I was never a fan of buying music on Amazon. Forget about digital downloads, even shopping for CDs there wasn't much fun. Mainly because the previews were of poor quality, and listening to them required you to launch a player for single songs, or open a new tab in your browser to sample an entire album.
No more. The new MP3 store is great to use; easy to browse and find the music you are looking for, and previews play almost instantly within the window, without the need for a new one to be opened. And the coup d'etate: songs and albums cost less than on iTunes(typically $6.99 on Amazon to $9.99 on iTunes), and are sold with Digital Rights Management (DRM). That means that you can play them on any mp3 player, copy/burn them as often as you please, and send them to as many people as you want. I've bought extensively on iTunes. From now on I will check Amazon first when I'm looking for a music download.
This article provides a good explanation on all the features and differences between Amazon's new store and iTunes.
Amazon's MP3 store: Better than iTunes
http://www.salon.com/tech/machinist/blog/2007/09/26/amazon_store/print.html
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wang
Chien-Ming Wang won his 19th start of the season last night against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He would have captured that increasingly rare 20 games-won season if Mariano Rivera had not blown a save on August 13th against Baltimore. Ironically, Rivera got the win. Wang ends the season with a 19-7 record.
At 38-13, he has the best record in the Major Leagues in the past two seasons. And at $489,500, he's been invaluable to the Yankees, in a season when the next-best pitching record is Pettitte's 14-9.
ESPN's Cy Young predictor doesn't give Wang much of a chance in winning the award. Even though he came in second in last year's voting, he did not receive one first place vote. (He tied the winner, Johan Santana, with a 19-6 record.)
If race is an issue of concern to you, then it might be worthwhile to consider if that had anything to do with it. Maybe it didn't. Maybe it did, even if on an unconscious level.
At 38-13, he has the best record in the Major Leagues in the past two seasons. And at $489,500, he's been invaluable to the Yankees, in a season when the next-best pitching record is Pettitte's 14-9.
ESPN's Cy Young predictor doesn't give Wang much of a chance in winning the award. Even though he came in second in last year's voting, he did not receive one first place vote. (He tied the winner, Johan Santana, with a 19-6 record.)
If race is an issue of concern to you, then it might be worthwhile to consider if that had anything to do with it. Maybe it didn't. Maybe it did, even if on an unconscious level.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Osceola
I came across an old bookmark that I had probably gotten in an elementary school book fair. Or through those book orders the teachers used to hand out: a folded sheet, peeled from a pad of them, printed on cheap paper, with an order form on the edge of one side. You would check off which books you wanted, hand it in to your teacher with your money. They encouraged you with a free bookmark if you ordered a certain number of books. This was in Oklahoma, the West. Did they do such things in the Northeast?
Anyway, it was long ago enough that I don't remember where or when I got it. The front was red with various motifs in green, blue, yellow, black and brown, arranged so that a hidden face looked out, with star eyes, a nose-mouth of a female form, crowned with a leaf and flower. On the back, I found the below text. Interesting to find so much education to be attempted through the back of a bookmark. I wonder if it is still done. Do people still use paper bookmarks? Or just scraps at hand? Do people still try to educate through what's written on the back of a bookmark? I wonder about the person who came up with the idea for this.
Ugly truth can be found in simple, forgotten, discarded places.
In his short life the Seminole leader Osceola probably did more than any other southeastern Native American to try to protect his land and people from the influx of white settlers. In the 18th century, the Seminoles had migrated to Florida which was then owned by Spain. Since Spanish rule was generally easygoing, the Indians lived at peace. They also offered shelter to runaway slaves and many Blacks intermarried into the tribe. This peaceful situation ended after the First Seminole War (1817-1818) when Florida was sold to the Americans. Troops invaded the area, burning and looting villages, killing people, and capturing slaves for return to their masters. Protecting themselves, the Seminoles retreated farther into the swamps.
In 1823 certain Seminole chiefs signed a treaty ceding Indian lands. It also made anyone with any amount of Africa blood a slave - and therefore a runaway. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 provided that the Seminoles and other southeastern tribes must move to Indian Territory. Those who went suffered intense hardship on the "Trail of Tears."
Osceola, called "Snake of the Everglades," began moving from tribe to tribe preaching resistance. He fought against Indian leaders who advocated cooperation with the whites as well as with the whites.[sic] Finally, through deceit, he was captured by troops under General Thomas Jesup. He met his death soon after with great pride and dignity.
Anyway, it was long ago enough that I don't remember where or when I got it. The front was red with various motifs in green, blue, yellow, black and brown, arranged so that a hidden face looked out, with star eyes, a nose-mouth of a female form, crowned with a leaf and flower. On the back, I found the below text. Interesting to find so much education to be attempted through the back of a bookmark. I wonder if it is still done. Do people still use paper bookmarks? Or just scraps at hand? Do people still try to educate through what's written on the back of a bookmark? I wonder about the person who came up with the idea for this.
Ugly truth can be found in simple, forgotten, discarded places.
In his short life the Seminole leader Osceola probably did more than any other southeastern Native American to try to protect his land and people from the influx of white settlers. In the 18th century, the Seminoles had migrated to Florida which was then owned by Spain. Since Spanish rule was generally easygoing, the Indians lived at peace. They also offered shelter to runaway slaves and many Blacks intermarried into the tribe. This peaceful situation ended after the First Seminole War (1817-1818) when Florida was sold to the Americans. Troops invaded the area, burning and looting villages, killing people, and capturing slaves for return to their masters. Protecting themselves, the Seminoles retreated farther into the swamps.
In 1823 certain Seminole chiefs signed a treaty ceding Indian lands. It also made anyone with any amount of Africa blood a slave - and therefore a runaway. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 provided that the Seminoles and other southeastern tribes must move to Indian Territory. Those who went suffered intense hardship on the "Trail of Tears."
Osceola, called "Snake of the Everglades," began moving from tribe to tribe preaching resistance. He fought against Indian leaders who advocated cooperation with the whites as well as with the whites.[sic] Finally, through deceit, he was captured by troops under General Thomas Jesup. He met his death soon after with great pride and dignity.
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