Separation Anxiety: A New Birther Meme

I am intrigued and often amused at the dynamics of misinformation and disinformation, because they lay bare the elements of effective, credible narratives and identify our blind spots. They often seem to generate a higher speed of distribution if they can tap into a latent need in the audience.

For instance, look at the effectiveness of the corporate archive footage of Rockwell's Retroincabulator (and the subsequent update, the Turbo Encabulator). There are lessons to be learned there.

One recent local example would be the spoof FOP Press Release that did, in fact, become a news story that refreshed public awareness of the issue and took on a life of its own when the authorities over-reacted.

Originally from Alex Leary of the St. Petersburg Times, via Politico, we have this video developed on behalf of US Senate wannabee Steve Welch:



I have to wonder if introducing yourself to the electorate by demonstrating your capacity for smooth, glossy disinformation is going to have unintended consequences. (If, in fact, elections still have consequences — but that is a topic for another day.)

A Countdown of Sorts: 3 Days and a Wake Up

I'm a Sucker for a Great Photoshop

I tell myself that I am a citizen rather than a consumer, but I must admit that sometimes a product, a thing somebody sells, really captures my attention because of the presentation. Check out this Photoshopped image from FastCompany:








The base of the cyclist photo started out as Lance Armstrong's classic gesture counting his 7 Tour De France victories. You'll note the yellow band, and the Discovery team logo on the side of his shorts.

The jersey design comes from a 1929 cover by by Theodore G. Haupt, depicting a bicycle race with a heavy Art Deco gloss. The jersey is made by Retro Image Apparel, and goes on sale in June. See examples here.

The face belongs to Malcolm Gladwell, my favorite writer at the New Yorker.

This jersey catches my eye because it's close to the center of my own Venn diagram - Gladwell (whom I enjoy), The New Yorker (which I read - and am), and cycling. I'd like to think I'm immune to marketing, even ersatz Photoshopps, but I'm not.

Pong : Retro-Geek Gaming

Before the Wii, before DDR, a long time ago, back at the beginning, there was Pong.


Pong was the first mass-produced video game. It simulated ping-pong, played either between two players or between one player and the computer. The screen showed the position of two paddles, adjusted by the player twisting a knob, and the position of the ball. The score was also shown.

It was originally a coin-operated arcade console, but in 1975 it was released in home versions that used a television set as a display.



Now we've come full circle, and you can play Browser Pong on the Internet. Player One uses the A and Z keys to control their paddle, and Player Two uses the up and down arrows.

Instead of providing graphics within a window, this version of Pong actually uses windows as the paddles and the ping-pong ball. Its very true to the original experience. If it doesn't work for you, you may need to disable your pop-up blocker.

According to the website, Browser Pong was designed to demonstrate emerging HTML5 features, and is intentionally non-compatible with older browser versions and substandard browsers such as Internet Explorer. It works best in Safari 4, Chrome 4, FireFox 3.5, and Opera 10 in that order.

Browser Pong has got all the significant parts of the original Pong with one exception: no coin slot. Enjoy.