I have had enough of the RIAA and its ilk. I have been spending most of my money on indie/underground music anyways but now I am putting my foot down and joining the embargo. Sorry Rhino Records, but I had to do it.
It's a civil rights issue. That is a crime under current law. The issue also involves the politicization of the Justice Department and is a civic issue as well. Any questions?
I know I am a Master of the Obvious here, but the fact that the US attorneys being fired is only part of the situation. It is why they are being fired that is the key. Look at that and you see why the Bush Administration is problematic to say the least.
Independent music labels are often associated with certain kinds of music or certain acts. For example, 4AD is well known for its Cocteau Twins and early Pixies recordings (and the Birthday Party too, but that's a little too obscure). IIRC, TMBG now have their own label and they might actually be on eMusic right now (but Elektra still owns the more popular stuff so you'll have to hit iTunes for them).
Here's just a sampling of the better-known independent labels on eMusic: Dischord, Merge, Touch and Go, Matador, Rykodisc, Concord Jazz, Shanachie, Smithsonian Folkways, Buda, K Records, Kill Rock Stars, Teenbeat, Epitaph, Fat Possum, and the list goes on....
Not everything off of these labels are on Emusic, but quite a bit of it is (Fugazi for example).
A good example of successful simulcasting is WFMU-FM, a non-commercial non-NPR freeform station in Jersey City, NJ. They play lots of obscure and strange music, and they also have a weekday Jewish music and chat show called "JM in the AM." The station has two morning webcasts - one for JM and another that features the usual odd brew that is WFMU's specialty.
From what I understand, the transition to Internet simulcasting was quite successful and led to improved fundraising (now the world funds the station instead of New York City). The station streams in Real, WMA, AAC, Ogg, and two flavors of MP3 (128 Kbps/32 Kbps). Each 128 Kbps MP3 stream (usually 3 hours long) is stored for three weeks, but the Real version is permanently archived.
I've found the WFMU streams to be very reliable. Now I hear that the station is going to be streaming direct to mobile phones. Well, good luck to them 'cause I'm a big fan.
When I tried Pandora and Last, I discovered that Last has all those obscure bands were right there where I wanted them.
They've got verything from British avant-rock pioneers This Heat to Japanese underground legend Keiji Haino with stops at New Zealand (Straightjacket Fits and Look Blue Go Purple) and '70s Germany (Faust, Can, and Popol Vuh).
So I'm probably sticking with Last, though I've encountered a few problems (wonky Windows player, repeating tracks on "similar artist stations," etc.)
Don't forget HeroQuest, the latest fantasy RPG set in the extraordinarily detailed world of Glorantha. Wily old veterans may remember RuneQuest, the first Gloranthan RPG (circa 1978 - 1995) and perhaps the closest rival to D&D/AD&D in the early days of role-playing. Others may have tried the A Sharp's Gloranthan computer game King of Dragon Pass.
I'm an old RPGer and I'm playing my first HeroQuest PBEM (play by email) campaign. Frankly I think Glorantha is a blast. Jaded role-players ought to give it a once-over.
In contrast, I use iTunes and eMusic because they're not subscription services. The main flaw of "all you can eat" services (like Urge and Yahoo!) is that you don't own your music. My understanding is that if you don't keep on paying, your subscription-based music vanishes. Yahoo! has got you tied to their service, now and forever.
Obviously eMusic, with their downloadable unDRMed mp3 tracks, bypasses all of these problems. Though the eMusic catalog is not very mainstream, that's fine by me because I actually want obscure tracks by bands like the Soft Boys and the Birthday Party.
As for iTunes, you still purchase tracks or albums instead of renting them. That doesn't mean that Apple is sinless--they have occasionally succumbed to RIAA pressure and tampered with the conditions under which iTunes operates (the number of times tracks can be burned and so on). But the iTunes tracks are on my hard drive for good, unlike subscription-based tunes.
Williams is vastly underrated. Try his book "Aristoi" and you'll flip--it's a great far future tale that deserves a lot more attention than it got. "Voice of the Whirlwind" and "Hardwired" are good cyberpunk novels too, while "Metropolitan" and "City on Fire" (his take on urban fantasy) are also worth your while. However, I'd stay away from his current Praxis series--they're not his best books
I was watching the Grammies and as Greene gave the same old industry spin on "digital music piracy," I definitely heard some guy in the Grammy audience actually yell "BOO!"
Whoever that Grammy boo-boy was, he definitely earns a Guts Award.
I have it from fairly good sources that the DOJ uses WordPerfect as its main word processor. And judging from this 2000 press release, they'll be using WP until 2003.
For a long time, WP was the word processor for lawyers and somewhere I read that the last of the big law firms have finally gone to Word. Since the DOJ are government lawyers, I guess they'll be the last to switch.
Little does JohnG know that many chefs de l'haute cuisine in New York City and Paris have been using tobacco as a spice/flavoring agent in fancy-pants recipes, especially desserts!
NOTE: This is actually true and has been amply documented by the New York Times--"Hmm, Hot and Spicy. It's What? It's Not!" by Melissa Clark (1/31/01). Don't believe me? Be my guest.
another way to get "True Names"
on
True Names
·
· Score: 2, Informative
If you're a cheap SF-lovin' fanatic like me, another way to get "True Names" is by finding Dell Binary Star #5, a paperback that also has George R. R. Martin's super-fine SF horror story "Nightflyers."*
Binary Stars are modeled after the legendary Ace Doubles, which feature two novellas and introductions by both authors. Like the Doubles, the author introduce the other guy's work instead of their own.
Lucky & obsessive browsers might be able find this in a used store--I did!
*Yes, Virginia, Martin primarly wrote SF before he got around to the Big Fantasy genre. And he's done some great "intelligent space opera" a la Simak and Bester. Not as good as "Stars My Destination, but who is?|
Like the RIAA, the FCC is also a winner/loser in 2001. Why?
Pre-2001: With some friendly advice from monster media companies like Clear Channel, the FCC ended ownership controls on radio stations.
The Commission claimed that ending controls would be OK, because Internet radio and other fancy-pants technologies would be levellers that would allow anyone into broadcasting. So Clear Channel & the rest promptly gobbled up the radio stations and turned our airwaves into a cultural wasteland.
End of 2001: The FCC remains strangely silent as the RIAA and their ilk work on chasing the amateur, non-profit (read college radio),and independent webcasters out of the market. Meanwhile, the rest of the digital broadcasting market is nowhere. So much for the FCC's BS about the diversity and the promise of the Internet & other technologies!
End result: If the FCC is a sly and cunning pawn of corporate America, it's a definite winner. This cunning political squeeze play has given Clear Channel and the other big media companies control over digital and analog broadcasting for almost nothing! And the RIAA is pretty darn happy too.
On the other hand, if the FCC is a guardian of the public interest, it's one hell of a loser. Talk about a patsy! They let the media giants take over the American airwaves and stand around with their thumbs in their mouths while the same megacorps usurp the digital realm as well!
Whether the FCC full of frauds or fools, it certainly succeeeded at something in 2001.
The other issue is whether hackers WANT to make Linux as easy and straightforward as Windows. I think the reality has to be faced that _choice_ means a certain level of complexity, and complexity is a burden to ease-of-use.
In a word, NO. There's absolutely no reason why there can't be Linux distributions for all levels of users--this is a rationalization by hackers who don't want to deal with "lusers."
A simplified easier-to-use Linux would not prevent hackers and power users from using their supercustomized hypertuned Linux setups. Last time I checked, Linux is open source and you can do whatever you want with it!
And a simplified Linux would have to work on developer's machines, or else the Simplified Linux Group would lose its developer base. We'd all want to use OpenOffice, right?
Please wake up folks. This is a false dichotomy that Microsoft is using to their advantage!
Granted, this is an OS that not many geeks would like. However, there is a tradeoff involved - one can run a good, but obscure OS, or use a popular, but buggy and restrictive OS.
I am so sick and tired of these kneejerk assumptions about Linux and average users.
There is absolutely no reason to believe that that an Everyday Linux for Average Joe would automatically wipe out a Linux geek's Superduper Power Linux setup.
What could Everyday Linux do to you? Would it nullify the GPL? Somehow kill off vi or emacs, or destroy OSS developer communities? If you think so, how? I can't even imagine why folks are so worried.
In case you had forgotten: LINUX IS OPEN SOURCE. Also, lots of related software is open source too. Nobody can take your carefully crafted Power User setup. Nobody.
Or put another way: Existence of Simplified Linux =! No More Linux for Power Users.
Additionally, it would be in Everyday Co.'s best interest to keep Everyday usable by Power Users and average users alike, without alienating either group. If the OSS community gets drowned somehow, the company would lose their developer base, right?
So please stop with the "simple & stupid will absolutely destroy powerful & smart" Linux arguments already. If you want to put it that way, you are simply wrong.
Why do so many Americans believe that our military can enter Afghanistan and come out with bin Laden?
Frankly I don't get it. As far as I can tell, all of past and current military history indicates that Afghanis are among the best guerilla fighters in the world, even they're even better on their home turf! So, could someone please tell me how America's experiences are going to be any different? The Soviets had Special Forces units too, you know.
Yes, we need to kill al-Qaida, but we will have to discard our American bluntness and be more subtle. For example, the US government could strike a vital blow against the Taliban with a most unorthodox tactic: dropping $10 million in hundred-dollar bills on Kabul.
This cunning suggestion would lift many Afghanis out of poverty, force the peasants to work with the outside world (because how else will they spend they money otherwise?), and subvert the Taliban by giving the peasants another source of income besides the government.
And even better, giving alms is a basic part of the Muslim faith--it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam--and this charitable act will win friends throughout the Islamic world! Finally, it will cost more than $10 million to wage this war and cost many lives--our soldiers and innocent Afghan peasants as well. So why not?
Hey President Dubya, drop $10 million US on Kabul!
Re:The World is going to change
on
More On Tragedy
·
· Score: 1
If you are saying that unilateral and overwhelming US military action is going to stop these terrorists, I'd say you're wrong.
The type of terrorism that we face is a global ecosystem, not a country. Try to stomp on them and the organization will break apart, fade, and reappear with greater force as hordes of disgruntled locals--who naturally don't appreciate overwhelming US force in their country--rally to their cause.
I agree that military force is needed but we will have to learn how to track and kill terrorist organizations subtly, silently, and with a minimum of fuss. Perhaps such a network could be fought by combining superior tactics, a horde of newly trained infiltration-oriented antiterrorist units (in the tradition of the Rangers, Green Berets, and the SEALs), and top-notch human and electronic intelligence.
But will we actually fight terrorism? Or will we instinctively stomp on anyone who looks like a terrorist and create a whole new generation of fanatical terrorists who resent US even more and are willing to cause even more damage?
Slashdot Mirror
I suggest that Scott lay the groundwork for "VALIS: Electric Boogaloo."
See the latter part of Schismatrix for interesting and, uh, creative applications of fleshly living quarters....
I did a quick search on ACTA in Google and the Act wasn't in the first five hits. I think this needs to be remedied.
I have had enough of the RIAA and its ilk. I have been spending most of my money on indie/underground music anyways but now I am putting my foot down and joining the embargo. Sorry Rhino Records, but I had to do it.
It's a civil rights issue. That is a crime under current law. The issue also involves the politicization of the Justice Department and is a civic issue as well. Any questions?
I know I am a Master of the Obvious here, but the fact that the US attorneys being fired is only part of the situation. It is why they are being fired that is the key. Look at that and you see why the Bush Administration is problematic to say the least.
Isn't anyone worried about a virtual currency that is named "QQ"?
Independent music labels are often associated with certain kinds of music or certain acts. For example, 4AD is well known for its Cocteau Twins and early Pixies recordings (and the Birthday Party too, but that's a little too obscure). IIRC, TMBG now have their own label and they might actually be on eMusic right now (but Elektra still owns the more popular stuff so you'll have to hit iTunes for them).
Here's just a sampling of the better-known independent labels on eMusic: Dischord, Merge, Touch and Go, Matador, Rykodisc, Concord Jazz, Shanachie, Smithsonian Folkways, Buda, K Records, Kill Rock Stars, Teenbeat, Epitaph, Fat Possum, and the list goes on....
Not everything off of these labels are on Emusic, but quite a bit of it is (Fugazi for example).
A good example of successful simulcasting is WFMU-FM, a non-commercial non-NPR freeform station in Jersey City, NJ. They play lots of obscure and strange music, and they also have a weekday Jewish music and chat show called "JM in the AM." The station has two morning webcasts - one for JM and another that features the usual odd brew that is WFMU's specialty.
From what I understand, the transition to Internet simulcasting was quite successful and led to improved fundraising (now the world funds the station instead of New York City). The station streams in Real, WMA, AAC, Ogg, and two flavors of MP3 (128 Kbps/32 Kbps). Each 128 Kbps MP3 stream (usually 3 hours long) is stored for three weeks, but the Real version is permanently archived.
I've found the WFMU streams to be very reliable. Now I hear that the station is going to be streaming direct to mobile phones. Well, good luck to them 'cause I'm a big fan.
When I tried Pandora and Last, I discovered that Last has all those obscure bands were right there where I wanted them.
They've got verything from British avant-rock pioneers This Heat to Japanese underground legend Keiji Haino with stops at New Zealand (Straightjacket Fits and Look Blue Go Purple) and '70s Germany (Faust, Can, and Popol Vuh).
So I'm probably sticking with Last, though I've encountered a few problems (wonky Windows player, repeating tracks on "similar artist stations," etc.)
Don't forget HeroQuest, the latest fantasy RPG set in the extraordinarily detailed world of Glorantha. Wily old veterans may remember RuneQuest, the first Gloranthan RPG (circa 1978 - 1995) and perhaps the closest rival to D&D/AD&D in the early days of role-playing. Others may have tried the A Sharp's Gloranthan computer game King of Dragon Pass.
I'm an old RPGer and I'm playing my first HeroQuest PBEM (play by email) campaign. Frankly I think Glorantha is a blast. Jaded role-players ought to give it a once-over.
In contrast, I use iTunes and eMusic because they're not subscription services. The main flaw of "all you can eat" services (like Urge and Yahoo!) is that you don't own your music. My understanding is that if you don't keep on paying, your subscription-based music vanishes. Yahoo! has got you tied to their service, now and forever.
Obviously eMusic, with their downloadable unDRMed mp3 tracks, bypasses all of these problems. Though the eMusic catalog is not very mainstream, that's fine by me because I actually want obscure tracks by bands like the Soft Boys and the Birthday Party.
As for iTunes, you still purchase tracks or albums instead of renting them. That doesn't mean that Apple is sinless--they have occasionally succumbed to RIAA pressure and tampered with the conditions under which iTunes operates (the number of times tracks can be burned and so on). But the iTunes tracks are on my hard drive for good, unlike subscription-based tunes.
Kudos for the Cherryh reference!
Williams is vastly underrated. Try his book "Aristoi" and you'll flip--it's a great far future tale that deserves a lot more attention than it got. "Voice of the Whirlwind" and "Hardwired" are good cyberpunk novels too, while "Metropolitan" and "City on Fire" (his take on urban fantasy) are also worth your while. However, I'd stay away from his current Praxis series--they're not his best books
I was watching the Grammies and as Greene gave the same old industry spin on "digital music piracy," I definitely heard some guy in the Grammy audience actually yell "BOO!"
Whoever that Grammy boo-boy was, he definitely earns a Guts Award.
I have it from fairly good sources that the DOJ uses WordPerfect as its main word processor. And judging from this 2000 press release, they'll be using WP until 2003.
For a long time, WP was the word processor for lawyers and somewhere I read that the last of the big law firms have finally gone to Word. Since the DOJ are government lawyers, I guess they'll be the last to switch.
Little does JohnG know that many chefs de l'haute cuisine in New York City and Paris have been using tobacco as a spice/flavoring agent in fancy-pants recipes, especially desserts!
NOTE: This is actually true and has been amply documented by the New York Times--"Hmm, Hot and Spicy. It's What? It's Not!" by Melissa Clark (1/31/01). Don't believe me? Be my guest.
If you're a cheap SF-lovin' fanatic like me, another way to get "True Names" is by finding Dell Binary Star #5, a paperback that also has George R. R. Martin's super-fine SF horror story "Nightflyers."*
Binary Stars are modeled after the legendary Ace Doubles, which feature two novellas and introductions by both authors. Like the Doubles, the author introduce the other guy's work instead of their own.
Lucky & obsessive browsers might be able find this in a used store--I did!
*Yes, Virginia, Martin primarly wrote SF before he got around to the Big Fantasy genre. And he's done some great "intelligent space opera" a la Simak and Bester. Not as good as "Stars My Destination, but who is?|
Like the RIAA, the FCC is also a winner/loser in 2001. Why?
Pre-2001: With some friendly advice from monster media companies like Clear Channel, the FCC ended ownership controls on radio stations.
The Commission claimed that ending controls would be OK, because Internet radio and other fancy-pants technologies would be levellers that would allow anyone into broadcasting. So Clear Channel & the rest promptly gobbled up the radio stations and turned our airwaves into a cultural wasteland.
End of 2001: The FCC remains strangely silent as the RIAA and their ilk work on chasing the amateur, non-profit (read college radio),and independent webcasters out of the market. Meanwhile, the rest of the digital broadcasting market is nowhere. So much for the FCC's BS about the diversity and the promise of the Internet & other technologies!
End result: If the FCC is a sly and cunning pawn of corporate America, it's a definite winner. This cunning political squeeze play has given Clear Channel and the other big media companies control over digital and analog broadcasting for almost nothing! And the RIAA is pretty darn happy too.
On the other hand, if the FCC is a guardian of the public interest, it's one hell of a loser. Talk about a patsy! They let the media giants take over the American airwaves and stand around with their thumbs in their mouths while the same megacorps usurp the digital realm as well!
Whether the FCC full of frauds or fools, it certainly succeeeded at something in 2001.
The other issue is whether hackers WANT to make Linux as easy and straightforward as Windows. I think the reality has to be faced that _choice_ means a certain level of complexity, and complexity is a burden to ease-of-use.
In a word, NO. There's absolutely no reason why there can't be Linux distributions for all levels of users--this is a rationalization by hackers who don't want to deal with "lusers."
A simplified easier-to-use Linux would not prevent hackers and power users from using their supercustomized hypertuned Linux setups. Last time I checked, Linux is open source and you can do whatever you want with it!
And a simplified Linux would have to work on developer's machines, or else the Simplified Linux Group would lose its developer base. We'd all want to use OpenOffice, right?
Please wake up folks. This is a false dichotomy that Microsoft is using to their advantage!
sphere
Granted, this is an OS that not many geeks would like. However, there is a tradeoff involved - one can run a good, but obscure OS, or use a popular, but buggy and restrictive OS.
I am so sick and tired of these kneejerk assumptions about Linux and average users.
There is absolutely no reason to believe that that an Everyday Linux for Average Joe would automatically wipe out a Linux geek's Superduper Power Linux setup.
What could Everyday Linux do to you? Would it nullify the GPL? Somehow kill off vi or emacs, or destroy OSS developer communities? If you think so, how? I can't even imagine why folks are so worried.
In case you had forgotten: LINUX IS OPEN SOURCE. Also, lots of related software is open source too. Nobody can take your carefully crafted Power User setup. Nobody.
Or put another way: Existence of Simplified Linux =! No More Linux for Power Users.
Additionally, it would be in Everyday Co.'s best interest to keep Everyday usable by Power Users and average users alike, without alienating either group. If the OSS community gets drowned somehow, the company would lose their developer base, right?
So please stop with the "simple & stupid will absolutely destroy powerful & smart" Linux arguments already. If you want to put it that way, you are simply wrong.
And that is what OpenSourceLobby is all about--building relationships between open source supporters and federal, state, and local governments.
Come join us and make a difference!
sphere (aka Rob Thornton)
OpenSourceLobby.org volunteer
Why do so many Americans believe that our military can enter Afghanistan and come out with bin Laden?
Frankly I don't get it. As far as I can tell, all of past and current military history indicates that Afghanis are among the best guerilla fighters in the world, even they're even better on their home turf! So, could someone please tell me how America's experiences are going to be any different? The Soviets had Special Forces units too, you know.
Yes, we need to kill al-Qaida, but we will have to discard our American bluntness and be more subtle. For example, the US government could strike a vital blow against the Taliban with a most unorthodox tactic: dropping $10 million in hundred-dollar bills on Kabul.
This cunning suggestion would lift many Afghanis out of poverty, force the peasants to work with the outside world (because how else will they spend they money otherwise?), and subvert the Taliban by giving the peasants another source of income besides the government.
And even better, giving alms is a basic part of the Muslim faith--it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam--and this charitable act will win friends throughout the Islamic world! Finally, it will cost more than $10 million to wage this war and cost many lives--our soldiers and innocent Afghan peasants as well. So why not?
Hey President Dubya, drop $10 million US on Kabul!
If you are saying that unilateral and overwhelming US military action is going to stop these terrorists, I'd say you're wrong.
The type of terrorism that we face is a global ecosystem, not a country. Try to stomp on them and the organization will break apart, fade, and reappear with greater force as hordes of disgruntled locals--who naturally don't appreciate overwhelming US force in their country--rally to their cause.
I agree that military force is needed but we will have to learn how to track and kill terrorist organizations subtly, silently, and with a minimum of fuss. Perhaps such a network could be fought by combining superior tactics, a horde of newly trained infiltration-oriented antiterrorist units (in the tradition of the Rangers, Green Berets, and the SEALs), and top-notch human and electronic intelligence.
But will we actually fight terrorism? Or will we instinctively stomp on anyone who looks like a terrorist and create a whole new generation of fanatical terrorists who resent US even more and are willing to cause even more damage?
We will see.
yrs,
sphere