Strip2Clothe becomes Blank2Clothe

While the Warren, N.J., company said it limited submissions to strippers 18 and older and was screening the clips to police their content before posting them, the campaign quickly drew criticism from people worried that it would attract teenagers eager to shed their clothes. Further, some nonprofits that work with homeless teens said they weren’t comfortable with the stunt … In response to the outcry, Virgin Mobile is giving the campaign a facelift, renaming it “Blank2Clothe.” Instead of taking their clothes off, viewers will instead be asked to do anything they want — juggling, singing or standing on their heads, for example — to trigger views and therefore, more clothing donations.

Before:

After:

Read more: Virgin Mobile Pulls Back Racy Campaign

Wall Street Journal

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More on Verizon/Alltel, Virgin/Helio, Philly Wi-Fi

Other stuff I recently wrote or chipped in on:

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Alternative energy: the movie

It’s not often I get to reference “Donnie Darko,” pig poop and Michael J. Fox in a single story:

Clearly, “Mr. Fusion” was ahead of its time.

Wall Street Journal

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Getting the dog and the Roomba/Roboquad/Pleo to co-exist

“I wanted not a single tooth mark on the dog,” says Ms. Turbeville, 54. Her solution: a paste of cayenne pepper and Cholula Hot Sauce, which she painted on its tail. The cats still sniff the Aibo’s backside. “They just can’t help it. But they never, ever bite him anymore.”

Many owners have found robotic pets attacked by their “bio-pets” when they aren’t home, she says. People on some online forums suggest getting rid of the flesh-and-blood pets with territorial issues. “Obviously, they’re feeling threatened,” Ms. Turbeville says. “They retaliate. They retaliate hard.”

On Page One: When Dogs and Robots Collide, Somebody Needs a Talking To (Thanks, Gizmodo, BoingBoing, Jezebel and Wonkette!)

(This story also ran in the Arizona Republic, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Charleston [W.V.] Gazette, Houston Chronicle, Seattle Times, St. Paul [Minn.] Pioneer Press and the Virginian-Pilot/Ledger-Star.)

Wall Street Journal

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del.icio.us (Jun 2)

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del.icio.us (May 23)

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del.icio.us (May 19)

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New beat

I started on the telecom beat last month and have been pitching in on phone-company earnings (AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Alltel) and writing about the struggles of city wi-fi projects (EarthLink, MetroFi), other things wireless and along the way, the sharpening decline of newspaper circulation.

Wall Street Journal

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del.icio.us (May 4)

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del.icio.us (Apr 20)

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del.icio.us (Apr 17)

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