This is interesting. Now they just have to figure out how to make the act of torrenting safer.
I don’t share nearly as much as I used to. Mostly this is because it’s about to become really easy to get caught (and disconnected from the internet) and that is a risk I can’t take.
So props for getting creative. Props for keeping TPB online. Now find a way to keep us safe while we use it. Be truly revolutionary, instead of merely iterative.
Lumus is offering a pair of light, wearable glasses that will display 1280 x 720 HD video and allow you to interact with the world via augmented reality.
Light pumps in the earpieces send and refract light down the lens. This moves the electronics away from the eyes, offering a lighter, more streamlined experience. The lenses are transparent and display an apparent 87-inch screen about ten feet away. Because each eye display works independently, you can also view 3D video.
these are awesome.
Internet of things, here we come.
(via smarterplanet)
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Social Media And The Loss Of Uncorrelated Wisdom (via courtenaybird)
The kinds of people who read someone else’s opinion on a social media site and use it to supplant their own opinion are the same kinds of people who do that in real life.
Social media makes it easy for the masses to have conversations. It makes it easy for people who *already* agree with one another to get together. Opinions aren’t going to—or rather—are rarely going to be changed, in general.
Herd mentality has always existed and will continue to exist. Social media allows people to discover that not everyone is a member of the same heard.
The sword cuts in both directions: New ideas are relatively few and far between. When a new, disruptive, idea rears it’s tiny little head it build a following. Social media can speed that up. Disruptive chains of thought (the seeds of revolution?) used to take years to spread. Now they can be spread in days.
So yes, social media makes it easier for people to allow others to form opinions for them. Social media makes it easier for influential people to control the thoughts of a large group of the populous. You know what else does that? Traditional media. I think that social media also teaches us to question what we’re being told, and gives us the opportunity to find a voice that each of us agrees with individually.
What harm can come from groups of people standing together behind the ideals that they hold dear? Well, lots probably. But isn’t it more harmful to sit silently and alone as ideas that you disagree with are espoused by the majority?
(via courtenaybird)
Have you ever read posts here and wondered, “how can we make things that fit into the future of the internet now?”
Today’s post is for this.
1. The internet as a platform for improved education — The internet has incredible capacity to redefine and modernize the education system at a lower cost…
The internet has a huge potential as a platform for education improvements. I’ve managed to further my education, gotten more out of my classes, and actually learned how to work, not just how to pass classes.
I would love to see someone (that isn’t me) take this concept and run away with it. Democratize education. Be disruptive.
Tumblr I have come to you to rant. After you have read this, please forgive me for wasting your time. Read it first though. Amazon has a price comparison application. They are using this application to take money away from small businesses and out of local economies. If you scan a product with Amazon’s tool, find it for cheaper online and buy it they give you a $15 coupon. *They are paying people not to spend money with local businesses.* Now I know many people who would claim that if a product is available for cheaper elsewhere then the consumer deserves that lower price. I disagree. Brick and mortar stores aren’t about finding the best price, they are about finding the best product. Speaking from experience, small businesses put a lot of effort into choosing the very best products that are specifically suited to their clientele. They curate an endless sea of potential products and distill it down to the best 3 or 4 dozen. Few people enter into a record store on a regular basis because they already know what albums they want to buy. On the contrary, they go to the record store to discover what music they never knew they wanted. Amazon’s tool abuses this business model. Small business owners are still left with the burden of curating an exceptional selection of products, but amazon is attempting to rob from them the natural premium that people are often willing to pay for this service. By all means, use this tool in national chains. Let’s help Amazon put Wal*Mart out of business. Just don’t let yourself be deceived into sacrificing local businesses as collateral damage in their war on high prices. I’m not above spending an extra five dollars to support my community, and you shouldn’t be either.
