are you at TIFF? Go see @adamklaff!

I really love what Amazon has been doing lately with their original series and pilot series. It seems pretty based on the UK model of airing a handful of solid pilots, getting an audience response and then moving forward with those series that are deemed worthwhile. Granted, pilots are not easy to make really good but you can usually get the idea if you'd want to see more of something or not.

I caught up with Red Oaks last night - one of the pilots featuring Paul Reiser and Craig Roberts and is produced by Steven Soderbergh. There's a Less Than Zero undertone with the rich youth culture in the 80's, drug fueled partying and a bit of distance from the main character but it's more lighthearted than all that. I think I enjoy just about anything Craig Roberts is in and it's nice to see Paul Reiser finding a place as an amusing curmudgeon.

All and all, I'm all in with Amazon Pilot Season. Time to watch some more.

I started playing ALONE... this weekend - a Laser Dog "endless runner" game that feels quite similar to Canabalt but it's in space. This review sums it up nicely - it's well made, great aesthetic choices and, for the most part, it's engaging because of it's relentless pace. It can be a bit frustrating but I'm a sucker for a game with a cool aesthetic.

via Brandonnn

No industry is safe from disruption in this day and age so it should be no surprise that someone is tackling "mailing things." Shyp is a new service (available in San Francisco and slowly emerging in NY) that basically sends a courier to you, picks up your content, packages it and gets it to its destination. Rates a bit cheaper because of the scale they are working at and they don't require you to put anything inside a box beforehand. Just hand over the goods and supply a destination address. We've tried it out at the office and it works quite well. Personally, I'm curious if I could use it to ship records at a cheaper cost because, frankly, that is a firmly established PITA.

I believe if you use the code "HELLONYC" you get a little bonus credit to kick things off.

awesome review of Mount Sharp's latest from a Cool Dad

lovely writeup from the Killing Moon crew on Quiet Machine

OurVinyl

It was an incredibly short week for me this week. How is it Friday? It feels like Wednesday. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the weekend and zoning out on videos like those below.

• Run Walter, RUN!! - This has to be exactly what it felt like to ride on the back of Falcor, right?
• Rammer Jammer Cheer - this is too weird not to include. I get the context but I like it even better approaching it completely ignorant as to what a "Rammer Jammer" is.
• Oh! it's just me! - subtle but a nice surprise for this little Scottish Fold.
• Unnecessary Explosions - I highly enjoyed this gallery of unncessary explosions and it seems there are plenty of youtube clips showing the same thing. A meme I can approve of.
• Red Panda Does Pullups - the Nashville Zoo recently welcomed a new baby Red Panda. In celebration, watch this little guy do some pull-ups.

If you're looking for something more to watch - how about helping us increase the view count on this Icarus video for Mount Sharp? Gotta juice those numbers!

Have a great weekend.

If you find yourself in the NYC area tonight, please head on over to Piano's to see Mount Sharp celebrate the release of their EP Weird Fears. It's going to be a great time.

If you don't have the ability to check it out tonight - how about you listen to it on Rdio or Spotify as your own personal celebration? It's a good deal all around.

Given the changing landscape of music procurement, instant streaming and much easy discovery - I'm not surprised that this years Summer Mix Series has been a bit slow going. Fortunately, what has been submitted is all incredibly good. So, head over there and have a listen.

I will shut down the site in two weeks. So, you've got this weekend and the next to bang your head against a wall and get something together. If you've never tried it before, I highly recommend you give it a go - even if it's just an Rdio or Spotify playlist. It's fun to make a mix, I promise. Mine is on the way.

Thank you Internet

Jonathan Rogers

great cover art for this new single. Not sure on the song - still percolating on that.

Sept 23rd release. sweet.

enjoyed this a surprising amount.

"it even recognizes the person in front of the board and removes them" do whaaaat?

In the ongoing battle for Net Neutrality, Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 has been picked as the official day for Internet Slowdown. Much like the prior Internet blackouts, this undertaking is meant to unify websites far and wide to bring awareness to the issue - and, moreso, drive calls to Congress and the FCC to let them know what the people want.

Personally, I don't understand how US government has the hubris to make laws on a thing that is a global phenomena but that's neither here nor there. It really boils down to people having power over the utility that is the Internet and not corporations.

If you're unaware of the fight for Net Neutrality - watch this and then raise awareness and do something.

Miranda July never ceases to impress. Even if you aren't into what she's doing, you gotta enjoy the variety in which she immerses herself. Her latest undertaking is Somebody, an app that invites nearby strangers to engage with one another. You write a little script, pick a recipient and then choose a stranger to deliver the message. She even made a short film to accompany the app and it's perfectly quirky and weird. As it should be.

With wearables on the horizon as The Next Big Thing I'm quite curious what tech companies and various press think of their early review options. This Molly Wood Review of the forthcoming LG watch is a pretty fair take on how the newest round of Android devices operate. Spoiler: she doesn't love it but doesn't hate it. Basically, wearables just aren't there yet. No surprise on that but I am curious to start seeing these in the wild and have people hack them into something more useful.

good, free, stock photography is a rarity. this looks promising.