Google today basically told Viacom that they have every right to broadcast its videos on YouTube (YouTube is owned by Google in case you’ve been on vacation in Antarctica), many of which are Viacom-owned properties.
Viacom had previously filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google.
This has all the makings of an all-out cyber war in court, and could have far reaching effects over content on the web and how its distributed.
So does this mean that Viacom is going to suffer a ranking penalty on Google’s search engine??
Seems there’s some folks in Alabama who need a serious attitude adjustment.
Jeff Gordon wins at Talladega this past weekend and in doing so passes the late great Dale Earnhardt for Winston Cu….uh I mean Nextel Cup wins. Gordon now has 77.
So as Gordon is slowing down to take his victory lap fans in the stands start hurling full beers at him AND anything else on the track, including other drivers and any track personell that might have been nearby.
Reports are there were less than 10 people detained for their actions. There was no word if they were actually arrested.
If it were me? You would be prosecuted and NEVER allowed back to the track…ever!
A class act people…hope you’re proud of yourselves.
Tony Stewart sure has had an interesting couple of weeks!
First, Tony talks about retiring after the Texas race because of his ‘misfortune’ which has dogged him all year. Then he skips the post-race interview with NASCAR after Phoenix because he asserts that NASCAR is fixing the race, essentially.
Here’s a quote from Tony:
“It’s like playing God. They can almost dictate the race instead of the drivers doing it. It’s happened too many times this year.”
“I guess NASCAR thinks ‘Hey, wrestling worked, and it was for the most part staged, so I guess it’s going to work in racing, too,’” he said. “I can’t understand how long the fans are going to let NASCAR treat them like they’re stupid before the fans finally turn on NASCAR.
“I don’t know that they’ve run a fair race all year.”
Ouch!
Then he really tries to endear himself to NASCAR by saying this:
“There’s nothing, zero, in my contract that says I have to do that,” he said. “We do that as a courtesy to NASCAR and the media. The thing with the media is they think it’s our obligation to do those things. It’s not our obligation. It’s a privilege that they get to do that. NASCAR is the ones that always ask us to go to the media center, so instead of doing what they wanted, they don’t do what we want to do and run the race fair,” he said. “So why would I go to the media center and make them happy?”
I like the fact that Stewart isn’t afraid to say how he feels in an age where…well…you can’t say what you feel! But I think Tony is pulling a bit of a whiner here…partly. Let me explain.
On his rant about retirement after the Texas race: He was frustrated, got tangled with Juan Montoya and spun. His emotions got the best of him and he whined. It happens. Tony, get over it!
Now the Phoenix deal: I think there are a number of people out there that are, shall we say, dubious on how NASCAR ‘officiates’ its races from time to time. There are examples of this. Take this quote from MSNBC
Think about way-past-his-prime Richard Petty winning his 200th NASCAR race at Daytona in 1984 in front of President Reagan on Independence Day weekend. Indiana native Jeff Gordon winning the inaugural race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning his first Daytona 500 late in his career in 1998, on the opening day of NASCAR’s 50th anniversary season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning the Pepsi 400 in 2001, the first race after his father died that same Daytona track. For that matter, Juan Pablo Montoya, the only Latin American driver in the race, winning this year’s Busch Series event in Mexico City.
It makes you pause, does it not…if even for a moment?
Now some (many?) will say it’s just coincidence…that it would be impossible to stage or manipulate a result because of the large number of people that would have to be ‘in on the fix’, so to speak.
Consider this: Could a day come where enough people get fed up with NASCAR because, in their view, they ‘cheat’ to obtain the results they desire? And could this lead to lawsuits…even major ones? After all, NASCAR races are wagered on in Vegas. And we’ve already seen that the government does not view manipulation in sports too kindly.
And in the end, even NASCAR is not above the long arm of the feds.
Have you heard of Second Life yet? It’s a virtual 3-D world where you can buy land, shop and even market real world products!
Here’s a quote from their website:
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 5,861,535 people from around the globe.
You create a character and wander around the cyber-world SL has created. You even use SL currency called Linden dollars and you actually buy those dollars using real money!
I’m told that real companies are starting to market their real world products and services on Second Life.
Confused?
Go give it a look.
P.S. If you run into Kenneth Drumbeat on SL, that’s me! Make sure to say hi!
One of my favorite blogs that I visit often is by a famous rock photographer named Ross Halfin. He’s literally shot everybody in pop music (especially rock) so there’s great photos on there to check out.
But what’s even better is his writing style. He’s got a great, dry English humor style and he detests the ‘rock star’ attitude…very entertaining!
What more can I say? I spent all Sunday with a hangover and a terrible headache. And it’s the tap beer I’ll tell you! So consider this a public service announcement.
Well I did have some Sake too but that’s another story…
It’s a guy named Justin who has a webcamera strapped to his head (his baseball cap actually…I think!) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while he basically walks around and lives his life. He has a support cast of three other guys who assist him (technically) on his ‘webadventure’…he goes on dates, goes to parties and sits in his apartment with his roommates/tech staff.
I’m not sure what the goal is…other than getting alot of traffic to his site.
I have been working towards launching my personal blog for some time now and had tentatively planned on having it launched in the next month or so.
This has changed.
The reason? I felt it necessary to express my profound sadness, support and prayers to everyone affected by the Virginia Tech tragedy. Not because of any self motives. It is simply to say to anyone who has been affected and might read this that I am praying for all the families who are going through unimaginable pain and sorrow.
