Is Steve Ballmer Channelling Hulk Hogan?

Is it just me or were these two separated at birth?

And no Ballmer retrospective would be complete without this spectacularly shameless performance:

MapQuest’s Major Overhaul Goes Live

RWW writes:

“MapQuest, the one-time leader in online mapping, has been completely revamped as of today with a fresh new look and added functionality. The updated website is available now, in beta format, at new.mapquest.com.”

At first blush, it’s pretty cool.  Hopefully they’ll give Google a run for their money.

via MapQuest’s Major Overhaul Goes Live.

G20 Toronto Black Block get green light to rampage?

YouTube – G20 Toronto Black Block get green light to rampage?.

War without end threatens US democracy: Washington Post

An interesting read:

Endless war, a recipe for four-star arrogance.

The Triumphant Decline of the WASP – NYTimes.com

“Today the wearing of the tweed is not anachronism or assimilation, but a mark of respect for the distinctive ethnic group that opened its doors to all — an accomplishment that must be remembered, acknowledged and emulated.”

Op-Ed Contributor – The Triumphant Decline of the WASP – NYTimes.com.

The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People

Can you guess what it is?

The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People | zen habits.

No right for freedom of assembly says 500 arrests

Some disturbing answers to some basic questions about the health of democracy in Canada.   Visit the link below to see the video:

No right for freedom of assembly says 500 arrests.

G20 Outrage: National Post Journalists jailed.

There are times when I honestly worry about the integrity of the Canadian system.  The conduct by security forces in Toronto this weekend has been a disgrace.  Here is what the National Post is reporting on the treatment of it’s own journalists:

“O’Connor: We were handcuffed. They emptied my wallet. I still don’t know what happened to some of our camera equipment. About six of us were put in a paddy wagon for at least 90 minutes. There was a lot of waiting. Then we were transferred to a large paddy wagon, more like a bus, with compartments and room for at least 40 people.

Gundlock: I have one of my cameras. One was dropped on the ground. Everyone in jail says they are innocent. But there were a lot of people who said they were picked up randomly. One guy, a computer engineer, said he was smoking a cigarette, taking a look at the security fence, when he was arrested by police. “How cool are you now,” the police told the man after they took him into custody.”

via G20: Post photographers spend night in detention centre | Posted Toronto | National Post.

If the point of the G20 has been to showcase Toronto and Canada to the world, then we have left the international community with a view of this nation that is shameful.  And for Canadian taxpayers, that international embarrassment has cost them a billion dollars.

How mediagenic is the sound cannon?

Reports of a planned use of a sound cannon in Toronto on G20 protesters are circulating. These weapons have been developed to provide for less violent and more media friendly crowd control. But nobody has attempted to capture the impact of these weapons with alternative, social (or even mainstream) media before so they are largely unproven in their public relations capacity.

Harper: ‘Thugs’ justify G20 security costs

More evidence that the cops need the anarchists:

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper deplored the actions of a “few thugs” and suggested the violence justifies the cost.”

via Police arrest more than 560 at Toronto summit – Yahoo! News.