Archive for

June 2009

Bee Herd

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I bet most people imagine that if they expressed their voice through the power of the Internet, people would listen, people would care. And maybe, just maybe, fame and fortune would come with it. With Twitter being the next big thing, I don't see many realizing their dream. When I look at the tweets out there for a certain topic, hoping to get a different - possibly wider view from the media, I'm deeply unmoved. Do those tweeters think they're doing anyone a favour by retweeting the news? Let me give you an example. I wanted to hear what regular people thought about the new Amercan Energy Bill. Would anyone have something insightful to say? Perhaps it's difficult with only 140 characters, but most of the tweets said simply - energy bill passed. So?


Hold on, I do have to give Twitter credit for providing me the first news that Michael Jackson had died, but I discovered it because I follow CTV Calgary, our local news channel. (I still don't trust the Internet as a reliable news source unless it's from a company that has a policy of fact checking). I've personally seen lies written and no one held accountable for them. If lies were written in the New York Times, heads would be rolling.

Anyway.... I regress. Sorry.

People, please have an opinion. Does being politically correct = don't have an opinion different than...well, anyone? Let's be grateful we have freedom of speech and can twitter to our hearts delight without fear of government imprisonment. (Iran)

Yes, you may be asking who really cares what I think? Possibly no one other than my family, because they would all be in the dog house if mumma's not happy. But, it actually doesn't matter.

It's having a voice that counts. Even if no one reads this. I'm happy to write what's on my mind.

And just you wait till my juicy biography comes out. I know more than a few people out there who will care then. And if you (yeah, you know who I'm talking about) get any ideas about silencing me before it's released, well. My finished biography is safely floating around in a boat with a reliable Caribbean fisherman whose been instructed to release it to the press if he doesn't receive my monthly phone call. ;)

Camille Gross-Sikorsky

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Wizard of Oz was a Real Human

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To all of you who get tired of people complaining about software / websites / apps that cost money:

I'm having a little rant here after hearing another person complain about ads on the internet while at the same time, expecting everything to be free. And also after hearing how a friend of ours had his little $1.99 iPhone game get thousands of pirated downloads.

To all of you who think that software / websites / apps should be free:

Why don't you work for free?

Why doesn't anyone expect a movie or a chocolate bar or a plumber to be free while for various reasons the masses expect software, games, internet sites etc. to be free.

My guess is that they've been programed to expect it.
I used to. I didn't quite get that it was a real person behind it all. I thought for some reason because most software / websites / apps were free that it must be really easy to do what they do.
Wow, was I ever wrong. It requires tons of brains and skill and man-hours to do what the people behind those products do. Just because the other guys are fixing your toilet or giving you something you can taste or feel doesn't mean the non-tactile products / services are worth anything less. You'll also find, you'll have a really hard time getting someone non-related to fix your toilet for free.

I'm sure another reason is that digital goods can be mass produced easily, so the public thinks that stealing is ok (these guys make too much money anyway). Even a few of the good 'christian' people I know think pirating software is ok when they would never even think of short-changing the bus driver.

Yet another reason is that they can. It's relatively easy to steal digital content while kidnapping a plumber to fix your toilet will only find yourself in deep doo-doo.

I have a feeling that something will change. Too many businesses are turning to the internet. Can they all really make it on ads alone? Will the public pay to avoid ads? I don't think so. Where is the happy medium?

I'm sure this story will unfold in the next ten years. Tipjoy is a beginning.

Camille Gross-Sikorsky

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