The next generation social network by us, for us.

I've put a lot of thought into this idea, and i really feel i might be onto something. Many of you may know about MP3.com. For those that don't, MP3.com is a website dedicated to promoting music, much like MySpace Music. Independant and signed artists are given profiles and are assigned a certain capacity of space on the server where they can upload their music and share it. There are also forums and other means of promoting music on the site, and while i agree with the whole concept, i feel it might be too mainstream for the "little guy". Not only are these communities very large, but independant artists are competing with big names in the industry for page views, listens and downloads.

My proposal to you, the independant artists, whether you only make the music as a hobby, or whether you are really trying to break into the market, is that we can come together and form a smaller, more focussed community, designed by us, for us. The significance of this would be that we won't have to contend with the big names. Rather, we would create a social network allowing us to help build each other. Artists can upload their music to a server for others to hear, and maybe even collaborate on a global scale. John Doe somewhere in the USA can upload a basic song or the samples of one, and someone else in europe can then download those files and mix them. The final product will be a collaboration between two people on two different continents.

For the DJ's, another idea i had was to sort of set up a system almost like the big names in the Trance industry. DJ Tiesto and the boys from Above and Beyond have their own record labels, and when they do their mixes, they use tracks from their own labels. Not only is this convenient, but they avoid any problems regarding copyrights or acquiring the rights to mix the music, as well as boosting the popularity of their smaller, lesser known artists.

I'm more than ready to start this off as a small project. My first step would be to find a domain where i can set up a free social network. Anyone that feels this is a good idea and feels they can contribute can become a member. From then on i will try to find the best places to host files and share them. The idea is to try and keep everything free. If the network does eventually grow to the point where i cannot manage the administrative tasks alone, i will let the community know and trusted, capable users will be granted administrative privelages to help me keep everything running.

I'm open to ideas and comments. I believe there could be a future in this. Anyone who is willing to help or contribute in the form of ideas or information, or even talent, please email me on my gmail address or send me a message on facebook.

I'm going to make sure this network only includes independant artists. If we gain enough popularity, maybe we could even start producing compilations and selling them. The beauty in this is that every penny will go into our pockets. No agents, no network execs taking a certain percentage of our sales.

Who's with me?

iPhone iPhone iPhone.... Some might be glad, some might be meh.

So my obsession with the iPhone might slowly start coming to an end. I've wanted one since they were released but with the packages the networks offer (and i just got into a 2 year contract. one is enough, i actually have 2 :[ shit!) are a little bit on the pricey side. And for an unlocked device on ebay, you're looking at about 600 euros (some are a little less but that comes off in my books as sketchy. whats wrong with it?)

HOWEVER! iPhone beware because on December 2nd, nokia brought out its N97 with 32GB Storage capacity. Top that iPhone. The device looks pretty flashy, but doesnt really have all the flair the iPhone has...somehow. From what i've seen, the GUI is somewhat cluttered and not as clean as that of the iPhone. Price is about $700 and for now the phone looks to be SIM free (you can use it on any network. no packages, no hidden costs, no contract!). Pretty much, its a 32GB multimedia phone with 5mp camera, 3.5" touchscreen, kick out QWERTY keyoard (makes life a lot easier), supports up to 16GB microSD cards (a whopping 48GB altogether if you have one), and the usual HSDPA, 3G and WiFi. Oh and a GPS. Operating system is Symbian S60 now in its 5th Edition.
A second iPhone killer from Nokia (no news on that yet.) will be the 5800 XpressMusic. This one will be in black with a more iPhone-ish look and running on the same OS as the N97. I don't have specs on it now, but i'm sure i will have them by the end of tonight as i'm running short on time right now.

Back to the iPhone, modders have managed to get the Linux 2.6 kernal to load on it. But thats about as far as it goes. No GUI, no GNOME, no KDE, just the simple command prompt. Hey, its a start. The guy working also demostrated a BootCamp like utility that allows you to choose what you want to do when you turn on the phone. You can either load the normal iPhone interface, or choose a more advanced interface that allows you to get into the hardware and boot the linux kernal. Links will be posted later.


iPhone Linux Demonstration Video from planetbeing on Vimeo.

And last but not least, for the people in America. A $99 iPhone? Yes, apparently WalMart is set to start selling iPhones for $99. Whats the catch? Well, a 4GB capacity and....oh yeah....a 2 year contract (didn't see that one coming huh *sarcasm*).

Still want one? I think i might slowly change my mind. More iPhone competitors and updates coming soon.