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07 Apr 2009 10:27

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U.S., World: Uh, hey Iraq, it’s Obama; betcha didn’t expect to see me.

  • Out of nowhere Obama wasn’t scheduled to come to Iraq, but he went anyway, for a few reasons – to talk shop with Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki and Gen. Ray Odierno, as well as to hand out a few medals of valor to U.S. troops. It’s his first trip to the country since he was elected; he went while campaigning. source
  • Out of nowhere Obama wasn’t scheduled to come to Iraq, but he went anyway, for a few reasons – to talk shop with Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki and Gen. Ray Odierno, as well as to hand out a few medals of valor to U.S. troops. It’s his first trip to the country since he was elected; he went while campaigning.
  • A busy trip Obama’s managed to do a lot in his international trip – between the G20 summit, the European tour, and avoiding an assassination attempt by some dude in Turkey, he’s done a good job of playing diplomat. Good job man, and make sure you have a beer after you’re done. source

07 Apr 2009 10:12

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Culture, Music, Politics: Dear Eminem: The formula’s wearing very thin

  • We get it, man. Marshall, you’re one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and this is the make-or-break moment. Critics, who howled in disappointment at “Encore,” are wanting “Relapse” (out in May) to be a return to form. Fans are looking for the most notorious rapper of the last decade to start making hits again. But could you at least make it a little more surprising? source
  • We get it, man. Marshall, you’re one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and this is the make-or-break moment. Critics, who howled in disappointment at “Encore,” are wanting “Relapse” (out in May) to be a return to form. Fans are looking for the most notorious rapper of the last decade to start making hits again. But could you at least make it a little more surprising?
  • The video Eminem is one of maybe four artists – Michael Jackson, Weird Al and Weezer being the other three – who nails the videos every time. “We Made You,” the first single from “Relapse,” is no exception. With pop-culture riffs all over the place, it manages to nail Jessica Simpson, “Star Trek” (see Dre as Capt. Kirk; LOL) and a host of other media icons with ease. source
  • We get it, man. Marshall, you’re one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and this is the make-or-break moment. Critics, who howled in disappointment at “Encore,” are wanting “Relapse” (out in May) to be a return to form. Fans are looking for the most notorious rapper of the last decade to start making hits again. But could you at least make it a little more surprising?
  • The video Eminem is one of maybe four artists – Michael Jackson, Weird Al and Weezer being the other three – who nails the videos every time. “We Made You,” the first single from “Relapse,” is no exception. With pop-culture riffs all over the place, it manages to nail Jessica Simpson, “Star Trek” (see Dre as Capt. Kirk; LOL) and a host of other media icons with ease.
  • However … … this is exactly the kind of song and exactly the kind of video that Eminem releases as a first single – and a decade in, and his aim’s getting a little off. Riffs on Bret Michaels and Portia di Rossi? Really? And we can see a few Republicans getting uppity over Sarah Palin’s trashing. Marshall, you need a new trick; this one’s just old and tired. source

07 Apr 2009 08:30

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Culture: In this post, Bob Dylan says crazy things about Barack Obama

  • He says profoundly outrageous things. He’s looking at a shrunken head inside of a glass case in some museum with a bunch of other people and he’s wondering if any of these people realize that they could be looking at one of their ancestors.
  • Bob Dylan • Talking about the intrigue he found in Barack Obama’s book, “Dreams From My Father.” Dylan says the president’s “like a fictional character, but he’s real.” No word if Dylan read “Dreams” in his outhouse. • source

07 Apr 2009 08:21

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Biz, Tech: As if the Segway didn’t make people look stupid enough …

… GM and Segway have managed to create a two-person vehicle (the P.U.M.A. mobility pod) that looks even dumber! source

07 Apr 2009 08:14

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World: The toll from the Italy earthquake rose fast

  • 207 dead, 15 missing, 1,000+ injured in the Italy quake source

07 Apr 2009 07:59

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Sports: Why MSU choked in the NCAA championship

  • I just don’t think we did the things we did all year. When you say that, you take away some credit from North Carolina, and I don’t want to do that. It was a combination of us and them, but we need to take some of the blame.
  • Michigan State coach Tom Izzo • On why their team, on a solid NCAA tournament run, faltered in the final game. Before last night, they were a feel-good story. • source

07 Apr 2009 07:51

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Sports: UNC: Your NCAA win was destined, but we still don’t like it

  • 5-0 North Carolina’s record against Michigan State in NCAA tourney games source
 

07 Apr 2009 02:14

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Music: Where’s the option to tell KISS to stop touring?

In case you’re looking to demand that the painted foursome play in your town, Eventful has a contest for that purpose. source

07 Apr 2009 01:29

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Biz, Politics: Dear Associated Press: You’re not the only game in town

  • The dispute The Associated Press, one of the most-quoted and most-highly-regarded wire services, wants to battle Web sites who use their content – even under commentary and fair use standards – head-on. “We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work under some very misguided, unfounded legal theories,” said AP chair Dean Singleton, who we cited directly from an insightful AP article on the topic. source
  • The dispute The Associated Press, one of the most-quoted and most-highly-regarded wire services, wants to battle Web sites who use their content – even under commentary and fair use standards – head-on. “We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work under some very misguided, unfounded legal theories,” said AP chair Dean Singleton, who we cited directly from an insightful AP article on the topic.
  • Our suggestion The wire service currently is still debating how to do this, but here’s how we think they should handle it. They should set up a satellite, AP-1, put it into orbit, implant mind chips into their audience and whenever someone even thinks about reading a newspaper article anywhere besides a newspaper, they’ll get a small, corrective electric shock. Sound idiotic, malformed and unrealistic? That’s because it is, just like this stupid idea. source
  • The dispute The Associated Press, one of the most-quoted and most-highly-regarded wire services, wants to battle Web sites who use their content – even under commentary and fair use standards – head-on. “We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work under some very misguided, unfounded legal theories,” said AP chair Dean Singleton, who we cited directly from an insightful AP article on the topic.
  • Our suggestion The wire service currently is still debating how to do this, but here’s how we think they should handle it. They should set up a satellite, AP-1, put it into orbit, implant mind chips into their audience and whenever someone even thinks about reading a newspaper article anywhere besides a newspaper, they’ll get a small, corrective electric shock. Sound idiotic, malformed and unrealistic? That’s because it is, just like this stupid idea.
  • We’ll just use Reuters If this crazy idea that a bunch of out-of-touch newspaper publishers conjured up gains legs, it’s OK. There are lots of other places to gather content. And to blame this on blogs and Google News, this is beyond unwise; you could speed up the very road to irrelevancy that you’re trying to prevent with a move like this. Only people who don’t understand the Internet would suggest this idea. Good job screwing it up, old guys. source

06 Apr 2009 13:08

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Sports: Duh: Michael Jordan goes into Basketball hall of fame

In the most obvious selection in history, the inevitable MJ induction is no longer getting held off by Naismith. source