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Medialoper

We're Not Who You Think We Are

Archives for August 2006

The Daily Loper – August 31, 2006

August 31, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

  • Remastering Star Trek: TOS FX, Music Enhanced
    Can’t even imagine how expensive these are going to be when finally released on HD-DVD & Blu-Ray. $199.98 list price, anyone?
  • October 3rd Declared "Day Against DRM"
    I’m in – as long as I don’t have to dress like I’m in Devo.
  • The stories behind Chuck Klosterman’s book jackets
    Almost as funny as Klosterman’s writing. Almost.
  • [Read more…] about The Daily Loper – August 31, 2006

Filed Under: The Daily Loper

The Futility Of DRM

August 31, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

2006 will go down in history as the year the entertainment industry finally started to take digital content distribution seriously. So far this year we’ve seen television networks and film studios experiment with a surprisingly wide variety of new distribution models, while the recording industry has started to realize that there may be a future in downloadable music. If there’s a downside to the recent explosion of digital content it has to be the entertainment industry’s unhealthy obsession with digital rights management (DRM).

In the past entertainment companies have been hesitate to distribute content digitally due to piracy concerns. Those concerns have apparently been replaced by a complete and total faith in DRM. Or, at the very least, a belief that it will be possible to build viable new business models around DRM protected content.

There’s just one problem — DRM doesn’t work. It’s a futile exercise in artificial scarcity that punishes honest consumers while doing little to slow the tide of piracy.

[Read more…] about The Futility Of DRM

Filed Under: DRM, Music, Piracy Tagged With: Digital-Rights-Management, DRM, emusic, Fair Use, FairPlay, PlaysForSure, Zune

More Politicians In The New World

August 31, 2006 by Kassia Krozser

It’s no secret that we get really excited about the little things here at Medialoper, especially the bright and shiny things. So when I caught wind of potential presidential candidate Mark Warner (he’s now running the State of Virginia) appearing in Second Life, my first thought was (and I quote), “Huh?”

It was quickly followed by “Hmm, interesting.” Things moved rapidly to “Cool!” before I had a chance to refill my coffee. That’s the Internet for you, always moving at the speed of the mind.

[Read more…] about More Politicians In The New World

Filed Under: Games, Independent Channel, Services Tagged With: avatars, mark-warner, Politics, Second Life, town-hall-meetings, virtual-worlds

The Daily Loper – August 30, 2006

August 30, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

  • Social Media Optimization: It’s Like SEO, For Social Sites
    It’s the latest Web 2.0 buzzacronym: SMO! All the cool marcomm execs who want to be hep to the cool kids will soon be using it.
  • … Look Who’s 40
    Ardent Studios in Memphis, where a shitload of amazing music has been recorded, turns 40.
  • AP Enterprise: Cell phones spill secrets
    Uh, yeah. All that data you think is so private? Well, it’s not.
  • [Read more…] about The Daily Loper – August 30, 2006

Filed Under: The Daily Loper

Will Spiral Frog Leap Into Our Music Collections?

August 30, 2006 by Jim Connelly

[Lopy notes: Spiral Frog finally launched, and we finally reviewed it]


Free legal downloads!! From a major label, no less. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? It’s supposed to be a reality, as a site called Spiral Frog has contracted with Universal Music to provide free downloads starting in December.

Of course, there is a catch — you are going to have to deal with advertising while you download. Here’s how they describe it:

[Read more…] about Will Spiral Frog Leap Into Our Music Collections?

Filed Under: Mediacratic, Music, Services Tagged With: emusic, iTunes, napster, Spiral-Frog, universal-music

Why HD DVDs Won’t Save Hollywood

August 29, 2006 by Jim Connelly

On the surface of it, I’m a natural candidate to upgrade to one of the latest HD DVD formats: I have an extensive and ever-growing DVD collection, and I have a pretty decent HD TV and sound system.

So it would be logical for me to take the next step — upgrade to either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. But I’m just not going to do it, not yet, and maybe not ever.

I’m also guessing that I’m not alone. Here’s why:

[Read more…] about Why HD DVDs Won’t Save Hollywood

Filed Under: HD DVD/Blu-Ray, Mediacratic, Movies Tagged With: Blu-Ray, DVD, HD-DVD

Why Pitchfork Scares Adults

August 29, 2006 by Kassia Krozser

We talk a lot about the decline of reviewers at mainstream publications. We have a lot of thoughts on the matter. Luckily, we have lots of server space, thus room for one more.

What is truly missing in today’s review world is passion. Good, old-fashioned, “I loved this so much I had to tell you about it” passion. There is a whiff of the academic in the work of many reviewers. Great, if you’re trying to write your master’s thesis, not so great if you’re trying to inspire your readers.

Let us take this lead from the Los Angeles Times’ review of the final Sleater-Kinney show:

[Read more…] about Why Pitchfork Scares Adults

Filed Under: Mediacratic, Music, Publishing, The Long Tail Tagged With: large-hearted-boy, los-angeles-times, Music, pitchfork, Reviews, sleater-kinney

The Daily Loper – August 28, 2006

August 28, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

  • Colorado not to charge Karr in JonBenet case
    I think this means that almost every major news agency owes us two weeks of real news and an apology.
  • FairUse4WM strips Windows Media DRM!
    If PlaysForSure wasn’t already dead, it is now.
  • A Big Star May Not a Profitable Movie Make
    No seriously, academics did a study on this. You’d think Ishtar would have been enough…
  • [Read more…] about The Daily Loper – August 28, 2006

Filed Under: The Daily Loper

How Not To Sell Books

August 28, 2006 by Kassia Krozser

So, yeah, it’s Monday morning and I’m checking headlines, and I see an interesting article from Publisher’s Weekly about the Penguin group: turns out they’re pushing the direct sales. Now, me being me, I’m immediately interested. This is the first time a major publishers has made direct-to-consumer sales — no local bookstores, no Amazon — a high-profile goal.

Or not.

Let me explain, first by quoting from the PW article:

[Read more…] about How Not To Sell Books

Filed Under: Marketing, Mediacratic, Publishing Tagged With: books, Marketing, publishing

The Weekly ‘Loper – August 27, 2006

August 27, 2006 by Jim Connelly

While you were relishing the chance to make yet more Uranus jokes, here’s what we were looking at:

  • CBS Reaffirms Its Commitment To Appointment Television – CBS’ online newscasts: one step up, two steps back. What’s the point in doing online news and restricting access by time zone?
  • Watch Out For Falling Serpents!! – Hey everybody! Remember that whole Snakes on a Plane thing? Wasn’t that funny? Absolutely one of the best pop culture moments of Springtime 2006.
  • What Happens When Your Radio Station Switches Formats – You don’t have to be a Country Music fan to understand the reasons why the wholesale abandoment of the format by radio in our larger metropolitian areas sucks. Adding insult to injury in Los Angeles: the return of hack DJ Rick Dees.
  • There Is A Cure For the Summer Tube Blues – Stop whining about nothing being on TV and start watching these shows!! Oh wait, most of them have their finales this week. Oh well, there’s always next summer.
  • Hollywood Today – Not so different from Hollywood yesterday. Which doesn’t bode so well for Hollywood tomorrow.
  • The Truth About Pluto’s Demotion – Neptune is celebrating, as it always regarded Pluto as a bit of a poseur. No word on what Uranus thinks, which is weird, as it’s usually not shy about expressing itself.
  • That’s What I Like: WordPress – You gotta love a Web Pub Tool that makes it this easy for schlubs like me to immediately share our bad jokes with the rest of the world.
  • Zune Autopsy Photos Revealed By FCC – Still looks better than the Prism Durosport 6000.

Filed Under: The Weekly 'Loper

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Previously on Medialoper

  • Certain Songs #2549: Sugar – “Try Again”
  • Certain Songs #2548: Sugar – “Needle Hits E”
  • Certain Songs #2547: Sugar – “Man on the Moon”
  • Certain Songs #2546: Sugar – “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”
  • Certain Songs #2545: Sugar – “Helpless”

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