Capitalogix

So Bad, It's Good

Microsoft has a new product that people use to create a new genre of really bad music.  I have to admit that I enjoy it, even though it's like watching a train wreck.

Microsoft just released Songsmith, a product where you sing the words as best you can, and its software supplies computer-matched musical accompaniment. The truth is that it probably has some pretty advanced technology.

It has become trendy to take a vintage rock video, strip out the instruments, and then let Songsmith process the classic song in "unexpected" ways.  So, if you want to hear the Police's song, Roxanne, differently than you had before ... Songsmith is the right tool for that job.

To make things worse (or better) Microsoft's promotional video for Songsmith is so bad that it is painful to watch.  It is so campy I suspect it was done intentionally to generate buzz. You've got to see it to believe it.

Here is the direct link. 

For the record, I'm a fan of Microsoft.  It may not be a popular position to take, but I like and use lots of their software.  They come up with many innovative things.  The ad, above, may not be their best effort. So watch and listen for yourself?

Here is the result of Songsmith processing the classic Police song, Roxanne.

Remember, you get to choose lots of options, like tempo, style, and instruments.  So, someone wanted it to sound like this.  Still, it speaks for itself, doesn't it?  Here is the direct link.

Here's one with a slightly better result ... Oasis' Wonderwall.

Here is the direct link.

Here are a few other links worth checking.  Remember, real music sounds better when this stops.

• Here is a link to a Techcrunch article about Songsmith and its ad.
• Here is a link to a collection of other horrific Songsmith versions of Billy Idol, The Cars, etc.
• Here is a link to more strange re-mixes.
• Here is a link to a spoof of the ad that isn't politically correct, but you may find funny.
• Here is a link to Microsoft's product page for Songsmith.
• And if you still want more, search for "Classic Hits by Microsoft Songsmith" on YouTube.

Travel IQ

Trip Advisor has an interesting game called Traveler IQ Challenge.

brought to you by TravelPod, the Web's Original Travel Blog ( A TripAdvisor Media Network member )

I thought it was fun. 

On a related note, here are some of my favorite Travel sites.

Farecast:  This site has lots of nice features.  This link shows cheap fares from a city.  The graphic to the right shows other features to look for on that page.  For example:

• when to travel (which days have the lowest fares), and
• where to travel (which cities have the best deals).

Kayak: Search 140+ travel sites at once to find and compare the cheapest fares from all sites together - great grids and filters to find what you are looking for fast.

Airfare Watchdog:  Up-to-date list of low fares from major airlines (including Southwest).  You can subscribe to alerts too.

Market Commentary from April 18th

This week I'm going to use an optical illusion to help make a point about the publics' perception of what is happening in the markets.

Instead of Bulls and Bears, perhaps the market is like a frog or a horse. 

It simply depends on your perspective. 

As you look at the picture on the right, you'll see a frog sitting on the edge of a pond. 

However, if you turn the picture (or your head), you'll see a horse that is poking his head out of the stable.

Things are not always as they seem on first glance.

Markets At The Crossroads:  Decision Time:

As it stands, the Markets have been acting quite well.  They continue to rally, even when there is bad news in the marketplace.  From a technical point of view, though, we are at a crossroads. 

I prepared the following chart to show the arguments for both the bull and the bear cases.  It is a daily chart of the S&P 500.  The market's downtrend line, since October, is marked in blue.  The red horizontal line shows that this is the fourth time we've hit this area since late January.

The question is whether we go up or down from here.

Like a serial cliff-hanger, we'll have to tune-in next week to see if anything gets resolved.