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Nick Douglas

http://toomuchnick.com

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Rex Sorgatz
Oversharing Is Sometimes Okay, Says Oversharer
Goaded by a commenter, writer Rex Sorgatz wrote a passionate defense of those who share intimate details of their lives online. The media blogger (and recent author of a piece on microfame for New York) had linked to his anonymous Tumblr blog, which documented conversations Rex had about New York and the hookup scene. (The blog was outed even more quickly than Rex expected.) Rex says his pillow-talk conversations weren't oversharing, and fuck you for accusing him of that. So what's his defense, and is there anything still too intimate to blog? More »

3:21 PM on Thu Jul 3 2008
By Nick Douglas
2,855 views, 44 comments

Latest by RachelSklar: I agree, Team Rex. more »
Jargon
The Fifteen Most Useless Internet Euphemisms
"We didn't attempt to silence Violet. We unpublished our own work." That's how the geek culture blog Boing Boing defended their decision to delete every post referring to sex writer Violet Blue for no given reason. The team's refusal to explain further turned this obscure event into a giant blog fight: because a couple of bloggers hid behind mealy-mouthed words instead of coming out firing all weapons, like proper Internet talk is supposed to go. Driven by the same old ass-covering impulse, anyone trying to make a buck uses bland business-speak online: "Restructuring" for mass layoffs, "brand advertising" for ads that no one clicks. Below are over a dozen such terms and their true definitions. More »

1:55 AM on Thu Jul 3 2008
By Nick Douglas
32,774 views, 209 comments

Latest by Feh Am Legend: Wow, y'all got some mileage out of these. Nicely done, Mr. Douglas. More true every day. Meet the new boss, more »
Last.fm
What's The Most Regrettable Music You've Ever Listened To?
God I love these perverse little lists: A web site that tracks what its users listen to on iTunes has compiled a list of the songs its users most often delete from their records, presumably tracks that people listened to but don't want anyone to see. So what are the most popular guilty pleasures? More »

2:32 AM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Nick Douglas
8,124 views, 101 comments

Latest by Shelwood: @missdelite: 1. James Horner and Will Jennings 2. Michael Bolton and an unnamed co-conspirator 3. Dolly Parton Wait, was it not a quiz? more »
Kevin Rose
Digg Founder Says Rupert Murdoch Is An Old, Barry Diller Is Savvy

The founder of Digg.com talks about sitting down with the heads of News Corp. and IAC in an interview on Big Think. "When I sat down with [Murdoch] it was a hand-holding process," says Kevin Rose, whose site is reportedly now being courted by Google. "When I sat down with Barry Diller, he was telling me about my business...it blew my mind." Rose is also amazed by Al Gore. More »

3:03 PM on Mon Jun 30 2008
By Nick Douglas
2,460 views, 7 comments

Latest by Nick Douglas: I'm just mentally switching the words "Digg" and "Gawker" in all the comments. more »
friday mixtape
Canada Day Edition: Make Canada's Best Mixtape
Happy Canada Day in advance! (Fun fact: Canadians celebrate their day of independence on whatever day is convenient because no one knows the real date.) Did you know Nickelback is from Canada? (Thanks Canada!) But so are The New Pornographers, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young. Of Montreal is from Georgia but they're named after a bad ex of the bandleader who lived in Canada so that counts. Below are the instructions for adding to this week's Friday Mixtape: Oh Canada (it's funny because it's their anthem). More »

3:39 PM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By Nick Douglas
2,385 views, 133 comments

Latest by Trixie from Toronto: The Spoons -- God does this song take me back ... + Watch video more »
Christians
Dr. Dobson Reminds America That Obama Is A West Wing President
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson is fighting the Obama campaign's effort to win the evangelical Christian vote. The fiercely pro-life author and speaker rebutted Obama's "fruitcake interpretation" of the Bible on his radio show today. Apparently back in 2006, Obama gave a speech to a liberal Christian group pointing out Old Testament Hebrew laws, to highlight the problem with legislating according to the Bible. In fact, that speech sounds a lot like this clip from the West Wing, the show about fictional awesome president Martin Sheen that helped so many liberals endure the first Bush term: More »

4:12 PM on Tue Jun 24 2008
By Nick Douglas
3,418 views, 20 comments

Latest by Mediahohoho: Christianity as it's understood by Dobson: Blessed are the rich, for they shall wield power.Blessed are the powerful, for they shall more »

webtards
McCain And Obama Reps Hold Worst Presidential Debate Ever On Twitter
Members of the staffs of John McCain and Barack Obama are holding an official debate on Twitter, presumably to attract the Tech-savvy Urban Early Adopter Influencer Creatives who have been almost entirely committed to Barack Obama since before the primaries. Mike Nelson (an "outside adviser" to Obama) and Liz Mair (the RNC online communications director) are fielding questions about their candidates with 140-character answers. But as one blogger said, "Conducting a debate via Twitter seems like a depressing acknowledgment that the soundbite is now the fundamental unit of American political discourse." CNN reported on the stunt in the clip shown below (though they get the dates wrong and say moderator Ana Marie Cox started Gawker, when in fact she edited the D.C. blog Wonkette). More »

9:42 PM on Mon Jun 23 2008
By Nick Douglas
1,995 views, 22 comments

Latest by IHateNewYork: I am voting for Darth Vader/Alex Trebek, so who cares about these two assholes. more »
Hip-Hop
Soulja Boy Proves Ice T Is Old
Latest rap star Soulja Boy and ancient rap star Ice T are fighting on YouTube. The 17-year-old who got famous on the Internet (over 60 million views for his music video "Crank That") is using the site to demonstrate how fresh he is, and how irrelevant Ice T (age 49) is. The fight started when Ice T said that Soulja Boy "singlehandedly killed hip-hop." Soulja Boy answered by looking up Ice T on Wikipedia and mocking him on YouTube for being old. Ice T returned with an apology — and then trashed Soulja Boy even harder. All three clips below, along with Kanye West's commentary. More »

12:00 AM on Mon Jun 23 2008
By Nick Douglas
13,679 views, 60 comments

Latest by KatherinePyramus: About halfway through reading this article I became a little confused, but then - hah! I figured it out! This more »
Congress
Congressman Spends His Work Hours Making YouTube Clips
Thaddeus McCotter (R-Michigan) spent his time on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday giving a little presentation called "How to Speak Democrat." For example, "progressive" means "regressive"! So witty! And the presentation (shown below) should in no way be seen as the sole thing McCotter has accomplished with his time while he only raised $8,500 of the nearly $1 million he's supposed to raise for the National Republican Congressional Committee. More »

8:35 PM on Sat Jun 21 2008
By Nick Douglas
2,132 views, 31 comments

Latest by Mediahohoho: @Mediahohoho: Oy, it's always something: Bolting passenger car bodies onto pickup truck frames was never smart long-term business (although there was more »
friday mixtape
Make The Ultimate Set Of Song Covers
Maybe I just have an inferiority complex about my novelty-music past, but I feel guilty about my love for song covers, particularly cross-genre covers. I even love when one hit song inspires dozens of covers. But instead of mocking the artists who remade "Crazy" or "Umbrella," shouldn't we honor them for reviving the "standards" tradition that enriched decades of jazz? Below are a few of my favorite sources for covers and the username and password for adding to this week's Friday Mixtape, "Cover Me." More »

9:19 PM on Fri Jun 20 2008
By Nick Douglas
5,204 views, 193 comments

Latest by bernadeez: i know i'm late on this one, but hey ya by obadiah parker is pretty damn great, in that prep more »
"His Facebook widget is going to change your life." Ryan Catbird mocks the cocky tone of Twitter users and (I think) Gawker people. [F.U. And The Blog You Rode In On] MORE »

8 comments
John McCain
The Internet Totally Loves That McCain Called His Wife A C*nt
Remember when John McCain called his wife the worst possible word? Not enough! But that's solved with this sketch from the same YouTube comedy group that made john.he.is, a clever and popular parody of will.i.am's "Yes We Can." In the sketch, a TV news team argues about whether to publicize that the Republican presidential candidate once called Cindy McCain a cunt. The self-aware humor of the team constantly reciting this fact, then saying how if only they were online they could drive the association into people's brains, actually doesn't get old! The clip is below, and warning: half the dialogue is, obviously, an extreme obscenity. More »

4:25 AM on Tue Jun 17 2008
By Nick Douglas
7,619 views, 22 comments

Latest by ERiegel: Response to:Bell County at 10:37 AM on 06/17/08 Reply * "Maybe if someone goes digging around and adds some more anecdotes more »
Video Games
New Video Game About Designing Video Games Is Probably A Sign That No One Will Ever Again Play Outside
Ever play Railroad Tycoon or SimCity? There was fun in building a toy and playing god, but the games also tapped into an experience that seemed more real and physical than the computer they were played on. But in MMORPG Tycoon, you're building a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It's recursive! It's (ugh) meta! And it's a small part of the trend toward video games going meta. More »

2:14 PM on Mon Jun 16 2008
By Nick Douglas
3,282 views, 14 comments

Latest by PattyCake: Gawker is my MMORPG. I send tips, scoring 20 points when they turn into posts. When someone replies to my more »
Barack Obama
The Five Internet Jokes That Will Make Obama Win
The Internet can change elections! Just not through Meetup and Friendster like some people thought. Okay, these five pictorial jokes about Barack Obama and John McCain won't be entirely responsible for Obama's imminent November victory. They're just mobilizing the base! Because Influential Thought Leaders don't join "One Million Strong For Obama On Facebook," but they do link to political jokes on their Tumblr blogs. More »

11:28 PM on Fri Jun 13 2008
By Nick Douglas
29,674 views, 39 comments

Latest by Jeezabub: I love the right wingers who say, "if Obama wins we're TOTALLY SCREWED, I'm going to LEAVE THE COUNTRY..." Like more »
Futurism
In A ~~Million~~ Hundred Years, The Internet Will Be On Crank
The book Year Million explores several possible scenarios for the universe a million years from now. Some of these possibilities aren't happy! Rats running the world, gray goo wiping out life on Earth. I just want to read the kick-ass ones! Because predicting the future at such a distance is almost like picking superpowers; your usual analytic skills are stretched to the point of absurdity. For example, some of the essays predict humanity evolving into shapeshifting superbeings; another predicts we will build baby universes. But the most immediately relatable describes a brain-embedded "Internet on crank," albeit one that might be clogged with spam. Actually, wouldn't that be possible in a couple of centuries? More »

2:02 PM on Fri Jun 13 2008
By Nick Douglas
1,685 views, 22 comments

Latest by HumpintoPlease: "gray goo wiping out life on Earth" John McCain! more »
Barack Obama
Obama's Mythbuster Site
Barack Obama's campaign made a good move with a new site full of Obama rumors and refutations, in the classic "Myth: X. Truth: Y" format. We think it looks pretty dramatic (or maybe creepy) and while it does remind me of a "Myth vs. Fact" page from a Scientologist or Christian site, it doesn't have that 90s all-in-Arial feel. And if it feels like a religious tract, isn't that perfect for the target demo? More »

3:40 PM on Thu Jun 12 2008
By Nick Douglas
4,358 views, 37 comments

Latest by Lazy Susan: @Obviously Not Omniscient: OMG is that true!?! more »
Cellphone Popcorn Videos Were Viral Ads For Bluetooth Headset The videos of cell phones popping popcorn, obviously fake (because Science!), were viral ads by the makers of a Bluetooth headset. Pretty evil, since they preyed on unfounded fears of technology instead of, say, the California law that went into action today banning cell use while driving. MORE »

11 comments
Improv Everywhere
America Needs Pranks
Improv Everywhere just started a new blog, Urban Pranks, to document the many public stunts the group has inspired. The New York group famous for showing up at Best Buy in blue polos and freezing Grand Central has offshoots across the country that are doing things like a protest against protesting, a dinner party at Ikea, and a button in a park that says "Do Not Push" (when it was pushed, planted agents dance to "Everybody Dance Now" &mash; clip below). The blog does a great job quickly explaining each prank and then showing the money shot. And it's a sign of a much-needed rise in public silliness, which is just what young media types need. More »

3:12 PM on Wed Jun 11 2008
By Nick Douglas
3,658 views, 24 comments

Latest by PomPom: One of my favorite recent pranks was Rob Cockeram's google prank: [www.cockeyed.com] more »
Your Memoir Was Already Written A list of hundreds of memoirs since 1995 probably already includes your now-redundant life story. [Entertainment Weekly] MORE »

22 comments
Child Porn
Why Verizon, Sprint And Time Warner Shouldn't Block Child Porn
The New York attorney general's office ran a "sting" in which agents posed as customers and complained to the companies that they could see child porn. When the service providers ignored them, the agency threatened the companies with fraud. Now, according to the Times, the ISPs are paying over a million dollars to Andrew Cuomo's office and promising to block child porn sites as identified by the office — to all their subscribers across the U.S. As despicable and exploitative as child porn is, blocking it this way is a terrible move. More »

6:52 AM on Tue Jun 10 2008
By Nick Douglas
3,683 views, 13 comments

Latest by uncle_wiggly: Andrew is just too lazy to find the guys that are posting the stuff so as an alternative he's closing more »
Historic moments
Vince McMahon Gets Rickrolled
This is why they script the damn things. The chairman of WWE tried to call someone during a wrestling match to award them 200 grand. But got a reverse ringtone: Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," the official symbol of rejection and the worst prank in the world. [Kayfabe; clip below] More »

4:00 AM on Tue Jun 10 2008
By Nick Douglas
3,908 views, 15 comments

Latest by the earl grey: Pope; did you see when ray stevens piledrove snuka on the wood floor? I think snuka + muraco had some more »
iPhone
Prepare To Never Again Have A Private Moment At A Bar
The new iPhone will let you broadcast your location to people through a program called Loopt. And because this phone is now just 200 bucks, it'll finally become an industry standard instead of a fringe geek toy. So get ready for the biggest annoying shift in your social life since Facebook, because Loopt is about to do for the world what a little site called Dodgeball did for the Gawker crowd in 2004. More »

3:56 PM on Mon Jun 9 2008
By Nick Douglas
8,811 views, 66 comments

Latest by riskybusiness: @tokenblackgirl: I can help you with that. more »
Easiest Blog Book Deal Ever An anonymous blogger is posting Facebook statuses along with comically slightly disguised photos of the people who wrote them. It has the potential to be a carnival of derision, except the blog has no comment form. Good thing we do. MORE »

23 comments
Hoax
Who's Trying To Convince Everyone That Cell Phones Pop Popcorn?
A new handful of YouTube videos supposedly show cell phones popping popcorn. The method: Surround kernels with a few cell phones and call the phones. When they ring, the kernels pop. The videos have gotten a couple million combined views, and they've seemingly convinced many commenters to fear phones, despite the several obvious signs that they're fake. More »

4:25 AM on Mon Jun 9 2008
By Nick Douglas
59,331 views, 11 comments

Latest by GroovyBrent: Wired has the answer (possibly) and it turns out to be pretty clever! [blog.wired.com] more »

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In Which I Try To Explain Twilight

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How To Make Fun Of College Kids

Diane Sawyer Tries Not to Scoff at Everything Ashley Dupre Says

Twilight Star's Letterman Disaster: Funniest Moments

Gawker

Nick Douglas

Oversharing Is Sometimes Okay, Says Oversharer

The Fifteen Most Useless Internet Euphemisms

What's The Most Regrettable Music You've Ever Listened To?

Digg Founder Says Rupert Murdoch Is An Old, Barry Diller Is Savvy

Canada Day Edition: Make Canada's Best Mixtape

Dr. Dobson Reminds America That Obama Is A West Wing President

McCain And Obama Reps Hold Worst Presidential Debate Ever On Twitter

Soulja Boy Proves Ice T Is Old

Congressman Spends His Work Hours Making YouTube Clips

Make The Ultimate Set Of Song Covers

The Internet Totally Loves That McCain Called His Wife A C*nt

New Video Game About Designing Video Games Is Probably A Sign That No One Will Ever Again Play Outside

The Five Internet Jokes That Will Make Obama Win

In A Million Hundred Years, The Internet Will Be On Crank

Obama's Mythbuster Site

America Needs Pranks

Why Verizon, Sprint And Time Warner Shouldn't Block Child Porn

Vince McMahon Gets Rickrolled

Prepare To Never Again Have A Private Moment At A Bar

Who's Trying To Convince Everyone That Cell Phones Pop Popcorn?

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