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Mon, 05/06/2013 - 10:42pm

Look at what's happening here.  Overwhelmingly, across the tech blogs, feathers are a bit ruffled and support still given to Google Glass.  Close and protect the ranks!  There is a bit of sensitivity because not only is the product being ridiculed but also the disconnect that tech journalists often demonstrate when it comes to reviewing something in terms of the average Joe.  The comments under the articles posted by the more general consumer outlets show, for the most part, an identification with the  absurdity demonstrated by the parody.  As tech takes a greater and greater position in our society, how will we deal with divide in both expectations, values and more?  Why does it exist?  What does it say about us as a culture?  Interesting how a little skit can make us face ourselves in such a bare manner.  Looks like we can see even more as a result of Google Glass, huh?

Comments abound regarding the "Saturday Night Live" parody on the upcoming Google Glass product.  The show's infamous "Weekend Update" segment features a would-be tech reporter who reviews Google Glass during their news segment only to find repeated bugs and awkward movements yet still reports that the product is amazing. For any of us who have ever been frustrated with a new tech gadget, the product errors are dead on. Let's look at what the technorati and others have to say about the piece!

What Others Are Saying...

...I cringed through this entire video; it’s one thing to make fun of flaws but it’s just sad when you make up things about a device just so you can make fun of it. Hopefully this doesn’t turn people off to Glass but I’m guessing it will.

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one of the funner SNL moments in quite some time. "reboot, reboot", "Italian, Italian". Oh no I just changed the language settings!...

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Hilarious clip but is far from how it actually works. ...Google has been on point with these glass's I love them.

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Sat, 03/23/2013 - 12:12am

Wow!  Yet another debacle as a result of people posting before thinking. Or maybe they are thinking - too much.  Is it that this could be the result of someone who just reached her fill of a long road of sexism in tech?  We may never know for sure.  It seems from the comment arena that her approach - and the response to it - is extreme, but it just may reflect the extreme sexism that is present in the tech industry day in and day out.  But is silencing the best response?? Watch for more on this topic, for certain!!!

Here's the big tech story of the moment:  If Adria Richards, lover of all things tech and developer evangelist for SendGrid, thought that her tweeting a picture of two attendees making inappropriate jokes at a technology conference would cause her entire world to collapse, she probably would not have said a word. Unfortunately, hind sight is 20/20, and today the techie is not only on the receiving end of death threats from the technology community, but she is also out of a job. SendGrid, decided to part ways with Richards citing that it "is in the overall best interests of SendGrid, its employees, and our customers." All of the hoopla stemmed from Richards overhearing two male attendees of the PyCon Conference who were sitting behind her making sexual jokes about "big dongles" and "forking repo's". Administrators at the PyCon Conference proceeded to escort the two males off of the premises at the request of Richards and issued her an immediate apology.  However, the damage to Richard's reputation had already been done as a myriad of folks took to social networking sites to attack the developer and even go as far as to threaten her life. The male attendees were fired from their jobs. Should Adria Richards have lost her job just for speaking out? Let's see what the technorati have to say.

What Others Are Saying...

This is stupid...an offhand comment gets two people fired?...a joke about 'big dongles' may not be incredibly mature but its hardly harassment...complaining on twitter was fine, but identifying the person by name? not okay

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I consider myself a feminist...I agree the guy should have stopped with his immature comments...However...did you ask him to stop, or say in your own words "That's not cool"?

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et’s not forget the number of rape and murder threats she’s received...with her address being posted online. Because that happened to the guy too, right? Right.

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Tue, 02/26/2013 - 10:45pm

This so many things that it made our podcast for today.  Don't miss ldcoleman.com/radio episode 337 now!

So, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg releases a new book and decides to start a movement at the same time and, in the process, in getting tons of media exposure. It's all about "Lean In", her philosophy on women working harder in the Sandberg manner.  As if the book weren't enough, there is the call to evangelical circles-of-sorts to coral women into her way of thinking.  It's very controversial, particularly as we all re-evaluate leadership, happiness, classism, sexism. Is this really what we should be encouraging young women to do and think?  More importantly, is it what they  want and think.  Is Sandberg revelant? See what the comments have to say, then see what WE have to say!

What Others Are Saying...

Plaudits to Mary Lou Quinlan for her perspective on the Sheryl Sandberg pressure philosophy book Lean In. My first reaction to the title was ; 'Isn't this the MSNBC Brand's Campaign theme ?"... Mistaking her book for anything but a diatribe that uses a slate to write her vision of what the next chapter should be for women who are on a mission to make it is indistinguishable from a diet/millionare matchmaking scheme, but instead of a marriage partner they will merge with their jobs and IPhones....

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I remember little "movements" like this since the 1970s. They come and go... based on the narcissistic view of the leader's world. First and most important, buy my book. Then, be like me. Taking the time to actually understand what is happening in the day to day life of the population you seek to "enlighten" is a bit too much work.

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Sheryl Sandberg may be naive in thinking that Lean In will cure all ills but I admire her for her courage to step out and go for it....

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Sat, 02/16/2013 - 5:17pm

Please be sure and catch our podcast on Monday that examines not only this move by Facebook, but something equally concerning by another tech company. Find out what out what the rulings really mean and what the digital comment-sphere is pointing to for future.  www.ldcoleman.com/radio

In December 2012, Facebook was ordered to allow German citizens the option to register under false names instead of their real ones, if that was what they wanted to do. The country's Data Protection regulator, Thilo Weichert, issued the order, using strict German privacy policies as the foundation for the ruling. On Thursday Feb. 14, the Schleswig-Holstein administrative court in northern Germany ruled that Facebook's policy was not under the jurisdiction of German law, suspending the law. Weichert objected to the ruling and vowed to appeal the ruling. He said that companies shouldn't be allowed to object German law by basing themselves in other European countries. This ruling has been widely discussed by media.  How about a look at public opinion on it?

What Others Are Saying...

... No individual concerned about facebook is on it without fake names and info, None. The most intelligent of them are not subscribers in any form or manner. Forge and avatar and populate your page with stuff not linked to your real identity...

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Well, I think ever body has the right to choose with which name he wanna put on that registration form! it doesn’t need all this...

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It is very simple if you do not like Facebook's rules, you can just not set up a Facebook account. It always amuses me when people know the rules upfront of a site but then object after they have set up their account... Here is a revelation you do not need a Facebook account to survive...

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Tue, 12/04/2012 - 10:01pm

My how time flies! And the comment-sphere just shows how we take all this for granted and in stride now.  Funny how it's seen as a diminished form of communication or something that is contributing to the diminishment of communication.  A scholarly author released a book not long ago which traced the introduction of new media into societies and how the reaction was typically negative, initially.  When writing was first introduced, it is said that people were concerned about oral tradition being kept.  Looks like we made it through that and many more changes okay, and will continue to do so.  Can you hear me now?

So the first text message ever sent was on Dec. 3rd in 1992! That was 20 years ago this week. According to CNN, in this day and age, 6 billion text messages are sent every day in the U.S. That's over 2.2 trillion a year and that amount quadruples when we're talking about the whole world's texting habits. Although the industry has seen a steady increase of use over the years, this birthday may mark the peak of texting. With the increase of people using third-party messaging services such as Facebook and other apps on their smart phones , this could signify the slowing down of traditional SMS...What does the gabby world have to abbreviate on this one...

What Others Are Saying...

... Those of us in the "greying" generation have children / grandchildren who do not remember life without mobile communication. Will the next two decades be equally innovative? It's difficult to perceive that advances will change our lives so dramatically, but ..... somewhere out there in a garage or loft, some kid is inventing something we didn't know we needed.

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... we're saying less, but the same messages are being conveyed, soon we'll be down to beeps and grunts :)

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...Seriously? I think people have been avoiding actual converations with one another like the plague for a lot longer than just 20 years....

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Thu, 07/12/2012 - 2:31pm

One of the most interesting things about this development is that our team found almost no commentary about this on other sites, but rather all th commentary is going on via the site itself.  The shape of things to come or obsessive?  Time will tell.  The comment-sphere is also reflecting what we already see on the rise today:  kudos to the individual who takes control.  Wonder which celeb may join these ranks next?

Lady Gaga’s own social network site went live this week. It’s called “Little Monsters.” littlemonsters.com. The site operates like Pinterest but with Lady Gaga everywhere and it’s all about the singer. Fans can share and create Lady Gaga related content, communicate with other fans and also “like” what other users are posting. Fans can also chat with others fans from all over the world via the website. People can sign up using an email address or their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Lot's a lot of Gaga-ing even for fans.  But what do people think?

What Others Are Saying...

I ignored it at first but after I logged in, I liked it. … All Gaga, all the time. This is overkill. … I’m not a fan of Gaga, but I have to give her props for really knowing how to do social media well.

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There is nothing new about this site. It's just an updated style of a Forum. Tons of people have forums and Gaga had a forum before this. It's not a Social Network in terms of Facebook, Twitter, it's her fans meeting place... A "social network" does not focus on niches. … Bands and musicians have had these almost as long bands have had their own websites. … Only back then it wasn't a social networking site, but simply a message board. … Lady Gaga is taking control of her relationship with fans.

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 This is a fan site with a few extra features. How is it newsworthy to non-fans? … The site may take over Myspace only. I just love how her mere presence makes some heads explode.  It's like magic.

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Tue, 06/19/2012 - 9:00pm

We've only just begun to see the tip of the iceberg in Tablet entrants, but one thing is sure - the tech-minded make no bones about which companies and systems they are behind.  Only time will tell if consumers will really be checking for Surface.  Funny that the same week Microsoft makes this announcement, a study is released that says that consumers want more ad-supported Tablet apps (so that they don't have to pay for them). In the era of bottom up, rather than top down, how will companies manage to stay on top of consumer needs when consumers are actually outpacing the ad agencies, etc. that actually used to dictate to them?  Interesting to watch!

Microsoft is joining the tablet game.  Just announced this week: Surface.   The devices are based on Windows 8 and are designed for work and play. It's 9.3 millimeters thick, and it weighs 1.49 pds. Its display is 10.6-inch widescreen HD. The big difference between that and other tablets?  Surface is sold  with a keyboard.  In a way, it looks like mini-mini laptop. But do techies think the market is ripe for Surface?  Let's see.

What Others Are Saying...

Microsoft has a much larger user base to support than Apple. Apple can safely remove legacy support but if Microsoft does it, they'll get lots of big business complaining because their ancient specialist software no longer works. Microsoft did kill of 16-Bit support in Windows x64, which means the majority of DOS and all Windows 3.1 apps don't work....

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What I don't get is why they came up with 2 versions.  Its like they were conflicted in the direction of tablets, and so bet on 2 designs.  Pick one.  Either tablets are fully functional notebook replacements...or they're a new class of computing device with a separate  mobile OS.  Personally, I would be happy with a mobile OS that is a portal to a Windows 8 computer.

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Microsoft's new tablet... could change how CIOs think about tablets. Mobile devices are so intrinsically personal that CIOs have almost been forced to allow employees to dictate which mobile devices they’ll use for work purposes....But CIOs secretly wishing for a Windows device attractive enough to entice consumers that also includes features businesses need, like support for legacy applications, should rejoice in Surface.

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Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:52pm

In the digital era is one man's infringement another man's free content?  Are too many liberties being taken or is this the shape of things to come? Or at this level, does the regular Joe even care?

The two stars are joining forces to protect what they deem as infringement of their image and names.  The celebs say that two audio-visual companies are infringing upon trademarks in order to sell digital products since the companies do not have their consent.

What Others Are Saying...

Fraud is not an acceptable way for the 99% to make money....

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Here's hoping you win.

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I hate to be mean but they... are boring. LOL!

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Sat, 04/07/2012 - 8:02pm

Seems like a lot of people are still getting used to the idea because there weren't a ton of comments on this, as expected.  But the ones that are there all pretty much have the same vibe.  Still looks like we are in the early days of 3D on the computer and chilliing at home.

You Tube announces that it will automatically convert 1080p video directly into 3D.  The 3D glasses will still be required for viewing.

What Others Are Saying...

Well, as long as we are still presented with the original way of viewing...Some of us, (me included, obviously) can't watch 3D without getting horribly ill...

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Not all that impressed ...  Marginal 3D at best

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How about actually converting 3d video to 3d? I’ve uploaded a few things.... and it just mangles them.

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Sat, 04/07/2012 - 7:03pm

I once read that social networks are like nightclubs.  They don't last for long and there is always the next, new hot one. But the power of images is undeniable.  Let's watch to see how Pinterest fairs in the next 18 months.

Report shows Pinterest is now the 3rd most popular social network just behind Facebook and Twitter.  104 million and counting.....

What Others Are Saying...

… Facebook received 7 billion visits in March 2012? It is just interesting to note as there are approximately 7 billion people in the world.

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Pinterest is no more a social network than Youtube so why isn't Youtube number three.  Does anyone really think Pinterest is bigger than Youtube...

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Why not Google+ the third? Because Pinterest is innovative while Google+ is only evolutionary...

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