The Interweb Strikes Again

On television programming, that is. Apparently, the brilliant, dry comedy The Office was on the verge of getting canceled by NBC until they took a look at the number of iTunes downloads the show garnered. We don't know how many downloads it had to warrant such a drastic decision change, but I imagine that it was pretty big, and this is great for a couple of reasons. Not only does it prove that digital distribution is a good, legitimate market but also that we don't have to rely solely on Neilsen ratings since they can now get a picture of how many people are interested in these shows that can't watch them live. But wait, kids, that's not all! Viacom is actually negotiating with YouTube to get some of their copyrighted content back online, and some actually already is back. No word on what kind of licensing agreement they're looking into here, but something is better than nothing. I wonder if they noticed the shock online to this or if they were already considering striking a deal with YouTube? In any case, the Interweb is indeed still getting tangled up with the boob tube, so stay tuned for more developments.

I'll start out here with the Apple speculation. Apparently, they've forged some sort of deal with Cingular, but it's not clear exactly what kind of "deal" this was. Still, I can't imagine that it wouldn't be related to the iPhone, thought I would've thought that they would've locked on to a carrier much earlier in the development process. We may see Core 2 Duo MacBooks tomorrow, according to random sources, but nothing very conclusive. Oh well, we'll know soon enough. Last.FM has launched four major new features on the site, including a Flash player and free downloads. I stopped using Last FM because I found myself desiring online radio more on campus than at home, so I think that the new online player will help out people like me. Just more great things for a site that I already think is an explosion of neat ideas. Lastly, Engadget got its paws on a real PlayStation 3 and even took a video walkaround of it, though not of the PS3 in action. I may want a Wii more, but I certainly can't say that this thing doesn't look really slick.



Just a couple of quick movie things. The Wachowski Brothers have been confirmed as helming the Speed Racer project and will start shooting next summer. They aim to make the movie family-friendly, but it's not like you can make a cartoon like Speed Racer all that gritty anyway. The other thing is some raw footage from 28 Weeks Later, which looks cool except that I'm afraid that they'll be taking away from the story element that made the original so great as a really great horror movie. Also, I wish they would at least have the original movie's stars in cameo appearances.

Now for a Wednesday Mind Hump:

1. What's your favorite sweet treat? Or your top three, if you're like me and have a gigantic sweet tooth.
You've gotta be kidding me, pick one? I can't even pick 3! Alright, I'll take a stab: tres leche cake, rocky road brownies, and Belgian chocolate ice cream from Amy's!

2. Let's pretend that you're going trick or treating. Your costume must be music-themed. What or who are you?
Matisyahu's front man would be a fun costume. Or, I could go really Austin-like and be Ben Kweller with a tampon in my nose.

3. Again, we're trick or treating. This time, your costume must be a movie or TV character. Who are you?
I was Neo last night, so let's go with that ;)

4. Okay, which one of you TPd my front lawn?

Couldn't have been me, I was either on 6th Street or freaking out about Physics.