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« Tuesday « December 22, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {12222009}
  2. {01:18:30 AM}
  content
  1. Tracing the Journey of a Single Bit
    
    (Wired)
  2. The Internet surrounds us like air, saturating our offices and our homes. But it's not confined to the ether. You can touch it. You can map it. And you can photograph it. Here are five postcards from the journey of a single bit, as data flashes from sea to wired sea.
    
    b/w: growabrain
  metadata
  2. 01:18:30 AM
  3. The Internet surrounds us like air, saturating our offices and our homes. But it's not confined to the ether. You can touch it. You can map it. And you can photograph it. Here are five postcards from the journey of a single bit, as data flashes from sea t..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. internet
  type
« Monday « September 7, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {09072009}
  2. {11:57:42 AM}
  content
  1. The New Literacy
    
    (Wired)
  2. "I think we're in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since Greek civilization," she says. For Lunsford, technology isn't killing our ability to write. It's reviving it'and pushing our literacy in bold new directions."
    
    Time will tell.
  metadata
  2. 11:57:42 AM
  3. "I think we're in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since Greek civilization," she says. For Lunsford, technology isn't killing our ability to write. It's reviving it'and pushing our literacy in bold new directions."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. literacy
  3. technology
  type
2. datetime
  1. {09072009}
  2. {09:41:16 AM}
  content
  1. Access vs. Ownernship
  2. Or rent vs. buy. It's the big debate I've been having with myself lately. And I think the access side of the argument is winning. Will return to this later.
  metadata
  2. 09:41:16 AM
  3. Or rent vs. buy. It's the big debate I've been having with myself lately. And I think the access side of the argument is winning. Will return to this later...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. finance and investment
  3. economy
  type
« Sunday « September 6, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {09062009}
  2. {11:05:22 AM}
  content
  1. Thoughts on Van Jones' resignation
    
    (Grist)
  2. The White House will find someone else to tend green job-training programs; Jones will go back to his much more effective role as an activist. He will do much good in the world in his life, far, far more than a pissant charlatan like Glenn Beck. But I'm not as sanguine about the direction the country is headed.
    
    Sadly, I'm in agreement.
  metadata
  2. 11:05:22 AM
  3. The White House will find someone else to tend green job-training programs; Jones will go back to his much more effective role as an activist. He will do much good in the world in his life, far, far more than a pissant charlatan like Glenn Beck. But I'm n..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. politics
  3. racism
  4. tags:
  5. obama
  6. country
  type
« Sunday « July 26, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {07262009}
  2. {10:01:04 AM}
  content
  1. Bill Maher: New Rule: Not Everything in America Has to Make a Profit
    
    (Huffington Post)
  2. "The United States always defined capitalism, but it didn't used to define us. But now it's becoming all that we are."
    
    You make some good points here, Mr. Maher, as usual. But since you've proposed this new rule: why not start doing your HBO and stand-up shows for free? After all, not everything has to make a profit, you say. Why make us pay for our laughs?
  metadata
  2. 10:01:04 AM
  3. "The United States always defined capitalism, but it didn't used to define us. But now it's becoming all that we are."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. politics
  3. entertainment
  4. tags:
  5. bill+maher
  6. commentary
  7. humor
  8. comedy
  9. society
  10. economy
  type
« Sunday « July 19, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {07192009}
  2. {04:45:59 PM}
  content
  1. The Internet Is Dead (As An Investment)
    
    (Wall Street Journal/WSJ.com)
  2. "I can live all day inside the Internet. I can talk to my friends, listen to music, watch TV, trade stocks, play games, do work - all on the Internet. From 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day I can spend on the Internet and it would be a day well spent. But run for the hills when it comes to advising clients to invest in the Internet."
    
    I'm not an investment fund manager, or a VC, so I can't say whether this guy's financial conclusions are right one way or another. I disagree with his sentiments, because I believe that at about 15-years-old, it's way too early to call the Internet "dead" from any angle you'd like to examine it. What I do know is that in the 15 years I've been working in Internet technology and in business practices centered around the Internet is that it's already changed the fundamental nature of almost everything it touches, and that process is only accelerating. If anything, the Internet is killing lots of old ways of doing business, and for the people, companies, and investors who keep their eye on these rapid and massive changes, there will be a big reward...eventually. Of course, all of the volatility that the Internet brings is exactly what destroys predictability, and for investment fund managers, and VCs, I suppose it's better to be alive in traditional businesses where you know what to expect, than to roll the dice on things that are far too disruptive and moving way too fast. Perhaps in these bad economic times, a sure thing is the prudent thing to seek out, but the Internet is far from dead, it's barely out of its infancy.
    
    Related
    Here's what a VC who spends heavily in the Internet thinks: The Internet Is Alive And Well (As An Investment) (A VC blog)
  metadata
  2. 04:45:59 PM
  3. "I can live all day inside the Internet. I can talk to my friends, listen to music, watch TV, trade stocks, play games, do work - all on the Internet. From 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day I can spend on the Internet and it would be a day well spent. But ru..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. business
  4. tags:
  5. internet
  6. economy
  7. venture+capital
  8. investment
  type
« Friday « June 26, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {06262009}
  2. {08:17:25 AM}
  content
  1. Digital: Get-Rich-Quick Ads Steal Google's Brand Equity
    
    (Advertising Age)
  2. In a world of double-digit unemployment and old-line industries in mid-collapse, here's a sales pitch tailor-made for the times: Get Paid by Google.
    
    When you create systems that are almost totally automated, lots of well-meaning customers are going to do very well by using your system the right way, and so will scammers, spammers, and con men. But the online and search advertising industries are fundamentally flawed to begin with: generally they're based on traffic, which can be artificially generated in dozens of illegitimate ways. These industries invite all sorts of criminally-minded cretins who are extremely good at inventing ways to game the systems. Why? Because that's where the money is. At the same time, I have to note that this article appears in AdAge, one of the last bastions of the old advertising world, you know the one that's dying a slow death by millions of digital paper cuts, because they can't do things like provide their clients with the campaign analytics that a firm like Google can. Everyone wants to measure the effectiveness of their ads, but few can provide the numbers like Google and other online ad firms. It's not surprising that you'll find an anti-Google piece, here. Google is one of the biggest advertising operations on the planet today, but they don't even need to talk to AdAge, and they probably don't give two squirts about what AdAge thinks. Ha!
  metadata
  2. 08:17:25 AM
  3. In a world of double-digit unemployment and old-line industries in mid-collapse, here's a sales pitch tailor-made for the times: Get Paid by Google...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. business
  4. tags:
  5. google
  6. text+ads
  7. scams
  8. get+rich+quick
  type
« Saturday « June 20, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {06202009}
  2. {10:55:54 AM}
  content
  1. Squatters Own 80% of Twitter
    
    (ShoeMoney blog)
  2. Quote: "[P]eople are blaming SEOs for this spamming twitter. I think they have the wrong angle one this. These accounts are not spamming. [T]hese accounts are just sitting idle. And have been idle for a long time."
    
    I'd agree. No one knows what to do with Twitter, but people want make sure they don't miss the big money boat, if it comes along, so those kinds of folks are essentially trying to lock up names.
  metadata
  2. 10:55:54 AM
  3. Quote: "[P]eople are blaming SEOs for this spamming twitter. I think they have the wrong angle one this. These accounts are not spamming. [T]hese accounts are just sitting idle. And have been idle for a long time."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. internet
  4. tags:
  5. social+media
  6. twitter
  7. seo
  type
« Monday « June 8, 2009
1. datetime
  1. {06082009}
  2. {05:52:32 PM}
  content
  1. UP: Review (4.9/5)
  2. [ c|b ].rating: 4.9/5 stars (98%)
  3. I don't use this word often, but UP was a delightful little film.
    
    If one were to create a film that was the paragon of effective and highly-engaging storytelling, this Pixar gem would be the movie. As far as I'm concerned, in terms of narrative quality, this is about as close to perfect as you can get. A movie is a story told with pictures and sound, and with this instant classic, you get nothing but an entertaining, feel-good treat. When you factor in the sumptuous 3-D visual effects, UP is just, well, delightful. (There I go again.)
    
    And in its near perfection, UP shows that a well-told story can be many things at the same time. It is:
    
    A love story
    
    An adventure tale
    
    A story about a dog
    
    A road trip movie
    
    A story about a boy looking for his father figure
    
    A buddy picture
    
    A comedy
    
    A drama
    
    A story about heroes
    
    A story about villains
    
    A coming of age story
    
    A getting-old story
    
    ...and a few more things too. These days, it's becoming increasingly rare to leave the cineplex feeling like you got your money's worth. UP may be the remedy to all of the bad movies you've suffered through so far in 2009.
  metadata