Just wanted to post a quick update about how our new Ypulse Youth Advisory Board has been evolving over the past few months. For new Ypulse readers: We opened up the application process this past summer and received a couple thousand applications from young people ages 13-24 (thanks in large part to our friends posting the announcement on eCrush). Out of those applications, I chose our first 2008-09 Ypulse Youth Advisory Board with an eye towards a range of ages, geographic locations and diversity. We held our first meeting (an online chat) in September and have been meeting once a month as well as corresponding regularly on email.

Since we formed the board, we lost two members due to time constraints but picked up an honorary member (Ashley Qualls, founder of Whateverlife, who is responsible for our cool Twitter background) and added a new regular member: Enrique Gavidia, who I had the pleasure of working with at the Bay Area Video Coalition when he was still in high school. Enrique created the background for the new Ypulse YouTube channel. You can check out all of our YAB members by scrolling down the About Ypulse page.

So what has the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board been up to over the past few months? Lots. They have been writing regular features for Ypulse.com like today's post on Zune v. iPod (check out the YAB archive here), managing the official Ypulse Twitter feed, and most recently, launching the official Ypulse YouTube channel I mentioned earlier (subscribe!).

A big thanks to the publishers and music companies who have been sending us books and CDs for YAB members as well as to Flip Video, who is sponsoring our YouTube effort with two cameras board members will be using to vlog. We're also trying to get a Ypulse Flickr project off the ground where YAB members submit photostreams documenting youth trends where they live.

If you have suggestions for our board, want us to favorite a video on YouTube, have tips for Twitter or a campaign you would like them to review for Ypulse, please leave a comment or email them directly.

Today's Youth Advisory Board post comes from Michael Hayball who weighs in on the ongoing iPod vs. Zune debate he's seen on campus. If you weren't aware the two mp3 players were even battling it out, you would be forgiven. With the ubiquity of all things Apple, sometimes it's hard to remember that there's a runner-up. That's where Michael, a Zune advocate, comes in. Remember you can contact our board directly via email at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

Battle Of The Brands: Zune Vs. Ipod

On my college campus there are only two mp3 players seen in the ears and hands of my peers: Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. There are no in-betweens, it’s either one or the other. I personally have a Zune that I received for Christmas in 2006. And while almost all of my friends own iPods or iPhones, until recently I had no strong stance in the debate. But after the powers that be at Ypulse asked me to choose, I decided the time had come to defend my Zune!

My first argument for the Zune is that it is purely better than the iPod. Sure, this might seem like a subjective argument, but I can back it up. In its third iteration the Zune has been very well thought out, especially when compared to the iPod, which took five generations just to get video playback. My Zune came with picture and video support straight out of the box and on top of that, it even had preloaded content (music, pictures, etc) to try out those features.

The Zune's interface is also superior. Instead of the annoying tree of selections you have to get through on an iPod before even getting to the main menu, on the Zune, I only have to go through a one button sub-section before I'm able to dig into the sweet sugary cereal that is my music collection. Also, aesthetically, I find the Zune's translucent interface less bland than Apple's pure white one.

Another point in Microsoft's favor also seems like Zune's developers have actually listened to their fans. Even though it may take a while to get problems fixed, they do eventually get fixed. For instance, adding videos used to be a pain, but now it’s way easier (with a few minor exceptions). So, don’t let anyone tell you that the Zune team doesn’t listen to complaints!

Finally, I like Zune's marketing campaign for their Mixview feature, which uses Afrikaa Bambataa and Common to illustrate how the feature shows each artist‘s influences and recommends music based on them. I wish I could try more of the new features out, but alas, I don’t have any Zune points to spend on Zune passes (hint hint, Microsoft!). I think the campaign could also use some more funny hats- I love Bambataa’s Egyptian headdress.

Although only a handful of my friends have Zunes at the moment, its popularity among young people my age is definitely on the rise. According to a recent survey “15 percent of teens… said they expected to buy a Zune, up from 13 percent a year ago” and I think this is due to the declining cool factor that comes with all uberpopular items such as the iPod. What was once hip is now the standard, and Zune is taking advantage by improving its own features and throwing some monkey wrenches into the cogs of Apple’s slick and shiny iPod manufacturing machine.

About Michael Hayball
Michael lives a simple life in Allen Park, MI. When he is not attending Henry Ford Community College for his Associates, he can be seen chatting and socializing around campus and the local coffee shop. He enjoys a good iced caramel cappuccino, or a regular coca-cola. Michael loves what he calls “The Blog Music," and he was and still is raised on a steady diet of electronic music and old-school hip hop. Michael hopes to work for Spin magazine one day, and screams like a little girl every time a new issue comes to the local coffee shop.

Today's Youth Advisory Board post comes from Michael Hayball who continues our recent dabbling in youth-targeted music coverage with his review of the latest from electro pop band Hot Chip. Big on mtvU, the college radio scene and staples on hipper-than-thou indie site Pitchfork Media, their new album Made In The Dark didn't really do it for Michael. I'll let him explain. Remember you can contact our board directly via email at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

YAB Review: Hot Chip, 'Made In The Dark'

The first song I ever heard by electro pop band Hot Chip was "Over and Over" from The Warning, their second album. It was an eclectic song that featured wind chimes and a maraca. I heard it when I received a Zune for Christmas in ‘06; the video was preloaded. So when I was offered a chance to review Hot Chip’s newest album, Made In The Dark, I was looking forward to more of that song’s neat-o use of similar percussion instruments. In this regard, I was not disappointed.

The songs, to their credit, do have very cool uses of various drums, which Hot Chip is known for. There are a lot of instruments on the album that you don’t hear very often. It feels like the band went to a Foley artist and took all the interesting props, played with them, and used the results with their vocals.

My main complaint about this cd is that the songs themselves don't meet the standards set by "Over and Over." They’re neither as fun or funky as that song. Most of the songs are gloomy and talk about love, which is radically different from what I thought I would hear from them.

There was one song, however, that I loved on this album. It was about wrestling, surprisingly, and it was a pretty funny song. I thought that it was out of place with the rest of the record, but the way they describe the wrestlers was very entertaining.

Overall, this is an ok album. I thought that the band should have stuck with the same style that they had on their previous single. This could win over some new fans, but if you are expecting to hear what I was (the upbeat song that was on my Zune,) you will be disappointed

About Michael
Michael lives a simple life in Allen Park, Mi. When he is not attending Henry Ford Community College for his Associates, he can be seen chatting and socializing around campus and the local coffeeshop. He enjoys a good iced caramel cappuccino, or a regular coca-cola. Michael loves what he calls "The Blog Music," and he was and still is raised on a steady diet of electronic music and old-school hip hop. Michael hopes to work for Spin magazine one day, and screams like a little girl every time a new issue comes to the local coffee shop.

Note from Meredith: Today's Youth Advisory Board post is especially exciting for a couple of reasons. For one, it kicks off the first in a series of interviews we've arranged with the help of Interscope Records between some pretty big name artists and members of the board. And two, it marks the board's official foray into music coverage — we have also been working with the publicists at EMI to get YAB members CDs to review (Watch out for fellow YAB member Michael Hayball's review of the new Hot Chip album later this week). On both counts, I'd say we're off to a great start!

If you are a publicist and would like to arrange an artist interview with our Youth Advisory Board and/or send CDs to review, please email me. To give our board feedback on reviews, leave a comment or write to them directly via email: youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

YAB Interview: Mike Kennerty, All-American Rejects

Ypulse Youth Advisory Board: What is the origin of your band name?

Mike Kennerty: You think of any story out of the blue and it would outdo the real version of where the name came from. Let's just say, bored kids come up with long names that stick!

YAB: Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

MK: I hope still doing exactly what I’m doing right now. That would be nice!

YAB: Have you considered diversifying into a new genre of music, or even another language?

MK: A different language would be tough. None of us are well versed in any other languages, but it would probably be funny to hear us try. But with our new record “When the World Comes Down” I do feel like we’ve explored some sounds outside of what people might expect from us. We didn’t set out to make a different style record or anything, but we’ve also never limited ourselves with our writing. This new record is the result. It still fits into the cannon of our band, but is definitely a good step forward in our evolution.

YAB: Who were you in high school (If you did fit any stereotype)?

MK: I was an unpopular, punk kid. But I liked being that. I was always fairly confident in who I was. You gotta be.

YAB: If you could go to anyone’s concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

MK:
There were so many bands I grew up listening to that had broken up years before I got into them, so to pick one is hard. Maybe Misfits with Danzig.

Newsletter readers: Visit Ypulse.com to read the entire interview.

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Today's Youth Advisory Board post is from Caroline Marques who'd like to show some love to a worthy teen-centric arts mag and website. I'll let her take it from here. Remember you can contact our board directly via email at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

Teen Ink is a national magazine, book series and website dedicated to teen writing and art. Readers and potential contributors may have come across the mag at school or on their own search to get published. There are hundreds of thousands of teenagers who are currently submitting work, reading the magazine, or checking the site.

My interest in Teen Ink was first sparked when I was looking for a place to send reviews or stories. I thought that it was an interesting and necessary idea. One of the reasons I liked it so much was that contributors were encouraged to do whatever they wanted artistically (within reason) in a safe environment. Also, artists and writers are able to get others’ opinions and possibly have their work appear in print! And while adults are involved – articles by teachers and librarians are featured in the magazine as well— in the end, Teen Ink's voice is the teenagers'.

Other ways teens can get involved is by signing up for writing classes, subscribing to a newsletter or even following them on Twitter. This is the kind of organization aspiring artists and writers need both to help get them published for the first time, as well as to give them an extra boost to get into college. I’d like to help this site get even more members; because it is just what some of us teens need to dare show our talents. Whether your "thing" is poetry, art, sports, reviews, fiction or non-fiction, Teen Ink has it all.

About Caroline Marques (Caro)
Caroline is a high school student in Geneva, Switzerland. While Caroline lists sports, music and travelling as her hobbies, she also very much enjoys writing and reading. After being a teen adviser for NickMag, she thought Ypulse would be the perfect opportunity for a new start. While trying to keep up with the trends (or setting some of her own), dance classes, working on long papers and trying to master three new languages, she rarely has time to write the novel she wishes she could finish, though she is certain one day she will. Writing is never far from her thoughts.

Today's Youth Advisory Post is from Liz Funk who has discovered a connection between Facebook invitations and the high number of no-shows at Gen Y parties. To contact our Youth Advisory Board directly, just email them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

Why Won’t Gen Y-ers Go To Their Friends’ Parties?

I’ve been to more than a few parties in the past few years where the host planned for twice the number of people who actually attended. It’s a sad sight: the relatively empty living room and the host whose left asking herself, "Where is everyone?!”

At my own dinner party last winter I made reservations for the twenty-five guests who said they would attend. Eventually, twelve showed up (several of them over an hour late.) What's the problem here?

A bit of the issue may be flakiness. Generation Y is many things—motivated, involved, overachieving, and as a result, generally a bit overwhelmed. A fraction of the guests who miss parties usually offer the excuse “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot.” (I also suspect that ironically another reason young people miss events is that even though they have BlackBerries, iPhones and Palm Pilots, many young people don’t own day planners.)

And yet the real culprit behind the missing party guests may be that all of these poorly-attended soirees are organized via Facebook. It seems many people RSVP affirmatively to Facebook events and then never attend.

Part of the problem is that, when responding to an invitation for an event on Facebook, users have the option of checking “Maybe attending” which is convenient for a Facebook user who doesn’t want to have to commit to Friday night plans, but makes organizing a dinner party much more difficult for a hostess who needs to give a head count for a reservation or needs to make sure she has enough dessert for everyone.

The tenuousness of Facebook event guest lists also changes the way that companies and non-profits organize via Facebook. I’m told by a community organizer friend of mine that, when organizing over Facebook, a “Yes” for an event is actually a “maybe,” a “maybe” is a “no,” and a “no” is a “definitely not.”

Luckily, there are other more reliable ways of organizing events online. A few people I know have organized book parties via Evite and got relatively accurate head counts in advance. Could this be because Evite sends party attendees regular reminders of where they need to be and when? Facebook only puts event reminders in the sidebar of one’s profile homepage, and Facebook users are already bombarded with messages from groups and fan pages, so they’re likely to miss messages about events because they often clear their inboxes without reading anything.

My dinner party with phantom guests last semester was a touch traumatizing and I can’t say that I’ll be using Facebook to plan another party. But then again, because the restaurant reserved four tables for my party of twelve, it was the first dinner I’ve eaten out in Manhattan where my guests and I all had ample elbow room. I guess that’s not such a lose-lose after all!

P.S. Check out the latest in e-vite innovations from Paperless Post, a new online invitation service that offers a fancier selection of digital stationery. Trendcentral reports the site is still in beta, but hopes to take off soon with party planners.

About Liz Funk

Liz Funk is a freelance writer and college student. She has written for USA Today, Newsday, the Christian Science Monitor, the Huffington Post, Girls' Life, and CosmoGIRL!, among other publications. Her first book, Supergirls Speak Out, about the pressure on girls to be perfect, will be published by Simon and Schuster in March of 2009. She writes a blog for the Albany, NY newspaper the Times Union and she edits the teen culture and politics blog GirlHeadQuarters.org. She is a senior at Pace University and lives in Manhattan. Her web-site is www.lizfunk.com.

Today's Youth Advisory Board post is from Alyx Steadman who also saw "Twilight" at midnight alongside the masses last Thursday. As less of a "cultural anthropologist" (see Anastasia's review) and more of a "fan," Alyx explains the ways the film did and didn't meet his expectations. To contact our Youth Advisory Board, just email them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

‘Twilight’ @ Midnight Part Two: A Teen Perspective

At 12:01 am Friday morning, thousands of fans saw the midnight premiere of the worldwide phenomenon known as “Twilight.” I was one of those devoted fans who stayed up way too late on a school night to be one of the first to know if the movie would be a huge success or a major bomb. After seeing it for myself, I thought Twilight was a success in that it did the best job possible given the pressure they were under to satisfy millions of fans. No matter what they did, someone would have been unhappy with the product.

Everyone who read the books has an image of who the characters should be and to me, the casting directors got most of them right. The Cullen family was everything I wanted and more. Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) was the heartthrob I hoped he would be, and while Bella (Kristen Stewart) wasn’t what I imagined, Stewart pulled her off nicely. The biggest casting mistake to me was the main character Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). He just wasn’t Edward for me. The way Edward was portrayed in the movie was more of a dark, brooding stalker than the heart throb perfection that was described millions of times in the books. It’s not that I hated Robert; I just wished he would have lightened up a little.

The first book, Twilight, is all about Bella and Edward’s love and how it is the most powerful, intense love ever. Seventy-five percent of the movie was spent trying to show this love, and to me, it didn’t work. Their love seemed to consist of some awkward scenes with them giving each other intense stares that lasted far too long. Some scenes in the book that felt romantic just looked creepy and uncomfortable on screen. For example Edward telling her, “You are my life now.” When I heard that line, my mouth dropped, and I looked over at my friend and saw the same shocked expression I had.

The best parts were the scenes not focused on their love (which sounds bad since most of the movie consists of these scenes). All of the other characters made things far more interesting for me. I kept praying to see more Alice or Emmet, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Still, the other actors did a great job with the little roles they had.

All in all, I was pleased with how the movie portrayed the book. Even though I wrote a lot about what was weird or awkward about the movie, I did enjoy it enough to maybe see it again (because after all, I am a true Twilight fan). I think that as the movie series continues, they will just get better (just like “Harry Potter” did) and move away from the love and more into the story. And when “New Moon” comes out, I know that I’ll be the first in line to see the midnight showing.

About Alyx

Alyx Steadman is a freshman in high school in Montana, and loves every minute of it. He loves reading, writing, acting, singing, and being a social butterfly. In the past people have accused him of being a YouTube addict and a pop culture junkie (and sadly Alyx cannot deny these accusations). His love for teen culture has led him to many hours slaving on the computer soaking up every piece of drama Hollywood has to offer. In the future he hopes to pursue a writing career as some type of journalist. Excited doesn’t even begin to cover how he’s feeling to be in the Ypulse Advisory Board. “Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young in.”

This is the third "Last Five Things" feature from Youth Advisory Board member Megan Reid with help from her fellow board member Libby Issendorf. They interviewed other young people about "the last five things" they Googled. Remember, you can communicate directly with the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com Here's what they found…

Name: Erin
Age: 22
Location: Minneapolis, MN

1. "Flame Roseville, MN" — I am meeting my SJMC mentor there for lunch and I haven't had breakfast so I wanted to give myself something to look forward to by checking out the menu.

2. "travis barker rihanna umbrella remix" — Need I say more?! Love this song and looking for an .mp3 download since it wasn't on iTunes.

3. "puppy cam" — I was shocked to find that I forgot to bookmark the Puppy Cam URL on my work computer and I needed some puppy love in my life on a gloomy Minneapolis day.

4. "google chrome flash issues" — Not my favorite browser, but I prefer it more than IE for non work related things (gmail, twitter, puppy cam) and the Flash plug-in crashes all the time. Sad day.

5. "umn paratransit" — No more crutches! I get to cancel my paratransit rides, woo hoo! I never saved the phone number so I Googled it several times in the past three weeks. Was also met with a nice site redesign that included the Driven to Discover logo! Go Gophers

Name: Tanner
Age: 18
Location: Minneapolis, MN

1. "kerasotes block e showtimes" (movie showtimes)

2. "james bond apple trailer" — Going to tonight's midnight showing!!

3. "robert gates bio" — To keep or not to keep details…

4. "overheard in Mpls" — 'Cause I heard a guy on the bus talking about watching her pimp on judge joe brown…

5. "Mello Yellow vs Vault marketing" — 'Cause I'm sad that Mpls hates my fav bevry!

Name: Lauren
Age: 20
Location: Phoenix, AZ, currently studying abroad in England

1. "Sami" — As in the Sami People, the largest indigenous group in Europe. Renée Zellweger, one of my favorite (if not favorite) actresses by the way, is of Sami descent, according to IMDB.

2. "Tobey Maguire" — Because I noticed his name in the credits of Empire Records, but couldn't remember him actually in the movie. His scenes were edited out, apparently.

3. "Catullus" — The Greek poet. Googled him because my Classical & Decadent Lit professor said there was a website where you can listen to his poems in Latin. Found it, too.

4. "Brontë" — Simply because I wanted to confirm what specific accent was used over the 'e.' I was correct.

5. "XBox 360" — This one, I Googled so that I could check the difference in price between the US and UK versions (it's more expensive in the US), because I was explaining the difference between currency conversion (the exchange rate) and actual numeral figures (if a book in the UK costs £5, then that same book cost $5 in the US, usually, but not always).

Name: Samantha
Age: 21
Location: Missoula, MT

1. "Tropic Thunder"

2. "Pisces guys"

3. lyrics to "If I Were A Boy" Beyonce

4. lyrics to "Decode" Paramore

5. "Kevin Canty"  — A creative writing professor of mine

Name: Derron "JR" Wallace
Age: 23
Location: Currently teaching and researching in Phitsanulok, Thailand

1. "Internships in investment banking and consulting" — 'Cause I'm broke

2. "Obama" — Update on politics in the US

3. "News in Jamaica" — To keep posted on the political climate

4. "2009 Rhodes Scholars"– Because the results were posted this weekend

5. "YouTube Updates on Jamaican politics"

Compiled by Meg Reid

Megan is a college student, freelancer and hardcore bookworm. She began writing fashion articles for her hometown newspaper at age 15, and her work has since appeared in publications like Boston magazine, Mountain Living and CosmoGirl. Meg also loves theatre and the arts, and when she's not sending postcards, devouring YA novels, or reading up on 19th-century cultural studies, she's probably dragging someone along on a late-night ice cream/Starbucks run. Meg has lived in three (soon to be four) countries and five states, though she currently resides in Arizona.

and Libby Issendorf

After growing up on a farm in North Dakota, Libby Issendorf moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. She discovered her passion for brands and media as a member of her school’s first-place National Student Advertising Competition team. After graduation in 2008, she began her career as a media analyst at an advertising agency. Libby works on media placement and targeting for national brands like General Mills and Land O Lakes. Outside of work, she loves blogging, playing sports, consuming gratuitous amounts of pop culture, the Minnesota Twins, being really geeky with her iPhone, and driving to see her boyfriend, who lives too far away.

Today's Ypulse Books feature is from Ypulse Youth Advisory Board member Akanksha Aurora. Given all of the buzz surrounding the first "Twilight" movie, her post feels very timely and reaffirms that the "Twilight" series is indeed an international phenomenon…Remember, you can communicate directly with the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com.

'Twilight' Through The Eyes Of An Indian Teen

Indian mythology was created as a means of entertaining the masses long before television and computers. Therefore, every mythical hero or heroine had characteristics who set an example for the Indian people. Since most of these mythological characters in India were crafted for the purpose of encouraging positive transformation within its citizens, vampires could not even be conceptualized. Even though Stephanie Meyer shines a different light on vampires in her "Twilight" series, the preconceived notion of blood-sucking creatures enveloped in darkness doesn’t quite fit.

For me, fiction like Meyer's is unorthodox and refreshing and is a hit in India due to the Indian teen’s internal quest for change and undying curiosity. Books like Twilight introduce new concepts of mythical characters to our youth, incorporating topics like relationships, love and sensuality, making us look at things in a whole new light.

The Indian teen is nothing if not transformational. The new generation of Indian teens yearns to break free from the conventional ideals set up by Indian mythology. Seeing vampires through the eyes of Meyer's Isabella Swan has changed our perspective as the family of vampires depicted in this series is kind, warm and caring.

Indian authors such as Chitra Banerjee have also incorporated mythical concepts similar to Meyer's within their works but have targeted an audience consisting mainly of adults.

The possibility of drastic change, of starting afresh is exquisitely captured in this stunning and beautiful collection of books, marvelously combining myth and romance; easily finding its way into our hearts. Voraciously read by Indian teens, the "Twilight" series has truly broadened our horizons.

About Akanksha

By the time she got to the much-dreaded, self-esteem destroying wasteland also known as high-school, Akanksha began to develop an interest in writing. Suddenly, all the words she ever knew began to creep into her dreams, and discover all her darkest thoughts and feelings, before silently but permanently immersing themselves within her soul and transforming themselves into fiction. In addition to that, the French language is her drug and acne is her worst enemy. She laughs a little too much and is a romantic in the extreme sense.

Today's Youth Advisory Board post is from Michael who seems to have stumbled upon a pretty cool online game called TubeRockers. Remember you can contact our board directly via email at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com. I'll let him fill you in…

Best In Youth Media: TubeRockers

About a day after I read my fellow Ypulse Advisory Board member Caro's article on "Tube Converting," I found this little gem called TubeRockers. The concept is simple in execution, but complex in construction, but I’ll get to that in a moment. TubeRockers is a game where you take your favorite YouTube video and make it into a rhythm game. One of the featured songs, "Electro Gypsy" by Savlonic, hooked me, and now I can’t get it out of my head.

I played a few songs, and found the concept pretty addictive. After I exhausted my list of songs, I had to make some of myself. This is a game that not only offers you the ability to make your own content, it demands that you do. It officially only has two songs, so you have to make your own. You could go with some of the user generated content below, but the choices are limited to different interpretations of a certain Dragonforce song, assorted metal, and a few ska songs.

First I started with a song that I thought would fit well: "Not A Crime" By Gogol Bordello. That didn’t work out well. The song fit, but my handiwork didn't. So then I tried some Andrew W.K., and that was just as bad. Then I tried a little techno by my favorite German techno band, Scooter. Perfect! It was a simple enough song to get a good rhythm going, and I could even sneak in some creative note arrangements.

Tube Rockers is part of a trend of DIY-ness that teens want with their music. I love that I can just put in any old video of anything into the level editor and create my own level. Instead of just converting a YouTube video to an mp3 and forgetting about it, with Tube Rockers, I can play a fun Guitar Hero/DDR-esque game with them.

About Michael Hayball

Michael lives a simple life in Allen Park, MI. When he is not attending Henry Ford Community College for his Associates, he can be seen chatting and socializing around campus and the local coffee shop. He enjoys a good iced caramel cappuccino, or a regular coca-cola. Michael loves what he calls “The Blog Music," and he was and still is raised on a steady diet of electronic music and old-school hip hop. Michael hopes to work for Spin magazine one day, and screams like a little girl every time a new issue comes to the local coffee shop.