Found this on CNN.com this morning. One would think a story about Amazon and the Kindle would feature a Kindle photo, too? Some subversive editor at CNN must love the Barnes & Noble nook.
Long live the nook!
DOOM II XBOX Live Arcade Review
Posted May 29, 2010 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: Bethesda, cdrom.com, Doom, doom II, DOOM II review, doomworld, fava beans, id software, left 4 dead, microsoft, nerve software, review, XBLA, Xbox Live
I am fairly certain that the DOOM series will be relevant forever. Even as old as the series is, DOOM continues to translate well to other platforms and enjoy success without any real updates. Most recently, DOOM appeared on the iPhone, and the new control schemes added a new dimension to the game without hampering the core gameplay elements. DOOM also has made quite a splash on both the XBOX and XBOX 360. Success breeds success, so please welcome DOOM II to the XBOX Live Arcade.
The 90s brought great change for both games and the internet, and in my opinion, DOOM had a lot to do with both. As a PC shooter, DOOM’s reputation as a genre innovator has been cemented. Gameplay elements created and refined for both DOOM and DOOM II, particularly the online and network gameplay and the first episode’s use as “shareware” led to both its immediate popularity and lasting influence over the genre even today. Most impressive, though, was DOOM’s online community. The online DOOM community was way ahead of its time, to be frank. By creating custom WADs and sharing them on forums and FTP sites like CDROM.com, DOOM and DOOM II transcended the genre of FPSes and attained significant cultural status as a gaming icon that still exists.
This is why I was so excited for DOOM II. Not just because Nerve Software (who handled DOOM for the XBOX Live Arcade) modified it for the network, but because it added an entire new episode. Yes.
This. is. huge.
For all of those years messing around with DEU and other level editors for training (I suspect), we finally see a new, professional-grade map pack for DOOM II from a team that knows how to create high quality content. I haven’t made my way through the entire episode yet, because I’ve been savoring each level and working through all of them to find every secret. But, for the first 5 levels, the team at Nerve Software has developed a worthy addition to the DOOM series and could reignite interest in custom levels again.
The levels are big, varied, and aggressively designed. These guys know what they’re doing. The pacing differs from the original DOOM II maps, as well. Gone are the seemingly endless hordes coming for you — now, the pacing follows Left 4 Dead a bit more. Wave, silence, wave, silence, puzzle, wave, and so on. The level design is very modern, even with the engine’s limitations. This gives me hope for a DOOM II renaissance.
Side note: if there is any way to bring custom PC maps to the XBOX through the added use of USB drives, this is the game that could pave the way. At the very least, perhaps Microsoft, id, and Nerve could devise a system for level designers to create a map and upload it to XBLA for consideration? If approved, the levels could be 100-200 points or something and allow some regular user generated content. I suspect one could pull this new episode from a USB drive and play it on a PC, so how cool would it be to do the reverse?
Anyway, the second map, “The Pain Labs,” reminds me of the old map pack “Fava Beans.” This is a compliment, because I am still impressed by that level design all these years later (and I remember these levels more than just about any other shooter that came out after DOOM II, which just shows how innovative they were compared to the big dev houses working on Unreal, Blood, etc.). The rest of the package looks and plays very similarly to the DOOM II of yore, but frankly, I’m too excited about the new episode to write about anything else. It’s been a blast to play so far, and in my opinion, it’s worth the $10 on its own.
I haven’t tried the multiplayer in depth yet (it was too laggy last night, unfortunately), but am looking forward to trying it again this weekend.
Check out these links for more info on DOOM II:
DOOM II Interview (Bethesda Blog)
DOOM II Info (XBOX Live Marketplace)
Doomworld
Stream It: LCD Soundsystem’s “This is Happening” Review
Posted April 20, 2010 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: best of 2007, lcd soundsystem, lcdsoundsystem.com, Music Review, review, sound of silver, this is happening
c/o Stereogum
You know, James Murphy is indie music’s Zack Morris. James Murphy (to me anyway) seems like the guy who shows up late to the party and tells a funny story that everyone remembers over everything else. He’s the jerky guy at work who shows up hungover with a three-day beard and has one bright idea that saves the day. The dude is the coolest guy in music and I don’t think he really cares.
LCD Soundsystem is an awesome name that doesn’t mean anything. But it’s an awesome name that is both futuristic (LCD) and old school (soundsystem), and it sums up the essence of the music as well as any name I can think of (better than Vampire Weekend, the Hold Steady, or Coldplay, anyway). I liked LCD Soundsystem’s first album just fine, but the “Sound of Silver”? Life. Changing.
It was at the top of my Best of 2007 list, and for good reason. 9 strong tracks that kept the dance beats from the debut but made them smarter, more diverse, and most importantly, way cooler. “Sound of Silver” sums up why the New York music scene is cooler than any other place in the US, and listening to it for the first time made me feel as cool as James Murphy probably is.
So how does the new album stack up? “This is Happening” brings the cool beats from “Sound of Silver” and adds in more diversity and bigger production values. The highlight so far for me is “Dance Yourself Clean,” which is a challenging, satisfying opener that encapsulates all that is great about LCD Soundsystem: complex beats, cool lyrics, and a really satisfying crescendo halfway through. Very, very good stuff. (you can stream the whole album on LCD Soundsystem’s site here. I’ve streamed it four times through already and might start it a fifth time). Other highlights so far are “Home,” “Drunk Girls,” and “You Wanted a Hit,” which makes me want to give the finger to the record industry on behalf of the band. If this is indeed the band’s last album, it was a hell of a way to go.
“This is Happening” comes out on May 17th. I will buy it and you should too.
Apple Announces New MacBook Pros — Are They Worth It?
Posted April 13, 2010 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: Alienware, apple, DOOM 3, Intel, iPad, iphone, Killer Graphics, m11x, Mac Rumors, MacBook Pro, NVIDIA GeForce 320m, NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M, Steam, Steve Jobs, Valve
Photo courtesy of Apple and Metro.co.uk
Today, Apple announced its updated line of MacBook Pros. Apple has gotten on the Core i5/i7 bandwagon, which is great for the 15.4″ and 17″ models, but I’m more interested in the decisions behind the newest 13.3″ model.
I’m curious about two things in particular:
1. Why would you continue to use an integrated graphics chip for a “professional grade” laptop?
2. Why continue to use the Core 2 Duo chipset, which is 4 years old?
The quick answers to both of these questions obviously lies with cost — the 13.3″ starts at $1,199, and it is undeniably a better deal than its predecessor was yesterday when it was available. However, when you consider Valve’s Mac/Steam announcement from last month (you can find a Wired post about it here), these specs seem to be grossly incongruous with the the PR buzz proclaiming the Mac to be a relevant gaming platform again. Steam, as we all know, is the electronic distribution platform for a whole host of games, from old favorites to the cutting edge ones, so why wouldn’t Apple want to attract a large population that already uses Steam and entice them to switch to Mac and still play what they like?
Let’s start with the integrated graphics processor, the GeF0rce 320M. Apparently it’s a custom chip built solely for Apple to provide better integrated graphics output than a standard NVIDIA chipset. Yippee. It’s still sharing memory with the rest of the machine! This is the exact opposite of what a “killer” machine needs to be a real killer machine. (I’ll explain killer in a minute).
With the iPhone and the iPad we have learned to accept underwhelming battery life for a “terrific” experience (the iPhone is a sincerely terrific experience. The iPad? Well…if you want to abandon the homerow typing skills you learned a decade ago, sure!), so I can’t believe that the GPU could be a pure power-saving decision, because the performance is underwhelming already.
Performance wise, it’s especially disappointing because this custom “killer” 320M processor looks like an NVIDIA 9600gt coming back for a sad reunion tour without the scissor kicks and backflips it used to own in its heyday. The specs are too similar to let me believe that Apple made a good decision with the 320M.
Standard gaming quibbles aside, this is a legitimate question — why would anyone from Apple or Valve play up the Valve/Apple announcement a month before unveiling a new MacBook Pro with specs that are, at best, comparable to a 3-year-old PC?
I’m less concerned with the Core 2 Duo decision, aside from the fact that it probably performs a fraction as well as the Core i5. However, when you pair the processors together, you get very mediocre innards wrapped in a terrific design masquerading as revolutionary.
This just occurred to me: a natural competitor to the 13″ MacBook Pro is the Alienware M11X. Granted, the Alienware has a disastrously ugly case that could never be appropriate for someone travelling and using it in public (or even during a professional presentation), but people who are looking for a versatile setup that travels very well, can play games pretty well, edit HD video, and handle Photoshop CS5 have to be curious about this one. It’s $400 cheaper and has a dedicated graphics chip that doesn’t have to share memory when used (NVIDIA GT 335M). Normally, one wouldn’t make a comparison between Apple and Alienware, but given Apple’s very deliberate steps into the gaming sector this year, I definitely see one, and Apple’s specs definitely, definitely do not match their proclamations.
Right now, I have a regular old, white MacBook (Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 Ghz/2 gigs of memory/Intel integrated graphics), which is 2 years old, and I honestly think it would stand up to the new MBP if I compared the two machines together. (that is to say they both would perform poorly)
But wait, you say! The new MBPs achieved a 1.8x performance improvement over the previous baseline Pro model when playing DOOM 3! Oh, right. A 6-year-old game. So old, in fact, that it also ran on the original XBOX. You can see the comparison here, from Mac Rumors. Again, this is totally underwhelming. There will probably be 2,000 newer games on Steam than DOOM 3, and I suspect the MBP will have trouble maintaining a decent frame rate for many of them.
Look, I’ve already accepted that Apple doesn’t make game-friendly setups. I was OK with it when I bought my MacBook. But don’t dump old, tired technology into a nice design and call it “killer.”
Note about “killer”: In an e-mail to a fellow skeptic today, Steve Jobs referred to the new MBP’s graphics as “killer,” and I laughed out loud and felt embarrassed for him simultaneously. I’m all for not boosting the CPU’s MHz, since that doesn’t cut much anymore, but you’ll have a hard time demoing the new Steam games, like Portal 2, and expect anyone to be blown away.You can read the e-mail here.
I was looking forward to upgrading, but giving Apple $1,200 for marginal improvements makes me reconsider staying with Apple at all. What a joke.
Jacqui Naylor makes a visit to Blues Alley
Posted November 17, 2009 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: allman brothers, blues alley, classic rock, concert, covers, georgetown, goo goo dolls are awful, jacqui naylor, jazz, Music Review, review, rocketeer, south seas club, summertime, whipping post
Blues Alley photo courtesy of the DC Government
I had an interesting discussion tonight about cover songs. Covers are both a pretty funny idea and a bad idea most of the time. Many covers, like the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Give a Little Bit,” are basically chord-for-chord rehashes of the original. This makes me wonder why in the world anyone would do an identical rendition of an already good song. Is it worth the time and energy to record a song that is identical to the source material? To me, that’s the worst kind of music, because a lame cover not only sounds bad, but it cheapens the original’s appeal as well. So why even do it? Great question.
This discussion was particularly appropriate today, because I also learned that Jacqui Naylor is going to make an appearance at Blues Alley tomorrow night (1073 Wisconsin Ave., NW). As a deep, sultry jazz artist, Jacqui adds an interesting element to pop and classic rock covers. She adds an impressive mix of both nostalgia and modernity into her work, and they almost remind me of a period piece set in the 30s–sort of like the South Seas Club in The Rocketeer.
The covers don’t sound like the same songs; in fact, “How Deep Is Your Love” doesn’t sound like the Bee Gees at all. This, of course, is a good thing. Also check out “Summertime” (which sounds awfully similar to The Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post”), “Miss You,” and “Shelter” on her Web site here.
I’ve been listening to her most recent album, “You Don’t Know Jacq,” tonight, and she seems to be very adept at mixing genres, even when logic suggests that they don’t go well together. I don’t know if her music signifies a new genre in music or not (“jazzic rock,” perhaps?), but that doesn’t really matter to me. What matters is that these covers sound fresh.
Ultimately, the real indicators of music should be pretty simple: 1.) does it sound good? and 2.) will it sound good when I listen to it again? The answer to the first question is, yes it does sound good. Quite, actually. What will my answer be to the second question? Stay tuned for a follow up post. While I’m a jazz newbie, I always like late-night music and this fits the bill for now.
Jacqui will be playing two shows tomorrow night: 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Blues Alley web site or by calling 202-337-4141. I won’t be able to make it, and that’s too bad. The music scene has been pretty anemic around here for the past few months, and I am in the market for a decent show. If you go, let me know how it is.
Also, I can’t guarantee that the typical Georgetown crowd will abstain from attending, but Jacqui seems to be a little too sophisticated for the popped collar scene.
Top Music Picks for October 12-16
Posted October 14, 2009 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Music Review
Tags: Music Review, review, air, pitchfork, dirty projectors, washed out, m. ward, zooey deschanel, life of leisure, hold time, post-war, transfiguration of vincent, bitte orca, avett brothers, i and love and you, emotionalism, flaming lips, embryonic
I’ve been listening to a lot of good stuff so far this week. There are a lot of new releases out this month that are worth checking out, in addition to some older stuff that deserve a chance (even with poor Pitchfork reviews). Here are 4 of the albums I’m digging this week. I usually stream new albums on Lala, so I’d recommend checking it out to stream any of these albums.
1. The Avett Brothers — I and Love and You
Admittedly, I’m pretty late to the game with the Avetts. I was familiar with “Emotionalism” before seeing them live earlier this year, at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University here in DC. It was a really great live show, and it turned me on to them even more. Mostly, I think, because of the songs they played on this album. “Kickdrum Heart,” “Laundry Room,” and “And It Spread” are highlights. The Avett Brothers wear their hearts on their sleeves, and it’s a refreshing album that stands out from the increasingly popular slew of 80s synth rehashes from artists who were probably born in the 90s (I’m looking at you, Neon Indian).
2. Dirty Projectors — Bitte Orca
This has bene on my favorites list for most of the year, and I am listening to it right now as I type. It’s a challenging listen, but incredibly rewarding throughout nearly the entire album. To be candid, I hated it at first. I saw them open for TV on the Radio at the 9:30 club here in DC, and I was underwhelmed. The performance was muddled, confusing, and didn’t deliver nearly the same amount of cohesiveness found on the disc. However, the live version of “No Intention” was terrific, and it served as my gateway to the rest of the album. Also check out “Temecula Sunrise” and “The Bride,” which is perhaps the best on the album.
3. M. Ward — Hold Time
Perhaps I just don’t like new music these days without seeing the artists live, but I saw M. Ward last year before loving his work. He was really good at the Synogogue in DC, and both “Post-War” and ‘Transfiguration of Vincent” slowly grew on me. It was this foundation of two (eventually) great albums that prepared me for “Hold Time,” which seems to be the most modern-American album he’s made yet. Doesn’t seem to be as old timey, if that makes sense, but the Americana essence is absolutely still front and center. While it was nice to hear “Rave On” remade, it seems to me to be slightly out of place — an homage to hard-working Buddy Holly amid a sea of more modern glimpses of lazy American experiences. Also, Zooey Deschanel is forgettable. She’s probably terrific and funny, but ultimately, it sounds to me like M. Ward is doing a favor by working with her. I think his talent far exceeds hers on their album work together. Anyway, listen to “For Beginners,” “Epistemology,” and “One Hundred Million Years.” M. Ward’s charm is undeniable.
4. Washed Out — Life of Leisure
Washed Out’s EP, while short, is very rewarding…and not just for probably my favorite album cover of the year. There is definitely a late 70s-early 80s feel to it, but it also has the same downtempo charm that made me really get into both Air and Air France. Again, it’s short, and it might be too early to tell what Washed Out has in store for 2010 and beyond, but the EP is strong all the way through. Start with “Hold Out,” “Feel It All Around,” and “New Theory.” Terrific stuff that makes me want to stay up all night on a beach.
For me, I think the next albums to check out will be the new Flaming Lips record, “Embryonic,” as well as another run through of Air’s “Love 2.” Any other suggestions?
One for the Little Guy?
Posted September 18, 2009 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: Atari, awkward family photos, ben parr, cat videos, comcast, conspiracy theories, convenience fees, FCC, internet, julius genachowski, macgyver, mashable, murder she wrote, neo, net neutrality, News, on demand, Peter Bis, the great equalizer, the matrix, time warner, verizon, wall street journal, warner bros
One of the things I’m really passionate about is open access to information online. I love looking for information and following the trail until I find exactly what I’m looking for. It’s like an episode of Murder, She Wrote and MacGyver at the same time. And, open access to information online (without violating any security issues, of course) is exactly what made the Internet so great — it’s really just giant receptacle of nearly everything you could think of finding. Awkward family photos? Check. Gameplay videos from your favorite Atari games? You bet. Conspiracy theories? Too many to count (just check out my homeless friend, and former Capitol Hill neighbor, Peter Bis’s blog here.
And don’t forget the cat videos.
Regardless of what you think of the content itself, it’s important to note that what makes the Internet special is that it really is the great equalizer. The little guy has (almost) an equal chance to advocate for things when up against the big the big guy. Think about all the great grassroots campaigns that have succeeded because of the Internet. Of course, the variable here is the amount of resources each side can devote to it, but the point here is that the Internet, at least in this country, is the only real open forum left.
Corporations can’t control content on the Internet the way they can on every other media platform, so of course this makes them nervous. Imagine what life would be like if Comcast controlled access to Web content the way it controls TV content — oh, you want to download a file hosted on Verizon.net? You’ll have to wait 5 minutes for it or pay a $2.99 convenience fee. Your choice!
This is obviously a watered-down analogy of Net Neutrality, which is understandably a really messy idea when you consider how many stakeholders would be involved in “tiering” the Internet based on how much a person can pay for access. Comcast, for which I have very little sympathy in any capacity, is one of the key players trying to tier their Internet hosting service, based on how much people pay. Take into account a pay structure, as well as the traditional(ly ugly) telecomm competition between the ISPs, and you’ll have a gigantic, bloated mess of arbitrary wait times and slow download speeds because your provider wants to control what you have access to.
Well, if The Wall Street Journal and Mashable are right, the FCC is about to weigh in and put some common sense to paper. Ben Parr from Mashable sums it up:
“The new rules, expected to be announced Monday by Julius Genachowski, the FCC Chairman, will outline requirements for ISPs to treat all traffic on the Internet equally. This means that Comcast can’t decide that Google gets less bandwidth and Microsoft/Bing gets more for any reason (i.e. one pays for preferential treatment).” Read the rest of his post here.
If this is true, this is a big win for everyone who wants equal access to content. This also reinforces why people love the Internet so much — access to what they want to find, when they want to find it. Do you think, for a second, that Comcast’s “On Demand” service would exist without an Internet culture? Absolutely not.
Outlawing net neutrality could have all sorts of implications. If you have a VUDU box (as I do) and want to stream “The Matrix” in HD to watch on your TV, could you? I doubt it, at least not with enough bandwidth to watch it in HD. “The Matrix” is a Warner Bros. movie, and Time Warner is a competitor, you see. There are all kinds of scary ideas to think about once your ISP has control over what you have access to. And don’t think Time Warner wouldn’t do something just as sketchy to Comcast customers, either.
Indeed, “They’re watching you, Neo.”
Opponents of net neutrality are a nefarious bunch and I absolutely support the FCC in its choice to uphold net neutrality. The last thing we need to do is pump more money into the telecomm industry and let them control what content we have access to (and when we want to access it).
So, if this is true, and the FCC is going to weigh in next week, THANK YOU. This is huge.
On the Horizon: Real Estate
Posted August 7, 2009 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: band, jerky hipster, Jersey shore, letsrockthebeach, Music, myspace, on the horizon, Previews, real estate, stereogum
Imagine a band that’s a mix between the Walkmen and Vampire Weekend. Then imagine this hybrid band playing on the Jersey shore. This basically sums up Real Estate, which is a band to get to know now and buy the t-shirt before they become the next big thing in 2010 (like the Walkmen and Vampire Weekend the past two years). A really good summer beach band that is perfect for your backyard BBQ and just indie enough to impress your jerky hipster neighbor.
They’re currently on tour all around New York State. Once they get to DC, you can be sure I’ll be there.
Their Myspace page (am I really going to link to Myspace?) can be found here. Their page name, appropriately enough, is “Letsrockthebeach.” I like it!
Here are some MP3 samples, courtesy of Stereogum:
Black Lake <–my favorite
Stereogum also posted a short oveview of the band, which you can find here.
Enjoy!
2009′s Best New Music (so far)
Posted July 31, 2009 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: ac newman, andrew bird, animal collective, antony & the johnsons, best of 2009, big whiskey and the groogrux king, bon iver, candlebox, dave matthews band, descendents, dinosaur jr, discovery, farm, fleet foxes, frank navetta, LP, milo aukerman, mos def, Music, phoenix, ra ra riot, Reviews, the ecstatic, wilco, wolfgang amadeus phoenix
I'm sure these ladies have talent in spades.
Well, it has been an embarrassingly long time since I last blogged (or even logged in!). To try and make up for it, I’ve put together a list of what I think is some of the best music released so far this year. No matter what anyone else says, 2009 has been a weak year compared to 2008. January will likely be viewed as the best month for new releases for the year, at least by scanning the calender of releases. Animal Collective, Antony and the Johnsons, Andrew Bird, A.C. Newman (hey, all As so far!), and Bon Iver all released new material in January.
It’s a sad year, though, if the pinnacle of the releases was in the first month. Now, I realize several other good albums have come out in the six months hence, but if Dave Matthews Band takes a spot in my list for 2009 so far (spoiler alert), you gotta hope 2010 has something better up its sleeve. Maybe Fleet Foxes will put something out next year. Or perhaps a Ra Ra Riot sophomore effort? Or, maybe the Descendents might want to do something as a tribute to Frank Navetta? (hint, hint, Milo Aukerman).
Anyway, this list isn’t in a specific order besides the order that I rattled off in my mind. What else am I missing? Don’t say Animal Collective or Wilco. The jury is still out on both. Seriously.
Discovery, LP – I am quite certain that I’ll get a lot of shit for this. There is a substantial amount of garbage on this album. Tacky, 80s Miami club synths, electro beats, and stupid lyrics, but, BUT! Wait don’t leave yet – there are some legitimate flashes of brilliance. For your consideration, I present “So Insane” below:
There are some other terrific tracks, too — see “Can You Discover,” “Carby,” and even the awkwardly appropriate”I Want You Back.” Definitely some talent working on this album, even if it’s annoyingly unfocused.
Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Again, I’ll get shit for this. Has DMB been relevant since the 90s? Perhaps not, but this album at least proves that all the time away from critical circles hasn’t hurt their collective talents. And, with the unfortunate passing of LeRoi Moore, the band has responded with focus, creativity, and a mission to put together a fitting memorial for such an important band member. The album is strong all the way through, and it is surprisingly tight considering the band’s longstanding reputation as a jam band (but so tight and focused as to remember the near-disaster Everyday. I’ll always remember Carter Beauford exclaim on TV, “We got charts!” as if that was a good thing for them). Anyway, check out “Why I Am” and “You and Me” for an intro into the album. Brass instruments on a DMB is a welcome addition, for sure.
Mos Def, The Ecstatic. Admittedly, I was not psyched for this album at all. Mos Def has been sort of on the periphery of interesting hip hop artists for me, and while I liked him, his music didn’t really ever speak to me. On a lark, I got it from eMusic and gave it a shot. It is diverse, catchy, and I totally undervalued his talents as a lyricist. Parts of it remind me of DOOM (as in MF, not the game), particularly in the sound production and samples. This is a good thing of course. Check out “Quiet Dog,” which YouTube tells me is his second single (what was his first?).
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This one should come as no surprise. It’s incredibly catchy and currently satisfies the same part of my brain that dug Blog Party’s first album and Vampire Weekend. It’s a little more diverse than the other two, perhaps, but it should be since it’s not Phoenix’s debut album. There is a reason that it has ascended other mid year “best of” lists. It’s just good, old fashioned catchy dance rock. Check out “1901″ below:
Dinosaur Jr., Farm. Yeah, this one’s my favorite so far. Really glad the original band is making music again. Farm proves that Beyond wasn’t a fluke, and the dudes take the energy and tight song craft from Beyond and turn it up to 11 (“yes, but this one goes to eleven.”). 90s grungepop still matters thanks to these guys (where is candlebox these days, anyway?) and they bring it in spades. Check out “See You” below:
So, what’s on your list? What do I absolutely have to listen to before the year ends?
Follow-up to the Mutant Bolthouse Finger Carrot Incident
Posted April 24, 2009 by digitalmetropolisCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: bolthouse farms, carrots, corporate america doesn't suck, coupon, mutant carrot, rant, small victory for the little guy
Hi, everyone. So, I realize you’re all on the edge of your seat to learn what happened to my giant carrot (I threw it away) and if I reached out to Bolthouse Farms (I did). Below, find my exchange with the lovely representative from Bolthouse:
Me:
Hi, just wanted to let you know that I found a mutant carrot in my baby carrot bag today. You may not want to hear this, but it was a giant, rotten carrot. Literally rotting. I took a photo of it if you’d like to see it. Maybe you should check out your quality control a little bit?
Bolthouse:
Thank you for contacting us. We are sorry to hear about your recent experience with our carrots. This certainly is not the quality we strive for. We have quality control procedures in place that should prevent something like this from happening. In order to assist our Quality Control Department in their follow up, we will need to obtain some additional information from the packaging:
~bag size
~”best if used by” date
~product codes (located near the date)
As a valued consumer, we will be happy to send you a replacement coupon for this purchase. We hope you will give our carrots another try. Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate your business.
If we may be of further assistance, please write or call our Customer Service line at 800-467-4683.
Me:
Thanks for the e-mail. As you can imagine, the giant rotting carrot was pretty alarming. I took a photo of it if you’d like to see it: http://twitpic.com/3eqst
At any rate, the bag size is the 65 g (2.25oz) size, the “Best if Used by” date is April 20, 2009, and the codes below the date are:
1808 18R
WSA211C21
Result:
I received a coupon for a free tiny carrot bag or carrot juice product about three days after I sent them a note. Not bad, Bolthouse. Not bad. But what if I find another mutant carrot in this free bag? What do I do then? Stay tuned…I’m on a mission.
