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The 2012 Electoral College Map Done Right: States Sized By Votes, Not Geographic Size
It drives me crazy to see news outlets with US maps showing the states estimated to be either going for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election based on the geographic size of those states, rather than the number of Electoral College votes they carry. There are better maps they could and should use.…
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My MacBook Pro Retina Running 3 External Monitors (& Could Do 4, 5….)
My old MacBook Pro had no problems running three external monitors. My new MacBook Pro Retina is easily able to do the same and should be able to do more, if I wanted. Here are the details of my setup. I’m using three Dell monitors. My center one is a widescreen running 2560×1440, and the two…
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Dear New York Times & Wall Street Journal: How About Some Sensible Digital Subscription Pricing?
The New York Times is launching new video ads to convince people they should pay for its content. Here’s a thought. If the New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal for that matter, want to be paid what they’re worth, how about giving subscribers a set price they can depend on? A price that…
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You Can’t Watch SNL’s Hilarious “Downton Abbey” Sketch Legally Online, So NBCUniversal Pirates Itself
All I wanted to do was share a funny “Downton Abbey Meets Spike TV” skit that was on Saturday Night Live this week. Unfortunately, there’s no authorized version of the sketch online from NBCUniversal. That made me hesitate, but apparently it wasn’t a problem for iVillage, an NBCUniversal-owned site. Nor was it an issue for Time,…
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Dear Rupert Murdoch: Let’s Talk Piracy & “The Simpsons”
Rupert, my son had a simple request. “Daddy, can we watch last week’s episode of The Simpsons?” No, son, we can’t. You can blame Rupert Murdoch for that. Rupert, I know you’re all upset about all those SOPA & PIPA protests last week. Why, without them, how will you keep all your shows from being…
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Why Do Amazon & Apple Hate Families?
With the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle Fire among the hot gifts for families this year, it’s pretty sad that neither device has any concept of “family” baked into it. Used by plenty of children, these devices ironically aren’t intended for them. Crazy, right? I mean, who hasn’t seen kids taking to an iPad…
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The Closed, Unfriendly World Of Wikipedia
Right now, Wikipedia is busy asking for donations to stay afloat. Here’s a thought. If it wants donations, maybe open things up so that outsiders feel like they can contribute expert knowledge without wasting their time. A Debate Over Notability Here’s a case in point. About two weeks ago, Jessie Stricchiola let me know that…
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After Two Days, Minecraft Is Topping Grossing App In iTunes
Still don’t know Minecraft? Well, if you use iTunes, the block-building virtual world game is giving you a wake-up call. The game is now the top grossing app on iTunes and settling between the top third and fourth paid app overall. Minecraft Pocket Edition was released on November 17 and formally announced yesterday at MineCon,…