Clarion Content

The latest batch of links. At the Clarion we either find them interesting, noteworthy, odd, eerie...you know it ain't an endorsement unless we say it is.

How about one from the files of the weird first. Would you believe Get Grandpa's FBI file.com? Oh yeah. It is what it says, and best of all, it only costs postage and the paper you print it on. And of course, they have a sister site, Get my FBI file.com. A chance to ask yourself have you ever done anything noteworthy? The information is available for free from the United States government. However, the Clarion would bet you writing to ask for your file will get you a file if you don't already have one. It is the nature of the behemoth called bureaucracy.

In a more humanitarian vein we offer you nextbillion.net. This is a blog that aggregates information about sustainable development. It is a terrific site. It has the latest news on development issues. It has a good topic index for old articles. It has a place where you can suggest stories. And best of all because it is a blog, there are tons of comments on every article that enormously expand the conversation. When we have the debate about what the biggest gains achieved through the internet, Al Gore's invention; right up there with the best way to sell people shit ever is gonna be the kind of discussion blogs promote. The Clarion has always had a bit of contempt for the TV news and the newspapers urge to throw in a human in the street comment/quote on so many stories. The thought was what does one person's opinion matter on this story, there are so many people with so many opinions that are going unrepresented by this single quote. This is the brilliance of internet, anyone who wants to make a comment can, and all comments are saved and the conversation goes on ad infinitum.

From the seriousness, back to the goofiness, that's how we roll here at the Content. Work hard, play hard. How's about Bad Gift Emporium for a fun place to play? Billed as the site where bad gifts get a second chance, it is filled with hilarious stuff folks are trying to get rid of because as the site says one person's bad gift is another person's bad gift in a good kind of way. Check out things like the uber-kitsch, "Poker Memories re-enacted by Frogs." described as a memento of weekly poker games, it was a gift so sweet and generous, yet so hideous that the seller has kept it for three years, in a box in the basement.

Even as Yankees supporters, we are able to admit this is funny. Be patient, it has a long intro.

This one is a beauty for the foodies out there. It comes to the Clarion via one of our local Durham readers, a true foodie herself. Gratefulpalate.com is a bacon lovers' heaven. The Clarion has long lobbied for bacon's addition to the four food groups of our youth, since eliminated for the food pyramid, of which bacon is surely a fundamental building block.

Finally, a follow-up note for you, as predicted in these pages the ESPN phone has bitten the dust. The idea of an ESPN phone never made any sense to the Clarion. To our way of thinking there are questions about the whole model of this particular wedge of the cell phone business, known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators. (MVNOs) They are called such because they don't own their own network infrastructure, rather they lease it from a cell phone major, usually Sprint/Nextel. Many of these services specialize around a theme like the ESPN phone did, and it is about the content addition to the phone service. They have lotsa ringtones, Boost Mobile specializes in phone linked GPS locators, Helio supports MySpace on its phone, ironically Disney has a phone that is renown for its parental control features. The Clarion's gut instinct is this model will not generate enough subscriptions for any of these firms to porsper in the face of stiff competition from the cell phone majors. The majors are doing everything they can to provide cool content to subscribers.

As are we. And with that in mind, before we sign off, we will leave you with the links to all of our old interesting links posts.

Interesting Links IV featuring:Nuclear nightmares, Sportscenter complaints, Music, instant canyons/Millard Fillmore's bathtub and the child of Krakatau.

Interesting Links III featuring:Google Book search and related links.

Interesting Links II featuring:other blogs, freecycle, what tarot card are you?

Interesting Links featuring:The Muppet Personality test, I did not know that yesterday, Yeah that Vegan shit and Post Secret. These are HOT links!!

Labels: food, interesting links, Predictions