Business
MPAA Still Wants to Control Your Consumer Electronics and Theater Owners HATE it!
An interesting article appeared in the LA Times the day after Christmas. It details the current friction between theater owners and the big studios over the period of time in which a motion picture is exclusively shown in theaters. Actually, the theaters deserve some exclusivity as the experience often is better in a theater and [...]
Old Time Radio – Sherlock Holmes Series
It is common knowledge that Sherlock Holmes is one of the most portrayed characters in western plays and motion pictures. Before television – radio was the king of home entertainment. Every performance (or “work” in IP speak) that is placed into a fixed form is protected by copyright, which gives the owner rights (including to [...]
Another Airbus Fly-by-Wire Incident – Quantas Mid-Air Terror
One of the major differences between Airbus and Boeing is the contrasting philosophies on fly by wire and hard limits.
Airbus’ fly by wire systems have “hard limits” that will override a pilot’s command in certain circumstances. Any pilot command to exceed the hard limit programmed into the system will not be honored, but will instead [...]
Sony Vows – You Will Buy Bundled Singles! …er Albums!
Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, was interviewed by Welt Online (a german site) and lamented that customers were choosing only the best songs. He said “CD sales will continue to decline. We are observing a fundamental transformation.” He added that now music is now sold in a “singles industry,” – where [...]
MPAA to FCC — We know what we want to do! Eliminate Fair Use!
The MPAA finally filed its reply brief with the FCC on its request to reach into your living room and turn off the component output on your satellite and cable box. Why not? They have more money than you – which makes it OK, right? Their latest FCC filing also reveals the MPAA [...]
Consumer Electronics Association vs. MPAA – Leave HDTV Alone!!
For those who may not be aware, the MPAA has requested the FCC to grant its members with the authority to turn off analog component outputs on satellite and digital cable boxes that are in your home (AKA Selective Output Control or “SOC”). In exchange for this incredibly insulting ability to turn off component HDTV, [...]
Happy Birthday Disneyland!
July 17, 1955 Disneyland was dedicated. July 18 was the public opening.
During the dedication Walt Disney made this famous statement:
“To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is [...]
Sony Has Its Head in the Sand!
Nintendo’s Wii game system continues to outsell its competitors by wide margins. Nintendo has sold 2.8 million consoles versus 1.2 million PS3s for the first 5 months of 2008. That means Nintendo has sold over two times the consoles of their nearest competitor!
So, when you’re losing by those margins how do you answer the market? [...]
Another One Bites the Dust – When Will the Mortgage Crisis End?
IndyMac Bank is reported to have been placed into receivership by the FDIC. This is the second largest takover of a bank by federal regulators. It was a basic run on the bank – you know just like Bailey savings and loan in “Its a Wonderful Life” except there was nothing left in the bank [...]
Artists Sock it to the Major Labels – How “Re-performance” is Changing the Game
The New York Times recently reported on how artists are really beginning to make money from their hard work – despite the major record labels. When an artist signs with a major record label, the contract will typically include a provision granting the label with the rights to the performance. The label also [...]
