December 2010
November 2010
Is Comcast Ruining the Internet? →
Fantastic summary from the Atlantic Wire. Basically, Level 3 is a jerk, but Comcast could easily be perceived as one.
Level 3 made a gutsy bet that Comcast protesting against the immense volume of traffic they’re throwing Comcast’s way (remember, Netflix alone is the biggest traffic generator in the US) would be perceived as an anti-competitive action since Level 3’s data...
“Media buyers may know many of their measures of performance are misleading; the...”
– Nick Denton
Ok, I lied. This was too good not to quote.
Why Gawker is moving beyond the blog →
Nick Denton explains the strategy behind Gawker’s redesign and strategic shift. There’s too much here to note, quote, and otherwise cherish. Read the whole thing from start to finish if you work in media, enjoy media, or live on the internet.
“If I had to summarize our learnings in three words: “simple trumps complete.”
– Response from NetFlix’s Chief Product Officer as to what they A/B test and what’ve they’ve learned. (via alexbain)
“Here’s just a selection of the great calls that Chris made: the eviction...”
– Nick Denton writes a farewell email for Gawker’s sales lead Chris Batty.
This is fantastic advice for any site that has grown to a respectable size, employs its own sales force, and wants to stand out among the mess that is the digital media marketplace.
As if to emphasize it’s...
Google's Real Offer For Groupon: $6 Billion ($5.3... →
Well, Google has the cash to spend and badly needs people who ‘get’ local management. Their local efforts haven’t been killing it: they’re geared towards the San Francisco set (QR Codes, micro-celebrity influencer maps*, naming a product Hotpot) and predictably don’t catch on much outside the 415.
If this does go through, I’d suggest an anthropology or business...
“No one makes money on physical books anymore.”
– Morningstar analyst Pete Wahlstrom on Barnes & Noble’s recent guidance.
io9 Reviews the Spiderman Musican →
Along the way, the following things happen:
Carnage, Electro, Kraven, the Swarm, the Lizard, and the aforementioned Swiss Miss have a supervillain “beauty pageant.”
Carnage sashays down the runaway the fiercest of all.
The Geek Chorus cheekily admits to making up Swiss Miss (below) for the show. Swiss Miss has ninja stars for nipples.
8-legged spider-monster chorus girls rob a shoe...
Level 3 Communications Issues Statement Concerning... →
kellysutton:
On November 19, 2010, Comcast informed Level 3 that, for the first time, it will demand a recurring fee from Level 3 to transmit Internet online movies and other content to Comcast’s customers who request such content. By taking this action, Comcast is effectively putting up a toll booth at the borders of its broadband Internet access network, enabling it to unilaterally decide how...
“Jigsaw puzzles.”
– A 92 year-old woman’s response to my poll question, “What type of games would you like to see more of?” The entire survey had been about videogames up to that point.
WikiLeaks Reveals Everybody’s Christmas List: The... →
(Via Danger Room)
iOS Fonts →
A cheat sheet for iOS fonts which displays how they look on the iPhone and iPad. Spoiler alert: Zapfino works on both.
WatchThe dynamic cover for Richard Branson’s iPad magazine.
While cool, this effort can only be fully delivered by Apple, with a shelf of similar covers all playing in the iBooks store. (by Project)
“This isn’t StarCraft.”
– South Korea defense minister Kim Tae-young, responsing to a Korean politician’s inquiry as to why the South didn’t respond for 13 minutes and with minimal force. (Via Kotaku)
Wolf Parade Go on Indefinite Hiatus →
Leslie Nielsen, Irving Kirshner, and Wolf Parade?
April 11, 1954 was most boring day in history →
Every day something of significance occurs, but nothing remarkable had happened on the said day in 1954, according to experts who inserted over 300 million important events of the century into a computer search programme to calculate.
According to the results of the search machine, called True Knowledge, on that day a general election was held in Belgium, a Turkish academic was born and an...
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“Hello, My name is Stanley with DecorMyEyes.com. I just wanted to let you guys...”
– Some guy figured out that people complain more consistently than they praise on Yelp, Get Satisfaction, and other online boards. And Google’s algorithm can’t tell the difference. (Via NYTimes.com)
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Language Watch: "Hate-Reading" →
As in, “Everyone is hate-reading Sarah Palin’s new book.”
WikiLeaks Archive: Cables Uncloak U.S. Diplomacy -... →
New media pundits take note: Wikileaks might be the source, but the awareness comes from big media partners that take the data and make it something people care about.
Also worth noting: Wikileaks is held up as an example of the power-of-the-many, grassroots, open-source media future. But their greatest hits come largely from one leaker: Bradley Manning. In this case, digital isn’t enabling...
The Gentleman Cat Burglar's Guide to Thievery →
Karasuyama provides details on how he is able to pick any lock at will and the way to silently use a glass cutter on a window. He also reveals that placing a jeweller’s magnifying eye-piece against a door peep-hole reverses the view and enables him to look inside the house, while he recommends investing in a new hybrid car for going on “jobs” because they have engines that are...
“It’s an evolutionary accident that 10 is the basis for our numbering system. If...”
– Maik Schmidt
40% off at Pragmatic Bookshelf →
A steal for the agile developer in your life.
Note to Web Designers
Don’t be like Twitter & Github: if your use logs in from a project page or other user’s page, redirect them back to said page not to their home.
“In fact, more air marshals have been arrested than the number of people arrested...”
– These TSA posts/complaints are getting grating. This, however, is too great not to post. (Via Schneier on Security)
Group That Makes Dodge Truck Commercials Called... →
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Built to Spill, “Reasons”
I’m...
We're moving to New York
After more than 6 years in the San Francisco, Megan and I will be packing up and trading coasts this February. It’s a big change, and I’m sure we’ll miss the Bay, but it was time for a change and the opportunity was one that couldn’t be ignored. There are tons of aspects to discuss, and I’m sure they’ll be trickling out, but right now let’s focus on the...
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Startup Accelerator Founder Says We're In A... →
How meta.
“In other words, the Liquor Control Board has been trying to get these products...”
– Accidental Hedonist, The Great Four Loco Scare of 2010
This is why the Four Loco saga is unnerving to me. Basically, an everyday event (a college kid over-drinks) is used to justify making something illegal because people just felt it should be illegal. What a dangerous precedent!
I’m struck...
Foursquare kicks off new brand loyalty program... →
The pilot will be tested at some 200 Vons grocery stores (owned by Safeway) in Southern California. Grocery goers will be able to link their Safeway loyalty program to their Foursquare accounts and earn rewards from swiping their card at checkout – launching an automatic check in.
I’ll pause my Foursquare mocking for a sec: this is awesome. To break into the mainstream, Foursquare needs...
The 19 Senators Who Voted To Censor The Internet →
Dianne Feinstein — California
I even wrote a letter against this bill. Vote rescinded.
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“The key, he says, is advertising to people not at the moment when they want...”
– Meebo’s CEO, Seth Sternberg, quoted by Sarah Lacy.
London's Global Bitters Cabinet →
An exhibition of alcohol-based tinctures, lotions and bitters will be on display at Goldsmiths, Univ. of London for a month. Curator Dr Ricardo Leizaola will showcase a multimedia installation of the exotic alcohol-based healing traditions which were found in multicultural London. The exhibition, developed with support from the Wellcome Trust, explores London’s diasporic traditions of the...
Facebook, MySpace Making Joint Announcement... →
My money’s on MySpace integrating Facebook Connect and FB integrating MySpace content and links on Pages.
On Airport Security
A few thoughts:
This story caught like wildfire. I was locked in a conference room last week, and when I emerged this was the lede story on everything from CNN to USA Today. Looking back, it’s a fascinating case study in how culture can open up and change in a moment. No one likes security lines and the threat of terrorism in the US is nearly invisible these days. Mix this and stew it for a...
f.lux: Automatically adjust your monitor color... →
And based on what lighting you work with. f.lux is God’s gift to working late.
Free for Mac, WIndows, and Linux.
Warner Bros. Probes Online Leak of 'Harry Potter' →
Warner Bros. is investigating how the first 36 minutes of the newest “Harry Potter” film came to be posted on the Internet late Monday night, four days ahead of the movie’s world-wide theatrical debut on Friday. … The watermarked footage was made available for download on BitTorrent file-sharing sites such as IsoHunt.com and thePirateBay.org. Copies were still available...
