Concepts >> Compact Gadgets

This mouse concept makes it easy and compact to carry around a full-size mouse. The device itself is fairly simple: a small flexible board carries all of the circuitry while the body is composed of plastic that can be blown up manually.When not in use, it can be folded into a compact size or slid between the screen and keyboard of your laptop when closed.

>> via Yanko Design

Designer Jean Louis Frechin presents a concept (Waaz) of speakers disguised as shelf supports. 'Waaz is a shelf connected to a computer that doubles as a device for audio diffusion and archiving digital music files (MP3)'. It looks pretty slick, and with wireless connection it is a practical concept for sure.

>> Designer:Jean Louis Frechin

>> via pan-dan

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Music >> JUNO >> Cute Ugly People

In celebration of Juno OST climbing to #1 on the Billboard Album chart this week, I am posting five of my favorite songs off the soundtrack. It is the first from an Academy Award best picture nominee since 1998 "Titanic" to reach the summit. The soundtrack is a nice collection of sweet and quirky indie and rock songs from Belle & Sebastian, the Kinks, Kimya Dawson (The Moldy Peaches), Velvet Underground and others. Honetsly, I don't like all the songs but the good ones more than makeup for the duds. I am glad that Belle & Sebastian's 'Piazza, New York Catcher' is getting exposure on this soundtrack as it is my favorite B&S song, and their 'Expections' is underrated and beautiful. The stand out track is 'Anyone Else But You' perfomed by actors Ellen Page and Michael Cera. I prefer it to The Moldy Peaches rendition but I included both.

"We sure are cute for two ugly people.."

DOWNLOAD

Michael Cera & Ellen Page - Anyone Else But You

Belle & Sebastian - Expectations

Belle & Sebastian - Piazza, New York Catcher

Kimya Dawson - So Nice So Smart

The Moldy Peaches - Anyone Else But You

Download the zipped 5 songs here (YSI) or [zShare]

>> Juno Movie Official Site

>> Juno Soundtrack on Amazon

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Mega Mash >> United State of Pop

DJ Earworm, famous for his mashups, did a crazy mega mash [5:14 min] of the top 25 of Billboard Hot 100 songs of 2007.

1. Beyonce - "Irreplaceable"
2. Rihanna - "Umbrella Feat. Jay-Z)
3. Gwen Stefani - "The Sweet Escape Feat. Akon)"
4. Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"
5. T-Pain - "Buy u a Drank (Shawty Snappin') (Feat. Yung Joc)"
6. Carrie Underwood - "Before He Cheats"
7. Plain White T's - "Hey There Delilah"
8. Akon - "I Wanna Love You (Feat. Snoop Dogg)"
9. Nelly Furtado - "Say it Right"
10. Fergie - "Glamorous Feat. Ludacris)
11. Akon - "Don't Matter"
12. Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend"
13. Maroon 5 - "Makes me Wonder"
14. Shop Boyz - "Party Like a Rockstar"
15. Akon - "Smack That (Feat. Eminem)"
16. Mims - "This is Why I'm Hot"
17. Daughtry - "It's Not Over"
18. Timbaland - "The Way I Are (Feat. Keri Hilson)"
19. Fergie - "Fergalicious"
20. Soulja Boy Tell'em - "Crank That (Soula Boy)"
21. Timbaland - "Give it to Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake)
22. Justin Timberlake - "What Goes Around ... Comes Around"
23. Gym Class Heroes - "Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast in America (Feat. Patrick Stump)
24. The Fray - "How to Save a Life"
25. Daughtry - "Home"

Download it HERE

>> DJ Earworm

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Hidden Gem >> If You Forget Me

If You Forget Me is a rare Madonna gem composed of her spoken-word reading of a Pablo Neruda poem with oriental beats and the infamous Erotica line 'Give it up, do as I say. Give it up and let me have me way'. The beauty of the poem combined with the hypnotic beats and Madonna's unmistakable voice result in an amazing piece of art/music. It is very similar to the style of Justify My Love - The Beast Within mix, which is my all-time Madonna favorite mix.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD

>> Madonna - If You Forget Me [zShare]
>> Madonna - The Beast Within [zShare]


If You Forget Me >> I want you to know one thing >> You know how this is >> If I look at the crystal moon >> At the red branch of the slow autumn at my window >> If I touch near the fire the impalpable ash >> Or the wrinkled body of the log >> Everything carries me to you >> As if everything that exists - aromas, light, metals >> Were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me >> Well, now >> If little by little you stop loving me >> I shall stop loving you >> Little by little >> If suddenly you forget me >> Do not look for me >> For I shall already have forgotten you >> If you think it long and mad the wind of banners that passes through my life >> And you decide to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots >> Remember >> That on that day, at that hour, I shall lift my arms >> And my roots will set off to seek another land >> But if each day, each hour, you feel that you are destined for me >> With implacable sweetness >> If each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me >> Ahh my love, ahh my own, in me all that fire is repeated >> In me nothing is extinguished or forgotten >> My love feeds on your love, beloved >> And as long as you live, it will be in your arms without leaving mine.

>> If you like these songs try this >> madonna - bittersweet [samuel karma sutra video]version],

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Arab Aquarius Edits an Unfaithful Bad Girl

I have this habit of editing some long mixes by choosing the hot bits that I like so they can fit on an audio CD and listen to it in my friend's car when we go out (her player plays audio only). I love mixes, but at certain times you want a short & sweet edit with the good bits. Below are two edits I have made of two hot Rihanna mixes. The original Unfaithful mix is [9:11 min] and the Good Girl Gone Bad original Soul Seekers mix is [6:35 min]; my edits are [3:19 min] and [4:53 min], respectively.

DOWNLOAD

(Sorry links are taken down)

>> Rihanna - Unfaithful (Tony Moran Arab Aquarius Club Edit) 
>> Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad (Soul Seekers Arab Aquarius Edit) 

Let me know in the comments if want me to post the full length remixes. Also if you like these and want more Rihanna edits (I already have Shut Up & Drive, Cry, Questions Existing, Breakin' Dishes & Don't Stop the Music mix edits) leave a comment requesting which one you want me to post.

P.S. Feel free to share the files on your blog but include credit and a link to this blog please.

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Kylie Video >> In My Arms + Wow

They are out! Both of them!

Kylie's new video for my favorite upbeat song off her X album, In My Arms. It's fun, futuristic and very stylish with ultra cool glasses and weird outfits. Couldn't have been better.

DOWNLOAD >> Four hot In My Arms remixes in my previous post here

As expected, Wow's video was released right on the heels of In My Arms. This simultaneous release is because Wow is the current single in UK and Australia while In My Arms is chosen for the rest of Europe. I can't say which video I like more, I like the style and avant-grade outfits and look of Arms and I like the choreography and the dancing guys with robot heads (ala Daft Punk) of wow. Well, why not like both!

DOWNLOAD >> Four hot remixes of wow in my previous post here

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Burger in a Can!

Just today I was in the supermarket and saw a small carton in the frozen food section that looked like a froozen burger, upon further inspection it turned out to be 4 slices of burger meat and my dreams of fast burger at home were shattered. So I was elated to discover this Burger in a Can. Even better! Out on a picnic outdoors and want a burger? Easy. Open a can (with an easy handle!) and vouila, there's your burger! Though I doubt it will look the same as the picture they use.


>> Get it for € 3.95 at Trekking Mahlzeiten

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Music & Fashion Against AIDS

Swedish retailer H&M is launching a special Fashion Against AIDS collection that features designs from popular artists with 25% of the proceeds going towards charity. The collection features designs by Rihanna, Timbaland, Justice, The Cardigans, Tiga, Good Charlotte, My Chemical Romance and others. The T-Shirts are $19.90 and are available in stores on January 31. You get a cool good quality T designed by your favorite musician for less than $20 with $5 going to charity. A really good deal to stock up on Ts for you or as gifts.

See the collection and view interviews with the musician at Fashion Against AIDS

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Free Legal Download >> New Infadels

Download new Infadels song 'Play Blind' legally for Free! The taster track is taken from forthcoming album 'Universe In Reverse' released in June '08. The new album is entirely produced by Martin "Youth" Glover (The Verve, U2, Depeche Mode, Erasure). The song is a fierce little rocker, I highly recommend it. It is available to download from Jan 28th for two weeks only. So grab it now!

FREE DOWNLOAD >> The Infadels - Play Blind [3:45 min]

>> Infadels Myspace
>> Infadels Official Site Continue reading this post...

Heath Ledger >> Final Portrait

Melbourne artist Vincent Fantauzzo put the finishing touches on his painting of Heath Ledger at his Docklands studio the day before the star was found dead in his NY apartment. Ledger sat for Fantauzzo on his last visit home to Perth, Australia in December. Fantauzzo painted Ledger with the intention of entering the portrait in the prestigious Archibald Prize later this year. But the newly finished work got an early showing, when, with the approval of the Ledger family, Fantauzzo released the image to the media. The painting depicts the notoriously private actor as three separate images. The central, and largest, image is of Ledger, bare-chested, looking straight ahead, appearing pained and exhausted. The two background images are of Ledger wearing humorous expressions, whispering into the ears of his foreground image.

>> source

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Snoop vs. Robyn >> Sexual Eruption

This is my third post about Robyn in the first month of this blog. But how can I not post this? Robyn teamed up with Snoop Dogg on a rework of his 'Sensual Seduction / Sexual Eruption' song and the resulting duet is AMMMMMAZING. I am not big on Snoop songs but this is it! Get it while it's hot! Some are calling it Fyre Department Remix, but I am not sure yet what the official name is.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD

+ Snoop Dogg ft. Robyn - Sexual Eruption (Dirty) [zShare]

>> Play fun Robyn's Bee Buster official game

>> Watch the original Sensual Seduction video here

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Video >> Darren Hayes >> Casey

Darren Hayes just released the video for third single 'Casey' from his double album 'This Delicate Thing We've Made'. I swear that album has enough good songs for a dozen of singles! The video is directed by Damian Hale of Onedotzero and shows Darren driving a yellow car in a retro-looking racing game. The song is about his childhood with his sister Casey and how he used to go for rides and listen to music with her in her old yellow car. A great tune about childhood memories and sibling bond. Watch the video and download the song below.

Driving in your car >> With the windows down >> And the beat up stereo >> Struggle with this town >> Cuz you love to hate it >> But hate it to let it go >> And we're all alone >> And so tired of being underrated >> So don't take me home >> Cuz I feel alive when you come and save me >> In a yellow car >> We don't even have to go far >> Cuz that song you're playing sounds like peace on the radio >> And Casey when you go >> Can you come and find me >> Wanna be beside you when you leave this town >> I've been waving goodbye >> Pretending not to cry >> I want to be someone >> If you take me away >> All the pain will change >> Into a memory >> Of when we were amazing

>> Darren's official YouTube Channel

>> Darren's official Myspace (He personally posts there often)

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You're Wow Wow Wow Wow

Update: I added the F*ck Me I'm Famous David Guetta mix!

I felt bad posting mixes for In My Arms (see here) and neglecting current single Wow. Actually, In My Arms was supposed to be the current single but after Kylie performed Wow on the X-Factor and people started downloading it, her label decided to switch.

As the name suggests, it is a fun camp guilty-pleasure. Don't expect deep lyrics, the hook goes 'You got it, You're Wow Wow Wow Wow'. The CSS (from iTouch commercial, 'Music is My Hot Hot Sex' fame) mix is fun, fast and doesnt steer away from the original. MSTRKRAFT on the other hand, infuse it with hot beats, looping the 'rhythem when you're dancing, you know you're made in heaven' part and turn it into a proper banger. Finally, the Fuck Me I'm Famous mix is utterly and completely fantastic. David Guetta can do no wrong! The action starts at the 1:08 min mark.


DOWNLOAD
>> Kylie - Wow (Radio Mix)
>> Kylie - Wow (CSS Mix) [3:17 min]

>> Kylie -Wow (MSTRKRFT Remix) [4:49 min]

and the best mix is:

>> Kylie - Wow (F*ck Me I'm Famous Remix) or [zShare] [6:25 min]

The F*ck Me I'm Famous remix is by David Guetta & Joachim Garraud

The official video is set to debut January 30, Miss Minogue recently filmed it along with the future video for In My Arms in LA, California. Till then we can enjoy her fun performance of Wow on The Kylie Show TV special from November 2007.

The Kylie Show - Wow

>> Visit Kylie's MySpace or her official site Kylie.com

>> MP3 links via Different is Dangerous 1 2

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Indexed >> Math can be funny!

I came upon this curious blog Indexed by Jessica Hagy. She uses math (typically XY line charts and set graphs) to parody or comment on social, political, funny, etc. issues. The format is simple and clean, each post has a post title and a graph. Check out these few graphs and if you like the idea check out her blog.

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Too Late to Apologize?

Apologize has hit oversaturation and most people are sick of it by now. BUT I have finally traced the person who made the stunning video. No, not the official (boring) video. This video was made by Aaron Platt on December 2006 just to promote his editing skills and garner attention. Yes, 2006!!! If you havent watched this video, you must. Below is the video he made using the original raw One Republic song; if you prefer watching this same video but with the Timbaland produced audio you can watch it HERE.

>> The post's picture and video are by Aaron Platt

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New Mix >> Erase/Rewind 2008

The Cardigans are one of my all time favorite bands. Most known for LoveFool the 'love me, love me, say that you love me. Fool me, fool me, go on and fool me' Romeo + Joliet soundtrack song. Kleerup, the featured artist on Robyn's smash With Every Heartbeat (see my previous post here) are releasing a new 2008 Cardigans remix of 'Erase/Rewind' (a #7 UK hit) from 1998 Gran Turismo album. A 10 year anniversary I guess. The dark kleerup beats combined with Nina's bittersweet vocals make for a hot hot mix!

Download >> Erase/Rewind (2008 Kleerup Mix) or [zShare]

The Cardigans, Robyn and Kleerup are all from Sweden. Swedish music is taking over the world!

>> MP3 links via Different is Dangerous

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Free Mix >> Kylie >> In My Arms

Get this banging Spitzer Remix of Kylie's 'In My Arms' while its hot. In My Arms is one of my favorites off her latest 'X' album, and this mix makes it even better.

(Sorry, links are taken down)

 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms (Spitzer remix) [5:03 min, right click & save]

Gimme More? Ok, I'll give you more. The Spitzer radio edit is a short and sweet version of the above mix and the Leger mix is really good.

+ In My Arms (Spitzer Radio Edit) [3:31 min]
+ In My Arms (Sebastian Leger Remix) ] [6:40 min]
+ In My Arms (Chris Lake Vocal Remix) [7:05 min]

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Fast 'n Easy Hard Abs

Jorge Cruise demonstrates his easy 12-second workout on The Tyra Banks Show. I need to get one of these big balls and start doing these exercises, my stomach looks worse than his before picture!

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Scarlett Johansson >> Summertime

Scarlett is launching her singing career in a few months. I came across this song 'Summertime' that she did for the 2006 benefit album 'Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars' . And it was unexpected indeed to find myself loving her bluesy voice. The video below is made with clips from Lost in Translation. I think she might surprise us with a great album.

Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Garner, Jeremy Irons, John Stamos, Lucy Lawless, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Teri Hatcher among others also sing on the album. You can listen to audio samples here.

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MacHEADS >> The Movie

Check the trailer for the new documentary-style film MacHEADS. Some Apple fanboys are bananas!

'Only Steve Knows'

'I've never knowlingly slept with a Windows user. Ever. Ever'

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>> Only

So I changed the blog's template back to one of Blogger's defaults. I used images from the music video for Only by Nine Inch Nails for the banner, and images from their latest album YearZero on the sidebar.

In addition to being one of the best rock songs of the last decade imo ( staying at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart for seven weeks in 2005), Only's superb visuals take it to another level. How to make a kick-ass video? Simply get David Fincher to direct it. Yes, the same David who directed some of the best movies of late (Se7en, Fight Club, Alien, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Game). Only is the ONLY music video David has directed since 2000 and the second since 1996. What music videos has he directed before? Oh, just some of the infamous pop videos of the 80s and 90s including Madonna's (Vogue, Express Yourself, Oh Father, Bad Girl), Michael Jackson's (Who is it?), Paula Abdul's (Straight Up, Cold Hearted, Forever Your Girl), Aerosmith (Janie's Got A Gun)....

Ok back to Only. The video relies almost entirely on CGI created by Digital Domain (the Academy Award winning company that did Titanic effects) showing various objects in an office coming to life with the propulsion of the song. The main focus is Trent Reznor's face appearing on the novelty Pin Art that sits on the desk. The only non-CGI components of the video are a person's hand (Fincher's) and a bowl of green apples.

Nine Inch Nails - Only (video)

Lyrically, the song tells the story of the Fight Club character.

I'm becoming less defined, as days go by >> Fading away? Well you might say I'm losing focus >> Kind of drifting into the abstract in terms of how I see myself >> Sometimes, I think I can see right through myself >> Sometimes, I can see right through myself

Less concerned, about fitting into the world >> Your world that is, cause it doesn't really matter anymore >> No, it doesn't really matter anymore >> None of this really matters anymore

Yes, I am alone, but then again I always was >> As far back as I can tell, I think maybe it's because >> Because you were never really real to begin with >> I just made you up to hurt myself >> And it worked >> Yes it did!

There is no you, there is only me >> There is no fucking you, there is only me >> Only

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Funny Games?

I am so looking forward to the new Funny Games movie. Michael Haneke who wrote and directed the original 1997 movie (German/French/Italian) is back with an English version starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt. The movie is a deconstruction of the way violence is portrayed in the media; an exploration of our violent society and how depictions of violence reflect and shape our culture. A family settles into its vacation home, which happens to be the next stop for a pair of young, articulate, white-gloved serial killers on an excursion through the neighborhood. White is going to be a scary color!

>> Funny Games official site

>> Original Funny Games 1997 on IMDB

>> New Funny Games 2008 on IMDB

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New Movie >> Wedding Daze

Two big thumbs up for this romantic comedy. Wedding Daze (aka The Pleasure of Your Company aka The Next Girl I See) is opening in the US in 2008. With the multiple name and release changes I didn't expect much of this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised by its quality. The acting is great, the jokes are really funny and Isla Fisher is just sexy (remember her as the nympho 'virgin' in Wedding Crashers?)

The movie is about unexpected love. On one hand we have Anderson (Jason Biggs) who lost his pefect girl by inducing a heartattack on her with his surprising romantic proposal and suffering depression for a year after 'killing' his GF. On the other hand we have Katie (Isla Fisher) who does not know if she really wants to be with her BF and accept his proposal. Anderson jokingly asks Katie (his waitress at breakfast) to marry him just to shut his best friend up after nagging him to get back in the game. She says yes, and we go through a fun journey of them figuring out if they can really fall in love. The family visits are hilarious.

Wedding Daze Trailer

>> Wedding Daze official uk site
>> Wedding Daze 2008 on IMDB

>> Wedding Daze on Yahoo! Movies

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I Want Those Flashing Lights

Check out this nice song by Colin Munroe which is based on Kanye West's Flashing Lights. Cool visual effects in the vid. If you like it, you can download it guilt-free below.

Colin Munroe - I Want Those Flashing Lights

FREE DOWNLOAD >> Like it? download it guilt-free here (link via)

For more info and music from Colin Munroe, visit:
http://www.myspace.com/colinmunroe
http://www.colinmunroe.com/
http://www.youtube.com/colinmunroemovies

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Parody >> Jerry O'Connol does Tom Cruise

Here is a hilarious video that actor Jerry O'Connell did for Funny or Die in which he parodies the now infamous Tom Cruise scientology interview. If the video doesnt work, watch it here.

In case you haven't watched the original Tom Cruise interview, you can watch it below. It starts a lil crazy but then it just goes nuts. NUTS...

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New Series >> Eli Stone

Check out the promo and sneak peak of the new ABC TV show Eli Stone premiering on Thursday, January 31. Basically its a tale of a San Francisco lawyer who finds out he has prophetic powers and decides to use them for good. It looks fresh and funny, especially the George Michael dance in the sneak peak.

Eli Stone - Pilot Promo


Eli Stone - Pilot Sneak Peak

>> Eli Stone ABC official site
>> Eli Stone site on TV.com

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Sexuality & Status Cufflinks

Say goodbye to confusion whether the guy is single or married, straight or gay (damn these confusing metrosexuals) or whethere it's a girl or guy or transexual in the first place! The idea is simple, you wear your sexuality on one sleeve, and your availability status on the other. The cufflinks have an inner cylinder that you can turn to change accordingly (i.e., married when the wife is around, single when she is not).

On one wrist your options are:
straight, gay, curious, transsexual, bisexual, swinger

On the other wrist your options are:
single, desperate, adulterous, divorced, married, available

>> Buy them here

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Life Can't Wait

Sunsilk is launching a new creative campaign Life Can't Wait to promote people to get off their lazy ass, get their hair done and live life. They are using three iconic females: Madonna, Marilyn Monroe and Shakira to inspire women. I like the look and color style of the ads, particularly the Madonna ad which uses an iconic picture of 80s Madonna and infuses the hair with three pictures of the ever changing Madonna.

>> Life Can't Wait

>> Life Can't Wait on Myspace

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Functional Chair Design

Check out this ergonomic functional design for a chair that enables you to store your coat and bag/luggage inside the chair itself. I can see this as being very useful in resturants and Cafe's where you can conveniently hang your coat and put your bag inside the chair you are sitting on.


Pictures via YankoDesign
Designer: Erohina Yulia

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Best of 2007 >> Music >> Dragonette

Dragonette is one of those rare bands that offer solid substance in a flashy shiny package. The Canadian band is fronted by beautiful female vocalist Martina Sorbara, and is currently based in London. Their 2007 album Galore is chock-full of fun upbeat and melodic songs. It's a shame it did not recieve enough attention and acclaim, as it was one of the best pop albums of last year. If fun sexy yet smart songs and videos are your cup of tea, then you will love Dragonette.

---

I Get Around was the first single. It is very catchy and has a fun video that matches its promiscous undertone ('I know your friends, you know mine too. Don't tell on me, I won't tell on you... I get around.. Here I come when I better go, I say Yes when I ought to say No').

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Take it Like a Man was their second single and it has an extremely funny video that parodies classic porn movies, its one of favorite vids on 2007.

Dragonette_Take It Like A Man

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My absolute favorite from the album is True Believer, I dare you not to like it. It starts with mellow sound and sad lyrics

.

'I don't play well with the other kids, they know that I'm dangerous.

It's evident I'm different, my punishment is imminent.

They tell me that I'm no good, they say worse.

And I have got a curse, I know that its true'

.

then it morphs into pure joy

.

'But you, you make me better, you give me pleasure,

it's just your effect on me.

You make me sweeter, you give me fever

... Now I'm a believer. A true believer'

Dragonette - True Believer

>> Dragonette on Myspace

>> Dragonette on YouTube

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Fashion on The Run >> Live Fast 2

I have previously posted the first ad of Diesel's new Live Fast campaign here. Here are the rest of the ads, they are witty and funny.

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Good to be Proven Wrong!

I had to go to my embassy in Kuala Lumpor yesterday to process some papers. To say it was a complicated process is an understatement. One part of it involved tracing stamps on three passports for me and three for my brother. I was dreading it beforehand, I have always faced trouble, bureaucracy and delays when processing papers at government agencies. I was glad to be proven wrong this time. The embassy was extremely helpful and accomodating, and with the help of its super nice officers (thank you Mr. Hamza and Mr. Samer) I was able to finish processing the documents and get the papers I wanted within the same day. The effeciency of the embassy made me proud to be Syrian.

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Visiting in Kuala Lumpur

I am currently visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a few days. I need to process some documents at my embassy and I wanted to visit my brother who just got back from a trip back home in Syria. Kuala Lumpor is one of my favorite cities. It is a huge metropolitan with numerous skyscrapers and big buildings and malls yet it has beautiful greenery and gardens everywhere. And I just love using its transportation system; buses, monorail, shuttle trains, LRT; I hardly use taxis. I think I'm gonna visit KL alot more this year. Check out the beautiful Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest twin buildings at night!

>> Kuala Lumpor Wikipedia page
>> Kuala Lumpor Tourism page
>> Petronas Twin Towers Wikipedia page

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New MacBook Air

Blimey... I want one! Watch the guided tour below.

Drool over it at Apple

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Future Fashion >> Personal Force Field

Now, the concept of charging your gadgets via movement is nothing new but check out the FORCE FIELD!! Wow

Everyday clothing can be transformed into smart clothes that react to environments and provide power to portable gadgets, by weaving conductive filaments into fabric.

Micro generators embedded into the seams of the clothes will convert all your movements into power. Your cyber-suit can discharge its power at any time, creating a shell of electricity and forming a personal forcefield to keep you safe down darkened alleyways. The electrical forcefield has the power to stun an attacker, and the intelligent fabric monitors heart rate and anxiety levels so it automatically knows when to power-up its protection system.

via

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Music Trivia >> Piece of Robyn

Did you know that Robyn is the one singing backup vocals on Britney's current hit Piece of Me?

The connection? Piece of Me is written and produced by swedish team Bloodshy & Avant who happen to be friends with Robyn who hails from (surprise, surprise) Sweden.

Piece of Me just climbed to #2 on the official UK chart this week (14.01.2008). Even with zero promotional effort and only negative press (or is it because of it) people are still buying her record. I guess they are saying yes to Britney's "You want a piece of me?"

Funny bit : Just this last week (10.1.2008) Robyn had an interview with The Sun promoting her new Be Mine! single, and the headline was 'Don't Compare Me to Britney'.

---

>> Read Robyn's 'Don't Compare Me to Britney' interview here.
>> See my previous post with Robyn's amazing latest songs and videos here.
>> Watch Britney's Piece of Me video on her official YouTube Channel here.
>> See the UK Singles Top 75 for the January 14 2008 week here.

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Fashion on The Run >> Live Fast

'Thank you God for giving me these diesel jeans,

now I need to do some cardio to look good in them'

Model : Sean Harju
Photographer : LAURIE BARTLELY
via Continue reading this post...

Funny Short Clip >> The Landlord

Here is a hilarious short (2:24 mins) sketch by Will Ferrell called The Landlord. His little daughter is so funny (You pay now, bitch).

Disclaimer: Contains bad language by a two year old girl.

If the video does not load you can watch it here.

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Geeky >> Uncut Bill Gates CES Interview

Gizmodo sat down with Bill Gates during CES 2008 in Las Vegas. Here is the complete uncut interview. It is LONG, racking up 20 minutes. After a few minutes of casual conversation Bill opens up about many issues including what he really thinks of Vista, xBox, his style and future. A must see for any geek.

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Fashion On The Run >> iLive

Here is a solution to the danger of listening to music while jogging (see my previous iDead awareness campaign post). MP3 Smart Jacket (though it looks more like a life-saver vest or a backbag without the actual bag) is geared towards the outdoors activities. It has built-in shoulder speakers, so you do not have to use earbuds/headphones that isolate you from the surroundings while you are on the run. It includes secure pouches for your MP3 player, mobile or other gadgets; volume and track adjustment buttons on the arm and is available in a selection of colors, including the pictured above ‘night safe’ bright orange.

I think this is a great accessory for those who do a lot of hiking, skating or jogging, but I am not sure it would be a good idea walking in the mall or street while blasting your taste of music.

You can find it online at Princess International. Enter MP3 Smart Jacket in the search box.

via Gizmodo

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Polo 40th Anniversary Collector's Trunk

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Polo brand, Ralph Lauren released this collector's trunk. What's in the trunk? 40 Polo shirts.

At $5000 [$125 per shirt] you get the leather trunk for free. A bargain I say!

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New Video >> Alanis Morissette >> Underneath

I will keep it simple : Brilliant song, Brilliant video.

Guy Sigsworth worked his magic on Alanis Morissette. I can not wait for the album. In the mean time, here is the brand new just-out of the oven video for first single Underneath from her upcoming album Flavors of Entanglement. I guess all Alanis needed was to be heartbroken after ending her long relation with actor Ryan Reynolds for her brilliance to shine back.

'Look at us waging war in our bedroom

Look at us jumping ship in our dialogues
Look at us being cruel kids with both our hearts blocked

Look at us turn away from all the rough spots

Look at dictatorship on my own block'

Alanis Morissette - Underneath

Watch a funny short update by Alanis herself talking about the album HERE

>> Alanis Morissette Official Site
>> Alanis Morissette Official Myspace
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Dolce & Gabbana >> Spring/Summer 2008 New Ads

Peep these ads for the new Dolce & Gabanna Spring / Summer 2008 collection. D&G are absolutely my favorite desginers for accessories and perfume, but other than a casual T that I have I am not big on their mens clothes. However, I totally digg this new line, the suites are sharp with a glam-feel and the casual line in the third picture looks comfy and stylish at the same time. I would totally wear each piece in that last ad. And ofcourse Steven Klein can do no wrong when it comes to shooting ads.

Models: Sam Webb, Tom Warren, Michael Camiloto, Tyson Ballou, Sean Harju, Marcus Hedbrandh, Evandro Soldati, Chad Dunn, Noah Mills and Mark Schoehuijs.

Photographer: Steven Klein [website]

Dolce & Gabbana Site

Pictures via source

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Free Music >> Temposhark >> Crime

Temposhark is a London-based band with an Electro/Rock sound that has elements of Placebo, Depeche Mode, Incubus and Pet Shop Boys to name a few. Band vocalist Rob Diament (pictured above) filled in as a guest blogger at ArjanWrites blog while Arjan was on vacation. Rob shared a free mp3 of an uptempo song called Crime from their new album The Invisible Line.

The song is sinster, lyrically-deviant "You can pay me by the hour, rent a room I'll bring the chains. Hit me with your dollar power, I'm in charge, control your pain", full of suggestions and plain fun. A definite guilty pleasure.

Free Download >> Temposhark - Crime [MP3, 4:13 minutes, 3.8MB]

You can preview it below, press play and wait a few seconds for it to load.

>> Temposhark Official Site

>> Temposhark on Myspace

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Some People Have Real Problems

Here is the video for Day Too Soon from Sia's new album Some People Have Real Problems, which is out this week. Sia is one of my favorite female vocalists. The video is colorful, sunny, playful and true to her quirkiness has a BIG swan near the end!!!

Free MP3 Download from the new album (promotion by her label, YAY!)

Download here >> Sia - Electric Bird [MP3, 4:26 minutes, 4 MB]

You can preview it here

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Sia's music was immortalized when the creators of the cult HBO show Six Feet Under used her beautiful song Breathe Me in the series finale scene. If you haven't seen Six Feet Under, grab it on DVD. Its unique style of black comedy and excellent acting produced one of the best TV shows ever. Many of its actors now play lead roles in new hit shows (Brothers & Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money and Dexter). In the mean time, enjoy the video below of the great finale scene.

If you like it watch the original video of Breathe Me and listen to music at her myspace site below.

>> Sia's Official Site

>> Sia's Myspace

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New Music >> Adele >> Chasing Pavements

It took less than two weeks into 2008 for a new music act to excite me. All I need to be sold is great lyrics, great melody and a nice video. Adele delivers all this and more. And to think it would come from a 19 years old girl!

The chorus of Chasing Pavements will immediatley stick in your brains

"Should i give up, Or should i just keep chasing pavements?

Even if it leads nowhere, Or would it be a waste?

Even If i knew my place should i leave it there?"

Here is the amazing video for Chasing Pavements. The pace of the visuals perfectly fits the song and adds depth to it.

I can not help but compare her sound to Amy Winehouse (minus the crazy) and SIA. After looking her up I found out that the BBC justifies my immediate liking. Adele was named their #1 sound of 2008 HERE! And by listening to the songs on her myspace page I am glad to find that she is no one trick pony.

>> Adele's Official Site
>> Adele's Myspace

Free Bonus Download

>> Adele - Hometown Glory (Live) Guilt-Free MP3 download

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Free Download >> New Moby Album Sampler

Moby's official site is offering a guilt free album sampler download of his new album Last Night, to be released in March 2008. The album shows Moby going back to his earlier sound and DJ roots and ditching his recent ambient and pop sound for a fresh hip-hop infused dance sound. Check out the free smapler to get a taste of what's on the album. I love it, especially the part that starts at the 3:40 mark. Press PLAY and wait a few seconds for it to load.

Download >> Moby - Last Night Sampler [MP3, 8:54 minutes, 8 MB]

Moby on the new album:
'Last Night is basically a love letter to dance music in new york city. what i love about the new york approach to dance music is the eclecticism and the open minded-ness on the part of the musicians, the dj's, and the people in the bars and clubs. in making 'last night' i essentially tried to take a long 8 hour night out in new york city and condense it into a 65 minute long album.'

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Amazing Creepy Hyperrealistic Art

Check out these images of incredible sculptures by the Australian hyperrealist artist Ron Mueck. He uses silicon, resin, fiberglass, human hair and other materials to create creepily realistic art. My favorite is the above "Boy". Point your mouse over each image to see the name of the sculpture. For more information on his art see his wikipedia.

If you enjoyed these, watch this VIDEO collage of some of Ron Mureck's genius work. Note: the video might be nsfw as it includes nude sculptures.

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New Goldfrapp Single & Video - A&E

Here is the new beautiful first single A&E off Goldfrapp's new album Seventh Tree. The sound is a drastic departure from their last album Supernatural. It is mellow, serene and etheral. I am glad they were bold enough to not stick with the same template and had the guts to keep things fresh and experiment in a totally different direction. Listen to the magnificent A&E below. Press play and let it load for a few seconds.

True to form, Goldfrapp provide an equally amazing visual companion to the song. The video is creative in its simplicity and as any great video should have, it has choreographed dancing bush-men and leaf-men!! Two thumbs up for originality and evolution.

For more check out Goldfrapp's Myspace and official site.

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iDead

Here is a new campaign raising the awareness to the danger of listening to music on your iPod or MP3 player while crossing the road. The number of fatalities is increasing at an alarming rate, so the New South Wales police department came up with this creative campaign to educate the public.

I think it is a very important issue. A small error in judgment from you or from a reckless driver can lead to permanent disability or death. I personally listen to my iPod shuffle frequently while walking and commuting. I usually decrease the volume while crossing the road so that I can hear the cars as well as see them, however from now on I will try to pause it all together. I can live with iBored not iDead...

Also, if you are driving, don't get too distracted by your phone (sending SMS while driving!!) or other gadgets. Be safe and let others be safe.

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Bill Gates Last Microsoft Day Funny Parody

Bill Gates just gave his final Microsoft keynote at the 2008 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. To answer the question of what he will do with his free time once he retires from day to day operations at Microsoft he played this extremely funny video. Honestly, after watching this video, I think he's way cooler than Steve Jobs. He does not take himself too seriously and does not mind being the butt of the joke. Big name stars such as Bono from U2, George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Hilary Clinton, Obama, Matthew McConaughey and Jay-Z make cameos in the parody video. Watch it below.

Video: Bill Gates - Last day at Microsoft - CES 2008

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Best of 2007 :: Movies :: I Am Legend

I was never a big fan of Will Smith's movies, but something about the premise of I Am Legend made me curious. A scientist living alone in New York after a virus wiped out the population and converted some to a combination of Vampire/Zombie monster. Working on a cure, he tries to stay sane and avoid getting killed on their hands. I saw this movie in December, and I surely did not expect to like it so much, or that it would be really scary (which I loved). Somehow its mix of post-apocalyptic horror with sci-fi and human emotion worked very well. I highly recommend that you see it at the theater while it is still playing. Its visual and sound effects have to be experienced on a proper system.

Two Thumbs Up!

I Am Legend Official Site

I Am Legend on Yahoo! Movies

I Am Legend on Internet Movie Database

I Am Legend Trailer at Apple

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Best of 2007 :: My Trip to Bali, Indonesia

A picture says a thouand words.

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Piece of Britney

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It's a sad sad affair at the Spears' household. After recent news of 16 years old Jaime-Lynn being pregnant, big sis Britney had a majore mishap this weekend. The girl is obviously battling some serious demons and mental illnesses. I am a fan and love her music, and I've been hoping that the tide will change for her. But it seems with the way things are going down, she needs immediate professional help or she might not make it to the end of 2008 alive. I sincerely hope she will be receiving adequate help right away so that she can overcome this hardship and be able to enjoy her life and raise her kids. In the unlikely case that you do not know what I am talking about, click here to catch up. It's a clear and simple cry for help. It is not easy for anyone to accept they have a mental illness and seek help. It is believed now that Britney suffers from Bipolar Disorder. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million American adults. The median age of onset for the illness is 25. Spears just turned 26 Dec. 1.

Interestingly, Britney's current single Piece of Me has her declaring "I'm Miss bad media karma, another day another drama". Amen, Sister. Incedently, Piece of Me is my favorite Blackout song. Get the dance Bimbo Jones radio edit here.

Finally, I heard this emotional cover of Toxic by Yael Naim a while ago. And with what is going on in Britney's life now, lyrics like "Baby can't you see, I'm falling? Too high, can't come down. Losing my head, spinning round and round." have an extra depth now. Here is the video for the haunting performance.

Yael Naim - Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)

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Best of 2007 :: Music :: Robyn

2007 was the year of Robyn. After years of conflict with her record label, she left, created her own independent label and released three hit singles including one of my all time favorite songs.

Be Mine! is one of these rare songs that transcended the normal pop song and moved something inside me whenever I heard it. Be it the broken-heart storyline, the raw voice, or the urgency of the violins that come to life; the song was just perfect. Be Mine! was released in Sweden in 2005, but the rest of the world had to wait 2 years to hear it.

In a recent interview, Robyn says anout Be Mine: “It’s about sad love and a situation everyone knows about — being dumped. I tried to go back to being 15, and being dumped for the first time, when things are so black and white and raw and naive.”

Here is the new 2007 video which I love.

Click HERE for an amazing Piano Acoustic version and HERE for the original (and very strange) 2005 Be Mine! video.

Robyn also scored a huge 2007 #1 in UK with a collaboration with Kleerup. With Every Heartbeat is yet another example of Robyn's magic. It tells of ending a relation, you know you have to do it but you can not help avoid the pain. "We could keep trying, but things will never change. So I don't look back. Still I'm dying with every step I take. And it hurts with every heartbeat". Coupled with an extraordinary production from Kleerup, the song proves that Robyn is no one hit wonder.

If you like these songs, you can DOWNLOAD them at Brooklyn Vegan. Check out Robyn's official YouTube Channel for more videos.

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Daft Hands

This video is totally amazing. Soldier through the first 50 seconds which may seem boring and silly and you will be impressed by the technique and originality of this performance. It was shot in one take. Kudos!! If the video does not load, click HERE to view it.

Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

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Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger :: Part 1

No matter how powerful your computer may be, its performance is bound to suffer when it is cluttered with non-efficient applications that drain its resources. It will start freezing, loading slowly and crashing. My suggestion is to replace these applications with more efficient alternatives. And you do not have to sacrifice performance or utility, the following two replacement applications I am suggesting provide the same features while demanding substantially less resources. To make the deal sweeter, these are totally freeware applications, so you do not have to feel guilty about using cracked software.

• Adobe Reader is the dominant application used for reading PDF documents; it is also one of the most resource hungry ones. I suggest you replace it with Foxit Reader instead. Foxit Reader is incredibly small (only 2.1 MB download size) and absolutely fast and feature-rich. I read PDF documents regularly because of my research, and I attest that I do not miss a thing about Adobe. You can download the Foxit Reader here.

• Photoshop is an incredible application, but it requires considerable horsepower. Paint.Net offers a powerful lightweight alternative. Unless you require really complex processing, if you perform basic/intermediate image editing and processing, then this is for you. You can download the latest version of Paint.Net here (it is only 1.6MB!!!). It ranked #19 on PC World Top 100 products of 2007. Paint.Net requires the installation of .Net 2.0 Framework. You can get it here if it is not already installed on your system.

I hope you find this information useful, and that these applications help you improve the performance of your machine. Expect more 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' posts in the future.

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Finally, I have to mention the amazing French band Daft Punk whose song Harder Better Faster Stronger is the inspiration of this post title. It is also the inspiration for the recent Billboard #1 hit song Stronger by Kanye West.

Watch the awesome video for the song taken from their incredible movie Interstella 5555 on their official YouTube channel.

Here is the song performed live (with bits of Around The World, and Television Rules The Nation), taken from my favorite 2007 album ALIVE.

Daft Punk - Alive - Harder Better, Faster, Stronger Live

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Happy New Year >> 2008

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Hello World

Being in the computer science field (doing my PhD at the moment) it seemed fitting to use Hello World as the title of my first entry in this blog. Traditionally, Hello World is the first program you try when learning a new computer programming language. I’ve wanted to start this blog for quite some time, yet I have procrastinated and kept putting it off. Finally I decided that the first day of the New Year is the perfect time to start anew. Procrastination is truly one of my worst vices, and one that I am planning to defeat in 2008. However, this is not a New Year resolutions entry, I have too many vices that I need to overcome to be listed here!

So what is this blog about? Actually, I have no clue how to describe it other than being a mixed personal blog. Maybe with time it will morph into something specific or different, but for the time being my motivation to start this blog is my need for an outlet that allows me to do the following:


i. Keep my friends and contacts all over the world updated on what is going on in my life. I have been living abroad for the last 13 years in different countries, so it’s hard to keep in contact with them all individually on a regular basis. This is not a regular personal diary or journal, but I will blog about my life whenever something interesting happens.

ii. Discuss and share music, movies, news, gadgets, entertainment bits and pieces, and anything I find interesting. I steer away from politics, not for fear but for lack of interest. Yeah I am shallow, Bite Me.

iii. Have some kind of cyber ID that is more than just a profile page, something that will give a little glance into who and how I am. I read the news online; watch videos on YouTube and comment on articles; so I need a cyber place to call my own and be able to share that with the world. No longer will I leave a comment as Anonymous, it will be Aymarius. Plus, I imagine it would be great to have an archive where I can look back at the experiences and events that took place.

iv. It’s about damn time I had a blog. Everyone and their dog seem to have one these days, hehe.

I will try to update the blog regularly, at least on a weekly basis, probably more often. I invite you to join me in this adventure, bookmark this blog, check it each now and then and leave your comments or suggestions.

Happy New Year.

01-01-2008
AYMARIUS

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