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28 Jul 2011 23:23

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Politics: An update on the debt ceiling shenanigans

  • boehner’s bill falls short: After a chaotic day of vote-whipping, vote-delaying, and vote-switching, John Boehner has decided to postpone the vote on his debt ceiling bill. Despite multiple assurances that it would be brought to a vote before tomorrow, at the end of the day, Boehner didn’t have enough votes to ensure the bill’s passage (and he wasn’t going to embarrass himself by introducing a bill that was sure to fail). In an unusual alignment, conservative Tea Partiers and House Democrats all pledged to vote against the bill, albiet for different reasons. While the legislation has virtually no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate, Boehner’s ability to shepherd it through the House is seen by many as the first real test of his leadership abilities. If he doesn’t eventually pass it, there’s a good chance he’ll (eventually) be deposed as Speaker. But it’s not over yet–sources say Republicans plan to tweak the bill a bit, and re-introduce it tomorrow.  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 20:00

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Tech: Patent lawsuit-o-rama: Spotify sued just weeks after going stateside

  • Once again, we see patents being used as a tool to shakedown companies who were actually innovative in how they executed, with a ridiculously broad patent that contributed zippo to the actual state of the art.
  • TechDirt’s Mike Masnick • Offering a spot-on take regarding the patent lawsuit filed against the finally-in-the-U.S. Spotify. The company suing, PacketVideo, specializes in mobile streaming solutions, but did not develop the patent, which dates back to 1994. Instead, they bought it a couple of years ago. Masnick, in his argument about patent law, rightly points out that it’s easy to patent an idea (especially one that was already floating around the ether in 1994, like audio streaming), but it’s very hard to do what Spotify does — which is, corral the cats into a room and get them all working in unison. Fact of matter: PacketVideo didn’t put any of the work into getting the labels on board, creating an innovative distribution model, or making it a cinch to use. Spotify did. And it’s another example of how patent law fails to protect real innovation, but instead punishes success. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 14:45

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Politics: Firebrand Rep. Joe Walsh has a pretty big financial problem

  • $117,000 owed in child support source
  • » That’s a lot of money: Walsh, a member of the Tea Party who calls for the country to cut spending and pay its bills, is having trouble paying some of his own, according to a recently filed lawsuit. He’s had other financial troubles, too — he lost a condo in a Chicago suburb to foreclosure, but he eventually got that cleared up. Our question: Should Walsh’s own issues be on the table, considering the way he goes after the government’s fiscal issues?
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 14:30

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Tech: Twitter revamps ad offerings to entice more advertisers

  • “Promoted tweets” will now show up directly in Twitter users’ feeds. But they won’t be like ordinary tweets — they’ll appear near or at the top of users feeds, with a little promoted thing nearby (see above). Before, promoted tweets would only show up if a user searched for something relevant — now they’ll show up if you follow a company’s account. “When we decide to follow a favorite brand, business or charitable organization, we expect to be among the first to get a special announcement, access to exclusive content or a great offer,” Twitter stated in a blog post. “That’s why starting today, we’re introducing a way to ensure that the most important tweets from the organizations you follow reach you directly.” Essentially, advertisers pay to ensure visibility. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 14:13

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World: if you think Breivik was alone in his thinking, you’re wrong

  • Mr. Breivik managed to commit two terrorist attacks in a single afternoon. But the hatred and contempt from which he drew his deranged determination were shared with many others throughout the international right-wing blogosphere.
  • Joshua Gaarder, author of “Sophie’s World,” and Thomas Hyland Erickson, professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo • In a New York Times opinion piece emphasizing the right-wing blogosphere’s influential nature — especially in terms of the Norway terror attacks, perpetrated by a man with ties to the right-wing in Norway. Plenty of people on the Internet are bigots in an extreme sense, extreme enough to encourage behavior like Breivik’s. It’s a sad and scary truth, but it’s one that needs to be taken seriously — no man works alone. He may have been a lone wolf in his actions, but he certainly wasn’t alone in his thinking. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 11:28

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World: Battles in Somalia over trying to get aid to the people that need it

  • 6 killed in a contentious battle to keep the aid flowing in Somalia source
  • » Militant group al-Shabab won’t allow UN aid: With millions of people prevented from receiving necessary aid in a region of the world that really needs it, African Union and Somali government officials have been forced to fight to gain ground against the al-Qaeda-tied group. Could you imagine leaders denying help to the people in their control when they absolutely need it? We couldn’t, but this is the instability that Somalia currently knows.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 10:58

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Biz: Exxon Mobil’s back to their track record of insanely massive profits

  • 41% the increase in Exxon Mobil’s profits in the current quarter
  • $10.7B the amount the company made in the second quarter (kind of a lot)
  • $14.8B the company’s largest quarter ever (in 2008), just for perspective source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

28 Jul 2011 10:43

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Tech: Signs the 3D fad is over: Nintendo drops 3DS price significantly

  • $80 price drop after only five months on the market source
  • » Poor sales might be the cause: Amid reports that 3DS sales are roughly 39 million units off of projected forecasts, the device, noted for its unique 3D screen (which does not require glasses, by the way), is dropping from $249.99 to $169.99 next month. The 3DS, while well-reviewed, faced a number of problems at launch, including bad timing — with the console having just come out before the devastating earthquake hit Japan, Nintendo’s home and a key sales market. On top of all that, Nintendo is facing unprecedented competition in the portable market, what with mobile phones getting in on the territory Nintendo exclusively dominated for years. Oh, and 3D is hard on the eyes. That seems like a good reason.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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