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GAC: Is it wrong to download songs for free from the Internet?

The Good Advice Committee's first task was to determine whether or not it was appropriate to download songs for free from the Internet. Good arguments were made on both sides, but in the end, the committee voted no, 4-1.

NATE: NO

I find nothing wrong with downloading music off the internet. Most of the songs that are being downloaded are from artists who already have more money than they know what to do with. The last time I watched "Cribs" on MTV, it doesn't look like Jay-Z was losing out from everybody downloading his songs for free.

Google, on Google

There has been a lot of speculation lately about how much Google is worth, what will happen when the company goes public with shares, what's the difference between a google and a gaggle, etc.

So I did a Google news search on Google. Apparently the financial world is no longer so smitten with the search engine and more company. It seems the IPO figure Google is expecting is unflated, and on top of that, the company is buying back shares offered in advance to employees.

New feature: Good Advice Committee

Maybe starting a new feature with an acronym of GAC isn't the best idea, but that's all I have for now.

The Good Advice Committee will come to you on a regular basis, possibly weekly. A lot of it depends on whether or not the committee members are up to it, and it also assumes we have questions each week as well. The purpose of the GAC is to examine and determine sensible advice, which could be about technology, relationships, etc.

WINNER

Sorry, it's me, not you.

There was a note on my door last Friday from UPS, saying I had a package waiting for me. Luckily, on UPS' Web site, you can see where the package is coming from. Unfortunately, it said somewhere unfamiliar in Massachusetts, so I had no clue what it was.

Today, I arrived home to find the package. In it was an official Major League Baseball 2004 All-Star Game T-shirt.

Microsoft "fixes" Internet Explorer

Microsoft is urging its users to download a cumulative software patch that corrects at least three major security issues in its standard Web browser, Internet Explorer.

If you're not sure if you should perform this update, check the July 2004 Windows Security Update page by clicking here. Hopefully if you use a PC, you are familiar with the update process, but if not, it's pretty easy to do. Just find Windows Update under the Start menu, and follow the directions.

From the Archive

Turn all the TVs off with just one button

When I originally wrote this, I was also keeping tabs on the St. Louis-Boston World Series game. It's a distraction I can live with, though, because baseball is more important than telling you what's on the web, right?

Then again, if my TV went out, I would be furious because I'm a Boston fan. But if it were the Yankees playing the Astros, and if the TV went off, I probably wouldn't care.

Prediction for 2004: Think 2003

Is the new year really any different than the year that just passed?

The short answer is no. The long answer is yes. The longer answer is possible, but not probable, and the medium answer is, well, I think I forgot the question.

Back to the short answer, which if I recall, is NO! The year 2004 will be so much like 2003 that you will actually be able to use the same wall and desk calendars, if you haven't already thrown them away. Do not fret, however, because last year's calendars are today's clearance items at your local store.

This battery kept going and going for 2,000 years

Batteries don't seem to last long these days. Even if you have rechargeable batteries, they lose life the more you use them. My information on batteries is a little outdated, as I haven't graphed circuits since college.

Gates ready to get out of court, go hang with Arnold

This might be too grandiose of an idea, but I thought

I would try to explain the U.S. vs. Microsoft case in

one tiny column. So if you have been following the case

closely and do not need an explanation, feel free to

take this opportunity to play the

Lucky Dollars game.

For those of you still with me (I hope it's at least

You are worth at least a grain of salt

If I told you that somewhere in the world, there sits a huge container filled with salt, one grain for each person on the planet at the very moment, would you believe me? Of course not, but little do you know that it does, indeed, exist at The Salt Monument in Boulder, Colo.

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