Gawker
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juvenile humor
Halsey Minor Having Trouble 'Getting It Up'
Halsey Minor's failed recent investments include the Landmark Hotel in Charlottesville, Virginia, whose construction stalled. "I'll get it up," the CNET founder promised in the fall, but it seems locals got tired of waiting: The construction site was just plastered with copies of the phallic sign above, reports cVillain.com.
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4
By Ryan TateComment by SultanaEleusis: I've got a little extra money these days. Is there some way I can invest it with Halsey Minor? 1 Responses | Other threads
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twitterati
The Twitterati Refuse to Sell a Horse for an Aeron Chair
These tweets are made for venting. Joanna Pearlstein, Susan Orlean, Jim Louderback, and other media twits found plenty to complain about on Twitter: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by MrInBetween: Dear Cranky Hiring Manager: Don't make me tell you how my hiring would benefit WIRED. Tell me why a barely-breathing... 1 Responses | Other threads
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twitterati
The Twitterati Apologize for Taking Steroids Offshore
New York has a fancy matrix graphic in which it pretends to identify which Twitterers are insipid or insightful. Oh, New York: Even Twitter's insights are insipid. Today's banalities: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by The Boulevard of Broken Queens: OK regarding the previous mr T post FOR WHICH THERE IS NO COMMENTS SECTION? "Mr. T -- the only living person... more » | Other threads
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twitterati
Methed-Out Twitterati Marry Evan Williams in Corpus Christi
The advent of Oprah has not changed the inanity of Twitter. Today, Bonnie Fuller met someone supercute, Karen Tumulty landed in the wrong spot, and Alex Blagg recommended meth! More » -
twitterati
The Twitterati Get a Shot of Lidocaine at Their High School Reunion
Life in the media is rough. CNET's Natali Del Conte got stuck in the foot, while Fox's Nancy Loo suffered a wound in makeup. These and other reports of suffering from the twittering class: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by SpecialK: So it would have been fine to take away the young mother's water bottles if she DID speak English? Stelter's... 1 Responses | Other threads
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twitterati
The Twitterati Are Worried You Think They're Gay
Ryan Seacrest's executive producer feared seeming fey, CNET's Natali Del Conte feared losing marbles, and Bob Woodruff feared he wouldn't be popular on Twitter. And if you read Twitter all day, you'd be afraid too: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by QueSera: Bob Woodruff is unintentionally hilarious. 1 Responses | Other threads
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the rich
Mouthy Internet Mogul Halsey Minor Might Be Broke
A decade ago, Fortune pegged CNET founder Halsey Minor's net worth at $354 million. Today he's fending off lawsuits seeking $60 million. Has he run out of money? More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by rexworld: I enjoy a bit of the schadenfreude as much as anyone, but why this constant fascination with the follies and... 2 Responses | Other threads
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twitterati
The Twitterati Drive Across the Yellow Lines of Our Minds
Twitter is so fresh and so now! It's where rumors get debunked and celebrities break up! And yet media people like James Poniewozik, Caroline McCarthy, and Bonnie Fuller make it just as banal as ever: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Gaytheist: Banal: Tweets. More Banal: Blogging about tweets. Most banal: Commenting about blog post about tweets. 2 Responses | Other threads
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flackery
CNET: Apple Lied About Layoffs We Reported
After Valleywag reported that Apple had laid off 50 salespeople last week, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling issued a blanket denial: "Not true." Turns out the layoffs happened, and Dowling lied, CNET News reports. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by kempmullaney: Define Layoff - a reduction is staff to reduce costs? Define Restructuring - reduction of staff in one area of the... 2 Responses | Other threads
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twitterati
Don't Tweet on My Shoes, I'm Headed for Atlantis
Today's sweetest tweets: CNET's Caroline McCarthy got ready to don a Snuggie. Valleywag alumna Megan McCarthy (no relation) dreamed of Atlantis. David Gregory of Meet the Press succumbed to Twitter peer pressure. And more! More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Arland Penchant: ummm...Pompeii actually exists? You can go and read the ancient graffitti in the brothel and everything. more » | Other threads
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twitterati
The Twitterati Have Many Regrets
Twitter users are a sorry bunch. Especially the media! Errata, excuses, and eye-rolling from today's tweets: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Smitros: This reminds me of a question based on Devo. If you don't have the time or resources for both in one... 7 Responses | Other threads
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obituary
The death of CNET's media-conquering dreams
CBS is laying people off at CNET — no surprise, since the entire media business is fitfully contracting, and after a merger, cuts are a given. But it signals the end of CNET's grandiose ambitions.
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By Owen ThomasComment by VitasPappie: Sir Winston Thriller, Uhhhmmm, it was CBS, not NBC. Sort of undermines your credibility when you get the parent company wrong.... 3 Responses | Other threads
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lawsuits
Halsey Minor, the angriest rich man in America
Since he escaped the dotcom bust with a considerable fortune, Halsey Minor, the founder of tech-news site CNET, has been acquiring art, real estate, and a blonde trophy wife. You'd think he'd be happy. You'd be wrong.
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By Owen ThomasComment by giddieup: maybe his trophy wife not giving it to him in the bedroom. thats why hes so angry. 2 Responses | Other threads
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commentards
CNET founder now just another angry Internet commenter
Is Halsey Minor the "bad boy of Silicon Valley," as Portfolio recently dubbed him? The moniker may not be geographically precise — the founder of CNET turned venture capitalist has a house in San Francisco, not Woodside or Atherton. But what the magazine really should have called him was the bad boy of the blogosphere. Minor obsessively comments on stories about him, with detailed but completely off-topic critiques of the writer's prose. Take, for example, his reaction to the post Thomson Reuters reporter Connie Loizos wrote about Minor's failed attempts to buy a racetrack in Florida: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Tiki Tonga: halsey minor has earned the right at the table to say whatever he wants whenever wants about whom he wants,... 2 Responses | Other threads
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online advertising
CNET's odd math
Kara Swisher's new pet media blogger Peter Kafka praises CBS executive Quincy Smith, shown here, for picking up CNET. Revenues were up 6 percent in the most recent quarter, with a 12 percent increase in display advertising. But wait a second: Aren't display ads most of CNET's revenue? The company also makes money through e-commerce referrals and the sale of marketing data — which suggests something went wrong enough in CNET's other businesses to blunt the welcome rise in advertising.
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By Owen ThomasComment by PeterKafka: Actually, during the conference call, CBS said CNET display was up 14%. That 12% is for the entire interactive group.... more » | Other threads
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great moments in journalism
Reporters learn Yahoo's secret plan: Copy Facebook
Don't call it a "social network" — the product that will save Yahoo is an "enhanced profile." Which just happens to look exactly like someone's profile page on Facebook or MySpace — friends, updates, and all of that. CNET News editor-in-chief Dan Farber got the PowerPoint deck, as did AllThingsD's Kara Swisher. Is it something they teach you in journalism school — that writing about tech involves fawning over something simply because it is new and you got to see it first? I never got to take that class. (Screenshot via Webware)
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By Owen ThomasComment by pepelicious: So how's this different than Yahoo 360 or Mash (is that even around anymore?)? 2 Responses | Other threads
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Stephen Colvin
Gamespot editor's nemesis on way out of CNET
At CNET, the heads keep rolling, nearly a year after Gamespot editorial director Jeff Gerstmann was sacked. Stephen Colvin, an executive who oversaw Gamespot, is out of the company, a tipster tells us. Gerstmann's firing came after a negative review of an advertiser's game, which made him a cause célèbre among gamers. What Gerstmann's fans will say: That Colvin and other suits are getting what they deserved for ruining the CNET-owned gaming site's editorial credibility. Josh Larson left CNET, now owned by CBS, in April. Colvin, a former magazine executive who was Larson's boss, joined CNET a year ago, shortly before the Gerstmann incident. His exit comes as CBS rejiggers CNET's generous benefits, our tipster says: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Llost: Can anyone tell me the webiste Gertsmann made himself after leaving? 3 Responses | Other threads
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real estate
CNET founder's $22M mansion to get $15M makeover
CNet founder Halsey Minor, whose 8020 Media isn't exactly repeating his success, has hired hotshot interior designer Michael S. Smith to redo his 8 bedroom, 7 bathroom, 17,895 square foot Presidio Heights place at 3800 Washington Street. Minor is still arguing with Sotheby's over $16.8 million in purchases he refuses to pay for. But he's moving forward with home remodeling, having told Portfolio that the place “needs a lot of work to go from this grandiose monstrosity to a real house.” After the jump, Google and MSN snoop shots. More » -
nerdfight
Halsey Minor's endless complaints
Multimillionaire CNET founder Halsey Minor is in the news again, for another spat over his expansive art collection. Portfolio explains that Minor got into an "angry email exchange" with famous artist Damien Hirst. There are now "gaping, fist-size holes in the plaster walls" of Minor's San Francisco offices, where Hirst's work used to hang. This comes as Sotheby's is suing Minor over a disputed art auction. After the article ran online, Minor left a rambling comment quibbling with details. But he never disputed the story's central question: Has Minor spent so impulsively and unwisely on art, real estate, new startups, and a new wife (Shannon, pictured with Minor, above), that he's running short on cash? He doesn't answer that. Instead, he declares himself "the baddest psycho in bass fishing." The comment seems as delusional as this moment he recounts in the story: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by guyger: H provided the lions share of the first round of funding for Salesforce.com which ultimately became about 15% of the... more » | Other threads
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online video
CBS head honcho Les Moonves wants those newspaper ad dollars
CBS CEO Les Moonves pontificated at the Mixx conference in New York today, saying that he loves the Internet, really. Departing from the party line of other networks, Moonves pointed out "The Internet is not cannabalistic; it is only additive," presumably referring to audience attention share between television and the Web. So how's CBS going to capitalize? The plan is go after what's left of the newspaper industries advertising with CNet and local affiliates. [MediaWeek] (Photo from Andrew Mager) -
online video
New CBS iPhone app uses hack for video
CBS EyeMobile, the new iPhone application that will let you beam horrific images of disasters directly from the scene to the CBS News team. And it lets you upload video as well as photos. But only if you first hack your iPhone with Jailbreak and other software to enable video recording — thereby voiding your warranty. And new subsidiary CNet will be happy to show you how! [NewTeeVee] -
software as a disservice
Windows 7 will dump desktop apps for downloaded versions
The next version of Windows after Vista won't include Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker. Instead, Microsoft will offer the Windows Live versions of these apps as optional downloads. Brian Hall, the general manager for Windows Vista, told CNET late Monday that "Microsoft made the decision to remove the tools from Windows for several reasons, including a desire to issue new operating system releases more quickly. The move also removes the confusion of offering and supporting two different programs." It also puts Microsoft in more direct competition with popular cloud-based apps like Google Docs, Adobe Photoshop Express and Yahoo's Jumpcut movie editor. Don't get the idea that all Windows apps will be Web-based, though. You'll still have to pay for desktop versions of MS Office and Outlook, Redmond's real moneymakers.
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By Paul BoutinComment by frederic: These are not actual web apps. This is about the "Live"-branded apps. What they're saying here is that, for... 1 Responses | Other threads
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Mark Licea
CNET finds Natali Del Conte's cute-boy doppelganger
Mark Licea was the substitute host for CNET's Loaded pop-tech show this week, while regular emcee Natali Del Conte took a vacation. If you've watched Del Conte at all, here's what's creepy: Licea has her mannerisms down pat. In response to viewer feedback, the pair produced this mock training film. But, Mark, the real trick to Being Natali is to deliver lines like "Verizon and AT&T launch mobile social networks for suckers" as if you're announcing good news.
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By Paul BoutinComment by kamra: MTI is the whole FN show. I love him on the 404. more » | Other threads
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Origin Myths
Halsey Minor still taking credit for CNET, eight years on
CNET cofounder Halsey Minor, in discussing a lawsuit Sotheby's filed against him for nonpayment of art he bought at an auction, says that we should route around PR people and get the story straight from him. If only Minor could keep his own story straight. Check out how, just over a month ago, he recapped his career for the Baltimore Sun: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by hminor: Also, Owen why did you not post the email I sent you. The ones you asked permission to put... 2 Responses | Other threads
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Peaceable Kingdom
Halsey Minor and the deal with his art
Why has the stock price of Sotheby's, the art auction house, been down for six days running? One might speculate that it has to do with softening stock markets and home prices worldwide, which are testing the finances even of Sotheby's wealthy clients. If you ask Halsey Minor, the cofounder of CNET turned real-estate investor, it's because Sotheby's is suing him to collect on $16.8 million it says he owes for artworks he bid on at auction, including Edward Hicks's early 19th-century folk-art painting, "The Peaceable Kingdom." In an email conversation, he tells Valleywag, "You should note that Sotheby's stock price has fallen six days in a row. The market seems to be voting." More than that, Minor informs us, this dispute is "about the very nature of media and discourse and getting rid of the middleman." And here we thought it was about a rich guy buying a painting. But perhaps he's right. Minor's emails, middleman removed, make for a better tale than we could ever tell: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by TRTeller: Halsey-- You were wondering about the "Society of Angry People"/""angry people of America convention" business. Maybe I can help explain. It's like... 2 Responses | Other threads
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cbs
Can CNET Possibly Become Cool?
CBS bought CNET, the tech-focused online conglomerate, for $1.8 billion earlier this year. Which prompted the general reaction "Really, that much?" And also, "Isn't this two fundamentally boring brands combining to form a larger, still boring brand?" Well one brave man says no, it's much more promising than that: CBS CEO Les Moonves, who engineered the deal! But is he right? It's hard to see why he would be: More »
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Comment by RonMwangaguhunga: CBS's digital strategy hasn't really been "exciting" -- I know, I know, bear with me -- since Larry Kramer left.... 1 Responses | Other threads
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halsey minor
Fibbing CNET founder in $16.8 million art lawsuit
Sotheby's, the auction house, is suing CNET founder Halsey Minor for $16.8 million it claims he owes for artwork he bought in a May auction. Minor says Sotheby's misled him. Sotheby's says Minor told it he couldn't come up with the cash because he was owed money by others. Oh, and CBS bought CNET for $1.8 billion earlier this year. So CNET founder Halsey Minor ought to be rolling in the dough, right? No. And therein lies a twisted tale that ties up a heralded artwork, Edward Hicks's "Peaceable Kingdom," with Minor's dotcom-era fibs. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by madox: Am I supposed to have sympathy for some fuck-nut that managed to engage in a complex-derivative and then becomes a... 2 Responses | Other threads
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design
CBS overhauls CNET site — again
CNET overhauled its site right before agreeing to be acquired by CBS in May. Now, CBS has another redesign ready to launch this week. You can probably guess: More video, more product placements. Here's the deets: More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by categorically: I was just thinking that the biggest problem with CNET was that there was too much yellow. Not that... more » | Other threads
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ina fried
Transgender journalist caught in Wikipedia edit war
Ina Fried, the veteran technology reporter and a regular source of good Microsoft dish, is very open about her status as a transgender woman — her CNET blog is titled "Beyond Binary." She knows she's female. But some users of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia any bigot can edit, aren't convinced. An anonymous Wikipedia user in Knoxville, Tenn. however, refuses to accept hers as the last word on the subject, and has been changing pronouns from "she" to "he" on Fried's listing with repeated edits in the last six weeks. The justification offered: More »
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By Jackson WestComment by imacademic: You've got the name down to a science - V.A.G. is Vaguely Assigned Gender, hence V.A.G/Ina. Whattup with Podiatry? She could end... more » | Other threads
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we read twitter so you don't have to
L.A. quake catches Twitter user in ladyparts exam
An earthquake is just an earthquake. But the tech press corps is desperate to make a commonplace natural event, like today's shaking down in Los Angeles, into a story about their favorite companies. Take Twitter user MissRFTC, who was in mid-pelvic exam when the earthquake struck, and announced this to the world. An hour later, MissRFTC was on the phone with "a senior writer from CNET." (Our first guess was Daniel Terdiman, a CNET reporter who often writes about the Internet's quirky culture, but it turns out it was the utterly straitlaced Dawn Kawamoto, better known for hardnosed reporting on Hewlett-Packard board scandals that led the computer company to sic investigators on her.) We're not sure who worries us more: The compulsive oversharer who felt obliged to Twitter about her 15 minutes in the stirrups of fame, or the reporter who thought this might be a story. But mostly, we're jealous we didn't pick up the phone first.
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By Owen ThomasComment by egged: OMFG, this exact same thing happened in the medical office my sister worked at! We couldn't stop laughing! ... more » | Other threads
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jeff gerstmann
Ousted CNET editor and CEO return for vengeance
GiantBomb is a new gamer blog edited by Jeff Gerstmann, the CNET GameSpot editor fired last November over his negative — or "unprofessional," if you want the official version — reviews of an advertiser's game. GiantBomb is part of WhiskyMedia, a small startup run by Shelby Bonnie, who himself was forced out as CNET's CEO two years ago, after an investigation fingered him in a stock-options backdating scandal. Bonnie told Bits that he's not out to build another CNET: “Our goal is we want to remain less than 10 people." Valleywag's publisher used to talk like that, too. -
caption contest
"I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do."
With the takeover of CNET by CBS Interactive complete, the parent company's signature logo in the subsidiary's signature orange watches over employees at the San Francisco office. Have a better caption? The best one will become the new headline. Friday's winner: "It isn't broken, it's reorged." by sarahfu67.
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By Jackson WestComment by mrfomoco: A strange game. The only winning move is...to buy your way into market-share. Then, suck up to Google. more » | Other threads
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lawsuits
CNET legal objection might reveal Mark Zuckerberg's private IM transcripts
The legal case opened by ConnectU founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is closed, but the courtroom drama continues. CNET has filed an objection to San Jose District Court Judge James Ware's decision to close the courtroom and put all the evidence under seal. What's in those documents that might be so interesting? Facebook's internal valuations, for starters. But most intriguing are the purported instant message conversations that the plaintiffs were led to believe provided proof that Zuckerberg is a little thief. (Photo by AP)
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By Jackson WestComment by michaellamb: I'll bet it's deep. A lot of LULZ Wut? OMG WTF and vampire-bite-me sort of dialog more » | Other threads
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acquisitions
Natali Del Conte the adorable face of CBS-CNET synergy
Never mind corporate meatballs like Neil Ashe and Quincy Smith — how's perky CNET correspondent Natali Del Conte faring in the wake of CBS Interactive's acquisition? Well! In an appearance on today's Early Show with Harry Smith, she sported a new 'do and explained the intricacies of different hands-free options for California drivers now banned from holding a cell phone to their ears. The best part is watching Smith stumble a bit trying to understand Bluetooth, pick himself back up by casually noting his experience as a helicopter passenger, then stumbling again over "those map things" before telling viewers to visit earlyshow.cbs.com — which is not a valid URL. Which makes us think that maybe Del Conte would make a better host than the guy who made his name doing standups for A&E Biography. Harry may be a perfect stand-in for the confused-old-man audience CBS currently has. But Natali represents the future audience CBS hoped it was buying.
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By Jackson WestComment by gossipjunkie2: she has to be the most annoying person/personality online. is there a webby for that? more » | Other threads
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acquisitions
Internal management org chart for CBS and CNET
Quincy Smith will serve as CEO and Neil Ashe will serve as president at CBS Interactive in the wake of the now-completed acquisition of CNET by CBS. And those are just the juicy meatballs atop a tangled mess of management noodles after executives from the two companies were tossed in the pot. News.com editor Dan Farber, however, didn't even make the menu, notes presumptive CNET killer Michael Arrington, who presents the internal memos emailed to CBS and CNET employees. Farber might have been prescient in posting a photo of early CNETeer Ryan Seacrest to his preview of the Web site's new redesign — the CBS News demographic is older than the silver-maned Farber, and CBS head honcho Les Moonves played up sports and entertainment ahead of news at the new company. -
caroline mccarthy
CNET Writer's Cozy Sourcing
CNET News.com writer Caroline McCarthy published a nice scoop today on how social networking site I'm In Like With You raised $1.5 million from venture funding firm Spark Capital. Silicon Alley Insider has been chasing the story for weeks! How did McCarthy pull the exclusive out from under their nose? Who's to say! But, um, it's probably worth noting that McCarthy is dating David Karp, founder of blog network Tumblr and an intimate, bed-cuddling, entire-body-carrying friend of I'm In Like With You founder Charles Forman. Karp's company also shares Spark Capital as a venture funding backer. So, basically, McCarthy had sources close to her boyfriend to draw on. (Pictured, the happy threesome of Forman, Karp and McCarthy, as photographed by Richard Blakeley.) Should McCarthy's CNET blog post have carried a disclaimer? She doesn't think so: More »
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By Ryan TateComment by blackberry-addict: testing testing is this thing on? more » | Other threads
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caption contest
"FUCK IT, WE'LL DO IT LIVE! THIS THING SUCKS!"
A reader who watched a recent episode of Cranky Geeks thought the ring on Natali Del Conte's finger meant she got hitched. An instant message to the perky, petite host of CNET TV's Loaded, shown here preparing for a show, confirmed what we already knew, since the ring is on the right hand, not the left. Can you suggest a better headline? Do so in the comments. The best one will become the new headline. Yesterday's winner: "How can I insult this guy's architecture in 140 characters or less?" by oaktowner. (Photo by Andrew Mager) -
techcrunch
Michael Arrington reviews gadget without actually using it
Michael Arrington has made no secret of his ambitions to off CNET. The TechCrunch editor might want to spend some time studying the ways of his prey, though, before he moves in for the kill. For example: Gadget critics normally spend time with the devices they report on before reviewing them. Citing an embargo he didn't care to observe, Arrington panned the Flip Mino camcorder without ever touching it.
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By Owen ThomasComment by bernielomax: Nice retort. Let me try that on my boss. "Oh yeah, you caught me, the sales numbers are the same... more » | Other threads
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Chris Matyszczyk
CNET hires (m)adman to blog about Obama's victory
They'll let just about anyone blog these days, won't they? News.com's latest addition: recovering adman Chris Matyszczyk, who writes under the rubric "Technically Incorrect," and reminds me a bit of Dan Lyons's alter ego, Fake Steve Jobs — except that, having met Matyszczyk briefly, I think this is the real thing, not a put-on person. Matyszczyk's fantasy phone call between Hillary Clinton and Mark Zuckerberg is hilarious: Clinton blames Zuckerberg for her loss to Obama, and then hits the paper billionaire up for a donation. What's really funny: Matyszczyk is outsidery enough not to mention the fact that Zuckerberg's cofounder, Chris Hughes, left the social network early on to run Obama's Web campaign. Zuckerberg's posse really is at fault, and not in a metaphorical Facebook-generation way.
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By Owen ThomasComment by editingwhiz: This guy has to be an adman, for sure. He's not a journalist, or even a quasi-journalist. Posts a self-promoting... more » | Other threads
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online advertising
CBS confronts demographic realities of selling Web ad inventory
CBS sales chief Jo Ann Ross told the audience at EconAds that most of the Web-only advertising inventory acquired in the CNET deal will be brokered by CBS Sports, according to comments at PaidContent's EconAds seminar in New York yesterday — presumably because the two properties share similarly male-dominated audiences. Finance show Wallstrip has struggled under the CBS News sales team, though, probably because the younger audience aren't buying the Viagra and adult diapers which pay Katie Couric's lavish salary. [Silicon Alley Insider]
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