JoshCast #36 - Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect

I'm thinking now's as good a time as any to break out of my blogging hiatus. Life's happened lately...you know, work and priorities and such, and alas, writing was one such item to be reluctantly nudged to the backburner.

But I'm back, and just about ready to dive back into some Daily Vault writing. Here's a little warmup, though, here on the second day after December with The Decemberists. Of all places, I heard "Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect" playing faintly at the end of a How I Met Your Mother episode, and it struck me sideways. Something about the hypnotic, cyclic melody played on guitar behind poetic lyrics: "But the angles and the corners / Even though my work is unparalleled / They never seemed to meet / This structure fell about our feet / And we were free to go."

From their '09 release, Castaways and Cutouts. Enjoy. Tunage starts at 0:40.

COOKIE

Yeah yeah. Gimme a break, I do this web development thing for a living.

JoshCast #35 - New Slang (Bluegrass Style!)

I like bluegrass...especially when bluegrass virtuousos cover music from a totally different corner of the universe. I love The Shins...especially the two masterpieces found on the Garden State soundtrack.

Put them together, and what'd'ya get? Pure awesomeness. See if you agree with me, and take a listen to Iron Horse's rendition of "New Slang":



(Original by The Shins: click here)

Pandora

One of the most accurate Venn diagrams I've ever seen.


Source: xkcd

Chile Powder

Guess I've been paying less than adequate attention to world affairs of late. Two examples: while I was vaguely aware of Sudan's ongoing unrest over the last several years (decades?), I'm unfamiliar with most of the circumstances surrounding the formation of Earth's newest nation, South Sudan. Nevertheless, it seems like a joyful occasion that international observers are proud to witness, as peace appears to be dawning in one of the most troubled pockets of the world.

Second, I had no clue that a chain of volcanoes in Chile erupted last month. Thankfully, although the explosion has caused thousands to leave their homes, it sounds as if no one's been hurt, and it's yielded subject matter for some of the most incredible photography I've ever seen:




More: click here