text:
Garrett Haynes
Relationship Status
Siegel High School
Just ask
Favorite Music
Too many to list. Mostly rock and alternative.
Favorite Movies
Troy, The Last Samurai, Gladiator, Braveheart, Cool Runnings, Dumb & Dumber, Saving Private Ryan, Pirates of the Caribbean, All of the Star Wars movies, and a few horror movies.
Favorite Books
Bible, Jesus Freaks vol. 1 & 2, A Time to Kill, O the Places You'll Go, Angels & Demons
This guy just said everything i've ever wanted to say about the record industry
November 27 2007
When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide.
For quite a long time I've been intending to post some sort of commentary on the music industry - piracy, distribution, morality, those types of things. I've thought about it many times, but never gone through with it, because the issue is such a broad, messy one - such a difficult thing to address fairly and compactly. I knew it would result in a rambly, unfocused commentary, and my exact opinion has teetered back and forth quite a bit over the years anyway. But on Monday, when I woke up to the news that Oink, the world famous torrent site and mecca for music-lovers everywhere, had been shut down by international police and various anti-piracy groups, I knew it was finally time to try and organize my thoughts on this huge, sticky, important issue.
For the past eight years, I've worked on and off with major record labels as a designer ("Major" is an important distinction here, because major labels are an entirely different beast than many indie labels - they're the ones with the power, and they are the ones driving the industry-wide push against piracy). It was 1999 when I got my first taste of the inner-workings of a major record label - I was a young college student, and the inside of a New York label office seemed so vast and exciting. Dozens of worker bees hummed away at their desks on phones and computers. Music posters and stacks of CDs littered every surface. Everyone seemed to have an assistant, and the assistants had assistants, and you couldn't help but wonder "what the hell do all these people do?" I tagged along on $1500 artist dinners paid for by the labels. Massive bar tabs were regularly signed away by record label employees with company cards. You got used to people billing as many expenses back to the record company as they could. I met the type of jive, middle-aged, blazer-wearing, coke-snorting, cartoon character label bigwigs who you'd think were too cliche to exist outside the confines of Spinal Tap. It was all strange and exciting, but one thing that always resonated with me was the sheer volume of money that seemed to be spent without any great deal of concern. Whether it was excessive production budgets or "business lunches" that had nothing to do with business, one of my first reactions to it all was, "so this is why CDs cost $18..." An industry of excess. But that's kind of what you expected from the music business, right? It's where rock stars are made. It's where you get stretch limos with hot tubs in the back, where you get private jets and cocaine parties. Growing up in the '80's, with pop royalty and hair metal bands, you were kind of led to think, of course record labels blow money left and right - there's just so much of it to go around! Well, you know what they say: The bigger they are...
In those days, "piracy" was barely even a word in the music world. My friends and I traded MP3s in college over the local network, but they were scattered and low-quality. It felt like a novelty - like a digital version of duping a cassette tape - hardly a replacement for CDs. CDs sounded good and you could bring them with you in your DiscMan, and the only digital music you could get was as good as your friends' CD collections, anyway. It never occurred to any of us that digital files were the future. But as it turned out, lots of kids, in lots of colleges around the world, had the same idea of sharing MP3 files over their local networks, and eventually, someone paid attention to that idea and made Napster. Suddenly, it was like all those college networks were tied together, and you could find all this cool stuff online. It was easier and more efficient than record stores, it was powered by music fans, and, well, it was free. Suddenly you didn't have to pay 15 to 18 bucks for an album and hope it was good, you could download some tracks off the internet and check it out first. But you still always bought the CD if you liked it - I mean, who wants all their music to be on the computer? I sure didn't. But increasingly, more and more people did. For college kids, Napster was a Godsend, because you can all but guarantee two things about most college kids: They love music, and they're dirt poor. So it grew, and it grew, and it started to grow into the mainstream, and that's when the labels woke up and realized something important was happening. At that point they could have seen it as either a threat or an opportunity, and they, without hesitation, determined it to be a threat. It was a threat because essentially someone had come up with a better, free distribution method for the labels' product. To be fair, you can imagine how confusing this must have been for them - is there even a historical precedent for an industry's products suddenly being able to replicate and distribute on their own, without cost?
For quite a while - long after most tech-savvy music lovers - I resisted the idea of stealing music. Of course I would download MP3s - I downloaded a lot of stuff - but I would always make sure to buy the physical CD if it was something I liked. I knew a lot of musicians, a lot of them bewildered at what was happening to the industry they used to understand. People were downloading their music en masse, gorging on this new frontier like pigs at a troff - and worst of all, they felt entitled to do so. It was like it was okay simply because the technology existed that made it possible. But it wasn't okay - I mean, let's face it, no matter how you rationalized it, it was stealing, and because the technology existed to hotwire a car didn't make that okay, either. The artists lost control of distribution: They couldn't present albums the way they wanted to, in a package with nice artwork. They couldn't reveal it the way they wanted to, because music pirates got the albums online well before the actual release date. Control had been taken away from everyone who used to have it. It was a scary time in unfamiliar territory, where suddenly music fans became enemies to the artists and companies they had supported for years. It led to laughable hyperbole from bands like Metallica, instantly the poster-children of cry-baby rich rock stars, and the beginning of the image problem the industry has faced in its handling of the piracy issue. But still, at the time, I understood where they were coming from. Most musicians weren't rich like Metallica, and needed all the album sales they could get for both income and label support. Plus, it was their art, and they had created it - why shouldn't they be able to control how it's distributed, just because some snotty, acne-faced internet kids had found a way to cheat the system? And these entitled little internet brats, don't they realize that albums cost money to create, and to produce, and to promote? How is there going to be any new music if no one's paying for it?
On top of that, I couldn't get into the idea of an invisible music library that lives on my computer. Where's the artwork? Where's my collection? I want the booklet, the packaging... I want shelves and shelves of albums that I've spent years collecting, that I can pore over and impress my friends with... I want to flip through the pages, and hold the CD in my hand... Being a kid who got into music well past the days of vinyl, CDs were all I had, and they still felt important to me.
It's all changed.
In a few short years, the aggressive push of technology combined with the arrogant response from the record industry has rapidly worn away all of my noble intentions of clinging to the old system, and has now pushed me into full-on dissent. I find myself fully immersed in digital music, almost never buying CDs, and fully against the methods of the major record labels and the RIAA. And I think it would do the music industry a lot of good to pay attention to why - because I'm just one of millions, and there will be millions more in the years to come. And it could have happened very, very differently.
As the years have passed, and technology has made digital files the most convenient, efficient, and attractive method of listening to music for many people, the rules and cultural perceptions regarding music have changed drastically. We live in the iPod generation - where a "collection" of clunky CDs feels archaic - where the uniqueness of your music collection is limited only by how eclectic your taste is. Where it's embraced and expected that if you like an album, you send it to your friend to listen to. Whether this guy likes it or not, iPods have become synonymous with music - and if I filled my shiny new 160gb iPod up legally, buying each track online at the 99 cents price that the industry has determined, it would cost me about $32,226. How does that make sense? It's the ugly truth the record industry wants to ignore as they struggle to find ways to get people to pay for music in a culture that has already embraced the idea of music being something you collect in large volumes, and trade freely with your friends.
Already is the key word, because it didn't have to be this way, and that's become the main source of my utter lack of sympathy for the dying record industry: They had a chance to move forward, to evolve with technology and address the changing needs of consumers - and they didn't. Instead, they panicked - they showed their hand as power-hungry dinosaurs, and they started to demonize their own customers, the people whose love of music had given them massive profits for decades. They used their unfair record contracts - the ones that allowed them to own all the music - and went after children, grandparents, single moms, even deceased great grandmothers - alongside many other common people who did nothing more than download some songs and leave them in a shared folder - something that has become the cultural norm to the iPod generation. Joining together in what has been referred to as an illegal cartel and using the RIAA as their attack dogs, the record labels have spent billions of dollars attempting to scare people away from downloading music. And it's simply not working. The pirating community continues to out-smart and out-innovate the dated methods of the record companies, and CD sales continue to plummet while exchange of digital music on the internet continues to skyrocket. Why? Because freely-available music in large quantities is the new cultural norm, and the industry has given consumers no fair alternative. They didn't jump in when the new technologies were emerging and think, "how can we capitalize on this to ensure that we're able to stay afloat while providing the customer what they've come to expect?" They didn't band together and create a flat monthly fee for downloading all the music you want. They didn't respond by drastically lowering the prices of CDs (which have been ludicrously overpriced since day one, and actually increased in price during the '90's), or by offering low-cost DRM-free legal MP3 purchases. Their entry into the digital marketplace was too little too late - a precedent of free, high-quality, DRM-free music had already been set.
There seem to be a lot of reasons why the record companies blew it. One is that they're really not very smart. They know how to do one thing, which is sell records in a traditional retail environment. From personal experience I can tell you that the big labels are beyond clueless in the digital world - their ideas are out-dated, their methods make no sense, and every decision is hampered by miles and miles of legal tape, copyright restrictions, and corporate interests. Trying to innovate with a major label is like trying to teach your Grandmother how to play Halo 3: frustrating and ultimately futile. The easiest example of this is how much of a fight it's been to get record companies to sell MP3s DRM-free. You're trying to explain a new technology to an old guy who made his fortune in the hair metal days. You're trying to tell him that when someone buys a CD, it has no DRM - people can encode it into their computer as DRM-free MP3s within seconds, and send it to all their friends. So why insult the consumer by making them pay the same price for copy-protected MP3s? It doesn't make any sense! It just frustrates people and drives them to piracy! They don't get it: "It's an MP3, you have to protect it or they'll copy it." But they can do the same thing with the CDs you already sell!! Legal tape and lots of corporate bullshit. If these people weren't the ones who owned the music, it'd all be over already, and we'd be enjoying the real future of music. Because like with any new industry, it's not the people from the previous generation who are going to step in and be the innovators. It's a new batch.
Newspapers are a good example: It used to be that people read newspapers to get the news. That was the distribution method, and newspaper companies controlled it. You paid for a newspaper, and you got your news, that's how it worked. Until the internet came along, and a new generation of innovative people created websites, and suddenly anyone could distribute information, and they could distribute it faster, better, more efficiently, and for free. Obviously this hurt the newspaper industry, but there was nothing they could do about it, because they didn't own the information itself - only the distribution method. Their only choice was to innovate and find ways to compete in a new marketplace. And you know what? Now I can get live, up-to-the-minute news for free, on thousands of different sources across the internet - and The New York Times still exists. Free market capitalism at its finest. It's not a perfect example, but it is a part of how the internet is changing every form of traditional media. It happened with newspapers, it's happening now with music, and TV and cell phones are next on the chopping block. In all cases technology demands that change will happen, it's just a matter of who will find ways to take advantage of it, and who won't.
Unlike newspapers, record companies own the distribution and the product being distributed, so you can't just start your own website where you give out music that they own - and that's what this is all about: distribution. Lots of pro-piracy types argue that music can be free because people will always love music, and they'll pay for concert tickets, and merchandise, and the marketplace will shift and artists will survive. Well, yes, that might be an option for some artists, but that does nothing to help the record labels, because they don't make any money off of merchandise, or concert tickets. Distribution and ownership are what they control, and those are the two things piracy threatens. The few major labels left are parts of giant media conglomerations - owned by huge parent companies for whom artists and albums are just numbers on a piece of paper. It's why record companies shove disposable pop crap down your throat instead of nurturing career artists: because they have CEOs and shareholders to answer to, and those people don't give a shit if a really great band has the potential to get really successful, if given the right support over the next decade. They see that Gwen Stefani's latest musical turd sold millions, because parents of twelve year old girls still buy music for their kids, and the parent company demands more easy-money pop garbage that will be forgotten about next month. The only thing that matters to these corporations is profit - period. Music isn't thought of as an art form, as it was in the earlier days of the industry where labels were started by music-lovers - it's a product, pure and simple. And many of these corporations also own the manufacturing plants that create the CDs, so they make money on all sides - and lose money even from legal MP3s.
At the top of all this is the rigged, outdated, and unfair structure of current intellectual property laws, all of them in need of massive reform in the wake of the digital era. These laws allow the labels to maintain their stranglehold on music copyrights, and they allow the RIAA to sue the pants off of any file-sharing grandmother they please. Since the labels are owned by giant corporations with a great deal of money, power, and political influence, the RIAA is able to lobby politicians and government agencies to manipulate copyright laws for their benefit. The result is absurdly disproportionate fines, and laws that in some cases make file sharing a heftier charge than armed robbery. This is yet another case of private, corporate interests using political influence to turn laws in the opposite direction of the changing values of the people. Or, as this very smart assessment from a record executive described it: "a clear case of a multinational conglomerate using its political muscle to the disadvantage of everyone but itself." But shady political maneuvers and scare tactics are all the RIAA and other anti-piracy groups have left, because people who download music illegally now number in the hundreds of millions, and they can't sue everyone. At this point they're just trying to hold up what's left of the dam before it bursts open. Their latest victim is Oink, a popular torrent site specializing in music.
If you're not familiar with Oink, here's a quick summary: Oink was was a free members-only site - to join it you had to be invited by a member. Members had access to an unprecedented community-driven database of music. Every album you could ever imagine was just one click away. Oink's extremely strict quality standards ensured that everything on the site was at pristine quality - 192kbps MP3 was their bare minimum, and they championed much higher quality MP3s as well as FLAC lossless downloads. They encouraged logs to verify that the music had been ripped from the CD without any errors. Transcodes - files encoded from other encoded files, resulting in lower quality - were strictly forbidden. You were always guaranteed higher quality music than iTunes or any other legal MP3 store. Oink's strict download/share ratio ensured that every album in their vast database was always well-seeded, resulting in downloads faster than anywhere else on the internet. A 100mb album would download in mere seconds on even an average broadband connection. Oink was known for getting pre-release albums before anyone else on the internet, often months before they hit retail - but they also had an extensive catalogue of music dating back decades, fueled by music lovers who took pride in uploading rare gems from their collection that other users were seeking out. If there was an album you couldn't find on Oink, you only had to post a request for it, and wait for someone who had it to fill your request. Even if the request was extremely rare, Oink's vast network of hundreds of thousands of music-lovers eager to contribute to the site usually ensured you wouldn't have to wait long.
In this sense, Oink was not only an absolute paradise for music fans, but it was unquestionably the most complete and most efficient music distribution model the world has ever known. I say that safely without exaggeration. It was like the world's largest music store, whose vastly superior selection and distribution was entirely stocked, supplied, organized, and expanded upon by its own consumers. If the music industry had found a way to capitalize on the power, devotion, and innovation of its own fans the way Oink did, it would be thriving right now instead of withering. If intellectual property laws didn't make Oink illegal, the site's creator would be the new Steve Jobs right now. He would have revolutionized music distribution. Instead, he's a criminal, simply for finding the best way to fill rising consumer demand. I would have gladly paid a large monthly fee for a legal service as good as Oink - but none existed, because the music industry could never set aside their own greed and corporate bullshit to make it happen.
Here's an interesting aside: The RIAA loves to complain about music pirates leaking albums onto the internet before they're released in stores - painting the leakers as vicious pirates dead set on attacking their enemy, the music industry. But you know where music leaks from? From the fucking source, of course - the labels! At this point, most bands know that once their finished album is sent off to the label, the risk of it turning up online begins, because the labels are full of low-level workers who happen to be music fans who can't wait to share the band's new album with their friends. If the album manages to not leak directly from the label, it is guaranteed to leak once it heads off to manufacturing. Someone at the manufacturing plant is always happy to sneak off with a copy, and before long, it turns up online. Why? Because people love music, and they can't wait to hear their favorite band's new album! It's not about profit, and it's not about maliciousness. So record industry, maybe if you could protect your own assets a little better, shit wouldn't leak - don't blame the fans who flock to the leaked material online, blame the people who leak it out of your manufacturing plants in the first place! But assuming that's a hole too difficult to plug, it begs the question, "why don't labels adapt to the changing nature of distribution by selling new albums online as soon as they're finished, before they have a chance to leak, and release the physical CDs a couple months later?" Well, for one, labels are still obsessed with Billboard chart numbers - they're obsessed with determining the market value of their product by how well it fares in its opening week. Selling it online before the big retail debut, before they've had months to properly market the product to ensure success, would mess up those numbers (nevermind that those numbers mean absolutely nothing anymore). Additionally, selling an album online before it hits stores makes retail outlets (who are also suffering in all this) angry, and retail outlets have far more power than they should. For example, if a record company releases an album online but Wal-Mart won't have the CD in their stores for another two months (because it needs to be manufactured), Wal-Mart gets mad. Who cares if Wal-Mart gets mad, you ask? Well, record companies do, because Wal-Mart is, both mysteriously and tragically, the largest music retailer in the world. That means they have power, and they can say "if you sell Britney Spears' album online before we can sell it in our stores, we lose money. So if you do that, we're not going to stock her album at all, and then you'll lose a LOT of money." That kind of greedy business bullshit happens all the time in the record industry, and the consistent result is a worse experience for consumers and music lovers.
Which is why Oink was so great - take away all the rules and legal ties, all the ownership and profit margins, and naturally, the result is something purely for, by, and in service of the music fan. And it actually helps musicians - file-sharing is "the greatest marketing tool ever to come along for the music industry." One of Oink's best features was how it allowed users to connect similar artists, and to see what people who liked a certain band also liked. Similar to Amazon's recommendation system, it was possible to spend hours discovering new bands on Oink, and that's what many of its users did. Through sites like Oink, the amount and variety of music I listen to has skyrocketed, opening me up to hundreds of artists I never would have experienced otherwise. I'm now fans of their music, and I may not have bought their CDs, but I would have never bought their CD anyway, because I would have never heard of them! And now that I have heard of them, I go to their concerts, and I talk them up to my friends, and give my friends the music to listen to for themselves, so they can go to the concerts, and tell their friends, and so on. Oink was a network of music lovers sharing and discovering music. And yes, it was all technically illegal, and destined to get shut down, I suppose. But it's not so much that they shut Oink down that boils my blood, it's the fucking bullshit propaganda they put out there. If the industry tried to have some kind of compassion - if they said, "we understand that these are just music fans trying to listen to as much music as they can, but we have to protect our assets, and we're working on an industry-wide solution to accommodate the changing needs of music fans"... Well, it's too late for that, but it would be encouraging. Instead, they make it sound like they busted a Columbian drug cartel or something. They describe it as a highly-organized piracy ring. Like Oink users were distributing kiddie porn or some shit. The press release says: "This was not a case of friends sharing music for pleasure." Wh - what?? That's EXACTLY what it was! No one made any money on that site - there were no ads, no registration fees. The only currency was ratio - the amount you shared with other users - a brilliant way of turning "free" into a sort of booming mini-economy. The anti-piracy groups have tried to spin the notion that you had to pay a fee to join Oink, which is NOT true - donations were voluntary, and went to support the hosting and maintenance of the site. If the donations spilled into profit for the guy who ran the site, well he damn well deserved it - he created something truly remarkable.
So the next question is, what now?
For the major labels, it's over. It's fucking over. You're going to burn to the fucking ground, and we're all going to dance around the fire. And it's your own fault. Surely, somewhere deep inside, you had to know this day was coming, right? Your very industry is founded on an unfair business model of owning art you didn't create in exchange for the services you provide. It's rigged so that you win every time - even if the artist does well, you do ten times better. It was able to exist because you controlled the distribution, but now that's back in the hands of the people, and you let the ball drop when you could have evolved.
None of this is to say that there's no way for artists to make money anymore, or even that it's the end of record labels. It's just the end of record labels as we know them. A lot of people point to the Radiohead model as the future, but Radiohead is only dipping its toe into the future to test the waters. What at first seemed like a rainbow-colored revolution has now been openly revealed as a marketing gimmick: Radiohead was "experimenting," releasing a low-quality MP3 version of an album only to punish the fans who paid for it by later releasing a full-quality CD version with extra tracks. According to Radiohead's manager: "If we didn't believe that when people hear the music they will want to buy the CD then we wouldn't do what we are doing." Ouch. Radiohead was moving in the right direction, but if they really want to start a revolution, they need to place the "pay-what-you-want" digital album on the same content and quality level as the "pay-what-we-want" physical album.
Ultimately, I don't know what the future model is going to be - I think all the current pieces of the puzzle will still be there, but they need to be re-ordered, and the rules need to be changed. Maybe record labels of the future exist to help front recording costs and promote artists, but they don't own the music. Maybe music is free, and musicians make their money from touring and merchandise, and if they need a label, the label takes a percentage of their tour and merch profits. Maybe all-digital record companies give bands all the tools they need to sell their music directly to their fans, taking a small percentage for their services. In any case, the artists own their own music.
I used to reject the wishy-washy "music should be free!" mantra of online music thieves. I knew too much about the intricacies and economics of it, of the rock-and-a-hard-place situation many artists were in with their labels. I thought there were plenty of new ways to sell music that would be fair to all parties involved. But I no longer believe that, because the squabbling, backwards, greedy, ownership-obsessed major labels will never let it happen, and that's more clear to me now than ever. So maybe music has to be free. Maybe taking the money out of music is the only way to get money back into it. Maybe it's time to abandon the notion of the rock star - of music as a route to fame and fortune. The best music was always made by people who weren't in it for the money, anyway. Maybe smart, talented musicians will find ways to make a good living with or without CD sales. Maybe the record industry execs who made their fortunes off of unfair contracts and distribution monopolies should just walk away, confident that they milked a limited opportunity for all it was worth, and that it's time to find fortune somewhere else. Maybe in the hands of consumers, the music marketplace will expand in new and lucrative ways no one can even dream of yet. We won't know until music is free, and eventually it's going to be. Technological innovation destroys old industries, but it creates new ones. You can't fight it forever.
Until the walls finally come down, we're in what will inevitably be looked back on as a very awkward, chaotic period in music history - fans are being arrested for sharing the music they love, and many artists are left helpless, unable to experiment with new business models because they're locked into record contracts with backwards-thinking labels.
So what can you and I do to help usher in the brave new world? The beauty of Oink was how fans willingly and hyper-efficiently took on distribution roles that traditionally have cost labels millions of dollars. Music lovers have shown that they're much more willing to put time and effort into music than they are money. It's time to show artists that there's no limit to what an energized online fanbase can accomplish, and all they'll ever ask for in return is more music. And it's time to show the labels that they missed a huge opportunity by not embracing these opportunities when they had the chance.
1. Stop buying music from major labels. Period. The only way to force change is to hit the labels where it hurts - their profits. The major labels are like Terry Schiavo right now - they're on life support, drooling in a coma, while white-haired guys in suits try and change the laws to keep them alive. But any rational person can see that it's too late, and it's time to pull out the feeding tube. In this case, the feeding tube is your money. Find out which labels are members/supporters of the RIAA and similar copyright enforcement groups, and don't support them in any way. The RIAA Radar is a great tool to help you with this. Don't buy CDs, don't buy iTunes downloads, don't buy from Amazon, etc. Steal the music you want that's on the major labels. It's easy, and despite the RIAA's scare tactics, it can be done safely - especially if more and more people are doing it. Send letters to those labels, and to the RIAA, explaining very calmly and professionally that you will no longer be supporting their business, because of their bullish scare tactics towards music fans, and their inability to present a forward-thinking digital distribution solution. Tell them you believe their business model is outdated and the days of companies owning artists' music are over. Make it very clear that you will continue to support the artists directly in other ways, and make it VERY clear that your decision has come about as a direct result of the record company's actions and inactions regarding digital music.
2. Support artists directly. If a band you like is stuck on a major label, there are tons of ways you can support them without actually buying their CD. Tell everyone you know about them - start a fansite if you're really passionate. Go to their shows when they're in town, and buy t-shirts and other merchandise. Here's a little secret: Anything a band sells that does not have music on it is outside the reach of the record label, and monetarily supports the artist more than buying a CD ever would. T-shirts, posters, hats, keychains, stickers, etc. Send the band a letter telling them that you're no longer going to be purchasing their music, but you will be listening to it, and you will be spreading the word and supporting them in other ways. Tell them you've made this decision because you're trying to force change within the industry, and you no longer support record labels with RIAA affiliations who own the music of their artists.
If you like bands who are releasing music on open, non-RIAA indie labels, buy their albums! You'll support the band you like, and you'll support hard-working, passionate people at small, forward-thinking music labels. If you like bands who are completely independent and are releasing music on their own, support them as much as possible! Pay for their music, buy their merchandise, tell all your friends about them and help promote them online - prove that a network of passionate fans is the best promotion a band can ask for.
3. Get the message out. Get this message out to as many people as you can - spread the word on your blog or your MySpace, and more importantly, tell your friends at work, or your family members, people who might not be as tuned into the internet as you are. Teach them how to use torrents, show them where to go to get music for free. Show them how to support artists while starving the labels, and who they should and shouldn't be supporting.
4. Get political. The fast-track to ending all this nonsense is changing intellectual property laws. The RIAA lobbies politicians to manipulate copyright laws for their own interests, so voters need to lobby politicians for the peoples' interests. Contact your local representatives and senators. Tell them politely and articulately that you believe copyright laws no longer reflect the interests of the people, and you will not vote for them if they support the interests of the RIAA. Encourage them to draft legislation that helps change the outdated laws and disproportionate penalties the RIAA champions. Contact information for state representatives can be found here, and contact information for senators can be found here. You can email them, but calling on the phone or writing them actual letters is always more effective.
Tonight, with Oink gone, I find myself wondering where I'll go now to discover new music. All the other options - particularly the legal ones - seem depressing by comparison. I wonder how long it will be before everyone can legally experience the type of music nirvana Oink users became accustomed to? I'm not too worried - something even better will rise out of Oink's ashes, and the RIAA will respond with more lawsuits, and the cycle will repeat itself over and over until the industry has finally bled itself to death. And then everything will be able to change, and it will be in the hands of musicians and fans and a new generation of entrepreneurs to decide how the new record business is going to work. Whether you agree with it or not, it's fact. It's inevitable - because the determination of fans to share music is much, much stronger than the determination of corporations to stop it.
February 14 2007
She said
You don't know me, you don't wear my chains
She said I think i'll go to Boston...
I think i'll start a new life,
I think i'll start it over, where no one knows my name,
I'll get out of California, i'm tired of the weather,
I think i'll get a lover and fly em out to Spain...
I think i'll go to Boston,
I think that i'm just tired
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,
I hear its nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice...yeah
January 21 2007
Listen to this song
January 14 2007
ski trip and passion
December 31 2006
UT Knox
December 22 2006
December 19 2006
Who would win in a fight between Rocky Balboa and Chuck Norris?
some thoughts...
December 18 2006
good music
December 15 2006
What up UNCLE FACE!!!
November 08 2006
<< And he SET ME ON FIRE..
And I am BURNING ALIVE...
With this BRETH IN MY LUNGS..
I am COMING UNDONE >>
- David Crowder
I've had enough, of this freedom of the road
- Martin Sexton
I remeber the times we spent together on those drives
We had a million questions all about our lives
I wish you were here with me tonight
I remeber the days we spent together were not enough
And it used to feel like dreamin except we'd always wake up
Never thought that not having you here would hurt so much
Tonight i've fallen and I can't get up
I need your loving hands to come and pick me up
And every night i miss you
I can just look up
And know the stars are holding you,
holding you,
holding you, tonight
-FM Static
A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the one
I saw the world spin beneath you
And scatter like ice from the spoon
That was your womb
- Goo Goo Dolls
Late last night
I heard the screen door slide
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away
- Counting Crows
It's just a matter of time a few days ago
I saw you, you were fine
Remembering what you said
About the book you read
The one i got you
The Beginning of the End
Oh how we'd talk
For hours upon end
What I'd give
Just to do it again
But you're lying there
In this hospital bed
Won't you open your eyes
And let's talk once again
- Disciple
Sometimes, I feel the fear of
uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself
How much i'll let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
- Incubus
October 31 2006
Shave the gotee: 4 (you all suck)
Keep the gotee: 1 (thank you, you're a good person)
Dang, it looks like i lost. Oh...but wait. I almost forgot to cast my vote!! And since i vote to keep it, and my vote counts as about 10 (since it is my gotee, after all) let's see the new restults.
Shave it: 4
Keep it: 11
Yay i win!!!!!!!!!!
Tonight i've fallen and i can't get up
I need your loving hands to come and pick me up
And every night i miss you
I can just look up
and know the stars are
Holding you, holding you, holding you
Fm Static - Tonight
"Cry In My Heart" ~ Starfield
October 15 2006
Liz, Sarah and Me
Weird haha
Me and Saruh
stupid is better
Me and Liz
And again..
Sarah playing piano at Liz's house
My future house in Mountain Brook
Me strumming Sarah's guitar
The 2 loves of my life at the airport, when i was leaving.
Yeah, it was awesome.....
I wanna go back...Mbrook = : ) ..... Mboro = suck
Tonight & the upcoming weekend
October 04 2006


text:
Topic Last Modified: 2013-02-21
Simple URLs make joining meetings easier for your users, and make getting to Lync Server administrative tools easier for your administrators.
Lync Server supports three simple URLs:
Meet is used as the base URL for all conferences in the site or organization. An example of a Meet simple URL is https://meet.contoso.com. A URL for a particular meeting might be https://meet.contoso.com/username/7322994.
With the Meet simple URL, links to join meetings are easy to comprehend, and easy to communicate and distribute.
Dial-in enables access to the Dial-in Conferencing Settings webpage. This page displays conference dial-in numbers with their available languages, assigned conference information (that is, for meetings that do not need to be scheduled), and in-conference DTMF controls, and supports management of personal identification number (PIN) and assigned conferencing information. The Dial-in simple URL is included in all meeting invitations so that users who want to dial in to the meeting can access the necessary phone number and PIN information. An example of the Dial-in simple URL is https://dialin.contoso.com.
Admin enables quick access to the Lync Server Control Panel. From any computer within your organization's firewalls, an admin can open the Lync Server Control Panel by typing the Admin simple URL into a browser. The Admin simple URL is internal to your organization. An example of the Admin simple URL is https://admin.contoso.com
Simple URL Scope
You can configure your simple URLs to have global scope, or you can specify different simple URLs for each central site in your organization. If both a global simple URL and a site simple URL are specified, the site simple URL has precedence.
In most cases, we recommend that you set simple URLs only at the global level, so that a user's Meet simple URL does not change if they move from one site to another. The exception would be organizations that need to use different telephone numbers for dial-in users at different sites. Note that if you set one simple URL (such as the Dial-in simple URL) at a site to be a site-level simple URL, you must also set the other simple URLs at that site to be site-level as well.
You can set global simple URLs in Topology Builder. To set a simple URL at the site level, you must use the Set-CsSimpleURLConfiguration cmdlet.
Naming Your Simple URLs
There are three recommended options for naming your simple URLs. Which option you choose has implications for how you set up your DNS A records and certificates which support simple URLs. In each option, you must configure one Meet simple URL for each SIP domain in your organization.
You always need just one simple URL in your whole organization for Dial-in, and one for Admin, no matter how many SIP domains you have.
For details about the necessary DNS A records and certificates, see DNS requirements for simple URLs and Certificate requirements for internal servers in the Planning documentation.
In Option 1, you create a new SIP domain name for each simple URL.
If you use this option, you need a separate DNS A record for each simple URL, and each Meet simple URL must be named in your certificates.
Simple URL Naming Option 1
Simple URL |
Example |
Meet |
https://meet.contoso.com, https://meet.fabrikam.com, and so on (one for each SIP domain in your organization) |
Dial-in |
https://dialin.contoso.com |
Admin |
https://admin.contoso.com |
With Option 2, simple URLs are based on the domain name lync.contoso.com. Therefore, you need only one DNS A record which enables all three types of simple URLs. This DNS A record references lync.contoso.com. Additionally, you still need separate DNS A records for other SIP domains in your organization.
Simple URL Naming Option 2
Simple URL |
Example |
Meet |
https://lync.contoso.com/Meet, https://lync.fabrikam.com/Meet, and so on (one for each SIP domain in your organization) |
Dial-in |
https://lync.contoso.com/Dialin |
Admin |
https://lync.contoso.com/Admin |
Option 3 is most useful if you have many SIP domains, and you want them to have separate Meet simple URLs but want to minimize the DNS record and certificate requirements for these simple URLs.
Simple URL Naming Option 3
Simple URL |
Example |
Meet |
https://lync.contoso.com/contosoSIPdomain/Meet https://lync.contoso.com/fabrikamSIPdomain/Meet |
Dial-in |
https://lync.contoso.com/Dialin |
Admin |
https://lync.contoso.com/Admin |
Simple URL Naming and Validation Rules
Topology Builder and the Lync Server Management Shell cmdlets enforce several validation rules for your simple URLs. You are required to set simple URLs for Meet and Dialin, but setting one for Admin is optional. Each SIP domain must have a separate Meet simple URL, but you need only one Dialin simple URL and one Admin simple URL for your whole organization.
Each simple URL in your organization must have a unique name, and cannot be a prefix of another simple URL (for example, you could not set lync.contoso.com/Meet as your Meet simple URL and lync.contoso.com/Meet/Dialin as your Dialin simple URL). Simple URL names cannot contain the FQDN of any of your pools, or any port information (for example, https://FQDN:88/meet is not allowed). All simple URLs must start with the https:// prefix.
Simple URLs can contain only alphanumeric characters (that is, a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and the period (.). If you use other characters, the simple URLs might not work as expected.
Changing Simple URLs after Deployment
If you change a simple URL after initial deployment, you must be aware of how the change impacts your DNS records and certificates for simple URLs. If the base of a simple URL changes, then you must change the DNS records and certificates as well. For example, changing from https://lync.contoso.com/Meet to https://meet.contoso.com changes the base URL from lync.contoso.com to meet.contoso.com, so you would need to change the DNS records and certificates to refer to meet.contoso.com. If you changed the simple URL from https://lync.contoso.com/Meet to https://lync.contoso.com/Meetings, the base URL of lync.contoso.com stays the same, so no DNS or certificate changes are needed.
Whenever you change a simple URL name, however, you must run Enable-CsComputer on each Director and Front End Server to register the change.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Shopping Cart Help
To Add A Machine: While viewing the specifications of a machine, click "Add Machine to Cart".
To Submit Your Request: Click on "Checkout", then fill out the form with your contact information, and click "Submit".
To Remove A Machine: Click on "Checkout", then click the "Remove" button next to the machine you wish to remove from your Shopping Cart.


text:
Friday, November 11, 2011
I mean it's bad enough that humans make us do things like pose in front of the Grand Canyon with a red french thing on our head. Do they really have to take pictures too? Uh, I think we all know the answer to that. Because I'm pretty sure there wouldn't even be a Daily Puglet if it wasn't for my human and Nikon.
Well, I guess the DP isn't the only place on the internet where humans + pets + cameras = funny pictures. There's even a website called Awkwardfamilypetphotos.com that's 100% awkward pet photos.
Well, a few days ago I got a top secret package from a place called Random House. I guess they'd asked my human if I wanted to review one of their new books and since my human LOVES books, she said yes (heck yes!).
So I was going to do a review on the book, but it's been kinda heavy around here lately (strikes, epiphanies, juju, honking) and I also kinda forgot a whole entire 11 days worth of Special Days because 1000 Pugs turned my human's brain into jello and our calendar is still stuck on October. So I think today would be good time to break out The Randomizer and give something away.
Something like your very own copy of the Awkward Family Pet Photos book:
If you haven't been Randomized before, it works like this:
1. leave a comment on today's post. Telling me how awesome I am won't help you win, but you can totally say it anyway.
2. On Sunday night (midnight here in SF) my human will count up all the comments, give that number to Randomizer and Randomizer will spit back another number.
3. Whoever's comment matches that number wins their very own Awkward Family Pet Photos book.
4. I'll announce the winner on Monday.
I can't comment because that'll totally confuse The Randomizer, but we'll read them all like we always do :)
92 comments:
- Rae - Say It Aint So said...
fun! i would love a copy of that book! i love their website.
- November 11, 2011 at 8:58 AM
- Peggy2957 said...
I have to say Pug this picture of you in what I believe is your sweater is soooooo funny my human can't stop laughing. I don't know why humans think they need to dress us or put costumes on but the last time my human tried a costume on me I just collapsed to the ground. YUP I totally fell right where I was standing and wouldn't move. Now why that moment was "Nikon worthy" is beyond me but my collapse while dressed as a reindeer is well documented. Fortunately my human doesn't have a blog where she can post it and further humiliate me. Pug you are such a good sport!!!! It's one of the reasons you are the #1 Pug out of 1,000.
Benny - November 11, 2011 at 9:02 AM
- Payton said...
Hi Pug! Goodness, some of those pictures are silly! But the one of the pug in the red hat scared me! Way too close to the edge for my liking! Have a fun weekend!
Payton - November 11, 2011 at 9:02 AM
- Noodles said...
Hi Puglet
I am A HUGE fan of Awkward Family Portraits and have seen a few of the Pet ones as well. The cover cracks me up every time. So Randomize me sir. Maybe THIS time I will get lucky.
BTW, I don't think I HAVE any awkward photos. . . unless you count the "Bowl of Noodles" or caught in the act of peeing from an odd angle on Bellatrix's PAWrents water cooler, or . . . well, let's just say there are two.
Love Noodles - November 11, 2011 at 9:03 AM
- moPSY+MISIOber said...
Poor baby in the red fench, but it's so funny at the same time.... for human like me:) I also LOVE take all kinds of pictures of my puggies and would love to get copy of this book:) have a nice weekend Pug and Dutch and Human:)
- November 11, 2011 at 9:04 AM
- Meredith LeBlanc said...
O.M.P.! We want that book! We love the crazy things that humans do caused by the insanity for their pets!
Hands & Paws raised Randomizer! Pick US!
Meredith & Scarlet - November 11, 2011 at 9:10 AM
- The Slimmer Pugs, Kitties, and Mama said...
Hi Puglet! Wesa were totally trying to win one over at Tales and Tails...but if you check out the stiff competition from greyhounds, you'll notice our two puggy photos of fun don't even got a chance. So we would luvums to win this books. Still go over to Tales and Tails to check out the humiliation that all of us pugs and non-pugs had pasted over the internet.
Much Luvums,
The Slimmer Puggums
George, Gracie, Toby, Lily, and Mimi - November 11, 2011 at 9:13 AM
- Christa said...
I would have to agree the more awkward the photo the funnier, that goes for human pics too. :) Hope you are honking less and less. Yall have a great weekend.
Christa and Cletus - November 11, 2011 at 9:17 AM
Hi Puglet,
What the heck are you wearing? Is it a sweat+head+oneleg outfit? Must be cold where you live or someone is playing a really bad joke on you.
Our mom saw two dogs wearing purple fur type jackets last week, so she asked the lady where she got them. Thank you lord the lady said they were old and she couldn't remember.
Can you picture two manly pugs wearing purple fur....sheesh.
Emmitt and Eli.. Ellie is sleeping under mom's work from home chair. - November 11, 2011 at 9:18 AM
- Obi Wan Pugnobi said...
Hi! My name is obi wan pugnobi, seriously? Thanks human mom! My human has been reading me your blog. Its good. I want the book, especially if treats come with it. :)
- November 11, 2011 at 9:18 AM
Hi Puglet - I would love a copy of this book to make sure I am not in it! I've taken some pretty awkward pics in the 2 years I've been on this planet.
- November 11, 2011 at 9:23 AM
Oh yeah, I would love that book to go with my Awkward Family Photos edition! Pick me! Pick me!
- November 11, 2011 at 9:24 AM
Puglet, at first I thought the pic was leftover from Halloween and you were giving the mummy costume another shot then realized it was a sweater gone wrong! Too funny you are...thanks for the laugh! You rock! Hope you are feeling better today. And hope your human's brain gets better too, being jello is no fun!
- November 11, 2011 at 9:39 AM
- Eddie the Pug and his Mom said...
Such a funny photo of you Puglet! Looks like you are wearing one of those new "loop" scarves and got stuck in it...You must be feeling better:)
Snuffly sniffs,
Eddie the Pug - November 11, 2011 at 9:47 AM
- Sabrina said...
Poor Puglet with no thumbs! That book would be so funny! My most awkward picture of Beulah is a Hallowe'en pic where she is dressed as a cow. Complete with udder. She was not impressed.
- November 11, 2011 at 9:48 AM
- MochiMachoMarshmallow said...
Hi Puglet, We want in on this book. Hope we get randomized.
3M's - November 11, 2011 at 9:54 AM
Oh Puglet! We think you should totally choose our Mom. Since today (11/11/11) is her 50th birthday and she keeps saying she should have been on a cruise. We thought she should win a funny book and it will help her forget the whole no cruise thing. She loves your total and complete awesomeness and reads you every day! Love from the Iowa herd.
Emmett, Rosie, Madgie, Dalia, Cody, and Quincy - November 11, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Pug! What a great present! I hope the randomizer picks us! Hope your honking is better!
Pug hugs,
Barney - November 11, 2011 at 10:00 AM
- Pollie the Pug said...
Pug, as usual, you look great!!
- November 11, 2011 at 10:03 AM
- Buddy said...
Puglet, your photos are never awkward, even with your gimpy brain human!!! Everyone of us follows you for a reason, you are THE SUPERMODEL.
Hope your feeling better!!! - November 11, 2011 at 10:05 AM
- Bailey and Buddy said...
You are awesome Puglet & Dutch!
Sorry puglet, but that picture of you trying to put on your sweater is one of my favorites! You do not look thrilled about it though! - November 11, 2011 at 10:17 AM
- Suzy said...
I looovvee Awkward Pet Photos! Is that you at the Grand Canyon, Puglet?? lol
- November 11, 2011 at 10:28 AM
so...26+ lbs.... do you still fit in the awesome sweater?
If not.... I will take it!!!!
Love the sweater....
Sammy~ - November 11, 2011 at 10:32 AM
- Emma said...
Oh Pug, I would love to win that book! I saw it at Target the other day and *almost* bought it! Crossing my paws and thanks for the opportunity!
- November 11, 2011 at 10:41 AM
- blissfulsally said...
You'll think this is funny (funny peculiar!), but I never liked a pug until I found you! You are so witty and photogenic--you are totally the NUMERO UNO PUG of all time!
- November 11, 2011 at 10:41 AM
- Pug-A-Boo said...
Ooo Puglet...that would be a nice addition to our roller derby warehouse for all my derby sisters to see and share! Us derby gals LOVE-LOVE-LOVE puggies and other makes and models as well! BTW, I hope your feelin better and honkin less ;)
- November 11, 2011 at 11:08 AM
My human tried to put me in a sweater once, but I wouldn't have anything to do with it!
Chang from Chicago - November 11, 2011 at 11:11 AM
- Sue and Annie said...
Puglet, you look divine even if when you feel awkward. Hope you are feelig better, and not honking.
Happy belated birthday to all those who were missed. - November 11, 2011 at 11:11 AM
- Ernest Merriweather Picklebottom III said...
Oh Puglet, I loooove that picture of you in your skull and crossbones sweater!! That was one of my favourite posts!!
Hope you're feeling better! Happy Friday!
Your feline friend,
Ernest Merriweather Picklebottom III - November 11, 2011 at 11:15 AM
Hi Puglet! Rexi and Brutus here! Our human is taking us to a photography session next Saturday!!! We're telling her to go look at that website so that she knows what to NOT do!!!!
Love your work!! Need to also do a shout out to Dutch...Brutus understands how you feel as he is a pseudo pug too!!!
Love from Perth Australia!! - November 11, 2011 at 11:18 AM
- Two Pugs in a Pod said...
We can't read, but we sure like to win stuff!
- November 11, 2011 at 11:22 AM
Would Love a copy of the book. And L O V E the sweater. I also have issues with those knitted outfits. I am not really sure what my hu-mom expects I am big boned and they never fit right.
Vinney from Warwick RI - November 11, 2011 at 11:24 AM
puglet, once more i have to admit that you're definetely the best nikon-poser-pug in the whole world. having a pullover stuck in your face and modeling at the same time is quite awesome.
and i do not say that because i want to get that book, although i would just freak out if it was me.
please randomizer, choose me and my mom to get the book! - November 11, 2011 at 11:29 AM
My mom has plenty of pictures of me in an awkward state, I am glad I'm not the only one :)
- November 11, 2011 at 11:31 AM
- scrub4pups said...
We love books at our house. Happy Veteran's Day to all the Vets out here.
- November 11, 2011 at 11:39 AM
- Noodle said...
Something tells me that book might make me feel a LOT better about the awkward pics my mom takes of me!! I mean, I'll wear any stupid thing if it means I'll get treats, but I do feel a little weird afterward....
Btw, my mom totally loves that picture of you!! - November 11, 2011 at 11:47 AM
Dearest Pug and Jello-brained Human,
Since it is 11/11/11 we thought this might be a good day comment and maybe be randomized and get my Human that book.
My human Kate loves to look at the pictures you post of yourself and your friends. We smile when Mommy oohs and aahs over all. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy. - November 11, 2011 at 11:57 AM
- Jen said...
oh Puglet, my human would love to have this to add to her massive collection of books. I think she may be on a mission to get us into it now.
Napoleon - November 11, 2011 at 12:12 PM
- SashaFromShreveport said...
Pick me, Pug!!
-Sasha The Pug for Shreveport LA - November 11, 2011 at 12:46 PM
- Rambo and Miss Ellie said...
Glad your feeling better. Love to you and Dutch...
Rambo and Miss Ellie - November 11, 2011 at 12:46 PM
- pugsmom said...
Puglet, I'd like to get to know Randomizer better!! I loved your Awkward! moment today. Cute.
Phoebe in Gladstone, OR - November 11, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Hey Pug,
What a cute picture today!
Trunks from South Florida - November 11, 2011 at 12:58 PM
Pug... my heart beats only for you here in Portland, OR, even if my name is not Jenny!
~Mariah - November 11, 2011 at 1:00 PM
I have been eyeing that book ever since I first saw it. I love awkward pet photos (including yours)!
- November 11, 2011 at 1:11 PM
You look like my little Sundance does when I try to put an outfit on her....only one leg gets thru and then she does the pugtona....ya gotta love these guys.
- November 11, 2011 at 1:18 PM
- Pearl and Tessa said...
Oh Pug, of course you are the most awesome dog out there!!! Very handsome, suave and debonair! Never understood what you see in that little thing up in Oregon when you've got us just 2 hours away!
Pearl and Tessa - November 11, 2011 at 1:38 PM
We love you, Pug! Happy Friday!
Lafayette Lola - November 11, 2011 at 2:05 PM
- margie said...
Who understands our humans? the dorkier I look (Grumpy) the better they like it! I thought you looked like you got caught while getting dressed!! Hope you are feeling better, I know extra treats work for me!! I think your scale was broken you don't look a pound over 25!! Enjoy your weekend. Grumpy, Chunky, Barney and Bella your friends in Plantation Fl!!!!!
- November 11, 2011 at 2:20 PM
- margie said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 11, 2011 at 2:21 PM
- Nicole said...
loving the concept!
I have to say I "suffered" too with a crab, dinosour costum....
it's others turn now!
Puggy from Switzerland - November 11, 2011 at 2:32 PM
- EEH said...
You are awesome, Puglet! I don't have a dog but if I had one, I'd want him to be as cute as you.
Thanks! - November 11, 2011 at 2:50 PM
- Krista said...
Glad everyone is feeling well so that a cool giveaway can happen!
- November 11, 2011 at 2:53 PM
- Suki said...
Hi Pug,
I agree w/ Payton, that Pug is way to close to the edge.
Suki - November 11, 2011 at 4:02 PM
I just realized maybe Dutch doesn't hate Nikon because it's scary, maybe he just wants to avoid having an awkward photo taken in case he ever decides to run for president!
You look professional even in an awkward photo.
Paula From DE - November 11, 2011 at 4:36 PM
Cool stuff. Now we have 3 cats we have less photos because mom's too busy cooking and cleaning and petting and walking us...but we'd love to see other pets being embarrassed!
Guy Noir - November 11, 2011 at 5:08 PM
- Raquel Moreira Chagas said...
I loved your photo with that French kind of hat! Soooooo cute! And I also would love to have a copy of that book!
- November 11, 2011 at 5:39 PM
i love that website and book!!
- November 11, 2011 at 5:49 PM
- Alma Bocanegra said...
Hi Puglet!
Would love to be entered to win that awesome looking book! You're pretty awesome too!!! - November 11, 2011 at 5:50 PM
- PugMamaof5 said...
I just found your blog today and I already love it... as will my five Pugs that my boyfriend and I have, here in Indiana :)
- November 11, 2011 at 6:05 PM
- Jane said...
Hello randomizer!!!
- November 11, 2011 at 6:15 PM
Do I just have to leave a comment? I live in Australia though so feel free to remove this if I'm not allowed to try get the book!
I don't have a pug sadly (boy do I want one but I'm not at the right point in my life) but I visit this website everyday.
Caroline - November 11, 2011 at 6:16 PM
Hi Puglet!
we would really love to see you and your human come to chicago!
Our mom makes us wear sweaters and santa hats and shirts that say elf sized?!?? i mean seriously what is that? Dont feel bad humans are really the crazy ones!
oh yeah and our human says we would really like the book!
Mocha and Latte - November 11, 2011 at 6:22 PM
If I win, my mom promises to read it to me :)
- November 11, 2011 at 8:07 PM
- Kimmy B said...
Pick me! Pick me! My forever mom has heard about this book and I know she will share it with me. You are totally awesome Puglet with or without your winter wear.
Love, Tink - November 11, 2011 at 8:08 PM
- Jes said...
Love your blog Puglet!
- November 11, 2011 at 9:28 PM
As always you are AWESOME whether you are honking or not!
Gabby - November 11, 2011 at 9:35 PM
- Eddie the Pug and his Mom said...
All I have to say is that the randomizer is going to go ba noo nooz over so many posts! Mathematically speaking...what is the algorithm used to choose the winner? Everybody loooves to compete for a prize, Puglet!
Little Puggie Paws Crossed:)
Eddie the Pug - November 11, 2011 at 9:38 PM
Bo from Sacramento says:
Puglet, dude, another pawsome picture! My mom says that just when she thinks you can't get any cuter, you prove her wrong again and again (Dutch, too)! We hope you are feeling better and that you and Dutch and your mom have a great weekend! - November 11, 2011 at 10:24 PM
Oh Puglet, your pictures are sooo cute!!! Thanks for another awesome give away. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! :)
- November 11, 2011 at 10:35 PM
super cute pic, pug!!
- November 11, 2011 at 10:38 PM
- Opaka said...
My new human got all excited when she saw this. She's been reading this blog for a long time apparently and didn't have a pug so she's never felt like she could enter. Well as of today she's got two pugs, me and my mate Kai. We're very happy to finally have a forever home. So please enter us in the competition Puglet, and we look forward to getting to know you better. (BTW my human is Mel from Australia who she said you've met)
- November 12, 2011 at 4:06 AM
Hi Puglet,
I will throw my hat in the ring and comment for the randomizer to pick. My family has taken some awkward pet photos of me, in the latest one they made me wear a weird headband with wobbly pumpkins on it. At least it wasn't a lobster costume, I feel for you there.
Allie the boxer - November 12, 2011 at 7:05 AM
I can't decide if getting this book will be more likely to keep the skin kids distracted from dressing me and my sister up, or encourage them to try new things. Oh, well I guess I will cross my paws that I get to find out.
- November 12, 2011 at 9:35 AM
- gini said...
Our lady human tries to put sweaters on us in the wintertime and our man human takes them off for us (when she's not looking!)...because he says we don't need to look so funny....really, we love our sweaters...how do we let our man human know this?
- November 12, 2011 at 9:35 AM
- gini said...
Love that book by the way! Quadra-ped heaven!
- November 12, 2011 at 9:37 AM
Would looove that book but what I really want is the 1000 pugs book! Can't wait! :-)
- November 12, 2011 at 9:55 AM
- Frauntene McLarney said...
Thank you puglet and human for the chance to win something!! btw I LOVE your sweater, even if it is one funny.
fraun - November 12, 2011 at 9:59 AM
Puglet!!!! My hu-mom just found you a few weeks ago, and she checks in on you every day! She kept goin' on about biting backfat, and I had to find out what she meant. She's right....you are hil-AR-i-ous!!!! Since I love to hear my peeps laugh, I really don't mind dressing up....once in awhile. I make my own calendar every year, so I know how hard you and Dutch work at posing for your mom. So, pleeeeze randomize me....I could use some posing pointers! Keep up the good work, Puglet!
xoxoxoo Max-a-One-in-a-Million - November 12, 2011 at 11:42 AM
- Voie de Vie said...
I'm not so interested in the book ... but your photo today is priceless!
- November 12, 2011 at 11:57 AM
- Shannon said...
That site is hilarious!
- November 12, 2011 at 12:03 PM
- Wilma said...
Hi Puglet,
I know I haven't commented in a while, but I have totally been keeping up with all of your major goings on. We had like, crazy stupid weather and power outages that lasted forever and a day, but things are back to normal pretty much.
First thing is, I sure hope you are feeling lots better. You best take the docs advise and rest up. I had that kennel cough thing a long time ago, and it turned into pneumonia. That was not cool. Mom was up every two hours giving me breathing treatments and stuff. Plus I didn't even want to eat. That was terrible.
Second, I am so excited for you and 1000 pugs! I'm so proud of you for stepping up to the plate and getting on board with the plan. You are quite an amazing pug. I know how hard it has been for me to share mom, dad, treats and camera time with two other pugs. 999, now that's huge!
Also, I am working on a plan to get you to come to Connecticut on the tour. I definitely need to be one of the 999. Brigitte and Sluggo would like to be two of 998 also! I am going to have mom get some cards, and will be recruiting. I know Pug Rescue of New England is totally into being part of the phenomenon, and my friends at Green Mountain Pug Rescue too.
Stay well Pug, and pug love to Dutch!
(by the way, I heard some great news about Payton!) - November 12, 2011 at 2:22 PM
- Salty McSalterson said...
Love it!!
- November 12, 2011 at 6:12 PM
- Salty McSalterson said...
love it!
- November 12, 2011 at 6:12 PM
- BadAnnie said...
You poor baby! You look so uncomfortable in the picture - but hey, you're a star!!
Annie (hu-mom) Rocky the TX Pug, and Lola the Meanie Weenie Chihuahua - November 13, 2011 at 1:54 AM
- Infinitie said...
Great idea Puglet! I love their severe. Glad you are feeling better!
- November 13, 2011 at 4:50 AM
Ah, Puglet we love all of your pictures, Grand Canyon or not! You should see the photos my Mum takes of me - very embarrassing.
I just went for a walk wearing a sweater which makes me look like Miss Piggy - I take it with a certain laissez-faire.
We like the book, but should the Randomizer pick us (we never ever win anything at all), then we would like to donate the book to a pug rescue organisation of your choice.
We hope you are doing better,
Love from Berlin
Carlos Santana and Marieluise - November 13, 2011 at 10:09 AM
- Ollie said...
That poor lab...I'm laughing on the outside and cringing on the inside. How can that guy ever show his face at the dog park again?
P.S. Tell Dutch I sent a (late) reply to his email a few days ago. My human makes a crappy and forgetful assistant who doesn't keep up with my correspondance. Which is why I plan on keeping her as unpaid intern even though she keeps asking for a raise. With her poor performance review? As if!
Thank you for the tasties. Completely unexpected (and unnecessary) but much appreciated by my belly :) - November 13, 2011 at 11:21 AM
- pugsx4 said...
Pug, your big brown eyes suck me in every time.
Love you. - November 13, 2011 at 12:36 PM
Ok, first...you are totally awesome Puglet.
Second...I think ramdomizer should pick me because I live in Oklahoma which is the center of all things awkward.
Just sayin'
Kris in Oklahoma - November 13, 2011 at 2:44 PM
- House-O-Pugs said...
any book about pictures of Pets with their People is definately worth reading!
Uff-Da, Pugsly, Rufus, and Angus - November 13, 2011 at 6:12 PM
- Andrea @ This Pug Life said...
Love that site!
- November 13, 2011 at 8:50 PM
- Salinger The Pug said...
Dude...mom LOL'd at that pic and said it looks like you're "being born"!
She's stooopid!
We LOOOOVE the Awkward website! SO funny (and good to know that there are other crazy people out there!)
S-Dog - November 14, 2011 at 4:40 AM


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Pete Brown, co-writer of 'Sunshine of Your Love,' 'White Room' for rock group Cream, dies at 82
May 20, 2023, 12:14 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 9:06 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Songwriter and poet Pete Brown, who co-wrote "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room" for the short-lived rock supergroup Cream in the 1960s, has died. He was 82.
The London-based Brown died of cancer late Friday, according to a post on his Facebook page.
A poet who worked in the same circles as Allen Ginsberg and Spike Milligan, Brown was asked by drummer Ginger Baker to help write songs for Cream, a band he had formed with guitarist Eric Clapton and bass player Jack Bruce.
He also helped write the group's song "I Feel Free," and formed a songwriting partnership with Bruce after Cream broke up that lasted more than four decades.
___ This story has been edited to correct the name of the song "I Feel Free."


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The most common cause of difficulties in downloading YouTube videos comes from accessing the secure https version of YouTube as opposed to the regular http version of the site. RMC5 will not download secure streams. Try visiting http://www.youtube.com. If the http switches back to https, please use the troubleshooter linked-to below.
A secondary cause of trouble comes with newer high speed internet connections and Internet Protocol Version 6 being used. Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) needs to be turned off - it will not affect your connection speed.
Here is our online troubleshooter for identifying and addressing these problems:


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Christmas Tree Facts
November 9, 2009 by Whitetail Acres Tree Farm
Filed under Christmas Tree Facts
* There are approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas Trees sold in the U.S. every year.
* There are close to 350 million Real Christmas Trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers. Real Christmas Trees are grown on farms
* North American Real Christmas Trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. Eighty percent (80%) of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
* Real Trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins such as lead.
* There are more than 4,000 local Christmas Tree recycling programs throughout the United States.
* For every Real Christmas Tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring.
* There are about 350,000 acres in production for growing Christmas Trees in the U.S.; much of it preserving green space.
* There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas Trees in the U.S., and over 100,000 people are employed full or part-time in the industry.
* It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6 – 7 feet) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years.
* The top Christmas Tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington. (See a complete list of all 50 states ranked by several variables.)
* The most common Christmas Tree species are: balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine and white pine.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) and your local Christmas Tree professional.


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Consumer Spending Up 8.2%, Partly Erasing Record Plunge
[Ensure you have all the info you need in these unprecedented times. Subscribe now.]
WASHINGTON — American consumers increased their spending by a record 8.2% in May, partly erasing record plunges the previous two months, against the backdrop of an economy that's likely shrinking by its steepest pace on record this quarter.
Last month's rebound in consumer spending followed spending drops of 6.6% in March and 12.6% in April, when the viral pandemic shuttered businesses, forced millions of layoffs and sent the economy into a recession. Since then, many businesses have reopened, drawing consumers back into shops and restaurants and restoring some lost jobs.
The June 26 Commerce Department report showed that Americans stepped up their spending in May despite a 4.2% decline in personal income, which had soared by 10.8% the previous month. Income had jumped in April on the strength of billions of dollars in support through government payments in the form of unemployment aid as well as one-time $1,200 stimulus checks. In May, those stimulus checks were no longer counted as income for most people.
Besides whatever unemployment aid states are providing to the 30 million jobless Americans, the federal government is providing $600 a week in additional benefits. The federal money has pumped nearly $20 billion a week into the economy and enabled many of the unemployed to stay afloat. But the $600-a-week in aid will expire after July, and Trump administration officials have said they oppose an extension.
Without the stimulus checks or an extension of unemployment aid, it's unclear whether consumers will keep spending freely. In testimony to Congress last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said he thought lawmakers should consider providing some form of extended unemployment benefits beyond their typical six-month period, on the assumption that joblessness will likely still be quite high by year's end.
A shopper wears a mask while pushing a grocery cart in Houston on June 25. (David J. Phillip/Associated Press)
Last month's rise in consumer spending also coincides with a sudden surge in coronavirus cases that's forcing states and businesses to consider scaling back or even reversing the reopenings. If an escalation of the pandemic does force another round of widespread business shutdowns, fewer people would shop, travel, eat out or attend large events. That would reverse any rebound in spending and would further weaken the economy.
Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for about 70% of economic activity. Despite the increased spending in May, economists have estimated that the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, is contracting at a roughly 30% annual rate in the April-June quarter after shrinking at a 5% rate in the January-March period. That would be, by far, the worst U.S. quarterly contraction since record-keeping began in 1948.
Economists cautioned against reading much into last month's surge in consumer spending. They noted that the increase followed two record declines and that it still left spending 11% below its pace before the pandemic hit.
"Amid rapidly rising infections across many states, risks to the outlook are dangerously tilted to the downside," Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said in a research note.
The June 26 report showed that among the categories for which consumers ramped up spending in May, the sharpest increase — a 29% jump — was for durable goods such as autos. Spending on a category called nondurable goods, which includes food and clothing, rose nearly 8%. And spending on services — everything from cellphone contracts to hospital visits — rose more than 5%.
Inflation, as measured by a gauge tied to consumer spending, edged up a scant 0.1% in May, the report showed. Inflation over the past year is just 0.5%, far below the Fed's annual 2% target.
In February, the economy fell into a deep recession, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the association of economists that is the official arbiter of recessions in the United States. Most analysts expect the economy to rebound in the second half of this year before potentially regaining its pre-pandemic level in late 2021 at the earliest.
The Trump administration is predicting a relatively fast and robust economic rebound starting this summer. Most private economists are far less optimistic. And they warn that if the pandemic intensifies and forces a second round of business closures, it would set the job market and the economy even further back. The damage could be dire.
One hopeful sign, in the meantime, comes from data compiled from Chase Bank credit and debit cards. It shows that consumers have gradually but consistently increased their spending since the government distributed the stimulus checks in mid-April.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing:
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Use of solar energy- design and construct solar cookers, solar panels, etc.
Energy is an inseparable part of our lives. Energy provides for our basic survival and gives shape to our aspirations and dreams. Our resources of energy, like fossil fuel reserves and natural gas, are decreasing day by day; while at the same time, the demand for energy in our country and across the globe is increasing. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand, develop and explore other forms of energy resources.
Project description
This project investigates different ways of collecting solar energy. During this project you will design and build and test a solar cooker. See how hot it gets and how fast it warms up.
Details of this project
More details or support for this project is available for the members of
web site. Material needed for experiment or a science kit about this title may be available at MiniScience.com.


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LMC Speed Championship Scores after round 8
The Championship Scores up to Round 8 at Blyton are now available to view or download and can be accessed by clicking on the following link;
2019 Speed Championship Scores after round 8
Please let me know as soon as possible if there are any mistakes or if I have inadvertently missed you.
Please also check that if you qualify for the Classic Championship your results have been included.
It would help greatly if you declare to event organisers that you are registered in the Liverpool Motor Club Speed Championship as it makes it easier for me to find you. If the event is also an ANWCC or SD34 round, don't forget to declare that you are a member of LMC as well as any other club you are a member of because the club will then receive points in the ANWCC &/or SD34 Club Championships.
Ron Hunt – Championship co-ordinator
Post a comment


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All businesses and organisations will typically need some form of software during their lifecycle. The types of software utilised by most companies range from applications that will enable better management of key organisational functions – Human Resources, Finances and Accounts, inventory and stock and even running projects, to more specific items of software that have a key purpose such as Content Management Software for use on company websites. Although these software applications can be purchased "off the shelf", there are many business benefits that can be associated with choosing custom software development.
Custom Software Development is created for you
Developing custom software is a bespoke, made to measure process, which means that any applications and software programmes created as a result of the process will be entirely made for your company and its individual needs and requirements. Basically, a piece of custom made software is flexible and has the potential to fulfil your specifications meaning that it is easy to use and can be deployed throughout your entire organisation. Instead of having to make do with a ready made software programme or application, with customised software you can be sure that what you will receive will be entirely fit for purpose. There are also significant financial benefits that can be associated with custom made software despite it costing a little more to purchase than off the shelf packages. Software applications that have been made for you don't require any licence fees, so you can distribute them across your entire organisation without needing to pay extra.
Custom Software Developers will work with your Company
When creating software designed for your company, custom software developers will design and code it to integrate properly within your organisation. The software won't just help you achieve what you need it to achieve, it will be rich in features and tools that will make it usable by the people who will be operating it. With a piece of custom software all the requirements of your company will be considered, and developers will meet these both in the way that they develop the software and the after care that they provide properly. Although some training and support is available with off the shelf software to a certain extent, with custom made software your developers will continue to work with and support your company whether that's through training staff members in the use of the software or providing maintenance and technical help to remedy any errors that might occur in the software.
Customised Software is Safe and Secure
The ready made software packages available to businesses and organisations today are certainly a lot more secure than the ones that have been developed in previous years, however they don't compare to the security levels of customised software. Because customised software has been created for your company it will only be usable by individuals in your company. When you purchase custom software you will be given administrator rights to the software ensuring that you can change and alter user profiles and passwords to be in accordance with your own internal data protection policies. Customised software used on the web is also a lot harder to hack than standard, off the shelf software, and you can be sure that a reputable custom software developer will work hard to keep your application or programme and the data it contains as safe and secure as possible.
Customised Software is Adaptable
Ready made software is designed to be adaptable and flexible, meeting your company's needs and requirements both now and in the future. Even if you need a few different software programmes to accomplish organisational tasks, a custom developer will be able to integrate the different processes that you need into a single, usable application. Custom software is also much more likely to be cross-platform suitable, so you can be sure that when your company goes mobile you have the software that will support it.


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An anthology of 320 poems. Discover Chinese poetry in its golden age and some of the greatest Chinese poets. Tr. by Bynner (en).
Wang Wei
Looking Down in a Spring-rain on the Course
from Fairy-mountain Palace to the Pavilion of
Increase Harmonizing the Emperor's Poem
Round a turn of the Qin Fortress winds the Wei River,
And Yellow Mountain foot-hills enclose the Court of China;
Past the South Gate willows comes the Car of Many Bells
On the upper Palace-Garden Road-a solid length of blossom;
A Forbidden City roof holds two phoenixes in cloud;
The foliage of spring shelters multitudes from rain;
And now, when the heavens are propitious for action,
Here is our Emperor ready-no wasteful wanderer.
Bynner 179
300 Tang poems – Tang Shi VI. 1. (179) – Chinese on/off – Français/English
Alias Tang Shi San Bai Shou, Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty, Poésie des Thang.
The Book of Odes, The Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Three-characters book, The Book of Changes, The Way and its Power, 300 Tang Poems, The Art of War, Thirty-Six Strategies
Welcome, help, notes, introduction, table.
Index – Contact – Top


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Limited Edition Ultra Crenshaw Crewneck - Burgundy/White
- Limited edition "Ultra Crenshaw" Crewneck
A classic reimagined with the best materials in mind. The cut & sew sweaters are 20 ounces of 100% cotton, featuring tackle twill embroidery, satin stitching & custom woven labels. Each limited edition sweater comes in an exclusive Crenshaw box, lined with a collage of images chronicling the brand's history


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Busy Days
I know everyone hates it when bloggers come back after some time away and say "I've been gone so long! I'm so sorry! Wow, I've been so busy! I need to get things rolling again!" so I won't 🙂 (but it's true!).
We haven't actually been so much busy as we have been contaminated with plague.
Someone who may or may not work at Mike's place of business may or may not have decided to head into work sick a couple of weeks ago, and it's ripped through our household like wildfire. We've had two separate rounds of antibiotics, prescriptions for coughs and sore throats, and as many over-the-counter pills available for sneezing and runny noses. And we've been dealing with this alongside a pretty sick 13-year-old dog as well.
In other words, it's been loads of fun around here.
Anyway, I had meant to do this week's Tuesdays with Dorie (brownies!) but just didn't have the stamina to stay upright in the kitchen over the weekend, so I had to give it a pass.
And today has taken any energy I've had in reserve since it's my oldest daughter's 14th birthday. It's been a caffeine-filled day as I've not only been baking for Thanksgiving tomorrow, but juggling the above birthday cake and birthday preparations as well.
Can you tell what she (we) is currently into? It's an interest I am trying to encourage since I've wondered if any of the girls would be bitten with the science fiction bug (they all have!). The cake was heavily inspired by this picture, and as you can see I've got a little bit of temporal distortion happening along the bottom there. That blue is strong willed.
Anyway, I just made a basic old pumpkin pie alongside the cake (but I did get my spiced pumpkin cheesecake fix a couple of weeks ago),
And we've got the turkey prepped and ready to be lowered into some Alton Brown brine,
And tomorrow I get to wrestle with stuffing, potatoes and all the rest of it.
I hope all my American friends have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!


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News -
Europe's frayed ends: Understanding the challenges of 21st century burnout
The effects of burnout on workers can be severe; without detection and proper treatment burnout symptoms can last several years – impacting not just the health of individual workers, but also business success and broader economic performance. However, a lack of clear definition and understanding of burnout has resulted in a disparate and fragmented policy response at national level, with those affected experiencing varying levels of support in different parts of Europe.
The new Burnout in the workplace report draws on research by Eurofound's Network of Correspondents to look at the extent burnout is experienced by workers in the EU, based on national research, and mapping where it is a considered a medical or occupational disease. It examines the work determinants associated with burnout and the effects of burnout, including psychosocial and physical work factors, work intensity and work organisation. The report also reviews national strategies and policies, the involvement of the social partners in the current debate, and preventive actions already in place.
Psychosocial risks such as heavy workload, long working hours and overtime undoubtedly trigger burnout. There are also risks linked to conflicts of ethics and values, role conflicts, low career prospects and low justice at work: a form of job insecurity whereby individuals no longer think they belong and make a difference in their company, but believe that their employer sees them as a tool.
Commenting upon release of the report, Eurofound Senior Research Manager Agnès Parent Thirion emphasised that exposure to high levels of risk for a long period will inevitably increase the possibility of burnout: "The way that we work can be adapted and organised in a different and better manner," she said "instead of reacting after increases in workers experiencing difficulties, there should be more focus on prevention and combating some of the ill-effects of work - this should be the collective focus."
Burnout has numerous health implications and is directly associated with insomnia and inability to recover; this affects the quality of life of sufferers, and results in more frequent absence and sick leave from work, as well as higher staff turnover. Ultimately, severe burnout can lead to long-term disengagement and inability to work, with costs and effects that extend well beyond the individual.
Difficulties in terms of medical classification of the condition - whether it is a syndrome or disease, a condition in its own right, or a sub-classification of another issue - are reflected in not just in the various policy responses, but even the way the condition is referred to in various languages throughout Europe. As a policy topic, burnout can be found under a variety of headings, such as mental health at work, stress and excessive working hours, or as an occupational safety and health issue.
Burnout and health issues relating to vital fatigue are long-standing and this new publication does not attempt to solve the issue, rather it places the condition in a modern work context and highlights areas where a common approach can help to more effectively address the issue.


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Newlywed Kane Brown Now Has a Tattoo of His Wife's Name — See the Pic!
Kane Brown is officially a married man, and he wants everyone to know he's committed. The "Lose It" singer has gone a step beyond simply wearing a wedding band and tattooed his new wife's name right on his hand.
Katelyn's name is inked in cursive handwriting below his right thumb, a snap from Brown's Instagram Story shows. The couple — who married on Friday, Oct. 12, in Tennessee —said their vows in front of 200 friends and family, with Jae's brothers and Brown's guitarist Alex Anthony serving in the wedding party, according to People.
These Cute Country Couples Are #Goals:
The couple opted to exchange traditional vows, choosing to send each other private letters with more personal thoughts earlier in the day. They married at Mint Springs Farm in Franklin and reveal the vibe they were going for was "enchanted forest," with green and fall colors.
"We wanted something here in Nashville and loved the idea of having it at home and not traveling since we are on the road so much," the newlyweds explain of the wedding and reception venue. "It's not too rural but has so many elements of nature — a huge lake, rolling hills, trees. It's just beautiful out there."
Brown and his new bride will enjoy a relaxing month-long honeymoon ahead of the release of his sophomore album, Experiment, out on Nov. 9. He told Taste of Country in September that he would actually take three months off for wedding festivities and to focus on being a new husband. In January, he'll launch his first-ever arena-headlining tour, with Granger Smith, RaeLynn, Danielle Bradbery and Jimmie Allen along for the ride on select dates.
You've Never Seen "Up Down" Singer Morgan Wallen Like This:


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'The Croods 2' Returns With Long-Awaited First Trailer
After a series of lengthy production delays, The Croods: A New Age is officially headed for a November release. Universal Pictures released a new trailer for the sequel, which follows the Crood family as they face their biggest threat yet — a more evolved family called the Bettermans. Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds return for the movie, which comes seven years after the first. Watch the action-packed trailer below:
When the Croods finally left their cave in the first movie, they had no clue what to expect from the prehistoric wilderness. As they set off to find a place to call home, they stumble upon a bountiful garden unlike anything they've ever encountered. The garden is home to the Bettermans, consisting of Hope (Leslie Mann), Phil (Peter Dinklage) and teenage Dawn (Kelly Marie-Tran). The Croods move in with the Bettermans in hopes of a peaceful existence, but soon learn just how much their respective lifestyles clash.
The road to The Croods 2's release has been rocky. The movie was flat out cancelled when Universal Pictures acquired DreamWorks Animation back in 2016. After some reimagining, however, the sequel was revived and moved to the production phase. The young fans of the first Croods are significantly older now, but there's never a shortage of kids to get excited about a bold, colorful animated movie. Just look at Trolls World Tour.
The Croods: A New Age will be released on November 25. Considering the current state of movie theaters, it wouldn't be a shock if Universal placed the sequel on Premium VOD shortly after.
Gallery — The Scariest Kids Movies of All Time: