There are far better writers out there... a Chinese LOTD

Another housekeeping note, but as you might have noticed, I've added a new Blogger feature on the right-hand toolbar. It's a self-updating blogroll featuring the latest posts from my China comrades. So, if you're looking for more insight into what it's like to be in Beijing for the Olympics, and not just posts about pooping, you might want to check out my friends. It'll be worth it, trust me.

Also, Emerson has started a collective blog, where all of us are required to post at least once a week. There's some enlightening stuff on there, if you want to sift through it.

Just trying to keep y'all entertained at work!

Also, pictures are up from The Temple of Heaven, 7-9-8 Art District (more on that later) and see the random city shots for additions from Beijing's first Apple Store and Hooters.

Street Viewer for Google Maps...

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Have you checked out Google Maps Street Viewer yet? If you haven't, it's a 3-D map function from select cities that shows you what it looks like if you were driving or walking on the streets themselves. It was launched to much fanfare almost exactly a year ago.

Personally, I pretty much ignored it after the first day, since I don't live in San Fran, Denver or any of the six original cities. However, since the debut, Google has quietly been adding cities to its uber-cool map feature. While they still haven't made it to my current living place for even the regular maps (which I've mentioned before), they did recently add Manchester, NH to their lineup. Manchester is New Hampshire's biggest city, but only has about 150,000 citizens. So, apparently to not waste their time in the Granite State, Google added surrounding communities - including my hometown of Auburn. That's my parents' house in the picture. One of the car's is mine (I used to park it on the lawn when I kept it in storage), the ones actually in the driveway belong to my family that still lives there. I have no idea who the other cars on the lawn belong to and that yellow school bus up on blocks in the back belonged to a roving, homeless, evangelical preacher that set up camp for a couple weeks.

I've found myself spending (no, wasting) time slowly clicking through the streets, trying to see if I can spot a neighbor out in their yard or driving by in their car. So far, I haven't come up with anything good (I was kinda hoping to spot my mom walking our dogs or something), but I keep checking back when I have some down time from watching lint collect on my floor or detecting patterns in TV static - you know, the usual things I do around my home/office.

Every time I finish clicking down a road or find myself trying to peer around the corners of houses, I feel a little bit like a Peeping Tom. I'm staring at people and their homes without their knowledge, taking my time to peruse their windows and yards and checking out the make and model of their cars. Wow - that sounds even more creepy written out like that.

Real-to-life-everything is the wave of the future. And there's definitely an advantage to show someone what turn-by-turn directions look like. However, it's going to take me a bit of time before I feel totally cool about Street Viewer.

But since the function isn't going to go away (more towns are being added practically daily), I guess I just gotta keep being a Peeping Tom until that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach goes away. Maybe it's guilt, maybe it's because the milk in my fridge is dated June 1st. Only time will tell...

In the meantime, check out some fun Street Viewer images at streetviewr.com.

Spelling Bee, Bill Simmons and Numbnuts - LOTD for you...

You probably couldn't miss it this year, as the Scripps National Spelling Bee had its quarter-finals, semis and finals broadcast by ESPN360, ESPN2 and ABC.

First observation - didn't it used to be the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee? (Answer: Yes, as recently as 2003). What happened to Howard? Did the dude pass away? Did Scripps stage a coup or hostile takeover? Has the "Howard" been scratched off the trophy? We need the answers.

I actually missed it this year. I don't normally watch it start to finish, but I'll usually turn in for a few spellings, try them on my own and go a big, fat 0-15 or so. ABC had the finals on during the Celtics/Pistons Game 6 (which, incidentally, got bumped from the mother station for the Bee), so I watched that instead.

For me, best part of the Bee isn't watching our next generation of scholars in action, seeing the cooperation and good sportsmanship they always demonstrate or learn some new words to add to my everyday lexicon. Nope. I watch for the astoundingly high levels of unintentional comedy. Just check out the "Numbnuts Clip" from eventual champion, Sameer Mishra:



The second highlight, after seeing a new batch of homeschoolers, band kids, chess-club members and social pariahs gesticulate and hyperventilate on national television, is re-reading Bill Simmons' classic ESPN.com running diary of the 2002 Bee. Absolutely hilarious and still funny six years later.

If any of you haven't read Simmons, I have him linked on the right for a reason. Sure, he's "just" an Internet sports columnist, but he's also one of my favorite writers. He's hysterically biting, relatively incisive and he's a Sox fan, so what more could you ask for? Definitely check him out.

Those are your links of the day... Bee well. Ha.

Coldplay - Violet Hill... LOTD

As promised, I have Coldplay's new single, "Violet Hill," up her for Pando-users to download. I don't know if it's illegal, but if you're Chris Martin and you somehow stumbled onto my crappy blog, then tell me to take it down and I will. I'm only putting it up here because you guys gave it away for free and I want everyone to go out there and buy the album and make you infinitely more wealthy.

How's that for a disclaimer?

Also, I'm putting it up because it took me three days to get the link sent to me via email and I'm assuming most of you are having the same problems.

It is still available on the band's site, so feel free to grab it there, too.

Happy listening! Let me know what you think in the comments...

Death Cab for Cutie downloads...

One of my favorite bands, Death Cab for Cutie, has another full-length dropping in a couple weeks. In advance of the album, Daytrotter has put up a six-song, live session for free download. Here's the track list:

1) A Movie Script Ending
2) Cath
3) Styrofoam Plates
4) Talking Bird
5) The New Year
6) Why You'd Want to Live Here

Tracks two and four are from the upcoming disc, Narrow Stairs. The others are favorites from The Photo Album and Transatlanticism, both of which you really should own. Heck, you should celebrate their entire catalog.

Want a taste? I've put up the tracks here for you to download, too, as long as you have Pando. If you don't, go get it or visit Daytrotter to get the files there. Heck, visit that last site anyway as a little web thank-you for the session.

Also, Coldplay just released the first single of its upcoming album for free download, too. I haven't gotten it yet, but I heard it and it's not bad. I'll post it later.

LOTD... or This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse...

Normally, I wouldn't bother you with such trite material, but this was just too terrible to pass up. This is an actual song by an "artist" named Riskay who apparently has (incredibly) a SECOND album coming out. Yes, the world been subjected to not one, but two Riskay offerings.

Apparently, the tune "hit big in 2007" as an Internet session. Whatever. It's called "Smell Yo' 'Weewee'" and is the thrilling story of a girl who, suspecting her man is cheating, tells him to drop trou so she can... well, you get the point.

I'd say enjoy, but I don't think you will. Try not to bang your head onto your desk in horror and/or paroxysms of laughter.

(PS - NSFW)

Editor's note: I decided I couldn't, with good conscience, keep the video posted here. If you really want to see it, here's the link. But you're going to have to leave my site to see it.

Editor's update: There's also an acoustic version. Rock on.

LOTD...

If you check out my sidebar, I've added a bunch of new stuff.

First off, you can post blogs you like on your Facebook, Digg or del.ico.us accounts. So, that's pretty fun. I'm new at that game, so if you have any questions... ask someone else.

I've also added a few new blogs. Definitely check out LB's page here. She's a deep thinker, great writer, terrific artist and one heckuva dancer and she'll give you a daily dose of cultural commentary and feminist philosophy. Oh, and she's one of the smartest and funnest people I know. Enjoy!

Random notes....

Couple random notes here... I thought I'd throw a LOTD at you and then tell you my tournament picks so you can laugh at how awful they are.

First, the LOTD: check out Twitter. It's all the micro-blog rage (Actually, it has been for a year now, but I, of course, just found out about it.). Basically, it's a site where you can blog, post links or update your life in quick burst of 160 characters or less called "tweets." It's kind of like changing the status on your Facebook page, but with the notable difference that your friends can follow you. You can also reply to each other's posts easily, creating instant discussion in the blogosphere, which is sort of what it's all about. That, and self-deprecating photographs.

My Twitter site is in the links at the side or you could just visit www.twitter.com/seemikewrite anytime.

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Tourney Picks

Every year, my dad, brother and I fill out our brackets for the Men's March Madness tournament. We play for bragging rights and a trophy. The trophy is really just an old bowling pin. Win the tourney and you get to keep the pin for a year.

It's kind of funny, since it's mostly just a pissing contest between three guys who really don't watch much college basketball. But hey, if there's any way you can humiliate your closest relations, you have to take it, right?

That said, I'm losing. But here are my picks anyway, in case you care:

East
Round 2
UNC over Arkansas
Notre Dame over WSU
St. Joseph's over Louisville
Tennessee over Butler

Sweet 16
UNC over Notre Dame
Tennessee over St. Joseph's

Elite 8
UNC over Tennessee

West
Round 2
Kansas over UNLV
Clemson over Vanderbilt
Wisconsin over Kansas State
Georgetown over Gonzaga

Sweet 16
Kansas over Clemson
Georgetown over Wisconsin

Elite 8
Georgetown over Kansas

Midwest
Round 2
Memphis over Oregon
Pittsburgh over Michigan State
Stanford over Kentucky
Texas over St. Mary's

Sweet 16
Pittsburgh over Memphis
Stanford over Texas

Elite 8
Pittsburgh over Texas

South
Round 2
UCLA over BYU
UConn over Drake
Xavier over Baylor
Duke over West Virginia

Sweet 16
UCLA over UConn
Xavier over Duke

Elite 8
UCLA over Xavier

Final Four
UNC over Georgetown
UCLA over Pittsburgh

National Champion
UNC over UCLA

I don't have any of my major teams out, but I probably should've been able to call at least ONE of yesterdays four upsets. Blast!

I'm not dead yet...

No, my friends, I haven't kicked the bucket yet. Nor have I been eaten by a moose in the nether regions of New Hampshire.

I was suffering from an absolutely horrible case of writer's block. You see, I'm working on my thesis (I think I've mentioned it here, but it's the culmination of three years' work, 60 grand and the capstone on a completely non-marketable MFA). It's due to my reader and adviser in about five weeks. Ten days ago, I completely conked out - I was sick of the project, didn't know where to go with it next, out of ideas and couldn't string together two coherent paragraphs.

For my subscribing faithful, you'll probably ask, "How is that any different than your writing here, Mike?"

In which case, I'm smack you in the face. But point duly noted.

Anyways, I felt like if I wasn't working on the thing that I've left my job to actually work on, then the last thing I should be doing is writing about the miscellany in my life that appears here. It's not that I don't love you readers (yes, all 2 and a half of you), it's just that I am a man of principles. Sometimes. And my principles said that I had to churn out another chapter of thesifizing before I posted another blog to destroy your workplace productivity.

But good news. I sat myself town and told myself, "Mike - now I don't like you and you don't like me - but we're going to lock ourselves in this room and not come out until you have 10 or more pages written that don't look like used Charmin." And it worked. I'm on a roll now (which is like unused Charmin).

Alas, this is not the long-awaited, genius post that you've come to expect, nay demand, from my thoroughly unprofitable site. Those are coming. For now, I've got a meeting that I have to get to, so you're just getting this update, a LOTD and two YouTube videos I've become obsessed with. See, I can make sure your productivity plummets even without writing.

You're welcome.

---Link of the Day---
Check out Pando.com. My brother alerted me to this site. It's a way to send large files (up to 1 gig) for free. So, basically, we're using it to illegally share music. Can I get an "Amen!"?

Also, it has a handy function that will allow me to post files here. Once I figure out how that works, I'll probably post some sample tracks that you can try for free and then go buy the album so I don't get sued.

---Videos of the Day---
Okay, so over 15 million people have already seen these on YouTube, but in case you haven't, I enjoyed them. You will, too. Both are from Jimmy Kimmel's late night show on ABC, which I don't watch, but do enjoy every time I happen to flick through it.
"Sarah Silverman - 'I'm doing Matt Damon'"








...and the response...



Talk soon!

Another LOTD...

Maybe I should make this a Link of the Week, instead of a Link of the Day? Whatever... here's the next edition of the ever-popular LOTD.

Check out YouCastr-the Web's first interactive sports networking and live-cast site.

Sick of having to listen to Joe Buck destroy Super Bowl calls? Think you and your dog can form a better announcing duo than anything Tim McCarver's been associated with? Want to be the second coming of a pre-geriatric John Madden? Then sign up with YouCastr and broadcast your live game calls for your family, friends and entire Internet community.

This post on TechCrunch sums it up:

With the entry of Yahoo into the live video category and Ustream acquisition rumors, there’s a lot of interest in the live format. YouCastr’s focus on sports strikes me as a good way to inject a sense of purpose and consistency missing from some lifecasting sites. When you go on Justin.tv, you don’t always know what you’re going to get, but YouCastr will always give you something sports related.

Plus, one of the four guys that started it up is an old roommate of mine. Check it out!

Here's the link one more time.