So...what did I miss?

As you may have followed, I was gone last week, and I was not paying attention.

These are the things that I was aware of:

• Italy and Spain had their economies propped up by the ECB.
• We had a really volatile week in the markets.
• Someone was shot in England and the UK was lit on fire.
• Michelle Bachmann won the Iowa Straw Poll.
• Goodhair declared his intention to seek the nomination of the Republican Party for the office of PotUS.
• Bert and Ernie had to release a statement saying that they had no intention to marry.

So, what did I miss that was important?

Ugh - Casey Anthony Edition

The only reason that I know who Casey Anthony is relates to the general ubiquity of the coverage of the case.

I do not know if she did this, and I do not really care. The system found her not guilty.

However, I do have an issue.

When the verdict was about to be broadcast, my curiosity got the better of me and I turned on the television. Thanks to the physical plant not being great, and oversubscribed, both MSNBC and CNN were unavailable on HD. That left me with Fox News(Megyn Kelly and Geraldo Rivera) and HNN with Nancy Grace.

The vitriol that these two networks put forth about this decision is...well...worth watching. Check that, it isn't. It wasn't for me. It was the worst display of the infotainment industry that I have been witness to in a while (but I think that is because I do not pay attention all that often) and...it made me think about a number of whys when it comes to modern American journalism.

What do you think? Was the coverage too much? If you watched, why? What did you get from it?

Truer words are rarely said

"The world needs more liberally educated, tech-savvy people," Kelly said.
IBM donates supercomputer to Union College - Times Union

I know a lot of technologists who do not read.  I know a number of people who are afraid of technology.

The few people that I know well who are both (McKern, Lux, Sandor) are some of the most exceptional people in my world.  My hope is that TEA will grow up in a world where he is encouraged to study both philosophy as well as engineering. 

I would also like a world where people took just a little bit of time to understand how computers work.  It should not be acceptable for an adult (especially one who uses a computer every day) to say that they do not understand what is happening or what is wrong with their device. 

The Kids Are Alright

It's a movement largely generated by the country's youth. They are the best educated, best informed, most international, and most multilingual the country has ever seen -- and with a 45 percent unemployment rate, also one of the most embittered in the country's history.

Spain's economic woes have been well documented. The global recession popped the country's decade-long property bubble, leaving it with a cripplingly high deficit and an overall unemployment rate that has crept up to 21 percent, Europe's highest. But it's even worse for young people. A combination of rigid labor market laws, a still-inflated housing market, and years of shortsighted economic policy have together created a perfect storm.

Sí, Se Puede - By Guy Hedgecoe | Foreign Policy

Asking for help - Podcasts

I prefer reading my news to watching it, but...one cannot spend their entire day in from on a screen, and I also like to listen to podcasts while I am working out.

I have asked for advice before, but I am asking again.

What podcasts are you listening to?

I like news. I like my news to be more opinion-ie than hard news, and I would love something local that is well informed, full of information, and snarky and/or absurd.

If there was someone who was a combination of Rachel Maddow and David Plotz, that would make me incredibly happy!

Any ideas?

News in Brief - Tuesday

• Slate has a wonderful piece about one of the Unsung Heroes of the Cold War who asked the question, "If the President gives the order to launch our nuclear arsenal, can we be sure that the President is sane enough to make that call?"  I think that it is a more than fair question, as anyone who would use nuclear weapons clearly is less than sane.
• The NYT's Caucus Blog asks, "Will the rising gas prices be an issue for candidates in 2012?"  Um. Yes.  Is that even a question?  Americans love there big cars and love living in suburban wastelands.  Most Americans think that public transportation is a bad thing or that riding a bicycle is juvenile. (Yes, I am using most here.  Statistics support me.  Source them yourself. Start with the Dept of Transportation.)
• While the The King of All Media asked, and rightfully so, "Who is more insane, Charlie Sheen or Glenn Beck?" on The Daily Show, Mr. Sheen was on Piers Morgan and made the most wonderful statement ever..."I have a ten thousand year old brain and the boogers of a seven year old."  Clearly, this man is sane, ready to get back to work, and unaffected by narcotic abuse.
• In an effort at counter-programming, The Awl is going to be a Sheen Free Zone today.
• Howard Kurtz has a good piece on The Daily Beast about how Rachel Maddow has become the face of MSNBC after the departure of Keith.  Yes, my crush was only deepened.
• And one that has me scratching my head a little...Frank Rich is leaving the New York Times for New York Magazine? That just seems like an odd move, especially right now.  I do hope it works out for everyone involved.
• Oh, and... the redesign that made most Gawker media sites unreadable (with the exception of Fleshbot), yeah...Nick Denton sent out a memo saying that it....could have gone better.

Basic Religion Test Stumps Many Americans

This is far from surprising.

From The New York Times:

Basic Religion Test Stumps Many Americans
Americans surveyed on their religious knowledge got half the questions wrong, including ones about their own faith.
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