This may be further evidence that most people are doing the best they can at any given moment.

I think any time you can resist being over-critical of someone else it's a triumph. Even if you paid for a ticket to see them.

Oh, that and I've performed live a bunch and I know a bit where he's coming from.

Cowicide #38

I actually agree with you. Your recent post put it in perspective. But here we are talking about diamonds...

#35

Thats a great idea. Unfortunately it will never be as popular because:

1) You don't have to take off your insurance policy to do the dishes.

2) You're wedding might be more like a Nationwide TV commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCAg-RrQvg

... ok that's all i've got. Isn't the "traditional" first anniversary gift paper? What if that paper was an insurance policy? I betcha tha missus will appreciate that :)

#33

You may fight where you can, when you can. It sure is easy to avoid Blood Diamonds. It is much more difficult to avoid Blood Oil.

I'm sure even you can tell which one is more difficult to stop supporting. Even if you don't drive a car... ever sent a letter or parcel in the mail? Have you purchased goods at a retail store? Had to use the Blood Oil anyways didn't you? Our entire infrastructure runs on it. Unless you live on a hippie commune or Luddite reservation or the like, then nevermind, you're better than us all.

The sometimes frequent Little Brother posts don't bother me at all. Im just sayin'... If I'm not in the mood then I skip them. This goes for all the topics that don't interest me which are covered by the sites I frequent.
..
/sarcasm warning!!

Maybe when I start "prion's little bloggie" I can make sure ALL my posts are exactly what I want to read about. If it gets popular I can listen to people complain that they are 17% certain they don't like me anymore because of my constant posts about unicorns or whatnot. Why would I listen to those kind of jerks anyways?

/end sarcasm

Nice cover BTW

No hot-linking on the image huh? They could have been much worse with their substituted pic. I applaud their discretion.

i like the way these people did it:

http://www.playmessiah.com/products/classics/generation-nex-videogame-console.htm

it looks nice, is small and supports the visionary wireless controllers. no bleu LED though. but it works great with the one game I have: startropics!

#44

"Shuffle-style players pander to debased musical tastes."

Debased may be a bit of a negative term, but it is true.

To think that the entire presentation of a serious musical release was not carefully thought out by the musician is silly. Live shows are the same way. Not acknowledging the entirety of the release or the order of the tracks at least once indicates a degraded experience of the presentation. That does fit the definition of debased.

It has nothing to do with hi-fi or snobbishness. It does correlate with usage of a device that has a primary function of random track playback.

I know that for my more anticipated releases by my favorite artists I dedicate at least one active listen though the whole "disc" on my best stereo - which at it's best, is a randomized collection of dirty, distortion causing gear; it's a wonder any of the author's intent makes it to my ears. But that is how I roll. It is this habit which pulls me out of the market for a shuffle device, and I certainly mean no disrespect for those who enjoy a shuffle's wonders.

When the neu artists come out with primarily single track only releases, then I can see where the term debased would cease to apply. In fact I expect a greater level of interactivity with releases in the future.

@#34 You are looking at it from the emerging distribution method. For albums to continue to exist to the customer they must be made, then sold online as an album, then preserved in album format via file structure (my preferred method) or ID3 tags/metadata, then carried onto a album-compatible music player.

Its not a fault of the music playback device so much. It is doing what it the purchaser wants it to - or they don't use it/ buy it.

It is 100% up to the person involved to want the album to continue. If they do then I think it will for them. They will find the artists who make them via the sites that sell them and place them on their album friendly devices that they made sure to buy because thats the way they like it.

And I think thats more than enough incentive for people to keep making albums - because there is an entire market of folks who still like them.

#32 CoolVoodoo had a good point,

"Also, no one mentioned a particular quality of albums: when listened to over and over, that sometimes the song that you didn't like so much, after 10 or 50 listenings, becomes the greatest song ever! It just takes your mind a while to get used to it and digest it."

For me listening to music becomes an interaction between you and the author. For the songs which are instantly familiar and likeable you are more in control - in a comfortable position. Everything else may be the musician asking you to compromise on yourself to see things differently - even if you don't like it instinctively. I always feel like if I do not like a song I'm not listening to it correctly. That doesn't always work but it does help me appreciate more music and it certainly lets me prefer an album to a single.

I think the best part about the situation now with music consumption is the impending diversity. There will be more ways for people to personalize their own music enjoyment. If for you that means iTunes and a shuffle, great. Many others will find comfort in their albums and more traditional experiences which will remain available.

Musicians will feed both parties - I just don't see the album going anywhere. If Britney Spears' successor chooses to just release singles from now on, there is no loss. Perhaps she never really made an album to begin with. Some artists will still decide they want to create an experience longer than 3 minutes. They will still make it despite the incompatibilities with the shuffle lifestyle. Albumites will still be there to collect them.

Many musicians (myself included) do not rely on their income from music to live off of. With todays negligible distribution costs on the internet we can certainly afford to release music on our own terms without compromising it for maximum revenue. If anything, the path to More Albums just opened up. There exist indie music sites, social networking music sites; more and more legal ways to get your MP3 album on - you might just have to look a little.

@72

You are correct. But notice the four men who get arrested in the book for smoking on pages 13-14? I assumed the target market was for places that have outrageous drug laws like the US. I hear some asian countries are often much worse with their penalties.

Quoting #68 (SPINOBOBOT):
------------
As for those who pride themselves on not using any drugs: good for you! You won the genetic lottery and don't need foreign substances to be functional and/or happy. I just hope you'll allow us inferior sorts to try to compensate for the deficiencies that we've been saddled with. (And FYI, your self-righteousness can be really f*cking annoying.)
------------

In retrospect I hope I didn't sound too self-righteous. I must admit that I feel like having a brew or some quality scotch now and again. Sometimes I use a motrin to get through the day easier. But I made myself stop smoking because I thought it wasn't fair to put that on my child.

Also, you have some very interesting points and I do agree with many of them.

Wow what a lively discussion. As a parent, I think it is irresponsible to endanger your children by smoking pot. It may be harmless of its own accord, but I don't believe the risk of fines/jail/legal repercussions is worth being selfish and getting high when you have kids. Smoking more pot is not the best way to -make- it legal either. You should not need a book to explain your habit - I believe when you have children it is time to leave such things behind.

Talk to your kids about it, tell them the truth. Tell them that despite the benefits of the plant that it carries a heavy penalty. This book seems like so much cheery propaganda. I find it revolting.

in light of #1:

at+t = fail, the least we can do is to not let that wash over easily.

otherwise we risk effectively renouncing AND rejecting our OWN rights.

I was only a child back then but I think I actually shed a tear when I finally finished Wing Commander II. Great games. Thanks for this post.