Author Archive
Exquisite writing…
“ There were those who considered themselves lucky and those who considered themselves unlucky. Those who put their loss behind them and those who would never be the same again. Those who prayed and those who cursed and resented. Those who stole and those who gave. Jokers and worriers, optimists and pessimists, opportunists with an […]
On the wall of honour … Fake Steve Jobs on Google
So good, I had to plonk it here: One of my heroes, Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons)… China to Google: Drop dead Minister of Information Technology says Google must obey the laws or leave, and China doesn’t give a crap because they’ll be just fine without Google. (Especially since they apparently can waltz into Google’s […]
How dangerous is Facebook?
Tech columnist for The Independent Rhodri Marsden, prompted by the jailing in the UK of a serial rapist/murderer who groomed his latest teenage victim through Facebook,* reflects … What is it about these sites that’s creating such a problem? First, they’re extraordinarily popular with young people. Facebook is second only to Google in terms of […]
Ad-supported site … or ‘supporting’ the advertisers? A case study.
An interesting debate is rumblng about the use of Ad-blockers on web browsers… Ars Technica’s Ken Fisher laid out his case “Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love” including this section which got me thinking: My argument is simple: blocking ads can be devastating to the sites you love. I am not […]
Bluster and threat are commonplace
As in life, bluster and threat are commonplace in business – especially the technology business. So that interaction was good preparation for a later meeting with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. They’d flown in over a weekend to meet with Scott McNealy, Sun’s then CEO – who asked me and Greg Papadopoulos (Sun’s CTO) to […]
Quote of the week
If you want peace, work for justice. — Pope Paul VI I don’t quote many popes. But he had a point.
“If book publishers are supposed to be the gatekeepers…”
First raised in a comment here, this story of a fabricated Enola Gay memoir, an imaginary PhD supposedly issued and withdrawn by Victoria University of Wellington (my Alma Mater) complete with “baseless and defamatory” allegations of a hot debate about evolutionary theory (!) … well, the whole thing just gets more and more interesting … […]
Erring on the side of ‘simple’
A police investigation into ‘stolen’ or ‘leaked’ emails from the Leader of the Opposition’s office reveals just how slack so-called computer security can be… until we have reason to beef it up. I bet they’re more security-conscious now! “While it is accepted by the experts interviewed that external hacking can never be fully eliminated, ‘hacking’ […]
Engaging… (iPad)
I’m not all aquiver like some of the media, but this DOES look like a new doorway to me… Cool. (Premiered during TV coverage of the 2010 Academy Awards today.)
When propaganda turns into ‘demonizing’ …
Sometimes a zealot can go ‘too far’ …. even for his/her own supporters. I’ve seen it in political debate. I’ve seen it in business. The ‘object’ of the exercise — the debate, the contest of ideas — becomes somehow personal, and the ‘campaign’ can start to lose focus. It can be like a blood lust […]
Neither one nor the other…
The profession “blogger” is still not considered “journalism”, depending on whom you ask and the time of day. Comment 42 from ‘Gus2000’ on Roughly Drafted Magazine blog re Daniel attending and asking questions at the recent Apple shareholder meeting but not being ‘allowed’ to report them. Gus has it right. (But for how long?)
I love geeks
From the support FAQ page of Instapaper (following the normal software-specific support Q’s): Why does my iced coffee taste so bland? It’s probably diluted with too much melted ice. Brew it more strongly and chill it before serving — never pour hot coffee over ice. The ice should only be used to keep it cold, […]
Asperger’s. Of course. Are we surprised?
Michael Lewis takes an unexpected corner in this excellent book extract about the bursting of the (US) subprime bubble. From his new book The Big Short (they’re ALL very good, from Liar’s Poker onwards), this chapter Betting on the Blind Side is about a gutsy, insightful fund manager called Michael Burry. This extract at Vanity […]
Quote of the week
“We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours” — Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs announcing IP/patent lawsuit against HTC. It’ll be interesting to see how this works out.
“God was telling me the other day …” Oh yes?
Interesting bits of news on the “God was telling me” front today First, an even greedier-than-usual fundraising effort at Destiny Church appears to have sparked an ‘exodus’ — a step too far for their Brisbane pastor and his flock, according to news reports. TV3 News reported it last night, and the NZ Herald chimed in… […]
