These stories all reflect my belief that organizations that provide any sort of artistic or journalistic services should be run by actual artists and journalists- not greedy assholes who view them only as a source of short term profits.
Re: the WaPo... This is the first of the casualties in the "narrative" journalism game. There are too many cause/effects to enumerate here, but suffice to say that no one (except a college grad with an agenda) sees a future in working for one of the dinosaurs. Want to bet your life on CNN being around in five years?
The fatal error in linking a business to progressivism is that, at its heart, progressives are nihilists; their childish narcissism is built around destroying the status quo and rebuilding society in their mirror-image. Unfortunately, that future never seems to arrive; people are getting bored waiting.
Re: Apple...great software/hardware integration has now become a pile of cute gimmicks designed for the TikToc generation. Ever tried actually FINDING great music on Apple Music? Why are basic software kludges never fixed? Why so many security fixes? Will they ever fix Keychain?
Weird mashup you got there. Narcissistic progressives and the corporation with the highest financial reserve on earth? Trying to figure out what the linkage is.
I do not know any progressives who want to see themselves on the world currency 20 dollar crypto. Nobody I know seems to think the world should look/act/feel like them. That idea, weird as it reads, seems to emanate mostly from the strictly conservative side of the culture. That is their point – their way or the highway. But that train been here and gone, and the ebikes and scooters are here to stay.
Interesting that you mention e-bikes. Are you aware of the e-bike rental business in NYC that was annihilated in a fiery blaze when their products caught fire? Similar to the growing number of EVs that have spontaneously burst into flame, which firefighters could not extinguish and let burn themselves out. Could be an issue should that happen in a parking garage, you think?
I have a gigantic Expedition- not eco friendly (but I need it). It had the same recall for catching fire. The supply/ demand chain was still an issue and am waiting for a fix. They asked us to not park in garages. It’s all the same.
If your Expedition managed to catch fire it could be extinguished with a fire hose. When an EV catches fire it burns so hot that it's almost impossible to douse the fire. Firefighters have been unsuccessful in many instances; I've not read that there's ever been one put out by a fire truck as yet. The batteries are made with lithium, the same material that's used for flares in military operations. It burns at extremely high temperatures. You shouldn't worry about your Expedition being eco friendly, EVs, despite the green mob's claims, likely cause much more damage to the environment. The following is copied from Wikipedia's article on lithium:
Over the years opinions have been differing about potential growth. A 2008 study concluded that "realistically achievable lithium carbonate production would be sufficient for only a small fraction of future PHEV and EV global market requirements", that "demand from the portable electronics sector will absorb much of the planned production increases in the next decade", and that "mass production of lithium carbonate is not environmentally sound, it will cause irreparable ecological damage to ecosystems that should be protected and that LiIon propulsion is incompatible with the notion of the 'Green Car'".
So don't apologize for having a SUV that's larger than a Chevy Suburban. Just be happy that you could purchase a vehicle that's capable of providing for your needs. That's why I have my 911E; I need to sit low, row through the gears, and have fun on weekends when I drive it.
Yes, that era was very short because it didn't work well and wasn't practical.
Unfortunately EVs are being touted as the solution to all that ails the world, and our insane "leaders" have, in line Marxist principles, are trying (by fiat of the imperial presidency) to force their insane Green New Scam upon us. Along the way they're requiring we do away with a large percentage of what makes our lives comfortable and good. See their war against gas stoves and ceiling fans for insight.
Regarding EVs: Physics cannot be changed, whether EV advocates believe that, or not.
Possibly, yes, tho I've not delved into individual cases (apparently there are some) to find out the flame intensity from a single battery (I assume it's pretty hot), nor studied what else was available to burn in each case. It's one thing to burn a battery and another entirely to spread the flame around.
All to say, when I get around to needing an ebike I'll definitely want to store it in a cool space like our apartment garage (that conveniently has a 120 outlet to charge from), and try to isolate the thing from other flammables. There are 2 new ebikes in there now, and I'm keeping an eye on them every time I go in.
I actually cancelled my wapo subscription to subscribe to Ted Gioia and other Substacks i miss nearly nothing and my media diet is way better, more informed and less reactive getting off of the ad based media roller coaster.
Nobody trusts "journalists" anymore. They have repeatedly proven that they will put money and personal bias above objectivity. They have dug their own collective grave and the nation is poorer as a result. I get much more believable reporting from my Substack sources.
I know some journalists (or maybe you prefer 'reporters'). They are among the hardest working, most scrupulously honest people I know. Sorry to disabuse you of your notion. Maybe you have some other data you can use to counter. Feel free.
I was once a subscriber to The Post after dumping The Times due to their lousy editorial policies and both-sides treatment of issues. Then I dumped The Post for the very same reason. The Guardian seems a bit more reasonable these days.
I increasingly rely on British sources (such as the BBC, The Guardian, TLS, etc.) to keep tabs on what's happening in the US. What a strange world we live in.
Hi Ted. Thanks for the insights. What’s your take on the shedding of staff at Bandcamp, what this means for Bandcamp and indie artists as well? I’m curious if a new forum will open that will be more friendly to independent musicians as Bandcamp used to be. P.S.S. Thanks for the recommendation of the Turchin book. I read War, Peace and War.
I like Bandcamp's business model. But the ongoing conflicts and instability are disturbing—especially with two ownership changes during the course of just a few months. I hope they get their act together. In the meantime, I would like to see other music companies imitate the best parts of the Bandcamp business model (especially its pro-musician stance).
On social media against writers: free speech does not protect algorithmic manipulation. How is it that no legal framework has been devised to prohibit theft of intellectual property, promotion of violence, and monopolistic abuse of power in the algorithmic space? Laws could mitigate these social ills by setting standards and defining actionable fraud, willful deceit, and anti-competitive practices. Civil and criminal penalties seem possible. It is at least worth debating, I think.
Maybe, but the law confronts many impossible situations when society requires it. Likely it will take many iterations, and will never be perfect - like everything else - but the current anarchy is untenable, I think.
I used to read WaPo articles but gave up for 3 reasons:
1. Their paywall
2. Their heavy handed moderation in their comment sections
3. Their hard left political orientation
I think paywalls are short-sighted for news sources. You want your articles to be open and shared by as many as possible because the vast majority of people are just not going to pay for content. Bringing eyeballs to your work gives you the chance to at least make a extra few pennies on people viewing ads in addition to whatever subscription $$ you can gather. Blocking eyeballs closes off this additional revenue source..
Additionally, for most news sources, what they write is not unique. Most just reformat AP/Reuters/UPI articles, like my small, physically free (but always begging for subscriptions) local newspaper yet they still put up a paywall to block accessing more than 2 paragraphs of online content. Huh? This makes no logical or financial sense. I share pointers to articles regularly with other people but can't/won't do it if the website invokes a paywall. It's also relatively easy to find unpaywalled access to articles from the major news brokers.
Content producers should price their subscriptions using the usual 80/20 rule. Charge enough so that the 20% willing/able to pay for content support the free access of the other 80% with the idea that the other 80% will still help promote your content and perhaps allow you to scalp some additional paying customers over time.
The thing is, no business owned by Jeff Bezos is going to recognize or believe that those who do work to have skills create value. No management team at the Post can pursue a model that is not scalable. Subscriptions are reliant on quality writers, researchers, editors, and analysts. Bezos will never empower creators, or. . . humans.
"And they are actually getting more tyrannical. Twitter now won’t even show headlines for news articles."
In Canada, it is no longer possible to include news links in posts or comments - the cooperative radio station where I do my weekly jazz show (since 1986) has been deemed a news source so I can't link to my show anymore. The war is escalating ...
The saying used to be that California led the US in policy/culture. I'm afraid that Canada's current course may be more indicative now. Good luck up there.
" But with each passing month, books, vinyl, and disks look like safer, more robust options."
I haven't had any interest in music streaming services, but I'm pretty happy with e-books and lossless music files. I don't see the need to hang on to my CD collection any longer and so I'll be donating them to my local library. I like being able to carry my book/music libraries with me in my 2 TB laptop.
These stories all reflect my belief that organizations that provide any sort of artistic or journalistic services should be run by actual artists and journalists- not greedy assholes who view them only as a source of short term profits.
Dunno...I've known some seriously unhinged artists, not to mention some blatantly phony individuals who pretended to be journalists...
Mixed bag, humanity...
YES!
Re: the WaPo... This is the first of the casualties in the "narrative" journalism game. There are too many cause/effects to enumerate here, but suffice to say that no one (except a college grad with an agenda) sees a future in working for one of the dinosaurs. Want to bet your life on CNN being around in five years?
The fatal error in linking a business to progressivism is that, at its heart, progressives are nihilists; their childish narcissism is built around destroying the status quo and rebuilding society in their mirror-image. Unfortunately, that future never seems to arrive; people are getting bored waiting.
Re: Apple...great software/hardware integration has now become a pile of cute gimmicks designed for the TikToc generation. Ever tried actually FINDING great music on Apple Music? Why are basic software kludges never fixed? Why so many security fixes? Will they ever fix Keychain?
Weird mashup you got there. Narcissistic progressives and the corporation with the highest financial reserve on earth? Trying to figure out what the linkage is.
I do not know any progressives who want to see themselves on the world currency 20 dollar crypto. Nobody I know seems to think the world should look/act/feel like them. That idea, weird as it reads, seems to emanate mostly from the strictly conservative side of the culture. That is their point – their way or the highway. But that train been here and gone, and the ebikes and scooters are here to stay.
Interesting that you mention e-bikes. Are you aware of the e-bike rental business in NYC that was annihilated in a fiery blaze when their products caught fire? Similar to the growing number of EVs that have spontaneously burst into flame, which firefighters could not extinguish and let burn themselves out. Could be an issue should that happen in a parking garage, you think?
I have a gigantic Expedition- not eco friendly (but I need it). It had the same recall for catching fire. The supply/ demand chain was still an issue and am waiting for a fix. They asked us to not park in garages. It’s all the same.
If your Expedition managed to catch fire it could be extinguished with a fire hose. When an EV catches fire it burns so hot that it's almost impossible to douse the fire. Firefighters have been unsuccessful in many instances; I've not read that there's ever been one put out by a fire truck as yet. The batteries are made with lithium, the same material that's used for flares in military operations. It burns at extremely high temperatures. You shouldn't worry about your Expedition being eco friendly, EVs, despite the green mob's claims, likely cause much more damage to the environment. The following is copied from Wikipedia's article on lithium:
Over the years opinions have been differing about potential growth. A 2008 study concluded that "realistically achievable lithium carbonate production would be sufficient for only a small fraction of future PHEV and EV global market requirements", that "demand from the portable electronics sector will absorb much of the planned production increases in the next decade", and that "mass production of lithium carbonate is not environmentally sound, it will cause irreparable ecological damage to ecosystems that should be protected and that LiIon propulsion is incompatible with the notion of the 'Green Car'".
So don't apologize for having a SUV that's larger than a Chevy Suburban. Just be happy that you could purchase a vehicle that's capable of providing for your needs. That's why I have my 911E; I need to sit low, row through the gears, and have fun on weekends when I drive it.
The big fear when steam heat was first developed was that it would cause fires. Somehow, mankind survived the steam heat era.
Yes, that era was very short because it didn't work well and wasn't practical.
Unfortunately EVs are being touted as the solution to all that ails the world, and our insane "leaders" have, in line Marxist principles, are trying (by fiat of the imperial presidency) to force their insane Green New Scam upon us. Along the way they're requiring we do away with a large percentage of what makes our lives comfortable and good. See their war against gas stoves and ceiling fans for insight.
Regarding EVs: Physics cannot be changed, whether EV advocates believe that, or not.
Possibly, yes, tho I've not delved into individual cases (apparently there are some) to find out the flame intensity from a single battery (I assume it's pretty hot), nor studied what else was available to burn in each case. It's one thing to burn a battery and another entirely to spread the flame around.
All to say, when I get around to needing an ebike I'll definitely want to store it in a cool space like our apartment garage (that conveniently has a 120 outlet to charge from), and try to isolate the thing from other flammables. There are 2 new ebikes in there now, and I'm keeping an eye on them every time I go in.
I actually cancelled my wapo subscription to subscribe to Ted Gioia and other Substacks i miss nearly nothing and my media diet is way better, more informed and less reactive getting off of the ad based media roller coaster.
Nobody trusts "journalists" anymore. They have repeatedly proven that they will put money and personal bias above objectivity. They have dug their own collective grave and the nation is poorer as a result. I get much more believable reporting from my Substack sources.
I know some journalists (or maybe you prefer 'reporters'). They are among the hardest working, most scrupulously honest people I know. Sorry to disabuse you of your notion. Maybe you have some other data you can use to counter. Feel free.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/403166/americans-trust-media-remains-near-record-low.aspx
https://fortune.com/2023/02/15/trust-in-media-low-misinform-mislead-biased-republicans-democrats-poll-gallup/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/media-distrust-big-news-1.5965622 "How U.S. media lost the trust of the public'
https://www.pulitzer.org/article/why-do-so-many-americans-distrust-media
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/more-people-are-avoiding-news-trusting-it-less-report-says-2022-06-14/
There are many many more. The honest journalists have been evicted from their mainstream news positions. Many of them are on Substack
I was once a subscriber to The Post after dumping The Times due to their lousy editorial policies and both-sides treatment of issues. Then I dumped The Post for the very same reason. The Guardian seems a bit more reasonable these days.
I increasingly rely on British sources (such as the BBC, The Guardian, TLS, etc.) to keep tabs on what's happening in the US. What a strange world we live in.
I also have a strong no Taylor Lorenz policy. I don't trust the reliability of any organization that employs her.
Why?
Hi Ted. Thanks for the insights. What’s your take on the shedding of staff at Bandcamp, what this means for Bandcamp and indie artists as well? I’m curious if a new forum will open that will be more friendly to independent musicians as Bandcamp used to be. P.S.S. Thanks for the recommendation of the Turchin book. I read War, Peace and War.
I like Bandcamp's business model. But the ongoing conflicts and instability are disturbing—especially with two ownership changes during the course of just a few months. I hope they get their act together. In the meantime, I would like to see other music companies imitate the best parts of the Bandcamp business model (especially its pro-musician stance).
A lot of it was chucking unionized staff.
On social media against writers: free speech does not protect algorithmic manipulation. How is it that no legal framework has been devised to prohibit theft of intellectual property, promotion of violence, and monopolistic abuse of power in the algorithmic space? Laws could mitigate these social ills by setting standards and defining actionable fraud, willful deceit, and anti-competitive practices. Civil and criminal penalties seem possible. It is at least worth debating, I think.
Because it is near impossible to do technically.
Maybe, but the law confronts many impossible situations when society requires it. Likely it will take many iterations, and will never be perfect - like everything else - but the current anarchy is untenable, I think.
I used to read WaPo articles but gave up for 3 reasons:
1. Their paywall
2. Their heavy handed moderation in their comment sections
3. Their hard left political orientation
I think paywalls are short-sighted for news sources. You want your articles to be open and shared by as many as possible because the vast majority of people are just not going to pay for content. Bringing eyeballs to your work gives you the chance to at least make a extra few pennies on people viewing ads in addition to whatever subscription $$ you can gather. Blocking eyeballs closes off this additional revenue source..
Additionally, for most news sources, what they write is not unique. Most just reformat AP/Reuters/UPI articles, like my small, physically free (but always begging for subscriptions) local newspaper yet they still put up a paywall to block accessing more than 2 paragraphs of online content. Huh? This makes no logical or financial sense. I share pointers to articles regularly with other people but can't/won't do it if the website invokes a paywall. It's also relatively easy to find unpaywalled access to articles from the major news brokers.
Content producers should price their subscriptions using the usual 80/20 rule. Charge enough so that the 20% willing/able to pay for content support the free access of the other 80% with the idea that the other 80% will still help promote your content and perhaps allow you to scalp some additional paying customers over time.
Ted! With yr great prediction skills, help me bet on the horses!
The thing is, no business owned by Jeff Bezos is going to recognize or believe that those who do work to have skills create value. No management team at the Post can pursue a model that is not scalable. Subscriptions are reliant on quality writers, researchers, editors, and analysts. Bezos will never empower creators, or. . . humans.
Wow. So you’re in a pretty weird space to be you.
Basically, we are beaching ourselves.
Everyone’s hot takes are headline news and journalism. Sprinkle in some bots? Enjoy!
Have to say that the idea of Sweden having a criminal underworld brought me up short.
No kidding! Apparently, though, it's a thing -- there's even a Wikipedia entry on "Bombings in Sweden": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombings_in_Sweden
I had no idea that Facebook had significantly diminished its links to news sites. But then again, I wouldn’t look there for news.
Really curious to know: what, if any, of your predictions have been wrong? (And sometimes predictions that seem wrong turn out right in the long run.)
"And they are actually getting more tyrannical. Twitter now won’t even show headlines for news articles."
In Canada, it is no longer possible to include news links in posts or comments - the cooperative radio station where I do my weekly jazz show (since 1986) has been deemed a news source so I can't link to my show anymore. The war is escalating ...
The saying used to be that California led the US in policy/culture. I'm afraid that Canada's current course may be more indicative now. Good luck up there.
" But with each passing month, books, vinyl, and disks look like safer, more robust options."
I haven't had any interest in music streaming services, but I'm pretty happy with e-books and lossless music files. I don't see the need to hang on to my CD collection any longer and so I'll be donating them to my local library. I like being able to carry my book/music libraries with me in my 2 TB laptop.
That's what I did with my CD's as well. Ripped them, then donated them.
But I believe that keeping a copy of a CD w/o the actual physical CD to back it up is technically illegal.
I don't believe that used CD sellers pay money to whomever collects royalties for artists, do they?
I don't know. The library didn't warn me and I'm not a lawyer
[lol] Ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse.