The late King of Pop pioneered dance moves that looked mechanical and weren't, like the moonwalk, and at least one that looked mechanical and was: The forward-leaning maneuver from his "Smooth Criminal" video. The secret is all in the shoes.

Trying to lean beyond one's center of gravity normally leads to a giant, awkward step forward to retain balance, so to achieve the 45-degree angle he wanted, Michael and his dancers used special shoes as well as a trick in the stage floor. When the time came for the move, a peg-like aperture would protrude from the dance floor. The heel of the dancers' shoes featured a triangular cut out that could be hitched onto the peg, anchoring the dancers to lean much farther forward, and thus blowing the world's collective mind. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

Clinton Sparks & Jadakiss Making "CIROC Star" from Clinton Sparks (call me 617-671- on Vimeo.

Bugz will be performing at one of the premiere Unsigned Artist showcases in NYC on June 24th. The Headline performer for the night will be 106 & Park Champ Oun-P! It will definitely be a night you don’t want to miss. For tickets and/or information, call Montigo @ (646) 267-2107, or email @ MontigoTMR@gmail.com.

from KicksOnFire.com

This is bad. The prisoners have grabbed the keys. Activision Blizzard, the world's largest producer of video games, is publicly threatening to abandon Sony's PS3 and PSP platforms.

From Activision Blizzard President and CEO Bobby Kotick:

I'm getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don't make it easy for me to support the platform. It's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation...When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support [PS3 and PSP].

Kotick wants to see Sony's licensing fees reduced (Activision paid Sony $500 million in royalties and "other goods" last year) and a PS3 price cut. He probably wouldn't mind seeing some incentives like advertising dollars, either (something Microsoft can be pretty generous about).

Oh, and if there's one publisher that can say these things, it's the conglomerate makers of Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk, multiple Dreamworks and Marvel movie titles, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo—even if those Blizzard games aren't on consoles at this time.

As of now, Kotick's words are just corporate smacktalk (bottom line: Activision still makes money on the platform). But what if a company like EA came forward and said the same thing? No good can come of this for Sony.

Samsung has been making promises about a 32GB DDR3 memory module since it rolled out its first 50nm 4Gb DDR3 memory chip way back in January, but it looks like it's now finally delivered. While it won't be headed for regular desktops or laptops just yet, the company does have a new 1.35 volt 32GB module for servers which, in addition to packing that record-breaking capacity, also boasts a 20% better throughput compared to previous 1.5 volt modules and, of course, a lower power consumption to boot. As some math not performed by us will reveal, the module itself is made up of 72 of those 4Gb memory chips, which are lined up in rows of nine quad-die packaged 16Gb DDR3s mounted on each side of the circuit board. No word on pricing just yet, nor is there any word about Samsung's promised desktop and laptop memory, which are apparently still in the works -- in the form of 8GB DIMMs, at least.

Joell Ortiz "Free Agent" Documentary Trailer from The ICU on Vimeo.

This.....is crazy! LMAO!

The watches are projected to retail from $10,000 -$50,000.

“It looks hard, it looks really cool. It’s a new take on a classic watch.”- Kanye West, Men Style

1. All You Need Is Ears by George Martin
2. Mixing With Your Mind by Michael Paul Stravou
3. Sound Recording by John Eargle
4. Behind The Glass 1 & 2 by Howard Massey
5. Modern Recording Techniques by Huber & Runstein
6. The Daily Adventures of Mixerman by Mixerman
7. The Mixing Engineers Handbook by Bobby Owsinski
8. The Art Of Mixing by David Gibson
   
9. Assistant Engineers Handbook by Timothy Crich
10. Guerilla Home Recording by by Karl Coryat

BlackBerry Curve 8520 with T-Mobile branding walks in front of a camera

Not sure its worth it at $546. The 32GB and 64GB drives, run a slightly more reasonable $120 and $213, respectively.

from Billboard.biz - Rhythm and Blues Hip Hop Genre News
The Ray Charles Foundation now holds all rights to the professional name, likeness, celebrity and other intellectual property of Ray Charles. The decisive ruling was handed down on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the late singer's death (June 10, 2004) by the United States District Court, Central District of California.

via idolater

Not with a bang: “It was the final day of business for the Virgin Megastore chain in North America, which at its peak had 23 locations but by Sunday was down to two… when the [Union Square] store opened, perhaps 90 percent of the merchandise had already been sold, leaving two tables of CDs and DVDs, a dozen T-shirt racks and a few other scattered displays.”

Last Virgin Megastore In New York Closes

Editing documents? On a phone? We're sure most iPhone users are a little taken aback by this prospect, but we assure you it's completely safe and devoid of artificial preservatives. DataViz just launched its Documents To Go suite for the iPhone, which lets you edit and create Word documents, sync work files with a desktop over WiFi, and view other Office documents with the iPhone's existing viewer -- it's not the first app to offer some of these functions for the device, but it's the first with this level of street cred. An optional version of the app also includes a Exchange mail client with ActiveSync for accessing and editing Word documents from email, which seemingly flies in the face of Apple's vague "don't mess with Mail or any of our other built-in apps" policy. The basic Documents To Go app retails for a limited time at $4.99, while the Exchange version goes for $9.99 -- and anyone who picks up the 1.0 version will get a free update to include Excel editing once it becomes available.

July '09.

Nike’s taking a different approach with the “Swooshless Blazer”, the latest variation of the Nike Blazer. Draped in luxurious grey suede, the Blazer features a yellow midsole, black accents and a grey toe bumper. The midfoot Swoosh is replaced by the ’90s “NIKE” logo in safari print. What’s your take on the Swooshless Blazer? Do you prefer the Nike check? The Nike Swooshless Blazer is available at select accounts worldwide.

There is a common myth that forming a LLC will keep you from being personally liable for many lawsuits directed towards your company. Bands even form LLCs when they have no reason to do so, often times just because they feel it will make them look professional (when really it makes you look like someone who spent a bunch of useless time and money). Today over at litigationandtrial.com they are discussing the myth that your LLC will save you from being personally liable for a lawsuit. A great read for anyone in a LCC or thinking about forming one.

Nike heats up the the streets withs latest hybrid release. The Nike Air Hoop Structure is making big waves as the shoe that basketball players and fashionistas must have. Here it is seen in a new colorway that draws its inspiration from the Air Jordan 8 (Aqua). Everything about this sneaker is absolutely perfect from the nubuck and leather base to its clear outsole on down to details like the Jordan 8 heel accenting. Look for these to drop around the Holiday season, just in time for Santa.

The very first thing we want to know about this newfangled iPhone 3G S is exactly what we're getting for our extra Benjamin (or two, depending on the model you spring for). We don't have all the answers just yet -- Apple's being coy about processor specs on the 3G S, for example -- but here's what we do know so far.

Basics
	iPhone 3G	iPhone 3G S
Price	$99 8GB ($299 for ineligible upgraders)	$199 16GB, $299 32GB ($399 and $499 for ineligible upgraders)
Processor	412MHz ARM 11	Unknown, "on average up to twice as fast"
Graphics capability	OpenGL ES 2.0	OpenGL ES 2.0
Camera	2.0 megapixel fixed focus	3.0 megapixel autofocus with macro mode and auto white balance
Video recording	None	30fps VGA with on-device editing capability
Voice control	None	Dialing, music control
Wireless technologies	3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR	7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Water- and oil-resistant finish	No	Yes
Integrated magnetic compass	No	Yes
Included headphones	Standard	Inline remote for music control
Battery life	Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 10 hours on 2G Up to 6 hours data on WiFi Up to 24 hours audio Up to 7 hours video	Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 12 hours on 2G Up to 9 hours data on WiFi Up to 30 hours audio Up to 10 hours video
Dimensions	115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm	115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm
Weight	133 grams / 4.69 oz.	135 grams / 4.76 oz.