Forbes: Content, Copyright & The Internet -- The Reality

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.

Read More: http://www.forbes.com/sites/edblack/2012/01/30/content-copyright-the-internet-the-reality/

NPR Health: Could A Club Drug Offer 'Almost Immediate' Relief From Depression?

What:

   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.

Read More: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/30/145992588/could-a-club-drug-offer-almost-immediate-relief-from-depression

TechCrunch: WiGig: Panasonic Tablet Wirelessly Transmits A Full DVD Video In 60 Seconds (Video)

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.

Read More (and a Videop): http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/30/wigig-panasonic-tablet/

Food Tech Connect: Infographic Carbs Are Killing You

What:
   An infographic telling how carbs are killing us.

Thoughts:
   I'm sold, they sight not on only good old fashioned common sense but also real scientific studies. Also it's really beautiful.

Read More: http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/2012/01/26/infographic-of-the-week-carbs-are-killing-you/

Bits: What Are the Odds That Stats Would Be This Popular?

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.”

Read more: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/what-are-the-odds-that-stats-would-get-this-popular/

Goyello: The 7 ground rules of communication to became a good Manager

What:
   7 ground rules of...

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."

Read More: http://blog.goyello.com/2012/01/26/the-7-ground-rules-of-communication-to-became-a-good-manager/

Tech Crunch: Steam Takes First Steps Into Mobile With iOS And Android Apps

What:
   Steam launched an Android/IOS app.

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)

Read More: http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/26/steam-takes-first-steps-into-mobile-with-ios-and-android-apps/

Software Quality Connection: Less process, More Discipline

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.

Read More: http://www.softwarequalityconnection.com/2012/01/less-process-more-discipline/

NYTimes: Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad

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.
   
Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&ref=business

Letters Of Note: I Am A Lousy Copywriter

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.

Read More: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/i-am-lousy-copywriter.html

Pando Daily: Confessions of a Publisher: “We’re in Amazon’s Sights and They’re Going to Kill Us”

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.


Read More: http://pandodaily.com/2012/01/17/confessions-of-a-publisher-were-in-amazons-sights-and-theyre-going-to-kill-us/

Mark Shuttleworth: Introducing the HUD. Say hello to the future of the menu.

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.  

Read More: http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/939

Kernel: Coding For Success

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.

http://www.kernelmag.com/comment/column/1264/coding-for-success/

All Things D: Apple iBooks 2 sells 350,000 textbooks in three days

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.

Read more: http://allthingsd.com/20120123/350000-textbooks-downloaded-from-apples-ibooks-in-three-days/

Destroy All Software: WAT

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.

https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat

The Telegraph: Sir Richard Branson "It’s time to end the failed war on drugs"

 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."


Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9031855/Its-time-to-end-the-failed-war-on-drugs.html