Daily Loaf

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Next week, Ybor City sets the stage for two worthy comedy shows, and neither takes place at the Improv.

Four furry Southeastern funnymakers bring their “Beards of Comedy” tour to New World Brewery to entertain the beer-loving masses with their alternative brand of humor. Each comic – Dave Stone, Andy Sanford, TJ Young and Joe Zimmerman (pictured) – presents a set of his own stand-up and participates in collaborative performances of music, sketch, and improvised comedy with the rest of his comrades. Topics and styles range by comedian; Stone touches on subjects ranging from Facebooking his Pop Tart eating habits to getting warned by his dad about the perverts on “Myspaces” (“Dad, I’m a 30-year-old bearded fat man poking around on Myspace, I think I’m the predator not the prey”), Read the rest of this entry »

Social networking sites like Facebook have changed the face of modern dating, but this new technology isn’t without its flaws. We’ve all had a “friend” who has been caught flirting or cheating via illicit Facebook messages. One woman even discovered her marriage was over when her spouse spontaneously changed his relationship status to single. Below are a few awesomely hilarious examples of the various ways Facebook can f-up your dating life.

(pics originally posted on collegehumor.com) Read the rest of this entry »

Until this week, I had no idea that the World Wide Web that I am accustomed to is called “Web 2.0”, a second wave in the development of our most important medium for communication. Web 2.0 can be thought of as inspiring a shift in the role of the user, from receiver to creator, allowing participants to become “core developers”). The Web became a two-way street, constantly changing at the hands of the public (for a detailed description of Web 2.0 and its development, click here). As hard as it is to imagine the Web without its interactivity, Web 2.0 only came about in reaction to the dot-com bust, when the unidirectional Web 1.0 was in a crisis. The response, a rethinking and reworking of the existing system, introduced the world to many of the most successful applications and websites in use today, from MySpace to YouTube to Facebook.

In a similar sense, we are currently in an energy crisis, yet continuing to rely on old, out-of-date systems of provision that are no longer viable, economically or ecologically. Energy is distributed from power plants to consumers in a top-down fashion that leaves all the control in the hands of large corporations. Additionally, power stations produce massive amounts of waste and CO2 emissions, illuminating the need for a radical transformation in the way that energy is produced and distributed. What must occur, to follow the above analogy, is a shift to Energy 2.0.
Read the rest of this entry »

At my former job I met a man I’ll call Scott. Scott came in multiple times to specifically seek my advice and stayed roughly an hour each visit. We talked about each others’ lives, specifically love and sex; I like to think these subjects are my forte and I talk about them with most everyone. The majority of the the conversations were about his ex and recent dates he went on. Once, when it was time for Scott to leave, I was on my way out for lunch. As we walked out together I said, “You know I don’t have that many good guy friends that I can chat with around here. We should be friends.”

He shot me a curious smile and gave me his phone number. We occasionally shot each other a text about our bad experiences with Verizon and the like, but then things went in a direction I wasn’t expecting.

Via text he asked, “What do you want?”

I laughed and said, “Well nothing. You know I’m not single, right?” I figured Facebook would have given him that answer.

“I’m not looking for anything serious,” he wrote. “You’re a cool girl and all, but I’m not looking for anything ’serious’ with you.”

I could not believe what I was hearing. I legitimately thought he wanted to be my friend, but in the end he just wanted to fuck. I ended communication with Scott immediately and called a close male friend to vent.

As naive as it sounds, I have never been asked out-right to be a friend-with-benefits. Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with that, but I honestly did not think he had an ulterior motive. I was very, very wrong.

This got me thinking of other scenarios with male “friends.” Two of my close male friends have told me that we couldn’t be friends or talk as much, because of trust issues with their partners. When did I cross a line where it’s not OK to be friends with males, especially if they are in a relationships?

I have always had more male than female friends and am confused as to why this relationship seems taboo to many. I can understand how a girlfriend would get jealous if I had slept with or dated these male friends, but otherwise I’m lost. The worst part is that I have been friends with one guy long before he met his recent beau, so why should I have to give him up as a friend?

My boyfriend and I have an exponential amount of trust for one another and I think this is what is lacking in couples that “forbid” their partner to have friends of the opposite sex. I feel that if you do not have friends of the opposite sex for fear of what will happen in your own relationship, you are missing out on some major life experiences, and I don’t mean sexually.

Why am I just now learning this unspoken rule? After some thought I think I have found a solution: the friend needs to meet the partner in order to convey a sense of trust and to prove that he/she has no ulterior motives. But is the rule only applicable to people in marriages or relationships? What about single people? I need some perspective on this one? What do you all think?

Follow Emmalee on Twitter here and read more by her here

I consider myself an authority on spotting losers because, well, I used to be one. I only exempt myself now because I’m married. Not to say that all married men make quality boyfriends; I just feel that if you’re able to convince a woman to marry you after five years of dating, either you’re not a loser or you’re extraordinary at hiding it.

Obviously there are as many ways to tell if a potential man-date is a loser as there are breeds of crotch ponies. To complicate things, everyone has their own definition of what constitutes a loser. For instance, you may be perfectly fine dating a man I consider a loser because you’re desperate or you’re willing to overlook his lacking qualities in lieu of, say, his bank account. With that said, below is a list of signs the guy you just met is a loser

-When asked what he does, he says, “I’m in a band,” or “I’m an artist.” Read the rest of this entry »

Remember when you actually had to speak to a person face-to-face to attract a date? Well times have changed and so has the world of relationships. Social networking Web sites like our beloved Facebook have caused major rifts between couples. A study by the University of Guelph, involving more than 300 college students, found that Facebook causes jealousy among romantic partners. Much of this resulted from a partner being Facebook friends with his or her ex. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year I obsess about the first few weeks of school. Not because I’m worried about my children’s teachers — I’m more concerned about lunchtime.

My kids do purchase the stuff made at school, but there are also times when they’re fortunate to have fabulous food prepared for them by their gourmet cook father. Yes, we do send leftovers and those wonderful Thermos containers that keep food hot are a godsend. But all too soon there will be days when a quickly made sandwich ends up in the bag.

What causes me consternation is not that my kids will get odd looks when they bring a frittata or curry soup that might not appear on a regular school lunch menu; rather it is that the kind of sandwich my children prefer always gets a comment from a new teacher or another child in class who isn’t familiar with our sandwich filler choices.

My kids like Nutella. For those not familiar with it, Nutella looks like a chocolate spread, so to the untrained eye my children are eating a chocolate sandwich. In these days of hyped up healthy eating-isms, chocolate is bad!

At some point, early in the year, I find myself explaining: Read the rest of this entry »

Sheree Rensel. Twingo. Copper and mixed media on wood. 11-3/4″ x 11-3/4″ x 3″. Artist’s statement: “Twingo” is the unique and original tweet language of Twitter Tweople. Bio: BFA, MFA, Detroit artist born, NOW living and loving my art life in the real and virtual Universe.

If you’re following St. Petersburg artist Sheree Rensel on Twitter—that’s to say, if you’ve signed up to read her “tweets” or 140-character updates throughout the day—you can pretty much count on receiving a smile-inducing greeting routinely at around 9 a.m. It goes something like this:

“Good morning ART Tweople!”

(For those not already fluent in Twitterspeak, tweople—or tweeple—is a blend of “Twitter” and “people” used to refer to other users of the service. To learn more Twitterisms, consider consulting a twictionary like this one.)

A self-described “hyperactive” early adopter, Rensel has taught visual art to emotionally and developmentally disabled kids at a public school in Gulfport for 17 years, incorporating digital projects like photo portfolios and basic animation into the curriculum when possible. A mixed media artist by practice, Rensel—who describes her age as 50-something—uses Twitter mainly to keep up with other artists whose work she admires.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lil' Ricco, ME (THE FUCKIN' BOSS), and D-Block pre-gaming

(Warning: while the below events are basically true, the story is told through the voice of a supreme douche in need of a good bitch slap)

My main BITCH was having a bachelorette party at my pad, complete with rubber dongs and ding-a-ling cakes and shit, so I decided to go COCK OUT with DOUCHE FEST 2009

(Pics and video below break, not suitable for pussies) Read the rest of this entry »

Below, is an interview I just conducted with Arlen Slobodow, a local filmmaker who just completed a documentary about air pollution caused by fossil fuels in the Tampa Bay area and how it affects our health and the health of our planet. Also, see my last post which goes more in depth about the film.

The following interview was conducted by phone on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

Matt De Vlieger (M): How did you get involved in documentary filmmaking?
Arlen Slobodow (A): I have always been interested in social change work and have found mass media a good way to accomplish that. Read the rest of this entry »

Music contributor Joel Weiss issued this lively splash of music news:

The mid-90’s Britpop feud between Oasis and Blur has become the stuff of legend. Noel Gallagher once famously hoped Blur frontman Damon Albarn would “catch AIDS and die” (he since recanted, blaming drugs for the outburst).  Surprisingly, he’s 100% behind the current Blur reunion: “I’m right into the Blur reunion, ’cause it’ll finish off the Kaiser Chiefs and put them to bed. There’s nothing worse than a shit Blur. And at least the original shit Blur are back to finish off all these other shit Blurs. I’m bang into the Blur reunion.”

From an old reunion to a possible new one: Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor no longer thinks very highly about former friend and collaborator Marilyn Manson.  Reznor calls Manson “a malicious guy and will step on anybody’s face to succeed and cross any line of decency … Seeing him now, drugs and alcohol now rule his life and he’s become a dopey clown. He used to be the smartest guy in the room.  And as a fan of his talents, I hope he gets his shit together.”

Lots of news on the Flaming Lips, The Cult, STP, Moz, and more after the jump!

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Every straight male (and some females) have a version of this fantasy: two college-aged girls sitting on a couch, playfully flirting before spontaneously stripping and fondling each other. This is the scene I walk in on Friday.

Two attractive young women share a leather loveseat while watching a muted MTV show. Having just met that morning, the women are overly nice, complimenting the thongs and bras they’ve brought with them in overnight bags. But this isn’t a fantasy: these women are preparing to film their first girl-on-girl scene. Read the rest of this entry »

There were several enormous bombshells dropped today at Microsoft’s E3 press conference. Among the various expected and unexpected game titles was the news that Microsoft will be integrating Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm into their LIVE services, as well as looking to improve their current Netflix and streaming video offerings. When you consider that Microsoft is attempting to pull in the entire family to using their consoles – as well as attracting non-gaming families – this is a move that makes a great deal of sense.

Read the rest of this entry »

Looks like a new phishing scam has hit Facebook, this one currently know as “fbstarter” or “fbstarter.com.” The scam arrives in the form of a message from a Facebook pal that states “Look at this!” and includes a link to fbstarter.com. If you click it, you’ll be dropped onto a spoof Facebook sign-in page which is waiting for you to put in your user name and password. Do it and your account will be used to spam all your friends — and that’s not cool.

Read more about fbstarter.com here …

In 1970, the first Earth Day inspired 20 million people to turn out for everything from sit-ins to a traffic-stopping march down New York’s 5th avenue. With the passing of the 39th annual Earth Day and Earth Week, does Earth Day still matter? Green Living Magazine asked six Environmentalists this very question.

While all readily agree there is still an importance to Earth Day focusing on awareness of the environment and most recently on sustainability issues, I can’t help finding myself wanting to step on to my soap box and propose, Why not make everyday Earth Day? I agree with Pam Schwartzberg, executive director of Learning for a Sustainable Future, the day is useful for engaging individuals and groups, but it usually is just a one-off activity like a lunchtime display. If one wishes to be truly constructive and make their actions meaningful, then one should spend more than just one day focusing on the environment. It’s just like Valentine’s Day, if you only say I Love You one day out of the year, how meaningful can the three little words really be? If you only recycle on Earth Day, how are you truly reducing your carbon foot print? Read the rest of this entry »

The richest and most famous woman in America has announced, via her her Facebook page today, that she will send her first tweet tomorrow on air. As of this writing, the Twitter username @oprah has 30,000 follwers, all anxiously awaiting her first 140 character announcement.

Her guest tomorrow is Ashton Kutcher, one of the biggest celebrity Twitter users out there, who will likely talk about his race for a million followers on the service and his pledge to help fight malaria in Africa if he crosses the million mark before CNN.

This begs two questions: One, can Twitter possibly handle the influx of new users tomorrow — which could number in the millions — surely the fail whale will rear its ugly head at some point. And second, how might Twitter itself change once the soccer moms get on board?

Twitter CEO Evan Williams tweet from earlier today:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve always wanted to watch someone beat the shit out of Will Ferrell with a baseball bat, have I got a movie for you …

• Finally, Karl Rove and Harriet Miers will testify on the record.
• Obama Administration fleshes out the details of the mortgage bailout plan.
• Chances the U.S. is headed for a Depression: One in five.
• Doctors now using waivers to prevent patients from posting about their visits online.
• Barbara Bush (the old one) goes under the knife.
• Tax laws get tougher for the wealthy, as the wealthy are now expected to pay taxes.
• Facebook battles Twitter in a fight you need your kids to explain.
• “Bucs Lose Buchanon To Lions.” Was 0-16 Detroit really a better option?
• Manny signs with L.A. for $45 million. I know I feel better now.

[Editor's Note: Jennifer Huntsman is a US Army Reserve Signal Captain stationed at MacDill Air Force Base with Joint Communication Support Element (JCSE). She is currently deployed in Qatar. Jenny will be writing for The Daily Loaf about life in the military.]

The happiest and most anticipated moment during a deployment, except when you out-process to go home, is when you get mail.  Everyone wants a letter, a post card, or a package showing that they are loved by somebody.  Anything from anyone is great!  I am very blessed to receive regular mail from my boyfriend, my friends from college, my family, and the Pontotoc Chapter DAR.  Every day I hold my breath for a package or a letter.  We all do; our little office stares at our mail guy when he comes back from the mail room.  I glare at those who receive packages when I don’t.  I shouldn’t act like such a brat; not everyone gets mail.

During my deployment I have a lot of time to reflect on my life and my relationships. Read the rest of this entry »

I miss the good old days when it was still offensive to break up with someone’s answering machine. At least then there was the chance they would pick up.

Millions of people use it every day to pass on harmless snippets of gossip to friends and family.

But the message Emma Brady’s husband posted on Facebook could not have been more devastating.

It read: ‘Neil Brady has ended his marriage to Emma Brady.’

Mrs Brady, a 35-year-old conference organiser, claims she had no idea he even wanted a divorce, and only found out when a friend, who read the post on the social networking website, rang to console her. Read the rest of this entry »

Be careful what you put as your Facebook status. A 41-year-old British man was sentenced to 18 years in prison today for murdering his 26-year-old wife after she changed her Facebook status to “single.” The woman’s parents were quoted as saying, ““We hope that Richardson will be an old man before he’s ever allowed out of prison.” At least we can all agree on that.

Read the rest of this entry »

We end the week with the gift that keeps on giving: The George W. Bush victory tour. In this clip from a few days ago, Bush tries to get in line with some soldiers and gets awkwardly shut out. Have a good weekend, everyone.

• Now the car companies want $34 billion!
• Verizon’s service is so bad it gets fined millions by the state.
• Tampa City Council OK’s 25-year Tampa Electric deal without renewable energy or anti-coal provisions.
• If India bombs Pakistan, this might be the target.
• Deeson: Top Hillsborough fire brass get paramedic pay bonus even if they don’t work as paramedics.
• Controversial Ed Helm edged out for Democratic State Committeeman in Pinellas.
• Controversial St. Pete middle school principal suspended with pay during internal investigation.
• Wanna buy a money-losing daily newspaper with a great view?
• Ahhh, it’s the first sighting of a “Grinch” headline in the MSM for the holiday season. Won’t be the last.
• Tampa Tribune releases news that has no news.
• “Hello, this is Barack Obama.” Click.
• November was terrible for retailers. Can December be much better?
• Facebook Connect just might change the world (wide web).
• This Christmas, support a worthwhile cause by helping Stephen Colbert humble Kanye West.
• R.I.P. Knight Rider.

Barack Obama aired his half-hour “Obama Infomercial” as the candidate called it on last night’s Daily Show. (Time called it a “mini-convention six days before the election.”) The production leaned heavily on tug-at-the-heartstrings profiles of “real Americans” and some very specific policy proposals. In case you missed it:

• Florida gets much love as the candidates crisscross the state.
• Millions vote early, immediately smash televisions…
• …but not necessarily the Youth Vote.
• Bill stumps with Obama in Kissimmee. Three words we enjoy in any sentence: Bill, stumps and Kissimmee.
• McCain to LAT: Screw your journalistic principles, gimme that damned Obama video.
• Larry King was in town yesterday? I knew there was a reason I felt really icky all day.
• One of the 2,466 keyboardists who ever played with Jerry Garcia is dead.
• The worst part is that I had a ticket for game 6.
• There you go again, Sarah Palin.
• Can someone explain how the U.S. faces deflation after the Fed has created all this money?
• Trouble ahead for Facebook?
• 15 technologies that are about to change everything.
• God help us all: The Beatles go digital with their own edition of Rock Band.