MSNBC, Ryan Miller and pranks

Seems I remember on the night MSNBC launched the TWA Flight 800 disaster occurred. Being live TV, there was a host of problems. The computer graphics were not working right so the on-air talent had to hold up a paper map that looked like it was torn out of a Thomas Guide. They also decided to take call-ins from eye-witnesses. This may have seemed like a good idea at the time until one caller, after describing what he saw of the plane's final moments, broke character and started yelling, "ba-ba-booey! ba-ba-booey!" The name of one of Howard Stern's sidekicks. Ah, live TV, gotta love it.

參考來源： RYAN MILLER PRANK CALL: MSNBC Apologizes, Interviews Real US Olympic Hockey Goalie (VIDEO) (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Facebook's efforts to thwart Twitter continue ...

But according to this post, only, like, 50 people actually seem to care ...

參考來源： FriendFeed Goes Down Hard. Both Remaining Users Pissed. (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Weird divine intervention week ...

Just when you thought a woman being saved from stray gunfire by her "love handles" wasn't strange enough comes the story of a woman saved by a bust enhancement. God moves in mysterious ways ...

 參考來源： Woman's size-D breast implants save her from gunshot - Telegraph (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Social Media Seers

I love articles like this because when you look back at them en mass, you realize that most of these people have no idea what they're talking about ...

參考來源： 8 Significant Developments in Social Media You Should Watch – WebWorkerDaily (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Will Madoff enter the vernacular like Ponzi?

From The Smoking Gun: "Citing "embarrassment," swindler's daughter-in-law seeks a change." While "it was a madoff scheme" doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as "ponzi scheme", it does have potential: "He totally madoffed the m***** f***** ...!" Or, "it was the largest madoff in U.S. history ..."
參考來源： Shame Of The Madoff Name - February 25, 2010 (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Oh no, they're not racists ...

... they just can't deal with a black President and the United States' changing demographics. When Tenthers and Tea Partiers say "socialist", what do they really want to say?

 參考來源： Return of the Confederacy - Page 1 - The Daily Beast (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Cats can see the devil, you know ...

From CNN: "Italy's state-owned television broadcaster has dropped a popular chef for sharing a recipe with viewers to cook cat ... The popular TV chef then went on to describe how you can tenderize the meat by letting it soak for three days in running spring water." Priceless!

 參考來源： TV chef dropped for cat recipe comments - CNN.com (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Globalization and all its discontents

Local Hong Kong columnist and author (kind of a Herb Caen-Zelig like figure here), Nury Vittachi, had this funny take on how the U.S. dominates the world's pop psyche.

 參考來源： The Curious Diary of Mr Jam: 8 slogans that span the globe (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Oddly sad ... R.I.P. Rickrolling ...

It's gone the way of "whassup" and "lonelygirl15", left behind in the wake of UGC/social media's insatiable need for the mindless and new ...

 參考來源： RIP, Rickrolling: YouTube Kills Original Video (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Not exactly "adding life"

From Telegraph (UK): "Coca-Cola, the biggest selling soft-drink in the world, is the most littered brand in Britain, according to a new survey."

 參考來源： Coca-Cola is 'most littered brand in Britain', study shows - Telegraph (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Oscar nominee out of left field ..

Irish mythology is ripe with themes and heroes just begging to be put into a major motion picture, animated or otherwise, but this unlikely tale, "Brendan and the Secret of Kells" actually looks interesting.

It won the audience award at the Edinburgh Film Festival and has been on limited release in the U.S. The animators were influenced by Disney's "Mulan" and an animated movie called "The Thief and the Cobbler" which used Persian motifs. 

Mercenaries? Naaah, they're "contractors"

But when traditional contractors steal your stuff and do a lousy job you either get your money back or you press charges, but when Blackwater does it ...

 參考來源： Blackwater Took Hundreds of Guns From U.S. Military, Afghan Police « The Washington Independent (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Militainment: That's just creepy

From Foreign Policy: "From the recruiting game that started it all to the commercial juggernaut that outsold all but the biggest Hollywood blockbusters, here's a snapshot of militainment in action."

 參考來源： War Games | Foreign Policy (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Turkey, about that EU membership ...

Attempted military coups do not instill confidence.

參考來源： Al Jazeera English - Europe - Army grilled on Turkey 'coup plot' (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals on Letterman: Cobwebs

Despite his inability to not release, in some format or another, a new song or album once a week or so, Ryan Adams is a pretty accomplished singer/songwriter who has kind of gone his own way, seemingly oblivious to trends and the changing music industry.  This is from his appearance in Fall, 2009 on Late Night with David Letterman.

"The Boneyard"

From the Telegraph (UK): "The world’s most expensive military cemetery, a £22.6 billion centre dubbed “The Boneyard”, has been pictured in a spectacular series of new high-resolution Google Earth satellite images." Click here for hi-res.

 參考來源： The 'Boneyard': £22bn 'military cemetery' pictured in stunning Google Earth photos - Telegraph (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

I thought he was more of a Facebook person ..

(UPDATE: Seems the microblog has been removed. ADC)
From the Telegraph (UK): "China's normally reserved President Hu Jintao has put his country's blogosphere on tenterhooks after registering himself for its equivalent of a Twitter account."

 參考來源： President Hu Jintao keeps 'Chinese Twitter' fans waiting - Telegraph (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Food review: San Quentin State Prison

From Yelp: "foods crappy except for friday which is chicken on the bone day..and sunday morning is the microwavable-like grand slam breakfast...everyone else there for the most part are dirtbags ..."

 參考來源： San Quentin State Prison - San Quentin, CA (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

Oh, so that's what that means ...

From Foreign Policy: "The Soviet Union was notorious for its chilly meetings -- literally. U.S. Embassy staffers would show up to find themselves facing a contingent of unsmiling diplomatic officials in a freezing-cold room."

 參考來源： What Happens When Ambassadors Get Summoned? | Foreign Policy (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

The real Avatar is coming ...

Major nerdbumps ...

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

From the NY TImes: "A comprehensive new study on foreign militaries that have made transitions to allowing openly gay service members concludes that a speedy implementation of the change is not disruptive. The finding is in direct opposition to the stated views of Pentagon leaders, who say repealing a ban on openly gay men and women in the United States armed forces should take a year or more."

 參考來源： Gay Soldiers Don’t Cause Disruption, Study Says - NYTimes.com (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

The never ending battle ...

Photo essay from Foreign Policy: "From the bloody civil wars in Africa to the rag-tag insurgencies in Southeast Asia, 33 conflicts are raging around the world today, and it’s often innocent civilians who suffer the most."

 參考來源： Planet War: Photos from the World's 33 Ongoing Conflicts | Foreign Policy (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

The New Depression

From the NYTimes: "Large companies are increasingly owned by institutional investors who crave swift profits, a feat often achieved by cutting payroll. The declining influence of unions has made it easier for employers to shift work to part-time and temporary employees."

 參考來源： The New Poor - Despite Signs of Recovery, Long-Term Unemployment Rises - Series - NYTimes.com (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)

The brains are the best part ...

My brain hurts just reading this story. The daughter of cryogenic head-donater "opposes a suggestion by Alcor to take her mother's head and that the family get custody of the body."
參考來源： Mary Robbins' Family Battling Cryogenic Freezing Organization Over Rights To Her Head (在「Google 網頁註解」中檢視)