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OK, but who hasn’t wanted to break Jim Treacher’s knees?
Friday, February 5th, 2010 | Blogging | Permalink | 1 Comment |
The State Department has refused to answer basic questions about an accident that took place in Washington on Wednesday night, in which a U.S. Diplomatic Security Service vehicle struck Daily Caller employee Sean Medlock as he was crossing the street.
An agent in the vehicle, Mike McGuinn, did not identify himself to Medlock at the scene, or apologize for running him down. Indeed, Washington, D.C., police drove to a local emergency room to serve Medlock with a jaywalking citation as he lay prostrate in a hospital bed, while a man who identified himself as “special agent” stood by watching and taking notes.
Reached on his cell phone the following day by the Daily Caller, McGuinn refused to answer questions about the incident.
“I’m a federal agent and I’m not allowed to talk to the media,” McGuinn said, citing “liability.” McGuinn initially declined even to reveal which agency he works for. “You can refer to the [DC] police department report,” he said before hanging up abruptly. (According the police department, no report will be publicly available for at least three days.)
According to Medlock, who writes under the name Jim Treacher, he was struck at about 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, while crossing M Street in downtown Washington. Medlock says he was walking within the bounds of the crosswalk, toward a blinking white signal, when a government SUV suddenly turned left and plowed into him, knocking him to the ground.
Me, I’m thinking the guy who hit and runned him is Agent Smith and Treacher nee Medlock is The One.
LATER: And Reason came up with the same gag several hours before me.
Fun with Facebook tags
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 | Blogging | Permalink | 1 Comment |
Remember that pic? One of my Facebook friends decided to have fun with it.
I ignored the request. Richard: you owe me one.
It’s not you, Internet, it’s me
Thursday, January 14th, 2010 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
Sorry for the light bloggy. Long hours at work in thesaltmines.com slamming out some new Web sites.
It’s almost as if Facebook friendships can be shallow
Thursday, December 24th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
Our five year old, Katie, accidentally did a social experiment on Facebook.
She loves Facebook and Farmtown. She knows how to log in and plant seeds and harvest crops and buy and sell things in Farmtown.
This morning my wife logged in to Facebook and discovered she had over a hundred new friends. Katie had apparently run through some Farmtown list and started doing friend requests to a couple hundred people.
What’s amazing is that most of them accepted the friend request even though they don’t know the person on the other end of the request.
I admit I accept all friend requests, too. I always figure they’re a friend of a friend or they read my blog, which links to my Facebook page.
One conclusion: if someone believes a Facebook friend count is the measure of their self-worth all they have to do is send friend requests to a bunch of strangers.
Barrick’s finishes paying out its gold hedges
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 | Blogging, E-commerce, Economics | Permalink | No Comments |
Ed Steers Gold and Silver Daily:
The big, and just about the only story in the gold world yesterday, was the news that the Darth Vader of gold companies, Barrick Gold, after 20 years of screwing its shareholders in particular… and the entire gold industry in general… has finally and at last [?] paid out the balance of its hedge book. To tell you the truth, you can never be sure if these guys are telling you the truth or not. I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. If AngloGold Ashanti does the same thing in the next little while, the world’s gold hedge book will fall to only a few million ounces… which is basically nothing at all. Hedging is dead, dead, dead!!! Anyway, Barrick’s stock price was up a bunch yesterday, so the market certainly liked the news. Here’s the Reuters story about it headlined “Barrick closes hedge book early, stock soars”… and the link is here.
And now, dear reader, as I’ve mentioned before about Barrick and AngloGold Ashanti, the reason that they are both in such a hurry to close their hedge books is because the gold price is heading north… big time… and they already know that. JPMorgan is Barrick’s bullion bank… and JPMorgan [as the biggest gold and silver short on the planet] would know well in advance that the price management scheme is about to end and would certainly want Barrick out of harm’s way before it did.
There’s widespread belief in the goldbug community of gold price suppression, most notably by heavy shorting. Maybe so, maybe no, but the market is so bullish now that any attempts at suppression may be doomed to failure, potentially launching a dramatic upswing in gold prices. We’ll see.
There’s always a chance of a downward correction in gold prices, but it’s limited. The reason I’m in gold is that the upside seems to me to be much, much greater than the downside.
Previously
Obama’s biggest blunder - Drupal?
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | 1 Comment |
As a cautionary tale, the WhiteHouse.gov administrators might look to Recovery.gov, which is devoted to tracking stimulus spending. The site originally used Drupal but soon hired a private contractor—at a reported cost of $18 million—to rework the site. Perhaps the White House site’s administrators have learned from their colleagues’ mistakes.
But I can’t help but think the new software represents the triumph of hope over experience. Drupal looks great in theory: It’s a powerful way to govern a Web site that is born out of the collective efforts of the community. In practice, it tends to be a bit of a mess. Does that sound like any particular form of government to you?
Iranian blogger Hoder has been in solitary confinement for 10 months
Monday, October 26th, 2009 | Blogging, Middle East | Permalink | No Comments |
BoingBoing - Iran: blogger Hossein “Hoder” Derakshan said to have been jailed in solitary for 10 months:
Fershteh Ghazi (@iranbaan) tweets that Hamed Derakhshan, brother of jailed Iranian blogger Hossein “Hoder” Derakshan, just said on @bbcpersian his brother has been held in solitary confinement for 10 months. Hoder was first arrested on November 1, 2008.
Previously:
Facebook fix
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
If it seems like all your friends stopped posting on Facebook this weekend, it’s Facebook, not you. Here’s the fix from Kathy Tyson:
Repost from JonAnne: 1. Go to FB Home Page. 2. Choose “Live Feed.” 3. Scroll to the bottom & click ” Edit Options.” 4. You will then see your “News Feed Settings.” Change the 250 to 5000, which is Facebook’s friend limit, and your feed will work correctly again.
Worked for me.
Those’ll look lovely in the mugshot
Thursday, October 15th, 2009 | Blogging, True Crime | Permalink | No Comments |
The (Columbia, TN) Daily Herald - Online photos lead to arrests in jewel heist
A third suspect has been arrested for her alleged role in a jewelry heist of more than $60,000.
Christina Richardson of Columbia was arrested Tuesday morning after detectives discovered a photograph of her on a MySpace Web page. In the photo she was modeling an earring that had been reported stolen in March, Maury County Sheriff’s Capt. Jimmy Tennyson said.
Hat tip to Michael Silence.
Officer Friendly likes this
Thursday, October 15th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
Times Online - US investigators use Facebook to track down wanted man Maxi Sopo:
What’s wrong with making friends on Facebook? Nothing — unless you happen to be a fugitive from US justice, living the good life at a Mexican holiday resort after allegedly stealing more than $200,000 (£125,000) through a bank scam in Seattle.
But Maxi Sopo, 26, a native of Cameroon, didn’t think twice before logging on to the popular social networking site and making a ‘friend request’ to a man he had met while out drinking in a Cancun nightclub.
Unfortunately for Sopo, he had no idea that the man in question was a former US Justice Department official.
Bonus! Lamebook, “the funniest and lamest of Facebook.”
Wash. TV anchor lands job in Knoxville thanks to Twitter
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
Westfield Patch - Drohan Tweets Her Wpay From Westfield to Knoxville:
Drohan had ifor a job with an NBC affiliate in Washington State, which she was offered. While she ended up declining the job, she chose to place it on her Twitter feed, where a sudden new opportunity came along.
“I had put that on my Twitter and the news director in Knoxville, Tenn., is a follower of mine on Twitter,” she said.
Suddenly, Drohan found herself with a direct Tweet from the news director of WATE, the ABC affiliate in Knoxville. He offered her a shot at the morning anchor position, saying he had looked at her demo reel on YouTube and was impressed by what he saw. (It is common for many up-and-coming television journalists to place their demo reels on YouTube.)
Very cool. I used this in a meeting today to illustrate the surprising ways people are connecting via social media in the business world.
Via Michael Silence.
P.S. The consultants we spoke to today recommend changing your Twitter design at least once a quarter. I like that idea. Corporate Web re-designs can be long, drawn-out, and political. Twitter is so simple there’s no reason not to change frequently and keep things fresh.
Facebook zingers today
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
Trudy Claiborne - ” ‘Sharing everything is ‘socialist’, sharing 10% is ‘religious’, and sharing a few percent or less is, well, just sharing.’ ”
Rich Hailey - “When the gov’t runs health care like they run schools, will substitute doctors show movies instead of treat patients?”
Barack Obama’s Teleprompter - “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of the International Olympic Committee…”
Facebook friends stats
Friday, October 2nd, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
You can find me and friend me at http://www.facebook.com/lesjones.
Social media madness
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 | Blogging, Funny Ha-Ha | Permalink | No Comments |
Hat tip to Cloud Ave.
Bonus!
One thing I’ve learned about Facebook today
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | 3 Comments |
From comments on what Uncle learned about Facebook, I learned you can hide alerts from certain apps. So tonight I turned off alerts from Mafia Wars, Farmtown and the zoo thing.
Just mouse over the update from your friend. When the “Hide” drop-down appears choose the application.
Alleged libeller outed by alleged skank
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 | Blogging, Funny Ha-Ha | Permalink | No Comments |
Robert X. Cringely - Skanks for nothing: Google must identify ‘anonymous’ blogger.
Yesterday a U.S. federal judge ruled that Google must turn over the name of an anonymous blogger who took a severe disliking to aging supermodel Liskula Cohen. The ripples emanating from the ruling could potentially wash over every member of the blogosphere (including those who delight in anonymously depositing nasty comments on blogs — you know who you are).
The backstory: In August 2008, some soon-to-not-be-anonymous blogger (STNBAB) created a Google blog called “Skanks in NYC” (no longer available, but archived at Mahalo). The sole topic of this short-lived blog: Liskula Cohen, a zygomatically gifted Canuck who has graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, and other magazines probably not in the bathrooms of most InfoWorld readers.
Among other things, the STNBAB called Cohen “a psychotic, lying, whoring, still going to clubs at her age, skank.” He (she?) also called Cohen “an old hag.” I bet that’s the one that really stung.
Ya know, I can’t help but think that “skank” is going to follow Liskula Cohen around for the rest of her life, all because she sicced her attorney on somebody’s little blog. That’s a little thing I like to call justice.
Bonus! - Cracked’s “How to Slander Online Now That Google Won’t Protect You”:
Guideline #2: The public has an interest in knowing these facts.
The “truth” defense doesn’t always work though. Often courts will demand that there be a “public interest” in you disseminating whatever facts you’re trying to spread. For example, if Trevor Moore of Greenden, Ohio was a threat to young boys and farm animals, which he is, then I could claim my column was a justifiable method of informing the people and livestock of Greenden, Ohio about the threat living in their midst, and also driving around in a blue Toyota Tercel in their midst.
Jakob Nielsen’s advice on writing Twitter posts for a business
Monday, August 24th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
When to Tweet
My last design decision was when to post the message to the Twitter timeline. My preferred tweeting time is 9:01 a.m. because it encompasses working hours from California to the U.K. and thus reaches a majority of our customers. (It’s best to post a minute after the hour so you’ll be listed on top of anybody who naively sets their software to release postings at exactly 9:00.)In this case, however, German readers and others in continental Europe were particularly important, because we’re going to Berlin for the first time. Thus, I pulled the posting time forward to 7:51 a.m. Pacific time, which is 4:51 p.m. in Germany and will still reach Californians who check Twitter during breakfast.
One of the big downsides of stream-based communication compared to email newsletters is the highly ephemeral nature of the postings: Once they scroll off the first screen, they’re essentially 6 feet under.
A look at clickthrough statistics for links posted to Twitter vs. those circulated in email newsletters shows a drastically steeper decay function: lots of clicks the first few minutes, and then almost none. In contrast, email continues to generate clicks for days as people work their way through their inboxes.
Clickthrough decay: Twitter time passes 10 times faster than email time.
This makes it hard to reach an international customer base on Twitter, and makes it important to tweak the posting time relative to each topic’s main target. (It’s also one of the many reasons I continue to believe that email is a more powerful medium.)
Try Googling your own blog
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | 1 Comment |
Scott Kelby: don’t let WordPress resize your photos
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Blogging, Photos | Permalink | No Comments |
Scott Kelby discovers that WordPress’s automated preview generator is noticeably less sharp than what he gets from Adobe Photoshop. WordPress also strips out the EXIF data in the preview. I use it anyway for the convenience, but YMMV.
“At least somebody can stand the son of a bitch”*
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 | Best Of, Blogging, Quotes | Permalink | No Comments |
Rustmeister is getting married.
* This is the traditional LesJones.com congratulations for pending nuptials.
“Marriage is an important part of getting ahead. Lets people know you’re not a homo. Married guy … seems more stable. People see the ring, they think ‘at least somebody can stand the son of a bitch.’ Ladies see the ring, they know immediately you must have some cash and your cock must work.”
– Det. Capt. George Ellerby (Alec Baldwin), The Departed
I now understand the genius that is Tad Kochschwinger
Friday, July 17th, 2009 | Blogging, Funny Ha-Ha | Permalink | No Comments |
After posting this I actually read Tad Kochschwinger’s Twitter feed. Now I think he’s a genius of Twittery obnoxiousness:
- Bad start to the day. The Segway caught a flat on the way to Starbucks.
- People don’t just love me because I’m a social media rock star. They love me because I inspire them to be more like me.
- Does anyone know how to get Maximuscle protein shake out of the upholstery of a Tesla Roadster?
- I bought myself a World’s Best Dad T-shirt. The twins are too young to understand what it means but I’m sure they’d want me to have it.
- The people who say I’m arrogant and shallow don’t see me when I’m at home with my wife. Did I mention that she’s a former swimsuit model?
Twitter background design
Thursday, July 16th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
Are you on The Twitter? Are you TweetingTooHard.com?
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | 2 Comments |
Teh funny. Behold the “twisdom” on The Twitter.
Kochschwinger’s mother-in-law died and his audience was moved. It was win-win for everyone except the dead lady!
Getcher Facebook vanity URL
Saturday, June 13th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | 2 Comments |
I kept meaning to blog this, but starting today Facebook is offering short, vanity URLs to replace your long, ugly URL. I went from facebook.com/profile.php?id=1185399475 to facebook.com/lesjones.
Get the new URL for your account at facebook.com/username. The only requirement is that you must have created the account prior to May 31, 2009. Otherwise you’ll need to wait until June 28. More info here.
If you admin a page you can register a vanity URL for the page if it was active before May 31, 2009 and if the page has more than 1000 fans. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until June 28. More info here.
Mashable.com is covering the Facebook name rush.
Another hoax exposed
Saturday, June 13th, 2009 | Blogging | Permalink | No Comments |
This is one is just sad. I hate that she manipulated other people’s emotions, but instead of being angry at her I just feel like she’s pathetic.
Via Ann Althouse.
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