Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Chris Pirillo.  E-mail publishing is dead (it has been folded, spindled, and mutilated).  Long live RSS. If the world was a perfect place, e-mail publishing would still be a viable model for getting the word out. But marketers and morons (two groups that are far from mutually exclusive) have flooded the space with noise. So now, instead of spending our time on crafting quality content, we waste it with endless bickering. We now have to fight with ISPs, begging them to let our messages pass through without being filtered or flagged. The wonderful thing about RSS is that it is completely opt-in.  All of us in the RSS community need to make sure that RSS isn't co-opted/abused/hacked by the same spammers that destroyed the value of e-mail publishing.  Don't think that they won't try. 4:45:48 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

Rajesh catches an article in the WSJ pointing to how video games can aid cognitive skills.  So true.  The ability of games to teach is in its infancy.  There is so much that can be done.  For example, my son likes to play RollerCoasterTycoon, a popular game.  However, there isn't any element of instruction/gameplay in regards to the details of designing roller coasters.  Could there have been?  Sure.  It could easy have included a section on materials science (tensile strength, creep, etc.), rollercoaster physics (friction, gravity, etc.), and more.  Could this section be fun?  You bet.  Trading off capabilities against restraints, testing, and actual implementation in the larger theme park could be a ball.  The upshot is that he would have been doing physics calculations, learning real-world concepts, and practicing engineering principles without even knowing it. 2:16:08 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

The downside of e-customerservice.  After three days of e-mailing with a customer service rep about fixing an expensive system that I own that is on the fritz (and getting nowhere):  "I see from my database that you are a Canadian customer, please contact them using this number."  Whaaa?  Reminds me of a song:  "Blame Canada...." 9:32:51 AM    Comment_ Trackback []

Dann Sheridan.  A Data Center Cost Allocation Engine using RSS, permalinks, and XML-RPC.  Interesting to note how a complex system can be built on simple building blocks.  Dann is on a roll:  here is a great story of an anti-virus raid led by IT staff against visiting consultants. 9:30:24 AM    Comment_ Trackback []