social-networking – Page 4 – Observations Along the Road

Google, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?

Posted onThursday, March 14, 2013Friday, March 22, 2013Authorcahwyguy6 Comments

userpic=socialmedia If you ever wonder how I find all my news chum, I’ll tell you: there are three primary sources. First, I skim online news sites as a palate cleanser when switching tasks or when my brain needs a little clearing. Second, I have a large collection of RSS feeds that I monitor. Lastly, some of the people and sites I read (such as Andrew Ducker and Mental Floss) often posts lists of interesting links.

For years, to monitor the RSS Feeds, I’ve been using Google Reader. I moved to reader after Bloglines changed ownership; I moved more RSS feeds over as Livejournal declined (I used the syndication feature in LJ). Alas, yesterday, Google announced their intention to abandon me and leave me out in the cold, as they are closing Google Reader on July 1, 2013. They blame declining readership; however, the general concensus is that (a) they want to push Google+, and (b) they couldn’t sell ads on Google Reader. The closure is big news and is affecting a lot of people — it’s even made the LA Times! There are even some who believe this is Google’s attempt to kill off RSS.

So I’m looking into alternatives (see also this article). Although I guess I could move back to Bloglines, I don’t recall liking their new interface enough to do so.* Currently, I’ve switched over to netvibes, because they were responsive enough last night to move stuff over. They were a bit of a pain: they liked to create an initial dashboard with loads of stuff in it I had to delete; I also needed to go through the Google Reader Takeout process to get a zip of your feed info, extract the subscriptions.xml from the resulting zip, and import that into Netvibes. I looked into Newsblur, but their site was so hammered last night I couldn’t import anything. I’ll try them again if I end up not liking netvibes. Other sites mentioned that I haven’t tried are Feedly, and The Old Reader. There are also local clients, but I wanted a reader where I could see the same reading list from multiple machines; additionally, many of the local readers coordinate with Google Reader.
[* ETA: It turns out Bloglines still exists… but is using Netvibes under the hood, with the same login and a different dashboard.]

Still, Google, this Spring Cleaning has gotten ridiculous. You keep abandoning things people use, just because you cannot monetize them. This makes people distrust cloud applications. What’s next? Google Calendar? I used to think Google was a force for good, but their behavior of late is making me realize that they are just like other companies.

Music: Girl Crazy (1990 Studio Cast): “Overture”

Interesting Uses of Technology

Posted onWednesday, March 13, 2013Authorcahwyguy3 Comments

userpic=cyborg As indicated in my previous post, staring at the collected links while eating my lunch identified two distinct themes. One was entertainment. The other (which is the subject of this post) has to do with some interesting uses of technology:

Rack Em Stack Em. Parking your car can be a pain. If you are in a structure, you need to hunt for a space or pay an outrageous fee to a valet. Further, there is lots of wasted space in a parking structure to handle all those ramps. What if you could do away with that? Enter AutoParkit executive Christopher Alan. He has a plan for a fully automated valet parking structure: You pull into a garage. There, a television screen shows you pulling in and directs you into a loading bay. Once you are in the proper position it instructs you to shut off and exit your car. You then walk over to a HID (Human Interface Device) card reader where you “check in” electronically and answer questions like “did you leave a pet in the car?” or “did you close your doors?” Then you’re done. The system will go ahead and scan the loading bay to make sure you did not leave anyone in the car or leave any doors open. It will also turn you car 180 degrees so that when you retrieve your car you never have to reverse. The loading bar will park your car in a stall that no one has access to. When you are ready to leave, there is a little HID reader outside your complex or on your iPhone, so while you are waiting for the elevator it is retrieving your car. By the time you get down from the elevator your car is either there or almost there with no more than a 10 second wait. Cool.
Automated Tech Support. When you hear about automated tech support, you think endless phone menus that drive you crazy. Facebook has taken automated tech support for their employees in a different direction. Facebook has implemented a series of custom-made vending machines that dispense computer accessories instead of snacks and sodas. If a Facebook engineer spills coffee on their keyboard (a common mishap) they head to a nearby vending machine instead of hitting up their IT guy or just grabbing a replacement from a nearby cabinet. They swipe their badge, key in their selection and voila—a brand new keyboard drops down for them to take. This new system reduced the cost of managing replacement accessories by about 35%. While products found in the vending machines are free, items are clearly marked with price tags so employees can see the retail value of each accessory they take. The new vending machines also require all employees to swipe their badge before making a selection. That means each and every power cord, keyboard and screen wipe they take can be traced back to their name, ensuring that the system won’t be abused (at least not as much as the previous cabinet system was).
Starting Your Car. According to AAA, the car key will soon disappear… as will the electronic car fob… to be replaced by the smartphone. The auto club said Chevrolet and Nissan already have special mobile apps that can be used to monitor and control car functions. They anticipate more manufacturers will be moving to this model. I see many problems with this, but they potentially could be overcome. Of course, the biggest issue is — how do you handle valet parking?

One last tangentially related technological problem… Death. The question here is not how one uses technology to prevent death, but what do you do with social media accounts after someone dies. In Nevada, there’s a debate going on regarding the very subject. Legislators in Carson City have introduced a bill to give next of kin access to the deceased social media accounts, allowing the accounts to be shut down or remain functioning based on what the family wants. This way, people needn’t be reminded of dead friend’s birthdays, have them suggested for friending, or other equally creepy things. It also allows access to photo albums — increasingly important in this digital photo age.

Music: Sammy Davis Jr. Greatest Hits Volume 2 (Sammy Davis Jr.): “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”

Something for Nothing: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Spam Text Messages

Posted onTuesday, December 18, 2012Tuesday, December 18, 2012Authorcahwyguy3 Comments

spam Today’s lunchtime news chum brings together a collection of items related to getting something for nothing… or at least not realizing the cost…

Instagram. The impetus for today’s post is the current furor over the announced change in Instagram’s terms and conditions. Basically, the change permits Instagram, now a Facebook company, to let companies pay to use your photos as well as your name and other information for ads that would be displayed within Instagram. Everyone is up in arms about this, but they are forgetting one thing. Instagram is a free service. But TANSTAAFL. Instagram has to pay its bills. Remember: If you aren’t paying anything, then you aren’t the customer — you are what is being sold. In this case, Instagram — which is a private business — is selling the information you freely give it in exchange for providing a service. You don’t like it? Leave and go to another service. But if you go to another free service, remember they will just be selling you, just in another form. (Update: Instagram appears to be withdrawing the policy, although it is important to remember they are under no obligation to do so)
Facebook. Similarly, there was a recent furor about Facebook’s changing its privacy rules. Facebook eliminated the ability to vote on future changes. As with Instagram, remember that Facebook is a private company. They have no obligation to obtain user input on privacy changes at all. They do so to pacify those providing information to Facebook freely. Don’t like it — they only way to address it is to either completely delete your account, or government intervention. The nature of Facebook makes deleting your account hard to do, because all your friends are there and that is where they are posting. This makes Facebook very sticky. It is also also important to remember that Facebook provides its service for free. As with Instagram, ask yourself: who is Facebook’s customer? The answer is, of course, the advertisers to whom they are selling your information.
Twitter. It is not just Facebook that is selling your information. It was recently reported that Twitter has partnered with Nielsen to mine information to report the social TV audience. In other words, Twitter will be monitoring tweets to observe discussions related to TV programs and will be selling those statistics to Nielsen. Remember, Twitter is a free service for those tweeting. But there are costs, and they must be paid for somehow. This is how. Now look at this in light of the other news: Nielsen is purchasing Arbitron. This means Nielsen will be doing both TV and Radio ratings. Expect Twitter to start mining radio statistics as well.
Data Brokers. Related to this is an interesting article about the FTC going after data brokers. These are the companies that collect all sorts of personal data without your knowledge. The FTC said it plans to use the information it collects to study the industry’s privacy practices. The nine data brokers are Acxiom, Corelogic, Datalogix, EBureau, ID Analytics, Intelius, Peekyou, Rapleaf, and Recorded Future. The FTC wants to know what the brokers do with the information. It also wants to know if the data brokers let consumers review and correct their personal information or opt out from having their personal information sold. One wonders if Facebook or Twitter is selling information to these brokers…
Best Buy Reward Certificates. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve received a number of text messages that I’ve won a $1000 Best Buy Reward Certificate, and directing me to a non-Best Buy website. I’ve been suspicious of these, and decided to look it up. Yes, it is a scam. More importantly, I’ve learned that (at least on Verizon Wireless) you can forward Spam texts to SPAM (7726) to report them. Other carriers, supposedly, do similar. Remember, it is unlikely that you’ll win anything if you never put in a form; be suspicious of such text messages.

Friday News Chum: Autos, Subways, Buses, Hotels, Secession, GF Wheat, and Hats

Posted onFriday, November 30, 2012Authorcahwyguy

Well, it’s Friday at lunch, and you know what that means–it is time to clear out the bookmarked links that didn’t quite form into themes (although, as I type in the times, there does seem to be a general transportation/travel theme). So here we go… (and as a reminder, I’m still looking for thoughts regarding use of iTunes 11 with the iPod Classic):

Three-Cylinder Power. This article from the LA auto show caught my eye. Evidently, Ford has a new 3-cyl. Fiesta, and the engine is designed in such a way as to give more power than a conventional 4-cyl. engine. The trick is to turbocharge the engine, combined with patented engine mounts and with weights installed outside the engine, on the pulley and flywheel to address the inherent unbalance of 3 cyl. If this approach works, I’m guessing we’ll see some revolutionary strides in small car efficiency.
Subway Problems. We all know how Super-Storm Sandy knocked out the NYC Subway system. What you probably don’t know is the work involved in getting it running again. Here’s an interesting article on why it is going to take a long time to restore the R train tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan. One of the longest tunnels, it saw all of its electrical equipment coated in salt water. Not good.
Busing It. Megabus is returning to California, with low-price tickets between Vegas, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Oakland to Union Station. This is of particular interest to me, as it provides an easy way for my daughter to get from Berkeley to Los Angeles (and then Red Line or Metro-Link to the valley). However, as the service is run by Coach USA, I’m unsure it will last (given Coach USA’s problems — they used to run the Flyaway). Still, I hope it succeeds.
The Cost of Hotels. LA Observed has an interesting discussion on why hotels cost so much, working off an article from Slate. There are a number of basic reasons: travellers tend not to bargain (especially when on expense accounts), and hotels don’t need to discount all rooms (they can discount the unsold few at the last minute). [By the way, this may be similar to the demand pricing Megabus uses to discount tickets — a few tickets purchased really early may be cheap, and tickets purchased at the very last minute may be cheap.] The Slate article itself talks about the excessive taxes, location costs, and high level of services, but concludes “Hotel customers tolerate these marked-up amenities because they generally aren’t very interested in driving a hard bargain. The business traveler is likely to feel that he “needs” appropriately located accommodations and isn’t going to be interested in exhaustive research about the costs and benefits of staying someplace cheaper and more remote. What’s more, he’s generally not paying out of pocket. A responsible employee will of course try to be reasonably frugal, but even so frugality is benchmarked to local costs. “
Costs of Secession. We’ve all be reading about the secession petitions, and even humorists have addressed the subject. But here’s a more interesting question: Suppose you have a DOD Security Clearance and sign a secession petition. Does that affect your security clearance? This article explores the question. When you think about it, it is a real issue: you have an individual who has just publically advocated working against the US government. Is that adverse information, and does it bring into question their loyalty to the US. As Ben Franklin once said, “Oh sure, harmless. I know how these things happen. You go to a couple of harmless parties, sign a harmless petition, and forget all about it. Ten years later, you get hauled up before a committee. No, thank you, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life writing in Europe.”
Gluten-Free Wheat? An intriguing article in the LA Times about some scientists who believe it is possible to engineer a wheat variety that goes not contain gluten. It might be possible, but I’m not sure I’d trust it… for a number of reasons. First, I would be far too afraid the processing would contaminate it with other wheat; secondly, I’m still unsure about engineered food.
Finishing With the Hat. And lastly, an interesting story about a woman who lost her hat while traveling. It was a hat her mother wore during her last days of chemo. How is she solving the problem… she’s putting the request on social networks.

P.S.: Received my first challenge coin today. Cool.

Music: Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me (Martin Short): “Glass Half Full”

Livejournal Update: Still Potentially Clueless

Posted onWednesday, October 31, 2012Wednesday, October 31, 2012Authorcahwyguy12 Comments

Livejournal has done an update on the new “friends” page and other rumors. Alas, some parts of it still worry me:

Customization options will be provided to allow you to configure the look and feel of the feed. This will include at least text size and background images.

Color me unimpressed. What they are not saying is that we will be able to get our scheme specific customizations on our friends page. My friends page is the primary way I interact with Livejournal. Not my journal page. My friends page. Screw with that, and I’m unhappy. Text size and background image is not enough.

Further, the comments on the post make it clear that this new friends page, excuse me, “news feed”, will be the only option once the beta period is over. If it is, I’ll only be reading LJ for those people still posting exclusively on LJ. As I’ve said before: if you have an RSS feed, please let me know about it. If you are on Dreamwidth, please let me know and please read/share/friend “cahwyguy”.

Existing paid or permanent accounts at that time will be treated as premium/elite accounts that will have access to even more features than exist right now.

They are getting rid of paid accounts in the future and replacing them with feature bundles. Fine. My account is permanent. This notion of premium/elite accounts does not have the notion of permanence. I don’t care about getting more features than now. I want all my icons to be there, all my posts to be there, and all my scrapbook images to be there, for as long as Livejournal is there. That’s what “permanent” means, and I will accept nothing less.

As a result of this, it is very likely that over the weekend I will import my account to Dreamwidth, and reconfigure the Livejournal Crossposter at cahighways.org to post to Dreamwidth, with Dreamwidth configured to crosspost to Livejournal. This means I won’t have access to my full icon suite at Dreamwidth, as I have a free account there. That worries me less, as with WordPress I’m including the icon as an image in each post, and I’m moving over those icons I want to keep over to WordPress.

I will be losing the ability to do polls (although I’m open to a recommendation for a WordPress plugin for polls). I’m also still looking for a WordPress plugin that will go through all my past posts, and import any images not in my media gallery into my media gallery, and then adjust the post to refer to that image (I don’t care about past videos). Again, recommendations.

I have done some improvements on the WordPress side, by the way. You can now subscribe to comments you make, and I’ve added buttons to make it easier to share posts. I also now have the ability to backup my WordPress site, including all comments. As a reminder, you can log into my site with OpenID, Livejournal ID, Twitter, Facebook, Google, WordPress, and Paypal. I can enable LinkedIn if people want me to, as well as a few others. Just let me know.

As always, I welcome your thoughts on what Livejournal is doing, as well as the transition I’m undertaking. I never thought I would be doing this back in 2004 when Nicole (ellipticcurve) introduced me to Livejournal. Then again, she hasn’t posted here in ages either.