly excited for it. This track will be played many times until the album makes its way into my hands. One gripe, though: the lyrics are pretty lame and overdone.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

The Ark: "We want to make a really grand stadium rock album. That is what we do best."

Could I be more excited? Nope. The new album's out in early April. You can follow their progress here.

Pop Blitz

Ke$ha - Tik Tok
Previously known as the vocalist on Flo-Rida's obnoxious Right Round, Ke$ha is being compared (unjustly) to Lady Gaga. I'd take Bad Romance over this any day. Everything's pretty derivative here. It's not horrible, but it wouldn't be a hit if Gaga wasn't big. Oh, and the lyrics are annoying. C

David Guetta ft. Akon - Sexy Bitch
The lyrics here are so ridiculous that you'd gotta just laugh at them. Luckily, the melody and beat are some of Guetta's strongest, and Akon, who I'm usually not a fan of, fits this type of pop sleaze perfectly. B+

Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway
After their previous two singles got overplayed to death on the radio, no one should be excited about another BEP single. Thankfully, it's one of the better cuts from the album, with a catchy pop chorus that undoubtedly will become, you guessed it, overplayed to death. B-

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
Gaga's gutsiest single yet, this sounds like Poker Face on speed. There are about a thousand hooks buried inside of this, each one complimenting the others. More importantly, I get the feeling of Lady Gaga as an artist in this song, which is hard to accomplish in radio pop music. A

Michael Jackson - This Is It
Far more underwhelming than I'd anticipated, this gentle ballad took a few spins to really hook me. Compared to most of his back catalog, it's pretty slight, but compared to most of the stuff out there now, it's an A-

Rihanna - Russian Roulette
A bizarre single choice, for sure, this dark ballad opens with a processed guitar and ends with a gunshot. Not what anyone was expecting, right? One listen doesn't do it justice, because I didn't like it the first time. Though not her best single, it's a statement of intent that I can appreciate and I'm enjoying it more each listen. B+

Westlife - What About Now
I can't imagine anything worse. I hated this song the first time. I didn't think I could dislike it more, but then Westlife trotted on up and did the impossible. F

Darin - Viva La Vida

"I hear Jerusalem bells ringing"

So I thought that I was well and truly forever sick of this invincible Coldplay song (invincible in the way that radio cannot force it away from its playlists). And Darin, who I've enjoyed sporadically in the past, is certainly not the most likely of pop singers to bring out anything new or interesting in the track. Yet, his cover of Viva La Vida does the impossible. It makes me like the song again. Sure, Coldplay fans are probably gonna hate the europop song it's been turned into, but the vocal phrasing and slight changes to melody and pacing really do breathe life into this overplayed hit. I'm surprised how much I like it. On a related note, Darin's Swedish hit Breathing Your Love is finally set to be released in the UK on the 29th of November. I see no reason why it wouldn't be a hit over there. It's a hundred times better than the likes of JLS and Jay Sean, right?

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy Darin's latest album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Track-by-Track: Alphabeat - The Spell

Alphabeat's second album is an interesting beast. In one regard, it sounds like a natural follow-up for them. On the other hand, much of the debut's "let's grab a tambourine and put on a show" charm is absent. It's probably a smart move, since that kind of energy is more fitting to a brand new band than an established one. So, how does the new album stack up?

1. The Spell - When this was initially released a few months ago, I was underwhelmed. I liked the beat, but that was about it. Now it's grown on me quite a bit, though it's still not their best single. Very catchy, though. 9/10

2. DJ - My favorite track on the album, this finds the male/female vocals on full display, steering us through a melody that screams "#1 single" far more obviously than the previous track. 10/10

3. Hole In My Heart - Another uptempo dance track continuing the obvious 90's influence, this one has a catchy, if somewhat repetitive, chorus. Suffers from being placed after DJ, but it's still a great track. 9/10

4. The Beat Is - This has a strong, hard chorus with some dramatic synths. Though still uptempo, it's got a funkier beat that sets it apart from some of the other dance tracks. Easily continues the album's winning streak. 9/10

5. Heat Wave - A totally Stine-centric track, this is a loud, frantic dance track and will certainly rub some listeners the wrong way, but I love it. The instrumentation is sped up to the point of bursting, and Stine's vocals are suitably frantic. 10/10

6. Chess - A midtempo, synth-driven track, this gives the album some well-deserved breathing room and features some interesting vocal production. Anders' bridges are especially nice. One of the band's strongest midtempos, I'd say. 9/10

7. Heart Failure - I like everything about this track except the chorus. It's alright, but too repetitive. Anders is used very effectively in the bridges again. I'm a sucker for tracks where the two vocalists actually sing to each other, rather than detached. 8/10

8. Always Up With You - Back to the hyper-dance 90's sound, this is an Anders track primarily, and one of the best on the album. Great beat, great melody and some catchy background bits from Stine. Love this one. 10/10

9. Q&A - The other midtempo on the album, this isn't as strong as Chess. Again, the chorus is just a bit too repetitive. Certainly not bad by any standard, but not overly amazing. I wish they were singing "T&A" instead. It'd be more interesting. 8/10

10. The Right Thing - The perfect closing track, this one sees Stine and Anders tag-teaming it for another hugely uptempo dance track with a very catchy, dramatic melody. It may not sound so much like their last record, but this is a very nice progression. 10/10

Album Grade: 9.2/10

New Facebook's Feature: News Feed, Live Feed and Suggestions

Bulan Oktober ini banyak sekali redesain yang dilakukan Facebook, perubahan ini antara lain ada di halaman Groups, akses via mobile maupun halaman utama atau Home. Kemarin Facebook melakukan perubahan pada halaman utama setelah kita melakukan login via account Facebook, mungkin ada sedikit keganjilan adanya fitur yang ditambahkan mulai kemarin dan hari ini.

Perubahan pertama adanya pembagian antara "News Feed" dan "View Live Feed", fitur ini mirip yang ada di aplikasi Facebook for BlackBerry 1.7 terbaru. Kedua Feed tersebut sepintas tidak ada perbedaannya tetapi kalo diperhatikan seksama, menu "News Feed" berisi hal-hal yang paling yang paling menarik, paling banyak dikomentari atau disukai (Like) dan memungkinkan pengguna yang login dapat berperanserta di berita tersebut. Menu "View Live Feed" lebih ke arah berita terkini yang baru diposting oleh seluruh Friends, entah itu Status Updates, posting foto, posting video, Notes, Share Link atau yang lain dan jumlah berita yang ada akan terlihat dengan adanya angka di samping menu. Untuk kedua menu tersebut dapat diatur dengan klik "Hide" di sebelah kanan berita yang ada apakah akan selalu disembunyikan untuk Friends tertentu atau tetap ada. Trus kalo masih pengen lihat update secara khusus atau spesifik misalnya Status Updates, Photos, Video, Notes, Page atau Links masih tersedia di sidebar kiri jadi gak tercampur dengan update yang lainnya.

Perubahan kedua adanya tambahan pada fitur "Suggestions" yang biasanya hanya terdiri dari Suggestion Friend dan Fans Page, kali ini ada tambahan untuk membantu Friends yang baru menjadi pengguna Facebook dan masih belum lengkap. Contohnya Suggestion untuk menambahkan foto profil, daftar teman atau bahkan untuk mengisi Wall yang kosong, kadangkala ada semacam bar yang berisi prosentase. Untuk pilihan Sugggestions inipun dapat kita atur apakah memperlihatkan lagi saat membuka halaman utama atau tidak dengan melakukan klik pada tanda silang (X) sebelah kanan atau "Do not show this suggestion"

Silahkan mencoba fitur baru ini...

Written by: Tamtomo
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RIP GeoCities Today (1994-2009)

Yahoo! akhirnya menutup jasa hosting gratis di GeoCities mulai hari ini (26.10.09) sesuai pengumuman yang dikeluarkan di http://geocities.com/ dan bagi pengguna GeoCities yang memiliki file-file tersimpan di sana segera back up sebelum dihapus pihak GeoCities atau mengikuti pilihan kedua yakni upgrade atau pindah ke Yahoo! Web Hosting yang artinya harus bayar sekitar $4.99 per bulannya yang termasuk mahal buat pengguna di Indonesia apalagi segitu hanya untuk 12 bulan pertama, berikutnya sih lebih mahal lagi yakni $9.95 per bulan.

Pilihan kedua ini dijanjikan oleh Yahoo! lebih mudah dari sebelumnya dengan domain yang lebih personal artinya dapat menggunakan domain .com atau .net atau sejenisnya, dapat terkoneksi dengan account email Yahoo!, tools baru buat bikin web/ blog, unlimited disk space and bandwidth, premium customer support dan masih banyak lagi yang dijanjikan Yahoo!. Mungkin kalo untuk hosting mending pake hosting lokal yang mungkin lebih murah dan yang terpenting mengutamakan produk lokal.

Rencana penutupan GeoCities sebenarnya sudah diberitahukan ke pengguna beberapa bulan yang lalu untuk memberikan kesempatan memindahkan atau mengambil file-file yang tersimpan di server GeoCities dan bagi pengguna GeoCities mungkin gak terlalu peduli karena layanan GeoCities juga gak terlalu bagus di banding layanan sejenis yang marak di dunia blogging sebut saja layanan Blogger.Com dari Google atau Multiply.Com atau saat ini sudah banyak dilupakan dengan adanya layanan Social Networking seperti Facebook atau Twitter. Bagi saya sendiri ada banyak account di GeoCities dengan berbagai alamat email Yahoo! tetapi fitur Geocities selama ini hanya dimanfaatkan buat menyimpan file gambar, file statik html dan file musik yang digunakan sebagai penunjang blog di Blogger.com jadi mungkin gak terlalu masalah dengan penutupan ini.

Sebagai sebuah kenangan buat para netters, GeoCities ini berdiri tahun 1994 David Bohnett and John Rezner dari Beverly Hills Internet (BHI) sebgai tempat hosting gratis website pertama kali di dunia. Tahun 1999 GeoCities dibeli Yahoo! dengan nilai $3.57 billion tetapi perkembangan GeoCities gak terlalu bagus dan banyak masalah sampai ketika Yahoo! di tanggal 23 April 2009 mengimumkan tidak membuka lagi registrasi layanan GeoCities dan hari ini menyatakan secara resmi tutup di tanggal 26 Oktober 2009. Data terakhir GeoCities memiliki 177 juta pengunjung pertahun di tahun 2008 dan data kunjungan ini selalu menurun per tahunnya contohnya di bulan Maret 2006 sebanyak 18,9 juta pengunjung terus di bulan Maret 2008 sebanyak 15,1 juta dan akhirnya cuma 11,5 juta pengunjung di bulan Maret 2009.

Selamat jalan GeoCities banyak kenangan pada saat awal-awal mengenal internet dari mulai belajar bikin website sampai download ilegal file mp3 lagu-lagu lawas.... he.. he...

Berikut sejarah Logo GeoCities:

Logo GeoCities Saat Ini:

Logo Tahun 1999:

Logo Tahun 1990:

Logo Pertama 1994:

Written By: Tamtomo
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Pesta Blogger 2009, 8 Hours Live Tweeting Contest

Tulisan pertama dari edisi Pesta Blogger 2009 kali ini pengen berbagi tentang salah satu acara online yang disponsori oleh ACER Indonesia yang diberi judul Acer 8 Hours Tweeting Contest. Acara ini berhadiah 3 buah Netbook keluaran Acer yakni Acer Aspire One baru. Awalnya sih iseng-iseng aja sekalian update Twitter kenapa gak ikutan sekalian, dengan modal BlackBerry Bold beserta 2 buah batere Bold yang terkenal cepet kering, aplikasi UberTwitter serta account Twitter @tamtomo2 akhirnya membawa pulang satu Netbook. Lumayan juga sih nungguin doorprize gak dapet-dapet.

Acara 8 Hours Live Tweeting Contest dimulai dari jam 6 pagi sampai jam 2 siang saat berlangsungnya acara Pesta Blogger 2009. Gak nyangka sebelumnya terlewat satu pertanyaan di pagi hari dan baru ikutan jam 8an di pertanyaan atau tugas pertama dan kedua, untung tugas berikutnya dapat terlampaui termasuk terpaksa posting foto diri di TweetPhoto dengan pose di depan photowall. Cara ikutan juga gampang asal punya account Twitter dan follow account Acer @acerID dan selalu online buat ngikutin tugasnya cuman rasanya buat menangin netbook berat juga selain follower @acerID sudah 600an juga peserta lain lebih aktif.

Gak tau kenapa saat bengong nungguin Enda Nasution @enda bacaain aturan kuis kok tiba-tiba nama @tamtomo2 dipanggil pertama buat terima netbook. Ada tiga pemenang selain @tamtomo2 juga ada @atukesuma yang berhak bawa pulang netbook dan @bittersherry yang akhirnya gugur karena gak ada di tempat acara penyerahan hadiah. Satu netbook-pun akhirnya diundi buat doorprize juga. Sayang pada saat saya naik panggung gak sempat minta tolong difotoin... btw ada yang punya fotonya gak ya... boleh dishare atau di tag....

Miley Cyrus Address

Miley Cyrus

Hollywood Singer / Actress

Name: Miley Cyrus
Birth Name: Destiny Hope Cyrus
Height: 5' 4½
Sex: Female
Nationality: American
Birth Date: November 23, 1992
Birth Place: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Profession: Actress, Singer
Father: Billy Ray Cyrus
Mother: Leticia 'Tish' Cyrus
Sister: Noah Lindsey Cyrus
Brother: Braison Chance Cyrus
Half Sister: Brandi
Half Brother: Christopher Cody Cyrus and Trace
Grand Father: Ron Cyrus
Grand Mother: Ruth Ann Cyrus

Miley Cyrus' Address, Mailing Addresses, Fan Mail, Contact Addresses:

Miley Cyrus Address #1:
Miley Cyrus
"Hannah Montana"
It's a Laugh Productions, Inc.
5800 West Sunset Blvd.
Bldg. 11, Suite 201
Hollywood, CA 90028
USA

Miley Cyrus Address #2:
Miley Cyrus
Morey Management Group
1100 Glendon Avenue
Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90024
USA

Miley Cyrus Address #3:
Miley Cyrus
PMK/HBH
700 San Vicente Boulevard
Suite G 910
West Hollywood, CA 90069
USA

Miley Cyrus Address #4:
Miley Cyrus
c/o The Disney Channel
3800 Alameda Ave
Burbank, CA 915058

Miley Cyrus Address #5:
Miley Cyrus
P.O. Box 1459
Santa Box, California 90406
USA

Miley Cyrus Address #6:
Miley Cyrus
c/o BRC Spirit
P.O Box 1206
Franklin,TN 37065
USA

Miley Cyrus Address #7:
Miley Cyrus
CESD Talent Agency
10635 Santa Monica Blvd.
Suite 130/135
Los Angeles, CA 90025
USA

Miley Cyrus Address #8:
Miley Cyrus
Humphres & Associates, P.C.
415 4th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37201
USA

*** End of Miley Cyrus Address ***

Alphabeat - DJ

"Just let the music play"

I will have my thoughts on Alphabeat's new album The Spell next week, since I haven't really had time to digest it yet, and their debut was one of my favorites of the decade. Their sound has certainly changed this time around, swapping much of the duet format and kitschy 80's pop sound in favor of a more polished 90's dance style. But is it as good? That remains to be seen. One song, however, that is certainly up to snuff is the second track, DJ. Not only does it have Anders and Stine trading off vocals (as they should), but it features one of the most instant, catchy choruses on the album. And the verses... by far the best that the The Spell has to offer. It may not quite be the aural sequel to Touch Me, Touching You that I was hoping for, but it's still damn good.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Kite - I Give You The Morning

"Through the waving curtain wall the sun is streaming"

Swedish duo Kite have now officially released their long-delayed second EP, titled (what else?) II. It is even stranger than their debut, with five tracks--including their poppiest yet (Cannonballs) and their strangest (Hills = celt-ronica?). They've also included their cover of the Weeping Willow's I Give You The Morning, which is quite nice. There's something very unique about these guys, something that would catch my ear even if one of my favorite singers in the world wasn't the vocalist. With this track, they've turned a subtle folksy ballad into an electronic masterpiece. I'm not sure if they'll ever release a full-length album, but if they keep releasing EPs of this quality, I will be very happy indeed.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the EP here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Update Status & Terima Notifikasi Facebook Via SMS

Buat pengguna Facebook yang selalu pengen online via handphone tetapi gak ada aplikasi Facebook misalnya seperti yang ada di iPhone, BlackBerry atau Windows Mobile, saat ini selain dapat akses langsung via alamat m.facebook.com juga dapat menggunakan cara lain via SMS. Untuk cara pertama memerlukan koneksi internet alias GPRS harus aktif dengan kekurangannya tidah realtime online artinya harus refresh buat ngecek adanya notifikasi dari Facebook berbeda dengan aplikasi Facebook.

Yang dibicarakan saat ini adalah Update dan terima Notification dari Facebook via SMS atau Facebook Mobile Text, yang diperlukan cukup adanya pulsa yang tersedia tanpa koneksi GPRS sekalipun. Biaya yang dikenakanpun sesuai yang ditetapkan masing-masing operator. Fitur ini apabila sudah diaktifkan dapat digunakan untuk menerima semua Notification secara real time layaknya aplikasi Facebook seperti Friend Request, Messages, Wall Post dan Status Updates Friends. Fitur ini juga dapat digunakan untuk Update Status dan mengirim Message ke Friend cukup menggunakan SMS. Lumayan sih untuk model-model handpone yang gak mensupport GPRS tetapi tetap pengin online bersama Facebook.

Cara aktivasi Facebook Mobile Text ini setelah login Facebook di PC cari halaman Notification di alamat http://www.facebook.com/notifications.php trus cari sidebar sebelah kanan bawah setelah pengaturan Notification ada tulisan "Subscribe to Notification" klik aja yang "Via Text Message" trus ikuti petunjuk 3 tahap yang harus diikuti yaitu:

Step 1: Pilih negara dan operator yang digunakan. Untuk Indonesia baru mendukung untuk operator 3, Axis dan Telkomsel, operator yang lain belum terdaftar.

Step 2: Gunakan handphone, kirim SMS ke 32665 yang isinya huruf "f" (tanpa tanda petik).

Step 3: Tunggu balasan SMS tersebut yang berisi Kode Aktifasi, apabila tidak terima juga kode tersebut ulangi tahap 2 di atas. Apabila sudah terima Kode Aktifasi masukkan ke kolom yang tersedia.

Setelah semua tahap tersebut dilewati berarti fitur Facebook Mobile Text sudah dapat digunakan, coba dengan kirim Status Update. Silahkan mencoba fitur ini tetapi tetap ingat pemakaian pulsa yang digunakan.

Written By: Tamtomo

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Screenshot:

November 23rd, 2009: A Day of Pop History?

I think we need to declare an unofficial holiday.
Several days before Thanksgiving (in the States), three of the most anticipated albums of the year are released: Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment, Lady Gaga's Fame Monster and Rihanna's Rated R. I can't think of a single date since I first started buying albums with this many huge releases. And now that we've heard tasters (well, sorta) from each of them, my excitement is only growing.

Adam Lambert - Time For Miracles: Though this isn't on the album--and apparently doesn't represent the sound, either--this 2012 -featured track highlights the vocals and bombast I am most looking forward to. We haven't had a cinematic "movie" song like this in ages, and it's just fantastic. I'm counting down the seconds until the proper first single premieres.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance: The finished version of this single just premiered, and it's totally epic. I feel like this is the first track where all of her weirdness truly came together, and leads me to believe that the new album will be artier and more dramatic. Brilliant leaked track Alejandro supports this theory.

Rihanna - Russian Roulette: Not what anyone was expecting, this dark, haunting ballad may mark a real turning point. At the very least, it promises a more interesting, edgy album to come (rumored to be two discs?). It's not as immediate as the other artists' releases, but I love it already.

Donkeyboy - Stereolife

"How could I lose control?"

Norwegian sensation Donkeyboy finally release their first album today after months of having a gazillion tracks floating around the upper reaches of the charts. Stereolife opens the album, and it's one of only a handful of uptempo tracks. The band have such a sparkly, classic sound and a real gift for subtle melody that works its way slowly into your head. Stereolife is pretty instant, and utilizes that soaring falsetto to full effect. I've only had the chance to listen to the album once so far, but it's absolutely gorgeous. Maybe not the most instant, catchy thing of 2009, but definitely beautiful. And the singles, Ambitions and Sometimes, remain two of the year's best.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Dylan - In The Moonlight (Do You)

"Do you wanna do me?"

I mostly wanted to post this so that I'd have a chance to write about the brilliant new series Modern Family. For those of you who haven't seen it, it is (in addition to Glee) the best new comedy on the air. Shot in the documentary style of the Office, but utilizing it better--like Summer Heights, High did--it's the rare 30-minute series that manages to juggle an enormous amount of characters and find time to develop them all. This song comes from Wednesday's episode, and if you saw the show you'll surely remember why it was so funny in the situation. Subtle, it's not. Then ABC decided to take the snippet heard in the episode and produce a full song for download (and a music video!). The best part is, as stupid as it's meant to be, the track's pretty damn catchy. Sort of reminds me of Interpol? Maybe not quite, but it's freaking stuck in my head, for sure.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the song here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Kitty & The K - So Much For Fashion

"Being an icon is tough"

I wrote about Kitty & The K ages ago. They're one of those obscure Swedish electro groups that seem to disappear forever and then come back out of nowhere with a new single. It seems that their long-awaited debut album will finally be released next year. If I'm being honest, this track isn't nearly as good as their last single, but it's still nice to have them back. It's a very simple song, with a straightforward electro beat and melody. I think with the right producer these guys could be huge, and I'm excited to see what they do next. They also released a video for this track, which goes a long way in demonstrating their visual charm.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to more here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Track-by-Track: Shakira - She Wolf

Shakira hasn't disappointed me yet, and her winning streak continues with her new album, out this month. It's not the electro-dance masterpiece it could have been, but there's still plenty to love.

1. She Wolf - What to say about this song that hasn't been said already? It was a ballsy choice for a single, high on quirkiness and riding a disco beat that sounds like nothing else on American radio right now. I'm glad to see that the gamble paid off. This will be remembered as one of her signature moments. 10/10

2. Did It Again - At times this is more a series of grunts than an actual song, but the disparate elements do come together quite nicely. On first listen I didn't like it so much, and it's not nearly as strong or memorable as She Wolf, but I like it now. Very catchy. 8/10

3. Long Time - This is back to the Hips Don't Lie sound, and it's not really anything special or different, but it is fun, uptempo Shakira. 7/10

4. Why Wait - This one mixes sounds from tracks one and three, covering all of the bases. It's a strong album track, but definitely not single potential. It sounds more like the dance album Shakira had professed interest in making. 8/10

5. Good Stuff - A slower track with a strong melody in the chorus and more of a chanting verse. The middle eight is especially cool, here, and I love the instrumentation in the chorus. 9/10

6. Men In This Town - Along with the title track, this is definitely the pinnacle of the album. Pure electropop cheese with a brilliant melody and hooks upon hooks. This should definitely be a single. It feels very different than what people might expect from Shakira. 10/10

7. Gypsy - Another strong midtempo track. The lyrics and melody fit her perfectly. This song does a 180 from the last one, which makes it stand out in the context of the album. 9/10

8. Spy (ft. Wyclef Jean) - I don't know what to think about this one. Parts are very annoying, but the beat is quite good and the melody's pretty strong, too. It's an interesting experiment, but gets kind of old as it chugs along. 7/10

9. Mon Amour - This feels very much like it doesn't fit with the rest of the album. It's way rockier than anything else, though in a decidedly new wave/80's way. I feel like the production could be stronger, but the chorus is very nice and I love the hand claps. 8/10

10-12. Spanish versions of album tracks, so I won't review.

Album Grade: 8.4/10

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsovaborn June 27, 1985 in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) is a Russian professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 4. She won the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open singles titles and was the runner-up in singles at the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open.

Source : Wikipedia.com

Chromeo - Night By Night

"She says I'm not romantic"

Some things you can count on as fact: the Earth is round, the sun will come up tomorrow, and Chromeo will never disappoint. You know what you're going to get with these guys--a retro, uptempo, funky pop song framed as "electronic" music. Their new single, Night By Night, is no different. All their stuff basically sounds the same, after all. But why mess with a winning formula? No one out there now does this sound as much justice as these guys do. Their last album was brilliant and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one, though as far as I know no release date has been set yet. At least we've got the single already, a super-danceable track with a great synth riff that runs throughout. Actually, the synths in general are pretty fantastic this time around. I'm a big fan of the guitar solo, too. This is certainly up there with their best work.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the last album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Nick Heidfeld Sport Gallery

Nick Lars Heidfeld Image

Nick Lars Heidfeld (born May 10, 1977 in Mönchengladbach, West Germany) is a German Formula One racing driver, who is currently driving for the BMW Sauber team.

Despite his recent success, Heidfeld is yet to win a race during his nine seasons in Formula One. This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium. Heidfeld has now started over 150 races, so if he were to eventually win a race he would break the record for most starts before a maiden victory. This is currently held by Mark Webber, who claimed his first victory on his 131st attempt. Heidfeld also currently holds three other dubious records; he is the driver who has scored the highest number of world championship points without a Grand Prix win, shares the record for the most podium finishes without a Grand Prix win with Stefan Johansson, and has the most second place finishes without a win, with 8. He also holds the record for the most consecutive race classifications with a tally of 41, as well as the most finishes in a season when he finished all 18 races in the 2008 season.

Source : Wikipedia.com

Shakira - Men In This Town

"What's a girl supposed to do?"

I've always liked Shakira. I don't think that there's anybody else out there like her and I'm delighted that she's a werewolf now (just in time for Halloween!). Her new album is quite good, though most songs don't live up to the brilliant She-Wolf. The definite exception to this is Men In This Town, which her people need to release as a single pronto. She said she wanted a more electronic, dance feel to this album and it's not always evident on other tracks but this is definitely for the clubs. If you're still standing still by the time the uber-catchy breakdown after the chorus comes around, you really shouldn't be listening to this kind of music. The lyrics are a bit lame, yes (as Shakira's English lyrics often are), but the music more than makes up for it. It's just massive.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Janet Jackson Address

Janet Jackson
Hollywood Singer / Actress

Name: Janet Jackson
Birth Name: Janet Damita Jo Jackson
Height: 5' 4"
Sex: Female
Nationality: American
Birth Date: May 16, 1966
Birth Place: Gary, Indiana, USA
Profession: actress, musician
Education: California Preparatory School, Encino, California
Lanai Road School
Portola Middle School, Tarzana, California
Father: Joseph Walter Jackson
Mother: Katherine Esther Jackson
Sisters: LaToya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson
Brothers: Randy Jackson, Michael Jackson, Marlon David and Brandon Jackson,
Jermaine La Juane, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson
Half Sister: Joh'Vonnie Jackson
Grand Father: Prince Albert Screws, Samuel Jackson
Grand Mother: Martha Upshaw, Crystal Lee King

Janet Jackson's Address, Mailing Addresses, Fan Mail, Contact Addresses:

Janet Jackson Address #1:
Janet Jackson
Wright Entertainment Group, LLC.
P.O. Box 590009
Orlando, FL 32859
USA

Janet Jackson Address #2:
Janet Jackson
Management 360
9111 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA

Janet Jackson Address #3:
Janet Jackson
c/o Johnny Wright
Wright-Crear Management
3815 Hughes Avenue
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone: 310-841-4360

Janet Jackson Address #4:
Janet Jackson
c/o Kevin Huvane
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue Of The Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: 424-288-2000

Janet Jackson Address #5:
Janet Jackson
c/o Patty Webster
W&W PR
147 Union Avenue
Suite 1A
Middlesex, 08846
Phone: 732-469-5955

Janet Jackson Address #6:
Janet Jackson
c/o Donald S. Passman
Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown
132 S. Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Phone: 310-777-4800

*** End of Janet Jackson Address ***

Pop Blitz

Owl City - Fireflies
I don’t know what annoys me more about this song: the lame,
Poetry 101 lyrics or the needy, whiny vocals. All I know is that this song drives me crazy. I understand why people like it, but I cringe every time it’s on the radio. D-

Allison Iraheta - Friday I’ll Be Over U
Borrowing a page from Kelly Clarkson, Iraheta manages to conjure a more believable youthful energy in this post-Idol debut. In short, it’s way more fun than Clarkson. The funky guitar line certainly doesn’t hurt. A-

Jay Sean - Down
Utterly confused at how this climbed to number one in Billboard. There’s nothing overly offensive about it. It’s just not memorable at all. It’s not fast enough to dance to, though it seems to want to be a dance track. Pretty middling. C-

Britney Spears - 3
Probably my favorite Brit single since Toxic, this sounded like a hit from the first listen. Sure, her voice is processed to the point of being unrecognizable, but you can’t deny the hooks, of which there are plenty. A-

Justin Bieber - One Less Lonely Girl
The latest tween sensation’s second single is not as addictive as his first, but does improve as it moves along and certainly checks all the right boxes for this type of music. B

OneRepublic - All The Right Moves
I don’t think these guys will ever have a hit the size of Apologize again, and though this song shoots for “soaring,” it doesn’t really get off the ground. Tedder’s written better songs for others recently. C-

Alexandra Burke - Bad Boys
I’m not sure this track has gotten the credit it deserves in some circles. I, for one, was not expecting something of this quality for Burke’s debut. It’s got a quality, classic pop/r&b melody and, forgetting those Flo-Rida parts, is pretty damn flawless. A

Track-by-Track: Blake Lewis - Heartbreak On Vinyl

Might it be the best Idol record yet? If it isn't, it's certainly up there. I was not expecting on writing a review for this album, but I'm quite taken with it... far more than I would have thought.

1. Heartbreak On Vinyl - Here, on one song, Blake makes up for everything that went wrong with the last album. At once an epic dancepop anthem, a slyly politic rant on the state of independent record stores, and a wistful story-song, this track has everything. Very impressive. 10/10

2. Binary Love - Borrowing a page from David Guetta's book, this track features an aggressive techno-dance beat (one of the best on the album) and a robotic chorus that becomes more and more addictive by the second. 10/10

3. Freak - This dance track's fantastic verses are let down somewhat by a chorus that's a bit repetitive, but it fits nicely with the previous songs and is one of the better dance tracks on the album. 9/10

4. Sad Song - The first single, and actually one of the more underwhelming uptempos on the album. The song itself is great, but the problem I think comes in the mixing. The vocals and melody don't seem to mesh with the music as well as they should. 8/10

5. Rhythm Of My Heart - A slightly poppier song, this sounds much more mainstream than other tracks, though the bucketful of hooks ensures that every piece is worth listening to. 9/10

6. Afraid - Another more mainstream, modern electro/r&b midtempo. It sounds very Timbaland although it's produced by Rodney Jerkins (one of the biggest names on the record). Good, but a little generic compared to the rest of the material. 7/10

7. Left My Baby For You - Another absolute triumph, and tied for best song on the album. In some ways it sounds similar to Black Eyed Peas' monster hit I Gotta Feeling, though it's a million times better. A feel-good, summery pop hit with a ridiculous amount of hooks, great falsetto and one hell of a beat. Essential. 10/10

8. Rebel Without A Cause - The verses here are the best part of the song. It's got a very Police/Sting feel to it, if the Police/Sting went electronic. It's an interesting track, and a real grower. 9/10

9. SuperScratchaVocalisticTurnatableLicious - A minute-long interlude that serves no purpose other than to remind us that Blake is a beatboxer. I don't grade interludes, though this one isn't overly annoying nor overly necessary.

10. Come On Be Good - I love the melody of this, especially the bridge and the chorus. It sounds like something I've heard before, though I can't put my finger on it. Another uptempo. Very good. 9/10

11. Our Rapture Of Love - The first slow track on the album, and the weaker of the two. It's still quite nice, though. Blake's vocals sound brilliant on this album, and no more so than here. 8/10

12. The Point - A more interesting (melodically and lyrically), and seemingly more personal ballad. The vocals are especially nice, as is the melody. It would have been a perfect album closer. 9/10

13. The Remedy - This has got perhaps the catchiest and poppiest bridge on the entire album. It's back to straight-up pop music here, and this would be an excellent single choice because it's impossible not to like. 10/10

14. Love Or Torture (Please Don't Stop) - Another big dance track to end the album, this one has a bit of a garage sound. It's very nice, and very catchy, though it's not my favorite uptempo on the album. 8/10

Album Grade: 8.9/10

ZXing & Bar Code Google

Seperti postingan sebelumnya Google memperingati tanggal pendaftaran Paten Bar Code dengan logo khususnya berupa Bar Code. Banyak yang menduga kalo deretan garis-garis tersebut berupa deretan angka. Gambar di atas menjawab semua pertanyaan tentang Bar Code Google tersebut, dengan alat pindai atau barcode scanner terlihat bahwa logo Google tersebut diterjemahkan sebagai GOOGLE.

Kenapa sampai Google membuat logo peringatan Google juga terjawan dengan adanya salah satu project terbaru Google yang bersifat Open Source yang masih berhubungan dengan Bar Code. Yup, Google saat ini menggarap project ZXing alias Zebra Crossing salah satu multi-format 1D/ 2D barcode image processing libraryyang akan diimplementasikan pada pemograman Java, terutama penggunaan kamera built-in pada perangkat mobile yang dapat menerjemahkan kode-kode pada Bar Code tanpa melalui hubungan dengan slah satu server. Pada website ZXing dengan alamat http://code.google.com/p/zxing dapat terlihat apa aja Bar Code yang akan didukung termasuk perangkat mobile yang akan kompatible, tentunya Android yang merupakan salah satu OS milik Google akan menjadi backbone-nya.

OK kita tunggu aja salah satu project Google ini.

Written by: Tamtomo

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PING! BlackBerry Messenger Version 5.00 Now Available

Seperti postingan sebelumnya, hari ini RIM merilis secara resmi BlackBerry Messenger versi terbaru yang siap di download. Versi terbaru 5.0.0.33 ini memiliki banyak perubahan yang berarti dan sedikit berbeda dengan BBM 5.08 yang sudah duluan ada dalam versi Beta atau Leaked.

File berukuran 2.940 KB ini dapat langsung diunduh dan gratis via browser perangkat BlackBerry di http://blackberry.com/messenger atau via BlackBerry App World di http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/3729 . Aplikasi ini tersedia untuk semua jenis BlackBerry dan untuk semua negara tanpa terkecuali. Karena versi ini adalah versi resmi RIM maka jangan ragu buat menginstalnya, tidak seperti BBM 5.08 sebelumnya yang sering hang dan sering hilang dengan sendirinya. BBM versi terbaru ini juga udah kompatibel dengan OS 5.0 versi beta atau leak dan versi resmi yang akan rilis akhir tahun ini juga, tetapi untuk OS versi 4.0 atau 4.1 tidak dapat menggunakan kecuali sudah upgrade OS 4.5 atau lebih tinggi.

Pertama-tama harus backup dulu semua contact yang ada, kelebihan versi baru ini dapat menampung contact lebih banyak, bisa ribuan. Setelah backup selesai kunjungi alamat di atas trus ikuti petunjuk download sampai selesai, kalo ada pertanyaan YES or NO jawab aja YES sampai kita disuruh Reboot perangkat BlackBerry untuk mengganti dari versi sebelumnya. Apabila bermasalah dengan koneksi sehingga proses install terputus atau sudah selesai tapi ada masalah, coba Reboot dulu dan liat apakah sudah ada icon BBM terbaru atau buka aja Option-Aplicattion cek apakah sudah ada aplikasi BBM, apabila setelah Reboot masih bermasalah Delete aja aplikasi itu dari Option-Application tersebut dan install ulang dengan download OTA, apabila masih tetap bermasalah mungkin ada file tersisa dari BBM beta sebelumnya pakai aja Blackberry Desktop Manager lalu lakukan wipe atau delete atau hapus BBM yang lama lewat application loader, setelah delete, bersih, install ulang.

Apa aja sih kelebihan BlackBerry Messenger versi 5.00 ini? yang mencolok adalah adanya "Create BlackBerry Group", beda dengan yang ada di versi Leaked 5.08 tetapi pengelompokan dengan ikon ID, chatting, status updates per group termasuk juga broadcast message per group. Untuk pengiriman file juga lebih besar kapasitasnya sampai dengan 6 MB sehingga kalo transfer atau terima gambar gak lagi harus diresize terlebih dahulu. Untuk masalah backup data selain lebih besar kapasitasnya juga bisa melakukan secara remote alias disimpan di RMI atau hanya lokal di perangkat BB atau media card. Bar Code scan QR Code (bar code 2 dimensi) juga lebih mudah menggunakan kamera untuk invite contact atau group. Masalah tampilan BBM terbaru ini lebih nyaman dan enak dilihat termasuk juga lebih mudah mengorganisasikan task & event calendar yang ada.

Tulisan di atas belum semua mengulas kelebihan versi baru ini, silahkan explore sendiri apliakasi ini. Selamat ber PING! ria dengan BlackBerry Messenger Versi 5.0.0.33....

Written by: Tamtomo
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