First off.. 2008 has been a great year for new music so far. The new Flogging Molly, Goldfinger, and Presidents of the USA albums are all great, get them right away. I really can't wait to see Goldfinger live, it's been like 3 years or so.... hopefully they announce a tour soon. I recommend checking out the album of folk music from Tom Morrello (of RATM), quite un-expected, but good, it's called The Nightwatchman. Unfortunately I'm losing my #1 source of new music, the indie rock playlists. March will be the final list, I think we'll all miss them. I'll have to keep up on xmu, WTMD and radio indie pop to find the new stuff.
I must also mention that Rock band is by far the funnest video game I've played in my life. It even beats the wii. If you haven't played it yet, you are welcome to come by for one my frequent post-bar games, I warn you it's addictive. New songs every week is genius, it never gets old.
Quite an interesting year in politics...I think we may need to have a post-election no more Bush party in November. One thing that's actually kinda hard to find is where everyone stands on the issues. I found this selectsmart that let's you put your stance on each issue and it will tell you which candidates agree with you and by how much, Obama agreed with 81% of my issues, so I'll be voting for him. You can even do side by side comparisons, here is what they list for Obama:

War authorization: As a state senator, he spoke out against Iraq war, before the war started. Has long favored a phased withdrawal.

Security/liberties: He voted against and later for bills to reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. "Let me be clear: this compromise is not as good as the Senate version of the bill, nor is it as good as the SAFE Act that I have cosponsored. I suspect the vast majority of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle feel the same way. But, it's still better than what the House originally proposed. This compromise does modestly improve the PATRIOT Act by strengthening civil liberties protections without sacrificing the tools that law enforcement needs to keep us safe." --February 16, 2006 Source. Obama supported the interests of the American Civil Liberties Union 83 percent in 2005-2006. "Senator Obama is a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and has supported efforts to base homeland security spending on risk rather than pork-barrel politics. He has also introduced legislation to strength chemical plant and drinking water security and to enhance disaster preparedness." -Campaign site

Social Security: Senator Obama supported the interests of the Alliance for Retired Americans 100 percent in 2005.

Stem cell research: Supports federally funded stem cell research.

Same sex issues: Opposes gay marriage; supports civil union & gay equality.

Trade issues: Has a mixed voting record of trade issues. Voted for free trade agreement with Oman. Voted against implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. In 2005-2006 USA Engage gave Senator Obama a rating of C. "USA*ENGAGE promotes responsible alternatives to sanctions that actually advance US humanitarian and foreign policy goals, such as intensified US diplomacy and multilateral cooperation."

Budget issues: "Senator Obama voted against the most recent effort to raise the national debt limit. The current national debt has exceeded $8.6 trillion dollars, and nearly $4 trillion of that debt is now held by foreign governments. Our national debt and annual budget deficits effectively tax all Americans by adding to the amount of interest paid to service U.S. borrowing." Source Obama supported the interests of the National Taxpayers Union 6 percent in 2005.

Business & labor issues: Obama supported the interests of the National Federation of Independent Business 12 percent in 2005-2006.
"Sen. Obama regularly supports legislation that we support. There have been no votes in the Senate on legislation we track, therefore our system may have reported 0% simply because no votes were cast. His actual support of NAGC issues is 100%." - J.R. Claeys, President, National Association of Government Contractors
He supported the interests of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 39 percent in 2005.
He supported the interests of the United Auto Workers 93 percent in 2005.
He supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 92 percent in 2005.

Abortion issues: Obama supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 100 percent in 2006. Obama supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 0 percent in 2005-2006. Obama supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 100 percent in 2005.

Capital punishment: Obama says the death penalty "does little to deter crime" but he supports it for cases in which "the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage." As as state senator, Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases. Source

Marijuana: Famously admitted to using illegal drugs in his book. On the issue of medicinal marijuana, Obama said that if the "best way to relieve pain and suffering is through medicinal marijuana," then it's something he's open to. Source

Gun control: Obama supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 0 percent in 2005. Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all state legislative candidates in 2004, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned Senator Obama a grade of F (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

Minimum wage: Voted for increases in the minimum wage.

Health care: "Too many hard-working Americans cannot afford their medical bills, and health-related issues are the number one cause for personal bankruptcy. Promoting affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care is a priority for Senator Obama." -Campaign site

Prescription drugs: "To help lower the cost of prescription drugs, Senator Obama has supported efforts to allow American seniors to purchase prescription drugs in Canada and bring them back to the U.S. He also has supported giving Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices." Senate site

Environmental issues: Obama supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 100 percent in 2005. Obama supported the interests of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 88 percent in 2005. Obama supported the interests of the League of Conservation Voters 95 percent in 2005.

Immigration issues: Obama supported the interests of the American Immigration Lawyers Association 88 percent in 2006. Obama supported the interests of the U.S. Border Control 8 percent in 2005-2006. Obama supported the interests of the Federation for American Immigration Reform 0 percent in 2005.
Supports amnesty/permanent legalization for illegal aliens and temporary legalization for illegal aiens as guestworkers. Source

Education issues: Opposes vouchers.

Net Neutrality: Strongly yes. Source