Should bloggers start a union?

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Countless professions have a union, but bloggers are one of the ones that don’t. Daniel Scocco over at Daily Blog Tips wants to change that, and he has suggested that a “Bloggers Union” be set up. Good idea or not? Well, I think it’s a good idea, in principle anyway.

Bloggers, like any other worker, can always use some protection. Use my situation as an example: I spent most of today dealing with two plagiarists who stole content from a Web site where I am the manager and publishing editor. One of them eventually took down the page after much cursing and shouting, but the other is going through bureaucratic channels at WordPress, where we had a surreal conversation about the precise meaning of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Now if there was a union, with members who were lawyers, they could advise other members who were victims of plagiarists about the best way to deal with the situation. The lawyers could supply the correctly worded letters, legal advice and even offer to represent fellow union members in court.

Scocco also suggests that a union could gang up on people who are scamming another union member by blogging about the offender, and hurting their reputation in the process. I am strongly against that one. For a start, there are the legal implications (libel), and secondly, you don’t risk damaging someone’s reputation without knowing all of the facts first and without getting both sides of the story. What Daniel is suggesting is NOT responsible journalism!

The only negative I can see with a bloggers’ union is: who runs it? Who maintains independent oversight of any finances? If they are collecting dues from members, what’s to stop any stealing of the money? If they end up having members from all over the world, who watches the watchers?

It would be very easy for elite groups to spring up and for pompous, self-important individuals to get too full of themselves. So as long as any union officials were subject to re-election say every 12 months, would that address my concern? It would make it nice and neat, and would stop people in positions of importance from getting too comfortable and from lining their pockets with members’ money.

What do you think? Is a bloggers’ union a start or a stupid idea? If you’re interested in the idea, just head on over to Daniel’s site and contact him. Meanwhile, I am interested in what you have to say about the whole proposition.



Were Ancient Romans D&D gamers?

I have absolutely no idea what a 2nd century roman citizen would have done with a D20 Dice, but it seems they were being used WAYYYYY before people started playing Dungeons & Dragons in the 70’s. Unfortunately, researchers have not yet established the game for which these dice were used, but I really doubt people were playing RPG’s back then. This particular polyhedra dice was sold in December 2003 for a paltry $17,925.

[Via Gizmodo]

Jason Statham’s “Death Race” Promises Mindless Summer Fun

Movies starring Jason Statham never require a very high IQ to enjoy, but they usually provide some pretty good entertainment value (apart from the absolutely horrible “In the name of the king“.) “Death Race” looks pretty much the same: Action, women, guns and explosions. Anyways, here’s the trailer, for your viewing enjoyment.



Google dumps Firefox Browser Sync

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

One of the extensions that will NOT be graduating with the Firefox class of 2008 will be Google Browser Sync after the company decided to consign it to the internet graveyard. It seems the team responsible for its development has “moved onto other projects” (is that like a politician resigning “to spend more time with his family”?)

It’s a little strange that Google didn’t consider this extension important, especially with all the Google Browser rumors constantly flying about. If a Google browser DID come out, you’d think a synchronization feature would be one of the top features. But along with the news that they are dumping Browser Sync, Google is instead recommending that you use an online bookmarking service such as Foxmarks or Google Bookmarks!!

To go from a remote browser synchronization service to an online bookmarking service is like taking someone’s Porsche away and asking them to take the bus instead (and expecting them to cough up the money for the fare too). How can they possibly compare Browser Sync to Google Bookmarks? The two services are totally different and offer two totally different things.

Browser Sync wasn’t perfect and it had bugs, so much so that Mozilla warned users about using it. But I would have liked Google to have done additional work on it and developed it more for Firefox 3. Now it will go in the “what if?” chapter of internet history.

Instead, we can now focus on Mozilla’s own upcoming version of Browser Sync called Weave.

What happens when you crap in outer space?

As a kid, I’ve asked myself this question many times: how are space toilets designed so that when you sit down on them for a big job, everything that comes out of your body doesn’t start floating around and basically just creating a big mess? The following video provides the answer, and comes straight from the mouth of a NASA engineer Chris Hadfield, a space shuttle astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency (Thanks d0d0burd!).

The Emperor: The ultimate geek workstation

Fellow geeks, get ready to start hard-core lusting about what I’m going to show you. Meet “The Emperor”:

Emperor Workstation

Yes, I know, the thing looks like some kind of imperial control station coming right out of a Star Wars movie, but if you look closely, you’ll notice it’s been designed to look like a scorpion’s tail. The geek in me refuses to admit the resemblance, though!

The Emperor features three widescreen monitors, THX Dolby surround sound, air filtering, light therapy, a Web cam, battery backup and many other things to help you fantasize about being a tyrannical army commander controlling a galaxy takeover.

NovelQuest, the company behind the device, will release full specs and price on July 24. Geeks, be ready to cry over your keyboard, because I’m fairly sure most of you won’t be able to afford it!

The Doctor Is In: Examining The Online Excuse Generator

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

These days, many bosses are requiring a doctor’s note to take sick time off. So what can you do when you’re in desperate need of a mental health day but have no real ailment? Fear not, my friends: You don’t have to look far.

The sick day excuse has turned into a booming internet business. Some sites are selling customizable keys to freedom for as much as $20 a pop. Other services are lending a helping hand free of charge. Most of the companies claim the notes are “indistinguishable from the real thing” and are foolproof because of federal privacy laws that prevent employers from contacting your doctor.

So, without further adieu, here’s your cheat sheet to the world of online cheating:

Continue reading ›

High-Tech Bar Tables Offer Virtual Flirting

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

A new Microsoft-powered table lets you flirt with strangers at a bar — without ever leaving your seat.

Microsoft debuted the high-tech tabletop at Harrah’s Rio All-Suite Hotel in Las Vegas this week. It revolutionizes the very nature of the watering hole and may change the face of the drunken hookup forever.

Virtual Flirt

Shy guys, listen up: This feature could let you approach women in a bar without having to actually approach them. The counter’s built-in 30-inch flatscreen has a program that gives you a glimpse at the location’s ladies, even if they’re sitting right behind you. You can look at them via integrated cameras, chat with them, take and send photos, and even use the convenient number exchange option when you’re ready to seal the deal. All this, and you never have to make eye contact. Unfortunately, though, Microsoft forgot to incorporate the cybersex add-on, so you will have to engage in some old-fashioned human interaction if you wish to engage in an amorous event.

eBartending

Want to mix your own drink? Now you can — sort of. The system’s Mixologists program gives you the toys to play bartender. You can click on any alcohol, juice, or mixer and drag as much of it as you want into your drink. Once you finish the concoction, a bartender will get the message and whip up your custom-made creation. The Mixologists program will even remember your drink so you can get it again. The hope is to eventually network throughout all Harrah’s properties so you could order your drink from any station, anywhere at its Vegas hotels.

Bar Boredom

The computers have plenty of options to help you beat a boring night at the bar. You can watch videos on YouTube and play a variety of games. Oh, the bar can watch you, too: The system is designed to track your drinking and gambling habits to help the hotel better market to you.

Future Uses

This may only be the beginning of the tabletop computer technology. The systems — which are completely safe to set drinks on — have already been used in AT&T Wireless stores, where they recognize phones and give customers information specific to their devices. Microsoft is now working on applications for Starwood Hotels. We can only hope that they too will have the built-in flirt technology, room-to-room.

Check out the system for yourself in this video that will be nothing like any normal person’s experience.

Tuesday 17th June : D-Day for Firefox 3

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Mozilla has finally announced the release date for Firefox 3 – Tuesday June 17th – 5 days from now. Mark it in your calendars folks!

It’s taken 34 months to develop Firefox 3 and anticipation is high. I tried out one of the preview versions when I was helping out a developer with his new Firefox extension and the browser seemed to be quite nice.

Mozilla claims that FF3 is faster than its predecessor but I didn’t notice any startling difference. But the interface is much nicer to work with and that matters if you work with the browser all day.

I particularly like the drop-down address bar and how it shows the favicons of where you have visited :

The question though is whether all of the extensions will be compatible in time for the 17th. All of the extensions that I have installed are ones I need on a daily basis, and discovering they are incompatible will mean I will have to continue using Firefox 2. But from what I hear, developers have really been hard at work to ensure that most extensions will be ready. So I am hopeful that everything will be fine and ready to go.

So put a big circle around the 17th on your calendar and get ready to make that day a world record in downloading and to say a big Adios to the *ahem* buggy and unreliable Firefox 2!!