The Nashville Feed

The internet value increases with each generation that grows up using it. We now have the first generation that never knew a world without it and probably wouldn’t know what to do if they didn’t have access. Even the Generation Xers as I am one would probably have difficulty if we were cut off. Think of some common things that you do every day online and now try to do it without the internet. I’ve compiled a short list of tasks:

• Find out if brand X computer has a recalled battery
• Look up a number for X business in X city
• Find the answer to your illness at 2am puking your guts out (happened to me last night)
• Research a product before buying.
• Find out how to make wine?

Some answers you might have is check the yellow pages or ask a friend but those take time. In this day and age people want what they want when they want and the old ways of doing things just don't work.

So where am I going with this post you might ask? Really I'm reiterating that the next generation is online and if your an artist of any type you should be also.

It's changed everything and shouldn't be an afterthought. A simple blog or YouTube video can change the world or just your world. It's a part of who we are now. It's where we are going. Watch the video below and see.

Technorati Tags: generation x, music, internet, YouTube

The seemingly longest week ever is over and now it is time for some Rock & Roll and good times! Yeehaw!

Friday!

• I want you all out for this...Les Honky More Tonkies w/ Ballhog (MySpace) & Adam McIntyre and the Pinx at the 5 Spot. 9pm
• Ghostfinger (MySpace) w/ The Clutters, Forget Cassettes & We Were The States (MySpace at Mercy Lounge. 9pm ($7)
• I highly recommend you make your way to the Belcourt at midnight for Taxi Driver or Mean Streets.

Saturday!

• Hotpipes CD Release w/ Cortney Tidwell & Hands Off Cuba (MySpace) at Exit/In. 8pm
• Will Hoge w/ Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit & Dawn Landes at the Cannery. 9pm ($15)
• Space Capone (MySpace) w/ K.S. Rhoads (MySpace) at Mercy Lounge. 9pm ($7)

Sunday!

• Wilco w/ John Doe at the Ryman. 7pm (hope you got tix, it's sold out!)

Seriously guys, the list isn't long, but I think we've got some pretty stellar choices going on. Have fun and be safe!

Cheers, j.

P.S. - No Hot Nashville Music Sales for this Week

Grimey's hasn't posted an updated list so we don't have a list. Sorry, hope we will be able to make an update later today. - mdave

Technorati Tags: weekend, nashville, it list, wilco, will hoge

I have WiFi at home and at work but sometimes I need to get away for a change of atmosphere to get things done like writing for this blog. It’s kind of sad that one of my considerations for coffee shops is if they have free WiFi but I have a feeling I'm not the only one. So today I did a quick Google search for open access WiFi in Nashville and found out that Nashville has almost 90 locations.

OpenWiFiSpots.com has detailed listings along with maps and other great information such as signal strength, working environment and if the place has power outlets. You can submit locations, updates and feedback via comments to help others. Overall it’s a really good site.

One final note OpenWiFiSpots.com isn’t just for Nashville, it has listings for all 50 states. They claim to have 24,647 free WiFi hotspots listed as of this posting. So if you’re traveling and need to find open internet access I highly suggest OpenWiFiSpots.com.

Technorati Tags: openwifispots.com, open wifi nashville, nashville, wifi

Busy day today I didn't have time for a post. Back on track tomorrow. Until then enjoy a video of Charlie the Puffer Fish. He's the new guy in my tank. The people talking is me and my girlfriend. Sappy yes but he's a cute fish.

I highly suggest Vimeo for you video. High quality and quick website.

Where were you on this day 6 years ago? I think almost everyone can remember, I do. It was sureal. Work closed early and I headed home spending the rest of the day with my family. Everything that has happened since then feels so screwed up. Looking back the common thing I remember was seeing that there was no color, no race everything and everybody was gray. Wish it would have stayed that way symbolically.

A few days later the following images were emailed to me and I felt like today I'd like to share them. I don't know who the photographer is and I ask you not to repost them. The titles are mine but the images are stunning enough. The first is the one that hits me the most.

Standing at the Edge of Darkness

Important To Somebody

Continuing On

Technorati Tags: September 11

It’s a super busy week for me so I don’t have much time today to post except a cool video from BarCamp Nashville. In the video it was mentioned that they hope to have another BarCamp next year. I wonder why they don’t have a mini-BarCamp as a happy hour. Get one speaker and do drink specials once a month or every 2 months. Make it real casual and allow more time to network.

Further Reading:

• BarCamp Nashville
• BarCamp Nashville: Are You Creating Community?

Technorati Tags: barcampnashville, online marketing, social networking

In casual conversation a week or so ago I had talked about the Gen-X Perspectives post where I stated that I had “despised” the Baby Boomers. This was off the cuff remark that caught the ear of an actual Baby Boomer that was sitting on the coffee shop patio. He stopped me and we talked for a few minutes where we agreed on quite a few things; more than I had thought we would. The conversation moved from economics to politics and finished on personal experiences from our generations perspective. I enjoyed that kind of conversation because at the end I hope that I we both came away with something.

Re-reading the article I actually said “I feel like the Baby Booms have left us a mess of a world to clean up and they’re selfish bastards for it.” I don’t take that back and won’t. When their generation is retired and in need of healthcare and social security my generation is going to have to make the difficult decisions they didn’t. It’s not going to be pretty either.

Defining Apathy

What is apathy or apathetic? Let’s get it defined as by Dictionary.com:

ap•a•thet•ic

–adjective

1. having or showing little or no emotion: apathetic behavior.
2. not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive: an apathetic audience.

ap•a•thy

–noun

1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

Benn’s last post in this series continued with the theme of Gen-X “apathy” and laid out examples from the 80s and 90s. The comments dug into it further but I think there’s much more behind this than just events that framed the generation as apathetic. The economic factors lent a big hand in the overall outcome.

Exploring the Economics of Apathy

It first began with the economic assault on the middle class by the conservatives with Regan taking national office in 81. In order to understand this we need to go back where the idea began, in the late 60s. You had the population uprising about civil and continuing woman’s rights along an unjust war started with lies. (Last one sound familiar?) You had the conservatives in fear and thinking the world was going to hell, their world view that is. Women in the workplace and black people with the same rights what is happening to my “Leave It to Beaver” world! So then you could make a living off one job where it paid for the house, car and still had money left for savings. People had the time for family and to be involved with these causes. You had the freedom if you quite your job it was fairly easy to get another one or if you were sick the public hospitals were there. If the basics were secure you could expand beyond.

If people were insecure with the basics then they wouldn’t have time for politics or civil rights or much else. Today three jobs is uniquely American. My basic expenses for rent, vehicle and food are over two thirds of my total income. Doesn’t leave much for entertainment or savings does it. I don’t have a tuition loan like most of my friends which is about the price of another auto payment a month. You can thank Regan for ending free college for residents in California.

What Does This All Mean?

It comes down to keep the masses worrying about sustaining the basics of survival and the ones in power can do what they want. Control the news media to blunt the message and the largest protests in the history of the world won’t stop war or the people who profit from it. Give people games and they will be content. Like the games in Rome “Caesar will give them blood and they will love him for it…” In our time the games are brought to us via television.

So is apathy our fault? We have been assaulted economically and socially since birth, we are the beaten puppy that people are afraid will bite when grown. We are grown up and want to bite.

The decisions of the Baby Boomers over the last 30 years are creating a perfect storm for the United States that we won’t be able to pass off decisions to the next generation. The bills are coming due and like every budget you need to make some hard painful decisions. Baby Boomers be ready cause you’re the ones are forcing this.

With that I’m going to throw on some Mathew Sweet and be apathetic about the world for today. Actually since I wrote this I’m sort of doing something.

Further Online Reading:

• The American Prison in the Culture Wars (Sections 5,6 & 7)

Suggested Books:

• Culture Wars: School and Society in the Conservative Restoration
• Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class - And What We Can Do about It

Technorati Tags: generation x, ronald reagan