PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Tell Congress not to censor the internet NOW!

OK, here’s the situation. I turn 40 in a few weeks and feel the need to prove to myself that I still have a little mojo left. So I’m embarking on a personal challenge — to sing 40 karaoke songs between now and the time the clock strikes midnight on my birthday on February 18.

The rules are simple:

1. No more than 30% of the songs can be ones that I have sung before (this is supposed to be a challenge after all)
2. No duplicates, a song can only be sung once to count toward the goal
3. Duets don’t count (Broke this rule on 2/11. Letting it slide. I’ll keep duets to a minimum.)

I’ll be posting details and video of my progress over the next few weeks. You’re invited to join me in person (Facebook event invites are forthcoming) to cheer me on at the following locations:

2/2 - U Otter Stop, Minneapolis (9pm)

2/8 – Grumpy’s, Roseville (10pm)

2/10 – Dixies on Grand, St. Paul (10pm)

2/13 – Vegas Lounge, Minneapolis (9:30pm)

2/15 – Mancini’s Char House, St. Paul (8:30pm)

2/16 – U Otter Stop, Minneapolis (9pm)

2/17 – U Otter Stop, Minneapolis (9pm), Nye’s Polonaise Room, Minneapolis (11pm)

2/18 – Joe & Stan’s Sports Lounge & Grill, St. Paul (9:30pm)

More dates may be added as needed. Follow @techkaraokempls on Twitter or the TechKaraoke Minneapolis group on Facebook for more details.

I’m also taking requests, so feel free to leave yours in the comments. Wish me luck because in the immortal words of AC/DC, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.”

UPDATE – I did it! Song lists and videos: #1-4, #5-9, #10-14, #15-16, #17-21, #22-32, #33-39, #40

Thanks again to Joel for the opportunity.

I’m not sure it’s all that, but I’m a sucker for typography-based logos. The more I look at it, the more I like it. While simple on the surface and bearing more than a passing resemblance to the copyright symbol, the new mark is certainly a bold departure from style of the network’s previous logos.

However, it’s dead on with the new visual direction they’ve introduced over the past few months. I’ve been appreciating the distinctive look of their show promos lately. They feature giant text, fun typeface parings in bright, saturated colors on simple black backgrounds cut together in quick snippets. They practically jump off my HDTV.

Some may take issue with the minimalism of the new logo. But as Punchline Magazine aptly predicts, “…it’s not going to create a massive uproar. Why? Because it’s not totally shitty.” The recent Gap Debacle (unveiling and quickly scrapping, their new logo) has probably given many a reason for caution when rebranding.

It’s also important to remember this is a logo for TV. It’s not meant to be static. It really comes to life in this video by Comedy Central highlighting how it will be used in promos in the coming months. I think it was a brilliant move to release this with the new logo. The context really helps us “get it.”

What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Canceling Comcast this moment? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Cupcakes are magical by themselves. Who can argue with that? Adding peanut butter and chocolate certainly amps things up. However, the pièce de résistance of this recipe is bacon. Not just as a topping mind you, but IN the batter too! Credit goes to Carrie Reed, who was gracious enough to share her brilliantly original creation.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
1 box butter flavored or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 pound bacon fried crisp and crumbled
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs|
Oil as called for on the cake mix directions

Frosting:
1 stick butter softened
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk
powdered sugar

Topping:
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 cup of cream or whole milk
butter
1/3 cup of brown sugar

Directions

Cook one pound of bacon until crispy. Divide in half and crumble.

In a sauté pan melt a few tablespoons of butter and about 1/3 cup of brown sugar.

Just until melted together. Stir in one half pound of bacon (already cooked crisp and crumbled) just to coat them with the sugar mixture, and then spread them out on a piece of wax paper to dry. (You will use these to sprinkle on top of your cupcakes just after drizzling the chocolate)

Mix all cupcakes ingredients together (use the rest of the non-sugared bacon) and bake in cupcake liners for 15 minutes.

Whip all frosting ingredients together until fluffy. Then add 3 tablespoons milk and start slowly adding powdered sugar until you get to a good consistency (probably about 1/2-3/4 of a regular size bag).  If it’s too thick ad a little more milk, a little more powdered sugar if too soft.

Frost cupcakes (Piped on with a star tip works best, but you could spread it on too)

In a small saucepan heat 1/2 cup of cream or whole milk just to a light simmer. Remove from heat and stir in about a cup of chocolate chips. Stir until melted and then drizzle over the tops of the cupcakes.

Sprinkle with sugared bacon.

Indulge.

While I’m a strong supporter of occasional social “friend” trimming, I’m not sure the new holiday will catch on. For those with sizable lists of friends, it’s a time-consuming process to manage. Multiply that by all the other social networks you may be active on and you can quickly be engulfed by a mountain of followers, contacts, connections and tweeps.

What do you think? How often, if ever, do you edit your list of Facebook friends? What does someone have to do to be unfriended by you?

Google celebrated John Lennon’s 70th birthday a little early (it’s tomorrow) with their first video doodle today. The animation is based one of Lennon’s hand-drawn self-portraits (included as the two O’s) and synced with a verse of Imagine. It’s been fun to watch Google experiment with different media in this space.

I was lucky enough to take in an advanced screening for SMBMSP members earlier in the month have had some time to let the experience sink in. I still stand by my initial under 140 character review on Twitter:

My main takeaway was just how darn enjoyable the film was on virtually every level. Casting, script and score (by Trent Reznor!) were all worthy of note. The characters, even minor players, were complex and anything but the stereotypes they could have been. Some may not be a fan of reverse storytelling via flashbacks, but I think it worked well in this case. Watching the birth of Facebook unfold through small private moments while being so familiar with the current version of the site in full glare of the the public eye creates a marvelous tension for the viewer.

It’s far too limiting to say it’s a just movie about a social network. It’s about those rare moments in history when a person, an idea and and a culture converge to create something infinitely bigger. It’s really about the birth of a movement. The main difference here is how quickly it caught on and the incredible scale it achieved.

So my rating should be no surprise:
one pixelated thumb up. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)

It’s easy to discount the “best movie ever” praise oozing from every corner of cyberspace, but this movie is something special. Here are more reviews from some of my peeps:

• Cydney Wuerffel on Idea Peepshow
• Judy Grundstrom on JustJudyJudyJudy
• Kay Roseland on Shareology
• Katie Little on the SMBMSP Blog

Some related videos…

My favorite “official” trailer
While it doesn’t appear in the film, the chorale-like version of “Creep”
backing this preview really sets the mood.

Mark Zuckerberg’s version of ‘The Social Network’
Even funnier after you’ve seen the film. Be patient, this player shows
an advertisement before the clip. (via Bombi(llo))

Greatest Hits of Zach Galifianakis’s Between Two Ferns
Recut As the Social Network Trailer
I had to include this. The parody features clips from Galifianakis’s hilarious
Funny or Die web series. (via Vulture)

Animated News of the Day: The plot of The Social Network
summed up in (just over) one minute
Taiwan’s premiere animated tabloid by Next Media Animation. This is definitely
funnier after seeing the film. The subtitles are epic.