Bob's Blog

CYHSY summary

2006-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

When I decided to work on a wiki page about the band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, I was excited cause I was a big fan and the band's popularity was rapidly increasing. I thought I could start it off and get a lot of community involvement. I was right- sort of. By the time I actually got around to editting the page, someone had already created one and added a lot of info. The band just came out so information about them isn't exactly plentiful, so I had to dig deep for some addtional info. I remembered reading this TimeOut magazine a few months ago about how the band's meteoric rise (much similar to the Arctic Monkey's, actually), so i added what I could about that. I also added a bit that I read on Pitchfork about the lead singer's side projects, and updated the wiki as such. Didn't really add as much info as I would have like to be perfectly honest, but as the band's popularity continues to grow i'm sure information about them will as well.

Sally Fischer Summary

2006-05-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sally Fischer Public Relations

In an effort to further my associated celebritism (see my shameless promotion of Cousin Arthur), I added Sally Fischer Public Relations to the Wiki World, a firm I recently interned at. Also like Lubow, I created this page from scratch. I definitely got more fullfillment out of creating my own pages than simply editting others; it has a certain god-like appeal. I had some issues adding content to this page, as I really couldn't come up with much to write about. To compensate, I linked the page to a lot of the firm's clients and work over the years. This also makes the firm seem a bit more credible. Thsi wiki page was also the only one that I added an image to, and that was an experience in it of itself. I had to like sign up for this separate wiki community and upload the image and add an appropiate license to it. It was fun. Additionally, it was nice to be able to e-mail the nice people at Sally Fischer and say "hey, look would I did." Networking baby, networking.

Lubow summary

2006-05-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Arthur Lubow

Adding Arthur Lubow to the Wikipedia world was my most gratifying class activity for a number of a reasons. First off, Arthur is my cousin (well, 1st cousin once removed, or twice punctuated thrice articulated, or something like that). Anyway, anything I can do to help a family member is always a pleasure, and now Arthur's wiki page is out there for all to see his accomplishments. Also, I created this page from scratch and it didn't get the "stub" tag that some articles get for being insufficient (Klosterman's page still has one), so I thought that to be a good stamp of approval from the wiki community. Oh yeah, and the coolest thing that happened was when I found Arthur's blog online (whose link has recently stopped working.... oh well). After stating on the his wiki page that he was blogging, other members of the community included Lubow on wiki's list of American Bloggers. He was also included on the list of American Biographers for his work on Richard Harding Davis.

Klosterman Summary

2006-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Chuck Klosterman

I think the best way to summarize my work on Chuck Klosterman's wikipedia page would be "maintainance." Whoever originally put the article together had done so quite sloppily and with faulty information. For instance, Klosterman's main contribution to the literary world these days is as a writer for SPIN magazine, yes the wiki-page claimed he was a "former writer"; such blatant mistatement of facts are unacceptable for any credible encyclopedia. Additionally, the external links were in web address format (professor Brown must have shed a tear when he read my post on that), so I formatted them to be more aesthetic hyperlinks. I even got a chance to delete an external link that directed the user to a NY Times log-in page instead of a supposed Klosterman article.

Chucky's my favorite author and it was defintely gratifying to make sure the information out there about him is accurate. We gotta look out for one another, you know. This also was the only article where I actually got to edit other people's work as opposed to simply adding my own- Talk about a power trip.

All that's missing are a set of rims and some bumpin' hydroponics...

2006-05-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

I spruced up my blog recently, "Pimpin' my ride" so to speak, and I didn't even need Xibit's help to do it. I changed the template following our trusty's professor's meticulatey written instructions, and even got to customize it by adding some pics. The top left graphic that stays with one whilst one scrolls is a picture of Shuggie Otis' 1974 seminal "Inpriation Information." Meanwhile, newly headlining my posts is "Sub Pop Records", a prominent indie record company.

Additionally, I became an Amazon Affiliate, for which they actually claim they're going to pay me(?!?!?!). As such, I added a link to purchase aforementioned "Inspriation Information" disc. Seriously, check out- it's funky fresh in all the right ways.

at least Ruckus it

Klosterman: Final Edit

2006-05-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find something to add to the klosterman page, and noticed something terrifying: the external links were actually addresses instead of hyperlinks. OH NO!!! So, i clicked on the links that suffered from the flaw and named them appropriately. Just a little site maintenance for good ol' Chuck. Oh, and link to a NY Times article went straight to a "log in" screen instead of the article, so I deleted the link. Got a little power trip off it.

SFPR Edit #3

2006-05-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Added a the headline picture from Sally Fischer's webiste to the wiki page. i think it looks cute.

CYHSY wikipedia edit #3

2006-05-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

In my continuing effort to show that i'm cooler than the next indie rock geek posing as an intellectual, I editted the Clay Your Hands Say Yeah wikipedia page to include further side-work the band's hyperactive lead singer Alec Ounsworth. He has a confirmed side project titled Flash Python and the Body Snatchers (who I actually saw in a small bar in NYC), a supposed solo project, and recently said to be forming an "indie-rock super group." I updated the page as such.

Lubow Edit #3

2006-05-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

In the continuing effort to glorify my family name, I added external links to the Arthur Lubow wikipedia page of articles he's done and interviews he's had.

*Is any joy I get out of promoting my cousin an example of family pride or our society's emphasis on celebrtisism (e.g. my association with someone quasi-famous) as the end-all means for personal gratification. Here's hoping it's more the former than the latter.

Robocop meets CliffHanger

2006-05-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Goofin' around on Slashdot and came across a blog by Scuttlemonkey titled HAL Exoskeleton Assisted Mountain Climbing; this naturally caught my attention. Apparently old Scuttlemonkey read an article which told of an exoskeleton robot- one that a human could essentially wear and control through normal body movements (think Robocop), that could increase the human wearer's strength. Supposedly, if a human was able to legpress 100 kilograms unassisted, the exoskeleton (nicknamed HAL: Hybrid Assistive Leg) would allow said human to leg press 190 kilograms.

Apparently, an experienced mountain climber plans on wearing HAL and using the affably named leg enchancer to carry a Japanese quadriplegic to the top of famed Swiss Mountain Matterhorn (think Cliffhanger...... and Disney I suppose).

My first question was, "Dude, where can I get one," which was immediately followed by my second and decidedly more important question, "Do they make one for all extremeties?"

Sally Fischer Public Relations Wikipedia Post #2

2006-05-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

Had trouble coming up with something to add, so i just added a link on Sally Ficher PR's notable client list, Petrossian. It's caviar company, and they have a restaurant in NY. Delicious.

Arthur Lubow Wikipedia Edit #2

2006-05-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned in my previous post that I thought Arthur Lubow had written something about Nick Drake, a British folk singer and a favorite of mine. After a bit of research it turns out that Lubow wrote a mini-biography of the singer that was included in a 1979 4-cd box set. I updated the page as such.

SIDE NOTE: My cousin rocks

Clay Your Hands Say Yeah Wiki Edit: #2

2006-05-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

Most of the information that I got for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, both for my original wikipedia edit and for the reference I made in my "Frigid Chimpanzees" post, came from an outstanding article in TimeOut magazine titled "Leap Year." I thus added it as an external link for the article.

Wikipedia Edit Klosterman: #2

2006-05-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

I was intently scanning the article to see what I can add, and noticed a bit of false information. It claimed that Chucky K was a "former senior writer" for Spin Magazine, when infact he has a regular column titled "My Back Pages."* I know this, as I subscribed for Spin largely for his monthly work.

*I suspect that the title of the column (My Back Pages), which is always the last page of the magazine, is inspired by a popular Bob Dylan song of the same name. However, it's simply a suspicion that I have not verified and thus did not include the Hornsby-esque tidbit.

The Inescapable Power of Elitism

2006-05-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Where's the last place you'd expect to find an elitist? How about on a blog entitled "Microsoft Geek Blogger." My friends, the world continues to shock me by the day.

I was reading self-proclaimed geek Scobleizer's blog entitled "These guys must be banned from blogging" and came to a startling and comforting revelation: elitism isn't an attitude that comes about due to power or snottiness or general condescension, but merely is a natural consequence of being passionate and knowledgable about a subject.

In the article, Scobleizer calls for a group of bloggers to be banned because ,"we all know it's not politically correct to like Windows Vista or Internet Explorer!" He goes on to call out a group of bloggers for raving about said products, and claim their blog priveldges should be revoked immediately. Apparently, it's not just that you're not cool if you don't have Firefox (go to talk to Scott Golden about that subject; see "The Internet Explorer versus Firefox issue hits UDEL"), you're actually a bad person for disagreeing on the subject. And that idea, of someone actually being worse of a person, is the primary ammunition of an elitist.

Scobleizer isn't egotistical by nature- he's a self-proclaimed geek. He's not snotty and probably doesn't enjoy "hate-in' on peeps." He's simply passionate about technology (particularly the internet), and extremely knowledgable on the subject. He can't help but being an elitist. It's natural outcome of his personal characteristics.

So next I tell you that you should "walk infront of moving traffic for telling me your favorite album is a greatest hits CD"* or that you will "never lead a happy existence because you don't like I Heart Huckabees"#, it's not because i'm mean or condescending or lack empathy, it's simple the naturaly outcry of my love and devotion to music, movies and all things that can help me claim to be "hip." Don't take it personally.

*My sincere apologies to the the girl on the bus the other night who I balled out for telling me her favorite album was "one" by The Beatles. That's not a bad album. It's simply a) not the way in which the artist originally intended for their work to be viewed, and b) way too easy of a choice.

#My sincere apologies to my girlfriend, but I can't believe you don't like that movie. I mean come on.

Free Ipods or the End of Communication: The Death of the Conversationalist

2006-04-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

While casually perusing Debra Zachar's blog (that girl watches a LOT of television), I came across an entry concerning free Ipod's being distributed to incoming freshman at Duke. FREE Ipods!?!?! I can already hear the glowing reactions from our student body from this grand gesture; "That's awesome!", "I wish Delaware did that!", "Who doesn't like music?", "Bill Gates for President!", "If a BlueHen fought a Blue Devil in a no-holds barred fight to the death, would the hen get better than 4-1 odds?" My friends, don't be fooled. Have you looked around our campus these days? Walk down East Delaware Ave. from 7-11 to trabant (my normal morning commute) and count a) the amount of people listening to Ipods, b) the amount of people using a cell phone (talking or texting), and c) the total amount of people you pass.

(a+b)/c = % of students out of touch with their own reality

Don't get me wrong- I'm as guilty as the next disconnected youth (The term "disconnected youth" seems oddly out-of-date, as the disconnected youth these days are actually the connected ones- connected to the internet, the XBOX and the power of mindless entertainment). Regardless, I am an Ipod owner and user. I dig the unique and abstract connection that can be made between the music pumping into my ear drums and the ever-changing physical surroundings. It's "Jacqueline" by Franz Ferdinand in the snow, "Trouble" by Ray LaMontaigne in the Fall, CCR in the summertime and the Garden State Soundtrack when I don't mind being an emo-clad, hopeless romantic, walking cliche. But I understand that an Ipod is a luxury and not a right; I do my best to use it sparingly. It’s like a drug: it seems like a great idea but just leads to bad habits (I’m reminded of steroids due the shared propensity for gym usage).

Casual conversation is going the way of the dinosaur, only without the cataclysmic meteor. Personal experience: while walking to the gym the other day, I passed by two acquaintances and one person I actually consider a friend. My stylish Ipod happened to be emitting "Kid A" by Radiohead at the same time. As a result, both acquaintances received the standard salutary head nod, while I greeted my friend with a "hello" that I could barely hear myself over the pulsating beats of the song Idiotech; it was impossible not to relish in the irony of the song slection.

I know what you're thinking: Are we really going to miss the occasional "Hey! How are you? Things sure are swell, eh?" Hell, most people probably consider these casual encounters nothing more than an annoyance. However, casual conversation is necessary to enhance general communication skills and promote an extroverted society- especially among the youth. Case in point: While visiting the local Staples to pick up some much needed computer paper (and sign the death certificate of at least one more tree), I witnessed something I haven't been able to shake from my mind since: a chunky, adolescent male sporting an Ipod nano and mimicking the dance moves of the Spice Girls, all under the less-than-watchful eye of an inattentive father. It wasn't so much the bad parenting that bothered me, nor was it the graceful sway of borderline baby fat (although neither was particularly pleasant). What really struck me was that from the time the boy high-stepped out of his car, to the time he bumped-and-grinded his way back in, not once did he remove his ear plugs, say a single word or even make eye contact with his father. He did, however, manage to masterfully lip-synch “spice it to the left if you know that you feel fine, shake it to the right if you’re having a good time.” I think you know the rest.

Look, I love conversation. I’ve been accused of loving it too much- of being to intent on expressing my ideas, of not letting others get their points of view out and of generally being overly accusatory and domineering in banter. People tell me I take on discussion as if both sides were naturally opposed, as if conversation was a competition. And they’re right, I think conversation is a competition- but it’s the type where if everyone plays right, all participants win. If I cut someone off mid-sentence it’s not because I’m not listening, it’s because I’m listening so intently that I can’t wait to tell you my thoughts on the subject. And you, in turn, should be just as intent on expanding my thought further. And then I expand on your thought and then you expand on mine and we continue to do this until we come to a conclusion or realize we’re missing happy hour. This is how humans are supposed to socialize. Socialization promotes affective communication, and affective communication promotes the transference of knowledge.

I’m not really sure what the future will bring. Technology is advancing faster than Manifest Destiny’s western front, and “the future” is legitimately being realized (the other day, I saw a flatscreen TV by the checkout register at Pathmark…. a flatscreen TV by the checkout register at Pathmark). And yes, the access and availability of information is at an all-time high. But if an Ipod and a search engine can replace effective parenting and proper communication with one’s piers, than an XBOX 360, 720, or even 980 won’t be enough to make us into well-rounded adults- and another cataclysmic meteor isn’t the worst idea after all.

Cousin Arthur

2006-04-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

For my fourth and final wikipedia page, I chose my cousin Arthur Lubow. "Cousin Arthur" has a number of writing credentials to his name, and i only scratched the surface with my wikipedia page (I'm pretty sure he wrote this thing on Nick Drake which I really need to find.... download "Pink Moon").

Insteresting Side Note (part 2): Like my previous wikipedia entry (see Chuck Klosterman), Arthur Lubow also has a blog. Apparently everyone has one these days. Even me. It's the new blue.

Klosterman

2006-04-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

I editted the wikipedia page for Chuck Klosterman today. He's one of my favorite modern writers and an all-around super guy.

Interesting Side Note: The bit I added regarded a BLOG (!!!!!!) Klosterman did for the super bowl. Ain't that a kick in the backside.

loocsixela, or "how i learned to love the bomb"

2006-04-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

There are those among us that are unfamiliar with the term loocsixela. Those of us who think that loocsixela is made up, imagined- concocted by some computer geek who concludes his e-mails with "cheers." This couldn't be further from the truth.

L.O.O.C. 6: E.L.A., or Living Only On Couches Six: Eastern Los Angelos, is the street term for the sixth and final installation of an obsucre Polish realtiy television show (Loocsixela is the acronym popularly used among elitest tv buffs and star wars geeks). The seminal show, which reached cult status following the governorship of season 2 member Jessie "The Body" Ventura, revolved around a rotating cast of five to eight contestants who were flown to various locations across the country with no money, food or means of communitcation or transportation. The winner was the one who caught clamydia first. Loocsixela was the final season. Set in Eastern L.A., the show was cancelled after people stopped watching. Loocsixela is mainly remembered for it's posthumous contribtutions, having said to have inspired Real World, Survivor, the 1993 Baseball Season and Easter.

For more info, write to:

loocsixela@aol.com, or
loocsixela@yahoo.com, or
loocsixela@hotmail.com, or
loocsixela@udel.edu, or
loocsixela@googlejuice.net, or
loocsixela@searchoptimizationspecialist.blog

The Evil Patent Troll

2006-04-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Some time ago in class we discussed patent trolls in regards to the blackburry thingamajigee. I was quite captivated by the presentation and decided to write an editorial that I was planning on sending in to the review. It still needs a bit of editting, rewording and perhaps a face lift, but i figured i'd post a first draft of it for your express viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

A Call for Patent Reform

(tentative title)

Growing up, I was quite innocently under the impression that trolls lived beneath archaic, cobblestone bridges. They were mythological beasts that existed in a realm somewhere between Nevernever Land and under my bed, and possessed a nearly insatiable hunger for young children and Billy goats gruff (a peculiar appetite, I concede; but then again, I eat Ramen for breakfast and Jack Daniels for dinner, so define normal.)

Regardless, it has come to my attention that, like most of my prepubescent “definite truths,” my knowledge of trolls was about as accurate as the existence of the deadly “cootie” plague I once thought would prevent me from ever seeing second grade. However, unlike the Tooth Fairy (A.K.A. my mom) and The Boogie Man (oddly enough, my mom as well), trolls do exist: they live under the outdated arches of U.S patent law, and feed off nothing but other people’s intuitiveness and hard earned money.

With the ever increasing technological advances of our day and age, inventors and distributors are finding their progress along the bridge of American success stunted by the ever pesky patent troll. Coined by former Intel assistant general counsel Peter Detkin, a patent troll is a company that, instead of actually developing technology, aims at registering and acquiring patents on potential technologies. Then, once another company actually develops said technology (and this could occur years later), the “troll” will sue in an effort to receive some obscene and entirely unearned out-of-court settlement and/or royalty agreement. An escalating hindrance for many pioneering tech firms, the issue has come to the public eye in light of the recent lawsuit against Research in Motion (RIM), the distributor of the ever-popular and trendy BlackBerry devices.

NTP is a holding company created in 1992 to manage specific patents belonging to electrical engineer Thomas Campana (Campana recently passed away in June of 2004). NTP has been in a fickle court battle with RIM over certain patents held by NTP that are violated by the BlackBerry. The focus of the suit is over patent #5,436,960: “Electronic mail system with RF communications to mobile processors and method of operation thereof,” or essentially, a wireless and portable e-mailing system.

Let me preface my rant with an important admittance: I am not an expert on patent law; my expertise is limited to areas covering obscure music, random sports statistics and Wes Anderson movies. My understanding of the legal intricacies of this particular case, as well as patent law as a whole, is sparse. However, I can say that the information I have provided thus far is entirely factual (excluding all that cootie rhetoric), and that two other pieces of information are both valid and vital when analyzing the case: a) The patent NTP is suing over was registered in 1991, and b) RIM just settled the suit by agreeing to pay NTP $612.5 million. And now, let the rant ensue.

America was built on the ideal that, unlike our European and Medieval predecessors, social mobility was within everyone’s grasp. If you worked hard you could make an honest living, even rise above the rest, no matter what socio-economic class you were born into; for the first time, the “sky” was truly the limit. Although a seemingly unoriginal concept, much like a patent the belief at the time was novel- perhaps ingenious. This ideal fueled hard work and innovation amongst the working class. To support intuitive and inventive efforts, the government instituted patent laws to help successful inventors protect their ideas and make sure they received proper compensation. Patents were created so that people were motivated to invent things like light bulbs, telephones, automobiles and Playstations. Patents are in place so when a company like RIM is the first company to successfully create, market and distribute a device that harnesses the technology for portable, wireless e-mailing, they can reap the financial windfall of said accomplishment. Patents are not in place so that companies like NTP (a.k.a. No Talent Patent trolls) can blanket patents on ideas they can’t feasibly back up with neither the necessary financial commitment nor the technological know-how, and simply sit back and wait for others to do the dirty work for them. This, my friends, is not the American way.

Suffice it to say, this is hardly a one-time incident. Threatening letters from aspiring patent trolls are said to be arriving at top Silicon Valley offices at rate of over a dozen a month. Following on the coattails of the BlackBerry settlement is MercExchange. A small e-commerce company, MercExchange is suing auction-giant Ebay over the use of Ebay’s “Buy It Now” feature, a concept which MercExchange claims to have patented.

Herein lies the root of the epidemic (well, besides innate human greed): the number and legitimacy of patents being issued. The U.S. patent office reports that, since 1985, the annual number of patent applications have tripled, while the annual number of patents granted in the same period have more than doubled. The proliferation of patent activity has lead to a slew of questionable patents being registered. While the author of this article would simply point to the Ebay case as proof of over-patenting (is creating an option that supercedes days and days of bidding on a site that handles billions of auction transactions truly that innovative- or is it simply common sense?), more convincing evidence exists. For example, in 1997, an “inventor” actually received a patent for a new method of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Apparently, some whiz kid decided it was a better idea to spread the peanut butter with a spoon as opposed to the standard serrated-knife, and is anxiously awaiting for the first six-year old to foolishly fringe on his intellectual property.

Truth be told, I don’t know the exact nature of the new PB&J method (although somehow I doubt my example is far-off). What this all boils down to is a stark need for patent reform in this country. Don’t get me wrong: Patents are necessary; in fact, I’m pro-patents. Patents encourage creativity and invention, and also help prevent large companies from stealing truly innovative ideas from smaller companies that simply need time to gather investors in support of the project. I once had a friend in grade school who claimed he was close to getting a great idea patented, but Nike stole it from him. While I feel the story was more evidence of some combination of coincidental thinking and youthful exaggeration than actual idea-theft, the principle concept remains. Patents nourish ingenuity and are one of the primary reasons for the exponential technological advancement our nation has experienced. However, unless our government institutes necessary patent reform, patents will begin having the opposite effect. Instead of fueling creativity, people will become afraid that every time they pursue some new and original idea, some troll will come along and snatch all the profits….. and the Billy goats as well.

Speaking of....

2006-03-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (see previous blog), I edited my second Wikipedia article today. While I had orginally intended on creating an entry for the band on wikipedia, i found that one has been made.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clap_Your_Hands_Say_Yeah

I added the following sentence to the article:
"The band, which started out by playing weekly shows at Pianos <http://www.pianosnyc.com/> in NYC, shunned multiple distribution offers as they rose to fame (CYHSY sold over 45,000 copies of their self-titled debut album out of manager Dave Godowsky's apartment)."

I think it's fairly self-explanatory.

<3 Alec Ounsworth,

Bob Levine

Frigid Chimpanzees

2006-03-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

I'm actually a big fan of the Arctic Monkeys. I... um.... acquired their CD after its UK release, and pre-US release. A couple of my friends are seeing them sometime soon, I think tonight actually, at the Starlite Ballroom in Philly. I just saw a band called Animal Collective there, and was going to see the Arctic Monkeys too, but I'm currently on Long Island for Spring Break and the geography of the situation proved less then favorable.

Anyway, as alluded to in class, the Arcitic Monkeys used a unique Buzz Marketing strategy (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/31/earlyshow/leisure/music/main1259530.shtml). The band's major focus was to get their music out there anyway they could and, essentially, letting the product sell itself. They gave early EP's away at concerts, posted their music on the internet, and urged fans to spread, share and regal in the entrancing sounds of guitar-driven, post-modern British punk rock. The viral marketing scheme allowed the Arctic Monkey to break all British records for CD sales in its first week of release.*

For all our American classmates, jealous of the British music scenes seemingly advanced intuitiveness, be eased by the knowledge that a nearly identical “musical happening” occurred on the right side of the Atlantic, as well. New York based phenomenon Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was featured on the cover of the December ‘05 issue of TimeOut magazine, proclaimed as the “Band of the Year.” (http://www.timeout.com/newyork/Details.do?page=7&xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles1/535/features/leap_year.xml) As the group gained popular in the edgy New York City music scene, they continually shunned distribution offers in favor of relying on “word of mouth” marketing and distributing CD’s out of the band’s managers’ less than spacious New York apartment. They rose to indie-stardom in much the same way the Arctic Monkeys did, by relying on the product (their music) to sell itself- and their currently enjoying the hefty financial windfall of successful self-distribution (in other words, they cut out the middle man, and made a ton of money). On a personal note, Clay Your Hands Say Yeah are awesome. One of my favorite groups, after touring nationally and internationally, they have scheduled yet another US tour due to popular demand (it kicked off in Philly on March 7th at the Theatre of Living Arts….. very cool people were in attendance, trust me). Check out their singles “Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” and “This Home on Ice.” You won’t be disappointed.

*I feel responsible to note that, while the Arctic Monkeys did sell more CD's in the first week then legendary UK products such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, facts such as these should be viewed relative to economic and music industry strength at the time of said release. If I read one more egocentric blog from some teenage, acne ridden Brit about how the Arctic Monkeys are the greatest thing since sliced bread, I’m going to be forced to burn all my Oasis CD’s in protest (it should also be noted that, the same people who claim that the Arctic Monkeys’ are better than the Beatles also claimed Oasis was better; obviously, neither claim holds much ground).

Price Discrimination

2006-03-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

So a couple classes ago out esteemed professor and I entered into a mini-debate concerning Amazon.com's alledged price discrimination. Essentially, Amazon was charging different consumers different prices for the same prodcut. "Price Discrminiation" is defined by a textbook I have for my Retail and Supply Chain Management class as:

Occurring when two retailers buy an identical amount of "like grade and quality" merchandise from the same suppplier but pay different prices.

The debate regarded around the legality of price discrimination and the actions of Amazon.com's actions. I have come to two conclusions: A) Price discrimination is illegal. There are various laws prohibiting it, including the Robinson-Patman Act. For a detailed description of Price discrimination check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discrimination, which provides an indepth look at price discrmination, including how it applies to things such as "haggling" and even "ladie's night." The second conclusion is that, B) if infact Amazon was charging new users cheaper prices to increase business, it may not necessarily be illegal. Price discrimination is a subjective and amigious leagal area, and laws evolve with court decisions. The out come of the case, if purused as part of a class-action law suit by Amazon users, should set new precdents in regards to price discrimination law.

Yes i have a serious side too,

Bob

Origami for dummies

2006-03-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

So i'm reading this blog from slashdot (http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/24/1734257&from=rss) and it talks about a new project from Microsoft deemed "The Origami Project." Like the diligent student I often claim to be , i did a little bit of extra research on the upcoming technological innovation from Microsoft, the same company that brought us Windows and the affable DVD How I Dropped Out of High School and Became More Powerful than Napoleon: The Bill Gates Story. A quick and relatively painless google search lead me to these two articles:

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1931209,00.asp
http://news.com.com/2061-10791_3-6053354.html

It turns out the Origami Project is Mircrosoft's attempt at creating an "ultra-portable device" that could essesntially "do it all", competing with cell phones, Ipods and laptops alike. This potential category killer should come as little surprise to anyone who's followed Microsoft, as Gates is no stranger in attempting to monopolize markets. Check the links for preliminary pictures of the device (one, if not both, have them i think).

My Microsoft Origami could kick your Swan Origami's ass,

Bob

Is you're 6-month old brita filter flashing red, too?

2006-03-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

So Toby from Diva Marketing posted an enlightening blog concerning World Water Day (http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/2006/03/a.html). Apparently, 14,000 people each year die from unsafe drinking water. This number raised an eyebrow or two, at least for me, for a number of reasons. First off, that's alot of people dying. Seriously. For that many people to be dying each year due to the inability to harness earth's most abundant and easily acessed resource, well, it just shows how far-reaching the "digital divide" stretches. Secondly (and more self-indulgently), Me and my roommates attatched a brita filter to my sink to cleanse the drinking water. It worked for about 4 months (indicated by the green light), but has been flashing red ever since. Predictably, the alarming red light has done little to stop our usage of said fliter- especially on those saturday mornings when dehydration is at an all time high. In light have the alarming statistics, I would like to thank Toby for motivating me to buy a new filter and stop poisoning my body with unsafe drinking water... I will, however, continue to poison in other manners (i.e. Video games, Jerry Springer, Chuck Klosterman Essays, and Jack Daniels).

<3 Auquafina, now more than ever,

Bob

Wikipedi-atic

2006-02-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

So i created a page on Wikipedia about this public relations firm i worked at over the sumer, "Sally Fischer PR." It was..... fun? Sure. We did this that and the other and everyone had a relatively enjoyable time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Fischer_Public_Relations

Also, check out http://www.10xmedia.com/. It's this communications site i'm doing an offsite writing internship with that's killing my social life. This blog is the most social thing i've done in a week.... seriously.

<3 blogs, now more than ever
Bob

how cold is zero degrees farenheit and 40 mph winds really?

2006-02-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

I went to the Adirondaks this weekend. My good friend has a quaint little cabin nestled somewhere in said mountainous region. We go there every few months to "get away from it all", so to speak. While I enjoyed my stay and have few regrets (I rarely have regrets, they seem arduous and counterproductive), something needs to be said for being so cold you can't even fathom externalizing the feeling. You walk five feet away from the firepit (and we set up a sick firepit), and you don't just get cold, you feel pain. Everyone says "I'm so cold i'm NUMB!", but they don't realize that's a good thing. It's much better than saying "I'm so cold that my pinky toes feels like it's being processed by some Mideval torture device." Regardless, the trip was good fun and I finally got to read High Fidelity, which has been on my "checklist of thing you know you should do" for some time.

(Side note: Upon returning to my apartment in delaware and enduring the aforementioned brisk conditions, I discovered my heat was turned off due to unpaid bills. I can't help but relish in the irony of the situation.)

As always, <3 blogs,

Bob

test blog

2006-02-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

<3 blogs