The NYT published an internal memo, reviewed by Mathew Ingram at GigaOm. I read the memo. Couldn't find anything substantial in it. But the memo could have been very short. This is what they need to do. #

Learn how to open the editorial doors to everyone who can make a contribution. Open source the techniques of the NYT. Instead of teaching kids to "code" which is the rage, teach them to report. #

And host them on nytimes.com.#

Start right now. As Reagan appealed to Gorbachev -- tear down this wall! Not talking about the paywall, the editorial wall.#

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Prince once said we exhaust our music, listening to it over and over until we can't stand it anymore. I can't find the exact quote, but that was the gist of it. #

In all the discussion about Apple's acquisition of Beats, people say Steve Jobs said people wanted copies of the music they listen to, not to have it streamed. I know what he means, but if he were alive today I think he'd see it differently.#

I'm the same age he would be. In the world we grew up in, we had copies of the music. First on vinyl, then cassettes, then CD. We felt there was value in every album, if not every song. The music I loved back then I still love today, but I already have copies of all that stuff. Anything I really care about that is.#

The new stuff is great, but it's also quickly exhausted, so who cares about having a copy of it. Good example is the excellent Pharrell tune Come Get It Bae. When it first came out I couldn't get enough of it. I listened until I couldn't stand it any more. Then something terrible happened, it became the theme song of the TNT coverage of the NBA playoffs. And the tune playing behind a very frequent Red Bull commercial. Even worse, each of the versions was a bastard remix to take out the things they didn't want for whatever their purpose was. As if no one had heard a song that everyone was listening to. #

Now, you think I want a copy of that song? Hahaaa. No I do not. But I'm glad to have copies of all the old Prince classics. And the Doobie Brothers. I just saw mention of them on Facebook, and had a listen to Black Water. What an excellent song. I don't care if the kids like it. Now get off my lawn! #

PS: I lied. I still love Come Get It Bae. Just listened to it. Take it easy on the clutch cause girl I like it. It's so much like Prince. Love. #

This is third time in two days that smart people have confused Java and JavaScript. As an example, I was saying to an old friend, at lunch on Thursday in the West Village, a former software entrepreneur who is now a venture capitalist, that I was using JavaScript for all my development these days, and it was rapidly becoming a consensus platform among developers. He said "Oracle must be very pleased." #

Another example, a user was concerned that Fargo would be affected by all the crazy stuff with the Java API because of Oracle's lawsuit with Google over Java. #

To be very clear -- Java and JavaScript are very different things. Both are programming languages. One is the property of Oracle, the other was created by Netscape and turned over to a standards body. The languages have some elements in common, like the Quran has things in common with the Bible. But they have very separate ownership, and are very different things from a legal standpoint.#

Analogously, suppose you had two daughters and you named one Mary, and the other Mary Jane. It would be confusing for sure, but they would still be different people. #

This difference, and the fact that Oracle apparently has no idea how much damage they're doing to Java with their legal shenanigans, that make me glad that I have chosen to work in JavaScript.#

One of the things I like about JavaScript is that it's loose and disorganized, but it still gets the job done. Like a Grateful Dead concert. Sometimes they would lose the tune, you'd shrug and say "Oh it's just the Dead" and then they'd get back on track. Or not. #

PS: This sniffy page on the Java website is a little out of date. #