Techdirt [link]
Convenience Matters: People Will Still 'Pirate' Content That Is Available For Free In Less Convenient Packages
About a year ago, some commentators were positively shocked that tons of folks still got the latest Radiohead album via BitTorrent rather than the band's own pay-what-you-want site, which allowed people to get the music for free. However, the real point (which many seemed to miss) is that the reason people will often access the content via unauthorized sources isn't just because it's free, but because it's moreconvenientand doesn't require leaping over annoying hurdles. Plus, for many, it's a single interface and a single source for all the content they want.
So, it should come as no surprise at all that plenty of folks are stilldownloading unauthorized versions of TV shows that are available in authorized streams for free. First off, downloading the content lets users watch the content when and where they want -- and allows them to archive it or watch it on other devices. Second, it's just a lot more convenient for many users to get the content that way.
Once again, it looks like the entertainment industry got hung up on that whole "free" bit, when that's hardly all there is to the equation. Just because they put something up for free doesn't mean they've effectively competed with the alternatives. When the alternatives offer more and better "features" and much greater convenience, the "free" part is only one of multiple selling points. Simply putting content up for free without matching those other features means that plenty of folks are still going to get the content elsewhere. Rather than fighting it, it's about time companies learned ways to use this to their own advantage.
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The Power Of Ambient Awareness
When I first heard of Twitter I didn't get it. I saw some friends using it, and tested it out for a bit, but again concluded that it just didn't make sense to me to be able to write short, 140-character, explanations of what I was doing -- or to read similar blurbs from other people. But about a year ago, I started using it again, and quickly discovered that it was much more useful and interesting than I had ever expected -- often in totallyunexpected ways. Since then, I've run into a bunch of folks who seem to feel exactly the same way. They absolutely did not understand Twitter until they actually started using it, and then suddenly found it incredibly useful in totally unexpected ways. So, I can absolutely understand the many, many people who continue to mock Twitter as being useless -- I felt exactly the same way -- but haven't been able to explain why it is actually useful.
However, Clive Thompson has done an excellent job with his latest piece for the NY Times Magazine,explaining the concept of "ambient awareness" that describes Twitter and things like Facebook's news feed. It's not so much about telling everyone everything you're doing, or knowing everything that everyone is doing, but itdoesgive you an amazingambientview into what's going on in the lives of whoever you follow, and in an odd way makes you feel much more connected to them than you might otherwise. I know that I've become much closer friends with some folks entirely due to Twitter just because I'm more aware of what they're up to on a regular basis, rather than only talking to them infrequently.
I think the problem is that many people, myself included, originally think of Twitter in similar terms to email or instant messaging, where you're really expected to provide your undivided attention and to respond to what is sent to you. But Twitter doesn't work that way. It really is an "ambient" flow of information about what's happening with lots of different people, which makes you feel much more connected with them. It's great to see Thompson do such a good job explainingwhy, because despite experiencing it, I couldn't have put the concept into words like he did.
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Maximizing Profits Doesn't Mean Screwing Your Customers
A few years back, we wrote a postdebunkingthe ridiculous notion spread by some that Craigslist was somehow "anti-capitalist" or not "maximizing profits" because it actually offered most of its services for free. As we noted, much of Craigslist'slong-termsuccess was because of these decisions -- which in all likelihood didincreaseoverall profits for the company in the long run by building up further trust in the company. It may not have maximized profits forthis quarter, but it most likely was doing a pretty good job in generating profits for the long haul by keeping customers happy, rather than trying to squeeze them for every immediate dime (and who was just saying that Silicon Valleydoesn'thave a long term view?)
Now we've got another similar story, as the LA Times is positively amazed that the popular virtual world Habbo Hotellimits its users to spending no more than $35/month, on the theory that many of its users are teenagers, who could get sucked into spending on stuff, which could lead to eventual backlash. Its CEO made this clear in a recent interview, saying: "We didn't want a situation where teens were raiding their parents' credit cards to be able to play.... We really don't want teenagers to spend more than the price of two movie tickets a month on Habbo."
So, how does the LA Times describe this decision? It points out, partly in jest, that "turning down money seems un-American." Again, even if this wasn't meant as a serious comment, it's similar to the silly claims about Craigslist. Habbo Hotel has simply made a strategiclong-termdecision on ways to best maximize its success for the long haul. And, part of that probably included the calculation that Habbo would have been in quite some trouble if news stories started showing up about kids bankrupting themselves buying virtual trinkets for their Habbo Hotel world. Limiting how much people can spend isn't anti-American or anti-capitalist or even anti-profit maximization. It's just taking a much longer term view of the best way to maximize profits over the long run.
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DSLreports - front page [link]
Monday Morning Links -
What s really behind the Comcast 250 GB bandwidth cap muniwireless.com
Fiber-optic Britain could cost 30bn techradar.com
Will Incumbents Stifle Innovation? gigaom.com
Fiber-Focused Broadband Plan Drives SureWest Growth xchangemag.com
WiMax Far Ahead of LTE at Japan's NEC pcworld.com
FCC Mulls Pulling Plug on Wilmington DTVTrial multichannel.com
Online TV Viewing Approaches the Mainstream Yahoo News
Mozilla confirms browser instability, blames Symantec for incompatibility woes theinquirer.net
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Napster Deals with Internal and External Problems - Music download site ripe for a takeover
Despite its history of legal problems and changes that the company has gone through to adapt to the digital music market, Napster has managed to hang in there at the #2 or #3 spot for its industry for the last five years. A recent move towards developing its mobile music market has been successful for the company so far as have DRM-free web-based sales of music. However, investors aren t happy with the business and competition is increasing in the industry so Napster is facing problems both internally and externally that leave the company ripe for a takeover. CEO Chris Gorog says that an unlimited all-you-can eat subscription service remains the music download service of the future but failure to convince boththe buying public and the company s investors of this has led the company to hire an investment bank to field offers by those interested in buying out Napster.
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FCC to Re-Auction D-Block Spectrum - Public safety spectrum up for sale with more relaxed terms
There was one section of spectrum that failed to sell earlier this year during the big 700 MHz spectrum auction held by the FCC. The D-Block, often dubbed the public safety portion of the spectrum, was being auctioned under the condition that the buyer must build out an interoperable emergency communications network as part of the deal. Very few buyers were interested in this and the spectrum block failed to meet its reserve price at auction so it wasn t sold.
FCC Chief Kevin Martin has announced that the D-block will be reauctioned with terms that may be more favorable to potential bidders. It will be auctioned off as a block with a minimum reserve price of $750 million which is about half the previous reserve price. However, it will also be offered for auction as 58 single regional licenses instead of only as one block.
People who are interested in buying spectrum may want to take a look at a new startup website called SpecEx.com which matches wireless spectrum buyers and sellers and intends to be a secondary market for spectrum sales.
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CNET News.com [link]
You are your domain: .tel and .mp
New personal domain services are more than landing places for blogs and social profiles.
Say Where brings voice recognition to iPhone apps
Forthcoming iPhone app from Dial Directions aims to give users a way to get information from sites like Yelp, MapQuest and others by speaking instead of typing.
Rebus brings desktop search to scanned documents
The company's Recollect Desktop software makes it possible to search for information in documents scanned into a computer.
The Register [link]
Asus Glides in with Win Mobile über-UI
Better than MS' own interface?
Asus has hopped onto the 'we can do a better Windows Mobile interface than Microsoft can' bandwagon set in motion by Palm but given a big push by HTC with its TouchFlo UI.…
WD VelociRaptor 300GB HDD vs SSD
Which is best for gamers?
ReviewAlthough Western Digital's VelociRaptor is a new model name, you can trace the roots of this new hard drive all the way back to 2003.…
Ivan O'Toole? That's nothing, snorts Hugh Jass
We kid you not...
Thesorry taleof Ivan O'Toole, which last Friday caused a certain amount of merriment among the less than kind hearted members of our beloved readership, attracted an email suggesting that Mr O'Toole had faked an email address and hoodwinked theRegBootnotes secretariat.…
Wired News: Top Stories [link]
Road-Ready Night Vision At Last
After some false starts, the automotive industry rolls out vehicles with systems that really do look beyond the headlights. But you'll have to shell out $100,000 for the car. By Bruce Gain.
The Secret Cause of Flame Wars
You may think of yourself as an e-mail maven, but a new study says when it comes to interpreting electronic missives, most of us are way off the mark. By Stephen Leahy.
DIY Tunes Turn It Up
Forget practicing tedious scales and studying counterpoint. A new generation of computer tools empowers legions of no-talent composers by making song writing a simple game. Commentary by Clive Thompson.
TechRepublic.com [link]
SolutionBase: Enforce system policies with the Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer
Group Policy can be the most important parts of an IT groups tools to enforce IT standards and manage access, or it can be an indecipherable mess in which you do not want to touch. No matter where you fall in that mix, it is a good idea to take a look at the configuration with the Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer (GPDBPA) explained in this article to identify your risks and configuration.
Fine tuning Microsoft ForeFront Server Security for Exchange
ForeFront is Microsoft s security solution for MicrosoftExchange 2007. Installing ForeFront is less than half the battle however. Afteryou get Forefront installed, you ve got to fine tune its settings for MicrosoftExchange 2007. Brien Posey shows how to fine tune ForeFront Server Sercurityfor Exchange.
Implementing Microsoft ForeFront Security for Exchange
You've seen the Microsoft ads saying how it's easier to defeat viruses using ForeFront than it is to kill zombies. Maybe. But just how hard is it to get ForeFront up and running? And what does it do? Brien Posey explains.
Science Blog - Science news straight from the source [link]
How STDs increase the risk of becoming infected with HIV
Individuals who have a sexually transmitted disease (e.g., genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia) and women with yeast and bacterial vaginal infections have an increased risk of becoming infected with HIV if exposed to the virus through sexual contact. Although several explanations have been proposed, exactly how and why STDs have this effect has not been clear.
How you spend affects how much you spend: Non-cash purchases found to be higher than cash buys
There is fresh evidence that people spend less when paying cash than using credit, cash-equivalent scrip or gift certificates. They also spend less when they have to estimate expenses in detail.
Unsuccessful drug against anxiety opens a novel gateway for the treatment of cancer
Cancer cells have multiple ways to avoid apoptosis, programmed cell death the means by which organisms deal with defective cells. One defense is to produce quantities of phosphatic acid, a phospholipid constituent of cellular membranes.
Cool Tools [link]
We heat our home with wood -- four full cords per year -- and began to feel guilty about borrowing our neighbor’s wood splitter for our annual restocking project. We don’t have room to store a full-size splitter, so I researched and found the Brave EZ split log splitter. At about 1/3 the size and 1/4 the weight (140 lbs) of a standard splitter, it doesn’t take up much more space than a lawn mower and can handle all but the most gnarled logs. The splitting wedge is quite narrow, so sometimes it actually cuts through the log rather than splitting it apart. A full cycle is about 18 seconds, so it's not as fast as a full-size splitter (closer to 12 seconds). Since the wedge isn’t as tall as on a full size splitter, I occasionally have to turn the log over to get a complete split. Also, the splitter only takes logs up to 18 inches long, but these are small trade offs for the ease of storage and transport. If someone wants to borrow it or if there is a downed tree that someone is willing to let us have, we can put it in the back of our van and not worry about a tow-behind-splitter bouncing all over the road. The engine, which runs on regular gas, always starts after one or two pulls.
-- John Savereide
E-Z Split
$700
Available fromNorthern Tool
Or $716 fromAmazon
Related Entries:MacKissic Mighty Mac Chipper ShredderPowerwagonStack-It Brackets
Nordic Ware Microwave Corn Popper
This microwave popper is simplicity itself: 1/2 cup of corn, a little oil (or not), and a little time in the microwave yields a healthy, low-cost, low-cal snack you can eat right out of the popper's bowl. Unlike other microwaveable poppers or Tupperware containers, the Nordic Ware's top cover has nifty ridges that facilitate comfortable removal after popping (i.e. when everything is very, very hot). If you don't remove the cover immediately, the popcorn gets too moist. I've tried a variety of devices on my long march to the perfect popper... table-top poppers often made a mess (and big noise) and they're not machine-washable. Some microwave poppers require pads that deteriorate with use and need to be replaced, but are difficult to find. The stove top method, I just could never fully master: burned pans, burned corn, mess to clean. Lastly, those convenient microwavable bags of popcorn: if you eat a lot popcorn, you'll be spending exorbitant sums and -- depending on which brand you purchase -- consuming chemical additives. The Nordic popper does not require oil, if you so chose, so the end-product is essentially the same as an air popper. The Nordic can go in the dishwasher -- or just be wiped clean. Plus, the Nordic is perhaps the least expensive one out there. I paid less than $10 for mine. As of late, we've been producing popcorn five nights a week.
-- Daniel Wilson
Nordic Ware Microwave Corn Popper
$8
Available fromAmazon
Manufactured byNordic Ware
Related Entries:Popcorn Popper as Coffee RoasterCheap Home TheaterHow to Cook Everything
This small unit measures the effects of breathing on the parasympathetic system in order to help you feel calm and relaxed. My doctor actually prescribed it for me. The results are subtle but pretty amazing. My major successes have been trying to get to sleep at night. I fire up the small playing-card-pack-size box, which runs on two AAA batteries. Then I insert my finger into the trap door on the top left and begin working to control my breathing pattern. If you haven't used it in a while, it coaxes you to reset date and time. Then it begins with a straight line.... and you begin to breath. What the manual recommends is that you breath in through the nose and then exhale from your mouth. What's different from some other meditation and yoga methods is the StressEraser doesn't want you to count on the inhale, but just to breathe in as deeply as you can. On the exhale you should do it slowly with a count to three, four, or five. The idea is to create a curving graph of regularity that can be worth 1 or 3 points on thedevice. A meditation session can total as many points as you want. Usually I shoot for 30. It takes a while to get into the rhythm of deeply breathing in and then slowly breathing out with a pause at each end point. It takes me about 15 - 20 minutes to get into the pattern and then complete the breathing session. When I finish, I don't feel much different. But when I climb into bed I find it amazingly easy to fall and stay asleep. It's not cheap, but I paid $200 for a returned model at Sharper Image. My friend gave one to her father, who uses it after watching the evening news. She says it's worked well form him, too.
-- George Brett
StressEraser
$250
Available fromAmazon
Manufactured byHelicor, Inc.
Related Entries:Salubrion Enso ClockZen Flesh, Zen BonesHypnoBirthing
