AutoTune - Music Tool Makes Everyone Singer Sound Good

Have you been following the Auto-Tune saga in music? Auto-tune automatically corrects pitch so almost anybody can sing and sound good. It can even take spoken voice and make it sound like a song. Now there's an iPhone app for it instead of having to buy the equipment/microphone.

Here is a funny example (one with the microphone and one with the app) by "T Pain", the rapper who popularized it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITT6bYYGVfM&feature=related

NING to Phase Out Free Accounts

NING, a free social networking site used by librarians and educators, among other interest groups, will gradually become fee-based. According to Don Clark's 4/19/2010 story in the Wall Street Journal, "NING Moves to Phase Out Free Accounts", the company is revising its strategy to make money and to better address misuse of its service. NING users currently can establish accounts anonymously, which makes it easy for disreputable users to abuse the networking service. Addressing misuse of its service is not the business it wants to devote so much time and effort to. One way the company can better control SPAM, pornography, and other junk is to eliminate the anonymity factor by requiring a credit card for monthly services.

Co-founded by Internet entrepreneur Marc Anderson in 2004, NING is cutting its work force by 40% and will focus its efforts on paid services. The WSJ interviewed NING executive Jason Rosenthal, who said that their customers who use NING premium services (paid services) account for about 80% of the company's revenue. The company's original business plan assumed that most of its revenue would come from paid advertising.

Given the change from free to fee-based, the California School Library Association (CSLA) will remove or de-emphasize reference to NING in its professional development courses, School Library Learning 2.0 and Classroom Learning 2.0. Educator NING sites include:

• Library 2.0
• ALA Members
• Teacher-Librarian
  
• Computer-Using Educators
  
• Teachers2.0
  

The good news is that NING plans to probably offer a low price for educators, individuals, and small non-profits. NING's starting price is $4.95/month, so the educator price would most likely be lower. New service plan offerings will be announced on 5/4/2010.

The GOOGLE Book Settlement & The Future of Reading

Here is a well-written article on "5 Ways the GOOGLE Book Settlement Will Change the Future of Reading" by Annalee Newitz. Annalee is the editor-in-chief of a blog called io9: We Come From the Future.

This is an overview of the impact of the copyright law and its challenges, related to books. "Book Monster" illustrations are colorful.

Annalee lists several ways copyright will change, thanks to the newest version of the Google Book Settlement (aka: GBS 2.0):

1. It may become harder to find information online about books from your favorite writers.
   
2. You will find yourself reading free books online, by authors who have disappeared. And Google will make money when you do.
3. Google will be competing with Apple and Amazon and everyone else to be your favorite online bookseller.
4. Libraries and bookstores will become the same thing.
5. Pulp fiction will make a comeback in unexpected ways.

New Apple iPAD

Apple released its long-awaited wireless iPAD device on Saturday, April 3, 2010. Some eager fans camped out overnight by stores in order to be the first to buy one. There were long lines in the morning. Here is a CNN article about the iPAD roll-out.