Thursday, July 29, 2004

I am not a fan of the RIAA.  For the past few decades, they have complained, whined, and otherwise stated the case (such as it is) that they are victims of piracy, illegal use and other "bad things."  In the Internet age, they have sounded the trumpets and are going after copyright violators that "share" files online.  Some artists have joined the call (you know who they are) while others have laughed and pushed their music to the web in defiance of the RIAA and the market machine of the record companies. The question is what is going on? Well, I hate to say it's obvious - but it is.  The RIAA is fighting their own stupidity.  Why would they do anything that would prevent the exposure of new music to new markets?  Who knows, but they are.  And I have to wonder if payola is not back in vogue (no not the band...).  I present the following case - there are two new albums out (ironically they are both by Canadians, but neither artist is obscure).  One is by k.d. lang - her new album is called Hymns of the 49th Parallel.  I went to a major retailer this afternoon to buy it and the sales person said, and I quote "We don't carry her."  Seems that 1) I was the second person today to ask about the album and 2) it received rave reviews in the Washington Post this week (which is almost unheard of).  Now why would this retailer NOT carry it?  OK, so maybe she is a little obscure.  Rush also has a new album out this week called Feedback and it is a compellation of covers they have released.  Now Rush is on tour at the moment and they are coming to the area later in August.  Rush's album is on the shelves but there isn't really a lot of press on it (XM is doing a nice run of 420 Rush songs on their Boneyard channel - XM41).  At least one of the new albums out this week made it to the shelves. But this brings me back to my original question?  Why, with two albums, essentially of covers, is one on the shelves and one not?  If you can figure this out, you are smarter than I am. 7:43:05 PM    comment []

PeopleSoft misses lowered Q2 revenue forecast. CEO Craig Conway struck a defiant note in a conference call with analysts, praising PeopleSoft's performance amid what he sees as Oracle's successful efforts to disrupt his company's business. [Computerworld News] Mr. Conway should worry more about making sure his product is functional and less about pointing blame at Oracle.  It is a joke in the industry that v8 of PeopleSoft was there most tested release...as a former engineer working on it, I want to know who tested it so I can make sure they never do it again, they have no idea how to test software. 5:15:36 PM    comment []

Microsoft delays 64-bit Windows, Windows Server update. Microsoft is pushing back the two versions of Windows with 64-bit support and the service pack so it can test the software with Windows XP Service Pack 2, a significant update to Windows XP that is due next month. [Computerworld News] I must be reading this wrong - Microsoft actually delaying a project in favor of a patch?  Wow...quick, how many moons are in the sky? 5:09:05 PM    comment []

E-voting debate shifts focus to reliability, accessibility. E-voting system malfunctions and problems with features designed to help disabled Americans vote have led to a flurry of activity this week by organizations concerned about the larger issues of system reliability and usability. [Computerworld News] You have to read this - if you thought Florida and the issue of hanging chads had gone away...in this case, it seems like a series of electronic machines crashed in Miami-Dade and all the votes were lost...and this is a surprise? 5:07:29 PM    comment []

Stepping on Big Brother's Toes. A British group announces 'winners' in its contest to identify the groups that have done the most to invade personal privacy in the United Kingdom -- including the U.S. government. By Michelle Delio. [Wired News] Oh, some of these are fun.  For instance: But Privacy International opted to make an exception this year by including in the U.K. awards a U.S. initiative, US-Visit. This security program requires that most foreign visitors traveling to the United States on a visa have their index fingers digitally scanned and a digital photograph taken, so that immigration officers can verify their identity before the visitors are allowed entry into the United States. Bruce Cockburn has a song called The Trouble with Normal and the lyrics go something like this: Suddenly it's repression, moratorium on rights What did they think the politics of panic would invite? Person in the street shrugs -- "Security comes first" But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse which I seem to be humming these days... Want some others?  OK, Most Appalling Project was awarded to Britain's National Health Service electronic medical records program, which aims to computerize patient records in a way that some have protested is insecure and will compromise patient privacy. You have to read the article for the runner-up - Vodefone. I have to look around and see if there is one for the United States...problem is that it is probably classified under the Patriot Act.  But it is a really cool trophy! 5:00:59 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 David Lane.