Gawker: valleywag, polls

Where did Google rip off its Chrome icon?

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:40:00 EDT

On Blogoscoped, obsessive Google watcher Philipp Lenssen has posted an exhaustive list of "Google Chrome Tips and Pointers." Go there if you are, for example, a freeloading jerk who wants to learn how to install ad blockers in Chrome. But I think the best part of the FAQ is the question Lenssen raises about where the logo came from. Voice your preferred theory in our poll:

Don't do the crime if you don't want to be banned from computers

Jordan Golson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:20:00 EDT

A frequent punishment for those caught committing computer-related crimes is a ban on computer use. Putting aside the legality of these bans, which may cover anything from home computers to iPhones to ATMs, we wondered whom we would restrict computer use if we had the opportunity. Scoble? Calacanis? Owen Thomas? Put your vote in the comments.

If these are the four most eligible men in tech, we have a problem

Nicholas Carlson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:40:14 EST

Mashable's Pete Cashmore may be a looker, but is he the best Silicon Valley can do? Seems so. Take a look at the Google toppers, for example: Larry? Taken. Sergey? Taken. Eric Schmidt? Taken. Taken. Taken. But don't worry, the Nob Hill Gazette has you covered with its latest "annual roundup of the Most Desirable, Most Adorable, Brainy and Brassy" bachelors. It's a long list, but of course there are only four tech representatives. Vote for your favorite in our Valleywag poll.

Auren Hoffman's fine whine

Megan McCarthy — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:35:53 EDT

In vino veritas, the college kids say. But Auren Hoffman doesn't think there's much truth in wine. The entrepreneur rails against the practice of collecting and drinking wine in a recent blog post, going so far to call it — well, we'll just let him speak for himself:

In fact, it is a scam. I'm not saying wine is totally useless and that no one likes it ... but I am saying that the great majority of people that like wine, like it because so many other people around them like wine. In this case, the Emperor might have some cloths, but it ain't more than a speedo and some sandals.

We think that wine, with its ability to bring momentary but powerful self-confidence and a tendency to make the whole world seem a lot easier to deal with, is far less of a scam, no matter what price you pay, than other projects. Like, say, Hoffman's reputation-evaluation startup Rapleaf. So, we leave it up to the readers. What do you think is the bigger scam, Rapleaf or wine? Vote in our poll, after the jump.

(Photo by kubina)

The AT&T/iPhone Moral Quandary

Adam Frucci — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:30:00 EDT

The iPhone is the most hyped up phone ever, and it's coming next week. People are going to be waiting in line for hours to get their paws on it without having seen it. Hey, it's fun to get excited about gadgets—that's why we're all here, right?

The problem is, the iPhone is only available through AT&T, in my opinion one of the most unscrupulous telecoms around. AT&T's tactics combine Microsoft-style anti-competitive maneuvers and anti-privacy efforts á la RIAA for a chilling effect. I avoid giving AT&T any of my money; it's a personal boycott. I'd like to call for a more wide- ranging one, but that brings up an interesting question: Does a hyped gadget you really want trump any moral misgivings you might have about where it's coming from?

First, let me break down why I think AT&T isn't worthy of your hard-earned money. Back in the 1980s, the original telecom giant was broken up for being a monopoly only to cobble itself back together again years later to nearly the same form as before. (Of course, it now has competition in some businesses, but in many regions of the US it still reigns frighteningly supreme.)

Last year, it was discovered that AT&T has been secretly spying on Americans for the government. Maybe it still is. Then, just recently, it announced that it planned to spy on Internet surfers yet again, looking for pirated media files, presumably to the delight of the RIAA and MPAA. If you don't want to get spied on and want to switch ISPs, guess what? Depending on where you live, you might not have any other options. And if AT&T snoops on all data passing through its network, most US Internet users will be affected, not just AT&T customers. It runs a significant amount of the backbone infrastructure of the Internet, leaving little traffic outside its grasp.

So what we have is a company that doesn't have privacy at the top of its priority list, not to mention the anti-trust laws of this country. It's setting terrible precedents left and right, and its vast power that comes from its huge size makes it all the more unlikely to change for the better. We, as contentious, tech-savvy individuals, should go out of our way to deprive this company of money, power and influence.

However, there are thousands, maybe millions, of people out there just dying to get their hands on an iPhone, and AT&T has a lock on the device for five years.

So, Apple and iPhone fans, what's more important to you? Having the hottest device, or knowing that you are standing up to a company, that in my opinion, has no regard for the privacy and consumer choice of Americans? Is it up to us, the customers, to stand up to these practices, or should we just keep shopping and hope the regulators do their jobs?

I, for one, will be continuing my AT&T boycott for the foreseeable future. –Adam Frucci

Vlog Hot: Epilogue

Chris Mohney — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:14:23 EDT

So yes, the Vlog Hot poll was hacked and scrapped in the semifinals, but we respect the need for closure. Therefore, after the jump, you can peruse the "final" vote tallies, such as they were. In related news, the fine acrylic statuette is back on! The gentlefolk at Zazzle offer these same excellent keepsakes without requiring a trip to some seedy mall studio à la Glamour Shots. So any contestants who made it to the finals — send a high-res photo of your desired subject, your preferred shipping address, and your preferred photo-imprinted farewell gift (deck of cards, pillowcase, or statuette) to tips@valleywag.com.

Vlog Hot: Hacked!

Chris Mohney — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 13:34:47 EDT

"Sport spirit does not have this number here anyhow no more." So true, those words, as written by Katrin Bauerfeind fan "codemonk" and badly if poignantly translated from the German by Babelfish. This refers to a Bauerfeind partisan (commenter "votekatrin") in our Vlog Hot poll who was so determined to see his gal win that he wrote a script to hack the totals, auto-submitting multiple votes per day by gaming the IP address. He/she even offered the script for download to interested parties. Thus our amusement-only poll is rendered even more superfluous than it might have been otherwise, if such can be imagined. The only fair thing to do, of course, is to suspend the poll and declare no winner, since all the heats are suspect at this point. And by nobody wins, we mean everybody wins!

It's hardly cricket to negate all the vlogger vote-stumping and sincere viewer appreciation, despite the corruption introduced by a bad apple or two. Therefore, everyone who made it to the semifinals gets to "win." Unfortunately, it turns out that lovely acrylic statuette requires an actual visit to the mall-based hell of Glamour Shots, so we can't make good on that prize. So just for simplicity's sake, anyone who made it into the semifinal rounds (all 16 of you) can choose from having the photo of your choice (you, your cat, your pet cactus, whatever) imprinted on either a deck of playing cards or a pillowcase, which are the two cheesiest gift options offered by the Kodak Easyshare Gallery. If you're one of the semifinalists, email the high-resolution photo of your choice, plus your preferred shipping address for your lovely parting gift, to tips@valleywag.com. Sorry this exercise in the democratic process ultimately broke down, but that's the Internet for you. Due congratulations and thanks to all our fine contestants.

Vlog Hot: Boys Semifinals Heat 2

Chris Mohney — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:00:13 EST

And for today's final semifinal in the Vlog Hot reader poll, here's your last serving of man-meat. Voting will run through this week and conclude at noon Eastern time on Sunday, March 11. You can vote in all heats once per day by clearing browser cookies from polls.gawker.com. In this installment, your choices are Ron Richards, Pedro Andrade, Chad Ruble, and Eric Rey. After the jump, crown your prince.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Babes Semifinals Heat 2

Chris Mohney — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:00:16 EST

Wrapping up the fair-sex semifinal side of our Vlog Hot reader poll, here are the last four females. Voting will run through this week and conclude at noon Eastern time on Sunday, March 11. You can vote in all heats once per day by clearing browser cookies from polls.gawker.com. This course of the menu includes Aida Mollenkamp, Kristin Reilly, Veronica Belmont, and Maria Sansone. Choose your future spouse after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Boys Semifinals Heat 1

Chris Mohney — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:00:49 EST

Continuing the semifinals in our Vlog Hot reader poll, here's the first log cabin full of hearty male specimens. Voting will run through this week and conclude at noon Eastern time on Sunday, March 11. You can vote in all heats once per day by clearing browser cookies from polls.gawker.com. In this heat, enjoy Kevin Nalts, Gary Vaynerchuk, Josh Shipp, and Jonathan London. Vote for your bestie after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Babes Semifinals Heat 1

Chris Mohney — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:00:39 EST

The first 16 heats of the Vlog Hot reader poll have concluded, so it's time for the semifinals — four heats of the top vote-getters (two heats of ladies, two heats of gents). Voting will run through this week and conclude at noon Eastern time on Sunday, March 11. You can vote in all heats once per day by clearing browser cookies from polls.gawker.com. The four semifinal heats will be announced throughout today. In this first heat of womens, we have Katrin Bauerfeind, Christine Gambito, Joanne Colan, and Adriana Gascoigne. Hit it after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Last chance to vote

Chris Mohney — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:00:18 EST

Voting in the first round of our Vlog Hot poll ends Sunday, March 4, at noon Eastern time. We've had a few shifts in the close races, but remember you can keep voting to support your vlog-crush. Vote once per day by clearing out your browser's cookies (specifically, the cookies from polls.gawker.com). Many of the (ostensibly) most popular vloggers are far behind due to devoted grassroots campaigns from the up-and-comers, so the field remains open. Semifinal rounds will open Monday, March 5. After the jump, a complete list of heats, contestants, and current vote leaders.

VLOG HOT STANDINGS
Current vote leaders are in bold. Voting closes noon Eastern time on Sunday, March 4. Semifinals begin Monday, March 5.

Newsbabes Heat 1 - Katrin Bauerfeind, Amanda Congdon, Zadi Diaz, Mary Katharine Ham, Lauren Love, Shauna.

Nerdboys Heat 1 - Randall Bennett, Josh Flanagan, Conor Kilpatrick, Heywood Jablome, Ron Richards.

Newsbabes Heat 2 - Lindsay Campbell, Joanne Colan, Liza de Guia, Leah Culver, Amber MacArthur.

Nerdboys Heat 2 - Alex Albrecht, Loren Feldman, Steve Garfield, Jonathan London, Kevin Rose, Gary Ruplinger.

Techbabes Heat 1 - Natali Del Conte, Iria Gallardo, Erin McNamara, Kristin Reilly, Irina Slutsky, Karina Stenquist.

Newsboys Heat 1 - Pedro Andrade, Alex Blagg, David Hauslaib, Drew Olanoff, George Oliphant.

Techbabes Heat 2 - Veronica Belmont, Cali Lewis, Caroline McCarthy, Molly Wood, Yue Xu.

Newsboys Heat 2 - Rich DeMuro, Rudy Jahchan, Daniel McVicar, Chad Ruble.

Glamazons Heat 1 - Violet Blue, Gala Darling, Adriana Gascoigne, Casey McKinnon, Sara Schaefer.

Wildcard Boys Heat 1 - Peter Bragiel, James Comans, Cyrlille de Lasteyrie, Ze Frank, Kary Rogers, Josh Shipp.

Glamazons Heat 2 - Brigitte Dale, Sara Gore, Micki Krimmel, Cecile Raubenheimer, Maria Sansone.

Wildcard Boys Heat 2 - Nick Douglas, Juan Falla, John Herman, Eric Rey, Bill Streeter.

Wildcard Babes Heat 1 - Brookers, Christine, Ximena Falla, Randi Jayne, Jenny Lee, Sarah Meyers.

Wildcard Boys Heat 3 - Greg Rose, Gabe Mac, Rick Rey, Chris Ritke, Gary Vaynerchuk.

Wildcard Babes Heat 2 - Jacqulyn Joy, Mary Matthews, Aida Mollenkamp, Uta Ritke, Eva Sollberger.

Wildcard Boys Heat 4 - Kevin Nalts, Chuck Olsen, Schlomo Rabinowitz, Christopher Witecki, Peter Zottolo.

Vlog Hot: Votes, close races, and upsets

Chris Mohney — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:00:13 EST

Voting for the Vlog Hot video blogger hotness poll continues through this weekend; polls will close at noon Eastern time on Sunday, March 4. Semifinals will launch the following Monday. Many thousands of votes have already tallied, but note that even wide margins should be no deterrent, as everyone can vote once per day in all contests (just delete cookies from your browser, or specifically, delete cookies from polls.gawker.com, to vote anew daily). So energize your base and get out the vote. Several surprises in the making — popular kids Amanda Congdon and Ze Frank are getting trounced, for example. After the jump, a complete index of all open races and contestants, with the current favorite (as of this writing) highlighted in bold for each heat.

Newsbabes Heat 1 - Katrin Bauerfeind, Amanda Congdon, Zadi Diaz, Mary Katharine Ham, Lauren Love, Shauna.

Nerdboys Heat 1 - Randall Bennett, Josh Flanagan, Conor Kilpatrick, Heywood Jablome, Ron Richards.

Newsbabes Heat 2 - Lindsay Campbell, Joanne Colan, Liza de Guia, Leah Culver, Amber MacArthur.

Nerdboys Heat 2 - Alex Albrecht, Loren Feldman, Steve Garfield, Jonathan London, Kevin Rose, Gary Ruplinger.

Techbabes Heat 1 - Natali Del Conte, Iria Gallardo, Erin McNamara, Kristin Reilly, Irina Slutsky, Karina Stenquist.

Newsboys Heat 1 - Pedro Andrade, Alex Blagg, David Hauslaib, Drew Olanoff, George Oliphant.

Techbabes Heat 2 - Veronica Belmont, Cali Lewis, Caroline McCarthy, Molly Wood, Yue Xu.

Newsboys Heat 2 - Rich DeMuro, Rudy Jahchan, Daniel McVicar, Chad Ruble.

Glamazons Heat 1 - Violet Blue, Gala Darling, Adriana Gascoigne, Casey McKinnon, Sara Schaefer.

Wildcard Boys Heat 1 - Peter Bragiel, James Comans, Cyrlille de Lasteyrie, Ze Frank, Kary Rogers, Josh Shipp.

Glamazons Heat 2 - Brigitte Dale, Sara Gore, Micki Krimmel, Cecile Raubenheimer, Maria Sansone.

Wildcard Boys Heat 2 - Nick Douglas, Juan Falla, John Herman, Eric Rey, Bill Streeter.

Wildcard Babes Heat 1 - Brookers, Christine, Ximena Falla, Randi Jayne, Jenny Lee, Sarah Meyers.

Wildcard Boys Heat 3 - Greg Rose, Gabe Mac, Rick Rey, Chris Ritke, Gary Vaynerchuk.

Wildcard Babes Heat 2 - Jacqulyn Joy, Mary Matthews, Aida Mollenkamp, Uta Ritke, Eva Sollberger.

Wildcard Boys Heat 4 - Kevin Nalts, Chuck Olsen, Schlomo Rabinowitz, Christopher Witecki, Peter Zottolo.

Vlog Hot: Wildcard Boys Heat 4

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:00:53 EST

And THIS, for real now, is the last heat. Jesus Christ, there's a lot people out there with time on their hands. Not that we don't fully support everything you do. But next time we'll just flip a coin. In this last incarnation of hotness, pick your fave from Kevin Nalts, Chuck Olsen, Schlomo Rabinowitz, Christopher Witecki, and Peter Zottolo. Do it, after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Wildcard Babes Heat 2

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:38:01 EST

Here at last is the last school of female fish, swimming their vloggy way to you for evaluation. (Sorry, it's been a very long day.) On the buffet are Jacqulyn Joy, Mary Matthews, Aida Mollenkamp, Uta Ritke, and Eva Sollberger. They await your vote after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Wildcard Boys Heat 3

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:07:59 EST

There's light at the end of the tunnel, but not before you render an opinion on another crop of aspiring videoblogging he-men. Well, okay, there's one more round of men after this, but really, that will be it. Promise. Don't hold that against Greg Rose, Gabe Mac, Rick Rey, Chris Ritke, and Gary Vaynerchuk. They have every right to be here, and are, after the jump, where they await your vote.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Wildcard Babes Heat 1

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:49:50 EST

Eventually, even the womenfolk defy easy categories. Hence, the first of two catchall girly rounds to polish off this excessive day of polling. Herein are Brookers, Christine, Ximena Falla, Randi Jayne, Jenny Lee, and Sarah Meyers. Find their vote-holes after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Wilcard Boys Heat 2

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:20:07 EST

Getting even more diverse as we drill further into the depths of vlog hotness, and of course, I mean that in a good way. Why else would this wildcard round lead with none other than Nick Douglas, followed by Juan Falla, John Herman, Eric Rey, and Bill Streeter. Here comes the jump; you know the vote-drill.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Glamazons Heat 2

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:01:42 EST

More glamazonia! Can't throw a rock without hitting some elaborate coiffes in this category; don't let the casual moppets fool you on some of these kids. Primpees include Brigitte Dale, Sara Gore, Micki Krimmel, Cecile Raubenheimer, and Maria Sansone. Lust away, and vote after the jump.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

Vlog Hot: Wildcard Boys Heat 1

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:42:37 EST

We're turning the corner into the homestretch, but how to classify most of videobloggers anyway? Call them wildcards from here on out, as most of them are all over the place, subject-wise. This first heat sports the likes of Peter Bragiel, James Comans, Cyrlille de Lasteyrie, some guy called Ze Frank, Kary Rogers, and Josh Shipp. Click and vote.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.