Remember that Washington Post story I talked about yesterday? The one where they’re going to try to say copying CDs you legally purchased to your computer is a copyright violation? Well, bless the good folks at Boing Boing for finding this, now missing, gem from the RIAA website.

“If you choose to take your own CDs and make copies for yourself on your computer or portable music player, that’s great. It’s your music and we want you to enjoy it at home, at work, in the car and on the jogging trail.”

This little ditty can be found on archive.org for all eternity.

The other winning statement that Boing Boing uncovered came from the Grokster trial. Mind you, this is an RIAA lawyer talking on the court record:

The record companies, my clients, have said, for some time now, and it’s been on their Website for some time now, that it’s perfectly lawful to take a CD that you’ve purchased, upload it onto your computer, put it onto your iPod. There is a very, very significant lawful commercial use for that device, going forward.”

Gee, wonder how the RIAA is going to try to weasel out of this one. They have publicly stated, on multiple occasions, that copying a CD you legally purchased to another format for your personal enjoyment is a-ok with them. What changed?  How did something that they not only at one time considered legal, but endorsed, turn into something they can add into a copyright violation case?

How are more people not seeing that the RIAA is just pure evil?  They are greedy, out-of-control, bullies that want nothing more than to squeeze every dollar out of the consumers that they can.  They feel they’ve found a new revenue stream in the form of file sharing, and they’re going to try to get every cent they can out of the people that they catch.

You know what I would like to know?  Are they giving the money they win in these cases to the artists whose music is being used in the sharing?  Where is this money going?  Who’s pocket is it ending up in?

I thought I would give you all a round up of what the top 10 posts for SeanPAune.com were this year.

Yet Another Cloverfield Update – From December 6th of this year. Wow, 25 days and it was my #1 viewed post. This one was all about the “anti-Tagruato” site that popped up in the viral marketing campaign.

3 Ways To Get Me To Not Visit Your Blog Again – Originally published on July 7th, this was part of the Daily Blog Tips Blog Project:Three contest, which I didn’t win, but I did get a fair number of votes.

The most insane trackback ever? – Ah, May 28th, when I decided to trace the origin of a picture I found. It made for a nice post about how people don’t give enough proper credit, or do their research, to where an image originated from. It turned in to nice cross links with the original site, DesireToInspire.com, though.

Armando Montelongo – Oh, Armando. This post was done on August 28th, and was, I admit, a bit of search engine gaming. I had done a previous post about him and how much I despised him on Flip This House. It was getting a lot of search engine traffic, so I decided to do a second post when people were searching for info on the episode where he and his brother parted ways. Since it was my fourth most visited post of the year, I guess it was a good call.

1-18-08/Cloverfield Update – From October 5th of this year, since this is the second time Cloverfield appears in the top 10, I guess I’m not the only person obsessed with this. This one was about the sub-companies of the Tagruato company.

Sopranos Episode 85 – The Blue Comet – June 3rd, and probably my shortest post of the year. It was about the next-to-last episode of The Sopranos.

Buffy Season 8, Issue 4 – Well, this one from June 6th is a bit of a surprise. Apparently people really want to know what happens in the Buffy comics?

How long does it take to load 119.41GB of music on an iPod? – This one really shot up towards Christmas time. I originally discussed how long it would take to load music on to my new iPod Classic back on September 12th, and it seems a lot of people wondered the same.

Dark Knight Version Of The Joker – May 21st, and it involved the first released photo of Heath Ledger as The Joker from the new Batman movie.

Blade Runner – The Final Cut – A lengthy article from August 2nd about the new version of Blade Runner that was coming to DVD.  Now that I own this, I should do a follow-up review.

So, there you have it, the top 10 posts of the year for this blog.  What does it tell me about my readership?  Well, you like it when I talk about entertainment stuff, or at least the search engine folks do.  And then there are some real curve balls in there (like the trackback one).  I don’t know if this will influence what I cover in 2008, but it was still interesting to take a look back and see what you all were reading.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Back in October I discussed a new tact that Sony Records was trying by claiming that anyone who copied music from a legally purchased CD to their computer was a pirate. The abbreviated quote is:

“When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song.” Making “a copy” of a purchased song is just “a nice way of saying ’steals just one copy’,” she said.

I was astounded by this thought, and I still am.

However, the RIAA seems to think it was a spiffy idea!

In a case filed in Arizona, part of the case filed against the defendant sites the 2,000+ music files on his computer, made from legally purchased CDs, constitute “illegal copies”. The exact quote from the source material was:

The industry’s lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are “unauthorized copies” of copyrighted recordings.

Excuse me? If I purchase a CD legally, and choose to enjoy the music in a separate fashion, that is now considered illegal? If the judge in this case was to rule in favor of the RIAA, it would make everyone who had ever done this into a criminal.

My hatred of the RIAA grows with each passing day it seems.  They will not rest until they have found a way to make money off of every aspect of music.  I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: So long as I purchased the music legally, and it is for personal enjoyment, I will listen to it any damned way I please.  I am NOT going to purchase an album as both a CD and MP3 files.  If it is for my personal enjoyment, then there is nothing wrong with me listening to it on multiple devices that are, yes, again, for my personal use.

The RIAA is so desperate to hold on to their outdated business model that they will do anything to make themselves seem relevant.  It is time for the record companies to cut their support of this association and stop making enemies of their customer base.

Yes, you heard correctly, Late Show with David Letterman is coming back on the air on January 2nd… with its writers!

Each show is allowed to negotiate with their writers independently of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), and David Letterman, who has been an ardent supporter of the strike, decided to do so. Mr. Letterman, whose Worldwide Pants production company also owns Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, has been paying the staff of both his shows out of his own pocket during the strike.

The news of the Late Show writers returning has been confirmed by the writer’s Strike Blog, LateShowWritersOnStrike.com. There has been no confirmation on Craig Ferguson’s writers also returning the same night, but it is believed they will be. (check out the writer’s blog anyway for some pretty funny strike humor)

Most of the late night shows will be returning that night, but I know which channel I will be tuned into. We, as fans of television, owe it to Mr. Letterman’s unwaivering support of his writers to tune in and watch at least that first night. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a fan of his, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never even watched the show, David Letterman obviously understands the vital role writers play to any creative process. He is to be applauded for his willingness to step outside of the normal negotiations and make sure his writers got what they deserve.

Of the other shows returning, I just can’t support them without writers. Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel have both been very supportive of their writers, and I understand why they are returning so their staffs won’t be fired. Jay Leno has been, well, an ass about the whole thing, so I wouldn’t support him anyway. I wish O’Brien and Kimmel well, but without writers, it just doesn’t matter.

So, kudos to David Letterman for being a shining beacon of understanding where he would be without his writing staff.

Remember when I mentioned I was writing my Blogging Goals For 2008 as part of a project? Well, said project is done, and 78 blogs, including mine participated.

I love projects like this.  Blogging can be a fairly solitary exercise, so to get to work with others in any way is always a blessing.  Daily Blog Tips, the site that ran this, named as one of their goals for this year was to run a similar exercise every month.  I, for one, can not wait.  It’ll be a great way to work with some direction to what I say once a month.

So, take a look through the 77 entries listed below if you’re a blogger, and maybe you’ll find some inspiration for your own goals in this coming year.

1. Making Home-made Wine and Beer – 2008 Goals For This Blog
2. 2008 Plans for Sk8 Dad
3. Blog Gigs – Blogging Goals For 2008
4. My Life with IT – Blogging Goals for 2008
5. Butterfly Media – 2008 Blogging Goals
6. Scott Andrew Bird – Blog goals 2008
7. Objetivos do 1001 Gatos para 2008
8. 2008 Goals For Money and Blogs
9. Kris Cpec – Blogging Goals for 2008
10. Win A Revolution Theme
11. Non Profit Leadership, Innovation and Change – Goals for 2008
12. 2008 Blogging Goals and The Rewards They Earn
13. Blogging Notes – Blogging Goals for 2008
14. The University Blog – Blogging Goals for 2008
15. #Comments – Goals!
16. Agile Business Navigator – (Blogging) Goals for 2008
17. Goals For 2008: (Almost) Every Blogger Has Some
18. Amanda – 2008 Blogging Goals
19. Why I Never Set Blogging Goals
20. The Genetic Genealogist – My 2008 Blogging Goals
21. TechLife – 2008 Blogging Goals
22. ooof – Blogging goals
23. zParacha – 2008 Blogging goals
24. Learn How 2 Earn – Blog Goals for 2008
25. 2008 Blogging Goals Win Premium WordPress Themes
26. happy 2nd birthday, change therapy!
27. Not-So Techie Goals Set For 2008
28. Jake Bouma – Blogging goals for 2008
29. Paasikoe – 2008 Blogging Goals
30. Train The Trainer: 2008 Goals
31. Beyond Behaviors’ Blogging Goals for 2008
32. Fashion by Jenni – Blogging Goals for 2008
33. Ledger Pad – Plan For 2008!
34. A contest! A xontest!
35. Planet Apex – 8 Blogging Goals for 2008
36. A Writer’s Words – 2008 Blogging Goals? Plans, maybe …
37. Romance Tracker’s 2008 blogging goals
38. Global Warming Hub’s blogging goals for the new year
39. Setting Your Goals Makes You 200% More Productive
40. Online Tech Tips blogging goals for 2008
41. ConchoLakeAZ.com Blog Goals
42. Inspiration just doesn’t get any better than this
43. Blog About Your Blog – Blogging Goals for 2008
44. My 2008 blogging goals for Blog Contest Central
45. Blogging Goals – Christmas Letters To Santa Claus
46. Mixed Market Arts – Goals for 2008
47. Have you thought of your blogging goals for 2008?
48. Vincent Chow – Blogging Goals For 2008
49. Writing Nag’s 2008 Blogging Goals
50. ShawnW – My blogging goals for 2008
51. The Value of Being Incomplete: What Are Your Goals for 2008?
52. On Financial Success – Goals for the new year
53. Madhur Kapoor – Blogging Goals for 2008
54. Work n Play – 2008 Blogging Goals
55. What I Wish to Achieve with dailyApps in 2008
56. Gimme a Dream – My Blogging Goals for 2008
57. New Year’s Resolutions for TailgatingIdeas.com
58. It’s Write Now! – Blogging Resolutions For 2008!
59. Blogging: Learning The Lessons The Hard Way
60. Nazjam – My blogging goals for 2008
61. JobMob 2008 Blogging Goals
62. What will your blog look like in 2008?
63. My 2008 Goals For Newest on the Net
64. MisEntropy – What I want my blog to be…
65. The Visitor’s Book (2008)
66. An unplannd future
67. Good Bye 2007 – Blogging Goals for the New Year
68. Life in the Internet – Blogging Goals for 2008
69. Blogging Goals for 2008 – Learn from the Experience!
70. Techno Money – My Goals for 2008…What Are Yours?
71. 8 Goals For Inspiration Bit In 2008
72. Cyber Street Report – 2008 Blogging Goals
73. Mary Emma – Writing and Blogging Goals for 2008
74. Gauravonomics – My Three Blogging Goals for 2008
75. eBiz Parent – 2008 Blogging Goals
76. Alphablogs – 5 goals for 2008
77. Daily Blog Tips: 10 Goals for 2008

The National Film Preservation Board has made their annual announcement of which films are being added to The National Film Registry.

Back to the Future (1985)
Bullitt (1968)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
Dances With Wolves (1990)
Days of Heaven (1978)
Glimpse of the Garden (1957)
Grand Hotel (1932)
The House I Live In (1945)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Mighty Like a Moose (1926)
The Naked City (1948)
Now, Voyager (1942)
Oklahoma! (1955)
Our Day (1938)
Peege (1972)
The Sex Life of the Polyp (1928)
The Strong Man (1926)
Three Little Pigs (1933)
Tol’able David (1921)
Tom, Tom the Piper’s Son (1969-71)
12 Angry Men (1957)
The Women (1939)
Wuthering Heights (1939)

More than usual in the “I’ve never heard of this” category than usual, but that’s somewhat the point of this whole project; to make sure that these films are available for future generations to enjoy.

In the Hollywood Reporter article on the story, the most interesting part to leap out at me was this:

“Our Day” is one of those films that are most at risk. A home movie made by Wallace Kelly in 1938, it depicts a day in the life day-in-the-life portrait of his family shown in both idealized and comic ways. The silent 16mm home movie uses creative editing, lighting and camera techniques comparable to what professionals were doing in Hollywood.

“They have some pretty serious filmmakers in their leagues,” said Dwight Swanson, an archival consultant and board member at the Center for Home Movies. “The way they depict themselves and show their lives is more direct and honest than what Hollywood was doing at the time.”

Swanson hopes the entire Kelly archive will be deposited into the Center of Home Movies collection and will be preserved at the Library of Congress facility near Washington.

“That way we will be ensured that it will be available for people to see,” he said.

While I am glad to see them using some discretion in which home movies they choose, it thrills me they would even consider this. What a wonderful way to preserve glimpses from a bygone era.

I just spent the past four days blogging my little heart out over at Mashable due to it being the holidays. Since I live with my family, and had nowhere to travel to, I went ahead and took all the open shifts, including Christmas day. I figured if I’m going to have my laptop on anyway, I might as well be earning money.

The news was fairly sparse, so I didn’t do all that much writing, but I did get to work on my first all opinion piece for them which was nice. You can swing by there to see my part of our predictions series, Mashable’s 2008 Predictions: Sean’s List. Some of it won’t make any sense to my normal readers, but it was fun to put together.

So what does this have to do with my normal blogging around here?   It’s amazing what I’ve learned about blogging as a career since I started doing this in July.  A few of the highlights:

1. It doesn’t matter how little you think is going on in the world, you better be finding something to blog about.
2. Holidays?  What holidays?
3. There is always someone out there who will take great glee in pointing out your mistakes… including a simple typo.

Overall it’s been a great experience.  And come New Years… I’m working it again!

Can we all just agree that Oprah must be stopped from picking any more protégés?

I was perusing TV Squad today and came across this amazing nugget of info.

During a holiday party in Beverly Hills this past weekend, Dr. Phil told People magazine that Lynne Spears, mother to Britney and recently pregnant, 16-year-old Jamie Lynn, is a “great and dedicated mother”. He admits that things aren’t looking up for her right now (ya think?), but McGraw adds that the Spears matriarch has her feet firmly on the ground and that she is turning to her faith for strength in this situation. In fact, Lynne told her friend Dr. Phil that they are turning to prayer to get past this all. No offense, but she must be praying nearly 24 hours a day.

Okay, look, everyone is entitled to their opinion, no argument there, but… she’s a great mother?

Dr. Phil has annoyed me for years, but nowhere to the degree of Rachael Ray (if you don’t know of my hatred for her… you must be new here), so I have always left him alone.  This, however, is SO monumentally stupid, you just have to go “huh?”

And seeing as both Dr. Phil and Satan’s daughter Rachael Ray are the spawns of Oprah… I don’t get where she finds these people.  Dr. Phil and his “down home” hokum psychology has always annoyed me, and to call Lynn Spears a “good mother”?  She let her 16-year old daughter move in with her boyfriend… yeah… good mother there, Phil.  Why don’t you go spout off some analogy about coyotes, as you are want to do, and go away.

My boys wish you all a Merry Christmas. Click any of the images for a larger view.

This previous Saturday, an odd day for tech announcements, Mozilla Labs announced their latest project, Weave.

For those unfamiliar with Mozilla, they are the makers of my beloved Firefox browser, and Weave is a new concept that will work with that very same browser.

Essentially this new product will allow you to go to any computer in the world running Firefox, log in to your account, and you will have all of your bookmarks, histories, passwords, everything that makes a copy of Firefox unique to you. They’ve posted four case studies for you to get a better idea of the real world implications of this new venture, and I have to say it looks quite exciting. You can check the image at the bottom for a visual idea of how this will work.

I especially like the idea of collaborative bookmarking directly from inside of Firefox. Quite often in the office we’re working on a project together, and being able to place relevant bookmarks directly into a folder that my co-workers can see will make life so much easier and faster. This will also be really useful in my professional blogging jobs since I don’t work near any of my editors.

There are also plans for this to become an extensible framework for third parties to build applications.  Imagine a travel planning app that would give you your information no matter where you are.

The project is in the earliest stages of Beta testing right now, and you’ll have to sign up for it to see if you can get in to the testing pool. I can’t wait for this to launch, but I will say I want to see some clue as to what security will be like.

It’s that time again for me to wax quixotic about a make-believe holiday started by a television series.

As I have said before, I was never a big fan of Seinfeld, but I swear this holiday makes more sense to me every year. I had a heck of a time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Mainly due to my being too busy, and even gift buying, which I normally adore, felt like a chore this year.

I think there were two other contributing factors to the problem though. The first being my oh-so-mysterious friend, “M”, who hates people buying her gifts. “If you buy me a gift, so help me, I’ll punch you in the face.” (She’s a tad on the violent side…) So I’m making her a gift that costs me absolutely $0, and I have to say… I’m enjoying it. For all these years, when I would hear people say it’s so much more rewarding, I thought “Yeah, great way to excuse your cheapness…”, but they weren’t wrong! I’ve enjoyed every second I’ve put in to it. (and no I won’t reveal what it is since she swings by somtimes)

And then there’s the recent acqaintence I made from India, we’ll call her QBG, who is a practicing Hindu. Naturally they don’t celebrate Christmas, and she was telling me the other night over Gtalk how much it amazes her to see us all running around in a panic during this time of year. I have to say I’m beginning to agree with her.

Yes, I am a retailer, I have a place in this monstrosity that is called “Christmas Shopping”, and for that reason alone I don’t want to see it go away. It would be nice though to see a return to those more family-style moments Norman Rockwell painted so well. True, they were idealistic, but isn’t that kind of the point?

Maybe Festivus isn’t such a bad idea. Okay, we can skip “The Feats of Strength” portion, but at least the focus was on the family getting together and being together.

Teddy has a problem.

He suffers from “snow addiction”.

We’re trying to get him in a program, he’s up to a couple inches a day. It’s horrible. (you can click the image for a larger view of his shame)