During the hey day of the dot com boom and the IPO frenzy of the late 90's, Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison became the most sought after and profitable law firm in California. At one time potential clients had to pitch Brobeck in order to have the "privilege" of representation by the firm.
Today, I discovered that the firm (thank you Amar) is closing its doors by end of day tomorrow, or Monday at the latest.
[...] At Brobeck's offices on the 28th floor of San Francisco's One Market tower, lawyers huddled in small groups in the lobby. They spoke in hushed tones and eyed visitors warily.
Few would speak to a reporter on the scene as they waited for an afternoon meeting on the firm's fate [...]
Its failed attempt to close a merger deal with East Coast firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, its huge real estate obligations and a $90 million debt with Citibank put the final nail in the coffin of what was once the most respected tech law firm in the Bay Area, if not California.
Brobeck also was a marketing innovator. Building a brand that gave it huge awareness and recognition in the tech community and on Wall Street. Unfortunately, it's a classic case of growing too fast too soon, lack of "sales" to support a huge infrastructure and uncontrolled spending way past the "good ole days."
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Mike asks if I've received my new 17" PowerBook. Not yet. But I got an email yesterday from Apple with a shipping confirmation that my Airport Extreme Base Station(w/modem and antenna jack) shipped yesterday. Kind of exciting. But I've already got two original base stations. And I'm currently tethered to a desktop machine. Hey. But this is progress. I'll just start a new pile of my early adopted technology that I can't use until PowerBook Arrival Day: website says on or before March 26, 2003. Ouch. Now I'm lusting after Apples new 20" LCD Cinema Displays. At $1,299 each, I think I need two...well, like to have two.
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Feingold's legislation would help consumers and
small and independent radio station owners and promoters by prohibiting
anti-competitive practices in the radio and concert industries. Senator Zell
Miller (D-GA) is an original co-sponsor of this legislation. Tomorrow Feingold will appear as the lead witness in the Senate Commerce Committee's hearing starting tomorrow.
Feingold is certainly the most outspoken opponent of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This deregulation toppled the barriers to multi-station ownership by a single company. And perhaps Feingold's biggest target is Clear Channel which owns 1,200 radio stations and controls more than 70% of all concert ticket sales in the U.S. Clear Channel has recently been the target of anti-competitive litigation. CBS Marketwatch requires free registration. Perhaps Clear Channel is even more guilty of the thing I hate most about radio (Why do they always play the SAME songs?). Frequency baby. Like advertising. Sell. Sell. Sell. Hell, did you know that 46 of Clear Channels radio stations are called KISS-FM. Talk about a case of stolen identity.
As I've noted before, the result is sterilization, homogenization and fornication of radio. In other words, one company has direct control of the music and other programming content heard on the public airwaves today. In what I refer to the glory days of radio a DJ could discover and break a new musical act. A great example in classic Cohen Brothers satirical voice, was the Soggy Bottom Boys in
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?. Stumbling into a country radio station George Clooney and his crew of chain gang escapees play "Man of Constant Sorrow" live. Before the boys get to their next destination, the song is a hit. Ironically enough, Cohen Brothers and the film's musical director, T. Bone Burnett tried desperately to get "radio stations" to play songs from the film. Despite virtually no airplay, the soundtrack album won top honors at last years' Grammies. Sales of the album were lackluster until it gained national attention through the grammies.
Speaking with Bill Moyer's on PBS, T. Bone had this to say about Clear Channel and Oh Brother:
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, does not fit into Clear Channel's
notion of country music. They're not up there saying, 'we want to build a
community.' They're not saying, 'we want to help keep country music vital.'
They're not saying, 'we want to champion great musicians.' That's not their
business plan. Their business plan is to capture as much, as many,
advertising dollars as they possibly can in that marketplace."
While deregulation is new, the downfall of the music we end up hearing on the radio isn't. In the 80's Neil Young vented his anger toward the excessive commercialism, cookie cutter music and overall abandonment of artistic integrity (selling out, anyone) by many of his peers in his famous parody of Anheuser-Busch's most famous slogan:
Ain't singin' for Pepsi
Ain't singin' for Coke
I don't sing for nobody
Makes me look like a joke
This note's for you
This summer Tom Petty unleashed his anger at the Clear Channel consolidation issue and the sorry state of radio where DJs simply do as they're told and play songs they're told to spin in his latest release "The Last DJ."
well, you can't turn him
into a company man
you can't turn him into a whore
and the boys upstairs
just don't understand anymore
the top brass don't like him
talking so much
and he won't play
what they say to play
and he don't want to change
what don't need to change
there goes the last dj
who plays what he wants to play
and says what he wants to say
hey, hey, hey
there goes your freedom of choice
there goes the last human voice
there goes the last dj
Point is, there's a lot of great music that the public never gets to hear because it gets no airplay. And while the legend of Alan Freed seems like a distant nightmare, pay-for-play or payola exists in its own unique form today. If you want your song played on radio, it's going to cost you. And that's why musicians across the nation are up actively pursuing support for Feingold's legislation. And if music isn't your passion, here's Hal Crowther on the sorry state of Talk Radio. (thanks for the pointer Doc)
In New Orleans, one of many birthplaces and nurturing grounds for American roots and blues music and home of Jazz Fest and many other exciting live music events, Satchmo.com reaches out to local musicians and New Orleans visitors to its online guide to the local music scene to write their Senator urging support for Feingold's bill.
And on the hill, The American Federation of Musicians is calling out to its membership to write letters too. And perhaps even more passionate and coming from a true grass roots position, this website is more forward in its criticism of Clear Channel.
I can see Senator Feingold pounding his fists on the table like Paddy Chayefsky's Howard Beale and screaming "I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore." From the classic film "
Network" explored and took shots at television.
"The time has come for Congress to address the issue of consolidation in the
radio industry," Feingold said. "Since originally introducing this legislation
in June of 2002, I have seen a groundswell of interest both in Congress and
among artists, consumers, independent radio stations, and local promoters in
restoring fairness to radio. My legislation will reduce concentration and crack
down on anti-competitive practices, such as the new pay-to-play system."
I guess there's another way to look at this massive media consolidation. Centralization. And if technology and information dissemination can ever realize the promise of decentralization and ideals of many of the speakers at SuperNova last December, then maybe we're reinventing the glory days of the new radio. The new broadcasting model. Yet this is a big "IF". In the meantime, perhaps we should pick up the phone or write a letter supporting Feingold and his efforts.
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Should public officials sell their story to Rolling Stone? Or any other publisher, broadcaster or studio? The tight-lipped yet outspoken Montgomery County police chief has co-written a book with Charles Fleming about his experiences and story that lead to the arrests of two suspects in the string of fatal shootings that terrorized citizens of Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia last fall.
But as the Washington Post is quick to point out, the county has strict rules regarding public officials "using the prestige of his or her office for personal gain" and expending county time on an enterprise that will personally profit the official. Rules aside, the Montgomery County Executive who hired Moose in 1999, Douglas M. Duncan (D), believes Moose's story should be told.
[...] "This is a special circumstance," Duncan said. "He's got a great story to tell America, and he should be able to do that. Yes, we've got some ethics issues to get through, but we'll look at anything we need to do to make it work.
If necessary, Duncan said, he would ask the County Council to pass legislation authorizing the deal. [...]
I'm sure his agent, David Vigliano, would disagree with me, but I would think this would be a perfect opportunity for a public official to follow the creed of the Creative Commons and like Cory Doctorow, use a Creative Commons non-commercial license for the content in the upcoming book. Like Cory, Moose should offer a free downloadable version(click that link and get your copy of Cory's Down and Out In The Magic Kingdom in any format from test to Apple Newton) of the book while selling a printed version at a nominal price. Not only would Moose's story get told, he would make it available to a wider audience and he would communicate a strong statement with regard to ownership and copyright of information that likely belongs in the public domain. Plus, he could allocate all or a portion of printed book proceeds to more needy causes.
It's a sketchy situation. But let's face it, Moose was paid to do his duty to the citizens of Maryland. That is, put the terrorists behind bars and spare further lives from the hands of the sniper(s). The events, investigation and details that lead to the amazing capture of the terrorists likely all occurred when Moose was on the County's time clock. Now I'm not privy to the employment contracts of law enforcement officials', but if they read like other creative service industries, Moose might argue that his employement was not a "work for hire" relationship. In that case, the intellectual property (story of the capture) would be his own. Accordingly, he owns the rights and could license this story to who are what he sees fits. If Moose, on the other hand, was under a work for hire contract, then anything Moose created while employed would belong to the county -- and therefore the public. I doubt a law enforcement offical has any such verbage, distinction or definition it his/her employment agreement/contract. This is stuff for lawyers.
I'm no lawyer nor do I harbor interests or desires for this questionable trade. What I do know is that we have a public official getting paid for a story that's less than six months old. Is he greedy? has he already optioned the movie or TV special rights? What are his other ambitions? With the controversy that could stem from his actions, why not look to the Creative Commons or any alternative that will let his story reach all of us. And if anyone is to profit from the story, perhaps the proceeds would be better served for law enforcement education, the families of those victimized, public awareness campaigns or countless other entities.
I don't think Moose, his co-writer, agent nor publisher should let this go without leveraging an opportunity to do good, while serving as a terrific PR opportunity that would communicate a stronger message to a broader audience across the nation. Everybody wins. As they should.
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This technology thing is getting crazy. Did you hear Gibson will release electric guitars this year that don't have a traditional 1/4" phone jack to connect your instrument cable to your Fender Twin Reverb amplifier? More proof that you can't wax nostalgia for anything. Sure, we've had wireless guitars for years. But you still used that 1/4" jack to connect your transmitter. Nope. If the industry follows, guitars will have RJ45 jacks -- the Ethernet connector we've all come to love -- and hate. I just wonder if we'll start seeing 802.11(g) built into Fender Strats in the near future?
[...] "We expect some people to say 'No thanks,' they just want their 1957 Les Paul. But there will be a group of early adopters for this, and it will be a no-brainer for them," said Vallier, who is part of a three-man design team working on the digital electronics for Gibson's first networked guitar.
You can read about Gibson and its MAGIC (Media-accelerated Global Information Carrier Specification) technology in this EE Times Article(thanks Slashdot for the pointer) and on TechTV here. I'm not sure I'm ready for a digital guitar, but given the number of technologies that offer classic guitar amplifier modeling (mimicking) there are already a bunch of musician technoids playing with digital music. But as the article laments, will Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, B.B. King, Mark Knopfler etc be looking to create or recreate their classic guitar sound digitally?
Hey, maybe I should get one just so I can start using the dozen or so Ethernet jacks in my office/studio. Haven't really used them since jumping on the Wi-Fi bandwagon a couple years ago. And now with 802.11(g) even my server could go wireless. Let's keep an eye on this one. Or better yet, maybe the electronics for my Taylor 12-string which uses the Fishman Blender pickup system for amplifying the beautiful sound of finely crafted solid spruce, maple and ebony could simply be a plug-in to MOTU Performer of Logic?
But then again. Perhaps the beauty of an acoustic guitar is the ability to be mobile. Far away from electricity, ethernet, amplifiers and urban noise. Simply relish the sound mix of wind bristling through the grass and ruffling the trees. Or the surf pounding the sand and the pitter patter of the sandpiper looking for its next meal. Peace. Solitude. And vibrating strings.
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Sunday, January 26, 2003
Superbowl Sunday. And it's 80 degrees outside. How can I sit inside? Wish I had a TiVO, I'd watch it tonight. Did you know that the halftime show is all lip-synced? True story. Watch closely. It's their fault tolerant, redundant system. Oh well. I can't get excited. Too nice.
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Friday, January 24, 2003
Safari is a great browser, but I find it's having problems with displaying inline images in my blog. Causing some very funky breaks, text on top of images. It looks fine in Newscape and Explorer. I'm guessing an issue of beta. Anyone else having similar problems?
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I'm not sure this is the best way to fight, disagree, unleash anger or resent the RIAA.
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Last night I had a lot of fun. Sarah, Felisa and Jim joined me in my little studio for a night of playing guitar, singing songs and keeping rhythm with a plethora of percussion instruments. Mix that up with great wine, laughs and an easiness that I haven't felt in awhile. There's something about music and collaborative creation in a comfortable setting that frees the mind from its tendency to dwell, think and figure. Playing live music for the sole objective of joyful expression lights up faces and sparkles eyes. Of those playing and those watching. It's an energy. And it's damn fun.
In an email this morning Sarah suggested we pull a group of singers, players and songwriters and play, perform, practice and write on a regular basis. I had suggested to Sarah and the others last night that we focus on playing more of our own songs, rather than rehashing cover songs. She looked at me with a bit of anxiety and said "I don't have any songs." She has a beautiful voice, is a gifted creative designer and soulful guitar player. She has songs. But she just doesn't know it yet. Or, she just hasn't unlocked the door in her heart and mind and let them out. She looked at me and said, "Next time let's play more of your songs." I said that would be fun, but suggested even better, let's write some together.
The creative spirit needs fostering. It needs to breathe. And it needs to work without fear. So I'm going to nurture and provide the impetus to get a group of musicians together on a regularly. Much like my love of yoga. This time will be well spent. And very healthy.
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Earlier this year my brother Jonathan and I chatted at length about the poor state of commercial radio today. We reminded each other of our childhood dreams and passions. How years ago we dreamed and hoped that one day we would own a radio station. Passionate about music, writing, sharing and communicating ideas. And if it wasn't a radio station, it could be a newspaper or a magazine. Over the years that ensured we vicariously lived this dream. Jon started an underground (alternative to the school financed) newspaper in high school (censored, rather -- shut down -- by the principal). I published a family newsletter, both of us worked as DJs in college and I did a stint at a commercial radio station. I also wrote amd shot photographs for the college paper. Those were the days.
We talked and as we loaded our iPods with our favorite songs and created playlists for virtually every occasion we, in a sense, were creating our own commercial radio station for an audience of few. We realized that our source of new music, news and entertainment comes less and less from mass media outlets such as radio stations and television. The choices are few and in most cases uninteresting.
We reminisced about the great radio stations we grew up with from NYC area. WPLJ. WNEW. And even from Long Island, WLIR. Most of these stations are gone, or if they're still on the air their best days are over. I remembered fantasizing when listening to Alison Steele's ("the nightbird") smooth, breathy voice late night in high school. Or learning about new music and old from Scott Muni (RealPlayer required), Vin Scelsa and Pat. St. John. Even those radio stations I came to love when I first moved to Los Angeles (KLOS, KMET, KSCA, KROQ and others) are gone or are barely recognizable from the hey day of LA Radio. (the last two links above are audio files, take a moment and listen)
Truly all radio stations must attract listeners, raise ratings and lure advertisers. All of which makes for happy investors or owners. But radio, as we have known it, has changed. And not for the better. Fact is, in just over five years two companies have quietly gobbled up local radio stations coast to coast.
[...] Back in 1996, the two largest radio chains owned 115 stations; today, those two own more than 1,400. A handful of leading owners used to generate only a fifth of industry revenue; now these top five rake in 55 percent of all money spent on local radio. [...]- William Safire -
The result is typical of any industry consolidation, but for me and my brother the sad thing for us to experience is how radio has become sterile, homogenized and frankly -- too safe.
[...] Yesterday's programming diversity on the public's airwaves has degenerated to the Top 40, as today's consolidating commodores borrowing public property say "the public interest be damned." [...]
So when I read William Safire's op-ed in today's New York Times I let out a verbal and loud, right on. Safire, not one for government intervention, speaks not for pro-regulation but for pro-competition. And we're not talking protectionist measures either.
[...] Does this make me (gasp!) pro-regulation? Michael Powell, appointed by Bush to be F.C.C. chairman, likes to say "the market is my religion." My conservative economic religion is founded on the rock of competition, which [~] since Teddy Roosevelt's day [~] has protected small business and consumers against predatory pricing leading to market monopolization. [...]
As an advertising and marketing consultant I can't ignore the reach and power of the top TV, radio, cable and internet outlets. Sure, I'd like to show my clients creative ways to leverage the agile, innovative and otherwise alternative outlets. But at what cost? It's unfortunate. But these can be and usually are cost-prohibitive. Top that off with the massive spending by broadcast and entertainment lobbies and you soon realize that smaller and alternative outlets simply can't compete.
[...] the big bucks go into broadcast TV, with its unmatchable cost per thousand viewers. And stop to examine the highly hyped "competition" that consolidating media profess to fear: the leading 20 Internet sites and biggest cable channels are already owned by the expansive likes of G.E.-NBC, Disney , Fox, Gannett, AOL Time Warner , Hearst, Microsoft , Cox, Dow Jones, The Washington Post and The New York Times [...]
If my brother Jon and I were to dream today about our own station, the exciting developments are on the internet. Much like FM radio in the 60's, internet radio streams became the new radio underground. Many of these stations were forced to shut down last year because they couldn't afford to make hefty royalty payments. These payments (much more costly than 'traditional' media) the result of DMCA legislation -- which has been well documented, discussed and debated in the weblog community.
[...] The controversy stems from landmark digital copyright legislation passed in 1998, in which Congress said Webcasters would be required to pay labels and artists a fee to play their music online. This created a new type of royalty, as ordinary radio stations have long paid songwriters a small royalty but have never paid labels or artists themselves. [...] from c|net
For now there's a six-month reprieve thanks to the unanimous approval by the House and Senate of "The Small Webcaster Settlement Act" (H.R. 5469). Still, one must wonder what is the future of radio? All radio. For me? I can only dream again. I dream of Internet Radio. Like a child, today it's an infant. But I wish and hope for the brightest future for this youngster. Sure, I can see it becoming a raging adolescent screaming for attention. Complete with rage, angst and an identity crises showdown. As it begins to mature and refine, it reignites interest in diversity or music and message. New artists are discovered and find outlets for their music -- independent of the behemoth entertainment distribution machine -- and people like you and me discover them.
It's ironic as I write this story, I'm using a web publishing/content management system aptly named Radio. Dave Winer and his team including John Robb and others at Userland Software have created a tool that allows me and other bloggers to publish and ultimately give us the ability to reach millions of readers. Combine this with the ability to stream 'syndicated' content through RSS and I've got a blog broadcasting system. Readers of The Digital Tavern - for the sake of clarity send me feedback and comments from all over the world including Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, England, South Africa, Hungary, Australia, France, Spain and Italy.
Soon more advanced publishing systems and technologies will give you and me the ability to broadcast as well as publish. To be sure, we will be responsible to our own economic realities. But we'll also be responsible for being true to our ideals, passions, dreams and spirit. There is a silver lining in the clouds of challenge that temporarily obscure or dampen those passions and spirit. The community of weblogs (bloggers) that is the latest wildfire blazing through the internet gives me hope that radio will be reinvented right here.
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted.
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question of your honesty, yeah,
Your honesty.
One likes to believe in the freedom of music,
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity.
From "The Spirit of Radio" by Neil Peart - RUSH
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You just knew this was going to happen. It's here too.
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A lot of email and calls to my office about whether my cell phone is back in service. My New Years debacle and according post details the loss. No fear. I'm back. Same number. Same, but new, phone. I'm working on the replacement for the camera.
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If you are a Mac user, use iTunes and exhibit some of the anal retentive behavior that would open the door to realizing the true potential of iTunes and the iPod, the you should read this twice. Your iTunes library will be thanking you in spades. Simply the best guide to cleaning up your MP3 ID tags.
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I'm a few days behind on this one, but did you read Larry's op-ed in Saturday's New York Times? - free registration required - His proposal for unleashing the more than 90% of 'copyrighted' work between 1923 and 1942 that has no commercial value is smart and viable. Mickey would remain safely in chains as well as Dorothy, Gone With The Wind and the 2% +/- that still see the light of day. - You can get more backround from links I've posted here. -
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This is a bit disturbing. But since I haven't actually had a chance to see yet alone test drive one, I reserve judgement. But one would think with all the hype that congested cities would look to ways to allow transportation alternatives rather than create obstacles (read: laws) for them.
[...] In California, Santa Cruz, Oakland and San Mateo are considering joining San Francisco in banning Segways from sidewalks. There is no similar move in congested Los Angeles, city officials said [...]
If you've been following some of the blogs in my blogroll and a plethora of others you undoubtedly are aware of the Supreme Court's final ruling on Eldred. Info here, here and here. Like most, I'm disappointed in the decision. Just when you think you're two steps forward, you gotta take ten back. The decision has rippled through the online community and affected plenty. tears have fallen, fists beaten on desks and words flung like swords. Much like the le Carre's piece I wrote yesterday, sometimes you need to take a deep breathe and live a little lighter. So I gotta thank Jesse Walker of Reason for his Interview with Mickey Mouse.
[...] Mickey's own reaction to the decision was less enthusiastic. Telling his keepers that he was going on an "ice run for the boss," the mouse made his way to a dive bar a few miles outside Disneyland, where he gave reason an exclusive interview [...]
It's a great history lesson. And a fun way to look at the issue. Aren't we supposed to be having fun here?
[...] In 1971, for instance, Dan O'Neill got me a part in something called Air Pirates Funnies. It was great: I got to have sex, I got to use drugs, I got to explore the whole underground comix scene. It was liberating [...]
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For those that know me well, you can vouch for my distaste and therefore very restrained if never present, television viewing. But somehow I found myself bouncing off the walls of my living room with TV on and the Leno teaser says The Doors. As I previously blogged about this highly unusual reunion or rebirth, i was compelled to refrain from writing, blogging or playing my guitar and watch Jay big chin Leno promote The Doors. So they performed Light My Fire. Truly a classic. But truly a bit dated. There's Ian Asbury of The Cult Fame in his leather jacket. big rock necklace and dark wrap around shades to complete the I Wish I Was; or I'm Trying To Be, But I'm Not, Jim Morrison. Manzarek with some scarf tied around his neck from what I believe to be a reject of the Andy Warhol era; and Robby Krieger who I"m just not sure. I was indifferent. At one point feeling sorry. At another wondering what time warp I was reeling from. Hey. But give them credit. They're trying. To be sure. TV is not the venue for this tune; nor this band. So do I go to Universal Ampitheatre and see this band stumble or radiate through a live performance? Or do I wait for Elvis? God, if this is what's happening to early 70's bands, I just hope no one tries to bring back Journey or REO Speedwagon. Rather, maybe these guys are already relegated to the State Fair tour. I'm going to hold further judgement till I have a chance to see these legends play a real gig. Till then, keep them off TV. It won't sell concert tix or CDs.
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I followed Doc'slink to the London Times this morning. And I read John le Carré
's "The United States Has Gone Mad". And for the sake of clarity, I tend to steer away from political punditry here at the Digital Tavern. There's more than enough blogging in that vein here, here and elsewhere. And frankly I don't have much to say about le Carré's opinion, except that it makes for a fun read. What interests me most is that it's the ideal type of piece that throws both the right and the left into a blogging fervor. Case in point, Sullivan thinks le Carré''s paranoid, Hawkin's claims it's diarrhea, Sean Kirby turns the gun around and calls le Carré the one who has gone mad and Lileks rants (and rants, and rants) the content is merely recycled fatuity.
So allow me to approach this article a bit differently and mix in a little music (lyrics) from another famous British gentlemen. In that way I hope my post will be less serious and more entertaining rather than painful and prolonged pontificating.
That's right, pontificate I will not. Today it's a merely ping-pong of quotes. Here's how it goes: I quote a bit of le Carré's Op-Ed piece, then I quote a lyrics from Roger Waters'1991 release "
Amused to Death" Waters and his Amused To Death concept "album" was inspired in part by the Gulf War and in part by Neil Postman's
Amusing Ourselves to Death.... So if you don't want to listen to Waters, nor read The London Times, then scroll down for my interplay of quotes.
[...] The religious cant that will send American troops into battle is perhaps the most sickening aspect of this surreal war-to-be. Bush has an arm-lock on God. And God has very particular political opinions. God appointed America to save the world in any way that suits America. God appointed Israel to be the nexus of America's Middle Eastern policy, and anyone who wants to mess with that idea is a) anti-Semitic, b) anti-American, c) with the enemy, and d) a terrorist [...]
What God wants God gets
God wants goodness
God wants light
God wants mayhem
God wants a clean fight
God wants peace
God wants war
God wants famine
God wants chain stores
What God wants God gets
God wants sedition
God wants sex
God wants freedom
God wants semtex
What God wants God gets
God wants voodoo
God wants shrines
God wants law
God wants organized crime
God wants crusade
God wants jihad
God wants good
God wants bad
[...] To be a member of the team you must also believe in Absolute Good and Absolute Evil, and Bush, with a lot of help from his friends, family and God, is there to tell us which is which. What Bush won't tell us is the truth about why we're going to war. What is at stake is not an Axis of Evil [~] but oil, money and people's lives. Saddam's misfortune is to sit on the second biggest oilfield in the world. Bush wants it, and who helps him get it will receive a piece of the cake. And who doesn't, won't. [...]
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds shillings and pence
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Little black soul departs in perfect focus
Prime time fodder for the News at Nine
Darling is the child warm in the bed tonight?
[...]"But will we win, Daddy?"
"Of course, child. It will all be over while you're still in bed."
"Why?"
"Because otherwise Mr Bush's voters will get terribly impatient and may decide not to vote for him."
"But will people be killed, Daddy?"
"Nobody you know, darling. Just foreign people."
"Can I watch it on television?" [...]
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great
For righting wrongs
You hit the target
And win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range With the bravery of being out of range We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
Now. Wasn't that fun?
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If you've been looking at your pocket change over the last few years you know that if you have a quarter in your pocket, it could be one of more than a dozen different coins. The difference? Each coin commemorates a different state. Every year the US Mint issues five new states. Soon California will get its 25 cents worth. And Dr. Kevin Starr, the State Librarian of California is the chair of the committee that will choose the California Quarter. And he's interested in your opinion. So if you care, or live in California, make your choice from a list of 20 finalists by casting your vote here. As my friend Korye commented, I'd hate to see all of California represented by images of San Francisco. Personally? I chose coin design #17. You?
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I love Sherlock. Apple's browser-alternative to access internet content. The Sherlock channels included with Jaguar are excellent. I especially like the Yellow Pages and Movies. Today Enrique pointed me to Sherlockers. A comprehensive source for Sherlock info, Channels and info for Sherlock Developers. I've loaded Guitar Tabs, Lyrics and a cool channel for Project Gutenberg. This is another example of a feature that gets overlooked in an overview of the Mac and Jaguar.
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Do you use a Palm or other device that uses the Palm OS? Then you're all too familiar with Graffiti. According to this article (thanks Slashdot) PalmSource will no longer license Graffiti to Palm and others selling Palm devices. But what's most interesting is the tidbid about Xerox suing Palm for patent infringement. Yet, as an early adopter of PDA's, I owned the original (and the updated) Apple Newton. The media had its hey day with the Newton's handwriting recognition. Not ready for primetime -- and many other jokes. I bought Graffiti for the Newton. And I guess eventually Palm bought the small company that developed Graffiti. So long ago. Anyway, Palm will offer a "Graffiti 2". This time powered by Jot.
And check this out. Some people just won't let Newton rest in peace.
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I'm so excited about the proliferation of 802.11(g) products and the final adoption of the next Wi-Fi standard. Finding a hot spot (free) is going to get easier if this takes off. As many of you know, I changed my new PowerBook order from the new (superdrive) 15" to the 17". Added to it is a new Airport Extreme with the antenna port. I sure hope that the Airport range is dramatically improved over my old PowerBook G4. We'll see.
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Legendary musician and leader of British supergroup The Who, Pete Townshend says he's not a pedophile. The news and tabloids are having a bit too much fun with this story. Yet Townshend admitted he used a child porn site once while doing research for an autobiography dealing with his own suspected childhood sexual abuse.
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"This is as true in everyday life as it is in battle: we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to act, and in acting, to live."
Right on the heels of my post about Michael Davies' new variety show which promises to do away with commercials and instead blend sponsor messages into the programming content, FCC Chairman Michael Powell glowing from the pleasure of his favorite holiday gift, a TiVO personal video recorder, calls this digital device "God's Machine".
[...]Powell said he intended to use the TiVo machine to record TV shows to play on other television sets in his home, and even suggested that he might share recordings with his sister if she were to miss a favorite show [...] I'd like to move it to other TVs,'' he said of his digitally recorded programming. A number of products already allow that [...]
Of course if Hollywood and its headstrong digital copyright dictators were to go after Powell for redistributing copyrighted material would they accept "gods will" or "the devil made him do it" as a reasonable defense?
[...]Many in Hollywood have railed against the machines, saying they could cut into TV advertising revenue if fewer people watch the commercials that underwrite broadcasters' business [...] The entertainment industry has proposed "broadcast flag" technology that could thwart or limit copying or distribution of pirated broadcasts over the Internet, where, it fears, they could be sold [...]
One thing's for sure, TiVo and other digital technologies (read iPod, MP3, DVD etc) are changing the face of distributed entertainment. And judging from the amount of comment in the news and blogs, it's going to be a fierce and exciting battle. I just hope that in the end, no matter the winner, that the creative and the content isn't compromised. If it is, everyone loses.
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Shocking, yes. But it doesn't surprise me? Dave Winerreports on the recent blogging ban on all Blogspot.com sites in China. While we're living in the 21st century this statement written in March 1775 (B.G.) before blogging rings as true today.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the numbers of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it.
And the illusion today is that we would expect anything different from the Chinese Government. Bloggers in China have no voice. And therefore no audience. For those repressed voices and their opinions, ideas, thoughts and desires fall on deaf and fearful ears. Sure. As others have noted, proxies and other workarounds can help these bloggers be heard. But it's a much bigger story and issue.
But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.
Can a blogger outcry as Pekingduck suggests, open the eyes of the Chinese government? Ain't gonna happen. Again, an illusion of hope. It's going to take much more. Inasmuch as my sentiments are with bloggers on this one, it is apt that Dave posts the classic photo of the lone Chinese standing in front of the tanks of the Chinese Army in Tiananmen Square, for no blogger writing today with the bravery of being out of range and in the comfort of his or her space with computer and broadband internet access can match the courage, spirit and conviction of the students exhibited in 1989 and the during the June 4th massacre in Tiananmen Square. This was a time where spirit and desire for liberty were strongest in China. The situation today has deteriorated.
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plethora of percussion instruments. Mix that up with great wine, laughs and an easiness that I haven't felt in awhile. There's something about music and collaborative creation in a comfortable setting that frees the mind from its tendency to dwell, think and figure. Playing live music for the sole objective of joyful expression lights up faces and sparkles eyes. Of those playing and those watching. It's an energy. And it's damn fun.
She looked at me with a bit of anxiety and said "I don't have any songs." She has a beautiful voice, is a gifted creative designer and soulful guitar player. She has songs. But she just doesn't know it yet. Or, she just hasn't unlocked the door in her heart and mind and let them out. She looked at me and said, "Next time let's play more of your songs." I said that would be fun, but suggested even better, let's write some together.
