Thursday, September 19, 2002

Watch out! the audicons are coming. This time Irish whimsy goes too far [The Register] Not being of the tex generation I find texing fiddly and annoying although I can see certain attractions. But this story from ElectricNews is about attaching audio items to SMS messages, which seems like a complete waste of time and bandwidth. Pre-packaged sounds (like canned applause on TV) - why would you want it? 10:18:56 AM

Rights issue rocks the music world.. USA Today: Rights issue rocks the music world. Too bad these musicians don't grow brains before they get screwed. I don't think this comment from Hack the Planet is very kind - for years the record companies have used the enthusiasm of new musicians against them. Whatever drives the creative urge to make music and share it - it's like a primordial instinct that won't be put down. And the record companies use and abuse this instinct, driving ludicrous financial and copyright agreements with hopeful musicians. The internet makes it possible for musicians to take ownership of their creative destiny - do like Prince, shun the industry and sell direct online. Lots of issues to be dealt with, such as getting exposure and airplay - but these are creative people and I'm sure they will find creative solutions. 10:12:49 AM

Learning Ethics From Those Who Are Missing Them. Plastic::Etcetera::School: UC's Tom Campbell, a former criminal attorney, has begun a program at the Haas School for MBA students which can be described as 'Scared Straight for Business Students' Given the cost of third level education in the US it amazes me that students are prepared to spend some of that expensive time in prison. In the not so professional classes of Cork, college is the local euphemism for prison and we've all heard about the values of attending the university of life. Prison is the best training ground around for criminals - what do you think the students will learn from the experience? The issue of ethics in business is the same as the issue of ethics in life. You either cop on to what's right and wrong when you're a kid or you don't. When our societies were dominated by christian beliefs it was easier to inculcate basic moral principles. Without the rigid frameworks of catechism and bible a lot of teachers and parents seem to be at a loss as to how to provide some moral yardsticks. Why, I don't know - simple truths such as show some respect for others and yourself tend to do the trick. 9:56:41 AM

Two flaws embitter Microsoft's Java. The software giant advises users to upgrade their Windows operating system to nix two critical vulnerabilities that could give hackers control of PCs. [CNET News.com] It's a full time job keeping up with the flaws in the world's most popular software, ain't it. Chances are most home users won't even be aware of this issue until they are blacklisted because their computer has been sending out spam. I still haven't resolved my lan issues and now I've to cope with upgrading the java virtual machine. 9:41:42 AM