A Gainesville Rocker

Thursday, November 27, 2014

AC/DC new single off new album!

Also, I can't stop listening to the awesome new single that was released recently off of AC/DC's new album set to come out in the U.S. on December 2nd, 'Rock or Bust'! The title track sounds so cool, have a listen for yourself from their official Vevo page from YouTube! Enjoy!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"

In “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell paints a unique perspective discussing the topic of trends and how they take off. In his book, he talks about certain products and ideas, and how those trends tend to reach the “tipping point” and sky rocket towards popularity. Gladwell introduces the idea of the “tipping point” by stating it is a very simple idea. The idea, in his words, is to think of things such as “the emergence of fashion trends, the decline in crime waves, the rise in certain sales of books, or even the rise of habits such as teenage smoking,” like epidemics.

One of the first examples Gladwell points out in the beginning of his book is the rise of Hush Puppies shoes. The shoe company, Gladwell says, was on its last leg until they noticed a group of people going to clubs, cafes, or walking the streets of downtown New York. This exposed others to what he puts as the “Hush Puppies virus.” Next, another example he uses in coming out with the same result is the decline in crime in New York City during the mid-1990s. Gladwell notes that the change of behavior among a small group of people, and how that turned into an “infection” and started to spread to other people that fell into similar situations.

Also, a second point with these two examples is that these changes, which were little, ended up having big effects. The drop in crime rate came as a result of incremental changes such as the crack trade leveling off, an older population, and an improving police force, all contributing to make a dramatic effect. As with Hush Puppies, it took a small group of kids in downtown Manhattan to turn the shoes into an international trend. Finally, Gladwell says both trends skyrocketed in a hurry, and didn’t grow incrementally over a small period of time.

These three factors, Gladwell says, can be comparable to a disease moving through a school or workplace, or a sickness occurring during a distinct time of year.

Another point that Gladwell makes when describing trends are the three different types of people that contribute to the popularity of trends; connectors, mavens, and salesmen. Connectors, according to Gladwell, are people who have a special gift for bringing the world together, because they know a variety of different kinds of people. Mavens are known for having copious amounts of information concerning a variety of things, and likes to pass on the word of how to get the good deals on certain products. Finally, salesmen are the people with the persuasion skills to convince others who have no preconceived view, and are essential to “tipping” of the word-of-mouth epidemics that quickly spread. These three types of people combined help add to the notion of how trends quickly take off.

Looking back after examining Gladwell’s take on the rapid takeoff of trends, it’s amazing to think full circle about how certain people and factors can play to the effect by doing small things, that eventually turn out to be major trends.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Classmate Spotlight Part 2

Hello again!

Hope you enjoyed reading part 1 of my spotlight on some of my band of journalists! Now, it's time to introduce you to three more members of the band.

Let's start off with Jenny Tintner! Jenny and I have worked together in both radio and TV at WUFT, and she's a very talented multimedia journalist. She has a passion for storytelling, as you will see in her blog, and is an absolute great friend to work with!

Next we have Peta-Gay Sheerwood! Peta-Gay has played many different roles all throughout WUFT, from camera operator, to reporter, to weather forecaster! She lives life to the fullest, whether it's trying new foods, listening to good music, traveling various places, or exploring weather events and the changing world of journalism.

Finally we have Emily Braun! Emily is one of the nicest people to work with, period. She has done so much at WUFT, from being a radio news anchor to a television specialty anchor. She also just interned this past summer at the Orlando ABC affiliate, WFTV. Emily definitely has a bright future ahead, and I wish her the absolute best of luck!

Classmate Spotlight Part 1

Getting away for just a minute from the music scene, I would also like to give a shout out to a few people I consider my band of journalists.

First off is Carla Bayron! She's pursuing a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Telecommunication from UF, and aspires to be an anchor/reporter. Carla and I work together at WUFT News, and interned together this past summer at Fox 13 News in Tampa. She's an excellent reporter, a very hard worker, and a pleasure to work with!

Next up, we have Richard Johnson! Richard and I have actually worked together at ESPN 850 WRUF. He has an excellent work ethic, and is an excellent journalist especially when it comes to sports reporting. His work for the Alligator and the Florida Times-Union is some of the best sportswriting, particularly with UF athletics, that I've ever read. A definite read for any Gator sports fan, or sports fan in general for that matter.

Finally, we have Courtney McKenna! I work with her at both WUFT and ESPN 850 WRUF. Courtney, as detailed in her blog, has a lively personality and is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet! Her goal is to end up on one of the big sports networks.

Have a look at these three and stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll highlight 3 more of my classmates.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

My Resume and Work

Outside of music, my other passion is journalism and being able to tell a story. If you're interested in checking out some of my experience and work, here is a useful link to my resume on my website below!

Zak Dahlheimer's Resume

Thursday, October 23, 2014

London Rock Bar and Club

I also wanted to highlight from another earlier post about London with the Alley Cat Bar and Club, located in the basement of the famous Regent Sounds Studios where I played at an open mic blues jam on Denmark Street just across the street from Wunjo's!

Official Website

YouTube: Video of a blues jam at Alley Cat

Info about Regent Sounds

Link to Earlier Post