By Salon Technology staff

The return of Mahir

Back from the lonely depths of celebrity long-forgotten, it's Mahir Cagri, political pundit! An e-mail currently circulating the Web is being attributed to the Turkish Stud himself, and although we couldn't confirm it, it's still a ticklishly humorous read. Written as a letter to "president Mr. Jimmy Carter," the e-mail goes on to express Cagri's dismay with the "goddamn election results" and his belief that Dubya is stealing the election: "It is my suspect that his borother Jeb Bush is steling from the American people becuas he is telling so many lyes..... I haven't know him but ot is my opinibion that they are a cheating family, the Bush's. .... everybody knows that nobody voted by Bush and now he wants to kill All Gore." [sic] The note goes on to exhort Mr. Carter (as well as "Mrs. President clinton") to send Jeb Bush to Turkey for a little educational visit about justice and the simpler things in life.

Perhaps Cagri's suggestion shouldn't be dismissed out of hand; certainly, Florida's so full of politicians right now that one deportee probably wouldn't be noticed. [Nov. 19, 2000 8:30 p.m. PST]

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Am I goth or not?

Did the masses over at Am I Hot or Not? give your photo a low score? Did your blood-red lipstick, blacker-than-black togs and lily-white skin not go over well with the beauty-obsessed masses? Don't fret; it turns out that there's a popularity site for you, too. "Am I Goth or Not," which appears to have launched last week, is a parody of "Am I Hot or Not?" -- last month's Web phenomenon, which let anyone vote on the attractiveness of the hapless vainglorious who submitted their pictures to the site -- and as far as we're concerned, it's even funnier. A ghoulish selection of the dark and dreary of the Net have submitted photos of themselves and it's your duty, fair viewer, to tell them whether they've ascended to the pinnacle of all things Goth. No need to be brutal, though; most Goths, after all, are all gentleness underneath that scary surface. [Nov. 19, 2000 8:30 p.m. PST]

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The next dot-com bomb

After a host of abortive attempts to make a dot-com movie or sitcom, Hollywood has finally found a way to translate the Net to he boob tube. On Dec. 8, ABC will debut a new half-hour show called "Dot Comedy." (Groan.)

"Dot Comedy" will be produced by Carsey Warner and Oxygen Media, which have previously brought us a syrupy women's schlock network not exactly known for its biting sense of humor.

The premise is to let the Net provide the laughs, using so-called "user generated content" culled from the Web to get chuckles. It's the revenge of the new medium against broadcast -- let them watch gyrating baby butts! Maybe the Internet really will eat television. [Nov. 19, 2000 8:30 p.m. PST]

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The first dot-com union?

Dot-communists aren't workers, they're stock-option-packin' owners, right? Tell that to a group of customer services reps at Amazon.com, who have organized a petition-drive to form a union and seek a collective-bargaining agreement.

Already, Amazon.com is looking like an old economy big boss trying to stifle a union effort before it takes hold. According to the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, a union involved in the effort, Amazon called an all hands meeting last Friday to discuss the effort with the customer service workers.

Amazon spokeswoman Patty Smith brushed off the organizing drive: "It's not the first time they have tried to organize. It's nothing new." she told reporters. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. [Nov. 19, 2000 8:30 p.m. PST]

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Got a tip for the In Box? E-mail us