Problem in Fakedom?

The Apple parody site, Fake Steve Jobs, has kept the blogging world amused and entertained for the past couple of months, and part of the lure for many is trying to figure out Fake Steve's real identity. While most of the world does not really care, there are some in Silicon Valley that are perhaps taking it a little too seriously. Fake Steve has written several posts explaining that his/her identity if revealed, would stop the fun, but Valleywag, Nick Denton's "tech-gossip rag" seems determined to let the cat out of the bag, and expose the real Fake Steve. However, after reading Fake Steve's July 18th post, it sounds like some nasty-business may be going on, with talk of lawyers, crossing the line, and privacy issues in very strong hints by Fake Steve, that Valleywag may be taking this a little too far. Should be interesting to see the unfolding and perhaps collapse of a very funny blog, all because we 'had' to learn the real person behind the fake one.

Def Jam Apple

From Moli and MacRumors, looks like Apple wants a piece of the hip-hop world and more of the music biz. The rumor mill says a deal is eminent between Def Jam CEO, Jay-Z (with Beyonce, of course) and Apple. Apparently, Apple wants to save the day again and resurrect what many critics believe is a dying recording industry. Jay-Z would run the new music division of Apple and use the power of Apple to distribute music digitally; which is inevitable. This could be an exciting venture as the music industry as we know it is changing its model to adapt to the digital times. iTunes has obviously played a giant role in making it easy for everyone to get anything on demand, but the possibilities are endless if the recording industry bypasses the bureaucratic record execs, and goes straight to the internet. Could be an interesting time in music history, and no doubt the superpowers of Jay-Z and Steve Jobs will make a big attempt to redefine an already giant industry. Should be fun.

Temporary Setback

I am slowly making the transition back to Durango, and my couch surfing and lack of internet access has made it close to impossible to update The Acoustic Blog. Internet service is somewhat limited in Durango, but hope to have a working connection rather soon. Thanks for checking in and will resume regular postings soon. Cheers.

Classifieds War

Kijiji vs. Craigslist; the latest tech battle is heating up. Craigslist has been the old-faithful for posting free ads for just about everything from selling widgets to meeting for a quickie in the local park. The beauty of Craigslist is the freeness, simplicity, and ease of use. Ars Technica article explains the details behind Ebay's latest answer to online classifieds in Kijiji. At first glance, Kijiji has the style and color of Web 2.0 and certainly makes Craigslist look not so exciting. But, I have admired Craigslist founder, Craig Newmark, for providing a great service for so long, with extreme lack of concern for selling-out or doing it for the money. Listening to Newmark interviews, he seems completely happy taking a hit to keep Craigslist available. My loyalty will remain with Craigslist, as I have relied on it to sell my junk for many years, but Kijiji could cause some stir if it catches on.

iPhone on Broadway

David Pogue, the technology columnist for the New York Times, deserves some credit for his creative and honest reviews, and exaggerating the over-hype of the iPhone that was released one week ago. Pogue was one of the lucky ones to receive the iPhone a couple weeks early to review, and his humor and knowledge of technology should be appreciated. Check out this hilarious video created by Pogue to portray the ridiculous lure and craze instigated by the iPhone; good stuff:

Happy Independence Day!

Red Tape

The Russian music site, All of MP3.com was shut down again, but apparently for good this time. The site was completely legal under Russian law, but the US music industry did not like it because music sold for cheap (surprise). According to one article, the Kremlin (not the KGB), decided to shut down the site because it was threatening Russia's entrance into the World Trade Organization (WTO). What?! The good news is that while Russia complied with All of MP3, there is a mirror site up and running, called MP3Sparks.com, and if you had an account with All of MP3, all of your information and balance automatically transfers. I am sure it is only a matter of time before this site is shut down, but thankfully the Ruskies have not gone completely soft, and will play the bureaucratic hot potato game with the big dogs in the music industry.