mbf tod@y

NBC vs. iTunes

"The iTunes service has sold songs for 99 cents each since its beginning four years ago, except for the recent introduction of songs without copy protection. Episodes of television shows sell for $1.99, with movies priced at $9.99. NBC Universal and other companies say they want to increase prices by packaging content— say an episode of “The Office” with the movie “The 40- Year-Old Virgin,” because they both star the comedian Steve Carell. In the past, Apple has argued that a range of pricing would complicate the iTunes experience and squelch demand." (Brooks Barnes, The New York Times)

NBC's demand, while understandably greedy and commercially sound, is idiotic. Why would a customer want to download both The 40- Year-Old Virgin and an episode of The Office "because they both star the comedian Steve Carell"? I mean, what's the logic? iTunes - and other digital download services - enable users to pick and choose what they like. By battling iTunes - which is not a content provider, but a service provider - NBC is really battling customers and their freedom to choose what, when and how. Three implications: a) By embracing a pre-web business logic, NBC will become the Metallica of the situation. b) Steve Jobs' opposition to the concept of variable pricing has made iTunes a valid alternative to piracy. c) The majors have started a digital siege: I wonder if iTunes will be solid enough to withstand the upcoming attacks.

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Update

Bioshock and the Fallacy of Immersion

"The Bioshock game demo had me at "hello," but it lost me almost as quickly. On the one hand, I'm immersed in a gorgeously-rendered, wonderfully-crafted storyworld. On the other, any mysteries concerning the nature of my enemies are dashed: when spotted, their names are superimposed on my screen, like exotic zoo animals subtitled in an educational video. Gone is any illusion that this undersea city is teeming with individual, unpredictable threats. My assailants are like an army of robots, each having a specific name, function, and set of characteristics. Which makes no sense given BioShock's biotechnology-gone-horribly-awry storyline" (Tony Walsh, Clickable Culture)

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Netflix vs. Blockbuster

"Netflix, like TiVo, Apple and Harley Davidson, is that rare big company still capable of eliciting uncynical, drooling affection in legions of otherwise well-functioning adults. Though there are whiners -- people who occasionally complain about its policy of "throttling" the speed at which DVDs are sent to high-use customers -- Netflix is rivaled only by Starbucks as a legal, cheap way to regularly juice the brain's dopamine receptors. Even if you've been subscribing for years, a jolt of joy shoots down the spine at the sight of a red envelope or two waiting for you in the mail. It's always something of a pleasant surprise, isn't it, that such a thing works at all, let alone that it so rarely disappoints? (Farhad Manjoo, Salon)

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Better late than never

"Acknowledging its proprietary audio technology was a marketplace flop, Sony Corp. is shuttering its Connect digital music store and will open its portable media players to other formats. The moves were announced Thursday at a Berlin consumer electronics trade fair as the Japanese electronics pioneer unveiled a pair of new digital Walkmans that can play the Windows Media Audio, MP3 and AAC audio formats." (Matt Moore, AP via Wired News)

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Manhunting in Holland

"Rockstar's controversial Manhunt 2 has been given the go ahead for release in Holland. The Dutch Ministry refused to get in its way, stating to Parliament that would break the regional law which considers adults capable of making their own decisions." (Rob Purchese, Eurogamer)

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I giocatori di Pro Cycling Manager

"Una sera di questa lunga estate calda e cittadina mi trovavo al “Piolone”, rinomata enoteca, per un aperitivo con un gruppo di amici creativi, il Maestro, stimato regista, e a tempo perso vj; un ex Mod, ora compositore di famose colonne sonore; l’Elettronico, musicista dj e per finire la Gallerista. Un’aulica visione culturale che teoricamente mal si coniugava con l’idea stessa di videogame. Ma saltando dalla prossima mostra newyorkese di Nicus Lucà, all’imminente realizzazione di un documentario sui poeti italiani contemporanei, entrò in scena una rivelazione stravolgente, il Maestro e l’Elettronico passavano le notti, non in qualche sordido circolo underground, tantomeno al cine club. Loro tiravano l’alba attaccati a “Pro Cycling Manager” (Alessandra C., La Stampa)

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Horror Stories

"It was a different story at the desk where the check-in girl and airport security argued with each other about whether I needed a replacement passport or not, each time tugging the laminate slightly harder to see whether it separated from the back page. I was then told that the FOI meant I agreed to pay Virgin Atlantic for any fines they may receive for letting me travel despite the fact their staff were actually damaging my passport further every time they disputed whether or not it was damaged, and that I would also bear the costs of charting a new jumbo to bring me home after a night in US prison." (The Triforce, read more)

This story reminds me of this other one. Which is something that happened to a friend of mine as well, a few years ago.

Corruption is a game

"A Chinese government-sponsored online game that allows players to battle corrupt officials and their bikini-clad mistresses has been overwhelmed by user demand, state media reported Tuesday. The Ningbo Haishu District Discipline Commission in Zhejiang province launched "Incorruptible Warrior" to show people how to fight corrupt officials, Xinhua News Agency said. But demand for the game was too great." (AP)

Read more (Thanks, Simon)

More info here and here

Hatrick: dieci anni di passione

"Compie dieci anni Hattrick, letteralmente “tripletta”, il gioco di calcio virtuale su internet più diffuso al mondo. Nato in Svezia (30 agosto 1997), sfiora il milione di utenti registrati (oggi 938.367). Per numero di iscritti, l’Italia è seconda solo alla Spagna. [..] Importante per i gestori del gioco è l’etica di Hattrick che si basa sul rispetto reciproco. «Può capitare di avere uno stereotipo su americani o arabi, scandinavi o cinesi - spiega Gustafson -, poi si incontra qualcuno di loro su Hattrick e si capisce che vivono il gioco come noi, amano il calcio come noi, per certi aspetti ci somigliano insomma. Facciamo attenzione a evitare che vi entrino i conflitti della vita reale: se qualcuno ha un atteggiamento razzista, chiudiamo il suo account»." (La Stampa)

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The Age of Micropayments (?)

"The idea of micropayments — charging Web users tiny amounts of money for single pieces of online content — was essentially put to sleep toward the end of the dot-com boom. In December 2000, Clay Shirky, an adjunct professor in New York University's interactive telecommunications program, wrote a manifesto that people still cite whenever someone suggests resurrecting the idea. Micropayments will never work, he wrote, mainly because “users hate them.” But wait. Amid the disdain, and without many people noticing, micropayments have arrived — just not in the way they were originally envisioned." (Dan Mitchell, The New York Times)

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