- While I blogged at Yahoo’s expense in the previous post, we’re laughing with Yahoo’s new “reality show,” Hook Me Up (video link). I bow down in awe of the brilliant programming: Tech advertisers are among the biggest spenders per slot online PLUS, the reality show should bring in a more mass audience solving age-old problem of scarce tech inventory PLUS, Yahoo just happens to be launching a new tech property to take on CNET, PLUS it’s dorky enough to have a chance of getting a cult following, PLUS it’s actually informative, PLUS the first subject is hot but not threatening to other women, AND yes i’m still on the gay side, but a good huckster. (…and after a few beers)
- New Yahoo front page launched as a Beta. It’s like AIMToday (the most beautiful and info-loaded page of its type) met MySpace and mixed things up with some really dorky icons. Definitely easier to use…but truth is–if the stats are similar to an analysis i saw a few years ag–no one uses this page. The Yahoo front page has served more as a branding image representing the depth of the service and has only been used for navigation by fewer than 15-20% of users on any regular basis. Most use search, my.yahoo.com, or deeper links. Also, is everything destined to become Myspace? The just-launched Goingon Network? It’s kind of a lot like Myspace for adults. And i think that’s just where it all should be headed.
- Skype calls are free between computers, and for the rest of the year (8 months!) it’s free to call from your computer to phones in the US and Canada (usually a charge of about 2cents/minute). It’s not perfect. Lines drop sometimes, though at other times the sound is better than any regular phone. For the SlowTechies (see Slow Food movement) and who want nothing to do with being early adopters, it’s time for Skype.
- Gay Prof’s discussing misogyny among gay men in his an East Texas blog and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. What he’s talking about is rampant, inexcusable, and embarassing. He cites gay self-loathing as the reason and notes leadership by women in winning gay rights. (Not that anyone should have to lead a movement to get respect.) Not sure why he didn’t go all the way. He wouldn’t be the first to point out that homophobia is misogyny. Effeminate gestures are the core of gay mockery, but the mere mention of a “female” sex role elicits the most contempt. (I’m talking the real homophobes here, not the majority of folks who are just unfamiliar.)
They don’t hate us because we like guys. They hate the parts of us that remind them of women. So, misogyny among gay men doesn’t come from self loathing. It is self loathing. And, a homophobic streak is a telling indicator of how he thinks of women, my sisters. I’ll be reading more Center of Gravitas, and not on my rss reader. I don’t want to miss the vintage Wonder Woman comic covers with each post.