Randy Pausch Passes Away

Professor Randy Pausch has lost his battle to pancreatic cancer.

The Professor who dedicated his final academic lecture to his family, did so in effort to leave a legacy behind for his young family to remember him by. 

This passing strikes countless personal chords, and reaffirms that every being should strive to make their heaven while here on earth.

You can view Professor Pausch's lecture by clicking HERE.

No, no, no...Thank You, Ms. Thomas...

A couple years ago, while vacationing in the nation's capital, my parents had the privilege of meeting purist journalist Helen Thomas. 

As she stepped into her cab, she instructed my parents to not let this President take their son to any of his bloody personal endeavors, to which they agreed.

Fine advice from a mouthpiece of civility, and quiet frankly made me what to hug the ol' lass. 

Well, Filmmaker Rory Kennedy has directed a biographical piece on Thomas, who has covered every president since JFK. 

We will be watching it on HBO come August, and so should you. 

Click here for info and trailer. 

RICARDO'S BREW REVIEW: PLEASE YOUR TONGUE. KILL YOUR LIVER.

Sorry, its been slow around here, I know Bob Novak hit a pedestrian with his ultra-bitchin corvette, I know Barack is in Berlin, I know a lot of things...but what's most important in the hottest months of the year is beer. Luckily, for us we have The Artistocracy's Ricardo Zafra to give us the lowdown in this week's "Ricardo's Brew Review".


Keeping up with the summer theme I chose to review fruit flavored brew. Despite all those horrible Miller Lite ads. don’t worry, fruiting your beer is quite fine... besides it’s the only decent thing that comes out of that horrible brewery is MGD.

First brew on the list is Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat. At first sniff this Samuel brew had a very robust aroma. It definitely smelt of cherries. This cherry wheat has a clear golden color and is very carbonated. The first couple sips were reminiscent of a cran-apple cider at thanksgiving... which can be good if you’re a wanker or a woman looking for something to drink. Me and my best mate tried to savor and enjoy this brew but after a while it started to taste of cough medicine and quite frankly it made us somewhat nauseous. It is a fine beer if you plan on drinking one a night... ice cold... but at about $8 a six pack I suggest to pass on this one.

Second brew on the list is Sea Dogs very own Blue Paw Blueberry Wheat Ale. Out of the gate Sea Dog has got everything right. A nice golden color highlighted this brew. You could smell the blueberries as if you were walking through a blueberry patch. First sip of this brew had me thinking that the good people at Sea Dog Brewery packed a midget into every bottle with a blueberry flavored boxing glove to greet you once had your first taste with a good old punch to the teeth. The taste was definitely robust but in a good way. Anyone with proper taste buds could drink this all night. This brew is priced around $9 dollars a six pack but trust me it’s all worth it.

Final brew on my list for the night was Pyramids Apricot Ale. Now this was a true ale. It was the only one of the bunch that was cloudy... because of the yeast of course and it is unfiltered! It had a pleasant aroma. If you were to eat a piece of dried apricot and drink this fine ale you would not be able to tell which was which... well except for the fact that one is solid and the other is liquid. This ale is medium bodied and extremely easy to drink. It can be found reasonably priced from $6 to $8 a six-pack. Be on a look out for twelve packs on sale for $9. It’s a steal.

That is this week with some more brew that fits the season perfectly. As always... don’t be afraid to spend a little cash to drink a good brew and if you don’t like it, well at least you tried something different. Life’s a gas and you might as well enjoy it.

Cheers mates. Be on the look out for budget week.

Ghostly Int'l Pod on Current

From teaming up with Adult Swim to making Detroit move for many years, Ghostly has become quite the interesting company. Expect much more from this groundbreaking label, as indie continues to mesh with electronic.

Here is a great pod done by my pal TKDISKO, from Current Tv, give it a gander.

Music This Week

Last week, we here test drove Albert Hammond Jr.'s sonic treat and must admit we were mightily impressed.

Well, thankfully (for the both of us), Railcars keeps the eartastic fun rolling with their new EP Cities Vs. Submarines.

Now for some history.

Lead singer, Aria Jalali, has been somewhat of a digital companion of mine for awhile(along with his 28,730 other Myspace friends) and has blessed us with a new heavy dose of crackling guitars and toy keyboards, all in effort to acquaint us all with his "most vivid and reoccuring dreams."

A mixture of Velvet feedback and Sigur Ros' rhythm, the band notorious for blue Vinyl's and free condom giveaways really matures from laptop band to something grand.

The EP, along with their upcoming album, was produced by Jamie Stewart from XIU XIU, but their indie-cred doesn't stop there. Back in April, the band toured with Wolf Parade side project, Handsome Furs to the delight of many of The Artistocracy's Bay Area friends.

Railcars is a must listen, "their is ice it is blue" and "bohemia is without a sea", will get yer toes wiggling for a summer crunkfest.

This has been this weeks installment of Music This Week, go take a gander and support your artists.

For Railcars Myspace Page click HERE

RICARDO'S BREW REVIEW: PLEASE YOUR TONGUE. KILL YOUR LIVER.

The Artistocracy contributor, Ricardo Zafra, delights us with the first installment of Ricardo's Brew Review. Enjoi.

Being that the weather is warm and those halter-tops and short-shorts are making their summer appearances, I found it only fitting to review some brew that fits the season.

First beer on the list is Pyramid Brewing Company’s Imperial Hefeweizen.

This Hef. has a nice hazy, amber color. It has an aroma that is both yeasty and citrusy. That being said it is also a beer that tastes much like it smells... and in this case, delicious! Imperial Hefeweizen is a medium bodied beer that goes down easy as many other hefeweizens do but it boasts a 7.5 percent alcohol content, which many other hefeweizens don’t. Make sure you drink it cold and finish it while it is still cold otherwise the flavor becomes a bit bold, and if you’re new to the beer drinking scene you just might be scared away. It is sold a single 22-ounce bottle and costs around $4. It was nice to discover a beer that had a high alcohol content but didn’t taste like absolute rubbish. After a few of these, those gal pals of you associate with (who are dogs) will definitely become a lot better looking.

Next brew on the list is Samuel Adams Summer Ale. Now I’ve had my differences with Samuel and his Boston Lager, but I can put that aside now. Their tasty Summer Ale is brewed with lemon zest and grains of paradise. Using an ingredient called “grains of paradise” made me think that this ale should have a pretty impressive flavor. Impressive flavor is exactly what this ale has. It is tangy, crisp and very refreshing. It has a nice cloudy, golden color and has a pleasant aroma. Of course the price of this summer ale varies from place to place but it usually runs anywhere from $6 a six-pack, to $15 for a twelve pack. It’s just a matter of knowing where to buy your beer.

NEVER go to a supermarket for craft brew or imports unless you know what you want will be on sale. Summer Ale is light, easy to drink, and perfect to pair with all your favorite BBQ foods.

Final brew on the list is Blue Moon’s, Honey Moon Summer Ale. Blue Moon Brewing Company has yet to disappoint me and when I picked up Honey Moon I had very high hopes for this beer. This beer has a golden color and smells a tad bit sweet. Also, Honey Moon wasn’t just a cute name picked out for this seasonal specialty, it‘s actually brewed with Madhava clover honey from Colorado and orange peel. At first taste, this beer did not shock me. After it went down was when the full flavor came out. Honey Moon is very smooth and you can taste how the honey adds to the unique flavor after you take a few sips. Its sweetness makes it the perfect balance to enjoy with spicy foods. Blue Moon Brewing Company is a smaller brewery than our old friend over in Boston, so they’ll charge you a little more for their product but you won’t be let down. Six packs of Honey Moon start around $8 and twelve packs can be as high as $16.

That’s it for this week and the brew reviews. Instead of picking my personal favorite of the bunch I’ll leave it up to you. Don’t be a wanker and be scared to spend some cash on beers you’ve never had. We all know the saying “You have got to spend money to make money.” In this case “you have got to spend money to find a good beer” or at the very least spend money to get drunk.

Until next time, cheers mate.

*This column can also be found on here.

Must be in the water

So the Huffington Post posted a entertaining mixtape of former Fox Host Laura Ingraham getting a little testy with her incompetent staff. 

Which lead me to ask, how many videos are there of Fox Host's losing their cool? Maybe the corporation is run by complete morons, and the hosts that we hate so much are really just the way they are because of their dwarf-brained staff. 

Nah, too easy, they are most likely just complete bastard beings as well. 

Enjoy the video here. And for some vintage Bill-O visceral gassing click here.

Banksy's Identity Revealed?

According to one of my favorite Blogs, Animalnewyork.com, street artist Banksy's identity has been revealed. 

Now I know he looks like every other caucasian 40-year-old in England...shocking. Props on the Bono glasses however.

Either way, its a slow day here at the Artistocracy, I might have to resort to posting political news if things don't pick up. 

Dont Drink and Zoo

In Ukraine, a drunken man was torn to bits by bears after he fell into their open-air cage while trying to snap some pics of the cute cubs...While obviously a lousy photog, he apparently was also drunk during the event. 

Read about it here.

Thanks to Ricardo Zafra for the contribution. 

Ron English Does it Again

Ron English pokes(don't excuse the pun), some fun at old carny hands. Remember when(probably not) McCain voted for a law that would allow insurance companies to cover Viagra costs, but not birth control? 

Well at least we know he doesn't act out of personal interests right?

In Keeping up with the 08 Olympic theme...

Coke has been winning design awards left and right with their new bottle, delivery trucks, and can redesigns. 

And in an effort to celebrate the Olympic games in an artful manner, they have commissioned artists to commemorate them with some limited edition bottles. 

Take a gander, here.

What do you mean you're not serving any dog meat?!?

So with all the things China should change about itself, the lead tainted toys and goods that make dumb Wal-Mart shopper's kids drool and go numb (which might be a blessing in disguise now that Im thinking about it), their treatment of Tibet and the constant hating on the Dali Lama, and oh yeah Communism, they are deciding instead to only ban one thing about themselves temporarily...

Dog meat. 

Yeah thats right, and you were thinking about getting some tasty Fido on your Olympic gorge- fest, sorry no can do, apparently the Chinese government is slightly embarrassed of their penchance for chowing down mans best friend, and they are taking it off their menu's this summer. 

No Dog for YOU, HERE!

Newer Alternative to Gasoline?

This was sent in by an Artistocracy contributor Ricardo Zafra (expect some of his beer expertise to appear very soon on this here blog)...The article is about the possibility of the U.S. reducing it's dependency on foreign oil by processing coal into oil. We would have enough supplies to last us 200 plus years, which would give us ample time to develop a worldwide alternative energy that doesnt rely on our poor pillaged earth. Plus, it would give us a chance to gain back some of that precious American virtuosity that we love so much. 

However, I only see us giving this any real consideration if a non-I-get-rich-bitch-off-my-Saudi-friends leader is at the reins. 

Take a gander by clicking HERE. 

And Then The City's Skylines Fill with Balloons

Czech out these sweet little babies. Boeing has pledged to build the worlds largest helicopter, and hey it might even be a tad better for the environment. 

My only fear is if our earths helium supply is dwindling, how many lawyer's exhalations will it take to fill up one of these?

Music This Week

We here (in "we" meaning "I") really enjoy music. It makes us really happy, and driving amongst you crazy folk tolerable. This week Albert Hammond Jr.'s second album called "Como Te Llama" was released. Albert is the rhythm guitarist for one of my top acts, The Strokes, and his side project is just as great. His first album was a must have last year, and I assume he wont disappoint this time around. Go see him this friday at Spaceland, I caught his set two valentines days ago and it was fab. He covers a great guided by voices song called postal blowfish, that my cousin and I happen to cover quiet impressively. 

FYI Beck's newest album has also dropped. Its produced by Danger Mouse, who did an amazing job with the Black Keys latest effort. 

So go ahead buy some vinyl's and enjoy this weeks finest sonic treats. 

Who Pissed in Their Depends Today?

Well ol' carny hands is in real fine form here. Here is an article about John McCain finding the killing of Iranians amusing. So many list his bravery as his most admirable quality, but I think its his tendency to be an asshole that makes him so huggable. 

This is the kinda class we need as our leader. Another world image booster, courtesy of the habitual senile right. 

Read Here.

You Know It's Bad When Writers Scale Buildings To Promote Their Books

Last week my girlfriend and I caught BBC's documentary on the French Spiderman and were mightily impressed with his "look ma no safety gear" approach to climbing the worlds skyscrapers. But when I heard that two more people have climbed the NYT building since the Parisian Spider did, I was even more impressed. Sure people are labeling them as copycats, but they are neglecting to remember that this takes a little more than typical testicular fortitude.

Anyways, here's the latest climbers story along with his risky marketing strategy for a book he has authored. Read It.

Emerging nations wont commit to pledge until US cuts pollution output

I promise not to constantly post political oriented jargon, but I found this interesting. At summits like these its all about sniffing the throne of the rich countries in attempts for some table scraps, but the 5 poorest countries this time took a stand and demanded not to pledge. Good firm stance I say, and another sign that America's virtuous image is on its continuing avalanche slide. READ IT HERE.

Speaking of progressives, you can thank us hipsters for making bikes cool again...okay, and the 5-dollar-a-drop gas too..

As i sit on the 57, the 91, the 60, or the 101 in that typical excruciating l.a. crawl, the chorus from Bob Dylan's "Idiot Wind" starts echoing in my head. I feel like one large dunce for being in this parking lot of road rage freaks, charged off lattes and not being able to clutch their never-ending vibrating cell phones. 

I hate gas, and hell I have a hybrid. This experiment of allowing primates to run our human species has gone on long enough, and if the blood wasn't enough to get you pissed, I'm sure that crude oil might start clogging your arteries soon enough, slowly closing the capillaries, until you hunch over in a painful gas-priced induced migraine. 

This administration's jokes have worn me weary, and in these times of reversed animal testing, where we are subjected to new foreign policies, taxes, costs, and wars, I am really waiting for the day that old George retired to his fecal farm.

What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, bikes. They are sweet. End of story(well only if you choose not to click this story from the LA Times).

Ron English's Obama-Lincoln poster for sale for $20

So let the cynics say what they want. I've seen people quoting racist Lincoln remarks here and there, but personally, I believe that actions speak louder than words. And considering we now have an African-American nominee, I would say that even if honest Abe did make the occasional "Imus" mistake once in awhile, he is one of the most progressive human beings whose impact couldn't be as apparent then, as it is now. For evidence of that impact look no further than our man "B"-Rock....

Which leads me to this Obama-Lincoln  poster, which has been pissing off McCain dwarf brains and civil rights refusers since it started appearing around the net last month.

It's by Ron English, an artist I've enjoyed since I first saw his work displayed throughout Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" documentary. His art is always fun to look at, and pokes at the things that we hold dearly as Americans--you know, fast food joints. He's got loads of other great work, and his latest is just another testament to that statement. 

Czech it out and purchase it here