Outside the Beltway

While his best-known solo effort was “anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, [and] anti-capitalistic,” John Lennon became a Reagan Republican a few years later, his assistant claims.

When Tom Petty found out Michele Bachmann was using his “American Girl” to introduce campaign events, he issued a letter saying, in essence, “Don’t do me like that.”

What if in 1861 a cable news network existed to broadcast the events of the day?

As of June 17, Sarah Palin is a registered US trademark, serial number 85-170,226.

Amusingly, the most recent episode of South Park, “You’re Getting Old,” perfectly encapsulates my view of recent episodes of South Park.

A new study finds that college tuition costs could be cut in half if lazy professors got off their butts.

Jack Kevorkian, the man who’s illegal assisted suicide rampage earned him the nickname “Dr. Death,” has died.

Go The Fuck to Sleep, the children’s book aimed at parents, has become an Internet sensation and reached #1 on Amazon well before its release owing to a leaked copy.

“Internet addiction” is a made-up malady.

The iconic WKRP in Cincinnati is not being syndicated or available on DVD in its original format because it’s classic rock soundtrack is hamstrung by copyright laws and music licensing fees.

Radley Balko and his blogs are moving to Huffington Post.

This letter from legendary music journalist Lester Bangs is making the rounds

In less than two weeks, much of the content of The New York Times will go behind a paywall.

James Franco is a film director, screenwriter, painter, author, performance artist and actor. And working on a PhD at Yale.

Muammar Gadaffi’s family hired big name entertainers for parties. What with the ongoing mayhem in Libya, that’s coming under scrutiny.

The in-dash CD player is being rapidly phased out.

Al Jazeera English is kicking the butts of the American news networks on the Egypt story. Why?

The blogging of Mark Levin’s magnum opus continues.

People find the most interesting ways to justify something that is obviously wrong.

After five days of nonsense, President Obama’s address in Tucson last night struck exactly the right tone.

The political firestorm that has erupted in the wake of the shootings in Arizona is drifting, inevitably, into calls for more government control over the content of speech.

The cost/benefit ratio of tablet computers seems to be a bit…. lacking.

President Obama was correct to commend the Eagles for giving Michael Vick a chance to redeem himself.

Despite recurring predictions that the Internet and mass communications would allow people to work from anywhere, talent continues to cluster in big cities.

Roughly 150 years ago, the CSA was born. Is this something worthy of celebration?

The American copyright system is broken. Cory Doctorow offers some useful suggestions for fixing it.

In an effort to combat illegal file sharing, the US Department of Homeland Security is seizing domain names.

The People In Charge telling us that something is Necessary For Our Own Good makes a large number of people accepting of the inconvenience, no matter how asinine or unsupported by evidence.

Economist Bryan Caplan argues that our educational system does not prepare our children for the modern economy.

The Atlantic’s Dave Thier laments that, “The Beatles on iTunes Means Your Kids May Never Hear ‘Her Majesty’

An imaginary letter from Mick Jagger to “the journalist Bill Wyman” in reference to Keith Richards’ new autobiography has been making the rounds. Oddly, everyone seems to think Jagger actually wrote the piece.

In my former home state of Alabama, Republicans won every major contest, save the one House seat specifically drawn to ensure a Democratic victory.

Harvard’s Jack Hamilton extols “Robert Plant’s Second Act” for the Atlantic. In so doing, he gives us an interesting look at the more important First Act.

Once the province of science fiction, a car that can drive itself is now a reality, thanks to Google and DARPA. The implications are mind boggling.

The man best known for staging the “Acorn Pimp” videos is back in the news with an even more bizarre story.

Business is booming for box sets of 1960s acts remastered into the original mono.