Palin Fact Check

God bless the AP.

in reference to: FACT CHECK: Palin's book goes rogue on some facts - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Internet Echo Chamber

In recent days I've read two provocative articles on the power of the Internet to both spread rumors and misinformation. Elizabeth Kolbert's article "The Things People Say" appeared in the Nov. 2 issue of The New Yorker and addressed Cass R. Sunstein, the Obama Administration's choice to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. (If ever there was an office with a vaguely Orwellian name, this would be it.)

The second piece comes from Foreign Policy, and its hooked to the tragedy at Fort Hood. In "A Web of Lone Wolves", the author Evan Kohlmann says that radicals of all stripes now have the power to inflame and trigger loners and small groups of individuals to commit horrific acts.

What ties the two articles together is the understanding that as the amount of content available on the Web becomes more and more diverse, it also becomes far more specific and granular; a reader can now completely eschew content or ideas that contradict or negate any and all their prejudices by choice, until all they have left is an intellectual support system completely devoid of alternatives. (I use "intellectual" loosely here, especially when in regard to the "birther" phenomenon.)

Both articles point out that this self-imposed echo chamber allows for unconventional, erroneous and just plain stupid ideas to develop a life, and sadly, an audience of believers. Often, as we are learning, with deadly consequences.

It's not easy being green ...

Thoughtful, realistic look at China's green claims and efforts.

in reference to: Why China may not be the green model of the world's future - By Christina Larson | Foreign Policy (view on Google Sidewiki)

Pay to Play

This is interesting: If Murdoch de-indexes all his properties from Google and then charges Microsoft for the honor of exclusively indexing them on Bing, he will have changed the game as we have known it until now.

Amazing!
in reference to: How Murdoch Can Really Hurt Google And Shift The Balance Of Power In Search (view on Google Sidewiki)

MTV going the way of the 8-Track?

Though the article says minor pop oddity Chamillionaire did it first, it's safe to say that when a multi-million CD selling performer like Shakira forgoes the music television channels to premiere her work on Facebook, that's a death knell of sorts ...

I've included this gratuitous picture of  Shakira because she is smoking hot.
in reference to: Facebook Killed The MTV Star: Shakira To Debut New Music Video On Ustream/Facebook (view on Google Sidewiki)

When did we become a nation of wusses?

Leave it to fear-mongering members of the GOP to attack the idea of of trying five suspected 9/11 terrorists in NYC.

Just like they did when the Obama Administration attempted to find prison space on U.S. soil and begin attempting to begin a true legal process in handling Guantanamo Bay detainees, the GOP throw up the fear flag and resort to gross exaggerations and flat out untruths.

What a sad, sad party it's become ...
in reference to: Politicians rip decision on terrorism trials - CNN.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

She's still a harsh mistress

But the Moon is warming up a little.
in reference to: SPACE.com -- 'Significant Amount' of Water Found on Moon (view on Google Sidewiki)

Supporting Abortion Rights Since 1991 ...

... that's the Republican National Committee.
in reference to: RNC to opt out of abortion coverage - Jonathan Allen and Meredith Shiner - POLITICO.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

They can give it ...

... but like all bullies, they can't really take it.
in reference to: The Man Who Beat Glenn Beck - Page 1 - The Daily Beast (view on Google Sidewiki)

Seems only fair

Trying the 9/11 conspirators in either DC or NYC makes sense.
in reference to: Official: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, others to face trial in New York - CNN.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wow!

From MSNBC/AP: "Federal prosecutors took steps to seize four U.S. mosques and this Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being under Iranian government control."
in reference to: Feds act to seize skyscraper, 4 mosques - Iran- msnbc.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

No real news, but ...

... the number of staffers out of jobs is depressing.
in reference to: What Happened With Lou Dobbs - Page 1 - The Daily Beast (view on Google Sidewiki)

Scumbags in the name of God?

I guess that's what you would call people who would protest a school.

in reference to: Prestigious D.C. private school deals with dark side of limelight - washingtonpost.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

How ... Orwellian

In a stroke of brilliance, the estate of George Orwell has posted the late author's personal diaries in blog form.

in reference to: THE ORWELL PRIZE (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wow, that's draconian

From the Telegraph: "A hospital has banned fat women from giving birth at its maternity ward."
in reference to: Fat mothers to be banned from hospital - Telegraph (view on Google Sidewiki)

Lou Dobbs and Starry Night

They were a match made in nerd heaven. This video may have been created by a former SPACE.com employee who may or may not now reside in the 50th State of the Union.

A psychotic psychiatrist

While the looser cannons of the Far Right seems to be going hog-wild over the "crazed Muslim gunman" at Fort Hood, it's great to see excellent reporting and intellectual restraint from the people at NPR.

The case of Maj. Nidal Hasan goes to the greater issues of an over-stretched military, political correctness and the questionable management of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
in reference to: Walter Reed Officials Asked: Was Hasan Psychotic? : NPR (view on Google Sidewiki)

If this is true ...

... then Rupert Murdoch might change his tune, re: Google.
in reference to: Online Advertising Stops Falling, Thanks To Search (view on Google Sidewiki)

Worst. Healthy Grain. Ever.

Bob has been trying for a year to incorporate this into our diet.

We're on a low glycemic index diet. It sounds worse than it actually is, it just means we eat whole grains and avoid white rice, potatoes and foods made of processed wheat. There are some fruits we avoid, like watermelon and pineapple, but overall you don't miss out on a lot and a lot of good restaurants allow you to swap out.

That said, Quinoa blows chunks.

in reference to: Neil Zevnik: Mayan Treasure: The Delights of Quinoa (view on Google Sidewiki)

Never gonna run around and desert you ...

A worm that puts Rick Astley wallpaper on your iPhone.

That's not just evil, it's diabolically brilliant in its evil!

in reference to: Rick Astley iPhone Worm Found in Australia (view on Google Sidewiki)

You may have to pay to use the loo on Ryanair ...

... but at least the company's heart is in the right place.
in reference to: Ryanair cabin crew strip off for charity calendar - Telegraph (view on Google Sidewiki)

Funny, I don't feel sick

OK, that's not funny. But this is an interesting take on the issue. "Don't ask, don't tell" and other inequities lead to health problems is not something I would have thought of, but it does make some sense, particularly when it comes to issues like self-esteem and depression.
in reference to: AMA Opposes Military Gay Policy (view on Google Sidewiki)

Now you can stalk yourself!

This is good for tracking older relatives who might have deteriorating faculties or wayward teens.
in reference to: Google Latitude Now Tells You Where You’ve Been (view on Google Sidewiki)

Interesting, but credible?

Fascinating look at jihadists in Libya and their conflict with al Qaeda, but the Muslim world is so fragmented it's hard to see this having any traction.
in reference to: New jihad code threatens al Qaeda - CNN.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Pot? Meet Kettle ...

Someone needs to spend time in a dark, quiet room and really think about his faith, the business he has built around it and all the political advocacy he has done over the last 40 years or so before saying something this silly.
in reference to: Pat Robertson denounces Islam: 'Not a religion,' but 'a violent political system,' wants adherents treated like Communists | Crooks and Liars (view on Google Sidewiki)

Who is Joe Lieberman and what does he want?

He's a Republican in everything but name. Time to make the switch from regular to decaf, buddy.
in reference to: Senate Stonewallers - Page 1 - The Daily Beast (view on Google Sidewiki)

Twitter/LinkedIn convergence

Well, I guess I need two Twitter accounts now. I mean, how unprofessional and unguarded does LinkedIn want its users to be?

When looking for a job, will a recruiter be impressed by a tweet of you partying in Ibiza? Or complaining about the Giants?
in reference to: Social Networks Continue To Rally Around Twitter As LinkedIn Goes Tweet Crazy Too (view on Google Sidewiki)

He has refered to what Google does as "stealing"

From the Telegraph: "Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, is considering removing his newspapers’ content from Google’s search index."

I think this might be a potent weapon against the Internet devaluation of content. One, the audience becomes that much more appealing to advertisers as it's presumed (and rightly so) that the WSJ reader is a well-heeled audience. Two, he can better control ads running via ad networks because he can data-mine the audiences of all his properties thereby moving away from $1 CPM ads to ads with a much higher CPM.

It will be interesting to watch ...

in reference to: Rupert Murdoch could ban Google access to his newspapers' content - Telegraph (view on Google Sidewiki)

And no one thought to watch this guy?

His presentation was a call-to-arms. What is going on at Walter Reed's psychiatry wing?
in reference to:

"Cited stress facing Muslims Hasan spoke at Walter Reed in 2007"
- Fort Hood suspect warned of threats within the ranks - washingtonpost.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

England's benign slide into truly a Orwellian country

This is truly government intrusion of the highest order.
in reference to: Every phone call, email and internet click stored by 'state spying' databases - Telegraph (view on Google Sidewiki)

New York Times "big scoop" was less-so

Foreign Policy dissects the NYT story about Iran's "secret" nuclear plant and how the world really doesn't know what's going on there.

in reference to: Just How 'Secret' is Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program? | Foreign Policy (view on Google Sidewiki)

Android OS on the verge?

Despite a slow start, Google's new mobile platform will now be available on smartphones and e-readers. Interesting that Apple's iPhone OS most likely will be on its much-rumored tablet device. If people can read books on smartphones and e-readers using a popular platform with lots of apps, where does that leave Amazon's Kindle?
in reference to: Google's Drool-Worthy Smartphone Software - Page 1 - The Daily Beast (view on Google Sidewiki)

Prepare to be pilloried, Mr. Cao ...

... because actually living among the poor and uninsured is a crime according to the GOP.

in reference to: Louisiana Republican Breaks Ranks on Health Bill - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

"Crowdsourced" song by the ChartJackers is ...

... the worst AOR pop crap available. Like the people behind American Idol or anything by Britney Spears or Rihanna, it's almost retro in a S Club 7 kind of way. I mean, watch it yourself:



The premise, of course, was like a Wiki or worse, a musical flash-mob, something of real value would be created, but like both earlier phenoms, it's momentarily interesting, but easily forgotten.

Interesting times ...

Sad, when one of England's literary luminaries, Martin Amis, has to take pot-shots at what is basically a "virtual" author, the prefabricated Katie "Jordan" Price.

But still, in an era where American Idol "creates" superstars and fame in and of itself is the goal, Amis just seems to be taking it all too seriously.

in reference to:

"Amis vs. "Two Bags of Silicone""
- Amis vs. "Two Bags of Silicone" - Page 1 - The Daily Beast (view on Google Sidewiki)

Making a Martian deal

Interesting to see what will develop from the initial robotic missions.

in reference to: BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Nasa and Esa sign Mars agreement (view on Google Sidewiki)

Pakistan's Nuclear Payload

From the New Yorker: "Obama did not say so, but current and former officials said in interviews in Washington and Pakistan that his Administration has been negotiating highly sensitive understandings with the Pakistani military. These would allow specially trained American units to provide added security for the Pakistani arsenal in case of a crisis."
in reference to: Are nuclear weapons safe in Pakistan? : The New Yorker (view on Google Sidewiki)

Never Marry a Gay Guy

Actually, despite my glib headline, today's Washington Post had a good story on how many gay men decide to get married and then turn around and betray their straight female spouses. The legalization of gay marriage, the removal of the gay stigma, would help people avoid these doomed relationships.

A lot of straight women I've spoken with feel this kind of infidelity is much more traumatic than being left for another women. Mostly because the very underpinnings of the heterosexual marriage relationship is destroyed by the deception. They ask themselves questions: Is or was there any real physical or sexual attraction between us? What was my role in the relationship? Loving wife or cover for his career? Did we have unprotected sex after he had unprotected gay sex? Why didn't I notice his unerring fashion sense and love of musicals?

I'm still amazed that men and gay women still believe getting married is an option. Whether you're Larry Craig or James McGreevey -- see gay is a non-partisan issue -- pretending to be someone you're not just violates the trust of too many people. And where is your dignity? Your sense of honesty and self? If you're gay at least be a man about it.

If you really want to see how gay the straight world is, just check out the personals on Craig's List. Personally, I'm always amazed at the large number of "straight MWM" who are looking for a "discrete buddy". (I'm also stunned at the number who are into cross-dressing and transvestites. I'm sorry, but that's just weird.)

Within the confines of the gay community you can still hear the lament about the disappearance of the gay bathhouse, a longtime staple of gay and straight culture for many decades.

Oddly enough, while the bathhouse is identified as a particularly gay phenomenon, they were originally a place for closeted men to socialize and physically connect. The closing of bathhouses at the early stages of the AIDS epidemic pushed many married-but-gay men towards different outlets: public parks, truck stops, prostitution, the burgeoning "976" hotline phone industry of the mid- to late-80s.

However, as the rules of behavior regarding HIV and its transmission became better understood, clandestine sex clubs emerged in major urban centers. (Some politically well-connected bathhouse owners were allowed to keep their businesses open, too. Seattle, Miami, NYC, San Jose, Detroit all have very public bathhouses or sex clubs.)

Thanks to the Internet, you can be happily married, have a slew of kids and still have a pretty healthy gay sex life.

But this isn't great. It's really kind of awful: for the spouse, the children, for the closeted man. It's like living a dark half-life, one of shame and deception that eventually eclipses the whole.

It's been a topsy-turvy week for gay marriage: While Maine narrowly voted down the right, Washington passed an "everything but marriage in name" referendum that's really a kind of a "back of the bus" kind of law: A separate-but-not-quite-equal piece of legislation that just goes to remind people like me that with a well-planned campaign of lies and deception our rights could be taken away in the blink of an eye.

I'm not a big fan of marriage in general. For me it's very much just a legal agreement between two consenting adults, but when I see those shows on TLC and Lifetime about Bridezillas and all that crap, I just roll my eyes and realize it's just some multi-billion dollar industry. It's also the one high-profile institution where organized religion gets its claws into what is basically a secular function.

Still, I've gone to some amazing weddings and teared up when the bride walked down the aisle and was given away by her father. (I may be a cynic, but I'm not heartless.)

The right for gays and lesbians to marry, the very public, state-approved act of legitimizing marriage would be such a psychological boost for so many closeted men and women, it would in the end save a lot of marriages: By letting people choose and marry the people they're supposed to be with, not who they feel they have to wed to keep up appearances.

I am not naive enough to think that gay marriage will make infidelity (gay or straight) go away, but I think it will help people be more honest about who they are and what they want. Besides, honesty one of the underpinnings of all healthy relationships and being truthful is always a good place to start.


in reference to: Straight ex-spouses offer quiet voice for gay marriage - washingtonpost.com (view on Google Sidewiki)