Yesterday as Kirty South and I drove back from Olympia WA, HANDS DOWN THE WORST PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES (with a few notable exceptions), I got to select the playlist on his iPod. Between The Shaggs and Deerhoof songs, there was plenty of ’80s pop, with no fewer than three Michael Jackson songs strewn in there. Man, that dude could write and perform a song. Despite child-touching allegations and a two-decade long decline in productivity and popularity, you still gotta give it up for Michael as an artist.

This led me to wonder: so when’s Wacko Jacko gonna release a new album? Apparently, it’s in the works. According to Billboard, songwriter Claude Kelly penned a song for the new Akon album. When Akon played Kelly the track, it featured none other than Michael Jackson. The track “Hold My Hand” will reportedly be released on both Akon’s album, and Jackson’s upcoming release (no release date yet). I for one can’t wait. No, seriously.

Claude Kelly, who can write a hit song, but apparently has no eye for design, is understandably way stoked.

“I wrote the song and gave it to Akon with the intention of it going to maybe Whitney Houston, but Akon said he wanted to cut it himself. I thought, ‘It doesn’t get any bigger than this’,” the 27-year-old New York native tells Billboard.com. “A few months after, Akon plays the song for me and all of a sudden I hear Michael Jackson’s voice. I was literally shaking by the time the song was over.”

Now trailing only Wal-Mart, iTunes is the number two (legal) source of music distribution with 50 Million customers and 4 billion songs sold. They pushed past Best Buy and Target, who trail 3rd and 4th respectively.

From the Associated press:

About 10 percent of music acquired in the U.S. was through legal downloads in 2007, and consumers who bought digital music legally through pay-to-download Web sites grew by 5 million to 29 million in 2007, NPD said Tuesday.

With iTunes’ position as #1 internet retailer of music, I guess that most people figured out that those other digital music servicing sites (where you pay by the month and once you stop your membership your songs go bye-bye) are totally garbage. And more and more youngsters aren’t even buying hard-copies of the music either:

From MacWorld:

NPD says that 48 percent of US teens did not purchase a single CD in 2007, compared to 38 percent in 2006. The report estimates that one million consumers dropped out of the CD buyer market in 2007.

I guess that’s also because owing an iPod is SO COOL!!!!!!!!

…uh…

You don’t want to mess with DVD Jon.

At 16, he released software which broke the copy protection on Hollywood films.

Now, at 24, he released software that lets iPod owners copy music and videos bought from iTunes and play it on other devices such as Nokia N-series mobile phones, Sony Ericsson’s Walkman and Cybershot handsets, as well as any smartphone powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. His company, doubleTwist, maintains that its service is legal, but lawyers said that Apple would almost certainly seek to shut it down because the law now specifically targeted technologies which attempted to circumvent measures such as DRM (digital rights management).

Back in July, he found a way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone without signing up for AT&T service. “The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work. Stay tuned!” he wrote on his long-running blog, which is combatively named So Sue Me. The post was entitled “iPhone Independence Day”.

And he looks like such a nice boy.

Cure for cancer? Teleportation device? Dan Taylor limited edition iPod equipped with the entire Saves The Day catalog pre-installed?

Fuck no! Gibson guitars has invented a system of advanced electronics that tune the guitar for you! GAH!
Strait up, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. The system uses piezo pickups to analyze the wavelengths, then transmits the signal wirelessly to the tuning pegs which have small motors in them.
I know what you’re thinking, “But Dallas, what about when your playing? How does it know when to stop tuning and start rocking?” Well, if you quit your bitchen’ I would tell you about it. The guitars have a push/ pull pot installed into the volume knob. It also claims that you can hit all 6 strings and the guitar will be in tune in a couple of seconds.
Your saying, “But Dallas, the wireless signals will cause on stage interference!” STFU! They’ve covered it!

As the strings are played, the Powertune processor compares their actual frequencies with the desired notes and sends instructions–tighten the string this much, loosen the string by that much–to tuning pegs equipped with strong, tiny servo motors mounted on the back of the guitar’s head. Because onstage interference could potentially degrade a wireless signal, the system uses the strings themselves to send the signal.

Apparently the system will start being integrated into their flagship models soon. More details to come, I’ll hook you up with em baby.

Indeed the kind of things technophiles beat off to, Steve Jobs just hosted Apple’s The Beat Goes On event, where he talked about iUniverse and iMeaningOfLife via the new iPod nanos. And Starbucks. And this shit:

Eat that price tag, early adapters!

Here’s a well crafted Play-By-Play of the event.

Still, Jobs fails to explain who the fuck wants to watch a movie on a 2-inch screen. It boggles my mind….