The End Of PageOneQ

Mike Rogers has folded long-running LGBT news aggregator PageOneQ. We'll miss it as a reliable source for JMG items. Hit the link for the back story and what Rogers has coming.

Verizon Ends Unlimited Data Plans

Verizon has become the latest carrier to stop offering unlimited data plans.

That means subscribers will have through the end of today to lock in the carrier’s $29.99 monthly unlimited data plan — or fall into a new tiered model charging between $30 to $80 a month. Rumors surfaced in recent weeks that the Basking Ridge-based carrier, the nation’s largest wireless provider, was planning to join competitors AT&T and T-Mobile in dumping its unlimited data plan, but the company would not confirm them until yesterday. In a phone interview, spokeswoman Brenda Raney said the move was an effort to preempt network overload problems as more consumers turn to smart phones.

Sprint is the last major provider still offering unlimited plans.

Facebook Vs. Google+ (Con't)

(Source)

Google May Buy Hulu

The Los Angeles Times reports that Google is negotiating to purchase Hulu.

The bold push into the entertainment sphere signals Google's growing ambitions to snap up more mainstream programming that would entice online viewers — and those in the living room — to watch longer, while capturing an even bigger advertising payload from major brands. Google's YouTube is already planning to position itself to compete for viewing time with broadcasters and cable operators by launching television-like channels with professionally produced original content and user-created video. Buying Hulu, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, would deliver top-rated TV shows such as "Glee" and "Modern Family" and the major advertisers that pay top dollar to promote them.

Other tech giants are also reportedly interested.

WASHINGTON: Anti-Gay Group Asks Again To Block Petition Names

World Net Daily has dug up those years-old anonymous internet comments (some from JMG) to illustrate a story about the latest attempt to block the names of those that signed an anti-gay petition in Washington state.

A federal court in Tacoma, Wash., has been asked to order that the names of signatories of a state petition seeking to protect traditional marriage be redacted to protect them from death threats from homosexual activists. "What is becoming increasingly evident," said James Bopp of the James Madison Center, "is that some groups and individuals, certainly a minority, have resorted to advancing their cause, not by debating the merits of the issue but by discouraging participation in the democratic process itself. "The First Amendment was designed to ensure that all groups, whatever their persuasion, could participate fully in our republic," he said. That breaks down when some groups or individuals are cowed into silence for fear that they or their families will be targeted or threatened if they speak up."

Remember folks, please don't make even the vaguest threat of physical violence on the internet. The quotes in the above-linked story are seeing a very long life.

News Corp Sells MySpace

Six year's ago Rupert Murdoch's News Corp purchased MySpace for $580M. Yesterday the floundering site was sold for a mere $35M.

The sale closes a complex chapter in the history of the Internet and of the News Corporation, which was widely envied by other media companies when it acquired MySpace in 2005. At that time, MySpace was the world’s fastest-growing social network, with 20 million unique visitors each month in the United States. That figure soon soared to 70 million, but the network could not keep pace with Facebook, which overtook MySpace two years ago. As users fled MySpace, so, too, did advertisers. The market research firm eMarketer estimates that the site will earn about $183 million in worldwide ad revenue this year, down from $605 million at its peak, when the site introduced many Web users and many advertisers to the concept of social networking.

And Now, A Six-Minute Underwear Ad

As a publicity gimmick, this six-minute oh-so-artsy and dramatique Thierry Mugler ad debuted on the homemade porn site, X-Tube. Totally NSFW.

Spirit Airlines: $5 To Print Boarding Passes

But only if their clerk prints them for you at the airport.

Low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines drew gasps last year when it became the first U.S. airline to charge passengers for bringing carry-on bags aboard. On Tuesday, the proponent of fees for nearly everything airborne unveiled another U.S. first: Passengers who have boarding passes printed by a Spirit check-in agent will be charged $5 each for each nonstop flight. The Miramar, Fla., carrier said fliers can avoid forking over a five spot by checking in online and printing their own boarding passes. The new fee, which started Tuesday, applies to all flights booked for travel on or after Nov. 1.

Spirit also charges $20-$35 to use the overhead bin for a carry-on.

Masterbeat.com Goes Out Of Business

Masterbeat.com, the popular gay-owned dance music commercial download site, ceased operations on Sunday.

Pam's House Blend Joins Firedoglake

At today's Morning News Dump with Lizz Winstead, Pam Spaulding made the big announcement that she'll be folding Pam's House Blend into a subblog on Firedoglake. FDL founder Jane Hamsher:

Pam's House Blend has long been one of the most compelling and influential sites in the blogosphere. Founder Pam Spaulding has used the platform not only to speak out herself as a woman of color and a member of the LGBT community, but also to play host to many other fine bloggers who have worked with her to build PHB into a robust activist community. Pam was also one of my first friends when we were both posting at Daily Kos, before Firedoglake even existed.

So it gives me great pleasure to announce that Pam's House Blend will be joining the Firedoglake family of blogs. I think it's a perfect union - as the task of hosting a blog and performing the tech, legal and security work to keep it up and running becomes more and more complex and expensive, it will free Pam and her fellow bloggers to spend their time doing what they do best, which is blog. It also allows us to feature the work of a really amazing group of writers on FDL, and be tremendously enriched by the PHB community.

We wish her well.

Yesterday & Today

Rep. Anthony Weiner To Resign

According to the New York Times, Rep. Anthony Weiner is going to resign today.

The top Democratic official said Mr. Weiner called Representative Nancy Pelosi of California and Representative Steve Israel of New York last night while they were at the White House picnic to inform them he had decided to resign on Thursday. Mr. Weiner plans to resign in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at 2 p.m. , at the spot where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1992, according to two people told of his plans. The news comes as Democratic leaders prepared to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss whether to strip the 46-year-old congressman of his committee assignments, a blow that would severely damage his effectiveness.

A damn fucking shame.