“The Internet is like alcohol in some sense. It accentuates what you would do anyway. If you want to be a loner, you can be more alone. If you want to connect, it makes it easier to connect.”
–Esther Dyson, Interview in Time Magazine, October 2005
[Posted by Mallory]
Filed under random, technology
I HOPE THIS IS A JOKE.
[Posted by Kathleen]
Filed under blogging, celebrities, humor, news, politics, pop culture, random, weird
I’m guessing they’re keeping this up throughout the World Cup. If you Google “world cup” and scroll to the bottom of the page, here’s what you get:
Oh Google, I love you. Thanks for the tip, Miss Madeline!
Speaking of the World Cup, here are some reasons I love where I live:
1. This Saturday, there will be a screening of the World Cup games in Dupont Circle. How fun is that?! Just like with the Superbowl, I’d never pretend that I care about soccer in general, but I accept any excuse to get excited about a large-scale sporting event. Especially when adult beverages are involved, and lord knows they will be.
2. Yesterday, there was a man who looked to be about 45 driving down my street in a convertible, unabashedly blaring the Glee soundtrack.
3. A few days ago, a dude was casually walking down the street with an enormous parrot perched on his shoulder. Is that even legal?
[Posted by Mallory]
Filed under random, sports, technology
Gaga’s new video for “Alejandro” was released today on the Youtubes, and I just had to watch it. (Me and my roomsies are huuuuuuge fans.) From the very start, let me just say that I get a leeeetle irked with musicians who are so popular they think I want to watch a 9+ minute music video of them lip syncing (“Thriller” excluded, obvi.). Before I go on any more, feast your eyes on this!
This is one of those things where you have to sit back and wonder– is she trying to make a social statement or is she desperately trying to remain culturally relevant by being weird?
First scene: a commentary on gays in the military? Also, she looks like Johnny Depp. Then there is the usual shocking scene that is sure to get every “pro-family” group (hey, did you see THIS?!) denouncing practically everything, where she simulates sex in nude undies! Yawn, Gaga. It’s been done. Cue the religious symbolism montage! A commentary on the oppression of women in the Catholic church, or a “Like a Virgin” rip-off? COME ON. Annnnnnnd then she is a fembot. Normal. That’s happened before, too. To sum up the rest of the video: sex, sex, gay men, sex, allusions to religion, sex, Gaga trying to have sex with gay men, fembot, obligatory rockstar scene with cool side angles and sun glasses, Gaga ooh la la, machine gun boobs, ambiguous social conflict scenes, sex. Oh, and sex!
I think I have some Gaga-trying-to-shock-me fatigue. But that song sure is catchy. ALE-ALE-JANDRO. ALE-ALE-JANDRO.
[Posted by Kathleen]
CNN wondered, Gawker wondered, and now Six Words wonders: was Barack Obama in the 1993 video for “Whoomp, There It Is?”
Here’s the screenshot that started it all:
Gawker gives a pretty comprehensive pro/con list debating whether our POTUS is a video star:
FOR
- It really really looks like him!
- Obama has a well-documented fondness for hip hop. He likes Kanye West and Ludacris.
- Obama has a history of hip hop cameos. In 2008, reports said he was featured on an upcoming Q-Tip track. Though Q-Tip ended up simply sampling one of his speeches.
- As one commenter on SomethingAwful noted: The man in the video is playing dominoes with his left hand. BARACK OBAMA IS ALSO LEFT HANDED!
- The video was released in 1993. Barack would have been around 31 when it was filmed, a year or two out of Harvard Law. Seems like something cool that our coolest, cigarette-smoking, hoops-shooting future president would do as an early 30-something.
AGAINST
- But, actually, by 1993, Obama was deeply involved in community activism in Chicago. In 1992, Obama famously helped boost voter turnout among blacks through his tireless organizing. How would Obama had the time to film this video? And why the hell would the director of Tag Team’s video seek out a notable community organizer to play a domino player? Maybe they were buddies from Harvard or something.
- Also, Tag Team is from Atlanta. If Obama wanted to make his rap video debut, wouldn’t he have chosen an early-90s act from his beloved Chicago? Maybe Da Brat, or Crucial Conflict? And he would obviously be wearing a Bulls hat—not a Compton one.
- Most of these conspiracy theorists base their observation on a low-quality YouTube version of the video. Take a look at this screenshot from a higher-quality video: Doesn’t look much like him, actually. Also: earrings? Obama is cool, but not that cool.
I think I’m going to conclude that it’s him, because that would just be the greatest. But what do you think? Is that our beloved Barry?
Thanks to Wegs for the tip!
[Posted by Mallory]
Filed under celebrities, dance, music, news, politics, pop culture
Hi strangers! Since I lasted posted, I officially entered the real world. Meaning, I started my job. A real job, not an internship. With a salary and a 401k. I’m pretty excited, but also a little terrified. I wonder when I’ll stop feeling like a college student pretending to be an adult. (Do people ever stop feeling that way?)
I got to spend the weekend gallivanting around New York, which was wonderful — did you know you can eat dinner at a regular restaurant at 1 a.m. in NYC?! — and I took the bus back to DC today. I made the mistake of sitting next to a girl who smelled terrible, and for some reason the floor under my seat was disgustingly sticky, but I had my iPod and some “work” to do (read: attempt to do for five-minute intervals before falling asleep), so I survived.
My friend Kelsey and I have been talking about this Sugarland song “Stay” recently, for no real reason, and I can’t stop listening to it. The video is so raw and amazing, and Jennifer Nettles has the coolest voice. On the bus, I was listening to my iPod on shuffle and I was all, “Hmm. I wonder if I have ‘Stay’ on here.” Literally five seconds after I thought that — and out of 5,000 possible song options — “Stay” came on. Crazy shit, am I right?
Anywaaaay, enjoy:
[Posted by Mallory]
Filed under adventures, music, YouTube
six words to change the world. 
youtube clip of today: bp spill.
Brilliant! That is all I can say about that.
In other BP related items, the geniuses over at AutoTune the News made a new video with Barack’s ass-kicking comment.
[Posted by Kathleen]
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Filed under blogging, drinks, humor, news, pop culture, random, weird, YouTube
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