Category Archives: Video Clips

My Favorite Pomplamoose

I was delighted by what Pomplamoose did with their cover of “Single Ladies” (mentioned in my previous post). But I am in utter, slack-jawed awe at their distinctively twisted cover of “My Favorite Things.”

This is a song I know well, having devoted my undergraduate thesis to the evolution of John Coltrane’s treatment of it over the years. Pomplamoose has taken the song in a completely different, but no less unexpected direction. It’s absolutely wonderful. And now I need to go cry in the shower, Tobias Fünke style, because I will never in my wildest dreams be able to produce something this amazing in my own home music studio.

What year did you watch the most Sesame Street?

To those who question the value of Twitter, I finally have a retort: this tweet led me to the invaluable (seriously, you try to put a value on this) discovery that someone has posted the extended Friday end credits from many (most? all?) seasons of Sesame Street on YouTube.

It certainly takes me back, and is also a helpful tool to identify the year when you watched the most Sesame Street. OK, maybe most people weren’t as obsessed with this show as kids as I was, but… well… I was. I watched it three to four times a day. Seriously. Even once I was in school, I’d get in at least an episode and a half before or after school up until probably about third grade. (Yeah, having an Atari is probably what killed it.)

Watching these clips, I’ve determined, not too surprisingly, that it was season 9, 1977-1978, when I watched it the most. I turned 4 during that season. I do remember the credits from the next few seasons after that, but this one is most firmly etched into my mind:

Here’s a handy guide to the first ten seasons:

The saddest party ever

I’m not playing dumb here: I really don’t know why Microsoft is so defensive about Apple. Despite Apple’s inroads in market share (including, apparently, 91% of the $1000-plus PC market), Windows is still by far the dominant OS on computers worldwide. Windows 7 will probably sell more copies in the first day than any Mac OS upgrade does in its first month, just by virtue of shipping with new PCs. (But don’t quote me on that. I’d love to be proven egregiously wrong.)

Sure, most of Microsoft’s success over the years has come by copying Apple, or by acquiring other innovators. But still, some of the things Microsoft has been doing lately seem so reflexive, so derivative, so defensive, so… desperate. The “I’m a PC” ads and today’s news about hiring away Apple Store employees are just the tip of the iceberg.

And then, courtesy of the Nerdery, we have this: perhaps the saddest statement of all. One would be inclined to think this is a joke. But the production values and the quality of the acting (enthusiasm!) suggest it has to be legit. Begging the question: WHY? SWEET JESUS, WHY???

Believe it or not, I actually am enthusiastic about Windows 7. I probably won’t buy it on release day, but I almost definitely will buy it before my Windows 7 RC license expires next June. Still, who the hell is going to throw a party like this? And who would come to it, other than to give them a wedgie?

Come to think of it, after watching this video, I almost want to give myself a wedgie. But it was all worth it for what comes at 5:43. Priceless.

But just in case I haven’t adequately dissuaded you (and you know who you are), here’s how you can host your own.

Federer earns his reputation

I enjoy watching tennis, but for some reason, other than Wimbledon, it’s usually not “on my radar” and I just end up missing it. That’s a shame, because it keeps me from witnessing moments like this.

Roger Federer has a growing reputation as one of the best — if not the best — players in the history of the game. It’s hard to argue against that assessment when you see this video.

Also, I felt I had to post this because although she might deny it, I think SLP has a serious crush on RF.