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Posts Tagged “Quotable”

Social network popularity just like high school "Like the popular kids, Facebook will end up living in a trailer — just down the gravel road from Friendster." [Details] (Photo by AP/Jack Plunkett)

the sum of all human knowledge

Wikipedia's Erik Möller on the history of child sexual abuse: All Greek to him!

Pederasty in ancient Greece took on mystical significance, where semen from a noble man was believed to give arete to a young man through anal intercourse. This was part of a common practice in Greece where a noble man took on a young male as a student. This relationship was highly idealized in Greek culture and often involved sexual acts as mentioned. Since the practice was so widespread in ancient Greece, and there is no indication of any detractors at the time, many do not consider this an example of child sexual abuse (see moral relativism). Generally, people who hold this view believe that sexual acts can only be termed "abuse" if there is a victim who experiences negative effects as a result of the activities. Since there is no evidence of this occurring, many have concluded that this should not be considered abuse.
— Erik Möller, deputy director of the Wikimedia Foundation, editing a Wikipedia article on child sexual [Wikipedia]

Why Web 2.0 fails at the Internet "I have a major problem with many of the Web 2.0 companies that I meet in my job as a venture capitalist: They lack even the most basic understanding of Internet operations." — Panorama Capital's Allan Leinwand, on how Web developers ignore the basics of Internet connectivity [GigaOm]

quotable

The pleasure palace of a conquering tribe

"I think maybe Google is the Hefner mansion of the 21st century. It too rises from a fantasy - what if you had all the information in the universe at your fingertips? - and it too has sensual amenities to ease the workload." — John Carroll, fearing for the future of the human race. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Microsoft hire Mark Hamburg hates Windows Mark Hamburg, pictured here accepting a Photoshop Hall of Fame award, on being hired away from Adobe to work on user experience at Microsoft: "Given that I find the current Windows experience really annoying and yet I keep having to deal with it, this opportunity was a little too interesting to turn down." [News.com]

sex trade

Craigslist CEO admits site used for date "transactions"

At last, some straight talk from Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster on his site's role in the "erotic services" business:
Unlike the typical Internet site, just about every function on Craigslist, if you're successful in your transaction, is going to involve you meeting the other person in person; whether it's for a job interview, or to look at an apartment, or to buy a used sofa or to go out on a date.
[Marketplace]

Last call at Web 2.0? "It's like the bar after 3 a.m. Nobody left over is all that exciting, the desperate women and men are trying to get one last shot at a hookup." — Via instant messenger, an entrepreneur who skipped this week's Web 2.0 Expo, on the conference scene.

Your loss is eBay's gain In today's quarterly earnings call, when asked how eBay's business would fare in the oncoming recession, CEO John Donahoe remarked that the company is "a place where you can turn assets into cash in seven to fourteen days." Good times are here again! (Photo AP/Douglas C. Pizac)

Gridskipper launch editor chimes in on site's sale to Curbed Andrew Krucoff, the first editor for Gawker Media's Gridskipper travel blog who left after two weeks (and one pissed-off sponsor): "I'm just happy I got out before Denton had a chance to sell me to Lock like a 12-year-old Thai boy." (Photo by Steve Ross)

quotable

"Kevin Rose has basically plowed through everybody"

We may have been thrown out of the TechCrunch party last night, but bulldog aficionado Jason Calacanis did our dirty work for us. Calacanis caught up with Kevin Rose's cohost on the Diggnation podcast, Alex Albrecht, and asked him about Kevin Rose's dating habits. It's not pretty.

quotable

Google chefs have the best jobs in the business, if not in the company

Google chef Eric Dela Cruz works Monday through Friday — an unusual schedule for a master of the culinary arts, most of whom never have a weekend free. From this interview he gave to food blog YumSugar, it sounds like he has the best job in the industry: low-pressure, big budget and, as long as the food is good, positive feedback from everyone he runs into.
I get to cook whatever I want with the best quality food around. It's really great because we purchase everything top quality and everything we buy has a positive effect on the environment. We buy 100-percent sustainable, local ingredients. There is no pressure to make money on each plate, I don't have to cook what sells. Food is art and Google is my playground.
Here's the rest of the interview and a photo gallery.

quotable

Julia Allison is more hated than that Marine who threw a puppy off a cliff

Radar makes its list of the top 10 most hated people on the Internet and slips Julia Allison in at number three — making her more hated than David Mortari, the Marine who threw a puppy off a cliff in Afghanistan. This alone shows how stupid this list is, but Julia's response to being named number three? Priceless:
Wow, you hate me! You really, really hate me! I have to say, I'm truly humbled by this honor. As everyone knows, achieving something like this is a group effort, so I want thank everyone over at Gawker and Valleywag, especially Emily Gould and Owen Thomas, you sexy bitches!
She continues: More »

quotable

Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff suggests hackers, not Wall Street, are biggest threat to U.S. financial stability

Speaking to computer security experts attending the RSA Conference in San Francisco today, Department of Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff announced a "Manhattan Project"-level cybersecurity initiative by the feds, citing the 2007 attack on tiny Estonia.
"Imagine, if you will, a sophisticated attack on our financial systems that caused them to be paralyzed," Chertoff said. "It would shake the foundation of trust on which our financial system works."
Actually, I think the subprime mortgage crisis has done more to "shake the foundation of trust" in the markets than any hacker ever could, but maybe that's just me. (Photo by AP/Paul Sakuma)

quotable

Mossberg denies he bleated iPhone release date

"If I knew [the release date for the new iPhone], why would I announce it in the middle of a sentence at the Finnish embassy, rather than report it in the Wall Street Journal?" — mid-six-figure-salary Journal gadgeteer Walt Mossberg, on earning his keep. Left unanswered: What was he doing at the Finnish embassy in the first place? [Silicon Alley Insider]

Craiglist CEO Jim Buckmaster now admits he's a jerk "There was no need for me to act like a jerk." — Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster, finally admitting what everyone else had long thought about him, in defending his efforts to shut down a blog critical of Craigslist [Craigslist Blog (the official one)]

quotable

Vinod Khosla gave Brazilian slave-labor employers a thumbs-up

When asked about his his $200 million investment in an ethanol startup in Brazil, where corruption is rife, labor standards lax and the environmental track record abysmal, investor Vinod Kohsla replied, "We have a very professional management team." Those responsible for actually cutting the cane might tend to disagree after being subjected to inhuman working conditions which some activists describe as "slave labor."

quotable

Twitter founder: If you don't like Twitter, you're a bitch

After overhearing a woman dis Twitter at a Whole Foods, founder Evan Williams found an ingenious use for the service: Calling people names if they think your company sucks. I think she has a point. [Twitter]

Reallynotinlikewithyou "Charles Forman is the most arrogant person I've ever met. Other than myself." — Jason Calacanis, on the tight-T-shirted Iminlikewithyou founder.