APPLE’S VERY OWN DOWNWARD SPIRAL

ITEM [via Engadget]: Apple’s App Store – whose apps approval process already has a chequered history – rejected an update to the official Nine Inch Nails iPhone application on the grounds of "objectionable content".

Specifically, Apple's concern is with the song "The Downward Spiral" that can be streamed to the app – even though the song isn’t actually included in the app itself.

Trent Reznor responded with The Wal-mart Hypocrisy Defense, which is worth reprinting in full:

I'll voice the same issue I had with Wal-Mart years ago, which is a matter of consistency and hypocrisy. Wal-Mart went on a rampage years ago insisting all music they carry be censored of all profanity and "clean" versions be made for them to carry. Bands (including Nirvana) tripped over themselves editing out words, changing album art, etc to meet Wal-Mart's standards of decency - because Wal-Mart sells a lot of records. NIN refused, and you'll notice a pretty empty NIN section at any Wal-Mart. My reasoning was this: I can understand if you want the moral posturing of not having any "indecent" material for sale - but you could literally turn around 180 degrees from where the NIN record would be and purchase the film "Scarface" completely uncensored, or buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto where you can be rewarded for beating up prostitutes. How does that make sense?

You can buy The Downward Fucking Spiral on iTunes, but you can't allow an iPhone app that may have a song with a bad word somewhere in it. Geez, what if someone in the forum in our app says FUCK or CUNT? I suppose that also falls into indecent material. Hey Apple, I just got some SPAM about fucking hot asian teens THROUGH YOUR MAIL PROGRAM. I just saw two guys having explicit anal sex right there in Safari! On my iPhone!

Come on Apple, think your policies through and for fuck's sake get your app approval scenario together.

I cannot possibly improve on that.

Two days later, Apple announced that its upcoming iPhone 3.0 software and iTunes 8.2 will support parental controls with age-based restrictions, which means they can let Mom and Dad do the censoring rather than trying to do it themselves.

Reznor 1, Steve Jobs 0!

Granted, that doesn’t mean Apple won’t keep rejecting apps for arbitrary reasons. And kids will be able to jailbreak the PIN code in 30 seconds like they do at home with the cable TV remote. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

Head like a hole,

This is dF

WORKING WEEK BONUS TRACK: FINEST WORK SONG

No, not the REM song.

But during our Def Labor Day song series, I got to thinking about work songs – not songs about work so much as songs you sing while you work. Which got me to thinking about one of my favorite work songs ever: Sinatra’s “I Get A Kick Out Of You”.

As immortalized in Blazing Saddles.

PRODUCTION NOTE: NSFW, depending on how you and/or yr colleagues feel about racial epithets. I’m assuming most of you are familiar enough with Blazing Saddles to understand that it’s mocking racism, not advocating it.

Doo dah do dah,

This is dF

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2009 EDITION)

Some weekend reading for you: an interesting interview with Lenore Skenazy, the author of Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry.

Skenazy is the woman who famously wrote about allowing her 9-year-old son Izzy to ride the subway alone – only to receive accusations of child neglect and abuse. She’s since started a blog dedicated to the proposition that kids are in no greater danger today than we all were 30 or 40 years ago – if anything, they’re safer – and yet not only are parents being overprotective in terms of letting them go outside and play like we all used to do, they’re expected to be, and are accused of being criminally negligent parents if they aren’t – to the point where you can expect a visit from the police threatening to charge you with child endagerment if you let yr kid walk a half-mile to soccer practice by himself.

Which, I suspect, is one of the chief reasons why parents are as overprotective as they are: fear of being frivolously arrested or sued by self-righteous know-it-alls.

PRODUCTION NOTE: I’ve posted about this before, though I focused more on how a lot of it comes down to the human tendency towards disproportionate risk assessment. Anyway, it’s a debate worth reviving, because as I’ve tried to demonstrate on this blog time and time again, living in fear ain’t living. And it’s a waste of energy when yr afraid of the wrong things.

Sleep in safety,

This is dF

DATE NIGHT: BURGER AND A MOVIE

My new favorite picture of President Obama:



The restaurant: Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington.

The film: Mantis In Lace (view the four-minute trailer here – WARNING: contains lots and lots of breasts)

FUN FACT: When I saw the video where Obama was ordering the burger and asking for some spicy or Dijon mustard, my first thought was, “French mustard? Bet Sean Hannity won’t shut up about that.”

Then I checked Media Matters.

In 3, 2, 1 ...

BONUS TRACK: Def Commentary [borrowing heavily from lorilori ] follows.

Dear Laura Ingraham,

Personally I don’t like ketchup on burgers. But it’s a free country. So when you order yr burger, whatever condiment you like, can I suggest a beverage that’ll go perfect with it?



Love,

This is dF