Tag Archives: IPhone

April 25, 2013 · 6:47 PM

Mother Jones: Frank Luntz Calls Right-Wing Talk Radio ‘Problematic’ For GOP

I would agree that right-wing talk radio is an Achilles heel for the GOP but they have bigger problems than that.  

They have an immigration problem, a gun problem, a people of color problem and a “stupid party” problem.  Not to mention their anti-abortion legislation problems.  Also the fact that the Tea Party won’t allow the GOP any amount of compromise not only stifles our government, it stifles the party as well.

Yep, what the GOP has…is a bad image problem.

TPM Livewire

GOP strategist Frank Luntz went off the record before a group of college Republicans earlier this month at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss the negative impact he believes right-walk talk radio has had on the GOP, Mother Jones reported Thursday.

“And they get great ratings, and they drive the message, and it’s really problematic,” Luntz said of right-wing talk-radio programs, according to a recording of the event. Luntz added that talk radio has been especially damaging to Sen. Marco Rubio’s immigration reform efforts.

“He’s getting destroyed,” Luntz said, “by Mark Levin, by Rush Limbaugh, and a few others. He’s trying to find a legitimate, long-term effective solution to immigration that isn’t the traditional Republican approach, and talk radio is killing him. That’s what’s causing this thing underneath. And too many politicians in Washington are playing coy.”

According to Mother Jones’ piece, written by David Corn, Luntz asked the audience to allow him to speak off the record, prompting one college newspaper reporter to switch off his device. But another student, Aakash Abbi, captured the sound bite on his iPhone.

Corn has built a reputation reporting on surreptitious recordings, starting with Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” comments and continuing with a secretly recorded Mitch McConnell campaign strategy meeting.

Listen to the audio and read Corn’s full piece here.

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January 15, 2013 · 8:56 PM

The Wall Street Journal Doesn’t Think Anyone Makes Under $100k a Year

The Contributor

“While the top 1 percent of taxpayers will bear the biggest burden, many other families, affluent and poor, will pay more as well,” wrote Wall Street Journalreporter Laura Saunders in a story about the effect the “fiscal cliff” agreement would have on taxpayers.

However, a graphic that accompanied the story might help explain the conservative mindset about cutting taxes for the rich. Despite writing about the effect tax inceases will have for the poor, apparently no one in their Wall Street Journal’s world makes under $100,000 a year.

I especially feel bad for the poor, single parent struggling to get by on the measly $260,000 she earns a year. After all, how’s she going to afford paying an extra $280 a month in taxes when she’s only bringing in $21,666 a month?

At least the retired couple that barely squeaks by with $180,000 a year of income in retirement won’t have to pay more taxes (although, wearing a sweater tied around your neck like Carlton Banks is a requirement).

I would remind the editors of the Wall Street Journal that the median income in the United States is right around $50,000 a year, and less than 5 percent of households in the country earn more than $166,000 a year.

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October 6, 2011 · 12:41 PM

Steve Jobs – Gone Too Soon

Steve Jobs has touched all of our lives in some way…

My friend Gilligan says it best:

Because of Jobs’ genius, I don’t know anyone whose life wasn’t touched by his vision and innovation.

And as an Apple stockholder for a number of years, I know that because Jobs had received his final diagnosis, he planned well for his company’s future. But it’s his family, his wife and children, who will grieve the most at the loss of their husband and father.

Here’s a little Michael Jackson….

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July 29, 2011 · 12:25 AM

Karl Rove’s Crossroads trolls for guys on gay hook-up app Grindr

I wonder, were they looking for Jeff Gannon for Karl?

Raw Story

Conservative political group Crossroads GPS, co-founded by former Bush adviser Karl Rove, is notorious for spending millions on political advertising, most recently doling out $20 million for anti-Obama ads. It wasn’t until this week, however, that the placement of their ads drew as much attention as the content.

A tipster notified The Hill that one of the group’s “blank check” ads — with the message that President Barack Obama’s spending is out of control — have begun scrolling along the bottom of a smartphone app called Grindr. Grindr allows gay and bisexual men to locate other gay men in their immediate vicinity, opening the door to a sexually-charged encounter.

Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio told The Hill that the ad was distributed by a mobile advertising network, so the group probably has no choice about where the ads appear.

“Ads may run on thousands of websites and apps but are based on the user’s history and profile, not the platform on which the ad appears,” Collegio said. “So if an ad appeared on that platform, it was triggered by the user’s history and profile meeting the targeted demographic criteria, not the platform itself.”

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July 11, 2011 · 4:42 AM

Will Spotify revolutionize the way we listen to music?

Spotify is streamed onto a mobile phone: Europe's popular online music service is coming to the U.S., and may mean serious competition for iTunes

Some wise person once said:

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” ~ Plato

On that note…

The Week

10 million European users have been raving about the free music streaming service for years. A guide to why you may want to get excited, too

“Any track, any time, anywhere. And it’s free!” That’s the mantra of one of Europe’s most popular — and praised — music streaming services, the Sweden-based Spotify. And now, the service, which has 10 million users across Europe, is coming stateside, though no specific launch date has been set. Spotify allows users to stream almost any widely released song online for free, and American music fans have been rabid for its debut in the U.S.—which has been almost two years in the making.  

Here’s a brief guide:

What makes Spotify so great? 
For starters, there’s the sheer number of songs offered. “When you get the urge to listen to a particular song, it’s there — and you don’t need to jump through any hoops to get it,” says Kat Hannaford at Gizmodo. The European version of Spotify has been diligent in securing permission from the major record labels, meaning all listening is legal. You can listen to whole albums, individual songs, or organize playlists — which can be shared online with friends who can add to the playlist themselves. Spotify will also import your existing music library, “so you theoretically never have to listen to iTunes again,” says Jared Newman at TIME.

And it’s free?
Yup. It doesn’t cost anything to download or use Spotify, though there are some restrictions. You can listen to 10 hours of music per month, and five listens per track for free. For $5 a month, those restrictions are lifted, and you get unlimited online streaming. Make it $10 a month, and you can access to Spotify on mobile devices, too.

How do I get it?
The announcement on Spotify’s website only says that the service is coming to the U.S. “soon,” though “sources” at Billboard anticipate that its launch is likely to come next week. Typically, you have to be invited to join Spotify. But the company’s website is currently allowing prospective users to sign up for an invitation.

Why has it taken so long to get here?
Plans for Spotify to enter the American market date back to July 2009. The company aims to offer the same extensive song library it makes available in Europe, and “it’s no secret” that record labels here haven’t been as generous licensing their content, says Britain’s Guardian. But after securing a $100 million investment in June, it appeared that the company would have the resources to close deals with the labels.

Will it be a success?
Spotify’s free service is “unparalleled,” says Newman at TIME. Unlike similar services — MOG, Rhapsody, Rdio, and Zune — the perks that Spotify offers at such a low cost makes it likely that potential customers will go for the premium service. Yet the service still doesn’t have licenses for songs from the Warner Music Group catalog, says Alex Pham at the Los Angeles Times, meaning a “treasure trove” of music from the likes of Bruno Mars, Green Day, and Eric Clapton won’t be available yet. Yet the three other major record labels are a go, which is still a “revolutionary” step for a free music service. Says Geeksugar.com: We’re “waiting with headphones ready.”

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July 7, 2011 · 4:29 PM

Hacked Obama website invites supporters to anti-Govt events

Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008

Image via Wikipedia

It was just a matter of time…

The Griot       

From The Washington Examiner

The Obama campaign website was hacked on Tuesday and invited supporters to two fake anti-government events hosted by an unnamed “Commy Obama.”

The campaign’s application for mobile devices, such as iPhones and iPads, directed users to two events titled “Rules of Politics” scheduled for noon on Tuesday in Washington.

“1. Politicians and other public servants lie,” read the event description provided on the Obama campaign website. (Full screenshot here.) “

2. Politicians tell you what you want to hear and offer to provide things for ‘free’ to get votes.

3. When government buys, the people pay.”

The 430-word message lists 21 total anti-government criticisms, none of which target Obama, another politician or a particular political party by name.

Click here for the rest of the story

 

 

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March 22, 2011 · 12:41 AM

Should Apple scrap a ‘gay cure’ app?

Exodus International

Image via Wikipedia

In my opinion, yes!  The application is not appropriate on any level.

The Week

Critics lash the tech giant for approving an app that claims to convert gay users to heterosexuality.

Exodus International, an iPhone app created by a Christian group of the same name, claims that homosexuality is a choice — and promises that the app’s users will gain “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus.” Apple approved the Exodus International app, rating it four out of five stars which indicates “no objectionable content,” although the app calls homosexuality “satanic.” That decision spurred a backlash from gay-rights groups, who want the app taken off the market. Should Apple comply?

Apple needs to dump this app now: The “hateful and bigoted” Exodus app certainly qualifies as “offensive material,” says nonprofit Truth Wins Out, which organized a petition drive against Apple. Every reliable medical organization has denounced so-called “reparative therapy” for homosexuality, and it’s “particularly galling” that Exodus is marketing its app to young people, given the wave of recent LGBT suicides. Apple bans racist content; why the “double standard”?
“Gay rights petition: Demand that Apple remove ‘ex-gay’ iPhone app”

Indeed, Apple is being terribly inconsistent: Famously “stringent,” Apple self-righteously blocks even slightly pornographic apps to “protect our minds from filth,” says Jennifer Scott at IT Pro. And yet, “homophobia seems to pass muster.” For a supposedly “forward-thinking company” to approve such a “horrific app… sickens me to the core.”
“Apple, homophobia is worse than porn ok?”

It may be distasteful, but Apple shouldn’t censor this app: “At the risk of putting myself at the center of a firestorm of disapproval,” says Victoria Pynchon at Forbes, I have to say this isn’t hate speech. It’s “simply the expression of religious beliefs with which I, and many other people, disagree.” While countless Americans — and many liberal churches — are rejecting such anti-gay ideas, it’s not the job of Apple or any other company to “serve as our national gatekeeper” and silence such religious stances, no matter how outrageous.
“The internet, freedom of speech, and the anti-gay app”

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March 9, 2011 · 2:34 AM

Rush on to recycle ‘old’ iPads for cash

Boston Herald

Time is running out for Apple fans who want to get top dollar on a trade-in of their “old” iPad and upgrade to a new iPad 2 when the gadget goes on sale Friday.

“We’ve already facilitated the trade of 10,000 iPads,” said Anthony Scarsella, chief gadget officer at Boston-based Gazelle.com, a top electronics recycler.

Recent iPad buyers may have been miffed when Apple announced on March 2 that it was ready to start selling a second version of the hot-selling tablet computer, but disgruntled gadget owners can still flip their “old” one for good money to plunk down for a new one.

But seller beware: the adage “time is money” certainly applies to Apple products.

As of yesterday, Gazelle.com was offering $300 for the base model iPad, the 16GB Wi-Fi version that originally sold for $499. Still, that trade-in value is $75 lower than it was the day after Apple’s iPad 2 unveiling last week.

Scarsella urged iPad owners looking to cash in to do so soon, since the price will continue to drop as more used iPads flood the market.

More…

 

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December 27, 2010 · 3:33 AM

G.O.P. to Open House to Electronic Devices

Eeek!  The GOP are becoming geeks!

The New York Times

The iPad is coming to Capitol Hill.

Tucked into new rules proposed by the incoming House Republican majority is one that could fling the chamber — for good or ill — into the 21st century: Members may use an electronic device on the House floor as long as it doesn’t “impair decorum.”

The new rule would relax the complete ban on the use of gadgets like the iPad, iPhone or BlackBerry on the floor. Mobile phones, tablet computers and the whole universe of applications that run on them will be officially available to House members as they conduct business.

Members still may not talk on the phone in the chamber and are supposed to use the devices for official business only, according to a spokesman for the soon-to-be speaker, John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio. But as long as the mute switch is on, lawmakers will be free to tap away.

“Mr. Boehner has deep respect for the institution and its traditions,” said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for the Republicans. “This is not free license to Skype or pay bills online. But we recognize that people consume information electronically these days. It’s just silly that the House wouldn’t accommodate that.”   More…

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October 28, 2010 · 8:16 PM

Comedy Central Offers Free Rally App For iPhone, iTouch and iPad

Get The Free Rally App on Your iPhone, iTouch and iPad

Before you head down to D.C. for the Rally of a lifetime — or at least a weekend — download the official Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert-approved Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear application today for free in the App Store.  View maps, upload photos, share comments and check in on Foursquare to earn one-of-a-kind badges!

Android users, your app will be available shortly. So quit bugging.

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