iTunes
IN RETROSPECT: A Comms 211 assignment; write an article as it would apply to the US, Utah, and BYU.
January, 2009
<for Utah>
“Though still in the lead as the most popular music retailer, iTunes is responding to and recognizing Amazon as competition. Previously under contract with DRM to keep strict boundaries on what songs can be used for, iTunes now allows the user to copy songs, play them on multiple computers and other music players not under the Apple logo.
Along with loosening the rights on music, they’ve created a tiered price system: 69 cents, 99 cents, and $1.29 for hits.
This is done not only to respond to competition but in hopes that the lower prices and new leniency will discourage file-sharing. Whether raisng the price on most wanted songs and allowing users to copy songs at their own discretion will act as a dam on p2p file sharing will be seen.”
<BYU>
“iTunes announced the plan to lower the price of some songs and raise the cost on more popular hits in addition to stripping files of DRM, meaning songs can be copied/used however the user would like. While this could be encouragement to some, it could also increase the temptation to share the file illegally. The problem with lowering the price means labels get less for each song. There is a chance that labels will take the full force of the hit, but it’s more likely artists/musicians will. Twenty years ago, artists were blessed to get signed. With technologies advancing and with morals being consumed by said advancing technlogies, we may see a desperate increase in tighter contracts with existing label-artist relationships and artists wrestling away to a more independent way to publish their music.”
<US>
“The current recession has delivered massive blows at several industries and the music industry is no exception. AFter taking severl hits from p2p sharing, iTunes lowered costs of some songs and stripped files of Digital Rights Management. Songs sold by iTunes will now go for 69 cents, 99 cents, and $1.29 depending on song popularity. The questions running through Steve Jobs and the top three record labels (EMI has been DRM-free for a while) is whether this will backfire.”
As far as whether it was successful or not is something I want to look at. But probably not tonight.
Acorn: Who Got the Short End of The Stick?
My friend Cory texted me to let me know he hated ACORN for “supporting foreign prostitution” today. After telling him off for believing everything1 Glenn Beck (his source) says, I did my own research and found the following video on Fox’s Hannity show.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551403,00.html
A little dramatic, no? I’m as against prostitution as the next girl, and initially, this question may make me sound like an idiot, but why are we pointing fingers at ACORN the organization?
There is a high school in my hometown called Bountiful High and their own scandal a few months ago. Two teachers were arrested on charges of having sexual relations with a student -by the way, the same student, if that matters- with a few days of each other.
Surely this must mean Bountiful high advocates immorality between student and teacher! Or, ya know, just thinking realistically here, there are two employees of Bountiful High that don’t condone it. Personally, I do condone it. But I’m not going to petition for the closure of the school because of the incidents.
It’s the same concept with ACORN. The company itself has not endorsed prostitution or illegal immigration. A few corrupt employees of ACORN crossed the line and acted inappropriately. Just for a second, I will point out that the employee didn’t exactly look comfortable and didn’t sport the usual grin and body language of a salesman or customer support representative. Is it just me or is he trying to keep the conversation on the down-low? The second half of the conversation took place in a stairwell, for heaven’s sake. If ACORN was ok with prostitution rings, who would he be hiding the conversation from? He had no idea he was being taped.
Besides that, Washington Post reports that Juan tried to call the cops during the interview and did call the police when the couple left.
One of the employees says she thought she was being set up. Now why would she assume that. I mean they only bluntly admitted their prostitution and he wore a white fur coat? It’s completely realistic!
But so is Fox News.
Tour de France: with American style
As if the world didn’t have a lack of respect for the USA already, some of the ingenious minds of Chicago pulled this out of our overweight rears.
The US tributes their respect for the eloquent with a bicycle tour of their own, but replacing the refined taste of wine for the degrading reputation beer brings.
That’s right.
http://tinyurl.com/kttawp
My question is, what are they going to do with a group of drunk bikers at the end? More importantly, will they make it to the end? Personally, I have never seen any of my drunk friends ride bikes, but I can imagine it from experiences of them riding bulls. And those were generally not attractive images.
The thing that probably amuses me the most about this is that there are tours available for ages 12 and younger. So they did think to bring along designated drivers, ones that can’t even get licenses. Fortunately you don’t need a license to ride a bike. Phew, these drunk bikers will be chaperoned by ten year olds.
And we wonder why no other country respects us.
Awkward vs. Appreciated
Things that make me feel awkward:
when my married friends say things like this, “I’m married to someone that loves me, but I miss someone who never loved me.” : thanks for publishing that on facebook. Could you ask your hubby to post his reaction? Us at home are dying to know how he really feels about that.
Some people’s engagement/wedding pictutes: Ya, you love each other, we get it. Someday your kids are going to see these pictures and if no one else does, you want at least them to approve of your relationship.
Things I like:
fun dip.
controlling the volume on my computer and the oxy-clean guy. RIP man, with an emphasis on the “peace.”
the fact that i have an awesome job.
Law Against Idiocracy
On May 11 our Utah Senators passed a law banning texting while driving, which suggests Utahns these days need the threat of losing their license for three months to convince them not to act like idiots on the road.
Who is this law aimed at? The stereotypical answer would be high school aged girls, and it would make sense. Until it’s thought through logically, of course.
When my parents were in school, they were slapped on the wrist for passing notes. In my high school, if you were caught texting you got a warning. Just as my parents got smarter and passed love notes under desks and behind the teacher’s back, my generation learned to pass electronic notes under desks and behind the teacher’s back. While my parents still can’t write on a piece of paper without looking at what they’re writing, the majority of the high school students I know can easily text without looking. We have been trained since the first warning we got in class to keep the phone out of sight and the thumbs moving fast.
So this law doesn’t stop texting and driving, it moves the screen from eye level to lap. No problem, I learned that in school.
Unfortunately, not everyone got the same education I did. For those cell phone users who are as accustomed to blind texting as they are to Tech N9ne’s music, they now face a choice. Don’t text and drive, or merely move the crime a foot and a half south.
Instead of holding the screen in the corner of sight while cruising, keeping an eye on other vehicles and hazards in the road, an inconvenient glance downward is now required. An inconvenient glance downward equals an inconvenient glance away from the road.
If a radar of some sort were developed that could sense a texter like a spedometer, which honestly, is not too far-fetched, this law might not seem so ridiculous. While it is possible to tell when someone is either sending or receiving a text, is it possible to tell the difference between the two?
See no evil, evil still hangs out. Texting isn’t evil, but to follow the analogy, evil just moved to the underground, under the dashboard where it became debatably more distracting.
Does it almost seem like this law is less of a law to fight against Utahns texting and driving and more of a fake law for Senators to boast in front of Utahns that are frustrated with said text-and-drivers?
Thanks Senators. Way to pass a pointless law. Want to pass a real law? Pull over people that put on makeup in the car or go 5 mph under the speed limit.
Chrysler Declares Bankruptcy
Having reached the Obama Administration’s due date of April 30th without clearing their debts, Chrysler declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Luckily for Chrysler, that means they can reorganize. And they will, under Italian carmaker Fiat.
So much for keeping Detroit American.
This morning, a CNN reporter had his own theory for the creditors’ lack of intrepidity. As a journalist, Tony Harris has a nose for corrupt deals, secret handshakes, and cheating. That, and occasionally watchdogs attack the mailman. The groups Chrysler owes money to also have stakes in Ford and GM. Harris’s theory is that these groups would like Chrysler to fail, giving Ford and GM more sales opportunity. Silly rabbit. There’s a reason why tricks are for kids. Grown-ups have other options.
Instead of Chrysler folding and disappearing, they’re rebuilding, thanks to an Italian company. This resurrection just bought them not only more time as a company, but a fresh new start. Good theory, Harris. Even if the creditors are the bad guys, their plan was thwarted. Sure the next month is going to be a pain for Chrysler, but that’s not enough to dramatically boost Ford and GM in a recession.
What this bedtime story comes down to is that the bad guy isn’t a physical guy at all. It’s Risk! Those poor Italian suckers that just psyched Chrysler up for round two bought themselves the Jeep and Dodge logos and a bunch of jobs, which will come in handy with their nearly 10% unemployment rate. As Americans, we can take all the risk we want. For example, eating at the McDonalds in Walmart, where you can not only clog your arteries, but clog your pores.
The thing is, Americans separate risks into two categorizes. Risks we are willing to take that will kill us, and risks that involve money. Throw us a pool full of piranha to swim through, give us a plastic helmet and shove us off cliffs, but don’t touch our money. Could it be the reason all our jobs are being outsourced to China is because they’re willing to take risks?
Welcome to America, where when a big business fails, we don’t just kick it’s heiny out the door anymore. We pat them on the back and psych Rocky up for round II.
10 years before his time, 6-year-old takes Mom’s car
Mothers suffer quite a bit for their children. But how many mothers are charged with neglect for sleeping?
While Mommy Dodson slept, 6-year-old AJ heisted the keys to the Ford and drove to school, determined to continue his education after missing the bus.
9 1/2 miles from the house, AJ crashed the car into a pole. The 6-year-old was unharmed.
Personally, the thing I find most amazing is the kid’s gumption. If I missed the bus to go to school I would take it as a sign from the Gods that my attendance at school was unnecessary.
Journalist Shares His Opinion Not Through Power of Pen, but Power of Shoe
Sunday in Baghdad, President George W. Bush delivered a speech at a news conference focusing on the recently agreed upon Security Pact between Iraq and the United States. While most Journalists hurtled questions, Muntader al-Zaidi hurled a shoe along with an insult.
While the President dodged the attack and kept a pleasant and optimistic composure, the correspondent from an Independent Iraqi station soon found himself underneath a dog-pile consisting of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Security Guards.
As a Journalist, did he go too far? Understandably, the creed in the Middle East (as well as each individual nation) has differences than the one observed in the United States. Here, good journalism requires proper representation and an unbiased report. This act act clearly didn’t represent all sides, as some Iraqi’s do appreciate Bush and the United States effort, nor could it be considered even close to unbiased.
Aside from dramatically issuing Bush the most offensive insult the Middle East holds in its culture, could this have been an act of nationalism? Journalists in the US strive for unbiased reporting. But is there an area where a bias towards your own country is allowed? I wouldn’t say this is the case in this particular circumstance, but is there a time and place where a bias might be seen as loyalty?
More Unneccessary Information?
Looking for a tall, dark and handsome male? 6 foot tall Polo is bilingual, good-natured and searching for a female companion. Polo is truly the last of his kind.
Literally.
Polo is a gorilla, the last gorilla in India.
Vijay Ranjan Singh, the director at Polo’s zoo, has been unsuccessfully writing letters to find a companion for Polo. As gorillas are highly endangered across the globe, Zoo keepers in other nations are reluctant to relinquish the few gorillas they do have.
At first when I read the AP’s coverage of Polo’s plight in the Daily Universe, I was annoyed at the editor’s choice to include a story about a lonely gorilla when they have limited space to devote to international news as it is. However, I realized news isn’t obligated to focus purely on war, corruption and poverty. This article is about an important animal interest issue: the endangerment of gorillas and how lack of cooperation will act as a catalyst in the extinction of gorillas.
But the funny thing is that Polo isn’t even native to India. He made the trip in 1995 from Ireland and has been alone since 2000 when his companion passed away. So is this news more important and pressing than the war and poverty that goes on in roughly 200 other countries in the world?
LA Times protecting Obama or a source?
Should the LA Times release a tape that could potentially crush Obama’s chances of the Presidency?
At a party in 2003, former PLO spokesman Rashid Khalidi recited a poem citing the terrorism of Israel. Obama’s reaction is unknown. In April, the LA Times reported the tape, saying Obama had spoken up and called for finding “commonground” on the issue. McCain is now skeptical and news stations are demanding that the Times releases the tape.
Is the Times taking the high road and defending a source, having promised they wouldn’t release the tape? Are they waiting for 100% verification on the legitimacy of the tape, knowing releasing the tape six days before the election would shatter Obama’s chance at the Presidency? Or are they covering for Obama, having endorsed his campaign?
Original story in the Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamamideast10apr10,0,1780231,full.story
tMarie 