Imagine the ultimate execution of the long tail in music.

First:
Every track published would be available to purchase via download–at customized levels of compression. Infinite supply.

Second:
You would be able to expose your music collection, playlists, blog entries, etc, as navigable items for purchase — where you take a variable cut of profits. Incentive to sell.

Third:
Discount tools would exist between publishers and sellers that allow for variable incentive arrangements based on conversion. The more demand you create for publishers the more you get paid.

Fourth:
The music is free from DRM and licensed for use in North America, flowing out to all populated countries. Item 2 and 3 help create checks and balances from widespread illegal file sharing.

Fifth:
You could find new music in multiple ways, suited to you. This would be accomplished via collaborative filtering, friend recommendations, related artists and tracks, tagging, folksonomies, genres, moods, etc.

Just rambling these off–but for a purpose. Burn Lounge seems to be at the front of something like this… however, without a change in the user experience, they are doomed to fail.

Read more on navigating to nothing.

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So 30+ minutes of 60 Minutes has elapsed. Katie Couric’s 9/11 expose on the air problems took up the entire first half hour. In her attempt to be a serious journalist, as claimed in her evening news commercials, she ground an important story into repetitive drivel. But, her worse period:

“The role of the EPA is to protect people from the environment.” What? Straight from Katie’s mouth. This is a taped show — can’t they edit something so ludicrous out?

What does it take to be the best television journalist/anchor? It is so sad that we have such low standards for such influential positions… taking the lead from the highest office in the land.