Archive for the ‘real life news’ Category

Twitter said that news of bin Laden’s death "saw the highest sustained rate of tweets ever".
For more than an hour there were over 3,000 tweets per second about bin Laden, peaking at 5,106 tweets per second as President Obama addressed Americans. #link#

"Look Ma, No Hands" aka Pragmatic Solutions to Sagging Pants

In an effort to show you that they have nothing better to do than act racist, the Florida legislature has approved a bill to outlaw, not only sagging pants, but all other manner of fun and tomfoolery, like hands-free biking and whatnot (…wonder if this applies to unicycles).

From TCPalm:

The "sagging pants bill"

Belt (blt) n. — A band, as of leather or cloth, worn around the waist to support clothing.

It probably won’t show up on their SAT vocabulary list anytime soon, but if a few legislators get their way, Florida students might have to reacquaint themselves with this old-fashioned piece of clothing that seems to have gone the way of the wristwatch in recent years.

Concerned that too many kids these days are lookin’ like fools with their pants on the ground, in late March the Florida Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 228 — dubbed the "sagging pants bill." A similar version is ready for a full House vote, but it doesn’t seem likely this late in session.

The bill would require school districts to adopt a dress code policy that forbids students from wearing clothing that "exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner." Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, has been pushing the bill since 2005.

Scofflaws could face penalties ranging from a verbal warning to an in-school suspension.

"I would think the dress code issue would have already been dealt with by the schools," said Jessica Baker, 25, of Port St. Lucie. (source, which I recommend reading)

So if this all sounds very 2007 to you, that’s because it is.

In response to any concerns about accidental exposure, a colleague and friend of mine has located the following, extremely pragmatic, solution:

Dining Out

Getting some grub…

Is your iPhone tracking your movements?

Washington DC to New York from Alasdair Allan on Vimeo.

Apparently yes, the iPhone keeps a file with some pretty scarily detailed location information. Click here to read about the project to publicize that info, and how to see what’s being tracked on your device.

Cattle Rustling: Sudan

Interesting article… I didn’t know herdin’ could be so dangerous!

:: Click here to read, from NPR ::

iPad 2 For Every Child

Image source

Start ’em early…

Every kindergartner in the city will get an iPad2 computer in the fall to boost learning, the Auburn School Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night.

Auburn may be the first school district in Maine to give computers to a whole grade level, former Gov. Angus King said. He was in the audience applauding the committee vote. "I think this is a stunning idea," he said.

King introduced laptops for seventh-graders in Maine 10 years ago, a program many educators credit with being successful. via

My Ninja, Please! 3.22.11 : Kid Lotto

Image source

I wonder if any of them won…

Gidani’s PlaySALottery, a website that allows punters to buy Lotto tickets online and from their cellphones, was suspended for just more than a week because a technical glitch would have allowed children under the age of 11 to register and play. (Source)

Blogger Fined

Image source

Libel and creating a "defamation zone" these are the charges brought against Johnny Northside. Read below for part of the story:

Moore, after being fired by the Jordan Area Community Council in January 2009, was hired at the U of M’s Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center to study mortgage foreclosures. When Hoff found out, he wrote a post accusing Moore of being involved in a "high-profile fraudulent mortgage," one of several that resulted in a 16-year prison sentence for former real estate agent Larry Maxwell. Moore was not charged in the Maxwell case.

Hoff said he told the truth and had documentation.

District Judge Denise Reilly threw out four of the five statements, saying they were either opinion or the comments of others on the blog. With respect to the remaining statement, the jury agreed with Clark’s claim that Hoff had committed "tortious interference" by meddling with Moore’s employment. Clark pointed out to the jury that Hoff, in a later blog post, took partial credit for Moore’s firing. (Source)

The Future of (un)Consumption

A new wave of Collaborative Consumption is making sense across the world:

"While it may continue to be necessary to buy certain things ‘new,'" Anderson said, "Collaborative Consumption has the potential to be an equal counterpart to other more traditional forms of consumption."

Anderson added that businesses that stick doggedly to the practices of wasteful consumption are likely to go the way of Blockbuster and Borders.

"Some industries might be slower than others in recognizing the importance of a Collaborative Consumption model," Anderson conceded. "[But] those who don’t catch up will certainly be left behind the newcomers."

.:mcgilldaily.com->