links for 2009-05-11

"The issue of the proliferation of Facebook groups that promote hatred of religious and ethnics groups and the hate speech those groups perpetrate. While you may have your doubts, I submit that this includes those who promote the fringe revisionist theory of Holocaust Denial."

"News Corp is planning to introduce micro-payments for individual articles and premium subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal’s website this year, in a milestone in the news industry’s race to find better online business models." Micropayments are one of the worst ideas to come from the media companies. Who determines the value of content and how do you decide if an article is worth the price. How do you charge people for the content.

"Last month, Google has officially announced Android 1.5 update, dubbed “cupcake.” Geek’s Joel Evans had a chance to briefly play with the beta, enough to give us first look of exciting new things to come. Barely a month later, the new software is apparently ready to roll on Android-powered devices. Make no mistake, Android 1.5 is a major upgrade. The software brings a host of new capabilities, some of which can’t be found on rival mobile platforms."

"Veteran games developer 3D Realms has closed down because of a lack of funds. Founded in 1987, the firm popularised the concept of shareware gaming and published the seminal Duke Nukem and Wolfenstein 3D first-person shooters. The company was working on a follow-up title, Duke Nukem Forever, which after being in development for 12 years has become the object of industry derision." Duke Nukem will now never be built.

"Los Angeles Dodgers batter Manny Ramirez has been handed a 50-match suspension after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug." That will hurt the Dodgers.

"Sudan's government says it will invite new aid groups to work in Darfur and allow those still operating there to expand their activities." Good to hear.

"A new interim government has taken office in the Czech Republic. It will lead the country through the last two months of the EU presidency and to early elections in October."

"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sent troops to take over companies that provide services for the oil industry."

"Chad has won a "decisive victory" over rebels in the east of the country, Defence Minister Adoum Younousmi said after two days of fierce fighting."

"Well, apparently if you speak loudly enough on the web with enough swear words, Apple does listen. After initially rejecting an update to Nine Inch Nails’ iPhone app, Apple has relented and accepted it back into the store. So what did NIN do to change the app? Nothing. Apparently, Apple’s definition of “objectionable” changed."

"Forget Ashton Kutcher and Oprah Winfrey, there’s a genuine queen on Twitter these days: Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan, joined the tweeting masses yesterday and she really has a feel for the micro-medium too!" Tell me that isn't coolest thing you have heard at least this week?

"The governor of California has launched a new initiative to compile open source textbooks for the state. He hopes that the plan will help cut costs and improve the quality of education. The effort seems very promising, but the state's complex standards and arduous textbook evaluation process will pose major challenges." I'll be wonderfully surprised if this works.

"Congress is seriously considering proposals to provide tax credits or other subsidies to employers who offer wellness programs that meet federal criteria. In addition, lawmakers said they would make it easier for employers to use financial rewards or penalties to promote healthy behavior among employees." I'm against this idea, while I understand the reasoning behind it, healthier employees means less insurance costs, etc, this a pretty big intrusion by both employers and the government into people's personal lives.

"Teachers don't need to rip DVDs to get clips for classroom use—they should just use a camcorder to record the DVD playing on a TV screen! So says the MPAA in a video it showed to the US Copyright Office in an attempt to argue that nobody should be ripping DVDs, even for educational use."

"The organization showed a film to the US Copyright Office, in the triennial hearing to spell out exemptions to the DMCA, giving instructions for how a teacher could use a camcorder to record a low-quality clip of a DVD for educational use" Oh MPAA how you manipulate copyright law to serve your agenda. There is a very specific exemption for educational purposes.

"Celebrated US financier Warren Buffett has seen his investment firm report its first loss in eight years due to a badly-timed purchase of oil stocks. Berkshire Hathaway made a loss of $1.53bn (£1bn) in the first three months of 2009, compared with a profit of $940m a year earlier. "

"President Obama’s chief economics forecaster said on Sunday that the country was not likely to see positive employment growth until 2010, even if the economy began to grow later this year."

"There were a lot of security conservatives after 9/11 — and my guess is that the Republicans were winning the vast majority of them provided they were either social conservatives or economic conservatives. With homeland security issues having faded into the background, however, and foreign policy issues starting to work against the Republicans, the strange-bedfellowness of the relationship between social and fiscal conservatives is now becoming more apparent." Take on Huckabee's comments on social and economic conseratives and the future of the GOP.

"The bank stress test, released last Thursday, found that the nation’s 19 biggest banks could expect nearly $82.4 billion in credit card losses by the end of 2010 under what federal regulators called a “worst-case” economic situation. But if unemployment breaches 10 percent, as many economists predict, the rate of uncollectible balances at some banks could far exceed that level. At American Express, Citigroup, and J.P. Morgan Chase, one-fifth of the credit card balances are expected to go bad over the next 20 months, according to stress test results. At Bank of America and Wells Fargo, about a quarter of card loans are expected to sour." Credit card looks to be the next big problem for banks.

"Mr. Gates predicted more of these messy, unconventional wars, and he argued that this kind of conflict requires America to shift spending to items like mine-resistant vehicles, surveillance drones and medical-evacuation helicopters, at the expense of tanks, bombers and aircraft carriers." Personally I have to agree with Gates, I think the future of conventional warfare is coming to a close, especially when we have such an overwhelmingly powerful military. That being said Congress' comments about being unprepared to fight a conventional war shouldn't be dismissed.

"I hear stories like this all the time, and usually they don’t amount to much individually except as as silly story. But taken as a sum, they do in fact inflict damage: people believe in fantasies which can hurt them physically, financially, and emotionally. It destroys their ability to think critically. And then we get people like Jenny McCarthy, or the parents who used homeopathy and killed their child, or the proven fraud Peter Popoff making a comeback and bilking people out of millions of dollars."

"The optics of this one are not good: The de facto leader of the GOP (according to Dems and some in the media) is reiterating his claim that a high profile black Republican and decorated military man’s endorsement of the country’s first black president was only about race. And that he should leave the party."

"Dick Cheney's frosty relationship with fellow Bush cabinet member Colin Powell was a well-reported aspect of the past administration. On Sunday, however, the former Vice President took a very public dig at the one-time Secretary of State, saying he wasn't even sure if Powell was still a Republican."

"Two months after key international aid agencies were expelled from Sudan, the UN is cautiously optimistic about the humanitarian situation in Darfur. Visiting the region, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator said there was no hard evidence that more people had died because of the disrupted aid effort. However, John Holmes said the situation remained fragile."