From Twitter 02-25-2011

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• From Twitter 02-24-2011 http://dlvr.it/HY2YM
  
• Why You Aren’t As Successful As You Want To Be http://dlvr.it/HZkVB
  
• For booksellers, the future is brighter than it seems http://dlvr.it/HZnp6
  
• Quote of the Day: Wisconsin Humor http://dlvr.it/HZtlc
  
• "Colonizing Space" is a Dirty Phrase: Stop Using It http://dlvr.it/Hb0Nh
  
• It's Time for a Vendetta Against Email http://dlvr.it/Hb53X
  
• Disposables Debate: Can Recycling, Materials Innovation Make Plastic Bag Bans Obsolete? http://dlvr.it/HbF65
  
• RT @jchutchins: Fuck, dude. I was paying my short story writers back when I did OBSIDIAN, and I didn't have a fucking pot to piss in. PA ...
  
• RT @Greendrv: RT @jaygarmon: Making rules is admitting failure http://dlvr.it/HVS5X
  
• RT @JohnStamos: contrary to the rumors, i am not replacing charlie sheen on two and half men. however, martin sheen has asked me to be ...
  
• Shervin Pishevar: “Twitter and Facebook are shields against future genocides” [TCTV] http://dlvr.it/HbSf5
  
• Friday YouTube: Predator - The Musical http://dlvr.it/HbbL0
  
• RT @jchutchins: HAH! "Damn right, I shot first..." http://amzn.to/dV0Bau
  
• Twitter, Time Shifting, Technology & Television http://dlvr.it/HbhBZ
  
• Google updates search to massively bias original content http://dlvr.it/HbmyT
  
• How to Use Backupify http://dlvr.it/HbrQq
  
• Quora on Designing an Organization That Designs Better Products http://dlvr.it/HbvyQ
  
• Seriously, Timothy Johnson, Your Idea Of How To Do PR For Clients Is A Joke http://dlvr.it/Hbzwz
  
• New Google navigation bar is not +1: it's for managing your online identity http://dlvr.it/Hc3Lc
  
• Star Wars redesigned as a gritty American western film -- with Action Figs! (hat tip @torbooks) http://dlvr.it/Hc7c3
  
• Consumer Reports Confirms Death Grip In Verizon iPhone http://dlvr.it/HcMPX
  
• Fred Wilson: “Marketing Is For Companies Who Have Sucky Products” http://dlvr.it/HcQBT

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From Twitter 02-24-2011

Image by library_mistress via Flickr

• How the Bubble moves to main Street http://dlvr.it/HTMPn
  
• 'The Way Is Open If We Want to Take It': The Dystopian Spirit in 21st-Century SF http://dlvr.it/HTTJK
  
• DailyDirt: Spaceships On The Drawing Board http://dlvr.it/HTZV5
  
• 5 assumptions about social search http://dlvr.it/HTfCR
  
• Death By Air And Thunderbolt: Is It The End Of The Line For The MacBook? http://dlvr.it/HTl3F
  
• RT @robmay: Everything I learned about doing a startup came from doing a startup... not reading blogs about it.
  
• The Privatization Of Public Data Sets A Bad Precedent http://dlvr.it/HTsxM
  
• Louisville Kickstarter: Help Jenn Stout Make Her New CD http://dlvr.it/HTz6j
  
• Lunch? LUnch!!!
  
• Yet Another Person Sues Google Because They Don't Like Pornographic Results When People Search On Their Name http://dlvr.it/HV42Y
  
• Trust and utility http://dlvr.it/HV9YD
  
• RT @jaymgates: Gmail, I do NOT accept your failure this morning. Shape up NOW. This is your final warning.
  
• SciFi Library in WA Needs Funds http://dlvr.it/HVGTn
  
• Yahoo To Shut Down MyBlogLog On May 24 http://dlvr.it/HVLGK
  
• Making rules is admitting failure http://dlvr.it/HVS5X
  
• New ways to experience better collaboration with Google Apps http://dlvr.it/HVXKR
  
• Success, Joy and Health are Contagious (So Be Careful Who You Work With) http://dlvr.it/HVbyq
  
• RT @tmbg: If they want to bring it back, have 'em call us! RT @hodgeman We believe we have the name of the exec who cancelled SCHOOLHOUS ...
  
• Trailer: Source Code http://dlvr.it/HVqc7
  
• What Watson did next http://dlvr.it/HVwp4
  
• Can America Function More Like a Fiscally Responsible Company? It’s up to Us, the Shareholders http://dlvr.it/HVzrG
  
• RT @cascio: Wondering which superhero Joss Whedon is going to kill in the #Avengers movie. Has to be someone we care about (so Hawkeye l ...
  

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Making rules is admitting failure

Image via WikipediaI'm stuck on a couple of writing projects at work, so I write this today as a mental gear-greasing exercise. Here's the TL;DR summary for the attention-deficient.

All company rules exist because of a failure of management.

I'll explain what I mean by way of example. At a place I used to work, we published a lot of online content. During one of our regular rounds of "management has a new idea to change everything" there arose the notion of updating our massive backlog of old articles to make them relevant again. Not the worst idea ever, until it came to the execution.

What happened to the FIRST American flag raised over Iwo Jima -- the one that DIDN'T appear in the famous photo?

Image by luvi via Flickr

Sixty-six years ago today, one of the most recognizable and inspirational military photographs in history was taken: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. On Feb. 23, 1945 a group of five US Marines and one US Navy corpsman were photographed erecting an American flag atop Mt. Suribachi during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. The iconic image came to win Pulitzer Prize, serve as the inspiration for the US Marine Corps War Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and -- perhaps most importantly -- to represent the courage and valor of American armed forces (particularly the Marines) during the second World War.

Not bad for a backup plan.

The flag immortalized in Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph was the second US flag raised atop Mt. Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Another US flag had been raised a short time earlier, one that the rather more famous (and larger) US flag was brought in to replace.

What happened to the first US flag raised atop Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima?

From Twitter 02-22-2011

Image by CoolB047 via Flickr

• From Twitter 02-21-2011 http://dlvr.it/HF9Jf
  
• Forget the Glamour, Focus on the Grindstone http://dlvr.it/HGTNm
  
• I Will Check My Phone At Dinner And You Will Deal With It http://dlvr.it/HGZTQ
  
• The Wayward Time Traveler: Old-School Science Fiction Flame Wars http://dlvr.it/HGfk0
  
• Asymmetrical mass favors, a tragedy of our commons http://dlvr.it/HGltb
  
• Ten Reasons Why Your Content Strategy Fails http://dlvr.it/HGwmK
  
• Why You’re Pissing Off Half Your Facebook Fans http://dlvr.it/HH0JV
  
• Does Re-Imagining Lord Of The Rings From The Perspective Of Mordor Violate Tolkien's Copyrights? http://dlvr.it/HH4yT
  
• The obsession with next http://dlvr.it/HH9pH
  
• Physicists Discover Quantum Law Of Protein Folding http://dlvr.it/HHJMD
  
• Are Google's Best Days in the Past? http://dlvr.it/HHPqf
  
• RT @warrenellis: Gadaffi's speech seems to boil down to "Everyone is on drugs except me. Also I am Batman."
  
• RT @shervin: Somewhere in the recesses of his insane mind Ghaddafi knows his time is up.
  
• RT @TIME: "I'd rather not be well known. Because that involves doing your hair everyday." @feliciaday gets nerdy with @Techland | http:/ ...
  
• Lunch? Lunch!
  
• It's time for Google Docs to work offline http://dlvr.it/HHVc6
  
• If You're Still Betting On Adobe Flash For Anything Mobile, The Joke's On You http://dlvr.it/HHZRV
  
• YA book about abuse may be banned from KY library (hat tip @LAGilman) http://dlvr.it/HHfrB
  
• A Newly Fertile Crescent http://dlvr.it/HHxxl
  
• Space colonisation logistics http://dlvr.it/HJ1nr
  
• RT @digiphile: "We're seeing a disintermediation of leadership"-Ben Scott. No longer need single charismatic leader to lead a movement. ...
  
• Maryland Corrections Agency Demanding All Social Media Passwords Of Potential Hires http://dlvr.it/HJ543
  
• 2 Serial Social Media Lead Killers http://dlvr.it/HJ7wX
  
• ‘I see fear’: Criminalizing Mexican workers in Kentucky promotes 21st Century bondage http://dlvr.it/HJC4L
  
• RT @DavidUzumeri: In remembrance of Dwayne McDuffie: The funniest internal Marvel correspondence I've ever seen. http://is.gd/SRxY9H
  
• We lost Dwayne McDuffie today. Most of you don't know who that is. The world is lesser on both counts. http://dlvr.it/HJGlR
  
• Will your 2011 Plan stand up to investor scrutiny? http://dlvr.it/HJKvn
  
• How Lawyers For Settlers Of Catan Abuse IP Law To Take Down Perfectly Legal Competitors http://dlvr.it/HJWj0
  
• Barnes & Noble Sales Jump Led By Digital Products http://dlvr.it/HJZPt
  
• What happens after Yahoo acquires you http://dlvr.it/HJdLq
  
• Creating a Product Focused Startup Culture http://dlvr.it/HJh6J
  
• Solving The Hacker News Problem (Alex Payne/al3x) http://dlvr.it/HKSG5
  

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From Twitter 02-21-2011

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• Why Startups Are Still Better at Attracting Rock Star Talent http://dlvr.it/H9xSY
  
• Are You An Entrepreneur Or A Business Owner? http://dlvr.it/HB1tC
  
• Steve Jobs Doesn’t Want to Kill Publishers, But Apple’s Subscription Strategy Will http://dlvr.it/HB4yr
  
• The Next Mass Consumer Social Wave: Political Expression http://dlvr.it/HB9X8
  
• RT @ColleenLindsay: OMG! @judyblume is on Twitter! I SHOULD NOT HAVE MORE FOLLOWERS THAN @JUDYBLUME! Go! Follow! Her! Now! #areyouthereJ ...
  
• Nathan Fillion Wants to Buy 'Firefly' http://dlvr.it/HBGRz
  
• PSA: How to Talk to Your Kids About Star Wars http://dlvr.it/HBN7p
  
• The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 029): An Interview with Tobias Buckell + Are Fantasy Stories More Accessible Than... http://dlvr.it/HBSv9
  
• The Future of Media http://dlvr.it/HBY7d
  
• Google's Native Client updates to Pepper API, looks set to fragment the Web http://dlvr.it/HBbyG
  
• Past due: Pressured by regulators, River City Bank exiting tax refund loan business http://dlvr.it/HBh13
  
• RT @rob_sheridan: Happy birthday to The Legend of Zelda, released 25 years ago today! It had a huge impact on me as a kid. http://instag ...
  
• Rishabh Mehrotra: Creating a movement to transform America from ‘sick economy’ to ‘well nation’ http://dlvr.it/HBlgG
  
• Life imitating sf: Criminalisation of the Female Body edition http://dlvr.it/HBqbT
  
• On the idiocy of intra-fandom genre prejudice http://dlvr.it/HBvmn
  
• Cats versus Star Wars (hat tip @sfsignal) http://dlvr.it/HByxG
  
• Apple in the Sky with Diamonds: A Cloud Based Safe Deposit Box http://dlvr.it/HC1jt
  
• Google tries new angle on hiring http://dlvr.it/HC4lJ
  
• Why I don't care very much about tablets anymore http://dlvr.it/HC83T
  
• Finding your niche http://dlvr.it/HCBcb
  
• When is a basketball game statistically over http://dlvr.it/HCFGk
  
• RT @jonacuff: Trying to make everyone happy is a great way to make sure you're not.
  
• Duh! (again) http://dlvr.it/HCJ7f
  
• Tolkien Estate In Legal Spat With Author Of Historical Fiction; Will Publicity Rights Kill Off Historical Fiction? http://dlvr.it/HCLgH
  
• Homeowner forecloses on Wells Fargo office, becomes folk hero http://dlvr.it/HCPfS
  
• New economic indicator? Plastic surgery may tell us what the public really thinks about the recovery http://dlvr.it/HCTBb
  
• Guest Post: How Online Work Can Save America http://dlvr.it/HCX1Z
  
• Borders Books: Why is Barnes & Noble performing well as a business while Borders is near (or has even reached)... http://dlvr.it/HCZb5
  
• RT @ScottCederlund: I just turned on BATMAN & ROBIN. It's just as bad as I remember.
  

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From Twitter 02-19-2011

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• From Twitter 02-18-2011 http://dlvr.it/Gzxhb
  
• RT @TechTalkWRLR: on in 30 with @jaygarmon - listen live http://www.wrlr.fm or http://techtalk.wrlr.fm
  
• The new nightmare of developers and brands http://dlvr.it/H1g61
  
• Microsoft Accidentally Bans Its Own License From App Store? http://dlvr.it/H1kLl
  
• 11 signs you're not ready to run your own company http://dlvr.it/H1nCY
  
• RT @NateCosBOOM: Brunch was created by a guy that wanted a sandwich but his wife wouldn't stop nagging him about pancakes.
  
• RT @AletheaKontis: Be aware: if you buy books at a Borders going out of business, they will be marking on them with a Sharpie. Be aware.
  
• The Trademarking Of Duff Beer: How Fictional Trademarks Become Copyright Issues In The Real World http://dlvr.it/H1s25
  
• Introducing the SF Signal Community! http://dlvr.it/H1w78
  
• 6 Ways to Prep for Advertising Online http://dlvr.it/H1yNJ
  
• What I Want in My New Google http://dlvr.it/H20zQ
  
• Jackson Calls on Fans to Save “Fringe” (hat tip @sfsignal) http://dlvr.it/H240Q
  
• Why did Twitter suspend UberTwitter? - Quora http://dlvr.it/H26Pk
  
• Is it Better to be Smart, or Get Good Grades? http://dlvr.it/H28TY
  
• How Not to Talk to Your Kids http://dlvr.it/H2CKK
  
• Why Does College Cost So Much? http://dlvr.it/H2FWH
  
• What will happen to http://bit.ly links when Gaddafi shuts down the Internet in Libya due to protests? - Quora http://dlvr.it/H2HdV
  

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From Twitter 02-18-2011

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• From Twitter 02-17-2011 http://dlvr.it/GvFkB
  
• The Now Revolution Comes To Louisville http://dlvr.it/Gwpq4
  
• Epic Win Of The Day http://dlvr.it/GwtYn
  
• Margaret Atwood on solar flares and author needs http://dlvr.it/Gwynk
  
• Is something wrong with Google? http://dlvr.it/Gx2Xy
  
• Quote of the Day: Permission to Speak Freely? http://dlvr.it/Gx6Pg
  
• Gawker’s Gulp Moment: Big Redesign Is Driving People Away http://dlvr.it/GxCGt
  
• A new Thor trailer hits http://dlvr.it/GxHMY
  
• The Next Generation Of Music Services Need To Go Beyond Replicating The Analog In The Digital World http://dlvr.it/GxMSW
  
• 10 Literary Novels for Genre Readers http://dlvr.it/GxRZH
  
• #FF @Nethermind @greendrv @nscottg @richl1 @sfsignal @futurismic @hypersteve @jloehr @kashhill @DavidGallaher @tobiasbuckell @jchutchins
  
• RT @matociquala: @gregvaneekhout Yeah, I cannot eat anything that plays with toys. Dogs, octopuses, Republicans.
  
• Lunch? Lunch!!!
  
• RT @PaulLev: 100+ geeks to follow on Twitter | TechRepublic http://tek.io/hQ9eZO honored to be on this list
  
• Girls in Spaceships, with a side order of robots please (hat tip @sfsignal) http://dlvr.it/GxXnV
  
• Yes, Detroit, You Can Have A Robocop Statue http://dlvr.it/GxdNJ
  
• Watch Star Trek The Animated Series online for free (hat tip Bureau 42 & @sfsignal) http://dlvr.it/GxjGh
  
• From gatekeepers to enablers http://dlvr.it/Gxlmj
  
• Facebook’s Silent Change to Your Newsfeed http://dlvr.it/GxqYL
  
• Firefly returns to cable — in HD [Firefly] http://dlvr.it/Gxtzb
  
• 100+ geeks to follow on Twitter http://dlvr.it/GxyCT
  
• Google has a Hunch http://dlvr.it/Gy1gQ
  
• My various SF Signal podcast appearances http://dlvr.it/Gy4KR
  
• Leonardo da Vinci’s Resume http://dlvr.it/Gy4nB
  
• RT @jchutchins: I have been duly corrected that Darth Vader's Star Destroyer was named the EXECUTOR, not the Executioner. I totally knew ...
  
• Goodbye academia, I get a life. http://dlvr.it/Gy8PT
  
• I may have just converted an up-and-coming star genre author into an archenemy with the power of my snark. #thisbodespoorly
  
• Given our current technology and with the proper training, would it be possible for someone to become Batman? - Quora http://dlvr.it/GyGQr
  
• Rumor quashed: Paley’s pizza place won’t open until after Derby http://dlvr.it/GyJs9
  
• Dead Baltimore Cop Signed and 'Certified' Red Light Camera Tickets http://dlvr.it/GyMXy
  
• Alan Dean Foster: conservation may have to grow from the barrel of a gun http://dlvr.it/GyQNQ
  
• How to design an unbreakable e-mail newsletter template http://dlvr.it/GyT4P
  

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My various SF Signal podcast appearances

Image via WikipediaI have been frustratingly unavailable to participate in these of late, but suffice it to say, the SF Signal Podcast is audibly awesome. Should you have some perverse need to hear my spoken opinions on various sci-fi topics, you can do so via the following SF Signal episodes:

• Episode 9 - Sex in Science Fiction
• Episode 12 - When Genre Series Overstay Their Welcome
• Episode 13 - The Best Genre Shows on the Air and Why You Should Be Watching Them
• Episode 14 - Interview with Paul Levinson
• Episode 16 - A Geek Holiday Gift-Giving Guide
• Episode 22 - How Events of the Past Decade Have Influenced Speculative Fiction
• Episode 23 - Is social media good for the book industry, publishing and authors?

You can subscribe to the SF Signal podcast in its entirety (and it's way better when I'm not in it) via iTunes. If you like the work, check out the guys who produce it, the Functional Nerds.

From Twitter 02-17-2011

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• On pricing power http://dlvr.it/GqrmH
• Thanks to @nethermind @jloehr @greendrv and the whole #lvl1 gang for a great #lda event last night.
• Adrianne Palicki Is NBC’s Wonder Woman http://dlvr.it/Gr0NB
• Borders, Bankruptcy and Writers http://dlvr.it/Gr3mF
• Why Are You People Defending Apple? http://dlvr.it/Gr9cp
• Google Music to launch with Android Honeycomb? http://dlvr.it/GrHMq
• Anybody else gonna checkout the Forge Launch Event next Thursday? http://t.co/Apik5w3
• The NFL Or SkyNET: There Can Be Only One http://dlvr.it/GrMGN
• Worried What Your SEO Guys Are Up To? BrightEdge Will Tell You http://dlvr.it/GrRcm
• 'Apple just f***** over online music subs for the iPhone' -- Last.fm co-founder on Apple's 30% cut http://dlvr.it/GrX85
• A kraken, enraged http://dlvr.it/GrbhL
• Forget Microsoft: Google Apps "One Of The Best Things We've Ever Done" http://dlvr.it/GrhQ6
• 6 Tips for Keeping Your Remote Team Motivated and Happy http://dlvr.it/GrnXR
• Google Search Finally Going Fully Social With Shared Twitter Links And Even Quora Data http://dlvr.it/Grs2K
• 100 Awesome Quotes on What It Really Takes To Innovate http://dlvr.it/GrwYQ
• Right now I could strangle Google Adwords and the six-dozen reporting tools that don't talk to it.
• La chocolat Louisville: Chocolatier/chef Ghyslain Maurais opening French Provincial bistro in Nulu http://dlvr.it/GsQlj
• Watson’s victory clear, but perhaps not as impressive as it seems http://dlvr.it/GsTyj
• Attachments.me Puts A Visual, Social Spin On Email Attachment Search http://dlvr.it/GsXkr
• Did Watson Succeed On Jeopardy By Infringing Copyrights? http://dlvr.it/GsbR5

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What classic board game was used to help Allied POWs escape in WWII?

Image by Martin Cathrae via FlickrThis week marks the anniversary of the "invention" of a classic board game, which is to say the date a mainstream game publisher started distributing the game on a national scale. There are a number of legends and misconceptions regarding this cultural icon, but often overlooked is the board game's role in aiding the Allied victory in World War II -- by supporting prison breaks by captured soldiers.

WHAT CLASSIC BOARD GAME WAS USED TO HELP ALLIED P.O.W.S ESCAPE IN WORLD WAR II?