Et tu, U2? Or, Cookin up a Kerfuffle!

Well, by now, many of you are aware of the fact that U2 released their new album this week, for free, on iTunes. That wasn't a problem. The problem is that Apple did not just make it available for users to download freely. Oh no. They distributed it automatically to all users. Yes. So millions of iTunes users were finding a new album suddenly added to their collection, want it or not.

Now of course, I don't fault U2 for this, I fault Apple. And as much as I don't like to jump on the bandwagon of comparing Tim Cook to Steve Jobs, I have to say, in this instance, Steve wouldn't have done that. How do I know? Simple. Steve was a firm believer that the customer should have to *always* confirm that they wanted to perform an action, or allow permissions or agree to terms and conditions. Steve believed that the user should always have to accept and confirm these actions, so that the user could never come back on Apple and say "Hey, I didn't know you were doing that" or "Hey, I didn't authorize that". Jony Ive has mentioned this in interviews, as has Phil Schiller. So that's how I know Steve wouldn't have done this, even though Steve was a fan of U2, and a friend of Bono.

Do we need to string Tim up for this? Of course not. He's probably learned his lesson from this little experiment, and the various dept VPs are probably giving him a lot of I told you sos.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to remove from my collection a mediocre album that I did not ask for.

~Mahalo~

Civil war in the Ukraine / Star Wars is NOT a 'reboot'!

So, the recent news out of the Ukraine is that Russian-centric rebels have shot down two Ukrainian helicopters over Slavyansk. I dunno bout you Bubba, but it sure looks like it's about damn time to call this a civil war. As I mentioned in my previous entry on this subject, there's likely nothing short of a US invasion that will stop Putin. Now of course, Moscow hasn't been directly tied to any of the current activity in the Ukraine, but no analyst could deny that Putin is behind it all. He has intentionally destabilized the area, especially with his bold move into Crimea. Putin isn't a stupid man, far from it, he's quite a shrewd manipulator. He's well aware of how his actions in Crimea would have emboldened other pro-Russia separatists. And now he's going to let them fight it out, and ensure that he gives as much unofficial support from Moscow as he can manage. And being a KGB man, he knows many ways to provide support that a standard politician would not think of. 

So now... we have civil war in the Ukraine, and possibly a precursor to rebuilding the former Soviet Union, a great dream of Putin's. 

The other half of the title of this entry? Why are so many in the media talking about the upcoming Star Wars trilogy as though it's a reboot? No. It is not. Star Wars VII - IX is simply the next trilogy in the overall saga that is Star Wars. Sure, it could be seen as a rejuvenation of the franchise, but it's not a reboot in the sense of remaking the original story, as has been done with so many movies lately, like Robocop, for example. Or the three or four variations of The Punisher. Or the Batman saga, or Spider-Man. 

J. J. Abrams is not remaking the original Star Wars saga. He is simply in charge of the next part of the story. Stop calling it a reboot. 

~Mahalo~

The O'Reilly / Beyonce Issue, in a nutshel

When did entertainers suddenly become national, or even international, parents? Yes, they are role models, in the sense that the youth look up to them, and are influenced by them. But how does that make them responsible for setting a good example? Bill O'Reilly wants to bash Beyonce because her videos are sexual in nature, and aren't setting a good example for the youth. But why is it Beyonce's responsibility to set that example? Sure, a lot of kids look up to her. Sure, she has a major influence on the youth of today. But that doesn't mean she has a responsibility to anyone, or anything. She's an entertainer. That's all. Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber too. None of them have a responsibility to set a good example, and parents need to stop blaming entertainers.

Responsibility falls squarely on parents, to ensure that their kids know the distinctions, and know what's right in those videos, and songs, and movies, and games, and what's wrong in them. I grew up watching Ozzy Osbourne, but you don't see me biting the heads off live bats. I've watched KISS, Sabbath, Priest, Zeppelin, Tull... I've seen The Exorcist, The Shining, IT... I'm not dressing up as a killer clown, mainlining heroin, worshipping the devil or chasing my wife around a hotel maze with an axe in my hands.

Thankfully, O'Reilly's target audience is his age and older. Thankfully, the youth will be making the decisions for our society, and they don't watch his drivel. Now as long as they don't try to emulate their entertainers, we might be ok.

~Mahalo~

Crimea's down, Ukraine unstable, Latvia next?

So Mr. Putin seems to be making some bold moves lately. Is it just me, or is he becoming a Bond villain? Vladimir Putin has visions of grandeur, and it may not be purely narcissistic.  He wants to be in league with the other great 'ins', Stal and Len. He's trying to rebuild the former Soviet Union, and isn't making any bones about it. What's scarier is that his popularity, among Russians, is high. The Russian people, or at least a majority of, seem to support this dream of his. 

And fuck me if I'm crazy, but he's doing a better job of Cold War politics than Mikhael Gorbachev could have ever managed. Putin's just walking in and taking what he wants, damn the rest of the world. Gotta hand it to him, he's got flaws, but he's a strong leader. I really don't like most of his social policies, and certainly not his stances on LGBT equality, or women's rights. But he is a strong leader. 

And back on this side of the pond, Obama is powerless to stop him. Many people are faulting Obama right now for being weak, but let's face it, what more can he do? Nothing short of a full invasion is going to make a difference and nobody wants that. Russia's military is much stronger than it was at the turn of the century/millennium, and they'd be able to put up much more fight than the US wants to face. Not to mention Russia's inter-continental ballistic capabilities, nuclear or other. 

No, an invasion of Russia is not a solution. Obama is not weak, he's powerless. Weak suggests that he could do something and won't, which isn't the case. He can't do any more than he already has. If sanctions aren't enough to stop Putin, we may just have to sit back and watch him rebuild the union, because the alternative may be even worse. 

~Mahalo~