Recommendation | Words & Tricks

Music library getting dusty? 3-and-a-half websites you may not know (but should immediately bookmark)

April 15th, 2008 | 2 Comments | Posted in Advice by Chris Pommier

Finding that you’ve gotten into a rut with you music? If, as my fellow Twitterer BigBrightBulb said (who blogs here and twitters here), you’ve been filling out your 80’s pop collection based on Muzak from your favorite burrito shop,, then I’ve got some tips for you below. Or, maybe, like me, the hard drive that housed all your music crashed beyond repair. The smell of burning plastic does not bode well for my Tori Amos Discography.

Either way, I’ve got a short list of sites you’ll want to check out.

They’re not as famous or popular as Last.fm, iTunes, or Yahoo! Music, but maybe you’ve already tried those, and just maybe they’re boring you to tears. Especially since you want to find music that challenges you, and pushes your boundaries. You want to find music uncovered by the most music-obsessed people on the planet. Music bloggers.

Look no further.

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Geopolitical Sci-Fi: Parag Khanna Delves into the Future

January 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Opinion by Chris Pommier

Parag Khanna, senior research fellow at the New American Foundation and director of the Global Governance Initiative, wrote a treatise in the New York Times Magazine this weekend on a post-American globe.

It is 2016, and …America’s standing in the world remains in steady decline.

Mr. Khanna defines global leadership in terms of the marketplace and which superpowers “make the rules.” He portrays the United States as losing ground to both the EU and China. He dismisses Russia, the nation of Islam and India. It is well worth a read, though a little long for perusing at work.

What do you think?

Gift Guide: For the Orchid Lover in Your Life

December 11th, 2006 | 1 Comment | Posted in Advice by Chris Pommier

There are plenty of people out there who love to garden. The putter around in the yard planting peonies and generally fussing with their azaleas. Orchid lovers are not like that. If you know one, you know that these little indoor gems can cause otherwise perfectly sane individuals to swoon, slather and write checks for enormous sums in order to purchase a plant the size of your pinky.

There are tomes and sprawling websites devoted entirely to singles species of these plants. If you know someone who loves orchids, a great jumping off point for gift ideas would be The Armchair Orchidist. Recently the Orchidist reviewed the book Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy. Pick it up and send that orchid aficionado in your life a not-so-subtle message.

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