One happy customer
May 31st, 2007 Rachel
Flummoxed, to say the least…
May 31st, 2007 Rachel
Bob goes on a fantastic rant about iTunes Plus, Apple’s recently released “DRM-free” music download store, over at Lefsetz Letter. I suggest passing on this post if the f-word upsets you.
When I go to buy a car, they don’t say if I want to LOOK at the one loaded up with options I can no longer look at the base model. Unless I remember that there are multiple levels and I go into the manager’s office and sign a waiver. And then I can’t look at the EXPENSIVE version unless I go back into the office!
And since you can only see one or the other, how many people are gonna no longer know that a cheap version is available?
Utter fucking bullshit.
Whom do I blame? Eric Nicoli or Steve Jobs?
Give us the option, cheap or expensive. That’s the American way, comparison shopping.
But not in music. The going out of business labels are CONTINUING to fuck their customers.
And then it continues with…
In case you’ve been out of the Net loop, when you buy an UNRESTRICTED track at the iTunes Store, it comes with your NAME and E-MAIL address EMBEDDED!
Why is it these fucks think we won’t catch on, that we’re ignorant and won’t spread the word how fucked up they are. Don’t they understand this is how they got in trouble in the FIRST PLACE? The INTERNET!
Just like Lindsay Lohan can’t cover up the fact that she crashed her car high on coke, Apple and EMI can’t cover up the fact that they’re fucking with us. This is WORSE than restricted/DRM/copy-protected music!
They’re trying to SCARE US back into the last century. Trying to trip us up, trying to keep us playing on their terms. EMI hasn’t given up on copy protection, they’ve just instituted a NEW ONE! Wherein they can trace your track if you choose to do anything untoward with it. Yup, if it’s your track that’s being traded P2P, you’re FUCKED! You’d better not open your music folder to P2P trading, your NAME might get out!
Yowza. I can understand and appreciate his, erm, disappointment…we’ll see if any answers from Apple or changes to the system happen. In the meantime, I think I’ll pass on iTunes Plus.
Ah, what eight months will do
May 30th, 2007 RachelRemember this?
Well ain’t this interesting…look at how the date on that note (one of many, many notes/images/blog posts/user groups/etc about the then new ‘Newsfeed’ feature was unveiled) and the traffic growth correlate.
I won’t bore you with the details. I won’t go into the incredible user stats and ridiculous number of people joining each day. I won’t touch on how intelligent this Facebook platform move is. And I wouldn’t dare recount number of times I’ve overheard people sitting around talking about Facebook.
If you cared, you’d already know. And if you don’t, I’m certainly not in a position to change your mind.
So with that, I’ll end with this - Bravo, Facebook folks. Bra-freakin-vo.
Sonny, true love is the greatest thing
May 30th, 2007 Rachel
Small Changes, Big Effects (OR Round Peg/Square Hole)
May 29th, 2007 Rachel
Our couch was just carried away by the friendly folks over at 1-800-Got-Junk. Before I dive into the philosophical hole that this represents, here’s a fun little exchange between Doug and me.
“So, how’d you find out about us?”
“I Googled ‘dispose of used furniture’.”
“Huh. Really? Hadn’t heard that one before…”
So, point #1 is - Wow, it’s easy to assume we’re all living in the same Google dependent, social network addicted, Twitter obsessed, iPod toting universe. Always, always remember that point…especially if that is your world.
Secondly…this couch represents a point in our lives where we were going through that big ‘on your own’ transition. New apartment, first time living with someone other than parents (and a sister in my case), and a whole whack of responsibilities beyond making the bed/taking out the garbage/doing the dishes every once in a while.
An oversized hand me down, it fit…for a while (okay there I’m being really metaphorical because I don’t actually mean it “fit” anywhere - this thing was a bloody bohemith). Until all of a sudden it didn’t. Not in a ‘ew, that color/style is so last season’ kind of away, but in a ‘it’s time to be grown ups and get the couch we want’ kind of way.
Whether it’s a couch, or a city, or a job, or a relationship, sometimes things can fit for a long long time….before they don’t fit whatsoever. I’m grateful we have the means to correct this little example, and I hope we have more than the means (like the courage, strength and resolve) to rectify the bigger more complicated examples of the same thing…when or if they arise.
So first, I thank my parents for the couch that saw us through the first thirty one months of our live-in relationship. And second, I thank Adam for his genuine “YES, I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING” response when I first proposed we make a change.
And on another note…
There were 38 of those little foamy kitty toys under the couch. By the time I took this photo, one of them had already made their way through the kitchen and under the bathroom door. And yes, there are two of them that are still in their wrappers.
Feel free to judge or mock anytime here.
