With all the recent merger frenzy, it’s become obvious that the corporate types have finally clued in to the Internet, e-biz and e-commerce. Yet to their horror, they realize that while fabulous opportunities exist on-line, a Pandora’s box of challenges has also emerged. In particular, it seems that they can no longer control the
distribution of their products.

I’d hazard a guess that given the flurry of recent lawsuits, some media moguls have decided that the only way to deal with the Internet is to sue anyone and everyone who is challenging their business models.

The music industry has been busy suing various groups involved with MP3, the music format that makes it easy to distribute digital forms of music. The movie, television and entertainment industries are busy suing Toronto-based on-line broadcaster, charging it with “brazen theft.”

There are new lawsuits against computer geeks who have managed to figure out how to get around the copy protection scheme found on DVD-ROMs, which is arguably the hottest new entertainment technology on the planet.

Things are getting nasty: Just the other day, a 16-year-old Norwegian kid who figured out the mathematical equations behind the DVD code found the police banging at his door.

A battle royal is under way, and it’s fascinating entertainment. On one side, we have the entertainment companies, finally ready to take advantage of the opportunities of the wired world, and ready to use lawyers to defend their turf.

On the other side, there’s a ragtag army of computer geeks, bound by the global reach of the Internet, and impassioned by their collective distaste for anything that puts constraints on how they might use their computers.

I don’t know about you, but my money is on the geeks.

Regardless of the deep, troubling and complex issues at work here, the reality is that the folks who control the computer code will be the ones who will control the future. Any attempts to prevent the distribution of information by legal means in this digital world — whether it be music, movies or television signals — will ultimately be doomed to failure.

To understand why, you need to immerse yourself in the mindset of the technical community, instead of simply pondering the press releases from the other side.

One of the best starting points is to visit Slashdot — it uses the tag line “News For Nerds. Stuff that Matters.” It’s a geek perspective on the issues of the day, including the many legal battles. (Investors take note: It is probably also the best place to understand new technologies before they come out. The entire
Slashdot community knew what Transmeta was up to before any public announcement was made.)

Often weird, slightly adolescent, extremely irreverent and often not understandable, it is still a goldmine of information as to how the Internet of the future will shape up.

There are countless other sites similar to SlashDot. Techdirt is but another example of these on-line communities.

You come to realize that all these lawsuits are viewed as nothing more than an amusing challenge to the geek community. The on-line mindset, when confronted by a legal letter or restrictive computer code, is to play a version of a popular quiz TV show. “I can crack that secret code in three steps, Alex,” goes the response to the
challenge.

Instant communities, such as OpenDVD , are emerging in which the geeks passionately defend their right to open up technology or share information — and where they counter the PR spin from the corporate or entertainment world. This community often acts in bad taste, poking fun at the futility of lawsuits in the digital age. I just visited a Web site and bought a T-shirt that contains the entire secret DVD code printed on the back. What chance does Hollywood have in this battle, when its crown jewels are protected by a mathematical equations that can be printed on the back of a T-shirt once the geek community has figured it out?

A hungry shopper in a supermarket is like Indiana Jones stranded in the middle of the desert without food or water. Temptation lurks around the corner of every aisle. At first you may say to yourself, “I’m strong, I can resist all this temptation.” Then, when you’re feeling confident in your ability to stick to your shopping list, you turn the corner and bump into the nice lady giving away “free” samples of Mr. Cheese’s Cheesy Pizza. A small piece won’t hurt, after all it’s not like you’re going to buy a pizza and eat it right there. So, you politely take a piece and scamper down the aisle, past the frozen foods and the soft drinks. And just as you’re feeling good about not buying a pizza you turn the next corner, and guess who? Another sweet lady with her toaster oven baking up a storm offers you a Mrs. Chips chocolate pecan cookie. You feel like melted butter and simply can’t resist buying the delicious cookies. Just when you think you’re just about through every aisle, right by the dairy section where you go to get your low-fat yogurt sits the nice HAAGEN DAZS lady. At this point all restraint is gone.

Shop only after you have eaten. You will find yourself making better food choices and sticking to your shopping list. You may also be amazed about how much grief this little strategy will prevent.

Avoid the Saturday Rush
Do you remember the last time you went to the supermarket on a Saturday morning? This is the prime time when most food advertisers have those nice ladies in the supermarket, tempting the shoppers to buy their products. The temptations on Saturday mornings can be more than even the most restrained shopper can resist. The best strategy is to avoid these types of temptations all together.

Watch the Prepared Foods
In recent years the supermarket shelves have become increasingly stocked with prepackaged or prepared foods. These foods tempt you to eat at an instant’s notice without giving much thought about the choices you are making—automatic eating. Many of these types of food items are loaded with calories and fat. If you do buy prepackaged foods, be sure to read the food label carefully. The best strategy is to buy foods that require preparation.

It’s true that it is always a smart idea to include a first aid kit in your household gear. Just like the Tylenol everyone keeps on hand for headaches, it will always be accessible when needed. You won’t be using the first aid kit on a daily basis but you do want it present if a need for it arises. Thus it is good to have on hand if you ever need it, even though hopefully you never will.

2. Those with Children will need it.

Any parent is likely to already realize that a first aid kit is a real necessity. No matter how hard you try to keep them safe, kids are always getting scrapes and bumps. You will want to clean, and maybe even bandage, depending on the severity of the injury. Whenever the grandkids pay a visit, or children are present, you will need to have a first aid kit.

Go look at the items in a first aid kit if you don’t want to buy a pre-packaged first aid kit, although, owning a first aid kit is always a nice thing to do.

Firstaidkitbags.com