In an interview I did a decade ago, composer David Behrman said: “As far as machines being the enemy, I’m convinced that technology is amoral. Whether it’s a force for good or evil or neither depends on who is doing what with it and for what reason.” I came back to that after I read a Christian Science Monitor article about the power and limits of Facebook.

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—Jason Gross

As part of the New Yorker festival, Fiona Apple was truly interrogated.  Usually I say that word as a euphemism for an interview but this time the term is appropriate.

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—Jason Gross

Interesting item from am New York (NYC area free daily paper) a few days ago which was supposed to appear in their blogs but only actually appears in their print edition:

“Here’s something that occurred to me last night.  The time of arrival at a concert is directly related to how cool a given concertgoer is, with later being cooler.  The distance from the stage is also directly related to coolness, with closer being cooler.  BUT the later one arrives, the less karmically cool it is to then push one’s way to the front.  Ideal solution: Be a VIP, come late and flash your credentials as you make your way through the jealous crowd.”

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—Jason Gross

Even if you’re not a fan of their music, you still have to be impressed and amazed by the bold move that Radiohead made with the release of their new album, In Rainbows, which is coming out in less than two weeks as a download (if you have a jones for a hard copy, the band is also offer the CD/LP/bonus model as of December too).  It’s sure to shake up the industry but it might be in ways that you might not expect and might not take hold for a while too.

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—Jason Gross