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Month: May 2008

The Pitfalls of Pundit Boxing

Posted in Politics and Public Affairs

The YouTube clip featuring MSNBC shouter Chris Matthews taking down hapless conservative talk show host Kevin James has been everywhere, most notably promoted by MSNBC itself. As an Obama supporter, and hater of content-free punditry, you’d think I’d get a kick out of that, wouldn’t you? Actually, no. The clip represents everything I dislike about political “analysis” done by talking head pundits of whatever stripe. In the clip, Matthews, trying out for the role of…

Twitter Beats the Media? Hah!

Posted in New Media and Tech

This post is mostly a pointer to an excellent piece I just saw on ReadWriteWeb, called “Did Twitter Really ‘Outshine’ the Mainstream Media?”. I continue to love this site and its thoughtful commentary. The long and the short of it? Twitter can tell you about the earthquake first, or even help survivors communicate with the outside world and get help. But it can’t tell you the details, the scope of the disaster, or the long-term…

Free for iPhone Users Only

Posted in New Media and Tech

I essentially admitted to a bit of iPhone envy yesterday. But this isn’t about that. Seems that AT*&T has opened up free wi-fi access for iPhone users at its hot spots (read, Starbucks). I find that disturbing. It seems to set up a class system of Internet access, based on the device you carry. I have no objection to AAT&T or Starbucks or anyone charging for wi-fi access. It is a service for which many…