In the News
A recent study conducted by Prime Access, Inc. on behalf of the Planet Out networks revealed some wonderful information on the gays that I'm guessing most of us knew: We frackin love Apple. We love them allot. And while we've known that for a long time, the reason has eluded those in the marketing field. According to the study, us gays love Apple so much because we perceive them to be a gay-friendly, and we are an extremely brand loyal people.
I think this is kinda funny because this is something that we've know for a loooong time. Apple is and has been very gay friendly. Their internal policies are very pro-gay, and even their chic store design and products appeal to our sensibilities.
It also appears that Samsung was rated among the lowest when it comes to being gay friendly, so if you were thinking about getting a shiny new Glyde, you may want to reconsider. Besides, that's a Verizon phone, and it looks like we're all switching to AT&T anyway.
Overall, is just another showing that the gays are an extremely attractive group to market to. We have money, we spend it, we're susceptible to most types of advertising (more so gay targeted ads and ads in gay media), we're loyal, and we're trend setters. So, companies of the world, listen up! Please contact Tiny Dancer about advertising opportunities here on Homotron... no, seriously, do it. Poppa needs a new iPod (and apparently a new microphone from the sounds of the podcast... sheesh!)
Study: Apple Most Gay-Friendly Brand, Samsung Least [Gearlog]
In determining a user's body mass index (or BMI, which sounds like BMX and Bowel Movements Incorporated), the Wii Fit has "underweight" and "fat" on either end of spectrum.
And now obesity experts are grossed out about the Fatty McFatterson comments and don't want children to use the device.
"BMI is far from perfect but with children it simply should not be used. A child's BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit. I would be very concerned if children were using this game and I believe it should carry a warning for parents," explained Fry.
So is stocky fat? If the term "fat" is in there, should "underweight" be changed to "Skeletor"?
You're all dying to know what I think of this matter, I realize that, so I'll just cut to the chase: I think the obesity experts need to calm down. If Nintendo is going to give a weight complex to children, well, the parents of said "stocky" children should be aware of this and treat it like parents: nip it in the bud, send your kid to therapy, tell them that television is evil and judges Little Jimmy even when Little Jimmy is asleep, and that Little Jimmy should probably go outside and run around in circles until he feels better about his body image.
Besides all that, the concept of Wii Fit is to help overweight kids shed pounds whilst having fun. So it doesn't matter what they call them at first; what matters is the progress they'll make toward transforming as they please.
Related to Jesse's post about embarrassing shit on the Internet comes the sad and weird conclusion to the Megan Meier suicide case with the indictment of Lori Drew.
For those out of the loop, Lori Drew is a psychopathic mid-westerner who decided to cyberstalk Megan Meier under a false MySpace profile. The profile of one "Josh Evans," was created in 2006 and used to first flirt with Meier and then, bizarrely, suggest the world would be better off if she killed herself. Which she did.
Since Missouri courts couldn't do shit with the case, federal prosecutors shifted it to California, where MySpace's servers are based, and smacked Drew with three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress, and one count of criminal conspiracy.
Drew's daughter was a friend of Meier's before the two had a falling out. Drew hacked into the Josh Evans profile to discover what Meier really thought about her daughter. The case complicates from there. (For the whole story, I recommend the Wikipedia page and the New York Times.)
Wired reports that the sentencing in this case set a strange and frightening legal precedent. Since there is no federal law against cyberbullying, the feds used an age-old "violation of terms of service" law to bust Drew, which may cause 1984-esque ripples in the legal sea.
"Empowering terms of use to be key pieces of evidence in criminal matters -- when terms of use are generally thought of by the people who are entering into them as purely contract or civil maters -- is something that should be done carefully," says Andrea Matwyshyn, law professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School. "I think you're going to have strong disagreement as to whether this is an advisable course to take."
This is a tricky matter, to say the least, and definitely not one for a light and fluffy Friday morning. However, it deserves serious consideration. Because the law hasn't caught up to the negative possibilities of the Internet, Drew almost managed to escape prosecution. But because the case had garnered so much national and international attention, the Feds wanted to take a stand (which MySpace wholly supports, says their press release). Doing so, and so quickly, may have altered the course of the law, or, in reverse, get the case thrown out if it reaches the Supreme Court.
Still, one cannot be charged with a law that does not exist yet, so the Feds may have done the right thing under the guise that it was the only thing they could've done.
What're your thoughts and opinions on the case, Homotronic Biddyonic Phonic Defenders of the Universe? I can only say I wish we'd foreseen this, somehow, and should definitely craft the law for the future.
Microsoft's got a prototype computer for just about every flat surface in your life: first they conquered tables, desks, and credenzas with the aptly-named Surface (which I've had a lot of fun with at various cell phone stores, although they do like to toss you out). Now Microsoft has turned Surface on end, probably literally, with their latest prototype, TouchWall.
HP and multitouch maven Jeff Han both have multitouch wall devices, and anyone following the US presidential race has seen John King fingering CNN's Magic Wall touchscreen with varying degrees of effectiveness.
Microsoft's version, a 4 foot by 6 foot slab with inexpensive IR sensors and a rear-mounted camera, looks like a whiteboard for the future - and is indeed being targeted for low-cost school and small business applications. But don't be fooled into thinking this is the limit for touch-screen technology: Microsoft also has a sphere-shaped Surface in the works.
Gates demos TouchWall computer [CNET]
Now this really grinds my gears: Charter Communications, a cable ISP, has sent letters to a few hundred thousand subscribers telling subscribers that Charter will now begin tracking every single site that customers visit, and then selling that information to NebuAd, an advertising company, in order to increase its revenues.
Are you kidding me? At least to Charter Communication's credit, they've got the balls to actually come out and tell their customers what scummy tactics they're going to employ, unlike Comcast who does everything to hide their sleazy practices.
However, their outright honesty doesn't improve the ridiculous intrusion into their subscriber's privacy, and Charter Communication's senior vice president of product management, Ted Schremp, gives an almost point by point regurgitation of the typical PR BS that accompanies wanton destruction of customer's privacy rights:
Charter is taking "for the most part, a high road approach," according to Mr. Schremp. "We have told customers exactly what we are doing," he said. The letter to customers, he added, was "very forthcoming" and "not buried in mouse type and legal disclosures."
The five-paragraph letter positioned the monitoring program as an "an enhanced online experience that is more customized to your interests and activities."
"As a result,'' the letter said, "the advertising you typically see online will better reflect the interests you express through your web-surfing activity. You will not see more ads -- just ads that are more relevant to you."
Yeah, great, because what we all want is even more advertising that is the result of you tracking my every move. W00T! </sarcasm>
Don't get me wrong, I know advertising is the lifeblood of the Internet. Hell, if it wasn't for the advertisers we have Homotron wouldn't exist and I wouldn't be communicating this to you.
BUT, there's a big difference between content makers like us putting advertising on our own website and an ISP tracking your every move and using that to add extra advertising content on top of sites in order to "increase revenue."
Ted Shcremp did tell the NYT that customers would be able to opt-out of the system, but that's hardly a solution. A default of opt-in with an option of opt-out is never a consumer friendly option, and it's a lesson that Facebook learned the hard way when it debuted its Beacon ad service a few months ago and incurred the wrath of privacy advocates everywhere.
For now, the programme is in a trial phase in Fort Worth, Tex.; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Oxford, Mass.; and Newtown, Conn. If the trial goes well, Charter Communications will then roll out the programme to the rest of its 2.8 million subscribers.
If you're a Charter Communications customer, watch your mailbox for their letter and make sure to opt-out of this ridiculous programme.
Charter Will Monitor Customers' Web Surfing to Target Ads [NYT]
Verizon announced they will be partnering with the Linux Foundation and bringing Linux Mobile phones to their network later this year. Understandably, this is a big deal for the open source OS and a big step forward for Verizon, further cementing their commitment to their Open Network Initiative. LiMo, as the kids are calling it these days, is an operating system based on principles of Linux aimed at providing an easily customizable experience at no cost. And while many people are touting this as a victory for LiMo, I have to wonder if it really matters?
Well, what I mean is that Verizon has pledged to open their network to anyone that meets the standards they've set out. So, assuming your device doesn't cripple their network when you use it, they're pretty much OK with it. On top of that, come 2009 when they take over the C Block of the 700 MHz spectrum, they'll be federally required to allow other devices and services on their network. So, while it is awesome that LiMo is turning out to be the little OS that could, is it really that surprising that the company that is actively trying to change its image of rigidity to an image of openness accepts the OS that is know strictly for its customization? Not really.
Good news for LiMo, for sure, but not really something to write home about. You did it LiMo, you graduated elementary school!
Verizon picks Linux—but not Android—for mobile platform [Ars Technica]
Oh snap! In the interesting move of the day, CBS and CNET announced a deal this morning whereby CBS will purchase CNET for $1.8 billion! While this is certainly not the $44 billion + we were looking at for the Yahoo! and Microsoft merger, this is still a large chunk of change for a internet company. This will give CBS control of not only CNET, but download.com, MP3.com, News.com, and all the other CNET domains.
How exactly was this news broken to the general public? Via Twitter of course! Dan Farber, the guy currently behind all that is CNET, posted up a quick tweet a couple hours ago, and since then the news has taken off. This, of course, was not the "official" press release, but it still provided the basic nugget that we all needed to know. Never let anyone tell you new media isn't making any ground.
CBS to buy CNET Networks [CNET]
[via: Brian Averly]
I was passing by the Boylston Street Apple Store this morning at 7:00AM when I noticed barricades surrounding the storefront and police officers flanking the sidewalk.
Let me remind you: it was seven o'clock in the morning. On a Thursday.
As I got closer to the building, I took a peek inside. It's very spacious and minimalist—very peaceful. I imagine in a few hours time, it'll be jam-packed with wide-eyed computer geeks and thrill-seekers from the dankest corners of the city. Peace will become a concept of the past.
Then I noticed people. At least ten people, sitting and standing behind the barricades. One had a camera strapped around his neck, making me believe he was some kind of reporter before I remembered that press day was yesterday. So he was just one of "those guys" who brings cameras to "big events" like a store opening (I saw similar people at the midnight release of Grand Theft Auto IV; there was literally nothing special to photograph that night).
Then I noticed sleeping bags. SLEEPING BAGS. People were camping out for the Apple Store. The store doesn't open until 6:00PM tonight! Can I emphasize that enough? SIX O'CLOCK PEE EM TONIGHT.
Ridiculous. I just lost a shitload of faith in humanity.
Here's yesterday's post if you missed it: Largest Apple Store In The U.S. Will Ruin My City.
Correcting an item in the Wall Street Journal which said that Dell intends to phase out its XPS line of gaming PCs, Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden let it be known that the company intends instead to phase in the XPS line. With Alienware.
Having snatched up Alienware, Dell plans to "invest like crazy" in the development of the Alienware brand while merging the two teams, Alienware and XPS, together. This is, of course, what one does when one owns two top-selling brands of gaming PCs. One splices them into a single mega-selling brand of gaming PCs!
There will be an XPS refresh or two before the brand phases out blends into the Alienware hive mind. Dell's expansion of XPS systems into all-in-one PCs and other non-gaming offerings means that the XPS name might survive after all, albeit in a different form.
Dell denies rumors of XPS phase-out [Electronista]
Recent rumors concerning mergers and two little companies called Virgin Mobile USA and SK Telecom (parent of Helio) were forcefully squashed by SKT, who called the topic "groundless."
This led quite naturally to the contradictory announcement by Virgin Mobile USA that the two companies are indeed involved in "preliminary discussions" of "possible strategic opportunities."
Diametrically opposed statements? Vague, unhelpful PR lingo? Smells like business as usual to me - expect to hear more about this over the next few weeks and months. Also, expect not to hear anything about this over the next several months and weeks. Welcome to America: for more unenlightening doublespeak, please enjoy our presidential race, our news media, and our celebrity culture coverage!
Bring money.
Virgin Mobile USA Confirms Early Talks With SK Telecom [MocoNews]
[story and picture via Engadget]
The largest Apple Store in the United States opens tomorrow in Boston, my city of residence, and will likely become a drool-soaked mob-fest that'll have me buying tickets to San Francisco earlier than originally planned.
This three-floor monstrosity of a building has been in development for eight years, mostly because rich Back Bayers (the neighborhood in which the store rests) are freaks about building preservation and history. Granted, the building torn down was a piece of crap just rotting there, but still—old money has to maintain some sense of dignity.
Wealth-hatin' aside, I have to agree with purists out there. This building—and pardon my French—is fucking ugly. It cheapens the entire block. It's surrounded on either side by nice-looking brownstones. Character and class. Across the street is a fancy-dancy Lord & Taylor with a conservative building front. Nothing around this glass-and-plastic castle even remotely resembles what they've jammed in there. It's an eyesore.
Not to mention the horrible hoopla that'll surround tomorrow's 6pm opening. Oh Christ it'll be awful. You know how when a McDonald's opens in a small town, the lines stretch outside the door for hours, even though every single customer, at one point in their lives, has eaten at McDonald's? The same will be true, double-fold, for this Apple Store.
I imagine everybody waiting outside either owns an iPod or has stopped at Boston's other Apple Store near Lechmere in Cambridge (which isn't technically Boston but whatever; we own it). So what's the point? To check out the architecture? Is that what draws country bumpkin's to the new McDonald's?
Or is that $600 economic stimulus check burning in everybody's pocket so they just have to get a new Apple product, even though the desktops haven't been significantly updated in weeks, a new iPod isn't even on the line, the iPhone is sold out and iPhone 2.0 isn't set for release for another month?
And three floors? Do we really need three floors of Apple? Gizmodo spews the layout:
The first floor is all Mac, the company's "most important product"... Floor two is dedicated to iPod, iPhone and all the third party accessories Apple offers. The third floor is dedicated to service, with a massive Genius Bar, sections for one-on-one, workshops and a second location for Apple's new "Pro Labs" initiative.
Blargh.
Before you put my head on a pole, I own an iPod and a MacBook. I like Apple products as much as the next fellah. I don't, however, understand the Cult of Mac, nor do I—in a typical Masshole kind of way—tolerate window-gazing tourists bogging up Boylston Street, causing major traffic delays and generally making a nuisance out of an already obnoxious urban environment.
If any readers live in Boston and plan on attending this opening, check out the roof of Lord & Taylor across the street. Just ... keep an eye out ... on the roof ... for a little red dot....
If you don't think the science of sex is a hairy subject, just ask the late Dr. Kinsey. Or the makers of your favorite depilatory cream, wax, or wheat thresher. Luckily, there exists no shortage of science-minded horndogs on the internet, nor of literal-minded scientists just waiting to offer up clinical but accurate answers to your our most perverted puerile ponderings.
Thanks be to NewScientist for this latest excuse to talk about sex in a sciencey environment - their reader Q&A is full of geeky probings such as "Does the female orgasm serve a biological purpose?" (apparently not - ouch), and poses complicated questions such as asking if the human drive to constantly have sex stems from the fact that our ladies don't go into heat visibly.
But thank the good gay lord, there are some questions not preoccupied with lady-bits, such as whether or not circumcision makes it harder to have an orgasm (some say yes, but apparently that's a hot-button topic for sexologists both amateur and professional). Also, such burning issues as why anal sex feels so good for both partners (not really a mystery) and the length of time it takes for the scrotum to refill with semen.
In the name of all that's scientific, how could anyone not want to know if saltpeter is an anaphrodisiac?
Readers' Q&A: The science of sex [NewScientist]
And girls who like girls who like fembots!
Gadget of the Week
Show-stopping "half-VGA" screen and HSDPA/UMTS support, gorgeous video playback: Bold, Bold, Bold!
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