Fortuna Faveat... may fortune favor us

Google replaced satellite images of post-Katrina New Orleans with images captured before the devastating hurricane. Homes that were washed away are now miraculously reinstated to their foundations. This smacks of a sanitized reality. But why?

As a media scientist, this doesn’t sit well with me at all. Google made dubious decisions in the past that clearly show it is not an ardent advocate for the free flow of information, but there is a big difference between stopping the flow of information and showcasing a patently false satellite image view of reality. Cartographers (and the rest) of the world, unite and quash this fiasco!

In yet another asinine regulatory decision handed down by our stifling federal bureaucracy, the Copyright Royalty Board ruled on March 5, 2007 to increase the royalty paid by online radio stations. The increase to $0.14 per song per listener goes into effect retroactively to 2006 and stays in place until 2008, at which time the rates get another double-digit increase.

This decision will have two clear effects: 1) many online radio sites (Pandora, for instance) will go overseas to avoid this onerous pillaging by the recording industry and 2) those that can’t make the jump overseas will simply go out of business.

I know this makes me the anachronism that I am, but I thought this country was supposed to be about the free flow of information and the industrious pursuit of success and happiness? Damn! All that grade school propaganda got the better of me.

What about my former radio station, KJHK? They were nearly sunk back in 2002 when rates were jacked up the first time. Now, they have to worry about this back-dated bill? I suggest you get their stream on while you still can!

Be sure to check out the coverage of this issue over at BusinessWeek and Cnet.