Bizzy’s AM Coffee Biz-Econ-Life Links (062106)

Free Links:

• iTunes movies may be coming — There’s a report that “Apple (is) in Talks to Sell Full-Length Movies Via iTunes.” The hangup appears to be the pricing formula:
  

  Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs is said to want one flat price of $9.99 per movie, whereas studio executives want a range of prices that mirrors videos and DVDs at retail stores which, generally speaking, run from discount titles at a few dollars apiece up to $19.99 or more for new releases.

  I know I’m going to catch heck for this, but just for fun I’ll say it anyway — I support Steve Jobs’ attempts to achieve movie neutrality.

• Horse manure headline of the week — “Big cities reluctant to target illegals” — The translation is “Big cities refuse to carry out their law-enforcement duties.”
• Housing news: Housing starts were up, building permits were down, and neither result should be particularly troubling.
• Another country, Japan, thinks it can make a better search engine. The link questions why governments think they can do better. I find it hard to believe they can in an initial launch, and even if they do, whether could keep it better. I would also be worried that the government would start influencing the objectivity of search results for reasons relating to political correctness, corruption, or both.
• Potentially bad news for pirates and paparazzi –
  

  White light ‘blinds’ film pirates

  A device that could foil movie pirates who covertly record films in cinemas has been developed in the US.

  The prototype is able to locate the position of a digital camera, before overwhelming it with white light to render any recorded images useless.

  The Georgia Institute of Technology team says the invention could also prevent clandestine photography.

• Are these things George Bush’s fault too?
  - In New Orleans, Money Is Ready But a Plan Isn’t
  - Crime Rising, New Orleans Asks for National Guard