It snowed A LOT last night, and I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Of course, with snow drifts up to my knees, walking in that winter wonderland was not a pleasant proposition. My roomates and I checked the WSU website and our email accounts, hoping that classes would be cancelled. Nothing. Then, right as I was about to leave for my 9AM class, Matt found a message that said WSU would be closing at 10. What?? Did that mean I still had to go to school? I don't understand how it could be more treacherous to venture onto campus after 10AM than before. Confused, I trudged off to my class.
Once I arrived at Sloan, no one knew what was going on. The only certain thing was that most people had chosen to stay home. When I arrived at my classroom, there were only two other students there. We all took out our laptops to find out what was going on, but myWSU had crashed due to too much traffic. Eventually we concluded that classes were in fact canceled.
I think it's interesting that everyone was so confused this morning. With the amount of snow we got, closing down the campus seems like a no-brainer. During the summer, WSU installed a very expensive campus-wide emergency alert system. It was designed for situations exactly like this, serving information to students via phone calls, emails, text messages, and loudspeakers during confusing and potentially dangerous times. Today, in my opinion, the system flat out failed. It was unable to coordinate a timely response to a predicted winter storm, so how effective would it be in an unexpected situation like a terrorist attack? The administration needs to find out what went wrong and fix it before next time.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] February: A Month of Music
A few days ago I wrote about joining the RPM Challenge, a project where Jaron and I will record a ten-song album over the course of next month. Today I signed up for another complimentary project called FAWM, the 5th annual February Album Writing Month. For this endeavor, I will try to write 14.5 songs during February 2008. (The half song comes from collaborating with someone else, and is included in the project because the idea is to write one song for every two days.) My strategy will be to record my FAWM songs for RPM. If Jaron decides to join FAWM as well, we will have a larger 'songbook' to draw from as we record.
One of the things I like about FAWM is the way participants are encouraged to provide feedback on other artists' songs. Also, I like the fact that the project has a weekly theme that participants are encouraged to follow. For instance, last year one challenge was to title a song after a street name.
It going to be a melodic month! Check the DupyBlog for lyrics, and watch the DupyCast for recordings.
One of the things I like about FAWM is the way participants are encouraged to provide feedback on other artists' songs. Also, I like the fact that the project has a weekly theme that participants are encouraged to follow. For instance, last year one challenge was to title a song after a street name.
It going to be a melodic month! Check the DupyBlog for lyrics, and watch the DupyCast for recordings.
[Kylan's Blog] Quicksilver and Mouseless Computing
I just discovered an application called Quicksilver. If you're a Mac user, I highly suggest that you install it on your machine. Quicksilver allows you to launch applications and perform all sorts of tasks with a few simple keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are great because they avoid keyboard-mouse-keyboard transfers. These transfers take time, and can end up cutting down on productivity. I've already learned a bunch of shortcuts to use in Gmail and Google Reader, and now Quicksilver will help me streamline more of my computer-related activities.
Firefox Shortcuts
Mac OS X Shortcuts
Gmail Shortcuts
Google Reader Shortcuts
Emacs Commands
vi Commands
Firefox Shortcuts
Mac OS X Shortcuts
Gmail Shortcuts
Google Reader Shortcuts
Emacs Commands
vi Commands
Sunday, January 27, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] RPM Challenge Enrollment
Jaron and I have just enrolled in the RPM Challenge. The goal of this project is to get a bunch of people to record 10-song albums during the month of February. The RPM Challenge website explains all of the details, and has a complete jukebox of the 850+ albums produced last year. We're calling our group DupyBand, and we'll be posting our songs to the project site as well as the DupyCast. Should be fun, more details to come.
[Kylan's Blog] Water Torture
There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about waterboarding, and I think everyone is familiar with the old concept of Chineese water torture. Well, a couple of nights ago my MacBook underwent it's own version of water torture. I was at Kristen's duplex and had brought her a glass of water while we were watching TV. She didn't see the water on the coffee table, and accidentally knocked it over with her foot. The glass proceeded to spill its contents over everything on the table, including my poor laptop.
I rushed to get some paper towels and dry it off, and then I shut it down and took out the battery. By acting quickly, I hoped to prevent any of the electronic components from shorting out. The MacBook was left to dry overnight, but I was dismayed to find that it wouldn't power up the next day. Thankfully, though, I was able to coax it back to life with some strategic hair blow drying.
During the few hours when I thought my MacBook had gone to laptop heaven, I couldn't decided if I was sad or elated. I really like this machine; it's my favorite computer I've ever owned. However, this situation also presented me with the possible opportunity to buy a new computer (remember, Apple just unveiled the MacBook Air). In the end, though, I'm very glad this computer came back to life, because it saves me the pain of spending a couple thousand dollars on something new.
I rushed to get some paper towels and dry it off, and then I shut it down and took out the battery. By acting quickly, I hoped to prevent any of the electronic components from shorting out. The MacBook was left to dry overnight, but I was dismayed to find that it wouldn't power up the next day. Thankfully, though, I was able to coax it back to life with some strategic hair blow drying.
During the few hours when I thought my MacBook had gone to laptop heaven, I couldn't decided if I was sad or elated. I really like this machine; it's my favorite computer I've ever owned. However, this situation also presented me with the possible opportunity to buy a new computer (remember, Apple just unveiled the MacBook Air). In the end, though, I'm very glad this computer came back to life, because it saves me the pain of spending a couple thousand dollars on something new.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] Green Handkercheifs
Since it's cold and flu season, there are a lot of people buying boxes and packs tissues. Runny noses are annoying and need to be wiped often. I'm surprised, though, in this age of An Inconvenient Truth and carbon footprints, that Kleenex and the related brands are doing so much business. There is a stigma against cloth tissues because they are seen as "gross," but I think they must be more environmentally friendly than tissues made from trees. They're reusable and can be made completely from sustainable resources. Here's my idea: enviro-conscious people can start walking around with green colored cloth handkerchiefs, blowing their noses in support of the environment. This could become a big hit, with celebrities joining the craze and so on. Just remember... I thought of if first.
[Kylan's Blog] Last.fm
I've just started using Last.fm, a popular Internet music service. It allows you to listen to streamed music while learning your style preferences and targeting content based on this information. It also provides nice integration with iTunes and publishes a variety of RSS feeds containing your listening history. This might be a neat feature to integrate with Dupyshon.com. On the Contributors page, I could have a dynamic list of each contributor's favorite music and most recently played tracks. Maybe I'll try to do that this weekend. The first step is to get Jaron on last.fm...
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] Springtime for Switchfoot
It looks like Switchfoot will be going on a college tour this spring. Please let Washington State University be one of the stops, or at least Gonzaga! Thanks for the heads up, LOBH.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] CSOTW
During my undergraduate years, I really learned to appreciate country music. My roommate Weston and I became western aficionados, you might say, and we began publishing a list called the Country Song of the Week (CSOTW) on an early version of Dupyshon.com. This went on for over a year, and we celebrated our first anniversary with a big top ten countdown party (we called it the "Big Bash"). Here's the complete list of country songs of the week, as well as a few details about awards from the Big Bash.
Date Song Artist
August 31, 2006 My Kind of Music Ray Scott
August 24, 2006 How 'Bout You Eric Church
August 17, 2006 Yee Haw Jake Owen
August 10, 2006 I Don't Know What She Said Blaine Larsen
August 3, 2006 A Little Too Late Toby Keith
July 27, 2006 When It Rains Eli Young Band
July 20, 2006 Nothin' But a Love Thang Darryl Worley
July 13, 2006 Whever You Are Jack Ingram
July 6, 2006 Brand New Girlfriend Steve Holy
June 29, 2006 Real Good Man Tim McGraw
June 22, 2006 Backwards Rascal Flatts
June 15, 2006 Favorite State of Mind Josh Gracin
June 8, 2006 Good Little Girls Blue County
June 1, 2006 Yes! Chad Brock
May 25, 2006 (This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing Trace Adkins
May 18, 2006 Size Matters (Someday) Joe Nichols
May 11, 2006 The World Brad Paisley
May 4, 2006 Summertime Kenny Chesney
April 27, 2006 Hillbillies Hot Apple Pie
April 20, 2006 Get Drunk and Be Somebody Toby Keith
April 13, 2006 Down on the Farm Tim McGraw
April 6, 2006 Comin' to Your City Big and Rich
Date Song Artist
March 30, 2006 You're Like Coming Home Lonestar
March 23, 2006 She Don't Tell Me To Montgomery Gentry
March 16, 2006 Drunker Than Me Trent Tomlinson
March 9, 2006 Ain't Nothing 'Bout You Brooks and Dunn
March 2, 2006 Mrs. Steven Rudy Mark McGuinn
February 23, 2006 Celebrity Brad Paisley
February 16, 2006 Good to Go to Mexico Toby Keith
February 9, 2006 Nobody But Me Blake Shelton
February 2, 2006 Good Ride Cowboy Garth Brooks
January 26, 2006 Me Neither Brad Paisley
January 19, 2006 Honky Tonk Badonkadonk Trace Adkins
January 12, 2006 I Got a Feelin' Billy Currington
January 5, 2006 I Should Be Sleeping Emerson Drive
December 29, 2005 It's a Great Day to Be Alive Travis Tritt
December 22, 2005 Best I Ever Had Gary Allan
December 15, 2005 Dream Big Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
December 8, 2005 Everything I Want Jace Everett
December 1, 2005 Nineteen Somethin' Mark Wills
November 24, 2005 Friends in Low Places Garth Brooks
November 17, 2005 Watch the Wind Blow By Tim McGraw
November 10, 2005 Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off Joe Nichols
November 3, 2005 Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right Billy Currington
October 27, 2005 99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) Brian McComas
October 20, 2005 Prayin' for Daylight Rascal Flatts
October 13, 2005 Awful Beautiful Life Darryl Worley
October 6, 2005 God Blessed Texas Little Texas
September 29, 2005 That's What I Love About Sunday Craig Morgan
September 22, 2005 Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) John Michael Montgomery
September 15, 2005 So So Long Dierks Bentley
September 8, 2005 Hicktown Jason Aldean
September 1, 2005 Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On Neal McCoy
August 25, 2005 Something to Be Proud Of Montgomery Gentry
August 18, 2005 Pickup Man Joe Diffie
August 11, 2005 Summertime Blues Alan Jackson
August 4, 2005 Some Beach Blake Shelton
July 28, 2005 Nothing On but the Radio Gary Allan
July 21, 2005 Baby Girl Sugarland
July 14, 2005 I'll Take That As A Yes Phil Vassar
July 7, 2005 Arlington Trace Adkins
June 30, 2005 Boot Scootin' Boogie Brooks and Dunn
June 23, 2005 Five O'Clock Somewhere Alan Jackson
June 16, 2005 How Am I Doin' Dierks Bentley
June 9, 2005 When the Sun Goes Down Kenny Chesney
June 2, 2005 Chicks Dig It Chris Cagle
May 26, 2005 Pickin' Wildflowers Keith Anderson
May 19, 2005 Big Time Big and Rich
May 12, 2005 Somethin' Like That Tim McGraw
May 5, 2005 Stays in Mexico Toby Keith
April 28, 2005 Nothin' to Lose Josh Gracin
April 21, 2005 I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday) Steve Azar
April 14, 2005 What's a Guy Gotta Do Joe Nichols
April 7, 2005 Gone Montgomery Gentry
The Top Ten Country Songs of 2005/06
1. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
This song by the talented Texapino has it all. It has great lyics, it's fun to dance to, has a strong beat, and a phenomenal ending. Not much more to say than that, except that it is truly deserving of CSOTW's highest honor. Don't believe us? Then you obviously have never heard it before.
2. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
We had a chance to see Dierks Bentley in concert this year, and boy was it a treat. He is a great performer, and sounds every bit as good live as he does on his albums. Dierks has a perfect voice for singing country, and he sings catchy songs which get stuck in your head and stay there for days. His sound is a bit more traditional than some of the Alt-Country artists we've been hearing lately, so there's a good chance that his music will stand the test of time and still sound good decades from now. "So So Long" was the encore tune that Dierks played when he was in Pullman, and we knew it was a good song from the first chord.
3. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
Has there ever been a country song with more attitude? We are hard-pressed to think of one. Trace's relationship to the Country Song of the Week list is quite interesting. It all started over the summer, when Trace first heard about the list. He recognized the value and prestige of the list, and called his agent. "Why haven't I been listed on the CSOTW yet!? I think I am definitely qualified for such an honor. Maybe you haven't been doing your job very well. Do I have to fire you?" Now, Trace is a very good country artist, but Weston and I just hadn't been exposed to his music very much. He ended up firing his agent and publicist for not getting him enough attention, and began to handle all of his scheduling and advertising by himself. (Currently, he is the only major country star who manages himself.) At the top of Trace's To Do List: get on the CSOTW. He immediately booked a flight to Woodland, Oregon to talk to Christine Baker. (He had to buy new tickets when he found out that Woodland is technically in Washington, but his mistake is quite understandable). Anyway, Trace really wanted to talk to Kylan or Weston, but he figured that they were too busy making important decisions. He was a little intimidated because he had heard so many great things about us. Trace figured that he could tell Christine that he wanted to be on the list, and she could relay the message to us. It was nearly the Fourth of July, and he decided that his new patriotic song, Arlington, was his best shot. Trace went to the country club where Christine was working and gave her his autograph along with his request. Then Christine told Weston and I that he wanted to be on the CSOTW. We were impressed by both Trace's persistence and musicianship, so we agreed to give him the July 7th spot. When he came out with Honkeytonk Badonkadonk later this year, we were very excited. Here are our favorite parts of this song: "Slap your grandma," "like Donkey Kong," and "you hate to see her go but love to watch her leave."
4. Pickin' Wildflowers - Keith Anderson
This song is the definition of B.A. The best moment is at the end of the first verse, with the "Uh-ha-haw." Utilizing the Jew's harp was definitely a good choice. What cha' say we go pickin' wildflowers? You and me, baby.
5. What's a Guy Gotta Do - Joe Nichols
Artichoke hearts, Super Walmarts, and pretty girls with shopping carts make this a very, very good song. It's hard to sing the whole chorus in one breath (just try it sometime). This song makes the top ten because Joe Nichols is such a protagonist. By the end of the song you're really rooting for him to get a girl.
6. Something Like That - Tim McGraw
This guy just came out with a Greatest Hits album, and he has lots of material that would qualify as a "greatest hit." Tim McGraw is very well-respected in the country world, so we couldn't resist putting him on this list. "Something Like That" tells a good story about barbeque stains, mini skirts, Labor Day weekends, and New Orleans. Very American.
7. Gone - Montgomery Gentry
This is the one that started it all. "Gone" was the first ever CSOTW, and for good reason. It has a good dose of bad attitude and a real country-flavored theme. The chorus is the best part, though. What other songs talk about freight trains and the Civil War? What other songs include an onomatopoetic "Bang! Bang!"?
8. 99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) - Brian McComas
Another young artist, Brian sings this song with good energy and a clear voice. Truly a great song to dance to. The fast-paced lyrics make the it fun, reminiscant of Josh Gracin's "Nothin' to Lose" or "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" by John Michael Montgomery. Personally, I am a big fan of the banjo work of Leigh Reynolds in the background.
9. Me Neither - Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley has a way with lyrics... this song is hilarious. How can a guy get shut down so many times in the same conversation? This is a fast song with a good beat, and the guitar solo is quite impressive. Very fun.
10. Hicktown - Jason Aldean
Jason is a young, emerging country artist with a bright future. This song is his best so far, and it was selected primarily because it reminds us of Pullman, WA. Yes, Jason, we do like the way that sounds. And we know you ain't finished yet.
The CSOTW Artist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
The CSOTW Rookie of the Year
Jace Everett
The CSOTW Brokeback Artist of the Year
Cowboy Troy
Rachael's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Some Beach - Blake Shelton
3. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
4. Nothin' to Lose - Josh Gracin
Christine's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
3. Stays in Mexico - Toby Keith
4. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles One - Neal McCoy
Date Song Artist
August 31, 2006 My Kind of Music Ray Scott
August 24, 2006 How 'Bout You Eric Church
August 17, 2006 Yee Haw Jake Owen
August 10, 2006 I Don't Know What She Said Blaine Larsen
August 3, 2006 A Little Too Late Toby Keith
July 27, 2006 When It Rains Eli Young Band
July 20, 2006 Nothin' But a Love Thang Darryl Worley
July 13, 2006 Whever You Are Jack Ingram
July 6, 2006 Brand New Girlfriend Steve Holy
June 29, 2006 Real Good Man Tim McGraw
June 22, 2006 Backwards Rascal Flatts
June 15, 2006 Favorite State of Mind Josh Gracin
June 8, 2006 Good Little Girls Blue County
June 1, 2006 Yes! Chad Brock
May 25, 2006 (This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing Trace Adkins
May 18, 2006 Size Matters (Someday) Joe Nichols
May 11, 2006 The World Brad Paisley
May 4, 2006 Summertime Kenny Chesney
April 27, 2006 Hillbillies Hot Apple Pie
April 20, 2006 Get Drunk and Be Somebody Toby Keith
April 13, 2006 Down on the Farm Tim McGraw
April 6, 2006 Comin' to Your City Big and Rich
Date Song Artist
March 30, 2006 You're Like Coming Home Lonestar
March 23, 2006 She Don't Tell Me To Montgomery Gentry
March 16, 2006 Drunker Than Me Trent Tomlinson
March 9, 2006 Ain't Nothing 'Bout You Brooks and Dunn
March 2, 2006 Mrs. Steven Rudy Mark McGuinn
February 23, 2006 Celebrity Brad Paisley
February 16, 2006 Good to Go to Mexico Toby Keith
February 9, 2006 Nobody But Me Blake Shelton
February 2, 2006 Good Ride Cowboy Garth Brooks
January 26, 2006 Me Neither Brad Paisley
January 19, 2006 Honky Tonk Badonkadonk Trace Adkins
January 12, 2006 I Got a Feelin' Billy Currington
January 5, 2006 I Should Be Sleeping Emerson Drive
December 29, 2005 It's a Great Day to Be Alive Travis Tritt
December 22, 2005 Best I Ever Had Gary Allan
December 15, 2005 Dream Big Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
December 8, 2005 Everything I Want Jace Everett
December 1, 2005 Nineteen Somethin' Mark Wills
November 24, 2005 Friends in Low Places Garth Brooks
November 17, 2005 Watch the Wind Blow By Tim McGraw
November 10, 2005 Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off Joe Nichols
November 3, 2005 Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right Billy Currington
October 27, 2005 99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) Brian McComas
October 20, 2005 Prayin' for Daylight Rascal Flatts
October 13, 2005 Awful Beautiful Life Darryl Worley
October 6, 2005 God Blessed Texas Little Texas
September 29, 2005 That's What I Love About Sunday Craig Morgan
September 22, 2005 Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) John Michael Montgomery
September 15, 2005 So So Long Dierks Bentley
September 8, 2005 Hicktown Jason Aldean
September 1, 2005 Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On Neal McCoy
August 25, 2005 Something to Be Proud Of Montgomery Gentry
August 18, 2005 Pickup Man Joe Diffie
August 11, 2005 Summertime Blues Alan Jackson
August 4, 2005 Some Beach Blake Shelton
July 28, 2005 Nothing On but the Radio Gary Allan
July 21, 2005 Baby Girl Sugarland
July 14, 2005 I'll Take That As A Yes Phil Vassar
July 7, 2005 Arlington Trace Adkins
June 30, 2005 Boot Scootin' Boogie Brooks and Dunn
June 23, 2005 Five O'Clock Somewhere Alan Jackson
June 16, 2005 How Am I Doin' Dierks Bentley
June 9, 2005 When the Sun Goes Down Kenny Chesney
June 2, 2005 Chicks Dig It Chris Cagle
May 26, 2005 Pickin' Wildflowers Keith Anderson
May 19, 2005 Big Time Big and Rich
May 12, 2005 Somethin' Like That Tim McGraw
May 5, 2005 Stays in Mexico Toby Keith
April 28, 2005 Nothin' to Lose Josh Gracin
April 21, 2005 I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday) Steve Azar
April 14, 2005 What's a Guy Gotta Do Joe Nichols
April 7, 2005 Gone Montgomery Gentry
The Top Ten Country Songs of 2005/06
1. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
This song by the talented Texapino has it all. It has great lyics, it's fun to dance to, has a strong beat, and a phenomenal ending. Not much more to say than that, except that it is truly deserving of CSOTW's highest honor. Don't believe us? Then you obviously have never heard it before.
2. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
We had a chance to see Dierks Bentley in concert this year, and boy was it a treat. He is a great performer, and sounds every bit as good live as he does on his albums. Dierks has a perfect voice for singing country, and he sings catchy songs which get stuck in your head and stay there for days. His sound is a bit more traditional than some of the Alt-Country artists we've been hearing lately, so there's a good chance that his music will stand the test of time and still sound good decades from now. "So So Long" was the encore tune that Dierks played when he was in Pullman, and we knew it was a good song from the first chord.
3. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
Has there ever been a country song with more attitude? We are hard-pressed to think of one. Trace's relationship to the Country Song of the Week list is quite interesting. It all started over the summer, when Trace first heard about the list. He recognized the value and prestige of the list, and called his agent. "Why haven't I been listed on the CSOTW yet!? I think I am definitely qualified for such an honor. Maybe you haven't been doing your job very well. Do I have to fire you?" Now, Trace is a very good country artist, but Weston and I just hadn't been exposed to his music very much. He ended up firing his agent and publicist for not getting him enough attention, and began to handle all of his scheduling and advertising by himself. (Currently, he is the only major country star who manages himself.) At the top of Trace's To Do List: get on the CSOTW. He immediately booked a flight to Woodland, Oregon to talk to Christine Baker. (He had to buy new tickets when he found out that Woodland is technically in Washington, but his mistake is quite understandable). Anyway, Trace really wanted to talk to Kylan or Weston, but he figured that they were too busy making important decisions. He was a little intimidated because he had heard so many great things about us. Trace figured that he could tell Christine that he wanted to be on the list, and she could relay the message to us. It was nearly the Fourth of July, and he decided that his new patriotic song, Arlington, was his best shot. Trace went to the country club where Christine was working and gave her his autograph along with his request. Then Christine told Weston and I that he wanted to be on the CSOTW. We were impressed by both Trace's persistence and musicianship, so we agreed to give him the July 7th spot. When he came out with Honkeytonk Badonkadonk later this year, we were very excited. Here are our favorite parts of this song: "Slap your grandma," "like Donkey Kong," and "you hate to see her go but love to watch her leave."
4. Pickin' Wildflowers - Keith Anderson
This song is the definition of B.A. The best moment is at the end of the first verse, with the "Uh-ha-haw." Utilizing the Jew's harp was definitely a good choice. What cha' say we go pickin' wildflowers? You and me, baby.
5. What's a Guy Gotta Do - Joe Nichols
Artichoke hearts, Super Walmarts, and pretty girls with shopping carts make this a very, very good song. It's hard to sing the whole chorus in one breath (just try it sometime). This song makes the top ten because Joe Nichols is such a protagonist. By the end of the song you're really rooting for him to get a girl.
6. Something Like That - Tim McGraw
This guy just came out with a Greatest Hits album, and he has lots of material that would qualify as a "greatest hit." Tim McGraw is very well-respected in the country world, so we couldn't resist putting him on this list. "Something Like That" tells a good story about barbeque stains, mini skirts, Labor Day weekends, and New Orleans. Very American.
7. Gone - Montgomery Gentry
This is the one that started it all. "Gone" was the first ever CSOTW, and for good reason. It has a good dose of bad attitude and a real country-flavored theme. The chorus is the best part, though. What other songs talk about freight trains and the Civil War? What other songs include an onomatopoetic "Bang! Bang!"?
8. 99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) - Brian McComas
Another young artist, Brian sings this song with good energy and a clear voice. Truly a great song to dance to. The fast-paced lyrics make the it fun, reminiscant of Josh Gracin's "Nothin' to Lose" or "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" by John Michael Montgomery. Personally, I am a big fan of the banjo work of Leigh Reynolds in the background.
9. Me Neither - Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley has a way with lyrics... this song is hilarious. How can a guy get shut down so many times in the same conversation? This is a fast song with a good beat, and the guitar solo is quite impressive. Very fun.
10. Hicktown - Jason Aldean
Jason is a young, emerging country artist with a bright future. This song is his best so far, and it was selected primarily because it reminds us of Pullman, WA. Yes, Jason, we do like the way that sounds. And we know you ain't finished yet.
The CSOTW Artist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
The CSOTW Rookie of the Year
Jace Everett
The CSOTW Brokeback Artist of the Year
Cowboy Troy
Rachael's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Some Beach - Blake Shelton
3. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
4. Nothin' to Lose - Josh Gracin
Christine's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
3. Stays in Mexico - Toby Keith
4. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles One - Neal McCoy
[Kylan's Blog] Senior Design Website
This semester I'm the TA for EE 415, Senior Design. One of my main duties is creating and maintaining pages on the class wiki, which is located here. I spent a good amount of time last week getting the site ready. Hopefully the teams will find it to be a good resource for information and a simple tool for collaboration.
[Kylan's Blog] DupyServer
This past weekend I began the process of installing a server at Kristen's duplex. I put Ubuntu 7.10 Server Edition on my old Dell Inspiron after backing up some files, and began adding services one by one. So far I have the web server, SSH, and FTP working the way I want them to. I'd still like to get VNC, file sharing, and some kind of dynamic DNS set up. Right now the server has a local IP address and is not visible to the world outside my local network. It's a fun little project, and up to this point much more easy than I had anticipated.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] Winter EP Downloaded
I downloaded Jon Foreman's Winter EP this morning. I've already listened to it three times, and I'm liking what I'm hearing. Jaron and I are planning to get together and write a review by the end of this weekend, and we'll have lots to say.
Monday, January 14, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] Winter EP Out Tomorrow
Jon Foreman's Winter EP comes out tomorrow. I'm very excited to hear what it sounds like. You download the tracks from jonforeman.com for only $5, which is quite a deal. Stay tuned and I'll write a review for it sometime this week.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] A Bad Day in Sports
Today was a bad day in sports. Both the Cougars and the Seahawks lost.
The Cougar game was horrible at the start, but improved as the game went along. Before the game, I predicted that the team would need lots of help from Derek Low. A lot of focus had been on Kyle Weaver and Daven Harmeling lately, so our opponents have been putting their best defenders on them. Low ended up hitting a hot streak, but it took him until the second half to begin scoring points.
UCLA was a very good team overall. They knew how to penetrate our defense, and they knew how to stop us from scoring. Their style looked like a page out of our own playbook! We were getting beaten badly during most of the game, but kudos to the Cougars for never giving up. I look forward to playing them later this season at home. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to beat them then.
The Seahawks game was also depressing to watch. After the first two scores, everything just went down the drain. One of the only things that kept me watching was the impressive amount of snow falling on the field. I'm glad the Brett Favre is having such a good year at his age, but I wish the Seahawks would've played much better.
The Cougar game was horrible at the start, but improved as the game went along. Before the game, I predicted that the team would need lots of help from Derek Low. A lot of focus had been on Kyle Weaver and Daven Harmeling lately, so our opponents have been putting their best defenders on them. Low ended up hitting a hot streak, but it took him until the second half to begin scoring points.
UCLA was a very good team overall. They knew how to penetrate our defense, and they knew how to stop us from scoring. Their style looked like a page out of our own playbook! We were getting beaten badly during most of the game, but kudos to the Cougars for never giving up. I look forward to playing them later this season at home. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to beat them then.
The Seahawks game was also depressing to watch. After the first two scores, everything just went down the drain. One of the only things that kept me watching was the impressive amount of snow falling on the field. I'm glad the Brett Favre is having such a good year at his age, but I wish the Seahawks would've played much better.
Friday, January 11, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] The Solution to Facebook Evolution
I've always been against Facebook's practice of adding more and more junk features to its service. I would prefer that it remained simple and clean looking. All I care about is the ability to add friends, search for other users, and perform basic communication. That's all that's needed for a good social networking site. Anything else is a distraction. This is why I was pretty excited when I found a Greasemonkey Facebook cleanup script on Lifehacker. It automatically hides the mini-feed as well as any applications users have added to their profile. Much better.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] Insurance Rates
I've been insured with State Farm insurance since I first got my driver's license. Until today, my policy was with an agent in Tacoma. Talking to Kristen's parents over break, I realized that I might be able to save money by moving my policy to a Pullman agent. Apparently, insurance rates vary from region to region because of a variety of factors. It turns out that I can pay dramatically less for my monthly premiums because Pullman is a more rural community. I made the switch this afternoon. If you're a student at WSU, you might considering transferring your policy so you can save some valuable cash.
[Kylan's Blog] Lots of Snow
With the exception of today, it's been snowing like crazy here in Pullman. It's barely let up since Sunday night, and this morning I found eight inches of fresh snow on top of my car. It took so long to clear off that I was a bit late to SEL! Today was clear, though, and the sun was out in the afternoon. Hopefully the melted snow won't freeze into black ice overnight. This is probably the snowiest winter I've seen during my time in Pullman.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] Schedule Changes
Just like last semester, my schedule is going through a shakeup right now. I found out this morning that one of my classes had been canceled due to a "lack of an instructor." To compensate, I added another class that my adviser had recommended. I went to that class, which began this morning, only to find out that I don't have the necessary prerequisite. I sat through the lecture, just in case there was some misunderstanding, but visited my adviser immediately after class. He told me to drop this class and add the prerequisite in its place. Luckily, this class also takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which still leaves my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays class-free.
On a related note, I also found out my TA assignment today. I'll be helping Dr. Campbell with his EE 415 Senior Design course. That should be a fun and relatively
simple class to TA for.
On a related note, I also found out my TA assignment today. I'll be helping Dr. Campbell with his EE 415 Senior Design course. That should be a fun and relatively
simple class to TA for.
Monday, January 7, 2008
[Kylan's Blog] TV and Internet
Today Kristen and I were able to kill two birds with one stone. We scheduled our satellite TV and cable Internet to be installed at the same time, and the whole thing took less than an hour.
Our satellite contract is with Dish Network. We had to string the incoming coax cable all around the living room, but the rest of the install went pretty smoothly. The best part of this service is the DVR paired with the program guide. I'll have to experiment with that more later.
We chose to get our Internet through Time Warner. Their RoadRunner service wasn't our first choice, but we were unable to get the wireless signal from Cactus Computers. So far, I'm actually pretty impressed with the speed that RoadRunner offers. The only drawback is that we weren't able to get a static IP address. Oh well, I might play around with DynDNS or something like that if I want to set up a web server.
Conclusion: From our first impressions, Dish TV and RoadRunner Internet are pretty good services if you live in Pullman.
Our satellite contract is with Dish Network. We had to string the incoming coax cable all around the living room, but the rest of the install went pretty smoothly. The best part of this service is the DVR paired with the program guide. I'll have to experiment with that more later.
We chose to get our Internet through Time Warner. Their RoadRunner service wasn't our first choice, but we were unable to get the wireless signal from Cactus Computers. So far, I'm actually pretty impressed with the speed that RoadRunner offers. The only drawback is that we weren't able to get a static IP address. Oh well, I might play around with DynDNS or something like that if I want to set up a web server.
Conclusion: From our first impressions, Dish TV and RoadRunner Internet are pretty good services if you live in Pullman.
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