Nonsense 2.0™

The personal “blog” of George Riddick, Chairman/CEO of Imageline, and a graphic arts content and technology industry pioneer … with more real life experience in the copyright, graphic arts, and Internet Piracy worlds than almost anyone!

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Nonsense 2.0... so here we go!

I'm not nearly as smart as all those engineering, MBA, and legal folks out there at Google, Microsoft and the like. But have been at this game longer than most of them.

In fact, I started into the digital content and technology business in 1975, shortly after stepping aside from being a Naval Officer down in Charleston, South Carolina.

Yep, IBM recruited me right out of the Navy. I was the data processing officer on our ship, the USS Yellowstone. The fact that I didn't even know how to turn on the machines didn't seem to bother IBM at the time. These were the FUD days, you know. Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. You could sell almost anything to anyone if you created enough FUD. And IBM taught us to create a lot of it. We all became masters at this game.

I was one of the lucky ones. I got to work on the predecessor systems to the IBM PC down in Boca Raton and my job was to incorporate graphics and computer based training and presentation software into the base machines. It all worked like magic, even though many of the systems would only accept green stick figures for graphics at that time. This was in the 1970s.

I started my first technology company in 1980 after taking a leave of absence from IBM and sailing down the intracoastal waterway. Wow ... what a beautiful trip ... and the antithesis of technology each and every day. Once back at work, we assembled some of the brightest minds in graphic arts illustration, audio and video technologies, computer software, and interactive laser discs (remember Discovision?) worlds and off we went. Our largest customer stayed as IBM for the next 4-5 years, both before and after the original IBM PC was announced.

In fact, my small company in Central Virginia had a dozen or so IBM PC systems under strict security (even motion detectors) long before they were announced. We even produced some of the original Charlie Chaplain animations for those of you out there as old as I am.

Our company went on to pioneer the development of mass produced and shrink wrap delivered electronic graphic arts content (clip art illustrations, design templates, logos/symbols, and animations) for the new IBM PC world. We were very good, and very successful, at what we did. In fact, we licensed our software, content, and technologies to virtually everyone ... IBM, Lotus, WordPerfect, Harvard Graphics, Microsoft, Adobe, Corel, Softkey, Computer Associates, Aldus, Xerox, Hewlett Packard, Parsons Technology, DEC, Expert, Apple, Broderbund, and practically every other technology company on the planet, as well.

So now electronic graphic arts and video content is hot. Companies like YouTube and PhotoBucket are selling out at multiples that couldn't even be printed on the HP calculators we used back in the early days. Imageline must be rolling in clover, I can hear you say. WRONG! I forgot to tell you one very important part of the story.

It's called "Piracy" ... and it is as dangerous now as it was back in the days when shiploads of gold crossed our seas in the dark of night. And even more costly.

Piracy has grown in almost the same proportion as the Internet only the stakes have gotten a lot higher with each turn. What started with just software, and written, textual databases, quickly spread to photographs, songs, digital artwork, and other graphics-intensive content. Broadband allowed movies videos, and other media-rich works to enter the fray. Regardless of what some in Washington may tell you, this epidemic is getting worse, not better. Piracy rates in countries like China, Russia, and Brazil would make you sick. We're talking eight or nine stolen movies, pictures, or songs for each one properly licensed. The Internet has become a swashbuckling society, the likes of which we have never witnessed before. Where's Peter Pan when we need him (or "her", excuse me, Mary Martin).

So now I write on these subjects. I am passionate about them and I don't intend to stop this crusade until they haul me away. I come from a 90 year family history of artists and designers and will not let our valuable property be stolen without putting up a good fight. It's that pure and simple. And because of my age, I really could care less about any politics, or any consequences, for that matter.

I call things exactly as I see them. If I think politicians are underestimating the damages caused by piracy, I'll tell you so. If I think investment bankers and lawyers are covering up the truth for their own personal gain and greed, I'll tell you that as well. If I think judges, or government enforcement agents, are not doing their job, you'll hear that from me, too. We are no longer dependent on anyone, and I like ti that way. My company never liked dealing with the venture capitalists of the world anyway, and I doubt they'd want to mess with us these days ... that's for sure. I don't lean right or left on this subject. I lean towards the creative people in our industry who have always made this life interesting to me.

So, since I have heard from so many people recently who have tried to persuade me to start my own blog, I thought I'd make a compromise. I'll post some of my thoughts, alongside some very useful articles written by others, on the new web site published by Imageline.

But you've got to let me refer to it as "Nonsense" ... which is how I often feel about I see and read about. And I don't accept censorship, even f it does mean losing out on the some huge business opportunities in China (sorry Google ... that's just the way I feel).

So there you go. With that, let me get back to some of this "Nonsense". And don't hesitate to let me hear from you along the way.

Thank you for "listening".

George P. Riddick, III
Chief Penman
"Nonsense", the mini-blog.

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