Archive for November, 2007
eMusic Earned My $9.99
Nov 20th
I have searched the internet high and low, but I could not locate a DRM free Bob Weir’s “Ace” album for download on the internet. The only place I could find it was from eMusic.com. eMusic offers an amazing deal – sign up, you get 25 free MP3s. Then you go onto a subscription plan, $9.99 per month for 30 songs to more expensive plans that offer more downloads.
So I signed up for my two week trial with the intention of downloading a few of the Wier songs and then cancelling. But I still had about 20 downloads left. So I downloaded the entire EP “The Tain,” by the Decemberists, but instead of the five parts being individual songs, the entire EP is offered as one 18 minute song. So I downloaded some other random songs. While the selection is far from limitless, it’s certainly very deep and incredibly varied.
So, 24 songs later, despite my intention to rip off eMusic, I decided that they have earned my $9.99. The downloads go through the eMusic manager, which is really fast and really easy to use, and it’s cross platform. Also, did I mention the downloads are non-DRM, fully-portable, already-tagged MP3 files?
It’s easy to use services like mp3sparks and the like to get songs for cheap, but I don’t mind supporting my favorite artists when the price is right and I get to own a copy of the music that doesn’t impose random limits on me.
So, eMusic earned my $9.99 for what will eventually be 55 songs; I firmly believe that $9.99 for 30 songs is a reasonable price. So, if you’re so inclined, I encourage you to support eMusic. They are approaching things in a way that is actually right for the consumer.
Reviewing TV
Nov 13th
So the Writers Guild is on strike, and scripted TV has a definite drop dead point. All of your favorite shows are just burning off their remaining episodes and then: nuttin’. Reality TV, game shows, and good, old fashioned reruns.
So, I’ve started cutting back on some TV. First to go: Las Vegas. Las Vegas had a good run a few years ago, but now it’s just trash. The scripts suck, the interaction is infantile, the characters are flat and pointless and often annoying, and the premise is so fatally flawed it’s laughable. Also, I wish somebody would shoot Delinda already, she’s the most annoying character on TV. So Las Vegas got the boot from our DVR.
Next is Grey’s Anatomy. Admittedly, this one is primarily due to my wife – I would have dropped this show mid-way through season 2 if it wasn’t for her. In the meantime, the show is absolutely horrible. Meredith is the whiniest, second-most annoying character on television, and needs a good slap in the face. George is lame, and Izzie is utterly annoying ever since the “I ate an entire tub of butter” speech from last season. Christina is cold and uninteresting, the Chief is one dimensional, Callie is a mess. In fact, the only characters I don’t absolutely despise are Sloan and Bailey, but they are pretty much relegated to minor side-roles.
By all accounts, everything about Prison Break should disqualify is from my like-list. It’s got plot holes so big you could walk in, dance a jig, have a drink, smoke a cigarette, and walk out with no one noticing. The entire premise is silly and should never have lasted longer than one season, if that. And yet, I’m addicted. Despite the fact that a company who knows no limit on spending, rather than simply buying a man out of a corrupt prison with totally corrupt guards in a foreign country, would rather find a wily fugitive, track him down, put him into said prison, let him devise an escape plan in 4 days and pray he gets your man out. Did they not realize it took Michaels many months, along with what surely was several thousand dollars in tattoos, to break out of Fox River? But alas, I love it. Even though it’s got plot twists for the sole sake of screwing with the viewers, I dig it.
Heroes was losing it until recently and the House staff shakeup is getting a little tiring. In my opinion, the best show I now watch is Criminal Minds on Wednesday nights. It’s not even close to my favorite. I prefer The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Howard Stern weekly sneak peek on Mojo… hmmm…. all shows that are primarily improv!
Heroes: It All Makes Sense!
Nov 12th
Ok, so the first 8 episodes of Heroes were mostly a letdown, but — oh boy! – did tonight’s episode, entitled “Four Months Ago” make up for it! It explained everything, perhaps a little too late, but actually had a good, solid, believable explanation for things.
Peter’s “amnesia?” This “Elle” character? Nathan and the burn-faced dude? Niki and her crazy antics? The “twins”? Everything — explained!
Tim Kring, well done. Now – please!! – keep it up.
MLB Rips Off Fans, Proves Once Again DRM Sucks
Nov 7th
If you purchased content from MLB in the last several years, you’re screwed. It’s gone. It’s disappeared, it ceases to exist.
I feel, even for this Red Sox fan, who purchased over $250 of content from Major League Baseball, who in turn, revoked DRM and made his content worthless. BoingBoing covered the MLB DRM fiasco too.
The fact is, DRM is for suckers. It’s BAD for the consumer, and it only benefits the content provider, who rarely has the best interest of the customer in mind. I am a big baseball fan, but thanks to this, I will never purchase content from MLB. Then again, I wouldn’t have anyway if it was tangled in DRM.
Either way, shame on you, Major League Baseball!