* Freddie is funny when he’s pissed.
* Markos Moulitsas’ media empire, Vox communications Media, is launching a new site devoted to gaming. Vox already has had great success with Sportsbook Sports Blog Nation and their new tech site The Verge is already better than any other general-interest tech site, so I assume this site will also be great.
* One of the reasons the Verge is a good site is because it blends good writing with good tech. The user commenting section is the smoothest I’ve ever used, and they also use an innovation called “story streams”. Here’s one on SOPA, the anti-piracy legislation that wants to break the Internet to stop piracy.
Add your own items in this open thread.
kindness
Have you seen the article The Top 20 David Brooks False Equivalencies of 2011?
Ripped it from HuffPo via GOS. Good stuff. Sadly too true.
vernon
Freddie rocks. Why doesn’t he post here anymore?
El Tiburon
I see Daily Kos was pressuring their Kosmonauts into purchasing memberships. Firebagger!
NobodySpecial
@vernon: It made Matoko Chan-B cry, and Cole hates it when she gets the whole snot out the nose screwed up face thing going.
dmsilev
Obama tells the Senate GOP to go pound sand. (recess appointment for Richard Cordry to the consumer watchdog agency, even though the Senate is nominally in session)
Edit: From the AP:
Downpuppy
@El Tiburon: The DailyKos strategy seems to be to set up a pseudo-paywall by adding so many scripts that if you click in it’ll freeze up your machine. I’ve tried from 2 different computers, tried different browsers – still doesn’t work.
So fuck ’em.
homerhk
@dmsilev: Of course, he hasn’t really accomplished anything in over three years; a nothingburger HCR; killing Osama when everyone would have done it (and only because Bush personally tortured KSM); Wall St reform which was basically rubbish because, you know, Wall St still exists; and all the other things that we would just expect from a Democratic President so no credit there. And even when he fights, it’s for things like gutting social security (aka the payroll tax cut) and for things like this which is basically a middle finger to real progressives like Elizabeth Warren.
Quite possible the most disappointing President I’ve ever experienced cos all he’s done is things I expect Democratic Presidents (or just any President really) to do with the addition of HCR and Wall Street reform.
(snark)
some other guy
Just visited Verge for the first time today and, sweet jeebus, what a fucking mess!
And I’m using the latest Firefox with AdBlock and NoScript (with googleapis.com and theverge.com whitelisted). I can’t imagine how impossible it must be to read with animated advertising all over the page, too.
vernon
@NobodySpecial: I’m sorry; I need a translation.
dmsilev
@homerhk: But aside from that, what have
the RomansObama done for us?joes527
@dmsilev: Whenever I see Richard Cordry my mind transposes it to Rob Corddry … whose recess appointment would be a real flipping o’ the bird to the Senate.
In any case, good on Obama.
burnspbesq
Verge’s front page design is painfully busy, but I suppose one can get used to it.
The bit about Samsung’s “new vacuum tube hybrid amplifier technology” cracked me up. There have been hybrid amps for as long as there have been robust output transistors.
burnspbesq
@Downpuppy:
Works fine on iPad.
mistermix
@some other guy:
@burnspbesq: I read it via RSS on Google Reader so I don’t look at the front page much. I agree that the front page is busy. The individual article pages are quite well done, IMO.
nastybrutishntall
@homerhk: texts me all day long, but he never returns my calls.
Schlemizel
posted this on the earlier open thread but it is so good I hope nobody misses it. TNC looks at Paul in a way nobody else ever has & explains him completely
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/the-messenger/250685/
handsmile
Ah, bless you mistermix for offering us a brief respite from Iowa. (Of course, now the barkers and carnies just travel on to ply their trade in the Granite State.)
In economic pugilistics, world heavyweight Krugthulu simply demolishes flyweight Tyler Cowen on the issue of “mendacious idiots.” Krugman’s knock-out punch: “This is not a game.”
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/the-mendacity-of-dopes/
Whiskeyfire offers hilarious blow-by-blow commentary as well (via Eschaton):
http://whiskeyfire.typepad.com/whiskey_fire/2012/01/civility-trolling-how-it-is-done.html
chrismealy
I want to move to Freddie’s country. I’d love to live where TNC is considered the center.
Xanthippas
That first link is a good one. How have I not seen that blog before? Thanks.
geg6
One of my co-workers made homemade doggie biscuits and brought some in for my doggies. They are adorable (the biscuits)! Sadly, they are obviously meant for tiny lapdogs and my two 90-pounders will eat the whole bag in one bite.
But I’m going to get the recipe from her and make some larger ones. I just hope I can find cute little bone cookie cutters in a larger (much larger) size.
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@handsmile: Did it make you want to tussle with Thucydides?
Libby's person
My “Pets of BJ” calendar arrived yesterday! I predict that September of next year is going to be a great month, since my Libby is on that page (upper right corner). The calendar is beautiful – thanks to the BJ’ers who worked so hard to put it together.
If you haven’t ordered one yet, you should! It’s going to be a stressful year, and having sweet critter pictures to look at as needed will be a big help!
geg6
@Schlemizel:
I read that yesterday. It’s the cherry on top of the sundae made up of the posts he’s been putting up taking Sully to task for his Paul endorsement.
I hate the commentariat over there (mostly) and TNC’s too nice to people who don’t deserve any sort of respect. But, man, when he’s on (as he is in almost all of his Civil War posts), he’s ON. He nails Paul in this one.
Libby's person
@geg6: Please share the recipe once you get it. Dog cookies would be fun to make on an evening when I don’t feel like working on a stupid paper. (Most evenings, actually.)
handsmile
@Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water: (#21)
Yes, as soon as I’m finished flogging the bishop.
Gin & Tonic
Two separate news items from the world of Catholicism – a bishop in LA resigns because it turns out he has a family (i.e. two children), and a bishop from Nova Scotia apologizes to the court and the public after pleading guilty to importing child p0rn into Canada. I’m sure mistermix will be shocked.
Pongo
The Onion summarizes Obama’s position in the 2012 election:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/obama-openly-asks-nation-why-on-earth-he-would-wan,26933/
Lots of good stuff, but I thought this was perfect:
handsmile
@Schlemizel: (#16)
Appreciate your re-posting this TNC column (having missed it earlier). Indeed, a superb essay, with this devastating comparison:
Ducktape
SBNation and The Verge are part of Kos’ media empire?
I don’t think so, unless he’s hidden himself awfully well, including from the VCs.
yoyo
@Ducktape: yes
mistermix
@Ducktape:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vox_Media
Kos is a co-founder of Vox.
geg6
@Libby’s person:
Will do!
Gust Avrakotos
So what’s in it for you to shill for firebagger Kos mistermix?
jeffreyw
@Libby’s person: Here’s one recipe.
Mnemosyne
@homerhk:
Don’t forget, we only left Iraq because the Iraqis forced us to — Obama totally wanted us to stay there forever.
NobodySpecial
@vernon: Let’s put it this way: Matoko is one of the usual suspects who gets their underwear starched when Cole announces a new FP’er that doesn’t fit their worldview. And Freddie being less than an Orthodox Balloonocrat is a sore point for a LOT of people; the same ones who thought EDKain was the Antichrist.
Schlemizel
Want to see further how its done? No foaming at the mouth, no name calling, no horrific analogies, no butthurt defensiveness, just sweat reason, frank honesty.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/saviorism/250841/
TNC is the best.
WARNINGS:
he admits BHO is not the second coming of the Christ and he takes down Paul without calling him names or other hysteria. I’m sure this will offend many.
Calouste
@some other guy:
Yes, I went there once (after reading the predecessor site quite regularly), and never went back. It’s like the HuffPo design with the good bits left out.
Samara Morgan
@mistermix: i guess that would be funnie….if you can forget freddie is a firebagger that is NOT VOTING FOR OBAMA! and a civil glibertarian.
@vernon: @NobodySpecial: lol. i dont cry…. i troll.
;)
freddie doesnt post here n/e more because he is too bizzy engaging in kangaroo slap fights with TNC’s commentariat and Sully’s borg.
;)
Samara Morgan
@NobodySpecial: EDK wasnt the antichrist– he was a trashy grifter that rolled Cole and the juicitariat like a cheap drunk with his fake conversion reality show.
now, ABL….she WAS the Antichrist.
hail Satan.
;)
Samara Morgan
@chrismealy: freddies country is Brigadoon.
Samara Morgan
@chrismealy: or the Land of Green Ginger.
its a country that only exists in freddies head.
Samara Morgan
plz mixie….why read de Bore when you can read FakeJenRubin or RepublicanDalek?
hes just awful.
now FakeJenRubin is the best place on the interwebs to make fun of mitt.
Samara Morgan
@Xanthippas: isnt it on the blogroll?
like the League of Incredibly Boring Glibertarians, Erik “Beyond Unions” Kain’s blog?
its called l’Hote.
from when freddie usta be a liberal, before he discovered liberals dont pay for pageclicks.
you’re welcome.
geg6
@Libby’s person:
I hope you come back and see this…
Here’s the link:
http://kitchenconfidante.com/simple-sundays-homemade-dog-biscuits-treats-recipe
vernon
@NobodySpecial: @Samara Morgan:
Ah thank you.
It’s a drag that there are warring orthodoxies on Balloon Juice; it’s even more of a drag that the Cult of Personality seems to be winning.
Downpuppy
@burnspbesq: So I added Noscript to Mozilla & it seems to work.
After 5 minutes of zipping around Kos, my conclusion:
They don’t care about their users enough to kill the scripts themselves? Fuck ’em.
Libby's person
@geg6: Thank you! Libby in particular thanks you. I’ll give it a try.
Samara Morgan
@vernon: look.
i WAS a conservative. i interacted with Kain and de Bore at Culture 11. Kain was always a free market libertarian, and de Bore was a liberal until he figgered out he couldn’t get paid for it. It was a personal affront to me to have these disgusting slimeballs shitting all over the front page with Coles apparent approval.
I fervently and zealously deconstructed their sleazey fake liberal arguments and got multiple bannings for my pains.
Stupid Teucrians never learn.
it must be organic.
Samara Morgan
@vernon: and i think Zandar, ABL, SteveM are ALL FINE.
but stupid Teucrians should be wary of glibertarians bearing gifts.
vernon
@Samara Morgan:
You lost me, dude. I mean, right, DeBoer is obviously career-obsessed and pay-driven … are you just, like, hoping he reads this & trying to get on his nerves?
Samara Morgan
@vernon: idc. just given’ you the backstory.
he knows perfectly well what i think of him.
i just objected to your cult of personality statement.
Samara Morgan
@vernon: why doesn’t Cole just go balls deep and give hamsher and douthat FP slots?
Or Greenwald?
Cole has the IQ of a hay bale.
THE
@Samara Morgan:
Your favorite cosmologist, Max Tegemark had a presentation at the 2011 Singularity Summit.
He thinks we are alone in the Universe.
Samara Morgan
@THE:
in this universe.
:)