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Noj

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Everything posted by Noj

  1. The weird thing is LeBron has shown the killer instinct in some big games, but has pulled a disappearing act in others. When he wins his first title (which I really think will be this year), it will just be a matter of him playing his game until the final buzzer. The Heat got to the Finals last year with a really spotty roster, in their first year playing together. They've added a premier defender in Shane Battier. That plus the extra time playing together ought to do it. Of course, I'll be rooting for whoever plays against the Heat, but I'm prepared to be disappointed. Since the Lakers really haven't got the depth of personnel to win it, I'll be pulling for the Bulls to beat the Heat and whoever comes out of the West (likely OKC).
  2. I think the Heat will win the title this year fairly easily, with the Bulls being the lone team which can possibly beat them. I agree LeBron is already one of the greatest NBA players of all time. My guess is LeBron will step up at some crucial moment, and all this chatter of him being a choker will evaporate. "Kobe-style hero ball" has hurt the Lakers so much that he's helped win five NBA titles. For all the crap the "hack pundits" love to dish his way, Kobe is without question 2nd only to Michael Jordan all time at the shooting guard position. He's also the toughest player in the NBA, playing through pain and scoring at will on everybody. I literally laughed out loud when ESPN ranked him the "7th best player in the NBA." People really let their hate for Kobe color his every stat and every accomplishment, and where other all-time greats still active in the NBA receive constant praise Kobe gets constant criticism for not being perfect.
  3. Noj

    BruceW

    I can't imagine Sheed in purple and gold, but it is somewhat surprising he isn't still in the NBA. Usually guys with his size and shooting ability stick around longer if they're healthy. The NBA discussion here has been dormant for a while.
  4. The "play count" sorting tab in iTunes gave me a similar revelation as the one being discussed here. I was shocked to see zero, one, or two plays for songs that I really love. It got me thinking, "how many times will I ever hear any of these songs?"
  5. An interesting bird phenomenon in my area are wild parrots. Small groups of these escaped pets have grown into full-blown flocks of the beautiful but noisy little buggers. They seem to migrate between Burbank and Pasadena, which coincidentally enough is where my home and work are respectively. So I've seen them quite a bit. It's really odd to see a big group of green birds in the sky or in trees.
  6. Noj

    BruceW

    Good to see you back, Bruce! I hope your hammies heal up nicely.
  7. I don't live in a utopian world either, but I tend to think of politics as secondary to my appreciation of the audio arts. The politics have to be specifically expressed in a way that offends me in order to get in the way of my appreciation of music. For example, there are some lyrics which offend me, particularly in rap music. Lyrics that infuriate me--and it's actually that I'm mad that they "wasted the beat" with some idiotic opinion. Otherwise, if we're talking about jazz expressing the anger of racial strife, then I find myself a sympathizer, in which case I'm totally along for the ride. If we're talking about blues expressing similar grief, I'm following along. Maybe others will opine that I don't have the right to, but I have people I love of every color. I have lived the majority of my life loving those people. I am not a typical white racist, and I'll be damned if I let the established opinions tell me that's the way I have to listen or that I have no right to sympathize. Fuck that. I will not bow to racism's attempt to re-affirm itself and tell me how to listen. If I did, then there would just be this endless cycle of racism and reverse racism. And it's not that I'm saying I can totally understand what oppressed people have had to deal with. But I can sympathize. And the music moves me to the very core of my empathic feelings. I can only feel so much, and the depth of it is limited to my experience. But I will NOT be dictated how I must interpret the music by racism. To me there's one life, one love, one people, and I view it all from a global perspective. I am not limited to my genetic ancestors, and I am more sympathetic toward the immediate social connections I have which are of every imaginable culture. I will NOT be told how to listen. Not by Amiri Baraka. Not by anyone.
  8. That makes sense. My agenda is to hear sounds I like to hear, and I don't interrupt the enjoyment with politics or racism or any of that crap others clog their ears with.
  9. It sounds to me like Baraka has agenda'd himself right out of enjoying music for how it sounds. Better him than me.
  10. I used to drink Coca-Cola every single day. I stopped liking the sugar-coating it left in my mouth, so I stopped. Now I only drink it on the rare occasion that I have a mixed drink like a rum & coke or if it's the only thing to drink. Even then I have a difficult time finishing it. I prefer iced tea. I actually quit smoking cigarettes about 13 years ago for the same reason--I hated the aftertaste (and smelling like it). I replaced that addiction with marijuana, but I stopped enjoying that about 6 years ago. The latest ones are coffee and beer. I'm on my second round with coffee. I really enjoy it in the morning, but I recognize the caffeine buzz for what it is now, and I'm starting to dislike the stained teeth and aftertaste. Beer...well, I'm finally getting fat after years of never having to worry about my weight. All good things must come to an end. Too much of even a good thing is bad. Moderating any of these things proves difficult for me, and I just quit them cold turkey.
  11. Thanks Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz(dick)zzzzzzzzzz!
  12. I hope couw is doing well. catesta too. Both great guys.
  13. Thanks again everybody! The realization of how quickly life is actually going by makes the accomplishments of the prolific artists we love here that much more impressive. It also makes the people I know who are "old" in terms of years seem that much younger, since I know it's been flying by for them too. They weren't kidding when they said 'life is short.' I'm grateful and humbled to have had such a great life so far. Grooving to Bennie Maupin's "Quasar" from Slow Traffic To The Right as I type.
  14. Thanks guys!
  15. Soleil and I are the same age, and she went to my elementary school for a few weeks during the height of her sitcom fame. I was assigned to help her get her books, and was deeply smitten.
  16. What I see those who own the music doing is they want to make it so everyone can access the music but not fully control it. So these "cloud drives" are being made as they say with a disingenuously friendly smile, "we'll hold onto it for you!" I don't trust 'em. They'll find a way to make you pay for it again. When Pandora first came out, I tried to give it obscure stuff to play and sure enough, the program pretty much knew everything. For the first time I grudgingly thought maybe my collection had lost a little value. The moment a commercial came onto Pandora, my collection's entire value returned. They can stick their commercials where the sun don't shine.
  17. I like the object. Professional quality audio and professionally printed artwork and photographs and graphic design. Although I download, it's CDs and LPs or it's like I don't really have it.
  18. Jaws!
  19. I find this most irksome. Two people whose knowledge I hold in the highest regard, exchanging verbal jousts... Then again, it's awesome to see such knowledge put to the test. My most heartfelt respects to both Chris and Jim--no matter the disagreement, you two are a big part of why the org board is such a consistently great read. I don't care either way about Quincy, lol.
  20. One thing the over-singers have in common: they have crappy songs. Most of these so-called R&B acts have no songwriting talent whatsoever. Then someone like Adele comes along, and she DOES actually create quality songs, so she blows them all away. I've never heard a single enjoyable original song from Alicia Keys, Mariah, that god-awful Mary J. Blige, Rihanna...there's too many to list. Others like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott quite clearly have some talent in that regard, but I don't hear it from most of these gals so their appeal is a complete mystery to me. There seems to be a whole subgenre of R&B for that Mariah-type brand of substance-free vocal wanking.
  21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ralh_HdXLj4 Regardless of whatever, I love this.
  22. It seems to me that popular music misses the original MTV, which seemed to draw from all the various genres and bring them together under the umbrella of music video. The songs all seemed to be catchy, by whatever process they managed to become hits on that channel. Now the genres are all strictly separated by radio station. The listeners can immerse themselves in a single style with zero deviation. In doing so there's a tendency to be more tolerant of lesser songs within the genre. When one diversifies, one can be more choosy. There's less putting up with filler when there's more hits to choose from. Listeners can spend all their time listening to the all the hits from years past on classic rock stations, without bothering to learn new songs. If a listener has the thirst for new music, they must find it themselves (or listen to the rare radio station like KCRW which actually has DJs who still play the role of selector).
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