halloweekend

a few things

One.

Wiretap has got to be one of the greatest things on the radio right now (if you happen to be listening to 91.3 fm at 1pm on a Saturday in Miami that is).

Two.

Stephen Colbert from The Stephen Colbert Report takes up on a dare by Maureen Dowd and ends up writing both her and Frank Rich’s columns this Sunday. He was also on Fresh Air last week. Hilarious.

Three.

Why is this still an issue? In a way, I think it’s a good thing because it shows we care, but on the other hand, there are more important things out there… like world peace. Thank God Al Gore doesn’t have to worry about such things.

banking on irrationality

“Do you guys like Radiohead?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what I have on right now. It’s their new album.”

“Oooh.”

“D’you want a copy? You can download it from their website for free if you want.”

“What?!”

“They’re giving it away?!”

“Something like that. You go to their website and they let you pay whatever you want. They even have a disclaimer for the price that says IT’S UP TO YOU.”

(NO REALLY, IT’S UP TO YOU)

“So I didn’t pay them anything for it.”

“That’s messed up!! You know that’s how they make their money right?!”

“Umm, not the only way.”

“Still, that’s messed up. I don’t want a copy, I’ll just go online and pay for it.”

Our conversation went somewhere along those lines. I didn’t pay for my transaction, but it looks like my brother just might. I’m not so sure if his girlfriend was sold on the idea though.

At first, I had an itch to rationalize my decision: they already have way more money than I do, I’ll give them my cash when ever they stop by (or more likely nearby) Miami, etc. But not like any of those reasons actually mattered or were the real logic behind my no-cost transaction.

The correct reason was that I was offered the option to pay nothing for something (good, something extremely good), and I chose what was best for me (and as it turns out what was best for Radiohead because there might be somewhere around $20 more heading their way). Not that I’m trying to get on their street team, but if I know someone who likes this type of music, I’m going to recommend it to them. Whether they pay or not, or how they decide to pay for it -buying their music directly, or seeing them live for example- is up to them. Maybe this word of mouth marketing is my subconscious way making up for my zero payment to the Radiohead cause. But probably not. Maybe I’m just the kind of person who likes letting other people know when something worthwhile is out there waiting to get got.

Meanwhile, In Rainbows is currently clocking at about $8 a pop which I’m not sure it was something Radiohead was counting on, but they’re sure banking on it.

the art of free

On October 10th, Radiohead will release a new album online for which they will supposedly be leaving the price tag up to the downloaders’ imagination. The idea itself is priceless but its execution is beyond words. You would think it takes a lot of balls to be culturally avant-garde when the culture is profit and you are one of the biggest bands in the world, but all it takes is simple common sense.

If you make your way to Dead Air Space, their official site, you will not see a single ad -unless you consider the list of links on the left side ads, but I’m pressed to remember ever seeing a link to an ad with a small description of what’s on the other end, written by the band itself. Neither will you see ads anywhere near the links to their forthcoming piece (which I guess this is subject to change, but I’ll take the odds).

Fanf*ckingtastic. Emphasis on fan.

I bet that if you like their music, regardless of how or where you got your copy of OK Computer or Kid A, you’ll be down to check them out if they roll through your town. I know I would, and I had all their albums other than OK Computer taped for me by a friend (ok, not all their albums, at least not yet but he promised). So it turns out I would still gladly give them a handful of my money. Ridiculous.

On another completely-not-unrelated note, there’s a recent article on the NYT (via Slashdot) about the upcoming gPhone from Google. It’s not necessarily the second coming of the Jesus Phone, because for starters, the Google phone has more to do with software than hardware. The bottom line is that Google will not charge the phone companies for licensing, and in turn, they should provide the service to their costumers free of charge. And it’s Linux based (i.e. it’s got free written all over it).

Whatever Sergei’s and Larry’s M.O. -full scale war with Microsoft, taking over mobile apps market, or a magnanimous move to loosen the carriers’ control over the mobile phone networks (can you imagine having to pay for the phone but not the service?!!?! U.S. carriers are not behind them, but oddly enough European carriers are, *?*)- it won’t be bad for either us or them. And it will bring back meaning to the definition of progress.

FOR FREE.

there have been far better days for all of us

So much for back-to-back championships. Although, if Stanford and Appalachian State can pull off what they pulled… eh, who am I kidding. Still, a bye-week might just be what everyone needs to get back in that state of mind.

Some things are better left to time but a few things are certain: Tebow needs a He15man, this team is a beast, Pierre-Louis sucks, LSU is #1, and we’ll be there watching our team two weeks from now, just like we were yesterday.

jen stizark gets wired

First Critical Miami, then boingboing, and now…

Miamian Jen Stark gets her surgical cuts featured on (one of the best mags evar) WIRED.

good to go

[pre-surgery]

I’m laying on the bed with an I.V. stuck on the top side of my right hand. I’ve just talked to the doctor. Three of nurses walk up to me and take a look at my chart. Then they begin to debate who’s gonna do what and whether it’s me or that person on the other side of the curtain who’s getting done first.

“This one’s easier,” says the older nurse pointing at me. He could’ve been Puerto Rican and in his late 40s. I never got a chance to ask.

“You know what? Don’t worry about it,” he tells the other nurse as he walks to my left side. He pulls out a syringe, and nonchalantly grabs my right hand, the one I’ve barely moved since that bizarre warmth from the needle punctured right through my senses.

“You’ll be good to go.”

I see him pump drugs into my bloodstream and I take a look at his face.

[post surgery]

…I fade in and the first thing I see is basically this (give or take a hospital gown).