Where Did Teddy Geiger Go?

Think back about 4 years. Do you remember a catchy tune with the chorus, “I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have and cannon ball into the water”? Well where exactly did Teddy Geiger go? Well he’s been sitting in his house in Pittsford, NY attempting to write new music. He’s my very own hometown one-hit wonder, and our daily newspaper came out with an article a couple days ago about his whereabouts. Apparently he dropped out of high school, when Columbia Records signed him in 2004, and moved to New York City to work on his album. He had a rapid rise to fame with his song For You I Will, which made it onto Billboard charts, and he was claimed to be the next John Mayer. Then in October of 2008 he seemed to disappear, with a second album nowhere to be found and a new TV show Love Monkey that was cancelled after six episodes.

According to the article he’s working on new songs without a label and no high school experience. His attitude in the interview is incredibly irritating. For being barely famous and getting dropped from a major record label, there’s no reason to be as cocky as he is. Apparently Rochester’s weather is too much for him to handle and he has to move to California to get any real songwriting done. “I'd try to go on walks, but it was 19 degrees and I'd go down the sidewalk 50 feet and get cold and come back", I’ve lived there Teddy and it’s not that bad. He says some generic lines about how the label wanted radio music and it wasn’t really “him”, so now he’s working at making songs that reflect his life. Geiger states that his new songs are about, “dating and being a guy in his 20s ... examining relationships, talking about life. For a lot of people my age, this age is the big transition.” Isn’t that what his other songs were about? And his newest song, “Lie Tonight”, is about relationships “a song about change. How different they all are and can be. They're also real similar. It's the ending of relationships."

I think that with his comeback he has the potential of being successful. It looks like his new songs are everything that a label would need in order to market to 14-year old girls. Or maybe it’ll be a huge flop and I’ll be even more embarrassed to say he comes from Rochester. Either way, this article was pretty entertaining and now we know he’s still alive. I strongly encourage you all to read the article I’ve attached from the D&C about this, because it really shows how incredibly cocky he is and I found it rather hilarious.

Click here to read the article.

A Safer Way to Text on the Road

We're all aware of the serious problems texting while driving has caused, in the number of deaths and accidents. Some states have existing bans texting while driving, but for those states who don't, there might be another option.

I found this interesting article about a device called "Vlingo". This is the first I've hear of it, thought it seems it has been available to blackberries and many smartphones (including iPhones) for a while now.
It's basically a program that allows you to talk-text, or talk-email people instead of typing your messages, a system that would prove especially useful while driving. The most likely to be killed in a car accident are people between the ages 16-20, and this is not based on the dangers of texting-while-driving alone. But with the added complications of texting, the number of deaths each year (not only in this age group) has risen, and most likely will continue to rise. I think that, if perfected, this "Vlingo" technology would save an inordinate amount lives.
While the technology still has some issues in translating spoken messages flawlessly into text, I think it has a promising future for this generation of drivers and the next.

Here is the link to the article in case you want to read more:
A Safer Way to Text on the Road

"Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well."

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Plane-crashes-into-Northwest-Austin-building-84704727.html

We have seen in past recent years that when a tragedy hits America the media plays a major part in broadcasting events. Whether it's publishing the story in newspapers or broadcasting telecasts on the news, the public is usually thoroughly informed if not over-informed by the events taking place. Last week a man by the name of Joseph "Joe" Stack crashed his small private plane into an Internal Revenue Service office in Northwest Austin, Texas, my hometown and not more than five miles away from where I live. After posting a lengthy anti-IRS note on his website and setting his house on fire, he flew a plane into this IRS building where nearly 200 employees work. 2 employees were taken to the hospital with critical burns and another employee was found dead. Does this plane crash count as an act of terrorism? The FBI defines domestic terrorism as a violent act directed at elements of the government or population by groups or individuals who are based and operate entirely within the U.S. without foreign discretion. Most say that Stack's crash had elements of terrorism but didn't have the element of political change as a goal. My main question though is not if this really an act of terrorism, but does media have a role in helping this man commit suicide and harm people? His obvious intention of posting his anti-government note online (which can be found here: http://www.t35.com/embeddedart.txt) was for millions of people to read his message. And crashing his plane into an IRS building? That seems a little extreme for a suicide, unless one is trying to get there death broadcasted on the media all over the nation... Did Joseph Stack plan ahead to use the media to get his message across? And do you think he meant to hurt innocent people along the way? Though nothing can be known for sure, this is a tragedy for the austin area and I believe that a day or two worth of coverage is enough, but after that, respect needs to be brought for the families of those affected by this plane crash and news broadcasts should cease.

Group Assignments for "Good Night, And Good Luck" project

Here's the breakdown of the groups for the "Good Night, And Good Luck" radio roundtable project. Your 15-minute recorded discussion is due on Friday, March 26.
Group 1: Joe Anderson, Victoria Creech, Bethany Herdzina, Bryant Lowry, Maddie Roberts, Luther Young

Group 2: Dusten Asmussen, Adrienne Ervin, Rachel Hewlett, Heather Meek, Emily Robins

Group 3: Allie Benz, Grant Evans, Hannah Hyde, Zach Mehl, LouAnna Smith

Group 4: Katie Bonaccorso, Steve Gallo, Hilary Kingman, Marcella Noorman, Laura Stewart

Group 5: Ryan Brennan, John Gentile, Allie Klein, Nina Nwofia, Josiah Toews

Group 6: Olivia Brooks, Curran Goad, Drew Love, Adam Pace, Wen Tran

Helping Haiti: A New Use For the Text Message

For the majority of us living in this technological age, we don't think twice about picking up our cellphones and sending a text to one of our friends. This form of instantaneous communication allows us to coordinate a meeting, have a conversation, and get our questions answered. But in the aftermath of Haitian earthquake that took place on January 12th this technology is allowing the victims in need to send a message of help. Once the earthquake struck many of the Haitian cell towers went down, making phone calls nearly impossible. But it was soon discovered that text messages, which require much less bandwidth than phone calls, could still be sent and received. With this knowledge, Haitian cellphone companies along with other aide groups sent out a massive text telling victims to send a message to a certain number for help. Thousands of messages began to be received by the aide groups from people buried in rubble, in desperate need of medical attention, or seeking evacuation. These messages make the aide process much easier and effective, allowing volunteers to pinpoint those who they need to help. I have always been one that has found peoples' reliance on text messaging a cause for concern - allowing people to forget the importance of face-to-face conversation - but it is definitely comforting to see that there is an extreme good that can come from it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/world/americas/21text.html?ref=technology

The iTable???

I honestly can't believe I didn't know about this, but apparently Microsoft developed a new gadget called Microsoft Surface. I guess I'm just not "up" on today's new technology, but this seems to be a pretty amazing product. It's basically a coffee table/touch screen computer. Users are able to interact with applications using only their fingers or other objects such as a cell phone. The first customers were expected to be in the hospitality business, such as restaurants, hotels, retail, etc. The Surface was used by MSNBC during its coverage of the 2008 presidental election. The Surface is also featured in CSI:Miami. However, the downfall is that this product is approximately $10,000
per table!! I' not sure if you all have heard anyhting about this product, seems cool but I know a college kid like me couldn't afford it!

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/317737_msftdevice30.html

King Tut BROKE HIS LEG!

Apparently CNN finds King Tut's death important enough to be covered, which was several years ago.... Also this raises the question of why money is being put into such a thing when it could be, for starters, feeding kids in Africa! Does anyone find this research helpful to them personally, and why does the news need to be making such a big deal out of it?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/16/king.tut.malaria/index.html?iref=allsearch

"Wired" magazine's tablet-based prototype...

We're going to see a lot of these kinds of things pop up in the coming months. The Time, Inc. family of publications (Sports Illustrated, People, Time, etc.) have demoed theirs, now Wired shows off theirs in preparation for the launch of a big slate of tablet devices hitting the market. (Oh, yeah...there's that one from Apple, too...)

This biggest pitfall I see is that most of these magazine companies are developing their new digital pubs via Adobe's Air technology...which, at least at this point, doesn't work on the iPad. Hmmm...problem.

RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili

If you haven't heard yet the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver have started out on a rather sour note. With the death of 21 year old Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili (the link below can give you more insight into his death) there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the decision to shorten the luge course. The men now start from the women's point and the women will now start from the junior's. (view the link below) Is this "safety" precaution necessary? The course is supposed to be the fastest ever built! Now that speed has been taken away from the competitors. Do you think that shortening the luge course was the right thing to do or just an unnecessary panicky reaction from the olympic committee?

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/winter_olympics_2010/2010/02/12/2010-02-12_luger_nodar_kumaritashvili_rushed_to_hospital.html

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2449620

Well, she always wanted to get married in a castle...

Check out this story of a Murfreesboro, TN, couple who decided to get married in a white castle... excuse me, a White Castle.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100215/FEATURES01/100215018/Couple+gets+married+at+White+Castle+in+Murfreesboro+(with+photos)+

----

Question: Can you be "too fat" to fly?

Answer: Kevin Smith is...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/02/15/kevin.smith.southwest/index.html?hpt=T2

Valentine's Day Movie

How many of you made it out to see the number 1 movie on Valentine's day? Maybe some of you guys were forced to go see it with your girl on V-day?

On Sunday alone the romantic comedy, Valentine's Day, made $52.4 million. Women accounted for nearly 70% of the audience.

"Valentine's Day" woos weekend moviegoers

I just so happened to get a ticket before it sold out on Sunday night, and I would have to say the movie exceeded my expectations. I thought the movie would be just okay. Of course, a lot of what compelled me to go was the numerous big name stars that were in the movie. Sometimes those movies can lack substance and have too many stories to follow. However, I thought all of the stories blended well together and overall I enjoyed it.

Taylor Swift was one of the many stars that made an appearance in "Valetine's Day". Before the movie came out, I read an article about her, and the critics were bashing her acting skills. Now I'm not saying that she is the BEST actress my no means, but I think that had a lot to do with her character. Good or bad, I think it added a little humor to the film.

Well, if you haven't seen "Valentine's Day" I recommend it.

What's So Great About the Droid?

So is this phone anything special? I've done some research on it and the features include 10,000+ apps, tunes, video, multitasking, notification panel, high speed, high-res., and speech recognition. You can also download the barcode that allows you to scan an item and receive all the information about that particular item. I think that's pretty awesome but can't quite a few other phones do this too? I noticed that you have to purchase a seperate data package for this phone that's $30.00 extra. They are saying that it's on sale for $200.00, but that's only if you're eligible for an upgrade, without the data package, and after the mail-in rebate. Without the upgrade or rebate, your going to end up forking over about $600.00 for this phone. Is it worth the money? What does this phone have to offer that others don't?

Nashville terrorists?

I think not... Here's a look at the farce Nashville's very own Channel 5 decided to air over the last few days.

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2010/02/channel_5_goes_to_islamville_f.php

Kate Gosselin Strikes Again!

Kate Gosselin, star of the television show Jon and Kate plus 8, took the media by storm once her divorce was made public. Even though Jon was seen as a villain for allegedly cheating on his wife with 22-year-old Hailey Glassman, Kate was under more scrutiny as she tried to care for her eight children while still remaining in the spotlight. The American public soon forgot about Jon's scandal and focused on Kate's many flaws whether it dealt with still keeping her kids on the air and in the public eye, her rumored relationship with her bodyguard, or her spiky punk haircut.


Kate Gosselin has already written two books and is now releasing a third one on April 13, 2010 entitled I Just Want You to Know: Letters to My Kids on love, Faith and Family. The book will contain prayers, letters, and journal excerpts to each of her children. Kate's reason for writing the book is to help answer all of the questions that might not make sense to her children once they have grown up. She believes these questions will come from them being raised so unconventionally. Her intent is to let her children know how much she loves them and how every sacrifice made was worth it.


Couldn't Kate just write the letters without publicly publishing them for profit? Do you think she only wants to make another quick buck and will you be reading Kate's latest?

Weird, or just different?

A reminder from CD Baby founder Derek Sivers that not everything is always as you think it is.

Super Bowl Advertising

How many of you are watching the Super Bowl tonight primarily for the TV advertisements? After moving to the USA from Canada and being immersed into the world of football, I find that many people I talk to about it are solely interested in the advertisements instead of the actual game. Like any issue, there are two sides to every story.

I have seen the Super Bowl before. I know and understand the hype associated with the advertisements, especially since the cost of putting a 30 second commercial on the air is approximately just under 3 million bucks. The commericials aired during the Super Bowl are extremely entertaining and consist of a high production value. Simply put, who wouldn't want to watch the Super Bowl ads?

At the same time though, is the hype and excitement associated with the ads downplaying the sport of football? If a large number of people watch the Super Bowl primarily for the ads, then that means less people appreciate the sport for what it is. Obviously, there are many fans out there who do follow the NFL religiously and appreciate the game, but if it were not for the advertisements, would the Super Bowl be just as appreciated and loved by the American people?

Being a diehard hockey fan (go Maple Leafs), I believe that the best sports in the world are the ones that are appreciated the most by those who watch it and play it. Go Saints.

And Now, The News...

"British" "journalist" Charlie Brooker on how the visual language of TV news packages tends to play out.

Google Takes Another Step Towards World Domination

Google recently announced that soon, when using their search engine, people will be able to see the results as they are in relation to the social networks they are members of. This would be a big step for Google as it would make their product a more intimate tool for Web use and further interlink the many different networking sites we all know and love. However, is Google overstepping its boundaries and reaching into their users privacy?

Google claims that ‘Social Search’ would make search results more valuable for each individual as they would come from sources the person in question is already linked to. While this may make the information we find over the Internet more reliable, at the same time, many people are starting to get an eerie feeling that Google is looking over their shoulders, into their lives and their privacy. Insert conspiracy theory here.

Overall, it’s a question of how far is too far. For me personally, I’m keeping my security levels up.

View the full article here.

Stevie Nicks > Taylor Swift

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/31/AR2010013100757.html?hpid=topnews

Wow. The first time I have watched the Grammy's in a few years and to say the least, I'm a little disappointed. If you missed the massacre, don't worry, you didn't miss much. As if pairing Lady Gaga and Elton John together wasn't a bad enough idea, apparently it was also necessary for an icon, Stevie Nicks, to sing back-up for the off pitch Album of the Year (which Beyonce deserved I might add) winner Taylor Swift. For Taylor, yesterday really was a fairytale as she posted on her twitter how lucky and happy she was to have walked on stage to accept multiple Grammy's. At least Beyonce didn't go home empty handed, the Diva managed to snag 6 out of the 10 awards she was nominated for.

The night seemed to just be a contest at who could out-do who, (by the way, Ke$ha, I'm thinkin' that you're not going to top Gaga). Beyonce won my attention for best performance of the night with Pink and Dave Matthews coming in close seconds. Kings of Leon winning was a highlight for me, one of the few moments I was glad I watched. Needless to say, I will no longer clear my schedule for the Grammy's and witness everything necessary on YouTube hours after it airs.