Unfortunately not. The YT poster is an antitheist blogger, but the source of the video is legit (as in legitimately bigoted and homophobic): http://defendchristians.org/commentary/it-doesnt-get-better/

>> ^bareboards2:

poe?
and he just said "habitual self deception"?????

>> ^spoco2:

As far as I'm concerned (And I have three tablets in my desk at work, an iPad1, and iPad2 and a Xoom, and I write apps for them), they're all useless lumps really. I have zero desire to have one. My thoughts are pretty much exactly as per this Engadget article


And here's the thing. When the iPad came out, all the tech reviews and tech bloggers and the people who write about these things said it was rubbish. What they menat was that it wasn't a device they would want. What apple is great at doing is ignoring the tech guys, who are the niche market, and getting the normal, everyday people a product that works for them. My iPad is the most used gadget I have, by a long way. This is because it does the few things I want it to do and it does them well.

The iPad is just too successful for it to be a bad product. It's giving the majority what they want and ignoring the tech guys. Apple seem to be one of the few companies to realise where the money really is in computing, and it's not with people who know a lot about computers.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I just can't see any situation where paid blogging is a "good thing" for bloggers. My understanding is that the pay is not great, but the cost to the blogger is immense. It's large moneyed corporations preying on the little, desperate guy as usual - sucking the life-force of credibility from bloggers for a few bucks. Shameful.

>> ^kymbos:

Really interesting discussion. I have never countenanced the idea of paid blogging. Most of the blogs I read are by frustrated political and economics junkies, and don't really lend themselves readily to product placement.
"This Government's economic policies are counterproductive, not like my new Technocrati app which is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing!"

Hey Dag,

Thanks and I agree it's a problem if bloggers are not disclosing those important details. Thanks for the feedback and talking about it - it's an important discussion.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Hi Scott, I'm glad to hear that you are requiring disclosure - but in poking around and talking to a few people - I don't believe this is universal.

I take your argument, but in general I think the practice of paid blogging is sleazy and detrimental to the entire blogging ecosystem. You're basically drumming up fake enthusiasm for products or services that a blogger would not normally promote. It's bad for the products and most of all, it's terrible for the blogger, because it erodes any sense of trust that the reader may have had in them.

IMO it's a pretty shameful practice and you'd do well to divorce yourself (and Technorati) from it.

Thanks.

>> ^ScottLyon:

Hi Dag,
Scott here, one of the offending emailers, from the Technorati Media Blogger Outreach team.
My apologies if the receipt of the message offended you. What you’ve shared about bloggers as journalists is certainly true in many cases – and I’m glad we have them doing that important work.
On the flip side, there are many types of bloggers we work with who write passionately about their personal lives, experiences, hobbies, causes, opinions or interests and they welcome opportunities to review new products (like this iPad app) or develop sponsored articles–if the posts fit their editorial direction and keep the integrity of their blog. The “good” and the “bad” of a review is always up to the blogger and sponsored content is typically on a topic the blogger has an affinity for and not about a product itself.
When a blogger works on a campaign with us, we require that they disclose when they have received a product to review or payment for post in the manner of their blog our using a tool like . Most of them are doing this anyway and it’s part of our follow up to the bloggers interested in participating.
We are working on ways and finding tools to better help us connect bloggers with opportunities they find relevant. It's big challenge, but we're working on it.
A big part of my position is not marketing for clients, but to also promote blogs, bloggers and blogging. I huge fan of all the different POVs out there and connecting bloggers to opportunities they might be interested in.
All the best...
Scott Lyon
Blogger Outreach Manager
Technorati Media

Hi Dag,

Scott here, one of the offending emailers, from the Technorati Media Blogger Outreach team.

My apologies if the receipt of the message offended you. What you’ve shared about bloggers as journalists is certainly true in many cases – and I’m glad we have them doing that important work.

On the flip side, there are many types of bloggers we work with who write passionately about their personal lives, experiences, hobbies, causes, opinions or interests and they welcome opportunities to review new products (like this iPad app) or develop sponsored articles–if the posts fit their editorial direction and keep the integrity of their blog. The “good” and the “bad” of a review is always up to the blogger and sponsored content is typically on a topic the blogger has an affinity for and not about a product itself.

When a blogger works on a campaign with us, we require that they disclose when they have received a product to review or payment for post in the manner of their blog our using a tool like . Most of them are doing this anyway and it’s part of our follow up to the bloggers interested in participating.

We are working on ways and finding tools to better help us connect bloggers with opportunities they find relevant. It's big challenge, but we're working on it.

A big part of my position is not marketing for clients, but to also promote blogs, bloggers and blogging. I huge fan of all the different POVs out there and connecting bloggers to opportunities they might be interested in.

All the best...

Scott Lyon
Blogger Outreach Manager
Technorati Media

I know this is long and off topic. I found it linked on a male friend's facebook page and found it interesting.

http://kateharding.net/2009/10/08/guest-blogger-starling-schrodinger%E2%80%99s-rapist-or-a-guy%E2%80%99s-guide-to-approaching-strange-women-without-be
ing-maced/

I thought the combo of sex and science and violence might pique your interest, too.

This is NOT related to our previous exchange, except in the general sense of how it is different to be a man in our society versus a woman.

"Imagine my surprise when the mad “Russian” himself strolled into breakfast yesterday. Our favorite IGOTD had shown up at the blogger shoot. I cornered him at the range (where he was wearing muffs and glasses). While he didn’t want any photos or videos taken he agreed to a short interview. After softening him up with some easy questions about the weather, his guns and the intricacies of Baltic cuisine, I asked him a real question: what’s up with the lack of eyes and ears? He responded that he recognized he needed to be wearing PPE and would do so in the future; especially since 20 percent of his viewership is under 18. FPS doesn’t want to set a bad example for the tweens. So, is he Russian? I can definitively report . . .

Nyet!

I was sitting at the breakfast table with ace snapper Oleg Volk. Oleg, a genuine Russian emigre who speak the lingua franca of the old Communist Evil Empire, thought FPS was Russian—because of his lack of safety. So I sent Oleg to speak Russian with FPS.

Oleg reported that FPS couldn’t talk the walk. When I interviewed the Internet phenom he sounded like a good ‘ole southern boy.

And there you have it: a fake Russian playing with really big guns. Except not in his most recent post, which has him paint-balling his little heart out. Good thing Lucky Gunner’s got him back with serious firepower. Dasvidaniya!" - http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/05/ryan-finn/confirmed-fps-russia-a-k-a-fpsrussia-isnt-russian/

Comrades, this is the essence of the internet:

In the guise of Paula Brooks, Graber corresponded online with Tom MacMaster, thinking he was writing to Amina Arraf. Amina often flirted with Brooks, neither of the men realizing the other was pretending to be a lesbian.

>> ^mtadd:

This has nothing to do with them being journalists or not. The Governor has the police locking down the Wisconsin capitol building illegally, as a judge has given a court order that the public's access to the capitol to be restored as it was prior to the big protests against the recent anti-union legislation passed recently. These assembled people are exercising their lawful rights, and experiencing the oppression of "law enforcement officers" typical obedience to authority. And when their bosses are corrupt, what can you expect from police but this sort of behavior?


You're right, I went off on a tangent about something that is one of my pet peeves. You're right the Governor shouldn't be shutting down the capitol building illegally, people should have the right to protest, the right to gather, and the press should be there to report it. You can see her stop for a second when someone asks her for her credentials though, she doesn't have them, and she knows it.

I went off on something else. I saw a ton of it in Toronto during the G20. Bloggers or people just there to take pictures trying to claim the rights of freedom of press, when they have no idea how to get press passes or credentials, or claiming their blog is a viable news source. (That's another rant, on news off blogs, and the lack of research done into them. Eg. Pat Burns being reported dead before he actually had passed away.)

This isn't the place for those debates, this should be about the cops handling of the people there. Questions for this video are: What are the charges against her, and why was she arrested. What did the second girl do to get arrested as well? If they were shutting down the building, why is there still a crowd audible in the background?

Did anyone watch what Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart had to say:
http://youtu.be/SJvri8R9fS4

http://religions.pewforum.org/reports
"one-in-five people who identify themselves as atheist (21%)... express a belief in God or a universal spirit." The breakdown appears to be 6% believe in a personal god, 12% believe in an impersonal force, and 3% don't know/other. The question then becomes, do they understand what atheist means? The sample size was 35,000, of which 560 (1.6%) were atheists including 120 of whom didn't know what atheist meant. Ok then. I'm sure that's representative of atheists as a whole. It's not possible a study on the varying views between religious groups would overlook a group that was non-religious.

Also... Shinnyblurry's comment looks suspiciously like
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2718697/posts

He is just a troll right?

>> ^bareboards2:

I wonder if you understand that first link, L. "A rant."
Do you understand what she is trying to do? She is trying to instill in men the generalized fear that women live with EVERY SINGLE DAY.
It's awful, isn't it? To think that some random woman might attack you at any moment. That you aren't ever safe.
Get mad at that blog entry -- but understand that perhaps you might save some rage for how women live each day. This is our reality. It's awful, isn't it?
I don't agree with her, though -- I agree more with Warren -- that men have some work to do to save themselves from the cultural trap they are in. They have work to do to reclaim themselves.
This isn't a contest in who has hurt the other more. We all have to take responsibility for ourselves. Women need to walk out of abusive relationships immediately. Men need to learn how to be emotional/have emotions without it seeming like they are less than "manly."
THIS ISN'T A CONTEST.
>> ^LarsaruS:
If you want to rage a bit read these two posts by a feminist blogger:
http://evebitfirst.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/a-rant/
http://evebitfirst.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/a-man-is-a-rape-supporter

-if/
Also, on a completely different topic, I wonder if any of you have been to:
http://macholikeme.com/
It seems like a very interesting play/movie and I would like to hear if it is worth shelling out for.


Well, if thats what she was trying to do then she has failed pretty badly. Between accusing all men of being pro-rape and suggesting that we should all go die she has rather set herself up to not be taken seriously. I'm not raging, I'm laughing. This is what a lot of men associate with feminism, and it does their cause more harm than good.

I wonder if you understand that first link, L. "A rant."

Do you understand what she is trying to do? She is trying to instill in men the generalized fear that women live with EVERY SINGLE DAY.

It's awful, isn't it? To think that some random woman might attack you at any moment. That you aren't ever safe.

Get mad at that blog entry -- but understand that perhaps you might save some rage for how women live each day. This is our reality. It's awful, isn't it?

I don't agree with her, though -- I agree more with Warren -- that men have some work to do to save themselves from the cultural trap they are in. They have work to do to reclaim themselves.

This isn't a contest in who has hurt the other more. We all have to take responsibility for ourselves. Women need to walk out of abusive relationships immediately. Men need to learn how to be emotional/have emotions without it seeming like they are less than "manly."

THIS ISN'T A CONTEST.

>> ^LarsaruS:

If you want to rage a bit read these two posts by a feminist blogger:
http://evebitfirst.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/a-rant/
http://evebitfirst.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/a-man-is-a-rape-supporter
-if/
Also, on a completely different topic, I wonder if any of you have been to:
http://macholikeme.com/
It seems like a very interesting play/movie and I would like to hear if it is worth shelling out for.

If you want to rage a bit read these two posts by a feminist blogger:
http://evebitfirst.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/a-rant/
http://evebitfirst.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/a-man-is-a-rape-supporter-if/

Also, on a completely different topic, I wonder if any of you have been to:
http://macholikeme.com/
It seems like a very interesting play/movie and I would like to hear if it is worth shelling out for.