Strike a pose - there IS something to it

Another non-online Wired piece - on the Harvard Business School (assistant) professor - Amy Cuddy - and her work on body language as a life hack.

Turns out that not only will visualizing an action help you as you perform it, but doing "high power poses" before you do an interview or a performance will makes you (appear) more competent and enthusiastic!

Says a lot about mind over matter - and the old adage of "think happy thoughts". Not only at the moment influences you and thereby the audience. But up front actions spill through.

Does that makes us really simple mammals, or extremely adaptable? Borderline magic? You don't see me doing it, yet it changes how you see me.

How many other factors transfer across time? Will smiling a lot before a meeting transfer into a good mood regardless of expressions during the meeting? And does it work when the audience is aware of it, looking more intently on the actual performance and trying to read the body language behind the body language?


Where do I sign up for taking a masters degree and digging into this? Seriously, it sparks of some many questions and permutations. 



Hungry for more, check out the video of Amy Cuddy from PopTech



Or just get it on with Madonna - Vogue your way into the good spot.

Write me a story - it's good for you

Clive T column in Wired 20-05,  talks about the creative benefit of writing fanfic.

Interesting points on the value of working within constraints, having to mold your story to the rules and themes of the "canon" you are working with. But it is unclear why this would be better or preferable to "pure" creation, be it written or other forms of art.

When you play in someone else's sandbox, you just go with the rules - sure, you can hear things in a vacum - rather than exploring the boundaries and rules you find suitable.

So, fanfic as a testing grounds, a "gateway drug" into creating - and most importantly into taking feedback on the work you make?


- ...and the sun was here, then it hid away again, playing with us for the weekend once again...

Splat!

Planning on digging into some more Dexter over the weekend - so it was fun to see a story on new equations for blood spatter in Wired (20-05 issue, story not online, apps only)

Illustration, trajectories Wikipedia

There is, however, a Wikipedia article on "bloodstain pattern analysis" - with a solid assortment of images and animations (like the one linked on the left) explaining some of the maths and science behind it.

Also came across "Introduction to Blood Spatter Analysis"- a full on handout with excersises and tasks, taking you through the very basics of measuring and identifying patterns. It is from back in 2003, but the basics should still apply pretty well.

Dropping single drops from assorted heights, then onto multiple drops from same height, assorted surfaces and so on. #Science


Sometimes the smallest things can make a huge difference.

One man - no vote?

In the latest Wired to make its physically way all over here, the first article is a real mind bender;

"How Selecting Voters Randomly Can Lead to Better Elections" talks about the ancient Greek model (or Athenian to be poignant) and how it is influencing experiments and discussions today in order to improve the electoral process. 

For a backgrounder or refresher - start with Wikipedia.

And then dive into other materials, like the History Channel.

Why do we vote? Or have the right to do so?

Because or voice should be heard, and because the whole population together should feel 'responsible' for the politicians and their actions. As they take actions on our behalf. 

And as the actions or inaction impacts more and more of our lives, so should the involvement and the shared understanding grow?

Is the US vastly different? Well, in terms of political ads and spending it certainly stands out. Here in Norway the political ads are strictly legislated, in terms of when, how and who. But social media and tools like Google Adsense is blurring the lines between information and campaigning. 

So, should we "outsource" the care for politics - to a random sample, or to those who really really care? 

Or, should perhaps the media and the politicians work together to expand the insight and transparency, and radically change how politics is discussed? Or should we as citizens ourselves take control of the agenda?

Holder de ord is one such initiative - an open source collaboration (github!) to present voting data from the Norwegian parliament. It translates as "do they keep their word" - and is similar to sites like They Work For You in the UK

Is 60% or 50% enough? Or would it be better to have a representative selection of a few hundred? Would it make a difference? For the politicians, for us, for the future?

From the third rock outwards

Wired had a piece on the Mars simulation mission - where they got to interact with some of the participants before and during the 'trip' to Mars.

I tried to find my original post on the announcement and call for participants, but only found this piece from 2007 on finding new planets way out there. And the reason was that I only posted about it in Norwegian. Back on November 1st 2009 actually. Here is a quick blurb, translated and edited;

Have you planned your vacation next year and the year after? If you really need a break ESA might be looking for you, as they are planning a full simulation of a round trip to Mars.

And quotes from the full ESA Call for Candidates, deadline on November 5th 2009;

"The crew will follow a programme designed to simulate a 250-day journey to Mars, a 30-day surface exploration phase and 240 days travelling back to Earth. The isolation facility at IBMP in Moscow, Russia"
"... aged 20–50, motivated, in good health and no taller than 185 cm… Selection will be based on education, professional experience, medical fitness and social habits."

The concept is incredible in many ways. 

First off, the fact that we are actively planning and working on ways to explore Mars is beyond cool. And by we I refer to humanity in its broadest sense. Taking the long term view, we need to be able to get off Earth at some point. Either due to our own actions or inactions - or because the Sun makes things to hot for comfort. 

Secondly, actually locking someone up for more than 500 days? For science? That needs a pretty "big hairy goal" to justify. And the billions an actual trip wold probably cost, combined with the end goals do certainly fit that category.

But how to you go from thinking and acting like you are locked in a box, to acting like you are actually the first humans bound for, and landing on, Mars? 

Sure, Big Brother and the rest of reality TV has shown that a lot of people are completely able to forget where they are. But then you have the actual prize in the end to vye for. And on a real trip, that prize would be truly spectacular. As for sitting in a box? Not going to get you all that much attention when you get out. 

Still, I would have signed up for the real thing. Strings be damned - to boldly go and so forth. 

And thus we reach the end of 2011. Or at least the bottom of the stack of Wired from last year. Still got a solid dose of 2009 prepped for future ideas. But it feels good to be blogging, having cleared out the draft pile and move the last issues from 19- into the basement.

Had a post on Hunch. And how they had ended up. This time it is Quora. The profile talked about the influx of users, the money raised and the addictability of pushing answers out there. And to loop it back Quara has some answers on Wired as well.

My take? A fun playground, mainly for friends of friends of friends - and for those that want a bit more opinionated 'facts' than they can get on Wikipedia, but without reading a handful blogg post to get it.

There is still a lot of start up, and by extension tech topics covered. But there is also a lot of "long tail" content, like where to get biltong in Amsterdam.

Not my first place to go to for information, but would and could probably be included when doing a bit more general research. Possibly also because it hasn't gotten any google love for the subjects I've needed additional details on lately. Blogs, groups or Wikipedia tends to cover the results.


(this is also the last "back dated" post - filling in the gap week and making June-12 a truly all time high in terms of posts, 22 and counting - passing October of 2004)

The insights of Khan

Another back issue of Wired, another post based loosely on a theme explored.

Education - and how we can change it using digital tools.

Nothing less is the driving force for Khan Academy, featured in 19-08 (link added):

Khan’s videos are anything but sophisticated. He recorded many of them in a closet at home, his voice sounding muffled on his $25 Logitech headset

The piece also had an overview of some other edu sites, on the second page online. But with John Resig aboard the Khan team I can't help but but hope for and expect (more) great things from them in the years ahead.

It must be exhilarating going into school now - knowing that if you don't really get things the way the teacher tries to explain it, there is Wikipedia, Youtube and dedicated sites for most things to give you a second shot. And most of them for free (well, provided you have a computer and internet connection - or can access one at school, the library or similar)


see video in context and with links to the "rest" of Art History collection

Aside; noticed now that the piece was written by Clive Thompson. No wonder it resonated, love the writing style, even if a few of the regular columns seems a bit rehashed. Guess it comes with the turf, and is the reason I try not to reread to much of my own old stuff.

Lost in time

An assorted braindump for Wired 17.12 - so pushing this one backwards in time, more to come, more to go.

www.fora.tv - TED talks for the masses...? Seems like a sort of dumping post for mid-list conferences that want something more than their own blog and vimeo posting for attention. Mixing premium (500) with free (10000+) content. But since this is the first time I've re-heard about it since then mayhap the need just isn't there? More than easy enough to embed from vimeo or youtube and then use social media to promote it yourself - or have the attendees and presenters do it.

Bussing away - tap tap tap

Photojojo - iPhone lenses @ $40 ?

 I'm still planning on getting a small "pocket lens", now with being back on iOS and a 4s it makes even more sense. Sort of.

Apps like Instagram makes for a different scope of photos. And while it isn't true macro, it can go pretty close for that weird urban, industrial too real look.

Guess it would make an ideal impulse buy, but haven't seen them in the local "almost" Apple Store. Guess not official enough to carry. Or too slim margins.


Snap on the right is from my "Android stint" - found the new "from you phone" option in Blogger. Actually cool. But short codes like WP would wow me more.

(sidenote; just put a macro-band in the shopping cart, just for a few fun shots. Chance of completing purchase? 60%...)



Ads noted; 2 * QR codes, google Goggles ad - is it really smarter, simpler than a code url or sms txt call to action? Especially with pretty custom short url available; jr.ly/FORD11 ? Or is it about being "innovative" in print? Expanding boundaries because url or text didn't track well enough (or perform?) Guess it comes from reading the paper and most magazines at home - don't really feel the need to read more on a tiny screen, when I can just google or type my way towards the full picture.

Everyday magic that we are to busy to really enjoy?

LaCie - MosKeyTO - 8gb usb MINI drive - $19 list price now, should be around NOK 200? It is almost too small not to use. As a quick backup, drop box sync or just keylogger ;) In fact they've even added in matching cloud storage from something called 'wuala'.



Also had a short post in the Start section on Competitive coding - using Pascal and C++ as the languages. No java. So in a way basics still rule? Pascal was the first 'real' language I was thought at uni, then we moved on to C++. While those a year later got a new class with java as intro.

Thinking back to a world where Java was the new hotness, that today is ObjectiveC and Apps. Back then it was Applets to rule them all. Same concept really. Make some dedicated code, play on top of a set of API's and a runtime. And distribute the file across purely digital channels.

That failed - at least compared to the hype and the potential. While the iPhone that initially touted web apps broke the bank and then some in terms of full on apps. Chance, planning, maturity or something more?




Blasting out tunes from the past in iTunes - jumping around in the grunge, heavy and punk genre buckets. 
Right now "Moonchild".....

When is a kilo perfect?

Two teams of scientists are struggling to create the perfect kilogram. I'm reading about it on the WIRED app: http://wrdm.ag/ff_kilogram 

(full direct no-redirect link)

Been reading a bit about systems and measurement in general in the pre-modern world lately, and I remember this Wired piece vividly. The incredible richness of detail in the work. Eight digits of precision and then some. Fixed things aren't really fixed until they can be consistently defined, replicated and remade independently of the base item.

And to think how we take it for granted, every time we pick up something from the store, or order a beer. We just assume that we are in fact getting a pint or half a litre. And that the weights in one store matches those in another, not to mention across the five different lanes in each. Technology makes the magic mundane.


Aside;
the wired app is fun to play with, and it helped quite a bit when they added sharing options within the app. Even so, as a print subscriber I mostly download the special content - such as the new digital re-release of the first issue, and the special on Steve Jobs they got out quickly last year.

My couch or your?

Wired [19.03] - finally getting rid of the stack, both the digital one in terms of drafts from (oh yeah) last year, and the paper one of old issues of Wired mag, saved for a post or two.


Main topic was a mention of couchsurfing - and the founder Casey Fenton.
The concept sounds really appealing, get around the world by hooking up with other (presumably) geeky people for a few days at a time. Even so, I think I'd personally feel more comfortable using something like aribnb - at least as a main solution, it just feels more right to spend a bit of money on the transaction.

I do love having friends over, and a spare room for those that either live out of town, or have to leave the car for a few hours. And I'd probably lend it to a friend of a friend as well, without any reservations. But beyond that? Not so sure. How about you? Where do you draw the line "in the sand"? Who and how long is OK for a house guest? Should they help with chores, do some shopping, or are they guest first and foremost?


ad for; Eee Slate Ep121 - windows7 !!??!! seriously? and a stylus to boot? Nice that it has usb, hdmi and then some, but since it is in all but name a laptop sans the keyboard I'm not really impressed. Sort of makes sense as a second device for the C-level and consultant lifestyle - if it supports MS Office fully, that is.

But I'll give Asus one thing, they keep pushing assorted form factors into the market, looking to either give the consumers a lot of choice, or just hoping to find one that sticks. But seriously - the Eee Pad range? Right ho'.



I'll be scheduling these old post up for the week ahead at the time of writing, so June of 2012 will be the most posted month for quite some time. Maybe a revival of sorts as we enter the final ten months of the first ten years (!!!).  Today it is 3-6-12, and so a good magic number for doubling up on content and ideas. in the early evening sun.

- ...and the sun shines bright enough to open the windows wide...

Time to chill - the doc said so

Stress ("Under Pressure") is a fascinating and detailed piece. (And one I had to reread to make sense of the notes here... ended up with moving it into a separate post for now) Also a short interview last year at boingboing

I think it is one of the least understood effects of the "modern" lifestyle in general, and perhaps the digital connectedness in particular. Setting boundaries, accepting lack of control, and most of inability to do, see, read or understand everything. Even everything for a small subset of things.

When I started studying computer science, there was more or less a handful of programming languages, slightly related and you could have a grasp of their different roles and constructs. Then the web exploded, bringing new languages and variations. And now it seems like just within little Javascript, there are so many different MVC type models or toolsets, that understanding them all means leaving out a lot of other areas.

But back to the article. Four interesting points to touch on:

1. meditate and training when you want it - better for stress to do it based on desire, than a rigidly fixed schedule adding pressure instead of relieving it
2. the reward is chemical - dopamine,  you get a "kick" from it. This gives a boost, thereby both making it more attractive to do it again, and enabling you to have the energy to go one more lap
3. The other way is to zone out ... and that can be done (for me at least) really laid back with a great latte. Meditating without the ceremony or strict formality. Making latte focuses the mind on the minutiae of the task at hand, the grind, the stomp, the brew, the froth. Freeing up mental energy
4. A good book or fun game can get much of the same effect; giving pure focus- stripping away the "normal" world for a dedicated session of deep engagement. Sometimes with a direct mental benefit in terms of ideas read, and sometimes just for rebooting the system

Want to dive deeply into the research and findings? Google can give you a hand:
How do glucocorticoids influence stress responses? … - Sapolsky - Cited by 2354 (PDF)

Hunch'ed up

Do you remember what you read last summer?

Well, here are some things from Wired 18.08 to jog the memories... even if by now that is the summer before last. Just goes to show, digital is almost forever.

First just a quick note - on the major piece regarding infrastructure: Iphone use 15 times more data than other subs? Even other smart phones? ATT numbers: $37 + $13.5 bn used to build the infrastructure needed. Wonder how much more it is now in 2012. And how much they've made up for it in terms of overall revenues, which will keep on coming after the network is in place.


The, the main topic:


HUNCH - was mentioned as a major part in the profile of Caterina Fake (gotta love that last name for verified online profiles).  I was planning on making some snaps from my profile, but it seems I've gone and gotten it all lost (or better, I had used Twitter initially, but probably revoked access at some time, so after reallowing I got in, but to a more Pintrest looking site. Guessing they've had time for a pivot or two in four years - even ended up as part of ebay I discovered in the Faq). So the old reflections will have to serve as a basis for now.

The main key here is social insights - the same thing that Facebook is betting the farm and then some on in terms of ads and like-mining the graph. And it is a difficult challenge to tackle, since most of the time we don't really know how or why we make our own choices.

My impressions of Hunch was that it was fun to build the basic profile, real nice use of gamification to get the answers flowing quickly. But a lot of them were very US centric in terms of topics, be it TV shows that never made it across the seas, or rituals like dances. So the overall feeling was a bit narrow in terms of recommendations, even after 182 questions answered. Heard the same about a year later from someone else.

Overall it seemed a pretty decent hit in terms of TV and magazines that I might want to look at.
Book? Not so much. Frankly hopeless compared to Amazon, and even they tend to get distracted and have a one track mind unless you go digging a bit across a set of tabs. Stuffing a large number of books onto four different wish lists has helped a bit with that.
The London TODO suggestions was abysmal - no Lonely Planet competitor to be sure. Not even on par with the free give away guidebooks from the local tourist office.

Perhaps the had some of the issues facing Wolphram Alfa going in - need a lot more raw data and basic information to populate the profiles. Either that or be bought by Facebook and assimilated - they might just have the raw data in terms of certain areas, and could quickly incentivize for more - ebay and paypal not so much, might help for discovering auctions and sellers you could connect to.


(man I miss the word count in WP... make progress so much more measurable and rewarding, even now when just dumping in the drafts to go)

Revisiting mind over matter

So it would appear that a monkey won't make all the difference.

Looking back to 2005, and the post "mind over matter" - on using sensors for tracking brain activity. And then fast forward to Wired issues 20.04 - with the telling title of the feature; "A True Bionic Limb Remains Far Out of Reach"

Turns out that the complexities involved in both measuring and responding to signals is still significant. In addition it turns out that we may have been "barking up the wrong tree" - with the brain handing off some of the signal processing and response to the spinal cord.

Keep dreaming of electric sheep...


- ...and the sun wants to break through the clouds, but is settling for less...

Paint me a picture, cut me a film

Riffing off of "the other" Chris Anderson, and his TED talk on video as the great enabler for new innovation in a broad sense, "the wired" Chris Anderson promoted the maker-agenda in issue 19.04 of Wired;

"There are also so many really great websites where people can share their projects. We have Instructables and iFixit and Etsy and Make and Hack a Day and our own Adafruit. So people who used to do this stuff alone now have even more community. It used to be just freaks in garages; now it’s freaks in garages working together." - Limor Fried of Adafruit

It is the same in web development - with new bite-sized video tutorials popping up every day, from the to the point experimentation of jQuery for Designers, to the slightly more quirky Rails for ZOmbies. With the ability to chose or mix and match between the written word (and most importantly copy the code) and the video presenting it gradually and immersively (not a word, but mayhap it should be?), learning picks up pace.

The video in and of itself is also good, because it can be consumed in a more "leisurely" way that a written tutorial, giving more room for reflection since you are listening rather than reading, often leaning back rather than forward. iPad and tablet based reading slightly excluded - whilst it is a more relaxed setting and mode, for code related tutorials it is less useful since jumping into JS Bin to test is a slight hassle compared to cmd-tab'ing or even ctrl-tabbing within the browser.


"We’re a tutorial company. We’re a project company. We do video shows and tutorials and teach people, and then there’s a gift shop at the end" [p2]

The sentiment in many ways mirrors some of the discussion regarding books and authors in the digital economy; you buy the e-version of a story for $4.99 - but if you really love it and want to display it (or simply support the author, be a patron of the arts), you get the $29.99 special edition hardcover with bonus short story and illustrations. I subscribe to this view, as promoted/explained by amongst others Michael Stackpole in his blog - and as 'lived' by both up and coming authors such as Scott Sigler with his Galactic Football League series, and truly established authors such as Tracy Hickman, doing a subscription based book with his wife.

On a side note I'm still a bit peeved with Mike&Mike at the Dragonpage for not pushing the guest authors about lack of digital version (like a Kindle version of Song of the Dragon, I'd have bought it last July, and pre-ordered vol2 by now!) - especially when talking so much about new models as they did with Tracy



- ...and the sun shines brightly, 'tis a feeling of summer in the embrace of May ...

iMagazine, iVideo or iPaper?

Playing around with the iPad it is fun to read and see a lot of different experiments and approaches to presenting content, both in terms of packages, user interaction models and of course payment models ranging from totally free, via ad supported to direct paid or subscription.

The Wired app was a break-out hit in its first incarnation - and judging from the Adobe promo video, there is still a ways to go within their planned scope. And while it has taken a bit of flack for being mainly an early 90-ies style interacitve cd-rom style solution it is a good read. My major gripe is the lack of clear indication of reading direction (ie is there more content down below, or should I swipe sideways to move forward - can't be to hard to add in a couple of options for this; 1. default - as now, 2. full - swipe sideways takes next page no matter what, 3. fallback - swipe down takes next if no content, sideways still skips)

Naturally as a long time reader of Wired I'm a bit biased, but the idea that magazines in general might be better suited for taking advantage of the tablet style solutions is interesting none the less. They already have a modest to long cycle with their readers. They have a lot of focus on flexible fullpage and multi page layouts. And the content generally is intended to stand on its own.

At least that seems true in terms of dedicated apps - while the "webapps" space seems ideally suited to more normal news-oriented organizations, where having direct access, instant updates and pretty much full control over both content and technology is an asset. Especially with frameworks like Sencha Touch (or iUI) taking a bit of the "grunt work", the road to an extended experience seems feasible.

- ...and the sun might break through the clouds any moment ...

One more for the road

Still the same issue, but the last post for now - fitting as the battery is running down, hp 2530p with Win7 - generally good battery life, but a bit worse for wear on wifi now...

And the overall topic of the issue was atoms as the new bits - how DIY is moving back out from the digital realm and into the "real" world. One company that was mentioned was SparkFun - offering a wide selection of products, like the 'get started' SparkFun Inventor's Kit along with blogs like Another Maker Faire? Don't Mind If I Do and 126 tutorials to get you going (and going and going... Duracell joke)

At times I'm both very glad and really sad that I don't live in the US, but in a country "guarded" by a $30 import barrier (ie taxes and fees above and beyond) and a lack of local alternatives as would be expected with a base population approaching 5 million (less than NYC, on par with LA) spread across a stretched out piece of land from 58' to 78' [well, technically 71' for the mainland, Svalbard is a bit further]

There are to many fun things to read, do, write, code

- even with just a few packages inbound 

Madden Madden ho

Game Changers: How Videogames Trained a Generation of Athletes was a major piece in Wired on how Madden in particullar was changing the way football (or american football in these World Cup 2010 times) is played. Because all of the players now competing grew up with second generation games consoles (PS2, xbox) and most of them probably have one or more third gen (PS3, xbox360, wii) - and the Madden franchise is so pervasive, the mindset changes - and the raw understanding of the game also changes

The same general ideas were discussed On The Media, were Bob G. interviewd the author of the piece, Chris Suellentrop in a segment called Field Guide February 05, 2010 (full transcripts online as for all OTM segments, transparency and "checkability" in effect)

I have no problem seeing the case for this, during the 99 cent sale from EA among other things I snagged the Madden iPhone app for use in 2x mode on the iPad. And it is just so increadibly immersive, escpecially for someone over here where NFL broadcasts are a rare treat - often shuffeled around on the program, and the few live matches are filled with overhead images of the stadium whenever there is a commercial or other break.

Maths is everywhere

Found Functions is a project by Nikki Graziano, that was mentioned in Wired 18.02 - where a variation of functions is superimposed on photos of nature after returning with promising snaps. The image to the left is the third on in the series right now.

Really inspirational, as there is a lot of both variation and repitition in nature, the possible avenues of development or investigation is rather large. I've got a couple of books in the library related to the crossover - currently unread is "Curves of Life" (unavailable at Amz now, whilst Elams book Geometry of Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition is a great read - as it combines the academic with the everyday.

btw, the amazon search widget needs some serious speed help, no wonder there is a separate "optimize" selection in the info - @blogger

Fun distractions

The last shall be the first, so in order to work my way back through the pile of blog ideas, notes and clippings - I thought it would be easiest to start of with the newest stuff

And one of the newest items is in fact one of the oldest - Wired Reread is a blog going through back issues of Wired, presenting ads that might not have stood the test of time; like the book ad for Windows 3.1 Bible - because faith was required. So far the total is up to 36, with more sure to come as Mr. Søndergaard keeps on browsing.

The other fun concept seems to be either gone or down. 'twas a MacBook cover made as a book - hence the BookBook. The cached page is still at Google, sans the images. They have some products listed on Amazon, but no BookBook.


Then for the gripe of the day, @blogger; apparently either the new compose editor has "forgotten" a few shortcuts (ctrl-shift-a links yes thank you) - or Google Chrome feels the need to override them. 'tis a wonderful life - bold and italics work fine though

- ...and the sun just went away for some evening showers, still summer and warm so no complaints...

So says who?

While waiting for the next BSG season to hit the local dvd window, I'm spending some thoughtful time with the essay collection "So say we all"- with the highlight so far being a piece by Charlie W. Starr ('personal' site seems to be either down or moved) on Galacticas Gods and their "real world" potential reflections. Adds another layer or two to the show, so I guess it's time to start over once more. So many angels and connection to reconsider or discover. Long-form storytelling at its best.

T or dvd?

The latest issue of Wired [16.12] has another good read by Clive Thomspson - on the t-shirt economy, how niche sites and creators can support themselves by selling basic merchandise like t-shirts to their fans.
One of the main cases is RvB - and I have a minor gripe considering that they also have a subscription/sponsor model, and do a brisk trade in dvds of the show - thereby actually also getting income on the "product" as such. So while it might be correct that the t-shirt put them in business, as a case it is more suited for their versatility both in terms of productions, distribution and income.

So how does this compare to the discussion of "free" [C.Anderson] - or 1000 true fans [K.Kelly with follow-up]?
There is a way for people to make (enough) money doing what they love. The web makes it possible to gather enough dedicated fans or followers to cover costs and then some. BUT - it is a way out for a few, just like there are quite a few "would-be Britneys" out there.

Just because it is feasible and might be gaining traction doesn't make it a sure thing. PBS has been doing it for years. And here in Norway it is 'down by law' - as everyone who owns a television gets to contribute a bit to the NRK (public broadcaster). At just over 2 million homes we are a niche unto ourselves. (and it might be more akin to the ransom model :D)


For two more pieces from Clive T - head over to OTM - from february (on conncetors and Gladwell) and november (reccomendations and Netflix)


Wipeout when the fat lady sings?
Also in the [16.12] was a spread on the new Opera house in Oslo. It is a stunning piece of architecture, and a bit of a gamble considering the threat of increased sea-levels. But the urban angle tying it into skating and cross-use is good branding.

...and the sun is sneaking away, but I'm caught up with Wired - just a bit of backlog to clear out...