Penheaded

We're not resigning

2011-11-11T20:26:00.002-05:00

But we sure are sad that Jim has fallen on his sword.

Godspeed good journalist.

Lonely outpost of the Internet, Part ∞

2011-11-05T06:36:00.002-04:00

We're back, just couldn't miss the upcoming crazier Crazy Season that the 2012 elections will be.

Dumber says Dumb is a whiz

2011-07-06T10:08:00.001-04:00

Bristol Palin says mom is a whiz.

Things Obama should do in his second term: Clarence Thomas off SCOTUS

2011-06-30T06:47:00.003-04:00

Liking in these union busting times

2011-06-17T16:26:00.000-04:00

The Nation has the scoop that was and then wasn't

2011-06-08T08:12:00.002-04:00

Wikileaks shows our President wasn't the man we thought he was.

Palin resolute in her ignorance

2011-06-06T02:27:00.003-04:00

And that is why every American should quiver at the thought of her being president.

Is Palin high or really that stupid?

2011-06-04T00:39:00.002-04:00

The larger question looms: Is it more of a statement about our media or our society that this idiot is seriously treated as a contender for the highest elective office?

Best scandal name this year- Weinergate

2011-06-01T08:59:00.002-04:00

Autopen does the dirty deed in Patriot Act extension

2011-05-27T11:30:00.001-04:00

Pakistan retains lobbying firm after raid

2011-05-09T08:16:00.002-04:00

Pakistan seeks to keep aid flowing.

Bear sighting brings out the idiot element

2011-05-08T11:51:00.005-04:00

Comment moderation is a worthless endeavor unless this kind of stupidity is addressed.

foxamanda17 May 08, 2011 at 10:56AM

It makes news when a Black bear is sighted in Springfield?? Why doesn't a Black person make news then?? they are far more dangerous. Look at how many people have been killed or injured by black bears and then compare that to Black People, the results are astounding.

foxamanda17 May 08, 2011 at 11:24AM

It's not racist, why do people call something racist just because it is true. Fact's that show that one race over another doing something is fact. Hating based on color or characteristic is racist, no one on here is being racist.

Update: These comments were removed but one of foxamanda's remains with a lame defense of these. One of the Masslive staff weighed in with an admonishment to stay on topic: Not exactly what was needed.

Holy moly, a Phish tour!

2011-05-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

WSJ opens a SafeHouse

2011-05-05T16:19:00.004-04:00

We'll watch to see if Wikileaks can claim hypocrisy.

5-6-11 Update: From the TOS-

"We reserve the right to disclose any information about you to law enforcement authorities or to a requesting third party, without notice, in order to comply with any applicable laws and/or requests under legal process, to operate our systems properly, to protect the property or rights of Dow Jones or any affiliated companies, and to safeguard the interests of others."

Looks like something worse than mere hypocrisy.

Torture did not provide answer to bin Laden location

2011-05-03T19:10:00.001-04:00

Osama bin Laden killed in SEAL raid inside Pakistan

2011-05-02T05:32:00.002-04:00

The troops can start coming home now. It was a damn shame that Shrub left this to be done but it is hard to ignore what this could mean for the 2012 election.

And Happy Beltane Day to you, Eli

2011-05-01T14:34:00.001-04:00

#Snark

WI Repug says voting is not a right

2011-04-23T14:13:00.002-04:00

Later backs off with a "late hour" excuse: Guess the little snit gets cranky and stupid when he misses his bedtime.

Holy moly, we're still alive!

2011-04-22T22:57:00.001-04:00

Gaman

2011-04-01T14:05:00.001-04:00

Enduring the journalistic imprecision about the Japanese.

Assad and friends use Facebook

2011-03-30T01:27:00.002-04:00

We've hammered this point at every opportunity: That despite a touchy-feely, kumbayha reputation as a tool of dissidents, Facebook was rich with possibilities for authoritarian governments.

Also give Assad his due for trying the difficult maneuver of staging a coup against his own government.

Fox: Fair and Balanced (Not!)

2011-03-29T13:33:00.001-04:00

Triangle Fire Anniversary

2011-03-25T06:51:00.001-04:00

Direct Action Needed In Libya

2011-03-24T18:13:00.002-04:00

Good luck trying to sort out friend or foe in this one but the effort is floundering. We have some difficulty understanding why the military units that have gone over to the rebel side haven't been more aggressive. Initial word was they getting themselves organized but they have had days to do this and should have been able to field forces by now.

This really appears to need French special forces or the SAS. Short of this, judicious allocation of communications gear and laser designators.

ACLU wins standing: Back in the fight

2011-03-23T13:19:00.001-04:00

DOJ mulling SCOTUS appeal on warrantless GPS use

2011-03-21T05:11:00.001-04:00

Wisconsin threats: Alligator tears from the right

2011-03-20T09:56:00.002-04:00

(One of those dilemmas as to whether to link to HuffPo or something like ClownHall)

It has been one of our observations that when the mainstream media hasn't work itself into a lather over some right-wing talking point, they say that it is being ignored. Our media consumption is a little different from most so the threats being made in WI (from both sides) were already on the radar. There are idiots of all persuasions and it appears we've hit one of those periods in our political history where statements about seeking 2nd Amendment solutions have taken on what seems mainstream acceptance. A telling moment for us was the recent example of Georgia's Rep. Paul Broun simply deflecting when asked who's going to shoot President Obama. Broun was able to escape any real consequences from his failure to confront the notion by simply issuing an apology afterwards.

Amidst the recall efforts coming from recent Repug anti-union efforts in WI there will be a massive roll out of a Repug campaign to paint all the folks behind the recalls as nasty extremists.

Dick Armey can't opt our of Medicare Part A

2011-03-18T05:40:00.002-04:00

It is all or nothing on the Social Security benefits. Our guess is that this was a stalking horse for the larger Obamacare issue: As if Dick Armey really needs Social Security.

CJR's list of English-language Japanese news sites

2011-03-16T23:36:00.002-04:00

We can't help but wonder how neon will do as the country struggles through the recovery and reduced energy resources. LED technology has to a degree supplanted neon already but we can't imagine the native practicality not taking a fresh look at this.

Chamber of Commerce works to block redress.

2011-03-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Great Unknown Known: Data Mining

2011-03-14T04:44:00.001-04:00

An imperfect but telling picture.

YIPPEE!!! Sunshine Week!

2011-03-13T03:16:00.003-04:00

Our favorite time of the year, better than Christmas.

Yeah, right. Obama has been a miserable failure and our suspicion/indulgence that he was avoiding these issues for tactical reasons is diminishing in relative weight.

WSJ scores with Vogue takedown

2011-03-08T10:58:00.002-05:00

Wintour really should get out more but we guess its hard work being a slave to fashion. Profiling Mrs. Assad in such a gushing manner at this time just wasn't a wise editorial decision.

Steven Colbert gets Guy Fawkesed?

2011-02-27T16:02:00.001-05:00

At about 10:41 into the tape a face briefly appears over Colbert's.

Openmesh

2011-02-27T14:40:00.002-05:00

Here's hoping it stays that way. We always look at any kind of social network as being highly susceptible to manipulation by the less than altruistic.

Google plows under content farms

2011-02-26T22:40:00.002-05:00

Not exactly but a 12% reduction in results was reported. Admittedly there is often some mighty slimy SEO out there but we've always thought the social recommendation system was easily gamed. This can easily be seen as an effort by Google to improve their search results and set themselves apart from the social networks.

SPJ says call to Gov. Walker unethical

2011-02-23T20:48:00.002-05:00

But this Poynter article on the same day says the Breitbart/O'Keefe videos have their roots in the journalism they seek to challenge.

Okay, ambush a governor is bad; heavily edit your video from multiple instances is good.

Now we understand.

Irony alert: Fox, Our Reporter In the Chicken House

2011-02-23T15:03:00.002-05:00

Greta Van Susteren is the only news person, so far, on the board of the new civil discourse institute.

Gaddafi ready to fall

2011-02-22T00:22:00.004-05:00

Some eight to nine years after the neocons claimed responsibility for turning him around, it finally happens.

Update(2-23-11): This appears to not be the case as he and others around him are talking about fighting till their "last drop of blood".

Update(3-14-11): He is now beating back the rebels. Given his longevity and heavy handed rule, we concede it was rash to expect anything less.

#WISOLIDARITY, #WIUNION | Here&Now

2011-02-21T12:24:00.005-05:00

We can think of no better time nor no better place than where you are now to make this a fight.

"Team Themis" Anonymously spanked

2011-02-16T05:44:00.002-05:00

Initially we were doubtful of this story with all the citations of Think Progress but it appears that HBGary was playing a rough game.

Hey Arianna

2011-02-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

We had posts deleted from the site for questioning the business model.

Republicans do bidding of their moneyed overlords

2011-02-11T13:34:00.001-05:00

via PCMAG: Current leaders in tablet field

2011-02-10T16:51:00.002-05:00

All four look pretty good but RIM's choice to not cannibalize their existing line makes for a serious drawback: According to this article, 3G (4G is what earlier articles had spec'd the tablet at) service for their tablet will require in tandem operation with one of their phones. Pricing information for the RIM Playbook is still unavailable but this is sounding pricey already.

WebOS coming to a PC near you

2011-02-10T03:08:00.002-05:00

Lotsa questions, a little early to say what it will mean. Meanwhile, trying to get Android to run on the PC hasn't been working for us.

'The Daily' has a dilly of a problem

2011-02-08T13:03:00.002-05:00

It crashes or loads slowly and other sources report difficulty finding updated content.

We have been in somewhat of the minority in being bullish on Murdoch's plans for this. It strikes us that enough prestige is riding on this venture that if there is a way to solve these problems it will be found.

There is simply no way around this: News for mobile devices is the future of journalism.

The rest is yet to come for HuffPo and AOL:

2011-02-07T18:16:00.003-05:00

Definitely not the best.

The novelty of HuffPo wore off long ago and mediocrity will surely follow The Way of The AOL .

via Politico: Palin forgets

2011-02-05T23:10:00.002-05:00

"Palin also spoke about a possible 2012 presidential campaign, saying if she does make a White House bid, she'll continue 'having that thick skin and steel spine'."

We assume it was that same steely nerve that caused her to quit as governor of Alaska.

The AOL Way

2011-02-01T22:29:00.003-05:00

The pressure is on in Content Farmville

MSE saves again

2011-01-31T08:22:00.004-05:00

This is the second time that a Java exploit was picked up from a recommended site on Popurls. The computer was on for about five minutes this morning before the warning was flashed.

Phone companies as bankers

2011-01-30T13:57:00.002-05:00

That right there is a nightmare in the making. We'll have to admit, we were enamored with the idea of paying with a cell but this one point has stopped us cold.

Also, add this Dvorak article to the list of why we miss Cranky Geeks.

New e-books market a good deal for journalism

2011-01-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

Psst, CNN and SI: The movie was called "North Dallas Forty"

2011-01-26T01:04:00.002-05:00

The "secret" movie about the life of an NFL player came out in 1979.

The phrase is "Playin' with pain".

Really goofy.

"The best defense is..." Cyber counter attack as defensive strategy

2011-01-24T12:36:00.002-05:00

The military/security apparatus is currently implementing this response and essentially it levels the playing field. Current response posture of private business means that large and sophisticated criminal organizations can mount attacks without any real concern for the ongoing operation of their network.

However, a very close analogy can be drawn to the firearms training that law enforcement gets: You don't want to be shooting any innocent bystanders.

Loughner poses in g-string with gun

2011-01-15T00:05:00.004-05:00

In our opinion this, more than anything, ties him to the right wing.

Ironic use of blood libel defense- Further proof that Palin has never had an original thought

2011-01-12T11:50:00.003-05:00

Palin's video response to the criticism she has received since the Gifford shooting is out. And of course, wouldn't you know it, she probably scraped "blood libel" from the earlier article in the WSJ by the Instapundit. We also noticed that her earlier use of the phrase "man up" had been recently preceded by its use by Sharon Angle. She obviously has a limited media diet and is dependent on it for her also limited repertoire.

The phrase "blood libel" has its root in an earlier Christian anti-Semitic accusation and has expanded in use to also include blood sacrifice and cannibalism. The irony is that Palin was one of the principal purveyors of the "death panel" lie. Suddenly she gets sensitive about those sorts of things.

We thought the Instapundit deserved a rebuke for the WSJ article but just didn't get around to it. We've never really liked Instapundit but never took him for an idiot as we do with some of the others on the right. It was just that his thinking was on the level of the slimy, weaselly, lawyerly kind of cliche.

As for those that would make political hay out of tragedy, let us not forget 9/11. Instapundit pretty much owes his online existence to that. Suddenly he gets sensitive about those sorts of things.

Palin's political career is toast

2011-01-09T17:54:00.002-05:00

Rep. Gifford's (and the other bystanders) shooting will mean the end of whatever chance Palin had.

Rabid (Malkin) chipmunk talks net neutrality

2010-12-24T12:02:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of the holiday we're going to forgo the usual treatment of Malkin for the idiot that she so aptly plays. Just another fool doing the bidding of her moneyed business overlords.

Again, we should state that we don't line-up with most of her opposition on this matter either. But we fail to see how truth in bandwidth declarations impose unreasonable stricture on providers as she states in the article: When you've drank the kool-aid, you've drank the kool-aid.

Her attempt to align this with health care is a typical device and not really worthy of much consideration.

Hotmail feature or no click needed attack vector

2010-12-17T04:51:00.001-05:00

The downside of connections

2010-12-14T09:07:00.003-05:00

We had forgotten that we were registered on the Gawker site but we received an email this morning stating that our information was loose on the Internet.

Cyberwar, Cybercrime; you say potato, I say...

2010-12-02T11:47:00.003-05:00

Two points of note in this story; One silly and shortsighted, the other trenchant.

"McGraw: Because there is a lot of crime, less espionage, and very little cyberwar. (chuckle)"

The contention that cyberwar is not showing its face at this time and therefore should not be a major concern is naive. Helped along by the actions of the Chinese, the U.S. government's willingness to recognize the potential threat has struck us as praise worthy. The offensive approach to this matter is in fact mirrored by the reality of constantly changing vectors of attack in current civilian IT security.

"One of our main points is that there is a confusing blend of cyberwar stuff, cyber-espionage stuff and cybercrime stuff, and the stories are used to justify whatever political or economic end people may have..."

In addition to a newer variant on the old military/industrial complex boogieman, the potential for abuse in this manner of lumping it altogether is frightening.

PAC's move to tighten grip on elections.

2010-11-30T05:31:00.001-05:00

Palin vs Obama

2010-11-18T04:07:00.002-05:00

Palin says she thinks she could beat Obama. All is normal, Palin still full of herself and other forms of crap.

Anniversary of note: Trotsky no longer a communist

2010-11-12T07:54:00.003-05:00

The beginning of the end.

Moyers on class warfare

2010-11-07T10:43:00.003-05:00

This excerpt is from Citigroup, not Moveon.org:

“Asset booms, a rising profit share and favorable treatment by market-friendly governments have allowed the rich to prosper… [and] take an increasing share of income and wealth over the last 20 years.”

“…the top 10%, particularly the top 1% of the United States –
the plutonomists in our parlance – have benefited disproportionately from the recent productivity surged in the US… [and] from globalization and the productivity boom, at the relative expense of labor.”

“… [and they] are likely to get even wealthier in the coming years. Because the dynamics of plutonomy are still intact.”

via T.G.'s Political Wire

2010-10-25T17:56:00.002-04:00

"Her opponent and that crowd in Washington make Richard Nixon look like a member of Students for a Democratic Society. They make Newt Gingrich and George Bush look like garden variety liberals."

-- Bill Clinton, quoted by CNN, at a campagin event for Tarryl Clark (D) who is running against Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN).

Palin does the trash-talkin' bitch routine

2010-10-18T18:17:00.003-04:00

It appears that we may have a meme and you can bet it's loaded with some heavy-duty castratin' bitch type sexual politics.

"Hey, politicians who are in office today you, some of you, need to man up and spend some political capital to support the Tea Party candidates instead of doing this, waiting to see how everything is going to go," Palin said. But even in so much as this sentiment might be said to play to her strengths (nasty bitch), she's just a few brain cells short of being able to come up with a completely original thought.

Sharron Angle, in her debate a few days earlier with Harry Reid in the Nevada race for the senate, offered him the advice to "man up" . Michelle Malkin then gave the phrase header status and before you know it, Palin has picked it up.

Christine O"Donnell, would you care to make this a coven?

Feingold tests our stoicism

2010-10-14T08:11:00.002-04:00

Stoic is about as good a description as any in stating our attitude about the coming elections. And for good reasons.

But a loss for Feingold is not something we'd like to see.

The fun begins

2010-09-18T13:29:00.002-04:00

Okay; when 'I am outside the mainstream' becomes the basis for legitimacy, this is what happens.

Maher is doing great work here.

Boo Yahoo

2010-09-18T11:34:00.001-04:00

Running full security sweeps now thanks to a raid on Yahoo contacts folder.

Microsoft trifecta

2010-09-18T08:41:00.002-04:00

It took some work but the test machine is booting Home Server, Server2008 R2 and Windows 7 Enterprise (running the IE 9 beta).

Home Server was not an easy install (an hour, plus) but it does seem user-friendly.

Say it ain't so

2010-09-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

Cranky Geeks to join DL.TV in the dustbin of great geek web video.

Palin tells Repugs- You lost big, rally 'round me.

2010-09-17T22:36:00.002-04:00

"Did you ever lose big growing up?" she asked the crowd. "You lose some and you win some. For the sake of our contrary (sic), America's primary voters have spoken and those internal power struggles need to be set aside."

DOJ sues AZ sheriff for documents

2010-09-03T04:53:00.003-04:00

His harassment of journalists investigating his office is just one example of extreme behavior and wins no favor here. Whatever the merits of the DOJ action, it does seem that Arpaio doesn't like any kind of oversight or inspection.

Beck's dog whistle rally

2010-08-27T12:56:00.001-04:00

"I have a scheme"

McAfee gets bogarted by W3i lawyer?

2010-08-25T00:21:00.003-04:00

The site owner's comment on McAfee's Freeze.com page is signed by "W3i_GC" (W3i is the parent company of Freeze.com and GC can reasonably be deduced to mean General Counsel). The Freeze.com rating from SiteAdvisor had previously been red or yellow but has now been switched to green.

We call bullshit. The eleven downloads from the Freeze.com site McAfee has listed are all yellow. How does that translate into a green rating for the site?

Murdoch makes smart move with tablet tabloid

2010-08-13T17:15:00.001-04:00

CJR review finds the nugget in Yahoo writing guide

2010-08-13T16:33:00.004-04:00

"Yahoo, without apology or complaint, embraces the view that online writers and editors are responsible for building and curating their audiences."

Otherwise, both are pandering POS: Tough to beat the symphony that is good writing and good reporting.

The beginning of the end of the "free" web

2010-08-09T15:30:00.002-04:00

Obviously, content providers will have to make a choice as to which "pipeline" to use. The choice of either one will preclude the use of the other.

Righteous indignation from former AG (yawn)

2010-07-24T15:28:00.002-04:00

Prosecutorial discretion- he's used it himself and should be damn glad he's not facing criminal charges.

Palin video: real or cartoon?

2010-07-09T13:52:00.001-04:00

Yahoo's guide to bad writing for the web

2010-07-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

Mutter called on the whining

2010-06-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

Martin Gardner, dead at 95

2010-05-23T15:27:00.001-04:00

Woodward's Obama book to be released just before mid-term elections

2010-05-05T19:02:00.001-04:00

We don't like the smell of this.

Stupak denies Tea Party forced him out

2010-04-10T14:15:00.001-04:00

But the Tea baggers will still smell blood in the water.

Dual journalism and computer science master's degree at Columbia

2010-04-08T16:01:00.002-04:00

Net neutrality decision makes the game really interesting

2010-04-07T07:02:00.001-04:00

Points to how very little legal basis there is for an assumed right.

Karzai reportedly threatens to join Taliban

2010-04-05T19:29:00.002-04:00

Outside pressures to reform appear to be too much for this Bush-era anointee to stomach. Karzai is also saying that the election fraud was the work of the United States.

He's probably skimmed enough already that he could lead a very comfortable life outside of the country. It's time to ask him if he can spell D-I-E-M. And we shouldn't feel bad about doing so.

Stevens to retire from SCOTUS during Obama's term

2010-04-03T19:04:00.002-04:00

Since he doesn't have a way to see the future, one would have to assume that means prior to 2012.

Time for ACORN to sue O'Keefe?

2010-04-02T12:29:00.003-04:00

Not a big fan of suing any kind of journalist but if folks want to throw off that stodgy "professionalism", some real-world education could help guide them along.

This finding by the California AG is in line with what New York authorities determined and would tend to lend weight to saying O'Keefe's actions crossed the willful or knowing lines for establishing libel.

Government grabs abuse law

2010-04-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Judge Walker rules Bushco engaged in illegal wiretapping

2010-03-31T17:17:00.000-04:00

Misappropriation of "hot news" claim

2010-03-31T06:34:00.000-04:00

More cyber-attacks on critics of China

2010-03-30T23:24:00.001-04:00

Tea party getting uglier

2010-03-20T21:41:00.001-04:00

Rosen and Jarvis to advise in the real world

2010-03-17T21:13:00.000-04:00

Let's see what happens.

Terrorism and the rule of law

2010-03-15T06:06:00.000-04:00

Another right wing lie about Clinton falls

2010-03-10T05:30:00.003-05:00

The FBI filegate hunt.

Limbaugh threatens to leave

2010-03-10T05:08:00.001-05:00

We know that somewhere there is a site collecting money to pay for the two airline seats he'll need.