A Free Man

Do you see, peanut gallery, why I was hesitant to get all braggity about the Auburn game? Yes, a win’s a win, but for the second week in a row we’ve slipped away with a win after a last second defensive stand. It’s not good for A Free Man’s blood pressure.

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I’m not typically one to get into the blogging popularity contests, but The Open Laboratory is an anthology of the best science writing on the internetz and one in which I’d love to be included. So, I’m going to ask you, gentle readers, for a favor. I’ve linked to a few of my favorite science posts of the year:

• Science Tuesday: The MMR vaccine and autism - truth, lies and the media
• Science Tuesday: Breath-taking insanity
• Science Tuesday: Back into the hornets’ nest
• Science Tuesday: In Response to an Animal Rights Apologist
• Great Interview Week: Scientific Serendipity in Sydney

If you thought that any of these, or any of my other science posts for that matter, were worthy of recognition, I’d be endlessly grateful if you nominated me by clicking on the logo to the left.

Popularity: 49% [?]

• The latest edition of Tangled Bank, another science blogging carnival, is up at Submitted to a Candid World. Science with a political
• Nichole alerted me to a contest at Grosgrain in which you can win a water color portrait of your progeny. Bad luck for Nichole as I am totally going to win.

Popularity: 50% [?]

Well, not Mario Ishii Hernandez nor his bandmates, but a luscious prize pack including a beautifully designed t-shirt, a button, a signed poster, and CDs of From Bubblegum To Sky’s two previous releases “Me and Army” and “The Two French Boys and Nothing Sadder Than Lonely Queen”. In celebration of their latest release “A Soft Kill”, out on Eenie Meenie, the power-pop outfit has teamed up with A Free Man to reward one lucky reader.*

Thinking about bubblegum, if memory serves, back in my youth there was a brand of bubblegum that all of my friends in the Deep South loved and shared with one another. My mother refused to let me buy it for fear that I look like a common redneck. I tried to tell her that there were a lot of ball players that disagreed, but to no avail. First person that guesses which Wrigley product was banned from my childhood home wins the From Bubblegum To Sky prize pack.

While you think it over, here are a couple from their latest record.

MP3: From Bubblegum To Sky - “Even The Sunbeams”
MP3: From Bubblegum To Sky - “I Always Fall Apart”

* Restricted to readers in the U.S. and yes I recognize the irony that I wouldn’t be eligible to win my own contest.

Popularity: 20% [?]

“A bluejay hectors from the felled Catalpa tree.
Doctorate in science and a theologian’s dream
The dragonflies are trying to lecture me.
The seahorses as if we were in the sea.”

-R.E.M. - “Beat A Drum”

Time for the announcement of the winners in my Happy Blog-day contest. Dr. O’C has again drawn names from a hat (and again I have prevented her from cheating).  A drum roll please, Z.

Right, could be waiting a while for that. Whithout further ado, the winners are:

NATUI

Jessica and…

Jason

I’ve decided, however, that even the losers should get lucky sometimes - it’s the socialist in me. I can’t afford the postage to send everyone a CD, but I’m going to upload the playlist and the album art to a special secret place here on afreeman.org. If you didn’t win but still want the tunes, then shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send you the link and you can make your own “Best of afreeman.org” CD.

Brad, the mysterious winner of the Mono in VCF contest, hasn’t turned up to collect his prize. The fascist in me has decided that he has lost his chance and the winner is now Angel. Congratulations, there’s nothing wrong with second place.

Popularity: 39% [?]

I’ve got an extra copy of the Mono in VCF album that I reviewed the other day on A Free Man. I’d like to give it away to a reader and thought we could play a little game of “Name That Tune”. Have a listen to the song I’ve posted below. If you can identify the song name, artist and album then you’ve won a chance at the Mono in VCF record. Leave your answer as a comment and I’ll draw one winner next Friday (June 20). A hint - the album that this song was featured on, in a byzantine way, has something to do with my review.

UPDATE

My contest design for this one is clearly flawed. I’ll have to work on that, as I have another little contest in the works. Just this time I’m going to change the rules halfway through. If you want the Mono in VCF disk, leave a comment and I’ll draw a name from a hat on the 20th. I’m fully expecting vitriol from those who answered the question already, but we’ll see if we can’t work a little something special out for y’all.

Popularity: 23% [?]

I’ve got an extra copy of the Mono in VCF album that I reviewed the other day. I’d like to give it away to a reader and thought we could play a little game of “Name That Tune”. Have a listen to the song I’ve posted below. If you can identify the song name, artist and album then you’ve won a chance at the Mono in VCF record. Leave your answer as a comment and I’ll draw one winner next Friday (June 20). A hint - the album that this song was featured on, in a byzantine way, has something to do with my review.

MP3: Name That Tune!

Popularity: 13% [?]