“The Wisdom of Crowds”

This book by James Surowiecki shows how, under the right curcumstances, crowds can make better decisions than individuals, and individual experts. I want to spend the next few posts talking about his insights in the context of Web 2.0 and the media.

Talking about smart crowds, Surowiecki, means an assembly of people that meets four critieria: 1) it needs to be diverse,...

A Million Little Bytes

The Blogosphere Strikes Again. This time taking down a best-selling author.

The non-fiction book “A Million Little Pieces,” by the memoirist James Frey is the latest victim — this time of The Smoking Gun website. Published in 2003, the book is a memoir chronicling Frey’s life: his plunge into alcoholism,...

Wi-Fi For All

The proliferation of open Wi-Fi networks has reached a point where high speed Internet access is free to anyone with a Wi-Fi card in many downtowns, villages, shopping centers, apartment complexes, etc. throughout the country. These networks are being hosted by individuals, cafes, restaurants, schools, corporations, and even local governments....

The Podcasting Phenomenon

Podcasting is a new method for publishing audio files on the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed in order to receive new files automatically. Instead of reading the content on a computer screen, Podcasting enables users to listen to it on any portable audio device (i.e. an iPod or another type of MP3 player)....

“Searching” for the Next Killer App

One of the criticisms of modern life that I find fascinating is information overload. We all tend to be searching for something, and yet despite the overabundance of options set forth on the heaping table of life, many cannot find what truly sates their appetites. Some of this difficulty derives from not knowing what we really need,...