Working for a radio station is by far the best career move I’ve made in my short time working. Not only am I doing more of what I like to do, that being design work, it has it’s perks…as if being knee-deep in music wasn’t enough. Just being involved in music, even if on the outlet side, has its cool factor and its fun factor. The music played on the station I work for isn’t exactly my favorite, but it can be enjoyed most of the time. As a Hot AC station we get a wide range of types of artists, one of them stopped by today – the Goo Goo Dolls.

Alright, so the Goo Goo Dolls might not rank high on the industry-changing scale, but you can listen to their music and enjoy it. It sounds good, is written well, and is well produced. The Goos have a new album coming out and a stop at my station was just a preface to a show tonight in town. They have been the first band that has visited the station that I recognized and was generally interested in meeting. Much to my dismay, what is considered a “Meet & Greet” is more like a “See & Go”.

Actually, before they even arrived it almost didn’t happen because word came in that lead singer Johnny Rzeznik got a piece of metal in his eye in New York and may not make the station interview, and thus it put the show in jeopardy too. But apparently after seeing the doc he sucked it up and made the trip, although he didn’t look to thrilled…but if I had just flown in from the coast with metal in my eye, I wouldn’t be too happy either. But that’s rock n roll.

After their interview on-air they met public winners and staff for the Meet & Greet. It was so brief I barely saw them. Everyone lines up like they did for the drinking fountain after gym class, they hand the band something to sign, then a quick look-here picture, and then done. I was last in line after all the ladies that showed up and after they signed Jen’s copy of “Dizzy Up the Girl” it was as very quick departure. And that was the Goo Goo Dolls. I had never experienced a Meet & Greet before and had I been a diehard fan I probably would have been disappointed.

However, while most people may blame the radio station for the briefness of these events, believe me when I say it is a band/label decision. The station is at the mercy of them, even though the radio is spending their money to promote their record…but whatever.

But in the end it was pretty cool. I got to see some true rock stars from a time when I really remember the music. I love my classic rock and hair metal, but to be honest that is not “my era” of music. The early 90s is my “time” and the Goos were a big part of that.

All in all, just another day at the radio station. Music, jeans, and rock stars.

You have holes and you have pegs. Certain pegs are meant to fit in certain holes. People like to say you can force any peg into any hole, and in some cases that’s true, but that doesn’t mean you should. These rules apply to content on the web. As I continue to work for a media conglomerate that manages many web sites I continue to be amazed by how we treat content.

Between two radio stations, a TV station, a cable network, and a newspaper, there is a HUGE pool of resources and content. From sports to entertainment to that wholesome community crap that people claim they like to read. Every company, despite the corporate mantra, is its own island ultimately doing their own thing. But every now and then someone will offer up content that can be used by everyone, honest to God sharing. This is great but you can’t just take the content, put on your site and have it look and work as well as it does on the site for which it was made.

You just can’t take what people give you and run with it, especially when it comes to designed content (product). When you take something that has been designed for a specific purpose and place and drop it into an entirely different spot, it will not look good. Period. It will look cheap, copied, and half-assed.

Have some gumption and take what you’re given and make it work with what YOU have. Chances are you and whoever you got the content from have two different plans and goals. Anything that you are given and display, regardless of the original source, should look like something you made…or at least changed it so that it is presented to your audience as best as possible. Don’t claim it to be yours, just make it look like yours.

Don’t take a peg you find (or are given) and expect it to fit in your hole. You need to whittle that peg down (or build it up) so it fits perfectly.

This is a clip of Miss Teen South Carolina Lauren Caitlin Upton, 18. She was asked the following question: Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?” Her response is priceless. Enjoy.

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And just in case you missed some of that, here’s a convenient map of her topics. Click to enlarge.

I haven’t been able to play any recent computer games in a long time. And when I say recent, I mean recent within the past five years or so. My PC was at least that old and starting to crap when performing regular tasks, even non-game programs like iTunes and Photoshop. Not playing games is one thing, but when you can’t do seemingly average things without waiting and crashing, it’s time for a change. So that’s just what I did.

I started researching for upgrade computer parts. I hadn’t built a computer in years and I quickly started to doubt my knowledge of what was good and bad anymore. There is so much out there from so many different places and reviews varied from what I could tell. So I recruited Big G to shop for me, and he delivered exactly on my budget with a great computer. So if you’re looking to build a new computer but don’t know what you need, talk to Big G. You can read our discussion in the Forum.

After a mere three days the computer came and after a Friday night of complete nerdiness I had a new PC. And it kicks ass.

It’s not the best of the best but far from shabby. With this computer I have returned to what I once had, a computer that could do anything I wanted without worry. From games to multimedia to design, it can handle it. There was a day when I could go on-line and download games one after another and play for days on end…that day has returned. One thing that computer gaming has over console gaming (still) is demos. I can still go on-line and download a demo for a computer game – for free – before I drop $50 on it. And most of the time, the demo is enough to keep you interested for a while. Hopefully consoles will get a clue and start doing the same thing. Since they’re now all on-line it shouldn’t be too hard.

So with a new PC behind me, I quickly found several games that are pretty fun and can capture your entertainment for at least 30 minutes.

Harvest: Massive Encounter – This is currently in free beta so get this one while you can if it sounds fun, or I can make it a download too. This game is a combination between Tower Defense, where you just put up towers to shoot bad guys as they walk by, and a resources-management game, like an RTS. It has its quirks and problems, but overall it is really fun and kept me playing for hours as I tried to pick a strategy that worked. The goal is just to survive as long as possible. My highest has been level 24.

You’ll like it if you like: Tower Defense, Starcraft
Overall: B+

Defcon – I first saw this game a few months ago and tried it but my PC couldn’t handle it. Now with some muscle in my box there are no issues. When I first played this game I thought of Thee because this game is like a giant game of RISK. The goal is to wipe your opponent off the map, and there really is a map. This is a game of nuclear war complete with radars, silos, submarines, and aircraft carriers. It is a slow game but needs to be to allow for the proper placement and ordering of pieces. I highly recommend the tutorial first. A nice thing about the demo is it offers on-line play with other demo users, so you can go on-line and starting playing people right away. You can even be a spectator for games, where you can really learn a lot.

You’ll like it if you like: RISK, Stratego, Wargames
Overall: A

The Sim 2 – Jen has been playing The Sims in some form for years but I never had a computer that could play it, not even Sims 1. But now I’m hooked on designing and building houses. Not so much the “playing God” part of the game which seems to me to be way too much trouble. But building the houses is a heck of a lot of fun and a challenge all in one. You wouldn’t get this game just for the house-building, but since we already had the game it was worth it. And frankly, Sims 2 served as my graphics benchmark as it is a hefty game. So once I saw my PC could handle Sims 2 I knew it could handle most of the games I would want to play.

You’ll like it if you like: HGtv, Flip that House, Trading Spaces
Overall: B

Doom 3 – I know this is now considered an old game, but again, I couldn’t play it until now. Too bad I’m not impressed. I know it’s only the demo but I just couldn’t get into the game quick enough. Maybe I’m just “over” first-person shooters…and since I don’t have any inkling to play these games on-line there’s not much else in it. Just not my type of game anymore. But to it’s credit, it looks pretty good.

You’ll like it if you like: Complete darkness, nothing new
Overall: C

Age of Empires III – This is what I was waiting for. As a huge fan of AOE this was my first new computer game purchase in many years. We’ve been playing the AOE2 games for nearly 10 years now – and still enjoy it (along with Starcraft). AOE3 is your standard RTS game much like all the others but is set in the exploration age, compared to the medieval era of AOE2. Essentially the game plays the same with only a few minor changes. The graphics are now 3D – oooo, ahhhhh – but that honestly doesn’t lend much to the game experience. The sound got a wonderful boost and really adds a lot to how you play, maybe more so than the graphics update. Added to the game now are “cards” that you can use to have shipments sent to you for free. I think this is supposed to add more of a “traditional” table-top element to it…I’m not sure if it does, but it doesn’t throw off the game at all. So if we got 10+ years out of AOE2, then AOE3 should last quite some time.

You’ll like it if you like: AOE2, Starcraft, any modern RTS
Overall: A+

*Now with more gaming power behind me expect more reviews and more playing. To keep things relatively interesting, extended game reviews may get moved to the Forum.

I hadn’t been to the State Fair since probably middle school or earlier. When I was little I remember not really thinking much of it, it was kind of boring. I wasn’t really into all the farm animals or walk-through buildings. I liked the model trains. I think I liked the rides too, but that was when I was really young, memories of which I don’t have any more. I do remembering wanting to ride the sky ride that took you from one end of the park to the other – I considered it a ride in itself. And there were lumberjacks too, and how can you not like lumberjacks?

After at least 15 years away from the fair we decided to go back. However, we had a purpose besides just going to the fair – we went to rock. Our (now) 3-year Over-the-Hill metal tour continued on with Slaughter and Quiet Riot. Admission to the fair was included with the concert tickets so we decided to make a day out of it.

Frankly, nothing has changed at the Fair all that much. Naturally it seemed a little smaller than what I remember, but all the essentials were there. But this time I enjoyed the animals a little more. When I was little I didn’t like the smell and I think I was afraid of them, but chilling with the sheep and horses this time was pretty enjoyable. Too my dismay, however, the model train feature has been reduced to a mere tent with one train setup. Having grown up with model trains the Train Building was always a highlight. It was HUGE with a ton of train layouts. A shame to think that the model trains were bullied out of there building by old ladies showing off hook-pull rugs and log cabin quilts.

Perhaps the nicest corner of the fair has always been the Natural Resources section where you’d find the lumberjacks and Smokey Bear. This part of the Fair was all-natural as it was there to educate everyone about water safety, endangered animals, and not playing with matches. And ODNR section is still the nicest part of the fair. It’s relaxing and has lots of space where you can sit and watch people. Watching Smokey Bear talk to children is very entertaining.

But after all that fun we did come for one purpose – metal. We had come to see Slaughter, despite their status as opening act. I have never really been a Quiet Riot fan, but Slaughter was right up my alley of early-90s last-chance hair metal.

Slaughter played a very good show, far better than I had expected. I knew th show would either be really good or really bad, thankfully Mark Slaughter has taken care of himself and his voice. Some of the renditions of their songs were a little different, but all-in-all sounded great. Slaughter even took off into the audience at one point – still singing – something you won’t see from many other bands. I would have to guess that Slaughter  realizes they are at a state fair and are just happy to be playing. I can respect that. And by the end of their set the drummer had totally trashed his drum kit – first accidentally but he quickly finished it off in true metal fashion.

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A quick reset brought out Quiet Riot. The lead singer looked like a Rod Stewart gone bad and danced like he was Mick Jagger. To his credit, his voice was intact just as good as it was 25 years ago. The original drummer was also there to keep the beat, but the guitars were new guys, although each doing their part well. Both bands played a little under an hour of music – perfect considering their age. Of course, both bands have new albums out if you believe that.

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Now this being a state-sponsored event, the Fair that is, every performance must have a sign language translator for the deaf. Let me tell you there is nothing more entertaining than watching some middle-aged women try to hand signal out Slaughter and Quiet Riot songs. They had to translate live and their signals were hilarious. I’m not knocking signalers, I feel for them in this type of situation, and they’re doing the best they can. Can you imagine having to sign, “I want to kiss your lips and not the ones on your face”? Check the clip below for a little taste of the signing that was included with the video screens.

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There are more photos from the entire concert in the Photo Gallery. The video audio sucks because the acoustics in the venue sucked and the video camera sucks. Suck+suck=suck.

And just keep track of the rock we’ve digested over the past few years: Poison (B+), Motley Cure (F-), Journey (A), Cinderalla (B+), Quiet Riot (A), Slaughter (A), Aerosmith (A+), Guns N Roses (B+), Def Leppard (B). We’ve been lucky that most of these guys still sound pretty alright.

I started my new position for a radio company back in February, just six months or so now. In April I redesigned the Mix 97.1 web site and it went pretty well. It was the first high-profile(-ish) site design I’ve done (more than blogs anyway) and it’s gone over quite well and traffic on the site has steadily increased since the launch. Of course, increased traffic is not due just to site design, but it certainly helps. Here I am three months after that launch and I launched another site this morning, this time for 1460 The Fan, the AM sports radio station I’m also over.

So two sites in six months…not bad but unfortunately there’s no rest for the weary. A corporate decision to change to a different CMS system means I’ll be re-doing a lot the work in the upcoming months, but that’s mostly behind-the-scenes work and (in theory) design/style should be of little worry.

And as before, for a limited time you can compare the old site design with the new design and make your own judgment.