Most Popular News Review
Sifting through the most popular news lists again (and after way too much server downtime) this blog reviews and rates the questionable collection. Right on top is one of the most useless announcements in the ‘most popular’ category. Keep in mind all these lists mean is a ranking of most clicked on news articles. So, who cares if Amy Poehler is leaving SNL? Or more to the point, who would care if SNL left SNL? For years the players on this long run late night mostly waste of time program have tried to equal the caliber, popularity and success of its earliest practitioners. The days of Akroyd, Belushi, Curtain and Murray are over and facts is facts nothing has come close since.
Five questions: why AIG matters can be summed up as is becomes political fodder, some people will get burned, some CEO’s will walk away enriched, nothing will really come of it and the public has a short memory. Some get burned, some avoid disaster, the pluses and minuses get absorbed over time and life goes on. As often as reports cite the Great Depression when financial crisis appears to loom, the country survived that too.
A short answer to a story suggesting technology could have averted the train wreck in LA, so could many other non-technology items. It makes it sound as if we just used more tech problems would be avoided. A little less tech and more common sense and back to basics practices would net us more solutions.
The suicide of a writer proclaimed in the press to be gifted is a natural ‘most popular’ if for no other reason than morbid curiosity. Be honest folks, how many of you were familiar with this person’s body of work?
And in a rare commentary on economic or financial matters John McCain presents a bland but reasonable general suggestion as a part of responding to recent failures of AIG, Lehman, Freddie, Fannie, Bear Stearns……Christ we might as well add World Com, Enron, Anderson and on and on. Like this never happened before but politicians are required to have a take on what the media deems critical because they are not smart enough to deal with current events and issues in a meaningful way.
As will be more and more common with the aging of the baby boom generation, another ‘rocker’ passes on. RIP Richard Wright of Pink Floyd fame, not to be confused with Rev Wright of ACORN Obama fame. (always enjoyed Pink Floyd’s work)
There should be a limited number of folks interested in the probable success of the Denver Broncos, GM’s Chevy Volt or the ‘thrilling’ victory of the Dallas Cowboys. While more will be interested in how long it takes to make electrical repairs related to Ike it is still somewhat limited in terms of the nation as a whole. Not unlike the writer suicide story it may also be viewed as some form of morbid curiosity.
HP slashing 25,000 jobs. Now that will get some attention beyond the most popular clicks. Hey, who once led HP and now works for the McCain campaign? Ya, this blog was never a fan. Of HP, a fan once upon a time but for this past CEO not disclosed here, the fan affection disappeared along with market dominance.
And now for more who cares? OJ, Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, Jennifer Hudson and CA politics as well as Thailand’s don’t even move the MoreWhat meter. OJ should never have been a story, EVER. Entertainment as a big deal in IT discussions should be on the bottom of the list just like Hollywood stories. And it is tough to decide which set of politics is less noteworthy, Thailand or California as they both seem to be located in Asia.
Funny, something of some import if it is correct falls near the bottom of the ‘most pop’ list. BPA, the plastic currently under suspicion of causing an array of serious health related problems may make you wax nostalgic on the passing of glass to plastic as the default container material for all manner of commonly consumed liquids and other consumables. Another reason to choose butter over margarine, sugar over substitutes and eating a balanced diet supported by vigorous exercise.
Another health related story on deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and one for fans of the American League and D Rays or Bo Sox complete the list.. All in all the most pop featured an eclectic mix this day. Less significant items were in play as the majority supplanting a menu of more meat and potatoes issues that should be there even if the source simply counts random clicks.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
(this post delayed by host server downtime, 30 hours)