-Pop Culture-

pop culture is the culture that the general public likes. Compared to subculture and high culture, they don't need any stable knowledge about pop culture. Therefore, they can enjoy it sensuously. By the improvement of mass media, it got easier to enjoy high culture such as art works and Opera, but still pop culture occupies general public's attention more.

For example, Hikaru Utada, who is a Japanese R&B artist influenced especially young generation in Japan around the year 2000 by her memorable songs, and her CDs and albums always have been making great sales no matter what kind of reputation they got.

For You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ngVxyoVTxU&feature=BFa&list=PLBCB9D4C8D749242A&lf=results_video

weekly blog assignment #1

So, I want to talk about music. It's pretty much simple topic but also occupies huge percentage of my interest. And I've also been working as a jazz singer, so I thought I might could provide some interesting information to readers. Music has obviously huge range; for example from hard rock music to country music, but what I want to focus on today is "mellow music". I know it's vague way to divide the range, but hope you understand it.

What kind of songs are included in "mellow music"? Now that's what I'm talking about. I have some favorite artists who make amazing music.

 First of all, she is very much popular already for so long, but Norah Jones is one of my favorite artist. She originally was going to North Texas University and was majoring jazz piano. In her senior year, she went on a journey to Manhattan, NY and decided to stay there. Her creativity as a composer and her gentle voice caught attention of the president of Blue Note Records, and she contracted with the company. Her style of music is basically jazz, but she also takes sounds of soul, country, folk, pops. This is why her music got support not only from jazz fans. She always keeps her touching voice no matter what kind of songs or even covers she sings, so I always can listen any of her songs in a same tension.

One of her song from her first album
Turn me on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHff55AeEAQ

The cover song of Nick Drake
Day is done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auB8lKV0svY

Secondly who I want to introduce is Damien Rice. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and have been going around whole Europe as a street artist. And then the famous movie composer David Arnold listened his demos, and he contracted with his company. His style of music is basically folk, but what he is great about is the variety of instruments that he uses in his songs. The melody lines are simple enough, but you can listen splendid harmony such as violins, clarinet and percussion from his songs.

One of his songs which was used in the ending of the film "My Blueberry Night"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YXVMCHG-Nk

The collaborated song with his ex-gf from his first album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZduDvIBu3EU


 More than them, I have many more to recommend you, but all I want to say is "mellow music" is not the genre but the styles of the artists. Folk, indie rock and jazz... from my perspective, these are the songs that you can relax when you are listening them. After work and just got home...while you do some romantic date with your lover or someone you're interested in...before doing things very important and you need something to calm you down... I choose mellow music to make myself relax.

about Doug Engelbart

So, he is obviously a smart guy. But there were times when he grew restless.
He said "I realized that I didn't have any more goals than a steady job, getting marriad and living happily ever after" and then...

Check this website, you can watch valuable videos of his interviews.

http://www.invisiblerevolution.net/index-inside.html

Hello world!!

finally.. I could upload my first post.