Jason Chen Brings You the News
Recent stories by Jason Chen, editor of “Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide,” published by Gawker Media. Wired describes Chen as a “reporter”.
- “MacBook Pro 15-inch Core i7 Benchmarked: It’s So Fast”
- “Microsoft Kin Hands-On Videos”
- “iPhone OS 4 Has Video Chat, Group Chat Code”
- “Best iPad Comic Reader: Comic Zeal vs. Comic Reader Mobi”
- “iPad Chatroulette Is the Way to Go”
- “iPad Test Notes: In the Bathroom”
- “iPad Super Tip: You Can Put Six Icons In Your App Tray”
Chen works from his home, which was searched by California’s interagency “Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team” Friday night, as part of a criminal investigation into Gizmodo’s purchase and promotion of a purportedly lost iPhone prototype.
Apple’s Steve Jobs and Gawker’s Nick Denton are both unloved titans in their fields. Both are renegades who exercise tight control over their organizations. In the geek community, the inherent interest in the story itself is dwarfed by fascination and revulsion about the players. But what makes this especially entertaining is how battle lines have been drawn between apologists from both sides.
Yahoo, for example, published a story Monday questioning Apple’s role on the REACT task force’s steering committee — neglecting to mention that story writer John Cook was a Gawker employee only a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, satirist “Fake Steve Jobs” roasted respected (and resented) Apple-connected blogger John Gruber over an extensive post detailing the facts then known about Giz’s iPhone. Only everyone knows Fake Steve is really Newsweek’s Dan Lyons — and Newsweek didn’t get to play with the iPad before it launched. (Neither did Gruber, but Lyons seems jealous of Gruber’s sources.)
And now Gawker is wrapping itself in the flag of capital-J Journalism, claiming for itself the protection of shield laws, and inviting bloggers to rally to its cause. Which is yet another twist: “We may inadvertently commit journalism,” Denton told the Washington Post last June. “That is not the institutional intention.”
Good catch. Even better: Gruber found it.
Police Seize Jason Chen’s Computers [Gizmodo]
Computers Seized From Home of Blogger in iPhone Inquiry [NYT]
Expert: Invalid Warrant Used in Raid on iPhone Reporter’s Home [Wired]
I don’t understand most of this but I salute your glee, sir.
@Benedick: Did you say Glee?
@mellbell: In its older, pure sense.
BTW. Just heard the managing director on NPR talking about the present lack of money for not-for-profit theatres saying that more people attend the theatre in the US than go to see Sport. That’s right, bitchez!! Musical theatre rulez!!! Woo hah!!
In late-breaking news I might well be about to make my own big advance in musical theatre. I’m feeling pretty giddy. And not to harsh noje’s vibe but it does not involve Andrew Lloyd Webber.
@Benedick: You will, of course, keep us informed of any developments on the musical front.
@Benedick: “…more people attend the theatre…”
But should elementary school plays and recitals count when attendance isn’t really voluntary?
Somewhat ironic that REACT’s website is all sorts of mediocre fubar (or at least it is when trying to view it on Firefox) – I guess Mozilla isn’t on board.
@SanFranLefty: More like fugbar (did I just coin a word?).
@mellbell: I for one have never heard “fugbar” before, but the real test is to type it into Google and see what happens.
@mellbell:
Fucking UGly Beyond All Repair?
@mellbell: Brilliant. Alert the MLA–we have a contender for word of the year.
@mellbell: Congratulations! You deserve a fabulous prize!
It’s where web design went to die. What is with that horrible green finger? Have to love that sans-serif, fixed-width font too. It has all the interest of a pump handle.
@mellbell: I bow to your word-crafting skilz!
I meant the managing director of the Kennedy Center (home of hideous chandeliers) of course. He’s on a nationwide tour to try to help local theatres get through this very bad time. His advice? Think big and advertise.
@SanFranLefty: Why would anyone want to watch two teenaged boys wearing next to nothing getting all sweaty and gropey with each other when they could be watching a nice revival of The Good Woman of Szetchuan Takeout instead?
@Benedick: Michael Kaiser?
@Tommmcatt Loves The Giant Floating Head: The hypocrisy of my city’s leadership on the Arizona law is breathtaking. I’d take Ess Eff’s City Attorney and Board of Supes a little more seriously if their Police Department and Probation Department wasn’t already doing what the Arizona police are doing, tearing families apart and reporting all suspected illegal and legal immigrant juveniles as soon as they are arrested, whether for a misdemeanor or a felony, prior to any finding of guilt or innocence, all in the name of Mayor McDreamy’s political aspirations. More than 100 kids – both documented and undocumented – have been deported in the past two years. ICE has also run busts by enticing the parents to come to juvenile hall ostensibly to pick up their kid only to then arrest the parents for not having papers.
@mellbell: Yes, Michael Kaiser. I was very impressed. There’s real panic in the land right now and he was level-headed and reasonably optimistic. Of course, when talking about work in his own theatre he only mentioned star-driven revivals or imports instead of all the exciting NEW work being staged. But as everyone knows, nothing empties a theatre faster than a new play.
My, you’d think this boycott talk was political posturing if you didn’t know better!
@Benedick: Are you having meetings about the Palin musical?
@karen marie: Much bigger. Not that one doesn’t admire the Palin musical but the Happy Villagers issue does compromise my ability to get behind it 100%.
@Benedick:
Do the dancing gang boys in the opening of West Side Story count as happy villagers?
@Tommmcatt Loves The Giant Floating Head: No. Next question.
@Benedick:
How about the playgoers in the opening number of Applause?
@Tommmcatt Loves The Giant Floating Head: I don’t know that show. Though the term ‘Playgoer’ is worrisome. If you were to ask if I thought the ‘Partygoers’ singing about their invites to Mrs. Sally Adams’s latest bunfight at the top of Call Me Madam show Villager tendencies I would sadly have to agree.
@Benedick:
OMG, run, do not walk, to check out the book and lyrics on this fabulous musical rendition of All About Eve, produced for Lauren Bacall in 1970, with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. It won best musical that year, as did Ms. Bacall for best actress in a musical. There was a TV production of it. It is HY-LAR-EEE-US. Sample lyrics from the opening number:
Playgoers:
Ba ba Ba Ba ba Bum Bum ba
Wasnt she Wonderful Da Da Dum de dum Wasnt she Hot Just Great!
Didn’t She win The TONY Yah She Was Great Great GreatEve Harington:
A Diba Ba Do A Deba ba Do
Critics Will certainly Sayall:
WOOOOOOOOOW!
No, those are not typos.
This musical is everything that makes America wonderful.
ADD:
“She’s no longer a gypsy!
No more Equity calls!
She’s gonna get those crazy invitations now,
To Truman Capote’s balls!”
Seriously, that shit is in there!
Great friend of mine played Eve in the London production with Betty Bacall whom she adored.
Isn’t the title song given to a supporting character?
@Benedick:
A large part of it is given to various supernumeraries. I think the largest part of the song is actually sung by a “dancer” who doesn’t show up in the rest of the musical.
I joke about the show, but it really is a kind of valentine to Broadway, and there is a real respect there for the “gypsies” and other people who make that whole thing work.
@Tommmcatt Loves The Giant Floating Head: Bonnie Franklin.
Bloggie was asking about gypsies a while back. I took pictures of the gypsy robes currently on display in the dreaded Equity lounge. I’ll post them next jam.
@Benedick:
Was it really her? I guess so. Wow.
@Tommmcatt Loves The Giant Floating Head: Yes it was.
The Equity lounge! Ah. All the casting notices on the wall of shows already cast. But reliable toilets in midtown. Best secret toilets are across the street on the 1st floor of the Marriot Marquis hotel. Escalator takes you right there. You will all thank me for this info when you next visit NYC.
@Tommmcatt Loves The Giant Floating Head: I’ll stand by the Chinese peasants in the opening number of Nixon in China.
And the chorus in the opener of On the Twentieth Century.
And the notion that you can get away with the Wasilla villagers if you’re sufficiently arch about it.
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