Category: interweb

 

2017 Music Tampa Bay Top 100 — now a Spotify playlist

Music Tampa Bay‘s annual Top 100 lists (which ran from 2008 through 2017) featured a wide swath of music — we’re talking genres and time-of-publication. Some of the songs were relatively new releases, some were much older. All of them were from artists derived from the Tampa Bay and west central Florida area.  I use that as a lead-in to the 2017 Music Tampa Bay Top 100 playlist on Spotify because only 54 of the 100 songs were on Spotify (or at least that’s the amount I found).

While some of the songs are very much available online, others aren’t and some are on select sales and streaming avenues and not on Spotify. Another issue I’ll cite here is that the Top 100 list for 2017 was hindered with thanks to Hurricane Irma’s effects on the Tampa Bay area. While that has nothing to do with only 54 songs on this list, it does explain why some of the songs on this list were also part of the 2016 Top 100 list (…a playlist with only 57 of 100 songs).

I very much intend to add the 2008 Top 100 listing to the Spotify playlists, but if these more recent lists are getting just over half the list songs, I don’t expect 2008 to do better. We’ll see about that.

One other thing — if you’re a Music Tampa Bay listener or a musician featured on Music Tampa Bay, I encourage you to donate to the station. They are a non-profit station trying to promote music created by local musicians. It costs to broadcast and stream online, though. Every bit of supportive income helps.

October 29, 2018 , , , , , , , , , Tampa Bay, interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Spotify Playlist Comments Off on 2017 Music Tampa Bay Top 100 — now a Spotify playlist

A new Spotify playlist of Tampa Bay musicians and music

In spring of 2017, I took to the task of taking aMusic Tampa Bay Top 100 list of 2016 post was an attempt at exposure for the artists and their work that went further than the hyper-local radio broadcasts and its online music stream.

I’m taking things a step further though I don’t know if this will lead more people to check out this music or what. I’ve created a Spotify playlist of the 2016 Music Tampa Bay Top 100 list.

In trying to aid the exposure of the artists and their music, I don’t know if it did the job so much. Let’s see if a Spotify playlist can help things along.

From my experience researching three different Top 100 lists, I’ve learned it’s a tradition for not all the songs to be available through online streaming. In this case, only 57 of the Top 100 songs from the listing were available… They represent a mix of music genres: Rock, Reggae, R&B, Folk, Pop and Country. The performers herald from the Tampa Bay and west central Florida area and while their sound may be taken as unique, they are all very much of the genres they are derived from in music.

I have intentions of also posting the 2017 Top 100 list and perhaps ones that came before it too. That’ll come in time. Right now, first things first and the 2016 list is here.

 

October 16, 2018 , , , , , , , interweb, Spotify Playlist, Tampa Bay 2 Comments »

Personal note: I’ve taken back “Boltsmag”

Just a heads up:

When I started blogging about hockey, the posts were published on Boltsmag.com. Upon me founding Raw Charge, I pointed the domain name at the new SB Nation site. All my archives are posted over there, after all. It’s been set up like that since 2009.

With the two-year anniversary of my resignation from the network and with me posting re-direct links to Raw Charge archived articles I wrote there, I’ve decided to redirect the Boltsmag domain name toward my hockey post category here on JohnnyFonts.com.

I don’t know if anyone even knows of the domain name, let alone uses it. If you do use that domain, this post should explain why you’ve landed on this blog site and not on Raw Charge.

October 9, 2018 Boltsmag, hockey, Personal, Raw Charge Comments Off on Personal note: I’ve taken back “Boltsmag”

That mascot Gritty is now a heralded PR SNAFU

One day after my little piece on that shitty thing called Gritty, I got a PR email regarding the mascot that seems to have a different take on how the public reacted toward Gritty than what really went on. Read More

September 25, 2018 , , , , , hockey, interweb Comments Off on That mascot Gritty is now a heralded PR SNAFU

Spanning the world and united in melody, the music of Lucy, Racquel and Me

The Internet is the land of opportunity for musical artists. Any artist/group of any music genre from any location who has access to the Net can communicate with producers and other artists to hone and refine their work. You can see this playing out daily on Reddit’s WeAreTheMusicMakers subreddit message board. They’re able to offer their art to the masses with thanks to distribution companies who will place finalized music copies on major digital-sales web sites (such as Apple Music, Amazon MP3 and Google Play) along with putting the tunes on streaming services utilized by the general masses (Spotify and YouTube).

Indie music can be an art form in itself with thanks to the basic element of the Internet in the form of communication. It’s like I already said – you can talk to others in music, hone and produce songs with others from all over. And certain recording artists are just that – groups comprised of elements from different places. They may have never personally met and yet they’ve created by working together.

An example of this is the pop music c work of Lucy, Racquel and Me. Read More

September 6, 2018 , , , , , , , , , , Music. & Lyrics, interweb One Comment »

Lost articles may be found again via the Wayback Machine

Just a quick note:

With how articles sometimes disappear — you have the link but error messages pop up when you click on them – – you need to be aware that you might be able to access the story/article/page still. The Wayback Machine on Archive.org sometimes has previous versions of web pages that were published.

Part of the reason I bring this up is because of the Tampa Bay Times archive death. I know from web searches that sometimes articles from sptimes.com can still be found on Google search. If you right-click on the link, choose to copy the link, and then go to web.archive.org. Past that link in the URL field on the site and it will (or won’t) have a mass of versions of the site/page.

It may just be a novelty to some, but the Wayback Machine is a very welcome avenue for those doing research.

July 25, 2018 , , , , interweb Comments Off on Lost articles may be found again via the Wayback Machine

Radio Airplay: A review of Jango’s backend service after 2 years use promoting music

If you’re an indie musical artist or even one under a label and looking for exposure, you may see Radio Airplay, which powers the Jango music streaming service, as an option. Indeed, it is an option to get heard around the world by music listeners who listen to stations aligned with specific performing artists that you align your own music with.

As a legit means of service, though, you have to pay. Oh, do you have to pay…

Read More
July 20, 2018 , , , , , , , , , , , Indie Music, interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Testimonials 2 Comments »

Instead of thoughts and speculation, Erik Karlsson trade rumors bring thundering silence to the Tampa Bay Lightning blogosphere

Rumors, innuendo, speculation… It’s loomed since before the 2018 NHL trade deadline and now it’s on the forefront during the NHL offseason. Days after the start of the free agency season, Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson’s name started making headlines again. Karlsson is available on a revamping Senators franchise that is also a marred object by way of owner Eugene Melnyk. (Sinuate: Senators fans – We’re expansion brethren and I sympathize with you over ownership issues; the Tampa Bay Lightning have been there, believe me).

That little statement there dropped the bomb on which franchise this post is about: Les Bolts de Tampa Bay are tied rampantly in speculation at the end of the first week of July. In fact, yesterday (July 6) you could have come to the conclusion the deal was final and done and just had to be announced with details fully disclosed. That’s how much chatter was on Twitter and other means. A third party franchise (or many?) was supposed to be involved in order to manage contracts and move bodies to get things squared away all right and good.

You wouldn’t know this if you checked some of the Lightning blogosphere. Read More

July 7, 2018 , , , , , , , , hockey, Raw Charge, Tampa Bay Lightning Comments Off on Instead of thoughts and speculation, Erik Karlsson trade rumors bring thundering silence to the Tampa Bay Lightning blogosphere

The archives of the Tampa Bay Times have fallen down

In March I ran an article aimed at the another shortcoming that continues to this day; no linkage in articles).

"Page Not Found" is all the image saysNow, I don’t know how the Times operates its archives as this happened last year, I don’t know if the Times will be repairing the issue or took one of my suggested “save a dime” strategies and pulled down every archived article and feature, but as of this writing what all published pieces from sptimes.com (be they features, general news, columns or editorial content) are now unavailable and listed as “Not Found”.

There is an oddity here though: The base domain URL, www.sptimes.com  is working and not as a redirect to the newspaper’s current web presence. It is standing as it had once stood but not exactly working nor posted as the front page of the newspaper from days gone by. The footer of the page reads the copyright date as 2009.

Because one page is “working” as a shell of itself, I’m guessing that this is an IT foul-up that stopped functionality and not an upgrade attempt, closure of the site archives, or an import-to-tampabay.com attempt. Simply, it’s a foul up that the paper may just dismiss as not important to fix. After all, they’re not making money off the archives, they’re not even trying.

UPDATE July 28, 2018: sptimes.com, in general, is now showing a 404 error. That being said, if you can find the original URL for an article/feature from the site you wish to access/read you can. You just need to utilize the Wayback Machine in order to do it.

April 27, 2018 , , , , , , interweb, Tampa Bay One Comment »

When something basic is lacking from a major news publication

This is 2018 and the about their archives and a lack of generic advertising to go along with the content that continues to draw in web traffic. There’s another issue that I’d like to point at the Tampa Bay Times content that is #FAIL on the most basic level for content presented online. This isn’t aimed at archived content but all Times articles online and an exclusion habit by the publication that works against itself: web links.

Read More

April 9, 2018 , , , , , , , , interweb, Tampa Bay Comments Off on When something basic is lacking from a major news publication

Note to the Tampa Bay Times: The online archives shouldn’t be ad-free

The Tampa Bay Times has tens of thousands of articles, some mundane news and some as feature reading, on its former site domain. SPTimes.com represented the newspaper under its old brand name, the St. Petersburg Times. The publication moved operations to the regional domain name TampaBay.com before adopting the more regional brand name of publication, the Tampa Bay Times.

And the Times is bleeding money by way of not synchronizing reading assets from the old site with the current one.

Read More

March 26, 2018 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Note to the Tampa Bay Times: The online archives shouldn’t be ad-free

Music’s success goes through the fans

I have this habit of promoting music that I’ve crossed from one indie station or another. “Promoting” means sharing songs on one form of social media or another. Sometimes I post the act here on my blog (Tomas Fornstedt is who I’ll cite) and there are also the write-ups I have done for local indie acts such as the Pretty Voices and Gypsy Star. Someone will see what I’ve posted – those reviews or individual song posts – and take it as simply blog content: I’m a blogger and I content is king. Writing about an act you may or may not have heard of. It’s nothing more than just content for a blog, right?

There’s actually a specific reason I do it, and it’s not just for content: If someone doesn’t do it, if someone doesn’t try sharing a tune they’ve crossed or talk about a band they have interest in, how does that song/act go any further?   Read More

March 7, 2018 , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics Comments Off on Music’s success goes through the fans

When a vulgar post title is a worthwhile read on gun control

America is, at the moment, mired in a reaction to the Valentines Day Massacre at Parkland, Florida. There are a dearth of reads you can cross in media and on social networks… Hell, I hosted one “read” in comments reacting to a status I posted that night. It was the same-old, same-old though: Facts posted and a “I’m not listening! I’m not listening!” type of response.

Tonight, I crossed a blog post through social media that caught my eye both because of the friend who shared the link as well as how bold (and in quotes) the post was: “Fuck you, I like guns.”

The military breeds a distinct type of gun expert: Trained to kill. The piece divulges the comfort of the M-4… and how the AR-15 is it’s doppelganger. Military weaponry, one that was given to soldiers to prepare them for battle. The other available to the masses back home with the notion attached that guns like this are just right and used primarily for hunting.

From the article:

This rifle is so deadly and so easy to use that no civilian should be able to get their hands on one. We simply don’t need these things in society at large. I always find it interesting that when I was in the Army, and part of my job was to be incredibly proficient with this exact weapon, I never carried one at any point in garrison other than at the range. Our rifles lived in the arms room, cleaned and oiled, ready for the next range day or deployment. We didn’t carry them around just because we liked them. We didn’t bluster on about barracks defense and our second amendment rights. We tucked our rifles away in the arms room until the next time we needed them, just as it had been done since the Army’s inception. The military police protected us from threats in garrison. They had 9 mm Berettas to carry. They were the only soldiers who carry weapons in garrison. We trusted them to protect us, and they delivered. With notably rare exceptions, this system has worked well. There are fewer shootings on Army posts than in society in general, probably because soldiers are actively discouraged from walking around with rifles, despite being impeccably well trained with them. Perchance, we could have the largely untrained civilian population take a page from that book?

That’s a rather large quote to take, I’ll admit, but I do it to allude to the read: This is a former member of the United States Army standing up and saying it’s time to talk turkey.

If you’re pro-gun or stand for gun control, take a few minutes and read. It’s not trying to steal rights but it’s not blessing carte blanche because of the 2nd Amendment, either.

 

February 17, 2018 , , , , , , Politics, interweb Comments Off on When a vulgar post title is a worthwhile read on gun control

A Tampa Bay Lightning ramble by the original Lightning blogger

I made a name and reputation for myself with 12-and-a-half years of blogging about the Tampa Bay Lightning. I was a pioneer in hockey blogging in general (starting what will be fourteen years ago in a matter of days). Want proof? I’d send you to the archives of Raw Charge but SB Nation complicates the process (read: I’d send you to my profile alone but they don’t list all the articles, Fan Posts and Fan Shots that I’ve posted).

Have I stopped following hockey or the Lightning? Hell no! Read More

February 1, 2018 , , , , Boltsmag, hockey, Raw Charge, Tampa Bay Lightning Comments Off on A Tampa Bay Lightning ramble by the original Lightning blogger

Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 list of 2017: Top 25

This is where the proverbial countdown of 100 acts from the Music Tampa Bay 2017 list comes to its pinnacle with the top-voted songs from their web site. These are the folks who’s songs represented here were most often voted to remain in the weekly Top 40 voting chart displaying on the site each week.

Fan support bolstered these numbers; Gypsy star is known for being among the high-rankings annually with thanks to their fans. Yet for popularity of all the songs, some can’t be found on the common media-embed sites like YouTube, SoundCloud, ReverbNation, BandCamp, MySpace, or others. In fact, the entire reason for this series has been to grant direct exposure to the songs for the general public (well… you the person who clicked to see this. Yeah, you. Hi.).

I encourage you to sample the songs if not here then on Part 1, Part 2 and/or Part 3. For the performing artists, it’s got to be nice to have a song that airs on the radio or an audio stream, but it’s even better when someone chooses to listen to it optionally and see what the artists or group sounds like.

Read More

January 5, 2018 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 list of 2017: Top 25

Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 list of 2017: #50-26

We’re now in the top 50 of Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 from 2017 with today’s post. You can find 100 through 76 and 76 through 51 by clicking on those links.

Let me stress here that the Top 100 list was compiled by way of voting on the Music Tampa Bay web site. With that said, the order of the songs does not truly show rank or popularity of the songs as-so-much support that the artists gained on the Music Tampa Bay Top 40 vote each week. This also isn’t a listing of top current acts as-so-much recordings by local (Tampa Bay area)  performers that may have been made at any time. While putting together this post I found two songs were from the 1990s. Others I could not find online coverage for and that seems to suggest they could come from any time (though I would not suggest the music is older than 20 years).

In the end, take this as a music and artist discovery opportunity as well as direct exposure for the performing artists and the songs that cracked the list.

Read More

January 4, 2018 , , , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 list of 2017: #50-26

Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 list of 2017: #75-51

As the annum that was 2017 drifts off into the history books, its stories and stats are reflected upon in one way or another in a multitude of categories through the world. The facts of the year-that-was will be referenced and reviewed because… Well, it’s history and things that happen are relevant.

Like music.

It’s an annual thing from St. Pete, Florida-based community radio station did a reflection post on 2016 last spring to give people a taste (and the music optional exposure) of some of the local music created from Bay area artists. With a new (old) year comes a new list of songs that were successes on the Music Tampa Bay voting poll through 2017. Each week, users are able to vote on the Top 40 on the site and those votes are tallied up into what becomes this grander list.

Unlike the Top 100 listing on Music Tampa Bay, the list version here includes (when available) links to the artist personal web site or a social site (Reverb Nation, Facebook) linked to them. The song is listed of course as well as embedded on the post (when possible). 25 songs are listed on 4 seperate blog posts (100-76, 75-51, 50-26, 25-1.

So, if you have time, interest and a musical curiosity, may I present to you the second group of songs from the Top 100 Songs from Music Tampa Bay from 2017. Read More

January 3, 2018 , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 list of 2017: #75-51

Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 song list of 2017

As the annum that was 2017 drifts off into the history books, its stories and stats are reflected upon in one way or another in a multitude of categories through the world. The facts of the year-that-was will be referenced and reviewed because… Well, it’s history and things that happen are relevant.

Like music.

It’s an annual thing from St. Pete, Florida-based community radio station did a reflection post on 2016 last spring to give people a taste (and the music optional exposure) of some of the local music created from Bay area artists. With a new (old) year comes a new list of songs that were successes on the Music Tampa Bay voting poll through 2017. Each week, users are able to vote on the Top 40 on the site and those votes are tallied up into what becomes this grander list.

Unlike the Top 100 listing on Music Tampa Bay, the list version here includes (when available) links to the artist personal web site or a social site (Reverb Nation, Facebook) linked to them. The song is listed of course as well as a hyperlink to a location you can listen to the song (when possible). 25 songs are listed on 4 separate tables below (100-76, 75-51, 50-26, 25-1.

So, if you have time and interest and a musical curiosity, may I present to you the first 25 songs from the Top 100 Songs from Music Tampa Bay from 2017. Read More

January 2, 2018 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Entertainment Industry Thingies, interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Music Tampa Bay’s Top 100 song list of 2017

“Summer Dreams” to “Sgt. Pepper” and Brian Wilson’s Ask Me Anything on Reddit

AS a fan of the Beatles, I’ve read many different pieces of writing about those four Liverpudians, be that magazine or news articles in print and online or books… Many things that almost always touched on an album by another group and one specific musical composer from that group: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds and Brian Wilson.

Read More

December 26, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics Comments Off on “Summer Dreams” to “Sgt. Pepper” and Brian Wilson’s Ask Me Anything on Reddit

End times for the open Internet?

{Intended as cross-posted at Raw Charge]

In the early 1990’s, there was an entity available to computer-owning consumers called Prodigy. That (and others that weren’t as prominent on the market) wasn’t exactly an Internet access portal, but it was. Through limited means and a controlled gateway, people were connected online at 2400 and 4800 bits per second – such blazing speed through regular phone lines. Prodigy’s controlled locations were where people congregated and see what news headlines and stories they were exposed to. The World Wide Web wasn’t a known aspect and… well, as far as I know there wasn’t much (if anything) on it that is commonly available in the modern online world as you know it today. Read More

December 7, 2017 , , , , , , , interweb, Politics Comments Off on End times for the open Internet?

End the attention; block Donald Trump on Twitter

I follow headlines not by way of Google News or an aggregation program but instead by way of Reddit. It’s driven by community in what gets posted and if it’s valid / worthy content or not. While seeing all the news content tied to politics at the moment in the United States, there is one ugly, ugly factor being repeated over and over again.

The sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, does most of his declarations in a one-way sentiment via Twitter. Too often he crosses the lines of leadership and maturity and sinks into the realm of knee-jerking, assumption, closed-minded folly and other negative aspects. Too often this shit ends up dominating the headlines or news content from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Too often, by way of reaction, people are double or triple-exposed to the Dotard in Covfefe’s antics by way of retweets (which are often derived from negative reaction) and news coverage over and over and over again.

With all the crap Trump pulls in his unbalanced stances, he still has over 43,000,000 followers. No, they’re not all bots. No, they’re not all supporters. No, they’re not truly informing people when they retweets his rhetoric. It’s because of those retweets (being done by friends and media) that I’ve declared enough being enough:

Look, The Dotard loves attention and blindly looks at it as support or as an ego boost. The more people who interact with him (or try to) by spreading his stuff around or replying to his content gives his ego a boost (even if that content is all of profanity). It’s easy to understand how some people want to get their news from the direct source, but when the direct source is mired at so many levels and marred with corruption, bigotry, hate? He’s not exactly going to “Make America Great Again” via inability to talk to the press with honesty and tact, or refusal to interact with people unless they applaud him or pay a hefty price for the opportunity.

A lot of people denounce him, a lot of people have actively protested against him and the direction of the country under him. It’s not shutting yourself out of hearing the news by blocking him on Twitter. It does send a message if more people turned their back on him on this social media avenue.

November 29, 2017 , , , , , , , Politics, Donald Trump Presidency, interweb, Social Media Comments Off on End the attention; block Donald Trump on Twitter

Contribute to my Neurofibromatosis Network charity drive (via Facebook) and aid research into the genetic disease
November 26, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Medical Comments Off on Contribute to my Neurofibromatosis Network charity drive (via Facebook) and aid research into the genetic disease

Volunteer assistance sought by Tampa Bay community station Music Tampa Bay

There’s a special community radio station based in St. Petersburg that airs local music, to say the least. the 2016 Top 100 list and a Top 40 from this past summer.  EDIT: You can find the Top 100 page with each individual year of Music Tampa Bay here.

Yet Hurricane Irma did her damage and complicated things with the station that were already challenged in one way or another. The site representing Music Tampa Bay has long been in need of upgrading to improve accessibility and exposure for the artists and the station itself.

All that said Music Tampa Bay is looking for assistance of the high variety. Everything is voluntary but the open positions listed are basically everything. The MTB sit’s declaration shows it:

All Volunteer Staff Needed

​General Manager – Sales Manager – Business Manager – Operations Manager – IT / Website Manager – Program / Music Director – DJs – all shifts

Here’s the official statement off the site about volunteers and the station:

Radio Station Volunteer Staff Wanted

The music stream on this website is now in its 13th year of continuous operation.  96.7 FM in St Pete is now beginning its 2nd year, since the FCC issued a non-profit broadcast license in October 2016.  If these listening platforms are to continue serving the local arts communities as stipulated in the license, new management is needed in key revenue generating and operational areas.  A new general manger being sought to work with the existing team and eventually assume control once the original license period is renewed in early 2020.  Air talent is also needed to fill program positions and operate from the new live Radio Central in The Zoo Studios in St Pete.  All air positions are currently open, 24/7.  Interested beginners and professionals are encouraged to contact rick@musictampabay.com / 727-455-8848.

This is a great starter place for those interested in being part of the music business or working in communications; a prime opportunity for students. It’s also a great place for those who are embedded already in local music as performers to further expose themselves by working as DJs (or, if qualified, in one of the higher-up positions). Most importantly of all, it’s part of the community. While MTB isn’t available in terrestrial, traditional broadcast throughout Tampa Bay, the online stream is readily available for everyone to hear performers who were, and are part of music.

November 13, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Entertainment Industry Thingies, interweb, Music. & Lyrics, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Volunteer assistance sought by Tampa Bay community station Music Tampa Bay

Three noteworth Reddit groups for hockey and sports fans

Reddit isn’t just a message board. It’s also not a dump-all marketing destination either. As a long time blogger, I didn’t deliberately try to mine traffic from Reddit because I didn’t want to be the one who posted any of my written-content from my days at Raw Charge on major subreddits. That’s ethics, though. I’ve turned that around in my time moderating on a subreddit devoted to hockey blogs. The subreddit /r/HockeyWriters is devoted to what is basically blog content and hockey authors. I’ve been the one (by way of content submissions from around the hockey blogosphere) to give the group some life.

Yet I can’t do it all. By that I mean I can’t be expected to post everything on the group. Read More

November 8, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , hockey, interweb, Sports Comments Off on Three noteworth Reddit groups for hockey and sports fans

The Starbucks Store online is ceasing

Well, damn…

Store.Starbucks.com is going
away, but you can still find all your
favorite coffee and merchandise at
your local Starbucks® stores.

This was sent via email this afternoon. It doesn’t reflect the frustrations that the store was causing me (and who knows how many others) this spring and early summer… Perhaps you can take that as a sign of what was to come?

I had been on the Starbucks Store site a few weeks ago as I wanted to see if its problems still existed. The shop had been upgraded, or so it seemed… and it’s product lineup thinned? I have a tendency to buy Verismo pods in bulk (and had done so regularly through the store) and that was no longer an option.

I took a run over to the onlien store after getting the email announcement, and while I ran into the login issue (“We must have taken a coffee break”), I found myself able to shop again. It made me wonder if I had been scammed with spam in my email inbox?

Nope. And you can read about it on BuzzFeed.

 

September 30, 2017 , , , , , , , interweb Comments Off on The Starbucks Store online is ceasing

A pop playlist of “relaxing, easy favorites” on Spotify

“Relaxing, easy favorites… with less talk!” That radio pitch from how-many stations in collaboration or owned by the same company? Maybe I’m wrong on that, but “Warm 107 FM” / “Warm 107.3 FM”, “Warm 94.9 FM” all pushed he same type of easy-listening, or a toned-down variety of music from the past few years or longer. It wasn’t that distant to the past that the stations trekked from what I remember… except in rare events for shock or approval. Seeing I’m referencing stuff I heard on the airwaves in the 80’s and 90’s, basically those throw-back numbers were from the 60’s… if they happened at all.

A few years ago I started putting together a personal playlist on my iTunes that mixed together a number of songs that weren’t rockers, or necessarily pop… Then again, some are legendary (Yesterday by the Beatles, Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, Hotel California by the Eagles). The song list grew as I remembered certain tunes from the past as well as picked up some indie songs by way of listening to Lonely Oak Radio.

That’s led to a playlist of 224 songs spanning a total of 13 hours and 49 minutes. Not all of them perfectly fit the motif of “relaxing, easy favorites” but that’s the title of the playlist. And my own recreation of it is available on Spotify.

The Spotify list doesn’t perfectly recreate things as I’ve taken certain songs off my personal list, I was unable to add others (such as Paul McCartney’s (I Want To) Come Home, Michael Stipe’s mixed-group performance of U2’s One, as well as others). It’s still 182 songs in length…

I could see people arguing “relaxing” does not describe performances by the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s (stuck in silence (for the rest of my life) and not mess with music that I miss. Who knows? The point is – the playlist is public on Spotify and maybe you’ll be interested in looking into it or – gasp! – listening.

September 24, 2017 , , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics Comments Off on A pop playlist of “relaxing, easy favorites” on Spotify

Q and A with Calgary Flames blogger Kent Wilson of FlamesNation

I got Kent Wilson from FlamesNation to participate in the hockey blogger Q and A that I’ve been casually conducting this month. Kent’s one of the strengths of The Nation Network and blogging in general, having his hand in the 2014 “summer of stats”.

What follows is a little insight in how Kent found his way into blogging and his views on the season ahead for the NHL.

Read More

August 29, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Creative Writing, hockey, Interview Comments Off on Q and A with Calgary Flames blogger Kent Wilson of FlamesNation

Avenues to contribute toward aid and relief post-Hurricane Harvey (via Mile High Hockey)
August 29, 2017 , , , , , interweb Comments Off on Avenues to contribute toward aid and relief post-Hurricane Harvey (via Mile High Hockey)

A hockey blogging Q and A with Ken Boehlke from SinBin.Vegas

It is a season for beginnings, and I don’t just mean the rookie class of 2017-18 (that’s a yet-to-truly-know brood; it’ll clarify in the weeks to come) but the franchise class of 2017-18.

The birth of the Vegas Golden Knights is also the birth of professional sports in Las Vegas, Nevada (being the first major-league team in Sin City, USA) and so far the population has been quite receptive of what is yet to come. Ticket sales revenue is ahead of other franchises — 20 of’em –  and you can find all sorts of excitement and interest on the start of Golden Knight hockey.

Ken Boehlke of SinBin.Vegas has been covering the forthcoming franchise  it was a sought-after commodity for Las Vegas (his start will  be exactly 2 years ago on August 26th).  Below you’ll find his odds and ends and opinions regarding writing, the league, and  more.

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August 22, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , hockey, interweb Comments Off on A hockey blogging Q and A with Ken Boehlke from SinBin.Vegas

A hockey blogger Q and A with Lyle Richardson of Spectors Hockey

One of the routine areas that draws fans to the web to find out what they can are rumors. Some are made up, some are hearsay, some are those casually expressed “I’m hearing…” remarks that you see on Twitter from major members of hockey coverage.

The man at the blogging level who made a name for himself and found a firm niche in covering reports on potential player movement in the NHL is Lyle Richardson of Spectors Hockey, who you likely have also seen on such sources as Fox Sports and Bleacher Report among others.

Richadson is another one of the forefathers of the hockey blogosphere, starting around 2003. Want proof? I reposted this article for him during the NHL lockout of 2005, having originally run in November 2003.

While there are a lot of questions still to be had about player movement and eery franchise in the league, the questions are a mix about the man,  blogging, and guys named “Joe” and “Jaromir”.

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August 21, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Creative Writing, hockey, Interview Comments Off on A hockey blogger Q and A with Lyle Richardson of Spectors Hockey

A hockey blogger Q and A with Laura Astorian of St. Louis Game Time

Continuing the Q & A series that was unveiled Wednesday, another of hockey bloggings assetss chimes in on life in covering not one but two teams in her blogging career. Laura Astorian, who has been a void of both the St. Louis Blues and the Atlanta Thrashers. It’s one thing to cover multiple teams in one town, but to stand up and show love by way over coverage for two teams in the same sport at one time is a hell of an accomplishment.

Laura currently runs St. Louis Game Time on SB Nation (which is also a game-day publication for Blues games; that is done by Brad Lee). She’s a great follow on Twitter too for take on the sport, the entertainment industry and what not.

What does Laura think about the NHL’s plan to forgo the 2018 winter Olympics? What tips does she have for those who want to get into blogging? Read below.

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August 18, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Creative Writing, hockey, Interview Comments Off on A hockey blogger Q and A with Laura Astorian of St. Louis Game Time

A hockey blogger Q and A with J.P. of Japers Rink

While I pour over headlines of the hockey blog universe on a daily basis, I’ve been noticing something missing in the summer of 2017 that usually runs as an ongoing series in the hockey blogosphere: question-and-answer sessions that don’t just run the course of talking about other teams, but illustrate networking in blogdom.

Today I’m (hopefully) starting a series of Q & A interviews with some of the hockey blogosphere’s top members. The questions aren’t locked-on-the-franchise talk but touches on blogging as well as the wider NHL with some points that often play out in regular discussions that have been prominent this summer  among idle fans.

This introduction interview is with Jon “J.P” Press, founder of Washington Capitals blog Japers RInk.  Jon has been at his game as a hockey blogger since the 2004-05 NHL lockout. That idle time was pretty tough for fans to live through, and yet it gave birth to known members of the blogging universe as well as the mainstream media.

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August 16, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, hockey, Interview Comments Off on A hockey blogger Q and A with J.P. of Japers Rink

Dependability is offline at Tampa Bay Online

The site known as Tampa Bay Online – www.tbo.com – has been around for decades. TBO was once tied to both Tampa Bay NBC affiliate WFLA News Channel 8 and former print publication The Tampa Tribune (both media entities were owned by Media General). Let me stress that with the decades aspect of Tampa Bay Online as TBO started out in the early 1990’s in a form that was accessible through the Prodigy dial-up network and America Online. It’s sort of hard to explain things before the internet as you know it now – some people were exposed to it well before the general public. I was introduced to the Net through Prodigy and later AOL.

Back to the topic, TBO has been around a while as a media hub (to say the least). With the Tribune leading the charge so often, the flavor of news and writing from the Trib (with its right-leaning slant) was always on display but its general news coverage was complimented by video coverage of news stories that News Channel 8 reported on.

Yet a downfall has been rampant for a while: Media General sold the Tribune in 2012, and while the new ownership vowed they were here to stay, it didn’t play out like that. I’m not sure if there was an official end-partnership between the Trib and WFLA but things scaled back and ceased after the Tribune moved away to its own property. In the spring of 2016 the Tampa Tribune was acquired by print news rival, the Tampa Bay Times. The Tribune ceased to be while certain columnists, reporters and employees were imported to Times staff while others were dismissed. TBO.com has continued operations since then but has become a quizzical online destination for news information in the area. Read More

August 2, 2017 , , , , , , , , interweb, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Dependability is offline at Tampa Bay Online
Best of the Bay and the Bolts for 2017

Best of the Bay and the Bolts for 2017
Best of the Bay and the Bolts for 2017

I may have touched on talking about music (sweet music…music everywhere) but the topic of note is the one that my name is usually linked to: The Tampa Bay Lightning. Creative Loafing’s 2017 reader poll doesn’t lack nor neglect notable aspects of the Bolts – directly or indirectly – which sets the table for Lightning fans to show support for cogs they know regarding the club.

Mind you, there may be more nominated aspects and assets with ties to the franchise (Amalie Arena, or perhaps a locale within the arena). What’s being cited here is from the section called People, Places, Politics which features categories pertaining to public figures, locations and sports. Read More

July 31, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , , Raw Charge, Sports, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Lightning Comments Off on Best of the Bay and the Bolts for 2017

Tweeting an NHL-related poll

The timing may seem a little odd to do this now as we are in the middle of the summer doldrums of the NHL and ice hockey in general, but this afternoon I’ve posted a little poll on Twitter asking  public opinion on coverage and broadcasting of the NHL on NBC Sports:

I’ve already posted this summer with a negative opinion about a certain personality of NBCSN, and I made him a key figure when criticizing the network in the past. I’ve toyed with writing a new article regarding the network but that seems like a useless feat if general opinion of their on-air hockey experience is taken in a postie way.

The poll will be open until Monday, July 31, 2017. Vote, and perhaps retweet things.

July 24, 2017 , , , , , , , , , hockey, interweb Comments Off on Tweeting an NHL-related poll

[Updated] For the moment (or longer) Beware Ordering from the Starbucks Store

I’m an espresso guy. I don’t tend to drink standard coffee but I have shots of espresso, that’s my thing and it’s long-time been my thing. I’ve owned espresso brew machines that required me to get bags of coffee grind up beans myself and do extra articulation to make an espresso.  Due process, y’know, can’t put it down (especially because …. well, Mmmmmmm!).

A couple of years ago I got a Starbucks Verismo coffee brew machivn, a simplified means to brew an espresso (and make a latte if I so wish). You just had to push a pod into the machine and behold — an espresso roast is ready for you!

Yet, with ease of use comes a growing demand and a supply that runs dry in short order. I’ve seen rates vary from $11.95 for a single box of 12 pods to $13.95; that makes Verismo usage into a costly habit.

But Starbucks online store offers cost-saving, bulk purchases of 96 pods 8 boxes for just under $80 bucks, with free shipping. It’s that aspect that’s drawn me to the Starbucks Store online.

All the above details are moot though; this warning of the Starbucks Store applies for anything and everything you’d potentially purchase through the store if you’re expecting timely service. Read More

July 12, 2017 , , , , , , , interweb Comments Off on [Updated] For the moment (or longer) Beware Ordering from the Starbucks Store

Social Media Reach and the Tampa Bay Lightning
June 4, 2017 , , , Raw Charge, Tampa Bay Lightning Comments Off on Social Media Reach and the Tampa Bay Lightning

When an established band gets deemed as nothing

I like Reddit. I’ve already posted here about Reddit and promoting content on Reddit. I also know Reddit doesn’t work for everyone, especially at the community-level where commentary can get volatile and discussion stunted by way of sarcasm and reactionary responses.

I want to speak of ill I’ve encountered, but not a malicious incident. No, no, it’s posting restrictions that thwart participation. Subreddit’s having rules are a necessity or everything goes chaotic (or spam-laden), so I’m not trying to frown on rules here. It’s when they go too far and are over-reactive in an effort to… what, exactly? Read More

June 4, 2017 , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics Comments Off on When an established band gets deemed as nothing
Indulged by the glimmer from Gypsy Star

Indulged by the glimmer from Gypsy Star
Indulged by the glimmer from Gypsy Star

I was on the Music Tampa Bay website yesterday. For those of you who don’t know, it’s an indie rock/music station in the Tampa Bay metro area (96.7 FM). I’ve interacted with the site before as I helped get the Pretty Voices on air on the station.

One key element on the Music Tampa Bay website is a Top-10 list of songs from local artists. It’s also directly tied to voting on the Top-40 of the station. I was looking at the list specifically to see if the Pretty Voices had any tracks listed at the time (nope). None of the listed artists or bands were familiar to me and that’s regularly the case with me and indie music.

What’s also regularly the case with me is checking out an indie artist because… why the hell not?

So, listed at #1 at the time on the Top-40 list was Gypsy Star, “I Feel Love”.  I jumped to Google and typed that in and instead of pointing to a version of “I Feel Love” on YouTube, it pointed to the song Paramour:

All too often what I hear and what I see is bland rock. It’s not the lyrcs that make it bland, it’s just the non-riff of guitar and everything layered on top of each other to make the tunes forgettable. This was not that. I was taken aback by a violinist and accordion being part of the arrangement. Gypsy Star describes themselves as being “dynamic folk / rock” and this sure as shit felt like it. It transfixed me through Monday night.

Yet, listening to the opening of the song again, familiarity crept in. I’ve heard another variation of this before, haven’t I? Listen to the song alone for a minute, without the show distraction.  Think about it for a minute.

It reminded me squarely of a song that “you can check out any time you like, but you can never” leave:

Don’t take that as a criticism, folks. I highly recommend checking out more of their tunes; they just released the album Under the Moonlit Night  in January. Listening to “Paramour” and checking out some of their other songs (like the previously mentioned “I Feel Love”, you can find “I Feel Love” here, it is on YouTube… Not in concert version) I’ve been left curious and surprised. Gypsy Star is only a Tampa Bay local group? They sure as hell look an sound like a group that should be seeing a broader playing area in Florida, in the US and perhaps around the globe.

April 4, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Music. & Lyrics, interweb, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Indulged by the glimmer from Gypsy Star

Film questions and opinionated answers that are one in Filmillion

A month ago, a little further back perhaps, I saw a post on Reddit pointing to a new web site that vowed it would predict the movie you were thinking of in 30 questions or so. Filmillion piqued my curiosity, so I gave it a whirl (more than once) and was left frustrated and disappointed. That’s not because of how well the site performed but by how flawed its questions (and movie guesses tend to be.

If there have been any database improvement or other site modifications to combat flaws isn’t something known by me. What is known is that I gave the site another run for the sake of writing this article. If it leads you to wanting to try it yourself remains to be seen, but here’s what I dealt with and the outcome.

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March 29, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Movies Comments Off on Film questions and opinionated answers that are one in Filmillion

And down the stretch they come….! Thoughts on the Tampa Bay Lightning as the NHL season wanes
March 29, 2017 , , , , , , hockey, Raw Charge Comments Off on And down the stretch they come….! Thoughts on the Tampa Bay Lightning as the NHL season wanes

Listens and flaws are found at Spotalike

It’s easy to come to a dead end when you’re trying to find more music of a certain sound, temp, or variety. I’ve posted requests for song suggestions before as proof of that. Suggestions can lead to other people’s tastes from a wide variety of performers, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into you willingly following through on suggestions… Especially if you don’t know the artists.

There’s a tool out there on the web that I crossed last weekend, called Spotalike. It’s got a winter holiday motif that you need to ignore, that and it’s powered by way of Spotify. Simple directions: if you put a song/artist in the entry field, it’ll produce a list of what it considers similar songs. The first three entries tend to be by the same artist while what follows is a variety from other artists. What sold me on the entire tool is how I would enter songs from an easy-listening playlist that I have, and some of the first suggestions would be other songs from the list. The right similarity was there.

I also know it’s not perfect, though….

I like Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen; throw it in that easy-listen playlist because of the light music (side note: I need to find Bruce’s Oscar performance of the song where he played piano).

The problem here is Spotalike’s first suggestion. Born in the USA is a rocker with a strong beat, heavy lyrics and of course the famous chorus chant that people fixate on. There are others produced in the top 10 results that fit the bill (Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, One by U2) and others that make me shake my head and say “no” (I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith).  I guess this list is just proof no playlist suggested can be perfect, but some songs fit while others just seem to be a reach.

Yet the results for “Streets” aren’t what led to this post, no, no. I went with an early 1990’s rocker by one of the top axe men in music, Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz:

That was off a top album in 1993 (but failed to crack the Billboard Top 100). The attitude, the energy, the guitar work by Lenny, it’s just fantastic. Is it a one-of-a-kind ode? Arguable; there are plenty of songs that could be suggested just for guitar work and early 90’s popularity (Green Day and Basket Case as well as Longview immediately come to mind).

Yet one-of-a-kind is how Spotalike seems to be looking at it as it stands. Upon entering the song and going for the results, “Are You Gonna Go My Way” is the only song result. No playlist gets generated. It’s one thing for that to happen with an indie band (Pretty Voices are on Spotalike, for example, but don’t generate results) but for someone who has been so prominent in popular music and rock and roll to get brushed off? That’s either a flaw in the system, a business conflict between the powers-that-be and Kravitz’s camp or just an outright disrespect towards a musician someone at Spotalike doesn’t like. I’m going to side with the flaw factor. I’m sure it pops up with some other songs by popular artists.

This shouldn’t hold sway over you using Spotalike or not; there’s too much music out there to get hung up on flaws and misgroupings. So much music and so few quality suggestion tools exist. The system can’t be perfect but it seems like Spotalike is sound to one decree or another.

 

March 15, 2017 , , , , , , , , , , , interweb, Music. & Lyrics 2 Comments »

The Beatles video, “You’re Going to Lose That Girl”, missing in action no more

It’s arguable to write that the greatest song the Beatles ever recorded and didn’t release as a single was “You’re Going to Lose That Girl”, which was released in 1965 on the album “Help!”. It’s a standard Lennon/McCartney scribed ode that has ties to “She Loves You” as if it were a sequel. I write that point here but I don’t link because trying to find the source I read has been fruitless (this line will be deleted if I do find the link). There are only two words on record for any member of the Fab Four speaking about the song: John Lennon told Playboy in 1980, “That’s me.” You can find more in-depth coverage of the song here. There are touches on other facts about Lennon / McCartney and history that may pique your interest.

I was introduced to the Fab Four in 1985 when my father won a VHS tape of “Help!” from 101 WCBS FM in New York. I was skittish and disinterested at first in watching as the tape opened up with the black-and-white trailer to “A Hard Day’s Night”, the film the Beatles made in 1964. Black-and-white film and disjointed snippets of Beatle songs from the movie just didn’t win me over (and what would you expect? I was 5 or 6 years old at the time). I fidgeted, I tried getting up, but my father put his hands on my shoulders and sat me down.

Then “Help!” started, with actor Leo McKern reciting cult tidings in what amounted to an execution ceremony. Though it was a dark setting, the color blazed (in comparison to that “A Hard Day’s Night” trailer and my interest ticked up. One thing led to another in the film and McKern’s character of Clang bellowed to his cult sect that surrounded him, “Where is the ring?! Search her! What has she done with the ring?!” The cult cried repeatedly “The ring?!” in response and then… then…

Then you see the fabled ring, a large red gemstone on a standard gold band. It just so happens to be on the hand of drummer Ringo Starr as a performance of the song “Help!” gets underway (in black-and-white… which meant nothing to me at this point) and truly the movie began as the Beatles performed “Help!”.

There were seven songs performed in the movie, with “You’re Going to Lose That Girl” being my favorite. Heck, viewing the film a second time, I remember my brothers and I rewinding the video to replay the song and sing along with it. We were won over. That’s not to say “Help!” didn’t win us over, or “Ticket to Ride”, “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”, “I Need You” (George Harrison’s first composed song), “The Night Before, or “Another Girl”. It’s just the memory of this song in particular.

Director Richard Lester played with lighting but did a simple in-studio scene with John, Paul, George and Ringo. The hues and colors vary and smoke plays into scenes (hey, smoking was hip back then Ringo is doing it in some scenes of the song). I’d put this song, as a video; well ahead of the majority of music videos that also play the studio scene. And seeing it’s been 52 years since the damn thing was recorded, that should tell the music video director sect out there to raise their game.

You can’t find the song on YouTube though, and the simple Google search (which now produces extensive info results for most songs) only shows you amateurs playing.

Is there a business contrast playing out between Apple Corps LTD (the Beatles company) and Google? I don’t know. What I do know is that I started this write up fixated on not being able to find the videos from “Help!” on YouTube. Only a fraction of the movie performance of “You’re going to Lose That Girl” can be found.

A re-worded my web search just a tad (with quotation marks: “You’re Going to Lose That Girl” video, Help!) and lo and behold I found what has been missing via Vimeo.

“You’re Going To Lose That Girl” from Merritt Mullen on Vimeo.

Will it remain on the site? Dunno, though it’s 4 year lifespan tells me that it’s going to stay. You can find a low quality version of “Ticket to Ride” on there, as well as “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” (standard quality). The other songs are missing / have mixed in content.

March 8, 2017 , , , , , , , , interweb, Movies, Music. & Lyrics, Personal One Comment »

The all-too-commmon ill communications of online dating

There’s one thing that tops every little caveat you can find ion someone’s profile on a dating site. Communications can top all, though it won’t lead to dating or a romantic relationship in some cases (all those caveats do play in to things that way), but it can be a positive and fulfilling experience for people participating in the shot-in-the-dark known as online dating.

It’s socializing, and it’s a necessity in life as well as trying to make headway with a stranger.

It’s not supposed to be a rare feat or a ungodly challenge, but it seems to be getting that way. In my experience, at least. While I’ve been on a multitude of dating sites oer the years, what has turned into a rarity is actually a back-and-forth message exchange. In fact, right now, I’m on Match.com (the top of the dating site pops… or at least the business leader of the game) and while I’ve been on it since October, I have not had a woman reply to a message I send them. While I’ve had women reach out to me on dating attempts in the past, none have attempted such in yyears.

It’s noteworthy the women who did reach out to me are still in my life (well, all sans one who I had a bad date with). All are friends. That’s an aspect of these dating attempts (or socializing attempts) that people ought to accept: The fact just talking to someone might earn you a friendship with someone who you hadn’t known before.

Yet socializing is a no-no, I guess. Are guys now supposed to come off like horny jerks and just go “Hey, babycakes! I like your smile and your profile piques me! Let’s get together and see how hot we  can make it”? It sure as shit should be more than “Hi, how are you?” which keeps a person blank in the simple socializing attempt.

What would be nice, I not negative, is simply a “No thanks” or reply of some sorts that indicates there is no chatter going to happen after sendcing a message. Is it rude? Not when I compare it to the silence that rules the roost. It’s still socializing, it’s also shutting the door that you’re just trying to crack open.

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March 2, 2017 , , , , , , , dating, interweb Comments Off on The all-too-commmon ill communications of online dating

The road to recovery becomes the highway to…where?

I’m choked up upon reflection this afternoon. I just had physical therapy formally end. Therapy that was assigned to me after the shit hit the fan in December 2016. It’s also exactly one week after I met the surgeon who saved my life on Dec. 6th, my opportunity to express my gratitude to the exact man who is a direct and true hero for my life.

Delusions had me thinking I really was dead in the immediate aftermath of emergency brain surgery. Logic, reality and time have made me wonder just how the hell I survived. Knowing my condition, the infamous genetic disorder NF2, and my medical neglect in recent years (lack of MRIs and communication with my doctors), it just mounted things against me.

Unfortunately, I have other things against me now that logic and reality sway before me in a mocking sense all the time. Lack of social interaction, lack of romance, lack of work, little productivity, empty dreaming of achievement…

Last time I dealt with these morale haphazards was the winter of 2003-04. John J. Fonts Esq., the formal version of my cutesy nickname, was once again recovering from necessary surgery. This time, the catastrophe looming without surgery or with a screw-up during the cut-cut was paralysis. That was defeated, say thank you and praise the maker.  What got me away from that maize of morale post-op was web design, sports and being a pioneer of the NHL blogosphere with the birth of the Tampa Bay Lightning blog Boltsmag.com. Boltsmag has turned into Raw Charge on SB Nation; you can find my old posts through the archives. It may not be an easy feat though. The site’s birthday is February 13th. Next week.

That was then though, this is now. And even then, the site did not financially show accomplishment to me (meaning ads, which I hate, did not pay me back or something). It did give me something to focus on in my unique voice as a writer, but it (and Raw Charge) were not much of a rewarding time investment.

Creativity and writing may still be where I go from here; I’ve been working on a potential book of poetry. It would be stuff I’ve written for the past 20+ years. I’ve also toyed around with lyrical verse and trying to get music made to turn it into song. I don’t know how to have a legit career as a lyricist but that would be an adventure worth taking for this man of rhyme and reason.

I’ve survived, yet I’m lost. I’m happy to be here but I’m in a foul spot of ugh, hold the pickle. What comes next may be nothing, it may be grand, and it may be a fulfilling whisper that makes me feel accomplished. Whatever the answer is, it is still in the process of becoming.

February 8, 2017 , , , , , Boltsmag, interweb, Medical, Personal, Raw Charge Comments Off on The road to recovery becomes the highway to…where?

Plenty of Fish and the Upgrade scam

When I was on Plenty of Fish in 2016, I “Upgraded” my account. That upgrade was just affording me a little more access to the site with profiles and this-and-that.

Between the lack of responses to social attempts and other judgments against POF, I cancelled my account in early fall. Done and over with. I move on.

Except in the payment area.  POF has charged me – twice – since cancellation to continue the “Upgrade” subscription (despite the fact I no longer have an account with them).Every 3 months I will be charged $38.75.

I emailed POF’s highlighted Customer Service email address (cs@plentyoffish.com) and lo-and-behold these two key areas of the email:

If you are an upgraded user, or have question about one of your payments, please send us a new email from the email address registered to your Upgraded POF account.

…

Replies to this email will be automatically deleted.

 

So, in essence, a customer service line that vows to ignore you? Pleasant, no?

Calling POF or your pay line (be it your bank, PayPal, or credit card company) may or may not get this resolved. In my case, I’m hearing impaired – while I can hear, I’m horrible with the phone.

Update 1: I contacted support again from another email address, this time I got no auto-response so someone may actually respond. The fact they weren’t clear about how my email wasn’t registered with their DB (when contacting from my original address) is an eye-rolling frustration-.

Update 2: Never a word back from POF after two emails sent over the past week. Great Customer Service, eh?

Update 3 [final update]: It’s 2:30 PM on Friday, Feb. 17 and I just received a refund notification and a payment suspension via PayPal.com. No direct response from POF. While this brings back th emoney taken by POF and stops the auto-rebill, it’s still a degree of cold social on their part. Never the less, mission accomplished.

February 7, 2017 , , , , dating, interweb, Personal One Comment »

A place on Reddit to promote your hockey writing

As one of the longest tenured bloggers tied to the sport of hockey (well, at least up until a few days ago when I stopped for the most part), I’d like to take a moment to try to make mention of a category on Reddit where you can have feature content from your blog posted.

If you’re a fan of the NHL or the sport of ice hockey in general, you’re going to go with the no-brainer of /r/hockey, which is the top spot for hockey coverage on Reddit…. and it gets bogged down with at-the-moment coverage, chatter, videos, etc.

Promoting feature writing, though? There’s a subreddit aimed specifically for doing that (though few people are posting within the group) called /r/hockeywriters.  Yeah, the name makes you think that this is specifically for The Hockey Writers authors, but it’s not specifically for them (unless I missed a memo).  It’s to help promote content from hockey bloggers who do feature write-ups on just about any network.

If you’re looking just for feedbavck (and that’s the last post done on the group), it’s probably wiser to post the request on a different group.  If you’re looking to promote a specific write-up you’ve done? Or promote a featured article written that you enjoy (not news — feature article) that sellsyou on the author of the piece, then /r/hockeywriters may be the place to go.

Downside: Only 100 subscribers at this point. That can be remedied, can’t it?

November 1, 2016 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , hockey, interweb, Sports Comments Off on A place on Reddit to promote your hockey writing

Mediocre instrumental marked as top rock…. again

I’m not against art as music or as pop music for that matter… The Beatles give society enough reason for that.  I’m not against fans voting for songs online either.

That being said, another installment of avantgardeaclue has christened a mediocre instrumental as the top Rock song on Jango / Radio Airplay.  Solar Wind by Michael Wark is art, at best.  Sadly, it’s proof of corruption on the system at its boldest. This ain’t Rock.  It isn’t nearly so.

 

October 31, 2016 , interweb, Music. & Lyrics Comments Off on Mediocre instrumental marked as top rock…. again

Relevant Reddit for Tampa Bay and mixed relevance in subscriber counts

Perhaps this reflects the small population of the town/city, but Oldsmar is represented on Reddit with its own subreddit…

…with only 4 subscribers and 2 posts all-time.

It’s a messed-up aspect of geographical life on Reddit. Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater all have their own sub-groups on the site, as does the more general, region-representing Tampa Bay…which has a fraction of the subscribers compared to the above listed burgs. Palm Harbor is represented on there and hasn’t had a new post in 4 months. It does have 5 times the subscribers as Oldsmar though, so that’s saying something….

 

October 29, 2016 , , , , , , , interweb, Tampa Bay Comments Off on Relevant Reddit for Tampa Bay and mixed relevance in subscriber counts