Arron Lorenz

In writing today I find myself a bit torn. On the one side I believe that the way we treat corporations/unions/organizations as human entities is just wrong. On the other hand saying “money isn’t speech” is just wrong.

Money = Speech

I’m sorry to say this but the markers you just bought, the thin piece of wood, the glue, and the poster board all cost money. So if speech isn’t money then how can posters outside of a rally be speech? How can t-shirts be protected under free speech? Or tattoos? Money does equal speech.

Corporations pay taxes but cannot vote to change the laws that affect them. Unions pay no taxes but can still endorse candidates. So the workers can organize and fight the corporations but again the business’ cannot affect change? Unions, LLC’s, S-Corps, Sole Proprietorships, Churches and many other groups are just that – A collection of individuals. So why can’t that collection of people spend the money that that group earns legally on anything they want?

News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS) brings in on average 50 Billion dollars, thats FIFTY BILLION dollars. They have 152 sub-entities in NO TAX or LOW TAX areas. Yet they are allowed to produce and run which ever propaganda dribble that manages to spew out of FOX News’ broadcast. How is that not political speech? How come the FEC does not shut them down 30 days before an election? Because they are giving you “news”?

Locally headquartered LEE Enterprises (NYSE: LEE) owns 64 news papers in 23 states. They are allowed to produce and run any number of editorials, and endorsements that many folks will argue can sway an entire election. Yet GE cannot purchase a TV advertisement claiming that Barack Obama will be bad for business. Nor could Coca~Cola purchase a Quad City Times advertisement saying that John McCain will be the best president for sugary sodas. WHY NOT?

Next time you are hand making a sign while watching MSNBC and reading a copy of the Quad City Times remember to nod your hypocrite hat at the millions of business’ and organizations that now share the same liberties.

Music apps, and the iPhone seem to go hand-in-hand. What’s better then toting around a pocket sized music device, than toting around that music device with all of the great sessions from Daytrotter. For those of you unfamiliar with Daytrotter, daytrotter.com, they are a website based in Rock Island, IL that brings new music to the masses. From there website:

Daytrotter — One band a day, every day, 28 Daytrotter Sessionsongs each week

If you would like to read more about Daytrotter or discover great independent music recorded fresh visit the About page. Well they have released a brand new iPhone app for FREE. Now I have a way to take all of the music sessions with me. If you’ve used the website you’ll notice that the entire focus is the artists. The same rings true when it comes to this app. Starting from the front page you are shown a simple way to navigate to New Sessions, Radio, Browse, Search, Most Played. So whether you know the artist you want, or your exploring for something new the front page takes you there.
Over all the app seems to stay with simplicity when it comes to navigation. By clicking New Sessions we’re taken to a page that gives you a nice list, including the artwork for each Daytrotter session. Choosing the session I want to listen to takes me straight to the music selection, and again from there starts playing the tunes.

The player portion brings the Daytrotter artwork front and center. Each session is treated as an individual play list so by starting the first Welcome track you’re give the following songs one right after another. I was a bit puzzled at what to expect from the Daytrotter on the iPhone but what I was provided with was a Pandora replacement. I can choose to listen to the most recent sessions in a row, or be served up “Random Tunes”. This allows me to sit back at my desk and just enjoy a random sampling of the sessions.

Some of the other features like browse, search, and most played give you exactly what you would expect from a music app. But I cannot overstate the enjoyment I get from the ease of use. An iPhone app should be easy to use, and give you the exact information you want. Daytrotter is not using this app to promote new sessions, or drive traffic via links to the website. This app is just giving me an easy way to browse, and discover some of the best music that has come through the Daytrotter sessions.

No app is perfect, and I wouldn’t expect a first release to be 100% polished. In this app Daytrotter has stuck to it’s hand written button styles which on the iPhone can be a bit difficult to read at times. Those buttons work well from a design perspective but from trying to switch menus while in a car doesn’t work so well.

This is in my opinion the best iPhone app I’ve seen from any Quad Cities Area business

In closing I think as far as a music app goes it matches the features of a standard player. There is no fancy recommendation engine, or ads just good music.  This is in my opinion the best iPhone app I’ve seen from any Quad Cities Area business. All in all if you like the Daytrotter website and the music this app is for you. If you are looking to discover new indie music recorded in the Quad Cities then this app is for you. I give this app 8 out of 10 on the #ArronLorenzReviewPoints scale.

8 of 10 #ArronLorenzReviewPoints