"Dubbed "The Internet Radio Fairness Act," the bill would exempt from royalties any business that makes less than $6 million in annual revenue, a group that would include the vast majority of online radio stations unaffiliated with a larger Internet or broadcasting company."

I would think this should help Jazz 88's efforts to get our Webcast back.

And here's the BS from those wanting to snuff out any creativity and personal communication that comes from exposure to and love of music...

"Congress should not legislate that creators forego their income so that Webcasters can maintain business models that have not proven themselves able to succeed in the free market," said John Simson, executive director of SoundExchange, a group sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America and formed to distribute royalties to labels and artists. "These Webcasters are businesses. Why shouldn't they pay fair market value for the music which is the very core of that business?"

9:20:02 AM    comment []  Google It!  

Dave gives us all a little back-pat as he points us to Williams Safire's blog realization in the Sunday NY Times Magazine:

"...gossips like an old-fashioned party line, but most information seekers and opinion junkies will go for reliable old media in zingy new digital clothes. Be that as it may (a phrase to avoid the voguism that said), the noun blog is a useful addition to the lexicon."

9:08:26 AM    comment []  Google It!  

Some interesting tools and concepts to get the key project players (including IT when a strategic infrastructure issue is involved, like a platform migration, thinks me) to agree on the project drivers before anything else is done. Here' the impact of one simple "sliders" tool that has stakeholders rank what success means:

"...sliders facilitate communication and expose hidden agendas because stakeholders have to agree on slider placement. "If you can't get an agreement from critical stakeholders, walk away," Thomsett says."

Some interesting things here. Especially on how to quickly figure out if this is a project to do. Some of those "first meeting" things to do and talk about. So key for us to determine scope, etc. quickly and make decisions for moving forward.

That kind of inspires me to create a Customer First Meeting ideas story. Those things that need to be taken care of in the first meeting with a customer or stakeholder.

And add Computerworld to my RSS Subscriptions (also in my right navigation).
7:35:08 AM    comment []  Google It!  

Art: Do the kids seem more aware not than they did years ago?

Monk: I don't know. I was aware of all this when I was a little babyd, fix, six or seven years old; I was aware of how the cops used to act. It looked like the order of the day was for the cops to go out and callall the kids black bastards. Anything you did, if you ran or something, they called you black bastards.

Art: That was their favorite lick.

Monk: Yeah, I remember that; it was the first thing that came out of their mouth.

Art: I consider myself luck to have survived.

Monk: Sure you're lucky to have survived, you're lucky to survive every second. You're facing death at all times. You don't know where it's going to come from.

And there's lots of Jazz, to be expected. These are peers talking. The kind of conversations we wished we could have with musicians. That's why I think I picked it up, because they are so conversational and that's what I'm trying to get at when I interview Jazz-folk on the show.

The other night this question came to me: Where are the tapes? Art recorded these interviews and wouldn't that be killer for the show?! To be able to play some of these to illustrate Jazz points. And just to get a feel for a musician. The possibilities. Will start with where we usually do: at Google.
7:19:39 AM    comment []  Google It!  

Saw Men in Black II last night (missed Minority Report and kind of got stuck with MIBII in a desparate never-get-out-kind-of-decision). Lots of chuckles sprinkled about the flick and a greater proportion of wierd alien creations. And the always cute Lara Flynn Boyle flaunted a much more uplifting (uplifted) side of herself.

One very funny scene has the MIBs fighting some particularly bad law breaking space thugs. K is meeting metal when attempting to nail one in the nuts with a swift kick. The problem is quickly solved with Agent J's explanation,

"He's a Ballchinian!"

6:57:10 AM    comment []  Google It!  

Things to do today: Lots of laundry. Entertain the kids (and what a show that is on the weekends). Drop the dry cleaning. Get Starbucks.

"What a world, what a life - I'm in love."
6:44:25 AM    comment []  Google It!