Jack Tomascak

i start work again tomorrow. joy. last summer i spent my hours on-the-job surfing the web. i...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:58:59 -0400

i start work again tomorrow. joy. last summer i spent my hours on-the-job surfing the web. i don’t think i have that luxury anymore - it doesn’t look like my new phone can support tethering, for better or for worse. with that in mind, i am going to get back on that reading grind. and i’m going to document it here (since i’ve been so successful with the whole album review thing).

ambiguouscomma: Shout out to Serena Williams for supporting the...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:39:04 -0400

ambiguouscomma:

Shout out to Serena Williams for supporting the narrow minded ideas of so many American’s that rape is the victims fault. She says the two high schoolers- who took advantage of, raped and photographed a 16 year old girl in Ohio- had done “something stupid” but asks “do you think it was fair, what they got?” No it’s wasn’t fair because what they got was attention for ‘throwing away their football careers’ not drastically altering a 16 year old girls life. They got pity from the public for having to go to jail for a crime that they committed.
Serena then says that the girl “shouldn’t have put herself in that position” and if you’re “a 16 year old girl…your parents should teach you: don’t take drinks from other people” how about parents teaching kids not to rape people??¿?¿¿
Serena congrats on fueling the support for the idiots who did this to an innocent girl.

/done ranting/

as a fan of tennis and of serena williams especially, i am very saddened and outraged to read her comments on the steubenville case.

hodgman: CONGRESS QUIZ: which member of Congress is a zippy...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:52:34 -0400

hodgman:

CONGRESS QUIZ: which member of Congress is a zippy grandmom from Connecticut with a funky style?

http://rosadelauroisafuckinghipster.tumblr.com

Aye Nako: Unleash Yourself | Album Reviews | Pitchfork

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:49:00 -0400

Aye Nako: Unleash Yourself | Album Reviews | Pitchfork:

aye nako got a great review by pitchfork today that will, no doubt, be buried by some other review. spread it around. this record is good, y’all.

nevver: The Periodic Table of the Muppets

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:04:41 -0400

nevver:

The Periodic Table of the Muppets

nprfreshair: If you haven’t read it yet, we highly recommend...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:39:20 -0400

nprfreshair:

If you haven’t read it yet, we highly recommend that you check out Patton Oswalt’s awesome essay about plagiarism in comedy, heckling, rape jokes, and the limitations of individual perception. It is brave and honest and oh-so-very-very-smart. Here’s a sampling from the section in which he grapples with the latest Internet controversy over a comedian’s rape joke:

In this past week of re-reading the blogs, going through the comment threads, and re-scrolling the Twitter arguments, I haven’t once found a single statement, feminist or otherwise, saying that rape shouldn’t be joked under any circumstance, regardless of context. Not one example of this.

In fact, every viewpoint I’ve read on this, especially from feminists, is simply asking to kick upward, to think twice about who is the target of the punchline, and make sure it isn’t the victim.

And now you can go listen to an interview with Oswalt here.

Image via SubPop

while on the topic of stand-up: i watched rob delaney at the bowery ballroom the other night and it was brilliant. filthy comedy with many rape jokes that, as stated above, do not make the victim the punchline. i am glad that someone had the audacity to marry the two (although i don’t find his twitter presence to be as funny as others do).

tomorrow i’m playing with nick, aimee, tom, and soraya....

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:21:00 -0400

tomorrow i’m playing with nick, aimee, tom, and soraya. our show was originally in east hartford but has now been moved to willimantic. ~~write in my ask box if you are interested in coming and want the address~~. it’s at the record store. i would love to see you all there.

here’s the event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/191322274356796/

lane-nelson: herajika: creepyabandonedplaces: Holy Land...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:35:00 -0400

lane-nelson:

herajika:

creepyabandonedplaces:

Holy Land USA
Waterbury, Connecticut

Holy Land USA was once an 18 acre Bible-themed park located in Waterbury, Connecticut. The park had about 40,000 visitors a year until it closed in 1984 for renovations. Holy Land USA never opened back up again due to the death of owner John Greco in 1986. It has been abandoned ever since. The abandoned acres of the theme park have been watched over by groups of nuns for decades, but the place keeps getting more and more creepy as the park continues to deteriorate.

On top of the vandalism and eeriness the park gives off, a teenager was murdered on these abandoned grounds in 2010. Since then police records have shown that the amount of trespassers have been decreasing which just means abandoned Holy Land USA is as creepy and deserted as ever.

this is near where I grew up. its creepy as fuck.

(one of these shots is of actual jerusalem, i think)

that hot new-new from poverty hollow (formerly suns). it does...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:00:38 -0400

that hot new-new from poverty hollow (formerly suns). it does what its title suggests.

some late night thoughts.

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:36:28 -0400

some late night thoughts.

First Listen: Lemuria, 'The Distance Is So Big' : NPR

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:16:22 -0400

First Listen: Lemuria, 'The Distance Is So Big' : NPR:

Nearly a decade into its history, Lemuria remains powered by the chemistry of its core members, guitarist Sheena Ozzella and drummer Alex Kerns. (Max Gregor, the latest in a series of bassists, joined in 2010.) Ozzella and Kerns share singing and songwriting duties in the truest sense, trading the spotlight on a line-by-line rather than song-by-song basis. The Distance Is So Big continues in the band’s tradition of songs that unfold like mini-suites, hopscotching from one melodic figure or time signature to the next with a playwright’s sense of structure.

one of the perks of running all ages ct is receiving oodles of press emails. most of them are garbage but some of them are gems - like one i got from lemuria’s press contact ahead of their 21+ show in new haven with this record attached over a month before its release. i’ve slowly realized that this band is one of my favorites and i’m so excited that “the general public” can now hear this record. it’s so good! standout tracks: “chihuly,” “clay baby,” “brilliant dancer,” and “bluffing statistics”. rock out, yo.

pretty good breakdown of an important media studies/theory...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 21:23:10 -0400

pretty good breakdown of an important media studies/theory topic. worth a look.

yup.

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:14:28 -0400

yup.

fartingmom: why is it surprising when young people make good music? it shouldn’t be surprising....

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 01:41:29 -0400

fartingmom:

why is it surprising when young people make good music? it shouldn’t be surprising. it’s just like saying “wow! you’re really smart for being 15!” it’s really shitty and makes no sense. 15 year olds can be smart! 15 year olds can write great music, and they have! its just adults belittling young people because they’re young! “it’s just a phase, you’ll grow out of it!” at what age will youth’s interests be valid? idk i think it’s really important for adults to realize that youth are not stupid or crazy or incapable.

infiniguana: ASKING FOR IT - A Workshop Regarding the Nature of...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:32:26 -0400

infiniguana:

ASKING FOR IT - A Workshop Regarding the Nature of Consent for All People, and Us

Because all bodies are beautiful, even hurt ones

On SATURDAY, JUNE 29th

from 5:00pm to 9:00pm at the

PEOPLES ART COLLECTIVE

212 College St, New Haven

This is a free event

The more educated on the subject I become, the more apparent it becomes to me that one of the most serious problems plaguing the lives of individuals both close and far from where I live is rape culture- the general outlook and attitude towards rape and sexual assault victims. As a victim of rape myself, it took years for me to be able to get the help that I needed in order to repair the psychological damage inflicted on me when I was 13 years old. Because of the support of a few people close to me, I have been able to start on the processes of healing and growing from my attack, and by talking about my progress to my friends, became aware of the fact that what had happened to me was not nearly as uncommon as was made out to me. Many of those I shared with had felt what I was feeling firsthand, and were going through much the same pain that I was. Research led me to horrifying statistics; 16% of women in the US have experienced an either attempted or completed rape, and of the approx 210,000 annual rapes, 54% go unreported, and less than 3% of rapists ever spend a day in jail. Rape is easy to get away with, and the only true explanation I can come up with is because the perpetrator and majority of US officials have no understanding of what rape truly is, they don’t know about the long term consequences, they don’t understand the emotional turmoil caused by neglecting the value of consent.

And so I’ve taken it up on myself to make baby steps towards a more compassionate and understanding future. Knowledge and awareness, given my means, will be my weapons in fighting ignorance and insensitivity. I’ll be speaking about my experiences at New Haven’s very own PAC, along with a few other brave individuals who will be sharing their stories through combinations of formal speaking and other media.

You’re not alone in your fight towards healing. Though no two incidents are exactly the same, this workshop’s aim is to provide a safe space to properly address rape culture in a way that will be proactive and informational for all.

It doesn’t matter what your reason for showing up is. Whether you are a victim, you know someone who is, or you just want to be more informed, we’re welcoming anyone who’s willing to grow a little.

"Facebook sent a series of vision and memory tests to someone who has vision and memory issues due to..."

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:45:54 -0400

“Facebook sent a series of vision and memory tests to someone who has vision and memory issues due to brain cancer. It’s not intentional discrimination. But the result is discriminatory, just the same.”

- A blog post from my pal Charles Apple • Who reports a frustrating situation involving a friend of his, a brain cancer survivor named Scott who found himself locked out of his Facebook account when he was unable to complete a number of automated tests designed to help him to prove his actual identity. Among the features? The face-recognition tool, which (as you may know) is incredibly erratic and regularly spits out false positives. (In this case, one of the results included spammy fake United Airlines ads.) While Scott, who has started a blog about the lessons his ailment has taught him, took it all in stride, Apple was understandably upset for his friend. “Again, I was just stunned at the sheer stupidity of this test,” Apple writes. “This is a mighty crappy selection of pictures from which to force us to identify a Facebook friend. At this point, I found myself growing angry at Facebook.” (via shortformblog)

pendingandthepast replied to your post: https://www.facebook.com/events/261344410678213/...

Fri, 31 May 2013 00:01:41 -0400

pendingandthepast replied to your post: https://www.facebook.com/events/261344410678213/ —…

What are the details on this for us fellas without a facebook? ~

i have the address as well - http://jacktomascak.tumblr.com/ask or any other method of communication one has with me

https://www.facebook.com/events/261344410678213/ — tomorrow in bethel. free food and drink. i...

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:32:08 -0400

https://www.facebook.com/events/261344410678213/ — tomorrow in bethel. free food and drink. i am very out of place and am only going to make people sad at what should be a fun party thing. also playing with wesley willis.

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, now that i’ve broken my two year dry...

Wed, 29 May 2013 12:22:40 -0400

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, now that i’ve broken my two year dry spell of not seeing them live: heats of formation are far and away the best band making music in connecticut. they are challenging and intense and blow me away and inspire me to no end.

“it’s like watching myself from a mile away…”

Spotify Launch Web Player For Music Streaming

Tue, 28 May 2013 16:13:42 -0400

propertyofzack:

Spotify have finally launched a web player to compete against Rdio and other music streaming services. Check out a message from Spotify with details below after the jump.

Read More

good move on spotify’s part. wonder if this means that the tumblr audio will now be supported natively instead of having to open the spotify app on the computer!