02:31 PM
Music Want a free iPod?

FreeiPods.com

This is for real, I've seen a couple other bloggers get iPod or the gift certificates (and I only need two more people to sign up thru the above link to get mine). A couple caveats, first: use a throwaway address, sign up at hotmail or fastmail.fm or yahoo or something) because the way they can afford to do this is by sending you spam (although I've been able to opt out from all but two of the spams).[1] Then once you get your iPod, just abandon the address. Second: choose an offer like Stamps.com which gives you instant credit so then you can cancel before the end of the free trial period. If you sign up for Blockbuster, the free trial is 14 days but you have to be signed up with them for 15 days for it to qualify for the free iPod, so you'd have to pay for a month of Blockbuster to qualify. But if you want to try out Blockbuster and you're willing to pay $20, it's a good deal too.

Still wondering if this is for real? From a friend, I found another site with lots more info about the operation and yes, it's for real.

Edited to add: FreeiPods doesn't accept PO boxes when you're signing up, you have to give a street address. Found this out from a friend living in a rural area that doesn't have home mail delivery, just PO boxes at the post office in town.

[1] I have since realized that there's a checkbox for "I would like to receive promotional emails..." just to the left of the "Next Step" button. If you uncheck that box before clicking the button, you won't get spammed. I was a doofus and ran right past that so I got spammed. My own fault, not theirs. :)

09:55 PM
Music Want a free iPod?

I do! :) I've been watching reviews of this freeiPods website to see if it's for real and I've see two reputable bloggers try it out and get their free iPod or gift certificates (one chose the iPod, the other chose the gift certificates). So I did it too, I signed up for the Blockbuster DVDs (similar to Netflix), it'a a two week free trial and I'll cancel before the end of the two weeks (since I already use Netflix) so it won't cost me anything to do this. The other offers I could have chosen were things like Columbia House DVDs (get 5 DVDs for 49 cents), BMG Music Service (get 12 CDs for the price of one), Netscape Unlimited Internet Service (one month free), the NY Times home delivery, Stamps.com and others.

If you're interested, please use this link to check it out, you can be one of my five referrals.

(and then post your referral link in your blog to get your friends to be your referrals. :))

Note - this offer is only good for US citizens, I believe and you will most likely need a credit card to sign up for one of the offers, even if you are signing up for a free trial period, they still want your credit card.

Edited to add one more caveat: Use a disposable email address like at Hotmail or Yahoo for signing up, one that you can simply abandon once you're done with freeiPod. I got spammed within literally minutes by three "partners" of theirs, I opted out of all three but since I did use a special address for only freeiPod, I'll just delete it once I'm done with them.

07:24 PM
Music· Politico· Rants & Whines More RIAA Whining

From CNN: Music biz seeks digital radio limits (06/11/04 13:58 PM, EDT)
Digital radio broadcasts that bring CD-quality sound to the airwaves could lead to unfettered song copying if protections are not put in place, a recording-industry trade group warned Friday. Read the full story

This just leaves me speechless...you know, we could solve the RIAA's problem, we could just not ever listen to music again. This is so stupid! As all the other stupid stuff they've done, suing kids and having them parade around in commercials parroting the RIAA-authored dialog about how they're so glad they're not stealing music anymore.

Sheesh. I sure hope the digital radio people don't get beaten down by the RIAA into providing lower quality sound. As for me, I'm back to boycotting buying CDs again. I'll stick to buying direct from the artists or stealing it, call it civil disobedience against the Ashcroft-style maneuvers of the RIAA Nazis, I say fuck'em.

08:50 PM
Music Spin on a Red Brick Floor

Rock 'n roll saved my soul and music brings me alive! Music! Is there a song that makes you have to get up and dance? Something that makes you have to move, bounce up and down in your chair, flinging your arms about? I hope so! Music is the breath of life to me, every emotion pouring out of one song or another, joy to make me dance madly about, sorrow to make me weep for the sad things, anger making me stamp my feet and throw my fist in the air! The peacefulness of the night on the trip home after an evening of friends, food and wine, tiredness at the end of the working day and the rush hour traffic, the excitement of other countries in songs in foreign languages, Gaelic, German, Russian... It all depends on the song and writer, it's all there in one song or another.

For the record, atm, it's Natalie MacMaster's The Drunken Piper. It would also be her New York Jig if I could just get it downloaded from Kazaa. And sometimes it's The Captains of Orange Street which reminds of Duncan and Amanda in the Highlander ep where she was a Rowdy Girl. Or Belinda Carlisle's Mad About You, or Leann Rimes' But I Do Love You...or Nanci Griffith's Woman of the Phoenix and Three Flights Up and Morning Song for Sally... I'm gonna go listen to some more music and dance the house down!

Spin on a Red Brick Floor

Well I could use a little spin on a red brick floor in a crazy old bar where Tim locks the door and the walls are ringing, the strings are gonna bend, it's a buss on the cheek from all my old lovers again

and it's the Blue Ridge Mountains at the full of the night, it sure feels good when you cross that line tonight, tip my cup, I holler at the moon, I said the Great White North, honey, here's to you, sleep tight

and I've gone crazy on this road with all of this traveling alone but the asphalt is burning tonight

oh the New England spring's been good to me, there's been a warmth of linen and good lines to ring, but now I miss my native tongue cause New York City sort of brings out the stupids in me

I got one more stop down in Tennessee, my sweetheart's there and waiting on me and then it's on down the road, kicking east Texas dust, I'll catch my breath of that hot Houston neon buzz

and I've gone crazy on this road with all of this traveling alone but the asphalt is burning tonight

and I could use a little spin on a red brick floor in a crazy old bar where Tim locks the door and the walls are ringing, the strings are gonna bend, it's a buss on the cheek from all my old lovers again

yeah I could use a little spin on a red brick floor in a crazy old bar where Tim locks the door and the walls are ringing, the strings are gonna bend, it's a buss on the cheek from all my old lovers again

  -- Nanci Griffith, On Fair Summer Evening, recorded live at Anderson Fair in Texas

02:05 PM
Music Spin round a red brick floor

I am in love! With Spinner, I installed ages it ago and then got tired of it, not enough stations or music and commercials like regular radio and I removed it at some point. But a friend mentioned renaissence music on Spinner in her blog and so I tried it again, it's definitely changed, it's partnered with Netscape now and so there's tons more stations and music and they have a Celtic channel! Nothing but lovely Irish music and no commercials, it's wonderful to listen to! It's a good combination of instrumental and vocal stuff, Chieftains and so on.

And there's a good selection of rock stations and some good classical ones too so I can maybe learn what kinds of classical I like. And they have Holiday channels, one of them is classic stuff, all the old dorky stuff I like, like Ray Connif!

12:34 AM
Music Tune in, turn on, drop out

Put David Bowie/Queen's Under Pressure on Winamp, turn on the full screen visualization and turn out all the lights and just sit there staring at the screen...it's just like being stoned, absolutely hypnotizing, I could do this for hours and it doesn't give me the munchies! :)

01:16 AM
Music· TV Now that's pop music!

Watching Hidden Hills on TV and the theme song is the Monkees' Pleasant Valley Sunday so I just had to put on the original on Winamp, along with Last Train to Clarksville, Daydream Believer and I'm a Believer. Pop music! and still managing to make a statement and stir up all my old memories of where we were living back then, another pleasant valley sunday....

Take the last train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station, you can be here by 4:30 cause I've made your reservation...

10:34 PM
Music· Pastime Walking in the past

It's not just his voice....or the way he plays his guitar, it's his foot pounding on the stage in rhythm to the beat. It's quiet parts where he stops playing his guitar and his voice takes on a whispery sound and he reachs out with his hands and he pours out everything he's ever felt and it washes over me and reaches deep inside me...

His music is amazing, but it's his performances that are magic. Even watching it on TV, it's all there, on the outdoor stage at the VMAs with a soft foggy rain blowing over him and Miami Steve and Clarence....and then they cut away to the VMA opening credits and accompanying music and the moment is gone.

Bruuuuuuuuuuce, Bruuuuuuuuuuce....

I remember the stories he would tell, about driving thru the swamps of Jersey, they'd be playing some song and around the middle, the music would get quiet and he'd start talking and Steve and Clarence would come in close and share the microphone and he'd tell this story.

And nobody would leave, even at the end, they'd turn the lights on while he sang Rosalita come out tonight and people would stand up and clap and stomp and sing along. And nobody would leave.

Bruuuuuuuuuuuce, Bruuuuuuuuuuuuce....

09:12 PM
Music· TV· Weather Weather music

I like the music on the Weather Channel, nice upbeat bouncy stuff while they're showing the local and regional forecasts. And holy cow, she's pregnant! The weather woman, and she really needs a bigger jacket, that one is practically popping its buttons across her tummy! I guess Junior is bigger than she expected when she bought her expecting clothes. :)