Thesmokinggun found some more interesting info on Dunn, including that he filmed his incriminating announcements "from inside a shower stall," that he claimed to have paid off the police and the FBI, and that investigators found him not through fancy IP tracing or anything like that, but because he broadcast the name of a site registered to him across the bottom of some of his Trashman videos.

Dunn has been arrested three times in the past ten months on charges unrelated to his moviemaking, according to the complaint. The Harlem resident, who has previously posted videos in which he claimed to have infected numerous female sex partners with the HIV virus, operates a low-budget porn web site and, on his MySpace page, describes himself as an "adult website owner looking to network with people in the porn and music world."

"'Trashman' Nabbed For YouTube Threats" [The Smoking Gun]
"New York man arrested for YouTube baby food threat" [Associated Press]

Here's Joanna:

I was personally contacted by an executive at Viacom, who explained how my film got mixed into their system. Juxtaposer was in a film festival that was presented by Nicktoons, which is of course a Viacom company. They offered selections of the festival as downloadable content, and Juxtaposer was one of them. They just forgot that Viacom's rights to those films were all nonexclusive. He personally assured me that Viacom is no longer making a claim to my film and YouTube should be sending me documents affirming that shortly.

I don't think this would have been over with nearly as fast if not for the publicity I got from your post. This could have been a nightmare, but it wasn't. Count this one a success!

Score one for the little guy.

Viacom Apologizes! [Channel Federator Raw]
PREVIOUSLY: Viacom Fraudulently Claims Ownership Of Indie Filmmakers' YouTube Clips

Joanna is, of course, disputing the claim.

The video is still up, but now Viacom gets access to her video statistics. The worst part is the fear Joanna has that something she slaved and sweat over could be taken away from her. "I'm just a scared that my little film will be lost in the shadow of the hulking monolith...," she wrote on her blog. Also on her blog is a comment by another filmmaker indicating Joanna isn't the only filmmaker Viacom has fraudulently targeted in this manner.

YouTube used to be cool but the site allowing actions like this show how much it's become just another co-opted drek-hole... all because they're too cheap to hire enough people to vet either the uploads or the corporate takedowns.

Below, a screenshot of the creepy and baseless stake-claiming.

Viacom Wants To Steal My Film [Channel Federator Raw]
Juxtaposer [YouTube]

Viacom is arguing that it needs the data to prove that its copyrighted material is more popular than user created videos.

Wired says:

Although Google argued that turning over the data would invade its users' privacy, the judge's ruling (.pdf) described that argument as "speculative" and ordered Google to turn over the logs on a set of four tera-byte hard drives.

The judge also turned Google's own defense of its data retention policies — that IP addresses of computers aren't personally revealing in and of themselves, against it to justify the log dump.

The EFF has responded to the ruling, calling it "a set-back to privacy rights," that "will allow Viacom to see what you are watching on YouTube. "

Judge Orders YouTube to Give All User Histories to Viacom [Wired] (Thanks, Everyone!)
Court ruling will expose viewing habits [YouTube]

The secret, apparently, is to make every third or fourth yes mean something entirely new through the magic of inflection—but you'll have to stay committed to it even when the telemarketer catches on, which may result in a self-inflicted insult.

"How to torment telemarketers with one word" [YouTube via Neatorama]

The article says,

The clip, which has been viewed more than two million times, shows 25-year-old Lauren Bernat hula hooping in time with the fitness video game.

Rumours that the clip was a clever marketing ploy for the Wii Fit spread after it emerged that both Miss Bernat and her boyfriend, who filmed the footage, work in advertising.

Giovanny Gutierrez, 30, works as director of interactive media for Tinsley Advertising in Miami, Florida. According to his biography on the firm’s website, he "creates web, e-mail and interactive marketing solutions that perfectly integrate with television, radio and print campaigns."

"Gio is a master of e-commerce, having created web portals for scores of businesses," the biography adds.

Miss Bernat works as an account executive at Tinsley Advertising, where her duties include "evaluating the responses to our Internet advertising".

But Nintendo has denied that the footage is part of an advertising campaign. "This has and is absolutely 100 per cent nothing to do with Nintendo," a spokesman said. "Nintendo did not create it and were not aware of it until it was brought it to our attention."

Mr Gutierrez has also denied that it was a viral advert for the Wii Fit.

The game, which allows Nintendo Wii owners to do a range of exercises and stretches under the guidance of on on-screen fitness expert, hardly needs the free publicity, having sold more than 300,000 copies in the UK in its first two weeks on sale, and sold out in many parts of the world.

But the YouTube affair has done much to boost the profile of Mr Gutierrez and his agency.

The evidence that this is an organized marketing campaign seems circumstantial to us. However, advertisers are always coming up with new ways to turn attention toward new products so who knows? We'll just have to keep watching the video until we figure it out.

Wii Fit underwear girl: A marketing hoax? [The Telegraph]

Completely Foreseeable Riot as Cash Thrown at Public in Union Square [Gothamist]
(Photo: M. Roberts/Daily News)

From Reuters:

An NBCU spokeswoman said the company would consider making its videos, including clips from "Saturday Night Live" available on other services in the future.

Sorry, YouTube. No more "Dick In A Box."

NBC Universal removes YouTube channel [Reuters]
(Photo:stirwise)

Plug in your work headphones and get ready to rock out classic-easy-listening-style.

Gate Agent Plays Ukelele [YouTube] (Thanks to Brent!)

Our favorite moment: when Halleran asks, "If I cancel my account with you guys, will that stop the mailing?", and the man on the other end just sighs in angry exasperation.

(Thanks to Taryn!)

"Off The List" [YouTube]

Now Google believes it finally has found the formula to cash in on YouTube's potential as a magnet for online video advertising and keep its audience loyal at the same time.

The company said late Tuesday that after months of testing various video advertising models, it was ready to introduce a new type of video ad, which it said was unobtrusive and kept users in control of what they saw.

The ads, which appear 15 seconds after a user begins watching a video clip, take the form of an overlay on the bottom fifth of the screen, not unlike the tickers that display headlines during television news programs.

A user can ignore the overlay, which will disappear after about 10 seconds, or close it. But if the user clicks on it, the video they were watching will stop and a video ad will begin playing. Once the ad is over, or if a user clicks on a box to close it, the original video will resume playing from the point where it was stopped.

Google Aims to Make YouTube Profitable With Ads [NYT]
(Photo:NYT)

Many entries are mediocre, if not downright bad, and sifting through them requires full-time attention. And even the most well-known brands often spend millions of dollars up front to get the word out to consumers.

The High Price of Creating Free Ads [NYT]
Top This TV [YouTube]
(Photo: cloudzilla)

Digital Music said on Monday the deal also includes an agreement to allow certain music, for which it controls the rights, to be used in users' videos uploaded to YouTube.

Digital Music owns publishing or distribution rights to over 40,000 music recordings and over 4,000 hours of video content including television shows and films.

YouTube to offer old U.S. TV programs [Reuters]

5Six different video have already gone up on YouTube in response to our upload of George's original "Verizon Can't Count" phone call.

They won't win any Emmys, but they're honest, which is more than can be said for Verizon. Check 'em out, inside. — BEN POPKEN

Remember, don't go to Best Buy without doing your product research first. The only thing you should ask a BB employee is "where is this item located?" Or, "where is the exit?" — BEN POPKEN

Two years ago, the AG sued franchiser Francare Inc. As a result of a settlement, the company agreed to stop deceptive trade practices. Apparently, the suit didn't make enough of an impression. Perhaps this next one will.

Is there such a thing as an honest mechanic? Why does auto-repair seem to encourage fraud?

Parts 2 and 3 of the news reports, inside. — BEN POPKEN

Part 2

Part 3

I-Team Follow: Las Vegas Auto Repair Rip-Off [Channel 8] (Thanks to Jeff!)

Are these manufactured by Sony?— BEN POPKEN

SOLD OUT Due to the popularity of this item, we are unexpectedly sold out. Please contact customer service at 1-800-321-1484 regarding future product availability.

What is it about seeing some regular people enjoying a product that makes people want to purchase it? Do people just really need a $30 self-stirring cup, but didn't know it existed? Will this cause a teaspoon glut? Lately, we noticed advertisers trying to replicate "You Tube" or "blog" style videos in their commercials... but it's just not the same, is it? —MEGHANN MARCO

Self-Stirring Mug [Hammacher Schlemmer]

"I've got my finger on the pulse of all the coolest internet trends. Even my kids are jealous of all the hits my video is getting."

The only thing it's missing is a scrolling list of all the different skills you can pick up, like in that late 90's Sally Struthers home degree commercial.

Form following functionally enough, the video itself is a viral video for a viral video site. Whoa, the meta train just left the meta station. — BEN POPKEN

[via American Copywriter]

"The mobile version of Revver, like Youtube, is set to launch early next month, and will be part of the V Cast entertainment channel. Users who subscribe to the $15/month mobile media service will have access to unlimited viewing of Revver videos."

"Reportedly, Revver videos viewed on V Cast will be ad-free. Normally, a sponsored ad is shown at the end of every streamed video." Does anyone use VCast? —MEGHANN MARCO

Verizon adds Revver to V Cast [TG Daily]

Home Depot claims you won't have to deal with subcontractors, but they do use subcontractors. When something goes wrong, and consumers complain, Home Depot avoids or ignores their repeated phone calls and letters.

There's no accountability for the services they are selling.

Home Depot should develop an accredited subcontractor system, or employ the workers guys directly, or not sell home remodeling services at all. — BEN POPKEN

This sounds almost cool. For it to be truly cool it would have to be more than a "sampling" of videos. Oh well, the more You Tube the better, right? —MEGHANN MARCO

Verizon, YouTube see a future for mobile video [Market Watch]

Our favorite part is the automatic doors gorging and regurgitating the consumers. Oh, and Black Santa.

For added cool points, all the extra audio and music came from the radio that morning in Pineville, NC. — BEN POPKEN

However, we scrounged up up a few fight videos on YouTube, inside... — BEN POPKEN

WEST MIFFLIN, PA - WALMART. Shoppers wrestle over 6 computers.

VERNON, TX - WALMART. Watch what happens at 1:05 when a horde of shoppers descends upon a pallet of DVD players at the same time.

UNKNOWN - BEST BUY. One-thousand shoppers rush the doors.

Can anyone identify this morning show? We'd like to try and find the rest of the Black Santa clip.

It distracted us while we downloaded our video from our camera, thought about how annoying it will be to cut together all our footage from inside Best Buy, and what crappy journalists we were. Then we remembered we were bloggers. That's when the sun rose, filling the parking lot with a warm glow. — BEN POPKEN

Thanks to the magic of video technology, we're able to speed it up. Plus everyone sounds like a munchkin. — BEN POPKEN

Just pray the car companies had good beta testers to weed out the bugs... — BEN POPKEN

He predicted the staglation of the 70's and argued that the Great Depression was exacerbated by the government's contraction of the money supply.

Friedman believed free markets lead to free people.

As seen in the clip above, Friedman was no fan of tariffs as he felt they imposed artificial restraints on consumer choice.

You can also thank him for developing the withholding tax, as well as the earned income tax credit. — BEN POPKEN

Milton Friedman NYT obit.

Maybe now that it's on CNN, Walmart will actually finally remove the shirts from their shelves. Yes, this is so important, we put two adverbs together. — BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

They try to test the heat using a remote thermometer (like the one mentioned in today's Morning Deals) but the temp is so high, the instrument gives an error code. This means the temperature was over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The voice over notes that this laptop fire is an electrical, chemical, and metal fire. You need a Class D fire extinguisher to put it out. The wrong kind of extinguisher can actually cause the fire to spread. — BEN POPKEN

Previously: Backstory on battery recalls.

Actual Video of an Exploding Laptop Battery [Gizmodo] (Thanks to Ben!)

As a chaser of sorts to all this depressing Nationalist-Socialist tshirt business, here's a comedic sketch from the BBC's That Mitchell and Webb Look.

It centers around two officers in the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf coming to grips with the insignia on their hats. — BEN POPKEN

For example, just today:

"The DVR started out by simply not responding to any command to change channels, etc. Suddenly, it switched to channel 3, then 4, then 5, 6, 7, and so on. I managed to pause it for a second, but then it just jumped to channel 233 and stayed there, pulsing on that channel while the DVR box flashed the numbers. This story really isn't terribly interesting on its own, but the channel it stopped on was a religious channel with a priest featured prominently on the screen."

As you can see in the video the DVR stopped at channel 233. And, as everyone knows, 233 is 34.98498498498498% of the beast.

Laura's problems are reportedly stemming from her Motorola DCT3412 DVR, and not from Comcast (like every other problem known to man.) Motorola has not yet issued a much-needed firmware update, and until they do, people like Laura will have to suffer with DVRs that randomly make them watch religious television.

The horror! Read Laura's email inside:

Laura writes:

"Hi- I'm am yet another angry Comcast customer. This is my ugly story (so far). Since upgrading my Comcast service from basic to digital/HD in August, I have experienced nothing but problems with both the television picture and the storage capacity of the DVR. I recently sent a letter of dissatisfaction to Comcast. Most of the text of that letter follows:

—-—-— On August 15, 2006, I was upgraded from Comcast's basic cable service to the digital/HD service. After years of being satisfied with basic service, I opted to upgrade to take full advantage of my HD-ready television as well as get the dual-tuner DVR. I also decided to switch from Qwest's phone service to Comcast's service. However, since that date, I have had nothing but trouble with the DVR, experienced constant picture problems, and have been mired in endless hours of phone calls, service calls, and internet research, with no solution yet in sight. A breakdown of my experiences to date:
Immediately after installation, my television picture started intermittently stuttering/freeze-framing. The technician sent out to address this was not at all helpful, didn't understand the problem, and told me it was likely the hot afternoon weather causing disruptions. He didn't do anything else to attempt to correct the stuttering.
When the stuttering did not disappear, another technician came out. He was a bit more knowledgeable, replaced and tightened some wires, and checked my house's tech box. He thought that would fix the issue, but it resumed the stuttering after he left. On top of that, the DVR now indicated it was full after just a few hours of recording. The technician had told me to call him back that afternoon if the problem continued and he came back out, witnessed the stuttering, and fiddled with some other things. No luck.
I called Comcast back. The CSR explained that I likely received a bad box and that she would send someone out with a new one. When the technician arrived with the new box, I asked him why the box would think it was full. He had no idea, telling me that he knew nothing about the DVR. Several hours later that day, I tried to program this new DVR, but it only gave me "record to VCR" options. I called Comcast back again. The same technician came back out with yet another box. It appeared to record, but the stuttering was still there.
I went online and spent hours over several days poring over various websites and message boards. I discovered that many other people had similar issues and that it was actually a problem native to all Motorola DVRs; until the firmware update is developed and sent by Motorola, this problem might continue.
I called Comcast yet again to inquire about this firmware update. I explained that I was on my third DVR with no acceptable fix. I demanded someone more capable be sent out and wanted a better explanation about the DVR problems. This time, a much more experienced technician came and he replaced more wires, added a "Comcast-friendly" splitter to my tech box, and replaced a bad connector previously unseen by the other three technicians. He also had me reset the DVR, which caused me to lose the programs I was planning to save. I pressed him for more information about the firmware issues and he confirmed that it is a problem Motorola and Comcast were aware of and that Motorola was working on a fix. In the meantime, because of contractual obligations, there was nothing Comcast could do about this issue with Motorola.
That same evening, I returned home from class to find that the newest DVR only recorded one hour of programs before it thought it was full.
Livid, I called Comcast again the next morning and was told the earliest I could get another box would be the next day. Or I could pick one up myself. I told the CSR that, given my issues, this was unacceptable and I ended up having to call the last technician I had dealt with on his cell phone. He immediately returned with a fourth box. He also replaced a line in the cable box in my backyard and told me to call him with any other issues. In fact, he called me back a few days later to follow up with me.
The stuttering continued. On October 11, the DVR indicated it was full again after 4.5 hours of SD recording. I was able to get it to record again, but it is obviously unreliable.

To summarize, I am now on my fourth DVR in two months, with no resolution to either the picture stuttering or DVR space issues. I was initially told that some of the boxes are just bad, but had a hard time believing that I am unlucky enough to get only bad boxes. Then after doing my own research (and realizing that bad boxes aren't necessarily the issue) and confronting Comcast, I was told that the firmware update from Motorola is imminent, but I haven't heard anything further about its arrival other than "sometime in October."

However, I have yet to have it confirmed that this is indeed the problem I am having and am very doubtful this update will fix both issues. In the meantime, my picture still stutters, often to a degree where it is difficult to watch; pausing and restarting usually helps, but it is absolutely ridiculous I should have to do this. And now the television is losing sound intermittently in addition to the stuttering. Finally, the DVR space issues are maddening; I record (and, more importantly, save) many hours of shows and I expect to have a reliable recording device. I have had TiVo service for quite some time now and have never once had any problem with it.

I upgraded to your box, partly because I had to for digital/HD compatibility issues, but also to enjoy the dual-tuner features at a reasonable price. I should not have to be subjected to missing programs and the anxiety that ensues. It is unacceptable that Comcast knows about ongoing issues with their Motorola DVRs and still continues to give them to customers. Perhaps the most troubling aspect is the runaround and bad service I have received from Comcast. Most of the technicians sent out were useless and could not help me or offer any further explanations about my problems. Or they simply did not know their products. The CSRs have largely been less than helpful; they were friendly, but it wasn't until two technicians came out that it was suggested my problem could be attributed to a bad box (although as I mention, it really appears to be a software issue, which was never brought to my attention at all).

The technician I have been dealing with most recently has actually been fantastic; he has followed up with me, was upfront about the firmware issues and the implications, and is willing to take my calls. He has apologized on behalf of the company, understanding that I am a very dissatisfied customer. Frankly, he is embarrassed for the company. I have already done all of the research into competitive satellite services and am close to canceling service with Comcast—it has mostly been the technician's reassurances that a fix was on the way that I haven't already switched to another carrier. However, my patience is more than running thin and I think I have put up with much more than is necessary.

I am highly disappointed in the quality of your products and your technical support and unfortunately know that other customers have experienced similar issues. I appreciate a response to this matter. Unless this situation is remedied to my satisfaction very soon, I will be canceling your service and encouraging others to follow suit. But because of the many hours I have already invested in this matter, I am honestly hoping it doesn't come to that. Nevertheless, I believe that some sort of compensation is reasonable to make up for the troubles I have encountered and the energy I have expended in finding a satisfactory solution.

—-—-— It all gets better... As I was preparing the letter to Comcast two weeks ago, I read a timely column from Joanne Ostrow, the TV critic for "The Denver Post," touting the wonders of the Comcast DVR. She had just switched from TiVo to the Comcast DVR and was very happy. This is her original column: http://www.denverpost.com/ostrow/ci_4537408

Obviously, I felt compelled to email Ms. Ostrow in response to her column. I also attached a copy of my letter to Comcast. Then last Tuesday, there was a followup column in the paper, full of readers' comments to Ms. Ostrow's previous column.
I was quoted several times. Here is that article: http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_4575336 Just today, I experienced a truly bizarre DVR issue that I hadn't seen happen previously. It's a bit difficult to explain, but I managed to capture a portion of it on my digital camera's video. The DVR started out by simply not responding to any command to change channels, etc. It's done that before, and while it's annoying, it's not usually too upsetting and resolves quickly. However, this time, it wouldn't do anything for several minutes. Suddenly, it switched to channel 3, then 4, then 5, 6, 7, and so on. I managed to pause it for a second, but then it just jumped to channel 233 and stayed there, pulsing on that channel while the DVR box flashed the numbers. This story really isn't terribly interesting on its own, but the channel it stopped on was a religious channel with a priest featured prominently on the screen. It was reminiscent of "The Exorcist" or similar. Hilarious. I uploaded this snippet to YouTube. It can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhgGDE5lMNQ

So this is my ongoing saga. I haven't yet received a response from Comcast and will be interested to see if they do respond. Thanks to the article in the "Denver Post," I may be making a name for myself in Comcast dissatisfaction circles here in Denver. In addition, I have also been blogging my experiences in my personal LiveJournal. Many of my friends considering Comcast's DVR or service have opted wisely to go with TiVo or other cable or satellite carriers after reading about my continuing troubles. I am hoping I now have Comcast by the balls. We'll see.

Thanks,
Laura"

The YouTube user experience continues to downgrade with the removal of a 19yr old's solo dancehall videos.

Though no naughty bits showed, the Jenny Kendrick's cocking buttocks and swaying legs proved too much for YouTube users. They flagged the videos as inappropriate so many times, Jenny's account and videos were removed.

Perhaps YouTube needs an electoral college system?

Indeed, the power of the maddening crowds can create many things, but they can also trample destroy the most precious flowers.

If young women want to degrade themselves for countless millions, let them.

Jenny Kendrick: Too Hot For YouTube? [Fleshbot]

Guess which one represents which party...