Privateering

It’s been almost a month since the shutting down of the popular file-sharing and streaming-vid site “stage6,” as mentioned in this techcrunch blurb.  It was supposed to be a huge blow to the piracy network online.  Heh heh, yeah right.  They couldn’t defeat the Hydra if they tried–I’ve seen many more similar sites rise up in just the past week.

Web 2.0 has the idea in our heads that this content should be free–especially when we would have watched said content except for some business or obligation that came up.  Merely removing the one site did nothing as many people rushed to fill the gap left in the availability dept. of free media.

CNN’s youtube

CNN, never one to allow itself to be too far behind in the trends, has decided to tap into the citizen journalism realm with a posting site called “iReport.”  (BTW, Mac should sew for the name–we all know that they have the market cornered on “i”-franchises).

Anyways, the site–as defined by this recent update–will allow users to post videos, photos, and audio files.  I guess it’s a sign of the times.  These news businesses have to be very sensitive to the public trends in news gathering–or else, they might get left behind (as newspapers are).  It will be interesting to see how iReport ends up.  I wonder how serious users will be when posting  to the site.

The electronics stores are dying

Oh CompUSA customer service man, I do loathe you.  Circuit City electronics customer service person with the limp legs and glazed eyes, you aren’t so helpful either.  Anyone noticed how some of the electronics stores are starting to fall on bad times?  I’d noticed it in the back of my mind, but I hadn’t put my finger on the idea until I read this article.  There’s something cute about this little pbs site I found, it’s very human.

Anyways, this article talks about how these stores are failing for various reasons: online shopping, bad customer service, etc…  Honestly, shopping on the web is better, but I think many stores will continue to stick around until everyone is either more comfortable with online shopping, or all the stores have split into the little specialized shops that everyone loves (Gamestop, Coconuts, The city).  Giving you credit card online is still risky, and getting stuff by mail can take a while, if it gets to you at all.  In a big electronic store, you walk right out of there with the item, after paying with cash if you wish.  As stated before, these big stores come with their own evils…

Then again we can always just go to Walmart–at least there, the prices are lower and we don’t have high expectations for the customer service, so we won’t be upset if  someone isn’t exactly up-to-date and informed about the product we are considering purchasing.

Ick, Capitalism

Everytime I hear about some big company acquiring some other one, I feel like the little baby that was just force-fed the  gerber stringed-beens that are absolutely disgusting.  Ick, Capitalism.  WAAAAA!!!! 

According to this article that just came out today, Microsoft and Yahoo could become one.  I hate it when companies acquire and merge, stifling creativity and ideas and beauty.  Such a union could make some very ugly babies (by babies, I mean new programs and engines and stuff).  Where we once had 2 groups working hard to compete for our approval, we now have a larger, lazier company that is more secure in it’s economic position.  Monopolistic security for a company is bad.