App-Only Internet Access Is Frustrating

Posted on October 2, 2011 by laura

While surfing this morning on my iPad, I followed a link to the New York Post and was surprised to see the following:

Outside of paywall sites, this is the first time I’ve run across a website that I was not able to view within the browser, and I hope it won’t become the norm. Downloading and maintaining applications for everything is annoying enough without having to imagine having an app for every website.

Perhaps the Post is planning to implement a more comprehensive paywall, but for now it’s available freely in Safari on my laptop, and I’m not interested in subscribing. I won’t be reading the New York Post on my iPad any time soon.

Posted in Apple, Internet, Newspapers, Paywalls | Leave a comment

Facebook–The Last Straw

Posted on September 28, 2011 by laura

Facebook recently introduced some new features and everyone is suddenly up in arms about them. Again.

So what? There’s nothing fundamentally new about this situation; people get used to a service and go berserk when it changes, intelligentsia become worried about the negative consequences, there’s a big discussion about privacy and how now that the sky has fallen something will change, and then the ruckus dies down and everybody forgets about it until next time. It’s tempting to ignore all the excitement because it’s become so routine. Nothing to see here. Move along, Move along.

Except this time, it really is different.

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Posted in Facebook, Privacy, Social Media | 1 Comment

Indian Summer

Posted on September 26, 2011 by laura

We’re having a gorgeous Indian Summer here in Switzerland. I was able to enjoy it this weekend in Crans-Montana in Valais. The forecast says it will continue for the coming week and into next weekend.

Posted in Switzerland | Leave a comment

The West Is Not Having An Arab Spring

Posted on September 22, 2011 by laura

At the gym on Monday, the overhead TVs were showing scenes of fierce fighting near Sirte in Libya. I was riveted to the soundless images of the CNN journalists and revolutionary fighters who were caught in a sudden attack.

With neither sound nor subtitles, it wasn’t obvious exactly what was happening, but the images of the men running for cover and the doctors’ grief at the hospital told me everything I needed to know. I later learned that the video was narrated by Phil Black. CNN producer Ian Lee had been injured in the attack, and a Libyan ambulance driver and paramedic had been killed.

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Posted in Collapse | Leave a comment

Can eBooks Save Newspapers?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by laura

Several high-profile news publications have recently released eBooks with new, exclusive and repurposed content. In PBS’ MediaShift Ideas Lab, Dan Pacheco explains Why News Organizations Should Follow HuffPost’s Lead And Try E-Books:

So here’s a crazy idea for you news organization managers out there. Why not tell your staff that they can publish e-books of their unpublished interviews in exchange for getting 50 percent of the resulting revenue? It’s money you’re not making now, and it’s low-hanging fruit. Create some incentives that tie directly to the hard work journalists already do and watch how fast they compete to curate the best newsbook.

While I find this idea quite interesting, I have a few questions: If this is so interesting, why hasn’t it been done until now? Certainly compilations of this sort are nothing new in print. If e is the new print, shouldn’t this idea do something more? Is it reasonable to imagine that revenues from eBooks will sustain the newspaper industry? Will news organizations offer a fair percentage of profits (or any percentage) to their staff writers?

Posted in eBooks, Journalism | Leave a comment

Twitter Is Down

Posted on September 15, 2011 by laura

Twitter seems to be down, as I discovered after spending about 20 minutes trying to upload a photo in various ways. After trying to login with several 3rd-party services, none of which were working, I checked the website, and it seemed to be down too. Well and good it was, because there wasn’t even a Fail Whale.

I felt like someone had disconnected my phone in the middle of a conversation.

I tried a number of sources to see if I could find out what was happening:

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Posted in Internet, Twitter | 2 Comments

The Patent Trap

Posted on September 9, 2011 by laura

Last week I saw an article by Mike Masnick on Techdirt, TiVo Apparently Considering Patent Trolling As A Second Act:

… for big companies, who haven’t been doing much innovating lately, suddenly there’s a temptation to focus more money on investing in their patents, rather than on investing in actual innovation.

Having spent the last several years managing innovation and technology related to digital media solutions, I have personal experience with this situation. During my recent job search, I discussed with a company whose products were innovative when they were developed to address a new market over a decade ago. Now this market and the products developed for it are mature and the company’s management is planning for the future. They were looking for someone to help them analyze their patent portfolio with a view toward generating value from it.

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Posted in Innovation | 2 Comments

Essay For A Job Application

Posted on September 1, 2011 by laura

Not too long ago, I submitted an application for a fantastic-sounding job: Program Development Manager in Science & Technology at a well-known non-profit organization focused on global development. As part of the application process, I was asked to write an 800-word essay on “what I would like to achieve in life.”

I duly prepared my essay and submitted my materials. The only feedback I ever received was an automated message confirming my application. The message said the organization received too many applications to respond to applicants individually, but I would be contacted if they found my application interesting. I guess they didn’t.

I think it’s a shame to have spent so much time on an essay that won’t be read by anyone, so I’ve decided to make it into a post here in the hopes that it might inspire someone.

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Posted in Personal Interest | 4 Comments

Who will help the French make the right choice if their bookstores go away?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by laura

The Syndicat de la librairie française (Association of French Bookstores), the Syndicat national de l’édition (National Association of Publishers), the Association pour le développement de la librairie de création, and the Centre national du livre (National Center of the Book) ran a funny full-page ad in the August 18th issue of the French weekly magazine Le Point.

Translation:

Thousands of books at my disposal. Who will help me make the right choice if my bookstore isn’t there anymore?

To preserve these places of advice and encounters, all that’s needed is to continue to buy your books at your bookstore.

BOOKSTORES ARE ALIVE, THEY’LL STAY THAT WAY WITH YOU.

Posted in Digital Books | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mobile Blogging On The iPhone

Posted on August 24, 2011 by laura

Last month I spent a week at a cross-country rally in Poland and Germany blogging from my iPhone. I hadn’t planned from the start to blog the event because I wasn’t sure it would be possible, but when I got there I was determined to try. Writing requires practice, and I knew I would learn a lot from the experience. I wrote most of my posts in Evernote, just like I’m doing now, and posted them through the WordPress iPhone app. I don’t have lots of time in my schedule for blogging these days, so it was a good exercise. Since that experience, I’ve been using my iPhone often for my regular blog, so I thought I’d share my observations here.

I’ve never covered an event before, and I knew I didn’t have the same means as the professional journalists following the race, so I decided to concentrate on providing a first person account of my own experience as part of the service crew for one of the teams. While arguably not as exciting as direct news about the race, it provides a unique view on what it’s like to take part in a rally.

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