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05 Oct 2009 22:18

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Tech: Adobe comes up with a workaround to the Flash-on-iPhone problem

  • problem Apple has been resistant to Flash showing up on its baby – you know, the iPhone. It’s gone out of its way to prevent the otherwise-ubiquitous software, focusing instead on platform-specific apps.
  • solution In its new version of Flash, Adobe allows you to convert Flash files into iPhone programs. Soon, we expect Steve Jobs to show up on Adobe’s property with a shotgun, screaming belligerently. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 22:06

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Tech: This is how we produce all the fake photographs our site uses

PhotoSketch: Internet Image Montage from tao chen on Vimeo.

  • With technology this awesome, who needs the truth, anyway? The truth was just getting in the way of what everyone really wanted, which is awesome, beautiful photos. Photosketch grabs random labeled photos off the internet and throws them into simply-drawn shapes that you outline. The geniuses that made this now have a hit on them thanks to photojournalists everywhere. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 21:53

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Biz, Tech: Knight Foundation: Everyone (not just EveryBlock) should benefit

  • Oops, this open source code isn’t very useful on its own! The Knight Foundation, which has been funding startups for a few years as part of their Knight News Challenge, was quite excited at the sale of EveryBlock to MSNBC in August. But now it’s having second thoughts. Why? Because it was released to the public as a piece of open-source code – not a plug-and-play package that newspapers can easily use. So they’re getting a new team to finish up the EveryBlock code which so it can be rolled out simply. Other startups will get treated the same way. We imagine some applicants to the Knight News Challenge (deadline coming soon!) might get turned off by this, but the goal was always to help journalism in general. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 21:33

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Music: Did Guns & Roses rip off someone else’s electronic song?

  • 0:45 of soundscapes led to a lawsuit for Axl source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 21:29

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Culture: Reality show killer Ryan Jenkins left a “suicide note,” guys

  • The lack of acknowledging that he’d just lost his wife speaks volumes.
  • Buena Park Police Sgt. William Kohanek • Discussing the note that the police found on Jenkins’ computer. While not a suicide note, per ce, the “Megan Wants a Millionaire” star did leave a will and discuss the frustration he felt towards the love of his life, Jasmine Fiore, who was divorcing him when she was found dead. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 20:39

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Tech: Voice over hypocrite protocol: Vonage is coming to the iPhone

  • Guess Apple had a change of heart. See, here’s the thing. Google Voice is a program that works with the iPhone to add a ton of extra functionality that the phone doesn’t have, yet works over regular cell signals. The Vonage iPhone app, does exactly what Apple and AT&T claimed they were afraid of – cheap calls on a network other than AT&T’s – and it was approved! Where’s the logic in that, Apple? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 20:29

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Biz: A couple deathly serious numbers about the funeral industry

  • 35% of all funerals are cremations, which kills the revenue of mom & pop funeral shops
  • 80% of the funeral market is run by mom & pops and private corpserations … er, corporations source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Oct 2009 20:22

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U.S.: More dangerous: A guy with a bomb or a guy with a puppy?

  • bomb The University of South Florida campus had two bizarre incidents on the campus today. The first featured a guy with a backpack that reportedly had a bomb in it. He was quickly arrested.
  • puppy The second incident, which happened not long after the first one, featured a guy who was carrying a knife and a puppy – while wearing a cowboy hat! We’re more scared of the puppy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 20:16

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Culture: David Letterman is still feeling the effects from the sex scandal

  • I’ll be honest with you folks. Right now, I would give anything to be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I get in the car this morning and the navigation lady wasn’t speaking to me. Ouch.
  • David Letterman • Speaking out on Monday’s show in response to his admission on Thursday that he slept with staffers. He initially didn’t want to bring it up again, but it’s still heavy on the news cycle. So he’s talking about it again. Perhaps the most painful thing thing about the controversy might be dealing with his wife Regina, who he didn’t mention in Thursday’s monologue at all: “”She has been horribly hurt by my behavior, and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it’s your responsibility, you try to fix it.” Dude’s got a crappy next few months ahead of him. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2009 12:00

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About: Feedback wanted: A special query from site founder Ernie Smith

What do you guys want? I (not we, I) love doing this site. But I want to encourage its long-term future. I have a lot of things in the can for the site. But I want to get some thoughts from my readers on how to proceed. Here's a few things on my mind:
  • Building focus Over the last 10 months, the site’s content has been defined by its everything-gets-in atmosphere. It largely focuses on a soft approach to hard news, but the subject matter is very broad otherwise. I’m debating whether it might make sense to have a tighter focus – less sports and music, more hard news and tech. What do you think?
  • Adding new voicesAs some of you might know through my usage of bad puns, dirty jokes and left-field explanations, (I think) I’m a funny guy. But I feel like more variety – and more writers – could strengthen the site. (And yes, I’m asking for resumes.) How would you handle writing news in short bites? Think you could do it on a regular schedule? Think about it.
  • Time vs. qualityIt’s probably obvious, but I spend much of my day trying to make this site happen. It’s lots of work. It’s fun work and I love it. But, I already have a full-time job. And this takes up too much of my life right now. Is it a matter of working smarter vs. working harder? I want to find the right balance. Do you guys have any ideas? Leave a comment.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 20 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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