EXCERCISING DYSLEXIA
December 2002
2003 the year of the Wiki?
If weblogs were a big thing in 2002 my prediction is that wikis will be the big thing in 2003.Two years ago we set up an intranet that was largely weblog based, although it served our purposes very well there is one big flaw with it. When managing projects there are several types of information you want to convey. One of those is day to day information and for that weblogs are wonderful but for longer term information, things like reference material, procedures and plans, the weblog fails. It's not suited for documents that you constantly amend. But, this is where wikis seem perfectly suited. I say seem because I don't actually have much experience using wikis. I also think that wikis are still maturing and mean different things to different people. In my opinion the three key features in wikis are:
- Wikiwords, although preferably not the UglyAndVeryLongAttachedOnes
- Instant Editing Ability
- Versioning, critical if the wiki is open and editable by anyone
Weblogs as Meta-Search Engines
Philippe Beaudoin put up some really interesting thoughts on weblogsBrowsing weblogs, you're not simply looking-up something, you're looking-up for things that you will want to look-up. In computer science, we name that an "indirection", or an indirect reference. In the context of information gathering I call it "meta-searching".On a related note, This post on how short blocks relate to weblogs is also very interesting. But the best part is the first comment that talks about the chatterbox feature built into this site.
Drop the capital in internet
Of all people I should not be someone that talks about spelling, however I can't resist supporting that internet should lose it's capitalization. Henceforth I'll write internet with a small "i". My spell checker has been updated.A Toast to Moral Clarity
NY Times has thought provoking article about terrorism....New methods of killing people initially provoke outrage but eventually are often accepted. Henry V used longbows at Agincourt, outraging the French. British redcoats marching in neat columns were appalled by sneaky Yankees hiding behind trees. After Guernica, aerial bombing was condemned as barbaric, and in World War II the West condemned Germany's V-1 and V-2 missiles as terror weapons...In my opinion terrorism acts purely on a psychological level. It only works if the media and people let it work. Two weeks after September the 11th I thought the US had won that battle. Now I am no longer sure, the US burned most of their goodwill by acting irrationally towards the international community and by passing laws that contradict what they supposedly are fighting for. (thanks King)
The Sky is no longer the limit.
David reed talks about the non the scarcity of radio bandwidth.The US right now
This perfectly expresses my feelings about the US right now.Tim really gets it!
Piracy is progressive taxation, Where are the Tim O'Reilly of the music business? If there were a couple of Tims in the music and movie business, I am sure we would not have the RIAA and the MPAA trying to arrest evolution and exploiting it instead.Bumper Mentality
I have always been annoyed by people buying SUV's that don't really need it. But this review of High and Mighty sheds some more light on the idiocies of SUV'sThe occupant death rate in SUVs is 6 percent higher than it is for cars--8 percent higher in the largest SUVs.But here is where it really get's scary:
Government researchers have found that a behemoth like the four-ton Chevy Tahoe kills 122 people for every 1 million models on the road; by comparison, the Honda Accord only kills 21.I agree with Kieth Bradsher that forcing SUV owners to pay insurance that is proportional to the accident damages they risk they cause on the road would be a good start, Forcing SUV's to comply with the same safety standards as cars would also be a good idea. But the simplest solution may be war with Irak and the desensitization of oil prices.
Is the desktop interface dead?
Steve Johnson asks the question. while comparing MS and Apple strategies.Welcome Naomi
Congratulations Elsa and Eric I bet you will make wonderful parents!Oh and while I am at it congratulations to Xavier for his new baby of a very different kind!