Seriously – he’s just awesome and my recent update to, “Currently Enjoying” deserves a quick post. Fold’s most recent idea for an album, University a Capella!, came after he heard a bunch of college students singing his songs on YouTube. Fold’s was so moved by the renditions that he decided to travel to campuses around the country and record an a cappella album. Check out the CNN news story and at the very least read the interview. His responses just reinforce the fact that he’s a cool guy. The album only came out on Tuesday and I’ve only given it a quick listen, but my initial reaction is….it’s insanely cool. Not to mention a lot of fun to listen to. It’s definitely raw in spots, but that’s part of its charm. If you’re a Ben Fold’s fan, this album deserves $12.99 from your piggy bank.
I had to use this graphic again!
Ok, I’ll admit it, about half the reason I am wrote this post was because I got to use my “Facebook Ax” image again. That took me awhile to put together so I thought I should get at least two posts out of it! But the other reason is actually a really really interesting one. In case you missed it or forgot, a little over a year and a half ago Facebook was given a $15 billion valuation. Some felt this valuation was way out of whack and others (myself, unfortunately included) thought it wasn’t too crazy. At the time of the valuation I didn’t know all the details about Facebook, just the fact that millions upon millions of people were flocking to it. This was the reason I thought Facebook might actually be worth $15 billion. This is before I knew that Facebook doesn’t actually make any money. In fact, in the latest reports, it appears that Facebook is burning through $20 million a month. Coinciding, the valuation numbers have come way down recently…down to the $2 billion range.
So how exactly does Facebook plan on making money – that’s the real question. Even though its valuation has decreased over 85% in the past year and half, it still lies in the $2 to $3 billion range. That is still a lot of money and means whoever decides these valuation numbers believes that Facebook can make a profit at some point. So what would one of the easiest ways for Facebook to try and make
Would you pay for Facebook?
a profit you ask – charge a fee of course (try being the operative word in that sentence). Well, I came across a survey on CNET.com that I found to be incredibly interesting. It asked the simple question of, “How much would you willing to pay for Facebook?” The results don’t bode well for Facebook – at all. Almost 88% of the people responding to the survey say they wouldn’t pay…not even 50 cents a month. 50 cents!!!! I know I wouldn’t pay a dime for it (or 5 of them a month). Relating back to my earlier post about axing Facebook – these results really put into perspective the value people place on Facebook. It seems people don’t believe that Facebook brings “50 cents a month worth of value” into their lives. And before you go spouting off about a biased sample with it’s relatively paulty numbers in comparison to the number who use Facebook and the fact that everyone who took the survey is a CNET vistor (I could come up with plenty of other validity issues…I’m taking a class in it right now) – let me say I know it’s biased, but the results are so overwhelmingly one-sided that I thought it to be quite interesting. From these results it looks like Facebook needs to head back to the drawing board about how to generate revenue if they were considering a monthly fee. Anyways, the results image here is stale, so click it for updated results and while you’re at it – head over to CNET and check out the article & survey.
Yes, baseball fans, you read that title correct. After watching the New York Yankees pitching staff give up 15 runs to the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Joe Girardi decided to send 1B/DH Nick Swisher to the mound. He pitched a scoreless inning (somehow) and even better, he struck out Gabe “The Babe” Kapler (3:00 minute mark). Check out the clip – it’s like heading back to little league. Just awesome.
It’s here! Yes! The next four days are arguably the best of the year! Anyways, I had a write a quick post about my Masters setup and how amazing the online coverage is. Since the online coverage is so great, I decided to set up my TV/stereo system up to my laptop. Take a peek at the video to see how it all works. Then head over to the Masters homepage and play around with it. The quality is first rate and the interface is insanely cool. I would go into detail about what you can do, but there is too much to describe – just go mess around with it!!
I watch American Idol – I’ll let that sink in for a second. If you just scoffed, get off your high horse and listen to me for a second. If you didn’t, good for you. Look, I could write pages and pages on why American Idol is absolutely ridiculous because a huge portion of it is. I understand this. I still watch the show. I don’t tune in every week thinking, “I’m so excited to hear great music tonight!” because that rarely happens, but there are instances when it does. When this does happen it’s a hell of a lot of fun. That’s the big redeeming quality about American Idol. Watching somebody grow into a star. And no, I would probably never listen to that star after their stint on American Idol has come to a conclusion (at least up to this point I haven’t), but for those couple of months, watching this transformation is enjoyable. This isn’t a post about why I watch American Idol though – it’s a post on how a contestant this year will most likely change my, “I’ve never listened to anyone after the show is over” stance.
I have never really had a strong affinity for any contestant on American Idol during the 4 seasons which I have watched – never really cared who got voted off and coinciding, never been really excited about anyone either. Until this season and Megan Joy (she started off as Megan Corkrey, but her name changed halfway through the show). From the second she auditioned, I was blown away by her – I also knew from the second she auditioned she would never win. I wasn’t even convinced she would make the Top 12. Her voice isn’t made for a show like American Idol, which is probably the reason her audition was one of her best performances. Not over produced, not backed up by a huge band and other singers. I want to describe her and her situation in my own words, but I liked this paragraph by James Montgomery too much not to share it with you:
“Why? Because, well, would Feist ever win “Idol”? It’s a show designed to showcase big, throaty voices, capable of hitting the highs and doing runs and filling rooms and carrying tunes like “Mandy” on Manilow Night. It is not exactly a place for the subtle. Corkrey’s voice doesn’t seem capable of any fireworks. She’s got a warbly, tea-kettle set of pipes: quirky and sharp, malleable, would sound great wrapped around an acoustic guitar or a burbling synth line. She’s more suited for a small club, not the stage of the Kodak Theatre. Can I see her fronting my new favorite band on indie label Saddle Creek? Yes. Winning “American Idol”? No.”
I can’t really describe her any better then that – particulary the, “tea-kettle set of pipes”, which is perfect. At any rate – she was let go last night and for the first time, I’m actually a little bummed. I got excited each week to see what she might do. No other contestant has ever done that for me. I really hope she cuts a record and if she does, you know what, I’ll have no qualms about purchasing it.
On a side note – James Montgomery mentions the indie label Saddle Creek and I would like to echo his statements. It is a great label with some great bands like Georgie James, Bright Eyes, and Eric Bachmann. Check them out if you’re in the need for some new music.
