Today I downloaded the latest Radiohead album, In Rainbows. Unlike all the other albums I’ve obtained since I stopped purchasing compact discs, I purchased this album directly from the artists on their website and downloaded the album directly in just a few minutes rather than from peer-to-peer networks.

I chose to pay £5.00, which gives Radiohead much more income on that album than if it was sold via a record label in stores, and it gives me direct non-DRM access to the mp3s I want. What I don’t want is a physical CD. I probably wouldn’t pay £5.00 for most albums, but since Radiohead is pioneering a different model I thought I would give them some financial encouragement.

The last mainstream album I purchased was Blue Man Group which I bought after seeing them perform on a high school band trip. I purchased the disc used on half.com, so maybe that doesn’t even count as a real record sale. More recently I bought all of the albums in compact disc form from the New Orleans Bingo! Show off of the Louisiana Music Factory Website. (If Clint or any of the Bingo Show members read this, I love your music and would really love to be able to download it from y’all directly using the Radiohead model, and if anyone from the Lousiana Music Factory reads this, I like lots of your musical offerings but your website really needs some user interface work and search engine optimization).

Update: In writing this post, I realized that the first New Orleans Bingo! Show CD, Bingo!, is now available to order so I ordered it for $12.99 plus $5 shipping. I’m curious what percentage the band receives from that sale.

Jed and I have found, through attending meetings and conducting interviews, that most people, not surprisingly, are confused by the four planning processes which have occurred or are currently underway in New Orleans since hurricane Katrina.  Also, most people don’t know where they can go to get the final versions of the completed plans, and they are scattered among four websites.  As we’ve been researching the planning in New Orleans full time, we have a good grasp on the planning and felt compelled to create nolaplans.com, a site with links to final plans, our commentary on how they were constructed and the ability to comment on them.

http://www.nolaplans.com 

Written October, 2006

Jed and I finished a draft of our paper for a disaster recovery conference at Texas A&M University. After the conference, we visited Austin, San Antonio and Houston to take in a good slice of Texas life.

An Overview of the Unified New Orleans Planning Process provides our analysis of the planning processes which have unfolded in New Orleans thus far, and the rest of the semester will be spent following the Unified New Orleans Plan as it unfolds.

If you read our paper, please send your comments and questions.

You can have your hair cut in a bar. The R Bar on Royal St in Maringy specifically, offers $10 haircuts on Monday nights which include a free shot (to be enjoyed before or after). I found that the CityofNewOrleans wifi works well from within the bar, so this is a new location to work as well. They also have Abita Restoration, which I’ve found many New Orleans bars to be lacking.

I didn’t get my hair cut, but I watched Jed get his cut. It looks good, pictures to come.

Some of the more interestingly named streets in New Orleans cluster near this section of I-610. The street names, in order, are:

• Pleasure
• Humanity
• Benefit
• Treasure
• Abundance
• Agriculture
• Industry
• Duels

These are just a few of my favorite things.

I won a bike on ebay today for me to use to get around New Orleans. There are pretty wide lanes around town and there is not too much traffic so cycling around the city should be pretty good. Most of the time its a bit too hot though.

I got a 1997 Gary Fisher Montare. Its got mostly XT and is a cool bike. I have a thing for 1997 Gary Fishers as that is the year I bought my first mountain bike.

This leaf is in the courtyard by my room. I am shocked at how big it is every time I see it.