Unless you’ve tried really hard to avoid tech news, you probably know that Netflix made two big announcements within the past few weeks: 1) it’s splitting up it’s DVD-by-mail and streaming media businesses and 2) it’s splitting up it’s DVD-by-mail and streaming media businesses.

The first time it made the announcement, it was just a price increase. If you wanted to have both services, you had to pay much more whereas previously you paid one price for both. The second time it made the announcement — get this — audaciously as an “apology” for lack of foresight for the consequences of the first announcement, it announced that not only where both services separate, more expensive prices but also that both services would be run now as independent companies with no integration.

What that means for the consumer is two separate accounts, two separate websites, two separate passwords, two separate places to rate your movies and get recommendations based on those ratings, etc. etc. In some ways, one might argue that this is a blessing in disguise. I mean, imagine if Comcast split it’s infamous bundle into three separate companies (phone, TV, and Internet) with a price increase for each. What would your first reaction be as a consumer?

I can tell you what mine was with Netflix: “It’s time to shop around.” I’ll still be keeping the Netflix DVD-by-mail service. (I’m not even going to try and type it’s new name, it’s faster for me to type this long sentence explaining that I have to look up the spelling of the stupidly named new company every time I want to mention it in writing.)

Netflix’s DVD service has the biggest catalog of “almost-on-demand” shows and movies I’ve ever found. And I’m generally willing to wait for something in the mail when it comes to older, eclectic content that I might want to watch.

But now that the streaming service is a separate company that offers no integration with the Netflix DVD service (a major competitive advantage that Netflix chose to give up), Netflix streaming no longer has my complacency to thank for me not looking elsewhere by default. You see, I was a loyal Netflix fan (for years) and just assumed that the company had it together and was better than alternatives out there.

Loyalty goes a long way. I was never that impressed with the Netflix streaming selection, and I had quality issues as well. (I pay for extra fast Internet and still had trouble getting HD to stream, after switching ISPs and making several 3-way calls between Netflix and my ISP with each side blaming the other, I never did get it resolved fully.) Now that Netflix is getting rid of most any reason for me to preserve my loyalty, it was time to look around. Enter Hulu Plus.

Hulu Plus costs $8 per month and is a Netflix streaming competitor that focuses on current TV shows. Another key difference is that it still includes some very limited advertisements that interrupt your TV watching experience. But after a weekend of playing with it, I haven’t had any issues streaming HD, and I’ve found the selection much better as compared to Netflix.

I’ve largely ignored Hulu (blogged about it back in 2008) in terms of usefulness for me personally because it always felt like an “online only” media experience. And I rarely, if ever, use computers or mobile devices to watch anything more than short clips. When it comes to real TV or movies, I prefer sitting back on my couch and looking at the big screen. Lucky for me, Hulu Plus makes that possible (as did Netflix) via nicely done integration with my Xbox 360.

In short, thank you Netflix, for trying so hard to destroy my loyalty toward you. As it turns out, it was keeping me from something that is a much better service for me.

Greetings from the sky! I’m writing this on my flight back to Seattle from Boston and noticed that the tech-news-o-sphere is all abuzz about Amazon’s new cloud music products recently announced. In a nutshell, Amazon automatically now is giving its MP3 customers accessibility to their music anytime and in any place via an online digital media locker (“cloud drive”) and an online music “cloud player”.

My predication is that this is the beginning of consumers (mass consumers, not just early adopters) migrating from an ownership mentality to an accessibility mentality. Here’s what I mean:

Moving from the CD to the MP3 was the first shift for me. I remember a few years ago when I still preferred to purchase CDs and then rip a copy for myself so that I’d have my music both in digital format and in a physical format. It was important for me to “own” it and know that I had something tangible.

But then I started realizing what a hassle that was and began just purchasing MP3s without CDs. Nowadays, ironically enough, my biggest concern (in terms of managing my media) is dealing with the limitations of my “ownership”. I like to listen to music on my computer(s), in the car, during a workout, while playing Xbox, at home, at work, during travel, etc. etc.

And it’s not just music, it’s all my media (movies, shows, music, pictures, and books). My biggest constraint is often figuring out which device has how much storage and how best to micromanage my “ownership” to optimize my usage of particular media on-demand.

In short, my perceived need for local “ownership” is a pain. Wouldn’t it be great if ownership wasn’t the first priority? Imagine a world where storage space is no longer an issue. Your media content is online, “in the cloud” in such a way that you can get to it from wherever you are.

That’s not what Amazon announced. But rest assured, that’s where media consumption is going. And I can’t wait!

First, a quick recap on Radiohead’s place in the world of digital distribution experimentation:

In 2007, Radiohead decides to release their album “In Rainbows” exclusively on Radiohead.com with a unique “choose your own price” model. You pick how much you pay (free being an option), and you then can download the album. Next, comScore releases numbers from the Radiohead experiment, which suggest that most of us are cheapskates and freeloaders.

Then, Radiohead responds to comScore’s numbers and says they “no way reflect the true success of the project” even if also stating that the real numbers are “not for public consumption.” Finally, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke calls the whole thing “a one-off response to a particular situation.”

Fast forward to 2011, and we have Radiohead’s latest distribution model: their new album The King of Limbs is only available on their site for a price of $9 and up (depending on which version you get). The release date was February 18, 2011. But even if I call myself a mild-to-moderate Radiohead fan (have — and have paid for — most their music), I haven’t yet listened to “The King of Limbs.” Here’s why:

My music purchase behavior starts with Zune (I am a Zune Pass subscriber, which means I can listen to most mainstream music via a monthly subscription fee), then goes to Amazon MP3, and then moves to iTunes as a last resort. Occassionly, a fourth location I’ll go for music purchasing is Amazon, for the physical product once known by many: the CD. However, that’s only in the case where the CD comes with something I can’t get with just the digital download.

So where does Radiohead land in my music purchase process? Nowhere. It’s not on Zune, Amazon MP3, or iTunes. And Amazon has the CD listed with a release date of March 29, 2011, but with no extras included.

So why don’t I just go to Radiohead’s site and pay them directly?

1. That’s not where I shop.
2. That’s not where I trust my credit card to be stored/used.
3. That’s not where automated services reside post-purchase to make sure my downloads automatically integrate into my two platforms for music organization (Zune & iTunes).

In short, the fulfillment experience is messy. That’s what I’d expect if I were to opt-in to pirating music. But if I’m paying? It needs to be seamless.

Radiohead should stick with what they know: music. And I’d rather make a statement by not purchasing Radiohead’s album, than make a statement by jumping through their hoops.

This weekend I wanted to catch up on the D8 conference, which is basically a series of who’s who in the tech industry being interviewed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. The D8 website has dozens of 5-minute clips but offers no convenient way to watch them in one sitting. Some of us, you know, can handle watching (dare I say, want to watch) certain things more than 5 minutes at a time.

Regardless, I’ll give a go at consuming your content the way you want me to. But how’s the experience? The audio is so low that I can barely hear it even with my laptop speakers maxed out while the viewing window is small, and the same 15-second commercial plays once between clips.

Is there an easy way for me to get this on my TV? No. And, by easy, I mean direct integration with my Blu-ray player (which has Netflix/Vudu/YouTube), my Xbox (Netflix/Zune/Media Center), or my cable box. (Plugging in cables to A/V equipment every time does not fall under “easy.”)

Meanwhile, while watching Real Time with Bill Maher, he continually reminds me to check out something called “Overtime” after the show (exclusively online). Basically, when the shows ends, the cameras keep rolling and Bill Maher continues the discussion with his guests a little while longer. I’m already in front of my TV, what if I want to watch this? Can I get it via my cable box or some other integration with my TV? No and no.

One more example: The always excellent Fareed Zakaria asks his viewers “the question of the week” each week on which he used to respond/comment the following week. Nowadays he’s quick to remind us that if we want to know more about the responses to the question of the week, we have to check out the show’s website.

Great. So I have all these screens in my house (computers, phones, TVs, etc.), and I’m the captive audience many of these media outlets want to engage with. So why not make it easy for me to consume any of your content on any screen?

*Update* How could I forget The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? At least a couple times a month he has interviews run long, which means you have to watch them online all over again to see what was edited out. Why are extended Jon Stewart episodes not available on demand somehow directly on my TV?

How do you like my title? It came from a Wall Street Journal article entitled “Microsoft Plans Shake Up” which Henry Blodget of Silicon Alley Insider linked to, added an intro that added nothing new, and then added quite the Google-bait headline of “Microsoft Shaking Up Entertainment Group In Desperate Attempt To Catch Apple And Google”.

Now, full disclosure, I work for Microsoft but not in this division. And I have nothing to do with whatever this story is about. It seems like an interesting scoop for the WSJ, but Blodget’s title is tricking Techmeme into thinking it should be the leader story. So as a fellow blogger, I thought I’d one up Mr. Blodget with an equally exciting title of my own and a piece of advice:

As the New York Time reminded us recently, bloggers love using the embellished title technique. But you gotta pick one or the other. Either leave out the embellishment and be an echo chamber OR embellish and add something substantial. But don’t embellish and say nothing. There’s a word for that: spam.

*Update* I contacted Henry Blodget to let him know my opinion on this. He responded quickly and let me know that he dropped the word “desperate” from his title. Kudos. I’ve done the same.

*Update 2* TechFlash has the latest on the “shake up” (via Techmeme).

Wow, some major love for Apple tonight coming from none other than Bill Maher:

“America needs to focus on getting Jobs, Steve Jobs… In 2001, Apple reinvented the record player, in 2007 the phone, and this year the computer. I say, for 2011, we let them take a crack at America.”

“Our infrastructure, our business model, our institutions, get rid of the stuff that’s not working, replace it with something that does. For example: Goodbye US Senate, Hello Genius Bar. So good luck, Steve, ’cause you’ll need it. Of course, I’m sure he’ll make us change the name.”

[Cut to image below]

But interestingly enough, in an earlier segment, he showed a screenshot of an Apple customer satisfaction survey and complained (generally, even if using Apple as an example on screen) that companies bug him too much with satisfaction surveys. So what should we make of this?

Probably not much other than Bill Maher seems to be fan enough to give Apple credit for the iPad already having reinvented the computer. Record player and phone, sure, I see that. But computer? I think Maher may have watched one too many Apple ads for the iPad. The jury’s still out on whether or not it deserves being placed alongside new record players and phones.

Of course, the extrapolation makes sense and isn’t necessarily a bad bet to be making. But let’s wait and see.

*Update* There’s a video of this here that starts right after Bill Maher complains about customer satisfaction surveys (last couple minutes is the main Apple part).

*Update 2* See below for embedded YouTube version of the entire segment.

Logan and I are at it again with another episode of our new podcast: Practically Ideal (get episode 2 here, right-click and select “Save Link As…”). This week we’re discussing progressivism (general Democrat views) vs. conservatism (general Republican views) and figuring out if/where we fit in.

We also talk about Google’s Thanksgiving present of turn-by-turn GPS directions available on all their phones as well Microsoft Bing’s latest and greatest features just released. And lastly, Logan and I discuss which movies we plan to see this holiday season. Enjoy, and thanks for listening!

*Update* Practically Ideal is now on iTunes.

My friend Logan Beaux decided to start a podcast (get it here) and invited me to be part of the project as a regular cohost. For whatever reason, I’ve never done the podcasting thing (till now). And lately I’ve been thinking that Twitter/Facebook has replaced my need to blog like I used to.

But now having participated in a podcast, I can say (perhaps naively) that I’ve been missing out on a decent form of expression. We’ve only recorded one show, but I’m already feeling pretty excited about doing this new thing more. New for me, that is, I think I’m only five years late to the party?

Anyway, the podcast is called Practically Ideal. Logan mentions you can tell it’s our first try (which may be true), but I have to give him props for some pretty good production value. While I think what he’s trying to accomplish is fairly ambitious, I’m glad he (we) is (are) doing it.

The format used includes a discussion on the latest in politics/economics, followed by a discussion on the latest in tech, and wraps up with a nice dose of pop culture. In this episode we discuss libertarianism, “climategate”, Windows 7, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, the Mad Men season finale, and other TV shows we’re watching. And we do this all in about 50 minutes.

The truth is, Logan and I are fairly interested in each of the broad subject categories but haven’t found a show/podcast that addresses them all together in a condensed package of sorts. So he decided it was a good time to start what we’ve never found. I wonder, though, if it’s too much for one show?

It’s really 3 or 4 mini-shows with the same personalities behind each segment. In fact, if technology would allow more easily, I wish there was an easy way to present the podcast with bookmarks of sorts so you could skip to only those topics that interested you. Then again, I think the show works best when all together. But of course I would say that…

Anyway, enough of my take. Give it a listen, and let me know what you think. You can download it here (Right-click and select “Save Link As…”), and we’ll soon have it as something you can subscribe to on iTunes.

*Update* Practically Ideal is now on iTunes.

Not something I normally write about, but I thought I’d do my part in the “do nothing” response from the United States. If that didn’t make sense, let me explain:

The prevailing wisdom I keep hearing is that the U.S. shouldn’t meddle, as it will just fuel the fire for the current Iran regime to crackdown on protesters even more. If meddling were to occur, the regime would blame the West and have an easier time handling their current situation.

Makes sense, I suppose, at least in theory… in practice, the regime is already blaming the West and is already cracking down on protesters (20 people dead and counting). I’m not sure specifically what the difference might be if the U.S. were to meddle in any way. Whose mind might that change of the reformers/protesters in Iran to all of a sudden side with the current regime?

But then again, I’m not suggesting the U.S. meddle. I mean, what would we — or any other major country — do? We have a pretty bad track record when outcomes of U.S. meddling are analyzed, especially in the recent past. Of course, that doesn’t stop plenty of Americans (myself included) from wishing we could do something to help in some way that is perhaps just short of meddling. Building awareness is really the only idea I’ve seen anyone come up with.

So here goes. The recent Iran elections appear to have been fraudulent and Iranians are not happy about it. So much so that a group of a couple hundred of them (in addition to the crowd of one million in Tehran) have been protesting on my street corner (in Bellevue, Washington) each weekend since this began. See below for pictures and some video:

Michael Arrington discusses what he thinks is a fantastic idea in his latest post “Paid Twitter Streams Are Here: Super Chirp.” So Super Chirp is this new third party service that allows Twitter users the ability to charge others for access to their direct messages (Twitter’s private messaging system). The idea is that celebrities could say their extra special stuff to people who pay for it!

Here’s what I said in a comment on the TechCrunch post:

Wait, so as we Internet users complain about the last few remaining pay walls for what we thing should be ubiquitous information… we’re now supposed to be super excited for a new pay wall just because it has something to do with Twitter?

What goes around comes around, I guess…

Mike, if it’s such a fantastic idea, why don’t you drop the ads off your site and make every 5th post something I pay for?

I kid. Your site, as cool as it is (and I mean that sincerely), doesn’t have the “get out of jail free” card that makes Twitter, well, Twitter.

But what do you think? Is this something you’d see yourself paying for?