Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for January 28, 2010

Tom Petty already covered that in “The Last DJ” when he sang, “As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs wanna see how much you’ll pay for what you used to get for free.”

I;m with you JAD. iPass.

On exactly which planet did we get music, books, and news for free, exactly? Sure, there are free venues for these things – still are, still will be.

Oh, it’s a cool little device. I won’t be purchasing one but it’s not bad.

I don’t get the comments about everything costing now – what content were we getting for free before that won’t be free now?

Me and my friends used to get free rides everywhere from my mom, but now they expect us to buy cars and pay for our own gas… what’s the world coming to… aren’t we entitled to free rides?

OK, I’ll admit it–I’m a dinosour. I don’t get the rose petals.

Wait – music and books used to be free?

JAD - I wouldn’t even use one under those conditions. It’s enough that I have to have a cell phone, and desktop PC’s at the office and at home. I won’t give up my REAL books until they pry them out of my cold dead hands.

mblase got it right, they were never free until the internet helped us get it free.

I won’t be getting one, I’m annoyed with apple now. I don’t like how they force you to buy all content through them after you’ve purchased your own device they sold you.

I will probably get an iPad after they come out with the iTampon. ;)

Just couldn’t resist.

Marian Owens said: OK, I’ll admit it–I’m a dinosaur. I don’t get the rose petals. ———- A metaphor. Part of the ceremony of a Triumph for a Roman hero was for maidens to sprinkle rose petals in the path of the procession. Obviously, no matter what Roland may think, the crowd is greeting Jobs with his new device as a hero.

I’m glad to see that Mike is getting his information these days from America’s Most Trusted News Source.

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2008/11/internet-fox-ne/

I agree with Roland… I don’t get the rose petals, either.

It looks like someone is already coming out with a better Ipad type device. I don’t doubt that there will be lots of others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5DYuVN6nuY

Helvetica? Please explain

Helvetic is a font.

When I read todays edition, I was reminded of competing operating systems back in the early 1980’s. One was provided free and the other for a fee.

I used to work with a guy who didn’t want to use a Macintosh. He said it was because he couldn’t get the programs he wanted. I explained that all of them were available for the Mac. He said, “yeah, but you have to pay for them.” Since then, I have always wondered about PC users. Just because it is software, doesn’t mean it isn’t stealing.

BTW, content can be put on iPods and other Apple devices without having to buy them from Apple. The music on my iPod comes from the CDs I have bought or MP3s from other online sources. Even some of my old vinyl has been digitized onto the Pod.

–“Anyone who isn’t totally confused just doesn’t understand the situation.” - Edward Murrow

I always think of the environment when I see announcements about the newest and improved. All those “old” computers and electronics. Such a waste.

The reference to Helvetica (font) derives from a recent outcry by aspects of the the writing community who care about such things related to IKEA (using new fonts) and rendering problems by Apple computers using their own version of Helvetica. All the typography for IKEA suddenly changed on advertising, websites, etc., from “Futura” to “Verdana” and amongst those of us who are truely geektastic, this has been a big and important issue (and frequently termed “stoopid move!”). As a Helvetica font is also (with Verdana) a standard font available in all/most computer applications… except, Apple’s version of Helvetica is ugly to work with online as it doesn’t render well or resize nicely. The font-obsesesed deem the fonts to be less than desired and puzzling because there are other better options easily available.

rose petals: they are throwing them at Jobs’ feet like he’s Ceasar or Henry the VIII, because he released the ipad.

doty- “Not all rich people are Republicans.” why would you say that. all republicans care about is money, corporate profits and how wealthy the top 1% can get.

For the two or three that don’t get the “stuff for free” gag, it’s irony. Hedley is so clueless that he doesn’t even realize that intellectual property is something that is supposed to be paid for.

“Not all rich people are Republicans.” ??? How does that fit with todays comic? Did I miss something?

“Not all rich people are Republicans.” why would you say that. all republicans care about is money, corporate profits and how wealthy the top 1% can get.”

And all the PeoplesMushroom cares about is drinking his Kool Aid, which he pays for with other people’s hard work.

Obviously, most Republicans are not rich, but it’s true that most Repbublicans do care about having the opportunity to become rich one day without having their money stolen from them by a Big Brother government. The Declaration of Independence called that the Blessing of the Pursuit of Happiness.

bye-bye, Miss American pie,

the day……the grid…..goes down….

God bless Howard Zinn - he will so be missed.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow/522580/goodbyehowardzinn

Who in Congress controlled more wealth than Ted Kennedy?

A lot of political commentary derived from a comic about a glorified toy.

Mushroom:

The US military generally vote along republican lines (those dirty, selfich, money hungry US Marines).

I never thought of Ted Nugent as a person who cares about corporate profits.

Denzel Washington, too.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. endorsed many republicans, but I don’t know if he was a “Card Carrying member.”

There are several devices now for downloading books. Can we give one to every student to solve the texbook shortage?

“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. endorsed many republicans, but I don’t know if he was a “Card Carrying member.””

Dr. King and his father were indeed both card-carrying (registered) Republicans, as were most Civil Rights leaders in the 60’s. The KKK was much more active then, and were strongly affilliated with the segregationalist Democratic south.

“King is a “trouble-maker” who starts trouble, but runs like a coward after trouble is ignited. ”

A few weeks later, Dr. King returned to Memphis and was assassinated on April 4.

Prior to his death, Democrats wiretapped King’s home, bugged his hotel rooms, and bombed Dr. King’s home.

Most young Blacks today have been taught revisionist history by our unionized school system, and will tell you that Republicans have been their historical racist enemies. However, it was Reagan who made Martin Luther King Day a nationalist holiday, and it is Republicans who fight for jobs today in order to free African Americans from the dependence on the government sustanance that defines today’s version of Democratic-led slavery.

I am with you, JAD.