NewsJunk.com 

My next big project is NewsJunk.com.

The name comes from the people it is designed to serve, news junkies.

So we've gone beyond mere users, now we're making tools for serious users.

This is turning out to be a broad project that will involve lots of people, and I will have much more to write about it over the coming weeks. But the news is happening so fast now, and we're bringing tools on as fast as we can, so I'll have to wait for the philosophy.

For now there are five main ways to consume the flow:

1. Refresh the home page periodically.

2. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

3. Follow it on Twitter.

4. Befriend it on FriendFeed.

5. Watch for developments on the weblog.

There will be more ways, for sure, soooon!

Still diggin!

Update: Nicco's post on NewsJunk.

Owen Thomas speaks in Berkeley 

Just got an email from Sylvia...

Why does Silicon Valley need its own gossip rag? Come find out Wednesday, June 18, from noon to 1:30 at the Berkeley Rep on Addison between Shattuck and Milvia in Berkeley. It's $12 at the door for a delicious meal and a chance to hear Valleywag editor in chief and founder Owen Thomas dish it out on the dubiously fact-checked doings of our digerati. Thomas will be taking questions, so feel free to ask away.

RSVP to whoisylvia at aol dot com.

NASDAQ goes real-time 

As if on command, this press release dropped this morning.

We're getting real-time stock quotes.

Great. Now think about it -- how much like Twitter is that?

I wrote about this yesterday. If NASDAQ and other rich companies like Google, CNBC, etc are willing to take the risk on their technology it must be pretty reliable? Otherwise, imagine the lawsuits that would ensue.

As I wrote yesterday, I bet you can license the technology to run Twitter much more cheaply than you can to build it yourself.

Bill Clinton's Nixon moment? 

Bill Clinton: "I want to say also that this may be the last day I'm ever involved in a campaign of this kind. I thought I was out of politics, 'til Hillary decided to run. But it has been, one of the greatest honors of my life to go around and campaign for her for president."

Richard Nixon: "For 16 years, ever since the Hiss case, you've had a lot of -- a lot of fun -- that you've had an opportunity to attack me and I think I've given as good as I've taken. But as I leave you I want you to know -- just think how much you're going to be missing. You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference."

Update: I think Marla Erwin nailed it. This means WJC won't be campaigning for Obama.

What Twitter did for Scripting News 

We spend a lot of time talking about the technology of Twitter here, because tech is the root of Scripting News, it's how the blog got its start in 1997. But it's been largely a male thing, where DaveNet, its predecessor, was closer to gender-balance. The new connection with Twitter has helped bring us more women readers our way, which is appreciated. It isn't much of a party without em. And I might add, it's given us a bit of racial balance too, although I think the all-but-certain Democratic candidate for President had something to do with that as well.