Saturday, November 24, 2007

Red Hot Chili Peppers Sue Showtime over TV Show Name



The rock band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, have just sued Showtime for calling their David Duchovny show "Californication."

When I first started watching the show, I was reminded of the Peppers' project by the same title which came out in 1999.

Now, since the Peppers' album came out in 1999 and the Duchovny show was produced and aired in 2007 one could perhaps assume that the first user of the term needs to be the 'sole' user. At least, that's how I'm understanding the Peppers' current annoyance over the use of 'californication.'

At the same time, however, the rock band was not the first one to use the term "Californication."

As per the show's executive producing team, there used to be bumper stickers in the '70's with the logo 'Don't Californicate Oregon,' because Californians were moving up North to Oregon.

Ergo, there is pre-Peppers use of the lexeme.

Let's see how the judge will settle this one.



graphs per wikipedia

iTunes at Starbucks



I think Apple's ads are generally smart but their blurb on the new Starbucks/iTunes alliance is not selling anything to me.

Here is the official Apple ad:

What’s That song?

'Say you’re in line at Starbucks. You hear this amazing song wafting from the speakers. You gotta have it. Now. Tap the iTunes button on your iPhone or iPod touch, tap the Starbucks button, and voilà: You see the current song, the last 10 songs played, and featured Starbucks Collections. Preview, buy, and download whatever you like, right then and there. Or, if you’re sipping away with your laptop, buy what’s playing — exclusively on iTunes.'

Hm.
Well, if you are a loyal Starbuckian, you know that you can easily get music info without constantly checking the cornucopia of Apple gadgets you might have on you. You could easily spill your Macchiato on them and voilà, you need replacements. It's more convenient to focus only on the extra hot drink while standing. As far as the background music is concerned, well, all you need to do is ask you favorite barista to go in the back and check the player for you.
No need to do everything solo. Rely on the village once in a while. It also likes interaction.



graphs per Apple