http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 29 Apr 2003 02:50:08 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/29/025008.php John ParresI find reactions to the Grokster ruling interesting, although perhaps predictable, in that creators (whose expression of emotions are their stock in trade) take a results-based analysis of the decision while the techs see the step-by-step logic in the ruling. I thought Sunday's Pho gathering very insightful but one moment stood out for me. When the question was floated, "Would the RIAA win on appeal?" the first attorney to respond said, "Yes, absolutely!" but then answered the followup "On what grounds?" with a hamminah-hamminaaaah...As much as RIAA CEO Cary Sherman and their barrister Russ Frackman want the home team to believe that Groskter is Napster, the two are technically and structurally very different beasts, and Judge Wilson saw the distinction.I guess that's the difference between lightning and lightning bug (yes, happy Jack rolls out the retread yet again for this article.)As much as I have sympathy for songwriters (really I do!) I think it is their leadership which is failing them. The ©artel could have licensed to Napster and so if John Fanning was too much of a turd to deal with then they could have started their own. They still can, which I hope is agenda item #1 for this week's board meetings.How much value do you think Universal Music lost this weekend?? How much money did the studios leave on the table by not embracing VCRs?History repeats itself yet again. Music4937@blogcritics.org Tue, 29 Apr 2003 02:50:08 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/28/012134.php John ParresAbout a week ago the Madonna camp tried to trick out the P2P networks by spoofing them with files of Maddy asking, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Of course she probably didn't appreciate someone in the web community responding by hacking her website and making the new album available there. But certainly a marketing genius club diva like her would intuitively know that scratchers and DJs and remixers would download that willingly and freely offered file and sample it and incorporate it into new works that would breathe new life into her back catalog.No doubt it will start appearing in dance clubs from Miami Beach to NYC to London and beyond, if they haven't already as the smashups are already appearing online.All of which begs a new question in the light of Judge Wilson's summary judgement Friday against the RIAA for filing suite against the Gnutella networks: Isn't Madonna's WTF cuckoo egg an example of the very substantial non-infringing uses that reinfoce the legitimacy of peered Gnutella networks? Recent reports say she freely put it out there and like Mr. (Fred) Rogers (RIP) with the intent that it would be recorded (downloaded) for space and time shifting and other substancial non-infringing uses.Ladies with an attitude Fellows that were in the mood Don't just stand there, let's get to it Strike a pose, there's nothing to itFileshare! Music4901@blogcritics.org Mon, 28 Apr 2003 01:21:34 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/16/025102.php John ParresIt seems the US Navy has decided on appropriate punishments for midshipmen who share music on government networks. Federal law outlines fines of up to $150,000 PER FILE but in their infinite wisdom government officials have decided that the offending students should receive extra work and loss of leave but not loss of access to the network.It is notable the students were neither court marshaled nor expelled given the harshness of the federal statues. I wonder how future jurists will weigh the Navy's valuation of punishment? The RIAA can spin this all they like but it's hardly a 'win.' Sci/Tech4634@blogcritics.org Wed, 16 Apr 2003 02:51:02 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/10/212608.php John ParresI recently had the privledge of attending a fundrasing party benefitting land mine recovery team dogs in Afghanistan. The guest of honor was David Rees, author of the "Get Your War On" cartoon series. David was in Hollywood as part of his book tour promoting the bound collection of "Get Your War On." Sci/Tech4506@blogcritics.org Thu, 10 Apr 2003 21:26:08 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/07/205026.php John ParresAbout a month ago my friend Kevin Sites received a sudden and urgent phone call. It was from his boss at CNN. "Head to the airport; you're going to Kuwait." Kevin is a daring guy who has coined a term for what he does: "sojo." This solo-journalist arms himself with a backpack filled with a laptop, satellite phone, mini-satellite dish, sleeping bag and rations of tuna fish and power bars, all in search of the truth on the front lines of war.As he made his way to the anticipated northern front in Iraq, Kevin started sending compelling first person emails from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Thinking this was prime blogging material I forwarded one of his emails on to my friend and BoingBoing blogger extraordinare Xeni Jardin. She and I both pleaded with him to fire up a blog and while at first he was unfamiliar with the technology he checked with his boss at CNN and eventually gave us the green-light to set up the backend for him. Within 36 hours he was publishing his blog and word spread like wildfire. Kevin's site stats bear this out. After a few days over 8000 different sites linked to his blog. In two weeks his site would receive over 3.5 million hits from over a 250,000 unique visitors.Unfortunately, CNN dot com was not amused and ordered him to stop. [Susan Mernit wrote an article covering this turn of events for USC's Online Journalism Review.] One has to wonder why CNN would gag one of its reporters as visitors to the site talk passionately about Kevin and his reporting on CNN. Some have suggest that it is a contractual issue but if this were the case CNN could easily bring his blog inhouse (and I have to wonder if such a lawyerly position would also lay claim to the emails and phone calls to his girlfriend in California).As Kevin risks his life he is sending quick notes to fans back home. The site is creating a loyal following of viewers and presumably higher ratings for CNN. But unlike competitors at MSNBC, BBC and Fox News it seems the Internet division of CNN has a policy and clear prejudice against blogs. It is ironic and sad, I think, since Gulf War I made CNN because of its embrace of cutting edge technology. But this this time around the Grande Dame of global reporting is looking down upon bloggers. As I type this entry Bill Schneider just reported on air of the spike in blog traffic but, with a sniff, that readers should not trust the news placed on blogs.This is confusing because CNN's new slogan is "news you can trust" but apparently not while Kevin reports in a blog format. And so his in-depth coverage of life as a sojo has been silenced by the very news gathering agency that trusted him to report on the truth from the front lines of war. It's frustrating but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. After all, AOL Time Warner also has a plethora of bewildered record label executives who don't get the power of the Internet either. Sci/Tech4414@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Apr 2003 20:50:26 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/07/195806.php John ParresI have a book that sits proudly in my library. It is a signed copy of "Networking in the Music Industry" given to me almost ten years ago by co-author Eric Olsen. The book is a wonderful collection of information and advice from music industry notables including Moby, Brett Gurewitz, Greg Ginn, Bob Guccione, Jr., Howie Klein and Chris Douridas. It is typical of Eric's generosity and in some ways presages Blogcritics.Eric was kind enough to enscribe my copy with a flattering note and now he flatters me again by inviting me to be the first guest blogger on Blogcritics.com. At first I wasn't sure what to say or what I should blog but Eric told me to keep on doing what I'm already doing on the various email lists I've co-founded including the Pho List, Strangelove.cc and [unwired].And so I shall endeavour to do my best to rise to this challenge and the honor Eric has bestowed upon me. Here goes... Culture4412@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Apr 2003 19:58:06 EDT