The Music Fix.

-Lately i have been starving for some good music. I don't know about you guys but i find it hard to find something that i actually enjoy listening to. 

-After taking a month long break from EtinZone, i am returning with a much needed post about new music.

-If you are fans of the alternative genre, like Radiohead, The Strokes type of vibe, then you will really appreciate these two up and coming bands. 

1) Phoenix:

If you haven't heard them yet, they appeared on SNL about a month ago. They are releasing there CD in Canada on May 26th, titled "Wolfgang Amadeus" (Mozart Rip-off). Their hit song so far is Lisztomania, and most of there songs have a very chilled out vibe to them. You must check them out now. 

2) White Rabbits:

The Rabbits, (talking about the white ones of course) are a very young band, unlike Phoenix this will only be there 2nd album released. From the couple of tracks that i have heard, the album sounds very impressive. Their hit single "Percussion Gun" is one of those songs you can picture listening to on the radio 1000 times a day. They have originality similar to a Radiohead style, it's very refreshing. They're new CD will be out Tuesday May 19th.

Download: Percussion Gun (MP3)

Finally, if you haven't heard yet, Eminem is releasing a new album this Tuesday, titled "Relapse". If your in any way shape, or form, a fan of Eminem, you must watch his interview, where he reveals his drug addiction and many other obstacles he's faced.

Quebec's Dreamer: Bernard Lachance

Bernard Lachance is a Champ. 

http://www.oprah.com/printarticlefull/oprahshow/20090430-tows-bernard-lachance

Here comes Susan Boyle!!

What is with this insane hype surrounding Susan Boyle!

A week ago, Susan Boyle's video was at the top of the most viewed video's on YouTube with about 1 million, and i watched it(Btw, now there is around 50 million total views). My reaction was normal, you know, no one expected her to do well becuase of her looks and she blew the roof off the house with her voice. It was a very encouraging video to watch, quite uplifting as well.

But it is the attention that she is getting now that is truly astonishing. This is no simple american idol performance. Susan Boyle means something to a lot of people now. I've been reading  people's reaction around the internet to her perfomance, and it really is something else to see how emotional people got over her performance. Susan never really got a good chance to do something with her voice becuase her looks really gave off a wrong impression. She confessed that in her 47 year old life she has never been kissed. There is something amazing about Susan Boyle because automatically after watching her brief performance your heart is with her. And as cheesy as it sounds it's true, it's pretty emotional to see the change from before the performance when people didn't believe in her strictly because of her looks, and she blew everyone away. In addition to that tale of it's own, her performance also shows, that even if your 50 years old, don't give up your dream. It's the classic, "Don't judge a Britain's got Talent participant by their face."

I want to hear how people felt when watching Susan Boyle's performance. You can vote for the description on the right that best matches your feelings at the time.

And if you haven't seen the video yet, your probably living in a cave, but here it is anyways...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

James Cameron's Avatar: The biggest movie of all time.

Titanic, Dark Knight, Spiderman UH OH!!

Avatar is a Science Fiction film releasing december of 2009, about aliens. In addition, it's in 3D! well, haven't we waited to see aliens in 3D!!? The truth is, i believe that if Cameron succeeds, and in this particular case, he must deliver where no other film has, in creating a "believable" species of alien, this film will shatter everything that stands in it's way.

- Everyone has different views, there are some people who really don't think about life in space, and some that are completely fascinated by just the thought of it (like me). I'm always curious to what alien species would look like. Are they more advanced than us? If they were more advanced than us, why haven't they found us yet and sent us a message? Maybe they already have.

-Ever stare up at the stars, and get that scary realization that we are so puny? that there are billions upon billions of other planets just like ours, and then what are the possibilities that there is in fact life besides earth. I'd say 10000% wouldn't you?

-A crazy, somewhat complex thought crossed my mind the other week, and i think it is worth sharing. Maybe you have thought the same thing, maybe not, because i'm very weird. On Earth, we as humans, and every living species, have a perception of time that is constant. That being that everything lives, and dies. There is an age to everything, and changes occur throughout our experience of time. But in space, there is no time. There is just space, and it has been there throughout eternity. We, as humans find that thought to mash up our brain cells. At least i do. What if there are aliens species in space that have no perception of time? Where life is eternal and the actions of these beings bare no relevance on the constraint of time.

-Sadly enough, no one reading this will have any of these answers, as we have yet to land on Mars (the closest, most insignificant mass of rock in our entire solar system). When the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon in 1969, people were glued to there TV sets and radios. There is a worldwide interest in space advancements. And therefore obviously a worldwide interest in the possibility of the existence of aliens. That's why, when a massively popular director, such as james cameron creates a movie, in 3D, about aliens, what can possibly be bigger for the movie industry?

-I will always have a massive interest in all things regarding space and alien species. Hopefully in my lifetime we can experience the same type of worldwide excitement that was felt when humans landed on the moon in '69

Here's a cool sort of geeky space vid, interview if your interested.

New Wave of technology/New wave of Zombie

A few nights ago i was watching late night with Jimmy Fallon. For those of you who haven't heard, it's a new late night show. On this particular show Jimmy happened to bring in some tech geek from engadget.com. This always interests me somewhat since im a little bit of a gadget freak myself, although as he was showing off this device, and how "easy" it is to do everything, like pulling your contacts from facebook, i became ashamed of what technology has done.

Is it just me, or are 90% of us just buried into our cell phones? Blackberry, iphones, they are all time consuming and a social annihilation. These phones are like a drug, an addiction, to always be on hand, with emails, text messages, facebook posts. And it seems as though, with every new release, and new generation of these phones, it becomes easier to get lost into the unfortunate zombie world. 

What concerns me though, is this: It is without a doubt that our reliance and our use of smartphones are steadily increasing, and with every increase of usage, I personally become a little bit more alarmed at the consequences. It may just be a silly concern, but what exactly are the long term effects of cell phones? Putting those radio waves next to your head for extended periods of time, can that be normal for your body? The Cell phone era really has only begun in the past 10 years, i am seriously concerned as to what, or if there are any long term consequences. For this reason, i try to limit my cell phone use. Unfortunately for me, i fit the description of zombie quite accurately. I have an iphone and i use it quite frequently, for all of the reasons i stated above. But with this added consciousness, it is important to be aware about the amount of use. 

I didnt write this post to scare people away from using their phones, i wrote it becuase i'm scared of using my phone, and whether or not that means anything, that's for you to decide. 

Top five websites you've probably never heard of

So a couple of weeks ago i was told by  friend to check out the site www.stumbleupon.com. The premise of the site is simple, but it's one of the coolest sites i've come across in a while. You make an account, you fill out some information that you want other people to see, like Facebook. Then they want you to fill out a form of all your interests, say for instance, you love football, alternative music, illusions, and stock market news. You can fill out however many interests that you want, out of about 1000 different choices. Once you fill out your interests, you click the stumble button on the top left of the browser, and this site brings you to the most popular sites that resemble your interests. When you like a site that you find, you click the "i like it" button (very original) and it stores the site as one of your Favorites on your profile. Every time i click the stumble button i find something ridiculously cool that i have never before seen on the net. You should check it out.

Anyways, out of the 25 favorites that i have, i'm picking the top 5 sites that i think are worth sharing. Most of them are useless, but then again, so are most sites on the net. As i find more sites, i'll post ones that are worth sharing on the blog.

5.  http://www.greendayauthority.com/images/billiejoe_letter.gif

This is amazing. I hate Green Day beyond belief, but this is really funny. A mother, upset about the lyrics used in Green Day's album sends a letter to the band complaining. Just read it to see Green Day's response.

4. http://flabbergastedly.com/?p=96

A bunch of cool pictures of different faces on random objects. No need to explain what it is, just check it out.

3. http://www.tony-b.org/#register

For all the wannabe DJ's out there, this is a pretty cool toy that someone made up, where you create your own beats.

2. http://uploads.ungrounded.net/221000/221483_Play.swf

Pretty useless video but entertaining nonetheless. It's a classic stomp, with about 40 people, but visually it's pretty cool looking.

1. www.justhearit.com

JustHearIt is an extrememely usefull site, its insanely cool looking, and basically you search for a song that you want to listen to, and you can listen to the entire thing for free. I haven't yet typed in a song into the search that it couldn't find.

NFL Mock Draft Ver. Golteez

So, i haven't written a blog in a little bit, and the last one that i managed to write was somewhat, to completely irrelevant. The past couple weeks i've had university midterms, but during that span, a good friend of mine Matt Golt, and a full fledged sports freak/maniac, has produced this Mock Draft (Simulation of the NFL Draft, in April). It will be updated before the draft, and i'll post the changes as they are sent to me.

1. Detroit Lions – Matthew Stanford QB (Georgia)
· The Lions decide to go Wide Receiver…. Just joking. Lions have so many holes and so many problems but they take Matt Stanford because of his intangibles.

2. St. Louis Rams - Andre Smith OT (Alabama)
· Rams want to get their OT after missing out on Jake Long last year. Andre Smith will separate himself from the rest of the OL men at the combine because he will demonstrate his greater strength.

3. Kansas City Chiefs – Brian Orakpo DE (Texas)
· KC Chiefs want a steady force lining up beside Glenn Dorsey. Orakpo is the best DE in the draft and he’ll give the Chiefs a great combination similar to Amoki Okoye and Mario Williams for years to come.

4. Seattle Seahawks – Michael Crabtree WR (Texas Tech)
· Even if they had a healthy group of WR this year they’re still a weak group, Crabtree will add a consistent receiving threat.

5. Cleveland Browns – Malcolm Jenkins DB (Ohio State)
· Probably the best defensive prospect in the draft, the Browns get value and fill a decade long need.

6. Cincinnati Bengals – Chris “Beanie” Wells RB (Ohio State)
· Back to back players from THE Ohio State. Bengals want to continue the trend of having strong RB’s following Corey Dillon and Rudi Johnson. Cedric Benson is definitely not the answer.

7. Oakland Raiders – Eugene Monroe OT (Virginia)
· Tom Cable (former o-line coordinator) looks to beef up the offensive line to give time for DMAC and JaMarcus to make plays. Jeremy Maclin or Percy Harvin wouldn’t be a surprise here knowing Al Davis’s love for speed (Miami did it with Ted Ginn Jr. with their 10th overall pick).

8. Jacksonville – Jason Smith OT (Baylor)
· My sources (ESPN radio, I actually don’t have sources) tell me that the OT that Jacksonville loves is Jason Smith from the small college of Baylor. Aaron Curry would be solid value here.

9. Green Bay – Everette Brown DE/OLB (Florida St.)
· With the switch the 3-4 defense they’ll be looking to add an outside linebacker who can line up also at defensive end (DE/OLB tweener).

10.San Francisco – Mark Sanchez QB (USC)
· San Fran gets very lucky here since they have the option between a top quarterback or a top outside linebacker (Aaron Curry). I’m not sold that Mike Singletary wants to head into next season with Shaun Hill so he goes with the QB over his position the linebacker.

11.Buffalo Bills – Aaron Curry OLB (Wake Forest)
· Buffalo goes away from a need to grab the best possible player on the board who’s fallen. Curry is top two safest defensive prospects in the draft, who’ll be ready to play right away. If they don’t grab him, look at them to grab a Tight End.

12.Denver Broncos – BJ Raji DT (Boston College)
· Denver finds a match made in heaven. They can’t stop the run, BJ will finally help stop the run. No more signing failed Cleveland Brown defensive end/tackles to help them stop the run.

13.Washington Redskins – Michael Oher OT (Ole Miss)
· Looks like another OT will go, making it 4 in the top 13 (Record?). Michael Oher will be a suitable replacement for Chris Samuels and if he can overcome his maturity issues he will become a dominant force in the league (note: Read Blind Side).

14.New Orleans Saints – Vontae Davis DB (Illinois)
· Vernon Davis’s equally athletic younger brother will hopefully bring in his skill without the attitude his brother has. New Orleans is starting Randall Gay and Jason David at CB, they need to improve there and Vontae Davis is the best on the board.

15.Houston Texans – Michael Johnson DE (Georgia)
· The Texans are set on offense and now are set on the D-line, with a feared combination of Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye and Michael Johnson. Before the year began he was favored to go number 1, he’ll shine at the combine and the Texans look like playoff sleepers for next year.

16.San Diego Chargers – Ray Maualuga MLB (USC)
· The run defense and pass defense were both weak this year without Shawm Merriman. With Merriman and the adding of Maualuga they have the scariest and most athletic core of linebackers in the NFL (Lights out for opposing offenses?)

17.NY Jets – Aaron Maybin DE/OLB (Penn St.)
· Just like years past Rex Ryan goes best player available. Jets don’t have much need, except for Quarterback so look for them maybe trading out of this pick for Matt Cassel.

18.Chicago Bears – Kenny Britt WR (Rutgers)
· The Bears need a receiver. They will go with Kenny Britt because although he isn’t as explosive as Harvin or Heyward-Bay, he does have the most potential. Now the Bears still need a QB…

19.Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tyson Jackson DT (LSU)
· The Bucs will got with Defensive Tackle most likely unless they’re able to land Albert Haynesworth with the their 50 million dollars in cap room. Haye is a free agent and Hovan is once again on the downside of his career, just like with the Vikings. Moreno is also a possibility here with the aging of Dunn and the injuries to Graham and Cadillac.

20.Detroit Lions – Duke Robinson OG (Virginia)
· Lions look to continue to build and hope to add a run blocker for Kevin Smith, who can also provide additional time for Stanford to make some plays. Lions will go with who they feel is the BPA here because they have so many holes.

21.Philadelphia Eagles – Knowshon Moreno RB (Georgia)
· Looking for a back to compliment Westbrook, Moreno is the best value. He’s an all around back that is NFL ready who can run, catch and block. He will allow Westbrook to hold up more during the season.

22.Minnesota Vikings (Tr. New England Patriots) – Larry English OLB/DE (Northern Illinois) –
· I really believe this pick will be traded to the Patriots for Matt Cassel. Vikings want a Quarterback who is able to play now because they’re a young team and with a quarterback are super bowl contenders.

23.New England Patriots – Alphonso Smith CB (Wake Forest)
· Curry’s teammate goes to the Patriots because even though Smith doesn’t fit the cover 2 system well he is the best CB available. They don’t have many needs but CB is what they could use.

24.Atlanta Falcons – Chase Coffman TE (Missouri)
· Pettigrew is the better TE and the better blocker and fits Malarkey’s system better but he has character issues. Since he has character issues the Falcons will go with the almost as capable Coffman who will give Ryan an additional target and try and replace Alge.

25.Miami Dolphins – Peria Jerry DT (Ole Miss)
· Dolphins had a remarkable season but are getting old on defense and need to get younger. Ferguson is an aging Nose Tackle and although Jerry is not as large as him he will try to clog up the middle with the same size and power that Ferguson has/did.

26.Baltimore Raves – Brandon Pettigrew TE (Okloahoma St.)
· Ravens would love to have him and maybe even trade up to get him. If he falls here though it would be one of the steals of the draft. He’s the perfect compliment to Flacco, who’ll make time to find him open in the slot.

27.Indianapolis Colts – Alex Mack (California)
· Jeff Saturday is 33 years old and was injured most of the season. Mack will give him a replacement in the future and in the meantime he can move around the line.

28.Philadelphia Eagles – Eben Britton (Arizona)
· With their tackles reaching the end of their careers or leaving for free agency Britton has to be the choice here. If not they can go with William Moore to replace Dawkins at Safety.

29.New York Giants – Percy Harvin WR (Miami)
· Plaxico will most likely be traded the have a couple other options at WR but try and find a game breaker with Harvin.

30.Tennessee Titans – Darius Heyward-Bay WR (Maryland)
· They miss out on Harvin but get an equal although somewhat different talent. He will provide finally a somewhat capable target for either Vince Young or Kerry Collins.

31.Arizona Cardinals – James Laurinaitis OLB (Ohio State)
· With uncertainty surrounding Dansby for the coming season they add depth to the line backing core. Laurinaitis can move around the line backing core playing inside or outside which will give them depth.

32.Pittsburgh Steelers – Max Unger OL (Oregon)
· The only weakness that the Steelers possess is at offensive line. Unger doesn’t have a standard position yet but Steelers go with best offensive lineman available so they can give Big Ben some protection in the future.

Mock Draft by Matt Golt.

(ESPN Magazine Writer in 2015)