Even though it only has over 600,00 hits (great numbers, but it’s no Evolution of Dance) the video, Arlington: The Rap, has made an enormous splash locally for creator Remy Munasifi. The video is only the latest in a series of successful rap videos and has caught the attention of just about every media outlet I can think of. All the blogs have raved about it. His profile has grown to the point he was a hot date commodity and he has earned himself a page on Wikipedia. I wish I had a page on Wikipedia.

So I had the honor to ask him a few questions and learn more about the man behind the video.

Patrick:I laughed, I cried, I begged for more when I ran into Arlington: The Rap. I went over to your site (goremy.com) and I wanted to learn more about you. After reading your bio I was wondering, do you consider yourself a comedian? A musician? A filmmaker?

Remy: I’m not sure. I’d probably go with, “entertainer.” That’s mainly what I’m trying to accomplish–to entertain. Usually through laughter though, sure.

Patrick: So do you have a day job or is your art truly what you work on day in and out?

Remy: I’m a full-time YouTuber. I’m a content partner on the site and have been for a year and a half now, which has been great. YouTube and Google have been very generous and supportive of their partners and do a great job creating and maintaining a great environment for filmmakers who want a home for their video content.

Patrick: One of the reasons Arlington: The Rap is so successful is the local appeal, after I saw it I sent it to all my Arlington/DC friends and I got it sent to me by other locals as well. You’ve been in all the local papers and TV stations, but have you seen any interest coming from outside the immediate local area?

Remy: Somehow some folks outside the area do seem to enjoy it. My chief concern throughout the process of making that video was that it had no widespread appeal–that it would be too geographically specific for folks to understand outside a one-mile radius of my neighborhood. I was surprised so many people enjoyed it locally though, I certainly didn’t expect that.

Patrick: Do you find that you’ve now created a big inside joke for all of us to share? Now when I tell people I live I Clarendon they reply with questions on my collection of brown flip-flops.

Remy: Somebody was telling me they had noticed a slight decline in the brown flip-flop levels around town. I haven’t seen the statistics. I suspect we’ll have to wait for the 2010 census.

Patrick: I’ve watched a number of your other videos and I have to tell you they are all great. Has Arlington: The Rap helped you get your YouTube channel more viewers? In other words, have other people started checking your other stuff now that you broke through with one?

Remy: Thank you for saying so, I appreciate that. I can’t imagine the video hurt anything. It’s the 12th most popular video on the channel, so there are some other videos that folks seem to like more, at least by that measurement.

Patrick: Also I noticed you do a lot of raps, is there anything that makes that your genre of choice? I think it’s funny that you have a lot of Raps yet your favorite iPod artists are mostly country artists.

Remy: After I made my first rap video, “Two Percent Milk,” I got a lot of positive feedback from people who said they really enjoyed it. I had enjoyed making the video, so I decided to make another rap and, two years later, it continues I suppose! Still having fun and I hope folks are still enjoying those videos.

Patrick: So I know you are busy with tons of video projects, what should we expect next from Remy?

Remy: I always have a list of ideas in my head, but it’s always tough to pick the next one to go with. I’ll probably decide in the next week and take it from there. I just hope folks will like it!

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This isn’t a drill people. This is for real.

The Real World DC has begun.

Unlike the false alarm earlier this week, The Real World DC cast moved into their new home on S & 20th today followed by not only MTV cameras, but the “Real World Paparazzi Mafia.” Everybody from heavy hitters over at DCist to entertainment blogger elizabethany have been reporting/gawking/stalking the house. Anti-Real World DC has already written on the rude behavior of camera people and some local reactions to a lost cast member.

The Twitter feed of Real World updates is like a car wreck: a sensational scene on your way to work and you can’t help not watching.

Here are some of the Twitpics from luvelizabethany of the DC Cast being real:

courtesy Twitter user luvelizabethany

courtesy Twitter user luvelizabethany

courtesy Twitter user luvelizabethany

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I got a cold chill as I read this article yesterday on the Metro crash investigation:

“In the aftermath of the crash on the Red Line between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations, Metro officials analyzed track circuit data and found that one circuit in the crash area intermittently lost its ability to detect a train. The circuit would report the presence of a train one moment, then a few seconds later the train would “disappear,” only to return again.”

It sounded to me like the same problems that have been encountered on the Space Shuttle, nuclear power plants, and various military systems. And that problem is tin whiskers.

The backstory:  When people first started building electric circuits, they used tin metal to solder the interconnections between the copper bits.  It wasn’t long before they noticed the tin would get “furry”, growing spiky whiskers as the part was used.  These spikes could grow long enough to short out the circuits, and then were so weak that they would break off right after doing so.  A smart metallurgist figured out that adding a small amount of lead to the tin alloy stopped this behavior.  And so the electronics industry grew, and electronic circuits got so small and fast and reliable that they ended up in nearly every control system – with a bit of solder in every one of them.

In the early 2000’s two things happened:  Europe passed legislation that prohibited lead in consumer products, and at the same time, the production of interconnection technologies went global.  So even though only European markets mandated this change, producers all over the world had to comply.  And that means that consumers all over the world were getting lead-free electronics, many times without knowing it.  Many times the same part number started showing up with lead-free solder, making this trend very hard to track.

So yesterday, I dropped a note to one of my expert friends, who agreed with me that the circuitry in the Metro replacement part, more likely than not, contained lead-free solder.  And then, he pointed out the likelihood that the latest Airbus crashes had lead-free solder components in their flight controls.

Hence the cold chills.

Yes, it’s a bad thing to have lead where kids might put it in their mouths (especially drinking water).  Yet the activists admit that the amount of lead in electronics isn’t at dangerous levels; they say their ultimate goal is to shut down lead production entirely.   (In the interest of full disclosure, I facilitated a study back in 2005 that predicted this, and only now is the military starting to address those findings.) 

Hey, guys, maybe technology might need to trump politics for once?

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Photo courtesy of Flickr user CP

Last year I fulfilled my goal to see the DC fireworks on the 4th. I knew trying to go to The Mall to see them would be a storm of epic proportions, so I made a plan to see them from the Georgetown Waterfront instead.

This year the DC fireworks aren’t getting less popular so I’m starting to make my plan on where I want to see them here are some links I found to help you get your DC Fireworks Plan put together before this weekend:

• The Washington Post already has it’s 4th of July guide out complete with maps of area fireworks and information on the day’s events.
• The Going Out Gurus are already thinking what I was thinking last year, and have put out a map of places besides The Mall to see the DC fireworks.
• Rachel Cooper over at About.com has a comprehensive guide of fireworks in DC, MD, and VA.
• Karen Hart also at About lists the best places to see the DC fireworks.
• Katie Bevington over at Examiner.com has a list of links of area firework displays.
• Washingtonian Magazine just came out with their own Independence Day guide yesterday morning.

Good luck getting your plan together!

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I’m not too surprised that they were watching me.

The Spy Museum saw  my post when I visited them last week, and they offered me to come back to see another event later this month.

They are calling it “Sexpionage: Spies, Lies, and Naked Thighs“, which sounds more like a tactic used by Sean Connery than real life spooks. The event tonight will feature espionage expert H. Keith Melton who will show how the art of seduction can be used to gain things besides a free meal or drink. The event will also include authentic KGB sexual entrapment videos and details on their infamous “honey traps.” That being said the event is 18+. Sounds saucy!

Sexpionage: Spies, Lies, and Naked Thighs
July 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM
International Spy Museum
800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC
Tickets $20
http://www.spymuseum.org/

UPDATE: I mistakenly posted that this event was tonight when the event is actually later this month. I learned this the hard way when I showed up to the musuem after work. My apologies to those that got the wrong info.

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Excitement and disgust.

Those are the simultaneous feelings I had when I heard the Real World DC cast had arrived at Regan National Airport.

First I was excited to hear that things are starting up and soon the stories of the debauchery at clubs and bars will keep me entertained all summer long. However when I saw the degree people have become obsessive of it makes me wanna puke.

Read these tweets.

“Jeep and crew just left, door by patio is open. Basement looks nice. No guards, 4 construction workers.”

Are we planning a covert mission here!?!? I can see the next tweet in my head:  “no guards, construction workers gone, Bravo team in position.” I wonder if any other city has had this problem before, are we going to see an episode next year where they have to explain how a mob of fans coordinated a stalk attack through twitter?

Check out #rwdc and #rwdcwatch for even more ridiculous stalkers.

Now I’m excited to have The Real World in DC and to be living in the same place they are filming the show. I will eventually take a walk down to the house to see it and say I was there- but I’m not holding my own stakeout to see people that aren’t even scandalous famous yet.

We live in the same city as The President of the United States, yet we have people stalking a bunch of quarter-life aged adults as they get drunk on basic cable.

Seriously DC calm down, I think I’m going to have more fun watching the show next season if there wasn’t paparazzi like crowds in every shot.

UPDATE (8:04)

Again another reason why we shouldn’t freak out- it appears that today’s news was only a drill. It is now uncertain if the cast is actually here or not- but it looks like it was all a false alarm to me. Today’s rumors and excitement  shows the power of groupthink that Twitter can exacerbate. I mentioned it last week in regards to the Metro Crash, early on there was a lot of mis-information being spread around through Twitter- and this is another reason why  we should all just calm down. Once they are here they are here for six months, we’ll get tired of them sooner than you think.

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Greater Greater Washington has the goods…NextBus is finally live!

Dude, where's my bus?

So, according to NextBus, the “next bus” (see what I did there?) heading for the Metro from my office will be arriving in a mere six minutes.  Unfortunately, I don’t get to go home for a few more hours.

The utility shows arrival times for the next three buses at the desired location, which you can select by stop number (those little signs on every bus stop signpost) or just use the dropdowns to select your route, direction, and intersection.  You can access the service from your computer, or a mobile device; and if you have a favorite location that you’ll be checking all the time (your home, your office) you can bookmark that custom location as well.  Neato!  Earlier this week the DC DOT introduced a similar system for Circulator buses as well.

Have a look and let us know what you think, DC.  Is it worth it after the years of waiting?

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My first blog post here at Metblogs was on Chris Cooley embarassing himself on his blog.

Recently he hasn’t posted a lot of stuff that really caught my attention, to the point I was about to remove his RSS feed from my Google Reader.

But then this came along.

“We were cruising around on our new land in Wyoming the other day and we found an old dead cow. So we decided that we would get rid of it by setting it on fire. Needless to say, it was a success.”

That’s all I really gotta say. A cow fire?

I’m not an agricultural type so I’ll let you guys comment on if the act is ok or not, everybody else is already writing about it. Apparently it’s actually not that cruel of an act, the cow was already dead and it stops the spread of disease by burning it before it decomposes. That’s probably why they burned Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.

If the photos aren’t enough, Chris says he hopes to get a video up soon.

I wonder if Comcast will sponsor that video.

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Photo courtesy of Flickr user Michael McDonough

I know I just wrote about Z-Burger on Friday, but I found out that the place I just reviewed is holding a burger eating contest this Thursday on July 2nd at high noon. They are calling the competition eating event the, “Independence Burger Eating Championship.

I love it. It’s about time some burger place tried to compete with it’s sister food: The Hot Dog.

For the winner that can eat the most burgers, Z-Burger is rewarding the first place $1,500 in cash and $1,000 of Z-Burger food. Wow I don’t know what I’d do with a G’s worth of burgers…

A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to the Hope House Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps children of incarcerated parents. So at least we are eating burgers for a good cause!

The showdown will take place at Z-Burger’s Tenleytown location at 4321 Wisconsin Ave.

So if you want to see people stuff their faces be sure to come on down on Thursday, however if you want the chance to EAT LOTS OF BURGERS you can e-mail them at zburgerdc@gmail.com at and register as a contestant!

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As you know I’m a fan of a good burger. So you can understand that I was intrigued when I learned from Lemmonex that there was a new burger place in town. I was so intrigued that I trekked all the way from Arlington to Tenleytown to check out Z-Burger.

The reviews of this place make lots of mentions of milk shakes, onion rings, and comparisons to Five Guys-  the golden standard of burgers around here. I drove by it and I noticed the Z logo, complete with a ribbon that resembles a superhero cape- is Z-Burger here to save us from the burger monotony?

The storefront is sleek and smooth, brushed metal describes the decor rather well and the signage explained simply what I could expect: “Z-Burgers, Z Fries & Shakes.” When I walked in the menu was rather familiar for fans of Five Guys:  Fresh burgers and toppings (that come with either 1 or 2 patties) and generous portions of fries cooked in peanut oil. What makes Z-Burger different are a few extra menu items which includes the aforementioned onion rings and milkshakes (75 flavors to choose from!) If you go to their Glover Park location you can also order salads. The Tenleytown location I visited also had a neighboring store inside called, “Sandwish” but it didn’t looked opened yet and I’m unsure of the status on that.

The food itself was great and honestly, kinda hard to tell apart from Five Guys. I ordered the seasoned fries which gave an extra kick out of the fries I’d usually expect. All in all, Z-Burger makes a solid product but I’ll need repeat visits to see who has the edge. I’ll also need those visits to try their other menu choices as well.

Z-Burger is definitely made a splash jumping into the Five Guys dominated DC burger market, but time will tell if this town is going to be big enough for the two of them.

Z-Burger
4321 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 966-1999

2414 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 965-7777

http://www.zburger.com

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Slam Dunk Showdown in LA

While you may not be seeing anymore slam dunks from Etan Thomas,  this weekend you could have a chance to become a slam dunk champion. The NBA’s Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown comes rolling into town this Saturday and will be setting up a b-ball court on Pennsylvania Ave between 9th and 10th street.

The showdown is also part of the National Capital Barbecue Battle that will be going on in the area as well, so you can see some slam dunks or try out some BBQ ribs.

The showdown starts at 4 PM and admission will be $10, the champion will be voted by you, the fans via SMS text messages. NBA Legend Darryl Dawkins will also be on hand as well.

You know after watching More Than A Game last week, I maybe inclined to see what a 5′11″ Asian man could do- however I don’t think I have that big of a vertical leap.

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Thanks to everyone that entered DC Metblogs Rascal Flatts Giveaway. Tonight I drew the winning entry after returning from the Red Sox slaughter by the Nationals. As a Red Sox fan I was sad, but happy to see the Nats get a win against one of the best teams in the AL East.

So who’s the lucky winner? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

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Lastnight a friend and I went to the Twilight Tattoo given by the Third Infantry Division (the “Old Guard”) at Fort McNair in Southwest DC.  Fort McNair itself is nestled along the Potomac just south of the Waterfront Metro stop, and the parade ground in front of the old War College building provided a wonderful setting.  The weather was gorgeous, the soldiering was precise, and the crowd was enthusiastic.  There were lots of students from schools all over the country - we figured the loudest ones were those from Texas.  We learned that 2009 is the Army’s year of the NCO (who knew), “otherwise known as the backbone of the Army,” as the announcer made sure to tell us.  He took special care to introduce all the platoon sergeants taking part in the tattoo - most were Sergeants First Class.  Along with some hokey patriotic songs, we were treated to great demonstrations of skill and talent by the Army Drill Team, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, and the Pershing’s Own Army Band.  But I think that my favorite part of the evening was at the end, when the soldiers were treated like rock stars by the visiting students on school trips.  They were walking up to rope lines and shaking the outstretched hands of nervous middle-schoolers, as if they were Madonna!  It was awesome and really got me in the mood for Fourth of July (which is my favorite day of the year to live in DC).

Since DC is in the middle of its own Military District, there are always lots of things to do and see if you’re interested in military affairs, or pageantry, at all.  There are several units which perform tattoos or sunset parades around town during the summer, and all of the armed forces’ vocal and instrumental groups give concerts all season long; mostly outdoors, and almost all free.  I’ve listed just a few choices below.  Check them out!

• Twilight Tattoo - 3rd I.D., U.S. Army.  Fort McNair, 410 P Street, SW.  Wednesdays, 7 PM.  Free.  (Last tattoo is next Wednesday, July 1!)
• Sunsets with a Soundtrack - West Steps of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.  Free.  Most Fridays at 8 PM.
• U.S. NAVY Band - US Navy Memorial - 701 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., N.W. - TUESDAYS, JUNE 2 - AUGUST 25 AT 8 P.M. Free
• U.S. Navy Band - U.S. CAPITOL (WEST SIDE) MONDAYS, JUNE 1 - AUGUST 31 AT 8 P.M. Free.
• Air Force Summer Concert Series - Wednesday and Friday nights at 8 p.m., from June 3 through Aug. 28 at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va. Free.
• Marine Barracks Washington - Sunset Parade, Iwo Jima Memorial.  Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 2 June - 11 August 200.  Free.
• And finally, the “President’s Own” Marine Band is playing tonight (June 25) at the Sylvan Theatre (Washington Monument) at 8 PM.

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I’ve always wanted to check out The International Spy Museum, one of the more popular tourist attractions in DC, however trying to pony up the admission fee and make the 5 PM cutoff time during the week was daunting. Well for thrifty spenders like me, or those looking for a fun and free activity this summer should check out Community Nights at the Spy Museum.

On the last Wednesday of the month, the museum opens itself up for local DC citizens to check out the permanent exhibition at the museum for free! All you have to do is to RSVP for any one of the times which are more friendly for those 9-5′ers to make.

Last night I attended one of these nights with PQ of PQ Nation and we had a great time. The exhibit was very interesting to walk through, something I could actually go again to explore and take in further.

So for a little mystique that won’t steal your wallet, check out the Spy Museum Community Nights!

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Dear Washington DC Area Baseball Spectators,

This might be the "kid needs to potty" exception to the rule, but I doubt it.

PLEASE SIT DOWN DURING AN AT BAT!

As you may know, record crowds are coming into Nationals Park this week for the slaughters games against the Baahhhhston Red Sox.  Don’t believe me?  Look here:

Not just Sold Out-but SUPER Sold Out...I guess?

(Now if someone can tell me how we’ve sold out games before but this is the largest attendance at the park, I’d appreciate it.)

With that many people at a baseball game you have to expect that there is going to be some bustle at places like the Metro and the beer lines.  Add to that the fact that both Nationals fans and (good amount of) Red Sox fans are new to baseball (ahem… Bandwagon?) it’s understandable that some of the finer rules of baseball etiquette go right out the window.  So allow me to help out by giving you one of the most basic rules you can learn-

you need to sit your a#$@ in your seat when people are playing.

Take a look at this picture:

I paid to see a game-not your Jersey...

Do you have ANY idea what is going on?  The Pitcher is clearly ready to throw the ball-but what is the batter doing?  If the pitcher had started his wind up just a second earlier than this-you’d be missing the swing at the plate.  I know to a lot of you it feels like “nothing ever happens” in baseball.  That it moves slow and you just spend most of your time talking and eating and drinking-and that’s fine.  But seriously-there’s a F$#&#ng game going on and while you are:

1.) Standing in the aisle looking for where your seat is

2.) Standing up to take an above your head picture of you and your bff for facebook

3.) Standing up to take the beer order of everyone in front of you

4.) Standing up to do Christ knows what

and while you are doing that I can’t see what the hell is going on.  My friends and I?  We come to watch a game as well as socialize and if every 2 batters I have to say “KEEP IT MOVING” or “I CAN”T SEE!”  it ruins my time (and the other people too).

It just baffles me because it isn’t as if people are getting up during the “boring” at bats, but on several 3-2 and 3-1 counts with a few outs and runners on last night (during at 4-3 game…well, until the 8th inning) THAT is when some folks decided they needed to get peanuts…PEANUTS!

Again-not not totally your fault.   The ushers at Nationals Park barely know what they are doing either.  They should be treating this like the Caps or Wizards game where they hold traffic during the action, but they don’t.

So by now you probably think I’m some sort of seating fascist or something.  That my best case scenario would be to have you sit 20 minutes before the first inning and not get up until the game was over-and that’s only partially true.  There are valid reasons for getting up during an at bat, and more to the point there are simply better times to get up.

1.) An emergency-about to hurl?  Your kid gonna wet his pants like right now.  Or something actually serious-go ahead and Keep your head down if you can, but feel free to get up.

2.) Rally!- Anytime after the seventh inning stretch in a close ball game (or if you’re the home team and you’re behind) you can stand and cheer for the team team in an at bat.  This is acceptable because, rather than being completely ignorant of the game, you are simply more engaged than other fans.  Plus-you’re likely standing before the at bat takes place-so there is full warning that you plan on watching the game from your feet.  People behind you are just going to have to stand.  (Note-this works for particularly big at bats earlier in the game as well).

3.) Between Batters/Half innings/Switching Pitchers: The preferred time for all people to get up/get back to their seats.  After the batter has struck out/hit safely and they are switching batters/teams in the field-there is a natural break in the game.  Now is the time to get up and do your thing.  If you realize during Adam Dunn’s 2-1 count that you’d like a Bud-just wait a second.

Same if your friend “txtd u to come dwn 2 sect 212 b/c ther r 3 seats!”- Head down between the first and second out, and then get in your seats after the inning is over.

4.) Standing Room Options- Can’t remember all of this or can’t be bothered to care?  Then by all means park yourself at the scoreboard bar/Red Loft/along the railing behind the seats and stand and move around to your heart’s content.  No sitting/standing/view obstruction rules apply in the wild west of the concourse area.

Or if you’re really rich or you business is there just to impress some clients, you’re probably in the box anyway-where nobody really knows anything about baseball or cares.  You could probably do cartwheels right against the window in there and no one would notice because nobody ever looks out them (until someone who is half paying attention mentions casually this might be an important part of the game).

Hopefully that helps a bit and it didn’t come off to harsh.  Any problems with my rules, other exceptions or other pet peeves regarding fan etiquette at a ball park feel free to leave in the comments.

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