Features
Keeping Up (Vol. 27)
by Darren Paltrowitz
Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:
MUSIC: Father Dude – The brainchild of Harlem, New York-based Mitch Conwell, Father Dude is an R&B/soul throw-back -- but in an entirely fresh and exciting way. Sonically somewhere between Nick Ashford (of Ashford & Simpson fame) and Maxwell, Conwell fronts a four-piece band that can not only do funky, but also guitar-based heavy. Check out Father Dude’s website for tracks from the new EP, in addition to a cover of Edgar Winter’s “Dying To Live.” (fatherdude.com)
BOOK: Mike Sacks / And Here’s The Kicker – Subtitled “Conversations With Top Humor Writers About Their Craft,” Mike Sacks’ latest is the stuff of dreams for any comedy connoisseur. Featuring interviews with over 20 scribes –- in addition to a foreword and other writers’ contributions -– Sacks not only gets to the bottom of why many people are indeed behind the scenes but how some famous bits came into shape. As the participants include people who’ve worked on everything from “The Simpsons” and “Saturday Night Live” to “The Dick Cavett Show” and Woody Allen films, multiple generations of laughter are represented in these pages. (andheresthekicker.com)
SERIES: Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show – Although many know Kevin Pollak first and foremost for his dramatic performances in films (e.g. A Few Good Men, The Usual Suspects, Casino), he is known by many others as a veteran stand-up comic and impressionist. Airing live on his Web site every Sunday -- and available after the fact as an iTunes podcast download –- Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show features the host in an interactive yet Charlie Rose-like format. Viewers are able to submit questions to Pollak and his often-A-List guest(s) through Twitter and the website’s chat platform. All at no cost. (kevinpollakschatshow.com)
TOOL: drop.io – As more companies become digitally-dependent, there becomes more of a need to have secure delivery of files. For example, would you want an internal proposal leaking to just anyone? drop.io comes to the rescue, picking up the slack where many similar sites fall short, permitting users to customize when their password-protected files are to be deleted. Yet another cost-free recommendation brought to you by “Keeping Up.” (drop.io)
ARTICLE: Jason Fitzpatrick / “Reduce Your Inboxes to Streamline Your Workflow and Reduce Stress” – Another product of today’s growing digital divide is people holding down more than one job and/or role, thus bringing multiple streams of e-mail. In this piece, Jason Fitzpatrick provides some tips about how to adjust your inbox to be able to receive as many messages as needed, but in a less-intimidating and productivity-inducing fashion. I personally –- as a full-time employee that also freelances –- made similar changes in recent weeks, opting to “label” and “filter” particular e-mails by keywords and/or senders, thus reducing the number of times I check for less urgent messages. (http://lifehacker.com/5364596/reduce-your-inboxes-to-streamline-your-workflow-and-reduce-stress)
As always, if I’m missing something that’s worthwhile and deserving of column space, please reach out with an e-mail: darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com.
In the meantime, stay tuned for another 5 picks...