Google Buzz Release (PICTURES, VIDEO): New Social Feature Unveiled

Google Buzz Release (PICTURES, VIDEO): New Social Feature Unveiled: "Google is making it easier to socialize on its e-mail service. It's unveiling a new 'Google Buzz' feature that sets up a face-off with Facebook.

The feature unveiled Tuesday will enable Gmail users to create status updates on Google Buzz and read and comment on the updates posted by their friends.

Other tools turn Gmail into a showcase for sharing video, pictures and Web links to interesting stories, just as users can on Facebook and Twitter."

MTV No Longer About 'Music' | The Wrap

MTV No Longer About 'Music' | The Wrap: "MTV changed its logo for the first time in roughly 30 years on Monday.

It was a minor change with major symbolism. The network -- known more for its scripted reality show programming these days than the music videos and industry it revolutionized -- dropped the “Music Television” tagline from the Frank Olinsky-designed original."

Leno leaving, quietly - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

Leno leaving, quietly - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety: "NBC is keeping Tuesday night's 'The Jay Leno Show' finale extra low-key.

Leno's last primetime show will feature guests Ashton Kutcher and Gabourey Sidibe, as well as a '10 at 10' Q&A with Bob Costas, via satellite from the Peacock's Winter Olympics hub in Vancouver.

The host is also expected to mention his 'Tonight Show' return on March 1. But beyond that, the pomp and circumstance will be nil."

A Kind, Gentler Focus on the Family? | RD Blog: The Devil's Advocate | ReligionDispatches

A Kind, Gentler Focus on the Family? | RD Blog: The Devil's Advocate | ReligionDispatches: "Where James Dobson used the stick (sometimes literally), his successor Jim Daly prefers the carrot."

Interesting blog by Candace Chellew-Hodge.

Why haven't responsible Republicans spoken out against Sarah Palin? - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine

Why haven't responsible Republicans spoken out against Sarah Palin? - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine: "Is she a rank opportunist, or does she live on another planet? And of the two possibilities, which is worse?
President Obama was at one time a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, but to suggest that he regards counterterrorism as a 'mere' legal matter, or that he's gun-shy as commander-in-chief, is preposterous."

Episcopal Cafe: Weird stories from ACNA-land

The Lead: "Scott Gunn reminds us all of just how peculiar an institution the Anglican Church in North America is, the odd things its leaders have said, and the chippy tactics they have used in their drive to punish the Episcopal Church for treating LGBT Christians as baptized members of the Body of Christ. And he suggests that the Church of England should watch its back.

Meanwhile, Simon Sarmiento reminds us of the long documentary trail that ACNA has left in its campaign against the Episcopal Church."

Video: The Best Super Bowl Ad

Video: The Best Super Bowl Ad This Year, as Rated by USA Today's Annual Consumer Poll : TVBizwire : TVWeek - Television Industry news, TV ratings, analysis, celebrity event photos: "The best ad on the Super Bowl this year, as rated by consumers in USA Today's annual poll, was not a beer commercial, nor an auto spot.

It was Mars' ad for its Snickers brand, starring Betty White. See it below."

The Next Glenn Beck -The Daily Beast

The Next Glenn Beck - Page 1 - The Daily Beast: "Talk radio still has the power to spur grassroots rebellions and crown kings—as the Tea Partiers and Scott Brown can attest. Samuel P. Jacobs looks at the rightful heirs to Limbaugh, Maddow and Beck."

'I'm Not Saying Your Mother's a Whore': How Fox News Censored Jon Stewart vs. Bill O'Reilly - Jon Stewart - Gawker

'I'm Not Saying Your Mother's a Whore': How Fox News Censored Jon Stewart vs. Bill O'Reilly - Jon Stewart - Gawker: "Fox News has generously placed the full, unedited conversation between Bill O'Reilly and Jon Stewart online, so we can see precisely how unfairly and deviously Fox edited the interview in order to weaken Stewart's case: A lot!

Last night on his show—Part Two of a ludicrously overhyped 'faceoff' between O'Reilly and Stewart in which Stewart attempted, among other things, to present a critique of Fox as a fear-mongering GOP messaging operation—O'Reilly boasted that his edit of their 42-minute interview for broadcast was 'a fair cut' and invited viewers to have a look at the unedited version online to judge for themselves: 'Some of these idiots in the press who hate us, 'O'Reilly cut the interview to make Stewart look'—OK, all of that is bull. It's a fair cut. And then when you watch the cut and watch the whole interview you'll see it.'

So we took him up on the offer, and guess what? If by 'fair cut' O'Reilly means 'cut in a manner that left some of Stewart's best lines, most effective arguments, and most convincing evidence out of the interview and hidden from the broadcast audience,' then he's absolutely right."

The story behind that Leno-Letterman-Oprah Super Bowl promo - USATODAY.com

The story behind that Leno-Letterman-Oprah Super Bowl promo - USATODAY.com: "The late-night TV skirmish continues: Jay Leno and David Letterman, who traded sharp barbs last month over NBC's late-night maneuvering, appeared on camera in a short promo for CBS'Late Show with David Letterman during Sunday's Super Bowl— with Oprah Winfrey as the referee.

The 15-second spot, a sequel to a similar commercial featuring Letterman and Winfrey that aired in 2007, opens as Letterman, munching on chips on a couch, decrees this 'the worst Super Bowl party ever.' The camera pans next to Winfrey, who admonishes 'Now Dave, be nice!' and then to Leno, sitting on on the other side of Winfrey who says 'Aw, he's just sayin' that because I'm here!' Letterman then mimics Leno's voice in repeating the phrase, then Winfrey throws up her hands in resignation."

This was my favorite spot because it was so unexpected.

How Obama's favorite theologian shaped his first year in office - CNN.com

How Obama's favorite theologian shaped his first year in office - CNN.com

Reinhold Niebuhr

Stewart tells O'Reilly he's voice of sanity on Fox | accessAtlanta

Stewart tells O'Reilly he's voice of sanity on Fox | accessAtlanta: "Comic Jon Stewart told Bill O'Reilly that the 'no spin zone' ringleader had become the voice of sanity on Fox News Channel, although 'that's like being the thinnest kid at fat camp.'"

Aircruise touted as scenic new millennium luxury ships floating to the U.S. in 37 hours | Mail Online

Aircruise touted as scenic new millennium luxury ships floating to the U.S. in 37 hours | Mail Online: "Towering, kite-shaped airships could herald a new era of luxury transport following today's introduction of the Aircruise concept.

Standing 98ft taller than Canary Wharf, packing 330,000 cubic metres of hydrogen gas and capable of lifting 396 tonnes, the Aircruise concept features penthouse apartments, bars and even dizzying glass viewing floors.

Aircruise was created as the antithesis of a hurried, crowded passenger jet. London-based design and innovation company Seymourpowell wanted to rethink transport - on the premise 'slow is the new fast'. It could ferry 100 people from London to New York in a leisurely 37 hours as opposed to the seven it takes now by airplane."

NASA Spots Mysterious Space Debris (PHOTO)

NASA Spots Mysterious Space Debris (PHOTO): "NASA scientists have spotted a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern with trailing streamers of dust that is unlike any image astronomers have seen before.

The behavior is not typical of comets, UCLA investigator David Jewitt explains, and researchers believe something unprecedented has been spotted"

It’s Here! Comics Publishers Respond to Apple’s iPad - Publishers Weekly

It’s Here! Comics Publishers Respond to Apple’s iPad - 2/2/2010 7:38:00 AM - Publishers Weekly: "Last week Apple CEO Steven Jobs finally unveiled the iPad, Apple’s much anticipated multimedia computing and reading device, and there was much discussion among comics publishers and fans about what the device will mean for the future of digital comics. PWCW spoke a several publishers to get their reactions to Apple’s latest and coolest new computing device.

Indeed publishers we contacted were excited about the convenience the device offers for reading content as well as the opportunity it provides to view digital comics at an appropriate size and with layouts more or less intact."

The Epiphany Call - The Rev. Peter Wallace

The Epiphany Call - The Rev. Peter Wallace: "How did you find yourself doing what you're doing, being who you are? How did God's call come to you, and how did you respond to it?

Many years ago when I was still in elementary school, I didn't have any choice but to go to Vacation Bible School at Johnson Memorial Methodist Church in Huntington, W.Va., because my father was the pastor. But I enjoyed it anyway. One of the projects we worked on one summer under the guidance of dear Mrs. Robinette was to create a newspaper that would have been published during the time of the Apostle Paul. I jumped at the opportunity to create my own little tabloid with pencil on paper, complete with headlines, ads, and even comic strips circa 1st century CE. The news stories reported on this wacky traveling preacher who was creating a ruckus in Jesus' name.

That exercise had such an impact on me that, by the time I got to college, I decided to major in journalism, and for several years after graduating I worked for two newspapers in West Virginia. But my faith tugged at me during that time, and I wanted to move beyond merely reporting on secular events to writing from my heart and mind about my faith."

Complaints About the iPad’s Lack of Flash Support May Fade - NYTimes.com

Complaints About the iPad’s Lack of Flash Support May Fade - NYTimes.com: "Web designers — and a fair number of Web users — noticed something missing from Steven P. Jobs’s demonstration of the Apple iPad Wednesday. On some of the Web sites he displayed on the tablet computer’s screen, blank squares appeared where video or animated content would normally be displayed.

The holes, observers correctly assumed, meant that the iPad would not display videos, animations or any other features created using Flash, a type of multimedia software made by Adobe. Flash is one of the world’s most ubiquitous applications, appearing on 98 percent of all computers. YouTube videos run on it. It is what animates millions of graphics and advertisements on Web sites around the world. Adobe says the technology supports nearly 75 percent of video on the Web and 70 percent of online gaming sites."

To Deliver, iPad Needs Content Providers on Board - NYTimes.com

The Media Equation - To Deliver, iPad Needs Content Providers on Board - NYTimes.com: "Short of landing in a flying saucer and having a tablet teleported into his hands, there was no way that Steve Jobs could have lived up to the hype before last Wednesday’s iPad announcement.

But he came pretty close. By the time the bells, whooshes and clicks died down, I couldn’t say the future had arrived, but I’m pretty sure we can see it from here.

“It was like someone came back from five years into the future and handed this to us,” said John Gruber of Daring Fireball, a respected tech blog."

Amazon Accepts Macmillan’s Demand for Higher E-Book Prices - NYTimes.com

Amazon Accepts Macmillan’s Demand for Higher E-Book Prices - NYTimes.com: "After a weekend of brinksmanship, Amazon.com on Sunday surrendered to a publisher and agreed to raise prices on some electronic books.

Amazon shocked the publishing world late last week by removing direct access to the Kindle editions as well as printed books from Macmillan, one of the country’s six largest publishers, which had said it planned to begin setting higher consumer prices for e-books. Until now, Amazon has set e-book prices itself, with $9.99 as the default for new releases and best sellers.

But in a statement Sunday afternoon, Amazon said it would accept Macmillan’s decision."

Cornish Journal - A Recluse? Well, Not to J.D. Salinger's Neighbors - NYTimes.com

Cornish Journal - A Recluse? Well, Not to J.D. Salinger's Neighbors - NYTimes.com: "His most famous character, Holden Caulfield, said it was impossible to find a place that is “nice and peaceful,” but J. D. Salinger may have found something close for himself in the woods of this tiny town.

Here Mr. Salinger was just Jerry, a quiet man who arrived early to church suppers, nodded hello while buying a newspaper at the general store and wrote a thank-you note to the fire department after it extinguished a blaze and helped save his papers and writings."

What's in Salinger's safe? | accessAtlanta

What's in Salinger's safe? | accessAtlanta: "The death this week of J.D. Salinger ends one of literature's most mysterious lives and intensifies one of its greatest mysteries: Was the author of 'The Catcher in the Rye' keeping a stack of finished, unpublished manuscripts in a safe in his house in Cornish, N.H? Are they masterpieces, curiosities or random scribbles?

And if there are publishable works, will the author's estate release them?

The Salinger camp isn't talking."

Did Leonardo paint himself as "Mona Lisa"? | ajc.com

Did Leonardo paint himself as "Mona Lisa"? | ajc.com: "The legend of Leonardo da Vinci is shrouded in mystery: How did he die? Are the remains buried in a French chateau really those of the Renaissance master? Was the 'Mona Lisa' a self-portrait in disguise?"

First look: Marvel Comics' 'heroes will be heroes again' - USATODAY.com

First look: Marvel Comics' 'heroes will be heroes again' - USATODAY.com: "Marvel superheroes are leaving the dark side.

After seven years of grim and grimmer story lines, including a superhero 'civil war' that pitted Iron Man against Spider-Man and the death of Captain America, Marvel Comics will usher in a more optimistic 'Heroic Age' approach in May.

'Heroes will be heroes again,' says Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada. 'They've gone through hell and they're back to being good guys — a throwback to the early days of the Marvel Universe, with more of a swashbuckling feel.'

The change begins with a relaunch of Avengers #1, which will reunite Iron Man, a reborn Captain America and Thor as comrades rather than foes."

iPad might breathe life into digital comics | Crave - CNET

iPad might breathe life into digital comics | Crave - CNET: "One of the key features of the new Apple iPad is the introduction of Apple's new iBooks application, which promises to be both an e-book reader and a storefront for digital books. This obviously leads to a comparison between the iPad and that other famous e-book reader, the Amazon Kindle. But it seems to me that the only real advantage the iPad might have over the Kindle is that it's in color, which doesn't make much of a difference with simple black-and-white text.

But what about books that depend on color, art, and illustration? Indeed, what about graphic novels and comic books? That seems to be where the iPad could really shine and knock all of the other e-book readers out of the competition."

Explore the Spirit: New Interview with Barbara Brown Taylor on rediscovering spiritual meaning

Explore the Spirit: 608 Interview with Barbara Brown Taylor on rediscovering spiritual meaning

Apple iPad Tablet RELEASE: See PICTURES Of New Tablet

Apple iPad Tablet RELEASE: See PICTURES Of New Tablet

It's Official: 'Avatar' the New King of the World | The Wrap

It's Official: 'Avatar' the New King of the World | The Wrap: "Film passed 'Titanic's' global revenue mark Monday... not adjusting for inflation, of course"

Capricology: Television, Tech, and the Sacred | Media/Culture | ReligionDispatches

Capricology: Television, Tech, and the Sacred | Media/Culture | ReligionDispatches: "Welcome to the first installment of our ongoing coverage of television's latest contribution to the cultural intersection of science and religion — with bonus themes to include: the body, artificial intelligence, paganism, original sin, immigration, and race. Join Diane Winston, Anthea Butler, Salman Hameed and Henry Jenkins every week as they delve into deep exegesis of Caprica."

With Apple Tablet, Print Media Hope for a Payday - NYTimes.com

With Apple Tablet, Print Media Hope for a Payday - NYTimes.com: "With the widely anticipated introduction of a tablet computer at an event here on Wednesday morning, Apple may be giving the media industry a kind of time machine — a chance to undo mistakes of the past.

Almost all media companies have run aground in the Internet Age as they gave away their print and video content on the Web and watched paying customers drift away as a result.

People who have seen the tablet say Apple will market it not just as a way to read news, books and other material, but also a way for companies to charge for all that content. By marrying its famously slick software and slender designs with the iTunes payment system, Apple could help create a way for media companies to alter the economics and consumer attitudes of the digital era."

BBC News - Picasso painting ripped by New York woman's fall

BBC News - Picasso painting ripped by New York woman's fall: "A woman who was taking an art class at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has accidentally fallen into a Picasso painting and damaged it.

The painting called The Actor sustained a vertical tear of about six inches (15cm) in the lower right-hand corner.

But the damage did not affect the 'focal point of the composition' and should be repaired for an exhibition later this year, the museum said."

In Apple Tablet, App Makers See a Wider Playing Field - NYTimes.com

In Apple Tablet, App Makers See a Wider Playing Field - NYTimes.com: "Apple’s move to open up the iPhone to outside programmers in 2008 started a software-writing frenzy. Giant companies and bedroom tinkerers alike rushed to get their applications into the App Store and onto the phone’s 3.5-inch touch screen.

Now those developers are about to get a bigger stage — or at least a bigger screen.

The tablet computer that Apple is widely expected to introduce on Wednesday will run applications designed for the iPhone, judging from data that an app-tracking company is picking up from devices in use around Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif."

Happy 26th Birthday, Mac!

Happy 26th Birthday, Mac!: "Despite all odds, the Mac has survived to its 26th birthday.

On January 24th, 1984, Steve Jobs pulled a 128K Mac out of its case in front of a crowd of reporters, turned it on, and let the computer introduce itself to the world. The rest, as they say, is history."

Frank Rich - After the Massachusetts Massacre - NYTimes.com

Frank Rich - After the Massachusetts Massacre - NYTimes.com: "It was not a referendum on Barack Obama, who in every poll remains one of the most popular politicians in America. It was not a rejection of universal health care, which Massachusetts mandated (with Scott Brown’s State Senate vote) in 2006. It was not a harbinger of a resurgent G.O.P., whose numbers remain in the toilet. Brown had the good sense not to identify himself as a Republican in either his campaign advertising or his victory speech.

And yet Tuesday’s special election was a dire omen for this White House. If the administration sticks to this trajectory, all bets are off for the political future of a president who rode into office blessed with more high hopes, good will and serious promise than any in modern memory. It’s time for him to stop deluding himself. Yes, last week’s political obituaries were ludicrously premature. Obama’s 50-ish percent first-anniversary approval rating matches not just Carter’s but Reagan’s. (Bushes 41 and 43 both skyrocketed in Year One.) Still, minor adjustments can’t right what’s wrong."

James Patterson Inc. - NYTimes.com

James Patterson Inc. - NYTimes.com: "Like most authors, James Patterson started out with one book, released in 1976, that he struggled to get published. It sold about 10,000 copies, a modest, if respectable, showing for a first novel. Last year, an estimated 14 million copies of his books in 38 different languages found their way onto beach blankets, airplanes and nightstands around the world. Patterson may lack the name recognition of a Stephen King, a John Grisham or a Dan Brown, but he outsells them all. Really, it’s not even close. (According to Nielsen BookScan, Grisham’s, King’s and Brown’s combined U.S. sales in recent years still don’t match Patterson’s.) This is partly because Patterson is so prolific: with the help of his stable of co-authors, he published nine original hardcover books in 2009 and will publish at least nine more in 2010."

Conan O'Brien's Last Show: His Final Words For NBC And For His Fans (VIDEO, FULL TEXT)

Conan O'Brien's Last Show: His Final Words For NBC And For His Fans (VIDEO, FULL TEXT): "Conan O'Brien's final 'Tonight Show' aired Friday, and while much of it was funny and some was expensive, the show ended with heartfelt words from the long-time NBC host:"