The Daily Loper – June 24, 2008

Have You Seen Junior’s Grades? Edition

Todays links of interest:

• Cable Operator Backs Off Plan to Monitor Internet Use
  Score one for the consumer. For now. Remember, the #1 rule about Privacy on the Web is that there isn’t any.
• Shaq’s Anti Kobe Rap Video
  This is one of those things that is so wrong on every single level that it comes all the way around to being right. Especially since Shaq kinda has a point. Besides, what’s Kobe gonna do about it? Send Pau Gasol after him?
• Piper: ‘I may have ruined my career’
  We have two words for the former (and future?) Rose Tyler: Angelina Jolie.
• James Dobson Accuses Obama Of ‘Distorting’ Bible
  "I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology," Dobson said. Dobson, of course, is an expert at this sort of thing so he clearly knows it when he sees it.
• Live Music Thrives as CDs Fade
  Turns out that some bands are, uh, doing well in the changing music landscape. And when we talk about the problems facing the music business, we need to remember which aspect of the business is facing the problems.
• Some critics are hatching ways to fight Google’s influence
  All sorts of ideas at play to keep Google at bay. Of course, the solution is obvious…
• George Carlin mourned by fellow comedians
  It’s hard to know what to add to all of this. Loved his dissection of the language; loved his observational humor, loved his political humor. Maybe it’s this: while he was one of those guys who came from a specific era, but never seemed trapped by that era, because it was where came from, not who he was.
• Liberation Day for Promo CDs: Victory in UMG v. Augusto
  Uh, apparently the music industry just realized there’s massive resale business in promo CDs. A court ruled that these CDs are resalable by recipients. Now we wait and wonder until the music industry figures out where all those songs "leaked" before release date are coming from (hint: not your average consumer).
• MPAA Says No Proof Needed in P2P Copyright Infringement Lawsuits
  Welcome to Bizarro world where such concepts as "innocent until proven guilty" are thrown by the wayside.
• Spokeswoman: Amy Winehouse doesn’t have emphysema
  We are so very confused.