Jim Connelly

What is Piracy? Part Two

December 4, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Last week, we posted an item about the acetate of the first version of The Velvet Underground & Nico going on auction on eBay. (As I write this, the bidding is up to US $107,000.) This weekend, I got an email from a friend who said that he was downloading a digital copy of this album.

So here is my question: are either of these piracy? The auction of the physical artifact and the digital download of the music purportedly ripped from that physical artifact. Is the auction somehow not piracy, but the download piracy?

The Weekly ‘Loper – December 3, 2006

December 3, 2006 by Jim Connelly

While you were forming your exploratory commission for your potential 2008 Presidential run, here’s what we were looking at:

Spam: Neither So Lovely Or Wonderful – Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam.
Who Is Hurt By Stealing Music? – As with a lot of these type of questions, it depends on who you ask.
Why James Bond Doesn’t Own An iPod – Because he doesn’t want Universal Music CEO Doug Morris to think that he’s a common thief like the rest of us? Nah. Because Sony paid for the product placement, of course.
I Hate The Cable Company: November 2006 – Our monthly roundup of all of the crazy-ass shit that cable companies are doing to their customers.
That’s What I Like: Cowboy Bebop – Kassia discusses one of her favorite pieces of anime. It also contains one of my favorite sight gags ever: Ein dog paddling through zero gravity.

I Hate The Cable Company: November 2006

November 30, 2006 by Jim Connelly

We have noticed a lot of recent stories out there about how much people hate to deal with their cable companies. This is, of course, nothing new. But still, after 30 plus years, you’d think that the cable companies would have figured it out. Nope.

A decade ago, Congress even got involved, making it part of the promise of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that the increased competition would mean lower cable prices.

How did that work out for you?

So, as a public service, we offer a new column: I Hate The Cable Company. It will be a monthly round-up of just some of stories discussing the crappy service and high prices that people enjoy from their local cable providers. Just to be fair, we will add satellite to the mix, as well.

Spam: Neither So Lovely Or Wonderful

November 27, 2006 by Jim Connelly

From London comes news that seems alarming, if only we all didn’t realize it pretty much instinctively: 90% of all email traffic is spam. While the natural response is to say “tell me something I don’t know” and move on, if you think about that statistic — 9 out of every 10 emails you get is spam, it really can give you pause.

It’s been increasing a such a rate that some experts are forecasting that within a couple of years, 127% of all email traffic will be spam.

OK, not really, but still, how did we get here? And what’s next?

Reasons To Be Thankful 2006

November 22, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Obviously, I’m thankful for family, friends, health, employment. But forget all of that, because here is my list of the Medialoper-y things for which I’m thankful right now:

Universal Music’s New Biz Model: Lawsuits and Extortion!

November 20, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Unversal Music, the mega-major record label that thinks so little of its fans that their CEO, Doug Morris, recently said that iPods were: “just repositories for stolen music,” has evidentally hit upon a new business model: lawsuits and extortion.

Apparently making money by putting good music out there with a price point that might entice people just isn’t good enough. Because, of course, we are all thieves. So instead of that, they’ve decided to go a different route. Instead of using their artists to make money, they’ve decided to fall back upon the lawyers. Hopefully, the lawyers will get a better royalty rate.

Let’s review, shall we?

That’s What I Like: Television Without Pity

November 17, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Q. If you could have any job on the internet that you wanted, what would it be?
A. Writer for Television Without Pity.

I know that within the context of job interviews, that’s the wrong answer, and yet I keep giving it without even thinking. That’s because, pound for pound, word for word, snark for snark, Television Without Pity is quite possibly my very favorite website ever.

I Was Lost And Now I Still Am

November 14, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Several months ago, while dissecting the TV network upfronts, I applauded ABC’s decision to air Lost with no repeats.

After all, I had been through an entire season where the pattern of three new episodes, two repeats, one new episode, four repeats, clip show, one new episode, etc. had been driving me crazy. I thought that anything would be better than what we had just gone through.

Hoo-boy, was I wrong! Looked good on paper; in real life, not so much.

The Weekly ‘Loper – November 12, 2006

November 12, 2006 by Jim Connelly

While you were busy winning back both Houses of Congress, here’s what we were looking at:

What Is Piracy? Part One – One wonders that if you believe the broadest definition of piracy applies — say, giving a mix CD to someone makes you a pirate — then why bother worrying about being a pirate? In other words, if you are already an outlaw, then you might as well be an outlaw.
Microsoft Goes The Last Few Feet – Microsoft does a smart thing, and offers TV Show and film downloads via their Xbox Live service. Yay Microsoft!!
How Do I Remove DRM from WMV files? – This, of course, is a purely hypothetical question. We know that the DRM is there for a good reason: media companies don’t trust their customers. So therefore, we would never ever never advocate that you circumvent DRM in order to enjoy your paid-for content in any way you wish.
The Final Reason I Won’t Buy A Zune: The Sin Tax – Microsoft does a dumb thing, and offers Universal Music a fee for every Zune sold. Boo Microsoft!!
That’s What I Like: Sexy Time. (Actually, Borat) – In a break from this week’s theme of piracy and Microsoft, our newest ‘Loper, Tim Gaskill, takes a look at the genius of Sacha Baron Cohen’s creation, and finds him very nice.

The Final Reason I Won’t Buy A Zune: The Sin Tax

November 9, 2006 by Jim Connelly

We’ve been pretty hard on Zune here, noting several issues before it has even launched.. Nevertheless, I had still toyed with buying one, just to review it. It only seemed fair to maybe give it a try. I mean, after surviving the Prism DuroSport 6000, how bad could it be? But forget all of that, because I read something last night that ensures that I will never ever buy one. Microsoft is giving a percentage of the money from sales of Zune to Universal Music.

Ah yes, the latest representation of an an incredibly anti-consumer trend: the Sin Tax on a consumer device.