Reading Oliver Sacks’ New York Review of Books article Speak, Memory got me thinking about how the Internet augments how humans relate to their memories, the world, and each other.
All in Media
How I Speed Up Writing & Editing
Kelly Griffin’s “11 Tips For Editing Your Own Writing” is a great list. As she says, “… editing your own writing is downright painful.”
A Progress Report on Reading Electronic Books, Especially Kindle
I remember being a bit surprised at how easy it had been to “weed” the collection of harcover and paperback book we had built up over the years. Now I’m reading a book — a “real book” printed on paper — in amongst the books and various documents I’m also reading via my Kindle devices and software. Reading this physical book is a pleasure so I thought I would put some of my thoughts about the experience in writing.
What I find inspiring about this short video by Apple is the message it conveys about one’ company’s focus on user experience.
Whom Do You Trust to Augment YOUR Reality?
There’s no doubt in my mind the cloud-based services can help us deal with the major events, but I think we will have to wait a lot longer for the butterfly wings.
Has Google Lost Control of Glass?
What drives me crazy about the debates around Google Glass is the groups of people who keep on saying, “Society will adjust. People will get used to it. It’s no different than what we have now with omnipresent security cameras and smartphones in every pocket.”
Utilities and Cable Companies: What's a Monopoly To Do?
For me to bottom line is simple: government regulation, initially implemented to protect public interest, is now viewed by many as protecting special interests instead. This needs to change.
Am I being overly sensitive since I gave up using Facebook myself and don’t recommend it to others? Or should the fact that so many people use Facebook be the real deciding factor?
Oh, I know you are supposed to be able to fine-tune all the all this via Facebook settings. But I have more important things to do than to constantly rejigger confusing Facebook notification and privacy settings.
Comcast Must Die
I feel sorry for Comcast customer support staff. I really do.
Problem is, when it comes to Glass, Jarvis might be throwing the bathwater out with the baby.
Who wants to give over free access to every scrap of online behavior to a single company that “can’t be relied upon” to maintain the key value-generators of their infrastructure, especially since so much of their product offerings are subsidized through advertising sales?
Who Knows What Google Should Do With Glass?
What if Glass is an expensive and embarrassing failure involved in some awful disastrous accident? Will Google’s Board demand a shake up in its upper management — or its business model that covers giving away services? I hope nothing like this happens because we all benefit from Google’s success.
Quitting Facebook Is Not Just About Privacy
While on Google+ I ran across a link to what I thought was another one of those “Why I Left Facebook” posts, this time one by author Douglas Rushkoff called Why I’m Quitting Facebook on CNN’s website. His reasons go beyond privacy exploits and appear to me at least to be much more serious and profound.
I am experimenting with the Vudu beta software for in-home “upgrading” of old DVD’s to HD streaming movie files for selected titles from my DVD collection.
How Has the Definition of "Scholarly Journal" Changed?
I think this is another case where to change behavior you need to change motivation and the only way to that in such a complex environment is through education and through support of viable alternatives.
Our ability to store and provide access to vast amounts of information is growing. We need to focus on how such information is to be used most efficiently and most effectively.
At the same time, through careful planning and design we must avoid the expense of developing and supporting systems and websites that people do not or cannot use. In these times of fiscal austerity such an outcome would be inexcusable.
In some ways, you might say that Google is just as secretive as Apple when it comes to customer data.
What’s next for Apple, now that Tim Cook has apologized for the new Maps app and has suggested alternate or competing products to use while things get fixed?