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Jason Calacanis posted a message on Twitter
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Gregory Pittman favorited a photo on Flickr
The Viewfinder
The Viewfinder
Thursday at 4:39 pm - Link
Holy cow! I favorited this photo YESTERDAY and it's just now showing up in FriendFeed. - Gregory Pittman
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Nine-year-old told he's too good - MLB - SI.com
Wednesday at 7:45 am - via Bookmarklet - Link
Is there really such a thing as "too good?" - Gregory Pittman via Bookmarklet
Sheesh, reminds me of when they give smart kids extra work because they finish early. - Heather
In America, where you're not supposed to make anyone feel 'inferior' to anyone else, yes, it is. Stories like this get my blood boiling. If the kid is that good, then that's one lucky team to have him. They shouldn't be penalized. If the other kids suck against him, then they are learning a valuable life lesson that there are people in life who are better at things than you are. - Joey Gibson
Someone on my flist on LJ posted this yesterday. Their argument was that its dangerous for him to play and its just a matter of time before he hurts someone. And I kind of agree. Its not just that he's better, but he's a lot better. And when it comes to sports, it can be dangerous. - Araceli
While it isn't completely without merit, I just don't know if I buy that argument, Araceli. It's like they're saying he's too good to play with my kid but he's not good enough not to hurt my kid. Which one is it? Is he too good or not? But the larger issue for me is they're penalizing his excellence. He's probably too young to play in another league, so that option is removed for him. Their suggestion is to move to a position he isn't as good at. They're rewarding mediocrity. - Gregory Pittman
I don't know. But you'd be ok with him pitching a ball that fast at your kid? - Araceli
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Dave Slusher posted a message
“Choosing between Obama and McCain is like being offered the choice to have your leg amputated or get shot in the head. Obviously, the first choice is better than the alternative but it ain't good for me and I don't have to be happy about it.”
Tuesday at 7:14 pm - Link
I don't agree with you on which one is the stubby leg, and which is the hole in the head, but your general argument is sound. :-) - Joey Gibson
I feel the same way, only with the players reversed. And with McCain, it may be more like having both legs amputated. Or one arm and one leg. Or an arm, a leg, and a few fingers. Come to think of it, getting shot in the head may be quicker. - Gregory Pittman
I felt the same with Kerry and Bush. Kinda' lost my enthusiasm for democracy after that one! - Paul Reynolds
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"Dangerously Unprepared to be President"
Wednesday at 6:19 am - via Bookmarklet - Link
John McCain says, "Bring it!" - Gregory Pittman via Bookmarklet
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“Speed Trap”
Speed Trap
Tuesday at 11:00 am - Link
Ok, I have no sense of humor. The police are in the neighborhood to stop speeders who are endangering everyone in the neighborhood. Why would you want to warn drivers of the trap? The fail should be pointing at the idiots with the sign. - Michael Tefft
I'm with Michael on this one. - Akiva Moskovitz
Show 22 more comments
ah likelihood of drivers slowing down on seeing speed trap sign 90%..no fail.. .. - Fred Grott
Not true - it's been proven in a number of studies that speeding a little (5-10 over) does not overly impair drivers. Reckless driving (more than 15 over) is a different matter. End of the day KEEP YOUR KIDS OUT OF THE STREET SO I CAN DRIVE MY CAR THERE. - Sparky
Handing out speeding tickets is not the point. We want people to slow down. If a "Speed Trap" sign does the trick, then that's great. - Morton Fox
They may slow down in the one instance but it is much more probable that a person will slow down permanently if the have to pay a big fine, have points on the record, and increased insurance premiums. They will be afraid to speed again and get another ticket, more points and maybe their insurance policy cancel. So I would say you were wrong Morton. - Michael Tefft
Maybe the cop is an ass who sticks around the neighborhood and shoots spit wads at the kids and all they want is him to leave so they can slip n slide in peace. - Rodfather
lol @ Sparky - Lindsey Smith
Uh... I've gotten tickets on occasion and continue to speed (mind you you ~5-10 MPH over in 50+ speed zones). Particularly in areas when the speed limits are obviously set to trap people with no engineering basis for the limit whatsoever. If it TRULY was about public safety and not the billions of revenue local and state governments rake in, then why don't they pull a speeder over for a certain time limit as a penalty? Time is money is it not? You're on a roll today, Michael Tefft. - Paul Reynolds
Semi-related: there's a highway here where the speed limit is 50 mph and no one obeys it. Everyone drives 70 there. Including the cops. It's kind of amusing to be going 70 in a 50 and have a cruiser just slide on by you. - Akiva Moskovitz
Akiva, that's everywhere. The speed limits are a joke. See http://www.motorists.org/ - Paul Reynolds
Not true, Paul. I see people getting pulled over for speeding constantly on other highways around here. - Akiva Moskovitz
Thanks for your bizarre analysis and for dissing cops who are about the publics safety. Your suggestion about pulling a speeder over for a certain time limit is simply absurd. My brother was a cop for 30 years and as far as I know he didn't get kickbacks for speed trap revenues. You're on a roll today, Paul Reynolds. - Michael Tefft
The speed limits are a joke because people like you Paul refuse to obey them. Speed is a major factor in many highway deaths, but keep on speeding Paul. - Michael Tefft
Yeah that happens here too. Just depends on where it's more convenient for the officers to pull people over. ;o) - Paul Reynolds
@Sparky: I think you should keep your car off the street so that kids can play there safely. Much better use of the road, IMHO. - Eric
Another thing I've noticed is that cops tend to leave early morning commuters alone. I drive into work around 6 in the morning and there are plenty of speeders at that time but I have never, ever seen a cop out then. - Akiva Moskovitz
Last comment before I block you, Tefft (saw you defending O'Reilly elsewhere so that's enough for me). I believe the individual officers do feel like they're committing a public service and are unaware of the scheme they're playing a part in. I don't see what's absurd about a time penalty. I'd be much less likely to speed if I know I'm going to get nailed to the roadside for 30 minutes as opposed to a completely arbitrary fine. Seriously, try to find out how those fine amounts are set, I dare you. Dick. - Paul Reynolds
Eric - technically the law favors me. It is illegal to be in a street unless you are in a crosswalk. Kids belong in back yards and basements. - Sparky
@Michael Tefft: Speed limits are a joke because everyone thinks they're a better driver than they are, and in general view driving as "safe" (in contrast to the general perception about planes and flying, despite the reality being the reverse). And Paul is right; traffic tickets are primarily viewed as a revenue source by local government, not anything to do with public safety. They "crack down" on traffic violations (or raise fines, or invent new ones, or all three) whenever there's a budget shortfall. - Eric
Eric just got my vote. - Sparky
Wow, not only is it kind of melodramatic and lame to announce that you're going to block someone, once you've blocked them, they can't see your parting shot that you didn't even give them the chance for a fair rebuttal anyway. - Akiva Moskovitz
Sorry to disappoint Akiva. Perhaps it was wrong. But I checked him out and didn't see any reasonable or fair responses from the guy. Time is money! - Paul Reynolds
I just think that blocking should be for trolls and spammers and not for people who are merely disagreeing with you and refusing to back down. I don't agree with all of the fawning that Obamatons do but I don't use that as a thin reason block them. But that's just me. To each his own and so forth. - Akiva Moskovitz
Don't worry Akiva. I have seen plenty of people like Paul Reynolds. If you don't agree with them they block you. They would prefer to have a conversation with themselves in the mirror. They don't want to hear anyone dispute what they say or disagree with them. No great loss. - Michael Tefft
Paul showed his true colors with the last word in his comment. He apparently has the maturity level of a two year old. Method of debate, if they disagree block them but not before you resort to name calling. - Michael Tefft
In my neck of the woods, the kids would be arrested for obstruction of justice; it happens regularly to drivers who flash their lights to warn of speed traps - Robert Hafer
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“My fiance asked if Jimmy Carter was a good president, to which I had to answer "No, he wasn't."”
Monday at 8:34 pm - Link
From what I understand, his administration thought they knew how to do everything so didn't listen to the experts in the government...Hmm, that sounds familiar. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
you are correct. He'll be known for his overseas diplomancy post presidency - Ryan
Show 33 more comments
all I remember is that he liked peanuts - Josh Haley
Hehe, Josh, I think he farmed peanuts, not sure whether he liked them or not. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
Ryan, yeah, post-presidency overseas diplomacy will be known for being even more ignorant than his actual presidency. - Akiva Moskovitz
Prime hit about 18% as I recall. - Russellreno
he was a disaster of a president. couldn't manage the economy and his foreign policy proclamations gave the leeway Russia needed to go crazy on their nuke program. - Morgan
But he wasn't a bad president either. Had a very bad series of events that were out of the control of any president but which either reflect on the president or require a no-win decision by the president. Much of Carter's problems with the image of his presidency wouldn't exist today because of the sophistication of PR. - ·[•_•]·
Morgan, i think that's too harsh. The economy was virtually out of control. Like now, there's little a president can do about it. The problem is, people expect a president to do something and when they can't or they try an it fails, it reflects on them. - ·[•_•]·
nicerobot, please. If you think that all it takes to erase the problems of a poor presidency is the increasing sophistication of public relations, then I look forward to your excusing Bush of the problems of his administration in 30 years' time as well. - Akiva Moskovitz
Jimmy Carter is the Democrat mirror to Dubya. Failed presidency. Very likable man though. History will be kind to him. - Brian Norwood
I can remember the peanuts, the slow, heavy southern drawl accent, the nasty inflation, the gas lines and gas "lottery" ...disasterous!! I am impressed with his post-presidency career however...very active and effective - Susan Beebe
+1 Brian - Akiva Moskovitz
Dhimmi Carter hasn't done much to impress me. Ever. - Akiva Moskovitz
Misrepresent my comment all you want. It doesn't change the fact that action or not by a president, it matters how they present themselves on the issues. Bush would have been impeached years ago if not for his PR (which lied and produced propaganda to avoid it). - ·[•_•]·
+1 Brian, from me too. History is already being kind to him. Noone really discusses the 444 hostages he tried to rescue from the US embassy in Iran and FAILED. Not to mention the failure of the SALT II treaty and the aforementioned gas "lottery". - Helen Is SOOO Not Of Troy
nicerobot, although I appreciate your sentiment that the perception of one's action often overrides the actual consequence of that action, I would hope that leaders of nations are held to higher standards than that. - Akiva Moskovitz
Carter was a total write off as a president. He was likable enough - but being liked isn't what is needed in the presidency. Given that Obama is basically Carter II, this is relevant information to remember. - Soulhuntre
Helen, people also forget that the so-called 'peace accord' Carter supposedly orchestrated didn't really work at all as Arafat never for one second ceased working with terrorist groups to bring about the destruction of Israel. - Akiva Moskovitz
I'll take Carter 2 ANY day over Bush 2. Any day. - Tad - just Tad
Helen, I think you make my point. Carter can't really be held responsible for the hostage situation nor the failed rescue but he was responsible in the public eye. The gas shortage and prices weren't his fault either. And when he told the truth about it, people took offense. And SALT's failure was largely due to opposition in Congress. - ·[•_•]·
I would like leaders held to higher standards too. When they lie to the public to get us into war that is destroying 100Ks of lives and hurting our own economy, I'd like to see lots of people held accountable. Those are actions that a presidential administration is fully responsible for versus the crap everyone holds Carter responsible for which were mostly out of his control. - ·[•_•]·
Carter's not an innocent no matter how desperately you try to adjust his PR. Bush is no innocent either. If one should be held accountable for his actions, then so should the other. Just as no one can whitewash Clinton's mistakes, or Reagan's, or even Kennedy's (hello, Bay of Pigs), you can't whitewash Carter's. Well, you can TRY to whitewash all you want but anyone who knows history will see through the smoke and mirrors. - Akiva Moskovitz
I'm not really intended to claim Carter didn't have problems. I just never saw it as bad as people have claimed. Like I said, He wasn't good, but he wasn't bad. GW, to me, is bad, bad, bad. To me, there is a huge difference in the actions GW is responsible for which make him bad and the issues Carter had which, to me, are what made him appear bad. Simply: GW's actions are bad. Carters reactions were poor. - ·[•_•]·
nicerobot, good points but don't you see most of GW's actions as merely poor reactions? How different do you think his term would have been if 9/11 hadn't have happened? Isn't that something that was, like Carter, beyond his control? - Akiva Moskovitz
Carter ruled. - Bill Sodeman via twhirl
nicerobot - if the president (in this case, Carter) can't be held accountable for how he handles events that affect the course of the nation, then GW can't be "bad, bad, bad." - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
Akiva, the big one for me is getting us into war with Iraq. That was hardly a reaction. It was premeditated. And to worsen it, lies and propaganda used as justification were sickening. I don't think it would have been much different for GW because they were planning a way to go into Iraq prior to 9/11. They also had an agenda to edit EPA reports and were meeting with Enron about Energy. GW is far from a reactionary president, which is really a great president, if only his actions weren't so horrendous. - ·[•_•]·
The only real problem with Carter's presidency being remembered for what it did to help this country is that most of the real helpful environmental and ecological legislation was all undone by the next 12 years of Republicans. Carter never needed whitewashing, he would face up to anything and anyone. Integrity isn't perfection. It's just what we need in Washington x1000 - Chris Kim A
Chris, there was nothing--and I mean nothing--positive about Carter's presidency. He would have lost his bid for re-election against anyone. In fact, his first term was so bad he lost his second election by a landslide. Not just any landslide; he lost by over 430 electoral votes. It was the worst presidential election defeat in nearly fifty years. So, no, Carter's only real problem was not that he was followed by 12 years of Republicans. His only real problem was that he was elected in the first place. - Gregory Pittman
Echoing Tad: Waaay better than Bush. At a Harvard reunion, people were reminiscing that they thought Truman was the worst president ever...until Bush arrived. They appeared unanimous in thinking that Bush has set a new record for "worst president". - Mitchell Tsai
18% mortgage rates, a hostage situation he did nothing about, gas prices through the ceiling, and a USSR becoming more and more aggressive and powerful every minute. Yep, Jimmah was likeable, but anyone who doubts he's the worst President ever is so blinded by anti-Bush hatred they aren't to be taken seriously. - Vincent Ferrari
Like I said and think I've demonstrated over and over above, most things were beyond what _any_ president can do. Carter's biggest problem was appearing and being spineless. Anyone that can explain to me how a president can affect mortgage rates, gas prices, and kidnappers and I'll consider changing my position on Carter. - ·[•_•]·
nicerobot, your point that what is out of control of a presidency excuses the president of the responsibility of his involvement in it just doesn't wash. Most everything is out of a president's control: by nature, all presidents are reactionary. A president creates nothing and reacts to everything. Carter's reactions to all of those things were part of the problem. They don't absolve him; they incriminate him. - Akiva Moskovitz
Furthermore, I honestly wish people would stop whining about Iraq. People fixate on that as if it's the only thing that defines Bush's presidency. Look, if you take Iraq completely out of the equation and look at what he's done other than that, you'll find out that, yep, Bush is still worse than Carter. But that doesn't stop Carter from still being worse than just about everyone president that had come before. - Akiva Moskovitz
Signing statements, torture, Iraq, vacations, wire taping, massaging world leaders, editing EPA reports, lying, propaganda, the mounting debt, ... These are all _actions_ (or due to) that make Bush a flop. Several of the main things Carter is accused of are also applicable to GW. I don't think GW sucks because houses have lost half their value nor because gas is so expensive. GW sucks because he's acted shitty. - ·[•_•]·
It most certainly does wash that when something is out of your control, you are excused of the responsibility. You're not excused of the decisions you make in response and I never said anyone was. Someone runs their car into you when you're stopped at a light, are you responsible? Ridiculous if you think so. But if you get out and beat the person or you just drive off, both are poor responses for which you are accountable. - ·[•_•]·
If you think GW is even close to being the worst president, you'd be wrong. Woodrow Wilson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W... makes GW look like a rank underachiever and Woodrow isn't even ranked as the worst president ever. And I'm saying this as a guy that thinks that GW's 8 years have been a complete failure. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
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Sources: McCain May Announce VP Choice Before Friday
Monday at 6:50 pm - via Bookmarklet - Link
This would be a bad move on McCain's part. Announcing right after the convention to try to take control of the press cycles would be fine. Announcing in during the convention to steal control would just come across as petty and childish. At least it would be portrayed as such. He can't win that one. - Gregory Pittman via Bookmarklet
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Has the Gaffe Machine Gone Too Far?
August 21 at 7:51 pm - via Bookmarklet - Link
"By November, I suspect that most voters will have heard enough to know that Barack Obama is unqualified to be a middle-manager in a well-run company, let alone President of the United States." Let's hope so. Although, I still say the alternative isn't much better. - Gregory Pittman via Bookmarklet
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What its like to be Phelps - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
August 21 at 7:03 am - via Mento - Link
hilarious - Marco via Mento
Funny! "I'm not Michael Phelps...you don't care do you?" :-) - cmiper
he did kind of look like him - has to be a bizarre experience to be hounded like that - Marco
Funny! - Stepan Mazurov
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“CVS shampoo + conditioner "compares to Pantene" my ass! That was a waste of $1.95”
August 21 at 5:48 am - Link
It compares. It just doesn't compare favorably. - [self setNick:@"willia4"]
James, LOL - Gregory Pittman via twhirl
Having long hair, when your conditioner pulls an EPIC FAIL it has impact, mostly in ripping out chunks of your scalp with a comb. - Dave Slusher
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Rare, Never-before-seen Picture Of Michael Phelps At A Very Young Age
Rare, Never-before-seen Picture Of Michael Phelps At A Very Young Age
August 20 at 7:34 pm - via Bookmarklet - Link
original source http://img.photobucket.com/alb... - Mark Wilson via Bookmarklet
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Hacker exposes alleged Chinese Olympic age fraud | News - Security - CNET News
August 20 at 1:44 pm - Link
this just adds to the whole issue. http://www.theglobeandmail.com... - lester
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30+ Plugins to Make Your WordPress Blog More Social
August 20 at 1:42 pm - Link
It's too bad they don't tell you which plugin generated that first image. - Soulhuntre via twhirl
Looks liek it's "ComplexLife" - Soulhuntre via twhirl
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New Microblogging Site Rejaw is Not a Twitter Killer
August 19 at 11:03 am - Link
I'm tired of all these Twitter copies. Pownce. Plurk. Identi.ca. Now Rejaw. Aren't you? How many more chat room, er, live web technologies do we need? Interesting that Meebo has 10x more users and is never mentioned in comparisons here. - Robert Scoble
How many new clothing styles do we need? Fashions change every year because, well, I've never quite figured that one out :-) - todd
Show 44 more comments
I think there's room for a handful of these sites. I don't see one uber dominant player that is all things to all people. Just like social networking sites or IM clients, that fill the need of a certain demographic, I see several twitter clones populated with like people. For example, plurk might serve the Myspace crowd. Had Twitter not stumbled so badly for so long, it might have secured a hammerlock on the space, but given its troubles, people want alternatives. - Christian Anderson
I think there will be more before there are fewer. What is interesting to me is watching to see who wins dominance and how the space gets defined. You mention Meebo, which is really thought of as a Facebook competitor. Facebook too has Twitter-like functionality and 140x the users, but I don't think of them as chat room / live web tech. - Christian Anderson
It does seem to be a bit of overkill when the new services are not all that different and don't offer that much more than current services. I think of all the services Pownce has the best feature set (allows you to be as simple as Twitter or a bit more complex if you need to be) but I think their private beta went too long and they were never able to attract a decent user base. - Gregory Pittman via