Clay Shirky’s Collapse of Complexity — Does It Also Require a Collapse of Quality?
Clay Shirky reflects on the end of complexity. He’s right, but can simplified systems produce quality? Can other approaches also survive?
Counterpoint: The Power of Simplification — Why the Digital Age Means the End of Top-Heavy Bureaucracies
In which I argue that Shirky’s point is more about bureaucracies, cultures, and new approaches.
The True Victims of the Fall of Newspapers? Our Nation’s Loons
Who will really suffer if newspapers fail? The Onion has the inside story.
Facebook Patents the News Feed — The “One-Click” Button of Social Media Now Has An Owner
In a moment as important to social networking as Amazon’s one-click patent was for e-commerce, Facebook gets a patent on the news feed. But many questions remain, especially about prior art and what is a “news feed.”
The Internet’s Extended Cultural Memory — Is It Sapping Our Creativity?
One of the great benefits of the Internet is how it has extended our cultural memory. But has this also stolen our freedom of thought, our ability to create original works of art?
Platform Wars Come to the Book Business
Technological platform wars have taken control of the book business, and publishers are now collateral damage in the fight.
The Scholarly Kitchen Turns Two!
The Scholarly Kitchen turns two! Thanks for reading and commenting. We have some surprises coming later this year.
Why the iPad Marks the End of Price Controls for eBooks—and Why Publishers Have Lost
Publishers may have won the pricing war, but the real struggle is now on for users’ attention. Because the iPad is not a dedicated e-book reader there are, unfortunately, many things that users can do with the device other than read books. Unlike the Kindle, where publishers have the device all to themselves iPad users will be able to surf the Web, play games, watch movies, view their photo collections, listen to music, watch TV, send e-mail, work on a presentation, or access over one hundred thousand applications that do any number of distracting things.
Distribution Doesn’t Matter? Content Vessels Are Irrelevant? Device Makers and Broadband Providers Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Information wants to be free? Then why are expenditures for information skyrocketing? Maybe the pendulum has swung back to “information wants to be expensive.”
Are Google and Microsoft Squaring Off Over Public Domain Works?
Why Google apparently gives government documents more protections than 19th century texts is just one of the puzzles in their usage guidelines.
The “Fear the Boom and Bust” Rap — Who Said Economics Can’t Be Fun?
Keynes and Hayek debate their approaches and theories around boom-and-bust economics, in a rap number that’s making the rounds.
The Steve Jobs Commencement Address
This week’s Friday fun — Steve Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford. An inspiring message from one of our true luminaries of innovation.
The Republic of Letters, Visualized as Social Networks
Predating journals, a social network of scholars known as the Republic of Letters generated many breakthroughs. Now, their social networks, as represented by their letters, are being mapped.
The Age of Systems Is Dawning — How Can Information Providers Respond?
Publishers and librarians are creatures of the Information Age. How can they cope with the coming Systems Age?
Top 5 Trends of 2009 — Harbingers of Things to Come
As 2009 ends, its trends will propel change into 2010 and beyond.