] And those are the people who still dominate the standards
] bodies?
] They're speaking out of both sides of their mouth right
] now. It's not OK to say standards are important, unless
] we don't like someone who implemented it. And it's not OK
] to say these services at the core should not be built
] out, unless you're one of the small guys and nobody
] really cares. How do we build a commercial business with
] ground rules that seem to shift based on personal agenda
] and emotion versus any particular logical data set?

More blood boiling commentary from the people who broke the internet.

The cultural divide and the Internet's future |CNET.com

] The reason that I have over 700 BBS programs listed on
] the documentary site is not just because there were so
] many platforms to program them, but because the balance
] of the software and the hardware against the very root of
] humanity's nature is a problem, a difficulty, far deeper
] and greater than any specific issues of the moment.

Latest post from Jason Scott on the BoingBoing sidebar waxes about his big picture conclusions about the BBS scene.

Why Jason Scott doesn't run a BBS.

] Being thusly a collection of mediations
] and exorcisms based on the everyday life
] of one J. Dickens, also known as Logickal;
] whereupon the use of devices, generators and
] recordings of cans, bottles, calculators, Lego blocks,
] microphones, automobiles, candid photographs with
] dialog, weather systems, poems and other
] vagaries were used alone and in combination to
] perform and construct said collection during the
] period of 2002 to 2003 at Ecliptic, which
] is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

This is very overdue. Logickal is a regular MemeStreams poster. I obtained this from him back in July, but for some reason it never found its way into my CD player. That was a mistake. When I got this from him he described it as very experimental and unlikely to be comfortable to listen to. I totally disagree. This is good ambient machine music. Its trancy. For some reason it reminds me of Download. You can focus on it or you can fade it into the background and let it offer context. Its good to code to. Get it.

Day by Daydream - logickal

I must say I'm surprised to hear this position from you. It doesn't seem your usual take on things. I don't think your position is unreasonable, incidentally, just uncharacteristic....

Hijexx wrote:
] Sorry, but if a mix CD is sold and has unlicensed usage of an
] RIAA cartel copyrighted song, it's fair game for them to bust
] the store.

Well, it seems like there is a grey area here. Somebody trying to sell "mix" CDs that are the equivalent of a playlist ought to get popped, but their is no black and white line between this and a hip hop record. Its all shades of grey. I did see those images you posted, and the front and center track lists certainly feel like piracy more then art. This case may have been on that side of the line.

On the other hand, while fair use does not cover derivative works, small hip hop, rave DJ, and other found sound acts don't have the resources, financial and otherwise, to track and clear all the material they are using. Squash them, and you squash part of the culture that makes music happen.

Similar things can be said about small record stores. This is where fads start. This is where the people who are out looking for new music to listen to find it and start telling their friends.

These things make up the primordial soup in which new music trends are created. The more the RIAA believes that real music comes from a committee, and cracks down on this community, the more damage they do to the real vitality of our culture, further reducing the public's interest in the things that the music industry is producing, and ultimately further reducing their revenues. It is the self destructiveness of greed in motion. Its Pop eating itself.

] With regard to the economics of "independent" record stores
] not being able to get the bulk discounts like the big chains
] do, sorry, them's the breaks. The writing is on the wall for
] independent music stores. Time to evolve or die.

I think that indy music stores struggle in Nashville because most of the people there are into country. Its hard to run a small music store there. No one cares. Atlanta, on the other hand, had a number of small music store institutions. They have been around for a long long time and still seem to be doing well.

When I was in college I used to go to L5 just because it was fun. Its a little out of the way now that I live up north, but I still enjoy going down there every once in a while. I will admit, however, that internet music stores have made those shops a lot less important. It used to be worth the trek to go down there to get something rare. Now I can just order it online. That does change the dynamics. But it also means I'm missing something. I'm missing the clue that the guy behind the counter had about the music. Where can I find that online...

I think I'm going to find it on recommender networks like Memestreams.... So I guess I do think that you are right. These stores are going to be replaced by something a lot more interconnected and a lot more effective. But right now we are in the lull... The record stores have diminished in influence. The net is here but has not yet met its potential. The net still feels more like CNN Center then L5.

This reminds me of another conversation going on in MemeStreams about Clear Channel...

RE: RIAA raiding small music stores for selling DJ mix CDs

"On January 22, 1879 -- the legendary "Day of the Zulu," when more than twenty thousand Zulu warriors nearly wiped out the forces of the invading British army -- even the sun was on the side of the Zulu Nation. A partial solar eclipse during the battle obscured the view of the redcoats, making it difficult for them to see the attacking Zulu warriors. But the Zulu triumph on that day was no freak victory: it came about through a combination of superior battle strategy and fierce weapons, aided by potent traditional medicine.
...
Download Screensaver

Of course, the Zulu might never have vanquished the British at Isandlwana without the help of traditional Zulu medicines. Some scholars have suggested that Zulu pharmacopoeia provided more of a psychological boost than any real physiological effect. But recent scientific studies show that the medicines contained some very potent drugs. For example, warriors were given a cannabis (marijuana)-based snuff to take during battle. Analysis of the snuff has revealed that it contained extremely high levels of THC, a powerful hallucinogen, and yet no detectable levels of the chemicals that cause the sedative effects of marijuana.

Also in the Zulu war medicine chest: the bulb of a flower in the Amaryllis family, called Boophane disticha, or the Bushman Poison Bulb. Studies have shown that the bulb -- which was also used by southern Africans to help mummify bodies -- contains buphanidrine, an alkaloid, like codeine and morphine (although it is not related to them) with hallucinogenic and pain-killing properties. According to botanist Ben-Erik van Wyk of Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg, South Africa, the dosage of buphanidrine necessary to reduce pain is very close to the toxic dose, "but in a very experienced traditional healer's hands it should be safe. They usually assess the strength of a bulb by testing it on themselves."

In addition, warriors sometimes ingested a hallucinogenic mushroom containing a toxin called muscimol. The chemical, present in fly agaric -- a mushroom that can attract and kill flies -- is said to induce a state of expanded perception in those who ingest it. Warriors who consumed those mushrooms, researchers speculate, might have been utterly without fear, believing themselves impervious to British bullets. "

I saw this last night. Fuck amsterdam, go to africa and become a zulu warrior.

Day of the zulu

] This event offers computer scientists, public officials,
] and industry representatives an opportunity to present their
] analyses to the Georgia public. It offers a neutral, academic
] setting for a fact-based discussion of what has become a
] contentious issue.

They are having some serious problems with their broadcast. I hope they get it cleaned up. Its on now though. Tune in and listen...

U: Well we got about 45 minutes of anecdotal discussion of the John's Hopkins report, and then techno music. I guess nothing says "computers break" like a failing broadcast.

Tune in Now: Electronic Voting meeting at Georgia Tech

] Microsoft promised to improve the way in which Windows
] manages computer memory to protect users against commonly
] exploited software flaws known as buffer overruns, which
] can trick Windows into accepting dangerous commands. Some
] of the most damaging attacks in recent months fall under
] this category.

MS deploys non-executable stack patch. (What year is it?)

CNN.com - Microsoft plans Windows overhaul to fight hackers - Oct. 16, 2003

] We have some serious problems and we'd like to share them
] with people who are motivated by that kind of challenge.
] So, you're invited to take part in the Google Code Jam
] 2003, a programming competition that will be worthy of
] your time, your skills and your interest. To take part,
] visit: http://www.topcoder.com/googlecodejam

Google Code Jam 2003

] VeriSign also made a mistake by informing ICANN and other
] standards bodies only a few days before it launched Site
] Finder, he added. "The number one complaint, actually,
] that we heard across the board was this lack of notice,"
] Lewis said. "We do sincerely regret any inconvenience
] that the service created, notwithstanding that most of
] the concerns that we discussed today ... were largely
] addressed within a matter of days, if not hours."

In the last meeting Verisign made it clear that they had their reasons for not informing anyone about the changes and that future changes would also be made without notice. Of course, they have very little to loose by RErelease the site with notice, as everyone is aware of it at this point and we know they aren't asking permission, so they've decided to let us know. They get headlines that say "look, we're sorry" and people who aren't paying attention don't know any better.

ICANN must end Verisign's contract.

Declan gave Verisign the headline they wanted

] Pivotal Private Equity announced today that it has signed
] an agreement to acquire control of Network Solutions, the
] world's largest domain name registrar, for $100 million.

I'm a little surprised to see corporate raiders picking it up... These people are probably confused about its value. BTW, the restrictions on Verisign's contract are now totally different. The whole thing will need to be reworked.

Pivotal Private Equity to Acquire World's Largest Domain Name Registrar, Network Solutions