http://www.alisonw.com/2009/01/29/socialising-people/feed/Socialising+people 2011-07-30T16:26:15+00:00 Chyrp tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-07-30:/id/250//comment_4054 2011-07-30T16:26:15+00:00 2011-07-30T16:26:15+00:00 Dan http://danrosenthal.org Anon — you're so utterly wrong it hurts. You seem to have clearly drank the "BIG LABEL MUSIC IS THE ONLY MUSIC" kool-aid.<br /><br />Alison — iTunes' changes to previews of audiotracks, making them a bit longer, was welcome. However the problem is that they don't give you the entire flavor of the song. Using your Bohemian Rhapsody example, which 30 second or 60 second clip gives you the best preview. The intro acapella? "Momma.....oooooo, didn't mean to make you cry....?" the bridge? The guitar solo? I'm still waiting for a music service to allow me to pick WHICH segment I want to listen to. If they did that, I wouldn't mind whatsoever if it was limited to 30 seconds. In fact, it would be a good metric — if someone is listening to multiple different 30-second segments of a song, that could be a good indicator that they are at the very least interested in that particular track enough to consider buying it. tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-07-30:/id/250//comment_4053 2011-07-30T15:31:08+00:00 2011-07-30T15:27:00+00:00 Alison Wheeler http://alisonw.com Much of what you say, Anon, does indeed make sense (though shame on the 'Anon' there as I've always believed comment is best made under some handle, whether a 'real' name or otherwise) but I would disagree with your assertion that <em>"[the] try-before-you-buy argument doesn't make any sense"</em>. Except where I've bought from a 'remainder' section at very cheap prices I've always wanted to hear something from an album by performers I've not heard before, and the 10-15 seconds 'extract' that some sales sites make available is meaningless in that regard. You would not, for example, get a meaningful understanding of <em>Bohemian Rhapsody</em> from *any* 15 second extract, and that applies to many other songs and pieces out there. And if I want to hear the performance as intended a bitrate-limited clip isn't going to help me.<br /><br />I'll agree that there needs to be an improved method of getting new acts out into the wild, but many performers are now bypassing the labels entirely, using Bandcamp and other sites directly for themselves. <br /><br />There has been a sea change in the music industry as regards effective distribution and business models, yet the major labels are failing to be aware of what makes sense in the modern 'always on' world for <em>their</em> bottom line. tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-07-30:/id/250//comment_4052 2011-07-30T16:37:28+00:00 2011-07-30T15:09:18+00:00 Anon Great article, in complete denial of reality/facts.<br /><br />There is little future for independent music with the current system, if there was a glimmer of truth to your assertions we would not be seeing the results we are :<br /><br />http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/021511tenthousand http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12120789 http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2010.pdf<br /><br />Look at what has happened to our homegrown talent; the indie labels are dieing, the releases have dropped to record lows and there's little new intake. Only rock dinosaurs are making enough money to live off, and even the popstars need a career in TV or film to make it work. This means that the aspiring 17 year old musician that makes anything but pop electro house is pretty much screwed, and should really consider a career elsewhere. You may find this situation acceptable, but for many it is a musical ghetto, with few positive points and little in the way of progress or experimentation, except in the case of a few well-established artists (Bjork, Trent Reznor, Radiohead, etc).<br /><br />The only people who this system benefits are large companies who are big enough to have large advertising spends and can profit from 360 deals. Everyone else is screwed, that's why music is made quicker, with less care taken - it simply isn't a profitable artform any more. The only exception is the Stock, Aitken & Waterman business model of music by design. As such, expect more companies like Syco, who specialize in using disposable music as a platform to create stars, then using that profile to advertise third party products. That isn't a system that would give you another Hendrix, Pink Floyd or Joni Mitchell; they simply wouldn't be commercially viable artists in such an environment. I'm afraid you've made an argument for lowest-common-denominator art, and the implications are that this is the first generation in 40 years that can't make a reasonable living off of music alone.<br /><br />The try-before-you-buy argument doesn't make any sense and is contrary to the rise in popularity of uncompressed file formats, such as FLAC or APE. If you want a quick listen to something, you go to Youtube, Amazon, AMG or perhaps Spotify; why would you need to download 400Mb albums to trial it? It's not instant, or easy and there are many ways to trial music for free now.<br /><br />To me, your article was an unpleasant excuse for your own behaviour, that cites a guy from one of the companies that has profited from taking the work of independent musicians without compensation. You're justifying the theft of pension of old session guys that gave the world great joy for many years and the musicians of tomorrow alike. Just because you and Google think it's OK, it doesn't make it so. tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-06-28:/id/245//comment_3172 2011-06-28T20:56:14+00:00 2011-06-28T20:56:14+00:00 Liberal Neil http://http:// You are right about how annoying it is. I enjoyed Stargate Universe, partly because it was a slow burn, but there doesn't seem to be much patience amongst TV Executives. Another excelent series, Rubicon, is also about to finish its first series and has been axed. It has also been a fairly slow moving drama, but very well produced and acted. tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-02-18:/id/225//comment_2173 2011-02-18T02:28:40+00:00 2011-02-18T02:28:40+00:00 Alison Wheeler http://alisonw.com This is superbly well done and it took some time to work out how it was done. The — very slight — clues are in the shadows or lack thereof, especially when he moves around, and the delays in the blue liquid going behind a pillar and 'continuing' out the other side. tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-01-31:/id/217//comment_2101 2011-01-31T16:42:06+00:00 2011-01-31T16:42:06+00:00 Forum Bebe http://bebe-club.com/ <strong>Forum Bebe</strong> With thanks for yet another first-rate article. I am always doing research for super advices to recommend to my own readers. Thank you for creating this article. It’s precisely what I was in search of. Truly good post. tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-01-23:/id/213//comment_2073 2011-01-23T17:18:48+00:00 2011-01-23T17:18:48+00:00 mainframeguy Speaking of observations, did you hear that a couple of nutters(?) BASE jumped from the Shard? There is one picture (believable too, since very slight image and unlikely photoshop) somewhere and a lot of people saw them, wondering if you did? I may browse further back, but just wanted to say I spent New Year firstly alarmed to hear of the demise of Chyrp! and then relieved to discover it's resurrection! I had not followed what was going on and wondered if you had and if you were thinking to blog on the subject? tag:www.alisonw.com,2011-01-09:/id/218//comment_2035 2011-01-09T22:52:33+00:00 2011-01-09T22:52:33+00:00 Franzi68 http://www.tarif24.de/ I totally agree with your. You won't have a second chance for your first impression. It is quite easy to make a good first impression though if little things like you explained are considered. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-12-15:/id/210//comment_1977 2010-12-15T14:52:46+00:00 2010-12-15T14:52:46+00:00 Chrisio http://www.strom-gastrends.de/ The weather in Germany is not even betther then in London. But it isn't that cold in our business rooms as in your ones. :-D -> "for warmth the whole server room" tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-12-14:/id/209//comment_1973 2010-12-14T13:58:05+00:00 2010-12-14T13:58:05+00:00 Alison Wheeler http://alisonw.com Love it! The list I was offered to select from was, unsurprisingly, restrictive so didn't include such options, but I regularly have fresh bratwurst and other choice delicacies and a fond memory is walking around the food floor at KaDeWe some years ago. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-12-08:/id/209//comment_1960 2010-12-08T11:37:23+00:00 2010-12-08T11:37:23+00:00 Franz http://www.monetengeier24.de Hi Alison, I would have had the same problems when answering the question. These days it is hard to tell exactly what kind of cuisine it is as there is more and more fusion going on which makes it very interesting. What about german food, do you like it? tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-10-08:/id/202//comment_1840 2010-10-08T14:12:24+00:00 2010-10-08T10:26:02+00:00 Vicky Ayech http://http:// I am torn between agreeing. The couple getting 95k a year because they have lots of kids is obviously wrong. But on the other hand if nobody has the kids and mostly pays for them (child benefit doesn't cover it) and goes through the hassle too then who will care for us and run things when we are older or sicker and need doctors, nurses, dustmen etc? We need the future generations.<br /><br />Also peoples circumstances change. Maybe they have 3 kids and then split up and she has to manage or he loses his job. I think there should be some help for those on low incomes. Giving it to those on incomes over x level is silly. Although of course they too are funding our need for workers of the future. <br /><br />The trouble is we need to cut down and whoever gets the cut screams. And yes Labour would have had to do most of this stuff or not done it and left us deeper in doodoo. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-10-07:/id/201//comment_1822 2010-10-07T18:48:03+00:00 2010-09-25T16:04:02+00:00 Eleanor McHugh http://feyeleanor.tel Diaspora reminds me of what Romek and I were trying to do with dotTel back in 2006. We had the DNS sorted, we had the security sorted, and between us we had three decades of coding experience including my bitchin' hot deep-geek Ruby skills and his intimate knowledge of OpenSSL. The very fact the Diaspora crew raised so much money is proof of how desirable such a distributed system would be, but it's just not that simple a problem to solve without reinventing the very walled garden that makes Facebook etc. so damn frustrating. I just hope their failure inspires others to step up to the mark. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-08-18:/id/181//comment_1757 2010-08-18T13:57:46+00:00 2010-08-18T13:57:46+00:00 Tagesgeld Anlage http://finanzwissen.germanblogs.de/ It cannot be true that the Mayor of London wants to replace the current buses by those ugly transporters. The charme of the buses so far was that they were neither new nor spacy nor futuristic in any way. And how can he even think of spending so much money for something that does not even properly replace what there is now? Some of the London streets are so narrow and the junctions tight that the busdrivers do a really good job in passing them savely. So how can this work with even broader and longer buses? Really can't understand. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-08-17:/id/192//comment_1756 2010-08-17T14:16:01+00:00 2010-08-17T14:16:01+00:00 Alison Wheeler http://alisonw.com Tweeted response from Lynne: <em> lfeatherstone: @AlisonW Holly Lodge has gates-first defence-and ticketing better alternative which is properly regulated and a proportionate punishment </em> tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-07-22:/id/188//comment_1636 2010-07-22T00:37:33+00:00 2010-07-22T00:37:33+00:00 Rax Lakhani http://raxraxrax.com Without a doubt, the original was the best version. The worst was the Paul McGann theme tune - 8th Doctor. (4mins16) tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-05-12:/id/177//comment_1519 2010-05-12T14:11:58+00:00 2010-05-12T14:11:58+00:00 Robin Stacey http://greywulf.net It's my belief that the major difference we'll see is an increased likelihood of coalition governments. That's not in itself a bad thing if it means parties are forced to identify cross-party commonality on issues. In the short term this will doubtless cause disruption while parties adjust to the idea of having to work together. The childish adversarial system, frankly, deserves to die a quick and painful death.<br /><br />For larger issues where no cross-party majority consensus can be reached I'd much rather the government calls a referendum and learns to trust and adhere to the will of the public which elected them in the first place.<br /><br /> tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-05-10:/id/177//comment_1517 2010-05-10T17:53:19+00:00 2010-05-10T17:53:19+00:00 Alison Wheeler http://alisonw.com Yes, I agree with you Duncan about the dangers of the list system, especially the closed (central Party control) list method. Having known friends standing for the London Assembly on the top-up list discuss the viability of their position on that list. <br /><br />Whilst the published list had ten places on it it was clear that only the top three or four and any realistic possibility of being successful, and beucase the ordering of candidates on the party list was determined in advance (and by party members) then there was nothing the electors could do to make a preference for one individual candidate over another.<br /><br />My view is that the should be <em>some</em> level of relationship between where you live and who represents you which can be affected by the voters, even if there are more widely-sourced 'topup' members also elected.<br /><br />I'm a former member of both the LibDems and of the ERS, and whilst I consider STV to be acceptable in single-member elections I find it very problematic where multiple members are being elected in a single count. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-05-10:/id/177//comment_1515 2010-05-10T17:40:54+00:00 2010-05-09T23:17:50+00:00 Duncan Crowe http://http:// So, the argument is predicated on the idea of political incentives (you might think of it as the Public Choice account of representation); as a politician my incentive is to act in the interests of those who put me in power and sustain my being in power.<br /><br />If I'm elected under first past the post, AV, STV or (argumably) AMS, AV+ or FPTP+ with open lists*) then I owe my position principally to people having put a cross or a number beside my name at some point in the voting process.<br /><br />If I'm elected as part of a closed party* list then I owe my being elected to a) people in my area liking my party and b) my party liking me. The extent to which I am beholden to the voters in my district is thus diminished compared to the above systems.<br /><br />So if there is an issue in which the interests of my constituents was set against the interests of my party you might expect someone elected by FPTP, AV, STV or open list systems to side with the constituents and someone elected via a closed list system to side with the party as it is primarily by keeping them happy that I maintain my position.<br /><br />It has been argued that because candidates in a multi-member constituency STV system are essentially competing with other party's representatives to tend to the interests of the same body of people that there is actually more of an incentive for them to be actively engaged in their local community; thus the constituency link is stronger under our proposed system than under the status quo. This seems to be the case in Ireland, which uses MM STV although, in the interests of fairness, one could argue that it simply a product of a peculiarly Irish form of politics.<br /><br />*Open vs Closed list - A closed list system is one in which the proportional element of a run-off election (FPTP or AV) or of a straight proportional system (such as if we just allocated seats based on the popular vote or the regional equivalent, as we do for the European Parliament (other than in NI which uses STV)) is actioned by people putting a cross/number beside the name of a party rather than individuals. This means that their and the votes of those who chose similarly will be allocated to candidates in the order in which the party decided they should be elected. In an open list system, by contrast, I choose to which individual my top-up/proportional vote will go. (There may be additional calculations to ensure the proportional-element per-party is allocated in the order of candidate votes chosen but not exclusively on that basis so if 40 people voted for party A's first candidate and 20 for party A's second candidate and you need 30 votes to get elected, other things being equal they would. How you feel about that depends entirely on how you feel about the institutionalisation of political parties).<br /><br />Suppose for example party A has two candidates: 1) an outspoken occasionally rebelling maverick and 2) a tow-the-line always-votes-with-the-whip party lackey. I might like the party and their manifesto but would prefer that (1) were elected over (2). The party, presumably, would prefer (2) were elected over (1). In an open list system you would have your way, in a closed list system the party would have its way (though the candidates' order would probably be chosen by party members; that's how it works with the Scottish Liberal Democrats).<br /><br />IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS CONCERN ABOUT CONSTITUENCY LINK IS IRRELEVANT TO THE SINGLE-TRANSFERABLE VOTE (with multi-member constituencies) SYSTEM FAVOURED BY THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS AND THE ELECTORAL REFORM SOCIETY. tag:www.alisonw.com,2010-05-08:/id/174//comment_1511 2010-05-08T14:21:36+00:00 2010-05-08T14:21:36+00:00 vicky ayech http://http:// I was a young Liberal in Finchley from around 1962 and then voted Tory and Green at various times in the 70s and 80s, but was Lib Dem by the late 90s. I joined the party and helped stuff envelopes, tell and was an observer during the last election. I quit when we left the UK and although I sent a little money this time didn't rejoin as I was annoyed about Nick Clegg's speech about Israel. I don't think anyone actually voted for a hung parliament. Everyone wanted their party to win. But a government of national unity sounds a good idea, with perhaps every MP voting according to their conscience and then another election in 4 or 5 years. No whips.