December 2007
25 posts
The attractiveness of mob mentality
The phenomenon that has kept Web 2.0 alive and seen the continual stream of new social networks and web services - crowdsourcing - is an important one. It harnesses the power of the masses, and trusts people to not only participate on a regular basis, but at a reliable level, too. It has been the reason for Digg’s success (news), as well as Yelp’s (restaurant reviews),...
“You won’t need to furtively put socks into your trunks anymore!”
– One of my favorite things to do is quickly scan my spam messages for funny subject lines. This is one of the best I’ve seen in a while; it has rich vocabulary and definite appeal!
“I got a miracle,” she said, “and miracles carry obligations.”
– Alicia Kozakiewicz, a victim of an Internet sexual predator several years ago, now travels around teaching kids and parents alike the “dangers of the Internet.” To read more about her story, click here.
List of 'selected signers' of ScienceDebate2008's... →
I am extremely pleased to see 5 Duke-affiliated selected signers on that list, including our president and several professors at the Nicholas School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. It is within that very school that I plan on minoring in Earth and Ocean Sciences.
WatchFrom FunnyOrDie.com, it’s John Mayer doing a parody of 2 Girls 1 Cup. Something I thought I’d never see.
Binging on bytes of knowledge
This is the third in a 10-part series of DID YOU KNOW questions that could change your life, big time. If you have a great DID YOU KNOW question, leave it in the comments.
DID YOU KNOW:
… that the word “byte” is a contraction of “by eight”? Well actually, the origin of the word byte is a bit more ambiguous than that. A byte - “a unit of computer...
1 tag
This band from San Jose, California, was formed in...
TechCrunch's "Tech President" current results →
Honestly, I wish Ron Paul was not on the list. It is obvious that he is the most supported on the internet, but it is also obvious that he is not a major player in the overall race. I’d rather see who, of the candidiates with a hint of a chance, has the most tech support (pun intended). (This is not to say I don’t like Ron Paul. I very much enjoyed watching the talk he gave at...
“The currency of the Web, after all, is the link.”
– Erick Schonfeld, on TechCrunch’s recent article about free speech versus fair use.
Fortune Magazine's "How I Work" Series →
It’s basically short interviews of some very important and busy people and how they work. They speak about communication strategies, their work schedules, and their methods of productivity. Marissa Mayer, Vera Wang, Howard Schultz, John McCain, and about 6-8 others are included. Who has the most similar work style to yours? Tell us in the comments.
“We decide on a case-by-case basis about whether to do the Sunday shows, if it...”
– John McCain
WatchPlease take 4 minutes and watch this video. It concerns anyone who’s ever stayed at a hotel. I’m happy this was brought to my attention, and you will be too. Any good hotel stories? Leave them in the comments.
WatchA video project my friend and I did in high school. This brings me back…
The New and Improved Twang Y Rain
Longtime readers of my blog will notice that there is now the option to leave comments. I consider this a huge move forward, and I’m excited to see the sorts of comments I’ll get. One thing’s for sure: it’s always better to leave a comment. It gets you more involved, keeps the writer (me) honest and accountable, and provides reinforcement for me. I will closely monitor the...
You’ll have to visit the actual website to...
I love lists, and this is one of my favorites... →
The complete Grammy nomination list. The 50th anniversary show airs on February 10, 2008 on CBS.
What if the song is only 90 seconds long to begin... →
Universal has ordered every one of its artists to replace their full length songs with 90 second versions on their MySpace pages. So now MySpace’s only useful function is being crippled! Everyone together: “Thanks, Universal!”
“Popularity is driven by a base of active users, not a rich set of cool features.”
– Tumblr’s chief officer posted this John Borthwick quote on his own Tumblelog. While I think it’s true, it is also important for the Tumblr folks to realize that “active users” are people who participate twofold: they write on their own tumblelogs, and they comment on...
Visually beautiful list of your Facebook contacts'... →
This will be great with my iPhone. It should arrive around December 25. Happy birthday, Jesus, and thanks for letting me have one of your phones.
Have you heard of the movie 'Delirious'? Didn't...
The movie business is fascinating to me. I have learned a lot about it recently through three very different channels.
First, Entourage, an HBO series about making it big in the biz, has presented a glamorous, yet rather true-to-life, account of being a movie star. Based loosely on Mark Wahlberg’s life, the show exposes us to the deceitful and soul-sucking business surrounding a very...