"Chalk up!"

Extra cool points for knowing the first pinball machine with flippers -- Humpty Dumpty

"Is it a requirement for a tech reporter to be completely clueless? Is not doing basic research part of the job requirement?"

There is a strong sentiment in the US that a person doesn't necessarily have to understand an industry to work in it. Reporters frequently report on issues that they barely understand and so they end up missing important details and nuances. Executives frequently get high paying jobs in other industries because "business is business." And yet these same executives are destroying their industries (looking at you banking and automotive industries). As we speak, Carly Fiorina is running for Governor of California based on the idea that because she was the head of HP (a job she was forced to resign from), she's qualified to run a state. These skill sets are not always transferable, but the status quo will be maintained by this layer of executive management because if the rationale behind this logic ever truly got scrutinized, I think we'd all be more outraged at how little value we've been getting for our dollar.

My wife and I were trying to figure out Michael Caine's character -- when we meet him, isn't he in a classroom in Paris? And yet, it appears he lives in America since he picks up LDC's character at an American airport. So maybe thats all a dream as well. or, this movie has really crappy continuity problems! :-) (it doesn't... I think)

I have to admit, I'm a little saddened by this latest proclamation from Redmond. It's just no fun to kick MCSFT anymore. Sure, they still make billions, most used OS, etc, etc. But does anybody really believe they can release a killer device? It seems for all of MCSFT's bluster and posturing, they repeatedly get kicked in the face by more agile, hipper, and forward thinking companies. How soon until MCSFT marketing goons start telling us that "Windows X.x is not your father's Windows?"

It's like watching an old guy trying to pickup 20-somethings on the dance floor. It's just awkward and everyone feels uncomfortable.

Sigh... Okay MCSFT, here's an insult for old times sake: "Hey Ballmer, how about you get one model right *before* you build a product line?"

nah man... the thrill is gone.... Maybe I'll go piss off the android fanboys...

George was a huge fan of Joseph Campbell, specifically "Hero with a Thousand faces." The Bill Moyers interviews with Campbell ("The Power of Myth") was taped at Skywalker Ranch.

Lucas sold THX years ago.

Complaining that he's running Star Wars as a business is just lame, because thats what Star Wars is... a business. Lucas employs hundreds of people (not all of them in the film business) that work on a range of projects, some of which are Star Wars. They make contributions that go way beyond Star Wars. And chances are you'll never hear about most of them, because strangely enough, Lucas isn't concerned about keeping you in the loop.

Years ago someone asked Charles Schultz if he minded the fact that Snoopy was being used in commercials and he was shocked. Basically, he felt that of course Snoopy was in commercials. Schutlz was running a business, not an art gallery.

This is not about Apple's behavior. Gizmodo editors knowingly bought stolen property, refused to turn it over immediately, dissected it for their own commercial gain (and causing unknown damage), and tried to bater its return (ransom). I don't care who you are or what your motivations are, this is clearly unethical behavior. I've never seen Ars Technica do anything this greasy, so I'll continue to go there for tech reviews and avoid gizmodo.

Maybe that would explain the growing use of "tl:dr", which is short for "too long, didn't read", which I'm seeing more and more on articles. The sad thing is that most of the time the people that add the line haven't written anything especially complicated or long.People are either getting stupider or lazier.

tl:dr; author thinks the use of tl:dr is a symptom of people getting dumber.

"Green's book is without a doubt the definitive practical guide..." The Views module author has a book coming about views: http://www.amazon.com/Drupals-Building-Blocks-Quickly-Websites/dp/0321591313

The Mac was monochrome, and the Apple IIGS had 16-bit color.

Finally something good out of Marshall Texas that isn't football...

As a Gmail user, let me say this: who cares what the web interface looks like? I have yet to use a web interface that works as well as a desktop app, so I use a desktop app. I rarely, if ever, use Gmails interface.

Lets compare:

Randall Kennedy writes for a trade publication that presents itself as an authority in their space. I've read several of his posts in the past and wasn't shocked by his outrageous attitude, but by the poor thinking and conclusions he presented. That's shocking all right, but not in a good way. I unsubscribed from Infoworld after realizing they cared more about their click through rate then the quality of their "journalism."

Howard Stern is, for arguments sake, the original shock jock. Expresses his personal opinion on a radio show that is clearly identified as an entertainment program, no more, no less. His opinion of dwarves is not going to affect someones purchasing decision.

Frankly, I lay the blame at the feet of InfoWorlds editor. Read the comments on any of Kennedy's articles and you realize that the editor must have clearly known the audience found Kennedy's opinion's suspect. Clearly the page views were more important to them then the quality of their offerings.

feh -- I was right there with you until you mentioned Avatar. Avatar is technically beautiful, but the storyline is regurgitated tripe. I won't even bother with the usual "the movies is just Pocahantas/Ferngully/etc" explanation, since it's easily found. Technically beautiful but weak story..? Hmmm... that sounds familiar....