News came out today that NBC would potentially pull its shows from the iTunes store at the end of the year. Citing concerns over pricing and piracy, (and no doubt their own endeavor with News Corp. coming soon at hulu.com) they said that talks had broken down for the most part. This is most certainly connected to Universal’s decision not to offer DRM free music content on iTunes as well as operate on iTunes on a month-to-month basis versus the contract that they have had for years now. Universal produces many of the shows on NBC and (as I have heard anecdotally) has a 20% stake in the network.
You see, they don’t want Apple to have the same kind of foothold on television and movie sales that they enjoy with music. Apple and we consumers are to be penalized for Apple’s innovation and ability to ease the process of purchasing and consuming digital content. NBC’s colossal stupidity boggles my mind.
Piracy? Come on! To my knowledge, no one has cracked the DRM on iTunes videos as can be done with music purchased on the store. Nevermind the fact DVD’s sold in stores can easily have their copy protection circumvented. Since the news came out, Apple has commented saying that NBC wanted to effectively double the price to $5. Their greed seems to know no bounds.
If other studios and content providers are smart, they will stick with the current arrangement. I don’t think they will be too eager to experience the swell of anger that has been sent NBC’s way.
This past week, rich guy Mark Cuban (currently owner of the Dallas Mavericks and founder of HDNet) said that the intarwebs are “dead and boring”. Basically, he says that the internet in its current form has reached a point of diminishing returns. Broadband speeds won’t increase much over the next few years—there just won’t be enough resources for everything that people want.
He’s right about at least one thing. As consumers, our voracious appetite for media will likely choke the infrastructure of the web as it is now, if something isn’t done about it. When we’re online, we’re playing games, running blogs, uploading and downloading video, and even talking to and seeing each other. As these activities become even more and more mainstream, things could get tricky. In addition, consumers are increasingly savvy to HD content and will require it.
To combat this issue, the infrastructure will need an overhaul and/or new technologies developed that will bring the kinds of content that people want with a less stressing impact on the “tubes”. We rely on the internet so much and many don’t realize that we are one failure away from disaster.
Now, the thing about which I disagree. The internet is a lot of things, but not boring…or even dead. Cuban probably thinks of himself as something of a prophet on this matter. Admittedly, he’s lucky and probably smart too. He made his fortune on this “boring and dead” internet and now he’s jaded. We also shouldn’t expect any less from someone with toys like a high-definition television network to be ’so completely over’ our decrepit internet.
That said, we do need to figure out how to strengthen what is arguably the backbone of our economy. Today’s kids may not remember or have ever known an existence without the internet, but hopefully they are smart enough to know that it gives them the ability to do things that no average person has been able to do on their own so economically. It has been and still is a game-changer.
This week GooTube realeased a new “feature” on some of the videos posted on the site that have riled some people. This “feature” is a new ad system that runs a small promo on the lower third of the screen. When you click on the ad, another video for that ad will play while the video you were watching pauses. Once the ad is done or you close out of it, your video will resume. YouTube invited users to comment on their blog and let them know what they thought—and boy did they! Most comments were negative…and that’s putting it nicely.
Most threatened to leave the service and find some other place to host their videos of binge drinking. About five of the hundreds of comments thought they weren’t “too bad”. In fact, some of the ill will might have been a bit hasty.
First off let me say that I attempted to find these ads on about a dozen different videos and had no luck. Videos that other articles reporting the news, claimed had them. Maybe I’m not “ad-worthy”. As it turns out, the program seems to be a voluntary one or part of an agreement. That’s right, your video of a human slingshot is safe from the capitalistic onslaught of “the man”. No longer should you fear the possible destruction of an art form. If my experience is any indication, you might find it somewhat challenging to actually view one. From what I can tell, we should actually be used to such things since just about every network runs similar promos at the bottom of the screen on TV.
To some degree, the YouTube community had some right to be a little upset. Had the outcry not been so loud, things could very well be different. Never mind the fact that they didn’t have all the information, which is usually the case when people explode. Yes, I have no doubt that some day in the near future you might see that ad on “Chocolate Rain”.
On the other hand, should everything be free? We have come to expect many things to be free just because it’s online. Whether it be services or software, there is a notion that it should be given away and we’re surprised when it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel too sorry for YouTube. They’ve got Google’s money behind them now. That doesn’t mean though that they shouldn’t be able to maximize potential profits—especially when it doesn’t cost us anything. However, I definitely think people should have a choice to have or not have the ads.
In addition, it might not be a bad idea for the average user should YouTube have plans to open up the service. There is a precendent with at least one other video service to share revenues with the user based on click-throughs. If you have a popular video, it could mean a little extra pocket change.
The deal is this, companies are there to make money. People work to make money. We shouldn’t always expect a free ride. Someone is paying for it with their money or time or both. There is a balance to be struck somewhere and even though it might be painful, we’ll hopefully find it. Now, I hear there’s a hilarious Chad Vader remix of “Chocolate Rain”. Gotta go.
Ok, so this isn’t exactly breaking news. In the last couple of weeks it has come to light that the site I mentioned in my previous post about the “1-18-08″ film, www.ethanhaaswasright.com , has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. I can’t seem to find the source of that info but it was bad information that was pretty widespread. That site was in fact part of a marketing campaign for a new game called Alpha & Omega. Who knew.
The internet is a funny thing. It amazes me how quickly word spreads on a particular subject and what can happen when it’s wrong. This whole thing is really of little consequence but it does show how things could get out of hand with a more serious matter.
For now, we wait. Still wondering what “Cloverfield” or “1-18-08″ or whatever it is, is all about. I’ll leave you with this cool movie poster that was unveiled recently at this year’s Comic-Con. The plot thickens.
I read a lot—most of it online. I’m a bit of a news junkie although I constantly wonder why I subject myself to the crap that is most news sites (you know who you are). The vast majority of my online reading is tech related with a heavy dose of Mac press of course. Rounding out the list are various blogs of people that are into what I’m into. One such blog that I read this past weekend got the wheels to turning in my noggin.
You see part of the challenge that many, if not all, of us face is where we are going. If you are one that gets to do what they were trained in college to do, consider yourself blessed. Luckier still is the one that is working at that thing and enjoying it. I’m pleased to say that I find myself in that somewhat exclusive club. Be ye not fooled however, I like everyone have my peaks and valleys.
One thing I wonder is, “Is this it?” “Have I reached the pinnacle of my career?” I’d like to think that I’m not alone in that question. It’s also my belief that it’s not wrong to shoot for something more. I’m most prolific as a book designer, but there are lots of other things that I like to do. Your level of satisfaction is up to you. As I have said before, I try to learn new things to expand my marketability. Achieving focus can be the tricky part. What’s the goal…the destination? We all want to be successful and that can take different forms.
Let us get down to the “Nitty Gritty”. That is, first and foremost, handle your business. Make sure your priorities are in order. If that’s done, take a chance on walking down a new path . We’ll all probably find out one day that the journey, not the destination, was the most exciting part.
JM • posted 1:08 am
So, here it is. The first in what will be a periodic feature that showcases some past and present projects that I have worked on. First off is a logo for Pro Custom Cabinetry. It was an existing business that had been purchased by a friend’s parents and they wanted a new look.The two graphics below are thumbnail images of the first two ideas for the logo. (Clicking on the images will show a larger version.) The first plays on the guide marks that might be made when woodworking and the second illustrates some traditional tools. They each have their own strengths but didn’t push the design far enough.
This next image is the design that was ultimately picked and is, I think, the strongest. Using the same typefaces from the second logo variation, I gave the design a more contemporary feel by playing off portions of the “P” and “R”. The result is a design that cleverly uses the letter forms to create the appearance of opening cabinet doors.
This was an excellent example of taking some perfectly good ideas and really polishing them until the right solution to the problem was reached. I hope you enjoy this peek into my portfolio and I look forward to bringing you the next installment of The Showcase.
