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  • From: tom poe <tompoe AT fiai.net>
  • To: Rob Parke <parke AT usc.edu>
  • Cc: Community Studios <community_studios AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Community_studios] Experiencing the monopolization syndrome
  • Date: 29 Jun 2005 19:55:53 -0500

Hi, Rob: Thanks for asking about the list, and Open Studios. Let's
share your questions with the list members, as you almost surely are not
alone.

There's a fellow in Ohio that works in the Ohio State Corrections
Institution, there. He figures a community-based recording studio might
work in nicely with their closed circuit television project for the
inmates. So, he's going through the steps with Open Studios (that's
everyone, including list members like yourself) assisting him to get a
community-based recording studio up and running, and expand their
project to include digital recording for audio and video and multimedia,
generally. The end result, hopefully, will have every inmate that
participates, able to go into whatever community they choose, following
the completion of their sentences, and help that community start a
community-based recording studio of their own.

Siyabonga Malembe, in Africa, bought a used computer, and wants to set
it up to make recordings and tv shows, and radio shows, and send those
to Public Access stations around the country, and make them available to
everyone around the world. His community wants to compete for dollars
in a global economy, using a community-based recording studio.

Olu, in Ghana, West Africa, wants to be a singer/songwriter, create
recordings, sell his lyrics, make lots of money. He wants to start a
community-based recording studio and help others do the same.

Open Studios presents a single door everyone can go through. Each
question is sent to Open Studios, and an answer is returned. If we need
to reach out and find someone who can answer their questions, we try to
get them sold on what Open Studios is doing, and get them to help us
with projects out there. We act pretty much like a global Help Desk, in
one sense of the term. As we evolve, this may be all we do, or we may
do other stuff, as well. It pretty much depends on what Open Studios
volunteers decide they want to do.

The idea of community-based recording studio is actually an idea of what
the future technology is all about. We may call it a recording studio,
and use music as a "hook", but, as you well know, the day's coming when
we'll all be communicating in multimedia mode. Whether we're on a video
phone, hooked up to international "television networks", or creating
multimedia fund-raising campaigns that will be distributed
simultaneously through a wide range of distribution mediums. Open
Studios believes there is an important, even critical role for
community-based digital recording facilities. Today, those are locked
up in Media Centers, provided by cable companies. Tomorrow, they'll be
in every neighborhood, every community, accessible by all.

We assume noone has any money to spend to create one. We start with a
low-end PC (most likely donated), install software that's freely
available from Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in
Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), and that enables even the poorest
neighborhoods to produce a CD, a DVD, tv show, radio show, brochures,
business cards, set up accounting systems, create beautiful letterheads,
graphics, videos, even full-featured films that cannot be distinguished
from the most expensive facilities. From this humble beginning, they
can expand into better computers, and, as the software is the best and
most sophisticated in the world, they'll never grow out of it. Open
Studios will provide the technical support and training, and the
thousands of volunteers working on the applications, will be able to
help.

So, with that as a starting point, I hope you will share more questions
with all of us, and maybe, if you want, you'll let Open Studios put some
of your ideas and suggestions to work. We'd enjoy having you on board.
Please let me know if we can formally send an invitation.

Rob, congratulations on your academic achievement award!
Thanks, Tom

On Wed, 2005-06-29 at 18:46, Rob Parke wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> In my experience, NIC cards are all about the same, but I've had occassional
> bad experience with complete off-brands. Something cheap, but reliable like
> 3com, linksys, netgear should work.
>
> If I was in your situation, I would prefer to just buy a DSL router as
> opposed to buying an old computer and some NIC's. I just think it's easier
> to maintain a small (and silent) router than an old computer. However, one
> issue that might affect this is what Qwest's software requires; for example,
> if you MUST have a windows pc installed with their software. I find this
> hard to believe, though, because routers are quite common and are configured
> to use standard protocols and to mask themselves as your computer to the
> outside world.
>
> Just my two pesos...
>
> Rob
>
> P.S. I recently signed up for this list after coming across your page. I am
> a fan of the creative commons idea so your community studios project excited
> me. However, I can seem to find a whole lot of information about what
> you/the project does. Is it more of an idea than a program/how-to guide?
> Either way, I think it's great--just wanted to find out more.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: tom poe [mailto:tompoe AT fiai.net]
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 4:04 PM
> > To: Rob Parke
> > Subject: RE: [Community_studios] Experiencing the
> > monopolization syndrome
> >
> > Hi, Rob: You're way ahead of me. Thanks for the
> > suggestions. As you pointed out, I could pay, and not use
> > the stuff. I'll indeed, go get me a cheap machine at the
> > university surplus store, and create a router. I checked out
> > Iowa State University's surplus setup, earlier today. Next,
> > I'll track down University of Iowa's surplus setup, and see
> > what they have. Looks like I can get PI's and PII's for $5
> > and $10. Do you have a suggestion about what NIC cards I
> > should be looking for, or are they pretty much fungibles?
> > Thanks, Tom
> >
> > On Wed, 2005-06-29 at 14:59, Rob Parke wrote:
> > > Howdy,
> > >
> > > Is is possible for you use take the package, and then use
> > whatever you
> > > want for your email/browser? Qwest shouldn't be so concerned as to
> > > monitor that you are using IE. My adelphia package came with a
> > > special version of outlook express and IE (with adelpiha branding),
> > > but I never even installed that crap :).
> > >
> > > Potentially, why now use a router to handle the incoming dsl
> > > connection to then give access to your non-windows machines?
> > >
> > > Anyways, hopefully this helps...
> > >
> > > Peace,
> > > Rob
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: community_studios-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > [mailto:community_studios-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
> > > > tom poe
> > > > Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 8:32 AM
> > > > To: Seth Johnson
> > > > Cc: Community Studios
> > > > Subject: [Community_studios] Experiencing the monopolization
> > > > syndrome
> > > >
> > > > In Iowa, a company called, Qwest, offers DSL hookup for
> > > > twenty-something dollars, plus whatever phone package you
> > want. The
> > > > DSL hookup also requires you agree to use their Microsoft
> > "package"
> > > > of services. I use the term, requires, as I contacted them, and
> > > > requested I only receive the DSL hookup on my non-Windows, or no
> > > > Windows, no Mac, operating system. I did not want to
> > have Outlook
> > > > Express as my email, or MSN, or IE browser, or any other
> > Microsoft
> > > > product. The sales representative wished me luck, and
> > politely bid
> > > > me arrivederci. Of course, he knew that I had no other
> > supplier to
> > > > request service from. He also knew that I would almost certainly
> > > > agree to pay double (in effect) by signing up with a dialup ISP,
> > > > who, as an "approved" ISP, in turn, would arrange to host my
> > > > account, and permit me to not use the Qwest/Microsoft "package".
> > > > Qwest gets their money, and the ISP, a chosen player, would get
> > > > their money, and I, the customer, would have few or no
> > choices about
> > > > what communications products I would receive.
> > > >
> > > > I need to learn more about how this monopolization issue
> > works, and
> > > > am now able to reach out across the Internet, to try and discover
> > > > alternatives, options, choices, customer-oriented offerings. The
> > > > price is prohibitive. I doubt I will find any. Just
> > down the road,
> > > > there's another monopoly, and they don't compete with
> > Qwest customer
> > > > territories. Exclusive markets created by someone. Who is that
> > > > someone? I think the U.S. Supreme Court knows. They
> > just announced
> > > > a decision in favor of exclusivity for those companies.
> > > >
> > > > In Iowa, folks within a community have no options for
> > communications
> > > > suppliers. If you think they do, please let me know just exactly
> > > > what those options are, and don't tell me I need to
> > accept any MSN
> > > > "package"
> > > > from Microsoft. That's not an option.
> > > > Tom Poe
> > > > Charles City, Iowa, USA
> > > > tompoe AT fiai.net
> > > > P.S. Open Studios does have one option: they can outsource their
> > > > Internet connection to someone located in a more favorable
> > > > customer-oriented climate/country.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Community_studios mailing list
> > > > Community_studios AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/community_studios
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>






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