talkin' bout my generation Dear Dave Winer: I’m Not Ageist, Just a Native
It appears that I’ve offended someone. Shocker, I know. Only this time, I’ve offended someone way smarter than me.
Dave Winer, in case you don’t know, is a well-respected Internet scholar and tech pioneer. He’s also very intelligent, and when I say that, I don’t mean perfect-Text-Twist-score intelligent—I mean Harvard-law-school-resident-fellow intelligent. Point being, dude knows what he’s talking about, and it should go without saying that he knows a lot more about tech stuff and Internet theory than I do. I’m not trying to be obsequious; I just wanted to get that out of the way. He’s a smart guy.
So imagine my surprise when he tweeted that my recent Facebook post was ageist:
Friday, February 5, 2010 13:12 - by Josh Becker
Facebook Facebook Redesigns Its Home Page…Again
Facebook Redesigns Its Home Page…Again
Yesterday afternoon, Facebook unveiled its new home page design. Why they felt the need to do this is unclear; people had pretty much gotten used to the old new home page, despite how they may have initially felt about the changes. Facebook claims it wants to “simply the user experience,” which I’m pretty sure is the site’s attempt to make things easier for woefully out-of-touch “technologically inexperienced” old people to create Facebook accounts, stalk their children, and create creepy groups that will embarrass said children later in life. (Side note: why do so many old people seem to forget the rules of grammar when they type something instead of writing it? Dad, come on, you know how to use the comma.)
I’m sure many users have already seen the new home page hit their profile, but in case you haven’t been so lucky, see what some of the changes look like after the jump. (As always, click for bigger.)
Friday, February 5, 2010 0:08 - by Josh Becker
Jersey Shore The Cast of Jersey Shore Uses Chatroulette Update: It’s a Fake
The Cast of Jersey Shore Uses Chatroulette Update: It’s a Fake
Update: Well guys, it was a fake. You won this time, Internet.
My friend Katherine and I, planning on playing an open mic tonight, thought we’d make practicing more exciting by doing it while simultaneously navigating the treacherous waters of Chatroulette, the site that allows you to anonymously videochat with strangers. We suddenly came across four guido-looking guys dancing in a bedroom, so naturally we just laughed and said, “Are you guys from New Jersey?” Turns out they are New Jersey.
Apple’s iPad Might Be Your Next Favorite School Supply
Apple’s iPad Might Be Your Next Favorite School Supply
Several textbook publishers (including heavy hitters McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin) have just announced that they will start working with developers to make textbook applications for Apple’s iPad. Because of the iPad’s touch-screen interface, the new applications could be interactive, with extra study guides and practice tests.
Couple this announcement with the recent sparring between Macmillan and Amazon over Kindle pricing, and it seems the clear indication is that publishers are set to abandon the Kindle in favor of the iPad as the preferred e-book platform.
No word yet on whether this will bring down the exorbitant cost of textbooks (my guess is that it won’t by much, especially if the plan is to incorporate interactive elements), but it would at least make them easier to carry.
What do you think? Does the iPad’s textbook potential make it a more attractive product, despite some flaws?
(Image via)
Thursday, February 4, 2010 15:11 - by Keyana Stevens
The Sitcom Mid-Season Roundup
The Sitcom Mid-Season Roundup
A television sitcom subjects itself to many annoying conventions in any given season; there’s the obligatory cliffhanger ending, the awkward new main character introduction, and of course the stupid Christmas/Halloween/Thanksgiving/Valentine’s/New Year’s/Bastille Day themed episode, to name a few, but none are so intrusive as the mid-season break. This is the time when, around Christmas, just as the season has begun to get back into full-force after the arduous task of dealing with the unwise and uninteresting plot developments set up by the previous season’s finale, the show suddenly stops showing new episodes for a month. Cue aggravation. When the show comes back, it’s usually gone and done some soul-searching and either made some shiny new improvements, or starts sucking hard. Here’s a roundup of some of the most popular sitcoms, and biased judgments of their performances. Yee haw. Continue…
Win a Free Ticket to Millennial Marketing Panel
Win a Free Ticket to Millennial Marketing Panel
NYU Local is giving away a ticket to the Social Media Week panel on Millennial Marketing! Tickets to the panel, called “Social Media Marketing & Millennials: A Real-Time Focus Group,” are usually $150, so if you don’t want to spend time trolling Craigslist only to get ripped off, this is your chance to get in for free! It’s also a great opportunity to meet people from marketing firms in New York and other media industry professionals.
To be considered for the giveaway, tell us about your most embarrassing social media fuckup in the comments. Did your boss accidentally find those pictures of you drinking on your “sick day?” Did Facebook unwittingly out you to your conservative parents? Tell us in the comments, or shoot an e-mail to nyulocaleditor[at]gmail.com.
(The panel was curated by Entertainment writer Natan Edelsburg, and our very own Jessica Roy will be speaking on it. So you should go.)
Thursday, February 4, 2010 11:28 - by Keyana Stevens
Film The Best of Netflix Instant Watch: MST3K, This American Life, and Oldboy
The Best of Netflix Instant Watch: MST3K, This American Life, and Oldboy
So you’re sitting alone, crying, wishing you had something to distract you from the constant torment of your angst. Why don’t you watch a movie? Yay! No reason to reorganize your Netflix queue, you can still get All About Steve in the mail as soon as possible, because we’ve got some Watch Instantly suggestions for you. For those who are unfamiliar with Netflix, they’re just like the DVDs they send, but some movies are available for you to watch whenever you want…instantly. Unless you have a terrible connection. Then you’re screwed.
1. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1980’s)
I’m sure it’s no secret that I love making fun of bad movies. MST3K is the archetypal platform from which three guys sit around and make snide commentary on a terrible movie or PSA. It’s like watching a hilariously bad movie with friends, except the friends are prerecorded, and probably funnier as well. Two excellent episodes available right now are: Horrors of Spider Island, where some go-go dancers fight off a giant spider, and Werewolf, which I’m sure you could guess the plot of. It’s great if you love bad movies, but the in-between segments, wherein they randomly put on a skit halfway through the movie, can sometimes fall flat. Continue…
Foodie Feed Dorm Appétit: Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Dorm Appétit: Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Since the Super Bowl is approaching, I thought it might be a nice idea to tackle a football classic. Chili is one of those dishes that instantly recalls home and that sensation- what is it again?- oh yeah, warmth. This is my first stab at chili, so the recipe is still to be perfected, but I can attest that chili is very doable in a dorm room. I went with a vegetarian version since a can of beans is so much cheaper than ground beef or whatever animal you choose to chop up. I’ll come back to the price point, but if you get the spices from Manhattan Fruit Exchange, the total cost is approximately 15 bucks, way under the 10 dollar per meal charge of dining halls.
TV Time Lost Season Six Premiere: Flocke vs. Jacob
Lost Season Six Premiere: Flocke vs. Jacob
If Hercules was around in the modern day, crafting a satisfying series finale would be one of his tasks for sure. From the epic fail of Seinfeld, to the backlash that David Chase got over the Soprano’s finale, and even back to the finale of St. Elsewhere (I wasn’t born yet but it’s too famous to not mention) where it was revealed the entire series took place in a snow globe.
So how will Lost end? How can the show of an endless stream of epic unresolved questions end? Remember that show The Mole? (It’s a little know fact that superhero journalist/silver fox Anderson Cooper was the original host of The Mole). That show’s finales always wrapped up neater than a Martha Stewart thanksgiving dinner table. The audience was shown who the mole was, how he hid his secret, and how the producers tried to give you his identity without you knowing. For Lost, this way wouldn’t be such “a good thing” (and we’re back to Martha).
The biggest appeal of watching Lost is the mystery of it all. The island, the numbers, the elaborate pasts of the characters, they all contribute to the mystique. Last night’s season premier only added to the ever growing pile o’ mysteries, but it answered a few as well. Recap with spoilers, after the jump.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 11:00 - by Myles Tanzer
Axe Cop: The Web Comic Written by a Five-Year-Old
Axe Cop: The Web Comic Written by a Five-Year-Old
Looking for the latest and greatest thing on the world wide web? Look no further than the surprisingly interesting web comic, Axe Cop! He’s a cop…with an axe! And supposedly, he’ll chop your head off. He and his rag-tag group of strangely-powered sidekicks fight against the evil forces of enemies such as Pretzel Head, Telescope-Gun Cop, and of course, Stinko. If this sounds like something written by a five-year-old, it is. Just this December, Ethan Nicolle, a 29-year-old graphic novelist took to illustrating the imaginative, badass, and oftentimes random musings of his five-year-old brother, Malachai. The result is a twisting and turning madness of crimefighting awesomeness. “Sign up here, we have a gang of DINOSAURS to kill.”
Ethan’s only other major contribution to the world of graphic novels is Chumble Spuzz, and while I know there are a lot of you Chumble Spuzz fangirls out there, I’m going to say that the real draw to Axe Cop is the whimsical nature of the story. Ethan has described the process (which you can watch a video of with the most annoying music, here) as quizzing Malachai as to what happens in the story and then illustrating whatever he says, no matter how outlandish it may seem. This is perhaps why Axe Cop’s partner, Flute Cop, irrevocably mutates into Dinosaur Soldier, then Avocado Soldier, and most recently, Avocado-Unicorn Soldier. I’m waiting for guacamole soldier. Om nom nom.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 9:00 - by Dan Rickmers
