Chat Logs IV

It seems that every time I post about chat logs, there is some change. My first update was followed by my purchase of a new computer, my second update was followed by me switching from using DeadAIM to Trillian, and this update comes before my purchase of yet another new computer.

So what's the ranking? This year's ranking is the sum total of the last two years so they partially reflect last year's list.

#1 - Mai-Anh, up from 2nd
#2 - Celeste, up from 3rd and the only person to make the ranking all four times
#3 - Joseph, up from 5th
#4 - Veronica, down from 1st after having little contact with her this year
#5 - Kimberly, down from 4th
#6 - Kate, re-entering the top six
Honorable mention, Bonnie, whom I've met in the Korea, just missed being in the top 6.

This marks the first year that not a single NCSSMer is on the list as Carl dropped in ranking and none gained, which strikes me as a worrisome sign. This also leaves Joseph as the only guy in the top six. Yet again, the top 6 has increased their share of my total conversations, going from 33%, 42%, 50%, and now 60%.

I think they're onto us

BBC

Celeste isn't the only person who noticed that the French Eurovision entry is in English. Apparently the French people have caught on. I didn't notice when I first listened, I was distracted by Sebastien Tellier's bountiful facial hair.

In any case, it is much better than the Belgium entry which is sung in an imaginary language. The scary part is, this isn't the first time. Belgium's 2003 entry also used an imaginary language, as did the Netherlands' 2006 entry. What's going on in those lowland countries?

2008 is a "good" year for Eurovision

I've fallen in love with Eurovision ever since I first watched it, stuck in a hostel in Grundarfjörður, Iceland due to freezing rain. The 2006 Eurovision gave us great acts from Lithuania and Finland. The song contest, a bastion of Eurotrash pop, was turned on its head after Finland ended up winning. This left people asking, what's next? Many countries tried following Finland's lead and going with more rocking entries, all of which failed. The most memorable entry was Ukraine, which, sadly, lost to a completely unremarkable Serbian entry (perhaps the worst result of the dissolution of Yugoslavia is their voting power in Eurovision). The saddest moment for me, though, was that my favorite entry, Belgium, didn't even make it out of the Semi-Finals.

Since the Lordi method proved to be impossible to duplicate, it seems that everyone went a different direction this year, which has produced some amazing results. So many in fact I can actually produce a top ten list of all the songs I would love to see win.

10. Estonia - I don't actually want this entry to win, but it is kind of catchy
9. Bulgaria - The song itself is just insipid, but at least it's different than the usual Eurovision fare. Plus the video is fun
8. Finland - Nowhere near as good as Lordi, but I want to encourage Finland in this direction
7. Spain - Really? This is Spain's entry?
6. Belgium - I came for the folksy music, I stayed for the neck dancing
5. Ireland - This song has gotten a lot of press because it's sung by a turkey puppet. However, even if it weren't being song by a turkey, it would still be on this list
4. Latvia - This gimmick is absolutely brilliant, steal the show indeed
3. Israel - This song is actually really good. No gimmick or anything
2. France - This song is actually kind of fun and rather subdued, by Eurovision standards
1. Bosnia and Herzegovina - Wait, is... is that a live chicken? What is that girl doing on stage? Why does that guy have a scythe?


I would like to post one last entry. After watching the video for every country this year, I can say, without question, that Lithuania's entry is by far the worst. This songs drops the ball in basically every category imaginable. The guy can't sing, the lyrics are atrocious (even by Eurovision standards), and it doesn't even have a gimmick.

Some new music to chew

Basia Bulat

Check out her songs, she has an amazing voice. I especially like "In the Night" and "Snakes and Ladders". She's also playing in Asheville, Richmond, and DC on May 14, 15, and 16, respectively, as the opening act for DeVotchKa. DeVotchKa is an interesting band that did most of the soundtrack for "Little Miss Sunshine", which I don't remember any songs from that movie other than "Superfreak".

Yael Naim

She's a French singer, and switches between French and English songs. I love her video for "New Soul"


Romantica

Some really good Americana Folk stuff happening here. I love "Queen of Hearts".

Justice - DANCE
Justice - DVNO

I'm not a big fan of electronica, but these two videos are amazing.

First Benchmark Reached

The Euro finally reached $1.50 making it the first currency I've been measuring to reach one of my benchmarks. When I first started estimating, the Euro wasn't supposed to reach $1.50 until July. After a few months of predicting April to be the key month, the Euro made some strong gains in February that lead to a higher than expected average in March.

Other big gainers this past month were the Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, and the Swiss Franc. The notable loser is Canada, although its trendline is still steeper than Australia's. The Korean Won also lost out this past month. So much so, that the trendline flipped so that it's actually losing value against US Dollar. It's now the only benchmark I have that's going the opposite direction.

Mar. 2008: 1 Euro > $1.50 US (1 month sooner) Achieved!
Jun. 2008: 7 Chinese Yuan > $1 US (1 month sooner)
Jun. 2008: 6 Swedish Kronor > $1 US (2 months sooner)
Jun. 2008: 100 Japanese Yen > $1 US (4 months sooner)
Aug. 2008: 1 Swiss Franc > $1 US (5 months sooner)
Feb. 2009: $1 Aussie > $1 US (1 month later)
Sep. 2009: 5 Swedish Kronor > $1 US (4 months sooner)
Jan. 2010: $1 Canadian > $1.25 US (7 months later)

New Benchmarks:
May. 2009: 1 Euro > $1.75 US
Sep. 2009: $1 US > 1000 Korean Won