Links

Warpaint, 'The Fool' [Tunes]: This all-female group of experimental art rockers have been playing music together in Los Angeles since their formation on Valentine's Day in 2004. Their original EP was recorded by Red Hot Chili Pepper's guitarist John Frusciante, and they have recently opened tours for indie heavyweights Vampire Weekend, the XX, and Yeasayer. The Fool is their first full length record, available now and streaming online.

'85 Bears Redux?: As a diehard Bears fan, my first reaction to this article comparing this year's Jets to the 1985 Bears was vitriol and anger. My second reaction was to look up LaDanian Tomlinson's career numbers against Walter Payton's, so I could further scoff at the analogy. Depending on how the tail end of LT's career goes, the numbers are actually quite similar. Now that the son of the coach of Chicago's famed 4-6 Defense is coaching the Jets, I'm confused as to whether I should be rooting for or against this team.

The Trevor Pryce is Wrong, B***h: NY Times writes a feature extolling the screenwriting prowess of NY Jets defensive lineman Trevor Pryce. Let's see if you can guess from which of the following ideas were dubbed "good" or "bad": 1. a movie about a library employee struck by lightning who becomes a walking encyclopedia; 2. a television show set in Hell, Mich., where what can go wrong does; 3. a movie about a Guatemalan soccer team that enters the world championships only to find itself in an American football tournament; and 4. a cartoon in which Mother Goose has a little brother who is a rapper. According to the article, somehow these ideas are: 1. good, 2. bad, 3. bad, 4. good. I've heard that Hollywood is out of ideas, but a show featuring Brother Goose rapping being a"good" idea means it must be much worse than I imagined.

The Risky History of Video Games in 9 Easy Steps: This article highlights nine risky moves that changed the video gaming industry. It's impressive how accurate Nintendo has been in its market analysis over the past three decades. Also, Daikatana...I totally missed that video game era, but what was that ad all about? Yikes. 

It's a Mad Mad Mad Style World: Part of the fascination with Mad Men lies in the high drama of advertising during the revolutionary 1960's. Another part of the fascination with the show is as a period piece showcasing the fashions and styles of the era. This blog focuses on the latter, completely dominating in its analysis. These "Mad Style" posts are all worth a read; it's amazing how much can be understood about Mad Men's characters simply from the clothes they wear and the style of their surroundings.

Expository Writing on the Hipster: I'm not sure what it says about me that I've lived in two of the five national hipster enclaves mentioned in this article. I suppose relocating either to Berlin or Vientiane would be the only logical step to take this hipster thing international. 

A Fantastic Ventriolquist Act out of the UK: