Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
"Get a life" Heavy E
As the front man of the fusion band Role Playaz you'd think MC/DJ HeavyE would be doing big things 24/7. This video submission to the MGM Grand "Get a Life" Giveaway.
may prove that to be to the contrary.
I put out a request for an interview with HeavyE but I've yet to get a response. As soon as I can catch up with him I'll be sure to add it to the post. - Buie
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may prove that to be to the contrary.
I put out a request for an interview with HeavyE but I've yet to get a response. As soon as I can catch up with him I'll be sure to add it to the post. - Buie
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"The Wilderness Downtown" by Chris Milk
If you do anything today, find some time to check out "The Wilderness Downtown". Chris Milk has created and awesome experience in HTML 5. I would go into detail but it would truly ruin what you have in store. Visit the site and let me know what you think. What would you think if we started making interactive commercials like this? For or against?
10 Fallacies about web privacy
For all those worried about your info on the web here is a quick read provided by the Wall Street Journal
By PAUL H. RUBIN
Privacy on the Web is a constant issue for public discussion—and Congress is always considering more regulations on the use of information about people's habits, interests or preferences on the Internet. Unfortunately, these discussions lead to many misconceptions. Here are 10 of the most important:
1) Privacy is free. Many privacy advocates believe it is a free lunch—that is, consumers can obtain more privacy without giving up anything. Not so. There is a strong trade-off between privacy and information: The more privacy consumers have, the less information is available for use in the economy. Since information helps markets work better, the cost of privacy is less efficient markets.
2) If there are costs of privacy, they are borne by companies. Many who do admit that privacy regulations restricting the use of information about consumers have costs believe they are born entirely by firms. Yet consumers get tremendous benefits from the use of information.
Think of all the free stuff on the Web: newspapers, search engines, stock prices, sports scores, maps and much more. Google alone lists more than 50 free services—all ultimately funded by targeted advertising based on the use of information. If revenues from advertising are reduced or if costs increase, then fewer such services will be provided.
3) If consumers have less control over information, then firms must gain and consumers must lose. When firms have better information, they can target advertising better to consumers—who thereby get better and more useful information more quickly. Likewise, when information is used for other purposes—for example, in credit rating—then the cost of credit for all consumers will decrease.
4) Information use is "all or nothing." Many say that firms such as Google will continue to provide services even if their use of information is curtailed. This is sometimes true, but the services will be lower-quality and less valuable to consumers as information use is more restricted.
For example, search engines can better target searches if they know what searchers are looking for. (Google's "Did you mean . . ." to correct typos is a familiar example.) Keeping a past history of searches provides exactly this information. Shorter retained search histories mean less effective targeting.
5) If consumers have less privacy, then someone will know things about them that they may want to keep secret. Most information is used anonymously. To the extent that things are "known" about consumers, they are known by computers. This notion is counterintuitive; we are not used to the concept that something can be known and at the same time no person knows it. But this is true of much online information.
6) Information can be used for price discrimination (differential pricing), which will harm consumers. For example, it might be possible to use a history of past purchases to tell which consumers might place a higher value on a particular good. The welfare implications of discriminatory pricing in general are ambiguous. But if price discrimination makes it possible for firms to provide goods and services that would otherwise not be available (which is common for virtual goods and services such as software, including cell phone apps) then consumers unambiguously benefit.
7) If consumers knew how information about them was being used, they would be irate. When something (such as tainted food) actually harms consumers, they learn about the sources of the harm. But in spite of warnings by privacy advocates, consumers don't bother to learn about information use on the Web precisely because there is no harm from the way it is used.
8) Increasing privacy leads to greater safety and less risk. The opposite is true. Firms can use information to verify identity and reduce Internet crime and identity theft. Think of being called by a credit-card provider and asked a series of questions when using your card in an unfamiliar location, such as on a vacation. If this information is not available, then less verification can occur and risk may actually increase.
9) Restricting the use of information (such as by mandating consumer "opt-in") will benefit consumers. In fact, since the use of information is generally benign and valuable, policies that lead to less information being used are generally harmful.
10) Targeted advertising leads people to buy stuff they don't want or need. This belief is inconsistent with the basis of a market economy. A market economy exists because buyers and sellers both benefit from voluntary transactions. If this were not true, then a planned economy would be more efficient—and we have all seen how that works.
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By PAUL H. RUBIN
Privacy on the Web is a constant issue for public discussion—and Congress is always considering more regulations on the use of information about people's habits, interests or preferences on the Internet. Unfortunately, these discussions lead to many misconceptions. Here are 10 of the most important:
1) Privacy is free. Many privacy advocates believe it is a free lunch—that is, consumers can obtain more privacy without giving up anything. Not so. There is a strong trade-off between privacy and information: The more privacy consumers have, the less information is available for use in the economy. Since information helps markets work better, the cost of privacy is less efficient markets.
2) If there are costs of privacy, they are borne by companies. Many who do admit that privacy regulations restricting the use of information about consumers have costs believe they are born entirely by firms. Yet consumers get tremendous benefits from the use of information.
Think of all the free stuff on the Web: newspapers, search engines, stock prices, sports scores, maps and much more. Google alone lists more than 50 free services—all ultimately funded by targeted advertising based on the use of information. If revenues from advertising are reduced or if costs increase, then fewer such services will be provided.
3) If consumers have less control over information, then firms must gain and consumers must lose. When firms have better information, they can target advertising better to consumers—who thereby get better and more useful information more quickly. Likewise, when information is used for other purposes—for example, in credit rating—then the cost of credit for all consumers will decrease.
4) Information use is "all or nothing." Many say that firms such as Google will continue to provide services even if their use of information is curtailed. This is sometimes true, but the services will be lower-quality and less valuable to consumers as information use is more restricted.
For example, search engines can better target searches if they know what searchers are looking for. (Google's "Did you mean . . ." to correct typos is a familiar example.) Keeping a past history of searches provides exactly this information. Shorter retained search histories mean less effective targeting.
5) If consumers have less privacy, then someone will know things about them that they may want to keep secret. Most information is used anonymously. To the extent that things are "known" about consumers, they are known by computers. This notion is counterintuitive; we are not used to the concept that something can be known and at the same time no person knows it. But this is true of much online information.
6) Information can be used for price discrimination (differential pricing), which will harm consumers. For example, it might be possible to use a history of past purchases to tell which consumers might place a higher value on a particular good. The welfare implications of discriminatory pricing in general are ambiguous. But if price discrimination makes it possible for firms to provide goods and services that would otherwise not be available (which is common for virtual goods and services such as software, including cell phone apps) then consumers unambiguously benefit.
7) If consumers knew how information about them was being used, they would be irate. When something (such as tainted food) actually harms consumers, they learn about the sources of the harm. But in spite of warnings by privacy advocates, consumers don't bother to learn about information use on the Web precisely because there is no harm from the way it is used.
8) Increasing privacy leads to greater safety and less risk. The opposite is true. Firms can use information to verify identity and reduce Internet crime and identity theft. Think of being called by a credit-card provider and asked a series of questions when using your card in an unfamiliar location, such as on a vacation. If this information is not available, then less verification can occur and risk may actually increase.
9) Restricting the use of information (such as by mandating consumer "opt-in") will benefit consumers. In fact, since the use of information is generally benign and valuable, policies that lead to less information being used are generally harmful.
10) Targeted advertising leads people to buy stuff they don't want or need. This belief is inconsistent with the basis of a market economy. A market economy exists because buyers and sellers both benefit from voluntary transactions. If this were not true, then a planned economy would be more efficient—and we have all seen how that works.
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Cellphone is more that meets the eye
This promo video was release almost a year ago but it just hit my radar. If you happen to have one of these phone let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Some Specs for the phone.
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Some Specs for the phone.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Meet Multifl0w for iPhone and iPad
This slick app for iPhone and iPad allows you to use you hand held like your home make. The mimicking of Expose handy and is what I think we all were looking for when Apple announced multitasking.
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Monday, August 23, 2010
Cee-lo "F%@k You"
Man, I sure do wish this song was around a couple of years ago...I think I am going to bit.ly this post to a few ex's any way. And while you're left unfulfilled and in some instances feeling counter productive, on occasion you just need say "F$%k You!"
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Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Facebook places is live
When a juggernaut like Facebook decides to jump into the location based check-in game, people pay attention.
Meet Facebook Places
"Places is a Facebook feature that allows you to see where your friends are and share your location in the real world. When you use Places, you'll be able to see if any of your friends are currently checked in nearby and connect with them easily. You can check into nearby Places to tell your friends where you are, tag your friends in the Places you visit, and view comments your friends have made about the Places you visit"
But before you jump headlong into the mix. Be sure to read the fine print. All you players and vixens out there, this could be your downfall. I'm just sayin', - Buie
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Meet Facebook Places
"Places is a Facebook feature that allows you to see where your friends are and share your location in the real world. When you use Places, you'll be able to see if any of your friends are currently checked in nearby and connect with them easily. You can check into nearby Places to tell your friends where you are, tag your friends in the Places you visit, and view comments your friends have made about the Places you visit"
But before you jump headlong into the mix. Be sure to read the fine print. All you players and vixens out there, this could be your downfall. I'm just sayin', - Buie
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Worth a read :The Black Swan Theory
The Black Swan Theory or "Theory of Black Swan Events" was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb to explain 1) the disproportionate role of high-impact, hard-to-predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations in history, science, finance and technology, 2) the non-computability of the probability of the consequential rare events using scientific methods (owing to their very nature of small probabilities) and 3) the psychological biases that make people individually and collectively blind to uncertainty and unaware of the massive role of the rare event in historical affairs.
The reason why I am dropping this in your spirit today two fold. One I think it will make an interesting ready and we don't do enough of that and two while we all are challenged by large Black Swan events on a personal level. These events happen with greater frequency and to an individual can change ones life course. If you can recognized them or at insulate yourself you lessen the impact. Now I am not saying that this book has the magic bullet but it may help you paint the target. - Buie
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Macula - Super Menace
Super-menace from the macula on Vimeo.
The group Macula turned a hotel in to a visual art installation entitled "Super Menace". Visit their site for more info on their work - Buie
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Intelligentsia displays the art of Espresso
Espresso, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.
At this point in of collective history there are few things that are more urbane (in the purist sense of the word) than the coffee shop. The hardest of the hardcore caffeine fiends roll past chains and brand names and seek out their favorite Barista. They opt for the knowledge rather than the package.In the attached video Intelligentsia breaks down their espresso technique and gives you a bit of insight on how you might go about grading your favorite coffee spot. - Buie
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