Say Goodbye...Again

The iPod. iTunes. P2P. Napster. Grokster. Morpheus. Kazza. Gnutella. Twenty years ago, these were part of the imagination of crazy, Star Trek-minded geek people. Ten years ago, these were the so-called gleam in a collective "someone's" eye. In 2005, these are household descriptors of wildly popular entertainment sources.

Back in 1999, a college kid developed Napster to share music files. The RIAA took it down. Then, other rebels sprouted up, and with an even more sinister plan, these new P2P giants removed themselves from the middle...we deliver the software, but it's the consumer that shares files, not us. A smart move to avoid liability, or so it was guessed.

On June 27, 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled that "one that distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, going beyond mere distribution with knowledge of third party action, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties using the device, regardless of the device's lawful uses." MGM, et al. v. Grokster, et al. In other words, Grokster, you are liable for copyright infringement if any one of the users of your software is liable.

What can you say to that, other than wow! This is a HUGE win for copyright owners; a HUGE loss for technology developers. Only time will tell how this plays out in a practical sense.

Now Sony fought a very similar battle back in 1984 - a battle to save technology development at the (potential) expense of the destruction copyrights, i.e., the Betamax case. There, Sony won and the court ruled that the Betamax recorder had substantial non-infringing uses such that copyright owners could not prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of those devices. The facts, to be sure, were much different than in the Grokster case. Going back even further, when the photocopier was developed, similar litigation ensued. The truth is, each time a major technological development for copying and/or sharing is created, a major lawsuit is born. Copyright is limiting - "you can't do that." Technology is expansive - "see what you can do."

So, regardless of which way you lean on the fence, it's an interesting case and a major development in copyright law, certain to affect all industries, and certainly the film and music industries.

For more reading on the copyright owner's take, check out the MPAA, Respect Copyrights, and RIAA websites. For reading on the otherside of the coin, check out the EFF website, and Lawrence Lessig's blog.

~ Brock

You Can't Be Serious...El Torito???

There aren't many restaurants I won't try, but once I do, I know there will always be the good, the bad and the ugly. So, I'm always intrigued to find out how someone else feels about a place I've tried. Now, aside from the OC/LA Weekly, I don't really trust any other restaurant listing, because most of what's listed in other publications is crap. Case in point: The Annual 2005-2006 Entertainment & City Guide for "the cities of Brea and Placentia." I received it in the mail last week and did a quick browse. Here's what I found...

1. You open the first page and you have a listing for a Brea realtor and an Italian restaurant in Anaheim Hills. What, this guide couldn't even get started with a true "Entertainment" or "City" listing within the geographic location for which it was created? A poor start.

2. Page 3 is an ad for a clothing retailer with locations in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. Nothing "entertaining" or "city-worthy" but what the heck, because we haven't even hit the "contents" page and I'm sure this publication needs financial support from the suckers on pages 1 - 3.

3. The table of contents lists all kinds of good stuff, "events," "recreation," "dining," etc. I flip quickly to the "dining" section in hopes of a good find, then, like I suspected it would, it comes crumbling down. Now, I must point out, that this publication is obviously not printed for "entertainment and city" life in Brea and Placentia. In fact, it's worthless unless you don't care what you eat. I don't mind the reach, but whatever.

Let's take a look at some of the "Top Dining Destinations"...Cuban, no mention of Felix's anywhere. How could they? Mexican - El Torito? El Cholo? LEFT AT ALBUQUERQUE????? Who put this together anyway? Obviously, this person has never had a good Mexican meal (notably, the 3 Mexican eateries listed have locations in the very white-washed towns of Irvine and Corona Del Mar). So, can you really trust a publication that doesn't even mention Q Torta? Or the Old Towne area of Placentia? Or the entire city of Santa Ana? This is preposterous. Then, for the "international" section, they list Hawaiian, Spanish, British, Vietnamese, and Armenian. Wow, such a diverse listing (ha ha ha) and, by the way, Hawaiian is not international. Oh, Pho 79 isn't as good as Pho 99, or Pho 88, or Pho 90 (I think the number of these places has something do with the quality).

I was disgusted by the listing, so I thought I'd check out the website for this piece of junk which is "proudly" published by OCspots Corporation. The website has all the same contents, but none of them are active (i.e., it's basically a static page with a table of contents that goes no where). Good going.

Well, in all fairness, if I complain about it, then I should do something about it, right? Here are a few of my own "top destinations" in OC (using the same categories as the booklet):

American: I have no idea, because I don't really eat "American" food very often. Claim Jumper? Steamers in Yorba Linda? Paul's country kitchen? This is a tough one for me. I know, I know, what a way to retort, but like I said, I don't really eat American, because it's usually all chain restaurants and nothing stands out. Oh, for good 'ol Texas BBQ, try the place off Lake Forest Drive at the 5 fwy (next to Diablo's, Inka Grill, Wahoo's, etc.).

California Cuisine: Even more difficult. I'm not sure I've ever had California cuisine.

Chinese: A&J and O Shine are top picks in the Chinese populated area of Jeffrey off the 5 fwy (Irvine). Tea Zone (off State College and Chapman, Fullerton) offers a decent offering of snack meals. Note: These places offer authentic Chinese, so don't expect egg foo yung (which most Chinese people will tell you they've never heard of). For Dim Sum, try the seafood restaurant facing Jeffrey just south of Walnut. For Boba: Tea Zone - the best in North OC (Fullerton) or Tapioca Express (Fullerton), not bad, but a little strong on the Coconut.

Continental: I have been to the Hobbit, which was great. And, Orange Hill offers a great brunch. I wasn't impressed with the Summit House at all. Again, not even sure what "continental" is.

Cuban: Felix's, hands down (Orange circle).

French: The Cellar (Fullerton).

That's enough for this post. More to come later. You'll notice that many of the links are to "let's eat OC." While I frequent that page for listings, many of them are outdated.

~ Brock

The Apple Fritter Marathon

I can run a 10K. Heck, I can probably run a marathon right now (though I've never tried). But how, I wonder, when I eat apple fritters at least three times a month. Or for that matter when I gorge myself senseless with every good meal, paying special attention to the carbs, butters and sugars. I guess it's the intersection of my love for food and my love for exercise. Growing up and through high school, I was a slim jim that ate nothing but health. TVP (textured vegetable protein) and carob (that pseudo-choc/cardboard stuff) were a regular part of my diet. I was a great swimmer and ran cross-country. Then, I went to college. I still ran cross-country, but no one told me that cereal was available 24 hours a day in the cafeteria. Maybe that's where it started. The damn Lucky Charms. The "luck of the Irish." Now I eat enough for three grown men, while running, swimming, boxing, hiking, etc., on a daily basis.

Now I think my wife is trying to kill me. For father's day (oops, a day early - darn) she bought me Williams-Sonoma's "Desserts." It is freakin' awesome. Sure, I asked her to buy it for me, so maybe it wasn't like she hired a hit man, but I'm just praying it doesn't kill me. I'm determined to make every single recipe in that book. Anyway, how can I stay healthy and do that?

So I'm stuck in a daily love triangle of food and exercise. I cheat on exercise with food and cheat on food with exercise. They're both Jezebels. I hate it, but I can't stop it. Why should I?

~ Brock

Coldplay's X&Y

It's been a long time since I've listened to an album five times in a day, for days. That's what's happening with Coldplay's latest release, X&Y. It's a damn good album and much better than Rush of Blood and Parachutes. The great thing about Coldplay is their development. Sure, Parachutes was a great album, but when Rush of Blood came along, it blew it away. Now they release this. I fall asleep with it playing in my head and wake up with it in my head. In fact, I'm taking my nightly run sans MP3 player because I CAN'T GET THEM OUT OF MY HEAD. It's folksy, rocksy, cool and there isn't a single song I skip. I've heard they've been compared to U2 (or that they're supposed to pick up where U2 left/leaves off), but I haven't really cared for U2 since the late '80's, and, I don't think their music rightly compares to U2. Coldplay has a sound that reminds you of some good old stuff (like Echo and the Bunnymen) and at the same time is relevant for this time. While some say it's a great album, there are others that disagree. For me, it's a dope album and I recommend it to everyone.

~ Brock

It Won't Be An Indian Summer...

...and I'm not talking about the weather. It was midafternoon yesterday when I decided to make an Indian meal from scratch. Simple - somosas and chicken tikka masala. Checked the ingredients - no problem. Checked the recipe - two hours, tops. Then it all came crashing down. I started working on the meal around 4:30pm. By 6:30, my wife was asking me when it would be ready. "Soon, honey," I said. By 7:30, she started "snacking"; I told her not to spoil her appetite. By 8:30, we were both ready to shoot ourselves and still had a half hour to go. By 9 or so, it was ready. Now, understand that fresh ingredients never quite taste like the restaurant (for better or worse) and mine tasted great, but certainly wasn't what we were both craving. So, my verdict: I will never make an Indian meal from scratch again. For one, these recipes involve 15 or more components, unlike the 3 or 4 required for your average Itialian or Chinese. Next, you have to cook, cool, blend, cook some more, add some more, blend some more, then cook some more. It takes way too long!

So, I'll stick to Cost Plus' collection of pre-prepared Indian sauces and mixes and just add chicken.