Throughout the state, the emergence of this form of direct communication is mirroring national trends. Political blogs dominate the field, though increasingly more writers focus on contentious topics of other stripes, such as places of eating and merriment. In Madison, locally-oriented blogging is being led by a number of group efforts focused upon education, taverns, and the overall experience of living in town, complemented by a growing host of political writers. Here’s my thoughts about the growth of blogging in Madison over 2005.
Microsoft Takes Down Chinese Blogger
Microsoft’s MSN Spaces continues to censor its Chinese language blogs, and has become more aggressive and thorough at censorship since I first checked out MSN’s censorship system last summer. On New Years Eve, MSN Spaces took down the popular blog written by Zhao Jing, aka Michael Anti. Now all you get when you attempt to visit his blog at: http://spaces.msn.com/members/mranti/ is the error message pictured above. (You can see the Google cache of his blog up until Dec.22nd here.)
Note, this blog was TAKEN DOWN by MSN people. Not blocked by the Chinese government.
Study Questions Safety of SUV’s
Though the added weight of SUVs conferred some protection in non-rollover accidents, the vehicles were twice as likely as cars to roll over during a wreck, the report published in the journal Pediatrics said.
2006 Governor’s Race: Interview with Scott Walker
Colin Benedict interviews Republican Candidate for Governor Scott Walker:
He won by promising to be frugal and restoring ethics, a blueprint he’s following again.
“As Governor, right off the bat, that first day in office, I would call a special session to pass a true property tax freeze on all four years I’m in office,” said Walker. “On all levels of government.” Walker admits Gov.Doyle’s plan has helped some people but calls it a phony freeze because on average tax bills went up. He criticizes Doyle saying the governor essentially borrowed the money to pay for it instead of cutting programs.
The Decade the Blockbuster Died:
I’ve been collecting data on just how bad it’s getting in the music industry, and this useful list of the 100 all-time bestselling albums offered another lens on the meltdown. I looked up the release dates of each and grouped them in half-decade bins. The data speaks for itself
The Road Ahead: Safer, Snazzier, Smarter Cars
The pace of change isn’t limited to the vehicle itself, but also how it is designed, engineered, manufactured and sold.
With automakers fighting fiercely for new customers in the U.S. market, innovation can mean the difference between success and failure.
“The ability of the industry to create variety at a low cost is greater than it ever has been,” said David Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. “The cost of risk is decreasing.”
Warren Miller Ski Film Clips
Warren Miller’s ski film trailers are well worth checking out.
Interesting Collaboration Software Approach – P2P
The Berklee College of Music, in Boston, already supplies NoteTaker software to all 3,850 of its students and plans to issue NoteShare to them, too. David Mash, its vice president for information technology, wrote that because “notebooks are immediately available without servers,” students can “collaborate on projects as the ideas hit them.” For instance, they could “drag their music into a notebook, add some comments and ask for criticism” from friends and teachers on the network.
The interesting aspect of this software is that it does not require any expensive/time consuming server tools. NoteShare FAQ.
Shoveling Mud
Classic photo that reminded me of my San Francisco days. We shovel snow and they shovel mud… via the NYT
Winter Milwaukee Art Museum Visit: Rembrandt and His Time
Through January 8, 2006. We’ll worth a trip.