• There are some fightin’ words being spoken over the upkeep of the Alamo.
• AT&T spent over 13,000 smackeroos to give away 700 copies of Governor Rick Perry’s book.
• Legendary Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Don Meredith is dead. Here, his best lines are remembered.

• This is like a bad movie of the week: vice officer, prostitution case, charges filed against the officer.
• Is there an app for that? AT&T promises they're ready for SXSW 2010, won’t have repeat of the iPhone traffic jam of SXSW 2009.
• The New York Times covers the big-money deal for energy-company TXU.

The video, above, is a pretty nifty behind-the-scenes look at the AT&T Distribution Center in Ft. Worth, where your future phone was probably packaged for shipment. Ahh, consumerism. more ›

Gizmodo reports that AT&T's data service is currently kaput in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. We haven't been able to access any data-related services since 10 a.m. or so, and we're guessing most other folks are experiencing much the same. So far no one's lodged any serious complaints, but it's a safe bet that if this lingers for more than a day or two, society as we know it will come to a screeching halt. Update: coincidentally, a new survey reveals that over 60% of Americans simply cannot be without their cell phone service. [Giz] [Austin Business Journal] more ›

• More happy economy news! Layoffs for the holidays, yay!
• Any drunk frat boys on Sixth Street missing their parent's credit cards?
• KBR accused of using mortuary trucks that "still had traces of body fluids and putrefied remains in them" to ship ice to the troops.

Sunday, October 19, Speaker Tom Craddick and his District 82 opponent, Bill Dingus, squared off in a televised debate in Midland. Candidates discussed issues from the merits of CHIP, TxDOT, property taxes, and lobbyists. The surprise at the debate, however, was that Leslie Ward, a vice president and lobbyist for AT&T, was allowed to sit at the table with local journalists and have a turn at asking questions. AT&T was the debate's official sponsor, and its Political Action Committee (PAC) recently donated an even 50 G to Craddick's own PAC three days before the debate. more ›

From Gypsy punk to singer/songwriter to world musician to Talking Head, the AT&T Stage on Friday, September 26th at this year’s Austin City Limits will host a wide range of talent. The music begins later in the morning, but the final act, Manu Chao, closes out the evening as the night’s final band at 8:30 p.m. As a stage reserved for some of the bigger acts, you’ve most likely heard these guys, or at least heard of them. If neither, well then maybe you should bring a blanket and a smile and plant yourself up front for the duration for some aural edification. more ›

After four of their utility cabinets caught fire or exploded—two incidents in suburban Houston, and the most recent explosion on Christmas Day in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin—AT&T has finally moved to replace the defective batteries, made by now-bankrupt Avestor. more ›