The other shoe drops

By Michael Fraase

Tuesday, 30 October 2001 10:43PM CST

Section: Publishing

Dan Kohn’s other shoe has dropped. “Steal This Essay 2: Why Encryption Doesn’t Help” is a great follow-up to his “Steal This Essay 1: Content Is a Pure Public Good.”

When content providers start encrypting their content, the game is over. All it takes is one kid with a little spare time who is sufficiently motivated to crack or route around the encryption system. Bits is bits and by definition, can be copied infinitely with no loss of signal quality. Because digital information is a nonrival, nonexcludable good, there goes the business model and acceptable “shrinkage rates” that have served media conglomerates well for more than 100 years.

This is old news, and intelligent content creators have understood this basic reality for some time. What remains to be discovered, is a sustainable business model for digital information in this new reality. For that, I’m eagerly looking forward to Kohn’s next essay.

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Review: Bob Dylan at the Xcel Energy Center

By Michael Fraase

Friday, 26 October 2001 06:54PM CST

Section: Media

Bob Dylan blew into town last night on an ill, idiot wind, and he didn’t have to sing about it for us to know which way it was blowing. This was, after all, the day that the U.S. Congress passed a disturbing bill that hopes to combat terrorism by restricting civil rights.

I hate—absolutely detest—arena shows, but you make an exception for Bob Dylan especially when it’s his first show in his mom’s home town since she died.

At least three and maybe four generations came together 14,000 strong to hear what this 60-year-old national treasure—and one of our own up here on the far edge—had to say about the most troubling times in more than 30 years. I have to admit that it was a little disconcerting when Dylan and his band took the stage in snazzy white and burgundy suits, respectively. From up in the cheap seats it looked like a 1970s soul review, but this was Dylan and I eagerly suspended belief and judgment. Since he’s been opening recent shows with Fred Rose’s “Wait For The Light To Shine,” I knew that those must be western-cut suits and this show—like most Dylan shows—was going to run the gamut of musical styles.

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Toward a self-supporting publication

By Michael Fraase

Thursday, 25 October 2001 08:30PM CST

Section: Publishing

One of the few polices ARTS & FARCES has is that all projects must be self-supporting; otherwise they are acts of charity. This website first appeared in February 1993 and has never been a profit center for us. Rather, it’s always been used as a sort of advertisement for ourselves.

For several years, though, there has been a not-so-subtle shift in the way we’ve obtained work. Many companies—large and small—no longer contract directly with businesses providing editorial and consulting services, choosing instead to insulate themselves and their contracting decisions by using an intermediary. We prefer not to work this way for two reasons. First, an intermediary or subcontractor situation clouds the issue of who our customer is, and we find that clouding uncomfortable. Second, the intermediary situation unfairly and artificially inflates (sometimes by a factor of more than 40%) the rate our customers pay for our services.

ARTS & FARCES has always taken pride in meeting deadlines and budgets and staying profitable by reducing overhead whenever possible.

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