October 2008
62 posts
“What we need is equality of opportunity, not equality of results.”
– Theodore Forstmann (quoted on Charlie Rose)
superb usability: google maps (print)
Per usual, I went to google maps to print directions and when I clicked print I noticed a couple of enhancements. See below for a screen capture.
A few things to point out:
They’ve added larger icons on the left for the Interstate and direction. This is critical for scanning while driving.
They’ve added to ability to add an actual picture (which they have) of the final location...
most important desktop application: web browser
With a web browser I can do almost everything (if not everything) I currently do using licensed desktop applications.
I can create presentations, documents, and spreadsheets. Additionally, I can even store (and share) my files online. I can edit photos, video and music. I can email and otherwise communicate online. I can even analyze data.
Not to mention the additional things a web browser...
more on facebook vs. twitter: celebrity...
From Chris Brogan’s interview of Brea Grant (Heroes star) on her use of twitter and facebook and how she uses them differently:
“People who write me on Facebook, it’s very impersonal. People say things like, “I’m on Facebook, too! We’re friends! I love you.” It’s very very different.
People who follow me on Twitter seem to be people really big fans, and they read my blog, and it’s...
Advertising: the cottage (cheese) industry →
In these troubled times, here’s a reassuring thought. Advertising may languish at times like these, but it will never die. Because, like so many other disciplines, the effectiveness of which is wide…
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
– ~Albert Einstein
can twitter and facebook coexist?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the future of twitter, especially given facebook’s rapid growth. How will the two coexist? Are people’s communication needs / desires so great that they will adopt both or (like Myspace) is it a zero-sum game (meaning you adopt one and ditch the other)? If that’s the case then facebook will crush twitter as they have 50 times the users. ...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-10-26) →
Balla Et Ses Balladins
Norah Jones
Gillian Welch
NPR
Fabrice Tonnellier
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
WatchInstrumental jam for Saturday. First Breath After Coma by Explosions in The Sky.
When the drummer was asked why they don’t have a lead singer, this was his response, “I don’t think any of us want the sort of ‘leader role’, so a leaderless band is kind of the best best option for us.”
“With either candidate, Wall Street and Main Street are screwed. Obama is a...”
– Via Fast Company (inspired by Jim Cramer)
WatchMore on Tom Middleton from Wikipedia:
Tom Middleton (born 18 August 1971) is a British recording artist, music producer, remixer and DJ.
A classically trained pianist and cellist, Middleton worked in the early 1990s with Richard D. James (with whom he shares a birthday), co-producing “En-Trance To Exit” on the Analogue Bubblebath EP for Exeter’s influential Mighty Force...
Why I Blog - by Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic →
Click on the link above for a great essay by Andrew Sullivan on why we all blog and its relation to traditional writing and traditional knowledge formation.
Things I took away:
Whereas traditional journalism seeks to create a definitive point of view on a subject, a blog, in and of itself, is the definitive point of view, although ever changing and much more open to adaptation and conversation.
...
“Q: New cell phones? A: Jobs: From what I’ve heard, Babe Ruth only had one home...”
– Apple Q4 2008 earnings call. Steve Jobs answering a question on whether they will be introducing new cell phone models.
What is tumblr?
I often get asked, “what is tumblr?” and my reply is usually nonsensical and rambling, apparently because there is no concise answer to that question.
The long version of my answer usually includes at least a few of the words and phrases below (many of which are contradictions), but I’m sure I’m missing a few so please add to this list and lets get even more confused about...
“Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And...”
– Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004
I could not disagree more with this post.
(via kevintwohy)
Kevin’s right. This story is hogwash.
The fallacy of productivity tips
There are many blogs (examples here, and here) that offer advice on how to be more productive in life and work. Much of the advice they offer is good and can help, but here’s the problem: productivity still requires effort.
My hunch is that most people seeking advice in the area of productivity feel that they are unproductive, in which case the best remedy (but most painful) is to tell...
what I want from a "brand"
I’ve heard many things posited about brands: that they are facilitators, that they are the objects of our love, that they create “believers”, that they put a man on the moon, etc.
For me it’s simple. I want a “brand” that is:
Rational: tells me the relevant facts without all the fluff
Authentic: cares more about its product than its image
Brutally Honest:...
“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once...”
– Bertrand Russell
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-10-19) →
Monks Of The Abbey Of Notre Dame
Fabrice Tonnellier
Gillian Welch
NPR
Crooked Still
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
San Francisco Documentary Festival →
The festival starts tonight and features at least one film I’ve heard of and want to see: Anvil! The Story of Anvil. The film follows the group Anvil which consists of 50 yr old+ rockers trying to cope with “living the dream” and still raising their families. The website has a lot of detail and clips from the film.
Life Simplification: Text Message Forwarding
I wish there was a way to automatically forward all of my text messages from one cellphone to another, in the same way as I can automatically forward my phone calls from one phone to another or my emails from one account to another.
Led Zeppelin, Fool In The Rain. Apparently this...
“The study results are encouraging that emerging computerized technologies may...”
– NYT.com
“and department stores, where bargain-seekers would usually flock in hard...”
– NYT.com
A penny for your parallel thoughts →
There is a kind of silly movie that came out in September called Eagle Eye. This movie relies heavily on the following device: the protagonist spends much of the movie being directed, via one…
“Are people going to spend when they can’t get home equity lines of credit, a...”
– analyst at Banc of America Securities quoted in NYT article on Ebay vs. Amazon. (editor note: no, and they shouldn’t. this is the thinking that gets us in trouble.)
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-10-12) →
De La Soul
Broken Social Scene
NPR
Simon & Garfunkel
The New Pornographers
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Book Report: Bit Literacy
I have to admit, I was excited to read this book, but once I got to chapter 7 on managing photos the excitement dwindled (you can imagine how unexcited I was when I got to chapter 11 entitled “Storing Files”.) And that’s the point for me: almost without fail, I was already practicing all of Mark’s tactics for managing Bits, perhaps I’m already Bit Literate. On a...
Asking fake questions of a fictitious audience...
For all of us small-blogs out there with a mildly engaged audience, what do we do to increase participation in our blogs? Conventional wisdom seems to suggest that we end each post with a lame question or call to action soliciting a response from a barely there, mildly engaged audience. A fictitious audience.
But this just seems to illuminate the fact that we have no audience and very little...
Just went in for my first physical (and Dr.’s appointment) in over 10 years. Good news for me: I’m healthy.
Why I no longer use Netvibes
I used to love Netvibes, but recently I have been more and more frustrated by its performance and about 2 weeks ago I quit using it. I don’t miss it at all.
Here’s why:
—It was basically filled with RSS feeds, which didn’t allow me to quickly read articles (like Google Reader), but instead I had to open a new tab to read.
—I tried using the widgets (to check my...
Not sure how police will regulate new txting laws cropping up. What if I’m checking directions from google maps on my phone?
Scientists May Soon Outnumber Penguins at Earth's... →
Great headline from Wired.
“So investors and entrepreneurs may be entering a chilly period when making money...”
– BBC News I couldn’t agree more. Dumb ideas will find it harder to receive capital, but good ideas will still prevail. Isn’t that how it should always work?
Interview of Austrian Economist Robert Higgs on...
In san fran for company meeting
“Over the last six months, large businesses have lost more than 170,000 jobs...”
– Fast Company
Alternatives
It seems to me that we are at an inflection point where a few alternatives get mainstream attention:
alternative energy (i.e. electric car, solar power)
alternative music (i.e. indie)
alternative communication (i.e. facebook, text messages, etc.)
alternative entertainment (iTunes, Hulu, Netflix)
alternative screens (iPod, computer screen, cell phone)
Why? Well, each of these alternatives...