Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:58 AM. - No comments
I'm starting to think our government is run by evil aliens on a mission to troll us until we give up entirely. These internet bills are just getting ridiculous.
In any case, this is just another in a long list of legislation that is by the government for the government, I'm sure it helps big corporations somehow.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 8:27 AM. - No comments
This guy, Barry Collins, gets challenged by Microsoft to try Hotmail, has a good time with it, and at the last minute his account gets hacked. He then writes his entire story to revolve around this hacking incident, which he describes as compromising the majority of his online accounts.
Hotmail does have a reputation for getting hacked, much more so than Gmail, but I don't think this has much to do with the service itself. It has far more to do with the expertise of it's users, and the things they do online.
The simple fact that all Barry's accounts were compromised points to him using the same password everywhere. Someone could have easily mined his password from a different service and used it here.
This is just Bogus, if your story is going to be about hotmail's lack of security, why not back it up with some data? and why not cover more of the rest of your experience?
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:18 PM. - No comments
It appears as though Klout is about popularity pure and simple. The most popular influencers are the ones that can find and exploit the average. If you aren't trying to be one of those people, your Klout score isn't going to be great, that's it.
If you're happy with developing real relationships and having fun experiences, I wouldn't worry about Klout.
"Over time, I found my eyes drifting to tweets from folks with the lowest Klout scores. They talked about things nobody else was talking about. Sitcoms in Haiti. Quirky museum exhibits. Strange movie-theater lobby cards from the 1970s. The un-Kloutiest’s thoughts, jokes, and bubbles of honest emotion felt rawer, more authentic, and blissfully oblivious to the herd. Like unloved TV shows, these people had low Nielsen ratings—no brand would ever bother to advertise on their channels. And yet, these were the people I paid the most attention to. They were unique and genuine."
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:59 AM. - No comments
The data wrangler extraordinaire Luke W has pulled up some pretty compelling data on mobile OS fragmentation, and it doesn't look good for Android. More than just having a billion different handsets on a billion different versions of Android, the Android versions are mega old.
"92.8% of Android users are on version 2 (2.1-2.3) of the operating system. Just 2.9% are on the latest version 4. (source)"
Unsurprisingly Apple is doing a much better job of keeping their handsets up to date, but not as good as one might think.
"All of Apple's smartphones released in the past three years support the latest version of iOS. (source)"
"15 weeks after launch iOS 4 was at 70% and iOS 5 was at 60% while Ice Cream Sandwich got to just 1% share at the same age. (source)"
I expected Apple to have numbers much closer to 100%, there was no data on Apples current numbers, but if you didn't update after 15 weeks you probably aren't going to. Overall I think the computing industry has done a terrible job of selling customer on why they should stay up to date, and even worse in enabling them to do so.
Windows finally made it an automatic process and I feel like Apple is starting to move in that direction. I'm not sure consumers will ever care to update, as long as things are working, but it's a necessary evil.
I don't write software for delivering ads, but how hard can it be to tell whether your user is male or female? I'd bet many users would just offer their demographic data to their web browser, if prompted, especially if it was mostly anonymous.
If Google Chrome would promise that I never received an ad for a tampon again, i'd do it. Maybe these people are just trying too hard... maybe I under-estimate the paranoia of the general public.
Why hasn't a web browser offered to collect and store this information? or sell it? Seems like a win-win-win.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:10 AM. -
As usual, the majority of tech blogs and pundits didn't go beyond Twitter's press release to truly understand what this move actually means.
Fortunately Marco Arment did.
This agreement has been given all the loopholes needed for Twitter to continue to do pretty much anything they want with the patents their engineers create. It basically amounts to nothing more than a ploy for PR and good will from consumers.
Ikea is finally pushing forward with something I have actually wanted, furniture with integrated web-enabled TV, speakers, and Blu-ray. The screen sizes range from 24 to 48 inches. I for one, can't wait to see this become more mainstream, and move to other types of furniture as well.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:11 AM. -
Bummer, looks like Windows phones are dealing with more than just a late start. Having a bad reputation or no reputation at all is going to be their biggest hurdle. Where are Microsoft ad dollars going? I haven't seen anything substantial to date, maybe they are holding off until they iron a few more kinks.
In any case, I hope the only way Microsoft is going to solve this is with some great PR and whole lot of time.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:05 PM. -
A piece of genius that points out the obvious. It's amazingly easy to get caught up in the design of the aesthetic and forget about the the design of the user experience.
"...Real design is about creating a thoughtful, engaging user experience. Aesthetic styling can be then applied to enhance the experience as long as it doesn’t get in its way. There’s a reason why the most successful internet companies have fairly utilitarian design — take Facebook, Google or Amazon as an example. The focus is on creating a fantastic experience that delights users and adds value."
- Uzi Shmilovici
On paper this seems like a great idea, but in reality I think it will fail.
The app markets are going to be flooded with largely similar apps with minor content variations. Ultimately this dilution will make the endeavor mostly fruitless for artists as profits slide, while making it more challenging for users to find the best of these apps.
I'm sure many of the artists will also choose to put in minimal effort on contributing to these apps or even have PR people populating the app for the artists.
The real winners here will be the people stamping out the apps.
Whoa, this is way off the mark. I do realize that attacking popular technology companies is a great way to generate page views but this is moronic. Claiming that Google is not innovative because they copied other technologies, that's just getting desperate for attack ammo. All innovations are based off their predecessors.
Just dumb.
Even more so, the entire concept of the article is that Google would be better off if they did not try to hold control of their company, because then they would be accountable to shareholders.
Really? Seriously?
That worked out great for Microsoft right? Dell? Yahoo? AOL?
Oh I get it, having a group of people, interested in making a quick buck off your company, with major influence over all decisions in your company is a fantastic idea. Should drive some deep innovation.
I have aggressively avoided buying an E-reader for the simple fact that my primary reading time is at night, and I would still need a reading light.
I can't believe it took this long!
I probably won't buy a nook because I love Amazons eco-system, but I bet this will drive Amazon to add integrated lighting into their devices. This will at the least drive great press towards nook, and at the most revitalize their sales numbers. Good move Barnes and Noble.
Miles Morales meeting Peter Parker for some training or something? Sounds like a decent idea to me. I don't actually read many comics these days, but this article was a great primer on the world of the newest Spider-man, Miles, and why this cross-over will work out just fine.
If this portrayal of Miles is accurate I would love to see a Spider-man movie based on him. I'm getting pretty tired of super hero's that are great at everything all the time. Show some real danger make it interesting.
Best Buy is going the way of the dinosaurs, extinction! Last month, Best Buy announced the closing of 50 stores, and now the CEO has resigned. Their primary competition Circuit City did the same after suffering a quick downward spiral, following the rise of online purchasing.
As seldom as I frequent Best Buy, or even shop there online, I want them to stick around. When I find myself needing something in a hurry they generally have whatever it is I'm looking for. I do, however, realize that accessories and small ticket items cannot keep the employees or the bills paid. Oh well, I buy 99% of my stuff on the Internet now anyway.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:33 AM. -
Wanna take a ride on the nostalgia highway of Portland's past slave trade? Apparently in the early days of Portland it wasn't uncommon for bar patrons to be held captive and sold into slavery, and to the Chinese no less.
Oh Portland, always surprising us with your shady under belly.
Realistically 600,000 is a small number, but still this seems to be the first wide spread mal-ware infection of Mac PCs.
More than being a bad PR item for one of the Macs major selling points, this highlights Apple's decreased focus on their standard computing platform. Had this attack occurred on IOS it would have been dealt with swiftly and probably never would have seen the light of day.
It should be interesting to see how and if Apple PR try to tackle this.
"Mozilla has opted for the middle path through Microsoft’s guidelines for building Windows 8 apps, passing on a pure Metro app and instead making the browser a “Metro style enabled desktop browser.” That means that Firefox for Windows 8 is a hybrid app that can be run as a normal desktop application or as a Metro app." -Scott Gilbertson Web Monkey
The middle path is what critics have been worried about the whole time, and I find it disturbing. The fact that Mozilla will try to have one app that attempts to marry such disparate UI schemes sounds like a disaster. If all app makers are planning to take this approach, I foresee catastrophe.
I knew Windows 8 would provide both Desktop and Touch support, but I did not know the apps could do the same. If I were Microsoft I would force apps to be one or the other, and highly incentivise them to be metro. Otherwise we are going to have a sea of confused consumers trying to understand which apps work where and why "my internet is not a touch thingy", and general mayhem.
I hope Firefox is alone in this middle path, but I get a feeling they are the beginning of a worrisome trend.
This is a fantastic distinction to make, all too often highly visible innovations are considered invention because no one noticed what came before it. Some might even argue that no one has ever invented anything, which would probably be wrong, but arguable none the less.
"In its purest sense, "invention" can be defined as the creation of a product or introduction of a process for the first time. "Innovation," on the other hand, occurs if someone improves on or makes a significant contribution to an existing product, process or service."
It is also nice to see the vale lifted on many of the process entrepreneurs are using to develop their ideas, innovation/invention/entrepreneurship has long been the realm of the 'lucky' and 'gifted'. Where there is actually a process of trial and error and tons of hard work.
On a similar note see Remix Everything, a complete video series on how innovation works within the arts.
Paper is about what it sounds like, paper. A no frills app that provides creators with a place to sketch and draw. It promises realistic and enjoyable pen, pencil, watercolors and more. The article reads like a clinic on a creating a great app and I think this app will have some huge sales. If for no other reason than insane attention to detail and desire to make something truly great.
It is a bit worrisome that this application yearns for an excellent stylus, and to my knowledge there aren't any available. I've only heard good things about the cosmonaut, from studio neat, and unfortunately that stylus is not known for its precision but for its comfort. Maybe Paper will give rise to the first great stylus for IOS?
With stories like this one cropping up, it's making me wonder if dedicated portable game devices are even necessary anymore?
Sony's PS Vita has had many issues since launch, not to mention the Sony Online Entertainment hacking last year. Screen problems, hackers, and poor sales, make me really think that this is the last "nail in the coffin" for dedicated portable gaming systems, or at least Sony's efforts.
Could also be titled, how to make sure flash dies a horrible death. I see where they're going with this. If they can generate new revenues from the last viable group of developers still using their product, then maybe they can pivot flash into a new type of platform."
I expect that devs affected by this price increase will leave in droves.
Sobering look at a long career in the advertising industry and the realizations one well spoken man had about those years.
"I find myself glazing over but politely listen as they brag about who’s had the least sleep and the most takaway food. “I haven’t seen my wife since January, I can’t feel my legs any more and I think I have scurvy but another three weeks and we’ll be done. It’s got to be done by then The client’s going on holiday. What do I think?”
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:45 AM. -
I can't imagine what possessed these Blue Stack folks to want to do this. I doubt this will ever become very popular or profitable, especially not profitable. I do see value in being able to use some of your favorite android apps on windows. Some apps are so good, you wish you could use them on all your devices, but can't.
For instance, Pulse or Path. Two excellent apps with amazing UI's that have no PC counter parts. I can't imagine the experience of using touch optimized apps on a PC will be great though.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:05 AM. -
Some spot on illustrations by the folks over at Your Scene Sucks. I have to say, if your style can be summed up by an illustrator and neatly packaged into a genre, you are not being original. Not that you need to be.
Anyway this is a fun look at several sub-cultures and their interesting clothing choices.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:49 AM. -
This guy is a monster at creating alphabets based on characters from particular universes: Simpsons, Dr. Suess, Sesame Street, and more. He also has many other clever design projects included on his blog.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:13 AM. -
In unsurprising fashion the gold plated unicorn of HTML5 is proving to be highly impractical in the short term, while remaining the industry favorites. I can totally understand why it's the industry favorite, but by the time it's in wide spread use I'm afraid it may be irrelevant.
Also while HTML5 continues to blossom, the divide between hate for flash and underdeveloped HTML5 is strengthening the native app market. Creating a continually steeper hill for HTML5 apps to climb, when that option finally becomes viable.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:59 PM. -
A video series covering a ton of concepts important to creators. While remix and re-use is a large theme in this series, there is so much more. Anyone who creates anything should get familiar with this series, it has changed the way I think about creating things.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:59 AM. -
Fantastic write up about why the curators code is stupid, a must read for any blogger. I do have a nit to pick with Marco's argument about the value of discovery. I agree that in general discovery has very little value, and for the reasons Marco sites in the article.
However, there is a special case were discovery has significant value. When a website is creating real value by investing time, skill, and effort into finding and curating things that are not easily found.
For Instance, the popular blog letters of note spends a great deal of time and effort finding letters scattered throughout the interwebs. They come up with gems buried in historical archives the truly shed light on a historical time, a particular place or culture. While the wares they dish out are not authored by them they present huge value to the internet and the world at large.
In many cases, their hard work is rewarded by complete re-posting ( like this ) of their article with a minuscule attribution somewhere near the end , which of course creates no incentive for the reader to click through to the 'Original' discovery. This is causes enormous damage to these types of discovery sites and in the end could be their demise.
While it's still early in the life cycle of electric and hybrids cars, problems like these should never exist. To move battery powered technologies forward, in general, these companies need have sterling reputations and get these things bulletproof from the beginning. There will always be problems with cars, electric or not, but these automobile makers need to realize that Luddites and nut-balls are looking for a reason to nay-say. So concentrating your efforts on avoiding catastrophic failures is paramount. At the least a car should never be bricked.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:40 AM. -
Will this make AMD a contender again? I hate to be a hipster but I remember when AMD was cool. I bought an AMD Athlon Barton 2500 for a hot new gaming rig back in the day.
This is a beast! It boasts the new Intel C606 chipset for Dual Xeon X5-Class processor support, 4-Way SLI, SATA-6G & SAS-3G RAID, up to 96GB DDR3 SDRAM !! Can you imagine playing any game on this?
Yes, for anything less than a server it may be overkill, but who cares, I WANT, I WANT !!!!
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:49 AM. -
What a fantastic sci-fi short, and my favorite kind of sci-fi too. Not just explosions and space opera but a real thinking mans dilemma about science, consciousness, and pushing the boundaries of human achievement. I would love to see this get turned into a full length film.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:39 PM. -
It's a concept I've been thinking about for a while, fragmentation. Not just fragmentation of android handsets but fragmentation of concepts, technologies, and just about anything else android gets near. It's a huge problem that's continuing to grow and it's something all technology makers need to be thinking a lot more about.
You know your problem is gigantic when snl is making fun of it, check out this great sketch that sums it nicely.
A couple IOS indy game developers find it's easier to make money doing something else, and release their games open source. It's neat to see people doing something for the good of everyone. Hopefully this will create some great new games.
I didn't read the words, but it was nice of extreme tech to put the youtube videos in one place. Microsoft has a great start on a lot of 3d technologies including interfaces, gesture controls, and more. If their marketing team doesn't screw it up they might have a good jump on the competition, if there is any.
I think projects like these should be funded, if not by grants then by loans, by governments. Imagine how much economic capital will be gained by the first country to control an exa-flop computer. Not too mention the kinds of discoveries this kind of processing power could churn out, and with all these new findings comes jobs.
Come on USA build one these mega super computers and give it a power source.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:21 AM. -
Make things easier to do while giving people an experience they enjoy and they'll spend more money. Costco did the same thing 30 years ago in brick and mortar. Interestingly Costco offers two levels of membership and ends up making more profit off the member's with the more expensive membership. I've always thought amazon, netflix, and hulu, should offer several levels of service.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:35 AM. -
A lot of people seem concerned that this isn't the right solution, it's probably not, but its a great a start. Why not try something,even if it fails. The vast amount of things we stand to learn from this amazing project will be worth however much gets spent on it. I would bet that discoveries would not be limited to neuroscience but we would make huge findings in technology, computer science, and probably things we wouldn't even imagine.
I'm for any scientific project that is gigantic and ground breaking, it's how societies advance, even if the projects fail.
Huh, A social network is more than just a set of bits that allows people to communicate? It's an evolving community of people that develop social norms and practices that enable the community to thrive? Imagine that.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:12 AM. -
An interesting look at how real people are using software in their businesses, apparently writing on computer monitors with whiteboard markers. I think this behavior is indicative of two things, software creators inabilities or unwillingness to address consumers needs and consumers inability or unwillingness to pay for what they need.
Would the restaurant in this article pay an additional $10-$15 k for the solution they actually need or continue writing on a LCD monitor with a whiteboard marker?
I would bet the marker
Then again maybe this shows an inability in the market place for supply to meet demand in a way that satisfies everyone.
Lobbying/pr firms are threatening scientific publications for publishing information, in an attempt to delay or squash information that may damage their cause. This sort of thing is highly unethical and should be a crime.
I doubt this is the first time this has happened and it won't be the last, but the good of both individuals and the greater public is being eviscerated in order to make a few people a little richer.
It should be a crime to not publish scientific information in a timely manner, much less trying to stop others from publishing.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:45 AM. -
The hyperbole is a bit thick, but I agree with the idea. Also, I do not approve of the word 'kill', gigantic multi-national corporations don't just keel over from a single point of failure. It takes tons of problems, a lack of innovation, and years for a company this big to go under. If it ever does. Most likely a company like Microsoft will manage to find a way to keep running for dozens if not hundreds of years, not that it will be a
I could not disagree more, although many of the features of IOS and OS X are converging, the OS's are not. Apple is taking the best concepts from each OS and cross pollinating them into the other, while at the same unifying features that already do the same thing. This will make both OS's better and the experience of moving between the two better, while still maintaining the distinct advantages that both platforms offer.
As for his predictions that everything will be everywhere, sure why not? All the built-in apple IOS apps cover basic functionality you would want on any computer, and same goes for their services.
However, the input methods for OS X and IOS will always be different which requires different work flows and methodologies. Mouse/Keyboard and Touch interfaces are not interchangeable, and never will be.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:10 AM. -
This explain a lot, I was wondering how these websites continue to lose money despite having some of the best content, tons of experience, and outstanding talent. It appears that the people making decisions are terrible at it.
From the article,
" On the other hand, it’s hard to see how publishers are ever going to persuade marketers to spend real money on their websites as long as those advertisers can see those publishers treating their own web inventory as next to worthless."
It brings up a good point, as premier bloggers and writers are reducing their ad space and doing a better job of putting their advertisers first, its only going to get more and more difficult for these major publishers. Take a note for daringfireball.net , have few advertisers and treat them like kings.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:54 PM. -
Yet another great example of politicians attempting to legislate things that they know nothing about, and putting the burden of their whimsies on the backs of others. Don't get me wrong, their are a lot of great concepts here. There are also plenty of laws that need to be created to protect consumers from unscrupulous companies, but it must be within reason.
It needs to be technologically and economically feasible on a large scale at the very least, and these laws also need to take into consideration the effects on the common good of all people. Information is power after all.
A good quote that sums up the legislation from the source article,
"
The right to be forgotten could make Facebook and Google, for example, liable for up to two percent of their global income if they fail to remove photos that people post about themselves and later regret, even if the photos have been widely distributed already."
Catch that? "even if the photos have been widely distributed" meaning reshared by dozens, hundreds, even thousands. This is true for google is well who would essentially have to black every page with the offending content.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:31 AM. -
You may remember from an earlier post, that David Ogilvy is one the original 'Mad Men', or works in advertising. His list of ten writing tips sent to employees or colleagues is generally meant for business, but holds up pretty well in any context.
It would be nice to see more of this type of thing coming from bosses within companies right here in the 21st century. Most of the stuff I've seen given as workplace advice is generally garbage.
A few of my favorites,
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. 7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning — and then edit it.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:26 PM. -
I'm not sure why the Gruber is even bothering to engage on this issue. The tactic of saying, "Apple should be worried about x", is clearly a strategy to somehow include Apple in a post to get more hits. Anyone who thinks rationally can't possibly believe the assertions made by the majority of these stories.
This is just like when every android phone made was an "iPhone Killer". It's just a dumb strategy to drum up undeserved page views, by people who have nothing worth while to write about.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:35 AM. -
A fascinating look at a person and the corporate culture he helps create within Facebook. His strategies get at the root of the problem that most corporate propaganda strategies experience. They feel fake and impersonal and largely go unnoticed, if not mocked, by the employees they are meant to inspire. These campaigns are usually created by a team of execs who have little or no passion for the art or the message. This is corporate propaganda done right and should be a model for large companies everywhere.
Seems a bit first world to buy a device to make drinking tap water a better experience. People die everyday from horrible drinking water. But it's still true that in many cities the tap water tastes terrible and people only drink bottled water. If this actually works it might be a good investment.
The Kodak ship has been sinking for quite a long time, and while you can't blame a company for cutting costs and capitalizing on their most profitable products, they will be taking their flagship product out of the view of consumers. Cameras are Kodaks last direct connection to consumers and while they plan to license their name to others manufactures, I can't imagine who would want it. The name Kodak has become synonymous with low quality in the digital camera market. I can only imagine that nothing good will come of this.
The article does say they plan to focus on their commercial ventures, lets see how that goes...
The dark elves are way over-powered. Their ability to regenerate and ghost people gives them a wicked huge advantage. I think unbalanced game play is one of the worst things that can happen to a game, either you get unfairly stomped on, or you're unfairly stomping. I don't find either fun.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 1:46 PM. - No comments
Although this is not the first time open source textbooks have been attempted, this is a major university working in tandem with a 3rd party, and the texts are peer reviewed.
It's a new approach to an old problem, hopefully it will work this time. Who knows what opensource actually means in this context, other than free to read on the web, but I would bet these texts appear on the iPad and Android tablets quickly.
Hopefully between Apple and Rice some real market disruption can start taking place.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:52 AM. - No comments
It's amazing to see how wrong the governments, corporations, and media are getting hackers. Continuing to lump them into a group having only terroristic motivations. Many hack for fun, profit, terrorism, boredom, and a number of other causes. Characterizing the real root cause is the start to addressing the problem.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:06 PM. -
This is an insanely fantastic post, that covers the intricacies of employees and employers trying to use leverage against each other to make or save money. It also covers the many reasons why this is damaging and good sign that the relationship is beyond repair. I agree wholeheartedly, but he did fail to recognize, as if often the case, that many people don't have infinite job mobility and sometimes companies don't have the luxury of turnover either.
This sounds insane and compelling at the same time. When it comes to our bodies I have a libertarian mindset, I think we should all be responsible for own choices. However, stronger education would provide a huge a benefit maybe pushing this in the direction that sugar is more like a drug than a food group would be a good thing.
I think it's clear that prohibition has never worked against anything, so why try it with sugar as well?
Mainly a list of IOS apps with a few web services. There are some good recommendations, and some interesting items I've never heard of. There also lots that are already very popular.... Worth a skim though.
Although Mr. Gruber didn't say a whole lot about the statistics, I do want to analyze this statement,
"I suspect many Apple watchers consider the iPad an iPhone-like success — but it’s far bigger."
I take this to mean that the iPad and iPhone successes are separate incidences. I think the most important implication of the graph is that there has been a direct correlation between each device and it's successor, and how they build on the success of the last generation.
This graph also shows the significant impact that customer trust has on future sales. The hard work that Apple has done to gain the trust of iPod and then iPhone users is paying off in iPad sales.
This strategy of attack ads seems highly mis-guided, while it will surely knock google down a notch in the eyes of many, it does nothing to lift Microsoft. I think if anyone gains an advantage from these types of exchanges its the small up and comers, who are either now or will be in the future competing against google, also bloggers.
Thoughts: My first thought is that some sort of sea monster( dinosaur) is going to mess some fools up. This has all the makings of a B rate horror film. Upon further examination this has someoutstanding scientific implications. Assuming new species of animals are found we could learn a ton about evolution and biology, and just having an empty 20 million year old lake could provide tons of info about the history of the earth, chemistry, climatology, etc.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 12:56 PM. -
What:
Basically Five Things That Suck in Comics
Thoughts: Although I'm not a huge comic reader, I absolutely hate the multi-verse. It's just a way to expand a story with out the characters actually having to pay a cost. Often times they go to the multi-verse and a character you love gets killed there and then they come home and nothing has changed in the 'real' universe. The story is rarely advanced by this. I guess the X-men did bring home a dragon from the multi-verse.
Anywho, I agree with everything in this manifesto and found the comics code to be new info, what a terrible idea.
What:
An excellent review of the SOPA/PIPA incident, post mortem.
Thoughts:
Among the cadre of excellent points brought up by this article was one I had not yet considered, these bills shifted the burden of piracy from entertainment companies to technology companies. One of the main provisions of this bill would force websites and possibly ISPs to proactively monitor their users and ferret out pirates or face lawsuits. These monitoring activities would cost the companies involved in enforcing them hundreds of millions if not billions, no wonder these technology companies took notice of these bills and were so offended.
Ketamine also known as special K shows immediate and significant improvements to depression.
Thoughts: Is there something that young people taking animal tranquilizers can't do? Seriously though, how has it not yet been discovered that a commonly used medicine has such significant and import impact on such a serious condition. Although this is a great find, I think it also points out how poorly our medical system has done at finding new and innovative treatments.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:25 AM. -
What: 7.1 GB wireless transfer built into a tablet computer
Thoughts: Hopefully this technology will lead the way for wirelessly connecting computing devices to monitors. I have long dreamed of quickly switching between laptops, tablets, desktop computers on one monitor with no wires. Also it would be a great way to replace all set top boxes with i-Devices and various other tablets or phones. Seriously set top box makers should be worrying about their future in 3-5 years, if they aren't already.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:51 AM. -
What:
An article discussing the sudden popularity of statisticians.
Thoughts:
I didn't know a person needed a degree in stats, I always thought of it as something that could be learned or part of a math skill set, apparently I was wrong. I'm sure there are tons of people from other disciplines that are doing great work in the field, but the guys in the article are the ones getting the big bucks. This reminds of the mid nineties tech boom when programmers were in short demand and getting insane salaries. I wonder why this keeps happening, is it a failure of the colleges, a success of innovation, or something entirely different?
“Most of my life I went to parties and heard a little groan when people heard what I did,” says Robert Tibshirani, a statistics professor at Stanford University. “Now they’re all excited to meet me.”
Thoughts:
Seems like generally good rules , I appreciate when my management does these things. Probably should be titled 7 tips or something, also this guy needs to run his stuff through a spell checker, and maybe a few more proof reads.
My favorite tip( good for asking anyone to do something),
Leave the space for others to think
"A manager has to send tasks in a way that they are not taken as commands. Instead of saying what exactly has to be done to achieve the goal, a good Manager expresses the problem and asks for solutions."
Thoughts:
I don't know... I love steam but this app is basically only an app version of the steam PC app. You can buy games, view stats, chat with friends etc. I'm not sure I see a ton of value in this, as most serious PC gamers will probably be using steam on the computer enough to not need it on their phones. The only enticing applications seem to be checking out deals and chatting with friends.
I'll be excited if they launch their own IOS or Android game distribution services. Somebody tweet me if that happens. ( http://www.twitter.com/barnesjonathan)
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:03 AM. -
What:
Setting people straight what agile is and what it takes to be successful in agile.
Thoughts:
Amen Sister! Sing it! I have worked on many 'agile' teams and generally the developers use it as an excuse to never write documentation and the managers use at as an excuse to slave drive everyone else. When the truth is that agile is a way to create a better project while still lowering overheads.
What:
The hard facts on the reprehensible conditions in Apple Factories.
Thoughts: Apple nor any other company is going to fight hard to make the work conditions in their Chinese factories better, unless the government or consumers force them to. There is just no incentive for them to do so, Apple in particular are making insane profits and in all fairness they are providing jobs for many Chinese that they wouldn't have otherwise. Although no one could argue that anyone should be working in such poor conditions, I can see how it would be easy for an Apple executive to justify what's going on.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 10:39 AM. - No comments
What: A letter of advice from legendary Ad copywriter David Ogilvy.
Thoughts: Seems like solid advice that could be applied to just about anything. Distilled down to a sentence, create a lot, edit a lot, get the opinon of others. You really should ready the whole thing though, it's pretty charming.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 9:03 AM. - No comments
What:
A letter from a publisher clearly laying out how and why Amazon is about to destroy the publishing industry.
Thoughts:
If this is true, which I believe it is, this will have a significantly positive impact for consumers and authors. It will cut out many of the inefficiencies rampant throughout paper publishing and take less money from consumers while putting more money into the hands of authors. Having a primarily digital marketplace will also create a lower barrier to entry allowing more players to get into the digital publishing game, which will eventually lead to greater benefit for both the consumer and author.
I feel bad for publishers, hopefully they can find a place in the new digital publishing industry.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 2:15 PM. - No comments
What:
The introduction of the newest Ubuntu UI Navigation/ OS feature
Thoughts:
This seems like the first true innovation in desktop UI design in a very long time. Although it certainly draws on elements of Quicksilver and many other task launchers, it's the first to allow users to dig into sub menu's of applications. This is the future of the OS and will be ripped off by every other OS. I didn't hear any mentions of a particular key that would drop someone into the HUD, but I would bet it will be the windows or cmd key.
Skip about half way down the post to see a video showing the power of the solution.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 11:07 AM. - No comments
What: Let's teach kids to code.
Thoughts: This is a very confusing piece, it hits a lot of different points and seems to contradict itself at times. However the root idea is that we should teach kids to code. I think teaching them to code is neither here or there we should be teaching kids to be smarter. The author, Andy Young, actual says it best himself
"Rather( than learning syntax), a thorough grounding in logic, reason and problem-solving – coupled with the empowerment and inspiration that being able to harness technology to our personal advantage brings – will result in a smarter workforce, more engineers, innovators and managers that better understand technology, and a better quality of life for all."
This concept of better logic, reason and problem solving etc can be done without coding and without a computer entirely. In fact, the computer might actually be a hindrance to many students learning these skills.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 3:27 PM. - No comments
What:
Puff Piece on iBooks Sales
Thoughts:
Seems like yet another misleading puff piece, based upon little to know actual evidence. I couldn't find the source or any hard numbers to support any of the assertions in the piece. I think these numbers probably refelct 349,999 downloads of the free book E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth, and 1 actual purchase of the textbook.
In any case this whole thing won't be considered a success until its established itself in the long term, a test drive isn't the same as a purchase.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 1:24 PM. - No comments
What:
An excellent and hilarious talk that lasts just a couple of minutes.
Thoughts:
Does an excellent job of highlighting some of the arcane and silly error messages returned by many programming languages. If you have ever programmed in any language you've run into nonsensical error messages, this video is a such a celebration of that.
Posted by http://tenpoundhammer.com on 9:39 AM. - No comments
My favorite part is how he suggests we use science to determine what works best, good luck getting an American politician to use science. He also highlights the common sense approach that has been put forth by experts and lots of people on the internet; increase treatment and decrease criminal punishment of drug use.
"Just as prohibition of alcohol failed in the United States in the 1920s, the war on drugs has failed globally. Over the past 50 years, more than $1 trillion has been spent fighting this battle, and all we have to show for it is increased drug use, overflowing jails, billions of pounds and dollars of taxpayers’ money wasted, and thriving crime syndicates. It is time for a new approach."
I don't write software for delivering ads, but how hard can it be to tell whether your user is male or female? I'd bet many users would just offer their demographic data to their web browser, if prompted, especially if it was mostly anonymous.
Ikea is finally pushing forward with something I have actually wanted, furniture with integrated web-enabled TV, speakers, and Blu-ray. The screen sizes range from 24 to 48 inches. I for one, can't wait to see this become more mainstream, and move to other types of furniture as well.
The app markets are going to be flooded with largely similar apps with minor content variations. Ultimately this dilution will make the endeavor mostly fruitless for artists as profits slide, while making it more challenging for users to find the best of these apps.
I have aggressively avoided buying an E-reader for the simple fact that my primary reading time is at night, and I would still need a reading light.
Best Buy is going the way of the dinosaurs, extinction! Last month, Best Buy announced the closing of 50 stores, and now the CEO has resigned. Their primary competition Circuit City did the same after suffering a quick downward spiral, following the rise of online purchasing.
Seems a bit first world to buy a device to make drinking tap water a better experience. People die everyday from horrible drinking water. But it's still true that in many cities the tap water tastes terrible and people only drink bottled water. If this actually works it might be a good investment.
What:
What: 
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