Top 5

Holy crap!!! Semi-regular posting?! It can't be.... Well, if the cop-out that is a top five even counts.

Anywho, onward and upward:

Top 5 books read while at Princeton City Schools
1st-12th

5.) Out of the Silent Planet - Being a sci-fi nerd and a C.S. Lewis fan, I was pretty stoked to read this. However, in doing so I learned one life lesson: trilogies weren't meant to be read one at a time. Every time I think about reading the other two books, I remember I have very little recollection of what actually happened in the first. Maybe someday...

4.) Night - I still have this book tucked away in some dark corner of my room. I remember reading it in 8th grade with Mr. Pogue, the guy who, if nothing else, taught me that books are printed on paper so they can be written in, torn up, and generally made your own. To this day a good indicator of books I've actually read is to look for the one's that have seemingly gone through the washer, twice. Anywho, a powerful book that everyone should be forced to read in school.

3.) Lord of the Flies - Another Mr. Pogue read that I probably wouldn't have even opened if it weren't for two undeniable facts:
3-1.) The edition of the book I bought had cover that was about 6 standard deviations MORE badass than anyone elses book.
3-2.) Pogue sold this book as being a case study in anarchy, which is pretty much what a 13 year old boy strives for Monday-Friday anyways.

2.) Notes From Underground - I think I was the only person in the class of '07 to like this book. Dostoevsky is a hell of a writer and anyone who thinks any different can suck my thumb. It's not easy to write what is essentially stream of consciousness for half of a novel and make ANYTHING of it, let alone something that would be taught in high schools nearly 150 years later. It also makes for a hell of a book on tape.

1.) The Great Gatsby - I didn't like it much then. The book absolutely emits the feeling, taste, and smell of summer (“It was dawn now on Long Island and we went about opening the rest of the windows down-stairs, filling the house with gray-turning, gold-turning light. The shadow of a tree fell abruptly across the dew and ghostly birds began to sing among the blue leaves. There was a slow, pleasant movement in the air, scarcely a wind, promising a cool, lovely day.”) and has one of the most profound last pages of all time. It seemed like we talked about this book for a month and I'm still not completely sure I "get" it. I'm also not sure if I'm supposed to.




The best part of all of this? I still have every single one of my projects from sophomore year of high school on. I want to personally thank every teacher that realized computers weren't the devil and in doing so let me have an amazing archive of stuff that, barring something terrible, I will be able to have forever.

Yes, even the bio coloring!!



So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

I finally did it

And I didn't even go blind!!!
/crickets

No but seriously, I HAVE finally done something that I have been contemplating for the past couple years, but never had the courage/cash to really hunker down and do it.

Two weekends ago, on a semi-whim (more on this in a second), I went out to Micro Center and bought a computer.

Well, not exactly. More like I bought a collection of pieces that over the weekend I would cram together and teach to play nice with each other, only then to call it a computer. In the process I believe I also was award my geek diploma.

Overall, it was about what I had anticipated. It was largely "insert plug A into hole B then press the big on button." A lot of that fact could probably be attributed to having the Micro Center brain trust, and my preliminary research to fall back on. Don't get it twisted, I am not recommending walking in one day and laying down a lot of money on something like this with no googling/new-egging (for price comparisions) a priori. There are some tough questions you need to know answers to (i.e. video card amperage requirements, RAM support on your motherboard, your motherboard in general, Intel or AMD, etc.) to ensure the thing doesn't poop out in the first minute of life. I do recommend it to anyone who has ever had the slightest interest in Frankenstein-ing, well, anything. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than building a car, and anymore you will probably use it more.

On the semi-whim comment: I had two main reasons to start looking into a new computer:
1.) My desktop was starting to get pretty slow just from ~4 years of use and being the family's network hub while I have been at school.
2.) I visit digg regularly. In doing so, I have been hearing what I like to refer to as the iCrowd speak pretty highly of this new Windows 7.

Given that the Release Candidate (basically, barring a major FUBAR discovery, the version Microsoft will eventually burn to pretty DVDs and charge >$300 for) was released May 1 for a year long free trial, I figured now would be a good time to get a computer that would be ready for this slick new OS.

Granted, I figured I would be buying an HP or Dell, not parts. And in a year or so. Such is life though; I can't say I regret the decision at all.


I took pictures to show, but realized no card reader like before means needing to find a USB cable for my camera again.... consider it a slight delay...





On to the Windows 7 early impressions. Let me get it out of the way, for an operating system that isn't even "final" yet, 10/10

Pushing on 11/10.

It is functional and pushes Apple on aesthetics like Windows never has before. It is like a hybrid XP/Vista, minus the driver issues inherent with Vista.

Setting up a home network is almost too easy. The first time you start up '7, you are given a long "HomeGroup" number. All you do is type this number onto your other computers (with 7 also installed) and you are connected. However, since I am the only person with 7, I needed to connect with my other XP computers. No problem, just google search "Windows 7 on XP network" and you get millions of other people with the same problem, and easy fixes.

The new Windows Media Player convinced me to change my plans to switch over to iTunes. The album art actually loads this time around and, maybe just my imagination, but it handles my 30GB+ music collection a lot more smoothly.

The new taskbar takes a little getting used to but it really helps to keep your screen looking clean and uncluttered. Also, the start menu has the option of looking like the Vista or XP format. I went Vista, but its nice to know that Grandma has the option to go with what she's used to.

Oh, and it has a timer to switch desktop backgrounds hourly, daily, every 10 seconds, whatever.

And sticky notes. My monitor is saved from Post-It residue forever!!!

I could go on forever, but I'll just sum it up with two big thumbs up.

Top 5

Let the debate begin:

Today's theme, hip-hop.

Top 5 to blow up in '09
If you have read my facebook/hung out with me at all, this one you prob know already, because I don't shut up about this....

5.) Eminem - Cop out? Yes. After a nearly four year hiatus, rap's #1 white boy is back on the map. The end of Relapse proves that his best may still be ahead. The key to the success of Relapse to is minimizing the "Slim Shady" persona and just being Marshall Mathers. Either way, when he is at his best no one else in the game (and possibly ever) can rhyme so effortlessly. He is one of the best ever.

4.) Saigon - Playing yourself as a regular on a show as big as Entourage for a season really helps getting your name out. Now that the woes with his label are long in the past, it is only up from here.

3.) Tyga - This is the biggest gamble, since he has been here and there since '07. He is just too good to be a career opening act in my mind.

2.) Kid Cudi - With backing from the likes of Kanye West and Common, it's hard not to blow up. Oh, he can hold his own too, which helps.

1.) Drake - It's already happening with Best I Ever Had. Successful is my favorite, Lust for Life really shows off his R&B versatility, which - combined with him getting a big paycheck soon - is the main reason he is my no brainer #1 to blow in '09.

Let the Beat Build

Nyle "Let The Beat Build" from Nyle on Vimeo.

One continuous shot, live audio. Mad respek. Bo ya shaka.