"web2expony" entries

Four short links: 9 February 2011

Four short links: 9 February 2011

Javascript Library, Devops Speeds, Kindle Sales, and AOL's Master Plan

  1. isotope — dazzling Javascript library.
  2. Designs, Lessons, and Advice from Building Large Distributed Systems (Slideshare) — in the words of Matt Webb, through whom I found it, There’s a lovely collection of numbers from Jeff Dean at Google, about how long common computer processor and network operations take. […] What makes this more human is this comparison, which reveals a little bit about computer time: your equivalent to a computer looking up data from a chip is remembering a fact from your own brain. Your equivalent to a computer looking up data from a disk is fetching that fact from Pluto. Computers live in a world of commonplace interactions not the size of a house, like us, but the Solar System. On their own terms, they are long, long lived, and vast.. (via Matt Webb)
  3. Amazon Selling More Kindle Books Than Paperbacks (New Scientist) — Since the beginning of the year, for every 100 paperback books Amazon has sold, the Company has sold 115 Kindle books. Additionally, during this same time period the company has sold three times as many Kindle books as hardcover books. (via Brad DeLong)
  4. The AOL Way — the leaked business plan for AOL’s content farms. I was fascinated by how big companies plan, but this is yet more sausage best made unseen. Most sausagey for me was Slide 33 showing the fantasy: a story suggested by high searches and advertising possibilities, with heavily “SEO optimized” text. (via Chris Heathcote on Delicious)

Pandora's ubiquitous platform play

Pandora's model could apply to other content creators and distributors.

Pandora isn't betting on one platform, it's betting on all of them: computers, mobile devices, stereos, even cars. It's a smart move — and one that should be studied — because it meshes with the digital consumption habits of users.

Why blogging still matters

Anil Dash on the enduring power of blogs.

During an interview at Web 2.0 Expo NY, Anil Dash's response to an offhand question hit at the heart of blogging's continued importance.

10 Lessons for Gov 2.0 from Web 2.0

How can the power of the web solve the world's most pressing problems?

Web 2.0 Expo New York highlighted a number of Web 2.0 principles and trends that also have relevance to the Gov 2.0 space. Here's a look at the connective tissue that binds these two worlds.

Reality has a gaming layer

Kevin Slavin sees a world where games shape life and life shapes games.

Kevin Slavin, managing director of Area/Code and a speaker at Web 2.0 Expo New York, has worked at the the intersection of games and reality for nearly a decade. In this interview, Slavin explores the impact of mobile apps and the unexpected ways games shape our lives.

Email still isn't dead

Thrillist founder Ben Lerer on the staying power of newsletters.

Despite predictions of its imminent demise, email continues to be a viable medium — not only for communication, but for advertising as well. In this interview, Thrillist co-founder and Web 2.0 Expo NY speaker Ben Lerer explains why he remains bullish on email.

The startups at the Expo Showcase

30 companies will vie for attention at the Web 2.0 Expo NY.

Startups are starved for attention, which is why this year's Web 2.0 Expo NY will feature a Startup Showcase. Take a look at the 30 companies selected to participate.

Why Twitter's t.co is a game changer

Twitter's URL shortener could give marketers a key tool for off-site engagement.

If Twitter is so inclined, the company could turn the new t.co shortening service into a powerful analytics tool that solves the marketing and tracking issues of off-site engagement.

What we can learn from data, 3-D and a globe

IBM's Julia Grace on social media shifts and why 3-D and data are made for each other.

IBM researcher and Web 2.0 Expo speaker Julia Grace spends her days digging into data. Her tools are a little unusual, though. Instead of spreadsheets and bar graphs, she uses visualizations and a seven-foot-tall, three-dimensional globe. Grace discusses life with a giant globe and explores her recent findings in this Q&A.

Hacking online advertising

Two recent ads contradict common attitudes and hint at something bigger.

Grand and bold declarations about the demise of online advertising — and the web itself — get all the attention. But two recent ads serve as countermeasures to the gloom: hackers are calibrating online advertising to serve their own specific needs.