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January 31, 2004
Visited States
create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide
Posted by KnipSter at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2004
My brother gets in to
My brother gets in to this way more than I, but I saw this article on CNET:Rights issue dogs CD protection.
I usually like to lump the whole "Music" Industry together and write them off for nailing us with their high margins that are supported by anti-competitive behavior.
This article points to the (inevitable) erosion of the unity (since it isn't a monopoly) of the industry. The publishers(NMPA) vs the recorders(RIAA). The RIAA and its members are attempting to protect their CDs (the physical discs) by making it easier to use a Digital copy of a song (with DRM) than ripping the "analog" songs to a digital format (without DRM). The publishers are claiming the Record Labels are distributing 2 copies of every song on many of these discs and therefore they are entitled to double royalties.
The RIAA membership is trying to weasel out of paying double royalties even though they are distributing 2 copies of each song on these discs.
Both parties involved what to resolve this without going to court. Probably because this fight is not good for either of them if it becomes more public. But will private settlement be an agreement or merely contractual collusion?
Its the end of the (music) world as we know it.... and I feel fine
Posted by KnipSter at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2004
Pajama Sunday
The fire's burning, half of us are still wearing our pajamas. A perfect Sunday. Its nap time, I'm thinking about bedding down myself.
Lori and I saw the "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" last night. Excellent, Peter J deserves some awards. The surreal part of the evening was the after movie dinner, where I realized that I'm old enough to have a babysitter, its seems like just yesterday I was the babysitter.
Posted by KnipSter at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2004
Keeping in touch...
Saw this NY Timesthis article on techdirt.com. Its about families keeping in touch via Instant Messaging. How 90's is that?
Its funny, my folks are traveling so much now, that I rarely know what state they are even in. Yahoo Instant Messenger and seeing them online is close enough. Once someone is over 3 hours away, it almost doesn't matter where they are these days. With Instant Messenging, bulk minute cell phones plans and now, VoIP (Voice over IP), it seems like we are more connected than we have been in a long time.
Of course, its all a great big pendulum. Phone's and "reasonable" long distance rates apparently brought by the competition between AT&T, MCI and Sprint renegerized the phone industry in the 80's. The public popularity of the Internet (lets not forget it was a academic/college staple for quite sometime before) in the mid/late 90's brought the ability to circumvent the metered pricing of the long distance carriers in favor of the "under the hood" pricing of peering of their Internet backbones.
Early attempts at voice over dialup connections worked, but were cumbersome and clunky at best. It was worth the higher prices to avoid the hassle, and forget trying to speak with the less technically inclined relatives.
Now in the 21st century, the popularity of broadband (strangely dominated by the Cable companies: at least in my social circles) has enabled higher bandwidth always on connections. And the user interface of choice: the Plain Old Telephone...
The long distance companies are still providing the backbone circuits, the customers are still using their standard telephones, but the Local Phone Companies are losing their place connecting the home with backbones. Right now, I'd say my Cable Company is becoming a more important lifeline to the outside world than my telephone cable. Only the blackout of 2003 and my telephone number have me still hold on to my basic service.
I guess it must be real tough dealing with the grind of dealing directly with customers, but it seems that it is the local phone companies who are out of touch...
Posted by KnipSter at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)