Author Archive

On their blog yesterday, the video site YouTube released their most watched videos foe 2009. So what was the most popular video?  The lady below stole the show: Susan Broyle's appearance on Britain's Got Talent received over 120 million views.  The rest of the top 5 are below. The top search terms by month provides an interesting synopsis of the year.  The... »

I admit I've never played a Call of Duty game. Hard-core military shooters were never really my thing. Still, Modern Warfare 2 is the big game of the holiday season, selling over 4.7 million copies on its first day and netting over $550 million for Activision Blizzard Inc. in its first week. I decided maybe it was time I gave this... »

With the summer blockbusters behind us, cinema buffs might dread the onset of winter. Will there be anything to compare to the epic story arc and incredible acting in Transformers 2?  Can any film reproduce the gripping and heartwarming tale produced in G.I. Joe?  Will there be any movie characters as lovable and funny as Paul Blart: Mall Cop? Not to... »

It began sometime around 12:01 a.m. on November 1 at coffee shops and kitchen tables across the world. Writers crouched over laptops, stationary, or PCs, earphones blasting everything from Bach to Nickelback – inspirational music for those that answered the challenge. Entering its eleventh year, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has grown from a challenge among friends to a world-wide phenomenon.... »

The following was posted on BeloitDailyNews.com today by the editorial department regarding changes to the online publication schedule.  What are your thoughts?  Will this change how you view the paper and/or the website.  We would love to hear from you. Effective immediately, the local news report for the BDN Connection will be posted online at 4 p.m. CST each day. Why? As most... »

I admit it, I've been lame. I have lived in Beloit now for nearly a year.  Still, when I choose to go out and enjoy live music, I flee to larger cities like Madison, Chicago or Milwaukee.  Having resided in two of those cities I know where to find good tunes, and which local bands I enjoy. As winter approaches, It's time... »

I love live music. Whether it be heading into a dark bar or catching it outside on a beautiful summer day, a good concert can't be beat. What's better than a free concert featuring national acts? Not much that I can think of, unless they provide free drinks as well. While the second part might only... »

With the recent resurgence of the sport, it is no surprise that a roller derby movie opens this weekend. 'Whip It' is the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. It stars Ellen Page (of 'Juno' fame) as a girl who joins a local roller derby league. It is the first widely-released movie about derby since Unholy Rollers graced the... »

The Internet changes everything. Newspapers and other media companies are learning they can provide informations to consumers in new and interesting ways. Some are slow to grasp the potential of the web, while others lead the way. James Lileks, columnist for the Minneapolis – St. Paul Star Tribune gets it. Last week a colleague sent me a link to a... »

Jonathan Coulton has a very....lets say distinct fan base. While Coulton's songs vary in topic, they tend to skew towards the extra geeky.  Zombies, computer code, mathematicians, evil geniuses and video game theme songs comprise his musical repertoire. Okay, so he's not for everyone, but his fans are committed.  Coulton returns to Madison October 25 at the Majestic Theater.  Tickets for the... »