Top Christmas Gifts of 2011 for Music Lovers
Top Christmas Gifts of 2011 for Music Lovers
Don’t know what to get your music loving friends for Christmas? Here are some suggestions of gifts to keep your friends rocking through the New Year.
“Glow Washington DC Winter 2011” compilation albums on the legendary Black Hole Recordings
“Glow Washington DC Winter 2011″ on Black Hole Recordings features a diverse collection representing favorites from two leading Dutch and American club brands. From Cosmic Gate & Emma Hewitt’s inspiring “Be Your Sound,” to the freaky-bouncy rhythm of Manufactured Superstars feat. Scarlett Quinn – Take Me Over (Bingo Players Remix); the compilation embodies the sounds Black Hole and Glow were built on, and where they are going.
Tablets
Tablets offer a whole new way to share, stay connected, be productive and have fun, all with the convenience of a touch screen display. CNET reviewed and suggests the top five tablets.
Ticketmaster Gift Card/Concert Tickets
Give the gift of a lasting memory with a ticket to a concert or club event. For tickets to Glow events click here.
Headphones
Everyone can always use a new pair of quality headphones, and Beats By Dre not only sound great, but they look nice, too. They’ve just released some new limited edition colors. Check out the top headphones for under $100.
Abbey Road Studios Merchandise
The famed Abbey Road Studios recently launched an 80th Anniversary merchandise range, featuring laptop cases, tote bags, mugs, notebooks, hoodies and loads more.
Portable Turntable
Got a DJ friend who always loves to crank out some tunes at parties? This will make it easy for them to spin some vinyl, without the hassle of lugging around a massive contraption of a player. Just plug this Portable Turntable from Crosley Revolution into a USB, and you’re good to go.
Vinyl Display Cases
A set of three flip frame vinyl display cases is perfect for an avid record collector who likes to leave them on display. It’s easy to install and easy to swap.
Amy Winehouse’s Clothing Line
Fred Perry’s Amy Winehouse clothing collection has just been released (with the late singer’s family’s approval) with proceeds going to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. So for a good cause, and in remembrance of her legacy, you can pick up an item of clothing that’s just her style.
Mini Portable Speakers
The X-mini II Capsule Speaker collapses to a tiny size making it the ultimate pocket-sized speaker. It can hook up into your phone, your iPod or you laptop – or it can even plug into other capsule speakers for maximum sound. Plus it comes in loads of pretty colors.
Booze
It seems like everyone’s releasing booze nowadays, so take your pick. There’s some Motorhead wine, KISS beer and wine, AC/DC wine, Whitesnake wine, Iron Maiden wine and even the 90’s pop trio Hanson has their own brand of beer on the market, aptly named ‘MmmHops’ (who knew they were now drinking age).
Now get ready for DC Nightlife’s Best New Year’s Eve Events.
The Worst Hangover Stories
The Worst Hangover Stories
Everyone’s been there. Too much to drink, turns into time you won’t remember, and things you may regret; but, the rest of us benefit from the stories you hungover fools tell us. Thanks to these die hard party people of course.
Silence of the Lambs
Went out on a friend’s boat on the Potomac. Drinks, drinks, drinks…next day, woke up in a strange, dark basement alone thinking I was reliving “Silence of the Lambs”. Could barely see straight, my dog was hopping around in the distance- PRECIOUS! Crawled to the bathroom to drink out of the sink. I had to use the GPS locator on my phone to realize I was in Centreville, VA (45 minutes from my apartment) – CAR-LESS! The owner of the boat called me a few hours later from his office letting me know I was threatening jumping off the moving boat. They had to carry me over their shoulder to the car. I threw up while I was being carried and couldn’t tell them directions back to my house so they smuggled me to their house. I finally got home around 10PM the following night still feeling near death but happy he wasn’t wearing my skin as a dress.
Hurricane
During college, we had a terrible hurricane. We were all sent to the dorms to stay there for safety for a few days. There were several extra students assigned to each room. We had about 6 of us in one dorm room one night. The two girls we were staying with had put all their valuables in a trunk in the closet on the other side of the room with clothes on top. We all went to sleep, I was completely blacked out, went to go use the bathroom and wandered to the closet instead of the bathroom and did ALL my business on all their valuables. They woke up in the middle of it and I ran naked to the bathroom and locked myself in there, passed out. The rest of the year I was tormented.
Dead Chef
I was a chef at a restaurant and was teaching a cooking class for a group of twenty 12-year-old girls. I was so drunk from the night before I passed out in the middle of in and collapsed on the floor. The ambulance was called because I wouldn’t wake up and my nose started to bleed. Funny thing was I wasn’t fired!
Sprinkler System
My worst hangover came after drinking 7 hurricanes. I remember waking up in a neighbor’s lawn with nothing but my boxers on. The sprinkler system woke me up as I was getting soaked. Everything was blurry and I had the worst headache that I have ever experienced. I walked home wet in my boxers. Apparently I made out with a girl that I am repulsed by, and tried to fight a wall…I mean literally a wall. My friends say they left me in my bed, so I don’t know how I ended up on my neighbor’s lawn.
Drifter
I woke up on a flat bottom boat that had drifted into a cove on Lake Lanier… I don’t know whose boat it was or how I got on it, but I proceeded to drive the boat around the lake, with a horrible hangover, until I found an area I was familiar with. At which point I got out and walked to a friend’s house. I have no idea whatever happened to that boat…
Have a crazy hangover story? Tell us about it on the Panorama Facebook and your story could make our next edition!
Guys Going Out Guide Part 1: Dress Code
Guys
Get Past the Velvet Ropes
What to Wear to Make it into the Finest of DC Nightlife
Since the beginning of time (as far as nightclubs go) dress codes have the secret language of getting past the burly bouncers and velvet ropes. Nothing dresses up a room, like the clientele, so nightclubs across DC and every major city use dress codes as a way to sift through the serious club goers and the lack luster crew better suited for a house party. This will give club hoppers some guidelines before heading out for the night, and save all from a night waiting in line only to be sent packing.
Do
- Wear a Dress Shirt – Keep it classic. Wear a nice button down dress shirt. But keep it buttoned to an acceptable level. Nobody wants to see your entire chest complete with gold chain and burly chest hair.
- Accesorize – A nice piece of jewelry, stylish scarf, or trendy hat can be a nice way to add style to a boring outfit, but some clubs have a no hat policy, so check before you rock your fedora.
- Save the Suit for Work – DC is uptight enough, when at the clubs, loosen up. If coming from work, at least ditch the tie.
- Keep the Chain Wallets at Home – A chain wallet is better suited for the skate park, and can be considered a weapon at some night spots.
- Wear a NICE Pair of Jeans – Jeans are a staple, but pick a clean pair that is not torn and tattered or acid washed.
- Keep it Simple – No need to wear a bow-tie, red pants, an umbrella, and a fedora. Try one stand out item per outfit.
- Iron Your Clothes – A nice outfit can go terribly wrong if it’s a wrinkly mess. Have your mom teach you how to iron over Christmas break, or spend the extra bucks on dry cleaning.
Do
Click on upper box for CAPTIONS
Do Not
- Wear Metallics– Steer clear from the ‘Night at the Roxbury’ costumes. Shiny, glittery, silky shirts scream “I have not updated my wardrobe since the disco era!”
- Wear Timberlands – Unless you’re going hiking, chopping wood, or on set on a rap video, these boots will keep you farther away from the velvet ropes then you were by staying at home in your own bed
- Wear Baggy Pants– These pants make it look like you are either smuggling children across the border or just had gastric bypass surgery and didn’t adjust the size of your wardrobe.
- Wear Ed Hardy – Glittery dragons and graffiti clad beef cakes can only roam freely at the Jersey Shore.
- Wear Loads of Man Bling – Loads of jewelry layered haphazardly weigh you down and look cheap.
- Wear Athletic Jerseys – Jerseys reek of sweat and beer from a plastic cup. Save these for sports bars and stadiums.
- Wear Sunglasses – It’s nighttime. That means it’s dark outside. Shades will bring the wrong assumptions your way.
Do Not
Click on upper box for CAPTIONS
Also check out “The Best and Worse Celebrity Fashion Lines” HERE
Girls Going Out Guide Part 1: Dress Code
Girls
Get Past the Velvet Ropes
What to Wear to Make it into the Finest of DC Nightlife
Since the beginning of time (as far as nightclubs go) dress codes have been the secret language of getting past the burly bouncers and velvet ropes. Nothing dresses up a room, like the clientele, so nightclubs across DC and every major city use dress codes as a way to sift through the serious club goers and the lack luster crew better suited for a house party. This will give club hoppers some guidelines before heading out for the night, and save all from a night waiting in line only to be sent packing.
Also check out “The Best and Worse Celebrity Fashion Lines” HERE
Let the Music be Your Drink Guide
>>>>>>>>>>>Drinkify<<<<<<<<<<
A new website, Drinkify offers drinking suggestions based on what music you are listening to.
Throw back some drinks, but make sure you are listening to the right tunes and heading to the right party!
The drink recommendations are served up by connecting Last.fm, the Echo Nest (which provides terms and genres as well as speed for artists’ tracks), and a proprietary drink database, according to the webapp’s developers.
Drinkify also plays music in the background while suggesting drink recipes. Some of the suggestions make sense: whiskey and Johnny Cash, for example, yet others seem perplexing to say the least.
Based on all of Panorama and Glow’s upcoming events, we came up with your drink lists for each night. Now you know where to go and what to drink.
“The Sebastian Ingrosso”
2 oz. Vodka,
Serve neat.
“The Pleasurekraft”
10 oz. Sipsmith Gin.
Serve neat.
“The DJ Enferno”
8 oz. Tequila Oro, 8 oz. Tomato juice.
“The Thomas Gold”
8 oz. Vodka, 8 oz. Coco López, 4 oz. Grenadine.
“The Nervo”
6 oz. Damson Gin,
Serve neat. Garnish with olive.
“The Chachi”
8 oz. Cough syrup, 8 oz. Apricot Brandy, Serve on rocks.
Garnish with wedge of watermelon.
“The Arno Cost”
8 oz. Vodka
Serve neat.
“The AN21” & “The Max Vangeli”
“The AN21”-10 oz. Gin, Serve neat.
“The Max Vangeli”- 6 oz. Marijuana, Serve neat.
“The Fedde Le Grand”
10 oz. Vodka
Serve neat. Garnish with national flag.
“The Josh Wink”
12 oz. Red Bull, 12 oz. Absinthe, 12 oz. Honey
Stir vigorously. Combine in highball glass and serve. Garnish with pickled carrot sticks.
“The DJ PS1”
1 oz. Beefeater Gin, 1 oz. Rose’s lime juice
Combine in highball glass and serve.
“The Myon” & “The Shane 54”
“The Myon”6 oz. Ecstasy, Serve on rocks. Stir quickly.
“The Shane 54” – 2 oz. Marijuana, 2 oz. Ginger Ale, Combine in highball glass and serve.
“Hernan Cattaneo”
4 oz. Vodka, 4 oz. Rose’s lime juice, 8 oz. Coco López.
Combine in highball glass and serve.
“The Roger Sanchez”
2 oz. Vodka, 2 oz. Tomato juice, 10 oz. Damson Gin.
Combine in shaker and strain into cocktail glass. Serve. Garnish with twist of grapefruit.
“The Ferry Corsten”
2 oz. Marijuana
Serve neat. Garnish with salt.
“The George Acosta” & “The Pete Moutso”
“The George Acosta” -8 oz. Vodka. Serve neat. Stir quickly. Garnish with national flag.
“The Pete Moutso” – 1 oz. Ouzo. Serve neat. Garnish with sugar.
“The Laidback Luke”
2 oz. Vodka, 2 oz. Sweetened lime juice, 8 oz. Ice Cream.
Combine in highball glass and serve. Stir quickly. Garnish with pepper.
Lady Gaga: A Thanksgiving Special
Gobble Gobble for Gaga’s Thanksgiving Special
Let’s give thanks to our family, our health, and oh, Lady Gaga?
ABC has released the preview for their brand-new holiday special A Very Gaga Thanksgiving and in it, the announcer excitedly proclaims that this year, they’re “Giving thanks with a capital G.” For Gaga. Get it?
The television network Gods have decided that there will be no escape from the pop star and her little monsters this year — even on the days when you’re supposed to be spending quality with your family — and you’re going to have to appreciate being “Born This Way” while you eat your turkey and you will like it.
Apparently, Gaga’s Thanksgiving hoopla includes Tony Bennett. Also, chef Art Smith appears at a banquet table filled with Thanksgiving fixings — and a waffle iron — to teach the singer how to prepare deep-fried turkey and waffles for her guests.
Those guests include a small troupe of children, shown in the preview gathered around Gaga while she blows glitter on them. Just like the Pilgrims and Indians did. Other things you can look forward to in the 90-minute special: carving of surprisingly non-bedazzled turkey, a tear-laden interview with Katie Couric, and performances inside of what looks to be the Phantom Of The Opera‘s underground lair.
So strap on your Thanksgiving meat dress and crank up Born this Way or The Fame and have a Very Gaga Thanksgiving airing November 24 on ABC at 9:30pm ET/8:30pmCT.
Techno Music Kills Dolphins
Techno Music Kills Dolphins
Forget Dolphin Safe Tuna, Techno is Dolphins New Threat
May want to hold off on bringing that special dolphin in your life to Super Glow this weekend. Yes dolphin, since animal rights activists claim that loud techno music cause poor Flipper so much stress that they will drop dead faster than Bambi’s mom.
At a Swiss amusement park, Connyland two dolphins recently died after a two-day rave took place just yards away from their aquarium.
“The sound levels which would have been heard by the dolphins is comparable with that of a pneumatic drill on top volume,” Andreas Morlok, an animal rights activist told The Daily Mail. “Before the event we warned of these noise levels and the damage which could be done and called for the event to be called off.”
Twenty days after the techno party was hosted, Shadow, an 8-year-old dolphin, was found disoriented and agitated in his pool and eventually died a few hours later. A month later, a second dolphin also died from similar mysterious symptoms over the weekend. Both dolphins had been huge Elton John fans.
Whether the techno is truly to blame for the deaths is under some dispute.
According to Connyland’s notably noisy website, “Some say that dolphins in captivity are deeply disturbed by the noise and light, which surrounds them. This is not true.” —So there’s your expert opinion.
Meanwhile, The Local reports, Oceancare and Swiss Protection for Animals say dolphins die at Connyland all the time—at least seven in the past three years. As if that serves as a compelling excuse.
One vet suggests that the younger dolphin died of poisoning. Maybe some ecstasy fell into the water. Pretty sure the Grim Reaper of Dolphins, Connyland needs find a new business venture. Something a little less…alive.
Crowded Room Application Creeps Into the Social Media World
Application Allows Users to Plan a Hypothetical Life
Hello Stranger, Let’s Pretend to Maybe Meet Somewhere, Sometime, or Not?
With all the social media exploding in everyone’s face, it’s hard to imagine another medium this internet obsessed generation will be forced to keep up with- but there is. Crowded Room, made by the same tech conglomerate that owns Match.com and Ok Cupid- two very successful companies in the “love” market creeped in the mix.
Basically, the new phone application, which was revealed this week combines Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, by pulling from all recent check-ins and likes to compile lists of places you may like to go, and may go.
You might go to twenty different places on any given night, or nowhere at all. What worth is there in putting up some list of hypotheticals? Does Crowded Room really think we’ve come to the point where we need some sort of social network Venn diagram to make a group plan?
Mike Kestenbaum, Crowded Room’s CEO, says Crowded Room integrates with Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter, and users are “strongly encouraged” to use those services to blast out their check-ins, but reaching people in one’s existing networks is somewhat beside the point. “We never intended it to be an app to communicate with your existing friend group,” says Kestenbaum. “There are a lot of apps that do a pretty good job of that.”
And here comes the creepy part, after a user compiles a list of possible places they may go at some point, random people with similar hypothetical plans will be able to see you. Perhaps you could hypothetically message them, and then what—go out on a date because you were thinking about maybe sometime maybe going to the same restaurant? Chances are if you frequent the same places you already know each other.
So maybe you’d meet your hypothetical future husband, wife, or new best friend and what a budding success story that would be since the basis for your relationship sprung with the desire to eat at the same Pho Restaurant. What? Doesn’t the world have enough useless applications?
Twitter Addict and Murder Tweets Ruin Man’s Life
Twitter Obsessed
Larry Lost His Life Tweet by Tweet
Larry Carlat, self-proclaimed Twitter addict, destroyed his life by Tweeting the days away. Larry used to be a married, employed and successful. Now the ex-editor of men’s magazine Men’s Health, became obsessed with Twitter, divorced, unemployed and desperate.
In a grim addiction memoir for NYT Magazine‘s Lives column, the tweetoholic describes tweeting “every hour on the hour, day and night”:
My tweets were a clear violation of the company’s social-media policy. I had a choice: to delete the account or face termination. Sensing that my days were numbered, and being ambivalent about the job anyway, I chose to fall on my sword.
About a month after I left the job, I separated from my wife […] I wrote something like, “I would’ve taken a bullet for my wife, but now I’d rather be the one pulling the trigger.” To me, it was just a joke. To my son, it was a disturbing remark about someone we both love. He threatened to stop following me on Twitter.
But still he had not hit rock bottom. Larry Carlat deleted the murder tweet, but even as “my habit started to feel less like a rush and more like a burden,” the tragic Twitter junkie could not break free. He only escaped his life-controlling prison of cyber exhibitionism last month, when he quit cold turkey:
Do I still have the occasional urge to tweet? Do I continue to compose tweets in my head? Do I miss my Twitter friends? Sure. But the immense weight of compulsion has been lifted. Now, before I go to sleep, I turn off my iPhone before I turn out the lights. When I wake up in the morning, my first thought is of making coffee, not of typing.
It’s a sad sad world when a social media petite blue bird named Twitter ruins a life. What ever happened to the good ol’ days, a simpler time when addiction meant alcohol or drugs?
[NYT Magazine, headshot via LinkedIn]
DC Ranks #1 Worst Drivers in America
DC Sucks at Driving
DC Ranks #1 Worst Drivers in America
What an accomplishment! Though this should not come to much of a surprise to anyone driving in the D.C. area, Allstate’s annual “America’s Best Drivers Report” named our city’s drivers the absolute WORST in the country, behind 199 of the nation’s largest cities.
This is Washington’s third consecutive year coming in last place (#200 out of 200), behind our neighbor to the North, Baltimore, Maryland; nortoriously troubled with traffic’s Los Angeles, California; and beat downtown Newark, New Jersey. Cue the pearl clenching!
Other losers included:
- 157. Chicago, Ill.
- 167. Dallas, Texas
- 171. New York, N.Y.
- 182. Los Angeles, Calif.
- 188. Philadelphia, Pa.
Given the state of D.C. area traffic — conditions that a national traffic survey called the worst congestion in the nation and that a Washington Post poll showed pushes more than a third of drivers to “wild rage” — the Allstate study isn’t exactly a shocker. The reportsays that D.C. drivers are the worst when it comes to avoiding accidents, averaging one accident approximately every 4.8 years. On the other hand, the average driver in Fort Collins, Colo., which was named the safest driving city, has a car accident every 14 years, on average.
“We don’t want drivers in Washington, D.C. to be discouraged by their ranking. Instead, we want the report to challenge drivers in Washington, D.C. to make positive changes to their driving habits that will in turn make the city a safer place to live, work and raise families,” said Dave Prendergast, Allstate Field Senior Vice President.
Here are some safe driving suggestions from Allstate:
— Minimize distractions: Engaging in any other activity while driving — talking on your cellphone, text messaging, changing a radio station, putting on makeup — is a distraction.
— Be aware of road conditions: Ice, snow, fog, rain — all of these weather conditions require extra caution and slower speeds.
— Leave a safe distance between your car and others around you: Maintain at least one car length space between your car and the vehicle in front of you for every 10 mph of speed.
— Steer clear of road rage: Reduce stress on the road by allowing plenty of time for travel, planning your route in advance and altering your schedule or route to avoid congested roads. Remember not to challenge aggressive drivers and stay as far away from them as possible.
— Maintenance matters: Ultimately, safety also depends on the maintenance of your car. Ensure that your car brakes, exhaust system, tires, lights, battery and hoses are in good working order.
Perhaps 2012 wil be our year to break out of last place, but until then buckle up, keep your eye on the road and maybe wear a helmet!
