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I normally don’t like linking to music videos on the web, because you never know how long they’re going to be around for. Inevitably, you’ll click on a link and discover that a video is no longer available because a record company kicked up some dust and got it pulled from the web. I’ve always thought that to be a weirdly protective attitude about what’s essentially a commercial for a product they sell, but those are the rules and there you go.

When I heard about Vevo, the new streaming site that’s now hosting a bunch of content from Universal, Sony and EMI, I was intrigued. Theoretically, this could be a site where the average video would have a more permanent home, because the only people with a case for pulling it would be the people who put it up there in the first place.

But the problem with Vevo, at least in these early days, is that you won’t find a lot of what you’re looking for. And the problem with YouTube, as always, is that you can’t really trust the quality of anything that’s actually managed to escape the attention of the record companies. I wanted to bring you the video for “Can U Dig It?” by Pop Will Eat Itself this morning, but the only options available were a clip with a really choppy frame rate and a version where the audio was way out of sync.

So here it is, courtesy of Yahoo! Video. Hopefully it will still be available by the time you click this link. Also, I’m sorry about the all ads.

What do you say we put all this nonsense behind us and take a moment to enjoy the simple pleasure of sharing something cool with people on the web? “Can U Dig It?” is a great way to go, not only because it’s a pretty cool song with a cartoonishly fun video, but also because it’s a song about a bunch of stuff that the band was into at the time. It works on so many levels!

By the way, the guy in the turtleneck is Clint Mansell. He’s the guy who composed the score for Requiem for a Dream about a decade after this video was shot. “Lux Aeterna,” the score’s recurring theme, went on to be featured in every single film, trailer or television commercial that ever needed a little dramatic tension. I guarantee you’ve heard it many, many times.

So basically, that lanky nerd who told the world that he liked Alan Moore in 1989 is probably set for life now. And you know what? Good for him.

The big day is finally here. If you live in the riding, please get out today and cast your vote. If you know of anyone who does, please encourage them to do the same. All the information you’ll need can be found right here.

Let’s make this happen! A victory for Cathy Crowe will not only be a victory for her constituents, but for Ontarians and Canadians in general. But she needs a final push to make it happen, so do spread the word. Even if all you do is tell people about her Facebook page or her Twitter account, you’ll have picked a great day to do it. But yeah, if you can vote, get out and do it.

“Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions among Canada’s Aboriginal People,” says a statement from the Canadian Diabetes Association. “Because of unique genetic, social and lifestyle circumstances, they are 3 to 5 times more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with the disease… The Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI) provides essential funding for diabetes prevention, screening and treatment programs and services to more than 600 communities throughout Canada. However, the current ADI expires this year. Termination of ADI funding will have tragic outcomes, so it is critical that the federal government address this priority in the 2010 Federal Budget.”

The CDA is encouraging supporters who want to do something about this issue to send a letter to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and tell him that they support the ADI. If you’d like to get involved, you can do so using this form. A copy of your letter will go to your MP, and you’ll have the option of spreading the word to a few of your friends.

Hey, I learned a fancy new term today! Listen up, because I’m only going to share it once before I pretend I’ve never heard it and lock it away forever.

It all started this morning, when my friend Tallulah posted a link to a story on the CBC about a British medical journal that chose to retract a controversial study that it published in 1998, which linked the use of a certain vaccine in children to autism. “Take THAT, Jenny McCarthy (and irresponsible parents everywhere)!” Tallulah said in a post I can’t link to because her tweets are protected.

Admittedly, Jenny McCarthy’s probably better known for taking her top off a lot in the nineties than she is for having a medical degree or knowing what she’s talking about. But that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of people agree with her position that vaccines are bad news, and a few of those people chose to come forward in the comments section at the end of the CBC story.

“My son was developing normaly,” one father said, “until he recieved this vaccine at 18months. The next day he developped a fever. Within a week, he stopped speaking. A couple of months later he was diagnosed autistic. Can I prove the vaccine had an effect…NO. Can I find a few thousand parents with the same story…it might take a couple of days, but absolutely YES.”

“By your reasoning,” another commenter replied, “the cause of Autism could be potty-training. In fact, I bet I could get MORE data then you showing signs of autism occurred soon after potty training began. The mistake you have made is called ‘Post hoc ergo propter hoc’ (after this, thus because of this) and is a common error in logically thinking.”

There you go, guys. Post hoc ergo propter hoc. It’s one of those terms that was made for the Internet, wasn’t it? Nothing says “I’m an insufferable jackass who really ought to have better things to do” than telling someone on the web that the mistake they’ve made is called “post hoc ergo propter hoc.” And this was a guy who was not only right, but who was also actually one of the more polite and reasonable people in the thread! And to be fair, here I am, complaining about it from a distance after the fact!

I’m sure it goes without saying that the rest of the comments section was an absolute train wreck. If you’ve got a couple of hours to kill, and you feel like learning all about how the Nazis own all the drug companies and weed is the cure for everything and global warming’s a myth, then I highly recommend it. You’ll be questioning the right of everyday people to share their opinions in no time!

It’s just about impossible to listen to the Rain Machine disc, which came out a few months ago, without being very aware that you’re listening to a record by one of the dudes from TV on the Radio. The lead track and first single, “Give Blood,” drives the point home by being perfectly in keeping with the group’s most memorable uptempo moments. But once it’s drawn you in with some familiar fare, Kyp Malone’s solo album takes a much more meditative turn.

There’s nothing as heavy as “New Health Rock” or “Wolf Like Me” on this disc, nor will you hear anything as funky/jittery as “Golden Age.” What we get instead is a more tense and methodical album that grows to sound more personal as it unfolds. What starts as a disc that doesn’t really feel like it needed to be a solo project in the first place comes to carve out its own territory, and in that respect alone I’d say it’s definitely worth a listen.

Not that it’s a perfect record by any means. A number of the tracks are longer and more meandering than they need to be. The thought of Malone buying stock in sleigh bells and wood blocks becomes inescapable halfway through the disc. And by the time the singing turns to caterwauling on the closing track, your patience may be thoroughly tried. Frankly, I wouldn’t listen to the whole thing in one sitting unless you’re in the mood to get totally bummed out.

But as negative as all of that might sound, Rain Machine is still worth a listen as a side project. It’s a disc that complements TV on the Radio’s music nicely, but it stands on its own two feet and adds an interesting new dimension to the music that fans of the band have been enjoying for years. I’m not saying I’d want to play any track other than “Give Blood” at a rock club, but I figure that’s not the point.

By the way, what does Kyp Malone have to do to get his own Wikipedia entry? Tunde Adabimpe has one, and so does Dave Sitek. Do you think Malone might have put out a solo album just to try and level the playing field? Because he’s going to have to try a lot harder, if the fact that Rain Machine only has a page in waiting at the moment is any indication. Boy, the world of nerdy rock and roll can be so unfair sometimes.