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29 Jan 2010 17:19

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Politics: James O’Keefe: Pssh! We weren’t wiretapping that office!

  • On reflection, I could have used a different approach to this investigation, particularly given the sensitivities that people understandably have about security in a federal building.
  • “Gonzo” conservative journalist James O’Keefe • Regarding that whole arrest thing that happened earlier this week. His claim? “The government has now confirmed what has always been clear: No one tried to wiretap or bug Senator Landrieu’s office.” Who said this? Who? Anyway, O’Keefe and his three cohorts could face up to ten years in prison for maliciously interfering with a telephone system operated and controlled by the U.S. government. They claim they were just trying to shoot funny, embarrassing videos. Sure. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 16:59

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Biz, Culture: Update: ManCrunch.com’s Super Bowl ad rejected by CBS. WTF?

  • We’re calling hypocrite on CBS. A gay-themed ad was rejected by the same company that approved an anti-abortion ad. They’re claiming credit problems, despite the fact that the company was willing to pay cash and had $40 million in venture capital. Come on. This is politics, clear and simple. And we hope that CBS hears it loudly. By the way, GoDaddy’s latest sexapalooza was also rejected. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 14:40

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Biz: The Adventures of Newsday Customer No. 36: Quick, kinda useless

  • We understand what Newsday is trying to do with its “Quick Read” format on its $4 million, paywall-ridden site, but the implementation is weak. We say that as warriors of the quick-read information format. We’re like Mel Gibson in the first “Mad Max.” Newsday’s implementation is just flashy, like Tina Turner in “Beyond Thunderdome.” How does a giant image with the lead of a story and a giant photo constitute a “quick read”? There’s no bullet points. There’s no attempt to contextualize the information. It’s just an entryway into another page with another ad – something that the quick read format has a lot of, by the way. Oh yeah, one thing we want to mention: We’ve been subscribers of Newsday.com for three days now, and we’ve yet to be contacted by anyone about paying for our $5/week subscription. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 14:13

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Tech: AT&T isn’t too scared of the big, bad iPad’s effect on its network

  • We’ll have to monitor this usage as the device gets out there. And if it’s substantially different, we’ll adapt to it. But right now, I think the economics will be very positive because it will be a very low-cost device for us – no cost, really, in terms of acquisition.
  • AT&T CFO Rick Lindner • On what he thinks iPad usage patterns will be like. Essentially, he thinks people will mostly use the iPad on wi-fi, and that that $30/month people pay will be mostly pure profit for AT&T. In other, less douchey news, AT&T plans on spending $2 billion to boost up infrastructure this year to make 3G speeds reasonable in markets like New York City and San Francisco, where iPhone uptake is really high. Hopefully they don’t screw it up, like everything else since getting the exclusive iPhone contract. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 13:56

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Biz, U.S.: Small businesses, not fat cats, winners in Obama’s job plan

  • $33 billion in tax credits for businesses that hire people
  • $5,000 in tax credits per employee hired under Obama’s jobs plan
  • $500k the limit on the size of the tax credit, to ensure it helps small businesses
  • zero what small businesses will have to pay in capital gains taxes source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 13:05

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U.S.: Scott Roeder’s murder conviction happened in a familiar place

  • 30 number of minutes it took a jury to acquit George Tiller of 19 misdemenaor violations of Kansas’ abortion law in March of last year
  • 37 number of minutes it took a jury in the same courthouse to convict Scott Roeder of murdering Tiller; Roeder attended Tiller’s trial source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 12:06

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World: Osama bin Laden believes in climate change more than the GOP

  • Talk about climate change is not an ideological luxury but a reality. All of the industrialized countries, especially the big ones, bear responsibility for the global warming crisis.
  • “Osama bin Laden” • As quoted in a new audiotape released by Al Jazeera. Now, before you conclude that Osama’s just offering up crazy talk, bin Laden also suggests that all global economies stop relying on the dollar as a benchmark. He also offered up this nugget of knowledge bound to get people talking: “Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the U.S. policies to those of the Mafia.” See? Totally sane. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Jan 2010 11:54

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Biz: ManCrunch.com: Our favorite (possible) Super Bowl ad evah!

  • This ad is gonna be sooooooo controversial. Nothing like a gay men’s dating site to make the Tim Tebow anti-abortion ad seem pretty tame. Unfortunately for ManCrunch, CBS is slow to approve the ad, which could prevent it from being shown at all. If they approve the Tebow ad but don’t approve this, we know the truth. CBS is full of hypocrites. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 11:37

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Biz, Tech: Windows 7 win: Microsoft all high-fives after record quarter

  • $6.7B size of Microsoft’s profits in their second quarter – that’s way above analyst estimates
  • 60% increase in profits between the first quarter and second, despite some lagging divisions
  • 60M number of units Microsoft sold of its Windows 7 OS – it’s a massive freaking hit source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2010 10:36

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U.S.: Obama: Maybe having the 9/11 trial in Manhattan a bad idea

  • NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg isn’t on board anymore. Months after planning to have the trial for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (a.k.a. Mr. Bedhead) in Manhattan, local pressure is causing the Obama administration to reconsider its plan. “Conversations have occurred within the administration to discuss contingency options should the possibility of a trial in Lower Manhattan be foreclosed upon by Congress or locally,” said one official under an anonymous cloak. Many New York politicians have criticized the idea. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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