Dollarshort

The Definition of a Slow News Day

I could go all defensive about this piece on Valleywag about our extravagant Disneyland trip, but I won't. Instead, I'll be gracious and help Owen during these troubled times for Valleywag. Here's a couple of story ideas based on a few photos from our weekend. Enjoy!  

Okay, Who Put the Content in My Spam?

The trend of receiving news headlines as spam subject lines is nothing new -- I've been getting them for years. They're the regular sort of pill, penny stock and love aid pieces of junk mail sent with subjects that are meant to cause you to actually open the mail. Boring and annoying, but nothing innovative. 

However, for the last couple weeks I've been receiving spam with made-up, but possibly true, headlines in the subject line. Just random enough to be real, yet too over-the-top to not have been headline news. Even though I'm not gullible to open the spam, I am gullible enough to question the truth of the headline. And then, I find myself sadly entering this faux news into Google to see if there is any truth.

While I'm sure these are automated using real news headlines and keywords, I love picturing some spammer trying to think these up.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Barenaked Ladies Die of Cocaine Overdose [1]
• Bill Clinton Found Hung in Bathroom [2]
• JFK Memoir Reveals Illegitimate Heir
• Miss Universe assassinated on plane home
• Police Open Fire on Elderly in Iowa
• Pepsi Sues Coke for $892mm
• Boy 4, Pulls Off Sister's Ear
• Heart Transplant Kid Kills 10, Shots Himself
• Michael Jackson Dies in Bed
• Rat Poison Found in Water Bottles
• Catholic Church Condemns Metrosexuality [3]
• Woman Loses Leg in Shock Attack [4]

[1] There was some truth in this one: Steven Page, the singer/guitarist of the band was charged with cocaine possession a couple days ago. The entire Barenaked Ladies collective was not found dead, though. Considering their music, it's an easy mistake.

[2] This is a headline Bill Clinton would probably write himself and he wouldn't be referring to suicide.

[3] This turned out to be an Onion headline.

[4] My favorite, for the clearly blinded-by-the-light mishearing of the word "shark."

Wasted on the Young: Vlogging from the Past

Yesterday, I spent way too much time watching teenagers on YouTube bleat and bitch about their daily lives. You have to hand it to these kids with regard to production values -- they've mastered the art of self-indulgence. And they're just so addictive to watch! 

It got me thinking. What would my own vlog be like if I had had the tools available now, but in 1994 -- when I was sixteen years old. 

I'm pretty sure it would have went something like this (watch it on YouTube for the larger size):

 

Five Years with Anil Dash

I'd be remiss if I let the anniversary of Anil's five years [1] at Six Apart pass without a post here on Dollarshort. Especially since Valleywag already mentioned his dedication in their own special way. 

Whether you like Anil Dash or not, few can honestly doubt his passion for blogging and for our company. Even the fine folks who like to accidentally misspell his first name in comments will have to admit he has a zealousness to his craft of evangelism that very few in our industry possess. Even if he drives you crazy with his desire to play devil's advocate or his need for a little exaggeration here or there, Anil does so with such sincerity it's difficult to truly fault him. 

Anil is Six Apart -- as much so as Ben or I am. And it's been a pleasure to work with him and learn from him. We were friends before we were ever co-workers and this friendship began as a result of this pathetic post that Anil wrote in 2001. Even if Anil now takes pleasure in mocking his tendencies to bloviate, he is, deep down a person who can still be humbled by some praise or a sincere gesture by a friend. 

Since Anil isn't dead and I'm not writing his obituary, I should probably wrap this up. What better way to end a post about his commitment to blogging and Six Apart than with a photo that shows the dedication writ large?. Here is a photo from the week five years ago when he became an "official" employee. He's crashing on the couch in our office -- aka the spare bedroom in the Trott apartment -- after a long night of work. 

 

[1] Today is also the five-year anniversary of our first funding announcement and our intentions to launch TypePad.

Stuff off a Sushi Menu ... From Hell

The first time you were confused. Second time, you were mildly entertain. The third time it was stuck in your head. Fourth time, you said "shame on me". Fifth time, it started to get old. The sixth time, you were really pissed. The seventh to three-hundredth time, you stopped clicking on links.

Because it will never die, may I suggest these fifteen alternatives to a run-of-the-mill RickRoll.

• Rick(Moranis)Roll
• (Little)RickyRoll
• Rick(y Ricardo)Roll
• Rick(Springfield)Roll
• Rick(James)Roll
• Rick(yNelson)Roll
• Rick('sCafe)Roll
• Rick(yShroder)Roll
• Rik(Ocasek)Roll
• Ric(hardDawson)Roll
• Rick(yVasquezRoll) 
• Rick(yGervais)Roll
• Rick(ieLake)Roll
• (Don)Rick(les)Roll 

And last, but not least. Here's the roll that should make you thank the gods for Rick Astley. 

• Rick(Dees)Roll  

The Original Bloggers

Back in college [1], when I should have (according to those with social lives) been drinking Popov out of Dixie cups, I instead spent an inordinate amount of time in the library's stacks. In particular, the magazine archive. Even more particular was that my research never had anything to do with my course work, but rather just my interest in the past.

So, imagine my glee when Kottke did a round-up of magazine archives online.

I spent some time on Friday exploring the Time archives and became immediately sucked into the Letters to the Editor. I like to think of blogs as the 21st Century version of Letters to a global, connected Editor, so it made sense that I would seek out the best example of authentic voice.

As you can imagine, there is a great deal of bigotry, chauvinism and small-mindedness in these letters. That's no surprise. What I find fascinating and most delightful to read are the exceptions. Those who question Time's articles (and the general consensus of the day) and assumption.

Here, for example, is one reader's response to Time's "helpful" 1942 article on "How to Tell Your Friends from the Japs."

Sirs: Your warning in TIME, Dec. 22, that the "few rules of thumb" listed for telling Chinese from Japanese are "not always reliable" is an unparalleled masterpiece of understatement. Such absurd generalities as "Japanese are nervous in conversation, laugh loudly at the wrong time," or "most Chinese avoid horn-rimmed spectacles" would have certainly made the eminent Dr. Samuel Johnson apoplectic. ... I feel the appropriateness of an admonishing Tsk! Tsk! ... MARTIN J. KATZ Philadelphia, Pa.

And then there are the little gems that, with a few words substituted could be written in today's Time. Take this letter from May 10th, 1943 that is a response to a story about high school graduates "who had forgotten, mislearned or never learned many details of U.S. history."

Sirs: . . . There are many reasons why students have failed so miserably in the past several years to maintain creditable scholastic standing and make sound academic records. . . . The present generation has been weaned on the comic strip. It has absorbed huge, indigestible amounts of outrageously inane (for the most part) Hollywood movie fare. It has been given cheap, miserably lean radio entertainment. In short, the younger generation hasn't been given half a chance to improve itself mentally. . . . PRIVATE J. A. FALLON Scott Field, III.

While the site navigation of the Time archive is lacking and it's difficult to browse, it's pretty easy to get completely sucked into a decade and its new stories and letters.

[1] Spending vast amounts of time reading old magazines actually started in high school. Magazines were my Internet and I spent hours browsing. Sadly, when I said I was going to the library (on a Saturday), I was indeed going to the library.

Yeah, He's My Cousin Three Times Removed...

Mike Monteiro, like always, is an inspiration for all of us to follow. He read the fine print [1] at Muxtape  and thought to ask permission from the Dead Milkmen's drummer, Dean Sabatino, before uploading one of their songs. Of course everything Mike does is FTW, so you never can be too sure whether he's playing a joke on us.

Update: Mike's added Butthole Surfers to his mix!

Anyway, Mike's action got me thinking. Everyone claims to have one of those friend of a friend who happens to be a famous musician. And with the internet breaking down all those sort of boundaries that used to matter -- like geography and fame -- it's quite possible to be "friends" with the musicians themselves.

In my dream world, Muxtape would have been so much more interesting if it was a challenge about creating the ultimate mix with songs that you do indeed have permission to use. And, I'm not talking about your standard Creative Commons fare or sneakers-in-the-dryer kind of music.

I'm talking about BIG NAMES. Basically, who could -- through their connections -- make the coolest mix with authorized songs.

Since the musician's permission does not equal the label's, this is just a fun what-if pitch. I'm way more interested in seeing who could come up with the best mix using their connections and how name-droppy it would get.

[1] aka as the language that won't save them from a cease and desist.