Tech evangelism and Miso soup like no other
Archive for January, 2009
Web Services I Use Daily – What Do You Use?
Jan 30th
The web is littered with service after service, each only a mere few keystrokes away. There is just about any service to fulfill any need – you name it, it’s been done by someone, somewhere. While there are a host of so-called “mainstream” sites, there are also a plethora of “underground” sites which not too many people are aware exist.
As I see it, the hardest problem with all the web services offered today is attempting to differentiate between what is valuable and invaluable. What is considered useful is obviously dependent upon each individual, but there is still a baseline of sorts. The quality services are spread virally, through word-of-mouth campaigns and user advocates. How else do we find out about new and exiting services?
Echoing Michael Arrington
Jan 29th
About two weeks into TechMiso’s launch early this year, I received an email from a prankster who goes by the name of Mr. Sukme Kim. A poor chap from Korea — with a bad name — who just lost his high paying “WYSIWIG” job — so he says.
This guy’s email reads:
(unedited) Dear Sirs,
I got your data from whois seerching. As my currently company in Korea is in the cutting back, I am righting to see if you have any good job open at tech miso . com? I am also pro for WYSIWYG. and can do good imaggry. Finally, I will work for five finger discount. Please hire me soon as you are ready.
Sincerly,
Mr. Sukme Kim
Initially, the email made me laugh — Mr. Sukme Kim? Classic cheap joke! And — this guy made a good attempt mangling the English language in his weird form of Korean. Funny, right?
Are All Your Eggs In One Web Services Basket?
Jan 28th
When HoTMaiL launched in July 1996 it was unheard of to be running a “web services” business. The web-based tools we take for granted today were not available way back in the dark ages. In fact, web services were not even a glimmer in your father’s eye. In 1996 nobody envisioned transforming from operating system-based applications to in-browser-based applications. It was simply unheard of!
New College Graduate? Forced Career Change? Quest For A Better Salary In Rough Times?
Jan 28th
Not a super glorious career move, but one that can set you up for a ‘foot in the door’ moment with big upward potential — consider the idea — of jumping head first into an IT Helpdesk position. (The bigger the company, the more room to grow, the better.)
If you’re asking yourself why you should start out at the [so-called] bottom of the IT food chain – here’s why:
Not only will you gain valuable experience in how the belly of an IT organization works, you have the chance to feel customer frustration first hand. Inherently this gives you a sharper and more wiser vantage point when climbing the IT support ladder — keeping you in the loop on how key solutions get implemented and ones that [if you tactfully propose to the right person] will win you a promotion.
Adapting To A Changing Tech Economy
Jan 27th
In the past month we have seen Apple’s stock sink to its lowest level in years, Microsoft announce a 5,000 person job cut, and Sony report their biggest ever loss in a single year. The last quarter of 2008 was a let-down for both brick-and-mortar and online retailers. What does this mean for you as a consumer in 2009?
The average consumer makes a major tech purchase every six to twelve months. The current economic crisis has everyone seriously looking at cost vs. benefit on their next round of purchases. They will be asking themselves if a new computer is absolutely necessary or should they be simply updating components, such as memory. Do they really need a full blown laptop or will a netbook meet their needs? Do they purchase now or adopt a “wait and see” attitude?
Are Browser Bookmarks Really Necessary Any Longer?
Jan 26th
We are becoming an increasingly mobile society, relying on access to our data in multiple ways, through multiple devices and on multiple networks. Browser bookmarks are a dated technology, having been married to web browsers ever since the dawn of Internet time. Bookmarks have not really evolved throughout their lifespan. They are a largely static feature and they continue to offer no truly revolutionary usage method.
Based on how we are migrating away from a single computing device on a single network to multiple devices across multiple networks, are bookmarks really the solution to our requirement to easily keep track of sites we find interesting? Are bookmarks really a necessary feature at this juncture?
RECOVERY[dot]gov – The Transparency Experiment
Jan 25th
Taking into account the substantial improvements made in technology through to this 21st century, we can easily say the US Government is long overdue in bringing its people a transparent look into civil service dealings.
President Barack Obama appears set to reverse the tide of secrecy and ambiguity in how the US has does business — starting with — Recovery.gov.
Obama had this to say:
We’ll launch an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government, and every American will be able to see how and where we spend taxpayer dollars by going to a new website called recovery.gov.
Do You Have A Blogging Workflow?
Jan 23rd
Are you an organized blogger, who methodically annotates links and takes meticulous notes to be used in the pursuit of an article? Or are you the unorganized type who hastily slaps an article together through chaotic machinations, like Monday rush-hour traffic? Not sure which realm you fall under?
No matter which workflow you use, or even if you use a hybrid of both, you do have a workflow of some sort, ultimately allowing you to focus on the important task at hand – writing quality content to share with your readers.
New York Times Issues Facebook Gag Order – Ethical Dilemma With Social Networking
Jan 22nd
What could be perceived as a gag order, the New York Times laid out its knee-jerk ground rules in an effort to neutralize its staffers activity on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. PoynterOnline reported on a policy letter sent in from NY Times assistant managing editor, Craig Whitney.
Whitney writes:
If you have or are getting a Facebook page, leave blank the section that asks about your political views, in accordance with the Ethical Journalism admonition to do nothing that might cast doubt on your or The Times’s political impartiality in reporting the news.
RIAA Goes To New Lengths To Demonstrate Their Hypocrisy, Appeals Order To Webcast Trial
Jan 20th
In one of the most brilliant moves to-date against the RIAA’s litigation campaign versus music consumers, the Tenenbaum legal team led by Harvard Law School Professor Charles Nesson has convinced the court to allow the trial to be broadcast live on the internet. In her opinion granting the request, Judge Gertner noted how peculiar it was for the RIAA to appeal, especially considering they have repeatedly stipulated the entire basis for the lawsuits was to educate consumers about the evils of music piracy.
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