Greedy industry again ...

Okay, it's like buses, you wait for ages and three (or maybe more, I'm on a roll) blog posts come along at the same time!

The BBC has an article concerning the Call to disconnect 'file-sharers' made by the usual suspects in the music and film industries. I couldn't help comment on this as it really does wind me up, here is what I wrote, we'll see if the BBC "Have you say" team deem it publishable

"Fact: people will ALWAYS copy music/video. There is nothing that anybody can ever do to stop this.

If the music and film industry could just accept this, stop crying about lost revenue (there is no evidence that they would have made any money in the first place), and came up with services and products that people want at realistic prices then everyone would be much happier (them included).

For example, I refused to ever buy music from a legal, online store, where it had DRM attached because it simply wouldn't work on the devices I owned and restricted what I could do.

Now I happily pay around £4-5 of a digital download from Amazon safe in the knowledge that I can play this in my car, at home, cycling, on my PC, anywhere I want, with no restrictions.

I could, if I wanted to, download the same music illegally for free, but it's actually now more effort so I don't bother.

At the moment, it is more cost effective and easier to download (illegally) movies, particularly when there is very little that is really worth the cost of a DVD.

Why doesn't the film industry realise this and provide cheap downloads (reduced quality/functionality - who really wants all the special features on a DVD anyway). Surely they are also likely to win back customers and revenue as well as some much needed support and good will."

Personally I think I would feel pretty ashamed if I was one of the executives working for any of the music or film companies concerned; chasing down average people, dragging them through court, turning them into criminals and all really because I can't get a decent business model in place and I'm too greedy and think that everyone should pay for the rubbish that I'm producing at the price I want to charge.

The image of fat, lethargic, unimaginative, and above all greedy, executives sat around living off the efforts of others springs to mind. Okay, I know not everyone in the industry is going to be like this but that's what the rest of us are going to think.

A related point: I think there are two types of 'piracy':

1. Where you copy/steal in order to make a direct profit, i.e. I make copies of a film and then try and sell them
2. I copy/download something for my own use, making no actual money - only saving myself the cost of buying a legal version

Everyone has their own moral line and to me, point one is clearly 'wrong' but point two seems more like recording a program off the TV or those mix tapes people use to make of the top 40 music charts.

[ Aside: How do the film industry view my watching a film I've recorded from TV? Illegal? No, they might want it to be but it isn't! Lost revenue? Definitely! So stop whinging and setup someting that would have let me download it at a small cost BEFORE it got to TV! ]

For a second let me mention something else: Churches. I'm not a religious person BUT I have, on many occasions, wandered into catherdrals and churches because I appreciate the architecture (I was brain-washed as a child by my Dad who likes the same thing and is equally non-religious).

I will happily give a donation to any church/catherdral I visit, I think that's only right and it also, in my mind, helps to keep them there to be seen again. What I won't do is pay an entrance fee to get into such a building. I think that is going too far and is presumptuous on the part of the church/catherdral concerned - I also often suspect that what is inside is not worth seeing if they charge you on the way in!

There was a point to that little detour, and that was to illustrate that people will happily pay for things that they don't necassarily have to. There are lots of things you can do/have/see for free but people still pay, even when they maybe can't really afford to, they just feel it's right. I'm not necassarily suggesting the music/film industry setup a collection tin but I think they need to do some serious PR and sort out there image and services/products such that people are willing to pay, even when there is the free download option.

Quantum of Solace

I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the first Bond film in this new run, Casino Royale, because it took a more serious approach compared to the more comic-book versions before. Quantum of Solace continues in a similar vein but I think I enjoyed it more and it was certainly action-packed and the plot kept things going nicely without becoming overly complex or simple for that matter.

So, definitely worth seeing I think, I certainly didn't notice the time fly by - I thought it would actually be a longer film (over 2hrs) but I think it turned out to be about 1hr 45mins but alot was packed into it with plenty of action but also time for more sub-dued scenes which nevertheless kept the interest going and never got over-indulgent or too frivolous.

Gadget-wise things do seem to have been toned down quite alot though there is still the obvious and noticeble exaggerated product placement of a Sony Ericsson C902 phone - in one scene this is able to magnify faces from across an open-air auditorium which is quite impressive for a phone without optical zoom! Sending the pictures to HQ within seconds was also slightly over-the-top, and I think there was an amazing bit of marketing to link the phone with GPS (it doesn't have a reciever for this).

In summary, definitely worth a watch!

Rent

Just finished watching Rent on DVD and I have to say it was pretty moving stuff. I didn't know what the whole story was and I also didn't realise there was a TV/drag aspect to it ... which was quite nice at first and then I realised where that character was going and that was just so sad ... have to admit I cried my eyes out!

Also finished watching series one of The L Word earlier in the week and have had to order series two and three (four, five, etc were much more expensive, they'll have to wait) so I could find out what happens because everything was left in total confusion with almost everyone having some major relationship issue! (Yes, I know this probably isn't surprising as it's an obvious ploy to get you to keep watching).

Indiana Jones and something or other

I decided to go and see this film for two reasons, one was simply that I thought it would be good and the other was that it gave me an excuse and purpose to go out as Fiona and would mean that was twice in one (long) weekend that I could claim to have had the courage and ability to get out and about.

So, first a mini-review of the film followed by more about the clothes I was wearing and the obligatory picture of me :D

Well, I can see why alot of the critics have slammed the film, there are some aspects of it that are pretty disappointing. On the other hand they were never going to be able to fully re-capture the magic of the original films and at least they didn't try and try and set everything at the same point in time, they did move things on a bit and there didn't seem to be any attempt to hide the obvious ageing of the characters, e.g. Indiana had grey hair.

The plot twists were obvious in many ways though I was surprised to see Indiana's love-interest in the film as I wasn't expecting her - however there are plenty of downloadable pictures on the official website featuring this character so I guess I just hadn't done my research.

The action scenes were pretty good but as has been commented before, the thing with the monkeys was stretching credibility just that little bit too far. The fighting was also I little unrealistic as well given the relative ages of Dr Jones and the Russian Soldier who he beat unconscious.

The pace seemed fine and I certainly wasn't looking at my watch or getting bored at any point. Also some of the 'scary' parts of the film did manage to carry some level of suspense and the creepy crawlies where pretty, well, creepy!

Now the plot was obviously similar in form to the other films, i.e. not too complicated and with an obvious conclusion and "they all lived happily ever-after ... apart from the bad guys" ending. I'm in two minds about the subject of the plot though, the explanation for the crystal skulls and what happened when they were returned. On one hand it feels like too much of a departure from the originals but on the other I guess the subject matter does need updating a bit and I can see how it all fit with the era in which the film was set.

So overall I'd say it's an enjoyable enough film, not as good as the originals but still good fun. If you've got a decent TV at home then probably okay to wait until it's available on DVD.

Onto more important subjects; clothes! Well, I'm still not getting round to taking decent pics of the outfits that I'm wearing, I'm just being lazy and using my phone's camera instead so I'll have to describe what I had on: skinny (ish-more like 'tight') jeans, black boots, white top.

I've been invited out to see Sex and the City this Friday and I'm hoping this will be another Fiona outing, if it is I will really try and get full pics of whatever I wear (debating about a skirt for this one).