Recommended Podcast

In the United States, I have XM Radio that I listen to quite often in my car.  One of my favorite things to listen to on XM Radio is comedy.  When I’m not in my car it’s hard to get the comedy pieces that I like to listen to anywhere else which is why podcasts are great.  Podcasts allow you to download or listen to anything you want when you want.

Online, XM Radio gives you access to some podcasts that you can listen to on-the-go which is great for me when I want to listen to my favorite entertainment somewhere besides my car. Podcasts are great because there are a variety of ways to listen to them.  You can listen to them online, on an mp3 player or on an iPod.

One of my favorite comedians to on XM Radio listen to is Katt Williams.  He can entertain me for hours and I hope he does the same for you with this small clip!  Enjoy! Here are some more comedy podcasts you might enjoy at well!

El Periodico vs. New York Post

I have noticed that newspapers in Spain are read quite frequently by many people living in Barcelona.  El Periodico is one that is read 754,000 times per day.  That doesn´t mean that it is getting bought 754,000 times, it just means that some people might read someone else´s copy of it.  El Periodico was first written to be a progressive newspaper and still stands that way today.  It is owned by Grupo Zeta and also written in all color.

When comparing this newspaper to the New York Post for example, there are some differences to be observed.  The New York Post is the nations oldest newspaper still in circulation today.  It is known for their sports section and also include gossip columns which El Periodico does not have.  The New York Post is owned by the Rupert Murdoch Cooperation.  Another difference between the two is that El Periodico is written in two languages where as the New York Post is written in only one.  One similarity between the two is that they are both written in color.  I wouldn´t say that one newspaper is better than they other but both papers are widely circulated and share and don´t share some interesting qualities.

Podcasts

To be honest when first learning about podcasts in class, I didn’t really know how they were used or what they were used for.  I have learned that podcasts make it easier for people to listen to their favorite talk show, news channel or other forms of entertainment in an on-the-go manner.  Podcasts are becoming more popular in this day in age because of the amount of people who own iPods or other kinds of mp3 players.  Today’s technology has made these forms of entertainment so accessible that it’s almost difficult to walk down the street or stand in the metro and not see own of these devices being used.  Now that I know about podcasts and how easier they are to use, I will probably be more influenced to listen to my own.  Here are some websites where you can listen to some podcasts. ESPN PodCastAlley iTunesPodCast

A Good Book Has No Ending

When bordem get´s the best of me, one of my favorite things to do is sit down in a comfortable chair or couch and read a book.  Some places you can go to get books for free or very inexpensive is, the library, yard sales, flea markets, and book sales.  All of these places offer many kinds of genres that can please any type of person.  Another place you can go online is called PaperBackSwap.com. This website allows you to trade books with people from all over the world for only the cost of postage.  This is a great way to read books from different cultures and other parts of the world.

Another great and free idea you might be interested in doing is starting your own book club.  Book clubs are common around the world and give you the opportunity to discuss with friends different aspects of a certain book.  There is a website that is dedicated to book clubs that gives a complete guide to book clubs and reading groups with information about saving money on books.  The website is called Book-Clubs-Resource.com and is a great way to discover

complete guide to book clubs and reading groups with an outstanding collection of links and information for readers, including information about saving with discount book clubs. Whether you’re looking to start your own reading group, participate in one online, or just learn more about what a book club is, you’ll make the best of your book club experience with Book-Clubs-Resource.com.

Marketing and Advertising 2.0

In this day and age almost everything revolves around some sort of technology.  Many businesses all over the world are utilizing the internet and other forms of technology to help their business succeed.  One form of media that businesses are utilizing more and more everyday are blogs.

Blogs can be useful to many businesses in many ways.  Some ways that blogs help corporate businesses succeed  are it helps them advertise their product by posting pictures, being honest and transparent helps them become more reliable, and by having a blog it makes it feel as if there is a more personal relationship between the customer and the business.

I think by having businesses create different kinds of blogs, it makes it more useful to the public to get the information they might want about a certain product.  Blogs can create a more personal feel for a business because they aren´t as formal as say a website might be.  Some advantages for businesses who have a blog are that it is a cheap way of advertising, feedback is easily accessable, able to learn about the customers, creates networking, and it can be updated anytime, anywhere.  All in all, I think if all businesses had a blog it will help their company succeed in the future.

Usher not Usher

Today I´m going to be giving you all an idea of what you might want to do on a free night as a fun and exciting activity.  I´m not talking about the singer Usher, today i´m talking about the kind of usher that is an escort to people in theater or churches.

Many professional theater, opera and dance companies use volunteer ushers to help stretch tight budgets. For passing out programs and helping the paying customers find their seats, you will receive free admission to the performance, an inside look at what happens before the curtain goes up, and the opportunity to provide hands-on support to a dynamic arts organization in your community.

This is a great way to meet new people in your community and also become familiar with different types of art that might be happening in your city.  There are many opportunities out there to volunteer for these position so don´t be shy!

Politics 2.0

One of the main reason why I think Obama won this past election is because of his creative uses of Politics 2.0.  Obama has used a wide variety of the web and other resources to add to his campaign to make sure his was the best.  He has transformed the way political leaders can reach out to people and proved that it makes a huge difference in the way people are staying connected.  An article from the Chicago Sun Times says that “Obama has become the first truly wired president of the digital age.” 

Personally one of the reasons that I registered to vote for the new president in this past election was because many adamant students around my school´s campus urged us to get online and register.  I was surprised at how easy it was to register and I´m proud to say that my voted counted towards the ”Change” we see today in the United States. 

Another reason why I think that Obama´s campaign worked so well was because he clearly understood the political uses of Facebook.  He understood that it mobilizes people, connects people, it´s global and local and it humanizes people among other things.  He also used other tools that made his campaign the best it could have been and they include,  my.barackobama.com, twitter.com, youtube.com, facebook.com, myspace.com, blogs, online advertisements and SMS texts.  With the use of all of these tools, Obama continues to stayed connected to the people who gives him the reliability and credibility that he needs to be a successful president.

Multimedia Report: Techno at its finest

The Barcelona night scene is one of a kind.  You won´t find any other city in Europe that starts their nights off at 2am and continues until around 6-7am.  One of my favorite clubs here in Barcelona is called Apollo Nightclub.  This club entertains many people around Barcelona with their wide variety of artists and genres of music.  It has two floors with bars on each floor to get your favorite cocktail and mingle with the locals.  One of the special events that Apollo hosted most recently was, Busy P.

Since being in Barcelona, I have noticed that techno music is widely enjoyed by many locals and foreigners around the city.  Personally I have been attracted to techno music for about three years now and think it´s a great way to listen to familiar songs mixed in a certain way that makes them sound completely different.  In Barcelona, you will be able to find a techno music concert that you can attend either for free or at a low price almost any day of the week.  The definition of techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged from Detroit, Michegan.  Since the new genre of music was introduced in 1988, it has taken over the world as a new way of expressing ones self.

Many music artists create the techno music by using a device called a synthesizer.  With this machine you are able to mix and recreate the music into something that can sound completely different than the original piece of music.  One of my most recent favorite artists who has emerged onto the techno scene is a man name Pedro Winter who goes by Busy P.  You can view his MySpace page here if you are interested in hearing any of his music or learning more about him.

As a little introduction of who Busy P is, I will start by telling you that he is a French electro house DJ, producer, manager and owner of the Ed Banger Records label.  He was also the manager for the well known techno group called Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008.  Busy P is known for his originality that is contingent upon his balance of artistically driven music and musically driven art.  Because Apollo Nightclub decided to host Busy P last weekend, it has opened the doors to many new fans including my self.  Here is a video that I took while at his show.

 

Gallery openings and Art walks

As far as free entertainment goes, there isn’t much you can do that doesn’t cost anything.  One activity that I found that I particularly enjoy and doesn’t involve spending any money is, gallery openings and art walks.  Most of these activities you can find online or in flyers on the streets.  These are usually held by low key artists who just want their work to be seen by anyone.  The more well known artists will charge you for the opening.  Another great perk to these shows are that they usually include wine and appetizers and give you a chance to meet the artist.  Also some communities host “art walks” which allow you to go visit multiple local art galleries in a group.  These are great ideas for enjoying local artists and meeting new people around where you live. Hope you Enjoy!

The Facebook/Twitter Craze

What’s great about blogging is that you are able to share your thoughts and opinions about anything to the world and not have to worry about someone judging you.  Blogging allows you to share your personal or not so personal information to the people who like to read and enjoy the same types of blogs you do.  Along with blogging, you can also direct people to more personal information by allowing them to see your Facebook account or Twitter account.  These are two tools that you can use to direct people to more in depth resources that may go along with your blog.  Personally I don’t own a Twitter account but do have a Facebook account.  I have never thought about linking the two together, but now I realize that it can make a significant difference to how many readers might read my blog.  I never really got into the whole Twitter craze. I believe that Twitter is a form of knowing what people are doing all of the time and I personally could care less what other people are doing on a constant basis.  But in class when we were discussing Twitter, Pipo (my teacher) was explaining how Facebook is used for personal use where as Twitter is used more on a professional level.  After listening to some of the reasons Pipo had for explaining why Twitter is relevant in this day and age, I now have a new respect for Twitters uses.  It can be used to promote, inform, and give up to date reactions to certain events right on the spot.  This can be useful for events such as the plane that landed in the Hudson River.  Twitter was the first sight that had live pictures of the actual event.  All in all I have now come to terms with the fact that Facebook and Twitter can be used for more than just light reading or a form of entertainment.  They can be used to get real information on the spot rather than waiting for a professional newspaper to give you the exact information on a professional scale.