Google to save the world
Clean Energy 2030. Doesn’t exactly roll off
the tongue, but it gets the point across for it’s the name of Google’s globe
saving plan that would see the climate crisis averted with dedicated
reformation and preemptive solutions culminating in the year 2030. The targets
are based on reductions from the Energy Information Administration’s current
baseline and would see everything from vehicle emissions to CO2 emissions in
the electricity sector. The plan calls for, among other things, a marked rise
in the use of plug-in and hybrid cars (with the goal of 90% of all new cars
being sold in the year 2030 being of those varieties), as well as the
replacement of all coal and oil power plants and a fifty percent decrease in
the reliance upon natural gas for energy.
And all this at the bargain price of $4.4
trillion dollars. But seriously, what the hell is green paper worth when your
entire country is under miles of fresh glacial waters?
- Unlimited Music for only 130…pounds that is
Ah, not a day goes by that we don’t hear
something from the music biz. Today we’re fortunate enough to have two nice
tidbits. The first is that for a mere £129.99 (approx. $220 USD) you can
download an unlimited amount of tunes from Universal Music, Sony BMG, EMI and
Warner Music—for a year. The ‘deal’ comes in the form of a pay-as-you-go phone.
It’s all part of Nokia’s Comes With Music campaign that in this case sees the
phone manufacturer signing over cheques to the record companies for each
handset it sells. Tracks can be downloaded to the device itself and one other
computer.
So how about it; $220 a year for unlimited
music? Probably the same amount it costs per hour to retain a lawyer that’s
capable of defending you against music piracy charges.
- iTunes wont have to shut down after all
Whether you heard the news or not, Apple
actually threatened to shut down iTunes. Apple. As in the owner of the
hyper-profitable and ubiquitous online music retailer, threatened to shut it
down. Why? Because there was mounting fear that the Copyright Royalty Board,
which dictates music royalties, would raise the 9.1 cent rate on each track to
as much as 15 cents. In that event Apple vowed to shutter the windows on iTunes
and close up shop. However, the CRB actually ruled to keep rates where they are
and all is right in the world of digital music and Steve Jobs pocketbook.
