13 May 2002
Mon, 13 May 2002
Will the blogs kill old media?
Steven Levy writing for NewsWeek via MSNBC:
Already we’re seeing some of the more popular practitioners sell out entirely to the Big Guys. Last week pioneer journo-blogger Mickey Kaus rocked the Blogosphere by announcing that Microsoft-owned Slate had snapped up his one-man shop Kausfiles lock, stock and software. My old NEWSWEEK colleague Kaus had hinted as much to me a few days before the announcement but wouldn’t give the details. “Sorry,” he told me, “but I promised the exclusive to InstaPundit.” And why not? InstaPundit’s Reynolds is an insider now.[NewsWeek via MSNBC]
This is an interesting article that expands on the previous stories we've seen about blogs in big media. It also includes a video interview with Steven Levy.
Posted at: 19:32 | permalink
The voice of reason
There is another virus going around today, though, that's much more serious. I call it the "I Hate You" virus. It's spread on the Internet and by satellite TV. It infects people's minds with the most vile ideas, and it can't be combated by just downloading a software program. It can be reversed only with education, exchanges, diplomacy and human interaction — stuff you have to upload the old-fashioned way, one on one. Let's hope it's not too late. [NY Times]
Posted at: 17:26 | permalink
Dave Winer illuminates the cultural shift on the internet
DaveNet: Monoculture, an Artifact of the 20th Century? 
[Scripting News]
This article resonated with me for a number of reasons not the least of which was that I started publishing song of the week and image of the week this morning. As a musician and a photographer, I could sit in my house waiting for someone to discover my work or I can put out a bit at a time; see if there is any interest. Reaching a global audience like that was impossible just 10 years ago. Reaching an audience like that via syndication was impossible 5 years ago. But I can make my recordings and photographs and I don't have to be Van Halen or Galen Rowell to discover an audience, no matter how small. And that's profound.
Posted at: 17:21 | permalink
Jon Udell on tacit knowledge and software usability
Jon Udell:
Tacit knowledge and software usability As technologists, we hold all sorts of knowledge that is tacit. We ourselves don't realize that we possess it, and we don't realize that others (most others) don't. Radio does a remarkable job of delivering an out-of-the-box experience that doesn't depend on too much tacit knowledge. When you try to go further, you're on a slippery slope, but this is true of all software. [Jon's Radio]
Jon makes some excellent points here that reflect my own views. One way to conceive of the very best software is to imagine that the slippery slope Jon refers to is least slippery. That is, in the best software, advanced usage does not throw you into the bowels of hell the minute you start to explore beyond the surface but rather gradually reveals itself over time, in bite-size chunks.
Posted at: 16:57 | permalink
Link Hype joins the blogdex, daypop, RCS fray
Linkhype.com [Disenchanted's Recent Referers]
Posted at: 16:45 | permalink
Lands' End bigger than I thought
Sears to Buy Lands' End for $1.9 Billion. Sears, Roebuck and Co. said it agreed to buy Lands' End for about $1.9 billion in a bid to revive its apparel business. By Reuters. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
Posted at: 16:33 | permalink
Commodes cleaner than computers
This doesn't surprise me but it's still disturbing. Deeply disturbing. Workstations 'Dirtier Than Toilets' [Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters]
Posted at: 16:31 | permalink
Software and cars don't mix
NY Times:
If you've wondered what a car from
Microsoft might be like, the 7 offers a clue. You half expect it to ask, "Where do you want to go today?" Dazed by a Technical Knockout. The BMW 745i is a remarkable car with so many genuine technical advancements that it is surely the world's most advanced sedan. By James G. Cobb. [New York Times: Technology]
The BMW brand is running so strong that we now refer to the BMW 7 Series as merely, the 7. Reminds me of the way that everybody referred to I-5 in Seattle as the 5. That must cause some real confusion when you go into a BMW dealer in Seattle to buy a 5 Series. "I'd like to buy the 5." You wanna buy what? A highway?
Posted at: 16:27 | permalink
Wired mangles the PC noise story
PCs: For Whom the Decibels Toll. Add this to the list of complaints against personal computers: The noise they make annoys some people to no end. But it's not like noise is going to affect purchasing decisions. Or is it? By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News]
This article is noteworthy for one reason - it demonstrates how severely pros can mangle the facts to produce articles lacking context. First, Apple itself has been talking about it's quiet, fan-less designs for over 2 years. Last, there are some pros that noticed the story almost 2 years ago. This article understates the fact that Apple has lead the market with this design. The fact that the Intel PC world is just now taking notice is telling to the extent that it demonstrates the reactionary product design stance that Intel derivative products are taking with noise reduction.
Posted at: 08:49 | permalink
Ugo Cei's got an updated CocoBlog
CocoBlog 0.0.2 released. I just uploaded a new relase of CocoBlog here. [Be Blogging]
Posted at: 07:53 | permalink
Song of the week
This is a cover of Pat Metheny's Travels done by my fusion band: Dunne, Hankle, Watson, and Weibel. For those not familiar with Metheny, this tune features a lot of soft acoustic guitar and plenty of Americana - more folk than jazz. Check out the beautiful electric guitar solo near the end.
Posted at: 00:16 | permalink
