A lot of my time is spent writing for and talking to people for whom the computer remains a scary beast that is best kept at arm’s length, or, better, in a closet. I feel for these people because I’m not naturally a techie myself. I failed science and math in school and almost certainly … Read more
A bank in Chicago has banned use of cellphones in five of its branches, hoping to prevent the bad guys from communicating with each other during a robbery, according to UPI: “We ban cell phone use in the lobby because you don’t know what people are doing,” Ralph Oster, a senior vice president [of the … Read more
Systems — especially warning systems — need to work perfectly, or not at all. Take Thailand’s new tsunami early warning system, which recently failed a trial because busy phone networks took hours to deliver vital SMS messages, while some some warnings sent by fax didn’t turn up at all, according to AFP. (More on the … Read more
Technology, it seems, is not isolating teens from each other but quite the opposite: multiplying the number of connections and bonds they make to create a generation of “SuperConnectors”. A research report published by advertising agency Energy BBDO (nothing sighted on their website yet) concludes that, according to marketing news website ClickZ Stats, “56% percent of … Read more
Further to the previous post, honouring the fact that Jef Raskin passed away last month, I thought I would post a little essay he sent me a year ago to illustrate some of his thinking in his last year: Genesis and Goals of The Humane Environment Our increasing knowledge about human behavior and mental processes, … Read more