Nov 18 2009 I'll Miss You: Pirate Bay Tracker Shut Down
Well folks, it happened. The Pirate Bay BitTorrent tracker officially kicked the bucket yesterday. What does this mean for Pirate Bay users?
Although the site will remain operational for now, millions of BitTorrent users will lose the use of its tracker and will instead have to rely on DHT and alternative trackers to continue downloading.
"Now that the decentralized system for finding peers is so well developed, TPB has decided that there is no need to run a tracker anymore, so it will remain down! It's the end of an era, but the era is no longer up2date. We have put a server in a museum already, and now the tracking can be put there as well" the Pirate Bay crew write on their blog.
And what does this mean for iTunes users?
iTunes sucks, there's no porn on iTunes.
HELL YES I QUOTED MYSELF IN AN ARTICLE! I know shit -- I can say things!
The Pirate Bay Tracker Shuts Down for Good [torrentfreak]
Thanks to Bill, who hasn't paid for music since the Green Jellö cassette with 'Three Little Pigs'.
Nov 17 2009 Playing Vocals On Rock Band With A Flute
This is a video of a woman "singing" the vocals on Afterlife's 'Avenged Sevenfold' in Rock Band 2 on expert with a flute. I've known you could do this for awhile because all that matters is that you hit the right pitch. WHICH, TEAM, IS EXACTLY HOW YOU HIT HOME RUNS. Now get out there and make coach-y proud, I'm betting on you.
Thanks to collin, ROCKY, bubbler and DJ JD, who have all tried the same thing with saxophones and failed miserably.
Nov 13 2009 Intergalactic Beats: Star Wars Gangster Rap
This is a Star Wars gangster rap and music video created by Bent TV. It was incredibly well made except the rappers didn't seem like real mf'ing g's. They looked like a bunch of pranksters and studio gangsters. YES I GOT THE RIGHT TO RAP ABOUT THAT. Check it this little ditty I just came up with:
Princess Leia, what a ho, I tossed her down the Sarlacc HoleThem Ewoks furry, tauntauns warm, I shot up the Death Star
Then got drunk off top-shelf liquor and had sex with like 30 AT-AT's
I AM THE HARDEST! HARDER THAN THESE DIAMOND CHAINS!
ALL NEW! Star Wars Gangsta Rap: Chronicles [atom]
Thanks to Jack, Angelina, Ringo and Mark, who are all hardcore mediumcore. Not bad!
Oct 30 2009 Making Not So Beautiful Music Together
Ever wanted a toilet seat that looks like a guitar? It's not high on my list of priorities either, but if you already have every other thing in the world maybe it's time for one. Jammin' Johns come in guitar and piano varieties and will set you back about $180. They go perfect in music themed bathrooms. Which -- oh God please tell me you don't have a themed bathroom. Unless it's beach themed, those are fine. I love the little shell soaps!
Hit the shot for another guitar and a shot of a piano.
Oct 27 2009 Another Auto-Tuned Science-y Song, Now With More Bill Nye The Science Guy!
This is the second song/video in the Symphony of Science series, a project designed by John Boswell to spit scientific knowledge in an auto-tuned musical format. The first chart topper was 'A Glorious Dawn' with Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. Now Carl is back with backup singers Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Feynman and Bill Nye, and let me tell you -- these beats are FREEEEEESH.
"We Are All Connected" was made from sampling Carl Sagan's Cosmos, The History Channel's Universe series, Richard Feynman's 1983 interviews, Neil deGrasse Tyson's cosmic sermon, and Bill Nye's Eyes of Nye Series, plus added visuals from The Elegant Universe (NOVA), Stephen Hawking's Universe, Cosmos, the Powers of 10, and more. It is a tribute to great minds of science, intended to spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through the medium of music.
Again, another job well done. Really made me want to blast off in my rocketship and crash into a planet. And by that I mean drop a bunch of acid and listen to these guys talk about outerspace while I roll around on the carpet.
Thanks to Lookaze, Austin, Marc, crispy85, eelee and meeotch, who travel across the country singing to children about possible careers in science but mostly just getting high in the tour bus. Need groupies?
Oct 26 2009 The Lullabelly: Music To Your (Baby's) Ears
The Lullabelly is a prenatal (I love those vitamins!) musical belt that pregnant women can strap on and connect to an MP3 player so they can play tunes to their babies while the little tykes are in utero. It's supposed to make them smarter or something but it will probably just make them want a drum set when they're young and fill your house with cacophony and make daddy drink more (I say go for it).
There's a volume control dial so things don't get too loud as well as a pocket for holding your player, and the whole thing is machine washable, after you take out the easy-to-remove speaker of course. It's available in 3 different fabric patterns (pink, green or blue polka dots) directly from the Lullabelly website for $55.
Pregnant women are beautiful, aren't they? God, sometimes I wish I could experience childbirth. But not as a father -- as a mother. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Did I get anybody? You all know me too well.
Lullabelly Prenatal Music Belt [ohgizmo]
Oct 25 2009 All Windows Start Up And Shutdown Noises
Ever wanted to hear all the Windows startup and shutdown sounds from Windows 3.1 to Vista (suck it, Windows 7, you can't play with us!) in one short 1:11 video? Well you're in luck, cause here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AYE AYE AYE!!!! Really brings back memories, doesn't it? Yeah, mostly bad ones, but still. Hey -- just be thankful you're not that guy in Momento.
Complete collection of Windows startup/shutdown sounds [dvice]
Oct 18 2009 Okay: Man Raps Eminem Songs In Klingon
This is a video of German rapper Klenginem covering Eminem's 'Without Me' in the Klingon language. Apparently this guy actually dresses up and plays gigs doing this. And, honestly, I'm not surprised, Germans are weird as shit. Videos. Case closed!
Klenginem: Eminem Meets Klingon [poppedculture]
Thanks to Matthew, Chrissy and dan, who, from the quality of their emails, don't even know one language. Kidding (but not really)!
Oct 15 2009 *Sniff* A Street Fighter 4 Love Song
This is a Street Fighter love song. It made me sad, especially after reading about missing balloon boy (who better just be hiding under a neighbor's porch). Anyway, it may not be as good as the Mario Kart love song, but it still got to me. And by got to me I mean I wept like a baby chopped down a sequoia with my bare hands and had sex with ten alligators. Excuse me, crocodiles. And there were twelve.
Hadouken: The Street Fighter 4 Love Song [techeblog]
Thanks to naas, who knows how to throw hadoukens in different colors because he practices black magic.
Oct 12 2009 Kill It With Fire!: A Robotic Talking Piano
This is a piano, which, through the use of the black magic and robotics, is able to speak in one of the scariest voices I've ever heard. Well, besides the one that comes attached to the figure that sneaks into my room at night and tells me to write dirty things on the internet. I think it's my uncle!
Thanks to J.D., Rodger and Alexandra, who are already planning to push this thing out a window.
Sep 21 2009 The LEGELLO: A Fully Functional LEGO Cello
Nathan Sawaya, a man best known for building the hell out of things with LEGO blocks, has created a fully functional cello out of the modular plastic bits. No word on what it sounds like, but if I had to guess, I'd say not good. But who am I to judge? I mean, BESIDES BEING THE GREATEST LEGO MASTER EVER?! Just saying, one time I built a Star Wars set and only had a few dozen pieces left over. L3333337!
Hit the jump for several more shots, a time lapse video of the build, and a LEGO guitar, just for the halibut.
Continue Reading " The LEGELLO: A Fully Functional LEGO Cello "
Sep 18 2009 Whee: Now You Can Kanye-Ify Any Website
It was only a matter of time before somebody did this. Because when I was watching the VMA's live from the back of the auditorium through the scope of a sniper rifle, I was wondering how long it would take after the Taylor Swift incident (I love you, Taylor -- you belong with me! Creepily) for somebody to make a Kanye-ify website. Apparently four days. Or maybe sooner, but I just found out about it yesterday. Just add http://kanyelicio.us/ to the front of any URL and presto: jackass everywhere!
Thanks to ViLLaiN, who is working on a Geekologie-ify website. Hell yes, ViLLaiN! I don't care if you are evil, you're a-okay in my book. And to Adam, who used kanyethis.com to make THIS little number. Jerk.
Sep 15 2009 'Today Was A Good Day': The Flow Chart
If there's two things I learned to love in college it's flow charts and communal showering. And this is by far one of the awesomest flow charts I've ever seen. It's right up there with the What Should I Eat? chart. Click HERE to see the flow chart in its entirety, which outlines all of Ice Cube's iconic 'Today Was A Good Day'. Now I know what you're thinking: how the hell can you even think about starting a good day with a hogless breakfast? Because one time I only had dry white toast and a poached egg and then got hit by the school bus. Coincidence?
Hit the jump to watch the music video and follow along with the chart.
Sep 10 2009 Are We Having Fun Yet?: New iPod Nano Shoots Video, Voice Records, FM Radios
Apple just released an updated iPod Nano which features a bigger screen, 640 x 480 video recording, voice recording, and FM radio capabilities. As usual, they come in all sorts of fun colors so you can match your media player to your eyes (Chinese girls do not come with green eyes -- anybody?!). 8 giggers cost $150 and 16 bangers $180. Is it worth an extra $30 to double your storage? You be the judge. I'll play the bailiff! Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Good, now where were you last night around 10PM? Because I was peeking in your bedroom window but you weren't theeeeere!
Thanks to Kamaren, smith and Todd, who still carry record players BECAUSE THEY'RE OLDSCHOOL LIKE THAT. I swear, you guys are so fresh.
Sep 2 2009 Record: 13,000 People Dancing To Thriller
13,957 people recently came together in Mexico to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller and set the world record for worst waste of a hot afternoon. Which, I might note, just beat out the previous record held by yours truly when I didn't drink one scorching afternoon in August.
Thanks to naas, who keeps asking me to call him the Thrilla from Illi(nois) but I refuse.
Aug 26 2009 Another Literal Music Video: Beck's 'Loser'
I know half of you love these literal music videos, and the other half wishes they'd fall in a volcano and die a quick, lava-y death (and not return from the ashes like a Phoenix). So for you literal video lovers out there, here's Beck's 'Loser', which just so happened to be one of my anthems in middle school. Not that I was a loser though, because I totally wasn't. I SAT BY MYSELF AT LUNCH BECAUSE I WANTED TO!
Loser: Literal Video Version [funnyordie]
Thanks to Aaron, who wasn't a real loser either, the man just loved wedgies.
Aug 24 2009 Eye Candy: Beautiful Dancing Smoke Video
This is a video created by Esteban Diácono to the music of Olafur Arnalds' Ljósið using "Adobe After Effects, particular v2, soundkeys and a little starglow". It's basically a bunch of smoke dancing around. But not like that shit in Lost!
i first imported the audio and set up 2 sounkeys layers, one for the piano and one for the strings. Then i worked the particles and the particle subsystem and linked things like the emission, the turbulence, the velocity, the spin amplitude and the strenght of the fields to the soundkeys outputs. Then i set up the colors with 2 different palettes, and well, after that there was a lot of trial and error in order to achieve what i was looking for. There's a lot of randomness involved in here, so there was also a lot of luck, of course.
I don't really understand any of that, but what's new? The important thing is that you just got paid for watching a three and a half minute video at work. High five!
The most amazing, beautiful and realistic piece of computer art I have ever seen [thenextweb]
Thanks to Andrew, who once inhaled some of that smoke and got all high as a kite and forgot to catch the bus.
Aug 18 2009 Music Video: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?
This is a music video for a song by The Guild titled 'Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?' And to answer your question, no. The Geekologie Writer does not do Night Elves. Dwarves, call me.
Thanks to Mel, who farms awesome like some poor saps farm WoW gold.
Aug 13 2009 RIP: Les Paul Has Left The Recording Studio
Les Paul, famed musician and inventor, has passed away.
Les Paul, who invented the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.
With Mary Ford, his wife from 1949 to 1962, he earned 36 gold records for hits including "Vaya Con Dios" and "How High the Moon," which both hit No. 1. Many of their songs used overdubbing techniques that Paul had helped develop.As an inventor, Paul also helped bring about the rise of rock 'n' roll with multitrack recording, which enables artists to record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording.
Wow, talk about changing the face of music. Good lookin', Les. Here's to joining that great jam session in the sky.
R.I.P.
Guitar legend-inventor Les Paul dies at age 94 [yahoonews]
Aug 12 2009 Kettle Plays Song Instead Of Just Whistling
The Musical Kettle, designed by Naoki Kawamoto, has some sort of electronically controlled flute attachment that allows the device to play a song instead of just a boring whistle when the water is boiling. Now, are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you answered, "rocking out with your teabags out to some Jethro Tull", you are. HEY AQUALUNG!
