7 ideas to help apple's ping (possibly) survive
Fri, Sep 3 2010 02:28 PM
| personal, technology, social media, music, favorites, lists, apple
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let's just go ahead and state the obvious (as a matter of full disclosure): i. love. apple.
plain and simple, i'm a huge fan of the little tech company in cupertino. i'm firmly planted on the apple bandwagon and i don't plan on getting off any time soon. i don't like the moniker "fanboy", because it assumes an ignorant/blind following. rather, my allegiance to apple is based on over 10 years of superior products. i trust apple. they simply make amazing, beautiful products, so i'm able to trust that when they release new products, they'll be in accordance with their long track record of almost exclusive hits.
but i'm also honest about their misses. yes, the cube just didn't work. the messagepad never really made sense. the flower power imac was atrocious. a handful of software releases have just not been useful. yes, apple's had some misses and near-misses.
so where does apple's new social music network, ping, fall into the equation? well, it's probably way too son to truly know. less than 48 hours into the launch of the service, many have written it off and they certainly have ample ammunition to support their argument. but i'm far from prepared to say it's doomed.
apple simply needs to make some big changes and i think it could take off the way they've imagined. i've created a list of 7 ideas that could greatly improve ping and make it a viable social network.
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15 albums i'll always love (and a heartfelt facebook diatribe)
Thu, Sep 2 2010 01:30 PM
| recommendations, personal, social media, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff, lists
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dante alighieri stopped too soon. you see, in his classic, the inferno, he depicts 9 circles of hell. but alas, there is actually a 10th circle. what resides in this deepest circle of endless torture?
facebook memes and games.
yes friends, those who engage in mafia wars or farmville (or any other game) or those who tell you to repost this message if you really love jesus dwell in the darkest pit of virtual hell. basically, anything that requires a regular & concerted effort to suck one's time (and others' time) while partaking in the black hole known as facebook are a special breed.
weekend worship: reflections on the west memphis 3 rally
Tue, Aug 31 2010 07:51 AM
| personal, emergent, eikon, little rock, christian subculture, theology, favorites, arkansas, church, jesus, music, popular culture, current events, politics
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sunday night, we had one of my favorite worship gatherings to date at eikon church. there was a good energy, the music was unquestionably the best it's ever been and i think we really tapped into the heart of what it means to be a community of people connected by jesus. it was truly a beautiful night of worship.
and then there was that other worship gathering.
no, not the one i attended on sunday morning. and no, not some other church event i participated in some other time during the weekend.
i'm talking about the one saturday. at robinson center music hall.
yeah, that one.
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two in review: july/august 2010
Fri, Aug 27 2010 07:56 AM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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a couple months ago, i began a new blog series, of sorts, in which i compiled a mix of the best music i had discovered in the preceding two months. the series and mixes are called, two in review. here's what i wrote in the original blog post:
i consume a lot of music. it's probably some kind of music ADD thing. i should probably seek out some kind of music junkies anonymous meeting or engage in some kind of full-out intervention. ultimately, i just love music and thus, consume quite a bit on any given week or month.
meet kevin, the other max in my life -OR- a brief ryan byrd music history
Tue, Aug 24 2010 06:02 PM
| general life, personal, music, music you should know, family, free stuff
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it's safe to say that we've established on this blog that i love music. and not just one single kind of music, but a variety of
it wasn't, though, always this way.
the tweet heard 'round the world: a few words about segregation and educational options
Mon, Aug 23 2010 09:04 AM
| christen, general life, personal, little rock, olive, christian subculture, theology, arkansas, lucy, family, popular culture, children, current events, max, politics
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By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard 'round the world.
so begin's ralph waldo's emerson 1837 masterpiece, concord hymn. the line that closes the stanza, of course, has become a cultural idiom. the shot heard 'round the world is in reference to the american revolutionary war, specifically the battles of lexington and concord. indeed, those shots reverberated around the globe and set our nation on a new course.
and then—on august 21, 2010—there was this:
worth not just a read, but extended reflection for LR people / RT @GOOD: Are students pre-segregated before high school? http://su.pr/9msbx1
ryanByrd
ryanbyrd
which was immediately followed by this:
in addition to what the @GOOD article says, it's also worth reflecting on "self-segregation" (parents who put their kids in private school).ryanByrd
ryanbyrd
ah yes, the tweet heard 'round the world.
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beautiful noise: 6 songs to help you de-stress
Fri, Aug 20 2010 07:54 AM
| general life, personal, music, music you should know, favorites
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i don't get stressed out.
yes, i know, it sounds hyperbolic or based in some kind of strange denial, but i just don't get stressed out. well, stressed out in the common sense of the phrase, that is.
i'm certainly aware that experiencing some type of response to stress factors is very normal and biologically healthy. i've, though, simply never experienced characteristic traits of what most would call being "stressed out". i don't lose sleep. i don't lash out. i don't get headaches. i don't get cranky. i don't have stomach problems. i just don't experience any sort of biologically/emotionally negative effects.
but.
as stated, i certainly experience times of biological stress. fortunately (for lack of a better word), though, i experience things more like apathy or lethargy, rather than the "bad" responses.
i've been in a brief season of stress here lately, with things piled up around me, disallowing for much time to take a breath.
so what do i do when i experiences these seasons? i turn to music.
why we should stop letting black people live in the quapaw quarter
Mon, Aug 16 2010 07:56 AM
| personal, jesus, theology, family, popular culture, politics, current events
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our family moved, in early 2009, into the quapaw quarter (in little rock). we really enjoy being so close to downtown and our neighborhood is relatively quiet and friendly. there's a diversity of people here that you simply don't get in other parts of town.
but i'll get to that whole diversity thing briefly.
several months after moving in, we attended a 4th of july breakfast at the empress (our immediate neighbor) and had an opportunity to meet the large majority of our neighbors. i had a lengthy conversation with a man who, along with his wife of 30-something years, has lived in the quarter for well over 20 years. he offered a bit of history of the neighborhood and one particular story stood out among the others. he said that a little over 20 years ago, a gang of about 6 or 7 black guys jumped a white man (who lived in our neighborhood) while he was walking his dog. apparently the guy was pretty messed up and after a few days of intensive care, he died from internal bleeding. whereas several of the black guys were subsequently arrested, the two main leaders of the group got away and were never arrested.
he said, for obvious reasons, many people in the neighborhood were shaken up pretty badly and even after having some candlelight vigils and racial reconciliation-type conversations with some of the predominantly black churches in the area, tensions ran high.
he and i talked about some of the backlash and anger that, to this day, still exists in this neighborhood and we came up with only one logical conclusion.
ban black people from living in the quapaw quarter.
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some exciting new eikon church updates
Fri, Aug 13 2010 02:04 PM
| general life, personal, church, news, emergent, little rock, jesus, eikon, worship
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it's been awhile since i've offered a substantial (or any, really) update about what's going on with eikon church. well, big things are happening, so i thought i'd pause the ryan-blog-rants-and-ramblings train and get us all on the same page.
listen to lissie cover metallica's 'nothing else matters' and download 'live sessions'
Fri, Aug 6 2010 01:23 PM
| recommendations, videos, reviews, awesome, music, music you should know, favorites, free stuff
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as i've said before, i devour a lot of music. because of that, it's rare for a new artist to really sneak up and surprise me with how great it is. over the last couple months, an artist has done just that: lissie.
listen to new ray lamontagne tracks: 'for the summer' and 'the devil's in the jukebox'
Tue, Aug 3 2010 06:47 PM
| reviews, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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it was beautiful news a couple months ago when it was announced that ray lamontagne will be releasing the follow-up to 2008's gossip in the grain on august 17. the album, god willin' & the creek don't rise, will be released under the moniker, ray lamontagne & the pariah dogs. shortly after the announcement of the new album, ray did us all a beautiful favor with the youtube-embedded release of a new track, beg steal or borrow.
now, two more tracks have surfaced.
anne rice's guide to quitting christianity and keeping jesus
Fri, Jul 30 2010 01:31 PM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, eikon, quotes, christian subculture, theology, books, popular culture, writing, current events
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i've never read an anne rice book.
i've never seen an anne rice-adapted movie.
i've never been interested in vampires or books about vampires.
despite these things, though, i've been a distant and intrigued observer—over the last 10 years—as anne rice has come back to faith. growing up in the catholic church, at the age of 18, she left her faith in exchange for nearly 4 decades of ardent unbelief. after garnering legions of followers and authoring blockbuster books, she once again chose faith and for the past decade, she's been publishing books about the her faith and the life of christ.
but anne rice has never reached "christian celebrity" status like other celebrity purveyors of faith such as mel gibson, stephen baldwin or—god help us—chuck norris. despite her marked switch to literary works about the life of christ, she never seemed to fully embrace the prevailing values of white, evangelical culture, which is the key to unlocking full-on christian celebrity status.
well, the possibility of that status is official DOA.
anne rice is quitting christianity.
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beetles, shaved heads and "that time of the month": a look at biblical pragmatism
Wed, Jul 28 2010 08:01 AM
| church, emergent, jesus, christian subculture, theology, books
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let's talk menstruation, shall we?
ok, so we can talk about more than that, but certainly, it does play a part. we'll get to that later, though.
in the meantime, how about a little biblical interpretation to tide us over?
download my latest mix, 'good. evil.'
Tue, Jul 27 2010 07:58 AM
| jesus, christian subculture, theology, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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several days ago, a friend and i were talking about how ubiquitous religion is. obviously, we didn't stumble upon some kind of shocking revelation, but we certainly affirmed that—even more than what we may realize—the concepts of good and evil, gods and devils, dark and light are broadly washed across the expanse of global cultures. certainly, across ages and timezones, the ways that these things are expressed are varying, but nevertheless, the sentiments are consistent.
democracy wins: derek webb covers huey lewis' 'power of love'
Mon, Jul 26 2010 03:51 PM
| reviews, personal, movies, awesome, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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over the last half a year, i've blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. earlier this year, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album has been in the process of being recorded over the span of 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. over the past 6 months, webb released the first six tracks, which was the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps, coldplay's fix you, bob dylan's the times they are a-changin', gnarls barkley's who's gonna save my soul, sufjan stevens' chicago and u2's where the streets have no name.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb is revealing each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the seventh one.
long on diagnosis, short on cure: remembering rob with don chaffer
Thu, Jul 22 2010 08:02 AM
| general life, personal, jesus, theology, music, music you should know, family, favorites
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time flies when you're having fun, right? well, what does time do when you're living in the wake of loss?
truth be told, time has flown and we're approaching 6 months since we lost rob. i was actually going to wait to write this until august 13—the 6 month anniversary of his death—but this is just one of these things that i need to write. now.
rob's been on my mind quite a bit lately and i think, more than anything, it was triggered by a don chaffer house show last friday night (which was great). don chaffer—1/2 of folk/worship/nebulous band waterdeep and one of my favorite artists—plays a significant role in my final memories of rob.
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i'm rubber, you're glue: letting go of the negative
Wed, Jul 21 2010 07:58 AM
| general life, personal, church, eikon, confessions, family
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it's 5th grade. you're on the playground. you see billy mcgee—the class bully—coming your direction. billy doesn't beat people up with his fists. but billy knows how to beat people up with his words. you know it's coming.
"hey you. yeah, you. your mom's so dumb she brought a spoon to the super bowl."
his entourage—little eddie hankins and robby smits—laughs devilishly. "this kid's good," you think, trying to avoid eye contact.
"your mom's so fat that when she wears a malcolm x t-shirt, a helicopter lands on her."
you've gotta do something as the laughter mounts. think fast.
"yeah? well…i'm rubber, you're glue. whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"
like kryptonite to superman, big bad billy mcgee and his weasely entourage shrinks away, knowing that he's lost this battle of pre-teen wits.
ah yes, back in 5th grade, the "rubber/glue"—much like "sticks & stones…"—held great power and were deep words of wisdom.
the world was simple.
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counting sheep: one more thought about guns, fear and becoming a sheep
Fri, Jul 16 2010 08:02 AM
| general life, personal, church, jesus, christian subculture, theology, family
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ok, ok, i know: enough with the sheep, ryan. yes, there's only so much ryan-poo-poos-on-guns talk one can take. i get it. i swear. one last post. ;)
in the aftermath of my previous posts about guns and the culture of fear, i got quite a bit of feedback. it varied from people retweeting the link to posting it on facebook all the way to people sending me rambling, scrolling emails telling me i suck at life (not really…but sorta…) and a couple people bravely posting actual comments on the blog. what i was most struck by were the couple people who said something like the following: "if you had ever been affected by violence you would think differently" or "just wait 'til you get a gun pulled on you and i think you'll change your mind."
well, i have.
and i thought i'd share about my experiences.
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listen to the new track, 'big wave', by rilo kiley frontwoman jenny lewis' latest incarnation, jenny and johnny
Thu, Jul 15 2010 07:57 AM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, free stuff
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a few weeks ago, newly formed group jenny and johnny—consisting of my music crush jenny lewis and her boyfriend johnathan rice—released the first track, scissor runner, from their forthcoming debut, i'm having fun now (august 31). (you can listen to it here.) yesterday, they released another track, big wave.
more sheepishness: a few thoughts about our culture of fear
Wed, Jul 14 2010 08:02 AM
| christen, general life, personal, olive, christian subculture, theology, church, jesus, lucy, family, popular culture, current events, max, politics
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the bible's a funny thing. and so is following that guy jesus.
at best, they're frustrating. at worst, they're maddening. even illogical. counterintuitive.
you see, in scripture, we're referred to as sheep. basically, mindless followers that roam without proper self defense or the ability to find the way on our own. we just sorta hang out with the flock and go where the shepherd leads.
we're sitting ducks. but, you know, in the sheepish kind of way. (a shmuck?)
quite frankly, sheep should be frightened.
but the bible's a funny thing.
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