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Good for You: A Spotify guide to Greg Ginn’s new band

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In Spotify Essentials, the Daily Dot curates custom playlists created by some of our favorite artists, staff writers, and Web community leaders. This week, Mike Vallely of Good for You discusses his new project with Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn.

While recording vocals for Good for You's debut LP on SST Records, Life Is Too Short to Not Hold a Grudge, I spent two full weeks in Casa Destroy Studios in Taylor, Texas with producer/guitarist and cosongwriter Greg Ginn and engineer Mike Shear. It was a fun, loose, creative, and very productive time, where I put vocals down on some 45 different tracks.

I lived in the studio, literally, sleeping each night on the floor underneath the microphone. We put in full days and nights, pausing only to eat and sleep. We didn't really listen to much other music while in the studio, but in the rare spaces between sessions we did talk quite a bit about the music we liked and were inspired by. The following are some notes from those conversations and the following playlist I've assembled is representative of the studio vibes we were feeling while working on our record.

We talked about AC/DC a lot. Greg and I both rank Bon Scott as one of our favorite frontmen ever: Pick any Bon Scott song—there really isn't a bad one. But, we also both felt that Back in Black is by far AC/DC's finest studio album ever, which ironically features Bon's successor Brian Johnson. For us it was about the production, songwriting, and the obvious spirit of Bon that infused the the Back in Black record, and we both felt that Brian Johnson proved to be, in that moment, the perfect lightning rod of true intensified yet humble inspiration. Unfortunately, Spotify only carries one AC/DC track, “Gone Shootin’” from the Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack.

Since these were vocal sessions, we talked a lot about singers. Not that I was trying to channel any of these folks, clearly I couldn't and can't. More so our conversations were about the spirit that these vocalists that we love embodied. Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zandt is another singer we both ranked up at the top. His songs have an authenticity to them that cuts through any filter. There's no doubt that Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Cry for the Bad Man" has a few distant cousins in the material that we were working on for Life Is Too Short.

I worked on lyrics for the album over the course of some five months or so before entering the studio. During that time I went to see a then-62-year-old Bruce Springsteen literally bring the house down at the LA Sports Arena. I've seen well over 20 Springsteen shows through the years, but this one in Los Angeles in 2012 may just be the greatest rock show I've ever seen. And although it doesn't quite eclipse the impact that seeing Black Flag had on me in 1984, it affected me in somewhat the same way: propelling me forward.

Bridging the topic of the Boss with Greg seemed a bit strange, but Greg understood what is was that I saw and get out of Bruce and his music, because Greg had seen him play in the '70s in L.A. and knows that he delivers. "Adam Raised a Cain" live is one of the most intense Springsteen songs ever. It's Bruce for those who don't think they could possibly like Bruce.

There's Black Sabbath and Black Flag, and then there’s Black Oak Arkansas and the Black Crowes, two bands Greg spoke about numerous times during our sessions. Clearly, Greg loves Luthur Dickinson's guitar playing, but he also feels that the Crowes embody what rock is all about and yet, they still move it forward. I was personally unfamiliar with Black Oak Arkansas. This led to our longest non-food or sleep-based studio break, where Greg educated me through song and video documentation: "Jim Dandy" on YouTube, live at California Jam in 1974, a show that Greg himself attended.

At one point our discussions somehow lead to "Who Was the Greatest Canadian Rock Band Ever?" Greg said that although he really liked Rush, he felt that the Guess Who stands out as Canada's greatest gift to. For me, Rush was an important precursor to punk rock. I got the Rush album Signals for Christmas in 1982. "Subdivisions" was something I could really relate to—something I could feel—a song about being a cast out. This was relatively uncharted territory in most of the bravado of the rock music that I was used to. We would go on to spend a bit of time talking about Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for Rush, but Greg always hedged the Canadian conversation back to the Guess Who and "These Eyes."

One discussion naturally led to "The Greatest American Rock Band Ever." I didn't even blink: KISS. Greg looked at me like I was crazy. KISS? "They're horrible. Their guitarist is horrible. Their drummer is horrible," he said. (Little did Greg know that I have an Ace Frehley tattoo on my right calf.) I countered that they are the American Beatles, and that Stanley and Simmons are our Lennon and McCartney. Greg's eyes rolled in his head. He said, "I'll give you this... Gene Simmons is an incredible bass player. His playing alone is exceptional. He rarely makes a mistake, even with all the theatrics, and he just has a great sound and tone." "100,000 Years" is a track off of the first KISS album, KISS, and features Gene's signature driving bass which Greg and I both agree is rocking! That's about all we got out of this particular topic.

Guitarists. It's a hard topic to avoid when talking with one of the greatest of all-time. Angus Young, Tony Iommi, Jack White and Luthur Dickinson were all discussed several times, amongst others and in great detail. (Sadly, not Ace Frehley.) Surprisingly, Greg reeducated me on Prince. We watched a video of him playing with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Jeff Lynne at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I've always loved Petty, and Lynne definitely kills the vocals on the George Harrison track "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," but when Prince steps in for an extended solo he seems god-like. "Purple Rain" is a Prince track I've always dug and no doubt, I now really hear and appreciate that guitar solo cutting through more than ever.


The White House doesn't find Daniel Tosh funny

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It looks like you can add White House personnel to the list of people who do not find Daniel Tosh funny.

The Tosh.0 host called for fans of his Comedy Central program to support a series of petitions posted to We The People, the official petition site of the White House.

Tosh's petitions called for a merging of North Dakota and South Dakota into one state, an elimination of most forms of currency and butterscotch candies, an automatic grant of U.S. citizenship to any Mexican who can make a killer fish taco, a demand that Bed Bath & Beyond stores mark down their merchandise, and a demand that comedian Dave Chappelle return to television.

Since the April 2 broadcast, the latter two petitions have been removed, according to the comedian's blog. As of April 5, only three of the Tosh.0 petitions remain active on We The People, with the most successful collecting 5,300 votes. By comparison, a Change.org petition to take Daniel Tosh off the air received 37,000 signatures.


If the White House's penchant for cleansing the site of humorous petitions is any indication, Tosh's remaining petitions will also fail to reach the 100,000 signature threshold necessary to force a response from officials.

Tosh's critics, whose numbers swelled after the comedian made an ill-received rape joke in July 2012, have been quick to chastise the comedian's efforts.

"Watched your show last night, and your declaration, "the white house doesn't know the power of tosh" or something like that..... a little over 2000 sigs? I guess mocking the white house isn't as easy as mocking "pay for play teens singing poorly" hahahahaha. i thought you were clever," Facebook user James Welch commented.

"youre an idiot if you sign/like/ daniel tosh's petitions" tweeted Kristina Kasbohm.

Facebook user Ashley Williams attempted to fight fire with fire, taking the liberty to create her own petition that forces Tosh to "come out of the closet."

The next scheduled episode of Tosh.0 airs on Comedy Central on April 9. Tosh has not publicly stated any plans to address the petitions on his show.

Since its 2011 launch, We The People has been no stranger to less-than-serious petitions. Citizens have called upon the highest levels of government to tend to everything from state Pokemon to considering the construction of a fully-functional U.S.S. Enterprise. A popular November 2012 petition to build a Death Star received enough signatures to force a response from the White House.

Photo via Comedy Central

Refresh your "Game of Thrones" memory with this ace recap map

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Need some help to remember where Game of Thrones left your favorite character every week?

There's a great interactive map that tracks the movements of the Starks, Baratheons, and Lannisters (who, let's face it, never leave King's Landing anyway).

Scrolling down the page, you'll jump from locale to locale around the Seven Kingdoms as each episode is recapped. It's real slick and offers a good reminder of what's been going on since we last hooked up with Tyrion, Robb, Daenerys, et al.

Roger Kethcart, an editor for the Web team at Direct.tv, teamed up with a few friends to create the recap map a few weeks ago.

"We decided to make something like this because GoT can be stupid hard to follow, even if you have read the books," Kethcart told me via email. "Visually, we felt like fans really like the family crests and and static maps that detail the different kingdoms of Westeros."

Kethcart's team plans to update the map the day after each episode airs this season.

If only the Night's Watch had something like this to keep track of the White Walkers.

Photo by Jemimus/Flickr

Prepare to be humbled by the Iron Sheik on Vine

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Former WWF champion the Iron Sheik is an Internet phenomenon.

His forthright comments on Twitter helped him lock down a healthy band of more than 277,000 followers. The Iron Sheik's frequent attacks on Hulk Hogan, Chris Brown, Jose Canseco, and Zach Braff (among many others) in stylized, somewhat broken English have endeared him to fans old and new.

Now, Sheikie, as he calls himself, is all over Twitter's video-sharing app Vine.

The 70-year-old's first Vine appeared Friday, just as Wrestlemania weekend was getting into full swing. He's already shared 30 videos and has almost 1,400 followers. Judging by his Vines, he's every bit the type of character he projects on his Twitter account.

Let's take a look at how Sheikie learned to use Vine, catching up with old friends as performers and fans descended on New Jersey for the biggest wrestling show of the year. (Warning: some NSFW language ahead.)

Sheikie's first few posts were shot in a hotel room. He really seems to hate Hulk Hogan, and is enthusiastic about cutlery and condiments.

He tried his hand at a #weirdvine.

Sheikie is a believer in personal grooming.

Sheikie is a Gatorade drinker. So there's that.

He appeared at a convention. One fan seemed really happy to meet the legend.

Sheikie managed to catch up with some old pals over the weekend. Former tag-team partner Nikolai Volkoff, iconic wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and Marty Jannetty were among those the Sheik ran into.

It wasn't all fun and games for the Sheik this weekend. Just you try running a 7-Eleven with no beer. 

Photo via @therealironsheik/Instagram

Meet Nathan Schwartz, the boy king of rap Instagram

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Above is a photo of Rick Ross with a 12-year-old boy.

As a single artifact, this is beautiful for the distinct pairing: this goofy-grinned young kid with Maybach Music Group gear head to toe, with Rick Ross. The weird thing is the 12-year-old doesn’t look uncomfortable or really even starstruck. That’s because this is the day-to-day in the life of Nathan Schwartz, a.k.a. @natedoggschwartz, current middle-schooler, aspiring rap mogul, and Rap Instagram Game Zelig.

Anyways, here are two pictures of him with Lil Wayne:

And here’s one of him with Kendrick Lamar.

And oh, why not? Here’s one with Kanye.

Nathan is the Secret King of Rap Instagram. He’s managed to get shitty Instagram photos of himself with everyone from Meek Mill to Snoop Lion to Nicki Minaj to DJ Khaled. The list goes on and on, like his own personal Top 40, and it is fascinating. This future human meme is the Internet’s number-one rap superfan, building his own Instagram autograph book empire, one backstage photo-op at a time.

Reed the full story on Noisey

By Dale Eisinger

Play Ball: The ultimate playlist of baseball songs

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In Spotify Essentials, the Daily Dot curates custom playlists created by some of our favorite artists, staff writers, and Web community leaders. This week, The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology coeditor Doug Freeman tracks the sound of our national pastime.   

Music and baseball have had a long and close history. After all, what other sport has a song like “Take Me Out to Ball Game” universally performed during every outing?

Baseball has inspired more songs than perhaps any other sport over the past century. Naturally, devising the ultimate baseball playlist required some decisive trimming. I’d be lying if I said the criterion wasn’t completely arbitrary, but in creating the perfect tracklist, as in baseball, you have to make tough decisions to ensure that the Mets don’t embarrass themselves too badly.

I generally avoided the kind of marketed team anthems or popular sport hits and instead wanted to highlight some of the more leftfield baseball odes. That means we’ve left off some John Fogerty and Terry Cashmen’s classic “Talkin’ Baseball,” as well as Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer. 

That said, some mainstream hits with less-direct baseball influences made the roster, such as Meatloaf’s quite brilliant “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights,” which deploys Phil Rizzuto’s radio play-by-play commentary to describe lusting teenagers in the backseat of a car.

Sports often serves as a popular allegory for life in music—the slow artistry and drama of baseball providing a perfect metaphorical backdrop. It’s explicit in songs like Mabel Scott’s suggestive “Baseball Boogie” and the Intruders’ Sixties soul “(Love is a Like A) Baseball Game,” but it works just as well through indirect allusions, as in Magnolia Electric Co.’s “31 Seasons in the Minor Leagues” and Greg Brown’s “Laughing River.” Dan Bern, whose album Doubleheader may be one of the best baseball-themed LPs, may take top honor for the baseball-as-life song with “When My Buckner Moment Comes.”

The entire catalog of the Baseball Project (the themed all-star grouping of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon) could be included, and while “Ted Fucking Williams” may be the band’s best track, I’ve chosen “Don’t Call Them Twinkies” because it features fellow enthusiast Craig Finn of the Hold Steady. And Yo La Tengo deserves special note for the New Jersey trio having taken their name from a notorious Mets anecdote.

Baseball is a game of poetry, and its movement and nostalgia have long inspired writers. The sport’s long summer season offers the continual hope of redemption and (as Cubs fans can relate) the slow slog of inevitability that must be played to the bitter end. But as Austin songwriter Matt the Electrician once wrote, “On Opening Day no one will say, the country’s gone to hell in a handbasket.”

Photo by theseanster93/Flickr

Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner audition for "Game of Thrones"

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Every evening, the Daily Dot delivers a selection of links worth clicking from around the Web, along with the day's must-see image or video. We call it Dotted Lines.

  • Before Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams were the Stark daughters on Game of Thrones, they were two young actresses who nailed an audition for an HBO fantasy pilot based on some George R.R. Martin books. 

  • Michigan point guard Spike Albrecht hollered at Kate Upton the way a college freshman writes on his crush's Facebook wall. Good job, good effort.
  • LOOK AT THIS GIF. It's a perfect game of Snake.
  • You'll do a double-take when you see Sexy Walter Jr., a.k.a. Breaking Bad's R.J. Mitte, in a photo shoot for Dark Beauty Magazine. Bret Easton Ellis, eat your heart out.

Image via Uproxx

  • Adam Sandler wants to see Shaq's weewee.
  • Florida Man drinks FourLoko and takes a dump in a Burger King parking lot.
  • Buzzworthy: Free vibrators for San Franciscans who file before Tax Day.
  • The New York Knicks could win 13 straight tonight.
  • Amanda Bynes will smoke pot wherever she pleases, even Times Square, thankyouverymuch.
  • Here's how to make your breakfast look like Captain America's shield.

The best acceptance speeches from the 2013 Shorty Awards

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When the Shorty Awards debuted in 2009, an award show for Twitter seemed like a ridiculous idea. 50,000 votes were tweeted, along with just as many requests to stop spamming everyone with Shorty Awards votes.

Four years later, Twitter has become a global phenomenon, and the “Oscars of social media” has grown into a legitimate award show .

Internet celebrities, parodies, and television stars alike were awarded for their wits and social media presence at the fifth annual Shorty Awards, held Monday night at New York City’s Times Center.

Hosted by actress Felicia Day, the Shorty Awards handed out fan-voted awards in 65 different categories—everything from best TV star to best non-human account.

The top six finalists for each category were determined after fans spent a month voting for their favorites on Twitter, and the winners were chosen by the Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences, a panel that includes Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, MC Hammer, Charlie Sheen, Alyssa Milano, and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak.

And in classic Twitter fashion, winners have to limit their speeches to 140 characters.

The winners list gives an eclectic look at Twitter from astronaut Chris Hadfield to Twitter favorite Justin Bieber, NASA and @SarcasticRover to Pretty Little Liars. Supernatural's Misha Collins, who took over Tumblr just last week, conquered another social media site after winning for Best Actor.

Although no one rushed the stage and got thrown out—like radio host “East Side Dave” McDonald did when he failed to win a Shorty Award in 2010—there were a few winners who gave retweet-worthy acceptance speeches.

"I think it's safe to say my 15 mins are up. :)," Stacy Lambe, one of the creators of Texts from Hillary, tweeted after he won for Tumblr of the Year.

Former Star Trek star (and current Facebook and Tumblr star) George Takei won the award for Distinguished Achievement in Internet Culture. Along with sharing memes and viral images, he also used social media to help fundraise for disaster relief in Japan and victims of Hurricane Sandy and bring awareness to causes close to home.

 

"I can't express how grateful that makes me feel to know that I made a difference, however small," Takei said, before comparing the award to having an asteroid named after him.

First Lady Michelle Obama took home the #GIFStar Special Shorty Award after appearing in several GIFs that went viral over the past year, and she tweeted her acceptance speech from the official FLOTUS account.

Jimmy Kimmel won this year's Lifetime Achievement Shorty Award. While flattered by the award, he noted that he couldn't possibly accept it alone.

"I share this Shorty with so many people—most especially the children who helped make it possible," Kimmel said before including clips of children crying at his achievement, a nod to one of his viral YouTube challenges.

You can watch the Shorty Awards ceremony in its entirety below:

Photo via shortyawards/YouTube


Student webseries "B-Roll" mocks student webseries

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Many webseries creators carry a certain air of arrogance. After all, in a medium where one person must wear several creative hats and is guaranteed a few viewers so long as he can achieve a decent amount of distribution, it’s easy to get carried away when evaluating one’s self-worth. The new B-Roll webseries mocks these tendencies by introducing us to the most big-headed creators imaginable.

The lead character of B-Roll is Chris, an egocentric, self-absorbed, out-of-touch director who has 48 hours to make a short film so he can enter a contest to win $10,000. To accomplish such a feat, he brings together a collection of self-important crew members. There’s Joanne, who thinks she’s a great producer because she can conduct successful bake sales; Ingrid, who has written “a novel a month for the last three years” and believes her latest screenplay is the greatest thing since sliced bread; James, who figures he’s important because he has a cool title like “Director of Photography”; and Mike, a cameraman with more self-doubt than the rest of the group combined.

The brilliance of B-Roll stems from its apparent real-life origins. Its cast and crew are members of Bulldog Productions, Yale’s undergrad filmmaking society, and the series may just be a dig at the stuffiness that its creators see around campus. Heck, they may even be guilty of some of the traits they are mocking. B-Roll understands the usual flaws of amateur filmmakers, and as with any great comedy, the series does well to enlarge those flaws for maximum entertainment value.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT:

  • Tiny OfficeThere aren’t too many web series featuring classic slapstick, but this series does it well by placing an odd couple together in a far-too-small workspace. 
  • Concerned Citizens. A profile of a fictional conspiracy theorist, who, as you could guess, is quite wacky and very much a self-caricature.
  • 101 Ways To Get Rejected. High school losers must deal with the pains of growing up, one of which is getting embarrassingly rejected by the hottest guy in school.
  • WallflowersA web series about four hopeless romantics whose personal failings come to a head when they join a support group for single Manhattanites.

Screengrab via YouTube

Roger Ebert's Twitter account will live on

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Before Roger Ebert passed away last Thursday, he had asked his wife, Chaz, to tweet for him.

Ebert had cultivated a new online voice after losing his own, and his presence will live on—on Twitter, at least. Late Wednesday, his wife used @ebertchicago to thank well-wishers. 

Ebert also asked RogerEbert.com editor Jim Emerson to continue posting updates and sharing them with @ebertchicago's 843,000 followers. 

On his acclaimed account (we deemed him the sixth-most-important Twitter user of 2011), Ebert mused about celebrities, current affairs, and life beyond movies. More than that, he used it as a way to communicate directly with readers.

It's wonderful that @ebertchicago will live on. But sadly, we'll be missing insights like this:

Photo via VIVELOHOY/YouTube

Here's how Psy is following up "Gangnam Style"

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We've already survived the Psypocalypse, but now we're just days away from the second coming of Psy.

The Korean rapper is set to attempt the seemingly impossible: successfully following up his international megahit “Gangnam Style,” the most-played song in YouTube history. He’ll debut his first post- "Gangnam" single, “Gentleman,” during a concert that will stream live on YouTube Saturday.

"After putting Seoul's Gangnam district on the map and single-handedly reviving the powder blue tux, Psy's got big plans this weekend and you're invited to get involved," YouTube announced in a blog post Thursday.

We haven't seen much of Psy since he officially retired the hit that spawned a thousand covers and parodies—and became the first video on YouTube to reach 1 billion views—on New Year's Eve, but he's set to return at his "Happening" concert at Seoul's World Cup stadium.

Concert-goers have been instructed to wear white for the concert, and have been given hints about the dance routine.

"The dance is one known to all Koreans but new to foreigners," Psy, who has long been famous in Korea for his many dance moves, told South Korean TV. "It will be presented in Psy style."

“Gentleman” is a song with a techno beat and catchy one-liners such as "I am a party mafia!" and "I am a mother father gentleman." While it's too early to see if it will live up to the expectations Psy set with "Gangnam Style," the boost “Gentlemen” gets from YouTube views will certainly help its chances on the Billboard Hot 100.

The concert will go live at 6:30 pm local time on Psy's YouTube channel (2:30 am PT and 5:30 am ET respectively), but if you can't stay up late enough or wake up early enough for the affair, you can always watch it afterwards on YouTube.

"If I said he was under no pressure, I wouldn't be telling the truth," Psy's manager, Hwang Kyu-hwan, told The Guardian. "But he's not expecting a repeat of Gangnam Style...and that's taken the pressure off a bit."

The single is set to release Thursday at midnight local time on iTunes (so it's currently not available in the U.S. or U.K.), but there are still some leaked versions on YouTube that have yet to be pulled offline.

Photo via officialpsy/YouTube

The Titanic will sink again—on Twitter

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Spoiler alert: It doesn't matter how many times you tweet or retweet, the Titanic is going down. Again.

This week, @TitanicRealTime continues its inevitable journey to the bottom of the Atlantic. Last year, the History Press launched a Twitter feed to "livetweet" the journey of the doomed ocean liner 100 years after it sank on its 1912 maiden voyage. (You know, like in that James Cameron movie.) With 71,000 followers still tuning in, the publishing company has decided to sink the ship again this year.

For history dorks like me, it's a welcomed return. Nothing breaks up a dull afternoon at work like a tweet about the night watchmen looking for icebergs (and thinking, “You're not looking hard enough!”).

But how many people will really pay attention to this Twitter feed when we already know the ending? Not only that, it was livetweeted a year ago. Actually, a lot of people: It's sort of like watching Titanic over and over and over again, which everyone in the world did in 1997. (I'll admit I dragged my girlfriend to see it last spring, but that was mostly because I wanted to see a huge boat sink in 3-D).

Maybe the folks behind @TitanicRealTime should mix it up this year. Maybe the boat doesn't hit an iceberg. Maybe they create an alternative history where nothing bad ever happens to the Titanic until its retired in the 1960s and becomes the world's largest Long John Silver's franchise docked in New York Harbor? How about a cross promotion with @WalkingDead_AMC where the boat sinks and then reemerges as a Zombie Titanic and Rick Grimes has to fight walkers at sea? It wouldn't be the first time the ship has risen from its icy grave.

When you think about it, the possibilities really are endless. Or maybe they just roll with what they've got, tracking each moment until the boat's tragic end on April 15, banking on the fact that most of us won't take the time to click "unfollow."

Photo viaRiseTheTitanic1980/YouTube

Tune in now to Coachella

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The Coachella experienced is overrated. It’s in the middle of a desert, outside a boring city, and with little in the way of travel alternatives or on-site hydration.

Thankfully, for the third year in a row, the annual music festival will stream live on its YouTube channel.

Starting at 3:30pm PT Friday, you'll have access to some of the biggest acts—The Postal Service, Phoenix, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers—across five stages on three separate channels and for all three days of the fest. It's a stacked lineup, with streams of Divine Fits, Alt-J, Jake Bugg, Sparks, Nick Cave's Grinderman, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blur, and select highlights from the Stone Roses reunion all available in a matter of mere hours. 

Some of the shows will air simultaneously, so you may have to choose between your favorite acts. But it’s a lot faster to switch channels than it is to trek across the Indio campgrounds and fight the crowds.

YouTube has become a premier destination for major events, such as the 2012 Presidential Election coverage, Felix Baumgartner's freefall from space, and even Psy's debut of his followup to "Gangnam Style."

Stay at home this year. You'll be much more comfortable that way.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Photo via coachella/YouTube

Can you find Waldo at the Masters?

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The Masters, one of professional golf's most storied events, is currently underway at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The question on everyone's mind is "Will Tiger Woods finally break his slump and win his first major tournament since 2008?"

But not for Brian Ries and Mike Hayes. What they want to know is "Where's Waldo?"

Ries and Hayes, a reporter for BuzzFeed, are behind the single-serving Tumblr Waldo at the Masters. Since Thursday, the two have been taking stills from the tournament's online feed and Photoshopping the inconspicuous children's book character into the background.

The idea for the blog first came to Ries while watching the tournament online. He noticed that not one person at Augusta appeared to be wearing stripes.

"I looped Mike in because we are golfing buddies and because he's a good partner in crime on these things," Ries, an editor at Newsweek and the Daily Beast, told the Daily Dot.

And so Waldo at the Masters was born. In the last 24 hours, the duo have produced 17 different visual puzzles. (Ries's fiance contributed one, too.) They also noted that they planned on keeping the Tumblr going throughout the tournament, which ends on Sunday, so long as they had an audience to appreciate their work.

"If nobody followed it today, I would have no problem just scrapping it," Hayes said, "but people seem to like it, so might as well keep it going."

And what about Woods? Does he break his dry spell?

Ries seems to think so. "Tiger is back, and Waldo will be watching," he said.

For his part, Hayes only had one parting thought.

"I'd like the record to show that I always beat Brian in golf," he declared. "Always."

Below are four of our favorite Waldo at the Masters images. Try to see if you can spot the striped golf aficionado.

Photo via Brian Ries and Mike Hayes/Waldo at the Masters

Hey, Retta, this Tumblr is teaching you all about hockey

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You may know Retta from her role as Donna in NBC's Parks and Recreation. But it's her role as a TV fan, not a character, that's turned the comedian into the Web's most desirable critic—for everything from teen dramas to opera. And now hockey.

Retta has a 124,000-strong Twitter following. Her livetweeting of TV shows like Downton Abbey and The Vampire Diaries has proven so popular that now people seem to want her to livetweet everything. As soon as she mentioned on Conan that she was into classical music, the L.A. Opera and New York Philharmonic were duking it out over who would get Retta to come to one of their shows.

As it turns out, Retta’s fanbase doesn’t just stretch from Parks and Rec viewers to fans of Puccini—it includes sports enthusiasts as well. After suggesting that she’d be up for live-tweeting a hockey game with the L.A. Kings—despite the fact that she knows nothing about hockey—Kings fan Chanelle Berlin decided to step up and teach Retta everything she needed to know.

Starting each post with a friendly “Hey, Retta,” Chanelle Berlin’s Tumblr helparettaout is working towards giving Retta all the L.A. Kings–related knowledge she could possibly want. It’s also a pretty great beginner’s guide to hockey in general. 

Feeling the need for an explanation of the shortened hockey season, using GIFs from Twelve Angry Men? Helparettaout has that covered. Curious about what all the colored lines on a hockey rink are supposed to mean? Helparettaout provides an explanation, illustrated with footage of a dude dressed as the L.A. Kings’ mascot, Bailey the Lion. 

The Tumblr even includes some helpful behind-the-scenes info on players Retta might like. For example, L.A. Kings center Jeff Carter. Not only is he one half of a “notorious bromance” (described using quotes from Titanic, because why not?), but this is how helparettaout decides to introduce him:

“Hey Retta, Do you know that Dr. Seuss book “The Lorax”? Have you ever read it and thought—dang, if only that furry little environmentalist was over 6-feet tall and played hockey in California? Well, you don’t have to because Jeff Carter exists!!”

Image via helparettaout 

As for the other half of the bromance, that’s Mike Richards. As part of helparettaout’s plan to seduce Retta over to the side of the L.A. Kings using cute guys, he seems like a pretty smart choice.

This strategy already seems to be working. Retta tweeted last week that she’s started to read the Tumblr.

At this point we’re not just hoping for Retta to live-tweet an L.A. Kings game, we’re thinking she and helparettaout should team up and provide a live-commentary double act.

Image via helparettaout


Psy's "Gentleman" steals YouTube record from Justin Bieber

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It turns out the world isn't over Psy just yet.

The Korean rapper debuted his latest single, "Gentleman," during a concert in Seoul on Saturday (and later on YouTube), and it's already marking its place in the record books.

"Gentleman" received 22 million views within the first 24 hours of its online debut. Psy managed to take away another record from Justin Bieber: The teen sensation held the previous record for most views in the first 24 hours when "Boyfriend" debuted in May 2012, with 8 million views.

As of press time, "Gentleman" has more than 62.8 million hits in just two days.

The song may be called "Gentleman," but in the video Psy shows that he is anything but. It features Psy in his signature suit and sunglasses as he plays practical jokes on different women until he finally meets his match.

He premieres a new dance, and there's even a cameo from the "yellow suit guy" from his last video.

Phys.org reported that "Gentleman" ranked in the top 10 songs on iTunes in a number of countries, and it currently sits at No. 18 on the U.S. iTunes charts.

Psy appeared to be shocked at the video's popularity. He updated his Twitter account every time the video hit a new milestone.

He currently has the 29th most popular channel on YouTube, with over 3.6 million subscribers. That number practically guaranteed that the video would become a smash.

Psy has been performing for over a decade, but he felt that it wouldn't be fair for critics to label him a one-hit wonder if his follow-up to "Gangnam Style" fell flat.

"I gained international fame almost by accident but that does not mean that I will make desperate efforts to maintain that global popularity," Psy told Digital Spy. "I will just continue to do what I have been doing for all these years. If it satisfies people's appetite it will. If not, it won't."

It's too early to predict the long-term success of "Gentleman," but now that Billboard counts YouTube views, it's only a question of how high it'll climb the charts.

H/T Phys.org | Photo via officialpsy/YouTube

YouTube Guide: "Law & Order's fakest websites"

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With more than 72 hours of footage uploaded every minute, it's physically impossible to keep track of the content on YouTube. In YouTube Guide, the Daily Dot will curate its five favorite finds for each workday.

1) Slacktory, "Law & Order's fakest websites"

Television is known for its fake websites, but the Law & Order franchise takes the cake. Over the course of 23 years and five different series, there's been a website for just about anything to cover a plot point.

2) Pentatonix, "Evolution of Music"

Almost 1,000 years of music evolution are covered in one medley as Pentatonix does an a capella version of "Evolution of Dance." They get everything from Beethoven to Justin Bieber, leaning more towards modern pieces.

3) Official Comedy, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Trailer: Entourage Parody"

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back, but they've all been replaced by Turtle from Entourage and his fitted hat (with a cameo from Vinnie Chase as Splinter). 

4) David Elmaleh, "Psy - Gentleman M/V: Horror Movie Trailer Edition"

Psy's "Gentleman" is only a few days old and it's already been covered and remixed on YouTube. Instead of showing the antics of someone who isn't a gentleman, it captures Psy's descent into madness.

5) Sneaky Zebra, "Star Trek Into Dumbness"

A trio of Red Shirts are the only ones who can lead a mission to save the planet, but they're all aware of what happens when you go on a mission with a red shirt, so they're less than enthusiastic about stepping up to the task.

Photo via Slacktory/YouTube

The Boston Marathon will continue as planned in 2014

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Every evening, the Daily Dot delivers a selection of links worth clicking from around the Web, along with the day's must-see image or video. We call it Dotted Lines.

  • 10 heroes of the Boston Marathon tragedy.
  • Also good: The Boston Marathon will continue as planned in 2014.
  • Why your video games are made by childless, 31-year-old white men, and how one studio is fighting back.
  • You've seen this all over your Facebook by now, but the Dove "Real Beauty" ad is worth three minutes of your time. 

  • 30 adorable puppy GIFs: I think we could all use this.
  • 10 picks for the Tribeca Film Festival.
  • Watch Rave Dad go HAM at Coachella.
  • Cool. Tiny spacesuits let insect larvae survive in a vacuum.
  • I'll leave you with this: Quvenzhané Wallis in a hardcore dance-off post–MTV Movie Awards.

Can you count all the product placements in Psy's new video?

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Psy's newest music video is full of group dances and shenanigans from the rapper, but it also appears that we're watching a medley of commercials.

"Gentleman" is already becoming another hit for Psy, shattering records with over 124 million views in just four day. But, as Kotaku points out, that means the multiple product placements throughout the video are reaching millions of eyeballs.

Just 34 seconds into "Gentleman," we see our first product placement. Standing on a treadmill, Psy takes out his smartphone to open Candy Crush Saga, an app and Facebook game that has over 20 million likes and 10 million monthly users.

But he just doesn't open the app. The video takes a further three seconds to show Psy playing a round of the game before he goes into jerk mode and turns up the speed on a woman's treadmill.

Korea's ISplus reported that King.com, Candy Crush Saga's developer and one of the top 2 game companies on Facebook, may have paid $1 million for the three-second spot, while MK said that Psy was paid to promote the game for an unknown amount.

Psy's management has denied both claims.

"We have not heard about such an endorsement contract," they said. "We aren't even sure if the $1 million dollar amount is correct or not."

About 20 seconds later, Psy finds another victim in the library and places his hand under her nose, but in the background you can clearly see a stack of Double A paper with the label turned towards the camera.

According to Kotaku, Psy is the spokesperson for Double A in South Korea.

Two other brands that Psy endorses, Hite Beer and Chamisul, a brand of soju, also make an appearance on the table starting at 1:49.

Psy's management acknowledged that the products appeared in the video for free, and said it was a token of gratitude, despite Psy’s existing relationship with the companies.

"Gentleman" has yet to air on Korean TV, but the music video will likely be recut, with the product labels censored to adhere to South Korea’s broadcast rules about how products are shown.

But if you want to avoid the blatant product placement, suck up the $1.29 (plus tax) and just buy the song on iTunes (or watch one of the hundreds of bootleg versions of the song on YouTube).

H/T: Kotaku | Photo via officialpsy/YouTube

The best of NASA's pop-culture-themed publicity photos

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The ties between Star Trek and NASA go back a long way. Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut, credits Star Trek character Nyota Uhura as her inspiration to join NASA, and went on to have a walk-on role in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Just this year, a crowdfunded NASA trailer will be be shown before screenings of Star Trek Into Darkness, following a popular Indiegogo campaign

There’s a pretty big overlap between space geeks and science fiction fans, and NASA is clearly happy to cater to both audiences. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield has done much to boost the popularity of current NASA missions, mostly through his gleefully enthusiastic Twitter feed (including chatting to Star Trek alums Wil Wheaton and William Shatner), which he updates from the International Space Station.

Hidden in the Space Flight Awareness section of the NASA website are more nods to NASA’s fun-loving-nerd audience. Each expedition to the International Space Station gets its own publicity poster, beginning in the year 2000 with a slightly dorky picture of the three Expedition 1 astronauts in their space suits. But as the years progressed, someone at NASA got a little more Photoshop-happy and started turning out movie parody posters. The Star Trek comparisons are obvious, but by the late 2000s, they’d branched out into making everything from Beatles posters to Quentin Tarantino. We recommend checking out the entire page, but here are some of our favourites. 

1) Star Trek

OK, we’re not gonna lie to you. There are a lot of other Star Trek–themed posters in the International Space Station’s 35-expedition history. But this is probably the best one, since the astronauts went all-out and actually cosplayed in Next Generation–era uniforms. 

2) Transformers

No actual giant robots were involved, but Expedition 31 did go for the snazzy Transformers-style typeface. Puzzlingly, their alternate poster has a Van Gogh background.

3) Abbey Road

The poster for Expedition 26 shows astronaut Catherine Coleman in the role of barefoot Paul McCartney. We like the detail of the zebra crossing stripes spelling out the roman numerals for 26.

4) Pirates of the Caribbean

We don’t know whether to add or deduct points for the groan-worthy pun in the title: “Pilots of the Caribbean.” 

5) The Matrix

With the team from expedition 16 dressing up as the leather-wearing badasses from The Matrix, we’re pretty sure that 2007 was the year when NASA’s publicity team decided to abandon the old-school astronaut posters.

All images via NASA.gov/Space Flight Awareness

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