Last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t a movie that’s well-known for being…well, subtle. It’s big and loud space opera with just a splash of comic book. What you see is what you get, and what you get is pretty satisfying.

But we sometimes forget that the minds behind our favorite movies are quite brilliant individuals, and when they’re given the chance, they’ll insert something into a movie that’s just genius. So simple that it has to be true.

In this case, that honor goes to composer Tyler Bates, who scored Guardians of the Galaxy. Along with James Gunn, they put together a soundtrack that was pretty much its own character within the film.

Enter “Awesome Mix vol. 1.” This is, of course, the cassette tape that main character Peter Quill (AKA Star-Lord) brings with him everywhere throughout his adventures in space. As he explains it, the songs on Awesome Mix are a collection of his mother’s favorite tunes from growing up in the 1970s.

These songs are intertwined with every major moment of the movie, from its opening to close. It sets the tone for the fun, yet almost sort of serious, adventure we’re about to witness, and it plays out beautifully.

I’ve listened to Awesome Mix many, many times on repeat during campaign missions in Destiny (seriously, this is a perfect combination of media). And until recently, I never gave the selection of these songs much thought.

Now, here comes the interesting part. These songs actually tell a story.

Earlier this week, a fan of the site sent me this Reddit post, putting the theory out there. I liked it, so I went ahead and ran with it. Special thanks to redditor Fellowship_9 for inspiring this excellent revelation.

He gave the basic argument, but didn’t really flesh it out much. That’s where I come in (as usual). I took a deep, careful look into these songs to see if this theory holds meaning. It didn’t take long for me to see that he was totally on to something.

So, what is the story behind the songs? It’s simple, really. These songs tell the story of how Meredith Quill met Jason of Spartax. Oh, sorry you don’t know those people? Well, you do. Meredith is Peter’s mother, and Jason is his father.

Each song in “Awesome mix” tells a different part of Meredith’s story, and it’s even in order. I’ll go through each song individually, but here’s just a quick glance in case you think you have it figured out:

1. “Hooked on a Feeling” – Blue Swede
2. “Go All the Way” – Raspberries
3. “Spirit in the Sky” – Norman Greenbaum
4. “Moonage Daydream” – David Bowie
5. “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” – Elvin Bishop
6. “I’m Not in Love” – 10cc
7. “I Want You Back” – The Jackson 5
8. “Come and Get Your Love” – Redbone
9. “Cherry Bomb” – The Runaways
10. “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” – Rupert Holmes
11. “O-o-h Child” – Five Stairsteps

Naturally, a handful of you probably figured this out on your own (especially if you’re well-versed in the comics). But for the rest of us, let me take you through the numbers.

#1 Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Swede

The first song, “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede, is not really a love song as much as it is a lust song. The lyrics illustrate the early dynamic of a relationship. It even starts with:

I can’t stop this feeling. Deep inside of me. Girl, you just don’t realize what you do to me.

What does this have to do with Meredith? Well, the way she met Jason was a bit unorthodox. Basically, he crash-landed near her home and she nursed him back to health.

For Meredith Quill, this song represents her first encounter with Jason, the “angel” from the sky. Speaking of which, why do you think the third song is “Spirit in the Sky?” We’ll get to that.

Meredith gave Jason a place to stay while he repaired his ship. And as chemistry demands, this eventually turned to romance.

#2 Go all the Way – The Rasberries

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The second song is “Go all the Way,” which seems to represent Meredith and Jason consummating their relationship. Not just because of the title of the song, but also when you factor in the rock n’ roll tune with the suggestive lyrics:

I never knew how complete love could be,
Till she kissed me and said,
Baby, please, go all the way.
It feels so right,
Being with you here tonight.
Please, go all the way.
Just hold me close.
Don’t ever let me go.

Don’t forget that in its early days, “rock n’ roll” as a genre was given its name for being…less than family friendly.

#3 Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum

I have multiple theories for this one. See, in the comics, Meredith actually witnesses Jason crashing to Earth in a spaceship. So from the outset, she knows he’s an alien. To her, he’s just this “spirit in the sky.” You could call it there.

But I think there’s a deeper meaning. The song itself is more about mortality, and how ultimately, we all have to go to that “spirit in the sky” when we die.

I think at this point, Meredith is realizing that Jason has to leave eventually. She even refers to Jason as an “angel” in the movie. Fitting.

#4 Moonage Daydream – David Bowie

This song is literally about an alien messiah who has to save the world with rock n’ roll (David Bowie’s words, not mine). For Meredith, though, this song is more about how much Jason means to her, and how he has saved her world.

The lyrics themselves are pretty straight to the point: I’m the space invader…; Put your ray gun to my head, press your space face close to mine, love; Freak out in a moonage daydream.

#5 Fooled Around and Fell in Love – Elvin Bishop

Yeah, so this one’s pretty obvious. This is literally what they did.

The deeper meaning, of course, is that at this point, Meredith is reflecting on her relationship with Jason, and even regretting the “love” part considering he has to leave. In fact, I’d wager this is the last song before Jason leaves. Because, well, the next song is…

#6 I’m Not in Love – 10cc

Are you starting to see how intentional this movie soundtrack is?

Now in case you’re not familiar with the song, “I’m Not in Love” is about a couple that has gone their separate ways. And part of that process is trying to move on, even though you’re still hung up on the person.

I like to see you, but then again,
That doesn’t mean you mean that much to me.

So Meredith is trying to get over Jason. I also think it’s fitting that this is by far the longest song in the playlist (over 6 minutes), which makes sense considering this was the darkest time Meredith went through for this story. But as you’ll see in a moment, that feeling won’t last long.

#7 I Want You Back – Jackson 5

Get it, girl.

Oh baby, give me one more chance,
(To show you that I love you)
Won’t you please let me back in your heart,
Oh darlin’, I was blind to let you go.

Yeah, Meredith still loves Jason and clearly wants him back. There’s even a line that fits nicely with the last song:

Trying to live without your love is one long sleepless night.

And of course, I want you back!

#8 Come and Get Your Love – Redbone

At this point, she’s pleading with him to come back and rekindle their love, probably because she now knows she’s pregnant. It’s possible Jason may have told her that he’d come back someday, as evidenced by his eventual return to get custody of his son (just saying).

Hey, what’s the matter with your head?
Hey, what’s the matter with your mind and your sign?
Hey, nothin’s a matter with your head, baby, find it.
Come on and find it.

In other words, come and get your son.

#9 Cherry Bomb – The Runaways

I think it’s pretty humorous that Meredith thinks of her illegitimate son as a “cherry bomb.”

Hello Daddy, hello Mom,
I’m your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb!

I mean think about it. Can you imagine having to raise Peter Quill? On your own? He had to be quite the wild kid.

An alternate theory is that this song represents the actual birth of Peter Quill. Makes sense considering a cherry bomb is essentially an unpleasant explosion (in this case, expulsion).

#10 Escape (The Pina Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes

Yes, this song is about more than just pina coladas. It’s about trying to date someone you just read about in the personal ads. I’d imagine Meredith had little luck with the dating scene after getting knocked up by an alien.

Specifically, she was trying to find someone who actually matches her preferences and current station in life as a single mother, which is essentially the heart of the song itself.

I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad.
And though I’m nobody’s poet, I thought it wasn’t half bad.
Yes, I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.
I’m not much into health food, I am into champagne.
I’ve got to meet you by tomorrow noon and cut through all this red tape.
At a bar called O’Malley’s where we’ll plan our escape.

Well, we can assume from the lack of father figures in her hospital room at the beginning of GoTG that the dating thing never worked out for her.

#11 O-o-h Child – The Five Stairsteps

I apologize in advance for the feels that are about to be felt.

If you watched the movie (which I sincerely hope you did considering you’ve come this far), then you know that Meredith dies in 1988 of terminal cancer. Peter is only eight years old when it happens, and it’s likely she knew about the illness some time before this. Maybe even years before she finally passed away.

This particular song speaks to getting through hard times:

Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child
Things’ll get brighter 

These are clearly Meredith’s words to Peter, assuring him that everything’s going to be fine, even though she won’t be around much longer. I want to point out how interesting it is that Peter isn’t listening to this song in the beginning of the movie, when his mother is moments away from death.

Instead, he’s listening to “I’m Not in Love,” the song that represents moving on by denying your love for the person. Nice touch, right?

Keep in mind that this is the last song on the mixtape, and Peter was instructed not to open up the new one she gave him until she was “gone.”

Of course, Peter hasn’t really moved on (as evidenced from the song he’s playing above), until the end of the movie. As an adult, it’s “O-o-h Child” that is playing when he faces Ronan and becomes a hero. And it’s after this song that he finally opens “Awesome Mix vol. 2.”

Which opens with…

#12 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye

Meredith is clearly telling Peter…

If you need me, call me.
No matter where you are,
No matter how far.
Just call my name.
I’ll be there in a hurry.
You don’t have to worry.

‘Cause baby,

There ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough,
To keep me from getting to you.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say Meredith realized the ending of vol. 1 was a little heavy, so she figured giving Peter a tape that opens with something as upbeat as a Marvin Gaye song works pretty nicely.

Now all I’m wondering, along with many of you I assume, is: What else does vol. 2 have up its cassette tape?

Guess we’ll have to wait until the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to find out. I hear Iron Man might be in it (seriously).

Thanks for reading! If you like reading the strange things I write about, be sure to subscribe to this blog by clicking “follow” on the sidebar. Or just follow me on Twitter for updates: @JonNegroni. 

New apps need lovin’ too, right? Every day there are thousands of additions to the Google Play store, but many go unnoticed and never receive the attention they deserve. We’ve shown in the past that this community can discover great apps and propel them to new heights. Our weekly Fresh Meat column highlights new apps with fewer than 100,000 installs. Browse our new Android app picks below and let us know which ones you enjoy.

Caviar

Description: Caviar delivers the food you love from your favorite local restaurants, whether you’re relaxing at home, stuck in the office or on the go. Browse the city’s best restaurants with gorgeous photos of each dish for quick ordering and flawless delivery.

Techie Smart Store

Description: The Techie Smart Store app is the ultimate price and feature comparison shopping engine to help buyers look for the best deals, on the latest gadgets and technologies.

Source

Description:  Source pulls articles from different services such as Feedly, Twitter lists, Inoreader, RSS, and The Old Reader to give you all of the most up to date news that you are looking for.

Unbill

Description: Unbill divides each bill between roommates so that each pays an equal portion of the bill. Instead of logging in to some archaic website, or heaven forbid, mailing a check, you simply pay via your credit or debit card.

PhotoMath

Description: PhotoMath is the world’s smartest camera calculator! Just point your camera to a Math problem, and PhotoMath will instantly display the answer. Join millions of users worldwide and make your learning progress faster and more enjoyable.

Keyboard for Excel

Description: Keyboard for Excel, a Microsoft Garage project, provides a keyboard optimized for numbers. It delivers speed and efficiency to Excel users entering data.

AutoWear

Description:  AutoWear is a Tasker plugin for Android Wear. You need to have Tasker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm) installed to use many of its features, so please be aware of that before using it. 

djay FREE

Description: djay transforms your Android device into a full–featured DJ system. Seamlessly integrated with Spotify and all the music on your device, djay gives you direct access to mix your favorite songs and playlists instantly.

Watch Face – IO 2015

Description: IO 2015 is a Google IO 2015 inspired material style watch face for your Android Wear device with cool number animation.

Google PDF Viewer

Description: PDF Viewing is now available directly in Google Drive. For environments where this cannot be deployed, Google PDF Viewer offers the same capabilities in a standalone app. View, print, search and copy text from pdf documents while you’re on the go.

Ever been using Google Contacts and thought to yourself that it was a pain? If so, Google head your thoughts and it’s responded.

Google Contacts is receiving a massive update that includes a Material Design makeover and a few big changes. In addition to the card-style design and floating action button, users can now more easily merge duplicates, have their contacts updated automatically based on their friends’ Google profile info, and see your recent emails and meetings with a contact when viewing his or her information.

Perhaps the best news about today’s update is that you can try it out right now. You can visit contacts.google.com/preview and begin using all of the new features, and after messing around with it a bit, the changes do seem pretty great. I had more than 100 duplicates in my Google Contacts and after merging a few manually, I clicked “Merge All” and everything was taken care of.

What do you think of this new-look Google Contacts?

NVIDIA’s event is live now at GDC 2015, and they have just taken the wraps off the newest member of the SHIELD family: a set-top box.

As with the other SHIELD devices, the SHIELD set-top box is running Android (Android TV in this case) and will feature access to all the Google apps, including the Play Store. The SHIELD is capable of running 60Hz 4K video thanks to the new Tegra X1 powering it as well as 3GB of RAM.

SHIELD will have 16GB of internal storage with microSD expansion available as well as two USB 3.0 ports that allow you to hook up a regular hard drive for added storage.

NVIDIA have also announced a SHIELD remote that is extremely minimalist but features quick access to voice controls for easy search on the TV. The SHIELD remote will be sold separately; pricing is not available at this time.

Naturally there are lots of games coming to the SHIELD, including Doom 3: BFG Edition, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and Crysis 3. More than 50 Android titles will be available at launch.

SHIELD will be available in the U.S. starting in May and will be priced at just $199. It’ll come bundled with the SHIELD game controller. This just became by far the best Android TV option out there for anyone even slightly interested in gaming.

NVIDIA’s GRID game streaming service is also official, offering a premium 1080p 60fps streaming option along with a basic 720p option. Pricing for GRID will be available closer to the May launch. It’ll launch with more than 50 titles in its store, and NVIDIA are projecting that GRID will have more than 100 games by the end of the year. NVIDIA wants GRID to be Netflix for gaming, and having used GRID on the SHIELD Tablet for the last few months, it feels like that’s within reach for them. If NVIDIA can deliver GRID at a reasonable price, it could easily be the breakout feature of the SHIELD and a far bigger deal than the hardware itself.

batsvsupes:

dat secret identity

Artist's Note:

What has been drawn cannot be undone. I only hope that you'll never hear that haunting tune, as he warps your psyche in a loving manner. You will have no choice, but to feel his twisted embrace... he just wants you to be his neighbor~

Writer's Note:

As far as I know Mr. Rogers was a wonderful person, but the lyrics to his show's opening song are incredibly creepy when taken out of context. 

dat secret identity

It would be nice if we could do that here.

It may not be the tent-pole console title that it once was, but there is plenty of nostalgia for Mortal Kombat to go around for generations of gamers, and Warner Bros. Interactive is hoping to capitalize on those fond memories with Mortal Kombat X.

The game is a mix of touch-based fighting with a collectible card game component. You can look to the existing title “Injustice: Gods Among Us” from Warner Bros. for a better idea of what that will look like in practice. While some of the Warner Bros. titles haven’t fared too well in Play Store reviews, this title is actually solid at 4.4 stars, so there is reason to hope that Mortal Kombat X will prove similarly enjoyable.

Warner Bros. is promising that all of the brutal fatalities and x-ray hits will be present in the mobile version, along with many of the classic old characters and plenty of new fighters.

There isn’t a specific date given for the release on mobile, but the console version of the game is due out April 14th, so it’s a safe bet it’ll be right around that date.

Any Mortal Kombat fans excited to take down Scorpion or Sub-Zero with a swipe on their smartphone?

The Google Play Store is turning three, and as a result Google is celebrating the milestone by launching a pretty big slate of deals for many different digital goods, including movies, apps and music. In total, Google’s offering “hot deals” on 33 different pieces of content.

That includes several apps, like a pair of fitness offerings from Runtastic and even Racing Rivals for the moments you don’t feel like working out. As far as music goes, the options range quite a bit and include Eminem, SIA, and Maroon 5. The movies include the likes of The Dark Knight trilogy from director Christopher Nolan, as well as picks like the remake of Total Recall starring Colin Farrell.

There are only two free apps out of the list, but some are priced as low as 10 cents. A link to the dedicated page is below. Do you plan on picking anything up from Google’s big birthday celebration?

But can it read?

As part of 1111′s A-Z of Creatures. I is for Ibis. The ibis is found all over the world. They are a wading bird so will be found near large amounts of water where you will hear their honking calls.

What animal would you like to see for J?

“I am deeply saddened by the death of my dear friend Leonard Nimoy. But, I also want to celebrate his extraordinary life. He was a true force of strength and his character was that of a champion. Leonard’s integrity and passion as an actor and devotion to his craft helped transport Star Trek into television history. His vision and heart are bigger than the universe. I will miss him very much and send heartfelt wishes to his family.”

- Nichelle Nichols (x)

After launching 128GB microSD cards at MWC 2014, SanDisk today one-upped itself with an even larger card.

SanDisk has revealed a 200GB microSD card for mobile phones and tablets. The 200GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition looks just like a regular microSD card, but it’s got 56 more storage than SanDisk’s next-largest card, the 128GB model. This new 200GB card has a transfer speed of up to 90MB per second.

So how much will having 200GB of removable storage in your smartphone cost? SanDisk says that when its new card goes on sale in Q2, it’ll have an MSRP of $399.99. Better start saving now.

All characters appearing in this work are based on reality. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is absolutely intentional.

Lousy Smarch weather http://ift.tt/1GDV5sA

missambear:

So upset. RIP Leonard Nimoy

friends, we grieve with thee

Mormons use the internet for all kinds of awesomeness and sharing of goodnesses but occasionally, if the moon is in the house of Scorpio or the deacons brought wheat instead of white that Sunday, they get a little worked up and may also use it to debate things, like the difficulty of their respective missions. For fun. Or for winning.

I always want to join in that fun but I served in the easiest mission. And it won’t surprise you to hear that it was Temple Square. Because, admit it, you suspected it was the easiest all along.

First of all, let’s address the setting. It isn’t likely that professional gardeners attended to every inch of ground your sensible shoes touched while on your mission. And I’m sorry about that. Because Temple Square gardeners are ridiculously good at what they do. I mean, have you seen the place?

Of course you have. You went there with a date. We noticed, trust me. We think you made a great impression, really put your best foot forward. The orchestrated moment of quiet contemplation in front of the Christus was a smooth move. We dug it.

Another thing that made my mission a lot easier than yours was alone time. Did you have much of that? I did. Not hours of it, but enough. Missionaries don’t have to stay in pairs while on the Square. It was entirely possible that I could be assigned the farthest desk in the corner of the basement of the visitors’ center. Just me, my introverted alone-time craving brain, and a set of scriptures.

But then, no one wants to be alone all the time, of course. Well don’t despair for me, I got to team up with different sisters for all kinds of tasks (tours, manning information booths, family history center, greeting at gates and more). And, sometimes, depending on what the computer-generated schedule randomly spun for me that day, I may have actually gotten to do something with my companion.

Did you enjoy tracting? I didn’t do any but, and correct me if I’m wrong, it sounds terrible. On Temple Square, the people came to me, naturally. And they had questions. Stuff they’d been storing up. Stuff they wanted to ask their Mormon neighbor but had been scared to lest it indicate a possible interest in, you know, converting. Other times guests’ questions came to them as they saw the Square for the first time. A common answer to a surprisingly common question: No, the bride and groom do not sleep in the temple the night of their wedding. It just kind of looks like a giant castle/hotel.

How were your living spaces? You know what… I’m going to spare you this one. This is getting to be too much. Suffice it to say, mine were nice.

In all seriousness, though my mission may not have been comparatively hard, I did earnestly work hard… and so did every sister I can remember. Our days were long and we were rarely off our feet. Just like you, we wanted to make the most of the time we had. We did get lucky, though, and we did get to perform those works in a really lovely place.

But all of this happened a long time ago. And now this former Temple Square missionary has kids that are quickly approaching missionary age. The world has changed. Even Temple Square has changed. I’m not sure if it matters where my kids go, if they choose to serve. I have a feeling it will be hard.

My husband works with the full-time missionaries in our ward and he really feels for them. They can’t accomplish much during the day. No one is home. People are busy. Few have time for a message about God. I get it. I’m busy too and, in my own way, shun messages about God far too often as well.

And then, it seems there are many who don’t feel a need to make space for God in their lives to begin with. If you are a kid serving where I live, the people you encounter already have so much. And even though the church has made some great choices for modern missionaries, like allowing them fewer restrictions on the number of hours they can perform service a week, it’s still challenging to find meaningful ways to fill the days.

My mission was a sweet (and very safe) adventure. Of all the good fortunes bestowed upon me, by what likely included some luck of the draw, the best was that I got to speak of Christ every day, and often. It was a beautiful blessing. And I hope most truly that this blessing is something our missions have in common. Even if yours was harder.

It’s been quite some time since Google Play Music was initially announced, and since then uploading 20,000 songs into the cloud for easy listening has been the mainstay of the music service. That looks to be changing for some users, though.

As pointed out in the image included, Google is upping the amount of music that Google Play Music listeners can upload into the cloud. Bumping it up to 50,000 from 20,000 is quite the increase, so for heavy music listeners that need plenty of space to store (and listen) to their music, Google Play Music probably becomes a pretty good option.

Do you use Google Play Music?