Steve's Site

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

I'm very much opposed to both these pieces of legislation (as currently written). Okay, yes, I illegally download a bunch of K-Pop/J-Pop/Asian Pop files on the internet. I also do want to help protect reasonable copyright infringement laws. There's really no easily (reasonably priced) option for U.S. fans of Asian Pop music. If their records were available Statesides, I'd certainly buy some, but for the moment it's not like you're going to find a 2NE1, Girls' Generation, Utada (Hikaru) or Super Junior record in a Walmart store, or even a local record shop. Do I just give up my love affair with Asian Pop music? I think not.

I also was a bit upset when the Feds (the FBI in conjuction with the Justice Dept.) shut down the MegaUpload (MU) file-sharing site the other day. This service was the primary host server used by the vast majority of bloggers that help spread the Hallyu Wave to those of us that simply don't have another source for getting our weekly K-Pop fix. Okay, in the U.S., I can see this action being undertaken, at least until the courts rule on it, but worldwide??? My thought on the U.S. imposing its authority on other countries is that this action is even more illegal than me downloading (technically) copyrighted files off the internet. I say 'technically' because, though I do fully understand that ALL South Korean TV programs have copyright protections, it's not like any of the four major networks make any attempt to complain about the internet sharing of individual K-Pop live music show performances (which is the vast majority of my illegal downloads), or even the full show files (which I seldom bother to download).

I do know that KBS does take exception to the proliferate internet sharing of some of its TV dramas and Entertainment shows, but YouTube and others quickly comply to any DCMA infringement claim by KBS World, Inc. (and immediately remove materials copyright holders request be deleted, and will suspend the accounts of repeat offenders). That's all well and fine by me, as I can see their side of things. But none of the South Korean networks seem to have any objection to folks sharing the live performances from their weekly music shows. It's not like these shows are ever re-aired or recorded for video resale (like many of the TV drama shows are).

There simply has to be a common, middle ground on this issue of copyright infringement/piracy vs. a free internet/censorship. I'd favor allowing websites that could charge a monthly fee for unlimited internet downloads...something along the lines of Netflix/Blockbuster online movie rentals. Perhaps something with the legal licensing of the current host/file sharing sites, bloggers would still upload files (though I'd suggest they do away with free accounts completely) and then the revenues generated would be shared between the file sharing/host service and the copyright holders. If done properly it should also generate more than enough income that a small piece of the pie could be shared with the uploaders (whom actually do most of the hard work), repaying them for their time, effort and expenses.

Imagine....all countries participate...they license the right to the file sharing sites who then share the TV shows, music, movies and whatever has demand with anyone worldwide. The price should be low...something around $10 per month for the right to make unlimited downloads of TV shows from a given country, and say, another $10 for unlimited downloads of music or movie videos from that country (or another country). I'd gladly pay $10 a month to be able to simply have access to all my favorite K-Pop TV music shows. I'm only really into K-Pop music at the moment, but I know there's tons of fans around the world that would pay $10 each month just for unrestricted (and legal) access to their favorite South Korean TV dramas and/or Entertainment shows. I'm sure there would be a decent demand for all entertainment from all countries around the world.

I'm no marketing genius, but I suspect that there'd certainly be plenty of demand for lots of other categories...sports and news came first to my mind. Revenue sharing should work if everyone would just get the heck in the lifeboat. If all nations got on the bandwagon, I'd suspect there would be hundreds of millions of customers worldwide for whatever categories initially made the first cut. Bundle packages could be offered...access to the music (CD/DVD), movies, or access to all a country's TV network shows from, say, three countries for something like $25 a month...10 countries (or categories) for maybe a flat $50/mo. That would actually tempt me...I'd probably pick music from South Korea, Japan and the U.S. for that price (even if I'm now mostly only into K-Pop). I've no doubt that this system would generate hundreds of millions of dollars per month in next to no time and tens of billions of dollars of revenue per year within the first year...more once the marketing geniuses had time to figure it out to perfection.


[EDIT: Well, maybe there still are a few common sense folks in Congress, afterall.]:

Congress withdraws SOPA, PIPA anti-piracy measures
The controversial legislation will be withheld for 'wider agreement'

"Lawmakers on Friday indefinitely postponed anti-piracy legislation that pits Hollywood against Silicon Valley, two days after major Internet companies staged an online protest by blacking out parts of prominent websites."... [full article]:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46072484/ns/technology_and_science-security/

Still, with FileSonic (and its parent, Fileserve) following suit by disabling all file sharing functionality on its website, things are looking bleak:

Some filesharing sites are reining in their services in the aftermath of the recent high-profile shutdown of Megaupload. FileSonic has disabled all file sharing functionality on its website, restricting access so that users may only download their own files.

Megaupload was a popular file locker service that allowed users to upload files and share them with other users. The FBI pulled the plug on the Megaupload website last week when seven of the company’s top personnel were charged with conspiracy. The 72-page indictment claims that Megaupload willfully distributed pirated movies and other copyright-infringing content.

The law enforcement effort against Megaupload, which was carried out in collaboration with authorities from several countries, has raised questions about whether competing services could face a similar fate. Amid the climate of legal ambiguity, various file locker services have responded in different ways.

RapidShare, which is one of the leading file locker providers, told us last week that they aren’t concerned about a raid. According to RapidShare, legitimate hosting providers have nothing to fear—as long as they comply with requests from rights-holders and don’t turn a blind eye to piracy conducted with their service.

FileSonic, which is another leading file locker provider, is apparently approaching the matter differently. The company disabled its sharing services entirely, potentially reducing its exposure to legal risk. The content hosted by FileSonic is no longer generally accessible to download. Users can only download files that they have uploaded themselves.

It’s worth noting that FileSonic, like RapidShare, already has strong procedures in place to combat piracy. FileSonic uses digital fingerprinting technology from a content identification firm called Vobile to detect copyrighted material on its network and prohibit unauthorized sharing.

FileSonic also responds to takedown requests issued under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by removing pirated content and blocking users who repeatedly infringe. The company has a designated DMCA agent and provides instructions for submitting a claim. They also allow individual users to report abuse.

Despite all of these precautions against piracy, FileSonic is going a step further by disabling its sharing functionality in entirety. When a user attempts to access content that is hosted on FileSonic, the site will display a message which explains that sharing has been discontinued and that only the original uploader can access the file. The company has not yet issued a full statement regarding the change in service.

FileSonic’s decision to voluntarily discontinue its sharing services will likely be welcomed by content industry trade groups, who will undoubtedly view it as evidence that the Megaupload shutdown is generating a deterrent effect. In light of FileSonic’s active efforts to comply with the DMCA and proactively police its own network, however, it also raises the question of whether law enforcement activity against Megaupload is having an unintended chilling effect on legitimate hosting services.

Now that MegaUpload has been shut down by the Feds, other file sharing sites (Fileserve, Hotfile, Rapidshare, etc.) are deleting files and blocking USA IP’s. You can check out the status of each site below.

MegaUpload
Closed.

FileServe
Deleting multiple files. Closed affiliate program.

FileJungle
(Owned by FileServe) Deleting multiple files. Testing out blocking some USA IP addresses.

UploadStation
(Owned by FileServe) Deleting multiple files. Testing out blocking some USA IP addresses.

FileSonic
(Owned by Fileserve) Disable file sharing capabilities. Testing out
blocking of USA IP addressess.

VideoBB
Closed affiliate program.

Uploaded
Banned USA IP addresses.

FilePost
Started suspending accounts with infringing material (doing what Hotfile did).

VideoZer
Closed affiliate program.

4shared
Deleting multiple files.


Hopefully, some companies out there will pressure their governments to come up with an sensible and equitable plan that benefits everyone worldwide...the copyright holders, the middlemen and the consumer.

I noted this in my Video post for Kim Yu-Na's 2011 All That Skate Spring performance of "Fever", but felt it deserved more exposure. Kpopella has been following Kim Yuna's new show, 'Kim Yu-Na's Kiss & Cry'. I really love this show. I've been a figure skating fan for over five decades, so this is most certainly a show that's right up my alley. ^_^

In May 2011, Kim Yu-Na began hosting a new television show titled 'Kim Yu-Na’s Kiss and Cry'. The program will portray the challenging process of ten popular entertainers as they learn how to figure skate from professional skaters. The ten stars include comedian Kim Byung-man, singers U-Know of TVXQ [aka Yunho from Dong Bang Shin Ki], Krystal of f(x), IU, Son Dam-bi, actors Park Jun-geum, Seo Ji-suk, Lee Ah-hyun, Jin Ji-hee and speed skater Lee Kyu-hyuk.

Should anyone be interested in checking it out, here's the link to Kpopella's post for this new show:

http://www.kpopella.com/2011/kim-yuna-kiss-cry/

I was very pleased that Kim Yu-Na [aka Kim Yeona] did so well at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics...winning Gold (and, once more in her distinguished ladies ice skating career) in record scoring fashion. She is such a beautiful ice skater. Also, she is a fairly accomplished singer...a career I hope she persues after retiring from ice skating.

Kim Yu-Na
This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.

Kim Yu-Na (Hangul: 김연아, Hanja: 金姸兒, IPA: [kimjʌna], or Kim Yeona/Kim Yuna) (born on September 5, 1990 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do) is a South Korean figure skater and the reigning World and Olympic champion.

She is the 2010 Winter Olympics gold medalist, the 2009 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a three-time (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2009–2010) Grand Prix Final champion, the 2006 World Junior champion, the 2005-2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and a four-time (2002–2005) South Korean national champion.

Kim Yuna is the first South Korean figure skater who has medaled and won at ISU Junior Grand Prix series, the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, ISU Grand Prix series, the ISU Grand Prix Final, the ISU Four Continents Championships, at the ISU World Championships and at the Winter Olympic Games. She is one of the most highly recognized athletes and media figures in South Korea.

Kim is the record holder for ladies in the short program, the free skating and the combined total under the ISU Judging System. Kim is the first female skater to surpass the 200-point mark and also the first female skater to receive +2.20 grade of execution for jumps under the ISU Judging System.

As of February 2010, she is ranked first in the world by the ISU.

2010 Winter Olympics
Kim Yuna competed in the ladies event at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

In the short program on February 23, 2010, she executed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double axel. Her spirals and her spins were all graded a level four. Her technical score of 44.70 points was the highest of the event. She also received superior scores in the program components, where she received 33.80 due to her interpretative artistic skills. As a result Kim scored 78.50 points, taking the lead by 4.72 over Mao Asada of Japan and achieving her personal best score in the short program, while setting a new world record.

On February 25th, 2010, she won the free skate with a score of 150.06 points, 18.34 ahead of Mao Asada, who came in second place in that segment of the competition. Kim landed a triple lutz-triple toe loop, a triple flip, a double axel-double toe loop-double loop, a double axel-triple toe loop, a triple salchow, a triple lutz and a double axel as well as receiving level fours for her spins and her spiral sequence. Combined with her grace and musical expression, both her technical score of 78.30 and her presentation of 71.76 were the highest of the night. She set a new world record for the free skate under the ISU Judging System.

Overall, Kim Yuna totaled 228.56 points, shattering her personal best and own old world record (210.03 points) by a huge margin, placing herself 23.06 points over silver medalist Mao Asada. She won the Gold medal, becoming the first South Korean skater in any figure skating category to win the Olympic Games. She has won every ladies' figure skating competition she has entered in the past two years, except one.

Kim's Gold medal at the ladies' event is South Korea's first medal at the Winter Olympics in an event other than speed skating and short track.

Anyway, in honor of her spectacular Gold medal performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics, I'm posting the two live singing performaces I have for her. One is a duet with Kim Taeyeon from Girls' Generation (of Taeyeon's hauntingly beautiful ballad from the Beethoven Virus OST / 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea) and the other is her solo, post-skating live performance of this same song, "Can Your Hear Me...?" / "Deullinayo...?" at an Angels On Ice appearance by Kim Yu-Na.

If you'd care to know more about Kim Yu-Na, here's a link to her profile at Wikipedia.org:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Yu-Na

I'm usually a firm and unwavering backer of Tiger in all his tournaments, Deb, but today I was openly pulling for Y. E. Yang. Yeah, I know that a win by Woods would have tied him with golf legends Sam Snead and Jack Nickalus with five PGA Championship wins, plus getting him into postion (with 15 majors and 71 overall PGA wins) to overtake Jack Nickalus' records of 18 and 73, respectively, but for the very first time I was compelled to switch my allegience to an underdog. Yang's victory is a huge boost to Asian golfing. With the Olympic Governing Committee recently approving golf as an Olympic sport in 2016, it will be interesting to see how this one victory will impact the emergence of new Asian golfing stars in the next six years.

I don't fret about Tiger surpassing all the most meaningful golfing records...he's certainly young enough...so I felt it might be nice to throw my support behind a player that could have an unprecedented effect upon the youth of his country and the Asian region in general. In a weird way, I think Woods would probably be pleased to know that by losing today, he's likely to have a hugely positive influence on the lives of thousands of teens and youngsters that will now seriously pursue competitive golf as a possible sport/career.

Not that anyone I know will care, but since I've been watching this year's PGA Championship Golf Tournament since it began this week, I wanted to give Y. E. Yang (South Korea) a big congratulations for not only hanging with Tiger Woods today in the final round (they were the final twosome), but upsetting him by three strokes to become the first Asian player to win the PGA Championship (or any major golf title). Just getting to play with Tiger Woods in the final round of a major championship had to be exciting (though Yang has already had one head-to-head, final-round matchup with Woods in a non-major tournament overseas that he also came out on top in). Between his steady play yesterday and the continuation of that outstanding play today (he tied the low round that was shot by the field today), I pretty much ruled out a miracle comeback by Tiger Woods after Y. E. Yang chipped in an eagle putt on the 14th hole today (even though Tiger did make his birdie putt to only fall behind by one stroke). Yang just seemed destined to win from that point. I'm usually a believer that it's not over until it's over (especially where Tiger Woods is concerned), but even yesterday I had the feeling that it was Yang's tournament to win when he moved ahead of the rest of the field to qualify to play in the final pairing with Woods today and Tiger was simply going to have to settle for second place, despite his (then) two stroke lead.

PGA Championship 2009
Major upset: Yang's chip-in for eagle helps South Korean become first Asian player to win a major, as he beats Woods for PGA title

CHASKA, Minn. - In a year of spoilers at the majors, Y.E. Yang was the biggest of all.

He toppled the mighty Tiger Woods.

Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a major Sunday with a stunning performance in the PGA Championship, memorable as much for his clutch shots as the player he beat.

Woods was 14-0 when he went into the final round of a major atop the leaderboard. He had not lost any tournament around the world in nine years when leading by two shots.

None of that mattered to Yang, a 37-year-old South Korean who hit the shots everyone expected from Woods. Leading by one on the final hole, Yang slayed golf’s giant with a hybrid 3-iron that cleared the bunker and settled 12 feet from the cup.

Yang made the birdie to close with a 2-under 70, giving him a three-shot victory when Woods missed yet another par putt and shot 75.

It was the second time Woods has finished runner-up in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine, both times to a surprise winner. Seven years ago, Woods birdied the last four holes and came up one short of Rich Beem.

Yang was No. 110 in the world, his only victory on the PGA Tour coming in March at the Honda Classic on a course across the street from headquarters of the PGA of America. He was best known for holding off Woods at the HSBC Champions in China three years ago.

Asianload...My comment did not indicate that the AsianLoad.com forum boards had ever been deleted (that comment was, with sorrow and sadness, aimed at the old Solid07.net forums). Nonetheless, I reworded my comment a bit, adding a little more separation between the mention of both sites in the same sentence, while also emphasizing that I am still a member of AsianLoad.com forums (I have been for a few years which is why I've linked my site to your site).

Thank you for that nice present. I can upgrade a few albums/singles to a higher quality and add a few I don't even have yet.

Thanks Steve!
Can you please e mail me?
Deb

and After School & Baby Vox too..hehe

Thanks for all the links Steve!

Hi Steve, I was able to read the threads at the Lounge today but every time I tried to post the "can't find page" popped up. Hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow. You've been busy with Christmas music lol! Thanks :)