Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Is Tech Blogging Dying?

Image representing Jeremiah Owyang as depicted...Image via CrunchBaseMy short answer is no, not at all.

But there is a minor storm on the topic going on. It was, I believe, started by Jeremiah Owyang.

End of an Era: The Golden Age of Tech Blogging is Over

Many people have pitched in with their own reply blog posts. Notables like Pete Cashmore, Fred Wilson, and Loic Le Meur - founder of Le Web conference in Paris - have participated in Jeremiah's comments sections. Pete Cashmore's comment is particularly interesting.

Sarah Lacy: Golden Age of Tech Blogging Done? I Couldn't Disagree More
Brian Solis: Is the Golden Age of tech blogging over?
Marshall Kirkpatrick: The Next Era of Tech Blogging: 3 Things That Could Make it Better
Hugh MacLeod: Oh No! Blogging is REALLY, REALLY dead this time!!!!!! :D

TechCrunch Predicts The Year Ahead

Image representing TechCrunch as depicted in C...Image via CrunchBaseTechCrunch: "No one knows what the future holds, but I can guarantee you the world will look be different – again – at the end of next year."

This statement is almost irresponsible. It is more fitting for The Onion than for TechCrunch.

It is funny. Who would have thought?

Could Google+ End Up Bigger Than Gmail?

Image representing Orkut as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBaseLooks like Facebook has some real competition on its hands. The numbers are looking really good for Google+ right now and they keep getting better. Finally after Wave and Buzz and Orkut and a few other attempts Google seems to have nailed social.

But I think Google+ is different from Facebook. In terms of the social graph it resides somewhere between Twitter and Facebook, although Facebook's new subscribe feature brings it more into the Google+ realm.
Image representing Google Wave as depicted in ...Image via CrunchBase
If Google+ ends up with something like 400 million users by the end of 2012, that will be remarkable. The news will not be that it has become half the size of Facebook. The news will be that it has become bigger than Gmail.
Image representing Google Buzz as depicted in ...Image via CrunchBase
Google+ might many people's solution to the inbox problem. Don't clutter people's inboxes, instead send out a Google+ post. That is the message. Whats' the difference between an email that never got read a Google+ post that never got seen? Not much.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Charlie Bit My Finger


White Space Revolution

USB wireless adapterImage via WikipediaThe real question is why does broadcast television have a-n-y spectrum? Why is it not all going to wireless broadband? But until we get there, this small development is small solace. This development taken to its logical conclusion will finally turn the smartphone and the tablet into the laptop. In that I mean connectivity will cease to be an issue. For a flat monthly fee you can have as much of it as you want.

Business Insider: The Next Billion Dollar Wireless Industry Has Officially Launched
White Spaces has been called "WiFi on steroids" and has been championed by the likes of Google and Microsoft...... White spaces brings with it tons of potential for new devices and applications. It is faster than WiFi so it can handle more data. It can bring (nearly) free Internet access to the most remote areas of the country, places that can't get WiFi. ......... Because it uses broadcast television signals, any place that can pick up a broadcast TV signal should be able to tap into White Spaces. A large range of wireless frequencies have always been reserved for broadcast television, much of it unused