Jul 2009
My Verdict on #Secondlife
17/07/09 04:34 Filed in: Secondlife
Well I’ve been an active participant in the online world known as secondlife for just shy of three years now and I’ve reached a few conclusions. I thought I would share them with you so that maybe those of you who are new to SL or thinking about starting a Secondlife business can get an idea of what might work in Secondlife. I hope this helps. Let me say something up front. IF you make a lot of money and you can easily afford to buy yourself land and play and that’s all you need to have happen that’s cool go for it. it’s fun! What I write here is for people who are looking for some sort of income from their Secondlife experience. This is, like most other posts on this blog, my opinion, and is based on my experiences.
1) Don’t spend any money in Secondlife. In other words don’t ever spend real money to buy Lindens (secondlife currency) or rent land unless you absolutely have to. If you make products for secondlife like hair, clothing, dances/ animations or scripted items you can sell them online on SL Exchange.com. This is a much better way to test what will sell or what won’t and you won’t pay a dime for land rentals or tier fees. For those of you who don’t know tier fees are like property taxes. Renting land is expensive and owning land is like a noose around your neck that creates a situation where if you don’t make money you lose money. Land ownership is a surefire way to put yourself in a situation where you’re throwing good money after bad. Don’t ever spend money in Secondlife that you’re not willing to lose, because I’m telling you right now, it’s gone!
2) Whatever you do in Secondlife always try to limit the complexity of it. Secondlife is extremely buggy. If your business plan requires Secondlife to work perfectly most of the time it’s time for a new business plan. One of the few business models that seems to work on a regular basis is giving away product to get someone to look at or be aware of something. This is assuming that creating awareness of a product outside of Secondlife is worthwhile and part of a business plan that makes money elsewhere so you can use Secondlife as a write off. If you’re looking for a place to lose money Secondlife is a literally a virtual gold-mine!
3) Don’t open a club. They don’t make money. Never did, never will. Not only that they are a pain in that ass to run and maintain. Ditto Art galleries. In order to run a live music venue you must own an entire simulator of 65535 square meters. This will cost you between $200 and $300 Us dollars per month. If you own any less than a full sim you will be limited to 40 people in your venue. So you’re $300 bucks in the hole before you even begin, now you have to pay DJ’s or Musicians or whatever. I’ve heard live music venue owners have spent $1000 plus a month on their venue and I’ve seldom heard any of them say they broke even on a given month let alone made any money.
4) Secondlife is great place for social networking and making people aware of your internet-based content. The opportunities to interact with people from all over the world are many. You can hook up with people who have the same interests or engage in the same sort of business as you do. It’s also great place for film-makers to make visual storyboards. I’ve seen quite a few print ads that use Secondlife avatars and scenery.
I don’t mean to sound negative but don’t ever put all your eggs in the Secondlife basket and then complain that there aren’t any eggs to eat to stay alive!
Notes on Sci Fi's Sanctuary
14/07/09 05:01 Filed in: Television
When a friend told me premise behind Sci Fi’s new show Sanctuary I was very interested in seeing it. Overall I think I like the show, but there are some things that really take me out of the moment and they seem to happen with alarming regularity.
Most of these problems revolve around the character of Dr. Will Zimmerman. The character who looked alarming identical to Harry Potter (until partway through when he gets himself some contact lenses) is an ex “Agency” man who finds himself working as a police profiler. Will looks like a man in his Early 20’s so I don’t really know how he had time to accomplish all of this but let’s give him that. Here is a man that worked for the Agency which in most cases indicates CIA or FBI and was on a police force and yet he is completely inept with firearms, and appears unable to make a fist to save his life. I can only assume that the writers and producers of the show wanted to boost ratings among women by having the only fully human male character on the team play the role of supreme pussy. Basically any time you see Will in a situation where brute force is required or any kind of physically challenging task is to be performed you can more or less assume he will fail, and then somehow get a second chance to think his way out of the situation. I fail to see why he would have been chosen to be part of a team of “Monster Hunters” when the other characters have to keep rescuing him from dangerous situations sometimes more than once per episode. This character is in serious need of testosterone and fast. I am not saying he’s got to be a jock, but he could throw a punch every now and again. It also wouldn’t hurt if he didn’t ask so many really stupid questions. In short the Zimmerman character doesn’t make any sense.
Next let us discuss the character of Henry Foss, the team’s techie. Henry is in charge of the security of an enormous facility that houses a huge diversity of abnormal species. Pretty much every time Henry is asked to do anything his equipment malfunctions in the process. My guess is that this is supposed to be the comic relief. It’s not funny, it is predictable and happens in nearly every episode. It reminds me a little of Star Trek Voyager’s shuttle craft. Every time the crew are in shuttles they either crash, take fire or something else bad happens. I am hoping that his new found abilities make his character more formidable and a more worthy member of the team.
Now let’s look at the toughest member of the team. Ashley Magnus is pretty much the only character who can really hold her own in a fight. Since the show employs green screen and wire work for many of the stunts there’s a tendency to go overboard. Some of the early episodes feature 120 - 140LB Ashley throwing monsters around that would appear to be at least twice her weight and size. Perhaps it might be better for her to use speed and agility (and hey how about some knives?) to defeat her foes. It would be more realistic to have her defeat the enemies with her superior skills because it flat out looks silly to see her throwing people around like rag dolls.
The other issues with the show are largely technical and as they seemed to improve with every show I will reserve commenting on them until I look at the second season. Most of these were about the CGI shots looking too obvious.
In short, ramp up Ashley’s Kung Fu, Give Henry some cooler toys to play with that actually work and inject Will with something that causes him to grow some balls!
That’s my take, for what it’s worth.
Most of these problems revolve around the character of Dr. Will Zimmerman. The character who looked alarming identical to Harry Potter (until partway through when he gets himself some contact lenses) is an ex “Agency” man who finds himself working as a police profiler. Will looks like a man in his Early 20’s so I don’t really know how he had time to accomplish all of this but let’s give him that. Here is a man that worked for the Agency which in most cases indicates CIA or FBI and was on a police force and yet he is completely inept with firearms, and appears unable to make a fist to save his life. I can only assume that the writers and producers of the show wanted to boost ratings among women by having the only fully human male character on the team play the role of supreme pussy. Basically any time you see Will in a situation where brute force is required or any kind of physically challenging task is to be performed you can more or less assume he will fail, and then somehow get a second chance to think his way out of the situation. I fail to see why he would have been chosen to be part of a team of “Monster Hunters” when the other characters have to keep rescuing him from dangerous situations sometimes more than once per episode. This character is in serious need of testosterone and fast. I am not saying he’s got to be a jock, but he could throw a punch every now and again. It also wouldn’t hurt if he didn’t ask so many really stupid questions. In short the Zimmerman character doesn’t make any sense.
Next let us discuss the character of Henry Foss, the team’s techie. Henry is in charge of the security of an enormous facility that houses a huge diversity of abnormal species. Pretty much every time Henry is asked to do anything his equipment malfunctions in the process. My guess is that this is supposed to be the comic relief. It’s not funny, it is predictable and happens in nearly every episode. It reminds me a little of Star Trek Voyager’s shuttle craft. Every time the crew are in shuttles they either crash, take fire or something else bad happens. I am hoping that his new found abilities make his character more formidable and a more worthy member of the team.
Now let’s look at the toughest member of the team. Ashley Magnus is pretty much the only character who can really hold her own in a fight. Since the show employs green screen and wire work for many of the stunts there’s a tendency to go overboard. Some of the early episodes feature 120 - 140LB Ashley throwing monsters around that would appear to be at least twice her weight and size. Perhaps it might be better for her to use speed and agility (and hey how about some knives?) to defeat her foes. It would be more realistic to have her defeat the enemies with her superior skills because it flat out looks silly to see her throwing people around like rag dolls.
The other issues with the show are largely technical and as they seemed to improve with every show I will reserve commenting on them until I look at the second season. Most of these were about the CGI shots looking too obvious.
In short, ramp up Ashley’s Kung Fu, Give Henry some cooler toys to play with that actually work and inject Will with something that causes him to grow some balls!
That’s my take, for what it’s worth.
Hey! What are you looking at!
14/07/09 02:05 Filed in: Society | Pop Culture
Hey! What are you looking at?
Do you really want an answer?
There are several instances that we get asked the very pointed question "what are you looking at"? It's a phrase that is most often shouted or spoken forcefully. Many times the answer to this question marks the start of some sort of argument. Think about this, do you really want an answer? Are you just opening yourself up for public embarrassment?
Here are just a few examples.
The Freaks
And yes I use the term lightly
One segment of society that seems to make frequent use of the question in question are people that some would say have a freakish appearance or exhibit freakish behavior. People with 15 nose-rings and a tattoo of an aardvark on their neck sort of spring to mind. I don't personally have any tattoos but I will admit some of this artwork is simply amazing. What I can't fathom is why you would spend 8 hours being repeatedly stabbed by a needle in order to have a beautiful rendition of an aardvark on your neck,... if you didn't want people to look at it! I mean you can't see it yourself without a mirror.
I kinda understand it in a way. This is the punk rock counter culture. Punk rockers (the real ones) feel that by expressing thoughts contrary to societal norm that they are expressing individuality. So they rush out for an aardvark to the neck which any normal sane person would find strange and look at with puzzled expressions. The next step is to forever use this aardvark to make normal people feel bad for finding this tattoo and it's placement odd somehow. The part the average person unfortunately doesn't get to see when they walk away is the following conversation:
Punk 1 - HAha I made that guy feel like an idiot!
Punk 2 - Yeah totally that was awesome!
Punk 3 - Yeah but dude you have a F@$king AARDVARK ON YOUR NECK!!!!!
Those of you that have really cool tattoos that don't mind people looking at them are the ones that are really expressing yourselves. The fact that you are so into the artwork that you are consenting to allow the artist to use your body as a canvas is a level of commitment that few people reach. It's not for everyone and you accept that fact so bonus points for you!
Those Over-Burdoned by Beauty
I'm Too Sexy to LIVE!
I live in the downtown core of a University town. This is where all the bars are. If you can find a place to park you can go club hopping on foot because every other building has a bar in it. Summer and winter alike the clothing is scarcer than an original thought in Hollywood! Sometimes when I go out for a walk on a Friday or Saturday night my eyes feel like ping-png balls from the over activity. Occasionally I see a woman who is just extraordinarily beautiful and I just can't help but stare. I mean I try not to. I try to use my peripheral vision. I don't want to appear creepy after all. On even rarer occasions a woman such as this will catch my gaze and smile back at me. At this point she is officially out of my league because she was able to look at my expression, realize my appreciation of her beauty and make the decision to be flattered. This denotes above average intelligence. Strikingly beautiful intelligent women seem to steer clear of unknown Musicians, non best selling writers and guys that need to spend some time in the gym. I am all three.
Other times an amazingly beautiful woman looks back at you and says "What the F@$k are you looking at"? For some reason I can't explain, they go from awe inspiring beauty to fugly in 0.0000043 seconds flat. A defence mechanism perhaps?
Just once I would like to have the presence of mind to say something biting and witty but I'm afraid my remark would lose all it's power when I have to explain what I meant...
Guy Who Catches you Looking at His Girlfriend
,... and he's also drunk.
If you have a girlfriend and she's attractive, my looking or seeming to look at her should not be taken as an insult to your masculinity. If you're that insecure that you think I can walk up, and whisper "let's go" in her ear and steal her away from you, I'm probably not your biggest problem. You may need to do some self esteem work or your girlfriend may be looking to escape your relationship. It could also be that your girlfriend is extremely eager to please! In either case if I am really stealing her away I am doing you a favor.
It's more likely that the two of you are standing at the bar and I'm trying to get the bartender's attention so I can order a drink. This also explains the side to side body motion that is causing me to rub against her. She's tall and I have to look over her shoulder first to her left,...then over to her right to see the bartender! If this offends you just imagine I'm doing it to you!
See that? By comparison it's not so bad!
The Differently Able
,... and the crowd goes mild!
I was crossing the street less than a block from my apartment and there were two morbidly obese women in wheelchairs one of whom had both legs amputated just below the knee.Yes I understand that it's difficult to stay fit when confined to a wheelchair I mention their weight only to paint a picture of the actual situation not to make fun of people who are overweight.
I wasn't staring, I really wasn't. I was facing their direction and looking at the lights waiting for them to change so I could cross the street. The non-amputee began to shout at me. "Haven't you ever seen a disabled person before"? Now it's not like I leered at her disabled friend or made some expression of shock or horror at the sight of her. Often times when I see someone with a disability I wonder how I would cope if I were disabled in the same way. I think that's an honest reaction really, but perhaps I'm wrong.
What makes me angry is this stupid cow, this unlikely union of a bloated Fembot and a Daleck actually thinks that I'm looking at her friend and thinking things like "haha I've got legs and you don't". Here I am waiting for the light trying to empathize with the plight of a disabled person, doing all of this in my head of course which makes it my own business!
This caused me to have an epiphany. This is the very reason people resent disabled parking spots! When they see that the only parking spot within a quarter mile of the shop they want to go into is reserved for the handicapped they don't think of the decent kind and considerate differently able person (which is the vast majority of people that need to use these spaces) they think of Attila the rolling hun on the street corner blocking the entire sidewalk yelling "i can stare longer than you can".
Do you really want an answer?
There are several instances that we get asked the very pointed question "what are you looking at"? It's a phrase that is most often shouted or spoken forcefully. Many times the answer to this question marks the start of some sort of argument. Think about this, do you really want an answer? Are you just opening yourself up for public embarrassment?
Here are just a few examples.
The Freaks
And yes I use the term lightly
One segment of society that seems to make frequent use of the question in question are people that some would say have a freakish appearance or exhibit freakish behavior. People with 15 nose-rings and a tattoo of an aardvark on their neck sort of spring to mind. I don't personally have any tattoos but I will admit some of this artwork is simply amazing. What I can't fathom is why you would spend 8 hours being repeatedly stabbed by a needle in order to have a beautiful rendition of an aardvark on your neck,... if you didn't want people to look at it! I mean you can't see it yourself without a mirror.
I kinda understand it in a way. This is the punk rock counter culture. Punk rockers (the real ones) feel that by expressing thoughts contrary to societal norm that they are expressing individuality. So they rush out for an aardvark to the neck which any normal sane person would find strange and look at with puzzled expressions. The next step is to forever use this aardvark to make normal people feel bad for finding this tattoo and it's placement odd somehow. The part the average person unfortunately doesn't get to see when they walk away is the following conversation:
Punk 1 - HAha I made that guy feel like an idiot!
Punk 2 - Yeah totally that was awesome!
Punk 3 - Yeah but dude you have a F@$king AARDVARK ON YOUR NECK!!!!!
Those of you that have really cool tattoos that don't mind people looking at them are the ones that are really expressing yourselves. The fact that you are so into the artwork that you are consenting to allow the artist to use your body as a canvas is a level of commitment that few people reach. It's not for everyone and you accept that fact so bonus points for you!
Those Over-Burdoned by Beauty
I'm Too Sexy to LIVE!
I live in the downtown core of a University town. This is where all the bars are. If you can find a place to park you can go club hopping on foot because every other building has a bar in it. Summer and winter alike the clothing is scarcer than an original thought in Hollywood! Sometimes when I go out for a walk on a Friday or Saturday night my eyes feel like ping-png balls from the over activity. Occasionally I see a woman who is just extraordinarily beautiful and I just can't help but stare. I mean I try not to. I try to use my peripheral vision. I don't want to appear creepy after all. On even rarer occasions a woman such as this will catch my gaze and smile back at me. At this point she is officially out of my league because she was able to look at my expression, realize my appreciation of her beauty and make the decision to be flattered. This denotes above average intelligence. Strikingly beautiful intelligent women seem to steer clear of unknown Musicians, non best selling writers and guys that need to spend some time in the gym. I am all three.
Other times an amazingly beautiful woman looks back at you and says "What the F@$k are you looking at"? For some reason I can't explain, they go from awe inspiring beauty to fugly in 0.0000043 seconds flat. A defence mechanism perhaps?
Just once I would like to have the presence of mind to say something biting and witty but I'm afraid my remark would lose all it's power when I have to explain what I meant...
Guy Who Catches you Looking at His Girlfriend
,... and he's also drunk.
If you have a girlfriend and she's attractive, my looking or seeming to look at her should not be taken as an insult to your masculinity. If you're that insecure that you think I can walk up, and whisper "let's go" in her ear and steal her away from you, I'm probably not your biggest problem. You may need to do some self esteem work or your girlfriend may be looking to escape your relationship. It could also be that your girlfriend is extremely eager to please! In either case if I am really stealing her away I am doing you a favor.
It's more likely that the two of you are standing at the bar and I'm trying to get the bartender's attention so I can order a drink. This also explains the side to side body motion that is causing me to rub against her. She's tall and I have to look over her shoulder first to her left,...then over to her right to see the bartender! If this offends you just imagine I'm doing it to you!
See that? By comparison it's not so bad!
The Differently Able
,... and the crowd goes mild!
I was crossing the street less than a block from my apartment and there were two morbidly obese women in wheelchairs one of whom had both legs amputated just below the knee.Yes I understand that it's difficult to stay fit when confined to a wheelchair I mention their weight only to paint a picture of the actual situation not to make fun of people who are overweight.
I wasn't staring, I really wasn't. I was facing their direction and looking at the lights waiting for them to change so I could cross the street. The non-amputee began to shout at me. "Haven't you ever seen a disabled person before"? Now it's not like I leered at her disabled friend or made some expression of shock or horror at the sight of her. Often times when I see someone with a disability I wonder how I would cope if I were disabled in the same way. I think that's an honest reaction really, but perhaps I'm wrong.
What makes me angry is this stupid cow, this unlikely union of a bloated Fembot and a Daleck actually thinks that I'm looking at her friend and thinking things like "haha I've got legs and you don't". Here I am waiting for the light trying to empathize with the plight of a disabled person, doing all of this in my head of course which makes it my own business!
This caused me to have an epiphany. This is the very reason people resent disabled parking spots! When they see that the only parking spot within a quarter mile of the shop they want to go into is reserved for the handicapped they don't think of the decent kind and considerate differently able person (which is the vast majority of people that need to use these spaces) they think of Attila the rolling hun on the street corner blocking the entire sidewalk yelling "i can stare longer than you can".
How to Spot a REAL #Celebrity on Twitter
12/07/09 17:13 Filed in: Twitter
I’ll be honest, which is a rare thing on the internet. There is no way to 100% know that a celebrity is really actually typing every tweet. However there are some ways to spot an account that is all-together fake.
The easiest way is to look at their twitter page. While a normal user might follow a ton of people in hopes that some will follow back, a celebrity can usually amass quite a following without following anyone. So if you see on their Twitter page that they follow many more people than are following them, it’s probably a fake account. If you follow a celebrity and they try to sell you Britney Spears sex videos,.... also a fake!
Don’t be fooled by people who put “THE” or :THEREAL” in their name. This doesn’t mean it’s not the real McCoy, but it certainly doesn’t mean that it is either! If it looks like there’s a good chance that the account is legitimate follow for a while. The celeb in question may post pics of themselves in different locations and whatnot, or give other clues as to the validity of the account.
A number of celebrities are now getting their accounts verified. Remember that even when a Celebrity announces their Twitter account name on live TV, they may or may not be typing every post. The account may also be controlled by an agent or publicist so don’t ever think that every tweet as coming from John Q Celebrity.
The easiest way is to look at their twitter page. While a normal user might follow a ton of people in hopes that some will follow back, a celebrity can usually amass quite a following without following anyone. So if you see on their Twitter page that they follow many more people than are following them, it’s probably a fake account. If you follow a celebrity and they try to sell you Britney Spears sex videos,.... also a fake!
Don’t be fooled by people who put “THE” or :THEREAL” in their name. This doesn’t mean it’s not the real McCoy, but it certainly doesn’t mean that it is either! If it looks like there’s a good chance that the account is legitimate follow for a while. The celeb in question may post pics of themselves in different locations and whatnot, or give other clues as to the validity of the account.
A number of celebrities are now getting their accounts verified. Remember that even when a Celebrity announces their Twitter account name on live TV, they may or may not be typing every post. The account may also be controlled by an agent or publicist so don’t ever think that every tweet as coming from John Q Celebrity.
How To Get Famous #Followers On Twitter
12/07/09 16:04 Filed in: Twitter
Okay this one will be short and sweet. There is a simple trick that you can use to possibly get some real life celebrities to follow your Twitter account. It will really help if you have a blog, are a musician, or create any type of media. This may also work for those of you whose sparkling wit is the talk of the Twitterverse as well.
This is not guaranteed! If I could guarantee success I would be selling this for real money!
It’s a simple idea that many people may have stumbled upon. Search for famous people and follow some of the people that they follow. Which ones? The ones you never heard of, in short you follow the ones that might follow you back. What does that get you? Well if this person follows you back and you say something witty or post a great link to your latest blog post, this person might Re-Tweet your tweet in which case there’s a chance that your famous person may see it, read your tweet, read your blog post, listen to your song and like it enough to follow you for more of the same.
It’s a long shot I know. But if you’re going to follow a bunch of people anyway why not pick these people? If you can get these “Followed by the Famous” people in your following you have one degree of separation from a celebrity. Now I will warn you that many celebrities only follow other celebrities, this makes your task near impossible. You will most likely want to restrict yourself to those celebrities that follow some people that may actually follow you back.
Why do you care if celebrities follow you? Well, if they re-tweet a link to your content if could create a huge influx of interest. You would also be able to send direct messages to them, or possibly engage them in a conversation. Having fans of what you do that are in a position to help your career is always a good idea!
If you are lucky enough to snag yourself a famous follower, don’t abuse this new connection. Don’t send them direct messages 19 times an hour, if you send them a direct message at all. In any and all communications with them talk to them like you would talk to anyone else. It’s okay to be complimentary, just don’t be that stereotypical gushing fan who has nothing better than “Oh my god I can’t believe it’s you” to say!
Good luck networking with the stars!
This is not guaranteed! If I could guarantee success I would be selling this for real money!
It’s a simple idea that many people may have stumbled upon. Search for famous people and follow some of the people that they follow. Which ones? The ones you never heard of, in short you follow the ones that might follow you back. What does that get you? Well if this person follows you back and you say something witty or post a great link to your latest blog post, this person might Re-Tweet your tweet in which case there’s a chance that your famous person may see it, read your tweet, read your blog post, listen to your song and like it enough to follow you for more of the same.
It’s a long shot I know. But if you’re going to follow a bunch of people anyway why not pick these people? If you can get these “Followed by the Famous” people in your following you have one degree of separation from a celebrity. Now I will warn you that many celebrities only follow other celebrities, this makes your task near impossible. You will most likely want to restrict yourself to those celebrities that follow some people that may actually follow you back.
Why do you care if celebrities follow you? Well, if they re-tweet a link to your content if could create a huge influx of interest. You would also be able to send direct messages to them, or possibly engage them in a conversation. Having fans of what you do that are in a position to help your career is always a good idea!
If you are lucky enough to snag yourself a famous follower, don’t abuse this new connection. Don’t send them direct messages 19 times an hour, if you send them a direct message at all. In any and all communications with them talk to them like you would talk to anyone else. It’s okay to be complimentary, just don’t be that stereotypical gushing fan who has nothing better than “Oh my god I can’t believe it’s you” to say!
Good luck networking with the stars!
We Are All Victims Of The Consumer Shakedown.
07/07/09 22:20 Filed in: Business
In the last century we got really good at making things. In this century we are focused on marketing things, so much so that the products themselves have become secondary. These days it’s ok if a product is far less than perfect as long as a low enough percentage of consumers don’t demand their money back. This is especially true of E-Products. E-Products exist only in the digital domain, and can be downloaded. This eliminates shipping/handling/packaging costs and provides content for rock bottom low prices. Most of the time these products, are not returnable and so there are no refunds.
This scenario means that if you are so inclined you can come up with a brilliant marketing plan for a completely shoddy product knowing full well that your mostly disappointed clients will have no real recourse. Let me tell you something right now, this is by far the fastest growing legal scam on the internet. I know cause I have fallen victim to it more than once already. Check out some of my other blog posts cause if I haven’t already shouted about it, I am more than likely going to shortly.
This is the sort of deliberate methodically planned scam that’s been around forever. It’s a kin to the classic pigeon drop and when it happens to me I have shrug and say “well you got me”. What I am more concerned with is the current trend towards lackluster customer service and insufficient product testing. How can they be testing these software packages that have obvious features missing, poor functionality and flat out don’t do what they are supposedly designed to do.
The other weird trend is this whole idea of allowing anyone who can string together a few lines of code, make a product that works with yours. It’s great if those third party programmers know what they’re doing but many times these add ons are buggy, horribly designed nightmares waiting to happen. So you buy a cool program because there are all these great addons for it, only to find that the addons are more trouble than they are worth.
Bottom line, don’t buy any of these programs or addons unless there is an ironclad money back guarantee. And give them hell if the product doesn’t deliver. I am going to do my bit by posting here about any of these disappointing products I find.
This scenario means that if you are so inclined you can come up with a brilliant marketing plan for a completely shoddy product knowing full well that your mostly disappointed clients will have no real recourse. Let me tell you something right now, this is by far the fastest growing legal scam on the internet. I know cause I have fallen victim to it more than once already. Check out some of my other blog posts cause if I haven’t already shouted about it, I am more than likely going to shortly.
This is the sort of deliberate methodically planned scam that’s been around forever. It’s a kin to the classic pigeon drop and when it happens to me I have shrug and say “well you got me”. What I am more concerned with is the current trend towards lackluster customer service and insufficient product testing. How can they be testing these software packages that have obvious features missing, poor functionality and flat out don’t do what they are supposedly designed to do.
The other weird trend is this whole idea of allowing anyone who can string together a few lines of code, make a product that works with yours. It’s great if those third party programmers know what they’re doing but many times these add ons are buggy, horribly designed nightmares waiting to happen. So you buy a cool program because there are all these great addons for it, only to find that the addons are more trouble than they are worth.
Bottom line, don’t buy any of these programs or addons unless there is an ironclad money back guarantee. And give them hell if the product doesn’t deliver. I am going to do my bit by posting here about any of these disappointing products I find.
Vinyl Isn't Coming Back, It's Festering!
03/07/09 04:29 Filed in: Society | Pop Culture
Lately I have seen a number of articles declaring that vinyl records are making some sort of comeback. It might seem this way but I surmise that this so-called resurgence is little more than a mirage. The fact that teenagers are picking through dollar bins in used music stores looking for music is the result of a few things that are happening right now.
First of all, most major label music sucks! The upshot of this is that listeners are turning to other outlets for musical enjoyment. Since there is an amazing back catalog available in the used music shops it’s easy to see why people would be attracted to the selection and the low prices. Let’s keep in mind that this is product on the resale market and only a diehard few vinyl fans are buying newly manufactured LPs. New Vinyl averages at $25 -$45 per Lp. So really the resurgence here is in use of turntables rather than new music sales. I’d also like to point out that most of the music from the 80’s and first half of the 90’s featured better recordings of better musicians than we typically find today. Don’t believe me? Take a typical 80’s band, let say Tears for Fears, and listen to the quality of the recording versus a typical band from today, let’s say Fallout Boy. See what I mean? There is a very good reason for this discrepancy in sound quality. In the 80’s and early 90’s music (even indie music) was mostly recorded in studios manned by actual recording engineers. The average album took between 6 weeks and 3 months to produce. You could afford to do this because you would then have a product that had value that you could sell. Today music is recorded (in many cases) just as quickly and cheaply as possible, many times in makeshift home studios by people who aren’t as adept at producing a high quality of sound. So what we have is the following trend:
The end product is worth less and, so knowing this, bands and labels put less effort and money into the recording process.
Remember when you were a kid and it made you so happy that you had a baseball card, or an action figure or anything little Billy across the street didn’t have? A similar thing is at play here. Since much of vinyl available at your average used record shop was never released on CD it’s not all that difficult to find great music that isn’t available on the internet for download. This means you have tunes that little Billy doesn’t, and he’s gonna have to go search for another copy of the LP if he want’s to own it! Current music is available on the internet, so even if little Billy is too lazy to track it down for free he can just pay the $.99 and get the songs from iTunes.
I think this so called resurgence will keep getting press until we finally find a solid way to monetize music. When the bottom line improves for the people who create music, my guess is so will all aspects of the quality of the music itself.
First of all, most major label music sucks! The upshot of this is that listeners are turning to other outlets for musical enjoyment. Since there is an amazing back catalog available in the used music shops it’s easy to see why people would be attracted to the selection and the low prices. Let’s keep in mind that this is product on the resale market and only a diehard few vinyl fans are buying newly manufactured LPs. New Vinyl averages at $25 -$45 per Lp. So really the resurgence here is in use of turntables rather than new music sales. I’d also like to point out that most of the music from the 80’s and first half of the 90’s featured better recordings of better musicians than we typically find today. Don’t believe me? Take a typical 80’s band, let say Tears for Fears, and listen to the quality of the recording versus a typical band from today, let’s say Fallout Boy. See what I mean? There is a very good reason for this discrepancy in sound quality. In the 80’s and early 90’s music (even indie music) was mostly recorded in studios manned by actual recording engineers. The average album took between 6 weeks and 3 months to produce. You could afford to do this because you would then have a product that had value that you could sell. Today music is recorded (in many cases) just as quickly and cheaply as possible, many times in makeshift home studios by people who aren’t as adept at producing a high quality of sound. So what we have is the following trend:
The end product is worth less and, so knowing this, bands and labels put less effort and money into the recording process.
Remember when you were a kid and it made you so happy that you had a baseball card, or an action figure or anything little Billy across the street didn’t have? A similar thing is at play here. Since much of vinyl available at your average used record shop was never released on CD it’s not all that difficult to find great music that isn’t available on the internet for download. This means you have tunes that little Billy doesn’t, and he’s gonna have to go search for another copy of the LP if he want’s to own it! Current music is available on the internet, so even if little Billy is too lazy to track it down for free he can just pay the $.99 and get the songs from iTunes.
I think this so called resurgence will keep getting press until we finally find a solid way to monetize music. When the bottom line improves for the people who create music, my guess is so will all aspects of the quality of the music itself.
Michael Jackson's kids will be adopted by winners of reality TV series!
01/07/09 14:51 Filed in: Fake News
Earlier today an un-named television executive leaked news that negotiations were underway to create a reality TV series centered around the adoption of Michael Jackson’s three children. She had the following to say:
“In a few weeks, after there has been some time for healing, those seeking custody of MJ’s kids will be offered the opportunity to become contestants on a new reality television program”
Apparently there are legal precedents set by television programs like “The Peoples Court” and “Judge Judy” for having legal disputes argued in a public forum. Assuming all concerned parties agree, the show would air as part of this years fall schedule. When asked about the possible format for the show the exec answered.
“The format would be based on the same ideas as “Who wants to marry a millionaire” and “Survivor” except that a Judge and a panel of social workers would have the ability to council the children through the decision making process. Contestants will not be allowed lawyers on the show and will all undergo stringent background and drug checks. The viewing audience will also periodically be asked to vote a contestant off the ranch. All in all a fun experience for the home viewer”
Such a show would undoubtedly get huge ratings, so much so that opposing networks might simply run infomercials opposite this possible media juggernaut. It is rumored that 30 seconds of advertising during the program will cost twice as much as a one minute advertisement during the Super-bowl! The executive also revealed other possible features of the alleged show.
“We are of course feverishly looking for ways to augment the program by giving the viewing public more of a say in what ultimately happens to MJ’s kids. One of the things we have in development is a sort of Blackjack game in which the viewing audience can split the children up, but we’re stuck on what would happen if the viewing public decides to double down. Poker is very hot right now so we might include a poker event in the show. To win custody you would have to “Go all in” and so fourth.”
When we questioned all the major networks they denied that any such show was in development. This can only mean that there is a code of silence surrounding the show. This of course never happened. We here at NTOPIX were shocked to find out that this show was planned by MJ himself prior to his death. MJ claimed that the show would bypass the legal battles that would ensue in the event of his death. The final revelation in this bizarre tale was yet to come. According to the executive,
“The first episode will begin with a scene in which the children, contestants, judge, social workers and a man in a bear suit will be standing around a replica of MJ’s casket. The casket will then be lowered into the ground, the bear suited man will cast some earth unto the casket thus declaring the contest has officially begun”
In further conversations it was also revealed that the bear suited man would not speak, which started a firestorm of speculation as to the identity of this bear suited person. We also learned that the bear suited man (or BSM) would be a recurring theme-based feature of the show. In order to keep the true identity of the BSM a secret, 12 celebrity BSM impersonators will arrive at the ranch each day but only one will be the real McCoy. There is a long list of possible BSM impersonators from George Clooney to Jeff Goldblum to Mark Hamill to Kevin Smith, the list goes on and on! What challenges will face the BSM? Will the real BSM be revealed to the viewing audience? Find out this fall on the soon to be hit fictional television series “Thriller Children - Epic Adoption”
“In a few weeks, after there has been some time for healing, those seeking custody of MJ’s kids will be offered the opportunity to become contestants on a new reality television program”
Apparently there are legal precedents set by television programs like “The Peoples Court” and “Judge Judy” for having legal disputes argued in a public forum. Assuming all concerned parties agree, the show would air as part of this years fall schedule. When asked about the possible format for the show the exec answered.
“The format would be based on the same ideas as “Who wants to marry a millionaire” and “Survivor” except that a Judge and a panel of social workers would have the ability to council the children through the decision making process. Contestants will not be allowed lawyers on the show and will all undergo stringent background and drug checks. The viewing audience will also periodically be asked to vote a contestant off the ranch. All in all a fun experience for the home viewer”
Such a show would undoubtedly get huge ratings, so much so that opposing networks might simply run infomercials opposite this possible media juggernaut. It is rumored that 30 seconds of advertising during the program will cost twice as much as a one minute advertisement during the Super-bowl! The executive also revealed other possible features of the alleged show.
“We are of course feverishly looking for ways to augment the program by giving the viewing public more of a say in what ultimately happens to MJ’s kids. One of the things we have in development is a sort of Blackjack game in which the viewing audience can split the children up, but we’re stuck on what would happen if the viewing public decides to double down. Poker is very hot right now so we might include a poker event in the show. To win custody you would have to “Go all in” and so fourth.”
When we questioned all the major networks they denied that any such show was in development. This can only mean that there is a code of silence surrounding the show. This of course never happened. We here at NTOPIX were shocked to find out that this show was planned by MJ himself prior to his death. MJ claimed that the show would bypass the legal battles that would ensue in the event of his death. The final revelation in this bizarre tale was yet to come. According to the executive,
“The first episode will begin with a scene in which the children, contestants, judge, social workers and a man in a bear suit will be standing around a replica of MJ’s casket. The casket will then be lowered into the ground, the bear suited man will cast some earth unto the casket thus declaring the contest has officially begun”
In further conversations it was also revealed that the bear suited man would not speak, which started a firestorm of speculation as to the identity of this bear suited person. We also learned that the bear suited man (or BSM) would be a recurring theme-based feature of the show. In order to keep the true identity of the BSM a secret, 12 celebrity BSM impersonators will arrive at the ranch each day but only one will be the real McCoy. There is a long list of possible BSM impersonators from George Clooney to Jeff Goldblum to Mark Hamill to Kevin Smith, the list goes on and on! What challenges will face the BSM? Will the real BSM be revealed to the viewing audience? Find out this fall on the soon to be hit fictional television series “Thriller Children - Epic Adoption”