The 90 Million Dollar Internet
Most of us think of the internet as a wonderful tool. You can get information, send e-mails, go shopping, and a wealth of other daily chores. To be sure, the world-wide-web has changed our lives in many ways. We all know that with all the blessings come the “dark side” of the web- all the bad things that can happen on line. It is a mixed blessing but the flow of digital information has become a permanent part of our lives. While much of the future is unknown, one thing is for sure- the internet will be an even greater part of the lives of our children and grandchildren.
There is an important public debate that is taking place that may affect all of us eventually. Even if you are a casual or novice user of the internet, two bills before Congress are worthy of your attention. One is called the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” the other is called the “Protect IP Act.” Both bills have good reason for consideration. They both basically try to protect the rights of people who produce entertainment, movies, music, and books. The bills will try to prevent the on line piracy of these media- to prevent people from “pirating” them, i.e., creating digital versions that other people can get without paying.
At first glance this seems more than fair- it costs money to make a movie so why should someone be able to download it for free? On the surface these bills do nothing more than try to prevent people from stealing what “belongs” to someone else. Only fair, right? The stakes in this battle are very high. Estimates say that groups on both sides of the issue have spent more than 90 million dollars in lobbying for or against these bills. Why are groups so willing to spend so much money? For the entertainment industry the investment makes sense- spend a little, save a lot! People will have to pay for their music and movies. Why are other groups spending millions to oppose the bill? Are they a bunch of crooks who just want to steal music?
This brings us to the bigger issue- the control or restriction of the internet. The “net” is the most powerful weapon on the face of the earth. From “Occupy Wall Street” to the popular uprisings in the Arab world we have seen the new tool that moves, motivates, and unites people is their ability to communicate instantly. Those who oppose these bills worry that new restrictions will begin to eat away at the freedom of information and communication that we now enjoy. Their thinking is that “the internet does not need police.” While piracy is one of many abuses of the internet, some folks are very skeptical of regulations.
While these seem like small issues to many of us, what we decide now will dictate how we use the internet in the future and, while I don’t justify piracy, I would like to keep the internet a cyber-place without stoplights and parking tickets. Next time you are on line say “hi” to the grandkids for me!

This article appeared in the South Florida Jewish Journaland the Atlanta Jewish Times

Join me on the Internet for Music and Memories

Below you can read the story I did for South Florida Jewish Home. As you learn a little bit more about Internet Radio and my friend Peter Wein remember that you can join me for the two shows that I do on weinetwork.com.
The 45rpm Show airs Tuesday nights at 8pm, on Sundays at 10am and 5pm. On this show I play records (yea, those round little black things that spin) from the 60’s and 70’s. If you love the music relive in with my record players and me! Music you will not hear anywhere else. From Iron Butterfly to the Monkees I’ve got you covered.
The Bebop Jazz Hour airs Sundays at 12noon and at 7pm. I play the classics of 40’s and 50’s bebop and always try to include music that even most jazz fans have not heard. I play the classics of Jazz and always try to teach you something new about the music.
Remember, if you can’t log on when the show airs you can go to the weinetwork.com homepage and link-up to free i-tunes archives to stream or download. Hope to meet you in cyberspace real soon!

Internet Radio In South Florida

Tech Tips, by Rabbi Yaakov Thompson


The internet has changed the way we do just about everything. The way we communicate with each other, the way we get our news, the way we pay our bills, and, yes, the way we are entertained; all these activities have been reshaped by our access to the internet. The big shift in radio entertainment began in 1994 with a very modest internet broadcast of a concert. Next the Rolling Stones would open the web to their live music. Before long the idea of an audio stream that would offer the content of a terrestrial radio station gave birth to thousands of “internet radio stations.” After more than 25 years of development there are now thousands of internet stations in every corner of the globe and the really great fact is that you can listen to any one of them no matter where you are. This fact gives the internet radio phenomenon a decided advantage over traditional radio with its limited broadcast area. Combining the best of both worlds is what has become known as satellite radio- picked up by radios but with a world -wide audience- although it remains a pay-as-you-go medium.
Statistics show that more than 30% of Americans now listen to internet radio and that number is constantly growing. With the computer equipment that most of us already own we are able to hear “broadcasts” from anywhere in the world and find “stations” that interest us the most. The big draw is that internet radio can cater to the listener who may not find his or her desired programs on regular commercial radio. Ethnic music, foreign language broadcasts, and stations devoted to those genres of music that have limited commercial impact can all be served by internet radio.
Here in South Florida we have a local internet station at weinetwork.com. Simply log on as you would to any other website and see a selection of programs to interest you. Music, including rock, jazz, oldies, and even theatrical music is available. Weinetwork.com offers a full array of talk shows including political and economic news, green technology, investing, and real estate. There is even a show produced by middle-schoolers to talk about topics that confront them. One of the great features for the internet listener at weinetwork.com is that the radio shows are archived on i-Tunes and can be downloaded for free at any time. This offers the same flexibility as a podcast (more on that next time.)
Peter Wein,61, owner of weinetwork.com began his career in marketing and then discovered that internet radio could combine effective marketing for advertisers as well as the ultimate in local and global entertainment. Wein works out of his Wellington studio providing his regular programming as well as live webcasts to help promote community and charity events. Speaking about the wide range of programs, Wein commented “Weinetwork.com is a station that has something for everyone. Our programming reflects the great range of interests that our audience has and the many ways in which our programming addresses the needs of the listening community. While most of our listeners are in South Florida, we have regular listeners across the globe. That is the mission of weinetwork- while our programs are produced locally, we know that the whole world is our audience.” You can check out all the shows by logging onto weinetwork.com. You will hear the show currently airing and can then go to any of the pages describing other show on the station. Happy listening!

This article appeared in the November 11th issue of South Florida Jewish Home