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« Monday « May 31, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05312004}
  2. {06:53:24 PM}
  content
  1. Trolley offers supermarket workout
    
    (BBC.com)
  2. It is a standard trolley but with the sort of fitness attachments you would find in a gym, enabling you do a workout while you shop.
    
    Must everything be connected to "shopping?" Get a workout and shop at the same time? Puh-leeze! Pass.
  metadata
  2. 06:53:24 PM
  3. It is a standard trolley but with the sort of fitness attachments you would find in a gym, enabling you do a workout while you shop...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. fitness
  3. business
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05312004}
  2. {03:05:46 PM}
  content
  1. Purple Album
  2. Jay-Z (Hova) + Prince = Remixed. Not quite "The Grey Album," but I think this is part of that new term I just learned: "mix tape economy." My take -- my song -- still remains the same: music (and art of any kind) is not that important; it's all of the activity that happens around it, whether economic, legal, technological, and sociocultural, that matters. Art is the spark to many flames, but in insolation is meaningless. (b/w ArticleOnline)
  metadata
  2. 03:05:46 PM
  3. Jay-Z (Hova) + Prince = Remixed. Not quite "The Grey Album," but I think this is part of that new term I just learned: "mix tape economy." My take — my song — still remains the same: music (and art of any kind) is not that important;..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. entertainment
  3. technology
  type
3. datetime
  1. {05312004}
  2. {02:50:45 PM}
  content
  1. Walnut Creek youth gets perfect score on math test
    
    (Contra Costa Times)
  2. Malik Coleman wants to be president of the United States when he grows up. In the meantime, the Walnut Creek Intermediate student is making his mark as the only person in Contra Costa County to get a perfect score on the American Mathematics Competition eighth-grade test for 2003.
    
    Malik Coleman is African American. Here's a charming young man who has excelled in something other than sports or entertainment, and he wants to be a leader. I'm going to give it a few weeks and then come back and see how many Black media outlets pick up this story. We scream far and wide when one of our young kids goes to the NBA, or makes it to the American Idol finals, but why don't we give madd props when one of them demonstrates prodigious brain power? This kid should be on the cover of Ebony for this accomplishment. Let's wait and see ... colored people's time, ya know.
  metadata
  2. 02:50:45 PM
  3. Malik Coleman wants to be president of the United States when he grows up. In the meantime, the Walnut Creek Intermediate student is making his mark as the only person in Contra Costa County to get a perfect score on the American Mathematics Competition..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. education
  3. racism
  type
4. datetime
  1. {05312004}
  2. {02:33:23 PM}
  content
  1. After the Mix Tape I Guess Comes The Tears: Mixtapes, Major Labels and the Song Flow
    
    (Abstract Dynamics blog)
  2. [F]ans are somewhat disappointed, but its not because of the soul content on the record. It's because the legal record, just isn't as good as the illegal one already released. ...[w]ith Ghostface we can see glimmers of the legal cd transforming into a vestigial organ. A ritualize release that has little to do with the real flow of music.
    
    Learned a new phrase: "mix tape economy," but let's face it, the creative landscape of the future is being terraformed by law, digital technology, and economics. If this is left up to the lawyers and corporations, all we'll get is pabulum and crap. Which is basically all we get these days anyway. Artists and their fans need to become smarter.
  metadata
  2. 02:33:23 PM
  3. [F]ans are somewhat disappointed, but its not because of the soul content on the record. It's because the legal record, just isn't as good as the illegal one already released. ...[w]ith Ghostface we can see glimmers of the legal cd transforming into a ves..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. law
  3. entertainment
  type
« Thursday « May 27, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05272004}
  2. {11:40:06 AM}
  content
  1. [WWII] Black Soldiers Battled Fascism and Racism
    
    (washingtonpost.com)
  2. But black soldiers generally received few medals for their accomplishments. They were kept in segregated units, made to sit behind German prisoners of war during USO concerts and banished from the very streets they had liberated once white nurses moved in.
    
    You must remember this. (b/w negrophile.)
  metadata
  2. 11:40:06 AM
  3. But black soldiers generally received few medals for their accomplishments. They were kept in segregated units, made to sit behind German prisoners of war during USO concerts and banished from the very streets they had liberated once white nurses moved in..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. racism
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05272004}
  2. {10:44:13 AM}
  content
  1. dodgeball.com
  2. "Hook up with friends. Discover what's around you." - location-based social software for mobile devices.
    
    Another "social networking" service that seems great when you think "small world," in terms of using it to stay in touch with family, friends, and associates. It becomes a nightmare when you think about intrusive marketers, the gov'mint, or worse, stalkers (pretending friendship) using this to keep tabs on you. 'Oh, they won't use it for that' is the party line you'll typically hear from creators of these types of things. That's what they said about the E-mail too: marketers won't use it for advertising and unsolicited marketing ... and now look at the vast communications wasteland that spam's created. Please link me out of this one. These developers are driven by greed, not by a desire to really help people connect; because they never seem to have sensitivity to any possible negative effects of the things they create; they only think in terms of "how great" their product or service is, and never consider the other side. You better know what you're getting into before you sign on to a service like this, because to them, all you are is "a pair of eyeballs" that will drive their ad rates.
  metadata
  2. 10:44:13 AM
  3. "Hook up with friends. Discover what's around you." - location-based social software for mobile devices...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. business
  type
3. datetime
  1. {05272004}
  2. {09:36:19 AM}
  content
  1. Amazon (thumbs up), Apple iTunes (thumbs down)
  2. Two recent customer experiences show me the difference between a company that (at least) acts like they actually care about their patrons, and one that's a bit hypocritical about it.
    First, Amazon.com: A few weeks back, I saw that "The Return of the King" would be coming out on DVD on May 25th. So I logged on pre-ordered it. I fully expected that I'd probably receive it just in time for the Memorial Day weekend or so; at any rate, after it officially hit the store shelves. Since I was getting a 35% discount and free shipping, I accepted that as the price to pay for being able to impulse-buy the thing while loafing around the crib in nothing but my draws. And besides, there would be no time to watch a 3-hour-plus movie in the middle of a work week, so a Friday or Saturday delivery would have been cool. I was incredibly surprised when I got home on the evening of May 25th to find my copy waiting at my doorstep. Bravo Amazon! After years of using them, I still have never had a single problem with them and they continue to surprise me. That's why I'll continue to use their service. Of course, mileage may vary for other folks.
    
    Next, Apple iTunes Music Store: great service ... until the inevitable computer glitch. You can learn a lot about a company in the way they handle problems, and so far I'm a bit disappointed by Apple.
    
    The glitch occured when I tried to purchase an album in my "iTunes shopping cart." Well, the download failed, but I still got billed for the purchase. So I went to the Apple site to find out how to troubleshoot it. On their site, they list information for every possible error -- except the one I experienced. More snooping around on their site, and there's no direct E-mail address or phone number for support. So I use the online form they provide, which only allows you to type a limited number of words to describe your problem, but hardly enough space to provide detailed information so they can debug the situation.
    
    After submitting the online form, I get a confirmation screen saying that Apple's "experts" will try to respond in 24 hours; with all due respect to Avis, but these people need to try harder! Now I'm willing to cut overworked customer support staffs a big break, because I've had jobs that deal with the general public before so I know it's tough, but I submitted my problem over 3 weeks ago! Still no response, and no clear or easy way to get in touch with a person who can help. I've lost confidence in trying to buy any more music from iTunes right now, because I don't want to be charged for content I can't even access.
    For a company that talks about doing "insanely great things" this experience has been "insanely bullsh*t." I know that I'm just but one fish in the ocean of iTunes users, but if Apple doesn't solve this problem for me, that will be it for iTunes and me. Maybe the next time Marc tells me that Apple's not really a "good guy" I won't just consider his comments sour grapes from a vanguard developer who got dissed by this company. "Good guy" is a relative term, but I think that as a customer, the good guys take care of you, and the jerks treat you like crap. Today, in my world, Amazon's up, and Apple's way down.
  metadata
  2. 09:36:19 AM
  3. Two recent customer experiences show me the difference between a company that (at least) acts like they actually care about their patrons, and one that's a bit hypocritical about it.
    First, Amazon.com: A few weeks..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. entertainment
  type
« Monday « May 24, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05242004}
  2. {06:53:07 PM}
  content
  1. U.S. Nearing Deal on Way to Track Foreign Visitors
    
    (NY Times)
  2. The program, known as US-Visit and rooted partly in a Pentagon concept developed after the terrorist attacks of 2001, seeks to supplant the nation's physical borders with what officials call virtual borders. Such borders employ networks of computer databases and biometric sensors for identification at sites abroad where people seek visas to the United States.
    
    This idea is preposterous. It will amount to nothing more than a titanic subsidy (funded by our tax dollars) to whichever company gets the bid. The bad guys will just sneak into the country illegally. Moreover, what will prevent them from using this on law-abiding US citizens? What's up next, "blade runner" units? (registration required)
    
    b/w: Newscan
  metadata
  2. 06:53:07 PM
  3. The program, known as US-Visit and rooted partly in a Pentagon concept developed after the terrorist attacks of 2001, seeks to supplant the nation's physical borders with what officials call virtual borders. Such borders employ networks of computer databa..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. terrorism
  3. government
  type
« Sunday « May 23, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05232004}
  2. {03:02:23 PM}
  content
  1. (Obey Your) Thirst!
    
    (MilesThirst.com)
  2. Miles Thirst: "Show 'em my motto!"
    
    Most definitely, this campaign exploits hip-hop, and 'urban' culture, as massa has always done, but at least it does it tongue-in-cheek. Not since L'il Penny, the puppet sidekick to then-mad baller Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, have we seen something like Miles Thirst, the 'Fro-wearing, philosophy-spinning, soda-drinking funny little hip-hop doll who shills for Sprite. Obey your Thirst! It's a delicious little ad campaign, with a lot of charm and style. The thing that always gets me about advertising -- the field I work in, btw -- is how it transmits dominant cultural values. If you look at these ads, on the surface, they will give you a chuckle, but let's face it: Thirst's a playa. He's just interested in getting his "drink on" and getting honies ... which is just about the same theme we see in every rap video these days. Right thurr! That's all we need: a bunch of Sprite-drinking soda-jerks, thinking they're the next coming of The Mack.
  metadata
  2. 03:02:23 PM
  3. Miles Thirst: "Show 'em my motto!"..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. marketing and advertising
  3. entertainment
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05232004}
  2. {12:32:07 PM}
  content
  1. Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain Launches Microchip Implantation for VIP Members
    
    (PrisonPlanet.com)
  2. "We are the first discotheque in the world to offer the VIP VeriChip. Using an integrated (imbedded) microchip, our VIPS can identify themselves and pay for their food and drinks without the need for any kind of document (ID)."
    
    An 'old' article, by Internet time, but posted for the private file. And we get closer and closer to Orwell's 1984 ... in 2004. Let's face it, all the building blocks now exist. For that kind of nightmarish future to happen, though, people just have to start putting those blocks together, and it probably won't be police or intelligence units that do it, but businessmen, like the owner of this ridiculous disco in Barcelona, and patrons who are more interested in convenience than freedom. In the end, it won't matter how the invisible chains of control were shackled to your ankles, but just that they were.
  metadata
  2. 12:32:07 PM
  3. "We are the first discotheque in the world to offer the VIP VeriChip. Using an integrated (imbedded) microchip, our VIPS can identify themselves and pay for their food and drinks without the need for any kind of document (ID)."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. society
  type
« Friday « May 21, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05212004}
  2. {09:46:16 PM}
  content
  1. Magic Johnson joins NASCAR diversity committee
    
    (SI.com)
  2. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson will serve as co-chairman of a new NASCAR committee on diversity.
    
    Good for Magic, once again playing the point guard for corporate interests by putting his name and face on initiatives surely driven by other people, just like his deals with Sony and Starbucks. There's a lot of money to be had in NASCAR; in terms of TV revenue it's even with almost every other major sport except the NFL, which is surprising to me. For my money, you could have one hundred Black and Latino drivers competing in NASCAR tomorrow, but as long as those Confederate flags continue being flown all over the circuit I could give two f**ks. It's just like golf, another questionable 'sport.' Let the good ol' boys have their stock cars ... and stop being so greedy.
  metadata
  2. 09:46:16 PM
  3. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson will serve as co-chairman of a new NASCAR committee on diversity...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. sports
  3. racism
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05212004}
  2. {07:25:41 PM}
  content
  1. Ice-T to produce Hasselhoff rap album
    
    (Ananova)
  2. Ice-T added: "He's gonna come out as Hassle The Hoff - I promise you. The Hoff will surprise people with his rap skills..."
    
    OK. Now we have the first real sign of coming apocalypse.
  metadata
  2. 07:25:41 PM
  3. Ice-T added: "He's gonna come out as Hassle The Hoff - I promise you. The Hoff will surprise people with his rap skills..."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. humor
  3. entertainment
  type
« Wednesday « May 19, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05192004}
  2. {09:20:16 PM}
  content
  1. Big Ticket's Big Bash
    
    (NBA.com)
  2. Garnett was also pressured by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who proclaimed Wednesday as 'Kevin Garnett Day.' In addition, the biggest game of his nine-year career fell on his 28th birthday. In past playoff failures, Garnett was criticized for not taking control of the game. This time, he grabbed it by the throat, scoring 13 straight Minnesota points in the fourth quarter.
    
    I'm a born and bred K-nicks fan, but I like KG, much more than, say, Kobe, Malone, Payton, or even Shaq. Everyone's picking the Lakers, but I hope this is the moment that KG rises up and shows why he's the League MVP. In other basketball news, this sad for a Cardinal alum like me, but coach Mike Montgomery is following the lead of many of his recent players, and making the jump to the NBA as the new head coach of the Warriors. I wish him well, but pray that Stanford replaces him with someone who can attract those high school players who (have the grades to come to The Farm but) always end up on Duke's roster... it will have to be a coach who's well-known and who can recruit.
  metadata
  2. 09:20:16 PM
  3. Garnett was also pressured by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who proclaimed Wednesday as 'Kevin Garnett Day.' In addition, the biggest game of his nine-year career fell on his 28th birthday. In past playoff failures, Garnett was criticized for not tak..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. sports
  3. entertainment
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05192004}
  2. {07:03:48 PM}
  content
  1. Army gunning for game players
    
    (CNET News.com)
  2. Beginning the second year of its experiment in using free, custom-built PC games to give young people a taste of military life, the Army is finding the games to be not only spectacularly popular but a uniquely powerful promotional tool.
    
    Who knew that the PS2, GameCube, or XBox you purchased for your kids would morph into a recruiting tool for the Army? I have to wonder aloud -- which is the essense of blogging (the wondering "aloud" part) -- if the Army can use videogames to buttress their recruiting efforts, how long will it take before advertisers catch on?
    
    b/w: ditherati
  metadata
  2. 07:03:48 PM
  3. Beginning the second year of its experiment in using free, custom-built PC games to give young people a taste of military life, the Army is finding the games to be not only spectacularly popular but a uniquely powerful promotional tool...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. technology
  type
« Tuesday « May 18, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05182004}
  2. {12:14:18 PM}
  content
  1. Personas and plogs
    
    (Jon's Radio blog)
  2. "Persona is an ancient and beautiful word. Plog is a brand-new word that's even uglier (if possible) than blog. But the words don't matter. What's striking is how the art of storytelling -- our instinctive human way of making sense of the world -- has woven itself into the science of information technology."
    
    I couldn't agree more... with the conclusion of the clip above: at the end of the day, it's the story that always draws us in. Doesn't matter what's being covered -- whether technology or the L.A. Lakers -- if the story's good, the audience will form. There, apparently, aren't lots of truly great stories out there. Opportunity knocks.
  metadata
  2. 12:14:18 PM
  3. "Persona is an ancient and beautiful word. Plog is a brand-new word that's even uglier (if possible) than blog. But the words don't matter. What's striking is how the art of storytelling — our instinctive human way of making sense of the world —..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. communications
  3. technology
  type
« Tuesday « May 11, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05112004}
  2. {10:00:27 AM}
  content
  1. Surviving the Late Show
    
    (CBS.com/Late Show with David Letterman)
  2. Now that All-Star Survivor is over, we can laugh at the people who pimped themselves on national TV for $1 million. After eight editions, sure the show has lost some sizzle, but like ice-cream at midnight, it's still one of my guilty pleasures... even if a brutha can never win this game.
  metadata
  2. 10:00:27 AM
  3. Now that All-Star Survivor is over, we can laugh at the people who pimped themselves on national TV for $1 million. After eight editions, sure the show has lost some sizzle, but like ice-cream at midnight, it's still one of my guilty pleasures... even if..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. television
  3. entertainment
  type
« Thursday « May 6, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05062004}
  2. {09:24:46 AM}
  content
  1. Musicnotes.com
  2. 20,000 Digital Sheet Music Titles.
    
    Very useful for aspiring rock stars.
  metadata
  2. 09:24:46 AM
  3. 20,000 Digital Sheet Music Titles...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. music
  3. reference
  type
« Wednesday « May 5, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05052004}
  2. {01:46:12 PM}
  content
  1. Confronting the demons of urban warfare
    
    (Asia Times)
  2. Last year, during the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, US military commanders, in surveying what they did right, breathed a big sigh of relief about having avoided what is universally considered a soldier's worst nightmare; urban combat, or what the Pentagon calls MOUT (Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain). But they were wrong. Since US forces launched Operation Vigilant Resolve in the beginning of April, the fighting in Fallujah has brought that nightmare to reality, despite it being a scenario that the US military desperately wanted to avoid.
    
    This story paints a vivid picture of what our military likely faces on the ground in Iraq. It's a bad scene.
    
    b/w: john robb blog
  metadata
  2. 01:46:12 PM
  3. Last year, during the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, US military commanders, in surveying what they did right, breathed a big sigh of relief about having avoided what is universally considered a soldier's worst nightmare; urban combat, or what..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. military
  3. terrorism
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05052004}
  2. {11:34:05 AM}
  content
  1. Too Many Fake Friends
    
    (PCMag)
  2. Louderback: "Is this a cheapening of friendship? Or an expanding? I find it hard enough to be a good friend to the 10 or so folks I really cherish. With all this newfound comradeship, I think I'll be spreading myself a little thin."
    
    This guy states all the problems I have with so-called "social software," but he states it better. If you want real "social software" get out from behind the computer and interact with real human beings for a change, eh? Marc get's clipped a little in this piece too, but that's OK, he's a big boy.
    
    b/w: marc's voice
  metadata
  2. 11:34:05 AM
  3. Louderback: "Is this a cheapening of friendship? Or an expanding? I find it hard enough to be a good friend to the 10 or so folks I really cherish. With all this newfound comradeship, I think I'll be spreading myself a little thin."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. technology
  type
« Tuesday « May 4, 2004
1. datetime
  1. {05042004}
  2. {01:45:05 PM}
  content
  1. My World66
  2. Welcome to MyWorld66: make a map of the countries, US States, Canadian Provinces and Territories, and European Countries you may have visited.
    
    For the file.
  metadata
  2. 01:45:05 PM
  3. Welcome to MyWorld66: make a map of the countries, US States, Canadian Provinces and Territories, and European Countries you may have visited...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. travel
  3. reference
  type
2. datetime
  1. {05042004}
  2. {01:29:26 PM}
  content
  1. Faces of the Fallen
    
    (washingtonpost.com)
  2. U.S. fatalities in Iraq.
    
    A grim reminder that war isn't just old- and middle-aged men, and women, in suits arguing over protocol, but also young men, and women, losing their lives, because those older folks cannot agree on what they want.
  metadata
  2. 01:29:26 PM
  3. U.S. fatalities in Iraq...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. military
  3. politics
  type
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[caught |n between] noteblog

[ c|b ].extra

[ c|b ].newsfeed

[ c|b ].is.ad.free

[ c|b ].friendconnect

« Monday « May 31, 2004

(BBC.com)

(Contra Costa Times)

(Abstract Dynamics blog)

« Thursday « May 27, 2004

(washingtonpost.com)

« Monday « May 24, 2004

(NY Times)

« Sunday « May 23, 2004

(MilesThirst.com)

(PrisonPlanet.com)

« Friday « May 21, 2004

(SI.com)

(Ananova)

« Wednesday « May 19, 2004

(NBA.com)

(CNET News.com)

« Tuesday « May 18, 2004

(Jon's Radio blog)

« Tuesday « May 11, 2004

(CBS.com/Late Show with David Letterman)

« Thursday « May 6, 2004

« Wednesday « May 5, 2004

(Asia Times)

(PCMag)

« Tuesday « May 4, 2004

(washingtonpost.com)

[ c|b ].archives