Recently in Technology Category

About three years ago I turned to my Uncle Patrick and said that Google is trying to get into the general advertising game.  I didn't think much of the claim until I started seeing countless articles and posts on Google Radio, Google Print, and Google TV, Google Gadgets, and Google Disply (or banner ads) over the last year or two (culminating a recent NY Times article).  And then I kind of mentally slapped myself and realized, yeah, they're trying to be an old school advertising firm (see Mad Men!) ; maybe minus the creative design part!  But, why would Google want to get old school and move away from Paid Search or Search Engine Marketing?  The answer is easy and it's driven by two factors:

1. $$$ (or money) and,
   
2. Data (or what users do)

Google continues to get rich by playing in every media channel (not just paid search or keyword advertising) and provides value to advertisers by capturing user behavior data on their brand.

The Google business model is also traditional and has been followed by countless brands (think Mercedes-Benz going from S-Class expensive sedan to C-Class entry level sedan or Giorgio Armani going from exclusive clothing to Emporio Armani "every day" clothing line). 

In other words, the first part of the Google business model centers on introducing a fabulous and exclusive consumer product (a luxurious sedan, an exquisite suit with fine material, and a super accurate search engine backed by targeted keywords on the results page).  The secondary part of the model is to broaden the product lineup by introducing a spin off product (in most cases at a lower price point and of somewhat lower quality).  Google moved into banner and radio advertising, for example, and the end product wasn't as impactful as their traditional keyword offering (results are less measurable and don't provide the advertiser with the same ROI).

So, what does the future have in store for Google?  Well, predicting the future is tough stuff but I'll bet on Google trying to deliver on the next killer app and at the same time supporting the business with targeted marketing program offerings.  Now, is the model as lucrative as Microsoft or IBM's business?  No, in the humble opinion of this blogger, but there is valaue in innovation and hard work and Google is winning on that front.

If you make your living working on the web then you've most likely heard of the terms, user experience, usability, human factors, user interface, etc.  And for the most part, the terms all have something to do with making it EASIER for the end user to interact with a web page or application. 

The folks at Human Factors International, a usability consulting firm, have recently put out a little video describing the differences between usability and user experience (video of Eric Schaffer is on the homepage), which I think is an important distinction if you're into geeky web stuff.

Business Week ran an article on Emotiv Systems' new Epoc headset which apparently can communicate wirelessly with a PC and allow a users to play a game or arrange photos on a screen without any other input device!

The science writer John Horgan published his bestselling book, The End of Science in 1996.  Horgan's basic claim was that science had achieved all of its fundamental discoveries and that all original scientific work was pretty much finished.   Recently, Horgan revisited his claim with an article in Science and Spirit magazine.

Sci-Fi writer Neal Stephenson has a new novel out (September 9th) entitled Anathem.  As Jason Kottke mentions there's a nice summary in the latest Wired Magazine:

Set on a planet called Arbe (pronounced "arb"), Anathem documents a civilization split between two cultures: an indulgent Saecular general population (hooked on casinos, shopping in megastores, trashing the environment -- sound familiar?) and the super-educated cohort known as the avaunt, or "auts," who live a monastic existence defined by intellectual activity and circumscribed rituals. Freed from the pressures of pedestrian life, the avaunt view time differently. Their society -- the "mathic" world -- is clustered in walled-off areas known as concents built around giant clocks designed to last for centuries. The avaunt are separated into four groups, distinguished by the amount of time they are isolated from the outside world and each other. Unarians stay inside the wall for a year. Decenarians can venture outside only once a decade. Centenarians are locked in for a hundred years, and Millennarians -- long-lifespanners who are endowed with Yoda-esque wisdom -- emerge only in years ending in triple zeros.

Stephenson is a prolific Sci-Fi writer and not only has he predicted and coined terms like, "Cyberspace" he also has an almost academic understanding of physics, sociology, philosophy, etc.  Stephenson's best work, in my opinion, is Snowcrash.

The United States Open tennis tournament begins today in Flushing, Queens and former world number one is not the favorite.  George Vecsey of the NY Times has an excellent article on how Federer has turned into a mere mortal over the last 2-3 big tournaments.

I've been reading David Brooks since the publication of "Bobos in the Paradise" and I've been thoroughly impressed with how he describes American society and our "unique" way of living.

Brooks appears on PBS' Newshour and is also a NY Times Op Ed Columnist.  His latest column is entitled, "Lord of the Memes" and is a must read; here's an excerpt:

But on or about June 29, 2007, human character changed. That, of course, was the release date of the first iPhone.

On that date, media displaced culture. As commenters on The American Scene blog have pointed out, the means of transmission replaced the content of culture as the center of historical excitement and as the marker of social status.

Think about what Brooks just said, viz., that the "means of transmission" (say, the iPhone or a Facebook page) has "replaced the content of culture" (say, a piece of classical music or a novel); this is a significant and scary shift!

Finally, here's a brief bio from the PBS web site.

The NY Times recently ran an article on the age old debate of whether cell phones cause cancer.  The most shocking info to come out of the article concerns three prominent neuroscientists who all claim not to hold their cell phones to their ear!

The Wii Fit is receiving a ton of media attention as of late and was featured on the Today Show this morning and in the Fashion and Style section of the NY Times on Thursday (why not the Sports section?). 

I'm not convinced the attention is warranted but if the video game system can get American's just a few inches off the couch (I'm thinking most folks have their console near their couch and TV), then Nintendo has created a winner, correct?  Only in America!

Well, the search is over!

Heather Armstrong runs a blog called, Dooce.com which has recently been all over the media.  Armstrong also just published a collection of essays entitled, "Things I Learned About My Dad" 

I read Heather's blog pretty regularly and I'm not quite sure why, but I think it has something to do with how engrossing and ever changing the content is.

I also like Jason Perlow's blog, Off the Broiler and Jason Kottke's blog, kottke.org/ . 

Off the Broiler is foodie centered and Jason has great reviews of local Northern New Jersey food spots, while Kottke.org is more of a generalist blog focused on culture, technology, etc.

Oh, Sharyn Morrow runs a blog called, Weapons of Mass Distraction which follows her daily goings on with her son.

There's lots of talk about how traditional classroom learning is dead, see:

However, and I don't know about you, but I really enjoy the small lecture type experience (ask questions, get a response back kind of thing).  And I think deep learning is not about text messages, Facebook, or web enabled distance learning (they're not bad instructional tools), but a liberal education is about classroom debate, idea formation, writing and re-writing, 1:1 instruction, etc.  So, yes technology and educational theories change, but basic human cognition and learning stay the same (unless someone is predicting a big paradigm shift in human biology).  My advice: get out your copy of Plato's Republic and start reading.

I've always told friends, colleagues, and family that the New Yorker is essential reading.  After all, where else can you, as an amateur intellectual, get the best in short stories, profiles, feature stories, book and movie reviews?  The New Yorker is not only essential reading, but critical to continuing one's life-long education.

The latest book review from The New Yorker focuses on whether technology drives history - with great tidbits on Tesla and Edison and Marx's stance on technology.