nonpretentious

[Philly] It’s an ELECTION

Believe it or not, we have one Today! Very exciting. I have taken over the civic duty of issuing Election Guides.

Turnout is likely to be 15 percent this year, which is pathetic. But there are some very important, and very boring, races. To wit:

Controller: Al Schmidt (R)
The most important race, and the only Republican you’re voting for Tuesday. In a city controlled so dominantly by one party, the Dems, it’s vital to have a young, energetic, intelligent, non-party-controlled watchdog to look at the money and the city’s internal operations. He’s being endorsed by everyone. The Democratic incumbent is considered terrible. The Republican Schmidt wears bowties and also has a nice web site.

District Attorney: Seth Williams
This contest will not be close, and Seth Williams looks to have potential in ending our Killadelphia rep.

JUDICIAL
Here are the Inquirer’s judicial endorsements, which are different than mine.

State Supreme Court: Jack Panella (D)
The court is now tied 3-3 between Dems and Republicans, and that’s important because the supreme court judges have sway over Census redistricting (solidifying party control for the boundaries of congressional districts). And the Republican candidate loves guns.

Superior Court: NO VOTE
It’s bullshit that we are supposed to vote for judges in the first place, because it means judges have to go out and basically bias themselves by getting all political. There are 4 candidates running in each party, all of whom have to pay the party to get on the ballot, and since they’re all basically the same — and if they weren’t, it’d be impossible to know — you should protest this vote. More protest votes mean one day they will get rid of this system, hopefully.

Commonwealth Court: NO VOTE

Court of Common Pleas: Dan Anders (ONLY)
Again, there’s no contest here, and the votes are just 10-year “retentions” on incumbents. Again, bullshit. But vote for Dan Anders, first openly gay judicial candidate and an all-around good dude.

Municipal Court/Traffic Court: NO VOTE

–

*Publisher’s note: reprinted with permission of totally cool author

[admin] A New Face

A few weeks ago, nonpretentious decided to take an overhaul approach to the design of the site.  We haven’t been slacking – just working on behind-the-scenes type stuff.  We have some new posts for you this week and hope to unveil the new layout by the beginning of November.  We’ll also have a Facebook Fan Page and other goodies.  Finally, we like to send out stuff for the holidays.  So, if you’re interested in receiving a little present from nonpretentious – snail mail-style – there will be a sign-up posted on the site soon.  We’ll have to close the sign-up by November 15th to receive a present this year but feel free to still add yourself so you get something next year.

[Work] ESPN (NYC) Needs a Paralegal

While nonpretentious is not law-oriented, quite a few of our readers and contributors are involved with the legal industry.  In addition, paralegal positions are a go-to job for English majors everywhere.

This position requires 5 years of experience as a paralegal but it’s working with fantasy football teams and doing other legal work for ESPN.

You know we like that. Continue reading…

[mix tape] J.D. Amato Wakes Us Up!

1derful Seconds from J.D. Amato on Vimeo.

Filmmakers see the world differently than most.  It’s their gift.

Judging by his work, J.D. Amato’s world is colorful and tightly edited.  It’s surreal and fanciful but based in reality.  (Note: Even the cover to his mix-tape is bright!)

Give him a small space, limited characters (see: his twitter feed and his film titles & descriptions, e.g., Age of Evil), or mere seconds (see: above), and he’s able to produce something creative.  Not too many other people can say the same thing, especially other barely 20-somethings.  Look out, World!  J.D. Amato is coming atcha, big time!

For his nonpretentious mix tape, he decided to take the limited direction we gave him – “uh, make a mix?” – and turn it into a wonderful project.

Because what J.D. provided can only be described as poetry, I’ll let the young artist speak for himself.  With his permission, I’ve included his original notes describing his work and his life.

Continue reading…

Some WordPress Tips

• 14 Essential Wordpress Development and Design Cheat Sheets
• 13 Essential Wordpress related Firefox Extensions (make blogging easy)

[mix tape] Marten Reed from Questionable Content Shares Some Sad Songs

After undergraduate and graduate studies and years of on-the-job training, I’m more or less an expert in online procrastination and its hierarchy.  From what I’ve gathered, anyone who spends enough time behind a computer – e.g. those working a desk job or enrolled at a university – maintains a list in their head of 5-10 websites that they check on a almost-daily basis, not counting Google or Wikipedia.

Usually, the list starts with the same FAB three – Facebook, any news source (e.g. CNN, Yahoo, Fox News), and bank balance.  However, a person – we’ll say a “hypothetical” female – can only check Facebook, CNN, ESPN, or the balance in her bank account so many times before she faces the sad realization that she’s devouring much quicker than they’re refreshing.

This accounts for the high traffic volume of the next set of sites, which I’ve grouped together as “the entertainers.”  After the depression-inducing content that the FAB sites offer – pictures of exes, losing sports scores, the realities of unemployment – it’s imperative that web-surfers add sites like YouTube, Hulu, The Onion, College Humor, Gawker, and/or Dooce to their litany.  Those who prefer to stick with news sites will browse over to Slate, HuffPo, or the Drudge Report, politicos = Instapundit, Daily Kos, die-hard sports fans = nfl.com or its European ilk, etc.  While the sites on the list may range across demographics, their names will be familiar to the population at large – perhaps due to their Alexa or Technorati rankings – and their positive effects on their segment’s spirit and well-being, if not IQ, remain consistent.

After visiting one or two of their favorite, entertaining sites, many responsible people choose to return to their boring conference calls or their o-chem lab reports.  If they’ve already read TMZ, they find no need to read Perez Hilton.  They figure the faster they complete their work on the computer, the faster they can go outside and chase after butterflies or something.  Too bad they’ll miss out on gems like McSweeney’s and Jerks in Your Area.

Without trying to get anyone fired from work or cause anyone to fail one of their courses this fall, let me make one, small suggestion for everyone’s must-read sites: If your list of 5, 10, 25 must-read sites does not already include a web comic, find one that you like and add it to your rotation.

NOW!

Updated anywhere from one to seven times per week, web comics provide a few minutes respite from whatever responsibilities you may have by offering byte-sized portions of illustrated, story development.  As opposed to most websites, especially blogs where news and fact or opinions on news and facts reign supreme, web comics work the imagination muscle by bringing fiction to the computer-screen.  (More posts about web comics and their relationship to blogging/journalism to come!  Interesting read here.)  Trust me.  The extra 10-15 minutes you spend online each week will add up to a lot of pleasure.  No excuses either.  There are web comics from every thinkable genre with vastly different styles out there.  I’m sure with a little digging you’ll find something you like.

…Which is all a very long way to explain how I got to know Marten Reed during my best years of web-crawling/most intense years of studying (a.k.a. law school).

Marten, the kind, gentle soul that he is, is the lead character from Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques.  Wikipedia classifies QC as a “slice-of-life” web comic.  Because I have no idea what “slice-of-life” comic actually means, I’ve included a reference for the uninitiated.

…websites like Stereogum, Pop Candy, io9, and/or have a love/hate relationship with Pitchfork;

…graphic novels/comics written by Jeffrey Brown, Craig Thompson, or published by Vertigo;

…movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Rushmore, or I Heart Huckabees;

…sustenance like coffee, whiskey, or pancakes;

…books like Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, or A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius;

…shows like the Guild (also available for streaming), Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog (Hulu), Dead Like Me, Small Wonder, or Veronica Mars;

…clothes from Urban Outfitters, thrift stores, American Apparel, or QC merch store (NOT Hot Topic).

In other words, if you’re a hipster-hating-hipster who appreciates a good poop joke and/or a twenty-something with a penchant for booze and pop culture and a cynicism towards all sub-cultures (goths! emo kids! and surfers! oh my!), you’ll probably enjoy Questionable Content.

Sometime this weekend, QC virgins and experienced readers alike should click over to the first panel and start reading.  Not only can you see how QC has evolved since 2003 but because Jeph includes short notes underneath most of the episodes, you really get insight into his writing/artistic process and publishing/making a living producing something you love on the web.  (For the truly hardcore, you can also read Jeph’s LiveJournal.)

Jeph has always shared his music recommendations with readers and hinted at Marten’s “superior-than-thou” good taste.  (I kid.  Honestly, Marten is the nicest indie kid you’ll ever “meet.”)  While we’re looking forward to getting proved wrong about this in the comments, nonpretentious snagged an exclusive, one-of-a-kind mix-tape from Deathmøle’s lead guitarist himself (if you’ve never given Deathmøle a listen, here are some tracks for download).  Without further ado, a mix by your favorite make-believe friend and mine, Marten Reed…

Continue reading…

[mix tape] Delayed

Will have it up by tomorrow. It’s a good one so check in!

[mix tape] Spend Labor Day Down the Shore with Jen A. Miller

When Starbucks started offering its Pumpkin Spice Lattes last week, I almost started to cry.  Fine, that may be a little bit of an exaggeration but not by much.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love the fall.  And, it’s not only because my birthday is in October.  No other season brings the enjoyment that comes with stepping on a pile of crinkly leaves.

However, even I recognize Dear Autumn’s downFALLs.  (Couldn’t resist.)  Back to school, the morning commute, the hectic bustle of the office once the Big Guns return from their summer homes…. To ease the transition process from summer to fall, I’ve come up with a daily mantra that you’re free to steal: 10 pm sunsets may be delightful but it really sucks when saltwater gets in your eyes.

Anyway, today is not the day to dwell on impending turtleneck sweaters.  Today must be filled with sun, relaxation, BBQs, and flip flops!  All of which are practically mandated by the Federal government.  In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – the home base of quite a few nonpretentious contributors – the local government practically mandates that we enjoy this holiday down the shore.  (That’s no typo.  It’s how we talk in Philadelphia.  Just ask Philly Boy Roy.)

We’re nothing here at nonpretentious, if not upstanding, law-abiding citizens.  Without sounding sarcastic, we were psyched when Jen A. Miller, a successful – and inspiring! – freelance writer, agreed to create this shore-inspired mix.  (To say she knows a thing or two about the subject matter is an understatement.)

Jen is the author of The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May and she publishes a blog called Down the Shore with Jen.  She writes pieces for the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, USAirways Magazine, Go!, New Jersey Monthly Magazine, and National Geographic, to name a few.

More importantly, Jen’s good taste and her approachable style supersede any and all jokes about Jersey girls and hairspray.  I’ll tell you from experience that it’s hard to read Book a Week with Jen, her properly titled second blog, without opening Goodreads or Amazon in a second tab.  (See: this post and this one.  See also: her trend insights.  Male English majors should read here.)  Also, she recommends/references some pretty awesome tunes and artists on both of her sites.  (See also: her love of indie music stores.)  In case you haven’t noticed, we here at nonpretentious love dilettantes, who we define as well-rounded folks who like to share the good stuff with others.  Jen definitely fits our description.

As you can see, Jen’s mix does justice to the Garden State.

Unlike the other export for which Jersey is famous – (fake) tanning – her mix brings a sense of euphoria without any risk of melanoma.  Better still, it serves as a token reminder of the future laid-back days and nights we’ll enjoy again once the planet makes a full rotation around the sun.

And, now, from Jen Miller herself….

Continue reading…

[mix tape] Martin Starr Paints You a Mix

In our world, only two types of people exist:

1) Those who take the “Which Freaks & Geeks Character Are You?” quiz and pray for Bill Haverchuck; and

2) Those who have no idea who Bill Haverchuck is.

Needless to say, we prefer to hang out with the first type.  We also suggest a change of weekend plans for anyone who falls into the second.

Which is to say, we almost peed in our pants when Martin Starr agreed to make a mix tape for us.  (We definitely did a victory dance or two.)

You see, Bill Haverchuck may have sparked our initial respect for Martin but we’re also fans of Adventureland (available on iTunes as of yesterday!  Awesome soundtrack as well!), Knocked Up, and Party Down.  It’s almost like the weirder his characters get, the deeper our admiration grows.

In fact, we’re not sure any other actor could pull off some of the scenes from Party Down and still garner our empathy.  (Insert: Any scene from “Sin Say Shun Awards After Party.”)

He even manages to make us believe that pipe-smoking, Russian literature majors can be nonpretentious.

Right.  So, once Martin agreed to make a mix tape for us, we promised ourselves that we’d refrain from sounding like brown-nosers or stalkers in his introduction.  Obviously, we failed.  Horribly.

On behalf of nonpretentious, we’ll simply point out that it’s not our fault that we respect him as an artist.  Whether his talent comes from nature, nurture, or something else entirely, Martin Starr knows how to entertain.  When we see his name on a project, we’re pretty certain it will be worth our while.  We eagerly await all of his future endeavors, including his writing debut and his art exhibit at the Met.  (Hear that, Directors?  Hear that, Distributors of American Storage?  Hear that, Curators of the Met?)  (Also, no spoilers for Good Dick, it’s at the top of our Netflix queue.)

We know Martin had a full schedule this summer.  (What?  Haven’t you heard of a telescope?)  We’re grateful that he took the time to compile this playlist for us.  We’re even more grateful that his playlist didn’t make us lose all respect for him.

And now a word from the maker of this mixtape:
Continue reading…

Homework