Killing Time To Get Rich Quick
Wednesday 9 November, 2005

I have a theory about all the bloggers out there. If they're like me, they only blog and contribute to their site because that is their final resort of Internet-based entertainment. Mail me if this isn't true! I keep no secret about it, it's what I do when you get that feeling of "I clocked the Internet". You know it's getting sad when you revisit pages you've checked earlier. Hit F5! Actually I think that's what buying a lottery ticket feels like, the anticipation and consequent disappointment. Of course, when you're at work, trolling the Net is a very bad sign. You can't just get up, leave and start a video game. You have to get back to work. Or at least blog as a form of procrastination, which may sound like a method of treating haemorrhoids, but is still my selection.

I've got my regular core of about five websites to check each day, and a whole host more that use RSS feeds that I've incorporated into Bloglines. It's a great way to just check headlines and quickly see if the sites have been updated. It kills the fun a little, but minimises wasted time and disappointment. You can check what I'm subscribed to here!

I've also got my browser full of links to sites like Ben's, Penny Arcade comics, various local (ie Florida Panthers) hockey news sites to get the vibe, DVDCrave to check for the latest games and HMV for latest music releases, other sports team sites and the last resort, Bash.org.

But the main reason for posting today is to give mad props to the guy who's column entertained me this morning: NFL.com's Rich Eisen. I've been going mad for NFL recently, so I'm now more than qualified to get most of this guy's references to the recent games and team history. What I like most is that he writes a lot like he speaks. That and his commentary is fantastic, such as his description of the New England Patriots as "not the same team that spent the last two Februarys picking confetti out of their hair.". They're substantial articles encompassing the league's talking points and answering reader mail spanning the ridiculous to the sublime and possibly to the Coke with Lime. The responses to the reader mail are frank and witty, the sort of semi-flames you see on forums, but I don't view many forums as they're the sort of thing where you need to be in there a lot and know some of the posters to really have your say. I should also mention that Rich's email address is GetRichQuick@nfl.com, which in itself is pretty humourous!

So there's one more column for me to check each week. I don't mind Monday mornings as it's a little bit lazy for everyone and there's stacks of news from the weekend's sport. I sure am glad that ice hockey is played all week long to keep it coming. I should also pay tribute to Matt, who sent me one of those Excel quizzes, about bands. Look at the picture, name that band. Slightly addictive, pretty time consuming.

A Little More Hives For Little Me
Friday 21 October, 2005

I spent last Wednesday night down at The Forum on Flinders St watching awesome Swedish rock-and-rollers The Hives and very decent rock-and-rollers The D4. Both performed at the Big Day Out in 05, where The Hives were, for me, the standout of the festival.

We got there just in time to see the start of The D4, unlike the Big Day Out, where we watched most of the set from the queue to get into the main pit. They were quite good and while they drew applause from the audience, not many people really got into it or answered any of the lead singer's comments. I also thought they missed out some important songs from their first album (the best $8 album I can remember buying) in favour of some new material, and shouldn't have ended on a new song either. They were almost perfectly suited to playing support for The Hives though, and I'm glad I got to see them properly live.

You can tell The Hives are a huge band from the amount of "false starts", the times where a roadie walks on stage or the lighting changes and the crowd start cheering. It'll normally happen a few times, but it just happened heaps. I was waiting in the drinks line, hoping to get back to my spot in time for the start and cursing that they had to pour every drink, even the water, into plastic cups. It's so horribly inefficient and the lines just weren't moving. I also dispute why the water in a plastic bottle had to be poured into a plastic cup.

The Hives were so good, you could have given us glass bottles, slingshots or anvils and we wouldn't have thrown anything in their direction. Lead singer "Howlin" Pelle Almqvist commanded the crowd from the start with his conversational style and witty Swedish accented remarks. They know everyone loves them and Pelle and guitarist Nicolas Arson really ham it up for the ladies. No Hives show goes without some clapping along, both impromptu and conducted by Pelle.

The setlist, the sound, the energy was all very good. Standout tracks from the night include Supply and Demand, Statecontrol, Walk Idiot Walk and the closer A.K.A I.D.I.O.T. The greatest moment was during Diabolic Scheme when they all froze like statues. They held it for quite a while while we cheered crazily and then they continued on with the song supremely. Come to think of it, they stopped mid-song and then continued earlier in the night as Pelle took off his jacket.

It was quite an experience, as I suspected it would be. Their music lets you go nuts or mosh if you want, so a lot of people do their own thing. As they gradually take off their suit jackets, it feels like the crowd lets their hair down. Their style is accentuated by their performance. The Hives are made for live music.