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  • Twitter

    I logged in the first time soon after it started in 2007. I did my ten years and then mostly logged off by 2017. I’m not likely to start using it again regularly although I still use it occasionally as a people bookmarking service of sorts. I logged in last week to get an ‘archive’ of all of my data and publish it elsewhere1,2.  I tweeted 828 times and based on the IDs in the data, I’m guessing that I was the 950,535th person to ever tweet. The process felt achingly familiar3. I’ve had some discussions with others about it recently and it reminds me to think about how I use the web. Per the course… I like to flush it out, write it down, and publish it so I can send a link instead of hashing it out in an email or text thread.

    Twitter was built as a MicroBlogging service. Microblogging as a type of broadcast medium was the forerunner to social networking platforms. Social networking existed from the moment the first network computer connections were made. Twitter had a good name and was the best breed of something not unique amongst the landscape at the time. The fundamentals of Twitter already existed elsewhere. The Twitter idea originated from Odeo4,5, a podcasting company. It was just a means of having an SMS group chat.  Evan Williams created Blogger which was sold to Google and was the basis of the ideas behind both podcasting and blogging. Before Twitter, social media meant connecting with others online primarily through email and RSS, both of which could be read from the same client and in a browser. Some folks worked out unique ways to notify others via email for pingbacks and trackbacks6. I was a fan of Friendfeed because it supported pulling feeds from various sources. Facebook acquired it for $15 million and shut it down7.  Similarly, Pump.io, StatusNet, and identi.ca were using the open-source Activity Streams format which was a precursor to the ‘Fediverse’ or federated social network terms tossed around today. 

    Inter-Net-work….the web was inherently social long before the media part. In Silicon Valley’s race to capitalize, proprietary methodologies were created because open standards hinder income potential. Even the data archive I got from Twitter last week isn’t exactly portable. The WC3, who sets the standards has recommended Web Mentions, Activity Streams, and Activity Pub9 standards which is the protocol that makes Mastodon federated. I migrated most of my Twitter follows over to Mastadon while I was at it last week. Watching the other platforms pivot to gain new users is amusing. Substack has added ‘mentions’, ’cross-posts’, and ‘best seller’ badges10. Tumblr rolled out a $7 badge and the owner insisted they would be implementing the activitypub specification which I noted appropriately11. I’m sure folks will figure out a way to spam those protocols too as long as there is a way to profit from them. Twitter turned to bots after it gained popularity and the account APIs were introduced. The bot, spam, link farms, etc were online long before Twitter too.

    Elon Musk recently tweeted “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” likely in reference to his surveys on reinstating previously banned accounts. It translates to the “Voice of the People is the Voice of God”,  but the full context of the most cited reference to that term is:

    Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.  “ And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness. 

    ~ Alcuin in his letters to Charlamagne Epistle 127 in 760AD12.

    The riotousness of the crowd is Twitter. And Twitter is just a bellwether for the internet as a whole as we adapt to new communications mediums. Those first couple of years were just techie types tweeting because those were most of the same folks with websites.  Then came the journalists, media, celebrities, publishers, and internet celebrities. Then everyone’s uncle had it installed on their phone.  When those other folks started rambling on about their other interests, I lost interest. And then they started to monetize it all with adverts, tracking users across the web, and rewriting shared URLs so they could track those too.  The most retweeted thing ever was a pyramid scheme offering a reward for retweets. The web was already decentralized and will likely always be outside some platforms’ walled gardens. I just hope that the efforts to improve the open standards aren’t sabotaged by private interests.

    I’m sure in the coming year we’ll end up hearing a lot more on free speech and social media. I have a very simple minded approach to it which I wrote about pretty extensively in my article on Section 23013. I think that you’re welcome to espouse your opinions, ideas, or theories however you’d like but not entirely without consequence if they are damanging to others. I think that the main product of social media platforms, aside from usability, is sorting and moderating that information so that it’s vaulable to it’s end users. A platform like Twitter is a private company and can make itself reponsible for moderation however it best see’s fit to it’s own business model. And likewise, I can excersize my own liberty to not pay it any attention.

    I’d use social media again if I had something to promote and I suppose I’m lucky not to have the need. Former Twitter CEO Evan Williams apologized saying he was “wrong to think that an open platform where people could speak freely would make the world a better place”.  I wouldn’t completely agree with him on that because I believe there have been some good things gained through social networking platforms.  I read an essay recently fed to me, not via social media but my handy dandy good ole’ fashion hosted RSS reader…  entitled A Tweet Before Dying that said “What then? We’ll all move over to some Twitter replacement like Mastodon, hundreds of millions of us, and ruin that too? Sigh.”13. Other than echoing my sentiments here, whatever happens with Twitter means very little to me because I choose to rely not on the platform itself but on the interoperable standards of the internet which were social from the get go. 

    2022/12/03 Update:

    Right on Cue… Matt Taibbi, the investigative journalist published a series of tweets he’s calling the Twitter Files15 yesterday afternoon looking into the content moderation efforts of Twitter during the last election. Main takeaway for me was the fact that, imagine this… people are sending emails around requesting removals and questioning various policies. Sometimes just having an audience has it’s own consequences.

    2025/11/15 Update:

    The thing is… all this new reporting on foreign spam accounts seems so obvious to me, I can’t even really understand how it’s news other than the fact that they added the ‘about this account’ features showing country of origin16. The new reporting did kinda touch on something I hinted at here and that America’s Polarization Has Become the World’s Side Hustle17. Perhaps I’ll log in again and leave this as my only ‘tweet’ since I previously deleted all of the others… na, ole Space Karen isn’t getting any eyeballs from me.

    1. @windhamdavid tweets – https://davidwindham.com/til/lists/tweets 
    2. @windhamdavid follows – https://davidwindham.com/til/lists/people#i-follow-on-twitter
    3. Windham, D. 2020. Dirty Algorithm – https://davidwindham.com/dirty-algorithm/
    4. Odeo – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odeo
    5. Twitter History – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter#History 
    6. Pingback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pingback
    7. FriendFeed – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FriendFeed 
    8. Silicon Valley – S3E10 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Valley_(TV_series)
    9. W3C Social Web Protocols- https://www.w3.org/TR/social-web-protocols/ 
    10. Substack – https://on.substack.com/p/introducing-mentions-and-cross-posts
    11. Tumblr –https://windhamdavid.tumblr.com/
    12. Alcuin – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcuin
    13. Windham, D. 2021. Section 230 – https://davidwindham.com/section-230/
    14. Ford, P. 2022. A Tweet Before Dying – https://www.wired.com/story/tweet-dying-revolutionary-internet/
    15. Taibbi, M. 2022. The Twitter Files – https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1598822959866683394
    16. Elon Musk’s Worthless, Poisoned Hall of Mirrors – https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/x-about-this-account/685042/
    17. America’s Polarization Has Become the World’s Side Hustle – https://www.404media.co/americas-polarization-has-become-the-worlds-side-hustle

  • David Byrne

    I went to see David Byrne in Asheville a couple weeks ago. We were in the first rows and the audience started following the performers dance moves. It was like being in some sorta intimate line dance with the band. It was stellar. Watching him perform is more akin to watching a preacher than a rock musician. I’ve had a long held fascination with David Byrne and I think it began in August of 1981 when MTV first went on the air and I saw this video.

    I would have been just under 10 years old the first time I saw the video, but I remember quite vividly the debut of MTV on our console television in the living room. MTV aired a bunch of the same videos1 over and over, but none of them grabbed my attention the way Once In A Lifetime by the Talking Heads2 did. In retrospect, I believe the innovative use of film editing was just the product of the art school background of the Talking Heads band members. At that age, I didn’t really understand the meaning of the lyrics and it was only the motion that intrigued me. Regardless, the song reappeared in a 1989 film entitled Down and Out In Beverly Hills3, which gave me a bit of insight into the meaning of it. The theme of the film kinda nailed the existential crisis of the song lyrics. About that same time (1989) I owned exactly two concert films on VHS: The Song Remains the Same by Led Zepplin and Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads4. Both of which are two of my all time favorite concert films. I bought up about every Talking Heads and David Byrne CDs I could get my hands on. And I played them non-stop. I had a couple friends who also enjoyed them, but they were few and far between.

    Skip ahead fifteen years or so, when I met my wife in college. Two things really stood out about our first date from my other gal pals. The first is that she had a really good sense of humor, not just the giggle type, but the dark and cynical gut rolling humor I like. The second thing is that she really liked the David Byrne and Talking Heads. It wasn’t just the ‘oh yeah, they’re cool’ type of like. She knew all of the lyrics to most of the songs and understood them. The first birthday gift I ever bought her was a talking heads CD box set. We played that thing out on every trip we took. I’ve since read How Music Works6 and followed about every recording project, film, or book he’s been involved with. I’m also particularly fond of his internet radio station7 because of the way he curates the playlists. I can’t say there is anything he’s created that I don’t like. I am particularly fond of a couple though… the film True Stories, Look Into the Eyeball, and Uh-Oh. I also really like the soundtrack to The Last Emperor and it was nice seeing him play himself on the Simpsons Dude, Where’s My Ranch? and in This Must Be the Place.

    Neither of us have ever seen David Byrne in concert. I bought the tickets as soon as they went on sale and put us in the second row. As with what has been noted the style of that original video in that he studied archive footage of “preachers, evangelists, people in trances, African tribes, Japanese religious sects” to see how he could incorporate them into his performance… the live performance we watched wasn’t too far off. The way he engaged the audience wasn’t that of a rock star, but of an evangelist. Because the set design was so simple and the accompanying band members engaged in a rehearsed synchronized dance routine, the first ten rows of the auditorium were completely engaged in the performance. Him and his crew were working hard breaking a sweat, and had obviously spent countless hours rehearsing the material and choreography. Like I said… it was top notch. We already knew the lyrics to the new album so we listened to the Imelda Marcos inspired musical Here Lies Love5 written by Byrne on the way up, while Ginny researched the Marcos’ real life. On the way back we listened to Brian Eno. I’d give the American Utopia concert a 10/10. And I give David a 10/10 on being an artist and a decent human being.

    Here’s the setlist for the show (Asheville, NC – May 8th, 2018):
    Here – Lazy- I Zimbra (Talking Heads) – Slippery People (Talking Heads) – I Should Watch TV (David Byrne & St. Vincent) – Dog’s Mind – Everybody’s Coming to My House – This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads) – Once In a Lifetime (Talking Heads) – Doing the Right Thing – Toe Jam (Brighton Port Authority) – Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)(Talking Heads) – I Dance Like This – Bullet – Every Day Is a Miracle – Like Humans Do – Blind (Talking Heads) – Burning Down the House (Talking Heads) – Encore: Dancing Together – The Great Curve (Talking Heads) – Hell You Talmbout (Janelle Monáe)

    25/12/04 Update: We saw David again last night in Atlanta for the Who Is the Sky? tour8. The thing is I’ve seen a lot of concerts in my lifetime and it’s definitely different. David takes a bunch of highly trained dancers, musicians, and vocalists and puts em through their paces in a thematic visually stunning choreographed set. He gave em what they wanted on this tour, yet the set list of songs somehow still felt like a tightly planned concept album. It’s really about him as an artist. It’s kinda hard to explain, but it’s like he’s floating up above it to steal a line from his song. He’s not rooted in any physical place or timeline even though several of the songs have very physical references. The lyricism is timeless and abstract – he blended a setlist that spans almost fifty years. Here’s the setlist:

    • Heaven ( Fear of Music )
    • Everybody Laughs ( Who Is the Sky? )
    • And She Was ( Little Creatures )
    • Strange Overtones (Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today )
    • Houses in Motion ( Remain in Light )
    • T Shirt ( Who Is the Sky? )
    • (Nothing but) Flowers ( Naked )
    • This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) ( Speaking in Tongues )
    • What Is the Reason for It? ( Who Is the Sky? )
    • Like Humans Do ( Look into the Eyeball )
    • Don’t Be Like That ( Who Is the Sky? )
    • Independence Day ( Rei Momo )
    • Slippery People ( Speaking in Tongues )
    • I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party ( Who Is the Sky? )
    • My Apartment Is My Friend ( Who Is the Sky? )
    • Hard Times ( Paramore cover )
    • Psycho Killer ( Talking Heads: 77 )
    • Life During Wartime ( Fear of Music )
    • Once in a Lifetime ( Remain in Light )
    • Everybody’s Coming to My House ( American Utopia )
    • Burning Down the House ( Speaking in Tongues )

    Anyway, you can go find the tour show reviews out there so I’m not going to sum it up. The Fox in Atlanta is wild with its mosque design. All I’ll say is if you haven’t seen a performance – it’s good – definitely worth the effort. Seeing the show is just a reminder of possibilities.

    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_first_music_videos_aired_on_MTV
    2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_in_a_Lifetime_(Talking_Heads_song)
    3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_and_Out_in_Beverly_Hills
    4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Making_Sense
    5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Lies_Love
    6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Music_Works
    7. http://davidbyrne.com/radio
    8. Who Is the Sky? – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Is_the_Sky%3F

  • Man from Plains

    All this talk of politics has affected my netflix lineup. Last night we watched the documentary “Man from Plains“2 about Jimmy Carter3 and his most recent book. I’ve got to say that Jonathan Demme4 is one of the better filmmakers of our time. Ever since Stop Making Sense5, a video concert of the Talking Heads was released I’ve been a fan. What I like about Demme is the unbiased and personal approach. I’ve always said of good photographers and painters whom work with portraiture that the best approach is to be as transparent as possible so as to not influence the subject in any manner. This film does just that as it documents Carter’s travels to promote his most recent and controversial book entitled Palestine Peace Not Apartheid6.

    The film gives an honest perspective on the man and his principles as Demme was obviously given good access the former president during the filming and what impressed me most was exactly how candid and emotional Carter was during the filming. He is obviously a very intelligent man in the way he handles conversation and which may also explain why he is a physicist by trade. What is controversial about the book is that Carter is trying to explain that perhaps the Palastinians have been wronged which is very bold and politically incorrect these days. But Carter does it with eloquence and good rhetoric in the face of staunch adversaries.

    After the film, I followed up with some research on Carter and his policies. What amazed me is how strong his opinions about peace and energy conservation. He actually reduced the dependence on foreign oil by half during tenure as president. He installed solar panels (which were later removed) on the white house! It’s amazing how we continue to repeat ourselves in history as I think my third grade teacher began the first history lesson i remember with that exact phrase. President Carter had some interesting approaches to energy policy that may hold in todays atmosphere.

    Don’t get me wrong…I’m not a political or economic expert, but I can tell you a good deal about the Laffer Curve7 and supply side, trickle down Reaganomics including the fact that Author Laffer and Wanninski, credited with coining the term did so over a meeting in 1974 with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld present…so I’ll let you do your own research8. But I am a good with the study of human character and I can tell you that I am compelled to believe that Jimmy Carter is a good man with honest motives or at least the film did an excellent job of concealing anything otherwise.

    April 20, 1979, White House photo of Carter and rabbit from the Carter Library
    April 20, 1979, White House photo of Carter and rabbit from the Carter Library [1]

    I can whole heartedly recommend that you see the film for yourself. The photo above is of Carter fishing when a swimming rabbit “attacked” his boat.. lucky the secret service was there to capture it on film.

    23/12/06 – The rabbit incident came up in a conversation likely due to conflict in Gaza9. I replaced the missing photo and added the references. I didn’t replace any of the original links, correct any of the grammatical, or fix the spelling errors.

    25/01/09 – I referenced this essay in a recent conversation with friends since he passed away at age 100. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history. I read quite a bit about him recently and I watched the service on C-Span 10 this morning. The Carter Center published a tribute site 11 that’s worth your time. I left a condolence message. The more I learn… the more I like.

    Jimmy Carter is an inspiration for a life well lived. I told my friends I’m gonna pick up some tools in his honor and to handle some carpentry work for myself and I might even go so far as start working on the solar thing. I’ve referenced the Crisis of Confidence speech12 a number of times recently and I suggest a revisit. I first picked up on it in the film 20th Century Women and rewatching it had profound affect. I sympathize with Jimmy Carter’s tough mind, soft heart mentality and I hope that his work to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering is an inspiration for generations to come14.

    1. Jimmy Carter rabbit incident – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident
    2. Man From Plains – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_Plains
    3. Jimmy Carter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter
    4. Jonathan Demme – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Demme
    5. Stop Making Sense – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Making_Sense
    6. Palestine Peace Not Apartheid – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine:_Peace_Not_Apartheid
    7. Laffer Curve – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve
    8. Reaganomics – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaganomics
    9. Israel – Hamas War – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Israel–Hamas_war
    10. President Jimmy Carter Funeral Service at National Cathedral – https://www.c-span.org/event/public-affairs-event/president-jimmy-carter-funeral-service-at-national-cathedral/429876
    11. Jimmy Carter Tribute – https://www.jimmycartertribute.org
    12. President Carter Address on Crisis of Confidence – https://www.c-span.org/program/american-history-tv/president-carter-address-on-crisis-of-confidence/154404
    13. 20th Century Women – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Women
    14. Carter Center – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Center

  • Computer Quotes

    Quotes on Computers:
    “Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”
    – Popular Mechanics, 1949

    “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
    – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

    “But what… is it good for?”
    – Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip

    “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
    – Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977

    “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
    – Western Union internal memo, 1876

    “The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?”
    – David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s

    “The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.”
    – Admiral William Leahy, US Atomic Bomb Project

    “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
    – Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895

    “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.”
    – Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre

    “Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.”
    – Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the vacuum tube and father of television

    “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
    – Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

  • Google Real Estate

    so it’s on.. Google is building a 600 million dollar facility about 30 miles from my house and The Post and Courier is reporting the annual payroll to be between 12 and 15 million. It certainly makes me want to know more about maintaining a huge building of servers.
    as reported by the post and courier and Patrick Archibald has pics

    And in more than one way… Google announced they’re getting in on the real estate listing business – Homes not just homepages. I’ve been using Google Base to post real estate listings with videos and virtual tours to Google.

    Side notes: of local interest… this guy has an insightful local blog and these guys are good Butterfat (sweet name) and look like a very talented bunch. I noticed a skateboarder standing with two of the town’s finest in blue.. and I figured it’s got to do with whole skater stink at waterfront park.. I say if ole Joe wants to outlaw skaters, he’ll get the same reaction he did to motorbikers on Harleys.. they’ll all roll into town and start provoking the police with video cameras and what not. If they don’t tear up waterfront park, the city might give em some slack.

  • Demiurgic Design

    Demiurgic Design

    This is why I use the term Demiurgic Design.

  • Beach Music

    This video was a co-production of ETV and the SC Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism.
    Rick Sebak was the producer, writer, and narrator of “Shag.”
    Buck Brinson was the director of photography, and Elaine Cooper was the editor.

    I caught that episode on Beach Music last night on SC ETV. My dad is into really into beach music and I grew up immersed in the culture of it. I could write quite a bit about it here, but I’ll save that for another time.

  • Anti-Political

    For the first time in my life, I took the effort to reach out to my public representative. I did so in an effort to try and not play favorites over the medium in which radio broadcasting pays royalties for music streaming. I’m likely ahead of the game here, but I gave it a shot anyway and I’m pretty pleased with the results.

    From: <senator@demint.senate.gov>
    Date: March 23, 2007 12:42:44 PM EDT
    To: <blahblahblah@gmail.com>
    Subject: From the Office of Senator DeMint

    Dear Mr. Windham ,

    Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to the new royalty rates for online radio stations proposed recently by the Copyright Royalty Board . I appreciate hearing from you.

    As you may know, the Copyright Royalty Board announced new guidelin es for I nternet radio royalties on March 5, 2007 . The guidelines set a “per play” royalty structure whereby webcasters will pay a set amount for each performance of a copyrighted song. A performance is defined as the streaming of one song t o one listener. T he guidelines also set a minimum of $500 per channel per year for both commercial and noncommercial webcasters.

    These new guidelines are a complete departure from the “percentage of revenue” structure that is currently in effect. Like you, I have concerns about the possible negative impacts this new structure could have on consumer choice and innovation. You may be pleased to know that the Copyright Royalty Board has agreed to accept requests for a new hearing until April 2, which may allow the recent guidelines to be revisited.

    I greatly value your thoughts and opinions as my constituent, and I assure you that I will continue to monitor this issue. Please feel free to contact me in the future about any issue important to you or your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of South Carolina .

    Sincerely,

    Jim DeMint
    United States Senator

    Overall, I try to be anti-political and I tend to just like to poke fun at the process. Here are some related political videos. The first one is original and fun. The second is just politicians copying previously successful business advertising.

  • Werner Herzog

    I read this morning that he has a new one coming out soon and it’ll take a couple months before Netflix has it available. I’m not sure why I originally started watching Werner Herzog films, but I think the first was recommended by an old art professor of mine. Needless to say, I think I’ve seen them all now and I recommend to folks all the time. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Herzog

    PS. Speaking of art… what about the Violent Femmes song in a Wendy’s commercial. Ain’t that some bullshit. What I used to think was counter-culture is now being used to sell fish sandwiches. Anything for a buck.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhSN413CtJ0

  • Adobe

    adobe icons

    The official launch event will take place on March 27, 2007, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. Adobe Systems will host a webcast of the official launch of Adobe® Creative Suite® 3, live from New York City. I’m wondering how it’ll incorporate the Macromedia products. I started using Fireworks more than Photoshop but I’m still not a fan of Dreamweaver because of the crappy bloated HTML output. Adobe is becoming the defacto standard for print and web software. I think the hype surrounding this release is mainly to do with the hype surrounding the web itself.

    I got my copy in the mail today and it looks I’ve got a good bit of reading to do.

  • ApacheCon and Joost

    I would love to pull off ApacheCon in a month. I think I’d need a sponsor to cover the cost to get to Europe. Any takers? The more I learn, the more I realize how much Apache is really powering the internet.

    Joost is an internet TV station. https://www.joost.com/ I think you’ll ending up hearing that word again soon and within the year you’ll be hearing it daily. They’ve got Viacom, MTV, Warner, BET, and Paramount on board. That’s a pretty strong lineup. I think the whole idea of TV on demand or streaming is going to take off but I think they’ll need some sort of standardized media player or browser standard to do so.

    Ran across this Photoshop speed painting video yesterday. I remember an art professor of mine complaining while I was photographing my artwork to make videos of the process. I’m gonna give the whole Photoshop painting thing a whirl one day.


  • Original Machines

    These were my original machines. The Atari 800 and the Apple IIc.

    Atari 800
    Apple IIc

  • Audio Streaming Royalties

    An Arbitron/Edison Media Research study last year estimated that 52 million Americans had listened to Internet radio in the previous month. Advertising revenues from online music broadcasting have grown rapidly over the past few years, from about $50 million in 2003 to $500 million last year. Here are the articles where I picked up on this upcoming proposed change for streaming royalties:
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/columnists/chi-0703070314mar07,0,6077662.column
    http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/030207/index.shtml
    http://www.saveourinternetradio.com/faq/

    Dear Senator,


    I am writing regarding some important information about internet broadcasting that involves the recent ‘settlement’ between the R&R industry lawyers and the copyright royalty board. Internet radio stations are now going to be required by the Copyright Royalty Board to pay both performance and composition royalties on music played. This stifles internet growth as a medium for independent broadcasters and is not balanced with the fee structure levied upon traditional am and fm broadcasters. Regional and local programming has all but died. Each piece of music has two copyrights attached to it. One is a copyright on the composition, which is owned by the songwriter or music publisher. The second is called the “performance copyright” and is owned by the recording artist or (much more likely) by the artist’s record company. All radio stations – FM, Internet, satellite, etc – pay royalties to songwriters and/or music publishers through organizations like ASCAP and BMI. The amounts are more or less equal no matter how the song is broadcast.
    Terrestrial broadcast stations (AM & FM) in the US pay no royalties to the owners of the performance copyright. Broadcasters have successfully argued for decades that the promotional value of airplay (i.e. the sales generated by radio airplay) more than adequately compensate the copyright holder.
    However, in 1995 the lobbying arm of the record industry successfully convinced the US Congress that digital broadcasts were equivalent to providing a “perfect digital copy” of each song played to the listener, and therefore were another matter entirely, and that digital airplay of their copyrighted material would actually reduce, rather than spur, the sales of recorded music, since a large percentage of digital listeners would naturally save that “perfect digital copy” for their own use. Therefore digital broadcasters (Internet, satellite, etc) should be liable for the payment of performance royalties, at a rate to be determined by the US Copyright Office.

    Sincerely,

    David A. Windham