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22 Jan 2009 18:59

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Offbeat: Pop songs can spark specific memories, psychologists say

It doesn’t matter if you’re listening, even. Thinking of the song is enough, says Kansas State University. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 18:40

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U.S.: Another disturbing tragedy on the Va. Tech campus

  • An unspeakable murder A Chinese graduate student was decapitated by a fellow classmate in a cafe on campus. Yesterday, 22-year-old female student Xin Yang was killed with a butcher knife by 25-year-old male student Haiyang Zhu. Yang had only recently started at the Blacksburg, Va. school a few weeks ago. Haiyang knew the student, but no motive has yet been determined for his actions. source
  • An unspeakable murder A Chinese graduate student was decapitated by a fellow classmate in a cafe on campus. Yesterday, 22-year-old female student Xin Yang was killed with a butcher knife by 25-year-old male student Haiyang Zhu. Yang had only recently started at the Blacksburg, Va. school a few weeks ago. Haiyang knew the student, but no motive has yet been determined for his actions.
  • Echoes of a major tragedy The tragedy shook the campus of a university that, just a year and a half ago, suffered one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, when a gunman shot 32, then himself. University president President Charles Steger was cognizant of the emotions on campus. “An act of violence like this brings back memories of April 16,” he said. “I have no doubt that many of us feel especially distraught.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 18:24

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Tech: Need inspiration, bloggers? Time to get Plinky.

  • A service designed to give you ideas. Everyone who’s ever blogged has dealt with it; lazy blogger syndrome. But a startup created by a former Google staffer wants to make it easier for you to avoid it. If you need a couple of ideas, check out the just-launched Plinky, which combines social networking (along the lines of Twitter) and brainstorming (in the form of prompts and answers) for the win. Hopefully you’re not sick of social networking yet. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 17:57

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U.S.: Obama staff: If you make more than this, your pay’s frozen

  • $100,000+ means no raises source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 16:53

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Tech, U.S.: From social networking to barely working for Obama’s staff

  • It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari.
  • Bill Burton • Obama’s spokesperson, on the outdated technology and bureaucracy that the president’s staff faced when moving into the White House • source
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22 Jan 2009 16:33

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World: China’s tainted milk saga leads to the death penalty

  • two people were convicted and sentenced to death for selling milk laced with the toxic melamine; the milk made 300,000 sick source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 14:08

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Music: The new U2 single = Spoon + Of Montreal + Bloc Party

  • How it’s like Spoon First thought when listening to “Get On Your Boots”: Well-placed handclaps, anyone? Yeah, that’s totally Spoon’s territory, as is the random fleeting sound. And the verse totally sounds like Spoon’s “Finer Feelings.” Yeah. Spoon is totally the biggest influence on rock music right now. source
  • How it’s like Spoon First thought when listening to “Get On Your Boots”: Well-placed handclaps, anyone? Yeah, that’s totally Spoon’s territory, as is the random fleeting sound. And the verse totally sounds like Spoon’s “Finer Feelings.” Yeah. Spoon is totally the biggest influence on rock music right now.
  • How it’s like Of Montreal That whole paisley chorus/bridge-going-paisley thing is such a staple of Of Montreal, and they did that whole twelve-songs-at-once thing on last year’s Skeletal Lamping, which was easily 2008’s strangest indie-rock album. U2 wants a piece of that uber-hip Elephant 6 pie. source
  • How it’s like Spoon First thought when listening to “Get On Your Boots”: Well-placed handclaps, anyone? Yeah, that’s totally Spoon’s territory, as is the random fleeting sound. And the verse totally sounds like Spoon’s “Finer Feelings.” Yeah. Spoon is totally the biggest influence on rock music right now.
  • How it’s like Of Montreal That whole paisley chorus/bridge-going-paisley thing is such a staple of Of Montreal, and they did that whole twelve-songs-at-once thing on last year’s Skeletal Lamping, which was easily 2008’s strangest indie-rock album. U2 wants a piece of that uber-hip Elephant 6 pie.
  • How it’s like Bloc Party Bloc Party is the most U2-like band of the naughts, so it’s inevitable that it sounds like a driving Bloc Party song to some degree. But this doesn’t sound like U2. No, this sounds like U2 playing Bloc Party playing U2. Which is weird. Bono, be yourself again! Get your edge back, Edge! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Jan 2009 13:18

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Biz, Tech: Apple faces SEC dramarama over that Steve Jobs illness thing

  • What did Apple know beforehand? Investors are understandably wondering about what the company knew about Steve Jobs’ health before he took a leave of absence last week. So now the feds are looking into it, just to see if they did anything sketchy about announcing it. Jobs is a cancer survivor and is dealing with a hormonal imbalance that has made him lose a significant amount of weight. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 11:05

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Culture: Oscar justice: Downey got a nom for “Tropic Thunder!”

Forget Heath Ledger. Robert Downey Jr. is the male supporting actor to beat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2009 10:56

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U.S., World: Former Gitmo inmate: “Restore justice for prisoners”

  • He needs to restore justice for prisoners who were persecuted there during investigations. There were innocent people imprisoned there.
  • Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef • an ex-Taliban ambassador to Pakistan and former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, on Obama’s planned closing of the prison camp • source
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