The Old Ghosts Are Restless
The news today had a familiar ring about it and it took me a while to realise why. History is made up of repeating patterns, and for some reason a good many of these repetitions have swung back round on us all at once. Even a cursory flick around the news would bring up stories of how drinking is Bad For You, an annual story we always get to hear in the run up to Christmas. But there are other patterns, and some are darker than others.
Hmm...it feels like I have done nothing but brood on the news all week, yet I am struggling to find a reason to continue following some of these low rent stories. The bigger picture is unchanging...the winners will continue to be the ones with the most financial backing; and even when the underdogs bang in a unexpected goal to draw level, we know it is only a small bone to chew on, an illusion to delude us into thinking we're going places. But what the hell. Let us spend a few minutes wallowing in the cheaper dives.
In Ottawa, somewhere between 5,000 and 13,000 people were marching against Bush, focusing angrily on Bush's role as "war criminal". So…a march against Bush? Must be a Wednesday. He was there to build bridges with Canada that have lied in smouldering ruins since the war, and the reaction was not good…some might even say, based on the fact that Canada has some cold weather, that it was chilly. "Bush gets a chilly reception" – newsday.com. "Canadians give cool reception to President Bush" – Seattle Times. "Bush's visit to Canada chilly" – AZ Central.com.
Whilst in Ottawa he took part in a press conference with Prime Minister Paul Martin, in which he spoke about the Ukraine situation. In Ukraine the shadow of a strange election still falls over the country and chills the bones of all who linger in its darkness. After 10 days of the crisis, demonstrators still line the streets and mediators are being brought in to throw some more words about. World leaders are watching nervously and thinking one unpleasant thought...that if some leering bunch of rebellious yahoos can force their masters to re-run this election, this would set a dangerous precedent across the globe, and a thousand hands in a thousand pockets will cling that bit tighter to their brown paper envelope full of cash.
Meanwhile, ghosts of the VHS / Betamax format war are rising as the next generation DVD formats from Sony and Toshiba begin their struggle to gain acceptance. The smart money at the moment is on Toshiba's HD-DVD format, which yesterday gained backing from four Hollywood studios.
Kazaa, the peer-to-peer file sharing software, is on trial, echoing the Napster trial of 2000. Already the arguments are flying, both in court and across the Internet. "[Kazaa is] an engine of copyright piracy to a degree of magnitude never before seen" claimed the record industry. Remember that this is an industry who, in the UK, have managed the impressive feat of condemning internet piracy for decimating record sales whilst simultaneously announcing, er, record album sales. Kazaa owners Sharman Networks have already begun their defence, much of which is centred around the fact they are powerless to stop the file-sharing abuses of their perfectly legal system. Fair enough…it would be like censuring BT for allowing criminals to plot foul deeds over the telephone.
Indeed, but if BT were to set up a specialised criminal phone system -- perhaps with a kind of Friends and Family discount for those with Mafia connections – then there would be a case against them the size of Wales.
No. This shouldn't centre around whether Kazaa should be accountable for the deeds of file sharers, good or bad, but on how the industry is going to adapt to the situation as a whole. The horse has now bolted, and the record industry are ploughing millions into shutting the stable door, thinking that if they can just get that pesky door closed they will be once again in control and able to iron-fist consumers and artists alike. Just remember…whenever a major record label works itself into a righteous froth over file-sharing, what are they fighting over? Music? Creative integrity? The right for musicians to get paid? Or is it perhaps another fleet of speedboats with which to impress their mistresses… So fuck 'em. It's the only language they understand.
Hmm...it feels like I have done nothing but brood on the news all week, yet I am struggling to find a reason to continue following some of these low rent stories. The bigger picture is unchanging...the winners will continue to be the ones with the most financial backing; and even when the underdogs bang in a unexpected goal to draw level, we know it is only a small bone to chew on, an illusion to delude us into thinking we're going places. But what the hell. Let us spend a few minutes wallowing in the cheaper dives.
In Ottawa, somewhere between 5,000 and 13,000 people were marching against Bush, focusing angrily on Bush's role as "war criminal". So…a march against Bush? Must be a Wednesday. He was there to build bridges with Canada that have lied in smouldering ruins since the war, and the reaction was not good…some might even say, based on the fact that Canada has some cold weather, that it was chilly. "Bush gets a chilly reception" – newsday.com. "Canadians give cool reception to President Bush" – Seattle Times. "Bush's visit to Canada chilly" – AZ Central.com.
Whilst in Ottawa he took part in a press conference with Prime Minister Paul Martin, in which he spoke about the Ukraine situation. In Ukraine the shadow of a strange election still falls over the country and chills the bones of all who linger in its darkness. After 10 days of the crisis, demonstrators still line the streets and mediators are being brought in to throw some more words about. World leaders are watching nervously and thinking one unpleasant thought...that if some leering bunch of rebellious yahoos can force their masters to re-run this election, this would set a dangerous precedent across the globe, and a thousand hands in a thousand pockets will cling that bit tighter to their brown paper envelope full of cash.
Meanwhile, ghosts of the VHS / Betamax format war are rising as the next generation DVD formats from Sony and Toshiba begin their struggle to gain acceptance. The smart money at the moment is on Toshiba's HD-DVD format, which yesterday gained backing from four Hollywood studios.
Kazaa, the peer-to-peer file sharing software, is on trial, echoing the Napster trial of 2000. Already the arguments are flying, both in court and across the Internet. "[Kazaa is] an engine of copyright piracy to a degree of magnitude never before seen" claimed the record industry. Remember that this is an industry who, in the UK, have managed the impressive feat of condemning internet piracy for decimating record sales whilst simultaneously announcing, er, record album sales. Kazaa owners Sharman Networks have already begun their defence, much of which is centred around the fact they are powerless to stop the file-sharing abuses of their perfectly legal system. Fair enough…it would be like censuring BT for allowing criminals to plot foul deeds over the telephone.
Indeed, but if BT were to set up a specialised criminal phone system -- perhaps with a kind of Friends and Family discount for those with Mafia connections – then there would be a case against them the size of Wales.
No. This shouldn't centre around whether Kazaa should be accountable for the deeds of file sharers, good or bad, but on how the industry is going to adapt to the situation as a whole. The horse has now bolted, and the record industry are ploughing millions into shutting the stable door, thinking that if they can just get that pesky door closed they will be once again in control and able to iron-fist consumers and artists alike. Just remember…whenever a major record label works itself into a righteous froth over file-sharing, what are they fighting over? Music? Creative integrity? The right for musicians to get paid? Or is it perhaps another fleet of speedboats with which to impress their mistresses… So fuck 'em. It's the only language they understand.
posted by Jamie at 9:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home