speaker Blackalicious is a California-based hip hop duo, composed of MC Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel, noted for their intelligent, artistic approach to hip hop music. The pair has released three full-length albums (2000’s Nia, 2002’s Blazing Arrow and 2005’s The Craft) that has won them considerable critical acclaim and a sizable following. This song is one of those feel good songs that make you appreciate life. It talks about all the things that make you feel that good and help you enjoy life a little more. This is a great song, even coming from a bit of a pessimist like me. It’s also dedicated to the biggest optimist I’ve ever met, who taught me to look at the brighter side of things every once in a while.

I thought this video was funny. These are the Nintendo Wii games that didn’t make it on WiiPlay.

By the way, if anyone wants to buy me a Wii, I still don’t have one. :(

tv icon I’ve not blogged about the TV show Lost because I don’t want to fall into the huge collection of websites that kick around wild theories and analyze every detail of the show. I have to make an exception now. Could that two-hour season finale been any better? (Don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical). We all knew that Charlie was going to die, but it was still sad to see him go. What’s up with the flash-forwards? Who died that Jack went to go see in the future? Is Jack’s dad dead or not? Did Kate hook up with Sawyer when they get off the island? Who is the girl that Locke killed really? Ben might have been telling the truth for once, or a variation of it, as Penelope was no where near the island. Why would Locke threaten to kill Jack if he made the call then walk off all casually when Jack made the call? How bad-ass was it when Jack beat the crap out of Ben? My dad thought he saw Sun and Jin on the plane in the flash-forward when Jack was asking for another drink. I wish I DVRed it. So many questions! This is by far the best show on television. This season finale made up for the first lackluster 8 episodes of the season. I’ve never looked so forward to the month of February in my life. Let’s hope the great story continues over the last 48 episodes and doesn’t fall into the rut it experienced the first half of this season.

speaker I am very sad about this news. One of my favorite groups have called it quits. Jurassic 5 have put out quality music for years. I’m in shock that they are parting ways. I’ve never heard any news or rumors of problems between the members. They put out such good music and were so cohesive as a group, more than any other group in hip hop. I really can’t believe it happened. According to group member Chali 2na in an AllHipHop.com interview:

There is no real heavy back story. You’ve got to remember, it’s been 14 to 15 years of us doing stuff together. And without exposing any dirty laundry, you have to look at this as a long-term relationship. It’s really like being with a woman. When you’re with them to the fullest, you have the most incredible time of your life. But with tough times, things also get real tough. J5 is in a position now where we weren’t always together. And it basically came to an end. We have done a lot of amazing things, and experienced a lot of amazing things. We’ve met a lot of people. It’s been an irreplaceable journey. And I would never have guessed that in my wildest dreams. But right now, this is a new chapter for all of us.

In honor of the great group they were, here is one of my favorite songs by them from their debut EP. The song is called Concrete Schoolyard.

[audio:http://pieceofshep.com/audio/Jurassic-5-Concrete-Schoolyard.mp3]

computer icon So, it’s been almost a week since I got my new computer from Dell. I must say, I am not disappointed. It is so nice to have a computer that doesn’t slow down to a standstill when you launch more than one program (especially with Photoshop). My computer can handle multi-tasking very well. I will sit there with 20 tabs open in Firefox (20 inch widescreen means more room for tabs!) and run Photoshop, IMs, music, PSPad, IRC and be uploading via ftp and not notice one hint of a slow-down or hiccup.

At first I was reluctant to use any of the new features that weren’t that necessary in Vista, such as the Vista sidebar and Gadgets. After browsing the gallery I found some nice additions, such as the App Launcher, Remote Desktop, and Run Command gadgets. The RD and Run Command are great because there is no Start, Run in Vista, though Windows key-R will get you there, just as before. Also, App Launcher is nice because I don’t have to overload my quick launch with programs and I don’t want to have a messy desktop. Why mess with the beauty of the 20 inch widescreen with a bunch of icons?

I’m actually pretty impressed with Vista. It is eye-candy, but it also does things better than XP, such as searching and the boot speed. The time in which it takes my copy of Vista Ultimate is cut in half of what it takes XP. Very nice.