And so, I introduce Wordle, but more specifically, Master Giraffe’s page that lets you convert your last.fm data to Wordle format (for import into Wordle, naturally).

Honestly, Wordle could use some work. It cuts out quite a bit and sometimes takes hard refresh to fix. Also… a Java applet? Really? It’s a limiting platform and leaves the app jumpy. However, the idea itself is one of the more clever things I’ve seen. It also generates really pretty displays, and is customizable in both layout and color, so there’s really not a lot of bad I can say about it.

So go ahead, if you have a last.fm account, check it out. Turn your music into art.

My deal is I like picking the winner before a single vote is cast. Ever since choosing “that gray haired guy” early on in season 5 (what ever happened to him?) I’ve had a slight obsession in being able to hear, from just the auditions, who will win the season.

I’m proud to say that as of last night, with David Cook’s spectacular win, I’ve been correct 3 years in a row.

David Cook really deserved the win this season. Even from his reluctant audition, you could tell that he represented change. He had style, strength, and was a true ‘rocker’, breaking many conventions along the course of the finals and being so original with the songs he chose – fitting even a Mariah Carey song into a true epic rock tune.

The best part about this season, is this kid’s not dropping back into the shadows like whatshishair. Tuesday night, when I was starting to doubt that the American public would make the ‘right’ decision (Archuleta had this ‘cute kid overcoming adversary’ story I wasn’t sure the little girls wouldn’t just eat up), I was still firm in my belief that Cook would sell the most records.

He just might be the most successful winner we’ve had (or 2nd – Kelly Clarkson’s done well for herself).

That’s my prediction.

Right now I am annoyed. Extremely annoyed. I just bought some music off the iTunes store, and I go to play it to get this message:

November? Apple, are you honestly telling me that the music I just spent my hard-earned money on won’t be allowed to play on my MacBook till November? You’re out of your minds!

No wonder people pirate music.

What iConcertCal does is reads your iTunes playlist and informs you of concerts going on in your area. Since version 2 came out, this functionality has been extended to include when new albums by your favorite artists are due to hit shelves. On top of this, the creators of this plugin extended the concert feature to allow for basic social interaction – you can view your friends shows and publicly list the ones you plan on attending (I’m in the system as ‘rauenzahner’ in case you’re interested in looking me up).

iConcertCal’s limitations are mainly it’s somewhat sparse information at times – someone like myself living in NYC doesn’t really experience it much (my concertCal is decently full, as seen by the screenshot) but when I was in Orlando there were times when my cal was almost completely bare (even though back in those days I had a much more extensive music collection). The creators have been working on that, but it’s odd in a way – they’re not very forthcoming with the feeds they use (I only saw the announcements when they linked up with NME and CelebrityAccess). I think they are missing out on some of the openly available feeds, such as Last.fm’s audioscrobbler recommendations.

That being said, it’s a great plugin that I have quicky grown dependent on, the new version is AMAZING, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll come out with next.

I wasn’t let down. This band is all about rhythms, and they’re masters at it. They can make even the most off-beat sounds flow smooth. It seemed the more I listened to them, the more addicted I became. I branched out and started listening to their other albums, and their evolution as a band is interesting.

Like many other bands, TV on the Radio’s first release – OK Calculator has a very different sound than the rest of their albums. It’s a rough release, but they had a really good offbeat sound – and they’re funny! Songs like Robots and Buffalo Girls really impressed me.

Their next album – Young Liars – sounds completely different, and in all the right ways. This EP blows me away – I actually would probably marry it. The introduction of Kyp Malone added a fuller tone to the sound, really evened everything out and created this very unique offbeat flow. Their newest release, Return to Cookie Mountain, which came out last fall, shows another step in the evolution – it feels like they’re being a bit more offbeat – experimenting with rhythms more. The album grows on you – and you’ll grow to love this band.

In the top 24 I noticed Jordin Sparks, a young kid with a big voice. I was immediately impressed, but it seemed like the masses tended to forget her, preferring early favorites Melinda and LaKisha. It wasn’t until the British Invasion week that people started giving her credit.

It’s great that they did, too! She’s got such a talent, and she’s so young – she has her whole career ahead of her and there’s no doubt she’ll be a success. I’m cheering her to make it to the finals, and even though Miss Doolittle will likely take the win, Jordin’s music career is going to be a great one.