Comments on: Coverage: The danger of lists http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/ Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:36:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Coverage: “Hallelujah” on the UK charts « zed equals zee http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-627 Coverage: “Hallelujah” on the UK charts « zed equals zee Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:13:41 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-627 [...] week guest blogger Scott posted about the Jeff Buckley cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” describing it as [...] [...] week guest blogger Scott posted about the Jeff Buckley cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” describing it as [...]

]]> By: Nick http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-616 Nick Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:13:21 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-616 I have no problem with year-end lists - they've been mostly good to me. They're not all created equal, though. I remember this "Top 100 Albums of All-Time" list - in Q or some other hyperbolic UK magazine - that had three (3) Massive Attack songs in the top 10. Seriously? I mean, "Teardrop" is a pretty song and all, but gimmie a break. I have no problem with year-end lists – they’ve been mostly good to me. They’re not all created equal, though. I remember this “Top 100 Albums of All-Time” list – in Q or some other hyperbolic UK magazine – that had three (3) Massive Attack songs in the top 10. Seriously? I mean, “Teardrop” is a pretty song and all, but gimmie a break.

]]> By: Scott http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-615 Scott Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:05:46 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-615 c, several of the other playlists on your site looked about right to me. For example, the <a href="http://www.nutsie.com/digitaldreamdoor/40%20Most%20Popular%20Classical%20Works/4154685" rel="nofollow">40 Most Popular Classical Works</a> list does a good job of finding pieces that are both major/important works and accessible to an audience that might not be comfortable with classical music. And the poor quality of music the year I turned 14 isn't your fault; that list just represents a harsh truth about the world. But there were just a few things about the covers list that were too egregious for me to look past. Something that might improve the user-feedback functionality of these lists is if there was a way to disagree with individual line items, rather than giving the whole list a thumbs up or down. As I noted in the post, there were parts of the list that I wholeheartedly agreed with, and having to give the full list a disagree doesn't allow users to distinguish those pieces that should be retained. c, several of the other playlists on your site looked about right to me. For example, the 40 Most Popular Classical Works list does a good job of finding pieces that are both major/important works and accessible to an audience that might not be comfortable with classical music. And the poor quality of music the year I turned 14 isn’t your fault; that list just represents a harsh truth about the world. But there were just a few things about the covers list that were too egregious for me to look past.

Something that might improve the user-feedback functionality of these lists is if there was a way to disagree with individual line items, rather than giving the whole list a thumbs up or down. As I noted in the post, there were parts of the list that I wholeheartedly agreed with, and having to give the full list a disagree doesn’t allow users to distinguish those pieces that should be retained.

]]> By: Nick http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-614 Nick Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:31:01 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-614 Two Boltons?! Too rich for my blood, Scott. Fold! Two Boltons?! Too rich for my blood, Scott. Fold!

]]> By: Scott http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-612 Scott Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:34:50 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-612 Nick, I'll see your Celine Dion and Ricky Martin and raise you two Michael Boltons. Nick, I’ll see your Celine Dion and Ricky Martin and raise you two Michael Boltons.

]]> By: debcha http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-609 debcha Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:10:53 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-609 Nick, I'll let Scott speak for himself as to his age, but yeesh! those two lists are certainly terrible. Nick, I’ll let Scott speak for himself as to his age, but yeesh! those two lists are certainly terrible.

]]> By: debcha http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-608 debcha Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:08:11 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-608 Hey, c (from nuTsie, I presume) - thanks for stopping by! I do think you are rather missing the point when you say that to complain about the list is 'ridiculous', although you did come close when you admitted that you enjoyed the post. It's a perfectly legitimate activity - we're using our own bandwidth for the exercise, after all - and it's even more fun when the litany of complaints is as snarkily amusing as Scott's. Hey, c (from nuTsie, I presume) – thanks for stopping by! I do think you are rather missing the point when you say that to complain about the list is ‘ridiculous’, although you did come close when you admitted that you enjoyed the post. It’s a perfectly legitimate activity – we’re using our own bandwidth for the exercise, after all – and it’s even more fun when the litany of complaints is as snarkily amusing as Scott’s.

]]> By: Nick http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-606 Nick Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:45:48 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-606 "It probably isn’t one of the 100 best covers with the word ‘California’ in the title." = Haha "Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” is just insipid" - make that a minority of two! I think you're either 24 or 25 - am I right? Biggest hits: 1998 "My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion "Believe" - Cher "Closing Time" - Semisonic "Fly Away" - Lenny Kravitz "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" - Will Smith "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" - Green Day "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith "Iris" - Goo Goo Dolls "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" - DMX "Save Tonight" - Eagle-Eye Cherry "Still Not a Player" - Big Pun feat. Joe "3 A.M." - Matchbox Twenty "This Kiss" - Faith Hill "Torn" - Natalie Imbruglia "Truly Madly Deeply" - Savage Garden "Uninvited" - Alanis Morissette Biggest hits: 1999: "All Star" - Smash Mouth "Bawitdaba" - Kid Rock "Californication" - Red Hot Chili Peppers "Desert Rose" - Sting "Every Morning" - Sugar Ray "Freak on a Leash" - KoЯn "I Want It That Way" - Backstreet Boys "I Will Remember You" - Sarah McLachlan "Livin' la Vida Loca" - Ricky Martin "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" - Shania Twain "My Own Worst Enemy" - Lit "Nookie" - Limp Bizkit "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" - The Offspring "That Don't Impress Me Much" - Shania Twain "What's My Age Again?" - Blink-182 "Wild Wild West" - Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee "You Get What You Give" - New Radicals “It probably isn’t one of the 100 best covers with the word ‘California’ in the title.” = Haha

“Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” is just insipid” – make that a minority of two!

I think you’re either 24 or 25 – am I right?

Biggest hits: 1998

“My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion
“Believe” – Cher
“Closing Time” – Semisonic
“Fly Away” – Lenny Kravitz
“Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” – Will Smith
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” – Green Day
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Aerosmith
“Iris” – Goo Goo Dolls
“Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” – DMX
“Save Tonight” – Eagle-Eye Cherry
“Still Not a Player” – Big Pun feat. Joe
“3 A.M.” – Matchbox Twenty
“This Kiss” – Faith Hill
“Torn” – Natalie Imbruglia
“Truly Madly Deeply” – Savage Garden
“Uninvited” – Alanis Morissette

Biggest hits: 1999:

“All Star” – Smash Mouth
“Bawitdaba” – Kid Rock
“Californication” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Desert Rose” – Sting
“Every Morning” – Sugar Ray
“Freak on a Leash” – KoЯn
“I Want It That Way” – Backstreet Boys
“I Will Remember You” – Sarah McLachlan
“Livin’ la Vida Loca” – Ricky Martin
“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” – Shania Twain
“My Own Worst Enemy” – Lit
“Nookie” – Limp Bizkit
“Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” – The Offspring
“That Don’t Impress Me Much” – Shania Twain
“What’s My Age Again?” – Blink-182
“Wild Wild West” – Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee
“You Get What You Give” – New Radicals

]]> By: c http://zedequalszee.com/2008/12/15/coverage-the-danger-of-lists/#comment-605 c Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:30:12 +0000 http://zedequalszee.com/?p=1610#comment-605 Hi Scott, You're right about playlists...but to complain about it is ridiculous (not that I didn't enjoy your article). Music is like people. Everyone's different and no "master playlist" could ever exist to meet everyone'e needs. With that said, you know you can create your own playlists on nuTsie, right? Also, you can agree or disagree with any of the "Top ..." lists and suggest changes. More power to the users that care to empower themselves. Hi Scott,

You’re right about playlists…but to complain about it is ridiculous (not that I didn’t enjoy your article). Music is like people. Everyone’s different and no “master playlist” could ever exist to meet everyone’e needs. With that said, you know you can create your own playlists on nuTsie, right? Also, you can agree or disagree with any of the “Top …” lists and suggest changes. More power to the users that care to empower themselves.

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