This is pretty fun.
and yes, I did "blog this song"
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Bruce Schneier Interviews
Freakonomics Blog interviews Bruce Schneier. It's long but good. And here's a conversion between him and Marcus Ranum.
Sherri Shepherd Needs A History Lesson
What is Sherri Shepherd doing on The View? Earlier this fall she said she didn't if the world was flat or round. Now she says "I didn't think anything predated Christians". Really is this average America?
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Bush Makes Impeachment Case
Bush is giving a news conference right now. I honestly think it is enough to impeach him. The new NIE report says Iran isn't developing a nuclear weapons program and hasn't since 2003. Reporters are questioning him about it in the context of his speeches recently saying we need to stop Iran before WWIII breaks out. They ask him about the escalating rhetoric when his own intelligence agencies already had this data and was working to produce the report. He says he didn't know about the intelligence. When asked specifically, saying they had new info in August and it was being worked on, didn't someone in his intelligence agencies come to him and say maybe you should tone back the rhetoric, he says no. He then goes on to say even with this new report, "nothing has changed" Iran is still a threat. This man doesn't deal with facts at all, or care.
BTW, he looks horrible. Half asleep, very wrinkled forehead, he's finally aged in the White House.
BTW, he looks horrible. Half asleep, very wrinkled forehead, he's finally aged in the White House.
Friday, November 30, 2007
What's Mike Gravel Up To?
Mike Gravel might not be in the debates any more but he is still making YouTube videos.
You know a campaign is in trouble when it says this on it's home page: "This site is getting another makeover. (Technically speaking we're putting everything into Drupal - the Forum is already in Drupal)." Drupal is a free open source content management system (written in PHP). Somehow I doubt anyone viewing the site cares what's running it.
You know a campaign is in trouble when it says this on it's home page: "This site is getting another makeover. (Technically speaking we're putting everything into Drupal - the Forum is already in Drupal)." Drupal is a free open source content management system (written in PHP). Somehow I doubt anyone viewing the site cares what's running it.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Movie Review: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Sidney Lumet's first movie was 12 Angry Men, my favorite courtroom drama. While not all his later films were good, he managed to add Fail-Safe, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and The Verdict to his accomplishments. Ebert said: "It's wonderful when a director like Lumet wins a Lifetime Achievement Oscar at 80, and three years later makes one of his greatest achievements." That film is Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
The film is constructed as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing was. That is, the story is told out of sequence. With the exception of the opening scene it's clearly described when each scene takes place. Sometimes we see the same events a second or third time, from a different point of view, or just with more background and more understanding. While this could be annoying, in this case it's done very well. We learn about the characters by finding out the events that lead up to the actions; as such I'm not going to say much about the plot.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy. Ethan Hawke is his younger brother Hank. They decide to rob a store. Albert Finney plays their father as if he's channelling Peter Finch from Lumet's Network. Marisa Tomei is Andy's wife Gina. Hoffman and Finney give stand out performances, Oscar nominations seem assured. Andy is so emotionally constipated that even when he throws things around his apartment he doesn't break anything. Tomei has never looked better, her role is smaller but she does have the funniest scene in the film as well as several good dramatic ones.
While buying my ticket, the counter guy at the theater explained the title. I was impressed until I saw it in the opening title credits. It's from an old Irish proverb, "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead." As Andy explains in the movie, "I don't add up. I am not the sum of my parts." Luckily for us, we get to work out that math by watching this film. 11 months into the year, this is my favorite film so far. It's a bit depressing, but also a lot of fun.
The film is constructed as Stanley Kubrick's The Killing was. That is, the story is told out of sequence. With the exception of the opening scene it's clearly described when each scene takes place. Sometimes we see the same events a second or third time, from a different point of view, or just with more background and more understanding. While this could be annoying, in this case it's done very well. We learn about the characters by finding out the events that lead up to the actions; as such I'm not going to say much about the plot.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy. Ethan Hawke is his younger brother Hank. They decide to rob a store. Albert Finney plays their father as if he's channelling Peter Finch from Lumet's Network. Marisa Tomei is Andy's wife Gina. Hoffman and Finney give stand out performances, Oscar nominations seem assured. Andy is so emotionally constipated that even when he throws things around his apartment he doesn't break anything. Tomei has never looked better, her role is smaller but she does have the funniest scene in the film as well as several good dramatic ones.
While buying my ticket, the counter guy at the theater explained the title. I was impressed until I saw it in the opening title credits. It's from an old Irish proverb, "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead." As Andy explains in the movie, "I don't add up. I am not the sum of my parts." Luckily for us, we get to work out that math by watching this film. 11 months into the year, this is my favorite film so far. It's a bit depressing, but also a lot of fun.
Movie Review: No Country for Old Men
The new Coen brothers film No Country for Old Men is an adaptation from the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Apparently it's a pretty faithful adaptation which is amazing, because it has exactly the feel of Coen brothers film. Maybe McCarthy borrowed from them?
Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam vet, now in 1980 a welder out hunting in West Texas. He comes across the scene of a drug trade gone wrong and takes $2 million in cash. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is the psychopathic killer hired to retrieve the money. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is looking for them both and is always a step behind. Those are just basic plot points, this film is all about atmosphere and suspense.
Bardem's Chigurh will go down in movie history as one of the great villains. He's intense, devoid of mercy, and unrelenting in the way the Terminator and Jason Voorhees are unrelenting. Tommy Lee Jones is an obvious casting choice that works well. Woody Harrelson is one that didn't work for me; seeing him, I thought "Woody Harrelson" and was taken out of the film. Brolin is good too but overshadowed by Bardem and Jones. Jones gets to deliver the best lines, including the dry comic ones. My favorite was a long story ending with "Even in man vs steer the outcome isn't always known".
Much of the film has no dialog because it isn't needed, but calling it silent would be an insult to the wonderful sound design. Still much of the story is told visually. You don't need to see the fight to find out how evil it was. Showing the aftermath is enough when you see they even shot the dog.
Kenneth Turan writes, "It's clear that the Coen brothers and McCarthy are not interested in violence for its own sake but for what it says about the world we happen to live in. "I got it under control," a confident deputy says, and in moments he is dead. He didn't have anywhere near the mastery he imagined, and in this truly despairing vision, neither does anyone else. The theme of the film, told through some long discussions between Bell and others, is that there's evil in the world, there always has been and there always will be. My response to that is so what? Isn't that kinda obvious?
Roger Ebert says "It involves elements of the thriller and the chase but is essentially a character study, an examination of how its people meet and deal with a man so bad, cruel and unfeeling that there is simply no comprehending him." Again I say, eh. That may be true but I didn't find the "study" to be enlightening at all. Chigurh asks someone "do you see me" implying that will influence if he kills him or not. Are we to draw comparisons to Quantum Mechanics?
This is a great crime thriller and chase film. It's exquisitely constructed (cinematography, sound, acting, editing, etc.). If you liked Fargo, you'll love No Country for Old Men, though it's not as funny. Be warned that it can be intense and gory at times, similar to Fargo.
The first three quarters are straight ahead story telling; easy to follow and suspenseful. In the last quarter that changes a bit, so pay attention. The ending is not open-ended or ambiguous as I've seen some say. It's not obvious and needs to be worked out. It wasn't until a group of 12 of us started talking that we worked out all the details.
This will easily make my Top 5 of the year. Go out and see it. (Unless you hated Fargo).
* MASSIVE SPOILERS EXPLAINING THE ENDING *
Wikipedia has a good plot summary but here are some details:
At the bus station the Mexican asked the mother where they were going. From his conversation with the beer woman we know Llewelyn was at the motel for several days. The Mexicans go to the hotel and kill Llewelyn (we see the new clothes he bought and the boots on the body) but they didn't find the money hidden in the vent. Chigurh showed up later and got the money from the vent, using the same dime as he did before. Bell shows up while Chigurh is still there. The closeup on the window shows it's locked from the inside, not that Chigurh escaped from it (as I've seen posted). Chigurh is hiding behind the door. Bell sitting on the bed basically gives up and decides to retire. The mother dies of cancer. Chigurh kills Carla because he promised Llewelyn he would. The car crash is random. Chigurh pays the kid with a $100 bill from the money.
The only thing I had problems with was that Bell didn't check behind the door for the Chigurh. He seemed a thorough enough cop to do so. I'm assuming Chigurh didn't kill Bell because Bell didn't see him. I've seen guesses that Chigurh is supernatural and disappeared, but I didn't get that sense from any other scene. The other idea is that Bell knew he was there and at that moment he gave up and decided not to check behind the door. But that doesn't seem right either. I could see him giving up if the trail was dead, but not moments before getting him. He didn't strike me as afraid the way he previously ran into the shooting aftermath.
Glenn Kenny has some good Notes on the final quarter of 'No Country For Old Men'.
Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam vet, now in 1980 a welder out hunting in West Texas. He comes across the scene of a drug trade gone wrong and takes $2 million in cash. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is the psychopathic killer hired to retrieve the money. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is looking for them both and is always a step behind. Those are just basic plot points, this film is all about atmosphere and suspense.
Bardem's Chigurh will go down in movie history as one of the great villains. He's intense, devoid of mercy, and unrelenting in the way the Terminator and Jason Voorhees are unrelenting. Tommy Lee Jones is an obvious casting choice that works well. Woody Harrelson is one that didn't work for me; seeing him, I thought "Woody Harrelson" and was taken out of the film. Brolin is good too but overshadowed by Bardem and Jones. Jones gets to deliver the best lines, including the dry comic ones. My favorite was a long story ending with "Even in man vs steer the outcome isn't always known".
Much of the film has no dialog because it isn't needed, but calling it silent would be an insult to the wonderful sound design. Still much of the story is told visually. You don't need to see the fight to find out how evil it was. Showing the aftermath is enough when you see they even shot the dog.
Kenneth Turan writes, "It's clear that the Coen brothers and McCarthy are not interested in violence for its own sake but for what it says about the world we happen to live in. "I got it under control," a confident deputy says, and in moments he is dead. He didn't have anywhere near the mastery he imagined, and in this truly despairing vision, neither does anyone else. The theme of the film, told through some long discussions between Bell and others, is that there's evil in the world, there always has been and there always will be. My response to that is so what? Isn't that kinda obvious?
Roger Ebert says "It involves elements of the thriller and the chase but is essentially a character study, an examination of how its people meet and deal with a man so bad, cruel and unfeeling that there is simply no comprehending him." Again I say, eh. That may be true but I didn't find the "study" to be enlightening at all. Chigurh asks someone "do you see me" implying that will influence if he kills him or not. Are we to draw comparisons to Quantum Mechanics?
This is a great crime thriller and chase film. It's exquisitely constructed (cinematography, sound, acting, editing, etc.). If you liked Fargo, you'll love No Country for Old Men, though it's not as funny. Be warned that it can be intense and gory at times, similar to Fargo.
The first three quarters are straight ahead story telling; easy to follow and suspenseful. In the last quarter that changes a bit, so pay attention. The ending is not open-ended or ambiguous as I've seen some say. It's not obvious and needs to be worked out. It wasn't until a group of 12 of us started talking that we worked out all the details.
This will easily make my Top 5 of the year. Go out and see it. (Unless you hated Fargo).
* MASSIVE SPOILERS EXPLAINING THE ENDING *
Wikipedia has a good plot summary but here are some details:
At the bus station the Mexican asked the mother where they were going. From his conversation with the beer woman we know Llewelyn was at the motel for several days. The Mexicans go to the hotel and kill Llewelyn (we see the new clothes he bought and the boots on the body) but they didn't find the money hidden in the vent. Chigurh showed up later and got the money from the vent, using the same dime as he did before. Bell shows up while Chigurh is still there. The closeup on the window shows it's locked from the inside, not that Chigurh escaped from it (as I've seen posted). Chigurh is hiding behind the door. Bell sitting on the bed basically gives up and decides to retire. The mother dies of cancer. Chigurh kills Carla because he promised Llewelyn he would. The car crash is random. Chigurh pays the kid with a $100 bill from the money.
The only thing I had problems with was that Bell didn't check behind the door for the Chigurh. He seemed a thorough enough cop to do so. I'm assuming Chigurh didn't kill Bell because Bell didn't see him. I've seen guesses that Chigurh is supernatural and disappeared, but I didn't get that sense from any other scene. The other idea is that Bell knew he was there and at that moment he gave up and decided not to check behind the door. But that doesn't seem right either. I could see him giving up if the trail was dead, but not moments before getting him. He didn't strike me as afraid the way he previously ran into the shooting aftermath.
Glenn Kenny has some good Notes on the final quarter of 'No Country For Old Men'.
Rudy's Ties to a Terror Sheikh
digby comments on this report Rudy's Ties to a Terror Sheikh. I hope he gets the nomination. He should be as easy to beat as Bush should have been. Ooops.
Crappy Hilary Polling Reported
This week I've seen some stuff on a Zogby Interactive poll that showed Hillary losing to other opponents in one-on-one matchups. That surprised me because previously I'd seen her doing well. I know there has been some bad stuff but still it didn't seem like much. Well kos in Daily Kos explains Zogby "interactive" polls are junk. The "interactive" polls are different from their "phone" polls and are far less reliable. In fact, there was a recent Gallop poll with Hilary winning in one-on-one matchups.
Greg Sargent puts it in terms that really bother me. 'You could argue that the Zogby poll got all the coverage it did precisely because it is out of sync with multiple other polls, and thus is news. But the truth is that the reporters and editors at the major nets know full well that the Zogby poll is bunk -- yet they breathlessly covered it anyway. Worse, the Zogby poll was covered with few mentions either of its dubious methodology or of the degree to which its findings don't jibe with other surveys. Bottom line: The Zogby poll was considered big news because many in the political press are heavily invested in the Hillary-is-unelectable narrative for all kinds of reasons that have little to do with a desire to, you know, practice journalism."
Greg Sargent puts it in terms that really bother me. 'You could argue that the Zogby poll got all the coverage it did precisely because it is out of sync with multiple other polls, and thus is news. But the truth is that the reporters and editors at the major nets know full well that the Zogby poll is bunk -- yet they breathlessly covered it anyway. Worse, the Zogby poll was covered with few mentions either of its dubious methodology or of the degree to which its findings don't jibe with other surveys. Bottom line: The Zogby poll was considered big news because many in the political press are heavily invested in the Hillary-is-unelectable narrative for all kinds of reasons that have little to do with a desire to, you know, practice journalism."
Bush Still Can't Speak
Bush totally butchered the names of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Honestly, is it too much to ask for the host to learn how to say the names of the honored guests? In 7 years of being president has he even tried to say these names out loud? It didn't sound like it.
Cenk Uygur in Bush Makes an Ass of Himself Again goes off on his laziness and calls him a moron. Keith Olbermann commented on it too. Both include video of Bush blowing it. I can't disagree. I mean, he knew he was going to be speaking to the world.
Cenk Uygur in Bush Makes an Ass of Himself Again goes off on his laziness and calls him a moron. Keith Olbermann commented on it too. Both include video of Bush blowing it. I can't disagree. I mean, he knew he was going to be speaking to the world.
Comet Holmes is Fading Away
Universe Today reports Comet Holmes is Fading Away I looked over Thanksgiving but it was very dim. We couldn't make it out with the naked eye but in binoculars you could sorta kinda make it out. I thought it was due to the full moon, but apparently not. "Although it's still a 3rd magnitude object, and should be visible with the unaided eye, it's so large in the sky that it's actually quite faint now."
But it might get interesting again. "Astronomers are hoping that it'll repeat history. During its last outburst back in 1892, the comet underwent a second bright flareup five months after the first one. So, if history is any judge, we might just see the comet brighten again, and we'll all get another chance to see it before it's gone for good."
But it might get interesting again. "Astronomers are hoping that it'll repeat history. During its last outburst back in 1892, the comet underwent a second bright flareup five months after the first one. So, if history is any judge, we might just see the comet brighten again, and we'll all get another chance to see it before it's gone for good."
Astronaut View of Shuttle Landing
Got this from the IP mailing list. This lo-res 8.5MB (6min 45sec) video looks through the HUD (Heads Up Display) on the flight deck. You hear the flight deck audio of the three astronauts interacting. The video starts at about FL830 (83,000 ft), 260 Kts, Mach 2.5 velocity and 1.1 Gs. You'll hear the term HAC (Heading Alignment Cylinder) used a lot. It is the shuttle's version of a traffic pattern to line up with the runway centerline. It is a circular instead of rectangular pattern.
Ever Hear of Henry Ward Beecher?
I hadn't. And yet in the 19th century he was the most famous man in America. Really. That's according to the book, The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate which won this year's Pulitzer Prize in biography. I only found out about it because a friend was going to a talk by the author at the Old South Church and I tagged along. Dr. Applegate gave a fascinating talk. She started this project as an undergraduate and it took almost 20 years to complete.
The Beechers were a famous family. Henry's sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. His other sister, Catharine, basically invented home economics as a study. Applegate described her as the Martha Stewart of her day. Henry was a preacher like his father. He was remarkably gifted as a speaker and had 3,000 people attend his services at the now famous Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn Heights, NY. Applegate described this as the first megachurch. Abraham Lincoln was wildly impressed with Beecher and attended his services twice before giving his Cooper Union speech. Beecher was outspoken about virtually everything. He was anti-slavery, pro-civil war, pro-temperance, for women's suffrage, and pro-Darwinism. His fame spread by train and telegraph. He was the first to bring flowers into the church, sent Connecticut rifles to Kansas to help free slaves (known as "Beecher's Bibles"), and brought slave girls into church to be auctioned off into freedom.
At the age of 57 he was accused of adultery with his friend's wife Elizabeth Tilton. Unlike today, it went to trial which lasted for months and literally generated more headlines than the Civil War. Applegate described it as the OJ trial of the day. There was apparently a news blackout on aspects of the war, but still. The trial had a negative affect on the suffrage movement. Tilton confessed and recanted, in writing, several times. One confession was taken by Susan B. Anthony.
I went to the talk with little interest. I left with a signed copy of the book and look forward to reading it (though there's a lot ahead of it on the reading list). Applegate was exceptionally skilled at presenting 19th century America in ways we could relate to and in pointing out the differences that we would not have expected that make it more interesting. She ended with a story about temperance, hoop skirts and a fact about pantalettes that was a riot.
As Sean Wilentz said of the book "If you thought that the personalities and machinations surrounding the Clinton impeachment scandal were interesting, you will find the Beecher exposé riveting."
The Beechers were a famous family. Henry's sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. His other sister, Catharine, basically invented home economics as a study. Applegate described her as the Martha Stewart of her day. Henry was a preacher like his father. He was remarkably gifted as a speaker and had 3,000 people attend his services at the now famous Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn Heights, NY. Applegate described this as the first megachurch. Abraham Lincoln was wildly impressed with Beecher and attended his services twice before giving his Cooper Union speech. Beecher was outspoken about virtually everything. He was anti-slavery, pro-civil war, pro-temperance, for women's suffrage, and pro-Darwinism. His fame spread by train and telegraph. He was the first to bring flowers into the church, sent Connecticut rifles to Kansas to help free slaves (known as "Beecher's Bibles"), and brought slave girls into church to be auctioned off into freedom.
At the age of 57 he was accused of adultery with his friend's wife Elizabeth Tilton. Unlike today, it went to trial which lasted for months and literally generated more headlines than the Civil War. Applegate described it as the OJ trial of the day. There was apparently a news blackout on aspects of the war, but still. The trial had a negative affect on the suffrage movement. Tilton confessed and recanted, in writing, several times. One confession was taken by Susan B. Anthony.
I went to the talk with little interest. I left with a signed copy of the book and look forward to reading it (though there's a lot ahead of it on the reading list). Applegate was exceptionally skilled at presenting 19th century America in ways we could relate to and in pointing out the differences that we would not have expected that make it more interesting. She ended with a story about temperance, hoop skirts and a fact about pantalettes that was a riot.
As Sean Wilentz said of the book "If you thought that the personalities and machinations surrounding the Clinton impeachment scandal were interesting, you will find the Beecher exposé riveting."
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
6 Upgrades That Are Downgrades
Webware has a list of 6 upgrades that are downgrades which I like. Vista is worse than XP. New Quicken versions are not better than old ones. Apparently the latest Linksys WRT54G router isn't good. Mega-megapixel compact cameras don't produce images that aren't as good.
The last two I'm not so sure about. The old Zune can be turned into the new Zune with a software upgrade for much less. Still sounds like improvement. The iPod is on the list because you used to be able to send video via the audio jack and now you need an adaptor. That may be a new (unnecessary) limitation but there are plenty of good new features on a new iPod.
The last two I'm not so sure about. The old Zune can be turned into the new Zune with a software upgrade for much less. Still sounds like improvement. The iPod is on the list because you used to be able to send video via the audio jack and now you need an adaptor. That may be a new (unnecessary) limitation but there are plenty of good new features on a new iPod.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Glenn Greenwald vs Joe Klein in Time on FISA
Glenn Greenwald is furious at Time Magazine for the Joe Klein story on the FISA bill and the Democrats. It contains factual errors the falsely portray the Democrats as weak against terrorism. Klein and Time at first refused to admit the errors and are only slowly making corrections. Greenwald's story grows into asking why Democrats have been almost completely silent on the false claims and why the mass media can't do fact checking.
More on the Surge
Andrew Sullivan says a reader nails it regarding the surge and Iraq. As I said yesterday I agree with this. The reader's letter goes a little astray at the end.
"Is there some earthly reason to think that the Iraqis are more likely to put together a democratic government that is capable of unifying and securing the country just because they have some relative peace and quiet? Why would that matter?"
Well it is reasonable to believe that that it's easier to get things done when your meetings aren't being blown up. But that doesn't mean that the parties will succeed and come together in agreement, no matter how much peace there is (or if that's even what they want).
"Is there some earthly reason to think that the Iraqis are more likely to put together a democratic government that is capable of unifying and securing the country just because they have some relative peace and quiet? Why would that matter?"
Well it is reasonable to believe that that it's easier to get things done when your meetings aren't being blown up. But that doesn't mean that the parties will succeed and come together in agreement, no matter how much peace there is (or if that's even what they want).
Google's Energy Initiative
Tim O'Reilly writes about the Google's Energy Initiative. "Google believes that there are alternative energy technologies that can produce electricity at scale at a cost less than coal, and can do this in years, not decades. The goal is to produce a full gigawatt of power -- 'That's quite a lot -- enough to power the city of San Francisco.'"
This Didn't Suck
I'm lucky enough to have a massage school about 1 mile from my home. Students have to practice. Today I went to the Student Massage Clinic of the Cortiva Institute. $35 for a one hour session, no tipping allowed.
It's in a large room with areas seperated by curtains. It's like hospital emergency rooms look on TV or better than how curtains work in real hospital rooms. Since it's a large space and there are limited clinic hours, a lot of people show up at once. You're assigned a student and meet in the common area to give your history and say what you want out of the session. Then the massage and another interview which was less of an evaluation and more ways I can alleviate stress in my life. Personally I think I'm doing pretty good at that. :)
The massage was quite good, better than many I've had. Apparently I'm carrying a lot of stress in my shoulders, though I don't know why. Fortunately they have a frequent buyer program, buy 9, get the tenth free. I'm on my way.
It's in a large room with areas seperated by curtains. It's like hospital emergency rooms look on TV or better than how curtains work in real hospital rooms. Since it's a large space and there are limited clinic hours, a lot of people show up at once. You're assigned a student and meet in the common area to give your history and say what you want out of the session. Then the massage and another interview which was less of an evaluation and more ways I can alleviate stress in my life. Personally I think I'm doing pretty good at that. :)
The massage was quite good, better than many I've had. Apparently I'm carrying a lot of stress in my shoulders, though I don't know why. Fortunately they have a frequent buyer program, buy 9, get the tenth free. I'm on my way.
Verizon Wireless To Open It's Network
In a word, wow. Verizon Wireless To Introduce ‘Any Apps, Any Device’ Option For Customers In 2008. They'll allow any device (that's certified at their lab) to run any application on their network. Cool. This is probably in response to the Google phone but also perhaps to help strengthen their CDMA network. The rest of the world uses GSM so devices like the iPhone are designed for that so they can be sold anywhere. In the US, AT&T uses GSM technology but Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. The in the US the CDMA network has more coverage, but also crappier phones. I've also seen speculation that this might help strengthen their bid for 700 MHz spectrum, showing how open they are.
Update: Om Malik has more analysis.
Update: Om Malik has more analysis.
Yet More on Facebook Ads
Here are more details on Facebook's ad beacon that I previously wrote about here. Not sure if it's getting better or always worked this way.
Chicks With Dicks
I really thought this was something from the Onion, but it's real Dick's Sporting Goods acquires Chick's Sporting Goods. How pissed is Jon Stewart about the writers strike?
I Just Wanna Fucking Dance
Here's a video mashup of movie dance scenes. I'm surprised at how many I could name. It's more of the same for over 5 minutes, so if you get board, feel free to quit. And yes there's music and it says the title of this post so if you're in a place that's sensitive about the F word turn the sound down or wait till you're someplace else.
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