Hola mi Amigos, I have returned. Costa Rica was a restful and wild time and I should have plenty of photos, etc... once I have a chance to go through them all. My friend Pat is now married off and all of us who attended had a blast.
Here is some video footage of one of our daily drives to give you an idea of the kind of things we were getting into down south...
So it has been a little over a week since I last posted. I'd be lying if I said it was anything less than a doosey of a week. We are currently getting ready for the trip to CR and it seems that I am staring down the barrel of a gun work-wise.
With all of that on my mind... I can't help but jump with joy over the news I received yesterday. The writer's strike is O-V-E-R!... Finally, I can get back into my favorite sitcom TV. This is very important as I am not sure how many more re-runs of Law and Order I can stomach.
This weekend was especially interesting as I spent several hours yesterday at Podcamp Nashville, a meeting of some of the greatest social network/blog/web 2.0ers of the area. I learned quite a bit about the various tools and toys available in the blogosphere and am excited to play with some of them here! With that in mind I am now adding the twitter plugin... or at least attempting to... for some reason it doesn't show up in my widgets... So you only get a link in the left sidebar for now.
I am going to be silent for about the next week due to the trip to Costa Rica... I will be sure to upload TONS of photos upon my return...
Ciao!
"In a story that ties in nicely with a recent discussion about the possible reprieve for Net Radio, the Wall Street Journal asks Can Music Survive Inside the Big Box? The article discusses how the 'big box' stores (e.g. Wal-Mart, Best Buy) are cutting back on space and acceptance of music CDs. With 85% of music sales still coming from CDs, maybe this is another thing to push the music industry towards better online sales models? 'Thanks largely to aggressive pricing and advertising, big-box chains are now responsible in the U.S. for at least 65% of music sales (including online and physical recordings), according to estimates by distribution executives, up from 20% a decade ago. Where a store that depends on CDs for the bulk of its sales needs a profit margin of around 30%, big chains get by making just 14% on music, say label executives who handle distribution. One of these executives describes the shift as a tidal wave.'"
So, what's with the RIAA? I realize that in it's inception, the RIAA had been meant to serve a larger purpose. To protect the interests of the Recording Industry and serve as our lobby, but give me a break. Their latest scare tactic involves soliciting the help of Colleges and Universities in helping track down dubious infringers within the campus internet systems.
This has proved mostly ineffective as at least three schools have already refused to participate (for obvious reasons). University of Wisconsin, Nebraska and Maine have now pushed back on the RIAA's requests and I figure more are sure to turn up soon.
Thr RIAA is simply going to have to find a better way to combat illegal file-sharing. With file-sharing at an all time high, the present methods are obviously not working. Perhaps they should put as much energy into going after the enablers as they are going after the end users. (This is kind-of like going after drug addicts instead of the dealers) ... I mean, come-on!
So I say, good for the schools. Time for a new approach for the RIAA.