Time for some early spring cleaning! Lifehacker covers a few easy ways to upgrade your computer’s speed without shelling out the big bucks for a new machine.
Seven of the most interesting startups.
Want to know which startups to be watching in 2012? TechCrunch visited the offices of 500 Startups (a company, not literally 500 different startups) and then interviewed the seven startups they thought were most interesting. Among them? An Instagram for reviews, gamification of household chores and a Foodzie clone with a charitable twist.
Personal data is growing into a multi-billion dollar business, where real names & demographics are desired. But shouldn’t it be your choice whether you use your real name or not? Do avatars or anonymity really promote abuse? What if I told you that when people look for recommendations online, strangers’ expert opinions trump friends? Ki Mae Heussner explores the internet’s identity crisis.
Rocky Agrawal explores why Yelp advertising is a total rip off when it comes to CPMs for small businesses: They’re charging a 100x premium! Even if you’re not working with small businesses or buying ads from Yelp, this is an interesting read.
It’s not that content doesn’t matter, it’s just that context is equally if not more important. Think about how many roles you play in your life - Colleague, sister, daughter, soon-to-be-aunt, entertainment junkie could all describe me. But the things I’m interested in when I’m in soon-to-be-aunt mode (hello world of cute baby things!) doesn’t reflect what I consume on a day-to-day basis (advertising & tech articles.) An important reminder to think about and integrate context into your marketing strategies.
No need to panic about global warming.
Last week, the WSJ ran an article titled just that. And it was signed by 16 scientists. Going against the popular opinion, these scientists have set out to tell the world that the temperature changes we’re seeing are pretty normal in context. (See, context is important!) They want their studies to be shared, but they don’t want to lose their jobs. This was hands down the best article I read last week.
EDITOR’S NOTE/UPDATE:
It’s important to note, as my cousin so aptly put: “The overwhelming consensus of hundreds of climatologists and studies of the climate (I’m talking 99%+ here) agree with the IPCC report’s conclusion about climate change. There isn’t a serious scientific debate about it.” I’m still trying to figure out the whole newsletter thing, though it feels a bit more comfortable each time I open up my MailChimp template. One thing I struggle with is how much of my opinion to share, but I suppose that’s half the reason I write these! When sharing, I think there is often an implication of agreement, which wasn’t exactly true in this case. I should have called out the number of comments on the WSJ article, and maybe also added a “just” in front of the number of scientists that signed it (16.) Or also shared The Guardian’s article, which ripped apart the WSJ piece. I’m sorry. I still thought the WSJ piece was an interesting read, but in context of the many other articles and positions out there. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
A new bookmarklet called “don’t be evil” changes three parts of ‘Search Plus Your World’ that currently only show Google Plus information: people & pages results Google+ site links and Google+ suggestions in autocomplete. This means that once the tool is installed, you can see Twitter & Facebook results if those are more relevant. (Bonus link: A great read in WSJ about Google being a bit evil when it came to illegal advertising… And how a con artist forced them to settle for $500MM.)
The Wall Street Journal’s “What’s Wrong With the Teenage Mind?”explains that teens are now reaching puberty earlier, but adulthood later - and why this is. A great bit relating to behavioral economics on how teenagers don’t really underestimate risks, but instead overestimate rewards (finding rewards much more, well, rewarding than adults do.)
A hilarious Tumblr featuring “a study in Suri and the people who disappoint her.” Warning: time suck.
Bruce Jenner says he will not pressure his daughters, Kendall and Kylie, to go to college:
“If they want to go to college, certainly, I think it’s a good idea. But I’m not the advocate of, ‘You’ve got to go to college!’ I think by the time they graduate from high school, they will…
If you’re not familiar with Casey Pugh, he’s a former Vimeo employee. his current project is VHX (which really is a beautiful and fun way to watch videos.) He’s also the mastermind behind Star Wars Uncut, a project he started back in 2009. Fast Co’s KC Ifeanyi describes it as “a Frankensteined love letters of absurdities [that] you can’t stop watching.” I haven’t made it through the whole thing myself, but for Star Wars fans and creative technologists alike, “Behind the Ultimate Crowdsourced film - Star Wars Uncut” is a must read.
While I don’t have many friends who actively use Path, I do have quite a few friends who talk about how amazing the user experience on Path is. This RWW article by Richard MacManus outlines a few big points to take into account as you’re building an app/tech product.
I can’t believe it’s already time for the Superbowl again. To get you in the mood for some great football, err, ads… check out Fast Company’s list of the Top 10 Best Superbowl Ads of the Modern Era. And get excited for some second screen integrations during this year’s Superbowl: Watch the game with polar bears from Coke (yes, they are a 360i client, but they’re doing some work that’s too cool not to mention) or play along with Chevy for a chance to win one of 20 cars.
According to Google, I’m interested in Arts & Entertainment (check), Advertising & Marketing (check), Food & Drink (check), Games (check), Technology (check) and Bodybuilding (not check.) Google also thinks that I’m between the ages of 25-34 (check) and that I’m a male. For the record, I am, in fact, a female. [Sigh.] As part of their new privacy announcement, Google is making it easy for you to see who they think you are (and of course to course correct them if they were wrong or even opt out.) I’ll +1 that!
Why pirates?
A pirate can function without a bureaucracy. Pirates support one another and support their leader in the accomplishment of a goal. A pirate can stay creative and on task in a difficult or hostile environment. A pirate can act independently and take intelligent risks, but always within the scope of the greater vision and the needs of the greater team. Pirates are more likely to embrace change and challenge convention.
” —Why pirates can be great for any organization.
A great excerpt from Peter Sander’s book What Would Steve Jobs Do?: How the Steve Jobs Way Can Inspire Anyone to Think Differently and Winon hiring “pirates” to change an organization. A bit long, but a worthwhile read. [PS. Are titles for books really allowed to be that long? Jeez! ]
Ira Glass: OK, I am holding a new iPhone 4S in my hand. This is the one that you can talk to, and it talks back. It’s a program called Siri. So let’s try this. I’m just going to hold it up to the microphone here and push a button.
Ira Glass: Siri, where do you come from?
Siri Software: I, Siri, was designed by Apple in California.
Ira Glass: Where were you manufactured?
Siri Software: I’m not allowed to say.
Ira Glass: Why?
Siri Software: Good question. Anything else I can do for you?
” —Your iPhone was made (in part) by 13 year-olds working 16 hour days for 70 cents an hour.
NPR’s This American Life did a special on Apple’s manufacturing of iPhones and iPads, and let’s just say… it can be guilt-inducing for iPhone owners. The full text is available as a transcript on NPR’s archives, while Henry Blodget does a great job recapping for Business Insider.
Martin Lindstrom explores why what other people think really does matter when it comes to the things we purchase. While it’s not exactly new thinking (Duncan Watts wrote a great article for the NYTimes in 2007 called “Is Justin Timberlake a Product of Cumulative Advantage?”), an interesting read for marketers and those interested in behavioral economics.
2012: The year of Behavioral Pricing?
Imagine if you had to pay more for products from brands you loved? As TNW writes, it’s “a consumers worst nightmare” and “a merchant’s dream.” Allen Gannett argues that over the next year we’ll see more brands (and storefronts) use our web history, social media presence and demographics to paint a near complete picture of us - And then use behavioral pricing to extract the highest price possible.
A recent study shows that your users may not be very honest with you if you force them to sign up: 86% are “bothered by registering at a website” and most will give false information or leave forms incomplete when creating a new account. The alternative? 77% were in favor of “social logins” - using their Facebook, Twitter or Google credentials to sign up instead.
One hour per second.
Did you know that every second one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube? YouTube explores what else happens around the world - as corresponding to content uploads - in a beautiful & (somewhat) interactive visualization. For example, in 2 minutes & 5 seconds of uploads to YouTube, the world’s fastest texter thumbs 1MM characters (5 days, 5 hours of video.)
Enough said. An interesting read from auto blog Jalopnik.
Ten 100-Year predictions that came true.
Last week I left you with Rachel Sklar’s predictions for 2012, this week I share predictions from the 1900s written by an American civil engineer, John Elfreth Watkins. BBC writes that he began his article with the words: “These prophecies will seem strange, almost impossible,” as he explained that he had consulted the country’s “greatest institutions of science and learning” for their opinions on the 29 topics.
2010 was full of blog posts about how TV was dead, 2011 was full of blog posts about how TV was dead, but in 2012 media has once again prevailed. Or maybe those blog posts weren’t that accurate. Last week, Nielsen released their State of the Media: Consumer Usage Report showing that time spent watching traditional TV far outweighs time spent watching TV online. And when it comes to online video viewing platforms, even after a year of controversy, Netflix takes the cake. Their consumer spends an average of 10 hours per week consuming content on their platform - More than YouTube, Tudou, Hulu and Megavideo combined.
By Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt
Thanks for taking the time to sign this petition. Both your words and actions illustrate the importance of maintaining an open and democratic Internet.
Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the Administration will support—and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.
While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.
Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small. Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected. To minimize this risk, new legislation must be narrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover activity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively tailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity. Any provision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing.
We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.
Let us be clear—online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation’s most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs. It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders. That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response. We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of legitimate American values.
This is not just a matter for legislation. We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy.
So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself: Where do we go from here? Don’t limit your opinion to what’s the wrong thing to do, ask yourself what’s right. Already, many of members of Congress are asking for public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those opportunities, as well as to public input to the Administration. The organizer of this petition and a random sample of the signers will be invited to a conference call to discuss this issue further with Administration officials and soon after that, we will host an online event to get more input and answer your questions. Details on that will follow in the coming days.
Washington needs to hear your best ideas about how to clamp down on rogue websites and other criminals who make money off the creative efforts of American artists and rights holders. We should all be committed to working with all interested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global intellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet. Our hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important challenge.
Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis on legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy and counterfeiting, while vigorously defending an open Internet based on the values of free expression, privacy, security and innovation. Again, thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. We hope you’ll continue to be part of it.
Victoria Espinel is Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget
Aneesh Chopra is the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Technology at the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Howard Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff
Google’s “social search” is anything but.
Google’s Search+ Your World lacks, surprise surprise, any other social network besides Google+. In the midst of antitrust hearings accusing Google of favoring their own content over other more relevant content, this doesn’t seem like the smartest move. A great post by Austin Karr outlines the current landscape.
Your Facebook profile is the real you.
Think you’re carefully curating your online identity? The latest study from The University of Austin’s Department of Psychology shows that Facebook users are no different online than off. While the full text (“Manifestations of Personality in Online Social Networks”) is available in the academic journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, ReadWriteWeb has summed it up.
by Jessie Rosen
If you’re not familiar with Rachel Sklar, she’s a kickass female in the tech industry who is also the editor-in-chief of Mediaite.com. ‘Tis the season for predictions, yet most are what you’d expect on last year’s list. Sklar predicts filter bubbles bursting, news as the killer app, curation over SEO and… more tattoo parlors. This is my favorite predictions post yet.
iTunes named Instagram as the top app of the year, and why not? In November alone, Instagram added 2MM users. While Foursquare was started a year before the viral photo app, Instagram is closing in on the same number of users - and quickly! Fast Company wrote a great article on photos as the new killer app while Social Fresh profiled Instagram more in depth.
