The Future of Media: Introduction

All forms of media have felt the effect of the internet and the consumers gravitation to new technology. You often see writers, frightened by what they see, writing about the uncertain future of newspapers, books, radio and television. As of late I’ve been fairly laid back about the whole issue and I still am. But there is a larger point that needs to be made in regard to these mediums and their future.

Newspapers, books, radio and television might not exist in the near future, well at least as we know them today. I have a problem with people getting worked up over loosing these mediums. While I don’t want them to go, I don’t want them to stay if they’re not wanted.

Here is the main point that anyone worried about the future needs to understand. Newspapers/books, radios and televisions are all delivery methods. Outside of a newspaper or a book, the alphabet and words will still exist. Outside of the radio industry, audio recording and even transmission via the internet will continue. And moving pictures will still be around even if televisions are not the sole mode of consumption.

Something that we all need to accept is that the internet will be the distribution method for all of the media that we consume. That does not necessarily mean that the computer will be the mode of consumption, it will be a middle man. The computer will be a way for the consumer to set up what they want to read, watch, and listen too. It will become a central access point for the consumer to pick favorites, subscribe to certain feeds for all types of media, and just make basic decisions about what they want to consume. The media will then be sent out via a network or internet connection too a smart phone, gaming console, entertainment computer, or reading device, and the media will be streaming on those devices waiting to be consumed.

Why streaming? Its simple. The one advantage that the newspaper, radio, and television industries have over the consumer is the fact that they are in charge of when and where the consumer gets their product. If the consumer has to receive the product after a short ad then so be it, that’s how its always been. There is a fear on the part of the industries and advertisers that the industries will loose this element of control and they will have no way of basically forcing the consumer to see an ad. If they loose that control the advertisers don’t spend money and the industries loose money.

That is where streaming comes in. This generally only applies to radio and television, this dilemma is not as common in the world of text. If something is streamed, interrupting that stream is virtually impossible for the average consumer/user and that allows the industries to be able to force the consumer to watch an ad. This is already happening with Hulu and popular videos on Youtube.

In the coming days I will write about all of these industries in depth and tell you what I think will happen to them. So be sure to look for these posts interspersed with my normal blog activity.

Baucus Bill Not Online

The AP reports that the  Baucus bill that will eventually become law will not be online. They know what happens when that put the actual bill online, the people actually read it, so it appears that “conceptual language” will have to do. I don’t think so.

AP- Senate Finance Committee Democrats have rejected a GOP amendment that would have required a health overhaul bill to be available online for 72 hours before the committee votes. Republicans argued that transparency is an Obama administration goal. They also noted that their constituents are demanding that they read bills before voting. Democrats said it was a delay tactic that could have postponed a vote for weeks.The Democrats noted that unlike other committees, the Finance Committee works off conceptual language that describes policies — instead of legislative language that ultimately becomes law, and which the GOP amendment would have required. Democrats accepted an alternate amendment to make conceptual language available online before a vote.

Here’s a thought, what if the Senate Finance Committee decided to “change” their ways?

Wilson Outburst Will Lead To People Riding Around In “White Hoods”? (Video)

You have to be kidding me, commentary later tonight.  What Wilson did was stupid, but what the Democrats are doing now is disgusting.

Found on Viral Footage.com

ACORN On Prostitution DC Version (Video)

They’re at it again!

Thanks to Big Government.com

9/11/09

On the national scale there are two events that changed my life. The first was the election of 2000, ever since that election I’ve had interest in politics to some degree, even if it just meant me watching the news on sick days. The second event that had a significant impact on my life was 9/11/01.

I was only a Sophomore in high school when it happened, but going to school that day was very surreal. The thing I remember the most was how beautiful a day it was in Tucson. It was a day that you wanted to be outside, it was a day with the sun shining bright and the weather was extremely nice.

The second thing I remember was the uncertainty that was imposed on us as young adults. Some peoples dads were now going to have to leave the state to tend to either an uncertain war or an uncertain clean up effort. We were extremely uncertain about whether or not that was the end or not.

Juxtapose the extremely nice day and the uncertainty and uneasiness that was in the air that day and it makes for in interesting feeling.

I started school very late because my school was experimenting with start times. So in Arizona I didn’t have to be at school until 9:40, that’s 12:40 in New York. My dad called my mom and woke me and my sister up after the first plane hit. At that time we didn’t even know that it was a terrorist attack, we just weren’t sure. I was awake and watched the second plane hit, that’s when we all knew. I continued watching it all morning until I finally had to be at school..

We didn’t hardly do any work that day, everyone was just coping, even though we were thousands of miles away.

The rest of that year seemed very strange. I had perhaps one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve ever had with my family. I think that it must have been the fact that we were all together that year and so many families were not, even though no one was willing to say that.

That’s all I can muster, my heart and prayers go out to all of those who are mourning today.

Why We Don’t Need Socialized Medicine

Found this on Viral Footage

Taking A Break

I was taking a bit of a break, hoping to start posting again today. I’ve been pretty busy.

Paul Ryan on CNBC

Lego My Health Care

Another Political Math video. Be sure to check out this guys blog.

Liberty Isn’t A Four Letter Word

Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Sheehan, and Kevin Spacey. That is a list of celebrities and activists that have recently (within the last couple of years) visited with the totalitarian leftist known as Hugo Chavez. The man that rails on oil tycoons, yet rules one of the most oil rich countries in the world, effectively controlling its oil. Maybe I’m wrong but it kind of seems like he plays both the tycoon and president in this instance.

Not only are we now seeing protests in Iran, now we are seeing smaller protests in Venezuela. This, because the Chavez regime plans to shut down a television station critical of his presidency.

Filled with one common desire, a hatred for former President George W. Bush, Penn and Chavez seemingly became fast buddies two years ago, as they made their way through the Venezuelan country side. Chavez, who pals around with the oh so wonderful Fidel Castro, refused to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television in 2007 because they were anti-Chavez. Now he plans to the same to the station Globovision by using regulatory measures. Please read that again people, regulatory measures. That is why I despise Sean Penn and his ilk, because they go to these totalitarian countries that have leaders (AKA dictators) that can’t even take a little criticism from their own media.

Regulatory measures, sounds a bit like the fairness doctrine now doesn’t it. Yet these progressives in our country claim that all of our ills can be blamed on one thing, a lack of regulation. In the name of “fairness” we will silence those with whom we disagree. In an age where information is constantly flowing we need fairness? I don’t think so. This is a power struggle people, if they are not trying to take over the media, they are taking over companies. The government now has a 60 percent stake in GM and has taken 30 billion of your tax dollars and injected it into GM to get it on its feet again, you now own GM and you didn’t even ask for it. Chavez jokes “Hey, Obama has just nationalized nothing more and nothing less than General Motors. Comrade Obama! Fidel, careful or we are going to end up to his right.”

Now they plan to do the same thing with your “health care,” or what really should be called health insurance, and take more of your money via cap and trade in the name of saving the planet from climate change. Again this is a power struggle, and Washington is not just sticking its fingers into the private sector, its grabbing the private sector by the neck and choking it to death, and you will foot the medical bills for the poor thing.

First take health insurance. The free market is based on competition, what do you think will happen when the government is offering the American people at an unrealistically low and uncompetitive price? People will undoubtedly flock to the cheaper option, forcing the private health insurance providers to raise their price just to stay alive, essentially pushing them out of business. And the old adage you get what you pay for strongly comes into play here. Quality anything is not cheap.

Now to cap and trade. Please tell me who pays for taxes that are enforced on companies? The consumer. The consumer has always and will always pay for any tax or regulatory measure imposed on a private company. That rule applies to this new 1,000 plus page bill that Nancy Pelosi wants passage on. You must understand this. If companies are going to be penalized and have to pay for the carbon that they emit into the air, you, the consumer, will end up paying for that penalty. Even Warren Buffet understands this. And is this a good thing to be doing to the American people when they can hardly pay the bills right now? No.

As for Sean Penn and people like him, they are supposed to be the ones fighting imperialism here. They are supposed to be the ones on the side of what, liberty? Why don’t you ask today’s Venezuelan protestors if they have liberty. Penn, you were wrong about Chavez. You did a good job narrating Dog Town and Z Boys and you are a fairly good actor, but you have a screw loose, and I don‘t feel like writing about you any more, you’re not worth my time.

In no way am I saying that President Obama is the next Hugo Chavez. While Chaves’ Venezuela is not a mirror image of today’s America, its too close for comfort.