Category Archives: arts and entertainment

Same Old Song and Dance

‘Twould seem the RIAA, record companies, and their pack of snarling, salivating
hyenas…er…lawyers, haven’t noticed that pay-to-download is a workable business
model that has people’s attention – and money. If record companies produced CDs
with 15 or so good songs, none of this would be an issue. Music piracy was a case
of necessity inventing. You want just one song from an otherwise putrid CD? Download
it. Now, some of those songs can be downloaded legally, for a small fee. The average
Joe is quite happy to stay legal when the customer is satisfied.

Sink
the PIRATE Act

“The PIRATE Act (S.2237) is yet another attempt to make taxpayers fund the misguided
war on file sharing, and it’s moving fast. The bill would allow the government to
file civil copyright lawsuits in addition to criminal prosecutions, dramatically
lowering the burden of proof and adding to the thousands of suits already filed
by record companies. It would also force the American public to pay the legal bills
of foreign record companies like Bertelsmann, Vivendi Universal, EMI, and Sony.
Meanwhile, not a penny from the lawsuits goes to the artists.”

“Don’t let the record industry use your hard-earned dollars to pursue this fruitless
war; tell Congress to sink the PIRATE Act!”

Hollywood Hilarity

Hollywood Mystery Man ‘Rance’ Has Internet Abuzz
By Dan Whitcomb

“LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – He skewers Hollywood and the cult of celebrity on an anonymous Web log that has spawned a cult following. He claims to be an A-list actor, writing under a pseudonym, but admits he may not be believed.”

I love good satire. 🙂

This seems to be another case of me being late to the party. Then again, since I hardly give a rat’s…um…whisker about the rest of the blogosphere, it’s hardly shocking. Don’t get me wrong, I like being read and being linked, but real life time takes precedence over blog time. Anyone who does the reverse needs to move out of their parents’ basement.

Rance

Idiot Detector

This page says it’s an ESP experiment. Actually, it’s a simple magic “trick” based on misdirection and deception. I wouldn’t blog a silly thing like this, except that I’m flabbergasted by the comments people posted after taking the “test”. The gullibility and utter stupidity of the posters is astounding. Come to think of it, maybe this is social experiment to test the IQ of the average web surfer. 😉

Clifford Pickover ESP Experiment

“Solution: He removes ALL the cards you initially see and replaces 5/6 of them with similar cards (e.g. King of Hearts for King of Diamonds). He can’t fail.”

Village Idiot/Atheist

I wonder what color the sky is in this nut’s fantasy world.

‘Da
Vinci Code’ Author Left Out Material

Wed May 19, 3:34 PM ET
By KATE McCANN, Associated Press Writer

“CONCORD, N.H. – Though ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was contentious enough to produce
10 books attempting to discredit it, its author said he left out what likely would
have been the most controversial part.”

Shaping the Next Generation

…of degenerates

This just disgusts me. First of all, this isn’t age-appropriate material. Secondly,
it is offensive material.

Be
Careful, Little Eyes …

Children’s Books Aren’t Always Sweet and Cuddly; Parents Should Pay Close Attention
in Libraries, Bookstores
Feature by Jason Collum
May 19, 2004

“(AgapePress) – Olivia Hartsell loves having her parents read to her. The Wilmington,
North Carolina, first-grader has begun taking advantage of the school library, bringing
home books she chooses.”

“One book Olivia chose in March, though, set off a firestorm of debate when her parents,
Michael and Tonya Hartsell, demanded the book be taken off the shelves at Freeman
Elementary School library. The book: King & King, a tale of how a prince searches
through a troupe of eligible potential princesses before he finds his true love
— another prince, whom he ultimately ‘marries.'”