iPotus update: 
As blogged earlier, the NY Times today did a piece on President Bush’s
iPod playlist. Now, the most authoritative Bush-blogger I know, Patrick Ruffini, has “thrown away a perfectly fine evening to create a compelling user experience,” an iPod iMix (requires iTunes) of songs mentioned in the article and other tunes Patrick believes are similar to those mentioned.

It’s all greeking to me: In February, I linked to a Lorem Ipsum generator.

Today, BoingBoing linked to a couple more greeking tools that have a twist:

The Text Generator

The Greeking Machine
(Alternative greeking, including: Hillbilly, Marketing, Matrix, Metropolitan, Pseudo German, and Techno Babble)

Tracing the Tracks:  Earlier today, I blogged nostalgically about my early Radar posts. Ironically, the first time I blogged Tracks Magazine back in 2003, it was to suggest they learn from Radar and not get too pumped-up over a NY Times profile of their start-up.

According to MediaWeek, the music magazine Tracks today acknowledged
that after its current issue, it is going on “hiatus,” or as we call it
on the rexblog, “bye-atus.”

According to MediaWeek, the publishers said the $5 million they
raised to launch the magazine wasn’t enough to hit the numbers they
need to survive and they are, “searching for another $4-$5 million to
resume publication.”

(If I still did “bumper music,” I’m hearing Smokey Robinson sing, “So
take a good look at my face, You’ll see my smile looks out of place, If
you look closer, it’s easy to trace, The tracks of my tears.”)
 

Survey says bloggers should have First Amendment protections:  Here are the “top line” results from a survey related to blogging released today by the web hosting company, Hostway.

Among many other things, the survey finds that, “more than 50 percent
of respondents who shared their opinions on First Amendment rights said
bloggers should benefit from the same First Amendment liberties and
protections as professional journalists.”

On a somewhat related note, AP is reporting that, “more than a half-dozen news organizations are supporting three online
journalists who published articles about a top-secret technology
product that Apple Computer Inc. says was protected by trade secret
laws.”

(Note: “more than a half-dozen” is a quantity only a reporter could dream up.)

Here is the list of companies filing an amicus brief in support of the defendents in the case: 

How to make money in magazines:
Well, first, you need a “mint condition” copy of Electronics Magazine dated April 19,
1965, the one with the article that laid the foundation of the dictum
known as Moore’s Law. Then, sell it to Intel for $10,000.

(via: CNET)

I don’t want to hear this:  I missed the news Friday that the FFA FAA is considering
lifting the ban on cell-phone conversations during airline flights. If
this happens, I’m sure a lot of these will be sold. I have a pair (primarily, for travel) and I
slap them on as soon as I clear security.

Update: Thanks to Tim for catching my typo that implied that future farmers are taking over regulation of the nation’s airlines.

The first playlist:  Lots of blogging today about Bush’s playlist as reported by the NY Times. The article quotes Rolling Stone Magazine’s Joe Levy on his “analysis” of the list:

The “first iPod” has only 250 songs and he listens to it while mountain
biking. Let me say two things: That is very dangerous and I’d be happy
to send him an iPod Shuffle because one good fall (like this) and he’s
off to the Apple Store.

By the way, I’d like to suggest some bike-riding music to the
President. Some wholesome bluegrass by those cute kids who make their
home right there near Crawford, Texas, in the village of Austin. I find The Meat Purveyors always help me get over the next hill.
Heck, he can even download a free track off their lastest album.

Anklet: I guess Martha Stewart will continue wearing pants for a few months.

Here we go again: No vaporzine has ever received more mentions on the rexblog than Radar. (And this go-’round, I’m really, really trying to keep all links regarding its re-re-relaunch limited to deli.cio.us/rexblog
especially during the next few weeks when the articles become
first-choice in the hype-of-the-month club.) However, for those new to
this whole Radar-hype cycle, here is why you’ll be
bombarded by the type of story that appears in today’s NY Times:

I find today’s article in the NY Times especially interesting (the magazine is launching online first — note to future magazine launchers: don’t announce a website before it is live) as such a move would move Radar from vaporzine status to dejazine status for a brief period.

That said, I hope they are successful for a few months so that all
those freelancers writing about it can at least get invited to some
decent parties.

By the way, I really love this quote from today’s story:

I find that quote amusing as the very first thing I ever blogged
on the topic of Radar magazine, exactly three years ago this week, was:
“Warning to Radar: Don’t confuse a (NY Times) profile with success.”

I posted several items in the months that followed. Here is a good synopsis.

Update: Fishbowlny: “Radar blurbs all over itself.”

Custom publishing update: What I Know for Sure, a book “sponsored by” Dove soap, will be included with the May issue of O, The Oprah Magazine,
in celebration of the magazine’s fifth anniversary. According to the NY
Times, it will accompany both subscription and newsstand copies of the
magazine. The book is a
compilation of 23 of Oprah Winfrey’s “What I know for sure” columns
that appear in each issue of the magazine. Dove, the only advertiser in
the book, has two, two-page spread ads appearing in the inside-front
and inside-back- cover positions.

For the record, this is not the
first example of a “single sponsored advertiser” book. Whittle
published a series of books for FedEx in the early 1980s and I’m sure there are others, as well.