I wasn't going to write about this

My roommate just happened to be on CNN.com when news of Heath Ledger's death was announced. I wasn't planning to write anything about him on the blog since it's not like I know him or have anything in common with him (the closest I come to that is being born 15 days after him in 1979). Then I read a very nice article about Ledger in the New York Times that ended with the following two paragraphs.

In a recent interview with WJW-TV, a Fox affiliate in Cleveland, about "I’m Not There," in which he was one of several actors playing the music legend Bob Dylan, Mr. Ledger struck a philosophical note. He responded to a question about how having a child had changed his life:

"You’re forced into, kind of, respecting yourself more," he said. "You learn more about yourself through your child, I guess. I think you also look at death differently. It’s like a Catch-22: I feel good about dying now because I feel like I’m alive in her, you know, but at the same hand, you don’t want to die because you want to be around for the rest of her life."

Now that's tragic.

Friendship!

I interrupt my very busy schedule to bring you this very important news. In an Indonesian zoo, a few tiger and orangutan babies have become friends!!! Click here for more adorable pictures and an interesting story, all courtesy of Lynn (who told me) and CNN (who told Lynn).

Is the music industry finally wising up?

"EMI may sell songs online without piracy protection"

It's about time! I've been saying for years that the music industry has to stop making its customers angry (high CD prices, lawsuits, early refusal to adopt digital music) and start listening to them. I would love to say to all the music industry executives, "If people felt like you were in it for the music and not for the money, they would happily pay you. If you were a music consumer, what would you want? Now, make that happen."

EMI, if you do this right, I will applaud you.