Archives for September 2008

The Daily Loper – September 11, 2008

September 11, 2008 by Lopy

Task From God Edition

Todays links of interest:

Tech Czar Might Rule Policy Under Obama
We’re all for this, but please, let’s not use the word Czar. Perhaps uber-geek would be more appropriate.
Tribune blames United Airlines article mixup on Google
A "single visit" to an archived story pushed it to the most viewed articles, and Tribune is blaming Google? Uh, Tribune? It’s 2008. Get your act together.
McCain Ad Featuring Katie Couric Removed From YouTube
Is it us or is it troubling that a candidate for President of the United States repeatedly and deliberately abuses copyright protections?

The Daily Loper – September 10, 2008

September 10, 2008 by Lopy

Putting Lipstick on Liars Edition

Todays links of interest:

Why aren’t women furious about Sarah Palin?
Cintra Wilson: "Sarah Palin is the sexual front of the culture war and the embodiment of the bold social engineering stance of the new authoritarianism that Republicans have been employing ever since they stole the election in 2000."
Yahoo announces social networking app for iPhone
Hey! Remember us? Before social networking and the anywhere internet, we used to be a big big deal!
Yahoo News Redesign May Pull a Technorati, Why Not Twitter?
Trying to keep up with the users is a tough game when doing a site redesign. Especially when one goal is promoting your own properties.

The Daily Loper – September 9, 2008

September 9, 2008 by Lopy

Hey, Where The White Women At? Edition
Todays links of interest:

Microsoft Patches Eight Security Holes
Another week, another hole patch for Microsoft.
Worst Case: Collider Spawns Planet-Devouring Black Hole
In that case, Microsoft would issue a critical patch.
Zune adds wireless downloads, features
Gotta say that the "Buy from FM" feature seems pretty cool. Hell, the iPod doesn’t even have an FM tuner, which is why I continue to purchase other .mp3 players.

Reconsidering the Future of Ebooks

September 9, 2008 by Kirk Biglione

Like most gadget lovers I dream of the perfect digital reading device. In my dreams this device is pretty much identical to the interactive book in Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age. Unfortunately, the technology behind Stephenson’s nano-tech powered ereader is still decades away. In the meantime, we’re stuck with a motley assortment of devices that attack the challenge of reading digital content from a variety of different angles. From dedicated eInk readers like the Sony Reader and Amazon’s Kindle, to PDA’s, and multi-purpose mobile computing devices like the iPhone. None are anywhere close to perfect, but they’re all we have for the time being.

Knowing full well that I’m not about to find the “ultimate” ebook reader anytime soon, I spent a bit of time this summer evaluating the merits of two very different devices: the iPhone and the Kindle.

While comparing the reading experience on both of these devices was an interesting exercise, I found that the relative strengths and weaknesses of each product lead me to consider bigger questions about the future of ebooks and digital content.

The Daily Loper – September 8, 2008

September 8, 2008 by Lopy

Kiss A Girl and Go To Hell Edition

Todays links of interest:

The right dictates MSNBC’s programming decisions
It’s neat trick, controlling pretty much the entire country, and yet continually whining that you’re being picked upon whenever that control is threatened. We were watching MSNBC’s coverage precisely because Olbermann was in the thick of it. Now? Also: Glenn Greenwald rocks.
A Sad Fact: The iPod’s Clickwheel Must Die
Too many choices for the original UI.
Scientists hope for surprises in Big Bang experiment
Because getting the entire planet sucked into a Black Hole wouldn’t be a surprise?

The Daily Loper – September 5, 2008

September 5, 2008 by Lopy

Drill, Baby, Drill Edition

Todays links of interest:

McCain Winning Coveted "Stock Photos" Demographic?
The Republican National Convention is turning out to be a huge boon for stock photo sites.
Republicans Take Heart; Heart Takes It Back
The Wilson sisters object the use of their song "Barracuda," but we have to note that the whole flap just goes to show how much the country has migrated to the left since that song was written in 1977. Imagine George HW Bush taking the stage in 1980 to a song that rocked that hard. On the other hand, we’re still talking about a song that is 30 years old, which does mean that it’s right in the GOP pop-culture wheelhouse.
Fears the LHC activation may destroy the Earth are "completely unfounded"
Apparently, the effects of the experiment are comparable to the natural bombardment from the Sun. Whew! Hey, wait a second . . . OMMFG! THE SUN IS TRYING TO DESTROY THE EARTH!!!!

The Daily Loper – September 4, 2008

September 4, 2008 by Lopy

Middleman!! Edition

Todays links of interest:

See Chrome’s inner workings–and an Easter egg
More interesting tidbits about Google’s new browser.
‘Battlestar Galactica’ movie snares Tricia Helfer, Grace Park and lots more Cylons
Best news of all: it’s Cylon-centric!
Old Friends in the Media See a New Side of McCain
But, sniff, we thought he liked us….

The Mess of The Rolling Stones Back Catalog

September 4, 2008 by Jim Connelly

Yesterday, Kassia took issue with a Wall Street Journal article that trumpeted the fallacy that closing off a major avenue of music distribution was somehow a good thing.

One of the examples that the article used to show that selling a lot of music on iTunes was somehow a bad thing was the fact that while The Rolling Stones have sold 6,000,000 songs digitally since January 2006, they’ve sold the fewest amount of back catalog albums among the six top-selling catalog artists.

This, of course, is one of those made-up stats that purports to mean something while meaning very little. How is it not not a good thing to be among the top six selling catalog artists of the past two years? Or sell six million songs, many of which go back decades, and many many of which you’re no doubt reselling to some of the same people you’ve previously sold them to?

However, by using the high songs / low album sales as an example as how digital distribution can harm an artist, it totally ignores two very very important facts about The Rolling Stones.

Since the very start, they’ve been marketed as a singles act.
Their back catalog is a confusing mess, which is a huge factor to its relative — relative! — paucity of sales.

The Daily Loper – September 3, 2008

September 3, 2008 by Lopy

I’m Kidding, It Says “Applause” Edition

Todays links of interest:

Samsung: "Blu-ray has 5 years left"
Well, if this doesn’t sell a lot of Blu Ray players I don’t know what will.
My Year Of Flops, Focus-Group-Approved Case File #117: Mad Dog And Glory
Forgotten about this one, despite DeNiro, Murray, Uma and it being penned by Richard Price.
Why Apple’s event next week won’t ‘rock’ at all
Apple backlash. Catch it!

What iTunes Really Says About Music

September 3, 2008 by Kassia Krozser

So let’s recap: if iTunes is not currently the largest music retailer in the world, then it is well on the way to becoming so. Outlets for physical music product are shrinking. Consumers are increasingly looking to online sources for new music, for variety, convenience, and price. So yeah, it makes sense that artists would steer clear of iTunes.

At least that’s what the Wall Street Journal thinks.

Citing limited examples — the Beatles, AC/DC, Kid Rock — the WSJ looks at the singles versus whole album market, and seems to decide that long-form is the way to go. First, facts, because they’re important. Record labels and artists make more money when consumer buy entire albums. Singles don’t add up the way they used to. While legal music purchases are increasing, overall revenue is decreasing. Another fact: when we talk about “saving” the music business, we’re not talking about saving the artists, we’re talking about saving the labels.

Back in the day, singles were the way the music industry worked. While a few bands, such as the aforementioned Beatles, created works that enticed consumers to buy long-playing discs (as they were once known), singles really ruled the charts and revenue streams. Then came CDs and this magical moment where consumers replaced their vinyl collections with harder, more portable plastic. For a while, CD sales were trending upward. Then the music industry decided to kill itself, and CD sales suffered.
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