SONY/BMG is poisoning the Music

SONY and other music industry giants don't get it.

Sony/BMG records is using a rootkit-based digital rights management (DRM) system to prevent CD copying. What this means is that they are adding software to their CD's that is the same as used by malicious hackers. They are doing this to prevent people from copying the music.

Now I understand a bit about copywrights, but shouldn't artists be interested in having people hear their music? The music industry is trying to do everything they possibly can to ensure that the large profits associated with the recording industry stay within their coiffers and will do anything they can to allow a free economy of an artistic expression to be distributed. What they fail to understand is the more people that hear the music, the more like people are to buy the music.

Barnes & Noble and Borders have come to realize that if more people hang out in their stores, they are more likely to attract more buyers. Yes some people just come to read and use it like a library, but most will actually buy a book and not return it after they have had a chance to sample it. It is reasonable to assume that the record industry could prosper similiary to the publishers if they would just embrace the internet and a larger less controlled marketplace.

What SONY has done is simply unacceptable, because they are opening up my home computer to major security issues, and it is only going to cause them a backlash and decreased profits. Eweek has a better explanation.

Federal subsidies for the Rich?

Interested piece on NPR this morning talking about how the federal government is essentially providing subsidies to the rich who build in flood plains. Very scary thought. Why is it that we as the tax paying folk need to pay when insurance and re-insurance companies won't? Maybe we are not supposed to be living in flood plains, regardless of how good the views are!! Why is it necessary to rebuild just so the same thing can happen again? Very odd, and very bad use of my tax dollars

How Alito Looks under the Lens

CNN provides a seemingly balanced look at Judge Alito. This guy is probably going to role back the clock 30 years, but hey I guess that is what half the country wants.