Get Cynical

It was brought to my attention that a website named Bloglines was reproducing the Trademark Blog, surrounding it with its own frame, stripping the page of my contact info. It identifies itself as a news aggregator. It is not authorized to reproduce my content nor to change the appearance of my pages, which it does. In response to my inquiry to Blogline’s CEO as to whether they sell advertising, he indicated that they ‘are not currently running advertising.’ Nevertheless, the Blogline’s home page currently is soliciting ‘targeted advertisements.’ I would also assume that Blogline is accumulating commercially-useful mailing lists (its privacy policy appears to allow it to sell information). The privacy policy also has a provision entitled ‘mergers and acquisitions’ clearly allowing it to sell its lists.

If I told you the original network run of The Flintstones (1960-1966) was sponsored by a cigarette maker and that you could watch the main characters smoking Winstons at the end of the show, you probably wouldn’t believe me. This animated series was a prime-time show, considered adult fare in 1960, so I guess nobody thought any better of it.

FlintstonesWith a large audience of youngsters tuning in at 8:30pm, was this proof that the tobacco companies were targeting younger potential smokers decades before Joe Camel? The Flintstones could also be seen selling beer in commercials, for what that’s worth.

Spamgraffiti is a series of online installations created from spam.

Each environment is created by spooling through one email account and visually articulating the spam on a series of layers. Newer spam appears above and slowly filters out older spam below. As the rate of spam increases over time per account, the page itself appears less and less like the previous generation.

You are provided with two items from our database which have no relation to each other. It is your task to decide which of those two items is “better”. There are no rules, it is purely a subjective decision. After you vote, you will see some information about the items on the left and whether or not we think that most people would agree or disagree with your decision. Don’t get upset if people would disagree with you, take satisfaction in knowing that your vote is taken into account now and the item you voted for just got a little “better” and the one you voted against just got a little “worse”.

Oceania (commonly called the US and Britain) is at war with Afghanistan Iraq. Oceania has always been at war with Afghanistan Iraq.

Just like in 1984′s Room 101, the Miniluv operations in Guantánamo Bay were authorized to “exploit[] a prisoner’s phobias, sometimes using muzzled dogs in interrogations.” Doubleplusgood!

US Congressman Charlie Rangel has been arguing for a return of military conscription (“The Draft”) as—so he tells the public— a way of reducing war.

In order to fight terrorism, we must cause it, says Donald Rumsfeld.