Hot rod

Hot rods are typically old, classic American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. A possible origin includes replacement of the camshaft with a new ("hotter") version, sometimes known as a hot stick or hot rod. Roadsters were the cars of choice because they were light, easy to modify, and inexpensive. The term became commonplace in the 1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that had been "hopped up" by modifying the engine for higher performance. A term common in the early days was "gow job". This has fallen into disuse except with historians.

The term has broadened to apply to other items that are modified for a particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded amplifier".

History

Late 1930s–1950s

The term seems first to have appeared in the late 1930s in southern California, where people raced modified cars on dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles under the rules of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), among other groups. The activity increased in popularity after World War II, particularly in California, because many returning soldiers received technical training in the service. Many cars were prepared by bootleggers in response to Prohibition to enable them to avoid revenue agents ("Revenooers"); some police vehicles were also modified in response.

Hot Rod (film)

Hot Rod is a 2007 American comedy film co-written, directed, and starring members of The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer). The film stars Samberg as an amateur stuntman whose abusive step-father, Frank (Ian McShane) continuously mocks and disrespects him. When Frank grows ill, Rod raises money for his heart operation by executing his largest stunt yet. In addition to raising money for the operation, he also does so to win Frank's respect. The film also stars Taccone, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher and Bill Hader. It was directed by Schaffer (in his directorial debut) and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film was originally drafted by Pam Brady (who retains full writing credit) as a vehicle for Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell, but the project never commenced. Lorne Michaels convinced Paramount to let The Lonely Island, who were growing famous for their work on SNL, take over the film. The group subsequently re-wrote the film with a heavy emphasis on offbeat surreal humor. The film was shot in Vancouver over the summer of 2006. The film's soundtrack was composed by ex-Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin, and the film features several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe.

Rute (music)

The rute (also spelled ruthe, from the German for 'rod' or 'switch') is a beater for drums. Commercially made rutes are usually made of a bundle of thin birch dowels or thin canes attached to a drumstick handle. These often have a movable band to adjust how tightly the dowels are bound toward the tip. A rute may also be made of a bundle of twigs attached to a drumstick handle. These types of rutes are used for a variety of effects with various musical ensembles. A rute may also be a cylindrical bunch of pieces of cane or twigs, bound at one end, like a small besom without a handle. The Rute is used to play on the head of the bass drum. Rute are also constructed from a solid rod thinly split partway down.

Orchestral usage

In orchestral music, rute (or ruthe) first appeared in the music of Mozart, in his opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384 (1782). The setting of the opera is Turkey, and rute were imported from Turkish Janissary music, the martial music of the Sultan's royal guard, very much in vogue at the time. (James Blades, "Percussion Instruments and their History" 1992) The rute were played by the bass drum player, with a mallet striking on downbeats and rute being struck on offbeats. A typical pattern in this style would generally go, in 4/4 time, boom-tap-tap-tap boom-tap-tap-tap, the taps representing strikes of the rute. Mozart's contemporaries and immediate successors used the rute in a similar fashion for military effect. Mahler's use of the rute in the third movement of the Symphony No. 2 broke completely with traditional military writing for the instrument, focusing more on its coloristic possibilities than on the rhythmic role. This application was continued by Edgard Varese in his wildly coloristic use of percussion.

Future

The future is what will happen in the time after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist can be categorized as either permanent, meaning that it will exist forever, or temporary, meaning that it will end. The future and the concept of eternity have been major subjects of philosophy, religion, and science, and defining them non-controversially has consistently eluded the greatest of minds. In the Occidental view, which uses a linear conception of time, the future is the portion of the projected time line that is anticipated to occur. In special relativity, the future is considered absolute future, or the future light cone.

In the philosophy of time, presentism is the belief that only the present exists and the future and the past are unreal. Religions consider the future when they address issues such as karma, life after death, and eschatologies that study what the end of time and the end of the world will be. Religious figures such as prophets and diviners have claimed to see into the future. Organized efforts to predict or forecast the future may have derived from observations by early man of heavenly objects.

Padded Room (album)

Padded Room is the second studio album by American rapper Joe Budden, released on February 24, 2009. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2007 to 2008; at Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey, Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California and Sundance Studios in Jersey City, New Jersey, and it was mixed and mastered at Cyber Sound Studio in New York City. The record features guest appearances from Emanny, Drew Hudson, The Game and the Junkyard Gang. The album's release was supported by the single "The Future" featuring The Game, and two promotional singles – "In My Sleep" and "Exxxes".

Padded Room debuted at number 42 on the US Billboard 200 chart and number two on the Top Independent Albums chart, with 13,451 copies sold in the first week of release. Many people in the entertainment industry had high expectations for Padded Room. Upon its release, the album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. The New York Times gave the rap album a favorable review, and IGN gave it 8.2/10. It was widely promoted, but its success was less than moderate.

The Future (film)

The Future is a 2011 German-American drama film written, directed by, and starring Miranda July. The Future made its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it was screened in the Premieres section. The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot

The story involves a couple in their mid-30s, Sophie (Miranda July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater)—whose relationship is on the rocks—and their plans to adopt an injured cat, Paw Paw. When the couple decides to adopt the stray cat, their perspective on life changes radically, testing their faith in each other and themselves.

Cast

Background

The Future was born as a performance piece July had staged at The Kitchen, among other venues, in 2007.