Rain sucks

Rain sucks
Originally uploaded by CaptainWrong

But the sale is back.

Sent from my iPhone

The creepy bunny sez...

The creepy bunny sez...
Originally uploaded by CaptainWrong

COME TO THE GARAGE SALE!!!!!

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Garage Sale Blogging

Garage Sale Blogging
Originally uploaded by CaptainWrong

You know you want to come to our garage sale and buy all my CDs. You
know you want 'em.

1811 Fisher in Speedway. Literally on the corner or Crawfordsville &
Fisher.

Come get some! NOW!!!!!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Legal Download Services I Have Known and Loved

The big Apple press conference a-go-go today got me thinking about something I've been wanting to blog abut for a while now. That being alternatives to the iTunes Music Store. While I've spent a lot of money* at the iTMS, I've found a few other download services that meet my needs a little better.

Specifically, there are three places I've paid to download from: eMusic, Audio Lunchbox and Amie Street. Each has it's strengths and weaknesses. First off, all three offer DRM free downloads in the mp3 format. Though there is this movement to paint Steve Jobs as the patron saint of DRM free music, all these places were doing it before Apple and all three offer it across the board, not just from one label**.

All of these services use a web based interface and obviously the tracks you download will work with any mp3 player. For the most part, these tracks are encoded at a higher bit rate than the normal iTunes download as well. And, for the most part, they are considerably cheaper than buying music through Apple.

There are also several negatives all have in common. For instance, you won't find major label music at any of these services. None of these places offer video, if that matters to you. Also, all three use some sort of subscription or credit purchasing program rather than an ala cart, buy as you go set up (although Audio Lunchbox does allow you to buy tracks for 99 cents a pop if you wish.)

As I get time, I'll profile each of these services, starting with eMusic where I've been a subscriber the longest. My reason for writing this is twofold. First, I really like these services. eMusic especially got me over my distaste for legal downloads and has exposed me to a ton of music I'd otherwise never heard of. Secondly, I just want people to realize that there are alternatives to the iTunes Music Store and even BitTorrent and P2P that won't put a huge hurt on your wallet and might even introduce you to something you wouldn't have heard otherwise.

With that, I will mention one thing. If your listening tastes are pretty much exclusively top 40 mainstream, there isn't going to be much for you here. Although a lot of indie artists are breaking through, you're not going to find Justin, Fergie or Fiddy on these services. However, if your tastes run a bit left of mainstream, if you're ready to dive in to classic jazz or if you are just adventurous, you're going to find a lot to like.



----------------
Now playing: Elvin Jones - Love Supreme
via FoxyTunes

*actually I scammed a shameful amount of free downloads from an Army related promo. I've probably only spent $100 at the iTMS, but I'm sure I'm close to a grand in actual amount of music downloaded. Pure insanity and I should be ashamed of myself.

** Interestingly enough, I've read an interview with someone from Netwerk who said they have been trying to offer their music DRM free through Apple and were told the DRM was Apple's policy, even if the labels didn't want it. Apparently that's not the case anymore, at least if you are a major label as the indies still can't offer DRM free music through iTMS.

Still another reason I miss Japan

Groovy...

Man, I love jazz organ. I've been on a major Jack McDuff kick as of late, but I discovered a new name to add to the collection, Rhoda Scott. She's a bit more obscure but from what I gather she was raised in the church (and it shows in her playing) and moved to France where she took off in the jazz circle.

The album I snagged was one with Kenny Clarke (another ex-pat) and her originals on it are really good.

Anyway, here's a cool clip of her doing Moanin' in 1972. Dig this noise:



Anyone falling in here with some more info about Ms. Scott, let me hear it, please!

CD...dead or dying?

So I'm trying to clean house and lose a couple hundred CDs I really don't need anymore. In the past I've had pretty good luck selling stuff through Amazon and even after their high seller fees, I've still done alright for myself.

The key is, there's a certain dollar amount you really can't dip below because if you do, by the time Amazon takes their cut, you pay for postage and packaging and you factor in time and travel, you've made nothing. Unfortunately, the average CD price on Amazon and half.com is just about at the point where it's not worth putting them up there.

For every five CDs I'd look at, one might average at about $7, which would be about $5 in pocket after all the expenses I listed above. The other four would be somewhere around $4 or less with multiple copies available. Many were hovering around $2 or less, at which point you're pretty much losing money and I don't understand how people see stuff that cheap at Amazon.

Selling on Amazon has always seemed like a race to the bottom with regards to seller's prices. It seemed like if I didn't sell something in the first week or two, someone would undercut me, and then be undercut, etc., etc. But at least you had a chance of selling your stuff at a decent price as the market wasn't totally glutted.

Now, it's really a buyer's market. Almost any album you can think of have multiple copies for sale for pretty much whatever you want to pay. In many instances, there are a dozen or more used copies for sale within a week of an album's release date. (Most of these are promo copies and god knows I've sold tons of these myself.)

So, what's my point with all this? Well, there's a lot of talk, on-line anyway, about how much longer the CD has left as a viable medium. It's really hard to say. There's still a lot of people who aren't into downloading music (legally or not) for various reasons. Until recently, I was among those people. However, the fact that I do so much of my listening on computers and mp3 players and the fact that I have more CDs than I know what to do with has caused me to try to stop worrying and learn to love the mp3.

I've heard stories of people ripping their CD collections and then disposing of them and that certainly seems to be what I'm seeing on Amazon and half. And, I have to admit, the temptation to do just that is starting to get to me too.

I think what we're seeing is, consumers are already abandoning the CD even if the recording industry is still putting them out. There is a glut of used CDs that just wasn't there a few years ago and though I don't have facts and figures to back it up, I can't see that being a product of anything other than people ripping and abandoning.

As a consumer, it's a great thing but as someone wanting to clear some stuff out I don't listen to anymore, it's a bit disheartening. I used to be able to at least get half what I paid for a disc back, but now it seems I'd be lucky to get a quarter. And with that in mind, I'm finding myself much more careful about what I'm buying.

And I hate to sound fatalist, but I just don't see this getting any better. There's already a huge difference on the secondhand market from just a year ago, it's almost unbelievable.

Though I'm not a fan of the recording industry, I do still like the option for having a physical copy of music in an uncompressed format. I still enjoy sleeve notes and cover art. I like having something to look at while I listen to the music.

One thing I am really happy about is, not only are more people putting out actual records, but more companies are offering free downloads of the album with a purchase. Beggar's Group, Sub Pop and even some major label stuff is doing this. To me, this is both ideal and a best of both worlds situation.

The other thing I'm noticing, and this is kind of ironic, is that is seems that I'm listening to more music than ever before. And I don't think I'm in the minority. Most people I know aren't buying as many CDs but always have music with them, on their computers, cell phones or iPods. Though the physical medium for delivery is becoming obsolete, the music itself is becoming more ubiquitous.

Well, I've done a lot of thinking out loud here, but the bottom line is, I'm still not sure if the CD is dead or dying or if that's even a bad thing. I do know if anyone wants to buy some cheap CDs, I'll be having a garage sale in a few weeks and I'm willing to cut some good deals.

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Now playing: Russ Freeman - Bread And Wine
via FoxyTunes

Early Terry Gilliam films.

Awesome stuff.

What Could Be Better Than Godzilla and Harry Shearer?

Not much.

Simply awesome...

Yet another reason I miss Japan...

Not happy...

Sitting in the Denver airport...

our three hour layover keeps getting longer...

the flight has been delayed at least an hour...

number or crying/shrieking children: 2, so far...

I just want to get home.

Where I've been...

I've been sick for the past four or so days. Baah. So here I am convalescing in Hawaii.



Gigan makes sure I'm taking my meds.



In retrospect, having Hedorah the Smog Monster play nurse probably didn't help matters.



Mothra prepares to deliver the meds to the patient.

So, I don't have a whole lot to say right now, but here's the last three pictures I took in Tokyo. (Click for larger versions, you know, so you can actually read them.)

This may be the best video ever.

Thanks MTV Japan!

(PS- yes, I know, this is Korean.)

Akihabara 2, Electric Town Boogaloo

Man, I'm exhausted. Today was the day where several months of wedding planning, a wedding, a 13 hour plane trip, being in a country where you speak very little of the language and being crowd phobic all caught up. Still, I'm hanging tough like New Kids and I still love Japan.

We returned to Akihabara today. If you'd like to read a more videogame-centric recap of day one, I'd encourage you to check out this post I made at 30 Lives. It's on the nerdy side, so approach with caution.

So, let's assume you didn't read that post and have no idea what Akihabara is about. Well, it's nicknamed Electric Town and for good reason. It's like the promised land for anyone into gadgets, toys, videogames or anime. For me the big attraction was looking for all the videogame goodies. And there were pleanty to be had.

Unfortunately, videogame shopping in Akihabara isn't exactly an ideal activity for a non-Japanese speaker. The stores are all so small and narrow that you really can't browse and with most shelves stocked titles out, you really can't tell what the heck you're looking at if you can't read the language. Not to say it's impossible, just saying being a big, sweaty American puts one at a huge dissadvantage.

Oh yeah. Akihabara has it's own weather system. It's humid. Very humid. You realize after a while you're almost swimming in the collected flop sweat of everyone you rub against trying to navigate the stores.

There were two stores in particular I was looking for, Mak Games and G-Front as those were two shops specalizing in arcade boards. Well, I never did find Mak, but I found G-Front. The problem was again, the language barrier. They had more arcade boards than I'd even seen in my life, but I had no clue what I was looking at. Aside from that, I've read their prices aren't so hot, so no harm, no foul.

Some of the stores I did shop in include Sofmap, Traders 2 and a few others I really don't know what the heck they were. It kind of got to be a blur after a while.

A lot of stores here sell used stuff, which is good. The problem for me is there was a ton of Nintendo stuff, and I'm much more of a Sega guy. Granted, I saw lots of Saturn games (no big bargains, sadly) but there was just so much Famicom and Super Famicom, I couldn't believe it. Mostly what I came away with was used PS2 games which were really easy to find.

So, let's have a look at some games, shall we?



Gunner's Heaven. I found this in a cheapie pile. Looks like a Metal Slug type thing. At least, I hope it is.



Psyvariar and Sonic Wings Special from the first trip to Akihabara.



Cheap Jogcon and Disney DDR for Kristen. (That sucker goes for stupid money in the US.)



Treasure Box Sega Ages collection and the bizarre button pushing game Switch (aka Panic on the Sega CD.) I'd only found out this existed for PS2 this week and lo and behold a cheap copy found it's way to me. Read more about this one here.



XII Stag and Trizeal.



Random picture of some cosplay girls handing out flyers.

We also bought soundtracks:



Some game soundtrack CDs. That's Atari Music 1 & 2, Shoting Game Sound Omnibus 1 & 2 and Space Invaders Anniversary.



Bunch of DDR soundtracks. (These are Kristen's.)

And Gamera?



Part 2 of the Gamera box set with yet another Gamera figure.

But the best thing I bought today was probably this:



It's a 1998(?) set of vinyl figures of all the critters from the classic Gamera films.



RARRRRRRHHHHHH!!!! Giant monsters attacking Tokyo!!!!

That was a bargain at about $28.

There's more, but I'm too tired to get into it.

Say What?

DSCF1406.JPG
Originally uploaded by CaptainWrong

There are literally so many weird uses of English here, you couldn't keep up if you tried. Some are honest mistakes in translation. But then there are others...

If you've ever been to Engrish, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, today we got up early and went to the fish market. It sounds less exciting than it actually is. I think the fish market here is one of the world's largest and it's extremely colorful and noisy. Plus there is just the insanity factor of being up at 5 am, in a fish market, in a foreign country where you understand very little of the language.

After that, it was a slow start today. We headed out way after lunch and ended up at the Toto showroom. Toto, you may or may not, make toilets. Yes, we went to a Japanese toilet showroom. And it was cool. The best toilet I saw had a remote flusher/paper stand and the lid automatically flips up as you approach it. It also has about a zillion different settings to wash your butt after you do the deed. I want.

We then walked around a while, did some more shopping, took some pictures, etc., etc. Good times, good times.

I realized today, I'm firmly on vacation time. I thought it was Tuesday.

Speaking of forgetting time, I think this happened a couple of days ago. It was in Kyoto, that much I know.



Jet Jaguar wanted me to post that. He rubbed the statue for luck.

By the way, we are leaving Japan in a couple of days, so please put your orders in now for Humping Dogs USB flash drives.

Pictures from Blister.

One of the stores we went in yesterday was this "character shop" called Blister. (You can find them at http://blister.jp.) This place was pretty amazing, wall to ceiling vinyl figures, Kubricks, bobble heads, model kits...wow. I've never seen anything quite like it.

I got a rather terse "no photo" but I managed to fire off a few ones before then:



Here's some Terminator, Land of the Dead, Friday the 13th and Die Hard stuff. They also had a life size T2 statue which was unbelievable.



Some Nightmare Before Christmas stuff. That movie must be huge here as there's a ton of toys everywhere.



More Nightmare.



Star Trek with some Street Fighter II.



Lots of these bear Kubricks. (Can't remember the name of them.)



Bobble heads. Jerry Only, Pedro and the Man, Buddy Holly and Maxwell Smart.



Kurt Cobain and Freddie Mercury, together at last! (I was tempted by the Live Aid Freddie, for reasons I don't quite understand.)



Oops. I was trying to get the silly Master of Puppets diorama, but missed it.



Spiderman, some red dude and Mickey Mouse smashing a guitar. They actually have some cool Mickey stuff here, including some Rat Fink-esgue Mickeys.



This was the point where I started having sensory overload.



Keep in mind, this is only the top floor, though I don't remember if we bought anything on street level.



I think this was the exact moment I was told "no photo" and thus ends our trip to Blister.

Shibuya and the rest of Kyoto

Well, again, I'm pretty exhausted, but I'll try to wrap up the last couple of days. Kyoto was amazing. We saw a ton of shrines and whatnot. Unfortunately, what I think was the best one didn't allow us to take pictures. When you're in a room with 1001 hand carved, full sized Buddha statues, it's almst overwhelming.

One thing almost all these places we visited had in common is that the sites had been destroyed by fire and completely rebuilt. Usually, they were still many hundred years old. The statues I was mentioning dated back to the 12th and 13th century. Crazy stuff.

We also took in a brief cultural presentation, kind of a greatest hits of Japanese culture, if you will. It ended with a tea ceremony and that was neat.

Today we were in Shibuya, which is a shopping/fashion district. Lots of great people watching. However, if you're 6'3" and 300 pounds, you're out of luck as far as clothes shopping goes. Too bad, as they're some really funky threads here. I couldn't even find a hat to fit my noggin, and I don't have an especially large head. I think.

So, I did some toy and CD shopping again. That was pretty groovy. I'll have some pictures around eventually.

Speaing of pictures, it's ironic in a country so associated with cameras and the stereotypical Japanese tourist with a dozen cameras hanging around his neck that we've been told no pictures in so many places. Do as I say, not as I do?

Anyway, that's it in short. I need to hit the sack here as we're getting up early tomorrow to hit the fish market.

Too tired.

No blogging tonight. We had a long day and are very tired. Nighty night.

Gamera and Godzilla Get the Munchies

Man, I'm hungry. I could go for a snack.

Yeah, me too.

Ooh! Chip Star!

!!!

"Happy Birthday Mr. President..."