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/