Daryl's Schoolwork l Homemade : I Know What You Did Last Holiday

And now, ladies and gentlemen-the latest project of the, uhm...holiday. Feast your eyes upon the work of mankind, the mark of innovation, the...the...nah, I'll pull it off. I give you, the sacred-well not really-PENCIL CASE-cum-MOBILE HOLDER. Voila, and thank you.

Took me nearly forever to work it out, you know. For a first-time ammateur like me, it sure wasn't easy. Ah, well, anyway, here's my baby. Think I'm gonna name it, uhm...let's put it away for now.

Daryl's Post l Jam.s rocks? Bogus.

've been listening to Jam.s d taiwanese artist' s latest 'Wang Fei". As much as it would be said a 'rock'-ish song, for me...it just didn't feel RIGHT there...

The intro was ok, with a bit of d punk and his 'grunt'...d verse A was, pretty much...ok pass...and then coming down to the lower part, some weird sound like a whistle came out, haven't really figured out what it's about...

Moving down to the-Chorus. I thought I felt something coming, but...d bass was to soft, there wasn't rhythm-that i can hear-on d guitars, in fact there wasn't anyone playing besides d bass...Jam.s voice sounded just a bit disintegrated from the music...then came the punk-ish guitar again. If only they put some like THAT in d chorus...

Then there was d bridge. It felt REALLY empty for me, like it was some interval for poor Jam.s to take a break and clear his throat or something...There wsn't a climax building up, so, at the last chorus, I felt literally bored. Even the 'ultimate' grunt sounded annoying.

As much as d DJ-cum-fan would like to 'praise' on his rock-voice, I just heard someone roaring through his NOSE..the voice was rough, BUT it wasn't coming ALL out. I'm hearing through his nose, not his throat. AS little anticipation I wpuld put into d song, some dissapointment was yet heartfelt.

And, AS much boos and yells this final sentence would, uhh, 'inflict' - TRY SOME ENGLISH MUSIC. C'mon, do All American Rejects, do My Chemical Romance, do Greenday. THESE guys rock So. Much. Better. Even with only bass. Even-urghh-Hinder...

Jam.s (weird name), stick to pop.

Daryl's Post l I hate flu!

Urgghh...getting sick as a pig since Thursday. Checked up with the doc, and-weird, I'm not getting all thankful-it's just a normal fever. Coughing up for medicine, and, I be fit due Sunday. Perhaps worst.

Miss my books...don't really wanna spit off some phlegm onto'em.

Getting well soon!

Daryl's Post l NewEntry_Playlist...

Right. Here's something I've been PAINSTAKINGLY trying to put on. Why? My net line literally sucks.

Yep, the playlist. Well, comprising some of MY everyday songs, and it's -could be - all rock hits. My. Favorite.
Don't blame me for going all-English. Cos' they are, really, great for jammin into. Anyway, I surely hope that you guys would like it. Thanks!

School Project(boohoo...) : Diseases l Acromegaly

Facial aspect of a patient with acromegaly. The nose is widened and thickened, the cheekbones are obvious, the forehead bulges, the lips are thick and the facial lines are marked. The forehead and overlying skin is thickened, sometimes leading to frontal bossing.As compared with the hand of a typical person, the hand of a patient with acromegaly is enlarged, the fingers are widened, thickened and stubby, and the soft tissue is thickened.

Right, here’s acromegaly, my choice of “disease” to my little school project. Simpest sign? Big Hnads. Why the choice? Somehow I suspect...

Derived from Wikipedia - .......

Definition

Acromegaly (from Greek akros "extreme" or "extremities" and megalos "large" - extremities enlargement) is a syndrome that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (hGH) after epiphyseal plate closure at puberty. A number of disorders may increase the pituitary's GH output, although most commonly it involves a GH producing tumor called pituitary adenoma, derived from a distinct type of cell (somatotrophs).
Acromegaly most commonly affects adults in middle age, and can result in severe disfigurement, serious complicating conditions, and premature death if unchecked. Because of its insidious pathogenesis and slow progression, the disease is hard to diagnose in the early stages and is frequently missed for many years, when changes in external features, especially of the face, become noticeable.
Acromegaly is often also associated with gigantism.

Symptoms

Features that result from high level of hGH or expanding tumor include:
Soft tissue swelling visibly resulting in enlargement of the hands, feet, nose, lips and ears, and a general thickening of the skin
Soft tissue swelling of internal organs, notably the heart with attendant weakening of its muscularity, and the kidneys, also the vocal cords resulting in a characteristic thick, deep voice and slowing of speech
Generalized expansion of the skull at the fontanelle
Pronounced brow protrusion, often with ocular distension
Pronounced lower jaw protrusion with attendant macroglossia (enlargement of the tongue) and teeth gapping
Hypertrichosis, hyperpigmentation, and hyperhidrosis may occur in these patients.

Causes

Pituitary adenoma
· In over 90 percent of acromegaly patients, the overproduction of growth hormones is caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, called an adenoma. These tumors produce excess growth hormones and, as they expand, compress surrounding brain tissues, such as the optic nerves. This expansion causes the headaches and visual disturbances that often accompany acromegaly. In addition, compression of the surrounding normal pituitary tissue can alter production of other hormones, leading to changes in menstruation and breast discharge in women and impotence in men because of reduced testosterone production.
· There is a marked variation in rates of GH production and the aggressiveness of the tumor. Some adenomas grow slowly and symptoms of growth hormone excess are often not noticed for many years. Other adenomas grow rapidly and invade surrounding brain areas or the sinuses, which are located near the pituitary. In general, younger patients tend to have more aggressive tumors.
· Most pituitary tumors arise spontaneously and are not genetically inherited. Many pituitary tumors arise from a genetic alteration in a single pituitary cell which leads to increased cell division and tumor formation. This genetic change, or mutation, is not present at birth, but is acquired during life. The mutation occurs in a gene that regulates the transmission of chemical signals within pituitary cells; it permanently switches on the signal that tells the cell to divide and secrete growth hormones. The events within the cell that cause disordered pituitary cell growth and growth hormone oversecretion currently are the subject of intensive research.

Other tumors
· In a few patients, acromegaly is caused not by pituitary tumors but by tumors of the pancreas, lungs, and adrenal glands. These tumors also lead to an excess of GH, either because they produce GH themselves or, more frequently, because they produce GHRH (Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone), the hormone that stimulates the pituitary to make GH. In these patients, the excess GHRH can be measured in the blood and establishes that the cause of the acromegaly is not due to a pituitary defect. When these non-pituitary tumors are surgically removed, GH levels fall and the symptoms of acromegaly improve.
· In patients with GHRH-producing, non-pituitary tumors, the pituitary still may be enlarged and may be mistaken for a tumor. Therefore, it is important that physicians carefully analyze all "pituitary tumors" removed from patients with acromegaly in order not to overlook the possibility that a tumor elsewhere in the body is causing the disorder.

Human Growth Hormone abuse
· The misuse of human growth hormone for bodybuilding and 'bulking up' has also been linked with the onset of acromegaly.

Diagnosis

Frequent blood sampling with serum GH measurement shows that in normal subjects (left panel) GH can fluctuate between undetectable levels (most of the time) and peaks of up to 30 μg/l (90 mIU/l), owing to the episodic nature of GH secretion, while in patients with acromegaly (an example is given on right panel), GH hypersecretion is continuous and GH never returns to undetectable levels.

If acromegaly is suspected, medical imaging and medical laboratory investigations are generally used together to confirm or rule out the presence of this condition.
IGF1 provides the most sensitive and useful lab test for the diagnosis of acromegaly. A single value of the Growth hormone (GH) is not useful in view of its pulsatality (levels in the blood vary greatly even in healthy individuals). GH levels taken 2 hours after a 75 or 100 gram glucose tolerance test are helpful in the diagnosis: GH levels are suppressed below 1 μg/L in normal people, and levels higher than this cutoff are confirmatory of acromegaly.
Other pituitary hormones have to be assessed to address the secretory effects of the tumor as well as the mass effect of the tumor on the normal pituitary gland. They include TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), gonadotropic hormones (FSH,LH), ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), prolactin.
An MRI of the brain focusing on the sella turcica after gadolinium administration allows for clear delineation of the pituitary and the hypothalamus and the location of the tumor.

Treatment

The goals of treatment are to reduce GH production to normal levels, to relieve the pressure that the growing pituitary tumor exerts on the surrounding brain areas, to preserve normal pituitary function, and to reverse or ameliorate the symptoms of acromegaly. Currently, treatment options include surgical removal of the tumor, drug therapy, and radiation therapy of the pituitary.

Surgery is a rapid and effective treatment, of which there are two alternative methods. The first method, a procedure known as Endonasal Transphenoidal surgery, involves the surgeon reaching the pituitary through an incision in the nasal cavity wall. The wall is reached by passing through the nostrils with microsurgical instruments. The second method is Transsphenoidal surgery during which an incision is made into the gum beneath the upper lip. Further incisions are made to cut through the septum to reach the nasal cavity, where the pituitary is located. Endonasal Transphenoidal surgery is a less invasive procedure with a shorter recovery time than the older method of Transphenoidal surgery, and the likelihood of removing the entire tumor is greater with reduced side-effects. Consequently, Endonasal Transphenoidal surgery is often used as a first option, with Transphenoidal and other treatments, such as, medicinal therapy or radiostatic neurosurgery being used to reduce the remaining adverse effects of the remaining tumor.

These procedures normally relieve the pressure on the surrounding brain regions and lead to a lowering of GH levels. If the surgery is successful, facial appearance and soft tissue swelling improve within a few days. Surgery is most successful in patients with blood GH levels below 40 ng/ml before the operation and with pituitary tumors no larger than 10 mm in diameter. Success depends on the skill and experience of the surgeon. The success rate also depends on what level of GH is defined as a cure. The best measure of surgical success is normalization of GH and IGF-1 levels. Ideally, GH should be less than 2 ng/ml after an oral glucose load. A review of GH levels in 1,360 patients worldwide immediately after surgery revealed that 60 percent had random GH levels below 5 ng/ml. Complications of surgery may include cerebrospinal fluid leaks, meningitis, or damage to the surrounding normal pituitary tissue, requiring lifelong pituitary hormone replacement.

Even when surgery is successful and hormone levels return to normal, patients must be carefully monitored for years for possible recurrence. More commonly, hormone levels may improve, but not return completely to normal. These patients may then require additional treatment, usually with medications.

Two medications currently are used to treat acromegaly. These drugs reduce both GH secretion and tumor size. Medical therapy is sometimes used to shrink large tumors before surgery. Bromocriptine (Parlodel) in divided doses of about 20 mg daily reduces GH secretion from some pituitary tumors. Side effects include gastrointestinal upset, nausea, vomiting, light-headedness when standing, and nasal congestion. These side effects can be reduced or eliminated if medication is started at a very low dose at bedtime, taken with food, and gradually increased to the full therapeutic dose. Because bromocriptine can be taken orally, it is an attractive choice as primary drug or in combination with other treatments. However, bromocriptine lowers GH and IGF-1 levels and reduces tumor size in fewer than half of patients with acromegaly. Some patients report improvement in their symptoms although their GH and IGF-1 levels still are elevated.

The second medication used to treat acromegaly is octreotide (Sandostatin) and lanreotide (Somatuline). Both are synthetic forms of a brain hormone, somatostatin, that stops GH production. The long-acting forms of these drugs must be injected every 2 to 4 weeks for effective treatment. Most patients with acromegaly respond to this medication. In many patients, GH levels fall within one hour and headaches improve within minutes after the injection. Several studies have shown that octreotide and lanreotide are effective for long-term treatment. Octreotide and lanreotide have also been used successfully to treat patients with acromegaly caused by non-pituitary tumors.

Because octreotide inhibits gastrointestinal and pancreatic function, long-term use causes digestive problems such as loose stools, nausea, and gas in one third of patients. In addition, approximately 25 percent of patients develop gallstones, which are usually asymptomatic. In rare cases, octreotide treatment can cause diabetes. On the other hand, scientists have found that in some acromegaly patients who already have diabetes, octreotide can reduce the need for insulin and improve blood sugar control.

The latest development in the medical treatment of acromegaly is the use of growth hormone receptor antagonists. The only available member of this family is pegvisomant (Somavert). By blocking the action of the endogenous growth hormone molecules, this compound is able to control disease activity of acromegaly in virtually all patients. Pegvisomant has to be administered subcutaneously by daily injections. Combinations of long-acting somatostatin analogues and weekly injections of pegvisomant seem to be equally effective as daily injections of pegvisomant.

Radiation therapy has been used both as a primary treatment and combined with surgery or drugs. It is usually reserved for patients who have tumor remaining after surgery. These patients often also receive medication to lower GH levels. Radiation therapy is given in divided doses over four to six weeks. This treatment lowers GH levels by about 50 percent over 2 to 5 years. Patients monitored for more than 5 years show significant further improvement. Radiation therapy causes a gradual loss of production of other pituitary hormones with time. Loss of vision and brain injury, which have been reported, are very rare complications of radiation treatments.

No single treatment is effective for all patients. Treatment should be individualized depending on patient characteristics, such as age and tumor size. If the tumor has not yet invaded surrounding brain tissues, removal of the pituitary adenoma by an experienced neurosurgeon is usually the first choice. After surgery, a patient must be monitored for a long time for increasing GH levels. If surgery does not normalize hormone levels or a relapse occurs, a doctor will usually begin additional drug therapy. The first choice should be bromocriptine because it is easy to administer; octreotide is the second alternative. With both medications, long-term therapy is necessary because their withdrawal can lead to rising GH levels and tumor re-expansion. Radiation therapy is generally used for patients whose tumors are not completely removed by surgery; for patients who are not good candidates for surgery because of other health problems; and for patients who do not respond adequately to surgery and medication.

Pituitary gigantism in children

This condition of growth hormone excess is rare in children and is referred to as pituitary gigantism, because the excessive growth hormone produces excessive growth of bones and the child can achieve excessive height; from 2.1 to 2.7 m (6'11" to 8'11") in stature by adulthood if left untreated. As an affected child becomes an adult, many of the adult problems can gradually develop. The distinction between gigantism (occurring in children) and acromegaly (occurring in adults) can be made by the occurrence of the adenoma in relation to the closure of the epiphyses. If elevated growth hormone levels occur before the closure of the epiphyses (i.e. in prepubertal children), then gigantism ensues. If it occurs after the closure of the epiphyses (i.e., in adults) then acromegaly ensues.

Hands up for the big-hands...if yours are too....

Daryl's Band l Paramore

2002–2005 l Formation and All We Know Is Falling
In 2002, at the age of 13, vocalist, Hayley Williams moved from her hometown Meridian, Mississippi to Franklin, Tennessee where she met brothers Josh and Zac Farro while she was attending a private school. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning. However, prior to forming Paramore, Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis, along with friend Kimee Read, took part in a funk cover band called The Factory, while the Farro brothers had practiced together after school. The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as vocalist, but, because they were really good friends, she started writing for them, and it eventually worked out.[6] The band was officially formed by Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Zac Farro (drums), Jeremy Davis (bass) and Hayley Williams (lead vocals) in 2004, with the later addition of Williams' neighbor Jason Bynum (rhythm guitar). According to Williams, the name "Paramore" came from the maiden name of the mother of one of their first bass players. Once the group learned the meaning of the homonym paramour ("secret lover"), they decided to adopt the name, using the Paramore spelling. The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album. Over the following years, Paramore performed at venues outside the greater Nashville area, including the concert festivals Purple Door and Warped Tour. John Janick, CEO and co-founder of the music label Fueled by Ramen, got a hold of Paramore's demos and went to a Taste of Chaos performance in Orlando, Florida to see the band perform live. After a smaller private performance at a warehouse, the band was signed to the label in April 2005. Soon after working with Band Promotion Legacys (www.myspace.com/funnymoviemakers)they started getting lots of fans and went of to record their debut album album in Orlando, Florida, All We Know Is Falling, but shortly after arriving, Davis left the band, citing personal reasons for doing so. The remaining four members of Paramore continued with the album, writing "All We Know" about his departure, and later deciding to base All We Know Is Falling around the concept. The album artwork also reflected Paramore's grief as Williams explains, "The couch on the cover of All We Know is Falling with no one there and the shadow walking away; it's all about Jeremy leaving us and us feeling like there's an empty space. Recording for All We Know is Falling had taken three weeks, and promotional material for the album had only featured the four remaining members. Before touring, the band added John Hembree (bass) to their line up to replace Davis. During that summer, Paramore was featured on the Shira Girl stage of the 2005 Warped Tour. After being asked by the band, Davis returned to Paramore after five months apart, replacing Hembree. All We Know Is Falling was released on July 24, 2005, and reached #30 on the Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Paramore released "Pressure" as its first single, with a video directed by Shane Drake, but the song had failed to place on the charts. The video featured the band performing in a warehouse, eventually getting sprayed with water sprinklers as the storyline of a conflicted couple occurs. In July, "Emergency" was released as the second single, the video again reuniting the band with director Shane Drake and featuring Hunter Lamb, who replaced Bynum on guitar.[3] The video for "Emergency" showcased Paramore in another performance, this time fixing the members bloody and in worn costumes. The third single, "All We Know", was released with limited airtime, with the video consisting of a collection of live performances and backstage footage. In January 2006, the band took part in the Winter Go West tour where they played alongside Seattle bands Amber Pacific and The Lashes. In February, Williams was featured on "Keep Dreaming Upside Down" by October Fall. In spring of 2006, Paramore was an opening act on headlining tours for both Bayside and soon afterwards, The Rocket Summer. They toured the United Kingdom from October 5 to October 15, 2006, where they ended in London at The Mean Fiddler. The band then covered Foo Fighters' "My Hero" for the Sound of Superman soundtrack which was released on June 26, 2006. During the summer of 2006, Paramore played a portion of Warped Tour, primarily on the Volcom and Hurley Stages, and their first night on the Main Stage was at a date in their hometown of Nashville. Paramore's first United States headlining tour began on August 2, 2006 to a sold-out audience[14] with support from This Providence, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Hit the Lights with the final show in Nashville. That year they were voted "Best New Band", and Williams was voted as #2 "Sexiest Female", by readers of the British magazine Kerrang!.
In 2007, Paramore was named by British magazine NME as one of ten bands to watch out for in their "New Noise 2007" feature. In January, the band played an acoustic set for the grand opening of a Warped Tour exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the dress Williams wore in the video for "Emergency" was also put on display in the exhibit. Paramore was featured in Kerrang! magazine once more, however, Williams believed the article was an untrue portrayal of the band, particularly because it focused on her as the main component. Afterwards, Williams addressed the issue in the band's LiveJournal, with a post saying, "we could’ve done without a cover piece. sorry, if it offends anyone at Kerrang! but i don’t think there was one bit of truth in that article."[18] In April, Williams' vocals were featured in "Then Came To Kill" by The Chariot. They headlined a tour in early 2007 with This Providence, The Almost and Love Arcade.

2007–2008 l Riot! and other projects

Paramore began recording their second album, Riot! in January 2007, ending production in March without the guitar of Hunter Lamb (who left the band early in 2007 after getting married); without Lamb, lead guitarist Farro was required to play both guitar parts on the album. Taylor York, who had been in a band with the Farro brothers before the two met Williams, joined as a replacement for Lamb. After being courted by producers Neal Avron and Howard Benson, Paramore opted to record Riot! with New Jersey producer David Bendeth (Your Vegas, Breaking Benjamin), releasing the album on June 12, 2007. Riot! entered the Billboard 200 at number 20, the UK charts at number 24, and sold 44,000 its first week in the United States. The name Riot! had been chosen because it meant "a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion", and it was a word that "summed it all up". The first single from the album, released June 21, 2007, "Misery Business", is, according to Williams, "more honest than anything I've ever written, and the guys matched that emotion musically."
Summer of 2007 saw Paramore participating on their third Warped Tour and posting journals of their experiences on yourhereblog for MTV. In June they were declared by Rolling Stone as "Ones to Watch". Paramore made their 1st Live Television debut on Fuse Networks daily show, The Sauce The second single from Riot!, "Hallelujah", was released on July 30, 2007, and is currently only available online and on UK television. The video, much like "All We Know", features backstage footage and live performances. In August 2007, Paramore had been featured in television spots on MTV, performing acoustic versions of their songs or acting in short accompaniments to MTV program commercials. As "MTV Artists of the Week", the band filmed the faux camping themed spots in Queens, New York, all written and directed by Evan Silver and Gina Fortunato. MTV.com also has a collection of short videos with the band to promote Riot as well. For weeks in August 2007, the "Misery Business" video was the number one streamed video at MTV.com. On October 8, Paramore played "Misery Business" live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a booking made possible due to the friendship struck between the band and Max Weinberg during the 2007 Warped Tour. In August, Paramore participated in the band New Found Glory's music video for their cover of Sixpence None the Richer's song "Kiss Me".

On October 11, 2007, the music video for "Crushcrushcrush" debuted on the United States television as the next single from Riot!. The video for "Crushcrushcrush" featured the band playing a performance in a barren desert, being spied upon, and later destroying their equipment. The single was officially released in the United States on November 19 and made available in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2007. Williams recorded guest vocals for the tracks "The Church Channel" and "Plea" for the Say Anything concept album In Defense of the Genre released on October 23, 2007. The group performed live, acoustic style in Boston on November 29, 2007 for FNX radio. On December 31, 2007, Paramore performed on the MTV New Year's Eve program which ran from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Paramore was featured on the cover of February 2008 issue of Alternative Press magazine and voted "Best Band Of 2007" by the readers. The band was nominated for "Best New Artist" at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards presented on February 10, 2008 but lost to Amy Winehouse. Early 2008 saw Paramore touring the United Kingdom, supporting their album Riot!, along with New Found Glory, Kids in Glass Houses and Conditions. In early February 2008, the band began a tour in Europe, however on February 21, 2008, the band announced that they had canceled 6 shows due to personal issues. Williams wrote on the band's web site that "the break will give that band 'a chance to get away and work out our personal issues'". MTV.com reported that fans of Paramore were speculating about the future of the band and reported rumors of trouble had begun earlier in the month when Josh Farro expressed his anger against the media's focus on Williams. The band, however, returned to their hometown to record the music video for the fourth single "That's What You Get", which was then released on March 24, 2008.

The band toured with Jimmy Eat World in the United States in April and May 2008. The band headlined the Give It A Name festival in the United Kingdom on May 10 and May 11, 2008. Also the band performed on the In New Music We Trust Stage at Radio 1's One Big Weekend in Mote Park, Kent on May 10, 2008. Paramore had their debut Irish performance at the RDS in Dublin, Ireland on June 2, 2008. Also, Paramore performed at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour from July 1–6, 2008. They are set to perform in Florida in late 2009.

On MTV's TRL, May 7, 2008, lead singer Hayley Williams said that the band was working on a new album and that it would hopefully be released by next summer. Hayley says she and the band have been practicing the new songs during the sound checks on tour.[citation needed] In an Alternative Press cover story, Zac Farro speculated on a forthcoming album, saying that it would sound like bands Mew, Thrice, and Arcade Fire.

On May 19, Paramore announced on their website that they will be going on tour again, the tour being named "The Final RIOT!", starting July 25 and ending September 1. On this tour, the band performed part of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". On September 2 Paramore released a collaboration hoodie along with Hurley Clothing based on the album Riot!. All proceeds go to the Love146 foundation.

Paramore's song "Decode" is the lead single for the novel-based Twilight film. Another song called "I Caught Myself" is also featured on the film's soundtrack. The band began shooting the video October 13 and singer Hayley Williams posted photos on the band's website of them on the set. "Decode" was released on October 1, 2008 on the Paramore Fan Club site as well as Stephenie Meyer's website. The video premiered on November 3. Hot Topic hosted listening parties for the soundtrack on October 24, 2008, and the album was released on November 4, 2008. Borders released an exclusive version of the soundtrack that features an acoustic version of "Decode." The band released a live album named The Final Riot! on November 25, 2008. The album includes a bonus DVD with a full concert recorded in Chicago, IL as well as an exclusive behind the scenes documentary. As of the 9th of April 2009, The Final Riot! is certified gold in the United States.

2009–present l Brand New Eyes

In January 2009, Josh Farro spoke about the band's upcoming third studio album. Talking to Kerrang!, Farro said: "We're gonna try to [record] it in Nashville. I think writing the album there will inspire us, and then if we record there too it'll be a lot easier since we can sleep in our beds at night rather than in hotels like the other 300 days out of the year! We're not sure who's going to produce the record yet. We did "Decode" with [producer] Rob Cavallo, which was a good experience, but we're looking around and don't want to make any decisions until we have a lot of songs and we know what we're looking for. We really enjoy our live sound and we want a producer who can really capture that."

On January 21, 2009, it was announced that Paramore will be the special guest with Bedouin Soundclash, The Sounds and Janelle Monae at the No Doubt Summer Tour 2009, starting in May 2009 in outdoor amphitheaters and arenas across the US and Canada.

Paramore has completed production of their third studio album, titled "brand new eyes", which is planned to be released on 29th September 2009. According to the band's LiveJournal, Rob Cavallo (known for also producing Paramore's "Decode" and several other bands' albums such as Green Day, Avril Lavigne, Less Than Jake and My Chemical Romance) produced the third studio album. "Ignorance" was released July 7 as the first single from "brand new eyes". In a recent interview Hayley Williams said the band had just recorded a performance for MTV Unplugged, and it will be airing on MTV in mid-September.

Musical style and influences

Joshua Martin had written after an interview with Williams, "The band isn't just a short pop-punk girl with red hair and a spunky attitude. Their music is like them, it's aged differently. It's sped up, and slowed down. It's emo without being whiney, or bratty. Almost a very literal anti-Avril Lavigne."Alternative Press magazine had commented that the band was "young sounding", while consistently being "honest." Paramore's first album All We Know is Falling had an arguably more "formulaic pop-punk" sound that was "delivered particularly well" and the combination of the two had created a "refined rock infused pop/punk album." The band's second release, Riot! was said to explore a 'diverse range of styles," however, not straying far from "their signature sound." Alternative Press and various other reviewers have noted that the band's stage performances have helped boost them to larger fame. Alternative Press states that Williams "has more charisma than singers twice her age, and her band aren't far behind in their chops, either." Singer-songwriter John Mayer had praised Williams' voice in a blog in October 2007, calling her "The great orange hope"; "orange" in reference to her hair color. Due to the female fronted aspect of the band, Paramore has gained comparisons to Kelly Clarkson and the aforementioned Avril Lavigne, to which one reviewer said was "sorely unfounded." Reviewer Jonathan Bradley noted that "Paramore attacks its music with infectious enthusiasm." However, he also explained that "there isn't a whole lot of difference between Riot! and the songs from Kelly Clarkson or Avril Lavigne." A reviewer at NME had likened Paramore's sound to that of "No Doubt (stripped of all the ska bollocks)" and "Kelly Clarkson's wildest dreams."[51] Williams has gone on to comment about the female aspect of the band saying that Paramore is not "this girl-fronted band" and it makes "music for people to enjoy music, not so people can talk about my sexuality."

Paramore has expressed appreciation for Rush, Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, Chicago, and Sunny Day Real Estate,; Williams citing her personal influences as Robert Smith of The Cure and Etta James. Williams explained that bands such as U2, "who are massive, and do whatever they want, write whatever they want and they stand for something," Jimmy Eat World, "who I don’t think ever disappoint their fans," and No Doubt, who "have done amazing things," act as a pattern for the path in which Paramore would like to take their career.
In an interview with the BBC, Josh Farro stated "Our faith is very important to us. It's obviously going to come out in our music because if someone believes something, then their worldview is going to come out in anything they do. But we're not out here to preach to kids, we're out here because we love music."

Daryl's Gadgets l Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Nokia’s latest addition to their XpressMusic line brings with it a touchscreen interface and a bevy of features and multimedia goodies.

HO-HUM...another touchscreen phone. And a Nokia one at that. And it even looks like an iPhone.
I just wonder if everyone is just trying to create the next iPhone-killer. But then again, let’s not be biased. Nokia has tried to turn the 5800 into a multimedia powerhouse and has succeeded to some degree. May not be getting it, but it's still worthwhile getting the load for some yet uncapable teen like me. Let’s have a closer look.

Check out that body

The body of the 5800 is constructed entirely of plastic. It isn’t as strong or sturdy as compared to a stainless steel bodied device such as the Nokia E71 but it feels solid enough. Holding it gives you a certain degree of comfort. Its shape is also comfortable enough for single thumb operation and I didn’t find myself having to stretch my thumb to reach most of the screen.
What a large screen you have..

The 5800 has a 3.2in screen in a 16:9 ratio which lets you play videos at 360p HD resolution. Suffice to say, the colours are clear and vibrant.

The screen is a resistive touchscreen which means it’s pressure-based. A capacitive touchscreen (such as that fo und on the iPhone) on the other hand, only works with skin contact and therefore only your fingertips alone can be detected by the screen.

The screen on the 5800 allows you to use your fingertips, nails or stylus. This opens up the possibility for different styles of input such as using handwriting recognition. Although not as responsive as a capacitive touchscreen, I found it to be good enough. You just have to put a little bit more force into your taps.
The only problem about the screen is the poor legibility under bright sunlight. It became extremely gray with the contrast becoming very poor. Unless you are outdoors most of the time, you wouldn’t find this a problem.
Touch-enabled OS

Being Nokia’s first Symbian S60 touch-enabled phone, the Finns have updated their current Symbian OS to 5th Edition. The user interface (UI) has been modified to be more touch-friendly.
The options in the menus and applications are generally placed logically and you can easily find what you’re looking for.

The only weird part of the UI is having to “double-tap” an item to execute a command — the first tap selects the item and the second executes it. The only logic for this is that when an item is selected, you have more options by tapping on the “Options” button. This behaviour is mostly found in lists. However, icons require just a single tap to execute.

The quirkiness of the UI needing double or single taps does need some getting used to initially, but you do get the hang of it after a while. Hopefully, the “double-tap” issue gets addressed by Nokia in the future.
The 5800 also allows for haptic (vibration) feedback whenever the screen is tapped. The strength of the feedback can be controlled and even turned off if you like to conserve a bit of battery power.

As with so many other touchscreen phones, the UI also has “theme effects” to make it look more interesting. The effects are simple wipes, zoom outs and slides when switching between different screens and are randomised.
They’re not as polished as the iPhone’s effects nor as fancy as those of the HTC Touch Diamond’s TouchFlo 3D.
Turning the effects on does make the 5800 slower. The default setting is to have them turned off and I did not find them appealing enough for the extra lag in response keep it on.

Media centre

The 5800 comes with 81MB of internal memory but it has an MicroSD card slot that accepts MicroSD and MicroSDHC cards of up to 16GB. The package includes an 8GB MicroSD card that should be enough to get you started.

Now, with that much space you could stuff in all your songs, videos and photos.To reinforce just how media-centred the 5800 is, there is a touch-sensitive area above the touchscreen that is not part of the screen itself called the Media button. Pressing it drops a tab with icons that give you quick access to Music, Photo Gallery, Share Media, Video Centre and Web.

The 5800 has an audio chip to specifically handle your music and it also comes with stereo speakers that can go really loud. I mean really loud! In terms of built-in handphone speakers, these could very well be the loudest ones on the market today.

The only shortfall is because of the physical size of the speakers, they are way too small to generate full bass and at volumes above 50%, distortion starts to creep in.

There is a 3.5mm audio jack at the top of the phone, so you can plug in your headphones directly or through the supplied handsfree set that also functions as a remote control.

As usual, the default earphones of most audio devices in the market are tinny sounding so I tested the sound on a pair of Sennheiser MX500 earphones. The audio came out clear and without distortion this time and the bass was strong which is good for you bassheads out there.

I like my music without so much bass, so I made my own equaliser settings. The good thing is you can make your own equaliser settings without being constrained to a few defaults. There’s also a Bass Booster and Stereo Expander setting to give your music that extra “oomph” if you like those effects.

Not so picture perfect

The camera is a bit of a letdown though. Even though the specifications are noteworthy, the image processing itself was poor. Images usually turned out off-colour and noisy. Pictures taken in bright sunlight fare better and I recommend you play with the settings to get the best of indoor shots.

Video is a different story. Shooting at 30fps, the videos themselves look clear on the screen. You can even turn on the dual LEDs for extra lighting. There is also a bundled TV-out cable that connects to the 3.5mm audio jack so that you can watch your videos on your TV. Since the 5800 can only play MP4, WMV and 3GP files, it would have been sweeter if it could playback AVI files as well.

Wait… it’s a phone right?

Yes, the 5800 is a phone underneath all the bells and whistles. The voice clarity for calls is crystal clear. However, there have been reports that there is a manufacturing hiccup on nearly half the 5800s sold in the market where the earpiece speaker connectors are a tiny bit loose.

This slight defect causes the sound to fluctuate between being too loud or too silent to the point of being inaudible. Fortunately, you can get this problem fixed at Nokia Service Centres as it’s quite a simple ­operation.
For those of you who are worried that contact with your face and the touchscreen during calls causes unwanted commands to be executed, you will be pleased to know there is a proximity sensor that deactivates the screen whenever there is something close to it.

SMSes can be typed via a virtual alphanumeric keypad, mini Qwerty keyboard, virtual full Qwerty keyboard and handwriting. You can use the supplied guitar pick or the normal stylus for the mini Qwerty keyboard or handwriting. The mini Qwerty keyboard is just too mini for comfortable finger input so it necessitates the use of a stylus. Handwriting recognition is quite good and most of the strokes were easily recognised.

The alphanumeric keypad is good for single-handed typing and the full Qwerty keyboard lets you type faster with two hands.

Other extras

GPS and Nokia Maps 2.0 work very well together to pinpoint your location. A lock on your phone position can be achieved within a minute or less. You will need to upgrade the Maps application to have it give you route plotting and voice guidance.

There is also a radio function but that only works when you connect the headset to it. Reception is not the best and only improves when you are on a higher floor of a building.

The Calendar and Notes applications can help you set reminders and plan your day. You can also download QuickOffice and Acrobat Reader to read Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.

Thanks to the WiFi and 3G capabilities, surfing speeds were comfortable and fast. The web browser rendered pages quickly and correctly.

Flash elements can even play in the browser itself. The only problem I found was that some video sites have Flash players that do not work quite well on the phone. But aside from that, reading text on the sites is quite comfortable thanks to the high resolution screen. You can zoom in on text, and pan the view as well.

Wrapping up

Since this is Nokia’s first Symbian S60 5th Edition smartphone on the market, there aren’t many applications that are available for it at the moment.

Third Edition applications can still work on the 5800 but they may act unpredictably as they’re not optimised for the touch interface. Give it a few more months and we should see more 5th Edition apps that make more use of the touch interface.

Another attractive factor of the 5800 is that it is bundled with Nokia’s Comes with Music Service which lets you download 1,000 songs for free. Now that’s music to a music lover’s ears.

Using the GPS for 20 minutes, an hour of web surfing via WiFi, an hour plus of music playback and general calls and messaging on a daily basis should get three days on a single battery charge which is pretty good. The phone doesn’t charge via USB though.

All in all, the features you get in this package for this price almost lets you forgive the little bugs on the phone. The 5800 is recommended for those looking for a music phone with a bit more power and features.

For those looking for a more business-oriented smartphone, the 5800 probably won’t be enough for your needs but a few extra applications could solve that problem.

Pros: Affordable; nice screen; excellent music playback; loud speakers; loads of features for a mid-range phone; good battery life.
Cons: Poor camera picture quality; user interface needs some extra work; poor screen legibility outdoors.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

3G music phone
Camera: 3.2-megapixels; autofocus; dual LED flash
Display: 3.2in TFT touchscreen (360 x 640pixels)
Operating System: Symbian 9.4, S60 5th Edition
Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail
Connectivity: GSM850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100, Bluetooth, USB, WiFi
Expansion slot: MicroSD / MicroSDHC up to 16GB
Phone memory: 81MB internal memory, 8GB MicroSD supplied
Battery type: 1320mAh lithium-ion (BL-5J)
Standby/talk time: 406 hours/8 hours 45 mins
Other features: Music player, Radio, GPS (A-GPS)
Weight: 109g
Dimensions (w x d x h): 111 x 51.7 x 15.5mm
Price: RM1,499