Monthly Archives April 2007

Toilets on Fire

‘Fortunately, nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out and there were no injuries,’ Tanaka said. ‘The fire would have been just under your buttocks.’

Ouch. I don’t know how they’re making toilets in Japan, but tossing electricity into the mix seems like a bad idea.

(Via Topix.net.)

Don Imus

I think the most amazing thing about the Don Imus ruckus is that anyone heard his comments. I’ve tried to sit through his show a couple of times over the past few years and it was painfully dull. I only tuned in because I was bored. Or so I thought. His [...]

But They Shouldn’t Have To Do that

Gruber at Daring Fireball writes:

There’s a difference between throwing new hires at a late project . . . and allocating the OS team the resources it needs. OS X is being asked to do far more – powering both iPhone and Apple TV while continuing its role as a desktop and server OS for the [...]

VMware Beta 3 Observations

stuffonfire has some observations regarding VMware’s Beta 3. I’ve been using Parallels for a while, but since I use VMware at the office, I’m keeping an eye on this. So far, it looks like it might be a winner.

Ethics and Shiny Badges

O’Reilly started it, the New York Times plastered it on the front page, Jarvis is dead-on and Gruber has the cliff notes version.

I just hope this doesn’t turn into another old media (newspaper, teevee news) vs. new media (blo-go-sphere) debate. Damn. Too late.

When will this debate qualify as “old and busted”?

(Via Daring Fireball.)

Mark St. John, RIP.

Mark St. John, former guitarist for KISS and White Tiger, passed away this morning. He was 51. I don’t have words to express how sad I am about this.

(Via BraveWords.com .)

Doug Supernaw

For those who live outside Texas, the name Doug Supernaw might not mean much beyond his hits Reno and Don’t Call Him Daddy. For those inside Texas and in-the-know, he was once a burgeoning legend … and then he disappeared. It seems he’s fallen on hard times. Sad.

Korn is Crumbling

First Welch, the guitarist, leaves. Now they’ve lost their drummer. Too bad.

Google Desktop and Caching

Google Desktop finally makes its debut on the Mac. While I haven’t installed it, the following is more than enough to keep me from it for a while. Brian at Hackszine.com notes:

. . . I ran the test again with a file called “morerandomgobbledygook,” deleting it after I created it and confirmed that [...]

That Price Increase

Now that the initial joy regarding EMI’s decision to (at least partially) ditch DRM has faded, some people are up-in-arms about the price increase. Engadget started it yesterday. Lefsetz too. $0.99 DRM vs. $1.29 non-DRM per song.

As I mentioned yesterday, I think the pricing structure makes it apparent that DRM decreases the [...]

Not Easy Enough?

Bob Lefsetz wrote:

Well you might say that if DRM is removed, you can buy the tracks ANYWHERE! But then you’ve got to import them into your iTunes library. Believe me, I’m on the phone with the computer-illiterate, this is a baffling enterprise to so many.

I don’t understand what’s so difficult about drag-and-drop. [...]

Joel Brodsky, RIP

Blabbermouth reports:

The Associated Press reports that Joel Brodsky, whose photography was featured on hundreds of music album covers, including the 1974 self-titled debut for the rock band KISS, has died at age 67, his daughter said.

Music Freed, Waterhouse Still Stupid

Our concern is of course that it’s Apple and [the] iTunes Music Store [that] should be addressing the issue of record companies and DRM themselves if it needs to be addressed – and as we’ve stated earlier it’s iTunes Music Store that’s providing a service to the consumers and therefore has the responsibility to offer [...]

EMI Drops DRM on iTunes

The Wall Street Journal breaks the news before the big EMI/Steve Jobs presentation. EMI will be selling much of it’s catalog through iTunes without DRM. No word yet on whether prior purchases can be converted or if iTunes will begin selling DRM-free music for those labels and artists who don’t want it.

Update via [...]