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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

Another round of edits completed

It helps tremendously to have the chance to work with an actual editor with any writing project ... especially a full-length novel. Patrick Coyle provided a lot of great feedback with "Polos to Ties," which is probably one of the main reasons I've received decent feedback so far from literary agencies. I'm still looking for a reasonable deal, though, as finding the right agent isn't always the easiest thing to do.

In the near future, I plan to post the first five chapters of the book, but I'm also waiting a response from a second editor as well.

What's next for the Internet?

It's startling to see what you can find on the Internet these days. Of course, I don't need to tell you this ... you're reading this article as it is. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not to be sitting at work and have to shield your computer immediately due to something that just popped up on your screen. In any case, it's anyone's guess as to how long the Internet will stand as it is.

The ultimate hiking companion

There are a few things necessary when starting out on a long hike, regardless of the weather. You need a good pair of shoes, possibly boots. You need something to drink, most likely water. And finally, you need a peanut butter and pickle sandwich. Even the folks at the New York Times realize this!

Dress codes for avatars

I'm sitting in my cube right now, wearing shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes. On the other side of the sensibility coin, analyst firm Gartner is predicting that avatars will have business dress codes by 2013. How do people come up with this stuff?

Here's a way for the U.S. government to keep track of you

How easy would it be for the United States government to keep tabs on people via the Internet? Soon, Congress could call a vote against Net Neutrality, which would allow ISPs to deliver partner websites faster than others. While this would be disruptive to the World Wide Web as a whole, this still wouldn't give access to data logs from all ISPs.

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