The Richter Scales have redone the Web 2.0 video with more credits to keep even their critics happy.
This may be *everything you need to know* about Web 2.0.
Web 2.0 Video redux
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Dogs are better than cats
If you ever needed even more proof that dogs are better than cats, read this.
The New York Times Online goes “all in” effective Tuesday Midnight
The New York Times has come to understood that traffic, and therefore increased ad revenues, is a better way to go than paid content and tomorrow they’ll not only stop charging for subscriptions, they are going to put archives online without any paywall.
This is a win win for everybody. NYT has some of the best coverage in the world and it’s going to be easier and cheaper to get at that content soon. That’ll bring millions more to the site, so NYT will also win big in this deal. Their quality content will drive millions of new visitors and tens of millions of new pageviews to the site monthly and increase their advertising revenue by (I’m guessing wildly here) approximately $600,000 per month (this is based on 40,000,000 new page views and the $15 CPM I think NYT can easily command from their huge stable of old and new advertisers) .
People have such a funny, contradictory, and largely misunderstood relationship to advertising. Like it or not, advertising in various forms drives not only much of the content we work with online, view on TV, hear on radio, and read in print. I’d argue that print is the least distorted by the relationship of the media to advertising though I’m not sure why that is. Online varies quite a bit from sites with very pristine content and no ads to those who monetize content with very relevant ads to “made for adsense” sites where the only reason for existence is PPC monetization. TV is probably the most distorted by advertising. Not so much because advertisers can dictate content, but because unprofitable networks or shows will fail, so the evolution of news has been to celebrity gossip and superficial garbage rather than the more important stuff that does not attract our prurient superficial primate interest in sex, drugs, rock and roll, and Britney Spears.
Nikola Tesla
‘The Prestige’ is a very enjoyable film that is set about a hundred years ago and features a battle of wits, romance, and magic between two brilliant magicians.
I’d assumed they had taken great liberties with the character of Nikola Tesla, played wonderfully by David Bowie. Tesla was an inventor of spectacular brilliance whose place in history has been somewhat eclipsed by his contemporary Thomas Edison.
Remarkably, the film has only taken a few liberties with the remarkable feats of Tesla. This actual photo of Tesla’s colorado “office” looks a lot like his Colorado Springs place in the film. (This is a double exposure – the guy was not sitting there at same time as the artificial lightning was created).
Tesla was decades – perhaps even a century – ahead of his time. His invention of alternating current revolutionized factory power during the industrial revolution. He also developed ways to transmit electricity wirelessly such that he illuminated light bulbs from a distance without wires (this idea is featured in another great scene in the film).
Despite his undisputed brilliance Tesla’s odd demeanor and immigrant status appears to have kept him from the later respect he deserved, and may have kept Tesla from other amazing inventions such as a particle beam weapon and unified field theory (Tesla challenged parts of Einstein’s vision of physical reality).
Tesla, one of the greatest geniuses of modern science, died in poverty.
Here is Tesla’s Autobiography.
Wagner Street project
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck.
Yesterday I began the big remodel at the Wagner Street House…again. After the initial surge of activity, new roofing, etc I’ve simply let it sit but I’ve got to bring back the loving feeling for this dilapidated but potentially great house. Back in the day (1911 or so), this was one of Talent’s nice homes.
Hal, please open the pod bay door ….. Hal? Hal?
Disneyland Innoventions exhibit had a few glimpses into future technology, though the pace of change is now so fast that I think they have trouble capturing the “latest, greatest” stuff. Exception was a live show with ASIMO, SONY’s fantastic human sized robot. The walking and stair climbing, which are autonomous actions, were very impressive. You really got the idea you were looking at something we’ll eventually take for granted – robot helpers in the home.
Backyard NeXT Cube | San Jose
Originally uploaded by ldandersen.
This is a great picture and concept by Ian Anderson of a NEXT Computer, Steve Jobs project that was once hailed as the next big thing, valued at about $15,000 way back in the day of 1980s….. It’s sitting in a lawn now, worthless except as memorabilia of digital days gone by.
Unlike many other “heirlooms”, old computers tend to drop 90-99% of their value after only a few years. Better, faster machines crop up faster than you can order a new PC from Dell.
I think this is important not just as a noteworthy “computers lose value”, but also as a bellweather of the new digital economy where *things* are not really valuable, rather it’s the things *abilities* that are valuable and the abilities are rapidly improving
Yahoo’s Big Day?
The NYT reports that today is of great interest at Yahoo as Yahoo fully launches their new contextual advertising matching routines. If successful, Yahoo’s profits could soar this year. Ironically it was Yahoo that aquired the company that effectively invented the pay per click ad model (GOTO renamed Overture now renamed Yahoo Publisher Network). This happened many years ago, but Yahoo failed to capitalize on the head start and it was Google that created a brilliant ad matching algorithm. This ad matching routine allows Google to make a lot more money per visitor than Yahoo and other search engines. Since Google also has a lot more search visitors, their profits have been skyrocketing while Yahoo and Microsoft search profits have languished.It’s interesting to think how little tweaks can quickly impact the amount of money flowing through these systems. Google makes over ten million per *day* from online ads, Yahoo much less but still millions per day. Thus if, for example, the matching routine screws up for a *few hours* and shows irrelevant ads Google can lose millions of dollars in revenue. Conversely if Yahoo can match Google’s ad matching prowess with the new system there’s a lot of money they’ve been effectively leaving on the table that’ll flow into Yahoo’s revenue stream and profits.
Disclaimer: I have some Yahoo Stock.
Two missing men FOUND in Tahoe National Forest
James Kim Search Discussion – Click here
Motorcyclists in Sierra found and are alive.
Comments on Tahoe National Forest – 2 Missing | James Kim Search – Click here
NEVADA CITY, Calif. — Crews from the Nevada County Search and Rescue Team spent Sunday looking for two Santa Cruz men who disappeared after an offroad motorcycle trip in the Sierra. At the time, a cold winter storm front was dumping between 8 inches and a foot of new snow in the area.
The Sheriff’s Department said Aaron Lakey and Eric Scott, both 33, failed to return Saturday night. They were due at a friend’s house.
Rescue crews located their gray Ford F-350 in the Tahoe National Forest near Highway 20 and Calk [I think this is misprint of CHALK BLUFF ROAD??] Bluff Road about 15 miles outside of Nevada City. However, the men and their motorcycles were missing.
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After the heartbreak of the death of James Kim, lost on the Oregon wilderness for almost two weeks, many commented that we might be able to put the minds of many together online to enhance future rescue efforts. Feel free to post anything in this comment section you think might help in the effort to locate these two California Motorcyclists.
Kim Family search returns to Merlin-Galice and Glendale area
Time of Cell hit was 1:30, which strongly indicates to me that they tried to take the Merlin to Galice to Gold Beach route and got lost in the woods west of Galice. Also possible is that they took the Wolf Creek route to Galice or (I think very unlikely) would be that they tried Powers and wound up heading east rather than south.
It appears the search of that Galice area will be completed by tonight, and hopefully they’ll be found holed up in the car, hungry but safe. There are hundreds if not thousands of miles of logging roads up there but I’m assuming the choppers can cover all that territory quickly.
—– earlier today —-
Here’s a new report of the Glendale cell hit, which means they were within 26 miles of Glendale which is off I-5 and north of Galice. The time would give a lot of insight into the route they took over to the coast. They left Roseburg at about 9pm and would have been within range of Glendale along I-5 at about 9:30-10pm. If the hit came much later, around midnight or so, it would seem to strongly indicate they took the Merlin Galice Road and probably missed the BLM turnoff to Agness and are in the area west of Galice.
It appears they are now searching extensively over there but I’m going to call and see if they need more people. The report above indicates they’ll have that area completed by tonight.
Update: Yikes, it’s not easy to contact the search to volunteer to help. State Police sent me to dispatch who took number and said they’ll find the right contact over at Josephine Search and Rescue. I left my name with them Saturday I think and still no word.
I’m not knocking them though – it may be that they can cover the area with professionals and don’t want to complicate things with a bunch of people driving around up there getting lost themselves. That’s understandable though it should be stated and all the info about this case should be posted at a centralized web place.
Joe Duck 