Classroom Podcasts

An article appears here in today's Newsday about classroom podcasts. It begins with the following:

"When Purdue University senior Marcos Kohler skipped a physics class to attend a concert in Chicago, he didn't have to borrow a classmate's notes to catch up. Instead, he connected his iPod to a computer, downloaded the lecture, and from the comfort of a campus coffee shop, listened to the two-hour discussion on particle physics.

"It re-creates the entire class experience," said Kohler, 22, who missed another lecture at the West Lafayette, Ind., campus when he overslept for the 1:30 p.m. class. A video conference class would be even better, he said, but "to go from paper printouts to audio, this is a step in the right direction."

WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS TECHNOLOGY WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE? Do you know what my GPA would have been if I had been able to catch up on all those missed classes due to only two things -- concerts and oversleeping?!?!

Mr. A-Z & Raul Midon

My birthday present from The Girlfriend was tickets to see Jason Mraz & Raul Midon at Lincoln Center last night. In a word, it was PHENOMENAL.

I had heard a lot about Raul, but only heard clips of 1 or 2 of his songs. But I was blown away last night. It was the best live acoustic guitar performance I've ever seen and the best overall guitar performance since a Van Halen show in the early 90's. Plus, I didn't know the dude blind (which makes it that much more amazing that he can play the guitar that way). The bottom line: you need to see him live. Trust me.

As for Mrazy, I have been a fan since the week his first album was released. Actually, I've been pretty obsessed with him. Singer-songwriters are a dime-a-dozen, but in my opinion, Mraz is one of the best 4 or 5 songwriters alive. Needless to say, I had high hopes for last night's show and was not let down. Our seats were great, too (thanks to The Girlfriend). I won't get into the details, but it was a very entertaining 90-minute show. And Mraz is hilarious, talking for minutes at a time between songs. If he comes to your town, go see him.

One other thing: before the show, I said hello to the head of A&R for a major record label, who i've known for a year. I don't know him well, but he's close friends with my boss. Nevertheless, he recognized me and we shot the shit for a minute or two about Mrazy and the music biz. As The Girlfriend and I found our seats, this feeling of accomplishment and belonging came over me. Here is one of the top 5 most powerful people in the music biz and I was talking to him about the industry - and I knew what I was talking about. I have hung on to this piss-ass job for over a year for little money and few contacts, while at the same time trying to make something out of my side business. But the conversation with Mr. A&R reminded me that I have the ability and personality to hold my own in this business. I have no fear that given the opportunity, I can accomplish anything for a client. But last night was about turning off the BlackBerry and being a fan of music - not a manager or lawyer. After all, that's where it all began for me. Mrazy and Raul reminded me of that.

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You happy now, Kirstie Lou?

p.s.
I highly recommend the food at Mo Pitkin's for anyone in the Lower East Side/East Village area formerly known as Crack Whore Row.