[video] Robert Greene discusses upcoming book with 50 Cent, “50th Law”

seen it on Nahright

[video] Rick Ross “All I Really Want” feat. The-Dream Sneak Peek (ROUGH VIDEO)!

courtesy of RapRadar

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Lineup Announced

via HipHopDX

The Fifth Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, which has staged such acts as Big Daddy Kane [click to read], Lupe Fiasco [click to read], and Ghostface Killah [click to read] in past events, recently announced their featured guest artists for this year. All New York-based, rappers Styles P, Pharoahe Monch, and Smif-N-Wessun will take the stage June 20 at the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park.

Wes Jackson, executive director of the festival, expressed his satisfaction on the artists decided upon for this year. “We are more than pleased when we look at our lineup so far. Our goal has always been to unite the Hip-Hop audience under one banner. Monch, Styles and Smif-N-Wessun represent different branches of the Hip-Hop tree. They defy the labels stamped on them,” he said in a press release.

Pitbull Wins Inaugural Billboard Latin Download Award

 

via Allhiphop

Miami rapper Pitbull was honored on Thursday (April 23) night byBillboard in winning the first ever “Latin Digital Download Artist of the Year.”

The title was presented at the annual Latin Music Awards, and awarded based on Pitbull’s breakout, Lil Jon-assisted single “Krazy.”

Having beat out fellow nominees Aventura, Enrique Iglesias, and Shakira, Pitbull was humbled by the strong fan support he’s received throughout his career.

“This is the beginning of a new phase in my career and it’s an honor to win this award with such great artists nominated in the same category,” Pitbull explained to AllHipHop.com. “It just goes to show that hard work does pay off. Thank you to the fans; without them none of this would be possible.”

The Latin emcees credits a multi-faceted media campaign for much of his success.

Online, he helms a social networking platform called Planet Pit, which brings together his fans from around the globe.

Dirty Cash: The Man in Black gets a Hip-Hop makeover

 

via Guardian UK

There’s a new Johnny Cash album coming your way (yes, another one – clever, eh?). This time the USP is the BPMs. Overseen by Cash’s son John Carter Cash and the ever-pliable Snoop Dogg, the likes of Sonny J, Count De Money and Pete Rock have been let loose on the Man in Black’s back catalogue. Cash more than holds his own, mainly because few of the remixes are truly radical, but also because his style is so distinctive it could survive a nuclear onslaught from Throbbing Gristle.

Ultimately you can’t help suspecting the motives. On a project like this, it’s customary to flog it with puff about the original artist “always defying convention” and “forever breaking new ground”. The Cash remix recordis no different. His son insists JC would have “loved this remix record” and perhaps that’s true – there’s a clear link, after all, between the swaggering braggadocio of lines like “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” and gangsta rap – but the results still feel contrived.

When confronted with these kind of genre clashes from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, my first instinct is one of deep cynicism. History teaches us to be cautious: listen to Tom Jones hefting along with the aid of the miserably misguided Wyclef Jean and you can practically smell the grubby conversations about “expanding the brand demographic”. That said, shameless marriages of convenience don’t always make for bad music. Few would argue that Run DMC and Aerosmith’s collaboration on Walk This Way was commercially motivated, but it was still fantastic, partly because there’s a natural fit between rap and hard rock. But even the famous rap-rock soundtrack to Judgment Night was in reality hit-and-miss: remember Mudhoney’s bruising encounter with Sir Mix-A-Lot, or Teenage Fanclub with De La Soul? Thought not. They were hardly career highlights, and let’s not start on Helmet and House of Pain.

Method Man and Redman are hip hop’s chameleons

 

via NY Daily News

On a hazy soundstage in Midtown, Method Man and Redman, clad in matching powder blue tuxedos, sway in unison in front of a horde of girls as they croon into 50′s-style microphones.

Not the kind of music video shoot you’d expect from the hip-hoppers who put rap on the map in the 90′s, but for their latest album, “Blackout 2,” the titans of the game are changing the face of it yet again.

For their new single, “Mrs. International,” the duo wanted a fresh look and feel.

“Honestly, I just want this [album] to be heard. That’s all. If you listen to the song that we’re doing for the video right now, it’s like ‘Is this a Redman and Method Man song?’ It doesn’t seem like we would ever make a song like this,” Method Man said during a break from shooting.

“We’re maturing. We evolved and learned a lot more from when we dropped the first album. And the s— we did in the ‘90′s we can’t do now,” Redman said, changing into a Rick James outfit for the next scene. The album, out on Def Jam on May 19th, is an “intertwining of old school and new school,” Redman explains.

“I think our era was one of the best eras in hip hop because it really closed the gap between old school and the new school,” he continued. “So with this album, we wanted a bit of that old flair and mixed it in with new, fresh sounds.”

The result is a surprisingly pleasant melodic mix of catchy lyrics, head-bopping beats, and hooks that you keep repeating long after hearing them. But just because the sound is new doesn’t mean the stars have changed their infamous personas.

[video] Auto-Tune the News #2: pirates. drugs. gay marriage.(LMAO)

Snoop $22 Million Lawsuit Begins

via Rap Basement

Rapper slash Reality Television show star, Snoop Dogg, will have his $22 million dollar civil trial start this week. Snoop is accused, along with his entourage, of assaulting and robbing a fan. Richard Monroe Jr. says he got serious injuries after jumping onstage during a 2005 show in Seattle and wants to get paid for it.

After jumping on stage during “Gin And Juice,” Monroe says he was beaten and robbed by the West-Coast legend and members of his entourage. Snoop has already went to one day of jury selection earlier this week and was present in court as a tape of the incident was show to the jurors during opening statements.

In related news, Snoop Dogg also now belongs to the club of rappers who have had their tax records hit the internet. According to the blog site TMZ, Snoop Dogg owes the state of California $284,053.

 

DMX To Star In Celebrity Rehab 3

 

via XXL

Add DMX to the list of troubled celebrities to star in VH1 reality series.

Perez Hilton reports that the Dark Man X is set to star in the third installment of the Dr. Drew-produced Celebrity Rehab series. Bob Forrest, CR’s drug counselor, has confirmed X’s participation on the show. No other cast members have been revealed as of press time.

X has a long substance abuse history. The rapper is presently serving a 90-day jail sentence for drug possession, theft and animal cruelty.

Americans fascinated by pirate story

via The Insider

NEW YORK (AP) — We’re going through a crippling recession. The CIA is under fire over its interrogation techniques. And U.S. policy toward Cuba may be about to change. But the most-followed news story of late? A tale of pirates on the high seas.

Some who study pop culture suspect that’s at least partly a reflection of America’s longtime fascination with scurvy buccaneers and swashbuckling cutthroats.

“Pirates! It’s not as good as aliens, but close,” says Marty Kaplan, professor at the Norman Lear Center of the University of Southern California, which studies the impact of entertainment on society.

“Captain Hook, Treasure Island, the Disney ride, Blackbeard,” Kaplan muses. “If we thought of them or talked about them as punks, thugs, thieves or kidnappers, they wouldn’t stir our blood or promise a good yarn.”

Asked which story they followed more closely last week than any other, 34 percent of Americans surveyed named the Somali pirate saga, in which sea captain Richard Phillips was rescued by U.S. Navy snipers after five days held hostage in a lifeboat. The economy came in second at 27 percent, according to the Pew Research Center for People & The Press.

In fact, only two stories this year have surpassed the economy in any week: The inauguration of Barack Obama, and the dramatic ditching of that US Airways jet in the Hudson River by its cool-headed pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.

What’s the reason behind the pirate fascination? The poll didn’t ask, but the story clearly shares a crucial element with the US Airways saga: what’s been perceived as quick-thinking heroism from men thrown into unexpected and treacherous circumstances.

[video] Young Jeezy Flips ‘Turn My Scale On’

I really love this version more than the internet phenom Souljah Boy and think this remix had alot to do with his record blowing up in the first place.

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(MTV EXCLUSIVE) Producer Scott Storch Speaks on Cocaine Addiction

Source: Rap Radar

Good to see this guy trying to get back to making music and hopefully he can stay away from the drugs and make some more hits!

more about “Producer Scott Storch Speaks on Cocai…“, posted with vodpod

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Rapper David Banner to Star in New Film ‘Confidant’

via Allhiphop

Mississippi rapper and activist David Banner has signed on to star in the upcoming thriller The Confidant.

Produced by former Miss USA Kenya Moore, Banner plays the role of Jackson, a talented art major on full academic scholarship.

When his best friend and college football star Nigel (Boris Kodjoe) mistakenly kills a man in a gambling dispute, Jackson forms a pact with childhood friend to eat charge.

Under their agreement, Nigel promises that Jackson will be taken care of financially once released.

However, Banner’s character becomes twisted in prison, and upon his release he plots to take over his former friend’s life, starting with the illicit seduction of his lonely wife.

Apple Store to Serve Billionth Download Today

 

via Popsci

Here’s a shocker: Apple’s iTunes App Store is all over the news today. Some of it is good (at least from the company’s perspective): The store is about to hit its one billionth download. Apple has even estimated the time it’s going to happen down to the minute. Download the milestone application, and you can win some valuable prizes, including a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

If you happen to be the lucky winner, though, there is one app you won’t be able to purchase. Apple has just pulled “Baby Shaker,” which had to be its most ill conceived and arguably offensive program ever, from the store.

Developed by Sikalosoft, the app invited users to change a picture of a crying baby into a picture of a calm one by shaking their iPods. Unsurprisingly, child welfare groups were outraged, saying the app made light of and even encouraged the practice of shaking babies, which can cause serious injuries. It’s unclear how and why Apple initially approved Baby Shaker, and company’s murky screening process has been called into question. Perhaps the screeners were inundated with too many approval requests for farting applications that day. 

[UPDATE 4/24: Connor Mulcahey, age 13, downloaded an app called Bump and won the grand prize: a $10,000 iTunes gift card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and a MacBook Pro.]

[video] Former “GOOD TIMES” Stars Talk “Good Times” and 24-Hour Marathon

Former “Good Times” stars Bern Nadette Stanis (Thelma) and Ralph Carter (Michael) chat up the “Good Times” in commemoration of TV One’s 24-Hour Marathon. I remember this episode in question, hilarious!

[video] Oprah Shines Light On Great Pacific Garbage Patch (VIDEO)

We ran this story last year about the expansive plastic garbage barge that extends from the Coast of Cali all the way to Japan. Well, for Earth Day Oprah highlighted this catastrophic floating blight known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Naked Wizard Taser Brawl At Coachella (VIDEO NSFW)

Source : HuffPost

This video goes from being funny to being a life or death situation. These cops probably have a world of a lawsuit coming their way via them not being to restrain the ‘naked wizard’ and using the taser close to his heart which could have caused certain death.

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Lil Wayne On The View! (Dodges question about marijuana & cough syrup addiction)

more about "Lil Wayne On The View! (Dodges Mariju…", posted with vodpod

[video]Rapping Flight Attendant On Southwest Airlines vs. Foxy Flight Attendant Desiree Wynn

Source: HuffPost

Don’t know if Interscope or Def Jam will be calling but I appreciate his effort nonetheless! To make this a little more interesting I have pit him against Foxy Flight Attendant Desiree Wynn who has her own rap skills she flaunts along with a killer body and sexy friends to match. Lets the games begin.

vs

[video] Kanye West ft. Young Jeezy – Amazin

more about “Kanye West ft. Young Jeezy – Amazin“, posted with vodpod

[video] WTF? Dancehall goes mainstream? Guy throws chair at female during Dutty Fridaze

more about “(Dancehall goes mainstream? Guy throw…“, posted with vodpod

Americans Still Give High Marks to New President, Poll Shows

via AOL

WASHINGTON (April 23) – For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public’s mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.

Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.

Nobody knows how long the honeymoon will last, but Obama has clearly transformed the yes-we-can spirit of his candidacy into a tool of governance. His ability to inspire confidence – Obama’s second book is titled “The Audacity of Hope” – has thus far buffered the president against the harsh political realities of two wars, a global economic meltdown and countless domestic challenges.

“He presents a very positive outlook,” said Cheryl Wetherington, 35, an independent voter who runs a chocolate shop in Gardner, Kan. “He’s very well-spoken and very vocal about what direction should be taken.”

Other AP-GfK findings could signal trouble for Obama as he approaches his 100th day in office, April 29:

[Op-Ed] The Bailout Is a Fraud That Could Bring Down Obama

via AlterNet

Goldman Sachs reports better-than-expected profits this quarter. Wells Fargo cleared record profits last week. The President, understandably, points to signs of hope and encourages Americans to be optimistic about the economy. But when do we move from healthy confidence to a confidence game? The banks are reporting profits thanks to massive infusions of taxpayer bailout funds. It’s simply silly to be lulled by cheery-sounding reports when the institutions are actually insolvent. At some point we have to take a clear-eyed look at the massive failure of our financial system. Ignoring it won’t make it go away.

That’s more or less what Elizabeth Warren, the distinguished chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, says in her panel’s six-month report on the bank bailout. Warren, the government’s watchdog, concedes that there are differences of opinion on her panel, which probably accounts for her very carefully couched discussion of the crisis. Although she told The Observer that it is “preposterous” that the government hasn’t fired the bank managers who are responsible for the derivatives disaster, her panel’s report is cautious, with a scholarly explanation of the crisis in her video introduction. Nonetheless, the underlying criticism is obvious.

In a financial crisis like the current one, Warren explains, the government has three choices: 1. Liquidate failed banks. (That’s what happened in the S&L crisis. The government took over institutions, fired the managers, wiped out investors, but protected depositors. A lot of savings and loans simply went out of business.) 2. Put them in receivership. (That’s what Sweden did in the 1990s: failed managers were fired and replaced, depositors were protected, and the banks were returned to private hands under new management with healthier balance sheets.) or 3. Subsidize the banks. This last option is what led Japan to its “lost decade” — the real value of bank assets are obscured, as the government funnels tax money into insolvent banks, propping them up indefinitely. This last is the approach the United States is now taking.

[audio] Eminem- 3AM

Eminem- 3AM

CLICK [HERE] for AUDIO

Alright, I will say it since no one else seems to have the balls…this dude done fell off! It’s not so much the lackluster lyrics as much as it is the same tired ass formula. The first song is normally a Slim Shady joint and the follow up is a Marshall Mathers joint, exactly what we got this time around. The predictability is disappointing, plus this guy is no longer teenage trailer park trash, his songs should reflect his age and experience.  This is totally lame and exactly why the music genre is stuck in a rut, tired ass formulas that suppose to change with time have become the blueprint to mediocrity. Em needs to relapse his ass back in the studio and stop taking advantage of an eager consumer base.  

Eminem Talks Relapse, Return To The Big Screen On Shade 45

via XXL

Eminem is in full promotional mode. Earlier this morning (April 23) the Detroit superstar appeared on Angela Yee’s Lip Service show on his own Shade 45 Sirius Satellite Radio channel. During the interview Em hinted at his return to the silver screen, revealed more details on his upcoming comeback album and talked about his new single.

With Relapse, his first solo album in close to five years, hitting stores in the coming weeks, Shady told Yee that he is already preparing to drop another song from the project. Two weeks ago, MTV premiered the comical “We Made You” clip, which found Em following his familiar tactics, playing dress up and making fun of several pop culture mainstays like Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian, but for his new single Em plans on going in a different direction.

The song, titled 3 A.M. “ is a lot darker than ‘We Made You,’” Em said. Adding, “ the whole album is different from the single.” The rapper said the video, which was shot in his hometown of Detroit, MI, is already done and will be dropping soon.

UPDATE: Judge Reconsiders Admitting Gun In Lil Wayne’s Weapons Case

via XXL

Lil Wayne was offered a second chance in court today (April 23). After originally ruling that he would admit a gun as evidence in Weezy’s ’07 weapons possession case, Manhattan Superior Court Judge Charles Solomon has decided to reconsider.

The Associated Press reports that Solomon decided to reopen the hearing on whether or not to include the .40 caliber handgun in the case upon prosecutor Joan Illuzi-Orbon’s request. In light of learning of an undisclosed conversation between the arresting officer and the New Orleans rap star, Orbon asked the judge to re-evaluate.

As previously reported the woman busted Wayne after she boarded the Grammy-award-winning tour bus allegedly smelling marijuana. She claims to have witnessed Weezy trying to hide a gun as she approached him on the vehicle. Wayne’s lawyer Stacey Richman believes the officer falsely claimed that she smelled smoke in order to illegally get into the vehicle. The rap star had just finished a performance at the Beacon Theatre.

Wayne, who pled not guilty and is free on $70,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court on May 20.

Family Guy 4-20 (Brian’s campaign to legalize drugs goes up in smoke.)

Here is the full episode that has the internet in a frenzy.

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[audio] Nas- I HAVE TO

Nas-  I HAVE TO

CLICK [HERE] for AUDIO

New Nasir, flow is sick, need we say more?

Killer robots and a revolution in warfare

via Breitbart

They have no fear, they never tire, they are not upset when the soldier next to them gets blown to pieces. Their morale doesn’t suffer by having to do, again and again, the jobs known in the military as the Three Ds – dull, dirty and dangerous.

 

 

They are military robots and their rapidly increasing numbers and growing sophistication may herald the end of thousands of years of human monopoly on fighting war. “Science fiction is moving to the battlefield. The future is upon us,” as Brookings scholar Peter Singer put it to a conference of experts at the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania this month.

 

Singer just published Wired For War – the Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century, a book that traces the rise of the machines and predicts that in future wars they will not only play greater roles in executing missions but also in planning them.

 

Numbers reflect the explosive growth of robotic systems. The U.S. forces that stormed into Iraq in 2003 had no robots on the ground. There were none in Afghanistan either. Now those two wars are fought with the help of an estimated 12,000 ground-based robots and 7,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the technical term for drone, or robotic aircraft.

[video] Billy Bob explains crazy interview to Kimmel

Source: HuffPost

FDA OKs ‘morning-after’ pill for 17-year-olds

via Breitbart

Seventeen-year-olds will be able to buy the “morning-after” emergency contraceptive without a doctor’s prescription, a decision that conservatives denounced as a blow to parental supervision of teens but that women’s groups said represents sound science.

 

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it would accept, not appeal, a federal judge’s order that lifts Bush administration restrictions limiting over-the-counter sales of “Plan B” to women 18 and older. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled last month in a lawsuit filed in New York that President George W. Bush’s appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to restrict over-the-counter access.

 

Women’s groups said the FDA’s action was long overdue, since the agency’s own medical reviewers had initially recommended that the contraceptive be made available without any age restrictions.

Myspace Co-Founder Steps Down after Company Falls Behind Facebook

 

via Bloomberg

MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe will step down as chief executive officer of the social- networking Web site after falling behind rival Facebook Inc.

A replacement wasn’t named. DeWolfe will remain an adviser, Jonathan Miller, the top digital officer for parent News Corp., said today in a statement. MySpace President Tom Anderson is in talks with Miller about a new role.

DeWolfe co-founded MySpace with Anderson in 2003 and ran the ad-supported company for almost four years under Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Former Facebook Chief Operating Officer Owen Van Natta is likely to replace DeWolfe, the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D Web site reported today. Facebook passed MySpace as the top social-networking site last year.

“I don’t think advertising growth has reached their initial expectations,” said Michael Morris, a New York-based analyst with UBS AG. He rates News Corp. stock “neutral” and doesn’t own it. “The initial hopes of the business probably haven’t been realized.”

A new management structure will be announced in the “near future,” Miller said in the statement.

Hot 97′s Summer Jam Lineup

A lot of Summer Jam veterans, no one from the ’09 lineup though.  Conspicuously missing is Ross and/or Cam.  They also got representatives from the South and even Reggae but no one from the West. They need Nipsey up there if you ask me. 

“360″ Music Deals Become Mandatory As Labels Prepare For Free Music

via TechCrunch

360 Music deals give labels their standard cut of CD and digital download sales, but also give them a percentage of event ticket profits, merchandise sales, endorsement deals and anything else that uses the artist’s brand or music.

A year ago they were still seen as controversial and experimental. Labels defended them as justification for investing in an artist in a time of decreasing CD sales.

Today, though, those deals are becoming mandatory. Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman told the Web 2.0 Summit audience that his label now requires all new artists to sign 360 Deals, and that about a third of their signed artists are under those contracts.

Bronfman argued to a hostile crowd that it doesn’t make sense for labels to pour money into artist development when CD sales, their primary source of revenue, continue to decline (although he did say that digital sales now make up 20% of their revenue). Without other ways to make money from an artist, he said, they wouldn’t continue to promote artists.

[video] Snoop Dogg Checks Out His Wax Figure!

Snoop Dogg has a permanent presence in Sin City, as the rap superstar was on hand to check out his wax likeness.

[video] Mike Tyson Interview With Charlie Rose (4-20-09) [50 Minutes]

Tyson does Charlie Rose

[video] Tekken 6 [HD Video Game Trailer]

Platforms: Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Posted: Release Date: TBA When it comes to fighting games, power is everything, and there are few punches with more power than that of the Iron Fist.

[video] WTF? Woman b*tch smacks boyfriend “So now your hitting me?”

I was trying to embedd this video the other day to no avail, but just spotted this at Thisis50 and had to post it for you guys.
Is this actually real?

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Lil Wayne Predicts the Lakers will take the NBA Chip

via ESPN

I apologize for being away from the blog for a while, but things have been crazy with the tour and everything. Now, I’ve got a little break from music and I’m going to be going on my own little NBA playoff tour, which should mean more blogs in the next few weeks.

Lil Wayne on the NBA playoffs

Just so no one gets it twisted: the Lakers are winning the NBA Finals. Now that KG is out, the C’s aren’t gonna go anywhere, which is a shame. You always like to have the defending champs in there to fight like hell to hold on to their crown. Doc Rivers doesn’t want to believe it. And as competitive as KG is, I can’t imagine even being around him right now — how frustrated he must be because all he wants to do is get out on that court. He’s probably breaking stuff in his house, he’s so mad.

Anyway, so now we’re looking at a Lakers versus Cavaliers final, and that’s going to be amazing. Kobe won’t get the best of LeBron, but the Lakers will get the best of the Cavs. I’ll be rooting for the Lakers, and LeBron already knows that. So it’s not like I’m gonna show up in a Kobe jersey and make ‘Bron Bron cry. He knows I’ve been a Laker fan my whole life so it’s all good. That don’t mean he likes it, but he ain’t gonna cry when he sees me at the games screaming for Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza.

But LeBron will be OK. He’s gonna win the MVP this year. That will be his consolation prize. Phil Jackson and the Lakers will walk away with more rings, but LeBron will get his trophy. Shout out to Tex Winter (the Lakers assistant), too, because it’s his last season and he’s the amazing brain behind the triangle offense. Some day, I will move to Los Angeles and live out my destiny to become a true loyal Lakers fan at every home game like Jack Nicholson. I will live next to Hugh Hefner and I will be at the Staples Center nightly, because that is my destiny.

Researcher tweets using only his mind

via WTHITV

MADISON, Wis. – The microblogging site Twitter has been described as the Web’s stream of consciousness .

In early April, a biomedical engineering doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison made strides in making it even more so: by posting updates just by thinking about it.

The Wisconsin Technology Network News reports that Adam Wilson has updated his tweets by using his brain.

Wilson’s interface for turning thoughts into tweets involves a keyboard displayed on a screen, with each letter flashing individually in sequence. When the letter a subject is looking at flashes, the brain registers a change in what it was paying attention to, which causes a change in the brain’s electrical signals.

Wilson compared the process to sending a text message on a cell phone without a keyboard. “You have to press a button four times to get the character you want, so this is kind of a slow process at first.”