Jason’s posterous

rock and roll 

Really?!

Hey all, working hard on the release of Austin's EP.  Adding vocals now and Bass in December so it WILL release in late December or January.


In the meantime - here are things that make me laugh (because they are stupid):

Lopez Tonight - Who's going to watch this? TBS...stick to your ratings: Family Guy, The Office, My Name is Earl.

The Wanda Sykes Show - Even worse!  Who wants to listen to her voice for an hour? 

Adam Lambert's cover art - wow...epic fail (no Adam, no one thinks it's funny)

Ellen DeGeneres as a judge on American Idol - I didn't watch it before and I sure won't now!  What's next?  Tyra Banks as a UFC commentator?


What have you seen/heard lately that makes you laugh?

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Cutting Corners

Companies are cutting corners, and I don't think I'm the only one noticing.  Take a look at the commercial I posted below.

What do you think?  Did you notice anything?  Watch her mouth and what the voice-over is saying.  That's right...they aren't the same!  Watch it again.  Watch her mouth closely.  This is NOT a "youtube edit"...this is the exact commercial on TV...I've seen it many times.  Now everyone may not care about this...but I do.  I think it's pathetic. 

I think that if a company truly cares about their product and believe that their customers should buy it, then they should be honest about it.  A major company like this should spend the money to correct the commercial instead of being cheap and providing a terrible voice-over.  It just makes them look bad.

I have noticed lots of commercials lately that include really bad voice-overs.  I just don't understand.  If you are going to go through all of the work to create a commercial, create it for the right reasons and create one that counts.  After all, you want us to buy your product right?

Let me also say that this company has does a really bad job at creating their recent commercials.  Including the one above, there are a few new ones that showcase different celebrities saying that "you missed the big game because you have cable".  Really?  Last time I checked, your company uses a satellite dish.  That means wind, rain, planes, and anything else over it can and will make it lose the signal.  Take a poll.  Cable vs. satellite company.  You will find that the cable customers rarely loose their signal.  Now, heavy rain and wind may cut out your cable...but if this happens, chances are your electricity is also out.  So...no...I would actually miss the big game because a leaf is on my satellite dish.

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You know what really grinds my gears...?

You know what really grinds my gears (haha family guy)?

1.  Getting an automated response when sending a question/email to a company.  I just can't stand it.  The company is telling us (the customer) that they DO NOT CARE ABOUT US OR WHAT WE THINK.  Seriously.  This happened to me twice this week.  One reply sent me a list of FAQ.  Really???

2.  Paying for customer service/tech support.  This is absolutely terrible.  When you call the number, they (a computer/automated system) tell you that you have to pay $3.00 a minute and then it asks for your credit card number.  So I don't even get to talk to a real person.  You are telling me that I need to pay to be told that the device is broken (when I already know that it is)?

Companies that do these things are driving the economy even further into a downward spiral.  How do these things help the customer?  How are these things fair?  Why are we treated like this after buying THEIR product?

They may say - "oh we get hundreds of emails a day".  Great!  READ THEM!  (heres a hint...look at your "customer service" department...you are paying people to do this sort of thing).

And that my people...is what really grinds my gears (lately).

PS - If you haven't seen the family guy skit...here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVj7TRAu9iU&feature=related

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Bad computer...

Hey everyone, my apologies for not updating for a while.  I was on vacation as you know and then came back to the real world to start work at the label.  It's fantastic!  Anyways, my computer is freezing constantly and firefox keeps crashing every few minutes.  I don't know whats wrong.  So I can't stay connected to the internet for long periods of time.   Doing my best to fix the problem so that I can start posting again...but I'm surprised that it lasted this long (long enough to write this post).  Just letting you know that I haven't forgotten!  Stay tuned...

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The King of Pop

I just can't believe that this has come so suddenly.  Michael Jackson's thriller was the first album I listened to.  I used to dance around the house with a glove, I own an original VHS copy of the movie Moonwalker and used to watch it daily when I was little (and my brother used to laugh at me), I own all of his albums, etc.  The moral of the story...I was (and still am lol) OBSESSED with Michael Jackson's music.  He is and will always be the best musician in the world to me.  All other musicians present and past were inspired by him, including me.  It is easy for me to say that if it weren't for Michael Jackson and his music, I would not be who I am today.  His music made me want to drum.  It was the sole trigger for my musical intrest.

Now...my education, my career, my life is centered around music.  Michael Jackson's music started it all.  The one, the only, King of Pop will forever be in the rhythm of my heart.  God bless him and may he rest in peace.

Via Sony: "Five of Jackson's solo albums – "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory," are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and "Thriller" as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award."

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Vacation

It's that time of the year again...haha...I'm going back to Hawaii!  You can check out some pictures from last years trip on this blog.  I'll be sure to post some new ones but can't promise I'll do more than that...I'll be too busy sipping Mai Tai's.  I hope to do a couple of dives, lots of snorkeling, and a sunset cruise or two.  Other than that, you can't ask for more than sunshine while lying on a white sandy beach.

A perfect time for listening to Jack Johnson, Slightly Stoopid, Pepper, and of course Austin Pidgeon.

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An HDTV buyers guide - by: me

Well as you can see, I haven't posted in a while.  I finally got all moved into my new home and have settled down until my internship starts in July...can't wait!  I go to Hawaii again in about two weeks so that will be my vacation before work starts. 

I bought a brand new HDTV and I love it!  Its a Samsung 42" 720p 600hz plasma.  I know what you are thinking...why didnt I go for 1080p or at least 1080i and why did I get a plasma...don't they burn in?  Do your research and you will find the right TV for you.   Many sites such as cnet are great for doing online resaearch before a big purchase.  Sometimes all of the technology talk can be confusing if you have no idea what they are talking about.  Hopefully this makes it easier for you.

Here is what helped me make a decision:

1. The difference between 720p,1080i, and1080p aren't really noticible on a tv smaller than 50".  Don't get me wrong, all of those classes I took including digital film making were right (at that time we were dreaming of 1080p and now its a reality).  The higher numbers are absolutely better on paper.  But I'm telling you, go to the store and see for your self if you can see a difference.  I was about to buy a 1080p 120hz LCD for about 1500 and then I saw this plasma and was like...wow...the plasma actually looks better...and its HALF the price!  Plus it has a 600hz refresh rate!  That blows 120hz out of the water.  The only time when you could see a difference in resolution is on a blu-ray movie.  But again, it will be extremely minimal and most people would hardly recognize any difference at all.  Now...on the bigger tv's, you will notice a big difference on everything!

Whats all the talk with contrast ratio and dynamic contrast ratio?  Basically the higher the number the deeper the colors/blacks.  This is just something that you will have to see for yourself.  Just look at the tv...how are the colors?  More importantly, how is the black level?  Generally the higher the number in the ratio, the deeper the blacks/colors.  But again, its paper vs. your eyes.

2.  Now...plasma vs. LCD...plasma actually produces a better picture than LCD.  Yes...it does.  But aren't plasmas likely to get burn in?  Yes, but it isn't nearly as common anymore.  All plasma tvs now come with a feature that resembles an Etch A Sketch.  If something ever happens, the feature "wipes" away the burn in.  You leave this on for about an hour and it should do the job.  But before you even get to that point there is another feature...pixel shift.  This SLIGHTLY and UNNOTICABLY shifts the pixels on the screen every 1-5 minutes (however you progrtam it...its up to you) so that if an image is stationary, it will not "sit" on the same pixels for a long time. 

Will you ever leave it on for long periods of time?  In my cse, I maybe play a video game for two hours or watch the NBA playoffs...maybe the tv is on for four hours.  I then shut the tv off.  I never leave my tv on when I'm not watching it...but some people do.  I also would never pause a video game and then go workout or drive to the store...I just wouldn't.  At most...pause the game and keep the console on...but turn the tv off.  Just save the game!  If you are one of those people who leave their tv on when they run to the store...you may want to steer towards LCD tv's or just make a lifestyle adjustment and remember to turn off your investment.

3.  What will you use the tv for?  I use it for HD gaming on my xbox 360 (via HDMI of course), I'll be upgrading to HD service from my cable company, and will also be upgrading to blu-ray.  Basically the main things you do with a tv.  Again, all of these things are going to look superb on any (name brand - samsung, panasonic, sony...) HDTV under 50" regardless of their native resolution.

These things helped seal the deal for me...and I freakin love the new tv.  I saved 700 bucks!  You just can't beat that.  Plus if you are like me, and this is your first HDTV purchase...ANY HDTV is going to look better than your current standard definition tv's.  So pick and choose.

So if you are going under 50", get the one that looks the best to you.  The screen resolution doesn't really matter.  If you are going bigger than 50" by all means get 1080p! 

Go to your local electronics store and check them out (ask questions- how long has this tv been on display for?...that could affect the picture).  ***Keep in mind that the store probably has their tvs on for at least 12 hours a day!  Because what you see is what you get...and in this case, thats a great thing!

 

Ps...I took many hours of classes including digital film-making, writing and directing, and film technology.

 

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Twitter

Just wanted you to know, sometimes I can't get to posterous and can only send short tweets...SO follow me on twitter @rootdrummer311

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Listen now!

The song and poll are posted...listen now!


www.inspiredrecordingsllc.com

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New Austin Pidgeon single will be posted tonight at midnight

The brand new single from Austin Pidgeon, Wake Up (I'm There), will be posted on www.inspiredrecordingsllc.com tonight at midnight (in 3 hours central time).

It will be available on Austin's EP which will be comming out this summer (on iTunes, Amazon, and our online store).

There will also be a poll so you can tell us what you think of the new song!

So please check it out and tell all of your friends!

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