The Cymbal Rant

Ok, I admit it... I am a cymbal purist. By that I mean I have very specific tastes when it comes to what I find desirable in the sound and appearance of a cymbal. I am so picky, in fact, that the smallest detail may be the determining factor in whether or not I spend my money on said cymbal.

To further elaborate, I prefer older cymbals to newer ones. There is something to be said about the mellower sound of a heavily-fingerprinted, nightclub-smoke- laced patina, with respect to a shiny, new cymbal. A cymbal ages, just as guitars do; to my ears they sound richer over time.

Then there's the bane of cymbal manufacture -- the 'brilliant' finish. From a marketing standpoint, I fully understand why manufacturers sell three times as many shiny pies as they do with dull pies. The cymbals are shinier, they appear to be easier to clean (just wipe the fingerprints off), and they look great under stage lighting. But I have never liked the sound of a cymbal in a brilliant finish. Not one. To me they sound shrill, un-musical; more like hunks of metal than an instrument.


I have even played the exact same cymbal in music stores -- the only difference being the type of finish on the cymbal, and always found myself gravitating towards the regular-finished cymbal in terms of preferring its' sound.

In my never-ending quest to find the 'perfect' cymbal, I find myself scouring auction sites, craigslists, and pawn brokers, hoping to find a used cache, instead of the virgin cymbals at the local music dealer. I have even resorted to paying more for a used cymbal than I would for
a new one -- so I wouldn't have to wait 10 years for the cymbal to age. Finding the perfect cymbal is a bit of a laborious process though that might mean I end up purchasing one cymbal for every 75 cymbals that have piqued my interest. If I preferred brilliant cymbals to traditional cymbals, I might have 100 cymbals in my collection, which would be, incidentally, quite a sizable investment.

I still buy the odd "new" cymbal in music stores. I sometimes find a new cymbal that speaks to me in such a way that I know it sounds good now -- and it will sound even better in the future. I just realize the sound that I hear in my head, cannot be purchased new. This sound only comes with an aged, thin cymbal that appears like the dog dragged it outside and buried it in the backyard.

Truth of the matter is, my cymbal purchases these days are more for the collectability value, than anything else. Rare cymbals, odd sizes, lines, makes and models that are no longer in production are the pies I seek. This also makes it difficult, as they are incidentally, the same cymbals that every other collector is searching for.

Still, when I see a cymbal close on an auction for a thousand dollars, I shake my head and wonder who'd be crazy enough to blow that kind of dough on a cymbal -- but the true cymbalholics do.

I'm just a cymbalholic in denial.

All it Means is That I'm Earning Less and Less

Our illustrious Premier Ed Stalmach tossed us all a bone yesterday, raising the minimum wage in Alberta to 8 dollars per hour, up from the current rate of 7 dollars per hour. The change will come into effect in September. Furthermore, wages are to be re-evaluated annually in the future, and the minimum wage adjusted accordingly.

Now I would think raising the minimum wage should be a good thing, and I should be cheering on the Conservative government. Then, how can it be that I am about as tempered as a rabid dog right now, bent on biting the messenger?

Perhaps I can relate with a bit of history and personal experience. I am a [relatively] young punk. I am sure there are many of you who remember minimum wage being something like $1 per hour. Conversely, I began working when minimum wage was less than $5 per hour. When the minimum wage was raised to $5 per hour almost 15 years ago, was my salary adjusted accordingly? No.

Why? Because I was already making more than minimum wage. Not by much mind you, but enough for me to feel that sting from the realization that my salary was worth less, comparatively.

Obviously, I invested a great deal of my time and energy into earning a University degree, so I could get a "decent" job that would pay a "decent" salary, so that I could drive a "decent" car, and live in a "decent" house, raise a "decent" family, and if I was lucky, I could afford a "decent" pine box to put my ashes into at the end of it all.

In the five years since earning my Degree, I have yet to see any benefits from this "Economic Boom" that Alberta and (to a slightly lesser degree) the rest of the nation has endured. When I graduated I did get a job that showed potential. Sure, I took a salary hit due to my lack of experience, and settled on a training salary equivalent to twice that of the minimum wage offered at that time. It wasn't much, but it would allow me to gain some critical work experience, learn some skills, and as agreed with my employer, my salary would be adjusted as I gained experience.

What I have earned in wage adjustments over the years has hardly had any beneficiary effect on my standard of living. In fact, given the cost of living in this province, the rate of inflation, the prohibitive cost of housing, and the cost of fuel, I am actually earning considerably less than I did five years ago!

Minimum wage is completely arbitrary in Alberta, and has been for a couple years now. The employers that are offering minimum wage as a starting salary are obvious; just go to the job bank and see how many of these jobs are listed and relisted. Why? Because of two scenarios:

1. Nobody is applying for jobs that pay minimum wage, and
   
2. Whomever is earning minimum wage for unskilled labor are leaving their jobs for ones that are paying between $10 and $15 for similar duties.

What really gets my blood boiling is that there are high-school dropouts who are earning more than I, and all they have to do is ask "Would you like a donut with that large double-double?"

For $14 dollars an hour, I will ask unruly customers if they "want fries with that". It's a far easier job than what I currently put up with on a daily basis.

It blows my mind how the media thinks that there are all these "Big Money" jobs in Alberta. Unless you opt to risk your life and health in the Tar Sands or on a drilling rig, I haven't seen any good jobs being offered with equitable pay. With the average price of a home in Alberta approaching $400,000, I'd say that's an awful large amount of french fries to serve in order to pay off that mortgage.

So who are the true winners of this "Economic Boon" (misspelling intentional)? It's the wealthy. It's the business owners. It's those who hold property and the more they own, the more they are laughing their way to the bank. Liquid assets aren't paying off. Thanks to the high Canadian dollar, fueled by unprecedented economic growth, and the unstable price of oil, my Mutual Funds are in the tank. I'd get more out of my investment if I dropped it all into one of those Government-sponsored slot machines (thanks, Ralph!). At least it would pay out once in a thousand pulls.

So hats off to Ed Stalmach, for raising minimum wage in our province to $8.00 per hour. He'd better open up his eyes soon, as the least any of us are making over here is $10.00 per hour. But that could change tomorrow. It's not like it's going to affect my life any. My salary will not be adjusted accordingly, and when September rolls around, I can wake up knowing that the salary I earn is one step closer to what is better known as "unskilled labor".

While he's at it, maybe Ed can raise the minimum wage for working musicians in this province. We haven't seen a raise in over 25 years.

YouTube; Blogs Kill Culture

Andrew Keen seems to think that the internet, in all it's wonders is killing American Culture. He has written a book entitled "The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture," in hopes in drawing awareness that Hollywood is losing money, market share, and most importantly their influence on American pop culture.

Keen, a former dot-com entrepreneur, argues that the phenomenon of user-generated content, particularly blogs and YouTube videos, is overpowering established media players. Consequently, he believes the notion of quality content will be eradicated as the playing field tilts in favor of consumers churning out substandard and erroneous content.

"The monkeys take over," Keen says. "Say good-bye to today's experts and cultural gatekeepers -- our reporters, news anchors, editors, music companies and Hollywood movie studios." -- Reuters

It's like he's giving a eulogy to the big, bad media conglomerate, whom for nearly one hundred years has reaped unthinkable profits from American Teenagers, all the while producing -- by their definition -- what is to be considered "quality entertainment". It's like he is saying that Hollywood in itself, defines American Culture.

Hollywood doesn't define American culture; it shoves it down the throats of anyone willing to pay attention to them. American culture is Davey Crockett, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Paul Bunyan, and Martin Luther King Jr., just to name a few.

American culture is not Mickey Mouse, or American Idol. American culture is not defined by Hollywood actors, especially those who are accused of uttering threats, antisemitism, or racial slurs (and I need not name names). America is not the latest flavor of the month or A-Team reruns on satellite television. American culture is not defined by CNN, MTV, ABC, NBC, FOX, or HBO. It is not defined by Sony, AOL Time Warner, EMI, Universal, or BMG, and it is most certainly not defined by Paramount, Disney, or any other major motion picture distributor.

We bloggers and "amateur" film producers did not kill American Culture; we took it back. Not bad, considering Keen regards us as "a bunch of monkeys".

Ghost in the Machine

I have pretty much had it. I am convinced that my car is hexed. Yes, my beautiful car that I have taken so good care of, has cost me far more than I would care to admit this year. This morning, I had the last straw.

Fifteen minutes before I had to be at work this morning, I jumped into my car and started it. The car started, but something didn't sound quite right. The starter was still going -- while the engine was running. So I quickly shut off the engine, and the starter kept going. An feeling of eerieness came over me when I removed my key from the ignition, and the starter kept going.

Mass panic ensued. How could this thing be going, when I don't even have a key in it! I had to shut it off -- now -- and the only way I could think of accomplishing that was by disconnecting the battery.

So much for being on time for work this morning.

By the time I got back from the garage with a handful of wrenches, my battery had almost expired. A couple quick turns, the battery leads were disconnected, and my car fell silent.

I didn't manage to deal with my derelict until tonight. I called a tow truck, and had my car taken to the Toyota dealership, where I hope they have an old priest and a young priest who can perform an exorcism on my car.

I ended up being pretty useless at work today, my mind dwelling on my car, and what kind of grief it has put me through in 2005 alone. I have replaced the hood, some jackass backed into my car, the piston rings were replaced, the mother of all hailstorms pummeld my car's exterior, and now this. By the end of September, I would have sunk seven grand on a car that's worth no more than nine -- and that's this year alone. At what point do you draw the line and say: "I've bought a lemon; time to dump it and get something better?"

I'm thinking it's about time to upgrade before this car costs me any more grief. Some people will call it Murphy's Law, but my warranty expired last week. I have one year of payments left on that car before I can call it my own. I'm screwed.

So, as my car got escorted to the dealership, I decided I would have a look at what was for sale in their lot. I may end up dumping my car for a newer, more reliable, more environmentally-friendly model with less mileage. I don't even think I would have to borrow as much this time around.

I have been smelling the winds of change in recent months. Maybe this is a sign.

Pre-Iraq Bombings in 2002: The Times Online

Matthew Good today published an interesting entry regarding illegal military action by the American military against Iraq in 2002.

"The American general who commanded allied air forces during the Iraq war appears to have admitted in a briefing to American and British officers that coalition aircraft waged a secret air war against Iraq from the middle of 2002, nine months before the invasion began.

Addressing a briefing on lessons learnt from the Iraq war Lieutenant-General Michael Moseley said that in 2002 and early 2003 allied aircraft flew 21,736 sorties, dropping more than 600 bombs on 391 'carefully selected targets' before the war officially started.

The nine months of allied raids 'laid the foundations' for the allied victory, Moseley said. They ensured that allied forces did not have to start the war with a protracted bombardment of Iraqi positions.

If those raids exceeded the need to maintain security in the no-fly zones of southern and northern Iraq, they would leave President George W Bush and Tony Blair vulnerable to allegations that they had acted illegally."

The original Times publication can be found here.

My response to the story, as published on the mblog:

I find this surprising. At first glance, I find it entirely plausible that a secret war could have been waged nine months before George W. and Tony Blair waged the "official invasion" of Iraq.

But it doesn't make sense. In this world where we are connected internationally by the Internet, and have access to newscasts from literally hundreds of countries, we would have surely heard that strategic targets were being bombed from the air by American or British forces.

Al-Jezeera would have been all over the news like flies to excrement.

Though it is widely known that the American propaganda machine can distort facts, and make the citizens of their country believe that their actions of war are justified, I can't believe that they could have covered up something this large. Somebody would have exposed the news.

If what the American General said was true, that nearly 400 targets were bombed in 9 months, would mean that approximately 2 strategic targets would have had to been struck per day. This could not be dismissed as "random acts of terrorism"; this is far larger. Terrorists hit civilian targets, to strike fear and promote unrest in the country. Precise bombings of strategic targets are, conversely, evidence of military operations.

I don't think the full story has yet been told.
[permanent link]

Junk Mail

When I went to the mailbox to retrieve this week's flyers, I came across the first "Back to School" flyer of the year. Right underneath it was the first Christmas flyer of the year.

I find this unsettling, as school isn't even out for the summer, though it's pretty close.

I despise marketing with a fury of a thousand suns. I really think marketers believe that the general public are incredibly stupid; that we have no regard for our money, and we buy everything that they tell us we must have. They use sex appeal to sell us everything from soft drinks and alcohol to cars, fast food, clothing, and even laundry detergent. And I scratch my head and wonder how it is that teenage pregnancy rates are at an all-time high.

When it comes to the infernal marketing machine, there are three types of people:

1. Those who take a vow of poverty. These are people who believe the path to inner peace is through prayer, self-sacrifice, and the renouncement of all possessions. Buddhist monks would fit into this category.
   
   
2. Those who feel happiness can be bought. These people are generally weak-minded, easily indoctrinated by the media, frivolously buying items which generally have little value. These people are usually poor, as the majority of their earnings are wasted on convenient, and disposable commodities. Sadly, most of us fall into this "He who has the most toys when he dies, wins" category.
   
   
3. Those who believe their calling in life is the acquisition of wealth and power. These people spend their lives acquiring property, assets, and money, mainly as a deluded form of affirmation that they will be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors in their golden years. The truth is, these people never enjoy their wealth, because they are preoccupied with acquiring more wealth. What they are really after is power, and he who controls the most assets, the most resources, and the most money ultimately has the most power. Capitalist pigs fall into this category.
   

I do not consider myself a capitalist by any stretch of the imagination. I cannot accept living in a society where the poor are thrown to the wolves, with no hope of achieving a minimal standard of living. The homeless people of North America are no better off than the poor of Sub-Saharan Africa; they have no shelter, no health care, no jobs, and no money.

In the developed countries of the world, 1% of the population still controls 99% of the wealth. The picture has not changed since the days of feudalism, when tyrant Kings ruled their kingdoms and fought one another. We may think we are better off than the peasants of ages past, but are we really? The peasants managed to survive, as do we. The only real difference is the available technologies and amenities we have today. Even then, things haven't changed all that much. In the Greek and Roman Empires, they had access to clean drinking water, they had baths, entertainment, food in bountiful quantities, roads, public services, and of course, taxes. That doesn't sound much different than today except we have electricity, satellite television, and the internet.

My Car Hates Me...

Or at least, somebody out there hates me.

I am very diligent about the welfare of my vehicle. I get it serviced regularly, I don't drive the piss out of it, I wash it regularly; it's my baby.

But this has been a record year for unnecessary maintenance of my vehicle. First, some asshead vandalized the hood of my car. The damage was so severe, that I had to replace the entire hood. Then some inconsiderate fool with a hidden hitch backed into my car, leaving a square hole in the front bumper. My car had been guzzling oil, and the mechanic told me I needed the piston rings replaced. That cost another $1400.

Then Friday, we had the mother of all hailstorms. In thirty years, I have never seen such a violent hailstorm. It hailed for thirty minutes, and the hail was the size of golf balls. It was a scary and thrilling experience, standing under the shelter of the house, watching the hailstones hit the ground, and then bounce four feet in the air. The noise was deafening.

I was afraid to have a look at my car by the time the storm subsided. My car looked like it had been parked in the middle of a driving range. There are dents everywhere -- on the hood, the roof, the trunk, the port fenders and doors. Two thirds of my car could not escape the wrath of the elements.

Luckily, the glass survived. There were no cracks or broken windows. The mirrors escaped unscathed. But that matters very little. I will have no choice but to make a claim on my insurance policy, and I only wonder what this is going to do to my insurance premiums.

I am seriously pissed off. No matter what I try to do to get ahead in this life, I'm always spinning my wheels. I should resort to riding the bus the rest of my life. It would be cheaper.

Freedom Dissertation, Part 2

[Ed note: This entry ended up becoming a continuation of a discussion that began with this post. Similar themes have been discussed in this blog, namely, these recent entries: One, Two, and Three.]

While I was slugging it away at the office this afternoon, I was paid a visit by the gentleman who works in the office next door. He has subcontracted the company I work for to do some environmental work on a property he owns, and he popped his head into our office with the intent of asking my boss a few questions with respect to environmental logistics, as it related to the property in question.

The reason why he came into our office is irrelevant to my entry; my boss was out in the field, and he ended up talking with me instead.

WM is a local entrepreneur. He has interests in an undisclosed number of businesses, plus he owns numerous properties in my city. He is worth millions. It would be difficult to speculate on his net worth, but I estimate it would likely be somewhere between ten and fifty million.

I enjoy speaking with him on occasion, as it is obvious that he is a successful businessman, and any free advice you can get out of a successful businessman is priceless. He ended up talking about a few of his business experiences, and I listened intently.

He said something that struck a real chord with me. It's likely related to something I have written a long time ago; it is definitely something I have given considerable thought to.

We were discussing how the scales of impartial law are often tipped by big money. For example, it's almost impossible to get a judge rule in your favor if you decide to go head-to-head and sue a major corporation. These mega-corporations are able to hire the best lawyers, and drag trials on for years. The "little guy" cannot compete with this, as their resources will likely be drained in the short term.

WM then spoke about an acquaintance of his (who happened to be a millionaire) who was arrested for murder. This sounded awfully like the infamous OJ Simpson case, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt, as it could have been any millionaire. This man claimed his innocence, and used his resources to hire the best defense he could afford. WM explained this murder suspect invested nearly a million dollars into his case, and eventually was able to prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was not the murderer. The exonerated suspect then told WM that if he were poor, he would have been spending his life behind bars.

As I was listening to this tale, a sense of irony overcame me. We then discussed one of the most infamous criminal cases in Canadian Law History - the exoneration of David Milgaard. David served 22 years in prison, before he was able to prove via DNA evidence that he was not guilty in the rape and stabbing death of Gail Miller. Milgaard then filed a lawsuit against the Canadian Judicial System for his wrongful conviction and was awarded $10 million in restitution.

So the rich guy has to pay a million dollars to prove his innocence, while the poor guy does 22 years and then wins the lottery. It amazes me, in the strange ways the world works.

This got WM talking about the correctional system. "You hear them all [convicts] talking about freedom this, and freedom that. The freedom to do what you want to do; the freedom to go places, or to make choices," he began, "I don't know what these guys are complaining about, they get three square meals a day; they get exercise; the get to read, write, get an education or watch a bit to television."

By this time I knew exactly where he was going. "I've been running my businesses for thirty years," he continued, "I'm not free; I work seven days a week. The phone is ringing non-stop; I have meetings and emergencies to deal with on a daily basis. I don't get to do anything I want."

He left our office shortly thereafter, but I sensed a lot of truth in his words. When I examined my schedule, it amazed me that I had next to no free time; and when I did have a few spare hours, I was usually too tired to do much more than sleep.

I am working three jobs so I can make a living wage. I am trying to save whatever monies I can, just so one day I might be able to have a short, semi-comfortable retirement. Unfortunately, investing sixty to eighty hours per week in your job(s) will undoubtedly suck every ounce of enjoyment out of your life.

As long as we have to work our fingers to the bone in order to survive, we will never be free.

On Achieving Immortality

My brain is a miraculous piece of faulty engineering. To put it bluntly (yes the pun is intended) I'm about as sharp as a beachball. My mind ends up working overdrive 24/7 and several times during the day I catch myself saying "Wow! Is that ever brilliant! I should blog this!"

This happens consistently when I am away from the computer. It happens often when time constraints, or the environment prevents me from blogging.

Then, late in the day, when I am sitting at my computer, I open a Blogger window, expecting to write about every subject I had considered over the past day.

But that blank screen staring back at me, seems to cause my imagination to become equally blank. And then I get really pissed off. I managed to use every ounce of creative energy before I could make it to a computer.

I have some mental issues that I cannot adequately explain. But I can do my best within these entries to convey, to the best of my ability, not just what goes on in my attic, but my feelings on my purpose in life.

I am not happy with some of the cards I have been dealt. I think it's unfair that I can expect to live 75 years and accomplish everything I want to in my life. I don't think it's fair that out of those 75 years, a full-third of my time will be spent asleep. I am too ambitious and I have too much to accomplish in my short life. I also think it's unfair that once I depart for the great beyond, my existence will eventually be forgotten. Every brilliant thought of mine, every proof, every fact, every action, and every argument I ever had will disappear. I have been on a mission to achieve greatness for an undisclosed number of years, and I really don't want to think my efforts have been in vain.

Steve Jobs used to tell his employees that their mission, as members of Apple was to make a dent in the Universe. The greatest people that have ever existed have left visible (and metaphorical) marks in every one of us. You don't have to look further than Mohammed, Buddha, or Christ to see the kind of impact a powerful, charismatic, and loving person can have on this world. Philosophers, artists, composers, and scientists throughout history have enjoyed similar admiration, spewing out their "gospel" to the world.

Everyone of these people believed in their craft; as do I. I may be a mere mortal, but I have seen how so many people have managed to cheat death. Oëtzi is likely the oldest human being that we know a considerable amount of. His mummified remains, and his possessions have told us much about prehistoric technology, diet, and even gives speculative insight into prehistoric culture. If you would like to know more about the Iceman, I suggest you read Brenda Fowler's book. Being preserved for many millennia has made Oëtzi achieve a form of immortality. Sure there are remains of hominid species that are millions of years old, but they usually don't tell us (comparatively) a lot of information, especially with respect to primitive culture. One of the most fantastic finds in human evolution were the footprints at Laetoli, which proved that our ancestors have been bipedal for at least 3.5 million years.

Musicians, philosophers, playwrights, and authors have been able to achieve immortality. Scholars have been able to translate and decrypt some of the oldest texts ever found. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for example is likely the oldest translation of the Bible. Conversely, the Rosetta Stone allowed us to decrypt ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Ancient Greek literature, such as Homer, has been translated, allowing us to learn the history of the Greeks.

The great authors and playwrights, Chaucer, Shakespeare, among countless others are still alive in our minds and our hearts. They shall live on through the ages, just as Newton, Einstein and even Darwin will.

But there is a catch. These people will only life on as long as we allow them. This is largely connected to our society, as well as our ability to communicate through spoken and written means. Eventually we will all die off. Eventually, the human race will cease to exist, and everything we have sought to achieve, will be in vain.

The dent we have created in the Universe will eventually close.

The Scariest Place On Earth

This evening, I got dragged to the Bloomingdales for White Trash -- better known as Wal-Mart. I absolutely despise this store. It's crowded, noisy, and mostly full of useless junk that is manufactured in China. My true hatred for Wal-Mart runs deeper, but cannot be explained in a few mere paragraphs. An excellent description of Wal-Mart's business ethics are detailed in Naomi Klein's No Logo. There are numerous copies available at Amazon.com. If you haven't read this book, what are you waiting for?

Wal-Mart puts me in the worst of moods. I can only put up with so many spoiled, bratty kids before I start considering that it would be an ideal time for a random act of violence against a complete stranger.

Have you ever had a good look at the people at Wal-Mart? I'm not just talking about the staff, I'm also talking about every patron who wanders those fluorescent-lit isles. What a sorry sight. This has got to be the worst place on Earth to pick-up women. Next time you get dragged there, have a good look at the people. I swear I have never seen one good-looking person in that building. I get depressed just watching all these losers, dressed in their tattered rags, wandering the isles with their vacant eyes, with 2.5 kids in tow, buying more useless junk for their mobile home. I am almost ashamed to be in that store.

I figure I can mock White Trash, simply because I am White Trash myself. I work a blue-collar job that barely pays a living wage; I live in a White Trash neighborhood, and I get drunk at White Trash bars.

But I am fighting very hard, so that one day, I might crawl out of this demographic, and become a middle-class suburbanite slob. I suppose I can then make fun of Yuppies.

Work Ethic

On my daily commute to and from work, I normally listen to CBC Radio One, as I find the commentary to be intelligent, and enlightening. It is often that I find the discussed subjects riveting, controversial, and I often tell myself that the subjects often debated would be worthy of discussion in this blog.

Such was the case today. This morning, as I was listening to The Eye-Opener, they held an interview with a lady who discussed the importance of a strong work ethic in young professionals today.

[Ed. note: I apologize, as I forgot the interviewee's name, and my search of the web for related content proved fruitless.]

The interviewees' comments and arguments heavily centered around today's young adults, with respect to recent University graduates, and contrasted them with the attitudes of the older professionals (in the same field) who are due to retire. She sensed a fundamental difference in the attitudes of both generations. She argued that today's youth (including those in their twenties) have no work ethic; that they are spoiled rotten, have had everything handed to them on a silver platter, and never had to work for anything in the life. She further expounded on youth's reluctance to work beyond forty hours per week, citing that people of her age were accustomed to investing more than sixty hours per week in their professional endeavors. Since it has been almost sixteen hours since I have heard her arguments, I am a little bit fuzzy about the details.

I remember being a little perturbed about her arguments. I both agree and disagree with her arguments. This likely has a lot to do with the fact that I am a member of Generation-X, and she is discussing the differences between the Baby-Boomers and the "Me" Generation. Sadly, like everything else in my life, I have managed to "fall between the cracks".

Recent University graduates are entering the workforce with the notion that upon graduation, they expect a top-notch position with unrealistic benefits. Climbing the corporate ladder is cutthroat; competitors will eat you alive. Top executives have had to fight their entire lives to achieve the positions they currently hold, or at the very least, hope to achieve. I severely doubt that these workaholics who are nearing retirement will gladly give thier high-paying jobs to any inexperienced University graduate who wears ball caps and T-shirts to work.

Conversely, those who are due to retire have spent their entire lives acquiring their personal wealth. They have been married to their jobs for thirty or more years. If you have any job that pays you a substantial amount of money, you will know that you are expected to invest far more than forty hours per week at your job. As a professional executive in almost any company, it is assured that you will not see your significant other, nor your children for days on end. Your job is your life. Forget ball practice; forget your anniversary; forget vacations, and forget your children. You will end up spending most of your adult life inside a cubicle. If you are lucky, you will get an office to yourself.

Today's young professionals seem to understand the importance of the quality of life that exists outside of the office tower. They want to spend time with their family, while their children are still young. They want a social life; they want recreation. The difference is that they want instant gratification. The young have been spoiled since day one. If at first, they don't succeed, they call Dad and ask them to cash-in on their trust-fund. Conversely, the mature professionals have spent their entire adult lives seeing the inside of a cubicle. They have had to work for every dime they have ever earned.

Since I am caught between these two generations, it should be obvious that I don't know on which side of the fence I sit. I can relate to both Generations. There are many of my peers who have coasted through life; who got everything they ever wanted; there are also those who have had to claw and fight for every single reward, like myself.

I am currently working three jobs so I can attain the standard of living that I expect. I often work 18 hour days from 8 in the morning to all hours of the night. It is not uncommon for me to work past midnight, in order for me to accomplish all I want to in a given day. Sleep is a luxury for me, as I often get less than six hours' rest per night.

There are times that I resent those who make salaries that greatly surpass mine, and who are younger than I. I feel like when I got dealt my hand of cards, I got a shitty deal. But I concur that one day, I will be able to live a less stressful life; one that includes quality time spent with my significant other, and with my children, when I decide to raise a family.

For all you young graduates out there: Piss off and wait your turn. Learn to slug it out in the trenches before you go crying to Daddy and rape his trust fund. You aren't as special as every teacher you ever had told you. Learn to keep a job.

For all you workaholics who are due to retire, take a good look at your life. Ask yourself if the life you had the last thirty years has been worth living. Can you remember much more than the four walls that surround you day in and day out? Does it amaze you how your children grew to adulthood so quickly? When was the last time you left your job early? Can the enjoyment you experience in your adult life be surmised in the annual two weeks you take for vacation? Do you even get two weeks' vacation in a given work year?

If you fall into the above category, do us all a favor and off-yourself, as it is clearly obvious that your life is completely miserable and without substance. At least the only thing the young punks got right is maintaining the quality of life that makes our lives worth living.

Careless Geriatric Drivers

I can usually tell what kind of day it's going to be within the first hour of waking. Today was no different -- and once the day takes a turn for the worse, the entire day is shot.

I was taking my normal commute to work this morning when I nearly totaled my car. I was driving down one of the major arteries of my city, when I spotted a Chrysler leaving the parking lot of a neighborhood Medical Arts Centre. I saw him from about 100 meters back, and noticed he wanted to turn left onto a 4-lane road. I also saw him inching forward, anticipating his turn.

In fact, he began turning left on the road as I quickly approached him -- and he was on a collision course with my vehicle. I slammed on my breaks and came to a screeching halt not 3 meters from his car. From my vantage point, I could tell that this driver was so old, all I could see was his knuckles on the steering wheel. What the idiot driver did next, I could hardly believe. He stopped his car, blocking two lanes of traffic. There was no way I could go around him.

That's when a gasket blew somewhere in my skull. I completely lost it, I was so angry. It was a damn good thing that I had my seatbelt on, as I am sure I would have jumped out of my car and done something I would live to regret. The first thing on my mind was to destroy his drivers' license. Resorting to verbal and physical abuse was the immediate second thought on my mind. I stared at him with the most vicious face I could, full of wrath, burning holes through him with my evil eyes, and I madly pointed my fingers at him to get the hell out of my way. As he crossed my path, he looked at me, and hopefully with his dim eyesight, he could see me telepathically tell him: "And your children, too".

Part of me really wanted my car to collide with his. His vehicle was in the wrong; I was on a major street, the parking lot is controlled by a stop sign. But I just got my car fixed. I have paid an astronomical amount of insurance premiums in the last few years. And the last time I totaled my car, the experience was traumatic enough, that I never want to go through the experience again.

If the roads were icy, the collision would have happened, and it would not have been a pretty sight. I am thanking my lucky starts that even though the roads were wet, there was enough traction to allow me to stop, and ultimately avoid the collision.

I ended up being pissed-off the entire day.

Then, in the afternoon while I was running some errands, I narrowly avoided another accident. Not two blocks from where I was nearly struck in the morning, and old white boat is leaving a parking lot, turning right onto a 4-lane street. He was at a stop sign, but decided to stop and shoulder check once his vehicle was halfway into the lane, and I was fast approaching. I slammed on my brakes again, and came to a full stop with a few meters to spare, otherwise I would have taken off the front half of his car. Guess what? He was another old and blind driver, who apparently had one foot in the grave. Once again, I had to let the offending driver get out of my way, even though I had the right-of-way. I am thanking my lucky stars that nobody had been tailing me at either incident, or it might have been my car that got turned into a tin can, with me being the main ingredient.

In hindsight, I am somewhat surprised that I never used my horn in either near-miss. In fact, I almost never use my horn. I suppose there is good reason for that, because I cannot stand being honked at myself. Using a horn on me is a good reason to replace your windshield. The horn enrages me, and once again, the seatbelt comes to save my life, as it usually keeps me firmly planted to my seat. This is also the reason why I do not keep a crowbar in my vehicle, as it would more than likely be used as a bludgeoning weapon, rather than for tire replacement. Yes, the horn is a direct-link to my insane realm -- and I have no idea why it affects me so. But when someone honks at me, I always end up playing some scenario out in my head where I get out of my vehicle, force the driver open the hood of his car and proceed to rip out the horn with my bare hands. I then envison slashing the tires, smashing the headlights in, destroying the windshield and slamming his thick skull in the car door. That should give the offending driver a clear message that they should never honk their horn at me.

Yes, I suffer from Road Rage, and from what I have written, you can tell I have a pretty bad case of it. If you watched me drive, you wouldn't realize my affliction. I don't drive like a bat out of Hell, and I don't hog the road. But I do have a zero-tolerance for asshead drivers who think they own the road. And if I could, I would like to take those incarnates (cocky, rushed, careless road hogs) off the road permanently.

I cannot believe that there aren't as many accidents in this city as there are. The drivers are among the worst I have ever seen. Apparently the demographics have shown that drivers 16-25 are at the highest risk of getting into a collision. From my experience, it is the drivers aged 65 and up that are the worst drivers.

In the last three weeks, I have narrowly avoided five collisions (and they occurred on two separate days). The offending drivers of each and every vehicle that narrowly escaped the wrath of my insurance company were all above the age of 65.

I really would like to know what these people are paying in insurance premiums. I will agree that young drivers are a risky demographic, but we also get taken to cleaners by the insurance agencies. I have just spent three years of my life paying astronomical insurance premiums, and I am sick and tired of paying what I do. Seniors get all kinds of tax breaks, insurance breaks, and even "seniors' discounts" of almost every imaginable commodity. If these geriatric drivers are so bad, why aren't they paying insurance premiums that are comparative to those of the 16-25 demographic? If those seniors had the choice of paying the premiums of my younger "careless" counterparts, perhaps it might be enough to keep the worst ones off the road.

The Lord Giveth...

And the Tax Man Taketh Away.

The one deadline in the year that I don't fuck with is the April 30th deadline to file my income tax return. There have been a few years when I've been chomping at the bit, but generally I manage to file my tax return within 2 to 3 weeks before the deadline.

This year, I got a little freaked, as it seemed that with respect to my musical career, the floodgates have been opened. I am working 14-16 hour days, usually until midnight, with rehearsals, gigs, and teaching my pupils. I am currently rehearsing with three bands (I have never had that many bands on the go at once), so it seems that I am being asked to be at multiple places at the same time. Looking at my schedule for the next few weeks did not leave many days open that I would be able to tackle my tax return. At the first opportunity (today) I did just that.

Since I operate my own business, filing my tax return isn't as easy as everyone else's. There is a lot more work involved with respect to business income, expenses, liabilities, etc. Unfortunately, this year the tax return wasn't so kind to me. I had to pay.

2005 is quickly becoming an expensive year for me. I am generally spending more than I am making, and I am trying to recover my expenses by taking any extra-curricular job I can. That means weekend gigs, and extra students.

I think I need a big raise.

Extraterrestrial Economics

We are rich beyond our wildest dreams. Yes, far richer than Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult for us to tap into this wealth.

I am specifically referring to the mineral wealth of the asteroid belt.

Sitting idly between Mars and Jupiter, countless debris orbit our solar system, its resources virtually untapped, and since it appears "nobody else" wants to exploit the resources, us primates have concluded that it must be ours for the plundering. The mineral wealth of the asteroid belt is beyond comprehension; if it were divided up evenly between every man, woman and child on this planet, we would each receive $100 billion!

For the amount of wealth in the asteroid belt, you can imagine that companies (and entrepreneurs) are already developing technology to harvest these minerals. At a total value of some $60 quintillion (more money than the world has ever seen, by many factors), there isn't a thing called "cost-prohibitive".

Unfortunately, you, me, and most of the world will never see this wealth. In a perfect world, we might be lucky to see the wealth of the solar system's resources divided evenly amongst the civilians of the world. But you know as well as I do, that will never happen.

Have you ever considered what would happen if we are all given a healthy sum of money from the government? Every now and then we are lucky to get tax kickbacks from the government -- sometimes we get tax rebates, other times we get rebates from oil and gas revenues, and other times we get a cheque to help cover the cost of high heating costs in winter. The money often doesn't go very far, as it's usually between 50 and 100 dollars. Comparatively, the mineral wealth of the asteroid belt is astronomical to these petty rebates.

As an example, let's not talk money, but consider commodities for a moment. Pick any collector's item -- baseball cards for example. A Mickey Mantle baseball card is worth a considerable amount of money (dependent on age, and condition). It is also valuable, as there are few of these cards in circulation. Now, let's say that everyone in the world gets a valuable Mickey Mantle card as a gratuity. What happens? There are now 6 billion Mickey Mantle cards floating around, all valueless. They are without value, simply because everybody has one.

Now I don't consider myself an economist, but the same thing happens with money. If everyone in Canada were given a million dollars, our currency would be hugely devalued. Inflation would rise through the roof, and I certainly don't like the idea of paying $2000 for a chocolate bar at 7-Eleven. The irony is that an injection of mass cash (or mass commodities) to all the citizens of a study area (country, city, world) does nothing. In fact, it does more harm than good.

With respect to the mineral wealth of the asteroid belt, no company or government would be in favor with evenly distributing the wealth of the asteroid belt. If the wealth were evenly distributed, who would finance the acquisition of raw materials? Nobody would raise their hand, because we citizens of the earth are all greedy and ignorant. Six billion people would cry in one instant "It's not my problem".

Only corporations and select governments (who have the technology) would be those interested in undertaking a mining expedition to the final frontier. And the only reason why they would consider it, would be to acquire wealth beyond anyone's dreams.

It all comes down to the simple mathematical function: Power is directly proportional to Wealth. In the adopted worldly economic system, the more money you have, the more powerful you are. The system is designed to provide an unnatural balance of wealth and power, favoring a select few at the expense of many. To change this would require a revolution of unprecedented proportions, virtually upsetting the entire world. Upsetting those who are in power has proven to be difficult (but not impossible) tasks throughout history.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin set foot on the Moon. They placed a plaque at their landing site which stated: We came in peace for all mankind. The moon landings were an incredible display of human ingenuity, determination, and economic financing. Sure, it was meant to boast American superiority with respect to economics, and technology, but it was also a kind gesture to the world that space exploration was meant for all peoples of the world, regardless of age, gender, religious affiliation, race, or citizenship. I believe shortly thereafter, a UN treaty was signed stating the Moon, as well as other celestial objects, will never be properties or acquisitions of any one country, but belonging to all peoples of Earth.

Fast-forward to today, and we see a largely different picture. George W. Bush is following Regan's footsteps in the attempt of the weaponization of space. Once the first weapon is deployed into space, a Pandora's Box is opened, thus spelling almost certain doom to all life on this planet.

In addition, there was a loophole in the UN treaty with respect to the Moon. Even though it was decreed that a country claiming property on the Moon was to be illegal, it did allow corporations the liberty to acquire property on the Moon. I know this to be a fact, as my cousin owns one acre of moon property. Obviously, one acre of Moon property is essentially valueless -- unless prospecting or other infrastructure develops on the Moon. It is anyone's guess when that will happen, but I suspect within fifty years, we will see a permanent settlement on the surface of the Moon, and then we will see moon property values begin to increase, as well as the creation of many new problems.

Those problems will have to wait until another post.

Impressions

Nothing like waking up to a huge pile of excrement in your cereal to brighten your morning.

I woke up this morning to discovering that someone backed their vehicle into my car again. Now I have a huge dent in my bumper, and I will likely have to buy a new bumper.

I just fixed my car -- like a month ago!

I am dreading how much this is going to cost me. I know exactly when this "accident" happened, which was in Calgary when I was staying at my buddies place. I parallel parked my car behind a half-ton truck. When I got up the next day, the truck was gone, but it left a tell-tale square dent in my bumper where the hidden hitch decided to make an impression on my car. Conversely, I am not the least bit impressed on that ingrate of a hit-and-run driver. I am tempted to drive back up to Calgary to take a crowbar to the thick skull of that knuckle-walking inbred, but I doubt he'd even feel the impression I'd make on his capacity-deficient cranium.

If that truck frequents my buddies' neighborhood, I am going to do my best to get the number of that truck. Won't he be surprised when I make a claim on his insurance policy. I'd like to take a big crunch in someone else's morning cereal just for once.

I'm getting sick of picking out turds from my morning breakfast. It just ruins the whole day.

Corporate Tyranny Sucks

Now I am really pissed off. I have been trying to be a little more proactive in keeping in touch with my friends, and many of them ask me if I have an IM account. My response usually is "Sure, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, and AIM."

Their usual response is "Why are you using those? Everybody is on MSN! Get with the times; nobody's used those IM clients in years!"

Well, I've retorted saying, "Well I don't even use ICQ anymore, and I rarely log into Y! Messenger, and the only reason I have an AIM account is that it is compatible with iChat, which has the best interface I have yet seen. Besides, Apple rocks, and M$ sucks! Not to mention, that Apple has seamless integration between all its software, which carries a lot of pull in my book."

Their response usually is: "Well, if you wanna chat, you're gonna have to get an MSN account."

So I have decided to swallow my pride and sign up for an MSN account so I can talk to a few of my friends who live in galaxies far, far away. So I downloaded an MSN client, and went through the process of setting up an account. I was informed that I would be getting a verification email in my inbox shortly.

Guess what? 90 minutes has passed, and I have yet to receive a confirmatory email from MSN. I have checked my account information, which is intact on the M$ servers, but no confirmatory email. I absolutely hate waiting, especially for automatic confirmatory emails.

What a pile of bull. M$ Sucks.

BTW, the tales of my travels abroad will appear once I am done fuming.

Science Fiction, or Fact?

I have been on a reading spree in the last few weeks. Many of you might attest it to the fact that I am without a computer, and for the most part, that is a correct assumption. I have recently finished reading Carl Sagan's Contact, the book that was transformed to the 1997 summer blockbuster movie. Since I saw the movie a number of years ago, I had longed to read the book, on the general premise that books are often more elaborate and detailed than movies are. I was hoping that the book would provide me with better insight to the physics behind the movie. I was particularly interested in how humans could receive a message from space, discover audio and video characteristics to the message, then interpolate digital data from interlaced frames from within the message, and then find a decryption primer that was hidden in a deeper layer of data. It seems that how Sagan describes the process in his book is quite a bit different from the methods described in the movie.

I shouldn't have to mention that the book is considerably different from the movie. The plots are quite different, even though the main themes remain the same. There are additional characters in the book that do not exist in the movie. Conversely, there had been legitimate scientific discoveries and current events that were interlaced with the movie to make it a little more authentic. Sagan of course, could have had no idea of the historical events of the late 1990's that seemingly complimented the events in his book that was first published in 1985.

The producer of the motion picture had done well in trying to combine current events and recent scientific discoveries to provide an authentic nature to the film. If you read Sagan's book, it would come across a little more like science fiction, reliant at times on technology that has not been invented yet, and on other times, on technology that has been invented, but has become obsolete or passé. Unfortunately, this is the common and disappointing nature of science fiction; is that technological advancement can sometimes surpass the ideas of the writer, and the integrity of the story can weaken. It often lessens the shelf life of such a book.

For example, in the book Contact, the staff of the SETI project Argus used a CRAY mainframe supercomputer to decrypt the message from space. When the book was written in 1985, a CRAY mainframe was one of the most advanced computers in the world. By today's standards, a CRAY isn't a terribly powerful computer, as UC Berkley is using millions of household computers to analyze space signals for the existence of intelligent life. The computing power of the SETI@home project is likely on the factor of millions of times more powerful than the CRAY computer depicted in Sagan's novel. I am not criticizing Carl Sagan; he was one of the most brilliant scientific minds of the Twentieth Century. How could he possibly know that there would become a thing as powerful as the internet, which single-handedly revolutionized the way we communicate and share information?

Speaking of the internet, and technologies of telecommunication, it seems that telephone companies are in fear of going bankrupt because programmers have found ways to use high-bandwidth modems to place long-distance phone calls for free. Long-distance phone calls used to be the bread and butter for telecommunications companies, but that no longer is the case. The telecommunications companies have had to migrate to cellular phone technology to provide them with the profits they once enjoyed. I am afraid, with the rapid development and implementation of Wi-Fi (wireless networking) that those days may be numbered as well. I suspect that within a generation, the word "long-distance" will no longer apply. Phone calls will be as cheap to make as it is to send an e-mail, and it would not matter if you send your phone call next door, or to Beijing.

It is the Darwinism of business and technology. Over the course of history, there are countless professions that have been made obsolete due to the advancement of technology. Even a century ago, there were "icemen" who delivered blocks of ice to the neighborhood for household cold storage. These people went out of business by the time the refrigerator hit the mass market. This might be the first time in history, that an industry so large and powerful, has the potential of crumbling under its' own weight.

The world is getting smaller day by day. It just seems that the telephone companies will have to change their marketing strategies if they expect to survive the next twenty years. I expect there will be a great deal of bankruptcies and corporate mergers in the decades to come as these telecommunications giants attempt to keep their books in the black amidst a technology that advances so quickly, it becomes obsolete within a year.

I unfortunately, have a difficult time swallowing the cellular phone pill. I just can't fathom that paying by the minute for your airtime on the phone is in any way economical. It's cheaper to place a phone call at a pay phone. When I had a cellular phone, I received phone bills that surpassed my monthly income. I would hope that sometime soon, that the digital revolution would make cellular technology not just affordable to everyone, but as economical as people's internet connection.

Convergence is inevitable.

The Name Game

Minor revisions to this site are taking place at a slothlike tempo. Some code revisions I have been responsible for, others are happening at their own accord. You may undoubtedly notice that the ads at the top of the page are gone (for good, I hope), and is replaced with a search bar. I am hoping that the meta tags will soon reach the Google mainframe, and then this site will be searchable. This will prevent me from getting all frustrated when I am poring over code, and likely prevent a few headaches as well.

The other major revision to this site is that the comments feature has been enabled on a trial run. The benefits of having the ability to post and read comments are limited only by the imagination; it is unfortunate that comments are usually abused on sites that generate a lot of traffic. At least at this point in time, this site generates very little traffic. So all you readers, be forewarned, your comments will be moderated by yours truly. Any comments that I deem to be inappropriate or offensive will be deleted. "And that's all I have to say... About that."

Ok, now for the fun part. Now that this site has been up and running for nearly four months, it is beginning to develop a bit of its own personality. One thing that is really starting to bug me -- it has since the beginning of this site, is the title. MC Fro's Blog. How utterly boring, unmoving, and unoriginal. The time has come to change the name. Suggestions (if any) are welcome. You can email them directly to me, or provide them in the comments section of the post. By the way, I expect the "inherent psychobabble... etc," subtitle will remain. I think it's cute.

I am also entertaining the idea of a background image. Perhaps a modified photo of me; perhpas an abstract image. Something subtle. Greys and blacks. Not unlike a subliminal message. Oh the fun that could be had with one of those!

Links have been added to the sidebar. They are mostly links that I have discussed in previous posts. The only other link that I have not yet mentioned is the link to SETI@home, the site where everybody with a computer can download a little program that runs when you're not at your computer and searches for little green men. I have been a member since 1998 and have completed something ridiculous like 1100 work units. Still no sign of E.T. My old little 266 iMac just doesn't have to spunk anymore to chew through all the algorithms. It used to take about 8 hours for the computer to work through a workunit. Nowdays, it takes something like 23 hours to get through one. I guess my mandate is that if you are not at your computer, you may as well put it to good use. You may argue wether looking for extraterrestrials is putting your computer to good use.

On a completely different tangent, I found this article amusing: Alice slams anti-Bush rockers. The article has not been copied to this page due to copyright issues.

I found it rather unsettling that Alice Cooper, whom I view to be a highly inteligent individual, feels that all other members of his profession are lazy, uninformed, uneducated, illiterate, party animals whom have no interest in politics. I really don't care whom Alice Cooper is voting for in this fall's presidential election. As far as I am concerned, he can say anything he wants about Kerry or Bush -- it's his right as an American. It's also the right of any other celeberty (or person) to say what they want about the electoral candidates. So Alice, for the record, just shut up and do what you do best: put on concerts. If you haven't noticed, Rock and Roll has become a highly political arena since the advent of Punk Rock in the 1970's -- or were you too stoned at the time to care or remember?

No "Real" Choice?

Very recently, Real Networks has launched an anti-Apple website aimed at luring consumers away from the iTunes music store and to download songs for 49 cents from their online music store. In addition, Real also launched an online petition against Apple regarding their apparent monopolization and control of the iPod technology. The Real petition states the following:

Dear Apple, Your company has long stood for innovation and open competition. Wasn't it Apple that ran the famous Super Bowl ad encouraging consumers like us to stand up for our right to make our own choices? We're asking that you do the same now and support the right of your own customers to make their own choices about where they buy music for the iPod. We want Freedom of Music Choice! Don't lock us in to purchasing digital music from one source. That's bad for competition. It will stifle innovation. And it will slow the adoption of digital music devices like the iPod. Do the right thing. Stand with us for Freedom of Music Choice! Sincerely, The Undersigned

Before I begin my rant, I would like to address the fact that Real has removed the hotlink to the petition from its Freedom of Music Choice web site, due to an overwhelming amount of negative comments directed at RealNetworks.

When I read the above news story, I was furious. First of all, launching websites that personally attack and "flame" the competition is shooting dirty pool. A tactic like this is purely juvenile, low, and dirty. I am amazed and appalled that a company like Real would resort to such dirty tactics in an attempt to win back their share of the audio technology market they once had.

It wasn't that long ago that Real was the leading company in the development of streaming Internet audio and video. An overwhelming large percentage of Internet audio and video was distributed using the RealAudio streaming codec. It was an ingenious technology for the time. The quality was high for the file size, the technology was (generally) free to use, and it exercised digital rights management (content was streamed from a server, but rarely could the recipient be able to save the content to their computer for future use).

Today, the RealNetworks audio and video technology is hardly being used anymore. Why? Advances in technology, and poor choices led RealNetworks back down into the cellar. Real's success was largely due to the bandwidth squeeze. Five years ago, almost everyone who was on the Internet connected through a dial-up modem. To view or listen to any quality media on the computer at the time would require a person to wait anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours to view a small clip. RealNetworks allowed the content to play immediately, and larger files would continue loading while the content was playing. No more waiting. Sure, the quality was lower, but at least you knew what you were getting right away, instead of waiting 30 minutes for a clip to download, only to realize that it wasn't what you were looking for in the first place.

So what happened? Well, MPEG-4 was developed, for instance. New versions of QuickTime were available free to computers of all platforms. And don't forget the behemoth of them all: Windows Media. Bundle any software with the Windows operating system, and it is a safe bet that it will wipe out the competition (anybody remember Netscape?). In all these cases, the new versions of the codecs were superior in all respects to the previous releases.

I believe at one time RealNetworks stopped development of their software for the Macintosh. It may have been that they had no intention of releasing a version that would be compatible with OSX. Or, perhaps that they thought that Apple users would be timid to test the UNIX waters of the Aqua Operating System. Or, perhaps they didn't anticipate that Apple would bundle OSX with every machine sold, and kill the archaic OS9 once and for all. The new breed of UNIX-Apple users only had once choice when it came to Internet audio and video: QuickTime. This trend remained for nearly two years. I think that it has only been in the last 18-months or so that RealNetworks have actually released an OSX-compatible player for their content. The same can be said with Windows Media Player. But now it's too late.

Today, many computer users are on broadband connections. They can transfer and view high-quality audio and video in a fraction of the time than they used to on the old dial-up connections. They don't have use for the old-grainy technology that Real offered. Now, I have a pretty good feeling that Real's audio and video content are up to snuff with MPEG4, QuickTime, or Windows Media, but does anyone care? All they remember is the old, heavily compressed technology Real once offered.

When I viewed Real's webpage "Freedom of Music Choice", their attacks at Apple, and their online petition, I could not believe their position. It is not about consumer rights; it is blatantly propaganda. People have all the choice in the world as to what content they can put on their iPod. File formats are meaningless if the content is the same. One file format is not better than the other; it is the quality of the encoding that really matters. People are being steered in the wrong direction if they are being coerced to believe the only material they can download to their iPod is available only from the iTunes Music Store. I would have had to spend a fortune if I had paid 99 cents (US) for all my 2500+ songs that are on my iPod. People must not forget that they can import songs into iTunes (and their iPod) if they have the CD available to them. It seems that the competition doesn't want people to know that. As I have stated in an earlier post, The iPod supports a number of audio codecs, but not Windows Media, and not Real either.

I, as a consumer still believe I have all the choice in the world. I do not feel like I am forced by Apple in any way to download their music or use their technology. I use their technology because I chose to in the first place. Apple has their reasons to restrict what file formats can be used on the iPod. It's simple marketing. If the iPod was not such a hot seller, perhaps Apple would allow competitors' file formats to be compatible with the iPod in an effort to bump sales. It is more likely that if it were not for the iPod, Apple would never have developed the iTunes music store in the first place. Even Steve Jobs said publicly that the iTunes music store was designed to sell more iPods; not to make billions with 99-cent downloads. Even Apple knows that the money isn't in the sale of music. The sale of music hasn't been very profitable since the advent of Napster and the rising popularity of peer-to-peer networks.

It is also because the iPod is such a hot seller that, all the competing companies have their panties in a twist. I would hope that RealNetworks would take their propaganda machine offline, as it seems that few of us are buying their story anyway.

NewSpeak

I haven't posted in a number of days. I have been busy working, painting the house, and reading.

Of the list of books I had purchased in the last posting, I decided that I would begin reading Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I am incredibly surprised with this book. I don't want to discuss the contents of this book until at least, I am finished reading -- but in all honesty, I don't want to discuss it since I don't want to spoil it for you. All I will tell you is that each chapter is profound. It is changing the way I think, and the way I feel about myself. The author explained to me (in so many words) exactly why I am unhappy working; I am capable of so much more. The book has got me thinking that I am actually a Philosopher, and not a Scientist. Perhaps I'm going to have to major in Philosophy when (and if) I return to University. I should just quit worrying about my bills and go for broke, literally. Now that has got to be one of the craziest things I have said in these entries.

On a completely unrelated subject, I have spent a considerable amount of time viewing other people's blogs. The reason for this is not that I am a voyeur per se, but it is because I am looking for layout and content ideas that would make my weblog a little more unique, and a little less like a generic Blogger template.

I am having a difficult time finding content and features that I would consider desirable. There are so much useless bits of code that I can't see myself posting it on this page. For example, those little plug-ins that tell what the weather is like in a place like Timbuktu. "You got a window? Open it." Perhaps the simple interface is the way to go. Apologies, as I am off my intended topic, again.

As I was trying to explain, is I was reading other peoples' blogs, and I have found myself utterly bored or appalled by their content. I would like to bring a few things to attention:

1. Do not go into detail about your last date with so-and-so. Please spare me the gory details. And I don't want to know where on his body you found a mole that was shaped like a little strawberry.

2. Please do not give me a chronological dissertation on what you did that day. I am not the least bit interested if you put your makeup on first, then brushed your teeth, or vice versa.

3. If you are going to use a lot of color in your blog, make sure we can read it. I have seen too many blogs where text was unreadable because the text color matched the background.

4. In addition to (3) above, compress your images. I can't stand waiting a half an hour on my broadband connection for your digital camera photos to upload. Also, crop your images so they are easily viewed. I really hate going to a webpage where there is a photo that measures 11 x 17, and it's loading at 600 dpi.

5. Speak English! It seems to me that there is a new dialect that is becoming popular amongst young web geeks. Let me give credit to George Orwell by calling it NewSpeak. There is next to no punctuation, capitals are in the wrong place to put emphasis on certain vowels, and no word is longer than three or four letters. For example:

"chz wuz bEn sch an ass 2 me b4 U gt hEr"

You get the picture. I have no idea that they are saying. Are they writing phonetically? Is this some sort of shorthand? It takes me longer to write in this quasi-language because I have to think of the semantics of where to put capitals to properly dictate the pronunciation to a potential reader. Are they trying to write in a code that only they and their friends understand? If you don't want your blog to be read, keep an offline journal, or turn on the privacy options. And I thought the Internet and activities such as writing blogs would be more conducive to promote literacy and good writing skills in young people. I guess I was dead wrong. How can anyone communicate effectively by writing in such a way?

"You're semi-English. You are quasi-English. You are the Diet Coke of English. Just one calorie; Not English enough."

There are countless young people from many overseas countries whom are writing weblogs as part of their English classes. Their writing is better than most North American kids of the same age group! That's it... I'm moving overseas. Time for Ramen Noodles and Karaoke.