Free Money Now!

A few weeks ago I was complaining (as usual), this time about the way in which iPods and iTunes are becoming part of the economy. Well, it's just getting worse and worse. After completing the booking of my flight to Chester's International Airport yesterday, the airline has sent me... a voucher for 5 free iTunes (approximate retail value: $4.95). It used to be that you'd get 500 free airmiles, which was a reasonable concept -- at least it has some connection to the purchase just made. But why replace that with iTunes? A proprietary, DRM'ed, specific form of digital music. I don't have an iTunes account, and nor do I wish to have one. Open protocols like MP3s and Ogg were good enough for my grandparents, and they are good enough for me.

Consequently, I don't want this "free" "gift" of a partial right to listen to a crippled digital encoding of Coldplay or Dido, or whatever (as far as I can tell, all iTunes are actually MOR AOR). By rights I should simply destroy the launch codes, but I am wise and benevolent dictator. Therefore, I'm prepared to give away these codes to anyone who wants them, if you can come up with a convincing reason why I should (I did contemplate just posting them here directly, but there's a good chance that some semi-automated robot would just come along and swipe them). There is a single code for five iTunes, so no splitting, and I suspect that it is only valid in the U.S.A. version of the store (more arbitrary and unnecessary restrictions from the rights owners). Since no one is supposed to be reading this, you have a few days to claim them, after which time I will just post the codes and leave it as a free for all. Enjoy the melee!