CompFuseder's Blog

Lack Of Compfused Content

2007-06-19T08:28:00.000-06:00

To all my fellow Compfuseder's out there, I want to publicly apologize about the sporadic addition of content to the Compfused website. As previously explained, the individual who originally maintained this site, Ben, no longer works for the company that owns this site, leaving the site to me. While I am doing the best that I can, I simply cannot spend as much time as I would like to on finding and posting content. I mean, who wouldn't love a job where you get to scour the web for funny/interesting videos all day? I know I would. Unfortunately, that world doesn't exist.

There are other reasons why I am not able to spend as much time as Ben did on the site, and I can't really tell you much other than the Powers-That-Be have made it clear that Compfused isn't very high on the priority list. Which means I can pretty much only get to it when I have nothing else to do.

However, this doesn't mean I ignore the site altogether. I'm constantly on the lookout for new content, and you can help! If anyone who actually visits this site wants to help keep fresh, new content up, then feel free to email me links! You can send your suggestions to either support@compfused.com or submit@compfused.com. I can't guarantee that I'll use what you send because we do have guidelines of what can and cannot be posted, but the more submissions that are sent in, the better chances there are that we can keep this site up and running.

I want to close this post with a big Thank You to those few Compfuseder's out there that have spoken up and sent emails to me about the lack of new content (y'all know who you are). It's people like you that show me there are people out there that do care about this site. So thank you.

Now, on with the show!

James@Compfused

Attention SeaMonkey Users!

2007-05-08T07:23:00.000-06:00

It has come to my attention that viewing videos on Compfused with the SeaMonkey browser gives you the "squishing" experience in this recent blog post. Compfuseder Theo has graciously shown me a way to fix this. First, you have to install the Firefox plugin for Windows Media Player. Then, paste the "np-mswmp.dll" file from the Firefox plugin directory into the SeaMonkey\plugin directory. I hope this resolves the issue for you SeaMonkey users!

FTR, I'd never heard about the SeaMonkey suite until Theo contacted me, so my thanks to him!

James@Compfused

The Digg.com HD-DVD Fiasco

2007-05-04T12:18:00.000-06:00

Normally I would provide a link for a story like this, but the original posts are buried so far on Digg that I'm tired of looking for them. But here's the gist: Someone posted an article at Digg.com that contained a code used to break encryption on HD-DVD discs, giving anyone with the time and knowledge (which is about, oh, 80% of internet users these days) the ability to crack and copy these high quality DVD's. This article, of course, became hugely popular and drew the attention of the Powers That Be, and they came down with great vengeance and furious anger in the form of lawsuits big enough to bury Kevin Rose and his wonderful little website. At first, the proprietors of Digg tried to control the situation, deleting articles and banning users in compliance with the Powers That Be.

And this is where things got good. There was such an overwhelming response that Kevin Rose finally made a stand against the Powers That Be, and not only allowed Digg users to continue to post the code, he supported them. And this, my friends, is how revolutions start.

It is this kind of support from the technological community that we need in order to stop these money-hungry corporate big-wigs who think they own the world. They seriously need to realize that when it comes to technology, they are full of fail. They can't win. As long as they continue to wage their war against technology, they will fail.

They. Will. Fail.

They will fail because the technological community is always going to be two steps ahead of them. For every encryption scheme and DRM lock they produce, the tech community will have 30 workarounds. They just can't win.

Now, before you all get up in arms, I do not support the illegal activities such as downloading, copying, and distributing. I am against it not because I don't want to lose my job, I honestly don't think it's right. Sure, the system is screwed up and those people that should be compensated for their work (i.e. the artists, writers, etc., the same people corporations like the RIAA claim to defend) are a lot lower on the totem pole than they should be. Yes, I understand and agree that corporations like the RIAA are only out for themselves and want to fill their own pockets. The system, my friends, is messed up.

But that doesn't mean we should turn to illegal activities just because our world isn't perfect. No, what needs to be done is we need to make these huge corporations realize that working together is a lot more productive than fighting against each other. And it's people like Kevin Rose and Digg.com that are paving the way for this realization to happen. What could Kevin do? He was literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only way for him to contain the outburst would be to shut the site down, and that's too much like giving in. So he did the only thing he could do; he opened the floodgates personally. Chances are, he knew full well what was going to happen when he did so. He went down fighting, and for that, he has my utmost respect.

I don't know what the future holds for Digg. I do think that this whole thing is going to blow over, it's going to get old and people aren't going to care, and it's just going to disappear. But for a brief moment, we had a revolution on our hands. And we need more of them.

James@Compfused

A Changing Of The Guard

2007-05-01T08:10:00.000-06:00

My fellow Compfuseders, I have some sad news to impart to you. Your faithful leader, Ben, is no longer with us. He has decided that computers are now the bane of existence and spends his time quietly tending sheep in the northern pastures of North Dakota. He will be sorely missed.

Fear not, however, for I, James@Compfused, will be taking the reins and doing what I can to make Compfused better than before. This will entail a period of transition, and I ask for your patience. It may take a while for us to find and post new content as we take control over the site, but we will most certainly continue to provide you with the best the 'Net has to offer. And sometimes the worst as well.

The emails still work and will still be checked continuously. I hope this transition can go smooth for all of us.

Your (new) faithful leader,

James@Compfused

Mock Metal Group Spinal Tap to Reunite

2007-04-25T08:38:00.000-06:00

Original story posted at http://my.freeze.com/stories/Entertainment/D8ONKI6O0.shtml

NEW YORK (AP) - Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming.

The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.

The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance...

...

Reiner spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday to explain the reunion of Spinal Tap—a band always known more as a parody of rock 'n roll excess than environmental awareness.

"They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming," said Reiner, whose other films include "When Harry Met Sally" and "Stand By Me." "Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing—that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler."

Spinal Tap has reunited several times since the film, but hasn't for a number of years. For the band—whose last album was 1992's "Break like the Wind"—the occasion warranted a new single: "Warmer Than Hell."

Reiner provided a sneak peak at the lyrics: "The devil went to Devon, it felt like the fourth degree/He said, 'Is it hot in here, or is it only me?'"

The director said the new short film explains what the band has been doing with their lives lately. Nigel has been raising miniature horses to race, but can't find jockeys small enough to ride them; David is now a hip-hop producer who also runs a colonic clinic; and Derek is in rehab for addiction to the Internet.

Read the Full Story Here

What Would George W. Bush Do?

2007-04-23T06:13:00.000-06:00

Forget Jesus. Let's all get little W.W.G.W.B.D? bracelets and bring in a new trend in let-me-force-my-views-upon-you fashion.

Create Your Own Fantasy Character Contest

2007-04-20T07:29:00.000-06:00

Yesss, Another Contest!

This one's a bit more involved than the last South Park Character contest; this time we're going all out, using HeroMachine 2.0 on UGO. Check it out and fiddle around a bit; then come up with a character to enter into the contest!

How To Enter:

Go to HeroMachine 2.0 Presented by UGO website

Create your Fantasy Character

Save a jpg or gif image of your completed character

Hint: you'll need to take a screenshot

Submit your character, your character's name, and your name (for credit) to this email address.

Contest Entries:
Click on Thumbnail Image to view larger version.

	Fantasy Character Name: Scissor Sister Kelly Submitted by: Ben@CompFused
	Fantasy Character Name: The Bull Milker Submitted by: Mike@CompFused
	Fantasy Character Name: Captain Emo Submitted by: James@CompFused
	Fantasy Character Name: Thor Submitted by: Phillip
	Fantasy Character Name: RockStar Jenny Submitted by: RockStarJenny
	Fantasy Character Name: Tempest Submitted by: Shane M.
	Fantasy Character Name: Sir Isaac Newton Submitted by: Steve
And so RockStar Jenny is having a VERY slow afternoon, so she's going to town on these things...
	Fantasy Character Name: Allen the Amish IT Guy Submitted by: RockStarJenny
	Fantasy Character Name: The Foreigner and Squirrely Submitted by: RockStarJenny
	Fantasy Character Name: Blogger Boy and Blogger Bat Submitted by: RockStarJenny
	Fantasy Character Name: Kid Ginger Submitted by: mike@compfused
	Fantasy Character Name: Manbaby Submitted by: mike@compfused
	Fantasy Character Name: Bareback Mountain Brad Submitted by: ben@compfused
	Fantasy Character Name: Ganjareaper Submitted by: Sepi
	Fantasy Character Name: Battered Husband Man Submitted by: Kutan
	Fantasy Character Name: Dark Fire Submitted by: Mc Crossan
	Fantasy Character Name: Jewverine Submitted by: Justin
	Fantasy Character Name: She Man Submitted by: Josh
	Fantasy Character Name: Ninja Hide Submitted by: Josh
	Fantasy Character Name: Ketti Submitted by: Mike
	Fantasy Character Name: Blead the Juggalo Ninja Submitted by: Kyle
	Fantasy Character Name: Valiente Submitted by: Alex
	Fantasy Character Name: Thuper Steve Irwin Submitted by: Brackish
	Fantasy Character Name: Self-Inflicted Hotheadess Submitted by: Ellie
	Fantasy Character Name: Dr. Jones Submitted by: Nick
	Fantasy Character Name: Colonel Klang Submitted by: FonZ
	Fantasy Character Name: Revenger and Shade Stalker Submitted by: Frith
	Fantasy Character Name: Sabre Submitted by: Byron
	Fantasy Character Name: Rayna Submitted by: Justin

Finally, Firefox Is Fixed!

2007-04-17T15:51:00.000-06:00

Firefox Users: remember last fall when Windows Media Player 11 was released and all the sudden all your WMP videos in your FireFox browser looked like shite? (see below)

The awesomely kind folks at Port 25 have cfound a Windows Media Player FireFox plugin, released [finally] by Microsoft, available as a FREE download. I've tried it out on my browser, and lo' and behold, I can now view CompFused videos in FireFox without any "squashing"!!!

I know we have tried to provide some useful tweaks and fixes through us and comments by helpful CompFuseders on these posts. Many have reported success afterwards.

However, I'd say this is the ultimate update that you should install. It's easily done in 4 steps:

Download the plugin

Close FireFox

Install the plugin

Open FireFox

It's that simple! Thanks again and HUGE props to the fellas at Port 25 for the great find.

Virginia Tech School Shooting

2007-04-17T06:36:00.000-06:00

Read the full story of this bizarre incident Here on CNN.

Also, follow this story as part of a CNN Special Report.

Here's a video shot from a student's mobile phone from outside the building where gunshots were being fired:

Virginia Tech School Shooting - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

We're Removing Some Content

2007-04-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

Update: 04/19/2007
-------------------
This has been removed.

Viacom is a bunch of jerks. CompFused blog submitter James originally spoke on this piece of action back in March. Now, the Powers That Be think it'd be a good idea that we remove content of the same from CompFused as well; to avoid gaining enough attention from money mongers like Viacom, and the lawsuit that could result because of that.

Could we take a stand, saying our clips actually help promote the shows and don't really take revenue away from the original content creators? Sure. Can't we say that we are frontrunners in author promotion as we do everything we can to point out and provide a link to the original creators' websites? You bet. But at this point, the thought of a $1 billion lawsuit scares the heebie jeebies out of us. We are completely satisfied running away with our tails between our legs.

Unfortunately, this is something every media website will be facing sooner or later; so let's all just deal with it and get through as friendly-like as possible =)

Liberals Taste Like Chicken

2007-04-16T05:37:00.000-06:00

Here's a photo submitted by CompFuseder Red over this past weekend. That's his dog Jäger on the back of his pick up truck.

Swimmer Trapped By Beach Balls

2007-04-12T06:02:00.000-06:00

Simply put, OUCH!

Things Computers Can Do In Movies

2007-04-11T06:56:00.000-06:00

[originally found on The Programming Blog - http://theprogrammingblog.com/]

Word processors never display a cursor.

You never have to use the space-bar when typing long sentences.

Movie characters never make typing mistakes.

All monitors display inch-high letters.

High-tech computers, such as those used by NASA, the CIA or some such governmental institution, will have easy to understand graphical interfaces.

Those that don’t have graphical interfaces will have incredibly powerful text-based command shells that can correctly understand and execute commands typed in plain English.

Note: Command line interfaces will give you access to any information you want by simply typing, “ACCESS THE SECRET FILES” on any near-by keyboard.

You can also infect a computer with a destructive virus by simply typing “UPLOAD VIRUS”. (See “Fortress”.)

All computers are connected. You can access the information on the villain’s desktop computer even if it’s turned off.

Powerful computers beep whenever you press a key or the screen changes. Some computers also slow down the output on the screen so that it doesn’t go faster than you can read. (Really advanced computers will also emulate the sound of a dot-matrix printer.)

All computer panels operate on thousands of volts and have explosive devices underneath their surface. Malfunctions are indicated by a bright flash of light, a puff of smoke, a shower of sparks and an explosion that causes you to jump backwards.

People typing on a computer can safely turn it off without saving the data.

A hacker is always able to break into the most sensitive computer in the world by guessing the secret password in two tries.

You may bypass “PERMISSION DENIED” message by using the “OVERRIDE” function. (See “Demolition Man”.)

Computers only take 2 seconds to boot up instead of the average minutes for desktop PCs and 30 minutes or more for larger systems that can run 24 hours, 365 days a year without a reset.

Complex calculations and loading of huge amounts of data will be accomplished in under three seconds. Movie modems usually appear to transmit data at the speed of two gigabytes per second.

When the power plant/missile site/main computer overheats, all control panels will explode shortly before the entire building will.

If you display a file on the screen and someone deletes the file, it also disappears from the screen (See “Clear and Present Danger”).

If a disk contains encrypted files, you are automatically asked for a password when you insert it.

Computers can interface with any other computer regardless of the manufacturer or galaxy where it originated. (See “Independence Day”.)

Computer disks will work on any computer has a floppy drive and all software is usable on any platforms.

The more high-tech the equipment, the more buttons it will have (See “Aliens”.)

Note: You must be highly trained to operate high-tech computers because the buttons have no labels except for the “SELF-DESTRUCT” button.

Most computers, no matter how small, have reality-defying three-dimensional active animation, photo-realistic graphics capabilities.

Laptops always have amazing real-time video phone capabilities and performance similar to a CRAY Supercomputer.

Whenever a character looks at a monitor, the image is so bright that it projects itself onto their face. (See “Alien” or “2001″)

Searches on the internet will always return what you are looking for no matter how vague your keywords are. (See “Mission Impossible”, Tom Cruise searches with keywords like “file” and “computer” and 3 results are returned.)

AWM Awareness and Its Application In Daily Life

2007-04-02T12:19:00.000-06:00

Fellas, it's time we talk about something very important in This Day And Age. That something is AWM Awareness. That's Attractive Woman Man Awareness.

There used to be a time when we could hit on any girl we wanted, regardless of how hot she was—but preferably hot, of course—without worry.

Now, quizzes like this one are showing us that just as we need to have our Gay-Dar on full alert when we shop at Express, we also need to have our AWM Awareness engaged when we're at the bar.

Bottom line is, you REALLY don't want to end up in bed with someone/thing unless you know exactly what fate is bringing you once the clothes come off.

We're getting closer...

2007-04-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

( full story )

So, EMI and Apple have come to an agreement to remove the DRM locks on EMI "premium" tracks, which would increase the cost per track to $1.29. This, my fellow Compfuseder's, is a HUGE step forward for online music, and bodes well for Apple and iTunes.

I use iTunes exclusively for new music. The last time I actually purchased a CD in a store was about six months ago when one of my favorite bands (Opeth) reissued their latest CD "Ghost Reveries" with a bonus track and a DVD with a behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of said album. Before that? Honestly, I can't remember. It's so much easier, not to mention much cheaper, for me to pop open iTunes, find the CD that I want, purchase it, and I've got my music.

"Well, what about the liner notes, James? What about the artwork?" Truth be told, I don't really care much for it. I've never been a big artwork fan and the cases just take up space, discs get lost/damaged. Too much hassle for me. I care about the music, that's it. If I buy a CD, I buy it for the music that it contains.

And since we're on the whole "honesty" thing, DRM doesn't really affect me. I have an iPod and iTunes. I have a car adapter so I can listen to my iPod in the car, and I have a JBL alarm clock with iPod dock. I don't need my music to be on any other format, and if I do, I burn a CD. So the whole debate doesn't really have any effect on me whatsoever. But it's a step forward, and I would gladly pay (approximately) $3.00 more per album on iTunes for DRM-free music than hauling my ass to the local music store (of which there are very few decent ones left in this area), paying $16.00 - $17.00 for a CD that I'm just going to rip into my computer and throw on my iPod, then have to find a place to put the case and disc that will likely never get touched again.

This is awesome news for music lovers. The tide is turning, folks. Best get yourself a life jacket while you still can.

EMI Press Release

A Response Is Received

2007-03-30T06:04:00.000-06:00

My dwindling faith in my Minnesota State Representatives has been restored. Well, at least the faith I had in my boy, Norm Coleman. I just got a response yesterday, from him, as a follow up to my letter to congress.

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with me regarding the Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) recent decision relating to music royalty rates.

I share your concerns about the effects that this decision may have on web-based broadcasters. At the end of the day, it is important we find a proper balance between copyright holders and broadcasters.

While I wholeheartedly support the intent of the decision to protect copyright holders, I am nonetheless concerned at the potential impact the rates will have on web-based broadcasters to continue to afford to remain in business. I f this were to occur, it isn't just broadcasters but copyright holders and ultimately the listening public that loses. It is my hope that this outcom e can be avoided and that at the end of the day artists are compensated in a reasonable manner while broadcasters can continue to share the artists' work with the listening public.

As you may know, the CRB is responsible for determining rates and terms for licenses related to copyrighted material. On March 9, 2007, the CRB established rates for 2006 to 2010 on Internet radio stations. It was determined that companies would have to pay a per song fee for each Internet music stream with a minimum of $500 per stream. This decision was made after 48 days of hearings before the three copyright royalty judges that resulted in more than 13,000 pages of testimony. Affected parties have 60 days to appeal the decision. If the decision is not overturned or reheard, the new rules will go into affect on May 15, 2007.

Please know that I will continue to follow this issue, and I appreciate hearing from you. I hope you will not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate

Of course, Amy Klobuchar also got a copy of my letter, but I don't expect to hear anything from her. She probably won't even bother reading it; being a rookie to the senate, she's got too much ass kissing to do to bother reading letters from her constituents.

Man's Best Friend (And Worst Enemy)

2007-03-28T07:59:00.000-06:00

Just on the news yesterday, Toby, a 2-year old golden retriever saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life. » Full Story »

And then we have a story in Houston where the mom claims the family Dachshund bit off her 5-week old son's genitals while she was asleep. Of course, people are a bit skeptical of these claims. But for now at least, it looks like the wiener dog went straight after the wiener. » Full Story »

whatchu got pierced or tattooed?

2007-03-27T22:57:00.000-06:00

i just got my nose pierced the other day. little pink gem, of course =}
i got my first tattoo last fall. that one's a little purple fish.

yep... they're right.
both are highly addictive.
i want more of both.
what, when, and where - i dunno yet, but i'm sure one day i'll run across just the right thing...

so share your tattoos and what you've got pierced {so long as it's tasteful, please, or it will be removed}! we'll probly even pick a few sweet ones to post up on our front page.
let's see 'em!

:0)

HaPPy BlOgGinG!

like i been saying - geek is chic. and so is pink.

2007-03-26T07:49:00.000-06:00

all these tech toy companies are finally catchin' on.
it's totally chic right now to be a geeky, chic girl. who loves pink - and they're cashin' in.

it's about time.
i'm finally runnin' with the *in* crowd =}

along with all the other pink tech toys out there, ebGames has confirmed that the Zune - dressed in pretty pink - will be available on May 1 of this year. it ships for a mere 249.99$.

i wonder if it was divine intervention that i misplaced my hot pink ipod a few weeks back during a blizzard. i betcha somebody thought i just might want to invest in a pretty pink Zune instead. besides, this is a much lighter, softer shade of pink than my ipod was. i'm guessing that the color of this thing will totally complement my hot pink razr phone much better than the 2 "very-similar-yet-not-quite-the-same" colors of the ipod and the razr.

i will need to do a bit more research on the Zune first, however. i haven't really read enough on it to know if it's something i'd drop 249$ on. it *is* pink though, so that in itself should be worth a hundred bucks alone, no? =}

:0)

HaPPy BlOgGinG!

Chat room users urged 'cyber suicide'

2007-03-26T07:19:00.000-06:00

from United Press International

BIRMINGHAM, England, March 24 (UPI) -- Some online chat room users urged a British man to commit suicide this week by pushing the man until he ultimately hung himself in front of his Web cam.

The Daily Mail said Kevin Whitrick had entered an online chat room on Wednesday and declared his intent to end his life, only to have several users urge him to do so.

"He tied a rope around an uncovered ceiling joist and stood on the chair as he tied the rope around his neck," one anonymous user said of the Internet incident. "Some of us chat room users, talking to Kevin over text chat, microphones and video tried to convince him to step down, but others egged him on telling him to get on with it."

Friends of the 42-year-old said he had been emotionally strained from the death of his father, a recent car crash and his marriage ending.

The Daily Mail said police were promptly contacted by one of the users, but were unable to reach Whitrick's home in time to save his life.

What Is A CompFuseder?

2007-03-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

We have the CompFuseder's Blog. We frequently refer to folks on CompFused as CompFuseders. But what, exactly, is a CompFuseder?

The CompFuseder came about near the beginning of the inception of the website known as CompFused.com; at the beginning of Time. Okay, not the beginning of Time, but close! Early versions of the site encouraged email feedback. Then came user submissions…brilliant videos found on the web or created by the submitters themselves. The term CompFuseder was first dubbed as such in the sunny Minnesota month of May, 2006 by the webmaster team. Then came the blog—a CompFuseder's first real chance to voice their opinions about site content, comment on articles, and participate in contests.

Simply put, a CompFuseder is you! All you who keep returning to the site again and again to check out the great content of videos, photo galleries, and flash animations & games. All you who continue to send in your submissions, found or created. All you who comment in the blog. You are who make CompFused what it is; and for that, we thank you!

statistics say - men look at crotches.

2007-03-19T23:01:00.000-06:00

hmm...
a study done some time ago in eyetracking {to improve layout/design of a newspaper} shows that you boys look straight at the goods. and just keep on lookin' there...

photo © http://www.kottke.org

have a peek at the full article {but don't look down - they're tracking where you're looking =P }

men look at crotches

:0)

HaPPy BlOgGinG!

I Wrote My Letter to Congress...Did You?

2007-03-19T06:27:00.000-06:00

As a follow up to this post, I decided this morning I needed to take some action.

Sure, I'll have to work an extra hour later tonight because of it...especially if David reads this and notes the timestamp =)

News like this comes up all the time. "Government is now doing something that affects something in your daily life". To which many of us reply, "oh...that sucks." and do nothing.

I'm telling you this now: because of the Copyright Royalty Board, who happens to be spurred on to this subject by the Recording Industry Association of America; Internet music and radio stations are going to get shut down. The new royalties proposed and passed by the CRP will account for more than 100% of the revenues for most sites. And that's NOT including the royalties they already HAVE to pay in the first place. The best news? These new royalties are retroactive to January 1, 2006. So that means to move on, any Net Radio station has to pay an entire year and 3 months' worth of royalties, just to get caught up.

If you've got people who know people who can influence people about this atrocity, awesome. Talk to them. Convince them this is horrible. If you're like me and don't know anyone special but want it to stop, it's time to write your congressional representative. You can do that here.

I'll make it one step easier for you; you can copy word-for-word my letter to my representatives if you wish. Or, copy it and change some things. Or write your own. The key is that our representatives need to know our stance on this.

To my Congressional representatives (and to Congress as a whole) --

As a fan of Internet radio, I was alarmed to learn that music royalty rates were recently determined by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) which, if enacted, would certainly silence most or all of my favorite online listening services. (For most webcasters, this new royalty rate represents more than 100% of their total revenues!)

The thing you have to understand is that there are two stories to be told. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is taking the stance that Net Radio hurts business. It encourages people to listen to music online, for free, and not go out to purchase records of their favorite songs/artists. Now, for any true music lover (myself included) this couldn't be further from the truth. I absolutely LOVE Net Radio stations like Pandora (http://www.pandora.com) and others, who, allow me to listen to my favorites, and also provide me with new recommendations based on those favorites; which I later go out and BUY. If Net Radio does anything, it is a great tool to drive us down the long tail of music.

Obviously there will be the people who don't buy new music and will be satisfied to listen to free online radio and let it end there. You'll always have those types. You can see them anytime you go to Wal-Mart and see groups of kids huddled around the XBox360 gaming system, playing games for free that they would otherwise have to purchase. But those people aren't serious game lovers, and people who listen to Net Radio without being driven to purchase new music aren't serious music lovers.

The closure of these Internet radio stations would be a loss for not only independent business owners, but also for musical artists, for copyright owners, and for listeners like me who enjoy the wide variety of choices available via Internet radio.

I respectfully request that Congress look into this matter and initiate action to prevent it. As the CRB rate decision is retroactive to January 1, 2006, please understand that time is of the essence -- as the immediate impact of this decision could silence many or most free Internet radio stations forever.

RIAA's new royalty rates will kill online radio!!

2007-03-16T11:32:00.000-06:00

Is Internet Radio in trouble?

Go ahead music lovers; think of what your daily life would be like if you were left without Pandora, Rhapsody, SHOUTcast, or [fill in your favorite Internet Radio station name here]? I know mine would SUCK. Sure, my iPod can fill 2 month's worth of work days with music, but then I'm not exploring and discovering new tunes to buy.

The RIAA is lobbying the Copyright Royalty Board in D.C., who are proposing new performance royalty rates for online radio stations. Net-radio operators already suffer through paying stiff-enough royalties to provide us with our tunes. These new performance royalty rates will more than likely put an end to [fill in your favorite Internet Radio station name here].

The greedy bastards at the RIAA are just that. I highly doubt the artists, who are the ones who truly have provided us with the tunes will see an increase in their incomes. No, the thousands of extra nickels and dimes will just get stuffed into the pockets of producers and record companies, who think that THEY are the ones providing the world with good music.

Funny thing is, while they will have effectively shut down Net-radio stations, they'll see sales drop. I can tell you one thing; if yours truly didn't have Pandora to listen to every day, I would have bought probably ¼ of the cds I did in the past year.

If you feel, as I feel, strongly about keeping your favorite Net-radio station alive, read up more about it at SavetheStreams.org. There's also a petition to sign if you feel like being an activist =)

This is getting ridiculous...

2007-03-14T09:16:00.000-06:00

( original story here )

So, Viacom is suing the internet giant Google because YouTube (which Google owns now) makes available clips from Viacom owned shows including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (both of which are Comedy Central shows, which is ultimately owned by Viacom). The suit is for [Dr. Evil] 1 Billion Dollars! [/Dr. Evil].

As my title states, this is getting completely ridiculous. Why sue? What point would it serve? *gasp* People are seeing your show without paying for it. OH NOES!!! What will you ever do?

Perhaps they could take a lesson from ABC and Fox. If I miss an episode of LOST, no worries. I can go on ABC's website and watch it for free, with less commercials than regular TV even. If I miss an episode of 24 (I've actually missed about 6 so far), I can still go to the Fox website and catch up anytime I want.

For free.

IMO, this is just big-business BS and has nothing to do with "copyright infringement" as the suit claims. It has to do with control. Who controls what these days? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it got to the point where we had to pay for each show we wanted to watch. Can't watch TV unless you pay the big corporations every time you want to watch the show.

I'm firmly convinced that the Internet has the power and capability of bringing down the media moguls. Music, TV, movies... The Internet is making these mediums widely available in both legal and illegal forms. And it's going to be the companies and corporations that take advantage of this new medium and work with it that ultimately succeed, and it's the corporations like Viacom and the RIAA that are going to eventually fail because they would rather fight the winds of change that are just about ready to topple their kingdoms.

I haven't purchased an actual CD in probably a year. I now get all my music straight from the iTunes music store. Ten bucks a CD (which saves me $5 - $8 bucks depending on the store) and it goes straight onto my iPod. No more jewel cases to keep track of, no more discs to get damaged and thus replaced. It's all digital now, and that's how it's going to be for a long, long time. Those who are left standing are those who were smart enough to learn how to use it to their advantage.