THE ROSE REVIEW: Entertainment & Technology

MGM’S LION IS ROARING AGAIN WITH NEW SLATE OF FILMS FOR ’06-‘07

2006-03-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

by Don Rose

(March 8, 2006 : Century City, CA) A long, long time ago, in a state far far away, I recall learning a grade school weather aphorism that says March “comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”. So what better time than early March for MGM to host a press luncheon, where the studio (owner of the world’s most famous lion logo) previewed a new lineup of films set to begin rolling out this April. The star talent in these films is top-notch, including A-listers like Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Richard Gere, Ben Kingsley, Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Eva Longoria and more. Some of the important “lion dates” coming up that caught my eye: April 7 for the release of “Lucky Number Slevin” – a New York gangster/murder pic -- starring Willis, Lucy Liu, Kingsley and Freeman; August 18 for the long anticipated Kevin Smith sequel, “Clerks II”; February 2007 for “Darwin Awards”, starring Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, David Arquette and Juliette Lewis; and first quarter 2007 for “Mr. Brooks”, a psychological thriller starring Costner and featuring Hurt (fresh off an Oscar nom).

Other news of note at the luncheon:

- There will indeed be a “Pink Panther” sequel to the Steve Martin remake. Not surprising, since they said the Martin movie has made over $70 million so far and is growing, expected to top the magic $100 mil mark after its trek overseas.

- There will also be a sequel to “The Thomas Crown Affair” starring Pierce Brosnan, ex-007. I guess he and MGM see eye to Goldeneye now.

- The sixth installment of the “Rocky Balboa” saga just wrapped production, coming to theatres most likely next year.

- MGM partner Sony is making and marketing the new James Bond film, “Casino Royale”. Looks like the new Bond will debut (or live another day, if you will) this November, but next year would seem to be the one meant for marketing magic; you can't get better numerological synchronicity than 2007=007!

- The MGM folks hinted they may be looking for a new Terminator, acknowledging that Arnold is a bit busy these days. True, the original Terminator is now the Governator, but MGM knows a good franchise when they see one; Bond, Panther, Rocky – they always seem to find a way to keep these sequel machines going, so making more machine-laden “Terminator” tales seems a sure bet as well.

In addition to the speeches, film presentation and Q&A, press guests were treated to excellent food (catered by a cool guy named Kai) and tours of the MGM offices, where several of the studio’s 209 (count ‘em, 209!) Oscars are on display (the 209th coming a few days ago, for Best Actor Philip Seymour “Capote” Hoffman – he still has that one in his possession, I assume). Finally, I must give kudos to the press kit itself, which roars like a lion as you open it. With a slew of top talent on display in their upcoming films, perhaps the greatest film library in the world, and a strong alliance with Sony, MGM should be roaring indeed.

# # #

OPERA 8.51 BROWSER: BRAVO! WHAT AN ENCORE!

2006-01-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

The fat lady has definitely not sung for Opera, the browser alternative to Microsoft's IE (Internet Explorer) and the Avis of browsers, number two Firefox. I already liked Opera before, but the encore is even better. The latest free version of Opera I just got, version 8.51, is a snap to download and install, and runs (in my tests on my Win XP machine) faster than either IE or Firefox.

But that's not all. Like Firefox, Opera has tabbed browsing, a must-have nowadays -- but Opera also has other cool features built-in that work quite smoothly and, as far as I know, are not standard in IE or Firefox (although, to be fair, there are many extensions you can get for Firefox that extend its abilities in many cool ways).

My fave Opera coolies**: fast ZOOMING (hold CTRL and scroll down/up on your mousewheel to make a page look smaller or bigger -- not just the text, but everything on the page -- you can also zoom by clicking the glasses icon); one-click removal/reloading of images; storing of passwords and personal info so you don't need to repeatedly reenter your info on sites; and something I have never seen, a browser TRASHCAN (if you click out of a webpage and didnt mean to, or just want it back for whatever reason, click the trashcan and you can get it back in a new tab, along with the other pages "around" it - that is, the pages you browsed before/after it before it went in the trash). And get this: if you exit out of Opera, and relaunch later, it brings you back to all the pages you had open before; that is, when you re-open Opera, it automatically opens ALL of your tabbed webpages in the EXACT configuration they were in before you last closed the browser!

All in all, Opera is worth a look. Free to download, free to use. I can't sing its praises enough. Bravo! Now if I just had some flowers to throw on Opera's virtual stage... they truly deserve it.

(** Rosespeak for "cool things")

TECH TIP: WI-FI SURFING PROTECTION WITH STEALTHSURFER II

2005-12-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

WiFi's Little Secret - You're Not 100 Percent Safe -- Protect your identity and data when using a WiFi "hotspot" - StealthSurfer II makes wireless surfing secure

Stealth Ideas Inc (www.stealthsurfer.com), a portable privacy software company, announced that its recently unveiled StealthSurfer II device will now allow for 100-percent secure and encrypted wireless Web browsing. StealthSurfer II is a thumb-sized flash storage drive which allows consumers to surf the Web with anonymity from any computer - even over a wireless connection. StealthSurfer II's integrated privacy features keep surfers safe from identity theft as well as from phishing and pharming spam attacks. Ideal for frequent coffee shop surfers, airport travelers, Internet café goers or anyone who uses their laptop wirelessly in a public "hotspot," the StealthSurfer is the most robust and complete privacy and identity protection tool on the market.

The Risk

Wireless networks in public areas or "hot spots" (like Internet cafés) often do not provide adequate security. A recent polling revealed that most public and private Wi-Fi networks used no encryption at all. Moreover, even when the host does have the proper security settings enabled, consumers still leave themselves at risk to knowledgeable hackers or wardrivers (those who use easy-to-obtain "sniffing" software to find unprotected networks). Once penetrated, an experienced attacker could implant malicious programs, including spyware, adware or Trojan horse applications, directly onto a computer.

The Solution

With StealthSurfer II, wireless Internet access is totally safe and secure. By using the device's customized FireFox browser and integrated IP masking, an encrypted tunnel is created between the surfer's laptop and the receiving Web site. This encrypted data stream cannot be read by anyone but the host computer. Any data packets intercepted would appear as illegible data garbage rendering the attack useless. All user data (such as confidential credit card and social security numbers) remains protected and secure.

Tiny enough to carry on a keychain, the USB 2.0 flash drive plugs into the USB port of a computer and allows users to surf the Web with total privacy. The device is available in memory configurations of 128-megabytes to one-gigabyte at pricing starting at $99. Small, sleek and versatile, StealthSurfer II offers the very best in portability, privacy and identity theft protection.

Comprehensive Privacy Solution - all integrated under one hood

StealthSurfer II is loaded with a host of privacy protection tools that are seamlessly integrated into one tiny and portable keychain device. With all these tools "under one hood," users can not only protect their laptop or personal computer, but can now take this virtual "armor" with them wherever they go - even when traveling or using public computers. The full suite of protection includes:

Firefox (high-speed browser with enhanced security):
Surf the Web with the newest Internet browser with the highest security capabilities available. Firefox empowers users to browse faster, more safely and more efficiently than with any other browser. Built with security in mind, Firefox keeps computers safe from malicious spyware and includes a comprehensive set of privacy features to keep online activity secure.

Anonymizer Anonymous Surfing (complete IP masking):
Anonymous Surfing safeguards a user's identity and Internet activities by shielding their IP, or Internet address, from hackers and online snoops. An encrypted path is created between a user's computer and the Internet using 128-bit SSL technology, the most secure form of SSL available, to ensure the highest level of protection and anonymity.

RoboForm (one-click form-fill and user ID/password management application):
This integrated tool simplifies the process of filling out online forms by storing multiple user identities, including name, address, phone number, and other important information required by the user; it also securely stores confidential data such as passwords, bank accounts, and credit card numbers.

Thunderbird (portable email access):
Access an email account anywhere at anytime. Thunderbird gives users a faster, safer and more productive email experience. Designed to prevent viruses and to stop junk mail, this tool is portable and can secure both POP mail (such as through Outlook or Outlook Express) and Web-based email.

About Stealth Ideas Inc :
Stealth Ideas Inc is a portable software solution company integrating products for computer software with a focus on secure, convenient and portable applications. The company was launched in 2002 by a team of experienced business owners with a track record for bringing innovative technologies to the consumer arena. Architects of the StealthSurfer and StealthSurfer II have a long history in technology innovations and leadership and are the creators of the third-party telephone billing systems of the early 80s. The StealthSurfer line of products is designed to offer both consumer and enterprise professionals the security and portability needed in today's Web-centric world. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.stealthsurfer.com , or call 888-742-4747.

AOL OFFERS FREE TRIALS OF SEVERAL ADVANCED SERVICES, EVEN FREE PHONE MINUTES

2005-12-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

But they say it's only available for a limited time, and only to AOL members. The trials run anywhere from 30 days to 3 months. No charge to you if you cancel before the trial ends. Members can even get free phone minutes to use, whether they wind up signing up for AOL's phone service or not.

So, even though AOL has been making a big push into offering free online content (and making money with ads on such content), it still wants to get new paying subscribers, and this enticement is intended to show some of its cool advanced features (which cost extra $, above the monthly member fee). Examples: phone services via broadband, online music downloads, caller alert, and more.

For more info, go to www.aol.com

How will Google's recent investment into AOL affect all this? Perhaps Google will develop new services for AOL. Also, an AOL spinoff IPO (away from Time Warner) is one rumored possibility, in a year or two. Holy Deja Vu: Could it be AOL will become a darling Internet stock again, leading to late-nineties-esque mania once more? Stay tuned....

SUBSERVIENT CHICKEN: STILL ONLINE, STILL ON MY MIND

2005-09-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

I can't help it, this site is not only fun (assuming you have too much free time), but may just point the way to the future of entertainment on the Web (or at least some whacked-out portion of it).

If something this stupid is compelling, they may be on to something.
Also, I keep having this urge for a chicken sandwich.... hmmm......

Yes, control freaks, now you can control a freak. Dressed in a chicken suit.
Give text commands, and the 7 foot chicken will do it (at least it did MOST of what I asked).

Video on demand. Your typed-in demands, that is.
Enjoy... at www.subservientchicken.com .

MAILINATOR: Great Temp-Email Solution to Avoid Spam

2005-08-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this free service called Mailinator; they provide users with free temporary email addresses -- a web based solution to getting email you don't need to keep forever, in a safe spam-free way. Its main appeal: a way to avoid spam and stay incognito while safely getting email from someone you just met, or from a business you don't know that much about.

Go to www.mailinator.com for more info, but here are the basics of how it works:

Say someone you meet (in the real world, or online) wants to email you something. If so, make up a Mailinator address on the spot, that you can remember, like, for example, peachy@mailinator.com . Give that out. Now, if someone sends you email at that address, an emailbox is created for FREE at Mailinator, which holds the email for you to read. When you go to the Mailinator website, you would type "peachy" in the proper field, and voila, you are sent to that temporary "peachy" mailbox to see your email. Any mail you receive is stripped of images, scripts, etc, it just appears as text. Your email eventually gets auto-deleted, after a few hours.

The key here is that you can just make up the mailbox name ON THE SPOT and give it out immediately; with Yahoo or Hotmail or other free web email, you have to register online and THEN you can give out the address to people. With Mailinator, you can give out the address FIRST, and then LATER it is created automatically for you. And, Mailinator asks NO info about you, you stay totally anonymous.

Their website says Mailinator was "created out of frustration over spam" and is "a spam solution that approaches the problem differently. It focuses on only one niche of the spam problem. However, what it does, it does well. Mailinator solves the problem of handing your email out to just anyone. You've always got a new spam-free email address ready-and-waiting." Mailinator is designed for folks who "need an email address right now ... that they know they won't need later." The site summarizes its appeal well: "It's free, never asks anything about you and is always ready to go. It fills a real gap. ...Mailinator lets you choose who you are."

The only possible problem I see: what if someone ELSE is using the name you come up with for your emailbox? One solution: always use a name that is either wacky or complex or both, and easy for YOU to remember -- a combo of letters and numbers meaningful to you. That should, I believe, solve this one potential issue.

NOTE TO READER:

Mailinator is, of course, not a perfect catch-all solution, just one way to avoid spam and get temporary email in an easy way. See the FAQ section on the Mailinator site for more details (one of the funniest FAQs I've ever read, as you can see from this brief snippet):

So if the government issued a subpeona to Mailinator to divulge emails or logs, you'd rat me out?
Holy crap, yes. I'm not going to jail for you, I have a boyish face and very, very supple skin.
....We think Mailinator provides pretty decent privacy, and we want to keep providing that and even improve it, but we can't promise it. A promise would require lawyers, money, and probably guns - and we don't have any of those.

ROCKETBOOM ROCKS: DAILY VIDEOLOG MAKES NEWS, IS NEWS

2005-08-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Rocketboom is one cool vlog. Go see it. Like, now.

Kinda kooky... kinda Cronkite meets Congdon -- Amanda Congdon, that is; she's the smart, sassy, sexy host of the short-n-sweet show. There's news, sure... but also always-fun-or-odd vidclips sent in by various folks, with Amanda providing the commentary and the fast-n-fun tieitalltogether glue. Just a few minutes per show, perfect for net viewing, this may be the Future of News for Gen Y and Z. (G... Y didnt I C it'd B the next new net thing?)

i Rather like it!
In fact, CBS did too, they recently featured Rocketboom on a news piece. News covering news, how self-referential. But Amanda And Co deserve it. This is notable, New News.

Tune in at www.rocketboom.com

"GIRLS NEXT DOOR" ROCKS MY WORLD, NEW SUNDAY NITE SERIES SHINES AT 9!

2005-08-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

So, dear readers, I watched with rapt attention the premiere of GIRLS NEXT DOOR last nite on E!, and it rocked! So glad this new reality show lived up to all the hype! 5 out of 5 stars. Loved all the behind the scenes stuff about the behinds, backstage stuff about the backsides, gettin to know Hef, the wild partying life, but especially the lives and goals of the 3 lovely ladies he now dates (VIVA VIAGRA!). They will surprise you. I think you'll be most drawn to Kendra and Bridget, their bubbliness and charm will win you over.

GIRLS NEXT DOOR titilates, has plenty of backstage, backsides and backbiting (well, not really biting, but the girls are a little competitive, sure -- especially the "main GalFriend" who wants to win Hef all for herself.... or is it Hefself). Highly recommend you watch the next episode, next Sun at 9pm, I know I will -- since the 3 girls are supposed to get their own mag cover, finally - and why not? Hef's other main gals of years past got Playboy covers, and these 3 current girlfriends are just as hot, and probably smarter. Check it out. Awesome series, well done E!

SIGGRAPH 05: LEARNING, LAUGHS, A BLAST AND A HALF

2005-08-03T03:44:00.000-07:00

World's Leading Computer Graphics Conference Continues to Impress by Delivering Plenty of "Wow" Factor, Showcasing Emerging Technologies, Digital Art, and Excellent 'Entech' Exhibitors

by Don Rose, TRR Technology Editor

By "Entech", I mean Entertainment and Technology, two fields straddled for years by Siggraph, taking place once again this year at the LA Convention Center. Where can I begin? There was so much to see, do, hear, feel, touch, and play with! Let's start with the exhibits which began Tuesday, and run through Thursday, featuring all the leading players related to computer graphics, computer games, computer power/speed/storage (needed to get the pixel processing power required for today's animation/SFX-laden projects), and great books related to computers in general and animation/graphics in particular (Charles River Media has a great book surveying Artificial Intelligence Techniques, among other fine titles; Morgan Kaufman was also present in full force, touting their excellent tech-oriented books as well). If you want a break from the exhibits, the Animation Theatre was excellent and inspiring as always, rivaling the Electronic Theatre (which now costs $50, while the A.T.'s free).

There was also collaborative music in the Access Grid area -- people from cities worldwide jamming, and somehow in sync (with, I was told, the help of the aptly named Netronome). Speaking of music, the E-Tech area (short for Emerging Technology, my annual fave at Sigg) had an ultra cool musical device designed to let your natural intuiton, visual skill and button-pushing prowess make music without learning an instrument. Actually, the little handheld device -- about the size, shape and thickness of four mousepads -- really IS an instrument, just a new and different kind, something you might have expected a sci-fi movie set in '05 to have had if made back in '75. This gizmo encourages you to experiment and play and discover how to best make music with it; within a minute I was making basic rhythm loops and experimenting with various built-in instrument voices. I am guessing it will cost around 250-500 bucks when it comes out, most likely next year; the inventor only said it will probably run "a few hundred dollars".

Also cool in E-Tech: a virtual hanggliding rig where you can fly virtually over Rio, with wind and all (well, twas a fan generating the wind, but when you have the goggle on and headphones, that fan IS wind, baby!)... a virtual canoe-rowing trip down a sim river... Microsoft's cool gesture-driven display screen that had the presenter looking VERY much like Tom Cruise's character at the start of MINORITY REPORT (remember when he was searching through visual data using hand and arm gestures? This Microsoft dude was doin' the dang same thing, practically!)... and the ART GALLERY was also cool, a crowd fave being the little moving ball that generates mesmerizing patterns in sand that erase each previous one slowly but surely, the most Zen section of Siggraph hands down.

If you can go, GO to Siggraph, it runs through this Thursday. LA Convention Center (park there for ten bucks, it's the cheapest and most convenient, unless you go for meter-feeding a few blocks away or some cheaper lots many blocks away). Also make sure to see the Star Wars X-wing ship as you enter South Hall from Figeroa, and the Guerrila Studio upstairs (where you can see cyberfashion, draw on PCs, experiment with audio or video or collaborative art, get a free "ticket" into the virtual worlds project called Second Life, print art on megahuge color printers, and even 'print' 3-D objects with a $50grand-or-so Rapid Prototyping/Fabrication machine). Oh, and don't forget all the free magazines (Variety, Hollywd Reporter, Animation mag, Computer Graphics mag, and more), piled up on your left as you enter South Hall's plethora of exhibits, fill up and make the most of your Sigg pass!

If you can't make it THIS year, there is always Beantown next year (or, as they are billing it, 2B0ST0N6).

COMMENTARY: HOW TO FIX HOLLYWOOD'S AWFUL B.O.

2005-07-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

by Don Rose
Editor In Chief, The Rose Review

New data shows movies are not doing well lately. Sure, some say it's because they suck, but I think there's a deeper reason, a multiple cause at play. First, DVDs are killing Box Office; why pay $10 to see a film once when you can own forever for slightly more? AND get all the delectable dvd extras to boot! Second, there's that terrible terrorism, making men and maidens more moored to their moat-protected mansions. Plus, parking's a pretty penny. Tack on time to and from the theatre... people talking in theatres... no pause or rewind in theatres... and it all adds up to one inescapable fact: Hollywood's B.O. stinks.

But relax, Tinseltown, I have a solution: lobby Congress to pass a bill allowing a HOME SUPERTHEATRE ADD-ON tax credit. People are expanding their overvalued homes anyway, to make their price even more inflated, so... come on, John Q. Refi, dont just add a new room, add a new SUPERTHEATRE! Be bold and buy the best of both worlds: THX-dolby-superduper wallshaking theatre sound, whopping theatre size, no parking hassles, no parking fees, no wasted drive time or budget-busting gas expenses, no idiots talking around you, and your own healthy fat free air blown popcorn with no trans fat butter on top.

It's win win win; Helen Homeowner would have no net cost, thanks to the tax credit AND the increased value of her home when she flips it to some sucker at a higher price. Mom could charge Marge and other neighbors to watch films in style if she wants, with all the DVD add-ons too; some 'theatrepreneurs' might even use some tax credit dough to hire ushers and ticket takers, which of course helps job numbers and the economy. Hollywood would win too; their accounting whizkids could creatively concoct a way of using home supertheatre sales to inflate box office figures -- and the bill, if written right, could help Tinseltitans' bottom lines by giving them a cut of every home supertheatre sold.

Heck, I'm sold. Where do I get one? Sure, I need to buy a house first, but I'm excited. Hollywood, get on this, pronto! Before the building bubble bursts, and you make a crappy movie about it.

E3 2005, DAY ONE: CONNECTED, COOL-CLAD, CONVERGENCE CENTRAL

2005-05-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

BABBAGE 'n BABEAGE is BACK

by Don Rose, TRR Technology Editor

(May 18, 2005: LOS ANGELES, CA) Everyone converges on LA during E3 WEEK to see the latest convergence-touting devices at the LA Convention Center. And this, being First Day '05, brought together the usual amazing assortment of elements, all in a magic melting pot on a sweltering hot day.

A sampling of what I E3xperienced: ...beautiful bodacious Booth Babes... Atari Flashback 2.0, which will make your thumbs twitch with nostalgia... out-of-booth babes... babe friends of booth babes... massively parallel lines waiting for press badges (as one guy wears, I kid you not, an actual Propeller on his Head)... AOL GAMES guys brilliantly positioned all along these massive press-wait-lines, wearing backpackgear-rig-things with TVs on top, promoting the big push AOL has been making into the game domain (anyone, not just AOLers, can play tons of games online thanks to the online service, which also covers the huge boffo-billiondollar business like nobody's business)... Mountain Dew giving anyone free ICE COLD drinks (sweet! --but not overly Snapple sweet) to trumpet the arrival of XBOX 360, the newest games machine from Microsoft (which is trumping the other two giants, Sony and Nintendo, by promising their machine by this holiday season)... and, note to self: self, how come no Trump? isn't The Donald somehow involved with everything?... more babes, this time giving samples of BRUT AfterShave and posing for pix next to a hotrod -- I think someone from Webster's was there to put this photo in the dictionary beside the word "male"... Steven SPIELBERG (yes, astute reader, "spiel" DOES mean "GAME" in German) hanging out casual-like as a caravan of cameras silently popped (the digital E3 kind, no paparazzi), Steven wearing his cool black W.O.W. cap (does he ever NOT don a chapeau?) in front of his WAR OF THE WORLDS movie's "house" (you can take a mini tour inside, if you are brave enough to enter and can brave the lines) -- which is next to, wow, a W.O.W.game promotion vehicle (literally, as in a truck where you can enter an online contest at UGO.com).... hey look, even MORE babes, is there some babe-making machine in the back or something?... then there was the guy wearing a "I AM A BOOTH BABE" shirt -- great, the one day I forget to wear my "I APPRECIATE IRONY" shirt... and oversized DEVELOP magazine was there for the taking, the best mag-swag -- an issue with half-digitized Marilyn on cover and other goodies wrapped with it in plastic, a swell addition to other freely offered pubs like PC Magazine and WIRED (with half George Lucas half Darth Vader on cover). No TIME magazine given away, which currently features half XBOX half Bill Gates on cover -- coincidence? Or is it all connected?

Okay, it is now PM and early power outage finally mostly solved... old friends pop up everywhere, I feel so CONNECTED -- this is almost like an annual reunion.... upstairs now, and guess what? some adorable friendly babes with cute exposed midriffs and some shaggy thing over their calves in the PELICAN booth upstairs and -- what's that? what do they make? oh, yeah, um, awesome HEADPHONES and ear buds that feature enhanced bass, I mean REALLY good bass on those headphones, sounding crisp not muddy, and bud, they're not that much more expensive than iPod replacement buds.

Show floor finally closes... off to INTO THE PIXEL, a fine video-game-art exhibit, sponsored by LACMA's GAC (Graphic Arts Council), with, surprise, a gaggle of ga-ga gorgeous gals swiping badges for Spike TV... and at the SAITEK wine reception, a friendly press liaison touts their ultracool products, which include a thin portable scanner strip device (e.g., feed in photos, it pulls 'em through to complete the scan), a handheld POKER playing game machine (for beginners like me OR pokerface pokerheads), and a snazzy looking PC-gaming-targeted backlit keyboard... then across the street to the excellent INTEL/ZIFFDAVIS party poolside at the Hotel Fig, with gaming contests raging as we mere mortals munch on mega mountains of food and some dude with elfin ears kicks a beachball outside and, hey, those ears somehow remind me that there is no more new Star Trek on TV, no speck of Spock or Spock-like quality Trek programming being produced anymore, is it because everyone now prefers SF in other more compelling media like games, or were recent plots simply not that compelling? Back to reality, and now there is the festive finale, the massive INSIDE E3 party at the Avalon club, with even more gaming going down everywhere in the place, being taped or broadcast, with, yes, more babes, and a VIP room upstairs in the Spider Club with giftbags that included games and CDs and more.

This, my friends, is but a small sample of how E3 converges so many diverse elements, with a clear common thread connecting it all: babeage.

EPILOGUE: "EPISODE 3" --- driving home, as I noticed legions of Star Wars diehards waiting in line to be the first to see the newest epic installment at 12:01am Thursday, I ponder the puzzle of why so many WarsHeads were wrongly camped out at the MANN CHINESE for weeks (finally learning at abillionthingsbabesdontcareabout.com that movie locations are the Achilles Heel of the Force)... which reminded me how "STAR WARS EPISODE 3, the Game" was the biggest baddest promo display in between halls at E3, loud and large and mesmerizing, which gave me that old familiar joy-chill down the spine during the climax of the short presentation, as the massively parallel combination of sights and sounds and blasts and magic John Williams score combined into a nostalgic euphoric ecstatic delight - and then, alas, it ended - all too soon - and, whoooosh, some babes blew by - and, suddenly, for the first time in my life, I almost had the virtual urge to smoke a cigarette.

Thank God Charles Babbage didn't have access to all this Babeage way back when, or he may have been too distracted to invent the precursor to the modern mechanical computer, which became the digital computer, which shrunk to the computer chip, which galvanized our gallant go-go industry and empowers the gazillion glorious gigabyte gadgets that bring the Gidgets to fidget in the booths. Yep... it's all connected.

APR 18-20: GARTNER SUMMIT: Application Integration & Web Services

2005-04-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Gartner Application Integration and Web Services Summit
April 18-20 , 2005
Location: Westin Century Plaza Hotel and Spa,

Century City, in Los Angeles, CA.

Hundreds of senior IT leaders and business strategists will gather this spring to tackle current challenges in integration & middleware, Web services, architecture, portals, open source, standards and more. In 2 and 1/2 intensive days, attendees will learn both practical solutions and strategies to validate current and long-term planning.

Gartner's focus: The Integrated Service-Oriented Enterprise: Strategies for Tomorrow, Best Practices for Today. The keynotes. The sessions. The solutions showcase. All will give you new solutions to your most pressing issues through the lens of integrating your enterprise — giving you the tools you need to benchmark your enterprise strategies on Web services security, SOA, EDA, ESB, application process and data integration, standards, and more.

Highlights of the program include:

Over 50 sessions led by 40 leading experts including many end users
Keynotes from guest visionaries: Tim O'Reilly, founder & CEO of O'Reilly Media, open source and standards advocate; Geoffrey Moore, industry consultant and best-selling author of Crossing the Chasm; David Luckham, professor emeritus of electrical engineering, Stanford University and Jeanne Ross, principal research scientist, MIT
Pre-conference tutorials and post-conference workshops on drill-down topics
A special day-and-a-half Enterprise Architect Summit
A dedicated one-day program for CIOs, a CIO Day
Solutions demonstrations from over 50 leading vendors
Unique Networking opportunities: Vertical networking meals, Receptions, Hospitality Suites, Birds of a Feather sessions...
Private One-on-One meetings with an analyst of your choice (for Gartner clients only)
And much more...

To view the Summit Agenda-at-a-Glance, please click here.

PODCASTING ERA BEGINS AT KCRW 89.9 FM

2005-03-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

From an official KCRW email:

Podcasting @ KCRW.com

Starting March 1, KCRW launches an extensive podcasting line-up that features our locally produced talk, news, cultural programs and commentaries (listings below), free of charge.

What is podcasting? Podcasting is KCRW To Go! A podcast is an MP3 audio file that can be automatically downloaded to your personal computer and in turn transferred to an iPod or other MP3 player. You use a podcasting application that checks the site regularly and starts a download whenever it finds something new.

KCRW’s roster of podcasts includes our nationally distributed programs - both public affairs and cultural: To the Point -- Warren Olney's daily program focusing on the hot-button issues of the day; Left, Right & Center -- a political week-in-review with talking heads Arianna Huffington, Tony Blankley, Robert Scheer and Matt Miller; Bookworm with Michael Silverblatt, The Treatment where Elvis Mitchell talks with the influential and creative forces in movies and entertainment, and The Business (weekly beginning March 21!) hosted by Variety reporter Claude Brodesser.

We're also excited to expand your opportunities to listen to KCRW's unique and impressive line-up of weekly commentators. These short segments will introduce you to Pulitzer Prize winning car columnist Dan Neil, The New York Observer’s TV reporter Joe Hagan, “real life” in Hollywood, courtesy of producer/writer Rob Long, and The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Morgenstern with film reviews, among others.

What about music programming? Copyright and legal issues currently prevent the station from offering music programs like Morning Becomes Eclectic via podcast, but we'll be monitoring any developments that will make this possible in the future.

How do you get started?
The basic requirements for podcasting are a computer, podcasting software and an Internet connection (the higher the speed, the better). To take your podcast with you, an iPod or any MP3 player is also needed.

Visit KCRW's podcasting page for complete instructions on how to install the software on your computer and to "subscribe" to a podcast feed. Then, the next time you sync, the MP3 of your KCRW program will be on your computer, and if you're set up, on your iPod.

KCRW's decision 10 years ago to launch a website and begin streaming its programs positioned the station as an “early adopter” of the new digital technologies - and we're excited to continue this tradition.

Happy Podcasting!

Complete Podcast Listing

Programs:
Left, Right & Center - The station's popular political week in review show
The Politics of Culture - Discussions, interviews, panel discussions, rotating hosts
Bookworm - Michael Silverblatt's insightful literary conversations
The Treatment - Elvis Mitchell giving "the treatment" in entertainment and pop culture interviews
Good Food - Angeli Caffe chef Evan Kleiman's culinary explorations
To the Point - Warren Olney's daily discussion of national/international news
Which Way, LA? - Warren Olney's signature local public affairs program
DnA: Design & Architecture - A thoughtful look at architecture and design
The Business - Variety's Claude Brodesser examines the entertainment biz
Final Curtain - Obits for radio

Local Commentaries:
The Road Less Traveled with Dan Neil - Cars and their people, with the Pulitzer Prize winning LA Times auto columnist (coming March 19)
The Urban Man with Marc Porter Zasada - An Angeleno muses about his metropolis
Art Talk with Edward Goldman - Art reviews with a unique accent
Martini Shot with Rob Long - Wry observations about "real life" in Hollywood
Theatre Talk with James C. Taylor - In-depth theatre reviews
Film Reviews with Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal's film critic’s reviews
The Score with Diana Nyad - Stories of life, sports and inspiration
On the Beat with Celia Hirschman - The music industry analyzed
Overbooked with David Kipen - Book reviews by San Francisco Chronicle's critic
Back Channels with Joe Hagan - NY Observer columnist’s view of the TV biz
A Second Opinion with Dr. Michael Wilkes - An examination of medical ethics
Music Exchange with Steve Lamacq - Music Director Nic Harcourt and Britain's top radio DJ share music discoveries

TO VERB, OR NOT TO VERB? IN NETROSPECT, THE ANSWER'S CLEAR

2005-03-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed how Yahoo uses the slogan "Do you Yahoo?".

I see it at the bottom of many a friend's emails.

This is a cute idea, using your brand name as a verb.

Unfortunately, no one does this, verbally.

When was the last time you heard of someone Yahooing someone they just met?

No, alas, it is GOOGLE that has become the verb.

Even though, as far as I know, they don't tout the verb verbiage in their marketing.

The irony seems doubly interesting here.

First, Yahoo tries to verbify themselves, but doesn't; Google doesn't try, yet does.

Second, Yahoo may have become exactly what their name stands for.

It could be a gameshow question:

"What does Yahoo stand for?"

"Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle" -- or "Yet Another Hypertext Online Organiser", or something like that, depending on who you ask. (These two are from businessballs.com, who also say that Yahoo founders Yang and Filo only chose the YA part of the acronym, then picked the word Yahoo when it leapt out of the dictionary at them). Point is, Yahoo has, in some ways, become "Yet Another" search engine to a lot of people, ever since the meteoric rise of Google.

And how did I find out what YAHOO stands for?
Yep.

I Googled it.

TV+TiVo ADD UP TO OVER 3MILLION NOW

2005-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Phillip Swann, aka "Swanni Sez", reported the following today in his fine TV PREDICTIONS newsletter:

TiVo Passes 3M Subscribers

DVR service meets earlier forecast for new subs.

TiVo announced this morning that it has passed the three million subscriber mark. Not only that, the Digital Video Recorder service accumulated approximately 250,000 non-DIRECTV subs. To learn more, click this link: TiVo Passes 3M Subscribers

MOOTER: LIKE GOOGLE BUT BETTER?

2005-02-07T01:24:00.000-08:00

Try out www.mooter.com - this site searches similar to the current search engine king, Google, but does it one better: results are CLUSTERED into categories, making it quicker to find the most relevant results.

Read more about Mooter and other new fangled search engines in the Feb 2005 Scientific American.

DVD BOXSET REVIEW: "JOHNNY CARSON: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION" VOL.1-3

2005-02-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

by Don Rose

Johnny will be right back... any time you want. Thanks to this 3-DVD collection, you can revel in over 30 years of memories for many years to come.

There are so many great parts of this box set it is hard to cover them all. Three amazing decades, covered in three discs, with extras galore... bringing you to bellylaughs as well as tears. If you lived through a lot of the years (1962 to 92), the emotion will well up even more. A highly recommended boxset.

The first two discs cover Carson's career, careening through the years. Disc One gives you the first 2 decades of highlights, 60s/70s and 70s/80s. Disc Two gives you 80s/90s highlights, and the documentary Johnny Goes Home, about his trip back to his boyhood home, Nebraska (which starts with his driving home in the EXACT car his Dad let him use as a teenager, and there is footage of him doing just that, way back when, via home movie footage -- a very nice touch).

Disc Three gives you the two final hour-long editions of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The penultimate show features Robin Williams and Bette Midler (whose musical numbers and brief duet with JC will make your eyes moist), and the final show is a final overview and goodbye edition, complete with the opening sitdown (not standup!) monologue... a series of clips, choice moments, slo-mo overview of stars that graced the show over the three decades... a great behind the scenes mini-doc with Doc, Johnny, Ed and Fred (show producer DeCordova) that is a wonderful peek where no fan has gone before (very few, anyway, if any). I especially liked the shots from behind the Great Desk, and the POV shot of what Johnny saw when he walked out of That Curtain every night and faced his audience. There is also, of course, those final-show moments of Doc and Ed thanking Johnny personally, and Carson's emotion-packed final farewell moment.

You can watch each disc in its entirety, as if watching a film in a theatre, OR you have the option to go to each individual bit or interview. All three discs have great extras you can't really see anywhere else (at least not easily). Like: ISO cam shots from the final show (usually a TV director is constantly using bits from all three cameras, switching among them, but the ISO cam footage lets you linger like an insider, like you are there). Then there is one of my favorite things: a short but very well done overview of Carson's entire life, The Johnny Carson Story (made for the 25th anniversary of his reign, in 1987). Other extras I liked: Script notes for some shows... and a peek at some of the question lists Johnny drew from to ask some of his celeb guests (which, the box says, totalled over 25000 over his 4000-odd shows). Truly Carson was the Cal Ripken of late night television, a record that may last forever given the current fragmented short-attention-span landscape that is now TV.

Carson told his audience, in that last emotional show, that if he could magically go back and do it all over again, he would. Now you can. Get this boxset. You will treasure it, and go back to it again and again.

For more info, see www.johnnycarson.com .

DVD REVIEW: "CONCERT FOR GEORGE"

2005-02-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

Guitarists, sitarists, satirists -- this 2 disc set has something for everyone who loved the writer/singer of "Something" and singer of "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" and creator/force behind so many classic songs, all of which are sung here by a wide assortment of George's best pals. Watching the DVDs, I felt, almost, like I was there. Any Beatles or Harrison fan will love "Concert For George".

And then there's MONTY PYTHON. Harrison loved and supported this group (even financially, by backing some of their film work), and was friends with Eric Idle and Michael Palin (remember when George cameod in the Rutles film? that was a partially Python project). The Python parts of the film were well done, and the DVD extra feature showing them backstage is one of the highlights of the entire box. Michael Palin's brief onstage speeches, with his mock over the top pomposity, was just what a Harrison event needed, and it fit perfectly. The lumberjack song, okay, we have all heard it a million times before, but it is an Evergreen, so why not. (Did you know Harrison used to sometimes use the alias Jack Lumber? This disc taught me that!) Even Tom Hanks was there, "filling in" for missing John Cleese, playing one of the background chorus, one of the redcoated, um -- what are they, mounties? -- the Dudley Do Right types that back up Palin's lead vocal. More on Hanks below. And lead Rutle Neil Innes is there too, playing bouncy piano, and joining Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Palin in a rousing version of Sit On My Face --- also somehow a good deflator and antidote for an overall reverential tone you feel watching the Concert. (Remember, of course, that most of the stars that play on the disc are 60s icons in their 60s (or close to it), so you can't really expect too much crazy bouncy youthful sounds and silliness --- but the Python Boys do their best!)

Seeing Dhani, George's son, on stage does help bring a little injection of youth to the proceedings, and Dhani's uncanny resemblance to his famous dad makes it all the more like George is there. Ravi Shankar and his daughter also play on the disc, the Concert could not be complete without Ravi, the great sitarist who taught George a thing or two to expand his musical consciousness.

The only odd thing about the film, perhaps, was how underutilized, or unneeded, Tom Hanks was. I love Tom, but he kinda stuck out to me, not really blending in with the whole event, although of course it was nice of him to be part of it. Was he REALLY replacing John Cleese or filling his shoes? Nah... but my nitpicking here is perhaps symptomatic of how much is good about this DVD set, that this is the only (minor) fault!

So go get it already!

And, oh yeah, my favorite bits: the two uke tunes (ukelele being one of George's many passions): "I'll See You In My Dreams" (performed with touching charm by Joe Brown, a song that has now catapulted into the Top Two of Don's Can't Stop Singing Songs), and "Something" (done by Harrison mate Sir Paul, in an odd time signature at first, but changing slowly to a slow rocker by the end, well done all round).

Buy it now.
Have I made my point yet?
Good!

TRY A TRIKKE: Nuke Your Glutes & Have Fun Too

2005-01-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

TOPBUTTON - those fashion find fanatics (and I mean that in a good way) - sent this very cool item; finally, a 3-wheeler for adults! Trikke - The New Hot and Fun Way to Lose Weight!	1/24/2005	1/31/2005
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm Carve your way to that summer figure! Want to shed pounds before summer...but dread the old routines? Check out Trikke's new luxury fitness model the Trikke T12 Roadster for a rockin' ride that's as much fun as it is exercise. Rubber tires allow the rider to carve deep turns and ride hard with confidence and control. It's like skiing on pavement. Trikke also incorporates hips, core, glutes, legs, arms and shoulders into an excellent full-body low impact workout. Get the Trikke bug and crave your workouts this year! All Topbutton.com subscribers receive 10 percent off the T12 Luxury Fitness model. Visit www.trikke.com/funfit for select model discounts. Payment Type: Cash/MC/VISA/AMEX/DIS/Checks w/ID Address: 4088 Glencoe Ave (btwn Washington Blvd and Maxella Ave) Marina Del Ray, CA 90292 (310) 306-8882

MOAN TONES PHONE HOME

2005-01-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

Entertainment, technology, and sex -- can there be a better three-way? Digital Village (the fine tech-and-cyberculture radio show on KPFK, 90.7fm, every Saturday 11am-noon) is reporting that JENNA JAMESON -- one of our fave pornstars/mediamoguls -- is making available the wonderfully-named MOAN TONES for mobile phones. For a price, of course (a little scratch for some snatch, natch). But just a couple bucks, so relax. Digi-Vill says the hot tones will most likely be available overseas first -- since, what a surprise, the Puritanicals, evangelicals and hystericals here in America are not quite as comfortable with the idea. Of course, commerce is truly global now, so Moan Tones will be hard to ignore, and should spread like spunky spores.

With a name like Moan Tones, and a name behind it like Jenna's, this is sure to be a sure-fire hit, and I'm sure other pornsters will copy the idea at lightspeed. What names will they use? Many cell companies are clamoring for my sage advice, so.... let's just say I imagine Mobile Moan, Mona's Moans, and Virgin Mobile Moaners may be on the horizon, Verizon.

Found the Right Gift, Not? Try Sir Mix AI Lot

2005-01-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

L.A. is blessed with a bevy of Borders brick-and-mortars -- and sure, it can be a cool place to quaff a coffee, see Michael Crichton (as I did in the Westwood location), or read ten mags you can't really justify buying. But what if you really ARE there to buy something, for someone special, and you don't know what to get?

Never fear, 21st century tech is here. Try Borders' A.I. take on gift advice, the GIFT MIXER 3000. Think of it as Artificial Givintelligence. Or, Sir Mix AI Lot.

I thought it was gonna be silly, then I surfed to their site,
and lo and behold, turned out I was right.
But it's a GOOD silly.

Adjust the five sliders for your giftee's personality, and voila, you get a few choice recommendations of what to buy them. And a funny retort or two from the HAL9000-like voice behind the mix. When I put the personality setting at these levels:

Romantic=4, Adventurous=5, Brainy=8, Imaginative=9, Funny=10...

.....the GiftMixer3000 recommended: Elliot Smith CD, Waiting For Guffman DVD, Oblivion (tome by David F Wallace), & the hip/smart book "Condensed Knowledge" by the folks at mentalfloss.com. Not bad. Then, when I changed the settings to a near opposite:

R=10, A=9, B=5, I=4, F=3....

...the GMeister recommended a different array of gifts to get, including a cookbook by Jamie Oliver, a Macy Gray CD, and the Showgirls DVD (VIP edition).

I guess the GM3k didn't find Showgirls funny.
Maybe this thing is intelligent after all.

###

Check out the GM3k at: http://www.giftmixer3000.com/giftmixer.htm .
Now, can someone please bring me the REgifter3000?

FANS FIND FIREFOX: FREE, FAST, FANTASTIC

2004-12-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

Multitudes of net surfers are flocking to Firefox. This excellent web browser makes a fine alternative to Internet Explorer, with many cool features. For example:

1. you can keep "tabs" on several webpages at once, within one window - no need to launch multiple copies of the FF browser, just click back and forth among the tabbed pages; you can even save/bookmark an entire set of tabbed pages, and relaunch all of them anytime in one step. Can be quite useful to keep groups of pages together. (If these guys ever have an ad, the themesong should be "Happy Together".)

2. not sure of a webpage's exact address? Two quick ways to find it. One way: enter search keywords in the mini-Google-field, within the toolbar (upper right), then hit return; you get a gaggle of Google links to choose from. Or, even faster: type a few keywords right into the main location field where the URL normally goes; Firefox automatically searches using Google and returns the best choice. Seems to work great in most cases (I got to the Hammer Museum website simply by typing "Hammer Museum" in the URL field; cool!).

3. Firefox is less likely to cause security problems, because, well, it's not Microsoft. Let's face it, hacker types tend to target the big guns, and FF is still not a big gun. Yet.

Overall, an excellent browser, and the price is right (free).

SEINFELD? DVD-LIGHTFUL! COUCHWORTHY BOX SETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FIRST TIME

2004-11-23T02:55:00.000-08:00

Assorted Seinfeld news and views:

...DVD boxsets of perhaps the greatest sitcom ever can finally be purchased in stores (and online) today, November 23, 2004 (just the first three seasons, for now)... Fittingly, "THE CONTEST" was voted the winner in AOL's all-time favorite Seinfeld episode contest (wanna bet?)... Look for a special limited-edition AOL CD in stores which features special Seinfeld show-related content along with AOL 9.0...

Seinfab Four

My popculture analysis: Seinfeld's Fiendish Four were to the 90's what the Fab Four were to the 60's: Seinfeld ran for almost the entire decade, just as the Beatles' career did in their time -- all four rose to roughly equal stature during their time at the top, as did the Beatles (in terms of songwriting) -- the Seinfour's influence was felt in other popculture domains, just as the Moptops were -- there is even a promo-photo of the quirky quartet that uses the famed look of the "Meet the Beatles" cover, and a perSeinified version of the South Park characters. Note how both images show the characters in the same order -- Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer. Coincidence? Okay, maybe... but the Beatles too always had a pecking order (the press, and everyone else, always used the same order: "John, Paul, George, Ringo")...

Sein Park

Another similarity with the Beatles, perhaps the most crucial, was how the Seinfabs evolved over the decade. As the sixties began, The Beatles were good, not great, which is why so many record labels passed on them - but they improved and evolved relentlessly until they became stellar showmen and deft songwriters, hitting their stride just when they got a shot at a mass audience. Same for Seinfeld. They were good at first, with witty wordplay and scripts with simple plots, but they morphed into more complex plot schemes and characters who hit their stride and full potential, just as their move to Thursdays helped their popularity soar. What started as a little show about nothing became ultimately a big soap opera about everything, with a steady stream of hilarious characters weaving in and out of complex plots that often relied on wild coincidence -- but we could suspend our disbelief through our belly laughs. Seinfeld evolved over the nineties, as any great show (or band, or species, or any organic entity) should. And the result was spec-tacular.

Now, thanks to the tech marvel called DVD, we can watch their entire evolution with the analytical lever of hindsight, aided by hours of bonus material. (Or, we can just watch, wonder, and wail with wild laughter.)

One final Beatle-Seinfeld comparison worth mentioning is how each character in each group seems to have a match, at least in spirit, in the other quartet:
JOHN/JERRY: the leader; broke up his group even though they were still popular and other members wanted to keep things going.
PAUL/ELAINE: the pretty one.
GEORGE/GEORGE: always searching for meaning; into dark humor; sarcastic view of life.
RINGO/KRAMER: the oddball; the oddest looking.

Speaking of Kramer, you can hear a new interview with his alter ego (actor Michael Richards), and relive some classic Seinfeld clips, at npr.org.

(In memoriam: late actress Gina Mastrogiacomo -- forever my feistiest, funniest female friend -- was part of the Seinfeld universe, playing a hilarious happy hooker hassling hapless George; in addition to that classic episode, she also was featured in the film "Goodfellas", and we all miss her immensely. Look for Gina on the Seinfeld DVDs; I believe she will be on one of the future releases. )

PIRACY VS PRIVACY: "PIRATE EYE" AIMS TO THWART ILLEGAL TAPING IN FILM THEATRES

2004-11-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

The PIRATE EYE system was reported this week on "Marketplace", as well as on "The Business" -- an excellent new show on KCRW (89.9fm in LA) that does for the Entertainment industry what Marketplace does for Business (i.e., cover with style, humor, and smart hosts).

The Pirate Eye device was recently tested successfully in Hollywood. (I wonder if it was at a screening of "Pirates of the Caribbean"; if not, these folks are irony-challenged.) Their software algorithm, according to the radio reports, can create an image that shows all pirate cams in a movie audience, with a box around each camera that is taping the film. Sounds like a boon to the film industry, which is scared to death that piracy will kill off sales, as it arguably has in the music industry. Large file sizes for films make downloading movies a hassle for many users TODAY, but as we all know, increased PC speed and bandwidth makes it only a matter of time before this takes a matter of minutes.

Will privacy advocates balk at forcing audience members to have their picture taken every time they shell out ten bucks to watch a flick? A Pirate Eye rep said during the story that "the only time an image is taken is when a camera is detected". Still, there are sometimes false positives, such as when certain cellphones set off the device (they should call this a "cellphoney"; you can use it guys, it's on me). Although I imagine these bugs might get worked out as the program's design is refined and tested further, the process of installing, using and maintaining these devices across an entire theatre chain won't be cheap -- and its potential success at stopping film pirates must be weighed against the cost of piracy.

In other words, like many touchy issues today, it comes down to PIRACY vs PRIVACY.

A possible compromise mentioned during the show: use dummy systems at some theatres, and real anti-piracy systems in others. Or here's an idea I had (again, it's on me): post several large stickers or banners that you can't avoid seeing on the way into the theatre, which warn potential tapers of the consequences as well as the success rate of Pirate Eye -- kinda like warning stickers on cars that brag about an alarm that is not really there. Or, up on the walls, tape photos of tapers who were caught taping. Or do all these things. Ah, the fine art of deterrence. I doubt most tapers, seeing all these warnings, will take the risk that a theatre is only bluffing -- but then again, poker IS the hot sport on TV these days. (Did I say SPORT? Wow, now I'm falling for their hype too...)

For questions or comments about this Pirate Eye segment, or The Business show in general, you can email them at thebusiness@kcrw.org; segments should be archived at www.kcrw.com.

EVENT REVIEW: NOV 4-5: Billboard Digital Entertainment Conference

2004-11-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

by Don Rose

Billboard's Digital Entertainment Conference, put on in association with Digital Media Wire, was not the largest confab this year, but its more intimate size encouraged great networking, and all enjoyed informative talks and panels -- insightful commentary on technologies bound to dominate the near future.

In the handful of exhibit booths, my hands-down favorite belonged to MEDIAPORT, which allowed conference goers to enjoy their spiffy-looking perfectly-named "MusicATM". I love when a concept is easy to understand, and works as you imagine it should. I scanned their list of available artists, listened to a few songs, chose an album to buy (although they were nice enough to pick up the tab for those at the conference!) -- and presto, a CD popped out as well as a jewel case to put it in. Scan, sample, choose, pay, burn and go -- all in about five minutes or less; kudos indeed.

The only thing different between my Mediaport CD and a "regular" store-bought CD is the lack of an official label cover and inserts, just a generic color cover -- but the songs played perfectly in my home CD player, and for most people, that is the main concern. Plus, at ten dollars an album, the price is about as low as you can (legally) get -- about tied with the cost of buying online at iTunes and similar music services. For those who have no PC, or no CD burner (i.e., an older PC or Mac), the MusicATM is a home run -- or, if you just dont feel like going online and downloading, or if you just want a new CD right away, this should prove popular. Universities and coffee shops and other youth hangouts should prove a natural home for the MusicATM. The machine has ports for iPods, memory card, USB -- so you should be able to hook up just about any portable device to get your music. At $15,000 I can't quite afford to buy one of these babies, but for many companies/stores it should prove a great investment, and like all new technologies, the price is bound to fall.

And if you were wondering, I chose a Morrissey CD. And also "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" by BELLE AND SEBASTIEN; if the Beatles and the Beach Boys and Donovan got together and had twins (a messy visual, I admit), it would the B and S duo -- stellar pop tunes perfectly crafted and executed. Mediaport's machine contained music in many genres, I saw dozens of artists to chose from, some known and some lesser known. Other artists the machine had that reside on my personal fave list include Blondie and Nancy Sinatra.

Yes, there WAS other news at the conference. At the nighttime awards held at UCLA's Covel Commons, the INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR award went to XM SATELLITE RADIO. XM truly is the evolution of radio -- from AM to FM to XM, we are talking increasing levels of freedom, choice, and sonic quality. XM's new RADIO POD should prove interesting to watch, or should I say listen to; now radio-heads can take commercial free radio wherever they go for about the price of an iPod (but, unlike an iPod, one still must pay a ten buck a month fee to enjoy it, above and beyond the cost of the device).

If I had to vote for Trend of the Conference, buzzed about most, it would be: the rise of RINGTONES. Billboard even has a new CHART to monitor their popularity (a recent number one charttopper among ringtones: "LEAN BACK", a staple of clubs the past few months, and hence no surprise there). The sister hot trend: the RINGBACK, which people calling you hear -- yes, you heard right, the buyer of the ringback DOESNT EVER HEAR THE PRODUCT THEY BUY! But then again, we dont really see the clothes we wear either, once we put it on --- ringbacks, like clothes, are really a statement for others to enjoy and to tell others about ourselves.

So, in summary, I saw a glimpse, a glimmer, of the future at Billboard's conference, although that glimpse seemed more evolutionary than revolutionary -- for now. But heck, I never expect to witness revolutions at EVERY conference; that would be impossible. Revolutions are often the result of an incremental accretion of successive evolutions, so the best advice may be to keep your eye on the big picture -- that is where be a revolution or two may be waiting for the observant to observe. Perhaps this is what someone meant when he or she said "the revolution will not be televised"; you can't easily televise a revolution that takes place over months and years (and get good ratings). TV wants things that are happening NOW, that happen quickly, that can be packaged, shown and discarded to make room for the NEXT big thing before the old big thing gets stale. No, the revolution won't be televised, because television is the wrong medium. But here's a better prediction: the revolution will be blogged.

Is the MusicATM the next big thing? A revolution, or an evolution? Well, it does work great, and there are great ideas wrapped up in that machine -- and billionaire keynoter Mark Cuban (now a star of his own realityTV Trump-like show) did spend over an hour at the Mediaport booth -- so, you be the judge. One thing is for sure: people, especially youth, love their music, and especially love the ease of buying/storing/sharing digital music, and MusicATM makes it even easier for the "rest of us" to get access to that digital music revolution. So, perhaps the MusicATM is best viewed as an evolution within the larger revolution.

Now, 'scuse me while I go online to buy the ringtone, "The Times They Are A Changin"..... (assuming I can even find such a relic of the Old Epoch of music.........)... wish me luck!

OSAMABINLOTTERY.COM - entertaining AND enlightening

2004-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

www.osamabinlottery.com

What if Bush pulls a rabbit (named Osama) out of his hat before the election?

What if you could make REAL MONEY from guessing when such an "OCTOBER SURPRISE" will happen?

That is the premise of this NEW WEBSITE from the folks at RADIO PARALLAX.
A must-see.

NO COST TO ENTER the contest, but YOU COULD win BIG BUCKS.
(Another nice touch: if no one wins, the dough goes to CHARITY.)
These guys are first class. CHECK IT OUT: www.osamabinlottery.com

TECH TIP: FOOTAGE TIME to STORAGE SPACE conversions

2004-10-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

From the Edgewise Newsletter:

Have you ever started working on capturing footage for a project only to find that you don't have enough space on the drive you are using? Certainly, it is sometimes helpful to know how much storage space a certain amount of footage will need, before capturing, so here is a handy little chart that you should find useful.

5 mins = 1Gb
10 mins = 2.1Gb
15 mins = 3.1Gb
30 mins = 6.3Gb
1 hour = 12.6Gb
2 hours = 25.3Gb
3 hours = 37.9Gb
4 hours = 50.6Gb
5 hours = 63.2Gb
10 hours = 126.5Gb
25 hours = 316Gb
50 hours = 632Gb

RECOMMENDATION: live365's channel "60's JANGLE RADIO"

2004-10-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Amazing: the best sixties radio station out there right now... is online!
Name: 60's JANGLE RADIO.

Nothing but catchy pop songs of a very specific type: jangley guitarish numbers and bubblegum and Beatlesque melodic gems and, well, a wide ranging collection of groups, many never ever played anywhere else (at least not anymore)! And when they play groups that ARE famous.... they play B-sides and rarities.

It truly is like stepping into a 60s radio time capsule, man. A much better taste of what sixties radio must have sounded like back in the day, due to its voracious variety.

Almost all songs played are from the years 1964 to 1971; some are even from other countries (who ever thought you could hear sixties gems from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, etc)! All free, 24/7, via your PC:

1. go to www.live365.com

2. tune in to station "60s JANGLE RADIO".

When I play it via my RealOne Player, I can see the playlist of tunes in upper left corner. It can be a fun party game: "guess the name of that last group" -- within a few seconds, the answer is displayed for you. One more nice touch: there is no host interrupting with spoken playlists or useless banter.

Kudos to Live365, for having such a wild and wooly eclectic collection of homegrown stations. All are FREE, if you don't mind a few very-brief ads now and then -- or, buy a PREMIUM membership and get no ads plus better (CD-quality) sound.

One caveat: if you don't have a high-speed net connection, some of the stations may not work smoothly (buffering delays, etc); check each channel's stats to determine which are likely to work best: some will say "DSL", and all will say what their data transfer rate is -- the higher the number, the better the sound but the more likely it will choke slower connections.

"Good To Be In D.C." - must see iTV

2004-10-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Good To Be In D.C.

Those joking jovial joes at JIB JAB have done it again.

Web animation mixed with musical-political satire never tasted so good.

View it streamed for free... or download for 3 bucks... or buy their two hits ("This Land", and this new one) for 10 bucks on DVD. With all the free PR they're getting, on TV and other media, they stand to make thousands if not millions.

Who says you can't make money on the Web... you just have to be GOOD.

LINKSPACE: BLOG SITES & SEARCH - useful links

2004-10-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

Blogdigger - a Google-like interface lets you search the Blogosphere

Waypath - "provides new ways to explore the rich content of weblogs, using text analysis techniques"; "lets you search for interesting posts with keywords, full posts (urls), or by references (who links to whom)" --quoting from site

TECHNORATI - site says users can "Search the World Live Web™" to find "what's being said, right now, about every weblog or webpage that has something worth talking about"; "monitors more than four million blogs in real time so you can discover the conversations happening now."

What's Making Blognews? - title tells the tale; lists links to top blogworthy items; seems to rank them by how many blogs are referring to each item; one click tells you which blogs are citing what

Blogwise - "a collection of blogs by keyword, country and more; simple, fast access to thousands of human-checked blogs worldwide".

Sun sets on THE WESTERN SHOW

2004-10-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

FADE OUT.
The Western Show, alas, is no more.

I went to visit www.thewesternshow.com to get details on this year's show, and instead I see a letter saying: no Show. An excerpt:

"The curtain has come down on The Western Show after a 36-year run. The Show’s sponsor, the California Cable & Telecommunications Association made the decision to close the show due to changing conditions in the marketplace, coupled with economic pressure on cable programmers, suppliers and operators to significantly reduce costs...............

Throughout its history, The Western Show served as the focal point for groundbreaking announcements of new technologies and cable programming services. It was the setting where operators first heard about digital technology, where cable modems, cable telephony, VoIP telephony, cable home networking and DVR over cable were first demonstrated, and where trailblazing programming such as CNN were first introduced and marketed to cable operators.

The last Western Show was really nostalgic for all of us in the industry. Many old timers came and mixed with new kids on the block and many a Western Show story was shared in the various hotel watering holes on those last several nights.............

We will miss The Western Show but want to assure everyone that the California Cable & Telecommunications Association’s tradition of service to the industry will continue......"

This show/expo was a staple of the entertainment and technology industries, a great example of the interface and interactions between these two fields. You could explore the colorful booths of new and established cable channels, then shuffle over to the far end of the Anaheim Convention Center and wonder at the latest advances in cable and TV technologies. See cable stars in one booth, star cables in another.

Got stories and memories about this once-great show? Send a cable to us here.

COMDEX IN COMA; CALLS '05 COMEBACK

2004-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Born in 1979, Comdex lived a long and prosperous life in Las Vegas, and died shortly after 2003.

Or did it?

Thousands of techies will weep with withdrawals when November comes, because Comdex -- the tech world's annual superconfab -- will not be happening in 2004. The people running it plan to retool the tradeshow and return in 2005. Comdex, which used to be Sin City's signature convention, got up to over 220k attendees back in the bubble-boom of '98, but its numbers were crunched the past few years, and totalled a "mere" 51,000 (still sounds huge to me) in 2003.

Comdex's current owner, MediaLive, said it is going to resurrect the show in November next year. What happens in Vegas, returns to Vegas. Or so we hope.

MICROSOFT/XBOX E3 PRESS CONFERENCE

2004-05-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

by Don Rose, TRR Technology Editor

The historic Shrine Auditorium was the setting as Microsoft showed off their 2004 lineup of games -- for XBOX as well as XBOX Live (Microsoft's online gaming service) -- and, as usual for the King of Computing, no expense was spared. A lavish reception before the Main Event was packed with people buzzing about what was to be unveiled, as they sampled shrimp and chicken and drinks galore.

Then, finally, the "show" began. The highlights:

First, a short film (apropos, since the Shrine HAS, after all, been the site of many a movie award gala). But this was no ordinary movie, it was a clever spoof of "The Apprentice" called "THE NOVICE" -- and yes, it actually starred The Donald. Trump sent two teams (from XBOX and Sony's Playstation2) to make the best live multiplayer gaming environment. Naturally (no suspense here), Microsoft triumphed (and for the amount of dough it must have taken to hire Trump, he BETTER have told the PS2 guys "You're All Fired" -- which he did). Why did XBOX Live (TM) win? Because, said the film, they talked to gamers and made sure they were happy, plus added a combination of features no one else has (like broadband capability for every box, voice chat, and much more).

Also announced: Microsoft XNA (TM), which will allow developers to make great games for the PC as well as the XBOX -- hence lowering the costs to develop games for both platforms. ("SOFTWARE" was definitely the recurrent theme and most used buzzword at the press conference -- and why not, that is what made Microsoft the titan it is.) Microsoft plans to take "social communication" to the next level with XNA, announcing that "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes," a Windows�-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), will use voice and notification software tools from Xbox Live in the Windows gaming world. (Yes, these two worlds may indeed be converging!) "Vanguard" will be integrated with MSN� Messenger in mobile devices, cell phones and more, allowing players to be notified if their friends are online and want Johnny to come out and (virtually) play. Perhaps Microsoft wants to slay the powerful AOL Instant Messenger giant by flexing its gaming muscle? Only time will tell.

Getting back to more fun stuff, I enjoyed the announcement of "Xbox Live Arcade (TM)", coming this fall, which seems targeted more to Gen X'ers and Boomers; these will be the "casual games people love to play with their families", and will include puzzle games like "Bejeweled", card games like poker, hearts and bridge, and classic action and arcade faves like Namco's "Dig Dug" and "Galaxian(c)". Kinda like "TV Land" for game fans.

Some of the "gamer games" demo'd for the capacity crowd included HALO 2 (due out November 9 --- the date was even tattooed to a speaker's bicep, "and yes," he said, "this DOES mean 2004")... a game called CRASH, which features expensive sleek suped-up cars crashing into walls, or each other (sounds simplistic, yet this game casts a bizarre spell, especially in slo mo and from multiple angles, so I am sure this will give teenage boys hours of thrills)... then announcements of DOOM 3, FABLE (TM), and perhaps the biggest news: EA Sports games are coming to XBOX Live. (Electronic Arts bestsellers like Madden Football, Tiger Woods Golf and more should arrive this summer). Microsoft brought out a half dozen top athletes to make the point -- including, to my astonishment, the greatest boxer of all time, MUHAMMAD ALI. He never said a word, but Ali's mere presence brought down the house, as he received a roaring standing ovation.

Sounds like Microsoft is not content to just be a part of the games landscape, but is making a major move to be the undisputed heavyweight champion. They just might succeed -- especially in the realm of networked games. After all, as a final slide pointed out, XBOX Live has almost one million subscribers after only a year or so, while it took media giants HBO, AOL and TIVO about 5 years each to achieve the same milestone.

So... with all his success and riches from the PC domain, and XBOX apparently on the way to reshaping the games world, I guess the only question left is: when will Bill Gates get HIS own reality show?