Usually, when you read an article that tells you to stay away from online bootleg movie downloads, the article simply attempts to deter you and leave you with no alternatives. The fact of the matter is that there are alternatives. Not only that, but there are also legal alternatives. Read further to learn about how you can watch online bootleg movie downloads, without leaving a trail of illegal activity.

Streamed Movies

Numerous websites currently list online bootleg movie downloads, which you can view right on their site, without signing up to anything or creating an account. These movies are not hosted on the actual site. In order to avoid direct copyright infringement, these sites upload the videos in flash format to other sites such as Google Video or YouTube and then link to the uploaded video from the main site. The problem with these videos is that they are periodically erased from the site they were uploaded to. Google as well as other websites, has a staff working on the removal of material in violation of copyrights. Every so often, once the movie has been removed, the main site will upload it again. It’s basically a never ending game of tag.

Additionally, since these videos are in flash (.flv) format, the quality is reduced due to the file conversion. Flash video does not support high resolution in order to be easily streamed online. Another point to take into account is the fact that despite the amount of movies these sites claim to stream, most of the movies on these sites have already been deleted from their actual locations. Despite the diminished level of reliability, watching streamed movies presents the lowest threat as far as watching bootlegs.

Free Movie Downloads

Numerous movies and television shows can be viewed online legally with complete copyright cooperation. Websites such as IMDB (Internet Movie Database) and others, offer numerous streaming videos on their sites. Since these sites operate legally and allow you to view their videos for free, they do not have movies that are currently in the theater. A good rule of thumb is if it is still in the box office, then it is probably illegal to view outside of the box office.

Paid Movie Downloads

Despite the fact that you are most likely searching for free resources, you should still take into account paid movie downloads. Usually these sites will charge a flat one time membership fee and then grant you unlimited access to their archives. Paid movie download sites offer millions of movie downloads and their quality is much better then what you will get with streamed video. In most cases, the movie downloads from paid sites are in DVD format and usually include the menu and chapter selections as well. If you are planning on building up your DVD collection, then this is the best way to go.

The reason these sites are able operate legally is simply due to the fact that their one time fee helps pay for copyright agreements. When you purchase a DVD at the store, you also pay for the box, the DVD, the advertising, and the shipping. If you are simply downloading the file, then the majority of the DVD cost is eliminated. These sites will usually charge about $50, but if you take into account the cost of 300 plus DVDs that you may download, you are really just paying for initial access and getting the movies for free.

If you are interested in finding good resources for online bootleg movie downloads and streaming video, take the time to see what FreeMovieDNLDs has to offer.

I have a secret to confess. I am a movie junkie! But not just any kind of movie junkie. I love to obtain the most obscure movies that I can find without spending a lot of cash. In fact, I actually pride myself on the fact that I have gained a lot of DVDs for a very small amount of cash. My favorite spots to hit are pawn shops and used game stores.

There, you can buy DVDs that are in perfect condition for about 75% off the retail price. Luckily, since I like all of the kinds of movies that no one else seems to like, there seems to be a giant surplus of cheap, horrible movies! I have stumbled upon some DVDs at yard sales that people are parting with for just $.50 each when I wasn’t even trying!

I think that I earn the biggest thrill when I find a bargain without even seeking one. The biggest rule to remember when you want to buy DVD movies is knowing what your limit is. Don’t fork over more cash than what you think the movie is “worth”. And always keep your eyes open because you’ll never know when your favorites will fall into your lap for just mere pennies on the dollar!

I love watching dvd movies, I used to watch most of my movies on cable, but there were many that I had seen before and didn’t care for enough to watch again. The great thing about dvd movies is that I can buy dvds of movies I really enjoyed, and if I am in the mood to watch them I have them right there.

Sometimes there is a moment when I am in the mood to watch one particular scene from a movie and with the menus on dvds there isn’t the hassle of searching for it or watching the movie till it reaches that point, I can just go to the scene selection menu and choose my scene. There are some certain scenes I love watching from my favorite movies that I must have watched this way at least a hundred times already!

Renting DVD movies is even easier now than it used to be. Recently I have been seeing kiosks inside of grocery stores and drug stores where you can rent DVDs for a very low fee. The little kiosks hold hundreds of DVDs and are really neat to watch. I know that buying DVDs and renting them has become almost old-fashioned with the digital age of downloads and on-demand home service through cable companies, but I think that this new version of renting DVDs may help that industry somewhat.

I myself do not rent or buy DVDs any longer, as I can borrow almost anything I want from my local library for free. I feel sorry for people whose livelihoods are tied to the making/selling/renting of DVDs, as I feel it is a dying breed (just like CDs are now). Technology is moving so fast, DVD makers just need to catch up.

Lawrence Rollensby is a movie lover, researcher and writer who takes out time from watching movies to write articles. You can buy dvd and view reviews on the latest dvd movies at his favorite hidef site. He cannot wait to watch some new blue ray dvd movies very soon.

Online games, specifically video games have been inevitably invading the worldwide web as time passes by. Such games have been very helpful to us especially when we are feeling lonely and bored about our monotonous life. Furthermore, we tend to look for some enjoyment activities just to feel relax and at ease. That is why sometimes, it is good for us to play driving games.

Many online gamers nowadays, choose to play driving games rather than other breath taking war games. It is because driving games are more users friendly and also has some moral values. As a matter of fact, the simplest thing that you can learn in connection with the driving games is about following some traffic rules as well as to be persistent in reaching the finish line. Furthermore, driving games are not only intended for kids but also to adult gamers. Thus, it is safe to say that driving games were created for people from all walks of life.

In this day and age, more and more companies are popping out in the worldwide web to attract online gamers. Most of these companies are inclined with the driving games. Actually, one of the most favorite driving games sites today is the PlayCarRacingGames.ws. This download site in point of fact also offers free download. It has various kinds of driving games in which any one of us can choose from. Thus, there is indeed no reason for us not to try and play driving cars.

Most of the gaming consoles today make it a lot easier for us, the online gamers to play online and video games. They have actually innovated and improved the controllers, joysticks and other buttons which are necessary while playing driving games. Indeed, our tactical knowledge and motor skills are being well enhanced while we play driving games.

As a matter of fact, there are various forms of vessels as well as vehicles which we can use during our playing time. The possible vessels and vehicles are the boats, cars, Jet Skis, motorcycles and trucks. All these forms of vehicles can be modified and configured depending on our own preferences. Configuration of vessel and vehicle settings is just easy because most of the download sites actually let the gamers design their own car. Though the forms of vessels and vehicles may be different, but still the goal for all driving games is only one. That is to reach the finish line with a ranking of being the first among all other competitors. Reaching the finish line will allow us to take one level higher and can give us a somewhat sense of fulfillment.

Indeed, driving games are so simple but the enjoyment and excitement that it brings is undeniable. That is why many of us want to play driving games. Even just for a while let us take some time to relax and escape from our worries in life. After all, there is nothing wrong with playing driving games during our pastime just to have some sort of entertainment within ourselves. For more info visit PlayCarRacingGames.ws

Play Driving Games, Adventure Games, Action Games, Strategy Games, Plus Many Many More Now! Choose Downloads from over 800 million games online. To Get Instant Access Now Visit http://playcarracinggames.ws

When you think about reality television, chances are that there are some shows that really appeal to you and other shows that you really just can not stand. This is true for most people when they think about reality television and it is true for them because of the fact that different reality television shows look at different parts of the human condition. Different parts of that condition tend to hold special or otherwise significant meaning for different people and that is exactly why reality television is such a varied landscape. If you are interested in discovering which reality television shows match your body and mind, here are some ways for you to figure that out.

Try to find a common theme

The first thing that you should do when going down the road of this quest is try to find a common theme linking all of these reality television shows together. Make a list of the reality television shows that you like and make a list of the ones that you don’t like. Once you’ve completed both lists, you should have a very good idea from the list of the types of reality TV shows that you like and the types that you hate. Overall, the common theme that you found within the reality TV shows will allow you to determine if future shows that come out are shows that you might enjoy.

Try to find a pleasing format

Just as a different theme of reality television might appeal to you, a particular show format might be what attracts you to the shows in the first place. Consider reality television in the format of a countdown elimination, a one episode per team instance or any other format that reality television producers might come up with and see if the lists of shows that you like and dislike fall into these formats. For most people, the answer is probably going to be somewhere in the middle since formats and themes don’t usually go together, but at the same time you might be able to discover something about yourself through making this type of investigation happen.

Talk to your friends

Talking to your friends is perhaps a thought that had crossed your mind, but if you are like most people then chances are pretty good that you dismissed that thought altogether. This is because while friendship is sometimes predicated on having similar interests, the interests that we do not share are the ones we tend to be most defensive about and for that reason discussing reality television with your friends might be a risky move in your mind. At the same time however, the reactions that you get from your friends and the way in which you deal with those reactions will tell you a lot about your own tastes in this area, which is why talking to your friends about reality television is a very good idea.

Read Online Reviews

The final thing that you’ll want to do in an attempt to figure out which reality shows match your body and mind is to read reviews of those shows online. Online reviews differ from newspaper and magazine reviews in the sense that they are more frequently written from a personal style rather than a professional one and that makes it a lot easier for you to identify with reviews that really speak to you. Oftentimes it is the case that the words you find hard to express find expression through others and that is exactly why reading online reviews is an excellent idea to pursue. Do this along with the other suggestions and you should definitely be able to find your answer.

HNE Castings is the industry’s leading producer of reality TV castings talent.

Cruise drumming is a very unique and fun gig to have. I worked for Royal Caribbean Cruises from June 2001 - Jan 2003; doing over 800 shows and working with over a dozen Grammy Award winners.

Getting the Gig

I auditioned for an agency that came to Berklee. The audition consisted of playing a medium tempo jazz groove, a ballad w/brushes, samba, bossa nova, rhumba, and then playing along to big band charts w/music minus drums and a click track. The emphasis was on good time keeping and chart reading.

I later learned that I could have auditioned directly for Royal Caribbean instead of going through an agency that wanted 12% of my pay. I recommend contacting the cruise’s “musician specialist”, human resources, directly.

Arrival

I was assigned to the Voyager of the Seas; RCCL’s flagship at the time. I met the ship in Miami FL. on it’s homeport day. That’s the day/port that the previous passengers leave and the new one’s begin their trip. I brought a suitcase full of summer clothes and a Tux, my stick bag, and cymbal case. The first sight of the ship was amazing. It was Huge! If you put the Voyager on it’s side it would be as tall as the Empire State Building.

After getting on, signing in, and getting my closet, I mean room, I started looking through the music given to me for the week ahead. Tony, the music director, gave me books of music for the Welcome Aboard, Farewell shows, two stock shows, and over 300 pages of Big Band charts….deep breath.

Day 1 :The Welcome Aboard show.

It’s a short show with snippets of entertainment to be seen throughout the cruise. As the new drummer I had to quickly learn the music review piece and the play-ons. The review piece had parts from the stock shows that are played every cruise with the on-board cast.

Play-ons are 5-10 second sections of songs used as a sort of theme music to introduce someone coming onto the stage. The horn sections of I Wish and Jungle Boogie are two commonly used examples.

The review piece was relatively easy as far as the drum part went. What was tricky was quickly getting comfortable with playing live to a click track and canned horns, strings, and percussion that augmented the already ten piece band. It was a real rush playing in a 1,500 person theater with a million dollar sound and light system for the first time. Two shows a night makes 3000 people a day. Don’t get stage fright! In situations like that, you just have to hang on and believe in yourself.

Day 2 : The first big show.

On a weeklong cruise there are usually two music review shows performed with the cast. The shows are 50 minutes of almost non-stop music. The Monday show was a mix of R&B, Top 40, and Cirque du Soleil. I spent a few hours that day studying the charts while listening to the CD’s that Tony gave me. Plus, I played a run through of the show during the cast’s rehearsal.

The stage crew places the drums so, all I had to do was give myself enough time to tweak the set up , make sure my charts were in order, and adjust my headphones. Ready to go. We received our 1 min cue and…….click, click, click, click off we go. See you in an hour! It can be a blast to be in the hot seat and have to concentrate for 50 straight minutes. The first time you nail an entire show, I mean every little thing, it’s an accomplishment!

Day 3 : My First Star Act

A Star Act is a guest artist. They come on and rehearse with the band for about 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon for the show that night. You run down all the songs once, twice at the most. You are rehearsing to make sure the band is together with the transitions and tricky bits. If there was something difficult, you better look at it on your own before show time.

Star Acts range from famous older groups like The Drifters and Bowzer (Sha Na Na) to Sinatra impersonators, magicians, and Broadway vocalists, among many others.

Sometimes you perform to a click but most of the time the song is counted off by either the music director or the artist. You only had a short rehearsal so, it’s important to have one eye on the chart and the other on the artist in case they want you to adjust the tempo a little.

Side Story. On these one week cruises, the Star Act does a Friday show for one cruise and then a Tuesday show for the next cruise. Seeing that I arrived on Sunday, this artist had a different drummer last Thursday. Apparently Tony had fired three drummers in a row when I got there. Being right out of school and only twenty two, I really had to prove myself to Tony, the band, and the Act. Each night was different and it’s own test.

Day 4 : Big Band

Alright. No Star Act. No review show to study. I got off and went to the beach in Jamaica. This was incredible! Especially after spending the winter in Boston.

That night we set up for Big Band in one of the many lounges on the ship. Tony would call out tunes from the over 300 numbered charts. They ranged from Take The “A” Train to Love For Sale. They’re all standards and mostly the original arrangements. Easy day.

Day 5 : The Hard One

Thursday we performed the second review show of the cruise. This one was mostly musical theater. There were lots of abrupt tempo changes and meter changes. High concentration is needed. Again, I spent a few hours reading and listening and I played the run through with the cast. I just held on during the run through so, I did some more studying before the show. It paid off.

I didn’t “own it” but I got through it pretty well and that’s what it took for Tony and the band to approve my staying in the band. The rest of the cruise was pretty easy after that.

Friday was another Star Act and Saturday was the Farewell show. First cruise completed.

After a few months you really start to feel like you can read anything put in front of you and your confidence grows. The review shows become second nature after a while. It’s important to be able to play with energy and concentration the first and 101 times you play anything. Tony once told me that the best way to keep your concentration level high is to pretend that every show is being recorded. You want to finish a show and be able to say “that’s a take”.

I try to do that with everything I play now. It’s the same as the legendary drummers who advise us to “Play with Purpose”.

Ship Life

O.K. yes the cabins are small but you have cable TV and a dorm size fridge. But who wants to stay in their room anyway? It’s a place to sleep, shower, and change. You have to get out and see the world.

I’ve been all over the Caribbean, Canadian East Coast in the Fall, and Northern Europe in the Summer. I’ve spent a week in Amsterdam, many overnights in St. Petersburg, and had my favorite bars and Cafe’s in La Harve France, Stockholm Sweden, and Copenhagen Denmark among others. All of this was while getting PAID, living free of rent, and all of my meals provided for free on the ship if I chose.

The staff on ships are very unique. Of 1,500 crew members, only 50 of us were American! You can’t beat the experience of living next to and learning about people from all over the globe. You see very quickly that we’re all people. We all have the same dreams no matter where we grew up. Priceless.

In conclusion, my time on cruise ships was incredible both musically and personally. From the music to the people and places you’ll experience, I highly recommend trying this exciting job.

My name is A. Gabriel Giannelli and I have played close to 2000 gigs in the last decade. After attending Berklee College of Music, I did two years on cruise ships and am currently in the Navy band. http://www.Gigging-Drum-Charts.com

With the spread of sexually transmitted diseases becoming more and more of a problem, it’s no surprise to see popular culture mediums picking up on the risk. The only surprise is that they’re not more prevalent in entertainment, as art mimics life, but there’s still a certain taboo apparent which makes each instance remarkable. Here’s some of the more memorable instances of STD is music, film and even video games!

Film

The subject of sexually transmitted disease in film has been explored on an academic level, and indeed an article in a 2005 Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine made an interesting discovery with regards to STD in cinema. Taking the top 200 films as voted for on the Internet Movie Database (removing films pre the HIV epidemic and those unlikely to contain adult themes) it was reported that there were 53 sex scenes in 28 of the remaining 87 films reviewed, and only one of those implied the use of a condom. There were no depictions of consequences of this recklessness – no pregnancies, HIV or any other STD. It went on to report a few references to STDs in the dialogue (“disease spreading whore”, “I get checked every month”), but generally the scripts encouraged promiscuity and ridiculed celibacy.

Of course, there are some exceptions to this, and especially if you veer beyond the mainstream of IMDB’s top rated films. The first example of this is 1938’s “Sex Madness” (currently rated 2.0/10 on said film database) – a horribly heavy handed warning on the evils of loose living and the risk of resultant syphilis ruining your life. 1983’s TV movie “Intimate Agony” (5.3/10) fares a little better as a morality play, but had its thunder stolen weeks after its release when the AIDs epidemic started to make headlines. Films tackling HIV and AIDs are far more common, but two of the best examples are 1993’s TV movie “And the Band Played On” (7.6/10) – a dramatisation of the history of AIDS – and 1994’s “Philadelphia” (7.6/10) which depicts an AIDS’ sufferer’s court case against wrongful dismissal. The latter won 2 Oscars for Tom Hanks’ accurate and affecting portrayal of the physical deterioration brought on by the end stages of the sexually transmitted disease.

Music

Music is naturally that bit harder to track down definitive overt examples of sexually transmitted diseases in lyrics – they’re often just too ambiguous. Then again, Ice Cube’s “Look Who’s Burnin’” is pretty blatant in its subject matter: a trip to take an STD test…

“Yeah I see ya

First Miss Thang, now Miss Gonorrhea

Man it’s a trip how the world keeps turnin’

It’s 1991 and look who’s burnin’”

…and…

“Man this is gonna kill ‘em

Guess who got a big fat dose of penicillin?”

Elsewhere, we’re left to read between the lines that little bit more. It’s rumoured that ACDC’s “The Jack” is not about a round of cards at all, but about Gonorrhea (depending on who you believe, it was either once called The Clap or ‘The Jack’ was Australian slang at the time). With this knowledge the song takes on a whole new meaning:

“That all the cards were comin’

From the bottom of the pack

And if I’d know what she was dealin’ out

I’d have dealt it back”

Finally, we have The Darkness with “Growing on Me” – a charming ditty supposedly about the difficult subject of Genital Warts:

“I wanna shake you off but you just won’t go,

And you’re all over me, but I don’t want anyone to know

That you’re attached to me that’s how you’ve grown

Won’t you leave me, leave me alone?”

If Mr Hawkins was talking about Genital Warts, then a visit to his local clinic could present several options to make them “leave him alone” including chemicals, freezing or laser removal! He might also want to take other STD tests while there as co-infection is common…

Games

Unsurprisingly, games have thus far steered well clear of the area of sexually transmitted disease, but the upcoming Fable 2 is said to buck this trend. The role playing game allows your avatar to have sex with various characters throughout the game world – with or without a condom. If you risk the latter, pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease may occur (though the head developer has promised that virtual STDs will not affect the game too much.) As it’s still in development, it’s unclear as to how the STDs will be portrayed and whether the game can prove a lesson in safe sex, but it’s an intriguing concept.

As STD tests become more prevalent and the science of them is better understood, will we see more occurrences in popular culture, or will they be swept further under the carpet? Only time will tell.

Tim Leach is the Marketing Manager of USA Lab Testing, providers of local STD tests.

They fill the air with fire,

They soar above the tallest tower,

They glisten with emerald-scaled attire

They inspire awe and terror whenever they glower…Dragons!!

Dragons are more than just creatures of myth; they are beings of legend. They are even considered gods in some cultures. Dragons of ancient times garner fear and respect but dragons of modern times entertain and inspire the imagination.

Take a look at some of the more popular dragons of modern times:

Dragons in Movies

Dragonheart: Based on the concept that dragons were being hunted to extinction, this movie has heart. Literally. During this time, one lonely dragon was sought out to save the life of the king’s son. This noble dragon gave this young prince a piece of his dragon heart. The problem was, with a dragon’s heart beating in his chest, he couldn’t die. This prince turns into one of the worst villains the world had ever known. He is eventually brought down when the dragon sacrifices himself to allow his dragon heart to die. Dragons, in this film, are seen as noble, valiant creatures with true compassion.

Reign of Fire: This is one of those movies that does a splendid job of picturing dragons as vicious and hungry creatures. Twenty years after his mother inadvertently awakens a fire-breathing dragon, Fire Chief Quinn must do all he can to save the remaining human population from total eradication by the dragons.

Dragons in Literature

There are no cultures in the world that feature the dragon more prominently than the cultures of Japan and China. In Japanese and Chinese literature, dragons are spirits and gods of ancient times with untold power and supernatural wisdom. Dragons feature greatly in their religious beliefs and cultural ceremonies and rituals. When written and drawn with an Eastern pen, dragons hold immense magic and fantastical power.

Dragons in Animation

Talented and imaginative, animators from all over the world have dipped their pens into the same ancient inkwell and have conjured for us fearsome creatures and loyal friends. Disney animators have crafted generations of movies that either feature dragons as the main character, as in their movie Mulan or they have dragons as secondary characters as in Sleeping Beauty where Maleficent transforms into a dragon to keep Philip from Aurora and the Sword in the Stone wherein Madam Mim transforms into a dragon during her wizards duel with Merlin. Everyone remembers the fire breathing dragon guarding the tower in which Aurora slept. Everyone giggles when they catch a glimpse of the laughable and delightful Mushu. Overall, Disney has created a new look for the dragon that will last generations to come. Animators have a rare chance at crafting an image of dragons that is truly unique

Popular media is filled with all types of dragons little and large; ferocious dragons whose very breathe can fill you with dread. Since the very beginning, dragons have held man captive with their fiery breath and hair-raising tales; it is likely to be that way till the fire dies away, if it ever will.

Hedgepig Gifts offers dragon gift ideas including dragon figures, dragon collectables & many more dragon gift ideas.

A baby shower is a fun and wonderful way to welcome a new member of the family. The party highlights a fun event with exchanged gifts, games, food and drink. However, to experience this fun and festive party, you need to have careful planning and preparation. One of the first things you need to prepare is the party invitations. Baby shower invitations definitely make sense to a party and create a notion of what is to be celebrated.

To begin with party invitations, first you need to make a list of all your invited guests for the party. Usually, included in the guest list are families and friends of the soon-to-be parents. When choosing cards, consider the proper wording for your baby shower invitations. Information that needs to be included in your invitations are the date, location, directions, contact phone numbers, RSVP and party theme. The party theme will be the basis for your guests’ outfits, whether formal or informal they need to follow the party theme. With such information, you made a whiz about the event and perhaps your party guests will talk about it in anticipation.

A good choice of party invitation should coordinate with the party theme. Whether it is a surprise party or not, the theme of the party needs to be planned and prepared carefully. The chosen theme should give fascination to your guests. Themes like baby’s gender - choose blue if it’s a boy and pink if it’s a girl, cuddly animal, cartoon character, sports and the like. If you opt for something creative and unique, consider planning the party within a holiday, a season or an event. The creative theme of the invitation should highlight the tone of the special event. For example, the child’s due falls on the month of December, so you could think of a Christmas themed party in welcoming the child. Accessories and decorations are easy to find for such theme. Just make sure that the theme you choose can be carried through all of your preparations.

creative party invitations are a great way to highlight the theme and spirit of your welcoming party. It gives a personal and thoughtful touch to the invitation. The wording of the party invitation should include all essentials of the event.

Aside from invitations and other information, you should also think about your party games. Games are the ice breaker of the celebration and a great fun to have in parties. There are different game options you may consider to incorporate in your party. And you want to pick games that will be fun but not extremely challenging. Baby shower game ideas include guessing games, memory games, word games and more. You may incorporate all about your baby’s information, products and supplies. The guest with the highest score is the winner.

Lastly, your baby shower party will end with gift giving. Apart from the invitations, as a host, you need to prepare party favors for your guests. You may consider favors like baby stuff such as baby books, bibs, pacifier, infant clothing and more. You can have them personalized which can make a memorable party favor to commemorate the celebration.

Jnet is an author for a variety of lifestyle issues and topics. If you’re looking for baby shower invitations, visit the website Prettybabygifts.com and browse their collection. Shop for baby gifts online!

Embryo is the debut album from nurse-turned-singer/songwriter Bloom. Exploring various genres of pop music, Bloom’s story-based album pays homage to the various artistic influences that have guided him.

Blending the artistic talents of a variety of guest musicians and singers (such as renowned jazz saxophonist, Tommaso Starace) Embryo tells the story of Gloria, a laboratory assistant and her journey.

Set in the not too distant future on the space laboratory Nemesis, hybrid embryos are being processed for research into disease.

Gloria, is transporting a container of embryos and Spartans (donor sperm) from earth to the space lab but she arrives late for the launch so has to quickly take her seat without placing the container in the hold. During the voyage a meteor shower hits the space shuttle which spins out of control causing a great deal of external damage and items to be thrown around inside. The craft is then forced to take a detour and dock at the space laboratory Onuris.

After her horrendous journey Gloria is shaken but not injured and on arrival gladly accepts the hospitality of the Onuris crew to join in their farewell party as some of the team members are returning to earth after a two year secondment. Gloria leaves the container unattended not realising it has been fractured….. and so it continues!

Six years after conceiving the album idea, Embryo was finally recorded in the legendary Tin Pan Alley Studios in London ’s Denmark Street and released on iTunes in August 2008.

Phil Bloom - a former student of the Royal Academy of Music - has been writing and performing music since he was three years old. His childhood and youth were devoted to his music and his first jobs saw him working with the likes of T-Rex and The Who.

The untimely death of his father led to a dramatic shift in direction, leading to a successful career in nursing and occupational health. Throughout this time Bloom maintained his love for music and continued to write and record music whenever the chance presented itself. This has led to the creation of an extensive catalogue with genres ranging from pop through musicals to classical ballet. This has also afforded him the opportunity to work with other uniquely talented writers such as the late, great Harold Spiro.

Highlights of his life include singing on stage with Viola Wills and meeting the Bee Gees, Marianne Faithful and Princess Diana. Bloom says recording the album ‘Embryo’ has been the most satisfying project to date and was inspired by recording in Tin Pan Alley, and one particular day Paul McCartney was in the studio to his right and the Klaxons were to his left!

Bloom is a Christian, a vegetarian, and against embryonic research and animal experimentation. Bloom now lives in Pinner in North West London where he grew up and attended the same grammar school as Elton John and Simon le Bon.

Embryo is the culmination of a lifetime of musical experience and years of dedication, written with the intention of creating an animated film based upon the story that the music relates.

Discover more about the album, it

Jukeboxes are used for playing music via inserting coins. Jukeboxes have come a long way from its original design.

Long before the jukebox was known as such, this coin-slot phonograph was used for playing music. This “coin-slot” phonograph can only play a song for about 2 minutes. It was later on replaced by some of the original models. Hence, these models could play much music through the use of vinyl gramophone records.

Jukebox is a word that comes from “jook”. This is a slang term for a dance which is popular in the 20th century. The first common jargon employing the word was “jook joint”. This so called jook joints were casual public houses.

The first jukeboxes used 78 rpm records until 1950. It was in 1950 when the 45 rpm was released. It became the standard for years until digital music and compact disk came.

You will even hear retro diner in almost all the cities in the U.S. In the mid twentieth century, the most popular jukebox was called the “Wall box”. A wall box is a remote unit located in each dinner table. Customers can pay for songs being played on jukeboxes placed at the center. Wall boxes became famous because they are fun and convenient for customers.

The advancement of technology changed such 45 rpm types of jukeboxes that were produced even until the early 1980s. Hence, Jukeboxes only differ in appearance. Later on, compact discs became usual for jukeboxes. Digital jukeboxes had taken its lead because of ease and speed. The music files can be shared and transferred from the digital jukebox.

Jukeboxes play a significant part in the American trendy culture. This is for almost 100 years. Although changes in appearance and performance were made, the operation of this jukebox remained the same.

The unvarying appearance of jukeboxes was the pay-for-play policy. The first step is always to receive the payment. Thus, the process of selecting a song was the same for all the early models. The song selections were categorized by letters and numbers. If you want a song, just punch in the letters and numbers of the song that you want. Within seconds you can hear your desired music.

The earlier jukeboxes do not play the selections in order. The models then were constructed playing the side A of the 45s first, and then they would play the B sides.

Now, most establishments have fully digital jukeboxes. You can navigate the music that you want using an interactive touch screen. The new digital jukeboxes have the capability to download any music from the main database using the internet.

Here are some of the manufactured jukeboxes:

The AMI Jukebox

National Automatic Music Company started the AMI Jukeboxes. This company originated in 1909 when they produced the automatic player pianos. This player piano uses vinyl music rolls same as with coin-slot phonograph. Later it was developed by employing the latest technology, via multiple music rolls.

The latest technology was adapted in 1927, creating the first AMI Jukebox. This jukebox became prominent because they could play both sides of the 78 rpm records. This technology was used for almost three decades.

AMI used accepted architectural styles to get the artistic feel of their jukeboxes. In 1936 and 1937, they produced the TOP FLIGHT model. This model has an Art Deco design and patronized by early New York City Skyscrapers.

They also produced the SINGING TOWER which uses the Art Deco and Skyscrapers artistry to new level. Singing Tower was topped with lights like those on top of skyscraper. The use of new technology makes the light to change color as the music played. AMI continued to be dominant in the design of their jukeboxes throughout its Golden Years.

In 1950, the company made a licensing agreement with overseas companies. This was done to produce and market jukeboxes in Europe. The most famous and successful one was the BAL-AMI. It was the largest British manufacturer of jukeboxes in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Musicmatch Jukebox

Apple completely changed how we buy, store and listen to music in October of 2001. Apple introduced the iPod in this time together with its operating system, iTunes. For almost one year after that, Apple introduced its PC compatible iPod and its operating system, Musicmatch Jukebox.

Musicmatch had undergone few changes in its appearance and functionality. It had also undergone some changes of ownership. Yahoo!, an internet giant gained the right to the software on October 19, 2004.

Musicmatch is a software program that has an interface similar with a jukebox. The difference is the fact that it has many features. Musicmatch allows the user to upload their whole library of CDs onto digital files. Musicmatch can also link users to an extensive warehouse of digital music. The digital library of Musicmatch also allows user to burn their music on CDs.

Lastly, Musicmatch Jukebox can function like a jukebox. The latest version having huge storage capacity can upload thousands of song files. Musicmatch jukebox can also retrieve album art for corresponding song and album files.

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