OK, this article isn't about podcasting or music specifically, but if you're a podcast fan, no doubt you've bought plenty of music-playing and computer equipment over the years... and may well still have some outdated items. I know I do; one corner of my home office looks like a museum of old electronics items, but maybe now I can clear it out now that I've found out about Second Rotation. This Boston-based company helps reuse and recycle old electronics equipment by making it easy to unload the items, and even paying you to do so.
It's pretty simple: You look up your item on their Web site, see what price they'll give you for it, then sign up and ship it to Second Rotation, FREE! They'll take cell phones, gaming consoles, digital cameras, laptops, and more. Granted, you won't make a bundle out of selling this stuff, especially if it's particularly out of date. But one of the main goals of Second Rotation is to keep these electronics out of landfills. In fact, sometimes they'll pay for items that really have no value, from what I've read, just so it won't get thrown out.
Ars Technica has a good article on Second Rotation and its mission. Apparently investors believe in the company, too... it's said that Second Rotation just raised $4.4 millionin a first round of funding.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Yahoo in Talks with News Corp. about Working Together on MySpace and More
Yahoo is in talks with News Corporation about combining the latter's MySpace and other News Corp.-owned online properties with Yahoo. The move is seen as a move to fend off Microsoft's attempt to take over Yahoo, and would reportedly include News Corp. paying cash to Yahoo.
Yahoo and News Corp. have reportedly been in talks about some kind of combining of their properties over the last year and a half, but the talks have taken on new urgency with Microsoft's recent unsolicited takeover bid for Yahoo, which Yahoo turned down.
Yahoo and News Corp. have reportedly been in talks about some kind of combining of their properties over the last year and a half, but the talks have taken on new urgency with Microsoft's recent unsolicited takeover bid for Yahoo, which Yahoo turned down.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Obama Beats Clinton! (In the Grammys, Anyway)
We won't know the outcome of the Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton presidential derby for some time, but here's a sure thing: Obama has beaten a Clinton in 2008 at the Grammy Awards. Obama won the Best Spoken Word Grammy for the audio version of his book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."
Obama beat out former president Bill Clinton, who was nominated for his book "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World." What's more, Obama beat out another former president (Jimmy Carter), who was nominated for "Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World." Also in the running was Maya Angelou, the poet who was a supporter of the Clintons.
Don't feel bad for the Clintons as far as the Grammys go, though... Hillary won the same award 12 years ago for her first book, "It Takes a Village." And Bill Clinton was won the award twice.
Obama beat out former president Bill Clinton, who was nominated for his book "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World." What's more, Obama beat out another former president (Jimmy Carter), who was nominated for "Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World." Also in the running was Maya Angelou, the poet who was a supporter of the Clintons.
Don't feel bad for the Clintons as far as the Grammys go, though... Hillary won the same award 12 years ago for her first book, "It Takes a Village." And Bill Clinton was won the award twice.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
How Old are Those Ageless Grammy Artists? (Tina Turner, Cher, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, etc.)
Some of the performers on the Grammys tonight definitely showed that they're not too old to rock and roll. Which got me wondering, just how old is Tina Turner? And Cher? And Tony Bennett, for that matter?
Here are the answers, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939) - age 68
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) - age 61
Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926) - age 92
Burt Bacharach (born May 12, 1928) - age 79
Little Richard (Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman, born December 5, 1932) - age 75
John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival, born May 28, 1945) - age 62
Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) - age 72
Keely Smith (born Dorothy Jacqueline Keely, 9 March 1932) - age 75
Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) - age 65
Herbie Hancock (born Herbert Jeffrey Hancock on born April 12, 1940) - age 67
and...
Stevie Wonder (born Steveland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950) - he's a relative youngster at age 57!
Congrats to all the winners and nominees! (List of Grammy winners and nominees here.)
Here are the answers, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939) - age 68
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) - age 61
Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926) - age 92
Burt Bacharach (born May 12, 1928) - age 79
Little Richard (Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman, born December 5, 1932) - age 75
John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival, born May 28, 1945) - age 62
Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) - age 72
Keely Smith (born Dorothy Jacqueline Keely, 9 March 1932) - age 75
Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) - age 65
Herbie Hancock (born Herbert Jeffrey Hancock on born April 12, 1940) - age 67
and...
Stevie Wonder (born Steveland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950) - he's a relative youngster at age 57!
Congrats to all the winners and nominees! (List of Grammy winners and nominees here.)
Vinyl Records Are Doing Just Fine, Thank You
Digital music sales are up and CD sales are down, but oddly enough vinyl LPs are holding their own in today's music market. The CBS Sunday Morning show did a segment on the resurgence of vinyl, interviewing two firms that press vinyl records (one of them in Brooklyn) and examining the factors leading to vinyl's success.
One of these factors is the perceived higher sound quality of a record over a CD or digital download. The retro appeal of vinyl could also be a factor, as well as the related desire for a physical record and even cover art and liner notes that are bigger than the shrunk-down CD inserts.
I wrote about the rebound in vinyl sales back in the summer, and the pace seems to have picked up since then, if anything. The Sunday Morning report mentioned that Amazon.com actually has a section of its online store devoted just to vinyl, even though the company also started selling digital download of music last year.
One of these factors is the perceived higher sound quality of a record over a CD or digital download. The retro appeal of vinyl could also be a factor, as well as the related desire for a physical record and even cover art and liner notes that are bigger than the shrunk-down CD inserts.
I wrote about the rebound in vinyl sales back in the summer, and the pace seems to have picked up since then, if anything. The Sunday Morning report mentioned that Amazon.com actually has a section of its online store devoted just to vinyl, even though the company also started selling digital download of music last year.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Woody Guthrie Nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award
It's been 40 years since he died, but folk music pioneer Woody Guthrie is nominated for a 2008 Grammy award for a rare live recording of his, The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie In Performance 1949.
A native of Okema, Oklahoma, Guthrie is known for many classic American songs, most notably This Land Is Your Land. When he died of Huntington's Chorea in 1967, he left behind hundreds of lyrics for songs.
Woody's son Arlo Guthrie was a popular folk singer in the 1960s and 1970s who is best known for the song "Alice's Restaurant." Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie manages the Woody Guthrie archives, and about a decade ago she enlisted the British singer Billy Bragg and the American alt-country band Wilco to put music to some of the many pages of lyrics by Woody Guthrie that had no music. You can learn more about Woody Guthrie and his archives at www.woodyguthrie.org.
Sarah Lee Guthrie, a daughter of Arlo Guthrie, makes music with her husband Johnny Irion.
Woody Guthrie died of Huntington’s Chorea in Queens, NY on October 3, 1967. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 in the "Early Influence" category.
The 1976 biography "Bound for Glory" starred David Carradine as Woody Guthrie.
A native of Okema, Oklahoma, Guthrie is known for many classic American songs, most notably This Land Is Your Land. When he died of Huntington's Chorea in 1967, he left behind hundreds of lyrics for songs.
Woody's son Arlo Guthrie was a popular folk singer in the 1960s and 1970s who is best known for the song "Alice's Restaurant." Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie manages the Woody Guthrie archives, and about a decade ago she enlisted the British singer Billy Bragg and the American alt-country band Wilco to put music to some of the many pages of lyrics by Woody Guthrie that had no music. You can learn more about Woody Guthrie and his archives at www.woodyguthrie.org.
Sarah Lee Guthrie, a daughter of Arlo Guthrie, makes music with her husband Johnny Irion.
Woody Guthrie died of Huntington’s Chorea in Queens, NY on October 3, 1967. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 in the "Early Influence" category.
The 1976 biography "Bound for Glory" starred David Carradine as Woody Guthrie.
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