Homotron.net

DC Rejects e-Marriage License For Dallas Gay Couple

2010-12-01T22:52:01Z

A Dallas couple had the nifty idea of bringing more attention to the same-sex marriage debate by making history on 10/10/2010 with the first same-sex e-marriage. Unfortunately, the Washington DC marriage bureau had a different idea - reject their marriage license.

Mark Reed and Dante Walkup, local business owners living in Texas, were married in front of about 80 people. The ceremony was rather typical...except for the 6-by-8-foot screen with the face of DC based marriage officiant Sheila Alexander-Reid looming behind them.

While the married (er...de-married?) couple were celebrating with friends and family in Texas, Sheila was attending digitally from DC via Skype, a practice known as e-marriages. While same-sex marriage was legalized in DC this past March, the statue does not specifically address the issue of e-marriages.

Walkup and Reed couple flew to DC prior to the ceremony to apply for their license. They consulted legal experts and took every step they could to make the service fall within the spirit of DC's laws, even attending an e-marriage conference in Michigan. However, DC notified the couple and Alexander-Reid that their ceremony, and in turn their marriage license, were not valid.

Sheila Alexander-Reid, a same-sex marriage activist, and Mark Reed-Walkup, a board member of GetEQUAL and previously active with the Executive Steering Committee for the National Equality March, are no strangers to taking bold actions. Alexander-Reid said the couple are considering their next steps to stay married while preserving the Skype option for other couples. Best wishes to Sheila and the couple on their efforts - this one could get interesting.

[Via: Metro Weekly & TBD]

Apple Confirms Removal Of Anti-LGBT App

2010-11-30T22:39:20Z

Homotron.net has received confirmation from Apple on the removal of an app promoting anti-LGBT rhetoric. According to Apple PR:

We removed the Manhattan Declaration app from the App Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people.

We previously noted the app's removal from the iOS App Store, but it was not clear what the official reason was or if the removal was permanent.

No word yet from Apple on other lingering questions, including the reinstatement of a previously removed LGBT social app and the upcoming release of an app from "ex-gay" group, Exodus International. We'll be sure to keep you posted.

For their part, the members of the Anti-LGBT Industry behind the "Manhattan Declaration" have posted a response and call for action on their site in response.

Gaga, Keys, Seacrest And Other Celebs Committing Temporary Twitter "Death" For AIDS Charity

2010-11-29T22:59:24Z

Alicia Keys is organizing the temporary Twitter "deaths" of some of her celebrity friends in support of her HIV/AIDS cause, "Keep a Child Alive". Taking place this Wednesday, December 1st (World AIDS Day), a group of celebrities will stop tweeting until Keys' organization raises their $1 million goal.

The participating celebrities have filmed their "last tweet and testament" videos and will appear in ads show them in coffins to represent their "digital deaths".

Celebrities involved with the project include Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Ryan Seacrest, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Jay Sean, Katie Holmes, Willow and Jaden Smith, Elijah Wood, Serena Williams, Janelle Monae and Keys' husband, Swizz Beatz.

According to their website, Keep a Child Alive (KCA) is dedicated to providing life-saving AIDS treatment, care and support services to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS. KCA currently funds 10 orphan care and clinical sites in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa.

While there are some celebrities I might consider donating to keep off of Twitter - I'm glad that Keys has gotten this crew together to help her worthy cause and intend to chip in a little to bring cutie Elijah Wood back from the digital grave.

[Via: AP News & The Huffington Post]

[More: Keep a Child Alive & Buy Life]

Pending LGBT Boycott Of Apple?

2010-11-27T14:28:12Z

Recent confusion regarding where social apps for gay men stand and approval of apps promoting anti-LGBT politics is prompting some debate about whether we should consider putting our iPhones and MacBooks away for the cause.

In late October, the application "gay men's social network: Jack'd" was removed from the App Store, allegedly due to sexually explicit images. The app's developer also revealed that he was previously warned by Apple's automated submission system that the app may be rejected for it's use of the word "gay".

The "Manhattan Declaration" made its way to the App Store, allowing people to declare their opposition to LGBT people's "right to engage in immoral sexual practices, and even a right to have relationships integrated around these practices be recognized and blessed by law". A Change.org petition has since been posted by LGBT activist (and outing extraordinaire) Michael Rogers demanding that Apple remove the app. Reports are now coming out that the app has disappeared - although no confirmation from Apple or the developer, yet.

Exodus International, the leading "ex-gay" organization (HA!), has also announced its intention of targeting victims as young as 10 with new outreach strategies. Among the use of podcasts and YouTube, the group is also developing an iPhone app.

Recent boycotts of other companies for financially supporting politicians who support anti-LGBT stances seem to be getting Tweeters and followers of activist bloggers (in comments and forum discussions) in the boycotting mood. While the immediate demand would presumably be the removal of the offending apps, it's not exactly clear what the ultimate end-goal for any proposed boycott would be. However, the lack of a stated end-goal didn't prevent the other boycotts from proceeding.

If the ultimate hope is that Apple will censor content that LGBT consumers find objectionable - then the company may find itself revisiting the App Store submission guidelines. Apple has been struggling with the issue of censorship for over a couple of years now. However, this call for more censorship seems to be in conflict with previous demands by progressive consumers.

While Apple has been known for supporting LGBT issues, such as its public opposition to Prop 8, they have not censored anti-LGBT content from podcasts or ebook submissions. Since this issue has gained momentum, Apple's offices have been closed for the Turkey Day festivities. So it's unclear what official response, if any, the company may have. It's also not clear if the removal of the "Manhattan Declaration" app is for good. However, we may have more clarity from the company as early as Monday.

So what do you think? Should Apple censor anti-LGBT content from the App Store? Would that set the foundation for future LGBT supported Apps which target anti-LGBT polices from also being censored? Where do you think Apple should draw the line?

Chevy Shows Green Pride With Volt's 93MPG Sticker

2010-11-26T19:53:22Z

General Motors' Chevrolet Volt has scored a 93 miles per gallon (MPG) rating by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while running purely on batteries. Once your 25-50 miles of driving on a full charge runs up - you'll experience an average of 37MPG using traditional fuel alone.

While not as high as the Nissan Leaf's 99MPG, or anywhere near the original promise of 230MPG, GM is optimistic the rating will help secure the Volt's position as leader of the electric car pack. Perhaps with good reason, in comparison to the Leaf and other competitors - the Volt seems like an actual sedan rather than a subcompact.

Perhaps the best news of all is that with the sticker finalized, after a series of delays, we may actually see these babies in showrooms.

Eying Apple: What They're Up To In Cupertino - Part 2

2010-11-24T16:00:03Z

In Part 1 of this post, I highlighted some of the news coming from Apple which I feel hold clues to the company's next moves. While CEO Steve Jobs and his cohorts always have plenty of surprises up their sleeves - fans and critics alike still relish in making (often wild) predictions on what their next trick will be. Continuing that time honored tradition of Apple speculation - here are my predictions on what they may have in store for us in 2011.

I invite you to share your own conclusions by submitting a comment below. Keeping in mind that everyone's speculations are as reliable as earthquake predictions - your odds of being right are as good as any. Here's a peak at the predictions I'll elaborate on after the jump...

Steve Jobs will do some big ticket shopping

Apple TV becomes an actual Apple TV

iPad v2.0 in your hands for iPad's 1st birthday

iPhone (finally) comes to Verizon

Back to the Mac with Lion

Rest of MacBooks join their little brother in dumping their hard drives

Plus...

What do YOU think?

Steve Jobs will do some big ticket shopping

While most people think of Apple as a computer company - they've evolved into more of a consumers electronics company (a small but important distinction). When they dropped "Computers" from their title in 2007 - it was clear Apple was committed to this evolution. With Macs now making up only 33% of Apple's revenues - the world's largest technology company has successfully diversified. While the rumors of Apple conducting a hostile takeover of Sony are unlikely to prove accurate - I think those speculators have the right idea. With a film and gaming division in the mix - Sony might be a more cumbersome and unmanageable investment than Apple is looking for. However, there are a few other brands actually manufacturing their own products which might attract Apple's enormous piggybank. The prospect of vertical integration should provide Apple with more control over the manufacturing process. Recent trouble with the employment and security practices of their manufacturers combined with a $51 billion hole burning in his pocket might finally push "genius control freak" Jobs into taking manufacturing matters into their own hands.

Apple TV becomes an actual Apple TV

This fall's refresh of the Apple TV fell short of many people's early predictions - including my own. Bringing more iTunes content and the evolution of what is now known as AirPlay seemed inevitable if the company planned on seriously compete. Switching to the iOS platform also seemed like an obvious and easier to manage next step. What was more of a surprise is that they essentially stopped there. Many had predicted that it would adopt other iOS device features like an App Store and maybe even Facetime. While problems with content providers have severely hampered Google TV's launch - I believe it still offers some indications of where the Apple TV is headed. Developers have pointed out that the jump from the iPhone to a TV for their apps may not be as simple as "just making everything look bigger". However, the transition from iPhone to iMac that many will be making with the new Mac App Store makes for a nice stepping stone. You can expect apps to be coming to an Apple TV near you soon - but Apple may wait until the Mac App Store provides a better foundation of apps ready to make the leap to HDTV. If we can learn anything from Google TV - it's that a solid, reliable and consistent source of content (be it TV shows or apps) is key to winning over consumers. I also believe Google TV's integration into actual television sets is where Apple will be taking things. If they do indeed purchase a manufacturer - Apple may be able to avoid the pitfalls they experienced with their first smartphone attempt and later with iPhone and iPad manufacturers. The idea of merging an Apple TV, iPad, TiVo and HDTV into one mega home entertainment solution could help Apple shake things up for yet another consumer electronics market.

iPad v2.0 in your hands for iPad's 1st birthday

If Apple's trend of refreshing iPods and iPhones on an annual basis carries over to the iPad - we can expect to see a more polished iPad out around April. Rumors are already circling around a December 9th event where a new iPad or new iOS features might be revealed - but will more likely just be a launch event for theirtablet tabloid ventures with Rupert Murdoch and Richard Branson. I think it's unlikely they'd introduce a new iPad so close to the holidays - but the addition of real magazine and newspaper subscriptions via iTunes may help them clinch a few more sales before Santa finishes packing his sleigh.

iPhone (finally) comes to Verizon

With The Beatles finally on iTunes - the iPhone's eventual transition to multiple carriers in the US is now the most popular Apple rumor out there. All year, so called "credible sources" have had majors publications like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times claiming iPhone's arrival on Verizon (or sometimes T-Mobile) was imminent. However, that may finally be coming to fruition with the eventual end of Apple and AT&T's exclusivity contract allegedly on the horizon and AT&T preparing their investors for the impact of that contract not being renewed. Complaining about AT&T's network is almost a rite of passage for iPhone owners. However, it's very likely that Verizon will find themselves as ill-prepared as AT&T initially did and that their data network will falter just as much - if not more - under the enormous strain iPhone users put on their cell provider's network (with 15.4% market share - iPhones account for 59% of mobile web consumption). Disgruntled AT&T converts may be disappointed to learn that Verizon having the largest nationwide network doesn't mean it's also the beefiest nationwide network.

Back to the Mac with Lion

Steve Jobs indicated that the latest edition of Mac OS X is on schedule for a summer 2011 launch. Apple does not have a reputation for vaporware - so we will likely see Lion appearing next year. It's too soon to tell how much of a game changer or marriage between the iOS and Mac OS it will actually be. However, the features already demoed look promising and Jobs has promised that they have much more coming. I think you can expect a user interface facelift that will bring a more iOS look and feel to your iMac. Although I can't help wondering when we'll see a complete replacement for Mac OS X - maybe Mac iOS is on its way?

Rest of MacBooks join their little brother in dumping their hard drives

When Jobs introduced the MacBook Air, he indicated it was the future of the MacBook. Since it's insanely unlikely that he meant they were dropping all other MacBooks in favor of just selling the Air - I think we can safely conclude he was likely referring to the switch from hard drive to solid-state drive. Expect these faster, cooler (temperature wise) and leaner forms of data storage to send the hard drive packing (and probably for good). In a similar manner to how Apple currently offers solid-state drives as an alternative to the hard drive in custom configured MacBook Pros - expect to see hard drives remain an option for those less eager to make the change.

What do YOU think?

So there you have it - my predictions for where Apple's latest announcements are leading and what we can expect from the tech trend setter in the upcoming year. But enough of my ramblings - what are your predictions? Post a comment below and share your Apple conspiracy theory. Perhaps we'll compare notes next year and see who (if anyone) hit a home run and whose ideas wound up in left field.

Eying Apple: What They're Up To In Cupertino - Part 1 [Updated]

2010-11-22T14:03:05Z

Love or hate them - and there seem to be fewer people in-between - Apple is hard to ignore. Sliding past Google this year, they receive more news coverage than any other tech company. So, what better way to return from the real life events which prevented me from posting (sorry about that) than by continuing Apple's media dominance? Wait...well in any case, in this post I'll recap some of Apple's recent news headlines. In Part 2, I'll engage in an Apple fan's favorite pastime - speculating on what it all means. You'll also be invited to join me as a speculator - so whip out that ouija board.

Since we last checked on Steve Jobs and company - much has transpired at One Infinite Loop. Here is a rundown of some of the headlines I'll expand on after the jump:

iPhone 4 survives "Antennagate" - Apple exec's job does not
iOS 4.2.1 is coming today - and one day it might even print
Apple TV gets a makeover - but it's not iTV...yet
Mac's userbase grows as Apple's cash stockpile grows more
Lion giving Mac OS X and iOS a civil union - new Mac App Store offers sneak peek
MacBook Air sends a Dear John letter to the hard drive
Please welcome to iTunes...The Beatles!

iPhone 4 survives "Antennagate" - Apple exec's job does not

The iPhone 4 was initially praised as nothing being just shy of perfection and offered the chance to finally make video calls cool with its FaceTime feature. It quickly turned out that the latest iPhone had a serious problem (depending on who you ask) with the new antena placement - a key part of it's sleek new design. Debate remains on whether Apple has - or even can - fix the problem using software updates. While claiming all smartphones suffer similarly - they offered free cases to customers that purchased an iPhone 4 in the first few months. Eventually Apple's senior vice president of engineering for Pod and iPhone devices, Mark Papermaster, departed from the company after just over a year. Papermaster joined Apple during CEO Jobs recent medical leave and was said to have been ill-prepared for his return. Presumably the event leading up to "Antennagate" did not help Papermaster's cause.

iOS 4.2.1 is coming today - and one day it might even print

Offering new improvements, like the ability to print from your iOS device, and bringing much needed features, such as folders and multi-tasking, to the iPad - iOS 4.2 will be out today by 10A PST. However, rumored delays and multiple gold masters (it's now 4.2.1) left some questioning if Apple would meet their deadline. The removal (for now) of AirPrint compatibility with shared printers in the final release of Mac OS 10.6.5 has even put Jobs on the defensive. When iOS 4.2.1 come out - it will finally bring the iOS family one step closer to unity by bringing the iPad to the same version and feature set as the iPhone and iPod Touch. This update leaves only the Apple TV behind - but more on that later. However, Apple TV will support some new features like AirPlay - enabling streaming of music, video and photos and creating a sort of bookmark in your media as you switch between your iOS devices.

Apple TV gets a makeover - but it's not iTV...yet

Hoping to bring life to the easily forgettable Apple TV - Jobs & Company introduced the next generation Apple TV. The improved hardware and switch to running on iOS (and with that AirPlay) gives the device plenty of potential - but for now falls short of some early expectations. Google countered by unveiling Google TV, based on Android, which manages to bring the popular "Apps" notion to your television. Apple's partnership with content providers through their iTunes dominance has already provided them with a huge content edge over Google TV - who is running into trouble with TV networks. However, Google TV is already integrating into new TVs from major brands. In part 2 I'll expand on where I think Apple is going with their TV plans and why I'm holding off on both devices for now.

Mac's userbase grows as Apple's cash stockpile grows more

At their recent "Back to the Mac" media event, Apple COO Tim Cook reported that Macs now make up 33% of Apple's revenue (or as he pointed out - the equivalent to #110 on the Fortune 500 list). For a company that many see as a computer company - 33% doesn't seem like enough computers to justify that. Apple is increasingly a consumers electronics company successfully providing content delivery devices. Announced later was how much cash Apple is amassing - a staggering $51 billion. Considering that Steve Jobs despises dividends, that is a lot of cash to just sit on. In fact it's more than any other tech company - Microsoft (which does pay dividends) comes in second with $43B and acquisition happy Google in third at $31B. Food for thought as you contemplate what Apple's next moves might be in your addition to Part 2 of this post.

Lion giving Mac OS X and iOS a civil union - new Mac App Store offers sneak peek

Promising "The power of Mac OS X. The magic of iPad." the next edition of Mac OS X, named Lion (aka 10.7), will be a civil union of sorts for the Mac OS X and iOS. While not a full marriage - it will bring some favorite features of the iPad to our Macs. Apple recently demoed a few of the new features, but with many events likely to happen between now and Lion's launch next summer, I suspect there's much more to come. Included among the features demoed were Launchpad - which brings iOS 4 style folders and icons to your desktop. While they made it clear touch screens were not coming to Macs anytime soon, we will see more use of multitouch devices such as Apple's own Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad with features like Mission Control - which gives you a "bird's-eye view" of everything happening on your Mac. However, a feature which we'll get to see in action on Snow Leopard by the end of January has developers excited about the Mac platform again. The introduction of an iOS style Mac App Store - complete with the simplicity of one-click purchase and install - will finally provide Mac OS developers a convenient means of showcasing, selling and updating their wares. In part 2 I'll expand on the impact I think this new feature will have on Apple.

MacBook Air sends a Dear John letter to the hard drive

Also at their "Back to the Mac" event, Apple bid adieu to the hard drive in their latest (and even smaller) MacBook Air model. By making the switch to RAM and flash drive style solid-state drives, Apple is able to make the Air the slimmest laptop ever (looking almost like an iPad) while maintaining large storage space and fast speeds. Hinting that this will be the future of the MacBook line, solid-state drives makes recovery from sleep mode more like flicking on your iPad and produces less heat. Apple's important commitment to solid drives will hopefully allow for the prices to come down and the capacities to increase. Time will tell if this switch has staying power in portable computers - but early indications are promising it will have an impact.

Please welcome to iTunes...The Beatles!

Steve Jobs has talked about his desire to bring one of his favorite bands, The Beatles, to iTunes since its early stages of development. Years of legal battles with The Beatles own company, named Apple Corps, specifically about Apple Computer's (now Apple Inc.) entry into music enterprises such as iTunes, made that desire rather difficult to fulfill. With iTunes now the dominant music delivery leader, and The Beatles popularity impressively lasting, it's only fitting that these two wunderkinds were finally brought together. Apple heralded their triumph in securing this exclusive deal with much fanfare - even dedicating a section of their web site to the band. This union will no doubt prove to be profitable for both parties.

Coming in Part 2....

While there are other Apple stories I didn't include - these are the major ones which I'll offer some theories on in Part 2 of this post. Fans, investors and the media really seem to love engaging in the impossible act of predicting what Apple will do next. It really can be oddly enjoyable and addictive - and I invite you to share your own theories and predictions in Part 2. So bust out your crystal balls (of any sorts...) as we prepare to speculate on what it all means...well for Apple anyway.

Update: Shortly after I clicked publish on this post, Apple announced that iOS 4.2 would be coming out today. So I've made a couple of small updates to reflect that change.

Bankruptcy Of XY Brings Privacy Concerns For Former Members & Subscribers

2010-07-12T22:48:48Z

The now-defunct XY.com and XY Magazine - which targeted gay youth - may be forced to sell as many as 1 million profiles to creditors. Which got the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - who believes this puts the privacy of former members and subscribers at risk.

The site and magazine are now in federal bankruptcy thanks to poor advertising sales and rumored mismanagement of founding editor and primary owner, Peter Ian Cummings. The names, addresses, e-mail addresses, unpublished personal stories and other information about gay youth may be up for grabs thanks to Cummings' personal bankruptcy filings.

As reported by CNET News, Cummings, who founded XY in 1996, declared bankruptcy in February 2010 and among assets including a vehicle worth $1,500 and zero income - citing his status as a graduate student living on loans - he listed the "customer list, personal data, and editorial and back issues files of XY Mag and XY.com."

By including these in the filings, which Cummings did without using a lawyer, his creditors may claim ownership of his assets. His debts to Peter Larson for an unknown amount and Martin Shmagin for about $180,000 - have prompted them to file a claim stating they may sue Cummings for fraud if he does not turn over the personal data.

According to PCWorld, the FTC expressed its concerns in a letter this month to creditors and lawyers involved in the case. David Vladeck, the head of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, stated in the letter that since XY.com's privacy policy stated "We never give your info to anybody," all the data should be "destroyed." Pointing out that even if Larson and Shmagin used the data to restart the magazine or website, the information may not be consistent with the original purpose for which it was collected.

While the issue of ownership of user data following bankruptcy has come up before following the dot-com bubble burst, those incidents did not include data collected specifically from gay youth between 13 and 17 years old.

In response to privacy concerns, Shmagin and Larson stated in a subsequent filing that "regardless of the debtor's privacy concerns, altruistic or not, the fact remains that movants have fraud claims" that could yet be the subject of a separate lawsuit.

What do you think? Do Peter Larson and Martin Shmagin have a valid claim or is the personal data of young people too private to trade hands in a bankruptcy proceeding? Personally, I can't believe Peter Ian Cummings made a filing mentioning such private data so casually and without a lawyer and while I'm sympathetic to his creditors woes - I'm appalled they'd violate gay youth's privacy to settle a debt.

Twitter Tweeting Deals (Ads) @earlybird

2010-07-10T19:16:27Z

Twitter is following Dell's lead by offering special deals via a new @earlybird account. Followers of @earlybird will receive tweets or text messages with special deals from Twitter's "partners" - aka advertisers.

According to Twitter's Help Center, @earlybird was created because:

Many of you use Twitter to stay on top of timely, relevant information, and lots of businesses are already sharing special offers on Twitter. We believe that surfacing deals through the @earlybird account will help you discover the best of those deals, as well as find and follow accounts that consistently provide exceptional value.

Although I think the suggestion made by ReadWriteWeb is far more accurate. Twitter has been trying out a number of new ways to generate revenue for a company that so far hasn't been nearly as exciting for investors as tweeters. These efforts have included the Google-esque "Promoted Tweets" and "Promoted Trends" as well as enhanced pages for corporations and making their tweets available to search engines and other sites.

This latest effort to cash in on the site's massive userbase is actually borrowed from Dell's playbook. In December, Dell reported $6.5 million in sales via their Twitter experiment over the past two years. Twitter wants a cut of this success and provide these partners with even more exposure.

All in all - it could be a win-win or an annoying string of ads in your timeline. At least these are ads you can "unfollow" if you so desire. What do you think? Will this idea be a huge hit with big rewards for Twitter's revenue or fizzle out as ads people actually don't want to follow? While you ponder that - head over to our Twitter account and click that fun "follow" button.

Gay Founder Of Geocities Invests In New LGBT Social Networking Site

2010-07-05T14:23:40Z

David Bohnett, who founded GeoCities at the age of 16 and after selling it to Yahoo! founded the David Bohnett Foundation, has made a $250,000 investment in LGBT social network Fabulis - founded earlier this year. As reported by Mashable, Bohnett's venture capital firm, Baroda Ventures, is known for investing in new social media and e-commerce websites - so long as they have a clear revenue plan in place.

According to VentureBeat and the company's own blog, Bohnett's investment joins ones by The Washington Post Company, Lars Hinrichs, Allen Morgan and Don Baer to bring the site's seed money to $825,000. The spherical looking interface, which ironically you can access after signing up via Facebook integration, is geared towards gay men and "their friends" to "discover where to go, what to do and who to meet."

If you've got an active Facebook profile - you'll fit right in. On my first visit I already had 2256 points, in a system that appears to be an elaborate popularity contest.

As you interact with the site - RSVPing for events online or in your area, networking with other peeps and answering questions in their Formspring style Q&A system - you gain "fabulis bits". For now you can only use these bits to vote up your friends on the fab list (aforementioned popularity contest), but according to a post to their help section - more uses of bits are coming in the future. Personally - I'm hoping you can use bits as currency in their online store featuring some cool pride items (most of which don't have rainbows - Hallelujah!).

I'll be looking more closely at Fabulis over the coming weeks - but in the meantime - what do you think of this new online venture? Valuable addition to the online queer universe or a waste of cyberspace?

Google Compensates Employees In Same-Sex Relationships Paying Federal Insurance Penalty

2010-07-02T21:19:30Z

A fantastic thing happened on Google's Blog today. Towards the end of a pretty typical Pride Month recap post they made a very atypical announcement. In response to recommendations by LGBT employees and organizations - Google will be providing compensation for the tax levied on same-sex couples utilizing Google's employee healthcare insurance.

As the New York Times explains, under federal law, employer-provided health benefits for domestic partners are counted as taxable income, if the partner is not considered a dependent. The tax owed is based on the value of the partner's coverage paid by the employer.

On average, employees with domestic partners will pay about $1,069 more a year in taxes than a married employee with the same coverage, according to a 2007 report by M. V. Lee Badgett, director of the Williams Institute, a LGBT research group based at UCLA.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, a handful of other organizations, including Cisco, Kimpton Hotels and the Gates Foundation, provide this same compensation as well. Syracuse University was the first higher education institution to do so when they adopted a similar "Grossing Up" policy earlier this year. However, Google is the first Silicon Valley company to take this step to level the playing field (or paying field as the case may be) for their employees.

Based on past experiences and the competition that still exists in the Valley for talent - a pool that has a high number of LGBT members - we can expect other tech companies to quickly feel the pressure to follow suit. The more companies in the US that take this important step - the more pressure competitors will feel and the domino effect continues.

For any policy wonks looking for a quicker solution, look to the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - an action supported by President Obama and many members of Congress. For a policy change addressing this specific issue, check out the The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. Click here for info on how you can help the effort to repeal DOMA and click here for info on passing The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act.

Facebook One Step Closer To Conquering The Web?

2010-04-22T16:46:00Z

Chief Executive Cutie Mark Zuckerberg unveiled some new features on Wednesday at F8, Facebook's annual developer conference. In their latest kumbaya like move towards transforming the web into a giant social network, the company has dumped Facebook Connect in favor of "Open Graph" and partnered up with Microsoft to create a Google Docs competitor.

Open Graph is a set of APIs and Protocols that allow a web developer to add to familiar "Like" button to any web page "in just 10 minutes". In return Facebook provides the developer with demographics on their visitors via "Insights" - essentially a mini Google Analytics.

Facebook's partnership with Microsoft has resulted in a sort of Google Docs and Facebook hybrid. The experiment went live today at Docs.com and is based on Microsoft's Silverlight and of course Facebook's new Open Graph.

You might have noticed that Google is almost as prominent in this story as Facebook. That has led some to speculate this is the latest indication that Facebook is winning in a war with Google over control of the Web.

So what do you think? Is Facebook out to conquer the Wild Wild Web or just trying to make the Web a better experience for us all?

Facebook expands presence on other Web sites [SFGate]

Facebook Makes Major Announcements at F8 (Live) [Mashable]

Welcome Aequalitas

2010-04-22T13:16:19Z

Please join me in welcoming our new Homotron writer, Aequalitas. He is the first of a few new Homotron writers. We all look forward to great things from him.

Winscape: Plasma Screen Windows

2010-04-16T17:38:37Z

My home has a lot of natural light, and I'm thankful for it. However, I can't help but be intrigued by this idea from Rational Craft. I'm ultimately waiting until I can replace my conventional windows with something like this that also has the ability to be transparent and solar powered. How about that picture window in your living room transforming into an HD theater or displaying still and/or video art? See the videos after the jump.

Magic plasma screens are WAY better than real windows [DVICE]

Homotron Awakes With iPad Launch

2010-04-03T23:02:34Z

At 11:34 AM EDT Saturday I received an iPad. It took awhile to get my data sync'd and even longer to download and update apps; yet the end result is pretty outstanding. Ok, yes, it's a big iPod Touch, but saying that doesn't do it justice. I believe that you have to hold it appreciate how different that it is, especially when dealing with apps that are written for the device. In fact, it is notable enough that I felt the need to write about it and finally revive Homotron.

GayGamers may want to check it out. It's my opinion that it will be an incredible platform for games. Even iPhone games seem to work fairly well. I know that many people complain about the 2x enlargement, but I find that that is only annoying on text-based apps. Graphical apps do get a little jaggy, but overall it's not too terrible, especially if you have any history playing the 8 or 16 bit games of yore.

I have spent much of the day exploring the iPad, and I have not yet encountered the problem of it not having support for Flash. I know that I will encounter it eventually, and I expect that to be a bummer when it happens. Until then, there is plenty to keep me entertained.

Like the iPhone, learning to type well is going to take some time. It's still not the same as a regular keyboard, but I know that I got much faster typing on my iPhone, so I'm expecting that I will get the feel for how to type quickly with the iPad.

The number of iPad apps is still a bit limited at the moment, but now that independent developers have the device in their hands, you can expect to see an explosion of iPad apps just like happened for the iPhone and iPod Touch.