This Boy Is Exhausted Edition

Todays links of interest:

• DuroSport Drops Support For the MP3 Format
  The company indicates the mp3 format is too risky given the recent rash of lawsuits surrounding use of the mp3 format. It’s not like DuroSport was ever really committed to mp3. Their installation software deletes mp3 files by default.
• `Second Life’ gets chatty
  We’re not saying that Kirk asks and then receives, but, well, he just asked for this.
• Christmas Day 2008 Release for Star Trek XI
  Yeah, there’s a good chance it’ll suck, but before you spend the next twenty-two months going on about the alleged "odd-numbered movie curse," please say these three syllables to yourself: "nem-e-sis." Repeat as necessary.

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Great story about angry Lost fans (though to be sure, is there any other type of Lost fan these days?) pissed off at ABC’s marketing department for what they are calling “false advertising.” Hee.

Apparently ABC had a promo before last weeks ep that promised that “answers to three of Lost’s biggest mysteries are finally revealed.” The angry fans have decided that decided that the mysteries that were revealed by that episode weren’t big enough. So they are claiming that ABC’s marketing department are a bunch of lying liars who lie.

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but these people are idiots.

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Red Wine and Whiskey All The Time Edition

Todays links of interest:

• People with WiFi spend more time online
  Well, yeah, if you define "more time" as "every single minute we are awake and at home, including when we are watching TV in case we need to go to IMDB to find out who the hey, it’s that guy who’s popped up on our screen is.
• MSNBC.com Launches FirstPerson
  It’s all about being the first and best when it comes to user-generated content.
• NBA giving YouTube a tryout
  League also talking to FaceBook, MySpace. The one with the best jump shot makes the team.

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The impending death of DRM was delayed slightly yesterday when it was revealed that EMI has broken off negotiations that could have enabled online music services to sell unprotected mp3 files. The talks apparently hit a snag when EMI demanded a large advance payment (presumably in unmarked bills) in exchange for allowing retailers like iTunes the right to eliminate DRM from downloadable songs.

An arrangement of this sort would undoubtedly lead to a price increase for downloadable music - although it’s difficult to assess how much of an increase without knowing how much EMI was asking for.

EMI’s thinking seems to be that the payment would be necessary to guarantee revenue that might be lost as a result of selling unprotected music. However, if iTunes, or any other digital music store, were to take EMI up on this offer the unintended consequence would be that the corresponding price increase would validate the widely held belief that unprotected music is intrinsically more valuable than DRM restricted music.

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I Smell Bread Edition

Todays links of interest:

• NY youths in plea deal in MySpace case
  Never let it be said that we suffer from an overabundance of cynicism, but the dudes only asked for 0k in "consulting fees". Sheesh, if you want to live big, think big. Especially if you’re going to get busted anyway.
• Australia rocked by ‘lesbian’ koala revelation
  I blame Hollywood and last night’s Oscar broadcast. Next up, ‘Koalas’ from Pixar.
• Apple, Samsung, Sandisk sued over MP3
  Yeah, like we didn’t see this one coming after last week’s ruling against Microsoft. Like the tech-geeks have be telling us for years, these companies should have been using and supporting Ogg Vorbis

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I usually watch TV for one of two reasons: to be entertained or to be educated. Last night’s telecast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards certainly couldn’t qualify as entertainment, so therefore, it must have been educational.

Therefore, I present what I learned from watching the Oscars with some of my fellow ‘Lopers last night:

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While you were busy crying over Anna Nicole, shaving your head or going in and out of rehab, this is what we were doing:

• See Ya Later, Studio 60 - Jim’s right. (Oh, how I hate to admit that.) Matthew Perry is awesome. Somebody give that man a show! Wait, somebody give that man a good show.
• Second Life and the Vision Thing - Sherilyn wonders why anybody would want to walk into something like a virtual video store and deal with a surly know-it-all virtual video store employee instead of the way she currently buys stuff online. Though, if it comes to pass, Video Zone is a pretty good name for a virtual video store.
• Medialoper Focus Group: 24-Hour Party People - Kassia’s focus group reveals what Kirk has been saying all along. DRM is bad. Also, some men have curious man crushes on Tom Cruise. Yikes!
• Macrovision’s DRM Snake Oil - And see, Kirk was worried that if the Music Industry abandoned DRM that he wouldn’t have anything to write about. Luckily, there are paranoid and shortsighted people in other industires.
• That’s What I Like: NBC Thursday Nights - So I laugh when people accidentally get hurt. There’s no shame in that. And there are a lot of laughs in NBC’s Thursday night line up.

The input file not found edition:

• Ace Frehley Not Dead
  No word on the status of Peter Criss. Although if I had to bet, I’d go with ‘dead’.
• MP3 ruling could haunt music tech firms
  A $1.5 billion ruling against Microsoft over the right to use the mp3 codec. The big question - who gets sued next? I bet their name starts with the letter ‘A’.
• Massively Multiplayer Online Drinking Game
  Just in time for your Oscar party. You’ll need a USB shot glass.

NBC’s self-proclaimed “Comedy Night Done Right” finally accomplishes what they tried to do for years with their so-called “Must See TV” lineups -two full hours of the funny. With the current Thursday night lineup, My Name is Earl, The Office , Scrubs and 30 Rock (which has quickly grown on me) they have a comedy juggernaut.

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Wok This Way Edition

Todays links of interest:

• wok keeps TV station on air
  That’s the good news. The bad news is they had to cancel the cooking show.
• Terrorists Strike In Second Life
  We can either fight the terrorists in Second Life, or we can fight them here at home. There will be no withdrawal!
• Virtual loses its virtues
  Surprise, surprise! People act like jackasses in cyberspace.

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