December 2002 Archives

OK. So I haven't been updating all that much as of late - not so much as a Christmas post with a picture of a sweater. Well here's why:

I broke my hand on the 21st of December. Ugh! 30+ and falling apart. The break was to the 5th metacarpal on my right hand, just below the knuckle. In fact it was a bit more grizzly than that as the knuckle went under the bone - ouch!

But the "real" pain came when the doctor set it. No pain killers, no whiskey, no stick to bite on: just dark ages "I'll pull, you scream." Truth is, I nearly passed out after my cries to heaven echoed through the hospital unanswered.

How did it happen, you ask? Here are your choices:

a) I got into a fight with a biker when he tried to steal my girl.
b) Bad tennis accident while vacationing in St. Bart's.
c) Tripped down the stairs while carrying christmas presents to the car - saved the gifts, sacrificed hand.
d) Fell out of a tree while studying moss in the Costa Rican rain-forest.
e) Owed somebody (bent nose) money.

Whatever the answer, I have a little trouble doing the normal, everyday things - like eating, peeing or typing. The cast comes off in a week or two & I'll be back to normal (and the gym). Peace & Happy New Year!

Well all be darned. An old friend and long time neighbor (now moved away) was interviewed & photographed by The New York Times, Chris Hedges & James Estrin about her healthy diet of Phish before their hiatus. The story can be found here: A Quest for Rapture Leads a 'Phish Head' Astray.

Beth was and has always been a true friend and a great guide to the new and/or unexperienced. In this article she explains that lyrics and music often collide in confusion and how a "cultish" movement can be torn by contradiction like a nomad needing a vacation. Beth suggests that you are told, "One must go with the flow yet fight evil. It does not always make sense." - exactly!

In her experience she reflects upon the fact that answers are not found in the leaders, but in the hunt. Taken directly from The New York Times article: "I would not be who I am today if I had not done this," Ms. Senturia said. "But I know now I am not going to find what I am looking for in parking lots in other cities. I will find what I am looking for only within myself. It is easier to get in a car and think that the next show will give you fulfillment. It is harder to sit in one place and confront life." Have fun at the reunion Beth!

With the pending, threatened strike by New York City Transit workers hours away and seemingly little agreement between the MTA & the Union, I believe a "cooling off period" is mandatory. During this "cooling off period" I believe what is called for is a fact finding mission by a third party - one who can present the various issues to all parties. This would include:

1. The MTA's financial data whereby they claim deficit numbers and inability to meet the raise requests of the Union. It has been stated that neither the State of City comptrollers have seen this data, the financial "watch dogs" of New York.

2. The Union's data that they are the most sternly sanctioned, underpaid Union workers with fewer medical benefits than compared to other metropolitan transit systems.

Apparently the Union & the MTA are so far apart on these issues there is little chance of finding middle ground. The Union says, "3%" and the MTA responds, "0%". While you can't negotiate from zero, you further complicate the issue when the MTA won't divulge its financial data. This "hard ball" stance of the MTA is just as dangerous as a Union strike and both sides should be responsible.

While the Mayor & the Governor are taking this time to remind us all that a strike is illegal and that stiff penalties will be imposed on the Union if the proceed, I believe the focus should be on forcing the two sides to make full disclosure. If is is proven that the MTA is under water, then there will undoubtedly be a fare hike, paving the way to meet the Union's request to be compensated inline with national averages. And while this fare hike is most likely in our future it is not a solution to the the inability of these to groups to meet on common ground.

For that to happen, a fair system of disclosure, offering and acceptance must be put in place. This won't happen when you have an agency withholding information and a union banned from work stoppage. In the event that we as New Yorkers are forced to deal without a mass transit system, the city's contingency plans can be found here: New York City Transit Information Center.

Tim O'Reilly asks the question of measured fame through piracy in his article on OpenP2P.com Read Story: OpenP2P.com: Piracy is Progressive Taxation, and Other Thoughts on the Evolution of Online Distribution [Dec. 11, 2002] As a book publisher his comparisons to the music & film industry are an easy leap, to be sure. But the lessons he offers and the suggestion of where we can expect to be in the future are worth a look-see.

Lesson 1: Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.
Lesson 2: Piracy is progressive taxation.
Lesson 3: Customers want to do the right thing, if they can.
Lesson 4: Shoplifting is a bigger threat than piracy.
Lesson 5: File sharing networks don't threaten book, music, or film publishing. They threaten existing publishers.
Lesson 6: "Free" is eventually replaced by a higher-quality paid service.
Lesson 7: There's more than one way to do it.

What struck me in particular (as someone engaged in my current venture of UJB) was Mr. O'Reilly's comment that, "Lowering the barriers to entry in distribution, and the continuous availability of the entire catalog rather than just the most popular works, is good for artists, since it gives them a chance to build their own reputation and visibility, working with entrepreneurs of the new medium who will be the publishers and distributors of tomorrow."

...and "To truly supplant the existing music distribution system, any replacement must develop its own mechanisms for marketing and recommendation of new music."

To those working with me on UJB, shouldn't we engage this opportunity to become a source of new & unexplored music artists - those trapped by obscurity? Can we become the publisher? And wouldn't this fit perfectly into my UJB Home vision?

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick
and think of you
caught up in circles confusion -
is nothing new
Flashback - warm nights -
almost left behind
suitcases of memories,
time after -

As seen by:

Summer stretching on the grass...summer dresses pass
in the shade of willow tree creeps a crawling over me
over me and over you stuck together with God's glue
it's going to get stickier too...
it's been a long hot summer
let's get undercover
don't try too hard to think...don't think at all
I'm not the only one starin' at the sun

Becomes, as they see:

As she says, "The drum beat's out of time."
And as he says, "Referee won't blow the whistle."