Is there a pot of gold at the end of In Rainbows?

See, that's the sort of tripe you get for free. Were you actually paying to read piece of journalism you'd get real writing. So what are people paying for real music when they have the choice to pay whatever they wish? Apparently, close to normal price.

Although the idea is that you can decide what you want to pay, most people are deciding on a normal retail price with very few trying to buy it for a penny.

I should remind you that reportely a band receives $1-2 per album sold, so Radiohead has made at probably five times normal revenue on albums sold (minus costs, which can't be over 50%). As for a musical review of the new Radiohead album, I don't have that yet. But I do like it very much. And I think you would. Several people who have listened to my album have liked it quite a bit, so you should give it a try. The most it should cost you is 45p, plus whatever your credit card may charge to convert pence to pennies. And you don't have to feel wrong about paying no more than that. If Radiohead had wanted you to pay more then they would have set a price floor. So why have so many people paid a "fair" price for a nigh-free album? Hmmm... well, maybe most Radiohead listeners are doves. But more on doves later. For now, two telling quotes from my favorite Radiohead fan (since my second favorite fan can't yet decide if he likes the band):

Why pay four pounds when you can get the album for free? and also she was thinking [I] should have paid more for In Rainbows after listening.

What Will U.S. Air Travel Look Like in Ten Years?

A Freakonomics Quorum, and a great read. Interestingly (maybe more so to me since I know a little more about flying than the average air traveler) few of these experts share similar opinions on the future or solution of air travel.

Nerds, get out your towels

and wipe up your drool. Now get online and check out this great census tool.

[freakonomics]

If you've read this far...

I don't know exactly what that's supposed to mean. But I suppose if you've read this far you have some affection either for reading or getting. Since there's usually nothing to get from what I write, I expect that you've read this far because you simply enjoy reading. Or you've been tricked. But if you've been tricked, you'll probably feel compelled to read the next few sentences. And if you love reading, or if you're like me and you like reading and want your children to love reading, then you'll like this New York Times article on parenting Mission: Making a Love of Reading Happen. It's a good read.

[More on reading and thinking from the Desiring God blog]

How come the world is multivariate when you can only make one choice at a time?

That's not really the question at hand, but it might as well be. The very smart Justin Taylor has written an interesting piece in response to my friend who made the popular statement that he will not vote for Rudy Giuliani should he win the Republican Party Presidential nomination. (My friend is also very smart and, by the way, referred to me as a venerated authority on college sports.) This idea stems in part from Minneapolis pastor John Piper (he is undeniably venerated, and an authority on many issues) and his stance on what he calls one-issue politics.

In short, Justin Taylor argues that by making the right choice you could be making the wrong choice. In length, that argument entails discussing that the evils and goods in this world are not always balanced and that not all decisions are, nor should be, easy to make. But read less from me and more from Justin Taylor. And more from Denny Burk. And more from John Piper.

Black socks

Have become a staple of my fashion diet and an eyesore to my wife. She complains about them all the time since I seldom exchange them for whites whenever I remove the shoes that hide them. And since I wear black socks most days, I wear black socks most evenings.

I thought she would just get used to it, but this has not seemed to occur. So now I think I will try a little bandwagon persuasion to see if she will continue to detest my black socks.

Black seems to be the sock of choice at many esteemed institutions for special occasions or a Saturday afternoon outing. Auburn, Washington State, Michigan, Arizona State, Georgia and Alabama, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Fresno State, Cincinnatti, Texas, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Stanford don't seem the least bit shamed wearing black socks with multicolored garb. How can so many smart people be so wrong?

Radiohead have made a new record

If the best band in the world doesn't want a part of us, I'm not sure what's left for this business

It's rather interesting news (Time, NPR). While there has been much debate amongst nerds about whether the changing music industry is better or worse or unchanged (and debate about the debate, since that's what nerds do--that and throw around words like Pareto efficient) there has been no debate that the music industry is different today than it was ten years ago.

And in ten years it may be drastically different again if large enough bands like Radiohead (who have the best band name ever) continue to produce albums without the help of record labels. Prince has given records away and Trent Reznor has asked you to "steal his music" (though in fairness, it isn't actually stealing). Now Radiohead has taken a step further in asking you to name your own price when downloading their new album. The economics nerds will certainly go crazy over that. And certainly will the Radiohead nerds.

Take a look at the site yourself (and download what promises to be another excellent album, if you wish) or at least take a glimpse at the images below.








Feel free to tip and is honesty the best policy?