Link Dump 2wo

Link Dump 2wo. It has some helpful links and some crazy links. I will be posting more tomorrow.. Err maybe the next day. In the mean time, ENJOY!




All I can say is:

Man BABY!

Here's dos linkage:
http://manbabies.com/popular







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This is the Tough Guy Competition that takes place every year in the UK. It involves racing across 8 miles of barbed wire, fire, and even sees competitors swimming through tunnels in ice water. Thousands of people come out to this event to raise money for charity. There's a compilation video at the end of the page that is pretty interesting too.

Here's dos linkage:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247492/Tough-Guy-contest-Eight-miles-mud-barbed-wire-broken-glass--race-defies-elf-safety-culture.html




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There's been a lot of talk about the newly released iPad, mostly about how it runs on the iPhone operating system and has about the same functionality, but here's an article about the sizes of all of these tech-gadgets on the market.

-If you bought one, that site also has a ton of top 10 apps for it, and subsequently, the iPhone.

Dos Linkage:
http://www.gamesradar.com/f/ipad-size-comparison-ds-psp-kindle-and-more/a-2010012712272486087




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VIDEOS:


Fainter.
Hilarious Price is Right outtake!

http://wimp.com/priceright/


Serious Skating

Here is a skate clip of Wieger Van Wageningen in Amsterdam

Rodney's Bi-Daily Link Dump - Number 1ne

So welcome to the first ever Link Dump. I have been spending too much time surfing the internet and drinking coffee instead of updating my blog. Since I generally have a lot to say, it strikes me as odd that I haven't remembered to write any of it down for the blog.

Either way, in a vain effort to entertain people and also to share the funny things I find with everybody instead of sending out numerous emails and private messages a day with no subject line, and a link to a funny cat picture I found; I have decided to introduce Rodney's Link Dump!! The title says bi-daily, but I will deny having ever said that, so moving on. Here are a couple of funny things I came across today:

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This was a fun find. While I agree that these are a great start, I feel that maybe they should introduce a new figurine: Disapproving Grandmother when she Finds out that Baggy isn't Filled with Spices for Dinner.

Here's dos linkage:
http://www.holytaco.com/6-actions-figures-adults-can-relate




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Here is a great group of photos. The title of the page is called 'Captured at the Right Moment' yet I feel like I might have called it 8 or 10 Sweet pictures Among 40 or 50 Alright and Awkward Pictures.

Dos Linkage:
http://www.bigpicture.in/wonderful-moments-captured-taken-at-right-time/




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VIDEOS:


Animals vs Dominos.
Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Hilarious ending!

http://www.wimp.com/animalsdominoes/


Burj Dubai Base Jump

You may have seen the Fazza Air one where their base jump was sanctioned, but this one is legit and really intense!

Jon Lajoie's Fredericton Show: An Incredibly Bias Fan Revue

I don't want to discredit the Derham Elementary School's ballet recital, but the place to be last night was Jon Lajoie's performance at The Playhouse in downtown Fredericton. Lajoie's highly anticipated arrival in Fredericton lands on his last tour date for his Live As Fuck comedy tour. He played to a nearly packed house and performed some of his Youtube favorites along with a whole raft of new material made specifically for his show.

Lajoie was opened by Kyle Dooley who prepped the audience for what was to come with some raunchy comedy that got a lot of laughs. You may recognize Kyle Dooley's name from his highly successful Halifax-based Picnicface comedy group. If you haven't heard of them, you're lying because everyone in the world has heard of POWERTHIRST, and they were the genious's that brought it to us. They have a whole lot more to keep you laughing at their website http://picnicface.com.

When Lajoie burst out on to the Playhouse stage he was adorning some pretty G'd out apparel while he performed the hit that made everyone wonder how to spell his name properly so they could Youtube him correctly, Everyday Normal Guy. After getting the crowd pumped he performed some stand up that would make your grandmother puke, a completely unexpected path for those who have come to expect Lajoie to be a purely comedy singer/songwriter.

The laughs kept going when Lajoie started the songs with High as Fuck and continued on with some new songs and some older favorites, such as Two Girls One Cup Song among others. Lajoie finished the night with the over-the-top sexist persona, MC Vagina's Show Me Your Genitals.

Lajoie had to deal with one heckler in the crowd who he handled with poise much to the crowds pleasure. The heckler was later found passed out in his chair after the show (If ANYONE has a picture of this guy - Since I saw several camera phones taking pictures, please contact me!)

The entire night was a great success and saw drones of fans flood the lobby for a chance to get an autograph and a picture with the comedian. Rumor says the rest of the night went very well for Lajoie, and Fredericton's tour date will be etched in his memory for quite some time. Supposing he wasn't stoned and forgot.

Here's Ali and I with Jon after the show moments before he excused himself to the bathroom.

Jon Lajoie TONIGHT!!!

Jon Lajoie is coming! This time it’s for real. Fredericton’s Playhouse will play host to the Montreal-born comedian January 16^th on one of his last tour stops during his Live as Fuck cross-Canada tour.

The Youtube phenom decided last year to venture across the country performing his unique form of stand-up, but had to put the plan on hold when he was signed on to The FX series, The League. The cancelation was a blessing in disguise where the last four months allowed Lajoie to add to his comedic arsenal and fine-tune his tour material. Lajoie looks forward to his Fredericton stop, having spent many drunken hours writing east-coast specific material. Fredericton holds a certain amount of nostalgia for Lajoie since his grandfather lives here and his middle name is Frederick.

Lajoie’s experience on The League has taught him a lot about comedy and what gets people laughing. During his tenure in Las Angeles, Lajoie played numerous live shows, including a Comedy Central special. Admitedly he isn’t too sure how well the special will work out “It’s airing on TV and I don’t know what they’re going to use since none of the stuff I performed can be alowed on cable television.” One show saw his American crowd appauled during his performance of the Two Girls One Cup Song. (Never seen it? Get Youtubin!) so he really looks forward to playing to a Canadian audience who shares the same comedic mindset.

2010 is shaping up to be the year of Jon Lajoie with The League entering its second season. The League took viewers by storm this past fall with a stacked roster of comedians alongside Lajoie such as Nick Kroll and backed by a creative team, members of which brought us such timeless comedy classics as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Borat, Bruno, and so much more.

While filming for The League may have been a completely different ballgame for Lajoie who is known for his Youtube videos which he writes, shoots, and edits himself, his Live as Fuck promises to bring a blend of all of this and some original stuff you might not expect, “Everyone knows my videos but no one has really ever heard me tell a joke,” Lajoie explains, “I’ve been writing some material specifically for the East Coast that should be fun.”

Jon Lajoie plays at The Playhouse in Fredericton January 16^th. Tickets are going quick so be sure to get yours soon! If you haven’t heard of Jon Lajoie yet, Youtbe search Jon Lajoie and enjoy hours of entertainment.

Jon Lajoie Interview SOON!

There was a schedule change that will push back the Jon Lajoie interview for a couple days. In the meantime, check out Jon Lajoie's YouTube channel where he has been posting funny videos and extras from his FX show, The League

http://www.youtube.com/user/jonlajoie?blend=1&ob=4

Jon lajoie Interview TODAY!

Today I will be interviewing Jon Lajoie for the second time. I'll be asking him about his experience filming The League, a comedy on the FX channel. Here's a sneak peak at just how funny the show is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuVsLR_2GX0

If you missed my interview with Jon Lajoie last fall, check it out here:

http://rodneymann.blogspot.com/2009/09/jon-lajoie-interview-uncensored.html

Holy No Update

So I apologize for the major lapse in updates. Although I know it only hurts me. I'm sure, like most of you, school has all but crushed your dreams of being a professional (or at least amateur) blogger come exam time.

I have been busy working on some great essays though that I feel are good enough to feature on the website. If you read them, then sweet, welcome to the circle of the informed. If you don't, then sweet. Now when you come to my mocktail parties on Thursday afternoons, you won't know a thing we're talking about.

Here's a quick bio on Naomi and the book.

Naomi Klien NO LOGO

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author of the New York Times and #1 international bestseller.

Her first book No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies was also an international bestseller, translated into over 28 languages with more than a million copies in print.




Here is my essay on the last half decade of advertising techniques

NO LOGO by Naomi Klein was an eye opening reading. The reading was essentially a timeline of the past 30 years in advertising, and the course it took to go from an athoritarian roll to one that embraced distinct cultures in order to stay alive, the only way they could compete with the competing generic goods they succeeded not too long ago.

The amounts shown spent on advertising alone (although it was a figure from 1998) was astonishing, but expected. Reading this made me do some research about the current spending going on for advertising taking into consideration the age-long battle that has already been occuring between branding conglomorates to garner brand loyatly. The number as of the Klein reading was $196 Billion per annum, but an estimated value from 2008 shows figures closer to $450 Billion spent annually on promoting consumption. I found these numbers to be an amazing waste of resources at a time in our existence when resources are becoming more and more scarce. The irony that all of these companies are promoting consumption and with it, self-indulgence, often times ending in terrible amounts of debt, are in fact, themselves, wading in debt.

The realization that these levels of spending was happening every year on advertising alone made me really question the oversight in company expenditures. While I’m sure it’s approved within the company, the fact that it’s aloud to happen while owing so much money to creditors is really unnerving.

An interesting part of the article was when Klein mentioned the change of the placement of brand logos. Once reserved for the inside of clothing on tags, logos like Tommy Hilfigers infamous line design were all over the place. I think back to middle school and all of the kids walking around with Nike swooshes and FUBU plastered across their chests looking like walking billboards, and can’t help but remember the clicks associated with who wore certain types of clothing. They were interchangeable, the person and the clothes. I couldn’t help but be warded off by those massive logos. I didn’t have a reason for opposing it at the time aside from knowing that that little eagle on a shirt, unnecessarily cost an extra $45, and that did not seem worth it at all.

But I suppose the companies had done their homework. They knew what would sell. Finding a market and culture and attach yourself to it. Brands were connecting with their customers on a completely personal level, in contrast to the older style of advertising that used to preach products to you. Customers responded wallets ajar and the advertising technique continued to flourish to the point that the product became the show even more than the supporting artists or athletes.

“Culture Spending” continued to grow, with some brands going as far as to reach into dozens of niche markets trying to spread its name, and recognition. One of the companies mentioned was Virgin. Virgin is a company that builds its empire based on it’s percieved reputation. The conglomerate run by Richard Branson owns a range of ventures from it’s well-known cellphone service to a stem cell holding company. The name is not limited to any one market or product, but instead puts its name on anything and brings with it a well-backed investment and acquisition.

The article’s exploration of child slavery by Nike was shallow at best, but was at least acknowledged. Something I would like to see included in this type of article would be at least a half-hearted portion dedicated to companies that cut costs by exploiting labour laws and human rights. It is a heavy subject and something that deserves its own article, but it would have been good to have incorporated.

It explored the interdependence of celebrities and the brands they are affiliated with. This reading introduced me to synergy and forced me to research it to find out what it was. What I found is a very difficult concept to explain, and one that is circumstantial. What I gather is that by assembling a variety of backings, be them different companies that combine to make your empire, or different sponsors that an athlete uses to brand themselves. It can be an association that lets both sides prosper, but it is a relationship that must remain on good terms or at least not end badly in public in order to withhold the integrity of the parties involved.

The NO LOGO reading effectively chronicled the world of advertising and branding over the past 30 years and had some interesting points. The sheer expenditures from corporations to promote brand loyalty is just mind-blowing and caught my attention. The fact that all of this seems to work is interesting enough without taking into consideration the money going into getting it right. The embracing of the individual is moving product steadily despite unprecedented amounts of collective debt, and does not look like it’s letting up any time soon.



If you thought this essay was thought-provoking, or at the very least, somewhat entertaining - Please forward this to people you think would enjoy a read like this! Thanks.