Apple Owns Music Biz

Burrows, Peter. "Apps Trump Tunes at Apple". Newsweek. 9/17/2009. 9/27/09. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148034485959.htm?chan=magazine+channel_new+business

In this article, Burrows points out some extremely interesting facts about Apple's control over the media. Companies are practically begging Apple to create apps to boost sales, spread knowledge, and create a new source of income. As companies become more reliant on Apple, Apple becomes less reliant on them. One example Burrows gives is related to the music industry. The music industry relies on Apple to sell 90% of its music downloads. While this is a huge part of apple, the majority of its focus is now being moved to creation of apps and games.

I am an Apple person. I have an iPod, iPhone, and a Mac computer. Since I've had these these Apple products, there is no way I would ever want to go back to their now archaic predecessors. This same phenomenon is occurring throughout the nation and world. People love how user friendly and aesthetically pleasing Apple products are, plus Apple's use of advertising to attract the younger, more hip generation helps. Their commercials featuring a young, good looking man (a Mac) talking to an older, geeky looking man (a PC) were what first turned me on to their products. I guess deep down, my desire to be cool was what drove me to be a Mac. What this article addresses is Apple's near monopoly on the music industry and the fact that in the future, the music industry will matter increasingly less to the corporation. While I love Mac, I'm all for a new company rising up and challenging Apple for the lead in music sales. Competition creates innovation, and everyone loves fancy new gadgets.

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Lie to Mankind?

"Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong Moon Landing Was Faked." The Onion. 31 August 2009. http://www.theonion.com/content/news/conspiracy_theorist_convinces_neil

In this article, a writer pokes fun at a conspiracy theorist who thinks he has proven that the famous NASA lunar landing in 1969 was faked. He thinks, and passionately attempts to persuade others that it was just a huge scam put on by the United States media to beat out the Russians and show how powerful our country is. It is his belief that Neil Armstrong, along with the rest of the country, and world, were duped into thinking that the lunar module had landed on the moon because of a few camera tricks and clever prop usage. Somehow mainstream media tricked basically everyone into thinking this landing happened, except one library clerk's assistant who is a self-proclaimed "engineering buff." (And obviously has too much time on his hands..)

This article is a testament to how the media can blow up one man's outlandish opinion of something, put it on a national scale, and catapult him into celebrity status. Although this article is making fun of him, doubtless others are joining his cause, and people will believe him because it's the only side of the story they will see. People who weren't alive to see the lunar landing probably don't have that strong of an opinion about it. This one thing could be the grain of rice that tips their ever so volatile scale toward the insane. I'm sick of how the media glorifies the insane, the murderers, the rapists, and the overall scum of the earth. Watching the news is basically finding out who was killed, what politician had the latest affair, and whose house was broken into. I wish the kid who befriended a shy kid at his school or a politician who was faithful to his family made the news. We all know our world is becoming increasingly corrupt, but I don't like hearing about it day in and day out. This might seem a little extreme for a guy who doesn't believe man has been to the moon, but it all falls under the umbrella of the media giving attention to the crazies. Keep it sane America.