Monday, July 31, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
More Broken Promises from Tech Giants
by Angela K. Durden
For the most part with the USPS, when an advertiser sends something through the mail, it gets to the mailbox. What the homeowner does with it after that cannot be controlled; everybody understands that.
But when one places ads online, where do they go? With all the manipulations these last few years there is no telling whether or not one's efforts are being seen. There is no way to accurately track delivery because we have to take the word of the company who says they will make it seen.
Micro-targeting became the buzz word for awhile. "We can make sure that only those interested in your product or service will see your ad!" said Google, Facebook, and others.
I questioned that promise the first time I paid Facebook to push out messaging for me. When no sales happened and all I got was a bunch of folks from India and Indonesia "liking" my page and nobody from the U.S., that's when I knew something was wrong.
My products (books) and service (editing, writing) would not be used by anybody in a non-native-English speaking country. Why was Facebook showing it in India and Indonesia?
I can't answer that, but I do know that there are companies who pay people in third-world countries one penny per click to "like" Facebook pages and follow on Twitter. Now who are paying these companies to do that? Not me. And certainly not P&G, which is why...
In a press release, P&G said they chose "to temporarily restrict spending in digital forums where our ads were not being placed according to our standards and specifications."
For the most part with the USPS, when an advertiser sends something through the mail, it gets to the mailbox. What the homeowner does with it after that cannot be controlled; everybody understands that.
But when one places ads online, where do they go? With all the manipulations these last few years there is no telling whether or not one's efforts are being seen. There is no way to accurately track delivery because we have to take the word of the company who says they will make it seen.
Micro-targeting became the buzz word for awhile. "We can make sure that only those interested in your product or service will see your ad!" said Google, Facebook, and others.
I questioned that promise the first time I paid Facebook to push out messaging for me. When no sales happened and all I got was a bunch of folks from India and Indonesia "liking" my page and nobody from the U.S., that's when I knew something was wrong.
My products (books) and service (editing, writing) would not be used by anybody in a non-native-English speaking country. Why was Facebook showing it in India and Indonesia?
I can't answer that, but I do know that there are companies who pay people in third-world countries one penny per click to "like" Facebook pages and follow on Twitter. Now who are paying these companies to do that? Not me. And certainly not P&G, which is why...
Proctor & Gamble reached the same conclusion.
My friend, Tom, sent me some interesting information about cost reductions in P&G. According to zerohedge.com, Proctor & Gambles' CFO Jon Moeller on an earnings call said:(Transcript via Seeking Alpha)
“In the fourth quarter, the reduction in marketing that occurred was almost all in the digital space. And what it reflected was a choice to cut spending from a digital standpoint where it was ineffective: where either we were serving bots as opposed to human beings, or where the placement of ads was not facilitating the equity of our brands.”
In a press release, P&G said they chose "to temporarily restrict spending in digital forums where our ads were not being placed according to our standards and specifications."
Tech giants have been the biggest Ponzi schemes in the world. To them I say:
Jefferson Airplane: Lather
by Angela K. Durden
Lather was thirty years old today,
They took away all of his toys.
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three,
His leather chair waits at the bank.
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old,
Commanding his very own tank.
But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do,
To lie about nude in the sand,
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps,
And thrashing the air with his hands.
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know,
He produces the finest of sound,
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose,
Snorting the best licks in town,
But that's all over...
Lather was thirty years old today,
And Lather came foam from his tongue.
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said,
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
And the children call him famous,
what the old men call insane,
And sometimes he's so nameless,
That he hardly knows which game to play...
Which words to say...
And I should have told him, "No, you're not old."
And I should have let him go on...smiling...babywide.
They took away all of his toys.
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three,
His leather chair waits at the bank.
And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old,
Commanding his very own tank.
But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do,
To lie about nude in the sand,
Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps,
And thrashing the air with his hands.
But wait, oh Lather's productive you know,
He produces the finest of sound,
Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose,
Snorting the best licks in town,
But that's all over...
Lather was thirty years old today,
And Lather came foam from his tongue.
He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said,
Is it true that I'm no longer young?
And the children call him famous,
what the old men call insane,
And sometimes he's so nameless,
That he hardly knows which game to play...
Which words to say...
And I should have told him, "No, you're not old."
And I should have let him go on...smiling...babywide.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
The Twins: Politics and Spin
by Angela K. Durden
Though it is often hard to tell them apart, Politics and Spin are actually fraternal twins.
Brother Spin is never torn in his soul. His motto is DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP. Spin's famous motto flashes in neon by the interstate like beacons to call truckers to watch the young, hot women do the fancy dancing.
Of course, when the truckers arrive they find the hot women's arms tracked up. Promised firm, pink flesh is mottled from too much sun and shots of alcohol. Baggy, old flesh hangs over the tiny costuming, and poles strain to hold the loads thrown against it. Teeth are missing. When the head-slinging gets too vigorous hairpieces fall off and are chased across the stage.
But Brother Spin doesn't care what those women look like because he knows if you throw on enough flashing strobes, play the music to ear-splitting levels, and ply the tired truckers with booze, well now, who's the wiser, right? Pimps sit in dark corners twisting gold rings around their fingers watching the door. Oh, yes. Spin is in his element as he gets a cut of the pimps' action.
Brother Politics, on the other hand, is torn in his soul. He wants to not only do good, he wants to be good. Then up comes a situation and he finds he must lie, prevaricate, cheat. All with a straight face. All for the greater good. But how can he do it? His conscience is killing him. Normally he wouldn't be caught dead where fancy dancers work. But he needs help.
So, Brother Politics walks through the door and tells his woes to his twin. Brother Spin locks his arm around his brother's shoulders and says, "Brother mine, not to worry. Leave the details to me. You see, I've got these fancy dancers who know just what to do."
Now, some folks in "The Hammer's" administration thought they could threaten Sen. Lisa. So, the Huffington Post deployed their fancy dancers on behalf of Sen. Lisa when they said in their headline: If You Come At Sen. Lisa Murkowski, You Best Not Miss. Quote:
If this is, indeed, what Zinke did, then shame on him and I hope "The Hammer" has spanked him for it, though somehow I believe there is more to that conversation than is being reported. But note the last sentence in the above quote. That's right:
With righteous indignation flying like a loose wig around a gold pole, HuffPo was all over that threat of Zinke's like it was the original sin.
Though it is often hard to tell them apart, Politics and Spin are actually fraternal twins.
Brother Spin is never torn in his soul. His motto is DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP. Spin's famous motto flashes in neon by the interstate like beacons to call truckers to watch the young, hot women do the fancy dancing.
Of course, when the truckers arrive they find the hot women's arms tracked up. Promised firm, pink flesh is mottled from too much sun and shots of alcohol. Baggy, old flesh hangs over the tiny costuming, and poles strain to hold the loads thrown against it. Teeth are missing. When the head-slinging gets too vigorous hairpieces fall off and are chased across the stage.
But Brother Spin doesn't care what those women look like because he knows if you throw on enough flashing strobes, play the music to ear-splitting levels, and ply the tired truckers with booze, well now, who's the wiser, right? Pimps sit in dark corners twisting gold rings around their fingers watching the door. Oh, yes. Spin is in his element as he gets a cut of the pimps' action.
Brother Politics, on the other hand, is torn in his soul. He wants to not only do good, he wants to be good. Then up comes a situation and he finds he must lie, prevaricate, cheat. All with a straight face. All for the greater good. But how can he do it? His conscience is killing him. Normally he wouldn't be caught dead where fancy dancers work. But he needs help.
So, Brother Politics walks through the door and tells his woes to his twin. Brother Spin locks his arm around his brother's shoulders and says, "Brother mine, not to worry. Leave the details to me. You see, I've got these fancy dancers who know just what to do."
Fancy Dancers Deployed
In the current healthcare debate vote, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted not to continue the debate. She felt, and I believe rightly, that the time for the debate was too soon. As his right to do so, Donald "The Hammer" Trump disagreed with her. His reasons for forcing the debate are also spot on because his goal is to also show up the hypocrisy of the Republican party on the Obamacare debacle.
Both are doing what they need to do.
Now, some folks in "The Hammer's" administration thought they could threaten Sen. Lisa. So, the Huffington Post deployed their fancy dancers on behalf of Sen. Lisa when they said in their headline: If You Come At Sen. Lisa Murkowski, You Best Not Miss. Quote:
On Wednesday night, the Alaska Dispatch News first reported that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had phoned Murkowski and fellow Alaskan Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) following Tuesday’s vote. Zinke delivered a “troubling message,” indicating that Murkowski’s defection could jeopardize future Alaska projects, in particular those involving energy extraction, Sullivan told the paper. In other words, Zinke wanted Murkowski to fall in line ― or else.
If this is, indeed, what Zinke did, then shame on him and I hope "The Hammer" has spanked him for it, though somehow I believe there is more to that conversation than is being reported. But note the last sentence in the above quote. That's right:
Zinke wanted Murkowski to fall in line — or else.
With righteous indignation flying like a loose wig around a gold pole, HuffPo was all over that threat of Zinke's like it was the original sin.
Yet hypocritically the publication continues — to this day — to support the "fall in line or else" punishing social engineering policies that are Obamacare.
Friday, July 28, 2017
The Case of Charlie Gard: Not an attack on parental rights.
by Angela K. Durden
One: That
children do not belong to the parents.
Two: That
when the parents insist on choosing something for their child that will not
benefit it, others step in; that other is often the State.
The press
fanned the flames and reactionaries took those statements as meaning the State
owns your children. Witness this headline:
That
conclusion could not be further from the truth. There is nothing wrong with
those two statements per se.
One:
Children are autonomous beings in the care of their parents until such time as
they grow up, thus technically they belong to themselves.
Two: When
parents suck, DFACS, relatives, and others step in to protect the children.
These are
things civilized and balanced societies have come to realize that work.
There is
much precedence in the SCOTUS on the issue of parental rights weighed against a
child's when politics, religion, lifestyle, etc., come into play. High courts
of other countries have ruled similarly and parent's rights have often been
upheld.
From what I
understand about the Charlie Gard case, it is that the parents wanted to subject
their son to a procedure that had never been used for cases like his. Even
though doctors said there was a slim chance that experimental procedure might
help him, it would, at best, simply make him linger longer in the deaf, blind,
and almost brain-dead condition he is in.
The press
fanned the flames, and reactionaries took those flames and spread them.
But the
question has been: What is best for Charlie?
How the
courts got involved, I have not been able to ascertain, but I know that when
really bad news about their child's impending death is given, some parents opt
to take things to court and force the doctors to "do something". Did
that happen in this case?
Like I said,
I have not been able to determine it.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Rolling Stone, the magazine: No longer relevant.
by Angela K. Durden
To be fair, I was never a subscriber to Rolling Stone magazine. See, I grew up in an out-of-control family situation where drugs, drink, sex, crime, and Chopin readily mixed with violence. (Rock-and-roll was sinful as it endorsed drugs, drink, sex, and crime but did not endorse Chopin, so it was not allowed in our house.)
Reading about more out-of-control people was not my thing. But every now and then on the newsstand a headline in the magazine would catch my attention. I enjoyed the writing. Visually I was entertained.
Still, after a while, each issue looked and sounded the same, that is they sure did a lot of liberal-ass whining that, in my world at least, sounded too much like a pity party and I was never into pity parties.
Rolling Stone became no longer relevant and I stopped picking it up — even if it was laying in an office and I could read it without paying. I was not alone in this. Palash Ghosh wrote a great article about their woes in 2012. Those woes have not abated. Why? Because they are...
Then this week the August issue of Rolling Stone hit the stands. What's on the cover but a dreamy Canadian Prime Minister who I am sure, though he would deny it, gets offers of **ssy all damn day.
Whether or not Justin Bieber... errrr... Baby... I mean Trudeau accepts those offers I shall not offer on opinion on, but one can surmise privately about that. They say power is the best aphrodisiac ever, and you can imagine, what with all the power the Liberals have, just how much sex is going on in those meetings.
Back to the problem of the Rolling Stone magazine.
Wow. It sure would be nice if the publication actually wrote about, oh...I don't know...let me think about it now. What could they write about that might make me care to pay for their magazine? It's coming to me-e-e-e-e-e. Oh, that's right:
I'm sure circulation is down. No, they won't admit it, but I know how these companies play with circulation numbers even if they have to print them and throw them in driveways to technically not be lying.
I know of what I speak . I canceled the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 1996 and continued to receive it in my driveway until 2003 even though I called them every time they sent me a bill and said, "I've cancelled it." But they had to keep those circulation numbers up, see?
To be fair, I was never a subscriber to Rolling Stone magazine. See, I grew up in an out-of-control family situation where drugs, drink, sex, crime, and Chopin readily mixed with violence. (Rock-and-roll was sinful as it endorsed drugs, drink, sex, and crime but did not endorse Chopin, so it was not allowed in our house.)
Reading about more out-of-control people was not my thing. But every now and then on the newsstand a headline in the magazine would catch my attention. I enjoyed the writing. Visually I was entertained.
Still, after a while, each issue looked and sounded the same, that is they sure did a lot of liberal-ass whining that, in my world at least, sounded too much like a pity party and I was never into pity parties.
Rolling Stone became no longer relevant and I stopped picking it up — even if it was laying in an office and I could read it without paying. I was not alone in this. Palash Ghosh wrote a great article about their woes in 2012. Those woes have not abated. Why? Because they are...
Boring.
Then this week the August issue of Rolling Stone hit the stands. What's on the cover but a dreamy Canadian Prime Minister who I am sure, though he would deny it, gets offers of **ssy all damn day. Whether or not Justin Bieber... errrr... Baby... I mean Trudeau accepts those offers I shall not offer on opinion on, but one can surmise privately about that. They say power is the best aphrodisiac ever, and you can imagine, what with all the power the Liberals have, just how much sex is going on in those meetings.
Back to the problem of the Rolling Stone magazine.
Wow. It sure would be nice if the publication actually wrote about, oh...I don't know...let me think about it now. What could they write about that might make me care to pay for their magazine? It's coming to me-e-e-e-e-e. Oh, that's right:
MUSIC.
But, no. This issue has the whining-Liberal pity party all over it again. I mean, look, Foo Fighters are in small type at the very bottom. What's up with that? This is the magazine's 50th Anniversary Year and this is the best they can do?I'm sure circulation is down. No, they won't admit it, but I know how these companies play with circulation numbers even if they have to print them and throw them in driveways to technically not be lying.
I know of what I speak . I canceled the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 1996 and continued to receive it in my driveway until 2003 even though I called them every time they sent me a bill and said, "I've cancelled it." But they had to keep those circulation numbers up, see?
Here's what Rolling Stone could write about.
The music business and how all these great artists, songwriters, and Indie labels and publishers are getting screwed out of royalties by The Bigs and The Majors and the Tech Giants who are using the force of law to steal intellectual property. I wrote about that on Linkedin. Read it here.
They won't do that because it is obvious they don't care about the music business. They just love Justin and the EPA but not quite as much as they hate Trump and freedom.
Snopes.com: Who can we believe in this story?
by Angela K. Durden
While I rake MSM over the coals on a regular basis when they abuse their power, I equally give kudos when I read a truly fair and balanced story produced by them.
Daniel Victor in the New York Times wrote just such an article about the woes of Snopes.com, a popular site that gives thumbs up or down to the truthfulness of many stories.
If you clicked the link above and read that story, you now have a pretty good idea of what is going on. Basically an original founder is being shoved out of his own company. It's turning messy, as these things often do, because the founder pitches a hissy fit when he is asked to act responsibly with the money. Not all founders end up being pushed out of companies they start, but usually when it does happen it's because the founder does not have the skill set to handle new challenges of a growing company and still is playing loosey-goosey with the cash register.
Call me a contrarian, but I stopped listening to Snopes.com some years ago when I found that even their so-called unbiased and learned opinions weren't so unbiased and often were unlearned. Then I learned Facebook had chosen them as one of their verified fact checkers to determine if a story was real or not and the funeral was over.
I once contacted them via their website so I could interview them. They didn't get back to me. Obviously they will talk to the venerable Gray Lady, as the NYT is often called, but a Citizen Journalist? Oh, no; not one of their ilk. Not someone without properly authorized press credentials.
Who is Angela K. Durden that Snopes should deign to be interviewed by her? I've got a middle initial and everything, but does Snopes care? No, they do not.
Granted, there are plenty who do hide their physical presence and for good reasons, but Snopes should not be one of them.
The court case is forcing the inner workings of that company out in the open. When my friend, worried about losing an objective reporting site, read me the email he received wherein Snopes' founder asked for money to fight the big bad meanie, I said that founder was spinning his own story.
Seems my objective research proved me right. Oh, Snopes, Snopes, Snopes. Just go ahead and close your doors. You don't look good on life support.
Hmmmm...I wonder. If I share this post on Facebook, will it pass the Snopes verified smell test?
While I rake MSM over the coals on a regular basis when they abuse their power, I equally give kudos when I read a truly fair and balanced story produced by them.
Daniel Victor in the New York Times wrote just such an article about the woes of Snopes.com, a popular site that gives thumbs up or down to the truthfulness of many stories.
If you clicked the link above and read that story, you now have a pretty good idea of what is going on. Basically an original founder is being shoved out of his own company. It's turning messy, as these things often do, because the founder pitches a hissy fit when he is asked to act responsibly with the money. Not all founders end up being pushed out of companies they start, but usually when it does happen it's because the founder does not have the skill set to handle new challenges of a growing company and still is playing loosey-goosey with the cash register.
Call me a contrarian, but I stopped listening to Snopes.com some years ago when I found that even their so-called unbiased and learned opinions weren't so unbiased and often were unlearned. Then I learned Facebook had chosen them as one of their verified fact checkers to determine if a story was real or not and the funeral was over.
I once contacted them via their website so I could interview them. They didn't get back to me. Obviously they will talk to the venerable Gray Lady, as the NYT is often called, but a Citizen Journalist? Oh, no; not one of their ilk. Not someone without properly authorized press credentials.
Who is Angela K. Durden that Snopes should deign to be interviewed by her? I've got a middle initial and everything, but does Snopes care? No, they do not.
So I went to whois.icann.org to find other contact information for Snopes and got this:
For a company that holds others to a high standard of clarity, Snopes.com hides.
Granted, there are plenty who do hide their physical presence and for good reasons, but Snopes should not be one of them.
The court case is forcing the inner workings of that company out in the open. When my friend, worried about losing an objective reporting site, read me the email he received wherein Snopes' founder asked for money to fight the big bad meanie, I said that founder was spinning his own story.
Seems my objective research proved me right. Oh, Snopes, Snopes, Snopes. Just go ahead and close your doors. You don't look good on life support.
Hmmmm...I wonder. If I share this post on Facebook, will it pass the Snopes verified smell test?
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Hump Day Quickie: RINOs
They look powerful, and still could be if they weren't napping on the job.
 |
| Dum-de-dum-de-de-dum. Dum-de-dum-de-de-dum. |
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Guilt-Trip Tuesday: Share if you care for me.
by Angela K. Durden
I hate fake guilt trips.
Look, G— C—, if you know who will share to prove they care, why post it publicly? Why not make it a private post shared with just those friends and have it say, "I need a hug. Come over."
But, no. You got to send out these stupid guilt trip memes. Ugh.
I hate fake guilt trips.
Look, G— C—, if you know who will share to prove they care, why post it publicly? Why not make it a private post shared with just those friends and have it say, "I need a hug. Come over."
But, no. You got to send out these stupid guilt trip memes. Ugh.
Monday, July 24, 2017
George Soros: Social consequences be damned.
by Angela K. Durden
"I am basically there to make money. I cannot and do not look at the social consequences of what I do." George Soros
"I am basically there to make money. I cannot and do not look at the social consequences of what I do." George Soros
The Rise of Citizen Journalists: A response to America's Media Meltdown.
by Angela K. Durden
Victor Davis Hanson writes brilliantly and bluntly about America's Media Meltdown. I suggest you click this link to read the entire thing. You will not be unhappy you did so. Here is a quote from Hanson's article on Hoover.org:
Hanson (pictured right) has done a fine job of explaining how and why the media rabidly worship at the feet of their P.C. messiah as they continue to proclaim him to be the only hope for mankind while conversely demonizing his successor to the Oval Office.
Hanson invokes the goddess Nemesis: She first makes mad those she intends to destroy. America's Media are mad. They are cuckoo. Certifiably insane. Nuts.
They are destroying their own businesses and the very country within which they operate and they don't care.
We, the viewing public, have a front row seat. Talk about a reality show. We watch it on the screen every day. TV pundits no longer hide their lies as they rely upon the ignorance of you the viewer.
Yes, they think you are flat out stupid and will believe anything they say and will act according to their wishes. But, uh-oh, the vast majority of the public isn't quite as credulous as they believed. So what do they do? They threaten. (Read my article here on Crunk News Network's threatening jihad justice against one citizen journalist.)
Citizen Journalists are that equal and opposing reaction to the insanity that is the Socialist P.C. Media that, by the way, is just as racist and prejudiced as the KKK and Neo Nazis. The harder the MSM tries to screw us over, the damn harder we're gonna push back.
Journolist Link 2
Journolist Link 3
Journolist Link 4
Journolist Link 5
Formally stated, Newton's third law is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.
That situation is described by Newton's Third Law of Motion. It states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Forces always occur in pairs; when one body pushes against another, the second body pushes back just as hard.
Victor Davis Hanson writes brilliantly and bluntly about America's Media Meltdown. I suggest you click this link to read the entire thing. You will not be unhappy you did so. Here is a quote from Hanson's article on Hoover.org:
Obama himself channeled the veneration, variously promising in god-like fashion to cool the planet and lower the seas, remarking that his own multifaceted expertise was greater than that of all of the various specialists who ran his campaign. For the next eight years, the media largely ignored what might charitably be called an historic overextension of presidential power and scandal not seen since the days of Richard Nixon’s presidency. A clique of journalists set up a private chat group, JournoList [editor's note: link to Wikipedia added by us; see other links at end of article about JournoList], through which they could channel ideas to promote the Obama progressive agenda.
Hanson invokes the goddess Nemesis: She first makes mad those she intends to destroy. America's Media are mad. They are cuckoo. Certifiably insane. Nuts.
They are destroying their own businesses and the very country within which they operate and they don't care.
We, the viewing public, have a front row seat. Talk about a reality show. We watch it on the screen every day. TV pundits no longer hide their lies as they rely upon the ignorance of you the viewer.
Yes, they think you are flat out stupid and will believe anything they say and will act according to their wishes. But, uh-oh, the vast majority of the public isn't quite as credulous as they believed. So what do they do? They threaten. (Read my article here on Crunk News Network's threatening jihad justice against one citizen journalist.)
What is it they say in physics? That for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?
Links to other articles and research about Journolist:
Journolist Link 1Journolist Link 2
Journolist Link 3
Journolist Link 4
Journolist Link 5
Formally stated, Newton's third law is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.
That situation is described by Newton's Third Law of Motion. It states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Forces always occur in pairs; when one body pushes against another, the second body pushes back just as hard.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Tech giants manipulations: Unbelievable!
by Angela K. Durden
...got this many likes and comments on her cliché-riddled, poor-me-but-preachy post.
If by some fluke these numbers are correct, it isn't because of her 500 connections and certainly not in one week.
Therefore I ask: Might she be related to somebody at Linkedin? Did that relative say, "Hey, Cousin, I can twiddle with the algorithms and get this out on everybody's feed so maybe you'll get hired."
Crazier things have happened.
I don't care what you say, there is no way that this girl (the PC PoPo can hush)...
...got this many likes and comments on her cliché-riddled, poor-me-but-preachy post.
If by some fluke these numbers are correct, it isn't because of her 500 connections and certainly not in one week.
Therefore I ask: Might she be related to somebody at Linkedin? Did that relative say, "Hey, Cousin, I can twiddle with the algorithms and get this out on everybody's feed so maybe you'll get hired."
Crazier things have happened.
Sunday Soliloquy: The Tyranny of Pop Music
by Angela K. Durden
"Music of an astounding banality. It is designed to be there but not really there. It is a background to the business of consuming things." Roger Scruton
Saturday, July 22, 2017
The Beatles Catalog: The transfer of debt.
by Angela K. Durden
On January 20 of this interesting year of twenty and seventeen, Billboard.com took readers through a timeline of the ownership of the Beatles catalog of 250 songs. It is an interesting read, especially if one wonders how the original members lost control of it in the first place.
You know what they say about deals when they start to stink? They say follow the money."
So I've been following the money for several years as the catalog changed hands for massive sums of money. Wow. Ten of millions and even more to transfer...errrrr...purchase the publishing rights. To sum up the Billboard.com article, Sing this along to the tune of Smoke That Cigarette:
Them pay They.
They pay Him.
Him needs money; sink or swim!
Next thing you know, They own it all again. But,
Him and Them are left out in the cold, and
Him and Them cry and moan, but
They say "Your turn next, it's all a game." So the
Debt gets transferred, hither and yon,
Banks none the wiser, and fans not concerned, but
"Something's nasty in the woodshed," one woman says.
That woman is me and here's why I say that.
One: The value of a catalog is based on how much it can earn.
Two: A catalog earns by selling (downloads, CDs, vinyl) or licensing.
Three: When a famous AC/DC song can be licensed for $500 for a 30-second spot that will run for less than a week on a sports show and that song is chosen because the network cannot afford to license another song, then we can clearly see licensing is not where the money is coming in from since —
Four: The Beatles' songs are priced in the upper stratosphere and nobody can afford that, so
Five: The valuation of the Beatles catalog is out of sync with its sale price, therefore —
Six: There's something nasty in the woodshed.
The something nasty to which I refer is the now open secret that the music business is so hungry and been gnawing on its own leg for so long the meat is all gone and the marrow has just about been sucked out of what remains of the leg bone.
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| Google search screenshot. |
On January 20 of this interesting year of twenty and seventeen, Billboard.com took readers through a timeline of the ownership of the Beatles catalog of 250 songs. It is an interesting read, especially if one wonders how the original members lost control of it in the first place.
You know what they say about deals when they start to stink? They say follow the money."
So I've been following the money for several years as the catalog changed hands for massive sums of money. Wow. Ten of millions and even more to transfer...errrrr...purchase the publishing rights. To sum up the Billboard.com article, Sing this along to the tune of Smoke That Cigarette:
Them pay They.
They pay Him.
Him needs money; sink or swim!
Next thing you know, They own it all again. But,
Him and Them are left out in the cold, and
Him and Them cry and moan, but
They say "Your turn next, it's all a game." So the
Debt gets transferred, hither and yon,
Banks none the wiser, and fans not concerned, but
"Something's nasty in the woodshed," one woman says.
That woman is me and here's why I say that.
One: The value of a catalog is based on how much it can earn.
Two: A catalog earns by selling (downloads, CDs, vinyl) or licensing.
Three: When a famous AC/DC song can be licensed for $500 for a 30-second spot that will run for less than a week on a sports show and that song is chosen because the network cannot afford to license another song, then we can clearly see licensing is not where the money is coming in from since —
Four: The Beatles' songs are priced in the upper stratosphere and nobody can afford that, so
Five: The valuation of the Beatles catalog is out of sync with its sale price, therefore —
Six: There's something nasty in the woodshed.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Tech Giant Manipulations: Google getting ready to gnaw on their own leg.
by Angela K. Durden
Listen up all you investor types. In a knee-jerk reaction to market forces, Google Alphabet is looking for new income streams by flexing their gorilla muscles all over the monkeys in the forest.
That's right. Google Alphabet is pushing hard to get absolutely everybody to purchase an SSL certificate for their website whether or not it has e-commerce.
I have a business site that does e-commerce but mostly stores licensing/clearance data about their original songs in an online catalog. I'm happy to have an SSL certificate for the member portal dashboard of MyDigitalCatalog.com. I know how much that certificate costs and I know what it can and cannot do.
But for my other four sites (music placement, author, performance, and editing/design), I don't need an SSL certificate. These are informational sites only. Here is who I am. Here is what I've got. If you are interested, you can call or email. Boom shakalaka done.
Or one may click a link to pay for a product or service via PayPal who has SSL certificates out the ying-yang. Bam. Easy-peezie. Everybody protected. No harm, no foul.
Except not according to Google Alphabet. Oh, no. They are holding website owners hostage by saying if you don't get SSL certificate for each one, we're going to flash a big ol' red warning sign that says this site might HURT YOU and are you SURE you want to GO TO IT.
Why else threaten your customers and partners. That's right. Customers and partners.
Listen up all you investor types. In a knee-jerk reaction to market forces, Google Alphabet is looking for new income streams by flexing their gorilla muscles all over the monkeys in the forest.
That's right. Google Alphabet is pushing hard to get absolutely everybody to purchase an SSL certificate for their website whether or not it has e-commerce.
I have a business site that does e-commerce but mostly stores licensing/clearance data about their original songs in an online catalog. I'm happy to have an SSL certificate for the member portal dashboard of MyDigitalCatalog.com. I know how much that certificate costs and I know what it can and cannot do.
But for my other four sites (music placement, author, performance, and editing/design), I don't need an SSL certificate. These are informational sites only. Here is who I am. Here is what I've got. If you are interested, you can call or email. Boom shakalaka done.
Or one may click a link to pay for a product or service via PayPal who has SSL certificates out the ying-yang. Bam. Easy-peezie. Everybody protected. No harm, no foul.
Except not according to Google Alphabet. Oh, no. They are holding website owners hostage by saying if you don't get SSL certificate for each one, we're going to flash a big ol' red warning sign that says this site might HURT YOU and are you SURE you want to GO TO IT.
All this tells me is that Google's income is down...way down.
Why else threaten your customers and partners. That's right. Customers and partners.
As a website owner, I want to attract eyeballs to my site. How do I do that? Many ways, but if I want to increase eyeballs, I purchase AdWords. Except, for some reason, Google has been making that absolutely impossible to purchase...at least for me. Don't get me started on that subject.
One customer: Ticked off. In the meantime, clickbait sites operate with absolute impunity.
Now they are ticking me off again by threatening to make me look bad online by saying I'm a creep?
That is not nice.
Just like the music business is in such a bad state these days and so hungry they're gnawing on their own legs, Google Alphabet is headed that way.
You read it here first, folks.
RadioActivity: I Was a Communist for the FBI - Poker Game In The Sky
Original Air Date: June 4, 1952
Soundcloud CEO swears they aren't shuttering their doors. What else could he say?
by Angela K. Durden
The first domino to fall is never the only one. As the founder of MyDigitalCatalog.com and a songwriter who wants to place her music, I stay abreast of the business and ahead of the curve of where the music business is heading. On May 19, 2017, I wrote this article on Linkedin entitled "2017: The Year the Music Business Died." In that article I said:
As a company who thought they would try streaming, Soundcloud soon found themselves in trouble when a UK performing rights society sued them.
Soundcloud, one of The Bigs, and other of The Bigs and The Majors, have been and still are playing fast and loose with creators' digital assets, and it is biting them in the butt. Archive Team, a group of volunteer rogue code monkeys, has already started downloading Soundcloud's customers' digital assets, that is, several petabytes their music. Since it cost a lot of money to archive these, Archive Team would not be doing that if they thought there was no danger of the files being lost.
In any case, of course Soundcloud's CEO swears the company won't fold. What else would he say as he desperately attempts to unload the company on unsuspecting buyers? A yard sale this is not. It's a conflagration in the making and lots of people have already been burned.
Financial Times reported Soundcloud is running out of cash. And Soundcloud has closed locations and held massive layoffs.
The first domino to fall is never the only one. As the founder of MyDigitalCatalog.com and a songwriter who wants to place her music, I stay abreast of the business and ahead of the curve of where the music business is heading. On May 19, 2017, I wrote this article on Linkedin entitled "2017: The Year the Music Business Died." In that article I said:
The Bigs and The Majors have lost track of the money, y'all.Making the distribution system so complicated that the creators of the music cannot figure how they are getting screwed, The Bigs and The Majors ended up outsmarting themselves. Yes, while giving the old "eff you" to the creators, they ending up effing themselves. The more they lost control, the tighter they squeezed. We know this from the consolidations in the business making all but a very few of these companies publicly traded [and] who had better meet quarterly stockholder performance expectations — or else.And in this January 29, 2017 article entitled "Music Streaming Services Conundrum" wherein I said:
On the other hand, as streamers’ dance the light fandango, their balance sheets turn a whiter shade of pale.
As a company who thought they would try streaming, Soundcloud soon found themselves in trouble when a UK performing rights society sued them.
Soundcloud, one of The Bigs, and other of The Bigs and The Majors, have been and still are playing fast and loose with creators' digital assets, and it is biting them in the butt. Archive Team, a group of volunteer rogue code monkeys, has already started downloading Soundcloud's customers' digital assets, that is, several petabytes their music. Since it cost a lot of money to archive these, Archive Team would not be doing that if they thought there was no danger of the files being lost.
In any case, of course Soundcloud's CEO swears the company won't fold. What else would he say as he desperately attempts to unload the company on unsuspecting buyers? A yard sale this is not. It's a conflagration in the making and lots of people have already been burned.
Financial Times reported Soundcloud is running out of cash. And Soundcloud has closed locations and held massive layoffs.
Most notably to be hurt are the creatives who have been using the service.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Hump Day Quickie: MSM is a dom
by Angela K. Durden
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| MSM is a dom who likes his job just a little bit too much. Even though losing money, just keeps inflicting pain. |
Bobby Sherman: Easy Come, Easy Go.
by Angela K. Durden
Takin' the
shade out of the sun
Whatever made me think that I was number one?
I oughta know, easy come, easy go
Sittin' it out, spinnin' the dial
Thinkin' about the chump I 've been I have to smile
Didn't I know, easy come, easy go
She wasn't
kind, I wasn't smart
I lost my mind and fell apart
I had to find myself in time
Now I can start all over again
Hangin' around, takin' it slow
Happy I found I still can smile and dig the show
Lettin' me know, easy come easy go
Takin' the
shade out of the sun
Whatever made me think that I was number one?
I oughta know, easy come, easy go
Sittin' it
out, spinnin' the dial
Thinkin' about the chump I 've been I have to smile
Didn't I know, easy come, easy go
She wasn't
kind, I wasn't smart
I lost my mind and fell apart
I had to find myself in time
Now I can start all over again
Hangin' around, takin' it slow
Happy I found I still can smile and dig the show
Lettin' me know, easy come easy go
Hangin'
around, takin' it slow
Happy I found I still can smile and dig the show
Lettin' me know, easy come easy go
Hangin'
around, takin' it slow
Happy I found I still can smile and dig the show
Lettin' me know, easy come easy go
Hangin'
around, takin' it slow
Happy I found I still can smile and dig the show
Lettin' me know, easy come easy go
Written by
Thomas Carl Keifer
Copyright ©
Universal Music Publishing Group
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
It ain't easy being a Citizen Journalist. Just ask Georgia's own Nydia Tisdale.
by Angela K. Durden
You've heard me mention Citizen Journalists in the context of this blog and others. Some may think it's easy being that. Hey, they say, all you have to do is write a few words or show some video; how hard can it be?
The rise of Citizen Journalists has happened because the Mainstream media has failed to do their job. They've failed by not researching properly. Giving opinion where pure reporting of the events would suffice. And in a lot of instances, totally fabricating stories.
So, yeah, being a Citizen Journalist is difficult. I spend hours researching and confirming stories before I write them. Even when I'm writing about them in a humorous fashion. In fact, when humor comes in is when the facts must be absolutely tight. I don't get paid for this. I do it because I must.
Just like Nydia Tisdale, a Georgia woman who has found herself to be a Citizen Video Journalist. But it seems too many politicians on both sides of the aisle don't like her filming open-to-the-public government events, meetings, and rallies. Now why is that, you think?
Here are some reading you might like to dive into.
This 2016 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution does a great job of telling the whole story about Nydia Tisdale.
This 2014 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows Tisdale has been fighting for freedom of speech for quite some time.
This 2015 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows how Tisdale got started being a Citizen Journalist in her neck of the woods.
And no, Tisdale has a YouTube channel where she simply posts the videos. In other words, she's no commentator, offers no opinion; she's just the video scribe. Here is one example of what she does:
The rise of Citizen Journalists has happened because the Mainstream media has failed to do their job. They've failed by not researching properly. Giving opinion where pure reporting of the events would suffice. And in a lot of instances, totally fabricating stories.
So, yeah, being a Citizen Journalist is difficult. I spend hours researching and confirming stories before I write them. Even when I'm writing about them in a humorous fashion. In fact, when humor comes in is when the facts must be absolutely tight. I don't get paid for this. I do it because I must.
Just like Nydia Tisdale, a Georgia woman who has found herself to be a Citizen Video Journalist. But it seems too many politicians on both sides of the aisle don't like her filming open-to-the-public government events, meetings, and rallies. Now why is that, you think?
Here are some reading you might like to dive into.
This 2016 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution does a great job of telling the whole story about Nydia Tisdale.
This 2014 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows Tisdale has been fighting for freedom of speech for quite some time.
This 2015 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows how Tisdale got started being a Citizen Journalist in her neck of the woods.
And no, Tisdale has a YouTube channel where she simply posts the videos. In other words, she's no commentator, offers no opinion; she's just the video scribe. Here is one example of what she does:
Monday, July 17, 2017
A baby's life is a "ridiculous conversation"?
by Angela K. Durden
Baby parts procured during an abortion are an industry and anyone who disagrees with them is having a "ridiculous conversation".
What is wrong is right in their eyes.
Baby parts procured during an abortion are an industry and anyone who disagrees with them is having a "ridiculous conversation".
What is wrong is right in their eyes.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Crazy like a fox, yeah, but of an unsound mind "The Hammer" isn't.
by Angela K. Durden
In a February 15, 2017 article on FoxNews.com, Dr. Keith Ablow wrote a great piece about the sanity of Donald "The Hammer" Trump.
Ablow pointed out that the label of insane cannot be applied to Trump by anyone except those "who...are political opportunists, or fools, or both (and I am thinking here, in particular, of Sen. Franken)."
The doctor's point being that those who are truly insane do not: forge successful business empires; have relatives, wives, and business associates who seek him out for advice; run a first-time successful political campaign for the highest office in the nation and win against all odds; or attract talented and smart people to work for a common vision.
Crazy like a fox, yeah, but of an unsound mind "The Hammer" isn't. Problem is, when Trump said he would drain the swamp, he truly had no clue the swamp was everywhere and as entrenched as it is. But he learns fast.
You want to talk about insane? How about these very few examples of their "sanity" proudly made public by Democratic Progressive Socialists and RINOs?
In a February 15, 2017 article on FoxNews.com, Dr. Keith Ablow wrote a great piece about the sanity of Donald "The Hammer" Trump.
Ablow pointed out that the label of insane cannot be applied to Trump by anyone except those "who...are political opportunists, or fools, or both (and I am thinking here, in particular, of Sen. Franken)."
The doctor's point being that those who are truly insane do not: forge successful business empires; have relatives, wives, and business associates who seek him out for advice; run a first-time successful political campaign for the highest office in the nation and win against all odds; or attract talented and smart people to work for a common vision.
Crazy like a fox, yeah, but of an unsound mind "The Hammer" isn't. Problem is, when Trump said he would drain the swamp, he truly had no clue the swamp was everywhere and as entrenched as it is. But he learns fast.
You want to talk about insane? How about these very few examples of their "sanity" proudly made public by Democratic Progressive Socialists and RINOs?
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| Google search screen capture. |
Or this:
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| Google search screen capture. |
Or this:
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| Google search screen capture. |
Or this:
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| Google search screen capture. |
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