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02 Jan 2010 21:08

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Politics: Caving in to the TSA: Should bloggers fight to protect sources?

  • Anyone working with Frischling now knows that he’ll respect your confidentiality, just so long as it’s not inconvenient to his liberty. And that’s not respect at all. He let all bloggers down the other day when he willingly handed over his computer to the government.
  • TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington • Regarding travel blogger Steven Frischling, who caved to TSA investigators regarding documents that he released in the wake of the underwear bomber last week. Arrington feels that Frischling let down a lot of bloggers by not fighting the subpoena and instead caving in. The situation has been resolved, with the TSA dropping the subpoenas (fellow travel blogger Chris Elliot didn’t cave), but Arrington feels that bloggers need to fight to protect their sources in cases like this – and as a tech blog on the front line of situations like this (although not as life-or-death), he has some experience with this. We’re with him, but would like to point out that there’s not a lot of institutional support for many bloggers in the same way as traditional journalists. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 19:33

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Music: Chris Cornell, sensing a musical dead-end, reunites Soundgarden

  • Remember these guys? Of course you do. The first shot in the Grunge revolution, Soundgarden, plans to reunite in 2010, according to Billboard. And just in time, too. Lead singer Chris Cornell has had a post-Soundgarden career that’s among the worst in rock music, including these missteps:
  • moody Cornell’s first solo album, “Euphoria Morning,” was way closer to Jeff Buckley’s sound than Soundgarden.
  • super Cornell then turned most of the members of Rage Against the Machine into mush with Audioslave.
  • sleepy Cornell’s second solo disc, “Carry On,”  was worse than Audioslave and had a boring “Billie Jean” cover.
  • wtf?? Cornell then made “Scream,” one of 2009’s worst records, with Timbaland. Atone for your sins! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 19:12

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: Five trailblazers to start out the next decade

  • 1. Folk: The Avett Brothers had a pretty good 2009, with a large major-label mainstream breakthrough in the form of “I and Love and You.” As folk goes, their sound – influenced by ramshackle punk and Beatlesque melodies as much as traditional Guthrieisms – seems ready to define folk-rock for the next decade. And unlike Ryan Adams, they have a fairly consistent musical plot, which means they won’t screw this up so easily.
  • 2. Punk: Fucked Up may perhaps be the most interesting thing to happen to hardcore punk in a couple of decades. There’s a distinct level of risk in their performance style (they’re known for being violent and confrontational) and their sound (their most well-known album, “The Chemistry of Common Life,” opens with a flute solo – not exactly hardcore), and it’s a definite blueprint for punk’s future that could win them fans over time.
  • 3. Electronic/Noise: HEALTH has two pretty good albums to their name, and with a brutal live set (punctuated by pin-drop changes in dynamic), a tie to one of L.A.’s best scenes at The Smell, and an ear to the potential of electronic music (2007’s HEALTH//DISCO remix album proved to be a great evolution of their sound), they’re bound to come up with a great album eventually.
  • 4. Pop: Chromeo is perhaps the most influential pop band that currently isn’t getting heavy play on the radio. Mainstream acts are riffing on their retro sound (which itself riffs on Hall & Oates, with a little French electronica mixed in there) left and right, and they come up way more often in articles about pop music than they do on iPod playlists. With a third album in 2010, expect them to get an even bigger profile.
  • 5. Rock: Titus Andronicus perhaps has one of the most interesting conceits for an album in 2010 – “The Monitor,” a concept piece on the Civil War, anchored by a song called “The Battle of Hampton Roads.” The scrappy indie rockers, if they pull it off, could win the kind of respect handed to guys like Craig Finn of The Hold Steady. The band already has a history the with concept album, so it should be intriguing.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 18:06

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World: The Brazilian mudslide quickly gets larger, deadlier

With at least 64 dead and many more potentially missing, search crews are heavily trying their best to find anyone they can. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 17:36

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Biz: Debit vs. credit: Some quick notes on using bank cards

  • With the new credit laws taking place in February and later this year, now’s a good time to start thinking about how to react to the changes now. As a result, debit cards will be in heavier use. But before you get started, here are some things to consider:
  • Introductory points:
  • 40% of credit card users pay their balances monthly – something important to note. Paying off said debt can help you avoid some of the larger interest charges
  • opt-in a change coming to overdraft fees in mid-year; the often-costly fees on debit accounts are responsible for $25-$38 billion each year in bank profits
  • Usage tactics:
  • debit Debit cards are easier for many consumers to acquire, and are a good cash replacement. They’re better to use for small purchases, but tend to have many fees.
  • credit The better your score, the better the credit. It’s easy to rack up heavy debt, but when used properly, they’re advantageous for larger purchases in particular.
  • Safety considerations:
  • In cases of theft By and large, you have more protections with credit – Visa and MasterCard protect consumers from all liability above $50. Debit cards will credit accounts as well, but it’s up to the bank, who takes responsibility for the loss.
  • In cases of disputes Again, users of credit have the legal advantage here – if a charge is disputed, you don’t have to pay while the charge is disputed. With debit cards, this is in the hands of the banks, not the consumer.
  • General protip If you use a debit card to make a purchase, don’t use the PIN. Instead, sign for the purchase. You get many of the same protections you would with credit cards, and you pay fewer fees for the privilege.
  • Other things to consider:
  • scores Paying back credit cards has a direct effect on your FICO score – important for large loans.
  • benefits Overall, you get stronger benefits – such as points – with credit cards than debit cards.
  • buffer Debit overdraft fees can come in handy if you’re short, but they can quickly add up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 16:40

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Biz: Happy New Year! Banks are figuring out new ways to screw you

  • $50B the amount of income banks stand to lose due to the Credit Card Act of 2009
  • 43% of bank execs feel that consumer trust has eroded in the last six months; no, really
  • fees the solution banks plan to offset losses – let the nickel & diming commence source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 16:25

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Offbeat: Newspapers still fall for old “Heywood Jablome” gag

Around Christmas, both the Quad City Times and The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead ran “Heywood Jablome” attributions. Painful. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Jan 2010 16:13

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Politics: Rick Sanchez makes John Ensign feel all uncomfortable & stuff

  • Our Boy Rick Sanchez got Nevada Sen. John Ensign on his show to talk terror. Big deal, right? Well, except it was the first interview Ensign had done with CNN since his ethics scandal broke around the time Mark Sanford’s did. And Rick quickly changed the subject quickly to Ensign’s myriad ethics problems. Painful to watch.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 15:58

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Politics: Switching parties may not be good for a politician’s career

  • ⅓ of House defectors since 1980 lost their next election source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 15:57

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Biz: Big-box retail survivors eating the corpses of the deceased

  • cause A bunch of retail spaces have closed during the recession – including 8,000 stores expected in the first half of this year alone.
  • effect Chains still doing well – including Forever 21, Kohl’s and Staples – are taking advantage of cheap rents to launch new concepts. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink
 
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