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11 Feb 2010 11:05

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Offbeat: These guys have too many T-shirts, too much time on their hands

  • These guys have 222 T-shirts, and two days. They also have a stupidly clever idea on their hands. They probably need to get outside more often, but let’s laugh at them while they’re still inside! We won’t spoil the best parts of the video.

11 Feb 2010 10:56

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U.S.: Senate Democrats say screw the snow, release their jobs bill

  • Remember, it’s just a bill right now. The Democrats’ big plan for jobs? Business tax breaks and construction projects. That’s right, we have a jobs bill coming, and it’s everything you’d expect a jobs bill to be. Will it pass a harshly divided Senate? Will it actually cut that godawful unemployment rate? We’ll find out. source

11 Feb 2010 10:50

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Tech: How low can they go? Apple is trying to cut TV show prices

  • $1.99 the price Apple currently sells TV shows for – it’s also a dollar extra for HD, and it’s expensive
  • $1 the price Apple is gunning to sell TV shows for, which could help it take on Hulu
  • $30 the price they want to charge for all-you-can-eat monthly Apple TV subscriptions source

11 Feb 2010 10:40

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Tech: Good Google Buzz vs. Bad Google Buzz (the bad is mostly PR)

  • We’ve been playing with Google Buzz since last night, and we see a lot of potential here. It builds on some already solid foundations, and does things that prior players in this field – specifically FriendFeed – couldn’t do because of lack of scale. That said, we think Google has PR problems that Buzz largely amplifies. Here are our thoughts:

Google’s Good Buzz

  • It has users! Google handled Buzz’s launch better. Wave introduced its platform without users, so while it was technically adept, it gave users no incentive to join. Buzz solves that problem by plugging into Gmail’s wide usership.
  • It’s easy-to-use Another big problem with Wave is that while it was technically executed well, it was so complex to use that Gmail users couldn’t grasp it easily. Buzz’s interface is simple by design. There are options, but they’re fairly simple.
  • It notifies! Perhaps the biggest mistake that Wave made was that it had no built-in notify feature via e-mail; it was designed to replace it, really. You had to check it to see if people were bugging you. Buzz is tied directly to e-mail.

Google’s Bad Buzz

  • Do we need another? If Google had created Buzz three years ago, it would have seemed revolutionary. Now it just seems like Google’s trying to catch up. Facebook has this market cornered; why spend time focusing on this specific angle?
  • It eats wave’s lunch Even with all the differences, most users will compare Buzz to Wave. Many people already see Wave as a failure because it never answered a simple question: Why? Buzz is closer to that answer, but the effect is that it neuters Wave.
  • Can’t make up its mind The biggest problem Google faces is one due to its size. Google is so big that they try get involved in everything. Apple is successful right now because their decisions are deliberate. Google’s aren’t, and they seem indecisive. source

11 Feb 2010 10:13

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World: 20 years later: Nelson Mandela’s release from prison celebrated

The South African political prisoner, and later president, signaled the end of apartheid with his release. His iconic post-release march was re-enacted today. source

11 Feb 2010 10:03

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Culture: Alec Baldwin sent to hospital after pill scare, but really, he’s fine

  • It sounds like his daughter overreacted. Baldwin, the “30 Rock” superdynamo, was sent to the hospital for an hour after his daughter, Ireland (best known as the daughter he famously called a “thoughtless little pig”) called 911. She claimed he was going to take pills. His rep claims it wasn’t really a bad incident at all. “This was a misunderstanding on one person’s part,” said the star’s rep, Matthew Hiltzik. “Alec was quickly released from the hospital, he’s completely fine and will be at work today.” source

11 Feb 2010 09:54

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Tech, World: Iran is blocking Gmail, may have bigger plans for the internet

  • This has been going on for more than four days now. I contacted my internet provider and they said it is out of their control.
  • An anonymous Iranian whose internet is getting gummed up • Regarding his frustration with the Web. Iran has already shut down Gmail permanently – we blame Buzz – and has only been allowing limited access to the Web in the wake of the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian revolution. Google confirmed that they’ve had a sharp drop in traffic from Iran this week. “Whenever we encounter blocks in our services we try to resolve them as quickly as possibly because we strongly believe that people everywhere should have the ability to communicate freely online,” Google wrote. “Sadly, sometimes it is not within our control.” source
 

11 Feb 2010 09:45

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World: The #iranelection protest machine is working on all cylinders

  • The opposition in Iran collectively has brass cajones. In this clip, protesters pull down a pro-government sign. In case you want to see more clips like this, this Facebook page has many.

11 Feb 2010 09:35

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11 Feb 2010 09:28

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World: Iran enriches uranium, God cheers, the rest of the world jeers

  • I would like to notify you and announce with a loud voice that – thank God – our chief nuclear negotiator announced that the produce of fuel at 20% started under the watchful eye of our scientists.
  • Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad • Announcing to a crowd that the country that sent worms to space is now enriching uranium at levels high enough to build their own reactors. He notes that they could enrich as high as 80 percent, but they have no need. 20 percent is high enough to anger the West. source