Archive for August, 2010

Wired: The Web is dead.

Here’s your homework for tonight, reading Wired’s exhaustive package on how apps are killing the web and who’s to blame (us or them, though I haven’t quite figured out who us and them are. I blame that hard to read white on red text).

“Over the past few years, one of the most important shifts in the digital world has been the move from the wide-open Web to semiclosed platforms that use the Internet for transport but not the browser for display. It’s driven primarily by the rise of the iPhone model of mobile computing, and it’s a world Google can’t crawl, one where HTML doesn’t rule. And it’s the world that consumers are increasingly choosing, not because they’re rejecting the idea of the Web but because these dedicated platforms often just work better or fit better into their lives (the screen comes to them, they don’t have to go to the screen).”

And for extra credit you can read Boing Boing’s refutation of Wired’s infographic.

That will be all.

Eye of the Tiger played entirely on iPad apps

Music nerds are the best.

Friday Links: Modern Brands, More Bogusky & Maps

• Modern brands 2.0: revenge of the corporation.
• More Bogusky? Why not.
• What happened to Yahoo.
• The EFF reviews Verizon and Google’s Net Neutrality Proposal.
• The 2010 social networking map.
• 25 songs about outdated technology (some what related, This is the tapedeck you’ll leave your great-grandson).
• StarWars X-Wing Fighter mailbox.
• A cool-looking MoMA App.
• Twitter: The Movie.

Sucking the nonsense out of corporate speak

If you’ve ever had the great misfortune of witnessing a Twitter battle regarding the number of spaces after period (it’s one) between me, @rycera, and @malbiniak, well, I apologize. But we’re nerds and we tend to care about things that not many others care about.

So you can see why discovering Unsuck It is just about the best thing to happen all week (why yes, that is an office dude photocopying his butt).

What Unsuck It does is translate business jargon into actual English. For instance:

• Boil the Ocean, Unsucked: Waste time
• At the End of the Day, Unsucked: After all or in conclusion
• Operationalize, Unsucked: Make it work
• Content Creation, Unsucked: Writing
• Out of Pocket, Unsucked: Unavailable

It’s a lot of fun and I’ve actually learned what in the heck some people are actually talking about. I feel smarter already.

Dry erase girl a hoax

Were you on the Internet yesterday? Then chance are you ran into the story about the young woman who quit her job by emailing a series of photos to her coworkers. In the pictures she’s holding a dry erase board where she sequentially outlines her reasons for quitting.

It is, of course, a hoax.

Techcrunch has a pretty nice breakdown of the hoax and the vague reasons behind it (to entertain? I’m not sure I buy it). I always wonder what kind of damage these kinds of hoaxes do and how they undermine the credibility of any information you get on the Internet. Of course, using a site called “TheChive” as a source of reliable information is probably not a good idea, and yet the story spread so quickly without very much concern for the veracity of the claims. Groupthink is scary, isn’t it?

The Verizon-Google legislative framework proposal

In case you missed it yesterday, Google and Verizon released a Legislative Framework Proposal. This proposal is “to preserve the open Internet and the vibrant and innovative markets it supports, to protect consumers, and to promote continued investment in broadband access. With these goals in mind, together we offer a proposed open Internet framework for the consideration of policymakers and the public.”

So they weren’t brokering a deal as reported last week. Interesting. Pundits all over the Internet are buzzing about this latest move. Here’s a roundup of some of the best responses.

• First, an Op-ed piece in The Washington Post from Google & Verizon’s CEOs.
• Dan Gillmor in Salon on why we should be worried.
• There’s only one Internet.
• Tech companies, Google sold you out.

Nerds in the News: Revenge of the Nerdery

Brendan Sullivan, Star Tribune

Head on over to the StarTribune to read the latest about Nerdery culture and how we like to keep nerds happy and engaged while they work. We told you this was an awesome place to work (and we’re hiring).

As such perks suggest, the company goes out of its way to be as nerd-friendly as possible. The goal at the Nerdery, founded by three programmers in 2003, is to attract other programmers who like collaborating and learning from each other as they tackle seemingly impossible projects. The results have paid off, including placing sixth among small companies, those with 150 employees or fewer, in the Star Tribune’s recent Top Workplaces project.

Go read the entire article so you can find out who called one of the projects we worked on “magic.”

Friday Links: History of beer & a big Digg scandal

• On the heels of International Beer Day (yesterday) comes: The story of beer.
• An appreciation of Angry Birds.
• If you have played around with the social media strategy generator you should, unless you’re offended by the f-word, then you should go at a cute baby porcupine.
• Bloomberg has a pretty lengthy article on Alex Bogusky’s retirement from advertising. It’s an interesting read.
• A series of clever print ads for Scrabble
• Legos has produced a set based on the infamous Toy Story 3 fiery-death in the garbage incinerator scene.
• Video game song medley.
• Start Up weekend is coming to the Twin Cities, September 17-19.
• A video of every light saber retraction and ignition.
• Massive censorship of Digg uncovered.

Is net neutrality going the way of the dodo?

UPDATE: Jon Rexeisen points out in the comments that Google responded via Twitter about the Times story.

Did the The New York Times‘ report yesterday on the deal Google and Verizon are trying to make regarding web pay tiers have you feeling a little icky? If you missed it, here’s the lead:

Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.

Feels kind of not right, doesn’t it? This editorial by MN Senator Al Franken explains simply how net neutrality is a free speech issue guaranteed by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“Net neutrality” sounds arcane, but it’s fundamental to free speech. The internet today is an open marketplace. If you have a product, you can sell it. If you have an opinion, you can blog about it. If you have an idea, you can share it with the world.

And no matter who you are — a corporation selling a new widget, a senator making a political argument or just a Minnesotan sharing a funny cat video — you have equal access to that marketplace.

It’s going to be interesting to see how this deal shakes out and who will take up the fight for the people/organizations/businesses who cannot afford the privilege of having speedy delivery of their ideas and products.

This trail ain’t no game

This trailer for a faux movie version of Oregon Trail will make you laugh.

P.S. you should check out our very special Bottlecap talk featuring our own John Krenz and other programmers who worked on the original Oregon Trail game.