Random Fact: “Tom’s Diner” was the first MP3

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Janos Marton

Thought this might be of interest to tournament listeners.  An article about the development of the MP3 explains that Peoples’ Choice Tournament participant, “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega, was chosen by Karlheinz Brandenburg.  The human voice was difficult to compress, and Vega’s a capella was an ideal guinea pig for detecting if the algorithm was  working.   The year, my friends, was 1987.  We’ve come a long way.  And have miles to go before we sleep.

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Results: Round of 32, Divisions M, N, O, P

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Lindsay

Tonight we crown our final set of Division Champions and 4 more songs must pack up their toys and go home.  This round sees the elimination of 4 artists:

Four Artists go home tonight.

Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Division I, J, K and L Championship Results

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Janos Marton

What a wild round. This may have been my favorite day of the tournament.  This is the stage where all hell breaks loose.  First, hats off to all eight of these songs.  There was a point earlier today when all eight were averaging higher than 7.2.   Collectively, they received eleven “10s”.   At one point this morning, all four #2 seeds were winning. Every match ended up within ten points, remarkable for 25 voters. Here’s how the drama broke down, match by match. Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Division E, F, G, H Finalists

Posted on August 17, 2011 by nataliebabij

champion!

Voters, we are halfway through the Round of 32.  I’d like you to meet the newest Division Champions.

Division E: #1 Somebody to Love (Live in Montreal), Queen.  This song had a whopping 8.14 average in this round.  No other song as averaged above 8 in this round yet.  Defeated Jumping Jack Flash 195.35 to 133.9.

Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Divisions M, N, O, P

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Lindsay

Welcome to the last night of the Round of 32!  We’ve got some great stuff to ease us into the next round.  So let’s get busy and crown some Division Champions!

May the Best Songs Win

First up, we have Division M’s leaders:  #1 I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness facing #2 Crabbuckit  by K-os.  Last time around, The Darkness averaged Continue reading →

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Stafford Subsidy Eliminated

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Janos Marton

(Re-posted on August 17, 2011 following interview on Let’s Talk About It)

The new debt ceiling bill is unpalatable to many, but a provision that snuck in without much fanfare is killer to graduate students all over the country.

Beginning in July of 2012, Stafford loans will begin accruing interest while students are still in schools, ending a long-time federal subsidy.   The government is expected to save a whopping $8 billion over five years by enacting this new policy. Continue reading →

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Why Triathlons Without Training Are Not Recommended (Part 2 of 4)

Posted on August 17, 2011 by g-mo

Not what I did

It wasn’t that training hadn’t crossed my mind, but the decision to do the damn thing was rather spontaneous. I was supposed to be doing a 2 mile swim in Lake Tahoe, like I mentioned before, and my ride from San Francisco to the lake unexpectedly canceled on me with 3 weeks to go before the race. So I had been swimming, and had been lifting weights, all with the intention of not necessarily racing fast, but surviving. So when plans changed, I was a little disillusioned. I briefly considered trying to get out to Tahoe from San Fran some other way (there’s an Amtrak route that will take you out to Sacramento and put you on a bus from there. I didn’t want to rent a car) but in the end Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Divisions A, B, C and D Championship Results

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Danno

Our first Division Champions are unveiled

The Round of 32 has crowned it’s first 4 of 16 division champions.  There were no surprises in store for this set of matchups though.  Most of them were really no contest, but Division C was a real nail biter.  Voting fatigue seems to be setting in a little bit for each of the winners.  Average scores for “Higher and Higher” and “Home” dropped by 0.54 and 0.32, respectively, since the last round. Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Division I, J, K and L Championships

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Janos Marton

I want Ron Wood's pants!

Remarkably, all four of today’s Division Championships involve #1 seeds taking on #2 seeds, and only in Division K is the #2 seed a favorite.  That means folks have been largely sticking to their guns through the early rounds of the tournament.   Listen here and vote by commenting below before 8pm EST on Thursday.

Preview: Division I features the brassy stylings of Ray LaMontagne, who has posted strong numbers all tournament.   The Faces have been the sneakier finalist in this division, and while some dig the nostalgic tenor, Stewart and co. also got some really low scores last round.

Division J is the battle of Motown.  Guillermo has predicted that Lady G and the Pips have what it takes to go all the way.  The song’s biggest weakness, that it doesn’t pack a very rocking punch, will not be exposed against Smokey and his somewhat faint backup Miracles.  Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Division E, F, G, H Finals

Posted on August 15, 2011 by nataliebabij

Div E: Some jumping jacks to love?

And on we go.  Tonight I share with you four more divisions who will each be represented by only one song after the next 48 hours.

Listen to all the contenders here or use the widget below.  Submit your scores via the comment section.  Votes must be in by Wednesday, August 16th at 8 pm EDT. Continue reading →

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