Dutch log

One of the best reasons to be a member of the Frenz of the Enz is that for $15 a year, every now and then they invite you to little showcase performances. After Crowded House broke up in 1996, I never thought I’d get to see them: even more so, after the suicide of original drummer Paul Hester. But it came to pass that on 12th July 2007 the reformed Crowdies rolled into Auckland, and I was waiting in the audience.

I guess I was the standard musical nerd and worried a lot about the lack of Hester, especially as I find some of the vocal harmonies lacking in the live recordings I’ve heard of the new songs. However, no less than two songs in, it was apparent that this was Crowded House, as if they’d never skipped a beat.

The new drummer, Matt Sherrod, wasn’t just playing as if he was Hester; he added his own flavour to the proceedings. The vocal harmonies were great, if down a little in the mix, mostly because Neil’s son Liam was providing most of them from near the back of the stage.

The set was a mixture of new and old; surprises included the B-side “Recurring Dream”, played second, though in a rather rough arrangement. And without saying that Greig and I had both picked it from the word go, half-way through Something So Strong, who should hop up onto the keyboard but Eddie Rayner! Geoff tells me that Tim was there also but I didn’t see him.

The band were having a lot of fun, and the encore started with multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart playing and singing Born On The Bayou, which ended up with everyone on the wrong instrument. It ended up with various Beatles songs being played, and the promise of requests being taken from the audience. However, they didn’t really have any backstage to go to (at one point they decided just to all fall on the floor and wait for an encore from there) and it seems like they were asked to finish up early, as they jumped into Better Be Home Soon and then left the stage.

Check out my photos of Crowded House at the Kings Arms.

Guess what year that acquiring music from the Internet really came into its own…

Correspondent Derek sent me this link to a story about how Sound Exchange (aka, the RIAA) collects webcasting money for every artist even the ones that have nothing to do with the RIAA. That is to say, the RIAA will collect money for every song that is ever webcast from here on out, whether or not the artist is one with a relationship with them. If you are an artists, you have to actually go ask them for the money. If you never do, they keep it. This stinks to high heaven.

In related news, I saw an article about how well the RIAA is at doing its job. Nothing to do with lobbying, but their real primary business, drawing heat away from the member labels. Pretty much everyone hates the RIAA and about everything they ever do. However, when you hate the RIAA brand, you aren’t hating Sony, Warner Bros, Universal, BMG, Elektra, Arista, Capitol, et al. Don’t forget that when you hate the RIAA, you hate all these labels. Vote with your wallets.

It seems the hackers have been at it again and this time profess to have cracked Blu-Ray disc encryption. Yeah for freedom.

A comment on this article notes that this initial cracking of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray encryption is only possible because people are using Windows XP. Microsoft’s new OS, Vista, is going to plug many of these holes. Microsoft did a deal with the likes of the MPAA and RIAA and have specifically engineered Vista to be much more “secure”.

If you look at the DRM technology in Vista, you realise they have implemented a framework there specifically for Content Protection. Stuff like polling the system a number of times per second, revocation of drivers if its a known leak of HD content, and checking for electrical fluctuations against possible tampering for hardware.

Such technologies will have an affect on system performance and stability. (It doesn’t take a genius to realise where there will be scenarios when the monitoring of certain components is too aggressive and causes problems for the user).

For an indepth analysis of the “cost” to users of Microsoft implementing this technology check out this article by fellow Kiwi Peter Gutmann. Also check out the Security Now podcast for other related stuff.

Not only is Vista more restricted, hardware vendors have been sneaking in hardware onto motherboards and such that has up until now remained dormant, but is poised to strike. Remember the whole “Trusted Computing” issue.

MS is basically “encouraging” hardware makers to implement crap like HDCP and in the future, extra chips in relation to sensing possible modifications to hardware. (called “tilt bits”). Hardware makers need MS, as MS controls 90% of the desktop market.

And implementing DRM technology doesn’t benefit the hardware makers. It doesn’t improve performance, provide new features worthy of selling, etc…In fact, hardware makers try not to emphasize it! (Otherwise, people won’t buy the hardware!)

Its interesting that the law makers have basically made the rules up of how a hardware company is supposed to act. That is, they must prove themselves worthy. What annoys me is that some of the technologies used to enforce DRM can also be used for security of the PC. So PR/marketing dept can use the excuse of security for selling the hardware, when the truth is, its to control the end-user.

And of course most countries have bowed to preasure for the US and WIPO/WTO hegemony and implemented stupid new digital copyright laws.

Stuff like DMCA or in Australia, the Copyright Amendment 2006. (America has infected Australia with a version of DMCA as part of the Free Trade Agreement).

So I’m going to stay away from Vista as long as humanly possible and to stick to open formats like CDs for music. As for movies, well the internet is rife with that stuff… Broadband is the future, not this optical media crap.

In the end industry will listen to peoples wallets. Don’t spend your money on products that restrict your freedom. Don’t buy mainstream dross, check out alternatives, use You Tube, etc.

Apple introduces the iPhone. Wow. Best phone ever. Click the link and watch the demos if you don’t believe me. Costs a lot though at $500USD. I also wonder if it will ever get to Australia. It is a GSM phone so Vodaphone could partner with Apple to sell it here. Does Telstra or 3 Mobile use GSM?

MacNN is reporting that Jobs would offer DRM-free music in a ‘heartbeat’. And Jobs’ open letter on Apple.com seems to suggest the same. This is nice. I hope he gets to prove his word.
Maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning on DRM and we’re actually heading in the right direction away for DRM lock-in hell. Emusic sells DRM-free music, Yahoo is trying the odd song, and Amazon might be giving it a go.
Hmm. I’ll believe it when I see it.

With my iPod going the way of the Dodo I’m beginning to think maybe I should use a media player that is a little less focused on the roach motel business model.
But then I’d have to re-rip all my CDs again in MP3 (instead of iTunes’ usual AAC) format. And iTunes is actually a very good little (big) app. It’s pretty good at podcasts and managing your audio and has some nice bling. Guess I’m stuck in the roach motel.

Judge for yourself.

Well, OK so he didn’t rip off the entire song. But he did use a fairly big sample out of it and has done so multiple times. Just another example of why “producers” in pop & hip-hop music are really just post-modern mix-artists pulling together other peoples work into catchy mash ups & loops. More musical talent than I’ve got maybe, but not exactly Beethoven.

It seems the hackers have been at it again and this time profess to have cracked Blu-Ray disc encryption. Yeah for freedom.
A comment on this article notes that this initial cracking of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray encryption is only possible because people are using Windows XP. Microsoft’s new OS, Vista, is going to plug many of these holes. Microsoft did a deal with the likes of the MPAA and RIAA and have specifically engineered Vista to be much more “secure”.

If you look at the DRM technology in Vista, you realise they have implemented a framework there specifically for Content Protection. Stuff like polling the system a number of times per second, revocation of drivers if its a known leak of HD content, and checking for electrical fluctuations against possible tampering for hardware.
Such technologies will have an affect on system performance and stability. (It doesn’t take a genius to realise where there will be scenarios when the monitoring of certain components is too aggressive and causes problems for the user).

For an indepth analysis of the “cost” to users of Microsoft implementing this technology check out this article by fellow Kiwi Peter Gutmann. Also check out the Security Now podcast for other related stuff.
Not only is Vista more restricted, hardware vendors have been sneaking in hardware onto motherboards and such that has up until now remained dormant, but is poised to strike. Remember the whole “Trusted Computing” issue.

MS is basically “encouraging” hardware makers to implement crap like HDCP and in the future, extra chips in relation to sensing possible modifications to hardware. (called “tilt bits”). Hardware makers need MS, as MS controls 90% of the desktop market.
And implementing DRM technology doesn’t benefit the hardware makers. It doesn’t improve performance, provide new features worthy of selling, etc…In fact, hardware makers try not to emphasize it! (Otherwise, people won’t buy the hardware!)
Its interesting that the law makers have basically made the rules up of how a hardware company is supposed to act. That is, they must prove themselves worthy. What annoys me is that some of the technologies used to enforce DRM can also be used for security of the PC. So PR/marketing dept can use the excuse of security for selling the hardware, when the truth is, its to control the end-user.

And of course most countries have bowed to preasure for the US and WIPO/WTO hegemony and implemented stupid new digital copyright laws.

Stuff like DMCA or in Australia, the Copyright Amendment 2006. (America has infected Australia with a version of DMCA as part of the Free Trade Agreement).

So I’m going to stay away from Vista as long as humanly possible and to stick to open formats like CDs for music. As for movies, well the internet is rife with that stuff… Broadband is the future, not this optical media crap.
In the end industry will listen to peoples wallets. Don’t spend your money on products that restrict your freedom. Don’t buy mainstream dross, check out alternatives, use You Tube, etc.