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06 Jul 2009 23:35

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Music: ShortFormBand: Paper Plane Pilot soothes us with his synth-pop

Paper Plane Pilot, a.k.a. Dustin Frelich

  • Whoa, what is this?

    In our continuing effort to try new things, here’s our latest: Band coverage! This time, Paper Plane Pilot (Dustin Frelich) cheerily gets out his synth and makes us smile with breakbeats and sine waves. Want to see your band here? E-mail us or bug us on Twitter!

    Listen to them

    Q1: In 15 words or less, describe your sound: Electronic indie pop. Happy melancholy laced with introspective songwriting and catchy melodies.

    Q2: Name three influences that inspire you, with three words each on why they’re awesome:
    80s Music: Rad! Awesome! Cool!
    The Internet: Wisdom on demand
    Simplicity: Overcomplexity is tiring

    Q3: What’s a recent song you’ve been digging? Write ten words explaining why:
    Plastic Operator – Home 0207: Pulsing. Driving. Soothing. A muted answer to epic electronic hits.

    Q4: In 140 characters or less, how do you use social networking to get the word out: Social networks allow me to participate in conversations with other music lovers. The “rock star” paradigm is dying. We’re all just people.

    Q5: In 15 words or less, what’s next for you? I’m working on songs for a new album. Keep an ear out! source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 23:17

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Offbeat: i can haz bible?

  • An he was liek wtf? ur dead bruda iz mewin frum undr teh carpt. (Ceiling Cat haz totally xlnt hearing An stuf.)
  • An excerpt from Genesis 4 • according to the lolcat Bible Translation Project. The brains behind “I Can Haz Cheeseburger?” started the crowdsourcing scheme in July 2007 and so far have almost finished the Old and New Testaments. They haz lotsa time and cheeseburgers to do dis.  • source
Posted by Nathalie Heiberg • 2 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 23:07

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Biz, Tech: New York Times to workers: Your texting is costing us money. Stop it.

  • Yeah, that sounds extreme. The Times is trying to cut back where it can, according to the New York Observer. And the place they felt most necessary? Cell phone bills. Texting costs money both as an unlimited charge and on a per-text basis, so they’re recommending their employees use other means, such as Twitter and IM, instead. Also on the chopping block? MMS and 411 calls, which cost $1.49 a piece. Next on the list? Pulling “scroll lock” keys off the staff keyboards and melting them into silverware for the newsroom cafeteria. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 22:42

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Biz, Sports: Tribune, still bankrupt, is close to selling off the Chicago Cubs

  • $900 million for the crown jewel of the news company source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 22:21

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U.S., World: Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe calls some U.S. diplomat an idiot

  • I hope he wasn’t speaking for Obama … You wouldn’t speak to an idiot of that nature. I was very angry with him.
  • Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe • Saying very nice things about Johnnie Carson, the U.S.’ top African official. You know, Bob, we don’t know what Johnnie said to you, but we’re guessing Johnnie has a strong enough handle on diplomatic and economic matters that he wouldn’t let this happen. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 22:11

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Biz: Ryanair to travelers: We want YOU (to feel uncomfortable)

  • Ya know how your legs get cramped after sitting on a plane for too long? Ever wish you could just stand the whole way instead? …no? Well, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary thinks you might – it’ll save him a couple bucks too. Inspired by a Chinese airline which charged passengers a reduced fare to sit at a bar stool with a seat belt around their waists, O’Leary is now asking the Irish Aviation Authority if it’s A-OK for the company to do the same. Since the seats are crappy, does that mean the plane has an open bar? source
Posted by Nathalie Heiberg • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 21:52

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U.S.: People don’t seem all that excited about Senator Al Franken

  • 44% of people nationwide disapprove of the guy who spent eight months fighting Norm Coleman for his Minnesota seat
  • 34% kinda like him, and 22% are undecided, but as you can see by the poll numbers, many think he’s a big fat idiot source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Jul 2009 21:43

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Offbeat: Shepard Smith: Favorite car chase play-by-play dude EVAH!

  • “Caravan 5, spike strips nothing.” We have huge admiration for Shepard Smith, the one guy on Fox News who’s unafraid to tell it like it is. But man, we wonder to ourselves sometimes whether he should be calling baseball games instead of car chases. Because he’s so hilarious with his phrasing that you just want to give Shep a high-five. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 21:31

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U.S.: They *think* they killed and identified the S.C. serial killer. *Think.*

  • We *think* that’s good, but man, we wish they’d clarify. Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, was identified by authorities as the man killed in a standoff with police in Gastonia, N.C. While they’re not 100% certain he’s the guy, they say he probably is. We’re sure there will be some evidence which will verify this in the coming days, but until then, expect the words “think” and “probably” to be tied very closely to the man who killed five people in Gaffney, South Carolina in the last two weeks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 20:44

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Culture: In a box-office battle between robots and pre-history, robots win.

  • $42.3 million weekend take of “Transformers 2,” based on official results released today
  • $41.7 million weekend take of “Ice Age 3”; estimates had the two movies tied yesterday source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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