Final Results of the Recent Facebook Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers if they felt Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was sincere in his efforts to improve the privacy issues facing his social media site, most of you weren't buying it.

Here are the final results:

No- 75%
Yes- 25%

Thanks to all of you who participated and shared your thoughts in the comments section. Regarding the latter, my apologies for not responding to you individually in the comments box.

Due to a project that I recently began, my blogging activity will greatly decrease. However, when something pops up in the world of pop culture that interests me and time permits, I'll be back with more posts, polls, etc.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Facebook Poll... Thank You.

Faced with privacy control problems as well as a damning IM exchange he had as a 19 yr old undergrad at Harvard, 25 yr old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got out the proverbial pail and started bailing with an open letter published in the Washington Post. You can read more on the story by visiting the following link:

Contrite Facebook CEO promises new privacy controls

However, talk is just like a $5 hooker (cheap) so it remains to be seen if Zuckerberg will be a man of his word. What do you think?

Zuckerberg may want to keep that pail on standby: a movie about the founding of Facebook, The Social Network, is scheduled to open on October 15, 2010.

You Tube Turns 5 Years Old

On May 17 2005, the site which gave birth to the slogan "Broadcast yourself" was launched. Although it wasn't the 3rd of September, the day I accidentally discovered You Tube is one I'll always remember. While doing prep for my radio show on a Saturday afternoon back in 2005, I did an Internet search for the UK group The Housemartins. Since one of the songs on my playlist that day was their a capella version of Caravan of Love, I wanted to see if there was some interesting trivia about the band and/or song. My search took me to a results page that had a link to watch the music video for Caravan of Love on some site called You Tube and the rest is approved time wasting history:




Since I'd be here until the 10th anniversary of You Tube listing some of the best stuff I've seen on the site, here are a few of my fave clips:

Then Michigan State head football coach John L. Smith extols the virtues of his staff:



A New York news anchor asks a very important question:



A 1950s crooner literally flips his wig:




What are some of your favorite You Tube memories?

Final Results of the Recent Holiday Shopping Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers what their method of shopping was for the holidays, nearly half said that they prefer the luxury of picking out presents online. The margin between online vs. brick and mortar was narrower than I thought it would be. When I asked this question two years ago, the gap was significantly wider (55% said online vs. 36% brick and mortar). I wonder if the increase of identity theft due to information online has caused more people to shop the old fashioned way. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that identity theft also happens at brick and mortar stores too. Below is just one of the horror stories that's been reported recently:

http://www.mycardblog.com/2009/02/best-buy-employees-steal-your-credit-card-information/


Here are the final poll results:

Online: 48%
Brick and Mortar: 44%
Since I don't celebrate the holidays, I don't shop - 7%
I let someone else do it for me- 0%

Thanks to all who participated.

Moolah For Hulu?

It's been reported that Hulu, the awesome (and FREE) online streaming service, may start charging a subscription fee for video content sometime in 2010. Since it's introduction in 2007, Hulu has been a haven for millions of viewers interested in checking out the old (Dragnet, The Big Valley, Doogie Howswer, M.D., etc.), the new (Family Guy, Glee, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, etc.) and much, much more at no cost. What I love about Hulu is that I have the chance to watch old faves that are rarely rerun anymore and catch up on episodes of new series I may have missed. Oh yeah, I also love the fact that it's FREE!

The plan to charge a subscription fee doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Especially when there are other online video services that are free of charge. You know what they say... if it ain't broke, don't fix it pull the rug out from under your customers by sticking them with a fee.

Would you pay for Hulu? If so, how much?


For more on the story, please visit the link below:

Hulu To Charge Subscription Fee

Final Results of the Twitter Poll

If we are to believe the results of the recent poll, it appears that most who haven't joined the Twitter revolution have zero interest in getting an account. Although I have a Twitter account, I basically use it to pimp my blog posts. You can get the picture of me in a floor-length fur coat, wide brim hat, and Plexiglass platform shoes (with fish swimming in the heels) out of your head! Others commented that their use of Twitter is mainly to promote their blog posts as well.

Based on various surveys, Twitter's retention rate (those who come back the following month) is below 50%. My guess is that Twitter is going to have to add some Facebook-like features (FarmVille anyone?) in order to hold people's interest and to get others to join.

Here are the final poll results:

Poll question: Are you on Twitter?

No- 52%

Yes, but rarely- 16%

Yes and I'm addicted- 13%

Yes, but only sometimes- 13%

No, but I'm thinking about joining- 3%

Thanks to all who participated!

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Twitter Poll... Thank You

Facebook Lesson #13: A "Poke" Could Send You To the Pokey

I've given up saying, "Now I've seen it all" because of stories like this one. Last month, Shannon D. Jackson of Hendersonville, TN was arrested for "poking" an acquaintance on Facebook. Although "poking" sounds like something Larry Dallas might do, it's normally harmless. It's basically the online equivalent of saying "what's up?!"

I said "normally harmless" because if a person slaps you with a restraining order, "poking" them could get you fitted with a bright orange jumpsuit. According to police, Jackson is accused of using the "poke" option on Facebook to contact Dana Hannah (also of Hendersonville), thus violating the terms of the order of protection, which stipulates "no telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating with the petitioner."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/shannon-d-jackson-woman-a_n_315877.html

Violating an order of protection qualifies as a misdemeanor, and can carry a sentence of up to one year in jail, as well as a maximum fine of $2,500.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/shannon-d-jackson-woman-a_n_315877.html

ABC News video:

Woman arrested for Facebook Poke

Although Ms. Jackson's situation looks bleak at the moment, she could easily turn things around:

Write a best-selling memoir

Make a tearful appearance on Oprah

Have her memoir adapted into a Lifetime movie of the week starring Heather Locklear

Final Results of Facebook Poll

In the most recent poll in which I asked you about your Facebook usage, almost half of you admitted to not only being a member of the social networking site... but being addicted to it as well. I hear you. Whether you are telling the cyber world what's on your mind, connecting with friends you haven't seen since you wore a Mohawk hairstyle, or accepting someone's challenge to beat their score on a "Cover of Rolling Stone" quiz, it's easy to get lost in the world of Facebook.

Here are the final results:

Yes and I'm addicted- 44%
Yes, but only sometime- 24%
No- 22%
Yes, but rarely- 6%
No, but I'm thinking about joining- 2%

As for the 22% who voted "No", I gotta go Trekkie/Trekker on you and say this... resistance is futile.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Facebook Poll, Thank You

Debut of Diversity Ink

As a heads up, I will be one of the contributors to a new blog that is launching on Monday, January 19th. Titled Diversity Ink, the blog will deal with race matters from a variety of angles (personal experiences, current events, pop culture, etc.).

You can reach Diversity Ink by clicking here. I hope that you add us to your blogrolls and are able to take part in the discussions.

Web Find: Wait I Know This!

While on an Internet surfing safari earlier this week, I found a new blog that I will surely be visiting on a regular basis... Wait I Know This!. Authored by Eric Chilton, a broadcasting veteran who currently serves as the chief meteorologist at WFMY News 2 (a CBS affiliate in central North Carolina), "Wait I Know This!" goes back in time to revisit our favorite music, movies, and TV shows. Some of the posts I've read so far include ones on Sonny & Cher, Mork & Mindy, Bosom Buddies, and Paul Peterson (Jeff Stone of The Donna Reed Show).

In addition to the blog, Eric also hosts a podcast which is also called "Wait I Know This!". A TV trivia and interview show, Eric and his various co-hosts have had a variety of stars from yesteryear as guests. Some of the performers they've interviewed include Lana Wood (Natalie's sister), Don Grady (Robbie on My Three Sons), Kathy Garver (Cissy on Family Affair), and the aforementioned Paul Peterson. The podcast normally airs live every Sunday night. However, since they did a special "on-location" broadcast this past Friday, the podcast's next episode will be on Sunday January 18th at 6 PM EST. If you miss the live airings, don't worry because you can always listen to the archived shows by going to the blue "Talk Shoe" widget in the upper right corner of the blog.

Whether you grew up during the time when TVs had "rabbit ears" or if you're a member of the cable generation, be sure to check out Wait I Know This! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Web Find: Dickipedia

This past Saturday, my sister sent me an email that turned me on to a website called Dickipedia. The email contained a link to Greta Van Susteren's page in which it stated that the Fox News Channel personality is a dick.

Launched by the political humor website 23/6, Dickipedia aims its poison arrows at people and institutions both past and present. With a layout designed to mirror the mega popular online resource Wikipedia, each entry on Dickipedia starts out with an opening that includes the name of the person/institution, their year of birth/introduction, their main claim(s) to fame, and their dubious title of dick. Example: "Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, GA) is a Grammy-winning producer, a platinum-selling rapper, and a dick." The entry then provides a biographical sketch of the person/institution, including reasons for why they are considered a dick. One thing I enjoy about Dickipedia is that it has an irreverent laugh out loud edge you won't find on Wikipedia. In the entry for Sean Penn it says:

"Often described as an acting “powerhouse,” Sean Penn is known for his intensity and humorlessness. He has been a druggie, a delinquent, mentally-unhinged, and a retard. He has also played those characters in films."

On its main page, Dickipedia has its dickroll broken down by categories (latest, political, media, sports, entertainment, international, and miscellaneous). In addtion to the people I previously mentioned, some of the others getting the dick tag hung on them include Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Naomi Campbell, Simon Cowell, Kobe Bryant, Ann Coulter, and Sean Hannity. Dickipedia even takes aim at Santa Claus, oil, The Olympics, and Halloween.

For each Dickipedia entry, visitors can login/register and add their comments. However, unlike its well-established counterpart, Dickipedia is unavailable for community editing at this time.

Having said that, after viewing its dickroll (which you can reach by clicking the word "Dickipedia" in the opening sentence of this post), is there anyone/anything you'd like to see added to Dickipedia?

Special Guest On The Pop Art Diva's Show

On Thursday 11/13 at 6 PM EST, I am honored to be the guest on the BlogTalkRadio show of Pop Art Diva. For two hours, we will talk about (surprise surprise) pop culture both past and present. To listen to the webcast live or the archived version at a later date, click here. The Pop Art Diva will have the phone lines open at various times throughout the show so if you listen live and have any questions for me, you can call 347-326-9293. I hope you can tune in because it will be a lot of fun!

The Arte y Pico and 80s Music Master Awards

Art at 70's Classic Rock was kind enough to award this to me. Thank you Art; I am honored. In order to keep the giving spirit alive, I've bestowed the award on the following quintet:

1. Cynical_Bastard: With a blog title like that, you'd be a fool to go in expecting an online version of The PTL Club. Along with smart-ass commentary on a variety of subjects and assorted memes, Jay's blog also features lots of eye-catching photos.

2. Layla's Classic Rock Faves- One of the passions of Barbara (aka Layla) is rock music and her love for the genre is evident from the posts she writes.

3. Life is RANTastic!-Jessica writes about a variety of things: life's tragedies and triumphs, what's on her bookshelf, the ongoing saga of Hysteria Lane, her fondness for Mr. Bon Jovi, etc.

4. The Marvalus View- Ms. Marvulus' blog touches on a potpourri of topics (music, politics, sports, short stories, etc.). She is also one of the creators of one of my favorite memes, Old School Friday.

5. What Would Thembi Do?- In addition to putting a humorous spin on such topics as her personal and professional life, Thembi also has features like Colored But Cancelled (all about sadly short-lived TV series featuring predominately Black casts), Who Am I? , and Black C-Listers to keep her readers entertained.

I also earned the following award for placing first in the 80s Music Quiz posted by BeckEye a couple of weeks ago. Sorry, but I won't be passing this on to anybody. To paraphrase the dude in the "Hey Love" commercial, "no my brother/sister, you got to earn your own".

Care To Test Your Rock & Roll Smarts?

While visiting Layla's Classic Rock Faves yesterday, I learned about Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Quiz. Billed as "58 questions that will separate the music aficionados from the novices", the quiz has its fair share of "ass busters". If you do take the test, feel free to leave your score in the comments section. Although I scored a 43, I guessed on quite a few of the questions.

Be forewarned about one thing. There is a "tip" near the bottom of the page stating that the questions get progressively easier. This all depends on your area of expertise because I didn't find that they got easier at all. Below is the link to the quiz.

Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Quiz

Retro Jingle/Slogan Quiz At Pop Art Diva's Blog

If you have the time, swing over to Pop Art Diva's blog and play her retro jingle/slogan trivia game. Along with the trivia, she has a soundboard installed where you can listen to a few jingles from year's past.

Great Web Find: Hulu.com

I thought I would take a break from watching an episode of "Fame" and enjoying a slice of peanut butter pie to tell you about this new online video service I recently discovered (thank you Entertainment Weekly) called Hulu.com. Launching on March 12th of this year, Hulu.com allows you to view streaming video of TV shows/specials/sporting events and movies (most of which are the property of NBC and FOX) free of charge.

Not only can you watch current shows such as "House", "The Office", and "The Riches", but you can also check out old series as well. So far, I have watched episodes of "Doogie Howser, M.D.", "Nanny and the Professor", "McHale's Navy", "Ironside", as well as some of my favorite sketches from "In Living Color". Some of the movies offered include "The 40 Year Old Virgin", "Hollywood Shuffle", "Some Like It Hot", "The Usual Suspects" and "Office Space". Hulu.com also offers the option of watching content "full screen".

In addition to being free, one of the great things about Hulu.com is that the content is provided by the studios themselves; meaning that the audio/video quality is very good. Although it isn't as good as traditional TV, it's way better than what you'll find on You Tube.

Along with what I mentioned above, you can also do searches to find out if content is available. Although they obviously don't have everything, they are adding new content on a regular basis. If Hulu.com doesn't have a program (such as "Lost"), it tells you where you can view it online. Hulu.com is ad-supported, so there are some commercials. But when it's free, who cares?! In case you are wondering what the hell "hulu" means, according to Wikipedia the name comes from a Mandarin Chinese proverb, in which it means holder of precious things.

I have barely scratched the surface as far the programming available on Hulu.com. Since I have to get back to work, I'll have to finish that episode of "Fame" later tonight. However, I am having another slice of peanut butter pie!

People Come Up With the Craziest Searches Part II: The Naked Truth

In the latest installment of "People Come Up With the Craziest Searches", I thought I would share some of the strange keyword combos that have led people to my blog over the past couple of months. Because I obviously remember the posts I have written, most of these keywords make perfect sense. Still, I am amazed at the number of people searching for nude pics of 60s sex kitten Joey Heatherton.

1. stevie nicks on stage topless
2. joey heatherton totally naked
3. FLORENCE LARUE NUDE
4. does lil richard have a boyfriend
5. MARY J BLIGE GROWING PAINS THIGH BOOTS
6. breakfast club trivia car andrew is dropped off in
7. sugar gay hustler movie "closing credits"
8. the afro is retro
9. thailand insane laverne and shirley
10. picket fences cow baby
11. "hey love" "no my brother"
12. "and my diet pill is wearing off"
13. karate Kid - Sweep the leg clip
14. joey heatherton nude pictures
15. joey heatherton naked

What are some of the craziest keyword searches that people have used to find your blog lately?

New To the Blog Scene: Traces of A Stream

Although I don't own a wide-brimmed hat or platform shoes with clear heels that have fish swimming in them, I do pimp blogs from time to time. If you haven't already, I urge you to check out a new one written by Pjazzypar called "Traces of A Stream". As some of you already know, Pjazzypar is a relative of mine. However, this isn't a case of nepotism. If I didn't think the blog was any good, trust me... I wouldn't be propping it.

If you regularly check out the comments sections of my blog posts, you may recognize the name Pjazzypar ("Pjazzy" for short). She has been not only a faithful reader of my blog, but a frequent commenter as well. As someone who loves pop culture as much as I do, Pjazzy never fails to provide a unique and interesting take on the topics that I write about on my blog. She continues this approach over at "Traces of A Stream". According to her blog header, she will tackle topics in the areas of politics, music, sports, family issues, and literature, just to name a few. Although her blog has been in existence for barely a week, Pjazzy has already written about topics such as The Boondocks, Lena Baker/The Death Penalty, The Jackson Five Reunion Tour, Don Imus, and Rosa Parks. Her blog also includes a weekly poll, the quote of the day, and famous birthdays among other sidebar features.

So if what I've said has piqued your interest, swing by and take a dip in Traces of A Stream.