I think what is happening is just simple time. What we have here is an audio compression that has been the "standard" (and I use the term very loosely) for over a decade, iTunes and aac notwithstanding. During that time period, just about everyone has used it, and since most people don't have the ears to tell the difference consciously, they've been listening to it for so long that they unconsciously think it's normal, even compared to the original lossless cd.

If this were true, then it might explain how a random sampling would be skewed towards mp3 even when most people guess. They unconsciously pick the one that registers with what their ears are attuned to.

Me, I can't listen to mp3 anymore. Even at 320k, the hiss in the upper registers sets my teeth aching. This gets really annoying when listening to an mp3 disc on long trips in the car. Oddly, I can listen to AAC at 320k without a problem, which is good - I'd hate to have to use lossless on the iPod. Severely limits the selection, even on the 80g. :)

Could be, in your native language "making available" and "support" are synonymous

Well, in the countries governed by pawns of the RIAA/MPAA, the phrase "making available" is synonymous with "intent to distribute others' work as your own".

Under these conditions, I can understand perfectly well why some might be under the (mistaken) impression that Microsoft will be forced to distribute and support other browsers...

It all depends on where you are and what your commute is like.

I live near Philadelphia - near being described as "between Philly and Lancaster/Harrisburg". Went job hunting this winter (not by choice) and landed a good job in downtown Philly. I drove to work my first three days. I've taken the train ever since.

Why? Because I did my math. 50-some miles each way is a typical "local" commute for people in my area. Nobody thinks twice about it. 100+ miles a day, plus traffic, had me filling my tank after 2.5 days, or twice a week, to the tune of about $50/week - or $10/day - just for the gas. 21.5 working days average a month makes the gas to $215/month. Best price I could find for reliable parking is also $10/day, so my total per month given that my car is paid for is roughly $430/month.

That doesn't count wear and tear on my car, wear and tear on my sanity or blood pressure. Nor does it count the fact that the average drive time was 2 hours each way, and (as someone else also mentioned) those 2 hours were spent doing nothing BUT driving and screaming obscenities at the other cars.

SEPTA's costs? $181 for the monthly anytime pass, a buck a day to park, and a single tank of gas = ~$227.50/month. The trip is less than an hour each way, and I've been catching up on old tv shows, reading books, and playing games on an ipod. Certainly less wasted than driving, and my sanity has never been better - if it could've been called that in the first place, that is... :)

Other people might not be so clear cut, so maybe it's not for them, but for me this was a no-brainer. Aside from the occasional delay once in a while, there's no reason for me to think otherwise.

In the end, we'll have advertisements embedded into the hit singles, as part of the music and lyrics.

If the goal here is to advertise the artists themselves, then this shameless bit of self-promotion has been around for a while.

I don't know exactly when it started, but I first started noticing it in the late 90's - particularly in hip-hop / rap / dance tracks - the artist would speak their own name during the song. If there was a "Featuring..." guest artist, that person would also name themselves. Pretty annoying, imho, but in most cases it at least gave me an easy way to know who NOT to buy...