this is mikel.org — Page 243 — Michael Boyle's weblog

Is this it?

April 28, 2003 by Michael Boyle

So today Apple unveiled its iTunes Music Store. $0.99 a song, handled through iTunes and facilitated by a .Mac or Apple ID. Is this the move that makes non-infringing online music happen?

Many blogs are covering

April 24, 2003 by Michael Boyle

this week’s O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference in Santa Clara, CA, but so far Jason Kottke’s blog – and particularly his sidebar links – is a particularly excellent reference point to consult.

during my mini-hiatus over my wedding weekend (and subsequently) was the Apple-Universal Music story. It took me by surprise, but I agree with this analysis from Eric Hellweg of CNN/Money: it is a very tantalizing idea.

It’s clear that the record industry is too antidiluvian to figure this out on their own – even Sony, who would be a natural for a similar strategy, can’t seem to figure this out. But this whole thing is like the classic prisoner’s dilemma, but one in which all of us could benefit from the defection of just one player. In a way the music business is correct as it stands now – as long as none of them defect, they are achieving their optimal outcome as a group. But when one of them does decide to go, that’s it – the only optimal course will be to join the flow.

Excuse the silence,

April 14, 2003 by Michael Boyle

but I have been very busy. Mostly due to the fact that I was married on Saturday in a lovely ceremony in Old Montreal. Pictures to come very soon, and several people who keep weblogs (but who I know independently of their site) were in attendence. Reports so far are that a good time was had by all. For my part, it was not only a great experience but I was relaxed enough to have fun, pure and simple.

If I had the time,

March 27, 2003 by Michael Boyle

I would most definitely keep a weblog chronicling the hundreds of non-news-stories being thrown out there by the big American networks. I’m afraid I’d have to quit my job and dedicate my life to it, though, there are so many bullshit stories being published lately. The latest: Marines discover Iraqi 9/11 mural, about a mural depicting a plane crashing into a building that was found in Iraq the other day. Another was the completely loaded story that UK troops had found Iraqi chemical suits, which obviously (to them) means that they plan to use chemical weapons. I guess the fact that the US troops all have chemical suits proves that the US is about to use chemical weapons too, eh? After all, it was the US who provided the foundation of the whole Iraqi chemical program.