This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on October 17, 2008). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Sometime between 09:54 and 16:37, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!
- Fake Is Good: The People Behind Twitter’s Candidate Parodies: People such as Tina Fey may be grabbing all the headlines for their spoofs, but bubbling under the surface of the Web is a growing trend of folks using a microblogging service called Twitter to effectively parody the candidates. A few people in the Washington area have commandeered the accounts FakeJohnMcCain, FakeSarahPalin, and FakeJoeBiden to skewer and impersonate the candidates—and have gained thousands of readers in the process. (via Waxy)
- From the Reuters photographer who took the ‘Zombie McCain’ shot:: By the time I got back to my hotel room that night people were already discussing the photo on the internet and by the next morning my email inbox was filling with messages about the picture. Some people complimented me on the photo while others strongly criticized both myself and Reuters for shooting and transmitting a news photo of a very public moment that had taken place in front of more than 60 million television viewers at the culmination of a major and historic public event.
- The Things He Carried: Airport security in America is a sham—“security theater” designed to make travelers feel better and catch stupid terrorists. Smart ones can get through security with fake boarding passes and all manner of prohibited items—as our correspondent did with ease.
- Qwitter: Catching Twitter quitters: Qwitter e-mails you when someone stops following you on Twitter with a message like this: John Gruber (gruber) stopped following you on Twitter after you posted this tweet: What's the difference between Arial and Helvetica? (The example alone got a good laugh out of me.)
- McCain, Obama roast each other at charity dinner: Obama: "Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the planet Earth." (via Twitter)
- Wolfram Blog : Stock Market Returns by Presidential Party: The New York Times recently published an “Op-Chart” by Tommy McCall on its Opinion page showing what your returns would have been had you started with $10,000 in 1929 and invested it in the stock market, but only during the administrations of either Democratic or Republican presidents. His calculations showed that if you had invested only during Republican administrations you would now have $11,733 while if you had invested only during Democratic administrations you would now have $300,671. Twenty-five times as much! That’s a pretty dramatic difference, but does it stand up to a closer look?