The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
Yesterday when I saw the announcement I went to the site (even though it wasn't live at the time) and bookmarked it in del.icio.us. Sure enough, now that the site's live, it's the top hit on del.icio.us/popular, and as you can see on the screenshot, I am the first credited bookmark of the site!
Warner Music Group is creating a new music-distribution mechanism that will rely on digital downloads instead of compact discs.Source: Engadget.
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Warner Music's move seems to be a response to the exploding popularity of music-download services and the slowly slipping sales of physical CDs. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, about 180 million songs were sold online in the first half of 2005, up from 57 million in the same period last year. Apple Computer's iTunes recently passed 500 million downloads.
The e-label will permit recording artists to enjoy a "supportive, lower-risk environment" without as much pressure for huge commercial hits, Bronfman said. In addition, artists signed to the e-label will retain copyright and ownership of their master recordings.
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a "terrific danger" to the United States.This is going too far. Apparently being an American Christian, complete with the right to be safe in our country at any expense, is the most important thing he can strive for.
Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, said on "The 700 Club" it was the United States' duty to stop Chavez from making Venezuela a "launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
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"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
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"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said.
"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
The world needs Pat Robertson’s Christianity as much as it needs Osama bin Laden’s Islam.Another take:
And to think, all these years the preacher was actually saying "Do unto others BEFORE they do it unto you."Also: USAToday
CNNStarletta Wilson came to the sale but when the gates opened at 7 a.m., chaos broke out.Witnesses could not positively identify those responsible for the trampling, although several people thought they recognized certain Richmond City Council members.
“Yeah, they pushed me, look at my child's stroller... they actually pushed me and stampeded over me. Those people who are down there now were behind us," Wilson said.Dustin Coppinger, who attended the sale, said he saw an older man get trampled.
"An old man in a walker was trampled to the ground. Trampled to the ground... walked all over," he said.
Dozens more were pushed to the ground as the crowd races through the gates.
A one-year-old baby almost became a victim. Her father pulled her out of her stroller.
"Look at her stroller. Her stroller's demolished. Look at my stroller,” said Wilson.
Alice Jemerson was one victim who got trampled.
"Look at my knees. They ran on top of me. I just starting kicking the people," she said.
A man who had been standing in line since 2 a.m. came to Jemerson’s rescue. Bair Hossai was almost guaranteed to get one of the coveted computers.
"I'm not going to leave somebody who's hurt. It's not worth it. I could have been in the line, but I'm not going to do it, because it's not worth it," Hossai said.
Let's say you are an 18-year-old kid with a really big brain. You're trying to figure out which field of study you should devote your life to, so you can understand the forces that will be shaping history for decades to come.
Go into the field that barely exists: cultural geography. Study why and how people cluster, why certain national traits endure over centuries, why certain cultures embrace technology and economic growth and others resist them.
This is the line of inquiry that is now impolite to pursue. The gospel of multiculturalism preaches that all groups and cultures are equally wonderful.
WiMax has now gotten a big shot in the arm, as Vonage, the VoIP pioneer, has announced a partnership with TowerStream, a provider of Internet access using WiMax. Together they can offer VoIP wirelessly over ranges of up to 30 miles.Attention comedy writers: NBC wants your passion projects. Quickly.Writers do not usually write a script for a show until they have a deal, so asking for scripts on spec means that writers have to accept the risk of the time and effort they put into writing the script just for NBC to take a look at. Since NBC is only looking to fast-track one or two shows, the chances are pretty slim -- but for the one that wins, it's a shot at the big time.That's the message the struggling network is putting out around town, according to sources, to get a glance of good material in advance of its competitors.
With its lineup undisturbed by any new hit comedies, NBC is seeking to fast-track at least one spec script to a pilot order for midseason consideration...
NBC is hoping to capture the lightning in a bottle that jolted ABC last season, when writer Marc Cherry submitted on spec the script that became the megahit "Desperate Housewives." That said, NBC probably wouldn't turn its nose up at drama scripts, either.
