BrewBlog

What do seals, rainforests and internet radio have in common?

They all need to be saved.  http://www.savenetradio.org/ is a coalition trying to keep Internet radio from going into extinction.  I first heard about all this because Pandora would be one of the many casualties.  I blogged about Pandora back in June of last year.  Basically, the Copyright Board ruled in favor of a strict hike in royalty rates for webcasters pay to record labels via SoundExchange for streaming Internet radio.  By strict hike we're talking about a 300% increase!  This ruling would go into effect on May 15 and is retroactive back to January of 2006.  Nice.  If this ruling goes through as planned, you can say goodbye to Internet radio.  Smaller companies will go bankrupt and bigger companies will quit that part of their business because it will no longer make business sense to keep it going. 

According to the article, terrestrial radio pays nothing to SoundExchange and satellite radio pays only 3-7% of their revenue to SoundExchange.  The relevance there is that the record labels aren't making a killing there so there is little to gain for directing listeners back to FM.  The thing I don't like about it the most is that FM radio SUUUUUUUUUCKS.  Internet radio and satellite radio both offer a much much needed variety.  Bands that deserve to be recognized and discovered have a good way to do so through Internet radio.  We need more variety, not less.  FM needs to learn a lesson or two about what people want.  The record labels are just pissed because their profits are down.  The Internet is here to stay.  The old farts in the radio and record label business need to get a grip.

There is hope though.  The Internet Radio Equality Act can save the Internet radio industry.  I'm also pleased that this is a bipartisan effort so we need not get mixed up in the politics.  http://www.savenetradio.org/ has a lot of very good information about all this.  Congress can get behind this by simply voting in favor of the Internet Radio Equality Act.  Over a million people have already written, faxed or called their representatives to get this passed.  Let's hope this or something else is done to save Internet radio.  It's good stuff and people need it whether they know it or not!

 

MMA

Coming up on two years of blogging I can't believe it's taken me this long to blog about MMA.  For those that don't know, MMA is mixed martial arts.  I love MMA.  It's easily my favorite sport and I'm pleased to have been a fan for twelve years now!  The sport has erupted in popularity recently and it makes me happy and a little sad at the same time.  Being into something that few people understand or know of makes it a bit of a special thing, almost as if it's a unique club or some kind of a secret.  It's similar to being into a band that few have heard of.  Then the band makes it and everyone knows who they are.  They are still great but now everyone knows it and it becomes a little less special.  MMA has gone through the same sort of thing in the past couple of years.  I hear people talking or read articles and think to myself, "I liked it first". 

Still though, I'm glad MMA is taking off.  I'd rather it go through what it's going through than remain an underground thing.  In a way it makes me less of a dork or oddball for liking it (that's arguable).  As it becomes accepted, arguments in favor are made on their own and the sport doesn't really need people like me anymore because it has made it.  Influential people are talking about it and athletic commissions are accepting as legitimate.  A combination of many things has taken the sport to all time heights and I couldn't be happier about it.  Now, my choices for MMA entertainment are beyond what I had ever hoped.  There are over dozen well known companies and hundreds of smaller ones.  The athletes are training specifically for MMA instead of adapting a discipline they adopted prior to mainstream MMA existence.  The increase in competition has made the sport more interesting than ever. 

Let's hope the popularity bubble doesn't ruin the sport by over regulating or over saturating.  Saturation is already happening but I think it's still healthy at this point.  There is room to grow and I'm not concerned about that just yet.  Even though the top ten lists in each of the weight classes focuses on the main few companies, breaking into the mainstream isn't impossible by any stretch.  Standouts and stars abroad are getting their shots in the bigger shows.  The titles in the larger brands matter, which is important to me.  I mark out for belts and championships an always have.  The promotions are learning about what sells but they don't cram it  down our throats.  The pure competition of the sport still rules supreme even though we are subject to the occasional squash match ups and freak show bouts.  Those are entertaining in their own way.  Story lines are developed and unfold.  Style clashes are still prevalent.  Stars definitely exist.  The bigger names are getting compensated now too, fortunately. There are faces and their are heals (good guys and bad guys).  There are lot's of reasons to tune in if you like the general premise.

Having never blogged about MMA I'm flooded with plenty of ideas of topics to write about but for now I'll settle for simply proclaiming my appreciation for the sport.  Settling in for a good show with friends makes for a good time.  The fight game is interesting in many ways and ranks among my favorite forms of entertainment overall.  The pure competition is largely unmatched in other sports.  I'm looking forward to the near and distant future of what the sport will offer.  The most interesting news (big news as well) is the UFC and Pride merger.  I think we all knew that was coming but it opens up so many possibilities for cross-promotional super bouts.  I was sad to see Pride as we know it go away forever but that sort of thing will happen, it's just business.  Let's just hope the spirit of Pride is maintained to some degree.

Ice Cold Burrito

Several years as a waiter has instilled some general public restaurant peeves.  I'll share a quick one with you today.  One of my top annoyances as a waiter was when a customer would grossly exaggerate a grievance about either the service or food.  My favorite actual example of this is the person that returns their food because it's "ice cold".  "Excuse me...excuse me....this burrito is ice cold."  Ummmmm, no it isn't.  Hot?  Probably not, you're correct.  Warm?  Ok, maybe it's not technically warm.  Cold? unlikely but I suppose it's possible that it is in fact cold but I doubt it.  Ice -cold?  You're ridiculous, get out of my restaurant.  Here, this is ice.  This is your burrito.  They are nowhere near the same temperature.  It's not "ice-cold".  I've actually heard that more than once.  I have no problem returning food that is not acceptable to the customer but I will not accept a crazy exaggeration.  Oh, so it's "ice-cold" so I better kiss your ass now.  How about I go to your place of work, let's say you sell shoes, and I return a pair of shoes because they are radioactive.  Not just uncomfortable or maybe just not for me, but radioactive.  Ridiculous?  Sure, but so is saying that your burrito is ice-cold, because it isn't.

Ten tips to protect your privacy

After writing the last post about the cafeteria lady I've been thinking about more of the things many of us do to avoid social interaction so I thought I'd brainstorm a list real quick. 

Here it goes:

1. The dreaded mailbox.  The mailbox of today is evidence that "The Man" is out to get us.  In the old days and my first several houses we always had a nice mailbox that was either nailed to the front of the house or on the curb at the end of the driveway.  Perfect.  But nooooo, now mailboxes are clustered and typically not right in front of your property.  People in newer houses have to get their mail where everybody else gets their mail.  This tip is obvious.  Before you blindly walk across the street to get your mail, check to make sure one of your neighbors isn't getting their mail at the same time.  Otherwise you'll definitely be talking about the weather or something as pointless.
2. Head down, no eye contact.  This one is obvious too.  When walking the halls at work or somewhere equally vulnerable, if you avoid eye contact you'll avoid be forced to say one of the following overused phrases:  What's up, how's it going, hey, hi, how are you, nice day eh, etc.
3. Always be in a hurry.  If you're in a hurry it's less rude to not stop and chat.  Learn to have the posture of a person in a rush.  Shoulders should be forward.  Take long and fast steps.  Swing your arms in an exaggerated way.  A look of distress helps here too.  If you're a Botox user you may have a tough time with the distressed look but then that would be the least of your issues because YOU HAVE POISON IN YOUR FACE YOU FOOL.
4. Look upset or angry.  People don't want to shoot the breeze with someone that is upset or angry.  This one stopped working for me about twenty years ago because it's my natural look and it has zero impact.  Those of you that usually appear gleeful or otherwise simple, try the angry or upset look and you'll notice how much more you can get done in a day.
5. The stupid blue-tooth earpiece phone.  I've never tried this one because it violates other rules for me but the little wearable phones are perfect for avoiding conversations.  With a phone constantly on your head you have an immediate out for just about anything.  Your walking along and all you have to do is look as though you're engaged in a conversation.  Master that look and nobody will bother you.  If someone begins to chat at you you can simply point to you stupid head phone and give a little shoulder shrug as if to say, gee so sorry, but I'm on the phone.  The magic is that you're not on the phone.  Brilliant.  I may get one of those and not ever actually use it as a phone but wear it for this reason alone.
6. Always be moving.  If you pass someone you kind of know in the hall at work or in the mall or grocery store, etc., continue to move even though words are being exchanged.  The very second you stop moving, you're stuck giving and receiving an update about life that you definitely are not interested in.  I've mastered the art of walking backwards and chatting.  I do this at work all the time.  As the distance between you and the chatter, the need to speak more loudly quickly brings the conversation to a satisfyingly quick end.  Otherwise, you will stop and stand there forever.  That time is lost forever.
7. Avoid the phone and door.  I have a hard time hanging up on solicitors.  I also have a hard time cutting people off when they start telling me the "good news" (Watchtower people).  The simple solution is to not answer the phone or the door unless you are expecting someone or can identify the caller with caller-id.  Learning to hang up on people works too but I struggle with that. 
8. Wear headphones or be asleep on the plane or train.  Air or train travel can be one of the most dreadful pitfalls of human interaction.  You're literally stuck sitting two inches from someone and they start talking to you.  Ahhhhh!  The second you get on the plane you must assume a sleeping on the plane posture.  If you're asleep or trying to sleep, the person will hopefully pick up on that and leave you alone. 
9. Place yourself properly.  This can apply to many situations but I'll use lunchtime in the cafeteria.  Don't sit a big empty table in the middle of the room.  Find the smallest table you can that is located in the back of the room.  Sit by the trash or a burned out light bulb too since that will eliminate some people.  Stay out of high traffic areas or else you're asking to be disturbed by someone you know wanting a work related update. 
10. When shopping try to keep moving and combining other tips above.  Salespeople are the worst.  It's their job so you can't fault them but if you keep moving whenever possible you'll decrease the chance of hearing, "can I help you find something" or "do you have any questions"?  Answering "no, thank you" get you the follow up statement, "ok well my name is Billy Bob if you have any questions.  Please let me know.  We're here to help".  Other things that make me cringe include the "have you been here before" question and follow on speech.  Always say you've been somewhere even if you haven't.  It will save you hours of accumulated time over the course of your life. 

The Javanilla is Popular

Sometimes I catch myself being absurdly anti-social.  Some of those times I call myself on it and realize, again, that I need to be nicer to people.  The annoying lady and Please don't talk to me posts are good examples of this.  It's not so much about not being mean because I'm not mean.  It's just that I'm not very social.  Small talk with strangers is not my thing.  Small talk with people I recognize but don't know very well is not my thing either.  I don't care what my neighbor is up to.  I really don't.  While I accept that about myself I do occasionally catch myself being outright anti-social.

Yesterday at work I was in the cafeteria getting breakfast.  Keep in mind that I had not yet had coffee and had been awake for a couple hours already.  I'm dishing up my combination of oatmeal and cream of wheat.  I like to put oatmeal at the bottom of my bowl, raisins in the middle, and cream of wheat on top.  Putting the raisins in the middle softens them up quite a bit which is ideal if they are stale that day.  Anyway I was involved in my first step of the process when I noticed the cafeteria employee I call "the cafeteria lady" coming closer to me.  She's a nice lady that refills things when they are empty and cleans up, etc.  A few months ago or so she approached me while I was staring blankly at the 57 coffee dispensers we have in the cafe.  For whatever reason that day I was paralyzed and unable to simply pick the random, somewhat watered down coffee selection.  The coffee is among everything else in this case so I'm not standing at a counter with someone behind the counter waiting to take my order.  It's a self serve deal.

A conversation ensued and went like this...

cafeteria lady:  "Not sure what to get huh?"

me:  "no, I mean, yeah"

cafeteria lady:  "ha, uh hu"

awkward pause while I stare at the coffee and begin to panic because I know more meaningless words are coming.  Quick, make a damn decision I'm thinking to myself.  Avoid eye contact, AVOID EYE CONTACT!

cafeteria lady: "a lot of people like the javanilla"

me:  "ok"

cafeteria lady:  "The javanilla is popular...these two here are good too.  These two are decaf.  These here are regular.  This section here is all flavored.  The javanilla is flavored and the most popular.  It's "Seattle's Best Coffee" brand and wins the awards for best coffee.  We don't have it every day though so you're lucky.  We switch it out every other day with the hazelnut.  So tomorrow when you come in it will be hazelnut and not javanilla.  They are both flavored though so if you like the flavored you'll always be able to get one.  Some of our flavored are available every day but not the javanilla."

me:  "ok"

I quickly poured whatever coffee into my cup.  It's only a few hours into my day and I had already exceeded my threshold for small talk.  The fact that that interaction annoys me, annoys me.  This lady is a nice lady.  The fact that she was a little slow actually made me like her more; her intentions are sweet and genuine.  But I feel like it takes all my effort and then some to endure encounters like that.  I don't understand why.

Now back to yesterday and the hot cereal.  I flip open the top to the oatmeal container and stir the oatmeal to mix it up good before plopping it into my little to-go cup for me to enjoy after a half mile walk back to my in my tiny, tiny cubical.  As I'm finishing up step one of three (raisins are next), the cafeteria lady appears behind me.  "Oh is that empty", she asks enthusiastically, referring to the oatmeal container.  I very quickly reply, "no" and immediately flee the scene, leaving steps two and three of my cereal building behind.  Had I not bailed at that moment, the cafeteria lady may have very well started talking to me.  I killed some time wandering around the cafeteria until the cafeteria lady was nowhere near the hot cereal.  It's difficult to look busy in the cafeteria when you're simply killing time.

I guess the point of this post is that I can't understand why simply interactions such as this cause me to instinctively abandon a process.  Seems so ridiculous but it's a true story.  Maybe I could work on it by being the person engaging and hope that maybe I'll learn to appreciate some small talk...but I doubt it.