Categories
Internet

Plus-One to Removing Social Sharing Buttons

Yesterday, [Oliver Reichenstein](http://informationarchitects.net/blog/sweep-the-sleaze/) started a rush of blog activity with his piece about the various “social sharing” buttons that can be found on websites and blogs:

> The previous wave of buttons for Delicious and Digg and Co. vanished, Facebook and Twitter and G+ might vanish or they might survive, but the buttons will vanish for sure. Or do you seriously think that in ten years we will still have those buttons on every page? No, right? Why, because you already know as a user that they’re not that great. So why not get rid of them now? Because “they’re not doing any harm”? Are you sure?

There was a rush of activity as [Daring Fireball](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/05/30/sweep-the-sleaze), [The Loop](http://feeds.loopinsight.com/~r/loopinsight/KqJb/~3/i0LtEIKPKaQ/), and [Shawn Blanc](http://shawnblanc.net/2012/05/reichenstein-social-buttons/) (among others) all echoed Mr. Reichenstein’s suggestion to remove those social sharing buttons. I have decided to join in and remove such buttons from my site. I think [Marco Arment’s reasoning](http://www.marco.org/2012/05/30/sweep-the-sleaze) was the most convincing though:

>I don’t embed any sharing buttons for one big reason: they look cheap and desperate. They would devalue my voice and reduce my credibility.

Agreed.

Categories
Sports

Crawford still taking swings, 10-14 days from throwing

Crawford still taking swings, 10-14 days from throwing:

> Carl Crawford has progressed to taking 60 swings off the tee as well as 15 soft-toss swings, and he said Tuesday he’s 10-14 days away from what he called the “true test” for his elbow — throwing.

I’m pretty much resigned to Crawford not playing at all this year. In fact, this has the feeling of a lost season for the Sox overall. There’s still over a hundred games left to this season, so hopefully I’m wrong.

Categories
Uncategorized

New 5by5 Show Coming

A new show coming to the 5by5 network. I have high hopes.

Categories
Comics

The Evolution of Digital Comics

DC Comic’s decision to go [day and digital](http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/47479-dc-reboots-its-comics-universe-goes-day-and-date-for-print-digital-release.html) as part of their new 52 relaunch[^relaunch] has sparked a lot of discussion about digital comics and the future of the comics industry. Brian Hibbs might not have fired the first shot, but his [Tilting at Windmills column](http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34091) brought a lot of attention to the issue. Mr. Hibbs discusses how DC offered to provide traditional comic retailers the chance to sell digital comics through their own branded store fronts. Mr. Hibbs objected, however, to the terms imposed by DC’s digital partner [*comiXology*](http://www.comixology.com). Mr. Hibbs largest objection arises from *comiXology’s* control of customer information combined with their rights to use individual store’s branding information. Ultimately, Mr. Hibbs feels that this deal would result in retailers being relegated to easily ejected middlemen:

> “It is my wholly individual and independent belief that the contract we’ve been offered doesn’t even come close to the minimum standards that might be considered acceptable to the average retailer”

Mr. Hibbs also addresses the theory that digital comics are a way for the comics industry to tap into a larger audience

> “I, for one, don’t really think there’s the incredibly massive audience out there that would be buying comics, oh, if only they didn’t have to leave their house to get them. ”

With the DC relaunch now in full swing, some interesting trends are starting to developer. First, was a [story on Comics Beat about comics apps on iPad](http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/09/09/comics-make-money-on-the-ipad/). It pointed out that 3 of the top 5 grossing apps on the iPad were comics apps.[^apps] Definitely not a bad way to start of the new digital era. Of course, there is still some doubt as to the digital sales numbers in comparison with the traditional print numbers. For instance [IDW publishing recently claimed that only 3% of their sales were digital](http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/09/08/digital-sales-figures-a-comparison/).

What can companies do to add to their digital sales for volume? [Michael Gaudini](http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/diniverse/news/?a=45883) recently called for a re-imagining of the comics industry from the bottom up. Things would start with moving away from the traditional 22 page story and moving to a format that took advantage of the new digital medium. In a recent panel I attended at HeroesCon, Darwyn Cooke talked about a project he was working on that would do just that. For example, if you’re reading the main story and you have interest in a particular supporting character, you could tap on that character to get biography information, side stories, some additional sketches, etc… Mr. Gaudini also suggested new models for purchasing the comics. Instead of what has become the industry standard “$ 1.99 per issue” model, comics could be sold on a subscription basis or in larger bundles.[^bundles] The most controversial part of Mr. Gaudini’s proposal is that he seems to think that the digital market should look for new creators who would work at lower wages than established comics creators do. I disagree with this suggestion. I find it hard to believe that the current crop of creators would have to take a price cut to succeed in the digital world.

Dustin Harbin, a comic creator and former employee of the *Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find* comic store in Charlotte, NC, worte [an excellent piece about digital comics and comic creators](http://www.dharbin.com/blog/fifteen-thoughts-on-digital-comics/). Mr. Harbin stressed that one of the more important things that must be addressed in any digital comic model is creators getting paid for the digital versions of their work. As someone who has studied contract law and copyright law, I have seen contracts that allow for digital replication of a work without compensation for the original creator. The comics industry must not attempt to go down that road.

The real strength of Mr. Harbin’s piece comes in his discussion of the print market versus the digital comics market. He addresses the common complaint that digital comics feel too expensive:

>A big part of the reason that the digital iteration is so expensive is that the comics industry is terrified of devaluing the print iteration.

>…

>Retailers have convinced themselves that they have “rights” in the market somehow, that their place in “the industry” is so important that everyone had better tiptoe around them or by-god there will be trouble.

This analysis seems spot on. There appears to be a fear within the comics industry that an alienation of comics retailers will result in a collapse of the entire industry. It is for this reason that they protect retailers with prices on digital comics that match the prices on print comics. Additionally, it is why DC Comics is releasing their new issues at 2PM on release day instead of midnight.[^twopm] In a [post on Google+](https://plus.google.com/107136426838396790957/posts/Jbc3JPeWDnw), Mr. Harbin explains how a comic shop should view their value outside of any time or cost advantage they might have with their product:

>What comics shops are good at is the EXPERIENCE of comics — not just browsing, looking through old comics or back issues, seeing what’s new week to week, but FINDING comics, discovering new work, being around other people interested in comics, actively engaging with a hobby or artform or just an afternoon distraction. The best comics shops seek to amplify this experience, create more unique value for their clienteles, and make themselves a destination, as opposed to simply another place to buy a thing

Existing comic shops can also take advantage of the current flaws in the digital comic purchasing model. Mr. Harbin explains it succinctly:

> Digital comics apps like Comixology essentially sell a license to read a comic. It’s not a matter of DRM–you never own the comic. You just pay for the privilege to read it on your device.

At the moment, *comiXology* is far and away the leader in the digital comics market, so their model provides the most influence. Additionally, as DC Comics online partner, their lead will inevitably continue to grow. As people get accustomed to purchasing their comics in this manner, the idea of *owning* the book might become less of a concern. Other companies, however, are experimenting with other purchasing alternatives. [IDW comics recently began selling comics through the iBookstore](http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34294). They are utilizing the ePub’s new “fixed width” format to deliver collections. I purchased *Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures* as a trial of the service. The interface was a little strange. It did not have the zoom page-to-page or panel-panel-to-panel transition of the *comiXology* app. Instead, you were forced to to do a lot of manual zooming. On the hand, the book looks fantastic. Additionally, the entire book cost $5. This is $15 off the current price for the book at Amazon of $20.

[My Digital Comics](http://www.mydigitalcomics.com/default.aspx
) offers another alternative to the *comiXology* licensing model. They sell un-DRMed CBR files[^cbr] of the book at $1.99 a piece. When I first heard of this service, I thought the lack of DRM would mean it would be mostly small press publishers. I was surprised to see that both BOOM! Studios and Image Comics have a number of their top tiles in the store.[^toptitles]

Slave Labor Graphics has made what is probably the most radical move with regard to digital comics. [They announced they were going digital only with their single issues. ](http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/19/slave-labor-graphics-quits-floppies-for-digital/) After the individual issues have been published in digital form, they will then be available as a printed collection. What is particularly interesting about Slave Labor Graphics’ digital effort is that they are going to offer un-DRMed PDF, ePub, and CBR files, as well as offer the comics through the various *comiXology*-like digital applications. I think this model has real potential for the future. People who prefer the convenience of the *comiXology* application can buy it there, while people who prefer to a more ownership-like model can purchase their digital files in PDF, ePub or CBR form.

Publishers producing their own un-DRMed files could also help solve some the problems Mr. Hibbs had with the existing DC Comics storefronts. Retailers could create their own web store fronts and populate them with the digital files they receive from publishers. The retailers could then have the control over the customer lists that they apparently do not have with the current *comiXology* store fronts. Unfortunately, the major comics publishers do not seem willing to make un-DRMed files available to retailers or consumers. My guess is they feel this will result in widespread piracy. Hopefully they can get over this fear before the comic retailers end up going the way of the local music stores.

Comics will go digital. It is inevitable. The question is will the publishers do it in such a way that current comics retailers will be allowed to tag along.

[^relaunch]: DC Comics has tried to shy away from the term “relaunch” with respect to their new 52. Their reluctance to use the term may stem from a fear of alienating long term readers. Despite that, I am going to use the term “relaunch” here for the sake of simplicity.

[^apps]: The apps were all apps powered by *comiXology*, DC’s digital partner. They included Comics by *comiXology* (DC’s digital release partner), the Marvel comics app, and the DC Comics app. Obviously the Marvel app does not directly relate to the DC relaunch, however, one wonders whether there was a “halo effect” from people going onto the iPad to buy DC comics.

[^bundles]: For example, *comiXology* recently offered all 25 issues of the Warren Ellis series Planetary for $24.99. I had some interest in the series, and that bundled format was enough to get me to purchase the entire run. I am not talking about the [collections that Marvel Comics is offering](http://www.newsarama.com/comics/marvel-digital-collections-110919.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+newsaramacomics+%28Newsarama.com+comics%29). These collections do not come with the type of discount that I think is necessary for a grouping of existing digital comics. In fact, I think they’re kind of a joke.

[^twopm]: Alex Zaiben recently wrote [an excellent editorial about the 2PM DC Comics release](http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/09/15/op-ed-digital-comics-must-be-released-at-midnight-or-we-will-revolt/?xrs=share_twitter) and how ridiculous it is.

[^cbr]: A CBR file is simply a renamed RAR archive file. It simply contains a series of images, ordered by page number, of all the pages in the comic. It a popular format in the area of digital comics preservation and piracy.

[^toptitles]: BOOM! Studios titles include: *Codebreakers*, *Do Androids Dream of Eletric Sheep*, *Incorruptible*, *Irredeemable*, and *Starbon*. Image tiles include: *27*, *Cowboy Ninja Viking*, *Green Wake*, and *Morning Glories*.

Categories
Politics

Spectacular Failure

[Dan Mitchell posted four charts](http://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/obamas-failure-on-jobs-four-damning-charts/) which illustrate President Obama’s spectacular failure with regard to jobs and employment. For example, the following chart shows how unemployment remains over 9 percent. This is 2.5 percent higher than Obama said we would reach if we passed the stimulus.

[![Employment Chart](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/thumbs/obama-unemployment.jpg “Employment Chart”)](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/obama-unemployment.jpg)

I agree with Mr. Mitchell that this is a spectacular failure.

Categories
Comics

Green River Killer

[iFanboy’s Book of the Month for September](http://ifanboy.com/botm/book-of-the-month-green-river-killer-a-true-detective-story/) is *Green River Killer*. Connor Kilpatrick gives a brief synopsis:

>For much of the 1980s and part of the 1990s the prostitutes of the greater Seattle area were terrorized by the Green River Killer, who left a string of strangled bodies in and around the Green River for which he was named. The case haunted police for nearly two decades until a DNA match lead them to a 52 year old factory worker named Gary Leon Ridgeway who, as it turned out, was one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. He was charged with and convicted of 49 murders but eventually confessed to 71. Police believe that the actual total number of victims could be well north of 100.

True crime books make excellent material for comics and I am really excited to get a copy of this. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, I encourage you to read [Connor’s Review](http://ifanboy.com/botm/book-of-the-month-green-river-killer-a-true-detective-story/) or check out a 14 page preview over at [Grantland](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6941599/green-river-killer).

Categories
Economics Politics

Why Keynesian Economics Fails Every Time it’s Tried

This (http://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/keynesian-economics-is-wrong/) gives a simple explanation of why keynesian economic theory is inherently flawed. Basically, you’re not not actually making more money, you’re simply taking money from your left pocket and moving it to your right.

Categories
Comics

Top 5 Books I am Looking Forward to in The New DC Universe

I am taking a page from [iFanboy](http://ifanboy.com/articles/dc-relaunch-top-5-books-josh-is-looking-forward-to/) and creating a list of the five books I am most looking forward to in the new DC universe.[^missed]

[![Batgirl](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/thumbs/12ad81fac1921ddbf2e7163ca45d7e1615f08414-Batgirl_New_DC.jpg “Batgirl”)](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/12ad81fac1921ddbf2e7163ca45d7e1615f08414-Batgirl_New_DC.jpg)

One of the first trades I ever bought was Gail Simone’s *Birds of Prey*[^bop]. I have been a huge fan of Ms. Simone ever since. I especially loved *Villain’s United* and her run on *Secret Six*. In fact, I feel that the lack of a *Secret Six* book in the new DC Universe is one of the major negatives about the relaunch. On the other hand, having Ms. Simone get the reins to a book about Barbara Gordon as Batgirl sounds amazing. Though I enjoyed Barbara as Oracle, I am not someone who is particularly upset she is once again going to wear the bat symbol. I am really looking forward to this.

[![Grifter](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/thumbs/grif_cv164noocbatu.jpg “Grifter”)](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/grif_cv164noocbatu.jpg)

I have never read anything that has featured Gritfer, but the fact that [Nathan Edmondson](http://www.nathan-e.com) is writing the book is enough to make me excited. Mr. Edmondson writes the excellent *Who is Jake Ellis?* book from image. Assuming he can bring the same sensibilities to the grifter series that he does to *Who is Jake Ellis?*, this could be a sleeper hit.[^edmondson]

[![Suicide Squad](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/thumbs/Suicide_Squad_New_DC.jpg “Suicide Squad”)](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/Suicide_Squad_New_DC.jpg)

I am torn on this one. As I mentioned earlier, my favorite DC book was *Secret Six*. Conceptually, *Suicide Squad* is very similar to *Secret Six*. Additionally, Harley Quinn is one of my favorite characters in media. I love her in *Batman: The Animated Series*, I own the entire run of her solo DC Comic, and I refuse to part with my copy of *Absolute Hush* just because of 2 pages of amazing Harley-centric art. That being said: What is that new costume? It’s just horrible. Having such a costume makes me extremely worried about how they are going to handle her characterization. I have to pick this up just to see how they’re going to handle her.

[![Blackhawks](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/thumbs/blkhaw_cv1kdm34-sdm.jpg “Blackhawks”)](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/blkhaw_cv1kdm34-sdm.jpg)

I am really interested in a number of the war books that are part of the DC relaunch. Since *Blackhawks* comes from *G.I. Joe: Cobra* author Mike Costa, it gets a position on this list[^ivan]. Mr. Costa’s *Cobra* series was a great stand alone spy story. It was what every nail-biting, espionage thriller should strive to be. I am hoping he brings that same style to this modern re-imagining of the DC Universe Blackhawks.

[![JL Dark](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/thumbs/justld_cv1nsd8q2j3a.jpg “JL Dark”)](http://blog.kivus.com/images/reblogged/justld_cv1nsd8q2j3a.jpg)

Though a lot of discussion this past week has been about the new *Justice League* from Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, there has also been a decent amount of buzz about Peter Milligan’s *Justice League Dark*. This book looks like it could be a team book featuring the characters who have moved over to the DC Universe from Vertigo, including: John Constantine, Madam Xanadu, Zatanna, and Enchantress. A book the explores magic, the super natural, and some of the darker corners of the DC Universe sounds like it could be a major hit.

[^missed]: Both Scott Snyder books, *Batman* and *Swamp Thing* just missed the list. I could not decide which one I was more excited for and just decided to leave them both off the list. If [Francesco Francavilla](http://www.francescofrancavilla.com/) was the primary artist on *Swamp Thing* instead of a secondary artist, it would have made the list.

[^ivan]: It narrowly beat out Ivan Brandon’s *Sgt. Rock and the Men of War*. I have been a fan of Mr. Brandon since I first met him at HeroesCon in 2009.

[^edmondson]: I always used to remember Mr. Edmondson at cons because he always had his old school typewriter with him. I thought it was a brilliant gimmick. After HeroesCon 2011, however, I now remember Mr. Edmondson because I’m pretty sure he hit on my girlfriend while we were deciding whether or not to buy *Who is Jake Ellis?* t-shirts.

[^bop]: I read Ms. Simone’s entire first run on *Birds of Prey*. I loved the whole thing. Unfortunately, I was not as wild about her second run on the series. I think that has something to do with what appeared to be artist delays. I am looking forward to Duane Swierczynski’s *Birds of Prey* but it fell just outside of my top 5.

Categories
Politics

Warren Buffet’s with a Bit of Tax Hypocrisy

Warren Buffet made headlines with his [op-ed in the New York times calling for higher taxes on those he defines as rich](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html). The most direct criticism of Mr. Buffet’s claim that the rich are being “coddled” is that while the [effective tax rate on the rich has hardly changed](http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2011/08/the-rich.html) since the 1980s, those in the [lower income quintiles pay dramatically less taxes](http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2011/08/the-rich.html) from that time. Additionally, [Mr. Buffet’s claims that the middle class pays a larger share of their income has also been shown to be wrong](http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2011/08/was-warren-buffett-right.html).

The latest criticism that cuts away at Mr. Buffet’s argument is his clear hypocrisy in making the claim.

>But if he were truly sincere, perhaps he might simply try paying the taxes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says his company owes? According to Berkshire Hathaway’s own annual report — see Note 15 on pp. 54-56 — the company has been in a years-long dispute over its federal tax bills.

>According to the report, “We anticipate that we will resolve all adjustments proposed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (‘IRS’) for the 2002 through 2004 tax years at the IRS Appeals Division within the next 12 months. The IRS has completed its examination of our consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for the 2005 and 2006 tax years and the proposed adjustments are currently being reviewed by the IRS Appeals Division process. The IRS is currently auditing our consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for the 2007 through 2009 tax years.”

Maybe Mr. Buffet should take a good look in the mirror before asking other people to pay what he things is their fair share.

(via [NetRight Daily](http://netrightdaily.com/2011/08/warren-buffett’s-taxing-hypocrisy/) h/t [TaxProf](http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2011/08/warren-buffetts.html))

Categories
Technology

The First Release from Bungie Aerospace

It was on June 30th of this year, that [Bungie announced its new Aerospace imprint](http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/bungie-aerospace-a-partner-program-with-social-mobile-devs/). Bungie Aerospace is a partnership effort between Bungie and mobile / social developers designed to allow independent mobile developers to utilize Bungie’s resource sources. Now, about 2 months after that announcement, [Bungie announced the first came from the imprint](http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/bungie-aerospace-a-partner-program-with-social-mobile-devs/): [Crimson: Steam Pirates](http://www.joystiq.com/game/crimson-steam-pirates). The game runs on the iPad and promises:

>turn-based gameplay coupled with a “mystery” that, as mysteries are wont to do, needs uncovering, Crimson: Steam Pirates certainly has presentation in the bag.

Best of all? The game download is free and comes with the first 8 chapters of gameplay. The second group of eight chapters will cost $1.99.

Categories
Development

Avoiding Common HTML5 Mistakes

Richard Clark has an excellent article over at HTML5Doctor about common HTML5 mistakes. Highly recommended.