Due to copyright laws, I am unable to show the title of this post.

Recently, it came to my attention that YouTube has begun to block/delete certain videos that have broken certain copyright laws. Well I had seen this before, I had only begun to start caring purely because Tegan and Sara videos have also been blocked (but they're still on other sites...), since they signed to Sire Records after they recorded The Con, to distribute it. Sire is owned by the large group, Warner Music Group (Warner Bros. Records). All this isn't really important to anyone, but, it brings into mind questions about legality among files online.

Honestly, the law is the law, but damn I kind of miss those videos. Anway, YouTube is probably the premier video sharing website on the net. So of course, it leads the way for other, similar, sites. If so, some conspiracy nutcases could ramble on about how The New World Order is trying to screw us over.

Also, YouTube is owned by Google, and they could track you down faster than a hobo on a ham and cheese sandwich.

But all this reminded me a lot the music file sharing stuff going on. Limewire, Napster back when it still did the kind of thing, torrents, etc. The RIAA has been trying to crack down on these things, but a lot of their cases make it seem like they've been pretty drugged up lately. But recently the've tried a new approach I believe. Instead of trying to sue the asses off of anyone they think is trying to download music illegally, they made some kind of deal with internet service providers (which, admittedly, sounds kind of scary) to slow down the internet of people they suspect of activity they frown upon. Well, I don't have really fast internet anyway.

Though I do wonder what kind of stances the artists would have.

But all this illegal stuff, well, it is kind of technically illegal...even if prices for music aren't exactly what some, including me, would consider ideal. Honestly, I don't download music illegally. Actually, my entire music library that I don't currently have a hard copy of was lost fairly recently. But I'm sure this issue is an everyday part of lives everywhere among the pirating, we-love-free-stuff (like music), community.

But really, I just miss those Tegan and Sara videos.

What a sweet video for them

good little article thing on the subject-The Consumerist How I Became A Music Pirate

Where the Blog Has No Name (thanks for the picture)

-digitaldelay

personally, I find this personal

What's something that gets you mad? Seriously.

What gets me mad are the fans. Not you fans, but the fans of the bands I love. Why is it that the world has to (just has to) be so close to the ones they admire? Why can't so and so just be happy and not get interrogated for it?

In my opinion, you're a true fan if you love their music. You don't have to give them things, you don't have to know their names, you don't have to cry when they find out they're engaged to someone (not you). The most important thing is to love the band, yet people are misinterpreting the term "love" and "band" in the same sentence. They're getting mad at other fans who "are fat ugly bitches" or "don't even know their names" or "is just a skanky wannabe Audrey kitching". I'm not kidding. Those terms exist.

Some of the things people say on here are nice, while others are just plain sad. Take a look, and be amazed at the words that can come out of teenage girls.

-Karma Police

p.s. I talk about this subject way too much..

May's Theme: Greed and Desperation

Hm, looks like our good sides got the best of us. Our un-greediness has prevented us to write a large amount of articles this month (although I was desperate to reach at least the 15 article mark). We've only landed 12 articles this month (including this one).

Without further ado, and as usual, the summary:

Scrubbing for my Dollar: Is getting everything you want a good thing?
The Way We Get By: Desperate times call for desperate measures...or so they say.
[Untitled]: Feelings of yourself and the world will collide.
Just One Moment, Frozen: Everyone grows up, at some point.
Help! My Favorite Place Has Been Invaded by Vampires and Now I'm Being Held Captive!: Wake-up calls to the things surrounding you everyday.
What's the Point?: Questions of the ever-expanding life.
Somewhere...Not Here: Traveling is never just an imagination.
Can't Change Me: No one else knows about you, nor do you know about someone else.
Can Something be Everything?: Nothing can be a something, can it?
the 'oh no' situation: A mistake isn't the end of the world.
The Day Before Tomorrow...Today!: Current world, TV, and music news talk time!

Going back through all of these articles, it's a nice pleasure to see all these great topics we, the Acquired Minds, have talked about. Yup, that's something only the Acquired Minds can write!

Cheers to next month's (June) theme: Letting Go. Have a nice, enjoyable summer beginning!

-the clam.

The Day Before Tomorrow...Today!

(Thank you to all these wonderful sites, and to Yahoo! Images & Google Images, for the images in this article).

I'm staring at this blog right now, and I am really depressed at the blankness over the past week. So, in complete stupidity and spontaneity...

It's world, tv, and music talk time!

Yeah, how bad is that? But since there's been so many things going on (and since I have alllll the time in the world yeah right), I'll just blabble about all of it right now.

Let's start off with...uh, well, since it's been so big in the news: the world's natural disasters. The mother of Caspian—there's been an earthquake in China, a cyclone in Myanmar, wildfires in California and Florida, tornadoes in the mid-west/east US, and hail/snow and thunderstorms in southern California (right after it was BLAZING hot). You know, Mother nature is finally giving us the spank we deserve for not taking care of mommy.

Hmm...ooh! I just read this up on Yahoo. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (who is pregnant with twins...what's up with Hollywood and twins?) just bought a brand new estate in southern France. A $70 million home. Yeah. Some people live under a rock (no, seriously) and some people live in homes that includes a three mile long driveway, a private lake, a moat (yup), and a private FOREST. Absurd, but cool. With all their different children, it must be really international at home. But really, Brangelina are truly good people. The two celebrities I hear most that have helped the less fortunate countries are these two.

Then there was Dancing with the Stars. It ended about a week ago (from this post). Kristi Yamaguchi won (as expected from day one...or even day negative fourteen). Mark Ballas finally got the win he would've gotten last season, so yay for both of those two.


And how can we forget about American Idol. Congrats, David Cook. I've watched some of his interviews, and really, Cook's a good speaker in interviews. He has a good choice of words (that I could never think of), and he answers everything confidently (and if you haven't noticed, a pretty versatile and good singer). David Archuleta, sadly, didn't win, even though his ballads were well sung (but you can't imagine him singing anything else). Sorry Archie, Ms. Sparks still holds the youngest spot.

"AAARRRGGGGHHH!!! I AM TOA!" Calm down there, Gladiator. Ever since American Gladiators (season 2) started, I've been watching it. I personally think it's better than the first season...I really like the new challenges. Pretty uberly cool. Even the slim guy who won last season, Evan, is back, and he's the buffed up gladiator named Jet. Amazingly, he's doing a good job at being a gladiator.

Hmm, and then the one my mother watches...The Bachelorette. All I know (from what I've overheard) is that the girl, Deanna Pappas, got dumped by the guy last season (The Bachelor...which, by the way, never happens unless something is seriously knocked up with the guy) and now she's been given the chance to rub it back in his face. Girls are scary, aren’t they? -runs away from angry mob-

Ooh, that must have been painful... The new season of So You Think You Can Dance? has just started. As usual, a bunch of ballet, hip-hop, poppers, and the ordinary weird dancers appeared at the auditions. But that one single dude at the very end of the first audition episode made my day--that popper--is downright the BEST one ever.

Hahaha, and I keep laughing. Kobe Bryant's latest attempt to "jump" over ridiculous and seems-like-impossible things is a jump over a pool of snakes (that, to me, look harmless, especially because other people are swimming in the pool with no problem at all). So really, if he fell in, nothing would happen (so where's the excitement?). His first attempt was jumping over this car that was speeding towards him. Don't ask me on that one, I have no idea if that was real.

There's this extremely cocky guy on Top Chef (on Bravo channel), and he's irritating me to the tips of my nerves. Seriously—he punched a locker and BENT it because he lost a simple challenge...jeez, deal with it, dude.


The wild definitely isn't a fear of Bear Grylls'. He's the guy that's on Man Vs. Wild, on Discovery Channel. He fights his way through all different sorts of terrains, and shows us important survival techniques. It's awesome...especially when he picked up this lizard, swung it like a baseball bat, hit its head on a branch, skinned it, cooked it, and ate it like a carnivore. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

"Dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun!" Uh, how many D's are in that thing? Anyhow, that's the theme song from Indiana Jones. It's all hyped up right now, although I'm not. You know why? Last time I went to Disneyland, they threw me off the line from the Indiana Jones ride because I was too short...TOO SHORT! Shame on them.

Leona, just keep on bleeding, and we'll keep on hearing. I swear—I think I've heard her song a gazillion times already on the radio...even now, "I keep bleeding, I keep on bleeding love" is still ringing inside my head. Ahh!!

-breathes- -pants- I'm serious—that was probably the most satisfying article I've written so far. I actually enjoyed myself while writing it...since this time around, I'm not teaching some cheesy life lesson. Instead, I'm just ranting about the world!...if that was even a rant...

-the clam.

A Tribute to the Greatest Names in Music

Music is the soul of all things.

Music exists in all different kinds of forms.

Music is what brings us alive.

There's disco, rock, pop, blues, jazz, hip-hop, country, alternate, world, and techno. There are endless possibilities to music. Strum a guitar, play a piano, blow on the flute—combined, they make music.

When you're happy, there's a song for that. When you're sad, there's a song for that too. When you've just been broken up in a relationship, there's a song for that. When you've made a mistake, there's a song for that. When you love somebody, there's a song for that as well.

But ever since the 21st century arrived, music has been changed forever. Pop, hip-hop, and R&B roamed every road, every street, and every country. They filled up headphones and piled up in iPods. Nowadays, new and different artists have dominated the music industry.

These artists are great. But now, everyone only knows them. They don't care about the olden' days anymore. Those great, amazing singers and those inspirational artists. No one cares about them anymore, and it's a big waste of talent. Not only did they have talent, they impacted our lives in some way.

Without further ado, below is the list of the greatest/famous artists of all time.

Aretha Franklin – Respect – One of the most strongest vocal performances of all time.
The Supremes – Stop! In the Name of Love – A very recognizable 50's-60's song.
Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone – Named best song of all time by Rolling Stone
magazine.
McHammer – Can't Touch This – Most well-known dance tune to all ages.
The Beatles – All You Need is Love – A culturally impacting song.
ABBA – Mamma Mia – The song that inspired the hit broadway musical...and soon-to-be movie musical.
Diana Ross – I Will Survive – A highly regarded song.
Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock – The song that got everyone rockin' and rollin'.
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Duet) – A beautiful duet of the infamous song.
Madonna – Material Girl – As girly a song can ever get.
Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time – It stays true to its name. Time after time, the song remains known.
Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On – The song from the hit movie Titanic, in which skyrocketed to fame.
Michael Jackson – Beat It – The catchiest tune of the time, from the King of Pop.

This is only a small list of the other great performances out there. There's simply too many other magnificent songs out there, and I can't list them all (for the sake of this post's length).

The following are famous, Disney songs. Who knew cartoons had such beautiful music?

Beauty and the Beast – Beauty and the Beast – A heartfelt song known by nearly every child.
Mulan – Reflection – A song that strongly conveys the message of uncertainty within one's looks and duties.
Lion King – Circle of Life – This song shows the importance and purpose of every life.
Aladdin – A Whole New World – Romance never was more 'uplifting'!
Poccahontas – Colors of the Wind – A moving song that tells everyone to respect the earth.
Hercules – I Won't Say I'm In Love – A song that embodies the denial of love.
The Little Mermaid – Under The Sea – Again, one of the most well-known songs, known by nearly every child.

I hope you have found this article to be a new musical experience to you. Young or old, we all need to appreciate what music has done for the world. That's exactly what these songs have done.

-the clam.

The Rogue Virus

I am Nathaniel Stanton. I am the Rogue Virus. I shall write whatever I please, except for topic starters, because that has already been called.

Since blogs are sometimes used for ranting, I would just like to say that being a teenager is a tough job. I just broke up with my girlfriend. She said, "Why don't you just drop dead?" I don't blame her for being herself, but you can't blame me for hating it.

Okay, so I didn't break up with my girlfriend. Heck, I don't even have one. Those last two lines in the paragraph above are just edited lyrics from Fall Out Boy.

Photography. Music. Books. Three of the most important things in my life.

While you're skimming through blog posts, you'd probably be wondering what's so special about this particular group.

That's it.

There's nothing really special. We're just ordinary people expressing all our opinions about anything. As contradictory as it is, this is also why it is special. We aren't fakers, we're just anonymous. Sure, there could be a hundred Nathaniel Stantons in the world. You've only met one. We'll write about whatever we feel to. I choose to write about anything.

***

Okay, then. I feel like ranting a bit. Just a bit. Here it is: I hate it when people type like drunken gorillas.

There. Phew. I'm wiped out. I did say that I was only going to rant a bit. That's enough ranting for one day. I bet you all had to cover your eyes because of that sinister sentence in my rant.

The writing will come on its own. I'll post something when I'm inspired to write. So until then, I'll be indulging my ears with good (in my opinion) music.


Nathaniel Stanton

Huh?

Well.....lets see here...

Seeing as how the other posts mentioned a few select words (music, recommendations, guilty pleasure, shy,etc.)....blahblahblah


Everybody has something they do, which quite frankly, they might be embarrassed of. I'm actually quite embarrassed to say I've never actually attempted to sing. Perhaps the occasional joke or something, but never sincerely. I think that's quite appalling. I do, however, have another thing. Two words : air guitar. Honestly, how can You (maybe just me) not air guitar to Weezer's Blue Album? Rivers Cuomo came up with same great solos. Or how about Paranoid Android's insane choruses? Along with all that, I do lip-sync...a lot. I just can't help myself but to lip-sync to certain stuff . Especifically Tegan and Sara's Relief Next to Me, The Con, Back in Your Head, blahblahblah and my favorite, the end of Burn Your Life Down.

Yup, it's hard not to laugh at someone like me, even I do.

Of course, there's the real guitar. Then again, what's the point when you can't even play it. Another favorite, that never fails to cheer me up, Weezer's El Scorcho

Some Random Stuff

• During a portion of writing this, my shirt was backward
• Also, for a short time, i was eating a Klondike bar (delicious)
  
• Why doesn't anyone make cheap jazzmaster or double cutaway Les Paul copies?
• So far, my favorite bass line ever is Only in Dreams
• Love Paranoid Android, and its reference to Marvin from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, one of the best literature characters ever
  
• Why do I not know anyone who likes Tegan and Sara, other than being great musicians, they're also hilarious...
  
• I'm a guy, so my opinions would be......no idea
• I have no natural talent in anything
  
• I'm also a jerk.

yes, the date does make this look like I went into the future

topic starters (& a bit of other things)

Well, I'm welcoming myself to this little site of "acquired minds".

The name's an alias; Karma Police. (way cooler than THE CLAM, huh? hahahaha)
Because what goes around comes around, and I want to see it happen.
I'm an anonymous. No real name, no location, no age. I'm just here.
Oh, and I'm a girl (a chick, a female, etc...), so yeah, I'm opinionated.

So first things first; hello.
I have no idea what the hell to write, so I guess my first topic makes sense, no?

TOPIC STARTERS.

Whether you're trying to pick up a date, or pick up a new friend, the most important thing is having something to talk about. Think She's The Man; you've gotta have FLOW.

Say you're walking your dogs (and I don't have a dog, but this is just a point).
You see another person with their dog, and you guys are suddenly stuck walking right next to each other, because your dogs seem to want to be best friends. Yeah, things are getting awkward, so why not talk about your dogs?
Wonder out loud why it is your dogs are so attracted to each other (What kind of breed? What gender?) and eventually build up to the most important part; your name. Introduce yourself first!

So in case dogs don't work for conversation starters let's talk about the universal language called music.

Do not judge a person by their music. Ask them what they're listening to, ask them why you like them, ask them anything, just don't criticize their band. EVEN IF THEY LISTEN TO SOMETHING YOU COMPLETELY HATE. I mean, the views and perspectives of people are important. If you wonder why it is people like bands like.... Paramore, or maybe Underoath? Or listen to nothing but classical music! Why not ask instead of judge them for that?

And guess what if you really hate the music they listen to and find their musical intellect incredibly crippled, you can always give recommendations! I love giving them, and who else doesn't (raise your hand).'

The point of topic starters is to feel comfortable. That's the simplest thing. Find a topic comfortable for you!

I'd like to continue this, but unfortunately I feel myself going into the topic of music rather than Topic Starters. Leave comments. if ANYONE comes on here, at least.

Anyways this is my first blogpost, so cut me a bit of slack, yeah? I'll get better, I swear.
And this is pretty good effin advice.

Life is good, life is great,
(I'm trying hard not to write XOXO)

karma police.

p.s. leave some topic starters of your own :)