Nosce te ipsum

Portable Media Center Is the Wrong Choice For Nontechie Users

A good read today on the Wall Street Journal from Walt Mossberg about the new Portable Media Center that Microsoft and others are all excited about. You can read Walt's column here.

What I've always liked about Walt is that he really does seem to call it like he sees it. It's not usual for him to be bashing Bill Gates one week and complaining about Steve Job's latest product.

Personally, I think this type of device really does have a future and just like any other 1.0 technology, there is a lot of work to be done. The thing I see as a challenge here is content. When you look at the iPod phenomena, everyone already has a ton of music that they can digitize and put on their iPod (or least until they discover Podcasting) - but when it comes to portable video devices, you have to go get the content, or try and burn your dvd's to the device and such, all of which is on some pretty shaky legal ground not to mention considerably time consuming technically. I don't have a need for such a device but I am looking forward to see thing technology develop in the coming years and hopefully it doesn't end up being some totally DRM hardened piece of garbage the way that WMA files are starting to go. Then again, it depends on the use - if you child wants to take their cartoons in the car with them, great - but I don't really feel all that excited about watching a movie on a screen that small. Just because you can - doesn't mean you should.

Like so many things these days, it's just such a crazy time of flux where rules are being challenged similar to how the introduction of the VCR all those years ago put fear in the hearts of the media giants thinking it would utter ruin them - now it's a multi-billion dollar a year part of their business. Perhaps someday we'll learn from our past and realize that change can be a good thing, a really good thing that if we accept it instead of fear it - we'll all be much better off.

Happy day indeed - 2600 Editor Emmanuel Goldstein had the charges completely dropped. What was really interesting about this whole ordeal is that Emmanuel, being an indy media person - was able to capture this entire event on video and audio tape as it unfolded - giving us some insights into what really went down on August 31st in NYC as the Republican National Convention took place a couple blocks away. I've got a great deal of respect for anyone who can go through something like this while remaining strong enough to fight against such an injustice.

Ironically, the City actually used his video to try and prove their claims and in every case so far, it's pretty much back fired on them.

If you are not familiar with Emmanuel, you can check out his magazine 2600 at your local bookstore, or listen to the free web audio archives of his two weekly radio shows.

Off The Hook airs every Wednesday night at 7:00 PM EST in New York City on listener supported WBAI 99.5 FM.

Off The Wall airs every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM EST on WUSB 90.1 FM, "Long Island's largest non-commercial, free-form radio station."

I find it really refreshing to be able to hear someone like Emmanuel be given a voice in the middle of the FM dial in NYC - some pretty prime radio real estate.

What's scary about this whole ordeal, and it really does sound like something you'd read in the infamous book 1984. Can you imagine just walking down the streets of your own City, seeing a crowd gathering peacefully and moving in for a closer look. No harm is being done - they are all exercising their rights to peaceful assembly when all the sudden, the police form around you and literally start arresting everyone in site. Only the people with officially sanctioned press passes (read: you work for MAJOR network, NOT indy media) are allowed to leave, everyone else is rounded up. Not to be too graphic because I totally realize it's not the same extreme but this reminds me of another time in another place.

If you think this kind of stuff doesn't happen here, think again (and listen to the taped recordings of this event). What's even worse is that it appears the city of NY knew in advance that they were going to just be issuing mass arrests - just in order to get these people off the streets and not bother the folks over at the RNC (God forbid!). They knew there would likely be many lawsuits, but that insurance policy should come in handy. When the dust finally settled, the charges were dropped and he was free to go but I have to wonder even a person of Emmanuel's' beliefs as strong as they are, how likely do you think he ever will be to attend another protest. He didn't even participate in the event and it completely turned his world upside down - sure seems like intimidation pure and simple. Make it so these people who dare voice their opinions suffer some pretty heavy consequences and next time, there will be much less of them protesting anything. Of course, I hope the opposite is true which is why I support Emmanuel for fighting this all the way though (and winning) - and also, volunteering so much time to help testify for others who were also arrested. This is the kind of guy we all wish we had as a friend - someone who would really have your back when the chips were down.

Emmanuel, I've very happy for the result and your courage to fight for what's right is inspiring in a time where so many people couldn't be bothered. Reminds me of one of a great quotes:

H. L. Mencken: I believe that liberty is the only genuinely valuable thing that men have invented, at least in the field of government, in a thousand years. I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free, even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air [^] that progress made under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress, and of no permanent value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave.