/* What's stopping you from learning a language on your own, for fun? */
Purely anecdotal but, computers aren't my life. I work with computers from 9-6. When I go home, I write music, read a book, watch TV, go for a ride on my bike, pick-up girls at a bar and have sex with them, etc. Computers are a means to an end for me (an income) and they're something that I find interesting enough to put up with for 8-10 hours/day, but if you're asking me to do something like learn a new language, then I expect to be compensated.
I understand that this means I am not a top-tier programmer. I don't want to be a top-tier programmer. I want to be stuck somewhere down in the middle with little responsibility so I can concentrate on having a life outside of my job. What's wrong with that? It's not a matter of work ethic, because the whole idea of a good work ethic means you're putting work in front of life. Life ethics are more important to me and should be for you, as well. If your life revolves around learning new computer languages, programming paradigms, and what not, then certainly. Go do those things. I find those sorts of things boring, but that's what makes us all unique.
No, it just means that despite the restrictions, it can still be profitable. There's nothing wrong with DRM. If you don't like DRM, buy books. Or, become a writer and release your works DRM-free. Baen still has a DRM free library, etc. All DRM is, for the most part, a way for publishers to test the waters of digital distribution. As we can see with Amazon, eMusic, and the like, DRM is going away from digital music. It won't be long before book publishers get the message, as well.
It's sorta a fair enough question that I'll be glad to answer:
1) No. I don't really care about digital restrictions, if it works on the device I choose. I've been using digital media for a decade and DRM hasn't been a major issue in my life, and if it has, I've gotten around it one way or another.
2) I have a laptop. It's an older Sony TR1A and it's pretty tiny. I use it for browsing, light gaming, and some music production, but it's not convenient for reading novels/e-books. I've tried. So, yeah, for the money, I could also buy a (used) car for the price I bought my last mountain bike. Two different things for two different uses. Reading on a palm treo or whatever other people are trying to hawk is not much better than the laptop.
3) I'm trying to minimize my physical possessions. After moving cross country several times, I've pared down my possessions to some basic essentials (clothing, knife/baking kit, various cooking related items, computer, guitar, amp, keyboards, and a few others). Moving books, I discovered is a major pain in the ass. It's time to just give up the dead-trees and embrace digital.
If you don't want to embrace vendor lock in and digital restrictions for the convenience that the ebook provides, then you're completely free to not buy one.
I've been struggling with the same issue lately. From my own, non-professional opinion, as I plan to pick one or the other up in the next month or so (well, pending kindle is in stock, I guess).
Pretty much the only 2 things I like about the Kindle are: Built-in wireless and Amazon.com's ebook selection appears to be greater. I love the idea that I can be on the bus and get the urge to pick up something and download it and start reading right then. I don't like how plastic-y it looks and I agree with that rotund reviewer that criticized the button placement. Also, the keyboard is neat, but looks really chintzy. I plan to read, not write, so take that for what it is. Also, what's with having to pay for viewing your own PDFs and whatnot?
Right now, I'm heavily leaning towards the Sony, although the sheer library, plus the idea of streaming "periodicals" is a nifty idea on the Kindle. Maybe I should just wait for Sony to bring out their next version, which will, if they're smart, add some of that capability.
Isn't this what many of us romanticized about back in the late 80s/early 90s? The Cyberpunks, with their l33t hacking skills, breaking into corporate dataspace, stealing intel, selling it to the highest bidder? Yeah, some innocent "civvies" get caught in the crossfire, but here it is. Except not.
Where are the grizzled, thick russian accented, boots wearing, crusty hackers in their survival-style grey-market Russian SUVs decked out with a hodgepodge of the sweetest, cutting edge tech and an old C-64 for shits and giggles online in the back? Where are the dark, smoke-filled bars where suits and data cowboys secretly meet up to exchange USB keys and microdrives for cold, hard cash?
The future is here, but it's certainly not sexy. Geeks are still geeks.:/
Most "rock and roll" lifestylers do it on less then $30k/year. It's all about priorities and knowing how/when to spend. You forego food and get all your calories from Beer, for example. ANd not microbrew, either. WE're talking $3/6-pack PBR, Miller High Life, or something like that. You shop at thriftstores because you can only afford $3 jeans and $1 T-shirts, you don't wear underwear because why waste beer money on something that's just going to get left on some dumb girl's floor and/or soiled with your own waste? The only luxuries you allow yourself are your guitar strings and every once in awhile a nice bourbon or some really good drugs.
If record companies go back to vinyl and abandon CDs (not likely), here's some reasons to think about: 1) Ease of "ripping" goes down down down. A CD can be copied point and click, with absolute digital exactness. A vinyl rip is quite a bit trickier and you will have to use something like Audacity to clean it up and break it into tracks. 2) They sell mp3s and other downsampled "digital" formats. Without a CD to rip lossless from, consumers will be "forced" to buy whatever they give you. If you don't like it, see #1 and good luck.
A lot of foreign students are here on a foreign student visa. If they fuck up in school, they get sent back. So, by accepting a foreign student, the department has a very good idea that that student will be putting in 110% into the degree program, doing shit work for no money, whatever, when a domestic student is more likely to just tell an abusive department to fuck off and die and move to another school. It may also be that the student is less likely to be partying on the weekends (social stigma), and so grades won't be much of an issue if they made it that far.
I thought about going to grad school for Biology as I have a keen interest in various fish and some local rivers & streams ecology that I picked up on my own. I had a sit down with the Dean of the Biology department where we basically shot the shit for an hour or two, talking about various subjects, including programs at other schools. He seemed surprised that not only did I know who the "big names" in my relatively obscure interests, but that I was also reading their papers and applying them. He looked at me and asked me point blank: Why the hell aren't you in my department? And I didn't have a good answer. He went on to explain that there's a ton of people in Biology grad school, but none of them were actually biologists. Instead, they were padding grades and trying to get into med school. While he was most certainly happy that they were going on with their lives, he said finding people actually interested in Biology was like pulling teeth. Basically: he'd pick someone like me, regardless of my GRE scores for the most part, over a mountain of med school hopefuls because it was his job, as far as he was concerned, to educate biologists. It was an interesting conversation. "Man, you could get your doctorate just doing what you're doing now at home on your own dime...":P
And no, I didn't go to grad school. Not yet, anyway.:)
Actually, I'm not even positive that it would cut into their profits all that significantly. If Windows XP Home were $29.95 at Target, then when it comes to reinstall time and I can't find the CD, I'd think nothing of picking it up at the store rather than rummaging around for the CDs or be all that concerned when I lose them. I bet they'd make it up in volume simply from all the guys who try and keep up with WGA, corporate key revocation, etc would just go out and buy a legit copy.
Granted, my evidence is based on anecdotal evidence: When I last moved, I found 4 copies of Starcraft, a couple copies of Starcraft: Broodwar, and 2 of the Starcraft Battlechest in various boxes, shelves, and drawers. At $30-$60, it becomes very "impulse buy"...
Enlightenment, which was once considered to be "heavy and bloated" back in the days of FVWM, was what got me into linux. E17 and Compiz are promising enough to get me back in.:)
That being said, the *Boxes are pretty great for minimal, good looking desktops if you take the time to set them up with true transparency, etc.
/* Going to a concert is fun, and it's profitable for the musician */
I've posted about this before, so I'll rehash it here:
Touring is generally not profitable for most bands. Even when you factor in sleeping on sofas/in vans, eating road pasta, and the good will of your fans, it's break even, at best. I know, I've been there, and I have a large circle of friends who do the same. Some of which have rather large followings in many countries. Most of us have to scrimp and save during our 40 hour work weeks to save up a couple thousand dollars so we can take off a few weeks to travel around the country. Yeah, gas is that bad these days (when you're hauling around gear and 5 or 6 adults, a hybrid ain't gonna cut it), but even at lower gas prices, it was still a struggle.
A buddy of mine went to Europe with his band for 3 months. Played 6 nights/week for 6 weeks, took 4 weeks off, then did another 6 nights/week for 6 weeks and came back. His band had guarantees, etc. He went to Europe with a hundred bucks in his pocket and came home with about the same. He did have a great time, however, and got to see parts of the world, and there's really no price tag on that.
Anyway, the point is, quit propagating the myth that bands make money on tour. Most of us don't. And if we were making that much money, you could bet your ass that the venue owners would quickly start moving in on the action even moreso than it is, now.
For me, the interesting thing is that eMachines and Gateways are actually pretty nice computers these days. Yeah, they're cheap, but I've not hesitated in recommending them to various friends who've had nothing but good things out of them. These make for some great little beater boxes and I've even pondered picking up one of their Athlon 64 dual core machines because for the money, I just can't beat it unless I really want to build my own. And lately, I haven't wanted to do that.:P
E-Machines seemed to be what turned Gateway around, somewhat, from the immediate "OMG GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" to some semblence of sanity. Howevever, I also wonder if eMachines pulled a Hyundai with their abyssmal initial offerings and no one was willing to give them a chance afterwards (for me, they started turning it around with the m6805 laptops...).
I think I covered that. The company shouldn't be going after chick, they should be investigating to find out if someone else is breaching the contract and going after them, or determining if it's a counterfeit good. We said the same thing.
The problem that I can see is basically reputation./* It really comes down to quality of product and quality of services, if someone thinks they're better off through ebay the problem is not with ebay. */
While you are technically correct, imagine the following:
The reason the mall products are expensive is because they have 3 or 4 specialists who are trained by Company X to sell these products. It's not just selling, though, it's recommending based on things like skin tone, skin moisture levels, overall look, etc. It's really like consulting. You're paying a consultant to work with you and recommend the products that look good on you. The Company is banking on the fact that if they do their job well and give you the best recommendations while avoiding the products in their lineup that could be detrimental to your look, you will become a repeat customer and buy again.
Jane wants to buy Company X's products. However, the products at the mall are expensive, but she sees it on eBay. She doesn't know the product line very well, but make-up is make-up, right? So she orders it. And when she gets it, let's say that it's not something a consultant would've recommended for her. So now, she thinks it's garbage and tells all her friends that she thinks its garbage and they don't buy the make-up for themselves. Company X has now lost 10 customers due to the fact that Jane didn't want to pay the extra money for a personalized consultation. So, to ensure that their reputation stays somewhat intact, the Company insists that its products are only sold by authorized outlets in an authorized manner to help prevent the above.
So while you or I would recognize that the problem is with eBay, I assure you, the typical stupid fucking american (well, the average american) won't. If you've ever worked tech support for an OEM, you'd be surprised how many people will blame you (i.e. Dell) for their broadband (say, Roadrunner) not working.
I should add that while I support the company due to it's contract, I'm not sure I agree with them suing her; They should be investigating and suing the actual people breaking their contract and selling it to her. Now, if she wants to buy them at full retail from a dealer and then put them on eBay risking a loss, that should be her problem at that point. I think the company is angry because she won't divulge where she's getting the products from.
Hrm.. there's also an authenticity issue, as well.. COuld these be counterfeit goods?
Oh certainly. I've done my share of weekend "tours" and I've never regretted a single one, even though each one was a "losing" proposition financially. However, I do have my stories and my experiences and frankly, those are worth more to me than the idea of making money, so I'm not bitching about that at all. I just want people and potential music fans (not necessarily of my band/music) to understand that the whole argument of bands making money on the road is pretty much a myth. A lot of factors come into play for a band to be financially sound, touring isn't some kind of magic pill.
As a recent transplant into Los Angeles, I'm looking pretty eager to dive into the music scene. The idea of playing gigs in San Diego, Santa Barbara, even San Francisco over a weekend is pretty exciting.
From reading a bit on your URL, are you in Anaheim? Long shot question, but does the name El Taro mean anything to you?
Propose an alternative, then. For all it's faults, the RIAA is the only game in town if you want to have your works protected from unauthorized distribution/duplication. Maybe there's money to be made in creating a competitor to the RIAA.
Will anyone be able to stop 100% of the infringement going on at any time? No. But just dismissing the RIAA simply because you see the bootlegs in the flea market doesn't mean the RIAA isn't doing it's job. I think going after filesharers is pretty much a waste of resources at this time, but I also believe that this is the proper course of action. Don't sue Limewire, sue the people who are infringing the works, which is exactly the argument people made in the late 90s.
Disclaimer: I'm a musician. I'd prefer people to buy my music rather than just download it for free because, obviously, I can use that money that they pay to do things like pay my rent, eat something other than ramen noodles, fix/replace equipment, and put gas in the van (not to mention maintenance). Touring is "where the money's" at, so people keep saying, and I keep seeing "touring" as a break-even proposition at *best*, and most artists, if you bother to ask them, will tell you they're losing money by touring. Unless you're pulling in thousands of people to see you where economies of scale work better for you, merch sales are "pleasant bonuses" which means I might can eat something that's not on the 99 cent value menu for a meal. Not to mention that this is with a pretty decent network of people to give up couches and floors to save on Motel costs. Now, at age 34, it's harder and harder to do these kind of tours. Let's face it: I'm not in the next Green Day or Metallica or whatever. Those guys are the exceptions. Even Fugazi (who make a small mint touring and on record sales) are exceptions to the rule. The vast majority of working artists are not rich. We rely upon our friendships and networks to keep us fed and sheltered when we're out on the road. We all have to quit jobs after saving up a small wad of cash just to tour, and once we get back, we come back to stacks of unpaid bills, eviction notices, storage room fees, unfaithful significant others, and the realization that the drummer (guitarist/bassist/etc) is a fucking prick and have to kick him out and look for a new one. Touring bands rarely keep jobs for more than a few months (imagine how that looks when you're applying anywhere), rarely have time to "improve skills" for better paying jobs (say, programming), and generally have a really tough time. Many bands break up during tours due to the fact that once you're in close proximity with your bandmates 24/7 for months at a time, stuffed in a van, sleeping next to each other on a cold, hard floor, and that every character flaw is magnified due to lack of proper sleep, nutrition, and stress. Not everyone can hack touring constantly.
And those of us who can, well, we generally love what we're doing. It's worth it.
So, from the artist's standpoint, I want you to buy my music. I want you to pay the $5-$10 we charge at the door and come see us because that $5-$10 really just gets us to the next show. Hell, I want you to buy a T-Shirt for $10 (HA!), a bunch of stickers ($1), a button ($1.50), and give the band a blowjob, because, well, I'm selfish that way.
But, if it comes down to strictly exposure, I want everyone to experience my music, whether they pay for it or not. If someone finds my music on Limewire, I want them to get it and hear it. You'll find most musicians have the same notion./ranting at work (at least I have a decent paying tech job to support my losing effort)
Why would he announce he is no longer a member of the RIAA? I mean, other than their lack of due-diligence in going after filesharers, they do serve a perfectly legitimate purpose in protecting works from real, honest-to-goodness unauthorized duplication factories. The RIAA would still be beneficial to Prince to prevent unauthorized publication/distribution no matter how he decides to distribute his music (digital and/or physical, etc). I'm not sure that Prince is actually a member of the RIAA, though, so there's no "withdrawing" for him to do. The RIAA represents the labels, not the artists.
I agree that Prince should start his own label and do whatever the hell he wants to with his music.
I'd say it's pretty spot on, actually. I'm an artist. If my music gets put up on iTunes, Napster, MusicNow, etc, I eventually will recieve a portion of the revenue. AllofMP3.com doesn't give me jack shit for my music. If you truly believe in supporting artists, don't use AllofMP3.com. Use a legal service, buy the CD, and support the band when they come rolling through town.
If you want to argue semantics, go talk to a wall, but you're still just being a dick.
/* There's no question that you can always cut more levels, compress the audio more, compress the textures more, down-res the mpeg movies, and eventually get any game to fit on a DVD. But you paid for a high-def experience, right? You want the highest resolution, best audio, most cinematic experience a developer can offer, right? That's why Blu-Ray is important for games, and why it will become more important each year of this hardware cycle. */
Just a nitpick but...
He forgot to include "good game" in things on the disc. All the high-def graphics, stereo sound, and mpeg movies in the world don't mean a damn thing if the game sucks. Please devs, keep the GOOD GAMES coming. Don't get distracted by "OOO SHINY!" at the expense of a good game.
He is a magician. Magicians make their living creating illusions of magic which are usually no more than sleight of hand, props, etc. Even though I know every magic trick is not "magic", I still enjoy the show. Having known several professional magicians, it still amazes me when someone pulls off a great looking trick. Hell, at work the other day, I did a Balducci lift, explaining how it works, and a coworker thought I really did it (it's all in the angle/body positioning).
I find it more amusing the people will spend the time and energy trying to debunk guys who are out there trying to do it for a living. It's entertaining to some, I suppose, but there seem to be people genuinely angry that someone out there can perform a magic trick. I don't get these people, but hey, whatever.
I decided to make yummy desserts instead of wading through code. I also considered (briefly) going back to school and finishing my Biology degree and pursue a career in academia (Ichthyology/Rivers and Streams Ecology), but the lack of certainty in that field was a bit of a put off. Hey, there will always be demand for food and finding a job will never be an issue (a high paying one, however....).
I know other guys who make a *killing* as plumbers. They make anywhere from $15 (starting) to over $40/hour (running a team), if that's important, and typically once they go home, they don't have to worry being on-call, although that option is certainly available to them, for a premium.
I'd love to go to Furniture Building school and learn how to build furniture, or even art school so I can do all those fun things I always wanted to do but was too busy with my nose stuck in books growing up.
Or, if the school commitment wasn't so long, I'd love to give med school a shot. I'm great with people, have a decent head on my shoulders, but I don't want to commit the next 8-10 years just getting a foot in the door. Maybe nursing?
Just remember that you'll be leaving a typically highly-paid sector and joining the rest of America in Middle Class, if not less. If you can make the adjustment, then you'll do just fine. I'm making half what I could be making if I returned to IT, but the benefits are worth it: I'm doing work I enjoy.
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/* What's stopping you from learning a language on your own, for fun? */
Purely anecdotal but, computers aren't my life. I work with computers from 9-6. When I go home, I write music, read a book, watch TV, go for a ride on my bike, pick-up girls at a bar and have sex with them, etc. Computers are a means to an end for me (an income) and they're something that I find interesting enough to put up with for 8-10 hours/day, but if you're asking me to do something like learn a new language, then I expect to be compensated.
I understand that this means I am not a top-tier programmer. I don't want to be a top-tier programmer. I want to be stuck somewhere down in the middle with little responsibility so I can concentrate on having a life outside of my job. What's wrong with that? It's not a matter of work ethic, because the whole idea of a good work ethic means you're putting work in front of life. Life ethics are more important to me and should be for you, as well. If your life revolves around learning new computer languages, programming paradigms, and what not, then certainly. Go do those things. I find those sorts of things boring, but that's what makes us all unique.
No, it just means that despite the restrictions, it can still be profitable. There's nothing wrong with DRM. If you don't like DRM, buy books. Or, become a writer and release your works DRM-free. Baen still has a DRM free library, etc. All DRM is, for the most part, a way for publishers to test the waters of digital distribution. As we can see with Amazon, eMusic, and the like, DRM is going away from digital music. It won't be long before book publishers get the message, as well.
It's sorta a fair enough question that I'll be glad to answer:
1) No. I don't really care about digital restrictions, if it works on the device I choose. I've been using digital media for a decade and DRM hasn't been a major issue in my life, and if it has, I've gotten around it one way or another.
2) I have a laptop. It's an older Sony TR1A and it's pretty tiny. I use it for browsing, light gaming, and some music production, but it's not convenient for reading novels/e-books. I've tried. So, yeah, for the money, I could also buy a (used) car for the price I bought my last mountain bike. Two different things for two different uses. Reading on a palm treo or whatever other people are trying to hawk is not much better than the laptop.
3) I'm trying to minimize my physical possessions. After moving cross country several times, I've pared down my possessions to some basic essentials (clothing, knife/baking kit, various cooking related items, computer, guitar, amp, keyboards, and a few others). Moving books, I discovered is a major pain in the ass. It's time to just give up the dead-trees and embrace digital.
If you don't want to embrace vendor lock in and digital restrictions for the convenience that the ebook provides, then you're completely free to not buy one.
I've been struggling with the same issue lately. From my own, non-professional opinion, as I plan to pick one or the other up in the next month or so (well, pending kindle is in stock, I guess).
Pretty much the only 2 things I like about the Kindle are: Built-in wireless and Amazon.com's ebook selection appears to be greater. I love the idea that I can be on the bus and get the urge to pick up something and download it and start reading right then. I don't like how plastic-y it looks and I agree with that rotund reviewer that criticized the button placement. Also, the keyboard is neat, but looks really chintzy. I plan to read, not write, so take that for what it is. Also, what's with having to pay for viewing your own PDFs and whatnot?
Sony: Cheaper. Expansion slots. Decent library. Broad format support. Design looks nicer.
Right now, I'm heavily leaning towards the Sony, although the sheer library, plus the idea of streaming "periodicals" is a nifty idea on the Kindle. Maybe I should just wait for Sony to bring out their next version, which will, if they're smart, add some of that capability.
I... would play a Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure game based on this. Yes. Yes I would.
Isn't this what many of us romanticized about back in the late 80s/early 90s? The Cyberpunks, with their l33t hacking skills, breaking into corporate dataspace, stealing intel, selling it to the highest bidder? Yeah, some innocent "civvies" get caught in the crossfire, but here it is. Except not.
:/
Where are the grizzled, thick russian accented, boots wearing, crusty hackers in their survival-style grey-market Russian SUVs decked out with a hodgepodge of the sweetest, cutting edge tech and an old C-64 for shits and giggles online in the back? Where are the dark, smoke-filled bars where suits and data cowboys secretly meet up to exchange USB keys and microdrives for cold, hard cash?
The future is here, but it's certainly not sexy. Geeks are still geeks.
Most "rock and roll" lifestylers do it on less then $30k/year. It's all about priorities and knowing how/when to spend. You forego food and get all your calories from Beer, for example. ANd not microbrew, either. WE're talking $3/6-pack PBR, Miller High Life, or something like that. You shop at thriftstores because you can only afford $3 jeans and $1 T-shirts, you don't wear underwear because why waste beer money on something that's just going to get left on some dumb girl's floor and/or soiled with your own waste? The only luxuries you allow yourself are your guitar strings and every once in awhile a nice bourbon or some really good drugs.
Maybe this is more about control?
If record companies go back to vinyl and abandon CDs (not likely), here's some reasons to think about:
1) Ease of "ripping" goes down down down. A CD can be copied point and click, with absolute digital exactness. A vinyl rip is quite a bit trickier and you will have to use something like Audacity to clean it up and break it into tracks.
2) They sell mp3s and other downsampled "digital" formats. Without a CD to rip lossless from, consumers will be "forced" to buy whatever they give you. If you don't like it, see #1 and good luck.
A lot of foreign students are here on a foreign student visa. If they fuck up in school, they get sent back. So, by accepting a foreign student, the department has a very good idea that that student will be putting in 110% into the degree program, doing shit work for no money, whatever, when a domestic student is more likely to just tell an abusive department to fuck off and die and move to another school. It may also be that the student is less likely to be partying on the weekends (social stigma), and so grades won't be much of an issue if they made it that far.
:P
:)
I thought about going to grad school for Biology as I have a keen interest in various fish and some local rivers & streams ecology that I picked up on my own. I had a sit down with the Dean of the Biology department where we basically shot the shit for an hour or two, talking about various subjects, including programs at other schools. He seemed surprised that not only did I know who the "big names" in my relatively obscure interests, but that I was also reading their papers and applying them. He looked at me and asked me point blank: Why the hell aren't you in my department? And I didn't have a good answer. He went on to explain that there's a ton of people in Biology grad school, but none of them were actually biologists. Instead, they were padding grades and trying to get into med school. While he was most certainly happy that they were going on with their lives, he said finding people actually interested in Biology was like pulling teeth. Basically: he'd pick someone like me, regardless of my GRE scores for the most part, over a mountain of med school hopefuls because it was his job, as far as he was concerned, to educate biologists. It was an interesting conversation. "Man, you could get your doctorate just doing what you're doing now at home on your own dime..."
And no, I didn't go to grad school. Not yet, anyway.
Actually, I'm not even positive that it would cut into their profits all that significantly. If Windows XP Home were $29.95 at Target, then when it comes to reinstall time and I can't find the CD, I'd think nothing of picking it up at the store rather than rummaging around for the CDs or be all that concerned when I lose them. I bet they'd make it up in volume simply from all the guys who try and keep up with WGA, corporate key revocation, etc would just go out and buy a legit copy.
Granted, my evidence is based on anecdotal evidence: When I last moved, I found 4 copies of Starcraft, a couple copies of Starcraft: Broodwar, and 2 of the Starcraft Battlechest in various boxes, shelves, and drawers. At $30-$60, it becomes very "impulse buy"...
Enlightenment, which was once considered to be "heavy and bloated" back in the days of FVWM, was what got me into linux. E17 and Compiz are promising enough to get me back in. :)
That being said, the *Boxes are pretty great for minimal, good looking desktops if you take the time to set them up with true transparency, etc.
/* Going to a concert is fun, and it's profitable for the musician */
I've posted about this before, so I'll rehash it here:
Touring is generally not profitable for most bands. Even when you factor in sleeping on sofas/in vans, eating road pasta, and the good will of your fans, it's break even, at best. I know, I've been there, and I have a large circle of friends who do the same. Some of which have rather large followings in many countries. Most of us have to scrimp and save during our 40 hour work weeks to save up a couple thousand dollars so we can take off a few weeks to travel around the country. Yeah, gas is that bad these days (when you're hauling around gear and 5 or 6 adults, a hybrid ain't gonna cut it), but even at lower gas prices, it was still a struggle.
A buddy of mine went to Europe with his band for 3 months. Played 6 nights/week for 6 weeks, took 4 weeks off, then did another 6 nights/week for 6 weeks and came back. His band had guarantees, etc. He went to Europe with a hundred bucks in his pocket and came home with about the same. He did have a great time, however, and got to see parts of the world, and there's really no price tag on that.
Anyway, the point is, quit propagating the myth that bands make money on tour. Most of us don't. And if we were making that much money, you could bet your ass that the venue owners would quickly start moving in on the action even moreso than it is, now.
For me, the interesting thing is that eMachines and Gateways are actually pretty nice computers these days. Yeah, they're cheap, but I've not hesitated in recommending them to various friends who've had nothing but good things out of them. These make for some great little beater boxes and I've even pondered picking up one of their Athlon 64 dual core machines because for the money, I just can't beat it unless I really want to build my own. And lately, I haven't wanted to do that. :P
E-Machines seemed to be what turned Gateway around, somewhat, from the immediate "OMG GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" to some semblence of sanity. Howevever, I also wonder if eMachines pulled a Hyundai with their abyssmal initial offerings and no one was willing to give them a chance afterwards (for me, they started turning it around with the m6805 laptops...).
God I hope not. I already have 2 bosses... :(
D'oh. Yeah, changed sentence mid-thought. :(
I think I covered that. The company shouldn't be going after chick, they should be investigating to find out if someone else is breaching the contract and going after them, or determining if it's a counterfeit good. We said the same thing.
The problem that I can see is basically reputation. /* It really comes down to quality of product and quality of services, if someone thinks they're better off through ebay the problem is not with ebay. */
While you are technically correct, imagine the following:
The reason the mall products are expensive is because they have 3 or 4 specialists who are trained by Company X to sell these products. It's not just selling, though, it's recommending based on things like skin tone, skin moisture levels, overall look, etc. It's really like consulting. You're paying a consultant to work with you and recommend the products that look good on you. The Company is banking on the fact that if they do their job well and give you the best recommendations while avoiding the products in their lineup that could be detrimental to your look, you will become a repeat customer and buy again.
Jane wants to buy Company X's products. However, the products at the mall are expensive, but she sees it on eBay. She doesn't know the product line very well, but make-up is make-up, right? So she orders it. And when she gets it, let's say that it's not something a consultant would've recommended for her. So now, she thinks it's garbage and tells all her friends that she thinks its garbage and they don't buy the make-up for themselves. Company X has now lost 10 customers due to the fact that Jane didn't want to pay the extra money for a personalized consultation. So, to ensure that their reputation stays somewhat intact, the Company insists that its products are only sold by authorized outlets in an authorized manner to help prevent the above.
So while you or I would recognize that the problem is with eBay, I assure you, the typical stupid fucking american (well, the average american) won't. If you've ever worked tech support for an OEM, you'd be surprised how many people will blame you (i.e. Dell) for their broadband (say, Roadrunner) not working.
I should add that while I support the company due to it's contract, I'm not sure I agree with them suing her; They should be investigating and suing the actual people breaking their contract and selling it to her. Now, if she wants to buy them at full retail from a dealer and then put them on eBay risking a loss, that should be her problem at that point. I think the company is angry because she won't divulge where she's getting the products from.
Hrm.. there's also an authenticity issue, as well.. COuld these be counterfeit goods?
Oh certainly. I've done my share of weekend "tours" and I've never regretted a single one, even though each one was a "losing" proposition financially. However, I do have my stories and my experiences and frankly, those are worth more to me than the idea of making money, so I'm not bitching about that at all. I just want people and potential music fans (not necessarily of my band/music) to understand that the whole argument of bands making money on the road is pretty much a myth. A lot of factors come into play for a band to be financially sound, touring isn't some kind of magic pill.
As a recent transplant into Los Angeles, I'm looking pretty eager to dive into the music scene. The idea of playing gigs in San Diego, Santa Barbara, even San Francisco over a weekend is pretty exciting.
From reading a bit on your URL, are you in Anaheim? Long shot question, but does the name El Taro mean anything to you?
Propose an alternative, then. For all it's faults, the RIAA is the only game in town if you want to have your works protected from unauthorized distribution/duplication. Maybe there's money to be made in creating a competitor to the RIAA.
Will anyone be able to stop 100% of the infringement going on at any time? No. But just dismissing the RIAA simply because you see the bootlegs in the flea market doesn't mean the RIAA isn't doing it's job. I think going after filesharers is pretty much a waste of resources at this time, but I also believe that this is the proper course of action. Don't sue Limewire, sue the people who are infringing the works, which is exactly the argument people made in the late 90s.
Disclaimer: I'm a musician. I'd prefer people to buy my music rather than just download it for free because, obviously, I can use that money that they pay to do things like pay my rent, eat something other than ramen noodles, fix/replace equipment, and put gas in the van (not to mention maintenance). Touring is "where the money's" at, so people keep saying, and I keep seeing "touring" as a break-even proposition at *best*, and most artists, if you bother to ask them, will tell you they're losing money by touring. Unless you're pulling in thousands of people to see you where economies of scale work better for you, merch sales are "pleasant bonuses" which means I might can eat something that's not on the 99 cent value menu for a meal. Not to mention that this is with a pretty decent network of people to give up couches and floors to save on Motel costs. Now, at age 34, it's harder and harder to do these kind of tours. Let's face it: I'm not in the next Green Day or Metallica or whatever. Those guys are the exceptions. Even Fugazi (who make a small mint touring and on record sales) are exceptions to the rule. The vast majority of working artists are not rich. We rely upon our friendships and networks to keep us fed and sheltered when we're out on the road. We all have to quit jobs after saving up a small wad of cash just to tour, and once we get back, we come back to stacks of unpaid bills, eviction notices, storage room fees, unfaithful significant others, and the realization that the drummer (guitarist/bassist/etc) is a fucking prick and have to kick him out and look for a new one. Touring bands rarely keep jobs for more than a few months (imagine how that looks when you're applying anywhere), rarely have time to "improve skills" for better paying jobs (say, programming), and generally have a really tough time. Many bands break up during tours due to the fact that once you're in close proximity with your bandmates 24/7 for months at a time, stuffed in a van, sleeping next to each other on a cold, hard floor, and that every character flaw is magnified due to lack of proper sleep, nutrition, and stress. Not everyone can hack touring constantly.
/ranting at work (at least I have a decent paying tech job to support my losing effort)
And those of us who can, well, we generally love what we're doing. It's worth it.
So, from the artist's standpoint, I want you to buy my music. I want you to pay the $5-$10 we charge at the door and come see us because that $5-$10 really just gets us to the next show. Hell, I want you to buy a T-Shirt for $10 (HA!), a bunch of stickers ($1), a button ($1.50), and give the band a blowjob, because, well, I'm selfish that way.
But, if it comes down to strictly exposure, I want everyone to experience my music, whether they pay for it or not. If someone finds my music on Limewire, I want them to get it and hear it. You'll find most musicians have the same notion.
Why would he announce he is no longer a member of the RIAA? I mean, other than their lack of due-diligence in going after filesharers, they do serve a perfectly legitimate purpose in protecting works from real, honest-to-goodness unauthorized duplication factories. The RIAA would still be beneficial to Prince to prevent unauthorized publication/distribution no matter how he decides to distribute his music (digital and/or physical, etc). I'm not sure that Prince is actually a member of the RIAA, though, so there's no "withdrawing" for him to do. The RIAA represents the labels, not the artists.
I agree that Prince should start his own label and do whatever the hell he wants to with his music.
I'd say it's pretty spot on, actually. I'm an artist. If my music gets put up on iTunes, Napster, MusicNow, etc, I eventually will recieve a portion of the revenue. AllofMP3.com doesn't give me jack shit for my music. If you truly believe in supporting artists, don't use AllofMP3.com. Use a legal service, buy the CD, and support the band when they come rolling through town.
If you want to argue semantics, go talk to a wall, but you're still just being a dick.
/* There's no question that you can always cut more levels, compress the audio more, compress the textures more, down-res the mpeg movies, and eventually get any game to fit on a DVD. But you paid for a high-def experience, right? You want the highest resolution, best audio, most cinematic experience a developer can offer, right? That's why Blu-Ray is important for games, and why it will become more important each year of this hardware cycle. */
Just a nitpick but...
He forgot to include "good game" in things on the disc. All the high-def graphics, stereo sound, and mpeg movies in the world don't mean a damn thing if the game sucks. Please devs, keep the GOOD GAMES coming. Don't get distracted by "OOO SHINY!" at the expense of a good game.
I'm going to type this slowly:
He is a magician. Magicians make their living creating illusions of magic which are usually no more than sleight of hand, props, etc. Even though I know every magic trick is not "magic", I still enjoy the show. Having known several professional magicians, it still amazes me when someone pulls off a great looking trick. Hell, at work the other day, I did a Balducci lift, explaining how it works, and a coworker thought I really did it (it's all in the angle/body positioning).
I find it more amusing the people will spend the time and energy trying to debunk guys who are out there trying to do it for a living. It's entertaining to some, I suppose, but there seem to be people genuinely angry that someone out there can perform a magic trick. I don't get these people, but hey, whatever.
I decided to make yummy desserts instead of wading through code. I also considered (briefly) going back to school and finishing my Biology degree and pursue a career in academia (Ichthyology/Rivers and Streams Ecology), but the lack of certainty in that field was a bit of a put off. Hey, there will always be demand for food and finding a job will never be an issue (a high paying one, however....).
I know other guys who make a *killing* as plumbers. They make anywhere from $15 (starting) to over $40/hour (running a team), if that's important, and typically once they go home, they don't have to worry being on-call, although that option is certainly available to them, for a premium.
I'd love to go to Furniture Building school and learn how to build furniture, or even art school so I can do all those fun things I always wanted to do but was too busy with my nose stuck in books growing up.
Or, if the school commitment wasn't so long, I'd love to give med school a shot. I'm great with people, have a decent head on my shoulders, but I don't want to commit the next 8-10 years just getting a foot in the door. Maybe nursing?
Just remember that you'll be leaving a typically highly-paid sector and joining the rest of America in Middle Class, if not less. If you can make the adjustment, then you'll do just fine. I'm making half what I could be making if I returned to IT, but the benefits are worth it: I'm doing work I enjoy.