Saturday, December 20, 2014

The Internet is Awesome 2

I know I've already done one video compilation post this month, but with as much as I wasn't blogging, I had plenty built up for a second one. And a third one later on, but that'll be just Christmas videos.

First up, we have the music video for my favorite song from the new Annie movie, You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile, performed by Sia.



Great movie by the way, I highly recommend it for anyone who likes musicals.

Next up is a cover of Taylor Swift's Shake it Off, by Alex Boye.



I love the original twists he puts on songs.

Now for someone I haven't featured in awhile, The Piano Guys. I would have featured them awhile ago, but the video they did that I was planning to post, a Batman themes medley, was blocked by some...Well, I probably shouldn't get into that... Anyway...



Awesome as always. I love how they always mix classical music with more modern songs.

Next is a channel I have never featured before as they are relatively new, it's another piano channel but totally different than the piano guys, Player Piano. This time doing the theme to one of my favorite childhood (and adulthood) video games, Tetris!



Their videos are consistently awesome, and always with an awesome custom designed piano.

Next we have the incomparable Lindsey Stirling who can make even a sponsored video amazing.



I've never played Dragon Age, but the video is amazing.

Last but not least, Peter Hollens and... Jackie Evancho?! Really?! It was just last week that she was making headlines as this tiny little girl with a huge, powerful voice! How did she grow up so fast!? In all seriousness, she's amazing, as is Peter, and the video is awesome.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

How To Not Die

I wrote the following post for my journalism class. A class that was grueling, unforgiving, and just plain hard. But the teacher was great, which made it so much better. Anyway, I only wrote one thing for that class that would be of interest to anyone else. The rest was all classmate profiles, an article on homelessness, a recap of a visiting political analyst's speech, and a bunch of other all incredibly dull stories for anyone who doesn't care about them.

But one assignment we were allowed to have fun with. We were to write an article in the form of an instructional blog post. We didn't have to adhere to AP Style, we didn't have to report on anything, we just had to explain how to do something. When I'm given such wide parameters, you know I'm not going to do just any old normal thing like, "How to Bake a Cake," or "How to Care for a Mohawk," no, I'm going to tell you all about not dying.



How To Not Die

If you're like me, you like living. I know, everyone does. But there could be a problem with that. Death is just around every corner if you're not careful. So, if you want to continue to be alive, here are just a few simple tips that can keep you going for years.
1. Stay out of the woods. I know it's tempting, they just look so big, and cozy, and inviting. But those friendly looking trees have dark secrets, inside the woods are all manner of unholy horrors. Inside each tree are the most disgusting, poisonous, and deadly creatures imaginable, creatures like insects, lizards, spiders, and squirrels. If you even touch the tree, they will leap out of hiding and tear you to shreds, or inject you with poison. Behind the trees are even more horrors. Lions, tigers, bears, and cassowaries, it all depends on where you live, but any one of these could kill you at any moment, so stay out of the woods.
2. Stay out of the frozen food isle. Unless you are going in there for some frozen peas, you need to give this isle a wide berth when you visit the grocery store. It is chock full of deadly items that are sure to kill you with one bite, or maybe 40. It's really the overeating that kills you. I'm looking at you, pizza rolls…
3. Stay out of the zoo. I know it looks fun, but the zoo is full of animals that can kill you with one chomp from their adorable maw. I know those ocelots are just the most adorable thing ever, but don't even think about climbing over that fence! They will just rip your face off with not even a second thought. Same with the meerkats. I've never actually heard of them attacking anyone, but with a swarm that large, you just never can be too sure. It's the cutest things that can kill you worst. Which brings me to my fourth point.
4. Stay out of the pet shops. You do not want anything that has sharper teeth than Grampa Fred living inside your house.  I'm sure by now you've heard of that old lady who fell down and was eaten by her Pomeranians. You don't want that to happen to you, do you? I didn't think so.
5. Stay out of the garden. You'd think I was going to warn you about the spiders, bugs, and scorpions that live there, but no. Those things are dangerous, yes, but not as dangerous as the plants. The plants can be more deadly than any poison slug or venom slug or worm you might find there. With one sprinkle of pollen you could puff up bigger than a pygmy hippo, and start blasting your lungs out with violent sneezes. Beware.
These five simple guidelines will serve you well, as you progress through life, hoping to avoid death. But if these are too much to remember, just remember this one: Stay in your house and never leave.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The Internet Is Awesome

So, apparently I completely abandoned my blog last month, school has been ridiculous. I was planning to do more posts while I was on Thanksgiving break, but I was busy all last week too.
I started this one before I went back to Ames, but I never finished it. This will most likely be it before Christmas break. I'd promise to have more posts then, but I'm not good with those kinds of promises. I'll promise to do at least one, and we'll hope for a miracle.

So, I am changing the title of these post, again, but I think this time it'll stick. I got the name from a Pomplamoose song, see below, and it perfectly describes these posts, and will let me add non-music videos later on if I want to.

Here's the video that inspired the title!



It's such a strange video, more of a spoken word piece than a song, but I really like it. I've played it so many times I can almost 'sing' the whole thing along with her.

This next video is a collaboration between two of my favorite YouTube artists/groups, Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix.



I loved this so much I immediately shared it on facebook, and right away I was told it was creepy. I didn't think so, I just thought it was awesome. Well come to find, out Pentatonix WANTED it to be just a bit creepy. So joke's on me I guess.

This next one is just Lindsey Stirling. It's not one of my favorite songs of hers, it has more of a country flair which I'm usually rather, 'meh' about, but it is one of her best videos.



I think I'll take back what I just said. The song must have grown on me because I just watched it again, and I liked it a lot better than before.

Now for a solo Pentatonix video.



This is one of my favorite songs from their latest album, and even though the video is really simple, I really like it. Japan is on the bucket list in my head that I've never written down.

Speaking of Japan!



Owl City hadn't released anything for way too long, so this was an awesome surprise! I already love the song, and I can't wait for his next album!

Let's finish this out with a bang! OK GO!



This is probably now my absolute favorite OK Go song. And the video is amazing. They put more work into their videos than pretty much anyone, and it shows.

As I was going through my saved music for these posts, I realized that I had more than enough for two posts, so if I get time, I will do another post. Stay tuned!