Episode 1177

We stayed on the rails pretty well in this episode, but there's a whole long thing about cake toward the end that the chat room dubbed "nerd freestyle" and, well, we love that. In other news, new TiVo underwhelms a bit (other than the remote) and Viacom goes all anti-Internet with Daily Show and Colbert. That's the cake part.
==Stories Covered==
TiVo unveils Series4 ‘Premiere’ DVRs with enhanced online integration
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10462438-1.html?
Viacom will take Daily Show, Colbert off Hulu
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/viacom-will-take-daily-show-colbert-off-hulu/?ref=business
Maybe they want to move to ivi.ru?
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-russian-hulu-lookalike-ivi.ru-opens-for-business/
Facebook could surpass $1 billion in revenue this year
http://mashable.com/2010/03/02/facebook-could-surpass-1-billion-in-revenue-this-year/
Google Asks US For WTO Block On China Censorship
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/03/03/1259202/Google-Asks-US-For-WTO-Block-On-China-Censorship
A Second Lessig Fair-Use Video Is Suppressed By WMG
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/slashdot/eqWf/~3/JOPWFEMseZ8/A-Second-Lessig-Fair-Use-Video-Is-Suppressed-By-WMG
$1M Prize For Finding Cause of Unintended Acceleration
http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/03/02/233246/1M-Prize-For-Finding-Cause-of-Unintended-Acceleration
iPhone ego clash costs Flash at Virgin America
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/02/virgin_america_html_flash/
Secret messages embedded in Portal update
http://www.devicemag.com/2010/03/02/valves-portal-receives-cryptic-update-contains-hidden-messages/
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/03/01/not-a-lie-valve-upda.html
Chile quake moved Earth’s axis, shortened days: scientist
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/chile-quake-moved-earths-axis-shortened-days-scientist-20100303-pgq9.html
Turn your arm into a phone with Skinput
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10462255-1.html
==Voicemail==
Jason in Cincy on Facebook and payments
==Emails==
Hey BOL crew!
Theres been a lot of talk recently about the arbitrary Apple App Store policies and their rejecting of random apps. It seems to me that if Apple really wanted this control, what they should have done from the beginning is use the gaming console model for the iPhone. Everyone knows and pretty much accepts that Nintendo controls exactly what types of games are allowed on the DS, and Sony wont allow a Wobble iBoobs type app anytime soon on the PSP. Portable consoles are really expensive to develop for and entirely controlled by the manufacturer for better or for worse.
So I think Apples problem is they opened it up so much that it seems too much like an open platform, and now people feel like they should be able to put whatever type of app they want on it. I think Apple got themselves in to this mess and now they have to live with it. Give up the battle and allow the users to decide, otherwise the exodus to places like Android wont be long in coming!
New listener and loving the show!
Sean
Ontario, Canada
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OK, so the violin analogy wasn’t perfect!
So, at the risk of being re-mocked, here’s an improved analogy: Let’s
say CNet decides to do away with the familiar guitar music that opens
the show. Instead, JaMoTo will open the show by singing a cute little
Buzz Out Loud jingle each day--in harmony! Oh, and you have to write
the jingle. And it has to change every week. Don’t want to do that one
little thing to humanize the show?? Typical techie attitude!
OK, same problem… that may not help the show! But I stand by the
original point: let’s not take it for granted that everyone should
feel as comfortable (or competent) doing the things that come very
naturally to us.
- Waldron in Boston
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Dude buzz crew get your history straight. WWI was started because some Serbian nationalist guy shot a Duke from Austria and then everyone had deals with each other so as soon as the two countries went to war all of friggin Europe went to war. Although this would be a perfect analogy if then Google, (and possibly other Android manufacturers who are worried about getting sued) jump in, where as if they wait to be sued before entering, then it is more like WWII where a lot of countries didn’t really get involved until they were attacked or threatened. Anyways love the show
Sam from Seattle.
p.s. Welcome back Jason, glad you enjoyed your break!
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I hate to nitpick, but Modern Warfare 2 is not the best selling game in history. New Super Mario Bros on the DS has outsold MW2. Nintendogs, Pokemon, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Bros. Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Fit, and a whole lot more.
Sure it's sold a lot, but it is not even close to being the biggest selling game in history. Please don't say such things if you don't know if you are correct or not..
Enjoy the show
Seth (I forgot to mention Mario Kart Wii)
==After The Credits==