Online Fame | A 'blog written by Chris Rhee

Well, the post titles worked out nicely (I’m talking about the post I made before this one: Widescreen vs Full screen PSA).

I was going back and forth, wondering if I should get this monitor or a regular full screen 20″ LCD (or even a 19″ LCD). I decided to go for the 23″ widescreen LCD by HP.

Apple

I was also thinking about getting Apple’s 23″ widescreen Cinema Display, but decided against it because it only had one input for DVI (while HP has video inputs for Analog, DVI, Composite, and S-Video and the ability to chose which input to use with the press of a button). I did like the look of Apple’s LCD better, but the fact that I couldn’t use it very easily between my PC and my Mac made me choose against it. If you only need to use your monitor for one computer, I’d probably recommend Apple’s LCD over HP’s.

I’ve heard many reports that Apple’s LCDs have a pink hue to them. I went to my local CompUSA to check it out in person and I did notice the pink hue of the monitor. I’m not sure what causes this because I’ve also heard that Apple and HP use the same exact LCD panel.

Widescreen

I decided to go with this 23″ widescreen because I wanted the extra wide screen space (I’m running a 1920×1200 resolution) — big enough for me to view a full preview of a website on one side and the code for said website on another side. Or, big enough for me to view code on one side and a DVD on the other side. I haven’t tried the Picture-in-picture function yet, but I’m sure I’ll make good use of it in the future.

Also, I don’t have a widescreen television, so I hope to use this as my television as well as my computer monitor. I’ve already watched some DVDs on it and it’s great.

I’m keeping my 4:3 aspect ratio, “full screen” LCD (an 18″ Dell UltraSharp) to use along with my new monitor on my PC (dual monitors for even more screen space).

Desk clutter

Here are a few pictures, taken minutes after setting the monitor up. Since the pictures were taken, I’ve moved the monitors around on my desk and hid the wires a bit. I’ll try to add some more pictures later.

• Picture of the monitor next to my Apple Powerbook
• Picture of Counter-Strike on the monitor
• Picture of Futurama on the monitor

Do not skip over this post. Get together your change and dollar bills and go cop this CD: Jin - The Rest Is History. Do not skip over this post. It’s more than music. Do not skip over this post.

What am I going on about?

If you’ve never heard of Jin, I wouldn’t be surprised. Here’s a quick summary: He’s the first asian rapper to get signed to a major record label (in Jin’s case, the label is Ruff Ryders). He got his name out there by battling— he’s in the hall of fame for Freestyle Friday on 106 & Park (which means he won 7 weeks in a row). He worked out a deal during those 7 weeks and got signed to Ruff Ryders. Then he was put on the back burner for a while and his CD’s release date was repeatedly pushed back while his name got mentioned less and less. Well, his CD is finally here and should be available at most stores.

Why is this worth your money?

For one: It’s a nice CD. I’ll admit I’ve heard better from him and was actually feeling a lot of the tracks on a mixtape he released a few weeks before his album more (the mixtape is called, The Definition of History if you want to try to find it), but I won’t go as far to say that the tracks on the album aren’t good or just average.

The second reason why people need to buy this album: to open the doors for Asian-Americans in media. This is bigger than hip hop and bigger than just music.

Bigger than hip hop

Quick, name all the famous Asians in American media. Most people will be able to name… two. And it’ll most likely be: Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan. This is why it’s bigger than just music. If this album flops, don’t expect too many asians to be popping up in movies, television, or on the radio. Not for another couple of years, at least.

The people who control the media are in it for one reason: money. So it’s hard to blame them for playing it as safe as possible. This is why you see so many clones on television and movies. This is why everything on the radio sounds the same. It’s why when a group like the Backstreet Boys come out, you see record labels pushing acts that are exactly the same (I don’t even have to name the clones for this one). This is why there are 15,000 reality shows on television. And it’s why in the future, you’ll be able to watch a CSI that’s been tailored for your local city.

So if this album sells poorly, financial backers (for any type of media) will be staying away from Asian acts all together for a couple years because it’s a model that’s failed.

It’s sad that it has to boil down to a race issue, but it is what it is.

Seriously…

Help fight the monotony, please. I want to be able to turn on my radio once in a while. I want my Asian friends who are chasing a music or acting career to have a fair chance and not be turned down just because they were given birth by someone who was Asian.

The last I checked, this CD sold about 30,000 copies. I got my copy in the mail today. Make it happen, people.

Want a suggestion for something to add to your Amazon order to get free shipping? Extended Famm - Happy Fuck You Songs (an enhanced CD with lyrics, videos, and exclusive sneak peaks into their future releases). I have another post in mind to support the QN5 record label, but I’ll save that for another week. But, I will say this: This is one of my favorite albums and I played it so many times while I was visiting my girlfriend, that I have to thank her for not breaking the CD so that she could listen to her own songs (because that’s the only way she’ll ever get to play her own stuff when there’s a QN5 release around).

Everytime…

I must add this disclaimer: People who know me, know that I’m not one to yell “Asian Pride” or anything of that sort because I can barely speak Korean and I rarely eat any Asian foods. And there are other asians just like me. But to a record label executive or a television producer? You’re Asian and you’re a risk. Putting 2 sluts, an idiot, and a crazy axe murderer in a room with a camera? Safe!

They’re shitty. Their website is shitty, their online tracking is shitty, and their service is ultra shitty.

Down with The MAN.

The last time I bought something from Barnes and Noble (in store), they allowed me to use more than one gift card, but they only allow you to use one gift card when ordering online. So now I have a charge on my credit card for three dollars… I feel like a modern version of that stereotypical old lady who writes a check for a ninety-nine cent expense. And I blame Barnes and Noble’s online order process.

They’ll pay for this. But I’ll be nice and allow them to use more than one Official Online Fame Gift Card when they pay… (Yeah, I sell gift cards now. True story.)

A week ago, I ditched Internet Explorer and Outlook as my default web browser and email program and switched to Firefox and Thunderbird. That doesn’t have a whole lot to do with this post, but it is worth mentioning that these programs rock (and for those who like hip-hop: these programs rap).

So anyway, I enabled the spell check on my new email program and I’ve had to add some words to the default dictionary so it doesn’t keep notifying me of spelling mistakes. Here’s a list of words that I don’t think I should have had to enter into the list by myself:

• HTML, XHTML (I really thought at least “HTML” would have been in there)
• WTF (like this needs an explanation)
• CSI (this show should have been put in the dictionary when it debuted four seasons ago)
• Barenaked (as in Barenaked Ladies)
• Poopfux (just because)