Thursday, February 24, 2005

Randy Barnett: "I think that the creation of the Libertarian Party has been very detrimental to the political influence of libertarians." He looks at the impact on the Dems and GOP -- another problem is that many LP candidates, without moderating voices around them, give libertarianism an air of fringy intransigence that doesn't help the noble cause of being left the hell alone much, either. 5:38:34 PM    comment []

I enjoyed talking blogs and journalism with Ned Cline's newspaper editing class at UNC Greensboro the other night, nice of them to have me...and I'm teaching "Basic Blogging" next week as part of the continuing education program. 5:30:23 PM    comment []

Chris Nolan: The League of Extraordinarily Stupid Gentlemen. She is not impressed with Kevin Drum's logic about women and blogging, and she's not alone. 5:20:29 PM    comment []

Scott Rosenberg: "Making blogging pay is not easy; making any kind of online publishing pay, when you're hand-producing content, is hard, I can safely say, after a decade of trying." 5:15:44 PM    comment []

Quality of life, Greensboro style: lunch from the drive-thru window at Stamey's, a chopped sandwich and unsweet tea, fast and reasonably healthy and $3.47. 2:23:43 PM    comment []

Sue Polinsky wants Mayor Holliday to come to the teach-in and start blogging. I think he should come to the teach-in, to learn more about this interesting and important thing that's happening in his city. Should he then begin a blog of his own? I don't know. Being a self-described Luddite is no reason not to blog -- part of the revolutionary nature of this technology is its ease of use. Sue can show the Mayor just how easy it is at the teach-in. And he can hear more about why it's important, how to fit it into his schedule, and so on. But starting a blog is not the same thing as becoming a blogger. You have to want to do it. And then you have to do it. I hope Keith Holliday will check out the teach-in, and I'd love to see him write a useful mayor's weblog, but the first thing may not lead to the second. 2:20:39 PM    comment []

Lots of buzz about this afternoon's media briefing on redevelopment plans for the big lot next to Greensboro's new downtown ballpark. You know, the ballpark that wasn't going to help spark downtown redevelopment. But no info at the sleepy DGI site. UPDATE: The  $70-$100 million project, dubbed "Bellemeade Village," is proclaimed "the largest urban development Greensboro’s ever seen." Plans call for "a sweeping mini-town straddling Smith Street, complete with retailers, a hotel, underground parking and more than 300 apartments and condominiums." Hmm, wonder what Scott Card will think of this.... 12:41:53 PM    comment []

Slate is publishing a best-of-the-blogs feature, compiled by Bidisha Banerjee. 12:12:58 PM    comment []

A North Carolina blog carnival, Tar Heel Tavern, "will be posted every week, during the night between Saturday and Sunday. Every week a different NC blogger will edit and host the carnival." 12:07:24 PM    comment []

Pop the Cap: "North Carolina is one of only FIVE states to limit alcohol by volume (ABV) for beer to under 6%...We're gearing up to introduce draft legislation to lift the 6% cap, so now is the time to get involved and make a difference." (via Todd Morman) 11:56:01 AM    comment []

Monkeytime, back with a vengeance, keeps rolling: "Google-worship sucks. Centralization of power is bad, and painting a completely happy face on the astonishing lack of accountability of the world's most-used search engine has always been stupid." 11:50:10 AM    comment []

John Hammer: "Hunter S. Thompson died of natural causes." Well said. (posts Monday) UPDATE: Rocky Moutain News: "Hunter S. Thompson died Sunday as he planned: surrounded by his family, at a high point in his life, and with a single, courageous and fatal gunshot wound to the head, his son says." 11:33:31 AM    comment []

Greensboro City Councilman Tom Phillips: "If you don't want a tax increase we've got to cut somewhere. Let me hear your ideas." He includes a link to City budget info so you can get specific. 9:50:19 AM    comment []

Great opening to a negative review, from the Onion AV Club: "The law of diminishing returns dictates that sequels to bad movies are the worst movies of all, because the producers are not only working to rebottle the original non-magic, they're inevitably doomed to come up short." 9:40:03 AM    comment []

Less than meets the eye: NYT reports that at least four members of Congress maintain weblogs, including three Republican representatives -- Mike Pence of Indiana, Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Katherine Harris of Florida -- as well as Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont. The Times, which does not include links to the blogs in its coverage online or in print editions, has a capacious definition of blogging. Leahy's is  not a personal blog, but a staff update on Senate matters. Harris has a staff-run press-clip/press release service. Ditto Pence, who in the lede of the NYT article is tapping a personal post onto his Blackberry, but seems otherwise distant from his office's blog. No comments allowed on any of those sites. Kirk's seems to be the real deal, written by the Congressman in the first person. Comments enabled, too. 9:32:03 AM    comment []

More on Google's attempt to edit your web page, by Southern Rants. 8:54:18 AM    comment []

John Dvorak: "Who gives a crap about journalism and blogging?" 8:52:33 AM    comment []