Blogroll

Maybe this justifies the cost of an e-reader

Some may recall that retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter bought a new home when he retired because the farmhouse he lived in wasn’t structurally strong enough to hold the thousands of books he owned. One of his former law clerks took steps to perhaps stop the problem from recurring.

According to annual financial […]

FTC completes first “blog-ola” investigation

Last December 1, blogs were explicitly brought within the scope of updated Federal Trade Commission guidelines on rules governing the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. The FTC last month quietly posted on its web site the “closing letter” of its first investigation involving blogs under the rules.

The FTC investigated whether the Ann […]

At least I’m an ethical pirate

Randy Cohen, the NYT‘s “ethicist” caused a minor uproar when he opined last weekend that although downloading a pirated electronic version of a book you already own might be illegal, it is ethical. It led to blood boiling on the part of some publishers and authors while others weren’t all that concerned. I tend to […]

The problems with blog ad placement

One of the problems with the interweb is often you at times see the ultimate layout only after the fact, especially if another site or server is populating the page with ads. At least that’s what I’m attributing this bit of ad placement to in a Slate blog post aboutHarper’s Magazine:

Adding some irony […]

Let “little buddy” spy on your kids

Euphemisms abound in modern America and consumer advertising seems to love them. One I saw in Sunday’s Best Buy ad, though, took me beyond a double take and left me pondering our views of privacy and parent-child trust.

The ad was for the “LittleBuddy Child Tracker.” To me, it could just as well be called […]