What’s Up With Mary-Kate?

Fans of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen know that the former child stars have been missing from the spotlight for a while. While both actresses decided to do less media while attending college, they are slowly beging to re-appear in films. Writer/comedian Elaine Carroll has taken advantage of this lull to bring the internet Very Mary-Kate, a mocumentary web series that lampoons the former child star.

The satirical version of Mary-Kate follows the actress as she attempts to live on her own in the big city (with a body guard) in her 26 bedroom apartment. How will she ever survive? Check out the first two episodes below. read more

The Cost of Internet Addiction

Slow news days eventually lead local television to sensationalist stories, such as internet addiction. Since the late 1990s, investigative reports have shown that people spend too much time online. These are the same outlets that have accused television of robbing people of exercise and a social life. Perhaps the irony is lost when the reporter unknowingly reads from a teleprompter that children are addicted to the internet, while the station republishes the same story on the their website.

The internet, much like any other popular media, remains a target and a scapegoat for people to blame their behavior on. Does internet addiction really exist? The recent report from Reuters gives a mixed answer. The article cites a study conducted by the University of Maryland in which they had 200 students cut their media ties for 24 hours. The results claimed that the students suffered similar withdrawal symptoms to that of a real addiction. The American Psychiatric Association does not acknowledge internet or media addiction as a disorder.

The media jumped on this story after Reuters previously published a story on internet addiction in South Korea. This article claimed that 10% of adults and 26% of teenagers in the country had an addiction to the internet or online gaming. The South Korean government has taken action, spending the equivalent to $9 million on education programs and are even developing a voluntary system that will assign gamers identification codes that can be monitored by parents or tracked for time spent online.

If you think South Korea is tackling this problem the wrong way, then consider what is happening in the US. An internet rehab facility, reStart, opened last year outside of Seattle. The center is designed to help people who excessively surf the internet, text, or play games. The cost for a 45-day stay is roughly $30,000.

Addiction to social media and computers may very well be real, but until more conclusive evidence is presented, I think it is best to look at computers (or anything with a screen) as a tool that should compliment a lifestyle, not lead it. Until the media has some new studies to report, or a new technology to blame, we will continue to endure the sloppy reporting.

I’d love to hear your opinions on internet and/or social media addiction. Is it true? Are you addicted? Leave your comments below. I’ll leave you with a humorous comercial for Sony Vaio.

Bonus! A clip from South Park!

Photo: Lee Jordon

A Depressed Whale

I usually like to give context, but I think this is self-explanatory. From the creative people at FilmCow.com.

Marvel at The Magic Kingdom

On Monday, August 31, 2009, the worlds of the Marvel Universe and the Magic Kingdom collided as The Walt Disney Company announced plans to buy Marvel Entertainment for slightly over $4 billion. Almost immediately, the Disneyana types were excited and the Marvel Zombies were mortified.

Will Mickey Mouse become the newest member of the X-Men? Will Wolverine become a star on Disney on Ice? Will Hannah Montana dress up like Dazzler on an episode of her series? Will they pit Marvel’s Hercules versus Disney’s Hercules? Will Pinocchio be accused of being a mutant? Will The Incredibles fight against and later with the Fantastic Four? Actually, I’d like that one to come true to tell you the truth.

Most critics of the acquisition fail to realize that the same studio that gave us Hannah Montana, Winnie the Pooh, Cars, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and G-Force also gave us Gargoyles, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lost, Scream, Kill Bill, Trainspotting, and Clerks. Needless to say, the initial reaction has cooled down compared to what happened upon the announcement. Now, a little clarity is in order. read more

The Search Engine War Continues

Internet search is a multimillion dollar business. Google has been the search king for almost a decade, yet, that hasn’t deterred anyone from trying to compete in the market. The problem is that there has been a lot of promise with little delivery. A flux of new search technologies were announced last week, including new offerings from Microsoft, Google, and some new contenders.

It started with Wolfram Alpha which is not so much a search engine, as it is a data calculator. Someone uses a search engine, the site usually searches for words within a web page. Wolfram Alpha makes decisions based on your search query which allows you to compare data such as two stocks prices, the popularity of a name, research on this day in history. As the creator says, “its not a search engine its an answer engine.” Its an electronic brain that takes your search concept and displays it an informative and clean page. If anyone out there is fearing the singularity from Terminator, I’d say Wolfram Alpha is certainly a step in that direction.

Microsoft’s Bing.com, a search engine that organizes results into categorizes and gives more contextual search options. The video on their site shows how Bing will allow you to search restaurants, flights, coupons, and more, done on a global scale or only showing results in your city. The site will be replacing Microsoft’s Live.com search (who uses that?) upon release. read more

Will Craigslist put down the pimp cane?

There are few sites on the web that allow users to find used furniture, roommates, a new job and a booty call all within a few clicks of each other. Craigslist, one of the largest online classified ad sites on the web, has been under a lot of pressure since the emergence of the “Craigslist killer.” A 22-year old Boston man responded to an erotic massage ad and murdered the masseuse. The homicide has many people asking if Craigslist is responsible for facilitating meet-ups between its users.

State attorneys general from Missouri, Illinois, and Connecticut met in New York to discuss the site with a Craigslist representative. Finger pointing and ad citations began. Craigslist CEO, Jim Buckmaster, expressed his desire to work with law enforcement to stop illegal activity on the site. People are speculating that this means the complete removal of the erotic services section. Has Craigslist made prostitution too easy? read more

Prank Calling 2.0: Abusing Technology for Laughs

I admit it, I’m a fan of prank calls. Its the fun of being bad without the risk of getting caught. My inner child screams at the chance to shove in a one-liner before the inevitable click from the other end. As a child I scoured the phone book for people with strange names, as a teenager I used online databases to find surnames that would work perfectly into a punch-line.

Now that I’m a grown-up, the calling has stopped, but I’m able to live vicariously through the millions of angst-ridden kids that record and post their adventures on the web. The web is rife with audio and videos of some of the best pranks out here. I’ve outgrown the puns of Bart Simpson and relish in the elaborate and contrite plots people make up to keep others on the phone. Read on for my favorite prank sites… read more

Training for Parenthood

A great video from Summer of Tears, a southern California-based comedy troupe. Do pets really prepare couples for parenthood? Let’s find out.

Free Audio Books: Read With Your Ears

I often meander to the library with high ambitions. I check out two books, with an expectation that I’ll read them both before they’re due. Within two weeks I’m back at the library, extending my book loan and wishing I had the time to be as well read as I aspire to be. If there was only a way to read while I’m driving, taking a shower, and mowing the lawn…

To my delight, there is a way. Audio books! Anyone that has used iTunes or Audible.com knows that the selection of audio books (formerly known as books on tape/CD) is expansive. Just type in an author’s name or book title, and load up your iPod, Zune, or other media device and go! Many of the newest titles are read by authors or celebrities which makes for a wonderful experience. As times are tough, I’m making less purchases and audio books were the first expense to go. Is it back to the library again? Almost, until I discovered Librivox, a free open-source depository for public domain audio books. read more

Ashton & Oprah Team Up to Kill Twitter

As if you didn’t have reason enough to hate him, Ashton Kutcher has ruined everyone’s favorite micro-blog site, Twitter. In an effort to make a charitable donation seem more exciting and to generate some self-publicity, actor Ashton Kutcher waged a bet against cable news channel CNN. The first to have 1 million followers by the end of the competition would win. Kutcher agreed to donate funds for 10,000 mosquito nets to charity for World Malaria Day if he won, and 1,000 if he lost.

In true Hollywood douche fashion, Kutcher tried to spin the competition after he had won it. He claimed the victory to be a sign of individual/web user empowerment over corporations. As Ad Age so eloquently points out, Kutcher doesn’t address the fact that CNN aired his web clips as part of their broadcast or that his entire career was created and fostered by the big media conglomerates he claims to have overcome. It’s easy to bite the hand that feeds when someone is already full. read more