Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2

Scott Adams on Free Speech

Paradox or bean counting? Scott Adams has an interesting take on Free Speech, when it comes to the news making a fuss over a high profile suicide. Worth a read if the phrase Free Speech means more to you than just words to live by.

Tom Kuntz on Tom Sawyer and Web 2.0

Good stuff. Tom Kuntz of The New York Times sees Web 2.0 and that content word thing as kin to Tom Sawyer getting others to whitewash his fence.

Wring Your Hands, Gnash Your Teeth, Blogging Has Stalled

Numbers games. Apparently there is evidence that blogging has stalled at 15.5 million blogs. OMIGOD!. That sorta kinda smacks in the face of Technorati's claim that they are tracking 70 million or so.

It is no big thing really. Blogs start. Blogs peak. Blogs wain. Blogs die. Gaping Void's Hugh MacLeod weighs in and sorta kinda nails it. Blogging ain't for everybody. Apparently neither is keeping statistics on blogs. Party on.

Sony In Goat Stew

If true, this takes the case for promotional stupidity. Apparently to promote a new PlayStation 3 game, God of War II, the promotional folks though it would be a good idea to slaughter a goat and asks the guests and members of the press to stick their hands in the carcass to eat some of the animal's offal. They pay somebody for this kind of idiocy? Oh, wait, these are the same folks who thought Root Kits were a good idea. And memory sticks.

Via The Daily Mail

Sunday Morning Reading

Some Sunday morning reading to share in our coral reef.

George Tenet's book, due out Monday and leaked like crazy this week, will certainly be a large topic of conversation. (NY Times review) Anybody but me get the feeling that no one believes what anybody says on these issues anymore?

Technology improves education and it apparently improves opportunities for cheaters. Looks like they are starting to ban iPods in schools for that reason.

Dave Winer on Twitter as a coral reef. Intriguing. But isn't it all a coral reef?

George Will on what looks like an interesting book: :The Worst Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl.

This week's debate proved (to me anyway) that I was right early on. Barack Obama ain't ready yet.

Jason Calacanis' Link Baiting meme this week proved to be both hilarious and ... well...er... um.... revealing. Check here to see who bit hook, line, and sinker.

Will wonders never cease. A woman was found partially submerged in her wrecked car two days after the accident sent her plunging into the water.

GBM colleague Rob Bushway has lit a little fire in the Tabletscape, wondering what happened to the "Wow." He's right.

New Baseball Steroids Bomb

Maybe this will blow the lid off of the farce that is major league baseball and steroids once and for all. A NY Mets clubhouse employee has pleading guilty to providing juice to  "dozens" of ball players. I'd love to see this thing finally get sorted out before the home run record is supposedly broken this year. What a farce. What a sham.

Via The Smoking Gun

WiFi Protection

There are those who think that all those radio waves from WiFi an cellphones make them sick. Apparently it is a growing fear. This woman has come up with her own protection from all of that energy bouncing around out there.

Via The Daily Mail

Mousey Mouse

A little gross if you ask me. Apparently if you want your mouse to be a real mouse there's a how to on how to ... um...er... um build one. That's right. A gutted mouse with the guts of a computer mouse inside. Not on my list of weekend projects.

Via Gizmodo

A Glimpse of Hope for Internet Radio

Looks like there might be some hope for Internet Radio. Two Congressmen filed legislation on Thursday that, if passed, would reverse the Copyright Royalty Board's recent decision that essentially makes it too costly for services like Pandora and others to stay in the market. Might want to brush up on your Congressperson's email address.

More here.

Blast From Past: Amiga Readying New Computers

Jumping into the wayback machine, Amiga is getting ready to release new computers next week. Still using the PowerPC platform so who knows what it will be, but they sure were cool back in the day.

Via Gizmodo