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April 30, 2003
another damn test
On Apple's Music Store: Business-wise, it seems pretty sound. I'll pay 99ΒΆ a pop for tunes if they stay out of my face about how I use them. This has to be seen as good news, and evidence that Apple is a little smarter than your average computer company. Herewith some pros and cons of this (I think) important new offering. (Updated 4/29 with comments on pricing and Web Architecture.)... Source: Tim Bray*
In the Fortune article, Sheryl Crow talks about how she can finally release a song or three without having to complete an album before distributing.
Apple should see indys as a boon, because instead of passing $0.65 back to the labels, they could go for a 50/50 split. Money in the bank, everyone wins.
As anyone who has tried to work through a CD worth of material knows, it ain't no piece 'o cake. The article also talks about Steve's belief that folks deal with mixes, and single tracks, and have become cynical because of the high cost of a cd, with a low rate of good tracks. All of which is true. But there's no built in way for me to share my picks with others. There's no way I can collaborate with my musician friends and put together a playlist of favorite songs, or even better, a compilation of our own work. These are features that will increase sales—but possibly not for the labels.Apple to develop iTunes for Windows [MacNN] this is way cooler then it looks-iTunes functions as a streaming server now, with instant location under rendevouz, no ip numbers. it means i could put my mp3 collection on my hosts computer and listen to it on headphones across the room. and it will ofcourse talk to the apple music store.
Einstein and Newton 'had autism'
SBC claims it has the patent for webpage frames, and structured browsing...
Etech Doodly What's-It
Reuters' Eric Auchard spent the week at ETech, and it shows. I'm particularly fond of the quote he chose from our conversation:
"Everyone here is talking about how they can hook my doodly up to your what's-it," said Rael Dornfest, a software hacker, author of technical manuals and conference organizer. "There is a sense of possibility here that I haven't seen before."
The context was that of a peculiar time in recent history, 25-year-olds having lived through (and often peaked during) an accelerated boom-and-bust, now with time, mindwidth, and bandwidth to spare. They're certainly not ready for packing it in and retiring. They're experimenting and tinkering and fiddling with small pieces loosely joined. The hailstorm has subsided, having provided enough water for those fascinating little flowers and vines to push their way up through the ground. Now _that's_ the emergence to watch. [raelity bytes ]
Best of Show
Now that my weblog is back on it's feet, it's time to capture a few
thoughts on the last week's excellent ETCON. Best of show clearly
goes to Alan Kay's "Daddy are we there yet" presentation, though it
equally well could have been titled "it must suck to be fourty years
ahead of your time". Social Software has emerged as a meme. It has
the same feel as P2P did a few years back - we see a few disparate
applications emerging, therefore we struggle to find the common
thread. The killer app for both P2P and Social Software is the
same in both cases: IM. A piece of software I will definitely look into
more is Chandler. Despite being billed as a PIM, what intrigues me
most is the group interaction aspects. This products does not
appear to strive to be strictly innovative, instead to be
mainstream. It's implementation is based on a what increasingly is
becoming the mainstream OO dynamic scripting language (Python) and the
mainstream open and extensible instant messaging platform (Jabber). [Sam Ruby]
end of test post
Posted by parody at April 30, 2003 06:43 PM
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Comments
Why am I not surprised?:
"Smut Outstrips Tune Swaps:
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0%2C1367%2C58665%2C00.html
Ffej, the articles I've read on Apple's new music system were a bit vague on copy-protection, but seemed to indicate that it would be built in to the downloads -- the price Jobs had to pay to get the labels on board.
What's the skinny on that?
I very much like the concept of being able to purchase only the songs I like from an album/CD. If it weren't for the copyrights, the current arrangement, where you have to buy the duds with the hits, could be characterized as an illegal tying arrangement.
Today is May Day -- International Workers' Day, which is celebrated everywhere in the world but here in the U.S., where it began. Chicago has a particular connection to that by virtue of the Haymarket Massacre.
We have such an allergy to anything even suggesting communism that we don't officially observe it. In fact, back in the 50s, we even put another holiday in it's place -- Law Day.
Fuck "Law Day." This is International Workers' Day -- do somethig to observe it (pace, Oakey -- I know the ancient Celtic roots of the day, and respect that, but there is a urgent need to restore respect for working stiffs in this country.)
Posted by: Jerry at May 1, 2003 06:21 AM
It's Beltane Day, too, I am told.
Thanks for the Apple links, ffej.
Posted by: Danny at May 1, 2003 08:56 AM
Happy Beltane everyone, remeber to make love today to remind the green world of its duty to propagate.
Jer May Day does not affect Beltane, it is an outgrowth of it. May Day is just what happens when the Catholics get a hold of Beltane, Law Day is what happens when the Protestants get a hold of May Day.
How ever you feel about it, today is a powerful day. Feel the rush of spring in your bones, lie down upon the earth and feel the sun spread across Her slowing raising Her temprature, as the earth heats the plants poke their little heads out, the air becomes perfumed with her scent, the earth moves and opens, She gives forth the delights which give us life. If you are good at meditation, let the intersection of the earth and sun talk to you.
Hey Danny e mail me
Posted by: Oakey at May 1, 2003 11:28 AM
As for the workers unionize and educate, and understand that you are not part of the power structure and never will be. Start pushing for those things that will help you and your family, not some programmed patriotic knee jerk meme, that takes away from the mouths of your children to gorge the corporate bosses
Posted by: Oakey at May 1, 2003 11:34 AM
Jim,
With my body, if I put myself on the ground today, I'd probably get pneumonnia, and die.
You know I prefer Lughnasad, for obvious reasons.
Posted by: Jerry at May 1, 2003 01:22 PM
you can play your downloads on 3 macs. authorizing and deauthorizing is simple, but seems to be tied to the internet and hardware of the computers involved, IE, the unique address of the ethernet card or machine serial number. authorization apears to stored in protected memory, not the hard drive, erasing and reformating does not deautherize. the songs wil lnot play in any other player--your buddie can't give you aac files from apple if you have a windows machine--yet. you can burn 10 cds from the song. once you've burned the song to cd, you can rip an mp3 from it if you want, but you will have incurred 3 lossy de/compressions at that point, and it will probably show. (aac is mpeg4 with DRM, mp3 is mpeg3, both are lossy compression, information is lost. they make up for it with psychoacoustic tricks. ripping to aac, one loss, ripping to cd, two loss, ripping back to mp3 or mp4 or aac, three loss...)
Posted by: ffej at May 1, 2003 01:44 PM
a little ditty for the day, "To Be Young, Stupid and Typical," by Thelonious Q. Hobbit. (recited from memory, so i suppose this should be called an adaption...)
workers of the world sit on your hands,
listen to your betters, think with your glands.
workers of the world sit up straight,
drink your selves stupid and accept your fate.
workers of the world hate your neighbor,
coveting is good, gives you something to savor.
workers of the world, you ignorent cuss,
you keep yourselves that way without a fuss.
workers of the world don't do a thing,
you can't be rich and you can't be king.
workers of the world do collective action,
and pay your dues to some mafia faction.
ah but you say, "i'm not a worker!"
you might be a professional,
you might be a shirker,
but we're all consumers, we all watch tv,
unless we own the company, none of us is free.
not in our bedrooms behind locked doors,
not with our hookahs when the shades are drawn,
avoidance is as denial does,
you still goes to jail when your nark'd on, cuz.
workers of the world, you're fungible too,
work till you break, then they'll replace you.
with someone cheaper, younger and dumber,
while you cry in the cold and beg in th gutter.
Posted by: ffej at May 1, 2003 02:22 PM
You neglected to mention
collective action
in your doggerel.
Please amend that
omition.
Posted by: The Flint Martyrs at May 1, 2003 06:43 PM
done. enjoy.
Posted by: ffej at May 1, 2003 07:30 PM
Jer
Because you a such a wimp, you get a papal intersession, you can imagine it in your head. But Bro, its not the same, never has been, never will be.
Posted by: Oakey at May 1, 2003 08:53 PM
And who are you to question my festival, Jim?
Hey, my adherents don't piss on you Dagda groupies, do they?
Mr Ffej -- excellent versification.
Posted by: Lugh at May 2, 2003 05:09 AM
The stick boy Lugh is constatlyt getting in my way and making my life more complicated
Posted by: Dagda at May 5, 2003 02:12 PM