April, 15, 2002 archives
hey, joe versus the volcano is finally out on dvd! i was just complaining about this a week ago, and didn't find it when i made the mistake of searching for “joe vs. the volcano” a few days ago. (thanks to the esteemed mathowie for spotting this.)
here's a shocker: cash cards (like from starbucks) aren't a good deal for you. of course, companies love them. why shouldn't they? people give them money, only some of them get anything back for some of that money, and they don't even have to give them any sort of discount. it's about as close to free money as you can get, except for issuing stock options.
from eweek: apache 2.0 beats iis at its own game.
eweek has been giving open-source projects some pretty incredible reviews lately (like the database comparison that put oracle and mysql on top).
mark cuban (founder of broadcast.com, owner of the dallas mavericks, chairman of hdnet), besides being a bit of a goofball, is really right on the mark when he says to ignore hollywood. hollywood has a miserable track record when it comes to being able to see how much they benefit from technology.
“the growing and dangerous intrusion of this new technology is to the american film producer and the american public as the boston strangler is to the woman alone.”—jack valentia about the vcr in 1982! (here's a source for the quote. another source points out that the home video market now generates three times the revenue of the theatrical market.)
art of money getting (or, golden rules for making money) by p.t. barnum is amazingly timeless, and a revelation for someone who only really knows barnum through his “a sucker is born every minute” quote. i would say these twenty rules are just as relevant today as they were in 1880.
since the osbournes is a raging success, finding an answer to the question of how to do another show just like it has, of course, become a top priority at mtv. how about sean “stupid nickname” combs or brandy? at least the brandy idea has a hook (following her pregnancy). a series featuring that other guy would be lucky to garner a tenth the ratings that the osbournes is pulling in.
but hey, bring on a second season of the osbournes! i do think it's hilarious that there's a third osbourne kid that refused to take part. reportedly she's the marilyn of this munster family.
wow, mci is going to offer flat-fee local and long distance telephone service for $50-60. in 2061: odyssey three (the second sequel to 2001), arthur c. clarke had (international) long distance charges abolished on december 31, 2000. his timetable was too aggressive, but he'll be right eventually. (here's the site for the new service.)