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Monday, April 25, 2005

Around the Internets: Robert McChesney Interviews My Girlfriend Naomi Klein, 20 downloadable video concerts (you won't get sued) and other links


It's New Media Monday. On the right hand side of Three Rivers Online, you will see these new online video offerings:

Current TV
Google Video
Open Media
Participatory Culture

What this means, if you're sick of your high priced cable (and who isn't?) is that you're reaching a tipping point where what's on the net and video clipped is much more interesting than what's being offered on television. Democracy Now and Air America are great news shows. It's like Cspan for lefties. Online news is certainly much more informative. Here are some recent video and audio examples. Compare it to what you're getting from Comcast or Adelphia. I dares you:

Longish yet fascinating debate about the copyright featuring the Main Actors (RIAA attorneys vs. EFF attorneys)
Free Press Editor is mad and I mean Howard Beale Network mad in this video clip.
Of course, what about music? The video channels are just awful. Even when they play what you like (the Alternative on VH-1 Classic) their choices are awful. Well, let me introduce you to GrooveTV. There are about 20 concerts here (one hour each) and they're all free to download. Bad news: they really are jam bands. On the other hand, if you think Medeski Martin and Wood is a really really good band (and never heard of the Jaco Pastorius era Weather Report) then this is your Heaven. I've downloaded three concerts so far and they're all interesting (although no better than B minus), in case you're getting tired of hearing that Killers vid over and over again.
Here's a really beautiful acid jazz album that you can listen to for free and possibly rip if you have a ripper, even though that would be wrong. It's called Space Jazz. I highly recommend tracks 6, 8 and 9 or you can listen to the whole thing. The label even offers a number of stations.
I have no idea if Al Gore's new station will be any good. But I'm open minded. There was a recent initial meet up about it in California, and it was video blogged. Haven't had time to watch or listen because I've been studying these obscure jam bands.
Also, my girlfriend Naomi Klein (her husband doesn't suspect) is featured in this Robert McChesney radio interview. McChesney is probably the leading journalist in the United States who mines the Media Monopoly/Propaganda Model theory about the corporate press. And in related highbrow librul radio news--which you can determine by their opening themes as McChesney goes for Thelonius Monk and Henwood goes for the Kronos Quarter interspersed with trad classical--check out left economist's Doug Henwood's radio show where he interviews Tariq Ali.

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