Diatribes by Joah

A few pics from the train from Nagano, Japan

Sharing a Facebook Status Update (from Christmas)

This was originally posted on my Facebook wall on Christmas and I don't typically share those things as blogs, but I thought this one kinda made sense.  - js

I do the same prayer every night. It's actually been the same since I was around 17 years old. I thank God for the many blessings he's bestowed upon the world, with quite a few of those benefiting myself and my loved ones. I ask for forgiveness, and the ability to learn from my mistakes. I ask that I be given the opportunity to meet and learn from new people and treat the people I already know and love as treasures in my life, live in and travel to places my worldview is expanded and improved by, and be granted situations and circumstances that help me get closer to fulfilling whatever purpose it is that He has for me. I pray for safety, security, health and understanding for the people of this world, especially the people who've touched my life and continue to do so today. I pray that we constantly learn that it's not always the blessings we're in need of or should ask for directly, but the ability to receive those blessings and maximize the benefits of them to others and ourselves. Most of all, I do this not as an incredibly religious person. Not as a frequent churchgoer. I can't say I've been to church in half a decade. Not as someone who is perfect or even close to perfect. Can't say I ever will be, either. Not as someone looking for favors every day of the week, month and year. Can't say I'm not mightily blessed though. But instead, I do this because it's the single most important thing anyone can do. Have a conversation with God. Whether you're Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or Shinto or Mormon (since there are a few of those), this is the most important thing you can do. I'm not big on proselytizing so please don't take it as such. I am, however, a fan of sharing. Social sharing. Experience sharing. Lesson sharing. This past month has been all about Music Sharing. So on this day, whether you get into the gift-giving craze or not, remember it's really all about sharing. Sharing in the life of Jesus, yes. But also sharing a sense of family, friendship and kinship and togetherness around blessings received throughout the year. At least that's what it means to me. I try to get better at sharing everyday. I don't always succeed, but I do always try. When I fail, I pray to be given another opportunity. I write all this to say a huge THANK YOU to each and everyone of you for sharing a little piece of your life and lessons with me. May I return the favor aplenty in 2012 and beyond.

Take That NME! The Top 25 Tracks of the Last 15 Years

OK, so here's the long-awaited finale! Before you get all your complaints and comments ready...which is certainly what these types of lists are made for...make sure to check out the other 125 songs on the list. Your favorite song may have made the list in an earlier spot, or perhaps missed it altogether. Regardless, do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes here before you read what's below. Or just have at it. Your call. We stand by our earlier claim that we could put together a better 150 track list than NME. You be the judge.

25. Notorious B.I.G. "Hypnotize" - B.I.G. died too soon, but  left us will a love for rap that flourished over the 15 years since.

24. Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out" - Franz peaked too soon, but is still pumping out quality.

23. Amy Winehouse "Rehab" - I'm really upset she didn't go to Rehab, after all.

22. The Verve "Bittersweet Symphony" - Best use of a sample on this list, and it wasn't for a rap song.

21. Adele "Rolling in the Deep" - And the winner of ALL the 2012 Grammys is...

20. Dr. Dre feat. Eminem "Forgot About Dre" - For the record: we never actually forgot about you, Dre.

19. Fiona Apple "Criminal" - The video was, and still is, a little pedo…but made sense.

18. Juvenile "Ha" - The song that put NOLA on the board as more than a fad. Say "thank you" Lil' Wayne.

17. Interpol "PDA" - Perfect collection of items you want in a song from this period: lyrics, strong chorus (that wasn't too chorusy), and an epic ending.

16. Coldplay "Yellow" - The first few notes should remind you how magical Coldplay songs can make you feel.

15. Rage Against the Machine "Testify" - If Rage wasn't around, you'd have to invent them. Occupy should raise some funds to have them make a new anti-establishment anthem.

14. Jay-Z "99 Problems" - No, Jay, a b*tch definitely is not one of your problems. But diapers may be one pretty soon.

13. Outkast "Hey Ya!" - Would not have been out of place in 1964…it's a timeless track.

12. Daft Punk "One More Time" - The dance song that set the tone for the last decade of dance songs.

11. Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" - They made sure the music world knew their name by the end of the Grammys.

10. Eminem "Lose Yourself" - The story of his life really - one of the best, non corny, songs about going for your dreams….and generally just saying "f*ck it, I'm going in"

9. Kanye West "Jesus Walks" - Still amazed labels didn't sign him after this one.

8. Radiohead "Paranoid Android" - It's long, and it took a second to digest everything from the lyrics to the sound, because there is nothing in their catalog like this track, before or since.  Played like a short concerto.

7. Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" - What hasn't already been said about this song?  One of the few songs I've heard that floored me.

6. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind" - Actual New Yorkers were proud of this song.  Have to like the pride Jay shows for his city. Made Sinatra take a back seat.

5. LCD Soundsystem "All My Friends" - Some people could put this at the top.  The best written song on this list. Murphy (and possibly Alex Turner) is the best song writer during this list's time period.

4. Radiohead "How to Disappear Completely" - The dreariest, most depressively amazing song written in our era.

3. The Shins "New Slang" - Pretty much awesome in every way; managing to be slightly sunny, while displaying immense apathy for life in general, and even some jealousy for people with (perceptibly) better lives.

2. The Strokes "Last Nite" - The perfect indie pop rock track.

1. Radiohead "Pyramid Song" - The first 8 bars.

 

Awards:

Most Impressive Country: Britain - Must we elaborate?

Most Outstanding Soundtrack - Garden State

Most Popular Genre: Indie Rock - the last six years especially as music festivals like Coachella, Pitchfork and ACL Fest have become something like a career-building ground for these artists.

Most Important Genre (last 15 years): Hip-Hop/Rap - Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye West, Outkast, Dr. Dre, and T.I. all had multiple songs on the list.

Most Overlooked Genre: R&B - Maxwell, Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott missed out, while Sade, Beyonce, Rihanna and Usher got in...R&B just doesn't translate as well across generations and airwaves. One of the reasons why even Rihanna and Usher are sounding more like electronic and pop artist than ever these days.

Most Offended Genre: Country - We'd apologize, but we're not sure what tracks to apologize for. "Breathe" by Faith Hill? Eh. Then we're finding ourselves adding more pop songs like "Smooth" by Santana feat. Rob Thomas. Songs that just don't mean anything beyond the fact that at some point they were on top of the Billboard chart and had no significant contribution to the musical path that followed over the last decade. No thank you.

Most Influential Artist: Jay-Z - On the list 8 times as an artist and over a half dozen unrecorded assists through proteges Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna and Jay Electronica

Most Potent Artist: Radiohead - 3 in the top 10; 2 more in the Top 100

Most Missed Artist: Wilco - how did this happen? Simple. They're too damn good at making great albums instead of mega popular tracks. Something bands like Kings of Leon could learn plenty from.

Most Annoying Artist: Herbie Hancock - he didn't have a track make the list, but he once stole a Best Album Grammy from Kanye West for doing Joni Mitchell cover songs. He then had the audacity to say it was an historic win for "Jazz" as if to say Joni Mitchell was a legendary jazz artist. Herbie should've been knocked down a couple of notches for that statement instead of rewarded. He's a legendary jazz musician, but he should know full and well that doing Joni Mitchell covers does not sit alongside the likes of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and Getz/Gilberto.

Black Friday or Green Monday... Holiday Shoppers Ride the Rainbow

[The following post originally posted on HuffingtonPost.com]

It's not just Santa coming to town, but an epic transformation in commerce. The holiday season gives us a glimpse into the future of shopping behavior, and we're not too far from online shopping becoming the modus operandi of American consumers. Strip malls may never be the same.

According to comScore, e-commerce spending is up 15 percent for the first 39 days of the 2011 holiday season. The nearly $25 billion spent online in that period should not be viewed simply as an indication of lots of holiday cheer. With more online shopping taking place throughout the year, and online consumer confidence tracking with it, the notion of having to go to the store is leaving our collective memories.

Meanwhile, online shopping strategies improve with the proliferation of customer ratings and reviews on brand and retail sites, Facebook fan pages with dynamic shopping apps and mobile device technology aimed at streamlining on-the-go customers.

Etsy, the online destination for all things handmade and vintage, is one of the companies best positioned to benefit from this shift in shopping behavior. The company's remarkable growth under CTO-turned-CEO Chad Dickerson may seem technology-driven, but it's also about consumer buying patterns.

"On Etsy, peak holiday shopping begins with Black Friday and continues through the following weeks. This year our community sold a record amount of goods on Cyber Monday," said Emily Bidwell from Etsy's merchandising team. "Tuesday's sales surpassed that amount, and continue to be strong. In our view it's not about one date on the calendar; it's a time of year when people take advantage of the opportunity to find all their gifts at a value."

And that last word, value, is where it really starts to get interesting. With online retailers being challenged by flash sale sites like Park & Bond, the GQ-Gilt Groupe menswear site, and One Kings Lane, which specializes in housewares, both perceived and real value is on a premium.

Speaking at the Wharton Business School's BizTech event after Black Friday, Edison Ventures' Mike Kopelman said, "the barrier to enter the flash deals business is not high, but the barrier to endure is. "

This may be true, but even if sites like Jack Threads and Fab.com don't have long life spans as businesses, the short-term impact on major retailers and consumer behavior is huge. They are re-writing what value means to consumers, along with companies like Groupon and LivingSocial, which raised another $176 million from private investors recently.

It used to be that Black Friday was a day that consumers knew they'd get the absolute best deal and the most value. That's why the alarms were set and the cars packed with gifts shortly thereafter.

Now there's Green Monday the following week, which happens be called Cyber Week. And Free Shipping Day -- the last day to get a gift delivered before Christmas Eve -- which falls on Dec. 16th this year -- so more price-conscious deals are to be expected. All that said, why worry about being trampled at the entryway to some big box retailer and missing time with the family (or sleep) if that same deal -- if not a better one -- is available the following week or month online?

Perhaps this is a thought one will soon have. But...

"It's not about shopping in person one day, then online another. People are shopping in different channels and expecting the same experience no matter where they are," said Etsy's Bidwell.

Well, OK. So if the Black Friday experience -- at least the fun, shopping-spree experience -- is still desired online, where will consumers go? The main thing that online shopping sites don't provide compared to their brick-and-mortar brethren is a feeling of shared experience and interest. We may all be fighting for that Tickle-Me Elmo or Banana Republic sweater, but at least we're fighting for the same reason.

Lyst.com, a social curation startup that combines features of Twitter with elements of music discovery sites like Last.fm, provides a look at a possible answer. Its members sign up and receive a personalized feed of fashion items relevant to their own tastes. So there you go, reaching for that sweater knowing someone else shares your interest.

"Socially-curated shopping was designed principally to help people discover items for themselves, however, it's now changing the way gifts are bought online as well," said Lyst.com CEO Chris Morton. "Users can now share detailed lists of items they love with friends and family to make sure they get the perfect present as the holiday season approaches."

As the reliance on Black Friday, and brick-and-mortar shopping trips, decreases and the focus on online increases, companies like Etsy, Gilt and Lyst.com stand ready to support your search for unique gifts that come with the backing of a community. But even if it's not them on the front lines, major e-retailers like Walmart and Macy's are certain to adjust to the changing landscape, as well.

Many of these Fortune companies and fashion retailers are already populating their sites with customer conversations in the forms of ratings, reviews, questions, answers and customer stories. The next layer will involve bringing your social networks onto these sites, or vice versa.

Ultimately, you may have to give up that feeling of finding some amazing deal hidden away from the view of others on a Black Friday morning in some back aisle or discounted clothing bin of a big box retailer. In exchange, you'll end up with a lot more time to make your gift purchases backed with the kind of buying confidence that only your friends and family -- Facebook friends and Twitter followers included -- can give you.

Regardless of how it all transpires and what's gained or lost, we should all be pretty excited about the things to come both with the holidays and in the world of commerce.

 

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#50-#26) of the Last 15 Years

We've already shared half of our list of the Top 150 tracks of the last 15 years, so make sure to check back here. Some early highlights: 30 of the first 100 songs were hip-hop/rap; 13 others were by women; and Jay-Z leads so far with 5 songs (including one guest appearance) with Kanye West and Outkast trailing with two songs a piece.

1997, our earliest year, leads the list with 10 of the first 100 songs followed by 2000 and 2009 with 9 songs each compared to 8 songs in 2003 and 7 songs in 1998, 2001 and 2006, 6 in 2005 and 2007 and 5 for 2002, 2004 and 2010. 2008 and 1999 bring up the rear with 3 and 2 songs, respectively. Now, we're ready to dive into the Top 50.

50. Beck "Lost Cause" - One of the best songs on heartache ever.  The whole album helped me through a break-up.

49. Kanye West "Stronger" - Kanye's "Thriller"; put him over the top across all demographics.

48. Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" - The sweetest track on this list.  Her voice is like warm honey in your ear.  But not really - you could get an infection like that.

47. Sade "By Your Side" - Cannot go wrong putting this on for your significant other.

46. Missy Elliot "Get Ur Freak On" - Vintage Missy - pop and eclectic.

45. LCD Soundsystem "Daft Punk Is Playing In My House" - The party song for the indie snob set.

44. Beyonce "Single Ladies" - Co-written by a man (The Dream), this is the best of Beyonce's anthems.

43. Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" - Seems like they would've been able to capitalize off this track more.

42. M.I.A. "Paper Planes" - …don't you miss it?  This was when M.I.A.'s appeal seemed semi authentic.

41. Dido "Thank You" - Basically the "my life sort of sucks, but not really because I have this amazing man" song.

40. Clipse "Grindin'" - I once saw an old white man nod his head to this - on the beat.

39. Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - Put her in the stratosphere - from which she purposefully stepped down from.

38. Linkin Park "One Step Closer" - …"SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"  How many cubicle dwellers used this track to wild out Office Space style on the fax machine?

37. Outkast "Rosa Parks" - Country sh*t + bass + great sing along chorus + "man…this dudes can rap" = awesome.

36. Radiohead "Karma Police" - Probably should be higher (which could be said about most of the their song on any list).  A song about basically being a hater, and then realizing it's stupid.

35. Green Day "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" - A departure for Green Day - and the song that should have probably tipped everyone for their future pop turn.  Excellent "these were great times" track.

34. Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Another Neptunes track; testament to Snoop's incredible ear and staying power.  He always makes the right move.

33. The Killers "Mr. Brightside" - Poppy, fun, nostalgic, and thematically straightforward.

32. Rihanna feat. Jay-Z "Umbrella" - "Ella, ella,, eh, eh, eh……"  And then the video with the umbrella act.

31. Arcade Fire "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" - The start of who will probably end up as one of the great bands of all time.  All the familiar sounds you'll hear: lush instruments, the distinct voice, and real life lyrics.

30. Justin Timberlake "SexyBack" - Another Timbaland production. I guess Sexy needs to bring JustinBack now.

29. Blur "Song 2" - Explosive, short, and to the point.  Would've never figured animated gorillas would have been the next step for someone in Blur.

28. Queens of the Stone Age "Better Living Through Chemistry" - A collage of influences (bongos?!)  An anti-drug song - not in the "just say no" mode, but in the "people need to just understand what they are doing, even if it's doctor-prescribed" mode.

27. The White Stripes "7 Nation Army" - At the height of their powers; that they were able to generate so much sound, with few instruments was amazing.

26. Eminem feat. Dido "Stan" - The best crazy fan song ever. And Dido's Thank You was good enough to make this song even better than her own.

That's what's up...on SXSW.com

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#75-#51) of the Last 15 Years

In case you missed the first 75 songs of the list, make sure to check back here before diving into what's to come.

75. Jay-Z "Public Service Announcement" - Sorry, Jay. You will never need to introduce yourself again.

74. Kanye West feat. Pusha T "Runaway" - Pusha T deserves a lot of credit for making songs like this and Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" absolute breakout tracks.

73. The White Stripes "Fell In Love With a Girl" - Is Jack White going to write a song about falling out of love with a girl, too?

72. Thievery Corporation "Lebanese Blonde" - The Garden State soundtrack should be on any "best albums of the decade" list, largely due to this track.

71. Roni Size & Reprazent "Brown Paper Bag" - Completely transformed and elevated D&B music.

70. Massive Attack "Teardrop" - You may have missed this one. Listen again.

69. The Hives "Hate to Say I Told You So" - One of the most underrated bands of the last decade with a killer album.

68. LCD Soundsystem "Someone Great" - Not the biggest band in the world. But certainly one of them.

67. Kanye West "Power" - They run the town. They have the power. They sit on the throne. Kanye has it all.

66. Modest Mouse "World At Large" - Float On is "the" Modest Mouse song, but this one is even better.

65. Jay-Z feat. UGK "Big Pimpin'" - The most hypocritical rap song ever now that Jay-Z is married. But I'm assuming he didn't think a woman like Beyonce existed when he rapped this, either.

64. Arcade Fire "Keep the Car Running" - This is a road-trip favorite, and I've taken several of them between Texas, South Carolina and New York over the years since this song's release.

63. The National "Mistaken for Strangers" - If you're ever feeling lonely or downtrodden, just think back to a time before you listened to The National.

62. Foo Fighters "My Hero" - Dave Grohl is definitely one of the 10 most important people in music over the last 20 years. Nirvana. Foo Fighters. Them Crooked Vultures.

61. Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood" - A song that just feels different than most music you'll hear on the radio.

60. T.I. "What You Know" - T.I.'s jail time has stymied his career somewhat. Thinking back to this song reminds me of when he was at the top of his game.

59. The Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1" - Like Gorillaz, The Flaming Lips are expert song-makers and the sounds they use leave you with a sensation of loftiness.

58. The Mars Volta "The Widow" - It's hard to pick just one song of theirs, but this is probably where any newcomer should start.

57. Wu-Tang Clan "Triumph" - "What you thought you wasn't gon'a see me!? …Wu-Tang is here forever…m*thaf*cka!"

56. B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars "Nothing on You" - From Triumph to Nothing on You shows you the transition in "rap" music today.

55. Phoenix "1901" - This song should be in every bar jukebox in America. It probably already is.

54. MGMT "Electric Feel" - Too bad they don't perform this song live as well as it sounds on the record.

53. Usher feat. Ludacris "Yeah!" - Lil' Jon was relevant for a minute, and Usher was king for about a year with this one.

52. Kings of Leon "Use Somebody" - Before they were mainstream, they were cool.

51. Outkast "Ms. Jackson" - The most important rap group of the last 20 years because of songs like this.

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#100-#76) of the Last 15 Years

And now we break into the Top 100 of this list! But make sure you check out the first 50 songs of this list before checking out what's below.

#100 - Radiohead "No Surprises" - An awesome song about feeling suicidal.  Um…yeah basically.

#99 - Red Hot Chili Peppers "Scar Tissue" - A song of isolation and recovery.  A sobering track - pun somewhat intended.

#98 - Portishead "All Mine" - The scariest love song on this list.

#97 - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z "Crazy in Love" - The DC flavor drives the track.  And the video.  Good God.

#96 - Passion Pit "Little Secrets" - With artists like Justin Timberlake spending time away from music, Friendly Fires and Passion Pit have helped to bridge the pop gap.

#95 - Justin Timberlake feat. T.I. "My Love" - Speaking of...this song pretty much cemented Justin as an R&B star on par with his contemporaries (e.g. Usher) at the time.

#94 - Outkast "The Way You Move" - Outkast in pop mode, with an R&B feel on it, and some bass.  Appealed to everyone…literally everyone.

#93 - N.E.R.D. "Lapdance" - Introduced a guy I wanted to hear more from - Lee Harvey.  Didn't happen.  One of the funniest tracks on the list.  Party starter.

#92 - Muse "Hysteria" - Seemingly about a sudden compulsive man who wants what he wants, maybe from a prostitute.  But could have a political subtext - this is Muse.

#91 - Lupe Fiasco "Kick, Push" - Underground bubbling up.  Not always sure if he wasn't just capitalizing on the skate fad turned institution - but it was timely.

#90 - Kanye West "Through the Wire" - A young, super hungry Kanye, mouth wired shut.  Serious lyrics and a soulful beat to match.

#89 - Here We Go Magic "Fangela" - You can't tell me you don't feel something when you listen to this song.  Just feels good.

#88 - Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg "Still D.R.E." - The piano sample is oddly, repetitively dope.  And then, Snoop is on it…that's enough.

#87 - Coldplay "Trouble" - People like to make fun of Martin's feministic tendency in the lyrics and piano.  But he's mostly used it to great effect - specifically on the debut album and this track.

#86 - Elbow "Grounds for Divorce" - Heard everywhere.  The rare awesome Brit song that had broad appeal.  I never go angry when I heard it for the 50th time in a day.

#85 - Bj0rk "Hunter" - Probably could have had other songs on this list.  Ethereal and provocative.  Like nothing else on this list.

#84 - Jay-Z "Takeover" - Took over the #1 spot with this - hasn't really let it go since.

#83 - Skream "Midnight Request Line" - Single-handedly put dubstep into the necessary ears.

#82 - Arctic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" - Is he one of the best songwriters of the last 10-15 years…or more?

#81 - Doves "Black and White Town" - Rock for the adults - best feature of Doves is the maturity the put in everything.  They always sing and play like grown men.

#80 - Incubus "Wish You Were Here" - Song title says it.  One of the best songs ever for longing.

#79 - Jagged Edge feat. Nelly "Where The Party At?" - For a while there, both Jagged Edge and Nelly were untouchable when it came to helping girls get on the dance floor.

#78 - Bloc Party "Helicopter" - Political, fast, with an Asian drummer, and a black homosexual at the lead.  Awesome post punk…actually wish this mini-era lasted longer.

#77 - Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl" - Even Chris Rock's jokes got better thanks to this song.

#76 - Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks" - Those pianos again.  (Did the slow down the pianos from Still DRE, like Kanye did with XXXplosive drums???...I kid.) Sunniest song about a crappy relationship with a clingy parter.