100 Posts!

well damn, I lost all track of time.

Music Industry Now Calls Radio “Piracy”

Wow, you’d think these guys — after having a big chunk of their empire stolen by a legion of teens and slumming corporate workers snagging some tunes on their lunch break — would try to make some friends. But now representatives of the recording industry have pointed their fingers at radio as a form of piracy. Only took them how long to do it: what, over seventy-five years?

Numbnuts.

Is This The End Of Internet Video Sub-Culture?

The Spartaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! video meme

Some of the most treasured activities and applications of the Internet sub-culture are going “legit” – with major companies and movie studios taking notice, and a piece or all of the action.

Take the case of Hulu, NBC/Universal’s streaming video venture. Not only is it like YouTube – it’s like those awesome clips and clip collections you find on YouTube! You know the ones: for Family Guy, The Office, Arrested Development, etc. The infamous “where’s my money” sketch from Family Guy — in which Stewie shoots out both of debtor Brian’s kneecaps and sets him on fire – was made famous by the unofficial clip on YouTube, made by a fan. Hulu offers the same types of clips, as well as embed features – all authorized by NBC/Universal.

“I remember the good old days when we had nothing but silly putty and old Dilbert comic strips.”

Then look at PopTok, an IM application that works in conjunction with AIM or MSN Messenger, allows you to take little movie snippets and “splice” them into your online conversation. Now, anybody familiar with forum culture knows that people have been creating little gifs and clips of their favorite movies and using them to express themselves. The only catch with PopTok? Their clips are all licensed by the movie studios.

Finally, there’s the “Pork and Beans” video by Weezer, which showcases a whole slew of Internet memes. Yes, Weezer is an alternative band, and yes, the video features a narrative in which the working-class heroes/”freaks” of the YouTube celebrity world are finally given their due respect. But, in the end, “Pork and Beans” – and the music studio – have co-opted those memes, those “underground” performers. It’s Tay Zonday gone mainstream.

Etch A Sketch Portrait Of Tay Zonday

Should we be in mourning for the end of the “wild west” of fan clips and video memes? Or are the reports of their imminent demise just a bit too premature?

Do we feel guilty using Hulu? Is it too much like using “The Man’s” streaming video service? Is there a quaintness about viewing the same video clip in YouTube, with the little symbol from the cable channel the clip was recorded off of in the corner like an Izod alligator on a pocket?

What is more mood-specific: a smiley or Patrick Bateman explaining Huey Lewis?

Is using PopTok just too simple? Now that we have the cool American Psycho clip, in flawless video, to drop into the online chat – is it like Christmas happened already? Is the thrill of the hunt over? Do we miss the process of ripping the film off the DVD or unlicensed YouTube clip, then figuring out how to turn it into a small playable box? Or do we use the IM app guilt-free and bask in the sheer joy that is Patrick Bateman making an everyday phrase sound sinister?

Further – does the techie with the skills to create bit torrents and professional-quality DVD rips use those skills to go “legit” themselves?

Dramatic Chipmunk died for your sins

I’m talking about where the underground and the mainstream meet on the face of the online world. Is it an uncomfortable border to be straddling? Or can we let ourselves enjoy both?

Hypocritical Celebs Rather Buy A Handbag Than Feed People

Look, don’t get me wrong — I have no problem with a $200, $300 handbag. But $42,000? I don’t care how much charity work you do, there is no justification for spending that type of money on a trendy piece of leather that you might not even wear next year.

The site Bagbunch compares the money on handbags spent by these celebs — many of them proud charity sponsors — with how much it would cost to feed various peoples in need around the world.

For example, the $42,000 limited-edition patchwork monstrosity Beyonce was sporting in a paparazzi photo could have went to feed, educate, clothe, and provide healthcare to 168 Indian street children for a whole year. Plus — that’s one ugly f**king bag!