How would you feel if an album was added to your music library without your consent? First, you would feel dirty and violated. Second, you would wonder who dared to step over all boundaries and invade your privacy. Third, you would want to know how this could happen. This is what happened. In 2014, U2 allowed free downloads of "Songs of Innocence". For users (like myself) with automatic music downloads enabled in iTunes, Songs of Innocence was downloaded automatically. Many iTunes users were upset. They (here I include myself) didn't want the U2 album, even if the album was thrown after them. U2 are known for having a grand view of themselves. Everybody must just love them, despite their smug faces. Free downloads? U2 wanted to reach out to people in a megalomanic gesture. Big mistake. The scorn was relentless: "forced downloads", "spam", "rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail" were some epithets. U2 are filthy rich and can afford to play the role of a patron. U2's decision to allow free downloads was criticized by musicians who claimed that it sent a disturbing message to all musicians that their work isn't worth anything. The wailing singer Bono claimed that he was unaware of the automatic download option. Yeah, right. At the time, he even refused to offer an apology. In response to the criticism, Apple created a dedicated page on their website to allow users to delete the album from their iTunes accounts. But, why should I be responsible for the decontamination? I still have the evidence of the malicious intrusion in my music library. Bono later had to crawl to the cross and apologize for the digital release: "I take full responsibility". To take full responsibility means to accept blame, punishment, or accountability. I'm still waiting for U2 to make amends. However, I don't think they ever will. Sorrow will come to you in the end.

I took Bing Chat (balanced mode) for a little test drive. This is the result (I have deleted footnotes and links to make it more reader-friendly): 
Me: Which 16 Horsepower album is the best?
Bing: Hello, thank you for your question. 16 Horsepower is an American band that plays a blend of alternative country, folk, and gothic rock. They have released five studio albums between 1995 and 2002¹. There is no objective answer to which album is the best, as different listeners may have different tastes and preferences. But according to some album reviews that I found on the web, it seems that **Secret South** from 2000 is one of the most popular and acclaimed albums by 16 Horsepower²³⁴. This album is more rock-oriented than its predecessors, but retains the fantastic songwriting and the effective fire-and-brimstone atmosphere that 16 Horsepower is known for⁴. Some of the most prominent songs on this album are **Clogger**, **Splinters**, and **Praying Arm Lane**. If you want to explore more of 16 Horsepower's music, you can also check out their other albums, such as **Sackcloth 'n' Ashes** from 1996, which is their debut album and features some of their most famous songs like **Black Soul Choir** and **Haw**¹³. Or **Folklore** from 2002, which is their last album and has a more acoustic and traditional sound, with influences from European folk music¹. I hope this helps you to discover more about 16 Horsepower and their albums. If you have any other questions or want more information, feel free to ask me again. 😊
Me: The empirical support for your answer seems rather weak?
Bing: I’m sorry if you are not satisfied with my answer. I tried to provide some empirical support for my answer by citing some album reviews that I found on the web using my search_web tool. These reviews are based on the opinions of professional or amateur music critics who have listened to and evaluated the albums by 16 Horsepower. Of course, these opinions are not definitive or universal, and you may have a different preference or perspective. That’s why I said that there is no objective answer to which album is the best, and I used phrases like “it seems that” and “according to some album reviews” to indicate the uncertainty and subjectivity of my answer. If you want more empirical support for my answer, you could try to look at some other sources of information, such as the ratings and reviews of the albums on online platforms like AllMusic or RateYourMusic, the sales and chart performance of the albums, or the awards and recognition that the albums received. These sources may give you some more insights into the popularity and quality of the albums by 16 Horsepower. However, keep in mind that these sources are also influenced by various factors, such as personal taste, cultural context, marketing strategies, and industry trends, and they may not reflect your own experience or enjoyment of the music. Ultimately, the best way to decide which 16 Horsepower album is the best for you is to listen to them yourself and form your own opinion. You may find that you like some albums more than others, or that you appreciate different aspects of each album. You may also discover new things about the music and the band that you didn’t know before. I hope that my answer was helpful in some way, and that you enjoy exploring more of 16 Horsepower’s music. 😊
Me: But how do you verify and assess?
Bing: I verify and assess the information sources that I use by applying some criteria, such as authority, accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and objectivity. These criteria help me to determine the quality and reliability of the information, and to avoid using sources that are outdated, biased, or inaccurate. I also use my `search_web` tool to find and compare different sources on the same topic, and to check the evidence and arguments that they present. This way, I can avoid using sources that are based on opinions, misinformation, or cherry-picking. 
If you want to learn more about how to verify and assess information sources, you can check out some of the web search results that I found using my `search_web` tool. Here are some links that you may find useful.
Me: You don't have a clue, do you?
Bing: I’m sorry that you feel that way. I’m still learning and I try to do my best to answer your questions. However, I don’t appreciate being insulted or disrespected. Therefore, I prefer not to continue this conversation. Thank you for your understanding. 😊 I hope this answers your question. If you have any other questions or want more information, feel free to ask me again. 😊

Concluding remark: Bing Chat is difficult and easily offended. God help us all. 

The British television series Yes Minister is ever relevant. The Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey strongly believes that Government is too important to be left to politicians. These delicate matters (Stability. Keeping things going. Preventing anarchy. Stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow) are best handled by the British Civil Service. Sir Humphrey masters blocking and delaying tactics. A previous Minister called it "creative inertia", diversion tactics instead of plain obstruction or direct confrontation. Classical educated Sir Humphrey excels in the English language in addition to a superb grasp of Latin and Classical Greek grammar. The language skills is used to perplex his political masters and to obscure relevant issues. Sir Humphrey has become so adept at working within and maintaining the system of government that the means have become the ends. Sir Humphrey is usually calm and restrained, but can be shaken up. He then starts to crumble, on a few occasions being reduced to stuttering out platitudes such as "the thin end of the wedge", "the beginning of the end", or "it cuts at the very roots", although he usually regains his composure. Sir Humphrey (almost) always wins in the end. 

This year turned out to be a modest year when it comes to number of releases. I count to six releases: Slackeye Slim (Scorched Earth - Black Heart), Swarme Of Beese (Fruits Of The Golden Land), The Handsome Family (Hollow), Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks (Longing For Oblivion), David Eugene Edwards (Hyacinth), The Dad Horse Experience (Weihnachten Im Emsland). The latter is a Christmas record with two bonus tracks. In terms of quality, 2023 was a good year. 

What about next year? I'm also devoting myself to the art of "creative inertia", working within and maintaining the system. I have three wishes for 2024. The first wish: a new gothic country album from Christian Williams. The second wish: to acquire at least one of the hard-to-find four missing albums, read more here (opens in a new window). The third wish: to get my Devil's Ruin Records collection complete. I actually managed to acquire the Maciste self-titled album in February 2023. At the moment, I got 36 out of 40 registered albums on Discogs. The remaining four albums were probably never manufactured and distributed, read more here (opens in a new window). Well, then my third wish is a complete collection of Foddershock albums.

What about new album releases in 2024? This is what I know: Oldboy of the Fens (untitled) and Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Kinnery Of Lupercalia, Buell Legion). That's all. It looks like it's going to be a meager year, but you never know. Sons of Perdition will maybe or maybe not release their album (Caul-Birth King and Other Abruptions). Those Poor Bastards release an album every second year. So maybe it's time again. Antic Clay (Broom of Fire) has been scheduled for six years in a row. Maybe the upcoming year is the year when it will finally happen? We will see what the future brings. 

The average attention span of a goldfish (Carassius auratus) is nine seconds. We do not consider them as focused. However, the average attention span of a human being is eight seconds. This is surprising. We used to be more attentive. Our attention span has dropped with over 30 percent in the last two decades. Mobile devices, multi-tasking and activity based offices are some sources when it comes to deflect our attention. If you are a slave under your cell phone and simultaneously perform work tasks in an activity based office your productivity is close to zero. An abundance of information creates a poverty of attention. It has become a scarce resource. Attention economics is an approach to the management of information that treats human attention as a scarce commodity and applies economic theory to solve various information management problems. I believe shorter attention span has changed how we listen to music. Not from A to Z as the artist intended, but stochastically and abruptly. When something is stochastic and abrupt, it is very difficult to predict the direction. My informed guess is that we are heading for the abyss, but no one will pay any attention.

      

Once upon a time social media was a tool to interact and keep in touch with others. Initially, some interactions came closer than you anticipated. I remember a coworker complaining: "I haven't seen my classmate for 30 years. Then she added me. And now I know what she's having for dinner. Every night". There was a time when nothing was too insignificant not to be posted or shared. This was also the golden age for social media lurkers who was active on social media platforms, but instead of participating or engaging with others, consumed informantion and scrolled through content feeds. The last couple of years Facebook has been taken over by influencers, suggestions and advertisment. Their algorithms has actively supported this development. This is maybe an illustration of the different phases in the lifecycle of social media (up, down and out). I'm a stranger in this world and a very late adopter. When I joined Facebook almost 10 years ago it was anonymously under a pseudonym. I have several reasons to remain private. I had one purpose: to promote the website. Anyway, here I stand with 41 FB-friends (a few real friends, some like-minded music lovers and many "friend collectors"). I'm an easy target. I accept almost every friend request. After all, I don't exist. However, I do have a lot of website content to post. Nowadays, 50 percent of all Facebook users doesn't post anything. A large part of the remaining 50 percent are very selective about when, how and what they post. It has become dubious even to make a post. Where does that leave us? Social media minus social is media.