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j 6 MTV and the ms 1^1 MARC mm 1 LaFOUNTAIN TechnobabWe O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers and To Harding. In the real world we have numerous court es populated with a colorful cast of characters to kee entertained. On the Internet, we have MTV Netwi vs. Adam Curry. The legal battle between MTV and its former vi jockey seems destined to be one of those events t down in Net lore. The case isn't important becauf the money at stake, but because it has made users tl about what constitutes proper and improper use ol Internet. It all started one day as Adam Curry was drivir work to tape the MTV Top 20 Video Countdown. He been oDeratine an Internet site at MTV that alio users to send to the station e-mail, get on-line music r and a variety of other things. It was one of the most ular sites on the Net, even winning awards. But v Curry was driving along, he decided he wanted m He wanted to get into the commercial Net business time. I would like to say that Curry did the mature tl and went privately to his bosses at MTV to tell tl about his plans to resign. Actually, he decided to bit more melodramatic. He taped the countdown day, and with no prior warning, announced his resi tion just before revealing the number one video. N less to say, the MTV execs were stunned, and the < ing room got busy editing out Curry's announces So, Curry left MTV and made plans to start his i pany, On Ramp, Inc. On Ramp's purpose is to help 1 nesses get services and information on the Internet ry planned to take the Internet address he had beei ing for the MTV site (mtv.com) as On Ramp's add1 Predictably, MTV wasn't too happy that Curry ha< cided to "free his mind" with its Net address. The company hit Curry with a lawsuit deman he return control of the address to it. Even the mtv.com was registered to Curry, the network said "MTV" was its registered trademark and that C couldn't use it on the Net. It also claimed Curry placed information that was the property of MTV oi Net site without permission. Curry felt that his work on the site and the fact he had registered it made mtv.com his. He also sail network had asked him to put its material on the So, in die spirit of the *90s, Curry counter sued MT $5 million in damages and grief he said the network caused him, his family and On Ramp. Until the lawsuits are resolved, Curry will mail control of mtv.com. However, he can't offer any ser there. Instead he and On Ramp have opened up elsewhere, and visitors to mtv.com are referred t< new site. If you want to visit On Ramp, you can go or ftp to metaverse.com. The best way to visit is t< world wide web at http://metaver8e.com. The new site is still one of the more popular 01 nil^TANS! 'S :JS> i pnvillinn Ayr?-? 519 Maetina si /r? CUjj Igt&ljjFive Points W. Columbia j / COUDOfl FSSpSik Outspokln' Location (across from McOor^W's) 10/31/ | (PinK tnwowg Denina bcnera urugs; rw?-?iuu ^3&254-9100 Moo-Thurs 9-9 Fri 9-8 Sat 10-4 Sun 1-4 Contribute \Md WE HA\ WUSCfm needs ^ Radio Theatre - a A great opportunii and get invol information con i 9 * ??CAwfiwAi" iking of a cybermall 'Jot Net and has attracted big business. You may have heard ________ the AT&T "youwill.com" commercials on the radio. You can try to win a ride on a new virtual reality simulator if you access the youwill.com site, brought to you by On Ramp, Inc. On Ramp also managed to get in on the Woodstock "94 craze. The Internet is turning out to be a very profitable place for Curry and Co. nya There are some Net users who aren't happy with Curcas ry*s profit-motive. In fact, they hate him to the point of pus creating an entire Net site just to mock him. If you have Drks world wide web access, check out http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/~ta/mtv/main.html. The site is called "empdeo ty.tv.com" and is a hilarious take off on Curry and On o go Ramp. jeof Instead of featuring Adam Curry as the owner of On Ramp, "empty.tv.com" has the fictional "Madam Furry" SOUNE t^ie as the owner of "Off Ramp, Inc." Through Madam Fur- BEN PILLC ry, Curry is portrayed as greedy and self-obsessed. He PAWNSHi ltrto _ 1 _ xi_ _ i___xx ji 1 x xi : 3 _x..i~ 1 X X X1 /. inn is aiso tne dull oi enuiess jun.es uuuui me size tuiu sLjrie *'? we(j of his hair. (If youVe ever seen Curry, youU know what While t iew8 I mean here.) "Empty.tv.com" has the same user sec- cautiously pop. tions and articles as Curry's On Ramp site, only with a pending co\ hile satirical slant. It is the first attempt I have seen at a abuse, Gur l0re. Net parody, and I think it's very well done. Gilby Clar i full There is actually a very serious message behind "emp- f? ^um, tyV madness. The creators of the site believe that Cur- g? [< ling ry and On Ramp are going too far in their efforts to com- W , < hem mercialize the Net. I happen to agree with them. There's bee be a On Ramp has released promotional materials show- |3een ^ayjr that ing how it will lure in customers for its Net clients. This Clarke sa) S113" includes such things as getting the companies' informa- In , e?d- tion on Usenet newsgroups, in e-mail and on other web, concerning gopher and ftp sites. This is all in addition to ads in tele- his own, fi fn ' vision, radio and print. This planned advertising blitz an 11-song, *0I3?~ on the Net angered many, and Curry has toned things thick with qu^_ down a bit feeling am 1 us_ Still, all of this raises the question of whether we re- hoi. ress. ally want the Internet to turn into a global shopping mall. With C 3 dg. I have always liked the Net because most things on it anc* 16 dil have a more noble purpose than monetary gain. There on a^' ding have been commercial services on the Net for some time, th recorc >ugh but they have never been as ambitious or intrusive as e recorc that Gurry seems to want them to be. re urry I hope users and system administrators will remember album out bad that what has made the Internet great are the free com- sound jus i the munications, education and entertainment services it Slash qR \e provides. I am not against commercial services being on dious"Bla that the Net, but I don't want business to dominate it I don't lace-seeki want hundreds of virtual billboards and virtual neon one unders y - ^ signs ruining the landscape along the Information Su- to myself.' ' had P^bighway. Slash l I wanted to discuss this with Adam Curry. I sent him song bracl itain 311 and he responded within hours saying I could a Spanish vices 8end him a list of my questions. That was three weeks bero of th shop ago, and after repeated e-mails, I haven't heard a thing fieer in th . Via frnm fSirrv Mnvhp hft'a t.nn bnsv fivincr his hair. back to I ipher *"?V " vldesash 3 use LaFountain is a journalism junior. His column appears tJe?sister v every Wednesday. He can be e-mailed at lafountaini the marc@scarolina.edu. ! i masks makeup costv amof5 tans must i i AltMY/NAVY S'l ?be purchased y , , 1(}21 ^ STRKET> . 1 glAAlTiiTlllllllllU i to Humanity rENO QUALMS... iCTORS to partake in I I completely new program. ' ty to gain some experience ived!! For more tact Kendra at 777-6576. ^ ii ? I BO Wednesday, October 12,1994 in Henry/ Gilby G; best songs on the albu^ 1AP?1C?6 "Jail Guitar Doors," )W Staff Writer Clarke didnt write besid< )P GUITARS Gilby Clarke ers," features Black on r t of four stars) and backing vocals. Wit] ;he rest of Guns 'n Roses- lows some rare humor i awaits frontman Axl Rose's story of three men's pli art case over alleged spousal way to jail. is 'n Roses rythym guitarist "Hunting Dogs" has ke, quietly put out his own on the record ("Never h Pawnshop Guitars, a record lose/midday coffee blues estores my sanity," in the don't kill their own"), a jsue of the Rolling Stone, mix of acoustic and elt 5n'R could end any minute. "Shut Up" follows with n a lot of tension, and weVe monious melody, to borr lg a lot of problems lately," bel, and gives the albuir re in the magazine. ing. vake of all the uncertainty ? the band's, and consequently *3HH| ature, Clarke has created i lots of references to alco- W J1 k * fte 1 I; ferent musicians credited I am (including Frank Black 'mr^^ other member of G n' R), with an appropriateGn'R it as one might expect with SOUNPAPV1CE ad guitars. "Die slower, melo- STEPHANIE SONNENF ck" follows, in which the so- joHN ||EN?Y They Miqhi mg Clarke proclaims, "No (out ,0Ur stars) stand my hell/I'm a stranger Unfortunately, aft eturns on "Tijuana Jail," a recordings and more t eeted with what sounds like ternational concerts, 1 radio broadcast, and whose Giants is probably just e story stabs a Mexican of- your attention, e throat while trying to get Their fifth release, seas. "Skin and Bones" pro- (yeah, the man who cou ift from the electric guitars chine), is taking the in haunting lyrics (I had a lit- from small-time fame 1 rho could drink up a storm/If toriety via the Top 40. twwwwni | J The Am | imes wigs ? at p|H| pmi I? ? "Mali I VHIJ L| 552-1350 3 f .'?'1T?T1T1T12I 1 Vitami Sood F ss?^ w1g;*2SS??* ^ ill ':- / j arke almost giants she'd be 21). If you know and love They Might d "Johanna's Be Giants, then you'll notice "John 3 Clarke's ten- Herny" shows some of the major trans ng inebriated formations the group has gone through night"). "Let's in the past years. 'Hie band has tradslow pace, but ed its familiar drum sounds for the er mood with sounds of a Benny Goodman big band illiope. type sound?rather, big band with ns to a hard- rock undertones, d Clarke team Along with known Giants, Tony Stones classic, Maimone, John Flansburgh, John Line's raw voice nell and Brian Doherty, former Ordiaitched squeal naries' leader Kurt Hoffman (plays his one of the sax and clarinets and two trumpeteers, a. Frank London and Steven Bernstein, the only song have joined the Giants on this CD. ? "Dead Flow- Like the Giants themselves, the ythym guitars sounds and tones of "John Henry" are ti it, Clarke al- really hard to categorize. "JohnHenas he tells the ry" focuses from ballads to rock to ights on their chanting, which definitely shows off They Might Be Giants' musical talthe best lyrics ents. If you want to experience the ad so much to band's new take on the big band sound, /Hunting dogs check out "Snail Shell", which is the nd has a good first single on the CD. ictric guitars. If you are looking for horns, "Dirti another har- bike" and "Spy" have an awesome dis'?*** O'PU 1? mIait mlmnnrr iirlni 1A a Uw ?uil Oil ia- HACV WI liwin piajruig, yviui^ v/nc 1 a strong end- Knows My Plan" has strong Latin beats. If you're in the mood for a bal lad, "Dirt Bike," despite its name, is I exactly what you should listen to. Dont forget to listen to "Sleeping in the Flowers" for straight-line pop pulses. Unlike big name bands who claim to be over publicized by the media and their groupies, They Might Be Giants has managed to stay away from the trappings of music gluttony. They have a strong following of fans and keep in touch with them. They Might Be Giants have set up a phone number, (718) 387-6962, where fans can call and hear a different They Might Be Giants song everyday. Flansburgh also helps organize a They Might Be ELD Staff writer Giants CD fan club and is Setting up : a program where fans can sample t Be Giants band's songs on Internet. "John Henry", which was recorder 1 on rhmcp e(1at Bearsville studios, where the han 1 000 in Band 311(1 Bob ^lan 3180 recorded alTiey Might Be bums' ,Since now caDturinz mer release of the CD> Mi^lt Be Giants have toured around the coun"John Henry" try playing at radio festivals. Until lri boat the ma- y?U 8et yoUr chance to see them live? 1U Uvflv U1C ilia . * | i . i i //t i novativp band ^ a chance 8? out 811(1 John tobj toe no You mi*ht i" a V tty good surprise. erican Marketing Assosciation presents guest speaker: keting Asdmm Vice President lanagement Systems of Columbia. ^ting Under Adversity" sdnesday, October 12 at 7:00 in L is or You. B ^c?> ^ 888 - s ->,> ggsi f W0P "> Z I niWlliiii