Below you’ll find the script and associated links from the December 20, 2011 edition of O’Reilly Radar. An archive of past shows is available through O’Reilly Media’s YouTube channel and you can subscribe to episodes of O’Reilly Radar via iTunes.
In this episode of O’Reilly Radar, find out why Joe Wikert thinks Amazon’s Kindle Lending Library is a bad deal for publishers.
We’ll also take a look at top stories published recently across O’Reilly’s platforms.
And LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman discusses technology’s role in job creation.
Now we’ll get to all that in just a moment, but up first we’re going to take a look at some of the news that’s on our radar.
Radar news & analysis
Many of us rely on mapping services like Google Maps to get from point A to point B. But the utility of these tools abruptly cuts off when we reach the front doors of our destinations.
Indoor navigation has, until recently, been defined by posted signs and the kindness of strangers.
But what if you could pull out your mobile device and easily navigate unfamiliar indoor locations?
Meridian, Nokia and other companies have been working to make indoor navigation useful. Now, Google is jumping into the indoor fray as well.
A new release of Google Maps for Android includes floor plans for a number of airports, malls and retailers in the U.S. and Japan.
Google’s indoor maps can guide you from spot to spot, and they even know which floor you’re on.
For now, Google’s indoor navigation is available in a limited roll-out. The feature is only compatible with Android devices and the list of participating outlets is pretty slim.
Nonetheless, this is one of those “we’ve always needed this” sorts of tools. So watch for indoor nav from the likes of Google and others to quickly transition from novelty to an established — and expected — part of future mapping apps.
We’ll be keeping an eye on the evolution of these geo tools and nav applications through continuing coverage on O’Reilly Radar, and at O’Reilly’s upcoming Where Conference.
The Radar interview: Joe Wikert
Coming up next I find out why O’Reilly’s Joe Wikert thinks Amazon’s Kindle Lending Library is a bad deal for publishers. Joe also weighs in on Amazon Prime, and he reveals some of the trends he’s spotting as he preps for February’s Tools of Change for Publishing conference.
Radar posts of note
Here’s a look at some of the top stories recently published across O’Reilly’s platforms.
Clay Johnson, author of the forthcoming book “The Information Diet,” has a problem with the term “information overload.” Johnson believes that information consumption is what really needs to be addressed. Read the post.
In a short and informative case study, discover how Omnivore Books, a small cookbook store in San Francisco, uses Twitter to solidify relationships with customers and break through the publisher blockade. The store has distilled its Twitter process into a dead simple rule: be ⅓ personal and ⅔ professional. Read the post.
Finally, what happens when everyone has access to your Starbucks card? Author Jonathan Stark found out this past summer when he conducted a unique social experiment. He shares what he learned in this interview. Read the post.
You can find links to these posts and other resources mentioned during this episode at radar.oreilly.com/show.
Radar video spotlight
In this episode’s Video Spotlight, we’re featuring Alex Howard’s recent interview with LinedIn founder Reid Hoffman.
Hoffman explains how technology, often perceived as a threat to jobs, can actually help create them.
You can watch each episode of O’Reilly Radar on the O’Reilly Media YouTube channel and subscribe to episodes through iTunes.