J's Notes

video

2007-11-27T10:09:00.001-05:00

J's Notes Is Moving

2007-11-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

Hot on the heels of one of this site's biggest days traffic wise (possibly the biggest evar!), J's Notes will be moving to a new home at its own URL:

http://jsnotes.com/

Ooohs and aahs all around.

Long time readers will note that this isn't the first time I've moved the site to a server, though I do hope for this move to be more permanant than the last (you'll note a gap in the archives, that's from the jk.net experience).

Please pardon the dust as I work on a slick new template, but feel free to start enjoying the J's Notes goodness of days past and all that jazz.

RWL: Myth and reality from the Virginia election

2007-11-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

D.J. MacGwire has a great evaluation of Tuesday's elections and what it means for Virginia GOP. The whole thing is a great read.

Quite Possibly The Best Campaign Ad Ever

2007-11-07T14:52:00.001-05:00

(Via Gizmodo)

Music For Generations

2007-11-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

xkcd perfectly sums up a thought I've had for a while now:

click for full strip
Modern music sucks. And not just in a "dear Lord, this stuff is making my brainmeats leak out" sorta sucks but in a "what are our children and grandchildren going to think of us?" sucks. What does the last 15 years of music have to show for its efforts? Will Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Green Day's "Time Of Your Life" define what filled our ear holes? (Please let it be Nirvana.) What bands have the body of work to measure up against Pink Floyd or Led Zepplin? Will it be one of the bands already selling the hell out of albums, or a sleeper candidate that is currently making great music and building an audience without tearing up the charts just quite yet?

So I turn to you, trusty blogosphere.

What songs, albums or bands from the last fifteen years do you think are really going to stand the test of time and be played non-stop by classic rock stations of the future?

Silver Lining For Virginia Republicans

2007-11-07T11:06:00.000-05:00

A brief statement from Shaun Kenney, Communications Director of the RPV:

140 seats open for reelection and the voters chose to send back a Republican majority in the House and nearly chose to send back a Republican majority in the Senate. The message is simple, Democrats are being asked to bi-partisanly build on the Republican successes of the last eight years. Either they’ll be constructive and work with the House majority or they’ll be otherwise and rollback the progress we’ve made.

While the Democrats took control of the Senate, the Republican representation is more conservative than it was before. As DJ MacGuire points out, anti-tax Republicans actually did well in the House:

While the Republicans as a whole lost control of the Senate, and dropped 3 seats in the House of Delegates, here's how the "extremists" did:

Cole - The only one in the bunch whose support fell from 2005. Despite facing a challenger with a quarter-million dollar war chest, Cole lost less than one-third of one percent and "slipped" to a mind-boggling 62%.

Frederick - Elected by the skin of his teeth in 2005 (51%), Frederick had a gigantic bulls-eye painted on him. Yet the "glib extremist" actually gained two-thirds of one percent, and was re-elected with 52%.

Gear - He faced his first opponent in 2005, and crushed him 3 to 2. Yet after defying his party leadership to vote against higher taxes, the Democrats responded to this "extreme" action by giving him a pass and not running anyone against him.

Marshall - His defeat has long been the wet dream of every Virginia Democrat and Washington Post editor, and after losing the Loudoun part of his district in 2005, the dream looked achievable in 2007. Instead, he bucked the party trend in Loudoun and narrowly carried his precincts there. His base in Prince William also came through, leading to a gain of three points to 58%.

Meanwhile, Joannou (unopposed both then and now) actually gained two points over assorted write-ins - quite a feat considering the nasty primary he survived that left a lot of angry liberals.

In other words, in those rare places in Virginia where true right-wing economic policy was on the ballot, it won. More to the point, by and large, it did better this year than it did two years ago.

Republicans had a rough showing in Nova and the Virginia Beach area, places where trouble was expected. But to take this and say Virginia is "purple" or "a shade of blue" is entirley inaccurate. Blue areas turned bluer, red areas redder, and, as Shaun said, by and large Virginians showed that they're looking for bi-partisan progress on the successes of the last eight years.

How Virginia looks (thanks, Jerry and WaPo)

State Senate

House Of Delegates

Currently Listening To

2007-11-07T11:02:00.000-05:00

Be A Background Singer For Brad

2007-11-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

Brad Sucks is looking for a few good background vocalists. But hurry, you only have through Sunday the 11th to let it all out. And while you're there, check out his music and download his album "I Don't Know What I'm Doing". It's all really good stuff.

Liveblogging Election Results From Republican Party of Virginia Headquarters

2007-11-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

LIVEBLOGGING BEGINS: Check it out now at Virginia Virtucon.

CHANGE OF VENUE: Results and questions will be liveblogged at Virginia Virtucon. Any thoughts and questions left here will be answered at VV. Thanks to the VV crew for hosting.

J's Notes will be liveblogging the election results as the come in from RPV HQ in downtown Richmond, chock full of exclusive thoughts and comments from RPV as the night goes on.

Use this thread as an open mic for election thoughts but also to post any questions you may have for RPV concerning today's elections and RPV will answer any and all questions.

(NOTE: You must be a registered Blogger user to comment on this post.)

Stay tuned to J's Notes for live election day coverage starting at 7:00pm tonight.

Election Day Is Today

2007-11-06T09:14:00.000-05:00

Find your polling place here and get yerself out there to vote. Polls are open until 7pm. Every seat in the State Senate and House are up and the results of this election will have an impact for many years to come, momentum into 2008's US Senate race, the statewide races of 2009, redistricting in 2010 and beyond.

Get on out and vote.

Misleading DPVA Ad May Cost Them $1 Million

2007-11-05T17:33:00.001-05:00

Ouch.

A Washington lobbying shop filed a $1 million defamation suit Friday against the Democratic Party of Virginia and a legislative candidate over an ad that links the firm to the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

The Livingston Group, founded by former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston, is asking a Fairfax County court to rule on the accuracy of a mail ad that Democrat Rex Simmons used to attack Del. Tim Hugo, R-Herndon. Hugo is a part-time lobbyist with the firm. The Democratic Party of Virginia paid for the ad, but Simmons’ campaign approved it.

The ad in question said, “Tim Hugo’s lobbying firm represents the ones who were responsible for torture abuses at Abu Ghraib.”

The Livingston Group said it formally represented CACI International, which provided civilian interrogators to assist military personnel at the notorious Iraqi prison. The firm said CACI hired Livingston to lobby Congress on a different issue and has not been a client since 2004, a year before Hugo joined the lobbying shop.

Note to DPVA: The Internets are a handy tool for information like this that could save you a whole lot of embarrassment and money in the future.

Senate Dems Already Conceeding - 24/16 A Distinct Possibility

2007-11-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

Seems Brian Moran was on WTOP this weekend setting the tone of defeat for Democrats running to try and take over the Virginia Senate, "saying many of these districts were too tailored to Republicans for them to win".

Defeatism abounds as Dem blogs have run out of great things to say about their candidates who have failed to resonate on the issues most important to Virginians: immigration, transportation, education, the list goes on and on. Democrats have spent the last few months running on what they are not, not on what they can do, and Republicans with a proven record of leadership have turned what was to be a Democratic takeover into a potential pickup for Republicans.

Northern Virginia Republicans are holding and Bob FitzSimmonds is readying to topple Chuck Colgan in the 29th. 24/16 is a very real possibility by the end of tomorrow, with a more conservative Virginia Senate swinging the momentum back around just in time for 2008 and beyond.

Nobody Bothers Me!

2007-11-01T16:09:00.001-04:00

Holy crap, I'd forgotten all about this commercial:

Thanks, Consumerist.

bug.gd

2007-11-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

Keep getting some odd Interwebs error that you just can't figure out? Check out bug.gd. What is bug.gd?

It's humanity's last remaining hope against computers. Here you join forces with other lost souls in the fight for sanity. Just submit an error message you've seen and we'll try to find other people who've seen the same error and lived to tell the tale.

Short, sweet, and to the point, the site's tiny and works like a charm. Certainly worth a bookmark.

Missing Cat

2007-11-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

I've seen a few of those wandering through RVA.

Could You Or Couldn't You Care Less?

2007-11-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

A few years back I realized I'd been saying "I could care less" and how little sense that made. To some it means "as if I could care less" but that's just awkward. So I've forced myself to start saying "I couldn't care less" whenever I utter the phrase, but I still make the mistake.

Not that it's vital to my existance or anything.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T15:43:00.001-04:00

RIP Robert Goulet

2007-10-31T10:03:00.000-04:00

Robert Goulet passed away yesterday at the age of 73.

Now who will mess with my stuff?

Richmond Blogosphere Keeps Rockin'

2007-10-31T09:39:00.001-04:00

Two nifty new Richmond blogs are now out for all to enjoy.

RVANews, brought to you by the same folks who did that whole RVABlogs thing, has aggregate and original content to give you a taste of of Richmond by Richmond.

And new to the community blog front is River District News, covering Shockoe to Rockets and beyond.

Great reading all around. Go partake.

November Is National Writing A Lot Month

2007-10-30T10:21:00.000-04:00

Pick your poison.

You can play in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, where you challenge yourself to write a 50,000 word novella in 30 days.

OR

Try your hand at NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month, where you write a blog post a day, every day, for 30 days. Not only is it less writing, but you could win a prize!

I've tried NaNoWriMo in the past, successfully completing it in 2003 and failing miserably ever since. I may try it again this year, especially since I don't have steady access to the Internets to do NaBloPoMo.

Best of luck to anyone trying either of these exercises. Looking forward to the results.

(Hat tip to Kamen Lee for finding NaBloPoMo.)

Tom Is An Old Fart! (Sorry, Old Farts.)

2007-10-30T10:08:00.001-04:00

MySpace founder and president Tom Anderson is older than his profile suggests. But only by five years. When MySpace started in 2003 his profile claimed his age at 27 but in actuality he was 32.

Is it a big deal? Anderson, who has said he was 27 when MySpace launched, built an empire by tapping into the youth market. History might've unfolded differently if those first few users had known that the site's hipster co-architect was already well into his 30s. "Young people don't want someone their dad's age running a site they think is cool," says Pete Cashmore, the founder and editor of Mashable.com, a blog that covers social networking.

What this also highlights is one problem with MySpace and much of social networking: honesty. It's easy to create a new persona online, especially through services like MySpace, and it's these little lies that create entirely new people. These are the same holes that are abused not just for marketing purposes (as it potentially was for Tom), but for more illicit purposes, like 45 year old men stalking 18 year old girls online.

While Tom's age difference of five years may have been a little white lie, it leads me to wonder how serious MySpace really is on cracking down and setting up barriers and verification systems to limit the abuse of the social network by people with less savory intentions.

PS - I don't really think 37 is an "old fart".

YourStreet: Hyper-Local News On Google Maps

2007-10-30T09:53:00.001-04:00

YourStreet takes Google Maps and puts pushpins in your area for news stories and the like. TechCrunch sums it up nicely:

The startup has developed an algorithm that extracts geographical information from stories, such as street names, neighborhoods, and cities. It then geo-codes the articles against a longitude and latitude database so that it can place them on a map. The site will start off with regular Google AdSense ads, but that same algorithm will allow it to place local ads with extremely fine granularity. “The thing that distinguishes us,” explains CEO James Nicholson, “is that we can get down to a specific street level on the ads.” If he can attract enough local visitors to YourStreet, the local dry cleaner may also want to show up to advertise there. The localized ads will be simple text ads at first, but they could also eventually be push pins of a different color.

There's not a whole lot to it right now but it looks to be just getting off the ground.

Edd Houck: Lame Duck Senator In Virginia's 17th?

2007-10-29T14:36:00.000-04:00

With Virginia's 1st Congressional District up for grab there's a lot of talk of who will potentially run on both sides for the special election on December 11th. Virginia Virtucon has a running tally here (scroll down to 1st House District). On their list as well as many others circulating of potential Democratic candidates is current 17th State District Senator Edd Houck who is currently facing a challenge Republican Chris Yakabouski.

So does Edd Houck want to be a State Senator or a Congressional Representative? People in the 17th District, my old stomping ground and home to many friends and family members, deserve a representative that will truly represent them in the Senate, not just aim for something else a month later. Chris Yakabouski has solidly served Spotsylvanians as a Supervisor and is running a great campaign on solid ideas.

So will it be a lame duck or a real representative?

Jim Riley has his thoughts here.

Chris Yakabouski
17th State Senate District of Virginia

Richmond's Opium Dens

2007-10-29T11:59:00.000-04:00

men.style.com had an article up earlier this month about the resurgance of opium as a upper middle class drug and starts with a group in Richmond:

"Nice, isn't it?" Steve asks (the names in this story have been changed). He's a 33-year-old medical student with frameless glasses, dressed in a crisp white American Apparel polo shirt. "It just gives it that little added something." Steve and his wife, Cindy, a 32-year-old journalist with long, coffee-colored hair, are hosting this gathering at their cozy two-bedroom house in Richmond, Virginia.

...

At around 10:30, the party takes a turn. Brian sets his wine down and produces a small silken pouch. He extracts a folded wine label, and displays the contents on a table beneath a vintage lamp: about 10 grams of tar-colored opium—a Tootsie Roll-size chunk worth about $750.

The writing style used in the article isn't my cup of tea (oh boy, a tea reference when talking about opium, har har) and the failure to highlight the horribly addicitive nature of the drug really rubs me the wrong way. What I wonder is, is opium use growing or even a widespread issue in the Richmond area? Or does the author happen to be from around here?

Indexed

2007-10-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

This site is a little project that lets me make fun of some things and sense of others. I use it to think a little more relationally without resorting to doing actual math.

And it's pretty interesting.

Richmond's Facebook Users At A Glance

2007-10-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

Patrick Ruffini has a post up about how to utilize Facebook's new Flyer Pro system to find out more about a target audience demographic than you may ever need to know. It's quite a fun little tool if you're into data and what that may mean from an advertising or a mobilizing standpoint.

I decided to play with it a bit and see what I could find out about Facebook users who are part of the Richmond area network (whether nor not they really live here isn't known, anyone can join any network they'd like). This data is an aggregate of what people claim on their profiles. Some people don't list their sex, relationship status, political views, etc, so the numbers might not add up to 100%.

Richmond, VA Area Facebook Users

Total	-	86,900
Male	-	35,000	(40%)
Female	-	42,960	(49%)
-----
Liberal	-	13,620	(16%)
Moderate	-	9,940	(11%)
Conservative	-	8,620	(10%)
-----
Single	-	32,220	(37%)
In A Relationship	-	21,800	(25%)
Engaged	-	3,060	(4%)
Married	-	8,620	(10%)
-----
Under 17	-	12,520	(14%)
18-24	-	56,600	(65%)
25-35	-	13,500	(16%)
35 and Over	-	3,600	(4%)
-----
In High School	-	13,860	(16%)
In College	-	26,840	(31%)
College Graduate	-	24,120	(28%)

For further breakdown of the political numbers, male and female affilliations are:

Liberal - 13,620 (16%) (M - 5,220/F - 7,800)
Moderate - 9,940 (11%) (M - 4,860/F - 4,760)
Conservative - 8,620 (10%) (M - 4,620/F - 4,240)

If one wanted they could break this data down more and find out how many proclaimed single female Conservative 28 year old college graduates were out there (of which there are fewer than 20). It won't give you names, but it may give you hope.

The numbers are interesting, though, and provide fodder for some interesting thoughts. Say you were a Convervative thinking of making a run for office in the Richmond area. By Facebook's standards, there are 8,620 people you can specifically target and hopefully mobilize right in your neighborhood. Or if you want to advertise a college dating service in the Richmond area, you can narrow it down to single college students between the ages of 18-23.

What you can do with these numbers beyond crunching them or actually advertising is beyond me right now, but as Facebook expands and tweaks its system you may find the usefulness of such numbers growing.

Demons Ball Tonight

2007-10-26T12:48:00.001-04:00

Need some last minute plans for your Friday night fun? C'mon out to Plant Zero for RDD's Demons Ball.

Things Looking Up For JMDD And Virginia Republicans?

2007-10-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

Perhaps Ben Tribbett is getting flustered about nonsense because Jeannemarie Devolites Davis is now polling even with Chap Petersen, wiping out what had been a substantial lead for Chap in the last weeks of the campaign. This is huge news not only for the JMDD campaign but seems to also be a trend for Republican's statewide.

The National Journal's "The Campaign Spot" blog reported on Tuesday that numbers are suddenly looking a little more promising for Republicans in Virginia:

Today I report that the news in those internal polls continues to be good. Surprisingly good. They're showing a markedly better environment for Republican candidates, and campaign pollsters aren't quite sure why.

One strategist familiar with the results speculated, "It may just be that there are Republicans out there talking about their issues. The campaigns in aggregate are spending a bucket load. And they have good stuff to say. It may just be that there are folks going, 'Right. I remember that I agree with those guys, regardless of the fact that I'm angry at the President over Iraq,' or whatever other issues."

With 12 days to go things are starting to fall into place for some Republican candidates. But the races are far from over. Do your part by contacting your local committee or campaign to help volunteer, GOTV, or contribute.

More Much Ado About Nothing At NLS

2007-10-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Ben Tribbett cries foul at a recent mailing by Jeannemarie Devolites Davis that includes an image of Chap Petersen's disclosure form that happens to include Petersen's home address and phone number. All of that information is publicly available to anyone willing to look for it not just on Petersen's disclosure forms but through his campaign's website and even shared on his blog. Devolites Davis's personal contact information is readily available, even her phone number which Ben Tribbett is threatening to release to the public.

Yet Ben Tribbett's reasoning is more malicious than JMDD's, seeking to intimidate her and her family. Instead of being reasonable and understanding the nature of the information or maybe even offering a polite suggestion, Ben Tribbett is attempting to call on others to stalk and hound JMDD and her family. Ben Tribbett is the same person who has called on his readers to telephone employers of private citizens merely because he doesn't like a ranking system on their website. Ben Tribbett is also the same person who has taken to using derogatory and cursing in his site to refer to candidates. Nevermind his articulate one-word post on Tom Davis's potential decision not to run for Senate.

So, Ben Tribbett, get over yourself.

FLASHBACK UPDATE: Back in August Ben Tribbett wasn't so concerned about releasing the home information of private citizens who disagreed with him. More colorful language too. Civil discourse have been dead over at Not Larry Sabato for quite some time...

50% Of DailyKos Readers Admit To Being Bats#!t Crazy (Another 29% Are Just Crazy)

2007-10-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

DailyKos poster rainmanjr has written a rambling post that speculates that national Democrats have given up on attempting to lead because the White House has blackmailed them!

That would explain a lot of folding and playing dead. Wireless surveillance could have been done on our House/Senate people, learning things that Rove could use, and now they're afraid. Maybe they were even quietly threatened with plantings of drugs, kid porn, gay porn, National Review...that kind of sorted thing. You get tagged with any of this stuff and your career is over.

There's even a poll where readers can give their thoughts on the viability of such speculation. The results? As of 2pm today:

So 79% of DK readers firmly believe or think it's entirely possible that the weakness of Democratic leaders in Washington is not the result of bad polices and a failure to act on asinine policies and promises during their 2006 campaigning but a result of some clandestine scheme by the White House and Karl Rove who, having nothing better to do in retirement, spends his free time listening to their phone conversations and planting pornography on Democratic computers. Completely within the realm of reason. If your room has padded walls.

Outta Town

2007-10-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

This week finds our hero in New York City for the 2007 CMJ Music Marathon. One day in and I've already seen People Noise, Breaking Laces, The Hollow Sound and Jennifer O'Conner (links and thoughts when I have more time). Off to do more music related stuff.

But Is The Sentiment Genuine?

2007-10-12T10:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I commented on Turkey's recalling of their ambassador in face of a House resolution calling the Armenian Genocide an actual genocide (read the resolution here). The post pulled a good number of anonymous responses that tried to create excuses that either fell into the "what about the others that have suffered?" or the "they deserved it" categories as a defense for Turkey.

The second point has been based merely on accusations that have not been backed up by any links or citations. It is not even conjecture and, barring evidence to support such claims, is easily dismissed as propaganda. Besides, the non-binding resolution does nothing to blame the current Turkish government for what happened, though it does shed light on Turkey's denial of the events even occurring and attempt at white washing their own history.

The first point is a bit more touchy and understandable, yet fails in the face of "two wrongs don't make a right". If an error has been made in one area, is it wrong to try and correct a similar area elsewhere? When someone says "what about the others that have suffered?" you're absolutely right. That others have suffered the same should be addressed as well. Certainly that might keep us busy for a long time to come, but we should not ignore it. That we haven't addressed every human atrocity over the last 100 years is unfortunate, but that does not mean we should avoid addressing any of them. One thing at a time. This time it's Armenia.

One point the comments failed to make against the resolution is the political one.

Why now?

Many see this as a political ploy by Democrats in Congress to slow bleed our military in Iraq and force an early withdrawl. As the CNN article noted:

Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposing the resolution, and said the backlash threatened by Turkey could disrupt "America's ability to redeploy U.S. military forces from Iraq," a top Democratic priority.

Turkey, a NATO member, has been a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and a conduit for sending supplies into Iraq.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that good relations with Turkey are vital because 70 percent of the air cargo sent to U.S. forces in Iraq and 30 percent of the fuel consumed by those forces fly through Turkey.

U.S. commanders "believe clearly that access to airfields and roads and so on, in Turkey, would very much be put at risk if this resolution passes and the Turks react as strongly as we believe they will," Gates said.

Bagis said no French planes have flown through Turkish airspace since a French Parliament committee passed a similar resolution last year.

This massacre occured 90 years ago. Why are we only now drafting resolutions calling it a genocide? Certainly they're overdue, but if this is happening merely as a method of draining our efforts in Iraq, is the sentiment really genuine? Are the Armenians and Ottoman Christians who suffered merely to once more be political pawns?

I find myself torn. On one hand, a genuine recognition and discussion of what happened needs to occur. It was our failure to remain involved and care about the Armenian genocide that inspired Hitler's plans in Europe.

Yet to remember what happened and recognize it merely to score a backdoor political victory on an unrelated issue is disengenuious and does nothing but dishonor the memory of those who suffered through these horrible events.

A recognition and discussion of the Armenian genocide needs to occur, especially within Turkey itself. But if this is merely an opportunity to grand stand on an issue that no one cared about until they realized the political victory it could achieve on an issue they can't seem to win when facing it head on then it is a disservice not only to our soldiers in Iraq but the Armenian people.

If it is not happening for the right reasons is it worth happening at all?

Turkey Still Denying Genocide

2007-10-11T15:12:00.000-04:00

Turkey has recalled its ambassador in protest of a House resolution that recognizes Turkey's massacare of Armenians for what it was: genocide. The Armenian Genocide saw the Ottoman Empire kill anywhere from 500,000 to 1.5 million Armenians and Ottoman Christians during forced round-ups and deportations, measures that are thought to have inspired Hitler. What happened needs to be recognized, whether or not Turkey wants to face it's own history.

UPDATE: The issue was large enough to be front page news at the time and pull American's into the international community. See New York Times articles from the era, using the search terms "armenians massacre".

The History Place has a summary of the 1915-1918 events.

Calm Down, Too Conservative

2007-10-10T17:57:00.000-04:00

Vince, it's a little early for this, don't ya think?

Currently Listening: In Rainbows

2007-10-10T13:50:00.000-04:00

Radiohead's newest album, In Rainbows, hit the virtual shelves today in a "pay-what-you-want" scheme that I hope works out great for them. Three songs in and I'm impressed. But Radiohead usually delivers.

NME has a song by song breakdown.

On The Passing Of Rep. Jo Ann Davis

2007-10-06T14:35:00.000-04:00

Rep. Jo Ann Davis passed away this morning at the age of 57:

WAVY.com has just learned that Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis passed away Saturday morning at her home in Gloucester after a courageous battle with breast cancer. The 57-year-old was first diagnosed in 2005 and had a re-occurrence earlier this year.

Davis had been receiving breast cancer treatment at Duke University and just recently had received positive reports on her condition. However, during the last week Davis' health took a turn for the worse.

Arrangements have not been made for a funeral service at this time.

This terrible turn of events is sudden and stunning. She was a wonderful representative of Virgina's (and America's) First District and her presence will be missed. Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

The Appendix May Not Be So Useless After All

2007-10-06T12:33:00.001-04:00

Some scientists may have figured out what exactly the appendix does other than get infected and try to kill you:

It produces and protects good germs for your gut.

That's the theory from surgeons and immunologists at Duke University Medical School, published online in a scientific journal this week.

For generations the appendix has been dismissed as superfluous. Doctors figured it had no function. Surgeons removed them routinely. People live fine without them.

And when infected the appendix can turn deadly. It gets inflamed quickly and some people die if it isn't removed in time. Two years ago, 321,000 Americans were hospitalized with appendicitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system, according to the study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology. There are more bacteria than human cells in the typical body. Most are good and help digest food.

But sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.

Currently Listening

2007-10-06T11:20:00.000-04:00

While the new Iron And Wine album "The Shepard's Dog" is very good, I've found myself prefering the "Boy With A Coin" single. "Carried Home" and "Kingdom Of Animals" are great songs that are only on the single and really makes it a must listen.

To The Baseball Teams I've Been Rooting For

2007-10-05T09:56:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry.

To the New York Mets - Three weeks ago I commented to a co-worker that you guys were the team to watch out for. And then you collapsed. My bad.

To the Yankees, Angels, Cubs and Phillies - Right before the playoffs started I figured all of you guys were gonna rock. Especially you, Phillies, who I expected to go all the way. Now you all find yourselves down and, well, sorry about that. Not that I'm giving up on any of you guys (except maybe you, Cubs), but I just want to say I'm sorry that I rooted for you and cursed your chances. Next time I'll root for the guys I don't want to win and secretly cherish your victories.

Best of luck for the rest of the playoffs.

Your friend,
Jason

Help Eric Egland Take Back California-04

2007-09-28T13:08:00.000-04:00

While RedStormPAC is currently focusing on Virginia's races this November, we can't forget the national picture. The folks over at RedState are enlisting the Republican netroots to help Eric Egland knock off John Doolittle in California's 4th Congressional District:

Meet Eric Egland. You might know him already. He started TroopsNeedYou.com to deliver resources to our troops in harm's way. He's been on CNN talking about his book, The Blog of War. He's been interviewed by Michelle Malkin. And most importantly, Eric Egland has fought in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

He's a pro-life conservative in a very Republican, conservative district. In fact, he's running against a Republican and we want you to help us help Eric Egland.

Eric is running against the corrupt, embattled John Doolittle, the national face of Republican scandal. Doolittle had to step down from the House Appropriations Committee because of the pending investigation against him. The FBI has already raided his home. But Doolittle won't retire because if he gets re-elected one more time he can get his full congressional pension.

This is a seat that will stay Republican. But, should Doolittle stay in it, it's a seat that could drag down other Republicans because of Doolittle's scandal. In 2004, Bush won it with over 60% of the vote.

Eric Egland is a stellar candidate, a small government conservative, and our choice for CA-04.

We need to take our party back. And Eric Egland's race would be a great start.

You can find other reasons to help Egland here and here.

RedState is looking to raise $10,000 by Sunday and is halfway to their goal. Anything folks can do to help the national cause is appreciated.

Yankees Clinch Playoff Birth

2007-09-27T10:14:00.001-04:00

New York whooped Tampa Bay 12-4 to secure a place in the postseason for the 13th year in a row:

The victory, New York's 15th in 20 games, eliminated defending AL champion Detroit from postseason contention and set up a probable first-round matchup with Cleveland, the Central champion. The Yankees are three games behind Boston with four games left, so New York's streak of nine consecutive AL East titles is likely to end.

New York, just 21-29 before play on May 30, has gone 70-38 since then. Players, from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, to Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera, hugged each other on the field and in the dugout following the final out.

"This is what it was about. It was a lot of unselfishness," Torre said. "There were a lot of guys who played through some injuries, played through some fatigue. And, of course, Alex -- we sort of rallied around him."

The Yankees have made the playoffs every year since 1995, and their streak of 13 consecutive trips is one shy of the record set by the Atlanta Braves from 1991-2005. They've made the postseason in all 12 seasons under Torre.

New York was 9 1/2 games back in the wild-card race after play on July 7.

The AL East might be out of reach, but everyone starts 0-0 in the postseason. Bring on Cleveland!

Recently Posted On RedStormPAC

2007-09-25T14:39:00.001-04:00

RedStormPAC Widgets On Facebook
We are happy to announce that you can now add widgets to your Facebook to let your visitors contribute to RedStormPAC or the targeted Virginia Senate races.

CBS: Gauging The Internet’s Political Power
In 1972, computers and campaigns were just getting acquainted. Fundraising appeals using direct mail lists were considered revolutionary - and helpful to a young Karl Rove working on the Nixon re-election campaign.”Young people have got to reach other young people,” Rove told CBS News at the time, “and that is what we are seeking to do.”The merger of politics and technology was so new the Nixon campaign felt its use of computers should be shielded from the public.

Time: Why Facebook Is The Future
Many view the web as a current generation thing, a way to engage teens and twenty-somethings, while aiming for anything beyond that has proven all but impossible. Facebook is slowly but surely pulling it off, broadening its market into demographics that matter most to politicos and campaigns focused on using new means to target traditional voters.

RedStormPAC Beyond Virginia
Virginia is only the beginning.

Thanks For Using RedStormPAC
We here at RedStormPAC would like to take a moment to thank the early adopters of the candidate widgets.

Don't Hassel The Hoff

2007-09-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Pose him!

Woooooo!

2007-09-24T10:39:00.000-04:00

via Your Daily Awesome

Recently Posted At RedStormPAC

2007-09-20T12:13:00.000-04:00

IPDI: Top Ten Lessons For Mobile Campaigning
Julie at the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet blog shares Kevin Betram’s Top Ten Lessons for running a mobile campaign for political candidates.

Harnessing The "Long Tail"
Traditionally fundraising has aimed at pulling as much money as possible from donors, appealing more to the “big head”, the few people who can give more (shown in the graph as the green area). Yet missed by such efforts is the long tail (shown in yellow), which often holds a majority of the market. The cost of appealing to such a broad end of the market has been cost prohibitive in the past, usually not worth the small yield of returns.

New Voters Project: Text The Vote
New Voters Project, in cooperation with Working Assets and researchers at the University of Michigan and Princeton University, has released a study that shows text messages increased an individual young voter’s likelihood to turnout by 4.2 percent in the November 2006 elections.

Yankees Just 1.5 Back Of The Red Sox

2007-09-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

After the Yankees sweep Baltimore and the Red Sox are swept by Toronto we have ourselves a race in the AL East:

At this rate, the Boston Red Sox will gladly take a day off. That's about the only way they can prevent the New York Yankees from creeping any closer.

Good-luck charm Clay Buchholz and relief ace Jonathan Papelbon let another game slip away and the Toronto Blue Jays finished off sweeping Boston with a 6-1 win Wednesday night.

Coupled with the Yankees' 2-1 victory over Baltimore, the Red Sox saw their AL East lead cut to 1 1/2 games -- Boston's slimmest edge since April 25.

Considering the Yanks were 14.5 back on May 30th, this is remarkable. And the rest of the schedule favors the Yankees who host Toronto this weekend and then go to Tampa Bay and Baltimore to finish up the season. Boston, on the other hand, travels to Tampa Bay this weekend and then closes by hosting Oakland and Minnesota. While Boston's last three opponents are sub-500 teams, Oakland and Minnesota are better teams than their records show. If the Yankees can handle Toronto they'd have a fairly easy last week ahead of them and could feasibly take the lead in the AL East.

Should be a good last week of the season.

RedStormPAC Is Live

2007-09-18T09:52:00.000-04:00

RedStormPAC has gone live, offering Virginia's Republican candidates free means to solicit online donations and bloggers easy ways to promote the candidates they care about. By visiting RedStormPAC you can cut and paste code that will allow you to put donation boxes on your site. RedStormPAC has started with an initial slate of 12 Senate races and a few House of Delegates. We will expand to all races in the upcoming weeks. Use and share the widgets and spread the word.

VCU To Test Mass Panic Devices Next Wednesday

2007-09-11T12:04:00.001-04:00

Via FDHub and the Times Dispatch:

As part of its response to the Virginia Tech shootings, Virginia Commonwealth University is preparing to test its new campus-security measures. That includes a pair of 130-decibel sirens — one each at the Monroe Park campus and at VCU Medical Center.

The university spent about $90,000 to purchase and install the sirens, which arrived this summer. One is mounted atop Cabell Library near the center of the Monroe Park campus; the other is on the roof of the School of Dentistry at 11th and Leigh streets.

The sirens will be tested simultaneously Wednesday, Sept. 19, at noon.

The sirens are part of VCU's attempt to institute measures to inform the community in response to an emergency and was brought up during a security forum held by the school back in April in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedies.

The problem is, who knows of these sirens? More importantly, who knows what to do when they hear them?

In an emergency, the sirens will signal people in a campus building to stay where they are and seek details about what is happening. People on campus but outside should go to the nearest university building and seek more information, and people off-campus should not come to campus but should seek more information.

Seek more information where? The school has already stated that TV and radio are not outlets they're aiming to utilize. The Virginia Tech servers failed during the tragedy in April, so VCU e-mail and websites aren't a guarantee either. I know there's a bit of a learning curve but starting with sirens without actually working out the information end seems to lend itself more to panic than a solution. Here's hoping I'm wrong or, more importantly, that it never has to be used to prove one way or another.

Priorites of Virginia Democratic Leadership

2007-09-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the Shad Plank noted that in a clear attempt at taking partisan shots:

House Democratic Leader Ward Armstong and House Caucus Chairman Brian Moran are holding a conference call today to talk about House Speaker Bill Howell's remarks on illegal immigration.

According to the Dems, Howell needs to be scolded for suggesting that the state's newest residents may not embrace "the shared values we have in Virginia." Democrats appear to be using that statement to make a larger point about the expected flood of legislation aimed at curbing and punishing illegal immigration.

Armstrong and Moran say the GOP has an "immigrant-bashing agenda for the legislative session that will begin in January."

Armstrong and Moran, in a scramble to defend illegal immigrants, threw together this 2pm press conference in lieu of doing the job they were elected to do. You see, yesterday the House of Delegates Courts Of Justice Subcommittee was meeting from 2-6:30pm on mental health voluntary and involuntary committment procedures, an especially pressing issue in light of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Both Armstrong and Moran are members of this committee.

So, Del. Armstrom and Del. Moran, what's more important to Virginia? Taking political pot shots in defense of non-citizens or actually addressing an issue very critical to many Virginians?

More On This:
- Shad Plank: The Dems want an apology from Speaker Howell
- BVBL: Dem Leadership Embraces The Illegal Alien Lobby
- Virginia Virtucon: VA Dem Pols Commit Mass Political Suicide

Another Kenney Joins The World

2007-09-03T18:36:00.000-04:00

This morning one of my younger bros Art and his wife Jess had a little one (though Jess did do most of the work). Welcome to the world, Liam.

Orgeon Hill Joins In 'Hood Blogging

2007-09-03T18:34:00.000-04:00

Orgeon Hill now has a neighborhood blog. Any bets on how long before VCU tries to take it over?

Joining Wii Nation

2007-09-03T18:33:00.000-04:00

Last week I got a Wii. My arm is just now getting used to the whole moving-while-playing-a-video-game thing. Good times.

Joe Stanley, Ben Tribbett and Lowering The Bar

2007-08-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
25 August 2007
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
xxxxxxxx

Live By “Macaca,” Die By “NAMBLA”

Top Virginia Democratic Strategist Linked To Pedophile Web Site

Richmond, Virginia. (August 25, 2007) – The Old Dominion Blog Alliance (“ODBA”), an organization of approximately 25 conservative Virginia bloggers founded on December 9, 2005, discovered on August 21 that someone registered the domain name of “olddominionblogalliance.com” on August 16 via GoDaddy.com’s Domains by Proxy service in order to conceal their identity. The domain was then set to forward to the web site for the North American Man-Boy Love Association (”NAMBLA”), an organization that promotes illegal activity between adults and children, including pedophilia.

Following this disclosure, the parties behind it were subsequently discovered to be Joe Stanley of Yellow Dog Strategy, a Democratic consultant who manufactured last year’s “macaca” gaffe by U.S. Sen. George Allen into an ex post facto racial slur and produced the controversial anti-Harris Miller mailing, and Ben Tribbett who runs the Northern Virginian blog “Not Larry Sabato.”

Evidence in hand and a confession by Mr. Stanley show that he was the one who purchased the domain name and then set it to forward to the NAMBLA web site. Mr. Tribbett, who is close to Mr. Stanley, proceeded to peddle the story to another blog and then feigned outrage at this action apparently in order to further raise the story’s visibility while maintaining deniability over it. Mr. Stanley undertook this action just two days after members of the ODBA began a concerted effort against state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds (D-20th Dist.), a candidate for whom Mr. Stanley has done work and who is locked in a tight reelection battle with Republican Jeff Evans. Sen. Reynolds advertises on “Not Larry Sabato.”

“Child sexual abuse is not a joke and certainly not a political tactic to be used in order to silence your political enemies,” said Kathryn Wilton of the blog CatHouse Chat, a member of the ODBA, the wife of a Navy veteran and mother. “Pedophilia is a morally repugnant behavior and how Mr. Stanley or Mr. Tribbett could think this is humorous or fair game politically is beyond my comprehension.”

“Senator Reynolds needs to go on the record whether or not he agrees with these abhorrent tactics used on his behalf,” added Greg Letiecq of Black Velvet Bruce Li, one of the most widely read blogs in Virginia. “Joe Stanley did this to benefit him. Reynolds must either expressly condone or renounce these tactics used for his gain.”

Members of the ODBA are currently considering whether to bring any civil legal claims stemming from this defamatory act perpetrated upon them. Should a case be brought and damages awarded, any proceeds will be donated to organizations that fight child abuse.

– 30 –

Joe Stanley created this redirect, passed it along to Ben Tribbett who then fed it to Whackette at Daily Whackjob. Ben Tribbett then feigned disgust at such a move. The morning this link was revealed, Joe Stanley called Jim Riley to deny any involvement with the Roscoe Reynolds campaign for whom he had designed a website (which now no longer carries his logo but still has his link). But Joe Stanley failed to accept responsibility for the ODBA redirect.

Greg over at Daily Whackjob dug up the truth of Joe Stanley's involvement and Joe Stanley went so far as to brag about the act to Jim Riley. Now Ben Tribbett says what was horrible on Monday the 20th is now deserved on Friday the 24th.

Neither Joe Stanley or Ben Tribbett have apologized for their act. In fact, both have gone out of their way to make excuses for purposefully acting in a disgusting manner.

Is this what is to become of Virginia politics?

Both Joe Stanley and Ben Tribbett have become golden boys for the Democratic netroots network in Virginia over the last year. Countless campaigns have turned to them in varying capacities and abilities to utilize the internet and drive home messages or stakes through the hearts of others.

Time and time again these two men have been called upon to run some of the dirtiest campaigning in recent memory. Whether it's spreading unsubstantiated rumors, anti-semetic cartoons, half-truths, outright lies, or setting up someone to post something reprehensible and pretending to be aloof from it, Joe Stanley and Ben Tribbett have shown a severe lack of moral fortitude and an eagerness to go below the belt that can not continue to be tolerated.

Joe Stanley and Ben Tribbett have targeted the Old Dominion Blogging Alliance for pointing out facts. Instead of engaging in a debate on the issues, both men have chosen to take the low road and slander a group of more than twenty five mothers, fathers, students, professionals, and fine Virginians. Both Joe Stanley and Ben Tribbett have shown a sick obsession with a group that promotes relationships between grown men and young boys and both have shown their willingness to resort to personal threats when the heat is on.

This goes beyond ethics in the blogosphere. This goes beyond ethics in Virginia politics. This goes straight to the heart of what should be common sense of right and wrong and where to draw the line in every day life.

Where do Joe Stanley's clients stand?

Roscoe Reynolds, State Senator, Virginia’s 20th district
Chap Peterson, State Senator, Virginia’s 34th district
Al Weed for Congress
Creigh Deeds for Attorney General
Eric Ferguson for Delegate 2005
James Webb for US Senate
Ferguson for Delegate 2007
Public Policy Virginia
Change America Now
Elmendorf Strategies, LLC
Democratic Judicial Campaign Committee

Where do you stand?

VA Sen 20: Roscoe's New Pals

2007-08-17T15:34:00.000-04:00

So it seems Roscoe Reynolds is a bit worried about his seat. So worried he's hired Yellow Dog Strategy, the same organization that put together the George Allen "Macaca" video and the cartoon against Harris Miller that many viewed as having anti-semetic undertones.

This tidbit of information was brought to my attention and the collective attention of the Old Dominion Blog Alliance earlier this week when Carl Kilo sent the following e-mail to the ODBA mailing list (forwarded with permission):

Roscoe has hired the Yellow Dog Group to run his media online.
http://roscoereynolds.com/20/index.php

That is the Joe Stanley bunch, The Macaca master! The Harris Miller anti-semitic flyer, etc.
http://yellowdogstrategy.com/home/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Something to think about.
Carl

It's an interesting bit of information that many others might want to know about and could be a major sign of what is shaping up to be a strong challenge down in Virginia's 20th Senate District. That Roscoe has hired Joe Stanley's firm is big news. Jim Riley took this heads up and shared it with the world.

But now we get caught it a bit of a spin.

The next day, Ben Tribbett shares Jim's news with the readers of his site but goes one step further. He says the release of such information was the result of a plot and coordinated campaign by the ODBA. How does he know this? Either he's on the list or he's being forwarded information from someone on the list. The ethics of Ben Tribbett's having access to such list and forwarding information from said list aside, one starts to wonder why Ben Tribbett has suddenly decided to take this opportunity to not only reveal his access but also even get into such a baseless fight.

FACT: Joe Stanley's Yellow Dog Group distributed the Harris Miller cartoon with anti-semetic overtones.

FACT: Ben Tribbett spread said cartoon to the blogosphere after being fed the flyer.

FACT: Joe Stanley's Yellow Dog Group created the George Allen "Macaca" video.

FACT: Ben Tribbett "broke" the "Macaca" story after being fed the video.

Seems to me that if you hire Joe Stanley you hire Ben Tribbett as well.

Roscoe Reynolds was hit hard earlier this week. In response, he has brought on the Yellow Dog Group which now has turned to Ben Tribbett to try and turn the story from Roscoe and to a completely baseless and false claim of some grand conspiracy to merely point out the facts about Joe Stanley's Yellow Dog Group past tactics and record of infamous "accomplishments".

This is merely an attempt by Joe Stanley and Ben Tribbett to turn the ODBA, the Virginia blogosphere and its readers from the true story:

Roscoe Reynolds is in trouble.

Joe Stanley and Ben Tribbett are merely trying to shoot the messengers. They have both shown their true colors in the past and if this is the ilk that Roscoe Reynolds is going to associate himself with, well, not only is this race going to get worse before it gets any better but the voters in VA's 20th might want to know what their current Senator is up to.

Or is it "none of their business"?

VA Sen 20: See Roscoe Dodge

2007-08-14T09:10:00.000-04:00

Constituent asks: Why did you vote to triple the grantor's tax?
Sen. Roscoe Reynolds says: The federal government and globalization!

Thanks, Senator.

Now I'm dizzy.

Jeff Evans | Donate | Volunteer

Words Per Minute

2007-08-12T18:21:00.001-04:00

Three years ago I used TypingTest and found I could type 78 words per minute with 95% accuracy. Today I took the test again and still type 78 words per minute but now with 96% accuracy. Go improvement!

A Week Of Anniversaries

2007-08-12T18:07:00.000-04:00

August is historically a busy month for me. Last week marked seven years of Pantera (early August, 2000), six years of blogging (August 7th, 2001), and three years of Richmonding (August 10th, 2004).

Calm Down, Ben Tribbett

2007-08-03T13:55:00.000-04:00

SECOND UPDATE: Wait a second. See below...

UPDATE: Mistake made, noted, and corrected. The reports cited above are from Moving Virginia Forward, who has given the DPVA over $150,000. So then maybe Ben was right. Unless this was misfiled as cash as opposed to in-kind, what's going on at the DPVA?

Ben Tribbett's a little upset with the DPVA and making a hefty accusation about some supposedly illegal activity concerning their new website.

But it's not there.

Check out the ~~DPVA's~~ Moving Virginia Forward's most recent SBE filing and you'll see that the ~~DPVA~~ Moving Virginia Forward has paied Bullseye Interactive almost $9,000 in their last report. That's on top of the almost $18,000 they spent in their previous filing.

Just another case of crack reporting by Ben Tribbett and Not Larry Sabato, I guess.

SECOND UPDATE CONTINUED: Looking at DPVA's FEC filings (click to enlarge):

So the DPVA is reporting FEC wise, but where are these "non-federal" parts being reported? Not through the Virginia SBE. What is going on over there?

THIRD UPDATE: Vivian explains:

Being a CPA, my curiosity was aroused so I did a little digging. I found a reference in regulations at 11 CFR 106.7 that requires an allocation of expenses between Federal and Non-Federal accounts. So in looking at Schedule H4 I see that the payment to Bullseye Interactive on 3/27/07 is listed.

So the payment was made from the Federal account, a portion of which was allocable to the non-federal account. So where is the transfer from the non-federal account to the federal account? Right here. On page 2 of the 6/30/07 state filing, there is a transfer of funds from the state(non-federal) account to the federal account - on 4/27/07 in the amount of $106,967.59. This includes a number of items paid out of the federal account that was for non-federal stuff.

Why do it this way? Simple: write one check instead of two. Can you imagine the bookkeeping nightmare if for every single expenditure that was made, two checks had to be written? Talk about extra work!

Why The YouTube Debate Doesn't Matter

2007-08-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

From the Guardian: New media is just another way to pull the same old tricks

Much has been written gushing over the fact that questions for the candidates were selected from video submissions made by ordinary people. But there is nothing new about contests where the winner gets a cameo appearance on a TV show.

As is typical of user-generated content, despite all the hype about empowering citizens, the individual was utterly powerless, except to try to please and serve the interests of the gatekeeper and thereby obtain some attention (but not remuneration).

...

But what was truly new, or at least very notable, was how cloaking the debate questions in an aura of relaying citizen "publishing" could be used to present far more controversial content, material which would not otherwise be permissible under American journalistic rules.

That is, a moderator might be able to ask about gun control. But it would be a breach of decorum for a journalist to intone that some gun owners would say: "To all the candidates, tell me your position on gun control, as myself and other Americans really want to know if our babies are safe. This is my baby, purchased under the 1994 gun ban. Please tell me your views."

...

In a way, it's a very advanced version of the technique where if a journalist wants to put something in an article, he or she contacts a source who's certain to make that particular point. Or nowadays goes through blogs and forums in search of a post which could be quoted for the viewpoint.

And right there you have why the Republican candidates should avoid the CNN/YouTube format. It allows "gotcha" politics to play out in a debate veiled as a virtual townhall. Candidates would be better served spending that time campaigning or fund raising instead of sitting themselves in a dunking booth where CNN holds the lever.

But what's also interesting and misleading is that CNN and others are trying to say that this is an opening up of the forum, which it really isn't. The same questions are going to be asked as CNN still acts as the filter, only now they'll be able to have a bit of personal and political spin that can act as the gotcha. It's an open forum for Dukakis "rape-and-murder of a loved one" qustions.

As the Guardian article says in its close:

The talking head format is not sacred. But no matter how heavily marketers try to sell us on the idea of entertainment stardom (even 15 seconds of clip fame) as civic merit, we should never mistake a change in media style for any advance of citizens' power in politics.

This format does not open the debate to the world. It simply attempts to put faces on the same old questions and make the public feel like they're not participating. And presenting a false impression and hope of participation is more damaging than just being honest about they format.

The Trouble With Social Networks

2007-07-30T13:45:00.000-04:00

Shelley Powers on The Ugly Face Of Facebook:

In our rush to a new social network we have idolized youth; made them the pampered pets of social networking. More importantly, we have both taught and celebrated the right of free expression without promoting an awareness that the best expression is accompanied by both empathy and respect.

The younger the person the more self-absorbed and that's natural; after all, it takes experience to become empathetic. Over time, society and our interactions within it help most (not all) of us to see beyond just our own needs, our own wants. We become friends with people outside our age group, race, class, or country. We learn that being aware of others, their needs and feelings, isn't the same as 'selling out'; nor is it destructive of 'self'.

However, what I'm seeing with some of the social networking sites (just some, not all), is that rather than expose people to different viewpoints, they can reinforce barriers against the the natural processes that abrade self-absorbed behavior. When challenged in one's day to day life to give o'er our preconceptions or biases, rather than learn to adapt and grow socially, we can rush home and twitter, blog, and Facebook with others who have exactly our same point of view. We can safely ensconce ourselves behind a buffer of like-minded folks, postponing, perhaps indefinitely, the need to challenge our "world is me me me" view.

Web 2.0 promoting the "Daily Me". Is this a good thing?

Social Networking Of The DEAD!!!!

2007-07-25T14:20:00.000-04:00

Respectance - a social network for those who have already passed. It's even pulled $1.5 million of funding already. Yep, $1.5 million for dead people to buddy up with other dead people. Will they be half nekkid like those on MySpace?

Perhaps it has a more useful purpose of acting like a sorta family tree or wiki for the deceased Joe's of the world. But "social networking"? Hmmm...

(via Burningbird)

Tag, I'm It

2007-07-25T09:21:00.000-04:00

An "8 Facts/Habits" meme has been making the rounds in the Virginia blogosphere and it's found its way to me via Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon.

“list eight habits or facts about yourself, then tag eight more people.”

Here goes:

1. I come from a large family (my mother's one of five siblings, I'm one of four brothers, one of ninteen cousins, and there are six kids in the next generation already with another on the way).

2. I grew up in Caroline County, went to high school in Spotsylvania, but say I grew up in Fredericksburg.

3. I took flight lessons as a teenager.

4. I've played the guitar for about ten years (and still am not all that good at it).

5. I don't own a car and bike everywhere I need to go (for the most part).

6. I fancy myself a writer ("fancy myself" in that I think I am, not in that I have a crush on a writer which I probably do but that's besides the point).

7. Yuengling Lager is my beer of choice.

8. When I was six I wanted to be a mailman.

Now to tag eight others. Hmmm...

Terry

Clay

John

Ross - played

Matt - played

Everyone at DailyWhackjob - played

That's more than eight then, so I'm done.

The TechRepublican Revolution: In With a Whimper, Out With Bad Code

2007-07-24T14:27:00.000-04:00

Many of you out there may not be fully aware of the existance of TechRepublican, a group blog created by David All and others professing to bring the tech revolution to the convervative cause:

Collectively, the contributors of techRepublican will focus, like a laser, to report best practices on the application of technology to the political spectrum, identifying Republicans and conservatives throughout the world who are using the Internet to bridge that great partisan digital divide and reach modern voters. We'll provide tips, tricks, and tools for campaigns to use -- for FREE.

And we hope you'll get involved in our Revolution. After all, it's your Party too. Together, we'll be successful. But we can't do it alone.

For the most part it's an okay site with some interesting information. I don't completely agree with their desire to utilize every single bit of Web 2.0 technology for political gain (I have yet to see a real use for Twitter as a campaign tool) but it's not bad.

Except when it messes up it's code.

Last week a post was made with some really bad code that ruined the rest of the site. It kinda looked like this (click to make all big like):

I contacted David All about it and sent a screen capture of the error. His response: I'll talk to my developer.

Now, that's all well and good for some sites, but it just struck me as odd that a site of people trying to sell themselves as conservative revolutionaries for the Web 2.0 cause need to turn to a developer for a coding issue. Just one more log on the fire, really.

You see, my big problem with TechRepublican and even folks on the Left side of netroots is that they're trying to create a market for themselves and their abilities. Campaigns are being told you have to blog, you have to have a netroots coordinator to be in touch with the blogosphere, this is the future, don't get left behind!

But, really, these people are trying to create jobs that only they can fill.

Communication directors or other already created positions need to get to know the blogs and how to handle them. They're not so drastically different from other mediums that a whole new position needs to exist to deal with them. Current pros just need to adapt. And politicans need to realize that the blogs may not truly impact their race depending on what they're running for. Why someone running for dog catcher needs to have the blogs on his side or create a MySpace page to appeal to half nekkid teenagers is beyond me.

Something like TechRepublican shouldn't be acting so much as a cheerleader for the blogs and creating a market. No, if they really want to help bring about this revolution they need to show how easy this is for anyone already in the know to do it and easing their way in with handy tutorials and how-tos. Otherwise it's a revolution for the few who want to be employed.

Google Maps + Happy Hour = MappyHour!

2007-07-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

I've been wondering what it would take to create a map of Richmond showing all it's wonderful drinking establishments and highlighting their deals and best times to partake without appearing like a drunk. So imagine my joy when I found that someone has already had this idea and I can refer to them as drunks instead!

The drunks over at MappyHour have created a handy site where people can join up and mark their favorite watering holes and the times of their happy hour. Richmond has no listings yet, but I'm sure that can change real quick. I mean, c'mon, Norfolk's listed and surely we have a better drinking basis than those lightweights!

UPDATE: Oh, wait, Richmond does have some listings. You have to scroll to the bottom of the right side and type in the zip code and then you'll see some of the bars in the area. Meh. The interface on the whole is kinda clunky and the info a little skimpy (but that's what you get with a fairly new, user generated content site). Still interesting and still potentially useful.

Waldo Gets Bricked

2007-07-19T13:28:00.000-04:00

Brick Weekly, the "hip" weekly Richmond paper churned out by the Times Dispatch, has an article this week on Waldo Jaquith and the Richmond Sunlight website. Waldo also has announced a new feature at Richmond Sunlight: now you can download CSV data of every legislator's record. Handy if you're into that stuff.

Republican Primary Based On Web Traffic

2007-07-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Andrew Meagher at Compete has an interesting post that measures traffic to Republican candidate websites by state and displays what the primary would look like if those clicks were accurate measurements of votes:

Romney - 916 delegates
Thompson - 713 delegates
Giuliani - 567 delegates
McCain - 262 delegates

Certainly far from accurate, but still an interesting visualization.

(h/t Bivings Report)

UPDATE: The same for Democrats and a final:

Currently Listening: The Best Of Hefner

2007-07-18T15:39:00.000-04:00

What Is Your Neighborhood's Walk Score?

2007-07-18T10:40:00.000-04:00

Walk Score is a handy site where you punch in an address and it calculates your neighborhood's "walk score" by determining how close restaurants, grocery stores, schools and more are. My current address has a walk score of 68 out of a hundred, which isn't too bad and just confirms why I dig my neighborhood.

Terabitz: Every Bit On Real Estate

2007-07-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

Terabitz is a neat new site where you can check out the real estate market for an area and get a slew of information while you're at it. Drag and drop into the table and you can see the rental market, houses for sale, crime statistics, Craigslist listings, grocery stores, schools, and so much more. Very handy for yours truly considering I'm apartment shopping. Not that I need to know about schools and am too horribly worried about crime stats, but just the same, good to know stuff.

The New BlogNetNews

2007-07-16T12:27:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Dave Mastio on the new look over at BlogNetNews. My only complaint is the continuing lack of info as to who exactly is linking to what. There's a number next to most linked to articles and blogposts, but what does it mean? Otherwise, pretty slick.

Missing Blogs-United

2007-07-13T12:01:00.001-04:00

To all attending and the three who might have anticipated seeing me there:

Sorry I won't be able to attend this year. Excuses aren't becoming so I'll just leave it at that. I do hope everyone has a great time and I'm looking forward to all the reports afterwards. Maybe there will even be a podcast of the panels.

IDon'tSupportAScam.com

2007-07-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been getting a few e-mails in my inbox from someone trying to convince me to go sign an online petition declaring my undying love and support for President Bush. Not one for online petitions, I ignored it for a while. But then boredom took over and I checked it out.

To sign said petition you have to pay money.

Yes, that's right, for $1 you get to sign. For $2 your name will appear bigger and bolder and longer than the others. What better way to show your support than to give money to unnamed individuals?

Ah, but if you just can't get up the urge to give money to faceless profiteers because you don't really like the president all that much, never fear. These folks offer a slew of petitions you can pay to sign to show your love for Republicans, Democrats, Clinton, Obama, hell, you can even pay to say how much you love Mom.

So who are the folks behind this project? A WHOIS search reveals:

domain: isupportgwbush.com
owner-address: 1 square de furstenberg
owner-address: 78150
owner-address: le chesnay
owner-address: France
admin-c: FC2125-GANDI
tech-c: FC2125-GANDI
bill-c: FC2125-GANDI
nserver: ns1.surf-town.net 212.97.132.11
nserver: ns2.surf-town.net 212.97.132.12
nserver: ns3.surf-town.net 212.97.129.67
reg_created: 2007-01-12 11:29:52
expires: 2008-01-12 11:29:52
created: 2007-01-12 12:29:01
changed: 2007-01-12 12:29:01

person: frederic chesney
nic-hdl: FC2125-GANDI
address: 1 square de furstenberg
address: 78150
address: le chesnay
address: France
phone: +33.614697241
e-mail: 1c4799a1def88563635c54aa0a2962b9-fc2125@contact.gandi.net
lastupdated: 2007-01-10 15:17:54

It's a French plot! Even the button on the Republican petition is in French.

Who is Frederic Chesney? All I can find is that he's signed a couple online petitions in the past. But he's made at least four bucks so far on these things. Way to go, guy!

So, yeah, ignore this spam.

Spoon's "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" Track-By-Track

2007-07-12T16:04:00.000-04:00

Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good has a great track-by-track review of Spoon's new album that came out this past Tuesday. Fantastic album, perhaps the best of the year. The more I listen the more I dig. Check out the review and mp3s and judge for yourself.

Currently Listening: Tiny Vipers

2007-07-12T15:31:00.001-04:00

Anything coming out of Sub Pop is usually worth a listen. This one's no different. Jese Fortino and a guitar makes for some good, mellow listening (as if I need more mellow listening). She was Sub Pop's artist of the month for June (link leads to info and tiny interview). Hands Across The Void is due out July 14th, but you can check out her MySpace profile until then.

Mission Stencil Story

2007-07-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

The mission stencil story is an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure story that takes place on the sidewalks of the Mission district in San Francisco. It is told in a new medium of storytelling that uses spraypainted stencils connected to each other by arrows. The streetscape is used as sort of an illustration to accompany each piece of text.

Its a love story with 2 characters who start in different locations. His story starts at 16th and Valencia, in front of the Crown Hotel / Limon Restaurant with the text "He Leaves his Lonely Apartment." Her story starts at 21st and Guerrero in front of a stunning mansion with the text, "She Leaves her Lonely Apartment." Eventually their paths merge, at the point where they meet, and their paths travel together until drama pulls them apart.

Their are two possible endings, happy and tragic, and two other points where the story can end unexpectedly if the viewer chooses the wrong ending. All in all, there are 4 possible endings.

Via Boing Boing

New Toy: Beta Audacity 1.3

2007-07-11T10:23:00.000-04:00

Audacity, a sweet open source audio editing file that I use for some recording and random audio editing, now has a beta version of 1.3 available with tons of new features. Definately something worth playing with, especially since you can install 1.3 right next to 1.2 so you don't lose everything if the beta's a bit buggy.

Check out CNet News Blog's thoughts here.

Net Ranking By Time Spent

2007-07-10T16:01:00.000-04:00

Nielsen is changing it's webranking system from counting page views to length of visit:

A leading online measurement service will scrap rankings based on the longtime industry yardstick of page views and begin tracking how long visitors spend at the sites.

The move by Nielsen/NetRatings, expected to be announced Tuesday, comes as online video and new technologies increasingly make page views less meaningful.

Interesting and probably more accurate, at least for already heavily visited sites. If you only have ten views but each of those are for an average of ten minutes, that doesn't really make you better than the guy with 5000 views for around five minutes each.

It's interesting to see as the two measurements would benefit sites differently. Number of visits are greater for sites that tend to update more often while length of visits would benifit sites with longer content that tend to not update as frequently. (UPDATE: Valleywag's thoughts off a Computerworld article.)

But let's take this handy measurement and see how Virginia blogs measure up. Taking the top ten posted by NLS back in April:

1. Not Larry Sabato---- 2,447 Visitors Per Day
2. Raising Kaine----------1,883 Visitors Per Day
3. BVBL-------------------------635 Visitors Per Day
4. Bearing Drift--------------432 Visitors Per Day
5. Virginia Progressive----330 Visitors Per Day
6. Bacon's Rebellion---------328 Visitors Per Day
7. 750 Volts--------------------93 Visitors Per Day
8. The Ward View------------85 Visitors Per Day
9. SLANTBlog------------------67 Visitors Per Day
10. BYP----------------------------42 Visitors Per Day

Length of visits (as of today):

1. BVBL ------------------------ 4:50 min/visit
2. Raising Kaine --------------- 4:12 min/visit
3. Not Larry Sabato ------------ 4:07 min/visit
4. The Ward View --------------- 3:31 min/visit
5. Bacon's Rebellion ----------- 3:07 min/visit
6. Bearing Drift --------------- 2:59 min/visit
7. Virginia Progressive -------- 1:16 min/visit
8. 750 Volts ------------------- 1:15 min/visit
9. J's Notes ------------------- 0:41 min/visit
10. BYP ------------------------ 0:39 min/visit

I can't find SLANTBlog's SiteMeter link. You lose, Terry, so instead I listed myself. I average 61 unique visitors a day, so that should mean something!

NLS and BVBL swapped spots. The Ward View had the biggest jump of four spaces, from 8 to 4. Short of listing every single blog in the VAblogosphere, the whole thing still holds pretty even.

Sacramento Bee: Real People Commenting Only

2007-07-10T15:52:00.000-04:00

The Bivings Report is, er, reporting that the Sacramento Bee is requiring commenters on its website to start using their real names:

At first the paper allowed commenters to hide behind pseudonyms. However, to a few people's surprise, this freed some commenters to earn the rather mild title from staffers of "provocateur" as they slung vitriol of all types at those who disagreed with them. Some site participants stopped participating out of annoyance and disgust.

To counter the provocateurs, the Bee will soon require all commenters to user their real name on the site. While, as ombudsman Aramando Acuna notes, this will likely lead to fewer comments, many readers support stripping anonymity away from commenters. Further, the paper hopes that this policy will lessen the need for it to monitor and approve or reject every comment before it is publicly posted.

Fewer commenters is not necessarily a bad thing. Quality over quantity.

It'll be interesting to see how exactly the Bee goes about confirming these identites but I can't fault them for setting up the restrictions. Blogs and commenting on blogs is little different than writing a letter to the editor, something very few (if any) papers take and publish anonymously.

Time: 5 Worst Websites

2007-07-10T15:41:00.001-04:00

Time.com tells you five sites to avoid and why. I'll summarize for ya.

eHarmony.com - Leaves you depressed because it either doesn't like you or gives you bad matches. Then again, the truth hurts.

Evite.com - They love to use it but hate the interface. Cause Time's is awesome.

Meez.com - Bad app to play. Which doesn't stop kids (and adults) from downloading the most useless crap any other time.

MySpace.com - Last year Time loved it. This year it's loaded with spam and advertisements. Which it always has been.

SecondLife.com - CEO's trying too hard to be hip with a slow system. Cause real life isn't boring enough.

Want To Seem Like You Run A Well Read Site?

2007-07-10T14:29:00.001-04:00

Now you can pay for comments:

I just had a rather disturbing email from a company advertising a new service called Buy Blog Comments (no follow tags used) promoting a new service offering to leave comment spam on blogs for those wanting to increase their SEO ranking.

The service offers to leave spam comments at a rate of 100 comments for $19.99, 500 comments for $99.99 and 1000 comments for $199.99.

They explain their service like this:
“Blog comments help your site rank better in the SERPs. We hired a few people who go through a list of blogs in a database we set up and pick out blogs that are in your niche. They then read through blog posts and leave a comment that has to do with the blog post they read, that way it wont get deleted. Your backlink will then be on a targeted blog, giving you more weight in the search engines. ”

More comments increases your blog's ranking in some services. Buy attention to garner attention. I wonder if anyone actually pays for this kinda stuff? And, if they do, how bad do they get burned by their readers when it's found out?

Shirky On Data

2007-07-10T13:51:00.000-04:00

Relating to my last post, Clay Shirky follows up yesterday's essay with one that concludes as such:

As Scott Bradner put it, the Internet means you don’t have to convince anyone else that something is a good idea before trying it. The upshot is that the internet’s output is data, but its product is freedom.

What Andrew Keen seems to be trying to argue through "The Cult Of The Amateur" is that the data is not the problem but that there is no one filtering it. There are no editors or publishers to ensure quality or even accuracy. And it is dangerous to assume the general public can judge this themselves. If all you get is unfiltered, flawed data, at what point can you craft a solid, well rounded, well founded opinion or even begin to get the actual truth or definition of something?

Data is subjective and selective. The audience needs to have a source of solid, certifiable information that presents something as close to the truth as possible or it will never learn.

Data is not bad. It is the lack of a filter that is dangerous.

Boing Boing On "The Cult Of The Amateur"

2007-07-10T11:44:00.000-04:00

And not just in their own words.

Clay Shirky defends the Internet (6.21.07)

The internet is impurifying our precious bodily fluids, Mandrake (7.6.07)

Shirky explains why Keen is a Luddite (7.9.07)

The last link discusses Clay Shirky's essay "Andrew Keen: Rescuing 'Luddite' from the Luddites" which takes Cult author Andrew Keen and Michael Gorman (who I linked to here) to task for saying they're pro technology, anti its current application.

I'm still reading the book so I can't say but so much about the arguments quite yet. I'm still bothered by Keen's insistance on the internet's negative impact on the music industry but most of his take on blogging and its impact on mainstream media sounds right on to me.

I Am A Smrt American

2007-07-10T11:03:00.000-04:00

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.
Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

(h/t Vivian)

Simpsons J~

2007-07-09T16:36:00.000-04:00

Make your own at the Simpsons: The Movie website.

(I accidentally deleted the original post of this. Oops.)

Currently Reading: The Cult Of The Amateur

2007-07-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

Andrew Keen discusses the dangers Web 2.0 and mob rule. While I'm only a little ways into the book, so far his talk so far on blogging and Wikipedia and what it can do at its worst is very interesting. I don't agree with some of his statements in the introduction on matters such as declining music sales related to piracy but I'll give the rest of the book to flesh that out.

Excerpt available here. Choice cut:

Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most opinionated. Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering.

...

I've spent the last two years observing the Web 2.0 revolution, and I'm dismayed by what I've seen.

I've seen the infinite monkeys, of course, typing away. And I've seen many other strange sights as well, including a video of marching penguins selling a lie, a supposedly infinite Long Tail, and dogs chatting to each other online. But what I've been watching is more like Hitchcock's The Birds than Doctor Doolittle: a horror movie about the consequences of the digital revolution.

Because democratization, despite its lofty idealization, is undermining truth, souring civic discourse, and belittling expertise, experience, and talent. As I noted earlier, it is threatening the very future of our cultural institutions.

I call it the great seduction. The Web 2.0 revolution has peddled the promise of bringing more truth to more people—more depth of information, more global perspective, more unbiased opinion from dispassionate observers. But this is all a smokescreen. What the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, shrill opinion rather than considered judgment. The information business is being transformed by the Internet into the sheer noise of a hundred million bloggers all simultaneously talking about themselves.

Read the NYTimes review here.

Since contributors to Wikipedia and YouTube are frequently anonymous, it’s hard for users to be certain of their identity — or their agendas. Postings about political candidates, for instance, can be made by opponents disguising their motives; and propaganda can be passed off as news or information. For that matter, as Mr. Keen points out, the idea of objectivity is becoming increasingly passé in the relativistic realm of the Web, where bloggers cherry-pick information and promote speculation and spin as fact. Whereas historians and journalists traditionally strived to deliver the best available truth possible, many bloggers revel in their own subjectivity, and many Web 2.0 users simply use the Net, in Mr. Keen’s words, to confirm their “own partisan views and link to others with the same ideologies.” What’s more, as mutually agreed upon facts become more elusive, informed debate about important social and political issues of the day becomes more difficult as well.

Visit Andrew Keen's site here.

Transformers The Movie

2007-07-06T14:03:00.000-04:00

Exactly what you'd expect from a Michael Bay movie: pretty effects, barely strong enough story line, and all the women are of supermodel quality. Not exactly worth ten bucks, but a little better than I expected it to be.

The Ethical Blogging "Buzz"

2007-07-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

F.T. Rea at SLANTBlog makes a good point about the use of the word "ethical" in the blogosphere these days:

[T]he way the terms “ethical blogger” and “blogging ethics” are being used by bloggers to attack other bloggers they simply don’t like is not only getting quite tiresome, it is stretching the meaning out of the words.

Moreover, from what I’ve seen, the bloggers who are using this buzzword approach in their posts the most are the very ones who must know that any serious discussion of obnoxious behavior in the blogosphere -- mostly meaning deliberate dishonesty and incivility -- will shine a bad light on them.

Without speculating on who Terry's talking about (though it's probably the same people I'm thinking about), I must say I agree with him. The term "ethical blogging" is something people like to toss around but provide absolutely no meat to.

The more and more this goes on, the more people hop on the "ethics" bandwagon merely to use it as a weapon against people who have wronged them, the more I really start to feel that perhaps a code would be worthwhile, some written guidelines that show that people are willing to take themselves and their blogging seriously. Something that broadly defines what ethics in blogging truly is. Something that just says "I pledge to be good and others will be good to me".

But there's more to ethical blogging than trying to create a code and folks signing onto said code and interpreting it as they'd like.

I think readers know ethical blogging when they see it. I know when a blog hits me the wrong way, I know when one hits me the right way. There is a tone, there is a content, there is something about a site that speaks volumes without my really being able to put my finger on what exactly it is. You can pick up on these things and I think most readers do.

So if you're going to talk ethics, be serious about it, because you're not going to like what comes of the conversation if you aren't.

Simpsons Theme On Two Guitars

2007-07-03T12:05:00.001-04:00

J's Notes: Safe For Audiences Of All Ages

2007-07-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

Live Free Or Die Hard

2007-06-29T14:20:00.001-04:00

Exactly what you'd want from a Die Hard movie: characters and plot just strong enough to get you from one 'splosion to the next. Good times.

Making Happy

2007-06-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

via Chris Glass

Becoming A Better Writer

2007-06-28T14:33:00.000-04:00

Lifehack.org has 15 practical tips for becoming a better writer and they're all solid tips, not just for folks hammering out a story or a paper but blog posts as well.

Low Ratings Garners Pay Increase

2007-06-28T12:49:00.001-04:00

Despite an approval rating polling in the mid-20s, Congress is gonna get itself a raise:

Despite low approval ratings and hard feelings from last year's elections, Democrats and Republicans in the House are reaching out for an approximately $4,400 pay raise that would increase their salaries to almost $170,000.

The cost-of-living raise endorsed Wednesday evening gets lawmakers back on track for automatic pay raises after a fight between the parties last year and again in January killed the pay increase due this year. That was the first interruption of the annual congressional pay boost in seven years.

The blowup came after Democrats last year fulfilled a campaign promise to deny themselves more pay until Congress raised the minimum wage. Delays in the minimum wage bill cost every lawmaker about $3,100 this year.

On a 244-181 vote Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike killed a bid by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Lee Terry, R-Neb., to get a direct vote to block the COLA, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it. The Senate has not indicated when it will deal with a similar measure.

Blogger, Who Are You?

2007-06-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

Last week God Save Virginia asked that question after listing what it meant to them:

It means kindness to your fellow man.

It means respecting the host, the visitors, and the subjects.

It means a respect for the opinion of others but also a respect for differences in those opinions. That respect does not mean you don’t debate, it simply means that ones approach to the debate needs to be framed by the issues and an understanding that both parties are at their core good people who are strong in their convictions.

It means being able to admit when you are wrong.

It means being able to separate yourself from those elements that you feel cause harm to yourself and others. This does not mean removing yourself from differing opinions, but if you feel a site does not meet your personal criteria for ethical actions, why continue to visit, promote, and discuss that site?

While those views are certainly a good start, they don't really get at the core of what is necessary for them to be followed.

It all starts at the blogger.

Kenneysian ethical blogging has always aimed at transparency, authenticity, and containment. As Kenney the Elder put it:

Transparency is a question of who is doing the writing. Nothing more.

Authenticity is whether what is being written is a true and honest account, not just in what is being written but why it is being written.

Containment is an action then placed upon the reader; why is this person asking me to believe their account of events?

The last two are strongly based on the first point, transparency. If the reader does not know who the author is, does not know the author's intention or background, then the rest is moot. You can not believe the account or intent without knowing the source.

The Virginia Federalist has touched on the question of blogger identity:

The Virginian Federalist strives to improve discourse in the Virginia blogosphere in a similar fashion. We hope to build a strong reputation not so much for ourselves as for our ideas. If we reduce ourselves to making baseless personal attacks against others on our blog, then we might not personally suffer, but the credibility of our arguments will be damaged irrevocably. I have this same consideration when I am commenting on other sites as "Lumen" - it is not my real name, but "Lumen" represents my thoughts in the blogosphere.

I expect that most other anonymous or pseudonymous bloggers share this motivation to have their thoughts or ideas read and considered seriously. Therefore, I do not think that anonymous blogs pose much threat to civility in serious discussion on blogs. Those anonymous bloggers who expose a tendency to post nonsense will be ignored, just like obnoxious people who write under their real name. Anonymous writers who post thoughtful commentary deserve to be read and considered for the merits of what they write.

But there will always be that doubt. Just as the doubt exists for sites like God Save Virginia. But there's a difference between anonymous bloggers speaking in grand terms that cross party lines and those that try and argue for certain candidates or issues.

If an anonymous blogger blogs for a candidate but is then revealed to be a paid staffer of that candidate, the credibility and value of their work is gone. Whereas, if they were honest and upfront with their readers to begin with, people know what they're getting.

Writers have to be honest with their readers if they expect to be taken seriously. People need a face to value it.

Interesting "Site"

2007-06-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

The "Blog" Of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

Two Americas In Social Networking

2007-06-28T09:42:00.000-04:00

Facebook users versus MySpace users:

Characterising Facebook users she said: "They are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities."

By contrast, the average MySpace teenager tends to come from families where parents did not go to college, she said.

Ms Boyd also found far more teens from immigrant, Latino and Hispanic families on MySpace as well as many others who are not part of the "dominant high school popularity paradigm".

"MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracised at school because they are geeks, freaks, or queers," she said.

Teenage users of both sites have very strong opinions about the social network they do not use, she noted.

Ms Boyd was wary of drawing too many conclusions from her research and calling Myspace "bad" or Facebook "good" or condemning social networks out of hand.

She wrote: "This division is just another way in which technology is mirroring societal values."

Not seeing the full study, I don't know whether or not this takes into account the business models for each site when they started. Facebook originally was a site that targeted college students, you had to have a college based e-mail account to join. VCU has integrated Facebook login in their portal used by students to check e-mail, class announcements, registration and the like. MySpace was open to any and everyone. And while Facebook may have grown since opening up their registration to the anyone, they are still defined by their initial batch of users who helped set the tone and shape the development of the site. Still would be interesting to see the full report.

UPDATE: Ms. Boyd's paper is available here.

When MySpace launched in 2003, it was primarily used by 20/30-somethings (just like Friendster before it). The bands began populating the site by early 2004 and throughout 2004, the average age slowly declined. It wasn't until late 2004 that teens really started appearing en masse on MySpace and 2005 was the year that MySpace became the "in thing" for teens.

Facebook launched in 2004 as a Harvard-only site. It slowly expanded to welcome people with .edu accounts from a variety of different universities. In mid-2005, Facebook opened its doors to high school students, but it wasn't that easy to get an account because you needed to be invited. As a result, those who were in college tended to invite those high school students that they liked. Facebook was strongly framed as the "cool" thing that college students did. So, if you want to go to college (and particularly a top college), you wanted to get on Facebook badly. Even before high school networks were possible, the moment seniors were accepted to a college, they started hounding the college sysadmins for their .edu account. The message was clear: college was about Facebook.

For all of 2005 and most of 2006, MySpace was the cool thing for high school teens and Facebook was the cool thing for college students. This is not to say that MySpace was solely high school or Facebook solely college, but there was a dominating age division that played out in the cultural sphere.

And throughout the paper she continues to highlight "class" over "business model". Perhaps it still fits her thesis if the business model was to target a particular class, but the paper also ignores features, that MySpace has grown to do social networking, music, videos, and so on, while Facebook has so far focused on the connection with friends aspect and kept highlighting school features.

What it really is about here is that MySpace and Facebook are not the same sites. They barely even serve the same purpose. Facebook is about social networking among classmates and school organizations. MySpace is about social networking and more outside of that. That they appeal to different classes is because they fill different needs. It'd be interesting to see how many users overlap. I know a good number of folks who use both sites and their assorted features for their various needs.

ABC Loves Them Some Blogs

2007-06-26T12:40:00.000-04:00

But you'll have to find the URLs on your own.

(via Kottke, which you really should just read regularly on your own. Or you could keep coming here for the relinking.)

Peeping-Tom Along Stuart Avenue

2007-06-26T12:03:00.000-04:00

WRIC is reporting that a peeping-tom has been lurking along Stuart Avenue in the Museum/WoB District. Be careful out there, folks.

Think Your Blog Is Good? Of Course You Do...

2007-06-26T10:57:00.000-04:00

The Dunning-Kruger effect hypothesises:

1. incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own level of skill,

2. incompetent individuals fail to recognize genuine skill in others,

3. incompetent individuals fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy,

4. if they can be trained to substantially improve their own skill level, these individuals can recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill.

And it holds up.

(via Kottke)

Currently Listening

2007-06-25T17:31:00.000-04:00

Out Tuesday, June 26th, Ryan Adams's Easy Tiger picks up where 2005's Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights left off. Though not credited on the album art, The Cardinals again back up Adams, giving the album a good low key, big country feel. A few of the songs on the album are familiar to Adams die-hards who have dug up his demos and unreleased songs from past sessions, but it's good stuff. Still trying to get a feel for the whole album before I can rank it with the rest, but a good start for sure.

I still assert that Spoon is the best band you have not heard of yet. If you have heard of them then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is a great album, possibly the best of the year. Maybe not Spoon's best (that distinction goes to 2005's Gimmie Fiction) but the more I listen to it, the more that may change. Start to finish, just a great album.