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02 Apr 2010 20:18

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Music: Erykah Badu’s $500 fine for naked video a drop in the bucket

  • crime Erykah Badu shot a controversial music video in which she stripped to her skivvies and evoked JFK by getting shot. It drew a huge amount of press and publicity.
  • punishment Badu was charged with disorderly conduct today and was punished with a whopping $500 fine, one which she joked she could pay in merch sales alone. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 19:04

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Tech: Super-nerd Cory Doctorow: The iPad is made of pure evil

  • It really feels like the second coming of the CD-ROM ‘revolution’ in which ‘content’ people proclaimed that they were going to remake media by producing expensive (to make and to buy) products.
  • Boing Boing blogger Cory Doctorow • Discussing why he hates the iPad so much. He notes a number of reasons, but the biggest is that it’s a machine that’s not designed to be tinkered with, and invokes the “Maker’s Manifesto” in his argument: “If you can’t open it, you don’t own it.” Don’t think he speaks for Boing Boing with this argument, by the way. Fellow Boing Boinger Xeni Jardin reviewed the device and gave it the headline, “Apple’s iPad is a touch of genius.” So, if anything, Doctorow (who’s anti-copyright, pro Creative Commons) provides the site some balance. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 19:00

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Biz: Florida’s housing boom, brought to you by crappy Chinese drywall

  • 3,000+ complaints have been filed
    about poor quality, hydrogen
    sulfide-loaded drywall from China;
    the drywall corroded wires and
    made people sick
  • 80% of those complaints are from
    Florida (which once had a housing
    boom) and Louisiana (which rebuilt
    a lot of homes after Hurricane
    Katrina) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 17:46

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Music: Lil’ Wayne from jail: Thanks, fans, for sticking behind me

Lil’ Wayne has been getting letters while in jail, and he has an official blog to respond to his fans so he doesn’t go crazy and can avoid getting shivved. Weezy thanks you. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 17:27

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Politics: Urologist pissed about health care law, takes it out on patients

  • If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years.
  • A sign outside the office of Florida Dr. Jack Cassell • Regarding the health care law and his frustrations with Obama. A patient happened to notice this friendly sign, and now Rep. Alan Grayson – that ultra-liberal guy who just happens to be Cassell’s congressman – plans to file a formal complaint with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Medical Board. One other angle: Mount Dora, Florida, is very GOP-heavy, but Grayson says that the Democrats in the town are largely black. Grayson could’ve left that one alone. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 17:25

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World: Bad comparison: Vatican compares sex scandal to anti-Semitism

  • Seriously, dude? Seriously? Sometimes, it’s probably best to cut your losses and just admit you screwed up, and in the case of the Vatican, they’re well past that point. During a Good Friday service, Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who has served as preacher for the Papal household since 1980, made the questionable comparison of the Vatican’s troubles to the 2,000-plus-years-strong pains of Jews. We’re mere inches away from a Nazi comparison, at which point Godwin’s Law kicks in – for the Vatican?! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 16:11

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Tech: Need proof the iPad is going to be an amazing device? See this

  • This is a drum machine emulator. As many budding musicians will tell you, learning recording techniques on a PC isn’t exactly much fun due to the learning curve involved. You can already see how much less of one a device like the iPad creates. Korg’s iElectribe app suggests just how much possibility is out there. Hopefully, Apple fixes their App Store situation to encourage creativity like this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Apr 2010 15:38

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Culture: Kal Penn: “Harold & Kumar 3” beats working for Obama

  • I’m hurt and offended that you didn’t ask whether the million dollar Hollywood contracts were calling for me. I have not accepted any such contract at this point.
  • White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee • Discussing (in hilariously deadpan terms) the fate of actor-turned-staffer Kal Penn, who is reportedly quitting his position as the White House’s associate director of public engagement to do a Christmas-themed “Harold and Kumar” movie (which may be in 3D). Which is seriously the best reason to quit any job, ever – actually, we take that back. The best reason to quit any job, ever, is to leave “House” to become the White House’s associate director of public engagement. Kal Penn seriously has the best resume ever. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 15:11

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Biz: Newspapers willing to guilt you into reading their articles

  • “If you don’t have us around, we’ll break your leg.” Journalism is an interesting beast these days. There’s more of it going on than ever, but not nearly as much of the kind that is truly helpful to the community. But we can probably all agree that scare tactics won’t convince people to start reading the paper again. It’s journalism’s job to innovate, not the other way around.
  • there’s a point here As poorly as this ad puts it, it does have a point. The nitty gritty of the journalism process is in severe danger of going away. The low-paid scab reporter who willingly covers boring but necessary city council meetings? There’s no equivalent of him or her in the blogosphere (at least not with a paycheck for their work). Local journalism is at a real turning point.
  • proving its worth The problem, though, is local news outlets are generally really bad at explaining this point, and when they do, it’s really heavy-handed (see the subway ad above). So, what’s next? We’re guessing one of two things need to happen: One, it needs to be community-supported on a non-profit basis (see MinnPost), or two, it needs to truly innovate. Or both.
  • will the iPad help? Tomorrow, many large papers, from USA Today to The New York Times, will release apps to coincide with the release of the iPad. From a outsider’s standpoint, they look great (especially the USA Today one). But really, we want to see what mid-sized dailies will do. USA Today won’t go away. The Kalamazoo Gazette might. And, honestly, we need it more. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2010 12:41

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Music: Dark Side of the NES: Is 8-bit Pink Floyd clever or annoying?

  • Pink Floyd, as you might know, prefers that people listen to their albums in full form, but they never said anything about re-imagined versions of the tunes from “Dark Side of the Moon” thrown together in Famitracker. Above is “Money,” which has a very whiny vocal part. What do you guys think? There’s a whole album available to download. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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