Palin speaks at Tea Party Convention

NASHVILLE — “I’m so proud to be an American! Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan.” Sarah Palin took the stage of the National Tea Party Convention to a thundering ovation, which she cut down quickly by praising “anyone who serves in uniform or has served in uniform” and diving right into her speech. “I am a supporter of this movement. I believe in this movement,” said Palin. “America is ready for another revolution.”

• Broke 1 day, 19 hours ago by johncapello

Can Google really solve the problem of real-time translation?

Solid, real-time translation seems like one of those technologies which is perpetually about five years away from becoming a reality. Although pattern-matching algorithms continue to improve and processors continue to decline in price while increasing in power, no one has yet to provide a solution. But Google says that they are really close and that we can expect their Android-powered smartphones to have real-time translation in the next few years. Is it likely that Google has a real solution? Can they really solve the problem of real-time translation?

• Asked 14 hours, 28 minutes ago by johncapello

Selig to be honored in bronze

Selig is the reason that baseball exists in Wisconsin today. (And of course, he was the one who donated the other two statues that reside outside of the stadium too.) In 1970, the hometown guy managed to pull the Seattle Pilots franchise out of bankruptcy and moved them to a stable home in Milwaukee. He owned and operated the team for over twenty years before officially taking the position of MLB commissioner in 1998.

Since then, he has left his mark on the entire league. The addition of a wild card was his brain child. The expansion to three divisions per league was his idea. He called for revenue-sharing to help big and small market teams compete in the same space. And he was the first to take the steroid issue head on - something he did with serious risk for his own image, but believing it would be better for the game.

The 75-year old Selig likely won't be sitting at the high-stress commissioner's desk for much longer. So this could be a retirement presents of sorts. The ceremony for the statue will take place on August 24th.

• Broke 8 hours, 36 minutes ago by sdotc

Is Sen. Shelby's Senate hold legitimate?

The Obama administration received a rare political gift Friday that brought together a pair of issues the president is promising this election year to do something about -- pork and partisanship. Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) announced that he would block administration nominees from Senate votes in an attempt to secure funding for two defense-related projects for his state. The use of the holding tool is often wielded anonymously. But Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) complained publicly about Shelby's effort to win tens of millions of dollars in federal money by delaying dozens of nominees from taking up government positions, including some in national security agencies.

• Asked 19 hours, 16 minutes ago by vle

Google and the SuperBowl

One of my favorite arguments that I liked getting into over the last decade was about the role of advertising in building brands online. I used to take the position (not a particularly controversial one) that great brands don't need to be built through expensive offline advertising campaigns, and with great satisfaction I could always end the argument with "So tell me about that great Google ad that convinced you that they were a great search engine." So there goes that retort. Google just released their first SuperBowl ad yesterday, and to be honest, it wasn't half bad. It was like watching an expanded version of six-word memoirs told through searches. Kind of heart-warming and thankfully stopped short of cloying. And Eric Schmidt says there are more online. Nice job, Google. Now quit while you're ahead. You're going to start to weaken my argument.

• Broke 18 hours, 38 minutes ago by johncapello

What can be said about the outcome of Super Bowl XLIV?

Then there is the man that enjoyed the spoils all season but couldn't cash in on the big game. Colts QB Peyton Manning must live another season with chatter of being one of the best QB's in history that just couldn't get it done in the post-season.

The Nielsen ratings are not yet finalized, but it appears that a record number of viewers tuned in to watch the contest.

So what are all those voices saying on the morning after?

• Asked 16 hours, 50 minutes ago by sdotc

MTV no longer "music television"; next up, smoking bad for you

Filed in the *smh* category, MTV has finally come clean with what viewers have known for a while now - they are no longer "music television." Now, their logo finally represents the transition that turned a hot bed of alternative counter-culture into a strictly marketable host of lowest common denominator "reality" television series. (Stableford sums up the sentiment perfectly by posting Nirvana's "Smells LIke Teen Spirit" music video.) The simple cropping of the logo that has been the same for 30 years gives the generation that spawned MTV one more reason to look back at the station to reminisce about what it was before the millennials turned it into an entirely new animal.

[Press Release]: “It represents a new visually defined MTV, stimulating its past, present and future and embracing it’s diversity. Everything from Jersey Shore, to the VMAs to collaborations with the MoMA. The logo is part of MTV’s re-invention to connect with today’s millennial generation and bring them in as part of the channel.”

Hints of music videos can still be found late at night or on one of the many spin-offs the network has to offer in its cable network. But those that were there for its inception have long departed to find their music elsewhere.

• Broke 6 hours, 32 minutes ago by sdotc

Which was the best Super Bowl XLIV ad?

CBS causes sparks with 'Late Show' promo

Since audiences gave their DVRs the night off, which advertisement for Super Bowl XLIV did they hold in highest regard?

• Asked 13 hours, 23 minutes ago by sdotc