NYTimes has taken the initiative and has recently presented defining profiles of 21 of 22 Democratic candidates for President. The profiles come from each cadidate’s answers to the same 18 questions about the upcoming Presidential contest and their reason for participating in it. Despite many requests by the NYTimes, Joe Biden declined to participate given that […]
NYTimes: Meet the Democratic Candidates Read More »
NYTimes is in the process of defining the Magazine format for the Web. Yes, Newsweek and others [please add your favorites in the comments below] have done some superb full-page, Magazine-like stories but the NYTimes is taking it to a new media level of excellence: As China in our century become as aggressive as Japan
NYTimes Defines the Web Magazine Read More »
The NYTimes has a stunning travel story, The Russia Left Behind, open free to the public. It is a journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow not by plane or high-speed train; but by motor car – sort of like a Route 66 trip in the USA. The Times tells us at the journey’s outset: On
Echo Trips in Russia and the USA Read More »
In a week that saw the Washington Post bought out for a tenth of its value ten years ago, the NYTimes put on a quiet but virtuoso display of journalism in Sunday’s “paper”. Not one or two “must read” stories but five. Now below is a discussion of why hitting this Quinfecta is important. Meantime,
NYTimes Hits The Quinfecta Read More »
I have been taking Coursera’s Irrational Behaviour taught by Duke Professor Dan Ariely. The course concentrates on individual decision making and how decision methods depart from traditional rational and economic utility models. There are compelling experimental and neuroscience proofs that a)individuals use different model or methods of decision making depending on circumstances[ the Kahneman and Tversky fast
Coursera and Group vs Individual Decisionmaking Read More »
Logan and Parker are the names of the next generation mobile CPU/GPU chips coming from Nvidia. This party has wondered if Moores Law which see a doubling of CPU chip performance for the same cost roughly every two years can be sustained. This is important because Moores Law which drives electronics but is stretched to
Moores Law is Alive and Well Read More »
The DailyBeast has helped create and promote the following Gun Control infographic on a website called ThisIsYourRepOnGuns: Every Senator and member of the House of Representatives is listed. Their own words on gun control are available – and what voting actions and financial support they have taken on the issue. There are ratings of the
Powerful Infographic on Gun Control Read More »
In an article on World oil usage, Dump the Pump, in the NewScientist, page 36, is the source of the following very interesting data: World wide use of oil now averages 90 million barrels per day, Road usage consumes 50% of that total Heat and power usage take the next 18% Non-fuel chemical usage take
Daily Facts: World Consumption of OIL Read More »
There is a superb free course available from Coursera and the University of Pennsylvania on Health Policy and the Affordable Care Act. Dr Ezekiel Emanuel who is an Onclogist is a great speaker in this free Coursera program and he starts off by providing a clear chart of the fundamental problem facing healthcare in the United
Fundamental Problem in US Health Care:The Course Read More »
Update: Breaking on July 17. 2012 the NYTimes finally recognizes the profound impact Coursera and other free online university offerings are having on undergraduate education. Read it here or follow Takethe5th.com and get the story 3 months earlier and with live experience nuances. This blog has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Coursera University Courses
Coursera University Courses II Read More »
Google is making its new Nexus Q Media Streamer in the USA. Its a medium sized commitment and it could go wrong because the price is on the high end for media devices despite some of the new features – see a review here. But the significance is not small as noted in the NYTimes and
Google: Made In USA Read More »
Free online university courses have really hit their stride this quarter. Courses from Michigan, MIT, Stanford, University of California at Berkley are available now. Free course material has been available from a variety of sources. Near and dear to this blog and web developer are the w3schools set of tutorials on all key coding in web development
Two Superb, Free Online University Courses Read More »
Our sister publication, theOpenSourcery.com, did a story on the day the Google buy out of Mototrola was announced. Unlike the markets which punished Google stock with a 3% drop that day, theOpensourcery was much more positive about Google’s buy of giving the following five reasons: 1)Google is going to operate the company as is and
Google Manufacturing Read More »
Declaring Google+ the Best Software of 2011 may appear a bit premature. Google Plus/Google+ has provoked a lot reactions on the Net. There has been a lot of positive reviews but also some notable nays. Nonetheless, there are at least 7 very compelling reasons why Google + is the best software introduction of 2011. However,
Google Plus Best Software of 2011 Read More »
One of the most dysfunctional aspects of the current GOP is its rigid PartyThink. Some credit Ronald Reagan for the 11th commandment – thou shalt not speak ill of a GOP candidate or policy. There is a mighty uniform GOP messaging operation on all policy matters . And it is remarkable how uniformly that PartyThink=PartySpeak
David Brooks: On Defection Read More »
Bob Herbert is leaving the NYTimes today – his last editorial post is quite good, Losing Our Way. Here is a sampling of what Bob has to say: So here we are pouring shiploads of cash into yet another war, this time in Libya, while simultaneously demolishing school budgets, closing libraries, laying off teachers and
Bob Herbert Leaves NYTimes Read More »
Craig Stephens has been writing some rather salty stories for the Marketwatch in the past few months. Craig does more than watch the Chinese markets and economic machine but in fact keeps the whole SouthEast Asian world in view. The latest story about the salt frenzy in China is like a tiny Confucian parable. There
Salty Chinese Investment Stories Read More »
This blog cited the NYTimes as being the outstanding source of information on all aspects of the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami and now Nuclear Disaster. But there was some concern that this was just a weekend affair and the NYTimes would be hard pressed to continue the excellence of its coverage. Let the following excerpts be
NYTimes Continues To Lead Read More »
If there was any doubt before, Japan’s earthquake and tsunami removed any lingering ones and revealed the NYTimes as the world leading masters of Web interactive graphics and coverage.Our sister blog, Bookraft, has already pointed out some of the leading technologies used by the NYTimes for last year’s Winter Olympios. But covering the Japnese Earthquake
NYTimes Japan Quake Coverage: A Web Triumph Read More »
As the NYTimes prepares to take a third kick at charging for its web + online services, here is another example of why web beats paper from the editorial opportunity and customer satisfaction points of view. Here is a story about Justin Bieber that could be done in a magazine or newspaper but isn’t … or more
Why Web Beats Paper: Rolling Stone on Justin Bieber Read More »
The NYTimes has done it again- produced the best online graphic of the US Budget available anywhere. And the Times did it one day after the release of the budget proposal by the White House. This graphic tells the story of the budget in 6 ways [click on screenshot to go directly to chart] : 1)The
Best Chart of US Federal Budget Read More »
Richard Holbrooke was a liberal, a diplomat, and a tough negotiator. He died this past Monday. Foreign Policy a day later produced these remembrances of the Man. Even more telling is the gap. Who will takeover another of the thankless Holbrooke diplomatic tasks – US attache on the Afghan/Pakistan/Taliban War.
Richard Holbrooke Remembered Read More »
In January of 2011, the NYTimes has announced that its online site will go on the dime. Users will have to pay again for reading pages on the website. This is not the first foray into charging – for a period in 2006-2008 NYTimes charged for reading its most popular editorial writers and some additional
Web UI Virtuosos: The NYTimes Read More »
One of the major security problems is that data on the web often runs naked. This is due to two reasons – 1)the HTTPS protocol can be more difficult and costly to implement and 2)there is a notable performance hit to be taken in most situations. Network World is reporting work done at Stanford University
Enabling Web Encryption Easily Read More »
Progress on smartphones and tablets which are touch and gesture enabled are moving so rapidly that laptops and PCs are in danger of becoming redundant. Well if not redundant, consigned to specialized development tasks. What has happened is that woefully untapped need for touch-enabled computing has been explosively released first with the iPhone then Android
Are PC’s in Danger of Becoming Redundant ? Read More »
MarketWatch has just reported that the Senate has made it safe to bet big and naked on Wall Street. An amendment to the Finance Reform Bill that would have outlawed Naked CDS – Credit Default Swaps that are pure bets on what will happen on default positions taken by others; this prudish amendment has thankfully
Saints Preserve US – US Senate Rescues Wall Street Gambling Dens! Read More »
When Bloomberg bought Business Week, this reader had some doubts – why did Bloomberg want to get on the Sinking Titanic- Printed Media? Readership continues to drift downward for all print media not just newspapers, although they are leading the death spiral. So why join the dance of depth? Well upon reflection there are three
The New Bloomberg Businessweek Read More »
The April issue of Scientific American is crammed with good articles this month. There are the 8 Wonders of the Solar System and a superior article on how the many deep problems of psychology and psychiatry can now be traced to improper wiring, relative to the norm, of various brain areas. Thus such problems as
Limits to Growth: Back on the Table? Read More »
Jane’s Walk is one of those best-ideas-since-Peanut-Butter events. Very simply people go for a walk on the weekend of May 1-2 in 25 cities in the US or 35 cities in Canada or 2 cities [so far] in Europe. Yes, a walk – a free guided tour telling the history of an urban area including
Forget the MSNBC commercial at the beginning, here is President Obama speaking with the House Republicans for 1 very full hour. This is must see TV. The discussion is pointed, frank but polite – none of the Fox News Fair-and-Balanced stridency nor MSNBC name calling. The number of good ideas that get exchanged here is
Must See Political TV Read More »
CES 2010 – the Consumer Electronics Show which has replaced COMDEX [R.I.P.] as the Las Vegas IT place to be for the electronic gadget Hosers Test. It is so big, well attended by the suppliers plus reviewers, and there is so much to see and absorb across the hottest arena in IT, mobile electronic devices
CES 2010 Nugget: Sierra Wireless/Sprint Overdrive Read More »
I have been spending no small amount of time praising the NYTimes for adapting quickly to the digital onslaught. The Times currently leads the US major news media with very intelligent use of JavaScript and other components/ mashables in its online edition. As well the company has produced what I expect to be a fixture
NYTimes Takes Friendly Fire From Own Writer Read More »
