08/15/03

Today's Rant: Blackout of 2003. As you must already know, the bigger portion of the northeast was faced with a severe power outage yesterday and are still dealing with it today. News organizations (like always) are bringing in the "experts" (don't worry, just a fancy title) to analyze the situation. One big question is should the feds crack down and make more strenuous laws for utility companies. Also another issue is who is at fault.

First off, we are to blame. OK, maybe not we and maybe not all of us, but people who depend day in and day out strictly on electricity are to blame. We have not had electricity forever, and we should not depend on it. However we do. Electricity is one of those luxuries that we all take for granted (along with petrolium) and maybe we should think about it more and not depend on it so much. Just food for though...

OK, I'll end with this: the feds shouldn't crack down ONLY on utility companies, but should crack down on electicity users too, especially the heavy users. That's what my opinion...

07/27/03

While I was on the road today, I bought a USA Today. There was an article on the right hand side about certain US agencies getting hints about 9/11 almost 3 years before it happened. I also recall an article in USA Today about gov't agencies cracking down on music downloads over the internet. This brings me to my post today. Why can't our government find something else to do like protect us from future events like 9/11? Or a current idea would be for them to find Saddam! But instead of doing what they need to do, they are going to waste their time doing whatever the multi-million dollar companies of this country want them to do.

This brings me to the issue of the music industry. Where did all these big corporations come from anyway? Or I guess a better question is how did they get so big? Ah! The answer: when we pay around $20 for a CD, the music industry gets rich. Now, this just doesn't make sense to me. If we(as computer users) can burn one CD in less than 10 minutes and for less than $3 a CD (which includes a case with labels!), then surely to goodness with today's technology and mass producing of products, it must not cost as much as $1 per CD for companies to make the CD's, ship them and even sell them!

I'm on a roll, now onto the music artists. These "singers" make more than the average family in the US would make in their ENTIRE LIFETIME! Now what is wrong with this picture? These artists do merely nothing, whereas we have families (and an increasing number may I remind you) that work an 8 or more hour day, 5 or more days a week and are barely able to keep a roof over their head. I don't support this idea, it just doesn't make sense.

Now back a little bit to the whole idea of not being able to download music. Like I just said, this is how the music industry has become. We have just recently learned to deal with this a little better. Recordable CD drives and discs have become exceptionaly cheap and the technology readily available so almost anyone with a computer can download music and record a CD. Now I don't think that this has hurt these companies paychecks considering they are still making BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars a year. Anyways, I don't think I really have a point other than this is food for thought and this really makes me mad. Before I go, another big twist. RANDOM people, need I repeat RANDOM people are being prosecuted for downloading music and burning CD's. Now, to me it is fine (even though I'm opposed to it) and just for EVERYONE to be prosecuted for this, but only RANDOM people are being prosecuted. OK, think about that. Its me, signing off.

07/10/03

Well on from telemarketing calls to SPAM. Now as an internet user you should know about this and the many annoyances SPAM causes. Well once again, after (a good time after) the problem arises our Congress decides to take action! Late as usual but I guess it could be worse. A bill supported by 27 Congress members was submitted on June 18 known as the "Anti-Spam Act of 2003". The bill was then sent to the Houses' Committee of Energy & Commerce and Committee on the Judiciary. This is where we are now. There are basically 2 ideas currently out on how to deal with SPAM. One idea is to create a Do Not Email Registry, similar to the preceding Do Not Call Registry. When I first read about this, I really liked this idea. Then however, I heard that this idea was impractical. Then I got angry. Is it really impractical considering the day and age we are in and the technology we already have and the technology that is coming out every single day or is it just the fact that our Congress doesn't want to be bothered with it? Moving on though, there is also another far more practical idea according to Congress. The second idea is to make it unlawful to falsify header information and also provide ISP's and other agencies with the necessary tools to inforce this and help prevent other fraud transfer via SPAM. After finding out about the second option, my hope is again regained. Today at 1PM there is a Committee of Energy & Commerce meeting concerning SPAM. I'm hoping it will be on CSPAN so I can watch it. Politics continue...