To be thankful

So after getting a rather big scare with my mother over the weekend, I'm rather glad to have some slow normalcy at work. So, for that, I give my list of thanks this season.

• Falling gas prices
• Rain
• Democratic Administration
• slow day at work
• my mother being home
  
• Games (see: slow work day)
• Working 6 hours but getting paid for 8

So I wonder, what are you all thankful for?

My take on the RIAA and DRM-Free Music

So on other forums a person asked "Why is the music industry STILL taking its sweet time about this [moving away from DRM laden music]?"

I present to you below my full answer, which also includes my own view on the background to the current stance the RIAA (and MPAA for that matter, whom I affectionately refer to the Music and Film Industry Association of America, or the MAFIAA) takes to the digital medium.

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I consider the old experiment of putting a frog in boiling water vs cold then slowing boiling them to death. The idea is the frog gets use to latter and won't jump out even when it's near death.

The RIAA, on the other hand, reacted like the former when presented with Napster. It existed, almost literally, under their noses. They had no "warming up" period to the idea of digitally available music. Because of the initial knee-jerk reaction they whole of the association is still reeling from the notion that anyone could rip them off in a few clicks. The slowness is due to the hard coding of the idea, in executive heads, that the control of the physical media the music is listened to on is paramount. Given that you can rip tracks from a CD or convert files from one format to another and from one device to another, this isn't possible. Draconian is my usual word for mentality because of this. They missed the boat for the digital age and are slowly dying at an industry because of it. A very slow death, but a death nonetheless.

You lose some, you win some: Ted Stevens defeated in U.S. Senate re-election

So in saving face by keeping Lieberman (I keep hearing this "Team of Rivals" shtick and bit my lip not wanting to scream. More on that in another post) they Dem do have something on thier side that keeps me for completly hating them. Or rather, they don't have Ted "Serires of Tubes" Stevens to bother with since he has officially lost his Senate bid to rival democrat Mark Begich. And by lost I mean was eeked out by 3700 or so votes. 

So not only does Stevens have to face the 7 felony counts he's been convicted of, he now goes out on a sour note as having lost a seat he's held since 1968 (he is the longest GOP, and 4th longest of any party in the Senate) and be up for possible jail time. Some people *sigh* no breaks for them :P

F-u-u-u-u-u-u.... Lieberman keeps chairmanship

Oh for the love of all that is good and holy... why? Why Dems? Why do you turn around after giving possibly the greatest political victory I will ever see turn around and side with this... asshole?

We hand enough sense to let Benedict Arnold go during the revolutionary war we had, 232 years go. Have we learned shit since then guys?

When you have a disloyal member of your group, that member is the first to go. I know I know, Magic 60 'n all. But for the love, the man campaigned against your party's nominee after he said he wanted a democrat in the white house. Gimmie a fucking break. Give you a break from this guy, I don't care how he votes. You know those RINOs (Republican in name only) the GOP hates? This guys a WISC (Wolf in Sheep's Clothing) and will do you no good to continuing your relationship with him.

Police spend £35,000, looks like old logo

So I decided (subconsciously, it seems) to take a minor vacation after the election. With that said, lets move on.

How can you not sue (yes I speak as a Yankee in this case, the story being from the mother country) the consulting firm that hands you a new logo you paid $52K (£35) for and its effectively the SAME as the old logo? The crown's color is the only change that I can find.

Actually, that might be too good for this case. Hung by genitalia is more in order ^_^

I'm tingling....

It may be a projection... but reports are in that McCain has conceded. (edit: watching McCain conceding speech now)

And it's not Negro Modelo doing this, though I've had a few in celebration. This is, when I do have children (ha, someday ~_^) that I will be able to tell my children.

• I saw the fall of the Soviet Union
• I saw the fall of the Berlin Wall
• I truly saw the birth of the Internet, something that by the time I have children will be ubiquitous
• I... not saw... I helped elect our first black president. 

I helped elect him. I voted. If you compain, show me your sticker. I plan on laminating mine. Someone things I don't have a right to bitch, I'll show them my motherfucking 'right-to-bitch' card.

With Bated breath

Listening to a gentlemen named Bishop Jakes on MSNBC. Here's a rough quote

"Hope springs eternal"

It was right for Shawshank, its right for now!

I imagine we'll be having a lot of these today. I haven't gotten to the polls in my area yet. I'll be off at 4 to do so. May the Force be with Obama, always.

Heavy Hearts for 'Toots': Obama's Grandmother passes away

I really don't know what to say. My condolences to him and the rest of his family.