Month: September 2010

As I read this TechCrunch post, I wondered immediately if the conclusion reached would match my own, i.e. Google should buy its way into the carrier business. The Nexus One Was Google’s Dream. The Carriers Were Freddy Krueger Turns out, it wasn’t, but this move makes sense. Having failed to wrest control from the carriers with… Read More

My pal Jason Grigsby (@grigs) poses an interesting question: Do Mobile Apps Create Lock-in? « Cloud Four The premise is that the ancillary costs of apps bought to augment your awesome smartphone will lock you into that phone (and carrier, in the iPhone’s case) and prevent you from jumping to another smartphone platform, like Android… Read More

Marketing isn’t really my thing, but this sounds nefarious in a mad scientist sort of way. Forget Product Placement; Get Ready For Product Anti-Placement | Techdirt (h/t Slashdot) Product placement is so ubiquitous, I’ll now be wondering if it’s positive or negative reinforcement. Maybe Paul (@ppedrazzi) has some thoughts.

It’s been a while since I mentioned any work we’ve been doing. August was a month for relaxation for us as it is for many of you, so we took time out to recharge. Today, Rich (@rmanalan) deployed another update to the Chrome extension that includes some nifty and useful features, bringing it to version… Read More

So, I’m wondering why you read here and what type of content interests you most. The posts here vary wildly from product-specific, to our team’s work, to my musings on technology, society and related stories, to technical posts from Anthony and Rich, to humor and everywhere in between; I’m just curious to know what you find interesting… Read More

Interesting piece on /. about how network analysis can learn a scary amount about you by analyzing your online relationships. Slashdot Science Story | Judging You By the Online Company You Keep Obviously, there are marketing implications, the holy grail of Facebook. Not to say marketing is positive, the negative implications are a bit more scary,… Read More

I absolutely love reading about brain hacks like this one. The Ugly Carpets of Vegas are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work Although I didn’t read any obvious psychological reasoning behind using gaudy carpets, you have to assume there’s a real hack there. Personally, I think the surreal carpeting adds to the simultaneous sensory depravation… Read More

William Gibson (yes, that William Gibson) penned a fascinating op-ed piece for the New York Times this week. Op-Ed Contributor – Google’s Earth – NYTimes.com This bit hooked me (h/t Geekosystem) If Google were sufficiently concerned about this, perhaps the company should issue children with free “training wheels” identities at birth, terminating at the age… Read More

A couple items of note heading into OpenWorld. Current students can get into JavaOne and Oracle Develop for free.  There are a few qualifications: You must be enrolled in an accredited nonprofit institutions of learning during the Fall semester/quarter of 2010, taking a minimum of six (6) units, and you must be at least 18… Read More