By Tamara Harris

By now you have probably heard the buzz that is Pandora.  The newest addition to automated music recommendation and internet radio stations that have been popping up on the internet these last few years.  Pandora (created in January 2000 by the Music Genome Project headed by Will Glaser, Jon Kraft, and Tim Westergren), had an ultimate goal of ì[capturing] the  essence of music at the fundamental levelî using nearly 400 attributes to describe songs and complex mathematical algorithm to organize them.  Users of this service enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service then responds by playing selections that are similar to the song chosen by the user.  Each song that is entered is represented by a list of attributes containing approximately 150 ìgenesî.  Each gene corresponds to a characteristic of music.  Rock and pop songs are said to have approximately 150 genes, while rap songs have approximately 300 and jazz, 450.  Classical music generally have between 300 to 500 genes.
Pandora, and other automated music recommendation and internet radio stations have given rise to many complex legal issues in the field of copyright laws.  Because of this, web based radio stations generally pay double the amount in royalties to music companies than say satellite radio (traditional AM and FM radios air music for free).  Additionally, because Pandora and other stations like it would have to register songs in every country because of copyright laws, users outside of the United States are unable to use this service for it would be far to time consuming and costly to register each song in every country.  In July 2008 Pandora launched a mobile version of its services for the Apple iPhone and the Apple iPod Touch application.  Other carriers offer phones that enable use of Pandora as well (i.e. some BlackBerry Platforms).  Use of Pandora was free when it was first launched, now users may enjoy forty hours of free music play a month, and then once the forty hours have been used, the user must then pay .99 cents to continue to listen to music for the rest of that month.  Users may not repeat a song, and oneís ability to skip a song is limited to seven times per hour per station.
They actually do a good job of playing songs I like. If you do not like a song, you can give it thumbs down and they will never play it on your station again. Being a person who basically stopped buying music in 2001, and have been basically stuck in my grungy, 80s new wave, pop, boy band, oldies, classic rock, alternative, old school hip hop, new school rap phase for a while, Pandora has opened a new world of appreciation for music for me that I seemed to have lost in high school.  Pandora has renewed my lust for finding new music. Life is good again.  Everyone should try it out. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

By: Caroline Gotschall

As I am watching the news on various cable channels and see more and more “sensationalized” stories being presented, I cannot help but wonder how much of this is really news and how much of it is just entertainment. With the many, many channels all wanting the public to watch their channel so they can get the best ratings, it seems they have lost track of what they really started out being when our grandparents were our age.

Our grandparents had NBC, ABC, and CBS. That was it. What they got in that half-hour broadcast was the important news of the day. They trusted the broadcasters. Just look at the accolades that were recently delivered at the funeral of Walter Cronkite. Would there be similar words for any of today’s broadcast anchors at their funerals? Probably not.

Today’s news broadcasts are more entertainment than news. We hear more about the Octomom than some of the health care debate. We will have more stories dedicated to how Michael Jackson died than the number of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Which stories have more real impact on our lives? I guess it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are being entertained as we watch the news.

If we want to know about Michael Jackson or the Octomom, let’s watch “Entertainment Tonight” or “Access Hollywood.” Let the news channels concentrate on the hard news. Each has its place in the cable information age. We, as a society, should be getting smarter with the increased access we have to information through the information super-highway.

We are the leaders of tomorrow. We need to use our leadership skills to influence the news media to get out of the entertainment business and back into the news business. A better-educated and informed public would focus their energy on the important events in society and not be dragged into the abyss of mindlessness where many stories on today’s broadcasts seem to direct us.

Wake up NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and CNN! Think about the roots of broadcast journalism. Do something positive. You need to keep Cronkite from rolling over in his grave.

The celebrity “Swag Bag” has been a staple of Hollywood award shows since the 1970’s, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences decided to thank their presenters with small trinkets for appearing at the Oscars.
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Our Experts Tell Us Which Movies We Will Enjoy And Who Best to Enjoy Them With

“He’s Just Not That Into You”
This much anticipated star-studded date movie is very appropriate for Valentine’s Day, but is also a great flick for all those single ladies on the big day. Justin Long’s character tells it like it is, which is very refreshing. It’s nice to have a movie that isn’t completely lovey-dovey, and where everything isn’t perfect all the time. If he isn’t calling you, he’s not interested; it’s that easy. The movie offers insight into every facet of modern relationships and leaves you with a good feeling.  Read the full story

When your partner says, “I thought we were going out for a steak dinner?” it does not mean Carl’s Jr.  It could, however, mean impressing your date by taking him or her to the new Fleming’s Steakhouse at L.A. Read the full story

I’m an hour into my first law school exam and the only thing preventing sheer panic is the song loop running round and round in my head.  Yeah, this is definitely my current favorite song all right… but is it a mantra keeping me focused, or an annoying distraction keeping me from concentrating on the task at hand?  And what a task! Read the full story

It will come as a shock to very few that the United States has been planning for quite some time to stop broadcasting  analog television signals. With analog out of the way, all televisions in the United States will soon be digital. Radio and TV commercials featuring celebrities have made it clear that the change is inevitable, though the switch date has changed.

Say goodbye to analog TV. Photo Credit: Beige Alert via Flickr

Originally scheduled to occur on Feb. 17, the national transition to digital broadcast television  has been pushed back to June 12 in accordance with the DTV Delay Act  recently signed by President Obama. This new date has been set to accommodate the millions of Americans who still need to upgrade their older television sets with adapters or purchase newer televisions. Nearly 17.7 percent of American households have only analog television sets. The government funding set up to assist people in adapting their televisions for the DTV switch ran out in early January, with 3.7 million homes remaining on a waitlist to receive coupons.

While the delay benefits some viewers, many television stations are afraid the revised transition date could created most costs for them. Transmitting programming in both digital and analog until June 12 will place a significant burden on the budgets of broadcasters. Additionally, many stations worry their analog transmitters are getting old and may not last until June, and can’t afford to replace them.
Because of the burden the new date places on broadcasters, the government is allowing stations to apply to the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver to turn off their analog transmitters earlier.

In a letter, Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps noted that 143 stations have already requested and have been granted the authority to turn off their analog signals.

Various countries including Finland and Sweden have already made the DTV switch, but most made the switch on a much slower schedule, switching over small areas one at a time. This allowed countries to handle localized problems before moving to the next area and to learn from those problems. The United States will not have that opportunity as it plans to conduct the analog television switch to digital television across the entire nation at once. Other countries have yet to make the DTV switch, but many have plans to eliminate analog television in the near future.

Both analog and digital television use naturally occurring broadcast spectrum to transmit programming.  But digital signals are condensed and take up less spectrum than analog. The freed-up spectrum from the pending transition has already been auctioned off to private companies, raising more than $19 billion for the government.

Although the DTV switch has been placed on pause in some places, the transition, and the commercials, will continue to usher in a new era of broadcasting.

Written by Kelley Baskins, 3L

If you work, study, or live near Downtown Los Angeles, you can now find excellent sushi and Asian cuisine without having to drive to Hollywood or Beverly Hills.  Right at the heart of 7th and Fig, Wokcano Café specializes in the fusion of Thai, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine.  Read the full story

A few months ago I reconnected with my friend Orly who had started her own band and moved to NY to realize the dream. In fact, I believe that the last time I saw her was at the band’s initial stage almost five years ago, when they played a “we are heading out of town” show in the backyard garage of Orlys parent’s home in Valley Village, LA. Read the full story

As the economy continues to dwindle, many people are looking for ways to budget their money and cut out unnecessary costs. One cost that usually does not get cut, however, is entertainment. Read the full story