Tagged: newsandpolitics

Google has finally rolled out their flight search tool , though I still prefer Hipmunk , this seems like a promising endeavor for them. Certainly the start of something to build on. Not sure how they're going to sell ads or make money from it, but still. As Gruber points out, Google lists flights from Southwest - something that other third-party flight searching sites like Kayak don't do. [via clusterflock ] Tweet

"If we're going to be totally honest though, we'd describe Windows 8 right now as incoherent and contradictory. Touch response in the Metro UI is stellar, Contracts sound seriously useful, and snapping apps can make you more productive on a tablet, but whenever you want to get down and dirty with a traditional program, it's back to the traditional desktop interface. There are two Control Panels, two versions of IE, and core apps are nowhere to be found (i.e. Mail, a camera app, etc.) Meanwhile, if you want to do anything with the desktop interface (save things you've actually planted [...]

It's mighty impressive. The design is uncluttered and reader-friendly. It effortlessly scales based on the browser size, which means there is no need for an "iPhone" or "mobile" version. The site just flows. It may be the first newspaper website that has been designed for the reader and not to squeeze in a ton of cluttered adds or social media share buttons, etc. It's like looking at a news site for adults. It's free for September, but after that, you'll have to pay , unless you're an [...]

What more do I really need to say to add context to Paul Simon singing "The Sound of Silence" at this morning's 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero? None, that's what. Grab the tissue box. Tweet

It looks like deregulation and the free market have been superb for consumer choice when it comes to their banking needs. You'll notice that in the late 90s and early 00s, when most of the consolidation began , it coincides with the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act , which repealed the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act. That act allowed banks to be commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies under one entity. Tweet

Tune Yards - "Lions" Am at a bit of a loss selecting the genre categories on this one, so I've just gone for "completely awesome". The Tune Yards- Merrill Garbus . Kind of hard to describe, so you'll just have to listen to it. Drums, bass, vocals- she has the most incredibly dynamic range, a voice of amazing subtlety and power- and of course, ukelele's. Not usual fare for DC but I stumbled across this on the weekend, and I've [...]

• Download MP3 » get.php?web=Lions.mp3

1. TechCrunch's MG Siegler got a hands on with the new Amazon tablet : Again, the device is a 7-inch tablet with a capacitive touch screen. It is multi-touch, but from what I saw, I believe the reports that it relies on a two-finger multi-touch (instead of 10-finger, like the iPad uses) are accurate. This will be the first Kindle with a full-color screen. And yes, it is back-lit. There is no e-ink to be found anywhere on this device. Earlier this week, reports suggested that a 7-inch Amazon tablet could be [...]

Question: What did we miss while we were gone? Waitwaitwait, lemme guess? Everything and nothing. Seems like it's been a crazy Labor Day weekend and a busy Tuesday and Wednesday. What should we talk about first? Tweet

We've been enjoying an extended Labor Day weekend, camping with family and friends. We think we'll be back tomorrow, but absolutely on Thursday at the latest. Maybe tomorrow night if things go well. It's been a nice week to recharge the batteries and find some focus. As always, you should absolutely be reading Hypervocal for the vital and viral . They're doing the lords work keeping you informed of what's going on in the world and were nice enough to give me Tuesday and Wednesday off to make the mini-vacay possible. [...]

From the LA Times : The BBC News reports that the pastel drawing, believed to date from the 1880s, is currently on display at the Abbey Walk Gallery in the town of Grimsby, England. It was purchased by a British couple 18 months ago for just £1,500 ($2,463). The portrait shows a man who resembles Van Gogh sitting cross-legged in a chair and wearing a top hat. The report states that the couple has been attempting to verify the subject of the drawing. The portrait bears the signature "Jeanne Donnadieu" and features the word [...]

If you read one article about a summer camp for inner-city Brooklyn youths, make it this one : Camp for most of us meant no homework, no piano lessons, no Little League. For the kids of Camp POWER, camp means no sirens, no territories, no gangs. Camp for most of us meant barely edible mess hall food. For the kids of Camp POWER, camp means three actual meals a day, all they can eat. Camp for most of us meant kvetching about the activities we didn't want to play that day. For the kids of [...]

From Next Level of News : "In April, social media startup Kosmix was acquired for $300 million by retail giant Walmart. Kosmix had built a semantic web platform called the " Social Genome ," which organized social media data. The platform powered 3 products: TweetBeat, a real-time social media filter for live events; Kosmix.com, a topic-based search engine; and RightHealth, a health search portal." The URLs for TweetBeat and Kosmix now re-direct to a new site called WalmartLabs.com . The tagline of WalmartLabs is "Social + Mobile + Retail". Innovate or die, [...]

Yesss! KRS One in the mornin' I'm a lot more excited than I was 6 minutes and 2 seconds ago! And glad to hear you havent been swept into the sea :) Catch you on the skype sometime soon x

• Download MP3 » get.php?web=01_Wreckd.mp3

Dan Provost offers an intriguing alternative to the conventional wisdom that Amazon will be releasing an Android powered tablet with Amazon apps to compete with the iPad. "Amazon has the opportunity to make an awesome device for reading. I see it as a natural evolution of the Kindle. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater? If they created a device like I am suggesting above, I would be first in line to buy one," he writes. Basically, he's taking the Kindle, beefing up its functionality, adding a color e-ink touchscreen and some [...]

"This city is not about other people or buildings or streets but about your mental structure. If we remember what Kafka writes about his Castle, we get a sense of it. Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare." - Ai Weiwei , an artist living in Beijing. Read his entire description which paints a very ugly portrait of the city and bureaucratic structure that locked him in prison for three months without reason. Then, stay for the discussion brewing about fascism and socialism and how Obama and the US are [...]

The music taste-making site gets a new look . Nothing major, more like tidying the house instead of a deep, spring cleaning. But it's spiffy. The new edition features larger, clearer images, improved organization and usability, and a more readable typeface. Pitchfork.tv has been reworked, making artists and series easier to find, and its archive of music videos has been moved to the still-expanding Music Videos section. Our new Tracks section merges Forkcast and The Playlist to highlight the best and most notable new tracks as they become available. Video game culture magazine Kill Screen has [...]

From Wired : The flight testing is done, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued its approval and as of today Boeing can say the 787 Dreamliner is certified to carry passengers. The FAA presented Boeing with a type certificate and production certificate for the innovative composite airliner during a ceremony at Boeing's factory north of Seattle. The pieces of paper mean the Dreamliner can begin commercial service, and they represent the culmination of several billion dollars of investment for the aerospace giant and almost as many headaches. Boeing attempted a grand experiment [...]

Bassline. ahem... How is everyone? I've been buried knee deep in fatherhood and work. Glad to report Hurricane Irene wasn't angry with us here in Brooklyn. Remix by Samooo on G.A.M.M. an extremely reliable label... G.A.M.M Myspace :: Turntable Lab MP3 store :: Buy pretty much anything by G.A.M.M Enterprises [...]

The Daily Dot delivers news about social media communities such as Reddit, Facebook and Youtube the way a local newspaper might deliver news about a city. Fascinating concept and idea. Tweet

We're holding down the fort by ourselves at HyperVocal this week. So come and play with us. Do be so kind to follow The Sly Oyster on Twitter and like us on Facebook . Thanks. Tweet