An outlet for musings, observations and futureneering from the company helping you to transition into the connection economy
Here’s an interesting battle going on in the music industry, with Apple ‘threatening’ to close doors to iTunes, the dominant force in sales of digital music. (BBC has the full story)
If word gets out that music publishers are trying to stick it to consumers, and Apple is fighting to keep prices down on their behalf, well, there’s liable to be public backlash against the labels.
Earlier this month, researchers at a medical conference on respiratory diseases in Stockholm, reported that MP3 players with built in microphones are better than traditional stethoscopes.
In addition to picking up many respiratory noises better than the stethoscope, they have the added advantage of being able to record the sounds they’re listening to. These digital sound files can then be scrutinised and sent to others for a second opinion, as well as stored for later reference or comparison.
If this is accepted by the medical fraternity, it won’t be long before computer programmes are written to do the analysis of the breathing sounds automatically (similar to how blood tests are now done by machine, and not by lab coated technicians peering into microscopes). This is one step closer to complete home diagnosis, and just another reason why doctors need to understand (like everyone else in every other industry) that these days your value lies less and less in what you sell (or what you do), and more and more in who you are, the connections you make, and how you do what you do.
Face_it, Beam_it, Blog_it! This is the phrase used to launch Fuji’s latest camera, the Z10fd, which will be focussed on the 13- to 26-year-old demographic - a generation they call “Generation Z”. They have realised that this group uses cameras for social networking, blogging and interactions.
The Fujifilm Z10fd is a 7.2 megapixel digital camera with a a Fujinon 3x optical Zoom lens and 2.5” LCD screen. It offers Face Detection, infrared sharing of photos and a special Blog Mode - which quickly resizes any image into VGA or QVGA sizes. “Fujifilm recognized that today’s younger generation wants to be connected with their friends at all times and that there wasn’t a digital camera manufacturer that really addressed this.” said David Troy, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. Fujifilm’s acclaimed Face Detection technology seeks out faces in the darkness of a party to give perfectly focused and exposed pictures every time. An ISO 1600 option means pictures can be taken in the poor light of parties or gigs, with no need for flash, so preserving the atmosphere and producing much more flattering portraits.
It will be available in 5 different colours - Wave Blue, Wasabi Green, Hot Pink, Sunset Orange, and Midnight Black.
The Fujifilm Z10fd will debut in late September for $199.95.
Further catering to the Internet-savvy generation, the F10fd has a corresponding destination website - offZhook.com - where users can submit photos for competition and download displays. This site launches on 1 August.
This Sunday, the Mail on Sunday newspaper in England will hand out free copies of Prince’s (The artist previously known as Symbol, previously known as Prince, etc) new album, Planet Earth. The album was self produced by Prince, and the Mail on Sunday hopes to sell in excess of 2.5 million copies of their newspaper on Sunday - the paper is sold for less than £ 1.50. As far as I can tell, they are not increasing the cover price for this week’s edition - this is a genuine free CD.
Prince stated that he wanted to send a message to the music industry - and this one is loud and clear. The album is a full album, and will not be carried in shops in the UK (not for now anyway). See the promo poster here.
It isn’t as altruistic as it sounds, and there is some solid economics behind the deal. Prince has been paid £ 500,000 by the Mail on Sunday. To earn that level of revenue in England, he would have had to sell about 5 million albums - and with all due respect the ageing rocker was unlikely to do that in England. So, he is winning. The paper should score from it. Everyone is smiling. Or are they?
I am on the mailing list of TGIF, a network of small discussion groups in Gauteng, South Africa, that meet ridiculously early every Friday morning. The promotional emails are usually thought provoking, and this week’s is no different.
Saturday’s 07/07/07 Live Earth concert series is claimed to have been the largest global entertainment event in history. About 150 musical acts performed over a 24-hour period on all continents (including Antarctica) to draw attention to the global climate crisis. The event was broadcast to a mass global audience through radio, television and the internet. Broadcasts were interspersed with practical tips illustrating how small improvements in consumer behaviour can have a noticeable impact.
Criticisms were many and included the environmental impact of the event itself (littering at the venues, stars leaving in private jets, etc.), the possible political undertones (some dubbed it “Gore Aid”), and scepticism about the extent of global warming itself. In South Africa, we may be tempted to add that we have much more pressing problems such as poverty, HIV/AIDS and crime. However, we shouldn’t let ourselves off the hook too easily. As responsible citizens, we should do our realistic best on all fronts, including both the societal and the environmental ones. Granted, there are trade-offs, but caring for ourselves & others cannot exclude caring for the world we live in.
Nice one, guys!
Can I suggest checking out TreeHugger.com’s tips for going green? Everything from greening your office and gym, to greening your wedding, your pet and your sex life (I kid you not!).
A nice innovation is being experimented with by Air France, JAL, Singapore and Virgin airlines. They will now be offering in-flight language tutorials on selected routes, helping passengers to learn a few key words and phrases of the language of the country of their destination. This is based on an interactive audiovisual language program developed by Berlitz, the company that supplies many in-flight entertainment screens. The system currently supports 23 languages.
This is an example of a massive trend - consumers are demonstrating a value shift from passive consumption to mastering skills. The smartest companies are offering their customers the opportunity to add to their skill set, not just consume a service or product.
South Africa’s top cinema chain, Ster Kinekor, uses the tagline, “Always better on our big screen” in their advertising. Well, the last few times I’ve gone out to a cinema, I’ve had exactly the opposite experience.
I have previously complained on this blog about the way in which cinemas lie to us. They don’t let us take in food and drinks bought outside of their own concession stands, and they make up all sorts of stupid reasons for this. The real reason, of course, is that they charge a small fortune for their food and drink, and make a hefty chunk of their profit there.
But last night’s issue was that in a 16 rated movie (The Last King of Scotland), a woman came in with her husband/boyfriend, another female friend and a toddler who couldn’t have been more than 2 years old. The guy went to sit down near the middle of the theatre, and the women sat at the back. As the movie started, the woman walked down, and dumped the child on the guy’s lap and then went back to her seat. The child was niggling, crying and chirping all the way through the movie. The guy was disinterested, then just allowed the toddler to wander around the cinema. The child was friendly enough - climbing onto people and talking to everyone.
Meanwhile the mother was taking phone calls on her mobile!! What chaos and distraction! My wife actually went out to call cinema staff, but they did nothing.
If cinemas want people to flock to their venues, they are going to have to create an envrionment where it is better on their big screens. At the moment, it is not!
I am a big Josh Groban fan - have been ever since he made that remarkable debut on the Ally McBeal show. “You Lift Me Up” (which he sang on the show) still gives me goosebumps and brings tears to the eyes. So, it was with delight that I opened a Christmas present this year to discover his latest album, “Awake” inside the wrappings (buy a copy for yourself at Kalahari.net or Amazon.com).
This blog is not the place for an album review, but suffice to say that it’s his standard mix of songs. After listening to it a few times, I actually think it might be a touch weaker than the other two albums - not his fault, but maybe just the songs being a little less powerful than I would have hoped.
Track 12 was a surprise, though - “Weeping”. This song is actually one of the legends of South African music history, a personal favourite of mine, and a deeply meaningful protest song from my home country’s dark apartheid past. The first time I listened to Josh singing it, I felt betrayed - I don’t think he does justice to it. I’ve softened that view with further listening. But more of that in a moment. It’s a real pity he didn’t put the background to the song in the album sleeve.
Here are the words of this great song:
WEEPING
by Bright Blue
Recorded by Bright Blue (1987), by Vusi Mahlasela (1994), Soweto String Quartet (1999), Soweto Gospel Choir (2005), Josh Groban (2006) - these are the most well known version (a full list available at the official song website: weeping.info)
I knew a man who lived in fear
It was huge, it was angry, it was drawing near
Behind his house, a secret place
Was the shadow of the demon he could never face
He built a wall of steel and flame
And men with guns, to keep it tame
Then standing back, he made it plain
That the nightmare would never ever rise again
But the fear and the fire and the guns remain
It doesn’t matter now
It’s over anyhow
He tells the world that it’s sleeping
But as the night came round
I heard its lonely sound
It wasn’t roaring, it was weeping
And then one day the neighbors came
They were curious to know about the smoke and flame
They stood around outside the wall
But of course there was nothing to be heard at all
“My friends,” he said, “We’ve reached our goal
The threat is under firm control
As long as peace and order reign
I’ll be damned if I can see a reason to explain
Why the fear and the fire and the guns remain”
It doesn’t matter now
It’s over anyhow
He tells the world that it’s sleeping
But as the night came round
I heard its lonely sound
It wasn’t roaring, it was weeping
Copyright: Heymann/ Fox/ Cohen/ Cohen.
First Recorded and released by Bright Blue in 1987
Listen to an extract by Soweto Gospel Choir or an extract by Soweto String Quartet - maybe not as slick as Josh’s, but certainly more plaintive, which is how I believe the original was intended. I cannot find an online version of the original by Bright Blue. In a few days’ time, I’ll rip and post an extract here (but you won’t regret buying their best of album at Kalahari.net anyway). This is not just a song. It’s not a lullaby, its a protest song.
Continue reading ‘Weeping, by Josh Groban (errr, actually Bright Blue)’
Gary Larson, creator and cartoonist of The Far Side © recently sent me an email. Now, under normal circumstances, I would have been ecstatically thrilled at this. The man is one of my heroes, and his self-imposed retirement from drawing Far Side cartoons a few years ago left my world that little bit emptier. I’ll be honest and say that I am still kept up at night trying to figure out a few of his cartoons I still don’t get. Before I die, I’ll work them out. But this obsession is testament to his skill! I have all his books, and most of the reprints and best of’s as well. I have had numerous desk calendars, bought a veritable pile of Far Side greeting cards, and may have even had Far Side branded underpants at some stage…
My point - I not only am a fan, I have also contributed to what I assume is a fairly wealthy man’s fortune.
So, it surprised me to receive a letter from him. Or, more precisely, from his lawyer (see the letter below). A website I own hosts a number of talks that can be used in youth groups. The site hasn’t been updated in about 7 years. One of the talks was about how to use Gary Larson’s cartoons to teach young people about God. It was a fun talk, and it included some examples of his cartoons. It was written by a friend of mine.
Now, Gary Larson, in a nice enough way, has asked us to remove the page. What I don’t get is his logic. His argument is all about his emotional attachment to his cartoons, his desire to exercise control over their usage and the fact that they are “his children”. Sure. But what about the 20 Larson books I have in my library? Why isn’t he concerned about them? I’ll be honest and say I don’t think I’ve dusted them in over a year, and one or two may have torn pages. Does that make him sad?
Why can’t he just be honest and say, “Hey punk, if you didn’t pay for the pictures, you can’t use them”. I did actually pay for them - the pics on the site were all scanned from legal copies of his books that I own.
Anyway, you read his letter, and let me know if I am being unreasonable to be just a little bit disappointed. If he had said, “Go to PayPal and make a donation”, I would have done that immediately. But I must say there is a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. But maybe I am just too much of an Internet idealist that believes there comes a time when what you’ve put “out there” just has to be trusted to the universe. As an author and presenter myself, I accept that people use my work, and I don’t pursue the copyright I own and am entitled to. Is that just me? I’d like your opinion.
Continue reading ‘Larson not laughing’
By Nick Roddick, in the Scotsman - read it here.
NEXT time you go to the movies, ask yourself the following questions. Does the cinema have (a) a bar that wouldn’t look out of place in a posh hotel, or (b) an easy-wipe counter with hot-dog and popcorn machines? Is there (a) lots of glass, chrome and recessed lighting, or (b) miles of stained carpet beneath acres of polystyrene roof panels? And, finally, do your fellow movie-goers look (a) as if they’ve just left a Virgin Megastore with an armful of classic rock albums, or (b) like all their music comes from downloads?
If the answer to all questions is a, then welcome to the world of the MBA - the Movie Buff Adult, the fastest-growing section of the cinemagoing audience.
The Hollywood trade paper Variety recently noted a major surge in the number of 40 to 60-year-olds going to the cinema. But Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics thinks Variety is understating things: “I’d say 40 and upwards - no upper limit,” he insists. “Senior citizens are now going back to the movies in big numbers.”
Geoff Gilmore, the director of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, agrees. “These are the people who have made our kind of movies possible,” he says.
At least some of their developers do….
An absolute classic. I was trying to download Microsoft Media Player 10 (to reinstall it, because ONCE AGAIN, MS Windows and MS Media Management and MS PowerPoint are not all talking to each other when it comes to multimedia!!), and on the instructions page to get Windows Authentication, I saw an interesting thing… an image of the Firefox download manager.
OK, so follow me here. In order to download MS Media Player, I must authenticate that I am using genuine Microsoft software. In order to do that, I must download a plug-in. The guy who designed and tested this at Microsoft does not use Internet Explorer, however, he uses Firefox, and took a screenshot of his own download for the official Microsoft help page. Check it out here (if you can get in).
As Nuf Sed would say, “Beeooootifull”
Se screenshot below.
Continue reading ‘Microsoft Uses Firefox’
John Cusack is one of my favourite movie stars, and he turned 40 on 28 June. OK, so’s he’s not quite A-list, and I don’t think he’s ever got a big payday role ($ 10 million or more). But he’s an amazing presence in the psyche of Generation X. His roles have mirrored our lives and our own development. You can see his bio and entire 51 credit filmography at his IMDB page (that include 5 unreleased movies that he’s working on or in post production now).
Cusack has been a steadfast presence in movies that my generation has used to define itself. He’s probably the defining Generation X actor, and his onscreen development, with passages from teen angst into young adulthood and now looming middle age have just slightly pre-empted our own journeys, and even been somewhat prophetic, or at least echoed our fears and desires.
Think about it. John Cusack has a defining film, or two, for every era of our lives:
If music wasn’t such a significant part of people’s lives, the music industry would have been brought to it’s knees by now. My own opinion is that it’s run, generally speaking, by a group of money grabbing, consumer abusing, artist exploiting, fat cats, with very little intention of changing their industry willingly In that department they’re a little like despotic regimes who need revolutions to over throw them. In case the music industry hasn’t noticed… there’s a revolution on the boil.
The latest show of their continued abuse of power comes in the investigation by the US attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, into allegations that record labels are fixing prices of music downloads.
Here’s the kicker…
Continue reading ‘Music Labels show their greed’
Google just launched the beta version of Google Video. It is in beta, and so we can expect something less than the real deal, but having looked at this beta site, one hopes it’s light years away from the real deal.
I only have iTunes to compare Google’s offering with, and disapointingly Google comes nowhere close. My disapointment mostly comes from my growing expectation of the Google machine. I’m starting to expect only fantastic things from them. Instead I am served up ‘Google’ with some video.
But it is still beta. And as this BusinessWeek review of the site suggests:
This one probably should have stayed in the lab a bit longer.
In a previous post, I explained that I collect Christmas music. One of my favourite songs of this year’s crop comes from a compliation album (WOW Christmas - get it at Kalahari.net), and is “Little Drummer Boy”, as done by Audio Adrenaline. AudioA is an alternative rock band, and they took the well known Christmas carol by the scruff of its neck and did a great rock version of it, complete with overdriven guitar and pounding bass.
But as each verse built up, I was looking forward to the obvious pounding drum solo. Yet, the only instrumental breakaway we have in this version is a guitar solo. Strange, I thought, and a little disappointing, to be honest. My brother is a drummer, you see. A good one, too, with a few bands, a stint as a full-time drummer in the Airforce orchestra, a session muso, and the proud owner of a fairly impressive electronic drum kit/rack. So, I’m a fan of the drums. But a drum solo never came. I wondered why not, and if we could get a version that did.
Ed Jordan is fairly well known in South African music circles. Together with some business mates, he has produced a few albums of kids music with a distinctly African flavour - you can get them here. Their latest album is “An African Christmas”. Its traditional Christmas carols and songs, done with an African feel. There are also some original songs, including a great, “Give me an African Christmas”. For anyone wanting a change from the sickly sweet Christmas album factories of the northern hemisphere, this album is an absolute tonic (Personally, I wouldn’t have put “A White Christmas” or any snow songs, like “Jingle Bells” onto an African Christmas album, but that’s just me, and the songs are well done anyway :-).
Having recommended it, however, you may have difficulty getting a copy. Try CD Wherehouse or Look and Listen before anything else. Or do what I did, and go straight to the source (per their website): “For comments or other ordering information please contact
Paul at paul@beautifulmusic.co.za, Tel: +27 (0)11 880 9157 | Fax: +27 (0)11 442 0103″.
I did so, and Paul phone me within a few hours and arranged to meet me to give me a few copies at a discounted rate. He may not do that for everyone. But here’s the story (I saw them on SABC late night TV): they have done this album themselves, and are managing and distributing it themselves. Some of the big stores don’t get “small guys” and so continually run out of stock. Frustrating for entrepreneurs. But I salute these guys, and their desire to control their product. Its a testament to passion and makes my listening to their album even sweeter. And what a contrast to some of the other idiots in the recording industry at the moment. We need more people like this in the world!
Now, go and buy their album. If Africa is in your veins, you won’t regret it!
I bought my daughter the DVD of ‘Finding Nemo‘ a few months ago (not sure when?). As all well watched DVD’s are destined to do, this one cracked, and is no longer playable.
So here’s my theory on DVD’s you purchased legally, breaking: I’ve paid for the right to watch ‘Finding Nemo’ through the medium of this DVD. When I went to wherever I ended up buying it, I paid predominately for the license and not the medium (DVD). Let’s face it, the physical cost of the DVD is negligible. Hence the entertainment industry up in arms at the moment. They’re trying to stop us from duplicating the ‘license’ and not the DVD. So in theory then, when my DVD breaks, they should charge me just for a new DVD and not a new license. After all my DVD broke, and not my license. But I’m prepared to bet that they’re going to tell me I have to buy a new license as well as a new DVD and so end up paying the full price. If that’s the case then in theory I have two licenses and can legally make a copy of the DVD. Right? Let’s see. I say let’s see, because I’ve done this before.
Continue reading ‘Any bets on me getting a new DVD?’
The patent dispute between Creative and Apple over the music navigation system on portable players is old news.
Creative boss Sim Wong Hoo has told the BBC he plans to “pursue aggressively” a US patent it owns on a system used to navigate music on digital players.
But the release of the Zen Vision: M is sure to churn it up even more, especially when it’s clearly got an ‘iPod look’ happening all over it.
I can’t help but wonder how much energy, time and money is being used every minute in the entertainment industry ‘legal wars’? If it’s not the copyright issue, or the illegal copy issue, then it’s the patent issue. Could it be that more money could be saved by hiring fewer lawyers and replacing them with leaner, cleaner and more relevant business models?
For commentry on an interview between Sim Wong Hoo and BBC click here
I just had a birthday. My amazing wife bought me an iPod Video. It replaces my iPod mini that’s given me hours of amazingness. I used my iPod mini for mostly travelling by plane to escape the mind-numbing experience of airline travel. As I discovered PodCasts I spent a lot less time listening to music, and a lot more time getting some great input from the various PodCasts I subscribe to. The iPod video will enhance my experience even more. (that’s the theory)
In our business we’ve started to video some of our presentations. We’re hoping it will not only share the knowledge of a virtual team, but act as a quality enhancement tool as well. We’ll now be able to give eachother contructive feedback on what we saw and heard.
Continue reading ‘Why you need an iPod for Christmas?’
I’m always on the look out for new ways people are viewing and using the world (paradigm shifts). In a world of discontinuous change they’re happening all around us. It’s in these spaces that we see new innovations as people’s minds are opened up to possibilities never before imagined, or if imagined, often ahead of their time.
It’s happening in Chicago, and it wont be long before it’s also happening in a pub near you. People are leaving the Juke Box and turning to the iPod. Here’s a great story, of a few pubs that allow customers to connect their iPod’s to their sound system in order to share their music with the rest of the pub. I’m not sure how it’s managed and if they have to bring in extra bouncers? Certainly some of my mates would require protection if they played their music in a public space.
The jukebox at the bar Brian Toro manages isn’t gathering dust just yet — but it may only be a matter of time. The popular nightspot is among a growing number of places across the country where people can bring their iPods and other portable music players and, for as long as the bartender allows, share their personal favorites with the crowd.
Yes puleeeze
Microsoft South Africa are currently running a series of radio and print ads. The theme is how “risky” it is to have unlicensed software. The pic attached here is of a shop left unattended and the door open. The radio slots include a person phoning a friend at the top of his voice and getting his bank card access PIN number shouted for everyone to hear. There are other similar ones, all related to being at risk.
You’re encouraged to ensure your software is licensed legally by going to a particular website. While I obviously believe that it is correct to have legal software (I disagree vehemently with the price one has to pay to GET legal, but that’s a different story), I cannot believe that the marketing crew at Microsoft genuinely (excuse the pun) believe that this ad campaign will elicit action. Seriously? Is it REALLY “risky” to have unlicensed software?
Why do companies think we are so stupid as consumers that they can tell us anything and we’ll just believe them?
Clearly the concept of having genuine software is a good one. But don’t insult my intelligence while telling me about it.
Continue reading ‘Do Microsoft Really Believe It?’
How does a company who so often has been on the cutting edge of innovation and known for delighting their customers with some of the most amazing gizmos and gadgets get it so wrong? Personally I think they’ve moved a bunch of accountants and lawyers into their R&D labs and some of the crazies and hackers out.
We all know the media world is in crisis. People downloading their stuff all over the place, ripping, burning, copying, sending, and in the eyes of the media mogules, doing anything but buy their stuff. So they start to panic and freak out, and find new ways to do things (kudos to you for getting off your large, very wealthy butts). But instead of being the innovative and creative people we thought they were, many of them have chosen the route of criminalising their customers and potential customers. It’s beeeoootiful isn’t it.
Here are two new editions to this unfolding drama:
Continue reading ‘Sony and how NOT to do the customer experience thing!’
Scenario: you’re a Windows user who buys a new cd distributed by Sony. To play the cd you *have* to install Sony’s software (the cd works fine on Mac or Linux) - and an extra programme called a rootkit which hides itself from your system and doesn’t let you make more than 3 copies of the music. Good for Sony, bad for you, because they neglect to mention anywhere in the license agreement about the rootkit (which essentially has a signature like a virus). What’s more, you can’t uninstall it. And if you delete the files it installs on your systems you mess up Windows.
Mark Russinovich - who discovered the rootkit on his machine - details this on his blog. And he’s mad with Sony. As are the many people who left comments at his site.
Why did Sony do this? Perhaps they weren’t aware that people wouldn’t want hidden software installed on their computer without permission. Perhaps they didn’t know this was the case (the software wasn’t developed in-house - they used a contractor who specialises in Digital Rights Management). But the impression they give is simply that they don’t care if they infringe other’s rights as long as they’re protecting their own. Not the way you want to treat your customers.
The digital revolution is coming to Hollywood. Digital movies are now making it possible to bypass the massive hierarchies that exist in Tinseltown, allowing innovative directors to go direct to making movies, without getting bogged down in the politics and cost-spiralling of the movie studios, producers and big wigs.
Hollywood’s creative machine has long been mired in the bogs of big money players. Now, digital media are making it possible to bypass all of this. A possible tipping point is the release of Sin City by director, Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez left the Academies and “unions” of directors and actors, and did producing, directing, screenplay, editing and even the music from his own studios in Texas. With a monster ensemble cast, he also proved that he can get any actors he wants to.
And, now I see he’s planning a sequel already.
Its nice to stand on the edge of an earthquake zone, and see the earth twist before your eyes. If you want to read a more substantial report, check out this weekend’s FT - “A Defining Moment“.
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