January 2012
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“Make good stuff, then make it easy for people to buy it. There’s your...”
– Though sites and services put up a visible fight, I’m way more interested in hearing from the actual artists any new anti-piracy laws supposedly protect. Jonathan Coulton provided one of the most clear-headed and useful perspectives I’ve heard so far.
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“that’s what neurobiology is telling us: Our brains are simply meat...”
– So we’re all meat computers with no free will. Thank you, science, for this depressing and unhelpful discovery. (USA Today)
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December 2011
3 posts
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“Most people move to Hollywood with the hope of making it big, but Zonday is...”
– Pretty excellent article about the cottage industry of YouTube stars, and a fascinating concept of “making it small”, or an entertainment industry middle class. How this plays out against the falling fortunes of big media companies is going to be really interesting. (from Wired)
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November 2011
6 posts
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How to Be Creative →
Finally got around to reading this longform piece by Hugh Macleod, he who created the ‘cartoons on the back of business cards’. It’s pretty simple, but very thoughtful and inspiring. Good advice all around.
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October 2011
5 posts
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““There were many conversations within the team about whether it should be...”
– This is why Siri will work. Trying to get people to give voice commands naturally to an object feels weird, silly, embarrassing, and against all of our learned behavior.
Personify the AI service, and it just feels less awkward. And more fun.
(via WSJ)
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WatchDC-based music duo Bluebrain release a “location-based album” called The National Mall, in which music tracks only activate as you pass through certain zones of the Mall itself.
I think this is fucking brilliant. Technology putting music in context to create something more meaningful and exclusive and personal. Wow.
via Killscreen, where you can also read an interview.
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September 2011
3 posts
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“A reader lives a thousand lives. The man who never reads lives only one.”
– From the latest George RR Martin book, A Dance with Dragons, which I haven’t read yet, but will. (quoted in this also-worth-a-read article about playing video games)
August 2011
16 posts
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WatchOkay, this is cool, because hey, it’s a pretty impressive replication of the Tron world… in a church lobby. And I’m down with the whole exploration of spirituality through pop culture as a means to make people think about their lives. Then again, can you imagine how much this costs? And how much money a church has to bring in to make this an acceptable outlay? And how much more...
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WatchA terrific Ted talk more for presentation than content. Elaborate magic trick using three iPods and a story about deception. (TED)
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“According to a survey of more than 1,000 moms conducted by The Parenting Group...”
– Aww, isn’t that cute, moms using the internet. But luckily not to talk to us, their children. (via MediaPost)
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“Whenever I listen to music, I am not actually enjoying the aural experience....”
– Carles (of Hipster Runnoff) on the commodification of music, writing in the always-excellent Grantland.
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“Spool is recounting the story of an unnamed large ecommerce retailer who had one...”
– Yes, you read that right: 300 MILLION. A fun fact to keep in mind when designing anything, really: remove obstacles (however small), increase profit. (via Boing Boing)
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July 2011
2 posts
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June 2011
3 posts
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“Which is to say that we all tend to subscribe to certain ways of behaving—...”
– Nitsuh Abebe’s ‘Why We Fight’ columns are by far the best thing on Pitchfork. This one about identity in music and music-fandom is a typically thought-provoking read.
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May 2011
5 posts
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'Interactive' game review that changes as you read... →
Among the most interesting things about criticism are the possibilities to make the critique its own little work of art. This is the most successful I’ve seen in a while; a review of a game where you repeat things over and over, slightly differently each time, that reads like the game plays. Brilliant.
Crowdtap rewards you for influencing brands'... →
Another interesting thought; stop focus-grouping, and invite the people who care enough to participate to give their feedback, then reward them for their smarts and passion.
Stipple turns images into ads. →
Interesting technology. See something in a photo you like? Click to buy it. Window shop your friends outfits or celebrities’ party attire? That sounds kind of fun. Once they get it working with video, we’ll really be on our way.
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