Book plug
I'm a big fan of the book Design for Community. It would certainly compliment this week's reading list if anyone wanted to check it out.
posted by Aaron Suggs at 12:47 PM
1 comments
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Poor Little Macs
As some of you Mac users have probably noticed, SharpReader does not work for your machines. The best RSS reader for you to download for free is Net News Wire Lite.
Enjoy and thank me later.
Enjoy and thank me later.
posted by Kathie Legg at 12:16 AM
1 comments
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Introducing the guestblogger
Hi everyone, I'm Aaron Suggs. I'm a recent graduate of U of C with a degree in math and minor in econ. Currently, I maintain the online e-prints repository arXiv while I figure out what I want to study in graduate school. And I'm friends with Kathie.
I am hugely in to new media. An analogy I like to keep in mind while discussing electronic media is the printing press. Written language is a very powerful technology for storing human knowledge. But until Gutenberg invented the printing press in the late 15th century, only royalty and clergymen had access to the technology. The printing press brought written language from the privileged elite to the masses (See Rheingold's book Smart Mobs). Five-hundred years later in the present day, we see the effect of this invention all around us. We are surrounded by written language. The technology is ubiquitous.
Computing technology will have as great an effect on society as written language, and will affect society more quickly.
While written language stores information, computing manipulates information. (By 'computing', I mean not just desktop computers, but cell phones, mp3 players, barcode readers, etc.; which are essentially special-purpose computers.) Since the invention of the graphical user interface for computers in the 1980's, it is no longer necessary to be a computer programmer in order to use a computer. That was the technology that brought computing technology from a trained programmers to the masses.
We are like assistants working on Gutenberg's new printing press. We make a lot of initial mistakes—witness the rise and fall of many popular web sites over the past decade—but we learn quickly from them. We can see that our new media will allow us to do the same things we used to do more cheaply and with a greater audience. But the really awesome part is the totally new stuff we'll be able to do, new ways of communicating, sharing, and learning. Tomorrow's reality that we can hardly imagine today.
I am hugely in to new media. An analogy I like to keep in mind while discussing electronic media is the printing press. Written language is a very powerful technology for storing human knowledge. But until Gutenberg invented the printing press in the late 15th century, only royalty and clergymen had access to the technology. The printing press brought written language from the privileged elite to the masses (See Rheingold's book Smart Mobs). Five-hundred years later in the present day, we see the effect of this invention all around us. We are surrounded by written language. The technology is ubiquitous.
Computing technology will have as great an effect on society as written language, and will affect society more quickly.
While written language stores information, computing manipulates information. (By 'computing', I mean not just desktop computers, but cell phones, mp3 players, barcode readers, etc.; which are essentially special-purpose computers.) Since the invention of the graphical user interface for computers in the 1980's, it is no longer necessary to be a computer programmer in order to use a computer. That was the technology that brought computing technology from a trained programmers to the masses.
We are like assistants working on Gutenberg's new printing press. We make a lot of initial mistakes—witness the rise and fall of many popular web sites over the past decade—but we learn quickly from them. We can see that our new media will allow us to do the same things we used to do more cheaply and with a greater audience. But the really awesome part is the totally new stuff we'll be able to do, new ways of communicating, sharing, and learning. Tomorrow's reality that we can hardly imagine today.
posted by Aaron Suggs at 9:57 PM
1 comments
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
AA Meeting Spot
Having a positive buzz about a product is every marketer’s dream. Buzz is a viral marketing tool that comes generally through word of mouth backed up with a recommendation. If done correctly, you can really get a large group riled up over an issue or situation. The only problem about buzz is that it is extremely elusive.
When posting about Jeremy Rose yesterday, I stumbled upon my first web site entirely devoted to a race horse. As a big horse fan and a huge proponent of using the internet to promote causes and products, I was just taken back. Of course this site will not be enough to get this race horse buzz around it, but if you pair this site with the current successes, you get quite a nice combination and will surely create a buzz.
It makes me think of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. The Tipping Point talks about how little things can become big deals simply by having the right people interested or involved. Social trends and desires are really just the behavior and likes of Influentials, being spread by word of mouth. Isn’t that the whole point of having a site like this created?
The site itself is very inviting and interesting. It most certainly will keep the attention of someone new to horse racing with Alex’s Journal, flash animation intro, and the Day in the Life of Alex section, while still maintaining content targeted to those highly interested in racing with the Trainer Notes and pedigree, owner, trainer, and jockey information. What I truly love about this site is it’s “cocaine elements” as authors Vincent Flanders, Dean Peters would say. The journal of Alex and the Trainer’s Notes are updated often and encourage viewers to stop back periodically and see what the status is. This site very well could be a gateway to buzz if the right people come upon it. Perhaps the next race horse Breyer model will be of Afleet Alex. And after that who knows, but I can say that I think this site will most certainly not hurt their cause.
When posting about Jeremy Rose yesterday, I stumbled upon my first web site entirely devoted to a race horse. As a big horse fan and a huge proponent of using the internet to promote causes and products, I was just taken back. Of course this site will not be enough to get this race horse buzz around it, but if you pair this site with the current successes, you get quite a nice combination and will surely create a buzz.
It makes me think of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. The Tipping Point talks about how little things can become big deals simply by having the right people interested or involved. Social trends and desires are really just the behavior and likes of Influentials, being spread by word of mouth. Isn’t that the whole point of having a site like this created?
The site itself is very inviting and interesting. It most certainly will keep the attention of someone new to horse racing with Alex’s Journal, flash animation intro, and the Day in the Life of Alex section, while still maintaining content targeted to those highly interested in racing with the Trainer Notes and pedigree, owner, trainer, and jockey information. What I truly love about this site is it’s “cocaine elements” as authors Vincent Flanders, Dean Peters would say. The journal of Alex and the Trainer’s Notes are updated often and encourage viewers to stop back periodically and see what the status is. This site very well could be a gateway to buzz if the right people come upon it. Perhaps the next race horse Breyer model will be of Afleet Alex. And after that who knows, but I can say that I think this site will most certainly not hurt their cause.
posted by Kathie Legg at 1:48 PM
1 comments
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Make Your Life Easier....
Or at least reading my blog daily easier. Download SharpReader, feed my blog in and others you wish to visit daily, and seamlessly read them all in one convenient place.
Enjoy and thank me later.
Enjoy and thank me later.
posted by Kathie Legg at 11:35 PM
0 comments
Roses and Black-Eyed Susans
I know this has absolutely nothing to do with Politics or Technology, but I just want to point out the one, the only, the amazing Jeremy Rose. This article in USA Today accurately proclaims his undying ability, respect for horses, and dedication. In 5 years of riding, being able to ride at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness is simply amazing. Watch out for Jeremy Rose… I have a sneaking suspicion he will be riding at Saratoga this summer. (YAY :-D)
Well, maybe there is a political lesson in his last race… as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.” Rose could have given up and not held on when Afleet Alex went to his knees, but he had faith and didn’t give up… and he ended up winning with 4 and ¾ lengths! Yes, things are not always easy, but keep going. Who knows, you may just end up winning!
Well, maybe there is a political lesson in his last race… as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.” Rose could have given up and not held on when Afleet Alex went to his knees, but he had faith and didn’t give up… and he ended up winning with 4 and ¾ lengths! Yes, things are not always easy, but keep going. Who knows, you may just end up winning!
posted by Kathie Legg at 5:38 PM
0 comments
