Information Salad: Episode #16

We’re all over the place this week. We introduce the newest podcast host on the ISPN Media network, and tons of current event type stuff.

• We introduce Spencer Sokols, host of ISPNMedia’s newest podcast, Radio Undone. He’ll be debuting the show sometime in the next few weeks.
• Slobokan had one hell of a week.
• Google’s getting pissy about the use of their name as a verb:
  

  Usage: ‘Google’ as noun referring to, well, us.

  Example: “I just love Google, they’re soooo cute and cuddly and adorable and awesome!”
  Our lawyers say: Good. Very, very good. There’s no question here that you’re referring to Google Inc. as a company. Use it widely, and hey, tell a friend.

  Usage: ‘Google’ as verb referring to searching for information on, um, Google.
  Example: “I googled him on the well-known website Google.com and he seems pretty interesting.”
  Our lawyers say: Well, we’re happy at least that it’s clear you mean searching on Google.com. As our friends at Merriam-Webster note, to “Google” means “to use the Google search engine to find information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web.”

  Usage: ‘Google’ as verb referring to searching for information via any conduit other than Google.
  Example: “I googled him on Yahoo and he seems pretty interesting.”
  Our lawyers say: Bad. Very, very bad. You can only “Google” on the Google search engine. If you absolutely must use one of our competitors, please feel free to “search” on Yahoo or any other search engine.

• There is a development at the Charlotte Wyatt Website
• Nanowrimo begins next week!!!
• Test Pattern #4 was all about counting carbs.
• The race in Wisconsin is ugly. Ron Kind and Paul R. Nelson are in a bitter battle. The most ugly and ridiculous ad, however, came from Republican challenger Paul R. Nelson. In the ad, he accuses Kind of not funding the troops while instead funding:-research on sexual habits of Vietnam’s hookers.
  -research that made teenage girls watch porn with probes on their genitals.
  -research into the masturbation habits of senior men.
  -research into some bizarre aleutian group of bisexual something or other.

  We have audio for that ad and the others including this one that hits all the scarepoints of homosexual marriage, God in the pledge, and so on and this one that blatantly co-opts the 9/11 attacks to monger some fear.

  Nelson is a slimeball.

  This ties nicely into our recent discussions about political ads, including Test Pattern #1.

• Michael J. Fox overmedicates himself, then does an ad for Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat.I love when Democrats do this sort of thing.

  You can’t criticize Kristen Breitweiser, the 9/11 widow on her positions on national security because her husband died on 9/11.
  You can’t criticize Cindy Sheehan for her shrillness and over-the-topness because her son died in Iraq.
  You can’t criticize Tammy Duckworth who wants to pull out of Iraq because she lost two legs there.

  They haul out people who bear some relation to an issue or story and then jump all over you if you dare criticize their logic. Anne Coulter, in one of the few things I’ve agreed with her about in the last year said as much. Of course she caught hell for it and her quotes were taken completely out of context, but can anyone honestly disagree with what she said? 9 times out of 10, she’s a raving lunatic, but in this case she was right on the money.

• President Bush says “staying the course” was never the strategy.
• Steve Irwin in Hell: Brits OutragedVia TVGasm :
  

  The Hell On Earth 2006 episode shows Satan hosting a Halloween party, with hundreds of celebrities, including Princess Di, Notorious B.I.G., and Adolph Hitler. Satan gets complaints from his guests that someone is dressed up as Irwin. Irwin then tries to convince Satan it’s really him.

  The “controversy” is being trumped up in the British papers, where they get worked up over this kind of thing, and in Australia, where Steve Irwin really wasn’t half as popular as he remains over here. They’re less worked up over Irwin being in Hell, than by the “stingray still being attached to Irwin’s bloodstained trademark khaki shirt.

  “Grossly insensitive?” “Bad taste?” “Unacceptable?” as a British broadcasting watchdog declared? Or just plain funny?

  Ironically, of all shows to get outraged over, they picked Southpark who in the same Episode said Princess Diana was in hell too, showed Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy go on a killing spree, and Biggie Smalls is brought back to life. Face it. South Park is an equal opportunity offender.

• NBC and CW wont air ads for Dixie Chicks Documentary.
  

  Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company stated, “It’s a sad commentary about the level of fear in our society that a movie about a group of courageous entertainers who were blacklisted for exercising their right of free speech is now itself being blacklisted by corporate America. The idea that anyone should be penalized for criticizing the president is sad and profoundly un-American.”

• Peter the asshole is off the Amazing Race. Unfortunately, Sarah is gone too. At least she had the common sense at the end to say their relationship sucked.
• We talked about Survivor, 6 Degrees, and Heroes as well
• Vista bug delays shipment til Nov 8th.
• Wordpress 2.0.5 was released today.
• The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series tonight.
• Ryan Block will appear on the next episode of Side Salad.
• Slobokan gives a NASCAR update. Sorry no links this week.
• Core Duo Refirb Special

Tags: Google, Google Search, Google.com, Harvey Weinstein, ISPNMedia, John Wayne Gacy, Kristen Breitweiser, Search engine

Information Salad: Episode #15

This week, Charlotte turns three, the iPod turns 5, and Benny Parsons is cancer-free. Join us as we celebrate!

• Vinny shares his experience at the post office today, as he went to return his lens to ZipLens
• You too can freak out the mail clerks at the post office by purchasing your own postage online.
• In the next episode of Side Salad, Vinny sits down with Jason Dunn from Thoughts Media. Check for it on Wednesday morning.
• Slobokan talks about his recent episodes of Test Pattern, including Charlotte Wyatt’s third birthday, and Madonna’s adoption of a young boy from Africa. Keep an eye out for the next episode on Thursday.
• Learn more about Charlotte Wyatt at savecharlotte.com.
• Have you tried to obtain a passport recently?
• The iPod turns 5 on October 23.
  

  It’s hard to overstate the impact of the iPod on the computer, consumer electronics and music industries since it was introduced in 2001. The iPod, arguably, is the first “crossover” product from a computer company that genuinely caught on with music and video buffs. It’s shown how a computer can be an integral part of a home entertainment system, and it’s led pop stars from U2’s Bono to Madonna to trade quips with Apple’s own rock star, CEO Steve Jobs.

• Vinny fills us in on something Vidiot uncovered. Apparently, Ken Mehlman has trouble remembering if he knows Jack Abramoff.
• The internet archive is an excellent resource for finding old webpages.
• John McCain offers suicide, and Slobokan is now torn about the upcoming election.
• Vinny plans to write-in a “bag of leaves” on his ballet.
• Gerry Studds has some luminaries at his funeral. John Kerry had nothing but kind words for Mr. Studds.
  

  Gerry was a stalwart champion of New England’s fishing families as well as a committed environmentalist who worked hard to demonstrate that the cause of working people and the cause of the environment go hand in hand with the right leadership. When he retired from Congress, he did not retire from the cause, continuing to fight for the fishing industry and New England’s environmental causes.

• We touch on the Mark Foley story again. No links.
• Lieberman takes a 17 point lead over Ned Lamont.
• How many times have you gone out to eat and the service was slow? Is suing the restaurant really the answer to improving service? Chris Rock’s mom, who got a free meal because of slow service, is planning to sue them for discrimination. How hard is it to speak up?
• The Paul McCartney & Heather Mills divorce is getting nasty. Vinny doesn’t think she has a leg to stand on, but she’ll end up with something. Like lots of left shoes.
• An elementary school has decided all children should not have access to newspapers because one person complained.
  

  After a parent complained about the “sex, death and general mayhem” in newspapers, a suburban elementary school here decided to cut off students’ access to free copies provided by the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

• We discuss the decline of parental responsibility as well as the “dumbing down” in our schools, and the adverse effects on our society.
• Check out whocalled.us. This is a great resource for tracking down “unknown callers” on your caller id.
• We end the show on an awesome note. Benny Parsons, the 1973 Cup champion-turned NBC/TNT broadcaster, has announced he is now cancer-free.

Tags: Apple, Benny Parsons, iPhone, John McCain, Ken Mehlman, MobileMe, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Steve Jobs

Information Salad: Episode #14

On the 14th podcast, ISPN Media was born.

• We discuss the birth of ISPN Media.
• Vinny designed our new logo at logomaker.com
• Vinny tells us about last week’s debut of Side Salad, as well as his interview this week with Thomas Hawk. Vinny’s Side Salad is released on Wednesday’s at ISPN Media.
• I introduce the inaugural episode of Slobokan’s Test Pattern. My new individual podcast.
• I was on a sugar high during the show. A 32 ounce glass of milk contains 48 grams of sugar. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee
• We touch on Cory Lidle’s plane crash in NY this past week
• We discuss “The Blogger” who chose to reveal the name of a congressional page in the Mark Foley debacle. We still won’t link to him or mention him by name, as we are not in the habit of aiding attention whores in their quest for fame. He shows his respect for other bloggers, by crossing their name off his blogroll (see here).
• 60 minutes covers the Duke Lacrosse “rape” case.
• Of course, we talk about Survivor and The Amazing Race. Jonathan and Victoria from Amazing Race 6 had a baby girl.
• Porn star, Brooke Skye, aka Hope Miller, is suing Bubba the Love Sponge.
• It appears Stan Bush is returning for the new Transformers movie.
• Brian Vickers wins at Talladega, with controversy.
• Sodapop’s favorite team fell out of the playoffs rather quickly… Poor Sodie.
• We talk about cartoons…and UltraMan
• No news in the Josh Wolf case

Tags: Amazing Race, Amazing Race 6, Brooke Skye, Bubba the Love Sponge, Cory Lidle, Josh Wolf, Love Sponge, Mark Foley

Side Salad - Episode #1 - Ben Popken

Join Vinny in the inaugural episode of Side Salad, when he sits down with Ben Popken from The Consumerist.

Side Salad theme song:

• Wind Barber by Zilla (courtesy of Magnatune)

Bandwith provided by:

• Second Rate Hosting

Tags: hosting, side salad

Information Salad - Episode #13

We’re going no-notes all the time! In this episode, we introduce the new Information Salad Podcast Network (ISPN) as well as Vinny’s Side Salad and other exciting podcasts coming down the pipe.

• Leo Laporte and Soott Bourne want to trademark the term “netcast”.
• Vinny discussed the thought behind Side Salad.
• We admit we goofed when it came to the “Christian Kidney” story we covered. We liked the story better when we thought it was true.
• We cover the Mark Foley story, the media hype, and political “excuses” which are clouding the important facts of this case. Sorry, we won’t be linking to any of the sites covering this story.
• Vinny agrees with Neal Boortz!!! Mark the calendar. Satan starts selling shaved ice.
  

  I know this is heresy for some of you, but remember … I’m not a Republican. I’m a card-carrying Libertarian. If I voted in a state where you registered your political party, my registration would be Libertarian. Obviously, though, I’m far more aligned with the alleged goals and aims of the Republican party than I am with the socialist, big government, tax-and-spend Democrats.

  That having been said I would suggest that some good might come out of a Republican defeat. Which scenario would you prefer? Would you rather have the Republicans gloating over another victory over the Democrats? Or would you rather have the Republicans in exile for two years wondering where they had gone wrong, and developing a plan to regain the support of the voters?

• I share a funny ringtone story.
• We discuss Heroes, Survivor, The Amazing Race, and some other shows.
• Some homeschoolers are just too strange.
• Some people think Harry Potter books are more evil than the Bible. The evil acts in the world aren’t done because someone read one book.
• Another school tries to stop someone from reading the Bible.
• Vinny is interviewed by Scott Bourne of iLifeZone.
• We discuss Magnatune, the great source for indie music at very reasonable prices
• We talk about theme music choices and I explain why I chose the music I did for RetroMental: Time Capsules
• Tony Stewart wins at Kansas City, and Casey Mears comes in second. They were both out of gas, and coasted across the finish line. Stewart finished 12 seconds ahead of Mears.
• Josh Wolf returned to jail.

Tags: Casey Mears, Kansas City, Kansas City Missouri, Leo Laporte, Mark Foley, Neal Boortz, Republican, United States

Information Salad - Episode #12

Our first no-notes podcast was not without its issues. Vinny was waiting for his flight at LAX, and we had to rely on Hotrecorder, which caused some technical glitches this week. Oh well, what are you going to do?

Neither one of us thought we had enough to talk about to fill the hour without notes, but we managed, quite nicely too.

• Immigrant Protests near LAX
  

  In reality, it was street theater in three acts with a confusing plotline. Thursday’s march encouraged unionization of hotel workers at the Hilton near Los Angeles International Airport, coupled with a call for amnesty for illegal immigrants. Or, to put it plainly, unions demanded higher wages for workers, while throwing their weight behind an immigration movement that drives wages down. And all the while thinking that shutting down Century Boulevard into LAX during evening rush hour would endear Angelenos to their cause.

• Vinny announces some big interviews he has lined up for the show. You’ll have to listen to find out who they are.
• The Veggie Tales get a makeover. - We discuss the brilliant (cough) move NBC made when they decided to remove the religious message from the Veggie Tales.
• Personal attacks are on the rise across the blogosphere. Rather than debate the issue with their opponents, people are now resorting to name calling, rumor starting, and personal attacks.
• Of course, we talk about Survivor and The Amazing Race.
• It’s getting harder and harder to tell reality from parody.
• The confiscation of toothpaste continues at our airport security checkpoints. Until it’s safe to travel with mouthwash again, visit MyWetStuff.com
• We discuss the world’s best burgers from In-n-Out Burger
• New York City proposes to ban restaurants from using trans fats. This is nanny-statism. Of course, we have to send a shout out to Mike at No Nanny State.
• Listener Question: Why is raspberry-flavored candy usually blue?
• Listener Question: Why do we have eyebrows
• November is National Novel Writing Month. Vinny plans to participate. I am still debating it.
• Hopefully, RetroMental: Time Capsules will be returning soon.

Tags: Amazing Race, Century Boulevard, Illegal immigration, Illegal immigration to the United States, Los Angeles California, Los Angeles International Airport, New York City