Kazaa Returns, Legally
When free-for-all P2P software Napster stopped its services in 2000, Shawn Fanning's fallen flock quelled its music fiending with the quick arrival of Kazaa, which offered a similar experience: A buffet of music and movies, all-you-can-download, at the universally compatible price of free.... read more
European Musicians Using Barcode Marketing to Stream Music from Posters to Phones
A dance producer in the U.K. who calls himself Grum is making use of some pretty newfangled technology to promote his work. The artist uses 2D barcode marketing to make his music accessible to anyone walking down the street, allowing people to listen to his work simply by scanning a barcode on one of his posters with their cell phone. ... read more
Justin Timberlake to Open Memphis, Tenn. Golf Course
Justin Timberlake is wearing all kinds of hats these days. He is supplementing his dirrrty pop designation with that of style icon, record label executive, and late-night comedian. And to top it off, this month will see the realization of yet another of JT's endeavors as he opens Mirimichi, his very own golf course. Known as Big Creek Golf & Country Club under its previous owners, this green was where Timberlake first learned to hit a ball as a kid in Memphis. Big Creek was slated to be turned into a housing development; instead, the singer bought the course and,... read more
Finally, Barack Obama Immortalized as Chia Pet
Shepard Fairey isn't the only artist to make an icon of our 44th president. The folks at Chia, of 1980s mossy chachka eminence (ch-ch-ch-chia!), recently introduced the ultimate in Barack Obama memorabilia: the Limited Edition Chia Obama. Now we can have in our homes a clay figurehead of the commander-in-chief whose full fern-fro will grow in 1-2 weeks. And fortunately, we need not be limited to one presidential countenance; the keepsake comes in both "Happy Chia Obama" and "Determined Chia Obama" (pictured above). What better way to usher in ch-ch-ch-change? ... read more
A Good Cause that Rocks: Indie Bands Turn to Kickstarter for Financial Help
Being in a young, indie band is tricky stuff: Try to stay afloat on your own, and you're eating Ramen for every meal of your tour and peddling your personal possessions to buy gas for the van. Try to make a little extra cash here and there, and you may end up with a Band of Horses type debacle. But instead of selling plasma for $30 a pop or tap-dancing on street corners for spare change to press a few more LPs, scantily funded artists are hitting up an innovative new website that puts the power to help out in... read more
Andrei Rodionov: Russia's Slam King
Andrei Rodionov is missing part of his right ear. His Mr. Clean-like dome is barely covered by the shadow of a crew cut... read more
Portable Web Browser CrunchPad Coming Soon
Michael Arrington, founder of popular technology blog TechCrunch, is concocting a web-browsing recipe for a device poised to make netbooks look relatively gargantuan. The ingredients? A touchscreen, a browser and, well, not much else. ... read more
Win a Kindle reader, Flip UltraHD camcorder and more in Paste’s Great Harry Potter Scavenger Hunt (#pottergame)
Complete tasks, cast spells, earn points for chances to win great prizes, and be amazed at what your browser will do right before your eyes. read more
I Scream, You Scream for Our Wildest Dreams
Music-fest food vendors are notorious for peddling overpriced turkey legs and $6 domestic drafts... read more
The Lights Go Up on BBC Documentarian Adam Curtis' It Felt Like A Kiss
Adam Curtis is one of a dying breed of television journalists: those who believe it's their profession's calling to expose the hidden side of corporate and political power. His award-winning BBC documentaries stand as brilliant deconstructions of those institutions, but have never been shown on U.S. cable or broadcast channels.... read more
Harry Potter and the Wittiest Sequel Tweets
In anticipation of tonight's release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiere, Twitter is abuzz about the world's favorite wizard. Fans have been hash-tagging (a Twitter tool for associating a tweet with a particular subject) Potter-related topics all week, boasting their ticket purchases, planning their costumes for the midnight showing and otherwise expressing their excitement.... read more
Snitches Get Stitches: Full-Contact College Quidditch Sweeps the Nation
When any creative project starts out small and humble and then vastly expands, those involved face the proverbial challenge of staying grounded... read more
Potter In Universities A Harry Subject
My brother took a swimming class in college; my father signed up for Judo... read more
Paste Presents: The Harry Potter Takeover
It's been a dozen years since the first of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books debuted... read more
Of Potter and Proust
Once this birthday passes, I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m not usually susceptible to believing wild generalizations, but... read more
Robert Plant Named Commander of the British Empire
For years, thousands of fans have considered Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant rock royalty. Now, 29 years after the group first called it quits, Plant, 60, has received accolades from bona fide royalty. On Friday, Prince Charles bestowed the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), reserved for those "who have a high profile role in regional affairs and have made a distinguished contribution in their area of activity," on the singer. Plant received the award for his "services to popular music," and joins some of Britain's most notable names, including fellow singers Elton John and... read more
Website to Recreate Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Monday, July 20 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, and everyone is commemorating the milestone in their own way. For the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, this means the launch (no pun intended) of a new website, WeChooseTheMoon.org, which will recreate the event in real time.... read more
Playboy Acquires Rights to Serialize Vladimir Nabokov's Final Work
Every now and then, Playboy publishes something that really does compel people to pick up the magazine for the articles. The latest addition to this list is The Original of Laura, the novella Vladimir Nabokov was scribbling onto index cards until his death in 1977. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner acquired the first serial rights after his publication's literary editor, Amy Grace Loyd, plotted a clever scheme to win over Andrew Wylie, the book's agent: send him orchids. ... read more
Google Plotting PC Operating System
Heating up the seemingly never-ending battle for computer-world domination between Google and Microsoft, Google has announced plans for its own PC operating system, an in-your-face jab at Team Vista/XP.... read more
Sony's Walkman is 30! Now, What to do With That Clunky Old Thing?
1979 saw the release of Pink Floyd's The Wall, the election of the UK's first female Prime Minister, and the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island. Equally innovative, groundbreaking and explosive, however, was the hottest new technology from Sony—the Walkman, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last week, on July 2.When the Walkman was first released, it weighed in at 14 ounces and was the size of a small book—titanic compared to today's teensy-weensy MP3 players. But it was the first kind of easily portable personal audio equipment, spawning a headphone revolution as people snapped up the $200 battery-operated cassette player.... read more
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