Napster wasn't the first way to find music on the internet.  Usenet and IRC had been around for years.  However, both of those solutions required a bit of tech-know-how to use and were not accessible to the mainstream user.  Enter Napster.  A clean, easy to understand interface and instant access for millions of people (many of them college students) to begin sharing and downloading music was born.

Along came Metallica and the RIAA.

Sure, they weren't the only ones, but they became the most vocal.  Lawsuits ensued, the service was shut down, the RIAA declared victory and then realized that, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi, "If you strike [it] down, [it] shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Image from Viewimages.com

I became a fan of Vonda Shepard]]>http://terpfan1980.joeuser.com/article/311331http://terpfan1980.joeuser.com/article/311331Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06Locamamahttp://locamama.joeuser.com/article/311295http://locamama.joeuser.com/article/311295http://locamama.joeuser.com/article/311295Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06ParaTed2khttp://parated2k.joeuser.com/article/311256http://parated2k.joeuser.com/article/311256http://parated2k.joeuser.com/article/311256Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06ASaxyGirlhttp://barisaxy.joeuser.com/article/311274

In light of the recent goings on within JU, it seems rather appropriate I would stumble across this article from CNN.com/Living titled, Your blog can be group therapy.

The first blogger in the story stated she would commit suicide after 90 days of writing about her life. What would you do if one morning while sipping your coffee and reading what's new on JU you were to come across such an article?


The stories on JU ...]]>http://barisaxy.joeuser.com/article/311274http://barisaxy.joeuser.com/article/311274Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06Zoombahttp://zoomba.joeuser.com/article/311144
But, just between you and me?  Complete BS. 

As some of you may know, today's Angie's birthday, so as a gift the company bought her a new car... ...]]>http://zoomba.joeuser.com/article/311144http://zoomba.joeuser.com/article/311144Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06Locamamahttp://locamama.joeuser.com/article/311104http://locamama.joeuser.com/article/311104http://locamama.joeuser.com/article/311104Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06Phazon88http://phazon.joeuser.com/article/310962
The World in Conflict mod kit. Its what makes it all happen. Since it was a while since I last worked on my mod, I decided to conduct a reevaluation of things and ideas I had i...]]>http://phazon.joeuser.com/article/310962http://phazon.joeuser.com/article/310962Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06jesseledesmahttp://jesseledesma.joeuser.com/article/311042
Well this can happen if no one does anything.  I learned to day that 435 House districts and 33 Senate districts will be h...]]>http://jesseledesma.joeuser.com/article/311042http://jesseledesma.joeuser.com/article/311042Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06SanChoninohttp://sanchonino.joeuser.com/article/310978
But seriously.  So after hearing all about Twitter for all these months, I finally signed up.  And you know what?  It'll be cooler once I'm back in the states and have a phone plan I can afford, because I'll be posting from my mobile phone.

Yeah, Twitter is tacky, but it's also rather fun.  I mean, stupid and tacky fun, but fun nonetheless.  Yet while most of the twits I follow are known in the Stardock family of sites, they're alm...]]>http://sanchonino.joeuser.com/article/310978http://sanchonino.joeuser.com/article/310978Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06Harry_Shttp://harrys.joeuser.com/article/311020
Let's look at the big picture. The state highways are the big reciepent of most of these funds and one governor has said that his state, and it is a sparcely populated one, would lose approximately 60 million dollars just du...]]>http://harrys.joeuser.com/article/311020http://harrys.joeuser.com/article/311020Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06Draginolhttp://draginol.joeuser.com/article/310691
Over the years, I've seen a lot of programs, companies, and ideas come and go.  On the software side, there's been great programs like eFX and Chroma (to name two) along with the ubiquitous WindowBlinds.  On the content side, there'...]]>http://draginol.joeuser.com/article/310691http://draginol.joeuser.com/article/310691Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06foreverserenityhttp://wellness-serenity.joeuser.com/article/310641 

In light of the uproar over Miley Cyrus' "scandalous" photograph ,[http://forums.joeuser.com/310120/page/1/#1719278], so vastly overrated!   I’m all for protecting our children and I am not certainly in favor of them being forced to grow up before their time.  In other words, doing or getting involved in anything that is not for them because they are too young and don’t need to be involved with anything that would be bad for them!

Braeden, aka Sancho Nino made a comment on the blog that I wrote regarding the scandal, it was an interesting and enlightening response which made me go ‘hmmm..”  and gave me more food for thought.

 ]]>http://wellness-serenity.joeuser.com/article/310641http://wellness-serenity.joeuser.com/article/310641Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06greywarhttp://greywar.joeuser.com/article/310607

     Firstly, costs are fungible. Whether these costs are material inputs, labor, or taxes makes no difference as all are equally redistributed not to the business itself but rather to the consumers who bu...]]>http://greywar.joeuser.com/article/310607http://greywar.joeuser.com/article/310607Sat, 10 May 2008 16:39:06 -04002008-05-10T20:39:06