blog.vanillacokehead.com
it's like internet porn…without the porn!
Archive for February 5th, 2010
- just had a bizarre dream involving extended family, armed robbery, and a therapist. funk dat! #fb #
- is ashamed to hear of this news: OH kills a killer this morning. http://bit.ly/bWfbah #fb #
- shows your tax dollars at work: about a dozen upstate NY teachers get paid to sit, do nothing. http://lin.cr/1mlc (via @rachbarnhart) #fb #
- wonders why @twitter says he has 27,000 more tweets than he actually has. *shrug* #
- proudly announces that his Tweets today are brought to you by STUN: "Feel tired? Try STUN. STUN is NUTS spelled backwards." #
- chuckles at this news: students at the UK's Cambridge University asked to quiet down during sex. http://bit.ly/dmxR2m #fb #
- RT @mochadad: Why It's Better to Pretend You Don't Know Anything About Computers http://bit.ly/9CAa3C *amen to this!* #
- RT @TinaDupuy: 41 seats are only a majority when they're Republicans.*amen!* #
- likes this development: Heinz unveils: "Extreme Makeover: ketchup packet edition". Neat design. http://bit.ly/aGZzhL #fb #
- is watching a Science Channel special about luxury condos in Vegas – finds it sad the people building them can't even afford them. #fb #
- RT @culturalwisdom: Diary of a schadenfreude junkie: "I don't like HUMAN suffering; I just like PEOPLE suffering." #
Powered by Twitter Tools
- Craig Mundie Wants "Internet Driver's Licenses"
I Don’t Believe in Imaginary Property writes “Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, called for the creation of an ‘Internet Driver’s License’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying, ‘If you want to drive a car you have to have a license to say that you are capable of driving a car, the car has to pass a test to say it is fit to drive and you have to have insurance.’ Of course, there are quite a few problems with this. For starters, internet use cannot yet cause death or dismemberment like car accidents can; and this would get rid of most of the good of internet anonymity while retaining all of the bad parts, especially in terms of expanding the market for stolen identities. Even though telephone networks have long been used by scammers and spammers/telemarketers, we’ve never needed a ‘Telephone Driver’s License.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Ambulance chiefs threaten to sack paramedics who wear novelty socks
UK – Ambulance chiefs are threatening paramedics with the sack if they insist on wearing novelty socks. Uniformed staff have been barred from wearing socks with images of cartoon characters, jokes and garish patterns after bosses branded them “unprofessional”. The strict uniform policy, issued by North West Ambulance Service, also bans wrist watches, visible body piercing, excessive make-up and certain tattoos. Staff have been warned they could be disciplined and ultimately even sacked if they flout the dress code which forms part of their terms of employment … ( Continue story )
- Youngsters prefer Facebook to blogging
Blogging is still a huge part of the Web, but has it peaked already? And if so, how is the popularity of Facebook connected to that trend?
At one point it seemed as though everyone was blogging. Certainly the number of people starting blogs and using the medium to impart their thoughts on the Internet grew [...] - T-Mobile Finally Moving Out of Deutsche Telekom’s Basement [Rumor]
Hey, T-Mobile customer, do you have any idea that your wireless carrier is actually owned and operated by German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom? No? Well, ignore everything I just said, because it probably won’t be true soon.
If you’re interested in why DT would spin off their entire US arm, it’s just a matter of numbers:
T-Mobile USA has languished under perceptions that its wireless network is inferior and lacks reach, a major shortcoming as customers turn to their cell phones to surf the Internet and stream video. In the third quarter, 77,000 users walked away from T-Mobile USA, while AT&T and Verizon Wireless added millions of customers.
DT is a conservative company, T-Mobile USA, while massive, represents a fraction of their business, or a medium-sized liability, depending on how you look at it.
The excision could come as either a partial spinoff, a merger with another American carrier (and not an AT&T or a Verizon—we're talking the likes of MetroPCS), or an IPO. Whatever happens, we'll probably hear about it within "the next two months." [WSJ]
- Verizon edges out T-Mobile in customer care
Verizon Wireless wins top marks in a J.D. Power and Associates wireless customer care performance study.
Originally posted at Dialed In
- Boy, 9, punished for 2-inch Lego gun
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (UPI) — A New York mother said she is outraged at the treatment her 9-year-old son received from his principal for bringing a 2-inch toy gun to school.
- NFL players to fight digital dating abuse
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (UPI) — The National Football League Players Association has joined Family Violence Prevention Fund to stop digital dating abuse, the union said Thursday. - Report: Lohan reveals hoarding habit on TV
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4 (UPI) — U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan reveals her cluttered home on TV’s “The Insider,” prompting “Clean House” host Niecy Nash to ask if she’s a secret celebrity hoarder. - Dropbox Teases Android App
One of the more popular file sharing and syncing services, Dropbox, seems to be gearing up for an Android app announcement. An email has been sent out to their users teasing, “Do you own a BlackBerry or Android phone? Don’t worry! We’ve got plenty more mobile magic coming soon!”
If you’re not familiar with Dropbox, the service gives users 2 GB of cloud storage that can be synchronized between multiple computers and platforms. In the meanwhile, Android users have SugarSync, among other services to use.
Source: Androinica
Might We Suggest…
- Seesmic 1.2 Adds New Features, Including Posting Across Multiple Accounts
One of the stronger twitter applications for Android that we’ve encountered, Seesmic, has announced an updated release. Aside from the usual fare of bug fixes and minor tweaks, there are some very no…
- Seesmic 1.2 Adds New Features, Including Posting Across Multiple Accounts
- AP IMPACT: Drug cartels co-opt rehab for recruits
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s powerful drug cartels have been operating drug rehabilitation clinics, turning some into bloody killing fields and forcing recovering addicts into their ranks of hit men and smugglers….
- The TSA’s New Genital Visualizer Will Probably Upset Travelers [Humor]
- Phishing for Carbon: Hackers Steal Millions in Emissions Certificates [Crime]
Credit cards numbers? Please. Medical records? Booooring. The modern hacker knows that the real money’s in carbon emission trade credits. No, seriously: a recent phishing expedition reaped over $4 million from carbon-emitting companies in Europe, Japan, and New Zealand.The hackers sent emails to 2,000 companies in Germany alone, claiming to be from the German Emissions Trading Authority, which keeps track of carbon credits and transactions. The email requested that the companies re-register their accounts, and the information the duped employees provided was then used—you guessed it—to access the companies' GETA accounts and and clean them out.
It’s unclear who the thieves sold the credits to, but the buyers are assumed to have thought they were making a legal transaction. And it’s also possible to see how it would have taken some time to see that something was amiss: four million bucks is a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket of $130 billion of CO2 emissions that were traded in Europe last year.
So remember, kids: lock up your gasses. People will steal just about anything these days. [Der Spiegel via Wired]
- Great Ad Placement by McDonalds
- CEO of Sun Microsystems Tweets his resignation
In this modern age of social media, how does a CEO of a major corporation let the world know he is resigning? He tells the public via his Twitter account, of course.
According to The New York Times, late last night, Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, let the world know that he was resigning [...] - Young adults favor mobile devices over desktops for net access
Young people today are just as likely to access the internet on a cellphone as on a laptop. That news comes from a survey which also shows blogging is increasingly becoming an activity preferred by older users.
The latest figures from the Pew Internet and American Life project show some distinct differences between those aged 18-29 [...] - Could cable lose its grip on TV business?
The two largest cable operators reported strong profits and broadband subscriber additions, but the companies are losing their bread-and-butter video subscribers.
- Every Child Deserves a TV and a DVD Player
Founded in 1996, the Baby Einstein Co. was sold to Disney five years later. It was lauded by President George W. Bush in his 2007 State of the Union address as “representing the great enterprising spirit of America.”
And now it’s representing the litigious spirit of America by suing the University of Washington.
One creator of the Baby Einstein video series is preparing to take the University of Washington to court after two scathing critiques of the Disney-backed toddler video series.
Following on a pair of studies asserting that the popular baby videos may actually hinder child development, Baby Einstein co-creator William Clark has filed a lawsuit claiming the university failed to respond to public records requests.
The subtext, obviously, is whether teevee is good for kids—just looking at the BE website made me a little dumber.
- Heinz revamps ketchup packets
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The ketchup packet has been around for more than 40 years, and complaints about it for nearly as long: too messy, too small, too hard to open. Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. is unveiling the first major packaging change to the to-go condiment….
- Campus Blotter: Police, Students Explode into Drunken Brawl at San Francisco State
San Francisco State University’s reputation for activism dates back to the civil rights era. The school’s protest keggers, however, still leave something to be desired. Yes it’s time again for Campus Blotter: the eyes, ears, and overworked liver of academia…
- China Censors Oscar Nominations
China has censored this year’s nominations for the Academy Awards, blocking out the name of a documentary about the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake.
Digest powered by RSS Digest
Facebook ‘em, Dano!
If you see your Facebook avatar on the upper right corner of this page, it's extra-easy to comment in this blog. Facebook Connect is enabled here - which allows you to use your Facebook identity with this WordPress blog. Pretty cool, huh?