02/23 Computers are still so hard to understand… — Dave Winer wrote a bit recently called “What we don’t understand” that lists all the ways in which computers are still so confusing, not only to our elders but also to many others who’s brains are not just wired that way. ...

02/21 Handy site for Boston area techies — I came across VentureFizz. It’s a broad resource for Boston area techies: “VentureFizz can help you see what’s buzzing in Boston’s tech community” Particularly useful is their Event’s calendar, which as far as I can see is one of the better ones. An analogous site is Greenhorn Connect, which is trying to achieve something similar but seems more focused on up and coming entrepreneurs.

02/19 Ebert, in his own words — A beautifully written comment (positive) by Roger Ebert on the article about him in Esquire that I mentioned the other day: **“Well, we’re all dying in increments. I don’t mind people k...

02/18 [insert your title here] — “I am so disappointed in the government” “Are we driving off a cliff with two sets of hands on the steering wheel?” “What is wrong with those people!” You can pick your own headline, depending on your political leaning. I remember my father, living in Curaçao 30 years ago, would admire the US Congre...

02/17 Roger Ebert: Essential — You may or may not remember Roger Ebert who not very long ago was co-host with Gene Siskel on the best movie review program anywhere. It was called something like Siskel & Ebert. Well Gene Siskel has since passed away, and here’s an update about the challenges that Gene Siskel has been having. It’s quite a story.

02/15 Real time chat: gtalk? skype? wave? buzz? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz — I just accidentally pinged someone over wave who I wanted to chat with, thinking that it would go over gtalk, of course normally I talk to him over aim, except sometimes I also see him on Skype. See the problem?

02/14 What’s a carrotmob? — A Carrotmob is a network of consumers (?) who buy products in order to reward businesses who are making the most socially responsible decisions.

02/12 All is not lost in Venzuela… — [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXNx7ccgD0&w=456&h=277]

02/11 It’s hard to cancel Wall Street Journal Online — Who would think that an august publication like the Wall Street Journal would pull something like this: I was paying for access to their online edition. I decided to cancel it. Their very rich and sophisticated web site lets me change just about anything, but there’s no mention, anywhere, including FAQ and help, on canceling. Oh, and wait, there’s more: there is an 1-800 number to call. But guess what, they too can’t cancel. They have to forward you to someone else, and wait again, who then tries to talk you out of canceling. Geez.

02/10 JetBlue: Summary cancellation — I was supposed to fly from San Fransisco to Boston today. Monday (2 days ago) I got an email from JetBlue saying, more or less: “Sorry to tell you, but your flight has been canceled. Please call 1-800-xxx to make a new reservation or get a refund.” No explanation of why. I ...

02/08 When news breaks, we fix it — That was the old slogan of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show. This morning, while I was in a meeting, my cell phone reported the following ‘breaking news’ from CNN: “– An explosion at a Connecticut power plant near Hartford has caused “mass casualties,” ...

01/29 Sophsiticated (odd) paywall at the Wall Street Journal — So I am trying to decide whether I should renew my subscription to Wall Street Journal online. I read an article hear and there in the journal probably every day but certainly not the whole paper. So I’ve been paying a little more attention to what that subscription gets me. Here are some interestin...

01/28 Wolfram on Computable Knowledge — Stephen Wolfram is a genius. (Ok, he’s also a bit grandiose, self-promoting and arrogant, but I think he’s amazing. Kind of like I feel about Ray Kurzweil, another geni...

01/19 Interesting old article by Marvin Minsky — Just came across this odd link somewhere. He’s a good and clear writer, enjoyable to read whether you agree or not: Why People Think Computers Can’t by Marvin Minsky.

01/19 Ruby and Rails job boards in Boston — I get asked from time to time to recommend ruby, rails, and other developers in the Boston area, either for full time or part time gigs. I’m developing a list of good local job resources – started so far with the help of pal Brian D: - [Dave Beisel](http://www.genuinevc.com...

01/18 The new, now cancelled, Jay Leno Show — Finally I found someone expressing what I have been thinking about the fracas about NBC, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien etc. etc. And while I didn’t know then what I know now, I did eagerly tune in for the first Jay Leno @ 10:00pm sh...

01/15 Stop treating Americans like idiots and cowards — An excellent article in the Wall Street Journal about the way the media and politicians want us to react to the recent Christmas Day attempted terrorist attack. **“No amount of statistical evidence, however, will make...

01/14 Frank Rick (again): The other plot — Ok, I am on a Frank Rich binge, but he does have one thought provoking article after another. In his column recently he wrote about The Other Plot to Wreck America: > “If they all skate away yet again by deflecting blame or mouthing pro forma ...

01/13 Fillibuster: Congress is totally broken — Thomas Geoghegan has a fantastic column in the New York Times explaining the mess we are in because of the perversion of the fillibuster rule. I don’t know how we are going to get out of it, but… come on! You sh...

01/12 About our credulousness: another great Frank Rich article — Another great column from Frank Rich — Tiger Woods, Person of The Year. I recommend reading the whole thing. Here’s a telling quote: **“The most lethal example, of course, were the two illusions marketed to us on the way to...