Linking Up

2003-02-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't been posting much.. oh well... I'll give you folks an update. I've been going to the weekly Magic tournaments. Today's was a legions draft... I ran a goblin deck... the only deck I lost a match to today was a sliver deck.. and even then the only game he lost today was against me.. kinda tells me something.

Anyway, out of all the weekly tournaments i've gone to in the last 3 months, I've only place higher than 3rd/4th in one of them.. three-quarters of the rest i got 3rd/4th. I need some better play partners. The people I usually play with are slightly below my ability, so it helps them some if they are learning something on playing the game, but it slows down my learning curve...Well... something will work out.

Toodleoo for now.

2003-02-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Cougar

What Is Your Animal Personality?
brought to you by Quizilla

2002-12-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Condiment Packet Museum

Just so you know... April doesn't have the monopoly of weird posts in the family.

2002-12-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hmm... haven't been here in a while... I have been busying myself playing a game. One that I played years ago.....

It's one of those addictive things. The game is Magic: The Gathering. Yes, I'm one of those freaks. So, I'll try to post here a little more often, but beware, lest ye find yourself lost amidst unfamiliar terms.

:)

2002-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

A TAN Dragon Lies Beneath!

I took the Inner Dragon online quiz and found out I am a Tan Dragon on the inside. My Inner Dragon is the true draconic magic-user. Tans have been all but forgotten in popular literature, but that suits them just fine. They're slightly shy and spend most of their time in impassable mountain valleys. When feeling brave or adventurous, Tans use their shape-shifting ability to blend in with society. Given a choice, however, Tans still much prefer to be left to their own devices.

I like to spend time devising new and interesting spells, and counting my gigantic treasure. My favorable attributes are longevity, security, magic, and reverence for life. To top it off, my breath weapon is a curious mix of Fire and Air. Just tell folks to watch out, like all Tans I've got a seriously short temper!

2002-11-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

theworldlink.com - Serving the Great South Coast of Oregon

At times like this, it's hard to say what exactly happened. The OSHA investigation will likely be inconclusive. I can say one thing for sure though. I don't think that it was the fault of the training of the three men who died or of faulty exquipment. You see, Chuck, (one of those who died) worked with me at Wal-Mart. He was on the safety commitee, and one of the most outspoken members. Normally he was a very quiet and personal person. He kept things to himself, but it had anything to do with the safety of our shoppers or fellow employees, he was all over it. I don't think he liked the idea of anyone getting hurt. Period.

Anyway, he used to be our loss prevention person also. So I know that he was a very law abiding and regulation following kind of person. Moral I guess you would say.

Personal services for Chuck are being held this Saturday as 1 PM at the First Church of the Nazerene on Broadway.

In Memorium Chuck Hanners 2002

2002-11-17T08:09:00.000-08:00

I found this today just bopping around following links. It would appear this guy has done a good bit of research and made some of it availible to others to peruse. A word of caution. While the quiz isn't completely accurate, it can help you refine your view of your own spirituality.

2002-11-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

One of my very good friends is getting married today. I hope things work out as well for him as they have for April and myself.

I honestly don't know.. I've only met her twice... and even then not long enough to even have a conversation with her. (yes, to me, conversation is the most important part of any relationship. If you can't have a good conversation, then you won't get along in the long run.)
Anyway, I wish them both the best of luck.

2002-11-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

I am a Redhat.

I'm too much of a geek to be a genuine hat of any sort. I was hoping my result would be 'white-hat' or 'black-hat', and am disappointed that those results weren't even available. I probably think the cup-holder story is funny. What Sort of Hat Are You?

no.. I didn't cheat

2002-11-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this morning about the phrase "anal retentive". It's usually used to describe someone as being overly detail oriented. Retention .

Hmm.. must mean they are full of shit.

2002-11-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Well, for what it's worth, I was also on the internet 10 years ago. Difference is that it was through a UNIX shell at my community college. AS far as fees go. It cost $25 to get the web access as well as IRC. That was per semester. Yeah, it wasn't graphical or anything, but that wasn't the point to me... it was about the information. It still is.. but it's so much harder to find when mixed in with all the graphics. And yeah, my search engine that I used was Yahoo. Cause it rocked. Alta Vista was still in it's infancy so was still only somewhat useful. Yeah, I know that yahoo didn't encompass the whole internet, just a small section. Heck, even google now only covers a small section.

By the way, the computer I used to use (up until about 1997 or so) to get on the internet was a 386 with 16 megs of ram, a 500 megabyte hard drive, cdrom, 14.4k modem, Soundblaster 16, DOS 6.22, Windows 3.11, and of course for my telecom program I used Procomm Plus 2.0.

Okay, so maybe more info than you wanted to know, but hey, I get to geek out sometimes.

2002-10-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

Nope, I'm not blogging right now.... deal with it.

2002-10-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

NCSLnet Search Results: Partisan Composition of State Legislatures

You'll have to take this for now. I promise I will post my opinion on these before too long, but for some reason I've been way passive in my browsing for the last week.

2002-10-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm in love! It's Nirvana!!!

2002-10-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

Just got the Oregon Voters Pamphlet (Volume 1 of 2) today.

I'll post my views on each of the measures in the coming days. It'll help me get a better picture in my mind my opinions on each one.

2002-10-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

April notes our differences in absorbtion of information from the same source. We are married, spend a lot of time together, and know each other better than anyone else in the world. But the big difference between us is that we developed different filtering mechanisms for media.

In other words, we think differently. I'm not going to get into the whole nature vs. nurture argument, but I think a lot of that has to do with the things that we experienced growing up, and the type of media that we were exposed to. It's something that people forget. From the exact same piece of information, people come to different conclusions.

The thing about people is that you never know enough about them to predict totally what they think about something. We can guess, and that guess is colored by our own past experiences. (yeah, rose colored glasses count)

Anyway, hopefully in all your dealings with other people you take that into consideration. They are unpredictable, and you are unpredictable to them. Make your plans accordingly.

2002-10-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Digital radio aims to drown out static - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

I wonder if this will turn out like the digital TV thing.

2002-10-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm... sleepy. Hard night at work last night. Things are ramping up toward the big "C" word. Not my favorite time of year to be working in retail, but it pays the bills.

Anyway, been pondering ways to do a "sketchbook" thing for the band since they have been working on original music. It helps to write music when you can try something out and hear it again to see if it works out.

Have an appointment today with a local school principle to see if the band can do something to help out the music program. Underfunding band is never a way to get kids into making their own. Then again, neither does overfunding. Most of that comes from the teacher, but if the teacher can't afford the right tools, it'll never happen, so we want to give them the chance. We'll see how my proposal goes over first though.

2002-10-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Please note the new links on the left. I don't completely agree with everything each of those sites advocate, but I do believe that the more info you gather, the better chance you have of making the right decision for you or you band. There is always time to think about the business side of your music, because if you don't, you'll be out of business. Like any other business, bands are about taking educated gambles. Sometimes they pay off and sometimes they don't. But it's up to you on how much you depend on it working out. The more you depend on it, the more likely you will be disillusioned, and that's just plain bad for your music. So.....

Get to work already.

2002-10-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

LawMeme does it again. This time it's a review of a bill proposal that would help protect fair use in the digital realm.

2002-10-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, after many years of complaining, artists finally get someone important to listen. Please note that the Senator's didn't want to have to resort to legislation (I really don't think they should) but they felt that artists HAVE been ripped off. Repeatedly and knowingly.

2002-10-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

LawMeme has a wonderful translation of the legalese of the Eldred v. Ashcroft brief filed by the petitioners. If you wanna know what's what, give it a read.

2002-10-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

This NYTimes article (login required) cronicles the demise of a promising young band. The sad part is that this is typical of the industry. There are literally hundreds of bands each year that go through the same process.

Rock and roll dreams don't come true, just the nightmares.

2002-10-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Eric Olsen on Blogcritics rips that "poor me" op-ed to pieces. Oh yeah, I love it.

2002-10-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

Someone decided to publicly post an article regarding both sides of the radio consolidation issue. I agree with their overall take. Less localization is alienating some listeners, but there will always be someone listening.

2002-09-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that the Big 5 record companies have been handed their heads by the FTC. It only took 3 years for the courts to make this ruling. It took a little less than that for most people to decide that the prices weren't coming down, so just forget about buying the mass advertised junk out there. No wonder people flocked to places like Napster. They could actually find what they wanted without paying exhobanant prices. Oh yeah, they could find out of print stuff too. Imagine that. "hey, you are stealing stuff we refuse to sell anymore, no fair"

Oh yeah, I love the part where the FTC points out the huge price barrier to competition in the whole deal. Of course the Big 5 don't want competition, it's advertising that makes the sale anyway, not quality. Oops, did I say that?

Anyway, this might help the self-promoting artists some, in that they could sell their CD's cheaper and still make good money on them, and the vendor could actually advertise them at that price. People are more willing to take chances on new music if it costs them less money to do so.

Go get em kids.

2002-09-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Finacial worries prevent me from posting. Hopefully, I don't lose my (limited) audience during the hiatus.

2002-09-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Piracy May Keep the Beat From Going On

I have a difficulty with this op-ed.

It is essentially saying "poor me". Specifically the quote "In addition, there are the technicians, session musicians, backup singers and others who play an essential role in helping to make the music you enjoy. If big-name bands and singer-songwriters start spending less time in the studio because pirates are stealing their music, these people will suffer the most."

I'm not saying that distribution of copied music is or is not piracy, that is a much larger debate, what I believe is that the music industry needs to develop a newer distribution paradigm.

The cat is out of the bag, and there is no putting it back. I believe the industry should use the technology to their advantage. DVD-audio has been pressed as a new area of development for shipment of audio. It would have a higher audio quality than cd (much like cd over tape). MP3's have the equivilent quality of tape, without the degredation over time. They could be used as advertisement, giving the audience a taste of what's to come.

(if you don't believe me, check out Beck's website and tell me if you would or would not be willing to buy his album based on what you hear)

On the other hand, the industry is in need to a change because of internal problems: "hit-making", big budgets, artists looking for the "rock star lifestyle".

Some of those people mentioned in the above article will possibly suffer repercussions of an industry shift, but not all of them. The industry won't collapse. Music is too much part of our culture for that. The sad part is that under the current system, it's the artists themselves who suffer the most, and not many people in the general public know about it.

An example is the current "pay-for-play" scheme of the larger clubs in the L.A. area. The artist get booked in a club to perform a show. In order to make any money, the artist must purchase the tickets from the club, and sell them themselves (or sub-contract a ticket reseller) and advertise. Regardless of how many people actually purchase the tickets from the band, the club has made their money already (plus any purchases of beverages made once the people get there for the show).

On the surface this would make sense to many people. A big name or up-and-coming band would be able to sell their tickets for a profit (maybe), but what about developing or new bands? It's like the standard catch-22: Can't get a job without experience, can't get experience without a job.

So it's not fair that some people are stealing. Life's not fair, learn to deal with it.

2002-09-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

The gig the band did yesterday went wonderfully. Everyone involved was happy with the outcome.

The previous band did not go over well with the crowd or the vendors (it was a festival so the focus was on the vendors rather than the entertainment). They used swear words and were far too aggresive for the event, despite the fact that the person booking the event make it very apparant that it was to be a family event, and that it should be conducted as such. The result of that was that there was more pressure on the band to hold to that agreement. The vendors were gunshy because they wanted people shopping, and the agressive music is not conducive to said activity. The promoter was gunshy because he had gotten burned by the previous band and wanted to make sure that he didn't make another mistake. The band wanted their music to be heard.

We arrived at 1PM, about the time that the other band was getting off the stage, so we didn't have a chance to hear any of their music. As some of us were getting set up (and the other band was tearing their stuff down) the other band members were hanging out with the other band and talking. (It's a musician thing. There are connections there that can't be ignored.) From that, the vendors (and the audience) probably thought that they actually knew each other. (which they did in some cases, but not in a while and never in either groups current configurations)

AFter our band played the first 2 songs of their first set, we were asked by one of the members of the commitee running the affair and a police officer (???) to turn it down. I (since I was running the sound board) made some adjustments to the PA mix to make it less "boomy". Perception is everything in the business and to the listeners, loud isn't volume, it's other factors that they don't know about. It was my job to keep everyone happy with their listening experience.

Note: I didn't actually turn it down.

There wasn't another complaint about the volume (except one guy who said that he couldn't hear the vocals very clearly any more, but he was outside the area that we were told our audience was supposed to be).

Total there were more than 200 people who stayed and listened for more than 3 songs, about 75 that stayed for more than half the show, and 25-30 that stayed through an entire set. (there were 4 sets)

Apparantly, the vendors were happy because many of them stayed until 5:30 (presumibly to pick up a few more sales from those listening). The coordinator (who booked the bands) was very happy with the performance. (many aspects of it actually, including the music selections themselves, and the demeanor in which the challenges were handled) He was pretty much redeemed in his choice of bands. (people will blame the previous band for their bad calls rather than him)

After the show, back at the band house, I was made a "member of the band". To me, that is a managers position. (band managers have varying duties, depending on the relationship they have with the band itself)

Lots of things were discussed. The directions the banded wanted to go musically, visually, and where they wanted to play in the future. One thing for sure, we now have a great reference to use when booking. The coordinator expressed interest in working with the band in the future (he is a member of the city council, coordinate several of the events put on by the city, and has expressed a desire to involve the cities youth in safe (non-drug/alcohol-related) entertainment (which this city is sorely lacking)).

The band was very happy with their performance too. Conditions were rough (it was hot), but didn't deter them from giving their best effort. And they were happy with the crowd (it was hot, and in front of the stage was a large area that didn't get any shade through the entire day).

The memory of this gig will absolutely make up for the bad gigs that will undoubtedly come up in the future.

Ta Ta For Now

feedback welcome

2002-09-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

April's band is playing downtown Coos Bay today.

I get to be the sound guy.

I know to most of you musicians out there, it's a neccesary evil to have on of those, but to me, it's great fun.

I believe it's a performance art in and of itself. You have to plan and react in real time to events as they come up...

It's almost like playing a video game that doesn't keep score. (those are so addictive, I swear!)

Anyway, I'll be doing this after 16 waking hours so it'll actually be work.

Have fun, report later.

2002-09-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking lately about the disconnections and misconceptions abundent in and about the music industry.

First off, let's consider what the record companies think of as their main demographic, 14-25 year olds.

These are the people that the industry wishes to sell their music to.

Many of these people have been surrounded by music most of their lives. In the car, at stores, the mall, in movies, in television, in advertising, at home while reading, studying, between classes at school. Everywhere, for free.

I think, that to them, the idea of paying for music on a cd is almost a waste of their disposable income. They get it for free, and if they can get more for free, they will do so.

The younger these people are, the more prevelent music as background has been for them.

In other words, Paying for it is alien to them.

Can this be part of the slumping sales?

"Hey, I got a copy of the new "Big Spenders" album, it's great!"

"Cool, could you make me a copy?"

"No problem."

Casual copying. The same thing that Microsoft is trying to prevent with XP's "product activation".

2002-09-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Doc Searls had a nice little squib today referring to some experience he had in the radio industry.
One point in particular I found thought provoking.

Music back then was a huge community thing. It involved the clubs, the artists, the record stores and the listeners. Our slogan was a Jackson Browne line: "Let the music keep our spirits high." Which it did.

What happened to that? The connections seem to have been lost somewhere and I don't know where.

2002-09-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

BlogTheVote2002USA OR 4

I got My first response back from the politicians I sent emails to.

This is from Dan Fitzgerald, the Libertarian canidate for US Senate for Oregon.

Dale:

Thanks for writing.

Frankly, I haven't developed a plank on copyright for this race, and I haven't yet read the decision to which you've referred. I'll try to do the research, but as you know, I'm in the height of a campaign, so I have a pretty tight schedule these days.

So, bearing in mind that I have incomplete information on the specifics to which you refer, let me tell you my general attitudes.

I believe that intellectual property is the property of the creator. This property can be sold or transferred just like any other sort of property.

I recognize that at some point, patents and copyrights should expire; it would be ludicrous for someone who held the copyrights to Euclidean Geometry, for example, to demand compensation or some ownership every time someone used a geometric shape. The descendants of the inventor of the wheel would be SOL in my court.

While I prefer the model that the Grateful Dead used, allowing people to record their concerts and freely trade them, I also have to grant Metallica and Bob Dylan their due: the music they are making is, and ought to be, theirs.

Having said that, I think that the technology has reached a state where they will probably have to find a new model. While I would be in favor of enforcing existing copyright rules, I would be against penalizing people for simply owning the capability of burning DVD's, trading on peer-to-peer, etc. I would also be against having consumer electronics designed by legislation. Also, and importantly, I would be absolutely against taking shortcuts in trying to enforce what will probably become unenforceable laws. If enforcing copyrights can only occur through such means as random searches or the hacking of private PC's by law enforcement, then it would be better to find a new paradigm.

However, I believe that that paradigm should arise from the creativity of people in a free market, not through legislation.

I hope I've answered your questions. Feel free to ask for clarification.

Regards,

Dan Fitzgerald
Libertarian for US Senate
http://www.danfitzgerald.org

"Our greatest duty in this life is to help others. And please, if you can't help them, could you at least not hurt them?" - H.H. the Dalai Lama

"When buying & selling are controlled by legislation, the first thing to be bought & sold are the legislators" - P.J. O'Rourke

Dan Fitzgerald

2002-09-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Recording Artists' Coalition Website is a musicians answer to the RIAA.

For the past 30 years (starting with the punk movement) artists have been fighting to get a fair shake. To many of them, it's about the music, and not the money, but if you are doing something that you love, shouldn't you at least be able to live on it? For the most part that is what this is about.

Keep an eye on the things that they want to do, and support them however you can, even if it is letters to your Congressman.

2002-09-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've come to a conclusion.

One of the concequences of the "information superhighway" is that anyone, anywhere can publicize thier opinions on anything and everthing. This has led to a great proliferation of opinion touting websites. (some of which are blogs)

One of the results of this is that it is much more difficult to find actual facts on a subject. (Some sites actually do use links to those facts when stating thier opinion.)

But what does this do to our overall ability to form rational decisions?

I believe that, for the most part, people have been basing thier opinions on those formed by others.

This is analagous to the "Telephone Game". I'm sure that you have played it at some time in your life. It's also known as "Gossip".

I've seen this trend, not only online, but in newspapers printing "Letters to the editor".

I'm a firm believer in opinions based on fact. If the facts aren't readily availible, then the opinion has no merit.

I've been guilty of the above myself, but I try to be self-policing. Call it due diligence.

When I feel strongly about a subject, I try to find as much evidence, both for and against, that I can. To me, if you are going to state an opinion, you should be prepared as you possibly can for a true debate. Name-calling never convinces anyone.

Just my bits of philosophy.

2002-09-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that the at the end of my work week, I'm just drained mentally. Not that my work is mentally draining. Just the opposite actually. To get through the day, I feel like I have to turn my brain off. I guess I just have a hard time getting it turned back on.

Come to think of it, I have a hard time turning it off when I get back to work after my weekend, making my first day back horribly boring.

Guh, I have a boring job, what else is new.

I want to do something that is mentally taxing, not just physically. I want problem solving on a larger scale than just figuring out how to get a little bit more freight on the shelves.

Sigh.

2002-09-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot on my mind this week, please bear with me as I sort things out.

April and I are looking for a home in the local area. One of the other band members had a proposal I am strongly considering. And I have been invited to do some commentary on something that I feel strongly about.

We'll see how things turn out. All of them.

2002-09-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums up my feelings on today's ceremonies.

2002-09-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Apparantly the Supreme Court hasn't yet ruled on Eldred v. Ashcroft. I guess you can chalk that up to my misunderstanding of preceedure in such cases. Guh.

2002-09-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

BlogTheVote2002USA OR 4

Here is the full text of the letter I plan to send to Congressional cantidates that represent my local area.
If you have suggestions for revisions please email me before 09-16-02 as that will be when I will send them.

In light of the recent Supreme Court Ruling of Eldred v. Ashcroft, I would like to ask for a clarification of your views of current copyright law. I ask, as a constituent, that you fully consider the implications on the rights of the end user regarding such proposals as the Cobel-Berman bill.

Currently, there exists a conundrum of large proportions concerning copyright scope and duration. Large media companies and technology companies (hardware and software) are at odds on how to approach and resolve this situation. Until recently, they have worked together to provide solutions that are advantageous to both parties. When cooperative resolution broke down, each moved to the legislature to seek preservation of their current business models. Such legislative action is counter to our commonly held high regard of our capitalist system as a whole. The media market is at a turning point in the distribution of its works and is reluctant to define how it is willing to make the transition. The technology industry wishes to forge ahead in development of what it sees as end user demand of tools and services at the cost of current copyright protections.

There is no easy happy medium, and legislative action in any form could cause irreparable harm to either party or the end user.

Again, I ask for a clarification of your views and stance on the current situation. Whether it be through legislative action or lack thereof, it will have lasting effect on all of your constituents.

Please respond via email, and I will post your response, in full, on my website.

Hopefully, this will provide fodder for informed decisions on the part of voters.

2002-09-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

StarPolish is another site hoping to provide advice and resources for independant and up and coming artists. I haven't yet delved into their depths, so I can't say how helpful they will be/are. But the more resources you have availible the better decisions you can make as an artist.

Or at least that's my take.

2002-09-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how much your photo artwork is worth?

2002-09-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is a step in the right direction for air security. Pilots already have a lenghty background check. The one provision from Bush that I absolutely agree with is that only the ones who volunteer to carry a weapon will carry one. So if a pilot doesn't want to, he doesn't have to.

2002-09-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

A wonderful history of the copyright debate as pertains to the current legislative efforts of the entertainment industry.

2002-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Some advice for budding artists (or at least thier lawyers) on how to handle the digital rights management side of a label contract. One point in particular I would like to point out.

New, inexpensive technology has made it possible to produce a commercial-quality music master for little or no money, burn CDs in a garage and create and print high-quality color artwork and packaging at home. Moreover, with the cost of hosting and bandwidth decreasing, artists can distribute music worldwide over the web--at a minimal cost. As a result, many artists now arrive at the shopping process with polished masters, state of the art web sites, fully packaged, ready-for-market CDs, and released MP3s.

What the artist needs in this environment is a marketing partnership, and in this evolving relationship, the major record companies may increasingly be relegated to marketing alone, and have no other function in the artist’s career. The label will be essential for publicity and promotion of the artist’s work. In a true digital partnership, the artist should be able to command as much as 50% of net profits on digital rights, which is 2 times the standard royalty rates in the old contracts.

In effect this encourages artists to self-produce. I just hope that it succeeds.

2002-09-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Doonesbury does blogging.

No... really!

2002-09-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Someone else's take on the things that I have been discussing. Take note of the opening paragraphs. Specifically this:

Artists seeking a major recording contract should seriously reconsider. It cannot be assumed that your record company will act in your best interest. Just the fact that musical artists are expected to foot the bill for the production of their music (just one of many "recoupments") should alert us to the horribly anti-artist bias prevalent in all major recording contracts.

More than anything else, that tells the tale. The artists aren't the ones to set the budget for the album, they aren't the ones who define the final sound of the album, they aren't the ones to decide who is going to have that final say either. To the label, they are nothing more than a comodity to profit from.

It's the artists themselves who need to wrest the control back for themselves. Self-production is the key to this. Of course this will lead to smaller budgets, but if you are willing to take out a mortage on your house and your car, then you are sure to make sure that you get the most for your money.

Us, the end users would benifit if we learn how to set up promotional venues for those artists. There are many with the same idea, and things are starting to come together, but we are in direct competition with the major labels, who will jealously guard thier territory.

If we do our part, things will get better, but it will take time. All the elements are there, they just need time to coalece.

2002-09-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Fun Pundit has a wonderful article about Wilco's latest album. He made some great points, however I would like to reiterate one I have made before.

The cost of entry is still prohibitively expensive for most bands to do this kind of thing.

This is where music was in the 30's and 40's, when the big record labels were getting thier start. Essentially, the labels grew because of their ability to provide both venture capital and distrobution. They began to leverage their capital into deals that cost more and more money (mostly costscreated by the record company having nothing to do with the artists representation or their artistic creation.)

What needs to happen is for the cost of production to drop enough so that a band/artist may provide such money themselves, eliminating the need of venture capital. Once that happens the labels will become nothing more than disto networks. Once they become nothing but distro networks, the bands/artists will have more bargaining power than before, because the album will already be made.

With the advent of the Internet as advertising medium. (and a cost effective one at that) that absolutely anyone can use. The artist/band need only find someone savvy enough to use it effectively. That is the thing that the labels are missing out on. They have defined it as an enemy, not as a tool.

You figure the reproduction, marketing, and distro costs coming out of the labels pocket (rather than the artists/bands as is the current model) and the label getting a 10% cut. (which is along the lines of what the artist/band gets after everything else currently)

The big problem is that the labels run up these costs and pass the bills to the band/artist. The money the band/artist is minimal, hence the label doesn't collect on the money it spent. Gee, I wonder why they want the artist/band to get thier money?

There is no other industry with books set up the way that the major record label's are. That is the one thing that needs to be redefined.

2002-09-02T03:13:00.000-07:00

It would appear that Somebody is looking to a new paradigm for hte future of recording. My thoughts are that this will essentially return to recording in the 30s and 40s. I see roving recording engineers with portable studios checking out new bands. Basically doing the A&R part themselves. This wouldn't be the majority, but I can see it happening. Partly because of one thing that I read elsewhere.
Artists know that they will make more selling 10,000 copies themselves than selling 500,000 from a major label.
The shift seems to be more in the vein of co-ops and DIY's. This will be perhaps a Good Thing.
Time will tell.

2002-09-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

Escapable Logic is a blog by Britt Blaser. Having read what he has posted I would like to add a comment to this.

As we learn how to rate tracks and films, nothing keeps an artist from self-producing and self-serving. For the first time in history, artists could be as self-serving as their producer!

Nothing, that is, except the cost of entry. In order to do high quality recording, one must first have access to high quality recording equipment and the expertise needed to use it.

Ask any band who has recorded a poor sounding demo. They might have paid $1500 for something that sounds the same as an old vinyl record. Hissy, poppy, clipped. But they can put it out and see if anyone bites. The point is, that isn't what audiophiles want. They want the fullest sound possible.

Home recording is in a similar boat. With $500 for an entry level mixer, plus another $500 for a decent recorder. Then there is the mics wich run anywhere from $50-$250 for moderate quality. Each. And then there is the need to learn how to use it. Most musicians just want to play and learning a new skill only takes time away from playing and creating music.

Until someone comes up with a new paradigm that is more cost effective, the record companies will control who gets recorded on a large scale.

That is the money that record companies complain they need to regain, not the distrobution costs, which in the case of CD's is minimal enough already.

2002-08-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

I made a comment yesterday on the AOTC site regarding a form letter to send to the office-seekers in our own districts to find out their stance on personal computer security and copyright issues. Specifically regarding software and individual user rights of data content.

April and I are trying to work on a letter likely to get a relevent response, but any input on phrasing would be appreciated. I will post the rough draft when it is availible.

2002-08-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last year for our first wedding anniversary April and I got matching tattoo's. For us it was further public demonstration of our devotion to one another.

Her's is on the back of her neck, mine is between my shoulder blades. (Not that I'm trying to hide it, but I work in the public sector and for the most part people generally don't like seeing tattoo's.)

The choice of location was important to us too. They are both where we can't see them ourselves, but we see each others. It's one way in which we can say "I love you" daily without saying a word. People need that kind of thing and this was our way of doing that.

Not only that but we just wanted some tats, and since the first wedding anniversary gift is traditionally paper, we gave the best paper we could give each other.

There is a little bit of symbology involved, but it's not too deep, but it's very personal. Not something just anybody can take from us.

She is a musician. A bass guitar player.
I'm a logical thinker. Mathematically minded.

Here's our public statement.

2002-08-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Bradbury hears privacy invasion concerns on Bend visit

Hmmm. From the looks of this article Mr. Bill might be thinking of some riders. But then again it might just be apeasment

2002-08-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so how long will it take for this to get hijacked? If all that information is availible on a wireless network, will every officer need to have an "information facilitator" at emergency sites?

2002-08-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

I guess public service like this
isn't the kind of thing the Department of Homeland Security wants. I love the last comment.

"They thought they were doing a public service," Rasch said. "What they did, at best, was exercised a monumental lack of judgment."

And to whom was he referring? The FBI or the Amy?

2002-08-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

This
is a good sign I think. I hope this will limit the scope of patents in regards to computer technology.

2002-08-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Music: Buy hard to find new and used CDs, tapes and vinyl records on GEMM

Vinyl isn't dead, just hiding out in someone's garage. Just browsing around this site, if found lots of great vinyl from one of my more obscure favorites. The Art of Noise.

Fun stuff.

Love your vinyl.

2002-08-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hmm... Just hangin today, chillin out to some Sublime.

Waiting for April to come home.

Read some more of e-sheep.com 's comics. Still just blown away. Changes in texture and format indicate mood changes, just like changing the key in the middle of a song. It's just wild.

Okay, a little more about me.

When I was in community college, I had a friend named Jill who was really into the whole music industry thing. She was into the whole local Phoenix music scene and she kind of rubbed off on me. Her interest was in publicity and advertising (not in the usual sense, in the journalism sense). I on the other hand was into the whole technical sense of the scene. She said I had the ear of a producer. I could evaluate the overall balance of the shound and make suggestions.

To that effect I took some classes at college. One was Music Business, the other was Recording engineering.

In the Music business class I learned that being a musician was also being a businessman. That struck a chord with me (no pun intended). Inherintly, a musician thinks creatively. They are usually more imulpulsive, less anylitical. Therefore, they are less equipped to handle the business side of the whole affair. So they hire managers. Those managers generally are good people. But somethimes, as I have seen, they are only on the lookout for themselves. When that happens it's the artists that lose. When they lose their talent is wasted on making money for someone else.

That's one of the things that has gotten me so hot and bothered about the whole RIAA thing. They claim to be looking out for the artists and getting them thier share of the money.

If you had a chance to see some of the contracts that artists sign with the members of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), you will see that they start out owing the labels money.

That $1 million contract just means that the label is loaning the artists that much to make the album(s), and the must be paid back via future royalties.

So in other words, the labels want the artists to get thier money so that they can pay the labels back for the money that they loaned them!!!

Oh yeah. And the artists still have to pay taxes on those royalties!

Sigh.

That is why April's band is trying to do the DIY thing. I am probably going to be the recording engineer because it will be on a semi-voluntary basis.

She is my wife after all.

So, I'm trying to learn some things to be ready for that.

Anyone who has suggestions feel free to email me: gigadoctor _at_ harborside.com

Health and good learning

2002-08-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

electric sheep comix | e-sheep.com

Holy Shit! I always loved reading comics. I had this huge comic book collection when I was a teenager. I loved the art and the storylines. I fantasized (sp) about writing such great stories. These guys are awesome. They use their media to enhance the art form. I love it!

Now, if only I could fucking DRAW!

2002-08-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

English-only rules criticized as Latinos take service jobs - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

Hmmm, I disagree with some of the points of this article. If you are working in a service industry. You need to speak the language of the majority of those that you are serving. It makes sense from a business aspect.

It's frustrating when those who wish to serve you can't communicate with you. I don't mean can't speak your language, I mean communicate effectively. I guess mass media has trained most of us to be talked at rather than be talked with.

2002-08-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Corante: The Bottom Line - The economics of information technology.

This post makes some good points. We are getting to a point in technological development where the "fans" of the new technology are calling for investment in new and better infrastructure without realizing that they are a minority voice. Believe it or not most people in the united states are 2-3 years behind on computer technology news. It's a sad fact, but it is a fact.

2002-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hellocommunity.com -The Southern Oregon Coast Online Community

Bah! Just to show you how up to date our local newspaper keeps things.
I'll be that most people around here that don't own a computer think that the Athalon is still the newest processor out by AMD.

2002-08-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! Look at all the jobs availible in the local area! Boy, I must be missing something to not have one of THESE great careers! *drooling sarcasticly*

2002-08-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Gee.... I didn't know!

I am 36% Geek

You probably work in computers, or a history deptartment at a college. You never really fit in with the "normal" crowd. But you have friends, and this is a good thing.

Take the Geek Test at fuali.com

2002-08-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart This where I work. Mind you, I don't disagree with any of the founding philosophies of the company or anything like that. I just get fed up with individuals that refuse to think for themselves. Sam's book is required reading for the managerial training program. However, just because someone read something doesn't mean that they understand it. And if they don't understand it, how can they put it into practice?

My wife put into words exactly what I was trying to get accross earlier.

If you are going to enforce policies (or laws for that matter) do so by the spirit, not the letter.

In other words, figure out what the intention is, and implement it with that in mind.

An example would be in dress code. Specifically hair length. If the policy (of a retail establishment) states that male workers may not have hair longer than below their collar, does that also apply to those who never see a customer? Should it?

I must say however that my employer's policy doesn't state that specifically. Just that it must be "of conservative style and color." What can one infer from that. I would think that would mean a style that a large part of the population would find acceptable.

Admittedly, it is more difficult to enforce things by their spirit than by their letter, since those you find in violation will do everything they can to convince you that they have done nothing wrong. But life is full of hard choices that need to be made. Nothing is truely easy. To be successful in life you need a good understanding of the concequences of those choices. A good manager is (as Mr. Walton put it) a coach. Coaxing, encouraging, teaching, building a successful team.

Hmmm, this is starting to look a little like an Wal-mart bashing blog. I assure you that it isn't intended to be. My complaints aren't about the corporation, just the individuals in my particular store.

Something else later then.

2002-08-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm going to vent a little bit.

I work the overnight shift at the local outlet of a well known (and large) retail enterprise. The company has a well populized policy of respecting individuality and accepting new ideas from the "working class".

My experience with them has for the most part been positive, but those things that I have found to be the most grating have been the result of decisions by local (in store) management.

It seems that they want to encourage intellectuall laziness. They seem to value "working hard" over effeciency and rarely ever take at face value suggestions that would save other workers time. And the workers themselves are resistant to change.

I believe that any company makes it policys with good intentions. It is up to the individual members of management to evaluate those policies and methods and implement them for the good of the company (or store).

I'm not just talking about the financial good of the company, I'm talking about the human infrastructure.
If they expect the hourlies to blindly follow orders then they will inevitably be at a loss when they lose "good people" because of loss of morale, poor wages, high demands, and lack of input.

A concequence of this is that those that they want to promote and move into supervisory and managerial positions will lack an understanding of the reasons behind the policies and methods set forth by the company as a whole. They will then get people who will blindly lead.

This is part of the growing pains of any company. People generally forget that there has to be an intellectual infrastructure.

I'm having trouble articulating my frustration. Maybe I'll be able to give it another go later.

2002-08-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

This
is a good example of something well intentioned that could upset some folks. Musicians in my local area have a hard enough time booking paying gigs. Now that underage musicians won't be able to perform unless the venue owner "submit[s] a plan that separates minors from drinking patrons" it is highly unlikely that they will be able to book any at all.

Given that any tavern or bar will not allow anyone under 21 into thier establishment unless they are performing, they essentially have to detail to the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commision) how they are goiing to keep the performer away from the booze!

My point of view is that this will only continue to disincline young people from pursuing careers in music. As an 18-year-old one is usually high-spirited and willing to put all your energy into something you love, but you also have pressure (some more than others) to begin paying your own way. If a talented musician can't make any money doing what he loves, is it likely that he will pursue it with as much of his energy?

I, for one, would love to see a venue dedicated to music and youth in business here locally, but everytime someone has tried to give young people here something to do, it has been short-lived. Usually it has to do with the city (Coos Bay or North Bend) deciding that the area is detrimental to "childrens well-being." Kids get in fights, get found 2 blocks away with beer, stay out too late and generally "get into trouble".

THAT'S KIDS!!!

The 16-20 age group is like that (as anyone who has lived in a large metropolitain area has experienced) but the local community finds the venue to blame. Nevermind that Coos County has the infamy of being the child abuse capital of Oregon, or that it has the highest per capita methampetamine use in the state.

Our youth need creative and recreation outlets that enable them to grow into socially well-adjusted people.

For what it's worth, those are my coppers.

2002-08-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

The hustband of April finally has his own blog. More to come.