Links: Thinking Different

At the request of Colm Ryan, loyal GttRnRE reader, I bring you another post. This one will be brief (one of these days I’ll finish off my continuing K-Rock/Stern postings) and completely unrelated to the things I usually write about.

I’m certainly not much of a tech guy; I enjoy computers and I’m interested by new advances but I’m not as dedicated as many other people. However, I’ve been interested in what Apple’s done in recent years as the iPod gained a stranglehold over America (myself included as I’ve previously praised my iPod Shuffle) and the resurgence of the Mac. Recently though, it appears that it’s beginning to rain shit on Apple. Just browsing through my usual news sources found a few articles that show the different issues the tech giants are currently facing. Here’s a few:

- Apple’s recent union with chip maker Intel seemed poised to eliminate some of the distance between PCs and Macs (at least in the market share). However the new iMac has two problems: critics are skeptical of Apple’s claims that it is twice as powerful as its predecessor and that any non-Intel based programs run incredibly slow. Also, it appears that the number of these much-hyped laptops will be severely limited upon release.

- Speaking of hype, the new TV commercial for the new iMac has angered a lot of people. Intel is reportedly upset because the ad offers a not so subtle jab at Intel’s PC partners (who provide most of their revenue). Furthermore, the directors of the commercial are being accused of plagiarism. What did they rip off? Their own video! The commercial matches shot-for-shot the video they made for the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” The band issued a statement which (in true Ben Gibbard fashion) expresses their “disappointment” in the computer conglomerate. (Pitchfork’s news story offers links to both the video and the commercial)

- So even if the new Mac is creating a bunch of PR and logistical problems, Apple still can still turn to the iPod, right? As long as they ignore the growing concern for a rise in hearing loss due to excessive volume in headphones. This has long been a concern (and, I fear, a problem for me) but with the recent ubiquity of the MP3 player, specifically the iPod, the issue has returned.

I hate to be so negative, but the timing of all these things together really interested me. My conclusion? I’m going to go buy the new iTunes only download of Belle & Sebastian’s live performance of If You’re Feeling Sinister and I still think that my next computer will be a Mac. Go figure.

Goodnight, sweet K-Rock

OK, so I’m back. My first wave of applications are done but I’ll expand on that later.

Tonight at midnight (about 45 minutes ago from when I’m writing this) K-Rock New York, long time champion of the now (virtually) defunct “modern rock radio” format and recent convert to the new MOR sludge has (if I may borrow Mr. West’s term) “flipped sides like Anakin.” Go check out the old krock website (www.krockradio.com) and you’ll see what it’s become – “WFNY FREE FM.” I’ll spare you of the description of the ironically titled “FREE FM” format that Infinity unfurled before (if you’re curious, I wrote a post about it a while back (scroll down about half way)). I will comment on the details that the new website details (as for first hand knowledge, I live slightly out of range (Country 92.5 out of Hartford blocks the signal) but the other night while I was in the car with Megan (who eulogized KRock earlier tonight by saying that it was “the station I grew up on” and noting how the last song she heard on there was Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” which I feel is somewhat appropriate. I don’t know what the last song played on KRock was though, I would be interested to know what it was) we had KRock on and they had a promo for the new format prompting the listeners to call the station (still with KROC as the end of the phone number) to give suggestions for some “mood of the day” bullshit.

Anyway, back to the website. As we knew already, Diamond Dave is the morning DJ in Howard Stern’s slot. He’s joined by Penn Jillette, former KRock/120 Minutes fill-in host turned “celebrity reporter” Chris Booker, one of the dudes from VH-1’s “I Love the Mediocre Decades” series (Jake Fogelnest), and some other people who are less famous. TO BE FAIR the format doesn’t look too bad – aside from DLR which I imagine will be more of a mess than the FDR during rush hour – I can imagine that Penn will be interesting to listen to, that Booker will be somewhere between tolerable and forgettable, and the late night show (Fogelnest and Jackie Clarke, a current member of the Upright Citizens Brigade) could be amusing. Also, the website offers all of the shows via podcast (although I’m not sure if they are just clips or if it will be entire shows – we’ll have to wait and see) which I think speaks a lot about the future of radio (which is my next post and probably my final one in this series of KRock/Stern related posts. I swear that this blog is not solely about this one topic – the title is a Pavement quote and a happy coincidence, dammit!).

Basically what I’m saying is that the content doesn’t look too bad. Is it something I’d listen to? Probably not.

My problems with FREE FM are as follows. The first is with how Infinity is pushing FREE FM as a (pardon the repetition) “free form” genre yet are simultaneously packaging it up and placing it into various markets (I know DLR and Penn’s shows are being carried in multiple markets, I don’t know about any others). Secondly (and this isn’t really their fault) it appears that they are merely falling in line with the mainstream media’s celebrity obsession with these shows. On New Year’s Eve Carson Daly (of all people!) said that he hopes that in 2006 we “aren’t as obsessed with celebrity” (Wanda Sykes laughed at him). While there is some potential for these shows, I could easily see all of theme devolving into the bland, repetitive drool that makes up an episode of “Best Week Ever.”

However, I realize that I appear to be in the minority. The public at large seems to be content with worshipping the so-called “cult of personality.” I’d rather hear Bloc Party on the radio. I guess this is where we differ, America.

NEXT TIME (and I promise not to be as long between posts this time): “The Future” or, “How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Radio (Again).”