California ban on same-sex marriage struck down:

In a 4-3 120-page ruling issue, the justices wrote that “responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation.”

“We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples,” Chief Justice Ronald George wrote for the majority.

The ruling takes effect in 30 days.

“UPDATE: Guys this is awesome.”

Google released Google App Engine, a “developer tool that enables you to run your web applications on Google’s infrastructure” (which is a fancy way of saying your web app is hosted on their servers, using their processing power and storage). The service is a basically a competitor to Amazon Web Services, except that (in classic Google manner) it is still in beta and free. Who knows how it will go, but the first couple of days stirred up quite a bit of ire amongst developers. Long live the Googleplex!

Why did no one tell me Ben Stiller is directing a film with blackface?

Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever. Problem is, Lazarus’s character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin and play Osiris, um, authentically.

”If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,” Downey says. ”If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell.”

(Bad puns are the milk and honey of bashing TED, right?)

The recently departed TED 2008 (February 27 to March 1) was home to a number of fascinating and informative talks. But besides inspiring “ideas worth spreading”, the conference also breathed new life into a long-standing argument. Is TED elitist? Is TED a waste of time? Or worse, more harmful than good?

That last question comes from Umair Haque, who argues that TED “is even more damaging than mere elitism”. Bringing together so many innovators for a closed forum is, at best, neither good nor bad: nothing gets done, but no one is hurt in the process. However, add the opportunity cost of the endeavor, and the conference becomes a waste of time and money.

Let me put it even more sharply. There have been gatherings like TED for hundreds of years. But the vast majority of the world continues to live in bone-crushing poverty, misery, and fear.

Think about that for a second.

That’s an existence proof the size of the Milky Way that stuff like TED isn’t part of the answer - it’s part of the problem. It’s a negative equilibrium: all that great thinking is directed to the place where it’s least productive.

Unfortunately, Haque is liberal with his criticisms, providing no real stepping stone between TED as unproductive and TED as a damaging problem. That the world’s problems exist despite TED speak to its ineffectiveness, not any harmful influence. (Also, I want to call bullshit on Haque for adding a postscript about he is not “bashing” TED. Saying the conference actually contributes to the poor conditions around the world is nothing but bashing.)

However, Haque’s toned-down argument is hardly off base, and he’s not alone in his thinking. Sarah Lacy writes in Business Week why she’s fed up with TED:

This is a sentiment that goes far beyond sour grapes. I care passionately about many of the change-the-world issues discussed at TED. And I am encouraged that next year, the conference is moving from Monterey, Calif., to a larger, more accommodating venue in Long Beach, where the attendee list will be at least a little larger.

Still, I question whether even the loftiest ideas lose some relevance when they’re aired in so rarified an arena. Given how oversold and profitable the conference is, I can’t help but wonder whether there’s a vulnerability that someone else might exploit. Why not a TED for the rest of us? Imagine: a conference that explores the complex fabric of humanity, while actually allowing it in the door.

The biggest problem with TED seems to be how closed its doors really are. If (IF!) you are invited, entry will cost you $6000, a price tag much higher than what many of the people who should be there can reasonably afford. TED reserves 50 seats for people who will pay either $2000 or nothing, but that is 50 out of 1450 attendees! 96.5% of the attendees still pay the entire $6000.

Hating on TED is not a minority activity, either. These arguments have been prominent enough to warrant a Is TED Elitist? page on the TED.com FAQ. I commend TED’s attempts to assuage concerned visitors, but any thoughtful consideration of their response makes the page seem more like a list of reasons detractors are correct.

Why charge so much money?

Without the high fee we wouldn’t spend as much as we do on the conference itself, with state-of-the-art staging, lighting and audiovisual, and generous social events. But even after these expenses the event, is still highly profitable. And we’re delighted it is — because this means we can afford to invest in taking TED’s content free to the world. The process of editing and hosting scores of videos and building a highly trafficked website is expensive. Which is why few other conferences have attempted it on the same scale.

Cutting the price would also impair our ability to fund the TED Prize, expand the TED Fellows program and invest in taking TED into developing countries. And it would turn an already long waiting list into one that was unmanageable.

Firstly, I am all but offended that they would even try to pass off expenses as a reason for the high barrier to entry, and then in the next breath casually mention the high profits (”at least $2 million” every year, by the way). Admittedly, I am wholly ignorant when it comes to the money needed to organize a three-day conference, but this year’s attendance rate of 1,198 should have garnered TED over $7 million from ticket prices alone. Considering that, I am sure that “at least $2 million” figure is very conservative.

And “impairing their ability to fund the TED Prize”? The TED Prize, for those who don’t know, is a $100,000 grant given to three winners each year. So, as it stands now, less than 4% of the profits go toward funding the TED Prize. Where the rest goes, I do not know, but the TED Global conferences are presumably profitable as well, and the website is probably somewhere between $100,000 to $200,000 a year AT MOST.

So the long waiting list is the only excuse that is almost reasonable (though that just brings us full circle to the original complaint). Of course, getting rid of the many actors, actresses, and other useless audience members would make the waiting list more manageable. I love John Cusack to death, but did he really need to be on this year’s list of TED attendees?

It seems foolish to completely disregard the good possible by bringing so many intellectuals together, but the process could definitely do with a lot of improvement. For example, the conference could provide more opportunities for collaboration among attendees, or expand the TED Prize to be either larger or include more winners.

No matter what, though, the conference will remain worthwhile in my eyes as long as TED.com exists. On its own, TED is arguably nothing more than an elitist circle jerk, but the freely available videos will hopefully go a long way to inspiring tomorrow’s innovators.

On November 5, 2006, the now infamous To Catch a Predator made a somber turn as suspect Louis William Conradt committed suicide after a SWAT team entered his house, Dateline NBC cameras recording the action. The show has been no stranger to criticism, but this shocking ending opened the flood gates.

As NBC was revealing the results of a forensic report on Conradt’s computer (contained porn, including some child pornography), Esquire magazine released an incisive critique of the circumstances surrounding Conradt’s death: Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die. The article criticizes almost every aspect of the investigation and subsequent arrest, and draws heavily on unaired footage that contradicts the official NBC story.

NBC responded, stressing the number of previous investigations that had led to convictions, and that ultimately, Conradt was a sexual offender. Unfortunately, declining to chastise Dateline NBC for its means in light of its ends moves the debate into murky territory. However, neither should critics editorialize so egregiously (e.g., Esquire expressing disappointment over a detective writing up a warrant for Conradt rather than quitting) when the truth is damning enough.

Either way, none of this bodes well for what journalist John Hockenberry learned about network television at Dateline NBC. (Hint: NBC is in it for the ratings.)

Just one more comics post, promise. Then it’s back to the regularly scheduled programming of sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs. (At least until the next comics post.)

A few weeks ago, Heidi MacDonald (of the PublishersWeekly comic blog The Beat) posted a half review/half commentary dealing with The Best American Comics 2007. One hundred comments and a few days later, she responded to the controversy her post had spawned. Hardly wanting to admit any fault, she quickly reveals that any vagueness was on purpose; a product of her writing style and a means to “inspire debate” (and debate they did). Just like my short digression was on purpose; a means of allowing me to say her dodging any blame was a motherfucking cop-out. But I digress.

Nevertheless, her follow-up post responded to a few comments, and presented a more focused account of her opinion:

What I don’t like is the trend of valuing expressionism, formalism and “comica vérité” for their own sake at the expense of what I would call “mainstream fiction”, or formally conventional but narratively complex stories such as Love & Rockets, Exit Wounds, Ode to Kirihito, Ice Haven (Shock!!) or American Born Chinese.

As much as I may disagree with how MacDonald originally outlined this opinion, or dealt with the responses, it is hard to find anything to argue with the above summary on its own. She sees “comica vérité” (a wonderful term, in the vein of cinéma vérité, coined to describe autobiographical or similar comics) stealing the spotlight, and maybe even the whole stage, and worries about the future of more conventional fiction. This trend is certainly extant in the indie comic world, at least as far as mainstream media like The New York Times or HoughtonMifflin are concerned.

It is this preoccupation with the “face” of comics which I find worthy of criticism. As Steven Hirsch mentions in a comment on the original post:

By reacting to the book the way she does, Heidi implies that it’s canonical and gives it some authority that it doesn’t and shouldn’t have. I see comics as an art form refreshingly free of any rigid canon, and would like to see it remain that way.

We the masses of comic lovers may applaud (or bemoan) on a daily basis the thrusting of comics into the mainstream, but we don’t really care that much. A warm smile may come over our faces when we read the latest issue of The New York Times Magazine, or see a familiar comic in this year’s The Best American Comics, but afterwards we’ll go on enjoying our Batman and Groo just the same. Does it really matter what Chris Ware deems the year’s best comics? Are we really so self-conscious?

To answer the first, yes and no. The narrowing range of what comics we can respectfully call “graphic novels” in conversation with friends and family is unlikely to have any direct effect of any significance. It may be a long time before Bone is taught alongside Maus, but that doesn’t reflect on the greatness of Jeff Smiths’ masterpiece. (And it is great. And Neil Gaiman is writing an essay on it. And I am so excited!) It does, however, reflect on the mainstream perception of comic books, and consequently influences any converts to the comics community. If the community is going to fully push the boundaries of the medium, it needs to present an honest view of itself and attract a new generation of both creators and readers.

No matter how long the media continues to pigeonholes comica vérité as the medium’s lord and savior, there are so many genres that are worth reading. The community deserves a Best American Comics 2008 that acknowledges this.

Way back in July 2006, Sony was coming out with a sleek white version of the PlayStation Portable. And because showing the two color PSPs next to each other simply wouldn’t do, they came up with an interesting ad campaign: White is coming. Sony soon pulled the ads after being attacked on charges of racism and all-around insensitivity. Apologies were made, etc. etc. etc.

Now, surely to win the hearts of the public, Sony has come up with a new ad campaign for the PSP: Fake Book, The Divine Comedy. If not apparent by the pictures, Fake Book is a cutout of hands holding a book (The Divine Comedy), with a slot for placing your PSP. It’s genius! With no effort on your part at all, you can sit cozy in class or the library with an air of academia about you while safely wreaking havoc in Transformers: The Game.

Of course, you might be worried about the off chance that someone comes around, inquiring about that wonderful book you are reading (ha!). Fear not, the Fake Book comes complete with Cliff Notes-esque summary of The Divine Comedy. (Did you know all three parts of the book end with the word “stars”?)

1. 31. 07. Never forget.

A massive directory of webcomics. Some notable comics are missing from the list (e.g., A Softer World), but with 2548 comics (and counting) listed, you’re bound to find something. Of course, you could always submit a comic if something’s missing.

In The Nietzsche Family Circus, Dolly, while sitting at a table drawing, states, “For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication.”

Musick in the Head has put together a list of Music 2.0 companies. What the hell is a Music 2.0 company? I don’t know, but all the companies “are doing something interesting with music online.”

Last.fm mashups are nothing new. There’s PandoraFM, which submits the songs you’re listening to on Pandora to Last.fm. There’s Upcomingscrobbler, linking Last.fm and Upcoming.org to show you upcoming concerts in your area for artists on your Last.fm. There is even Snapp Radio, a service that displays pictures from Flickr based on the music you’re listening to from Last.fm. And, now, there’s something new: Last.tv, serving up music videos from YouTube based on your Last.fm profile.

do the right thing.com, a Digg/Newsvine-like news site revolving around the positive or negative social impact of businesses. Stories are submitted, then voted on their positive/negative impact, averaged, and bam: social impact.

Ever had trouble making decision? Wish you had a group of complete strangers around to vote on which decision to make? Now you can! With doxory.com, life by committee, your prayers have been answered!

OhMiBod. iPod + vibrator. Heaven.

Daylife aggregates news from around the world in a very multimedia-rich format. Stories are organized by recency, people, organizations, geography, subject, and more. Then you could use yourself a reasonable optical near joint access!

Intel versus The Postal Service! Spear chucker versus honky! You versus censorship! Skippy versus the U.S. Army! It’s a battle to the death in today’s Undressing the Internet.

For all you disbelievers, Apple/Intel versus The Postal Service.

Also on the video front:

A good SNL skit with the late, great Richard Pryor.

The classic French film Papillon now has a trailer with English subtitles. We need more American films like this.

And finally, a breathtaking video of an underwater nuclear test.

[/end video front]

I know most of the people who visit Undres Me Robot are Windows XP users, so here are over 350 useful XP tips to get you through any Windows trouble.

Another tip: How to accurately determine your iPod battery life. While we’re at it, who cares how long your iPod lasts if the earphones stop working.

You should never, never, never complain about not being able to access a site from work or school after you read the 6 ways to view blocked sites.

Pregnant? Make sure you eat lots of fish.

New Scientist presents how the human brain works.

CNN Money presents the best time to buy anything.

And Skippy presents 213 things you can’t do in the army.

Wikipedia, bastion of all hope in these dark times, has an extensive list of internet phenomenon. The official title of the page is “Internet celebrities”, and I can’t wait for this big guy to be added.

In the eternal vein of “Flash applications that are useless enough to be cool”, I will Let them sing it for you.

If there are any PBS fans out there, I just want to let you know that you can watch, for free, every Frontline episode online now.

Science versus the Death Penalty! Who will win!

Yeah… I don’t want to end on a downer like that… so… it’s peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111

Bad news in the technology sector, Star Wars nerds showing their might, a beautiful city photographed beautifully, some things not so safe for work, and a bit more.

If you’ve been following either indie music news or Apple news lately, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about the “controversy” over the new Apple/Intel advertisement. If you didn’t notice, the ad bears a striking resemblance to the Such Great Heights video. Well, they were both done by the same filmmakers, and The Postal Service is a little miffed.

Next on the Bad Tech News list is a recent Washington Post article. A hacker group states they have hacked thousands and thousands of Livejournal accounts, and “it is unclear whether LiveJournal has managed to close the security holes that the hackers claim to have used. The company says it has, but the hackers insist there are still at least 16 other similar Javascript flaws on the LiveJournal site that could be used conduct the same attack.”

But don’t fear! Pacman still lives.

Punk rawk versus Star Wars!

Scientists are making headway on self healing material.

Moving away from material science to a more industrial aspect, the world’s first underwater hotel is currently under construction. I know where I’m going on vacation next year.

Some beautiful photographs of Japan at night.

The following links are not work safe, so if you’re at work, don’t click them:

b3ta.com has put out their Phallic Logo Awards.

“If you’re trying to convince your woman that it’s a good time to have her eyes checked, what better motivation than when she misses wide and to the right?”

A terribly violent training video from Germany. Funny? I don’t know why my training videos were never this engaging.

Scarlett Johansson groped. I can imagine a lot more straight guys telling girls they’re “gay” now…

[/end NSFW section]

If you’ve ever wondered how to search a little better using Google, the last link of the day is an article on data mining using Google.

Good night and good luck.