ATLmalcontent.LGBT

Defining yourself by race, ethnicity or sexual orientation is, of course, weak. I’ve never felt pride in being gay because it required no effort. It’s like taking pride in having 10 toes. It’s not an accomplishment.

Not that there’s anything wrong with celebrating one’s heritage or culture, but this is getting ridiculous:

The Latino community may soon have its own top-level domain, .LAT, if a proposal by two organizations goes through. eCOM-LAC, an organization that works to ensure regional representation of Latin America, and NIC Mexico, the entity that manages the top-level domain of .MX for Mexico, announced the new extension earlier this month as an effort to “identify, differentiate, and add value to Internet resources related with Latinos.”

Anyone doubt this will become a trend?

We may one day see TLDs like .GLBT or .BIKE for the gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans and cycling communities, for example.

(via Andrew Sullivan)

ATLmalcontent.LGBT

Defining yourself by race, ethnicity or sexual orientation is, of course, weak. I’ve never felt pride in being gay because it required no effort. It’s like taking pride in having 10 toes. It’s not an accomplishment.

Not that there’s anything wrong with celebrating one’s heritage or culture, but this is getting ridiculous:

The Latino community may soon have its own top-level domain, .LAT, if a proposal by two organizations goes through. eCOM-LAC, an organization that works to ensure regional representation of Latin America, and NIC Mexico, the entity that manages the top-level domain of .MX for Mexico, announced the new extension earlier this month as an effort to “identify, differentiate, and add value to Internet resources related with Latinos.”

Anyone doubt this will become a trend?

We may one day see TLDs like .GLBT or .BIKE for the gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans and cycling communities, for example.

(via Andrew Sullivan)

Angst, Tears, Product Placement, More Angst

I had neither seen, nor heard of, the new Web video series “quarterlife” before today. If only I could turn back time.

The lead character is a girl named Dylan, complete with pouty lips and an overly earnest brow. The producers are the same “creative minds” behind “thirtysomething,” the whiniest show ever. Judging by their inability to capitalize titles and their soul-baring narratives, they’ve no doubt read too much E.E. Cummings.

Slate critic Troy Patterson actually had to endure the series, and he’s none too happy about it:

As a rule, if the female characters are not actively crying, then they’ve either just stopped or they’re wrinkling up their button noses in an attempt to start again. Lisa cries when she finally gets a look at Dylan’s blog, which depicts her as an alcoholic strumpet. “You put my face all over the frickin’ Net!” she bawls, rage overwhelming her faculties such that she can relay her thoughts only in the corniest terms. Lisa’s lower lip also gets to trembling when her acting teacher humiliates her in front of her class. (Hershovitz himself plays the teacher; quarterlife is so full of such rabbit holes and mirror tricks—the Toyota ad built into the plot, the fact that Dylan posts her videos on quarterlife.com—that it sometimes resembles a kind of kiddie Borges.)

Elsewhere, Dylan cries because she loves Jed—”The thing about Jed is, he really is an artist,” she says—but he loves Debra. The boys also get in on the act, with Jed mewling because he loves Debra and she loves Danny. Meanwhile, Danny mists up because he’s not a talented filmmaker and really needs Jed in order to get by, bro. All of them quiver and moon. None of them arouse our sympathies because they indulge their misery with rather too much relish. After all, if Dylan were content, what would she blog about? “Why aren’t you happy?” one of her friends asks in a lighter moment. Dylan responds in a preteen pout: “I don’t feel like it.” It’s supposed to be cute.

Angst, Tears, Product Placement, More Angst

I had neither seen, nor heard of, the new Web video series “quarterlife” before today. If only I could turn back time.

The lead character is a girl named Dylan, complete with pouty lips and an overly earnest brow. The producers are the same “creative minds” behind “thirtysomething,” the whiniest show ever. Judging by their inability to capitalize titles and their soul-baring narratives, they’ve no doubt read too much E.E. Cummings.

Slate critic Troy Patterson actually had to endure the series, and he’s none too happy about it:

As a rule, if the female characters are not actively crying, then they’ve either just stopped or they’re wrinkling up their button noses in an attempt to start again. Lisa cries when she finally gets a look at Dylan’s blog, which depicts her as an alcoholic strumpet. “You put my face all over the frickin’ Net!” she bawls, rage overwhelming her faculties such that she can relay her thoughts only in the corniest terms. Lisa’s lower lip also gets to trembling when her acting teacher humiliates her in front of her class. (Hershovitz himself plays the teacher; quarterlife is so full of such rabbit holes and mirror tricks—the Toyota ad built into the plot, the fact that Dylan posts her videos on quarterlife.com—that it sometimes resembles a kind of kiddie Borges.)

Elsewhere, Dylan cries because she loves Jed—”The thing about Jed is, he really is an artist,” she says—but he loves Debra. The boys also get in on the act, with Jed mewling because he loves Debra and she loves Danny. Meanwhile, Danny mists up because he’s not a talented filmmaker and really needs Jed in order to get by, bro. All of them quiver and moon. None of them arouse our sympathies because they indulge their misery with rather too much relish. After all, if Dylan were content, what would she blog about? “Why aren’t you happy?” one of her friends asks in a lighter moment. Dylan responds in a preteen pout: “I don’t feel like it.” It’s supposed to be cute.

Shocking fact of the day

Parents who think their teens’ online conversations with peers are innocent may want to reconsider. A new study shows 1 in 10 of their messages discuss drugs or sex.

The headline for this story: Study: Teen Online Talk Largely About Drugs, Sex

Does 10 percent count as “largely?” Frankly, I’m disappointed in the next generation.

Shocking fact of the day

Parents who think their teens’ online conversations with peers are innocent may want to reconsider. A new study shows 1 in 10 of their messages discuss drugs or sex.

The headline for this story: Study: Teen Online Talk Largely About Drugs, Sex

Does 10 percent count as "largely?" Frankly, I’m disappointed in the next generation.

Be careful what you google

In a report released Saturday, London-based Privacy International assigned Google its lowest possible grade. The category is reserved for companies with “comprehensive consumer surveillance and entrenched hostility to privacy.” …

While a number of other Internet companies have troubling policies, none comes as close to Google to “achieving status as an endemic threat to privacy,” Privacy International said in an explanation of its findings.

Meanwhile …

A jailed Chinese reporter accused of leaking state secrets has joined a U.S. lawsuit claiming Yahoo Inc. helped the Chinese government convict dissidents, his mother said Sunday.

Shi Tao, who was sentenced in 2005 to 10 years in prison, is seeking compensation from the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Internet company, claiming Yahoo Hong Kong and Yahoo China provided information to the Chinese authorities that led to his arrest.

Be careful what you google

In a report released Saturday, London-based Privacy International assigned Google its lowest possible grade. The category is reserved for companies with "comprehensive consumer surveillance and entrenched hostility to privacy." …

While a number of other Internet companies have troubling policies, none comes as close to Google to "achieving status as an endemic threat to privacy," Privacy International said in an explanation of its findings.

Meanwhile …

A jailed Chinese reporter accused of leaking state secrets has joined a U.S. lawsuit claiming Yahoo Inc. helped the Chinese government convict dissidents, his mother said Sunday.

Shi Tao, who was sentenced in 2005 to 10 years in prison, is seeking compensation from the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Internet company, claiming Yahoo Hong Kong and Yahoo China provided information to the Chinese authorities that led to his arrest.

Muzzling the troops

The Defense Department will begin blocking access “worldwide” to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular Web sites on its computers and networks, according to a memo sent Friday by Gen. B.B. Bell, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.

Is this supporting the troops? Military personnel depend on these networking sites to maintain contact with family and friends. No more. Might the brass be afraid of what the soldiers are telling the folks back home?

Muzzling the troops

The Defense Department will begin blocking access “worldwide” to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular Web sites on its computers and networks, according to a memo sent Friday by Gen. B.B. Bell, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.

Is this supporting the troops? Military personnel depend on these networking sites to maintain contact with family and friends. No more. Might the brass be afraid of what the soldiers are telling the folks back home?