Oddly Together

In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant. In Japan, most research is done today on smartphones, not PCs.

—John Herlihy, vice-president of Google online sales and operations, as reported by Silicon Republic. (more…)

Jesse Thomas‘ “The State of the Internet” video is chock full of data, data, data. (more…)

News has gone social, claims Pew Internet. LOL, tell me something I don’t know.

Pew’s report, “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer,” is an informational treasure trove for journalists or would-be journalist bloggers. But it would be much better had Pew surveyed Americans under 18. Instead, the organization surveyed 2,259 US adults, ages 18 or older, between Dec. 28, 2009 and Jan. 19, 2010. Crucial demographic “Internet users” is 1,675. Why did Pew ignore the most important socially active demographic group? Teenagers?

(more…)

Rolling Stone issue 1099 arrived while I was flu-snookered last week. It’s the third issue received since my resubscribing after more than 25 years. Amazon made an offer I couldn’t refuse: Half-year subscription for a buck. The writing is better than ever, although a contributing editor wrote the best story—”Wall Street’s Bailout Hustle“. (If you see an illustration—meaning the link to it is still live—credit: Victor Juhasz.)

That best story is simply amazing. Matt Taibbi puts the mortgage crisis and subsequent government bailout in grifter terms (Seven different cons). Matt’s storytelling is exceptional, and he gives the crisis the rip-off context it deserves. (more…)

Now this is what every short video should be like. Casey Neistat’s short on Chatroulette is great artform and storytelling. Casey and brother Van have a TV show coming to HBO sometime this year. Casey’s only shortcoming is birthplace—not from Maine like his brother (Yes, I’m biased being from Aroostook County). (more…)

Today U Cal prof Robert Reich asserted: “Bust up the Health Insurance Trusts.” I made a similar call to action in August 2009 post: “America’s Health Insurance Cartels are the Problem.” (more…)

I definitely don’t agree with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who believes that iPhone will be the dominant mobile platform. Silicon Alley Insider’s Henry Blodget was right to argue that Apple’s mobile phone business would go the same way as the Mac did in the 1980s and 1990s. (more…)