There are so many reasons to love Woot, including their recent awesome letter and video about their acquisition. But, even better may be that in today's Woot offering , they mock the Associated Press for its coverage of the Woot acquisition , because the AP just happens to have also copied text from the awesome Woot letter. Now, that's all well and good for most publications, but this is the AP that we're talking about. The same AP that threatens bloggers for copying headlines and snippets. The same AP that insists it needs "hot news" to protect others from "free riding" on its work. And, most importantly, the same AP that has a famously ridiculous pricelist for quoting five words or more from an AP article.It appears the folks over at Woot noticed this price list, and noticed that the AP report on its acquisition copied more than five words. And thus, the smart folks at Woot calculated that the AP owes Woot $17.50 for quoting Woot without permission (though, they'll take buying today's deal as payment instead). Of course, I would have probably added a "hot news" freerider surcharge as well. After all, people reading the AP story now no longer had any reason to go to Woot directly to find out the news. Hell, at least folks like usdirectly to Woot's letter. But that's far too neighborly a thing for the AP to do. Instead, it just quotes with no link at all.: An apparently upset AP media relations person has contacted us to ask us if it's a "slow news day" (answer: no, not at all -- why do you ask?). Also, according to the AP, the article also shows that the AP spoke to Woot's CEO on the phone, and that, apparently, makes what the AP did okay. If only I had known that the AP's fair use quoting rates had an exception for "we spoke to you on the phone." Unfortunately, I don't see those exceptions anywhere. Perhaps I'm missing them. The AP would also like to remind us that it's reporting on the oil spill in the gulf. No, I don't understand this non sequitur either, but that's how the email concludes. In the meantime, I'm still wondering if the AP paid Woot for the news of reporting on them. If not, isn't the AP "freeloading" on the newsmaker? Or do the rules the AP sets out for everyone else not apply to the AP? ||||| Amazon.com Inc. has purchased deal-a-day website Woot.com. 
 
 In a joke-laden message on the company blog, Woot CEO Matt Rutledge said the deal won't change how the site is run _ "with a wall of ideas and a dartboard." 
 
 "For Woot, our vision remains the same: somehow earning a living on snarky commentary and junk," Rutledge wrote. 
 
 Financial terms were not disclosed. Amazon spokesman Craig Berman said the Seattle-based online retailer expects to finalize the deal by the end of September. 
 
 Amazon already offers daily deals on the "Gold Box" section of its site. The purchase of Woot _ with its jocular product descriptions and focus on selling one item every 24 hours _ may indicate that the company is increasingly interested in using quirkier methods to reach customers over the Web. 
 
 Woot, which is based in Carrollton, Texas, started out in the summer of 2004 as a site that sold one heavily discounted item every day _ usually consumer electronics such as printers. 
 
 Over the years, Woot has added several different discount sites, including one that sells wine and another that offers T-shirts. 
 
 In a phone interview, Rutledge said Amazon had already been a minority investor in his company since 2006, two years after Woot went online. When Amazon invested in the company, there was no indication that the company might eventually buy out Woot, Rutledge said, though he thought it could happen. 
 
 "I'm really excited," he said. ||||| What Kind Of Crate Would A Hippo Go In? 
 
 Hey, The Associated Press! Great to see you! And thanks so much for noticing our little blog post the other day. But, well… we wanted to talk for a second. 
 
 The AP, we can’t thank you enough for looking our way. You see, when we showed off our good news on Wednesday afternoon, we expected we’d get a little bit of attention. But when we found your little newsy thing you do, we couldn’t help but notice something important. And that something is this: you printed our web content in your article! The web content that came from our blog! Why, isn’t that the very thing you’ve previously told nu-media bloggers they’re not supposed to do? 
 
 So, The AP, here we are. Just to be fair about this, we’ve used your very own pricing scheme to calculate how much you owe us. By looking through the link above, and comparing your post with our original letter, we’ve figured you owe us roughly $17.50 for the content you borrowed from our blog post, which, by the way, we worked very very hard to create. But, hey. We’re all friends here. And invoicing is such a hassle in today’s paperless society, are we right? How about this: instead of cutting us a check for the web content you liberated from our site, all you’ll need to do is show us your email receipt from today’s two pack of Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones, and we’ll call it even. 
 
 You see, The AP, we think you’ll find the first pair of Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones lightweight and easy to carry, and we think you’ll like how they help you shut out the irritating sounds around you (such as, maybe, people yelling about the actual meaning of “fair use”). We also think you’ll like how that second pair of Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones will allow you to have one set for home and one set for the office, especially since you’ll probably get sick of going through all the voice mails from your pals UPI and Reuters saying “HEY DID YOU SEE YOU GOT MENTIONED ON WOOT TODAY LOL GREAT BUSINESS PLAN NEWZ DUDZ!” The AP, when you just want to listen to music and drift away to some controversy-free happy place, we promise you, you’ll find the Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones will hit that sweet spot just right. 
 
 Anyway, The AP, please send that proof of receipt to service@woot.com before the end of the day. We’re major digital players now. Don’t force us to pass this matter to a collection agency. 
 
 Warranty: 
 
 2 year Sennheiser 
 
 Features: 
 
 Lightweight earbuds for use with iPods, portable MP3 players, and more 
 
 players, and more Wide dynamic range 
 
 Full-bodied stereo sound with powerful response 
 
 Dual-sided highly conductive OFC copper cable 
 
 copper cable Total harmonic distortion of less than 1 percent 
 
 Technical Data 
 
 Transducers (drivers) are 14mm 
 
 Frequency response: 18 – 20,000 Hz (–10dB/1 kHz) 
 
 Transducer principle: dynamic, open 
 
 Nominal impedance: 32 Ω 
 
 Max. SPL : 125 dB at 1 kHz, 1 Vrms 
 
 : 125 dB at 1 kHz, 1 Vrms THD : < 1 % 
 
 : < 1 % Ear coupling: intra-aural 
 
 Weight (without cable): approx. 6 g 
 
 Connector: 3.5 mm jack plug 
 
 Connection cable: approx. 1 m, OFC copper cable 
 
 In the box: 
 
 2 pairs of Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones with Ear Cushions ||||| Woot! customers who are Amazon Prime members can enjoy special shipping benefits on Woot!, including: 
 
 Amazon Prime membership required. See individual offer pages for shipping details and restrictions. Not valid for international shipping addresses. 
 
 Get started by logging in with Amazon or try a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime* 
 
 *Re-login required on Woot! for benefits to take effect
– "Deal-a-day" auction site Woot.com is razzing the Associated Press for its coverage of Amazon's recent purchase of the site. In its story, the AP quoted from a Woot blog post. "Why, isn’t that the very thing you've previously told nu-media bloggers they're not supposed to do?" asks Woot in a new posting. It uses the AP's own pricing system for such things and concludes, "We’ve figured you owe us roughly $17.50." "How about this," the site suggests. "Instead of cutting us a check for the web content you liberated from our site, all you’ll need to do is show us your email receipt from today’s two pack of Sennheiser MX400 In-Ear Headphones, and we’ll call it even." Tech bloggers are piling on AP, including MG Siegler at TechCrunch and Mike Masnick at Techdirt.