BrianAndPamela.com

Just got back from seeing Transformers.

Short answer:  I really liked it. Read on for the full review.

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Link to Apple - Thoughts on Music

I made a bold statement back in October that the only people that are inconvenienced are legitimate customers.  That people who are serious about stealing music are going to do it anyway.  I'm not by any means the only one saying it.  Bloggers have been saying it.  DefectiveByDesign has been saying it.  The EFF says it. Bill Gates said it.

Now one of the biggest names in Digital Music is saying the same .  Arguably THE biggest name in digital media distribution, Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc. released what amounts to a blog post today in which he says exactly that. (more…)

Yes.  Next question? 

Ok, seriously.  This question comes from a first time reader to the blog.  Culture, language, just about everything changes.  Do table manners?  Is it still rude to have your elbows on the table?  It is, but not for the reason you might think… and, there are exceptions.  Pass the barbeque sauce, it's time for dinner!  

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The Unethical but (Mostly) Legal Retail Shopping Tactics of Devil Consumers - SixWise.com

Learn before you return - Charlotte Observer

There's a fine line between protecting your bottom line and punishing your customers.  Best Buy, Target and other retailers are pursuing ways to stop you from being a "Devil Shopper" that costs them money. 

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Link to Privately, Hollywood admits DRM isn't about piracy

Ken Fisher has a good little piece over at Ars Technca about DRM.  He's basically saying what we've all been saying for a while now.  DRM isn't about piracy for Hollywood, it's about profit. 

DRM is about nickle and diming away what used to be "fair-use".  I won't repeat all of Fisher's arguments, but quite telling is his link to a Business Week article by Ron Grover.  Grover quotes an anonymous Hollywood exec complaining that Apples DRM policies are already too lax, because you can authorize up to five devices on one iTunes account.  Quoth the exec, "His [Steve Jobs] user rules scare the heck out of us."  Why?  Because I might lend my authorization to a friend?  The way I might lend a DVD? 

I've got more to write about DRM, maybe it's time for another long DRM rant, but not today.  Lucky you.

Link to Otaku, Cedric’s weblog: Advice if your checks ever get stolen: don’t tell your bank

Wow… so you need to read the linked story.  The executive summary is essentially that this guy got his checks stolen.  When he called his bank (Wells Fargo) they told him his only option was to cancel his entire account and open a new one, AFTER a bit of a run-around.  Essentially, he’s more protected from fraudulent activity if he DOESN’T report the stolen checks.

Everyone has some topic in their life where they can carry on both sides of the conversation.  It's that thing where someone finds out something about you and then the next five minutes of conversation follows pretty much the same path every single time.

For me, that conversation usually happens when people find out that Pamela homeschools our kids.  At some point, the same question always comes up.  Oh they phrase it differently sometimes, "How do you account for socialization?" or "Are you concerned about what they are missing?" or other less direct phrases.  What they are really asking is, "Aren't you concerned your kids are going to turn out to be socially inept freaks who have no clue about the real world?"  At which point I feel like shouting, "Have you seen public schools these days?  Aren't you worried that the kids there are going to turn into materialistic under-educated peer mentality zombies?"  But most of the time I just smile and say, "Not at all." 

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Somethings should write themselves.  They are so easy to talk about, to explain in person but getting them to make sense on the screen is different entirely.  My feelings on the iPhone should have been like that.  I wanted to love it.  I love my iPod, so what's not to like about the wide screen, wi-fi, touch controlled iPod I've been craving mixed with a cell phone?  Well, I'll tell you…

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http://amasci.com/amateur/traffic/traffic1.html

I hate traffic.  In fact, I've renounced it.  My commute to work now is a 30-40 minute drive down quiet country roads.  If I find myself behind two cars, it's a heavy day.  I still have to deal with it now and again, but those times are fewer and farther between.   And yet I found the linked article really very interesting.  The premise is that most heavy traffic is essentially composed of traveling, standing or shock waves, and that by applying principles of physics and mathematics, those waves can be smoothed or eliminated. (more…)

PayPerPost.com has been busy of late. They bought much of performancing.com, they're still running RockStartup.com (which I blogged about here), and on top of all of that, they still are keeping sponsors hooked up with bloggers (like me).

How might one keep up with all the news that comes out of PPP? With their blog, of course. Unlike some corporate "blogs" (Google"), PPPs blog is actually a true blog, with announcements AND the ability for readers to comment. As I peruse the blog, I can read about how PPP is trying to appease the newly acquired Performancing users, winners of PPP contests, some videos about PPP, where PPP is headed in the new year and even personal thoughts and resolutions from the CEO of PPP.

To be blunt, some of the posts go beyond the openness which characterizes Web 2.0 companies.  I'm not sure we really needed to see pictures of PPP founder Ted Murphy as a child singing on the hearth (and FWIW, thank God no one has any video of MY hearth antics as a child).  Other posts, about the performancing acquisition for example, are really great.  Overall, it's sort of a mixed bag.  Personally, I wish Ted had his own blog and left the PPP stuff separate.

PPP is really serious about getting the word out about their blogs. So serious that they're sponsoring me to write this post. So why not check it out?

PPP blogs

Note: this post has been sponsored by PayPerPost.  Like all sponsored content on BrianAndPamlea.com, the opinions expressed are true and accurate as of the time they are posted.