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14 Feb 2010 10:41

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Biz: In case you hate Zhu Zhu Hamsters, they’re multiplying big time

  • four number of hamsters Cepia, Inc. sold last Christmas, when they were a super-hot toy
  • 40+ number of hamsters the company will sell starting this summer; way to milk a fad, guys source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2010 10:35

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Tech, World: China’s internet blocking is pathetically over-the-top in Xinjiang

The people in this car, from the Chinese Xinjiang province, have to travel 1,000 kilometers – a whole day – just to check their e-mail. Blame last summer’s protests. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

14 Feb 2010 10:27

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Politics: Like filibusters? Don’t? They’re not going away anytime soon.

  • Republicans are gambling they can convince the American people Democrats can’t get much done, and at the moment, their gamble is paying off.
  • Former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey • Regarding the Republican’s strategy to filibuster the Democrats’ agenda so that it helps them in the next election. The filibuster has significantly changed in usage since the days of civil rights, and is now routinely used as a political stalling tactic. We just want to make a point here: While the GOP’s filibuster usage is inexcusable, the Democrats did the exact same thing to get a majority in the Senate in 2006. In fact, they did it at a faster clip. While the rule really needs to be changed on a fundamental level, it’s not going to happen easily: It requires 67 votes to make a change like that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2010 10:18

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Offbeat: We like stores that tell us exactly what they are, too

  • “I don’t need no Papa John’s, I go straight to Pizza!” This comedy rap, “Stores That Tell You Exactly What They Are,” is clever as heck, and has a killer guitar-driven beat to boot.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2010 10:07

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World: U.S. soldiers in Marjah: “We’re taking fire from all angles”

The Taliban made themselves known today after U.S. Marines took over a building. 30-35 insurgents have been killed during the offensive. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2010 09:52

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U.S.: Alabama professor may have another murder to answer for

  • The release of Ms. Bishop did not sit well with the police officers, and I can assure you that this would not happen in this day and age.
  • Braintree, Mass. chief of police Paul Frazier • Regarding Alabama professor Amy Bishop, who reportedly killed three professors on Friday, on a cold case involving Bishop’s brother. In 1986, Seth Bishop was killed during an argument at their home in Braintree. Police are considering re-opening that 24-year-old case as a result of the most recent murders. The shooting was classified as accidental at the time, but an officer at the scene claimed it took place after an argument between the two parties. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2010 21:15

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Politics: We have a tip for Robert Gibbs: Don’t call it “the Twitter”

  • before A while back, our boy Robert Gibbs admitted in an interview that he wasn’t able to use Twitter from the White House, which hurts Obama’s until-then-solid Web 2.0 cred.
  • now Gibbs joined Twitter today as the account @PressSec, and his handle of the service is a little suspect. He called it “the Twitter.” He’s a PR person. Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

13 Feb 2010 20:36

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Politics: Lawrence O’Donnell is recovering from a burst forehead vein

  • After Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen made a point about terror that MSNBC analyst Lawrence O’Donnell didn’t like on Friday’s “Morning Joe,” O’Donnell went into this fit of rage that surprisingly didn’t turn him green and muscular. OK, O’Donnell made a good point. So did Thiessen. No reason to get angry, dude. Unless you’re trying to make good TV. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2010 20:12

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Culture: James Cameron says some amazing stuff at the TED conference

  • Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own. Don’t put limitations on yourself. Other people will do that for you … failure has to be an option in art and exploration because it’s a leap of faith. In whatever you’re doing, failure is an option, but fear is not.
  • “Avatar” director James Cameron • Giving a pretty awesome speech at the TED2010 conference today. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, has regular speeches like this. In Cameron’s, he talked about how his desire to explore led him to ideas like “Avatar” and “Titanic.” Part of his exploratory nature has been nurtured by his deep-sea diving. He’s spent 3,000 hours underwater over the last 40 years (and 500 inside of a submarine), which is kind of a lot. A very inspirational speech for sure. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2010 19:32

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: Johnny Cash is the new 2Pac is the new Nick Drake

  • This weekend’s release of “We Are the World 25,” which features Michael Jackson taking on a few lines beyond the grave (both in the song and the video), got us to thinking about the artists with seemingly never-ending vaults, in part because we’re sure Jackson himself will be a victim of this kind of musical grave-robbing. Here’s a sampling of the state of posthumous releases:

  • 1. Johnny Cash died way back in 2003, but he has a new album coming out, and “Ain’t No Grave,” held together by a rhythm made of dragging chains, is actually pretty good. Surprising it didn’t get a release back then, honestly (he recorded a lot of tunes with Rick Rubin in the years before his death). It’s one of Cash’s better late-period tunes.
  • 2. Nick Drake’s “Family Tree” probably never would’ve seen the light of day had Drake lived to an old age, but the 2007 release of privately recorded demos stands above the fray of most of the grave-robbing reissues by the guitarist. On “Bird Flew By,” you can hear a lot of the blues influence in his guitar-playing.
  • 3. Jeff Buckley may perhaps have the legacy most damaged by posthumous releases – even moreso than 2Pac. He had one amazing album and one aborted attempt at a second album that was released as an incomplete work. And a lot of live recordings. “Live at Sin-é” may be the key example: A short EP initially, it was reworked as a monster 34-track compilation in 2003. It’s not necessarily the worst release of his, just the best example.
  • 4. 2Pac has tons of posthumous releases (including a live album for a show he wasn’t even headlining), but some of these at least have interesting approaches. In the case of 2004’s “Loyal to the Game,” Eminem produced the entire thing off of some tapes Tupac Shakur’s mom gave him, which means it has some interesting productions and top-of-their-game guests. But it still feels kinda grave-robby, even though it’s respectfully done.
  • 5. Michael Jackson will likely follow the same path as the other stars here, and “This Is It” is really only the beginning. We gave the song a good review when it first came out, and the reason it sounds solid is because it was recorded during his still-interesting “Dangerous” era. We’re sure he has some huge vaults. And there are significant financial reasons for digging into them. We’d like to see them go the Elliott Smith route here, with compilations respectful of his legacy. But a Jeff Buckley-style “everything must go” is more likely.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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