Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2

Yet Another Attempt At Yet Another Pro Football League

Looks like it's time for another challenge to the NFL. This second string that wants to be starters is made up of Bill Hambrecht and Google's Tim Armstrong. They've got Mark Cuban as their first team owner. They call it the United Football League or the UFL.

I doubt this one succeeds, but it will be interesting to watch the players try to pull it together.

Via The New York Times

Not Feeling That Social?

I have to agree with Eric Rice's sentiments on this. Not everyone wants to be social and share all the time. Folks who push social and sharing ought to know this. As Eric says:

"Sometimes we want to be left alone, to consume, in peace."

Good point, Eric. I need to go share that with everyone.

TB Quarantine First Since 1963

The news is flush with word that a US traveler has been quarantined with a case of antibiotic resistant tuberculosis. Apparently passengers he flew with on two international flights are being contacted and are being asked to get checked out.

Here's the wacky part. Health officials new of the man's condition before he left the country. And by doing so the guy broke no laws.

Yeesh!

Via Reuters

Apple Warns iPod Users Away from Audio Books

Ouch. Apple is warning iPod users to stay away from recently released Audio Books for the moment because of some problems that may or may not be DRM related. Apparently some of the newly released books on the iTunes site don't work on iPods. Apple is offering refunds, but this can't be a good thing. I bet Audible is smiling.

Hugo Chavez Loves To Whack the Media

Maybe this time he'll get whacked back.

I bet a lot of leaders would like to be as brazen as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. He doesn't like the local media coverage so he shuts down the network. Now he's ticked at CNN so he's going to sue them. I think this is going to get ugly down there and I hope it does. Otherwise Chavez's actions might embolden others.

Republicans Eating Their Own

Yep it is another politics post. But an entertaining one. Don't worry, the Democrats will soon be chowing down on themselves any day now. I find this article in the New Yorker entertaining. It chronicles the disenchantment that some Republicans have with the current Prez and his cronies. Actually, that's not quite accurate. It chronicles some of those who are running away screaming from Bush and his gang in order to preserve their shot at the top, or at least their place in the conservative galaxy. It has been happening for awhile now, but when Newt Gingrich, the only presidential candidate wanna be that threatens to make Mario Cuomo look decisive, compares the Bush administration to the Carter administration you know you've got some crazy cannibalism going on.

It's a long read, but a good one.

US Debt Now $516,348 For Each Household

Guess I'll have to reevaluate my discretionary spending this week. In what shouldn't be news, but is, and conversely what should be news but isn't  USA Today is reporting that the US Gov't doesn't use the same accounting rules that they require of everyone else. Shocked. Don't be. Been going on for years.

What is shocking that when the national debt is scrutinized under those rules the amount is staggering. Imagine getting soaked with a new bill for $31,000 for each of the next 75 years. Oh, wait, you already have. You just don't know it yet.

Calacanis Takes On ESPN

Jason Calacanis wonders if ESPN has recently lost their minds because they block their content on certain ISPs because those ISPs won't pay the freight. Aside from this being an older story, ESPN hasn't lost their mind just a lot of potential viewers. I ran into this awhile ago and just decided it was one site I didn't need to visit. I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.

Memorial Day Weekend Video Viewing

I'm a sucker for old War War II movies and war movies in general. Don't know why, just am. It's not the blood and guts or the violence, but something else that draws me to even the worst of them.

Yesterday I viewed two new World War II movies back to back on DVD. Clint Eastwood's brilliant companion pieces, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.

What's brilliant about these two cinematic achievements is the way they drill down to the essence of any story: the human experience. Of course that experience is war time is magnified twenty fold if not more. Eastwood does a magnificent job of story telling and watching the two back-to-back is a real treat because you get a rare chance to see two sides of the same story back to back. This isn't done in any obvious way that beats you over the head, but the resonances are powerful and compelling.

Iwo Jima is the better of the two films in my opinion, but they both are high achievements.If you're looking for some good film viewing this weekend and want to avoid the three-quels at the cineplex check out these films.

Sunday Morning Reading

Some Sunday morning reading to share.

I posted about the CyberWar that was going in on Estonia recently and here's a follow up article on that from The Daily Mail that sort of lays out how a CyberWar could unfold among other things. Scary stuff.

Interesting discussion on declaring email bankruptcy this week for folks who just can't cope with the flood of stuff (spam and otherwise) in their inboxes. Marc Orchant has a take on why declaring email bankruptcy is not a solution. A thought on this. Choosing to answer an email is like choosing to pick up the phone. If you choose to, you need to deal with the ramifications of your choice, and approaches like Marc and others suggest is the only way to manage your sanity. If you choose not to, only do so if you aren't going to let guilt drag you down. Either way, you run your life so accept that and move on.

This is a new way to strike back at critics. It might be new but it is stupid. According to this article linked to by TechDirt, an Infomercial Investment Software Company tried to use trademark law to silence negative reviews of their product, The case is in court and of course it is being fought. Imagine if any industry could file such suits against its critics based on devaluing the trademark.

I, Cringley on The Final Days of Google.That's one big petri dish.

Scientists now are breeding cows that can give skim milk. Chocolate milk is next.

The fight over domain names as exemplified by the battle of sex.com. Interesting read.

Ad wars in burger land. Carl's Jr and Hardee's don't like the implied references Jack-in-the-Box is using in their ads that seems to suggest burgers made from Angus beef are made from cow's anus.