Tuesday, February 3, 2004
Learn-in
Halley has a brief promo of the Effective Political Blogging panel at next Monday's Digital Democracy Teach-in, which leads into O'Reilly's Emerging Technologies Conference in San Diego. Here's Tim's longer take on the subject.
When we planned the event, before the primaries began, Howard Dean was still the "frontrunner," in both the polls and the pocketbook. It's a little different now.
My guess is that the Dean Campaign (among others) is still in a good position to teach us a lot about what we can and can't do on the digital side of democracy.
Back in November, I asked Joe Trippi, who then managed the Dean Campaign, to keynote at the Teach-In. He said yes, but it quickly became apparent that he would be a bit too busy when the conference came around.
But, as we know, Joe resigned after the campaign faltered in Iowa and New Hampshire. And, well, I just heard that Joe should be able to make it. No promises yet, but it looks good.
Eric Norlin (see below) is ready with some questions.
That's entertainment
Eric Norlin has a blog, at last, with permalinks that work.
His latest, about Janet Jackson's runaway boob: pathetically puritanical that this is even an issue.
No shit.
Never mind that the offending organ appears to be a subcutaneous bag of saline decorated with a star held in place with a cotter pin through the nipple. Nor that her pas de deux with Justin Timblerlake, revelations withstanding, was about as sexy as a brake job.
Right now I can go inside, turn on the tube (sans boob) and watch no less than ... let's see ... twenty channels that feature murder and death in the service of entertainment.
One temptation is the movie Cocoon, showing right now (9:00am) on WAM! (Encore's Kidz Channel). Wonder if they'll show Tahnee Welch bare in the pool with Steve Guttenberg, or if they'll let him utter (udder?) one of the best lines in the history of cinema: If this is foreplay, I'm a dead man.
Speaking of which, here are the headlines on the FCC's home page today (all PDFs, of course)
Commissioner Abernathy Expresses Dismay Over Super Bowl Half-time Show.
Commissioner Adelstein Applauds Immediate Investigation Into Super Bowl Halftime Stunt.
How's that for foreplay, huh?
Note that Copps alone doesn't call for an investigation. Still, he says, I urge the Commission to address these complaints promptly. But one thing is clear — nothing this Commission has done so far has accomplished anything to slow down Big Media’s race to the bottom.
I think the race was over long before Sunday's halftime show.
Bonus links: Erinie Miller on Janet, Justin & Michael Powell. Halley on the Bosum Burka movement.
Resubordination
Just Another Soldier is going offline:
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Dear readers:
This blog will be going offline. I have been informed that I have violated operational security and additionally that I am smearing my unit and the Army. I, of course, strenuously disagree.
I am taking the blog offline at the request of my Company Commander. I do so under protest and I do it as a favor to my Platoon Sergeant and First Sergeant.
If you want to read the archives, you have only a few hours to do it.
I will continue to write, but I will no longer be be posting it here publicly. I will be emailing my writings to my friends and family. If you would like to continue to read the ramblings of just another soldier, send me your email address and I'll add you to the mailing list.
You can reach me at [email protected]
Illegitimi non carborundum
Ochs tree
Sheila Lennon still carries a torch for Phil Ochs. As do I. Nobody's music has ever influenced me more. Outside of a small circle of friends still haunts. Here's his site.
More importantly, here's a story about The Ballad of Phil Ochs, the one-person musical performed by Zachary Stevenson.
Orcut?
I've been watching the Lord of the Rings DVDs with family, and somehow this feels like the gathering of wizards, men, hobbits, orcs, and treefolk in no particular order or trusted reputation.
uTunes
Dave Pentecost reviews GarageBand:
Okay, I spent half of one night this week playing with GarageBand. Fun, easy, good sounds for one quarter of the cost of Apple's $50 iLife package it comes in. In the mid-nineties I reached the peak of my misspent musical career, scoring four television shows for A&E. Back then there were thousands of guys with a keyboard and a computer. Now there will be millions.
Anals of Trolling, 2004
Another why blogs suck piece, this time on Kuro5hin.