Charlie's Diary

[ Site Index] [ Feedback ]

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 Apropos nothing I just issued myself a new PGP (actually GPG) keyset. In the unlikely event you need to send me confidential email, my fingerprint is: 39EC 8265 03D1 1511 8B51 6419 1244 9F1F 96C7 FAE2 And my full public key is: -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (Darwin) mQGiBEDPOqYRBADwQI4VGexp0ih5dv9YCJGHUGNqe+7L80mtWxcVgp29DzL0d50G zesyaYJ/hVwSJBAAlJxNVeZ+xxQABwCQFLGrNrB8yhFlqI0cMNRjDsJrmzv7mCWy HvwCMsewvoRrCfeSEYeb9SLMZ+CMxdDs7uQvvbRkaLe62deplwaD0IBknwCg+MTx NrLWn7b5j6Zy/BcBCHm3m1ED/jHYGNa1cbfMIEW5v+2fzytWJfAkbT32J7C1RZOB GzWvi4BUbgBw3zzTjd01vl4MDYHAvKrUYEfG6O1hX6cjloXHdplvQtQsW9hr6zS1 G8MSDvV2f0yrKbWXJoLRv7Vh8Ug3HK5/U3ljW1dTBJVy/Hcp8c9ibUlgZymU+e1e TZmgBADPoEZ2eYl7FhLvZpV8WpR3LAUyGjKboreKPKy1XitvChsgDUGzeK4a1MlL yZGHdBi2lnRLvn5NP2UuJdVqL4QKdXheE06ox4MK0wbFxuW8WriUSFivZLtHhvXP 7uf9lJQcGvQua5/rTYn8mvtvXqk3wg78YpjaTkMX1ahyhY2Y/7QlQ2hhcmxpZSBT dHJvc3MgPGNoYXJsaWVAYW50aXBvcGUub3JnPoheBBMRAgAeBQJAzzqmAhsDBgsJ CAcDAgMVAgMDFgIBAh4BAheAAAoJEBJEnx+Wx/rixS8AnjuNEalUh5MqD27m7eMD BIWALNWdAKC5lHmTIEu+fLwrIrJjbqIdQweETLkCDQRAzzr1EAgAsS9J+NSvPtxN Yc12NA6SezbIffd8782CcIl/5NVHLPqdoKcyfyFIXqUBzP5qch7NzswIjrk2LKGx bewiN68tNyAGAZlcqaqJMuhuiLS2EcvLIQKgZCiBEo4OCXWLyzNnb9i9VRyJKwLN fdO4Q5avqlsa9qOtF3ZsW6ZWN1gDupJoHcx8Wq7GXrDr18s1tl7z847RptVPgwnx YCbQosdD3vJDyndhfuwfgdEZhgDzlioDOUSc/3AJ/BJlrJxuOf06cukWHMhoJT5I 8P9ePMfcLNNoLXjXqQJOdi2z7PE+jgZj2SanyocIbG92FspqcjKVsEWHOafoT4I9 m8lIKe6EUwADBgf+OM5daAT5/2nxKDCfG1+65sw02PUJaxySzNz+OBRCh+xJ7FRG 7IBUm2cdi39pmsjWjzbVSPVFItaIA0mvyM9gttL0N0Wc8RhfWw+8pgsKZ2rm6VGc AVv4XjJreV7hgGS/6z3so6NUq36zzo23x4bBCI6cW1i33ySLoVZbjLnKiQcawsrT 62gG4UsIEgk8ESVqlef+I+ubAW5k+Fl/mTHkoh+1YRHPZ/0gbRV2Ek1HGNthsnoc FU4e4x6DgsYvI/wpyfWXOuuagbbRyYmNbK7y+obXgsz5FPmqWA2/uhOiY8TWyWcY Ia68m2a7Fp49sNSe3ydX64lWZrRUDWFe4cNPQYhJBBgRAgAJBQJAzzr1AhsMAAoJ EBJEnx+Wx/riLYoAmgJOSm0kEJBnj+baqDk4lg7LP0C1AJ44WP06YuqyDDEofuV2 e8HJrhBzRg== =cxjx -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- (It's also available from the PGP keyservers.) I haven't used PGP enough, historically. In these paranoid days it's every citizen's duty to do so ... posted at: 19:26 | path: /misc | permanent link to this entry So iTunes Music Store Europe just launched ... I went and had a look. 79 pence for a DRM-locked track is pretty steep, about equivalent to US $1.20; this is one of the most objectionable things about the whole commercial download biz, they're just trying to soak us for a ludicrous amount of money. A 50-minute CD or equivalent, say 10 tracks, would cost the thick end of £8.00, or about US $14.00, and for what? Bandwidth? (Probably only a tenth of the cover price -- or less -- goes to the performers. And if you can find a telco who'll charge you even a tenth of that for half a gig of bandwidth, you're a mug. Basically it's solid profit, all the way to the stock ticker.) I suppose there's always Hymn if, like me, you go through new Macs so fast that your three-copies licence would be toast before you can blink. That would soften the blow. And being able to buy individual tracks rather than having to pony up for an entire CD of forgettable padding is a minor improvement. But ... What I really didn't like about the iTunes music store is quite simply the fact that if this was a real store three quarters of the shelves would be empty. The first six bands I searched for weren't available. Now, I'll freely admit that my musical taste is a little recherche, but c'mon ... no Nitzer Ebb? Or DAF? Or Danielle Dax (or Lemon Kittens) for that matter? Where are the Screaming Blue Messiahs when we need them? The Jesus and Mary Chain can't save you. Ministry -- a really big name band by these standards -- was represented by the two most recent of their major releases, and a "best of" album. What the iTunes store seems to excel at is Top-40 pabulum. I can do much better than that by just walking up the road to my local second-hand record store, never mind the huge Virgin Megastore (and rival HMV superstore) a mile away. And y'know something? I might run across something interesting by accident at the record stores. Hell, I can do better than this online by ordering CD's from Amazon. Online music shopping via iTunes might work one of these days, but right now as far as I can see it's a dead loss. Overpriced tracks encumbered by a stupidly restrictive licence are bad enough, but the real killer is the corporatist monoculture that seeks to maximize profits by minimizing the range of options on offer. [Discuss mp3] posted at: 16:26 | path: /misc | permanent link to this entry Excuse of the week It's pretty pathetic, I know, but not much is happening right now that makes me want to blow off steam in my blog. I'm doing my best to stand by my promise (to myself) to swear off politics in the interests of lowering my blood pressure. I've had a bout of RSI in both hands so I've been trying to keep the keyboarding down. Feorag's in Berlin for two weeks -- this is probably our longest time apart for several years -- and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to do some decorating and interior redesign. Or maybe spring cleaning. I'm up to about twelve large waste sacks so far, I'm having heavy duty shelves installed in one closet to take a load of stuff that needs sorting, and I've just swapped the dining table (which was doing duty as a desk in my study) for the weird 70's scandinavian desk (which was supporting kipple in the living room). Hopefully that'll fix the wrist pains; they almost always hit me when I've been doing something silly posture-wise: usually when I've been sitting in a broken chair, but a desk at the wrong height would probably set it off, too. Tomorrow it's time to get a friend in to strip the bedroom wallpaper and re-paint it while I move stuff from the living room into the newly-shelved closet and start thinking about installing another three metres of bookcases. You get the picture. Obligatory plug: I've just finished reading Maul by Tricia Sullivan. I don't have the stamina to write a review right now; let's just say I agree with David Kennedy's summary: it's a lot of fun. [Discuss books] posted at: 14:12 | path: /excuses | permanent link to this entry

specials: Is SF About to Go Blind? -- Popular Science article by Greg Mone Unwirer -- an experiment in weblog mediated collaborative fiction Inside the MIT Media Lab -- what it's like to spend a a day wandering around the Media Lab "Nothing like this will be built again" -- inside a nuclear reactor complex Quick links: RSS Feed (Moved!) Who am I? Contact me Buy my books: (FAQ) Missile Gap Via Subterranean Press (US HC -- due Jan, 2007) The Jennifer Morgue Via Golden Gryphon (US HC -- due Nov, 2006) Glasshouse Via Amazon.com (US HC -- due June 30, 2006) The Clan Corporate Via Amazon.com (US HC -- out now) Accelerando Via Amazon.com (US HC) Via Amazon.com (US PB -- due June 27, 2006) Via Amazon.co.uk (UK HC) Via Amazon.co.uk (UK PB) Free download The Hidden Family Via Amazon.com (US HC) Via Amazon.com (US PB) The Family Trade Via Amazon.com (US HC) Via Amazon.com (US PB) Iron Sunrise Via Amazon.com (US HC) Via Amazon.com (US PB) Via Amazon.co.uk (UK HC) Via Amazon.co.uk (UK PB) The Atrocity Archives Via Amazon.com (Trade PB) Via Amazon.co.uk (Trade PB) Via Golden Gryphon (HC) Via Amazon.com (HC) Via Amazon.co.uk (HC) Singularity Sky Via Amazon.com (US HC) Via Amazon.com (US PB) Via Amazon.com (US ebook) Via Amazon.co.uk (UK HC) Via Amazon.co.uk (UK PB) Toast Via Amazon.com Via Amazon.co.uk Some webby stuff I'm reading: [ Engadget ] [ Gizmodo ] [ The Memory Hole ] [ Boing!Boing! ] [ Futurismic ] [ Walter Jon Williams ] [ Making Light (TNH) ] [ Crooked Timber ] [ Junius (Chris Bertram) ] [ Baghdad Burning (Riverbend) ] [ Bruce Sterling ] [ Ian McDonald ] [ Amygdala (Gary Farber) ] [ Cyborg Democracy ] [ Body and Soul (Jeanne d'Arc)  ] [ Atrios ] [ The Sideshow (Avedon Carol) ] [ This Modern World (Tom Tomorrow) ] [ Jesus's General ] [ Mick Farren ] [ Early days of a Better Nation (Ken MacLeod) ] [ Respectful of Otters (Rivka) ] [ Tangent Online ] [ Grouse Today ] [ Hacktivismo ] [ Terra Nova ] [ Whatever (John Scalzi) ] [ GNXP ] [ Justine Larbalestier ] [ Yankee Fog ] [ The Law west of Ealing Broadway ] [ Cough the Lot ] [ The Yorkshire Ranter ] [ Newshog ] [ Kung Fu Monkey ] [ S1ngularity ] [ Pagan Prattle ] [ Gwyneth Jones ] [ Calpundit ] [ Lenin's Tomb ] [ Progressive Gold ] [ Kathryn Cramer ] [ Halfway down the Danube ] [ Fistful of Euros ] [ Orcinus ] [ Shrillblog ] [ Steve Gilliard ] [ Frankenstein Journal (Chris Lawson) ] [ The Panda's Thumb ] [ Martin Wisse ] [ Kuro5hin ] [ Advogato ] [ Talking Points Memo ] [ The Register ] [ Cryptome ] [ Juan Cole: Informed comment ] [ Global Guerillas (John Robb) ] [ Shadow of the Hegemon (Demosthenes) ] [ Simon Bisson's Journal ] [ Max Sawicky's weblog ] [ Guy Kewney's mobile campaign ] [ Hitherby Dragons ] [ Counterspin Central ] [ MetaFilter ] [ NTKnow ] [ Encyclopaedia Astronautica ] [ Fafblog ] [ BBC News (Scotland) ] [ Pravda ] [ Meerkat open wire service ] [ Warren Ellis ] [ Brad DeLong ] [ Hullabaloo (Digby) ] [ Jeff Vail ] [ The Whiskey Bar (Billmon) ] [ Groupthink Central (Yuval Rubinstein) ] [ Unmedia (Aziz Poonawalla) ] [ Rebecca's Pocket (Rebecca Blood) ] Older stuff: June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 (I screwed the pooch in respect of the blosxom entry datestamps on March 28th, 2002, so everything before then shows up as being from the same time)

[ Site Index] [ Feedback ]

Powered by Blosxom!