Articles by Aaron

I ran across this short “Pac-Man” video clip on YouTube when I saw the Japanese “Pac-Man” video. I remember this one making the rounds via e-mail 2-3 years ago, but it’s a classic in my book and well worth the re-visit. I guess those Ann Arbor winters must do something to the students at the University of Michigan.

Found this on YouTube today. I’m not even going to try and describe this one! Watch & shake your head in amazement…….

We live in an instant gratification society, only modern technology and the internet can bring you grainy footage of the execution of Saddam Hussein on YouTube mere hours after the event has occurred. While we here at PCWEI applaud and love modern techology it IS important to remember a time (what like 10 yrs ago?) when a photograph wasn’t something digital. When a picture could capture a moment in time and be left to the interpretation of the individual viewer. In some ways the photograph is the original “pop culture event”. Afterall a picture is worth a thousand words, and stands the test of time. The latest thing on YouTube will be a faint memory to most in a few days (for some a few hours), but pictures are almost timeless.

I mean who hasn’t seen this photograph at least once in their lifetime (if not every day at school!)

So in a little bit of a flashback here I direct you to neatorama.com which posted a wonderful article to be featured in the upcoming Mental Floss Magazine. The article chronicles the “13 Photographs that Changed the World” and while it’s a pretty good list there are some interesting choices. The “Big ones” are present on the list, such as the crash of the Hindenburg, the Gettysburg Battlefield by Mathew Brady (the first battlefield photographer), the execution of a VietCong soilder a South Vietnamese General by and of course a selection by Ansel Adams. While it’s hard to argue with most of the list there are some interesting omissions in my opinion. (For the published list and photos click here)

Here are a few pictures that I’m surprised didn’t make the cut:

1.Marines raising the flag at Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima Island (Feb. 1945). Shot by AP Photographer Joe Rosenthal, this photo not only won him the Pulitzer Prize but is also probably the most famous picture from World War II.

2.Perhaps the most famous picture taken during the Vietnam War this photo taken by AP photographer Huyng Cong “Nick” Ut in June of 1972 showed the horror and agony of young Vietnamese children after accidentally being napalmed.

3. Maybe not worthy of the “Top 13″ list, but certainly an icon of the times. President Nixon’s famous “V for Victory wave” was documented many, many times to the point that the “Victory Wave” personifies the Nixon presidency about as much as his “I am not a crook” speech.

4. Though a very recent picture the raising of the American flag at Ground Zero shortly after the events of 09-11-2001 has certainly been burned into the minds of anyone who lived through that day directly or indirectly, which is probably our entire audience here at PCWEI.

5. And finally perhaps the most important picture in the history of Pop Culture. This single moment captured for eternity calls to mind the famous meetings of other greats in history. Ceasar & Cleopatra, Catherine the Great & her horse, Moses & God, and of course When Harry Met Sally all come to mind. But really does it get any better than President Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon & Elvis “The King” Presley in 1972??? I think not……

Pop Culture at it’s finest…..

By the way if you dig Ansel Adams check out this site, or the excellent National Archives site

So even if you have the most limited knowledge of Classical Music it’s a safe bet that one of the few pieces you probably know is “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel. Well here is a modern “take” on the piece, though it may be safer to call this a “Rant on Canon in D” by comedian and musician Rob Paravonian. As the folks over at Mashuptown.com wrote “this may be the original mash-up”. Enjoy!

I found this on CollegeHumor.com this afternoon and well lets just say the folks that make Legos should really market this “set”. Talk about a whole new sales demographic. Yes folks it’s the Lego automated bottle cap remover, need I say more…

Watch, enjoy, build one yourself…

Now if I could only find the bin in my storage unit that has my legos…

From CNN.…

A German Tourist planning and a 4 week vacation in Sydney, Australia accidentally booked his trip to Sidney, Montana. You would think that once he landed in Portland, Oregon that he might have figured this out, but no he had to land in Billings, Montana to realize the mistake. Now I haven’t been to Australia but I’ve been to Billings, MT quite a few times and I think it’s safe to say that neither place looks remotely like the other.

Sure people make directional & traveling mistakes all the time but the magnitude of this mistake is amazing! We’re not even talking the same hemisphere here! According to the article the tourists thinking they were going to Australia where it is currently summer only packed warm weather gear. Something tells me they weren’t prepared for beautiful wintry eastern Montana where the average temperature in December and January is in the high 30s.

Billings, Montana (note the lack of water)

Sidney, Montana (note the lack of a famous Opera House)

Sydney, Australia…..

Not even close.

Have you ever found yourself sitting at your computer one day thinking “I wonder what the Indiana State Sycamore’s football helmet looked like in 1987?” or better yet “When did UVA switch from white helmets to blue helmets? Well if you ever have then have I got the site for you. I was introduced to “The Helmet Project” a few years ago and have been constantly amazed at the level of detail this site has. The author of this site has documented the football helmet histories of every pro and college team in the United States since 1960. Have a burning desire to know when the Green Bay Packers switched from grey to green facemasks? Are you constantly perplexed by the myriad of helmet changes that the Oregon Ducks (and Nike) force on us? Well they’re all here. Enjoy! As a college football fan I love this site!

Having trouble redeeming your iTunes gift card in the last few days? Having trouble evening logging into the iTunes music store? Well you’re not the only one. According to an AP report on CNN.com the music site has had record numbers of shoppers since Christmas. The article also states that the iTunes music store has experienced four times the amount of traffic this Christmas Season as they did last year. Just proves the success of the iPod & iTunes and the increasing evidence that Microsoft’s Zune & Marketplace aren’t really competition.

Found an interesting quiz on gorillamask.net this morning. BUT it’s not as simple as it seems. From Planet Rock the quiz has 54 partial album covers and you are asked to name the artist and the name. Have fun!

The Washington Post‘s music critic, Josh Freedom du Lac published his top 10 CDs list for 2006 today, and it’s interesting to say the least. For those who can’t get the article directly (you have to be registered) here it is:

1. Dixie Chicks – “Taking The Long Way”

2. Johhny Cash – “American V: A Hundred Highways”

3. Solomon Burke – “Nashville”

4. Josh Ritter – “The Animal Years”

5. Clipse – “Hell Hath No Fury”

6. Bob Dylan – “Modern Times”

7. Arctic Monkeys – “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”

8. The Coup – “Pick a Bigger Weapon”

9. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins – “Rabbit Fur Coat”

10. Joseph Arthur – “Nuclear Daydream”

I personally have 5 of the CDs on this list (Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Arctic Monkeys & Jenny Lewis) and would easily recommend all of them. My favorite out of the 5 is the Arctic Monkey’s CD, which may be the best pop/rock CD I’ve bought all year. But to be fair I am also a HUGE Johnny Cash fan, and love the fact that Bob Dylan keeps finding ways to re-invent and re-introduce himself to new audiences.