Google files for RSS ads patent
Google has filed a patent application for serving targeted ads in RSS feeds. The patent application, filed under the name of Nelson Minar, who works for Google AdWords, describes “[i]ncorporating targeted ads into information in a syndicated, e.g., RSS, presentation format in an automated manner.” The patent covers RSS, Atom and XML methods of delivery
Operation Safeguard: New York, Big Brother is watching you
Authorities in New York are advising residents and business owners to report suspicious activities of all types to the New York Office of Homeland Security. Operation Safeguard is a statewide program where residents and business owners can report suspicious activities to a special hotline. Businesses may also receive correspondence via mail asking for their cooperation.
London bombing and shooting updates
While officers involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes are given paid holiday and “non-firearm duties,’ the victim’s family may sue the Metropolitan Police over its shoot-to-kill policy. He was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder, according to police investigators. The undercover police did not identify themselves. Lee
Jack Thompson targets Sims 2 “full frontal nudity’
Miami attorney Jack Thompson didn’t stop after his vicious attacks on the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He’s now targeting The Sims 2. Thompson, who represents defendants in homicides and other crimes he claims were inspired by Grand Theft Auto, claims that a simple code in The Sims 2 unlocks the “blur’
Freedom is irrelevant, you will be a PATRIOT
(I’ve been in bed Friday with a severe headache, the kind which prevents coherent thought, or even standing up, but I’m back! No promises on coherent thoughts, though.) On Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives voted 257-171 to reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act, making permament 14 of 16 of its provisions, and extending for another
NYPD police officer fired for blogging?
Officer Edward Polstein of the New York Police Department claims he was fired for running a Web site criticizing the department’s policies. Department officials, however, say he was fired for reneging on an early-retirement deal. The site, known as NYPD RANT, is widely read by NYPD officers, family members, and the public at large. Postings
Congress to extend Daylight Saving Time by two months
thaJack.com alerted me that Congress is considering a bill to extend Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. by two months. The proposal would start Daylight Saving Time on the first Sunday in March and end it on the last Sunday in November. Currently, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 am on the first Sunday in
FBI monitored free speech in counterterrorism investigation
A Washington Post report today details how the FBI’s counterterrorism unit monitored several Web sites calling for protests on the 2004 Republican and Democratic national conventions. “It’s increasingly clear that the government is involved in political surveillance of organizations that are involved in nothing more than lawful First Amendment activities,’ said Anthony Romero, executive director
Court: Bowling for Columbine “factual and substantially true’
A federal judge has dismissed a $20 million libel lawsuit against Michael Moore filed by James Nichols, brother of Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols. James Nichols said statements in Moore’s Oscar-winning film Bowling for Columbine could be misinterpreted to inaccurately link him to the bombing. He also said the film intentionally inflicted emotional distress on
New at Wal-Mart: Find a date on singles’ night
Don’t know what to do on Friday night? Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis not quite your thing? Singles’ night at Wal-Mart may be what you’re looking for. The Wal-Mart store in Roanoke, Va., is the first Wal-Mart in the U.S. to offer singles’ night, where shoppers can browse the aisles looking for a potential date.
