Day: August 28, 2009
Tewspaper Is Not the Future of Newspapers, Right?
So there’s this new online newspaper that has no reporters, no editors, no fact-checkers and no advertising salespeople. Local versions of it are available in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Dallas and Los Angeles. It sends specially programmed robots out over Twitter to glean pertinent tweets and posts them automatically with the originally links intact.
It apparently has at least one human staff member, a guy named Jared to whom you are supposed to direct any “feedback” you’d like to share.
It’s called Tewspaper.
So this is it — the end of the newspaper as we know it, right? Well, not exactly.
See, despite the fact that it uses robots instead of reporters, there’s a good reason why it exists in those five cities — they all have robust newspapers that have embraced the online distribution system pretty aggressively, creating a ready inventory of localized content on Twitter. The upshot is, without real newspaper reporters posting tweets about their stories along with links to the online versions, Tewspaper could not exist.
So instead of replacing newspapers, Tewspaper serves as a kind of RSS feed of capsule summaries (less than 140 characters) of newspaper content. Indeed, it’s a shame the newwspapers didn’t think of it first — they might have been able to monetize the linkbacks. Oh, well ….
Breaking: Florida Gov. Picks Senator to Replace Martinez
U.S. Senator-in-waiting George LeMieuxI knew it! I was saving the latest edition of George LeMieux’s email newsletter, which talked about his readiness to be the next U.S. Senator from Florida, because I had a feeling Gov. Charlie Crist would pick his safe old chum for the job. And he did. Crist’s former chief of staff, campaign manager, and one of the countless people on Karl Rove’s bad list, is in.
In the newsletter, LeMieux made it clear he wanted the job of replacing Mel Martinez, who announced he would step down as soon as a successor was tapped.
Who will Governor Crist appoint to the United States Senate? It’s the question everyone’s asking, so while we sit back and wait for the announcement (some sitting more anxiously than others!), here’s the answer to the question we should also be asking – Why does the Governor get to choose?
Le Mieux went on to explain how it came to be that governors get to select Senate replacements, then added:
What should we expect from LeMieux? Like his former boss Crist, nothing much.
The opportunity to receive an appointment to the U.S. Senate is the opportunity of a lifetime. The Governor has many outstanding current and former public servants to choose from, and we should find out this week who will represent Florida in Washington.
As we noted in an earlier column, Charlie, who is currently running for this very Senate seat, had to pick someone he could trust not to run against him in 2010. Whoever he put in as a placeholder would be an incumbent should they decide they like the air in Washington. But confidence in LeMieux’s loyalty to his old boss seems well-placed.
Mormons Posthumously Baptize Notorious Killers
Mass murderers and serial killers are among the millions of deceased who have been posthumously baptized in temples owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). These names include the modern-day dictators and mass murderers — Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, and Mao Zedong. Other multiple murderers have been posthumously baptized in Mormon temples, like prolific serial killer, Ted Bundy.
Bundy, who was once a Mormon, is one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history. His primary occupation in life was the murder and mutilation of young women. He also engaged in necrophilia, which is a sexual attraction to corpses. Bundy destroyed many innocent lives — and his victims may have numbered over 100. Nevertheless, Ted Bundy was baptized by proxy on May 28, 2008, in the Jordan River, Utah, (LDS) Temple.
Responsible Christians Should Sign Up for Post-Rapture Pet Care
As they are being drawn up into the bosom of the Lord at the time of the Rapture, what do you think will go through the mind of Christians?
- How will I locate my wife on Heaven’s alabaster avenues?
- Did I turn off the coffee pot?
- Oh no! What will happen to Rover and Fluffy??!!
Well, worry no more, Christians! There is help for your pets after the Rapture in the form of Eternal Earth-Bound Pets USA:
You’ve committed your life to Jesus. You know you’re saved. But when the Rapture comes what’s to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.
We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you’ve received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.
We are currently active in 20 states and growing. Our representatives have been screened to ensure that they are atheists, animal lovers, are moral / ethical with no criminal background, have the ability and desire to rescue your pet and the means to retrieve them and ensure their care for your pet’s natural life.
It’s relatively inexpensive ($115 per first animal, $15 for each additional pet), but it’s only good if the Rapture occurs within 10 years.
The service is not available in Florida yet, and I admit I was tempted to take out a franchise. But then, when I thought about it, I decided my post-Rapture time would probably be better spent girding my loins for Armageddon.
