Michael: hey bro, what's up in your world? me: not much, just drinking mah coffee and watching cnn for the first time in several years me: doesn't seem to have gone through any radical improvement me: also, we brought on some new folks over the past week me: Juan Cole's now confirmed me: got the dean of business or some such at Roosevelt University Michael: nice me: been chatting with Andrew Sullivan a bit more Michael: cool, cool Michael: yeah, and sadly, cnn is the best of them me: yeah, I've gathered Michael: tho i like r.m and keith on msnbc me: yeah, Maddow is probably the best me: Olbermann irritates the fuck out of me Michael: hah me: but, yes, he's relatively good me: you still in Vermont? Michael: yeah, heading to new york this wekeend Michael: but will be camped out here more or less thru august Michael: dallas? me: yeah, signed a six-month lease me: got a pool Michael: nice! me: yeah, that's a big plus Michael: any upcoming for VF? Michael: btw, what the fuck happened to true/slant? me: not at the moment, been concentrating on PM and prepping materials for that producer fellow so we can get a bunch of money Michael: inice me: in which manner? me: it always sucked Michael: hah Michael: yeah, i supposedly had "equity" Michael: in the company me: fucking front page story is inevitably that one chauncy talking about some celebrity shit Michael: (i didn't get paid at all) me: didn't get paid your monthly stipend, even? me: or just equity? Michael: no, never got a stipedn me: wtf? Michael: the deal was i would just cash out when they did me: have you talked to them recently? Michael: but they have not even given th ebasic answers Michael: i got a note, and they said that they were still trying to figure it out... Michael: i don't give a shit, it's just lame me: they wrote in my contract that I only had to get 10,000 hits a month to get $500 me: then later determined that was an error Michael: hah Michael: yeah right Michael: ridiculous Michael: business model: get people to work for free! me: also fucking New York Observer never got back to me after calling me in for a fucking meeting to discuss five articles me: that's HuffPo business model Michael: fuck those guys me: yeah, seriously Michael: but at leasy HuffPo has 70 employees me: yeah, and they took on whatshisname, WashPost's good fellow Michael: yeah, he's good me: Dan something me: Froomkin? Michael: exactly me: yeah, they took him on immediately me: to be fair, WashPo employs Ezra Klein Michael: the WaPo--let's fire our biggest web trafffic getter! me: to be fairer, their first foray into getting a blogger me: they brought on this fucking toolbox from Red State me: this kid my age me: Ben Domenech Michael: right, right me: and then the libs did some opposition research Michael: was he klan or something? me: found he'd plagiarized a review for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within me: no, he'd said some nonsense Michael: awesime me: but had also plagiarized tons of shit me: incuding AN ENTIRE FUCKING P.J. O'Rourke essay Michael: i don't get plagairsim nowadays Michael: hah me: no shit Michael: just link Michael: i mean, it has always been lame me: and how do you not know how to review Final Fantasy yourself? Michael: some dude plagiarized an entire martin amis novel Michael: back in the '80s me: what kind of shit writer do you have to be me: oh, that fucking critic? me: I was just reading something about him the other day Michael: people love to hate on amis me: fucing anti-blogger sentiment me: I mean, universal anti-blogger sentiment Michael: yeah, and it's true, amis has hated on lots of folks me: well, that's good me: Daily Kos sucks, for instance Michael: well, his style is not suited for blogging Michael: Amis i mean me: not even allison kilkenny will write for that fucking mob Michael: hah, she and her husband invited me on their show Michael: citizen's radio? me: you should go on, it's a damn good show me: they have chomsky on Michael: really? me: her husband's not funny as a comedian Michael: i agreed to do it on friday me: but they do a really good radio show Michael: but then they didn't call me: good me: oh Michael: and then they asked if i was free sunday Michael: and i didn't answer me: they'd asked me to come on some time Michael: yeah, i had said i would do it me: like a year ago me: but that show Michael: so i will get in touch with them then me: would be something we would bring on me: in such case as Robert Green's madcap plan to start a new cable outlet goes through me: hey, what did you go to rehab for, heroin? me: or just drinking? Michael: hah, drinking, speed, drugs with letter c Michael: beginning with c me: coke, crack? Michael: :) me: I used to smoke crack myself Michael: sorry that was a lame emoticon me: I had to get off heroin a couple months ago Michael: shit! Michael: wild me: yes it was, it was gayer than going to dinner with a french ambassador me: anyway, I'm in AA now me: mostly for networking purposes Michael: yes, i've been sober for ten years me: AA irritates the fuck out of me me: but my uncle's like the king of Dallas AA Michael: yes, that's the probblem me: oh, also me: I've just started a secret splinter group Michael: hah me: which only you and a few others will know about me: it's led by an old associate from e-terrorism days Michael: hilarity. me: guy who got a felony during the anti-scientology attacks me: told him to assemble a team Michael: shit, i got to get down to dallas me: come down whenever, I got a sweet place me: anyway, this will be our Special Operations LOL division me: which is why I made the hushmail account me: anyway, this will consist of hackers and various shadowy figures from the lulz/chan community me: with experience in causing trouble Michael: awesome me: did you ever read up on Chanology? Michael: sorry, just got a call Michael: one sec me: word me: jesus, Pamela Geller is on CNN