January 2009
7 posts
The First Geek Family
There were for me two main things about the inauguration today, both of them unsurprisingly relating to technology.
The first was about Twitter, which I blogged about here.
The second was about the almost constant presence of technology in the new First Family. It’s manifested itself throughout the carefully orchestrated campaign. From crowdsourcing in supporting change.org and now...
A backchannel for an inauguration
Something fascinating happened today. Not just an inauguration of a charismatic man who has overcome boundaries including race to become president, however inspiring that may be. Not just the inauguration of a man whose command of the network media is clever, revolutionary and participatory. Something else happened. Twitter became a backchannel for the inauguration. Often it performs this function...
My almost perfect iPhone
I really love the iPhone experience. I can put up with low battery life, a slightly sub-standard camera and a few other minor jiggles because the interface and experience is just so good. I just have two minor wishes and both of them are pertinent right now as I’m sitting in the cafe at the London Transport Museum with a sleeping son and a pot of tea.
I really want to write a few things...
The Power of the Network and the power of print
I’ve been meaning to write about David Cushman’s The Power of the Network book for a while now. I read it voraciously when the purchased print copy arrived in the week it was published and have read it again over the Christmas/Newtonmas break. I really enjoyed it. I find any conversation you have with David stimulating and I’ve been lucky enough to see him give talks at...
Out of adversity... 2009 predictions
Without a doubt 2009 will be challenging. It almost seems banal to mention it. However in my past few days of being disconnected from the online world I normally inhabit I’ve had some time to just think about 2009 and what may prosper if the right conditions are in place. Out of adversity often comes innovation and some interesting business models, I really hope that 2009 will be a year we...
You're only as good as the edge of your brand
A couple of examples of really odd customer service over the past month have started making me think about the importance of tone, nuance and remembering that there is someone interacting with your software at the other end of the connection. It’s something I’ve always tried to be mindful of, but within social media, apps and widgets, it actually becomes more not less important in my...
End of one year and beginning of another
I’ve spent the past three days doing something I’ve wanted to do for a while - disconnecting from the electronic world and working with my hands. I’ve been rebuilding my study at home and apart from the amusing revelation that my study is now turning itself slowly into one just like my father’s (bookcases on every wall) it’s been a fairly painless process. It’s...