Today’s links of interest:
- Some studios moving digital releases ahead of DVD
While some studios remain stubbornly convinced there will be a rebirth of the DVD boom. - Fox retrenches in Time Warner Cable dispute
In this modern day brinksmanship?
Archives for December 2009
The Daily Loper – Dec 30, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- Rich Cling to Life to Beat Tax Man
If this weren’t so funny, it would be serious. - TSA Threatens Blogger Who Posted New Screening Directive
Uh huh. - Study: Rumors of Written-Word Death Greatly Exaggerated
As we’ve been saying for years.
The Daily Loper – Dec 29, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- Traveling Home and Baffling Terror
Seriously, this is the kind of randomness that reduces confidence in the people who are supposedly keeping us safe. - Broadcasters’ Woes Could Spell Trouble for Free TV
Are we seeing the death of broadcast television or the rise of a smarter model (and does this mean a la carte cable will be the next hot topic?)? - Fox’s Fight With Time Warner Sheds Light on Cable Fees
Fox is threatening to take its toys and go home if Time Warner doesn’t pay significantly more per subscriber to retransmit programming. TW is taking it to the streets because higher fees mean higher costs to customers.
The Daily Loper – Dec 28, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- Why Studios Keep Cranking Out TV Remakes, Despite the Flops
Because they have this nutty idea that it makes sense. - Technology Predictions Are Mostly Bunk
Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further developments, said Roman engineer Julius Sextus Frontinus in 10 A.D.
The Daily Loper – Dec 24, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- In the Nick of Time
A free (and DRM-free) holiday ebook sampler from some of our favorites, including: Cory Doctorow, Seth Godin, Seth Harwood, Scott Sigler, and J.C. Hutchins. - Possible Apple tablet multi-touch tactile keyboard detailed
More rumors of the Apple Unicorn’s mythical powers.
The Daily Loper – Dec 21, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- MSNBC Reports: Bottled water sales dry up; industry asks ‘why?’
One thing we’ve learned: filtered water is both cheaper in the short and long run, and it tastes great.
The Daily Loper – Dec 18, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- Google In Discussions To Acquire Yelp For A Half Billion Dollars Or More
Interesting but not surprising. - Michael Jackson tribute concert scrapped
Evidence of a relatively Michael Jackson-free New Year?
Top 75 Albums of the 2000s
It was a weird decade for the music industry. We watched the major labels implode right before our eyes, all the while protesting the future and trying to criminalize their user base. Would things have been different if the labels had put together a cheap, DRM-free solution in 2000? Maybe, maybe not, but there is no way it could have turned out worse.
It was a weird decade to be a music fan. For my entire life, the album had been the lingua franca of music: songs were the basic unit and singles were cool, but albums were a statement of purpose. But I started out the decade listening to albums from start to finish and ended it fragmenting them into my various mixes.
Now, I have a mix for the house, a mix for work, and a mix for my car: my own personalized “radio stations” that eternally combine older favorites and new songs. As someone who had been making mix tapes for himself since his early 20s, I’d only been waiting for this my entire life. But there was a consequence to the endless resequence: by 2006, most of my favorite albums revealed themselves to be collections of songs that stood out from the others.
The Daily Loper – Dec 17, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- Garage doors, printers, and the DMCA: A look back
A different look at the first sale doctrine. - Garrison Keillor Doesn’t Like Jews Writing Christmas Songs
Oh. Dear. - News Corp. to Sell Subscriptions on Sony Reader
While exclusive deals can limit sales, the competitive thing might work in more than a few publishers’ favor. “You can assume we’re getting a better split than the Kindle,” Mr. Thompson said. “I won’t actually say the price, but I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t a better deal.”
The Daily Loper – Dec 16, 2009
Today’s links of interest:
- Sultry World Found Circling Distant Star – NYTimes.com
Good gods, even the NEW YORK TIMES can’t resist the Tiger Woods jokes!