Today's catchy stuff from the web

Maureen Dowd on Twitter (New York Times)

Shrinking Flint (New York Times)

Professional Blogging #1 (Read Write Web)

Professional Blogging #2 (Wall Street Journal)

Six Ways You Should Be Using Twitter (Lifehacker)

High Speed Rail (U.S. Dept. of Transportation - Federal Railroad Administration)

Things that I like / don't like

Like: Mass Transit

Lately there has been lots of talk about using stimulus funds to build regional high speed rail networks. Thank goodness...after visiting Germany last year, I'm a believer.

Don't like: Dress codes/Long lines at bars/Suited doormen

Alright seriously...this is Lansing, and in Lansing there just isn't any need for this...ANY of this. I don't mean that as a knock on Lansing, I just mean that I kinda like Lansing's unpretentious character. Besides, cool bars are cool and trendy not because they have a dress code, long lines, or suited doormen, but because they attract people who are cool...If your bar isn't attracting the clientèle you're aiming for, then do something different, like charging a bigger cover, or playing better music, or having a better atmosphere.

Like: Free online newspaper content

The Associated Press wants a piece of Google's (and Yahoo's) ad revenue from its content - the AP doesn't like news aggregators to score advertising revenue off the free content it gleans from the web. So that's cool, I understand...just don't start charging consumers for the content and taking away the "freeness" of it, and I (and everyone else) will be happy. If Google and Yahoo wants to sells their ads, then let them pay the royalties, and keep it free for the consumer.

Don't like: Voicemail

See my post here.

Like: Turntables (analog/vinyl)

Real DJ's learned on turntables...with vinyl records. Techno was invented in Detroit, and those guys spin on vinyl. Nothing looks cooler than a set of tec 12's and a dude (or girl) jockeying about, throwing 12" vinyl around. And the sound is incredible.

Don't like: Turntables (digital/cd)

Real DJ's learned on turntables...with vinyl records. They may not use them anymore, but at least they can. I met a guy last summer who was apparently a local club DJ in Detroit. Jake and I had turntables set up, and we offered him a spin...except he didn't know how...since he had learned using digital decks, he couldn't figure out how the whole vinyl thing worked...

Like: Linux

The nerd's operating system. I haven't reached nerd status (as far as computers go), but I'm trying. Linux is free, there are a ton of different versions, and it does most anything that Windows does. Also, it's open source, so everyone in the world has the opportunity to make it better.

Don't like: Windows

Expensive, unreliable, resource hog. And it's made by Microsoft. Need I say more?

Like: Cloud computing/remote storage

Accessible from anywhere. Cheap. Reliable. If your hard drive crashes, it really doesn't matter.

Don't like: Local storage

Unless your machine is networked, the data is only accessible from your desktop - which means you've got to lug your machine around. If your hard drive crashes or your gear is stolen, then your stuff is gone.

March/April Photography

Some photos I've taken in the past few weeks:

One of the first signs of a thawing winter - early March is the time for making maple syrup

Michigan's Capitol in the evening

A brief renewal for Detroit: The 2009 Final Four

Packard's famous doorway - so much so that someone bought it on eBay as a collector's item

An endless, empty factory. Highland Park's Packard plant seems to go on forever

The ultimate sign of summer to come: America's Pastime

UPDATE: Lansing Meal Deals

Per some suggestions from friends, I just updated the "Lansing Meal Deals" site. Enjoy!

How do you communicate?

Today I was reading an article/interview in Businessweek about Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of BlackBerry mobile devices. Basically, what I gleaned from the article (and what everyone seems to know already) is that the Apple iPhone seems to be the smartphone that every communication device maker tries to emulate. The iPhone has enjoyed enormous success - remarkable, since it's only supported by one wireless carrier (AT&T) and the BlackBerry is supported by several. I started wondering: why isn't RIM more of a competitor?

I realized that the whole idea of a BlackBerry revolves around mobile email access, and that the devices really aren't much more useful than a bare-bones wireless device. In fact, I recently discovered an application that essentially turned my bare-bones wireless phone into an email machine - it even alerts me when I have email - much like a BlackBerry.

So what's the problem?

I realized I hardly ever send email anymore. In fact, in the past week I've sent exactly 18 emails. Of those, five of them were to myself (I tend to use email when I need to remind myself of something to do later).

So in the past week, I've used email 13 times to communicate with other people. This got me thinking about my communication habits, and my curiosity got the best of me: in the same week I've sent 124 text messages, and used my phone 20 times to call people. I estimate that in the same time, I've posted 15 updates on Twitter, and the same on Facebook. I've probably used Facebook another 20-30 times to communicate directly with people.

I realized that in the age of Facebook, Twitter, and widespread wireless integration, it's possible that email and traditional voice calls have been largely replaced by more flexible, more interactive, or even more simple forms of communication. Twitter allows us to update or call out to people on a massive scale. Facebook allows us to be interactive - to use photos, songs, or event invitations to communicate. Texting allows us to get in touch with people on the fly.

So what's this mean? What it means to me is that if other people's communication habits are anything like my own, then the BlackBerry isn't really a competitor to the iPhone. The iPhone is designed to run applications - if you visit the iPhone App Store, you can find an application for just about anything, including email. The difference between the iPhone and the BlackBerry is that one device is marketed to those who use email, and one device is marketed to those who want flexibility in what their phone will do.

Only recently has RIM figured out what Apple has known for a long time, and they've opened their own application store: BlackBerry App World. I'm sure this will bring RIM more in step with what consumers want and need these days, but what about the bigger question: how are people's communications needs changing? What are the trends? Who are going to be the innovators who accurately predict how people will communicate in the future? Is this the end of communication innovation, or is something new going to evolve that takes us beyond the smartphone? And how will the effectiveness of our communications evolve or suffer as a byproduct of using the technology? (see concerns expressed in the anonymous comment in my voicemail post)

What do you think? What are your communication habits?

Death to voicemail

Today I ran across an article in the NY Times, which questioned the relevance of voicemail in the age of text messaging, email, and social networking.

I couldn't agree more - the continued use of voicemail should be questioned.

For months, I've been asking friends and family to quit leaving me voicemail...I've spent way too much time dialing the voicemail number, punching in my password, and listening to long, drawn-out messages about why I need to call someone back, when I should call them back, and what we need to talk about when I do call them back.

"Please leave a detailed message with your name, phone number, and the time that you called..."

Hahaha, are you serious???

Not only that, but I have to sift through ALL of the previous voicemails people have left (often they're new, because I refuse to take the time to check them), so that by the time I do go through my voicemail, it's at least a 15-minute process.

Case in point: This past weekend I was in downtown Detroit for the MSU basketball game v. UConn. The venue was loud, people were everywhere, lots of screaming and cheering, etc. - but somehow, friends managed to leave me at least two voicemails - the crazy thing was, these people were in the SAME building I was in, and to think that they actually thought I could hear their voicemail is somewhat hilarious...

Sending a text message is a whole lot easier...and quite frankly, 99 times out of 100 the caller ID suffices.

So here it is: I propose we all drop voicemail and get with the times - text message or no message will save us all a lot of wasted time and frustration.

Today's catchy stuff from the web

Masters in social networking

Urban scavenging

GM, consumer sentiment, and the effect of bankruptcy

Monetize social media

Virtual currency

Online spying

Conficker protection

Twitter...3 yrs old.

Apparently yesterday Twitter turned 3 years old.

Honestly, I'm not an expert when it comes to Twitter...I think I've written just over 40 posts (tweets) on Twitter since I joined last summer - although, many of those have come in the past month or so, as my general fascination with social networking has reached an apex.

So the other day when I sat down to lunch with some coworkers, I was pretty enamored when the topic of conversation turned to social networking and Twitter - and without regard to my office reputation, I foolishly and proudly announced the fact that I was a newly devoted fan of the service.

I sank a little lower in my chair, and I'm sure my face turned red when everyone around the table raised their eyebrows and seemed to harmonize: "Why?? What's it for??"

"Ummmmm....yeah, I don't know. It's, you know....microblogging."

"Micro-what?"

Since then, I've been feverishly trying to figure out how to explain the utility of Twitter, and social networking in general...so I don't feel like an idiot again the next time I'm faced with the question - especially by coworkers.

What I've decided is that there are 3 basic kinds of people that use Twitter, and likewise 3 basic utilities:

1) The people who like everyone to know EXACTLY what they're doing at a particular moment (or they think that you want to know). This category includes the people who write about what they just ordered from Wendy's, where they're going to watch the game, and what home-improvement projects they're working on today.

UTILITY: Updates on life.

2) The people who use Twitter to post things that interest them. This includes bloggers, activists, and people who spend a lot of time reading.

UTILITY: Spread the word.

3) The people who use Twitter to ask questions.

UTILITY: Collaboration, Crowdsourcing.

I'm sure there are things I'm missing, so feel free to comment, and make suggestions, or let me know if I'm completely off the mark.

Lansing Weekly Meal Deals

I'm a person who loves restaurant deals...so recently, when I was visiting one of my favorite eateries and noticed their list of weekly specials on the menu, I decided it'd be a good idea to try and compile a list of these deals, so that maybe other people can benefit too.

So I started a list here...it's definitely not all-inclusive, so feel free to leave me comments with suggestions, corrections, additions, etc.

Also, try to adhere to the criteria - all posted "deals" need to meet one of the following:
1) Free
2) 1/2 off (or close to it)
3) All-you-can-eat (or free refills)

Urban Prairie Exploration

So the other day I drove down to Royal Oak for my monthly "Jake-time". Jake and I were roommates back in '99-'00, when we were both first-time seniors at MSU (I made it through school with two senior years, Jake three). Jake and I have a ton of common interests and projects, and even though our minds work in entirely different ways, we always make a point to get together and hang out at least once a month. This trip was supposed to be about getting out in Hamtramck to hear some techno at a sorta underground coffeehouse/bar called Trowbridge House of Coffee, or THC. A group of twenty-something techno fans have put themselves together as producers, and the outfit is called Proper Modulation. A little bit pretentious, but otherwise, good stuff.

So after our techno night, we decided to cruise around Detroit the next day, and test out my new camera. We started downtown on the riverfront near the Renaissance Center - not too interesting. We then headed over to Corktown to check out Tiger Stadium - or at least what's left of it. On the way over, we stopped at Michigan Central Station and as we stood there gawking at the once-magnificent building, Jake said something about how the Detroit scene reminds him of a post-apocalyptic world. We eventually made our way up Trumbull to the New Center and east towards GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly. It was in this area of the city that I was truly amazed. Witnessing first-hand the emptiness of enormous warehouses and decaying manufacturing facilities, coupled with the edgy graffiti art and urban sculture was enough to make my weekend trip worthwhile.