Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Are publishers waking up from their dream about apps?

When Apple’s iPad arrived on the scene in 2010, many magazine and newspaper publishers saw it as a gift from the gods: a chance to turn back the clock and convince consumers to pay for their content in a new form. But for many, that dream has given way to the cruel reality that apps are at best a stop-gap measure, not a dramatic new business model. As MIT Technology Review editor and publisher Jason Pontin points out — in a post about why his magazine has decided to kill its app — the benefits don’t outweigh the negatives for both readers and publishers. It’s a lesson that some other content producers might want to consider.
The iPad — and the content economy that Apple created along with it, thanks to iTunes and more recent additions like the Newsstand — was alluring for many publishers because they believed it could overcome what they saw as the “original sin” of not charging for their digital content in the first place. It seemed like the perfect solution: a device that would replicate the magazine or newspaper experience in digital form, with Apple handling all of the annoying back-end details around payment. As Pontin describes it:

"Publishers believed that because they were once again delivering a unique, discrete product, analogous to a newspaper or magazine, they could charge readers for single-copy sales and even subscriptions, re-educating audiences that publications were goods for which they must pay."

Netherlands first country in Europe with net neutrality

On 8 May 2012 The Netherlands adopted crucial legislation to safeguard an open and secure internet in The Netherlands. It is the first country in Europe to implement net neutrality in the law. In addition, it adopted provisions protecting users against disconnection and wiretapping by providers. Digital rights movement Bits of Freedom calls upon other countries to follow the Dutch example.
The net neutrality law prohibits internet providers from interfering with the traffic of their users. The law allows for traffic management in case of congestion and for network security, as long as these measures serve the interests of the internet user. A technical error in the law might still be corrected in a vote on 15 May.
In addition, the law includes an anti-wiretapping provision, restricting internetproviders from using invasive wiretapping technologies, such as deep packet inspection (DPI). They may only do so under limited circumstances, or with explicit consent of the user, which the user may withdraw at any time. The use of DPI gained much attention when KPN admitted that it analysed the traffic of its users to gather information on the use of certain apps. The law allows for wiretapping with a warrant.
Moreover, the law includes a provision ensuring that internet providers can only disconnect their users in a very limited set of circumstances. Internet access is very important for functioning in an information society, and providers currently could on the basis of their terms and conditions disconnect their users for numerous reasons. The provision allows for the disconnection in the case of fraud or when a user doesn’t pay his bills.
Bits of Freedom, the Dutch digital rights movement which campaigned for these provisions, applauds the new law. It considers this a historical moment for internet freedom in The Netherlands and calls on other countries to follow the Dutch example.
The provisions are part of the implementation of the European telecommunications rules. A translation of the provisions can be found here, but it does not include the technical error in the law which might be corrected on the 15th.
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Dronestock - Northcote Uniting Church - 2 Jun 2012

DRONESTOCK!
The 2012 incarnation will match its predecessor on all fronts. This time around taking place within the acoustically savvy Northcote Uniting Church.
Featuring:
Grey Skies Blue / is an experimental documentary about protest, power and the possibility of change. Utilising interviews and imagery from the S11/Melbourne World Economic Forum demonstrations of 2000, Grey Skies Blue documents the experiences of a community gathered at a political demonstration. Featuring an original soundtrack performed live by Seth Rees (Amplifier Machine, The Spheres) and Guy Harris (The Spheres, Winternationale) the three screen documentary is an evocative encapsulation of a shared emotional experience - the crystallisation of a time, place and community of people who believed if but for a fleeting moment that “another world is possible”.
Em Vécue Aquieu / is the solo project from guitarist Sam Filmer. Creating ambient, spiritual sound, Sam builds an articulate spacial environment.
Experiencing his rare live shows, his sounds rise up with texture to gently fill the negative space between a nearby coffee grinder and a murmur from the back row. Chordal sound design together with heavily effected guitar, Em Vécue Aquieu explores experimentalism in classical structures without lending too often to silence. A persistent, lulling effect is translated, completely submersing everything in close proximity. This show also marks the official launch for his debut release "Lightlike".
Ollie Olsen / has amassed an incredible body of work in a variety of forms and projects: a chameleon-like artist delving into early punk/post-punk, industrial, with The Young Charlatans, Whirlywirld and NO, through to his electronic music, sound design, compositions for film and television and too many others to name.
Seaworthy / are a three piece collective that revolves around core member Cameron Webb as well as Sam Shinazzi and Greg Bird, exploring melodic and experimental approaches to the construction (and unravelling) of minimalist sound scapes from looped guitar, warm drones, piano, electronics and field recordings. The compositions often blur the lines of conventional categorisation with elements traditionally considered part of “indie” or “post” rock blended with processed musical and field recordings. Instruments and samples are looped through amps and effects pedals, giving the sound an organic feel concentrating on subtle shifts in melody, tone and texture to convey a sense of time and place.
Zac Keiller / seeks to discover new and unique sonic textures from one of the most overused and unimaginatively approached instruments in Western music: The guitar. The majority of his previous releases saw him working with ambient textures or electroacoustic improvisation. Whilst more recent efforts have seen him limiting the use of pedals, attempting to find a kind of transcendence through stark purity of tone, using the entire guitar, attempting to make it breathe with no smoothing out of the rough edges or slick over processing. The compositions vary and grow to tell stories and create mood, with an atmosphere in parts epic wall of sound, while at others minimal and sublime.
Monolith kick off the evening with their own brand of industrial space drone. Monolith conjur a unique atmosphere that is at both times, expansive yet contained. Taking inspiration from John Carpenter, Minit, Grey Wolves, Tangerine Dream, and Eliane Radigue to name a few, yet still managing to exist in a terrain of their own.
Saturday June 2nd.
This is an EARLY start show with doors opening and music beginning at 6PM.
$10.00. Northcote Uniting Church. 251 High St. Northcote.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/383156518393357/
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STOP!!!

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(For Spaceboy XXX)

What Cameron Texted Brooks In The Middle Of The Phone Hacking Scandal

Jon Snow slamdunk!!!

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(Thanx Stan!)

Four Tet - Jupiters (2012)

HA!

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Bomber in Plot on U.S. Airliner Said to Be a Double Agent

Kick racism out...and where it hurts

Eight game bans are one way of dealing with racial abuse. Didier Zokora found another way on Sunday.
The former Spurs midfielder, now playing for Trabzonspor, was still seething about being insulted by ex-Newcastle star Emre earlier this season.
Emre got a two game ban but when his Fenerbahce side came up against Trabzonspor at the weekend, Zokora attempted to exact further retribution with an x-rated tackle that hit Emre where it hurts.
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