Blogging, Journalism and Credibility – Harvard
I was lucky enough to be able to participate in a conference on Blogging, Journalism and Credibility at Harvard University. I am not myself an expert on this but found the discussions extremely instructive. And of course I see possibilities that our BlogBridge software might play a role in this space in the future. So I am vitally interested! Many many people have blogged in great detail on this conference, so I won't try to improve on that, except for this great little aha! tidbit : All the discussion in one way or another centered around the question of how blogging affect journalism and journalism might affect blogging. Will blogging be the CB radio of the 2000's, to be remembered as a curiosity of the times, gone and mostly forgotten? Or, will blogging instead render MSM (mainstream media) obsolete, putting even the New York Times out of business? The NYT? They are an institution. We all grew up with it. Everyone relies on it. They have a budget in the millions and revenues to match. Putting the NYT out of business is an outlandish exageration, that's what I think, and most of the room thought. So here was the aha!: Remember the Encyclopedia Britannica? Hmm. "They are an institution. We all grew up with it. Everyone relies on it. They have a budget in the millions and revenues to match." They weren't put away by blogs of course, but arguably by the internet writ large, the internet phenomenon. It could happen.
Day of reckoning coming for Microsoft?
You've heard this one before: there are more and more truly outstanding pieces of software coming out as Open Source. Everyone has heard about FireFox, right, the wonderful Web Browser from the Mozilla guys. I just came across news that Internet Explorer usage fell again for the 7th straight month, and it seems that FireFox is taking up the slack. Take a look at Thunderbird 1.0, another gem. Thunderbird is an email client and it's a very nice piece of work. You can see both of these apps here. I also recently read notice that there's a project starting to combine several Open Source projects into an email, calendaring, and address book behemoth. Might this challenge Microsoft Outlook? Sounds like an outlandish thought doesn't it? You might know that I am a big Microsoft fan. I've said that only they have the wherewithal to build, test and deliver massively complex software to huge user bases. Don't be fooled: simplicity is good, but good software is usually very complicated below the skin. My read is that with successful efforts like FireFox and Thunderbird things may be getting interesting for Microsoft. It will take years, but I think we are seeing some stormclouds on the horizon.
Switcher’s Log
For close readers of this (yes all two of you), I was considering switching to a Mac as my primary computer. Basically I had a mac as a tirtiary computer, just for testing BlogBridge. I got to like it, and after a fairly careful study of the trade-offs, I've done it. As of now, my Windows box is off on a table 'over there' and my Mac is right here at my desk. Actually the switch happened yesterday and I've getting acclimated. Just for fun, I thought I'd record my experiences. Day 1-2: Basics are working. I am getting email with Mac Mail. I had to give up Trillian on Windows and tried using AVChat (the mac equivalent.) It's ok but not that functional. Since then I've tried AOL IM for Mac (not too much better) but stumbled across Adium, an open source (don't you love it?) Mac OS X-ified version of Gnu AIM (GAIM.) I just started using it 10 minutes ago, and so far, its every bit as good as Trillian was! Coolness!
Improv in Wikipedia
I got many comments from people about my postings recently about Lotus Improv. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a pretty accurate description of Improv and its history in the WikiPedia. By the way, I had absolutely nothing to do with writing it. Actually I am quite curious who did write it, because he or she was pretty well informed so I suspect it's someone who was on the team from the early days, or knew someone who was. (Of course there are a few inaccuracies, but what the heck!) Cool
BlogBridge tip: Send us Feedback
(Non-users of BlogBridge, this wil not be interesting to you. But you have to ask yourself, why are you not using it?) As most everyone who uses BlogBridge seems to be subscribed to my Blog I thought posting a tip or news every so often might be a way to expose some thinking about BlogBridge to you all, so starting today I will be posting a regular item that I think would be of interest. We very recently added a command to the Help menu, "Send Feedback" which we encourage you to use if you have any thought, complaint, bug report, or whatever that you would like to share with us. Just enter your text in the box and that's all there is to it. Note that we have plenty of users who are regularly sending us feedback with email but still that's only a fraction of all our users so we thought we should make it easier. Please have a go at the new Send Feedback command on the Help menu! (By the way, if you want to send us email that is totally welcome too. This email is also read by the development team: blogbridge-devl@lists.sourceforge.net.
Peggy Noonan on Media
Peggy Noonan is a great, albeit a little on the conservative side, columnist that I read whenever I can. Here's a good article she wrote on the Main Stream Media. Blogs and Dan Rather.
Four Hours on a Segway
I think the Segway Human Transporter is really cool, and I've read many articles about how they work and what they are like. But this past weekend I had the unique experience of spending about 4 hours riding around New Orleans on a Segway. Eye Opening. Here are some (surprising) observations and conclusions. It really works. It keeps you balanced, and once you get the hang of it, it's quite easy to move forward, backwards, and turn. It takes about 10 minutes to be able to work it safely and then maybe another 30 to feel proficient. The machine seems really heavy and powerful. Heavier than I thought. Like a lawnmower heavy. While it doesn't move fast, it does have a lot of power so that when it wants to move, it just moves. I also came away feeling that the various towns and cities that decided not to certify them for sidewalk use, and instead treat them as motor vehicles were correct , surprising myself! Yes, it's easy and fun , but you know what, it's also not that hard to fall. A moment of distraction, and forgetting for an instant how to turn, and you can be flat on your face. Or you can crash into a person. And as I said, it's heavy. I am a great admirer of this machine, and I went into this experience feeling that those townfolks that wouldn't allow us to scurryi around on our Segways through central park just didn't get it. Well now I think they are right. I have to imagine it was that way when bicycles were first invented. (This is pure speculation, I have no idea of what actually happened.) Yes it was a marvelous machine, apparently magical, riding on only two wheels. And yes, it was quiet and elegant and everyone thought they should get one. But I bet there was a period of 10 to 20 years when there were restrictions on their use and special training and special places to ride them. I would say that kids would have had to be raised being tought how to ride them from parents, and that it really has to be internalized at an almost subconcsious level. My bet is the same has to happen with things like the Segway.
Thinking of being a deserter
I'm seriously thinking about starting to use a Macintosh for my day to day work computer instead of a PC! Can you believe it? Why?
My research so far says that a fast Mac running OS X is comparable, price performance to a Wintel computer.
I'm a big fan of wonderful design and while I think Windows XP is really nice, I think OS X is just a little bit nicer.
I will get a chance to learn Unix.
I will get a chance to learn OS X.
Change is good.
BTW, Not that that Mac is without fault - it certainly has its share of brain dead usability "features', but all in all it's just easier on the eyes. But what do you care about what I use for development. The real excuse for this post is to quote you a hilarious comment that someone on the Java mailing list said when I posed the question about the trade-offs between Mac and Windows:
"From the opinion of someone coming from the PC world, having a Windows box is like owning a pet. If you want to feed it, walk it, give it baths, and take it to the vet regularly, then Windows is for you. As for me, I waited a year prior to switching, watching a critical senior *nix sysadmin friend of mine for a year after he switched. He loved it. I switched a year after him. I feel the same."
BCC Protocol – Email Morality?
What does the existence of "BCC" (which I think stands for the anachronism "blind carbon copy") tell us about the social norms of emails? This thought occurred to me just now as I was the recipient of an email (corresponding to (3) in the not at all uncommon scenario that I describe below. It is an interesting piece of deception that we all participate in, isn't it? Has anyone ever thought about the morality of email addressing? Scenario:
X sends an email to: A, CC: B and C
A does a "Reply all" so that B, C and X see the response
A sends an email directly to X, BCC to B
Analysis:
X wants to tell A, something, and make sure that B and C also hear. X wants to communicate that the message is meant for A, that A is the one who is expected to respond, but wants each of them to know that the others are getting that same information.
A wants to answer X, and make sure that B and C see the response. Why? Perhaps A wants to make sure that A, B, and C keep their story straight? Perhaps A actually wants to tell B or C something, uses the Reply All as a carrier for that message, thereyby getting some cover.
Now, this gets interesting. Apparently A wants X to think that he is getting some information privately. But at the same time wants B to know that X has gotten this information. Why? Perhaps A would like B to make the same point to X, and make it look like the it was independent. Or perhaps A wants to make sure that if X asks B about it, B says the same thing that A said.
Hmm, sounds like a bit of interpersonal deception is going on here. I am not casting judgement - I've played the role of X, A, B or C more than once. But it does make you think. What would Dear Abby say? Update: As one wag said to me in email: "I think Dear Abby might say that Pito needs a hobby :-)"
[GEEK] Nerd Humor
Amusing. Do you recognize yourself? And while you are wasting time, how easily can you tell a programmer from a serial killer?