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22 Jan 2010 12:18

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Tech: Digg founder on site redesign: “People are going to be shocked”

  • We’re making some drastic changes, but they’re much-needed drastic changes. People are going to be shocked at some of the directions we’re taking. You have to be comfortable with completely tearing down and throwing away a bunch of ideas.
  • Digg founder Kevin Rose • Regarding an upcoming redesign of his site. Rose claims the site will be more photo-driven and with a stronger real-time focus, and he claims that most people won’t even think of the site as being the same brand as before. Sound intriguing? Yeah, pretty much. But considering his site isn’t the innovation front-runner it was when it launched (thanks, Twitter), it may be what it needs. source

22 Jan 2010 12:08

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Tech: Amazon’s new Kindle app store a bum deal for developers?

  • 15¢ the cost per megabyte Amazon wants developers to pay for its Kindle app store
  • 70% the share of the pie developers take home after the 15-cent-per-meg charge
  • 30% the share Amazon takes; this is a less favorable deal than Apple’s App store, BTW
  • Why the 15-cent charge? Simple: Users don’t pay for the wireless connection. Amazon does. It’s a cost-recouping measure which has the effect of making the store less desirable for developers. No free apps to be found here, guys. source

22 Jan 2010 11:44

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Biz: The Dallas Cowboys’ old home gets blowed up, sponsored by Kraft

  • $150,000 for a crazy tie-in source

22 Jan 2010 11:36

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U.S.: Kid susceptible to high cholesterol levels just like their parents

  • 20% of all kids have unhealthy cholesterol levels; fat kids get it more
  • 14% of otherwise healthy kids also suffer from high cholesterol source

22 Jan 2010 11:28

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Politics: Air America Radio: It flopped, but it did so with silver lining

  • In the end, Rush is still standing. Almost six years after the launch of Air America, the critical mass of political talk radio listeners still resides on the right.
  • New York Daily News columnist David Hinckley • Regarding the failure of Air America’s left-leaning radio network, which filed for bankruptcy and is about to close. His main arguments in the matter? He notes that the company never had the right personalities for radio, its network was weak compared to other talk-radio outlets, and the model was designed around the ideology rather than the players. But it’s not without silver lining: Al Franken successfully transitioned from comedian to senator, and Rachel Maddow is a huge hit for MSNBC. But in the end, it just couldn’t compete with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. source

22 Jan 2010 11:09

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Tech: Survival of the tweetest? AFP tries an endurance test for journalists

  • one Five journalists will be locked away in a farmhouse in rural France for five days next month.
  • two The journos will not have access to any form of mainstream media but Twitter and Facebook.
  • three Among the sources banned: TV, radio, newspapers, smartphones and other Web sites.
  • four The goal? To report what they see on social media, and to test the quality of the info. source

22 Jan 2010 10:56

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World: Yikes: In Haiti right now, stealing rice a shootable offense

  • A truck stopped and we jumped on, and the driver gave us the rice as a gift. But the cops shot us.
  • An unidentified companion who was also shot for reportedly stealing rice • On the events that led police to kill Gentile Cherie yesterday. CNN caught the reported rice-stealing encounter and went to film the arrests, but got more than they bargained for when police reportedly shot the men in the back. Jesus. source
 

22 Jan 2010 10:40

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Offbeat: Some hotel/motel/Holiday Inn employee willing to jump in your bed

  • It’s the company’s new human-bed-warming service. When we at the hotel/motel/Holiday Inn, sometimes we get a little cold before tucking in. Fortunately, they have that covered. Someone will jump into your bed in a onesie, lay around, and get the bed warm for you. “The new Holiday Inn bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed,” the company’s spokeswoman Jane Bednall noted. Can they keep us company, too? We get lonely in hotel rooms sometimes. source

22 Jan 2010 10:24

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Biz: It’s Jeff Zucker’s fault: GE’s profits dipped significantly last quarter

  • 19% freefall when “The Jay Leno Show” was on the air source

22 Jan 2010 00:04

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Culture: Before they were at each other throats: Late-night class photos

It’s weird how innocent the trio looked in their high school class photos. Other highlights include Jimmy Fallon wearing super-thin pencil ‘stache. source