06 May 2004
Ready to Brood

And I'm not even sure it's a verb ... we constructed a brooder today for our soon-to-arrive chicks. We used a cast off water tank, the kind used in highway construction (no labels, but probably 750 to 1000 gallons). Removed the valves, cut a door, installed a fan and capped the open top to prevent rain seepage.

After that, we repaired some winter damage to the henhouse, and are getting ready for our first season selling eggs off our back porch (last year we took orders and delivered). Kris is getting a sign ready, and Kevyn's going to bring back some of our hens (or more probably some new ones) next week.

So I'm bushed! Haven't looked at the news or even read my mail all day. Hope to have a picture or two up tomorrow, before I take off again (to NC, this time) for the weekend.

Oh yeah: we now offically own Donner and Blitzen. Kedrick didn't want to buy the milk replacer we'd used for them, so we took the litttle beasties instead.

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Record Industry Wants Still More

They're just bound and determined to kill digital distribution of music! I don't think I've ever seen a business group more resistant to an obvious change for the better than this one. As Robert A. Heinlein said in his novel Life Line:

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.

It's not enough for the music industry that legal music downloads are gaining popularity. Company honchos want to raise song prices, gain more control of distribution and collect higher royalties. Michael Grebb reports from the Future of Music conference in Washington, D.C.

(link) [Wired News]

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