Shared posts

07 Jan 21:55

‘Fringe’ series finale will be ‘incredibly emotional’

by James Hibberd
Matthew

Wait, January 18?

What does Fringe executive producer J.J. Abrams think of the upcoming series finale? Abrams was taking questions from reporters following a
07 Jan 21:39

Friday dinner

by Steve Barnes, senior writer
Matthew

Hi, I'm grumpy to be a journalist, wahh.

I had dinner Friday night at Sorella, a rustic Italian spot on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Yes, it’s co-owned by the daughter of my boss. No, that’s not why I went. Yes, the food is amazing. How about starting with the signature dish: English-muffin bread made with duck fat, chicken-liver mousse, fried egg, bacon.

06 Jan 11:09

Exclusive: The Fourth Annual Sprudgie Award Winners

by Llewellyn Sinclair

sprudgies-41

Each January, the coffee community and fans around the world turn their attention to the Sprudgie Awards. The Sprudgies reward the previous year’s greatest coffee achievements as determined by some of the world’s most accomplished coffee professionals. The Sprudge Academy members vote for the Sprudgies using secret ballots, which are then tabulated by the international auditing firm of DolcePump.

With no further ado, here are your thought provoking, powerful, and fabulous Sprudgie Award winners for 2012.

Notable Roaster

Blue Bottle Coffee Roasters, Bay Area / NYC

Oakland, California’s Blue Bottle Coffee Roasters have had a hell of a year. Let’s review: New cafe locations, like their gorgeous cafe in the Heath Ceramic facility in San Francisco. Impressive and unique lots of coffee, including a run that featured multiple processes from noted producer Aida Batlle (a Sprudgie Award winner herself). The year’s most aesthetically sumptuous coffee book titled “The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee“, authored by Blue Bottle founders James and Caitlin Freeman. And a flush of investment cash from True Ventures. That’s a big year by any metric.

But we’re giving them the Sprudgie for Notable Roaster for one simple reason, and that’s the coffee. The coffees being served by Blue Bottle these days are a consistent pleasure, enjoyable and exciting and at times even startling. We’ve noticed an exciting trend upwards in cup quality over the course of multiple visits to their cafes in NYC and Northern California, and we were blown away by the offerings they fielded at our Cupping California event last summer.

There is no gimmick at play here, just hard work, careful and informed green buying, and a demanding set of quality control practices at the cafe and roasting level. It amounts to a reassertion of Blue Bottle as one of the leading brands in specialty coffee’s quality arms race. Sometimes investment is not such a bad thing…

Best New Cafe

Pergamino Cafe, Medellin, Colombia

2012 was a fantastic year for new cafes, making this one of the most hotly deliberated categories amongst our judges. Everyman Espresso SoHo, Bar Francis, The (Espresso) Bar, Wrecking Ball Coffee, The Mill, and G&B Coffee at SQIRL each received votes, but in the end, our experience at Pergamino stood out. Located in Medellin’s sprawling, thumping, thoroughly cosmopolitan El Poblado district, owner Pedro Echavarria’s vertically integrated business model makes for a cafe with enviable access to every last coffee touch point: he and his staff are producers, exporters, roasters, agronomists, green buyers, and baristas (and dishwashers, and consumer stewards, and gear geeks, and English-Spanish translators, and pastry connossieurs…)

The model is progressive, the coffee delicious. Pergamino is like the perfect expat bar in cafe form: it makes you want to run away from home just to become a regular.

Notable Producer

Gilbert Gatali, KZ Noir Rwanda

Gilbert Gatali is the face of Rwandan coffee, and a symbol of that country’s emergence as a world-beating high quality specialty coffee producer. Born a refugee in Kenya, raised and educated in Toronto, Mr. Gatali has worked previously as a project manager for Sustainable Harvest, and as the head of the Rwandan Smallholder Specialty Coffee Company (RWASHOSSCO). Today he manages 8 distinct washing stations in western Rwanda, including the Karengera, Kinunu, Rugamba, Nkora, Bulize, Cyebumba, Shangi, and Cyiya washing stations; between them, they purchase and process coffee from between 12,000 and 15,000 individual farmers.

Mr. Gatali has championed coffee quality as an economic and social driver for these washing stations, and the farmers who supply coffee cherry to them. Day lot separation, quality control via cupping expertise, and a drive to educate and promote form within the staff at his stations; Gilbert oversees it all with a sharp sense of humor and a tireless personal work schedule. Coffees managed by Mr. Gatali have already popped up at top roasters in the West, such as St. Ali and Wrecking Ball, and we predict this trend will continue in 2013 and beyond.

Best Subscription Service

Four Barrel Coffee, “Fifth Barrel Coffee Crew

When you subscribe to Four Barrel’s service, you’re becoming a member in what feels like a pop singer’s fan club in the 80s. You don’t just get coffee shipped to you, you get a self-published zine, a membership card, and surprise products like local San Francisco preserves and chocolate. It’s a joy to open the box, as it’s always filled with wonder and merriment… just like the folks at Four Barrel.

Best New Product

Bonavita Bona Voyage

Sprudgie jurors felt the Bonavita Bona Voyage kettle was the sleeper hit of the year. Its small footprint makes it easy to carry-on when traveling to far-off locales. Plus the Bona Voyage’s low price point means it’s the perfect entry level electric kettle for the average coffee fan.

Best Coffee Writing

Erin Meister and Liz Clayton, for their combined body of work published by Serious Eats: Drinks

Erin Meister’s coffee writing employs a folksy, conversational tone that we find endlessly refreshing. A true insider, she’s opening up her knowledge base and professional experience with Counter Culture Coffee to the masses. In the past we’ve called her “the Dorothy Parker of coffee”, but her role is actually much closer to that of the late Julia Childs – Meister demystifies the joys of coffee, conveying her enjoyment and appreciation of the beverage and its culture without a trace of ego or intimidation.

Liz Clayton is just a damn good writer; her gift guide was our favorite of the year, her dissection of the Starbucks Verismo is a hoot, and her guided tour through the Trader Joe’s coffee aisle was one of the smartest consumer-facing coffee articles of 2012. It helps that Ms. Clayton is an excellent photographer, and capable of crafting blog vignettes that are as pretty to look at as they are pleasing to read.

Best Video

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - Season One finale, featuring Michael Richards.

Jerry Seinfeld is a national treasure, and we laughed along with him throughout the first season of his web-only series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”. But the season finale was worth more than just a chuckle, as Mr. Seinfeld and his old collaborative partner, Michael Richards, cruised around Los Angeles in a 1962 VW Split Window Double Cab bus, in “dove blue, primer gray, and rust.” These two old friends goofed around, made unexpected house calls, drank some Peet’s drip at the Malibu Kitchen, and addressed Michael Richards’ 2006 Laugh Factory incident with candor and honesty. The results moved us to tears, and made for some of the best watching of 2012 – coffee or otherwise.

Watch the full video here, via Crackle on YouTube.

Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence

Gerra Harrigan, for her work with the Mid-Atlantic Northeast Coffee Conference (MANE).

This was our first year attending and participating at MANE, North America’s premiere specialty coffee conference, and we were blown away. Incredible hands-on demos and workshops from industry leaders, including Katie Carguilo (USBC Champion with Counter Culture Coffee), Brant Curtis (Wilbur Curtis Co.), Scott Guglielmino (La Marzocco USA), and many more. Lectures and interviews featuring the likes of James Hoffmann (Square Mile), John Moore (Dallis Bros. Coffee), Dan Streetman (Irving Farm Coffee / USBC Head Judge), and the list goes on. The event cost just $100 to register, a price point that differentiates MANE from the more high falutin’ conferences out there. It’s a massive undertaking, and we were thrilled to be a part of it.

At the center of it all is Gerra Harrigan, formally of New Harvest Coffee Roasters, now a coffee trader for InterAmerican Boston. Events like MANE can’t help but be a reflection of their organizer’s personality, and in a very real way Gerra *is* MANE. Humble, dedicated to the specialty coffee community, and possessed of an egalitarian ethos (some might say “indie cred”), Gerra Harrigan has created something very special with her annual event in Providence – a truly American coffee conference, fiercely independent and affordable, open to all, and stocked with the very highest caliber of presenters and educational opportunities. No one company or group owns MANE; it’s made possible by several different companies, with differing agendas and world views, coming together to collaborate on something special. This is a remarkable achievement, one that only gets better every year, and it happens because of the vision and patience and organizational wherewithal of Gerra Harrigan.

She is probably blanching right now, or turning beet red, and saying “Oh, I can’t take credit, it goes to my staff, my volunteers, my bosses for letting me take the time to do this” – but trust us, Gerra, this Sprudgie Award goes to you.

Congratulations to all of this year’s Sprudgie Award winners! View all past winners here.

03 Jan 02:08

Exclusive: Carmine Sprio returning to Italian roots

by Steve Barnes, senior writer
Matthew

Sigh - yi - yi

After nine months in business, Carmine’s Brazilian Grill in downtown Albany, the area’s first Brazilian churrascaria, served its final meal on New Year’s Eve. The restaurant will reopen on Friday (1/4) with a shorter name, Carmine’s, and a menu of Italian fare similar to what was served at chef-owner Carmine Sprio’s Central Avenue restaurant for more than 13 years before it closed abruptly in early September 2009.

“I saw the handwriting on the wall,” Sprio tells me, referring to both slow business at Carmine’s Brazilian Grill and to the local arrival of two national churrascaria chains. Texas de Brazil is due to open later this year at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, according to the company’s website, and Sprio says he has heard that Fogo de Chao is rumored to be considering opening at the revamped Latham Circle Mall.

“The way I look at it is that I tried to introduce something, and obviously the area was ready for it, because the chains are coming in,” says Sprio.

However, he says, “When we asked people about their experience, they said they loved it but planned to come back a few times a year. If you’re a special-occasion place, that works for when there’s an event downtown, but it’s not a good overall business plan. I want to be more of neighborhood type of place where people stop in every week or a few times a month.” Case in point: When Sprio mentioned the change to residents of the apartments upstairs from his downtown restaurant, they said they planned to dine at the bar regularly or get takeout — options for which the all-you-can-eat, meat-carved-from-a-skewer churrascaria concept was not suited.

Further, while Sprio considered his steakhoue pricing a good value — $32 for adults, about $15 to $20 less than many churrascarias charge elsewhere — the perception among some customers was that Carmine’s Brazilian Grill was expensive because $32 was the starting point for a meal.

Sprio also says he heard often from patrons who fondly recall his former restaurant. “They’d say how much they loved it, (and) mention specific dishes. Ultimately you have to give people what they want.”

The kitchen is being modified, and Sprio hopes to sell the large, expensive churrasco grill used to cook the Brazilian steakhouse’s meats. Minor changes are being made to the dining area as well.

The new menu (not yet online) includes about 30 items, including eight to 10 appetizers, a variety of small plates and entrées priced from about $16 to $24.

Carmine’s will be open for dinner Friday and Saturday (1/4-5) and start regular hours next Monday (1/7): dinner Monday through Saturday, lunch Tuesday through Friday.

The address is 4-6 Sheridan Ave. The telephone number: 729-4477.

03 Jan 01:16

5 Locked Grooves From 2012 That Put Me In A Trance

by Nude Mutant
Matthew

Nice list (and list idea)

by Lars Gotrich

I want to live inside of a locked groove. It’s the area between the last track on a side of vinyl and the label, and, when used correctly, it’s the best possible place to get lost in a continuous loop of sound. Not many records feature a locked groove (some feature thousands), but these were the releases that hypnotized my turntable.

modern jester loop

Aaron Dilloway, side D of Modern Jester: The first time I put on this record, it took me 10 minutes to realize that the furry buzz wriggling its way into my psyche was a locked groove. I let it continue for 10 more.

Jon Mueller and James Plotkin, side A of Terminal Velocity: Who puts a dank, formless and spiraling drone on the first side of a double LP? IT CONTAINS MY SOUL.

Demdike Stare, Violetta LP from Elemental: On an otherwise dark slab of next-level whatever-it-is-that-Demdike-Stare-does, the two-second loop of a single banjo is almost like recess, allowing the listener to temper the digital Elemental with something joyfully downhome.

Dante Augustus Scarlatti, Eternal Currents: Just one side of Auris Apothecary’s fantastic Locked Groove Lathe Plate Series, which is literally just 7″s containing mostly caustic seconds-long soundbites. The needle enjoyed skating off these noisy loops pressed to super-thin vinyl, but Eternal Currents, more than the others, understands the dreadful flexi medium and responds with woozy loops that decay as the lathe spins.

FM3, Buddha Machine 4: Okay, fine, not even the right format, but the Chinese electronic duo’s loop boxes are practically locked grooves running on two AA batteries. The last Buddha Machine was a rather somber affair featuring a zither, but No. 4′s loops are far brighter, even sporting neon colors.

02 Jan 15:46

Mahar’s to close; space being taken over by neighbor

by Steve Barnes, senior writer
Matthew

WHAT-what?

The building that houses Mahar’s Public Bar, a legendary beer destination in Albany’s Pine Hills, has been purchased by BMT Managament, which owns three restaurants on the same block, and Mahar’s will close soon. BMT plans to renovate the space and reopen as Madison Pour House by June, Brian Viglucci of BMT tells me. He describes the new venture as a “state-of-the-art beer bar.”

From my colleague Tim O’Brien’s story:

Bar owner Jim Mahar said he was shocked decisions on the bar’s future were made without any discussion with him. He had heard rumors he would be made to vacate the premises, but said no one talked to him.

Mahar’s is located at 1110 Madison Ave. The owner said he is looking for a new Albany location. He also owns a bar in Castleton.

BMT owns Café Madison, Junior’s and The Point, among other properties.

02 Jan 14:45

To the Wind Like a Sail

by The Little Ragamuffin
Matthew

*sigh*




Eric and I wrote this song as a personal reminder. A mantra to be sung over and over in order to shatter that fragile, self-concious being in us all. Revealing instead the positive, glowing being within. When I set this song to my grandfather's 8mm film footage in a first draft, that beach ball appeared for an instant in perfect rhythm with Eric's timpani drumming. The ball came to represent those feelings -fear and confidence. Both so fleeting, both seemingly with lives of their own. Sometimes it seems that they control us and not the other way around. This was our reminder that fear is fleeting, as is bliss. But if we allow ourselves to let them pull us, without resisting, they bring us to places we'd never see otherwise. They improve us. Change us. Help us to bloom.

Some days you are aglow with a halo.
Some days you are afraid that you'll fail.
Bloom like a wildflower in a meadow.
Be wide open to the wind like a sail.




27 Dec 12:04

Comin’ Soon: New Concert Announcements

by Greg
Matthew

THE FELLOWSHIP BAND at Skidmore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photograph by J Hunter Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs has announced a batch of shows for the Zankel Music Center during the spring semester. Inventive piano virtuoso Gabriela Montero – who has recently headlined at SPAC and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall – comes to the Zankel at 8pm on Thursday, March 21, followed [...]
27 Dec 12:02

Low – “Plastic Cup”

by Stereogum
Matthew

Hello!!!!

Last month we got the scoop that Low had completed work on their 10th album, The Invisible Way, which had been produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy at his Chicago studio. Now, music from that album has emerged.

Read More...



27 Dec 02:05

Complete Image Size Chart For Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube & Other Social Networks

by Bruce Houghton
Matthew

Helpful, for those who need things like this

image from www.google.comGood design has never been more important. But recent changes to Facebook pages, Twitter headers, YouTube channels and other social sites has made it rather difficult to get the size of your images just right.  So bookmark this page, and the next time you're about to post a picture or change your profile image, refer to this handy cheat sheet.

chart by LunaMetrics via Econsultancy

image from assets.econsultancy.com

Related articles Social Music: What Went Wrong and What Can Still Go Right The Most Honest Interview About the Music Industry Ever, Featuring Jacke Conte of Pomplamoose Did Billboard & O Music Awards Get Suckered By Fake YouTube Views? YouTube Passes Twitter As #2 Social Choice For Marketers
26 Dec 20:35

Drake Pissed at Walgreens and Macy's for Using "YOLO"

by Amy Phillips
Matthew

LOLO

Drake Pissed at Walgreens and Macy's for Using "YOLO"

Drake spent his Christmas on Instagram, getting pissed off at large retail chains for selling items with the abbreviation "YOLO" on them, as Noisey points out. Although Drake definitely didn't invent the phrase "you only live once," he helped bring it to pop culture ubiquity in 2012 with his track "The Motto" with Lil Wayne and Tyga.

He posted on Instagram, "Walgreens....you gotta either chill or cut the cheque":

And then, "Macy's...same goes for you."

Drake probably wouldn't have much of a case in a court of law, but still, the idea of Drake spending Christmas Eve fuming over a Snoopy/Charlie Brown YOLO T-shirt is pretty hilarious.

Watch the video for "The Motto":

26 Dec 04:11

gift!

by peter
Matthew

Two favorite dudes, collaborating

happy holidays everyone. here’s to a bright 2013.

together with mr. jefre cantu-ledesma (to whom i look up to greatly for his solo work and with bands such as tarentel) i made a cover of brian eno’s by this river. jefre and i decided to give away this track as a little gift. stream below and download here while the link lasts:

http://wtrns.fr/pU32ciUEpeNALa

warm wishes from p.

BY THIS RIVER

fefe

drawing by félicia atkinson

23 Dec 20:39

Frank Ocean – “Wiseman”

by Stereogum
Matthew

Like better than most of anything on channel ORANGE

Frank Ocean, the man behind your favorite album of the year, wrote a song for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained but it didn’t make the soundtrack. Here’s what the director said about it in a statement last month:

Frank Ocean wrote a fantastic ballad that was truly lovely and poetic in every way, there just wasn’t a scene for it. I could have thrown it in quickly just to have it, but that’s not why he wrote it and not his intention. So I didn’t want to cheapen his effort. But, the song is fantastic, and when Frank decides to unleash it on the public, they’ll realize it then.

Last night Frank posted the song on his Tumblr. Listen to it below, and check out the lyrics here.

Read More...



20 Dec 02:07

8 Hot Coffee Trends That Need To Chill In 2013

by Llewellyn Sinclair
Matthew

True

dillon2

Here are exactly eight coffee trends that we think should sashay away in 2013. We’re not saying that these things aren’t beautiful, or cute, or hella tight – it’s just that these trends were very 2012 – and for good reason! But 2013 should be a welcoming of unthought things, and a retirement of that which we so admired and appreciated from yesteryear. Like mustaches, skinny jeans, and plaid, let us say goodnight and farewell, and reflect together on the things that brought us joy (and consternation) in 2012:

8. Edison bulbs.

selvedge-aprone

7. Selvedge aprons.

 

french-press-press-pot

6. Hating on press pots.

5. Overhead shots of coffee on Instagram.

4. Overhead shots of empty demitasse cups.

3. Underdeveloped coffee.

2. Unbleached filters.

1. Kopi Luwak.

20 Dec 01:59

About the Times Union/real estate agents situation

by AOA
Matthew

I just can't even...

tu newspaper boxYou might have seen the Romenesko post about how the Times Union is apologizing to real estate agents over a piece it published a few weeks ago about ignoring real estate agents' advice. The post has been circulating locally on Twitter ever since it was published late Tuesday. And the Biz Review followed up on Wednesday afternoon.

We've been thinking about this episode since sharing the link on Twitter last night. And for what it's worth, here are those thoughts...

there's more
19 Dec 12:36

Bolsa Bass - New Synthesizer!

by Owen Osborn
Matthew

Just want, want, want.

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing our Bolsa Bass - a six-mode bass synthesizer with a built-in sequencer! We’re excited to add a lot of low-end sound to our growing family of instruments!

Building on our Pocket Piano format, we updated the electronic hardware and software to deliver crisp, funky and serious bass over six distinct modes: Circle Ramp, Saw Ramp, Analog Style, Sweep Filter, FM Pad and Bass Delay.

We’ve added an intuitive, fun sequencer that records both notes and knob adjustments for plenty of sonic possibilities.

Like our Pocket Piano MIDI, you can play it by interacting with the wooden keys or by connecting an external MIDI controller like a drum machine, computer, or MIDI keyboard.

19 Dec 03:30

Pop and Electronica Producers Let's Do A Project In Our Studio. (Clifton Park)

Matthew

You know there is trouble when an ad leads with a gear list

Hey There, We are looking to team up with some producers and create some new music. We have a nice home studio featuring Logic Pro, The new Behringer x-32 console, the newest native Instruments Maschine, Kawai MP 10 Stage Piano, Peavey Classic 30 an [...]
18 Dec 21:32

Big Boi features Phantogram on three new tracks

by andrew
Matthew

In one place!

Big Boi’s album came out just about a week ago and as a big surprise, there’s not only one Phantogram collaboration track, but three. Also, there’s a bunch with Little Dragon too, which is amazing.

Hit the jump for the other two!

17 Dec 23:29

2012 Music: Winterpills, All My Lovely Goners

by hsaam
Matthew

YES! I'm glad people are starting to pay attention and love them.

It is perhaps impossible to describe to someone not from the Northeast, but this is the music of the Northeast. The sound of this record is what it feels like to live here. It’s gorgeous, small and giant at the same time, like being in a vast forest and reveling in the seclusion.

All My Lovely Goners appears on my Favorite Albums of 2012 at number 19.

17 Dec 02:10

Stream Landing’s new EP, Wave Lair

by Kevin

In anticipation of it’s upcoming release, we’re streaming the entirety of Landing’s Wave Lair EP. Not sure how long this will be up. Records are on their way. Stream it below or check it out on our Soundcloud page. Enjoy!

Update: You can now stream or download the Wave Lair EP at Landing’s bandcamp page. It costs a mere $5 and also includes the free bonus track “Cove”, recorded during the sessions for Wave Lair.

13 Dec 23:13

Justin Bieber Murder Plot — Man Allegedly Planned To Castrate & Kill Biebs: Morning Mix

by Carl Williott
Matthew

The Bieber murder plot with local references is wild

Did You Hear?

:: A convicted murderer (who reportedly has a tattoo of Justin Bieber) allegedly hired two men to castrate and kill the pop star. Dana Martin — who is serving two life terms — is said to have hired Mark Staake and his nephew to carry out the hit when Bieber was in New York City for his Madison Square Garden Shows. Staake was arrested in Vermont and his nephew made it to NYC with pruning shears before getting nabbed. [AOL Music]

:: Palate cleanser! Big Boi and Martha Stewart together. That is all. [MTV Buzzworthy]

:: Ricky Martin spoke at a UN conference on gay rights Tuesday (December 11). The Latino superstar spoke on the struggles he faced before coming out in 2010, saying he grew up hearing the “crooked concept ‘You’re gay. You belong in hell.’” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon declared that LGBT people worldwide “are entitled to the same rights as everyone else.” [Yahoo!]

:: A$AP Rocky pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny. Back in July, Rocky was arrested for allegedly scuffling with men taking pictures of him, and during the incident he attempted to grab their camera. The robbery and assault charges were dropped. He’ll have to serve pay a $250 fine and complete three days of community service. [Pitchfork]

:: On a sad note, Ravi Shankar died at age 92 on Tuesday after suffering complications from heart surgery. Shankar was a Grammy-winning sitar player most famous for working with The Beatles in the late ’60s. He was thrust back in the spotlight when his daughter Norah Jones gained fame. [Billboard]

After the jump, find out which music acts you can find on the tube today.

Music on TV:

:: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) — Jamie Foxx, DIIV
:: Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) — J.D. McPherson
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) — Dan Deacon
:: Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) — The Jezabels
:: Conan (TBS) — Ryan Adams
:: Tavis Smiley (PBS) — Jakob Dylan
:: Colbert Report (Comedy Central) — Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, Sean Lennon
:: The View (ABC) — Ben Harper
:: Live with Kelly & Michael (syndicated) — Colbie Caillat
:: Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated) — Usher

13 Dec 22:40

YouTube’s Dirty Little Secret

by Brian Hazard
Matthew

YouTube view follies

Ever spotted a terrible video on YouTube with an inconceivably high view count? Of course you have. Would it make you feel better knowing that most of those “views” were completely automated and only lasted 30 seconds with the sound turned off?

Vagex (referral link), a hugely popular YouTube exchange platform, is largely to blame. Credits are so cheap that members sell 2000 views for $5 on eBay and Fiverr and still turn a profit. As countless “buy YouTube views” sites testify, the views are by real people, mostly in the US. Not the sort of people who actually watch the videos, much less pay for music, but they tend to leave that bit out.

If $5 is too rich for your blood, you can earn credits by downloading one of their free viewers and letting it “watch” videos for you in the background.

Firefox Viewer

If you don’t have any videos of your own to promote, you can sell your credits back to Vagex directly. The current exchange rate is 26,730 credits for $1. That doesn’t cover the electricity cost of generating those credits, but clearly people are willing to do it, or the exchange rate would be more favorable.

Since the videos aren’t actually watched, the views themselves won’t generate new fans, but…

Could Vagex still be useful as part of a larger promotional campaign?

Their FAQ lists these benefits:

  • Greater perception of popularity
  • Your video will show up as suggested/related more often
  • Higher search rankings on Google and YouTube
  • In search results, people tend to choose videos with more views

Sounds reasonable to me, but does it actually work?

To find out, I paid $30 to allocate 100,000 credits to a new video, immediately after uploading it to YouTube.

Vagex Setup

For the purposes of this experiment, I left the view length at 30 seconds, selected 100 likes, and left the other options unchecked (subscribers, favorites, comments).

Vagex Start

I also announced the video on Twitter and via a $30 Promoted Post on Facebook. Despite the latter reaching 15,540 people, it only generated 71 plays on Facebook.

Status - Facebook

I could’ve taken the promotion further with an email blast and multiple announcements on multiple networks, but I didn’t want to draw attention to the phony view count.

After nearly a month, I’ve still got credits left, but enough data to draw useful conclusions.

Vagex Results

YouTube Results

84,438 credits generated 21,545 views, minus whatever legitimate views occurred. The video averaged 900 views per day:

YouTube Views

In other words, it cost me 4 credits ($0.0012) per view. That’s 862 views for $1! That sounds like a lot, but Vagex explains in their FAQ that it typically costs 3-4 credits per view, so my results are typical.

What they don’t explain is why multiple credits are required to generate a single view. Maybe YouTube identifies and compensates for Vagex-generated traffic.

How many comments did those 21,545 views generate? Not a single one! Nor did the needle move on any other metric that I can track.

Viewer Retention

Viewer retention was dismal. Nobody made it past the first minute? One would hope that the fans watching on Facebook did, but their data is lost in a sea of fake views.

Which brings up another important point: Vagex hoses YouTube’s analytics, which could otherwise help you target further marketing efforts.

Conclusion: Vagex didn’t enhance my promotion at all, beyond the unmeasurable benefits of a higher view count.

To truly go viral, a video requires:

  • higher retention times
  • high quality backlinks
  • likes, favorites, subscriptions
  • comments from strong accounts

The video itself doesn’t have the necessary ingredients to go viral anyway, but it serves as a nice backdrop for the remix, while reinforcing the lyric.

You may argue that my particular formula (30 second views, 100 likes, no subscribers/favorites/comments) is to blame, and you may be right! I’m sure there are more effective combinations. Maybe if I had selected 300 second plays at 10 credits a pop, I would’ve dominated YouTube and won a Grammy. I’ll tinker some more, but in the meantime, if you decide to give it a shot, please use my referral link to help the cause.

As an epilogue, I just allocated 5 comments to the video in my Vagex control panel, so the page wouldn’t look so desolate. Instead of 5, I got 42 comments within the hour! Most were generic and spammy, and in no way applied to my video. Like all things Vagex, commenting appears to be completely automated.

Where do you stand? Is Vagex a deadly sin or a necessary evil? Are you going to try it? Would you admit it if you did? Let me know in the comments!

Photo by Rego Korosi

13 Dec 14:10

New Grouper Album Coming, Plus Reissue of Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

by Evan Minsker
Matthew

This!

New Grouper Album Coming, Plus Reissue of Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

On February 4, Liz Harris, aka Grouper, will release two albums of material she made back in 2008. Alongside a reissue of her LP Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, which has been out of print physically for years, Kranky will release The Man Who Died in His Boat, an album of unreleased material from that same period.

In a press release, Harris explained the title The Man Who Died in His Boat:

When I was a teenager the wreckage of a sailboat washed up on the shore of Agate Beach. The remains of the vessel weren't removed for several days. I walked down with my father to peer inside the boat cabin. Maps, coffee cups and clothing were strewn around inside.

I remember looking only briefly, wilted by the feeling that I was violating some remnant of this man's presence by witnessing the evidence of its failure. Later I read a story about him in the paper. It was impossible to know what had happened. The boat had never crashed or capsized. He had simply slipped off somehow, and the boat, like a riderless horse, eventually came back home. 

The Man Who Died in His Boat:

01 6
02 Vital
03 Cloud in places
04 Being her shadow
05 Cover the long way
06 Difference (voices)
07 Vanishing point
08 The Man Who Died in His Boat
09 Towers
10 STS
11 Living Room

Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill:

01 Disengaged
02 Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
03 Stuck
04 When We Fall
05 Traveling Through a Sea
06 Fishing Bird (Empty Gutted in the Evening Breeze)
07 Invisible
08 I'm Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
09 A Cover Over
10 Wind and Snow
11 Tidal Wave
12 We've All Gone to Sleep

Listen to Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill:

12 Dec 21:53

Some people are jerks

by Steve Barnes, senior writer
Matthew

Considering some of the petty, snippy shit that Barnes has put IN PRINT, this blog post is null.

I wasn’t surprised that a few readers made comments pointing out an apparent math error in the gift-card promotion for The Illium Café Bistro. I did not expect a reader to call the restaurant and say this to the manager, according to the owner:

Your owner must be mathematically challenged or stupid. You should tell him to go back to school  and learn that 1 plus 1 equals 2. I’ve never eaten there nor will I ever. I don’t want to buy a gift card I just wanted to let you know how stupid your owner is.

I know, I know: One bad apple, and all that. But I’m still disheartened that someone had so much time on his hands and so little common decency that he thought making such a call was a reasonable thing to do.

12 Dec 21:52

SHOCK: Portland Man Sells Human Poop Coffee On Craigslist

by Llewellyn Sinclair
Matthew

FOLDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Indonesian palm civet. Thai elephants. Peruvian coati raccoons. And now, your next door neighbor? The cultural obsession with fecal coffee has taken a new and disturbing turn, as one Portland area man is apparently selling his own personal “kopi luwak style” coffee on Craigslist. Grown, harvested, and “processed” personally, this man will even deliver his coffee to you for $30 a pound, “in time for the holidays.”

I’m a home roaster and I’m noticing in the newpapers that animal poop coffee is really popular and expensive. I’ve been growing yellow bourbon arabica in my greenhouse for a couple of years and it’s finally starting to produce quality cherry. I will personally ingest this cherry and mimic the “kopi luwak” process. I will roast this coffee so that it’s ready to brew, in time for the holidays. I will be able to harvest only a couple of pounds of this special kind of coffee so act now before it’s too late.

I’m 47, healthy, and will guarantee you’ll like my kopi luwak style coffees. Fecal specimens available for inspection upon request.

Click to enlarge.

When will the insanity end?

12 Dec 17:09

A Band Tries To Disappear From The Web

by Guest Post

Erasing-historyBy Tyler Hayes of music discovery site Nxt Big Thing.

Asked to do one thing and you do the other, people on the internet can be jerks.

Today I received an email from a music management company asking that I remove all references to a specific band from my site. The email had specific posts listed including a highly praised review of the band’s newly released EP titled, ‘Los Angeles & I’. I was confused and surprised at this email, but let me back up for a second and try to explain why none of this makes sense.

The band in question had been together awhile, enough time to release a handful of “demos” and rack up thousands of plays and Youtube views. This was not a fly by night group of musicians, if there is such a thing. More recently they had even successfully funded a Kickstarter for their first official album, raising more than $13,000. They delivered on that album releasing it to backers within the last month and putting it up for sale on iTunes as well. Everything was going really well. And for a good reason, the band was a talented group of individuals writing great songs. Then came the email.

The guys are in the process of removing as much online content about the band as possible. This is a bit of a strange request, but it would be hugely appreciated if you could remove the following posts:...

One of the requests involved several actual songs and so with enough respect for artist rights, I removed the music. Any text posts however, those won’t be going anywhere.

Searches for the band result with Google having knowledge of the group, but Soundcloud, Tumblr, and Bandcamp having a sketchy memory after the pages were all deleted. While you can’t erase the internet, you can definitely try.

After a small back and forth, I still don’t have any answer to my question that was a combination of how and why. I was under the impression that when bands broke up, they exploded, leaving pieces of themselves around as a distant reminder. This was always my experience and now it’s something totally different.

Even as insignificant as a music recommendation site is, I can’t see altering the past. So, when asked to do one thing and remove references, I chose to do the opposite and talk about the strange request.

Follow Up:

I have received a follow up to my inquiry of why the band is no longer together from one of its former members.

It is of no real concern to you, considering the fact that the band doesn't exist anymore, and it is of personal concern to me and others involved… As for reasons for breaking up and such things, there are not enormous reasons for doing so, we just felt that it was time to move on a pursue new things, life changes, etc.

And that, if you’re wondering, is not how you handle this situation and type of request.

Related articles The Most Honest Interview About the Music Industry Ever, Featuring Jacke Conte of Pomplamoose What's A Band's Best Use Of $2000? Branch Out: The Value Of Multiple Income Streams For Musicians
12 Dec 02:13

Diner finally defeats Graveyard Burger

by Steve Barnes, senior writer
Matthew

Folder, yep

After 74 others failed in their attempts, a patron at Wagon Train BBQ in Rotterdam has managed to eat the restaurant’s Graveyard Burger, a monstrosity that includes more than 2 pounds of meats, a half-pound each of cole slaw and macaroni salad, cheese, fried eggs, onion rings, fries and more.

Graham Kist of Hartford, Conn., finished the 30-minute challenge with almost 6 minutes to spare. See a post-gorge photo of him here.

Wagon Train is located at 671 Mariaville Road (at Burdeck Street). Call 356-0650 for info. It is open for lunch and dinner daily.

10 Dec 23:19

Australian Police Warn Against Use of Apple Maps Due to Safety Concerns

by Juli Clover
Matthew

Sad, stranded trombone!

Police in Victoria, Australia issued a warning to motorists this weekend regarding Apple Maps after several travelers became stranded in the Murray-Sunset National Park trying to reach the city of Mildura using Apple's directions.
Local Police have been called to assist distressed motorists who have become stranded within the Murray-Sunset National Park after following directions on their Apple i-phone.

Tests on the mapping system by police confirm the mapping systems lists Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park, approximately 70km away from the actual location of Mildura.

Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees, making this a potentially life threatening issue.

Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception.
In Maps, the city of Mildura is listed in the middle of the Murray-Sunset National Park, which is actually 70km or 43 miles from the city's actual location. In the photo pictured to the right, the red pin is where Apple lists Mildura, while the purple pin displays Mildura's actual location.

A report from Australia's ABC News reveals that Victoria police have had to rescue a total of six people in the last two months after they became lost using Maps.

After the launch of iOS 6, which included the new Maps application, Apple received criticism over inaccuracies in mapping data like the mislocation in Victoria, which led to the termination of several people involved with the Maps project, including Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall and Maps manager Richard Williamson.

Apple CEO Tim Cook even issued a personal apology to the public over the debacle, promising to improve the app. In his recent interview with Brian Williams, Tim Cook spoke again about Maps, reiterating that Apple "screwed up" and is "putting the weight of the company behind correcting it."

Police in Victoria have contacted Apple about the Maps discrepancy and are warning travelers to use an alternative mapping system until it is fixed.


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10 Dec 23:18

8 Coffee Must-Haves For The Mayan Apocalypse

by Llewellyn Sinclair
Matthew

You might need this...

The terror visions only come at night. A dark apocalypse foretold by the elders, consecrated in our celestial destiny by beings from another realm. The dark star Nibiru approaches. The end is nigh.

Between staying up all night listening to Coast To Coast and clicking “refresh” on The Drudge Report every 20 minutes, we’ve become fixated on the Mayan Apocalypse prophecies. According to these and other experts, our society is scheduled to be wrecked asunder on December 21st, 2012 – the coming of the end times. The writing’s on the wall, y’all, but what if our infrastructure is destroyed WITHOUT the accompanying solar black hole Extinction Level Event? What if society crumbles, but mankind survives? Well, friends, you need to be doomsday prepped for any eventuality. Noah didn’t build his ark when it started flooding.

There are MANY survivalist websites out there that show you how to stock up your safe room/bug bunker for doomsday, but there’s very little information on what’s needed for your end-of-days coffee cabinet. Sprudge.com is here for you in your hour of need, to fill that gap and bring the peace of mind that only extreme preparation affords. Stock these items, know them well, and together we’ll fight back the night terrors.

Chug-a-lug.

7. Plenty of water.

This is Rule #1 in the hardcore survivalist manifesto, but it’s also just good policy for regular folks – keep your house stocked with plenty of water. But for the coffee survivalist, it’s important you stock it with the right water. Aim for water with a TDS reading of 120-130 ppm (mg/L), a pH level of 7.0, hardness level of 70-80 mg/L, and an alkalinity level of 50mg/L. “If brewing water chemistry differs too much from these standards,” Everything But Espresso author Scott Rao writes, “coffee quality may be compromised.” Treat your water well, and the not even the apocalypse can stop you from brewing good coffee. Shop for 5-gallon collapsible water containers

Bauhaus bug bunker.

6. Zassenhaus Guatemala Grinder

The new Zassenhaus hand grinder will look great in anyone’s bug bunker. It’s sturdy, rugged, beautiful, and requires absolutely zero electricity – which is good, because the grid will be the first thing that goes (along with humanity’s social mores and morays). Zassenaaus offers up a 25-year warranty, which means the nuclear fallout will have significantly dissipated before your parts require maintenance. Shop for Zassenhaus Guatemala grinders

Aeropress.

5. Aeropress

The Aeropress is a survivalist’s dream brewer – it’s relatively easy to use, doesn’t require 195-205 degree water to win an Aeropress championship, and is easy to pack up in case the safe zone is breached. Pair it with item #4 and you’ve got a reusable brew device that’ll provide you with quality coffee long after everyone you ever loved has died. This device can also be used for crafting tea and medicinal tinctures. Shop for Aeropresses

Gold plated.

4. DISK filter

The Able Brewing folks have released a special edition 18k gold plated DISK filter. It’s reusable, easy to clean, and retains a high barter value in a post-USD economy. With the right amount of thrust, it can also double as a self-defense weapon. We need to be ready for SHTF scenarios, and who knows. When society falls, folks are gonna look to all manner of false idols to worship. Maybe there’s a seat for you next to the throne? Maybe this time you will be the one in charge? Maybe this whole apocalypse thing ain’t so bad after all. Shop for DISK filters

For well-ventilated bug bunkers only.

3. SnowPeak Camp Stove

This is the perfect propane-fueled heater to boil your water. Do not use this camp stove if your bug bunker isn’t ventilated, because you will die like all the rest of those suckers outside. A coffee connoisseur’s shelter will have adequate blast valves with a large enough vent with an appropriate bio/chemical filtration system to allow propane use. Don’t risk it if you ain’t got it. The replaceable fuel canister has enough oomph to heat water up to 90 minutes, so stock up on fuel cells if you plan on bugging out longer than 72 hours. Shop for SnowPeak camp stoves

Kettlicious.

2. Takahiro Kettle $120

The gold standard in tapered spout water kettles, the Takahiro is a must have for the survivalist coffee gourmand’s shelter. The Takahiro also gets high marks for retaining a high bartering value in a post-apocalyptic heritage hipster economy. Consider this kettle your new trust fund, and be willing to defend that sense of security. Shop for Takahiro kettles

 

For coffee, jewelry, organs.

1. Triple Beam Balance Scale

While digital scales and their batteries are compact, space is everything in a shelter. Why waste storage space for batteries when you can use a perfectly good battery-free triple beam balance scale? Good for up to 600 grams, this beauty is a time-tested piece of equipment that can also double as a jewelry scale for weighing out gold fillings and scrap metal, or in the eventual case of human sacrifice, hearts and other valuable organs. The world will never be the same, but grams and ounces? You got that. Shop for triple beam balance scales

 

10 Dec 15:00

Gandalf Riding Unicycle Playing LOTR Song On Bagpipes

Matthew

via Alex. Wow.

gandalf-unicycle-bagpipes.jpg Because this is the internet, here's a short video of Gandalf riding a unicycle playing 'Concerning Hobbits' from The Fellowship of the Ring on bagpipes. It's the same dude from Portland that did the Star Wars theme dressed as Darth Vader. Hey, everyone needs a hobby. My favorite part is at the end when the fangirl dressed in all purple goes chasing after him. Dude must be pulling all kinds of tail. Hit the jump for 45-seconds of PURE SKILL.