ADAM SCHOALES

Dan Harmon Got Rehired for Community for the Same Reason He Got Fired

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:22:43 -0400

Dan Harmon Got Rehired for Community for the Same Reason He Got Fired:

Astute analysis that I’d say makes a lot of sense.

Ultimately it’s about keeping the show on as long as possible and making as much money as possible as a result.

Max the Magician

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:09:54 -0400

Max the Magician:

My illusions Elmo, you don’t have time for my illusions!

Kidz Bop Kids Covers Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:06:55 -0400

Kidz Bop Kids Covers Macklemore's "Thrift Shop":

From amazing piano covers to… this.

I remember Mini Pops LPs from when I was a little kid. Had no idea they still existed.

Also: why?

Daft Pianists (CDZA cover of Get Lucky)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:22:00 -0400

Daft Pianists (CDZA cover of Get Lucky):

The guys at CDZA never cease to amaze me…

On Discipline

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:55:33 -0400

On Discipline:

iOS 7 is a radical departure, and it feels to me not so much measured and thoughtful as it does in reaction to, for lack of a better grouping, the tech press. Whatever the reason, Apple felt it necessary not to roll, but to radicalize.

I completely agree with Heilemann, that many of the decisions in iOS 7 feel like appeasement of tech pundits (aka people who don’t even really use the phones) rather than their core set of users.

I’m confident that things will be fixed by the fall. And those that aren’t fixed by the fall will be polished for iOS 8 (remember how much OS X changed from 10.1 to 10.2 and so on). And I really do think that the coverage related to the visual design of the OS has been markedly unfair and knee-jerk (I count myself among that group as well). But Heilemann perfectly sums up my real concerns:

I love iOS; it’s amazing. I want it to be good. But I’m scared of what I perceive as a loss of the discipline, not only in terms of saying no, but also in terms of interface design as a discipline. If iOS succumbs to power-userisms and form over function, it will be an immense loss, and it keeps me up at night.

American Psycho Short Film (Yeezus Promo)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:44:24 -0400

American Psycho Short Film (Yeezus Promo):

The minute I first layed eyes on Disick he reminded me of Patrick Bateman.

So I guess Kanye and I have that in common.

Old Spice; Shower

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:01:10 -0400

Old Spice; Shower:

The best ad I’ve seen in a long time.

Max Rudberg: How you should look in iOS 7

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:59:59 -0400

Max Rudberg: How you should look in iOS 7:

Really great tips here from a developer who gives actual examples of how his app is making the transition to iOS 7.

Notice he’s not removing all the personality his app had developed over the years, simply pulling some of that personality back to fit nicely with the new aesthetic of iOS 7.

"Living where there’s free speech means sometimes you get offended."

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:07:30 -0400

““Living where there’s free speech means sometimes you get offended.””

- Wes Mendell - as written by Aaron Sorkin

John Mayer debuts Paper Doll music video featuring Advanced Prancercise

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:56:42 -0400

John Mayer debuts Paper Doll music video featuring Advanced Prancercise:

John Mayer ladies and gentlemen.

Neil Patrick Harris heads to Broadway as Hedwig

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:13:50 -0400

Neil Patrick Harris heads to Broadway as Hedwig :

The four-time Tony Award host and former Doogie Howser, M.D. will star on Broadway in the spring as the gender-bent rock chanteuse at the center of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the cult musical that was made into a cult movie.

Holy shit, I need to see this!

NES iPhone Speaker Dock

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:04:46 -0400

NES iPhone Speaker Dock:

Well I won’t lie to you: this is fantastic!!

The Angry Drunk

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:42:18 -0400

The Angry Drunk:

I can sense already the response from the more cynical in the audience: “overblown bullshit” and “hippy claptrap” but I think this perfectly captures the spirit of Apple. It addresses the constant calls from the Wall Street analysts and ADHD-addled gadget bloggers for Apple to move into every possible market and sector. It explains why Apple’s executive team takes such umbrage at shoddy knock-offs. More than anything, though, I think it lays out, in as explicitly a way as is possible, the “vision” foolish writers claimed Tim Cook failed to articulate in his D11 appearance:

“We spend a lot of time On a few great things. Until every idea we touch Enhances each life it touches.”

In my opinion this has been, from the return of Steve Jobs at least, the singular goal of Apple. Not to make all the moneys, not to dominate markets, not to impress bloggers but simply to make products that enhance our lives.

This is exactly it. I love when tech-pundits bitch about Apple not innovating and praising companies that, in actual fact, do no inovating of their own but rather iterate (*cough*samsung*cough*).

But I especially love when tech-pundits claim to love Apple, and yet they don’t understand their very ethos.

Hi, I'm Troy McClure

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:11:00 -0400

Hi, I'm Troy McClure:

A “You might remember me from” supercut by Christopher Coleman.

Basically the greatest thing on the internet.

Inside Jaws, A Filmumentary

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:55:00 -0400

Inside Jaws, A Filmumentary:

It’s finally here. Jamie Benning is back with another one of his legendary filmumentaries, this time focusing on the original summer blockbuster: Jaws.

These things are absolutely astonishing, and if you haven’t yet watched his past efforts you simply must!

Jeremy Clarkson and James May on The Graham Norton Show

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:00:34 -0400

Jeremy Clarkson and James May on The Graham Norton Show:

Two of my favourite people on the planet.

And Joan Rivers.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 2: Sarah Silverman

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:38:25 -0400

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 2: Sarah Silverman:

One of my all time favourite web series is back, and the season premiere is fantastic!

Photo

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:14:04 -0400

David Simon (of The Wire) Weighs in on NSA Surveillance

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:13:34 -0400

David Simon (of The Wire) Weighs in on NSA Surveillance :

So think for a minute about a scenario in which, say, a phone number is identified overseas as being linked to terror activity. It is so identified by, say, NSA overseas intercepts or through intelligence gathering by the CIA or the military. And say that there exists a database of billions and billions of telephonic contacts in the United States over a period of months or years. And say a computer could then run the suspect number through that data base and determine a pattern of communication between that overseas phone and several individuals in New York, or Boston, or Detroit. Would you want that connection to be made and made quickly? Or do you want to leave law enforcement to begin trying to acquire the call history on that initial phone from overseas carriers who may or may not maintain detailed retroactive call data or be unwilling to even provide that data fully to American law enforcement or do so without revealing the investigative effort to the targets themselves?

Maybe I’m naive to think that the government isn’t inherently an evil entity? Maybe I’m naive to think that this really is an effort to take advantage of current technology to prevent catastrophes from happening? Maybe I’m just watching to much of “The West Wing” and forget that real governments aren’t run like the Bartlett administration…

But I gotta tell you, David Simon has some really great points here.

Why 'I Have Nothing to Hide' Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:09:45 -0400

Why 'I Have Nothing to Hide' Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance:

For instance, did you know that it is a federal crime to be in possession of a lobster under a certain size? It doesn’t matter if you bought it at a grocery store, if someone else gave it to you, if it’s dead or alive, if you found it after it died of natural causes, or even if you killed it while acting in self defense. You can go to jail because of a lobster.

If the federal government had access to every email you’ve ever written and every phone call you’ve ever made, it’s almost certain that they could find something you’ve done which violates a provision in the 27,000 pages of federal statues or 10,000 administrative regulations. You probably do have something to hide, you just don’t know it yet.

Really? Lobster law?

Of course all this assumes that Big Broth— err — “The Government” wanted to make you a criminal for some reason. You know, go after Joe Somebody for some obscure law that they didn’t know they were breaking.

Of course, at that point they must have caught all the real bad guys, or you know, used the Lobster Law to get those guys too…