The Raging Tech

A Word on Shout-Outs

A “Shout-Out,” according to UrbanDictonary.com, is:

1. A message to friends, family, etc. lodged on a radio station, web site, or other popular medium.
2. An inane activity chowing up airwaves, electricity, and bandwidth.

You’ve heard them before. Some douche bag gets fifteen seconds of fame on the television or radio, and the first thing they ask the host is if they can give a “shout-out” to their “homeys” back home in “Who-Gives-a-Crap-ville.” This is one of the stupidest things to plague modern media.

It’s perfectly fine if you’re important or on a game show and the host says “So, is there anyone back home you’d like to say hello to while you’re on television?” You know, as long as your list isn’t more than two or three people. Do not name everyone from the ghetto you’ve ever met.

That being said, I’d like to give quick “shout-out” to my readers from Littleton. I’ve been watching the site stats lately and, even though I’ve never been there or written anything pertaining to Littleton, I seem to be gathering a small following there. So, rock on, Littleton! I hope getting a “shout-out” here makes your day. Be sure and tell all your friends your town got mentioned today on The Raging Tech!

Heath Ledger Dead, 28 Years Old

I’m sure Heath Ledger’s family doesn’t read my blog, so writing this shouldn’t grieve them any extra today. I felt bad thinking about writing on this topic today, because it made me feel like a media whore. I have had serious mental and emotional struggles thinking about this since yesterday - I don’t want to come off like I’m only going to talk about Heath Ledger because it’ll get my blog some hits.

Right now, I don’t care if Ledger had completed his filming on The Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. I do care that he did an exceptional job in Lords of Dogtown, A Knight’s Tale, 10 Things I Hate About You, Four Feathers, and Monster’s Ball. And I do care that he was a human being, and we wish it weren’t just because he was famous that people are saddened by his death. But whether you liked his movies or not, you cannot deny his impact on our culture.

Ledger wasn’t a Britney Spears, that’s for sure. He hadn’t shown any signs of going off the deep end, or being suicidal to anyone’s knowledge. But that’s what they always say after someone commits suicide. In Ledger’s case though, they say he had an accidental overdose or drug interaction with his pneumonia medicine and went into cardiac arrest. But still, he wasn’t someone you repeatedly saw in the news and went “Yep, he’s gonna hit the pavement soon.” Twenty-Eight. Good gravy - that’s just too early to exit this world.

RIP Heath Ledger, and may Jesus’ peace and comfort be with his family and friends and other loved ones while they mourn.

Bloggers Unite: Blogger’s Union on the Horizon?

Slashdot covered an interesting article by the Columbia Journalism Review about the possibility of blog authors (or “Bloggers,” if you will) unionizing in light of the recent Hollywood screenwriter’s strike by the Writer’s Guild of America. There is a lot of debate but not a lot of legislation in congress right now about the rights of bloggers.

So, that being said, do you think there should be an association, guild, or even a union formed to protect bloggers? Do you consider blogging a legitimate form of journalism?

I think a union or guild of sorts for professional bloggers would be useful; We could standardize on things like a Blogger Code of Ethics. We could help other bloggers find work and experienced bloggers could help train young bloggers on the tricks of the trade. Unions aren’t just about striking for better treatment or standing up for rights, it’s also a place just for people of a trade to help each other. In this digital age, blogging is already become a real-life, living-earning trade.

Where Are They Now: Bio-Dome

I’m sitting here watching Bio-Dome starring Paulie Shore and Stephen Baldwin (and even more notably, Kylie Minogue), and I can’t help but wonder: what ever happened to Paulie Shore and Stephen Baldwin? I mean, I understand that people wouldn’t care enough to check in on them from time to time.

I don’t know that I really want Paulie Shore in another movie, but we really haven’t heard much from him since Paulie Shore is Dead. Ironically, the movie is based on this very same premise. They tell famous celebrities that Paulie Shore is, in fact, deceased, and then tape their reactions.  Nobody seemed to care.

Stephen Baldwin, as it turns out, became a Christian and started some sort of world skateboard / rock music tour to try and reach out to young people.

The Point Blank Critic

My friend just recently decided to start his own review blog called The Point Blank Critic. He’s really into trying new kinds of beer, Apple (Mac) computers and products, music, movies, video games, and technology in general. He also happens to be a pretty good cook, and one of my best friends. These last two interests are not necessarily cause-and-effect, but being a good cook is a nice bonus to have in a friend.

For his first blog post, he’s started what he says will be a regular event: Free Drink Friday - where he hopes to review a different beer weekly. The goal: to save people from horrible, cheap, piss-water beer. He does not claim to be a beer snob; The Point Blank Critic will be reviewing national brands as well as local breweries and microbreweries. From what I know of him, there’s more good reviews in store. Be sure and bookmark The Point Blank Critic at PointBlankCritic.com.

World Champion Chess Player Bobby Fischer is Dead

Bobby Fischer, 64, died Thursday of renal (kidney) failure at a hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland. Fischer had moved to Iceland in 2005. Iceland is a chess-heavy country, and also the site of one of Fischer’s major chess victories.

The president of the World Chess Federation, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, said Fischer was “a phenomenon and an epoch in chess history, and an intellectual giant I would rank next to Newton and Einstein.” The AP has a pretty elaborate list of quotes from people who respected or revered Fischer for his chess prowess.

I feel bad that I’m one of those people that if it weren’t for the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, I probably would not know anything about Fischer or even really take an interest at all in chess. But, I do still know how to play, and I was OK at it when I was younger. Maybe that’s something I should invest in soon. I would think if Fischer wanted his death to cause one thing, it would be for more people to get into the game.

MacWorld 2008 Keynote Address Today at Noon

Hello there, sports fans! If your head hasn’t been under a rock or you own a TV, you’ve either been converted to the cult of Apple, or been watching the company with enthralled anticipation.

Since the age of iPod came upon us, Apple has been blowing up the scene with newer, hotter desktops and portables than almost any other company. There are flame wars upon flame wars about the specs of certain manufacturer’s Windows PCs being better - but bar none, Apple is a software-hardware synergy dynamo with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

Today at Noon (12pm Eastern Standard Time), Steve Jobs will give Apple’s MacWorld Expo keynote address. Rumors abound everywhere, but every year we get a treat with new software to play with, or a new line of iPod, or major OS upgrades, or announcements of new partnerships that bring cool stuff to us Mac users.

Who knows exactly what to expect today? I’m going to be tuning in at Apple’s website, and then after the keynote is over I’ll go ahead and post here later this afternoon with the major points of interest, so come back!