From what I remember, this was one of the most enjoyable nights out where tons of people, lights, stages, performers, fireworks, open bars and music were involved. Now, let me qualify the 'from what I remember' part of this statement. Unlike last year where I went to various stages to listen to different artists perform, this year, I was basically stationed at the main stage for most of the show, only leaving once to go check out The Crystal Method.

For what it's worth, this is the second year in a row that I have left the Electric Daisy Carnival, saying that the promoters and coordinators need to pat themselves on the back for an outstanding event. Everything was laid out well and you truly felt like you were part of just this large party. The only setbacks I would say would be the VIP bathroom situation (stepping in what you think is a puddle is never fun) and the fact that they actually had to shut down the main stage for what seemed like eternity because of some malfunction on stage -- when you have 1000s of party revelers in your crowd, you don't EVAR want to stop the flow of beats.

The Electric Daisy Carnival was a 2-day event taking place this past Friday and Saturday at the LA Coliseum/Sports Arena area of Downtown Los Angeles. There was a group of four who went because we were celebrating (well turns out we were celebrating) my buddy getting himself a new job. We decided to hit up the Saturday show, VIP style! With that stress off his back he wanted to get out and fully have fun... which he did... til I had to hold him up on the way to his car, take off his shoes when he got home and made sure he slept well. Ended up missing Paul Van Dyk because of it, but my friend's health and well-being comes first folks.

When we arrived, getting our tickets was quite easy. They had a booth setup where they swiped your credit card and gave you your tickets. Smartly, they setup the VIP entrance right next to the VIP will-call. Once inside you had to go to one more table to get a wristband for alcohol. From there we headed straight to the VIP area. Let me tell you, unlike Monster Massive, The EDC does their VIP area fantastic. There were plush couches, free photography, open bar and a great view of the main stage as performers lit up the nights. When we arrived we managed to catch the latter half of Kaskade's [zune.net] main stage set. Kaskade is one of my favorite house music artists so getting to hear some of his stuff was great.

Now, it's at this point, I couldn't tell you who was playing the main stage anymore. My friends and I made the mistake of not picking up a schedule anywhere so we didn't know who was playing what when. However, it did help that I managed to run into Jessica (Zahn, from the Zune team) and her friends. They had setup shop in this one corner of the arena, so we made ourselves home there and hung out with them. Much like last year, being around those guys made the experience that much more fun. These were a group of people who knew their music, knew their artists and were there to have fun and hear beats -- unlike some people I saw there who seemed to only be there so they could say they were there (ya know what I mean?)

Thanks to Jessica, I was able to check out The Crystal Method [zune.net] live. What had happened was that a voice came over the loudspeaker at the main stage and said that 'Due to circumstances they had to put the main stage on hiatus while they fix some issues'. To make up for the lost sound, some of us went to see Crystal Method's set. Now I hadn't really heard them live and I have to tell you, it was rocking! These two men were on the stage giving everyone an awesome show. Now unfortunately, while we were at the Crystal Method performance, they managed to get the sound working again at the main stage. To make up for everyone's lost them they launched their special fireworks show. From where I was standing it looked very good -- not Disneyland "Dreams" good, but good nonetheless.

Like I said, unfortunately, I didn't get to stay for the Paul Van Dyk finale -- as my buddy realized that having 4 drinks with every bar trip can come back to haunt you, so I made sure that he got home safe and sound. However, I will say that for the time I was there the Electric Daisy really did themselves, the participants and party people proud -- outside of that one crazy 'technical difficulties' glitch.

It was also interesting that right before this whole event started, they announced that their doing a third event this year. The first one took place in Colorado, the second one was in Los Angeles and their newest one, in August, will take place in Puerto Rico (yeah, I want to go too!). If you ever get a chance to attend this event -- and if you're a fan of electronic, I suggest you do! -- then know a couple of things: 1) Get VIP tickets. Yeah, they're a little  more expensive, but you'll thank yourself later, 2) Be wary of the bathrooms. Men, you sure know how to make something visually appear unsanitary, don't you!?, 3) Pace your trips to the bar. Yes, it's an open bar, but you do want to outlast the show don't you? and finally have fun (but that probably goes without saying).

I'm pretty sure that I'll do this event again next year. For two solid years I've gotten a solid show. When I think about Monster Massive back in October of last year, I'm starting to think that Insomniac (the folks who do EDC) need to speak with the coordinators of Monster Massive and let them know how it's done.

Kudos to the Electric Daisy Carnival for a job well done!

Artist	Lene Alexandra
Song	“My Boobs Are Ok”
Album	Welcome to Sillycone Valley
#zunetune	Click here to purchase

If the name Jim Allchin [zune.net] doesn’t ring to you immediately, what if I told you that Jim Allchin used to work for Microsoft? In fact, he was Co-President of Microsoft’s Platform and Services Division – the team that put together Windows Vista, to be exact. When the OS launched in 2007, Allchin officially retired from Microsoft so that he could start a new chapter in his life. So what did he do? He went into music. Rock to be exact.

Now Rock, as you all should know, is a very broad term. Allchin didn’t go into anything that sounds like Linkin Park or Slipknot. If anything he went into that bluesy, folk rock. The kind that you hear in the dive bar somewhere on the outskirts of the South. To prove that point, I’m giving you guys a free MP3 from Jim Allchin’s album “Enigma”. The song is called “Rockin’ Chair” and it’s your basic 12-bar downhome, hounddog blues.

After listening to this song, I have this strong urge to watch Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse. And dammit, Jim, that’s a good thing.

Over at the IIS website, if you have Silverlight installed, you can get a demonstration of the streaming technology that is the basis for the Zune Video Marketplace that will be used on XBOX Live later in the year. Essentially, when you click to start a film it will begin at a lower resolution (that’s how it will be able to start instantly). Then, as the movie progresses forward – and nearly instantaneously – the technology will bring up the film to the highest resolution possible for your particular situation.

When I tried this demo at work, I got a different graph reading than when I tried it at home, so I believe that this is actually working using your actual setup. It should also be said that the test video being used is pretty amusing too.

If you want to check it out, head over to the IIS website.

From around the Intertubes: free music...

• RCRD LBL wants you to know about the Jaguar Club.
• Grab a track from Mew.
• Fluxblog has an MP3 from Kid Cudi featuring Kanye West, A-Trak, Common, and Lady Gaga.
• Make some time for Bad Flirt.
• Pavement's ode to R.E.M. is now available for your grubby digital hands.
• Get a taste of the Rubies from Stereogum.
• From my local Philadelphia scene, Sun Airway has an EP you can download.
• In memoriam: some Jackson 5 tracks.

Have a great weekend!

For the first event in the new "Club Social Community Events" series, Inside the Circle is teaming up with the crew at 360 Junkies to present "Halo 3" Sunday. The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 12, 2009, from 3pm - 6pm (Pacific Standard Time). It'll be 3 hours of XBOX Live multiplayer hotness -- or, as some of us perceive it, 3 hours of figuring out what the controls are! As we get closer to the event date, I'll be sure to give you further details on how you can participate. In the meantime, if you have that copy of Halo 3 lying around you may want to use this lead time opportunity to brush up on your skills.

About 360 Junkies

Since they don't have anything officially written :-) what you should know is that 360 Junkies is a site that's all about networking and community, with just a tad of XBOX 360 stuff thrown in. From contests to reviews to their forum, they allow readers to contribute and participate in discussion about XBOX and gaming. You can check out 360 Junkies, by visiting their website.

Website: 360 Junkies

The fine folks on the Windows Team have partnered with Reverb Nation for a new program called Sponsored Songs. Right now on their Myspace page, they are offering roughly 1000 free MP3s/WMAs that you can download. You can't go wrong when you got 1000 songs to choose from so go getchu some!

Click here for the Myspace Page.

Click here for the posted details

Microsoft's Zune Originals program is a great idea: customize your Zune with interesting, quirky artwork and text, and really make your Zune "yours." One of the flaws in the program, in my opinion, is that no Zune Originals are made available for sale at stores. Sure, you'd lose out on the custom text option, but a lot of people might forgo that to get their hands on some of the designs. But what if you have an older Zune or chose not to go the Zune Originals route? Either way, there is another way to customize your Zune, whether it be the original 30GB on through to the 120GB. Enter Decalgirl.

Decalgirl is a company that sells low-cost decals for a wide number of devices, including XBox, laptops, iPods, and Zunes. There are dozens of designs to choose from, and at $6.99 the price is enticing. I recently decided to give them a try. I ordered the "Drama" design, and received it very quickly.



A code is included on the decal to allow you to go to a website and download a matching wallpaper. This worked flawlessly.

There is a set of instructions on the website to guide you through the application of the decal. What it all comes down to is, "keep it straight." The decals have a good deal of flexibility, and it is extremely useful that they can be applied and re-applied when you are trying to get it on correctly. The decal for the back was easy to line up and apply. The front decal, with its narrower section for the screen, took a little more time and effort. With some patience, I was able to get it onto the face of my Zune 120. The decal is also easy to smooth out if any creases pop up. Overall, the installation is fairly trouble-free. One concern is that the decal is pretty pliable, so be careful not to stretch it by accident.



After a couple of weeks, the decal has held up nicely. I carry around my Zune in my pocket, so I expected the decal to suffer some wear and tear. Thus far this has not been an issue.



For a colorful variety of options, cheap price, and fast delivery, Decalgirl is tough to beat. They appear to be fairly active in adding new designs, and you can even submit your own custom design (must be created by you, not a copyrighted image or work). The customer service is quick to respond to queries and my overall experience with them has been positive. If you are looking for an alternative to the Zune Originals, Decalgirl is recommended.

Anyone else use Decalgirl? Or have you used any other alternative methods of customizing your Zune?

So consider this a Colette [zune.net] weekend, folks. It began at Red Nightclub on Saturday night where she performed live. That was totally awesome. It's not every day that you listen to a DJ who not only spins records but sings her own songs live right there in front of you. I'll tell you something else that was interesting. Well besides that during her performance someone threw ice on her (man, that's some disrespect for you), Colette actually recognized me in the crowd. It probably helped that I've been chatting with her over Twitter and I was standing in the very front of the crowd when she started. However, to have her see me and know who I was is quite a thrill, let me tell ya.

Yesterday, I used her video "If" as the Sunday Treasures video. Today, I round out the weekend by pointing you to the fine folks at Rcrd Lbl who are offering a track from Colette free -- free for you to download and load onto your Zune!

The song that they are offering is "Think You Want It" from Colette's album "Push". Personally, I wish they had negotiated to offer "Like the Sun" -- primarily that was my introduction song to Colette's work. However, "Think You Want It" is still a great song to start with if you haven't listened to Colette before.

The toolbar in this post allows you to directly listen to Colette's track and then -- at the click of a button -- take you to the page on Rcrd Lbl where you can download it yourself. Enjoy.

I had noticed this before, but then I went and totally forgot all about it. So here to remind myself, and to alert some of you, I’m writing this blog post. Superstar Common (who you may remember from the Mixview Zune commercial) partnered with Microsoft on the SoftWear line. It’s a series of shirts that depict the days of DOS and old-school computing.

The shirt that’s pictured above isn’t actually my favorite one of the line. That honor goes to this particular shirt. Luckily, for me, a store that sells this stuff is located in my area. The areas that these items are available are: Alameda, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Chicago, Fountain Valley, New York, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC.

Feel free to check out the Softwear line. It’s pretty interesting stuff.

So yeah, I kind of teased that Inside the Circle is planning a few things going into its second “season”. Now, I’m going to discuss what a few of those plans are. I’m quite excited to get these things off the ground and help make Inside the Circle that much more of a destination and community space for people who dig Music and/or Zune and/or Microsoft :-)

So here’s a few things we plan on introducing. Will they all work? Probably not. But gosh darn it they’re all worthy of that old spirited try, yes?

The “Circle This” Podcast:

Quite a few people have relayed to me that they think Inside the Circle should have a podcast. It’s something I’ve discussed with friends time and time again and I think that it’s definitely worth a shot. I’ve spent a great deal of time listening to podcasts of all types to find out what makes them work and what doesn’t. What I hope to do with the Circle This Podcast (title is actually still tentative – may change at launch) is be a quick and easy audio experience for those who want to get Zune information, music recommendations, tips and tricks and interviews.

Some parts of this are still being planned and finalized, but I hope to have the debut episode available sometime soon.

Club Social Community Events:

Club Social was the original name for my Zune Card. When I started using Zune Social (back when it first opened) I named my page that because I set out to make it a place where people could stop by and chat about music and what’s going on in their world. I always enjoyed the community atmosphere of Zune Social and I wanted to help with that. Since then my card discontinued the Club Social moniker, but I kept a hold of the name in the hopes that someday I could bring that title back with a much bigger scope.

With the Club Social Community Events Program, I think I have the chance to take that original idea to the next step.

The CSCE will be the umbrella for all types of community based events including: Zune Meetups, Online Chats and XBOX 360 Gaming days. The goal of the CSCE will be to bring people (gamers, music lovers, whoever) closer together in a variety of fun and informative ways.

The ZuneTune Revolution:

I’m sure everyone has already noticed that the #zunetune project is being commenced on Twitter. The project is the brainchild of myself and Shane DeSeranno, a member of the Zune team. The idea is to create a playlist using content submitted by users.

So far, Shane has also created a small program that collects the properly formatted ZuneTune tweets and create a playlist that people can open up in the Zune software. If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber you can download the entire playlist, sync it to your Zune and check out, on the go, what people in the community are listening to. If you’re not a Zune Pass subscriber (and why aren’t you) then you can at least opt to purchase those songs.

It’s also fortunate that zunetune.com is now available. We’re still formulating ideas on what exactly to do with that domain, but there’s potential to really make ZuneTune into something worthwhile for Zune users and lovers of music.

Plus, if you haven’t already noticed, the Sunday Treasures videos will now have a consistent information format and include a #zunetune link that takes you directly into the Zune Marketplace and to that particular track if you wanted to buy it or download it with your Zune Pass (this will be done where applicable).

The Club Kids Project:

One of my friends, Michael Sison and I have been floating around the idea of doing the occasional articles where we do a review of venues that we’ve been to and performers that we’ve seen. So on one level expect these to start happening soon – while we’re both still young enough to do such a thing.

However, I also wanted to take this a step further and include you guys somehow and this is what I came up with: The Club Kids Project. What that means is I’d like for you guys to send Inside the Circle pictures of you out somewhere enjoying music: be it a festival, jazz club, rock concert, anywhere where music is being sent out into the air and into your ears (bonus points if you can get your Zune somewhere in the shot). Hell, I’d be fine if you sent a picture of yourself relaxing in the den with an old-school phonograph.

We, on this end, are going to start a collective photo gallery starring you guys. If you also want to share a bit about where you were, who you saw and what you thought, we’ll include that in the comments of the photo. I firmly believe that everyday music is being listened to, celebrated, enjoyed and/or created, so this is one way of putting it all together in one place.

These are just a few of the ideas that have been brewing around the Inside the Circle laboratory. As we soon start our second year, we hope to do more to make this blog a better destination for you when you want the latest in Zune news, information on free MP3s downloads, coverage of great events and more.

Artist	Colette
Song	“If”
Album	Push
#zunetune	Click here to download

As we approach the first birthday of Inside the Circle, I wanted everyone to know that I’m planning to introduce a few new things that this blog will do. The whole purpose of Inside the Circle is to be a destination for Zune, Music and Microsoft. We also enjoy connecting with the community and hearing your thoughts and feedback on the plethora of topics that we’ve presented here over the course of the past year.

In the next few days I’m going to outline what some of these new additions are. Some may work out really well and some may be a one-and-done. That all comes with the trial-and-error of trying to create one of the better blogs out there. :-)

I also wanted to take this moment – and I’ll go more into this on the actual birthday – to thank all of you who continue to read Inside the Circle. The feedback that you have given and the love you have shown us is greatly appreciated and humbling. We’ll continue to do our best to be part of your online “magazine rack”.

This video combines two of my favorite things: music and Formula Drift. U-God of the Wu-Tang Clan got a chance to ride shotgun with one of the drift racers. IHip Hop caught it on video and are sharing it with everyone. Check it out.

It's been confirmed on the Zune Insider podcast that the Zune HD does indeed have the Tegra Chip. If you haven't find out about this thing, you need to start reading up! So there ya go, kids, Zune HD is rocking the Tegra!

Click here to read up about the Nvidia Tegra.

So, Amazon decided to list what it thought was the Top 100 Debut Albums of All Time. I have a problem with lists like this because of "all-time". Of the 90s? Sure. Of the last 5 years? I'll live. But of "All-Time"? That's a time frame that hasn't even ended yet.

Anyhow, this started a small Twitter discussion about A) did people agree with the list presented and B) the influence of such a list. If you created a Top 100 Debut Albums, I can almost guarantee you that your list will be different from mine. That doesn't make either list invalid, but depending upon who you are it could have a great influence on what people listen to.

So here the conversation: Check out Amazon's Top 100 Debut Albums and let me know if you, for the most part, agree with them. Which songs should they have removed and which ones should they have added. Which debut album would be #1 on your list?

While you're also here let's discuss the value of lists like this? Do you use any type of listing (like Billboard's Top 100, for example) as a factor in what you listen to?

I'm curious: who reads this column? Drop a line and reveal yourself (I have cookies to give).

• Another week, another Black Moth Super Rainbow remix.
• Grab a track from the Gossips.
• The Walrus wants to give you some Memory Tapes.
• Discover Mar Project.
• Spinner has a track from Yo La Tengo.
• Download some live Neil Young.
• The Legends are over at Indie Rock Cafe.
• Craving some Swedish power pop? Fingertips has some Alibi Tom for you.
• Get down with the Brazilian Funk of Banda Black Rio.
• Check out a remix of a song by one of my favorite newer bands, Kings of Leon.
• Amazon.com has a free track from David Byrne and Brian Eno.
  

And that's it, folks. Have a great weekend.

For me, this is all kinds of awesome and was worthy of a mention.

For those that don't know the GamerChix is a program, that started three years ago, designed to get more girls involved with gaming. The organization has grown to over 10,000 strong (a wonderful accomplishment in itself). Now, with that kind of force, they're starting a givingChix program which involves getting gamers to participate in events that benefit causes for women and children.

They've made their official announcement today and have started a Facebook group. I encourage you to head on over and check it out. If you're Facebook member, I also encourage you to join their group (guy or girl) as a symbol of support!

Much props to the GamerChix on what they've done, are doing and will continue to do. You girls, rock!

My wife and I both have a Zune. I have the 120, and she has a pink 30GB that she has had for over two years and it is still running strong. We both share Zune Pass, and the account is linked to my Live ID. We sync to the same desktop and library. Using Sync Groups, we load up our Zunes with our preferred artists. This all works great.

Except for one small nuance.

Zune.net, and the plays getting synced across to the Social.

My wife and I have pretty different tastes that can overlap in a few areas. We both love the Decemberists and Camera Obscura, for example. But, in general, she's more into the older, folksy music. She loves Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Karen Carpenter, to name a few. She also loves Broadway music, and Barbara Streisand. That's all well and good, until I am reminded that all of her plays are syncing up to my account.

It particularly struck me when I received a Badge for listening to Barbara Streisand. I laughed and wondered how out of place that badge will look next to my other music. Ideally, I would love for her to sync to her own Live ID and Zune.net account, but the way I understand it and can figure out, this is not possible.

And I wish that there were a way to do this. But am I alone? How many Zune owners out there have multiple Zunes on one Zune Pass account? How has it affected your plays and badges in an unexpected way? Or am I missing out on the answer? Inquiring minds want to know.

If you need a thinking man's game to get your mind off of the downtime that Zune and XBOX are doing today, might I suggest: Block Drop. The game is entirely too large for this blog space to post, but here's the link to the game.

I think it's pretty well done for a flash game.

http://www.addictinggames.com/blockdrop.html

As you may have gotten wind of, XBOX Live is going offline Tuesday, June 16th. It's going offline to do some behind-the-scenes preparations for the new XBOX Live features that will be available to folks later in the year. Over at Zune Insider, they've made note that with XBOX going offline, certain features of Zune will be down as well (specifically: zune.net, the forums, and Zune Marketplace).

Brian (Seitz) at Zune Insider has stressed (and I'd like to emphasize too -- in my own way): When everything goes back online don't go salivating towards your XBOX 360 or Zune software expecting anything new. Don't go fiddling through expecting a notification of some type of update -- it won't happen. This is purely behind-the-scenes stuff for later in the year.

Now, I know what you're thinking: I'm gonna go through withdrawl if I don't have my Zune *and* XBOX, what am I gon' do!? Fair question, my friend. My suggestion is to go into Zune Marketplace now and get whatever you need to tide you over until Wednesday. As far as your XBOX goes, the offline doesn't affect your offline game, so you can still pop in your favorite disc and play a little Fable II, Bioshock or whatever tickles your fancy (for me at the moment it's Tiger Woods 2010).

This has been a public service announcement. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

Group	Garbage
Song	“Stupid Girl”
Album	Absolute Garbage
#zunetune	Click here to download

So would you folks like a little Hip-Hop/R&B in your life? Of course, you do and you know that Inside the Circle likes to deliver the free MP3s to you. So here, place your ears on the artist known as BOO. I’m assuming that it’s Boo as in “Baby Boo” not as in “Boo, you stink!” That would just be the wrong way to interpret someone’s stage name.

However, for my money, the song “Can’t Get Enough” by Boo is a song worth listening to. It has a smooth groove and the lyrics flow really well. I should tell you right off the bat that the song is about a girl (you’d probably figure that out within the first 5 seconds, but I like to forewarn when I can), but it’s definitely a great little song to vibe to.

So, take a listen to Boo, download the track, load your Zune with it and enjoy.

I totally had to share this. Over at Current TV's music section there's a short video of Mos Def [zune.net] performing an acapella version of his track "Auditorium" from his album "The Ecstatic" [zune.net]. I especially enjoy the looks that the Japanese people give him while he's rapping. The camera work is also very cool and adds to the performance. Check it out.

For you #zunetune folks, click here to pick up this track from the Zune Marketplace.

And, once more, with feeling:

• Check out two Gang Gang Dance remixes.
• Fluxblog has a track from Bats For Lashes.
• Indie Rock Cafe has you covered with five tracks from artists Birds of Avalon, ArtOfficial, and more.
• Grab an MP3 from Sonic Youth.
• One of my favorite bands, the Raveonettes, have made two demo tracks available from their forthcoming album.
• Discover Foreign Born with 3 free songs.
• Fingertips has some electronic music in the form of I and I.
• Listen to the indie-pop stylings of Circulatory System.
• Spinner has a free song from Wheat.
• Amazon.com has a 10-track Jazz sampler for the price of Free.
• Head over here to grab a N.A.S.A remix.
• Gorilla vs. Bear has a plethora of MP3s, from artists such as the Bitters, Toro y Moi, Salem, DJ Kaos, and more.

That's it for now. Have a great weekend.

I’m anticipating that people are going to notice that my profile at Zune Social is a little different so let me go ahead and fill you in.

Something cool has went down as part of the update to zune.net:

I, along with a few others, have the ability to obtain one-way friends like some members of the Zune Team. Jessica (Jetherealz) has outfitted my profile page with the background that you see above as well as a few others.

So what happens? Essentially if you aren't already a friend of mine on Zune Social, then you can send a friend request. When you do, you'll see that it has been automatically accepted. On my end, I won't know that you've added me (so if you want to send me a private message or comment through Zune Social telling me hi and who you are that's fine). Yet, on your end, you'll see me as part of your friend's list. You can then sync my card to your device and all of that other good stuff that comes with have me as a friend.

I've always felt horrible having to tell people in the zune.net forums that I couldn't add them because I've reached my friend limit. At least with this Zune Social connection they can go ahead and add me if they want to. I'm pretty stoked (and honored) to be given this ability.

My buddies, and fellow Zune MVPs, Mike Stefani, Patrick Hefner and Corey Shuster also can now accept one way friends, so go ahead and add them to your list.

It's a simple question, really:

How do you think Zune should handle the launch of the Zune HD this fall? Lavish events? Small-scale parties? Nothing at all? Cross-Country Concerts?

Be creative!

Further reading: My buddy over at MSTYLE took on the task of this question with 10 suggestions. Check it out.

Let me give you an example of a day in my life from a musical perspective.

I get up and get ready for work. Hopping into my car, I plug in my Zune to the auxiliary jack on my stereo head unit (forget that FM transmitter junk). I decide to finish listening to the new Method Man & Redman album. Cruising down the interstate, the album finishes playing, and I get in the mood to hear some Neko Case. I fire up "Margaret and Pauline" from her Fox Confessor Brings the Flood album. I arrive at work, get inside and settle in. After booting up my laptop, I put on my headphones and continue to listen to Fox Confessor. After listening to several more tracks, I remember that I had used my 10-track allowance from Zune Pass to download most of the recently released, remastered version of Siouxsie and the Banshee's Hyaena album. A couple of flicks on the Zune Pad and I'm immersed in the beautiful opening track, "Dazzle." I work on various items needing my attention as I listen to the complete album, pausing here and there to answer some questions from various team mates. I finish listening to Hyaena, and after switching over to a few tracks from Pink Floyd's Animals, I set aside my Zune for a little bit as I focus on a few things needing my utmost attention. After seeing a man about a Wallaby, I put my headphones on (the outstanding Koss KSC75, if you're wondering) and flick on over to Rage Against the Machine. "Calm Like a Bomb" comes on, and I then flick over to "Renegades of Funk." By now, it's almost lunch time, so I grab some food and sit with my team mates at our table. I then wonder what I'll be listening to in the afternoon.

The chain reaction from Method Man & Redman to Neko Case to Siouxsie and the Banshees to Pink Floyd to Rage Against the Machine: is this unusual? I like to think that I have eclectic tastes, that I try to immerse myself in new types of music and not sticking to one genre, either out of a misguided sense of solidarity or perceived racial preference. I mean, why else would I pay for Zune Pass, which is one of the critical reasons to continue partaking in the Zune ecosphere.

I'm not ashamed to acknowledge that there are certain artists or tracks that I like that would raise eyebrows in my social circles. Yes, I like Kelly Clarkson. I like Lily Allen. I like that one remix of Britney Spears' "Crazy" (this drives my wife nuts). I like certain Broadway songs (I'm looking at you, Les Miserables soundtrack). I still turn Real McCoy's "Automatic Love" up in my car. Justin Timberlake has a permanent place on my Zune (my younger brothers are still reeling from this). And Kate Bush rocks.

But you know what? I'm still rocking the Cure, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Interpol, the Strokes, the White Stripes, the Raveonettes, Public Enemy, Incubus, the Killers, Kings of Leon, The Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys, M.I.A, Megadeth, Mazzy Star, Mates of State, Moby, N.E.R.D, the New Pornographers, Pantera, Korn, PJ Harvey, Rilo Kiley, Sarah McLachlan, Wu Tang Clan, and more. These are all artists that I love and who have formed the core part of my listening experience over the past 17 years. No doubt this list will shift and grow over the next 17 years. That's the wonderful part of being a music lover.

Listen to one genre only? Pfft. That's like limiting yourself to only salad at an all-you-can-eat buffet. It's pointless. That's why I've recently tried out Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Stars, Wisin y Yandel, and others.

Any one else into music diversity? Or do you prefer one or two genres? And if the latter, why is that? Sound off... I'd love to hear your feedback.

So last night, zune.net underwent some changes to make your discovery of music easier and they've added some features that get you more involved with the artists that you enjoy. Here's an inside (the circle) look at what those new features entails:

New Link: You'll notice that instead of zune.net it now goes to social.zune.net. The front page makes a better mention of the fact that there is a social aspect plus they've included a flash graphic that rotates between some of the key things that are going on with Zune. Personally, I would've enjoyed if they had used one of those spots to focus on Social (and the fact that they've added new stuff), but at least now it gives them a chance to really showcase more than one key thing that's going on up at their Redmond offices.

Follow An Artist: This new feature allows you to get information about your favorite artists and bands directly to your email account. All you have to do is simply click on follow and you'll be able to get email notifications about what's going on with them. Now I don't know if this includes new releases or what exactly it entails, but I know that there were people in the zune.net forums who wanted to have this type of thing available. My one issue though is that when you place on your social profile a view of the artists you're following it just points out even more how having all of the artists have at least one photo would be ideal. When you sign up for an artist to be followed, make sure you to go to the 'social notification settings' under 'my account' so that you can designate when you want your updates to happen (daily, weekly, immediately, etc).

Updated Artist's Page: Now when you go to an artist's page you'll be able to click on a see more than one image for that artist. In addition, you can submit an rss feed related to that artists and have that part of their artist page. For example, I submitted the RSS feed of DJ Colette's twitter onto her page. Additionally, you can check out the artist tour schedule to see when they're coming to your town. On your profile page you'll also have a listing there of artists coming to your exact city. Remember, that whatever you submit is not automatically entered -- it has to go through a submission process. No one wants to see crap on an artist page, right?

Updated "My Social" Page: The updated my social page gives you an overview of things that you've chosen to follow and work with. You'll see some highlights of the feeds of the artists you follow as well as a chance to see, at a glance, which concerts are coming to your area. This is in addition to the stuff that's already there: Windows Live Contacts, Friend's Plays, etc.

Various Performance Improvements: Some people are seeing a bit of an improvement and some are seeing no improvement at all. Yet, Zune has stated that they've done some things in the backend to make the movement through zune.net (and Zune Social) easier for users. Granted it's not a monumental improvement, but it's steps in the right direction.

What do you guys think of these incremental updates?

Shane, from the Zune Team has decided to make his #zunetune playlist generator available for everyone. It’s in its infancy, but all you have to do is extract the file, run it and place the created playlist file into your Zune playlist folder on your computer.

All of the eligible ZuneTune entries through Twitter should be automatically added into this to create a playlist you can enjoy. Give it a shot. Let me or Shane know if you have any issues with running the program.

Click here to download the program.

I have to say that I’m proud of the ZuneTune program. Every song in its listing has been submitted by users so you’re hearing songs that your peers are checking out. Also, if you want to participate in the ZuneTune program, make sure that you follow the procedure so that your song(s) can also be part of this playlist.

My friend, Shane, via twitter has made available the first useable #zunetune playlist for the Zune Software.

To use it:

Step #1:
Save this file to your playlists directory folder and open up the Zune Software.



But where is the playlists folder exactly? Open up your music folder, find the Zune folder and open that. Then find the playlists folder and open that. Save the above file in that location. :-)

Step #2:
When you go into Playlists, in the software, you should see it listed there. You'll then be able to check out all of the music that has been submitted via #zunetune. Actually let me say that again: You'll be able to listen to the songs that have been submitted for #zunetune, but only those have been submitted properly. :-)

What makes this so special is that #zunetune is a user-generated playlist. All of the songs listed have been suggested by me, Shane, members of the zune team and folks who have been following the project on Twitter. Every single song has been generated by YOU and people like you. So go check it out and see if you make any new musical discoveries.

Click here to access the Skydrive that contains the file to use. If you want to participate, be sure to check out the primer here at Inside the Circle. It gives you step-by-step instructions on being part of the #zunetune revolution!

Starting at 10pm, zune.net will undergo some maintanence work tonight. What can you expect when it comes back online, after a couple of hours?

• You'll be able to follow your favorite artists using a 'follow the artist' feature
• You (yes, you!) will be able to add links to an artist page (rss feed aggregation)
• Artist information, such as concert dates and music video previews, will be available at zune.net
• Get more information on your Social homepage (additional recommendations, "listening now")
• And some performance improvements
  

So what exactly does all of this mean? Find out when zune.net comes back online. I know some of you might go through withdrawl, but maybe that would be a good time to get some sleep or play XBOX 360 or whatever it is people do around 10pm. ;-)

As part of the lead in into the Electric Daisy Carnival, they are offering desktop wallpaper for people to use on their computers. I’ve picked up mine, but I’ll probably format it so that it’s the wallpaper on my Zune 120.

If you want to pick it up for yourself (it’s free), click here.

Artist: A Flock Of Seagulls

Song: I Ran

Album: A Flock of Seagulls [zune.net]

#zunetune: click here

 

It’s always great to discover a great song and artist and be able to share some of that music with you guys. The artist is Clarissa Cupero. The first song I listened to was “I’ve Got Your Number” and I’ve already played the song like 5 times now – in a 20 minute span :-) It’s one of those songs that’s very catchy, upbeat and fun.

So here you guys try it out and tell me what you think:

As someone who enjoys the music of Hikaru Utada, this is something I’m pretty happy about. The newest Zune device will be able to display foreign characters in addition to the US ones. No more of those little crazy boxes. It’s interesting because the software was able to display them (which I think it’s because the PC itself has unicode support). Just another tidbit about the forthcoming Zune HD.

Friday's freeloading frenzy foists festiveness for fortunate frenetic file feeders. Forward, fellow fidicinal fans! Feel felicitous... feed freely...

• Dig the Asion-fusion stylings of On Ensemble.
• My favorite instrumental of the week goes to What's Up, "Harper."
• Download 12-tracks from a Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds show circa 1986.
• Fingertips has a track from Carbon Leaf.
• The Chromatics cover Bruce Springsteen here.
• Grab a free track from Sonic Youth.
• Obscure Sound offers a 10-track compilation of their Best of May, 2009.
• Discover the Pet Lions with two tracks at Indie Rock Cafe.
• Current Amazon.com free tracks from Calexico, the Brand New Heavies, the Donnas, Meat Puppets, the Pharcyde, the Streets, and Lee Fields and the Expressions.
• Neko Case does a cover of Neil Young's "Dreaming Man."
• RCRD LBL has a new remix from Fever Ray, as well as 4 other tracks.
  
• Download live concerts from Death Cab For Cutie, Soul Coughing, Spoon, Rusted Root, G. Love and Special Sauce, and, of course, the Grateful Dead.

And that's all for now, folks! Enjoy your weekend!

Well my last day at E3 was pretty uneventful :-) I spent the remaining time at the Microsoft booth checking out Bayonetta (awesome game) and just watching the video demonstration of some of the XBOX Live Arcade games that are coming out over the course of the summer.

Overall, I felt that E3 was a great event. I got to network with some awesome people, meet some of the key players within Microsoft and try out some of the new games that will be making their appearances later this year and next year. I appreciate all of the positive feedback that people offered up. I’m glad that in my little corner of the world you guys found something in my write ups that were interesting.

So E3 is in the books and now I can spend this weekend recovering before returning to work on Monday.

 

Today my day started at 12pm (long night, I had). Didn’t think I would be so tired from last night, but apparently my body doesn’t tell me much of anything at times. When I finally made it over to E3, I decided I was going to hang around at the XBOX booth (and the neighboring booths around it). I wanted to get another demonstration of the new Live features – which again look spectacular – and try out some games coming to XBOX 360.

While I was there I ran into some of my awesome gamer friends. It was great to meet some of these guys again (and some for the first time). I especially enjoyed the conversation I had with (twitter names ahead) Chloe (Kittychix) and Rob (Esko). Rob gave me an awesome shirt with my twitter tag on the back of it – stylish. Chloe and I had a good discussion about women and gaming. I think it’s awesome that the Gamerchix program is out there.

Before I begin talking about the games that I tried out, here’s a short video clip. This is from the demonstration of XBOX Live features. It’s the part that covers Zune Video Marketplace. So if you haven’t seen it in action, here you go:

So here’s what I tried out and tested on Day 3 at E3:

Into the Pixel: This was an art exhibit that is being presented at E3. I’m notoriously bad with anything museum like. You could take me to a museum and I’d be done with all of it in about 30 minutes. Into the Pixel was no different. Not that it was bad, mind you, but all I really needed was 5 minutes with it and then I was off to the Expo.

Shadow Complex: Using the Unreal Engine that powers Gears 2, Shadow Complex is a great game for XBOX Live Arcade. It does have that Metroid feel like the developers were mentioning, but it’s really well done. The controls are easy to grasp and it has a very fluid motion. I commented to the gentlemen showing it to me that I would expect this to be available for retail rather than Live Arcade (yes, it was that good).

Madden 2010 (Hands-On): Getting some hands on time with Madden pretty much confirmed what I had already thought about the game: pure awesomeness. The way they integrate the weather and have a full on pre-game show are those things that help you have a full immersive experience. It also helps that the play calling is much simpler now so you can pick your play and get right to it.

Gears of War 2 New Map Packs: Gee, I forget the name, hah, but the new map packs that are coming out for Gears 2 are pretty good. The particular map that I played looked like it was taking place at an abandoned gas station. The action was furious and I suddenly had remember how much I enjoyed playing Gears 2. Now I honestly don’t know if I’m going to get these maps, but they are definitely worth it for anyone who needs to have all of the maps.

Ice Age (XBOX 360): Great game. It’s a collection of mini-games featuring the characters from the movie. It took me a little bit to get used to the controls, but I thought that it was very well done and fun to play.

Need for Speed (XBOX 360): Great graphics and game play. I seem to just have this love for racing games and this one is definitely full of win. I just have to get used to the fact that I can’t always take turns at 150 MPH. Once my brain figures that out, I should be fine.

Batman: Arkane Asylum (PS3): For the love of everything holy was this game fun. I could’ve done without all of the special effects they attach to when you’re fighting enemies, but beyond that I had total fun playing this game. The levels were highly fun to look at and the voice acting was top notch. Getting to play as the Joker is more enjoyable than I expected. We need more games where you can play from the other side of the coin – so to speak.

Trial HD: For an XBOX Live Arcade game, this was highly awesome. Essentially you have to balance your bike rider while traveling through basically a stunt course. If you lean too far forward or backward, you’ll crash the bike. Once you get the hang of the balance, you travel through the course at a high rate of speed and it really looks breathtaking when it’s done correctly – of course, initially, I didn’t do it correctly but once I got the hang of it, it was awesome.

Oh, that picture? That’s the model playing Bayonetta. Pretty good looking there. Oh and Verne Troyer (Mini Me) was traveling around the expo. It was amazing how many celebs are at E3. But you have to remember that they are gamers too and it was also good that everyone wasn’t mobbing them for autographs. They were allowed to walk around and enjoy E3 like everyone else.

Several years ago, Palm founder Jeff Hawkins was at a news event, and in meeting with another business executive, he held in his hand a mysterious device: what appeared to be a sleek looking phone and what was thought to be the successor to the original Treo. Blogs were on fire with speculation, rumors, and hideously blown-up screenshots of this supposed next-generation Treo. In the end, the rumors were true, and Palm wound up with success built in part upon the buzz from the "accidental" appearance. As was planned all along by Palm.

Microsoft had no such revelation with the Zune. Microsoft being Microsoft, there was naturally some buzz beforehand regarding the Zune, but nothing to the extent of the classic Treo. And, Microsoft being Microsoft, the first-generation Zune was not going to set the world on fire with its looks. And subsequent models have garned increased but still-lackluster buzz. Do you know why there isn't more commotion being made over the Zune?

Answer me this: when was the last time you saw a Zune commercial on the television?

Followed by: when was the last time you saw an iPod commercial on the television?

It would almost make sense. The biggest player in the market, with millions and millions of iPods sold and the largest piece of the MP3 player pie, still needs to generate interest and put out artsy, vibrantly colored commercials with catchy tunes. Microsoft? I think I saw a Zune commercial once, a couple of years ago. Once. It's almost like an urban legend, like fearing cars riding around at night with their lights off and Lee Marin and Captain Kangaroo fighting together at the battle of Iwo Jima. For real, folks.

How does that even make sense?

Now, perhaps with the advent of the Zune HD, and since there appears to be a significant buzz growing around the product, Microsoft will now jump on the advertising bandwagon. Because, you know, that's a trick most companies have up their sleeves.

Is this a non-issue? Is the word-of-mouth buzz enough to sustain the Zune? Promotion and coverage from online sites such as Engadget, Gizmodo, and Zune fan sites is great, but only a fraction of the potential audience visits these sites. The Zune needs to be out there, in the public eye in a very positive way. It already has a certain air of cool about it, being an extremely capable iPod alternative with its Wi-Fi and Zune Marketplace features. Microsoft needs to make an advertising leap, and soon.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Disagree? Sound off in the comments section, Zune horde.

Here’s my pictures from Day 2 (official Floor Show Day 1)

And this DJ rocked, let me tell ya… :P

I’ve been to expo events before in my life and I always come to the same conclusion: I really need to pace myself at these things. Yet, I never learn as evidenced today when I went to the first day of the E3 expo and pretty much walked the entire thing.

At first, yes, it was a bit overwhelming: the bright lights, tons of TVs, game consoles, game posters, news coverage and people. After about 5 minutes of soaking it all in I decided I was going to put on my journalism hat (the one I tried on and purchased in college) and see if I can get some overall impressions of the show setup, discover what could be one of my favorite booths and get some hands-on time with the video games – I mean after all, this is every gamer’s wet dream. A chance to try out new games before everyone else. Yet, in the process I also kept my other fundamental goal – networking. I want to get to know some of these people who make the games, write for the games, design software. I think over the next couple of days I’ll really be able to talk to some awesome people.

So the first question is who had the better setup: Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft? Will I be biased… absolutely… not. Nintendo’s booth was very bright and nicely organized. When you walk into the Nintendo booth you feel like you’ve walked into a cloud (maybe that was their idea). But then again, Nintendo, is known as that family friendly, easy-going company and their booth really showed that.

 

Sony was very industrial to a point with their stuff. They had these super giant screens that were occasionally running trailers and game video for upcoming titles. My favorite giant screen trailer was for Wipeout, primarily because I really love that game and secondly the music that was playing to accompany it was totally awesome. One thing I’ve always loved about Sony was this sense of style and visual appeal. It definitely showed with their booth. I was a bit worried about that after they showed off their PSP Go.

 

Microsoft (read: XBOX 360) had their booth all decked in green and it was a nice layout. My issue with it was that it seemed – if this can be believed – too spaced out. With them you could pretty much walk around the circle and see everything you needed to see. The space they setup for the demonstration of the upcoming XBOX 360 firmware seemed like this afterthought cause it really didn’t make itself known – I didn’t even know it was there until the third time I visited the booth.

Activision blew me away. To promote their game DJ Hero, they had an actual DJ performing on the stage – and this guy was good. He definitely had the crowd rocking with some old-school hip hop and really could blend songs from one song to another. I had to stop in my tracks taking pictures and just soak in his beats. He nailed that. I think I’ll go give him a full 30 minute listen tomorrow (yes, he was that good).

Then, after twittering with you all to death, I decided it was high time that I got in some game demo time. I tried out a few games and here’s my opinion – I’m only going to offer opinions on the games I actually played hands-on or saw a significant amount of game play to make a judgment.

Tekken 6 (Sony): Yes, folks. I could’ve played this game all day. I’ve been a huge fan of the Tekken series (I even have the Tekken game that’s available for download on the PSP). To get to play it again brought back some wonderful memories. It seems that in this version that they’re bringing out they are including almost (if not) everyone from the prior versions of Tekken. The gameplay was solid and the backgrounds were fluid and went well with the action on the screen. Of course people who enjoy button mashing will get their kicks much like more seasoned players who love the combos. Well done, game, very well done.

Planet 51 (Microsoft): This game is more designed for kids – and the guy telling me about it even said as much. It’s based off a movie that’s coming out in the Fall of this year and revolves around aliens (hence the name). While I enjoyed the graphics and overall cute, quirky look of the game, it’s not something I would play for extended periods of time. Kids would definitely enjoy playing, but I think us adults would quickly move on to something else.

Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft): Here’s my OMGWTFBBQ!?! moment. I have a serious soft spot for racing games and Forza 3 has really outdone itself. The amount of cars you can choose, the game play, the controls, the graphics, everything was well done. While I wouldn’t immediately take the place of Burnout: Paradise (which currently reigns as my racing grand champion), Forza 3 would definitely find a place in my gaming rotation. It probably also helps that I got first place in my very first race.

Transformers: Rise of the Fallen (Sony): I got to try out the PSP version of the game and I was highly impressed. It was easy to figure out the controls and to get in there and blow up some robots. I did have one reservation and that was the left and right shoulder buttons being used to rotate your robot while they’re shooting. That particular thing took a little getting used to especially when you’re trying to move your robot around. I did like the graphics of the game and the sound as well. It’s a game I would purchase when it becomes available.

XBOX Marketplace/Dashboard (Duh!): In that small, almost afterthought corner of the XBOX booth, I came across where they were giving demonstrations of the new XBOX features that are coming out in the fall. I must say that the SKY TV stuff is super awesome. You can actually invite friends into a TV party to watch the same sporting event – as demonstrated below with a soccer match. That, to me is what is really separating XBOX from other gaming consoles. It’s working it’s way to a point where single-player experiences will be far and few between for people. It’ll be all about setting up times with friends to get together, be it for movies, gaming, television, pictures…

Then of course there was a demonstration of the Zune Video Marketplace. It was awesome to see that in action. The host pulled up the Batman movie that was shown in the press briefing. The instantaneous pull up and view of the movie is great up close. The Video Marketplace does work in the 1080p format, but is also smart enough to be able to figure out if you don’t have 1080p and adjust accordingly.

Madden 2010 (Sony): Dear, goodness! Madden has finally gotten back on the wagon. This year they’ve really gotten back to basics. The play calling screen is much easier to understand and you can easily get your running and passing plays going without having to tap 60 buttons just to snap the ball and get it to your wide receiver. One thing that Madden 2010 has not forgotten how to do is get guys to talk smack during the game – sometimes, I swear, the people who play the game are what really makes the game. If you’re a fan of Madden then you have something to look forward to when this game is released.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (Nintendo): This game, for the DSi, is ok. I liked the comic book/anime feel of the cut scenes, but the overall game play didn’t grab me at all. I guess from games like that I expect more immersion into the story and it didn’t really reach me. It’s ok though, I thought the DSi, as a device was interesting – still wouldn’t replace by regular DS, though.

Conclusion: Overall, I could see why this was huge, but not as huge as previous years. It felt like there could’ve been more to it, but the companies that were there did really put their best feet forward to present their latest games, latest hardware and new ways to help us use up all of those sick and vacation days that we’re accruing in the workplace.

On to tomorrow and another full day of game testing and drooling.

Am I the only one who remembers this film? Seeing as we’re in such a video game mood at E3, let’s relive some of the classics shall we?

So, as a Zune MVP, I’m bringing to you the replay of the segment of the E3 Press Briefing in which the Zune Video Marketplace was announced. It was quite a proud moment when it was discussed, but my sail was kind of let down after seeing Last.fm as the music provider for XBOX 360 – Given that Zune is Microsoft’s in-house music team you have to wonder how Zune and Last.FM will co-exist on the same console.

So now we begin Day 2 of the E3 Expo. Technically, this is the first day of the floor show. This will now be everyone’s opportunity to test drive the new games and hardware that will be making an appearance this year. I figured that if I’m going to do this event right I need to have a daily game plan – even if I end up deviating from this plan, for whatever reason, I need to at least have something to work with to make this day easier.

So what I’ve decided to do is spend a great deal of time with the Microsoft booth and any booths around that general area. Essentially, I’m going to try to hit the three major companies – one per day. If that doesn’t pan out then I’ll modify as necessary. I hope to introduce myself to more of the people in the XBOX community – and I really need to find a way to shake Major Nelson’s hand.

Prior to my trek through the show floor, though, I plan to go to the Famima Japanese convenience stores to pick up some bars and Red Bull. I’m packing them into my awesome Zune tote bag and then I’m heading over to the Convention Center.

And yes, I will try to get pictures of some of the booth babes – I know the guys in the audience need drooling material. After the show floor romp, I have myself scheduled for one of those late night parties, so we’ll see how that goes.

So keep the eye on my twitter today for updates and twitpics – also keep in mind that I’ll be taking pictures with my digital camera for my daily “pictures in review”.

Let’s have some fun!