[Sources: Cheezburger.com | Engadget | FailBlog.org | Flickr | MacroMeme | TechnoBuffalo]

]]> http://the-trukstop.com/2011/03/26/video-truk-the-ultimate-fonzie-scene/feed/ 0 http://the-trukstop.com/2011/03/22/rising-within-excerpt-1/ http://the-trukstop.com/2011/03/22/rising-within-excerpt-1/#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:17:34 +0000 cGt2099 cGt2099DamagescapeDeath StreetGreg DaviesLyrical ConceptsPoemPoemsPoetryRising WithinWithin http://the-trukstop.com/?p=1886 Dead man
Still walking
Through a hidden door that leads
Into an insane dominion
He picks up the knife
& slices portions of his flesh
It is the only thing
That makes him feel alive
Over on the corner of Death Street
Lies a pool of blood
Bullet casings
Bodies
Someone woke up
& became what they swore they never would
I bear witness and cry
Screaming at the perpetrator
I see him in my mind
& wish that opportunity would grant me one crack at him
Alone in your room
You focus on the yelling
& you focus on everything wrong they say to you
As you do, you feel the blade cut your wrists
It’s enough for you
Just to feel like you are alive
Do you realize exactly what the fuck it is you’ve done to the people around you?
The dull traffic is heavy and steaming on I-35E at 5:00 PM. The police officer watches them all and is waiting for the right moment. He will take care of them all. He will make sure about it. He does his job, and prays that his superiors don’t find what he has on his MySpace page. If only they know that his hobby is slaughtering innocents. If only they knew.
The blood flows freely
Down the walls
Onto the floor
& into my soul…

But this is besides the point. I’ve heard many people state that Kevin Rose leaving Digg is akin to rats leaping from a sinking ship. If you asked me months ago, during the Digg V 4 fiasco, if the site was a sinking ship, I may have agreed with you. But times have changed. Matt Williams jumped on board as CEO and reshaped Digg into a more agreeable and more functional Digg V 4 – it was something that hearkened back to the older days.

For years, in fact since the inception of Digg in 2004, the moniker “Kevin Rose” has become synonymous with “Digg”. People have evolved to the assumption that one cannot exist without the other – that his creation of the social news site formed a symbiotic relationship. They believe that if you get rid of one, the result will be similar to that of dividing by zero and ripping the fabric of space and time. The destruction of the universe is imminent, they would feel and believe.

This could not be further from the truth. In my view, the best thing for Digg at this point in time is for Kevin Rose to leave and move on. While he is responsible for the vision of the site’s beginnings and early directions, Digg is now an entirely different site than what it was in the early years. It has shifted and evolved. And some of this evolution has not been the best for Digg (version 4 and ridiculous bannings that began with my own, for example).

Rose’s scrutiny of the site is most likely still in a similar place to where he was in 2004 through to 2006. These were the big years of Digg, which saw its major rise. Since that time, the social news site has faced numerous concerns and controversies that have frustrated and angered the community. The changes have rarely been for the positive, which reinforces the concept and idea that Rose’s focus for Digg is not in line and in harmony with where the site and the community are evolving.

The social web has seen major changes since 2006. Twitter and Facebook have exploded, bringing forth a new concept to sharing content that until that time had not been imagined. MySpace came close to bringing this personalized content sharing, but lost their vision with what the site was becoming (a problem that newcomers Tumblr are now facing also). It will be interesting to see what begins to emerge as the next possible stage of evolution for the social web.

And perhaps that is what Rose is pursuing. He’s chasing the next evolutionary era of the web. He was successful in calling it with Early Digg in 2004, and was very nearly on the mark with Pownce (but Twitter won the microblogging war); perhaps he has a new vision for a new direction.

But just as Rose is moving forward with something different, Digg also needs to advance and grow without him. Without Rose, the team will bring in new blood and new ideas, allowing new generations of visionaries contribute to the direction Digg will go in.

This is the best thing that could transpire to the site. If Rose stays, Digg WILL plummet from the skies and go the way of GeoCities.

But without him, and a new team pushing Digg forward, there is still hope left for the social media site that has much work to do in restoring the faith and dedication of its community.

It’s possible that the Future Non-Rose Digg may become a much better site than ever before.

Time will tell…

Let’s take a look back at some of the images associated with Japanese tsunamis of years gone by:

Let’s start from the top. Jon Bon Jovi was being interviewed by The Sunday Times magazine from the United Kingdom about many things, and one of the issues that came up during the conversation was how the music industry has changed and evolved. This is what Jon had to say:

“Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it.

“God, it was a magical, magical time. I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am, and you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: ‘What happened?’ Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business”.

What Jon Bon Jovi is trying to say and express is that times change in the music industry. The same argument was made during his days of popularity in the era of Slippery When Wet and New Jersey: that was the height of the music video era, and countless artists from previous eras discussing how music videos had “destroyed” the world of the listeners’ imaginations while playing music.

There’s even a song out there about it that you may have heard of… Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles.

It was a sign of the times and the expression that something or someone “destroyed” the music industry is not necessarily placing blame on a person or thing; it’s more of an expression that is indicative of the evolution of how things change in the music industry.

The Apple fanboys in the tech press however, took a few moments to pull their dicks out of their iPads, and jumped on Bon Jovi’s remarks; specifically with relation to his comments about Steve Jobs. The problem is that the crew over at CNet and TechDirt (there were others, but I decided to just pick on these two) focused ONLY on the sentence of Steve Jobs without really taking the whole thing into context.

They turned it into an article to ridicule Bon Jovi for his comments.

I have a problem with this. This isn’t the same as Gene Simmons “blaming the geeks” for killing the music industry and advocating litigation. This isn’t the same as Lars Ulrich leading the charge into battle against Napster. What Bon Jovi was doing was pointing out a major change in the context of listeners enjoying music. His use of Steve Jobs‘ name is symbolic more than anything else. In context of his remarks, it’s synonymous with iPods, MP3 files, MP3 players, Computers, or technology in general.

Essentially what he is saying is that technology has changed the evolution of the music industry.

And when you take that into account, what Jon Bon Jovi is saying is that the name Steve Jobs is not only synonymous with Apple, but with the words “Computers” and “Technology”. That’s a hell of a compliment (a back handed one, sure) right there.

For what it’s worth, I am old enough to remember the era Bon Jovi speaks of (and the era before music videos too). And to a degree, he is right. There was something magic about the album jackets and that era. But he’s also wrong about something else. The music industry is always changing, influenced by the evolution of technology – but with that brings new eras that create new magic moments.

Whether it is the imagination of a song’s storyline without a music video, emerging completely into the universe of the album completely, or feeling the enjoyment of a brand new download, the magic of music will never be destroyed.

[Sources: The Sunday Times | MSN | CNet | TechDirt]

[Sources: Douban.com | Reddit]

Needless to say, the Mixx community was pretty upset at the news. In response, we decided to create our own social news site… basically it’s the community trying to save itself.

I am very happy to announce we have finally opened the social news site at MixxingBowl.com It would be greatly appreciated if you could come by and check it out

This one’s slightly different than the first (which you can still get a copy of right here). The first Sobering Thoughts was a compilation of lyrical concepts and poetic ideals I’ve been writing since 1991. The contents focused on a broad range of years. For Sobering Thoughts II, it’s a more intense, short term focus of a few years. Instead of delving deeper into my past unpublished works, the collection in ST2 will focus on works from 2005-2011.

There’s still a long way to go on the book, but I’m happy to announce that it’s coming soon. In the meantime, check out the design I’ll be using for the cover art:

Also, this:

]]> http://the-trukstop.com/2011/03/04/hello/feed/ 0 http://the-trukstop.com/2011/02/27/millennium-x-could-there-be-a-role-for-frank-black-in-the-next-x-files-movie/ http://the-trukstop.com/2011/02/27/millennium-x-could-there-be-a-role-for-frank-black-in-the-next-x-files-movie/#comments Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:30:09 +0000 cGt2099 20122012 PhenomenonAlienAliensBook of RevelationsChris CarterCigarette Smoking ManDana ScullyDavid DuchovnyFox MulderFrank BlackGillian AndersonI Want To BelieveKnights TemplarLance HenriksenLone GunmanMayan CalendarMillennium BugMillennium GroupMillennium XMorleyMorley CigarettesNostradamusOwlsPeter WattsPriory of SionRevelationsRoostersSyndicateTerry O-039QuinnThe Book of RevelationsThe Knights TemplarThe Lone GunmanThe Millennium BugThe Millennium GroupThe OwlsThe RoostersThe SyndicateThe TruthThe Truth Is Out ThereThe X FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files 3The X-Files IIIThe X-Files: I Want To BelieveTruthTruth Is Out ThereX FilesX-FilesX-Files 3X-Files III http://the-trukstop.com/?p=1803 The X-Files has a rich history of its own mythology, stretching back to its debut in 1993, through its spin-off shows Millennium and The Lone Gunman, and up to the most recent movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. With the possibility of a third movie being set for 2012, I began to wonder whether there could be a chance for another of Chris Carter‘s characters to make an appearance in the film: Frank Black, as portrayed by Lance Henriksen, from Millennium.

Chris Carter has stated that the next X-Files movie would return its focus to the overarching alien mythology of the original series, specifically relating to the 2012 events forecast in the series conclusion. The concept was with regards to the alien colonization set for December 22, 2012 – keyed to tie in with the Mayan 2012 Phenomenon.

The Millennium series never touched on the X-Files alien mythology, and instead had two continual themes: crime stories focusing on the apprehension of serial killers, and the end-time prophecies driving the group that Frank Black works for. This group, named the Millennium Group, was initially believed to have been established as a consulting group for criminal investigations. As the series progressed, it was revealed that it was more of a secret society, or cult, with a history that stretched back centuries, rivaling the Priory of Sion and the Knights Templar.

There are numerous factions within the Millennium Group (the Owls and the Roosters were the most prominent during the airing of the second season), and while the main group had focused on the year 2000, it was revealed that some of the factions within the Group believed that the apocalyptic year was not the turn of the century, but instead a year later within the 21st century. While the series suggested a few years, the concept of the Millennium Group was the same: no matter whether it was the year 2000 or a much later date, their objective was to prepare for the end.

Clearly, as history panned out, no apocalypse erupted during the year 2000. Even the Millennium Bug was a fizzler. But no matter the case, there will always be significant upcoming dates in history that people will point to as doomsday moments – and all of these fear-mongering future dates make for great storytelling. Within the context of the Millennium series, it would make sense that there would be a faction within the group looking very closely at the key Mayan dates in December 2012.

In the X-Files episode entitled Millennium, which brings closure to the 3 seasons of Frank Black’s journey, it’s further revealed that there are rogue elements within the Millennium Group that are desperate to justify their existence by ensuring that apocalyptic events take place. These events required careful planning, and needed to metaphorically connect to the Book of Revelations and other prophetic sources such as the writings of Nostradamus.

By this stage of Black’s journey, he was against the Millennium group, and eventually would join forces with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully to stop these rogue elements from causing terror and murdering innocents.

If there are factions within the Millennium Group that are focused on 2012, and if Frank Black became aware of rogue elements ensuring events happen (and if he got dragged into it), then it would also stand to reason that he would want these elements stopped also.

But how does this connect to The X-Files?

Aside from the obvious explicit cross-over in the X-Files Millennium episode, Chris Carter had included small moments in the Millennium series that connected elements between the two shows. The key scene that nailed this was the character Peter Watts (portrayed by Terry O’Quinn) entering a Millennium Group storage area and finding a disposed Morley butt left behind by the Cigarette Smoking Man from the X-Files.

This scene implies more than just a cross over between the two shows. It implies that the Cigarette Smoking Man, who worked for secret government based Syndicate, was also connected to the conspiratorial secret society known as the Millennium Group. Ponder that thought even deeper, and you’ll come across a more mind-boggling question: Was it the Syndicate that ran the Millennium Group, or the Millennium Group that ran the Syndicate?

Bearing this connection in mind, and also bearing in mind that there could conceivably be a Millennium faction focusing on 2012, it would therefore be a realistic assumption to make that the Millennium Group also had extensive contact with the colonization plans established between the aliens and the Syndicate. Indeed, they could have even been the deeper force behind orchestrating the events in the entire series of The X-Files.

Either way, if Chris Carter, David Duchovny, and Gillian Anderson decide to move forward with a 2012 X-Files film, it’s sure to please the hardcore fans with a return to the classic alien mythology of the series. In my mind, the character of Frank Black would be a wonderful addition to a film, providing Lance Henriksen plays the part of course. It would be an awesome tip of the hat to perhaps one of the most underrated television shows from the 1990′s.

It’s all just speculation…

References, Sources, and Further Reading:
Wikipedia: 2012 Phenomenon
Wikipedia: Frank Black
Wikipedia: Millennium
Wikipedia: Millennium Group
Wikipedia: Mythology of The X-Files
Wikipedia: The X-Files Sequel Details
Wikipedia: The X-Files Season 7 – Millennium
Wikipedia: The X-Files Season 9 – The Truth

]]> http://the-trukstop.com/2011/02/26/spider-meme-2/feed/ 0 http://the-trukstop.com/2011/02/18/8-popular-bands-that-got-their-own-comic-books/ http://the-trukstop.com/2011/02/18/8-popular-bands-that-got-their-own-comic-books/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:34:22 +0000 cGt2099 Alice CooperChaos ComicsCryptic WritingsCryptic Writings of MegadethDark CarnivalDoctor DoomDr. DoomEminemFrank CastleFrom the InsideFucking Magnets How Do They WorkGWARHorrorHoward the DuckICPImage ComicsInsane Clown PosseInsideKill CorpsKISSKISS 4KKISSnationLast TemptationMarvelMarvel ComicsMarvel PremiereMarvel UniverseMegadethNeil GaimanPendulumPsycho CircusPunisherSci-FiScience FictionSlave Pit FunniesSlim ShadyStatic-XThe Cryptic Writings of MegadethThe InsideThe Kill CorpsThe Last TemptationThe PendulumThe PunisherThe X-MenWolverineX-Men http://the-trukstop.com/?p=1770 The worlds of comic books and music sometimes merge together, and there have been a few bands and artists through the years that have often had their own comic book or comic series. From superheroes to horror stories, and from metal to hard rock to hip hop, here are a few bands and artists that have been immortalized in comic book form:

KISS
These guys were clearly going to be the first on the list. KISS was the first band to become superheroes in comic book form, beginning in 1977 with Marvel Comics. The band immediately became part of the Marvel Universe, and the mystique associated with the band at the time significantly increased with the superhero association. KISS came across numerous Marvel superheroes and villains, from Doctor Doom to the X-Men to Howard the Duck. Oh, and the best part? The red ink in the comic contained blood from the band members!! The band had two major comic releases during the 1970′s, and returned to the inked page in the 1990′s with Marvel’s KISSNATION. Since then, KISS have had their own line of comics, from the Psycho Circus storyline to the KISS 4K Series.

Megadeth
Megadeth’s Cryptic Writings posed the scene for their comic book published by Chaos Comics. Titled The Cryptic Writings of Megadeth, each issue contained three stories based on the band’s lyrics and presented in a horror-style art form and theme. In some ways the release was ahead of its time, incorporating many elements that are somewhat “par for the course” with modern horror comic books – lots of violence, nudity, adult themes plus your standard run-of-the-mill “horror look and feel” with a dash of evil iconography as well.

Insane Clown Posse
Love them or hate them, they can’t be ignored – even if “Fucking Magnets How Do They Work” doesn’t melt your brain – ICP have a devoted following, and it’s really of no surprise that they would end up in comic book form. Titled The Pendulum, and coming in 12 issues, the series was based on the whole Dark Carnival themes found in the lyrical content of ICP. Published by Chaos Comics, the concept was to release one issue with one single, and then finally release all the songs combined on one CD with the Trade Paperback release. Just like KISS, the concept was to portray ICP as mystic superheroes.

GWAR
Like KISS, it seems inevitable that GWAR would have a comic series. The visual and theatrical band released their comic series called Slave Pit Funnies – embracing the more sarcastic, cynical, and humorous side of the band. The series was self-published, and some of the content was created in the very early days of the band. The idea behind the comic was to help with promoting the band and trying to get additional coverage. The series also embraced their stage antics and homage to horror themes. While most of the issues were published in the 1990′s, GWAR still sell some back issues of their comics online as well.

Static-X
Metal band Static-X also is immortalized in comic book form, and while most comics of bands see them as superheroes or within the horror genre, Static-X’s was a little different: they wanted Sci-Fi. Chaos Comics published the adventure, which was released in 2002, in a science fiction dystopian tale of the band members being enslaved cyborgs that work for a group of evil rulers. With blank minds, the group begins having resurfacing memories of rebelling against the state, setting the scene for a Sci-Fi Thriller tale. Like other bands, their comic was released with a CD, and was well received by fans.

The Kill Corps
Although it hasn’t been published yet, metal band The Kill Corps have a comic coming out in March 2011 inspired by their music. Embracing 21st century tech, this publication will come with a download code for an MP3, or for an entire EP (depending upon the version you get). The plot is said to be the band envisioned as a merc team that get transported to a dimension analogous to Hell, in which they are expected to fight their way through brutal portions of human history to save the human race itself. The comic will be published from Image Comics, and is said to be a cross between the horror and action genres.

Eminem
Perhaps one of the most “WTF” music comic crossovers was the release of The Punisher/Eminem. When it comes to punishment, vengeance, and justice, the last thing for me that comes to mind is Slim Shady. Either way, the comic itself is slightly amusing, and is available for viewing online at this location. There’s a bunch of silly Eminem/Slim Shady puns throughout the publication, and despite the randomness of the comic, Frank Castle maintains his attitude and position as The Punisher. The comic is currently viewable online too.

Alice Cooper
Welcome to his nightmare in comic book form, Alice Cooper finally had his debut in comics with Neil Gaiman in The Last Temptation – a limited three-issue series that tells the story of the album with the same name. Published by Marvel, the first issue of the comic came for free with the release of the CD. Gaiman brings an element of darkness to the concept album with his work, and the comic totally embraces the Alice mythos: focusing on moral choices, the differences between good and evil, and the mysterious journey of a constant character in Alice’s work named Steven… And while this was the first series for Alice, it wasn’t his first comic debut: Cooper was first featured in Marvel Premiere #50 in 1979 to coincide with the release of his album, From The Inside.

So there you have it! What other popular music bands and artists do you think should have their own comic series?

Check it out, more after the video:

It was later reported that Branson sought medical help after the recording. Some speculated people were witnessing an on-air stroke, which was causing her lapse into paraphasia.

The latest report from Huffington Post states:

On Monday night, anchors for KCAL-9 reiterated that statement. They said Branson had suffered from “health related problems” but that she is feeling better. They also said that Branson “followed up with a visit to the doctor for medical tests” and hopes to be back on the air soon.

By the sounds of it, it doesn’t sound to be too serious. Here’s hoping Serene recovers from her health related issues, but also can eventually look back on her WTF Derp Moment with as much lulz as the internet has.

But before these times, the newspaper was the key point of news delivery. Because of this, the front page newspaper headlines of years gone by have become significant markers of history – of our journey through time, and of moments that have become some of the most important and memorable moments in history. From the 19th century through to the beginning of the 21st, here are a few of these moments:

An oldie but a goodie

.

Join me in a flashback on the year that was 2010 and how far Mixx has come in this time…

January

TweetMixx for Haiti
76 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cmcgill
Submitter’s description:
TweetMixx for Haiti. Your full Haiti Twitter Channel for all that is happening. Grab the Widget and spread the word. Mixx makes a donation for every widget that is picked up!

Looking back:
2010 began with the awful news of the disastrous 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. 11 months on, problems are still continuing to arise there, but from the beginning Mixx stood up and decided to use their product to help keep people informed. Using TweetMixx, having been launched the year before, Mixx staff created a channel for Haiti that would cover all the incoming news and details. Making the channel into a widget, Mixx.com also announced that for each widget picked up by a web site, the company would make a donation to help further the much needed assistance in Haiti.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

February

The 100th Episode of Social Blend
36 Votes at time of writing
Posted by S_lockyer
Submitter’s description:
Chris McGill from Mixx.com brings some breaking news to Social Blend 100 with some announcements of upcoming developments at Mixx. We also reflect on the evolution of Mixx and Social Blend over our past 100 shows

Looking back:
Social Blend launched at the beginning of 2008, with the focus on the submissions and the users at Mixx.com. While the show has evolved, we always kept close to our Mixx roots. Initially, Episode 100 was planned to be recorded and broadcast live on the web from Mixx headquarters in MacLean, VA. Unfortunately, work commitments prevented Jay from participating, and then the whole deal was totally canceled when the major Oklahoma Ice Storm of 2010 stopped all air travel in Greg’s area. Despite the cancellation of our plans, we soldiered on with a 100th episode anyway, and Chris McGill (founder and CEO of Mixx) joined us for the show.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

March

Reeling in Special Offers for Mixxers
60 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cmcgill
Submitter’s description:
Well, let’s just say that you subscribe to the Star Wars tag.* We might send an offer for the only cleaning solution capable of removing the red wine stains from your Chewbacca suit.

Looking back:
In March, Mixx launched a partnership with Marketfish, in an attempt to do targeted advertising. The concept was to use the Mixx tagging system for Marketfish to email you offers based upon your interests at Mixx. The Privacy Policy remained in effect for the promotion, which eased any concerns Mixxers had – it bears reminding that at this point of the year, most of the tech news on the web was focused on criticizing Facebook for their exploitation of customer data versus the need for enforcing privacy – so this was a big deal to Mixxers who appreciated that immensely. The other good part about the partnership was that it was an Opt-in / Opt-out service, allowing Mixxers to choose whether to participate or not.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

April

The 2010 April Fool’s Photoshop Challenge! Our target: KORI HILL from MIXX!
85 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cGt2099
Submitter’s description:
Caption / Photoshop Kori Hill!!! You only have 24 hours, so get on it!!!!

Looking back:
As usual, The Mixxing Bowl had its annual April Fool’s Day Photoshop Challenge, where we would target a staff member of Mixx and allow Mixxers to go at it with whatever image manipulation software they wanted. This year’s victim was the wonderful Kori Hill who was such a good sport about the whole thing! Kat136 was the winner of the contest this year, for her Invisible Stripper Pole captioned pic. Sadly, Kori has since left Mixx, though the good thing is she has moved on to a wonderful new position, and is still good friends both with Mixx Staff and with Mixxers.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

May

New YourMixx in Beta
59 Votes at time of writing
Posted by S_lockyer
Submitter’s description:
We have a brand new YourMixx beta for users to test drive. That’s right – a sparkly, new personalized Mixx using all your set tags and categories in a new layout and with better algorithms to bring you the best content on the web!

Looking back:
In May, Mixx launched a new version of YourMixx in a beta version. The release was a first concept pass, put out to receive feedback from Mixxers across the site. The idea behind the beta was make the YourMixx experience more personal and more relevant to individual users. The direction was part of the continuing movement towards “New Mixx”, the long-awaited redesign of the site, to include an updated YourMixx page.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

June

Mixx launches new video podcast – Your News Mixx
63 Votes at time of writing
Posted by YourNewsMixx
Submitter’s description:
Check out the first episode of Mixx’s video podcast Your News Mixx. On this episode YouTube comes out with a player for your TV. Flying cars to hit the roads soon. Who is Viper? And much more. Make the show your own by telling the guys what you think.

Looking back:
In June, the crew for MaybeHip.com launched a Mixx focused podcast called YourNewsMixx. It was a short video podcast that looked at a few big stories from the week from Mixx.com. At the end of each episode, a YourNewsMixx award was given to a Mixx user, which would then be on display on their profile and in the Mixx Lounge. Social Blend continued as the long-form audio podcast, and we are hoping to do a SB/YourNewsMixx crossover episode in the future. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a new YourNewsMixx since late October, but we’re hoping to see more from the MaybeHip crew soon.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

July

The Mixx Ambassadors Are Here – Social Blend 121
62 Votes at time of writing
Posted by Loup_dargent
Submitter’s description:
We’re joined by Kerry Parkins from Mixx.com, who answers ALL of your questions about Mixx Ambassadors. We examine the new feature of Mixx, how it works, and discuss why “with great power comes great responsibility!!”

Looking back:
Speaking on a personal note, in late June I found myself very disenchanted and nonchalant about social media in general. I had a problem with everything: Facebook concerned me with privacy issues, Twitter felt boring at the time, and Digg… well Digg just sucked, period. Over at Mixx, I was having a problem and issues with spammers and people violating the Terms of Use. I found myself reporting stuff more than I was participating and it just depressed me. As if reading my mind, Mixx.com launched Mixx Ambassadors in July of 2010 – an opportunity for SuperMixxers to help police and moderate the web site. The Mixx Ambassadors are able to review reports on comments and submissions, and via a super-secret sauce with spices and herbs that make up the super-secret algorithm, are collectively able to remove spam or TOU-violations from the site. It put responsibility in the hands of Mixxers, and was generally received well. Since its launch there have been some teething problems among Mixxers and Ambassadors, but for the most part, the launch of Mixx Ambassadors was pretty much the highlight moment of 2010 for Mixx.com.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

August

A New Mixx Award coming soon from SOCIAL BLEND!
59 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cGt2099
Submitter’s description:
Social Blend is happy to announce that we will be giving away a Mixx Award for Mixxers with each edition of the podcast! Yep, that’s right, it’s a beer mug with the Mixx “M” logo on it! The perfect award for Social Blend listeners!!

Looking back:
Honestly, SilentJay74 and I were simply childishly jealous of the fact that the YourNewsMixx video podcast got to give out an official Mixx award. We were pretty much like, “well, wait a minute, why don’t we do this?”. After much thought, we discussed the idea with Kerry Parkins from Mixx who was really cool and happy with the idea. We decided to bring back an old feature of Social Blend called User Focus, where we would pick a Mixxer of the week, and discuss why you should be following them. Whereas the YourNewsMixx award was specifically about a submission, our award would be a bit different – more of a badge of honor highlighted that SB recommends you follow these cool people. In true ridiculous Social Blend fashion, we requested the award look like a glass of beer! Our SB Beer Mug Winners for 2010 include gbudavid, miklskon, STiTurbo, SUEHUGHES72, loup_dargent, Newaya, cynthiab, s_lockyer, SilentRebellions, jcscher, JeffK, shihtzuman, Megatron, Kat136, d20.20, FatLester, capybara, and JoePub.

Direct Link to Article
Direct Link to Mixx Story

September

Know any Diggers not happy with New Digg? Give them these 10 reasons to use Mixx instead!
60 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cGt2099
Submitter’s description:
It seems Digg has officially jumped the shark. Both mainstream media and social media have covered the backlash Digg.com. I’m preaching to the converted here already… but feel free to share this with Unhappy Diggers who are looking for a new home!

Looking back:
In the world of social media, one thing would be remembered from 2010: the gigantic fuck-up that would become known as Digg V 4, or Nu Digg. The new version of Digg was universally criticized by Diggers and other people who formerly had used Kevin Rose’s social media site. During September, the release and criticism of New Digg was a big point of discussion among Mixxers – as was the issues and controversies surround the Digg Patriots articles that were also coming out around the same time. During this time, Digg faced a mass exodus of users to other services. Many moved to Stumble Upon. A majority moved to Reddit. Others came over to Mixx. We made this post over at SocialMediaRage.com to encourage disheartened Diggers to give Mixx a bit of a chance. The article was welcomed, praised, and promoted by the Mixxing community as well.

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October

Mixx Lists: New Mixx Products Coming! Free iPads!
31 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cmcgill
Submitter’s description:
As you know, we have lots of respect and adoration for our Mixxers, especially those who are the real movers and shakers on Mixx—the SuperMixxers. And, we also recognize that our Mixxers are connected to other movers and shakers around the web

Looking back:
At the end of October, and into November, Mixx launched a promotional contest for Mixxers to create Mixx Lists: lists of influencers, movers, shakers, and knowledgeable people from around the web on any given subject area. Mixx was crowd-sourcing their audience to log a bunch of ideas for upcoming products and announcements (of which Chris McGill was uber-secretive about on a recent episode of Social Blend). As part of the promotion, Mixx announced they had 2 iPads to give away to two lucky participants. On December 21, WordPlay and LisaT were announced as the winners of the promotion for their Mixx lists of Scrapbooking and Love My Wine respectively.

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November

The Official Mixx Blog: Congratulations to Newaya and Thanks are in order
35 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cGt2099
Submitter’s description:
Newaya joined Mixx in the summer of 2008, and jumped right into the community–submitting great news stories, joining in engaging debates in comments, making friends and winning awards (246 Top Submitters)!

Looking back:
In a Mixxstoric accomplishment, SuperMixxer Newaya passed the 200,000 Karma Point mark in November 2010. She was the first Mixxer to do so, and the community celebrated her achievement with a number of fun submissions. The Mixx staff put up an official blog post congratulating Newaya for all the energy and effort she continues to put into Mixx. Her involvement in the community is an inspiration, and we hope she continues to earn many more Mixx karma points!!

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December

Mixx Counter Button (The Very First… Ever)
13 Votes at time of writing
Posted by devinthayer
Submitter’s description:
All Inclusive Links created the very first Mixx Counter Button ever. Copy and paste script or install the source code.

Looking back:
After a chat with Donut Eye Joe, Mixxer devinthayer learned that there were no immediate plans for Mixx to make an official counter button. So, he went ahead and made one, which looks awesome, and works really well. I’m planning to use this button at some of the sites I work on too. I highly encourage other online publishers to do the same thing! The release of the Mixx Counter button goes to show the dedication and loyalty of the Mixxers, supporting the best site on the internet…

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During 2010, Mixx was also on hand for Mixxers to examine some of the bigger news stories of the year – as well as some general interest submissions that gained a lot of votes.

Like I decided to last year, I took a glimpse back at some of the top Mixx stories for 2010. The stories below aren’t necessarily just the ones with the most votes; but include submissions that were the first to break the news on big issues, or submissions that followed some of the bigger news headlines of the year.

Join me in a flashback on the year that was 2010 based upon the big news headlines from the year, as well as the stories made most popular by Mixxers…

January

Haiti earthquake: “hundreds of thousands feared dead”
56 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cGt2099
Submitter’s description:
Prime minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, said the government believed the death toll in the city of two million people was “well over 100,000″ while Youri Latortue, a senior senator, said it could be 500,000…

Looking back:
2010 kicked off with one of the most horrific natural disasters we’ve seen in a long time. On January 12, near Port-au-Prince, a catastrophic earthquake struck, with a magnitude of 7.0. The death toll reached an estimated 230,000 – an unfathomable number. The mainstream media pounced on the disaster, as did numerous aid organizations including one run by Bill Clinton. The outpouring of emotion and good-faith was inspiring, as billions of dollars were donated to help the survivors and get Haiti back on its feet. 11 months later, very little progress has been made. Despite billions of dollars being donated to the cause, citizens are still living in tents, prompting people to question where the money has gone. On top of that, the country is now suffering from a cholera outbreak, brought into the country by an infected UN peacekeeper.
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China Denies Hacking Google – A Week Later Who Believes their Response?
315 Votes at time of writing
Posted by TheDudeDean
Submitter’s description:
China has now put forth an official stance on the Google hacking situation: they took no part in it. To say otherwise is more than unfair, it is damaging to Chinese government’s reputation. This marks the first official denial from China over the rumors.

Looking back:
Beginning in mid-2009, and made public during December 2009 and January 2010, was a hacking attack on Google that would become known as Operation Aurora. Google released their first public statement on the attacks at the beginning of the year, stating they had identified the attacks came from China. The Chinese Government denied the accusations, though other companies came out, such as Adobe and Juniper, confirming they also had been subject to the Operation Aurora attacks. McAfee later confirmed and verified these attacks and the fact they originated in China. Wikileaks later released documentation related to the attacks, providing further confirmation that the attacks did indeed come from China.
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February

Small plane crashes into Texas office building
55 Votes at time of writing
Posted by Trudster
Submitter’s description:
A small plane crashes into an office building in Austin. There are no immediate reports of casualties.

Looking back:
Initially, when the small plane flown by Andrew Joseph Stack III slammed into the side of an IRS building in Austin, Texas, most people believed the incident to be an accident. As time progressed it was discovered that Stack had deliberately flown into the building in a suicide attack, and had posted a manifesto online detailing the reasons for his actions. His rationale was so publicly available online, that people reacted to his attack with an incredible range of responses – from those declaring him a terrorist, right through to the other end of the spectrum where people were calling him a hero.
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Behold the iPad
70 Votes at time of writing
Posted by SilentJay74
Submitter’s description:
Apple’s Tablet PC

Looking back:
The release of the Apple iPad is a curious event looking back at 2010. The unveiling was coupled with the usual hype Steve Jobs heaps upon a new product launch, but the reaction from people was most interesting. There were many negative reactions to the release, mostly criticism from people who weren’t necessarily fans of Apple, and most of it valid. Despite this, Apple turned the tables on these people pooh-poohing on their new baby. At the time of writing, the iPad has sold in the millions within the United States – and its name has become synonymous now with tablet computing.
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March

House Passes Sweeping Health Care Overhaul Bill
51 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cynthiab
Submitter’s description:
The House of Representatives passed the sweeping health care bill with a narrow margin, securing a significant victory for President Obama, who lobbied hard this week for the controversial legislation.

Looking back:
After almost a year of public debate, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 was signed into law by President Barack Obama. For many, the passing of the bill was a huge relief as many were tired of the overpowering and overwhelming Health Care debates that seemingly dominated mainstream media. The Health Care Bill was seen as a major success for the Obama Administration, although many conservatives still oppose the concept of Universal Health Care. Towards the end of 2010, a federal judge in Virginia has found a key provision of the healthcare law unconstitutional; highlighting that even though the bill had been signed into law, that the battle for Universal Health Care was far from over.
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Glenn Beck’s Anti-Catholic Rants
355 Votes at time of writing
Posted by miklskon
Submitter’s description:
Few people are better at making accusations with code words than Glenn Beck, the Fox News celebrity. With his chalkboard logic, Beck creates conspiracies that almost always make him a savior against anything named “Democrat” or “Obama.”

Looking back:
The most popular submission at Mixx for 2010 with the most votes was this faith editorial posted at The Washington Post, submitted by miklskon. 2010 was a big year for Glenn Beck, as he continued broadcasting to his conservative supporters viewing Fox News, while at the same time enraging those who had opposing political views. Later in the year, Beck would host his “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington DC – a rally attended mostly by Tea Party followers, who numbered in the thousands. The Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert crew would eventually parody the rally, with their October 30 Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, held just before the midterm elections.
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April

Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem, Fishing, Tourism and Shipping Industries Threatened by Oil Slick
36 Votes at time of writing
Posted by FatLester
Submitter’s description:
Efforts to plug the uncapped well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico remain unsuccessful Saturday even as high winds and rough seas hampered attempts to contain the spreading slick at the surface.

Looking back:
Easily one of the biggest stories of 2010 was the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill resulted from the explosion of April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. While FatLester’s submission above was not necessarily the one submission with the most votes of the entire saga, it was one of the first submissions to emerge on Mixx.com following the explosion as many people began realizing the extent of the disaster. The slick is considered to be the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. After three months of 53,000 barrels per day of crude oil gushing into the ocean, BP finally capped the spill. While the environmental impacts and the bungling of BP/Deepwater Horizon made consistent headlines, there were other stories of BP officials and Coast Guard members turning journalists and photographers away from certain areas in an attempt to hide the severe impacts of the spill. Even though the spill has been capped, the saga continues – and those responsible are yet to be brought to justice for their negligence.
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Beyonce’s videos blocked on YouTube
112 Votes at time of writing
Posted by JessicaLaurie
Submitter’s description:
Sony Music took an unprecedented action last Friday, by blocking videos of Beyoncé on her YouTube channel, accusing it of copyright infringement.

Looking back:
Scoff though you may about the content being about Beyoncé, the article submitted to Mixx by JessicaLaurie highlights two very important issues on the web that continued to be debated during 2010: copyright issues on the web, and Net Neutrality. As the RIAA and MPAA continued their stampede into suing file sharing, YouTube also became a target of recording labels with many music videos – including official videos posted by the artists themselves. On top of that, lobbyists and legislators continued pushing copyright infringement into bills focusing on piracy and counterfeiting, pushes that also threaten Net Neutrality on the web.
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May

Music stars pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio
42 Votes at time of writing
Posted by Capybara
Submitter’s description:
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has penned a moving tribute to Ronnie James Dio, while rock stars including Slash and Ozzy Osbourne have also honored the rocker, who died on Sunday.

Looking back:
2010 was a devastating year for metal fans around the world. In the early part of the year, Peter Steele from Type O Negative and Paul Gray from Slipknot both passed away – two deaths that were felt very strongly by metalheads. However, the biggest pain was felt with the sad passing of Ronnie James Dio after his long battle with cancer. While Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath are often credited with creating Heavy Metal, it was Dio that defined it. Fans were enraged upon learning that the Westboro Baptist Church would picket Dio’s funeral, but after a passionate plea from Ronnie’s wife Wendy, fans instead picketed in response “peacefully” and in memory to the metal god Ronnie James Dio. He will never be forgotten.
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Stranded Passengers from Volcanic Ash find help on Twitter
95 Votes at time of writing
Posted by ElmarSandyak
Submitter’s description:
Airlines and volunteers make contact with thousands of stranded passengers to remedy the travel blackout caused by the eruption of the Iceland Volcano

Looking back:
The Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland also made big news in 2010, with concerns of potential damage to aircraft from volcanic ash causing the largest air traffic shut down since World War II. The airline shutdowns began in mid-April and continued through most of May. Stranded passengers however, found themselves increasingly using the newer technologies we have available to us, from iPads to Twitter.
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June

Helen Thomas retires due to remarks on Jews
36 Votes at time of writing
Posted by McCaffertyHimself
Submitter’s description:
Helen Thomas, long time member of the White House Press Corps. and columnist for the Hearst Newspapers, retired today because of the clamor for her resignation over her recent statement on Palestine.

Looking back:
Helen Thomas, with a career in journalism spanning over 60 years, eventually found herself as a White House correspondent from 2000-2010. In June 2010, a video leaked online of Thomas making mostly negative comments and remarks about Jews, Israel, and Palestine. The media reaction to the comments was nothing short of a circus, and was just as ridiculous and obscene as Thomas’ comments. Eventually she retired after all the criticism from her colleagues in the mainstream media. While Helen Thomas’ comments were degrading, offensive, and inexcusable, the witch-hunt that followed in the media was unjustifiably repetitive and equally offensive and inexcusable – considering there were more important items of note going on around the world. Essentially, this news item from 2010 is an indication of two major points: firstly, racism and prejudice is still alive and around us; and secondly, the mainstream media were less interested in real news, and more interested in crucifying one of their own.
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The FULL Rolling Stone article on Gen. McChrystal
45 Votes at time of writing
Posted by cGt2099
Submitter’s description:
The Runaway General

Looking back:
While Helen Thomas was being strung up by her colleagues in journalism for her discriminatory remarks, General McChrystal over in Afghanistan was essentially digging his own hole by participating with ongoing interviews and coverage with a journalist from Rolling Stone. After all was said and done, it appears that McChrystal and his crew got too close to the Rolling Stone writer, and let slip numerous embarrassing flaps that would eventually highlight his lack of enthusiasm for both dealing with the war, and dealing with the Obama administration. McChrystal was asked to step down, while Petraeus and Maddis stepped up to focus on conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
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July

~ “No Mosque at Ground Zero” ~
29 Votes at time of writing
Posted by STiTurbo
Submitter’s description:
`One Londoners Point of View on the mosque planned to be built on Ground ~ Zero ~

Looking back:
Months before the United States was gripped by the debate of the Ground Zero Mosque, STiTurbo was the first to bring the story to Mixxers in the form of a video blog by Pat Condell. Condell, a man known for being outspoken against organized religion, is always firm on his discussion points and often thought-provoking, whether one agrees with his position or not. Either way, the video from Condell was the first op-ed piece on the issue; and Mixx.com became the first location online for social media users to debate it.
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Triple-digit temperatures roast Northeast with no respite in sight
69 Votes at time of writing
Posted by JeffK
Submitter’s description:
A scorching record-breaking heat wave continues to roast much of the Northeast, with the National Weather Service keeping in effect heat advisories in the region until Wednesday evening.

Looking back:
2010, like 2009, became another year of some weather oddities, and the discussion relating to weather and climate change also continued. From the “Snowpocalypse” that the most of the United States and parts of Europe dealt with, to the record high temperatures during the summer in parts of the US – the changes in the weather around the world further fueled the debate on climate change. From honest debates of global warming versus global cooling, to the issues of falsified scientific data and the issues surrounding Geo-Engineering, the discussions continued at Mixx.com – and I daresay into 2011 as well.
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August

US condemns massive leak of Afghan war files by Wikileaks
46 Votes at time of writing
Posted by McCaffertyHimself
Submitter’s description:
The White House denounced a massive leak of secret military files that allegedly describe how Pakistan’s spy service aids the Afghan insurgency, but said the information was no surprise.

Looking back:
Undoubtedly, 2010 belonged to Wikileaks. While the releases made in 2008 and 2009 pale in comparison to this year’s leaks, they laid the infrastructure for Julian Assange’s successes in 2010. A hero to many, and a terrorist/traitor to others, Assange facilitated the release of thousands of documents and evidence focusing on 9/11 SMS Messaging, followed by a video of US troops killing civilians in Iraq. The video release was followed by major document leaks about the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, which was highly criticized by the US government. When State Department cables were released in November, Assange quickly became the “enemy” of the US government and other corporations. Institutions like PayPal and MasterCard refused to continue transactions of donations to Wikileaks, prompting Anonymous (hacktivists, some of whom come from 4chan) to launch a cyberattack on these services. The Wikileaks battle continues, and has been cited as the beginning of the world’s first Information War.
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Mexican Drug Cartel allegedly puts a price on Arizona Sheriff’s head
62 Votes at time of writing
Posted by gbudavid
Submitter’s description:
On the day parts of Arizona’s immigration law, SB 1070, went into effect, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is in the news for another reason: there’s a price on his head – allegedly offered by a Mexican drug cartel.

Looking back:
One of the most controversial news items from 2010 was the passing of SB 1070 in Arizona – a law specifically focused on illegal immigrants. Supporters of the law cite SB 1070 being the first step in combating illegal immigration in the United States, while opponents highlighted the inevitable profiling of Hispanic people in Arizona. Both sides of the argument had their valid points, though eventually the law was struck down as unconstitutional. Either way, the debate raged for a long time, and saw some minor violence erupt in the state. The Mexican Drug Cartel took the opportunity to put a bounty on an Arizona Sheriff’s head – and even Machete had an opinion on the matter with the launch of the Machete teaser trailer during August.
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September

Police: At least one hostage taken at Discovery Channel headquarters
40 Votes at time of writing
Posted by Newaya
Submitter’s description:
A SWAT team and additional resources are responding, said Montgomery County police Cpl. Dan Friz. Authorities are monitoring the man via closed-circuit cameras. He is in the lobby area, Friz said.

Looking back:
Mirroring the IRS plane crash earlier in the year, was the event of James Lee taking hostages at the headquarters for Discovery Channel in Maryland. Lee, entered the building armed, and was later found to have a manifesto arguing against Discovery Channel’s practices on the web. While the hostage situation continued for several tense hours, police eventually entered the building and shot Lee dead, ending the standoff. Twitter had been credited with breaking the news on the web, solidifying social media even further as a valid source and means to get information out to the people.
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The government now has the right to track you everywhere via GPS. Feel safer now?
77 Votes at time of writing
Posted by rhoadesb
Submitter’s description:
A controversial ruling could turn America into the sort of totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell.

Looking back:
Originally submitted from Yahoo news by rhoadesb, the disturbing Orwellian article highlights a precedent set by U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. According to the article, now archived at Time.com, “Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn’t violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway — and no reasonable expectation that the government isn’t tracking your movements”. It’s a scary development – and a news article that didn’t nearly get enough attention during the year.
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October

Sanchez apologizes to Stewart, apparently outraging Fox News
27 Votes at time of writing
Posted by shihtzuman
Submitter’s description:
“You call that an apology?” an uncredited FoxNews.com report asked in its first sentence — as if the conservative network were offended on Stewart’s behalf. Reacting to the dust-up on his Comedy Central program on Monday night, Stewart feigned excitement.

Looking back:
Rick Sanchez rose to certain heights in 2010 becoming an anchor on his main program on CNN. He is widely regarded as a polarizing figure, and often no stranger to controversy when it comes to the news. During an interview on Sirius XM, Sanchez called Jon Stewart a bigot. The comments were used as a witch-hunt (very similarly to Helen Thomas earlier in the year), and the networks began thriving on the controversy. Sanchez was eventually let go from CNN, prompting more ranting on the cable news networks. It was another indication of how these networks were less about reporting the news, and more about thriving off drama.
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Caught spying on Student, FBI demands GPS tracker back
75 Votes at time of writing
Posted by s_lockyer
Submitter’s description:
A student found a secret GPS tracking device on his car and the FBI wanted its expensive device back. The student, a 20-year-old U.S.-born citizen, is one of only a few people known to have found a government-tracking device on their vehicle.

Looking back:
Following the report in September that the government now has the right to track suspects everywhere via GPS, came this submission from s_lockyer, in which a student discovered one of these tracking devices on his car. Upon discovering the device, the FBI demanded its return. According to the student, who is of Middle Eastern descent, believed he had been under surveillance for several months based upon several comments from the half-dozen federal agents that appeared on his doorstop demanding the device back.
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November

EDITORIAL: TSA is a joke to al Qaeda, too
36 Votes at time of writing
Posted by gbudavid
Submitter’s description:
While the Transportation Security Administration is groping for an answer to air safety, al Qaeda is laughing. This week, the terror group publicly detailed its plans to circumvent the latest government security measures and bleed America to death.

Looking back:
Early in 2010, the TSA began deploying their new X-Ray Scanners. While podcasters and bloggers began discussing concerns they had not only about the “Big Brother” implications of the devices, but also concerns they had about whether the machines were safe or not. It wasn’t until November, when the TSA began doing their enhanced pat-downs that the media picked up on the story, following the report of the “Don’t Touch My Junk” guy. The report enraged people, but the majority of the media focus was on the enhanced pat-downs – while not enough focus was on the fact that the scanners had never been tested, TSA employees are not allowed to wear dosimeters to measure radiation, and also the fact that the manufacturer company is run by the former head of Homeland Security.
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Crocodile on plane kills 19 passengers
48 Votes at time of writing
Posted by jcscher
Submitter’s description:
A stowaway crocodile on a flight escaped from its carrier bag and sparked an on-board stampede that caused the flight to crash, killing 19 passengers and crew.

Looking back:
Every year there’s an odd story that creeps into this list – and this year ain’t no “motherfucking snakes on a motherfucking plane”, but a croc on a plane instead. Resulting in the death of 19 passengers, the crocodile had originally been stashed in a passenger’s carry-on bag – allegedly having plans to sell the beast. The flight occurred in Congo, and the unleashing of the crocodile caused a stampede of passengers, which caused an unbalanced load on the plane, which caused the plane to crash. There was one survivor in this odd event.
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December

Man takes hostages at Florida school board meeting
10 Votes at time of writing
Posted by Douglas5937
Submitter’s description:
Gunshots were fired during a school board meeting in Panama City, Florida, officials said Tuesday, and there were reports the man who initiated the incident was taken out on a stretcher.

Looking back:
Arguably the biggest news story in December was the report of the man in Florida who entered a school board meeting and proceeded to fire shots. Before the gunfire, Clay Duke spray painted the V for Vendetta symbol on the wall, removed his gun, and requested the audience participants in the school board meeting to leave. One member attempted to swipe the gun from Duke with her purse unsuccessfully. Duke fired shots at the school board members, but missed with each shot. The chilling encounter was caught on tape, and uploaded to the web.
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Are the 2012 Olympics part of a plot to take over the world?
48 Votes at time of writing
Posted by Capybara
Submitter’s description:
Some people believe an elite clique will use the games to simulate an alien invasion in their plan for global domination

Looking back:
Earlier in 2010, the mascots for the 2012 London Olympics were unveiled were welcomed… not with open arms, but with a collective “WTF”. The designs are crazy-looking one-eyed monsters, resembling TVs or CCTV cameras. While most were simply not amused by the design, as well as the logo design for the Olympics, the Guardian uncovered a smaller group of people that believe the Olympics will set the stage for a major New World Order hoax – a conspiracy theory that will stage a fake invasion. It sounds crazy, and maybe it is… at any rate, The Guardian has it all in its article – check it out, and come to your own conclusions.
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