A Study In Movement

Michael Wolff, the Guardian’s media columnist:

…so far, the sweeping, basic, transformative, and simple way to connect buyer to seller and then get out of the way eludes Facebook. So the social network is left in the same position as all other media companies. Instead of being inevitable and unavoidable, it has to sell the one-off virtue of its audience like every other humper on Madison Avenue.

…

…From a revenue perspective, it’s an ad-sales business, not a technology company. To meet expectations—the expectations that took it public at $100 billion, the ever-more-vigilant expectations needed to sustain it at that price—it has to sell at near hyperspeed.

The growth of its user base and its ever-expanding page views means an almost infinite inventory to sell. But the expanding supply, together with an equivocal demand, means ever-lowering costs. The math is sickeningly inevitable. Absent an earth-shaking idea, Facebook will look forward to slowing or declining growth in a tapped-out market, and ever-falling ad rates, both on the Web and (especially) in mobile. Facebook isn’t Google; it’s Yahoo or AOL.

Via @mikeindustries on Twitter:

Is Facebook forcing the extinction of the ad-driven web? If yes, is that sort of destruction entirely bad? technologyreview.com/web/40437/?p1=…
— Mike Davidson (@mikeindustries) May 23, 2012

Want! This e-bike looks awesome. Although it’s actually...

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:31:36 -0400

Want! This e-bike looks awesome. Although it’s actually built no idea if it’ll actually see production.

2012 Audi e-bike Wörthersee - Clip - Julien Dupont (by SupercarHall)

What We Know Now About How to Be Happy

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:55:56 -0400

What We Know Now About How to Be Happy

Photo

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:28:48 -0400

kevintwohy: MIT Creates Amazing UI From Levitating Orbs

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:15:00 -0400

kevintwohy:

MIT Creates Amazing UI From Levitating Orbs

New Tumblr theme.

Thu, 17 May 2012 17:24:28 -0400

New Tumblr theme.

"Paying attention in a distracted world: it’s like bringing a gun to a knife fight."

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:35:09 -0400

“Paying attention in a distracted world: it’s like bringing a gun to a knife fight.”

- James Shelley (via jonathanmoore)

"In my experience, most people seek therapeutic help for discrete, treatable issues: they are stuck..."

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:03:25 -0400

“In my experience, most people seek therapeutic help for discrete, treatable issues: they are stuck in unfulfilling jobs or relationships, they can’t reach their goals, are fearful of change and depressed as a result. It doesn’t take years of therapy to get to the bottom of those kinds of problems. For some of my patients, it doesn’t even take a whole session.”

- In Therapy Forever? Enough Already - NYTimes.com

"The theory of machinery is that it saves time, but Stanford himself noted of such machinery that “if..."

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:34:26 -0400

“The theory of machinery is that it saves time, but Stanford himself noted of such machinery that “if you could limit man’s wants it might be called ‘labor saving,’ but as there are no limits to his wants, the machinery really increases the power of production.” That is, the industrialized world wants more goods, not more time, and so the machinery doesn’t increase freedom and leisure, it increases production and consumption.”

- From Rebecca Solnit’s River of Shadows (via viafrank)

"bicycles are an essential part of our culture and our lives. They stir memories and self-expression...."

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:32:57 -0400

“bicycles are an essential part of our culture and our lives. They stir memories and self-expression. They encourage social interaction in urban environments that can be lonely and isolating. They are a mechanism for political and social organizing and activism. And with new technologies, bikes are a way to gather information about how we live and relate to one another in the shared space that is the city.”

- The Next Great Technology Platform: The Bicycle - Jason Severs - Technology - The Atlantic

Bikes as political devices.

A Mathematical Challenge to Obesity - NYTimes.com

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:45:45 -0400

A Mathematical Challenge to Obesity - NYTimes.com:

Great article on how math can shed light on obesity.

A lot of good things to takeaway but the one that is striking is that the biggest problem with obesity is the overproduction of food which allows for cheap high-calorie fast food.

"I didn’t even know what a calorie was. I quickly read every scientific paper I could get my hands..."

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:36:03 -0400

“I didn’t even know what a calorie was. I quickly read every scientific paper I could get my hands on.”

- This is the kinds of curious thinker we should aspire to be.

A Mathematical Challenge to Obesity - NYTimes.com

"When I write a letter to somebody, I and I alone choose whether I identify myself in the letter..."

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:55:45 -0400

“When I write a letter to somebody, I and I alone choose whether I identify myself in the letter inside the envelope, on the outside of the envelope, both, or neither. It is completely my prerogative whether I choose to communicate anonymously or not. This is a right we have in analog communications and in law; it is perfectly reasonable to demand that the law applies online as well. When I write a letter to somebody, nobody has the right to intercept the letter in transit, break its seal and examine its contents un- less I am under formal, individual and prior suspicion of a specific crime. In that case, law enforcement (and only them) may do this. Of course, I am never under any obligation to help anybody open and interpret my letters. It is perfectly reasonable to demand that this applies online as well. When I write a letter to somebody, no third party has the right to alter the contents of the letter in transit or deny its delivery. Isn’t it perfectly reasonable to demand that this applies online as well? When I write a letter to somebody, nobody has the right to stand at the mailbox and demand that they log all my communications: who I am communicating with, when, and for how long. Again, to demand that this applies online as well would only be logical. When I write a letter to somebody, the mailman carrying that letter to its recipient is never responsible for what I have written. He has messenger immunity. And yes, it is perfectly reasonable to demand that this applies online as well. All of these fundamental rights are under systematic attack by the copyright industry.”

- The Case for Copyright Reform | The Verge Forums

US Department of Justice says citizens have a broad right to record police officers on duty | The Verge

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:50:15 -0400

US Department of Justice says citizens have a broad right to record police officers on duty | The Verge:

This is a great vocal announcement by the DOJ in support of First Amendment Rights in the consistent abuse of those recording public events where police are involved.