How to write dramatically
David Mamet (supposedly) wrote this compelling note to tv writers for the now-defunct tv show “The Unit” (which I thought was a really good tv show.) If you like TV you will enjoy reading this. Gems such as:...
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All my blog posts and articles
Page 76 of 141 (2815 total posts)
March 2010
Steve Jobs helps Organ Donors
Steve Jobs says: “I almost died” in interesting article: Apple CEO Steve Jobs joins Schwarzenegger to push organ donor registry 
Health Care Letdown
I stopped posting thoughts about the mess that all of congress has made of health care reform. There are daily articles in the news to confirm the dysfunction in government today. Here are key quotes two from today which again hit home. I recommend that you read both articles in full:[Health Care Le...
Read more →February 2010
The Semantic Web, RDF, Freebase and now, DBpedia
I was talking with Noah Mendelsohn this morning and we got into a discussion about RDF and it’s role in the world. Noah mentioned something called DBPedia which I had not heard of. [DBPedia](http://dbpedia.org/Abo...
Read more →Everything is getting more complicated not simpler
Following on on my post yesterday about “What we don’t understand.” As I was writing it, I was trying to use examples of simple things that just work without handholding, like an old dial telephone. Oh there’s an example. But did you notice how all the old examples are slowly falling away because th...
Read more →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. ...
Read more →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.
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...
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“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...
Read more →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.
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?
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.
All is not lost in Venzuela…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXNx7ccgD0&w=456&h=277]
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.
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 ...
Read more →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,” ...
Read more →January 2010
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...
Read more →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...
Read more →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.
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...
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