I enjoy technology as much as anyone, but I’m usually happy to wait until version 2.0 before laying out my money. But I took a leap with the Amazon Echo, a Bluetooth speaker with a voice interface and Siri-like artificial intelligence built in. Yes, I thought it would be nice to have around the house, […]
Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV: streaming away cable TV
Your cable bill: it could be more than $100 a month. Is it worth it? If you have doubts, it’s probably not. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to become a cord cutter. There is life after cable. So let’s explore your options in a cable-free world. First, though, see if you fit the ideal profile for cord […]
YouTube as a community (Michael Wesch presentation)
It’s easy to think about a channel only in the way that you use it for yourself. That’s why I’m sharing this video presentation by Kansas State University anthropology professor Michael Wesch. He eloquently presents YouTube as a social community (or perhaps more accurately, a bunch of overlapping communities). If you just use YouTube as […]
Apple TV and the near future of streaming
The Apple TV product has slowly matured from a “hobbyist” product to something that might be useful to a mass audience. It’s a small box, about the size of a hockey puck, that facilitates the streaming of digital content from the Internet to your audio and video devices. The most common use is to stream […]
The hot new handheld
Rest in peace: “you’re welcome”
“You’re welcome,” long a popular part of daily speech and a polite acknowledgement to “thank you,” has died of natural causes after a long period of abandonment by the culture. It is survived by its distant relatives, “no problem,” “not a problem,” “uh-huh” and “whatever.” While “you’re welcome’s” birth date is unknown, the phrase first […]
Presidential spokespeople: is there a handbook?
No wonder reporters don’t like spokespeople! Evasion, redirection, and just plain sucking up to reporters, straight from the playbook of how to be a lousy spokesperson (the good stuff starts at about 3:50 in on the clip). The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c Obama: Day 15 Daily Show Full EpisodesFunny […]