Friday, 15 April 2011
The World of Holy Warcraft
"Seriously, i am tired," he wrote. "Looking at that number [of posts] just reminded me of how much time i am online my wife will love me for it, she says i spend too much time here."
He did not, however, stick to his resolution. Seven years later, this same user continues participating as a senior administrator on the same forum, where he has now posted an astonishing 63,000 posts. The forum measures "rep power," a way of rating users based on the quality of their posts, and his rep power is at 50, whereas most other users score in the teens. He's also started using the chat software Paltalk and Skype to reach out, hosting live forums.
The user's online handle is Abumubarak, and the forum where he spends hours at a time is not a gaming site or a forum about celebrity gossip, but one of the dozens of hard-line Islamist sites where commenters post news articles, terrorist propaganda, and their own opinions on the subject of jihad. And more than a few of the commenters have gone from online jihad to the real thing: The majority of Westerners following a radical interpretation of Islam who have been arrested on terrorism charges have either been active in the hard-line forums or in possession of extremist materials downloaded from the web...
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JPBarlow John Perry Barlow
Yesterday's charts & graphs on How The Rich Got Richer too complex? Here's one that's Tea Party dumb: http://j.mp/dURel3
Jules Verne's Volcano
12 months after Iceland's ash cloud grounded global air transport, leading sound recordist Chris Watson reveals the secrets of one of Iceland's more literary but no less famous volcanoes.
A boyhood Jules Verne fan, Chris will retrace the steps of Professor and Axel Lidenbrock from Reykjavik to his favourite place in the world - Snaefellsjokull - the glacier that contains the passage to the Centre of the Earth in Verne's 1864 seminal work of Science Fiction. Along the way he'll encounter communities affected by the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull, talking to people who live within this geologically charged environment and meeting artists and musicians who have been inspired by their volcanic landscape.
Tying in with Verne's theme of geographical exploration, to reach Snaefellsjokull - known to locals simply as Jules Verne's Volcano - Chris will travel through one of Iceland's most beautiful National Parks and will use his extraordinary recording techniques to reveal the natural sounds of this unique environment. The sounds of bubbling mud pools and sulphurous springs mirroring Jules Verne's deep connection to the physical world.
Revealing interviews with leading figures from Iceland's vibrant arts scene: including the keyboardist of Sigur Ros and best-selling Icelandic author Andri Snaer Magnason will combine with Chris's recordings as he creates his own sonic adventure in the shadow of Jules Verne's novel and Iceland's volcanoes.
Producer: Rose de Larrabeiti
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
Via: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0106tjp
Broadcast on BBC Radio4 in the UK, 11.30am, Thursday 14 April 2011 - Listen on BBC iPlayer for the next 7 days
Tunisia's former President Ben Ali faces 18 charges
Tunisian authorities say they want to try former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on 18 different charges, including voluntary manslaughter and drug-trafficking.
Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said the charges were among 44 to be made against Mr Ben Ali, his family and some former ministers.An international warrant for Mr Ben Ali's arrest is in force.
He was ousted in January amid a popular uprising and fled to Saudi Arabia.
Authorities said at the time they had arrested 33 members of his family, reportedly on suspicion of plundering the country's resources.
In an interview on state TV late on Wednesday, Mr Chebbi said 18 legal cases had been prepared against Mr Ben Ali, including ''conspiring against the state, voluntary manslaughter and drug use and trafficking", reported Tap state news agency.
Mr Chebbi said authorities had issued a request to Interpol to freeze the assets of Mr Ben Ali and his family, and said a delegation was being sent to Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, to try to speed up the enforcement of the request.
Mr Ben Ali is accused of ordering security forces to crack down on the revolt that began in mid-December.
The UN calculates 219 people died during the Tunisian uprising - including 72 in the country's jails - a far higher toll than that provided by Tunisian authorities.
Caretaker authorities have appointed a new government and the notorious and extensive secret police service has been dissolved.
Correspondents say the authorities are under pressure to establish their legitimacy in the eyes of protesters.
@'BBC'
Dear Labels, Go F**k Yourself. Love, Amazon...
In case you were wondering if Amazon is seeking licenses for its recent cloud-based launch... the answer is 'not really'. And, that was made blatantly obvious in this letter from Amazon to major label groups. What they are seeking is licenses for various enhancements upon their initial launch - for example, the ability to consolidate redundant song uploads with a single copy to save space. Here's the 'dear label' letter, shared with Digital Music News by various recipients...
Read HERE
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Ideologic Organ: Stephen O’Malley Curates New Editions Mego Imprint
@'The Wire'
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