progressive politics and regressive entertainment. like peanut and butter.
February 1, 2012 1 Comment
Via Rolling Stone, here’s the video OK Go will premiere on Sesame Street tomorrow. It’s called “3 Primary Colors” and I wish it had been around when I was a kid, because that’s one of those key facts that somehow escaped my knowledge until I grew older.
February 1, 2012 1 Comment
Having gone through a painful divorce and apparently suffering from poor health, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius has committed suicide at the age of 75. Dan Charnas has a blog posting at NPR about how Cornelius inspired other black artists, including James Brown, by creating and owning his own show. The Los Angeles Times has an article including pictures, about how Cornelius helped make it known that black is beautiful.
Here’s Don groovin’ down that famous Soul Train line.
February 1, 2012 2 Comments
Last week I called Phil Simon’s advice simplistic, when he called on those who disagree with Google’s privacy policies to simply walk away. I appreciate that he took the time to reply to me in his comments. Simon responded that:
Perhaps it was naive, but it’s not the first company to amend its stance. Twelve years ago, Amazon said that it wasn’t interested in becoming a publisher. Now, that’s exactly what’s it doing, much to the chagrin of the publishing industry. I don’t see how marketing to me more accurately is evil. Google needs to make money. If that’s simplisticÂ, then so be it.
February 1, 2012 5 Comments
I strongly believe in a limited copyright law which ensure that authors can control their works and reap some profits for a decade or two. I’m wary when it stretches longer than that, because the nature of art involves appropriation and reshaping of shared images and stories. Homer, Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare…the western canon is built around authors retelling tales.
Piracy differs in that it’s the replication of a work, but Neil Gaiman approaches the issue from a practical point of view. He does not advocate giving up copyright, but he does speak eloquently about the advantages of having a free flow of art on the internet.
