Jokes about politics, sex, news, and rock and roll

 

• Google bought the shortest domain name ever, G.cn

Google has purchased the shortest possible domain name to make it easier for Chinese users to find Google: g.cn. Interestingly, "g.com," along with most other single-letter and single-digit domain names are reserved by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. The IANA is the master arbiter of domain names and addresses on the Internet. There are a few one-letter domain names out there, though: Z.com is owned by Nissan, Q.com by Qwest, and X.com is owned by PayPal. There was a proposal floated a few years ago to auction off the one-letter domain names, but nothing has come of it.

 

• Yahoo planning to create digg.com clone in January!

Following the success of a digg clone site that yahoo made in Japan, Minna no Topics (Everybody`s Topics) , Yahoo America is planning to make one of its own English news social network sites from around January, 2008 making it an exact digg clone.

  Just over half a year ago Yahoo Japan has launched their version of a social news sharing site with a Digg-esque feel; Minna No Topics (Everyone’s Topics).

The service lets Yahoo Japan users submit different stories under multiple categories and then users of Yahoo Japan can then vote on the stories in Digg like fashion by hitting the “Plus Score” button.

Instead of the Digg This box, in an anime fashion, little cartoon characters are placed above the Plus Score button. The selection of cartoon character seems to be random, as there is no relation between their selections and the categories, user names or amounts of Diggs (or ‘Plus Scores’).

Like Digg, users have their own profile pages, can leave comments on stories, and other stories are also suggested. I do not however see a button similar to the Digg bury option.

Minna No Topics also uses tags for navigation (the second most popular tag is YouTube) and offers channels such as Newsing (news), BuzzURL(recently submitted) and Choix (blogs) for up and coming stories.

Yahoo Japan is basically the Internet in Japan, ranging from broadband to cell phone to television services.

And since most Japanese use Yahoo Japan for blogging, searching, communities, Q&A and social networking; on both the PC and mobile, Yahoo Japan is a logical fit for such a service.

If you can write Japanese and have news, female targeted (most Japanese bloggers are female) or shopping items which would appeal to the Japanese market, I highly suggest giving Yahoo Japan’s Minna No Topics a try and you might become surprised by the amount of incoming traffic and links that you earn.

 

• NBC makes copycat youtube.com site called HULU

At last, the online-video joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp., long ridiculed for its lack of a name other than "NewCo," has an official moniker, and a website, Hulu. It also has a $100 million investment, besides the backing of its parent companies, from Providence Equity Partners; a CEO, former Amazon.com executive Jason Kilar; and fancy offices in Los Angeles. What it still lacks, of course, is a shot in hell at competing with YouTube.  Kilar himself, in explaining the name, hints at the problem:

Our hope is that Hulu will embody our (admittedly ambitious) never-ending mission, which is to help you find and enjoy the world's premier content when, where and how you want it.

So, is Hulu a destination site, like YouTube? A video search engine, like AOL's Truveo or Google Video? An online licensing and distribution arm of its big-media parents? Or all of these things at once? If finding a name was this hard for Hulu, just imagine what actually conducting business under it will be like.

The Hulu site says that it will start a private beta "in October." On NewTeeVee, Om Malik reports that as "October 2008." I'm not sure if that's a typo for "2007", or if Malik actually meant it. But I suspect he has the date closer to the truth.

 

• Youtube gets blocked by Chinese Government

China watchers, get your scorecards out: Google Inc.'s YouTube is blocked, Wikipedia is still blocked, but, for the moment, Google blog site Blogspot.com is available and some pictures from Yahoo Inc.'s Flickr photos can once again be viewed.

China-based users accessing YouTube since Wednesday afternoon began receiving the dreaded "The server at Youtube.com is taking too long to respond," the typical response when a user attempts to view a site that has been blocked.

Google's blog site, Blogspot, is currently available after being blocked in June. An unblocking of the site last year led to the availability of a Shanghai-based foreign blogger known as Chinabounder, whose blog recounted the author's sexual exploits with Chinese women while working as an English teacher. The posts ultimately led to an unsuccessful hunt for the author and a temporary closing of the blog. Google did not respond immediately to a request for comment on YouTube's block and Blogspot's availability.

Photo site Flickr is once again displaying most of its photos, after its pictures, but not the site itself, were blocked in June. The Flickr photo block was the most obvious indicator that China's blocking technology goes beyond simple domain restrictions, but could target sub-domains. Even now, some Flickr images remain blocked while others display. For example, searching for the term "Beijing" from a China-based computer displays the larger photos on the left, but the avatars of users do not load.China regularly blocks access to Web sites that it finds objectionable, including those dealing with politically sensitive subjects such as the Falun Gong religious cult and independence for Taiwan and Tibet, along with some pornographic sites. However, while both Playboy.com and Penthouse.com are available, the British Broadcasting Corp.'s news site is not.
The Chinese government does not announce or comment when a site is blocked or made available. The current blocking may be related to the Communist Party Congress, which began Oct. 15 in Beijing and ends Sunday. Held once every five years, the meeting is the Chinese government's most important political gathering, used to create five-year plans, which are the bedrock of China's centrally-planned economy. It is also often used to reshuffle government positions or for leaders to consolidate their power. 

• Bus from London to Syndey breaks down in Iran!

A BUS ride taking backpackers on a trip of a lifetime from the UK to Australia has broken down in Tehran with one passenger claiming "mutiny is in the air."

Amid much fanfare the OzBus left London earlier this month with 38 passengers on board a second-hand Belgian bus.

But dramas began less than half way through the 12-week trip when the vehicle suffered a broken exhaust, a broken wing mirror and a collision with a tree then finally gave up in the Iranian capital. Passengers are said to be furious with the food available, last minute itinerary changes and lack of alcohol.

One passenger, Lucy Allen, 22, emailed her family from Tehran: "What with breakdowns and delays the whole bus is up in arms.

The itinerary was changed overnight and now we are no longer seeing half the things we were promised - China, Laos, Mount Everest, Darwin ... the list goes on.

"We are currently stuck in this hell hole waiting for a replacement bus as ours is no longer roadworthy, but where on earth are they going get anything decent in Iran?

Mutiny is in the air and everyone is so angry it's unbelievable. The only food supplies we've been able to buy since Istanbul is from petrol stations." Another passenger, Anita Sethi, is writing a weekly column for the Guardian newspaper. She wrote about the broken radiator, a 40 speeding fine, and loud snoring.  She also wrote: "Earlier ... one of my fellow travellers burst into tears. 'I didn't realise how lonely it would be on this trip,' she wept. 'On the outside looking in,' is how she felt, reliving memories of school, feeling the loneliness of a crowd."

Backpackers from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, the UK and Europe paid $9,000 each for tickets that sold out in less than two months.  The trip was founded by Aussie expats Mark Creasey and Andrew Kelleher and described as a "radical alternative to flying ... a truly awesome experience and the ultimate overland adventure".

Last night Mr Kelleher, from Sydney, played down the incident saying the itinerary hadn't changed and most passengers were happy with life on board the bus.

"The coach had to be repaired after part of the exhaust was knocked out of place. These are only minor things and the tour has continued on a different coach".

He blamed Mrs Allen's mother for forwarding her daughter's email to the British press where the story has hit the headlines.

"We never promised there wouldn't be hiccups. It is not just like driving from Melbourne to Sydney. We expected there would be problems. This isn't a five star trip," Mr Kelleher added. The bus goes through Budapest, Gallipoli, Lahore, past Everest, through Asia then on to Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

There have been no problems reported on the second OzBus that is following just a few days behind the inaugural trip.

OzBus1 is now making its way to Esfahan, a World Heritage site and former capital of ancient Persia.

It is due to arrive at the Opera House in Sydney on 9th December.  (For Oz Bus website ... www.oz-bus.com)

 

 

• Man gets arrested for feeding the homeless in the U.S.

It's the first trial of its kind. A man is facing a judge and jury for violating Orlando's ban on feeding the homeless. Eric Montanez, 22, was caught feeding a group in Lake Eola Park earlier this year. The prosecution told Eyewitness News their case rests on video taken of Montanez feeding the homeless, breaking Orlando's feeding ban.

"There are a lot better things for law enforcement to be doing in this town, but this was an outrage," said George Crossley of the ACLU.Montanez and a small group of supporters marched from Lake Eola Park to the Orange County on Monday morning."We're ready to take this on," Montanez said.

Montanez and the group he's involved with, Food Not Bombs, returned to Lake Eola just after sunrise to once again violate the ordinance that has him on trial. Food Not Bombs volunteers served breakfast to about 100 Montanez supporters, most of them homeless. They will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner during what they're calling a three-day "ladle fest," not a protest."Me personally, I think that's discriminating for one," said Lamont Robinson, a homeless man."

We're out here trying to survive from day to day life and this gentleman over here is helping us," said Melvin Moore, a homeless man.In April, Montanez was arrested for violating the city ordinance that bans mass feeding in one area. His attorney will argue that the law is a violation of civil rights and say Montanez did nothing wrong, because every feeding that he participated in was done at a public park."The law itself should be illegal. Feeding people should not be criminalized. Being poor should not be criminalized," Montanez said.The group is hoping to pressure city leaders into axing the ordinance that they believe is a violation of their civil rights, but the city has made no mention of such consideration being in their plans.

 

• Japanese mini hotel concept,copy at London Airport

Imagine a hotel room the size of three mattresses made by plastic and then an extra 50 people sleeping under you or above you, in a 50sq meter radius.

People flying several hours on the plane must love to relax in a small room like this one but luxurius style.Now, in London, at least, there is an alternative: the Yotel, a compact cocoon for jet-lagged travelers modeled in part on the Japanese capsule hotel and first-class airplane cabins. Created by Simon Woodroffe, the British entrepreneur behind the stylish fast-food restaurant Yo Sushi, Yotel Gatwick offers a low-budget refuge for those needing a nap, a shower or a just a bit of privacy during a long layover (the minimum stay is four hours). The Yotel at Gatwick opened in July, with two other airport Yotels to follow: one at Heathrow airport in early November, followed by a third at Schiphol in Amsterdam in early 2008.

 

• Man drinks Red Bull and gets Heart Attack

 

A MAN whose heart stopped after he consumed eight Red Bull energy drinks in five hours has called for an overhaul of the product's warning labels. Matthew Penbross, 28, collapsed after downing the popular drinks, each containing 80 milligrams of caffeine, last Sunday.                           

He drank the Red Bull while competing in a motocross event on the state's Mid North Coast.His heart stopped and he needed defibrillation from ambulance officers.Now facing six weeks off work, he said warning labels on the products should be revamped to alert people that excessive consumption could lead to death. Labels currently warn against consuming more than two cans, or 1.5 bottles a day, without describing the consequences.

"They say [on energy drink labels] don't have more than this much," Mr Penbross said. "But they don't say if you have too much, what will happen." .Dr Malcolm Barlow, a cardiologist who treated Mr Penbross at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital, said it appeared excessive consumption of energy drinks had precipitated the heart attack.

He said Mr Penbross had no other risk factors apart from smoking and had told him he previously experienced chest pain at times when his intake of the drinks was high. NSW Health has urged people to be extremely cautious of overdosing on stimulant products. Department spokesman Dr Robert Batey said consuming high levels of stimulants had the potential to cause heart attacks.

"It will raise blood pressure and pulse rate and both of those things put a significant demand on the heart." Mr Penbross, a concreter, regularly had four Red Bull drinks a day.

"With the work I do I don't have a lot of time to eat," he said. "I have a couple of Red Bulls in the morning and it carries me through."Last Sunday he was competing in a motocross event near Port Macquarie when he consumed eight Red Bulls over five hours. "It was to get a bit of a buzz and keep down my reaction time," he said. "You have got to get off [the mark] and around the first corner first."

After his event, Mr Penbross, from Bonny Hills, noticed his heart racing. He collapsed soon after He was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital before being flown to Newcastle. There is no history of heart disease in the family and Mr Penbross is in peak physical condition.

Mr Penbross said he had sworn off Red Bull.

A spokeswoman for Red Bull said she was unable to comment on Mr Penbross's case, but that the product label was clear in advising against excessive consumption. She said labelling requirements for energy drinks were set by the Federal Government.