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Today's Dilbert is a shining example of humor at its best. It may take the average reader a little while to realize precisely why it only takes Dilbert half a second to setup and run the simulation, but it's time very well spent. The only gripe I have with it is the 50% number, but I realize the gag won't work without it, so I forgive him.

There's a similar joke in Sweden that goes like this:

- How many people work at the (insert name of whatever governmental body or company you (dis)like) office?
- About half of them.

1. What is your occupation?
    Self-employed consultant.

2. What color are you socks right now?
    Near-black blueish.

3. What are you listening to right now?
    The kids making noise downstairs.

    4. What was the last thing that you ate?
    The "latest", I hope, thing I ate was a bowl of yoghurt with muesli.

    5. Can you drive a stick shift?
    Duh. As I am not an American, disabled or a taxi driver, I have problems driving automatics - the apparent trick is to pretend that ones left leg is paralysed.

    6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
    A diffusion of black.

    7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
    Mother-in-law, she called to talk with her daughter.

    8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
    I was not sent it. I pirated a copy off teh intartubes. Arr.

    9. How old are you today?
    39 years old.

    10. Favorite drinks?
    Coca-Cola is it.

    11. What is your favorite sport to watch?
    Sex.

    12. Have you ever dyed your hair?
    No.

    13. Pets?
    50 fish called Wanda and a poodle.

    14. Favorite food?
    No one favorite.

    15. What was the last movie you watched?
    Cars.

    16. Favorite holiday?
    Hey, I saw something about holidays on TV once. Didn't really grok the concept.

    17. What do you do to vent anger?
    Kill people.

    18. What were your favorite toys as a kid?
    Mud and snow.

    19. What is your favorite: fall or spring?
    Yes.

    20. Hugs or kisses?
    Yes?

    21. Cherry or blueberry?
    Blueberry.

    22. Do you want your friends to send this back?
    No.

    23. Who is the most likely to respond?
    The infirm.

    24. Who is least likely to respond?
    The living.

    25. Living arrangements?
    House.

    26. When was the last time you cried?
    Cars.

    27. What is on the floor of your closet?
    Wood.

    28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you're sending this to?
    I'm not sending it to anybody.

    29. What did you do last night?
    Sleep like the dead.

The rumour in Sweden is currently that The Pirate Bay was making a hell of a lot of money from their ads. According to "sources", one big ad at the top of the page cost 200kSEK per day (this translates to $27000USD plus change). Since the two guys running the site both still have day jobs, I call bullshit.

But, if you can make that kind of money on TPB, why haven't any media corps set up their own ad-sponsored trackers?

Lets assume Sony (I use them as an example simply because I like to kick their balls since the rootkit scandal) sets up a torrent tracker, has their own seeders placed locally at ISPs (thanks to Robert X for this one) with guaranteed non-corrupted files, a nice search function, a referral service, forum community with participation by artists, correct metadata, no DRM, no viruses, no RIAA lawsuits, playlist-generator, competitions with backstage passes as prizes, a webshop for buying CDs, t-shirts, posters, concert tickets, desktop pictures, jewelcase inlay kits (co-sponsored by a printer manufacturer and CDR-importer) - the possibilities are endless. The traffic numbers would go through the roof, they'd put iTunes out of business in a heartbeat, they'd get loads of useful listening information and data to mine and the running costs would be minimal since the customers would do most of the heavy lifting in distribution and marketing.

It's basically free money for the record companies, less load on ISP backbone links and free music for listeners. Added bonuses would be a more direct communications route artist - consumer, but I'd guess that the record execs would be slightly less enthusiastic about that aspect.

Next in line to use the portal are the MPAA and both national and local TV and radio stations and networks. Anyone that would benefit from using a "free" system of distribution in the interest of cutting costs in a major way by giving up their shaky monopoly revenues in exchange for a steady stream of "normal" levels of cash would want in on this.

So, who's first to register www.themediabay.com ?

And Sony, I'm GIVING you this idea. Run with it or not, as you like. Want me to sign something to that effect? Send it on, I'll sign - provided that you actually do it. But know that if you don't, we'll know that you're not in it for the money, you're in it for the control of the market and the supra-normal monopoly profits you've had in the past. Know that those days are over and this is a new ballgame.
Wanna play? Play. But don't hog the ball.

This is not a drill.

Late last night CET, www.piratpartiet.se went live. The goal is to create a political one-issue party centered around the abolishment of copyright as we know it along with most IP laws in Sweden by getting into the parliament in this year's elections. Secondary, but equally important goals are to strengthen personal integrity by rejecting the EU "eavesdropping" directive and expand the "postal secret act" to include all forms of communication, regardless of carrier technology.

The name quite literally means The Pirate Party. 1500 signatures are required to register a political party in Sweden and at last count, we had 1916 (unverified) and counting. In less than a day.

The website is all in bork-de-bork and there are no current plans to translate it into understandlish, sorry. Dagens Industri (daily business mag) had a blurb on it's front page just now. Aftonbladet (one of the two big tabloids) just called. And all we did in the way of marketing was to drop the URL in a DC hub last night...

We live in very interesting times.

I just watched the Darwinia gameplay video off Steam and got a whole bunch of flashbacks: Mind Walker, Glider Rider and... Carrier Command.

Now, a good while back, I ranted a bit about wanting a unified gaming client, running a multi-role FPS in a persistent world. That world could work a lot like Carrier Command. Imagine, if you will, Carrier Command: Source.

Heh, I'm starting to sound like X. Cringely. Anyway, I want my future and I want it now, dammit!