] The Long Tail is about the shift from hits to niches.
] Several readers have asked what this means for the future
] of mass (hit-driven, mainstream) culture in America.
] The short answer is that it will not only get less mass,
] but that this is a trend that's already well underway.

This long tail blog is very good. Worth following possibly.

[ Yes, the original article in wired is excellent, and this blog is a continuation of the examination begun there. I think there's a lot of interesting thoughts to be had in this area. -k]

The Long Tail Blog

] Akron, Ohio-based Ecology Coatings has developed a family
] of "liquid solids" that are cured by exposure to
] ultraviolet light for a few seconds. Made up of nano-size
] particles (molecules measuring less than 1 billionth of a
] meter), the liquid solids developed by the company--along
] with similar substances made by rivals--could possibly
] eliminate a lot of the expense involved in applying
] protective coatings to electronic gadgets or patio
] furniture. It also doesn't give off hazardous fumes.

[ Rad! -k]

Nanotech company aims to put paint in the past | CNET News.com

] In Japan, you'll be able to watch live baseball games on
] your mobile, this season. But in an animated version.
]
]
] This means that avatars take the place of players and
] action is transformed, play by play into a cartoon like
] environment. This includes the roar of the crowd,
] scoreboard, the pitch, the strike and trajectory of the
] ball.

[ Theoretically, this is a bandwidth saver... leave the processing on the phone and send the play by play in a simple format. Really, kind of a cool idea... -k]

Live Baseball for Mobile Phones

] China blames Japan for tensions
]
] Chinese authorities have said Japan must do more to heal
] ties after anti-Japanese demonstrations across China
] turned increasingly violent.
]
]
] A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the state of
] relations between the two countries was not China's
] fault.

[ Oi. -k]

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | China blames Japan for tensions

] This review is based on a substantially complete version
] of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy shown to a small
] group of journalists in London on 31st March 2005, to
] which I was invited by Buena Vista International and
] Digital Outlook. The generosity of these companies in
] paying for my travel to this screening is gratefully
] acknowledged. The opinions expressed here are the
] personal critical opinions of myself, author and
] journalist MJ Simpson. This review is based on a single
] viewing of the film; if any factual details have been
] misremembered, I am happy to amend those portions of the
] text. Because of its great length, this review has been
] split into four parts:

[ The site is pwnd... wish there was a mirror. -k]

Long film review of _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_

Rattle wrote:
] Unbelievable! In very unmistakable terms, this guy advocated
] the assassination of federal judges. There is a certain
] disconnection from ethics and reality here that is truly
] terrifying.

While calls to impeach judges by radical nutjobs is newsworthy, these nutjobs seem to have missed the fact that they are unlikely to get support from 2/3rds of the Senate, and even if they could, they'd need a constitutional amendment to include "having opinions we disagree with" as an impeachable offense.

Did Edwin Vieira advocate killing judges, or is he just spinning a phrase? Who cares!? Who the fuck is Edwin Vieira? Apparently he is also opposed to the federal reserve bank. He is too nuts to be important.

Whats newsworthy in all of this is John Cornyn. Recent murders in Atlanta and Chicago have about as much to do with right wing politics as mustard has to do with bicycles. Was his comment a warning or a threat? I do care about the answer to that question, as he is a United States Senator and he was speaking in an official capacity at the time. I imagine it was an attempt to reach for a boogyman. And he is foolish for being confused about why he got nailed on it. It was a stupid comment. He should acknowledge it as such and move on.

I said this before the election. I'll say it again. The focal point of the American people before the election was Al'Q, but I do not seriously beleive that a choice between Republicans and Democrats was a winning or loosing choice vs. Al'Q. There were strategic differences on the plate, but not of that scope. What was also on the plate was the independence of the federal judiciary. Something is going to happen, and this is a long term survival problem for the republic.

All of this positioning is prologue. It will continue for some time. The right will wait until the 3rd year of the presidential cycle to proceed, as that is when actions have their greatest political value. They think they can continue to control these radicals. I think they're jugggling fire, and they've already dropped the baton several times.

RE: One man, one problem.

] A French court has upheld a ban sought by the Catholic
] Church on a clothing advertisement based on Leonardo da
] Vinci's painting Christ's Last Supper.
]
]
] The display "insults the religious feeling of Catholics",
] the Paris appeals court ruled on Friday.

[ Uh, ok. I mean, I guess in a country that's 70% catholic it's not that surprising, but at the same time, shut up. If it's offensive, don't shop there. There are damn few things I'd condone censoring, and this is not on the list. -k]

BBC NEWS | Europe | French Christ advert ban upheld

] For a quick and entertaining look at the benefit that perpendicular
] recording delivers, view our animation “Get Perpendicular”

And I may end up working for these people...

[ Says Engadget : "Your host, the “lonely little DAP,” leads you through this anything-but-dry musical adventure — let’s just say it involves disco and backup singers. We’d really like to humbly request that all companies send us press releases in this format in the future."

it's pretty surreal, but i'm all for it. -k]

Hitachi Perpendicular Recording

] MTV has begun beta testing a new content delivery system
] based on instant access to anything and everything
] entertainment related. Initially delivering six
] specialized "channels" to its Web-based platform.

Its possible that I might actually be able to get music videos in my house again for the first time in a decade. Unfortunately I am almost positive that MTV is going to fuck this up. Why can't I just stream MTV2?

[ Fuck m2. Why can't i have that Qwest commercial? I wan't to watch the vid for Toxic by Britney! Done. I want to watch Hudson Hawk! Done. I want to watch Episode 6 of The State! Done. That really cool VW commercial, NIN live, and then Toxic again! Done. Done. Done.

Until that happens, everything else is lame. -k]

BetaNews | MTV Takes to the Web with 'Overdrive'

] A Baltimore man tried to pay for a Best Buy car stereo
] installation with $2 bills -- and was arrested.
] Apparently the man was already upset with the Best
] Buy's service, so thought he'd stage a minor
] protest by using the uncommon currency

[ The full story at the anandtech forums http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1562162&enterthread=y

The guy was apparently arrested because they thought that sequential 2 dollar bills was either a sign of counterfieting, or, somehow terrorism. The brain dead local cop alluded to high tensions in this post 9/11 world we live in. Goddamn lunatics.

Anyway, at this point everyone should already know what a massive piece of shit Best Buy is. I know a number of people who've gotten crappy service there and on top of that, their commission structure outright guarantees that some pimply kid is gonna try to sell you a TV or digital camera about 4 seconds after you walk thru the door. -k]

Best Buy Has Customer Arrested For Using $2 Bills : Gizmodo