Never Enough Calling RIAA's Bluff Department

Remember Janis Ian, the chanteuse of the 60s and 70s who brought hits like "Seventeen" to the world? Well, not only is she still around, but she's weighed in with an incredible article on why the Recording Industry Association of America has their head in the sand regarding the Internet, how their stance is actually hurting the industry and will inevitably lead to a backlash.

And then,, she had the guts to make a modest proposal to release ALL the big record labels' back catalogs on MP3 for a quarter each, to demonstrate once and for all that downloading MP3s can be profitable.

One of the things that Janis Ian pointed out was how Hillary Rosen, president of the RIAA, estimates that "just half" of the CD-Rs bought recently are for pirated music, and how Janis' own CD-R usage makes that figure seem absurd. I'd like to throw in on this matter, myself. I have gone through roughly 300 CD-Rs in the past three years. Out of those, only twelve have MP3s on them. A third of those were purchased legitimately on eMusic; another third were downloaded free and legally from mp3.com or from the artists' websites. Out of the four CD-Rs that DO have "pirated music" on them, the vast majority of the artists have never been released on one of the RIAA's big-five labels or any of their subsidiaries. Furthermore, in the same time period, I have purchased roughly 200 music CDs, mostly because I heard music I liked and wanted to own the CD, thanks to the MP3 format and file-sharing networks.

So, you record industry wanks, put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!

Never Enough Star Wars Farces Department

Okay, you have probably seen Pulp Phantom by now, but THIS...

FEAR & LOATHING IN MOS EISLEY

...Kicks ASS.

Never Enough Comics Updates Department

I've been getting into a new webcomic, the ever-evil Fetus-X.

I've also been busy having a life, hence the lack of recent updates. But I have a couple ideas for new entries, so keep looking and I'll try to post something new in the next day or two. Really, honest.

Never Enough Cool Music Widgets Department

TwoFiveSix is a website that uses a Shockwave file to translate any other website into music � la Schoenberg. It's pretty cool, and very worth checking out.

Another classic site is the home of the Silophone, which is an abandoned grain silo in Montreal which has exceptional acoustic properties, and therefore has been transformed into an Internet-wired, interactive musical instrument. You can upload your sounds to the Silophone site and then play them through the Silophone!

I wonder if there is a way to merge the Silophone with TwoFiveSix. Hmmmmm...!

Never Enough Queer Christians Department

Oru-out.com is the official website for the gay/lesbian/bi/trans students, faculty, staff, and alumni of--get this--Oral Roberts University.

"...That which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." -- Luke 12:3 (emphasis added)

Never Enough TG Lawyers Department

It might seem odd that someone who has advocated anarchy might also have something nice to say about any lawyer. But we're not talking about any lawyer--we're talking about Phyllis Randolph Frye, an old friend and fellow Texan, the first out transgendered lawyer in Texas (and I guess first in the world) and a stalwart activist for transgender causes. I have added links to both her personal web page and her law practice in the permanent links section on the left hand side. Those transgendered who feel the need to get thorough, professional, and open-hearted legal advice should seek her out.

Never Enough Horses' Mouths Department

Regular readers of this blog have probably read my rants about the absurdity of the Littleton case in Texas, where a heterosexual marriage was annuled after the husband's death because a San Antonio judge ruled that the wife, a post-op transsexual, was legally male due to chromosones. Never mind that Christie Lee Littleton was never tested for chromosones.

Well, it might behoove us to read Christie Lee's own story, complete with legal updates. It's a heartbreaking story, but one is encouraged by the fact that Christie Lee is still fighting this one. Kick ass, Christie Lee. There are people 100% behind you here--including this partner in a "same-sex" marriage. Give 'em hell!

Never Enough Horses' Mouths Department

Regular readers of this blog have probably read my rants about the absurdity of the Littleton case in Texas, where a heterosexual marriage was annuled after the husband's death because a San Antonio judge ruled that the wife, a post-op transsexual, was legally male due to chromosones. Never mind that Christie Lee Littleton was never tested for chromosones.

Well, it might behoove us to read Christie Lee's own story, complete with legal updates. It's a heartbreaking story, but one is encouraged by the fact that Christie Lee is still fighting this one. Kick ass, Christie Lee. There are people 100% behind you here--including this partner in a "same-sex" marriage. Give 'em hell!

Never Enough Gut Blowouts Department

I just returned from X-Day 5, or XDV as some wags called it. Again, no pleasure saucers, but I ain't giving up! I'm going to KEEP ON PARTYING WITH MY FELLOW RELIGIOUS NUTS UNTIL WE BUST A NUT IN RUPTURE!!!

Well, it wasn't all partying this year, alas. But there was much slack to be had, especially considering that I am now legally married in the eyes of New York State. And not just married, but married to my significantly other Significant Other, St. Thea GirlUWant von Fraumench. And not just married in the state's eyes, but under "Bob"'s leering grin! And with Rev. Ivan Stang, my dear friend and inspiration, as the preacher! And with dozens of Superior Mutants watching and celebrating with us!! And did I mention that I married the ULTIMATE woman for me?!? (Actually, I had mentioned all this BEFORE, on this very blog, so I re-invoke the "Fuck It Principle" and will trust you'll dig in the archives if you are that curious.

Anyhow, here is an excellent stash of XDV photos to gawk at, just as I am now. And don't forget my X-Day Report and list of incomplete but heartfelt thank-yous for my own take on the event. And finally, do check out alt.slack either through your Usenet newsreader or by visiting the Google Usenet Motherlode.

Never Enough Technological Ironies Department

Have you ever noticed that some people will forgive others of an accident that will leave them in a cast for weeks on end, but when they find a bug in their software, will rant and rail as if they were personally attacked?

Just wondering.