January 2011
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“We need to cut these things that aren’t constitutionally mandated, that are kind...”
– Sarah Palin, on President Obama’s State of the Union address, to Fox News’ Greta von Susteren, Jan. 26, 2011.
(via technipol)
I said I wasn’t going to post about her. But THIS is infuriating.
(via apsies)
She’s not wrong that these programs are “on the periphery” and are “fluffery” (not a word,...
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On Egypt
I haven’t written a lot about Egypt for a number of reasons, but essentially it comes down to two main ones:
I don’t know a lot about the history of democracy in Egypt, and what lead up to the current situation.
There are better blogs out there providing up-to-the-minute information on the situation (I recommend SoupSoup for my tumblr brethren.)
I try not to comment on matters where...
Closure of Al Jazeera Bureau in Cairo
darling80m:
From the Al Jazeera English website:
1:35 pm: For more on the closure of the bureau in Cairo, Al Jazeera’s producer in the Egyptian capital reports:
Just spoke with staffer at the Cairo bureau. While our correspondent and other staff were out, security forces (not army) entered the office and demanded filming permits and press IDs. They were told that all the recently arrived...
“The days of reporters drinking and brawling... →
markcoatney:
braiker:
timeoutnewyork:
capitalnewyork:
Um, we disagree.
Yeah, some of our best drinking buddies are our coworkers.
I don’t know. Rings fairly true. I mean, I’ve done some solid carousing with colleagues. Newsweekers can draaank. The ABC kids can tie one on when they want to — once in a great while. Rolling Stoners? Shockingly lame.
But something tells me this all pales...
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Hulu is now considering transforming itself into a... →
lisamct:
Hulu is now considering transforming itself into a “virtual cable operator” offering live linear channels and VOD content to paying subscribers, according to an in-depth piece in the WSJ that cuts to the heart of many issues TV networks, the owners of Hulu, are facing as they balance the desire to develop new digital business with the need to...
2 tags
Netflix CEO wades into Net Neutrality debates →
soupsoup:
via Washington Post :
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a letter to shareholders that the practice by Internet service providers such as Comcast of charging networking firms such as Level 3 more to bring videos and other content to users is “inappropriate.
He didn’t mention those firms by name, but his comments were clearly directed at the ongonig salvo between Comcast and...
“Once, as we walked in Manhattan, he told me: “Imagine you’re in a game. Think...”
– If Your Life Were a Movie - NYTimes.com (via jaybushman)
I find this relevant to my interests and future projects…
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"My first screenname was anjelbabe4. I will never...
walex:
neverbehopeless:
dailyhuff:
tanya77:
urlesque:
housingworksbookstore:
Cornbread and Butter Beans
Mine was BroadwayNY.
Confession time, ya big lit snobs. What was yours?
And the embarrassment starts early tonight, folks!
wolf77722
Several variations on Prufrock.
karategirl1313. Yeah, I know.
bballdude99999
That’s five 9’s.
And that’s exactly how I told everyone...
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Me (trying something new I picked up from Trader Joe's): Hmmm, I don't know how I feel about sunflower seed butter.
Beth: I don't know how I feel about MY FACE!
Me: ...I'm not really sure how to respond to that aside from quoting you and putting it on the internet.
Juan Cole: Olbermann Departs, as Media Consolidate... →
soupsoup:
kateoplis:
It seems Olbermann is too extreme for US television. But Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, now they are mainstream. What universe could that proposition be true in? That of cranky old white billionaires. And television news is owned by them. Not by you.
Whether Comcast is the villain of the piece directly, things like the Comcast merger with MSNBC are responsible for there...
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WatchOuch…
Colbert rips into Rush Limbaugh’s most recent bout of incredibly racist idiocy.
“Some math: 200 million minutes a day / 60 minutes per hour * 365 days per year =...”
– I have found the cognitive surplus, and it hates pigs » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism (via rafer)
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Emulation, Simulation, and the Human Brain - Why... →
Damn. There go my retirement plans.
LIFE GOALS
Buy Private Island With Volcano.
Hollow Out Volcano to Make Awesome Secret Lair.
Become Bond-Style Supervillain (Bond-Style, no need to infringe on trademarks here.)
Find Nemesis (create if necessary.)
Destroy Nemesis
Upload Consciousness and Live Forever Inside Supercomputer
Find Way to Escape Either the Gravitational Collapse of the Universe...
Fox's Kelly Absurdly Claims Fox Personalities Do... →
It’s like Fox isn’t aware of this thing called “the Internet” that can be used to “fact check” and “call you on your lying bullshit.”
WatchExtra Credits coming in with a really smart episode on piracy.
This was already maybe my favorite web show (or at least my favorite nonficiton web show) mostly because of their willingness to dissect and discuss video games in an incredibly adult, intelligent and educated manner. This isn’t dick and fart jokes kids, this is entire episodes devoted to Narrative Mechanics or Sexual...
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The Obama Administration Lied About WikiLeaks,... →
More here and here.
So while publicly calling Wikileaks a terrorist organization, internally the Obama administration was saying the leak wasn’t really bad at all.
Surprise, surprise.
Actually, not that surprising at all, considering how many of the leaks have proven State Dept. officials publicly lied to the American people about things like “whether or not we’re bombing...
Single-Name Social Media Handles Are Totems in the... →
nickdouglas:
Man, it’s apparently a lot easier to get a single-name Twitter handle than it has been for me to get rid of one.
It’s helped me to A) have used “Spytap” since I was about 13, and B) that it’s not a real word/name. There are a couple networks wherein I use “Barrett” because I can, but for the most part - even when Barrett is available - I feel...
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“A newly disclosed document reveals that Vatican officials instructed the bishops...”
– Vatican Warned Bishops Not to Report Child Abuse - NYTimes.com
Not surprising, huh?
(via evangotlib)
I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find gambling is going on in here!
Can someone please explain to me in a logical and concise manner why, exactly, we can’t arrest any and everyone involved in the...
“In September, a privately held and highly secretive U.S. biotech company named...”
– A brave new world of fossil fuels on demand - The Globe and Mail
I’ll wait to see it until there’s some “there” there, but nonetheless it’s an interesting concept if true. I don’t know that finding new fossil fuels to burn is really the long-term solution but it...
“In September, a privately held and highly secretive U.S. biotech company named...”
– A brave new world of fossil fuels on demand - The Globe and Mail
I’ll wait to see it until there’s some “there” there, but nonetheless it’s an interesting concept if true. I don’t know that finding new fossil fuels to burn is really the long-term solution but it...
The little things.
It’s refreshing how quickly a Windows partition can be erased by my Mac. I spent last night fighting with a Win7 install (this is what happens when I get stupid ideas in my head - I do them) and after much teeth-grinding, hit the “fuck it” button (also known as “delete Windows partition) this morning. Ten seconds later, no restart required, everything was back to as it was...
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F.C.C. Approves Comcast-NBC Deal →
The combination of Comcast’s cable systems and NBC Universal’s channels will create a media powerhouse, and it will represent the first time that a cable system owner will control a broadcast network.
This is why we can’t have nice things.
ericmortensen:
spytap:
Yes, we’re all very impressed that you just discovered animated movie gifs.
I know you’re kidding, but I really am impressed. As someone who used to wait for animated gifs to download via 2400bps modem, I’m pleased to see that they’re still around and impressed by what is being done with them. They’ve moved from being animated stills to slightly stilled animation. At...
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Yes, we’re all very impressed that you just discovered animated movie gifs.
GOP cites Congressional Budget Office (CBO)... →
I still don’t understand how shit like this isn’t illegal. Publicly lying to the people as a representative of Congress should result in immediate dismissal from office and felony charges.
“Politics as usual,” shouldn’t be.
Shut up! I'm a slow reader and mildly dyselxic.... →
peterwknox:
notthatkindagay:
So I’m still reading The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I’m about 420 pages in (not even kidding, it’s where Chapter 22 of book 3 starts.) I took a break for a few days between books 2 and 3, and I’m glad I did. (Because it’s 815 pages long.)
Book 3, Life, The Universe, and Everything has been the most beautifully written in the series, so far. Not...
“There is so much fucking screen time devoted to fucking alien paperwork and...”
– Liz Tells Frank What Happened In Battlefield Earth
Liz, writing a funny enough column about Battlefield Earth that I’m actually considering watching the damned thing.
Avenue Q
ladimcbeth:
divadawg:
Pantages
We’re going on March 5th. :)
Merry Christmas to me!
“The math is simple—and bleak. In Obama’s budget, Social Security costs $787.6...”
– Can the Tea Party Really Cut Spending by 40 Percent? - Newsweek
See also: Rand Paul might vote to raise the debt ceiling if there is a 44% cut in every government program
(via apsies)
Uh, and why is cutting defense taken off the table before the conversation starts? It’s the single largest...
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“Disgusted that a video rental store raked him over the coals for returning a...”
– What Hollywood Execs Privately Say About Netflix - The Hollywood Reporter (via spytapindustries)
Best LA Coffee Shops (Thus Far)
tumblangeles:
departmentoflightandsound:
The Department of Light & sound could not function without coffee. More importantly, it could not function without good coffee. Here are the ten best coffee shops in Los Angeles endorsed by the Dept. of L&S. [In no particular order.]
Priscilla’s Coffee -
4150 West Riverside Dr # A Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 843-5707
Urth Cafe -
8565 Melrose...
Mobile phone economics
If the reason you’re stuck on 2 year plans is so the carrier can make back their initial discount (subsidy) on the hardware, shouldn’t non-contracted (i.e. purchased outright by the customer) phones be on cheaper plans? Why don’t non-subsidized plans exist separate from the “we assume you already owe us two years and $300-500” plans?