A random list for Sunday
- Is Rupert Murdoch demanding all his papers give extra publicity to his new cash cow? Today’s STM features a big, gushing article about MySpace. Then again, the article regularly quotes Tama, so it’s not all bad …
Update 12.50am: Dr T says “I think the piece was pretty balanced”. Maybe I’m just a cynic, but I sensed a subtext of “you should join MySpace NOW!” in the first few paragraphs 
- Weird Al Yankovic, LOL! If you haven’t already, go download his song. Now.
- The local Slashdot Meetup last Thursday was heaps cool, ye local Linux nerds (and non-Linux nerds) should all come! What most amused me was that except for the two public servants, everyone there had job offers to pass on from their employers …
- I guess I shouldn’t be surprised so little media attention has gone to Terrence Tao, the former Adelaide kid and now UCLA professor who won the Fields Medal. A few sources overseas are chattering about the Russian dude who turned it down, but that’s just because he so neatly fits the ‘eccentric maths professor’ stereotype.
- And finally, if (like me) you had trouble accessing this blog yesterday, blame your ISP’s upstream providers. Something got ugly between Global Crossing, AsiaNetCom, AT&T, and their link at the Infomart in Dallas, making it impossible for Optus or iiNet customers (among others) to access anything co-hosted at The Planet all day. (Complex? of course not!)
Thing is, The Planet are huge — so the fault caught this blog, Kitta, Ask A Ninja, and quite a few others. Most other providers (particularly MCI) were able to route around the problem, leaving Feedeye unaffected even though it lives in the same building.
I think it has been clearly established that you are a cynic! That aside, while there was a congratulatory tone in parts, I guess with 100 million users that’s not entirely unfair! By balanced, though, I meant that it included issues about online predators and MySpace which isn’t exactly MySpace-cheerleading! (Of course, if one looks at the overall Sunday Times for that day, you have to decide whether the STM piece was an antidote for the ‘Internet Love Mum’s Sexy [MySpace] Pictures’ or not … *sigh*).
Oh, I’d say that was reasonably cynical
Honestly, though, I didn’t aim to bang the drum for the site, but as the good Doctor says, 100 million members is nothing to sniff at!
That Weird Al song is great… true Bono-style!