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| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
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Putting 40,000 Readers, One by One, on a Cover |
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| Topic: Society |
9:32 pm EDT, Apr 5, 2004 |
When the 40,000 subscribers to Reason, the monthly libertarian magazine, receive a copy of the June issue, they will see on the cover a satellite photo of a neighborhood -- their own neighborhood. And their house will be graphically circled. I was at least slightly surprised to find that Reason has only 40,000 subscribers. (Recall Elonka's post from last month, highlighting the top 100 magazines.) For every subscriber to Reason, there are 24 subscribers to Soap Opera Digest. One wonders how often the 24 includes the one. You see, with TIA, I could ask that sort of question, and get an answer, pronto. Wouldn't that be great? Putting 40,000 Readers, One by One, on a Cover |
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A Tale of Two Cities | Fortune |
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| Topic: Tech Industry |
11:30 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
From techie to truck driver in Silicon Valley. From tea broker to techie in Bangalore. The wave of jobs heading offshore causes wrenching loss -- and produces enticing gains. Some people give up on tech, but other fired techies are steeled by adversity. In Bangalore the job-gainers are proud of their upward climb and eager to keep on advancing, echoing sentiments of the American Dream. At VMoksha in Bangalore, Sohraib Italia, 41, has made a steep climb up the economic ladder. His father was the chief financial officer of a jute products manufacturer. He now earns five times as much as his father did a generation ago. Michael Huston, 59, thought his job at Hewlett-Packard in Cupertino was safe. ... Home Depot told him he was overqualified. Ravi Trivedi, 29, works full time for HP in Bangalore. Though both of his parents are professors at famous universities, Trivedi earns more than their paychecks combined. American innovation sparked the job flight now hurting America. And now India has to watch its back. A Tale of Two Cities | Fortune |
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Pentagon Drops Plan to Test Internet Voting |
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| Topic: Elections |
8:48 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
From the Washington Post via Yahoo: The Pentagon has decided to drop a $22 million pilot plan to test Internet voting for 100,000 American military personnel and civilians living overseas after lingering security concerns. In February, after running into criticism, the program was planned to go forward on an experimental basis. Now, the Pentagon has decided that even the experiment is over. |
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National Cyber Security Partnership |
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| Topic: Computer Security |
8:21 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
Following the release of the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, this public-private partnership was established to develop shared strategies and programs to better secure and enhance America's critical information infrastructure. Three of five task force reports are now available. The next two reports will be released in early April. The reports are: Awareness for Home Users and Small Businesses; Cyber Security Early Warning; Security Across the Software Development Lifecycle Task Force; Technical Standards and Common Criteria; Corporate Governance. From the most recent report: "Software security improvement requires: * Higher education to do a better job of teaching future software developers.
* The software industry to make security an integral part of the design process.
* Policymakers and others to create incentives that reward those who create secure software code.
* The software industry to come together on a common method of managing the process of patching software when insecurities are discovered. Every accredited undergraduate computer science program should be required to have a mandatory course in computer security that includes a laboratory component. The Georgia Tech undergraduate curriculum, described at http://www.cs.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate.html does not even mention the word 'security', let alone require a course in the subject. National Cyber Security Partnership |
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'Reality Mining' the Organization |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:14 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
Data mining is a start, but it misses the critical pieces of information that are transmitted by word of mouth. Social networking systems can foster collaboration. Studies indicate that as much as 80 percent of work time is spent in spoken conversation, and that critical pieces of information are transmitted by word of mouth in a serendipitous fashion. Fortunately, the data infrastructure for mining real-world interactions is already in place. Commonplace wearable technology can be used to characterize the face-to-face interactions of employees -- and to map out a company's de facto organization chart. We hope to see serious commercial applications within the year. The train has left the station. Are you aboard? Cypherpunks write code. 'Reality Mining' the Organization |
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Levittown, Pa. | Building the Suburban Dream |
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| Topic: History |
8:08 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
The brainchild of developer William J. Levitt, Levittown, Pennsylvania was the largest planned community constructed by a single builder in the United States. By the time it was completed in 1958, the development occupied over 5500 acres in lower Bucks County and included churches, schools, swimming pools, shopping centers and 17,311 single-family homes. To its 70,000-plus residents, Levittown represented the American Dream of homeownership. To many others, Levittown epitomized postwar suburbia -- a place often criticized but widely copied. In honor of its 50th anniversary, this exhibit explores the early history of Levittown from the perspective of those who built and lived the suburban dream. ... "Welcome to Levittown! You have just purchased what we believe to be the finest house of its size in America. We wish you health and happiness in Levittown for many years to come. In order that you may enjoy your house, and derive the utmost pleasure from it, we have undertaken to prepare this handbook so that you may better understand your position and your responsibilities." ... According to the Ladies Home Journal, a favorite pastime of newcomers was "gazing into lighted homes at night to pick up decorating ideas." Levittown, Pa. | Building the Suburban Dream |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:00 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
Google is getting into the e-mail game. Gmail organizes messages by "conversations" that show messages in the context of the replies sent in response to them. ... spam-fighting, one gigabyte of online storage ... Google requires its engineers spend 20 percent of their time pursuing ideas that interest them. Is your Friday a "Pet Project" day? Google is offering fifty cents worth of disk space in exchange for the opportunity to mine the next decade of your reality. Are you in? Google Gets E-Mail |
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| Topic: Society |
4:21 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
This new book by David Brooks will be published next month by Simon & Schuster. Included below are comments on the book, found online at WritersReps.com. "On Paradise Drive" is a work of comic sociology, describing how Americans actually live and behave, and how our odd behaviors have deep cultural roots that define us. The central joke in the book is that the US is a nation of people driven so hard to achieve and improve that they end up continually thrusting themselves into the realm of absurdity by overdoing it, overenthusing, and losing all sense of balance and proportion. Brooks' previous book, "Bobos in Paradise", described a slice of America. This new book will describe the essence of America. On Paradise Drive |
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Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia |
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| Topic: Society |
4:12 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
Exurbia is the New Cyberspace, the virtual has become physical, and David Brooks is a genius. You will laugh (repeatedly), you will cry, you will be inspired, and you may even see a bit of yourself in the story. Ultimately, his purpose is to motivate your inner consumer to buy his new book. We're living in the age of the great dispersal. The population of Atlanta increased by 22,000 during the 90's, but the expanding suburbs grew by 2.1 million. The geography of work has been turned upside down. In these new, expanding suburbs, life is different in ways big and small. When the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup, they had their victory parade in a parking lot. In the age of the great dispersal, it becomes much easier to search out and congregate with people who are basically like yourself. Society becomes more segmented, and everything that was hierarchical turns granular. Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia |
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