Friday, November 5, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

volume #4 issue #01 Who's Really in Charge Here? This topic is one I am compelled to write about, in the hopes that my experience can be a valuable aid to anyone else who attempts to make waves by blowing the boat out of the water rather than by rocking it. I am not interested in illegal solutions to very legal problems here. I am trying my best communicate my displeasure with Digital Music Services in general, which as you will find out are more of a disservice than anything worth putting time, and more importantly money, into effectively. I don't do this sort of thing to change the world, and I will probably not effect the flow of money and music. I know that much already, and can't really hope to make any kind of difference when it comes down to it. I don't want to do that, but I do want to share what I went through if only to demonstrate the arrogance of the untamed industry. Take what I write with a grain of salt, it is tainted with the bitterness of frustration, the sourness of wasted efforts, and burning, peppery heat of failure. I was first introduced to the world of Digital Music Services, the legal way to acquire music online these days, when my family replaced our old computer with one running Windows XP. Preinstalled was the Napster client, so I went out and picked up one of their prepay cards, just to humor that part of me that was curious about what Napster had become. The cards are available almost everywhere now, but I still recommend getting them at RadioShack, or Big K. Anyway, I went through the set-up, got an account established, and was underwhelmed by the poor, in fact nonexistent, selections of Japanese Pop Music. I did a little digging, and found a "Music Request" form in their Customer Support area of the client software. Seeing no harm in requesting the music I am interested in hearing, I filled out the form. Faithfully checking the Napster site periodically, I did not see any indication that anything was being done, so I began a process of requesting songs every time I checked and saw now results, it got to be a regular thing. I did send some feedback once or twice about the glowing absence of the genre in their listing, but that went unanswered as well. I thought very little of the oversight, until I actually went through the whole library of genres that Napster carries, and what I found was interesting. At least Five sub genres that fall under the General Pop category are international, but none are Japanese Pop. I will let those facts speak for themselves, and not say what I want to about that. Being fed up with unfulfilled requests, I decided to launch a renewed feedback assault(you will understand why I use that term in a moment) to see if I could bump even just a little bit of interest up in attempting to resolve the issue. Since Napster makes it clear in their on site help documentation that they do not respond to feedback submissions, I did not expect to get a reply, even after I stated my intentions of "taking my money elsewhere." I must have struck the right chord with them, because I did get an answer. The solution Napster offered was to call them via their toll free number(which they clearly state in their online help is only for subscription members which I was never, and never will be). I didn't accept that, and pursued the matter further via email. To get to the point, Napster went out of their way to insult my intelligence as a consumer by telling me to use the Music Request form, and other little bits of information that I already knew from researching their onsite help documents. They also provided the obligatory "rights and royalties" routine to try and cover their being too lazy to even try contacting the artists, record labels, and/or whoever else "has a stake in the songs". Ruling Napster out as a potential for continued Online Music Purchasing, I did a little research, and found out several other services were beginning to offer a prepay card option as an alternative to Credit Cards. I was able to rule out a long list of services due to the Credit requirement, since I don't have, and can't get a credit card. Starting at the top of my list, I started asking each one a single simple question, "Does your service carry Japanese Pop Music?" Each one returned the same results, parroting the same source about "rights and royalties" almost to the letter. Besides that, no one seemed to know what I was talking about. One indicated that the service he worked for did in fact have a "General Pop" category in its music library, to which I responded with my Napster stats(they have at least 11 "pop" categories if not more, 5 of which are non US music), ans long story short, had to rule that service out as a potential candidate for the replacement of Napster. I had to try another one, the last on my very short list whom I could contact via email or web form to pose my question. That one went horridly as well, the representative had no clue what I was asking, and tried to gloss over what I asked, again, with information I already knew from reading onsite help documentation. There is only one other Digital Music Service that I have to hear from at the time of this posting. I'm handling it through First Class mail, after trying to locate an onsite question/feedback form and finding nothing remotely helpful. I have little doubt that this reply will be any different than the others I've seen to date, but I hold off on any speculation until I see that same "rights and royalties" speech that I could quite possibly quote in my sleep I have seen it that many times in the past week. Now I fully understand the "rights and royalties" aspect of the whole Digital Music Service industry, but it seems to me that what is supposed to be an underlying saftey net has become an excuse for the Service providers to not go out of their way to acquire certain music. It's legalized discrimination of a sort. Here's my list of "Don't waste your time or money" Music Services, again I only approached those services I could clearly determine had a prepay card option available. Napster - Having used it, I can say it's user interface was intimidating(and still is), the automation of song request and feedback forms alienates the user who may want to communicate with a live body, and the selection of music is deplorable if your looking for not so mainstream songs. Their Prepay cards are widely available now. MusicNow - Ciruit City carries their prepay cards, I think $10.00 and $20.00 denominations. Does not carry Japanese Pop music. You have to have either a prepay card or credit card to even set up a user account to browse their library, and they are not clear about that during the registration process. It means money has to be wasted on the chance that you might find something of interest on their site. I also had to repeat my question of "Do you carry Japanese Pop Music?" for it to be answered without the sales pitch "set up a user account and look for yourself." Musicmatch - Also preinstalled on the computer, does not require money to set up a user account or browse the library. Does not carry Japanese Pop Music. Download cards are available at "participating" Target and 7-11 convenience stores. iTunes - Prepay cards are supposed to be available at Target stores. I have not heard from anyone within the company yet on whether or not the iTunes Music Store carries Japanese Pop Music, but if the trend so far is accurate, they do not carry it. All told, the Digital Revolution, which is supposed to make thing easier on us, the consumers, is a load of garbage when it comes to Digital Music. I don't have the means to shop online, nor can I get the means to do it(I have terrible credit). I guess I'm royally screwed(pardon my course English) until something better comes along. I have about 14 pages of wasted time and effort, and though there has been no blood yet, quite a bit of sweat and a few tears went into this exercise in futility. C'est la Vie Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, its creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad. I am not responsible for other user's comments, and will make no claims, warranties(written or implied), or certifications regarding content posted in a comment to my articles. I do not endorse products or services discussed in comments, and can not be held responsible for any damages caused by use and/or misuse of said products or services. I am only responsible for content I post myself.

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Sunday, October 31, 2004

Toxic Nonsense(Revised Format)

volume #3 issue #3 Unfortunately due to an injury, I had to curb the old format earlier than expected. I think it was Friday, but it may have been Thrusday, I don't remember now which day it was, threw myself down the stairs again, doing some damage to wm wrist and shoulder this time, along with my leg. Nothing broke thank goodness, but I can't work the mouse, or type, without being in pain. It's an unfotunate turn of events, but I've decided I'll use the Newsletter format in the future when I have several major things to discuss all at once, it'll be easier to pick out the topics that way. On a different note, I'm currently dialoguing with Napster on their not carrying Japanese Pop music. I'm almost certain that the only reason they responded to my "feedback" (Those of you using the new, legal, Napster read the FAQs - you'll see that they clearly state that feedback often goes unanswered) was my threat to switch to a different Digital Music Service. I'm in the process of looking for an alternative that already, or is planning to carry the music I want to hear. I have to keep any more details on the Napster thing to myself for now, because I'm still waiting to hear from them on my most recent reply to their brilliant solution "Use the Music Request Form" which I already knew, and have used numerous times already, but have seen no results from my efforts. Is incompetence natural, or do Corporations teach their employees to be stupid? I'll know the answer to that soon enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put some ice on this shoulder. Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, it's creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad.

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Sunday, October 24, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

Again, issue is delayed due to scheduling and weather. Next week will be the last Newsletter formatted issue, since it's not working for me to do it every week consistantly. I'll explain the new format then. Anime Dreams

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Saturday, October 16, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

volume #3 issue #2 Saturday, October 16, 2004 Explanation of Delay It has happened a couple times since I got this project off the ground, that I've had to delay publication for a week. Most often the reason is a lack of energy to put together a coherent string of articles, as was the case last week. I know I should be taking better care of myself, but i have quite a few offline projects I need to get done, which ties up my time for the important things. I've had to put off several projects for the moment, none of which effect this one, so I won't detail them. I have also completed a project or two that was long overdue to be finished. Blood Moon For people living in North America, I just got a bit of information. On the night of the 28, a total lunar eclipse will be visible, or partly visible depending on the source and location. Be extra careful since haunts like to be out during such events. More information would probably be available from Nasa's Lunar Eclipse pageI've had the fortune of seeing a total Lunar Eclipse before, the moon does turn a deep blood crimson, well worth seeing. Bad Luck Abounds I'm currently in the process of resolving two separate issues of a Customer Service related nature. One involves Wal-Mart's sale of defective electronics(Or refurbished equipment being sold as new), the other involves stores not carrying advertised merchandise. Since those complaints are ongoing, I am not at liberty to discuss the details. I will update them as soon as I am able. Research Project I know this is going to sound nuts, and many of you will not know what I'm talking about outside the badly done movie regarding the subject, but I'm a believer in strange things, Bigfoot, UFOs, and closer to home, the Mothman. I will begin to research the occurances and sightings of the creature who visits Point Pleasant(in West Virginia) to see what I can find out, and with any luck, see him for myself. Editorial Halloween is coming up on us fast, and while it is easy to say it's just the atmosphere of the holiday, it seems that energies are at work in the air. Of course I know I'm a little more in tune with them than most people, but it stops there. Cold chills, and heavy air to me signal the presence of something, or someone from another lifetime, and while it's interesting to tell people, "you've got a ghost in your house," I tend to avoid certain place because of the reactions I've gotten from people who don't like to hear that. I only tell the truth based on what I know and experience. Life can be imprinted on anything, in any place, and though most people don't realize it, there a re a few of us out there who can feel that imprinted energy. Haunts are restless spirits. Help them rest, and they'll leave you alone. Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, it's creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad. Link Information The links provided in this "newsletter" are for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am in no way endorsing or advertising products, services, or content that may or may not be provided by websites featured as a link. Also, I am in no way responsible for content, or changes in content that may occur on sites I link to here. This Weeks Links: Nasa's Lunar Eclipse Page: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html

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Saturday, October 9, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

Due to scheduling difficulties, Toxic Nonsense will not be published this week. It will return at its regular time next week. Quiz results update: I'm still reworking those, and will have that done at some point either today or tomorrow. Nothing will appear different except for the date posted, and there will be no comments.

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Saturday, October 2, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

Volume 3, issue 1 Saturday, October 2, 2k4 New Look For those that haven't noticed, theotaku.com has a new look, and feel. I've worked with it for a little bit, and found it easy to figure out, easy to navigate, and it looks great doing it. I didn't have any problems with it when I was there yesterday(well, one little thing, but it's a setting on my computer I need to tweak, so I won't waste time detailing it.) I said it before, and I'll say it again, a lot of work went into making the new version, and it shows. I did forget to compliment the new logo which has the right feel for the site. Improving Myself after more than a year, I've finally begun a language course for the purpose of learning Japanese. There are a few reasons I want to learn, but I won't lie about it. My primary reason is so I can follow along original dubs of anime without needing the subtitles, and possibly read some of the signs and characters in the background of both anime and Graphic Novels. Obessive? Maybe so, but when I'm passionate about a hobby, I go all out to get the full experience(within the confines of my budget of course). Who knows, maybe I'll benefit in other ways by learning another language, only time will tell. Out of Touch There are times when I'm online(not here on this site, I'm talking the message boards I belong to) that I find myself in a position similar to my days in High School(there's a scary prospect, I've been out of school for going on five years now). I say I'm out of touch with reality, because that's what it feels like. I'll try to discuss something in which I'm knowledgable, answer any question I know, or can easily find the answer to with simple research, or get an RP(Role Play) started, sometimes things go well, and others, I'm left in dead threads. I'm told I do excellent RPs, but the same people who tell me that only show token interest in my projects. I've got one left in me, and if it fails, I'll retire officially from Message Board Role Playing to focus on my story writing and art. If I'm going to be an outcast among "friends," I'll make it count this time. This is of little consequence to anyone here, unless you happen to be on one or more of the boards I frequent, so I'm not sure why I even mentioned it. The Chill Wind With autumn upon us, and winter fast approaching, I think a short time out to soak in the inspiration that is the chill wind of fall would be beneficial. My best works were written either during the change to that slower somewhat timeless energy of winter, or about those changes, and the mix of emotion stirred up at such times. A sense of longing prevails with a hint of nostalgia, and the deeper wisdom from beyond time's beginning. I encourage people to wrrite from the heart, using the environment around them as a source of material, be it emotional, or physical. Just some food for thought. Editorial I'm too tired to editorialize anything except to say this. I'll be high as a kitw when the elections are over, that's all I see in the news, when there are other, more important things like SpaceShipOne's flight(It was covered on CNN, but I have yet to hear what caused the vehicle to roll during it's ascent). Anyway, that's my two Cresents, I'm done now. z_z -ZZZZ! -ZZZZ! -ZZZZ! Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, it's creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad. Link Information The links provided in this "newsletter" are for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am in no way endorsing or advertising products, services, or content that may or may not be provided by websites featured as a link. Also, I am in no way responsible for content, or changes in content that may occur on sites I link to here. This Weeks Links: No links this week

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Sunday, September 26, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

volume 2 issue 3 Sunday September 26, 2k4 Reorganization over the course of the next week or so, I'll be reorganizing all my quiz results, so that I can return to a rotating featured quiz schedule. It's little things that I want to take care of, but will take a lot of effort and time to go through and do it right, since there is no easy way to do it yet. I'll begin that right after the new version of theotaku.com is released. I'll have updates as they become available as to what and when to expect things with my quiz reorganization. No Comment? It's been a while since I mentioned an ongoing problem I was having with a DVD player or disc, I wasn't sure at the time which was causing the trouble. My extensive research has led me to believe it is an issue with the reading lens in the DVD player. I contacted Philips, the maker of the unit over two weeks ago, and haven't heard from them yet. Their Support Email is worthless trash because the reply is an automated response that just tells you to call the [Censored] toll free number. I would have called that in the first place if I wanted to yell at someone in person. As you can see, I'm not very personable when it comes to nuisance problems, so I don't like to talk to people over the phone to handle them, because my oral communication is very poor when I'm angry. Story Update I've had to put off writing my story so many times, I'm just going to put the whole project on hold for the time being. I'm being pulled too many directions at once again, and until I settle back into a routine, I have no way of knowing when I'll be able to work on it again. It's not something I want to do, but I have to do it or burn myself out pushing harder than I'm capable of handling. Congrats Congrats to the winners of the contest. I read through the posts breifly, and thought they were well written. Anyone who does not know what I'm talking about should check out theotku.com's main page, it has all the info there. Editorial Maybe it's the change in seasons that's affecting my concentration, maybe it's just me being me. For some reason I'm under the impression that I'm pushing things way too hard, and need to slow down. I try every chance I get, but still feel like I'm moving too fast. Oh well, I'll get my pace back eventually. C'est la vie Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, it's creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad. Link Information The links provided in this "newsletter" are for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am in no way endorsing or advertising products, services, or content that may or may not be provided by websites featured as a link. Also, I am in no way responsible for content, or changes in content that may occur on sites I link to here. This Weeks Links: No links this week

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Saturday, September 18, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

Volume 2, Issue 2 Saturday, September 18, 2k4 Special Double Issue Deplorable Humanity As I indicated last week, the issue was pulled at the last minute due to something. I said then that I would explain it in thus issue. Here it is. Saturday night, my sister-in-law's purse was stolen, I spent the better part of the night trying to find the sick little [Censored] who did it and was later stupid enough to answer the cell phone and Identify himself. I have people working on that, since the police showed little interest at all in the case. The officer on the scene even refused, that's correct, Refused to interview potential witnesses right next door to where it happened.(The purse was taken from a vehicle parked on the street) That has put my faith in my local law enforcement at an all time low, I respect the job, but not some of the people in it anymore. Contest? I've read up on the poster contest mentioned on theotaku.com(the link should be at the top of the page, and would be redundant to put in here) and while I think the movie looks to be a great addition to the realms of anime, I have my principles about entering a contest with criteria that are subjective, and so winning is a matter of opinion, not chance. Best of luck to those of you who do enter though, I'm sure it'll be worth it to the winners. Dis-Service Pack 2 If you haven't run Windows Update in a while on XP That long overdue, and highly overreated major security patch/upgrade that Microsoft(For personal reasons I will not link to them for anything) has been talking about since last summer at least is finally out, but it's nuisance flaws are not worht the added security in my opinion. Simple things stop working like notepad no longer opens text documents, and when you try to use open with to reassign notepad as the default application for them, runtime and memory errors come up constantly. I had to restore my system to a pre SP 2 install becuae that piece of garbage was released without being checked thoroughly(They took a whole year to get it out, it shouldn't have any nuisance flaws in it. Since I don't do financial stuff on my XP machine, I have no worries of bank acounts being stolen or credit card info being hyjacked. Anyway be careful before saying "yes" to installng Service Pack 2, it may not be worth it in the long run. Help (Not Really) Wanted If anyone has had the misfortune of being unemployed, they might know what I'm talking about in the struggle to get a job. I didn't have a job while I was attending school, I couldn't handle that kind of chaotic schedule, so I waited until after I was out of schooling to start looking for any kind of job that would get me by. On January 15, 2005, I'll have been looking for five years. Recently I tried ot fill out an online application, only to find that they "have to have" some kind of work history information, without providing a response(Got to love those [censored] check box forms) for someonw who has no work history. I tried to send a complaint, but they refused to accept my email, so I'm handling this through the websites tech support until I am told who I can contact in the company with my complaint and not have my email blocked. I'll stoke the fire if I don't hear from someone on that issue soon enough. Editorial It's been one of those weeks for me, obstacle after obstacle getting in my way only makes me madder, and more stubborn. I'll go down kicking and biting all the way if necessary to make my points known firmly and effectively. I have zero tolerance for equipment, software, and people who do not function as they are supposed to function. It's hard enough handling the level of incompetence I deal with on a weekly if not daily basis from certain aspects of my family, I don't need it from anywhere else. I'd better take off before I start into something without censoring, that's the mood I'm in at the moment. Liberate Tutemet ex Inferis Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, it's creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad. Link Information No links this week

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Sunday, September 12, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

Apologies for the inconveniece, but there is no issue this week. I'll try to have a double issue next week, with an explanation of why this week's issue was suspended. On a note though, the season one Box set of InuYasha is out, or should be soon(Check at Walden Books, or Borders among other places). I know I'll be looking for it(I'll have details and link next week)

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Saturday, September 4, 2004

Toxic Nonsense

volume 2 issue 1 September 4, 2k4 Not a Misprint I apologize to everyone for not having an issue out last week. Due to severe weather and a conflicting schedule, I was unable to put anything together in time. Thank you for your patience and I will strive to be more consistant in the future with my efforts. Graphic NovelsReprinted from August 21 issue Waldenbooks has started to carry Graphic Novels. I'm overwhelemed by the variety there is to choose from, and would like some pointers from those who have been following them for a while. My tastes in story varies. I like action stories, stuff that's a bit sci-fi (Some lighter horror type stuff, nothing Stephen King-eque), and something funny for a change of pace. Any recommendations will be considered(Provided they have it in stock at the time I go hunting).Link added Sepember 4, 2k4, End reprint Slow Week Not much has really gone on in the past week or two worth mentioning. I did aquire the first disk of an anime Series called Gasaraki, and I was blown away by it's depth of character and visual appeal. I will try to find more of this series which seems to have hooked me a little more deeply into the whole "Mech" anime. I won't spoil anything by going into details at this time, but at some point in the future, when I've seen more of it, I may do an in depth review. Unexpected Delay Unfortunately, The timetable for my story going up here has been pushed off due to my own scheduling conflicts which have prevented me from getting in finished. I am still woring at it, and will start to post "Special Issues" if I'm lucky around Christmas time. If not by then, I'll have to make my latest story project a thing for the New Year. Editorial For this to work in the long run, I need to know people are interested in, and willing to share their thoughts on, what I write here. Think of posting a comment(or sending a PM if you don't want the world to see your thoughts) as writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. Articles that ask for feedback can't be a success unless someone, anyone, takes the time to say "I thnk I know something that might help (Insert information here)" If this format doesn't carry its own weight, itll be scrapped for something better. Too tired, Anime Dreams Legal Notice The opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of the website, it's creator, host, affiliates, advertisers, or any other party who may be unjustly singled out due to my big mouth. The opinions are mine alone and I will take full responsibility for them. I stand behind everything I say, good or bad. Link Information The links provided in this "newsletter" are for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am in no way endorsing or advertising products, services, or content that may or may not be provided by websites featured as a link. Also, I am in no way responsible for content, or changes in content that may occur on sites I link to here. This Weeks Links: WaldenBooks: http://www.bordersstores.com/walden/feature.jsp?file=walden Gasaraki:http://www.advfilms.com/favorites/gasaraki/

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