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04 Mar 2010 00:01

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World: The BBC’s budget cuts: 6music barely a blip in the financial picture

  • We cropped on the most important part. Information is Beautiful’s graphic really shows that the cuts that the BBC is making are somewhat unfair (especially considering that the money for the company comes out of licenses on owning TVs). The BBC’s Web presence, while significant, is fairly small in comparison to everything else. And 6music, which is getting many words of morning from British musicians, is by far the smallest piece of the broadcasting pie. Lily Allen’s argument for the station is really well-informed and sweet. She calls the move political, and an attempt to appease Conservative politicians. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2010 21:54

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Tech: Topeka, Kansas willing to change name to “Google” for fast Internet

Sure, it’s not real. Sure, it’s a gimmick. But how many largeish cities do you see changing their name to Taco Bell for free Chalupas? Just sayin’. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

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
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jan 2010 10:56

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Tech, World: China’s not bending for Google in the censorship debacle

  • The Chinese government administers the Internet according to law and we have explicit stipulations over what content can be spread on the Internet.
  • Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu • In a general comment on Internet censorship clearly targeting Google’s bold push to stop censorship on the Internet in China. Another Chinese official, Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, had this to say about the matter: “Effective guidance of public opinion on the Internet is an important way of protecting the security of online information.” Doesn’t sound like China’s willing to bend. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2010 10:34

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Tech: Facebook tries to open up when its users prefer privacy

  • People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something that has evolved over time.
  • Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg • On why his site is slowly becoming less private and more open. As Twitter has created an environment best for open discussion, Facebook – a traditionally private, walled-garden site – has tried to react by stretching their privacy settings in a way that makes it easier to share information. We kinda disagree with Zuckerberg here – Facebook works best private, while Twitter works best public. They’re two different things. They work two different ways. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2010 12:53

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Politics: Bono’s busy schedule: Stop file-sharing, defeat AIDS, save Africa

  • Perhaps movie moguls will succeed where musicians and their moguls have failed so far, and rally America to defend the most creative economy in the world, where music, film, TV and video games help to account for nearly 4 percent of gross domestic product.
  • U2 lead singer Bono • Regarding file-sharing’s danger to the content industries. As crazy as this quote is, it starts out even crazier: “But we know from America’s noble effort to stop child pornography, not to mention China’s ignoble effort to suppress online dissent, that it’s perfectly possible to track content.” This guy is just as arrogant and full of it as the glasses and haircut (and crappy recent music) suggest. He compared file sharing to child porn and free speech. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

03 Jan 2010 11:07

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Tech: Google Chrome now a bigger browsing force than Apple Safari

  • 4.63% use Google’s Chrome, the new third-place browser, which was just released for the Mac last month
  • 4.46% use Apple’s Safari, which is now the fourth-place web browser (but still doing well on phones) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Jan 2010 22:06

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Tech: Twitter may just have legs made for a long-term endurance run

  • The history of the Internet suggests that there have been cool Web sites that go in and out of fashion and then there have been open standards that become plumbing. Twitter is looking more and more like plumbing, and plumbing is eternal.
  • Technology observer Steven Johnson • On Twitter’s long-term prospects as a communication mechanism. Johnson’s comments are the centerpiece of an article by New York Times media columnist David Carr, who makes the argument that Twitter may just stick around as a long-term mechanism rather than a trend like MySpace or Friendster. Carr still sounds a little cynical of the idea, but even so, makes a killer point: “Professional acquaintances whom I find insufferable on every other platform suddenly become interesting within the confines of Twitter.” Twitter win. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 15:38

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Biz: Time Warner and News Corp. come to a deal, freaking finally

  • We’re happy to have reached
    a reasonable deal with no disruption in programming for our customers.
  • Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt • Regarding the deal made between his company and News Corp. over content. News Corp. wanted a dollar per subscriber for its content each month; Time Warner wanted to pay them closer to twenty cents. They found a happy medium or something. Customers still lose because it means higher cable prices either way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Dec 2009 12:08

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Culture: John Mayer thinks we all need a “digital cleanse” to start out 2010

  • Someone is all teched out. And who else isn’t? In a year where Facebook Connect became a constant companion because you just couldn’t remember another password to another site, John Mayer’s convinced that society at large needs a digital cleansing. And who’s to say he’s wrong? He has a pretty good point, guys.
  • The Cleanse John Mayer wants everyone to take a week off of the social Web. “I’ll be defragmenting my mental and psychological hard drive during the first seven days of the new year, and I invite you all to participate.”
  • the details He wants everyone interested to stop using social networking for one week, to only use their cell phones for calls, to only use their laptops for e-mail and to stop visiting celebrity gossip sites, because they rot the mind.
  • will it work? Mayer passed the idea by people – to begin tomorrow and end January 8 – and saw some resistance. “If it is impossible, than my theory is already proven and we’re in big trouble as a society.” Good point. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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