Culture and Society

Without succumbing to total self-parody as did Leslie Nielsen (who has had an exceptional second career as a buffoon, but I can’t imagine him playing a serious role again), William Shatner has somehow had it both ways, lingering the public imagination as the heroic, gravitas-laden Captain Kirk, winning his first …

The trend toward corporate broadcast media consolidation – led by poster children against the trend Clear Channel and Sinclair Broadcasting – has reduced localism in broadcasting and reduced variety over the airwaves. Ironically, satellite radio, which is literally the same all over the nation, is where the variety is, since …

Roc-A-Fella and Rocawear mogul Damon Dash is encroaching into iPod land with the Rocbox, Roc Digital’s new line of MP3 players that launches in November. The first two models are a chrome-colored 20GB model that’ll sell for $299 and a smaller white and aluminum flash-based player that’ll cost $159. If …

Curt Schilling’s performance in game 6 for the Red Sox was the real nail in the Yankee’s coffin. I had a gut feeling of soothsaying certainty after the Sox, behind Schilling’s stunning performance, won another nail-biter 4-2 that game 7 would be a blow out – just ask my wife. …

mi2g Intelligence Unit, the U.K. digital risk assessment and security company, has some very sobering news regarding hacking trends: The phenomenon of Islamic hacking for political purposes did not exist in any significant measure prior to the 9/11 events in 2001, save India-Pakistan and Israel-Palestine localised cyber skirmishes. International Islamic …

compiled by Philippe Astor 10-20-04 MUSIC BUSINESS Robbie album sold on memory card U2 To Release Collectable Atomic Bomb Music Publishers Sign Deal on Web Radio SoundExchange Joins International Webcasting Agreement Downloads Now Top of the UK Pop Charts V2 RECORDS NEXT CUSTOMER FOR MUSICRYPT Warner Music Singapore To Come …

From time to time I mention the hard core splendiferousness that is Thomas Mulready and friends’ Cool Cleveland, an online and email newsletter dedicated to the real nuts and bolts of arts, politics, and community activism in Northeast Ohio. Its value transcends the geographical area because it is a prime …

I (and a few-thousand of his closest friends) received this email from Lawrence Lessig today regarding p2p-Politics.org: So this is some political spam, which you’ve earned by either (1) being in my address book, or (2) having sent me a question, comment, or criticism in the past. Consider this small …

BlueBeat online radio has a timely, amusing and in some ways revealing program running right now. Users can tune in (after signing up and downloading their player) and choose from two themed playlists: artists favored by, and in favor of John Kerry, and the other with Bush favorites and supporters. …

Using Bush’s own soundbites against him is like shooting barrels, er, fishing for … um, it’s not very sporting. The guy has periodic synaptic misfiring, there’s no way around it. 3D animator Cameron Travelli has taken some choice Bush manglings and made two amusing shorts out of them, “4,000 Hours” …