blog.vanillacokehead.com
…”sliding down the razor blade of life” since 1966…
- just checked closings on @wkyc 's web site, especially amusing were "don't give a rat's ass dance school", "who cares karate school". #fb #
- just got out of 11am mass – off to grocery shop soon. The portable air compressor in the car is the best $20 ever spent… #fb #
- thinks his wife ROCKS as a DIY plumber – she just unclogged a drain that had been stopped for 2 years. yay! :) #fb #
- just got home from a whirlwind shopping trip – had lunch – and needs to tackle laundry, cleaning, dishes, and baths before the big game. #fb #
- has today's example of why some should never be parents: soldier waterboards his 4yo daughter for not knowing ABCs. http://bit.ly/c8RF2y #fb #
- pores over his list: laundry started: check. dinner started: check. kids bathed: check. groceries stowed: check. Super Bowl on: check. #fb #
- says "yes!" awesome to see Queen Latifah sing the National Anthem. Rock on, Queen! #
- @spicypants Queen Latifah is IMO one of the few female performing artists who truly deserve the term "diva" as a term of honor. in reply to spicypants #
- is having a tough time deciding whom to root for in #sb44 – like both the Colts and Saints… #fb #
- thanks @cbs for selling out their broadcast standards for filthy lucre. #sb44 #
- accuses @snickers of elder abuse in their #sb44 television ad. I'm calling the authorities. #
- @Allyson13 too bad @godaddyguy 's customer service sucks too.#sb44 in reply to Allyson13 #
- likes what someone nicknamed the Super Bowl a few years ago – "The Million Sponsor March". :) #fb #sb44 #
- @dailybragger the Bud Light ad nearly gave me a migraine #sb44 #superbowlads in reply to dailybragger #
- RT @iGoByDoc: Oprah! Let's just say I called it! *love her Letterman spot with Leno* #sb44 #
- has today's criminal genius: alleged drunk driver in OH gets busted after tailgating cop car. http://bit.ly/9mpzh6 #fb #
- @iGoByDoc I'm wondering if #CoCo couldn't appear due to terms of his NBC severance. #Leno #Letterman #Oprah #sb44 #BrandBowl in reply to iGoByDoc #
- just called a psychic hotline and got the following premonition: "…I predict your phone bill will be $3.95 higher next month…" #
- channels the late Curt Gowdy re: onside kick: "if there's a pile-up on the field they may have to administer artificial insemination." #sb44 #
- gives the Saints props for having the balls to call an onside kick for the 2nd half kickoff. #sb44 #
- @FabGirl love the new av! :) in reply to FabGirl #
- wonders if @onenewsnow will rename one of the Saints CBs as "Randall Homosexual"… #sb44 #
- loved the @google #sb44 spot. #
- thinks @cbs finally balanced out fairness for its Focus on ther Family #sb44 ad earlier in the game with its Dante's Inferno game ad. #fb #
- says, mmmmm….Pauley Perrette….. *drool* #sb44 #
- isn't ready to call #sb44 for the Saints. 5-1/2 minutes is a heck of a long time, especially with Peyton Manning in the game. #
- thinks he's gonna gack after seeing the Audi "Green Police" #sb44 ad. Annoying as Lou and Lou on Playhouse Disney. #
- @mochamomma St. Anthony of Padua, "the Wonder Worker"… #fb in reply to mochamomma #
- hears the fat lady warming up for the Colts. What a Saints TD! #sb44 #
- hates the latest @godaddyguy commercial – if they need to simulate a newscast to sell, they must not have much to sell… #sb40 #
- @prosperitygal didn't Jimmy Kimmel get in trouble a few years ago for saying Detroit would burn if they won the NBA finals? #
- is happy for the Saints and their fans for winning #sb44 – who dat!!!!!!! :) #
- @edwardesposito social media…not just for cloistered geeks anymore… in reply to edwardesposito #
- RT @sarahk47: Since everything that happens in NOLA is Bush's fault, I blame him for the Saints' win.*chortle* #fb #
- has the postgame image FTW: Drew Brees holding his son after the Saints #sb44 win. Awesome moment! #
- finds these rumblings of political scandal intriguing – alleged hanky-panky on the part of NY Gov. Paterson? http://bit.ly/aAfceN #fb #
- RT @dailybragger: Live New Orleans web cam…These people look like they are celebrating. http://www.nola.com/paradecam/ #
- wonders if cosmetic queen Adrien Arpel has a cot at HSN's studios – it seems everytime I stumble upon the channel she's on. Funk dat! #
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- Tea Partiers Protest Own Convention
Four Tennessee tea party activists who said they couldn’t afford the $550 tickets to the National Tea Party Convention staged a guerilla news conference just outside of the event to challenge its representation of the movement. “There are a lot of citizens in the state of Tennessee today who could not afford to be here particularly in this economy,” said Antonio Hinton, a 37-year old tea party activist from Knoxville. “They’re just as patriotic. They’re just as concerned. They care just as much about what’s going on as the folks that are in that room.”
- At 111, she’s New York’s oldest resident
NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) — Jane Gilsenan has lived in three centuries, seen 19 U.S. presidents, is New York’s oldest resident, and one of the oldest people in the world, authorities say.
- Postmen bite back
UK – Postmen are being armed with a new weapon which could hand them a crucial advantage in their perennial battle with dogs. By Jasper Copping Royal Mail delivery staff are being equipped with a device which releases compressed air and makes a hissing sound designed to scare off dogs. It comes as new figures reveal the number of postal workers attacked by dogs while on their rounds increased by almost 20 per cent last year. In 2008/09, there were 4,810 attacks on staff — a rate of 92 per week — compared with 4,067 the previous year … ( Continue story )
- Mayor gets prison for stealing lingerie
The mayor of a small coastal town in northern England has been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing women’s underwear. Ian Stafford, 59, mayor of Preesall and Knott End in Lancashire, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaking and entering, the Daily Mail reported. “I feel deeply ashamed at the whole scenario because I have hurt people who have been excellent friends — I could not wish for better,” Stafford said. “I wish I had said something to someone earlier … ( Continue story )
- Apotheker resigns as SAP’s chief executive
The business software maker announces the resignation, effective immediately, and the appointment of co-CEOs to replace Apotheker.
- Why Android “with Google” Makes a Difference for Netbooks and Tablets
“Android” and “open” go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but last year, avid Android followers were reminded that Android might be open, but Google apps for Android? Not so much. Workarounds have allowed use of those applications on phones, but Android’s future is not limited to phones. Manufacturers are testing, announcing, and even releasing Android netbooks, MIDs, and tablets. However, devices in this burgeoning Android market have yet to be certified as “with Google.” While there is no indication that phone sales are better or worse with or without that association, there are several reasons that being “with Google” could be an important distinction for other devices.
GOOGLE APPS
Tablets and netbooks are “connected” devices, but even with robust web applications, native device applications provide several advantages over their web-only counterparts. Features like offline use and cross-app-functionality are two major examples. Android users (or Google app users looking for Android) will expect access to native applications for Google Contacts, Calendar, Gmail, Voice, and Maps, but those native apps are are not part of the “open” Android.STANDARD USER EXPERIENCE AND ACCESS TO ANDROID UPDATES
Android “fragmentation” comes in several forms, but differing OS versions is arguably the biggest problem for manufacturers, developers, and users. Devices with creative modifications to Android causes more work for manufacturers to keep up with the latest version of Android. Though other mobile platforms may also suffer this problem, Android adoption is vulnerable the longer these “old” operating systems hold onto significant market share. It is nice that Google provides open and updated access to such information (via Android Developers), but manufacturers need to be prepared to keep up with the releases. Developers may already be weary of having to support the “latest and greatest” as well as catering to the larger market segment of older Androids. Though Android 1.6 is still the dominant market release, “with Google” devices could be able to receive such updates in a more timely manner.ANDROID MARKET
Really, it’s all about the apps. The Android Market is a legitimate marketplace and access to it is critical to the success of any Android device. Device-specific app stores will have a hard time competing with the established Android Market (if they can compete at all). Google and developers will need to work on how to segment applications based on max resolution, but that is not a new problem, even for Android. A soon-to-be-released non-Android tablet has a way to scale apps meant for smaller screens to match larger-screens – something for Google and developers to consider.GOOGLE HAS THE FINAL SAY
The hurdle to getting Android “with Google” is Google. I expect that manufacturers are interested in selling “certified” devices, but none have yet to surface. The Google blog announcing Chrome OS acknowledges that “Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks,” which sounds reasonable. Unfortunately they confuse the tablet / netbook market (manufacturers and consumers alike) in the very next sentence, saying “Google Chrome OS …is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems.”Perhaps Google has a plan. Perhaps Google is quietly working with manufacturers. Perhaps the lines will soon be drawn – touch vs. non-touch, minimum / maximum processing power, or even external device support. Wherever they may be drawn, it is important to do so soon and let the netbook market and, more importantly, the tablet market get moving – “with Google.”
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- Have You Been Watching?
Last month, Google kicked off an official YouTube page for the Nexus One. Just this last week, however, they decided to take us on a tour of what goes on behind the device. Over the course of 5 …
- Have You Been Watching?
- Florida State will "vacate" wins in football and other men's and women's sports because of academic cheating scandal
Florida State University says it will vacate a 2007 bowl victory and 11 regular season football wins, along with dozens more across 10 men’s and women’s sports, because of NCAA sanctions. The school announced which wins would be vacated in a memorandum to the NCAA on Sunday.
- Colorado Medical Marijuana Dispensary Boom Benefiting Affiliated Businesses
Until a few months ago, J.B. Woods was your standard-issue insurance agent. Auto, home, life. Would you like flood coverage with that?
Then, in the middle of 2009, his phone rang: “I need insurance for my medical-marijuana dispensary,” the caller said. And since that moment, few of the policies Woods has set up for clients have been standard-issue.
- Man Gets DUI Without Driving Car
A Minnesota man was convicted of a DUI offense for sitting in a car that wasn’t moving. Even more surprising: the car wouldn’t start at all. Daryl Fleck got a felony drunk driving conviction after being found sleeping in his car with the driver’s side open. The keys were not in the ignition and the engine was cold.
- Ashton Kutcher Pays Homage To Twitter With Tooter
We all know that Ashton Kutcher is a fan of Twitter. Last year, Kutcher raced CNN to a million Twitter followers (Kutcher won). Kutcher hosted Saturday Night Live yesterday night, and as a web exclusive, SNL released this bit Kutcher did about Tooter, which Twitter-like network that broadcasts Kutcher’s flatulence emissions, or “gissions.” It’s up to you to decide how funny the sketch is, but it’s certainly an entertaining poke at the celeb’s love for the microblogging network and social media.
- ‘My Way’ a dangerous song in Philippines
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines, Feb. 7 (UPI) — Singing the U.S. hit “My Way” in a karaoke bar in the Philippines can result in death as part of a troubling trend across the country, authorities say.
- Even if you’re careful, drugs can end up in water
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests….
- Beware! The Droids are coming…
At last I found a companion for my Fallout3 BobbleHead that sits on my desk. He is so lonely, being alone all the time. He was very happy as my kids started to play with him but after a while it did hurt him.
Now he will get some friends. I hope that he won't have any problem with the fact that the friends will be non-biological. In any case they are more friendly then super mutants
One of the signs that shows that a brand is well established is when the community starts to create fan art around the brand. Is seems that Android has matured so far. New York based artist Andrew Bell has designed several neat Android figures as a secret project.
Since February 1. the project is not secret anymore. Production of the first series will start in a few days. Head over to Dyzplastic to claim your figure or rather box of figures. The figures will come in 12 different flavours in blind boxes, that means, you will not know which figure you get. To bring in even more excitement, there will be some very rare figures that collectors will WANT to have.
The figures can rotate their head and arms and seem to be very friendly. There is no information on prices and availability yet. If any new information comes, I'll keep you posted.
I could imagine to put some identification tags in/on the figures to provide additional fun. For example you could track your collection with your Android device, or you could let the figure sneak into your phone as a background image. Anyways that is a great idea, BobbleHead will be so happy…
- BlackBerry has spyware risk too, researcher says
Veracode researcher demonstrates spyware that allows someone to steal a stranger’s contact list, read text messages in real time, and track the location of the phone.
- Report: Tiger Woods to make grand gold return at Tavinstock Cup
Tiger Woods is planning to play around again – at a golf tournament near his Florida home in March, TMZ.com reported Sunday.
- Man arrested on pot charge
A 22-year-old man was stopped by police Saturday for snow-covered vehicle windows, but was arrested after he revealed a bag police said contained marijuana residue.
- Tailgating cop car leads to DUI arrest
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- just woke up and is about to tackle the 10 1/2 inches of snow dumped overnight…. #
- has 1 pic that survived from the daddy daughter date night – kids screwed with the digital cam, erased the rest. http://twitpic.com/11pe9x #
- wonders whom he has to schtupp in the Cuyahoga Falls Streets Department to get his street plowed. #fb #
- loves this country – a minute after his last post bemoaning his street having not been plowed a city plow came by. That's service! :) #
- @rachbarnhart George Carlin put it well re: euphemisms: "smug, greedy, well fed white people have invented a language to conceal their sins" in reply to rachbarnhart #
- just woke up from a nap and is still sore from pushing a snowblower most of the day. ouch… #fb #
- isn't a fan of Sarah Palin – but didn't like a comment on CNN's FB page from a dolt hoping she dies during her Tea Party speech tonight. #fb #
- sees Lester Holt is anchoring NBC Nightly News from Vancouver BC tonight – let the on-air Olympic orgy begin! #fb #
- @LindaTuranchik in NE Ohio, the Olympics are on Channel 3 – they start this coming Friday 2/12… in reply to LindaTuranchik #
- wonders if he should be afraid – Emma-Grace is watching an old Lawrence Welk rerun on @PBS – she likes the dancing. #fb #
- is chuckling at this: teenager crashes car into his high school near Seattle, drives down the hall. http://bit.ly/cyiiBv #fb #
- is having a mellow Saturday night laying in bed and watching "Jackass" epidodes on MTV2… #fb #
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- No free lunch for 7 state lawmakers
OLYMPIA — Seven Washington legislators and an aide have been told to pay back up to $18 each for box lunches they ate at a discussion of marijuana laws.
- Twitter & Facebook are killing delays of live shows such as the Emmys
Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are changing the way we communicate in a very real sense. And now they’re even messing with the well-established practices of U.S. television networks. That’s right folks, they’re messing with the delay of live events as people immediately head online to talk about what they just saw [...]
- Father of Linux is a happy camper with his Nexus One
Linus Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer best known for starting the development of the Linux kernel. He generally hates phones, but he just blogged that he purchased a Nexus One and is a happy camper so far. He loves the concept of having a phone that runs Linux and thinks the N1 is a winner. Linus admits he was hesitant about purchasing the phone online, but made the jump after reading about the recent pinch-zoom upgrade.
The chief architect of the Linux kernel also addressed the recent removal of Android from the Linux tree as of the 2.6.33 kernel release.
I don’t worry about out-of-tree development for odd devices too much. I wish we could merge Android, but I also accept it likely being a few years away. We had similar out-of-tree issues with the SGI extreme scalability stuff, and it took quite a while before the standard kernel merged all of that.Linus Torvalds
Linus also purchased the G1 when it came out, but he hardly ever used it. He confesses to prefer the N1 because it is thin-and-light. When addressing the lack of a keyboard he said, “I did like having a physical keyboard on the G1, but voice search for the navigation actually seems to work pretty well.”
[Thank you Ian for the tip]
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- Looks Like Google May Have A Super Bowl Commercial
While Google is a company built on advertising, for the most part it has stayed out of advertising itself on the dominant medium: television. Yes, there have been those short ads for Chrome and a few for Android that it has been involved with. And Google is even said to have considered an ad during the Olympics, but that was killed at the last second, apparently. But now, it looks like Google may be ready to advertise itself on the biggest stage possible: the Super Bowl.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has just posted this very intriguing tweet:
Can’t wait to watch the Superbowl tomorrow. Be sure to watch the ads in the 3rd quarter (someone said “Hell has indeed frozen over.”)
It’s hard to know exactly what he’s saying there, but it would seem to suggest that Google will have an ad that will run during the third quarter of tomorrow’s game. If that is indeed the case, who knows what product it will be for — but the “hell has frozen over” comment is interesting. Could Google be running an ad to promote Google.com itself to counter Microsoft’s Bing ads? We’ll all be watching.
Below watch one of Google’s Chrome television ads.
Update: After some internal discussion, we think it could be a Nexus One ad (which Google said during its launch event that it wasn’t likely to do outside of the web). Some commenters seem to be agreeing as well.
Update 2: John Battelle believes the ad will be about Google “search stories” and singles out this “Parisian Love” ad below.
Information provided by CrunchBase - Obscene tweet gets Vodafone rep suspended
A customer service employee posts a homophobic tweet on Vodafone’s official Twitter page. The company is forced to apologize, and he is suspended.
- NFL Films Slows Down the Super Bowl Action
During the past season NFL fans have been treated to a series of promo spots for the league that taken advantage of Inertia Unlimited’s xMo high-speed replay system than can capture images at 960 frames per second. When played back during the spots fans are able to see football plays in a whole new light as plays that pass by in the blink of an eye are slowed down to shed new light on the athleticism, speed, and power of the NFL players.
Hank McElwee, NFL Films director of photography, is on site with his crew shooting the game with the handheld xMo units. McElwee says he has been shooting football for 40 years but the current project has rejuvinated his career. “You see things you’ve never seen before and it gives a whole new sense of the game,” he says. “We have shots where you can see the receivers fingers ripple.”
McElwee first contacted Inertia Unlimited when the higher ups at NFL Films decided they wanted to shoot spots in high-speed slow motion, beyond the typical 120 frames per second found in normal super slow-motion systems. “We were the first to use the xMo unit with the newer v640 Vision Research camera and we soon realized it was something special,” says McElwee.
Moving to xMo required a new way of thinking when it comes to acquisition. “Here you see it and then you press the button unlike a regular camera where you press the button and then begin shooting,” he says. “So when you see a shot you like you press a trigger the camera goes 2.5 seconds back into the shot and it lays the slow motion. The key is knowing when to hit the trigger. Sometimes you hit it to early and sometimes you hit it to late.”
The camera also has four triggers, allowing the user to capture up to 10 seconds. Once a trigger has laid down the clip onto the recorder the trigger is available to capture another shot. “Along the way we’ve learned how to use our triggers,” says McElwee. “You can also shoot a shot ramping it, shooting at 24 fps and then hit the trigger and ramp down to 1,000 frames. We’ve did that for the ‘Hard Knocks’ series.”
What’s next for NFL Films and high-speed cameras? Creating a series of six-minute segments that are about one shot.
Dave Dart and Brad Smith will be operating the Inertia Unlimited cameras during the Super Bowl. “Now we’re building a whole other library that we can use for future projects,” says McElwee.
- Poll finds support for medical marijuana
Seventy-one percent of New Yorkers support making medical marijuana legal in the state, while voters have fizzled on a plan to tax soda and sugary drinks, a Quinnipiac Poll found Thursday.
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- has on today's link dump: @TMobile_USA spinning off? Baby Einstein going to court. Blogging becoming old school? http://bit.ly/bQby4E #fb #
- might actually start watching American Idol again if they tab Howard Stern to replace Simon Cowell. http://bit.ly/bNJt4v (via @fox8news) #fb #
- figures Howard Stern is being considered for "American Idol" is so Fox can slap "VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED" on yet another show. #fb #
- @SeanGilbow EG = Emma-Grace, aka kid 1.0; J = Jacob, aka kid 2.0 :) in reply to SeanGilbow #
- just visited Burger King's drivethru, resisted replying a la Butt-head to the suggestive sell, "did I ask for orange juice? dumbass." ;) #fb #
- has a funny TGIF video. IMO one of the best movie trailers ever, albeit a tad dark humored. enjoy! http://bit.ly/6k1SMM #
- thinks with the rumblings of Deutsche Telekom splitting off @tmobile_usa – wouldn't it be interesting to see @google buy a stake in it? #fb #
- just had a customer service FAIL from Cuyahoga Falls Parks and Rec – would it kill them to show a little flexibility for a sick kid? #fb #
- has today's criminal genius: NY fugitive posts info on FB, MySpace; cops use it to bust him in IN. http://lin.cr/1mym (via @fox8news) #fb #
- @KevinHignett my guess is that this web article was ganked off an AP broadcast wire – which typically includes pronouncers for names. in reply to KevinHignett #
- reads: DC-area HS students get with report cards flyer from anti-gay group. Schools say they have to distribute them. http://lin.cr/1myr #
- just brushed snow off his car and thinks the snow is definitely of the "heart attack" variety: wet and heavy… #fb #
- had a harrowing slippery trip to the daddy daughter dance and is now in line with kid 1.0 waiting to get in. #
- @grouchyteacher thanks. :) it's the fourth time for kid 1.0 and me. she's doing the mandatory mingling now… in reply to grouchyteacher #
- has an on the spot report from the heavy snow in NE Ohio – enjoy! http://twitvid.com/5554E #fb #
- has a pint-sized perspective from his daughter on tonight's OH snow… http://twitvid.com/E17F7 #fb #
- has raw video of the snow in Cuyahoga Falls OH – http://twitvid.com/D6A75 #fb #
- @cssispoetry thanks, Blake. :) and Emma-Grace thanks you… in reply to cssispoetry #
- @edwardesposito thanks. :) I had to get some gas – was in downtown Cuy. Falls – and decided to shoot some video with the phone… in reply to edwardesposito #
- @nickbullimore you know what they say about the cost of dying: "the morbid the merrier." ;) in reply to nickbullimore #
- thinks he'll get to spend some quality time with his snowblower in the morning. yay! :~ #
- is so shocked (NOT!) that the Indians get only one game on Fox this season. http://bit.ly/bNv5hX #fb #
- has more school administrator lunacy, once again from NYC. http://bit.ly/9rQ9Qh #
- thinks this is sad: RI man busted for performing "do it yourself" minor surgical procedure on his dog. http://bit.ly/9mgpON #fb #
- applauds WA lawmakers for ditching plans to use sanitized term "at hope" instead of "at risk" to describe poor kids. http://bit.ly/9xtJpQ #
- @WEWS "going to get" some snow? I'm in Cuyahoga Falls and we've gotten hit pretty good already! :) in reply to WEWS #
- is sad to hear about the death of legendary media consultant Frank Magid. http://bit.ly/dygrJA (via @edwardesposito) #
- thanks @9to5to9 for sharing this very touching piece by @ck_lunchbox about a little boy. http://lin.cr/1nv6 #fb #
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- Apple Outlaws Mentions Of Android In App Store | Android Phone Fans
So you've got an application that isn't ONLY available on the iPhone – it could be on Android, WebOS, WinMo, BlackBerry and other platforms. In your.
- Customs: 17,600 Fox Sports NFL toys had lead paint
U.S. customs officials say nearly 17,600 Fox Sports NFL robot action figures seized at the Seattle waterfront last month were contaminated with lead paint.
- Preteen as Carnival queen stirs Rio controversy
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — She is the Shirley Temple of samba, a 7-year-old named to a coveted Carnival role normally reserved for barely clad models who have undergone more plastic surgeries than little Julia Lira has seen birthdays….
- John Edwards SEX TAPE In FBI Hands, Says Ex-Aide Andrew Young
PITTSBORO, N.C. — A judge wants to put a sex tape of two-time presidential candidate John Edwards "under lock and key," demanding Friday that a former aide to the pilloried politician turn over the video by next week.
Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones reprimanded Andrew Young during a brief court hearing in North Carolina for not surrendering the video when deputies went to retrieve it last week. Jones declared that the estranged Edwards confidant could face jail for contempt if he does not relinquish the tape and other items by Wednesday afternoon.
"These items are to be produced and turned over to the court," Jones said. "The court will put them under lock and key – and under seal – until the lawsuit is resolved."
Edwards’ former mistress, Rielle Hunter, had won a temporary restraining order against Young that sought the return of what she called a “very private and personal” video she made in 2006. She has also sued Young for invasion of privacy.
The original sex tape is in an Atlanta safety deposit box, according to an affidavit filed by Young on Friday night. He says another copy has been turned over to the FBI, which has been investigating the money that exchanged hands during Edwards’ second White House campaign.
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment.
Young, who initially claimed to be the father of Hunter’s baby, has written a tell-all book about how Edwards hid his mistress and child amid the 2008 White House campaign. The longtime aide wrote that he found a video in a “box of trash” Hunter had left behind at a home he rented in Chapel Hill.
The tape, Young says, shows Edwards in a sexual encounter with a pregnant woman that Young believes to be Hunter. Young’s attorneys had argued that the tape Hunter was seeking appeared to be different than the one he has.
Young told reporters after the court hearing that he and his wife, Cheri, were happy to comply and supply the items. He has previously said that he kept the tape as security and proof of his story while declining large financial offers for the video.
“There’s a reason nobody’s ever seen the tape,” Young said outside the courthouse. He also said in his affidavit that he would turn over campaign videos and photographs shot by Hunter.
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, admitted for the first time last month that he fathered Hunter’s child, now almost 2 years old. He and his wife are now separated.
More on John Edwards
- RI man charged with operating on his own dog
BARRINGTON, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man who says he couldn’t afford veterinary care for his dog has been charged with illegally operating on the pet….
- Police: Shoplifter slowed by pants load
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Feb. 5 (UPI) — Massachusetts police said a shoplifting suspect could not fit into the back of a police cruiser due to 75 bottles of lotion shoved down his pants.
- Kurt Warner at peace in retirement
Kurt Warner, in retiring from the NFL, is intent on expanding his witness.
- Facebook Email? Webmail Product Rumored To Be In The Works
Facebook is completely rewriting their messaging product and is preparing to launch a fully featured webmail product in its place, according to a source with knowledge of the product. Internally it’s known as Project Titan. Or, unofficially and perhaps over-enthusiastically, the Gmail killer.
- Shep Smith Predicts ‘85 Inches of Snow in Washington,’ Declares Emergency Bear Alert [Weather]
Today on Studio B, America’s Best Newsman Shepard Smith covered the Washington DC snow emergency with his usual zeal: “I believe that 34 predicted inches requires a bear alert.”
- Where is “tea party” heading? Leaves are unclear
The “tea party” activists all agree: Government is too big. Spending is out of control. Individual freedom is at risk. And President Barack Obama’s policies are making it all worse.
- How to avoid Super Bowl heart attack
ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 5 (UPI) — A U.S. doctor says research shows heart attacks increase during top international sporting events, but that shouldn’t dampen Super Bowl enthusiasm.
- Tea Party Speaker Fond of Jim Crow Laws
Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo), the opening night speaker at the Tea Party convention in Nashville, suggested a return to a “literacy test” to protect America from presidents like Obama — a segregation-era “Jim Crow” method employed by southern states to keep blacks from voting. Tancredo said President Obama was elected because “we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country.” Southern states used literacy tests as part of an effort to deny suffrage to African American voters prior to Johnson-era civil rights laws.
- Man barred from charging for sex parties
BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 5 (UPI) — Officials in Maryland’s Montgomery County said a man would be allowed to continue holding sexual fetish parties at his home if he stops charging a cover.
- Giants Stadium Demolition Begins (VIDEO)
Wrecking crews took the first chunks out of Giants Stadium on Thursday as demolition of the stadium got underway.
A new stadium will open right next to the old one later on this year. Both the New York Giants and New York Jets are set to kick off the 2010 football season in their new digs.
WATCH:
- Tiger Woods leaves sex addiction rehab clinic with wife Elin Nordegren, trying to save marriage: Mag
No more cold showers for Tiger Woods. The golfing great and serial cheater has reportedly been sprung from the Mississippi sex addiction clinic where he has been learning how to keep his urges under control.
- Emmys First: No Tape Delay For Awards
Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC is "seriously considering" a plan to offer the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards live across the country when the network broadcasts the ceremony August 29. The potential move follows the network's first coast-to-coast live Golden Globes telecast last month. Can't you just feel the excitement? Ugh, yet another awards show I'll have to live blog…
- White "Savior-Afflicted" Christians, Black Haitian Babies: This Won't End Well
Would the Baptists accused of taking Haitian kids out of the country illegally have tried to pull this off in a predominantly white country? Doubtful.
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- just had a bizarre dream involving extended family, armed robbery, and a therapist. funk dat! #fb #
- is ashamed to hear of this news: OH kills a killer this morning. http://bit.ly/bWfbah #fb #
- shows your tax dollars at work: about a dozen upstate NY teachers get paid to sit, do nothing. http://lin.cr/1mlc (via @rachbarnhart) #fb #
- wonders why @twitter says he has 27,000 more tweets than he actually has. *shrug* #
- proudly announces that his Tweets today are brought to you by STUN: "Feel tired? Try STUN. STUN is NUTS spelled backwards." #
- chuckles at this news: students at the UK's Cambridge University asked to quiet down during sex. http://bit.ly/dmxR2m #fb #
- RT @mochadad: Why It's Better to Pretend You Don't Know Anything About Computers http://bit.ly/9CAa3C *amen to this!* #
- RT @TinaDupuy: 41 seats are only a majority when they're Republicans.*amen!* #
- likes this development: Heinz unveils: "Extreme Makeover: ketchup packet edition". Neat design. http://bit.ly/aGZzhL #fb #
- is watching a Science Channel special about luxury condos in Vegas – finds it sad the people building them can't even afford them. #fb #
- RT @culturalwisdom: Diary of a schadenfreude junkie: "I don't like HUMAN suffering; I just like PEOPLE suffering." #
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- Craig Mundie Wants "Internet Driver's Licenses"
I Don’t Believe in Imaginary Property writes “Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, called for the creation of an ‘Internet Driver’s License’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying, ‘If you want to drive a car you have to have a license to say that you are capable of driving a car, the car has to pass a test to say it is fit to drive and you have to have insurance.’ Of course, there are quite a few problems with this. For starters, internet use cannot yet cause death or dismemberment like car accidents can; and this would get rid of most of the good of internet anonymity while retaining all of the bad parts, especially in terms of expanding the market for stolen identities. Even though telephone networks have long been used by scammers and spammers/telemarketers, we’ve never needed a ‘Telephone Driver’s License.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Ambulance chiefs threaten to sack paramedics who wear novelty socks
UK – Ambulance chiefs are threatening paramedics with the sack if they insist on wearing novelty socks. Uniformed staff have been barred from wearing socks with images of cartoon characters, jokes and garish patterns after bosses branded them “unprofessional”. The strict uniform policy, issued by North West Ambulance Service, also bans wrist watches, visible body piercing, excessive make-up and certain tattoos. Staff have been warned they could be disciplined and ultimately even sacked if they flout the dress code which forms part of their terms of employment … ( Continue story )
- Youngsters prefer Facebook to blogging
Blogging is still a huge part of the Web, but has it peaked already? And if so, how is the popularity of Facebook connected to that trend?
At one point it seemed as though everyone was blogging. Certainly the number of people starting blogs and using the medium to impart their thoughts on the Internet grew [...] - T-Mobile Finally Moving Out of Deutsche Telekom’s Basement [Rumor]
Hey, T-Mobile customer, do you have any idea that your wireless carrier is actually owned and operated by German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom? No? Well, ignore everything I just said, because it probably won’t be true soon.
If you’re interested in why DT would spin off their entire US arm, it’s just a matter of numbers:
T-Mobile USA has languished under perceptions that its wireless network is inferior and lacks reach, a major shortcoming as customers turn to their cell phones to surf the Internet and stream video. In the third quarter, 77,000 users walked away from T-Mobile USA, while AT&T and Verizon Wireless added millions of customers.
DT is a conservative company, T-Mobile USA, while massive, represents a fraction of their business, or a medium-sized liability, depending on how you look at it.
The excision could come as either a partial spinoff, a merger with another American carrier (and not an AT&T or a Verizon—we're talking the likes of MetroPCS), or an IPO. Whatever happens, we'll probably hear about it within "the next two months." [WSJ]
- Verizon edges out T-Mobile in customer care
Verizon Wireless wins top marks in a J.D. Power and Associates wireless customer care performance study.
Originally posted at Dialed In
- Boy, 9, punished for 2-inch Lego gun
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (UPI) — A New York mother said she is outraged at the treatment her 9-year-old son received from his principal for bringing a 2-inch toy gun to school.
- NFL players to fight digital dating abuse
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (UPI) — The National Football League Players Association has joined Family Violence Prevention Fund to stop digital dating abuse, the union said Thursday. - Report: Lohan reveals hoarding habit on TV
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4 (UPI) — U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan reveals her cluttered home on TV’s “The Insider,” prompting “Clean House” host Niecy Nash to ask if she’s a secret celebrity hoarder. - Dropbox Teases Android App
One of the more popular file sharing and syncing services, Dropbox, seems to be gearing up for an Android app announcement. An email has been sent out to their users teasing, “Do you own a BlackBerry or Android phone? Don’t worry! We’ve got plenty more mobile magic coming soon!”
If you’re not familiar with Dropbox, the service gives users 2 GB of cloud storage that can be synchronized between multiple computers and platforms. In the meanwhile, Android users have SugarSync, among other services to use.
Source: Androinica
Might We Suggest…
- Seesmic 1.2 Adds New Features, Including Posting Across Multiple Accounts
One of the stronger twitter applications for Android that we’ve encountered, Seesmic, has announced an updated release. Aside from the usual fare of bug fixes and minor tweaks, there are some very no…
- Seesmic 1.2 Adds New Features, Including Posting Across Multiple Accounts
- AP IMPACT: Drug cartels co-opt rehab for recruits
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s powerful drug cartels have been operating drug rehabilitation clinics, turning some into bloody killing fields and forcing recovering addicts into their ranks of hit men and smugglers….
- The TSA’s New Genital Visualizer Will Probably Upset Travelers [Humor]
- Phishing for Carbon: Hackers Steal Millions in Emissions Certificates [Crime]
Credit cards numbers? Please. Medical records? Booooring. The modern hacker knows that the real money’s in carbon emission trade credits. No, seriously: a recent phishing expedition reaped over $4 million from carbon-emitting companies in Europe, Japan, and New Zealand.The hackers sent emails to 2,000 companies in Germany alone, claiming to be from the German Emissions Trading Authority, which keeps track of carbon credits and transactions. The email requested that the companies re-register their accounts, and the information the duped employees provided was then used—you guessed it—to access the companies' GETA accounts and and clean them out.
It’s unclear who the thieves sold the credits to, but the buyers are assumed to have thought they were making a legal transaction. And it’s also possible to see how it would have taken some time to see that something was amiss: four million bucks is a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket of $130 billion of CO2 emissions that were traded in Europe last year.
So remember, kids: lock up your gasses. People will steal just about anything these days. [Der Spiegel via Wired]
- Great Ad Placement by McDonalds
- CEO of Sun Microsystems Tweets his resignation
In this modern age of social media, how does a CEO of a major corporation let the world know he is resigning? He tells the public via his Twitter account, of course.
According to The New York Times, late last night, Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, let the world know that he was resigning [...] - Young adults favor mobile devices over desktops for net access
Young people today are just as likely to access the internet on a cellphone as on a laptop. That news comes from a survey which also shows blogging is increasingly becoming an activity preferred by older users.
The latest figures from the Pew Internet and American Life project show some distinct differences between those aged 18-29 [...] - Could cable lose its grip on TV business?
The two largest cable operators reported strong profits and broadband subscriber additions, but the companies are losing their bread-and-butter video subscribers.
- Every Child Deserves a TV and a DVD Player
Founded in 1996, the Baby Einstein Co. was sold to Disney five years later. It was lauded by President George W. Bush in his 2007 State of the Union address as “representing the great enterprising spirit of America.”
And now it’s representing the litigious spirit of America by suing the University of Washington.
One creator of the Baby Einstein video series is preparing to take the University of Washington to court after two scathing critiques of the Disney-backed toddler video series.
Following on a pair of studies asserting that the popular baby videos may actually hinder child development, Baby Einstein co-creator William Clark has filed a lawsuit claiming the university failed to respond to public records requests.
The subtext, obviously, is whether teevee is good for kids—just looking at the BE website made me a little dumber.
- Heinz revamps ketchup packets
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The ketchup packet has been around for more than 40 years, and complaints about it for nearly as long: too messy, too small, too hard to open. Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. is unveiling the first major packaging change to the to-go condiment….
- Campus Blotter: Police, Students Explode into Drunken Brawl at San Francisco State
San Francisco State University’s reputation for activism dates back to the civil rights era. The school’s protest keggers, however, still leave something to be desired. Yes it’s time again for Campus Blotter: the eyes, ears, and overworked liver of academia…
- China Censors Oscar Nominations
China has censored this year’s nominations for the Academy Awards, blocking out the name of a documentary about the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake.
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- shakes his head: cap gun triggers SWAT team response at WA state elementary school. http://bit.ly/cgmrFU #fb #
- loves this list of 10 types of mommies who just don't get it (via @jenniascher) – good stuff. http://bit.ly/cFqAuO #fb #
- loves this great NYT piece about holding one's emotional ground during marital strife. http://nyti.ms/cVXdQV #fb #
- is home from work and trying to relax – have kids 1.0 and 2.0 – along with 3 other kids. The house is unsettlingly unkempt. #fb #
- loves this proposal to change the Washington State logo: a tapeworm sucking the blood out of taxpayers. http://bit.ly/bDaj9H #
- thinks officials in Bristol, CT need to worry about other things than a tax service using "Statue of Liberty" wavers. http://bit.ly/bpGjkm #
- still has five kids in the house and #
- @SeanGilbow and I hit send prematurely. :) The kids are finally down to just EG and J…. in reply to SeanGilbow #
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- Moregasm: Babeland’s Guide to Mind-Blowing Sex: Babeland’s Good-Looking Sex Advice
by Paul Constant
Let's be honest here, authors: Unless you've discovered a brand-new gender, you're probably not going to bring anything new to the field of sex-instruction manuals. The only difference between the hundreds of how-to books in your average bookstore's sex section, generally, has to do with the design of the book. Besides that, they all have the same "there's nothing wrong with masturbation" pep talk; the same section about how to bring role-playing, costumes, and toys into the bedroom to revive…
- ‘Madness’ sought in attack
He goes by the name Madness, and police want to talk to the 6-foot-2, 225-pound man about an incident that left a homeless person in a medically induced coma at University Hospital.
- Seattle man convicted of hate crime for racist outburst
A Seattle man charged last year after he launched into a racial tirade at a parking lot attendant has been found guilty of a hate crime.
- eBay scammer convicted; consumers lost $717,000 in 5,500 bogus auctions
A decade ago, Nilton Rossoni’s export business tanked along with the Brazilian economy. Ever the entrepreneur, Rossoni would soon concoct a brilliant cash-making scheme on eBay. The former resident of Sunny Isles, Fla., “sold” everything from airline tickets to DVD collections to rotisserie grills on the Internet auction site. But in reality, it was all a scam. He never shipped a thing to thousands of winning bidders who had paid him.
- Ball State Immersion Program Creates Next Generation of Sports-Production Pros
In 2008, Ball State University launched an innovative TV-sports-production program called Sports Link. To gain real-world experience in all aspects of sports production, university telecommunications students rotate among different disciplines from one production to the next in an effort to prepare for a career. Less than two years later, the program is an unqualified success, giving students an advantage in a competitive job market, the athletic department greater exposure, and local and national media outlets access to highlights, feature stories, game coverage, and more.
“Within a short amount of time, the number of students signing up for the program grew, and, when we began this past fall semester, the students knew they were part of something special,” says Chris Taylor, instructor in Telecommunications/Sports Immersion and Media. “This immersive learning experience is a real cornerstone and differentiates us from other telecommunications programs. It’s unique for students to be able to earn college credits while working on sports productions.”
Taylor was hired last year on a full-time basis to run a program that, this semester, will produce 13 live sporting events. Currently, 16 students are signed up for the spring semester, up from 10 in the fall. Students have a chance to sample a number of job duties, working the same position for two consecutive productions. That allows them to get their feet wet on one production and have a chance to apply lessons learned to a second.
“The challenge is scheduling the remotes so there is an opportunity for proper learning in class between the events,” says Taylor. “The students meet as a class twice a week for two hours and then pull together story ideas, schedule guests, cover press conferences, and work on the remotes.”
Priceless Experience
Producing all that content gives the students a tremendous amount of real-world experience. Last semester, the 10 students logged more than 5,000 hours during the 14-week program.Rick Johnston, a senior telecommunications major currently in the program, says the experience has been priceless, giving students a chance to work in such diverse positions as EVS replay, cameraperson, audio mixer, and more. His career goal is to be a play-by-play announcer, but his skill set has him ready for any potential opening.
“When I graduate in May, I am going to be head and shoulders above others who are graduating, no questions asked,” he says. A typical live-remote day involves getting on-site at 7 a.m. for pre-production and to set up cameras. Then, it’s off to class and back to the venue at 3 p.m. to begin working on the show.
“We can also practice as much as we want out at the truck and build up our comfort level and work experience,” he says. “We really have the outlets to do what we want.”
Taylor says it isn’t only the program’s students who learn. Because the athletes get interviewed on camera more often, they become more accustomed to answering questions, an important skill for future professional athletes. “The experience this provides our students on a daily basis and the exposure it creates for the athletes and university make it worth any school to try and figure out how to do a sports program.”
The exposure extends well beyond campus, with content seen across Indiana and across the country. Content is streamed via the Internet nationally, but the local campus PBS station broadcasts programming. Content is also available on-demand via the local Comcast system. And a network of TV stations across the state receive highlight reels via FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and audio reports are heard on 18 radio stations in Indiana.
“Students learn that this is a deadline-oriented profession as they work late making melt reels for local TV stations,” Taylor adds.
And even ESPNU has tapped into the Ball State program. On Jan. 14, The Malik Perry Story, a program produced by Ball State Sports Link seniors Seth Tanner and Nick Yeoman and sophomore Ben Wagner, aired on the network.
“We’ve built a strong relationship with ESPN, and, from the production side, we can send them and any of the networks events as needed,” says Taylor. ESPN on-air talent, including Linda Cohn and Andy Katz, have also stopped by to teach students about a career in broadcasting.
Starting a Program
He believes that every college or university with a telecommunications department and an athletic department could offer a similar program. The key is finding believers at the top ranks of the school.“You need an AD who sees this as important and also a dean and a president who think it is important,” he explains, noting, “Sports is one of the most consistent PR and marketing tools a school has throughout the entire year.”
Taylor’s background working in an athletic department makes him a believer in the power of electronic media. As more and more departments move towards electronic online media guides, for example, video and audio content will become a necessity.
“With the exception of the majors and a few mid majors, most schools don’t have the resources or a video department that can create that content,” he explains. “But we’ve been able to put together 60 athlete profiles that have been viewed more than 10,000 times.”
In most cases, Taylor believes it is best for the Athletic Department to reach out to the educational side because it is ultimately the Athletic Department that has the need for content.
Perhaps most important, there is a revenue component to a properly run program. First Merchants Bank has stepped up as a corporate sponsor, and the students support the effort by building video billboards and other content.
“First Merchants Bank has been blown away by what the students do for them,” says Taylor. “And that makes the athletic department look great but also fulfills the academic mission. It’s a win-win, and we see that continuing as a number of other corporate sponsors are interested in getting involved.”
- Comcast Rebrands Itself as Xfinity. Seriously? That’s… That’s All You Got? [Comcast]
So, Comcast has some public image issues. And what do you do when you want to fix the perception but not the underlying problems? Change your name! Change it to the worst, pseudo-pornographic, retro-futuristic garbage marketing dollars can buy.Do you get it, people? It’s infinity, which is awesome, and X, which is dangerous. It’s, like, dangerously awesome.
The overhaul will apply to Comcast’s technology platform and products, which means all you malcontent Comcast cable, internet, and phone customers will soon be malcontent Xfinity cable, internet, and phone customers. They’ll start rolling out the rebranding next week in about a dozen markets, with the rest of the country getting the Xfinity treatment later this month.
This comes at a time, conveniently enough, when Comcast would just possibly want to divert the conversation away from its upcoming merger with NBC. It’s working, at least on the offical Comcast Blog, where they’re positively GUSHING. Well, I guess someone has to. [Comcast Blog via Consumerist]
- Monster buys Yahoo’s HotJobs for $225 million
Another divestiture for Yahoo will result in an upfront cash payment and three-year exclusive deal with Monster to supply job search listings on Yahoo’s home page.
- It’s About Time: A Drill-Free Fix For Cavities [Teeth]
If bacteria settle in between your teeth and form a cavity, your dentist must drill through your tooth just to get at it. But now dentists can trade their drills for a simple treatment that stops early-stage cavities.The Icon system lets dentists halt decay between teeth. Usually when a dentist spots an early cavity-when bacteria have eaten away enough tooth such that it’s a weak lattice but hasn’t yet degraded into a true cavity’s sinkhole-he prescribes an enamel-strengthening fluoride rinse and hopes the tooth heals itself. If that doesn’t work, the only option is drilling through healthy tooth to get to the problem spot.
Icon, developed by dental-materials manufacturer DMG, does away with both the drill and the waiting time. A dentist simply slides a thin plastic applicator between the patient’s teeth and squirts the cavity with hydrochloric acid, which etches away the enamel to access the tooth’s deeper layers. Using a fresh applicator, he then injects a low-viscosity resin into the gaps in the tooth’s lattice and hardens the resin with a quick flash of high-energy blue light to fortify the tooth.
DMG is working on a version that could hold up to the wear and tear of a tooth’s chewing surfaces, which company president George Wolfe hopes to have ready in a year. The sooner the better, he says: “One of my greatest fears is having to hold down my scared kid for a filling. Hopefully, I’ll never have to.”
Popular Science is your wormhole to the future. Reporting on what’s new and what’s next in science and technology, we deliver the future now.
- Suspect angered by pre-pay gas pump
PINSON, Ala., Feb. 3 (UPI) — Police in Alabama said a man who allegedly drove his truck into a gas station because he was angry about a pre-pay-only pump was charged with attempted murder.
- From Underwear To Kids’ Toys: Gender Segregation In Shopping [Child's Play]
The toy industry magazine Playthings poses an interesting question: if Chinese department stores don’t segregate their underwear section by gender, why must we segregate our toys?In a post for the magazine’s Out of the Toy Box blog, Richard Gottlieb writes,
[T]he notion of gender in toys is so ingrained in our thinking that we never stop to think that maybe it’s not a fact of nature but rather a cultural outlook that we impose.
That was the thought that I had when coming upon an underwear department in a Chinese department store. To my surprise, the women’s and men’s underwear were merchandised in one department: The underwear department.
Obviously, in this culture (or certainly that department store) the western notion of merchandising by gender did not prevail. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we took a step back and stopped merchandising by gender?
Wouldn't it, indeed? While the store Gottlieb visited may not represent all Chinese department stores, his observation does show that even underwear — something we think of as extremely gender-specific — isn't always separated by gender. As Gottlieb notes, this raises the question of what would happen if we stopped dividing toy stores into pink and blue aisles. But it also made me wonder why stores make gender divisions in the first place.
In the case of underwear, stores might fear that women would be uncomfortable shopping alongside men — although the few men usually browsing the Victoria's Secret racks make clear that we can usually handle it. Perhaps managers also think men won't want to shop around girl stuff, like bras, which is possible — but this is probably culturally determined. I doubt that men are congenitally unable to open their wallets in the presence of lingerie — strip clubs are a testament to that. Most likely, store managers and merchandisers just feel most comfortable breaking down customers into demographic groups, and one of the main groups is gender.
You’d think that the rise of online shopping would fix this problem, but as we noted last holiday season, gender categories for toys persist on the web. And if I want to buy, say, a button-down shirt with no goddamn darts, I usually have to go to the men's section of the e-commerce site of my choice. I don't mean to say that all items should be marketed equally to men and women — moobs aside, for instance, women will always be the main consumers of bras. It's just that in many cases, stores might be more interesting and consumer-friendly if they came up with smarter divisions than gender. As Gottlieb says, this is especially true when it comes to toys. Just as there's little actual difference between action figures and dolls, there's little reason to suspect that kids want their toy stores separated into boys' halves and girls' halves — except insofar as everyone tells them that's what they want. Of course, the commercialization of gender may benefit retailers, by allowing them to sell essentially the same product in two different, gender-"appropriate" packages. And department stores are unlikely to be on the forefront of social change. Still, there's a certain power in knowing that it doesn't have to be this way, that alternative modes of merchandising exist — even if they're half a world away.
Underwear And The Toy Department [Playthings: Out of the Toy Box Blog]
- Thieves swipe Twinkies, leave tracks in snow
Thieves swipe Twinkies
- Grass Valley Gear Gets the Call for Super Bowl XLIV
High-definition production technology from Grass Valley will once again play a major part in bringing all of the excitement of the NFL’s biggest game to viewers around the world. Several mobile-production companies will have trucks on-site at Dolphin Stadium in Miami with Grass Valley production equipment, including cameras, production switchers, and signal routers to produce coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, live in HD, on Sunday Feb. 7.
NEP Supershooters will send its SS24 HD production truck — one of the largest in the country — to cover the live game activities. Comprising two 53-ft. double-expando trailers, it features a Grass Valley Kalypso HD production switcher as well as Grass Valley Trinix and Concerto Series routing switchers to handle the hundreds of digital video and audio signals being used for the main game broadcast.
NEP Supershooters will have seven additional trucks at the game: Denali Silver will handle production of the halftime show for CBS with a Kalypso and Trinix; SS25 will produce the World Feed for NFL Films with a Kalypso, Trinix, and LDK 8000 cameras; ESU will be on hand to support the CBS telecast with Trinix and Series 7000 routers; SS11 will be handling ESPN Sports Center with a Kalypso and Trinix; SS17 will be using a Kalypso and Trinix for DirecTV’s Bash, and Yes 1 will be at South Beach for the NFL Network; and SS9 will serve as additional facilities for the game with a Kalypso.
NEP Supershooters’ sister company New Century Productions (NCP) will have NCP VIII on-site to handle production of the Super Bowl XLIV pre-game and post-game telecasts for CBS with a Grass Valley Kalypso DUO switcher.
In addition, Lyon Video, based in Columbus, OH, will have two of its mobile-production trucks at the game, using up to 14 Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite WorldCam HD cameras in handheld configuration to capture the sights and sounds of the event for the NFL Films Media Center.
- Police will blitz Greater Cleveland on Super Bowl Sunday to intercept drunken drivers
Free kits are being offered to people hosting Super Bowl parties. The kits contain a football-shaped bowl to collect guests’ keys as they arrive, recipes for non-alcoholic drinks, a $5 Giant Eagle gift card for drink ingredients and a $5 taxi voucher.
- Mel Gibson keeps it classy, calls reporter an a**hole
Even though it has been nearly four years since Mel Gibson’s notorious anti-semitic tirade, he still isn’t ready to talk about it just yet. While promoting his latest film ‘Edge of Darkness,’ Dean Richards, an entertainment reporter for Chicago’s WGN-TV interviewed the actor but the exchange turned sour when Richards asked the following: “Do you think the public will perceive you any differently after all that’s been in the news about you?”
Gibson responds defensively, “That’s almost four years ago, dude … I’ve done all the necessary mea culpas. Let’s move on.” Of course, the interview quickly wraps up — but not before Gibson mutters, “bye bye, a**hole” under his breath. Watch:
Awkward!
- Emotionally Unstable Woman Weeps at Every Movie [Emotions]
Some guy has created a website all about how his wife blubbers like a crazy person at the end of pretty much all the movies. He films her sobbing after watching tear-jerkers like Back to the Future III and 2012.
The whole thing is supposed to be adorable, and it is, sorta. In the same kind of funny/sad way that this video was cute but also quietly unsettling. Though the husband assures us in the site’s FAQs section that his wife is perfectly mentally fit and doesn’t bawl uncontrollably at everything in life, just silly movies, we just don’t know, man. This lady is a liiiittle wacky. What happens when she watches, like, Night and Fog? Does her face just fall off? Another scary fact: Apparently she “used to cry at the end of The Little Mermaid when she was 4.” So this person is 25-years-old, tops. Unless the guy’s talking about the weird Richard Chamberlain version where she turns to sea foam at the end. Is that the one? We doubt that’s the one. Point being: What happens when she has kids? This, we guess.
[via Cinematical]
- Duggars help save life.
Two of the Duggar sons, Joshua and John, are being hailed as heroes, after family members said they helped save the life of a 6-year-old girl injured in a car crash last week.
The crash happened right in front of Joshua’s car dealership on Thompson Street last Thursday afternoon.
Three cars rear-ended each other that day, and Joshua quickly came to their aid.
“I thought fender bender, no big deal, happens quite often here actually. And then I realized there was a little girl,” said Joshua.
Joshua said the girl was sitting in the front seat, airbags had been deployed and she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
He immediately called 911 and brought her into his office.
“The little girl was unconscious. She was not breathing,” said Joshua.
He and his brother, John, immediately started CPR.
“My brother — he started doing chest compressions on her. I was helping elevate and tilt her head back some,” said Joshua.
Minutes later, paramedics showed up. And with the Duggars’ help, they were able to revive Maddye.
“They realized there was something blocking her airway. She had been eating chicken nuggets when the accident happened and it caused the blockage of the airway,” said Joshua.
Maddye is still in the hospital being treated for her injuries, but family members say little Maddye wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for Joshua’s quick thinking.
“He is the hero here. He deserves a lot of credit for what he did and I thank him from the bottom of my heart,” said Joshua.
But Joshua isn’t taking all the credit. He said he just happened to be at the right place at the right time.
“The Springdale paramedics did a phenomenal job. I was just a piece of the puzzle, a very small piece at that, that really helped to saved Maddye's life. And I'm just really grateful to be a part of it,” said Joshua.
Maddye was flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock — the same hospital where the 19th Duggar, Josie Brooklyn, was born nearly three months prematurely.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar paid a visit to Maddye’s room Tuesday night, and they said she is in critical condition but expected to do OK.
there’s a video at the SOURCE
- Lesbian Albatrosses Successfully Incubate Their Chick
When two female royal albatrosses at a New Zealand breeding colony embarked on a lesbian relationship, there were some raised eyebrows. But when the pair successfully incubated a chick, wildlife experts were delighted — and surprised.
More on Animals
- Charles Warner: CBS's Priorities Stink
The week after CBS Television accepted an anti-abortion 30-second advocacy commercial in the Super Bowl featuring Heisman-Trophy-winning Florida State quarterback Tim Tebow, CBS News was reported to be on the verge of laying off an estimated 100 people in its news operation.
More money from controversial advocacy commercials, but less money for CBS News, which includes its crown jewel “60 Minutes.” These priorities stink.
And the last reported compensation for CBS’s CEO Les Moonves was almost $21 million in 2008. Lay off news people and take a controversial ad from a conservative anti-abortion group so it can afford to pay the boss $20 million? That must make people who work at CBS really want to hold their heads up high and motivate them to work ever so much harder – to win one for the Gipper.
No wonder that in the February 8 issue of FORTUNE in which it publishes its annual list of “The 100 Best Companies to Work For” there are no old-line media companies on the list. A new media company, Google, is number four on the list (down from number one last year).
According to FORTUNE, most people in America would rather work at Wegman’s Food Markets, SalesForce.com, Whole Foods, Starbucks, or Nordstrom than old media companies such as Disney (ABC and ESPN), CBS, NBC Universal, News Corp. (Fox), Viacom, Time Warner, or any movie company, entertainment company, or music company.
These old media companies treat their line employees like they treat their audiences – like dirty dogs – and it makes their employees and audiences mean and ungrateful.
Americans hate and distrust the media almost as much as they do used car salesmen and politicians. The media they hate refers mostly to news media that don’t mirror their point of view and the politicians they hate applies to those who don’t reflect their views.
If media companies want to get back their reputations and their audiences, they might think about changing their priorities, starting with how they treat their employees and their audiences. How about beginning by respecting them both? Putting audiences and employees ahead of profits or CEOs’ salaries?
More on CBS
- Southern California Man Posed As Marshal To Deport Woman
HEMET, Calif. — A Southern California man posed as a U.S. marshal to kidnap a distant cousin's wife and falsely deport her to the Philippines, police said Tuesday.
Police arrested Greg Raymond Denny Jr. of Riverside County last month on suspicion of impersonating an officer and kidnapping Cherriebelle Hibbard.
Police said Denny, 37, barged into Hibbard’s Hemet home on Jan. 15 wearing a fake badge and a shirt that said “U.S. Marshal.” Denny handcuffed the woman at gunpoint and forced her husband to buy her a plane ticket. He then used a fake badge to get through San Diego airport security and put her on a plane to her home country, according to a police report.
Craig Hibbard said he called the U.S. Marshals Service three days later and officials there told him Denny wasn’t an agent.
Police said they arrested Denny after he came to the station for questioning wearing a fake badge and a replica pistol. Denny claimed he was a federal marshal but later admitted he impersonated a marshal and confirmed the family’s account, Lt. Mark Richards said. No motive was released.
Denny told The Press-Enterprise newspaper Monday that the kidnapping claims were false, but he provided no further details.
Cherriebelle, who is five months pregnant, wed Craig Hibbard three years ago. She canceled her immigration documents and said she wanted to go home after the two fought last year, Craig Hibbard said.
She later renewed her green card and was waiting for it to be processed when Denny abducted her, Craig Hibbard said. Immigration officials in San Bernardino told her she was allowed to stay in the United States in the meantime, he said.
Denny said Craig Hibbard’s father told him Cherriebelle was in the country illegally and the couple was having problems at home, The Press-Enterprise reported. Denny and Craig Hibbard are distant cousins, but Hibbard said they met only twice before.
Hemet police said they forwarded the case to the San Diego FBI.
The Riverside County district attorney’s office could file charges or refer the case to the U.S. attorney’s office. The U.S. Marshal’s Service is investigating and the Transportation Security Administration is reviewing the incident, officials said.
In a phone interview from Manila, Cherriebelle Hibbard told the newspaper she had never met Denny and didn’t realize he was related to her husband. She said she was afraid of going to jail when he pounded on the door.
“I’m pregnant and don’t want to take the kids away from my husband,” she said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lori Haley said federal marshals do not carry out deportation orders. Only ICE or FBI agents can make arrests for immigration violations. The defendant then gets a hearing before a deportation order is issued.
Denny is free on $50,000 bond.
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Information from: The Press-Enterprise, http://www.pe.com
- Jesus Luz Dumps Madonna
Madonna and Jesus
Madonna’s boytoy, Jesus Luz, has dumped the super megastar after realizing the two have nothing in common.
Duh!
Jesus, 23, reportedly broke off the relationship with Madonna, 51, after a year of dating. Madonna and Jesus hooked up as she was dating New York Yankee, Alex Rodriguez.
The break up between Madonna and Jesus was also possibly brought on by the fact that Jesus’ mother wasn’t happy about her son dating the aging pop star. For the record, Jesus’ mother is 14-years younger than Madonna. Ouch.Will Madonna and Alex Rodriguez hook up again? It remains to be seen. But as far as we know, Alex has been single since he and Kate Hudson broke up in December. The rumor’s been that Alex still has feelings for Madge, so stay tuned. If she ends up wanting him back, my guess is that he’ll go running from his mirror and back into her jerky arms.
Related Smacks
- Jesus is Their Homeboy
- Madonna 50 Going on 15
- Madonna and Guy Ritchie are Definitely Divorcing
- Taylor Swift & Taylor Lautner Break Up
- Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins Split Up
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