2highbehind

For the first time I agree with a banker a bit

From The Sunday Times

November 8, 2009

I'm doing 'God's work'. Meet Mr Goldman Sachs

The Sunday Times gains unprecedented access to the world's most powerful, and most secretive, investment bank. Article on Times online

It's not often that I agree with a banker and especially a banker that is the chief grabber at Goldman, but indeed I believe this guy is on to something. This man compares himself to God, I love it. I think the God he is referring to, is the illusion character referred to by many as God. A bearded man (Movember icon no.1) sitting in the sky surrounded by Angels and well behaved dead people. If this guy and his colleagues continue to behave the way they do he soon will be God and only surrounded by dead people and dead businesses. So I dig his story. If I was him I would do my best to be human again and turn his bank into a normal business that doesn't need help from the Devil (Think of that one for a sec). If he manages that, please give the man a 200 mio$ bonus and a bunch of hookers, Cocaine and all the young cock he yearns for while jerking of  on his own image..

In Holland downloading is illegal......?!

Today the Financial newspaper had a front page article about a court case outcome where downloading of copyrighted material was made illegal. The Dutch government has a different viewpoint, they believe making a copy at home etc. should be possible. Bla bla

What makes me nervous is that we don't have a more fundamental debat about this and about our 1912 laws that govern these issues. It's 2008 for crying out loud and technology has changed the way we do things. Shouldn't we be adapting our laws too? It's all a bit strange and weird that we do not want to undertake action to make this a healthy domain again. My view is simple. Technology itself shouldn't be punished for creating new abilities, people that use these new tools shouldn't be punished too. Creators of IP (Intellectual Property) should be protected against people and companies using their work for commercial gain and should be able to earn money every time their work is used by someone. So every person should pay for a piece of 'digital IP' and the price is set by the creator, if nobody buys, the price will come down. Once you have it you should be able to use it at your convenience, no rocket science here. Debates about  free, technology as  democratic base for all you can do and other bla bla and other logic that stops creative people and businesses to earn cash with their work just don't stick to common sense. I refer to  >> Creative Commons as a good alternative for what currently exists. Why does nobody talk about this, why isn't this debate alive and why aren't governements around the world making sure we resolve this BIG issue? I don't know, maybe I'm a bit 'hammerd shut' about this subject because of my involvement. Let's see when the Dutch record labels start suing individual downloaders and let's see if that is going to make the change. 

Information for the nation

Nice to get selected as on of Hollands high potentials. It makes me realize how much work still lies ahead :-) >> FEM Business tech 25

A beautiful day just started

I love it when the sun shines and Amsterdam is starting up around 6:30 in the morning. Being up so early gives me some time to contemplate. About all I do and have been doing over the last couple of months and what is next. Working on a tech start-up that is taking of now and helping music companies to manage their digital business, helping my artist friends to develop their career and cut deals so they move up in the media food chain, creating more awareness with a foundation and helping any body that needs help with a project. It's a lot, but being the person I am I need lots of things to develop myself, at the end of the day that's my end game. Become what life has given me already and finding out if I can do it. I am so grateful for getting all these opportunities and happy that I have learned to focus. Other people like to watch TV, go shopping and have lots of things to do, so during the week they can focus on their job. I am not a one trick pony and love to engage with everything that comes my way. The art is to focus and filter when it comes and finish things you start. I am getting better at this and now taking a GTD course from my friend Cesar to enhance my productivity. The weekend was pretty relaxing and last week I met so many new and great people, that it will be hard to make this week one to remember.

What a special man and project

Andrew Dubber's New Music Strategies (Read it!)

New Music Strategies A must read, including all the comments. What I find interesting is the way Andrew engages an audience, a true professor ;-)

I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew last summer and believe that this casual professor is adding a lot to the debate and the music business. It's not rocket science, but logical views on something called the music business.

RIAA Jury Finds Minnesota Woman Liable for Piracy, Awards $222,000

DULUTH, Minnesota -- Jammie Thomas, a single mother of two, was found liable Thursday for copyright infringement  in the nation's first file-sharing case to go before a jury. >> WIRED

It took a while but finally the illegal file sharing is no longer an accepted method of consumption. It must be hard for this woman to be convicted for something that millions of other people do without getting caught. But heh it's like walking through a red light.. For me another indicator that the digital music space is maturing and that the opportunities are getting bigger. Good news for the industry, bad news for Jammie.

Happy with Andrew Dubber's New Music Strategies

A while ago I stumbled upon Andrew's weblog and ever since I feel more connected with the world around me. Thanks Andrew! He pointed me to a new social network service called >> Simplify Media. It looks very promising and today I am going to try it out and take it for a spin. I have seen so many new social music services, all, except Pandora and LastFM, are bad clones of the latter. Simplify sounds so simple and if it works it would be the next big thing. Would be cool if they add the feature so I can buy tracks from friends (they get compilation royalty) and creators get paid. The ultimate way to discover is through people you trust for their good taste and expertise in music.

FUGA is alive and kicking

Imagine a your digital business as easy as setting up an account with your bank and be able to transfer your music to any other account in any format, with meta data in any configuration and receive reports about the usage all across the value chain..... Last Friday it became reality and we at IIP are so happy to have made this milestone. I am so proud of my team and everybody that has helped to get here. Thanks!

MP3 and MS vs AL

The situation that occurred after the verdict in this case is quite interesting. If the patent is granted why would MS get away with it. Value patent vs individual corporate interests. Settlement will be a logical step. Great business for Alcatel-Lucent BTW. Anyway I think that it is time for some serious packaging at the A-L product development department or will this be a pure legal play? Let's see how it develops.. Strange first DRM, now this when is the time right for flow?

The gods too are fond of a joke.

Aristotle