Friday, November 28, 2008

Content restrictions

It seems every couple of years (about two) I return to this very same question. Why do DVD makers have the need to regionalize their releases? In that respect we can also add why certain content over the internet is not available for specific locales. I seriously don't see the point.
  • Obviously there's a market for getting content cross-continent. Doesn't matter if it's a television series box set for a show that's brilliant, but in the infinite wisdom of the networks over here we do not receive it. Could also be a simple, funny youtube video, which just happens to be viewable only in the United States. People all over the world want to see it, why are they stopped? Can't be censorship, (at least because we're not in China) because I don't see how this content could possibly violate any moral laws. It's just 30 Rock for chrissakes.
  • If you just want to make a (import) buck via customs, yeah that will work. Basically that's the only rational explanation I can imagine for having non-free cross-continent flow of content. If you would not have any restrictions whether to view content, play the DVD, play the game or whatnot, customs agencies and governments wouldn't be able to tax it, thus losing out on some income. Essentially the restrictions generate cashflow, and I understand that. But why does the government arbitrarily make certain content unfeasible (e.g. Pandora.com, certain NBC television shows etc.) to reach? Why yes to "Two and a half men", but no to "How I met your mother", an infinitely better show?
  • Even if a producer is angry with networks from a certain country to not buy a particular series, why would the consumer be to blame? If the consumer wants to have this content, let him bloody reach it. He will pay for it himself. Cut out the middle man.
So all in all, I find a couple of things disconcerting about these restrictions.

The restrictions on content seem arbitrary. Decisions which make certain content available in one region and not the other unreasonably prohibit flow of information, and prevent opportunities for consumerism. If the producer does not believe there's a market for particular content, why should that be the consumer's problem? If he restricts the content right out of the gate (I blame you, WWE), he does not allow the market to develop anyway. Ergo, self-fulfilling prophecy.

If countries want to tax content, sure, but do it to ALL available content. Put a levy on internet accounts. Put a flat rate on all goods imported. Don't make the laziness of the government the problem of the market.

If a country wants to prohibit certain content for fundamental reasons (I'm thinking of countries like China or particular Muslim countries; or morally offensive content such as child abuse, racial extremist doctrines), it should. But at least in this case you'd have a clear case why certain content is banned. It's against the law.

My problem is with restricting content which clearly is not against the law, now or ever. If legislation hasn't caught up to something new yet, then government is lazy. A government might want to protect certain producers within the own nation's borders against foreign influx (for example, Holland would have to protect the Volendam music industry). I say it's not the role of government to do so. The market should decide if content is viable or not. And if particular valuable content is in danger of dying out, you can subsidize it. You've done so with the Arts, with farm goods, with car manufacturing, so why not with music, movies, television and games?

My problem is I'm not allowed to use my Pandora.com. It's pissing me off for almost two years now. Just because some fat cat music label can't control its assets over the internet? Just because government has no overview over what gets broadcast?

I mean, c'mon! It's just freakin' music. Pop music for that matter.

Greedy, lazy bastards.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Ignore of be indifferent

I did say conflict was the greatest motivator for mankind to get forward, but a bombing, a kidnapping as they're doing right now in Mumbai is overdoing it.

Thing is, it's rather quiet on the news front west of the Indian Ocean. Yes, it's the headline news. Yes, it is a terrorist attack. Yes, we've got the condemnment from Bush (for whatever it's worth). But where's the 24-hour broadcast? Where's the righteous indignation? Where's the minute of silence? Was it too early? Is it too far off? Or is the media not cramming it down our throats much?

There's people who would like to keep the peace, and there's the people who are looking and actively seeking out conflict. Seems like the latter ones get what they want by default, unless they can't find anyone with a viewpoint different from theirs. Because then everybody will be indifferent to your plight.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Some random observations from the City

  • Why is there this obsession with being on guestlists? It doesn't help (much), all it does is anger the bouncer (because he has to look up your name in the list, which means: more work), and frankly guestlists don't help keeping legit customers in and bums out. Eventually anyone who pays, gets in. The only thing that really works, is if the bouncer knows YOU.
  • Most of the hip places in the City are so hip, they don't advertise. Their name doesn't appear anywhere on the building. There are no flyers. There's only a crowd, music, and two half-naked models in the doorway. Too bad it's an Abercrombie & Fitch store.
  • So that's where they keep all the hot stewardesses.
  • Truest thing I've heard all week is from a guy, who doesn't have e-mail, doesn't own a computer, and has the simplest and most basic of mobile phones. All his relationship-building is via letter, or postcard. And nothing works better. Just the right amount of attention, timeliness and prioritization.
  • Well, I guess English (-like) is spoken 90 percent of the time, but there's a strong Spanish community in the City as well. And I'm pretty sure I heard Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Italian and Portuguese. But I'm quite surprised I kept meeting people at least once every single day, who spoke Dutch.
  • Seriously. If you're going to look like that in my home as well, I'm buying every single bottle of Baileys in your display.
  • Is the City a good place to have children? It's a bit crowded I think, but more to the point, it tends to go back to what your ideal picture of growing up is. If you feel that children should have room to play around, in a safe and easy-going environment, I don't think the City is where you should be at. If you think children should be able to enjoy the richness of what the City has to offer in terms of culture, sports, sights and sounds, than you're not so bad off.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

An example of bad planning

Seriously. We have these commercials for the air traffic control, in which basically you are invited to sign up, but only if you have great intelligence, spatial insight, great prioritization skills, mathematical expertise and so on and so forth. You'd have to be freakin' Superman to be an air traffic controller.

I sure hope these guys and girls didn't have the bright idea to let a Pakistani flight AND an Indian flight depart from the same terminal in Kennedy International airport, within half an hour of each other. WHO FOR CHRISSAKES CAME UP WITH THAT IDEA?! You're talking about two mortal enemies, each of which carries nearly an entire household and a religious shrine on his back, and you expect each flight to depart on time?!

For that matter, what about the OTHER flights that are supposed to depart around the same time, say domestic flights or long haul flights. I know for a fact at least one passenger was held up by security of the Indians and Pakistanis for so long, he missed his flight.

Lesson to be learned: Do Not Mix More Problems Together Than You Can Handle

Friday, November 21, 2008

No Money For The Rich

With the credit crisis and the plunge in the stock markets, people are starting to reassess their money. I shall repeat again, I don't get how money works, but I have been writing about that enough already. However, I do believe I found what my personal goal should be. I should reach a level of comfort which allows me to go around without needing a single dollar of euro.

If everybody just gives me stuff (like drinks, food, concert tickets), let's me through (customs, trains, planes) I don't need a single buck to my name. I'm sure that's how Paris Hilton and Kim Kardshian do it. People just give them designer dresses to wear, let's them in the hippest clubs, and travel them anywhere they want. Strangely they are rich beyond believe, but without really needing to.

I'm sure people will give me lots of stuff, if I'm just nice or of value to them. But usually only after I've been best friends with them for ten years or so. Now I don't have time to get those relationships with the grocer, the hairdresser, the Circuit City guy, the Abercrombie chick and the KLM stewardess. And to be honest, I don't have the reputation that gets me a relationship based on adoration from the start.

So that's why cash is necessary. Cash allows me to skip building relationships for goods and services. That also goes for me. I get some money, and I do you a service. But if I know you well, I'm more inclined in giving you stuff, or taking you somewhere for free. All this goes back to a measure of relationships and trust. The more people trust each other, the less money is necessary.

This is what went wrong in the financial market. People have lost trust in each other, making it much more expensive to get things around, up to the point where no transactions can be completed anymore.

It will be sometime before we build enough trust again, so that normal transactions can be performed. Usually it takes a psychological barrier to get to that level. Something like New Years. That's also the moment where I think things will start to get better, sometime next year.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Joy of Marching to Hell

Frank Klepacki seems to have the ear of the video game player. Ever since he composed/performed the main theme for Red Alert, millions of RA fans live by his music. Called Hell March, the theme builds up slow with the jackboot of Russian soldiers, then explodes with a guitar riff that will blow your socks off.

In Red Alert 2 he re-did his main theme and came up with Hell March 2, which was even better than its predecessor. It was slightly slower in BPM, but this time builds up a story. You can actually close your eyes and feel the Soviet army descend upon your home. Once the theme hits the full bass, goose bumps will roll over your body, and your arms start pumping the air.

Klepacki came back to reprise his role as composer of Hell March in Red Alert 3, and he made it just as good as the first and second one. Again the shivers come down your spine, as you can see the Imperial Armada hit landfall. It has greatly slowed down, but definitely has its own character, while simultaneously having an instant recognizability. Just too bad they had to do this strange remix in the run-up to the game's release, which almost killed it for me. But for the third straight time Klepacki has been able to make an incredible themesong, which captured the minds of RTS players around the world.

Klepacki is God.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

How GTA IV and Reality collide

Grand Theft Auto IV is quite a videogame, depicting the environment and the simulated life of Liberty City, which in itself is quite strongly based on New York. The parallels between the two places are obvious. Both have a Statue (of Happiness), a big (Middle) Park in the middle, a heavily advertised (Times) Square and so on and so forth. The parallels were so strong, I had actually considered pulling someone out from his car.

But GTA IV has some weird quirks that are even more realistic than intended I think:
  • One part of the game is that you can forge relationships with a number of people. You can take them places, eat out with them or go out drinking. But YOU always have to pick them up, they will NEVER offer to drive themselves, and in fact most of them don't even bother to have a car. Also the guy friends you entertain might give you a suggestion what to do, but not where they want to go exactly. And then they start complaining about you driving fast.
  • GTA IV is known for parodying American life. But some of its parodies hit a little close to home. Psychics who withhold information, unless you pay them. "Weazel News" that provides unbiased and balanced news, as long as it encourages the own opinion. Blacks fighting with Jamaicans, fighting with Russians, fighting with Koreans etc.
GTA IV is not like reality. It's more than that.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Taking a little too much credit

We have had quite the history-making week; Sunday Lewis Hamilton became the youngest Formula One world champion in history, and the first black world champion in a major racing championship.
Tuesday night Barack Obama won the presidential elections, and became the first black President-elect in U.S. history. The world was overjoyed. Parties were held, drinks were had. People made ecstatic calls to their loved ones.

Except neither Hamilton nor Obama are black. Both are men from mixed heritage, who got their monikers from people who wanted to see them in their camp. The very fact they won however, has nothing to do with their allegiance, it has everything to do with being able to see things from both perspectives. They have both perspectives, because they are. Calling them black, just because they aren't white seems a bit misguided.