Information Superhighway

Do Americans love their cars?

Do we think iPads are cool?

Do we think we can multitask?

Well, then maybe this is the future. What do you think?

When Does Free Speech Become Religious Bigotry?

Religions sometimes get involved with political or social issues. They have the right to do so. And when religious groups get involved with contentious issues, they will almost certainly be publicly criticized. The opponents have the right to do so.

But when does satire become blasphemy? When does vigorous opposition cross the line into bigotry?

We discussed these topics and others after listening to this National Public Radio story.

This is Your Humble Blogger's 400th post to Club Medianote!

That's a Slick Name!

This should be a wonderful time at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. A fancy new exhibit for sea otters is opening. A celebratory press conference is scheduled for the very day that Your Humble Blogger bruises the tips of his little fingers by writing this.

But the hoopla and the happy visitors and frolicking otters will have to take a seat to controversy over the new exhibit's name. In honor of its largest corporate contributor, the exhibit is "The BP Sea Otter Habitat."

Yes, the same BP (British Petroleum) that is at the center of an environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. Ouch!

The Los Angeles Times reports.

The Cruel Truth About Free Speech

The far reaches of free speech in American society is sometimes defined by people who we may not like: pornographers, bigots, and assorted zealots. But these people who we may find downright creepy serve a positive function. The keep the range of permissible speech broad enough to ensure free and open political and social debate, which is good for all of us.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a law that made the production and distribution of animal cruelty videos illegal, even if the producer or distributor of the videos was not involved in the original acts of cruelty.

The Supreme Court called the law too broad and questioned the ability of Congress to interpret where the First Amendment ends. NPR reports.

But Where Will They Put the Mosh Pit?

Digital 3-D movie theaters are popping up across the country. They are popular, profitable and linked to communications satellites. This means movies without film wirelessly downloaded to theaters.

It also means an opportunity for these theaters to show live events to paying audiences. The Los Angeles Times reports on this growing trend.

Here's what MC101s said in an in-class poll...

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Vid Rage

California's law restricting sales of violent video games to minors is being challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawyers on both sides of the case say that academic research supports their position. Those against the law say the research does not show that children who play violent video games become more aggressive as a result. Lawyers arguing in behalf of the California law say that research does show that children who play violent video games get more aggressive as a result.

The Los Angeles Times sought to sort out these conflicting claims.

MC101s generally thought that violent video games modestly contributed to youthful aggressiveness ...

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Protesters Go Digital

Protests, pickets, sit-ins and other forms of civil disobedience are time-honored methods of expressing political dissent. Participants--sometimes brave, other times annoying--often make themselves loudly heard.

But how can civil disobedience be updated for the digital age. One UC San Diego professor is working on it, according to the Los Angeles Times.