Deals in the Amazon MP3 Store

DRM perplexes me. It attempts to prevent users from illegally sharing music; however, it just punishes the people who are legally downloading music. The downsides of DRM are well documented:

1. When something better than an iPod comes along, I might not be able to play my songs on it. Sony never made you play Sony Albums on a Sony Record Player.
   
2. What happens if iTunes shuts down its FairPlay servers? I could loose my music that I paid for. Universal decides to are only making movies; demand listeners give back their records.
   
3. Maintaining, implementing, supporting DRM costs money. Someone has to pay for it; the honest user using iTunes Store ends up paying for it, not the college kid downloading music on a torrent.
4. Keeping an honest user honest doesn't do much. Imagine security guards only checking the bags of the people they know aren't shop lifters.
   

Wired has a humorous write up of DRM applied to handbags.

This is why I download music from Amazon's MP3 store. All songs are DRM free. The songs cost less - most songs are 89 cents - and every Friday they have five $5 dollar albums.

Say no to iTunes, say yes to Amazon MP3. Deals deals deals. I love deals.

I'll Still Watch Next Year

This year there was no collapse, no black cat, no Billy Goat, there's just the Cubs. I know I watched play the Cubs play Dodgers this October, but it was not the 97 win best record in the national league Cubs, rather the Cubs - a Cubs team where a gold glove first baseman makes an error that leads to a 5 run second inning; a Cubs team who stranded 9 runners in a 3 - 1 loss; a Cubs team who's game one pitcher walks 7 batters. Now count it, 9 post season losses in a row.

During the regular season, the Cubs thought they could win every game - no matter the score - you could see it in their swagger, their faces in the dugout, they could win. In October, they didn't even show up.

Where to go from here, get better players? This team went into the postseason with no holes: solid pitching, explosive bats. Still here we are. Maybe we can get a player with enough confidence to over come the 100 year weight, to keep the dugout relaxed, and keep the team thinking/playing like they can win ever game. Maybe then the Cubs will forget about how their supposed to win every game.

For now, for another October, the North side is quiet, and I've learned my lesson: I'm not waiting, but I'll still watch next year.

Google and League of Women Voters Team Up

Google Maps and League of Women Voters have created a great website for the election. Enter your address and it gives you links to register, check registration, days left to register, voter hotline for your state, and coming soon your polling place. Vote.