Saturday, August 31

Ranking the Pokemon: #59- Muk

Look at this pathetic excuse for a Pokemon. I think Muk ranks this highly simply because I enjoyed when it used the move Minimize in the first generation of games. Is it a good move? No. But for whatever reason, I got really excited when "Muk used Minimize" appeared on my screen. Good times.

Muk has great HP and Attack, but its Defense and Special are sorely lacking. As you might guess, its Speed is miserable, because, well, it looks like a reject from the "what should the puddle in Alex Mack look like?" discussion. 

This grotesque pile of slime only naturally learns two moves that actually do damage: Pound and Sludge. Neither are really worth having, although I guess you could keep Sludge for the battle against Bug-types. It'll determine what type is truly the worst! Muk does learn Fire Blast, Mega Drain and Thunderbolt/Thunder, so you could throw some cool Special moves on it. Problem is, with that weak Special rating, your Thunderbolt is going to be all mucked up and become a Thunderfizzle. That sounds like a good name for a funk band. Bring on tha Thunderfizzle!

Battle Rating: C+

Your Daily Song: "No Sleep" by Wiz Khalifa



I was always surprised this song wasn't bigger than it was. It's about having a good time and is super catchy, which seem like two elements to make it on the radio. OH WELL.

Thursday, August 29

Your Daily Song: "My Zone" by Joseph Currency



I don't like to be TOO self-serving, but hey, I think this song I made is catchy, and wanted to share it. What's the harm in that?

Wednesday, August 28

Ranking the Pokemon: #60- Seadra

Oh look, another mediocre Water-type! This was quite the common sight in Generation I, and I guess still is to this day. Seadra eventually became Kingdra in the later generation of games, and was a lot better then. It actually has pretty terrible stats, with pretty good Special and Defense, okay Speed and bad Attack and HP. But it's a seahorse that simply does not give a f*ck, so that's worth something in my book.

Move-wise, 'dra can learn at least the basics: Surf and Blizzard, and then can pick up Agility, and, oh, let's say, Double-Edge. It won't too a ton of damage because of the low Attack, but hey, when your movepool is this limited, you take what you can get.

Previously: #60- Dodrio


Your Daily Song: "F*ck You" by Sleeping With Sirens



Normally I don't like rock covers of pop/R&B songs, but hot dog, this is a pretty good effort in my book.

Tuesday, August 27

Your Daily Song: "I Wanna Be The One" by The Yum Yums



We could all use some more music in our lives, right? Every day, I'll post a song that I think warrants a listen. Of course, if your musical tastes disagree with mine, you might hate it, but hey, it's worth a shot to find something great. First up? The Yum Yums, a Norwegian band that simply makes toe-tappin' tunes. Check out their song "I Wanna Be The One" off their album Whatever Rhymes With Baby.

Sunday, August 25

Feeling 25



This weekend I turned 25. Quarterlife crisis aside, hopefully this year will find me as a more mature and wise man. After all, now I have a puppy to look after! Regardless, I thought of the song "24" by Switchfoot this weekend. Frontman Jon Foreman wrote the song when he was 24 years old, and I've heard it was the night before he turned 25, though who knows if that's actually true. Either way, it's awesome, and reflecting back on the first quarter-century of life seems appropriate right now. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 22

Pentatonix Covers Macklemore's Can't Hold Us



Pentatonix is simply the best a capella group out there right now. Their harmonies are top-notch, and the way they arrange their stuff is really fun to watch. Check out their cover of Macklemore's "Can't Hold Us" feat. Ray Dalton. Except this cover doesn't feature Ray. Or Macklemore. Just wonderful-sounding voices.

Monday, August 19

Korean First Pitches Are Amazing



The Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization have had a number of memorable first pitches this year, and they're chronicled in the above video. Unlike the terrible opening pitches we generally see in the States, these are actually good pitches, too. A few notes:
  • Why are there batters in the box during these first pitches? Fortunately the accuracy is pretty much there, but what if one of these girls uncorked some wild chin music and took a batter out? Seems very unsafe to me.
  • All of these would almost certainly be called balks.
  • Why do all of them hold that "stretch" with the ball over their head? Must be a requirement.
  • I wish I could do crazy flips from a standing position.
Regardless of the nuances of the first pitches, these are great. Enjoy 'em.

Wednesday, August 14

Breaking Bad Gets a Middle School Makeover



I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but when the subject of said musical is AMC's hit show Breaking Bad, and the actors in said musical are middle school students? Well then, you may have just sold me. Check out Rhett and Link's contribution to YouTube's "Geek Week" with this adorably awesome tribute to the show. Let's see how the final few episodes play out!

Twins Pitcher "Punches" Fellow Pitcher For Prank


Here's more proof that baseball players, particularly relief pitchers, have way too much time on their hands. In the second inning against the White Sox, the Twins' Chris Colabello hit a deep fly ball to right field. Knowing they'd be on camera, Jared Burton grabbed Brian Duensing, and well, let one fly. Hope they had some ice for Duensing's jaw.

Tuesday, August 13

Lonely Island Performs YOLO Live on Jimmy Fallon



I think one of the crowning achievements for any artist is getting The Roots to play your backing instrumentals. In this case, said artist is The Lonely Island, and said "instrumental" is the beat for "YOLO," their first single from The Wack Album. Jimmy Fallon hops in for Adam Levine on the chorus, and Kendrick Lamar's subpar verse gets replaced by a superior freestyle from Black Thought. Good stuff all around, and very well put together for a live show.

Sunday, August 11

Ranking the Pokemon: #61- Dodrio


Dodrio's one of those Pokemon that is this high up on the list because I like how it looks. Let's face it: things with multiple heads are funny, and Dodrio has a solid THREE heads to kick Doduo's two heads in the, well, the face. Plus I like the fashionable black feather hairstyle, too.

As far as actual battling goes, Dodrio does have fantastic Attack and Speed, but otherwise it's pretty pedestrian. It doesn't learn a whole lot of useful moves, either; Drill Peck and Agility should be standard on every single Dodrio, but after that...what do you do? Rest? Hyper Beam? Take Down? If this was post-Generation I, you could use Tri Attack and hope one of the status afflictions (burn, paralyze or freeze) would connect, but since we just talking about Red and Blue (and Yellow, ugh), you don't have that luxury. So Dodrio is more useful in being cool to look at as opposed to actually battling. And since there are many Pokes that are both terrible at battling AND ugly as all get-up? Then hey, you're not doing too bad, 'rio.

Battling Grade: C+

Bowler Denied Perfect 300 Game By Pinsetter



Troy Walker is a man who has bowled a number of perfect games in his life (allegedly). He was about to add one more to the books when he was denied by the long arm of the bowling alley. Check out his final shot, which is something I've never seen before. Walker did get a follow-up shot, but he only got a seven, making this probably the most memorable bowling game with a score of 297. Tough luck, Troy.

My favorite part of this story is that I finally discovered what to call that arm that comes down and knocks over the pins after your second toss in a frame: the pinsetter. Who knew?

Wednesday, August 7

AFI Releases Two New Tracks



AFI has released a couple of new tracks in advance of their ninth studio album Burials, due out October 22. First off was "I Hope You Suffer," which came out a couple weeks ago. It showcases a darker side of the band, and lead singer Davey Havok's growling vocals, which were all but absent on the band's previous album Crash Love, make a triumphant return.

More recently (i.e. yesterday), the band unleashed "17 Crimes" onto the world. It definitely sounds more like their recent stuff. Granted, it's super sugary and bubblegum-poppy, but it's got a pretty darn catchy chorus, so I'll allow it.

Tuesday, August 6

The Manning Brothers Are in a Weird Rap Music Video, And It's Fantastic



Peyton. Eli. Football on your phone. That's really all the setup needed for this DIRECTV music video, which promotes the ability to get NFL Sunday right on your phone. Don't use your phone as a phone—it's not for callin', but rather, for footballin'. Let's kick off!

Sunday, August 4

What Would The World Be Like If Football Coaches Coached Soccer Instead?



NBC tries to answer that very question with a hilarious skit featuring Jason Sudeikis as football coach Ted Lasso. But when he attempts to coach the Tottenham Hotspur F.C., a fĂștbol team, he realizes there's quite a few differences between the two sports. And while this idea is pretty ridiculous, it's well executed with a lot of funny jokes. Best part for me? When Lasso realizes there are draws and no playoffs, and asks "Why do we even do this?" This sketch was done to promote the Premier League beginning on NBC, but more importantly, it's a great reminder that the NFL season is just a few short weeks away!