Ads Ruin Everything
And If You Didn't Know Already, The Future Usually Sucks
Mark Rushton’s Perseverance in the Arts is a weekly email on Substack where I talk about my ongoing work as a recording artist and visual artist.
This week’s topics:
Ads Ruin Everything
Overloading the Bass
Walking and Thinking Time
Captured Music - 2024 Summer
Ads Ruin Everything
I saw where Susan Unpronounceable, the former Google employee and CEO of YouTube, died recently of some unusual lung cancer at the age of 56.
What is it with all these Sillycon Valley execs dying unusually early of relatively rare cancers?
Remember, Steve Jobs had a very-treatable type of pancreatic cancer, but he chose to get coffee enemas until it was too late.
I’m not saying that “conventional medicine” has all the answers. After my 90 year old dad had an inter-cranial hemorrhage, it was suggested by the docs that they could helicopter him to the University hospital to have some experimental operation performed even though the chances of full reanimation were impossible. That was never going to happen - he wouldn’t have wanted it - and we proceeded to hospice. It could have only happened because of his insurance, which was through the VA.
In the early 2010s, at a former employer’s HR meeting, a “benefits specialist” guy from the corporate office stopped by to explain that your doctor and dentist office knows your insurance plan inside and out, and money is squeezed out of it using something called “practice management”. That stuck with me, and it explains a lot of questionable things that go on today. I never saw that benefits specialist guy again. It was like he appeared out of the corn field and then disappeared back into it. I don’t remember his name. Maybe it was Cassandra?
I have mixed opinions about YouTube during Susan Unpronounceable’s reign. In the beginning, people shared videos for fun. Then corporations wanted to be where the eyeballs are. Susan basically turned YouTube into Network and Cable TV with all the ads. Freemium is now overloaded with intrusive ads, but if you pay the monthly subscription you only have to deal with sneaky and overt “product placement” videos. (slow clap)
And while people understand that ads ruin everything (Barry Manilow was making fun of the name of the arena - Wells Fargo Arena - he was playing in when I saw him - another reason to love him…) I believe corporate censorship is even worse.
Look what’s happened since ads showed up on YouTube, especially in the past few years. Videos are being removed because some company, politician, or whoever, didn’t like what you’re saying - but later on we find out that the company, the politician, or whoever, was lying, and that the content creator was correct. Or YouTube sticks some “Find out more information about this topic” in the corner, an obvious sign of total corruption.
I just try to avoid ads.
I guess that’s why I’ve abandoned things like Instagram and Facebook, which have been ruined with them. And why I deleted LinkedIn for the second and last time.
At least I don’t have to be bothered with that on Substack.
For now.
Things have a tendency to change. The future usually sucks.
What’s the new word to describe that sort of thing?
Overloading the Bass
I still broadcast videos and audio to YouTube. When I watch, I do pay for the premium, ad-free subscription. There’s enough good content keeping me around.
I also re-broadcast to other video streaming services and I have an audience there. Odysee is one of those, and they just announced they’re switching back to ad-free.
On Friday night, August 9th, I had what I thought was a rather fun music livestream. If you’re interested, it’s called Overloading the Bass and can be heard on Odysee.
It’s also on YouTube.
Wear good headphones!
Walking and Thinking Time
Here’s where I occasionally walk - the West Des Moines campus of Des Moines University. Or what I jokingly refer to as “West Des Moines University”. It’s a nice, new campus. Just down the hill from where we currently live. I could walk in my neighborhood, but DMU has less activity. It has a long sidewalk leading to a pond. It’s a good place to walk and think and listen to podcasts or leave voicemails while catching some Vitamin D.
What do they do at DMU? They make D.O.s. Doctors of Osteopathy. I’m guessing they make some PTs (physical therapists), too. I don’t know what goes on inside. My primary is a D.O. I’ve been going to a D.O. for nearly 15 years. They leave me alone.
This past week, I was mainly busy with the day job and personal things.
I’ve also been editing and remastering music to add to my DISCO account. Once I get the account to a certain number of titles, then I’ll get back to pitching them to sync libraries.
I’m also working on creating a database of local/regional video creators so I can introduce myself in case they need music or sound effects for their projects.
But I need my walking and thinking time. Not much. Just enough to recharge.
Captured Music - 2024 Summer
And I have a new post over at my Playlisting Substack with links and some commentary on the music I’ve Shazam-ed in the past few months.
Here’s an example of my commentary:
Can You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones
Heard at Skylabs Audio in Valley Junction, West Des Moines. I stopped in Thursday after work to get some different pads for my new Grado headphones. I didn’t know the song or the artist, as the song was already in the instrumental section. Surprised it was the Rolling Stones.