Anonymous Communist

One of my favorite euphemisms for stealing music online is saying you’re “sharing.” Rose by any other name and all that.

But damned if I’m not hooked on a little application called Mojo. Developed by Deusty Designs, Mojo is a sort of hybrid of an instant messenger and file-sharing application. You have a buddy list of sorts, and when a buddy is online you can view their iTunes library and download songs from it.

Awesome.

I’ve rationalized the ethical quandary of stealing sharing music in this fashion by imagining Mojo as the modern equivalent of taping a CD (or tape, LP or 8-track, depending on one’s age) from a friend, which we all did back in the day. With it, I’ve picked up all sorts of cool crap.

From Unpainted Huffhines (who first told me about Mojo), I’ve picked up the Avett Brothers and the Raconteurs. I’ve gotten a bunch of old-school (read: Diamond Dave-era) Van Halen and “Totally 80s”-style pablum from Johann. My friend Steve has hooked me up with a bunch of stuff I slept on back in the day: British shoegazers like Ride and My Bloody Valentine and the manic-depressive Wedding Present. Fellow pal Eric has given me a ton of rarities from two of my very favorite bands: Ween and Tortoise.

The downside to all this, of course, is that now my 30GB iPod is too small to hold all the musical goodness.

So what are you waiting for? Go download Mojo and get your steal on! When you get it installed, add “AnonComm” to your buddy list. I normally leave Mojo on all the time, so people can steal from me at their leisure. Try to ignore the embarrassing children’s tunes (Dora and the frightening Jay Jay the Jet Plane) and Mrs. Communist’s poor taste in music (Indigo Girls, 10000 Maniacs, et al).

Another gem from the brilliant Strange Maps blog:

(click map for full size)

A geography major with a sense of humor submitted this awesomely-titled cartogram to Strange Maps based on the Ludacris song “Area Codes”:

In this song, Ludacris brags about the area codes where he knows women, whom he refers to as “hoes.”

One then could reasonably infer that Luda knows “Kristen.”

*sniff*

Normally, I’m a beer guy. But occasionally I like to throw back a gin and tonic or three.

Thanks to the unmitigated genius that is Where Dave Is, now there are gifts I will be glad to give someone.

The fine folks at GiantMicrobes.com “make stuffed animals that look like tiny microbes—only a million times actual size!”

Many kinds of microbes are available: Black Death, Common Cold, Heartworm and of course, Chlamydia:

Playing doctor is a game you don’t want to lose. Know the rules.

Awesome. I can’t wait to give The Clap to Mrs. Communist! She’ll have to get her own Penicillin, though.