YouTube lifts music video block – Huzzah!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8234125.stm

For the past 6 months or so, music pikeys have been forced to use tools such as Limewire and Kazaa to get their “free” music fix rather than copying the songs using sites such as www.youtubetomp3.net.

This was due to YouTube attempting to take off any songs from their site which would result in the artists demanding royalties.

A deal has now been struck that will pay artists royalties for having their songs played on YouTube, I assume it is calculated by the number of hits their song gets.

I personally think this is an excellent deal that has been struck up. Despite artists often consenting for their songs to be put on YouTube, they realise that no money can be made from this method of allowing their fans to listen to their music.

As a result of royalties being paid out, even if these music pikeys continue to use software that downloads the music for free from YouTube, at least smaller, struggling artists will receive a little money for their work.

Could this be the start of me condoning behaviour of downloading music this way? Probably not.

England cricket – however

I should apologise to England, however, for predicting a boring draw for the Ashes finale.

Congratulations Andrew Strauss et al!!!

Truly inspirational considering the loss earlier in the series.

So maybe they’re not completely rubbish, even if they do lose to Ireland.

England v Ireland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/fds/hi/statistics/cricket/scorecards/2009/8/15834/html/scorecard.stm

I wonder whether England are ever going to learn that they suck at selecting a B-squad to pity their minnow opponents.

At the moment I write this post, England have used their 50 overs to score 203 with the loss of 9 wickets. Now Ireland are batting and after 3 overs they are on 25 runs with the loss of 1 wicket.

I hope England lose, mainly because they deserve it, but also I love Ireland and their uncanny way of winning seemingly impossible-to-win matches, for example beating Pakistan in the World Cup of 2007.

But there is another thing that is bugging me – is this not an England B-team, but instead a 1st team. I bloody well hope not. For instance, our man Ravi Bopara for this whole international cricket season has been completely and utterly useless. Do England’s squad selectors believe that he’ll miraculously become good overnight.

The way to make a player improve is to drop him if he plays like a twat – at first it seems demoralising, but there is no better incentive to improve your game if it means you will get into the test team.

Big Brother to bow out next year – there is a God!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8221995.stm

Channel 4 recently announced it would air the last series of Big Brother next year!

Now I hope I’m not the only one to be thinking “Woohoo” (or similar emotion) to the end of this crappy, useless, desperate, money-grabbing, mind-numbing (and many other negative adjectives) reality TV show. Not only is it completely shite to watch, but it also has the nouse to associate the idea – of 20-ish utter morons being put in a confrontation enducing environment – with aspects of George Orwell’s oustanding 1984 novel.

I cannot wait for the programme to go away. All it has resulted in is a select few of these morons somehow making fame – by being a complete fool or a transvestite, who then go and and spend their £100,000 winnings on drugs and fake jewellery, then somehow land themselves an advertising job or wangle their way into comedy quiz shows.

I say – Bring back proper TV, tell reality TV shows (other than the Apprentice) to feck off, and let’s be rid of this annoying fly-on-the-wall era once and for all.

England v Australia, Fifth Test

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/8211140.stm

Well the final test is upon us and it’s poised 1 : 1, but it must be said the advantage is on Australia’s side, regardless of the return to match fitness of Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff.

However, I can’t help but feel this series is going to end in a very anti-climactic draw. Especially by the look of the first session so far.

But it should be noted that it seems Australia are playing for a draw, regardless of what they might say, and this can be a fatal flaw for any team with the upper hand. I’m sure England would be the first to testify to that flaw.

It will be interesting to see how this match pans out. For some reason I think tomorrow’s post-lunch session will be the decider of what result we will be given.

But nevertheless… COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sony slims their PS3 – an apology to start

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8207472.stm

I should start off with what my title explains.

I said yesterday that I thought the slim was going to be a bit of a flop much like the PS2 slim attempt. However, I would like to retract my comment after contemplation of what the “slim” actually implies for the original PS3.

You see, when the PS2 slim was introduced, it did come across as a desperate attempt to stop people from buying the Xbox.

The two fatal flaws it had were: it was more expensive than the xbox, and it wasn’t much smaller than the original, and it was crap (as the 2 broken PS2 slims in my bin would testify)! Well that’s three then.

In this case, however, the PS3 slim will be a good alternative for the original considering how frickin’ huge the original actually is!

The pricing does worry me though – if both products are both circa £250 I can’t help but feel there is going to be some confusion on the customer’s side.

But we shall see…

Zero Punctuation: Console Rundown

Sony slims PlayStation 3 console – that’s exciting!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8207472.stm

Well isn’t this exciting, the ipod nano of the Playstation world is to be released!

Somehow I can’t see it being that successful, bearing in mind the PS2 slim was a bit of a flop. But a portable, and potentially quieter, version of the already very good games console cannot really be scoughed at.

When I get more info/wake up tomorrow, I’ll write a bit more. But for now, it’s bed time.

Richards banned for three years – Williams will be relieved

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/harlequins/8191371.stm

Well from my post yesterday, I woke up this morning to hear on the news that Tom Williams had been banned for 6 months, rather than 12 (however, it turned out they had got it wrong and he had, in fact, only been banned for 4 months). A fair punishment in my books.

However, for once in this whole predicament, the spotlight was not on Williams; but on Dean Richards, the Harlequins head coach, has been banned for a full 3 years – from any rugby coaching, anywhere in the world, at any level, in either discipline.

Is this too much, and has Richards been made a scapegoat out of this whole situation? I personally don’t think so, however it is a great shame to lose such a legend from the game for 3 years.

But the issue that has bothered me is that of what happened in the second Lions test match in South Africa.

With about 20 minutes to go, the Lions launched a mammoth comeback and had South Africa against the ropes. Then suddenly all of South Africa’s players came back on again – no injuries or blood to be seen.

Has this whole thing been thought through???

Quins set for fake blood verdict – are punishments picked out of a hat?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/harlequins/8191371.stm

Over the years we have seen much dirty play, and indeed dirty tactics, in the game of rugby. This has, unfortunately, marred its very honest and gentlemanly approach to the game.

Either today or tomorrow, we will find out the future of, in particular, Tom Williams who currently faces a 12-month ban for his part of the fake blood debacle in the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster.

I personally cannot believe that this could happen to the young, and potential England star, player. Yes – he did play a critical part in the scandal, but how much of the idea do you think was his? If your coach (or one of the senior coaching staff), in the most crucial match the club has ever played in, tells you to fake an injury in order to get your specialist kicker back on the field, it’s unlikely you’re going to say no.

Let us not forget these are tactics. Dirty tactics, yes – but tactics nevertheless. Therefore, regardless of the fact that Harlequins did ultimately lose the game, no one was actually hurt.

The same cannot be said, however, for a certain Schalk Burger who deemed it acceptable to gouge the eyes of Luke Fitzgerald.

And before you think I’m being biased against a South African – I am half South African myself. Schalk’s actions could have blinded a player, which is certainly something I’d consider worse than using slightly dirty tactics to win a game. Yet the Port Elizabeth-born flanker only received a ban of 8 weeks(!) – less than a fifth of what Williams could receive.

This problem needs to be resolved with the men behind the scenes. The typical ban for eye-gouging is significantly higher so how Schalk got away so lightly is unfathomable.

I’m looking forward to the result of the trial, however the cynic in me says that Williams won’t be lucky, and I tend to listen to my cynical side.

Venice for one cent a room error – a nice bit of hotel karma

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8202842.stm

I have always wondered, as I’m sure you have too, why the hell we pay so much for a hotel room every night. And it annoys me no end how hotels have the bottle to charge us so much to stay in one of their small, over-rated, badly decorated shoe box.

So when the news came out that the Crowne Plaza of Venice had managed to make a massive cock up of charging guests a mere cent to stay in their hotel, I was delighted beyond belief, but also slightly pissed off I didn’t grasp at the opportunity before the imbeciles of the hotel’s web department fixed the issue.

It’s nice to see a jumped-up, ostentatious institution giving away rooms for 1/15,000th of what they should, in theory, cost.

Now I realise it’s stupid to think all hotels should charge this amount, but exactly how much is your hotel room really worth?

Rather than trying to do the figures myself, I cast my mind back to an article released not too long ago regarding a luxurious resort in America somewhere.

Depending on the number of amenities you thought you could do without, you could get your hotel room for an absolute steal.

Luxurious rooms – minus a bed, breakfast, air-conditioning, towels, toilet paper, a mini-bar and lighting – would cost the guest a mere 11 squids. Instead, the guest was supplied with a tent which I think is just fantastic.

The full cost of a room is similar to the Crowne Plaza. So for £11 you can stay in a classy resort. However, ignoring the bed and lighting, you’re paying circa £100 for things that you rarely use in a hotel!!!

I think the idea of this place in America is brilliant and it should be used all around the world. I personally do not want to pay for a towel to sit there in the bathroom when there is no chance of me using it.

I can’t wait for the Ritz to adopt this idea. It’ll happen. I’m telling you.