disaster - Gizmodo

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Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
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Question of the Day: What's Your Most Expensive, Dumbest Gadget Oops?

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frigg
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
Giz doesn't have a set of rules about what they can or can't post. It's a blog. They can post whatever they want.

What's with the need for readers to constantly evaluate whether a posted story conforms to their perception of Giz's mission statement, micromanage the editors, enforce a set imaginary rules that exist only in their own mind, and purify the blog of what they perceive as extraneous content that others come here to read?

Something is Giz-worthy by virtue of it being posted on Giz. There is no other standard.

Editors have discretion to shape the blog into anything they like. They're free to post, and readers are free to read... or not. But why the impulse among some readers to act like school-marmy school teachers slapping a student's wrist for not following The Rules?

You could just as well ask:

How is Lego a gadget?

How is humor a gadget?

Yet those are regular features on Giz, as well as many other topics that stray far enough from a strict definition of "gadget" to be of interest to its broader audience and make it a funner, more interesting blog.
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Weihovah
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
wow... so many fascists here... maybe y'all should go start your own blog and fill it w/ content based on your narrow definitions of what's appropriate.

elaine, i hope you keep posting these types of stories
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@Weihovah: Yeah, we're facists because we want gadgets in our gadget blog.

That's like going to a strip club with a sign outside that says "LIVE NUDE FEMALES" and seeing a naked guy inside. Sure you don't HAVE to look, but it's still a deception.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: And of course, unless you really wanted to do some serious research, it could appear that it is a man, but actually fall under the scientific definition of female. But I'm not going to make sure the penis is real before I leave. Would you?
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Kaiser-Machead
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: @UnexpectedEOF:

Can't you two see, that you're in love with each other?
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vietiscool
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
ngweh ngweh i only like reading about gadgets. mommy why is there plane crash in my tech blog. ngweeeeeeh.

shut up whiners.
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FredicvsMaximvs
02/13/09

By the power vested in me (which is none, really) I declare vietiscool the winner of this thread, for having the most logical, reasonable, and erudite comment out of the 4729 comments on here thus far.

As my girlfriend, Tina Fey, said at the Golden Globe awards, "Suck it." :D
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digidandy
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
I don't mean to be cynical, but why is this on Gizmodo?

If you report a NY plane crash, shouldn't you also be reporting about other plane crashes? War? Etc.?
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ZLevee
02/13/09

@digidandy: uh, they do report on other crashes, and war as far as technology in war is concerned.
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Ed Grabianowski
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
Still waiting to hear if any friends or family were on board. We don't think there were, but not totally sure yet. Happened just a few miles from me.

Flying out of Buffalo on Tuesday, which is nerve wracking for me at the best of times.
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SpeedyGonzalas i7
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
Please Gizmodo, this is not what you should be reporting.
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ZLevee
02/13/09

@SpeedyGonzalas is.: you haven't been a reader for very long if you can't figure out why this is covered.
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s017jrs
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
This crash is about 10 miles from me. Scary shit!
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Gilbert Tang Jr.
02/13/09

@s017jrs: It's about 2,800 from me, but scary nonetheless.

@jallopy: Indeed as @Andyr2120 said, airplanes are naught but tremendously complex and large gadgets. To me, this presents an opportunity for follow-up reporting -- that is, gadget-related follow-up reporting -- particularly if the story involves a malfunction of some sort. Stating anything other than the straight-up facts at this point would be unprofessional. Chill out.
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CaptainHoratioMcCallister
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
I am not trying to criticize this story, as it is terribly tragic, but I fail to see the gadget related material here. I go to CNN for this sort of stuff. Disemvowel if you must.
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Elaine Chow
02/13/09

@CaptainHoratioMcCallister: Since you're not being a giant dick, I'll actually answer you.

We've covered many plane crashes in the past. We've covered many planes. We've covered many people being killed by things we've covered. And that's why this story is on here.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@Elaine Chow: Thanks for jumping in Elaine. I was going crazy.

@UnexpectedEOF: Read how I defined gadget based on what Gizmodo posts below. It makes perfect sense.
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: Read how a plane STILL isn't a gadget. More people think this doesn't belong here than does.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: That's because they don't understand the culture of Gizmodo. Neither do you. I already defined how Giz sees a gadget below.
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: The culture of Gizmodo is targeted ad revenue. Protip: Don't alienate your reader base by posting irrelevant crap.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: Most of the people complaining here are relatively new, like yourself. Their reader base are actually people who come here dozens of times a day and are invested in the culture of the site. The rest is just gratis.
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: I've been here for a good long while. Don't go by regdates, genius.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: What should I go by then? Times you've been banned? Times you've had to create a new account? Just because you've been reading a while doesn't mean you are invested in the website. This is a community.
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: The COMMENTS are a community. The irrelevant articles are NOT.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF:The people who write them are part of that community, so maybe what they are interested in, we are too. It's still not irrelevant.
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: No, it's irrelevant JUST like the v-tech beheading was. Just like how the Chinese CCTV fire was and was treated as little more than a rant on Chinese censorship.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: The CCTV was relevant, the censorship thing was a byproduct that created some interesting conversation... *gasp!* Elaine, you tricky tricky shrew! You know how to create conversation!
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: Oh please. It was probably a construction fire. What next, going to defend the beheading article too?

This article has spawned conversation too, this one.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: But it took place at an incredibly technically advanced and noteworthy place. I found that interesting. The only connection I can find in the beheading one was that it occurred at a tech school. You want to know what's funny though? I looked at it, decided I didn't need to read it, thought "somebody will find it relevant, the author and the editors did" and then I ignored it. Learn from that way of thinking, and you and I could be much happier with each other.
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UnexpectedEOF
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: Yes. We'll all just IGNORE the things that are bad and don't make sense. Good idea.

Makes perfect sense.

Yup.

Oh wait, that's stupid as hell.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: I didn't say that. Somebody found it relevant, so it has it's place here. That wouldn't necessarily work at CNN.com or in the New York Times, but the format here is different. This stuff shouldn't affect your day-to-day life in any meaningful way. You can certainly ignore things here.
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d_r_e
02/13/09

@UnexpectedEOF: - "Protip: Don't alienate your reader base by posting irrelevant crap."

Why don't you take those "Pro tips" of yours and place them 2 feet up your ass. Nobody at Giz gives a shit about your "pro tips" and critique. This is a gadget/technology blog, not a gadget/technology website like Engadget. Get it right, buster.
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marm0lade
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: You are acting like a jackass. Your ignorance is hilarious, but stop acting like a jackass. Just who do you think you are that YOU get to define the "culture" of gizmodo and re-write the definition of "gadget"?? LOL. Ok Webster. Try again.

I will tell you exactly who you are - NO ONE.

Stop trying to speak on behalf of everyone here. And don't think that because you may or may not have been reading giz longer than another user that your opinion carries any more weight - it doesn't mean shit. I have been reading giz on a daily basis since 2003, but I'm not going to tell someone else who has been here for a shorter time, or reads less articles, or comments less, that they are any less part of the "community" than me.

If 25 new users came in this thread and disagreed with you, you would tell them all that they are wrong because you come here 15 times a day and have more comments? Bullshit. I am very surprised a mod hasn't smacked you down for you belittling and condescending attitude.

So since you think you can re-write what a gadget is, where does that definition stop? Is my toilet a gadget since it is a device built to make it easier for me to shit?

You truly have no eff-ing idea what you are talking about.
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ZLevee
02/13/09

@marm0lade: You and UnexpectedEOF were a lot more belligerent than the dude you're attacking. If I were you I wouldn't be so quick to call someone else a jackass.
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bucho54
02/13/09

In reply to Plane Crash Kills 49 in Upstate New York
Here is an example of a Q400 Bombardier:

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borgseawolf
02/13/09

@bucho54: That's a really unfortunate name, given the circumstances...
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Hyman Decent
02/13/09

@borgseawolf: Actually, if I'm not mistaken, the manufacturer is Bombardier and therefore, the model is Q400. I know Bombardier is pronounced like it's French (maybe it's a French Canadian company?) and not like the English word.
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Polybius
02/13/09

@Hyman Decent: Yes it's a Canadian company. Ever heard of snowmobiles? Bombardier was the first.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@Hyman Decent: The second 'b' in Bombardier is pronounced like 'bu.' So it's Bombu-ar-dee-a. It looks weird, but if you say it a few times, you'll see what I mean.
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The Magnificen7
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: Actually, it's pronounced more like bumbu-ar-dee-a.
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drewdrawshashtags
02/13/09

@The Magnificen7: Actually, isn't it more like "bom-BAR-dee-ay"?
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