Author: Mark Alexander

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Color Matching Is Important

Since I started getting back into portable CD players last year (and more recently MiniDiscs) I've also gotten back into wired headphones. I've been so out of that scene for so long I really had no idea where to start, but based on a whole lot of online recommendations, I went with Grado. Yeah, even though there was absolutely no isolation from outside noice they sounded great. They looked funky. The one problem was the comfort. After only a couple months' use the supplied foam ear pads just became uncomfortable. I tried several other variations, including an absolutely ridiculous over-the-ear variety. I finally reached the point that I couldn't stand to have any of the Grado pads on my ears for more than a few minutes at a time.

That led me back to Sony. The past pair of good wired headphones I owned (if you don't count that Stax electrostatics that needed a dedicated converter box directly attached to the speaker outputs of an amplifier or receiver) were made by Sony. I couldn't remember the model number, but I remember them sounding good and despite the fact they too were on/over the ear design, I they were extremely comfortable for extended listening sessions. Not able to track down the specific model I had, I ended up buying their tried-and-true "professional" wired, over-the-ear headphones that they've been making forever and have been very happy with them. They were miles ahead of the Grados in terms of comfort and they sounded as good as I remember Sonys sounding.

The only downside was they filled half my messenger bag and came with a non-removable, heavy, coiled cable that made desk side listening less than optimal—especially since it was connected to a tiny device that could easily get pulled off the desk if you weren't paying attention.

So…last fall I briefly tried a set of pricy,highly-recommended Linsoul "TIN HiFi T4 10mm Carbon Nanotube Dynamic Driver in-Ear Monitor Earphones." I returned them almost immediately. After coming from the deep, rich bass of the Grados and the Sonys, they sounded tinny in comparison, no matter which ear tips I used.

So back to the Sonys and just paying a bit more attention to what I was doing when I was plugged in.

That's served me well until a few weeks ago when—once again—I simply couldn't stand to have them on my ears for more than a few minutes at a time.

I resorted to Amazon reviews again for in-ear buds. I had a couple pairs of Skullcandy buds that were okay for falling asleep with, but sonically they weren't the greatest. Further searching and reading reviews led me to Thinksound In20 and Vibes 202. I ordered the red Vibes because the color was fun and thoughtthey'd look good paired with my red MZ-R900 MiniDisc player. I mean, something fun like that never could really sound good could it? Especially at only $40.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from either one by this point, but I figured the overall winner would be the Thinksounds since they were twice the price of the Vibes.

Boy, was I surprised.

The Vibes (even with the funky "in ear monitor" design and the over-the-ear wire arrangement similar to the Linsols that I so resoundingly hated) blew the Thinksounds out of the water. I lived with both for a couple days but ultimately ended up sending the Thinksounds back. With the refund money, I bought two more sets of Vibes in different colors…because I'm a big ol' homo and need to color-coordinate the headphones to whatever device I'd be using.

So I've been living with the Vibes now for about two weeks and I'm still surprised at how much I enjoy them. No more pressure on my ears, I can wear them for hours, they're easily transportable, and have absolutely great bass (finding the proper-sized tips were instrumental in this).

So would I recommend them? Definitely. And for the price, you can't beat 'em.

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Let The Bezos Boycott Begin!

Guys, it's officially the start of boycott Amazon week, but if you happen to want to expand it to include the Washington Post or Whole Foods, or whatever else that man has his hands in, do it.

I'm being serious about this: if you really want to make him feel it, cancel your Amazon Prime Memberships. That is where he lives, if those numbers drop, he will notice; everything else is a business fluctuation, and honestly he does not expect the WaPo to make a dime at this point.

OK, you have your assignment: make Bezos sweat.

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Fucktacular!

From Jeff Tiedrich:

want to construct a clusterfuck? it's easy.

start with the smoking rubble of a burned-out brain in steep cognitive decline. add a dollop of acute megalomania. pour in a generous amount of greed. now add the impulse control of a coked-up squirrel. toss in some ignorance, along with the inability to learn from mistakes, or even admit that mistakes were made.

now take that shitpile of defects, shake well, and bingo! you've ended up with Donny Convict's completely incoherent tariff policies.

on February 2nd, Donny announced he was slapping a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports. markets crashed — the Dow dropped 600 points in one day.

the very next day, Donny announced that he was putting a month-long hold on the tariffs, because both Canada and Mexico agreed to his list of demands. the markets calmed down.

but then out of the clear blue, Donny was all fuck it, ima do these tariffs anyway — starting tomorrow. have fun!

markets freaked out all over again. so did business leaders.

Fox Business interviewed the owner of a Pennsylvania auto dealership. the poor schnook is at his wit's end over what's happening.

"I had an order from a customer. $80,000 truck. it's a hundred thousand dollars now. so he's not gonna buy the truck. it's gonna sit on my lot. and you know, the higher interest rates we're paying now for floor space. and nobody's going to buy the truck, because it just had a twenty thousand dollar price increase."

and then, yesterday —

Donald Trump has temporarily spared carmakers from sweeping US tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, one day after an economic strike on the US's two biggest trading partners sparked warnings of widespread price increases and disruption.

After a call with top executives at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, however, Trump approved a one-month exemption from tariffs on "any autos coming through" the US, Mexico and Canada, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, announced on Wednesday.

The exemption has been granted "at the request of the companies," Leavitt told reporters, "so they are not at an economic disadvantage."

so, Mister Car Dealer no longer has to worry about that truck that was going to be sitting on his lot, taking up space. how convenient.

Donny's reckless tariffs impacts all industries — so why did he choose to cut the auto industry some slack? because they're big, powerful fat cats who can be relied on to shovel money into Donny's pockets.

that's the way it's gonna be from now on. the plutocrats with the scratch — the corner-office honchos who can plunk down five mil for private dinners with Dear Leader at Motel-a-Lago — they're going to get all kinds of special carve-outs to Donny's tariffs. one hand washes the other.

he little guys who can't afford to pay-for-play — the ones who don't have Donny on speed dial — well, they're going to be cordially invited, as always, to go fuck themselves raw.

mind you, Canada isn't taking any of this fuckery lying down.

if you're a Canadian right now with a hankering for some California wine, or Kentucky bourbon, forget about it. that shit's been taken off the shelves.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), one of the largest buyers of alcohol in the world, removed US-made alcoholic drinks from its shelves on Tuesday.

don't fuck with Canada. they're not playing around — and the Canadian public thinks this shit's hilarious.

US distilleries are less than thrilled.

March 5 (Reuters) – Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman's (BFb.N), CEO Lawson Whiting said on Wednesday Canadian provinces taking American liquor off store shelves was "worse than a tariff" and a "disproportionate response" to levies imposed by the Trump administration.

reporter: "respectfully, It's just 43 pounds that were found last year. that's less than a carry-on suitcase. is that a lot of fentanyl compared to, say, Mexico? the vast majority of fentanyl is brought in though Mexico, not Canada. so what else does Canada need to do?"

Karoline Leavitt: "last year alone, there was a 2000% increase in illegal fentanyl."

Reporter: "it was only 43 pounds, Karoline."

that's a verifiable fact — but Donny and his toadies are going to keep pretending otherwise.

Leavitt, by the way, was not pleased about being fact-checked by a reporter doing his job. check out her totally mature reaction.

You're asking me for what the president's justification is for these tariffs. It's not up to you. You're not the president, Gabe!" Leavitt snapped.

"And frankly, I think it's a little bit disrespect-ul [sic] to the families in this country that have lost loved ones at the hands of this deadly poison.

hissy much, Karoline?

and oh look, Team Donny has invented a whole new reason to be mad at Canada.

when last we saw Peter Navarro, he was being mocked mercilessly by the legendary Anarchy Princess while on his way to prison for contempt of Congress

well, Big Pete's done his time. he's back in Donny's good graces and has an office at the White House.

here he is, dropping a whole new truth bomb on Fox News, with his unique blend of ignorance and arrogance.

"Canada has been taken over by Mexican cartels."

don't you love how these bold-face fucksticks just keep piling fantastical new lies on top of the old lies?

Peter, are these Mexican cartels in the room with us right now? no, they're not—because apparently they're right inside Justin Trudeau's office—much in the same way the Space Nazi shares the Oval Office with Donny.

for all we know, there's probably the son of some drug lord, right now, wiping his snots all over Canada's version of the Resolute Desk.

so, for those of you keeping score at home,

— we have to take over Canada because it's being run by Mexico.
— we have to take over Panama because it's being run by China.
— we have to take over Greenland because it's being run by … fuck it, who cares. we're gonna invade them anyway.
— and the one country that really does need our protection because they've been attacked by Russia, they can go eat an entire bag of dicks, because Zelensky was very mean to Dear Leader.

here are your heroes of the day.

when some DOGE dipshits showed up at the headquarters of the U.S. African Development Foundation (a division of USAID) and demanded to be let in, staffers working there were all yeah, you pimply teenage incels can fuck all the way off.

thank you, USADF, for showing everyone how it's done.