Sigur Ros - "Við Spilum Endalaust" (Take-Away Show)

Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Conor Oberst - "Nikorette" (Live on Conan O'Brien")

Peter Bjorn and John - "Nothing To Worry About"

Dan Auerbach - "Trouble Weighs A Ton"

Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead"

The Futureheads - "The Beginning of the Twist" (Take-Away Show)

Franz Ferdinand - "No You Girls"

Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls

K'Naan - "ABCs" (live on Jimmy Kimmel)

Handsome Furs - "I'm Confused"

Handsome Furs "I'm Confused" from Sarah Marcus on Vimeo.

Yeasayer - "2080" (Take-Away Show)

#87.2 - YEASAYER - 2080
by lablogotheque

Animal Collective - "My Girls"

The Boy Least Likely To - "Every Goliath Has Its David"

The Outliers - Part One

I discussed earlier that I started reading The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and have thus far finished part one. In short, it's a collection of chapters aimed at uncovering why some people are insurmountably more successful than others. In part one we read about everyone, from a group of illness-proof immigrants, to professional athletes, to the Beatles, to Bill Gates, the list goes on.

In each chapter Gladwell uses a great deal of research to substantiate his claim that success isn't exclusively due to natural talents, but rather a series of lucky breaks, excellent role models, and good old fashioned hard work and practice.

In chapter one Gladwell discusses accumulative advantage, in that “It is those who are successful ... who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success.” For example, if at a young age you exhibit even the slightest advantage over others, you are likely to get placed in "gifted" classes or have the opportunity to attend special programs, which leads to you further excelling. Whereas, the other students have missed the boat and will not have the chance at extra attention. Gladwell notes, “Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others onto the top rung.”

We run into the Beatles and Bill Gates in chapter two, where Gladwell discusses the 10,000 hour rule; this suggests that in order to become an expert in a field, you need to accumulate ten-thousand hours of practice (guess how many hours it took the Beatles to get to Sargent Pepper and for Gates to found Microsoft) . In chapter three and four Gladwell discusses true geniuses, in terms of IQ and practical intelligence, that is knowing "what to say to whom, knowing when to say it, and knowing how to say it for maximum effect.” In these chapters you learn how even children with the highest IQs can fall victim to a poor upbringing. And finally, in chapter five you'll learn the history behind the success of Jewish immigrants in the late Nineteenth Century.

If learning the secrets behind these success stories intrigues you, I suggest you pick up the book. At times, I have found myself being ultimately human by becoming jealous of what I thought was the natural success of others. But now I find myself analyzing my own lucky breaks and leaving doors and eyes open to opportunities for success.

Entering a whole new era.

As I was about to enjoy another wonderious (combo wonderful/hilarious) episode of 30 Rock on Hulu, I was presented with an option I'm not used to seeing (as depicted above). The value of in-show advertising online is steadily increasing; mostly because the number of people who choose to watch their favorite shows online is increasing.

Commercials tend to appear in the same place online as they do during the regular television broadcast, but they are generally only :15 or :30 spots. The only gripe I have with the current system is that I usually have to watch the same commercial four, five, or even six different times. Even for someone who's interested in advertising, that can grow monotonous.

The first reason why this new system is interesting, is that I now have the option to view a longer message (or trailer in this case) from the sponsor, without having to watch the same commercial over-and-over again during my program. This is a definite plus in my book.

But perhaps the most interesting facet of this new system is that advertisers are giving the power of selecting the message to the consumer. It's like going to the dentist when you were a kid and they let you pick the color toothbrush. Now they just hand you one and I'm left thinking, "I don't want the green toothbrush Mandy, I want the blue one." I guess I'm just trying to say, as a consumer, I like choices and recent studies on my generation (Gen Y) indicate they feel the same way.

Emily Riley of Forrester Research suggested, in this 3 Minute Ad Age, of "the creation of a web portal that would enable Gen Y'ers to post their wants in an organized manner." Basically, this system within Hulu is another step in allowing the consumer to choose the message they wish to receive. I am excited to see where this system takes us in the future, because the more precise we can be with delivering our message, the more money we can ultimately save.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "I Am Goodbye"

My Morning Jacket - "Touch Me I’m Going to Scream" (Black Cab Session)

Facebook Strikes Back!

In a reaction to the rising popularity of Twitter, Facebook is about ready to unveil its new homepage and profile page. Some of the changes include real-time updates on your homepage and removing the 5,000 friend limit (I'm only at a 1,000 ... so this doesn't quite apply to me ... and do I even know 1,000 people?). Read more about the reasoning behind the changes here or see for yourself here.

It is absolutely amazing observe the nascent online culture. Just three years ago, you were a nobody if you didn't have a Facebook account; a virtual social castaway. Three years of Facebook later (mostly riddled with complaints about the layout changes and a slew of ex-piano teachers adding you as a friend), social media junkies are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. Twitter user aren't exactly abandoning Facebook, but they are sure spending less time on Facebook as they enjoy the new Tweet buzz.

As someone who has grown with the Internet, I remember logging on with a dial-up tone onto my Netscape navigator to check out the latest news on Yahooligans. I'll admit, my first experience with the Internet was confusing. I didn't quite get it, but I quickly moved from a confused fourth grader, to a sixth grade who was printing of Penny Hardaway's mom's meatloaf from NBA.com.

(side note: I just heard KSFY mention their Twitter account).

That last side note astonishes me, because only 6 months ago, I couldn't mention the word Twitter without getting a stream of juvenile giggles. Which makes me wonder if grandma just rechecked her hearing aid while watching the evening news.

I remember the first time I heard the words, Yahoo, Google and now Twitter and every time I just chuckled and said "come again?" Well, I will no longer sit idly by while people my age are making heaps of money on crazy ideas and goofy names. I don't exactly have a plan for the next social networking phenomenon, but I do have a name. Originally I wanted to go with ShamWow, but apparently that's taken. Instead I have settled on (let it be noted: I searched about 20 words that I thought were non-existent until I settle on this) Phlergen (patent pending). No reason behind that one. I just think it's fun to say.

Just remember, some day "If You're Not Phlerging, You're Not Trying."

Fleet Foxes - "Sun Giant" (Take-Away Show)

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Röyksopp - "Happy Up Here"

Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.
Röyksopp is an electronic and chillout music duo based in Bergen, Norway.

Coming soon...

I have been reading the book "The Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell and thus far it has been absolutely fascinating. To sum it up, it is evaluating how some of the most successful people in the world got to where they are. I will start discussing it as soon as I am done.