"The protest group has not only become a huge force on Obama's site--it is now double the size of any other user-created group and its traffic slowed the campaign's server last week--it has also swiftly asserted itself in the broader spying debate. Organizers have been covered and quoted repeatedly in the mainstream media, including a New York Times profile of founder Mike Stark" - j1m via Bookmarklet
On a side note - I read the NYT profile when it came out, and stumbled over the fact that Stark wasn't actually the founder of that group. He is cited as having "suggested to a group of liberal activists who share an e-mail list that they should organize a group [...]". The group was actually created by an unnamed "member of my.barackobama.com". Suggestions are cheap - I'm not sure why NYT made this a profile piece, rather than a policy piece. - Jutta Degener
i'm afraid that pressure is cheap enough - the other side which drove Obama into FISA shit is much thicker and applies pressure of different magnitude and quality - silpol
Hutch, the media coverage of this is as ass backwards as the Wesley Clark stuff. Originally as FOX aired these distorted faces the faces were on DOGS' bodies (with the caption attack dog). It was clearly satire, but the pictures like the one above are what's being shown everwhere not the pictures as they were shown on Fox News. (Edit: I know I got this wrong, see below, but I didn't want to delete the comment) - Robert Seidman
Thanks Robert. The dog body is obvious satire. Did the digital alteration come across as obvious satire too? - Hutch Carpenter
i think tvnewser.com (somewhere much further down then these pictures) has the pictures of how it originally aired or at least links to it. - Robert Seidman
Ah, Fox News must need some new advertisers, or wants to up rates. Hey, let's generate some controversy and start a partisan shout-fest so we can all gather round and scream 'fight, fight, fight, fight'. Here's hoping more American's start tuning this crap out. - AJ Kohn
Thanks Robert. Nope - they just gave the altered head shots. Shoddy piece o' shit broadcasting there. - Hutch Carpenter
Hutch did you watch the video? Link above -- it's typical FOX, and the scary thing is -- it works. FNC gets good ratings for cable news and Murdoch definitely seems to embrace creating controversy. Sure, most of the viewers are older than Rupert, but that's true for all news, broadcast and cable. - Robert Seidman
Ah... MediaMatters is far from un-biased in this. Their purpose is to attack conservative media and create scandle. - Robert Hafer via fftogo
Yeah - I did watch it. The altered headshots are shown by themselves, with the dog bodies at the end of the piece. Has Olbermann weighed in on this? Special comment-worthy. - Hutch Carpenter
i only follow the ratings. :-) I find O'Reilly and Olbermann to be the same thing -- extremists on opposite extremes. But "moderate" doesn't generate any ratings. I'd bet KO will get to this on Monday though if he's on this week. - Robert Seidman
@Robert Hafer - I don't like gratuitous hit pieces on conservatives either. But this thing by Fox is blatant. Watch the piece for yourself (via Robert Seidman's link). - Hutch Carpenter
I'm not really sure where the defense of this comes from -- can you guys actually not see the above image at all? If blind people are reading my feed in braille, I'm flattered. - j1m
j1m, I already admitted I got it wrong. I'm not defending it, I put up the link to the full video. - Robert Seidman
I agree that one hit piece in the NYT doesn't justify one on FOX. It's just that smear tactics are MediaMatters purpose. It mean their "reporting" will be one sided. - Robert Hafer via fftogo
Watching it now, but I can definitely see how it's defensible. First of all, this isn't a straight news show. Everyone who always attacks Fox gets this wrong constantly. Fox runs two types of spots - straight news and editorial. This was an editorial show, their morning show, in fact. Playing opposite this? The View. Tell me that's balanced journalism. Tell me Rosie on that show never crossed the line for the other side. Most importantly, though, if you've ever seen this show, it's done in the vein. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
... of all morning shows, which is silly fluff non-news. For everyone here that has an editorial platform (i.e. your blog), you're telling me that if you had supportive fan who knew photoshop, you wouldn't run a slightly altered picture of someone who attacks you constantly if they sent it to you? - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
I wish there was a good, unbiased, reliable organiaztion that tracked journalistict accuracy and bias. When I worked as a scientist, I noticed that all science news in major media had serious flaws. Maybe it's not just science. - Robert Hafer via fftogo
J1m, I probably should just have deleted my first comment, but I'm not into revisionist history! Rizzn, balanced journalism is often as big of a myth as Internet privacy. I'm sure The View is not intended as journalism, not sure about FOX's morning programming. - Robert Seidman
@Mark: Nope. Oh, I might laugh at times (it's human nature - I'm thinking some photos of Ross Perot), but I prefer debate, logic, argument. This just seems very 6th grade. Be ferocious with facts and logic, not a 'hey, you're ugly'. LCD is not my style. - AJ Kohn
There are a couple monitors I've come across from educational institutions I trust. The names don't immediately spring to mind, but I've got them bookmarked somewhere.fr - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
Mark - it's not even satire of political opinion. It's just "uglifying" people with whom you disagree. Sure, question their motives because of suspected grudges. But don't alter their appearances to make them look like bad guys from Lord of the Rings. That's where Fox crossed the line. It's pretty weird, really. - Hutch Carpenter
this is both juvenile and funny imo. funny due to the sheer audacity, but it shouldn't be surprising coming from this particular network. the juvenile part should be self-explanatory. it's a matter of getting the message out there regardless of being right or wrong. once the seed is planted among the many who look to fox as the sole or main source of news, it's more than enough to solidify their views and promote even more disdain towards the opposing side. - Cee Bee
Its called if you cannot make up the news invent it, seem to be the FOX News slogan that they follow - Fred Grott
I know people love to jump on the OMIGOSH FOX SUX bandwagon but this kind of nonsense has happened before on both sides of the fence. Don't forget Adnan Hajj. - Akiva Moskovitz
Whats most amazing about this is that fox thinks they can pass this bullshit through to the photoshop generation without our noticing. - Anthony
Akiva - it's that kind of moral relativism that is undermining our culture. ;-) - Hutch Carpenter
when you think your above everyone else its very easy to attempt al the bullshit - Fred Grott
Hutch, I'd argue that our culture lies in the people with the wisdom to not pay much attention to either side. The people who are so quick to pick a side (especially when there are only two lousy sides to pick from) have already been undermined. - Robert Seidman
Sorry - to all those that think this crosses the line, but Rosie O'Donnell making up facts on the other side of the TV dial about one of the most horrific tragedies to befall our nation in an effort to besmirch ourselves*doesn't cross the line* - I think ABC has made the much more grievous offense. On a show like Fox and Friends that never pretends to be serious making a joke isn't a big deal IMO. It's just like The Daily Show or Conan O'Brien doing the same thing... which they do. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
Additionally, the fact is clear that everyone here trashing Fox News clearly doesn't watch the channel. It's ok if you don't watch FNC. It's not the network for everyone (their skew towards sensationalism is what bothers me, not any supposed political bias). But if you haven't even watched a full hour or two of the network, you'll never understand their programming style. If you can't grasp that, you'll never understand what it is you want to criticize. In short, you'll sound horribly uninformed. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
Hutch, I personally am undermining our culture. Give credit where credit's due, yo. - Akiva Moskovitz
"An attempt at a tasteful homage ends up having the same effect as Brett Ratner sticking clips of Citizen Kane in the middle of Rush Hour 2." - j1m via Bookmarklet
I was always tempted by the Microsphere integrated workstation idea, but I guess they're out of business now. Oddly, my current programming chair isn't on this list... - ⓞnor
I do miss my Steelcase Leap from Google. By the way, does anyone know of a local Bay Area store / showroom where I could try the Herman-Miller Mirra, various Steelcase chairs, and hopefully the HumanScale Liberty as well? - Tudor Bosman
Unfortunately vendors seem sort of disjoint, you might have to visit several. The Chair Place (531 Bryant, SF) looks sort of fun to visit, but they don't seem to carry any Herman Miller or Steelcase. - ⓞnor
Design Within Reach has Mirra and Liberty, but no steelcase. there's a store in palo alto and santana row - David Vasileff
There's also a DWR in SF on Alameda and Potrero. I actually prefer the Eames chairs, but they don't have all the fancy adjustments. Just simple and elegant (and expensive). You can get these from DWR, but they don't list all the models on the website. - Chris White
DWR is also fun for the whole "*this* costs *that* much??!" gawking value. - ⓞnor
I ordered my Celle from officedesigns.com - not to provide advertising, but they were cheap, good selection and free shipping (and no tax, I believe). I remember vaguely having an issue with them not really sure about when they were going to get it back in stock and a little yelling after awhile, but they came through. - felix
Also, somebody in the comments said that tables are a ripoff and you should only buy expensive chairs. I just bought my 3rd swerve two-track table and I love these desks. The surface is perfect for programming. - Chris White
wait, you program on the surface of your desk? i literally just plunk my monitors on the front of it use the space behind them to stack up old coffee cups. Hmm, you're going to tell me I should arm-mount my monitors, aren't you? - j1m
I am definitely a believer in table-free computing. Well, I have a coffee table which is good for stacking up mugs and feet. But I hear some people like to use dead tree reference manuals. - ⓞnor
"Second of all, for a variety of reasons I have a major aversion to Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher: I do not want to use it and I do not want it present in any form on any computer I own." - j1m via Bookmarklet
"It inflates the sense that your brilliant idea really was brilliant and that success was just a binary switch away (pursue/don’t)" - j1m via Bookmarklet
"In the hills, many residents ignored evacuation orders and doused their homes with water and fire-resistant gel. One man went so far as to set a fire on his property, hoping to create a burn area to protect his home. The fire he set on the east side of Highway 1 near Big Sur River Inn sent ashes spewing over the highway, and authorities arrested Ross Curtis, 48, for setting a fire and disobeying firefighters." - j1m via Bookmarklet
"The average age of the left wing justices is about 75, and the iconic leader of the left wing, Stevens, is 88 years old. The next president will likely be replacing liberal justices — a great opportunity for McCain to fundamentally change a wide array of legal doctrines" - j1m via Bookmarklet
"Movie actors might be paid like theater actors are today. Digital effects might be added to movies at a hangar in Inner Mongolia where low-paid Chinese are working day and night — just like in the textile industry" - j1m via Bookmarklet
"In recent days, more than 7,000 Obama supporters have organized on a social networking site on Mr. Obama’s own campaign Web site. They are calling on Mr. Obama to reverse his decision" Nice. Though it actually has 9800 members, not 7000 like when he wrote this article a few hours ago: http://my.barackobama.com/page... - j1m via Bookmarklet
“I will continue to support him,” Mr. Moulitsas said in an interview. “But I was going to write him a check, and I decided I would rather put that money with Democrats who will uphold the Constitution.” - j1m
I'm still voting for Obama, but I've become less and less excited about him. Too much business as usual, despite the rhetoric (e.g., hiding Muslim women from the view of the cameras, etc.) - Adam Lasnik
For me it all boils down to the FISA thing. The rest of his supported "move to the center" seem like either non-events or non-surprises. But FISA, WTF. - ⓞnor
so lame. I'm pissed. Need to send my check to the ACLU soon. - Michael
And with 13660 members it is now officially the largest group on his web site. Assuming no action on his part, I expect it to stay there for quite a long time. - j1m
Speaking as a california voter now, and a new york voter in the previous presidential cycles, our electoral college votes are a foregone conclusion, so it is appropriate to wage a protest vote over something like FISA and still not hurt the chances for change in the whitehouse. People in OH or FL aren't so lucky. - DeWitt Clinton
And I'm with @stopman, a donation to the ACLU instead of the dem PAC or the Obama campaign is a good way to send a signal. - DeWitt Clinton
'The bloggers in question, most of them supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and all of them opposed to Senator Obama, received a notice from Google last week saying that their sites had been identified as potential “spam” blogs.' - j1m via Bookmarklet
'In an interview, he described the installments as “animated versions of the one-frame cartoons you might see in The New Yorker, only edgier.”' - j1m via Bookmarklet
As if anyone would think that Seth McF was capable of creating a cartoon no more edgy than one in the New Yorker - j1m
This is interesting. From the article: "In some cases, there will be “preroll” ads, which ask viewers to sit through a TV-style commercial before getting to the video." Wait, excuse me: preroll???? Noooooooo. No me gusta. - Ginger Makela
@Ginger - I'm curious, where you would prefer the ads? Assuming everything in life can't be free, of course. - DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt, I'd prefer inline overlays that YT already uses. It doesn't keep people waiting for content, which is one of my pet peeves on the web. From what I've seen, those overlays have good interaction rates. But I think advertisers are used to forcing people to watch ads, and feel like they need that on the web, too. Prerolls make me feel angry. UNLESS there's a huge trade off -- like I can watch a full-length movie for free. For a 2-minute clip, prerolls don't make sense, IMHO. - Ginger Makela
Yeah, I'm wondering how people react to overlays. I tend to think they're fine -- until the pop up in the middle of a video and cover the bottom 1/3 of the screen. Then I hate them. And geez, I hope no one is considering running pre-rolls for 1-minute clips! - DeWitt Clinton
Hell, IGN (?) does pree roll before movie trailers... watch a commercial for the privilege of watching another. - Robert Cooper via twhirl
Ha. That's like paying $12 to see 30 minutes of ads before a movie. Something doesn't quite add up there. - DeWitt Clinton
These are, indeed, 30-sec to 2-minute clips. With, apparently, prerolls. So yes, someone is considering that. - j1m
solution looking for a problem. Very few sites have the number of comments you are referring to. As part of a broader package, maybe, but I think this is what NoiseRiver is aiming at, or maybe I read the post wrong (Giovanni has a point) - Duncan Riley
Given the number of Friendfeedsters and ex-Googlers who immediately "liked" this post, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. - Mark Trapp
I don't think anything is rotten, but there's an opportunity. Relatively few blogs have that many comments, but a lot of us read those blogs, and letting us make conversation on our own terms, slicing through noise to tune in the voices we're interested in hearing, could be awesome. - ⓞnor
@Giovanni: Having failed once, I'll probably fail again, but here's what I mean: Just like FriendFeed contains many commenters, but I just see the comments of about 100 people I follow, I'd like to be able to choose who to follow on other blogs. So it's Friendfeed's selection mechanism that I want to let out into the wild. - j1m
+1 Giovanni Slash.dot and many other websites never got me to participate because the noise-level was too high (aka quality-level too low). Being able to tune people in/out (while still hearing people though "friend of friend" or "everyone") is great! - Mitchell Tsai
And wasn't the constant discussion of FriendFeed why j1m unsubscribed from some of us in the first place? Hmmm? :-) - Louis Gray
"He had a powerful voice, was relatively young at only 50, and he was campaigning on the belief that what the country needed most was change. The contrast was stark. Hoover was old and represented the past. Roosevelt was the future." - j1m via Bookmarklet
Probably, in addition to running an open OS on my computers and open firmware on my routers, I'll have to get open-source firmware for my cell phone, my camera, my music player, my car's engine controller, etc. At least half of this does exist today. - 9000
for GSM phone, there are reasons to belive that firmware would stay rather closed - at least in area of GSM stack - silpol
