February 9, 2012

#PL118 – O alvo não é a spa, nem a agecop, nem os artistas, nem Hollywood, são os políticos

A Indústria do Entretenimento aprendeu, durante o século passado, que sempre que faz birras como uma criança mal comportada, os políticos calam-lhes a boca, dando-lhes dinheiros dos nossos impostos. Portanto, este tipo de comportamento (birras), é o que eles usam sempre que têm uma desculpa para isso. E às vezes nem precisa de ser uma boa desculpa. É isso mesmo, apenas e só, uma birra. E este é um comportamento que tem tido sucesso, portanto, como qualquer pai ou mãe saberá, está a reforçar-se um comportamento. Neste caso, um mau comportamento.

via Jonasnuts

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January 28, 2012

On the Portuguese Private Copy Levy – Tao of Mac

…Furthermore, the whole thing seems positively medieval if you consider that the stated motivation behind the bill is to recoup the content industry’s “losses”, at a time when media locker services (like, say, iTunes Match) and content streaming services (for both music and film) are reaffirming the two basic tenets for any market:

  1. People will always take the legal option when it’s available.
  2. Only the good stuff sells.

So perhaps the local Authors’ Guild might, say, instead of spending roughy €6 million a year on staff (which, I’m told, totals around 160 people, goodness knows what for), want to consider sponsoring its members to make the leap towards digital publishing and distribution – otherwise I’ll just keep buying readily available, guilt-free and sensibly priced English-language books, movies and computer accessories online, and my kids will grow up bilingual and perfectly in tune with what is happening outsidePortugal without owing the SPA a dime.

On the Portuguese Private Copy Levy – Tao of Mac

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January 18, 2012

Eric Lemaître: 1958-2012

We met in 1975, in boarding school.

For some reason, the director had decided that there was to be a band of students playing at the end-of-year celebrations and had gotten in touch with Eric to make it happen.

Since he was in the same class as my older brother (a budding keyboard player, back then), it was only a matter of time before the both of them informed me that I was to be the drummer in the new (unnamed) band. Not that I was known anywhere for my drumming, mind you. I had a vague idea that I could do it and my brother, in his infinite wisdom, had decided that my “career” needed a push. I never remembered to tell him that playing with him was fine, but that I was scared witless of having to play with Eric, whom I regarded as a “real” guitar player. At age 14, unsurprisingly, I had never played with any other musicians before.
(more…)

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January 1, 2012

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,700 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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December 30, 2011

Exploring Emotions: Ask It Forward

A beautifully simple concept, by Eduardo Bragança. The first installment is Lisbon, music by my older brother, Pedro.

12 Cities, 12 Months, 12 Questions. An art project that wishes to eternalize people as part of their own creations, allowing spontaneous thoughts or a spiritual thinking to be as much inspiring process as a work of art.

Ending on a painting exhibition in 2013, this 12 documentary series explores people emotions and the questioning. Making people as the own art piece of this creation.
— Eduardo Bragança

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December 14, 2011

For language nerds

But do they ever let the tripping of the tips of their tongues against the tops of their teeth transport them to giddy euphoric bliss?

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June 27, 2011

…it has become impossible for most citizens in these corporate states to find out what is happening in the centers of power. Television news celebrities dutifully present two opposing sides to every issue, although each side is usually lying. The viewer can believe whatever he or she wants to believe. Nothing is actually elucidated or explained. The sound bites by Republicans or Democrats, the Liberals or the Conservatives, are accepted at face value. And once the television lights are turned off, the politicians go back to the business of serving business.

Chris Hedges – Why the revolution must start in America

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June 26, 2011

Happiness. Slowly.

…but my life circumstance and neurochemistry nonetheless got on the same page and decided to throw me a little party (unaided by pharmacology, I want to stress). A strange euphoria came over me and stayed for a while. I don’t have any other label for the feeling except happiness. I didn’t ask for it and surely wasn’t expecting it, but was appreciative as Hell.

In “Happiness Doesn’t Hit“, by The Great Automatic Grammatizator

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April 25, 2011

I don’t believe there’s such a thing as…

I don’t believe there’s such a thing as TV. I mean – they just keep showing you the same pictures over and over. And when they talk they just make sounds that more or less synch up with their lips.

Laurie Anderson – Language is a virus

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March 29, 2011

I notice now that you are under pressure…

…I notice now that you are under pressure to accept a bailout but your politicians are claiming to be determined not to take it. It will, they say, be over their dead bodies. In my experience that means you’ll be getting a bailout soon, probably on a Sunday.

Independent .ie – Bit of friendly advice, Portugal

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