PBS Frontline Digital Nation
via youtube.com
I think this will be fascinating. I don't expected to be surprised of course, but I always appreciate the depth and balance to which Frontline examines all of its topics.
Google Wave Is Crap
Shortly after getting my invite to Google's new fangled "replacement" for email, i found the trick where you can search all public waves. After clicking a few i realized they were all infested with scripts ('bots") and other interweb-nasties. I was so unimpressed that I didn't race back to check on my wave account but on the handful of occasions that I did, i found any public wave that i clicked on was still there, filling up with more crap.
There is NO delete button in Wave, but there is a Spam and an Archive button. Sadly you have to click on the wave to be able to click any of these buttons, and as soon as you click your browser will likely go nuts, doing who knows what (have not tried to track all javascript/cookies etc)
So I've archived and marked as spam several of these trash waves and when i come back the next day, they are back.
Look, google does some extremely cool stuff and they have already changed the world (with Search). I love that they support and encourage open source software and they still have that 'cool factor' as a place for geeks to go and work, just like the way i wanted to work at Microsoft in the early 90's. I'm picking on Wave because this is the first time Google put anything in the wild that I didn't think was impressive or at least useful.
So I'm saying that I'm done with Wave for now, but I'm also not saying that i don't think it can't be fixed or become useful for collaboration or as a sort of groupware system. Maybe. What I do feel pretty confident about, is that Wave as a re-invention of email is a failure.
The first step to recovery is being followed on Twitter
I have a like/hate relationship with Twitter. I like that i can spam people, I hate that they can spam me back. this is the result of my using the word alcohol in a tweet.
So I'm still calculating my Personal Value (abbreviated PV) to my Volunteering to be Tracked and Spammed (abbreviated VTBTAS) ratio for Twitter and things like this make me shift a bit towards the latter.
Still, I invite quitalcohol2, quitalcohol3, and quitalcohol4 to follow me as well.
The Effects of Display Media on Search Traffic
Check out this website I found at icrossing.com
Awesome!!
How to Control Your Privacy on Facebook
I often spend time helping friends lock down their Facebook profiles, by explaining how to group friends and create and control who can see those pictures I took of you drunk running through the Taco Bell parking lot looking for your pants. I've often thought I should write up a web page, but like any good idea on the internets, its already been done, and probably a bit better...
So, check out this easy to follow guide from Ars Technica and don't come crying to me when I tag that picture of you flipping off your boss behind her back.
john
John Haro
I am a software designer turned suit, occasional low-rent photographer, and as a friend once said a "sarcastic mother @#$@r". I can sleep soundly through any team sporting event but I'm passionate and politely opinionated about music, technology, and many other less valuable topics.
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