Wish you could have been there.
Monthly Archive for June, 2006
Right now I’m listening to a random selection of Bruce Springsteen, Wu-Tang Clan, Neil Young, Dusty Springfield, The Allman Brothers Band, Public Enemy, Frank Sinatra, Boards of Canada, Miles Davis, and Elvis Presley.
I’ve been downloading a lot of music from AllOfMp3.com.
It’s a Russian site I’ve actually been using for a couple years now. Lately, it’s been getting a lot more press in the media. The U.S. has been trying to force Russia to shut them down even though the site is fully compliant with Russian copyright law. Basically, the RIAA is pissed that people can download music for a reasonable price and they don’t get their mofia-style piece of the pie.
The beauty of AllOfMp3 is that you pay for songs based on the file sizes (or bits of data), not on a per-song flat rate. So shorter songs are cheaper, and longer songs are merely cheap. Entire albums cost between $1-$1.50. And you can select whatever format you want such as MP3, OGG, MPEG-4, FLAC as well as the bit rate 160k, 192k, 320k — whatever you want.
The other leading online music source, the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), does not give you this choice. Every song is 99 cents, albums are around $10, and you are forced to use a low bit rate at 128k. Why should I pay that much for a degraded download digital version, when I can get a full-quality physical CD for $12??? Something is wrong with that picture. I’ve come to the conclusion that anyone who has spent more than $5 at the iTMS must be an idiot.
Of course, there are several ways to download entirely for free. But I appreciate AllOfMp3’s selection, ease of download, format options, and most of all — price. I can quickly locate what I want to download in about 1 minute, add it to my cart, and usually it is immediately available for download. This is a lot easier than trying to get it for free through unsavory means.
What the RIAA (and Apple, Microsoft, etc) doesn’t realize is that AllOfMp3 is making a killing not because they are pseudo-legal, but because they offer a service that the customer wants, at a price they can afford. Hell, I’d even pay $3 per album and still be happy. Paying more than that for a degraded digital version is nuts though.
Or in other words, I’ve spent over $100 at AllOfMp3 and $0 at the iTMS.
And I’m an Apple stockholder. Eat that for breakfast.
Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
An interesting look into how plants have ensured their own survival through the ages by cultivating traits that are desirable to humans, who in turn, propagate these plants on a massive scale throughout the world. The subjects are the Apple, the Tulip, the Potato, and Marijuana. Each fascinate me in different ways, so I enjoyed his insight and analysis. For such a short book it’s very informative.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
This is Pollan’s most recent book. Basically, he spent serveral years tracing various aspects of the food supply chain in the U.S. and outlines the results of 4 meals: Industrial, pasture, organic, and hunter-gatherer. Although he was a bit unfair in his critique of the Whole Foods Market chain, for the most part this is a good book that is well worth a read.
The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler
If any book has had a profound impact on my life, it’s probably this one. I don’t quite subscribe to the doom-and-gloom scenario that Kunstler paints here but most of what he writes is based on hard facts, science, and reputable sources. To sum it up: When oil prices get much higher, we’re all pretty much fucked. The signs are already appearing, but most people aren’t paying attention. Hello! The world oil supply is on a decline — as in, we’re running out, right now. Better start preparing. My plans for the near future have changed quite a bit since I read this book (more on that later).
Kunstler also maintains a somewhat funny (if in a dark way) blog called Clusterfuck Nation. Keep an eye on that one.