Posts in Essay
Appetite, pain and money: How does an NBA player know when to retire?
Appetite, pain and money: How does an NBA player know when to retire?

There are few professions in which your career will almost certainly be over by the time you’re in your late 30s. Yet, in professional basketball this is the case. The game is just too fast, too physical for someone who has lost a step. It’s tough to swap the excitement and money for a more humdrum life. Some in professional sports, including Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, have even likened retirement to “death”.

So, how do NBA players decide when it’s time to go? It’s helpful to look to the man who played the most games in league history (1,611 in the regular season and 184 more in the playoffs), Boston Celtic great and four-time NBA champion, Robert Parish. If anyone knows, it’s him.

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EssayJake UittiThe Guardian
First Aid Kit: Enjoying the Exhale
First Aid Kit: Enjoying the Exhale

Johanna and Klara Söderberg, the Swedish sister duo better known as First Aid Kit, have been making musical waves since the early 2000s. Ever since they released a cover of “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” by the harmony-driven band Fleet Foxes, they’ve been on the map for many a rabid fan. Since then, they’ve released beloved albums, including the 2012 LP, The Lion’s Roar. But just as the duo is modern and impactful today, you could easily convince someone who has never heard them that they are from a past time—the 1960s or maybe even as far back as the 15th century. The duo returned in 2022 with another addition to their ethereal discography, releasing Palomino in November. 

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EssayJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
The history of the slam dunk: from outlawed move to beloved highlight
The history of the slam dunk: from outlawed move to beloved highlight

It seems impossible to believe, but there was a time when basketball largely forbade the dunk. From 1967 to 1976, high school and college players were outlawed from slamming the ball through the rim. Instead, they would have to lay the ball up or simply drop it through the hoop as they soared through the air. Now, as we look forward to this weekend’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the ban seems silly, especially when considering the eye-popping highlights created by the likes of Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Shawn Kemp and Vince Carter.

But such was the state of things a half-century ago. In an era when the game was changing rapidly, when players like the 7ft 2in Kareem-Abdul Jabbar were dominating instead of the shorter, more ground-bond hoopers like Bob Cousy, the dunk was seen as taboo among “purists,” against the very nature of basketball itself. Though that perspective wasn’t shared by many of the players.

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EssayJake UittiThe Guardian
A Brief History of Video Games
A Brief History of Video Games

To tell the origin story of video games, we must look at the early days of computers. In the 1950s, engineers began to use rudimentary machines to design simple games to play. A big breakthrough came in 1962 when MIT student Steve Russell, along with friends, created Spacewar! This title featured controllable spaceships that had to avoid a star’s “gravity” while also engaging in battle against one another.

Though having no real commercial success (its popularity was limited to the relatively small programming community of the era), Spacewar! was so impactful that it is now in the Library of Congress. In the following decade, more innovation took place, with a preponderance of hugely popular games (and their theme songs) like Pong, Space-Invaders and Pac-Man. But it wouldn’t stop there. In this article, we’ll examine the origins of the video game industry and track its massive development. Today, it is a billion-dollar tech enterprise, providing unique experiences made even more immersive when enjoyed with gaming headsets like the Yamaha YH-G01.

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EssayJake UittiYamaha
Benefits of Using a Gaming Headset
Benefits of Using a Gaming Headset

Hearing the sounds of your favorite video game can often be just as important as seeing the visuals. But audio quality can be a tricky matter. Without the right equipment, an attacking army soldier may miss an instruction from a captain, or Mario might not hear the turtle shell shot from Luigi’s go-kart before it’s far too late.

There are other reasons why audio matters when it comes to gaming. What if the other people in the room are making distracting noises, or don’t want to hear you playing? What if your fellow gamers are talking to you on the phone but it sounds more like shouting? Gaming headsets provide the perfect solution.

Here’s a guide to the benefits of using a gaming headset like the Yamaha YH-G01, and the reasons why this simple add-on can help fine-tune and improve your gaming experience.

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EssayJake UittiYamaha
Motherhood and Music: We Asked Three Musical Moms to Weigh In
Motherhood and Music: We Asked Three Musical Moms to Weigh In

What is it like to be a musician and be on the road while pregnant?

It’s not something everyone gets to experience. At first glance, the concept seems immensely difficult. How can you keep a creative life going while caring for someone else? How can you tour? How can you even hold a guitar in your third trimester?

There are a lot of questions.

We reached out to three accomplished musical mothers to get some answers. Here, find out what Shana Cleveland of La Luz, solo artist Tekla Waterfield, and Julia Massey of Warren Dunes have to say about what it’s like to create and raise a child, all while being a kick-butt musician.

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EssayJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
Best Family Video Games
Best Family Video Games

Getting together with family for the holidays is about catching up and reconnecting. But sometimes that requires a little something extra — a hearth, of sorts, to gather around. Generations ago that meant a literal fireplace, but today we have even more dazzling options … like video games.

Here are eight of the most family-friendly offerings, all of which are sure to delight and engage players of every skill level. Gather around the game console and enjoy the holidays!

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EssayJake UittiYamaha
Musicians Who Hunt
Musicians Who Hunt

In today’s digital age, if you’re friends with someone who hunts live game, chances are you’ve had this experience: scrolling through your social media platform of choice when bam a photo comes across your screen of your compatriot holding up a deer he or she has killed with a rifle or bow-and-arrow. At that moment, you may experience what many others do (especially if you, yourself, are not a hunter). You may balk or cringe to see death so up close.

But what happens if this friend is not just a pal but someone you follow for entertainment, too? Is it possible to silo these two endeavors, or do you block the artist’s hunting posts outright? Or can you go further inward and wonder why you have this sense of shock from hunting in a world filled with farm fishing, factory farms with chickens lined up in cages, with pigs and cows slaughtered every day for fast food burgers, bacon, and even filet mignon? How is this all rectified? 

For musicians Brett Benton and Miller Campbell, who are both avid, respectful hunters, as well as talented, acclaimed songwriters and performers, this dichotomy is an everyday experience.

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EssayJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
‘When you get to 20, it’s wow’: What it takes to play in the NBA for two decades
‘When you get to 20, it’s wow’: What it takes to play in the NBA for two decades

Kevin Willis remembers encouraging Tim Duncan to keep going. The two former All-NBA players, who won a championship together in San Antonio in 2003, chatted when Duncan’s career was winding down in 2016. “The Big Fundamental” was to retire after his 19th season, and Willis practically pleaded with Duncan to give it one more year so that he could enter one of the few NBA “clubs” that’s eluded him. The 20-plus-seasons club.

Willis had been one of only eight members of the club, alongside Vince Carter, Jamal Crawford, Robert Parish, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That was it – until this season. Two more players are adding their names to that vaunted group. One is the undrafted Miami Heat lifer Udonis Haslem. And the other is maybe the greatest hooper of all time: LeBron James.

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EssayJake UittiThe Guardian
Top Fantasy TV Shows and Movies
Top Fantasy TV Shows and Movies

Your home theater offers a chance at escape. While the mundane world drones on around us, there are exciting fictional avenues that give the imagination new places to go, new adventures to experience — a whole universe of the mystical and magical. Whether that’s a faun meeting you at a lamp post to introduce you to witches and a talking lion, or a young boy with a wand that can change the world, diving into these dreamscapes can enliven and recharge our minds.

Here are eight of the top fantasy television shows and movies — escapes into new lands of enchantment and wonder.

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EssayJake UittiYamaha
Nickelback Showcases Eclectic Roots on New LP ‘Get Rollin”
Nickelback Showcases Eclectic Roots on New LP ‘Get Rollin”

Chad Kroeger, frontman for the multi-platinum-selling band Nickelback, remembers pressing his ear up to the stereo speaker. His mother worked at a tavern and so she would sleep in late most mornings to prepare for the long night ahead. As a kid, this meant free time for Kroeger, who familiarized himself with her record player and vinyl collection. At around five years old, he’d turn the volume up to one or one-and-a-half so that she couldn’t hear it but he could if he pushed the side of his head up to the speakers. Then he would play all kinds of music, he says. From Dolly Parton and the Beatles to the Smurfs and Led Zeppelin. Fast-forward some decades later and the music his band writes and releases shares the same eclectic nature. The band’s new LP, Get Rollin’, which is out Friday (November 18) begins with rough-and-tumble metal. But as the songs commence, the listener hears country aspects, alt-rock, and more. A feast of sounds and songs.

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EssayJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
In the land of the giants: does size really matter in the NBA?
In the land of the giants: does size really matter in the NBA?

When word began to circulate, there was great hope. What could this 7ft 7in giant from Sudan named Manute Bol do in the NBA? Could his defense and shot blocking make memories of the greatest defenders like Bill Russell vanish? In his book, Manute: The Center of Two Worlds, author Leigh Montville describes the efforts to bring Bol from Africa to the United States to find out what he was capable of. In the end, though, Bol didn’t have a legendary career. Yes, he was a fan favorite, known, strangely, as much for games in which he hit multiple three-pointers as he was for his blocked shots. But while Bol led the NBA in blocks twice, he averaged just 2.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per games across his career. Even his teammate, the much smaller Charles Barkley, would deride and prank Bol, not worried about retribution.

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EssayJake UittiThe Guardian
For Bronny James his father’s name is both a blessing and a curse
For Bronny James his father’s name is both a blessing and a curse

When, as a burgeoning high school basketball talent, LeBron James graced the covers of magazines and newspapers, it was the American Dream writ large: a life moving from poverty to prosperity. Those covers contained promises LeBron has since fulfilled many times over in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles. Now the 37-year-old seemingly has it all, from NBA titles to MVP awards to movie roles, his own production company, a reported billion dollar net worth, a wife and three children.

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EssayJake UittiThe Guardian
Scary Video Games
Scary Video Games

People often enjoy feeling frightened around Halloween. Each year, many of us dive into movies and media that make the hair on the backs of our necks stand up. Whether it’s revisiting a favorite horror flick or immersing yourself in a scary video game, being shocked and surprised by ghouls and ghosts has become a favorite pastime, especially around the end of October.

In this article, we’ll investigate eight of the most blood-curdling video games, all of which are made even more impactful when played through a dedicated gaming mixer like the new Yamaha ZG01.

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EssayJake UittiYamaha
Loved, loathed and everywhere: how the three-pointer came to dominate the NBA
Loved, loathed and everywhere: how the three-pointer came to dominate the NBA

When the shot went up, so did the voice of ABC’s legendary broadcaster, Mike Breen. “Curry! Way downtown! BANG!” It all happened so fast. It was a regular season game in Oklahoma City on 27 February 2016. The Golden State Warriors were on a magical run that would see them break the single-season wins record, going 73-9, pre-playoffs. That year, Stephen Curry earned his second-straight MVP, unanimously. He achieved that feat because he’d turned the three-pointer into a weapon unlike anyone else in history.

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EssayJake UittiThe Guardian