Turdhead.com first to publish "Best/Worst of 2006"
Remember way back in 2005 — specifically, in December and late November — when everyone under the sun began running “Best of 2005″ articles touting what they believed were the most important and interesting people, events, developments and products for the year? There were so many of these articles, it became impossible to tell them all apart. I mean, come on: XBox and iPod; Tom and Katie, Web 2.0 and Ajax. We talked about ‘em too (ok, well, not the Tom and Katie thing), but like everyone else, we just became lost in the shuffle.
Thus, this year, we’ve decided to beat the holiday rush, and announce our picks for “Best and Worst of 2006″ a little early. So without further ado, may we present Turdhead.com’s guide to the Best and Worst New Things of 2006 (So Far). Why? Well… what else were we gonna do?
We start with…
New technologies
Best: The new MacBook Intel Core Duo laptop from Apple. Seriously, who didn’t see this award coming? There’s a reason Apple has surpassed Dell in market value now: Us media types are hypnotized!
Worst: Urge music service and software. Consider this combination: Justin Timberlake, Bill Gates and MTV. If this isn’t the Unholy Trinity, I don’t know what is. Oh, and it won’t support the world’s most popular MP3 players. Just sayin’.
Live performances
Best: Donna the Buffalo live at Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, N.C, Jan. 12. I’ve been following this band since 1997, and they just keep getting better. There’s a selfish side of me that doesn’t want the rest of the world to know about them, but they’re getting more popular every year. Something tells me this might be the year you notice them too.
Worst: The Rolling Stones at Super Bowl XL, Detroit, MI, Feb. 5. Ok, so I’m just projecting here. I like the Stones — I really do! — but I also like Aerosmith, No Doubt, and many others who have simply sucked on the 50-yard line. And the last thing I want to see is a wardrobe malfunction on Mick or Keith.
Re-releases of old music
Best: Talking Heads — Remain in Light
Even Better: 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Reverend Horton Heat
Court decisions
Best: A Florida man has been fined $11.2 billion for sending millions of unsolicited e-mails advertising mortgage and debt consolidation services through an Iowa-based ISP. The only thing sweeter would be the courts’ allowing us to publicly hang spammers in the future. I’ll keep you posted!
Worst: On Jan. 4, a Vermont judge who claimed he “doesn’t believe in punishment” sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl from the time she was 6 until she turned 10 to a mere 60 days in prison. Understandably, reasonable people have questioned the legality of this sentence.
New laws
Best: According the NY Times, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has suggested it will cooperate with open-source software developers on initiatives it says will improve the quality of software patents. Well now, it’s about time.
Worst: Our fearless leaders in Washington have once again shown how little they understand the modern world by passing a law making it illegal to “annoy” people on the Web. That’s right: Writing “LOL, n00b!” in a forum is now considered cyberstalking/e-Terrorism/digi-rape/whatever now. ‘Cuz this country needs more technology laws enacted by 80-year-old politicians still dumbfounded by touch-tone phones. Damn noobs.
Things on television
Best: Duh. Jack Bauer begins his fifth worst 24 hours ever on the Fox network tonight.
Worst: The final episode of Arrested Development. The episode itself was entertaining, but why must Fox move/cut most of its good shows before they can find an audience? And just who is watching this The War at Home crap, anyway?
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OK, so there are probably a lot more good/bad things to report on already, but that’s what we’ve gathered so far. We’ll keep an eye out for new developments on these and other stories, but meanwhile, if you have any other best/worst suggestions for 2006 (so far), let us know through the comments section below. Thanks!
– VeryVito
Obviously you have a certain Mac bias because Urge is actually not a bad idea. From the article you posted and the CES speech, Urge looks like it will easily rival iTunes and provide another simple and easy way to listen to albums and albums of music.
If you get a chance and feel like learning more about this service, check out the CES announcments at:
http://metahost...0060104_300.asx
Not sure how this counts as a Mac bias, but I’ll admit it is a bias against all things Big Record Company™. Everybody’s got a music service these days; do we need another one? And combine Microsoft and MTV, and it seems the perfect package for… well… Big Record Companies. Call me sentimental, but I prefer my music played by musicians rather than lawyers and shareholders.
Grumble, grumble, rant…
This is by far the best Best/Worst list of 2006 of 2006.
While War at Home sucks donkeys, at least 24 is still around. I’m so excited! Only four more hours until the Jack Bauer Power Hour! W00t!
Oh yeah: Firefly was awesome, and, I hate to admit it, but I really liked Quintuplets, Life on a Stick (all three episodes), and I’m sure another handful of stuff that’s now dead.
Nice list. The first time I saw TRHH, he was opening for Social Distortion (like 94 maybe). Sucked to be them that night. The Reverend came out like a frieght train and just blew them away.
I watched 24 once. I liked it so much I knew that if I couldn’t see it every week, I couldn’t start watching. Think I’ll see if I can get it at netflix. Your right about Arrested Development too. The high browness of that show was it’s kiss of death.
Thanks, everybody. I may have to update the list as the year moves on, but so far, it seems to have held up (a full 12 days after it was first compiled!) And Brandon, you chose wisely on watching 24 — I’ve never cared for 1-hour dramas, much less serial TV shows, but somehow 24 is like crack: Now in its fifth season, I have yet to miss an episode. It’s the best reason (well, at least it’s my reason) to own a Tivo.
I’m curious how you can defend Apple and iTunes as not being part of big record companies. They’re in bed with them as part of rights management, And I’d say Apple is run just as much by lawyers and shareholders as any other company. It’s all big business. The reason another online music business can’t hurt is because of market competition and options. I welcome anyone who can do a better job than iTunes.
On a lighter note, I actually enjoyed your list, I just feel that Apple shouldn’t be so heavily defended sometimes. They’re as evil as anyone else…despite whatever marketing guise they take on.
Admittedly, it’s been a few months since I posted this article, so I may have missed something upon re-reading it (or the rest of the site), but… exactly where have I defended the iTunes music service?
Yes, I like the new MacBook hardware, and no,I don’t think the new online music service from Microsoft/MTV looks promising at all, but… I wouldn’t say I’ve defended iTunes in any way.
Hell, I’m just an old hippie who still buys his music at festivals, anyway.