I spent yesterday at a day-long retreat at Allan Border oval here in Brisbane (the location for the QLD XI v India test which starts today) planning for the future of the Brisbane Graduate School of Business. It was an interesting day with some very good ideas being thrown around. In particular, I'd like to be a facilitator and participant of a training program to begin next year on getting women in to Board positions for companies. We have a group of staff at BGSB who are on a series of interesting and varied Boards, and many students who are presently acting on Boards. Plus we have leaders in corporate governance in our MBA program, so if I can be party to the mobilisation of a training series, and get some useful political and business contacts to provide strategies at information sessions, I think we can assist business and interested participants in getting involved with more organisational Boards. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who may be able to contribute to such a series.
On an entirely different note, if you want cuteness in very large doses, I suggest you look at some of the most beautiful pictures of kittens you will ever see.
Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Authority, David Flint, has said in a speech to the Australian Association of National Advertisers today, that there needs to be some freedom of advertisers to promote food, regardless of whether there is a link between obesity and grazing behaviours associated with watching television. This is an interesting move - I had not even heard of there being a possibility of constraining advertising in commercial media to reduce food-oriented advertising. And I have to support the notion of freedom to advertise here.
I'm not a fan of the legal action being pursued by obese people against junk food organisations such as McDonalds. I think it's absurd to blame institutions for what is ultimately a matter of poor self discipline. Similarly, I am against constraining advertising. I don't class junk food in the same category of cigarette advertising, because no nicotine, even in passive doses is without harm. Junk food - and any food oriented television content - is harmless in moderation. And so long as the product is harmless in moderation, I don't see why institutions such as the Broadcasting Authority should be regulating content of television programming and advertising in an effort to control obesity.
As an update to the previous post on cameras and mobile phones, at the other end of the ideological spectrum on phone cams is Xeni Jardin's optimistic views on the matter in her interview with NPR (non-commercial public radio stations syndicated around the world) on how phonecams are changing the way we communicate with each other, and the forthcoming phonecam art show (thanks to BoingBoing for these links).
Also, a late edition to your daily links is the Wired article on a wetware payment facility being developed in Florida. If you think phonecams invade your privacy, imagine having a subdermal chip which acts in the manner of a debit card for purchases. (For what it's worth, I'd probably love it.)
I was contacted this morning by ABC Radio on the issue of privacy and mobile phones after reports from Schoolies this week that some people were using the camera function of mobile phones to take pictures up the skirts of girls on holiday. The implications of camera phones for privacy violation and copyright infringement have been covered in detail before, but it's important to note that jamming technologies being promoted at the moment are really not an effective, practical solution to widescale privacy violation. Indeed, the costs of implementing the solutions to such problems often outweigh the benefits - and I'm not speaking financially here. There are UK companies that are claiming to be able to disable the camera function of mobile phones whilst retaining voice and SMS communications, but these software solutions are a voluntary standard that consumer electronics companies must adopt at the manufacturing stage in order to be able to offer organisations the option of jamming signals. And unfortunately, even if consumer electronics companies adopt such a standard, the kinds of people who use mobile phones for predatory purposes - either for privacy violation or copyright infringement - are just the kinds of people who would buy mobile phones that transgress such jamming technologies. But if you instead use the sorts of technologies that absolutely disable all aspects of mobile phone technologies, or if you confiscate mobile phones at an event, then arguably people are more at risk by being unable to contact the outside world in the case of an emergency. It may be fair enough for public event officials to consider confiscation or jamming technologies to protect the intellectual property of a public performance, because in such a venue, there should be sufficient security measures to protect attendees. And to some extent, by visiting such a performance, people almost enter a contract with the distributor, to "enter at own risk". But on a broader scale for privacy protection, jamming simply isn't practical.
Now to links c/- Callum and myself, in the extended entry.
Bizarre story of the day is the story from ABC Online on doctors struggling to find women to test an orgasmatron. The mind boggles.
Sensible story of the day is the plan by a hydro-electric company in Quebec to use power lines for high speed internet connection, to compete with telecommunications providers. This is not just a practical use of wired infrastructure, but makes good economic sense - if it works.
And as an update to earlier posts on the death of MP3.com, the news is that all works hosted by the former music publishing space will be deleted in coming months. Have a look at Stephen Dann's comments on this subject in response to an earlier post of mine on this subject.
You know the quote: I have an independent mind. You are an eccentric. He is round the twist. This seems to be the way much of the reporting on the Michael Jackson case is going. But perhaps it's not the full picture. There is always the possibility that Jackson's behaviour is actually symptomatic of a neurological condition. I've considered this further in the extended entry.
While I personally think Jacko is completely off his nut, I also can't quite believe that he is deliberately setting out to harm children. I don't think he's smart enough to be able to fool the world into believing he's merely hunted, when actually predatory. Often enough people who have advised and known Michael have described him as "naive". But he's not merely naive. It's naive to believe that something you say on a blog won't be read by someone who you'd prefer didn't have access to what you have said. It's naive to believe that anyone can have whatever career they wish for - so long as they work hard enough. It's naive to think that you can achieve your goals without much sacrifice. But Jacko's level of naivete goes far beyond typical levels.
I'm begining to wonder if Michael Jackson is actually autistic.
Jackson seems to have the classic symptoms of Asperger's syndrome: musical genius, an inability to integrate with people of his own age, and obsessive compulsive behaviour indicated by his buying habits and obsessive need to change his appearance and appear 'forever young' - like Peter Pan.
I know many have cited his brutal upbringing as a reason for his bizarre behaviour as an adult, but I doubt whether there are many instances of abuse victims acting out in the manner that Michael Jackson prefers. He's spectacularly obtuse in his misunderstanding of social practice and acceptable behaviours. He is so far removed from reality that he believes what he is doing is harmless and right. That's more indicative of autism (drawn from the Greek word, autos, meaning 'self') than a reaction to abuse.
Of course, even if he is neurologically affected, this takes nothing away from what he has done. The effects of his behaviour on children can be just as horrific as if the man had set out to abuse them. As such, it would seem appropriate to consider a protection order against Michael Jackson interacting with children. Certainly no child should be permitted to stay at his ranch. Not even his own children should be left unattended in his presence. But if Jackson is truly neurologically affected, he won't be able to rehabilitate. No time in prison will teach him anything about the real world. He will retreat into his fantasy life for the duration of his incarceration, and reoffend on release.
It's sad but it's inevitable that people who are incapable of developing a sense of appropriate adult behaviour must spend their entire lives in a prison of their own mind. They are singularly unable to understand the consequences of their actions and they drift from passion to ideal, and back again, because they can never mature emotionally. It is our responsibility as a society to ensure that people who are affected by such disorders are treated with some compassion, but also that they are prevented from harming others. We must tread the fine line between being politically correct and intolerant. It may sound unfair to deny Jackson access to even his own children, but if doing so ensures their capacity to develop emotional maturity, then at least they are not dragged down with Jackson into the hollow recesses of a stunted mind.
Lawrence Lessig has a fabulous article in this month's Wired Magazine on town ownership of fibre optic networks in the US. In the article, Lessig argues that advanced fibre networks are "natural monopolies"; it makes poor economic sense to duplicate a high speed broadband connection, where a single network infrastructure will do. Building a second network - like building parallel train and road infrastructure where traffic is readily accommodated by the existing infrastructure - is simply poor planning. Further, the Federal Communications Commission in the US has been pushing the line that ownership matters. Lessig feels that regional ownership of networks and infrastructure means that a more efficient high-speed, low-cost solution can be offered to businesses and clients alike.
It will come as no surprise to some of my students out there that I have been pushing the same line in telecommunications regulation for the past decade. State or regional ownership of the networks means that there is less inconsistency of service availability between rural and metropolitan regions, and it means that where there is demand for high-speed connectivity it will be made available. The two central problems with broadband adoption in Australia have been cost and availability. Ownership of the infrastructure solves that problem.
I only wish governing bodies would recognise this. Perhaps now that Lessig has taken a stand (an American legal guru) the Aussies will finally take notice.
Okay I know I'm beginning to sound like a mad keen sports fanatic, but there are very good reasons why you should watch the cricket. One of them has occurred in the one-day match between NSW and SA. In the commentary just after the second wicket in the NSW innings, Richie Benaud and James Greyshaw, in dead pan tones, expressed deep and genuine concern about the poor performances in catching by the crowd. Citing instances in Bowral and Canberra, they were unrepentantly outraged at the notion of people fighting over each other to get out of the way of an incoming six, belt into the stands. Greyshaw expressed the absolute horror he experienced when one crowd member preferred to continue eating an ice-cream rather than catching a sitter.
It is indeed, an entertaining game :-)
Ah sad result, but a great match. Thanks to Kev and Stef (and co.) for having me over to watch the game and be part of the event. Kev, I fully plan to bash you up for being a pom, but I thought it was better behaved not do so when you were also my host for the night. Rest assured, I'll bash you up later. Just as soon as I get through the therapy that I will need to recover from the true horror that was your victory dance.
:-)
*hugs and thanks to Kev and Stef*
*hugs for the gallant Wallabies*
*congrats to the Poms*
Thanks to Callum and Tonya for Tango lessons tonight in the West End. I have two left feet when it comes to the tango, but at least I got the basic steps sort of down. And it was nice to don the black slinky dress and the high heels and just sweat with some great teachers on the dance floor. Now if only I could stop myself from (a) leading and (b) trying to perfect my routine in the mirror! Old habits from classical ballet die hard. As one partner said to me tonight as I screwed my face up in concentration, and forced my feet to follow those of my partner, "it must be hard being such a perfectionist". Well tonight was far from perfect, but it was good to give it a go!
Yes, it's link time. Thanks to Callum for today's suggestions. I'm frankly worried by the plush microbe dolls, but I have already recommended to my superiors that it's a good idea to turn an old Macintosh shell into a fishtank. My boss at the time (hi John Arnold, by the way!) was horrified at the notion of turning a functional Mac Classic into a fish tank, but eventually he realised that given no-one was making the disks that worked in that computer and that no-one sustained Apple network connections anymore, the old Mac would just have to be stored somewhere for another 50 years or so until he could sell it as an antique original. All the links (and Callum's commentary) are in the extended entry. Thanks again Callum!
Someone has built an aquarium out of a G4 Cube. Looks very cool. This
prompted me to think of the possibility of covering the internals of a
working computer in a plastic coating, filling the case with water and
putting in fish. You could even conduct an experiment on whether long
terms doses of EMR will affect biological matter. Yes I am warped.
EDITOR's NOTE: ...
http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/
EDITOR's NOTE: Or maybe just go for the PC Case mod at http://www.nobispro.com/aquatank/
Looking for gifts for your local neighbourhood geek?! Look no further.
Scientific America has done the hard work for you!!! WOOHOO!!! Love
the chocolate brain. :)
EDITOR's NOTE: I'm frightened that someone would think to make a soft toy of a common cold microbe.
http://www.sciam.com/giftguide_1.html
Ever wonder what you should do if the Internet ever went down? Well JJ
can provide that information for you. Go JJ!!! ;)
EDITOR's NOTE: Or go Callum, as the case may be :-)
I don't think I have ever seen such an array of truly brutal reviews for a film in my life. Based on the Dr Seuss beginner's book, The Cat in the Hat, the Mike Myers film has been described as humourless schtick, a travesty, vulgar, a desecration, cloying and didactic, full of unnecessary babble, a remarkably thorough demonstration of how not to have fun, and a grueling, chaotic stew of forced whimsy that utterly lacks imaginative integrity or visual spark. For a selection of reviews see the Google news listings on the theme. I must admit as soon as I saw Mike Myers in the Cat suit, I thought of Michelle Pfeiffer's line as CatWoman in Batman Returns - "life's a bitch - now so am I". I was amazed that the entertainment program I was watching was making a fuss of the "superb visual effects" of the film. If Myers was an example of those effects, then the result would be uniformly awful. Apparently my gut reaction was correct. While critics feel there are some visual effects that are wonderful, the charm of Seuss is apparently all but absent from this adaptation, and the sexual innuendo and potty humour just cap off the final product, turning it into a video on animal and human cruelty.
Here's a nice run down of how not to get fired when blogging in the office. Of course, if you're stupid enough to reveal private information about your company or any person you know, or reveal personal information about yourself to the world that you didn't really want some people to read, then you probably should be sacked as a cruel but fair reminder of your stupidity anyway.
I'm such a romantic, underneath this crusty exterior. I've been following the Channel 9 Today Show Marry in the Morning Competition and this morning is the big day for Brad and Fiona. And I've been so excited all morning for them, it's embarrassing. But I really do wish them well today and forever after!
To clarify... RSS does not stand for "Really Simple Syndication" as some people would have you believe. It stands for RDF Site Summary (or Rich site summary, if you prefer). And RDF stands for Resource Descriptor Framework, and was a specification set out by the W3 Consortium. It's based on an XML (Extensible Markup Language) version of the dynamic content of a blog or news feed site, such that the content can be read by RSS browsers. For further information, please see the definition as described by whatis.com, the tech encyclopaedia.
Now it is true that this blog can be syndicated using my RSS feed (see the lower left-hand side of my homepage to find the 'Syndicate this site (XML)' link... if you follow it, you can see the RDF raw code). As this blog is based on the MovableType engine, I can also ping sites for every post I make, allowing some RSS browsers to register an update to my feed. Every post I make pings blogchatter, a service that indicates recent blog updates. It's a simple system, and could be used by any RSS browser to check for updates. Why organisations like Livejournal prefer to remotely check if a blog has been updated at regular time intervals just eludes me. It's clunky, unreliable and outdated. Given the immense problems Livejournal has for every day running of its social software platform, you'd think they would have accommodated a simpler way of syndicating content.
Apparently they don't think so logically.
Far be it from me to take away from the words of Bill Gates. It's no secret I'm not a fan of Microsoft's predatory business tactics. But it's also no secret that I admire the business acumen of Gates. Charismatic leaders who know how to manipulate any system to their advantage always get a vote of admiration from me - even if I oppose their position. In that light, I recommend the interview with Bill Gates in the Bulletin today. His plans and ideas are canvassed in the interview, and his sense of the maturity of the software industry is palpable.
The man generates excitement, that's for sure.
There's an interesting new publishing model being developed by New York-based cmpany NewspapersDirect, as reported in Poynter's E-Media Tidbits. For a subscription fee, people can get a digital copy of the whole look and feel of the original print edition of world newspapers - something that has been absent from existing digital print models, and which has frustrated researchers. There's no doubt that surrounding material influences the overall effect of a story, and this copy-ready model may be of much greater appeal to subscribers than the text-based copy available through websites.
And while one technology is becoming more "open" another is closing up. Reuters is reporting that a new mobile telephone on the market is automatically encrypting telephone conversations. Although anyone who thinks governing bodies can't decrypt such conversations is kidding themselves.
Continuing on the privacy jaunt, Wired magazine has an interesting article on the reliability (or otherwise) of RFID - the technology which 'tags' products with an individual identity and which allows products to be tracked from the manufacturer to your home, with the use of a radio transmitter. The technology has understandably concerned privacy advocates, who are not convinced that it's a good thing to be able to match goods to one's shopping habits. But it seems that RFID can be disabled relatively easily, anyway.
And just because I want my geeks mates to drool, here's the rundown for the Supercomputer Conference for 2003. Teraflops galore, and enough power guzzling to warrant investment in some serious air conditioning.
Oh and once again, those people who get my feed on Livejournal syndication are getting it up to 24 hours late. And once again I am reminded how much the technology of remotely hosted blogs suck.
No it's not the start of a joke but just coincidentally the nature of the morning news.
Mayor of London, "Red" Ken Livingstone, has given George Bush a serve, if reports in the London Independent newspaper are correct, saying that Dubya is the greatest threat to life on the planet ever seen. Red Ken would never be likely to support a Republican candidate anyway, but his sheer hatred of Dubya's policies and practices is probably only matched by Bowling for Columbine's Michael Moore. Between Moore's DUDE! Where's My Country? and Red Ken's Party For Everyone Who Is Not George Bush, it's good to see there is some sense in the world.
Clearly there is no sense at all in Neverland. No surprises there. Hopefully this time Whacko Jacko will be committed as he probably should have been a decade ago.
And to the Aussies - and back to the Poms - the rivalry between the media camps over the Rugby World Cup has just got out of control. It's true the Aussies love beating the Poms, and fear not: I will be bagging the Poms on Saturday night in the name of team spirit. But the allegations being made against the Pommie team are simply poor sportsmanship. Good old rivalry between the Anglo-Australian camps is fair play. Calling the Pommies cheats and boring is going too far. Settle down fellas. What happened to good old veiled slander?
Just before I hit the sack from utter exhaustion as a result of today's efforts, I thought I'd add my own link of interest. I'm highly amused by the Send Them Back! campaign on MP3 files. It smacks very much of Dave Barry's advice to people in reference to the American telemarketing association's belief that they had a constitutional right to call people who didn't want to be called by telemarketers. In other words, it's an offline Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack. And it's funny. Do it now.
Lots of effort for very little return. My thoughts are with my friend Louise tonight, who has been at the funeral of her grandmother today.
I do have links which I promised Callum I'd get to first thing this morning and I'm still getting there. They are in the extended entry: keep an eye out for the TV-sized supercomputer.
One thing I did achieve today was very JJ-like. I decided one of my bookshelves needed an extra shelf. Only problem was that I didn't have any more shelves and there were no plugs to hold up another shelf. So I went out and bought shelving, some wall plugs and a hacksaw, and improvised. I cut the shelf to size and installed it with the wall plugs as shelf holders. Once I get an idea in my mind I have a habit of realising my intentions. I'm not bad with a hacksaw either. Hard work, but worth it. (I do have rather a secret passion for power tools, but we'll leave that for another time.)
Quick hug to Kev and Stef, too. Hope you're both doing okay.
As Callum sends 'em, I happily repeat 'em! Thanks dude -; your input is much appreciated! :-) I've included Callum's commentary here because it's so very Callum, and rather entertaining!
________________________________________________________
Being an Apple fiend it was good to find out that it appears the growth
in Apple market share is also increasing in Australia as well as the US.
The West Aust. government has bought $3.7 million worth of 12" iBooks.
mmmmmm. Wonder if I can go back to school? Think they'll let me?
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7865388%5E15317%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html
IBM builds a TV-sized supercomputer. Es-queese-me?!?!?!? 2 TRILLION
floating point operations a second. Mind you this is only at peak
performance, and all squeezed into the size of 30 cm TV. Excuse me
whilst me mind blows!!! Shesh these IBM boys certainly get to play with
cool toys. Mmmmmm. Wonder if QUT would be willing to replace my laptop
for one of these. What do you think JJ? Possible? Hey you could run
everyone's desktop from it. Cool!!!!!
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/11/14/bluegenel/
Brazil moves away from Microsoft. WOOHOO!!!!! First China, Sth Korea
and Japan. And now Brazil. Go Brazil! Go! Rise up against your
oppressors and.... Hang on is this the correct mind set for an MBA
student...? Ok how about this: The licence fee structure make it
un-economically viable for a nation as poor and as large (read populous)
as Brazil to become technically savvy. JJ do I pass?
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031116/D7URSKHO0.html
EDITOR's NOTE: Yes, Callum, you pass.
Back on the Apple bandwagon: It's official. The Virginia Tech Apple
supercluster is the third most powerful supercomputer in the world.
And only for a princely sum of US$5 million and 1100 Dual 2GHz G5s.
WOOHOO!!! Maybe QUT would be more willing to buy me one of these
instead of IBM's TV. ;)
I do love the climate here in Brisbane. Days are beautiful with temperatures between 25-30° Celsius, and bright blue skies. Just to freak my mother out, I have also noticed the flora in the area. Jacaranda were at their best a few weeks back and flowering gum (pale pink clusters of blossums on towering eucalypts) have been stunning around town, and right now the Poinciana are putting on a show. I have taken two pictures of flora around my place. Don't fall out of your chair, Mum. The Jacaranda isn't so good but the Poinciana are superb.
Ouch.
Right: on to the links. I'm writing a few articles at the moment on cybercommunication, social software and women and wireless technologies. In doing research on these articles, I thought I'd share a few links in case anyone may be interested. I've placed these in the extended entry so that those who are not even remotely curious are saved the bother of reading them.
The cricket is on and Victoria are going to kill Queensland. It's a good game. Go watch it.
On the social software front, there are a series of definitions of social software that affect the context in which the term is considered. Firat of all, I should note that I regard social software as being software and tools that are defined by a cybercommunity of users or developers. Whilst I see the Open Source community as being a key player in the social software market, I see the actual tools - blogging, wiki, etc - as being the focus of the idea.
Tom Coates draws on the augmentation theories of Englebart for his definition of social software. This is useful, as Rheingold notes, because the implications of innovation and invention are not limited to the innovation itself; social exchanges based on sharing the details of any innovation are likely to produce a cascade of improvements among interested parties. It is a variation on the theory that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Simply put, a good idea shared will produce more and often better ideas.
Shirky has explored social software in terms of group politics and has argued that social software has its own political agenda and that greater research needs to be undertaken to explore the possibility of mapping digital social networks (something a PhD student is attempting to do at a micro-level in Brisbane at QUT). And Mayfield has refuted criticisms about social software, claiming that the high costs associated with forming and joining a group will focus and encourage participation in debate on an issue of interest.
I really should talk about all this further on my LJ blog. I'll do that late this week.
On the women and wireless issue, I found the comments of Susan Ness at the inaugural women's wireless network event in June 2001, largely irrelevant. Lots of statistics about women and technology were quoted, but no sense of women's desire to participate in wireless communities was defended or even acknowledged. More useful was the somewhat cynical article in ZdNet on women and IT, from January of this year. I tend to agree that women are still reticent to adopt the technologies themselves, and are more concerned about what such technologies will do to enhance their lives. Melanie McGrath once noted that when men assess technology they are simply concerned with what the technology can do. Women, on the other hand, ask what the technology can do for me. Women are, almost inherently, concerned with performance measures for technologies and the need for efficiencies to be derived from them in order to justify investment.
I will be clarifying my own position on women and wireless in a forthcoming article, but suffice for now to say that the primary interest among women who adopt wireless technologies is for social reasons. Many have argued that access efficiencies are a primary motivator for wireless adoption, but for women that is a means to an end of using that technology to keep in contact - with clients and work contacts, as well as family and friends. For women, wireless is a social revolution, rather than a technological one.
Thanks to Stephen for the history of the MP3.com downfall, with a series of links to press releases surrounding the gradual commercialisation of the organisation during 2001, listed in the extended entry. Nice history, Steve. Hope you don't mind me archiving it here, but I thought I would keep it intact with your commentary, because it could be very useful for both students and interested readers to see how a good idea for an internet product can be systematically undermined by corporate investment and litigation.
And to explain the "oops", it seems I did more damage in the past week to my back than I'd anticipated. It's now in full spasm, with every major structural muscle system from deltoids and biceps right down to gluteus maximus, hamstrings and quadriceps affected. For those who understand the musculo-skeletal system, my erector spinae and levitor scapulae muscles are so inflamed that all the skin around my ribs is pulled taut to accommodate the swelling on the right hand-side of my spine. Mmmm. Fun - not. Still, for those who think this sounds bad, it's not as horrible as it sounds. It's just a very simple and standard problem, easily resolved by some heat therapy, some gentle massage, exercise and - most importantly - rest. I may have to take some anti-inflams to get through the work I have to do for the next few days, but I will spend as much time as possible away from the pc and sitting at a desk writing in order to assist the recovery process. And I promise to exercise every 20 minutes. I promise.
* The Worst Idea on the Internet
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/43.html
New MP3.com Service Lets Consumers Listen to Their Music Anywhere, Anytime
NEW TECHNOLOGIES SUPPORT MSP INFRASTRUCTURE
SAN DIEGO-- January 12, 2000 -- MP3.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: MPPP), the premier
online music service provider (MSP), today announced the beta launch of the
upgraded version of My.MP3.com. The new service, currently free to
consumers, contains two breakthrough products -- Instant Listening
ServiceTM and Beam-itTM -- that allow consumers to store, customize and
listen to their CDs from anywhere, anytime using the open portals of
web-enabled devices. MP3.com is inviting the public to help test the
functionality of the beta version of My.MP3.com as the new products are
finalized.
*The RIAA takes offence
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/45.html
MP3.com Announces Suit by RIAA
SAN DIEGO-- January 21, 2000 -- MP3.com, Inc., the premier online music
service provider (MSP), confirmed today that it had been served with a
complaint for copyright infringement filed by the RIAA in New York federal
court.
"On behalf of consumers, we are disappointed that the positive benefits and
security features of our newly upgraded My.MP3.com service are
misunderstood by the RIAA and its member companies," said Michael
Robertson, chief executive officer of MP3.com. "My.MP3.com provides more
choices for consumers to do what they want with the music they already own.
Our technology also empowers artists to communicate directly with their fan
base. We believe My.MP3.com will stimulate CD sales and expand the music
industry overall."
* Captain lawsuit comes second
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/81.html
Judgement Day for MP3.com
New York, April 28, 2000 -- MP3.com (NASDAQ: MPPP) had its day in court
against the major record labels today, as a U.S. district court justice
Rakoff granted a summary judgement on behalf of the labels in their suit
filed over MP3.com's "My.MP3" service.
"This is not a victory for the record labels-it's a loss," MP3.com
chairman/ceo Michael Robertson said in response to the decision. "New
technologies for delivering music are here to stay, and the technology
trend is moving in only one direction: forward.
* Ass Kicked, Settlements begin
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/110.html
MP3.com and BMG Entertainment Settle Copyright Infringement Suit
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/111.html
MP3.com Settles Copyright Infringement Suit with Warner Music Group
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/143.html
EMI and MP3.com Settle Copyright Infringement Suit
* Settlement gets positive spin
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/245.html
MP3.com and Warner Music Group Sign Online Artist Marketing And Promotion
Agreement and Video License Agreement
SAN DIEGO and NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2000 -- MP3.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: MPPP) and
Warner Music Group (WMG) today announced that they have entered into a
non-exclusive marketing and promotion agreement and video license
agreement. The two agreements will allow MP3.com to present various
recordings and music videos of WMG artists on its web site.
* Satan buys North Pole in order to reduce brand confusion with Santa.
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/337.html
Vivendi Universal Acquires MP3.com in Move to Strengthen Digital
Distribution Capacity and Web Audience
I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I seem to have completely stuffed up my back. Don't worry - it's only temporary - it happens when I spend too much time in front of my PC doing research and writing without a break. Exercise will improve it and I'll make an effort to use heat packs and other therapies tonight. In the meantime it's an effort to sit down, stand up, walk around and basically do anything. If I stay still it's sorta okay. I gotta find some software that will force me to get up and walk around every hour. Otherwise I tend to sit in the same spot for hours on end.
A bit of background first. MP3.com began as a free space for unsigned artists to make MP3 files of their music available for free online to anyone who chose to download and listen to their music. I am listening to my MP3.com collection as I type this post. I have derived a great deal of pleasure from the free music out there. And I rather suspect the artists I listen to would just be gratified to know that.
MP3.com was an amazing experiment and highly successful - so successful that it soon started charging artists for server space for their files and provided artists with the capacity to make money from downloads of their works. Over time, this organisation became more and more commercialised such that many hobbyist artists simply couldn't sustain a presence on MP3.com. The raison d'etre of MP3.com had gone from being a space for sharing musical artwork to a virtual publishing house, not dramatically removed from a traditional music publishing house. Now it seems, the transmogrification is complete. Here's the official notice sent to all subscribers of Mp3.com (of which I am one).
CNET Networks, Inc announced today that it has acquired certain assets of MP3.com, Inc.Please be advised that on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at 12:00 PM PST the MP3.com website will no longer be accessible in its current form.
CNET Networks, Inc. plans to introduce a new MP3 music service in the near future. If you would like to receive email updates on this service, including an invitation to a special members-only preview, please sign up here.
Now I'm a fan of CNET. It has one of the best news services for tech news online outside of Slashdot and a few other blogs out there. But I rather suspect the whole guts of the MP3.com ideal will still be turned into a subscription service, further marginalising free distribution of innovative works. *sighs* Remind me why I am still writing articles and research papers about the inherent public good of the internet?
EDIT: Of course, with the Apple iTunes out there, I suppose there is some hope. Even if you do risk being judged on the basis of your iTunes collection.
Thanks to my uncle, David, for one of the funniest cases of Engrish translation issues that I've seen. This time they got the English literally correct... it's just the imagery that is so wrong.
Those of you who don't know of The Onion are missing out. A parody journal that has been occasionally taken seriously by legitimate media sources - to the embarrassment of both The Onion and said media source - the newspaper occasionally comes up with the most hysterical content. And the gem from the current edition is no exception. In a riotous dig at the cluelessness of people who think their blogs are somehow sequestered from family and those they would rather not access their public thoughts, the article, 'Mom Finds Out About Blog', is just fabulous!
And in response to Shirky's essay on semantic web principles, there's an offering here which is rather flawed, but still a good effort.
The Australian and ZDNet have a couple of articles of interest today. First, according to a report from Gartner, instant messaging (IM) is now mature enough to achieve mass adoption in business. This is something my colleagues and I have been exploring in the MBA curriculum, and we support the idea of students using IM in classrooms to discuss issues being raised in lectures. It provides a kind of "back channel" conversation, facilitating the resolution of any questions that cannot otherwise be addressed in class time. The same strategy could be used in the boardroom and among a distributed workforce as part of a communications plan. All (!) businesses have to do is work out a way of recording IM sent and received via mobile phone devices in order to satisfy corporate governance imperatives for record keeping.
Also, there's a story about the estimated cost of identity theft in Australia, according to a federal government report - a cool A$1 billion. And frankly, that's probably only the tip of the iceberg.
It's an odd thing to be thanking Star Trek's Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) for a Star Wars related link, by there it is. Thanks to Wil for the news that R2D2 now has a place in the Robot Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame covers everything from fact to fiction, so it was inevitable the little guy would find his place in history, particularly as R2D2 seems to have been about 30 years old by the time Luke used him in his jet fighter to finish off the Empire.
I am such a geek.
However.... I am not so much of a geek that I eat nothing but junk food and don't exercise. I'm rather glad to see that the UK is taking childhood obesity seriously and I can only hope the trend will be adopted here in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare September report, A growing problem: Trends and patterns in overweight and obesity 1980 to 2001, noted that with the current behaviours being positively reinforced in our community, obesity in both children and adults will not merely affect lifespan and health during life, but will put further pressure on our already stretched public health system, driving up the Medicare Levy among other taxes. This extremely serious epidemic is reducing the expected life span of children in the UK by no less than 9 years. But it's not just living a few less years that should be the most worrying aspect about our growing obesity problem. It's the fact that physical health whilst obese is reduced, tendency towards depression is increased and productivity in the workplace is affected.
And geeks are some of the worst contributors towards the obesity problem.
A sedentary lifestyle and copious quantities of junk food, plus a morally questionable tendency to positively reinforce being overweight (even by saying "you look great with a few extra pounds") are all setting geeks up for a miserable future. Plus, most of society tends to overestimate their height and underestimate their weight, thus kidding themselves that their Body Mass Index is healthy, or at least not wildly outside of acceptable parameters. Then others who think it's politically incorrect to discuss weight problems defend overweight people against those who may question it, and the horrid spiral of weight gain is perpetuated.
I BEG overweight geeks to get out and get some proper exercise (not just walking for goodness sake.... either get into a pool and swim or get into a gym and do aerobic exercise where your heart rate is elevated for in excess of 27 minutes), and eat some more vegetables. Losing weight takes a very long time indeed, and is not just about changing a diet but changing an entire lifestyle. And when someone does change that life there are no days off, and there can be no binge sessions at geek gatherings or parties.
See I love my geek friends. But I worry about those who are overweight or obese. I want people to feel healthy and I want Australia to arrest the growth of obesity in the community. Do something now. Please.
*waves to Hugh at ANU*
Yes it is me, Hugh. Eventually we ATXFers just find each other again through one means or another.
Now that the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month has once again passed, I wish our ANZACs all the very best as we honour their efforts. I also note with incredulity it's now 28 years since the dismissal. Wow. And finally, I note it's my oldest friend's birthday today - happy birthday Gabrielle! Gae and I have known each other now for thirty years! Hope you have a wonderful day, Gae!
Links for today - once again brought to you with the assistance of the wonderful Callum - are in the extended entry. We have flicks and chicks, worms and turns. And yes, I do need a life.
To flicks - the promotional trailer for Shrek 2 is out. I loved Shrek - mainly because Stephen and I spent most of our time laughing when the rest of the cinema was silent. There were so many nods to 1980s cinema it became a veritable detective fest to work out what was being taken off in each scene.
Chicks - dressed in leather bikinis - actually make #2 in the Time Magazine List of Coolest Inventions for 2003. Apple's iTunes Music Store makes #1. :-) There's something rather wonderful about bikinis being beaten by bits!
Worms - BBC is 'celebrating' 20 years of the computer virus. A little known fact: the first computer virus in Australia was the marijuana virus (displaying a message saying "This computer is stoned. Legalise marijuana!") which first appeared at my old alma mater - Monash University.
And turns - it appears that the McDonalds iTunes deal I announced last week may have been erroneous, or at least, it hasn't been officially signed off yet. Stay tuned!
After having to deploy the MT-Blacklist again this morning I am now joining the ranks of bloggers "signing" the Comment Spam Manifesto petition. I'm not sure how useful it will be - it has the potential to be self-defeating - but if we can shut down some of those heinous spamming sites, then I suppose it's worthwhile. Thank goodness for the MT-Blacklist, anyway - thanks Jay!
Very tired and worn out tonight and for no good reason other than concentration and dealing with difficulties with hardware and software all day. Plus I seemed to miss everyone who contacted me all day.
I apologise if I have not got back to people. I will get there. Just have to rest now. Sorry.
Oh and a BIG thankyou to the people who have sent me birthday cards and in particular to my wonderful friend, Kristen, for making me laugh today. She addressed my card to Emeritus Professor Joanne Jacobs :-) You rock hon!
Read it now. Besides the fact that he is questioning the value of the Semantic Web project being conducted by the W3C group, it's the fact that this guy understands the inherent flaws in the work of Conan Doyle and that he questions the value of syllogisms as a basis for logical thought that I really enjoy in his last essay. Syllogisms have long been regarded as a distinctly flawed basis for extrapolation (All cats have four legs; my dog has four legs; therefore my dog is a cat). But metadata itself is a useful tool online - it merely needs to be refined for appropriate application. Enter: Leximancer. The Australian Research Council project in which I am involved is using Leximancer as a basis for generating the best metadata for attracting people to content, as well as "indexing" (although it is not really indexing as such) content. This is information management - and knowledge management - in its truest form. Shirky's column reaches the heart of the problem with artifical intelligence and information overload online - we haven't applied the tools we need to take advantage of the wealth of information out there. Leximancer may be one step along the way.
I'm not entirely serious. Exercise is something I heartily endorse. But moderation in all things is necessary.
OUCH!
My pectoralis major muscles hurt, and I think it's because I've been doing men's push ups this past week. Of course, some will say my wounds are self-inflicted. And of course, they'd be right. But they can go jump. Call it stubbornness and arrogance on my part, but I do enjoy the sensation of feeling strong. Only - someone give me a massage? Please?