How Free Thinking is Steve Jobs

I watched the Keynote speech by Steve Jobs at mac-world this spring. I wonder if he comes up with a lot of the apple ideas, and I wonder if he takes suggestions, becuase I have one for him.
I-Pod I-Slam edition,
I already have the advertismentNow doesn't the woman on the left just look a little bit happier? I little less oppressed? Freedom isn't free, This time it won't be a buck o'five instead it will be $39.00 . I know Jobs will be on this pronto, he loves to help out others by letting them buy his stuff. Besides what person sits around filled with hate and anger with two beautiful white buds in your ears. I mean who hasn't seen the women around Minneapolis wearing a head scarf but at the same time have a cell phone tucked snugly against this ear, thats right hands free. Take that Bluetooth, Islam women don't need your stupid device. Now with the Mcgyver like savvy these Islamic women have, whats stopping Jobs from taking this bandwagon to the white house, everyone remembers the Candy Bar drop in Berlin, now lets step it up a notch, and drop a million I-pods into I-Raq.

Jobs I'm looking at you.

Errol Morris, shows film at the Walker

Director Errol Morris director of the academy award winning Fog of War, New York Times blogger, and inventor of the infamous Interrotron has had a rather excentric career. A strange variety of topic covered, from a Orange County Pet cemetery to a expert on Naked Mole Rats. His pervious film garnered the academy award for documentary featuring an interview with Robert McNamara. His latest work titled "Standard Operating Procedure" has won the "silver bear" gand jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival. It was shown lat night at the Walker Arts Center, and will open up in Landmark theaters on May 23rd. The viewing wasn't sold out due to some special request by sony limiting the number of viewers for the film.

The movies focus is on the controversy of torture at Abu Ghraib, and specifically the pictures taken there. The movie is filled with the stylish Morris re-enactment of a black background heavy direct overhead lighting and constanst slow motion visuals. The story is touching and fairly disturbing, making you feel angry at the war and slightly sypathetic for those soldiers who were thrown into such a horrible situation. There is constant voice over of private letters sent by one of the women, who seems the most conscious of the atrocities going on around her.

The after show Q&A was fairly unexceptional, except fot the last 30 minutes when after someone asked if any of the people interviewed "showed any contrition?" Mr Morris exploded in a tirade about President Bush becoming red in the face, he later said that impeachment should be done. He ended by saying asking the audience what they were doing to stop a war he guessed most people in the room disagreed with.

This is the second movie along with Stop-Loss to be openly critical of the Iraq war. The movie also is joined by the recent cover article in the City Pages concerning the rise of suicide rate for returned veterans, the media attention will I am guessing turn to the Iraq war with an ever closer microscope as the election heats up.

The Merchant of Menace

Some people might recall the announcement by the British band Radiohead that they were giving their new album away, a quick download for the price of your choosing. What is this saying about our culture?
Wired magazine wrote a cover article about giving things away, but what is this movement? I tend to believe this is the death of the merchant, the one who asks for one pound of flesh, just kidding. There is definitely a focus on cutting out the middle man, after your a famous band do you really need a label taking a piece of your sales. Not if your fans buy your music regardless of who distributes it. Many fans of the music business may know that a majority of income for large musicians comes from live shows, where even there too the middleman known as ticketmaster takes a cut.
Within the local food scene across the nation there is a cutting out of the middle man, the booming of popular Farmer's Markets brings consumer in direct contact with consumer. The Wedge Co-op even bought it's own land to start a farm. Along with this is the Community Supported Agriculture movement is growing across the country.
There are other middle men within media culture who have been shoved to the side besides music labels. The Directors guild was given the heave ho by director Robert Rodriguez when making Sin City after they denied him the right to label Frank Miller as co-director in the credits. Rodriguez is now unable to work for any studio bound to this middle man, this new age merchant. Will we see Cub foods ever go away or music Labels shrink to smaller sizes? Probably not, but for every public success outside of their system these middle men will adapt, hopefully in a beneficial way for both consumer and producer.

Granted many of our products will always require many levels of production, but things that are made by artists or artisans who create a product from a raw state, may gradually disappear as the Internet allows more direct one on one access. Apple may be wary of such a success by Radiohead as it allows musicians to circumnavigate lock down Apple has created with Itunes. The trend is noticeable to the keen observer, keep your eyes open for tombstones of merchants.