WebNerd Alert: Google, Pandora, and Customized Domain Extensions

Google Music

I'm not sure which came first between iCloud and Google Music but there appears to be a war brewing between Google and Apple over who has control of all the music (and in Google's case, documents in general) that is soon to be "in the cloud". I just got an email from my boy that he'd received his invitation to sign-up for Google Music and he was PUMPED! We had talked about Google Music versus iCloud a couple weeks back when he initially sent me an article about iCloud. To be honest, I have done enough research yet other than looking at the Google Music website to really have an informed option. I've signed up for an invitation so hopefully I can get access, check things out and do another post about it. I know one thing though, with the 152 gigs of music I have on my machine, it'd be nice to be able to store it somewhere that's accessible from my computer, my phone, and other mobile devices on or off-line... And that's what Google's selling it as. At least for those who have Android-based phones and tablet devices. Not sure I like that, especially when I'm gonna cop that iPhone 5 in September, lol. Google is also adding a Pandora-esque feature where you can play "similar songs" by "similar artists". This should be interesting.

More on Google Music below:



Google Launches a Tool for "Online Reputation Management"

Apparently, Google is "launching" a tool to be used for "online reputation management" called "Me On The Web". It's not really a launch per se (because the functionality is already there) and it's aimed at helping people keep others from finding out things they don't want them to know "manage search results for your name". The new feature is available on your Google Dashboard and "encourages you to keep tabs on [these mentions] by setting up search alerts for data points included in your Google profile, like your name and email address."

This could already be done before and for this reason I don't consider it a "launch" but more of a re-branding and refresh of Google's Dashboard options. This is definitely useful for everyone, not just those that want to keep a "low profile" on the InterWeb. For more information and to check out the full article visit mashable.com.

Pandora... How Does It Work?

Ever wondered how, when you create a Jay-Z playlist (or whatever artist) in Pandora that the website/app somehow knows what other artists to play (aka Biggie)? I did. So I decided to do a little InterWeb research to try and figure it out, lol. What I found out is that back in 1999 two guys started this Music Genome Project and in 2000 they joined up with a guy named John Kraft to form Pandora Media and from there I assume Pandora the application wasn't long after.

The Music Genome Project set out to "'capture the essence of music at the fundamental level' using almost 400 attributes to describe songs and a complex mathematical algorithm to organize them." So basically they tried to create a genetic code for music and then find a way to use computer software to make relationships between different songs. It's also stated on the Pandora website that "[t]aken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's not about what a band looks like, or what genre they supposedly belong to, or about who buys their records - it's about what each individual song sounds like." Sounds nerdy, but best believe that's some cool shyt.

Pay an Arm and a Leg for Your Own Domain Extension

If you've got a measly $185K laying around (plus another $25K to throw around annually) you can now have your own customized domain extension. Is del.icio.us not enough for you? Well, now you can have I.AM.DELICIOUS as your domain name if you want. Just cough up the skrillz to the good folks at ICANN (Internet CORPORATION for Assigned Names and Numbers). Naturally, the first people to dive in and pay for these customized extensions will be companies that have big bucks and need to protect their brands. Microsoft won't want Apple going in and grabbing the .microsoft extension so they'll no doubt cough up the dough. This probably won't reach the consumer for a long time (read: until the price comes waaaaaay down) but it's going to be interesting to see who are the early adopters and innovators when it comes to grabbing these customizable extensions. It seems like a great opportunity to re-brand and perhaps reinvent specific product lines for a company using the InterWeb.

For more information and the full article that inspired this part of the post, visit the Associated Press.

I think this image is SUPER DOPE!

I first saw this picture in an email from the group Noon 30 (a college classmate and friend of mine - waddup Viv - is in this group). It immediately resonated with me because I think it does a great job of visualizing part of the struggle of the black woman over history. From the slave days/times to when Black people in general first got the opportunity to educate themselves and eventually became learned in many different areas. To now being strong (not that black women haven't always been just that), empowered, individualistic, and forward-thinking.

Love this image.

NBA Draft: What Cleveland Should Do

I have a few theories on what the Cavs should do with their picks and because I know so many people care what I think about sports (HA!) I'll share. The way I see it, Cleveland needs a few things:

1. A player that is exciting enough to help fill the seats to make up for the Post-LeBron drop-off in attendance that I *assume* took place.
2. A player that will actually fit-in with their team system as it currently exists. Perhaps this isn't as big of a need but it would be nice if the new player(s) could fit into the system rather than changing the system that is currently in-place.
3. A point guard. Even though I like B-Diddy (Baron Davis) because he's really exciting sometimes, he just isn't gonna cut it long-term. And Daniel "Boobie" Gibson isn't the answer either.
4. A new franchise-type player.

It's these four things that make Cleveland's two picks in this year's draft (number 1 and number 4) so interesting to me. In my opinion, the best player available in the draft is Derrick Williams. Dude already has an "NBA body", can shoot the college 3-pointer (mid-range game for the win), has a nice game around the rim as well as a nice game facing the basket. People are saying he's a "tweener" and all this other prognosticated bullshyt. Dude is a BASKETBALL PLAYER. Go back to Charles Barkley and he was probably a tweener when he first came into the league and he's now one of the best players of all-time. If you can play score or defend at an elite level, you'll be ok in the NBA and Williams has the body and skillset to do both. 

I don't dislike Kyrie Irving and I understand the PG-focused nature of the NBA at this time so it makes sense to take him with the #1 pick just as much as it does to take Williams (if not more). But based on what I've seen of Irving and the fact that he only played 11 games at Duke I liken taking him with the number 1 pick to taking a high school point guard with the number 1 pick. Has that ever happened? EVER? A high school career and 11 games at Duke and you're the #1 pick in the NBA draft as a point guard? Yeah, ok. I think Irving will do well in the league because he's definitely a pure point guard (all the Chris Paul comparisons are kind of annoying at this point though) but I don't think his impact will be felt as immediately as Derrick Williams. Two or three years from now we'll be saying "that Irving pick was really really smart" whereas next season we may very well be saying "Derrick Williams look like a rookie of the year candidate for sure and a franchise player for years to come". 

In the end, if I were Cleveland, I'd do one of two things:

1. Take Williams with the first pick and trade the fourth pick (and maybe JJ Hickson) for a proven point guard like Tony Parker who is already on the trading block and who also can take some of the scoring load off Williams shoulders. Parker isn't a pure point guard really, he's a great scorer going to the rim which means kick-outs to Williams for jump-shots or follow-up dunks for Williams off misses. Steve Nash and Johnny Flynn are also on the trading block evidently but Nash ain't going to a start-up and Flynn isn't really proven enough to give up a lot for.
2. Take Williams with the first pick and take either Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker with the 4th pick because Irving won't be around then. I know people don't like Kemba as much as Knight or Irving at this point (at least that's what analysts are saying) but I think Kemba has heart and the skill to be an effective point guard. Or, he could be the next Ben Gordon (UConn fans don't act like ya'll don't know, lol). But I think if Kemba's extra Bronx azz can humble himself and learn to be a more pure PG who can also score, he'll be a nice compliment to Williams for years to come.
3. [This was my original thought] Take Irving #1 and take Williams at #4. But it's obvious at this point that Williams won't be around that long so I think number 1 or 2 above would be the way to go.

It'll be interesting to see how all this plays out.

Mixtape Review: Royal Flush 2 - CyHi Da Prince

*CyHi voice*... AAAAYYYYYYYYYEEEEEE!

I've been highly anticipating this mixtape release for a minute now. By now you're well aware that I am a big fan of CyHi Da Prince (not necessarily a big fan of his stage name though). Here's my review of his latest mixtape release, "Royal Flush 2".

Spadez Interlude: I'm not sure if this is from Coming to America but it made me laugh immediately because it sounded like it. And CyHi's voice-over was a bit over-the-top, but I guess that's the point, lol.

When the Smoke Clears: That "shorty can you suck my thing" line is pretty weak and elementary and  overall I think his flow was somewhat basic on this song. He has some slick lines but I feel like this wasn't on par with what I was expecting as the first track on the mixtape. It's not a bad track but I was expecting something a little more uptempo that grabbed me.

Cold As Ice: It took me a second to get used to the double-time type flow he uses here. Also, he goes back to the same basic type flow that he showed in the first song at times but the baseline in this song and the hook really got me hyped (not sure why though, lol).

Bulletproof (feat. Yelawolf): This is just dope. The sample, the beat, and CyHi's flow in this are all pretty good. One of my favorite tracks on the mixtape. Oh yeah, Yelawolf comes in at the end and kinda obliterates the track. So much so that I had to go back and listen to some of his music whereas prior to this verse, I was completely and totally indifferent toward Yelawolf and his music.

Thousand Poundz (feat. Pill & Pusha T): Another joint where the beat caught me off the break. Pill, CyHi, and Pusha all hold their own on the track. Solid track overall and one of my favorites. And how can you not have a track that's a thinly-veiled drug reference and not have your labelmate Pusha T(on) on it? This was obligatory, yeeeeuckkk!

Heartz Interlude: Prince of Hearts... OK, on to the next song.

New Girl (feat. Trey Songz): Once I heard Trey's voice I figured this would be a decent song. Not that it's the case with all his songs, but still. This song immediately made me think "radio joint" because of the beat and Trey being featured on it. I just don't know how the content/topic would really go as far as people wanting to hear that he is looking for a new girl that he ain't gonna love forever. I mean, that's real talk and all but... Then again, urban radio doesn't care what they shove down your ears, as long as it doesn't make you smarter or enlighten you in any way.

End of the Night: Another joint made for radio and I'm not mad at him for it, lol. This is where you get your radio spins and your female following. And if women buy the record that's a very good thing and it's actually not a bad song. He doesn't seem like he's forcing the record or trying too hard to pander to the female audience. It seems natural. Good look for CyHi.

Right Side of the Bed: The beat is decent but I am not feeling this song. The hook is weak and it just makes his raps seem weak to me as well.

Sunday Morning: This track is HILARIOUS, especially the chorus! Some of the lines he uses in this song are weak but at the same time funny as hell.

Clubz Interlude: Another Coming to America sounding song but who really knows, lol. Another interlude and this one is highlighted by "beautiful women with hair flowing past their bosoms"(LOL at that).

Dance: I think this song is dope. Not sure how some women will feel about this one but this joint KNOCKS. Strip club beat and the hook is stripper-friendly for sure. Shot out to CyHi for making this one because it's going in my "StripperMusic" playlist in iTunes. Fellas, if you don't have one, get one ASAP!

Fightin' In The Club: I like the concept of this song but I think it sounds a little too soft for it to be about not fighting in the club. I'm still not sure if I like this one or not. I can relate to the scenario/story he's telling because no dude that's at the club talking with a girl - that feels like he's getting somewhere with - wants a fight to break up his conversation with the girl.

Emotional (feat. Tity Boi): Not feeling this joint (mostly because of the hook) but I Tity Boi's verse is funny to me.

Made Me Who I Am: My favorite song on the mixtape. And as nature would have it, it's the shortest one (smh). Seriously, the interlude after this song is almost as long as this song. He needs to make this song longer and put it on his studio release. "The Bible said they threw stones at Christ/Now I understand why my Jesus piece got rocks in it".

Diamondz Interlude: Final interlude. By the time you get to this one I think you're just about tired or these joints.

Take You Back: Another one of those personal songs that shows a little vulnerability and honesty and less hyperbole and swag. I tend to enjoy these songs from any rapper - not just CyHI - because it just shows a real side rather than the "act" they're putting on as a rapper.

Woopty Doo (feat. Big Sean): Honestly, this is something I'd expect from Big Sean, not CyHi. Maybe this used to be a Big Sean track featuring Cyhi and Sean gave it to CyHi, lol. Oddly enough, I've been using woopty-do but I won't even say how I was on it first because it's not that cool to say anyway and yall wouldn't believe me either way. The song isn't that bad and it actually has a really good message that I agree with. But, it's not really one of my favorites and it's not really a stand-out track for me.

Beautiful Mind: I like this joint. It has kind of a feel-good vibe to it which goes with the title of the track (the "beautiful" part anyway).

Stadium (feat. B.o.B.): The way this song starts off is not indicative of how the verses sound (sonically). Still not sure how I feel about this one. I think I like it but it's nothing that makes me feel like it's that good, just an easy listen. Now that I think about it, it's couple other songs on here I feel the exact same way about.

Overall, I think that conceptually this is a solid mixtape. He obviously had a theme he wanted to stick to and he did that well. I like how he broke the disc up into Prince of Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds. He's alluded to this on previous mixtures and it's good to see that he kept with that concept. I think it's a smart move that gives him some flexibility in the types of song you can expect from him (ie - he's not gonna just stick to one type of sound/topic). I like about half of the songs which is actually on par or better than the way I feel about most mixtapes. I don't think this mixtape is better than the first but it shows that he's working his way toward a debut release that's at least decent. I say that because this mixtape doesn't have any Kanye production (with the exception of "Woopty Doo") or Kanye raps on it. It also doesn't have any Common or John Legend on it. And I assume that since he's signed to G.O.O.D. Music he'll have the chance to work with those guys for his album. It's a very good sign if he can put this type of mixtape together without even having to go to anyone on his label outside of Pusha and Big Sean. I think CyHi's got a lot of potential and I hope he's successful.

Download the Royal Flush 2 Mixtape here. And if you haven't heard the first Royal Flush mixtape, click here to download.

THROWBACK, sort of...

So, I was watching Regis and Kelly a fw weeks/months ago and they brought Kelly out to a sped-up remake of this song. It was not Indeep, it definitely sounded like a sped-up, pop, party version of this joint. I'm almost 100% sure some DJ/group took this song, sped up the sample, and turned it into some techno track. With all that said, I NEED the TECHNO VERSION!!!!!

Please help!!!!

Things I Can't Stand: Hip-Hop Producers Beat-Teasing

I was surfing NahRight earlier and saw a song by Jay Rock that I wanted to check out. Just got around to actually listening to it and realized that the beat was from a Rick Ross joint I'd heard before.

The backstory here is that I have had the Ross version in my normal rotation for about a year now and I always get upset when it comes on because his flow is dope but the song is only about 1 minute long. I think the song was created around the time when Ross and BirdBrain were going to do this so-called, alleged album entitled "H". I was hoping this song in its full length would be on the "H" album. But of course, the "H" album never happened and I've had to settle for the short version of this song that apparently, Ross never finished.

Fast-forward to today and I listen to the Jay Rock version and it's good, the beat still knocks, but I'd prefer to hear a full Ross version. So my complaint here is that J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League (creators of the beat) obviously felt comfortable enough with the beat to let Ross drop a verse. What happened after that and why it eventually ended up with Jay Rock I'll probably never know. But it always bothers me when I hear a beat by one artist on some mixtape or website ish and then another artist ends up with the beat. The same thing happened with Young Chris and Meek Mill and the "I'm A Boss" beat that eventually ended up as a Meek track on MMG's Self Made Vol. 1 disc.

I'm not sure what type of label politics or producer/artist B.S. is involved but sometimes I wish they'd just let the beat go to the original spitter. But then again, maybe some of these dudes just don't want to cough up the money to make the beat theirs. Either way, who do you think rocked the beat more?

Rick Ross - Special Situation

Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar - Hood Gone Love It
Jay Rock - Hood Gone Love It Ft Kendrick Lamar by TopDawgENT

Tupac Back! Tupac Back!

Pac's bday was a couple days ago and this would have been the perfect video to post on his bday. Probably a much better choice than "Tupac Back" by Officer Rozay.Peep Pac with the Bishop cut and showing a vulnerable, introspective, bright, and softer side that most of us forgot about. Shot out to Afeni Shakur.

Sum-mer, Sum-mer, Sum-mer Tiiiiiiime!!!!

Even though the weather today sucks, it's still the first day of summer so it's only right that we get things jumpin' off real proppa-like "to hip you and to get you equipped for the summertime"!

This song will never ever get old. Classic!

THROWBACK!!!! "I'm Blaine Edwards. And I'm Antoine Merriweather...."

"... and welcome to Men on FIIIIILM[S]!"


Are the seasons of In Living Color available on NetFlix or in a DVD collection? I need that in my life, lol!

NBA Finals... It's OVER!

I think LeBron's looking for someone to give him some heart.


I know I know, I predicted the Heat to take this series in 6 games. And I know there are two games left in MIami. But the Mavs only have to win one. They won't get the first one more likely than not but they're going to win this series. Dirk's gonna get his ring. Jason Kidd will get his ring, and Jason Terry won't look like a complete idiot for getting the championship trophy tattooed on himself.

This series is over simply because LeBron doesn't have the heart for it.

Unless Wade plays out of his mind for two straight games the Heat will not win this series. All the allegations about Rashard Lewis sleeping with his girl aside, I just don't think LeBron has the moxy or the killer instinct right now. He had in the Boston and Chicago series' but it looks like he's lost it. From a strictly basketball perspective, his jumper is now back to suspect status so he's reluctant to shoot the jumpshot too much and instead be a facilitator (which is made a much easier way for him to go when Wade's hot). But in Game 5 when Wade was out and LeBron was supposed to take over, he didn't. He played pretty much the same seemingly unengaged and uninspired basketball. That led me to believe that he just doesn't have "it". At least not right now.

I'm a big time LeBron fan and I think he a ton of talent and still more potential. He should be out there driving to the hole battering ram style like he normally does if his jumpshot isn't clicking. But he's not. He should know that if Wade is out, he's gotta score. It doesn't seem like he cares all that much. Whether it's on-courrt confidence or off-the-court issues, LeBron just doesn't have it right now and I don't think he will in the next two games. He'll probably play better, but if these games are close and the Heat need him, can they really count on him? I dunno. What I do know is that the Mavs can count on Dirk and if the Mavs can keep these games fast-paced and Barea and Jason Terry hit their open shots, they're going to win one of these last two games for sure.

The Heat are close to pulling it off, but I don't think they have it left in them without a fully functioning LeBron.

THROWBACK!!! She's A Bad...

YOU ALREADY KNOW!!!!


I never knew whose song this was. Apparently, it's by Carl Carlton. Also, I know it's probably not noted this way in the annals of music but I refuse to spell the Mamma Jamma without two M's in both words, lol.

This Young Lady Loves Pu$$y More Than Anybody I've Ever Seen

Pardon the language but it'll make sense after you watch this video. I promise you will not be disappointed. Just wait forrrrrr it... wait forrrrrrr iiiiiit...


So ummmm yeah, let me recap that for you...

"I'm sorry, I'm thinking about cats again...I think about how many don't have a home, and how I should have them... And how cute they are... I want them, and I want them in a basket, and I want them in little bowties...on a rainbow...on my bed... I just want us to roll around!"

Prediction for NBA Finals Game 5

As I mentioned in my previous post, the pressure is now on Miami. Last game of a 3-game set in Dallas to tip the series in their favor before returning home. If Miami wins, they're primed to close-out this series at home in the next game. If Dallas wins, ALL THE PRESSURE is on Miami to keep themselves from being eliminated at home.

All the LeBron talk has been talked about too much if you ask me. If the Heat win the series no one will care about game 4. Even if LeBron has several more subpar games and Miami wins the series, NO ONE WILL CARE other than the so-called "experts".

Point blank, if Miami plays well in the 4th quarter, they have won these games. That'll be the difference in Game 5. And now that DeShawn Stevenson and Jason Terry have called LeBron out in consecutive games, I expect a BIG GAME from LeBron. I said that in my prediction for game 4 and I'm saying it again. Expect a LeBrubble (LeBron Triple Double), lol.

And as for that DirkFlu, I don't expect that to be a factor anymore. But I do suspect that the "legend" of Dirk will only grow with each game over the course of this series whether the Mavs win or lose.

WebNerd Alert: ScanLife

The other day I was looking into DataMatrix 2D barcodes for a client. She was interested in learning more about these barcodes and how they're used. I've seen them in magazines and on fliers and they struck me as the same technology that BlackBerry uses to add BBM Messenger contacts by scanning their barcode.

After a bit of web research I found out: 1) how to create/encode these barcodes and 2) how to use your mobile phone to read them. That's where ScanLife comes in. ScanLife is an application that's available for just about all "recent" mobile phones. ScanLife allows you to scan these 2D barcodes to determine what's encoded in them. These barcodes can be used to encode lots of different information and pretty soon you're going to start seeing them in more and more places and you'll be able to use your phone to scan them and be taken to websites, be sent a text message automatically, or just read a message that's encoded in the bar code. This will probably be a heavily-used promotional tool for lots of companies that do ads in print publications.

To download ScanLife you can visit the following URL: http://www.scanlife.com/atlantis/appdownload.html

At the above URL you'll see that the application is available for a variety of phones and in most cases all you've got to do is use your phone's mobile browser to visit a website and download the application. Trust me when I say that you may as well go ahead and download this application now, WHILE IT'S FREE, because once these barcodes start popping up any and everywhere, I'd bet that this app won't be free any longer.

For a little more on how ScanLife works, check the video below:

WebNerd Alert: TOUT

I heard about Tout when Shaq announced his retirement so I took a few minutes to look it up and see what it's all about. Apparently, it's a social media "enabler" that allows you to take video from your iPhone (and I assume other mobile devices) and share on Twitter, FB, and also email the vids to whomever you like.

I was curious as to why Shaq made his announcement on Tout first and assumed it was because he has some sort of endorsement deal with him and based on their homepage that's apparently true. Not that I'm knocking Shaq for it, I just knew something was up when he didn't go to Twitter first or just go directly to the media. Smart way to make a buck for a guy whose already a millionaire (read: rich keep getting richer, lol). Learn more about Tout for yourself below.

NBA Round-Up

Mark Jackson hired as Golden State Warriors Head Coach

First and foremost, kudos to Mark Jackson on getting this job. I already like him more than Mike Brown (shot fired fool!). I've been impressed with his basketball knowledge as a play-by-play guy even though I sometimes hate his one/two-liners. If I have to hear "Hand down, man down!" or "Mama, there goes that man!" one more time this season I may just throw my drink at the screen. But hey, he's got signature lines that he uses and they haven't gotten him fired yet.

I did find it a little curious that he has been hired with no coaching experience at any level, ANY LEVEL. Not high school, college, or the pros. Maybe he coached a kids team before I don't know, but it just seemed a little odd to me. Like he mentioned on ESPN last night, he has had experience as a "coach on the court" during his playing days in the NBA. That's a good point and I do think that having NBA playing experience works in his favor but I'm not so sure that it correlates to being a good coach and/or substitute for relevant coaching experience. Nevertheless, I hope he is successful because he seems like a smart basketball mind and a straight-shooting guy. I'm also curious as to whether he'll try to bring former coach and current co-analyst Jeff Van Gundy on as an assistant since Mark has stated that he wants his team to be defensive-minded and Van Gundy's a pretty good defensive coach.

Dirk Nowitski's Game 4 Performance

Dirk played great last night considering he apparently had the flu. But let's not get carried away with the Jordan 38 point with the flu in '97 comparisons. This also reminds me that I'd like to introduce the "medical term" Dirk Flu into existence. Not to be confused with Bird Flu (though someone - not me - might say Dirk kinda looks like a bird). The Dirk Flu means you have a 102-degree temperature but still shoot like Larry Bird at the Garden but the downside is that you will miss a single free throw.

Who is feeling more pressure about Game 5 of the NBA Finals?

Miami. Or better yet, LeBron James. If Miami loses I still believe they have a solid chance to win in 7 but the pressure will be on. They'll be returning home to Miami to play a potential series-losing game 6 on their home court. That's pressure! No one wants to lose at home to close out the NBA Finals. And most of all, LeWosh does not want to lose at home in the Finals after all the hoopla surrounding them prior to and during this season. One thing you can't take away from them win-or-lose however, is that they had a hell of a season and made it to the Finals in their first year together. To pull that off wasn't easy and if they win this series there will still be a lot of hate to go around but there'll also have to be some respect given as well. We'll see what happens.

Speaking of LeBron...

Chris Broussard was on Sportscenter this morning talking about how he was in communication with former LeBron teammates or associates and how during the game they were saying that LeBron gave up like people think he did against the Celtics last year in the playoffs. I'm not so sure I buy into this. Wade had an amazing Game 3 and was off-the-charts in Game 4 so I'd guess that LeBron was being passive because Wade's been the hotter hand. I do agree that James looked lazy at times during the game but "mailing it in", I don't think so. Meanwhile, doesn't Chris Broussard remind you (just a tad) of Bob from the Martin TV show?

Day2Day is now Mobile-Friendly

Thanks to the people at Google/Blogger, if you take a look at this blog on your mobile device, it should load faster and also appear a bit more streamlined. For those of you that also host your blogs on Blogger, you can activate your blog's mobile-friendly-ness by logging in, clicking on the settings tab, and then clicking on Email & Mobile. There's even a "mobile preview" option there if you want to see what your blog will allegedly look like on mobile devices.

Everything's going mobile nowadays so it's only right that my blog and yours follows suit.

P.S. - Day2Day is the tile of my/this blog in case you're wondering.

NBA Finals Game 4 Prediction

I missed my prediction for Game 3 because I was too busy. I actually thought the Mavs would take that game but Dirk couldn't pull off the heroics like he did in Game 2. Instead, Dwayne Wade dominated for Miami and Chris Bosh hit his standard 17-footer to ice the game. Dirk had a shot to win it but Haslem's defense was pretty solid and Dirk's shot was just a little off. I don't think anyone in the entire building would have been surprised had Dirk nailed that jumpshot to take the game to OT. But I will say that Haslem's defense at that moment in Game 3 was far better than Bosh's defense at that same moment in Game 2 where he basically let Dirk drive to the basket and get a relatively easy lay-up rather than forcing him to shoot a jump shot. Haslem did have a two-point lead (not a tie ball game) so he had a little more leeway to be aggressive because he could have just put Dirk on the line to tie the game rather than win it (you know Dirk don't miss free throws, lol).

My prediction for Game 4 is the same as what it was from Game 3. I expect the Mavs to win this game. If they don't the series is over in 6 like I mentioned in my original prediction for the series. Jason Terry's dumb azz went and called LeBron out in a not-so-aggressive way so I expect LeBron to have a big game and I also expect Wade to have another solid game.

When you think about the 1 win Dallas has so far it was really a fortunate situation in that the Heat shot horribly in that final quarter and squandered a double-digit lead. Had the Heat shot a solid percentage that game would not have been close and Dirk would not have had the opportunity to hit that game-winner. Game 3 was similar but the Mavs took a lot of the momentum in the 3rd quarter with a huge run. The fourth quarter was pretty tight and Dirk kept them in it. But in the end, the Heat's stellar defense and multiple offensive options kept them in the game... And a little bit of a lucky roll off the rim at the end.

If the Mavs don't win tonight Miami's going to end this thing as soon as they get a chance to play in Miami again. I think the Mavs recognize that and it will show tonight. I expect another close game but I think the Mavs will come out on top this time.

Video: CyHi Da Prince - Can't Wait

My FanBoy status is well-documented on this blog.

Hip-Hop Ish: Best Debut Feature Verse of All The Times???

A week or so ago on Twitter, I mentioned that I thought Freeway's verse on "1-900-Hustler" off of Jay-Z's Dynasty album was the best debut feature verse (in my opinion). And by "debut feature verse" I mean a rapper whose debut verse was on someone else's song and they BBQ'd the verse (picture the verse from "Renegade" being Em's first verse you ever heard him on or Jay's "Free Mason" verse being his first joint you ever heard him on). I guess you could say my argument is confined to mainstream rap so all you hip-hop purists and back-packers and underground hip-hop heads that are gonna pull some random Cory Gunz verse out of your azz need not read any further.

In response to my tweet(s) about this, a friend replied that he mentioned it to his homeboy who said Snoop's verse on "Deep Cover" and AZ's on "Life's a Bitch" or Method Man on "Method Man" may have to be in the discussion as well. I also thought that DMX's verse on "24 Hours to Live" was a sick debut verse as well. And I have to add Lupe's verse on "Touch the Sky" in there to.

To be honest, some of these verses may very well have not even been debut verses, just the first time I'd heard these guys on a track. But nevertheless for the purpose of this blogpost, I'll consider them debut verses. Check out all the songs mentioned after the jump and drop a comment with any songs you think should be added to this list of potential greatest debut feature verses ever.

Jay-Z feat Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and Freeway - 1-900-HUSTLER



Dr. Dre feat Snoop Dogg - Deep Cover



Nas feat AZ - Life's a Bitch



Wu Tang Clan - Method Man



Ma$e feat (Diddy's shyt talkin') The Lox, and DMX - 24 Hours to Live



Kanye West feat Lupe Fiasco - Touch the Sky



After listening to all these I gotta say it's definitely not Free's verse even though I like it a lot. I think it comes down to Lupe, Snoop, and AZ.

Video: Sun Come Up - Glasses Malone feat T Pain & Rick Ross

This joint is old but I'm in this kind of mood today. That ride out with the top down mood. Or in my case, that ride your bicycle into the office mood, lol.

THROWBACK!!!! Big Luther or Lil Luther?

Ya'll already know which one!!!!

NBA Finals Game 2 Prediction

In my original post about this series I predicted that Miami would win the series in 6 games. Well, after game 1 I reconsidered changing the prediction to 5 games, but I won't. Game 1 was a close, slow-paced, but good game. I was joking on Twitter about how the first team to 90 would win (which actually did happy by the way, lol) and after the first quarter I joked that I might need to change that to first team to 80 wins. It really was a pretty slow game and there was solid defense on both sides of the ball. That is until…

LeBron and Dwayne Wade took over.

The 4th quarter of game 1 exemplifies just how difficult it is to stop two GREAT players that really really want to win. Miami kept the game close until the fourth when they just seemed to impose their will on the Mavs just like they'd done with the Celtics and Bulls (more so the Bulls). You can tell these guys have the composure, will, and talent (because composure and will only gets you so far, right) to win these games at the end when the tension is high and so are the stakes.

I think Game 1 was a "feeling-out" game for the most part. Dallas was feeling out Miami and vice-versa. I expect Dirk (torn ligament/tendon/heart and all) to have a better game but the question still remains whether Dallas's shooters can knock down shots and whether Dallas can somehow keep Wade and LeBron from showing up and showing OUT! I'm sure the defensive game plan will change a little in Game 2 for Dallas but does that mean that Bosh goes off this game? He's been playing well lately and he's probably due for at least one big game this series. Or are LeBron and Wade going to continue dominating the 4th quarter and lead Miami to a 2-0 lead? Who knows, I sure don't. But it's gonna be fun to watch!

My pick. Well, I'm going to pick Miami to win game 2 because LeBron still seems focused and Dirk seems a bit dejected in his interviews since game 1. They say a series doesn't start until a team wins on the road so I'm gonna guess that this series won't start till game 4 when I expect the Heat to go up 3 games to 1 on the Mavs. I guess I just gave my game 3 prediction too huh, lol.