Why Demand Media (And Similar Models) Will Succeed
The above link takes a look at what the hell a “content farm” is and how its become profitable. I found this one interesting only in the sense that a content farm, using books in the public domain, might act as a great way to direct traffic to a site that also supports works by new authors. If anyone is game for this kind of site building, let me know. I have more ideas.
Here’s a line from the article:
The discussion around scalable content generation platforms (or “content farms” as critics of those models prefer to call them) is back in full swing.
Bill Gates expects the web to be the best single source of education within 5 years
I hate you Bill Gates, but you’re probably right. In truth, this isn’t the boldest of predictions, what it neglects to consider is inspiration and drive — two things often inspired in us by other students and interesting professors. As the web (and even movie trailers, and commercials) become increasingly interactive (that is, input leads to feedback), I feel education, unlike porn, will continue to look like a dusty book rather than an industry interested in providing its users with content that utilizes new technologies to more effectively deliver its product, which is, in this case, stuff you should know.
Bill Gates just might be the world’s most famous college dropout (sorry, Kanye), but lest you think he’s changed his mind about the educational establishment, he’s got a few words of reassurance for you. As the closing speaker of the Techonomy 2010 conference, Bill dished out his vision of how learning will evolve over the next few years, stating his belief that no single university will be able to match the internet when it comes to providing the learning resources a student needs.
You can count the number of books in the world on 25,972,976 hands
Holy crap! Numbers are cool and this is crazy. Thanks Google. Also, Google knows way too much and knows way too many ways to get more of it. They frighten me more each day.
Ever wonder just how many different books there are in the world? After some intensive analysis, we’ve come up with a number. Standing on the shoulders of giants—libraries and cataloging organizations—and based on our computational resources and experience of organizing millions of books through our Books Library Project and Books Partner Program since 2004, we’ve determined that number.
As of today, we estimate that there are 129,864,880 different books in the world. That’s a lot of knowledge captured in the written word! This calculation used an algorithm that combines books information from multiple sources including libraries, WorldCat, national union catalogs and commercial providers. And the actual number of books is always increasing.
How The Scott Pilgrim Trailer Got Interactive
Interactivity is the way of the future. As media becomes better at enhancing and personalizing the User experience, it creates rifts in what we have come to see as a unifying, shared experience when observing “art.” Is this good or bad? Who cares, it’s happening.
The interactive Scott Pilgrim trailer allows viewers to click anywhere while watching — those clicks leading you to detailed information about the film’s production, often narrated directly by Wright. Within the first minute of watching, I’d learned about the strangeness of the house where they shot the first house party, noticed that Ramona Flowers was wearing roller blades while delivering a package and heard Wright explain the reasoning behind Scott Pilgrim’s eclectic media collection.
Why Online Education Needs to Get Social
Let’s face it, this Mashable writer knows a thing or two.
Marshall McLuhan’s classic expression “ the medium is the message” hasn’t lost its luster yet, as entrepreneurs and designers re-invent products and services for the web, unleashing thousands of new applications and sites every single day.
The news industry is also in the throes of adjusting to the digital age, with countless print publications failing and folding after many years in the business while online news outlets and other platforms for news sharing, proliferate.
HOW TO: Self-Publish Anything Online
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Because It Interests Me!
Human brains have ‘Life of Brian’ mechanism
IN A classic Monty Python moment, a chirpy, long-haired man on a crucifix urges others around him in a similar predicament to cheer up. Now neurologists have discovered what might be described as a “Life of Brian” brain mechanism that encourages us to look on the bright side of life – even when confronted by thoughts of mortality.
NFL mulling microchips in footballs for those life-or-death goal line rulings
The NFL is serious business. So serious, in fact, that the idea of refs getting decisions wrong sends chills up and down Roger Goodell’s spine. Yeah, we all know they do it habitually, but the League seems to be considering improving accuracy just a little bit with the help of some tech.
New Media Fiction 