God knows the world doesn't need another travel site. However there is an exception:Trip.com is the exception in my book. Over the past several months since its launch I've watch with anxious anticipation to see how this bunch at Trip.com have progresses in rolling out and moving the site along into one of the most functional and enjoyable travels sites online.
Most of you travel warriors know the real reason we normally visit a travel site it to check flights, prices and make reservations. Trip's new interface is wonderful. Why? Because-- The main reasons we visit a travel sight are right up front, where we can get to them quickly and with less work than 85% of the other sites.
Features like the Condo rentals and the Last Minute Trips give those of us who don't always have planning time to book a full blown vacation can go and try our luck at finding something we'd enjoy. Recently I found a wonderful condo rental in Palm Springs that I never knew about for 1/2 the going rate. We will be visiting them soon.
However the soft spot in my heart on Trip.com is for Flight Tracker. This is where you can go to make sure someone who's coming in is really off the ground and headed your way... before you have to play games with the airlines, because it offers a real live-time picture of where the flight is at that point in time. For those of us who live in excess of 30-40 miles from an airport, it helps us plan our day... or night so we can pick up our visitors or family members with little problem.
Which reminds me-- my cousin's due in at 9:45 PM tonight. I wonder if her flight's left Chicago yet? Nope. Trip's Flight Tracker says she's still on the ground at Midway. God I love this thing! It saves me so much time!
5:15:23 PM
The Devil's in The Details: Intellectual Property and the Internet
This is a collection of what's been happening over the past several days in the Intellectual Property - Internet World.
US Dept of Commerce: "On July 17, 2002, the Technology Administration will host a Public Workshop on Digital Entertainment and Rights Management. This Workshop will bring together leaders from the information technology and content industries to address the status of technical standards that provide the framework necessary to enable legitimate digital media distribution and the present state of strengths, weaknesses and availability of current and imminent technological solutions to protect digital content, barriers that are inhibiting movies, music and games from coming online. In preparation for this workshop, the Technology Administration invites public comment." We need to get the REAL PUBLIC to comment on this now.
Rep. Rick Boucher chided the music industry in his keynote speech from Jupiter's PlugIn conference. He spoke about multiple anti-customer initiatives, CD protection, DMCA, copyright extensions, etc. He rightly pointed out that all the technical and legal efforts are actually only serving to push people toward free file-sharing services.
Of course, Hilary Rosen, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America disagrees. Why am I getting the opinion Rosen is so disconnected from the artists and the customers, she is hopeless? Or is she a victim of her own PR? Jenny's got a good opinion on the situation here.
Doc has asked the question: Do these webcasting fees only apply to acts signed to RIAA labels?The answer to this is actually not well known, but something I "found" during the Town Hall Webcast on CARP-- Sound Exchange was formed by the RIAA as a non-profit agency of the RIAA to act as a designated "agent" for the industry. Sound Exchange/RIAA made some arrangement with the Library of Congress to be named (designated) Agent to receive the CARP funds for all artists. It was also stated that Sound Exchange would be charged with the mission of trying to find every artist or their estate who was entitled to received the fees. This included artists who were unsigned with any record company/label, minus a percentage for handling the transaction, of course.
This leads me to ask two questions: 1. How much effort will Sound Exchange make to "find" the unsigned artists? 2. How long will the LOC allow Sound Exchange to sit on undistributed fees (earning interest of course) before they get to keep it? Or give it back to the LOC?
As I reported earlier Time Warner Cable in NYC is sending nastygrams to cable customers who are sharing their WiFi with their friends and neighbors. Who in the hell appointed AOL/TW god this month? Oh yeah, these are the wizkids who told us it was "stealing" to not watch the commericals when we Tivo shows. Tell 'em to go to hell. [See Mary Lu bite the hand that feeds used to feed her.]
John Robb's quote: Did a Time Warner VP really say this?
"By having an open transmission, it leaves you really vulnerable," Digeso said. "If you have a Wi-Fi connection in a public park, what would stop, God forbid, a child pornographer or, God forbid, a terrorist using that network?
Yep. And AOL used to get worried to when Steve Case opened his mouth in public, because it would come back to bite them in the butt. Looks like they have something new to worry about.
2:45:23 PM
Vivendi Universal To Allow Music File Burning And the music companies said they weren't interested in allowing customers to burn their own CD's...
Even as media conglomerate Vivendi Universal struggles with its corporate issues, the company's music arm announced that it would work with its digital music operation to offer subscription music downloads, reports Reuters.
Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company, said it would offer the content of about 1,000 of its albums, primarily from its back catalog, through EMusic.com, a unit of Vivendi Universal Net USA.
The titles from Universal Music would be integrated into EMusic's service, which offers unlimited access to over 200,000 songs in the standard MP3 format for anywhere from $9.99 to $14.99 per month.
EMusic subscribers gain full rights to burn the files they have downloaded onto CDs or to transfer them to portable music players, as opposed to some other subscription music services, which place restrictions on how and where the files can be transferred and used.
1:39:45 PM
Drug News
John Robb's Radio Weblog is reporting that in this issue of the NewScientist. Alzheimer drug donepezil significantly boosts memory for healthy people too (funny that they tested the drug on pilots). Bet this drug is going to make the rounds at Universities (if it isn't already). Another small step towards intelligence amplification (IA).
It all ready rampid on some campus. I'd personally like to see how people with the genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's within a family do on this drug.
Women are you taking hormone replacement therapy? If so, listen up. The NIH has flat-out canceled the major study of estrogen-progestin combination replacement hormones because the study was showing the risks that far outweigh the few benefits. It appears the hormones harm, not protect, the heart — they actually increase previously healthy women's risk of a heart attack by 29 percent and a stroke by a stunning 41 percent.[Lovely! This is great if you come from a line of genetically predisposed line of females with cardiac problems.] They also increase women's chances of breast cancer by 26 percent.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which makes Prempro and other estrogen supplements, have stated the main reason women start hormone therapy is to relieve hot flashes, night sweats or vaginal problems. [Okay I can live with that vs. a heart attack.]
A little disclosure: the other half is a Clinical Pharmacist and I used to be a Clinical Laboratory Specialist, the following is personal opinion based on my background: Women who are on Prempro or any of the estrogen-progestin hormone combo drugs should contact their doctor immediately. ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY HISTORY OF CARDIAC PROBLEMS OR BREAST CANCER. In reading the study notes from the NIH, it appears the major heart attack problems are more likely to show up in the first year of taking the drug.
"Opinions are like [bleep], Everybody has one." I don't know who said it. But in LA it is true. In the current National Review an LAPD officer who writes under the pseudonym Jack Dunphy exercises his "common sense" point of view about the shootings by Hadayet at the El Al counter at LAX on July 4th. Common sense in LA is an oxymoran. Dunphy also points out the standard political and media circus we in LA are subjected to everytime there is an event that goes national. It's honestly worth the read.
I find most of the LA media to be a group of politically-too-correct hacks who can't even bear to ask about the ethic origin of the shooter. Considering everything that happened since September 11 our scared shitless political officials can't bear to call the shooting an act of terrorism. Why? Because it might cost them money to do the job the public expects to protect us. The reality check is LAX World Airports and the city of Los Angeles aren't interested in spending the extra cash necessary to protect the public. It's a pity they can't call it like it is.
Until they get their act together-- I won't be traveling via LAX.
I Love Flight Tracker on Trip.com
