AltWeeklies Wire
Mobile Gamers Make iPhone a New Messiahnew
It's clear that many people expect the iPhone to do everything from managing their hectic schedule to making them the coolest kid on the block. Although the device can't meet all of these expectations, it's proving to be a major contender in an unanticipated field: mobile gaming.
The Georgia Straight |
Christopher Poon |
12-09-2008 |
Tech
Mystery Shopper Marc Kravitz Keeps Philly's Servers on Pointnew
Blindly feared by servers the same way your gram fears The Reckoning, Kravitz absorbs everything he sees, hears, tastes and sometimes even smells.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Drew Lazor |
12-09-2008 |
Food+Drink
Escaping Baghdad and Finding Refuge in Metro Detroitnew
Hundreds of Iraqis have resettled in metro Detroit during the last two years as the United States finally opened to these refugees of the war in Iraq. This year, more than 2,000 Iraqis are expected to flock here. These are some of their stories.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
12-09-2008 |
Immigration
Casual Video-Game Company Big Fish Catches Record Revenues During Recessionnew
It's no surprise the gift-sales-dependent retail industry is hurting, and the big video-game giants are no exception. But over at Big Fish Games, a Seattle studio that creates casual games involving jewel hunts or word puzzles, things are rosy.
Seattle Weekly |
Laura Onstot |
12-08-2008 |
Video Games
Whither the Album?new
Chuck Klosterman says Chinese Democracy is the format's last hurrah. Kanye proves him wrong.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
12-08-2008 |
Music
Obama Supports Chicago's 2016 Olympic Bid at His Own Risknew
Last month president-elect Barack Obama vowed to end the old system of awarding federal goodies to friends. But I'm not sure the call for productive and prudent public spending applies to the expensive wish lists of his hometown the same way it does to those of, say, the Detroit auto industry.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky |
12-08-2008 |
Politics
Is California's Gay-Marriage Ban Sparking a New Generation of LGBT Activists?new
Misty Harvey has become a gay-rights leader by default. When Prop. 8 passed last month in California -- taking away same-sex marriage rights given to state residents in May -- Harvey sought a way to protest.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Marty Levine |
12-08-2008 |
LGBT
Athens' Dead Confederate Locks In on 'Wrecking Ball'new
The group's scorching new sound boasts killer rock tracks and layered guitars -- heavy and lumbering without being overbearing, accented by the Cobain-gone-South drawl of singer Hardy Morris.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Chris Hassiotis |
12-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Money, Arrogance and Stupidity = Disaster for American Auto Industrynew
Chapter 11 does not mandate that the Big 3 close their doors. It mandates that they restructure and cut costs, just like the airlines did. Yet the Big 3 continue to be bullheaded and refuse to consider this option.
Pasadena Weekly |
Jennifer Hadley |
12-08-2008 |
Business & Labor
To Hell with the Economy! The Lawless Exotic Rental Car Industry Keeps Rollingnew
Many cars in South Florida's exotic-for-a-day trade are illegal. The cars' real owners make under-the-table deals with brokers, but most brokers don't have proper rental insurance, so the deal constitutes insurance fraud.
Miami New Times |
Gus Garcia-Roberts |
12-08-2008 |
Business & Labor
The Titles that Axl Rose Didn't Use for GnR's Long-Delayed Albumnew
It turns out that during Rose's 17-year effort to record the album, he weighed several other different potential titles. The first batch comprised more variations on the Oriental theme, but we're guessing China wouldn't have liked them any better.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-08-2008 |
Music
How County Chair Jonathan Neerman Plans to Ease the Dallas GOP's Woesnew
Although Neerman offers no apologies, he knows that frustration within the party is at an all-time high, and people are searching for someone to blame. Rather than hide in his cushy downtown office while the GOP faithful grab their pitchforks, Neerman decided instead to schedule an open-mic night and confront his detractors face to face.
Dallas Observer |
Sam Merten |
12-08-2008 |
Politics
'Cadillac Records' Gets Nothing Rightnew
Beyonce Knowles sounds nothing like Etta James, and Cadillac Records is nothing like factual.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
12-08-2008 |
Reviews
'Slumdog Millionaire' Director Talks About Mumbai Before the Terrornew
English director Danny Boyle was visiting Seattle a while back, raving about the inspiration Mumbai provided during the filming of his acclaimed new Slumdog Millionaire. Then we all know what happened in that city.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Zach Harjo Makes a Record He Actually Likesnew
Like Tom Waits, or the criminally under-referenced Randy Newman, Harjo mostly sidesteps the usual singer-songwriter trappings of personal confession, instead creating scenes and characters plucked from the dustier fringes of Americana.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J Barr |
12-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
