the countrification of cyberspace (and the web)

05.viiI.MCDXXX

The firewall of china's so big you can see it from cyberspace. Cant get a day pass at Spotify - sucks to be in your country 'cause it's not available there. you got 3 out of 245 chances of being in the right country to enjoy last.fm. google blocks TOR and other anonymization services.



One of the exciting things about early Internet social media (the early ones included BBS, NNTP, IRC, mailing lists) and of the web was the nationlessness of communication. You could enter into communication with random strangers in far flung lands and not have to worry what you think of their place or what they think of yours. This gave a temporary respite from int'n or racial or cultural prejudice.

Then someone invented geolocation by IANA lookups, or geoIP. As a result one again gets hemmed in by geographically-based presumptions. (See for instance this post serve it in english svp)

It sucks but many will argue we had it coming due to a myriad legal and financial issues - namely every one of humanity's vices - freeloading entertainment media, politics, e-commerce trade regulations, the unsolicited shoving of things down your vision nerves known as advertising or marketing, etc.

The problem isn't with the law enforcement part. The trouble is that every big party uncritically and eagerly embraced and exploited this break-up of the Pangeaic cyberspace into country ip ranges, for pigeon-holing and exclusivism as the chief uses for geo IP location.

It reeks. ... Read more

time bubble note

26.vii.MCDXXX

Like any foam, the bubbles in a time foam would have to be maintained by surface tension. But tension of what surface?

The surface of a time bubble consists of nothing other than regular mass , but controlled in a way , perhaps through intrinsic momenta or angular momenta, so as to create a differential between the rate of time flow inside and outside the bubble. ... Read more

some oriental abjads

14.vii.MMIX - 21.vIi.MCDXXX

download spreadsheet file (177 736 bytes).

### ... Read more

film revu draft: film review medley

21.vii.MCDXXX

game for skewering:


(star system: no stars for suckers, or some for hook interestingness and/or prodction qlty)

**** In the valley of Elah

thoughtful casting places a whole line up of very talented actors in the best roles i've seen them in in a long time. The actors and their parts fit together very well. Tommy lee jones in particular delivered a carefully crafted performance that was very thoughtful, telling and touching.
haggis. he's got it. he write the good stuff paul haggis.
he'd caught my attention in Crash to be sure - which was more heartfelt, tighter and more real than emotional orgasms of paul thomas anderson's magnolia.
Indeed this movie represents a few steps up the quality ladder since Crash.
Haggis' filmography reveals a slinger and a heavy hitter.
His writing credits include the two latest outings of the new Bond, three Clint Eastwood movies.

although i avoided them when they were released , now recognized as eastwood haggis collaborations they are at least worth checking out.

already million dollar baby stands out as one of the best boxing movies in its proximity to the sport itself + the strong melodrama that burdens and drives its characters.

Team America (2004)

I'd skipped that one too . There ws no way i was going to watch self-indulgences on the war from the South park angle. But of the post 03 war movie wave, this was one of the earliest.
For all its ambivalence (or complacency) and idiosyncracies it's a solid comedy. it's south park; so it's also over the top: there are enough times you hear the name of jesus invoked in exclamation associated with wanton acts of intercourse.

# passion of the christ

incomplete - b/c i skipped a lotta scenes
i never liked cazievel anyway - jus lk @ the name
belucci does some repenting
listening the very arabic-like aramaic is v. interesing
nad quite puts the lie to the ajami foreign alien exoontologic turkic/hungar language of khebkhew

# family plot (Hitchcock 1976)

lol his name is hitchcock.
anyway
finally finished this plodding un-funny though it thinks it is flick
full of cliches from its period (mid/late 60s - what? late 70s?
crime, suspense, thriller flicks
where directors and actors who for some unknown reason think they're cute
and are droll
are actually anything but
if anything it points to the atrocious state of humour among at least that clique
in their day.
most brit - like hitchy here -
i recall those endless ensemble suspense/thriller/murder/whodunit/whatrwecalledherefor dramas
with the likes of peter sellers, david niven, assorted harlots and sidekicks (lol like i bet
robter wagner and the likes)
lol, eg,
cat and the canary
also the period goes with my current disco phase

indi jones & crystal skull

is v. effing dull

** Strange days (1995)

Can hardly believe this cyberpunk flick was made in 1995 !!!!
so visionary
their foretelling of the millenium parties is remarkable - tho
it is rather str8fwd if u think abou it
the memory transcription thing is one of the more interesting themes in sci-fi
see greg egan s/w copy or something , paprika anime, etc.

Chemical wedding (2008)

another cyberpunk movie
quantum interference, squids,
crazy quantum-related computer-controlled transmigration of souls, reincarnation
astral projection AND time travel
to say nothing
of masonic rites and references, philological devices, occult galore,
and satanic sex orgies
gotta be the cyberpunk flick of the decade so far !
naturally none of the critics understood it
nor did i of course - but it takes some background knowlege on
crowley and his AA-OTO-GD crowd , his thoughts etc
smoe of the references make more sense when familiar with his works
like the 7777777,... message eg.

# **** Mongol (2007)

good treatment -
much appreciate the mongol (monguk) dialogues
the interesting costumes of the turko-monguk settings on the outskirts of the xixin kingdom
and the interpretations were good as well
another plus is the story tallies with every other work i've perused on
the Khagan's life - which all obviously derive from the same legend and source
the secret history of the mongol people

the vistas of the open steppes, the well thought-out sets
give off historical reality and gravity
with the right mood it allowed me to wander into the very human condition itself
and this primordial tale which must have been replicated throughout ostasia and transpacific
for millenia.

then of course the story of this man, clearly guided and protected by fate / destiny,
amounting to making an unstoppable agent, close to that of major prophets.
The morality cliches , the dedication fo the wife, the monk, the trials and deprivations
of the khagan are - as is the habit with chinese / ostasian productions - touching.

# Street Fighter: The legend of Chun Li (2009)

not bad , has some interesting hooks
still not sold on that genre AND it is a game adaptation
a genre of which i have still seen nothing impressive
but a novel and interesting environment and context and set of
cliches / tropes for me to watch since i'm so unfamiliar
with this tacky brainless bullshit

i guess one attractive (literally) elemnt in this genre of movies
(kickboxing,street fighting vigilante type shit)
which could be seen in this flick and i often saw it
in the random tv replays of van damme and lambert flicks
is how its protags exude this goodness and good faith
and the story is so simplistically morally clearcut
to watch it is like a massage to viewers' ethical subsystems

but it is particularly a good natured quality about the protag
that appeals to the "masses" which also includes me every now
and a blue moon, with a trough in my intellectual biorhythm,
and nothing better to watch :)

# ** Starship Troopers 3 (2008)

it's pretty close to the original flick
reprises much of the same art direction, and character of the first one.
quite unlike the very shazh/outcast, the 2nd sequel

# starship troopers 2 (200x)

disparate from the other two in the series
+ sucks ass basically
it's like Alien on a shoestring budget by
performing arts wannabes - yep it's squarely on the low-end
of the "hack movie" category
must've gotten it today after ST3 wetted my appetite for more

# Resident Evil: degeneration (2008)

not bad not bad for a 3D anime
some nice details
noted the work on the textures like textiles, >= two layers of hair
the facial playacting
and facial features
tho still people do not move like that -

* Duplicity (2009)

not bad not bad
w/ the inside man guy the one with always good parts - clive owen
better than the rest in its type of plot
i recall the one with clooney -
and another with the stupid euro company selling bad weapons to some
arab country - and their relation with russian mafia and the protag.
the three fit together.
this one was perhaps better.

Dead space downfall (2008)

cartoon - cel animation
art approaches that ugly art of the guy who made the aeon flux cartoon series
but the art is thankfully much better than that - particularly the humans are much better
tho still leaving much to be desired.
otoh, the craft and tech designs were nice. particularly the space tether
was well conceived - and an upgrade on the legendary spelevator.

Eagle eye (2008)

OMG it's soooooo imbecilic

outlander

OMG it's soooooooo baaaaad
and imbecilic
also score's almost the same as previous entry
but great creature design

Gin-iro no Kami no Agito

(=Agito the Silver-Haired)(2006, Keiichi Sugiyama) aka (origin - spirits of the past)
studio Gonzo
def'ly NOT studio ghibli
for every studio ghibli there is a studio gonzo
to fool the less discerning

changeling (2008)

i hear oscar nominations
which isn't saying much - it's already done w/ we're in june's end
but what a harrowing story
and the history seems to be told well, 'least for a hllywd picsher
but utterly unmemorable. the story is so small compared
to the steppes of Ghengiz khan the alien infestations in far away galaxies.
no actually some key elements were missing from this work.
and angelina jolie won't convince me of motherhood emotions if they paid me.

confessions of a shopaholic

incomplete
she so cute & funny
ok and also vomit inducing but cute
she has that reese witherspoon air about her.

**** oss 117: rio ne répond + (2009)

Manages to tackle a culturally sensitive area with frankness and subtlety, tho characteristically it doesn't take itself too seriously - or at least presents itself this way. understandably - for it juggles heavy baggage: as an exploitation spoof, as an exploitation movie itself, as intercultural readings through (faux-)satire, and so on.
isn't Hubert, among other things, sarkozian france in today's confusing state of the world? so are his co-star chars also personifications of the different locales he stumbles into.
all reasons to look fwd to the next installement in the series - maybe in 2010.

*** king arthur (2004)

2nd time watch
fresh take - a demystified look at the legend, attempting to place it in an historical
context - that or reproducing the novel that originally did that.
good despite melodramatic flourishes and score
good cast too - and clive owens very distinguishing in the roles he chooses- something that viewers appreciate in actors.

hardware (1990)

piece of garbage
lowest tech movie ever
tech takes a nosedive in this foresaken flick
a cyberpunk wannabe that fails so badly - never even tries
stupid
ages badly because it wasn't up to its own time
would appear more impressive if it were made in 1969 not 1990
incomplete - couldn't finish it

notorious (2008)

so lame
gives "black" or "hood" movies a bad name
do all biopics suck?
it sucks ass - no cool, no pace, no charisma, nothing
couldn't finish it
and seriously if notorious biggs is anything like that actor (was he him?!)
he so lame man. i hung out with people who hung out with puff daddy read p-diddy,
and this film here is laaaayme bro its laaaame.

entre les murs (2008)

excellent classroom drama
best one i've seen so far?
2nd time lucky -

Columbo 5x02 A Case Of Immunity Ac3 Dvdrip Xvid

reel arabs episode - nominated for emmy
goldblum carrying Saurians sign
the fictional arab dictatorship is sauria - either a play on saudia or syria
incomplete

friday 13th 2009

incomplete
nothing new
michael bay shud be kept away frm teen movies

Push (2008)

incomplete
great story - terrible film
and what the hell is with this silly idea of sniffers
it's disgusting to start with

highway to hell (1991)

nostalgia for one of those random old rentals from the time i watched it - obviously
past the late 80s /90s cusp viewing wave
so 2nd time or so since 91/92 maybe even 93/94 !
discovered
it has early parts for buddies ben stiller his dad and his sister even!
stiller again cast / casting himself as the idiot - so it's a loooong running
gag with him. but u can nearly always tell he's no idiot - nearly because - well
watch zoolander + dodgeball
incomplete

Martyrs (2008)

french hoghogh
compelling thought if only for a second - though a second later the gaping hole in the premise becomes evident. despite anything compelling it remains a gratuitous/exploit. film and i didn't like that.

beowulf and grendel (2005)

demystified look at the legend
demystified and boooooring.
but w/ whatchmacallem, King Arthur (2004) *** , and the more engaging Beowulf (2007) *** ,
they form the kernel of a good Gothic (the historical culture not the literary genre) Film fest.

... Read more

etymo note: P راس -> Reg Rex

30.vI.MCDXXX

Rani, rania, rein , regna,

Remaining text. ... Read more

serve it up in english svp

25.V.MCDXXX

Summary: In conclusion, I think search engines like google and other web services / portals should always be served in an international language by default until the language setting is later changed and saved using cookies or whatever.

i hate when software makers start to make guesses for the user that they should not be making.

Most annoying, eg, is how google and other WWW public(?)/free(?) services make guesses about the language I want to read their service in based on the geo location of my IP. (although this is withOUt saved cookies i should disclaim.)

So if i'm a business traveler in myanmar, and tap a query into the search engine from the hotel bar or biz ctr, or try to access other services without saved cookies , i get served in malayo , which i've never learnt or read in my life.

and so even though the entire malayo nation itself has gone thru the trouble of making all its public information available to foreigners in one or moreinternational languages like english or french or chinese. Not so with service providers like google - noooo, they gotta play "smaaart" and guess for you what language You speak ! ... Read more

افندى (efendi) αὐθέντης authentic

12.I.1430

notice: this post contains both fact and fan[ta]cy (<- Pan,pangyr)

Authentic, authenticus, αὐθέντης , (Effendi) أفندى,

The turkish title (used for civil servants and the like) connotes a measure
of authority. It derives from the greek αὐθέντης.

It was in the hierarchy of the ottoman social system, ouranked by the bek and the pasha.

Afandem also was used to answer present in regimental contexts, or when coming to attention b/f a superior.

The usage was widespread throughout the arab world and persists in colloquial speech, with different semantics. ... Read more

Classifying knowledge by energy level

22.v.1430

The various domains of knowledge could be expressed as the functional domain for some knowledge measure function.

by way of example, the study of molecular biological systems that involve low levels of energy would be ranked lower than the study of the fluid dynamics of a waterfall, where the energies measured are much higher. And so the molecular biology would be to the left of waterfall dynamics on an axis or scale of energy levels.

The study of cosmology would probably one of the highest on the knowledge domain axis; and ironically for science, and by definition, theology would occupy the position on the axis with the highest energy level of all - the existence that transcends and contains the natural world and beyond. ad hoc schemes/heuristics to determine the energy level of a given knowledge domain seem feasible.

The initial motivation was to play around with the idea of an integrable knowledge mesaure - eg, a knowledge area function. This presented a challenge which was to find both a measure of knowledge and a metric (to define the domain and distance on the domain of that knowledge measure function, or knowledge area function).

some discussion is at knowledge_area_function.


... Read more

time, loops and motion

22.V.1430

when dealing with the passing of time in computer programming , there is no recourse like the loop. For instance, how else do we handle the repititiveness of time when doing things like printing a clock update?

programming indefinite timeframe in which to wait and catch events as they occur - involves a loop- like the processing loop.

* But what other loops are there nature? Motions.

* So is time generated by motion? In other words, in the absence of motion, is there no more time?

If Nature is customarily subtle, its signals that this may be true, could not be more blunt. Most of the motions we see are periodic. Indeed are physical and social existence are organized around those loops of time.

Entertaining the blind conjecture that time is loop-like. Recalls familiar notes.

* As we said, motion itself is loop-like due to laws.
* The relation of time to motion and energy is clear from e=mc^2 and e=hυ.
* so (maybe) motion generates time (?)

* iow, time is a function of motion. eg, time is like the displacement over its derivative t(s) = s(t)/s'(t).

* That time, as a function is periodic suggests time is a complex function.

... Read more

Computing as the evolution of writing

22.V.1430

computing, or programming are to humankind more like writing2.0.

writing , in implication, was not merely the aquired ability to record data.

It was also very much a programming tool - which with an individual's will
was exercised and accomplished - think contracts, court orders, decrees, wills,
and so on.

The transformative effect writing had on society was thus much more than the
more widespread communication of information. It included creating new social
spaces, and tools for action. Crucially it is through writing that mathematics
and exact engineering and technology were able to arise.

The ability to distribute and store information through was one of the secondary
applications or byproducts (lesser effects) of writing despite being at the root
of the motivation to write.

If the appearance of programming (or equivalently computing) in society at large in the past 60 years is an analogue to the effect of the invention of writing, then despite all the applications
seen so far - at the risk of aping Sir Papa WWW - we are still at the beginning of the computer era in terms of its profound
effect on society.

One of the things that initially stands out about computing is how it insinuated itself into every human activity. Despite being a product of electrical engineering and formal logic*, ie despite being an invention "like any other" it was as indispensible to human activity as others like planning and administration.

writing also became a necessity in every serious activity - from religion to trade everything required record keeping, planning, communication writs.

computing provided - well - computation. But it also xtended the record keeping. it automated record keeping and reduced most human activities to computations made on vast records of data.

Indeed, technically the computer was never more than that. A tool for data processing. like writing.

Both are intimately connected to our cognition and thought processes. We often cannot think without them. (here writing can be expanded to its larger sense which includes graphing or drawing as well - as a representational tool & faculty - an extension of the imagination).

Thus computing - or specifically computer programming - is the evolutionary step following writing.

Where writing has led to the ability to program and maintain civic institutions - from theology to accounting , computing gives the ability to program and automate intellectual activity and systems of knowledge.

*for a picture of the fields that fathered computer science , see http://augmented5th.dyndns.org/doku/doku.php?id=computation.
... Read more

things life teaches dept: if the universe were an algorithm

22.V.1430

if the entire universe is an algorithm,
then its entire run and outcome set must be known in advance.

there are good reasons why it is an algorithm, and not only as a collection of cellular automata primitives.

it is an alg, as a process that is controlled by sets of constraints - which are the physical laws.

even for a chaotic process, the constraints of physics , or of nature, apply.

it is an algorithm also in the sense of a dynamic model, we know it is controlled or self-regulating/controlling because the persistence of form of some of its objects , like us, despite a continual flow of matter "through" us. That was pointed out by Wiener in Cybernetics

Since a state function is defined (even if it is unknown) by the domain/range, and because a process itself is a set of state or transitions functions, it mus be viewed as a design, ie no different from other state transition machines, or state machines, or automata - save in complexity of course.

The implication is clear. As an algorithm, a formal (vs. natural) automatic machine, it is designed and like any well-designed system, its behavior and outcomes must have been anticipated and fully understood before its "deployment" :)



... Read more

2 points of aesthetics

17.V.1430

construction work in the states looks smart going up and smart after it's done
here it looks dumb going up and even dumber after it's finished

work well done / well conceived is aesthetically pleasing at every stage. ... Read more

quick notes on an arab space program ملاحظات سريعة عن برنامج الفضاء العربى

28.Iv.1430

(Pre.S. if you're willing to translate this note into good Arabic, lemme know)

- These are in no particular order, so even though some points might seem weak, subsequent others may be better.

- A space program or rather a space orientation need not replicate the traditional history of the first space agencies. It can encompass both technical and cultural objectives and directions. So although a bit misleading or limiting, the term "spc prgrm" is used throughout with this sense in mind.

- A spc prgrm can provide indirect help to education and curricula by galvanizing and motivating a lot of science discussions - now that it would be in the national landscape

- Likewise it has a beneficial effect on general morale - eg a source of pride - even despite the prevalent difficult qlty of life issues

- Participation can occur in cooperation with other regional space bodies, by contributing experiments, research, software, components, materials (ranging from insulation to optical surfaces) trainees, or whatever a given budget allows.

- In terms of the modern history of actual astronautics we have forfeited the leading position and so far have also foregone the position of contributors to the advances being made. But being merely on the consuming end - as we have been in so many other technological areas - is patently unacceptable - and no longer affordable.

- Being on the consuming end of spacefaring technology ,rather than the producing end has negative cultural and economic reprecussions on what is almost certainly the direction of future industry and world trade - extra terrestrial mineral exploitation and trade.

Not to mention that the mastery of spacefaring technology is imperative for a strong position in the long term future economy.

To clarify, the less contributing a region is, the less room it will have to stake claims on spacefaring services, legislation and opportunities.

For instance just as happened in Antarctica, and happening in the Arctic, there will be a rush to lay national claims to large patches of the Moon.

Unlike the distance from Antarctica and the arctic which kept a lot of big nations from taking an important interest in staking claims there (though even India and Germany have stations teams or personnel there), the Moon is equally distant for everybody.

There are obvious strategic implications if a given region, like the arab world, or individually at the state level, is unable to expand its claims the way space faring nations will be doing.

This makes a close involvement with local regional and international space efforts an imperative for any sensible long term planning.


- Potential to create a local market for local labor, as well as clean and high-tech industries to fulfill foreign demand.

- Boost to scientific research and science enrollement

- On the generalized arab and Muslim levels, there have been Arab astronauts, contributors to space missions, researchers, and financiers of space technological advances. On the generalized Muslim level , as can be expected, there are a number of Muslim countries that contain active cosmodromes or are otherwise actively engaged in local or international space projects.

In fact one of the earliest known instances of the invention of the rocket is attributed to a Muslim sultan.

(check out a chronology or timeline of muslim (islamic) science and technology that i started at Wikipedia)

This is to say nothing of the existing military aerospace expertise and tech that exists in nearly every muslim and every arab country (or at least most of the bigger ones).

In brief, the historical foundation and "roots" is not as desolate or sparse as I'd have thought more than a decade ago.

- A local program is great. But a much better program can be fashioned at the regional level - perhaps extending beyond just Arab league membership to include other sister-nations in the region both in the near east and Africa.

- an active large scientific program at the regional level would also have the welcome effect of improving and intensifying (if not vivifying) inter-campus communication and collaboration among the many Arab universities and programs. If i'm not mistaken, I believe Egypt can stand to benefit from such exchanges, particularly with the gulf and with the Maghreb - as well as hopefully all the others too. The intellectual potential alone is gigantic, provided infrastructure and meaningful direction.

- In broad technical terms, a space program need NOT necessarily have to set a goal like putting a man on an asteroid next to Le Petit Prince - or on the moon.

On the contrary, participation in a "space program" can choose to focus on one of the myriad technologies involved, from suit and tiling material design and manufacture, to optic instruments, to development of software systems, fault tolerance , simulations and so on.

So in addition to the core fun stuff of aerospace engineering, propulsion advances, vehicle design, etc. , a country like Egypt can participate (if it doesn't already) in projects with JAXA or ESA.

It can also consist in scholarships and grants for smarty pants graduates to pursue higher studies and training abroad.

- [update 23.V.MMIX] A space transportation committee should be established - not unlike similarly named institutions in industrialized nations. Just like analogs exist for air transportation, such a committee should at the least monitor all space (orbital and suborbital) transit above its territorial jurisdictions - as well as those transport projects that involve member states;
for instance, it would be an aggregation point for all arab satellite and other orbital assets.
Its role should be to monitor and where possible regulate space transport and transit in line with a general set of goals and objectives as determined in a given "space program" - or bet yet, a regional civil and commercial space strategy.

Perhaps such institutions exist, at the civic or mil. levels, perhaps not. What is important is the shaping of their roles and scope of regional and international cooperation based on a unified strategy.


- On the cultural side an orientation toward high tech should involve the promotion of local cultural artifacts connected to science, such as obivously , home-grown sci-fi , quality mass media programming in the sciences and tech , and not just imported stuff.

Crucially, it makes a big difference when a kid grows up and takes in science and knowledge from local resource - hopefully in good quality - because it is as though the kid inherits it from his/her own culture , rather than precede every scientific endeavour with that figurative stepping into the Anglophile culture to peruse its academic texts, or educational media.


- These are just some quick notes from a proposal for an arab space program that is in need of rewriting and organization, not to mention a proper venue for it.

... Read more

echo chamber dept. : last.fm reactions

27.Iv.1430

In response to the announcement at http://blog.last.fm/2009/04/22/radio-subscriptions, user feedback is ferocious - largely to to a feeling of exclusion in the west (and russia and poland) - the "3rd world" is more used to the exclusion : http://blog.last.fm/2009/04/22/radio-subscriptions#comments.

Meanwhile untried alternatives from comments include: Deezer, FineTune or Finemusic, Spotify, blip.fm, www.aupeo.com, and maybe Jamendo. (sorry mebbe i'll add link later)

+ of course the other sites where content is entirely user generated - like Jamendo - though there are no familiar pop or jazz classics there.

More alts from comments,

"hey!
10 free alternatives to the Last.fm Radio service.
StumbleAudio
Spotify
SHOUTcast
Musicovery
Deezer
iLike
Tunerec
Songza
Live365
RadioBeta

Anyone knows another option?"

"-Spotify
-Grooveshark
-Finemusic
-Jamendo (about indie artists)excellent!
-musicax.org (listen & download songs)

I won’t pay, record label should pay, not me."

"Alternatives to last.fm are:
limited to FR, UK, scandinavia:
spotify
US only:
slacker, pandora
I don’t know:
seeqpod, blip.fm
There’s more on alternativeto.net

Do consider that none of them are last.fm, you’ll have to pay for the real thing."

One particular comment resonated:

"I’m just confused as to why my 30 song free trial includes a big google ad right next to it, when ad-supported radio is apparently not feasable in Canada."

I'm getting all the ads all the time too here in Africa , so what gives? Isn't the whole idea of ads to bombard the user with ads on every page? so what do users in the UK/US/Germany do different from users elsewhere - don't we all get the ads equally? And is it because the ad buyers come from those three countries? Well, heck, Google's got offices in my country too !



And I was just thinking how last.fm could be turning the tide of the ominous clearchannels radio tentaclurum.

I still think it is fully equiped to turn the tide of trend like clearchannel radio and it should be supported - even with subscriptions - but without the crass discrimination.

But the key is to make a fully licensed perpetually free alternative clone to last.fm .

The economics of which still elusive of course, until money is somehow plugged out of the equation altogether, and all labor efficiently allocated and renumerated. hoohoo.

It's tough because unlike wikipedia or facebook,
a) content isn't user generated
b) last.fm has to pay license fees to the record disables. wikipedia and the other other idiots on't have to pay licensing fees to anyone. We give them all under very permissive free licenses.

RIAA is again the clear enemy here.

But the truth lies deeper in the general american moral fabric and the judaic and protestant cupidity embedded in it, distinct and far more severely degraded from European ethics.

anyweg.

Some more excerpts from the comments:


" ... Paying for a radio service is the most ridiculous thing ever."

"So what you are actually saying is: We’d love our foreign listeners to pay for our largest group of listeners, so they can listen for free.

Well, thanks for that, we’ll move on to the next best thing and make that as big as last.fm now is :)"

" ``scrobbling, recommendations, charts, biographies, events, videos etc will remain free in all countries”

thanks god biographies is still free… LOL"

"Well, it was fun while it lasted. Too bad I’ll need to use a proxy now to access last.fm now."

:)


"Do I charge for all the useful scrobble info I sent you? Do I charge for the artist descriptions I write? Do I charge for letting you stream my music? Just some random questions"

"Community site huh ? How a site like last.fm say that “i am a community site” ? Everyone have to pay exclude 3 “rich” country ?THE COMMUNITY MAKE LAST.FM , NOT LAST.FM ITSELF . NOT YOU “CBS” , YOU THINK YOU BOUGHT IT AND YOU CAN CHANGE IT TO WHAT YOU WANT ?"

"This is discrimination!!!"


"We’re managing a band, placed outside one of the “three lucky countries”. Since a new album is nearly ready, and in Lastfm we had a wide audience, we did decide to promote it there. But now… the audience will decrease drastically in most countries. So it is not a good idea to invest in promotion here anymore…

It’s a real shame, but I understand it’s a business, and they have to do whatever is better for them.

Good luck!"

"thank you guys, it was a good service… now i’ve to find something else…"


"I am gonna hear the last thirty tracks, jot down the titles of the cool songs and pieces I´ve discovered, as well as with the artists I didn´t know, find a way to keep in touch with the users I´ve made friends with, close my account and go to a peer to peer program to download all that music. SLSK anyone?

By the way,suggestions were made, Mark, but it seems that they didn´t matter. (check the other entries in the blog and their comments)

PS. Fuck last.fm"


"Just lost Launchcast a week ago in Canada. Now, on my birthday, I learn that I’ve lost Last.fm. Happy birthday to me. Sorry, guys, I haven’t been using Last.fm long enough to decide if it’s worth paying for, and I rather resent being forced to pay for something that is free in a few chosen countries."

"I repeat my idea: if users have to pay, ALL have to pay, not only ones that live outside USA and UK. I stop using it and, more important, I’ll stop scrobbling too! Your service LIVES with data scrobbled by users and I won’t give it for free.
Bye bye."

Too bad you already gave them your scrobbling data for free :) or :\

"+5000 подавитесь
eat you money, scumbags
Feel free to delete my account."

"Haha, i was playing Last.FM all day long, still ain’t noticing anything :)

If i keep it running without closing down, then i wont get cut of after 30+ songs? :D

It sucks that you can’t make a country specific ad campain, got to know a lots of new artists here.

The biggest bitches are the record labels, they just can’t get it, that there will be more downloading now, because ppl can’t listen via Last.FM anymore for free.

Just my 2 cents"

hehehe

"It’s fine that you start charging really, it’s just immensly retarted to know three countries don’t have to.

You can still get the radio’s from the API/site. So you can download the music elsewhere. (spotify and the like)

Three questions:
Does paying give you the extras old subscribers got (the playlists)?
Why not charge he UK/US/DE-trinity? If you need money you might as well. It doesn’t matter that you can advertise there, it would make it fair. (I would pay more for fair)
Why am I seeing ads?"

" ... It’s the whole “we all build this as a community, i alone (cbs) profit from it” attitude which i hate. ... To the last.fm core team, thanks guys you built something great, too bad the big boys ruined it. ..."

UPDATE 26.iv.2009:
So far slashdot and googlenews choose to ignore the issue - not very Internetizeny of them.


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film revu draft: medley

27.Iv.1430

Elizabeth' piracy is ok w/ Hollywood while Werner Herzog is let down on neutrinos. Not to mention Handel's conundrum.


Encounters at the end of the world (Werner Herzog, 2007)



Herzog gets invited to film in Antarctica. He offers us a delightful visit. He thankfully calls things as he sees them (and I appreciate how he sees things) - often very insightful though also often with those cognitive idiosyncracies (eg, a mixture of good intuition poetic idealism and naivety or ignorance) familiar from a certain caliber of stage and film directors (the masters).

(I have to admit , no matter how accomplished a stage or cinema auteur like Herzog are at the science of their own craft, sometimes when I read or hear them certain dissociations from reality appear, either as ignorance or naive or overly poetic idealism or just plain idiocy - a perspective different from what one gets when hearing scientists or mathematicians relfect on reality.)

Though often revealing and insightful, the discussion on neutrinos was a bit of a let down, because some important questions were not asked - though the director can hardly be faulted for that - it was the physicist who was weird.

This oeuvre combines some of the best of "nature" documentaries, and human subject ones offering a rare and coalescent mixture of both in one dose.

* * * * *

Farinelli (1994)

Here's a film that would have been popular in the culture club and duran duran scene, though over a decade late.

I'd be interesting in reading what Dr. David Yearsley (articles) would say about it.

There is no escaping that the music and is sublime (particularly the Handel piece), the costumes exquisite, and the direction and acting talent not wanting.

I guess this film is to castrati sopranos (shouldn't that be soprani instead?) what Amadeus was to composers.

* * * * *

Nixon/Frost (Ron Howard, 2008)

Despite any due misgivings about Ron Howard, in this mockumentary Frank Langella turns in a very engaging persona (all the more as I actually relate a bit - though unlike said Nixon, I never ordered any bugging or disgraced a high office).

I don't know whether his co-star, Michael Sheen delivers a believable David Frost , but at times parallels come up with people like Tony Blair - and generally, despite (or because of) being produced through american eyes , a distinctly british persona streams out with all its collusion with , dependence on and patronization of its transatlantic beast.

Actually, imagining for a moment that Watergate never happened, that Nixon never existed and that I knew nothing of it but what is recounted in this film, the scenario does make a fantastic drama which is very cleverly told.

And assuming Langella was interpreting a character from his own imagination, it would one of the deepest characters I have seen on film for a while - well since Il Castrato and Handel anyway :)

And in the end the step from normalcy into the abyss of evil is so close so easy that one can cross the line unaware and never be able to step back.

* * * * *

Just like the past decade has seen a franchise of Marvel (and DCComics) adaptations, there is another subgenre that recasts historical queens in modern feminist personas (read 90s/00s but also 30s hollywood cultural gender biases).

Thus we have the usual culprits

Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: the golden age (2007)

Marie Antoinette (2006)

The affair of the necklace (2001)

The other Boleyn girl (2008) starring both the bipedal cow and the cross-eyed monster, in matching dresses to boot.

The tragedy is in all the presumptions about how the characters behaved , particularly in which circumstances they would formal or informal in their demeanour; removing any historical value - not even the costumes are reliable. In fact, they often seem over dressed for the occasion , as though the costumes are erroneously lifted out of portraits ignoring more mundane outfits - such as on hunt scenes.

juxtaposed with similar films from Europe or from other decades,

they differ from

Marie Antoinette (1938)

Fire over England (1937)

Anne of the 1000 days (1969)

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

though the trends of Hollywood-style feminism still exist.

They also differ from the more multilayered and more history-friendly renditions in

La Reine Margot (1994) of cors is a classic, with almost Manara- or Caligula-style dirtiness in both the sense of grit and eroticism. (on any given day, it seems a Medici film series would make for interesting softporn viewing).

Juana la loca (2006), which deserves to be another classic - if only for the rarity of films treating the spanish-Dutch connection via the common Habsberg dynasty.

The order of colonization was Spain/portugal, then Nederlands due to the Spanish/port. habsberg connection, then the covetous copycat Britain in the 17th++ cent., then France 18th+, then Italy Belgium Germany and Terroristan in the 19th/20th cent. Austria and Prussia had their outre-mer adventures too in the 19th century - though rather timidly shortlived.

Meanwhile Hollywood treatments of the 15th century queen of England (Fire over England, Elizabeth: Golden Age) have no problem with her knighted pirates plundering and looting Spanish fleets (however ill-gained in 1st place) like (sirs) Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake - the former put to death after her demise. (At least Black Adder II made fun of them).

Yet it may not be long (maybe) before Hollywood expresses how much it gets its knickers tied in a knot over the modern day hoax of somalien piraten.

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