Consumer Frustration

"Maybe it's just me, but I am frustrated by movies on DVD. It seems that the makers of the DVDs have a lot more control over my viewing experience than I do. Lately when I insert a DVD and attempt to play it I am directed to coming attractions. In some cases I can't even fast forward through them, and must skip chapters instead. When I hit the Menu button I am forced to endure a sequence from the movie before the actual menu appears.

DVDs represent an additional revenue stream for movie companies. I have purchased the DVD. When does the movie company believe that they should control my viewing experience? Is it strange of me to expect that when I give the player a command, it should do it, as opposed to letting someone else dictate what I can do?...

Perhaps the movie companies might give a thought as to what the consumer actually wants." [larry borsato]

Darknet: an Experiment in Group Editing

"As I've been noting for a long while on this weblog, I've been working on a book for nearly two years now for a major publisher.

Darknet: Remixing the Future of Movies, Music and Television will detail the rise of the personal media revolution and the escalating conflict between entertainment companies and individuals using the power of digital technology.

I'm nearly done writing it, so we're at the stage where it's time to bring in 'the former audience,' as Dan Gillmor puts it, and invite the blogosphere to participate in the book's editing (before it makes its way to its final editor)....

Check it out at the Darknet wiki. Much of the book has to do with participatory media, so I hope many of you will join me in this experiment in collaborative editing.

For those who prefer just to leave comments, I'll also be posting the chapters to my new Darknet blog." [JD's New Media Musings]

Very cool! It's fascinating to watch authors creating their books and mashing them with audience comments.