The Demand Is There

Hello to all of you.  Here’s a new post!

Today, an Apple clone is running free.  The demand is there for cheaper Macintoshes.

Today, cheap “iPod killers” are their own sub-market of the MP3 player industry.  The demand is there for Apple to crush their competition and offer their iPods for much, MUCH cheaper.

Today, bootleg DVDs of TV shows and movies that aren’t on DVD in the States are floating around the Internet because the movie and television studios are stupid enough to continue to think that the Internet is just a piracy box.  In all fairness, they’ve let the terrorists win.

Once again, the demand is there for these items, if there are bootleg DVDs, or iPod clones, or even Macintosh clones, so fulfill the demand.  If you’re going to be pro-consumer, it’s only the right thing to do.

Here’s the problem with this viewpoint: People have misunderstood what I’m trying to do, criticizing the movie and television companies as I have.  So I am going to say, right here and right now, my reasoning, loud and clear, so that there is no room for interpretation.

I am only doing this because I care.  I am only doing this because I want to buy this stuff legitimately.  But the bullcrap excuses I hear from these studios about how they “desire” piracy prevention measures, and yet they overlook the one basic rule that they should follow in order to prevent piracy from ever happening.

Seriously, content is king.  I cannot emphasize that enough, so allow me to give you a recent story that shows just how the Internet can be.  I’ve gotten hooked on a TV show recently on Fox, the new legal drama Canterbury’s Law.  But I didn’t discover the show (OR watch it) on the tube.  I’m in a Fox market that has the most clueless management around, and their marketing department sucks donkeys.  

I discovered Canterbury’s Law on the iTunes Music Store with a free download of the pilot.  I am now buying individual episodes of Canterbury’s Law after broadcast on iTunes, and I’m in for BUYING the season set when it comes out on DVD.  You get people hooked on the content, you get legitimate purchases.  The “content is king” model is going to win every time.  Stop “playing it safe” for “the good of the people”.  In all fairness, you’ve already lost.

I would never have found Canterbury’s Law in the old model, and THAT’S what these guys don’t get.  The Internet is a fantastic marketing tool, and it is in the best interests of the TV studios and film companies to use it wisely.

If you make this content available, your “piracy problem” will shrivel up and die.  If you don’t make this available, and you STILL resort to the “movie vault”, then your “piracy problem” will only get worse.

Almost Famous By De’s Fault - Cool Blog

I’m a pretty large Trekkie, guys.  That’s just one of my weird idiosyncrasies, so deal with it!  I have also become a huge fan of the man who played Dr. McCoy, DeForest Kelley, not just because of his work on the original Star Trek, not only because he was a truly genuine individual, but also because he did a lot for animal rescue.  So, in this vein, I recommend the wonderful blog by Kristine M. Smith, the author of DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories - My Life and Times With A Remarkable Gentleman Actor and the upcoming The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend, which will be released in 2009, at http://almostfamousbydesfault.blogspot.com!  TTFN, Ta Ta for Now!  –BJ 

The future brings…Digital comic books???,

First, it was Marvel Comics doing their new digital comics initiative.  Now, it seems that Warp Graphics, the makers of ElfQuest, are doing the same.  

This really, REALLY bodes well for comic books in the future.  However, I think that Warp Graphics can succeed where Marvel has bitterly failed: In the delivery of true digital comics in PDF format, or something similar.I hope Wendy & Richard Pini the very best in their new digital comics initiative.  In a world where everything goes paperless eventually, this is a good move for a medium that has long been steeped in paper (i.e. comic books).  Hopefully more comics makers follow this lead, and we can expect digital comics online before long from all the comic book companies, including Dark Horse, Disney/Gemstone, and DC Comics.

The Unsung Centenary

Everyone is talking about the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, the release date of Devil May Care, the next James Bond novel.  But a very select few are talking about another centenary: Today, 100 years ago, in Taylor, Texas, one Fred “Tex” Avery was born.  Now, some may know Tex Avery because of his wildly controversial cartoon, “Red Hot Riding Hood”.  Others may know Tex Avery as the creator of Droopy Dog, the depressive bloodhound.  Still others may know about Tex Avery’s wacko takes on fairy tales.  All of these and many more, that was the genius of Tex Avery.  

Today marks the 100th birthday of one of animation’s finest pioneers.  Yet, he’s unfortunately ignored by the powers-that-be, and the only Tex Avery animation releases are the recent Droopy boxset, several laserdiscs, and several VHS tapes.  Is this the best way to treat an animation legend?  Disney treats their legends of animation with the utmost of respect!  The rest of the animation industry should do the same, because without Tex Avery, there’d BE no Family Guy, or South Park, or Looney Tunes, even!  So be grateful that you have those funny cartoons this day, and let’s hear it for Tex Avery!

Hello again everyone!

Hey guys!  I did have to delete a post.

You see, my uncle, Bill Wanlund, has been quoted on CNN as being the spokesman for the US Embassy in Belgrade, and everyone knows what’s happened there (i.e. the fighting and rioting that has broken out after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia several days ago).  I hope things go a lot better in that region of the world, and I hope and pray for peace there as well as the Middle East, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan.

You know, getting Google-famous will take me a LOT more places!  This is going to be weird, to be sure.  I’ll continue to see if there are any questionable things.  I have to continue to scour, however.  Right now, it’s dinnertime, and I need to get this stuff over with!!

BJ 

New Blog for your Bookmarking Pleasure

Hey guys, just wanted to tell you that I’m going to be splitting posting duties between GOS and a new blog I started up called The 4th Caballero, at http://fourthcaballero.wordpress.com!  The 4th Caballero focuses on the 2 Latin American films produced by Disney, Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros!  Right now, I’m going to have continuing coverage of the new DVD release April 29th (yep, rumors confirmed for those wondering!).  I’ll definitely keep on top of the news regarding this exciting new release!!!  –BJ 

More Thoughts on Macworld Announcements

All right, now that there are a few more details about what was announced during Steve’s keynote at Macworld, here are a few things that really get me into a tizzy:

• First, I love the LED-backlit display on MacBook Air, and I love the fully-aluminum casing, but for God’s sake, I’m a gamer first and foremost.  Why, then, do we get such a sh*tty damn graphics chip inside the MacBook Air??  Intel should be going out of their way to swallow up ATI or NVidia or whichever graphics card manufacturer WASN’T picked up by AMD.  The Intel GMA chipsets inside these computers are not made for gaming.  I’ll be picking up either a 17″ MacBook Pro or one of the new iMacs LONG before I get a MacBook Air, for gaming reasons.  I want to be able to play games, and not just Mac games like Guitar Hero 3 either.  I want to play Windows games too, like Counter Strike, Halo 2, Half-Life: The Orange Box, etc.  It’s not going to happen when I get another Mac with yet another sh*tty integrated graphics chip.
• Also, the movie rental idea sounds better and better the more I read and hear about it!  Although iTunes does need more catalog titles, I’ll be the first to admit that.
• Now, big question: When will Apple do iTunes Digital Copy on pre-existing DVDs, HD DVDs, and Blu-Ray Discs?  Even though that’s a 20th Century Fox deal, that would be HIGHLY cool.
• Now, I might just get raped up the asspipe and pick up a Time Capsule.  Apparently, the feature of Time Machine connecting to an external HD attached to an AirPort Extreme is no longer available.  That’s rape, plain and simple.  But I’m willing to pay $300 for a Time Capsule.  I understand why that product is there now.
• Also, I need to try out the iTunes movie rentals and see if my current iPod (5.5-generation) will be able to handle iTunes Movie Rentals.  It certainly looks like it may not be the case.  Too bad.  I’ve been pining after that iPod touch for awhile, and especially with the new software it got.
• Now, about the prediction of an official version of ScummVM after the SDK for iPhone & iTouch: Well, suffice to say it’s already out with the NEW version of ScummVM, version 0.11.0!  NICE!  However, currently you must have a jailbroken iPhone to use it.  Now let’s find a way to get more emulators & interpreters into iPhone & iTouch, and retro gaming will NEVER, EVER be the same!

BJ

Macworld 2008 Keynote Wrap-Up and My Thoughts

All right guys!!  As promised, I’m here to talk about what went down at Steve Jobs’s keynote, and also provide my thoughts on what was announced.  There truly was “something in the air” yesterday. Apologies for my bad joke.   Mr. Jobs first gave us a look back on 2007.  New iMacs, new iPods, the iPhone, Leopard, iLife 08, iWork 08, and much, much more.  Then, Mr. Jobs said that there were 4 things he wanted to talk about with us today.Thing #1: Mac OS X Leopard. He was so pleased to announce this, and I certainly can’t blame him. 3 million copies sold in the first 3 months (or 90 days, as he put it). That’s a million per month in October, November, AND December! How cool is that? An unprecedented success, both commercially and critically. Leopard also is receiving great developer support. And, the last Intel-native app is now shipping? What is it? Mac Office 2008. Then Steve talked about one of Leopard’s new features (he accidentally called it “Tiger”…), Time Machine. Automated backup, and it’s perfect for desktops, because you just plug in an external hard drive, and away you go. But, he said, notebooks are different. You’re constantly plugging and unplugging the drive. And, as the saying goes, “There must be a better way.” And, there is. First new product/service announcement of the keynote: Time Capsule. It’s an AirPort Extreme router with a server-grade hard disk inside it. Wirelessly sync your Mac laptops with Time Capsule, and use Time Machine in the process. All of my thoughts on all the product announcements are after the keynote wrap-up.  Thing #2: iPhone and iPod Touch. Yesterday was exactly the 200th day since the iPhone went on sale. Already, in those 200 days, 4 million of these things got moved! In Q1 shipping data, iPhone now has 19.5% of the US smartphone market!  That’s incredible!  They’re now 2nd behind Research in Motion, makers of the popular Blackberry (Crackberry to those in the know) devices.Now, there’s an iPhone and iPod Touch SDK coming in February to all developers. Here’s hoping for ScummVM on my iPhone or iTouch, not so sure yet as far as which one to get, more on the updates later. First, he said, new software for iPhone users same-day. iPhone 1.1.3 firmware, the same one basically which got leaked out early, see GearLive for details on that if you’re interested, no linky here. Maps with location, web clips on your home screen, customizable home screen, lyrics and chapter/language support in iPod mode, and you can now SMS multiple people at the same time! He then proceeded to demo the new features, which look startlingly similar to the aforementioned leaked firmware. Also, big changes to Maps (aka Google Maps), with such things as Wi-Fi/cellular triangulation (courtesy of Google and an upstart company no one has ever heard of named SkyHook Wireless). Then, 5 new apps for iPod touch, and this software is bundled with every single new iPod touch that rolls out of the starting gates!! Mail (on iPhone already), Stocks (same deal), Maps (same deal), Notes (same deal), and Weather (same deal, but I’m going with Wunderground, which is WAY cooler!).  Now, this is NOT a free update. The price of this update for existing iTouch users is $20. People are guessing that this is Apple’s way of stress-testing the iTunes Store for purchasing iPhone & iTouch 3rd-party apps and games, which is my guess too.  Thing #3: iTunes! This is a doozy, and I’m really excited about ALL these announcements, even more so than Thing 4.  #1: The 4 billionth song was sold last week. Heck, I bought songs last week, and maybe I bought # 4 billion.  #2: iTunes Movie Rentals! Now, I was only expecting maybe 3 or 4 studios, but how does ALL the majors sound? I’m still quite surprised and awed on that front! Now, you have 30 days to start watching your movie, and 24 hrs to finish watching it. Pricing starts at $2.99-$3.99 for catalog titles ($2.99 DVD-resolution, $3.99 in HD with full Dolby 5.1 digital surround sound!), and $3.99-$4.99 for first-run titles ($3.99 DVD-res, $4.99 in HD with 5.1).#3: iPod and iTunes updates!#4: Apple TV Take 2. My favourite quote from his intro is “We have all tried to get movies on a flat screen TV… and we all missed.” New interface, no more ATV tied to a computer, and rent movies, even some in HD with full Dolby 5.1 surround, right from your couch! VERY nice. And existing ATV users get this as a free update. For the rest of us, Apple has reduced the price to $229 from $299. VERY nice, again. This software update is supposedly going to be available within the next 2 weeks. Fat chance of that, but Apple is definitely trying! Steve then demoed the ATV Take 2 for all of us. Then, Jim Gianopulos, studio head at 20th Century Fox, came onstage, briefly mentioning iTunes Digital Copy as pertains to Family Guy: Blue Harvest on DVD.  And now, Thing 4, the biggest doozy of all! MacBook Air, the fabled subnotebook! Thinner than ANY subnotebook on the market, NO optical drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, full-size keyboard & monitor, standard 80 GB hard disk, standard 2GB of memory. There is also a large trackpad, perfect for multi-touch gestures! So, kinda cool, but pricey at $1,799.  MY (INITIAL) THOUGHTS ON:  Time Capsule

• Not a product I would buy unless I got a MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air, which is to say, fat chance on both.
• It’s just an AirPort Extreme with an internal hard drive.  And the prices, $299 for 500 GB and $399 for 1 TB, are a bit steep.

Updated iPhone & iTouch

•  Jury is still out on iPhone for me.  But, at least we get a form of GPS.
• However, I’m still considering an iTouch.  Now it’s a bit more serious, frankly, with e-mail support on iPod Touch (FINALLY!!).  I’d probably get a VoIP app when the 3rd-party apps start filtering out at the end of February, and I’d basically have an iPhone without being tied to AT&T.

iTunes Movie Rentals

• Awesome!  Prices are absolutely right, and having HD movie rentals with full Dolby 5.1 surround sound for just $1 more is absolutely a FANTASTIC value!
• Also, transfers to iPods and iPhone seems seamless enough for me.
• Has Xbox Live Video Marketplace REALLY missed the boat?  I don’t really know, but Apple TV is being heavily pushed as a “stealth set-top box”, and now that this has come to ATV, I’m now seriously considering it!
• Full thoughts on iTunes movie rentals soon, because most of them came online today.

Apple TV Take 2

• Apple TV got a much-needed price cut, and as I said above, I’m now seriously considering it, as well as a HDTV and Dolby 5.1 surround sound system!

iTunes Digital Copy

• Sounds cool enough, but I need to see how this works for myself.  Full thoughts later, after I get a chance to use it with the Family Guy Blue Harvest DVD.

MacBook Air

•  This sounds QUITE cool, but I was expecting the price to be below where the MacBook’s price is right now (i.e. a target price of $599 or so for MB Air).  $1799 is just too much money for a 2nd Mac.

Also, as far as my predictions go, I was right to a certain extent on all 3.  –BJ

Reminder: Macworld 2008 is TOMORROW!!

Hey guys, just a friendly reminder about tomorrow’s Macworld Expo keynote.

Also, tomorrow afternoon will see the keynote up on Apple’s website, so I’ll give you the straight skinny as well as the FULL skinny!

BJ 

Macworld 2008 Predictions

Hey everyone!  Hope everyone had a grand new year!!  It’s that time again, time to predict all of the cool stuff that comes out of Steve Jobs’s mouth during his 90-minute keynote next Tuesday.  This year, I’m really psyched for all the cool products!  Here are my predictions:

1. Steve Jobs will preview for us iPhone 2.0, and he’s going to say that it’s going to be available in June.
2. Steve Jobs will have several hardware surprises up his sleeve, including a new subnotebook and an HD camcorder that is named…iSight!
3. Steve Jobs will spend the entire second half of the presentation talking of nothing but iTunes and iPods, including iTunes movie rentals (hopefully with a concession for the “blind bat” market), more TV shows that you can purchase on iTunes, DRM-free music, Beatles on iTunes (and several Beatles iPods, with color schemes such as “Yellow Submarine” and “Strawberry Fields Forever”), iTunes-encoded movie files on DVDs from Fox, Warner Bros., and Disney, as well as the new version of iTunes, iTunes 7.6, which was basically telegraphed because some lucky bloke got his hands on an early copy of the Family Guy: Blue Harvest DVD (out to the public January 15th) and found this out.

Also, on Tuesday, January 15th, between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., I am NOT to be disturbed, as this will be my time to scour the live blogs and see if I’m right on my above predictions or not.  After it all ends (or after the keynote gets uploaded to iTunes), I’ll come back and tell you what I think.

 

BJ