Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Jon Stewart interviews George Carlin (1997)



This is very, very interesting.

Carlin to Stewart: "It's been great to get know you a little. And you are going to show us a lot, and I look forward to it."

Joel Samson Berntsen (Jesus Walks - Kanye West)

Monday, September 27, 2010

No Age — Everything In Between Review

Originally published in The Maneater Arts and Enterment Blog: (http://www.themaneater.com/blogs/arts-entertainment/)

Carving out a following at the all-ages, Los Angeles-based venue The Smell, noise-pop duo No Age have spent the last few years making a big name for themselves. Not only have Deerhunter's leading man Bradford Cox, Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, and numerous others proclaimed their love for No Age, but their second full-length album Nouns placed number three on music monolith Pitchfork’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2008.”

That being said, No Age has some considerable expectations to live up to, and their latest effort, Everything In Between, lives up to every single one.

Everything In Between is like a zipper — it takes No Age’s fuzz oriented, experimental side, overlaps it with their infectious pop side, and expertly meshes it together to form an album chalked full of catchy tracks that race in and through the listener’s head.

The pounding drums, overlapping vocals, and sly guitar picking of the album opener “Life Prowler” sticks in the brain like an expensive adhesive. The standout single “Fever Dreaming” runs frantically with punk guitar and ravaging sound sample. There’s a sweet gumminess to most of No Age’s music that sticks in the brain. Almost every song springs to life with a ridiculously striking hook that forces immediate attention, be it a frenzied guitar riff or a frantic, thrashing drum beat.

The album’s only flaw lies in the lackluster quality of the more experimental, noise-driven instrumental tracks. Songs such as “Dusted” and “Katerpillar” are interesting musically, but leave little lasting impression upon the listener.

No Age said Everything In Between was "a culmination of reflecting upon life's ruptures and triumphs... the process of moving through these moments banged and bruised." It’s a culmination alright, a culmination that has somehow managed to stand up to all the expectations placed by their previous efforts. As the duo croons back on forth on the closing track “Don’t want to be anything but you,” everyone will agree that they don’t want No Age to be anything but themselves.

Album Grade: A- (It's actually a 89.5, but I'm not like one of those dick teachers you had in highschool, I round up)

Joel Samson Berntsen (Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Let's Get Together and Defend Phil Collins!



It's intriguing to me that Derek E. Miller from Sleigh Bells is both super intimidating and super knowledgeable.

Joel Samson Berntsen (Fever Dreaming - No Age)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Dangers of Beating a Horse to Death: an arguement for new technology in classrooms


Should teachers attempt to incorporate modern technology into the classroom (cell phones, facebook, twitter, blogs, wikis, movie-makers, etc.) or should there be a line between entertainment and education? Why or why not?

There is a line between entertainment and education, and teachers should be wary of simply throwing in random examples of how they're hip and still understand all the new technology, but that doesn't mean that education can't be entertaining and modern. New technology can be implemented successful if executed with patient procession and used with well-placed caution. By incorporating modern technology into the classroom, teachers have the capacity to draw in students and reach them in new and unique ways.

For example, a teacher could create a twitter for a class and have all the students follow it, this way the professor not only can easily remind them of due dates, upcoming projects, and tests, but the students themselves, if properly motivated, could create an extremely successful networking system. The chances of  successfully cultivating a community student network are much greater when on an established, well-known website such as twitter, than on a school-only site such as blackboard.

Another example is using facebook statistics in a math class: the likely hood of intriguing and roping in students using their favorite website could prove hugely beneficial to both grades and interest (an area arguable lacking in most math classes).


The world is always changing, and to keep educating the world's children teachers have to change with it. It is crucial that the modern teacher think outside the box and integrate new and changing technology into his or her teaching plan for the benefit of the constantly-changing student. Technology can stifle a classroom if the teacher opposes it, but use the right amount of old-school teaching with new school tech, and you'll have a very successful classroom.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

I'm Just Thinking About Music and Stuff

I take really long showers.

Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm masturbating in the shower.

I'm not masturbating in the shower.

Joel Samson Berntsen (She Don't Use Jelly - The Flaming Lips)