infobong.com the absurd courts the vulgar

• Google Buys DoubleClick for $3.1 Billion
  Don’t be evil, Google!
  (del.icio.us tags: privacy advertising business google)
• NewTeeVee: Joost: It’s The Metadata, Stupid!
  Using FOAF-style metadataa for collaborative filtering and social network could make Joost the dominant online TV platform.
  (del.icio.us tags: TVontheWeb Web2.0 metadata)
• PBS P.O.V.: Tintin and I . On Cartooning . Chris Ware
  Chris Ware reveals the responses he wants from readers in this fascinating interview.
  (del.icio.us tags: comics PBS interview)
• Digital Web: HTML5, XHTML2, and the Future of the Web
  This article outlines the differences between HTML 5 and XHTML2 and argues that HTML 5 is more likely to be implemented.
  (del.icio.us tags: Web_publishing standards browser)

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• The Federal Pie Chart
  Fifty-one percent of the 2008 federal budget will go to military-related spending.
  (del.icio.us tags: chart taxation military war)
• Study: Students Don’t Understand Copyright Rules
  Well, I think any study would show that “Students Don’t Understand X.”
  (del.icio.us tags: intellectualproperty copyright education)
• Design Observer: Are JPEGs the New Album Covers?
  This article lamenting the loss of the album cover in the age of compressed music files reminds me of the same discourse when the little paper booklets in CD cases replaces the 12 inch sleeve. And, yeah, I bought an LP of New Order’s _Brotherhood_ because
  (del.icio.us tags: design mp3 music)
• OLPCWiki: OS images for emulation
  I don’t think I’ll ever have the time to check out the software for the One-Laptop-per-Child machine, but it’s cool emulators are publicly available.
  (del.icio.us tags: opensource digitaldivide)
• Slate: Testing out Wikitravel. by TIm Wu
  Law professor Tim Wu used WikiTravel as a guide on a trip to Thailand with disappointing results.
  (del.icio.us tags: wiki UGC travel)

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• Stanford Magazine: Information Expert Edward Tufte
  This alumni magazine profile offers a glowing, but insightful portrait of Tufte.
  (del.icio.us tags: information_design statistics design)
• Etsy: Colors
  I’m pretty sure Jared Tarbell created this awesome Flash interface I found yesterday. Users mouse over colored blobs, and click to retrieve inventory items matching those colors.
  (del.icio.us tags: color shopping Flash awesome)
• Valleywag: The grotesque $1 salary
  Valleywag points out how one-dollar salaries paid to the likes of Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt serve as a tax dodge for their real compensation. Since stock options are treated as capital gains, tech execs pay less than half the income tax rate.
  (del.icio.us tags: taxation business)

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• Hypebeast: New Balance Joy Division
  These crazy commemorative New Balance shoes appropriate the cover art from “Unknown Pleasures” on the sole design. I can’t imagine there are many Joy Division fans that collect sneakers, but perhaps the movie will stimulate interest.
  (del.icio.us tags: punk design clothing whoa)
• Network World FAQ: Vonage’s latest blow explained
  Verizon is suing Vonage for patent infringement, leading to an injunction against Vonage signing up new customers. Although the injunction was lifted, it’s clear that Verizon is using patents to broadly protect its business.
  (del.icio.us tags: VoIP patents intellectualproperty telecom)

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• Rough Type: Amazon patents cybernetic mind meld
  Amazon has patented the software design that power it’s “Mechanical Turk” service, which automates human input into data-processing systems.
  (del.icio.us tags: patents intellectualproperty crowdsourcing)
• MPAA’s Anti-Piracy Dogs, Great Publicity but Nothing Special
  This TorrentFreak post discusses how the MPAA’s dogs supposedly trained to sniff out pirated DVDs are in practice useless because many common objects are made of the same polycarbonate plastic.
  (del.icio.us tags: DVD intellectualproperty MPAA surveillance stupid)
• Daring Fireball: EMI to Offer DRM-Free Online Music
  John Gruber makes some insightful remarks on the new Apple-EMI partnership to sell DRM-free music at a premium.
  (del.icio.us tags: DRM mp3 music business Apple)
• Josh Wolf Turns Over Tapes, Released
  I guess I’m a little disappointed to see Wolf back down, but he’s been held longer than any US journalist in history.
  (del.icio.us tags: journalism lawenforcement indymedia)

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• O’Reilly Radar: Call for a Blogger’s Code of Conduct
  Tim O’Reilly calls for a blogger’s code in response to the harassment of Kathy Sierra. The problem is that trolls and griefers aren’t going to follow the rules.
  (del.icio.us tags: surveillance ethics blog)
• Infoshop: Student expelled for Pastafarianism
  I think this is pretty stupid, but K12 educators have to have a hard time with stuff like Pastafarianism, treading a thin line between freedom of expression and maintaining decorum. Unless, of course, they’re bigots.
  (del.icio.us tags: 1stamendment education religion)

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I thought I would check in. I’m swamped with school, but I’m also going through one of those phases where I’m rethinking what I want to do with this blog. I find this blog rewarding, but I’m wondering how much attention I need to give it for the rewards I perceive.

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