The New York Times > New York Region > Romance Beckons (in Case You Missed It) is a quirky little story about serendipity of love. Except this one involves craigslist and it's "missed connections" section. At the outset, I am tempted to discount this story, just like so many others, as nothing out of the ordinary. Well, it is out of the ordinary, but not unlike so many other similar instances of meetings in the airport, because the plane was delayed, in a bar, calling a number by mistake. People meet in a variety of different ways all the time. Sometimes these chance meetings turn into something more. Most of the time, they do not turn into anything more than a moment and a stranger that walks by. Statistically speaking the chance of something happening is low and is unlikely to be higher simply because you post in the craigslist "missed connections" section. Or is it?
Throughout my research and after actually talking to Craig Newmark on the phone, I realized that there is something to Craigslist. It is a community where people feel there are others like them. It is that place that succeeded in creating some serious social capital in a digital space and policy makers should be really taking a close look (of course they won't but that's another story). The point about craigslist is that people actually trust one another there, or at least are more likely to trust one another. They are also more likely to feel a minor sense of camaraderie simply because they are "in the know" about this "wonderous" place. After all, in SF, using craigslist is a sign of cool. So maybe, just maybe, the missed connections on craigslist actually ups the potential of a chance meeting. Not even the meeting itself, but, if the meeting were to occur, the possibility of it working out. Because there is something to it - a cohort of people, tied together by the same bizzarre interest in missed connections... the latent romantics are hiding on craigslist!
24 February, 2005
11 February, 2005
Ethics & Science
The following article in the New York Times talks about a Massachusetts Governor that opposes stem cell work on the basis of ethical considerations. Althought the article does point out the underlying theme of attitudes towards abortion that are mixed in with these ideas (the proponents of the bill to outlaw stem cell work also oppose abortion), there is something to the idea that ethics must figure into research agendas.
There are several reasons why ethics is often left on the fringes of the "cutting edge" of research, I think...
1. Ethics is hard to grasp without falling into dogmatic notions
2. Ethics imposes invisible boundaries
3. The principles put forward must be followed in all contexts in order for them to have the weight of validity
A lot of time, in advanced stages of research the sentiment is that we will worry about the "impacts" later, this is pure science. Except nothing is pure. Although it is impossible to predict down the road what impact a particular new theory, line of research or invention may have, it may be instructional and, ultimately, ethical, to attempt such prediction. I am not about to put forward personal attitudes towards stem cell research, simply because I do not know the context of that research and the technical details necessary to make such judgements. My thought, though, turn to HCI research that deals with various methods of surveillance and digitial technology that has been covertly helping its users build what Zook et al. (2004) aptly named "our digital shadows" that persist beyond the moment when the light is cast. The issues of disclosure, privacy and the right to be left alone have been sidestepped, or sometimes explicitly ignored as variables that add too much complexity to already difficult problems. I argue, however, that in refusing to consider these notions, we are building systems that do not consider these notions either, at their very base. Yes we can come up with bandaids and workarounds later, but if the base of the system does not consider these issues, none of the bandaids will work very well.
I think sometimes, science ignores the presence of ethics, gently side-stepping it in favor of progress under an argument that what is ethical now may become barbaric and unethical later and human notions are based far too much in the dogmatic tenets of current culture that prevent us from looking forward. On some level I agree with this argument. However, it may be good for technologists and scientists to consider what kind of world we are working towards, what are we trying to build, what kinds of outcomes are possible if we are right and if our research works and... would we be able to live with the worst of them? would the worst outcomes be a fair enough payment for the best outcomes? Who would be responsible?
There are several reasons why ethics is often left on the fringes of the "cutting edge" of research, I think...
1. Ethics is hard to grasp without falling into dogmatic notions
2. Ethics imposes invisible boundaries
3. The principles put forward must be followed in all contexts in order for them to have the weight of validity
A lot of time, in advanced stages of research the sentiment is that we will worry about the "impacts" later, this is pure science. Except nothing is pure. Although it is impossible to predict down the road what impact a particular new theory, line of research or invention may have, it may be instructional and, ultimately, ethical, to attempt such prediction. I am not about to put forward personal attitudes towards stem cell research, simply because I do not know the context of that research and the technical details necessary to make such judgements. My thought, though, turn to HCI research that deals with various methods of surveillance and digitial technology that has been covertly helping its users build what Zook et al. (2004) aptly named "our digital shadows" that persist beyond the moment when the light is cast. The issues of disclosure, privacy and the right to be left alone have been sidestepped, or sometimes explicitly ignored as variables that add too much complexity to already difficult problems. I argue, however, that in refusing to consider these notions, we are building systems that do not consider these notions either, at their very base. Yes we can come up with bandaids and workarounds later, but if the base of the system does not consider these issues, none of the bandaids will work very well.
I think sometimes, science ignores the presence of ethics, gently side-stepping it in favor of progress under an argument that what is ethical now may become barbaric and unethical later and human notions are based far too much in the dogmatic tenets of current culture that prevent us from looking forward. On some level I agree with this argument. However, it may be good for technologists and scientists to consider what kind of world we are working towards, what are we trying to build, what kinds of outcomes are possible if we are right and if our research works and... would we be able to live with the worst of them? would the worst outcomes be a fair enough payment for the best outcomes? Who would be responsible?
07 January, 2005
Report Suggests Technology Could Have Prevented Loss in Tsunami
According to a USA Today report, many lives could have been saved in the disastrous Southeast Asia tsunami if better technology had been in place. The report suggests that tens of thousands of lives were lost due to an information breakdown, not an act of nature. The report questions why messages were not posted on the Internet, sent across news sources or sent to wireless phones. Many believe that an electronic warning of some kind could have saved countless lives. Government and technology companies are examining ways to spread information quickly in the event of future disasters. (Source: USA Today)
Just several days after the disaster I read a statement by the Indian government in an Austrian newspaper. The statement was about the lack of detection and warning system that could have saved so many lives. Their response: yes the system was offered, but was refused because the infrastructure required to actually carry out the warning to people was lacking and the price of the system was, then, not justified. Maybe the heavy duty infrastructure is indeed lacking. People in India, Sri Lanka or Thailand weren't exactly watching their TV's all the time. Yet there IS a light weight communication system that is certainly available. Mobile phones. Mobile phones are extraordinarily popular in these countries because they are cheap, available, and a communication modality like no other ever available in these regions. A simple text message broadcast by the government or by the provider networks could have saved so many lives... Yet again, technology is there, just not quite there...
Note: Recent CTIA numbers show that cell phone penetration in Malaisia is in low double digits (low teens that is) and single digits in India. These countries really are too poor to have a notification infrastructure even as light-weight as a cell phone. Besides, what would anyone do if they suddenly read an SMS saying - message from the government - tsunami is coming, move away from the beach! Most people would probably think it a bad joke. Along with a notification system there must be education as to how a notification system is used! Yes technology could help, but it can only help if there is a population that has the ability & understanding to use it.
Just several days after the disaster I read a statement by the Indian government in an Austrian newspaper. The statement was about the lack of detection and warning system that could have saved so many lives. Their response: yes the system was offered, but was refused because the infrastructure required to actually carry out the warning to people was lacking and the price of the system was, then, not justified. Maybe the heavy duty infrastructure is indeed lacking. People in India, Sri Lanka or Thailand weren't exactly watching their TV's all the time. Yet there IS a light weight communication system that is certainly available. Mobile phones. Mobile phones are extraordinarily popular in these countries because they are cheap, available, and a communication modality like no other ever available in these regions. A simple text message broadcast by the government or by the provider networks could have saved so many lives... Yet again, technology is there, just not quite there...
Note: Recent CTIA numbers show that cell phone penetration in Malaisia is in low double digits (low teens that is) and single digits in India. These countries really are too poor to have a notification infrastructure even as light-weight as a cell phone. Besides, what would anyone do if they suddenly read an SMS saying - message from the government - tsunami is coming, move away from the beach! Most people would probably think it a bad joke. Along with a notification system there must be education as to how a notification system is used! Yes technology could help, but it can only help if there is a population that has the ability & understanding to use it.
European wireless carriers support relief efforts
"Wireless service providers around the world are helping raise money for people affected by the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Four wireless carriers in Italy began sending subscribers text messages inviting them to donate to charities supporting rescue efforts. Subscribers can send a text message to a designated number, the cost of the text message is then donated to the fund. By December 30, 2004 the effort had raised 15 million Euro. Wireless carriers around the world have mimicked this initiative and continue to support recovery efforts. (Source: Wall Street Journal, AFP)"
This is an incredibly good example of application of behavioral economics. Charitable giving has always been a puzzle for neo-classical economists. Charity and altruisitic behavior clearly go against the concept of the rational asset-maximizing being that economic theories take as a good approximation of human behavior. Many papers have been written on charitable giving and analysits have pointed to other types of utility derived from giving (tax breaks being one of the major ones). In the example above, nobody is getting tax breaks or recognition. However, there is something about mental accounting (see Richard Thaler's paper entitled "Mental Accounting Matters") or even discounting combined with peer pressure that really worked. Of course, it would have been impossible without the extreme level of convenience of simply sending a text message. The price is very low, potential for peer pressure is very high (imagine doing this with a group of friends and everyone sending a text message donation rather than texting each other for a day), satisfaction ... well satisfaction is guaranteed. So maybe, maybe American's are not a selfish nation, but rather our charitable giving mechanisms are so outdated, they create too many opportunity costs for the actual act of giving. People would be willing to give if they were reminded about it and given an easy opportunity to do so. Go Europe.
This is an incredibly good example of application of behavioral economics. Charitable giving has always been a puzzle for neo-classical economists. Charity and altruisitic behavior clearly go against the concept of the rational asset-maximizing being that economic theories take as a good approximation of human behavior. Many papers have been written on charitable giving and analysits have pointed to other types of utility derived from giving (tax breaks being one of the major ones). In the example above, nobody is getting tax breaks or recognition. However, there is something about mental accounting (see Richard Thaler's paper entitled "Mental Accounting Matters") or even discounting combined with peer pressure that really worked. Of course, it would have been impossible without the extreme level of convenience of simply sending a text message. The price is very low, potential for peer pressure is very high (imagine doing this with a group of friends and everyone sending a text message donation rather than texting each other for a day), satisfaction ... well satisfaction is guaranteed. So maybe, maybe American's are not a selfish nation, but rather our charitable giving mechanisms are so outdated, they create too many opportunity costs for the actual act of giving. People would be willing to give if they were reminded about it and given an easy opportunity to do so. Go Europe.
19 December, 2004
Knowing It All: The Pursuit of Knowledge, From Genesis to Google
The New York Times > Week in Review > Knowing It All: The Pursuit of Knowledge, From Genesis to Google
The article contends with the human ambition to know everything and the immediate drawback of memory - reading everything is not knowing everything and knowing everything is pretty much impossible as Ptolemey I found out oh so many centuries ago... Now Google wants to digitize a bunch of libraries... will that make the fish-eye of our lense and the diameter of our tunnel vision smaller or larger? As any graduate student knows - the more you learn the more you feel you need to learn. As the circumference of the tiny circle of knowledge increases so does the awareness of the vastness of the unkown surrounding it. The concept is simple and yet we persist.
I don't remember anything... most things I read fall together and I can recall mere whispers of the ideas. Sometimes, I pick up a paper and realize that I had read it in depth not too long ago when I get half way through it. More often, I pick up a paper I know I have read and discover that I do not remember anything! This is frightening, considering that I have cited this paper in my own work several times! Universal knowledge, ultimate knowledge is impossible... but we try, oh how we try...
The article contends with the human ambition to know everything and the immediate drawback of memory - reading everything is not knowing everything and knowing everything is pretty much impossible as Ptolemey I found out oh so many centuries ago... Now Google wants to digitize a bunch of libraries... will that make the fish-eye of our lense and the diameter of our tunnel vision smaller or larger? As any graduate student knows - the more you learn the more you feel you need to learn. As the circumference of the tiny circle of knowledge increases so does the awareness of the vastness of the unkown surrounding it. The concept is simple and yet we persist.
I don't remember anything... most things I read fall together and I can recall mere whispers of the ideas. Sometimes, I pick up a paper and realize that I had read it in depth not too long ago when I get half way through it. More often, I pick up a paper I know I have read and discover that I do not remember anything! This is frightening, considering that I have cited this paper in my own work several times! Universal knowledge, ultimate knowledge is impossible... but we try, oh how we try...
18 December, 2004
A.C.L.U.'s Search for Data on Donors Stirs Privacy Fears
The New York Times > National > A.C.L.U.'s Search for Data on Donors Stirs Privacy Fears
This article exposes ACLU for just another organization that whines one thing and does something different. As someone who has donated money to ACLU even while being a very poor graduate student, I not just concerned for my own privacy in view of the organization's idiocy, but have lost any desire to give them any money. Ever. Even the sad attempts of Michale Meyers to claim that the board knew nothing about this, are pathetic and laughable. The board just expected not to get caught. Richard Nixon didn't expect to get caught either. ACLU must understand that "cultivating donors" is rather different from collecting information that is perceived private even if it is publically available. One of the major points of the fight for privacy right now stands with that issue - the issue that there is a difference between legal privacy and privacy through obscurity, yet we, as people, have a hard time understanding which information about us is what. THAT is the problem, the problem that as humans we simply lack enough foresight and fall into corporate promotional traps. The excuse that "this is no different from doing a Google search" is moot in this case!
Much of ACLU's donor pool are very smart people who are very aware of these issues and I doubt that few of them will miss this one ... It's too bad, but this is an example of an organization forgetting what it stands for and falling for the carrot of information bloat.
This article exposes ACLU for just another organization that whines one thing and does something different. As someone who has donated money to ACLU even while being a very poor graduate student, I not just concerned for my own privacy in view of the organization's idiocy, but have lost any desire to give them any money. Ever. Even the sad attempts of Michale Meyers to claim that the board knew nothing about this, are pathetic and laughable. The board just expected not to get caught. Richard Nixon didn't expect to get caught either. ACLU must understand that "cultivating donors" is rather different from collecting information that is perceived private even if it is publically available. One of the major points of the fight for privacy right now stands with that issue - the issue that there is a difference between legal privacy and privacy through obscurity, yet we, as people, have a hard time understanding which information about us is what. THAT is the problem, the problem that as humans we simply lack enough foresight and fall into corporate promotional traps. The excuse that "this is no different from doing a Google search" is moot in this case!
Much of ACLU's donor pool are very smart people who are very aware of these issues and I doubt that few of them will miss this one ... It's too bad, but this is an example of an organization forgetting what it stands for and falling for the carrot of information bloat.
11 December, 2004
Cellphones Aloft: The Inevitable Is Closer
The New York Times > Technology > Cellphones Aloft: The Inevitable Is Closer - There was something curiously archaic in the inability to use cell phones on the airplane. At the same time, it was a bit of a safe heaven - you were not "expected" to be able to take calls because you were... well a few thousand feet above ground and acceptable unavailable.
Allowing cell phone use on the airplanes will not just make some people more annoying than others, but may also create expectations for people who aren't flying, expectations that would force people who are to take the calls even if they do not want to. Yet another social space invaded by noise, yet this one is so cramped and claustrophobic, with no escape for SO many hours (especially on transatlantic flights) that it is really a question of whether allowing cell phones could make long difficult flights even longer and more difficult...
Allowing cell phone use on the airplanes will not just make some people more annoying than others, but may also create expectations for people who aren't flying, expectations that would force people who are to take the calls even if they do not want to. Yet another social space invaded by noise, yet this one is so cramped and claustrophobic, with no escape for SO many hours (especially on transatlantic flights) that it is really a question of whether allowing cell phones could make long difficult flights even longer and more difficult...
Engaging the City - CHI 2005 Workshop
Engaging the City: Public Interfaces as Civic Intermediary
As interest in the city grows as a viable site for HCI research, the organizers of this workshop aim to shift the research perspective from the architects plan view to the street level. No longer reducing the city to a dense population of users, we challenge our participants to consider the city not just as a backdrop for interactions but as an inalienable part of interactions that happen within it. By reorienting ourselves, we move beyond the city as a muse to the city as a resource for public exchange.
This workshop is designed to explore notions of exchange within an urban landscape. What relationships do we have with the city? What do we give and take from it and each other in its embrace? How is this exchange enacted in and upon the city in everyday life? And how can technological innovation capture or foster this exchange?
The challenge for the HCI community is to design public interfaces that provide citizens with more active access, authorship, and agency. The workshops field research component will involve visiting the city of Portland as a case study for processing and refining these theoretical considerations. We would like to gather a representative group of social scientists, technologists, urban planners, architects, artists, and designers whose work addresses issues of shared public interfaces and interactions.
Application
Participants will be selected based on a demonstrated interest in the topic, as seen through position papers submitted prior to the workshop that consist of:
• A discussion of background, interests, current work and relevance to workshop goals.
• An object/image/idea which represents an active exchange with the city.
Participants should be prepared to demonstrate this item’s context within the theoretical framework of access, agency, and authorship.
Acceptable submission formats include: Word or PDF. Send submissions and questions regarding format to Michele Chang at: michele.f.chang@intel.com.
Workshop URL: http://hciresearch.hcii.cs.cmu.edu/engaging_cities/
ORGANIZERS
Michele Chang, Intel Corporation, People and Practices Research
Katrina Jungnickel, INCITE, University of Surrey
Chet Orloff, School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University
Irina Shklovski, Human Computer Interaction Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
As interest in the city grows as a viable site for HCI research, the organizers of this workshop aim to shift the research perspective from the architects plan view to the street level. No longer reducing the city to a dense population of users, we challenge our participants to consider the city not just as a backdrop for interactions but as an inalienable part of interactions that happen within it. By reorienting ourselves, we move beyond the city as a muse to the city as a resource for public exchange.
This workshop is designed to explore notions of exchange within an urban landscape. What relationships do we have with the city? What do we give and take from it and each other in its embrace? How is this exchange enacted in and upon the city in everyday life? And how can technological innovation capture or foster this exchange?
The challenge for the HCI community is to design public interfaces that provide citizens with more active access, authorship, and agency. The workshops field research component will involve visiting the city of Portland as a case study for processing and refining these theoretical considerations. We would like to gather a representative group of social scientists, technologists, urban planners, architects, artists, and designers whose work addresses issues of shared public interfaces and interactions.
Application
Participants will be selected based on a demonstrated interest in the topic, as seen through position papers submitted prior to the workshop that consist of:
• A discussion of background, interests, current work and relevance to workshop goals.
• An object/image/idea which represents an active exchange with the city.
Participants should be prepared to demonstrate this item’s context within the theoretical framework of access, agency, and authorship.
Acceptable submission formats include: Word or PDF. Send submissions and questions regarding format to Michele Chang at: michele.f.chang@intel.com.
Workshop URL: http://hciresearch.hcii.cs.cmu.edu/engaging_cities/
ORGANIZERS
Michele Chang, Intel Corporation, People and Practices Research
Katrina Jungnickel, INCITE, University of Surrey
Chet Orloff, School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University
Irina Shklovski, Human Computer Interaction Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
08 December, 2004
PC pioneer leaves its history behind
BBC NEWS | Business | PC pioneer leaves its history behind - soo... Thinkpads will be made by Lenovo of China now... hmmm... no big change there :)
Lifestyle 'governs mobile choice'
BBC NEWS | Technology | Lifestyle 'governs mobile choice' - This article reports on a study done for Ericsson on ways to entice users to buy new handsets. Surprise, they found that lifestyle choices are better predictors of handset selection and purchase than the number of features a particular phone posesses. The feature bloat has gotten to the point where certain aspects of a phone appeal more or less to different types of populations. This idea of lifestyle is new for technology makers who have long operated on "build it and they will buy it and we will transform their lives" type of method. Awareness of the influence of lifestyle choices and the idea that technology doesn't "transform" human behavior per se, at least not immediately. In fact, technology must appeal to existing practices somehow augmenting them, and through this augmentation it eventually changes behavior patterns. This is an exciting change to see in industrial technology makers. It also smells of job prospects :)
Nextel Communications Increases Boost Mobile Subscribers
Nextel Communications reported one million subscribers for its Boost Mobile prepaid subsidiary at the end of November 2004. The company had expected to add 650,000 new subscribers in 2004, up from 385,000 in 2003. (Source: Reuters)
This is quite interesting. Boost Mobile is one of the pre-paid companies, but their rates are actually quite reasonable and you can see on their site they explicitly market to teenagers - the white middle-class boys actually. The first thing that comes up when you click "rates" is the rate for text messaging and not calling. This is an indicator both of their target audience and the types of services they sell most. This is very similar to providers in the UK much more so than in the US. The fact that Boost has only existed for a year and is exceeding expectations in terms of subscribers is also similar to what Vodafone and T-Mobile experienced in Europe nearly a decade ago. It could be that it was indeed the payment structure and the kind of perception of the consumers that wireless companies had here and geography of the country and it's habits, that created such a huge difference in patterns of mobile services consumption.
This is quite interesting. Boost Mobile is one of the pre-paid companies, but their rates are actually quite reasonable and you can see on their site they explicitly market to teenagers - the white middle-class boys actually. The first thing that comes up when you click "rates" is the rate for text messaging and not calling. This is an indicator both of their target audience and the types of services they sell most. This is very similar to providers in the UK much more so than in the US. The fact that Boost has only existed for a year and is exceeding expectations in terms of subscribers is also similar to what Vodafone and T-Mobile experienced in Europe nearly a decade ago. It could be that it was indeed the payment structure and the kind of perception of the consumers that wireless companies had here and geography of the country and it's habits, that created such a huge difference in patterns of mobile services consumption.
30 November, 2004
Congress trims money for science agency
The New York Times > Washington > Congress Trims Money for Science Agency - and the news many of us have been waiting for... Federal NSF funding has been cut. It's a big deal, but is it really as big as we are saying it is? The overall NSF budget is over 5 billion dollars. It was cut by approximately 300 million... quite a bit, but the total is still quite large. I wonder which areas that NSF commonly funds will get cut. Coming from a school with a LOT of NSF funding this is really an interesting question. Hmmm but NIH got more funding... maybe its time to focus on health?
28 November, 2004
Competition? Nah, legislature is far easier and more permanent...
"Telecom Companies Report Concern for Free Wi-Fi Access
As many large cities, such as Philadelphia and San Francisco, announce plans to offer free, city-wide Wi-Fi access, many telecommunications and cable companies are nervous about competing with the government and are pushing states to pass legislation that could make it illegal for cities to offer the service. Critics denounce this legislative tactic, arguing that, in terms of high speed Internet access, the U.S. lags behind other countries because phone and cable companies have been slow to roll out the service in some areas. The telecom companies, who are looking to their digital-subscriber-line (DSL) and cable-modem businesses for growth, argue that it is unfair for them to have to compete against the government and that the legislation enables them to improve service to their customers by investing in their networks. (Source: Wall Street Journal)"
It is becoming indicative of large corporations in this country, that when they are faced with the possibility that their established practices may have to be re-evaluated due to new kinds of competition emerging, they rush to push for legislature to force things like that to go away, rather than figuring out ways to survive... freedom eh?
As many large cities, such as Philadelphia and San Francisco, announce plans to offer free, city-wide Wi-Fi access, many telecommunications and cable companies are nervous about competing with the government and are pushing states to pass legislation that could make it illegal for cities to offer the service. Critics denounce this legislative tactic, arguing that, in terms of high speed Internet access, the U.S. lags behind other countries because phone and cable companies have been slow to roll out the service in some areas. The telecom companies, who are looking to their digital-subscriber-line (DSL) and cable-modem businesses for growth, argue that it is unfair for them to have to compete against the government and that the legislation enables them to improve service to their customers by investing in their networks. (Source: Wall Street Journal)"
It is becoming indicative of large corporations in this country, that when they are faced with the possibility that their established practices may have to be re-evaluated due to new kinds of competition emerging, they rush to push for legislature to force things like that to go away, rather than figuring out ways to survive... freedom eh?
Adelstein will have more time to "fight indicency"
"FCC Commissioner Adelstein Confirmed for Another Term
The U.S. Senate approved Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein for a full (five-year) term to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Adelstein, who joined the FCC in 2002, has supported rural issues and the crackdown on TV indecency. (Source: Associated Press, Reuters)"
Just to make sure that we can continue with inventing better ways to censor and making the media in this country as close to puritanical as possible, the venerable Jonathan Adelstein has been approved to spend some more of his precious time helping with that.
The U.S. Senate approved Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein for a full (five-year) term to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Adelstein, who joined the FCC in 2002, has supported rural issues and the crackdown on TV indecency. (Source: Associated Press, Reuters)"
Just to make sure that we can continue with inventing better ways to censor and making the media in this country as close to puritanical as possible, the venerable Jonathan Adelstein has been approved to spend some more of his precious time helping with that.
A more effective way to censor free speech...
In the New York Times article by Frank Rich called Bono's New Casualty: 'Private Ryan' the author tackles the "unusual" case of self-censorship that was observed when, last week, a number of networks actually refused to show an award winning movie - Saving Private Ryan - because they were afraid they would get slapped with a fee from FCC for ofering graphic violence and dirty language on television. Hmm... in the country where violence was always rated as OK (while sex was belieed to be an aweful, terrible thing, never to be shown to children, especially if it's a "male member" that's visible), this is sort of worrying. This kind of self-censorship is not new but the level at which it is done, is certainly far more intense than ever before. The far right have gained a lot of power over the last few years and we are starting to feel that. Soon enough all of our media is going to be as clean and anemic as public radio and TV are already. Soon enough we will be going back to the dark ages, maybe some of us need to re-read "The Scarlet Letter" with a bit of a ciritical eye again?
The following quote in the article is testament enough to the worry that there are bad things to come (and this guy is far less paranoid about freedom of speech and surveillance than I am): "What makes the 'Ryan' case both chilling and a harbinger of what's to come is that it isn't about Janet Jackson and sex but about the presentation of war at a time when we are fighting one. That some of the companies whose stations refused to broadcast 'Saving Private Ryan' also own major American newspapers in cities as various as Providence and Atlanta leaves you wondering what other kind of self-censorship will be practiced next. If these media outlets are afraid to show a graphic Hollywood treatment of a 60-year-old war starring the beloved Tom Hanks because the feds might fine them, toy with their licenses or deny them permission to expand their empires, might they defensively soften their news divisions' efforts to present the graphic truth of an ongoing war? The pressure groups that are exercised by Bono and 'Saving Private Ryan' are often the same ones who are campaigning to derail any news organization that's not towing the administration line in lockstep with Fox."
My question however, is - do you really think that print media hasn't been censoring in the same way maybe for an even longer time? Here is a country of "freedom" and "freedom of speech" where the media are about as believable as they were in my beloved Former Soviet Union... The major newspaper there was called "Truth" ironically enough. Yet unlike Americans, people living in the former soviet union over the last 5-6 decades or so never actualy really had illusions of a good government that wouldn't lie to them. There, rigged elections are expected, shadow governments are understood as a necessary evil that is not changeable unless its done through overt power or quieter methods of murder and death. There, media is heard and read with a grain of salt by a large proportion of population, the same population that doesn't value the lives of individuals that comprise it, knowing that nobody does. Sometimes I am terrified that, living in this country, there is an illusion of trust, freedom and value of human life. I am scared that this illusion may have made people here too soft and too open, too vulnerable to a reality that may actually be closer to the one I'd left behind than any of us had ever expected...
The following quote in the article is testament enough to the worry that there are bad things to come (and this guy is far less paranoid about freedom of speech and surveillance than I am): "What makes the 'Ryan' case both chilling and a harbinger of what's to come is that it isn't about Janet Jackson and sex but about the presentation of war at a time when we are fighting one. That some of the companies whose stations refused to broadcast 'Saving Private Ryan' also own major American newspapers in cities as various as Providence and Atlanta leaves you wondering what other kind of self-censorship will be practiced next. If these media outlets are afraid to show a graphic Hollywood treatment of a 60-year-old war starring the beloved Tom Hanks because the feds might fine them, toy with their licenses or deny them permission to expand their empires, might they defensively soften their news divisions' efforts to present the graphic truth of an ongoing war? The pressure groups that are exercised by Bono and 'Saving Private Ryan' are often the same ones who are campaigning to derail any news organization that's not towing the administration line in lockstep with Fox."
My question however, is - do you really think that print media hasn't been censoring in the same way maybe for an even longer time? Here is a country of "freedom" and "freedom of speech" where the media are about as believable as they were in my beloved Former Soviet Union... The major newspaper there was called "Truth" ironically enough. Yet unlike Americans, people living in the former soviet union over the last 5-6 decades or so never actualy really had illusions of a good government that wouldn't lie to them. There, rigged elections are expected, shadow governments are understood as a necessary evil that is not changeable unless its done through overt power or quieter methods of murder and death. There, media is heard and read with a grain of salt by a large proportion of population, the same population that doesn't value the lives of individuals that comprise it, knowing that nobody does. Sometimes I am terrified that, living in this country, there is an illusion of trust, freedom and value of human life. I am scared that this illusion may have made people here too soft and too open, too vulnerable to a reality that may actually be closer to the one I'd left behind than any of us had ever expected...
18 November, 2004
That moose may soon be just a mouse click away
CNN.com - That moose may soon be just a mouse click away - Nov 16, 2004 -
"HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) -- Hunters soon may be able to sit at their computers and blast away at animals on a Texas ranch via the Internet, a prospect that has state wildlife officials up in arms.
The Web site already offers target practice with a .22 caliber rifle and could soon let hunters shoot at deer, antelope and wild pigs, site creator John Underwood said on Tuesday.
Texas officials are not quite sure what to make of Underwood's Web site, but may tweak existing laws to make sure Internet hunting does not get out of hand."
talk about progress... no more expensive equipment, dreary hours of slogging through the wilderness in an attempt to kill an animal. Now you can do that from the comfort of your own home! click - boom - dead... progress
"HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) -- Hunters soon may be able to sit at their computers and blast away at animals on a Texas ranch via the Internet, a prospect that has state wildlife officials up in arms.
The Web site already offers target practice with a .22 caliber rifle and could soon let hunters shoot at deer, antelope and wild pigs, site creator John Underwood said on Tuesday.
Texas officials are not quite sure what to make of Underwood's Web site, but may tweak existing laws to make sure Internet hunting does not get out of hand."
talk about progress... no more expensive equipment, dreary hours of slogging through the wilderness in an attempt to kill an animal. Now you can do that from the comfort of your own home! click - boom - dead... progress
17 November, 2004
In Texas, 28,000 Students Test an Electronic Eye
The New York Times > Technology > In Texas, 28,000 Students Test an Electronic Eye: "Hoping to prevent the loss of a child through kidnapping or more innocent circumstances, a few schools have begun monitoring student arrivals and departures using technology similar to that used to track livestock and pallets of retail shipments. "
Not only is this article amusing through its comparison of children and livestock, but it also creates an eery illustration of the way many American's have internalized fear of "what if violence happens" to the point where they are willing to give up their children's relative freedom even in an overprotective soccer-culture, for another grain of rice in the "peace of mind" box.
"At the Spring district, where no student has ever been kidnapped, the system is expected to be used for more pedestrian purposes, Chief Bragg said: to reassure frantic parents, for example, calling because their child, rather than coming home as expected, went to a friend's house, an extracurricular activity or a Girl Scout meeting.
When the district unanimously approved the $180,000 system, neither teachers nor parents objected, said the president of the board. Rather, parents appear to be applauding. "I'm sure we're being overprotective, but you hear about all this violence," said Elisa Temple-Harvey, 34, the parent of a fourth grader. "I'm not saying this will curtail it, or stop it, but at least I know she made it to campus."
There have been several books berating the media growth towards creating a "culture of fear" in the country, where it continually seems that terrorists are always around the corner. We have been conditioned to perceive terrorism as senseless violence that can happen anywhere for no reason what so ever. We don't even stop to consider that terrorism, as a tool, is actually a very deliberate weapon of terror and confusion, used in a way that is exremely pre-meditated.
"But there are critics, including some older students and privacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, who argue that the system is security paranoia." - The article states these few lines about "the opposition" with a tone that is almost berating - how can they! silly people!
"It is "naïve to believe all this data will only be used to track children in the extremely unlikely event of the rare kidnapping by a stranger," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the A.C.L.U.
Mr. Steinhardt said schools, once they had invested in the technology, could feel compelled to get a greater return on investment by putting it to other uses, like tracking where students go after school.
Advocates of the technology said they did not plan to go that far. But, they said, they do see broader possibilities, such as implanting RFID tags under the skin of children to avoid problems with lost or forgotten tags. More immediately, they said, they could see using the technology to track whether students attend individual classes."
The most amusing thing is the complete lack of horror at these ideas and the calm discussion of them. Tracking students as livestock is amusing. Granted over the last century, the western word has created a childhood that they have vowed to protect for their children. Yet this protection has been extending towards complete control, with technology leading the way. Some probably unintended outcomes from these attempts for complete control may result in less individual independence, fera of the new and unknown to a debilitating extent, less exploration and more constraints, lower levels of extrenalized rebelling translated into higher levels of internalized (thus more destructive in the long run) rebelling. Ladies and gentlemen, time to scar our own children for the peace of mind...
The article concludes with an insistent discussion of kidnapping (something that has never happened in the district using the technology). Why is it likely to happen then? Why is it something that is necessary to control for? A pre-emptive strategy for an unlikely event? Or is it the excuse to get the technology in place and waiting for further developments to really put it to use... hmmm... frightening
Not only is this article amusing through its comparison of children and livestock, but it also creates an eery illustration of the way many American's have internalized fear of "what if violence happens" to the point where they are willing to give up their children's relative freedom even in an overprotective soccer-culture, for another grain of rice in the "peace of mind" box.
"At the Spring district, where no student has ever been kidnapped, the system is expected to be used for more pedestrian purposes, Chief Bragg said: to reassure frantic parents, for example, calling because their child, rather than coming home as expected, went to a friend's house, an extracurricular activity or a Girl Scout meeting.
When the district unanimously approved the $180,000 system, neither teachers nor parents objected, said the president of the board. Rather, parents appear to be applauding. "I'm sure we're being overprotective, but you hear about all this violence," said Elisa Temple-Harvey, 34, the parent of a fourth grader. "I'm not saying this will curtail it, or stop it, but at least I know she made it to campus."
There have been several books berating the media growth towards creating a "culture of fear" in the country, where it continually seems that terrorists are always around the corner. We have been conditioned to perceive terrorism as senseless violence that can happen anywhere for no reason what so ever. We don't even stop to consider that terrorism, as a tool, is actually a very deliberate weapon of terror and confusion, used in a way that is exremely pre-meditated.
"But there are critics, including some older students and privacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, who argue that the system is security paranoia." - The article states these few lines about "the opposition" with a tone that is almost berating - how can they! silly people!
"It is "naïve to believe all this data will only be used to track children in the extremely unlikely event of the rare kidnapping by a stranger," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the A.C.L.U.
Mr. Steinhardt said schools, once they had invested in the technology, could feel compelled to get a greater return on investment by putting it to other uses, like tracking where students go after school.
Advocates of the technology said they did not plan to go that far. But, they said, they do see broader possibilities, such as implanting RFID tags under the skin of children to avoid problems with lost or forgotten tags. More immediately, they said, they could see using the technology to track whether students attend individual classes."
The most amusing thing is the complete lack of horror at these ideas and the calm discussion of them. Tracking students as livestock is amusing. Granted over the last century, the western word has created a childhood that they have vowed to protect for their children. Yet this protection has been extending towards complete control, with technology leading the way. Some probably unintended outcomes from these attempts for complete control may result in less individual independence, fera of the new and unknown to a debilitating extent, less exploration and more constraints, lower levels of extrenalized rebelling translated into higher levels of internalized (thus more destructive in the long run) rebelling. Ladies and gentlemen, time to scar our own children for the peace of mind...
The article concludes with an insistent discussion of kidnapping (something that has never happened in the district using the technology). Why is it likely to happen then? Why is it something that is necessary to control for? A pre-emptive strategy for an unlikely event? Or is it the excuse to get the technology in place and waiting for further developments to really put it to use... hmmm... frightening
16 November, 2004
Wireless Phones May Become Wireless Wallets
Wireless service providers and finance companies are now looking to turn wireless phones into wireless wallets. Companies such as Motorola and MasterCard have announced a field test of wireless phones equipped with chips allowing users to swipe the phones to pay for products. According to a USA Today report, the advantages of using a wireless phone "wallet" will be the speed and convenience of not having to pull out cash or credit cards. (Source: USA Today)
Wallets have been a focus of attention lately in studies done at IIT by Christina Nippert-Eng and Jay Melican, studies underway at Intel Research in the PaPR group, studies at France Telecom under the guidance of Christian Licoppe... These studies have been looking at wallets as repositories of modalities of access, identification, memory, self. They embody the contradictions of public and private, containing the most private information that is often displayed in public. I wonder though, whether Motorola and MasterCard had considered these issues of public and private, the repository of status and access, the symbology of a wallet when they considered making a "wireless" wallet out of a phone. No, really, it's not about giving the phone the capability of making wireless transactions (although this does raise issues of security in data transfer and costs). It's about calling it a "wireless wallet". Because it's not quite there yet... and I wonder if it will ever be (although it's on the way, certainly). the phone itself is a physical object that can interact, produce, inspire and contain. Curious, where this is going to go... e-wallets have been a fantasy of big tech companies for a while now... as always, the next big thing...
Wallets have been a focus of attention lately in studies done at IIT by Christina Nippert-Eng and Jay Melican, studies underway at Intel Research in the PaPR group, studies at France Telecom under the guidance of Christian Licoppe... These studies have been looking at wallets as repositories of modalities of access, identification, memory, self. They embody the contradictions of public and private, containing the most private information that is often displayed in public. I wonder though, whether Motorola and MasterCard had considered these issues of public and private, the repository of status and access, the symbology of a wallet when they considered making a "wireless" wallet out of a phone. No, really, it's not about giving the phone the capability of making wireless transactions (although this does raise issues of security in data transfer and costs). It's about calling it a "wireless wallet". Because it's not quite there yet... and I wonder if it will ever be (although it's on the way, certainly). the phone itself is a physical object that can interact, produce, inspire and contain. Curious, where this is going to go... e-wallets have been a fantasy of big tech companies for a while now... as always, the next big thing...
15 November, 2004
What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits
The New York Times > Business > Your Money > What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits. This article has overtones of both surveillance and smart business. Most of all, however, it's very entertaining.
Some excerpts:
"HURRICANE FRANCES was on its way, barreling across the Caribbean, threatening a direct hit on Florida's Atlantic coast. Residents made for higher ground, but far away, in Bentonville, Ark., executives at Wal-Mart Stores decided that the situation offered a great opportunity for one of their newest data-driven weapons, something that the company calls predictive technology.
A week ahead of the storm's landfall, Linda M. Dillman, Wal-Mart's chief information officer, pressed her staff to come up with forecasts based on what had happened when Hurricane Charley struck several weeks earlier. Backed by the trillions of bytes' worth of shopper history that is stored in Wal-Mart's computer network, she felt that the company could "start predicting what's going to happen, instead of waiting for it to happen," as she put it.
*******
The experts mined the data and found that the stores would indeed need certain products - and not just the usual flashlights. "We didn't know in the past that strawberry Pop-Tarts increase in sales, like seven times their normal sales rate, ahead of a hurricane," Ms. Dillman said in a recent interview. "And the pre-hurricane top-selling item was beer."
Thanks to those insights, trucks filled with toaster pastries and six-packs were soon speeding down Interstate 95 toward Wal-Marts in the path of Frances. Most of the products that were stocked for the storm sold quickly, the company said."
Well the American comfort foods are pop-tarts and beer, it turns out. Strangely enough, as a consumer I can completely understand this result. Nevertheless, what I find most amusing is that WalMart made the news with this kind of investigation. Data mining for these kinds of patterns seems like an obvious use of the data mega stores collect. I am surprised they didn't think of this before! However, this is exceedingly entertaining :)
Some excerpts:
"HURRICANE FRANCES was on its way, barreling across the Caribbean, threatening a direct hit on Florida's Atlantic coast. Residents made for higher ground, but far away, in Bentonville, Ark., executives at Wal-Mart Stores decided that the situation offered a great opportunity for one of their newest data-driven weapons, something that the company calls predictive technology.
A week ahead of the storm's landfall, Linda M. Dillman, Wal-Mart's chief information officer, pressed her staff to come up with forecasts based on what had happened when Hurricane Charley struck several weeks earlier. Backed by the trillions of bytes' worth of shopper history that is stored in Wal-Mart's computer network, she felt that the company could "start predicting what's going to happen, instead of waiting for it to happen," as she put it.
*******
The experts mined the data and found that the stores would indeed need certain products - and not just the usual flashlights. "We didn't know in the past that strawberry Pop-Tarts increase in sales, like seven times their normal sales rate, ahead of a hurricane," Ms. Dillman said in a recent interview. "And the pre-hurricane top-selling item was beer."
Thanks to those insights, trucks filled with toaster pastries and six-packs were soon speeding down Interstate 95 toward Wal-Marts in the path of Frances. Most of the products that were stocked for the storm sold quickly, the company said."
Well the American comfort foods are pop-tarts and beer, it turns out. Strangely enough, as a consumer I can completely understand this result. Nevertheless, what I find most amusing is that WalMart made the news with this kind of investigation. Data mining for these kinds of patterns seems like an obvious use of the data mega stores collect. I am surprised they didn't think of this before! However, this is exceedingly entertaining :)
14 November, 2004
Postings: Letting the Internet Knock on the Door
The New York Times > Real Estate > Postings: Letting the Internet Knock on the Door
The article describes and internet website that attempts to facilitate nieghbors meeting neighbors. Created by the the author of TheLunchClub.net, this website went online last month and has had some success. People simply want to find ways to meet people, whether online or in real life, using tools available to them (tools that are both physical and digital).
T
his is fascinating and amusing at the same time. Most importantly, it's not a YASN idea, but an idea based on a physical location, dependant on physical proximity and an individual has to champion the physical aspects of things. This is important - despite the attraction of YASNs they hvae largerly failed to produce any reason for their existence, aside from the occasional showing who you know, etc. Sites that have a reason for existence and are capable to introduce some aspects of a YASN (providing a map of buildings for example and suggesting that people from nearby buildings might want to meet, etc), these are the ones that are more likely to become successful. What's even more interesting, is that these sites in particular, are successful precisely because they base themselves in the phyeical realm, using the digital as a tool to get closer physically... awesome...
The article describes and internet website that attempts to facilitate nieghbors meeting neighbors. Created by the the author of TheLunchClub.net, this website went online last month and has had some success. People simply want to find ways to meet people, whether online or in real life, using tools available to them (tools that are both physical and digital).
T
his is fascinating and amusing at the same time. Most importantly, it's not a YASN idea, but an idea based on a physical location, dependant on physical proximity and an individual has to champion the physical aspects of things. This is important - despite the attraction of YASNs they hvae largerly failed to produce any reason for their existence, aside from the occasional showing who you know, etc. Sites that have a reason for existence and are capable to introduce some aspects of a YASN (providing a map of buildings for example and suggesting that people from nearby buildings might want to meet, etc), these are the ones that are more likely to become successful. What's even more interesting, is that these sites in particular, are successful precisely because they base themselves in the phyeical realm, using the digital as a tool to get closer physically... awesome...
12 November, 2004
Wanted by the Police: A Good Interface
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Wanted by the Police: A Good Interface This article is an absolutely brilliant testament to necessity of HCI methods in building software for end users. I especially like the statement that some people are not familiar with the Windows interface so you can't assume a certain knowledge set which forms a basis for the design and that is something that many HCI experts forget as well.
Journal of Sex Research: Intercourse debut age: poor resources, problem behavior, or romantic appeal? A population-based longitudinal study
Journal of Sex Research: Intercourse debut age: poor resources, problem behavior, or romantic appeal? A population-based longitudinal study
Correction to the post below. This link will lead you to an article by Willy Pedersen and colleagues, that clearly describes the longitudinal methodology of the project. It is clearly superiour, which makes me consider their statement more interesting. However, the last wave of their data was collected in 1999 and I wonder if things haven't changed with a larger percentage of individuals using mobile phones and SMS and with social norms developing around the practice.
Correction to the post below. This link will lead you to an article by Willy Pedersen and colleagues, that clearly describes the longitudinal methodology of the project. It is clearly superiour, which makes me consider their statement more interesting. However, the last wave of their data was collected in 1999 and I wonder if things haven't changed with a larger percentage of individuals using mobile phones and SMS and with social norms developing around the practice.
Aftenposten Norway, Norwegian news in English
Aftenposten Norway, Norwegian news in English The study claims that cell phone use is linked to early sexual encounters... Yet I have trouble believing these results in no small part because the research SEEMS correlational. Cross-sectional surveys can not establish causation because it is impossible to measure all the intervening variables. Such research can only be convincing if it is longitudinal or if there are archival data comparisons to the time before cell phones.
10 November, 2004
NASA Awards Grant for Wireless Service Maps on Mars
NASA has awarded the Center for Space Telemetering and Telecommunications Systems at New Mexico University a $650,000 three-year grant to develop the first wireless service coverage maps of Mars. Additionally, the Center aims to tweak wireless communication technologies to make them work better across the planet. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration believes a wireless service network could aid them as the organization sends rovers across Mars to explore the remote and rocky terrain. (Source: Albuquerque Tribune) "
As Mark wonders... GSM or CDMA?
As Mark wonders... GSM or CDMA?
Patent May Allow Wireless Phones to Track Buying Habits
A patent application recently filed by Motorola may allow wireless service providers the ability to track subscribers' buying habits. The application can beam advertisements to wireless phones and other wireless communication devices based on the subscriber's location. Additionally, the service provider can track the device to see if the subscriber entered the store and possibly charge advertisers that sent the ad a fee. (Source: Chicago Sun Times)"
Yikes....
Yikes....
07 November, 2004
Our Customers - Our enemies
The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > Movie Industry Preparing Suits on File Sharing. The article talks to the pattern of the entertaiment/media production industries towards hysterical sue-happinnes in the shady area of file-sharing.
It is profoundly disturbing that the industries, that live on the individual consumption of their product, consider these consumers their enemies and agressively pursue fear tactics like law suits. All of this has to do with the idea of sharing - and the profound distaste of the media conglomerates for this basic social action that is a fundamental building block of our lives and our social relationships. It is very difficult to stop people from sharing... regardless of the tactics. I wonder though, when the larger companies will realize that instead of fighting "sharing" they need to consider harnessing this process and finding ways to capitalize on it.
It is profoundly disturbing that the industries, that live on the individual consumption of their product, consider these consumers their enemies and agressively pursue fear tactics like law suits. All of this has to do with the idea of sharing - and the profound distaste of the media conglomerates for this basic social action that is a fundamental building block of our lives and our social relationships. It is very difficult to stop people from sharing... regardless of the tactics. I wonder though, when the larger companies will realize that instead of fighting "sharing" they need to consider harnessing this process and finding ways to capitalize on it.
30 October, 2004
The New York Times > AP > Technology > Voters Checking Out Other Sides' Sites
The New York Times > AP > Technology > Voters Checking Out Other Sides' Sites
Despite the fact that Pew's methodology is based on the telephone and, thus, by definition excludes wireless phone users (those of us that have permanently turned off our landline), which is hevily biased in age, education and, i think, political orientation, these results are, nevertheless, interesting and challenege the "tunnell vision" point of view. The report itself indicates that people do access information on both sides of the story, and they found not by asking people whether they access both sides of the story (the theory of self-presentation would immideatly devalue such findings because people want to appear much more knowledgeable than they actually are), but by asking them directly about specific political issues.
My major question, after reading the report is probably laughable... but how many people were sitting in front of their computers when on the phone? could they simply type everything into "Google" and check??
However, considering that Paul Reznick (whose research I admire quite a bit) is part of this project and I am sure the statistical analysis is flawless. Still, advancing age was found to be indicative of the breadth of exposire to arguments about candidates and THAT may be due to wireline-wireless distinctions more so than interest and involvement distinctions.
what I really liked though, were the "types" of presidential race information consumers outlined in the report. The technique of doing this is something I need to do for Internet users in general and haven't had the time to figure out the process (which is a bit complicated - two-step clustering).
It's also interesting that people have heard more about the issues than candidates. Granted Kerry is sort of a wild card and there hasn't been much personal dirt dug up on him yet and everyone is tired of Bush's national guard stories, but could this also be linked with gender? Historically it has been expected that women care about personal characteristics more than men do, although I do not know the research on this all too well.
High speed connections at home may be what actually allows people to consider the Internet as an alternative source of information. I suspect it is far more common to spend time reading opposing view sources with a fast connection than a costly slow connection.
Despite the fact that Pew's methodology is based on the telephone and, thus, by definition excludes wireless phone users (those of us that have permanently turned off our landline), which is hevily biased in age, education and, i think, political orientation, these results are, nevertheless, interesting and challenege the "tunnell vision" point of view. The report itself indicates that people do access information on both sides of the story, and they found not by asking people whether they access both sides of the story (the theory of self-presentation would immideatly devalue such findings because people want to appear much more knowledgeable than they actually are), but by asking them directly about specific political issues.
My major question, after reading the report is probably laughable... but how many people were sitting in front of their computers when on the phone? could they simply type everything into "Google" and check??
However, considering that Paul Reznick (whose research I admire quite a bit) is part of this project and I am sure the statistical analysis is flawless. Still, advancing age was found to be indicative of the breadth of exposire to arguments about candidates and THAT may be due to wireline-wireless distinctions more so than interest and involvement distinctions.
what I really liked though, were the "types" of presidential race information consumers outlined in the report. The technique of doing this is something I need to do for Internet users in general and haven't had the time to figure out the process (which is a bit complicated - two-step clustering).
It's also interesting that people have heard more about the issues than candidates. Granted Kerry is sort of a wild card and there hasn't been much personal dirt dug up on him yet and everyone is tired of Bush's national guard stories, but could this also be linked with gender? Historically it has been expected that women care about personal characteristics more than men do, although I do not know the research on this all too well.
High speed connections at home may be what actually allows people to consider the Internet as an alternative source of information. I suspect it is far more common to spend time reading opposing view sources with a fast connection than a costly slow connection.
Verizon Plans Focus on Wireless and Broadband
"Verizon Communications is considering shedding millions of its local wirelines to gain $30 billion to pay for the rollout of advanced fiber and wireless technologies. The company reported that its 2004 third quarter profit remained flat, while its wireless business helped push revenue up 6.7% to $18.21 billion in the third quarter 2004, up from $17.06 billion in the third quarter 2003. Verizon Communications reported losing 666,000 business and consumer wirelines in the third quarter 2004. The company is now considering dropping 15 million of its remaining wirelines and seeks to transform itself into a wireless and broadband company. (Source: Wall Street Journal) "
Whoa... now this is interesting. Verizon has been a really big player in wireline business... What's curious is that they still want to provide Broadband, but they require a phone line to have a DSL. I am guessing that many of their subscribers use the cheapest form of a phone line for DSL but use a wireless phone as their main means of communication. This is the first instance of such a shift at least as far as I know. I wonder how the baby bells will do. What kinds of bundling will they try to offer to keep their customer base? BT in Britain has done some very interesting things with offering various wireless-like services to their wireline subscribers, like SMS ability. In the land of SMS that is understandable of course (not as important here at least no quite yet).
Whoa... now this is interesting. Verizon has been a really big player in wireline business... What's curious is that they still want to provide Broadband, but they require a phone line to have a DSL. I am guessing that many of their subscribers use the cheapest form of a phone line for DSL but use a wireless phone as their main means of communication. This is the first instance of such a shift at least as far as I know. I wonder how the baby bells will do. What kinds of bundling will they try to offer to keep their customer base? BT in Britain has done some very interesting things with offering various wireless-like services to their wireline subscribers, like SMS ability. In the land of SMS that is understandable of course (not as important here at least no quite yet).
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Weaned on Video Games
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Weaned on Video Games
this article is fascinating. with all the research on MMORPGs coming out saying conflicting things (its good for you, its bad for you, its good and bad for you, there are different strategies, etc.), adding young children to the mix may have two results - making the research itself of interest to a wider audience and more fundable, and creating a very interesting social impact that we will only see in about a decade. I wonder though... the part about non-traditional controls is intriguing. What about those non-traditional controls? will they be able to energyze not just the body and mind, not only teach, but also challenge and call to create?
Many people have worried about kids reading less and watching TV more, that part of the shift to a purely visual entertainment may be affecting ability to visualize and even imagination. I wonder how video games will impact this.
this article is fascinating. with all the research on MMORPGs coming out saying conflicting things (its good for you, its bad for you, its good and bad for you, there are different strategies, etc.), adding young children to the mix may have two results - making the research itself of interest to a wider audience and more fundable, and creating a very interesting social impact that we will only see in about a decade. I wonder though... the part about non-traditional controls is intriguing. What about those non-traditional controls? will they be able to energyze not just the body and mind, not only teach, but also challenge and call to create?
Many people have worried about kids reading less and watching TV more, that part of the shift to a purely visual entertainment may be affecting ability to visualize and even imagination. I wonder how video games will impact this.
Lawmakers Seek Ban on Prepaid Wireless Phones in Japan
"The Liberal Democratic Party in Japan is seeking to ban the use of prepaid wireless phones, according to an Associated Press report. Culprits make calls from prepaid wireless phones, which are difficult to track, falsely claming to be a police officer or lawyer dealing with a son or daughter in trouble. The culprits demand cash be transferred quickly into a bank account to save the child. The Liberal Democratic Party's suggested ban still requires further discussion among lawmakers, making its passage unlikely in the current session of Parliament ending on December 3, 2004. (Source: Dow Jones Newswire) "
I seriously wonder whether this is a purely cultural outcome or if this will follow in other countries. In the latter case, this will severely affect the pricing structure and the economy of the wireless world. Considering that it's the teenagers that are some of the biggest users of pre-paid phones in Europe, for example, this kind of ban may bring some control back to the parents for the kinds of communication their kids engage in (it's easy to demand the logs of the phone calls at the end of every month and check who they speak to and how much).
I seriously wonder whether this is a purely cultural outcome or if this will follow in other countries. In the latter case, this will severely affect the pricing structure and the economy of the wireless world. Considering that it's the teenagers that are some of the biggest users of pre-paid phones in Europe, for example, this kind of ban may bring some control back to the parents for the kinds of communication their kids engage in (it's easy to demand the logs of the phone calls at the end of every month and check who they speak to and how much).
Yahoo! Launches Service for Wireless Handsets
Internet media company Yahoo! launched its Web service targeted at U.S. wireless subscribers. The new service promises to offer easy-to-use Web search interface for wireless handsets. Yahoo!'s Web search as well as its specialized local and image search functions will be offered by Sprint, Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless. (Source: Reuters)
have you ever tried to do a search on the web via a phone? especially a spring phone (although AT&T is pretty horrendous too). Its ridiculous - since most web pages are not designed for a phone-based interface, it's almost impossible to find the exact pieces of information you need on a page because the screen only shows little parts of it. Curiously enough, Yahoo is offering these services with companies whose data-plans are some of the more expensive on the market.
It's not surprising though to see At&t and Cingular in the list together. Yesterday FCC approved the merger (finally, that took a while). Let the age of media and ICT super-mergers begin... the marketplace is going to be interesting for the next few years and then it will resemble that of the cable TV and baby bells - almost entirely geographically based. The wild card though, is geographical baselessness of the phone itself.
have you ever tried to do a search on the web via a phone? especially a spring phone (although AT&T is pretty horrendous too). Its ridiculous - since most web pages are not designed for a phone-based interface, it's almost impossible to find the exact pieces of information you need on a page because the screen only shows little parts of it. Curiously enough, Yahoo is offering these services with companies whose data-plans are some of the more expensive on the market.
It's not surprising though to see At&t and Cingular in the list together. Yesterday FCC approved the merger (finally, that took a while). Let the age of media and ICT super-mergers begin... the marketplace is going to be interesting for the next few years and then it will resemble that of the cable TV and baby bells - almost entirely geographically based. The wild card though, is geographical baselessness of the phone itself.
Campaign reporters grow dependent on Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi presence on the Presidential campaign trail is proving how reporters have come to rely on the latest in technology to get their job done. When John Kerry rolls into town so does a Wi-Fi hotspot allowing high speed Internet access to the laptops of dozens of reporters and television producers covering the event. Reporters have also grown dependent on BlackBerry devices and AirCards that allow laptops access to the Web wirelessly. (Source: Wall Street Journal)"
This is really interesting. A campaign is a high-speed chase at this point, so I suppose it doesn't make sense to search for local offerings in the form of Wi-Fi, but I wonder whether this could be made usable to the public as well and how would that affect both the image of the "campaign trail" and the idea of a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Dependency on devices, however, is not new. People who depend on information as a source of income and profit, will use any technology that provides access to information and facility to move it from place to place faster. They will also grow dependent on these facilities especially if they become common...
What is more curious, is the slightly disconcerting language of the article - "dependency", "rolls in" - I am sure George Lakoff from UCBerkeley would have lots to say about this. WTJ is a fairly conservative publication and the image that is drawn here is not exactly positive especialy with regards to technology use and dissemination as well as the modality of work that jouranlists engage in.... all of that, as a subtext... hmm... does that suggest ICT is more of a democratic gimmik? factcheck.com anyone?
This is really interesting. A campaign is a high-speed chase at this point, so I suppose it doesn't make sense to search for local offerings in the form of Wi-Fi, but I wonder whether this could be made usable to the public as well and how would that affect both the image of the "campaign trail" and the idea of a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Dependency on devices, however, is not new. People who depend on information as a source of income and profit, will use any technology that provides access to information and facility to move it from place to place faster. They will also grow dependent on these facilities especially if they become common...
What is more curious, is the slightly disconcerting language of the article - "dependency", "rolls in" - I am sure George Lakoff from UCBerkeley would have lots to say about this. WTJ is a fairly conservative publication and the image that is drawn here is not exactly positive especialy with regards to technology use and dissemination as well as the modality of work that jouranlists engage in.... all of that, as a subtext... hmm... does that suggest ICT is more of a democratic gimmik? factcheck.com anyone?
27 October, 2004
The New York Times > Arts > Art & Design > How to Cross Borders, Social or Otherwise
The New York Times > Arts > Art & Design > How to Cross Borders, Social or Otherwise - this NYT article has an interesting review of art that questions legal and societal definitions of identity as they become more stringent in the post-9/11 US-dominated world. What does the concept of borders and border crossings mean? Why is crossing them illegal and where is the sense in the boundaries that run through the vast expanse of the alps or the lakes and rivers of the north. Why are we expected to travel with posessions and claim so much suspicion for getting rid of the pull of things and travelling light? What is identity as it is encased in the plastic of cards complete with a bad picture and cursory description of association with some entity or another. Why are some of these "identities" are easier to get and some are harder? Which are "fake" and which are "real". As the world hurtles towards the madness envisioned by Orwell, Bradbury and others, as we repeat those mistakes that we had never learned from, how long will it be until the art that questions fundamentals of law and the basis of homeland security is banned from view lest it give people ideas...
22 October, 2004
Boaters Rescued After Placing 911 Call Underwater
Three boaters in Michigan are alive after they placed a 911 call from a wireless handset while underwater. The Coast Guard, County Sheriff's dive team and the local Fire Department were able to rescue the men after receiving the call. The men were in a submerged cabin of a sailboat that flipped over. All three were treated for mild hypothermia. (Source: NBC News Detroit) "
The wireless tabloids are full of entertaining cell phone banter today - help! bubble bubble! underwater! bubble bubble!
But seriously, not so long ago, New York Times ran an op ed on how adding wireless access in national parks made rangers worry that everyone would call them about a twisted ankle or a bad bruise. That may be true, but I know many people who would have appreciated this ability as they had to crawl with broken/twisted ankles or knees out of the backcountry of various kinds. Yet the article made another interesting point - would cell phones provide a "safety blanket" both giving a false sense of security (I can be rescued anywhere, so I can do stupid things anywhere now!) while providing valuable leg up on the elements in life-threatening situations. I onwder, would they? Would they allow people who are scared of leaving the civilization safety perimeter, finally venture a little bit out into the wilderness? (this is relevant to the Amerca's but not to Europe really). Will that increase injuries and accidents, prompting a rushed attempt to protect people from themselved by the government through regulation? Will it really help save lives? not in hard core mountaineering maybe (although there have been examples of that in less remote locations), but something more mild, rock climbing for example, or hiking or even boating? This tether to civilization that we have, that we may perceive as an extension of ourselves, that we willingly carry around, how much of a trade off between safety, security, privacy, freedom will it be? Hearing a phone ring 200 feet off the ground on a piece of rock is a little bit disconcerting, even if somehow amusing. Will we still be able to find places where solutide and silence are punctuated only by thunder and cries of birds and not cell phone rings? Will we have to go deeper into the wilderness for that now?
The wireless tabloids are full of entertaining cell phone banter today - help! bubble bubble! underwater! bubble bubble!
But seriously, not so long ago, New York Times ran an op ed on how adding wireless access in national parks made rangers worry that everyone would call them about a twisted ankle or a bad bruise. That may be true, but I know many people who would have appreciated this ability as they had to crawl with broken/twisted ankles or knees out of the backcountry of various kinds. Yet the article made another interesting point - would cell phones provide a "safety blanket" both giving a false sense of security (I can be rescued anywhere, so I can do stupid things anywhere now!) while providing valuable leg up on the elements in life-threatening situations. I onwder, would they? Would they allow people who are scared of leaving the civilization safety perimeter, finally venture a little bit out into the wilderness? (this is relevant to the Amerca's but not to Europe really). Will that increase injuries and accidents, prompting a rushed attempt to protect people from themselved by the government through regulation? Will it really help save lives? not in hard core mountaineering maybe (although there have been examples of that in less remote locations), but something more mild, rock climbing for example, or hiking or even boating? This tether to civilization that we have, that we may perceive as an extension of ourselves, that we willingly carry around, how much of a trade off between safety, security, privacy, freedom will it be? Hearing a phone ring 200 feet off the ground on a piece of rock is a little bit disconcerting, even if somehow amusing. Will we still be able to find places where solutide and silence are punctuated only by thunder and cries of birds and not cell phone rings? Will we have to go deeper into the wilderness for that now?
Restaurant Introduces 'No Cell Phone' Area
"The Vineyard Restaurant in Florida has a new way to please both diners that need to chat on their wireless phones and those that do not want to be disturbed by the devices. The restaurant has created a 'No Cell Phone' area allowing customers to dine without their handsets. Others can dine in the wireless phone designated area and conduct business as usual from their wireless handsets." (Source: Associated Press)
Sir, madam, smoking or non-smoking? cell phone or not? The choices for selecting the right corner of the restaurant are increasing. As norms for technology use are slowly developing, some places are getting ahead by trying to please everyone. This woud have to be a rather large location. I wonder if they have a smokers area as well. Do they partition both then? Do they place the wireless people to the smokers? Is this a development of a new semi-stigma, like for smoking? curious!
Sir, madam, smoking or non-smoking? cell phone or not? The choices for selecting the right corner of the restaurant are increasing. As norms for technology use are slowly developing, some places are getting ahead by trying to please everyone. This woud have to be a rather large location. I wonder if they have a smokers area as well. Do they partition both then? Do they place the wireless people to the smokers? Is this a development of a new semi-stigma, like for smoking? curious!
12 October, 2004
The New Atlantis - Our Cell Phones, Ourselves - Christine Rosen
The New Atlantis - Our Cell Phones, Ourselves - Christine Rosen is an interesting article I found this morning. It's essentially a long ode to the cultural horrors of cell phones, the aweful effects it is having on our society. Some are good points, some are overhyped, some are plain wrong, but in general it's an interesting article. Interesting in no small part because it very clearly takes cell phones as a "brand new" technology and gives this techonlogy agency over the lives of its users, while sometimes giving the users the right to behave. When talking about a particular technology it is difficult not to slip into this odd pattern of techological determinism.
Christine Rosen doesn't like cellphones. Although new techonlogy excites her, she feels guilty and longs for the lots quiet of spaces. She rings alarms of disconnection and erosion of community life, echoing similar alarms rung for the Internet (along with the odes written to it simultaneously) less than a decade ago. It's the encantation of "we have changed for the worse", the anxiety of losing that "good world we had before"... I have heard many times that when my grandmother was my age...things were usually better. Were they? probably not, but in the short term we tend to remember bad things (see Baumeister et al. "Bad is stronger than good" paper), yet in long term we tend to see the past in rosy colors.
Requires reading to help re-asses this point of view - Claude Fischer "On Telephone" and "To Dwell Amon Friends"
No, the world isn't falling apart or imploading, communities are not eroding and personal relationships are not shallower, conversations still happen, and they are just as rare in comparison with chit chat as were a decade ago or a century ago. Technology doesn't change people, people adapt techonlogy to their needs, and only then do changes begin - the secondary effects, the unexpected compromises... those take years to develop, to be adapted... a new techology adoption process is a growing process complete with a development of new social norms... Besides, there is always the "off" button, and, if you really want to "disconnect" leave the damn thing at home.
Christine Rosen doesn't like cellphones. Although new techonlogy excites her, she feels guilty and longs for the lots quiet of spaces. She rings alarms of disconnection and erosion of community life, echoing similar alarms rung for the Internet (along with the odes written to it simultaneously) less than a decade ago. It's the encantation of "we have changed for the worse", the anxiety of losing that "good world we had before"... I have heard many times that when my grandmother was my age...things were usually better. Were they? probably not, but in the short term we tend to remember bad things (see Baumeister et al. "Bad is stronger than good" paper), yet in long term we tend to see the past in rosy colors.
Requires reading to help re-asses this point of view - Claude Fischer "On Telephone" and "To Dwell Amon Friends"
No, the world isn't falling apart or imploading, communities are not eroding and personal relationships are not shallower, conversations still happen, and they are just as rare in comparison with chit chat as were a decade ago or a century ago. Technology doesn't change people, people adapt techonlogy to their needs, and only then do changes begin - the secondary effects, the unexpected compromises... those take years to develop, to be adapted... a new techology adoption process is a growing process complete with a development of new social norms... Besides, there is always the "off" button, and, if you really want to "disconnect" leave the damn thing at home.
07 October, 2004
Basics: Who's There? How Parents Can Be IM Watchdogs
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Basics: Who's There? How Parents Can Be IM Watchdogs
An article on parental paranoia-child-control is in NYT today, suggesting that parents must monitor activities of their children online as well as offline. While this topic is not new, some work in the UK by Sonia Livingstone and her colleagues suggests that parents and children have very different perceptions of what the other knows and what the other does online. Children are also far more relaxed about the "dangers" of the Internet, showing a significant amount of understanding that some things should not be done, others one has to pay attention to.
HomeNet's own work has shown that teens rarely comunicate with strangers. It is curious that strangers are the brunt of concern of the article, which cites only that as an articulated reason for parental control, leaving others to imagination (although implying there are many). Teens from the HomeNet interviews were very clear that meeting strangers online was not something they did for the most part. It was a rare occurance and, really, they preferred chatting with their friends anyway. Certainly these claims are subject to questioning - were the teens actually honest with experimenters? considering, however, that "meeting new people online" is still a fairly low-frequency activity in the US population in general as well as among Internet users, it seems plausible. In fact, the teens from the interviews spent most of their time chatting to their friends with whom they have just parted at school. This kind of "always on" connectedness seems in quality similar to the SMS-trends of EU and Asia and fits well with theories about demands of relationship development in this age group.
While parental controls may make parents feel better they may also build resentment from the children while trying to fix something that isn't entirely broken. Filter systems have been shown to be inept and blocking far more legitimate sites than the illegitimate ones (see the court cases for library-filter use from several years ago in the US). In Livingstone's data, children are not only aware of this, but find it both amusing and frustrating as well as largely useless. Just imagine if you live somewhere like Essex or Sussex in the UK... all the websites regarding these locations or web searchers with these names would be blocked.
Yet Parental Paranoia - the demand that one must always be watching their childs every move in order to be a good parent - has been perpetuated in this country over the last decade or so. Children with over-scheduled activity calendars almost have to rely on IM and/or SMS to build relationships that they don't hvae time to build as they are involved in a myriad of activities, always controlled and observed by the watchful parent. As such, parental-gard software sells itself on the wave of such paranoia-demands and NYT writes promotionl articles for this software, AOL and MSN. Go brand-advertising in the name of our children.
An article on parental paranoia-child-control is in NYT today, suggesting that parents must monitor activities of their children online as well as offline. While this topic is not new, some work in the UK by Sonia Livingstone and her colleagues suggests that parents and children have very different perceptions of what the other knows and what the other does online. Children are also far more relaxed about the "dangers" of the Internet, showing a significant amount of understanding that some things should not be done, others one has to pay attention to.
HomeNet's own work has shown that teens rarely comunicate with strangers. It is curious that strangers are the brunt of concern of the article, which cites only that as an articulated reason for parental control, leaving others to imagination (although implying there are many). Teens from the HomeNet interviews were very clear that meeting strangers online was not something they did for the most part. It was a rare occurance and, really, they preferred chatting with their friends anyway. Certainly these claims are subject to questioning - were the teens actually honest with experimenters? considering, however, that "meeting new people online" is still a fairly low-frequency activity in the US population in general as well as among Internet users, it seems plausible. In fact, the teens from the interviews spent most of their time chatting to their friends with whom they have just parted at school. This kind of "always on" connectedness seems in quality similar to the SMS-trends of EU and Asia and fits well with theories about demands of relationship development in this age group.
While parental controls may make parents feel better they may also build resentment from the children while trying to fix something that isn't entirely broken. Filter systems have been shown to be inept and blocking far more legitimate sites than the illegitimate ones (see the court cases for library-filter use from several years ago in the US). In Livingstone's data, children are not only aware of this, but find it both amusing and frustrating as well as largely useless. Just imagine if you live somewhere like Essex or Sussex in the UK... all the websites regarding these locations or web searchers with these names would be blocked.
Yet Parental Paranoia - the demand that one must always be watching their childs every move in order to be a good parent - has been perpetuated in this country over the last decade or so. Children with over-scheduled activity calendars almost have to rely on IM and/or SMS to build relationships that they don't hvae time to build as they are involved in a myriad of activities, always controlled and observed by the watchful parent. As such, parental-gard software sells itself on the wave of such paranoia-demands and NYT writes promotionl articles for this software, AOL and MSN. Go brand-advertising in the name of our children.
06 October, 2004
The New York Times > New York Region > Area Codes, Now Divorced From Their Areas
The New York Times > New York Region > Area Codes, Now Divorced From Their Areas
Blogger, blogger why did you eat my blog-post last night? This article inspired quite a bit of thinking about phones, places, changes from places to people, identity... I disagree with a statement that is made half way through the article that numbers don't mean as much anymore. On the contrary, they do, but that meaning has been transfigurated into something different. Where numbers used to denote class status to people within immediate physical proximity but meant simply place of current residence to people outside such location, numbers now mean - origin, allegiance, source, attachment. Changing numbers is as much a symbolic statement as it is practical even when the symbolic aspect of it is not articulated by the users. The question of "where are you from" can now sometimes be answered by obtainining their cell phone number. This can also be an indication of just how much the person in question identifies with their current location (is their area code local?).
Yet not all of this can be symbolic for the reasons of infrastructure resistance. In some places cellular phones still do not work, in others, it is necessary to obtain a landline for a number of reasons. Yet in most urban areas the symbolic nature of the cell phone persists. Numbers still mean something... they mean people now, not places but individual allegiance to places. Same? Different? time will show.
Blogger, blogger why did you eat my blog-post last night? This article inspired quite a bit of thinking about phones, places, changes from places to people, identity... I disagree with a statement that is made half way through the article that numbers don't mean as much anymore. On the contrary, they do, but that meaning has been transfigurated into something different. Where numbers used to denote class status to people within immediate physical proximity but meant simply place of current residence to people outside such location, numbers now mean - origin, allegiance, source, attachment. Changing numbers is as much a symbolic statement as it is practical even when the symbolic aspect of it is not articulated by the users. The question of "where are you from" can now sometimes be answered by obtainining their cell phone number. This can also be an indication of just how much the person in question identifies with their current location (is their area code local?).
Yet not all of this can be symbolic for the reasons of infrastructure resistance. In some places cellular phones still do not work, in others, it is necessary to obtain a landline for a number of reasons. Yet in most urban areas the symbolic nature of the cell phone persists. Numbers still mean something... they mean people now, not places but individual allegiance to places. Same? Different? time will show.
04 October, 2004
The New York Times > Job Market > Before Applying, Check Out the Blogs
The New York Times > Job Market > Before Applying, Check Out the Blogs
The article in the New York times talks about blogging as this brand new cool way of applying for jobs and being contacted for jobs. While I do not argue with the validity of the statement that this happens and the anecdotal evidence presented, what bothers me, is the theme of "this is soo new and good and wonderful!"
This phenomenon is not new (how good and wonderful it is, time will show, I doubt it will last long in its pure form once the branding begins, but I've just read "no logo" so its clear why this paranoia seems logical to me). This phenomenon, in fact, is simply another in a list of more and more elaborate iterations that started with personal web-pages, expanded with the coming of search engines, became more popular with job-search sites, was perfected by Craig's list (where at some point, several SF companies hired exclusively from Craig's list claiming they could advertise to exactly the right kind of people there and the response they got was far more personal. Similar claims were from the employees seeking jobs on the site).
Blogs are a different approach to the same problem of job-seeking, fine, maybe it is, but not SO different from previous online iterations of this process. In a way that it IS different is that the employee allows the company know a lot more about them than the company previously could. I am not sure that such levels of disclosure are actually a good thing. Granted, in "hip" and "cool" companies that are still growing this may be an advantage. However, words are a tricky medium especially in a case where they persist despite their authors once they are made public.
Lovely statement about 2 million people blogging by the way... It eerly reminds me of the hayday of muds where 2 million people were mudding and the level of engagement was dramatically changing everyone's lives too. 2 million people is less than 2 percent of the 250 million on this country... just a bit'o'perspective.
The article in the New York times talks about blogging as this brand new cool way of applying for jobs and being contacted for jobs. While I do not argue with the validity of the statement that this happens and the anecdotal evidence presented, what bothers me, is the theme of "this is soo new and good and wonderful!"
This phenomenon is not new (how good and wonderful it is, time will show, I doubt it will last long in its pure form once the branding begins, but I've just read "no logo" so its clear why this paranoia seems logical to me). This phenomenon, in fact, is simply another in a list of more and more elaborate iterations that started with personal web-pages, expanded with the coming of search engines, became more popular with job-search sites, was perfected by Craig's list (where at some point, several SF companies hired exclusively from Craig's list claiming they could advertise to exactly the right kind of people there and the response they got was far more personal. Similar claims were from the employees seeking jobs on the site).
Blogs are a different approach to the same problem of job-seeking, fine, maybe it is, but not SO different from previous online iterations of this process. In a way that it IS different is that the employee allows the company know a lot more about them than the company previously could. I am not sure that such levels of disclosure are actually a good thing. Granted, in "hip" and "cool" companies that are still growing this may be an advantage. However, words are a tricky medium especially in a case where they persist despite their authors once they are made public.
Lovely statement about 2 million people blogging by the way... It eerly reminds me of the hayday of muds where 2 million people were mudding and the level of engagement was dramatically changing everyone's lives too. 2 million people is less than 2 percent of the 250 million on this country... just a bit'o'perspective.
22 September, 2004
apophenia: fair use restraints dampen my love affair with audible.com
In apophenia: fair use restraints dampen my love affair with audible.com danah complains about her discovery that the rules of consumption established by audible.com for their digital content are breaking down treasured social behaviors that she has enjoyed in the past with real, paper books (I believe that if publishers could do what Audible.com can, they would, but they can not so there you have it, that's why libraries are still allowed to exist). This concept of sharing though... it has come up in several conversations so far and I have a hunch there is something very important here. Sharing... we like to share... its a social process that establishes our position in the social network, develops a set of IOUs in social relationships, defines us in a way. Sharing is a really important thing, it performs some extremely important functions in society that seems to think it has grown out of sharing, seems to never have noticed this one aspect of human relationships, never have accounted for it... although all of us share our knowledge, experience, food, posessions, emotions, ourselves from time to time with different people. Maybe ebcause its such a constant integral part of human relationships, that we do not notice this particular behavior as anything special. Yet it is special if only because it is ubiquitous and is a building block of social structure in nearly every respect. Yet in the computer world, sharing is seen as a bad thing. It's often classified as stealing.
One of the fundamental probelms RIAA and the like are facing with their "piracy" issues is that they are going against one of the more intrinsic parts of human nature - the social act of sharing that works as a set of social signals within a structural hierharchy of relationships. In plain speak - people buy books and music not just because they want to listen or read it, but because they want to share that knowledge, the giddiness of sharing the cool find and having someone else find it cool too. We are social animals, but the computer world is built by people who either
1. want to make sure they can get every penny for everything (sharing is aweful, the publishers association actually considers libraries the worst offenders in terms of profit loss... just think about it, libraries let people read books WITHOUT buying them! the HORROR!)
2. built by people who are either antisocial to begin with or largely choose to ignore that people use technology not for the technology but for the social interactions that technology has the potential to create/augment/change/motivate...
I consciously choose to not use the ipod for its intense anti-sharing qualities. I will never subscribe to audible or anything else that tries to force me not to share. I've bought more CD's because someone else burned me a copy of something and I liked it and bought more and bought it for others, than I have just because I found out about it through advertisement. I've bought books because I borrowed one and loved and wanted to give it to someone else, but the social rules of borrowing meant that it would't be proper to lend a lent book. There are social structures and norms that already exist in cultures that use sharing as a form of propagation both of knowledge and of consumption. Companies that produce forms of entertainment like books, music, etc... don't seem to realize that... they have put so much effort into trying to stop people from the fundamental social act of sharing and they wonder why it doesn't work...
One of the fundamental probelms RIAA and the like are facing with their "piracy" issues is that they are going against one of the more intrinsic parts of human nature - the social act of sharing that works as a set of social signals within a structural hierharchy of relationships. In plain speak - people buy books and music not just because they want to listen or read it, but because they want to share that knowledge, the giddiness of sharing the cool find and having someone else find it cool too. We are social animals, but the computer world is built by people who either
1. want to make sure they can get every penny for everything (sharing is aweful, the publishers association actually considers libraries the worst offenders in terms of profit loss... just think about it, libraries let people read books WITHOUT buying them! the HORROR!)
2. built by people who are either antisocial to begin with or largely choose to ignore that people use technology not for the technology but for the social interactions that technology has the potential to create/augment/change/motivate...
I consciously choose to not use the ipod for its intense anti-sharing qualities. I will never subscribe to audible or anything else that tries to force me not to share. I've bought more CD's because someone else burned me a copy of something and I liked it and bought more and bought it for others, than I have just because I found out about it through advertisement. I've bought books because I borrowed one and loved and wanted to give it to someone else, but the social rules of borrowing meant that it would't be proper to lend a lent book. There are social structures and norms that already exist in cultures that use sharing as a form of propagation both of knowledge and of consumption. Companies that produce forms of entertainment like books, music, etc... don't seem to realize that... they have put so much effort into trying to stop people from the fundamental social act of sharing and they wonder why it doesn't work...
14 September, 2004
The New York Times > Health > F.D.A. Links Drugs to Being Suicidal
The New York Times > Health > F.D.A. Links Drugs to Being Suicidal
This is an interesting article that brings up issues of drug use in treating personality and emotional disorders. A sort of "help us help ourselves" turning into "protect us from the side effects of helping us help ourselves". Anti-depressant medications may help some and damage others, its a risk people take when deciding to take a medication - there is no happy pill without side-effects... there just isn't. The issue here though, is more emotional, dealing with children and emotionally unstable children simply because they happen to be teenagers. Its hard enough without the drugs, its really hard if there is an emotional problem, seems like its a different hard with drugs and emotional problem. So now, the parents of children that comitted suicide will push for what? abolishing the drug? So that the rest of the children that are helped by them can't get any lest they try to kill themselves? Tough choice, but its the vocal few that mostly get their way not the "comparatively" happy many.
This is an interesting article that brings up issues of drug use in treating personality and emotional disorders. A sort of "help us help ourselves" turning into "protect us from the side effects of helping us help ourselves". Anti-depressant medications may help some and damage others, its a risk people take when deciding to take a medication - there is no happy pill without side-effects... there just isn't. The issue here though, is more emotional, dealing with children and emotionally unstable children simply because they happen to be teenagers. Its hard enough without the drugs, its really hard if there is an emotional problem, seems like its a different hard with drugs and emotional problem. So now, the parents of children that comitted suicide will push for what? abolishing the drug? So that the rest of the children that are helped by them can't get any lest they try to kill themselves? Tough choice, but its the vocal few that mostly get their way not the "comparatively" happy many.
11 September, 2004
Sick of Work: Cracking Under the Pressure? It's Just the Opposite, for Some
The New York Times > Health > Sick of Work: Cracking Under the Pressure? It's Just the Opposite, for Some
Well... diary writing may be bad, and working hard and being stressed out may not be after all... what a day of scientific findings. This one, though seems far more entertaining as well as blanaced and based in something more or less reliable... hmm flourish under stress eh? interesting :)
Well... diary writing may be bad, and working hard and being stressed out may not be after all... what a day of scientific findings. This one, though seems far more entertaining as well as blanaced and based in something more or less reliable... hmm flourish under stress eh? interesting :)
10 September, 2004
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > A Digital Generation's Analog Chic
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > A Digital Generation's Analog Chic
This is a really interesting article about form factor and modern design and, how modern technology design sometimes overlooks some nuances of social rhetoric and everyday mundane aesthetic. The modern design pushes towards the "future" which is hard to see through the dredges of the current, but the current may not be so bad.
This reminds me of an interesting story in one of our mover-interviews this summer. There was a couple that switched to cell phones and dropped a landline in the process of moving (people often seemed to renegotiate their use of technology as they decided on its applications in the new location). While the husband worked, the wife stayed at home with a newborn baby. Her phone had good reception in the house, and, having moved so recently, she spent quite a bit of time calling friends and family back home. She was a bit tied to the house with the child needing constant attention and the only people she had managed to meet were her neighbors and some old friends that lived in the area. She was a bit lonely and wanted to talk... yet she discovered that the design of the cellphone really did not support it being used as a house phone for the following reasons:
1. Its small. Size and weight are important considerations when we select an item that we will get to carry around with us nearly everywhere. However, at home, it seems silly to always have the phone in your pocket or carry around a bag for it (doesn't it?). So the phone develops a "place" in the house, usually next to the keys, the wallet, the handbag - a cognitive trick to reduce its changes of being lost - due to its size. Then again, because its so small and mobile, it can be carried anywhere in the apartment during conversation... and then left where the conversation ended. Of course, this is not the first time we are encountering handsets we can carry around the house. Wireless housephones have been around for ages. Unfortunately a cell phone lacks one important thing - a little button on the base station of the housephone that would make the handset make a loud annoying noise, allowing it to be found. The cell phone doesn't even have to wring if you forgot to switch off the vibrate or "etiquette" mode (on some models).
** on a sidenote, this problem has been dealt with in asian countries in a brilliant way - their handsets are even smaller, small enough to be worn around the neck like pendants. (works at least for women, men can use a belt-clip, no matter how ugly that looks its at least functional and many men don't seem to mind, far fewer women use that feature according to some market research stats).
2. Vibration - cell phone are often put on vibrate - their ring tones are for the most part annoying and you don't want it to ring loudly in a quite public space (or when the child is sleeping). Its a good feature... very good, unless you happen to have a pale of water standing underneath the cabinet where it resides together with keys and wallet... and someone calls... and it happens to vibrate (move in this case) off into the water because it was on a flat surface... It can also simply vibrate off the shelf and fall on the floor, vibrating itself under the cabinet... Successfully loosing itself for the owner. When was the last time you had to deal with technology that walked of its own accord?
There are many others, but I think this relates in some interesting way to the NYT article. Some of the "older" "outdated" technology had enjoyed years of design iterations. Maybe its not such a bad idea to go back and learn form these (as some of them were very successful)
This is a really interesting article about form factor and modern design and, how modern technology design sometimes overlooks some nuances of social rhetoric and everyday mundane aesthetic. The modern design pushes towards the "future" which is hard to see through the dredges of the current, but the current may not be so bad.
This reminds me of an interesting story in one of our mover-interviews this summer. There was a couple that switched to cell phones and dropped a landline in the process of moving (people often seemed to renegotiate their use of technology as they decided on its applications in the new location). While the husband worked, the wife stayed at home with a newborn baby. Her phone had good reception in the house, and, having moved so recently, she spent quite a bit of time calling friends and family back home. She was a bit tied to the house with the child needing constant attention and the only people she had managed to meet were her neighbors and some old friends that lived in the area. She was a bit lonely and wanted to talk... yet she discovered that the design of the cellphone really did not support it being used as a house phone for the following reasons:
1. Its small. Size and weight are important considerations when we select an item that we will get to carry around with us nearly everywhere. However, at home, it seems silly to always have the phone in your pocket or carry around a bag for it (doesn't it?). So the phone develops a "place" in the house, usually next to the keys, the wallet, the handbag - a cognitive trick to reduce its changes of being lost - due to its size. Then again, because its so small and mobile, it can be carried anywhere in the apartment during conversation... and then left where the conversation ended. Of course, this is not the first time we are encountering handsets we can carry around the house. Wireless housephones have been around for ages. Unfortunately a cell phone lacks one important thing - a little button on the base station of the housephone that would make the handset make a loud annoying noise, allowing it to be found. The cell phone doesn't even have to wring if you forgot to switch off the vibrate or "etiquette" mode (on some models).
** on a sidenote, this problem has been dealt with in asian countries in a brilliant way - their handsets are even smaller, small enough to be worn around the neck like pendants. (works at least for women, men can use a belt-clip, no matter how ugly that looks its at least functional and many men don't seem to mind, far fewer women use that feature according to some market research stats).
2. Vibration - cell phone are often put on vibrate - their ring tones are for the most part annoying and you don't want it to ring loudly in a quite public space (or when the child is sleeping). Its a good feature... very good, unless you happen to have a pale of water standing underneath the cabinet where it resides together with keys and wallet... and someone calls... and it happens to vibrate (move in this case) off into the water because it was on a flat surface... It can also simply vibrate off the shelf and fall on the floor, vibrating itself under the cabinet... Successfully loosing itself for the owner. When was the last time you had to deal with technology that walked of its own accord?
There are many others, but I think this relates in some interesting way to the NYT article. Some of the "older" "outdated" technology had enjoyed years of design iterations. Maybe its not such a bad idea to go back and learn form these (as some of them were very successful)
Dear New Scientist, you make me sick
Article: Dear diary, you make me sick| New Scientist
The above article reports some results from a study at Staffordshire University that purpoterdly disputes the common understanding that writing can be theraputic and that diaries are a form of therapy. In this study, researchers studied 94 diarists and compared their health with that of 41 non-diarists. That is, they went to a bunch of college kids, and asked them fill out a survey. <<-- 1! survey.
The very first paragraph of the article reports the results in a language that leaves no doubts as to their authenticity - "Keeping a diary is bad for your health, say UK psychologists. They found that regular diarists were more likely than non-diarists to suffer from headaches, sleeplessness, digestive problems and social awkwardness."
Nearly 8 paragraphs later they add the "problems" of the study - that despite the language in the first two thirds of the article there is actually no basis for asserting a causal direction. Did diary writing cause these problems or did the problems cause people to write diaries? That's relegated to future work, of course, but who cares? And how many individuals read to the end of the article anyway? The is sensationalism at its best in a magazine that is supposed to be at least half way reputable. It really bites me that researchers will do studies that are purely correlational (proper longitudinal studies, of course, take too much time, dont' they?) and then make causual claims that appear in publication. I bet that this type of report would not make it through peer review, but the New Scientist is happy to publish it!
The above article reports some results from a study at Staffordshire University that purpoterdly disputes the common understanding that writing can be theraputic and that diaries are a form of therapy. In this study, researchers studied 94 diarists and compared their health with that of 41 non-diarists. That is, they went to a bunch of college kids, and asked them fill out a survey. <<-- 1! survey.
The very first paragraph of the article reports the results in a language that leaves no doubts as to their authenticity - "Keeping a diary is bad for your health, say UK psychologists. They found that regular diarists were more likely than non-diarists to suffer from headaches, sleeplessness, digestive problems and social awkwardness."
Nearly 8 paragraphs later they add the "problems" of the study - that despite the language in the first two thirds of the article there is actually no basis for asserting a causal direction. Did diary writing cause these problems or did the problems cause people to write diaries? That's relegated to future work, of course, but who cares? And how many individuals read to the end of the article anyway? The is sensationalism at its best in a magazine that is supposed to be at least half way reputable. It really bites me that researchers will do studies that are purely correlational (proper longitudinal studies, of course, take too much time, dont' they?) and then make causual claims that appear in publication. I bet that this type of report would not make it through peer review, but the New Scientist is happy to publish it!
08 September, 2004
Citing Threats, Entrepreneur Wants to Quit Caller ID Venture
The New York Times > Technology > Citing Threats, Entrepreneur Wants to Quit Caller ID Venture
This is fascinating. When callerID just became available for residential customers, phone companies were forced to ask their customers whether they wanted to opt out. A very large proportion of customers did (I wonder, actually if there are any figures for that). Even now, if you are getting your landline phone, you are offered the option to "block caller ID" but for a fee of course. With the advent of cell phones, caller ID was not an issue for some reason. Cellphone companies didn't even offer the opt-out version. In fact, when they got accused of overcharging customers because they were charging for incoming calls (in the US, this was/is not an issue in Europe), cell phone companies actually cited caller ID as a feature that would allow their customers to decide whether they wanted to take (and, by definition, pay for) a particular phone call or not. At the time, they claimed that if someone was blocking caller ID why would you want to talk to them anyway (framing the "blockers" as them shady people).
What's curious is that initially, caller ID played hell with some of the assumptions telephone users have gotten used to make about their phone calls - a measure of obscurity was taken away - i.e. you couldn't repeatedly call and hang up on your ex anymore because now they would KNOW it was you without having to actually TALK and CONFRONT you... ouch...(then *69 appeared as a feature, or was it before caller ID? In any case, it was extremely unnerving but offered enough loopholes to make it manageable).
Because cellular phones made callerID simply an aspect of the technology, these expectations of obscurity never came up. In fact, some people now get annoyed about calling landline phones because they actually have to introduce themselves in order to be recognized and have to spell out their phone # instead of simply saying - you now have it on your phone, don't you? This loss of introductions is a very little thing, but my grandmother still gets a little freaked when I pick up the phone and say "Hi grandma!" before she has a chance to say hello... On the other hand, I find myself a little disconcerted when I actually have to introduce myself over the phone to someone - its such an odd, almost uncommon thing for me.
So here comes Star38, advertising a service that would not only let you block caller IDs, but to successfully pretend to be someone else entirely. A license to lie that apparently bothered a number of people (exciting a number of others). What I am curious about, however, is the sentence in the article that says people were concerned about their privacy... whose privacy? the giving or the receiving end? The very curious thing is that existence of Star38 would actually make the whole thing of caller ID safer, by make it very clear to cellphone users that they simply can not believe their callerID (thus ruining some phisher-business, no wonder they sent death-threats). It doesn't just give a license to lie, it actually teaches everyone a good measure of caution. The caller may not be who you think they are... We might have to re-learn to introduce ourselves and to stop relying on the ID feature... a step back or forward?
This is fascinating. When callerID just became available for residential customers, phone companies were forced to ask their customers whether they wanted to opt out. A very large proportion of customers did (I wonder, actually if there are any figures for that). Even now, if you are getting your landline phone, you are offered the option to "block caller ID" but for a fee of course. With the advent of cell phones, caller ID was not an issue for some reason. Cellphone companies didn't even offer the opt-out version. In fact, when they got accused of overcharging customers because they were charging for incoming calls (in the US, this was/is not an issue in Europe), cell phone companies actually cited caller ID as a feature that would allow their customers to decide whether they wanted to take (and, by definition, pay for) a particular phone call or not. At the time, they claimed that if someone was blocking caller ID why would you want to talk to them anyway (framing the "blockers" as them shady people).
What's curious is that initially, caller ID played hell with some of the assumptions telephone users have gotten used to make about their phone calls - a measure of obscurity was taken away - i.e. you couldn't repeatedly call and hang up on your ex anymore because now they would KNOW it was you without having to actually TALK and CONFRONT you... ouch...(then *69 appeared as a feature, or was it before caller ID? In any case, it was extremely unnerving but offered enough loopholes to make it manageable).
Because cellular phones made callerID simply an aspect of the technology, these expectations of obscurity never came up. In fact, some people now get annoyed about calling landline phones because they actually have to introduce themselves in order to be recognized and have to spell out their phone # instead of simply saying - you now have it on your phone, don't you? This loss of introductions is a very little thing, but my grandmother still gets a little freaked when I pick up the phone and say "Hi grandma!" before she has a chance to say hello... On the other hand, I find myself a little disconcerted when I actually have to introduce myself over the phone to someone - its such an odd, almost uncommon thing for me.
So here comes Star38, advertising a service that would not only let you block caller IDs, but to successfully pretend to be someone else entirely. A license to lie that apparently bothered a number of people (exciting a number of others). What I am curious about, however, is the sentence in the article that says people were concerned about their privacy... whose privacy? the giving or the receiving end? The very curious thing is that existence of Star38 would actually make the whole thing of caller ID safer, by make it very clear to cellphone users that they simply can not believe their callerID (thus ruining some phisher-business, no wonder they sent death-threats). It doesn't just give a license to lie, it actually teaches everyone a good measure of caution. The caller may not be who you think they are... We might have to re-learn to introduce ourselves and to stop relying on the ID feature... a step back or forward?
An Online Pioneer Resists the Lure of Cashing In
The New York Times > Technology > An Online Pioneer Resists the Lure of Cashing In - NYT printed a nice story about Craig's List due to the big event of EBay buying a stake in the company. In my interviews with movers Craig's list came up several times, with respondents routinely singing praises to it. It truly think these praises were where they were due.
There is one thing that Craig's list succeeded at doing where most failed. It created a social space where people feel like they are interacting with people like them (and these are quite different people). Another interesting thing that we observed was the secondary effect of Craig's list listings. I think in general, this could be extrapolated to a secondary effect of online presence for physical locations, but it happened in the context of craig's list only.
In effect, users found apartment listsings on the site and went to take a look. The apartments they found were absolutely atrocious, but there was one next door that turned out to be perfect. This suggests a curious thing - at a certain point of adoption/penetration of a particular technology, not everyone needs to have an online presence to enjoy effects of it. In fact, these rental properties essentially piggy-backed the efforts of the property that put itself on Craig's list, because the latter increased non-local traffic. By the same token, I wonder if this is happening to individuals - that is, if someone is not using a particular technology but people around them are, then the non-users will experience secondary effects of access and use. I wonder what these might be.
There is one thing that Craig's list succeeded at doing where most failed. It created a social space where people feel like they are interacting with people like them (and these are quite different people). Another interesting thing that we observed was the secondary effect of Craig's list listings. I think in general, this could be extrapolated to a secondary effect of online presence for physical locations, but it happened in the context of craig's list only.
In effect, users found apartment listsings on the site and went to take a look. The apartments they found were absolutely atrocious, but there was one next door that turned out to be perfect. This suggests a curious thing - at a certain point of adoption/penetration of a particular technology, not everyone needs to have an online presence to enjoy effects of it. In fact, these rental properties essentially piggy-backed the efforts of the property that put itself on Craig's list, because the latter increased non-local traffic. By the same token, I wonder if this is happening to individuals - that is, if someone is not using a particular technology but people around them are, then the non-users will experience secondary effects of access and use. I wonder what these might be.
03 August, 2004
All about moving
After spending a summer doing interviews with people who have recently moved, my head feels like a melon filled with puzzles that I will never solve and patterns that I will never be able to uncover. I am humbled by Genevieve and scores of other qualitative researchers who are able to process information and see patterns in small sets of different interviews... who are able to see profound things in personal stories. Ine a way, I almost feel handicapped by my very much quantitative background.
I am done interviewing... this is probably an important moment, but I can only think of a headache that I got from my last interview - it was wonderful as an experience, but every interview requires so much concentration and so much attention that it really takes a toll on me, especially if I am already tired and hungry when I arrive. Then I feel like I suddenly start missing pieces and I panic...
Tomorrow I get to give a talk that integrates everything together. How, I haven't figured out yet... I can't see patterns, I don't have a coherent whole neatly laid out, sown together from the 11 interviews I've done in a month and a week. I feel like I am too close, like I haven't had time to step back yet... I need to talk about this with people, bounce ideas off, play with thoughts. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen as I have to go back to the icy castle of CMU, where few people would care... I had a great time here in Oregon though, I need to remember what that felt like.
I am done interviewing... this is probably an important moment, but I can only think of a headache that I got from my last interview - it was wonderful as an experience, but every interview requires so much concentration and so much attention that it really takes a toll on me, especially if I am already tired and hungry when I arrive. Then I feel like I suddenly start missing pieces and I panic...
Tomorrow I get to give a talk that integrates everything together. How, I haven't figured out yet... I can't see patterns, I don't have a coherent whole neatly laid out, sown together from the 11 interviews I've done in a month and a week. I feel like I am too close, like I haven't had time to step back yet... I need to talk about this with people, bounce ideas off, play with thoughts. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen as I have to go back to the icy castle of CMU, where few people would care... I had a great time here in Oregon though, I need to remember what that felt like.
01 August, 2004
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Condoms oil wheels of industry
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Condoms oil wheels of industry
What a way to use condoms - as a tool for weavers! Who woulda thunk! although, technology use in developing countries shows incredible amounts of inventive applications, reminding us that what we THINK things are created for is not necessarily all they will ever be used for...
What a way to use condoms - as a tool for weavers! Who woulda thunk! although, technology use in developing countries shows incredible amounts of inventive applications, reminding us that what we THINK things are created for is not necessarily all they will ever be used for...
18 July, 2004
AOL, Yahoo and MSN Link to Offer Instant Messaging to Businesses
According to a Washington Post report, America Online Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo plan to link instant messaging services for use in the workplace. Use of instant messaging has doubled in the past year, with more than 2 billion messages sent and received over the America Online network daily, according to a report by company officials. The new services that will be offered are electronic recording and saving of instant messages, secure communications guarantee and ability to store and receive instant messages. (Source: Washington Post) "
Wow... with all the fights in the recent years against inter-operability, this step is really cool. What I am curious about, is how companies will manage the IM policy... before locking people into one IM providor (usually MSN) allowed them to be able to curb personal use. IM hasn't been something welcome in many businesses as a tool, and I am curious what is the marketing model for the new service. hmmm..
Wow... with all the fights in the recent years against inter-operability, this step is really cool. What I am curious about, is how companies will manage the IM policy... before locking people into one IM providor (usually MSN) allowed them to be able to curb personal use. IM hasn't been something welcome in many businesses as a tool, and I am curious what is the marketing model for the new service. hmmm..
Boeing Switches to VoIP
Boeing announced plans to drop wireline phones in favor of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. With 157,000 employees and worldwide operations, Boeing is the largest company to adopt the technology. The move is expected to give other companies the confidence to make the switch to VoIP. The swap is expected to take 5-7 years. (Source: Chicago Tribune )
This is fascinating! With all the fights over how to make more money for the government and FCC, how to tax it, how to regulate it, Boeing is making a big statement. This must be at least somewhat of a threatening move to wireline providers. Business customers are such a large portion of their income. I wonder how much effect this will have.
This is fascinating! With all the fights over how to make more money for the government and FCC, how to tax it, how to regulate it, Boeing is making a big statement. This must be at least somewhat of a threatening move to wireline providers. Business customers are such a large portion of their income. I wonder how much effect this will have.
Qualcomm Tests Wireless Call Aboard American Airlines Flight
Qualcomm announced the first wireless call aboard American Airlines was a success. Qualcomm tested their code division multiple access (CDMA) technology from 25,000 feet. Overall calls were generally good, although there was a delay of about one second in voice communications and some calls were dropped. The company hopes to eventually see the use of wireless phones legal aboard jetliners. Currently the Federal Communications Commission bans the use of wireless devices aboard commercial airlines. Qualcomm now plans to spend two years testing and studying whether signals interfered with the jet's system. (Source: Associated Press)"
Just a few weeks ago NYT ran an article on a cell-phone related incident when a woman was taken off the plane for not wanting to get off the phone. Now qualcomm is working on making this kind of incident history. Go Qualcomm...
Just a few weeks ago NYT ran an article on a cell-phone related incident when a woman was taken off the plane for not wanting to get off the phone. Now qualcomm is working on making this kind of incident history. Go Qualcomm...
Customers Drop Wirelines In Favor of Wireless
Many people have decided to toss their wireline phones and opt to use only wireless. According to a Wall Street Journal report, 5 million people dropped their wireline service in 2003. While many companies are making efforts to offer traditional services to those who have dropped wirelines, some services are still not available. DirectTV and Dish Network, the leading provider use wirelines to bill customers for services such as on-demand movies and DirectTV's premium sports package. Some credit card services such as Citigroup and American Express require a wireline to verify address information. The report also says that many home alarm companies must be tied to a wireline in order to call the customer when the alarm is set off, others generally charge an extra fee to offer back-up communications options. Although many companies still require the use of wireline, they are making efforts to offer services to customers that have chosen to toss the line and go wireless. (Source: Wall Street Journal)
This is an interesting point. With ubiquity of the phone, we have created an infrastructure that depends on its existence inside a residence, as a method of verification of existence of place. The presence of a wireless phone merely verifies existence of person which is at odds with the old infrastructure. It takes time to re-adjust. Curiously, one of my interview subjects had mentioned that she was thinking of getting a wireline because she felt totally helpless and unable to call her husband once when a satellite went down. Wireless has a bit to go to reach the reliability of wireline it seems...
This is an interesting point. With ubiquity of the phone, we have created an infrastructure that depends on its existence inside a residence, as a method of verification of existence of place. The presence of a wireless phone merely verifies existence of person which is at odds with the old infrastructure. It takes time to re-adjust. Curiously, one of my interview subjects had mentioned that she was thinking of getting a wireline because she felt totally helpless and unable to call her husband once when a satellite went down. Wireless has a bit to go to reach the reliability of wireline it seems...
08 July, 2004
Journalism = reporting facts?
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > State of the Art: Microsoft on the Trail of Google - instead of wasting 2-pages worth of everyone's time, why didn'g David Pogue just write - I hate Microsoft, they are talantlessly trying to get at Google, I am feeling slighted, they suck. That pretty much sums up the article... And it doesn't even have a good sense of humor about things...
Work inwading the spaces between
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Destination Wi-Fi, by Rail, Bus or Boat is an article that hails advances in Wifi offerings on commuter transportation like buses, boats and trains. At the moment, commuters can work on their laptops through the commute (some trains offer power plugs at the seats) but not surf the web. With the rollout of wifi, commuters will be able to be connected throughout the commute.
In thinking about spaces and my current research, I've been exploring the idea of the space-between spaces, the transit, the vaccuum of getting from one place to another, where we actually spend most of our lives. Having spent a considerable time in LA, I am intimiately familiar with the frustration of "traffic time" and the feeling of wasted minutes that could be spend on doing something more pleasurable. While WiFi in the car would not help, WiFi in a public transport (if such a luxury is available in this country) would make up for that feeling of "lost time". or would it? There is something about being in the space of the car or a train, that space that is free to be occupied by reading a book unrelated to work, checking up the newspaper, doing the cross-word puzzle, listening to musc, thinking. The time that everyone agrees is spent well (getting from place to place) and, until now, could not have been coopted by demands of a gruelling work-pace. The "me" time... Maybe, being able to get those few emails off during a commute and finishing that presentation would be a nice change, making the work-day a little shorter. I doubt that would be the outcome though. Instead, there will be more of tunnelling into the echo-chamber of your own interests and opinions inside the vast space of the Internet. Living up to the expectations of connectedness, where the commute time is still not "work" time but "connected" time, which creates expectations of immediate response regardless of presence, location, breaking down of public transport... the idea of "stranded" just doesn't put us nearly as far beyond the reaches of our daily grind. Is that a good thing? can we be more efficient in styling our lives in such a way that we can get more done and enjoy more life? or is it a bad thing? feeding an addiction, strengthening the leash of connectedness, disconnecting us from paying attention to our immediate surroundings. The jury is still out... though I wonder...
In thinking about spaces and my current research, I've been exploring the idea of the space-between spaces, the transit, the vaccuum of getting from one place to another, where we actually spend most of our lives. Having spent a considerable time in LA, I am intimiately familiar with the frustration of "traffic time" and the feeling of wasted minutes that could be spend on doing something more pleasurable. While WiFi in the car would not help, WiFi in a public transport (if such a luxury is available in this country) would make up for that feeling of "lost time". or would it? There is something about being in the space of the car or a train, that space that is free to be occupied by reading a book unrelated to work, checking up the newspaper, doing the cross-word puzzle, listening to musc, thinking. The time that everyone agrees is spent well (getting from place to place) and, until now, could not have been coopted by demands of a gruelling work-pace. The "me" time... Maybe, being able to get those few emails off during a commute and finishing that presentation would be a nice change, making the work-day a little shorter. I doubt that would be the outcome though. Instead, there will be more of tunnelling into the echo-chamber of your own interests and opinions inside the vast space of the Internet. Living up to the expectations of connectedness, where the commute time is still not "work" time but "connected" time, which creates expectations of immediate response regardless of presence, location, breaking down of public transport... the idea of "stranded" just doesn't put us nearly as far beyond the reaches of our daily grind. Is that a good thing? can we be more efficient in styling our lives in such a way that we can get more done and enjoy more life? or is it a bad thing? feeding an addiction, strengthening the leash of connectedness, disconnecting us from paying attention to our immediate surroundings. The jury is still out... though I wonder...
07 July, 2004
WiFi - there does exist a business model?
"Starbucks announced it had T-Mobile Wi-Fi installed in more than 3,100 U.S. cafes. Starbucks recognizes that the Wi-Fi service has helped the company retain customers longer and at off-peak hours. Wi-Fi users visit Starbucks locations an average of eight times a month, are online for approximately an hour, and arrive after the morning rush. There are currently more than 4,700 HotSpot locations throughout the U.S. (Source: IT Web) "
Considering that T-Mobile WiFi service is a paid service (and its not cheap), the fact that Starbucks is seeing benefits from offering it, suggests that there exists some kind of a business model in offering WiFi. I haven't seen any numbers from locations that offer free WiFi though, I wonder if the effect is the same.
Living in Oregon, its nice to be able to find a zillion locations with free WiFi. I am sure there are some numbers available on the business impact of this service since all the coffeeshops that offer it are not chains, and focus on building a community of a sort. On the other hand, one has to KNOW that there is free wifi at a particular coffeeshop, while with Starbucks, you know they have T-Mobile (or are at least more likely to have it). Just how much of that use is accounted by travellers, I wonder?
Considering that T-Mobile WiFi service is a paid service (and its not cheap), the fact that Starbucks is seeing benefits from offering it, suggests that there exists some kind of a business model in offering WiFi. I haven't seen any numbers from locations that offer free WiFi though, I wonder if the effect is the same.
Living in Oregon, its nice to be able to find a zillion locations with free WiFi. I am sure there are some numbers available on the business impact of this service since all the coffeeshops that offer it are not chains, and focus on building a community of a sort. On the other hand, one has to KNOW that there is free wifi at a particular coffeeshop, while with Starbucks, you know they have T-Mobile (or are at least more likely to have it). Just how much of that use is accounted by travellers, I wonder?
OregonLive - LP headquarter relocation story
Oregonian LP-headquarters relocation story was an interesting piece to add to the interview Scott Mainwaring and I had just finished a few weeks prior with the "Hunter" family the day before they moved to Nashville as part of LP relocation. Unlike the executives though, I do not think this family will be taking part in charity balls of the same scale. They comprise some of the corporate charter plane support staff that LP moved along with everyone else to their new Headquarter location. I am curious just how different was the moving experience for the executives and for this middle class family.
06 July, 2004
The New York Times > Technology > You've Got Mail (and Court Says Others Can Read It)
The New York Times > Technology > You've Got Mail (and Court Says Others Can Read It)
This article in the New York Times only underlines the idea that persistence of digital content is something that most of us have not yet come to grips with. Yet most of our digital content is stored somewhere, most of us do not know where it is. the initial fascination with the Internet and its ability to provide individuals with anonymity has turned out to be a rosy dream, while at the same time, the Internet has killed any pretense at anonymity and privacy. As digital communications expand in size and frequency, while laws refuse to properly address privacy issues that emerge at the same time, erosion of personal liberties and privacy will continue without most individuals realizing what is happening.
This article in the New York Times only underlines the idea that persistence of digital content is something that most of us have not yet come to grips with. Yet most of our digital content is stored somewhere, most of us do not know where it is. the initial fascination with the Internet and its ability to provide individuals with anonymity has turned out to be a rosy dream, while at the same time, the Internet has killed any pretense at anonymity and privacy. As digital communications expand in size and frequency, while laws refuse to properly address privacy issues that emerge at the same time, erosion of personal liberties and privacy will continue without most individuals realizing what is happening.
RFID use & life between the seams
IBM Opens Test Center in France International Business Machine Corp - reads the tagline, explaining that IBM has opened a test center for radio frequency identification (RFID) in Nice, France. The center was opened in an effort to make sure chips, readers, and software work together. Approximately 1,000 part-time and full-time employees are currently working on RFID for IBM. RFID allows product information to be read automatically and wirelessly. Organizations that are already using or plan to use RFID include Wal-Mart, airlines, pharmaceutical companies, and the U.S. Department of Defense. IBM expects that by 2009, fifty percent of all products will be tagged. (Source: CIOL News)
Curious... despite my initial negative reaction towards RFID, as far as I understand the technology, what it WILL do is make it harder for people to steal and easier for companies to keep track of their products and merchandise. On one hand, this makes perfect business sense. Companies invest into a technology that will reduce problems with inventory tracking. On the other hand, it makes me wonder how this will affect the low income working world, which is often still built on a strange system or barter, theft, things falling between the cracks. Many of the low-income workforce are people who have fallen between the cracks, who live on the things that are uncounted, forgotten, seamlessly removed from the "real" world. As the stock of easily accessible small item-foraging reduces due to better systems for accountability, how will these populations adjust? The uncounted, forgotten, between the seams of the social system people. Those that are payed far less than what one can live on, but survive none-the-less through creating a system of favors, barter and a world that is oddly reminiscent of Gaiman's London Below...
As someone who has spent several years living partially submerged into a place where barter was a way of life and a system that worked better than the job you had, which paid next to nothing and was more of a labor of love, I wonder how would existence of a better accounting system would have affected that world? I would be wrong to say that this is the first step in that direction. As technology permeated the business world, the employee-based barter system has had to adjust, with an understanding of the "damn computers" and creation of new system of barter that made use of the new loop-holes. When ski-resorts started using scanners, matching bar-codes with people's names, printing tickets on sticky paper, making it impossible to remove from your ski jacket once attached, the dirtbags developed systems for skiing on the same ticket during different parts of the day trading off, ways of taking off sticky tickets and still make them usable, etc.
When bars started using computers that controlled what drinks were served and how much... wait-staff and bartenders developed ideas of the "spill fund" and "wrong drink order".
Much of the new technology is used to control the "little" people of the working world, where these people survive on knicking the system here and there, dropping underneath the money-economy to the level of barter economy that allows them to survive the harsh realities of an ever-more expensive life-style. The race is on with the RFID... we shall see?
Curious... despite my initial negative reaction towards RFID, as far as I understand the technology, what it WILL do is make it harder for people to steal and easier for companies to keep track of their products and merchandise. On one hand, this makes perfect business sense. Companies invest into a technology that will reduce problems with inventory tracking. On the other hand, it makes me wonder how this will affect the low income working world, which is often still built on a strange system or barter, theft, things falling between the cracks. Many of the low-income workforce are people who have fallen between the cracks, who live on the things that are uncounted, forgotten, seamlessly removed from the "real" world. As the stock of easily accessible small item-foraging reduces due to better systems for accountability, how will these populations adjust? The uncounted, forgotten, between the seams of the social system people. Those that are payed far less than what one can live on, but survive none-the-less through creating a system of favors, barter and a world that is oddly reminiscent of Gaiman's London Below...
As someone who has spent several years living partially submerged into a place where barter was a way of life and a system that worked better than the job you had, which paid next to nothing and was more of a labor of love, I wonder how would existence of a better accounting system would have affected that world? I would be wrong to say that this is the first step in that direction. As technology permeated the business world, the employee-based barter system has had to adjust, with an understanding of the "damn computers" and creation of new system of barter that made use of the new loop-holes. When ski-resorts started using scanners, matching bar-codes with people's names, printing tickets on sticky paper, making it impossible to remove from your ski jacket once attached, the dirtbags developed systems for skiing on the same ticket during different parts of the day trading off, ways of taking off sticky tickets and still make them usable, etc.
When bars started using computers that controlled what drinks were served and how much... wait-staff and bartenders developed ideas of the "spill fund" and "wrong drink order".
Much of the new technology is used to control the "little" people of the working world, where these people survive on knicking the system here and there, dropping underneath the money-economy to the level of barter economy that allows them to survive the harsh realities of an ever-more expensive life-style. The race is on with the RFID... we shall see?
29 June, 2004
The New York Times > Week in Review > Cellular Sociology: I Want to Be Alone. Please Call Me.
The New York Times > Week in Review > Cellular Sociology: I Want to Be Alone. Please Call Me. This article touches on several themes - the public vs. private spaces colliding in using cell phones in public spaces, the social desire to be included and the reaction of hurt exclusion when someone around you is on the phone, the ridiculous instances of behavior, like the one described in the article (hard to believe that one actually). The article doesn't really come out and say it, but it descirbes the growing pains of the developing social norms around new social technologies that have invaded spaces previously relegated to boredom, relative quiet and meeting strangers. It is curious whether similar events have happened or still happen in Europe or in Asia, where cellphone adoption has happened earlier and more fully.
The New York Times > Technology > Patents: Tuning In to Television, Two Ways
The New York Times > Technology > Patents: Tuning In to Television, Two Ways - a brand new way to make TV-watching and interactive activity, brought to you by AOL. What is very interesting about this article, I found, is not the new idea to let people see what their friends are watching and chat about it (great idea, not new), but a statement about why WebTV and AOLTV didn't exactly meet the gargantuan demand they were supposed to. The article argues that the new approach - integrating interactive features with existing practices of TV watching may fare better than the previous attempt that was essentially "trying to change people's television viewing habits". This statement is near revelatory - a little beacon that says - by simply introducing "cool" technology you can't change the way people do things or create new activities for them unless these activities fit into existing practies and somehow augment or empower them.
18 June, 2004
Orkut Newsletter
So I received a newsletter from Orkut today. A little report that told me who I was friends with, how many friends and acquaintenances I had, just a social check up. It then went on to let me know who I might want to meet that are my friends of friends... people, who are, presumably somehow similar to me. My own reaction to this surprised me. I was upset, almost offended at this intrusion into my little social structure. Its almost as if I can communicate it, but I do NOT want someone else telling me who I should me. Someone (or something to be exact really) who has absolutely no idea about the social dynamics of my social network. It made me reel... My gut reaction was to cancel my orkut account right now, along with my gmail account, and everything else related to google. It was one of the more intense "icky" reactions I've had in ages. Interesting.
I emailed the originator of the email - admin@orkut.com with a curt little message asking them to never ever send me anything like this ever again and letting them know that this was rather upsetting and almost offensive. I wonder if they will respond. hmmm
I emailed the originator of the email - admin@orkut.com with a curt little message asking them to never ever send me anything like this ever again and letting them know that this was rather upsetting and almost offensive. I wonder if they will respond. hmmm
17 June, 2004
The New York Times > Washington > Program Would Ease Security a Bit for Frequent Fliers
The New York Times > Washington > Program Would Ease Security a Bit for Frequent Fliers. A BIT is sort of an understatement here. In effect, the government is trying to pass CAPPs as a bonus program for trusted passengers where they will get no more out of it than an occasional saving of less than 10 minutes of their time (extended over a lots of flying episodes, this really doesn't amount to a whole lot). It is amusing that they are trying to pass it off as a benefit, when it is really a hassle and a way to get people to regard possession of these cards as a "privelege". This is really a low-brow move to avoid the panicking of the privacy groups (note all the "asking permission" language) and to slide this under the radar. Icky... but probably effective...
08 June, 2004
Friends, Friends With Benefits and the Benefits of the Local Mall
The Friends, Friends With Benefits and the Benefits of the Local Mall: "Many teenagers spend a lot of time hanging out in mixed-gender groups (at the mall, at one another's houses), and when they can't hang out in person, they hang out online, asking the questions they might not dare to in real life. "
While danah was fascinated with the part of this article that focused on teenage girls calling the shots in an interaction with the opposite sex, I was more attracted to the line quoted above.
While I won't argue whether females calling the shots is a change (I don't believe it is), the fact that teenagers are hanging out more in gender-mixed groups IS a change. Most of the teen-sociology and psych literature has talked about the prevalence of same sex relationships and how important these were. However, the advent of the Internet has changed something interesting. Not only do teens hang out more with opposite sex, they also talk more frankly about topics they used to only whisper in corners about. It could be they use the IM medium as a way to get pass the discomfort of frank topics. A similar thing is happening in Europe with SMS... now THIS is a very interesting development :).
While danah was fascinated with the part of this article that focused on teenage girls calling the shots in an interaction with the opposite sex, I was more attracted to the line quoted above.
While I won't argue whether females calling the shots is a change (I don't believe it is), the fact that teenagers are hanging out more in gender-mixed groups IS a change. Most of the teen-sociology and psych literature has talked about the prevalence of same sex relationships and how important these were. However, the advent of the Internet has changed something interesting. Not only do teens hang out more with opposite sex, they also talk more frankly about topics they used to only whisper in corners about. It could be they use the IM medium as a way to get pass the discomfort of frank topics. A similar thing is happening in Europe with SMS... now THIS is a very interesting development :).
07 May, 2004
LA Weekly: Features: Don't Get High Without It - Erowyd
LA Weekly's Feature: Don't Get High Without It: is an article largely devoted to a profile of Erowyd but some of its discussion brings up very interesting questions outside of the simple right/wrong. For example, NIDA is sponsoring research on the relationship between the Internet and illicit drug use among at-risk kids. Presumably, the research looks at Internet use for specific foraging for information on drug use and the outcomes of these searches.
Yet, "the results are ambiguous. "We've had people who are not drug users read about Salvia divinorum and thought it was cool and started using it. By the same token, we've had people who used to snort Ritalin get on the Web, find out that it was bad, and quit.""
Ok... lets get methodological here - this looks like an interaction. There is something else that moderates the choice, something that is not accounted for here. It's easy to blame availability of information and this is the reason why censorship exists. Yet HOW information is used may be moderated by various things. Maybe its education, prior exposure, personal negative or positive experience, existence of social support, personality factors, something. Something that, if found, may color this research in a completely different hue. It also may propose more useful policies and programs. The ovious is often easy to blame for problems, yet attacking the symptom rarely gets at the cause.
Yet, "the results are ambiguous. "We've had people who are not drug users read about Salvia divinorum and thought it was cool and started using it. By the same token, we've had people who used to snort Ritalin get on the Web, find out that it was bad, and quit.""
Ok... lets get methodological here - this looks like an interaction. There is something else that moderates the choice, something that is not accounted for here. It's easy to blame availability of information and this is the reason why censorship exists. Yet HOW information is used may be moderated by various things. Maybe its education, prior exposure, personal negative or positive experience, existence of social support, personality factors, something. Something that, if found, may color this research in a completely different hue. It also may propose more useful policies and programs. The ovious is often easy to blame for problems, yet attacking the symptom rarely gets at the cause.
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