It's funny that everything I blog or mention on Facebook or elsewhere gets me attacked as a 'conspiracy' theorist. Yet, months or a year later what I said becomes mainstream media. Does anyone else see this trend with what you post?It's funny that everything I blog or mention on Facebook or elsewhere gets me attacked... more
La generazione nata negli anni ’90 è cresciuta in un ambiente pienamente digitale: internet, videogiochi, smartphone, social network sono per I nativi digitali pane quotidiano, parte integrante della loro vita.
Chi sono I figli della Rete, e quanto sono diversi dai loro padri?
Quali sono le implicazioni a livello sociologico, psicologico e cognitivo del crescere ed apprendere in un ambiente digitale?
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Intervengono in questa puntata:
Dr. Gary Small (Neuroscienziato, UCLA)
Howard Rheingold (Insegnante e saggista, Stanford University)
Giovanni Boccia Artieri (Prof. Nuovi Media, Università di Urbino “Carlo Bo”)
Paolo Ferri (Prof. Tecnologie dell’Insegnamento, Università di Milano “Bicocca”)
Antonio Fini (Prof. Tecnologie dell’Educazione, Università di Firenze)La generazione nata negli anni ’90 è cresciuta in un ambiente pienamente digitale:... more
Google had a low-key event today to preview Chrome OS, its new operating system based on Linux and the Chrome browser. Things are still pretty early -- it's not even in beta yet, let alone on shipping products -- but that's the first official screen shot right there, and the big features are all roughed out. The entire system is web-based and runs in the Chrome browser -- right down to USB drive contents, which show up in a browser tab, and the notepad, which actually creates a Google Docs document. Web apps are launched from a persistent apps panel, which includes Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and Hulu, among others, and background apps like Google Talk can be minimized to "panels" that dock to the bottom of the screen. Local storage is just used to speed up the system -- everything actually lives in the cloud, so all it takes to swap or borrow machines is a login, and you're good to go. Google also said it's "very committed" to Flash, and that it's looking to hardware accelerate whatever code it can -- although Google didn't have a solid answer to give when asked about Silverlight. Overall, Google was upfront in saying that Chrome OS is focused on very clear use cases for people who primarily use the web, and that it's not trying to do everything: "If you're a lawyer, editing contracts back and forth, this will not be the right machine for you."
As far as going to market, Google's not talking details until the targeted launch at the end of next year, but Chrome OS won't run on just anything -- there'll be specific reference hardware. For example, Chrome OS won't work with standard hard drives, just SSDs, but Google is supporting both x86 and ARM CPUs. That also means you won't be able to just download Chrome OS and go, you'll have to buy a Chrome OS device approved by Google. Interesting move, for sure -- but since the entire OS is totally open-source as of today, we're sure it'll be hacked onto all kinds of hardware soon enough. (And for the record, the demo was run on an off-the-shelf Eee PC.) Check Google's intro videos after the break!
This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.
The green entrepreneurs I speak with every day have great stories to tell about their phenomenal work saving resources, cleaning our energy, and creating a better world. These stories do more than entertain; they get attention and bring in business. Telling your story is one thing, but making sure that it’s heard is another. Tools ranging from PR to Twitter can deliver your message, each with their pros and cons, and services like 3BL Media can amplify your story to reach more eyeballs and get noticed.
The first step is paring down your message to be crystal clear, making it as short and simple as possible. The value of clarity is often overlooked; clarity helps the message to stick, and also helps entrepreneurs to better understand their own business.
The next step is finding tools to deliver the message to the right eyes and ears. The tools to boost your business visibility include:
1. Blogging – Blogging doesn’t cost anything and can connect you to large numbers of people, but it does take time and it’s not for everyone. For blogging to attract an audience you need to post frequently, probably at least once a week. This may not sound like much, but the entrepreneurs I know are incredibly busy people.
2. Social networking –Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are free and potentially powerful ways of making connections, but they are also full of noise. The great hope is that your post will go viral, taking on a life of its own, but your content will usually need a big push to stand out and get noticed.
3. Partnering with media distributors – If you already have content and want it to reach more people, services like 3BL Media amplify your message through high profile distribution to a big chunk of the CSR world.
4. Ads – Ads on the internet can be highly targeted based on demographics of websites. An ad campaign does cost money, and the time to keep an eye on what is working, and not working.
5. Public relations – PR can be immensely powerful; getting others in the media to talk about you can provide credibility. It usually takes connections and time to make this happen, and the efforts of a paid professional.
For entrepreneurs working on tight budgets, free tools like blogging, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook can be very attractive. Small businesses are often so focused on their business and so cash strapped these days that they have little money for marketing. Free social networking tools can accomplish a lot and should be used as much as possible, but they can’t always do the whole job on their own. Public relations efforts provide a big boost with the right investment of time and money, although some businesses find it’s more than they can invest today.
Acquisition and deployment of real solutions is now within grasp of business owners (seemingly) without the need for conventional IT delivery and support. But many questions may go unanswered without engagement of EA, and latent risks (such as compliance and security) may turn into real issues.
America used to be the vanguard for change and innovation. Apple, Microsoft, Google, just to name a few, were companies that changed the way we do business. Well, innovation is still coming from the U.S. (i.e. GoodB)! Yet progress in "Better World Business" practices is more important than ever since the economic crisis this past year. This week GoodB reports on some innovative endeavors from the other side of the Atlantic...
Europe Saves the Planet
You know all those extra cell phone chargers that you don't know what to do with? Now these useless gadgets can go to the great charger resting place in the sky aka: the dump. Unfortunately, they are not recyclable or biodegradable. Not to mention how costly they become every time we "upgrade" our phones. A waste of money, waste of plastic, and just plain waste!
Well, the environmentally savvy European Union has done it again and come to the rescue! Europe saves dollars and our planet on the plan for a universal cell phone charger. Apple, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, and five other companies struck a deal with the European Union (EU) this year.
The Gold Standard
French-based luxury jeweler Cartier has vowed to buy only "sustainable gold" for their gems. Similar to Fair Trade coffee, Cartier is working with the non-profit PACT to buy gold from smaller miners to improve their economic conditions. Pact's stated mission is to help poorer nations "build empowered communities."
Additionally, Cartier has joined ranks with a consortium of civic-minded gem companies, the Responsible Jewellery Council (RSJ), to promote "responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry from mine to retail."
The Holy Grail of Free Markets: Competition
Antitrust laws in Europe and the U.S. are very clear that competition in the marketplace is a fundamental value of modern business. Much of the criticism surrounding global banking and official bailouts has been centered on the interference with free market competition in the wake of government aid.
Competition is held so sacred that Microsoft was aggressively litigated in the U.S. and Europe for anti-trust infringement. The tech company was forced to pay hundreds of millions in penalties to the EU and the U.S. Simon Johnson, former IMF economist and MIT professor, expressed a persuasive view in The "Quiet Coup" that financial institutions, particularly in the U.S., are monopolies.
A one day annual conference, European Competition Day, was held in early October in Stockholm to encourage European countries and the EU to keep market competition open.
Newsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute video, highlighting the good, the bad and the unforgettable. From Bush V. Gore, to 9/11, to the iPod, to Borat, to the Iraq war, to Twitter and much, much more. Watch and marvel at this busy decade.
It really makes you remember about all that has changed about that last 10 years around the worldNewsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute... more
Okay, pretend to be surprised if you want, but Facebook and PlayStation 3 are coming together, sort of. We saw the tiniest bit of teaser last week via leaked photo, and now we've got details and a release date. Users will have the option of sending status updates for PSN purchases and Trophies whenever the user syncs up the account to the PlayStation servers, and developers can now integrate automatic updates when certain game events occur, similar to what we saw with the recent Uncharted sequel. Unfortunately, some of the very basic functions you'd come to expect from Facebook apps, such as writing your own status updates, aren't there yet. Hopefully we'll be seeing more integration sooner rather than later, as the company's noting this is just the beginning of the integration with the social network. Integration hits with firmware 3.10, which as we heard from a previous Sony Poland leak is this Thursday, just one day after Xbox Live's Facebook integration debuts (how very convenient, indeed). Also in the update? New photo navigation and PSN gamer card options. Video after the break.
Jorge Carreon blogs: Citizens of Mileywood, take note. Disney is taking to Facebook to launch the first trailer of Miley Cyrus' next motion picture adventure, "The Last Song," on Tuesday, November 17th.
Teacher in Georgia has to give account for photos of her vacation and her principal and superintendent suspended her from her job.Teacher in Georgia has to give account for photos of her vacation and her principal... more
Once a predator uses your Internet connection to go to into the bowels of the web, your Internet Protocol address, which is connected to your ISP billing address, is now considered one that is owned by a criminal. If law enforcement happens to be chatting with that person, who’s using your Internet connection to trade lurid porn, then someone may eventually knock on your door at 3 AM with a battering ram. And in freakish and relatively new twist, hackers can use a virus to crack your network and gain remote control access, and then store illicit porn on your hard drive.
In celebration of the 40th birthday of Sesame Street, here's a compilation of YouTube musicians playing the show's memorable theme song.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, Bryan Safi and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.In celebration of the 40th birthday of Sesame Street, here's a compilation of YouTube... more
A headteacher has suspended three of her pupils and accused them of making "offensive" and "illegal" remarks about her on Facebook.
The kids from Beaumont School, St Albans had set up a Facebook group and made disparaging remarks about headteacher Elizabeth Hitch's dress sense. Three have since been suspended and the school has written to the parents of pupuls who participated in the discussions.
Even though the education authority says the group amounted to "cyberbullying", shouldn't schoolkids be allowed to let off steam in their private time online? What happened to freedom of speech? I can understand why the head is offended and upset but surely in her position she's used to a few hundred kids not liking her?
For 19-year-old Rodney Bradford, a simple Facebook status update turned into much more: a rock-solid alibi after he was accused of a crime.
Confirmation of the time stamp on the update and the location from which it was entered showed he could not have been at the scene of a robbery in another part of New York City. After he had spent almost two weeks in jail, the case against him was dismissed.
The story began at 11:49 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, when Bradford was updating his Facebook status at his father's home in Harlem. A minute later, 12 miles away in Brooklyn, two men were mugged at gunpoint.
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It wasn't until Rodney Bradford Sr. discovered his son's Facebook update that the young man's defense attorney realized he had an unbeatable alibi.
"Throughout that week," said the attorney, Robert Reuland, "I worked with the district attorney's office and made them aware of who our alibis were, presented the Facebook evidence and generally tried to convince them that it would be wrong to proceed to an indictment in light of this evidence."
The district attorney subpoenaed Facebook for documentation that would prove Bradford had updated his account from his father's home in Harlem. It worked.
"It all corroborated our alibis," explained Reuland. "The Facebook thing was really the icing on the cake. I think, ultimately, it's what prompted the DA to dismiss."
The district attorney's office would not comment on the story because the case is sealed.
Facebook officials said they are "pleased" they were "able to serve as a constructive part of the judicial process."
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And he pointed out that it could be argued the Facebook update was a set-up.
"On the Internet, nobody really knows it's you," he said. "A kid could set up an alibi by setting up a Facebook update."
Reuland finds that unlikely.
"This is a 19-year-old kid. He's not a criminal genius setting up an elaborate alibi for himself," he said. "This is not the kind of thing someone would fake." And if someone were going to fake it, he said, "They'd do it in a lot clearer way" than the inside joke that Bradford posted: "On the phone with this fat chick... where my IHOP."
Hundreds of Facebook groups have been hijacked in recent days by users pointing out what they say is a weakness in how the social-networking site handles the administration of its groups.Hundreds of Facebook groups have been hijacked in recent days by users pointing out... more
This is Rodney Bradford. A few days ago, Facebook saved his 19-yo life. Facebook, and his status plea demanding the immediate consumption of one of the basic food groups every human being needs to properly function in the morning: Pancakes.
Rodney was arrested on October 18 as a suspect in two crimes. He declared himself innocent and Robert Reuland—his defense lawyer—found the key to free him: "Where's my pancakes?"
That seemingly inconsequential Facebook status update proved crucial when the Californian company confirmed that someone wrote it from his father's Harlem apartment computer, using Rodney's user and password at around the time of the alleged crime: Saturday October 17, 11:49am.
