Features
Keeping Up (Vol. 25)
by Darren Paltrowitz
Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:
MUSIC: As Tall As Lions / You Can't Take It With You – The band’s third full-length release, You Can’t Take It With You, finds New York-based As Tall As Lions creative as ever. Few tracks you’ve ever heard, if any, sound like the dynamics-heavy and string-enhanced album opener “Circles.” Altogether, the collection goes all over the map sonically and stylistically -– somewhere between Dredg, Radiohead and Death Cab For Cutie, perhaps -- yet is the group’s first to crack the Billboard Top 100. See ATAL on the road with Mute Math this fall. (myspace.com/astallaslions)
BOOK: Jim Collins / How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In – Studying a number of Fortune 500 companies from the 20th and 21st centuries, author Jim Collins is able to deduce why it is that many businesses fail. Without spoiling too much of the story, he is able to explain the five-step process of a company’s descent. Interestingly, research for the book began long before our country’s current economic predicament, showing the timely relevance of Collins’ knowledge. (jimcollins.com)
SERIES: Man Vs. Food – One of the newest (and most popular) shows on The Travel Channel, “Man Vs. Food” follows food fanatic Adam Richman as he attempts eating challenges in different cities. Before attempting each episode’s competition, he visits at least two other restaurants, talking with locals and restaurant staff to get the real story. One need not be a foodie to enjoy “Man Vs. Food” as Richman’s warm personality is mixed with strong improv skills, bringing plenty of humor to the series. (travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food)
TOOL: Roku – Most people seem to know Netflix as an Internet-based service where a subscriber can have DVDs delivered straight to a mailing address in pre-paid envelopes. However, with a Netflix subscription and the $99-priced, sandwich-sized Roku device, a subscriber can also stream over 15,000 movies and television episodes at no extra cost. Also tied in with Amazon On-Demand and Major League Baseball, consider Roku a one-time investment that quickly recoups its cost. (roku.com)
ARTICLE: Chris Guillebeau “28 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Traveling” – Chris Guillebeau is widely-known as the blogger behind The Art Of Nonconformity blog. A piece that first ran into May 2008, “28 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Traveling” provides tips that Guillebeau has observed within his globe-trotting, self-employed lifestyle. With articles indexed by “Life,” “Nonconformity,” “Travel,” “Work” and “World Domination,” perhaps not all of Guillebeau’s ideas apply to your life, but there is undoubtedly something for everyone on the site. (chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/28-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-i-started-traveling)
As always, if I’m missing something that’s worthwhile and deserving of column space, please reach out with an e-mail: darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com.
In the meantime, stay tuned for another 5 picks...