Internet Marketing and Social Media Consultants

The often very liberal Iranian parliament is debating whether or not to add blogging to their list of offenses punishable by death. That’s right: if the measure goes through, Iranian bloggers who write about something the state finds undesirable may face execution.

When it comes to executions, Iran makes Texas look like San Francisco. Iran put 317 people to the death penalty in 2007, a whopping 291 more than the Lone Star State. Now the Iranian version of Markos Moulitsas is probably booking the first ticket out of Tehran.
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Good gravy, it’s the Fourth of July, a week before the new iPhone goes on sale, and people are already getting in line for it at the Apple Store in New York City.

Okay, the getting in line thing is kind of fun, but a whole week? For a slightly better phone?

One of guys waiting claims they are gunning for a world record for waiting in line. Strangely enough, they have brought a baby with them. Nothing says good parenting like camping in the streets of New York City. After the first rat bite, they’ll probably be heading back to Brooklyn.
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I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but I was: 1/3 of the senior IT workers surveyed by software firm Cyber-Ark admit to taking a look at confidential information on the networks they maintain.

It is kind of disappointing that people do this kind of thing. I’ve done a little bit of IT work in my time and I never wanted to know what people were doing on their computers. First of all, I wouldn’t want anybody doing it to me, and second, it’s just kind of pathetic.

The report also noted that companies are very negligent in their changing of privileged passwords. 9% were never changed, meaning ex-employees would still have access to confidential information.
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Dan Lyons, also known as “Fake Steve Jobs,” has signed up with Newsweek, where he will take his much heralded alter-ego to the mainstream press.

Lyons, who has been the tech editor for Forbes Magazine for the last ten years, will start with Newsweek on August 1. “We’re hoping he’ll develop some new blogs, maybe new sites. He’s clearly shown an amazing kind of creativity,” said Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham. “It’s part of a broader strategy of hiring a voice that [one] can’t get anywhere else.”
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Back in the 70’s, the Miller v. California case established that in the case of obscenity, community standards would determine whether or not something was deemed pornographic. In other words, small towns could reserve the right to shut down adult book stores if they pleased, while cities in the fast lane didn’t have to be held to some Draconian standard that a one-size-fits-all approach would create.

How does this work in the Internet age? Paul F. Little, aka “Max Hardcore,” has been charged with 20 counts of obscenity in a Tampa, FL court because some of the servers his website uses are located in Tampa. With each charge resulting in a maximum sentence of 5 years, Little could face 100 years in prison if things go downhill.
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