Blogs

The confrontation between the Associated Press and Drudge Retort blogger Rogers Cadenhead has ended with more of a whimper than a bang. Both sides say they've settled their differences over the handful of Drudge Retort posts that were the subject of the Associated Press' legal takedown notice last week -- but have left unresolved the broader issue of when and on what basis the news service will take legal action against bloggers who excerpt its...

A rumor found its way onto the Internet recently. It involved a high-profile athlete. It was scandalous. And entirely unconfirmed. As skeptics might say, it was perfect for the Wild West territory of sports blogs. But an interesting thing happened to that bit of gossip about Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Blogs such as Deadspin and the Big Lead treated it with relative caution, while others ignored it altogether.

Luke Walton used to read sports blogs as a rookie in the NBA, curious to see what people were saying about him and his team. Not anymore. "Guys tell me if there's stuff going on," the Lakers forward said. "But there's no reason to worry about it." Big-time athletes have various reactions to playing in an era when their every move can be dissected on the Internet. Some like the blogs. Some blog themselves. Some couldn't care less.

Over THE past few weeks, whenever I've told someone that I'm starting a new Big Picture blog here at The Times, they invariably have the same reaction: That's nice, but are you going to keep the column? I know it's meant as a compliment, but it's also a bracing reminder that people prefer familiarity to, well, unfamiliarity. It's why Hollywood keeps churning out sequels. It's why "Law & Order" has been on TV forever.

Last year it was about the candidates. This year it's the climate. Former Vice President Al Gore made a surprise appearance Saturday at the Netroots Nation conference, a gathering of nearly 2,000 left-leaning bloggers and political organizers. He urged the activists to mobilize for global climate protection, amplifying his call to generate all the nation's electricity from renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal energy in 10 years.

A RUMPLED Jason Alexander looks out from the video window, his signature sheepish grin beaming across the Internet. The former "Seinfeld" star is about to pitch a new series of shows, but these titles sound nothing like sitcom material. The online video is the trailer for the upcoming season at Reprise Theatre Company, where Alexander is artistic director.

For physicians of a certain age, the weekly teaching session known as grand rounds is a ritual steeped in formality and tradition. Presided over by the profession's graybeards, grand rounds are attended with white coats on and clinical details in hand. Here, young physicians learn to accept their elders' old-school admonishments with reverence and humility. Grand rounds on the Internet, however, is another thing altogether.

Highlights from The Times' "Ticket to Beijing" blog (at latimes.com/olympics): According to Wang Wei, the Beijing organizing committee's general secretary, 8-8-08 was not the first choice for the opening day of the Olympics. The organizers asked for a September start because the weather is more pleasant. They were denied by the International Olympic Committee because of conflicts with the international sports schedule. Translation: NBC told the IOC that it didn't want the Olympics to interfere with its NFL schedule.

Mortgage insurer PMI Group's latest report on the risk of falling home prices concludes there are "two distinctly different paths" right now: Most of the nation's housing markets are showing signs of improvement, but bubble-inflated markets in California and Florida are showing signs of further deterioration amid rising foreclosures. In 35 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Highlights from The Times' Ticket to Beijing blog (at latimes.com/olympics): It's 4 p.m. and I just got to the arena for Sunday night's big game between the U.S. and China. I'm a little early, seeing as how the game starts at 10:15 p.m. Of course, I have one colleague who got here at 9 a.m. for the first of the day's eight games. We are all a little concerned about getting seats. With all the talk about this being the most-watched game ever, with an audience in the hundreds of millions, we're a little concerned that a million or so Chinese journalists will turn up. I get here just in time to see the end of Game No. 3 between -- between -- it was about four hours ago, but I'm sure I can remember -- oh yes, Spain was one and the other was -- was -- Greece!