One on One: Clay Johnson, Author of 'The Information Diet' - NYTimes.com

Check the full interview for more details

Clay Johnson, the former director of The Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit that uses data to promote transparency in government, discusses his new book, “The Information Diet”. He says consumers have to take responsibility for the type of information they consume, much like consumer must take responsibility for the foods they eat. He says we have to create a sustainable news movement, much like we’ve created a sustainable food movement. Here is an edited version of my interview which covers bias, data and why reading about Snooki is like smoking in public

[…]

So what are your doctor’s orders for information consumers?
Consume information locally. Consume information about your community and your family first. Be more concerned with your spouse than the President and his spouse. Or Snooki. Be literate and to up your game when it comes to data literacy. Understand that your information diet is consequential to others. Demand whole and sustainable news, not news that is based on sensationalized content and placed next to advertising.

One on One: Clay Johnson, Author of 'The Information Diet' - NYTimes.com

FreedomPop's Plan to Become the Anti-Carrier - Businessweek

The dawn of the stupid wide-area wireless network?

"According to the company, FreedomPop plans to discard every vestige of the traditional-carrier business model and adopt the strategy of a Web startup. It’s not only giving away bandwidth but wants its customers to treat megabytes as a currency they can earn and trade. Instead of making its money through 4G access, FreedomPop is breaking one of the biggest carrier taboos: It plans to sell services over a free dumb pipe."

FreedomPop's Plan to Become the Anti-Carrier - Businessweek

Amazon’s Appstore Generates More Revenue Per Daily User Than Google Play | TechCrunch

Not so much Play money

"According to new data released today by mobile analytics firm Flurry, Amazon’s Appstore for Android is generating more revenue per daily user than the Google Android Market, which was recently rebranded as the Google Play store. That shouldn’t be surprising, given that Amazon vets apps for quality, runs promotions to entice users to return daily, and perhaps most importantly, is able to leverage its established user base of Amazon account holders who already have credit card information on file – perfect for one-click checkouts."

Amazon’s Appstore Generates More Revenue Per Daily User Than Google Play | TechCrunch

With Advance Warning, Bracing for Attack on Internet by Anonymous - NYTimes.com

Giving Anonymous a bad name...

"Part of the challenge here is the mercurial and leaderless nature of the Anonymous movement. Just after one so-called Anonymous member called for the attack to protest, among other things, “our irresponsible leaders and the beloved bankers who are starving the world for their own selfish needs out of sheer sadistic fun,” another unnamed member of the movement pushed back. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” this person wrote on an Anonymous-affiliated site. “The collateral damage is not worth it.”
A pragmatist wondered how participants would know when to end the attack, if indeed the Domain Name System was overwhelmed. Another suggested that they attack only “the 10 most used sites.” Yet another reckoned that root servers would be so heavily protected that an Anonymous attack could only disrupt them for “a few minutes.”"

With Advance Warning, Bracing for Attack on Internet by Anonymous - NYTimes.com

Month of Microsoft: Gmail v. Hotmail - Real Dan Lyons

A timely Dan Lyons reality check

"The fact is, Google is starting to become Microsoft: the gang that couldn’t shoot straight, and always seems to be acting to its own advantage rather than to the advantage of its customers.
Which means Microsoft has the opportunity to go be someone else. I hope they take it."

Month of Microsoft: Gmail v. Hotmail - Real Dan Lyons

Google's New 'Account Activity' Is a Sham - Technology Review

A perspective from someone looking for additional personal analytics – and privacy – options

“First off, it's just sad that Google Plus does not even show up on this dashboard. Apparently even Google has given up on it. Moving right along, what profound insights did I gain from this dashboard? That my most e-mailed contacts are my wife, my editor and myself, in that order. Also, my most popular video uploaded to YouTube is the only one I've ever bothered to publicize. (It is about Steve Jobs, and you should watch it immediately.)

That's it. You know what Google isn't telling you?

• Google knows every search query you've ever entered while logged in

• Google has all kinds of demographic information about you

• Google has probably derived, from the above data, everything from your sexual orientation to your hometown, though I can't prove it.

• Google has a rough idea of your social graph, based on your gmail contacts and the frequency with which you email them.

• Thousands and thousands of lines of other information about you.”

Google's New 'Account Activity' Is a Sham - Technology Review

Wikidata to provide structured data for all Wikipedia versions | Geek Gestalt - CNET News

See the project FAQ and technical proposal for more details

“Today, the German chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation pulled back the wraps on Wikidata, a project that is aiming to be a single common source of structured data that can be used across all versions of Wikipedia. By December, that should allow editors of each individual language version of a Wikipedia article to pull data from that repository rather than adding it by hand themselves.

The project has an initial budget of $1.7 million, half of which is being funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. An additional 25 percent of the funding is coming from Google, and the remaining 25 percent is from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.”

Wikidata to provide structured data for all Wikipedia versions | Geek Gestalt - CNET News

Is the Pen Mightier Than the Finger? Drawing Apps Boost Sales of Stylus - Bloomberg

Draw different

"Just Mobile, which makes a product called the AluPen, said its sales have doubled. “‘Draw Something’ makes people crazy,” Ensha Huang, a spokeswoman for the Taichung, Taiwan company, said in a statement. “Many people realize the styluses are just needed for drawing.”
It’s not the only app boosting sales of styluses. Note-taking and doodling apps such as ColorBox HD, Notability and Penultimate are also on the lists of the most-downloaded iPad apps. In addition, two stylus-focused notebook apps for the iPad, Paper and Taposé, came out this week. They were both inspired by Microsoft’s Courier, the conceptual tablet that the company canned in favor of Windows 8."

Is the Pen Mightier Than the Finger? Drawing Apps Boost Sales of Stylus - Bloomberg

Facebook Delves Deeper Into Search - Businessweek

Small world

"Searching the social network could get a lot better in the near future. About two dozen Facebook engineers, led by a former Google engineer named Lars Rasmussen, are working on an improved search engine, say two people familiar with the project who did not want to be named because the company is in a quiet period ahead of its IPO. The goal, they say, is to help users better sift through the volume of content that members create on the site, such as status updates, and the articles, videos, and other information across the Web that people “like” using Facebook’s omnipresent thumbs-up button."

Facebook Delves Deeper Into Search - Businessweek

With Tablet Plan, Google Goes After Apple and Amazon - NYTimes.com

I'm guessing the rumored Google tablet won't be branded "Nexus"

"Google must be hoping that its tablet will fare better than its phone, the Nexus One, which it sold directly online. It introduced the phone at the beginning of 2010 to good reviews, but it never caught on. The Nexus One was, Google said, supposed to be “a beacon of innovation,” but “as with every innovation, some parts worked better than others.”"

With Tablet Plan, Google Goes After Apple and Amazon - NYTimes.com

Google to Sell Tablets on Its Own This Year - WSJ.com

If this article is accurate, I think the key action verb is "subsidize" rather than "sell"

"Like the Nexus One, some future Android tablets are expected to be co-branded with Google's name, said people familiar with the matter. The company is expected to sell devices from a variety of manufacturers. Google won't make the devices and its existing partners such as Samsung Electronics Co. and AsusTeK Computer Inc. will be responsible for the hardware, these people said.
One co-branded tablet that may be sold in the online store is due to be released later this year by Taiwan-based Asus, said one of these people."

Google to Sell Tablets on Its Own This Year - WSJ.com

BlackBerry to refocus on corporate sales - Business - The Boston Globe

I won't be surprised if the next RIM move is a bet-the-company strategy based on Windows Phone

"Struggling BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. said Thursday that it will cede most consumer markets after failing to compete with flashier touch-screen phones such as Apple’s iPhone and models that run Google’s Android software.
Instead, RIM said it will return to its roots and focus on business customers, many of whom prefer BlackBerrys for their security. RIM has had limited success trying to enter consumer markets in recent years, and chief executive Thorsten Heins said a turnaround requires “substantial change.’’"

BlackBerry to refocus on corporate sales - Business - The Boston Globe

RIM COO and CTO Gone, Balsillie out too [TNW]

This is only going to get uglier

"RIM appears to be searching for a fat lady to start singing as the company misses its Q4 expectations. Blackberry shipments are down 21% from Q3 and the company couldn’t even meet the already-horrid earnings expectations that it had set. Estimates were at $4.54 billion for the quarter, and RIM missed the mark with $4.2 billion, selling a mere 500k Playbook tablets. The bottom line is a $125 million quarterly loss for the company."

RIM COO and CTO Gone, Balsillie out too [TNW]

Giving you more insight into your Google Account activity [Official Google Blog]

Google offers to help you with auto-activity-analytics

“Every day we aim to make technology so simple and intuitive that you stop thinking about it—we want Google to work so well, it just blends into your life. But sometimes it’s helpful to step back and take stock of what you’re doing online.
Today we’re introducing Account Activity, a new feature in your Google Account. If you sign up, each month we’ll send you a link to a password-protected report with insights into your signed-in use of Google services.
For example, my most recent Account Activity report told me that I sent 5 percent more email than the previous month and received 3 percent more. An Italian hotel was my top Gmail contact for the month. I conducted 12 percent more Google searches than in the previous month, and my top queries reflected the vacation I was planning: [rome] and [hotel].”

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/giving-you-more-insight-into-your.html#!/2012/03/giving-you-more-insight-into-your.html

TNR on Obamacare at the Supreme Court - YouTube

Now you can hangout with TNR journalists

"A TNR discussion on Obamacare at the Supreme Court, with Legal Affairs editor Jeffrey Rosen, senior editor Jonathan Cohn, and contributing editor Paul Starr."

TNR on Obamacare at the Supreme Court - YouTube

Paper: the next great iPad app, from the brains behind Courier | The Verge

It’s Courier clone week (also see The iPad app that will remind you of Microsoft's old Courier project)

“The tool Petschnigg and his company FiftyThree thought up is the aptly named Paper, designed exclusively for the iPad. It's essentially a blank slate of paper devoid of settings panels, menus, and adjustable line widths. If Paper looks familiar, it's probably because the team behind it had an interesting history: a handful of them spent several years at Microsoft, with a good chunk of that time focused on the Courier, a dual-screen, digital notebook which had the tech world salivating. That device and its software was very publicly killed by Microsoft, but you can see threads of it that survived in this new project.

Still, the FiftyThree team is reluctant to admit that there's Courier DNA in Paper, perhaps only because the project they so passionately incubated never came to be. Whatever the case is, the humanistic sensibilities that made the Courier so attractive are very much present in this app. And that’s a very good thing.”

Paper: the next great iPad app, from the brains behind Courier | The Verge

Apple’s War on Android - Businessweek

Excerpts from an extensive overview; see this page for a reciprocal lawsuit infographic; also see Google to Oracle: If You Win This Patent Suit, We’ll Cut You in on Android (All Things D)

“One problem with nuclear attacks, even those of the metaphoric variety, is that the targets may retaliate with nukes of their own. That is precisely what has happened. For every Apple allegation, a rival has countered that Apple is not as uniquely innovative as Jobs liked to boast. To the contrary, Samsung, Motorola, and others insist that some of Apple’s most valuable patents—such as those protecting the minimalist design of the iPhone and iPad—were never valid in the first place.”

[…]

 

Apple’s War on Android - Businessweek

A Review of Ultrabooks - Sleek, Sexy and Oh So PC - NYTimes.com

Small world; my MacBook Air also runs Windows...

"So what is an ultrabook? It’s MacBook Air that runs Windows.
That’s just about everybody’s description — except Intel, which developed the concept. (“Was the MacBook Air an inspiration for this category?” I asked Intel’s P.R. team. “No,” was the answer. “The Ultrabook category was conceptualized out of multiple rounds of research going back several years.” Chalk up one for mind-blowing coincidence.)"

A Review of Ultrabooks - Sleek, Sexy and Oh So PC - NYTimes.com

Jive Teams With Bunchball, Forces Us to Learn the Word "Gamification" - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Expect Yammer to attempt gamification leapfrog within days

"Today, the newly public social enterprise company Jive said that it is adding gamification features to its products, and is partnering with a company called Bunchball to do it.
Believe it or not, Gartner has actually studied this trend, and said it expects 70 percent of companies of any reasonable size to gamify at least one application within the next two years. The thinking behind it is that if you reward employees with badges they can display in the social application that everyone uses at the office — and let’s face it, they are basically just like Facebook, but for the office — you’ll take things like on-the-job training sessions and performance metrics, even your own health, a little more seriously."

Jive Teams With Bunchball, Forces Us to Learn the Word "Gamification" - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

AT&T on Lumia 900 Launch: This Is the Big One - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

I'm guessing AT&T is not going to receive preferential partner treatment for the iPhone 5 (or perhaps it'll simply be called "the new iPhone...")

"“Before you walk in to the store, you know this is our hero phone,” said Bradley. “We’re going big. We’re really bullish.”
Quite a statement, coming from an executive whose company was Apple’s exclusive iPhone launch partner in the U.S., and continues to sell millions of units of the device to this day. But it’s indicative of AT&T’s faith in the smartphone, and the promise its sees in Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform when it’s built into a slick piece of hardware like the Lumia 900. And it’s going to be interesting to see if AT&T can really give the device some momentum at market."

AT&T on Lumia 900 Launch: This Is the Big One - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

Free Wireless Broadband for the Masses - Technology Review

Some details from the second page of the article:

"Miller says FreedomPop will offer three mobile broadband devices at first. There will be a USB dongle for laptops, a Wi-Fi hotspot device that can connect up to 20 devices to the Web, and an iPhone case that will allow the smart phone to circumvent the user's wireless carrier and can also charge the phone and act as a hotspot for up to eight additional devices.
Users won't pay for the devices, but they will have to fork over a refundable deposit fee. Miller says this is meant to discourage abuse, such as people reselling a hotspot or iPhone case on eBay. While the devices will be sold primarily online, Miller says, they may be available at some brick-and-mortar stores as well."

'Free Wireless Broadband for the Masses - Technology Review

Samsung boldly claims 5 million Galaxy Notes sold | Mobile - CNET News

AFAIK only one of the five million units sold belongs to an elephant

"A uniquely large mobile device boasting a massive 5.3-inch screen and stylus, many have doubted whether the Samsung Galaxy Note would prove a hit with customers. Samsung though says it has, citing that it moved 5 million units out the door.
The company also claimed on its official Korean Web site that domestic sales achieved 67 percent of the mobile phone market. Samsung touted that the Galaxy Note was "ranked No. 1" in the Chinese, French, and Spanish markets too."

Samsung boldly claims 5 million Galaxy Notes sold | Mobile - CNET News

The New Republic Tears Down Its Pay Wall - Business - The Atlantic Wire

I’m glad to see this, as a blogger and TNR subscriber for ~30 years; now I’ll be able to share more TNR articles.  I will also continue to pay for my TNR subscription, in order to show my support for the publication.

“Readers and pundits have been wondering how a new owner might change the venerable Washington political magazine, The New Republic, and they just got a early answer. A post on the magazine's blog announced early this morning that the website will drop its pay wall for recent articles. (The post doesn't say how "recent" a story has to be to remain free.) Archives and comment features will still be limited to paid subscribers, but key articles from current issues will no longer be hidden from the general public.”

The New Republic Tears Down Its Pay Wall - Business - The Atlantic Wire

Amazon adds DRM to ‘DRM-free’ Harry Potter eBooks - GeekWire

Read the fine print

“An original announcement about the pending digital publication of J.K. Rowling’s epic said Rowling’s Pottermore site, “will sell DRM-free eBooks of the series for the first time.”

Apparently, not exactly. Nate Hoffelder of The Digital Reader blog writes he brought a copy and tried load it directly into the Kindle app for Windows — and got an error message. After contacting Amazon.com, he said he was told, “All titles that are pushed wirelessly from Pottermore to Kindle, or to other retailer’s eBook services and readers, are DRM encrypted at Pottermore’s request.”

So Hoffelder concludes that while technically, a Potter title starts as DRM-free at Pottermore, DRM is added once it passes through an eBookseller such as Amazon. Magically transformed, if you will.”

Amazon adds DRM to ‘DRM-free’ Harry Potter eBooks - GeekWire

Xbox Live TV: Why Microsoft, not Apple, will dominate television streaming. - Slate Magazine

An interesting perspective on Apple and Microsoft living room competition.  Too bad my Xbox sounds like a 737 and Xbox Live Gold now costs >= $59.99/year.

“When CEO Tim Cook shows off Apple’s TV set this fall, I bet he’ll call voice-activated universal search a revolutionary way to interact with your television. What Cook probably won’t mention is that it already exists. Indeed, much of what Apple is likely to build into its TV is available today on a gadget whose interface is just as easy to use as anything Apple will cook up. The device is called the Xbox 360.”

Xbox Live TV: Why Microsoft, not Apple, will dominate television streaming. - Slate Magazine

Box's New Cloud Storage Shuns Microsoft - NYTimes.com

In other cloud storage news…

Not only is Microsoft Windows notably absent from the announcement, the company’s press release goes to the trouble of saying “Window’s device share will fall below 50% by 2016, further pressing CIOs to update device policies and security procedures.”

Going to this kind of effort to single out one of the biggest companies in computing used to be called “mooning the giant.” Why pick on Microsoft, when its Windows 8 operating system is just a couple of months away?

Box's New Cloud Storage Shuns Microsoft - NYTimes.com

Google Drive: Finally coming this April [GigaOM]

So… sort of like the 1 GB of free storage ($.25/GB to purchase additional storage) already available with Google Docs, but with a different interface?

“According to the details from my sources, Google is going to offer 1 Gb of storage space for free, but will charge for more storage. The market leader Dropbox currently offers 2 Gb for free. Google’s product will come with a local client and the web interface will look much like the Google Docs interface. Interestingly, it will launch for Google Apps customers and will be domain specific as well. Google has also built an API for third party apps with this service so folks can store content from other apps in the Google drive. My sources are impressed, so far with what they have seen.”

http://gigaom.com/cloud/google-drive-finally-coming-this-april/

U.S. Outgunned in Hacker War - WSJ.com

A stark cybersecurity snapshot; also see "Richard Clarke on Who Was Behind the Stuxnet Attack" (Smithsonian)

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation's top cyber cop offered a grim appraisal of the nation's efforts to keep computer hackers from plundering corporate data networks: "We're not winning," he said.
Shawn Henry, who is preparing to leave the FBI after more than two decades with the bureau, said in an interview that the current public and private approach to fending off hackers is "unsustainable.'' Computer criminals are simply too talented and defensive measures too weak to stop them, he said."

U.S. Outgunned in Hacker War - WSJ.com

A Surge in Learning the Language of the Internet - NYTimes.com

Interesting times

"The market for night classes and online instruction in programming and Web construction, as well as for iPhone apps that teach, is booming. Those jumping on board say they are preparing for a future in which the Internet is the foundation for entertainment, education and nearly everything else. Knowing how the digital pieces fit together, they say, will be crucial to ensuring that they are not left in the dark ages.
Some in this crowd foster secret hopes of becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg. But most have no plans to quit their day jobs — it is just that those jobs now require being able to customize a blog’s design or care for and feed an online database."

A Surge in Learning the Language of the Internet - NYTimes.com

The iPad app that will remind you of Microsoft's old Courier project | Microsoft - CNET News

Check the full article for more details; also note there is a $29.99 annual fee if you want to use unlimited Taposé storage and collaboration cloud services

“Last November, CNET detailed the inside story of how Microsoft killed Courier, in part because the device ran headlong into an alternative vision for tablets, powered by Windows 8. Those devices are expected to debut later this year, two-and-a-half years after the original iPad launched.

Microsoft's concept for content creation on a tablet resonated with two developers from the Seattle suburbs, Benjamin Monnig and Ricky Drake. The duo turned to Kickstarter to raise funds to help them bring the Courier vision to the iPad. Their company, Tapose, raised more than $26,000, including funds from the leader of the Courier effort, J Allard, who left Microsoft shortly after it killed the project.

Monnig got an e-mail approval of the app today from Apple. He expects Tapose to debut in iTunes by the end of the day. It will sell for $2.99, a price that could be low enough to draw a large number of users.”

The iPad app that will remind you of Microsoft's old Courier project | Microsoft - CNET News

Evernote for Android Update: Speech-to-text and Big Widget Enhancements | Evernote Blogcast

Now I need to upgrade my phone – the Google transcription service-based speech-to-text currently works only on Android 4

Speech-to-text feature

Audio notes have been a core feature of the app since day one. Today, we’re giving you a new option: speech recognition. Tap the new speech bubble icon in the tool bar above the keyboard to launch the feature. As you talk, the app instantly places your spoken words into the body of the note as text. Magic.

When you’re done recording, we also attach the original audio to the note. By having both recording and text together, you can now easily search and find your audio notes.

Evernote for Android Update: Speech-to-text and Big Widget Enhancements | Evernote Blogcast

Amazon.com: Harry Potter on Kindle

More details from the Amazon Harry Potter e-book page

Harry Potter Kindle books are now available on Kindle! All seven books in the series can be purchased at J.K. Rowling's Pottermore Shop, a third-party site. Clicking on "Buy at Pottermore" will take you to Pottermore Shop, where you will need to create a separate account. Like all Kindle books, books purchased from Pottermore are "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" and will be delivered to your Kindle or free Kindle reading apps.

Amazon.com: Harry Potter on Kindle

J.K. Rowling Just Transformed Book Publishing [Slate]

An impressive display of author power – if you attempt to purchase the new Harry Potter e-books at Amazon, for example, you will be redirected to the new Pottermore site (not seeing similar links yet on iTunes bookstore or Google Play books)

Via Joshua Gans, Harry Potter fans can now get their favorite books in digital format. But not from Amazon or the iTunes bookstore. Instead, the exclusive source of Potter ebooks is J.K. Rowling's Pottermore website where you're able to get them in formats that run on all major e-readers and tablets.

This is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind when I said it was ridiculous to be worrying about book publisher collusion and price-fixing. It's just way too easy to bypass traditional distribution channels in this space for anyone to have enduring pricing power.

J.K. Rowling Just Transformed Book Publishing

BlueStacks App Player Beta Brings Android Apps to PCs | PCMag.com

Check the link below for partner app vendors and more details

"BlueStacks on Tuesday rolled out the beta version of its Android App Player, which will allow users to run Android apps on a PC.
The software, powered by a technology known as LayerCake, works on devices running Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, and will allow Android apps to run in windowed or full screen mode on a PC."

BlueStacks App Player Beta Brings Android Apps to PCs | PCMag.com

Rhetological Fallacies [Information is Beautiful]

Clip from a timely reference addressing rhetorical techniques and logical fallacies

See this page for the full matrix and this page for more context-setting and a link to an application of the “rhetological matrix”

Rhetological Fallacies

Google to Launch Third-Party Commenting Platform [TNW]

Another competitive front for Facebook and Google, with ominous implications for Disqus and other pure-play service providers

"The Google comment system, which will almost certainly rival that of Facebook, will have deep links to Google’s network of services and websites, indexing comments in Google Search, and most significantly, the system will be available for use on third party sites.
You can’t go anywhere these days without running into a site that is using Facebook’s third-party comment platform, and it looks like Google wants in on the action.
A third party Google comment system would ensure that users are further plugged in to their Google accounts, and one step closer to Google+."

Google to Launch Third-Party Commenting Platform

Google Play Makes Its First Appearance in Google Nav Bar [TNW]

Google has ways of making you Play…

Now that the Android Market has been re-branded as “Google Play” the company is wasting no time getting it in front of all of its users the best way it knows how, via the black navigation bar that appears on all of its products.

… but it also has some data integrity problems; Play currently tells me

… but I already have both Evernote and Skitch installed on my Android phone

Google Play Makes Its First Appearance in Google Nav Bar

Paul Allen-backed Xiant Mobile brings ‘smarter’ email to Kindle Fire with $9.99 app - GeekWire

A new email option for Kindle Fire (and soon Android phone and other Android tablet) users

"Users who’ve struggled with the Kindle Fire’s built-in email functionality in recent months may soon get some relief, thanks in part to the efforts of Seattle startup Xiant. The company, backed by billionaire Paul Allen, is taking the wraps off a new service called Xiant Mobile that’s designed to eliminate some of the common headaches that Kindle Fire customers routinely experience on the tablet."

Paul Allen-backed Xiant Mobile brings ‘smarter’ email to Kindle Fire with $9.99 app - GeekWire

Facebook Decorates Its Roof With A 42-Foot Wide QR Code | TechCrunch

I wonder if Google Maps will blur it

"When Mark Zuckerberg called for a “Space Hackathon” to decorate Facebook’s massive new headquarters at 1 Hacker Way, he probably didn’t expect employees to take him so literally. A few scurried up to the roof with some tar paint, and now there’s a 42-foot wide QR code on the roof that’s visible from space.
Scanning it opens the new FB QR Code Page on Facebook which may host puzzles, jokes, and other flavor to humanize the company. For now you’ll need an airplane or Facebook security badge to get a look at it first-hand, but once indexed it should appear on your favorite satellite mapping website."

Facebook Decorates Its Roof With A 42-Foot Wide QR Code | TechCrunch

Nokia's Lumia 900 Gets a Price and Release Date - NYTimes.com

I remember a classic Microsoft quote during the early days of productivity application suite competition: "It's not a good idea to get into price competition with someone who has more money than you do."

"The moment of truth has come for Microsoft and Nokia. On April 8, they will release the new Windows phone, the Lumia 900, at a bold $100 price tag for its high-end features. The question is: Will Americans be tempted by this phone, which runs Microsoft’s new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, and choose it over the wildly popular Apple iPhone and phones using Google’s Android operating system?"

Nokia's Lumia 900 Gets a Price and Release Date - NYTimes.com

New Wireless Competitors | Inside Digital Media

A plausible perspective, imho; check the link below for more details and a podcast

"A little under a year ago, we posted four reasons why Apple may decide to become a Wireless Internet Service Provider. Presently, we conclude that if Apple doesn’t do it, one or more of the other Internet-dependent giants shall, by the year 2020. Companies like Apple, Amazon, Google (YouTube), FaceBook, and Microsoft cannot permit their futures to be controlled by today’s dominant wireless carriers. Increasingly, their growth will be throttled as cellular carriers expand bandwidth-metered pricing."

New Wireless Competitors | Inside Digital Media

REPORT: The iPhone 5 Screen Size Will Be The Same, But Everything Else Will Be Different [Business Insider]

So perhaps not phabulous

"As has been reported before, the phone will support 4G LTE. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering Apple already implemented it with the new iPad.
In terms of screen size, iMore's sources indicate that the new phone will be mostly unchanged in that area. Expect a similar 3.5-inch screen."

REPORT: The iPhone 5 Screen Size Will Be The Same, But Everything Else Will Be Different

First Impressions of Polaroid PMID701C 7″ Android Tablet - The Digital Reader

A $99.99 "budget" Android tablet

"Polaroid’s second budget 7″ tablet showed up on store shelves yesterday morning and I was there to get it.
The PMID701C is a bland looking black slab with a 7″ capacitive touchscreen and it’s running  Android 2.3 on a single core 1GHz CPU.
I’ve spent the morning playing with it, and it’s not bad.  I’m a little concerned about the battery life, but other than that it’s an okay budget tablet."

First Impressions of Polaroid PMID701C 7″ Android Tablet - The Digital Reader

Why Do Magazines Look So Terrible on the iPad 3? - Yahoo! News [Mashable]

Read different

"So there you have it. Magazine readers need not despair about the appearances of their magazines for too much longer, as publishers are working to optimize their editions. The fix is relatively simple: publishers will have to increase the resolution of their image and video files, and export their digital editions as PDFs. iPad 3 owners will have to suffer longer download times, and won't be able to store as many magazines on their devices as iPad 1 and 2 owners, but that's the price one pays for a visually stunning reading experience, no?"

Why Do Magazines Look So Terrible on the iPad 3? - Yahoo! News

Microsoft Raids Tackle Online Crime - NYTimes.com

Interesting times

"Microsoft employees, accompanied by United States marshals, raided two nondescript office buildings in Pennsylvania and Illinois on Friday, aiming to disrupt one of the most pernicious forms of online crime today — botnets, or groups of computers that help harvest bank account passwords and other personal information from millions of other computers."

Microsoft Raids Tackle Online Crime - NYTimes.com

Google+ Hangouts now calling any phone | Mobile - CNET News

Free outgoing calls in the U.S. and Canada, for now

"Video chatting in Hangouts is busting out of Google+.
Video calls among two or more Google+ users was the big draw when Hangouts launched, but now Google has flipped the switch the allow Google+ users to make phone calls to almost any phone number, not just within the Google+ ecosystem. That means that users will be able, for example, place a voice call from their computers and reach friends or family on their land line or cell phone."

Google+ Hangouts now calling any phone | Mobile - CNET News

'How Creativity Works': It's All In Your Imagination : NPR

See the link for a link to the interview and a partial transcript

"What makes people creative? What gives some of us the ability to create work that captivates the eyes, minds and hearts of others? Jonah Lehrer, a writer specializing in neuroscience, addresses that question in his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works.
Lehrer defines creativity broadly, considering everything from the invention of masking tape to breakthroughs in mathematics; from memorable ad campaigns to Shakespearean tragedies. He finds that the conditions that favor creativity — our brains, our times, our buildings, our cities — are equally broad.
Lehrer joins NPR's Robert Siegel to talk about the creative process — where great ideas come from, how to foster them, and what to do when you inevitably get stuck."

'How Creativity Works': It's All In Your Imagination : NPR

Factual’s Gil Elbaz Wants to Gather the Data Universe - NYTimes.com

Big plan for big data

"His time-machine plans, however, have been ditched for something he finds more important: trying to identify every fact in the world, and to hold them all in a company he calls Factual.
“The world is one big data problem,” Mr. Elbaz says from his headquarters, a quiet office 14 floors above the Los Angeles Country Club. He is a slim, soft-spoken man who weaves in his chair when an idea excites him. “What if you could spot any error, as soon as you wrote it? Factual is definitely a new thing that will change business, and a valuable new tool for computing.”"

Factual’s Gil Elbaz Wants to Gather the Data Universe - NYTimes.com

Jonah Lehrer on How Creativity Works | Brain Pickings

See the link below for more on Jonah Lehrer's latest book

"The origin, pursuit, and secret of creativity are a central fixation of the Idea Age. But what, exactly, does “creativity” — that infinitely nebulous term — really mean, and how does it work? This inquiry is at the heart of Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer — who, in my opinion, has done more for the popular understanding of psychology and neuroscience than any other writer working today, and who has previously examined such fascinating subjects as how we decide and why we need a “fourth culture” of knowledge."

Jonah Lehrer on How Creativity Works | Brain Pickings

In Japan, Facebook Wins the Most Users - Businessweek

Facebook overcomes cultural challenges in Japan

[…]

Rajan attributes the change in attitude to the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. During the crisis and its aftermath, sites such as Facebook helped parents and children locate each other and allowed people post and find reliable information. “The real-name case has been answered,” says Rajan. “People are getting it now.”

Facebook has also benefited from high-profile users such as Kazuyo Katsuma, a popular author and businesswoman who joined the site in late 2010 and frequently mentions her Facebook page in media appearances. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg in the Oscar-winning 2010 movie The Social Network also helped boost awareness of Facebook among Japanese. Takanori Kobashi, a 26-year-old marine products wholesaler, started using Facebook last year after seeing the movie. “That guy is amazing,” he says of Zuckerberg.

In Japan, Facebook Wins the Most Users - Businessweek

Amazon’s cloud goes to Mars - FT.com

An AWS momentum snapshot

"Amazon’s cloud computing service is being used to operate Nasa robots on the surface of Mars, Netflix’s video streaming service and the Guardian’s dating website, as the retailer’s little-known IT business rapidly expands.
The six-year old cloud business remains overshadowed by Amazon’s vast online store, but clients and analysts say the company’s various cloud-computing services are replacing a growing number of in-house IT functions and dominate the sector."

Amazon’s cloud goes to Mars - FT.com

ASUS Transformer Prime more than meets the eye - but still no iPad - Chicago Sun-Times

Andy Ihnatko reviews a new ASUS Android tablet/hybrid; see the full review for pros/cons/etc.

The Transformer Prime is probably the nicest Android tablet on the market. And when you lock it into its keyboard dock it becomes something special: a rock-solid metal-clad subnotebook with 18 hours of battery life.

ASUS Transformer Prime more than meets the eye - but still no iPad - Chicago Sun-Times

OneNote for iPad: Ample Room for Improvement | Que

FYI an overview of my latest OneNote-focused article; the next article in the series will cover OneNote Mobile for Android

"As I explained in my earlier article "OneNote for iPad: A Hopeful Leading Indicator," Microsoft OneNote for iPad is a useful companion for OneNote 2010 (the full version of OneNote used on Windows PCs). OneNote for iPad can be helpful for viewing notes on an iPad, for example, or for capturing images in OneNote notes with the iPad's cameras (starting with the iPad 2). Overall, however, the application tacitly suggests that at least some Microsoft product planners consider the iPad more of a super-sized iPhone than a robustly useful personal computing/communications device, and that attitude is reflected in the application's frustratingly limited feature set.
The rest of this article provides a review of what I consider to be several shortcomings in the initial release of OneNote for iPad."

OneNote for iPad: Ample Room for Improvement | Que

The Future of Apps and Web: Introduction and overview of responses | Pew Internet & American Life Project

Excerpt from another timely Pew Internet project

"A summation
Futurist John Smart, founder of the Acceleration Studies Foundation, looks beyond 2020 and sees apps as merely a passing phase in Internet evolution. “Apps are a great intermediate play, a way to scale up functionality of a primitive Web,” he said, “but over time they get outcompeted for all but the most complex platforms by simpler and more standardized alternatives. What will get complex will be the ‘artificial immune systems’ on local machines. What will get increasingly transparent and standardized will be the limited number of open Web platforms and protocols that all the leading desktop and mobile hardware and their immune systems will agree to use. The rest of the apps and their code will reside in the long tail of vertical and niche uses.”"

Introduction and overview of responses | Pew Internet & American Life Project

Apple’s share price: iRational? | The Economist

Excerpt from an Apple reality check

The company’s share price has risen by 83% in the past year, and by almost 50% so far in 2012. Apple is now easily the largest company in the world by market capitalisation, at some $565 billion. It looms over Exxon Mobil, which is worth a mere $408 billion. Since the start of this year it has added $187 billion to its valuation, roughly equivalent to the entire market caps of companies like Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and Wells Fargo. Apple is larger than the American retail sector combined.

Apple’s share price: iRational? | The Economist

New iPad users slowed by expensive 4G network rates - The Washington Post

History repeats, as the service providers train their customers to alter usage patterns in ways that optimize supply-side capabilities/economics

"In response to customers frustrated by overloaded networks, the carriers have asked users to turn to WiFi networks as often as possible. They offer apps and tools to calculate data use so customers avoid penalty fees for going over the allotted monthly plans. The new iPad automatically defaults to WiFi networks, which is how most tablet owners connect to the Web, according to analysts.
“We’re helping our customers use their new iPad or any 4G LTE tablet in ways that extend their data plans,” Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Debra Lewis said."

New iPad users slowed by expensive 4G network rates - The Washington Post

Apple TV Remote Could Work With iPhone, iPad - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

An excerpt from future Apple TV scenario analysis

"Take the remote, for instance. PatentlyApple has its hands on an Apple application for an “advanced TV remote” that would offer some cool features. Like the ability to automatically scan your other devices and figure out the right code to control them, instead of requiring users to use a combination of manuals and trial and error.
At least as important is that, while Apple’s patent, filed back in 2010, could be a standalone device, the application makes it seem much more likely that users will use their iPhones, iPods or iPads to control their TVs."

Apple TV Remote Could Work With iPhone, iPad - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

Facebook said to acquire 750 patents from IBM - Business - The Boston Globe

Interesting to see both Google and Facebook buying patent portfolios from IBM

"Facebook Inc. acquired 750 patents from International Business Machines Corp., adding intellectual property that may help it counter allegations of patent infringement, a person with knowledge of the transaction said.
The patents cover various technologies such as software and networking, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deal has not been made public. The acquisition would swell the size of Facebook’s portfolio."

Facebook said to acquire 750 patents from IBM - Business - The Boston Globe

Skype's Co-Founder Hopes to Make Money Giving Away Mobile Broadband - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

In other wide-area wireless disruptive-potential news...

"FreedomPop isn’t building a network of its own, but rather buying from wholesale provider Clearwire, among others.
The way FreedomPop sees things, cellular service is already becoming a commodity — so why not push things along a little faster? Its plan is to give away mobile broadband and look to make money in other ways, though a variety of other services. The company, he said, is modeled more on Internet ventures such as Dropbox and Zynga than on the carriers with which it competes"

Skype's Co-Founder Hopes to Make Money Giving Away Mobile Broadband - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

“Being Digital” isn’t

I can’t find my dead-tree copy of Being Digital, which I want to revisit for a project I’m working on; I hoped to purchase a Kindle edition, but Being Digital … isn’t.  I found a digitally-dusty Cyberdock annotated version of some book sections, and that’s a start...

Amazon.com: Being Digital (9780679762904): Nicholas Negroponte: Books

Mediactive » Another Short-Sighted News Organization Hands Part of Its Future to Facebook

Not clear the NYT had any feasible alternatives

In a clear example of the asymmetry of power that now exists between Facebook and just about everyone else on the Web, check out the way The New York Times has handed a huge gift to the social networking giant: The Times is requiring that anyone who wants to be a “verified commenter” — and with that a higher form of commenting privileges — must a) have a Facebook account; and b) use that account for identity verification.

Mediactive » Another Short-Sighted News Organization Hands Part of Its Future to Facebook

Google Docs Dumps the Dictionary for the Whole Web [ReadWriteWeb]

Sign of the semantic times

"Google Docs now has improved spell-checking that draws from the whole Web instead of a fixed dictionary. The spell-checking in Docs will now constantly evolve as Google's search robots crawl the Web and receive new queries from users.
Just as the Google search box can fix spelling mistakes based on Web results, Google Docs spell-check can now make contextual suggestions. If you accidentally type "let's meat tomorrow morning," Google Docs can now suggest "meet," even though "meat" is also a word in the dictionary. It will also now recognize newly invented words and pop culture references."

Google Docs Dumps the Dictionary for the Whole Web

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen donates $300M to help solve the mysteries of the human brain - GeekWire

Think different

"Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is doubling down on his efforts to better understand the human brain, announcing plans today to donate $300 million to the Allen Insitute of Brain Science. That brings total fundraising in the 9-year-old non-profit scientific organization to $500 million, one of the largest philanthropic commitments ever to fund neuroscience."
[...]
"He’s not interested in commercializing the research conducted at the Institute, instead saying that they will continue to collaborate and work with research organizations, universities and biotech companies throughout the world in order to “push the boundaries of what we know about the human brain.”"

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen donates $300M to help solve the mysteries of the human brain - GeekWire

Airlines and electronics: Stand-by mode | The Economist

Thank you, Nick Bilton

For years, the FAA cited old and incomplete data and a small stack of anecdotal pilot reports (themselves out of date) to justify the ban. Nick Bilton, of the New York Times's Bits blog, endeavoured to make the FAA put up or shut up. Through ongoing prodding, Mr Bilton has been urging the agency to admit that the ban is for show, or to perform a serious re-evaluation and get proper data.

He seems to have finally broken through the wall. Last week, he received a response from the FAA to his regular query as to where matters stand. The agency now says it is taking a "fresh look" at the situation. Previously, in order to be used continuously throughout a flight, the FAA makes airlines test every unique model of device in an empty plane on every discrete model of aircraft it flies, according a Virgin America spokesperson cited by Mr Bilton. Each airline must do the same. No wonder in-flight Wi-Fi has taken this long to take off.

Airlines and electronics: Stand-by mode | The Economist

Google Said to Rethink Wallet Strategy Amid Slow Adoption - Bloomberg

Perhaps they'll rebrand it Google Play Money

"Google Inc. (GOOG) is weighing changes aimed at improving its Google Wallet mobile-payment system following slow adoption and the departure of two key managers, according to people with knowledge of the project.
The company is considering sharing revenue with carriers such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. (T) to get them to embrace the technology, which lets users pay for items at checkout by tapping phones on a reader device, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private."

Google Said to Rethink Wallet Strategy Amid Slow Adoption - Bloomberg

iPhone to get 4.6-inch Retina display, report says | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

That would be almost phabulous, if the report is accurate

"Apple is said to have yet another product in the pipeline with a Retina display, and this time it's an iPhone with a really big screen, according to a report from Reuters.
Apple is purportedly already placing orders with suppliers for a 4.6-inch iPhone Retina display, Reuters said today, citing a report in South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper. The phone is due in the second quarter, according to the report."

iPhone to get 4.6-inch Retina display, report says | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

The Digital Solution: A Review of NetZero - WSJ.com

Another view of recent 4G hotspot options

The Digital Solution: A Review of NetZero - WSJ.com

NetZero, Clearwire and Other Ways to Get a Hot Spot to Go - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

Check the full article for NetZero caveats and overviews of alternatives; tangentially, also see Comcast, Verizon Say They’re Itching to Fight Google, Apple (AllThingsD)

"As of this week, there’s a new option from NetZero. It may not change the game, but it does change some of the rules.
You buy the NetZero 4G HotSpot — an attractive black plastic slab with a small gray screen — for $100. You get wireless Internet free for the first year, and pay as little as $10 a month after that. That’s an amazing number. If you do the math, it turns out that $10 a month is a lot less than $50."

NetZero, Clearwire and Other Ways to Get a Hot Spot to Go - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

New services let users expand on their Facebook network - Business - The Boston Globe

A Hiawatha Bray overview of Facebook complementors

"We all know what happens when you try to beat Facebook at the social network game. You get Google Plus - well designed, innovative, and utterly lifeless.
We don’t need a substitute for Facebook. What we need are online social tools to supplement the social media colossus, cool little services that let you divvy up your friends into subcommittees based on shared tastes and interests."

New services let users expand on their Facebook network - Business - The Boston Globe

Tablet Ownership Triples Among College Students - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Study different

"One-fourth of the college students surveyed said they owned a tablet, compared with just 7 percent last year. Sixty-three percent of college students believe tablets will replace textbooks in the next five years—a 15 percent increase over last year’s survey. More than a third said they intended to buy a tablet sometime in the next six months.
This year’s poll also found that the respondents preferred digital books over printed ones. It’s a reversal of last year’s results and goes against findings of other recent studies, which concluded that students tend to choose printed textbooks. The new survey found that nearly six in 10 students preferred digital books when reading for class, compared with one-third who said they preferred printed textbooks."

Tablet Ownership Triples Among College Students - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Narrative Science, robot journalists, customized news, and the danger to civil discourse. - Slate Magazine

Excerpt from Evgeny Morozov on automated journalism:

"Don't miss the irony here: Automated platforms are now “writing” news reports about companies that make their money from automated trading. These reports are eventually fed back into the financial system, helping the algorithms to spot even more lucrative deals. Essentially, this is journalism done by robots and for robots. The only upside here is that humans get to keep all the cash."

Narrative Science, robot journalists, customized news, and the danger to civil discourse. - Slate Magazine

Review: Bad Apple - Technology Review

An Apple reality check from Simson Garfinkel

"As the company caters less to the demands of artists and other creative professionals, the quality of its products is slipping."

Review: Bad Apple - Technology Review

Oracle's final damage claim against Google well under $100 million -- Engadget

Another Java ROI case study

My, my, my, how the mighty have fallen. In this case, the mighty is the roughly $6 billion Oracle initially sought in its suit against Google. By September of last year that number had dropped to a comparatively paltry $2 billion, which was still too high for presiding Judge William Alsup. Now that has plummeted precipitously, with Oracle's new starting figure sitting at $32.3 million.

Oracle's final damage claim against Google well under $100 million -- Engadget

What's Coming in Microsoft Outlook 15 [Supersite for Windows]

Paul Thurrott shares his first impressions of (and ambivalence for) Outlook 15

"I make no apologies for my refusal to use Microsoft Outlook, but hundreds of millions of business users and consumers rely on this multi-functional solution every day. In fact, it's the center of many people's computing experience, period, the dashboard by which they manage their daily lives. For these folks, Outlook 15 will present a familiar experience, with familiar capabilities and a slightly revised user experience.

Let's see what's new and improved in Outlook 15."

What's Coming in Microsoft Outlook 15

My life among the Kindles: Comparing the models | Common Sense Tech - CNET News

Check the article link below for an extensive review of the Kindle product family (by Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land)

"In less than a year, I've gone from mocking e-books to never wanting to buy a print book again. Blame the Amazon Kindle. I've found it a great way to read.
A new generation of Kindles came out at the end of last year, including the Kindle Fire tablet. Here's how I've found them to measure up against each other, over the past four months or so."

My life among the Kindles: Comparing the models | Common Sense Tech - CNET News

Does Salesforce.com Own The Social Enterprise? - Forbes

A strong Salesforce social snapshot

"The company has gone so far as to trademark the term, The Social Enterprise, which seems to me a bit ironic considering the openness and inclusiveness the name implies. But inclusiveness was a key component of the 150-minute keynote session led and hosted by Benioff who called upon no less than one dozen people to address the estimated 4000 people attending the professionally staged event. Half the guest presenters were senior Salesforce executives.  The remainder were corporate customers who testified to how Salesforce was helping each of them become a social enterprise in a diverse way."

Does Salesforce.com Own The Social Enterprise? - Forbes

Five Ways to Manage Data Use on Your New iPad - WSJ.com

Some inconvenient truths for LTE customers (smartphone or tablet); check the article link below for some tips

"Users of the new iPad are learning that its new high-speed wireless connection can be blazing fast, but painfully expensive. That's the downside of making it easier to watch TV on the go."
[...]
"The bottom line is don't expect to watch much video on your new iPad over Verizon and AT&T's high-speed LTE networks without paying very high fees."

Five Ways to Manage Data Use on Your New iPad - WSJ.com

Do You Have to Be Rude to Manage Like Steve Jobs? - NYTimes.com

Guidance for managing inspiration and creativity

"But Walter Isaacson, author of the biography “Steve Jobs,” believes Mr. Jobs is being misunderstood when people ask this question. As Mr. Isaacson writes in an article about Mr. Jobs for the Harvard Business Review: “His petulance and impatience were part and parcel of his perfectionism.”
The article, titled “The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs,” offers 14 tips and rules for being a good manager and inspiring employees to do the “unimaginable,” as Mr. Jobs was unarguably capable of doing."

Do You Have to Be Rude to Manage Like Steve Jobs? - NYTimes.com

UPDATE: Oracle 3Q Profit Climbs 18% On Growth From New Licenses - WSJ.com

A solid quarter for Oracle

"Oracle Corp.'s (ORCL) fiscal third-quarter profit rose 18% as the strength of new license revenue offset weaker hardware sales and eased investor fears of corporate technology spending weakening.
The technology bellwether reported quarterly earnings per share of 49 cents, beating analysts' expectations by five cents. The business-software heavyweight said it was on track to deliver the highest operating margins in its history this year and it had turned around its weak performance last fall.
"All we really needed to do was focus on our execution and we did that," Chief Financial Officer Safra Catz on the company's earnings call."

UPDATE: Oracle 3Q Profit Climbs 18% On Growth From New Licenses - WSJ.com

Two Screens Aren’t Better Than One for Sony Tablet P - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

File under “Future collectors’ item”

The new Tablet P, sold in AT&T stores, is a 7-inch long, narrow, hinged device with no exposed display at all. When you open it, twin small screens are revealed. Content can appear on one of the two screens, or be spread across both. It can operate over either a Wi-Fi or a cellular-data connection.

It sounds cool, but the Tablet P has some crucial drawbacks. The most important one is that, to take advantage of its full viewing area by using both screens as a single display, you must put up with a thick, black, plastic bar across the center of whatever you’re viewing. That disruptive scar is the inside of the hinge, where the dual screens meet.

[…]

Two Screens Aren’t Better Than One for Sony Tablet P - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

Our compulsive consumption of information - Salon.com

A thought-provoking book survey and commentary from Nicholas Carr

"Is the Internet dividing our attention? Are we so buried in technology that we ignore one another? Nicolas [sic] Carr, author of “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains,” discusses the history and implications of the information age, from the mechanical clock to the iPhone."

Our compulsive consumption of information - Salon.com

Review: New iPad revolutionary in its subtlety of change - Chicago Sun-Times

Excerpts from an extensive Andy Ihnatko new iPad review

"The point of this thing is more clear. Its elements do their jobs better, more efficiently . . . and with a great deal more panache and style. The process of making the new iPad was one of examining every element and figuring out how to improve it in place."
[...]
"Honestly, don’t you feel a little sorry for the men and women at Google who are responsible for Android on tablets? They build an immense, and in many ways impressive, paper castle every year. And every year during March or April, Apple rides past and shoots a single flaming arrow into it without even stopping."

Review: New iPad revolutionary in its subtlety of change - Chicago Sun-Times:

Busting 10 Myths about Hadoop -- TDWI -The Data Warehousing Institute

Check the link below for a timely Hadoop reality check

"Although Hadoop and related technologies have been with us for over five years now, most BI professionals and their business counterparts still harbor a few misconceptions that need to be corrected about Hadoop and related technologies such as MapReduce. I hope that the following list of 10 facts will clarify what Hadoop is and does relative to BI, as well as in which business and technology situations Hadoop-based BI, data warehousing, and analytics can be useful."

Busting 10 Myths about Hadoop -- TDWI -The Data Warehousing Institute

Microsoft targeting October 2012 for Windows 8 launch

Perhaps some significant end-of-year holiday tablet price discounts ahead

"According to a report from Bloomberg earlier today, Microsoft plans to finish up all work on Windows 8 by summer 2012 and release the new version of the operating system during October 2012. The official announcement of the release date as well as other information on scheduling will occur during April 2012 at an event for industry partners. The October timing of the release will coincide with the holiday shopping season allowing Microsoft to package Windows 8 with laptops, desktops and tablets from third party manufacturer such as Dell, HP, Gateway, Sony, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo and Acer."

Microsoft targeting October 2012 for Windows 8 launch

Oregon’s I-5 Now Electrified | Hybrid Cars

Oregon charges ahead

"Another step to answer electric vehicle range anxiety has been taken. As of Friday morning, the Oregon Department of Transportation has opened the first phase of the West Coast Electric Highway, which is anticipated to eventually stretch along Interstate 5 from the Canadian to Mexican borders. This opening was made in partnership with charging station partner AeroVironment and the Oregon Department of Energy.
At this stage, the first eight links are operating in what will ultimately be a north-south chain of electric vehicle charging stations along I-5. "

Oregon’s I-5 Now Electrified | Hybrid Cars

'via Blog this'

Woz supports Mike Daisey's message and says you should too | Apple - CNET News

Woz supports Mike Daisey's message and says you should too | Apple - CNET News:
Think different -- also see Lying Apple Gadfly Mike Daisey Still Doesn’t Get It (AllThingsD)

"Apple co-founder says he loved Daisey's show and believes media misunderstands the actor and Apple critic. He credits Daisey with helping to prod Apple into improving working conditions in China."

'via Blog this'

Many Sites Chart a New Course as Google Expands Fees - NYTimes.com

Many Sites Chart a New Course as Google Expands Fees - NYTimes.com:
From a snapshot of another market segment in which Google is under attack

"In the seven years since it was introduced, Google’s offering of street maps, satellite photos and street-level views has become the dominant player in the world of online mapping, displacing earlier entrants like AOL’s MapQuest. According to comScore, 71 percent of the 91.7 million people in the United States who looked at maps online in February used Google Maps.
There are signs, however, that Google’s dominance is under assault — and the company’s own moves may have something to do with this."

'via Blog this'

AHEAD OF THE TAPE: 'Ex' Factors to Strengthen Oracle's Results - WSJ.com

AHEAD OF THE TAPE: 'Ex' Factors to Strengthen Oracle's Results - WSJ.com:
A big day for Mark Hurd and Oracle shareholders

"The earnings miss in December caused Oracle to sit out the broad equity and technology rally. Since the beginning of October, its shares have risen just 3.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite rallied 27%. If its not-so-new president convinces markets that its sales woes are fixed, much of the gap could be closed in short-order. Never underestimate Wall Street's Hurd instinct."

'via Blog this'

Apple - Press Info - New iPad Tops Three Million

Apple - Press Info - New iPad Tops Three Million:
Not a bad first weekend

"CUPERTINO, California―March 19, 2012―Apple® today announced it has sold three million of its incredible new iPad®, since its launch on Friday, March 16. The new iPad features a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.**
“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”"

'via Blog this'

XML Aficionado: The Emperor's New Clothes - a "New iPad" Review in a "Post-PC World"

Final paragraphs of a timely and detailed post-PC/PC-plus reality check from Alexander Falk

Summary and Clarification

Just to clarify, I really enjoy using iPads, and continue to believe they are great media consumption devices. I love to read books on them. I love to read magazines and newspapers on them. I even watch the occasional movie or play a game. And for all these purposes, the improved screen resolution of the new iPad as well as the 4G LTE network capabilities are fabulous improvements.

But for any expression of creativity, for software development, for photography, for cinematography, for journalism, blogging, marketing, science, engineering, architecture, … in other words for any serious work … tablets are somewhere between mediocre to useless. For all of these fields the PC - be it Windows, MacOS, or Linux based - has been and will be the essential tool of any creative mind. Therefore, I firmly resent the hubris of people proclaiming this to be a "post-PC world".

XML Aficionado: The Emperor's New Clothes - a "New iPad" Review in a "Post-PC World"

Newspapers take it on the chin as online ad revenue falls into the hands of a few tech giants - GeekWire

Also see Media Culture Shifts: theory vs. reality

Americans are spending more time consuming news, using devices such as smartphones and tablets to track events on the go. But even as news consumption rises, the traditional media companies that have produced the news aren’t necessarily benefitting.

The 2012 State of the News Media report from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism found that five technology companies — Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL and Facebook — now account for 68 percent of all online ad revenue.

The report notes that these technology “intermediaries” are increasingly controlling the future of news.

Newspapers take it on the chin as online ad revenue falls into the hands of a few tech giants - GeekWire

Business & Technology | Groupon launching appointment scheduling tool | Seattle Times Newspaper

Groupon provides a new service to help individuals and organizations manage all the stuff they buy/sell on Groupon

The tool is based on technology from a Canadian company it bought last fall, OpenCal.

Groupon users will be able to book appointments when they buy a Groupon, or wait till later. They can also change or cancel appointments online. Users can also continue to schedule with the merchant directly.

The tool will let merchants track their customers, including what other appointments they have made and how much they spend during each visit.

Business & Technology | Groupon launching appointment scheduling tool | Seattle Times Newspaper

What's Coming in Microsoft OneNote 15 [Supersite for Windows]

Final paragraph of a Paul Thurrott preview

There's more, but as always, this is just a quick look at those improvements that stand out to me. OneNote 15 isn't as big a leap as, say, Word 15, but then this excellent note-taking solution was already an excellent solution in the 2010 version. I like that the cloud sync functionality is more automatic and seamless, and this alone puts it over the top.

What's Coming in Microsoft OneNote 15

Cisco's Bold Networking Start-Up - NYTimes.com

Apparently Cisco now subscribes to the view (attributed to Edwin Land) that “Someone is going to make your product obsolete. Make sure it's you.”

In a recent call with journalists, John Chambers, Cisco’s chief executive, said the company had “reinvented” itself and was now a big believer in software-defined networking. Insiemi could be a networking product that would bridge the custom and commodity worlds for Cisco.

[…]

Insiemi could be one of the great face-offs in enterprise computing. Two of Arista’s founders, Andreas von Bechtolsheim and David Cheriton, sold an earlier company to Cisco. They are also both billionaires, thanks to early investments in Google. Arista’s chief executive, Jayshree Ullal, is a former chief engineering director at Cisco. The three Cisco engineers involved in Insiemi, Mario Mazzola, Prem Jain, and Luca Cafiero, are also wealthy, thanks to their work inside companies they led, which were hatched inside Cisco, financed largely by Cisco and then purchased by Cisco.

Cisco's Bold Networking Start-Up - NYTimes.com

In Praise of Apple's iPad (the First One) - Businessweek

It would be fascinating to see how the original iPad evolved during the couple years when it was sidelined while Apple went to market with the iPhone first

On this, the momentous debut day of Apple’s new iPad, it’s time to reflect on another tablet that hit the market two years ago and, in some respects, is just as flashy and functional as the new ballyhooed version. It’s got the same size screen, about the same 1.5 lb. weight, runs the same operating system, and the same apps. It has no camera, and its processor is a little pokier, but really, if we’re honest, it does most of what you want in a tablet—and does it well. I’m talking of course about the original iPad.

The first iPad embodies something rare in technology gadgets: a pioneering product that got it pretty much right.

In Praise of Apple's iPad (the First One) - Businessweek

The personalized web is just an interest graph away [GigaOM]

Check the full post for an interest graph market snapshot

Much as social graphs are maps of our social media connections that follow us across the web, interest graphs are maps of our interests. Some companies want them to follow us across the web, too, meaning that wherever we go, there we are. There’ll be no more need to search through news sites for the stories we want, or shopping sites for the products we want, because the site will know as soon as we hit its system who we are and what we like.

Whether you’re fascinated or appalled by the idea of interest graphs, here’s a taste of how they might work.

[…]

http://gigaom.com/cloud/the-personalized-web-is-just-an-interest-graph-away/

Google Apps VP Dave Girouard Leaving to Start a Company - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD

I look forward to seeing what he’ll be up to next; check the full article for Google org transition details

Dave Girouard, who is Google’s VP of apps, is leaving the company, Google said today.

Girouard had been responsible for Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and other cloud applications.

After eight years at Google, Girouard plans to start his own company, though not in the enterprise space. Google Ventures will be investing in his start-up, alongside Kleiner Perkins and NEA.

Google Apps VP Dave Girouard Leaving to Start a Company - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD

The Encyclopedia Britannica was expensive, useless, and exploitative. I’m glad it’s gone. - Slate Magazine

I have happy memories of flipping through (Britannica and World Book) encyclopedias as a child, but I also agree with the perspectives in this Slate article

My advice is to make the wiser, cheaper choice, one that will prove more helpful to your kids in the long run: Pay nothing to Britannica and teach your young ones to use Google and Wikipedia. While there are many legitimate complaints to be leveled at Wikipedia (rarely, it gets things wrong; sometimes, its entries are vandalized), the free, crowdsourced encyclopedia is better than Britannica in every way. It’s cheaper, it’s bigger, it’s more accessible, it’s more inclusive of differing viewpoints and subjects beyond traditional academic scholarship, its entries tend to include more references, and it is more up to date.

Most importantly, learning to navigate Google and Wikipedia prepares you for the real world, while learning to use Britannica teaches you nothing beyond whatever subject you’re investigating at the moment.

The Encyclopedia Britannica was expensive, useless, and exploitative. I’m glad it’s gone. - Slate Magazine

CHART OF THE DAY: The Evolution Of How People Use iPads

See the full post for more charts; I’ve included the one I found most interesting below

Here is a series of charts we made from data by Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster. Munster has been interviewing people in line for the iPad each year it was released. You can see the evolution of how people plan to use iPads.

CHART OF THE DAY: The Evolution Of How People Use iPads

Tablet computers: Difference engine: The empire strikes back | The Economist

“Ingenious,” as forced marches go – from an Economist Windows 8 tablet perspective

Could a similar fate be in store for Microsoft’s latest ARM affair? To have any chance of succeeding with a Windows tablet, Microsoft has to persuade its huge army of third-party developers to create applications for WOA. Under normal circumstances, few would bother.
Microsoft’s answer is ingenious. The company has designed WOA so that not only is it unable to run existing Windows programs, but it also cannot use a software emulator as a fudge for doing so. The only applications that will run on the ARM flavour of Windows 8 are programs written specifically to work with the new Metro interface that WOA shares with the desktop version of Windows 8. Any software developer wishing to write an application for the desktop version will therefore automatically produce code for an ARM version as well.

Tablet computers: Difference engine: The empire strikes back | The Economist

'This American Life' Retracts Mike Daisey’s Apple Exposé [Slate]

This is likely to become an information responsibility milestone (and to keep many Apple lawyers gainfully employed for a while)

In a surprising turn of events, This American Life announced this afternoon that it is retracting its exposé of the working conditions at Apple’s factories in China. The show will address the retraction in this week’s episode, in which they’ll devote an entire hour to the subject. The episode will go up tonight, a couple days earlier than most episodes, which are usually posted on Sunday. They explained the decision on the episode’s page:

Regrettably, we have discovered that one of our most popular episodes was partially fabricated. This week, we devote the entire hour to detailing the errors in "Mr. Daisey Goes to the Apple Factory," Mike Daisey’s story about visiting Foxconn, an Apple supplier factory in China. Rob Schmitz, a reporter for Marketplace, raises doubts on much of Daisey's story . . . Ira also talks with Mike Daisey about why he misled This American Life during the fact-checking process. And we end the show separating fact from fiction, when it comes to Apple's manufacturing practices in China.

'This American Life' Retracts Mike Daisey’s Apple Exposé

Pinterest addresses copyright concerns - The Washington Post

A lot like YouTube for images (and other multimedia), but without Google’s resources (and legal department) behind it

In a statement, the company said that it believes that it is protected under the safe harbor of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and that it is committed to quickly responding to alleged copyright issues. Other companies, such as YouTube, adopt a similar strategy on content posted to their Web sites.

Pinterest also said that the feedback from content creators has been largely positive — not litigious — because Pinterest drives traffic back to other Web sites.

Pinterest addresses copyright concerns - The Washington Post

The Blog Post That Drove Rush Limbaugh to Tweet - Yahoo! News [Atlantic Wire]

Likely to become a case study in putting out fire with gasoline

While it's not surprising that Limbaugh would want to drive readers to Jacobson's post, it is odd that he was so excited to drive them there that he embraced an entirely new platform of communication to do so! It makes it look like he knows he's under fire, and he's looking for new ways to combat his opponents by entering the fast-paced and often uncivil twitter-sphere

The Blog Post That Drove Rush Limbaugh to Tweet - Yahoo! News

Microsoft Office 15 Preview [Supersite for Windows]

Office 15 pays the Metro strategy tax; see the full review for more Office 15 details

After rebooting the tablet and signing in to Windows 8, I immediately scrolled to the end of the Start screen, knowing full well that Office had dumped some number of live tiles there. But even I was surprised by how many there were.

(Will Microsoft clean this up? I would bet so.)

Microsoft Office 15 Preview