Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Edition
Obama Faces the Press
By Liza Porteus Viana (Political
Machine)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 7:38:00 AM
Filed under: Bush Administration,
Democrats, Republicans, Economy,
Obama Administration Barack Obama has
the weight of the country - and the world -
on his shoulders. The most pressing of
issues, before he even takes office, is the
economy. No rest for the weary in these
bleak economic times.
With news today that the U.S. lost
240,000 jobs last month alone - the
manufacturing sector being one of the
hardest industries hit - and with 10 million
Americans now out of work, Obama and
his transition economic advisory board are
already trying to figure out how to get the
economy on track.
During his first press conference since
being elected, Obama said today he wants
to see a second economic stimulus package
"sooner, rather than later," and if it's not
done in this year's congressional lame-
duck session, it will be the first thing he
does when he gets to the White House. The
most immediate item that needs action is a
"rescue plan" for the middle class,
including a further extension of
unemployment insurance benefits for
people who can't find work.
"We are facing the greatest economic
challenge of our lifetime and we're gonna
have to act swiftly to resolve it," Obama
said.
But not too swifly. Obama repeatedly
said there's only one president at a time,
and until Jan. 20, President Bush is still
'The Decider.'
The first reporter to be called upon by
the President-elect asked a question
everyone wants to know: How much does
he really think he can do in the first 100
days in office?
"I do not underestimate the enormity of
the task that lies ahead. We have taken
some major action to date and we will need
further action" to help the economy,
Obama said, adding he'd like to see the
current administration do more. He also
dodged the question of whether households
making more than $250,000 a year would
see their taxes increase in 2009.
"Some of the choices we'll have to make
are going to be difficult ... it's not going to
25/07/08 - 07/11/08
be quick and it's not going to be easy to dig
ourselves out of the hole we're in."
But "I think a new president can do an
enormous amount to restore confidence, to
move an agenda forward that speaks to the
need of an economy and the needs to
middle-class families throughout the
country ... I'm confident that a new
president can have an enormous impact,
that's why I ran for president."
The best part of the whole thing was
when he called on Lynn Sweet, the
Washington bureau chief for The Chicago
Sun-Times, who had her arm in a sling.
Obama asked her out loud what happened.
She said she smashed her shoulder when
she tripped and fell on her arm while
running through Chicago's Grant Park to
hear his acceptance speech.
"I think that was the only major incident
during the entire Grant Park celebration,"
Obama said.
Oh yeah, and the most important
question for the new president? What kind
of puppy will he get his daughters?
"This is a major issue. I think it's
generated more interest on our Web site
than just about anything," Obama said.
There are two criteria that have to be
reconciled: One is that Malia is allergic, so
the dog has to be hypo-allergenic. And
two, the Obamas would prefer a shelter
dog.
"Obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are muts
like me," Obama said. "Whether we're
gonna be able to balance those two things
are a pressing issue in the Obama
household."
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LibertyNewsprint.com U.S.
A Parting Farewell From
McCain
By Liza Porteus Viana (Political
Machine)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 3:55:00 AM
Filed under: Democrats, Republicans,
John McCain, Breaking News, 2008
President, Sarah Palin John McCain is not
a sore loser. He has retreated to his rural
home outside Sedona, Ariz., with family
and friends,where he's taking some time
off and cooking up some ribs on the BBQ.
I personally hope he's also kicking some
tail of his campaign staff - the ones putting
out the smut about Sarah Palin.
But the Arizona senator and wife Cindy
sent our one last campaign message to
supporters today:
Cindy and I would like to take a moment
to thank you for your loyal and steadfast
support during the course of this campaign.
Governor Palin, her husband Todd, our
families, friends and campaign staff extend
our deep appreciation for your tireless
dedication, support and friendship.
It is the end of a long journey and your
support through the ups and downs has
differences may be, we are all fellow
meant more to us than you may ever know. Americans.
Although we were disappointed with the
We are truly blessed to live in this great
results, we must move beyond this country and call ourselves Americans, and
campaign and work together to get our
we will forever be her loyal servants.
country moving again. It is our sincere Today, let there be no reason now for any
hope that you will join us in putting our
American to fail to cherish their citizenship
country first and continue to work to keep in this, the greatest nation on Earth.
our nation safe, free and prosperous.
With warm gratitude,
We urge you to join us in not just Cindy and John McCain
congratulating Senator Obama, but
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offering our next president our good will Comments
and earnest effort to find ways to come
together as a nation. Whatever our
2 Politics
Recounts and Runoffs
By Dave (Political Machine)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 12:03:00 AM
Filed under: Breaking News, 2008
Senate, 2008 House Alaska
With his political future uncertain, a
weary Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, looking at
bit deflated, left a gathering of supporters
to go home and get some sleep. With 96
percent of precincts reporting, Stevens -
the longest serving Republican in the
history of the Senate - led Tuesday with 48
percent of the vote compared to 47 percent
for two-term Anchorage Mayor Mark
Begich, a Democrat.
Stevens' lead was fewer than 4,000 votes
with more than 40,000 absentee ballots to
be counted within 10 days.
On this one it looks like Stevens wins
unless those absentee ballots come in 60-
40 or more for Begich. This seems unlikely
considering the current voting and that
some of those ballots were sent in before
the jury conviction. This seat remains in
Republican hands even if Stevens isn't
seated by Harry Reid and the Democrats.
Georgia
With a U.S. Senate seat in the balance,
Fulton County elections officials are
continuing to count absentee ballots at a
warehouse in Atlanta.
Requests and Demands Pile Up for Obama
By Jay Allbritton (Political Machine)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 3:18:00 PM
Filed under: Barack Obama, Featured
Stories, Environment, Foreign Policy,
Obama Administration Within 48 hours of
winning the election, Barack Obama is
being bombarded with requests and
demands from leaders at home and around
the world.
Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai,
asked Obama to end civilian casualties in
that country, a reiteration of a plea he
made to President Bush. "We cannot win
the fight against terrorism with airstrikes,"
All Your Labor Are Belong to Us
By Steve Verdon (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 9:10:01 AM
The outcome could determine whether
Republican Saxby Chambliss faces a
runoff to keep his seat. The current results
show neither Chambliss nor Democrat Jim
Martin cracking the needed 50 percent plus
one of the vote to claim a win....
...Martin drew fire during his primary
campaign for being a lukewarm Obama
backer. He voted for Democratic Senator
John Edwards in Georgia's presidential
primary even though the former North
Carolina senator had already dropped out
of the race.
This one will be interesting. It looks like
there is a runoff, but the only reason it was
close was the high turnout by minorities
and Obama supporters in Georgia. Will
they turn out again for two white guys both
of whom distanced themselves from
Obama during the campaign?
Turnout and conditions and the fact that
the libertarian won't be on the ballot all
favor a Saxby return. Will Obama
campaign here and use his new moxy to
help? Or would that have the reverse
effect. As I said, interesting.
Minnesota
The margin in the tightest Senate race in
the country bounced like the stock market
throughout the day, with the difference
between Coleman and Franken dropping,
Karzai said. "This is my first demand of
the new president of the United States - to
put an end to civilian casualties." The AP
estimates that NATO forces have killed
275 or more civilians.
Input from all over the world poured in
urging Obama to lead in the fight against
global climate change. Former Vice
President Al Gore's group, Alliance for
Climate Protection, called on Obama to
create a unified power grid. Gore has ruled
out serving in the Obama Administration.
An Iranian official recommended that
Obama "replace (George W.) Bush's war-
mongering approach with a pacifist way
Jim Lindgren over at the Volokh
Conspiracy posts Rahm Emanuel’s,
Obama’s reported choice for his Chief of
Staff, vision of America. Excerpt from
then rising briefly to 590 votes before
shooting down to a razor-thin 236 by day's
end.
In a reversal of the previous day, when
Coleman had declared victory and
suggested that Franken should waive a
recount, Coleman kept to himself on
Thursday, while Franken called reporters
to talk about the prospects for a continued
narrowing of the count.
236 out of 2 million votes. Wow. This is
going to be a straight up recount, and
unless there are shenanigans and "newly"
found boxes of ballots, this will likely stay
in Republican hands as well. Still, that's
one hell of a narrow margin.
And also in OH, one we're watching
closely is OH15 - Republican Steve Stivers
versus Mary Jo Kilroy. This is an open seat
Stivers is hoping to keep for the GOP.
Kilroy lost this seat by about a thousand
votes in 2006 so this is going to be one
tough loss (again) for her. But there is a lot
of counting of provisional, absentee ballots
and correction of errors, but as of now
Stivers has 390 vote lead. The Dispatch
has the latest.
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and base US foreign policy on friendship,
justice and human cooperation." Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is
Emanuel and Reed’s The Plan/Big Ideas
for America: America has plenty of
unfinished business, and all of the reforms
we’d like to see — some of which appear
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Obama Good For
Newspaper Sales
By James Joyner (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 9:51:27 AM
My office overlooks the Washington Post
building and my parking garage is directly
across the street from the entrance to the
WaPo offices. A curious sight greeted me
as I left for home yesterday evening: A
large crowd of people lined up to get a
commemorative copy of the OBAMA
MAKES HISTORY commemorative
edition of the paper. Waiting in line to get
a commemorative November 5, 2008
Washington...
What Movie Will Obama
Adminstration Be?
By James Joyner (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 10:13:00 AM
Dave Schuler has an amusing — and yet
insightful — view of what the Obama
administration will look like as seen
through the lens of classic movies.
facing political challenges at home, sent
Obama a letter urging the President-elect
to "use the opportunity to serve the
(American) people and leave a good name
for history".
Also weighing in with their input-- U.S.
bishops, China, business interests, the
Taliban, Latin American leaders, Iraqi
insurgent groups, Obama's Republican
Senator friend Dick Lugar, and, of course,
lots of bloggers.
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in this book — would make for a very long
list. But if we’re going to...
Stock Market Slump
Due To Obama?
By Steve Verdon (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 10:24:46 AM
So was the big loss in the stock market
the other day due to Obama winning the
election? I don’t think so. Yesterday also
saw the release of the
employment/unemployment numbers from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the
unemployment rate held at 6.1%, the
nonfarm payroll fell by 159,000 jobs, an it
is likely that the reason why the
unemployment rate held at 6.1% is because
of the...
Media Hid Palin’s
Unknowledgability!
By James Joyner (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 9:17:52 AM
Andrew Sullivan thinks the revelations
about Sarah Palin that have the Right
Blogosphere in such an uproar also reveal
something damning about the mainstream
press. They kept taking Palin seriously as a
veep candidate when she didn’t come close
to even minimal standards for passing a
citizenship test. I’m sorry but I think this is
a terrible failing, and it is a reason the
mainstream...
Obama to Change
Washington Lifestyle!
By James Joyner (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 12:51:52 PM
Among the dumbest things I’ve read
since Barack Obama was elected is Sheryl
Gay Stolberg’s “Used to Early Nights,
Washington Is Ready to Stay Up Late.”
(Thanks, memorandum.) Bill Clinton
brought jazz, Rhodes scholars, a slice of
Arkansas and all-night pizza policy
sessions. When George W. Bush arrived,
Texans took over the town. Blue jeans
were out; coats and ties and...
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Is Alaska the New Florida?
By David Knowles (Political
Machine)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 1:40:00 AM
Filed under: Barack Obama, John
McCain, Featured Stories, 2008 Senate,
Sarah Palin
By any measure, Alaska is a red state.
Since its star was added to our flag back in
1959, the place has only voted Democrat
for president once, in '64. While much of
the country seemed to turn a bluer hue in
this year's election, Alaska held its ground,
and gave McCain/Palin a nearly identical
margin of victory(62%-36%) as it had to
George Bush vs. John Kerry.
Despite seeming constancy from points
north, there are more than a few
peculiarities to what went down in the
tundra in '08. Via ABC's Rick Klein:
Election officials in Alaska were
preparing for record-breaking turnout on
Tuesday, with hyper-competitive House
and Senate races--and, of course, a popular
home-state governor having won a spot on
Sen. John McCain's ticket.
But election day is looking like it was a
bust in Alaska. As of Thursday, voter
turnout in the state stood at a measly 45.1
percent--well below the 69.1 percent
Joe the 'Plumber:' Welfare Recipient
By Tommy Christopher (Political
Machine)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 10:52:00 AM
Filed under: Republicans, Barack Obama,
John McCain, Featured Stories, Gaffes
Man, it doesn't get any better than this. Joe
the Plumbing Hobbyist, who thinks a 3%
marginal tax increase for people who earn
a quarter-mil per is socialism (He checked
it in the Webster dictionary, whatever that
is), is himself a "fellow traveler."
That's right, folks, Joe the Wrench
Jockey was once a lazy, no-good recipient
of other people's hard-earned tax dollars.
Mine, in fact. So, when Joe says he
"supports" liberals so we can be "more
vocal," he must be referring to some kind
of moral support. (h/t Crooks and Liars)
Well, damn,Comrade, it didn't bother
turnout clocked in the 2004 presidential
race, according to state election officials.
How odd is that? The percentage of
Alaskans who voted dropped by 14% in a
year when one of their own was on the big
ticket? Sure, the 41% who did vote
followed the '04 model to a T, but what
caused so many to sit this one out?
Before you get your conspiratorial juices
flowing, it is worth taking a look at the
your precious principles when you were on
the dole.
I'm going to say this one more time, for
Joe and everyone like him. You don't
speak for the working class. When I was
absentee ballot numbers. Some 70,000 of
them have yet to be counted, and an
increase in absentee ballots could actually
signal heightened interest rather than the
reverse. If you were wondering, President
Bush got 190,889 votes in '04. McCain has
so far received 136,348, so it's conceivable
that he and Palin might even receive more
support than W. did before them.
As Dave mentioned earlier, the absentee
growing up, I was taught that a man lives
up to his responsibilities, including paying
his taxes. He might not like what they were
spent on, but he paid his fair share without
whining.
I hope Joe keeps going on TV, popping
off about all of the ways middle and lower
class Republicans vote against their own
interests. It seems to have gotten through
to a bunch, but we've got a big tent over
here at Big D Democracy. Keep 'em
coming, Joe.
Tommy Christopher co-hosts " Unusable
Signal",on BlogTalkRadio, Tues through
Thurs at 10pm, and Fri, and Sat at 11pm.
(Eastern) Click here for the Unusable
Signal homepage.
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ballots will also decide whether or not
convicted felon Ted Stevens will return to
Washington. As Mitch McConnell and
others have signaled, if the longest-serving
GOP senator is reelected, he faces the
almost certain prospect of expulsion. If
that happens, Sarah Palin would appoint a
temporary replacement(perhaps Joe the
Plumber can establish residence), and then
a special election would be held shortly
thereafter.
All of this northern exposure is new
territory for the territory we purchased
from Russia in 1867. For Americans who
thought that Florida was the gold standard
for all head-scratching election stories,
Stevens and Palin are giving the Sunshine
State a run for its money. Thanks to them,
we've learned so much in the past year
about things like " The Bridge to
Nowhere" and " The Road to the Bridge to
Nowhere" and the Alaska Independence
Party and aerial wolf-hunting. And with so
many in the Republican party calling for
Palin to run for president in 2012, we're
sure to be hearing a whole lot more from
the place they call The Last Frontier.
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Irvin: Obama Victory
Better than O.J.
Acquittal!
By James Joyner (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 1:09:43 PM
Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin
puts Barack Obama’s election into
perspective: “What a historical moment
that was last night. … From an African-
American standpoint, I watched my people
— watched my people — celebrate the not
guilty verdict of O.J. Simpson. They were
so hungry for a victory of some kind that
they celebrated — we celebrated — the...
Politics Gossip 3
Caption Contest
Winners
By Rodney Dill (Outside The
Beltway | OTB)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 4:25:06 PM
The I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger
Stick Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is
now over. REUTERS/Andy
Newman/Carnival Cruise Lines THE
WINNERS First: FormerHostage - In the
alternate universe, the Trojan Piñata failed
when the soldiers hidden inside were
inadvertently beat to death. Second:
Maggie Mama - Despite hard evidence
ACORN declares that there is no...
Elections Have
Consequences
By David Knowles (Political
Machine)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 6:35:00 AM
Filed under: Barack Obama, Humor,
Viral Video Laughter is one of them.
Get the latest news satire and funny
videos at 236.com.
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Letterman Sorts it All Out
By David Knowles (Political
Machine)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 1:58:00 AM
Filed under: Republicans, John McCain,
Sarah Palin
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Tina Fey “Late Show
With David Letterman”
Video (October 17)
By Castina (Pop Crunch)
Submitted at 10/18/2008 3:47:03 PM
Has Tina Fey enjoyed spoofing Sarah
Palin on Saturday Night Live as of late? In
the words of Madam Governor herself,
You Betcha!
Here’s a video clip from the Emmy-
winning comedienne’s Friday night guest
spot on the Late Show with David
Letterman.
4 Business Gossip
Russ Edelman: Why Should I Care About Stephanie Neely: Investing
The Nice Guys When The SoBs Have in our Nation's
Screwed Up The Economy? Infrastructure
By Russ Edelman
Submitted at 11/7/2008 6:41:59 PM
Enron, MCI, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac,
Lehman Brothers and so many others...all
of these organizations started with ideals
and somehow, corruption and/or deceit
infiltrated their walls and now they are all
fallen giants of a bygone era. The media
and judiciary have rightfully gone after the
corrupt leadership and pinned
responsibility on these misguided
characters. These "leaders" developed self-
interests that have somehow overshadowed
their fiduciary and ethical responsibilities.
They ultimately made their organizations
all about themselves, rather than the
stockholders, employees and customers.
So, we know what some of the SOB's
have done, but what of the nice guy or
more accurately, the "overly nice guy" who
sticks his head in the sand to avoid creating
waves even when he or she sees their
organizations heading off track or worse?
These " Business Ostriches", who defer
confrontation at almost any cost? Those
well-meaning nice guys who are more
concerned about pleasing others than
timely and meaningful resolution. Should
the overly nice guy (man or woman) be
held accountable for in effect doing
nothing? Should 'sins of omission' carry
the same consequences?
Well, we believe the answer is a
resounding 'No.', they shouldn't be held
accountable for divisive and illegal
behavior that they didn't commit. The
question that lingers, though, is did their
overly nice guy aversions potentially
impact the outcome of these fallen giants?
Quite possibly.
Nicole Richie “Ellen” Video (October 17)
By Castina (Pop Crunch)
Submitted at 10/17/2008 6:46:05 PM
Nicole Richie was a guest on Ellen
Friday.
The petite mommy spoke about her
By learning how to speak up, confront
situations and make choices, overly nice
guys can help break the downward slide in
this economy. And even if we didn't have
an economic crisis, this guidance can have
a profound impact on both the
organization's and the overly nice guy's
success. Interestingly, nearly 2/3 of the
people we interviewed for our book, " Nice
Guys Can Get the Corner Office",
described themselves as overly nice. And
while they all agreed that nice is good,
overly nice was a liability. In fact, the goal
should be to find a balance between overly
nice and overly assertive. These changes
must come from the top down and from the
bottom up. By dealing with Nice Guy
Syndrome, everyone stands to benefit.
In writing the book, we met with 25
CEOs from companies such as Southwest
Airlines, Proctor and Gamble, Cirque du
Soleil, Ernst & Young, their message was
clear; businesses are off their game if they
do not employ strategies to help out their
overly nice guys. Furthermore, their
underlying message for the overly nice
guys; a vital segment of all of their
businesses, was to have the courageous
and honest discussions right up front. Jeff
Miller, founder of MONSTER.COM, said
it well: "In the absence of having a candid
discussion - which at times may be painful
- you simply cannot obtain clarity on the
expected outcome."
Challenges with candor can positively
impact the overly nice guys' careers and
your business. If overly nice guys feel the
corporate environment is not conducive to
speaking up, they will keep their heads
buried in the sand. Herb Kelleher, founder
of Southwest Airlines, has strong feelings
buzzed-about guest appearance on Chuck,
airing on NBC this Monday night. Nicole
is also excited about the upcoming launch
of her House of Harlow costume line.
about the issue: "Creating an atmosphere
in which people feel comfortable speaking
their minds without running the risk of
offending people is enormously
important." If the overly nice guys feel
uncomfortable in expressing themselves,
their true capacity remains untapped. And,
an enormous safety net for undesirable
behavior never materializes.
Sam DiPiazza, CEO of
PricewaterhouseCoopers, shares "Business
- whether we like it or not - includes
competition. It is challenging, aggressive,
and very demanding. And despite the
perception of many, it can also be
performed nicely." DiPiazza's emphasis on
conducting business in a competitive way
while remaining nice was echoed by all of
the CEOs interviewed for our book;
including Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of
American Cancer Society, which is of
course a non-profit organization.
For most overly nice guys, this is simply
not a matter of "toughening up". It takes
forethought for both the overly nice guys
and their managers as they learn to be
more assertive. Jon Luther, CEO of
Dunkin Brands (Dunkin Donuts), states
"Nice guys must stretch outside of their
comfort zones." And as we share in the
book, they can be taught to stretch by
taking smaller and manageable incremental
steps.
However, it will be important that your
corporate culture supports such endeavors
without painful repercussions for the nice
guys (men and women) out there.
Cheers,
Russ
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
By Stephanie Neely
Submitted at 11/7/2008 7:33:19 PM
As the glow of this historic election
begins to fade, we as a nation must
acknowledge the numerous and daunting
challenges that lie ahead. Americans see
the cost of food, gas and health care
coverage rising to unaffordable levels,
while their earnings remain the same. Our
military is stretched thin by being
entrenched in two wars - costing taxpayers
billions of dollars per month - and monies
that once flowed from the federal
government to state and local governments
have all but dried up.
In April, Congress issued its first
economic stimulus package of $168 billion
with the expectation that a $600 check
would help boost the economy. Then in
September, Congress bailed out Wall
Street with $700 billion in an attempt to
ease a credit crunch that was keeping
banks from loaning money to each other.
Now Congress is once again calling for
quick action on a bill to stimulate the
troubled economy, essentially a second
stimulus package mirroring the first.
In April, I wrote a letter to the editor of
Crain's Chicago Business explaining that
the notion that we could spend our way out
of trouble was incorrect. Instead, I argued
that urging Americans to save should be
the message from Capitol Hill, and that the
prevalent culture of "instant gratification"
should be discouraged as it is a major
contributing factor to our dismal economy.
A second economic stimulus package,
similar to the first, will further exacerbate
the "I want it now" culture, rather than
encourage citizens to tighten their belts. It
will fail to ease the economic hardships
that our nation and many individual
Americans face. The second stimulus
package being proposed by the "lame-
duck" Congress would cost an estimated
$150 billion and add to the ballooning
federal deficit. It will not help grow our
economy, nor will it create jobs for
struggling Americans who must provide
for their families. Another flat-screen
television made in Asia or a new pair of
designer shoes made in Europe will not
prevent another bridge from collapsing in
Minnesota.
Our country needs a plan that highlights
and addresses the need for investment in
national infrastructure. Such a plan should
be bold and far-reaching, certain to
stimulate growth and development within
cities, while creating jobs and productivity
in these challenging economic times. We
must meet the needs and demands of
transportation that have become
increasingly significant in the 21st century.
President Roosevelt also faced a
similarly momentous economic challenge
and enacted the New Deal to create jobs
for many Americans. Today, we see
evidence of our nation's infrastructure
crumbling throughout many cities. Here in
Chicago, our roads, bridges, mass transit
systems and schools are in dire need of
updating. Now is the time to begin critical
reinvestment in our nation's infrastructure.
This investment will help strengthen our
nation's transportation system, while
creating jobs for many Americans.
Reinvesting in our nation's infrastructure
will help America compete in the global
economy and yield tangible, visible and
lasting benefits.
To re-emphasize, another economic
stimulus check for each American is the
wrong idea. Congress has an opportunity
to keep this nation moving forward and it
is my hope that our president-elect will
continue to call for a $60 billion
investment in infrastructure over 10 years,
in order to tackle the financial challenges
we face and address the desperate need for
revitalization.
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Stephen Viscusi: Work Is Not a Democracy
By Stephen Viscusi
Submitted at 11/7/2008 8:13:47 PM
I am receiving hundreds of e-mails a
week from people who are finally "getting
it" on how to save their jobs. They finally
"get" the concept that during a recession
and job cuts (which are mostly a knee-jerk
reaction to the economic media news),
there are unique and secret tips to
bulletproof your job.
Getting back to the point of this blog, in
Bulletproof Your Job (HarperCollins) I
have 50 rules to follow that will guarantee
that you can "bulletproof your job" in these
economic times. HarperCollins asked me
to write the book in 45 days so they could
rush it to bookstores by Labor Day.
Clearly, the publishers that work for
Rupert Murdoch (who owns NewsCorp),
which in turn owns HarperCollins, are
better at forecasting an economic downturn
than the economists at Standard & Poor's.
They hit it right on the nose with the
turnaround time when I brought them the
Porsche Profits Soar On Volkswagen
By The Huffington Post News Team
Submitted at 11/7/2008 5:40:14 PM
FRANKFURT, Germany — Luxury car
maker Porsche SE said Friday its profits
soared by 52 percent in its latest fiscal year
_ driven higher by gains in its stake in
Volkswagen AG, Europe's biggest
automaker.
The Stuttgart-based maker of the 911
sports car and the Cayenne sport utility
vehicle reported a net profit of nearly 6.4
billion euros ($8.2 billion) for the year that
ended July 31. That compared to the 4.2
billion euros it earned in the 2006-2007
year. The company does not release
quarterly results.
Porsche shares rose 8.2 percent to close
at 68.17 euros ($86.96) in Frankfurt.
Despite the large gain, the company said
results were weighed down by
development costs related to its upcoming
Panamera line, along with work on a
hybrid drive for the Cayenne and more fuel
-efficient engines.
Its pretax profit for the 2007-2008 year
book proposal. Some of the other
publishers did not, and that's what attracted
me to HarperCollins - they were intuitive
enough to know that turnaround time was
key to the success of this book.
Today I am receiving e-mails from the
book buyers and booksellers who Harper
initially asked me to appeal to in order
place out-of-buying-schedule orders, as
well as many of the TV producers and
print journalists I met with to do pre-
launch media, who are in fear of or have
since lost their jobs. Many of the book
buyers, booksellers, TV producers, and
print journalists who were the first to
review the book were of the age group who
had not experienced the economic
downturn of 1991, or even been working
during the post-9/11 mini-recession. Their
response to my formula of how you can
BEAT that bullet instead of biting it job-
wise was taken as a gimmick. A trick,
smoke and mirrors. This response was
mostly based on the belief that working
hard - be a top performer - was all that was
was nearly 8.6 billion euros ($11 billion) _
a 46 percent gain from the previous year's
5.8 billion euros.
The company said that the "above-
average jump in profit was again due to
special influences in connection with the
holdings in Volkswagen AG."
Porsche said its stake in VW added some
6.8 billion euros ($8.7 billion) to its pretax
profit _ compared with 3.6 billion euros a
year earlier.
At the end of the fiscal year, Porsche
held 22.3 percent of all VW shares. Since
then, Porsche has lifted its stake in the
Wolfsburg-based company to just shy of
43 percent.
Late last month, it announced it had
taken options for another 31.5 percent _
causing VW shares to rocket to as much as
1,005 euros ($1,292) and leaving short-
sellers grasping at straws as they tried to
close their positions.
On Friday, Volkswagen shares edged up
to 398.21 euros ($507.64), a 0.4 percent
gain on the day.
Porsche has said it intends to raise its
needed to keep one's job. "Aren't you
telling people to brown nose?" was the
question reporters asked me most often.
Cynical booksellers, who dream of
America's money diva, Suze Orman, told
VW stake to as much as 75 percent, giving
it effective control of the automaker whose
brands include VW, Seat, Skoda, Bentley,
Audi, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
Looking ahead, the company said it was
in a good position but warned that it was
"very difficult to make reliable statements
on the course of the current business year
as a whole because of the current
economic situation, which is extremely
tense due to the U.S. mortgage crisis and
the financial market crisis."
It said Porsche would act cautiously and
"if necessary, respond flexibly to any
further economic upheavals."
Porsche has already reported that its
sales for the 2007-2008 fiscal year rose by
1.3 percent, powered by strong demand for
the Cayenne SUV, to 7.5 billion euros
($9.6 billion).
Unit sales increased by a similar amount
_ 1.2 percent _ to 98,652 vehicles.
___
http://www.porsche-se.com
me they can slap her frosted-haired head
on any book cover and sell it.
But...investments? What do you have to
invest if you don't have a job?
I'm talking about something new and
relevant that wasn't an issue 15 years ago.
Who had ever heard of Google, or even
Starbucks, then? Talk about relevant. Get
it?
I'm the first to admit that a monkey could
have written this book. But the basic
premise is that work is not a democracy,
and that it's important to build a personal
relationship with your boss. Maybe
President-elect Obama should consider
hiring my publishers as economic
forecasters. They obviously were ahead of
the curve with Bulletproof Your Job.
Stephen Viscusi is the author of
BULLETPROOF YOUR JOB
(HarperCollins) and can be reached at
stephen@viscusi.com. Please visit him on
the web at www.bulletproofyourjob.com.
WWE: Again, it's all about
the cash flow
By Steven Mallas (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 2:38:00 PM
Filed under: Earnings reports, Walt
Disney (DIS), Viacom (VIA) World
Wrestling Entertainment(NYSE: WWE)
reported results for the third quarter, and
by just about all accounts, things were
tough. Revenues were flat at $108.8
million. Net income on a per-share basis,
however, dropped almost 42% to $0.07.
Talk about getting slammed to the mat!
But the really bad aspect was the cash-flow
statement. This has been a constant theme
as of late. The company's operational cash
flow declined massively during the nine-
month period, coming in at $17.7 million.
Know how much money was paid out in
dividends? Try almost $61 million. That's
probably why WWE's stock yields over
10%.
So what's the problem here? A couple
things. First, costs need to be controlled
(the press release does mention this issue,
as well as a desire to be more careful when
Business 5
Qualcomm beats in
Q4, but guidance
turns me off
By Steven Mallas (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 4:00:00 PM
Filed under: Earnings reports, Microsoft
(MSFT), Nokia Corp. (NOK),
QUALCOMM Inc (QCOM), Texas
Instruments (TXN), Broadcom Corp'A'
(BRCM), Technology
Qualcomm, Inc.(NASDAQ: QCOM), a
famous name in the wireless industry
whose colleagues include Broadcom
Corporation(NASDAQ: BRCM), Texas
Instruments Incorporated(NYSE: TXN),
and Nokia Corporation(NYSE: NOK),
reported earnings for the fourth quarter on
Thursday. While the stock may be up
today, I'm not so sure I'd be a buyer of it.
It's not that the bottom-line numbers
were wholly bad. Net profit rose 16% to
it comes to capital expenditures). Second,
CEO Linda McMahon has to get fans
excited about wrestling again. If you look
at the buy rates for the pay-per-view
events, you'll notice they've been
declining. I think one thing that WWE
must do is figure out a way to make its
secondary pay-per-view shows a must-
purchase item for the part of the fan base
that falls outside of the hardcore wrestling
viewer but doesn't exactly reach the realm
of the casual audience. If the company can
bring shows like The Great American Bash
and Unforgiven up to the level of a
SummerSlam, then the company will really
be on a growth track.
Continue reading WWE: Again, it's all
about the cash flow
WWE: Again, it's all about the cash flow
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
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6 Business
Sheryl Sandberg: Larry Paula Duffy: Sports Star
Summers' True Record on Agents Anticipate Obama
Women Tax Hike
By Sheryl Sandberg
Submitted at 11/7/2008 5:32:10 PM
Larry has been a true advocate for women
throughout his career. In 1992, as Chief
Economist of the World Bank, Larry
argued in front of the world's Finance
Ministers that the highest return
investment they could make in their
economies was to educate their girls.
Through his work, girls' education became
a focus for development experts and a
topic not just in education ministries, but in
financial ministries worldwide.
I first met Larry when I was a junior at
Harvard. A friend and I were forming a
new student organization, Women in
Economics and Government, to encourage
women to major in these subjects. We told
all of our professors of our efforts and of
all of them, the one who helped us the
most was Larry. He served as our
champion and helped rally the support of
his fellow professors behind our efforts.
The following year, when I wanted to write
my senior thesis on the economics of
spousal abuse, Larry volunteered to be my
advisor because he recognized the
importance of the issue.
I went on to work for him both at the
World Bank and at Treasury. At the World
Bank, he was a tireless advocate for girls'
Deflation or hyper-inflation? Gold or bonds?
By Steven Halpern (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 3:40:00 PM
Filed under: International markets,
Newsletters, Mutual funds, Goldcorp Inc
(GG), Commodities, Stocks to Buy
"There's no question these are dangerous
times and the financial world is in
uncharted waters," caution resource
experts Mary Anne and Pamela Aden.
In The Aden Forecast, the sisters offer an
exceptional in-depth discussion on
inflationary vs. deflationary foreces, their
education. At Treasury, he fought for
social security benefits for women working
in their homes, better enforcement of child
support obligations, and an expansion of
child care tax credits. And through all of
these years, he was a supportive and
deeply caring mentor for me and many
other women who had the opportunity to
work for him.
Larry has been attacked by some in the
women's community for remarks he made
about women's abilities. As he has
acknowledged himself, this speech was a
real mistake. What few seem to note is that
it is remarkable that he was giving the
speech in the first place - that he cared
enough about women's careers and their
trajectory in the fields of math and science
to proactively analyze the issues and talk
about what was going wrong. To conclude
that he communicated poorly -- and even
insensitively -- is fair. To conclude that he
is opposed to progress for women
overlooks the fact that improving this
progress was precisely the subject he was
addressing.
Many people note that our nation has few
economists with his intelligence. They
should also know that we have few leaders,
if any, in the financial world who have
done more for women.
outlook for precious metals, and their top
gold and silver positions for long-term
investors.
"The global financial system is on very
thin ice, teetering on collapse. Global
central banks clearly are literally pulling
out all the stops to revive lending and the
world economy.
"Will these efforts work? Will they be
enough? Those are the most important
unanswered questions of the day and only
time will tell, but we should know much
more in the critical month or so ahead.
By Paula Duffy
Submitted at 11/7/2008 8:18:50 PM
Going once, going twice... signed by the
major league baseball team willing to pay
a signing bonus before December 31st.
That is what we might hear from baseball
players' agents after they have considered
the real possibility that Barack Obama's
intention to hike the tax rate on the
wealthiest Americans will impact their
clients.
You see, the current minimum yearly
salary for a big league player is $400,000.
That puts the lowliest of bench warmers
and pinch hitters into the top 1% of all
wage earners in this great country. Obama
campaigned on the promise of restoring the
top income tax rate to 39.6%, the
applicable level during the Clinton
administration.
That minimum salary figure equals the
increase in yearly taxes that will be paid by
a major leaguer who makes $10,000,000 a
year if the Obama tax plan becomes law.
Incredible. So what's a super-agent to do in
this first week of activity in the free agent
market?
He has to devise a strategy to get major
league clubs to pay some of a player's
2009 compensation prior to the end of
2008. The only way that can happen is in
Why?
"The Fed is spending money at an
astronomical rate. It's creating this money
out of thin air by monetizing bad debts and
whatever else it has to. Remember, this is
on top of all the other ongoing government
expenses and it's extremely inflationary.
"Normally, there is a lag of about a year
or so between money creation and inflation
but eventually, what's recently happened
will result in massive inflation, a much
lower U.S. dollar and a soaring gold price.
"The bottom line is this, if the banks start
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
the form of a signing bonus and a quick
negotation. You know how some clubs
dilly dally around before getting down to
business with the players on their clubs
that file for free agency? Sometimes it's
just to see where the market has valued a
player. Sometimes it's because they have
no clear plan on what to do. This might
jump start that process.
It certainly will be central to the
discussions held by Scott Boras, who
represents two of the most prized free
agents this year: Mark Teixeira and Manny
Ramirez. Both seek to sign contracts that
pay them more than $100,000,000 during
the course of a 5-10 year contract.
During Boras' 2007 negotiations with the
Yankees for the services of Alex
Rodriguez, I had described Boras' role as
akin to an investment banker meeting with
a company that wanted to acquire a smaller
company. He had a briefing book that
stressed return on investment and the
increase in value to the acquiring company
of having his client in their stable.
This year I think he'll try to convince the
clubs that it may be in their best interest as
well as a tax advantage for them to
characterize salary as a bonus. It's all in the
accounting process don't you know?
to lend again, then the economy will be on
the road to recovery and inflation. But we
know the banks are scared and they're
being extremely cautious, for good reason.
Continue reading Deflation or hyper-
inflation? Gold or bonds?
Deflation or hyper-inflation? Gold or
bonds? originally appeared on
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QUALCOMM
continued from page 5
roughly $1.1 billion. Earnings per diluted
share on an adjusted basis increased 17%
to $0.63. According this news source, that
figure beat estimates by three pennies.
That's all well and good, but that news
source also states that Qualcomm is
guiding below consensus. Not surprising,
certainly, given what the markets are going
through. But it still puts a damper on the
stock's near-term potential, in my opinion.
Plus, free cash flow was down 13% during
the quarter, and it was flat for the twelve-
month period.
Except for certain companies like
Microsoft Corporation(NASDAQ: MSFT),
I'm not really interested in playing the tech
sector. If you had purchased Qualcomm
near its 52-week low of $30.87, I'd be a
seller into today's strength. No, I certainly
can't predict the movement of stock prices,
but I can tell you that I think Qualcomm
could easily pull back from today's rally.
The recession is going to worsen, and I
don't think we've reached the point where
the market will begin to discount better
days. In fact, we're probably far off from
that point. The rally that is going on in the
markets as I write this (and by the time this
gets published, it could be gone for all I
know) feels like a dead-cat bounce. That
wouldn't be good for Qualcomm's stock,
I'd imagine. So, kudos to management for
beating Q4 expectations. But I won't be
rewarding you by buying your stock.
Sorry!
Disclosure: I don't own any company
mentioned; positions can change at any
time.
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Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Three outside-the-box
candidates for Treasury
Secretary
By Tom Barlow (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 3:20:00 PM
Filed under: Presidential elections,
Federal Reserve, Comic Relief
Certainly, President-elect Obama has a
number of highly-qualified executives who
could fill the role of Secretary of the
Treasury. However, in the interest of
thinking 'outside the box' (that phrase
always makes me think of cat-litter boxes,
not wholly irrelevant), and reaching
beyond the D.C. and Wall Street
establishment, I thought I'd present a few
candidates of my own.
1. Ed McMahon. Poor Ed really needs
the work, according to Hollywood gossip.
He has a great deal of experience in giving
away huge sums of money thanks to his
Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes
gig. Can you imagine the glee on the faces
of AIG executives when Ed shows up at
their door with a presentation-sized
checked for $122 billion?
2. Willie Nelson. The country and
western singer is already a large investor in
the country's tax system, and probably
knows more IRS personnel than Paul
Volcker. And if the market keeps tanking,
you can count on Willie to provide some
help mellowing out nervous investors.
3. Bob Barker. Bob's out of work now,
having turned over the reins of The Price is
Right after 100 years. His expertise,
obviously, would be in determining target
prices for the market. If we reach the point
David Cook “Saturday Night Live” Performance
November 1st
By Castina (Pop Crunch)
Submitted at 10/18/2008 4:28:59 PM
On November 1, American Idol Season 7
winner David Cook will become the first
former Idol to appear as the musical guest
on Saturday Night Live so close to the
release of his debut album.
that we have to choose which banks to bail
out and which to allow to close, Bob (and
Vanna, of course) could make the selection
process much more enjoyable. "Citigroup-
come on down!"
My advice? Choose what's behind
curtain #1.
Three outside-the-box candidates for
Treasury Secretary originally appeared on
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David’s self-titled debut LP is due in
stores November 18.
Are auto companies, key
corporations, being
managed well?
By Joseph Lazzaro
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 1:32:00 PM
Filed under: Management, Ford Motor
(F), General Motors (GM) There's an old
academic joke that goes, 'Put two
economists in a room and you have a
conversation. Put three economists in room
and you have enough for a new world
order, or disorder.'
One of the topics that came up at a recent
economists chat attended by yours truly
concerned not the global economic order,
but the state of corporate America and
moral hazard.
Is 'gov' insurance encouraging corporate
abuses?
Most economists agree that banks and
comparable financial institutions (FI)
critical to the financial system should be
backstopped by the U.S. Government, at
least to some degree. A backstop is
particularly critical if a bank failure would
'Natural' picks: Chesapeake (CHK) and
Mainland (MNLU)
By Steven Halpern (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 2:20:00 PM
Filed under: International markets,
Newsletters, Chesapeake Energy (CHK),
Commodities, Oil, Stocks to Buy
"Oil stocks have been hinting at a
rebound; as much as I think that crude oil
is oversold, natural gas looks even
cheaper," says Charles Payne.
The editor of WStreet Strategies
explains, "Natural gas has a propensity to
become oversold, and this is one of those
instances." Here, the advisor reviews a pair
of favorites in the sector.
"Natural gas is at April 2005 levels, the
Business Tech Gossip
create systemic risk, i.e. jeopardize the
financial system. The recent bank rescue
and AIG(NYSE: AIG) takeovers are two
examples.
More recently, however, a push has been
made by various lobbies (corporate, labor
union, regional states, among others) to
rescue key industrial institutions, with the
ailing auto companies, General
Motors(NYSE: GM), Ford(NYSE: F), and
Chrysler being front and center. Moreover,
the logic of an auto sector rescue is
reasonable enough: the economic and
social consequences of a failure by one or
more auto companies would be far worse
than the costs of a government rescue.
Continue reading Are auto companies,
key corporations, being managed well?
Are auto companies, key corporations,
being managed well? originally appeared
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13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
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economy will drift but it's not going to roll
back to levels of three years ago.
"Moreover, demand should surge as the
nation's demands on the electric grid
increase exponentially over the next few
years. Folks, plug-in cars are going to suck
up all the coal and natural gas available,
and demand even more.
"In the near-term, I think that the
risk/reward has shifted substantially and
should trade in a range of $6.50 to $9.50,
but at some point soon the bias will shift
higher.
" Chesapeake Energy(NYSE: CHK) is
down big time, and made news for one of
the most famous executive margin calls in
7
Don't Worry About
MPAA's Congrats
To Obama
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 6:21:00 PM
A bunch of folks have been sending in
Wired's short article claiming that the
MPAA is "already lobbying Obama." And,
while I'm certainly never one to suggest
that the MPAA isn't full of sneaky tricks,
this is hardly anything to get worked up
about. I don't even understand why Wired
posted it, other than to get people angry.
The MPAA, like pretty much every major
lobbying organization, put out statements
congratulating Obama. That's what you do
as a lobbying group, and it's entirely
meaningless at this point. I have no doubt
that the MPAA will pull plenty of
misleading stunts over the next four years,
and most likely will convince all sorts of
politicians, including Obama, to put into
place bad laws. But a simple
congratulations statement from a lobbying
group is hardly a sign of impending doom.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
this current meltdown.
"Although the company's CEO, Aubrey
McClendon, was forced to sell over 90%
of his holdings he was putting his money
where his month was.
Continue reading'Natural' picks:
Chesapeake (CHK) and Mainland
(MNLU)
'Natural' picks: Chesapeake (CHK) and
Mainland (MNLU) originally appeared on
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8 Business Tech
Poll: Will President-elect
Obama make things better
for you, financially?
By Joseph Lazzaro
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 2:59:00 PM
Filed under: Other issues, Politics
President John F. Kennedy once responded
to a reporter's question by remarking that
he loved his job, "Because the pay's pretty
good, and besides, I can walk to work."
Further, President-elect Barack Obama
may end up enjoying the job just as much,
but it won't because he had few problems
to address from the outset. He may not
even receive the customary honeymoon for
new presidents.
That's because, in addition to the credit
crunch, President-elect Obama inherits a
U.S. economy in recession, with zero job
growth and rising unemployment, a tanked
housing market, a broken down
infrastructure, an incoherent energy policy,
a health care crisis, a budget deficit
approaching $600 billion on the way to
what may be an unimaginable $1 trillion
gap, a trade deficit, and oh yes, those two
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Further, he'll have to forge an enduring
alliance with Congressional Democrats,
Obama Chief Of Staff Rahm Emanuel's Wasserstein
Perella Years
By The Huffington Post News Team
Submitted at 11/7/2008 6:18:51 PM
President-elect Barack Obama's choice to
be his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is
already well-known in the halls of
Washington for serving as an adviser to
President Clinton, and most recently as a
congressman from Illinois. But in between
those two roles, Mr. Emanuel made
millions of dollars on Wall Street as an
who may just have different priorities than
the gentleman from Illinois. And of course,
the Republicans in the loyal opposition
will be there to 'neutrally and objectively'
observe all events.
Continue reading Poll: Will President-
elect Obama make things better for you,
financially?
Poll: Will President-elect Obama make
things better for you, financially?
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
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investment banker with Wasserstein
Perella, as the boutique firm was known at
the time.
Despite having little experience or
education in finance, Mr. Emanuel became
a managing director at the firm's Chicago
office in 1999, helping to bring in business
and seal deals.
According to a 2003 article in the
Chicago Tribune, Mr. Emanuel was
brought in by one of the firm's founders,
Who wants a Wal-Mart
credit card?
By Zac Bissonnette
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 1:50:00 PM
Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT),
Marketing and advertising With banks
hiking interest rates and fees and getting
stingy with credit, BusinessWeek reports
that Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(NYSE: WMT)
has "held talks with Herbert and Marion
Sandler, founders of Golden West
Financial Group, about a new credit card
that would offer lower interest rates and
few of the onerous fees associated with
traditional credit cards."
Wal-Mart currently has a credit card
offered in partnership with General
Electric, but the interest rate can run quite
high. A card financed by Wal-Mart itself
would likely offer consumers a better deal.
Bruce Wasserstein, who was one of
President Clinton's most active fundraisers
on Wall Street and is now the head of
Lazard.
Read the full story here
-or-
:: Emanuel's Ex-Boss: Rahm Is The
Perfect SOB For The Job
:: Rahm Emanuel Slideshow
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
The time would seem to be right for Wal
-Mart to dive into this business and
capitalize on the weak positions of the big
banks that have been damaged by the
credit crunch. But here's an idea for Wal-
Mart: Call it something other than the Wal-
Mart card, and keep your logo off it. Credit
cards are something of a status symbol and
a way that consumer pledge allegiance to
brands and causes that are important to
them: Nothing could be less cool than a
Wal-Mart card. Call it something different,
and lure people in with a great deal. That
will reach a much broader market.
Who wants a Wal-Mart credit card?
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
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Band Incorporates As A Company
And Raises Money, Rather Than
Signing With A Label
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 9:55:00 AM
Reader Mike Z. points us to an interesting
experiment by the band Francis and the
Lights. Rather than going out and signing a
record label deal, where the record label
basically gets near total control over the
band and its works, the band has
incorporated itself into a company and
raised $100,000 from The Normative
Music Company as an investment. As the
folks at Normative note, this structure is
much more like a startup going out and
raising angel or venture capital. It also
makes a lot more sense. The label structure
often takes way too much control away
Pelosi Wants New
Economic Stimulus Plan
To Include Green Measures
By The Huffington Post News Team
Submitted at 11/7/2008 6:24:09 PM
In her post-election press conference
yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D
-Calif.) affirmed her desire that a new
economic stimulus plan -- which could be
taken up in a lame-duck session of
Congress later this month -- include green
measures: The economy, of course, is the
top item on the agenda as we go forward,
and we'll all be planning what happens in
January when we meet with the new
President-elect. But even before then, we
have a stimulus package on the table that I
hope the Republicans in the Senate will
allow to be taken up in a lame duck
session, and the communication with the
White House about such a stimulus
package to grow our economy by creating
jobs and to do it in a newer, greener way;
to recognize the unemployment situation in
our country by extending unemployment
insurance; to understand that people are
hungry in America, to provide additional
emergency food assistance; and to give
help to the states for their health needs for
seniors and for children and other needs
that they have.
from a band. A model more similar to the
venture capital model has some very
compelling aspects to it. What's unclear
from the article, though, is how the
investment is structured. Unlike a startup,
it seems unlikely that the band will be
acquired (or go public). I'm guessing there
must be some sort of "dividend" structure,
where the band is expected to pay out a
percentage of earnings to the investor.
Who knows if it will work for this
particular band, but it definitely seems like
a model worth watching. Hopefully we'll
see some more bands test it out as well.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Old Media Deathrace 5000
By Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins
(Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 1:36:37 AM
I know there’s a good portion of you that
are going to instantly groan at the headline,
either because it’s a territory that’s been
hashed out a number of times from a
number of different angles or because
you’re one of those folks who simply
doesn’t believe there are such thing as
“killer” technology (I’ve had that
conversation with a few folks recently).
But Duncan Riley put out an interesting,
if not provocative, editorial this evening
entitled “Television will be the first
traditional media medium to fall.”
Personally, I have always felt that radio
would be the first to falter, though in a
neck-and-neck race with newsprint, but
Duncan Riley puts some new stats to work
in support the prediction today:
The television switch off is real. In the
United States, 2.5 million viewers
switched off in the spring on 2008
compared to the same time in 2006.
Statistically this is only a small percentage
of the overall viewing audience, but among
those still watching television, the amount
of television they watch each day is
declining.
The decline in television viewing is
stronger among younger statistical groups.
In Europe, a 2005 study from the European
Interactive Advertising Association found
almost half of 15- to 24-year-olds are
watching less TV in favor of browsing the
web. A study reported in The Guardian in
2007 headlined with “Young networkers
turn off TV and log on to the web.” The
television switch off in the United States
among younger people has seen the
average age of a TV viewer increase to 50.
The stats are compelling, and certainly
point to an uncertain future for Old Media
television, particularly in the face of the
ever increasing volume of studies showing
that pretty soon we’ll be watching video
online more than we’ll be sleeping.
Duncan goes on to say that while
newsprint and radio have some harrowing
times ahead of them, they’ll survive. At
least, for now.
I’m not sure that I agree that TV is the
first to go, though. Certainly Duncan
makes a compelling case, and I’m not one
of those folks who thinks new technology
incapable of killing old technology (you
certainly don’t see a lot of eight-tracks for
sale these days, and photograph developing
is quickly becoming a thing of the past).
But we’re seeing a lot more rapid
detioration taking place in the music and
radio business than we’re seeing even in
newspaper and television. It’s an
interesting deathrace between the
industries, and it’s difficult to call a
‘winner’ to the finish line.
Newspaper death watch.
For instance, newspaper decline is
largely financial in nature. Certainly,
when you’re talking about business, that’s
the most important factor to measure a
media type’s life span. Is that what we’re
really talking about here, though? The
death of the media type or the changing of
the guard in terms of the dominant
companies behind them. In either event,
newsprint and text delivery of news is
increasingly being dominated by online
blogs and news portals. Circulation may be
technically up, but revenues for the
companies that resist the transition to
online delivery are most decidedly down.
Wise newspaper publications are
managing some sort of a transition to an
online revenue, but most companies that
have their base in serialized news in the
printed form still have problems adjusting
to the new formats that we in the blogging
business take for granted.
Duncan is very positive that newspapers
will always go the distance because of the
need for quality journalism. Unfortunately
(at least for the newspaper industry) I don’t
see this as a particularly convincing
argument. Quality journalism can and
does take place outside of newsprint, and
for a much greater profit. Some traditional
text journalism outfits may realize this and
make the transition. Most won’t.
Disclosure: I may be particularly
negative towards newspaper futures due to
the fact that in a previous life I consulted
for several newspapers in their New Media
efforts. In my experience they’re generally
not a very forward thinking bunch.
TV death and destruction.
As I said, Duncan makes a compelling
point for the impending doom of
television, and I’d go even further than he
in my prognostications of doom for the
media type. Again, like I said regarding the
newspaper business, when you’re talking
about the death of a media, you’re
potentially talking about two things: either
the media type itself or the industries
behind that media production.
In this situation I think it’s silly to say
we’ll stop watching video in our
livingrooms on television sets. Where the
video that plays on those sets comes from
is very likely to change very soon. Just
yesterday I talked about a very clear path
for Netflix and Roku to make a play for the
livingroom very soon, but they’re
obviously not the only ones competing for
eyeballs. TiVo, Apple, and a cadre of
other set-top device manufacturers are
working on taking real-estate in your
entertainment center.
Traditional television has something that
no set-top box solution has tackled or
mastered yet (aside from coverage of live
sporting events), and I’ve talked about it in
the past here in my editorials on the
subject: the “ veg-factor.”
To illustrate the veg-factor, think about
the type of media consumption you do in
the morning, while you’re getting the kids
ready for school, or fixing breakfast in the
morning while you’re getting ready for
work. Morning show format news-ish
programs are designed for this low-
engagement, veg-factor consumption.
They’re, in large part, designed to be
background noise that delivers some
entertainment and utility to your morning.
Likewise, in the evening, you come
home from work, you switch on the TV
and catch the local news or a Seinfeld re-
run, and leave the TV on through Wheel of
Fortune or whatever reality program du
jour is on this season. Most people won’t
even touch the remote until prime-time
starts. That’s the veg-factor in action.
Very simply, no one is doing this for the
set-top box experience. Until there is a one
-to-one equivalent for this, you won’t see a
complete replacement for television.
Radio apocalypse.
The radio business has been even more
dominated in recent years by mega-
conglomorates and mergers. With this has
come the ‘Clearchannel approach,’ that has
driven almost all radio towards a formula
for profit. Anecdotally, this was hashed out
recently in the comments of an editorial I
recently wrote about the impending doom
for radio at the hands of the iPhone’s on
demand music applications. Sean and I
talked about this the other day, and the
argument is compelling that radio is doing
a decent job of killing itself, and requires
Tech 9
no new technology to hasten its death.
But the fact remains that new
technologies like smartphones and other
pocket devices coupled with the impending
ubiquity of wireless Internet access makes
things look pretty bleak.
I say that, and I can almost hear Steven
Hodson’s voice cracking as he crankily
reminds me that impending ubiquity of
access is anything but certain (most likely
because he reminds me once a week on
Elite Tech News). He makes a compelling
case for it, but recent news like the coming
embedded “Internet Chips” from Intel as
VentureBeat reported on the other day
makes me think otherwise.
Here’s the thing that really makes radio’s
future look particularly bad compared to
the rest - the record labels. Talk radio is
very ably making the transition to
podcasting and other forms of online audio
entertainment media types, but the record
labels have very famously dug in their
heels and made it next to impossible for
broadcasters to adapt their business models
for the online environment using popular
music.
Given that, it isn’t surprising to see radio
clinging the hardest to their dying business
models. I predicted back in December that
we’d see an end to at least one major
record label this year, and I stick by that
assessment. Given that the mainstream
record labels are so integral to traditional
radio’s survival (and their demise is key to
online radio’s ascendence), I think it’s now
more than ever we should be looking to
traditional radio as the first to die off.
---
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10 Tech
Why I Love Corporate Blogs (And You
Should Too)
By Don Reisinger (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 8:50:56 AM
It seems that everywhere I look, there’s
someone telling us why corporate blogs are
not only a waste of time if you’re looking
for something to read, but they offer no
value and should be taken down as soon as
possible.
The detractors claim corporate blogs lack
transparency, fail to adapt to the changing
times, and generally play the PR game
without ever admitting issues or entering
into a discussion with the reader.
I think that’s pure rubbish.
Sure, most of these corporate blogs play
the PR game and would rather tell you how
wonderful they are than how awful they’ve
performed over time, but who cares? Do
you really go to a corporate blog looking
for the company to bash itself? I seriously
doubt the shareholders would be too happy
with that.
Instead, corporate blogs provide me with
some insider knowledge into what’s really
going on behind the scenes at some of
these companies. And while some make
the complaint that transparency is an issue
and corporate blogs keep things guarded,
most corporate blog posts are actually
quite transparent if you read between the
lines.
Is the company trying to hide something
when it uses some clever language and
side steps some major issues? Is the
company saying something different than
it’s writing by including some innuendos?
These are the questions you need to ask
when you read a corporate blog and
generally, the answer is yes.
That said, not all corporate blogs are
created equal. Zillow has a great blog and
Garmin has done a fantastic job of adding
some personality to an otherwise vanilla
landscape. Twitter has a nicely informative
blog now that it’s trying to have a dialogue
with its users and explain its issues and
Google is easily one of the most
entertaining companies in the corporate
blogging space.
These blogs, much like countless others
from companies across vastly different
industries, may not offer something
compelling with each post and sometimes
they’re nothing more than an extension of
the PR team, but even the most self-
adulating blogs tend to offer some
entertaining and extremely informative
posts that not only act as the backbone for
news stories, but for shareholder
consumption as well.
Who can forget Palm CEO Ed Colligan’s
response to Engadget’s open letter? Who
else finds value in Garmin’s answers to
reader questions? How about Zillow’s
celebrity listings that show you how much
some of your favorite celebrities’ homes
are worth?
See, it’s not that I love corporate blogs
because they only talk about a company,
but I love corporate blogs because they
give a company some personality and they
offer you some insight (no matter how
guarded) into the people behind an
organization that seems so cold and
calculating.
Lest we forget, tech companies are
moneymaking machines. Sure, some may
not turn the kind of profit Microsoft does
and others don’t seem to have their finger
on the pulse of consumers like Apple, but
each is managed by individuals with
unique identities and something interesting
to say – if we’ll listen.
I don’t love corporate blogs because they
spread propaganda – that’s a guarantee that
you should be aware of before you head to
the site – or because they tend to gloss
over some of the less glowing facts. I love
corporate blogs because at the very least,
they provide a human element to
something that is devoid of emotion,
understanding, and personality.
On top of that, I love corporate blogs
because they’re the easiest way to file a
complaint and tell more than a recording or
a customer service agent that something is
wrong. In a matter of seconds, you can file
a complaint in the comments and if people
agree, they’ll jump on the bandwagon and
in one fell swoop, your singular issue
becomes a major problem and someone
will be forced to listen.
I understand that most people look at
corporate blogs as nothing more than
another propaganda machine, but I don’t.
Sure, they’re inundated with useless crap
from time to time, but I see them as more
than a place for a company to write things
about itself. Corporate blogs give you
clues about the organization’s culture, its
people, and why (right or wrong) most of
its employees believe in what they’re
doing.
And if you ask me, there’s nothing
wrong with that.
[Image credit: Wyetha Lipford(
attribution)]
---
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Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Amazon To Acquire
AbeBooks, And With It A
Stake In Library Thing
By Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 8/1/2008 8:49:00 AM
Amazon has acquired twelve year old
Canadian company Abebooks(formerly the
Advanced Book Exchange), the companies
just announced. AbeBooks is an online
marketplace for books focusing on used,
rare and out of print titles for sale by
independent booksellers - it currently has
110 million books for sale from 13,500
sellers.
The company has been around since
1996 and fills a niche for Amazon in hard-
to-find or out-of-print books. Rather than
further developing the AbeBooks brand
hold its own inventory, it acts as a digital and building upon the success of the past
marketplace for established booksellers.
12 years. This is not the first time
AbeBooks also owns 40 percent of AbeBooks has changed hands since being
LibraryThing(a social app for keeping
launched in 1996. Hubert Burda Media, a
track of your books and finding other like- German media company, took a majority
minded book lovers). Whereas Amazon is
shareholding in 2003.
an investor in Shelfari. Now Amazon will The bookselling community has been a
own a piece of both of those competing
vital component in our success, and we are
startups. grateful for your continuing support. We
AbeBooks CEO Dr. Hannes Blum sent
will be happy to answer questions about
an email out to its booksellers today our new ownership and what the future
talking about the acquisition, saying the
holds. A bookseller Roundtable will be
company would continue to operate as a held on Thursday August 7th at 2:30pm
stand-alone business. The email is below;
PDT/9:30pm GMT/7:30am AU where I
the press release is here. and the Director of Sales & Account
Dear Booksellers,
Management, Shaun Jamieson, will answer
AbeBooks has reached an agreement to any questions you might have. In addition,
be acquired by Amazon.com, Inc. This is a
the ‘Ask AbeBooks a question’ folder will
major landmark in the 12-year history of continue to be available for ongoing
AbeBooks.
questions from the seller community.
AbeBooks will continue to operate as a We realize this is important news for our
stand-alone business with all aspects of
community, and we are confident that this
AbeBooks’ bookseller and customer acquisition will greatly benefit AbeBooks’
experience remaining intact. AbeBooks’
sellers and provide us with many
headquarters will remain in Victoria, BC, opportunities for future growth.
Canada, and our European offices will
For more details please see the official
remain in Dusseldorf, Germany. We will release posted today.
continue to support both our international
Regards,
marketplaces and our domestic Dr. Hannes Blum
marketplace here in Canada. I will President and CEO
continue to lead AbeBooks. AbeBooks
We expect this change to allow Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile
AbeBooks to expand its offerings and Gadgets and Applications, Delivered
introduce new features and services to Daily.
enhance the book buying and selling
experience. Amazon is committed to
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Should We Worry About A National
CTO?
By Tom Lee (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 4:28:00 PM
Here in D.C. the town's collective post-
election hangover is lifting, and folks are
beginning to ponder exactly what the new
administration will mean for their
respective corners of the world. Those of
us working in technology are no exception,
and a new blog post by Wayne Crews on
OpenMarket.org has renewed discussion of
President-elect Obama's proposal for a
national CTO.
Unfortunately, Crews' post doesn't offer
much insight — he simply conflates
"CTO" with "czar" (as in "drug czar") and
then decides that the track record of such
positions means the initiative is a bad idea.
As Jerry Brito noted in comments at the
TLF, this rhetorical sleight of hand is a bit
dishonest. The Obama campaign's stated
intention is for the CTO to "ensure the
safety of our networks and will lead an
interagency effort, working with chief
technology and chief information officers
of each of the federal agencies, to ensure
that they use best-in-class technologies and
share best practices." That's considerably
less expansive than what Crews seems to
fear.
Our own Tim Lee has weighed in on the
idea before, defining two possible roles for
a national CTO: one as a coordinator of
federal systems (as described above) and
another as an adviser on tech policy. As
Tim notes, it's important that President-
elect Obama receive smart counsel on tech
policy — and the Obama campaign's
association with people like Vint Cerf is
Dancing With The Stars: Week 6
By Brett Love (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 12:10:00 AM
Filed under: Celebrities, Dancing With
The Stars, Episode Reviews, Episode
Recaps
( S07E12) It's time to head back to the
ballroom, and week 6 brought with it
another change to the format. In addition to
one regular performance from each couple,
they all got together for a big group
number as well. Shotyme stopped by to
encouraging on this score. But again, it's
not clear that such advising is within the
purview of the CTO role as Obama
conceives it.
So what about the other function? Tim
isn't enthusiastic about it, noting that the
government probably already achieves
what economies of scale it can, meaning
that centralizing IT decisions would only
result in reduced flexibility for individual
agencies.
Speaking as a former government IT
contractor, I'm not so sure about that. In
my experience, IT procurement decisions
within agencies are played very, very safe.
The person making the purchasing
decision is generally operating in CYA
mode: the purchase is being made with an
eye toward their career. There are no stock
options or revenue sharing to consider —
no upside — so the primary goal is to
make decisions that minimize the potential
for blame.
In practice this means buying from huge,
established vendors, even when doing so
isn't really appropriate. I've seen projects
buy massively expensive Oracle licenses
when MySQL or PostgreSQL would've
worked just fine, and would have cost far
fewer dollars and man-hours. Why waste
those resources? Because Oracle was seen
as safe (particularly since Sun hadn't yet
acquired MySQL AB). It's the same old
problem that slowed private industry's
adoption of open-source software, except
without the profit motive to push things
along.
It's possible to mount a justification for
such a cautious approach by government,
choreograph what was billed as the "Old
School Hip Hop" performance. As you
might expect, that went better for some
but "efficiency" isn't likely to be part of
that argument. And here's where a national
CTO really could make a difference: the
high-profile, appointed nature of the
position calls for a big name — someone
with influence and a proven record of
innovative ideas — rather than a cowering
careerist. And that, in turn, might
embolden the don't-blame-me CTOs and
CIOs further down the federal ladder.
Desktop Linux springs to mind as the sort
of technology that could save huge
amounts of taxpayer money, but which is
probably too intimidating for most
agencies to undertake without direction
from above.
What would this mean for you, me and
the larger tech industry? In all likelihood,
not very much. It's not as if open-source
technologies need the government's stamp
of approval to prove their viability; and
every indication is that the important
regulatory decisions that affect our
industry will continue to be made at places
like the FTC and FCC. A national CTO
will be irrelevant to most of us, so time
spent fretting over the office is probably
time wasted. But that doesn't mean that
such a position isn't a good idea — saving
tax dollars usually is, and there's reason to
think that a national CTO could do just
that.
Tom Lee is an expert at the Insight
Community. To get insight and analysis
from Tom Lee and other experts on
challenges your company faces, click here.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
than it did for others. We also had a special
guest judge this week. Michael Flatley,
best known for Lord of the Dance, filled in
for Len Goodman. He got the full DWTS
experience, witnessing some fantastic
performances... and Cloris. A look at all of
the performances, is after the jump.
Continue reading Dancing With The
Stars: Week 6
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Firefox Plugin socialbrowse
Expands Commenting
Features (400 Invites)
By Kristen Nicole (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 8:01:37 AM
socialbrowse, the Firefox plugin that lets
you surf the Web in a link-sharing social
manner, has just re-released its service
with a couple of major new features. The
Y Combinator-backed startup as been in
private beta for some time, and will remain
in private beta for a little while longer, but
those users testing the service will be able
to access and utilize its new features (get
your invite below).
The new features revolve around the
social sharing capabilities that
socialbrowse has already laid out. The first
new feature supports in-page commenting,
which allows you to leave comments on a
link you’re visiting without having to leave
the page. Submitting a comment, just as
with a shared link, will broadcast your
content across the Web in real time.
Comment icons will also appear on pages
you visit so you and your friends will
immediately be able to see the connection
between your own activity and that of your
friends.
An interesting visual tool accompanies
the socialbrowse sidebar, offering a very
direct and internally circular view of the
Web as well as your own browsing
behavior. This of course can be turned into
immediate recommendations as well as
useful information regarding a particular
site that may be more difficult or time-
consuming to find otherwise via
standalone bookmarking sites. This
capability also ties in closely with
socialbrowse’s second major new upgrade,
the embedded icon expansion option.
Icons that display on pages as you surf
the Web, indicating comments and shared
links, can now be expanded when you
Tech TV 11
hover over them, so you can get an at-a-
glance view of the details behind each
icon; who submitted the link, and what
friends have contributed to the comments
thread. Similar to the concept now being
employed by JS-Kit, the act of turning
comments into a more visual and social
component of Web surfing is a budding
function that can be leveraged for all sorts
of things.
While socialbrowse uses these comments
on a more internal basis and JS-Kit acts as
a centralizing factor for comments you
leave across the Web, they both result in a
useful capacity for direct and indirect
marketing and recommendations. JS-Kit
has already begun to expound upon its
features for the use of third-party sites like
evite, and Socialbrowse being the existing
community that it is can begin to leverage
its capabilities in different ways, which
will be interesting to observe as
Socialbrowse continues beta testing and
moves into a more public space.
socialbrowse is offering Mashable
readers 400 invites. Click here to get
yours.
---
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12 Tech Gossip
Thanks to This Week’s Sponsors
By Tamar Weinberg (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 3:06:35 AM
Thanks to this week’s advertisers and
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This week, our valued sponsors are
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Streamfile Simplifies On-
Demand File Sharing (The
Startup Review)
By Paul Glazowski (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 10:10:48 AM
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an
ongoing series at Mashable - The Startup
whom the package is from), and begin
Review, Sponsored by Sun Microsystems “streaming.”
Startup Essentials. If you would like to
At the backend, Streamfile operates as a
have your startup considered for inclusion, replacement to your traditional FTP
please see the details here.
transfer service. As with some other
STARTUP DETAILS: modern transmission options of today,
Company Name: Streamfile
Streamfile allows for files to be
20-word Description: Streamfile is an downloaded almost immediately after an
emerging startup with revolutionary
upload is begun. A similar option is
technology in the file transfer space. offered by Pando, yet that service requires
CEO’s Pitch: Streamfile.com allows
the use of proprietary software at either
anyone to “stream” files that are too big to end of an established link to function
email without any additional need of
properly. Streamfile can go without. And
installed software other than a browser. the fact that it is able to maintain 256-bit
Streamfile is a hosted FTP replacement
encryption if requested will please some
solution that allows streaming privacy seekers.
functionality. By streaming, we mean that
As it explains within its site copy,
when an uploader sends a file, Streamfile hosts data for a total of 24
downloaders are able to start the download
hours. Which might irk some users,
process immediately. This single particularly if a situation isn’t time-
functionality enhancement actually allows
sensitive and could ideally do with, say, a
time savings of up to 90% (compared to a week’s worth of server/network access.
traditional FTP server-to-client transfer).
The reason provided for this limit is quite
It’s like P2P, but with a 24h answering logical for a startup of its type to cite: “By
service. All of the file transfers have the
storing data for shorter time periods than
option to be encrypted with high-grade our competitors… we can maximize
AES 256-bit SSL encryption.
performance and bandwidth to guarantee
Mashable’s Take: Streamfile is superior door-to-door delivery speeds.”
intriguing not only for its ability to rather
For the time being, Streamfile, based in
quickly broadcast files of up to 2GB in size Stockholm, Sweden, comes free of charge
to specified email addresses, but its simple
for users. (Period ends August 31.) Its
construction as well. Everything is done stated profit model is business-to-business
via the browser within an elegant and
file transfers (integration with corporate
sparse input menu. There is absolutely no websites is said to be possible). Such
need to operate proprietary software. Just
subscriptions run 49€/month or more.
browse for a file, provide one or more Sponsored By: Sun Startup Essentials
email addresses (you can also specify
western drama Inglourious Bastards.
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Windows 7 details galore: interface tweaks, netbook
builds, Media Center enhancements
By Nilay Patel (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 1:58:00 PM
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Microsoft's Windows 7 announcement
earlier today was followed up by an
extensive demo of the new features during
the PDC keynote, and since then even
more info about the new OS has flooded
out, so we thought we'd try to wrap up
some of the more important bits here for
you. Microsoft seems to have done an
impressive job at this early pre-beta stage,
folding in next-gen interface ideas like
multitouch into the same OS that
apparently runs fine on a 1GHz netbook
with 1GB of RAM, but we'll see how
development goes -- there's still a ways to
go. Some notes:
• Obviously, the big news is the new
taskbar, which forgoes text for icons and
has new "jump lists" of app controls and
options you can access with a right-click.
You can select playlists in Media Player,
for example. Super cool: when you scrub
over the icons, all the other app windows
go transparent so you can "peek" at the
windows you're pointing at.
• Gadgets now appear on the desktop --
the sidebar has been killed. That makes
more sense for all those laptop owners out
there with limited screen space, and you
can still see gadgets anytime by peeking at
the desktop, rendering all other windows
transparent.
• Window resizing and management now
happens semi-automatically: dragging a
window to the top of the screen maximizes
it, pulling it down restores; dragging a
window to the edges auto-resizes it to 50%
for quick tiling. Nifty.
Four More SummerMashes, Eight More Chances to Win Tickets to SXSWi in 2009!
By Tamar Weinberg (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 7:25:08 AM
Mashable is headed on its second leg of
the Summer Tour, beginning with Austin,
followed by Miami, Boston, and ending at
New York City. During each of these
SummerMashes, attendees have a chance
to score some sweet tickets to Austin’s
• The system tray now only displays what
you explicitly say it should -- everything
else is hidden, and the controls have been
streamlined.
• User Account Control settings are now
much more fine-grained -- you can set
them by app and by level of access.
• They demoed multitouch features on an
HP TouchSmart PC -- it was pretty cool,
although the usual nagging "what is this
good for / that'll get old fast" concerns
weren't really addressed. The Start menu
gets 25 percent bigger when using touch to
make it easier to handle, and apps will all
hottest interactive festival. That’s right, the
nice folks behind South by Southwest are
giving away two tickets per city to SXSWi
2009, which will be held from March 13-
17 next year.
Be sure to sign up for the events now if
you haven’t, because prices will go up (and
not down) for each individual
SummerMash. You could win tickets to
get scroll support automatically. There's
also a giant on-screen predictive keyboard.
Again -- could be amazing, but we won't
know until it's out in the wild.
• We've always known Microsoft intends
Windows 7 to run on netbooks, and we got
a small taste during the PDC keynote:
Windows SVP Steve Sinofsky held up his
"personal" laptop running Windows 7, an
unnamed 1GHz netbook with 1GB of
RAM that looked a lot like an Eee PC, and
said that it still had about half its memory
free after boot. (We're guessing it was
running a VIA Nano, since most Atoms
one of the best tech events of the year!
run at 1.6GHz.)
• At the other end of the scale, Windows
7 supports machines with up to 256 CPUs.
• Multiple-monitor management is much-
improved, as is setting up projectors -- it's
a hotkey away. Remote Desktop now
works with multiple monitors as well.
• Media Center has been tweaked as well
-- it looks a lot more like the Zune
interface. There's also a new Mini Guide
when watching video, and a new Music
Wall album artwork screensaver that kicks
in when you're playing music.
• Devs got a pre-beta today; a "pretty
good" feature complete beta is due early
next year. No word at all on when it'll be
released to market apart from that"three
years from Vista" date we've known
forever.
That's just the good bits -- hit the read
links for piles of more info and
screenshots, and we'll keep our eyes out
for anything else interesting. Exciting
times!
Read- Keynote videos on the PDC site
Read- Technologizer Windows 7 hands-
on
Read- Ars Technica Windows 7 interface
walkthrough
Read- Laptop Windows 7 hands-on
Read- Windows 7 Media Center revealed
Windows 7 details galore: interface
tweaks, netbook builds, Media Center
enhancements originally appeared on
Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:58:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Comments
---
Related Articles at Mashable! - The
Social Networking Blog:
FlashMashMeet @ Austin Airport
Concludes SXSWi
Chance to Win 1 of 4 tickets to Future of
Web Apps Miami
StubHub Ordered to Give User Info to
New England Patriots
Tech 13
Philip Rosedale Doesn’t
See Browser-Based Virtual
Worlds As A Threat to
Second Life. Is He In
Denial?
By Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 7/31/2008 3:38:03 PM
Recently, there’s been a growing wave of
startups and products appearing that are
bringing 3-D virtual worlds to the browser.
These include Vivaty, Google’s Lively
project, and the Electric Sheep Co.’s
WebFlock. And I’ve seen a few stealth
companies working the same vein.
None of these are as fully featured or
immersive as Second Life, which requires
a separate desktop client download. But it
may not matter because a good-enough
experience available via standard browsers
may eventually qwn Second Life. Linden
Lab, which operates Second Life, is
working with IBM and others to make
virtual worlds interoperable with each
other. Still, for the most part, they don’t
play nicely with the Web.
Last week I caught Linden Lab founder
Philip Rosedale on video at Fortune’s
Brainstorm conference in Half Moon Bay,
and asked him if Second Life is threatened
by browser-based virtual worlds. In the
video above, he argues that the browser is
not yet ready to deliver the type of
experience that you can get in Second Life.
He does acknowledge that virtual worlds
need to be opened up and standardized.
But he doesn’t see the browser as a viable
alternative to client-based virtual worlds
any time soon.
Is he right, or is he in denial?
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Future of Web Apps Miami - Vote for 4
People to Win Tickets
Future of Web Apps Miami Mini-
Contest Winners
MySites Offers Free Tickets to
SummerMash Events
NFL and Ticketmaster to Take On
StubHub Next Season
14 Tech
Insight Community: How Is Your Small
Business Holding Up During The
Financial Crisis?
By Insight Community (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 12:30:00 PM
This is a case from the Insight
Community, a powerful new marketplace
that connects companies with intelligent
communities like Techdirt. Click here to
learn more. In case you missed our earlier
story, we're now including some of the
more interesting Insight Community cases
on Techdirt. To take part and earn money,
you just need to be a registered member of
the community.
As you probably know from our earlier
case, American Express is sponsoring a
conversation here in the Insight
Community concerning how small
businesses are dealing with the financial
crisis. Already, a bunch of the insights
generated by that first discussion have
made their way to American Express'
OPEN Forum blog. Some great examples
of the type of content include Zack Miller's
post on Black Swan Contingency Planning
and Dennis Howlett's Quick Tips for Small
Skyfire Brings Full Browser Experience To Nokia S60 Phones (200
Private Beta Invites)
By Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 8/1/2008 7:39:02 AM
Throw out that WAP browser on your
cell phone. We are quickly approaching a
point where a full browser experience is
available on our mobile devices. And it is
not just the iPhone. A startup called
Skyfire is in some respect even further
along than Apple in bringing the entire
Web to your phone. Its mobile browser lets
you slide Web pages around and zoom in
like with the mobile version of Safari. But
it also supports Flash and Ajax sites. (It
does this by offloading most of the heavy
lifting to its servers rather than the mobile
Businesses. If you decide to participate in
this case, we suggest those two posts are
great examples of the level of quality to
strive for.
This time, we're looking for a little
reflection. Now that we're well into the
financial crisis, and some of the initial
concerns have been somewhat alleviated
(at least temporarily), how is your small
business managing? It looks like the worst
fears of the financial crisis (complete
economic meltdown) have been avoided,
but there's still plenty to be concerned
about. Now that we're past that first stage,
though, what more concrete steps are you
taking or would you advise other
businesses to take to manage to survive the
current economy? Are these steps different
than what you had originally expected?
To enter, please submit a post around
these concepts. Please try to avoid just
listing out the questions here and
answering each one separately. The
description is just a conversation starter,
from which we hope you'll craft an
client). That means you can watch
Youtube videos and go to Google Maps
right in the mobile browser instead of
having to download separate apps. In
contrast, the iPhone’s Safari browser still
does not support Flash and so to watch a a
video you have to launch the separate
Youtube app.
As it becomes possible to do more and
more inside the mobile browser itself, it
raises the question of whether that indeed
is the killer app for mobile Web phones.
For the most part, you still get a richer
experience by downloading a separate
single-purpose app to your phone. But
efforts like Skyfire’s point to a future
interesting, insightful, compelling, and
relevant blog post that will be helpful to
small business owners, such as yourself.
The goal here is to go beyond what
everyone else is talking about, and dig a
little deeper.
This case uses the "claiming" system.
You can claim a slot and reserve that spot
for yourself, guaranteeing payment if the
response actually does meet the guidelines
laid out in the case description. Any insight
that is selected to then be placed on the
American Express OpenForum blog, also
will be designated a "top insight" and the
authors will be granted the additional
bonus on top of the guaranteed claim
amount. Please be aware that claiming a
spot but failing to submit an insight will
lead to a poor rating and an inability to
participate in future cases.
• Earn up to$200 for Insights on this case.
• Insights Due: 17 Nov 2008, 11:59PMPT
View Case Details at
InsightCommunity.com
where that may no longer be necessary for
all but the most sophisticated apps and
games.
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Get Ready To Pay Up Just
To Let People Know How
To Contact Your Company
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 1:33:00 PM
We've been plenty critical of plans to set
up new top level domains for URLs. Each
time there's an extension (such as adding
.biz, .info, etc.), all it's really meant is that
companies felt forced to cough up more
money to secure domains they didn't need
and wouldn't use. The whole thing is a
scam. However, none is as ridiculous as
the decision three years ago to add a ".tel"
domain, where companies could put their
contact info. Yes, apparently, some
company convinced ICANN to extend the
TLD space for .tel domains -- knowing that
tons of companies would have to pay up,
just to make sure there their contact info
was at company.tel, rather than something
like company.com/contact/.
While we hadn't heard much about .tel
over the past few years, it looks like it's
Skyfire launched on Windows Mobile,
but as of today it is also available in a
private beta for Nokia phones running
Symbian’s S60 operating system. The first
200 TechCrunch readers to sign up for the
beta here will get invites (enter invite code:
Tcrunch).
I just tried it on a Nokia N95, and
watching video in the browser looks great
as long as you are connected via WiFi. As
3G networks become a reality, that should
change (although I am supposedly on
AT&T’s 3G network in New York City,
and videos take so long to load that they
are basically unwatchable at this point).
And I still prefer the speed of the Safari
now set to get moving, as early
registrations have opened up, and the one
company (the registrar who is going to
make all the cash for this) is encouraging
companies to pay up. Companies will do
so, of course, because they'll feel they need
to protect their brand from others -- but
they won't do so because it's useful. It's not
as if anyone is having any trouble finding
the "contact" forms on websites that have
them. And, for companies that don't have
easy to find contact forms, that's usually by
choice -- so it's unlikely they'll suddenly
rush to put up a .tel site. This whole
process makes no sense, and ICANN, who
orchestrated the whole thing, should be
ashamed. Basically all it's done is create a
totally unnecessary situation, where for no
good reasons, a ton of companies have to
hand over a bunch of money to Telnic.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
browser overall in terms of responsiveness.
But for other mobile platforms, Skyfire is
going to give mobile browsers like Opera’s
a run for their money. And if Apple ever
actually allows another browser on the
iPhone, it could add some much needed
competition there as well.
The company recently raised $13 million
in a series B round from Lightspeed,
Matrix, and Trinity. Below is a video demo
of Skyfire on Windows Mobile:
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Craigslist Pressured Into
Policing Ads For
Prostitution
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 3:04:00 PM
We've talked plenty about how New York
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been
using legal threats to get companies to
change business practices, even if those
practices aren't illegal. But, he's not the
only Attorney General who tries to make
headlines with bogus legal threats.
Neighboring Connecticut has Richard
Blumenthal, who has similarly blamed
companies for the actions of their users.
First, it was Facebook for having sexual
predators on the site, and then it was
Craigslist for for having prostitution ads.
You'll notice in all of these cases, the
threats involve actions that are generally
considered less than socially acceptable.
This way, even though the companies
being blamed are not liable and clearly
protected by section 230 of the CDA (you
would think, as AGs, Cuomo and
Blumenthal would, I dunno, know the
law...), the threat of bad publicity gets
companies to cave.
And, in fact, it appears that Craigslist
has, indeed, been pressured into agreeing
to monitor postings on its websites to try to
prevent prostitution ads. 39 other
Attorneys General joined in with
Blumenthal, so it's of little surprise that
Dell goes industrial with new OptiPlex desktops
By Donald Melanson (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 2:27:00 PM
Filed under: Desktops
Dell didn't exactly have a high design bar
to hurdle in order to top its existing
OptiPlex desktops, but it's done a pretty
admirable job with its new OptiPlex 960
model, which is available in the usual mini
Craigslist agreed to do this, even though it
seems pretty clear that the law was on its
side. As a service provider, it is in no way
responsible or liable for the content placed
on its site. The law and various court
rulings are pretty clear on that, but when
you have 40 Attorneys General gunning
for you, painting you as a proponent of
prostitution, sometimes it makes sense to
cave.
The most ridiculous thing, of course, is
that this will do little to nothing to actually
deal with the root issue. Prostitution will
continue -- and it will continue online.
Those who used Craigslist before will
simply move on to other sites. In fact,
those sites will be much trickier to find and
track down, meaning that it now becomes
much more difficult for authorities to crack
down on the actual law breakers. In fact,
we've noted that police say that Craigslist
is a very useful tool in monitoring and
cracking down on prostitution. And, now,
to get some headlines about how these
AGs were "tough" on prostitution, they've
just taken that tool away from police, while
opening the door to forcing Craigslist to
have to monitor posts on its site --
something the law says the company need
not do.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
tower, slimline desktop (pictured above),
and small form factor versions. Those each
sport base configurations that include a
3.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of
RAM, and an 80GB hard drive, and they'll
run you $902, $892, and $912 for the
tower, slim desktop and small form factor
PC, respectively -- or considerably more if
you opt for some of the higher end options
And This is Why China is
Every Internet Company’s
Wet Dream
By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 1:38:14 AM
According to the latest government data,
China now has 253 million Internet users,
due to recent sharp growth - 56 percent
from last year. The inevitable has
happened: China now has more Internet
users than the USA, which is at 223.1
million with 71% online penetration. The
fact that the Chinese government is
exercising very strict control and
censorship over internet use has
immensely slowed down the growth of
Internet use in this country, but when
you’ve got a population of over 1.3 billion,
even a relatively small fraction of it is
enough to become a global leader.
Yes, the really amazing thing is the fact
that the online penetration is China is mere
19.1 percent, way, way lower than the
USA and most European countries.
Financial facts are even more revealing:
total revenues for all of China’s internet
companies was $5.9 billion in 2007 while
in the U.S. online advertising revenues
alone in that same year were $21.2 billion.
For companies such as Google, Microsoft,
Yahoo and other giants, this means two
words: untapped potential.
Research firm BDA China Ltd. estimates
that China’s online population will keep
growing by 18 percent annually - a modest
estimation, considering that this growth
was 56% this year - and reach 490 million
by 2012. The US online market suddenly
seems small in comparison. Due to strict
Chinese government regulation of the
like a Core 2 Quad processor or a discrete
Internet, financially the Chinese market
will not catch up as fast as it could, but
with a little (inevitable) westernization and
a little globalization it’ll get there, and
every online firm will want a slice of the
pie. This one growing market might be
more important than most other world’s
markets put together.
---
Related Articles at Mashable! - The
Social Networking Blog:
Google Gaining on Baidu in China
Microsoft & Yahoo Sign Pact Pushing
Blog Censorship in China
Skype Falling Prey to Chinese
Censorship?
Google China Adding 200 To Workforce
China Blocks RSS Feeds
China Becomes Largest Web Surfing
Country In The World
Yahoo China Launches a MySpace
Clone
graphics card. For less demanding folks,
Dell has also rolled out the $399 OptiPlex
FX160 thin client PC, and updated
versions of its OptiPlex 760 and OptiPlex
360 desktops, which now pack a 2.0GHz
Celeron processor in their base
configurations to help keep prices down to
$630 and $478. Head on past the break for
a glimpse at the complete line-up.
Tech 15
Auto Forum Moderator
Sued For Highlighting
Problems With Aftermarket
Maker
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 8:15:00 PM
It really amazes me when we see
companies go out of their way to sue
critics or those who post negative reviews
of their products or practices. If those
companies put the same amount of effort
into actually treating their customers right
and taking the criticism as feedback, they'd
probably be doing a lot better. Instead,
companies that treat customers badly
usually discover that suing critics only
helps turn more people off to the company.
Reader Crash70rs points us to a post on the
HotRodders.com forum, where one of the
moderators at the site is being sued for
defamation by an aftermarket manufacturer
named Streetbeasts.
The moderator had written a wiki article
about the company, highlighting the fact
that the company was connected to another
company that had been found guilty of
wire fraud and defrauding customers.
Streetbeasts seems upset about a bunch of
things that were said about the company --
though, some of them clearly seem to be
opinion-based, and others hardly seem
defamatory. The moderator notes that this
is basically a SLAPP lawsuit designed to
silence him rather than to win a defamation
case, and he's decided to fight it (good for
him). Maybe, one day, companies will
realize that dealing with your problems is
better than suing those who point them out.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
[Via Electronista]
Continue reading Dell goes industrial
with new OptiPlex desktops
Dell goes industrial with new OptiPlex
desktops originally appeared on Engadget
on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:27:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
16 Tech
Tap Tap Revenge Tethering Briefly Comes
Approaches 1 Million Users, To The iPhone, Tempers
Music Industry Takes Notice Flare
By Jason Kincaid (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 7/31/2008 5:50:09 PM
Tapulous, the company behind Tap Tap
Revenge, has announced that the popular
iPhone app will hit 1 million installs some
time this weekend. The app is the second
we’ve heard from to hit the milestone
(Facebook reached it last week), and is
another testament to the extremely rapid
growth some applications have seen on
Apple’s newly launched App Store.
Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem says that the
application has been downloaded about
900 thousand times since its launch, and
expects to hit the 1 million user milestone
over the weekend. Tapulous’s iPhone
Twitter client Twinkle is significantly less
popular, with around 80,000 installs, but it
was released after Tap Tap Revenge.
Decrem notes that there is a total install
base of about 5-6 million iPhones and iPod
Touches running the 2.0 firmware (which
is compatible with the App Store). With
about 1 million downloads, this puts
Tapulous applications on around 20% of
all devices - a very impressive feat.
One of best features in the original
version of the game (which was only
available on hacked iPhones) was that
users could create tab sheets and play the
game with any song in their iPhone’s
library. Unfortunately, Apple prohibits any
developer from accessing the iPhone’s
library with a native application, so
Tapulous has been forced to come up with
a different way to introduce new content to
the game. For the time being they’re
The Reports of Usenet’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated
By John Biggs (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 8/1/2008 8:18:09 AM
Sascha at PCMag writes a charming little
piece on the death of Usenet as a method
of discourse and its eventual rebirth as a
repository for porn, spam, and pirated
warez. He recalls the days of “serious
conversations” on 8-bit Atari architecture
offering free downloads of new songs
directly through the app, but these songs
have all been submitted to the company by
indie artists (impressively, 2.5 million
songs have been downloaded so far).
As it turns out, a number of record labels
have taken notice of Tap Tap Revenge’s
quickly growing install base, and are eager
to use it as a means of exposing users to
new music. Decrem says that the company
is in talks with both indie and more well
known artists to create a premium package
of songs, which will likely be released in
the App Store as a separate game for a
small fee. Subsequent packages will also
likely be released as their own independent
games, as Apple does not currently offer a
way for developers to sell new content
from within an application.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
and the rise and fall of net.manners as
more and more n00bs came on to mess up
in-depth threads on symbolism in Bob
Dylan’s Street Legal.
Is Usenet dead, as Sascha posits? I don’t
think so. As long as there are folks who
thing a command line is better than a
mouse, the original text-only social
network will live on. Sure, ISPs will shut
By Jason Kincaid (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 7/31/2008 8:13:24 PM
Macrumors reports that Apple’s App
Store was selling a tethering app
compatible with the iPhone (both 3G and
EDGE) for a brief period earlier this
evening. The $10 application, called
NetShare, was developed by Nullriver
software, and would be a godsend for
many iPhone owners. After going up
around 8PM EST to the elation of a lucky
few, the application was pulled down
around 20 minutes later.
Phone tethering allows users to access
the internet from their laptop computers
wherever they get service on their
cellphone carrier’s data network. The
feature is common on many phones with
high speed (namely 3G) data access, and
has been noticeably absent from iPhones.
While 3G is typically slower than most Wi
-Fi access points, having internet
connectivity on the go is a huge plus for
many people - enough so that many
carriers charge on the order of $30 a month
to enable it.
Users with jailbroken (hacked) iPhones
have been able to enable tethering to their
phones through a complicated process for
some time, but such tethering is prohibited
by AT&T’s terms of service. The release
of NetShare seemed to indicate (albeit
briefly) that AT&T had changed its mind
on the matter.
Now, users who try to download the
application are told that it is no longer
available in their country. So what
down access out of mislaid kiddie porn
fears but the real pros know where to go to
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
happened? The app may have snuck past
Apple’s approval process - but with
reported wait times of weeks (or months) it
seems unlikely that anything appears there
accidentally. Then again, Apple has been
dealing with a massive influx of new
applications - they may simply be
overwhelmed and are getting sloppy.
It is also possible that the app was
supposed to be limited to a few select
countries, and was accidentally posted on
the US store. Finally, AT&T may have
really changed its mind, but it seems
unlikely that they’d pass up the chance to
tack one more fee on our data plans.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
get their angst-filled, nit-picking, obsessive
fix.
In a way inconceivable in today’s Web-
fragmented marketplace, Usenet was
where you went to talk. Conceived back in
the idealistic, non-profit days of the
Internet, it was—well, it is, but it mostly
was—a series of bulletin boards called
“newsgroups” shared by thousands of
Microsoft details
pre-beta release
of Windows 7
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 12:15:00 PM
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
We knew good and well Microsoft was
gearing up to drop a pre-beta release of
Windows 7 in developers' laps at its
Professional Developers Conference, but
now we're being treated to a host of details
from Redmond itself. For starters, it's
showing off (for the first time, mind you)
its new Web applications for Office. As
you'd expect, said apps are "lightweight
versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel,
PowerPoint and OneNote that are used
from within standard web browsers."
According to Ray Ozzie, chief software
architect at Microsoft, it's aiming to bring
"the best of the web to Windows, and the
best of Windows to the web." 'Course,
we're also told about improved navigation,
a new taskbar (preview shown), support
for multi-touch gestures, Device Stage and
enhanced AV integration -- all things that
have our interest decidedly piqued. Hit the
read link for the full spill direct from the
horse's mouth.
Microsoft details pre-beta release of
Windows 7 originally appeared on
Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:15:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
computers, which traded new messages
several times a day.
Read more…
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over
the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Berlin Metro Demands
Removal Of Free iPhone
Timetable App
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 11:11:00 AM
Every day, we wake up hoping that some
bit of common sense will find its way into
the world when it comes to copyright
issues, and yet every day we seem to find
out about more and more ridiculous
situations. For example, the Berlin Metro
system has ordered a 21-year-old student
to stop distributing an iPhone app that
helps travelers look up a train schedule.
I've used similar apps for train schedules in
the US, and they're quite useful. In fact, the
convenience of them makes it more likely
that I would ride a train. So what's the
complaint? Copyright, of course, with a
touch of jealousy thrown in.
The Berlin Metro people are claiming
that the application somehow violates their
copyright on the train schedule and map.
It's unclear whether or not there's any
substance to the copyright claim. While in
the US you can't copyright facts (such as a
train schedule), in Europe they do have
"database rights," which allow someone to
NBC Launches On-Demand Olympic Coverage
In HD
By Jason Kincaid (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 7/31/2008 4:39:14 PM
NBC has launched its online video hub
for the 2008 Olympics, which features free
on-demand video for over 20 sports. In
order to maximize quality, the videos are
available as downloads (you can start
watching before the download finishes)
and will be in “up to HD” quality.
Unfortunately, the video downloads will
only be available on Windows machines
running Windows Media Center - once
again Mac users are left in the cold, likely
because of DRM issues (and the fact that
Lenovo and Microsoft are sponsors).
copyright a collection of facts. Perhaps a
timetable might fall under such a
definition, though it would still be
ridiculous to stop this app from being
offered.
But, based on statements from the folks
at the Berlin Metro, it's clear that this is not
just a copyright issue. It's a jealousy issue:
That is our copyright and Apple is one of
the richest firms in the world. This fits
with the psychological theory that many
people are upset at being better off if it
means that someone else is in an even
better position. In this case, the Berlin
Metro is worse off, because fewer people
will use the Metro (and pay for it) because
it's not as convenient to get the
information. But according to the Berlin
Metro, that's fine, because Apple is too
rich (even though this app doesn't make
Apple any money). Logic, apparently, is
not a strong suit of the folks who run the
Berlin Metro.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
While the Olympic ceremonies don’t
kick off until August 8, NBC has already
posted footage of Olympic trials. Once the
games begin, NBC expects to have the
So, That’s Why Google
Bought Russian Ad Company
Begun
By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)
Submitted at 7/25/2008 5:50:42 AM
The 140 million dollars that Google
dished out for Russian contextual ad
company Begun now seems rather cheap,
given their fantastic financial results for
the first half of 2008.
As reported by Profy, Begun has had
25% higher profits in the first two quarters
of 2008 than in the entire 2007. Add to that
the 173.000 publishers (an increase of
30.000 over last year) in Begun’s roster
and it’s obvious that this company is on
track to completely corner the huge
Russian contextual advertising market.
In other words, Begun was ripe for
acquisition; it probably needed funds to be
able to sustain its quick growth, and on the
other hand it showed huge potential. The
question is, how do Microsoft, AOL and
others always manage to miss chances like
this one, while Google always seems to
snag them at the exactly right time?
footage available around 12 hours after
each competition (which shouldn’t be too
annoying given the time difference).
Microsoft is participating in the
partnership, so access to the videos will be
integrated into Media Center’s main panel.
Users can also visit this TVTonic page,
and the content will be available directly
from NBCOlympics.com beginning next
week. You can read more about the service
at the TVTonic blog post here.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over
the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Check out the press release (in Russian)
here.
---
Related Articles at Mashable! - The
Social Networking Blog:
Google Buys Russian Contextual Ad
Service Begun
Mozilla Financial Report Shows its
Increasing Importance to Google
Google Adds Picasa Images to Search
YouPorn Blocked by Google.de
Google Announces Financial Results;
Revenue Up 57 Percent
The Daily Poll: What’s Wrong at
Google?
Ien Cheng Switches FT With Google
Open source "Game
Boy" has five awesome
parts, zero games
By Laura June (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 1:43:00 PM
OPEN page 18
Tech 17
Yahoo Turns Yelp, Yahoo
Local and LinkedIn
SearchMonkey Apps On In
Search
By Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 7/31/2008 9:31:23 PM
Yahoo is making a number of changes to
its default search experience tonight to add
more structured data to results. Yelp,
Yahoo Local and LinkedIn SearchMonkey
widgets are being added to search results
automatically, eliminating the need for
users to go into the search gallery and add
them manually.
SearchMonkey is a key part of Yahoo’s
attempts to embrace the semantic web and
open standards in general.
With SearchMonkey, site owners create
“applications” for Yahoo search that can
be installed by users in the same sense that
Facebook applications can be installed.
Each application modifies results for a
certain URL specification (for example, all
reference pages on Wikipedia or product
pages on Amazon). Modifications include
both changes to the basic elements of a
search result (the title and description) and
additions such as an image, deep links, and
key/value pairs.
Users can also add additional widgets via
the Yahoo Search Gallery.
Here’s the Yelp search result example
we used in our first post about
SearchMonkey:
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
18 Tech Gossip
OPEN
continued from page 17
Filed under: Gaming
The Arduino-based, DIY GamePack is
sort of like the Mignon Game Kit we saw
in 2005, but it definitely looks much, much
radder. For a mere $249.93, all the
necessary parts -- CPU, "Inputshield"
customizable, vibrating controller / button
component (say, for right or left-handed
configurations), "TouchShield Stealth"
OLED display unit, and "MeCap" lithium
battery pack -- can be yours. Once you've
cobbled it together, of course, the real fun
begins -- it's pretty much a blank slate with
little more than code for a color-changing
dot to start with, so if you want to play any
T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 11:58:00 AM
Filed under: Cellphones
Well, now isn't this something? Best Buy
has its fancy little iPhone 3G, but it'll be
Wally World offering up the G1 outside of
official T-Mobile outlets. As we'd heard
yesterday, 550 Walmart stores across the
E Ink's AM300 developer's kit gets shown off on video
By Donald Melanson (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 1:15:00 PM
Filed under: Displays
E Ink's AM300 developer's kit(made
with the help of Epson) certainly seemed
impressive enough when it was first
announced, but there's nothing quite like a
video to bring our newspapers of the future
Greatest projector / iPhone clone combo handset in the world now up for
sale
By Paul Miller (Engadget)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 11:44:00 AM
Filed under: Cellphones
Look, here's what you need to do: reach
into the appropriate pocket on your
personage, take out your phone, and throw
it into the nearest wall. It sucks. The N70
from Lanye (or ChinaKing, or... somebody
"games" on that new "Game Boy" of
yours, you're going to have to write them
yourself. See a video of the device in
action after the break.
[Via technabob]
Continue reading Open source "Game
Boy" has five awesome parts, zero games
Open source "Game Boy" has five
awesome parts, zero games originally
appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008
13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
country will begin selling the Android-
powered handset beginning tomorrow, and
folks who opt to pick one up here versus a
traditional T-Mob store will save $31.11.
Yep -- according to company
spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien, the new /
upgrade-eligible customer price for a
Walmart-sourced G1 will be just $148.88
with a 2-year agreement. Wait, what? You
to life, and one courtesy of E Ink itself has
now thankfully turned up on YouTube.
While the display's 16 levels of gray and
pen-based input capabilities aren't entirely
unique to E Ink, its ability to display
speedy animation does seem to be a step
above most other similar displays and,
naturally, it's being touted as ideal for
advertisements. Head on past the break to
from China), which we've drooled over
previously, is a candybar phone with a 2.4-
inch screen, Bluetooth 2.0, and a little bit
of dual-band GSM. Oh, and a built-in
projector. And an interface that almost
perfectly mirrors that of the iPhone with
the addition of voice recording and MMS.
It's awesome, and it's now available for
import for a mere $345. A bargain at any
Barack Obama Aftermath
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 10:30:02 AM
The Onion did an excellent job of
summarizing Obamamania. They describe
it as:
The revelation that Obama’s candidacy
was the only thing that gave their lives any
meaning has caused many supporters to
wander aimlessly, unsure of what to do
with themselves.
Very funny clip.
already purchased your G1 at the full
price? They always said the early bird pays
check it out for yourself.
Continue reading E Ink's AM300
price.
[Thanks, Andrew]
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
© Copyright HollywoodGrind 2006 -
2008. All Rights Reserved.
If this article is NOT being displayed on
hollywoodgrind.com then this article is
STOLEN. Go to HollywoodGrind and
REPORT THIS THIEF. Related posts:
• President Barack Obama Victory
Speech in Full
• Proposition 8 Passes in California
• Barack Obama Wins the Presidency
• Black Panther Voter Intimidation in
Philadelphia
• Michelle Obama Low Rent First Lady
Wannabe
Mitsubishi's $6,999 65
-inch LaserVue HDTV
the premium... or something along those
lines.
now hitting retailers
T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for By Darren Murph (Engadget)
$148.88 originally appeared on Engadget Submitted at 10/28/2008 12:46:00 PM
on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds. Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments Entertainment
Just in time for your holiday wish list,
Mitsubishi has announced that its stunning
65-inch LaserVue HDTV is now on sale at
select specialty retailers nationwide. From
what we've personally seen and from what
developer's kit gets shown off on video we've gathered from those lucky enough to
E Ink's AM300 developer's kit gets critique it in detail, this here set is a real
shown off on video originally appeared on winner. Of course, coming up with
Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:15:00 the$6,999 in order to bring one home is
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. another matter entirely, but those who feel
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments like stimulating the economy and their
retinas can absolutely do so starting today.
Mitsubishi's $6,999 65-inch LaserVue
HDTV now hitting retailers originally
appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008
12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Greatest projector / iPhone clone combo
handset in the world now up for sale
originally appeared on Engadget on Tue,
28 Oct 2008 11:44:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Chuck: Chuck Versus Tom
Sawyer
By Richard Keller (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 8:14:00 AM
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews,
Chuck, Reality-Free
(S02E05) I knew it! Others have thought
video games were nothing but mind-
numbing entertainment that produced a
generation of nerds, dweebs, and creators
of Red Bull. But they were more...much
more. They were keys to, pardon the
phrase, weapons of mass destruction. What
dual roles have other video games had
during their history? Space Invaders as the
guide map for the invasion of Iraq? Pac-
Man the secret plan to solve America's
energy crisis? And...and...what about
Grand Theft Auto? Okay, that's really
mind-numbing entertainment. But, that's
beside the point!
This is just further proof that you need to
take your children's video game consoles
and toss them into the deepest pit in the
farthest land. Well, except for the Wii,
because you can exercise and play games
at the same time. Brilliant! And, hey, if
your kids ask you where they should put
their missile launch codes, tell them to
Heroes: Eris Quod Sum
By Jason Hughes (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 8:48:00 AM
Filed under: Heroes, Episode Reviews,
Reality-Free(S03E07) Have you noticed
how quickly an episode of Heroes goes
by? It's not a bad thing, but it just goes to
show you how much they pack into each
episode. It helps that they're juggling forty
to fifty storylines at any given time. It's
one of those things where when you're
looking at writing up a review of the show
there's just so much that happens. Again, I
liked this episode but there weren't any
major developments as far as the bigger
events.
We did have another de-powering as
well as another death. Kristen Bell
returned to the show as the troubled Elle,
and Claire's mom again showed us what
her power was by holding her palm up and
having fire dance on it. Hey lady, we're
sooo over it! Does Peter get his powers
place them in a shoe box under their beds.
Just the way you did when you were their
age.
Now you know, and knowing is half the
battle. Let's get on with this week's review.
Continue reading Chuck: Chuck Versus
Tom Sawyer
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
back? Does Sylar really just need a hug?
Did Hayden Panattiere finally get any
acting lessons so she can show more than
"earnest" on her face?
Continue reading Heroes: Eris Quod
Sum
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Gossip Girl: Preet a Poor Jenny
By Isabelle Carreau (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/27/2008 10:07:00 PM
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews,
Reality-Free, Gossip Girl(S02E08) "I have
an itch only Chuck can scratch." - Blair
Are we to assume the cat and mouse
game between Blair and Chuck is finally
over now that they both agreed it wasn't
time to say the three words to one another?
Somehow, I find it hard to believe that,
after months and months of circling one
another, Blair and Chuck will agree to be
just that and stop their games. They'll need
to find new preys to play with or they'll get
bored soon enough and so will we.
This week's episode was not my favorite
mainly because the writers wrecked my
perfect Little Miss J. Every show needs a
good girl that tries to make sense of life
while making some mistakes and Jenny
was it. Now Jenny is almost a bad seed
who still has somewhat of a conscience
DVR conflict: Chuck's improved...
does HIMYM go?
By Joel Keller (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 1:03:00 PM
Filed under: OpEd, TV Squad Polls, How
I Met Your Mother, Chuck, Reality-Free I
usually hate reruns. Hate 'em. You've built
some momentum watching a show,
especially when the season starts, then
suddenly you're faced with an episode
from last year that you already saw. That
can be especially incongruous when you're
a fan of a show like How I Met Your
Mother, which ended last week's episode
with a number of monumental character
developments.
However, reruns allow you to explore
shows that you've wanted to watch but
never get a chance to, even in this day and
age of DVRs and online viewing. Take
Chuck, for instance. I DVR HIMYM just
in case I miss something when I watched it
hidden somewhere but mostly does stupid
and stupider things. I get she's going
through puberty but still... can we get our
good girl back?
Continue reading Gossip Girl: Preet a
Poor Jenny
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
live and want to include it in my review.
So I don't even record Chuck, a show I
enjoyed last year and I've heard has gotten
even better in its second season.
Continue reading DVR conflict: Chuck's
improved... does HIMYM go?
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
TV 19
Hey, whatever
happened to Demetri
Martin's show?
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 2:09:00 PM
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows,
Programming, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Remember way back when the news came
that comic Demetri Martin was going to
get his own weekly show on Comedy
Central, one that would be produced by
Jon Stewart and his Busboy Productions?
It was supposed to debut sometime this
year, presumably months ago, but here we
are nearing the end of October and still no
word on when the show is going to debut.
There's a listing on the IMDb for
Important Things with Demetri Martin,
and even titles for two episodes, but no
dates for when those episodes will be
shown (just question marks, and when
even the IMDb is confused, we're all in
trouble). The Comedy Central site doesn't
have any word on the show at all. It's not
even listed on the show page, and a search
only brings up Martin's specials. Not sure
if he's been on The Daily Show lately.
Continue reading Hey, whatever
happened to Demetri Martin's show?
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
20 TV Movies Gossip
Was Sarah Connor saved by the bad It's official: CBS dumps The Ex List
economy? By Allison Waldman (TV Squad)
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 11:58:00 AM
Filed under: Industry, Programming,
Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free You
never heard John McCain or Barack
Obama talking about this on the campaign
trail.
A lot of people were surprised that The
Sarah Connor Chronicles was renewed.
Not because it's a bad show or doesn't
deserve to grow and all that, but just
because it wasn't getting the best ratings
(plus it's on FOX). Now The Hollywood
Reporter has a theory: the bad economy is
helping these borderline shows.
The theory is that because of the bad
economy, combined with the writers strike
earlier this year and advertising dollars are
down across the board, networks are
renewing shows that wouldn't ordinarily be
Discuss: Movies That Shouldn't Have Scared You ...
But Did
By Elisabeth Rappe (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 12:15:00 PM
Horror films leave me ambivalent. I just
don't get into most of them, with the
exception of good ghost, vampire or
werewolf movies. My friends assume I
studiously avoid monsters and zombies
because I'm squeamish about gore, or am
easily scared -- but I'm neither. I'll watch
them if they are on television, or part of a
film festival, but I don't go out of my way
to seek them out. (On the other hand, I'd
give anything to see Trick'r Treat. That
looks like my kind of horror film.) But
there are movies that have left me
sleepless, frantically turning on every
single light on the way to the bathroom,
waking up in a cold sweat because they
Broadway “Spamalot” Closing January 18
By Castina (Pop Crunch)
Submitted at 10/18/2008 4:13:35 PM
The Broadway production of Monty
Python’s SPAMALOT will close after
renewed. Besides The Sarah Connor
Chronicles, shows like Knight Rider have
gotten orders for more episodes.
Continue reading Was Sarah Connor
saved by the bad economy?
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
pervade my dreams. Some of these were
films that terrified everyone, like
Poltergeist or IT. And then there are ones
that, to this day, I don't really understand
why they affected me so deeply. One of
these was Signs. Yes, you have permission
1,582 performances at the Shubert Theatre
in New York on Sunday, January 18, 2009.
The popular production, based on the
motion picture Monty Python and the Holy
Grail, won a 2005 Tony Award for Best
Submitted at 10/28/2008 9:29:00 AM
Filed under: Other Drama Shows,
Cancellations, Reality-Free That was fast.
If this were a newspaper, the ink would
barely be dry on my previous post about
the dismal ratings for The Ex List. Now,
the die has been cast: CBS has canceled
The Ex List.
This Friday's show will be the end of the
run. The four remaining shows in the can
may be run off some time in the future, but
more than likely they won't. For the
immediate future, reruns of NCIS will fill
the Friday 9 p.m. slot.
The Ex List is the first hour-long drama
to be dumped this season. It's a sad
commentary on CBS that they are so
challenged when it comes to developing
to laugh. Go on, I'll wait.
Got it out of your system now? Good. I'll
explain. Aliens have always freaked me
out more than zombies or slashers, despite
that homicidal maniacs with machetes are
far more likely to kill me in real life. And
Musical.
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
TV dramas that don't involve criminal
activities.
Continue reading It's official: CBS
dumps The Ex List
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Signs tapped into my deepest fears --
which would be, it seems, being trapped in
a house with nothing but my family and
my dogs, while an invading force bangs on
my windows and runs on my roof. In the
theater, I was curled into a terrified ball in
my seat, afraid an alien claw would grab
my ankles. Once I got home, I didn't sleep
for two weeks -- every time I turned off the
light, I saw an alien standing on my
neighbor's roof, looking at me. You
couldn't convince me that was their swamp
cooler. It was an alien, coming to eat my
family.
Filed under: Horror, Fandom
Continue reading Discuss: Movies That
Shouldn't Have Scared You ... But Did
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Former American Idol Clay Aiken will
wrap up his second engagement as Sir
Robin in the production on January 4,
2009.
First 'Angels & Demons'
Images: Tom Hanks'
Hair Is All Better Now
By Eric D. Snider (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 2:45:00 PM
If you recall nothing else about The Da
Vinci Code, surely you remember that
Tom Hanks sported a ghastly mullet in it.
So the important thing to know about
Angels & Demons, the follow-up that's due
out May 15, is that Hanks' hairstyle has
been corrected. So that's a relief.
USA Today has the first images to be
released from the film, confirming the
better hairdo and the presence of Israeli
actress Ayelet Zurer(that's her with
Hanks). Ewan McGregor is on hand, too,
playing a Catholic operative. Ron Howard
is back as director, and Akiva Goldsman
has once again written the adaptation of
Dan Brown's novel.
You can check out the rest of the pics at
USA Today, where there's also an article
mentioning, among other things, that the
filmmakers had originally hoped to shoot
some of the film at the Vatican -- which is
amusing because that's sort of like Oliver
Stone hoping to shoot some of W. at
George Bush's ranch. But whatevs.
Da Vinci Code was a mediocre film, but
it sure made a pantload of money. So are
you excited for Angels & Demons? Is the
book any good? What are Tom and Ayelet
looking at in that photo, and how come no
one else in the picture notices whatever it
is?
Filed under: Action, Drama, New
Releases, Remakes and Sequels
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
The Scary Bits: Pieces,
Timecrimes & Conjurers
By Scott Weinberg (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 2:02:00 PM
Mega-sloppy cult mini-classic Pieces hits
DVD this week, but my copy hasn't arrived
yet, so check out BD's fine review by
slasher-lover David Harley.
If you like Leprechaun, Warlock, and
comic book adaptations, Shock has some
good news for you. And Twitchfilm has a
great little interview with the director of
Tokyo Gore Police. And MTV talks
Medusas and Krakens. Oooh, and
Lionsgate is planning a My Bloody
Valentine special edition DVD to tie in
with their remake.
Anyone remember me (and the other
horror nerds) raving about a Canadian
horror flick called End of the Line? If so
you'll be pleased to note that the DVD is
now available in R1 -- but only from
Canadian distributors. More info here.
UGO has an exclusive peek at the brand-
new trailer for The Grudge 3 right here.
A few weeks back, director Clint
Robert Pattinson Has Sweaty Pitts
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/5/2008 11:52:48 AM
Robert Pattinson, the star of the
upcoming vampire flick Twilight, was at
Planet Hollywood in New York City
yesterday, and he was sweating like a pig.
Some say Pattinson is hot, but I’m seeing
average, and borderline gross. He must be
an amazing actor, because he doesn’t have
Hutchison asked me if I could take a look
at his horror flick Conjurer before the
DVD went to press. Unfortunately I got
busy with other stuff, so I'm a bit late with
my comments: This is a rather fine little
gothic thriller, in no way related to slasher
flicks or "torture" stuff. It's actually a
rather cool '70s-style slow-burn horror tale
about a young couple, a new house, and a
really creepy little cabin. Definitely not a
"slam-bang" horror flick, but I thought it
was well-shot, well-acted, and pretty
engrossing for a fairly familiar story. ( The
DVD comes out on November 25.)
My pal Irv over at Movies Unlimited has
a few recommendations from the new
Hammer "Icons" Collection.
Lastly, Nacho Vigalondo's very nifty
Timecrimes has a brand-new theatrical
trailer that does a fine job of introducing
the movie without spoiling any of the
surprises. Here it is:
Filed under: Horror
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the looks.
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The Jonas Bros. Team with
a Farting Dog
By Erik Davis (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 11:15:00 AM
Quick, name two things you've always
wanted to see in a movie on the big screen
...
If you answered the Jonas Bros. and a
farting dog, then I have some hella good
news for you. 20th Century Fox has
seduced the much sought-after Jonas boys
(think: this generation's Hanson) into
starring in their first feature, and it's called
... Walter the Farting Dog. Okay. What's
creepier: That these three boys wanted this
project to be their big film debut or that
thousands of pre-teen girls will eventually
jam and smash their way into theaters for a
movie with the word 'farting' in the title?
Wait, don't answer that.
All kidding aside, though, my dog churns
out some seriously stinky surprises on a
daily basis, and so I wholeheartedly
sympathize with anyone whose animal
likes to spread his or her most delicious
fragrance all throughout the house.
Interestingly enough, Walter the Farting
Dog is based on a very popular series of
books about a fat farting dog who joins a
family of musicians (hey, the Jonas Bros.
are musicians!) when the dog's owner
(their aunt) falls sick and passes away. Oh,
and here's the cherry for the top of this
scrumptious cake: Peter and Bobby
Farrelly ( There's Something About Mary)
might direct the thing. I guess if you're
looking for a couple of dudes who do fart
jokes for a living, you can't really go
wrong with those Farrelly boys ... except if
you want your movie to turn out good.
Ouch. I still love ya Mary!
What say you Jonas fans? Is this the
perfect project for these boys, or should
they seek out something a tad less icky?
[via Variety]
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Fandom,
Family Films, Newsstand
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Movies Gossip 21
John Travolta
Loses His Hair
for 'Paris'
By Monika Bartyzel (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 10:45:00 AM
When he donned a wig and a dress, John
Travolta made our Lame in 2007 list for
his work in Hairspray. But now he's taking
a decidedly different look for his work --
baldness!
Above is a peek at Travolta, from
ExtraTV, on the set of his new movie --
From Paris with Love, which is shooting in
(surprise, surprise) France. The film, co-
written by Luc Besson and Adi Hasak,
stars Travolta as an American spy, while
Jonathan Rhys Meyers co-stars as an
embassy employee. Travolta doesn't look
too bad with a bald noggin, and now I've
got visions of the actor teaming up with
Bruce Willis for a baldie buddy cop film.
But back to the film -- there's just as
much drama off-screen as there is on.
Earlier this month, production was
postponed after arson attacks. The film
was set to shoot in one of Paris' suburbs,
but then 10 stunt cars were set on fire
"during a night-time rampage." It looks
like things are back on, and hopefully will
continue safely. The film is set to hit
theaters next year.
Filed under: Action, Images
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22 Movies
Poll: Should 'WALL-E' Be
Nominated for Best The Geek Beat: Elisabeth and
Picture? Scott Discuss 'The Incredible
By Erik Davis (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 10:02:00 AM
Will the Oscars slowly turn into The
MTV Movie Awards by the time we hit, I
dunno, 2011? While that might be a
stretch, poor ratings and the public's desire
to actually see their favorite films of the
year nominated and recognized might just
sway Academy voters to start showing
more love toward more commercial flicks.
Like, say, The Dark Knight, Iron Man and
Tropic Thunder-- all of which will be
receiving an Oscar push in the coming
weeks. Also on the agenda, Disney is
cooking up a campaign for WALL-E in the
Best Picture category even though an
animated film has never won the
Academy's top award, so says The New
York Times. (Note: It will still be possible
for WALL-E to be nominated in the Best
Animated Film category as well as Best
Picture.)
But if there's ever a year for upsets, 2008
is definitely it. The writer's strike and
struggling economy really hurt some
potential awards contenders ( The Road
and The Soloist were pushed back to
2009), and awards buzz on others (
Changeling, Frost/Nixon) ain't exactly all
that promising. So, heck, in a year where
the Tampa Bay Rays make it to the World
Series, I don't see why WALL-E shouldn't
slip into the Best Picture category. But
how do you feel about it? Should the
Oscars take a more pop-centric, mass
appeal approach going forward? Or should
that stuff be reserved for the Teen Choice
Awards and MTV Movie Awards? And
what about poor old WALL-E? Where
does he fit in?
View Poll
Filed under: Animation, Awards,
Fandom, Family Films, Oscar Watch, Polls
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Hulk'
By Elisabeth Rappe (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 1:02:00 PM
Confession time - I didn't see The
Incredible Hulk in theaters. I was short on
funds and friends to go with, and before I
knew it, it was gone. I know most of you
out there are better geeks than I, and
probably have seen it twice over already.
But there's probably a bunch of people out
there who had to wait around until last
week's DVD release, and might like a
chance to talk about it. Hulk out, if you
will. To get you all going, Scott Weinberg
and I held our own spirited discussion -- or
as spirited as one can be at 2am. (4am his
time -- he has more stamina than Emil
Blonsky!)
Elisabeth: Well first, you need to tell me
why Hulk is your favorite character --
because you are honestly the only Hulk fan
Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
I know.
Scott: Even as a kid I thought HULK
was the most horror-ish of the Marvel
superheroes. He's just Jekyll & Hyde,
basically.
Elisabeth: Ah, that makes sense.
Frankenstein's Monster, too. With a dash
of King Kong.
Scott: Sure. Misunderstood beast. Plus he
was the only Marvel hero who was trying
to get RID of his powers. I thought that
was cool.
Filed under: Fandom,
Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and
Sequels, The Geek Beat
Continue reading The Geek Beat:
Elisabeth and Scott Discuss 'The Incredible
Hulk'
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More 'Star Trek'
Images
Revealed
By Erik Davis (Cinematical)
Submitted at 10/28/2008 11:45:00 AM
Thankfully, this time around the images
aren't spread clear across these internets on
several different sites. Nope, this time the
new Star Trek photos come courtesy of
those nuts over at Empire, who've revealed
two new stills from the film (one of which
you can see above), as well as a cover
featuring the new Kirk and Spock. I
especially like the image they threw
together below -- re-creating that classic
Kirk and Spock pose with the newbies,
played by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.
So far all the images released look pretty
rad, though there's a lot riding on that new
trailer playing before Quantum of
Solace(in theaters November 14), and I
have a feeling we'll be discussing that bad
boy for awhile after it makes its official
online debut. In case you missed them,
check out all the previously-released Star
Trek images in the gallery below. Star
Trek beams itself into theaters on May 8.
Gallery: Star Trek
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy,
Fandom, Remakes and Sequels, Images
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Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Taylor Swift Tells Girls to Stay
Away from Joe Jonas
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 8:56:30 AM
Another Jonas brother has another bitter
ex girlfriend. This time it’s Taylor Swift,
who sent out a video message to her ex Joe
Jonas. Taylor isn’t too happy that Joe
broke up with her over the phone. Taylor
says in the video, at the 4:18 mark:
"See this one even comes with a phone,
see so he can break up with other dolls."
At the 4:40 mark Taylor says:
"Stay away from him."
As she advises other girls to stay away
Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel
Wood Split
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/6/2008 8:33:32 AM
Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood
have ended their relationship because of
another man. A source says:
"Evan owned the house and didn’t want
her unemployed sibling living on the
street. It was the tipping point. Evan was
fed up with how controlling and
emotionally abusive Marilyn was."
The breakup happened back on October
23. How these two lasted this long is a
mystery.
Avril Lavigne Photo Gallery
By David (Pop Crunch)
Submitted at 10/18/2008 3:35:06 AM
Avril Lavigne has changed the way
people think about bad attitude teenage
rockers. At first I thought she had no talent
but later I got to know her music and it
rocked it out lyrically and she does have
from Joe Jonas. Bitter. Miley Cyrus and
Taylor have bitterness in common. Those
Jonas brothers are heart breakers.
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Split
amazing talent, hand crafting much of her
own music.
After spending hours listening to all of
her newest music I decided to craft a
rocking photo collection of some of my
favorite performance photos of Avril
Lavigne. All the while still avoiding yet
another attempt by her lawyers to enforce
Britney Spears and Madonna Reunite
Onstage
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 10:23:48 AM
Britney Spears appeared with Madonna
onstage on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Justin Timberlake also appeared.
Britney looks incredible. Madonna seems
desperate to pull out all the stops to deflect
attention from her messy divorce.
However, Madonna’s special friend Alex
Rodriquez was in the audience helping to
fuel rumors they are a couple.
Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise to Act
Together
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/5/2008 11:59:39 AM
Charlize Theron just settled a $20 million
lawsuit with watchmaker Raymond Weil,
who claimed she didn’t live up to an
endorsement contract, so she needs a
paycheck. Theron has signed on to remake
an old French movie called The Tourist
with Tom Cruise. I don’t understand why
those restraining orders.
Click on the small pics below to see the
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• Britney Spears on Good Morning
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• Father of Guy Ritchie Bashes Madonna
• Britney Spears Sees Her Boys
• Madonna Slams Guy Ritchie
Tom keeps making movies that won’t
make much at the box office.
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large version:
You can always find great music of Avril
Lavigne on YouTube, and of course great
news and album releases on
PopCrunch.com
Gossip 23
Rihanna Passed Out
on Stage in
Australia
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 10:13:17 AM
Rihanna was performing on stage with
Chris Brown in Sydney, Australia, when
she suddenly stumbled off the back of the
stage, and passed out. Paramedics attended
to her, but we don’t have a statement as to
what happened yet.
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• Steve Jobs had a Heart Attack but Not
Really
Venetian Princess
Weighs in on Crazy
Miley Cyrus
By Hollywood Grind (Celebrity
gossip juicy celebrity rumors
celebrity scandals Hollywood gossip
blog from Hollywood Grind)
Submitted at 11/7/2008 10:34:40 AM
The Venetian Princess comments on the
insane video of Miley Cyrus video where
she says she still hates Nick Jonas. I’m not
the only one who thinks Miley has a
stalker personality.
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Good for Others
VENETIAN page 24
24 Gossip Daily -Click and Print- Newspaper
Britney Spears MTV Europe Music VENETIAN
continued from page 23

Awards 2008 Appearance • Miley Cyrus Dedicates Hate Song to

Nick Jonas
By Castina (Pop Crunch) • Miley Cyrus Shows Off Her Little
Submitted at 10/18/2008 8:10:27 AM
Boobs
• Miley Cyrus I Thought I Lost You
Britney Spears is expected to continue her • Miley Cyrus Breakout Platinum
record-breaking comeback with an
appearance at the MTV Europe Music
Awards next month.
Brit is being tipped to perform or present
at the EMAs, which will be posted by Katy
Perry at the Echo Arena in Liverpool
November 6. Liverpool.”
“Given Britney’s comeback there would “There is a hope she will perform, but if
be no one better to attend the awards,” an not she could just present an award - it’s
insider told The Daily Mail. “She’s
probably the biggest popstar in the world all very exciting.”
and after shining at the VMAs Britney
would definitely spice things up in

Hilary Duff Photo Gallery

By David (Pop Crunch)
Submitted at 10/18/2008 3:46:02 AM

Hilary Duff is one of my favorite

actresses that I have watched grow up in
front of me. It is good to see her moving
from teen actress to all around
entertainment star. I have scooped up as
many high quality photos of Hillary Duff
to show off her all around hawtness. anything like me and you can´t get enough
You can click on the small pics below to of Hilary Duff we´ve got plenty more to
see larger versions: come. Check out more Celebrity Photos
We’ll be adding more pictures over time, and Gossip daily right here on PopCrunch.
so make sure to check back. If you are