Wednesday, April 08, 2009

THE BRIEFING: Make your Money Boo Boo

The one price fits all approach has ended on Apple's iTunes. They've introduced a three-tier pricing structure, offering individual songs at 69 cent, 99 cent and $1.29. Many of the full albums will remain at $9.99.

Apparently the record companies will be allowed to pick the prices. More popular songs quickly jumped to $1.29. If I could pick the price, "Kiss me through the phone" would be a $1000 just to make it unreachable for the youth that constantly download it to keep it Top 10 Songs category (I'm just trying to help the kids and save brain cells).

When Apple first introduced iTunes it was a new way of buying music, and the less complex it was made it better for Apple and the music labels. But things have evolved, Apple has decided to let go of control over pricing in order to keep its service in line with competitors.

Heads looking for the lowest price definitely have other alternatives out there. Can't hate on Apple though. Make your money boo boo.

The Black Kids...

Saw them at the Webster Hall on Saturday in NYC. They performed after a group called the SUNBEARS! and before Mates of State. Told you guys I'm diverse. I can dig it!


I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You


http://www.myspace.com/sunbearsmusic
http://www.myspace.com/blackkidsrock
http://www.myspace.com/matesofstate

I'm Edumacated!


So I have a pet peeve. OK, I have about four handfuls of them. Spelling. Grammar. Basic English intelligence. Specifically, the lack of knowledge on performing those correctly. I'm in my 30s and I'm no scholar by any means. But......I did graduate high school. Also, I have this thing called self respect. I get emails, read bulletins and statuses and even texts all day, everyday and I can't seem to figure out why people make it seem so difficult. It's not Rocket Science. It's English. Literally. Irritates me to see people display ignorance so proudly. "Gurl/Gerl" for "Girl". "To" instead of "Too". "Your" in place of "You're". Zs for Ss. Numbers in place of letters. Etc. A paragraph of 1000 characters and only but 3 periods and 2 commas and in the wrong place as well. Really? I mean, really, people? You want to look stupid? I can't pinpoint the day it was cool to be ignorant. No one's talking about abbreviations either. U instead of you in passable. BRB. LOL. TTYL. CUL8R, even. Those are all acceptable. I'm talking about using the same amount of letters or MORE to misspell. ON PURPOSE!!! No one's asking you to type like a professor with a doctorate. Just spell. Doesn't have to be super formal. Damn. Grown a** folks. And they have the nerve to get mad at me for treating them like they should have some intelligence and some sense. Hey, my bad. Go on and keep writing that way and I'll keep hitting the delete button. Because I don't have kids so I don't feel like reading mess that looks like they'd write it. "Hey bois and gerls your cool so don let nobodi tell u ha 2 type! P3@ce 0ut"

P.S. DiS sH*T iS oNe Uv Da DuMiSt TrEnDz EvA!!!!


Maybe if they get a kick in the a** with these, they'd do a better job.

TELL 'EM WHY YOU MAD: Acting Lessons May Not Work


Rough when you can't even act in a Nintendo DS commercial. It makes me want to switch the channel. You think I'm being too harsh? I saw Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Fighting Temptations, Cadillac Records and Dream Girls. Those performances were harsh to watch. Sorry. She does her thing in that Single Ladies video however. Ha!

What I'm Listening To Right Now...Rapper Big Pooh

Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother’s “Delightful Bars -
The Candy Apple Version”.

What I'm Listening to Right Now... Emily King

Someone mentioned it, now it's stuck in my head. Emily King is a beast! Kind of an old video but you can't lie ... she kills it!

Remake of "Ain't no Sunshine" (Click to check it out)

What I'm Listening to Right Now... Day 'N Nite


Kid Cudi brings that fire on Day 'N Nite (Click to check it out)

DUMB ISH: Wait, it's a Car?


First General Motors invests all types of money into the SUV with rising gas costs now they are teaming up with Segway for what is called the PUMA, The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility.

GM and Segway hope that the vehicle will allow people to travel around cities more quickly, safely, quietly and cleanly. The vehicle will run 35 miles on a single charge and use wireless technology to avoid traffic backups and navigate cities.

The two-wheeled 300 pound prototype that runs on a lithium ion battery was debuted on Tuesday. The two seat electric vehicle is designed to be fast and inexpensive. Fast being a max speed of 35 miles per hour. Inexpensive being a weird math puzzle - according to the companies the purchase price, insurance and maintenance and fuel would total between one-forth and one-third of the average traditional vehicle.

Remember when the Segway was launched with great hype years ago? Then they ran into a lot of issues that prevented it from becoming a mass-market product, including it's high costs and some use restrictions in many areas. Currently you see some tourist groups using them in major cities and police officers too.

I don't have an MBA but this product doesn't make the most sense to me.

Above all else, my biggest question is - where do I put the speakers for my my sound system?! I guess cars won't drive by with the booming system in the current design of the PUMA. I guess this car ain't hip hop! So, basically they just revamped the golf cart model? I'm so confused.

According to Segways CEO, they are very excited about the joint venture and the PUMA, which will be "less emissions, less dependability on foreign oil and less space."

Alright, good luck. The vehicle is aimed to be out 2012.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

TELL 'EM WHY YOU MAD: We're not deadbeats

Social networking is a cool medium to communicate. We connect with old friends and make new ones through MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. We follow updates, picture posts and enjoy link sharing. What I dig the most is when someone has a status message on Facebook that creates an overwhelming response from friends checking out the status. A friend of mine Damian, who is a father, updated his status on Facebook earlier with one of the realest things I've read in a while. As a father myself, I understood the dilemma.

With his permission, here's a glimpse...

FB Status: so I was in the Mall earlier with my son strolling him around and this older cat walks by me and says, "You're doing a good job young man". I said thank you, but I was a little frustrated. I wanted to tell him, "Thanks, but I'm doing what is supposed to be done, I'm supposed to take care of my child". Brothers need to get it together..

Comment 1: is that a true story??

Status addition: its crazy cause women were looking at me as if they saw a celebrity...there were alot of smiles, head nods and all type of displays of approval..I felt like Marvin Gaye, waiting for the panties to get thrown at a negro!

Comment 2: U keep doin ur thing!!!! From what I see ur doin a hell of alot more then70% of the dad out here!!!!! Kids#1

Comment 3: If only there were more men like u u shouldn't be commended but u are u are truly a man

Comment 4: Ur right on !!! Ur doing what your suppose to do! Its not an option a real father is going to be there and raise his child ( I was about to preach whew) But keep doing you and raise your son he is a beautiful lil man ;)

Status addition: the new trend now is DEADBEAT MOTHERS....

I joined the conversation with: I like your style. Heads act like we aren't here. What's that Chris Rock joke talking about how heads are always looking for credit for things they're suppose to be doing... Good fathers are here.

Why is it so hard to believe that fathers, minority ones in general, actually take care of their kids? When I came up, my father wasn't around but my grandfather and step father provided good examples and it's very important for me to remain in my children lives.

President Obama, while campaigning gave a speech last year on Father's day that touched on fathers in families today.

"Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.

But if we are honest with ourselves, we'll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing - missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it."

I think that there are a lot of guys before and definitely after this call to action that are stepping up to the plate to take care of their children. We're here. There's a lot of us that are here for our children both financially and emotionally. There definitely need to be more manning up to the responsibility, but don't play the dudes that are here and have been here.

TELL 'EM WHY YOU MAD: Sheets in the window

What's good with heads that don't have real curtains or blinds in their window? I have a few pet peeves, and heads that hang sheets or blankets in their windows is one of them. It's not a good look. It's lazy. It's ghetto. It's annoying. Really, how hard is it to run down to Target, Walmart ... hell even KMart and grab some cheap curtains. I understand everyone lives in difference circumstances and money is tight for some, but it's really, really, really not a good look. Get some curtains, please.

DUMB ISH: Crazy Air Chase



I'm use to watching high speed pursuits when someone takes off in a car while police are chasing closely behind. But a plane chase? What's that even called? A high air pursuit?

Apparently the pilot hoped he would be shot down by the F-16 fighter jets that followed the pilot and tried to establish communication over the six hour chase that crossed from Canada into the US and then through several states and ended in Missouri, 783-miles later.

As if the air chase wasn't gangster enough, when it was all said and done he went to a close-by store, used the bathroom, bought a Gatorade and waited for police. Damn dude, tell 'em why you mad?! Haha.

He was charged with transportation of stolen property and with illegally entering the country. Authorities say the whole incident was pretty bizarre. You're right about that.

Can't wait to see this on one of those "greatest chase" specials.

Too Far with Arab Money?


The Mad Bloggers are fans of Busta Rhymes. O is actually a huge fan. That "Arab Money" track has an amazing beat and me and my kids sometimes do the dance from the video.

Yassin Alsalman aka "The Narcicyst" was apparently offended and he says that many of Busta's Arab fans are as well. It's not really hard to see why many may be offended. From movies to music to television shows, it seems like everything has something in it that will offend some group of people. But does Busta go too far on this track? The following is a story from Marketplace on public radio. What do you think?