Picks of the Epic Party Pics

Epic party was great-MVP goes to the jar of felt moustaches glued onto dowels. A masquerade of moustaches. This is a total money-making idea btw, Etsy for sure.

Dance party, dance party with a moustache

Relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Exposure

I just got a new point-and-shoot camera, the Lumix LX3, and I've been rediscovering my love for photography. I've always had a good eye for composition but never understood all the fancy numbers on my screen. So, at my most recent Personal Project I had an enlightening session regarding the fundamentals of digital photography.

We didn't really focus too much on Aperture (the program) but instead the basics of manual controls for Digital Photography and the relationships between Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Exposure. To help my understanding, over the course of the two hours, I created the following table to help visualize the relationships and, more specifically, how I can use Aperture and Exposure to combat my shaky hand syndrome.

Standouts of the Summer-2010

Its nigh on midsummer, which means we've seen the best of the crop of summer albums by now, fresh for our listening pleasure. Here's a brief recap of recent standouts I've been enjoying as the long days slowly pass.

Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1

I'm a big Robyn fan and Body Talk Pt. 1 is her best yet. Pure dace and pop perfection, its sexy, confident, and brash. What I must enjoy about Robyn is how smart she is, her lyrics are poignant while anthemic. Its always refreshing to hear a proud and intelligent female pop artist thats way better than anything on the radio. I've been listening to this so much early on I was worried I might get burnt out-this has not been the case.

Sleigh Bells - Treats

Hot damn this is fresh. I have trouble not using this word to describe it to other people. Its both familiar and brand new, like someone you've never met who reminds you of your best friend. Singer Alexis Krauss has a sweet little voice that crests over big bass and surfs by distorted guitars. Its music for a bizarro pep rally; great for a bbq, the car, or anything.

The-Dream - Love King

I've been wearing out the song 'Yamaha' on Hype Machine. I was pumped to hear this track was not exceptional in quality to the rest of the album. The-Dream is smooth and pitch perfect. Every beat well placed, every synth consciously selected. More great tracks than filler, with songs like Florida University, Yamaha, and Abyss immediately grabbing your attention.

Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Oh Big Boi. I've been so worried about you. Sure you've always turned in a solid performance and were the one I could always count on. But what would you do without 3000? Apparently turn up every knob, press every button on the mixer, and spit even funnier rhymes. Every track on this album is on overdrive, marching bands, background singers, 808s, synths, and handclaps. And then Big Boi comes in and says 'Damn, that wasn't nothin' but the intro'

LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

On this third, 40 year old James Murphy tells us all again whats cool. I've always loved LCD and it amazes me how each album stays consistently outstanding. Between his three incredible albums, excellent early singles, and founding of the DFA label, which basically brought dance music to indie rock, I confidently place James Murphy as the musician of the decade. Listen to this album.

Other albums I'm jamming to:

Green Day - Dookie

Japandroids - Post Nothing

Spaceman 3 - The Perfect Prescription

Led Zeppelin in general