The Price of a Freebie
My thumbs are sore. Now, that wouldn't be too shocking if I was some cross-eyed, ambidextrous carpenter with masochistic tendencies (don't laugh, I'm pretty sure I saw it on Jerry Springer), but I'm not. Nor am I one of the millions of PlayStation, Nintendo, and XBox junkies who feverishly rub, slide, and grind their opposable digits across ergonomic but unforgiving gamepads day and night. No, I'm just a simple Canadian boy who, if you haven't heard by now, has a thing for coffee. And, thanks to that, my thumbs are sore.
For those of you who are Canadian, you may already see where I am going with this. You may even share my pain... For those of you who aren't from The Great White North, or those of you who, in an attempt to keep those old stereotypes alive, have been living in an igloo, let me start at the beginning and introduce you to a little place called Tim Horton's.
Just as our friends to the south in the good ol' US of A have Starbuck's (you know, that little coffee shop that you can find on every corner in every town?), we have Tim Horton's. Of course, you won't find "tall", "grande", or "venti" on the menu... I'm afraid you'll have to settled for small, medium, large, or (my favorite) extra large. Oh, and we're talking about coffee here, not espresso, latte, or even soy latte. Don't bother looking for the biscotti either... but feel free to try the Honey Crullers, they're awesome!
Okay, so it's not a trendy sidewalk cafe... It's a donut shop. But it means the same to every citizen of the True North, Strong and Free as Starbuck's means to Seattlites. It defines our country as much as the Loonie, Hockey Night in Canada, and beer. Mike Myers even paid a little tribute to this fine institution in Wayne's World... Remember Stan Mikita's, the donut shop where Garth saw his dream girl for the first time (Foxy Lady)? Well, just like Tim Horton, Stan Mikita was an NHLer from yester-year. Clever, eh? Anyway, Tim Horton's is the one place that you can count on finding a great cup of coffee no matter where you go in this massive country of ours.
So, anyways, about my poor thumbs... Tim's runs a contest once or twice a year that they call Roll Up the Rim to Win in which, as the name would suggest, you unroll the rim at the top of their paper coffee cups to (hopefully) reveal a prize. It could be a free coffee... It could be a free donut... And if you're one of the luckier people, it could be a 37" Plasma TV or an SUV! So, here I am, already heavily addicted to the drink, and now I have this carrot dangling before my eyes! Of course, when Roll Up the Rim time hits, I'm a rolling freak... I'm slugging back cup after cup (which probably isn't all that different from my normal coffee drinking habits, but it works for the story so lets go with it), I'm rolling up the rims, and I'm... well... actually, that's about all I'm doing because I can't win a thing! It's bad enough that, for the first week or so of the contest, I am constantly digging in the garbage for the cup I threw away an hour ago because I forgot to check the rim. Then, to not even get a reward for my efforts, well, it's maddening! It says right on the cup that the odds of winning a food prize (the most abundant of the prizes) are approximately 1 in 9, but I'm still batting zero! What gives?!? Instead, I get to read those 3 little words that I have come to loath even though I obey them like Pavlov's dog: Please Play Again.
Ding! I'm back in line at Tim Horton's, ordering my extra large black coffee to go, double-cupped once again. I have to get it double-cupped because Tim's keeps their coffee at a temperature equivalent to the surface of the sun, but they don't offer those fancy cardboard jackets to protect your already battered fingers... Of course, the second cup isn't one of the contest cups because that wouldn't be fair to the guy behind me in line. Speaking of which, look who just won a Mountain Bike... No good son of a...
Monday, March 15, 2004
Friday, March 5, 2004
Investigative Journalism At Its Best
Outside of hunting down that first coffee of the day, I have very few morning rituals, that I am aware of. One, however, is to sit with said first cup of coffee and peruse the headlines on cnn.com. First, I check out the major news of the moment, conveniently located to the upper-right where all major things should be located (my apologies to all my lower-left loving readers...). I'll click on anything that looks mildly interesting, which immediately excludes pieces on the War in Iraq, American politics, and Martha Stewart. I did read about her long-awaited conviction, but that's not news, it's entertainment. Anyway, after a quick read, I'll back my browser up to the main page and scan for any other tidbits that might tickle my fancy or float my boat, depending on the day. Always, though, I visit the Technology section last, because, as everyone knows, that's where the fun stuff is.
I'm not talking about the latest worm to bring Outlook to its knees (when as the last time you really got an important, must-read email from qzxvksty@openme.com?) or frontline news from the War on Piracy (you already know my stance on that)... No, I'm talking about the really good articles... Like ones about the Segway, that self-balancing, 2-wheeled contraption that they thought would be all the rage with downtown executives, airport commuters, and mail carriers. Well, it's pretty hard to think of something that can be stumped by a flight of stairs or a curb as a "breakthrough in modern technology"... Imagine, all the convenience of a wheelchair without the need to sit down! Wow! Still, it makes for an entertaining read. Or, how about Bill Gates' latest and greatest idea? Have you heard that he's proposing we start paying for every email we send? Sure, he touts it as a way to help stop spammers by making it an unprofitable venture, but let's face it, we all know where he'd like to see the money end up... I bet it rhymes with Nicrosoft... It's a laugh, and that's often just what I need to start my day.
But, just the other day, I read an article in the Tech section with the headline, "Study: Very few bloggers on Net". I was stunned. Even being a fairly recent arrival on the blogging scene myself, I have seen more blogs by a greater variety of people than I ever would have suspected. So, naturally, I had to read on.
(You can read the article here, for as long as the link lasts)
After doing a survey, they (and I'm talking about the all-knowing, all-seeing They behind all good studies, rumors, and legends) found that only about 2 to 7 percent of adult internet users in the United States keep a blog and, of those, only about 10 percent update them daily. And of the 11 percent or so of people who actually read blogs, most prefer to read the ones of strangers over those of family or friends. Shocking. Or is it? Let's break it down, shall we?
First of all, they apparently surveyed adults instead of teens. Although my years of running wild and sneaking into bars are far behind me, I can still admit that the vast majority of new technologies are more readily embraced by the younger generation. So, obviously, the survey was narrow in scope and poorly targeted. Even so, 2 to 7 percent is still a pretty big number when you think about it. What percentage of American adults do you think keep a diary? Publish articles? Write books? I doubt it's as high.
Secondly, it's not surprising at all that only 10 percent of active bloggers update their sites on a daily basis. Unless you are the kind of person who feels the need to tell the world about every sandwich you make, every show you watch, every phone call you take, it's pretty difficult to come up with things to write about everyday. Don't get me wrong... Those kind of blogs definitely have their place. I even read a few for fun, from time to time. They are like little snapshots of everyday life. But, for the rest of us, it's more about finding something to write about, and sometimes there just isn't anything worth the time at the keyboard.
As for people liking to read strangers' blogs... Duh! No kidding! It's because the lives or points of view of people we don't know are interesting and intriguing (well, I think mine are, anyway...). Family and friends are wonderful and irreplaceable, but we see them and speak to them all the time. To turn around and then read all their thoughts would be redundant at best and totally boring at worst. It's the very same reason we'd rather watch an episode of The Real World instead of home movies...
So, all in all, I'm not sure what the point of the whole article was... The statistics were empty, the expectations were unstated, and the conclusion was misleading. Come to think of it, the only interesting thing about the article is the fact that the article exists at all! Cool, in a weird sort of way, when you think about it...
Wait. Did I just write a blog about the lack of blogging going on? Oh crap... I hope this doesn't cause the universe to fold over on itself... Somebody call CNN...
Outside of hunting down that first coffee of the day, I have very few morning rituals, that I am aware of. One, however, is to sit with said first cup of coffee and peruse the headlines on cnn.com. First, I check out the major news of the moment, conveniently located to the upper-right where all major things should be located (my apologies to all my lower-left loving readers...). I'll click on anything that looks mildly interesting, which immediately excludes pieces on the War in Iraq, American politics, and Martha Stewart. I did read about her long-awaited conviction, but that's not news, it's entertainment. Anyway, after a quick read, I'll back my browser up to the main page and scan for any other tidbits that might tickle my fancy or float my boat, depending on the day. Always, though, I visit the Technology section last, because, as everyone knows, that's where the fun stuff is.
I'm not talking about the latest worm to bring Outlook to its knees (when as the last time you really got an important, must-read email from qzxvksty@openme.com?) or frontline news from the War on Piracy (you already know my stance on that)... No, I'm talking about the really good articles... Like ones about the Segway, that self-balancing, 2-wheeled contraption that they thought would be all the rage with downtown executives, airport commuters, and mail carriers. Well, it's pretty hard to think of something that can be stumped by a flight of stairs or a curb as a "breakthrough in modern technology"... Imagine, all the convenience of a wheelchair without the need to sit down! Wow! Still, it makes for an entertaining read. Or, how about Bill Gates' latest and greatest idea? Have you heard that he's proposing we start paying for every email we send? Sure, he touts it as a way to help stop spammers by making it an unprofitable venture, but let's face it, we all know where he'd like to see the money end up... I bet it rhymes with Nicrosoft... It's a laugh, and that's often just what I need to start my day.
But, just the other day, I read an article in the Tech section with the headline, "Study: Very few bloggers on Net". I was stunned. Even being a fairly recent arrival on the blogging scene myself, I have seen more blogs by a greater variety of people than I ever would have suspected. So, naturally, I had to read on.
(You can read the article here, for as long as the link lasts)
After doing a survey, they (and I'm talking about the all-knowing, all-seeing They behind all good studies, rumors, and legends) found that only about 2 to 7 percent of adult internet users in the United States keep a blog and, of those, only about 10 percent update them daily. And of the 11 percent or so of people who actually read blogs, most prefer to read the ones of strangers over those of family or friends. Shocking. Or is it? Let's break it down, shall we?
First of all, they apparently surveyed adults instead of teens. Although my years of running wild and sneaking into bars are far behind me, I can still admit that the vast majority of new technologies are more readily embraced by the younger generation. So, obviously, the survey was narrow in scope and poorly targeted. Even so, 2 to 7 percent is still a pretty big number when you think about it. What percentage of American adults do you think keep a diary? Publish articles? Write books? I doubt it's as high.
Secondly, it's not surprising at all that only 10 percent of active bloggers update their sites on a daily basis. Unless you are the kind of person who feels the need to tell the world about every sandwich you make, every show you watch, every phone call you take, it's pretty difficult to come up with things to write about everyday. Don't get me wrong... Those kind of blogs definitely have their place. I even read a few for fun, from time to time. They are like little snapshots of everyday life. But, for the rest of us, it's more about finding something to write about, and sometimes there just isn't anything worth the time at the keyboard.
As for people liking to read strangers' blogs... Duh! No kidding! It's because the lives or points of view of people we don't know are interesting and intriguing (well, I think mine are, anyway...). Family and friends are wonderful and irreplaceable, but we see them and speak to them all the time. To turn around and then read all their thoughts would be redundant at best and totally boring at worst. It's the very same reason we'd rather watch an episode of The Real World instead of home movies...
So, all in all, I'm not sure what the point of the whole article was... The statistics were empty, the expectations were unstated, and the conclusion was misleading. Come to think of it, the only interesting thing about the article is the fact that the article exists at all! Cool, in a weird sort of way, when you think about it...
Wait. Did I just write a blog about the lack of blogging going on? Oh crap... I hope this doesn't cause the universe to fold over on itself... Somebody call CNN...
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
I Can't Say I'm Lovin' It...
And so, the end of an era draws to a close... Forget about the troubles in the Middle East, never mind that John Kerry won 9 out of 10 states on Super Tuesday, and let someone else worry about the evidence of water on Mars... Instead, turn your sights to the real News of the Day, what will surely be The Headline Heard 'Round The World: "McDonald's To Phase Out Super Size".
I awoke in the early hours of the morning to the usual traffic reports and weather forecasts that urge me from my peaceful slumber everyday, only to find myself sitting bolt upright in my bed as I heard the terrible news. McDonald's will no longer be offering the Super Size option with their Combo Meals. My first reaction was one of utter amazement. "This can't possibly be true!", I thought to myself (which, by the way, is a fairly coherent thought for me to have before my first coffee of the day). Perhaps I hadn't heard the whole story and they were talking about the latest headline from The National Enquirer... Or, maybe, in my caffeine-deprived state, I had experienced the equivalent of an auditory hallucination.
As I showered, incredibly overpriced shampoo dripping into and stinging my eyes (no sacrifice too great in the defense of the hairline), I paused... "Would they really kill the Super Size?" I wondered. "Nah... That's crazy!" Then, putting the worry out of my mind, I proceeded into the all important rinse and repeat. You know, just once I'd like to defy that little Cosmetic Commandment... But I'm afraid that the Almighty Creator of Good Hair would smite the remaining locks from head, leaving me to seek whatever solace I can find in fast cars, gaudy jewelry, and cheesy pick-up lines.
From that point on, my morning ablutions went as usual... Ablutions. Fancy word, eh? It's real... Look it up. I had to... Anyway, with a quick sniff, I determined which pile of wrinkled laundry was the clean one and got dressed. Then with a quick shave (why doesn't Male Pattern Baldness ever strike there?) and a smearing of deodorant, I was on to the brushing of the teeth... At which point I paused once again, this time to admire how the lathered toothpaste made me look like a well-groom rabid psychopath. Perhaps I should mention that to my imaginary shrink...
All was well until about 6 minutes into my ride to work. Once again, morning radio did it's little Traffic and Weather Square Dance, then moved on to the 10 second blurbs that are the only kind of news the freshly-awakened human mind is able to comprehend. And there it was again. This time it was presented by some goofy DJ that probably should have gone to bed early instead of staying up late to write his "jokes", but the message was the same... McDonald's is getting rid of their Super Size. Well, there was no denying the reality of it then. For years, that smiling clown with the funky red hair has been giving us the most amazing deals on what must be narcotically-enhanced fries (how else to explain their obsessively addictive goodness?), but the free ride is over. Sure, the size of the pop (soda, if you're one of our southern neighbors) is going to shrink, too, but I don't think I'm going to miss those last 10 or 12 swallows of warm Coke, diluted to the color of herbal tea as much as I'll miss those salty little sticks of heaven.
Well, at least they aren't getting rid of the fries completely, but I think our society is in for a shake-up. Fights over The Last Fry will become more intense, the time-honored ritual of "stealing" a handful of fries from a friend, no questions asked, will come to an end and, more importantly, we're going to have to get used to hearing the words, "Would you like even more fries with that?"
And so, the end of an era draws to a close... Forget about the troubles in the Middle East, never mind that John Kerry won 9 out of 10 states on Super Tuesday, and let someone else worry about the evidence of water on Mars... Instead, turn your sights to the real News of the Day, what will surely be The Headline Heard 'Round The World: "McDonald's To Phase Out Super Size".
I awoke in the early hours of the morning to the usual traffic reports and weather forecasts that urge me from my peaceful slumber everyday, only to find myself sitting bolt upright in my bed as I heard the terrible news. McDonald's will no longer be offering the Super Size option with their Combo Meals. My first reaction was one of utter amazement. "This can't possibly be true!", I thought to myself (which, by the way, is a fairly coherent thought for me to have before my first coffee of the day). Perhaps I hadn't heard the whole story and they were talking about the latest headline from The National Enquirer... Or, maybe, in my caffeine-deprived state, I had experienced the equivalent of an auditory hallucination.
As I showered, incredibly overpriced shampoo dripping into and stinging my eyes (no sacrifice too great in the defense of the hairline), I paused... "Would they really kill the Super Size?" I wondered. "Nah... That's crazy!" Then, putting the worry out of my mind, I proceeded into the all important rinse and repeat. You know, just once I'd like to defy that little Cosmetic Commandment... But I'm afraid that the Almighty Creator of Good Hair would smite the remaining locks from head, leaving me to seek whatever solace I can find in fast cars, gaudy jewelry, and cheesy pick-up lines.
From that point on, my morning ablutions went as usual... Ablutions. Fancy word, eh? It's real... Look it up. I had to... Anyway, with a quick sniff, I determined which pile of wrinkled laundry was the clean one and got dressed. Then with a quick shave (why doesn't Male Pattern Baldness ever strike there?) and a smearing of deodorant, I was on to the brushing of the teeth... At which point I paused once again, this time to admire how the lathered toothpaste made me look like a well-groom rabid psychopath. Perhaps I should mention that to my imaginary shrink...
All was well until about 6 minutes into my ride to work. Once again, morning radio did it's little Traffic and Weather Square Dance, then moved on to the 10 second blurbs that are the only kind of news the freshly-awakened human mind is able to comprehend. And there it was again. This time it was presented by some goofy DJ that probably should have gone to bed early instead of staying up late to write his "jokes", but the message was the same... McDonald's is getting rid of their Super Size. Well, there was no denying the reality of it then. For years, that smiling clown with the funky red hair has been giving us the most amazing deals on what must be narcotically-enhanced fries (how else to explain their obsessively addictive goodness?), but the free ride is over. Sure, the size of the pop (soda, if you're one of our southern neighbors) is going to shrink, too, but I don't think I'm going to miss those last 10 or 12 swallows of warm Coke, diluted to the color of herbal tea as much as I'll miss those salty little sticks of heaven.
Well, at least they aren't getting rid of the fries completely, but I think our society is in for a shake-up. Fights over The Last Fry will become more intense, the time-honored ritual of "stealing" a handful of fries from a friend, no questions asked, will come to an end and, more importantly, we're going to have to get used to hearing the words, "Would you like even more fries with that?"
Saturday, February 28, 2004
The Comment That Never Was
If you've bothered to read through the very long blog just before this one, you may have noticed that someone had a very insightful comment. You wouldn't, however, have seen what that comment was, since my "Comments" feature doesn't support very long messages (no matter how good they are)... Sorry.
Fortunately, the comment was emailed to me. As I said, very insightful... So, with the permission of the author (who will be referred to as "Doc Atomic"), I am going to post the full content of his email below. Before I do, though, I'd just like to say that I personally know the good Doc, and I've come to respect his opinions and points of view on a broad range of topics. While I might not always agree (or understand), this doesn't make his points any less valid. With that said, I give you "It's The End of the Whirled, As We Know It...":
I'd had this thought a couple of years back also, but I don't think it'll fly.
Why? Look at the historical examples. For instance; in my record collection, I
have examples of the highest state of the art: Original Master recordings;
Japanese pressings on absolutely pure virgin vinyl; and even a rare,
limited-quantity *direct-to-disc* recording -- the highest fidelity that has
ever _been_ attained in consumer-available audio! These types of pressings
enjoyed a *brief* flurry of availability a quarter-century ago, but never really
became "popular" enough to justify their production cost -- and so, they died;
and it wasn't even the advent of CDs that killed them... it was simply due to
the lack of a real market; the vast majority of people had *grown up* with the
mass-produced 'lo-fi' crap, and that _was_ "music" to *them*... hell; most
people to this very day _still_ wouldn't recognise true high fidelity sound even
if it was played loud enough to blast their tympani straight
down through their Eustacian tubes and out their assholes.
The first thing that came to my mind when you mentioned "lower-quality"
distribution, though, was not music; it was 'bootleg' movies. Imagine: some
wank-off sitting in a movie theatre with a cheap vidcam -- dark picture; echoing
sound; severe 'keystone' distortion due to the angle of seating; heads bobbing
in front of the camera; coughing, and other audience noises -- this sort of shit
actually *sells*! In fact, it was exactly how I first seen "The Scorpion King",
and a couple of other equally-forgettable ones... on cheap, mass-stamped (_not_
CDR) VCDs, sold in the streets by the *millions*.
Quality be damned, eh? I think you are certainly partly right, with the issue
of cost -- but; to that, I would also add _availability_, and *convenience*...
which brings me back to those hi-fi pressings, because; although "fidelity" was
highly-touted as "The Issue" when vinyl was being replaced by CDs, it was
actually false -- as I pointed out above, higher fidelity than CDs certainly did
exist at the time and in fact, has never since been equalled. No; the *real*
selling advantage of CDs back then was the _convenience_ -- the ability to play
any track, in any order, any number of times, *immediately*, or even _remotely_
-- with no preparation (cleaning) or attention (care in placing the stylus on
the groove properly) being necessary.
As a result, we lost the "3D" dimensionality of the stereo image -- which CDs
_cannot_ reproduce, simply because of their time resolution limitation -- and
now, it is no longer possible to distinguish the *spaces between* the
instruments being played; instead, we get only a "flat wall" of sound, instead
of a sense of actually _being_ there *in* the performance (or audience). And
by-and-large, the vast majority of people never even noticed.
The same thing is happening right now, with .mp3 files. By definition, .mp3 is
a _lossy_ format -- meaning, the quality is NOT as good as the original. Like
the 'fringing' artifacts seen in .jpg images, .mp3 files suffer from loss of
definition, 'hollowness', and misphasing... and again, people simply don't give
a shit, because the .mp3 format is _convenient_... just pop your player onto a
USB port in some NetsCafe (or at work), and download your day's tuneage.
"Price" doesn't even *begin* to enter the picture!
I predict that within ten years, we will see the pressing of the very last CD.
Of course, they'll be gone from Europe and NorthAm long before that, but,
there'll always be a handful of "holdouts"... and, the "have-not" countries,
overseas -- which is where it will actually happen.
And by then, we will no longer have *any* choice about it... "fidelity" will
have degraded yet another order of magnitude lower, and we will have NO
alternatives.
If you've bothered to read through the very long blog just before this one, you may have noticed that someone had a very insightful comment. You wouldn't, however, have seen what that comment was, since my "Comments" feature doesn't support very long messages (no matter how good they are)... Sorry.
Fortunately, the comment was emailed to me. As I said, very insightful... So, with the permission of the author (who will be referred to as "Doc Atomic"), I am going to post the full content of his email below. Before I do, though, I'd just like to say that I personally know the good Doc, and I've come to respect his opinions and points of view on a broad range of topics. While I might not always agree (or understand), this doesn't make his points any less valid. With that said, I give you "It's The End of the Whirled, As We Know It...":
I'd had this thought a couple of years back also, but I don't think it'll fly.
Why? Look at the historical examples. For instance; in my record collection, I
have examples of the highest state of the art: Original Master recordings;
Japanese pressings on absolutely pure virgin vinyl; and even a rare,
limited-quantity *direct-to-disc* recording -- the highest fidelity that has
ever _been_ attained in consumer-available audio! These types of pressings
enjoyed a *brief* flurry of availability a quarter-century ago, but never really
became "popular" enough to justify their production cost -- and so, they died;
and it wasn't even the advent of CDs that killed them... it was simply due to
the lack of a real market; the vast majority of people had *grown up* with the
mass-produced 'lo-fi' crap, and that _was_ "music" to *them*... hell; most
people to this very day _still_ wouldn't recognise true high fidelity sound even
if it was played loud enough to blast their tympani straight
down through their Eustacian tubes and out their assholes.
The first thing that came to my mind when you mentioned "lower-quality"
distribution, though, was not music; it was 'bootleg' movies. Imagine: some
wank-off sitting in a movie theatre with a cheap vidcam -- dark picture; echoing
sound; severe 'keystone' distortion due to the angle of seating; heads bobbing
in front of the camera; coughing, and other audience noises -- this sort of shit
actually *sells*! In fact, it was exactly how I first seen "The Scorpion King",
and a couple of other equally-forgettable ones... on cheap, mass-stamped (_not_
CDR) VCDs, sold in the streets by the *millions*.
Quality be damned, eh? I think you are certainly partly right, with the issue
of cost -- but; to that, I would also add _availability_, and *convenience*...
which brings me back to those hi-fi pressings, because; although "fidelity" was
highly-touted as "The Issue" when vinyl was being replaced by CDs, it was
actually false -- as I pointed out above, higher fidelity than CDs certainly did
exist at the time and in fact, has never since been equalled. No; the *real*
selling advantage of CDs back then was the _convenience_ -- the ability to play
any track, in any order, any number of times, *immediately*, or even _remotely_
-- with no preparation (cleaning) or attention (care in placing the stylus on
the groove properly) being necessary.
As a result, we lost the "3D" dimensionality of the stereo image -- which CDs
_cannot_ reproduce, simply because of their time resolution limitation -- and
now, it is no longer possible to distinguish the *spaces between* the
instruments being played; instead, we get only a "flat wall" of sound, instead
of a sense of actually _being_ there *in* the performance (or audience). And
by-and-large, the vast majority of people never even noticed.
The same thing is happening right now, with .mp3 files. By definition, .mp3 is
a _lossy_ format -- meaning, the quality is NOT as good as the original. Like
the 'fringing' artifacts seen in .jpg images, .mp3 files suffer from loss of
definition, 'hollowness', and misphasing... and again, people simply don't give
a shit, because the .mp3 format is _convenient_... just pop your player onto a
USB port in some NetsCafe (or at work), and download your day's tuneage.
"Price" doesn't even *begin* to enter the picture!
I predict that within ten years, we will see the pressing of the very last CD.
Of course, they'll be gone from Europe and NorthAm long before that, but,
there'll always be a handful of "holdouts"... and, the "have-not" countries,
overseas -- which is where it will actually happen.
And by then, we will no longer have *any* choice about it... "fidelity" will
have degraded yet another order of magnitude lower, and we will have NO
alternatives.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
"Aye, Matey!"
If there's one thing that the music and film industries need to realize, it's that the war is already over.
For the past few years, they've been trying to fight against the rising wave of piracy and file-swapping that they claim is destroying their business, but to little avail. A volley of attacks have been launched against Internet Service Providers, file-swapping services, and, most recently, end-users themselves. Still, success in stemming the flow of bootleg material across the vastness of the Internet has remained elusive. So far, each assault has only served to teach their opponents how to better hide behind the anonymity of the 'Net and how to develop more efficient methods to "rip" and "swap" everything from 80's music and video games to full-length feature films still showing in the theatres.
The futility has become most evident recently with the propaganda we are now subjected to during the "Coming Attractions"... Who hasn't had to sit and listen to some poor guy go on and on about how hard he works to make a movie and how it takes money out of his pocket each time someone downloads a copy? Come on! This isn't even a valid argument... The people who make the films don't suffer because all they do is raise the prices. Actually, it's the paying public who hurts in the long run. Remember when it only cost 5 bucks to see a movie? Yeah, me too... barely. And here's the funniest part about it all... The ever-increasing prices are only going to encourage people to download more! It's high time for the music and film industries to admit defeat on this front and try to salvage what they can.
A quick word before I continue... I am not promoting the piracy and/or sharing of copyright material. I think the debate over the moral and legal standpoints of this topic has raged on long enough. Instead, I'd rather focus on where to go from here.
Why do most people download music instead of buying it? Why spend hours getting "50 First Dates" from the Internet instead of just going to the cineplex? The real thing is just too expensive, that's why. It's not because the common man (or woman, for those of you who adhere to political correctness) is lawless by nature, thumbing his (or her) nose at authority. And it's not because they want to see the artists suffer in spite of their efforts. It's all about money. Why continue to keep up with rising prices year after year when "reasonable facsimiles" can be obtained for free? And, as I mentioned above, it's only going to get worse as the prices are pushed through the roof to make up for losses due to bootlegging. So, what is the answer then? While I firmly believe that it is impossible to stop piracy, I also think it can be slowed down by reducing the need to copy and share.
A close friend of mine and I were talking about this very topic over a year ago, and he put forth an idea that I thought was brilliant. So, of course, I'll tell you all about it and, even though I've just given the credit to him, you'll always remember that you read it here first and think of me as the genius. I love it when a plan comes together...
This battle didn't begin with Kazaa and the millions of people who opened their hard drives to each other to share the latest movies... Nor did it begin with Napster and the countless MP3s that flooded the Internet. In fact, this goes back further than the Internet, further digital media, further even than the home computer itself. For as long as there has been art, there has been someone to copy it. And for as long as there has been someone to copy it, there has been someone who would settle for a copy over the original. So, if this is true, how is it that painters, sculptors, and authors today still manage to survive? Why hasn't piracy destroyed them by now, especially considering how much longer they've been subjected to it? This is why: They found a way to embrace it and profit from it.
Very few of us can afford a painting by the likes of Picasso. To actually own a piece sculpted by Michelangelo is unthinkable. To read a book written in the hand-writing of Charles Dickens himself would be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Yet, the works of these three are readily available to any man, woman, or child who wishes to experience them... thanks to copies. The reproductions of these great works have done nothing to diminish the originals. Without question, they aren't as good, but for those who can't or won't afford the real thing, they provide an excellent alternative.
The proposal put forth by my friend was a simple one... Offer two levels of purchase for the consumer. For those who prefer to own "the best", continue to provide high-quality CDs and DVDs with all the fancy packaging and artwork. For those who don't find this necessary or who can live without the "perfect sound", offer music and movies in a cheaper, slightly inferior form. Strip out things like a flashy jewel case, booklet insert, or "DVD extras" and offer a trimmed down version. Allow music-lovers a way to purchase 30 or 40 MP3s (of their choice) burned onto a personalized CD right in the music store. Then, offer these alternatives at a price that would make them attractive and people wouldn't be so compelled to download the stuff from the 'Net.
Sure, there will always be people who would rather spend 16 hours downloading something they could pay 3 dollars for, but they are few and far between. Also, since file-sharing relies heavily on lots of people doing it, eventually even these die-hards would have to opt for the legal alternative.
I know this may sound a little Utopian right now... And there are complexities that I haven't (and won't) touch on. But it's the beginning of a plan. More importantly, it's the beginning of a plan that has everyone's best interests in mind. It's not just a way to control the illegal spread of copyright material, and it's not just a way to lower prices... It's both. Not to mention the fact that, if artists are faced with the need to convince us to buy the "full price" version, we may see a marked increase in the quality of products offered. In the end, everyone wins.
So, maybe I was a little hasty in claiming that the war is already over... But we certainly are in the final stages. If the pieces are played correctly, we'll have a stalemate that will let everybody walk away from the table happy.
If there's one thing that the music and film industries need to realize, it's that the war is already over.
For the past few years, they've been trying to fight against the rising wave of piracy and file-swapping that they claim is destroying their business, but to little avail. A volley of attacks have been launched against Internet Service Providers, file-swapping services, and, most recently, end-users themselves. Still, success in stemming the flow of bootleg material across the vastness of the Internet has remained elusive. So far, each assault has only served to teach their opponents how to better hide behind the anonymity of the 'Net and how to develop more efficient methods to "rip" and "swap" everything from 80's music and video games to full-length feature films still showing in the theatres.
The futility has become most evident recently with the propaganda we are now subjected to during the "Coming Attractions"... Who hasn't had to sit and listen to some poor guy go on and on about how hard he works to make a movie and how it takes money out of his pocket each time someone downloads a copy? Come on! This isn't even a valid argument... The people who make the films don't suffer because all they do is raise the prices. Actually, it's the paying public who hurts in the long run. Remember when it only cost 5 bucks to see a movie? Yeah, me too... barely. And here's the funniest part about it all... The ever-increasing prices are only going to encourage people to download more! It's high time for the music and film industries to admit defeat on this front and try to salvage what they can.
A quick word before I continue... I am not promoting the piracy and/or sharing of copyright material. I think the debate over the moral and legal standpoints of this topic has raged on long enough. Instead, I'd rather focus on where to go from here.
Why do most people download music instead of buying it? Why spend hours getting "50 First Dates" from the Internet instead of just going to the cineplex? The real thing is just too expensive, that's why. It's not because the common man (or woman, for those of you who adhere to political correctness) is lawless by nature, thumbing his (or her) nose at authority. And it's not because they want to see the artists suffer in spite of their efforts. It's all about money. Why continue to keep up with rising prices year after year when "reasonable facsimiles" can be obtained for free? And, as I mentioned above, it's only going to get worse as the prices are pushed through the roof to make up for losses due to bootlegging. So, what is the answer then? While I firmly believe that it is impossible to stop piracy, I also think it can be slowed down by reducing the need to copy and share.
A close friend of mine and I were talking about this very topic over a year ago, and he put forth an idea that I thought was brilliant. So, of course, I'll tell you all about it and, even though I've just given the credit to him, you'll always remember that you read it here first and think of me as the genius. I love it when a plan comes together...
This battle didn't begin with Kazaa and the millions of people who opened their hard drives to each other to share the latest movies... Nor did it begin with Napster and the countless MP3s that flooded the Internet. In fact, this goes back further than the Internet, further digital media, further even than the home computer itself. For as long as there has been art, there has been someone to copy it. And for as long as there has been someone to copy it, there has been someone who would settle for a copy over the original. So, if this is true, how is it that painters, sculptors, and authors today still manage to survive? Why hasn't piracy destroyed them by now, especially considering how much longer they've been subjected to it? This is why: They found a way to embrace it and profit from it.
Very few of us can afford a painting by the likes of Picasso. To actually own a piece sculpted by Michelangelo is unthinkable. To read a book written in the hand-writing of Charles Dickens himself would be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Yet, the works of these three are readily available to any man, woman, or child who wishes to experience them... thanks to copies. The reproductions of these great works have done nothing to diminish the originals. Without question, they aren't as good, but for those who can't or won't afford the real thing, they provide an excellent alternative.
The proposal put forth by my friend was a simple one... Offer two levels of purchase for the consumer. For those who prefer to own "the best", continue to provide high-quality CDs and DVDs with all the fancy packaging and artwork. For those who don't find this necessary or who can live without the "perfect sound", offer music and movies in a cheaper, slightly inferior form. Strip out things like a flashy jewel case, booklet insert, or "DVD extras" and offer a trimmed down version. Allow music-lovers a way to purchase 30 or 40 MP3s (of their choice) burned onto a personalized CD right in the music store. Then, offer these alternatives at a price that would make them attractive and people wouldn't be so compelled to download the stuff from the 'Net.
Sure, there will always be people who would rather spend 16 hours downloading something they could pay 3 dollars for, but they are few and far between. Also, since file-sharing relies heavily on lots of people doing it, eventually even these die-hards would have to opt for the legal alternative.
I know this may sound a little Utopian right now... And there are complexities that I haven't (and won't) touch on. But it's the beginning of a plan. More importantly, it's the beginning of a plan that has everyone's best interests in mind. It's not just a way to control the illegal spread of copyright material, and it's not just a way to lower prices... It's both. Not to mention the fact that, if artists are faced with the need to convince us to buy the "full price" version, we may see a marked increase in the quality of products offered. In the end, everyone wins.
So, maybe I was a little hasty in claiming that the war is already over... But we certainly are in the final stages. If the pieces are played correctly, we'll have a stalemate that will let everybody walk away from the table happy.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Caught Between a Rose and a Hard Place
Well, boys, that time of year is upon us once again... That's right, now that we've finally recovered (mentally and financially) from the ordeal of finding those "perfect" Christmas gifts for our beloved women, we are once more faced with a holiday that could very easily set the tempos of our relationships for the rest of the year... Valentine's Day is here.
Since the day after Boxing Week, we've seen the hearts and cupids hanging in the Hallmark card stores, reminding us that our time to brush up on the fine art of romance is running short. We've had our year of scratching ourselves in public, passing gas under the sheets, and laughing at the Naked Gun movies... Now, it's time to remind our ladies just why they chose us over all others and (hopefully) erase from their minds the image of us dancing at last year's company Christmas party.
I truly wanted this blog to be one of hope for us, guys. I wanted to give tips on picking the perfect gift, something that would make any woman's heart melt. And I wanted to teach a few little romantic gestures that never fail to take a woman back to that first moment when she looked at you and knew you were "the one". I wanted this to be the year that we prove we really can be everything the diamond commercials have taught them we are... But let's face it, who am I kidding?
I'm just like the rest of you. When it comes to Valentine's Day, I might as well be a deer in the headlights (except, for the deer, the end is a lot quicker and less messy). I know my special lady has been waiting in breathless anticipation for the past month to see just how sweet, thoughtful, and romantic I'm going to be. What I don't necessarily know, is how to be all those things... I'm a guy, for crying out loud! My idea of thoughtful is showing her how to jiggle the handle on the toilet to stop it from running all night. And my experience with "romance" pretty much consists of those 5 minutes before love-making when I stroke her arm, cross one leg over hers and, with a raise of my eyebrows, say, "So... uh... You wanna?"
I do not, however, think that giving her flowers is particularly thoughtful or romantic. How much thought does it take to walk into a florist, throw down 50 bucks, and ask for a dozen roses? None, that's how much. And you know why? Because if guys pondered the idea for even 2 seconds, they'd kick their own asses for dropping that much cash on something that is going to sit in a jar for 3 days before dying and, ultimately, being tossed stems-up into the garbage can. A bloody 2 dollar goldfish has better chances and more economic appeal than that! But, I digress...
In the end, guys, we're going to do what we always do... We're going to put off doing anything about Valentine's Day until the actual day arrives. Then, we're going to scramble around to find something, anything, that might pass as a gift. And we're going to call every nice restaurant in town, only to find out that nothing is available thanks to all the pansy-ass, whipped guys who thought to make reservations in advance. Which will, inevitably, lead to us proclaiming that it is far more romantic to make supper for our women and serve it by candlelight. Unfortunately, considering our culinary skills, this will consist of spaghetti with sauce from a jar, Baby Duck wine, and one of those fat red candles with the fake holly berries left over from the Christmas decorations. Some things will never change...
But wait! I wanted to leave you all with a little bit of hope... A friend of mine by the name of Clint Vander Klok (perhaps you've heard of him...?) has stumbled across a way for our women to repay us for the trials and tribulations we endure at this time of year and bring a long-awaited balance to the universe. If you'd like to find out what this brilliant answer to all men's prayers is, just surf on over to http://www.clint.ca/oldnews/steak.htm... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Well, boys, that time of year is upon us once again... That's right, now that we've finally recovered (mentally and financially) from the ordeal of finding those "perfect" Christmas gifts for our beloved women, we are once more faced with a holiday that could very easily set the tempos of our relationships for the rest of the year... Valentine's Day is here.
Since the day after Boxing Week, we've seen the hearts and cupids hanging in the Hallmark card stores, reminding us that our time to brush up on the fine art of romance is running short. We've had our year of scratching ourselves in public, passing gas under the sheets, and laughing at the Naked Gun movies... Now, it's time to remind our ladies just why they chose us over all others and (hopefully) erase from their minds the image of us dancing at last year's company Christmas party.
I truly wanted this blog to be one of hope for us, guys. I wanted to give tips on picking the perfect gift, something that would make any woman's heart melt. And I wanted to teach a few little romantic gestures that never fail to take a woman back to that first moment when she looked at you and knew you were "the one". I wanted this to be the year that we prove we really can be everything the diamond commercials have taught them we are... But let's face it, who am I kidding?
I'm just like the rest of you. When it comes to Valentine's Day, I might as well be a deer in the headlights (except, for the deer, the end is a lot quicker and less messy). I know my special lady has been waiting in breathless anticipation for the past month to see just how sweet, thoughtful, and romantic I'm going to be. What I don't necessarily know, is how to be all those things... I'm a guy, for crying out loud! My idea of thoughtful is showing her how to jiggle the handle on the toilet to stop it from running all night. And my experience with "romance" pretty much consists of those 5 minutes before love-making when I stroke her arm, cross one leg over hers and, with a raise of my eyebrows, say, "So... uh... You wanna?"
I do not, however, think that giving her flowers is particularly thoughtful or romantic. How much thought does it take to walk into a florist, throw down 50 bucks, and ask for a dozen roses? None, that's how much. And you know why? Because if guys pondered the idea for even 2 seconds, they'd kick their own asses for dropping that much cash on something that is going to sit in a jar for 3 days before dying and, ultimately, being tossed stems-up into the garbage can. A bloody 2 dollar goldfish has better chances and more economic appeal than that! But, I digress...
In the end, guys, we're going to do what we always do... We're going to put off doing anything about Valentine's Day until the actual day arrives. Then, we're going to scramble around to find something, anything, that might pass as a gift. And we're going to call every nice restaurant in town, only to find out that nothing is available thanks to all the pansy-ass, whipped guys who thought to make reservations in advance. Which will, inevitably, lead to us proclaiming that it is far more romantic to make supper for our women and serve it by candlelight. Unfortunately, considering our culinary skills, this will consist of spaghetti with sauce from a jar, Baby Duck wine, and one of those fat red candles with the fake holly berries left over from the Christmas decorations. Some things will never change...
But wait! I wanted to leave you all with a little bit of hope... A friend of mine by the name of Clint Vander Klok (perhaps you've heard of him...?) has stumbled across a way for our women to repay us for the trials and tribulations we endure at this time of year and bring a long-awaited balance to the universe. If you'd like to find out what this brilliant answer to all men's prayers is, just surf on over to http://www.clint.ca/oldnews/steak.htm... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Monday, February 9, 2004
Commentary on Comments
I don't know what it is about today... Maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night... Or maybe someone slipped decaf into the coffee maker at work ("morning people" should be exiled to a remote northern iceflow where they can grin happily at each other all day and leave the rest of us to bitch until noon like nature intended)... But, whatever it is, I sure feel strange.
Normally, I'm a fairly well-adjusted guy. I do what I do, say what I say, and it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks about it (with the exception of upper-management, for whom I've reserved a generous yet dignified form of sucking-up). But, when I woke up this morning, something was different. Suddenly, I want to know what people think of me! I couldn't believe it! So, I scurried to the blog page to scan for comments on my entries...
Lo and behold (which phrase may give the impression I'm more advanced in years than I really am)... a few comments, but nothing recent (and, sadly, I recognize the 2 people who left them). "So," I wondered to myself, "What are the rest of them thinking? Why have they not applauded my efforts or denounced me as a charlatan? What am I going to have for supper tonight?" As enticing as that little "Comment (0)" link is, practically begging to be clicked, I can only assume that it is only by the most incredible force of will that you are all able to resist the overwhelming urge to put your 2 cents in...
And so, today I write about nothing and I turn this blog over to you. What do you think? How do you feel? What do you think I should have for supper? Take advantage of this limited time offer... The Return of the Apathy is right around the corner... If you're too shy to comment, then email me at cuppojoe71@hotmail.com.
I don't know what it is about today... Maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night... Or maybe someone slipped decaf into the coffee maker at work ("morning people" should be exiled to a remote northern iceflow where they can grin happily at each other all day and leave the rest of us to bitch until noon like nature intended)... But, whatever it is, I sure feel strange.
Normally, I'm a fairly well-adjusted guy. I do what I do, say what I say, and it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks about it (with the exception of upper-management, for whom I've reserved a generous yet dignified form of sucking-up). But, when I woke up this morning, something was different. Suddenly, I want to know what people think of me! I couldn't believe it! So, I scurried to the blog page to scan for comments on my entries...
Lo and behold (which phrase may give the impression I'm more advanced in years than I really am)... a few comments, but nothing recent (and, sadly, I recognize the 2 people who left them). "So," I wondered to myself, "What are the rest of them thinking? Why have they not applauded my efforts or denounced me as a charlatan? What am I going to have for supper tonight?" As enticing as that little "Comment (0)" link is, practically begging to be clicked, I can only assume that it is only by the most incredible force of will that you are all able to resist the overwhelming urge to put your 2 cents in...
And so, today I write about nothing and I turn this blog over to you. What do you think? How do you feel? What do you think I should have for supper? Take advantage of this limited time offer... The Return of the Apathy is right around the corner... If you're too shy to comment, then email me at cuppojoe71@hotmail.com.
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