The Good: Read It Later (for iOS) Read It Later is an app that allows a user to time shift article reading by queuing articles or web pages for storage in a local repository that can then be read at a later time. Articles can be added to the queue from various browsers or Twitter [...]
Much has already been said of Netflix‘s handling (some say bungling) of its recent announcement to split its DVD and streaming businesses. Time will tell whether segmenting its audience will lead to faster adoption and growth of its online offerings. My own account is on hiatus while I decide whether I want or need a [...]
The world is drowning in data or so goes the oft heard refrain in offices and classrooms. In every field of endeavor, sources are loosening their grip on raw and structured data, feeding an ever-expanding market hungry for information and analysis. Spurred by the low (relative to the recent past) infrastructure costs of capturing, cleaning, [...]
Some of the coolest data mashups including Propublica’s Tools & Data blog, BBC’s Datablog, Trulia’s crime map, and the Bay Citizen‘s bike accident app show off powerful mapping tools well within the grasp of data hacks and hackers regardless of coding ability. The following visualization powered by datasf.org and Google’s Fusion Tables shows just how easy it is to mashup [...]
Right before Thanksgiving, I finally put the call into Comcast and killed my cable television subscription. While I was offered the obligatory six mos. of extended discounts, I maintained my resolve and arranged to return my DVR, remotes and DTV boxes, and reclaim roughly $110 in monthly billing. Almost two months later, the absence of [...]
Every year, the Knight Foundation funds a handful of projects trying to advance the practice of journalism using technology. This year is no different with almost 700 applicants submitting ideas in 4 categories: mobile, sustainability, authenticity, and community. Having spent the past few months investigating various areas of the mobile landscape, I shared a few [...]
A recurring topic in semantic web circles involves the amount of linked data proliferating across the web and how major players are using the data. To sum up, there are a variety of linked data formats (thin to fat) covering various subject areas in use by numerous websites/analysis tools. Most recently, RDFa (a thin format [...]
Literary expression like Karl Marlantes’ novel, Matterhorn, and shows such as The Wire by David Simon share a common heritage—story-telling that approaches realism so closely you may find yourself searching Wikipedia for historical accounts. In the case of Matterhorn, the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan add even greater gravity. As a former Marine, Marlantes provides [...]
What’s the next best thing to being at SXSW? Assuming you’re on a beefy broadband connection, there are a few stations opening up their mics to capture the sounds at various venues on and around 6th St. I know my Squeezebox dial will be bouncing back and froth between KEXP, KUT, NPR, and KCMP – [...]
Looking for a few titles to explore the hidden backlots of human experience? The four below dive deep into biographical and psychological hinterlands, ruminating on childhood, parenthood, and more amid all manner of circumstances. In each instance, the artists/writers unearth emotional veins buried deep in meaning and experience to produce unique and powerful stories. Three [...]
