Category: Miscellaneous

Random sh*t we don’t know where else to put

Categories
Blog Miscellaneous

DJ Starburst’s May 2026 chart

dj starburst's Topsters 3 chart for May 2026. Arranged in a 3x3 chart of album covers. Features "Bitknot" by Feeble Little Horse, "Songs for the Deaf" by Queens of the Stone Age, "My New Band Believe" by My New Band Believe, "Bleeds" by Wednesday, "Racing Mount Pleasant" by Racing Mount Pleasant, "Imaginal Disk" by Magdalena Bay, "I Heard That Noise" by Quickly, Quickly, "Buried Wish" by PC Worship, and "Still There's a Glow" by Sweet Pill.
dj starburst's May 2026 chart. Made with Topsters 3.

Happy June. May just ended, and I’ve been listening to music for the whole month, so I figured that it might be fun to show off my chart for the month and elaborate a little bit on how I feel about each of the albums.

This chart is a showcase of the albums I listened to the most this month. To create it, I used Topsters 3 alongside the .fmbot application Discord to see my most listened to albums for the month (as Last.fm does not allow you to see your monthly report without Premium). The ranking of each album is determined by how many track plays I got for it within the month; or, the amount of tracks I individually played from the album.

Continue reading “DJ Starburst’s May 2026 chart”
Categories
Miscellaneous

A Wikipedia Deep Dive into emo rock

90s emo band "Weezer" performing on stage; the four members are standing together, with their logo in the background made up of light bulbs. By ryanwh - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1384998, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Wikipedia is an interesting place to explore and learn about new things. In my opinion, it is one of the quickest ways to learn about a topic that doesn’t require diving into research or trying to find an accurate source on Google. If I need quick information on a topic, I usually go immediately to Wikipedia.

Sometime last year, I decided to take a dive into Wikipedia’s articles on emo, which led to an interesting discovery of how the editors of these pages view emo. If you’re reading this, join me on a (somewhat) deep dive into Wikipedia’s articles on emo.

Continue reading “A Wikipedia Deep Dive into emo rock”
Categories
Miscellaneous

DJ Dragonfly’s Farewell

Scrabble letters arranged to say "Goodbye"
Goodbye. Image licensed CC0 1.0 Public Domain.

For those of you who don’t already know, I am a graduating senior with a Psychology Major and a Music Studies Minor.  To put it simply, this will be my last blog with WKNC.  I have had an amazing time writing for WKNC and for all of my readers.  I hope to have reached each of you in some way, whether you liked my playlists or were looking for advice as a musician or my mental health articles helped even one person.  

I came to WKNC looking for a place to express myself and explore my own voice.  Through making my playlist series, doing film and album reviews, and approaching tough topics from a place of wanting others to know they aren’t alone, I hope I have reached my audience.  

Just because this is my last publication with WKNC doesn’t mean I plan to stop writing.  With the encouragement and support of my friends and family, I have decided to keep writing.  I will continue my publications on the platform “Medium” under the same name which you can find here.  My plan is to keep writing about music and mental health of course but also I want to incorporate more things about my life and my experiences because I think my life, interests, and experiences are pretty cool.  

Once again, I hope everyone has enjoyed my articles, reviews and my playlists.  I will miss WKNC and the opportunities that this station has afforded me.

– dj dragonfly

Categories
Miscellaneous

A How-To Guide on Surviving Four Years of College with Dopamine Pothole in Your Brain

Stylized white alarm clock with ADHD symptoms listed inside. Created by Killian Le.
Created by Killian Le.

Have you ever wondered why you let spaghetti expire in your fridge for three months, skipped an entire week of classes, and forgot to wish your best friend of ten years ‘Happy Birthday’?

Consider the possibility that there is a dopamine pothole in your brain, and it ate your spaghetti, classes, and best friend.   

That dopamine pothole, aka ADHD, is characterized as a deficiency of dopamine and norepinephrine in your frontal lobe which detrimentally affects impulsivity, attention, and memory. 

Coming from a diagnosed neurodivergent and  professional procrastinator, I intimately understand how symptoms of ADHD can quickly spell catastrophe for college students. 

For this reason, I’ve written a ADHD college survival guide. Below, you will find tips and tricks interspliced with unhinged wisdom on how to balance your academics, social life, and dopamine pothole without going insane.

Continue reading “A How-To Guide on Surviving Four Years of College with Dopamine Pothole in Your Brain”
Categories
Miscellaneous

Searching for Music When You’re Stuck in the Familiar

Three rows of crowded together CDs
"too many cds" by frumbert is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Sometimes my brain will latch onto a song and refuse to let go. I don’t just mean that I continuously hum it, although usually that’s true too. I can’t stop listening to the song on repeat when my brain gets like this. It is like having an itch where nothing but that song or artist can really scratch it. As someone who also prides themselves on finding new music, this is a super annoying habit to have. It will make me unable to focus on any other thing I am trying to listen to. The main way I have found to break this spell is to find music that sounds similar. If you find yourself only ever listening to one thing, or you know someone whose taste you would like to expand, this is a guide on how I find “music that sounds like…” without relying on a streaming service’s algorithm.

 

Continue reading “Searching for Music When You’re Stuck in the Familiar”
Categories
Miscellaneous

Who Are Betty and Veronica?

Comic book cover with five animated teenagers
"The All New Betty And Veronica" comic book cover. Image from Philipp Lenssen, licensed CC BY-NC 2.0 Generic.

** Image license **

Have you ever heard of Betty and Veronica? Do you know who they were and are? 

If these feel like questions that shouldn’t need to be asked, then I’m relieved to not be alone. 

A few months ago, I mentioned something to my friend about “Betty and Veronica” who proceeded to look at me with square eyes.  They had never heard of them before which shocked me to my core.  I had been under the impression that everyone had not only heard of “Betty and Veronica” but grew up with their comics, like I had. 

Continue reading “Who Are Betty and Veronica?”
Categories
Miscellaneous

Your Life Is Data: Last.fm, Letterboxd, and Socially Acceptable Surveillance

Old letterboxd logo, with tagline “your life in film” under the app name
Original Letterboxd logo used for promotional purposes

There’s been a rapid explosion in the number of apps claiming to show user data in the name of taste-sharing. Letterboxd and Last.fm are early examples, releasing in the early 2010s and becoming digital diaries for users to log their media consumption. In the world of music, Last.fm dominates data-sharing. Airbuds has become a recent hit because of its social elements, such as emoji reactions and direct messaging, but Last.fm remains the most popular. As someone interested in music trends and online spaces, I’m curious about why there has been such a push for apps whose sole purpose appears to be data collection rather than actually giving users the media they’re tracking. 

Sharing listening or film-watching data becomes a way of stating one’s tastes and even one’s identities. What does it say culturally when data, a profitable resource extracted from people like us, has become a way in which friendships and identities are legitimized? Even with the veneer of connection through the availability of sharing features on these apps, what makes users want to share this much so freely?

Continue reading “Your Life Is Data: Last.fm, Letterboxd, and Socially Acceptable Surveillance”
Categories
Miscellaneous

DJ Dragonfly’s 2025 Favorites

Sea lion laying together on a barge
The Sea Lions of San Francisco. Image by Sophia Dutton-Rodkin

It is officially that time of year: Spotify Wrapped has been released.  This event is a much anticipated one by many a Spotify listener and I have decided to share my wrapped, unedited.  Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.

Continue reading “DJ Dragonfly’s 2025 Favorites”
Categories
Miscellaneous

How To Make A Zine

If you opened this article and you are wondering what a zine is, keep reading. This article goes in depth talking about the origins of zines in the punk scene and is a great primer on zine culture. For anyone who does not have another article in them, I will give a quick rundown. “Zine” comes from a shortened form of magazine, which is a decent explanation for what they are. Zines are small, mini magazines that anyone can make. They are made with no production studio or backing and generally are made with extremely simple materials like folded paper. 

Continue reading “How To Make A Zine”
Categories
Miscellaneous

Service Animals: What They Are and How to Interact with Them

Large black dog in service vest on hind legs in the snow
Service dog, Percy, wearing his vest in the snow. Image provided by M.R. and M.D.

Ever been out in public and see an adorable dog jauntily bounding beside their owner in a snazzy vest with the words “Do Not Pet” on the side?  That, my friend, is a service animal.

As someone with a service animal, I thought I’d explain what service animals are, their various purposes and talk about how to properly approach a situation with a service animal.  

Continue reading “Service Animals: What They Are and How to Interact with Them”