Wolfram Alpha is intriguing, but will people use it?

The much hyped “computational knowledge engine” Wolfram Alpha launched over the weekend to what can only be described as a mixed reaction.  I played with it for a few hours and came away with two primary thoughts:

1. Wolfram Alpha is something completely new, and that is fascinating.
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The perfect is the enemy of the good

Entrepeneur Mark Goldenson wrote a great article in Venturebeat last week on the lessons he learned working on his failed startup, PlayCafe.  This passage resonated with me:

3. Know when to value speed vs. stability. Another reason PlayCafe’s complexity hurt us is that developing good content and technology simultaneously required too much time....

Social Media and the Pickens Plan Virtual March

We have been writing a lot of self promotional blog posts about our work on the Pickens Plan web program lately.  I am going to write one more and then I promise to move on to other topics.  🙂

The last three days, the Pickens Plan has been holding a virtual march on Washington in support of the elements of the Plan. ...

Hospitals and the Social Web

While doing some research for a talk I gave a few weeks ago, I came across a fantastic blog called “Found in the Cache” that examines how hospitals are using the social web.  The blog’s author, Ed Bennett, is tracking which hospitals maintain their are own blogs and have launched presences on Twitter,...

Vitamin Water Uses TV Ads to Drive Traffic to Facebook Fan Page

Like any good American, I spent a good bit of time today watching the NCAA college basketball tournament.  I’m pretty good at ignoring commercials, but a new Vitamin Water ad I half watched tonight caught my attention.  I really don’t remember the television commercial itself at all, although from some research I believe it is this Steve Nash spot that I saw. ...