For those who don’t have the time to watch “Lost”, here’s a simplified summarization:

Season 1: Are there others on this island?
Season 2: There are others on this island!
Season 3: Oh my God, the others on this island are nasty!
Season 4: Hell! There are other others too, and they are even nastier!

The RIAA/MPAA will — at last — solve the decades old problem of piracy: an implant behind the ear of each citizen.

When a person listens to a new song or watches a new movie and the implant detects cannabinoid and seratonin production in the brain (chemicals responsible for euphoria and happiness), they automatically charge the person $0.99 for a song, or $3.99 per movie. The implant is Bluetooth-based and so it can recognize the song/movie via the –also Bluetooth-based– source playback device, and can send usage and chemical response statistics back to RIAA/MPAA via the person’s cellphone.

Efforts to remove or mess with the implant’s chip can lead to permanent hearing and hair loss. On the positive side, the chip is able to induce the right hormones for guaranteed satisfaction during sex, and immediate sleep after going to bed, battling once and for all the age old problem of insomnia.

The “Pro” version of the implant, which adds support for reality shows and porn, comes with the first 25 music tracks free of charge. The pro version is also able to boost the hearing ability by 12%, so this model is certain to prove popular with the seniors.

The chips will be manufactured in China, and this was a point of concern in the US Congress last month as some feared that the implants might be compromised by the Chinese intelligence to do “more” than they are supposed to. A big chunk of money from RIAA/MPAA put these fears to rest and the President’s spokesperson promptly assured the population that any such fears are unwarranted.

The standard version of the implant costs just $49, while the pro version costs $79. Plantation is free of charge, albeit possible technical support might not come cheap — the RIAA/MPAA lawyers are still working hard trying to find a fair price, something that they have successfully achieved in the past numerous times.

Lost’s “Hurley”, Jorge Garcia, singing. Very nicely if I might add. He’s got a nice personal blog too (which gave quite a scare to ABC originally as the suits there were afraid that he would spill the beans about “Lost”). He’s funny too.

Again through The OWL Magazine I got to know the local rock band Dolorata. I love their album, and especially the song “The Keys“. That’s hard, modern, rock ‘n’ roll, performed by a five member all-female band, that don’t sound like stupid cheerleaders (e.g. Avril, Ashlee). That’s real girl/lesbian power, right there, not wimpy crap.

I just saw this picture of the ’70s Hulk, bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. His nipples are leaking. According to Google, two things are happening: either he has breast cancer (very rare for men), or his hormones are having a break-dance because of steroids.

Steroids are bad for you. Stay away. I don’t understand why people do these kinds of things to themselves. I try to even stay away from aspirins when I have a headache, let alone get any other kind of drugs that I can live without.

One of my favorite indie rock bands is “Rantings of Eva“. These guys write amazing music, and their recent album is one of the best I ever heard. So I made a fan music video for them, made out of a picture slideshow, and featuring samples from four of their songs.

And the obligatory South Park icons. Click for a larger view.

Below I am also re-printing my interview with Dusty Watts, guitarist of the band.

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It occurred to me earlier today, after remembering Locke’s assertion in the season finale that the island “is not an island“. I think it’s a spaceship!

It is not weird the idea of a biosphere to travel the galaxy and appear as of magic by bending space and time on compatible planets. This would explain why the island can “move” itself. It explains why the island has surrounding “walls” (aka force fields) that Desmond could not escape with his boat, unless he was to take a very specific route.

It also explains the four toe statue, which is a remnant of that old human-like civilization that built the island/spaceship. When they arrived to Earth, some stayed in the island (e.g. the ageless Richard), but others scattered around the planet and had children and took a taste of our civilization. The descendants of these aliens are some of the “special” people in the show, e.g. Walt, Locke, maybe even Jack, that the island now “demands back” after thousands or hundreds of years.

This theory doesn’t contradict my other theory last week btw. I still believe we are dealing with an AI entity that keeps the island in shape for the return of its original inhabitants and their descendants. Maybe this is what Charlotte meant when she said that the island is her birthplace. Maybe this is why the island feels like a purgatory, and why the AI computer named Jacob creates lists: because only the worthy will be allowed back.

UPDATE: My theory was posted over at DarkUFO’s “Lost” fan site. You can discuss it there.

The following is all over the news today: Prince licensed and sang Radiohead’s “Creep” at the Coachella festival. An unauthorized fan recorded it, posted it to YouTube, and Prince’s label had it taken down under the DMCA. Radiohead disagrees with the take down and say “Well, tell him to unblock it. It’s our… song.”

Well, yes and no. Radiohead quite possibly own the song (usually major labels own or co-own the music). However, the performance belongs to Prince. He has every right to bar professional photographers or fans from recording/snapping/posting his performance, as the Coachella festival is a private event that he controls. Radiohead, YouTube, and the fans, have absolutely nothing on this. It is up to Prince to allow this performance to be public or not — and there is even a case where he might not even have this right at all, if his contract for the song doesn’t specifically grant full broadcasting rights to Prince. So basically, even if Prince has or has not the right to himself post an audio/video of his performance online, he has the law on his side when he takes down other’s videos of his performance. Because his performance, that’s 100% his, he controls it, and it’s copyrightable. Therefore, this take-down request was NOT a DMCA abuse, as some people wrote online.

Now, of course, this is how the law is. That doesn’t mean that the whole of copyright law is nice or adjusted for modern times. I personally find Prince to be a jerk. I never liked him, even when I first heard of him in the early ’80s. I much prefer Robert Downey Jr. I think. Yeah.

UPDATE: Radiohead should feel like asses right now. “Creep” is NOT their song. Radiohead wrote and performed the song, but both the original recording performance and the copyright of the song belongs to EMI. In other words, like I said above that it’s usual with major labels, that was “work for hire” that they did, and they have ZERO say in this Youtube case. In fact, not even EMI has a say.

UPDATE 2: Matt says that Radiohead has 33% controlling interest on the song.

Honestly, I don’t know why some big bands even try to shoot video clips when Apple does it so much better for them. Download the 480p higher quality version here.