insignificant thoughts

Reddit Likes For Today

Vinny — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:05:38 +0000

Reddit Likes for February 9, 2010:

Reddit Likes: That’ll freak someone out someday…

Manning Plays the Dick Role

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:47:12 +0000

Peyton Manning (notes) didn’t shake hands with New Orleans Saints players after his Indianapolis Colts lost 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. Apparently some think this is a sign of poor sportsmanship from the NFL’s greatest player. It’s not.

Walking off the field without congratulating Drew Brees (notes) may go against our misguided notion of what sportsmanship should be, but it wasn’t at all disrespectful or bitter. It shows how much Peyton Manning wanted to win the game. And who can argue about that?

via sports.yahoo.com

I can.

It’s tradition.

For a guy who claims to love and respect the game as much as Peyton does, and who’s following the footsteps of his father (Archie Manning) and leading by example for his younger brother (Eli Manning), not congratulating the opposing Quarterback is low, cheap, and classless.

I expected more from Peyton.

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Hurricane Katrina Charity Money Nowhere To Be Found – Gothamist

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:17:29 +0000

It would be charitable to call this one a mess: Two prominent Queens politicians are under scrutiny because the nonprofit they set-up to aid Katrina victims delivered barely 1/30th of their funds to evacuees. According to the ethics watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center, tax records show that only $1,392 of at least $31,000 raised to help Katrina families was paid to victims.

via gothamist.com

Go read the rest. It’s equally aggravating.

So the true question is… Where in the hell is the money?

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Unneccessary Amount of Qualifications in One Paragraph

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:54:18 +0000

There remains an ongoing desktop Twitter application war. Traditionally Tweetdeck and Seesmic have been at loggerheads for the lion share, although Tweetdeck has remained in the lead so far. Increasingly it appears that Seesmic is heading towards trying to be a much more mainstream application, for anyone on any platform, from celebs to your non-tech friends. But for power Twitter users, Tweetdeck seems to be go-to app so far. Of course, all that can change, but that seems to be the landscape at the moment.

via eu.techcrunch.com

Is it me or does Mike Butcher seem to be straining to point out that “hey, you shouldn’t count out Seesmic!” Strikes me as odd that he’d qualify Tweetdeck’s success so much…

Oh wait… It’s not that odd… Loic is a good friend of Don Mikey.

Carry on then!

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Beer May Prevent Osteoporosis

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:48:46 +0000

A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon.

via sciencedaily.com

Makes sense… Aside from when they’re puking, have you ever seen a big time beer drinker hunched over?

Good news for all you lushes!

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Katrina Era Over

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:44:03 +0000

With Mitch Landrieu winning Mayor and Saints winning Super Bowl, symbolism plain: NO has now ended the post-Katrina era.

via twitter.com

Definitely! It’s not like the guy who was Lt. Governor (ie: the #2 in the state) during the Katrina mess is still around.

Oh… Wait… The new Mayor is who? He did what?

Oh…

Darn…

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IT.tv Episode 73: Brusilovsky Goes Under the Bus; Company Doesn’t? Not Right.

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:47:44 +0000

– Posted with Stuffr! –

That Warm Fuzzy Feeling

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:27:27 +0000

via verydemotivational.com

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No Free MetroCards for Students? Then Why Retirees?

Vinny — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:00:52 +0000

If students can’t get a free ride, MTA retirees shouldn’t either, Mayor Bloomberg said Friday.

The mayor called into question the policy of giving retired transit workers free bus and subway rides since free and reduced cards for city students are on the chopping block.

“Does it make any sense to give retirees passes for the rest of their lives and not give our kids passes so they can go to school? No,” Bloomberg said during his weekly radio show. “It’s pretty hard to argue that that is an intelligent policy.”

via nydailynews.com

Of course it’s not an intelligent policy, but as we’ve learned a long time ago with the MTA, an unintelligent policy doesn’t indicate in any fashion that it will be discontinued or modified.

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Three Wishes

Vinny — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:17:03 +0000

So I was at a bar with a friend of mine the other night and naturally talk turned to Tiger. He mentioned his “Genie in a Bottle Theory.” If a genie asks a guy to make three wishes that she will make come true, what would the guy say? “I want $1 billion dollars, a swimsuit model wife and the chance to play golf every day.” Tiger had all that and apparently it wasn’t enough to make him happy. Now I’m just depressed.

via sports.espn.go.com

True… So very true…

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Token Booth Clerks: Useless

Vinny — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:50:00 +0000

I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees the uselessness of these idiots in the glass boxes at the subway stations…

It was several years ago and I was returning home when I noticed a strange Asian man was hovering around me and then followed me off the train. I was concerned and went up to a booth attendant and told him that someone was following me. He looked at me blankly and asked what did I wanted him to do. I looked back at him in disbelief. “I don’t know, maybe call the cops?” I thought to myself. I didn’t bother to continue talking with the useless booth attendant.

This wouldn’t be so galling if the TWU (The Transit Worker’s Union) wasn’t so intent on positioning its members as the first line of defense in the subway system every time they want to close a booth or the union wants a raise. In fact, most of them are useless in any kind of emergency.

Just ask Maria Besedina.

Proving You Can Make Anyone a Pop Star

Vinny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:46:59 +0000

Here’s Kesha performing her smash hit, Tik Tok:

Now here’s Stalker Patti from the Opie and Anthony show, with some production help, doing the same song…

It’s astonishing what you can do in studio these days.

Now I’m not taking away from Kesha, and the song is catchy as hell, but you have to admit… Someone with literally no talent and a good producer made a damn good attempt at doing the same song.

Oh yeah, and did I mention Patti’s version took 2 hours to produce?

Yeah.

Exactly.

I Give To You…. UNITARD

Vinny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:02:33 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, Vacation Rental.org presents…

UNITARD!!!

The truth about vacations is a simple one. We often immediately jump to a travel site and start looking for a hotel once we decide we’re going on vacation. In reality, though, you could very easily go to a site that offers vacation rental properties and treat yourself to something slightly more luxurious than a hotel.

For example, look at what $225 a night can get you right in the heart of Manhattan. Do you really think you can get a hotel in Manhattan on that level for that price? (Rhetorical question, of course. You can’t).

Granted, UNITARD is a character in a vacation rental commercial, but in reality, he should be running around New York City on a regular basis because there are a lot of people overpaying like crazy to stay in cramped rooms. I just hope that Unitard grabs you before your next big mistake, er, vacation!

Need a Domain or Hosting in the UK? Got a Solution For You.

Vinny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:01:42 +0000

If you’re looking for Web Hosting or domains in the UK, there’s a great company you need to check out. Their name is Discount Domains and they offer everything from domain registration for as low as £9.99 to web hosting as low as £49.99 per year!

If you’re not sure about how to put your site together, they offer a Site Builder, Web Design services, search engine submission, e-marketing consulting, and more. Plus, if you want to make a few extra bucks, you can join their reseller program and make a commission on each domain registration.

Discount Domains is a one-stop shop if you need anything from a new domain to a place to host it, so if you’re on the lookout for a good deal in the UK on all your web-related services, check them out, and tell them Vincenzo sent you!

Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick: Yellow

Vinny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:02:00 +0000

via brickartist.com

Plenty more of these at the link.

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Attention all Bigots!

Vinny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:44:51 +0000

Let’s face it, there are people in our culture who derive their power from being offended. And there are people who make a pretty good living off of being offended. Hey, I’m not advocating saying and doing things to intentionally offend people, but enough of this hyper sensitivity is enough.

And here’s a piece of free advice for the word police: SHUT THE HELL UP!

We are becoming a nation of sissies. Uh oh, can I say sissies? If not, I sincerely apologize to any sissy I might have offended. And one more thing …

via bernardgoldberg.com

What.

He.

Said.

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State Finalizing Efforts to Remove Last Centralia Residents

Vinny — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:03:45 +0000

CENTRALIA, Pa. – Standing before the wreckage of his bulldozed home, John Lokitis Jr. felt sick to his stomach, certain that a terrible mistake had been made.

He’d fought for years to stay in the house. It was one of the few left standing in the moonscape of Centralia, a once-proud coal town whose population fled an underground mine fire that began in 1962 and continues to burn.

But the state had ordered Lokitis to vacate, leaving the fourth-generation Centralian little choice but to say goodbye — to the house, and to what’s left of the town he loved.

“I never had any desire to move,” said Lokitis, 39. “It was my home.”

After years of delay, state officials are now trying to complete the demolition of Centralia, a borough in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania that all but ceased to exist in the 1980s after the mine fire spread beneath homes and businesses, threatening residents with poisonous gases and dangerous sinkholes.

via news.yahoo.com

The story of Centralia is seriously incredible. You need to Wikipedia it if you’ve never heard of it.

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Turkish Girl Buried Alive For Talking To Boys

Vinny — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:38:25 +0000

The body of a 16-year-old girl police say was buried alive by relatives in an “honor” killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys has been discovered in Kahta, Turkey.

Turkish police discovered the body after acting on an anonymous tip. The tipster told police that the girl was killed after a family council meeting, and had been buried under a chicken pen. Police say that the girl had complained two months earlier that her grandfather beat her for talking to boys.

The girl, identified by police only by her initials M.M., was said to have a large amount of soil in her stomach and lungs, indicating she had been buried alive.

via huffingtonpost.com

Every time I hear that every disagreement is just a “cultural difference,” I think of stories like this one. What cultural difference makes this kind of crap ok?

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Brusilovsky is Just a Kid? Bite Me.

Vinny — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:43:11 +0000

I had the “pleasure” of bumping into Daniel Brusilovsky when I was Producer for the Apple Phone Show. At the time, he was being touted by Robert Scoble as the next bright kid in Silicon Valley and someone who was going to rule the world. It was hard to argue; the kid had connections all over the valley due to his “friendship” with Robert Scoble and other “elites.” He had a podcast at the time called Apple Universe, which he asked me to be on. Figuring why the hell not, I agree. We set a date and a time and I never hear from him. I wait for hours and he never appears. Turns out the “prodigy” of Silicon Valley had school work he had to get done and didn’t feel the need to inform an interviewee of such a fact.

His excuse was equally lame. He explained to me that school was his priority and he had to drop everything when he needed to do something for school. That’s cool, but that doesn’t explain away why you didn’t have the decency to do the right thing about our interview which I was left hanging for. The “prodigy” who understood everything and was brilliant and talented was now taking the “I’m just a kid” defense.

Fine. His lame-ass excuse not withstanding, I forgave him. No need to hold a grudge.

As time moved on, more and more of the tech world got to know the vunderkind and his name became synonymous with the wonder that is tech for young people. In fact, two years ago he made the astonishing discovery that if you buy a domain and install WordPress on it, the idiots in the tech media will call you a brilliant entrepreneur. Brusilovsky was again touted as a great prodigy because he figured out how to install WordPress, give out accounts, and call it a business. He also had an associated conference of the same name. How could he fail! He’s a prodigy! Oh yeah, and all his friends from the valley promoted it for him free of charge. Damn straight the kid had people attend. Any monkey would attend a conference if you got enough heavy hitters behind it.

Of course, the WordPress install got bogged down, and eventually hacked because it wasn’t maintained properly. On top of it, Brusilovsky was caught flat-out lying about the uptake of his new “venture.” When the whole thing started collape, Brusilovsky and his supporters yet again dragged out the “he’s just a kid. What did you do at 17?” defense. Well, probably not as much as him, but then again I didn’t have bloggers who get thousands of comments on every post every day and hang on my every word telling me how I great I was because I toasted a hotpocket.

But that’s me.

Now Brusilovsky is in trouble again, and this time it’s pretty damn serious.

On Monday evening I received a phone call from someone I trust who told me that one of our interns had asked for compensation in exchange for a blog post. Specifically, this intern had allegedly asked for a Macbook Air in exchange for a post about a startup.

After an investigation we determined that the allegation was true. In fact, on at least one other occasion this intern was almost certainly given a computer in exchange for a post.

The intern in question has admitted to some of the allegations, and has denied others. We suspended this person while we were sorting through exactly what happened. When it became clear yesterday that there was no question that this person had requested, and in one case taken, compensation for a post, the intern was terminated.

Ooof… That sounds bad with a capital B. Kid gives up a cushy job at Tech Crunch for an attempt at securing himself a MacBook Air? How long before the prodigy trots out the “I’m just a kid” defense?

Answer: not long.

In some way or another, a line was crossed that should have never been. At this time, I do not want to go into details, but I will publicly say that I am truly sorry to my family, friends, TechCrunch, and especially the tech community. Since 2006 when I first got into the internet, I have felt comfortable, and working at TechCrunch has made this experience even better. TechCrunch is not to blame for any of this — TechCrunch has given me the opportunity of a life time. I can never say thank you enough for TechCrunch for the amazing last nine months I’ve had.

This is the first day of the next learning stage for me. Yes, I am young, but from here, I can only learn more. To my family, friends, colleagues and especially, TechCrunch, I am sorry. I am taking this entire experience, learning and moving on.

For those who have messaged me with your thoughts — thank you. At this point, I’d like to take some time to myself after the Teens in Tech Conference, to focus on school, and enjoy being a teenager. I’ve invited Michael and my friends from TechCrunch to come the conference as well.

In some way or another a line was crossed? Wow, he really is a prodigy. That’s right along with how the government points out, when they eff up, how “mistakes were made,” not how “we made mistakes.” But he’s careful to remind everyone that, in fact, he’s just a teenager.

Really, Daniel? Because from what everyone says about you when you do right, you’re a prodigy; someone who’s so smart we all pale in comparison and someone who’s huge success is due to his massive knowledge.

In reality? You are just a kid, but in this case, right and wrong are still pretty damn obvious. You crossed a line, you screwed up, and you blew a great opportunity. “In some way or another, a line was crossed.” No Daniel, you crossed a line and it wasn’t because you’re a kid or because you didn’t know better. It’s because you got greedy and sought to use the power you had to better yourself materially. I refuse to believe that you didn’t know that was wrong, so stop playing the dumb kid game.

You failed.

The true measure of our life is not our failures, but what we learn from them, so make sure you stop with the “I’m a kid” crap, take responsibility, and get yourself all squeaky clean as soon as possible because frankly, from what I’ve seen of your time as a prodigy, I’m not all that impressed.

IT.tv Episode 72: Haiti Fatigue? Not Exactly.

Vinny — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:36:34 +0000