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by George Ziemann
February 2007
February 5, 2007 ~~ The 2008 presidential campaigns launched
immediately after last November's elections, meaning that it's
going to go non-stop for another 22 months. No matter who gets
elected, we'll already be tired of listening to them by the time
they take office and they will have spent more money to get the
job than it will pay in four years.
February 15 ~~ Researchers
in New York found something that kills cancer cells. It was
an accident. At first, they were pissed off. "Dammit!
Something killed all my cancer specimens." Later, someone
remembered that killing cancer cells was what they were trying
to figure out how to do. The something was "a compound called
a PPAR-gamma modulator. It would never normally have been thought
of as a cancer drug, or in fact a drug of any kind." It
sounds very promising -- until de-evolution kicks in: "As
the compound is already patented, [the research] team will probably
have to design something slightly different to be able to patent
it as a new drug."
Can they start curing cancer
patients in the meantime? Absolutely not.
~~ Almost four years after someone leaked the name
of a covert CIA agent to the press, it looks like the CIA Leak
trial, as it has been called, is pretty much a done deal. Unfortunately,
the person who leaked the information (a criminal offense) was
not on trial, nor has been charged with any crime.
February 23 ~~ A
Band is Not a Brand
~~ Your New MP3 Overlords
-- Until yesterday,
if you made software that encoded or played back mp3 files, you
needed to acquire a license from a company called Fraunhofer/Thomson.
Now you need to pay a company called Alcatel-Lucent as well.
Apparently, their prices are a little higher because Microsoft
already paid Fraunhofer/Thomson $16 million and today they
owe Alcatel-Lucent $1.52 billion.
February 26 ~~ EMI
Changes Mind --
EMI decides that it doesn't think dropping DRM is a good idea
after all. Evidently, they would rather go out of business, which
is okay with me.
February 27 ~~ The U.S. government has finally decided
to take action
against piracy.
March 2007
March 6 ~~ The CIA Leak trial is over, with Scooter
Libby being found guilty of not leaking the identity of a CIA
agent.
~~ James Brown still above ground.
~~ Canadians
tiring of being insulted by the recording industry.
March 10 ~~ James
Brown was finally buried tomorrow. Or was it today?
March 25 ~~ Apparently, I still don't have the
idea of how this blog thing is supposed to work. I keep forgetting
to write anything here.
Paul McCartney dumped Capitol/EMI
and signed up with Starbucks' new label, the name of which I
cannot recall, but you can probably figure out where you'll be
able to find their CDs. Seeing as how the addition of Sir Paul
brings the total artist roster to one act, I do believe that
makes him an indie now.
I hope he sells millions of
copies of his next album. That would be a true indicator that
people are refusing to buy CDs from the four major labels out
of principle but if you break away, you may still have a chance
to make a living in music.
March 26 ~~ Having adopted the RIAA business plan,
Diebold
is suing the state of Massachusetts for not buying
their product.
March 29 ~~ Karl Rove drove
a nail into the heart of rap music today, proving that jumping
is not the only thing white men can't do. Especially that one.
March 30 ~~ Saw this one on Fark.
It's a video of a white
homeless guy (supposedly) that did Marvin Gaye's "Let's
Get It On" at the Apollo Theatre with more soul than anyone
on American Idol. The guy has good range and microphone
technique. One of the few people who could actually benefit from
a record contract. Turns out that it's Super Bad Brad, aka Karaoke Man.
~~ Browse through the Modern
Mechanix web site, a collection of magazine articles (primarily
from Popular Science and Popular Mechanics) from the 1930s to
the 1970s, apparently to illustrate that, as bad and full of
disinformation as the media seems to be today, it was really
never much better.
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