How Sleazy Rumors Reach Critical Mass

Grok Headline matches for How Sleazy Rumors Reach Critical Mass

US nukes: readers reach critical mass

US nukes: readers reach critical mass 01/28/2004 11:25 AM
Letters Will Homer Simpson really decimate Texas?

RFID far from critical mass

RFID far from critical mass 04/29/2004 04:18 PM
Personal Computer World Apr 29 2004 8:21PM GMT

6A + LJ = critical mass for Atom

6A + LJ = critical mass for Atom 01/07/2005 02:30 AM

Robert Sayre: "Six Apart's recent acquisition of LiveJournal means goodness for Atom format and protocol clients. Together with Blogger, this should push things to critical mass."

True.

Oh, and I forgot to mention Atom Protocol support in my list of possible post-1.0 Roller features (it is almost complete now, BTW).

MP3 Market Approaching Critical Mass

MP3 Market Approaching Critical Mass 04/15/2005 12:43 PM

A kinder, gentler Critical Mass

A kinder, gentler Critical Mass 05/19/2004 12:10 AM
Tonight (or tomorrow night, ymmv) marks the 2nd Annual Ride of Silence, a solemn testament to those that have been injured or killed while biking on the roads. Begun last year in Dallas in tribute to local ultramarathoner Larry Schwartz, it began as a one-time tribute. Apparently, there was enough National interest to make this an annual event, and this year more than 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada are participating.

A critical mass of photograph
swappers...

A critical mass of photograph
swappers... 03/06/2004 01:55 AM

Everyone at ETCon had a Mac. Or at least pretty much everyone at ETCon had a Mac. And pretty much everyone was using the wifi network in the conference rooms. And - much like last time - loads of people were using Rendezvous to instant message each other in iChat as well as to collaborate on documents using SubEthaEdit. Also this year, everyone was taking photos with their digital cameras. But one thing surprised me - no one was sharing their albums via iPhoto. When I was in Los Angeles I'd bought iLife because I wanted to play with Garageband, but when I started playing with the various applications I quickly realised that iPhoto's rendezvous sharing could be really really interesting and cool in an environment like ETCon. I kept thinking that there would be a whole culture in photo swapping and distributing snaps of speakers, nicking pictures of yourself from other people's computers, finding ways to annotate your own personal experience of the conference with the distributed materials of a few hundred attendees. But there was no such culture there.

There may be any number of reasons why it didn't take off in that environment, of course. One possibility is that people feel different about photos than they do with playlists and music - more proprietorial, more nervous of sharing. Or there might have just been problems with the network. But I can't help feeling that it's a direct consequence of Apple charging for this particular update - and that the critical mass of people that you'd need to make an active subculture around that stuff will now not be reached...

Read the comments

Critical Mass. for AMD's chip designs?

Critical Mass. for AMD's chip designs? 09/20/2004 06:39 AM
As the chipmaker plows profits into research, it's hoping for good things from a new design team in Massachusetts.

The Year the “Digital Home” Reached
Critical Mass

The Year the “Digital Home” Reached
Critical Mass 01/04/2005 12:50 PM
After years of false starts and industry hype, key metrics suggest that the digital home has reached critical mass among U.S. consumers. [PRWEB Jan 4, 2005]

Microsoft partners merge for midmarket
critical mass

Microsoft partners merge for midmarket
critical mass 08/10/2004 02:09 PM
Two Microsoft Corp. channel partners said Tuesday they will merge to form a new company that will be among Microsoft's largest global partners serving midmarket business applications customers.

The number of 3G subscribers worldwide
looks set to approach critical mass over
the next couple of years

The number of 3G subscribers worldwide
looks set to approach critical mass over
the next couple of years 09/16/2004 10:51 PM
Telecoms.com Sep 17 2004 3:08AM GMT

The Sleazy Business Of Adware

The Sleazy Business Of Adware 06/24/2004 03:07 PM
Business Week is running some stories looking at the business side of the adware world, where Claria and WhenU are making lots of money. The article is fairly balanced in pointing out how angry people are about the way in which these products get installed. Claria defends themselves by showing studies saying that most people who have Gator on their computer know they have it. That's misleading (how typical...) because, just the fact that anyone doesn't realize how they got a program on their computer should be a warning sign that something is wrong. Even worse (much, much worse, actually) is that for all those people who "know" they have Gator on their machine, most don't realize what it actually does -- and when they find out, they want it off. Once again, the problem isn't in what Gator does, so much as how it gets installed and how sneaky they are about admitting what it does. Meanwhile, it's also quite telling that almost none of Gator's advertisers were willing to talk to Business Week about the experience -- showing how risky they know it is to be associated with the company. The article does mention, however, that a fairly large percentage of Gator revenue comes from a partnership with Yahoo. No wonder Yahoo's overhyped anti-sp yware technology doesn't remove Gator. The Business Week piece also includes a sidebar talking to an investor considering whether or not to buy into the Claria IPO, comparing it to Napster: saying both are companies that look good on paper, but risk being shut down by legal problems. There's one huge difference: the people who used Napster wanted to use it. If you're going to invest in a company, doesn't it make sense to focus on one that has people who like using it, rather than ones whose users can't figure out why it's ruining their computing experience?

"Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. /
SJC: Gay marriage legal in Mass."

"Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. /
SJC: Gay marriage legal in Mass." 11/18/2003 08:58 PM

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / SJC:
Gay marriage legal in Mass.

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / SJC:
Gay marriage legal in Mass. 11/19/2003 08:04 AM
Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / SJC: Gay marriage legal in Mass .. ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!!!!! .. lead article .. struck down

boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/11/18/sjc_gay _marriage_legal_in_mass
track this site | 8 links

The Sleazy Side of Website Promotion

The Sleazy Side of Website Promotion 04/07/2005 03:26 PM
Scores of online marketers are reeled in by scam artists selling everything from "targeted traffic" to email "blasters". Before you donate any of your hard-earned cash, proceed with caution. [PRWEB Apr 7, 2005]

sleazy tricks to slow down AMD users

sleazy tricks to slow down AMD users 02/10/2004 02:45 AM
Is Intel using sleazy tricks to slow down AMD users in its latest compiler?

Gore: Cheney tactic "sleazy and
despicable"

Gore: Cheney tactic "sleazy and
despicable" 09/09/2004 12:49 PM
Dick Cheney's "vote for us or you'll pay with your life" comments earlier this week shocked many people, but Cheney hasn't retracted his statement. When Bush was asked about Cheney's comments yesterday, he just stared at the reporter. Aides to Cheney said his language may have been a bit harsh, but the underlying message was right on. As Adam Nagourney pointed out in today's New York Times, Republicans may express more delicately in the weeks ahead the notion that voting for Kerry is akin to begging for another 9/11 -- but this threat will certainly be repeated in one form or another until Election Day.

He chatted in sister-in-law's name to
get her entangled in the sleazy 'web

He chatted in sister-in-law's name to
get her entangled in the sleazy 'web 08/03/2004 06:31 PM
NewIndPress Aug 3 2004 8:55PM GMT

He chatted in sister-in-law's name to
get her entangled in the sleazy 'web'

He chatted in sister-in-law's name to
get her entangled in the sleazy 'web' 08/02/2004 05:28 PM
NewIndPress Aug 2 2004 9:18PM GMT

Questions dog Coburn, who lashes back at
"sleazy liberal dot-com"

Questions dog Coburn, who lashes back at
"sleazy liberal dot-com" 09/16/2004 03:10 PM
The fallout continues from Salon's story earlier this week on Tom Coburn, the Oklahoma obstetrician and right-wing GOP Senate candidate with a scandal in his past involving allegations of sterilizing a young woman without her consent and filing an apparently fraudulent Medicaid claim for the procedure. Yesterday, the scandal was at the center of the closely-contested Oklahoma Senate race between Coburn and Democrat Brad Carson -- a race that could ultimately determine control of the Senate.

Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or Mass
Distraction?

Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or Mass
Distraction? 05/31/2004 07:10 AM
writes

nytimes.com/2004/05/30/weekinreview/30bott.html
track this site | 4 links

Sleazy Guests Prompt Call to Ban Hotel
Porn (Reuters)

Sleazy Guests Prompt Call to Ban Hotel
Porn (Reuters) 07/26/2004 08:57 AM
Reuters - Angry hotel workers in Norway want to ban pay-TV pornography to stop naked porn-watching guests calling room service to lure female staff to their rooms.

Critical Path in critical condition

Critical Path in critical condition 12/25/2003 09:17 AM
CNET Dec 25 2003 9:16AM ET

iPod rumors and rumors of iPod rumors

iPod rumors and rumors of iPod rumors 07/17/2004 10:05 AM
ThinkSecret's prediction of new sleeker standard iPods in August has been been adjusted this morning with the beans spilling of news of new white iPods to be announced Monday. This new prediction downshifts the previous rumor from being a standard iPod rumor to merely being an iPod mini rumor.

In the first quarter of 2004 shipment
volume of the Taiwanese DSL industry
grew 29.8% sequentially to reach 7.9
million ports, while shipment value rose
60.9% to reach US$230 million

In the first quarter of 2004 shipment
volume of the Taiwanese DSL industry
grew 29.8% sequentially to reach 7.9
million ports, while shipment value rose
60.9% to reach US$230 million 06/23/2004 02:36 AM
Research and Markets are delighted to announce the addition of The Taiwanese DSL Industry, 1Q 2004 and Beyond to their offering [PRWEB Jun 23, 2004]

Rumors: Get 'em while they're hot

Rumors: Get 'em while they're hot 03/14/2005 04:23 PM
We all remember our first Mac rumor. Like our first tooth, kiss, paycheck or car, the first time we navigated to MacRumors or ThinkSecret or AppleInsider, and stumbled upon a tidbit that allowed us a glimpse into Apple’s fortress of development. It used to be that rumors were accurate about 50 percent of the time. And that was half of the fun — trying to decipher which parts of which rumor were correct, inaccurate or just completely fabricated. Raise your hand if you can remember iWalk. In recent years, however, a few rumor sites — especially ThinkSecret — have gotten a little too precise. For the most part, Apple’s announcements have become a matter of formality, as the community at-large (and often mainstream media outlets, too) have already received, absorbed and dissected the news, leaving little else save the decision to purchase. You have to admit, it's kind of taken the fun out of things. I mean, we were actually surprised when the iPod came out. No, really, we were. So, when Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James P. Kleinberg ruled Friday that "an interested public is not the same as the public interest," part of me was eager for a return to the Apple of yore, when a Macworld keynote was a reason to stay up all night in anticipation. (The other part of me was deeply afraid that journalistic integrity and responsibility would continue to be eroded until the only source of reporting would lie somewhere between supermarket tabloids and FOX NEWS, filled with half-truths and barely relatable sound bytes, all slapped under a 140-point misleading headline. But that’s not the point of this particular column.) For the most part, I agree with Kleinberg's statement, even if the ruling troubles me as a journalist. Apple’s trade secrets are, indeed, stolen property, but it remains to be seen just how hard the company can lean on the bloggers in question. Before the ruling, for example, ThinkSecret published two more rumors on its site: one about iMacs and eMacs, and one about Tiger. So, will we return to a dry, rumorless existence? Will the fertile, accurate soil that grows today's rumors dry up once Apple begins to enforce its court-appointed power? Or are we simply in store for a battle of rhetoric? Yesterday’s reports on ThinkSecret cited "well placed sources" rather than the traditional "reliable source" we've all come to trust so readily. We've all seen countless rumor sites come and go, and come and go again, but never have we faced such a bitter fight for dominance. So grab 'em while you can, because reliable rumors may soon be as hard to find as an iPod with a FireWire cable. Or, I suppose, an iWalk.

'04 Rumors Abound

'04 Rumors Abound 12/19/2003 07:38 PM
It appears another 2004 rumor list has surfaced. This one featuring a few new names fans can possibly look forward to. While exciting to read, we caution collectors to watch for offical Hasbro confirmation before getting their hearts set on any one of these items. Enjoy...

Rumors of my (VB6) demise...

Rumors of my (VB6) demise... 03/17/2005 03:01 AM
As Mark Twain once famously said, “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

Tungsten T6 Rumors

Tungsten T6 Rumors 03/17/2005 03:51 AM

The freshest rumors about PalmOne's forthcoming Tungsten read a little lot like a fairy tale, so we won't get our hopes up just yet. Features for the T6 (or Tungsten 2005, as the case may be) include Bluetooth, Wavelan, 1GB of Flash memory, a 3 MP digital camera, an ethernet port, iTunes compatibility, an initial price of about $400, Graffiti 2 Plus with voice commands and the ability to clean your teeth while you sleep and print money.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I have enough grains of salt to accompany this list, especially considering the hat tip from A_Man_In_Black in #gizmodo:

The Tungstens consciously don't include cameras, because of workplace restrictions. A new high-end Palm with a camera would be a Zire, not a Tungsten.

Tungsten T6 / Tungsten 2005 [PalmAddict via DailyGadget]

Ask buys Bloglines : Rumors Pan Out

Ask buys Bloglines : Rumors Pan Out 03/14/2005 05:19 PM

Rumors fly about a possible Sirius-XM
merger

Rumors fly about a possible Sirius-XM
merger 02/01/2005 08:53 PM
According to New York Post sources, satellite radio rivals Sirius and XM have been involved in recent merger talks. Could a merger that would eliminate competition in the satellite radio arena scale technological and regulatory hurdles?

SCO Spreads Rumors About IBM Lawsuit

SCO Spreads Rumors About IBM Lawsuit 08/05/2004 10:46 AM

Here We Go Again: Bad Reporters and Good
Rumors

Here We Go Again: Bad Reporters and Good
Rumors 06/06/2005 12:15 AM

I can always tell when the news machine is slowing down. It's kind of like there's sugar at the bottom of the Mac Web's gas tank, really. When their news tank gets low they start to pick up the same old crap at the bottom and try to use it to fuel the fires. What I underestimated was the level at which they pick that crap up. It seems that Mac reporters are very, very easily bored.

What I mean is that there's a good deal of news to actually cover, what with Tiger coming out to stellar reviews in spite of it being alpha-quality crap that has more bugs than the Temple of Doom. That, alone, should be decent fodder. If not that, then the sudden appearance of music videos in iTunes, or the supposed Babblecasting capabilities that 4.9 is said to bring in the future. They could bring up a whole lot of topics and keep them in the forefront with new ideas and new spin. When that runs out they could easily be useful and start talking about tips and how to get the most of the computer (which is the only reason I still have a Mac World subscription, really). No, they babble about the same crappy rumors to keep the hit counter spinning for the Ad Lords.

I mean, some of us just don't post anything for months when there's no news and nothing else comes to mind. It's not hard, really; you just walk away and go do something with your life for a while. It seems that some others just can't seem to handle that concept.

So, what crap lies at the bottom of that tank? The usual suspects, really. They are the insane ideas that spread like wildfire each time they're brought up and cause the predictable and easily-incited hoards of Mac fundamentalists to hit the message boards and their own pathetic little blogs and write and write and write about how it will (never) come to pass and how everyone else is just not seeing the "big picture" and how this idea could easy (save|kill) Apple, and computing in general! and so on and so forth.

Poppycock.

If you ever see an article on these topics, you're being played for a fool and should ignore it:

• Mac OS X for PCs (and the variant "Apple moves Macs to Intel")
• PowerBook G5
• Video iPod
• Movie store
• Apple-branded PDA

Let's just get it out into the open here and now, okay? Apple's not doing any of them; not now, and not years ago when it was first "reported" that they were. Quit daydreaming and get back on track. Whatever Apple's next innovation is, you won't see it coming until it slaps you across the face like the Apple bitch you are and gives you that tell-tale "you had it all wrong, again" look.

If it was easy to guess where Apple would steer the industry next then Sony would have long ago stolen the show from them. Sony has good designers, both aesthetic and electronic, and could easily best Apple out of the "niche computer artisan" market if they had any sense of direction at all. Well, and got rid of their NIH syndrome (ATRAC3-only in a digital Walkman? Dear God, man, what were you thinking?).

So, look, what this boils down to is that the next damn time I open MacSurfer and see a load of bullshit like any of this, I'm just going to stop reading web sites for a week. It's not worth sorting through this much stupidity and naïveté just to find out that it was a slow news day.

If you're a writer for the Mac Web, I urge you to listen to one piece of feedback: If there's nothing to report, stop writing and wait until there is.

Thank you, and good night.

Other News: Beatles Rumors

Other News: Beatles Rumors 09/24/2004 11:41 AM
Just how big a Beatles fan *is* Steve Jobs?

Mavericks Say Nothing to Wallace Rumors
(AP)

Mavericks Say Nothing to Wallace Rumors
(AP) 01/18/2004 06:02 PM
AP - Donn Nelson cautioned not to read too much into his meeting with Portland general manager John Nash.

Sun Fights Rumors, Old Perceptions

Sun Fights Rumors, Old Perceptions 09/23/2004 05:48 PM
Execs consider challenges involved in regaining market share, while analysts dissect the company's bold new plans to do so.

Rumors Today: iPod G4

Rumors Today: iPod G4 05/13/2004 06:32 PM
AppleInsider : A 4th generation prototype sports... a greatly advanced dock connector. "When a user connects one end of the video-cable into the iPod's new dock connector and the other end into the TV, it will switch the iPod into video mode."

Rumors Possibly Confirmed?

Rumors Possibly Confirmed? 01/05/2005 07:10 PM
The fires of Apple are once again lit. This time, however, they're going after ThinkSecret. Once again, Apple has highlighted a few specific articles, thus possibly confirming that these "rumors" are fact. Among the articles is the "rumored" sub-$500 headless iMac.

[Links from this story may be found on MacMerc.com. Click the title to delve deeper.]

iPod Jr. Rumors Become More Substantial

iPod Jr. Rumors Become More Substantial 12/30/2003 01:33 PM

Apple sues again to keep rumors at bay

Apple sues again to keep rumors at bay 01/05/2005 03:56 PM
Apple has filed yet another lawsuit against a Mac-related Web site it says has leaked trade secrets. This time rumor site Think Secret is in Apple's crosshairs. The company filed suit against Think Secret and "other unnamed individuals," according to a report posted on CNet News.com.
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How Sleazy Rumors Reach Critical Mass

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