Another TED video showing yet ANOTHER advanced computing interface. We’re seeing stuff come out of university labs and start-ups at a fantastic rate. I think we’ll all be interfacing with computers, especially mobile devices, in new and amazing ways in the very near future.
This is an interesting and provocative look at how we may be interfacing with a pervasive network and computing environment in the future. Some people already organize their lives around computing in a primitive yet similar manner to this montage.
There are a few items of concern in this vision made by Microsoft. All this hardware and software should not come from a single company. Companies like Microsoft and Google need to embrace open source and open federation of applications. User’s data must be in the user’s control, not the application or infrastructure provider. Infrastructure, applications and data must all be available separately, so users aren’t locked into a monolithic provider who could leverage control of data and connectivity unfairly.
The Crisis of Credit Visualized is a nice primer on one aspect of the financial system meltdown.
In what may be the best sports-related article I’ve ever read, Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine tells the story of Shane Battier, a legendary high-school and college basketball star who has terrible stats in the NBA, but is an exceptional talent. Battier plays smart, and was signed to the Houston Rockets by a smart management team who has tapped into measuring the right statistics in the game. In any endeavor, if you can collect and measure meaningful statistics and act accordingly, you’ll have a significant advantage of those who work hard, but do it blindly.
An great demonstration of how new computing interfaces can change everything.
Many creative endeavors require a benevolent dictator. Actually, most endeavors need one. Andrew Stanton from Pixar gives us an inside look into the creative process at Pixar, and how John Lasseter made it all work. Now Lasseter is doing his stuff at Disney.
{via Kottke}
I’ve updated my site using a slightly altered Grid Focus WordPress Theme. I’ve been using Twitter more often, its a great tool for short posts and interesting links. This theme handles the Twitter posts well (see Shorties column). I’m using the Facelift Image Replacement (FLIR) plugin to create the Old English font for the site title. I’ll be fiddling with the site more in the coming days.
I like it.
Yesterday’s New York Times profiled a band from Ohio called the Heartless Bastards. Sounded interesting. So I opened lala.com and clicked on their 2006 album All This Time
.
Wow. I may have found a new obsession. Erika Wennerstrom leads this trio with a deep, powerful voice built for belting rock songs. The NYT profile described a shy, non-assuming type. She’s not that on record.
Here they are live with a great set and lame interview on MPR’s fantastic station The Current.
The Heartless Bastards release a new album The Mountain
tomorrow, February 3. They are playing at the Varsity in Minneapolis on April 4. Count me in.
This is an incredibly prescient view into the future of online media.
To borrow from the SNL bit: Really? Not one of you sees the merits of this bill? Really Republicans? You all decided independently that THE BILL is bad for the country?
Naw. They think that voting for Obama’s bill is bad for their careers.
The Republican House leadership that led them to major defeat in the last two elections is still calling the shots, and it shows.
