Texsox

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 06:48 AM) What he said. Maybe one of these years this dinosaur will actually get around to hearing more than a handful of new albums. Tell me about it. It is a low priority for me. Now I have to trip over a new artist or album.

Rox in the Box is the tune that always catches my ear. In fact next week I am using it for my tutoring class to unpack the lyrics. I thought the album was too country for many people here to like it.

QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 10:55 PM) but in my case i wouldn't be stealing the mercedes G series, id be receiving a copy of a mercedes G series and leaving the original to its rightful owner. Agreed. But if exact copies were available, who would actually pay for one? And are there any "owners" when it is free?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 04:54 AM) Digital copies don't actually cost someone money directly. Stolen physical product does. Breaking the internet and draconian copyright laws aren't the solution to outdated business models. When the free item is readily available, why buy an original? Of course it costs them money. It may not be 100% of all the downloads, but it certainly costs them some. At least some of the people would have purchased the music. How will a new business model work where only one person has to pay for the product? Why should anyone buy an original? It is easy to say it is an outdated business model, but allowing your product or service to be stolen isn't outdated.

The same people who never would have considered walking into a store and shoplifting a CD will easily accept or download a pirated copy. It is virtually anonymous. Yes, there are thefts in every business, would you expect a store to just roll over and say, here take what you want? Why do we treat a digital download different than say a car? Imagine if a car thief said he would have bought that Mercedes G series but Mercedes was trying to make too much profit so he stole it instead? The business model may be flawed based on today's technology, but simply allowing people to steal your product isn't the answer.

This list had me listening to The King is Dead on my drives to and from work for the past couple days. I was a little surprised it was so high. Rex, thank you for putting this list together. They are so much work, but so much fun.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 05:01 PM) I'd have to dig but I believe impact studies have been done that show an increase in overall sales. Either way, my point (which I completely failed to actually make!) was that their gripe in relation to their desired solution is laughable. from the Cato article: They b****ed and moaned with the advent of VCR's. It would destroy the industry. Instead, it boasted sales and spurred an entirely new one (home video). They need to adapt with technology, not severely alter its fundamental structure because they want more profits. How can they make profits and allow piracy? I have yet to figure out a business model that allows for a company to make money while allowing someone to pirate their work.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 04:52 PM) It's very possible that you have this backwards--that people do not want to pay $20 for an album but would gladly pay, say, $5 or $10. The same for new movies. If the RIAA and MPAA hadn't been such dinosaurs and completely resisted digital supply going back to Napster, they wouldn't be in these positions. I agree. However, you could keep rolling this back all the way to free so I'm not that certain it is relevant. It's very possible that you have this backwards--that people do not want to pay $20 for an album but would gladly pay, say, $5 or $10. The same for new movies. It's very possible that you have this backwards--that people do not want to pay $10 for an album but would gladly pay, say, $3 or $5. The same for new movies. It's very possible that you have this backwards--that people do not want to pay $5 for an album but would gladly pay, say, $1 or $2. The same for new movies. It's very possible that you have this backwards--that people do not want to pay $1 for an album but would gladly pay, say, $.5 or $.25. The same for new movies. It's very possible that you have this backwards--that people do not want a pirate download for an album but would gladly download a free copy from the official source. The same for new movies. Someone check me on this but iirc I was paying $10 to $15 for 8-Tracks and albums in the 1970s. Adjusted for inflation, that makes music, even at $20 a CD, cheaper today than 40 years ago.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 04:42 PM) You can find the indictment here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/78786408/Mega-Indictment The logic they lay out makes sense but legally I have zero idea if they have a case. Also, you gotta laugh at the way things like "$500,000,000 in damages" are calculated. Yeah, you're really losing out on full retail price for every download! I'm not certain how to calculate the loses. I think it is a fact that a lot of people would do without if they couldn't pirate a copy.

Something should be done about piracy, it is unfair to content producers and will ultimately hurt consumers who value quality new content. Technology will move too fast for any solution to work for more than a very short time. As far as elected leaders needing to be experts, that is impossible. We have to hope they hire the best experts they can and follow sound advice.

Wow, the onion is blocked from my school computer. R rated.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 09:57 AM) Oh for the love of... Tex, you really want that combination of two specific political beliefs so badly you would want someone like Perry to be the President? A guy who is so obviously overmatched by even the rest of this clown car, let alone the world stage? Do I really want someone with the leadership and savvy to undo the stuff that Obama has accomplished that I like? Do you? Do I want someone whose immigration policy will not cripple the economy where I live? Seems like a very easy question. I find it interesting that anyone would think I would prefer a different GOP candidate. Someone suggest one and I will look, but it is slim pickings for a liberal.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 09:57 AM) Oh for the love of... Tex, you really want that combination of two specific political beliefs so badly you would want someone like Perry to be the President? A guy who is so obviously overmatched by even the rest of this clown car, let alone the world stage? If there must be a GOP President, I would rather have one that I matched with two deeply held beliefs. Anyone that has been reading this for the past few years knows how I feel about balanced budgets and immigration. Name two political issues I have argued more than those two? I match up with almost nothing of the other candidates. I believe Newt and Mitt seem more Presidential, but for basic policy issues of stuff I really care about, Perry was as good as it gets ON THE GOP side. Now I really pray Obama is reelected.

First chance to respond. Does it really matter when he drops? I'm disappointed his immigration stance and fiscal restraint did not catch fire with the GOP base. Even if it had not caught on enough to have him be a serious contender, I would have liked to see his supporters sway the party platform in that direction.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 12:38 PM) It's unlikely anyone else voted for the Muppet Movie soundtrack. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 12:46 PM) In Texas it is more like Hank Williams... Senior. The king is dead, man.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 04:58 PM) You realize the first thing that he really started to get hammered on was him actually defending one of the only centrist positions he's taken, on allowing children of illegal immigrants into schools? Yes, but those were not the blunders and the weird image he was projecting.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 17, 2012 -> 02:13 PM) Fortunately, Perry has zero chance. It has become plainly obvious to even the most evangelical and ultra-conservative types that the guy just isn't cut out for the job. He was trying to be something he was not. I wish he would have been himself, much more to the center and less, less, well less everything.

I would have thought my #1 would have been up by now.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jan 17, 2012 -> 11:52 AM) Finished Cold Wind the other day. I agree about the ending...well done. I really enjoy the Joe Pickett series, but his standalone novel Three Weeks To Say Goodbye was top notch. If you're a fan of Harlan Coben, I would highly recommend it. I compare it to Coben's writing because it was intense, fast, and had lots of twists. I just picked it up on eBay. When I bought it I didn't realize it was a standalone novel. I feel a little better with the recommendation. I can't believe how hooked I am with Lonesome Dove. When you can have a women raping a man seem plausible, well that's damn good writing.

I've had most on autopay, now I am finding it a pain to undo everything as I switch banks.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 09:19 PM) And is it coming across to anyone else like Romney is basically officiating this debate? Earlier he mentioned that time was up for another candidate even though he wasn't even mentioned, and just now he said it's OK for Santorum to take longer than 30 seconds. Looking Presidential

How much information about a candidate should the voter be entitled to? Is there anything the public should not have the right to know? Seems like health issues should be private, yet so important to the job. Tax returns? Who they are sleeping with? College transcripts?

I am very surprised at how much I am enjoying Lonesome Dove. Westerns have just not been anything I thought I wanted to read. I am 200 pages in, only 650 to go.

Switching banks suck. I have about 6 or 7 bills that get auto debited from my checking. But switching to USAA, who really rock the service.

I thought about this before posting and I kept thinking about your class heading to Florida from Indiana for Spring Training and interested in Indiana players. All I can think of is f*** you