Category: economics
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OptOutPreScreen and Identity Theft
I am sick of receiving unsolicited snail mail offering me credit lines I do not need or want. Thankfully, the Consumer Credit Reporting agency has an official website (and phone number if you prefer) to request to be removed for 5 years or permanently from these mailing lists maintained by Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion.…
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TiVo and iPod Video
TiVo is now supporting a feature on some units with certain service plans that allows users to transfer iPod video-friendly versions of recorded television programs to their iPod. Not surprisingly, this has some (maybe many) TV execs pretty mad. And probably worried, if not scared. I agree with the ARSTechnica post that these developments are…
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Self determined music prices
Canadian singer and musician Jane Siberry has made all her music available from her website at self-determined prices. This means people downloading her music decide what price they would like to pay, and if they don’t want to pay anything, that is fine. This may sound like a reasonable idea for someone who has not…
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Amazon Wikis, iTunes Store Reviews & RSS
I noticed today that Amazon.com has started to embrace wiki technology and allow users to leave comments and make links on their site. It will be interesting to see if a self-policing wiki community develops on the Amazon site similar to what we’ve seen on the WikiPedia. I also noticed this morning that the iTunes…
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Blog Value
Some people have been researching the potential value of blogs in financial terms. According to the calculations embedded in this website tool, my blog is currently worth over 20K: My blog is worth $20,323.44.How much is your blog worth? The value of respected blogs certainly seems like to grow in the months and years to…
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Whine, the Beloved Country!
James Glassman’s article in the June 2004 edition of The American Enterprise, “Whine, the Beloved Country!” is a good read. Consider this excerpt: And it’s not just outsourcing that brings out the crybabies. Encouraged by trial lawyers, Americans now seek redress for practically every grievance, including the fact that they are fat, or that banks…
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Transporting Ideas versus Beer
Vancouver is a magnificent city! Weather-wise, I think a conspiracy is on to convince me to relocate (someday) to the Pacific northwest. When I attended NECC 2003 in Seattle, for 3 of my 4 days in town the weather was equally perfect as it was today in Vancouver. I have posted some photos of my…
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Digital Literacy and the New Teacher Education
I have spent all morning reading and thinking about a very long but excellent article in the current (October 2005) edition of Educational Researcher. In “The New Teacher Education: For Better or For Worse?” (PDF) Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith provides an outstanding overview of the evolutionary changes taking place in teacher education in the United States.…
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Lucrative high tech crime
The September 28, 2005 BBC article “Boom times for hi-tech fraudsters” is pretty scary. Just as people are continuing to offer amazing services and share ideas via the web on a daily basis, so also do criminals gain additional tools and resources for advancing agendas of evil and wrongdoing. 🙁 The growth of “botnets” using…
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Why are schools so slow to adapt?
Here is a thought provoking juxtaposition: Today’s Seattle Times has a very interesting article, “Microsoft streamlines to challenge competitors.” Steve Ballmer has reorganized Microsoft from seven business units to three: Windows, Office, and XBox. Big changes. Huge in fact. This week my wife was at the elementary school our children attend for an after-school meeting.…