US – Tuesday, February 9
Plant blast under investigation
Federal investigators headed to Connecticut yesterday to determine the cause of an explosion at an unfinished power plant that killed at least five workers and hospitalized dozens of others.
 
Pressure grows for sanctions
International pressure for new sanctions against Iran grew yesterday after Tehran announced plans to make higher-enriched uranium and add 10 nuclear sites in a year, raising Western fears it wants to develop atom bombs.
 
Stern: I’d do ‘Idol’ for $100M
Howard Stern took to his radio show yesterday to address the rumors that he’s a possible replacement for Simon Cowell for the next season of “American Idol.” To sum it up? He’s not going for it.
 
Dancing while the skinny lady sings
You’ve heard of the jukebox musical? David Parsons and singers AnnMarie Milazzo and Tyley Ross of the East Village Opera Co. offer a jukebox opera, playing nightly at the Joyce. Eleven Parsons dancers share the stage with Milazzo and Ross, who clutch microphones cranked to 11 and stroll through the action. On the recorded soundtrack, three drummers create a wall of sound so loud you — well, I — want to hide under the seat. Digital video of abstract patterns, natural landscapes and stunning architecture change for each song.
 
‘Free’ ad leads to fraud suit
NEW YORK. A Wisconsin college student is suing credit firm Experian — the brains behind the ubiquitous FreeCreditReport.com jingles — for fraudulent advertising after she inadvertently signed up for a monthly $14.95 monitoring service.
 
Let me count the ways ...
‘Tis the season for writing love letters. But that can be a daunting endeavor, especially when you’re not sure where to start. Should you put it in verse, use flowery language, get erotic? As with almost anything in life, the simpler you keep it, the easier (and often better) it will be. It doesn’t sound that romantic, but think of your love letter as a laundry list of the reasons why you adore your sweetheart. It’s kinda like Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43: “How do you love your partner? Count the ways!” Here’s how to do it without rhyming or pulling out a thesaurus:
 
Published 21:35, January the 7th, 2009
 

Jobs is dead. Just kidding.

Prank newsflash freaks out Macworld

Wheel of 4chan

Think of 4chan as that crazy veteran uncle of yours, who gets sauced at holiday dinners and shares war stories and dirty jokes. Begun in 2003 as a forum to discuss Japan and anime, 4chan has become a popular online destination for all things rotten, funny and, yes, decidedly lowbrow, where users can submit viral content anonymously; content which then gets distributed all over the world. Says frequent user John Sonnier, currently of San Antonio, Texas, “It’s kind of like the a—hole of the Internet. It’s a train wreck of epic proportions.” A 4chan member was responsible for the breach of former VP candidate Sarah Palin’s Yahoo e-mail account back in September. 

 

Apple fans and tech enthusiasts were hit with a bit of shocking news during the Macworld 2009 Expo when the micro-blogging feed at Macrumorslive.com flashed the following message: “Steve Jobs just died.”

There was just one small catch: Steve Jobs was alive and well; or, as well as anyone suffering from a serious hormone imbalance — as Jobs announced earlier this week — can be.

After a few minutes MacRumors was able to fix the bizarre mistake with a new post: “Retraction on Steve Jobs comment ... we don’t know how that got in our feed. Steve did not die.”

To which the mysterious bloggers once again responded: “Oh wait, sorry, Steve did die. Our condolences.”

The humorless hack — first noticed by some in the feed-addicted Twitter camp — has been traced back to notorious prank-site 4Chan, where some have reported MacRumors passwords had been circulating. So far no individuals have been identified.

METRO                                              

 
 
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MMMpod
The February MMMpod features conversation from Ozzy Osbourne. Michael Emerson from "Lost" tells us about his days enjoying punk rock in Boston. We also dig up an old interview from the late great Howard Zinn. We have a song from Delta Spirit and The Soft Pack, who tell us where they got their name.

 
 
Metro Life Panel