Coming Home

Justin Bias, one of the up and coming stars of tomorrow just released his debut album, Coming Home. I've gotten my hands on an advance copy and already ripped and posted it to the internet on another cool website, called muxtape. It's literally a website where you can go and create mix tapes.

There's even another website, called muxfind that helps you search for people with taste similar to yours (assuming you posted a muxtape).

Anyways, go check out Justin's work. Then, when you decide you like it, go pick up a copy!

Unfortunately, you'll have to get a physical copy rather than download it because Justin is totally indie (as in independent) so you can't get it from the Amazon music store or iTunes, yet. One day, distribution could be centralized. That is, after the labels figure themselves out.

Buy Handmade!

So, I've been on this 'green' type kick. I've been thinking about my carbon footprint, trying to eat less meat, reusing (or not using) shopping bags when I buy little things, turning off the lights, and taking off my shirt instead of running the air conditioner.

Speaking of shirts, I recently bought a totally sweet shirt from this new online marketplace called Etsy. It's a marketplace where small vendors can make and sell their wares. It's got a lot of stuff. From cufflinks to knittings to art to pottery. I'm not sure where I come out on the whole little guy vs. major corporation thing, but I'm pretty sure that I side with the little guy.

Now, let's not get out of control here. The main reasons that I use Etsy are that it's really easy to find some shirts that are interesting and the goods are typically pretty high quality (handmade in the USA after all). Plus, there's a human touch. When I buy a shirt, it often comes with a little note from the craftsperson thanking me for my purchase. (Typically, the artisan will buy a blank shirt from American Apparel and print their design on it.) Plus, I'm not sure where else you could get this shirt or this tie.

I feel like it's a bit greener to buy shirts manufactured in the US rather than China because you save all of that shipping. A side effect might be that some jobs may be created in the US. But, I have no real evidence that there is actually any benefit. And, who knows if American Apparel is less polluting compared with China, I'd have to guess yes, but maybe they make up the difference with sexual harassment.

So, about the interface, it's a typical shopping website with search, categories for browsing and create favorites of both items and of sellers. You can also choose to 'Shop Local', though I'm not sure if that means you pick it up rather than have it shipped. Like every other website launched in the past 3 years, it has a social aspect. I'm bballan if you're interested in seeing my favorites.

Let me know what you think of the site. If you get something cool, I'd love to hear what it is. I think I'm about to buy this shirt from one of my favorite sellers.

I just recommended:Etsy