George W. Bush's new smart phone attracts Twitter zingers

Just when you thought people had grown tired of ragging on President George W. Bush, the zingers come back.

The Ticket posted news Tuesday about the former president getting a BlackBerry.

After a meeting with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, we -- along with Stone -- had begun to wonder if Twitter could be next for Bush.

The Twitter world wasn't so enthusiastic about the less-than-popular politician coming to the party. The prospect incited disses not seen since the latter part of Bush's last term.

JashSF writes:

He's going to need a spell checker on there.

Barbapreta writes:

Oh my Gosh! Are you ready for e-bushisms!

RichardWildwood writes:

I can see how this is BB's ideal celeb advocate

Thesurfreport writes:

Doubtful as he probably can't count to 140.

-- Mark Milian

Twitter: @markmilian

Photo credit: Associated Press

How would we have reacted if TMZ had been wrong about Michael Jackson's death?

As news outlets sprang into action to report on Michael Jackson’s condition June 25, users on social media sites were whipped into a frenzy: He’s not breathing! He’s in a coma! He had a heart attack! And then a Facebook status update, made at 2:21 p.m., that Jackson had died.

Of course, 23 minutes later TMZ would become the first outlet to announce the singer’s death. What came next was a surprise. Before the RIPs and the “he touched us all” jokes, many users began posting jabs aimed at CNN -- more specifically, its irrelevance as a news source. One person joked that TMZ ought to write an obituary about CNN’s death. Another user suggested that CNN spend more time reporting and less time advertising its Twitter page. But what if TMZ had been wrong?

Has technology’s ability to deliver information at such a rapid pace corrupted us? It’s one thing to marvel at how social media sites have helped spread Iranian news we might not have attained due to censorship -- and with such timeliness; it’s quite another to have become a culture that prizes speed over confirmed facts. Have our standards for accountability dissolved?

“I’m not sure it’s technology that’s breaking down the barriers of accountability,” says Jeffrey Seglin, author of The Right Thing, a weekly ethics column published by the New York Times Syndicate. “The National Enquirer broke facts about the O.J. case before other media outlets did. Matt Drudge reported information on the Monica Lewinsky affair that Newsweek had been sitting on.” But that was the ‘90s, before gathering and spreading information was as easy as turning on your iPhone, anywhere, any time. Can you imagine if TMZ’s story spread on Twitter before Jackson’s family even learned of his death? And who was TMZ’s source anyway? The site’s managing editor, Harvey Levin, said he and his staff made hundreds of calls,  but he didn't  divulge whom they spoke to, which makes one question whether they confirmed the news with a reliable, accountable source -- as is required by the Los Angeles Times -- or if they spoke to someone who was violating patient confidentiality.

L.A. Times Tech Blog: An iPhone application is twice the cost of the actual iPhone

With an extra thousand bucks, you could buy a new wardrobe, take a memorable vacation, or if you're really nice, make a donation to, like, poor people or something.  Or, you could just stare at a red dot that reads "I Am Rich." Technology blogger Mark Milian made the depressing discovery that eight Apple customers spent their grand on the red dot.  For $999.99, owners of the iPhone 3G could download "a seemingly useless application called I Am Rich."  After purchasing the application, iPhone owners will be constantly reminded by an icon on their screens that they are, in fact, rich.  However, a few other people complained that they bought the expensive application on accident, making readers wonder if the title should be changed to "I Am Stupid."

Mr. Hand made a dramatic generalization: "I am convinced the whole world is on dope."

And a nameless reader followed Mr. Hand's lead: "mac users are stupid, point proven."

Not Impressed wrote: "If everyone who wants this application sends me $999.99 instead, I will be rich, and your money will be better spent, signed, your nearby local Children's Hospital."

Iamrichtoo snobbishly spoke in favor of the red dot: "I mean, really, Apple product owners specifically, and rich people in general, are obviously not 'stupid'. At the very least, we are smart enough to have more money than you have.  If you were so 'smart', you could afford nice things like macs and iPhones and thousand dollar useless applications...but you aren't and you can't, so you hate on us...sad, pitiful little insignificant creatures that you are." 

After an update that the app, which was developed by Armin Heinrich, was removed by Apple, vanity wrote: "Good for Heinrich. He made a quick (and honest) buck by providing a small number of extremely vain people with something they value. On top of that, he made a very poignant (and funny) social statement. I think that Apple realized their customers were being mocked and that's why they put an end to it."

Raven wrote a long, wordy post in favor of the application's right to exist.  And then, he undermined his entire argument by calling the other posters "appholes."

Should the app still be available for those who are wasteful enough to buy it, or is it too ridiculous to be worthy of purchase? 

-- Amy Silverstein

Image: Armin Heinrich

Web Scout: Underground website games Google

Some unusual terms have been appearing atop Google's Hot Trends list, an updated roster of the Top 100 Web searches. Phrases such as "scientology is a cult" (No. 1 at left) and a backwards taunt to Google (No. 4 at left) -- the actual term contained a naughty four-letter word -- topped the list. Last week the swastika symbol appeared at the top. All the controversy can be traced back to an Internet message board called 4chan. Posts on the site encouraged readers to search for the malevolent terms en masse, skyrocketing them up the ranks.

The original post exposing 4chan's high-tech attack, also known as "Google bombing," netted 38 comments. Many of those responses were immature or snide remarks, seemingly coming from 4chan members, which prompted Zoey Hampton to write: "The comments make it very clear that the members of 4chan need to get a life, as well as learn to spell and write cogently."

Those that engaged in legitimate discussion, however, were split on the severity of the incident.

Ugh wrote:

what is wrong with these people, shoving swastkas in little kids' faces. maybe they should be charged with a hate crime and those living in the US should be prosecuted. if that is their idea of fun, this might adjust their attitudes on the subject. after all, "free speech" only takes one so far these days...

Terryeo wrote:

Indeed! As we enjoy a more free communication, so too with schoolyard bullys, semi-literates and disruptive elements. In days gone past it took great effort to rouse a demonstration. Today it takes only a few phrases on a disruptive website, a few minutes of discussion, and a few dozen computers running dedicated software. People dedicated to disrupting normal communication have found their comfort zone on the internet.

Shacklebot wrote:

Scientology may indeed be a cult, but these anonymous mask-wearing website-hacking "kids" (and I use that term loosely - many of these 4chan troublemakers are middle aged and living at home) are far more dangerous. Committing vandalism and hate crimes are NOT just "kids' play"!

Anonymous wrote:

For everyone that has called these acts vandalism, remember that they are only as permanent as people's memories. This is not a wall or someone else's property that they then have to repair. It removes itself.

For everyone complaining about their children being exposed to "hate", you may consider actively participating in their lives and education. Seeing a swastika means nothing to child that doesn't understand it, and evokes nothing if you take the mystique away from it. Don't raise your children to have their feeling prayed upon by strangers.

What's your take on the issue? Tell us whether you think 4chan's Google bombing is overstepping the boundaries of Web decency, or if it's just something that comes with the territory of an open dialog?

-- Mark Milian

iPhone Mania

Nothing stirs up passions more than an updated product from Apple. Steve Jobs (pictured right), chief executive of Apple, took the stage in San Francisco this week and set off a firestorm of comments.

Sure the iPhone got its share of attention. But speculation swirled around whether Jobs had lost weight and why.

Some readers upon seeing photos of Jobs, who battled cancer in 2003, debated whether he was sick. An Apple spokesman said that Jobs had had a common bug and was on the mend.

Jeff dissected the way Jobs looked and the public's right to discuss his health.

Bill Moore and others brought up Jobs' strict diet over the years. Thin is in.

I hope there's a decent succession plan this time around, said Anonymouse.

And about that iPhone 3G. It's faster than the old one and cheaper. But there's no pleasing everyone. Why doesn't it come with a stylus or a keyboard so that people with long fingernails could type on the virtual keyboard, complained some commenters.

That set off a debate: Is it the job of a company to adapt gadgets to accommodate people or should the customer change to use the product.

Des said it was ridiculous that Apple expects women to change their fingernails for a product that has cost anywhere from $400 to $600.

But George Kaplan argued that Apple doesn't have to accommodate everyone. At 6'4", he doesn't easily fit into a Porsche. Cut your nails if they cause problems for you using the iPhone, he said.

-- Michelle Quinn

Photo of Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Monday in San Francisco introducing the iPhone 3G. Credit: Robert Durell/ Los Angeles Times.