Chris ODonnell (profile), Sep 10th, 2012 @ 12:58pm
Not just record companies
This is pretty much standard operating procedure for any commercial contract. Require a venue convenient for business providing the contract to make it inconvenient for the other party to sue.
I haven't touched my Kindle in a couple of months, and I don't expect to use again anytime soon. I've gotten into reading the Travis McGee novels from the 60s and 70s. They aren't available on the Kindle, and even if they were, I'm sure they would be $9.99 each. I'm quite happy to give my money to a used book store via Abebooks.com and pay about $3 each after shipping for used copies of the books.
I might pay a little more for the convenience of an immediate digital download for the Kindle, but there is no way I'm paying 300% more over the cost of a used paperback.
My son starts college in 2 days, (holy crap!) I'm fairly certain some of the schools recruiting him were just doing it to get him to apply so they could bump up their numbers. Percentage accepted is one of the things US News & World Report looks at, so schools do massive direct mail campaigns trying to jack up the application numbers so they can reject more kids and look good in the rankings.
I just finished the Steve Jobs biography. I checked it out from the library. I would have happily paid $14.99 for the Kindle version had it been DRM free and had it been loanable. It was neither, so I went on the library waiting list.
I did buy John Scalzi's new book RedShirts for the Kindle. Guess what it doesn't have?
Owning that rifle in DC is almost certainly illegal. Owning anything more lethal than a cap gun is illegal in DC. He is probably lucky he wasn't arrested when he called it in.
When I went that route with DISH they came up with a $14.99 a month plan that includes local channels, Comedy Central, History, Discover, HGTV and The Food Network (for my wife, really!) CNN, and a few others. Given that I live 50 miles from the TV transmitters and was going to have to invest $400 for a suitable roof top antenna with amplifiers and all that, sticking with the service at that price wasn't such a bad deal.
Chris ODonnell (profile), Jul 30th, 2012 @ 11:31am
Speaking of Google, I got a 60 cent settlement check in an Adwords related class action suit several weeks ago. I just happened to have a couple of other checks to deposit so I went ahead and cashed the stupid 60 cent check.
For $10 you can have a VPN connection to London and be watching the events live via the BBC. I watched fencing live both Saturday and Sunday morning, with no sign of Bob Costas or Matt Lauer anywhere.
Chris ODonnell (profile), Jun 20th, 2012 @ 12:28pm
I get to work every day via informal carpooling, or as it is called in DC, slugging. They are expanding the carpool lanes and putting in a congestion based dynamic toll system, we are told will still remain free for carpools of 3 or more. Today, we aren't costing anybody revenue by hitchiking to the Pentagon each day, and slugging is not only tolerated it is outright supported. I wonder if that will change when every car loaded with three passengers is viewed as three potential toll payers?
Actually, I think Dooce predates the Kardashian's by a few years. Her blog was hilarious back in the day - really some of the best humor writing available online. But I think she peaked about 5 years ago, coincidentally about the time she started making a real living with the blog.
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Not just record companies
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I might pay a little more for the convenience of an immediate digital download for the Kindle, but there is no way I'm paying 300% more over the cost of a used paperback.
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I did buy John Scalzi's new book RedShirts for the Kindle. Guess what it doesn't have?
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Forbes...
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