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24 Sep 2009 10:13

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Tech: Remember Compuserve, nerds? It just hit a historic anniversary.

  • The year Compuserve launched – 30 years ago today, in fact. source
  • The initial modem speed, in baud, you could access the iconic service. source
  • Percentage of users’ time spent on the popular CB, or chat, service. source
  • The year AOL finally killed Compuserve’s iconic service. Sigh. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2009 09:55

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Culture: Columnist: Why are Tyler Perry’s stereotyped movies so popular?

  • Maybe it’s easy for whole church buses to go see a Perry flick after Sunday service. Maybe we’re just happy to see black folks on-screen no matter what they do. Or maybe we don’t have the sense of a billy goat when it comes to choosing meaningful entertainment—I just don’t know.
  • The Root columnist Thembi Ford • Lamenting the level of success that Tyler Perry‘s movies, which have been critically lambasted across the board, have had in a short period of time. Ford notes that Perry’s movies have grossed nearly as much in seven years ($319 million) as Spike Lee’s entire canon has in over two decades ($372 million). Perry will be tackling the film version of an iconic feminist play in the future – Ntozake Shange‘s “For Colored Girls who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” – and Ford argues that he’s simply not a good enough director for the honor. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2009 08:54

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Culture: Matthew McConaughey gets by with a little lean from his friends

Matthew McConaughey shoulder lean
  • It’s totally not Matthew McConaughey‘s fault that his career has evolved in such a way that he has to lean on the strength of his romantic comedies to have any standing in Hollywood. Though we wonder if he wobbles.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2009 08:43

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Biz: Guess it’s the recession: Coupons getting cut out more

  • 23% increase in coupon retention in ’09‘s 1st half source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2009 08:36

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World: Scientists freaking out because there’s water on the moon

Water on the moon? Well, that’s kinda impressive. We’d be more impressed if it was already bottled. (We know, we’re hard to impress.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2009 08:24

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U.S., World: More on the HIV vaccine: What’s next and what’s possible?

  • Tests will have been done to verify that the difference is unlikely to have occurred by chance and I have no trouble believing the figures.
  • Dr. Adriano Boasso • An HIV expert at Imperial College London, on whether or not the findings mean something. According to Boasso and others, they mean a lot. While it’s possible the results come down to chance, the release of the full trial data will go a long way in confirming exactly how successful the drugs really were. The BBC has an informative Q&A which should answer some of the big questions on how it was done (a cocktail mix of a primer vaccine and a booster vaccine) and whether or not it’s ready for prime time (at 31.2%, no, but it’s a start). • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2009 08:12

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U.S., World: Well, that’s something; an AIDS vaccine that might just work

  • 31.2% cut in HIV infections with the new drug, compared to a placebo source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Sep 2009 22:42

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Tech: Wii think you should know the Wii is getting a Wii bit cheaper.

  • $199 for the Wii (20% cheaper!), starting this Sunday source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2009 21:46

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Culture: When the cell signal drops, you know a cliche is coming

  • Funny as heck compilation of the lack of cell-phone coverage by the well-written fourfour. 66 movies are included in this compilation, all of them facing a similar problem: No cell phone coverage.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2009 21:28

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World: Also at the UN, Iran’s Ahmadinejad spoke to a room of empty chairs

Which chairs do you think Ahmadinejad was speaking to most passionately about Holocaust denial and hatred of Israel? We say the pastel blue ones. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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