I have been thinking of Papa a lot lately as it has just been over a year since he passed. Although that is sad for me it is usually always replaced with the knowledge of how lucky we all were to have such a great man as our father/grandfather. To me he was not just a dad but he was also a great friend. On Sundays when we usually had our 1-2 hour phone visits I am sometimes lost to talk to my friend. He was always there with good advice, to listen or to share what was going on in his life. We laughed alot. He always had a great laugh. To this day I still can’t imagine life without him.

Papa always told me how much he loved you and how much joy you brought into his life. He loved Steph and Linnea so much as well. You brought so many good things into his life as he did into yours.

On that last visit you mentioned, he told me how good it was to spend time with you and see you all. Sometimes words do not have to be spoken in order to convey a deep meaning. I think this is one of those times. For as you mentioned in different words it is not the isolated times that make the relationship but the totality of all the times that make up that relationship that stands the test of time.

Thanks for the lovely tribute to papa. I love you so much and so did he…..mom

On top of his humanitarian contributions to society, he added a lot to the humanities. “Thiller” was one of the first music videos tht really was used to tell a story, and show that it was a legitimate art form. Following in the tradition of James Brown any of his dance techniques have both inspired contemporary dancers and have expanded the art with his unique style.

As for his music, whether you like it or not, two generations have grown up with his voice as the soundtrack of their childhood. Thriller and Bad are still some of the highest selling albums of all-time. If you are to ask just about anyone for 10 defining things from the 80’s he will likely be on just about everyone’s list. Some have called him the Elvis of our age, but this isn’t quite right, since Elvis didn’t write his music.

MJ wasn’t perfect. Far from it. He is a tragic figure who coped in strange ways, and ultimately it looks like unhealthy ways, and he made some poor decisions. The controversies that surrounded him also shaped our culture.

His work both as an entertainer, and in his other work has touched millions, and he has inspired many others how will go on to do great things. His death is culturally significant for these reasons, if only because of how significant his life was. While CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and the rest will beat this dead horse into a fine gooey paste, it doesn’t mean that poor horse wasn’t something special. His death is a cultural tragedy, and his life will always be a treasure for the world.

I saw very little of the coverage in the last few days (I stopped watching due to the constant coverage). I did see his little girl speak of him today. My heart went out to her as well as all children who loose a parent so early in life. Michael did not loose his parents early in his life he lost his child hood. How many of us know what that would be like? We have not walked in his shoes so we have no way of knowing. What is obvious to me is that he was a tortured soul who never found his way back from the abusive robbery of his child hood.

I have tolerance for any one wishing to grieve in any way they choose. Even if some did not support him in life they want or need to support him in death. I for one want to let them do that for what ever reason they choose.

Tolerance for each other is what is needed. My ending thought though is where was all this when he needed it the most?

Can I have your bullet smoker when you have your heart attack? Happy Birthday!!!!

On the topic of internet radio, it’s not dead but SomaFM and Pandora seem to be constantly on life support, Last.fm is now going to charge people outside the US, UK and Germany, and Sirius/XM is drowning. Why? The people that own the content just want too fucking much money for it and *they* are in control.

It’s coming, for sure, and I can’t wait. But it isn’t going to be free and it’s not going to be nearly as soon as most people think.

The key isn’t that it has to be free, but that it should be a fair price. I’m not watching the Bass Fishing channel nor the one that the 700 club comes on. What will come is where you pay for the show itself as a subscription. Say $20 for a season, maybe $30. I don’t know about you, but I don’t watch more than say 4 shows really, and as a result, I would come out with a much better deal. At that price they would be able to pay for their network costs.

Advertising is yet another way. Still, this isn’t FREE. This is paid content to be sure. We’ll see more of this model as well, as it has worked since TV started. It isn’t going anywhere any time soon, as most people are too lazy to hit the fast forward button. Alternately, the Ads on Hulu, I think are the way to go. Targeted ads, where the content provider is able to sell the ad time for a higher price per view, but is able to target their audience MUCH better (and even make it useful to the consumer). Google and others have this base to start with. They know who we are. They know what we like. That is valuable information.

Right now, the content providers are completely in bed with cable companies, but that is mostly because they have the keys to the kingdom. The content providers are KEENLY interested in getting their content into the hands of consumers in other ways. For isntance, just yesterday I found that I can watch many NBC shows on my iPhone. More and more of them have the shows streaming. Sure, you can’t get most of them in 1080p online yet (through legitimate channels), but that will change as the demand grows.

People said that Internet Radio was dead (honestly, I was one of them), but I am now living my dream of having an almost unlimited source of music that I carry around in my pocket (without storing a SINGLE song). These are powerful market forces at work here. Sure, you won’t be one of those that is on the forefront of the move from cable, but I will be once OTADTV becomes a reality. I’m not alone. You lament that Nickelodeon (that is how it is spelled btw. ) isn’t available, but I’m old enough to remember the old “I want my MTV” ads and how well they worked.

Well, I want my DTV. (Money for nothing and chicks for free wouldn’t hurt either.)