Monday, September 27, 2004

Appeals court says ADA doesn't cover Web. But a three-judge panel notes that a future case could provide a vehicle for exploring questions of access in greater depth. [CNET News.com] 10:33:14 PM    comment []

Netflix vs. Blockbuster: The Queue Battle. Now that Blockbuster has had some time to get their act together, I wanted to compare the movie availability of both services. Netflix has dramatically improved their movie inventory in the past year -- I have two "waits" out of... [Hacking NetFlix] 10:31:23 PM    comment []

Green Music. This New Sounds program, #2326, features works that deal with environmental and ecological disasters. Hear Ben Neill's "Downwind" and Phillip K. Bimstein's Dark Winds Rising, among others. [WNYC New York Public Radio] 10:30:54 PM    comment []

Will Kerry come out swinging in the final round?. As all eyes turn to the first presidential debate this Thursday, Salon's Scott Rosenberg says Kerry had better step up to the podium and punch Bush rhetorically as hard as he can -- or the race is finished. It's likely Kerry's final opportunity, Rosenberg says, to beat back the bullying Bush campaign's core strategy of portraying Kerry as a wimp. [Salon.com] 10:30:47 PM    comment []

Comcast and Time Warner Mulling Bid for Adelphia. The Comcast Corporation confirmed today that it was in talks with Time Warner Inc. to make a joint bid for Adelphia Communications. By By GERALDINE FABRIKANT and KEN BELSON. [The New York Times > Business] 10:27:09 PM    comment []

Sep 27, 2004: Rove. According to a new report in The Atlantic Monthly, Karl Rove will stoop to any level to win a campaign, especially if the race is close. In Josh Green's new article, Karl Rove in a Corner, details of Rove's antics are revealed. As this presidential ca... [Kicking Ass] 10:26:46 PM    comment []

I Like to Watch. Surprise! The Amish ditch the overalls for hair gel and sushi, Mark Cuban makes a delightful game of his narcissism, and "Big Brother 5" teaches life lessons. Plus: Chip and Kim take the bucks and "The Amazing Race" takes the Emmy. [Salon.com] 9:47:49 AM    comment []

NYU Hiring. In a move that might shock some in the philosophical community, NYU is about to commence a hiring campaign. New York University is on a hiring campaign that it hopes will put its graduate and undergraduate liberal arts programs on sounder footing and give them the stature of some of its most prominent professional schools. Over the next five years, it plans to expand its 625-member arts and science faculty by 125 members, and replace another 125 who are expected to leave. (New York Times) If hiring Ned Block, Hartry Field, Kit Fine, David Velleman etc etc was what they do in normal times, it could get a little scary to see what they do in an expansionary era. [Thoughts Arguments and Rants] 7:13:01 AM    comment []

Changing at the Push of a Button. You might not be able to morph your wallpaper just yet, but digital ink is already threatening to make big changes in the way we experience advertising. By Rachel Metz. [Wired News] 7:12:48 AM    comment []

Free communication vs. recording industry onslaught. Via a Wirearchy relay, a blog post by David Weinberger (author of a well-received book about the Web, Small Pieces Loosely Joined) about the vast creative and communicative potential of the Internet, and the very real threat that it will be killed by the recording and movie industries' campaign to block the free flow of information, and stifle advances in technology, through digital rights management. Creative works succeed, he argues, because they "become ours in some sense." Further, culture advances by our having the leeway to build on published work and incorporate it into other works. From The Star Spangled Banner to most of Disney's feature length cartoons, that's what we do. So, we need the leeway, both to be able to continue as a culture, and more important from their point of view to continue to get value from what the Big Content folks produce. It's our ability to absorb and reuse that gives their product value. [Subdued Citizen] 7:09:02 AM    comment []

AP article on U.S. soldier blogs. Overview of U.S. soldier blogs via Yahoo: For the folks back home, soldier blogs offer details of war that don't make it into most news dispatches: The smell of rotten milk lingering in a poor neighborhood. The shepherd boys standing at the foot of a guard tower yelling requests for toothbrushes and sweets. The giant camel spiders. The tedium of long walks to get anything from a shower to a meal. A burning oil refinery a hundred miles away blocking the sun. A terrifying night raid surprised by armed enemies dressed in black. Article includes links to the following blogs: Buzzell, an infantryman in an Army Stryker brigade @ http://cbftw.blogspot.com/ Sean Dustman, a 32-year-old Navy corpsman from Prescott, Arizona @ http://docinthebox.blogspot.com/ [unmediated] 7:05:02 AM    comment []