Wetmachine

Web dead? Some Reactions To Chris Anderson’s Wired Piece

Harold — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:08:05 +0000

A lot of folks have reacted to Chris Anderson’s deliberately provocative piece in Wired: “The Web Is Dead, Long Live the Internet.” I have two chief reactions. One is a methodological one — Anderson gives no justification for reliance…

Jane Friedman, long-time publisher of Writer’s Digest, talks with Wetmachine

John — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:13:02 +0000

I first met Jane Friedman sometime around June, 2001, when she called to tell me that my novel Acts of the Apostles had won the Writer’s Digest National Self-Published Book Award for that year (in the “genre” category: a…

Self-aware programs? Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread.

John — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:12:07 +0000

According to a status update on the facebook page of a friend of mine (which means it must be true), this quote:

‎”At this point we get into such difficult questions as whether a computer program can have purpose, or

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What Dems Have To Lose If Genachowski Embraces The Latest “Net Neutrality Consensus.”

Harold — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:05:23 +0000

I occasionally suspect my colleagues in the Public Interest community lack a sense of humor — although perhaps it is simply that I am in a more relaxed frame of mind after my annual vacation from the 21st Century.…

I watch the ripples change their size (Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes)

Stearns — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:24:23 +0000

Immersive technology meets CRM, through the lens of social collaboration.

Some Quick Updates Goog-VZ Reaction Craters Industry Talks, BTOP Recision of $300 Million Back Again.

Harold — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Well this was a fun week.

First, it turns out that the public — when actually confronted with the prospect of two giant companies dividing the internet between them — is less than thrilled with the prospect of watching the…

Smashwords founder Mark Coker talks to Wetmachine about the future of publishing

John — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:35:35 +0000

Smashwords is a service for helping small and self-publishers format ebooks in diverse formats (for example: kindle, epub, PDF, Palm) and distribute them through diverse retail channels (for example Amazon, Apple, BN, Kobo, and Smashwords itself). A few weeks ago…

Genachowski’s Fast Fading Star — And How He Can Still Salvage His Term As Chairman.

Harold — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:27:07 +0000

There’s a phrase I hear a lot these days. Sometimes I hear it from angry folks, muttering under their breath. Some say it sheepishly, with a trace of embarrassment to find themselves saying it. Some pass it off as a…

Update: House Drops Broadband Stimulus Cuts

Harold — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:11:01 +0000

A quick update on my post at the beginning of the month on the effort to rescind $600 million in broadband funding. The House voted to preserve the current broadband stimulus funding levels.

Stay tuned.

Deficit

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“I felt like I was in Church”

John — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:39:12 +0000

That’s a line attributed, if I recall correctly, to Eddy Vedder when asked about how he felt the first time he played with Neil Young (whose “Cortez the Killer” is playing through my headphones right now, now that you mention…