The Internet Is For Porn

A cleaver little ditty about the true nature of the Internet (don't worry, it doesn't actually contain any porn):

The Case Against Jobs Going To Disney

There has been much speculation lately about the talks going on between Pixar and Disney in this new post-Eisner world. Many think Steve Jobs will end up on the board of directors at Disney or even it's chairman. While the deal would most likely make Mr. Jobs the largest individual shareholder in the Mouse House, it's a bad idea to think he should become close with the company. Think about it. Apple is in the middle of launching video content on it's iTunes Music Store (iTMS). They've already struck deals with NBC/Universal and ABC/Disney. If they have any hope of courting CBS, CNN, MTV, VH1, Discovery, or any of the other channels not already in the NBC or ABC families, then his Steveness needs to keep Disney at arms length. A strong relationship (as they've had so far) is a good thing, but too close and they could alienate the very content providers they need for the iTMS to be the #1 player in TV downloads. One trip here and someone else could grab this emerging market and leave iTunes wishing they'd jumped higher, sooner.

Like all of the Internet based businesses to date, we've learned that it's all about mindshare. That means that marketshare alone won't get you to number one. The perception must be that there is no other provider (in this case for legal downloadable content) worth bothering with. If another company were to succeed where Apple might fail with episodic TV downloads (and one can assume that someday feature films will be part of this) then it stands to reason that it's music service could suffer as well.

So please Mr. Jobs, don't get too cozy with Disney lest you ruin what has been a really great run.

McCarthyism Alive And Well At UCLA Group

An un-official group of alumni of UCLA called the Bruin Alumni Association has been paying students to report on professors who are too 'liberal'. Read more about this insane practice here.

Crazy Cool Video

Hard to describe. It's a kind of urban acrobatics. I've heard it referred to as a thing that started in France. Can't remember the name. It looks pretty hard, but fun!

'Top Gear' Races From London to Oslo

This is a great show out of England that pits something cool against something rather silly. It's called TopGear. You can find many episodes on video.google.com by searching for the name. This installment is quite funny. They race a Mercedes McLaren SLR Supercar against two guys taking a series of public transport all the way from London's Heathrow to a cafe in Oslo, Norway. 1320 miles by land and 17+ hours by sea. It is 30 minutes long so I hope you have some time to sit and enjoy it. It is very entertaining. :)

BMW Z4 vs. Porsche Boxster

This looks like so much fun!

Gene Shalit Is An Ass

He as bugged me over the years, but now he's gone too far. I hope that NBC responds to GLAAD about this one!

Group slams critic over Brokeback

'Sith' Happens To Be #1 in 2005

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ended up being the highest grossing film of 2005. I'm very glad for that since I in my small way contributed to it's completion.

Read more:
Sir Steve's Guide.com

SUVs NOT Safer For Your Kids!

I didn't need a study to tell me this, but I think there are many, many out there who do! I only hope this information gets out there and people realize that their children aren't automatically safer in and SUV than in a car. The same rules of auto safety apply, buckle up.

Read more at Forbes.com

Downtown LA's $10B Face Lift

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it all turns out as promised!

Read more here at the Washington Post.

Happy New Year!!

That is all. Just happy that 2005 is over now.