November 2009
Researchers Bind Cocaine to Cholera to Create... →
Researchers in Texas are binding cocaine to deactivated cholera proteins to create a vaccine that fools the body into attacking cocaine molecules, thus making the drug ineffective
Crazy.
The Death of the TechCrunch Tablet →
Knowing Arrington, I’m sure there’s more to this story than meets the eye. A design shop startup doesn’t steal the idea of their feature client on a whim. I’m willing to bet there were either events leading up to this or that this is simply heavy handed negotiation. If it’s the latter, count Arrington’s post on TechCrunch as his rebuttal.
But ValleyWag nails...
At 18+ rock shows...
…I’m not sure if they’re under 21 or just actually Hardcore. Do people still do that?
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Data Mining with Rs →
The main goal of this book is to introduce the reader to the use of R as a tool for performing data mining. R is a freely downloadable language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. Its capabilities and the large set of available packages turn this tool into an excellent alternative to the existing (and expensive!) data mining tools.
A great free eBook on R. I’ll be...
Bud Selig: Retrospecticus →
In honor of the commish starting the three-year countdown clock until retirement, I thought it would be instructive to take a look at his tenure a fair and thorough manner: bullet points! Allan Huber Selig gave us the Wild Card, two new teams in the Sun Belt, and landed MLB hugely impressive TV deals. Is that enough to overcome the myriad fiascoes? Let’s take a stroll down memory...
“People tend to search for gravy at 3pm. When they panic and realize they have no...”
– Thanksgiving, by the numbers. (Via Gawker)
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The Latest Entrepreneurial Fantasy Is Selling... →
Out here in San Francisco, the burnt out rich open wineries. In New York they open cupcake shops.
Thanksgiving at Mohegan Sun - A Chinese Casino... →
Heading to casinos first became a Thanksgiving activity for Chinese immigrants decades ago because the holiday is one of the only days that Chinese restaurants are either run by a skeleton staff or closed. Mohegan Sun is one of several regional casinos that compete for this crowd. On any other day, 50 buses might run between Mohegan Sun and Chinese neighborhoods in New York, along with some from...
“We’re at an odd inflection – old people think screens are TVs, young people...”
– Chris Heathcote: screens and interactivity (via iamdanw) (via benkraal)
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“Table manners are social agreements; they are devised precisely because violence...”
– Margaret Visser, Rituals of Dinner
Thanksgiving (for the rest of us)
ckck:
Thanksgiving is an odd day, internet-wise, when you’re not in America and celebrating it yourself. For the rest of us, this is just any other day, a Thursday like any other, except that with the U.S. coming to a near-complete halt, you really do notice when you’re online.
Opening up Google Reader would normally yield a lot to look through, today not so much. Twitter isn’t chirping as much...
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How was PostGourmet.com not Taken?
Stay tuned for the new project…
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“Everyone is talking about the shots of the iguanas and the alligator, staring...”
– Roger Ebert’s review of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans. This movie was absurd and fantastic in only the way that Herzog and Cage can be. I have never anticipated a director’s commentary more than with this film.
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“As president, I believe that robots can inspire young people to pursue science...”
– Obama.
After watching the Curb Your Enthusiasm Finale
I thin Seinfeld should return for season 8 and Michael Richards and J.B. Smoove should star in a buddy comedy.
Has Bell Invented a "Telegraph Killer"? →
(Via McSweeney’s)
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What The Hell is Wrong With Gavin Newsom? →
This interview is a mess, he’s a mess, and I can only hope he walks out of office early, much like this interview. (Via Gawker)
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IFC Comes to Netflix Streaming →
IFC Entertainment and Netflix have struck a streaming partnership that gives the online movie rental service U.S. rights to 53 indie films. The IFC titles become available for streaming on televisions and computers today. Additional titles will be added on an ongoing basis.
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Dear NYTimes.com,
You’re not fooling anyone when you feature NASCAR news front and center, above the fold.
Yours,
Drew
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“Lady Gaga’s track “Poker Face” was one of the most popular tracks during a five...”
– A dismaying article about Spotify.
My problem with Spotify so far has been that their selection is limited to mostly major label tracks. Apparently this is because Spotify has taken investments from each of the big four labels; it’s success as a business benefits the majors who still believe...
The Pragmatic Bookshelf 40% off everything through... →
If you’re looking for an intro to iPhone programming, there’s no better guide than the one Pragmatic Bookshelf offers.
“My youngest daughter Jade, who is six, recently said that she didn’t understand...”
– From The Head Of Zeus Jones
How I gave Oprah her start : Roger Ebert →
Yes, it is true, I persuaded Oprah to become the most successful and famous woman in the world. I was also the person who suggested that Jerry Springer not go into syndication, for which I have received too little credit.
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Wake me when we’re done talking about twitter apps.
Oprah Makes It Official: To Leave Syndicated Show... →
Oprah ends a 25 year run that puts hers up with Fidel Castro and Muammar al-Gaddafi as one of the most durable dictatorships of our age. (Via Gawker)
“The characters in this movie should be arrested for loitering with intent to...”
– Roger Ebert reviews New Moon
NYMag: In the end, what was it that finally prompted you to do the Tonight Show? Conan contacting you? The promise of stability?
Andy Richter: All those things. And also just how shitty it is just trying to develop comedy right now. How dumb ideas are seeming to be rewarded. How a lot of the networks seem to have basically thrown in the towel on comedy and said ‘We just basically don’t know what we’re doing or what works,’ and we just kind of have more stuff where the dad’s kind of a jerk, the mom knows best, and everybody just kind of insults each other for half an hour and at the end everybody says they love each other and tune in next week for it all to start again. And that got to be fairly soul-deadening, placing myself for judgment in front of people who I didn’t feel were deserving of that position. There was a lot of “Who the fuck are you to tell me what’s funny?” A lot of that feeling.
“For every $7 spent on contraception over the next four decades global CO2...”
– Family planning is green. Achieving the same results with low-carbon technologies would cost a minimum of $32. (Via Spero News)
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Condé Nast Joins the NYTimes in Preparing for the... →
You know it’s bad times for print media when the marquee players are making huge bets on a rumored device. (Via Gawker)