Category: Media

  • Could the iPad save publishing? Not if publishers have anything to do with it

    From the Turkeys Voting for Christmas department, or rather AdAge, via Business Insider: Consumers who think iPad editions should cost no more than print editions and perhaps should cost less — given all the money publishers save on paper, printing and distribution — are going to be disappointed. I suspect the correct version of that is:…

  • Apple’s worth more than Microsoft

    Last night Apple’s market capitalisation exceeded Microsoft’s for the first time since 1989. I think it’s interesting, not because Apple’s damaging Microsoft but because of the picture the numbers paint. Since the return of Steve Jobs, Apple has transformed itself, especially since its invention of the iPod: almost overnight, Apple went from being a computer…

  • The new BBC iPlayer is better than ever

    A quick hands-on: The iPlayer home page now has four columns at the top: Featured, which details the BBC’s current pick of its output; For You, which is based on what you’ve been watching; Most Popular, which is self-explanatory; and Friends. That’s the iPlayer’s new social network integration, and you’ll need to sign up for…

  • Can you trust Facebook’s privacy apology? Hint: no

    Me, you know where: Parents of young children can spot an insincere apology from miles away. “Sorry,” your tot mumbles, after you find the dog half-shaved and your Xbox full of jam. “Sorry for what?” you’ll say. “Sorry for shaving the dog and putting jam in your Xbox,” he’ll say, looking at the floor. But…

  • Schemes o’ mice and men

    BBC Scotland’s showing a new documentary programme, The Scheme. If you’re in the UK you can watch it on iPlayer here. I’d love to know what you think of it. For those of you who don’t speak Scotland, a scheme is a housing estate. This particular one is in the Onthank area of Kilmarnock, about…

  • It’s funny because it’s (nearly) true

    The ever-entertaining McSweeney’s has a fake job ad for a journalist, or rather an Entry-Level News Production Specialist: Flexibility and willingness to work under pressure in a chaotic news environment with ever-changing responsibilities and deadlines a MUST. Must be available at least 80 hours a week and able to work most weekends and all major…

  • Gizmodo’s iPhone scoop is a scandal

    There’s been a lot of discussion about Gizmodo’s big iPhone scoop, where an iPhone prototype was apparently left in a bar. The person who found it then went round the gadget sites, selling it to Gizmodo for $5,000 (says the New York Times). Gawker Media (Gizmodo’s parent company) has made a smart financial investment here:…

  • Power, corruption and lies

    Me, writing about the Digital Economy Bill debacle: You’ve got to admire the Digital Economy Bill. It made thousands of people pay attention to politics. It encouraged thousands of so-called Digital Natives to watch live streams from the House of Commons. It brought together writers and readers, bands and fans, designers and developers and creatives…

  • Life, death and the Digital Economy Bill

    The Digital Economy Bill gets rushed through Parliament today, potentially leading to whistleblowing sites being blocked. I’ve written a wee bit about it: The bill doesn’t include anything about banning sites politicians and the military don’t want you to see, but it doesn’t need to. By including a clause that could enable the blocking of…

  • Happy birthday, broadband

    UK broadband is ten. How would we manage without it? If Chatroulette had existed in the year 2000 you’d have had to draw your genitals on a bit of paper, choose somebody’s address from the phone book and post the picture to their house.