WEDNESDAY RECOMMENDATIONS

Each Wednesday we're going to recommend some stuff that we're in to right now. These are our recommendations. Feel free to rep any stuff you like in the comments section.

Lady Sovereign: Public Warning

This Brit MC has been popular in her native UK for a while and recently piqued the interest of US hipsters, but don't let that sway you, as Jay Z thought enough of "Sov" to sign her to a Def Jam deal earlier this year. The album, which came out yesterday, has a lot of old school pedigree with irreverent rhymes over crinkled Roland TS-808 beats reminiscent of MC Lyte meets the Paul's Boutique era Beastie Boys (AdRock of the Beasties has, coincidentally, recorded a couple tracks with her). Missy Elliot hooks up with Lady Sovereign on a remix of Love Me Or Hate Me.

PeerGuardian

PG is a great freeware application that will keep you safe when browsing or downloading/seeding torrents. It can be set to automatically block government or educational IPs and shows you all connections that are incoming or blocked. It's a great supplement to your firewall and may save your ass from a RIAA lawsuit when you're sharing your collection of Freddie Mercury albums.

Clemson - There's Something In These Hills

Trent Allen (Owner of Allen's Creations in Clemson) and Kevin Bray have published the first coffee table book about Clemson since 1989 and it's well worth the wait. Available in a regular edition and executive edition sporting a signed print of Fort Hill by Clemson President Jim Barker. The book features over 400 historic and current photographs. It's a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of our university and the executive edition makes a great keepsake.

XM Satellite Radio

Just had to give this a good plug. XM covers ACC, Big Ten, Pac Ten football and basketball games. They also have an awesome selection of music and talk radio to choose from. A personal favorite include talk radio demigods Opie & Anthony famous for their antics that have led to multiple arrests and their shows getting the boot a few times. Not to harp on talk radio, but another plus is the Ron & Fez show who are pretty much birds of a feather with O&A. Included in the line up is CNN news channels, a spattering of sports channels including a few ESPN ones (Yes, they have Mike & Mike in the morning). If you're thinking of giving someone a good gift this Christmas, give them an XM.