I wish I could understand Soulja Boy's lyrics, so I could alter them to make a clever intro to this post. Instead, I'll have to go with the straight news:
Soulja Boy has 2.5 million Twitter followers, but his new album sold a craptastic 13,000 copies in its first week.
Billboard's brief analysis of this utter failure asks several questions: Are Twitter follower stats meaningless? Did Soulja Boy use Twitter the wrong way? Is Twitter just a place where everyone talks and nobody listens?
The answers to those questions aren't that important (but they're "no," "no" and "no," if you care). The real question is, "What are you looking to get out of Twitter?" If your answer is "a ton of sales" or "a ton of money" or even "a ton page views," you're up Twit Creek without a paddle. (See what I did there?)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Airport security breaches: Why the free pass, media?
Airport security is in the news a lot these days. There's been tremendous outcry over the Transportation Security Administration's full-body scanners and invasive thorough pat-downs, and rightfully so. These new airport security measures raise serious questions about personal privacy, national safety and this document you may have heard of called the Constitution.
But there's a much more serious airport security story that you don't see on the news as much: the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of these airport security measures. Just the other day, a guy in Houston boarded a plane with a loaded Glock in his laptop bag*, and the airport security screeners didn't even notice it. Sure, this story got some play in the press, but the media didn't use it to create a national firestorm like with the TSA peepers and gropers.
But there's a much more serious airport security story that you don't see on the news as much: the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of these airport security measures. Just the other day, a guy in Houston boarded a plane with a loaded Glock in his laptop bag*, and the airport security screeners didn't even notice it. Sure, this story got some play in the press, but the media didn't use it to create a national firestorm like with the TSA peepers and gropers.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
2010 college football playoffs preview
It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, I'm not talking about Christmas. It's college football playoffs time!
I'm so glad everybody came around to this idea. Last year's tournament was great. Who can forget that triple-overtime quarterfinal between Texas and Oregon? And Boise State's Hail Mary against Alabama in the title game was so close to being caught, wasn't it?
This year's playoffs look to be just as exciting, and they start in only two days! Let's take a look at the first round matchups:
I'm so glad everybody came around to this idea. Last year's tournament was great. Who can forget that triple-overtime quarterfinal between Texas and Oregon? And Boise State's Hail Mary against Alabama in the title game was so close to being caught, wasn't it?
This year's playoffs look to be just as exciting, and they start in only two days! Let's take a look at the first round matchups:
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Online newspaper comment of the day
The story of the dead teenager found in Milton, Massachusetts keeps getting more and more like an episode of "CSI" or "Law & Order." At this point, I'm half expecting to see David Caruso and his stupid sunglasses in the background of a live news shot one of these days.
One of the big questions surrounding the disappearance of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale has been, "How the hell did he go from being in bed in North Carolina to being dead in Massachusetts in less than 24 hours?" An obvious theory is that he took a plane (as in, bought a ticket with an actual seat), then ran into some kind of trouble in Massachusetts.
A less obvious theory -- but one that's being explored now -- is that he stowed away in the wheel well of a plane, died at high altitude and then fell to the ground in Milton when the plane's landing gear deployed.
You may know that the airlines don't sell tickets for wheel-well passengers. They don't even let you go standby. To get into the wheel well of a plane, you have to do some pretty crazy stuff -- like, somehow sneak by airport security and then into the secure area of the airport, or get through the airport's security fences and onto the runway. Calling that a "major security breach" would be an understatement. Which brings us to today's online newspaper comment of the day, courtesy of "GomerPyle" on BostonHerald.com:
One of the big questions surrounding the disappearance of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale has been, "How the hell did he go from being in bed in North Carolina to being dead in Massachusetts in less than 24 hours?" An obvious theory is that he took a plane (as in, bought a ticket with an actual seat), then ran into some kind of trouble in Massachusetts.
A less obvious theory -- but one that's being explored now -- is that he stowed away in the wheel well of a plane, died at high altitude and then fell to the ground in Milton when the plane's landing gear deployed.
You may know that the airlines don't sell tickets for wheel-well passengers. They don't even let you go standby. To get into the wheel well of a plane, you have to do some pretty crazy stuff -- like, somehow sneak by airport security and then into the secure area of the airport, or get through the airport's security fences and onto the runway. Calling that a "major security breach" would be an understatement. Which brings us to today's online newspaper comment of the day, courtesy of "GomerPyle" on BostonHerald.com:
If a high school kid can stow away, unnoticed, in the wheel well of a commercial airliner, there is certainly no need for TSA to continue scanning and searching old ladies in the airport terminals.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Kenny Chesney Gillette tickets going on sale 9 months early
If you live in the Boston area, you may have caught recent ads for the Kenny Chesney Gillette Stadium concert with Zac Brown Band. They're airing on TV and even have a prominent spot on Boston.com.
Did you notice the date for this Kenny Chesney Gillette concert? It's Aug. 27, 2011. And tickets go on sale Saturday.
As in, this Saturday.
Nov. 20.
2010.
That's more than nine months in advance! You could buy tickets that morning, have sex that night and have a kid before the Kenny Chesney Gillette concert.
Did you notice the date for this Kenny Chesney Gillette concert? It's Aug. 27, 2011. And tickets go on sale Saturday.
As in, this Saturday.
Nov. 20.
2010.
That's more than nine months in advance! You could buy tickets that morning, have sex that night and have a kid before the Kenny Chesney Gillette concert.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Beatles-iTunes news brings bad puns galore
It sure hasn't been a hard day's night for reporters covering today's Beatles-iTunes news.
Several journalists chose to lead their Beatles-iTunes stories with bad Beatles-related puns and references, like I just did. Here's a sampling of these Beatles-iTunes ledes:
Several journalists chose to lead their Beatles-iTunes stories with bad Beatles-related puns and references, like I just did. Here's a sampling of these Beatles-iTunes ledes:
- Doug Gross, CNN.com: "It's been a long and winding road, this relationship between Apple and the Beatles."
- Ethan Smith, The Wall Street Journal: "Steve Jobs is nearing the end of his long and winding pursuit of the Beatles catalog."
- Jessica Mintz, Associated Press: "'Beatles for Sale' is finally for sale on iTunes -- along with the rest of the Fab Four's albums, from 'Please Please Me' to 'Revolver' to 'Abbey Road.'"
- David Sapsted, The National: "The Beatles – with a little help from their friends at EMI –- have finally made it on to iTunes."
- Neil McCormick, the Daily Telegraph: "It has been a long and winding road but they have finally come together."
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Steve Perry sings Don't Stop Believin' at Giants game ... in the crowd!
Right. That is, until the crowd noticed Steve Perry -- Journey's former lead singer, who co-wrote "Don't Stop Believin'." And he was rockin' out, singing along to every word he penned 30 years ago!
Check out this video of Steve Perry singing "Don't Stop Believin'" during the Giants game at AT&T Park in San Francisco (the camera first captures him around the 46-second mark):
And one last thing: Steve, I know you're not in the band anymore, and you've been branded a recluse by many, but you must have pretty sizable royalty checks rolling in still. You couldn't afford better seats?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Why expanding the baseball playoffs is a bad idea
"More is better." It's the misguided motto of American sports.
The NHL pretty much relegated itself to second-tier status over the past 20 years by expanding from 21 to 30 teams -- a 42% increase! The growth left the majority of teams full of no-names, playing in half-empty stadiums in hockey hotbeds such as Phoenix and Columbus. More was not better.
The NFL wants to expand its regular season to 18 games, even though it's getting harder and harder for players to make it through the current 16-game schedule without getting injured. More will not be better.
And now Major League Baseball is throwing around the idea of expanding its playoffs -- one of the few remnants of a simpler sporting world gone by.
The NHL pretty much relegated itself to second-tier status over the past 20 years by expanding from 21 to 30 teams -- a 42% increase! The growth left the majority of teams full of no-names, playing in half-empty stadiums in hockey hotbeds such as Phoenix and Columbus. More was not better.
The NFL wants to expand its regular season to 18 games, even though it's getting harder and harder for players to make it through the current 16-game schedule without getting injured. More will not be better.
And now Major League Baseball is throwing around the idea of expanding its playoffs -- one of the few remnants of a simpler sporting world gone by.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Syracuse No. 29? You're kidding, right?
I'm not much of a reader. I subscribe to The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, but I'm way behind. Like, I just finished reading the July 19 New Yorker, which had an article on David Ortiz's early-season struggles. (It was kind of funny to read in retrospect, since he finished with 32 homers, 102 RBI and a .270 average.) And I have three books I got for Christmas that I haven't even opened yet.
Anyway, one new book that I do want to read soon is "Death to the BCS: The Definitive Case Against the Bowl Championship Series," by Yahoo! Sports reporters Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter and Jeff Passan, a Syracuse classmate of mine. I mention the Syracuse connection not as a gratuitous name-drop -- OK, maybe a little -- but as a way to finally get to the point of this post:
The fallout from Syracuse's upset over West Virginia shows that death to the BCS would be a very good thing indeed.
Anyway, one new book that I do want to read soon is "Death to the BCS: The Definitive Case Against the Bowl Championship Series," by Yahoo! Sports reporters Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter and Jeff Passan, a Syracuse classmate of mine. I mention the Syracuse connection not as a gratuitous name-drop -- OK, maybe a little -- but as a way to finally get to the point of this post:
The fallout from Syracuse's upset over West Virginia shows that death to the BCS would be a very good thing indeed.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The world's most overrated tourist destinations
I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of the world's great tourist destinations in my 30 years. I've stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looked across the Tri-State Area from atop the World Trade Center, and just last week rode across London's Tower Bridge on a double-decker bus.
But I've also come across some tourist destinations that fail to live up to their hype -- like if the Grand Canyon were just a muddy creek you could skip a stone across. These are the tourist destinations that make you say "that's it?" instead of "that's amazing!" Here are some to avoid on your next vacation:
But I've also come across some tourist destinations that fail to live up to their hype -- like if the Grand Canyon were just a muddy creek you could skip a stone across. These are the tourist destinations that make you say "that's it?" instead of "that's amazing!" Here are some to avoid on your next vacation:
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Randy Moss trade: Debunking the defenders
The Randy Moss trade to the Vikings is official, and I am not pleased.
Instead of going on a huge rant about why this is a terrible deal that benefits the Patriots in no way and will come back to bite them when they play the Vikings on Halloween, adding another "bridge year" on to the one Red Sox fans just suffered through and ensuring that New England's rebuilding process will continue for the foreseeable future, I will calmly debunk the reasons that some fans and observers think the Randy Moss trade is a good one:
"In Bill we trust." This tired phrase hasn't been applicable since 2007. Really, you completely, 100%, blindly trust the guy who went for it on fourth down from his own 24 yard line, with the lead, in the fourth quarter, against an undefeated team, on the road? You trust the guy who doesn't have an offensive or defensive coordinator on his staff?
Bill Belichick is not a God. He doesn't even have his face on a coin. He makes decisions that don't always work out. Add the Randy Moss trade to that list.
"If he doesn't want to be here, I don't want him here." This point is fair enough, especially given reports that Moss made a stink after Monday's victory (in which he had zero catches). Not wanting to be here is one thing, but causing distractions is different.
This argument leaves out one crucial element, however: Randy Moss is one of the best wide receivers in football, and the Patriots only got a third-round pick in exchange for him. Yes, the Pats got him for a fourth-round pick in 2007, but that was from the Raiders, and they're not exactly the most well-managed team in the league. (For example, 2007 was the year they drafted JaMarcus Russell.)
Just the other day, the Seahawks gave up a fourth-round pick and at least a sixth-round pick for Marshawn Lynch, the Bills' underachieving running back. Under the right conditions, you could trade a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder for a third-rounder. So, by the Transitive Property of the Randy Moss Trade Sucks, the Patriots are saying they value Moss as much as the Bills valued Marshawn Lynch. Awesome.
"The Patriots now have two picks in each of the first four rounds of the 2011 draft." Whoop-dee-frickin'-doo. Sure, the 2010 draft class looks promising, but here are some names the Pats have picked in the first four rounds since 2007: Tyrone McKenzie (on practice squad), Rich Ohrnberger (just called up from practice squad), Kevin O'Connell (cut a year after being drafted) and Kareem Brown (cut less than a year after being drafted). Underwhelming names like Shawn Crable and Jonathan Wilhite are also on that list.
Based on prior results, the Patriots just traded Randy Moss for someone of that ilk. Still feel good about the deal?
Instead of going on a huge rant about why this is a terrible deal that benefits the Patriots in no way and will come back to bite them when they play the Vikings on Halloween, adding another "bridge year" on to the one Red Sox fans just suffered through and ensuring that New England's rebuilding process will continue for the foreseeable future, I will calmly debunk the reasons that some fans and observers think the Randy Moss trade is a good one:
"In Bill we trust." This tired phrase hasn't been applicable since 2007. Really, you completely, 100%, blindly trust the guy who went for it on fourth down from his own 24 yard line, with the lead, in the fourth quarter, against an undefeated team, on the road? You trust the guy who doesn't have an offensive or defensive coordinator on his staff?
Bill Belichick is not a God. He doesn't even have his face on a coin. He makes decisions that don't always work out. Add the Randy Moss trade to that list.
"If he doesn't want to be here, I don't want him here." This point is fair enough, especially given reports that Moss made a stink after Monday's victory (in which he had zero catches). Not wanting to be here is one thing, but causing distractions is different.
This argument leaves out one crucial element, however: Randy Moss is one of the best wide receivers in football, and the Patriots only got a third-round pick in exchange for him. Yes, the Pats got him for a fourth-round pick in 2007, but that was from the Raiders, and they're not exactly the most well-managed team in the league. (For example, 2007 was the year they drafted JaMarcus Russell.)
Just the other day, the Seahawks gave up a fourth-round pick and at least a sixth-round pick for Marshawn Lynch, the Bills' underachieving running back. Under the right conditions, you could trade a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder for a third-rounder. So, by the Transitive Property of the Randy Moss Trade Sucks, the Patriots are saying they value Moss as much as the Bills valued Marshawn Lynch. Awesome.
"The Patriots now have two picks in each of the first four rounds of the 2011 draft." Whoop-dee-frickin'-doo. Sure, the 2010 draft class looks promising, but here are some names the Pats have picked in the first four rounds since 2007: Tyrone McKenzie (on practice squad), Rich Ohrnberger (just called up from practice squad), Kevin O'Connell (cut a year after being drafted) and Kareem Brown (cut less than a year after being drafted). Underwhelming names like Shawn Crable and Jonathan Wilhite are also on that list.
Based on prior results, the Patriots just traded Randy Moss for someone of that ilk. Still feel good about the deal?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Top Boston sports coach: Doc Rivers? Really?
The Boston Globe's Chris Gasper ranked the top Boston sports coaches on his blog the other day, and he named the Celtics' Doc Rivers No. 1.
Red Sox skipper Terry Francona was No. 2, the Patriots' Bill Belichick was No. 3, and Claude Julien of the Bruins was a deservedly distant fourth. You can debate Francona vs. Belichick all day long, depending on whether you value personnel management or on-field strategy more. But Doc Rivers shouldn't even be in that discussion.
Why did Gasper name Rivers the top Boston sports coach? Because he "somehow managed to coax an aging, disengaged, fourth-seeded team to within six minutes of an NBA title last season." Well, that's one way to look at it. You could also argued that he let a very talented team become disengaged and led them to a disappointing fourth-place finish before finally getting them to live up to their potential in the playoffs.
All the players love Doc, but his job the last three years hasn't exactly been the most challenging. He has three hall of famers and one of the league's best point guards. I'm not saying anything new here, but going to two finals and winning a championship with a stacked team doesn't mean you're an outstanding coach. It just means you don't suck.
Compare that to Francona, who lost most of his best players for significant periods of time this season and had to make Darnell McDonald, Daniel Nava and Ryan Kalish regular starters -- and still led the Sox to the fifth-best record in the American League. I doubt Rivers would be able to post similar results with such a dearth of talent.
Red Sox skipper Terry Francona was No. 2, the Patriots' Bill Belichick was No. 3, and Claude Julien of the Bruins was a deservedly distant fourth. You can debate Francona vs. Belichick all day long, depending on whether you value personnel management or on-field strategy more. But Doc Rivers shouldn't even be in that discussion.
Why did Gasper name Rivers the top Boston sports coach? Because he "somehow managed to coax an aging, disengaged, fourth-seeded team to within six minutes of an NBA title last season." Well, that's one way to look at it. You could also argued that he let a very talented team become disengaged and led them to a disappointing fourth-place finish before finally getting them to live up to their potential in the playoffs.
All the players love Doc, but his job the last three years hasn't exactly been the most challenging. He has three hall of famers and one of the league's best point guards. I'm not saying anything new here, but going to two finals and winning a championship with a stacked team doesn't mean you're an outstanding coach. It just means you don't suck.
Compare that to Francona, who lost most of his best players for significant periods of time this season and had to make Darnell McDonald, Daniel Nava and Ryan Kalish regular starters -- and still led the Sox to the fifth-best record in the American League. I doubt Rivers would be able to post similar results with such a dearth of talent.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tough competition for video of the day
There hasn't been an online video that's really caught my attention since this summer's masterful "Double Rainbow" remix, but today there were two three.
First up is "True Mud," the "Sesame Street" send-up of HBO's "True Blood." Yes, you read that right: "Sesame Street," the children's show, parodied "True Blood," the show where a guy twisted a girl's head around 180 degrees during some hot vampire-on-vampire action. Luckily, "Sesame Street" didn't take on that specific scene:
This episode was brought to you by the letter V and the number 666!
Between this and last week's Katy Perry/Elmo controversy, "Sesame Street" is really pushing the envelope lately. (Although I don't see what the big deal about Katy Perry's outfit was. To quote the old joke, Big Bird's been walking around without pants for decades, and nobody's said a word. And don't even get me started on Mr. Snuffleupagus.)
But for sheer comedic value, this video takes the cake. It really needs no introduction other than to say, "Wayne Brady. Mike Tyson. Bobby Brown."
UPDATE: After I originally posted this, um, post, I happened across yet another awesome video: this 8-bit version of Cee-Lo Green's "F You" with lyrics about Nintendo and Sega:
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First up is "True Mud," the "Sesame Street" send-up of HBO's "True Blood." Yes, you read that right: "Sesame Street," the children's show, parodied "True Blood," the show where a guy twisted a girl's head around 180 degrees during some hot vampire-on-vampire action. Luckily, "Sesame Street" didn't take on that specific scene:
This episode was brought to you by the letter V and the number 666!
Between this and last week's Katy Perry/Elmo controversy, "Sesame Street" is really pushing the envelope lately. (Although I don't see what the big deal about Katy Perry's outfit was. To quote the old joke, Big Bird's been walking around without pants for decades, and nobody's said a word. And don't even get me started on Mr. Snuffleupagus.)
But for sheer comedic value, this video takes the cake. It really needs no introduction other than to say, "Wayne Brady. Mike Tyson. Bobby Brown."
UPDATE: After I originally posted this, um, post, I happened across yet another awesome video: this 8-bit version of Cee-Lo Green's "F You" with lyrics about Nintendo and Sega:
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Obama on Fox News in Rolling Stone: Why?
President Barack Obama said Fox News is "destructive to [America's] long-term health" in a Rolling Stone interview published today.
I shared the story about Obama's Fox News comments in my Google Reader today with the comment, "Way to fan the flames, Barry." A response implied that it was good for Obama to call out Fox News' partisanship. Without getting too political, I couldn't disagree more. Here's my response to that comment:
I shared the story about Obama's Fox News comments in my Google Reader today with the comment, "Way to fan the flames, Barry." A response implied that it was good for Obama to call out Fox News' partisanship. Without getting too political, I couldn't disagree more. Here's my response to that comment:
Saying things like that accomplishes nothing. No Fox News supporter is going to hear these comments and say, "You know what? He's right! MSNBC, here I come!" And all of us who agree are just going to nod and say, "Yup." It just gives Fox News supporters another chance to bust out the "stop worrying about us and pay attention to the country's real problems" card (which they do kind of have a point on).Obama's Fox News comments aren't going to paint him in the best light, and if you haven't noticed, his popularity wasn't exactly skyrocketing in the first place. This was the last thing he needed.
Friday, September 24, 2010
AC/DC Target commercial: For those about to make blueberry pancakes, we salute you
So I was watching "Grey's Anatomy" last night -- OK, you can stop laughing. Seriously, stop. Now. -- and a Target commercial came on. The soundtrack? AC/DC's 1981 classic, "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)."
Yes, you heard that right. It was an AC/DC Target commercial. Showing a woman making blueberry pancakes. Presumably using all products she bought at Target. Don't believe me? See it for yourself:
I know, AC/DC is just below Kiss on the "You want to give us money to use our song? Sure thing!" scale, but still. This AC/DC Target commercial was pretty surprising. As YouTube commenter AnnessainFlorida wrote:
Yes, you heard that right. It was an AC/DC Target commercial. Showing a woman making blueberry pancakes. Presumably using all products she bought at Target. Don't believe me? See it for yourself:
I know, AC/DC is just below Kiss on the "You want to give us money to use our song? Sure thing!" scale, but still. This AC/DC Target commercial was pretty surprising. As YouTube commenter AnnessainFlorida wrote:
I could have tolerated a car commercial or a beer ad or something, but PANCAKES AT TARGET??? Come on!!!Come on, indeed. I can't wait to see the next video, in which kids play sports in the backyard while "Big Balls" blares in the background.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I love tabloids
All of the newspapers I ever worked for were broadsheet community papers with typically boring headlines and an overwhelming devotion to political correctness. One time I did a brief profile on a local author, and the main character in his latest novel was a transvestite prostitute, and my editor wouldn't let me use either the word "transvestite" or "prostitute." I was like, "How the hell do you expect me to write about this book -- which YOU assigned me to do -- if I can't describe the main character?" OK, I didn't say that. But I definitely thought it.
Anyway, I don't think I would have had any problems with political correctness at the Philadelphia Daily News, which published this Michael Vick headline on the front page of its sports section today:
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
On the Wrigley Field bomb plot media coverage
Over on my Dave Matthews Band news site today I posted about the DMB concert bomb plot outside Wrigley Field this weekend. Basically, a terrorist wannabe who was unknowingly dealing with undercover officers dropped what he thought was a bomb into a trash can and was then promptly arrested by said undercover officers.
The Chicago Tribune reported that authorities said the suspect "wasn't motivated by religious or political views but rather by a bizarre desire to undermine the mayor's political support and allow an associate to take control of the city."
But the suspect's name is Sami Samir Hassoun, and he's from Lebanon, so of course we got the fear-mongering headline, "Lebanese man charged in Wrigleyville bomb plot." (Earlier today the headline actually said "Lebanese immigrant" instead.) If the suspect was white, Christian and happened to be from, say, Saskatchewan, would we get a "Canadian immigrant charged in Wrigleyville bomb plot" headline? As Bob from Bob's Discount Furniture would say, "I doubt it."
Louis Klarevas, a professor at NYU's Center for Global Affairs, has an article on The Huffington Post condemning the people on Twitter who used Hassoun's arrest to fuel anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment and to propagate the "all Muslims are terrorists" stereotype. He's right to condemn these comments, but at the same time, you should come to expect them anytime you grant the masses a public platform. (Call it the "online newspaper comments section" phenomenon.)
You should not, however, come to expect these sentiments from major media outlets like the Chicago Tribune.
The Chicago Tribune reported that authorities said the suspect "wasn't motivated by religious or political views but rather by a bizarre desire to undermine the mayor's political support and allow an associate to take control of the city."
But the suspect's name is Sami Samir Hassoun, and he's from Lebanon, so of course we got the fear-mongering headline, "Lebanese man charged in Wrigleyville bomb plot." (Earlier today the headline actually said "Lebanese immigrant" instead.) If the suspect was white, Christian and happened to be from, say, Saskatchewan, would we get a "Canadian immigrant charged in Wrigleyville bomb plot" headline? As Bob from Bob's Discount Furniture would say, "I doubt it."
Louis Klarevas, a professor at NYU's Center for Global Affairs, has an article on The Huffington Post condemning the people on Twitter who used Hassoun's arrest to fuel anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment and to propagate the "all Muslims are terrorists" stereotype. He's right to condemn these comments, but at the same time, you should come to expect them anytime you grant the masses a public platform. (Call it the "online newspaper comments section" phenomenon.)
You should not, however, come to expect these sentiments from major media outlets like the Chicago Tribune.
Droid Incredible vs. BlackBerry: My first impressions
This is a Droid Incredible vs. BlackBerry comparison based on my recent switch. After two and a half years as a BlackBerry user (and more than a decade as a Sprint customer), I moved to Verizon Wireless and bought an HTC Incredible earlier this month.
Let's evaluate the Droid Incredible vs. BlackBerry in some key categories:
Coverage/call quality: I never had any problems with Sprint service in New England, but all my Verizon friends always said theirs was way better. (I think they just wanted me to switch so I wouldn't count against their minutes.) I haven't noticed much difference in quality of service. In fact, my apartment is in a notorious dead zone, but my Sprint service worked fine here. Verizon, not so much. I did occasionally have Sprint coverage problems when travelling (Chicago and L.A., especially); Verizon is supposedly more consistent nationwide, but I have yet to travel with my Droid. Advantage: PUSH
Data speed/performance: My BlackBerry Curve was totally adequate for surfing mobile sites, but it tended to slow down or even freeze up completely on other sites. I never had complaints about speed, but once I got the Droid Incredible, I saw what I was missing. It's really fast, runs regular sites just as well as mobile sites and lets me run multiple apps at once, which is a huge bonus. The Incredible also syncs with my corporate Exchange account much better -- which is surprising, since that's supposed to be one of BlackBerry's strong suits. When I delete an email on my Droid at night, it's not in my Outlook inbox when I get to work the next morning. What a novel concept. Advantage: Droid
Battery life: Most of the time, this isn't an issue. But when I'm at a conference -- where I need to be Tweeting, IMing, emailing and calling people all day, with iffy access to an electrical outlet -- I need a phone that can make it through the day. The Incredible worries me here, because battery complaints on Droid forums are about as common as obnoxious sports fans in Philadelphia. I've tweaked some settings (turned off GPS, disabled automatic sync and notifications for most apps, etc.), and battery life has improved a little. But I still doubt the Incredible will be able to get me through a full day of heavy use without a significant stay in Chargerville. The BlackBerry Curve was much more dependable in this area. Advantage: BlackBerry
Apps: This one isn't even a contest. I know Apple fanboys will look down at me through their black-framed glasses and laugh at me for lauding the Android Market, but it's way better than BlackBerry App World. The apps that both platforms have, such as Foursquare, are a lot faster, and Android has a lot of games you can't get on BlackBerry, like WordFeud (which I suck at, but is still fun) and Paper Toss. I'll probably end up doing a "my favorite Droid apps" post at some point. Advantage: Droid
Overall: The battery issue is a really big concern for me, but as Yogi Berra would say, I'll just cross that bridge when I'm over troubled water. I was pretty content with the BlackBerry Curve, but the Droid Incredible is easier to use, more efficient and a lot more fun. Advantage: Droid
Let's evaluate the Droid Incredible vs. BlackBerry in some key categories:
Coverage/call quality: I never had any problems with Sprint service in New England, but all my Verizon friends always said theirs was way better. (I think they just wanted me to switch so I wouldn't count against their minutes.) I haven't noticed much difference in quality of service. In fact, my apartment is in a notorious dead zone, but my Sprint service worked fine here. Verizon, not so much. I did occasionally have Sprint coverage problems when travelling (Chicago and L.A., especially); Verizon is supposedly more consistent nationwide, but I have yet to travel with my Droid. Advantage: PUSH
Data speed/performance: My BlackBerry Curve was totally adequate for surfing mobile sites, but it tended to slow down or even freeze up completely on other sites. I never had complaints about speed, but once I got the Droid Incredible, I saw what I was missing. It's really fast, runs regular sites just as well as mobile sites and lets me run multiple apps at once, which is a huge bonus. The Incredible also syncs with my corporate Exchange account much better -- which is surprising, since that's supposed to be one of BlackBerry's strong suits. When I delete an email on my Droid at night, it's not in my Outlook inbox when I get to work the next morning. What a novel concept. Advantage: Droid
Battery life: Most of the time, this isn't an issue. But when I'm at a conference -- where I need to be Tweeting, IMing, emailing and calling people all day, with iffy access to an electrical outlet -- I need a phone that can make it through the day. The Incredible worries me here, because battery complaints on Droid forums are about as common as obnoxious sports fans in Philadelphia. I've tweaked some settings (turned off GPS, disabled automatic sync and notifications for most apps, etc.), and battery life has improved a little. But I still doubt the Incredible will be able to get me through a full day of heavy use without a significant stay in Chargerville. The BlackBerry Curve was much more dependable in this area. Advantage: BlackBerry
Apps: This one isn't even a contest. I know Apple fanboys will look down at me through their black-framed glasses and laugh at me for lauding the Android Market, but it's way better than BlackBerry App World. The apps that both platforms have, such as Foursquare, are a lot faster, and Android has a lot of games you can't get on BlackBerry, like WordFeud (which I suck at, but is still fun) and Paper Toss. I'll probably end up doing a "my favorite Droid apps" post at some point. Advantage: Droid
Overall: The battery issue is a really big concern for me, but as Yogi Berra would say, I'll just cross that bridge when I'm over troubled water. I was pretty content with the BlackBerry Curve, but the Droid Incredible is easier to use, more efficient and a lot more fun. Advantage: Droid
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Four Days in October trailer: So good! So good! So good!
The trailer for "Four Days in October," ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary on the Red Sox comeback in the 2004 ALCS, is now out.
Sure, this year's Red Sox season has been a huge disappointment, and a few of the stars from the 2004 team now have strained relationships with the franchise. But the "Four Days in October" trailer makes you instantly forget all that and takes you back to that crazy week six years ago that we'll never be able to replicate. I especially love the home video footage of Curt Schilling's ankle in the locker room before Game 6, as well as the look on the Yankees fans' faces during Game 7.
"Four Days in October" premieres Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern. In the meantime, check out the "Four Days in October" trailer and hold out hope that the Sox will sneak into the playoffs this year. 'Cause hey, why not us?
Sure, this year's Red Sox season has been a huge disappointment, and a few of the stars from the 2004 team now have strained relationships with the franchise. But the "Four Days in October" trailer makes you instantly forget all that and takes you back to that crazy week six years ago that we'll never be able to replicate. I especially love the home video footage of Curt Schilling's ankle in the locker room before Game 6, as well as the look on the Yankees fans' faces during Game 7.
"Four Days in October" premieres Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern. In the meantime, check out the "Four Days in October" trailer and hold out hope that the Sox will sneak into the playoffs this year. 'Cause hey, why not us?
IT media vs. newspapers: Spot news
One of the many things I like about working in IT media is the dearth of what newspapers call "spot news." When you work for a paper, there's always a cloud hanging over your head -- a cloud that will call you, no matter where you are and what you doing, and tell you to go cover a breaking story. Going to a fire scene, for example, is the only way a reporter can talk to the witnesses, victims and officials needed to put together a good story.
In IT, there are no fire scenes. When I get home from work, I don't have to worry about my boss calling me in the middle of the night. It's a nice feeling. But even though there's no spot news, there IS breaking news. And every once in a while I do have to scramble to cover a story when I'd rather be cooking dinner or watching the Red Sox lose.
In IT, there are no fire scenes. When I get home from work, I don't have to worry about my boss calling me in the middle of the night. It's a nice feeling. But even though there's no spot news, there IS breaking news. And every once in a while I do have to scramble to cover a story when I'd rather be cooking dinner or watching the Red Sox lose.Such was the case Thursday, when just after 5 p.m., The Wall Street Journal reported that VMware was in talks to buy Novell's SUSE Linux business. (Quick primer: VMware is the biggest company in the virtualization market, they're getting challenged by Microsoft, and SUSE Linux is an operating system a la Windows. An acquisition would have major effects on this feud.) So instead of tidying up the apartment and catching up on my DVR ("House Hunters International"), I spent the next hour-plus frantically writing up a blog on what a VMware-Novell acquisition would mean for the market.
Honestly, I kinda missed the rush of writing a breaking story, which I haven't got to do nearly as often since I left the newspaper business three years ago. But then again, I got to do it all from the comfort of my home office, without even picking up the phone, let alone rushing out to the scene of the action. There wasn't even a scene to go to, and it was quite the happy medium for me.
Honestly, I kinda missed the rush of writing a breaking story, which I haven't got to do nearly as often since I left the newspaper business three years ago. But then again, I got to do it all from the comfort of my home office, without even picking up the phone, let alone rushing out to the scene of the action. There wasn't even a scene to go to, and it was quite the happy medium for me.
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