Non-quasi-classical soundtrack awesomeness

I recently created a playlist with that name, and it contains, among other things, the version of "Hey Jude" played at the beginning of The Royal Tenenbaums. Can I just say that that song makes me really happy? Especially the part with the trumpet when they start singing the nah nah nah's.

If only I'd stayed one more day...

So, I'm finally back from my scientific conference/vacation, and though I'm glad to be back in the city (and blogging again), I really should have stayed in Seattle one more day. The weather is better, there is food at my parents house (there isn't any in my apartment), and most of all, if I had stayed, I could have met Steve Wiebe.

That's right folks - I could have met the star of "King of Kong." Now, I know that some of you have seen this film, so you will know how big of a deal this could have been. You see, as those with whom I saw the movie are painfully aware, he lives very close to where I grew up, and in fact teaches in the school district where I went to school. I was headed out to Seattle the next day, and after a bit of detective work, found an email and sent him a note requesting a meeting to shake his hand and have him sign a Donkey Kong figurine (which I got in my early teens as a game tester for Nintendo). A week went by and yesterday I received a very nice reply stating that he had just got to my email and that if I were going to be in town on Wednesday (today), he would love to meet with me. Man! If only! Well, I guess it was never meant to be, but it just goes to show that he really is as nice of a guy as he is portrayed in the movie. So, if you haven't seen this movie yet, let me join the others in strongly encouraging you to go and see it. Seriously.

You're gonna want to ride this bus

Hello folks! Greetings from the AIDS Vaccine meeting! I just wanted to fire off a little post between talks to tell you one of the coolest things that I have learned (and don't worry, it has nothing to do with the conference).

So, I've been riding the bus in to Seattle from my parents house, and not only is it much more comfortable than the NYC buses, but it is much more technologically savvy. That's because the bus that I ride has Wi-Fi. Pretty cool, eh? I'm guessing it's some kind of satellite connection, but I really don't know. Perhaps tomorrow on the way to the conference I'll post from the bus. Well, that's about it for now. Back to the long, boring talks...

We'll miss you, Max

So, on a more serious note, the editorial staff here at the Scrumpestuous O.P. regret to announce the passing of one of Jazz's giants, Max Roach. I cannot tell you how many hours of enjoyment I have received from the drummer's recordings, especially his work with trumpeter Clifford Brown.

You can read more about Max here.

Yes, I'm that guy.

A few years back, I remember seeing the headline in The Onion that went a little something like this, "Person actually buys Photoshop." Well, today I became that person.

You see, in the scientific world, it is common practice to get together in large groups and drink beer. Now, any large group of people can do this, so the scientists have decided that they will set themselves apart and share their research while they slowly get sloshed. I guess it makes sense - scientific research is dull*. Being a young graduate student, I will have to prepare many of these posters over the next several years, and by mandate of the higher-ups they all must created using Adobe InDesign. I guess the rest of the story becomes obvious, and today I picked up a copy of CS3. Well, there you have it - proof that someone actually bought Photoshop.

*In all fairness, not all poster sessions involve beer - only about half of them. Scientific research, however, is almost always dull.

Things I don't miss

I love a good rivalry but this is pathetic.

This I have no sympathy for at all.

Stats

This morning, I checked my site stats, for laughs, you know. Now, I never planned for this blog to be anything special or highly read, so I keep my expectations low and am usually very pleased. But yesterday, I experienced the Briggie Bump. Is that some sort of new dance craze? If only! No, unfortunately, it's something a little more self-explanatory. Here's what the bump looks like:


That's right folks, 30 visitors! Easily my best day ever. Unfortunately, this crazy ride into stardom has to end sometime, and I think my last post helped a lot in that regard. No complaints, though. You only get 15 minutes, right?

Too much free time, I think

For your enjoyment, here are a few Simpsons self portraits I made the other day:

This one's the real me

Then I decided to do some playing. Who knows where this one came from.

Ever wonder what I'd be like with hair?

Me, if my jazz career had panned out.

Me, if I decided to become a blues man.

Dave, plus 20 years.

So, I had a lot of free time. Sue me.

Daft Punk

Ridiculous. Wow. Wow + infinity. Here's my report on the Daft Punk Concert.

Of course Brigham was there. Read his post here.

The Rapture. Moving on...

Daft Punk has arrived.

Look at the pretty colors! I thought that a lot that night.

The sheer whiteness of the pyramid really impressed me.

As did it's blueness.

Matrix Punk?

Trapper Keeper Punk

Hyperspeed Punk

That's a neck, in case you were wondering.

The encore, with it's glowing red suits, helmets, and pyramid were truly a sight to behold. If only I were smart like Brigham and had taken a picture of the screen, the picture above would be much cooler.

So, now for the video. Just a note, the sound is pretty bad on some of these. My little camera just can't handle the amount of bass that was flying at us. These are just short clips. Of course, if you want to see something more complete, you can always go to YouTube.











OK folks, the videos above are only a small (and a bit lame) sampling of what I have, but since blogger has been giving me problems, and I want to get this finished, I'm going to end this. Perhaps I'll add my videos to YouTube and make them the topic of another post.

Daft Punk - Pre-blog

I'm exhausted. I have to say that I was not prepared adequately for the Daft Punk concert that I just went to. I promise that I'll get my act in gear this weekend and post the good photos and videos I took (and perhaps a few of the bad ones). In the few seconds I spent looking at some of them, I really had to tell myself, "It was real, Dave. You were there." Wow.

Wha!?

How come I've never noticed this before?

Luckily, I got to work OK

What a crazy night last night. Returning home from a 12th Street Guitar Hero Fanciers' Association reunion, a few drops of rain made me decide to take the subway home rather than walking like I normally do. I had no idea that those few drops of rain were about to usher in one of the coolest thunder storms I've ever experienced. The rate at which flashes were coming through my window could have made the paparazzi jealous. OK, bad comparison, but there was a flash of lightening every few seconds, most of which seemed to flash like strobe lights (multiple streaks of lightening?). Well, I finally got back to sleep, only to notice on the news in the morning that pretty much every subway line was massively delayed. This is one of those times that I'm grateful for living a few blocks from the lab. What I find most bizarre is that while walking to work, there was a patch of sidewalk close to the FDR that was covered in sand and driftwood (?). Though I can't adequately explain that, I do think that the storm had something to do with Barry Bonds' latest achievement.

Oh, why do I even bother

I really need to stop trying to get people to go to jazz clubs with me. It's mostly a joke, but the horse is now dead, and I just end up feeling like Screech. That's too high a price to pay.