2010-01-11: NIH
In the corporate world, there is a term, "NIH", meaning "not invented here". Frequently, companies will choose to reinvent the wheel instead of using an existing technology or process that comes from the outside.
Sadly, the copyright industries are trying to force Americans (and the rest of the world, too!) to stop using anything that wasn't created inside of family or organizational walls.
Case in point: If you are involved in a small church group, chances are, you haven't yet joined the church copyright group. Which means that you might not (legally) be able sing songs in worship except those created by your own members.
What can you do?
Sadly, the copyright industries are trying to force Americans (and the rest of the world, too!) to stop using anything that wasn't created inside of family or organizational walls.
Case in point: If you are involved in a small church group, chances are, you haven't yet joined the church copyright group. Which means that you might not (legally) be able sing songs in worship except those created by your own members.
What can you do?
- Vote against any pro-media-industry candidates. If a candidate supports the RIAA agenda, the MPAA agenda, the BSA agenda, or the agendas of big media companies, they are no friend to individuals, families, small businesses, and small non-profit groups.
- Be vocal about it. Write to your local paper (or post on their Web site), letting people know that the present copyright & patent scheme is a massive transfer of wealth and power to big media companies away from both the creators and consumers of content.
- Stop buying, as much as possible, music, movies, and other content that goes through the hands of big media companies. Purchase the products of independent musicians, independent movie production companies, and authors who don't write for large corporate publishers. This includes the newspapers and the television / cable news. Skip the big guys and go for small, locally-owned businesses whenever possible.
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Yahoo! News: Smashing Pumpkins sue Virgin Records
Interesting, because the group claims that the record company used their name and music to promote Pepsi in violation of a contract limiting the scope of the company's rights.
At this early point in the case, it is impossible for those of us outside the case to have any real knowledge of what the contract said and whether the promotion was outside of the rights granted by the contract. What we can gather from this, however, is that the music companies that cry that the artists are going unpaid because of online music-stealing might need to take a look at the way that they are treating artists.
Business models based around creating artificial shortages so that above-average profits may be obtained are always going to be sunsetted by changes in technology and society that enable buyers to avoid paying the "vig" that they previously had to pay.
I seem to recall that the average rate of profit on sales is about 3%. So a business with much higher profit is bound to draw the attention of others, seeking to siphon away some of the excess profits. Whether this happens by replacing product A with lower-cost product B, or by obtaining product A without going through the approved channels, excessive profits cannot continue as a long-term business model, a fact which must scare the music, movie, and software industries. These large companies should be preparing to get rid of layers of managers and other non-productives, so that they can survive in the lower-margin future.
Interesting, because the group claims that the record company used their name and music to promote Pepsi in violation of a contract limiting the scope of the company's rights.
At this early point in the case, it is impossible for those of us outside the case to have any real knowledge of what the contract said and whether the promotion was outside of the rights granted by the contract. What we can gather from this, however, is that the music companies that cry that the artists are going unpaid because of online music-stealing might need to take a look at the way that they are treating artists.
Business models based around creating artificial shortages so that above-average profits may be obtained are always going to be sunsetted by changes in technology and society that enable buyers to avoid paying the "vig" that they previously had to pay.
I seem to recall that the average rate of profit on sales is about 3%. So a business with much higher profit is bound to draw the attention of others, seeking to siphon away some of the excess profits. Whether this happens by replacing product A with lower-cost product B, or by obtaining product A without going through the approved channels, excessive profits cannot continue as a long-term business model, a fact which must scare the music, movie, and software industries. These large companies should be preparing to get rid of layers of managers and other non-productives, so that they can survive in the lower-margin future.
2007-11-25: Officially Dormant
As you've probably noticed, there have been very few entries in this blog, and none in several months. I'm officially declaring this blog dormant. Hopefully, we'll be able to resume posting by the Summer of 2008. I want to thank the three or four people who read the entries here.
2007-08-25: DDR Weekend
It has been quite a while since I've posted here. Now here is a treat: a DDR Weekend.
I kept seeing the name Sean Kingston in various places on the Web. I finally asked the kid when I called home, but he hadn't heard the name before. A couple of days ago, I saw the CD in a store, which led me to check it out on YouTube. The original is non-embeddable, but here is one that is:
I hope he keeps his lyrics clean. I'll be picking up this CD later today. I've already sent this to my family members.
Here's another example of why sites like YouTube are good. Without hearing this song and another song in advance, I would not be heading to purchase the CD.
2007-08-01: DDR Weekend: Manilow, Oh Mandy
I've been quite busy at work the past couple of months. This is the best time to post a couple of entries before it gets crazy again next week.
I've liked this song since I was a wee lad. Please welcome Barry Manilow as he sings "Oh Mandy".
I've liked this song since I was a wee lad. Please welcome Barry Manilow as he sings "Oh Mandy".
2007-07-07: Is Television Doomed?
We all know that television as a medium for entertainment and advertising has some specific advantages and disadvantages.
I originally found that there were very few programs I actually liked--the television might be on, but I was not interested in what was playing. When I found a few programs that I liked, the networks would preempt the shows I wanted to watch for awards shows, political debates, and sporting events.
I currently have three programs that I enjoy, Numb3rs being far and away the most enjoyable, although it is distinctly less enjoyable now than it was when it started. Because of the volume games that broadcasters play (commercials loud, program quiet), it becomes too irritating to sit through very often. It reminds me of the dancing cowboys (and now dancing green aliens) in the banner ads for a certain mortgage lending company that are frequently found on Yahoo! and MSN sites. I'm sure you've seen them--they are so animated that they distract from the actual content that was the reason you visited the site.
There are some shows that are being carried on the Web, Numb3rs being one of them, but the Web presents other challenges for television programming. Like the rest of the Internet, the Web is designed for interaction and two-way communication. Although much of the dynamic content that characterizes modern Web applications is something that was added on after-the-fact, the fact remains that from the beginning the Internet and the Web were seen as a two-way medium. Television, on the other hand, by its very nature, is one-way. Several programs have utilized out-of-band communications to add some two-way interaction--talk forum telephone call-in programs are one example, and the reality shows where users call a number to vote for retaining or ejecting a specific cast member are another. The thing is, it feels fake, like a politician's smile and greeting.
On the Web, there are various social networking sites, blogs, and other ways to actually conduct conversations with other people. I would include the network-enabled games in this category as well. It seems to me that people are rediscovering the ability to communicate with other people rather than passively taking in whatever comes from a chosen media outlet. Those of us that are watching this are quietly humming the song "Convoy", the 1970s song that helped launch the CB radio craze. As with CBs, the Internet is a tool that is helping people connect in ways that were previously unknown.
Since the whole business model of the television broadcasters is based on getting relatively large numbers of people to passively watch their programming (and to convince advertisers to pay to promote their products & services to those large numbers of people), it seems to me that they are about to follow the newspaper and music industries circling the drain.
Let me clarify this: I don't expect TV to go away. I do expect it to be more and more marginalized, the way that radio was for so many years.
- Major networks still tend to attract mass audiences that reach across demographic profiles. This generates incredibly large audiences for hit shows and makes television advertising more expensive than most competitors.
- Smaller networks and channels often specialize, carrying a particular type of programming. Sports, for example, or food and cooking. Within that type, there may be even more specialization, such as a channel focusing on one particular sport.
- Special events may generate even higher audiences, which in turn makes them more attractive to advertisers and more expensive for advertisers.
- CBS Evening News is reporting lower numbers of viewers.
- Some viewers prefer to receive similar content via a different medium, but networks and their suppliers are having a hard time understanding this. In this case, it was a sporting event ejecting a newspaper reporter because he was supplying updates via the Web.
I originally found that there were very few programs I actually liked--the television might be on, but I was not interested in what was playing. When I found a few programs that I liked, the networks would preempt the shows I wanted to watch for awards shows, political debates, and sporting events.
I currently have three programs that I enjoy, Numb3rs being far and away the most enjoyable, although it is distinctly less enjoyable now than it was when it started. Because of the volume games that broadcasters play (commercials loud, program quiet), it becomes too irritating to sit through very often. It reminds me of the dancing cowboys (and now dancing green aliens) in the banner ads for a certain mortgage lending company that are frequently found on Yahoo! and MSN sites. I'm sure you've seen them--they are so animated that they distract from the actual content that was the reason you visited the site.
There are some shows that are being carried on the Web, Numb3rs being one of them, but the Web presents other challenges for television programming. Like the rest of the Internet, the Web is designed for interaction and two-way communication. Although much of the dynamic content that characterizes modern Web applications is something that was added on after-the-fact, the fact remains that from the beginning the Internet and the Web were seen as a two-way medium. Television, on the other hand, by its very nature, is one-way. Several programs have utilized out-of-band communications to add some two-way interaction--talk forum telephone call-in programs are one example, and the reality shows where users call a number to vote for retaining or ejecting a specific cast member are another. The thing is, it feels fake, like a politician's smile and greeting.
On the Web, there are various social networking sites, blogs, and other ways to actually conduct conversations with other people. I would include the network-enabled games in this category as well. It seems to me that people are rediscovering the ability to communicate with other people rather than passively taking in whatever comes from a chosen media outlet. Those of us that are watching this are quietly humming the song "Convoy", the 1970s song that helped launch the CB radio craze. As with CBs, the Internet is a tool that is helping people connect in ways that were previously unknown.
Since the whole business model of the television broadcasters is based on getting relatively large numbers of people to passively watch their programming (and to convince advertisers to pay to promote their products & services to those large numbers of people), it seems to me that they are about to follow the newspaper and music industries circling the drain.
Let me clarify this: I don't expect TV to go away. I do expect it to be more and more marginalized, the way that radio was for so many years.
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Tags: media
2007-06-11: IP Restrictions Killing Industries
We see it with the large old media businesses trying to use the courts to punish Internet media businesses like YouTube for content that users post on the site. We see it in the software business, where big slow-growth companies are trying to use patents to crush their fast-growing, but smaller, competitors.
I have to agree with James Robertson, product manager for Cincom Smalltalk, who has finally come out and said that patents are bad for the industry.
In the meantime, IP extremism is hurting consumers, competitors, and the companies themselves.
I have to agree with James Robertson, product manager for Cincom Smalltalk, who has finally come out and said that patents are bad for the industry.
Consider: What if ParcPlace had patented the idea of a language runtime/VM back in the 80s, and then acted like Verizon has against Vonage? Would the software industry be a better place now? As much of a Smalltalk advocate as I am, I'm going to say no. Software patents should be eliminated - they help no one.What do Microsoft and Viacom have in common? They are both large companies that have made millions of dollars under the old rules and the older version of our economy, but which face a greatly reduced role in our newer economy and the new rules that are being defined in it. In both cases, once they adjust, they will be fine. But the adjustment is uncomfortable for those who prospered in the former system, so they have to be dragged into the future kicking and screaming.
In the meantime, IP extremism is hurting consumers, competitors, and the companies themselves.
2007-05-15: Video Sales Projection
Via James Robertson.
An article on Reuters suggests that iTunes-style video services will give way to free, ad-supported video.
For what it is worth, I believe that people will buy paid, unrestricted content in preference to similar content that is riddled with advertising, providing that the paid content is not too pricey. Look at all the people buying satellite radio to listen to in the mornings on their way to work. They are replacing the superabundance of commercial advertisements with paid, commercial-free content. Look at cable and satellite television, which continue to take viewers away from over-the-air television, despite their high prices.
An article on Reuters suggests that iTunes-style video services will give way to free, ad-supported video.
For what it is worth, I believe that people will buy paid, unrestricted content in preference to similar content that is riddled with advertising, providing that the paid content is not too pricey. Look at all the people buying satellite radio to listen to in the mornings on their way to work. They are replacing the superabundance of commercial advertisements with paid, commercial-free content. Look at cable and satellite television, which continue to take viewers away from over-the-air television, despite their high prices.
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2007-05-06: DDR Weekend
Donna Summer 2-for-1
And
2007-05-05: DDR Weekend
DDR Weekend: 2-For-1 Special
European Pop Band O-Zone Video
The official video for the song Dragonstea din tea, which was used in the hit "Numa Numa Dance" video below.
