I’ve been into music as long as I can remember, but until last fall I had never owned a vinyl record, let alone a turntable.

That all changed on my 40th birthday.

My wife thought (correctly, as it turned out) that some nostalgia might be in order to help me ease into a new decade. The question this raised in terms of the listening experience was whether old technology — circa 20th century — necessarily meant it was inferior to digital technology such as MP3s and CDs?

I posed the same question to Walter McKeever, who has taught for more than 10 years as an adjunct instructor of music and recording arts at Owens Community College, wondering if digital and analog technologies were all that different when it comes to the sound experience.

“For rock music, analog definitely has a certain sound,” McKeever said. “There’s just something about it. Somehow it has a little more depth.”

After a few months of listening in my basement, I could hear the difference for myself: a bigger, more vibrant sound from records versus CDs or download, but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t hearing things. CLICK HERE to read more from The Blade

Photo Courtesy of flickr; username:hell*yeah

Article Courtesy of The Blade

I had a friend who once asked me whether I grew up in a naked family. I was confused by the question, so she explained that there were two types of families: naked and non-naked. Families that walk around nude with no problem and families who are always fully clothed.  I replied that my family growing up was actually half and half.  My mother was always running around naked, and my father was always clothed.  While I lived with my parents, I was pretty much clothed, but nowadays?  Naked.

Click HERE to read all about her experience in a naked family.

Article & Photo Courtesy of: Angela Tseng 

At least 51 people - including at least 20 children -were killed when a massive tornado struck an area outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Seven of those children were killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, according to a police official.

Early Tuesday, emergency personnel continued to scour the school's rubble - a scene of twisted i-beams and crumbled cinder blocks.

The tornado was estimated to be at least 2 miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, KFOR reported. Video from CNN affiliates showed a funnel cloud stretching from the sky to the ground, kicking up debris.

Get full coverage HERE 

Article Courtesy: CNN

Photo Courtesy: Flickr user Dondado

Penguins can jump up to 6.5 feet out of the water to get onto an iceberg.

Photo Courtesy: Flickr user axinar

Planning a wedding is a monumental task, with organizing everything from what you will wear to what you will eat. And though you feel you are walking on cloud nine, be sure that you have your feet firmly planted on the ground when its time to buy the wedding rings. All the other wedding decisions will last but a moment, but the decisions made about your matrimonial jewelry will stick with you a lifetime. To avoid any post-nuptial financial grief, be sure you have a plan of attack when choosing your wedding rings by following these five easy steps:

1. Matching Sets. The newly married couple may think and believe themselves to be one, but harsh reality will soon set in that they are two unique individuals. The tradition of buying a matching wedding set only works when the couple has matching lifestyles. For some people, a very thin gold ring is all that will be comfortable for someone who works professionally with their hands. And no matter how romantic the thought, a bulky, cumbersome ring does not work out for everyone. Throw tradition to the wind and find a comfortable ring with each partner's taste and personality in mind.

2. Sizing. Sizing is very important for a nice and snug grip when you need it the most at the alter. However, rings may be re-fitted if necessary a few years down the road, but the initial exchange needs to be smooth sailing. Never take your ring size for granite and assume that one specific size will work with all rings. And women must be extra cautious not to be sized during certain times of the month when they may experience water retention that could swell the ring finger...CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY.

photo courtesy of flickr.com/firemetic58