Random Musings

CNN: Ning is a Ghost Town

The CNN has a typically dewey-eyed article today about Ning - “the Future of Social Networking.” I just want to point out very quickly (short on time today) that the impressive-looking stats that CNN quotes effectively paint Ning as a ghost town with a few forlorn users rattling around vast numbers of unattended social networks:
“Ning… »

Bring Out Your Dead! Revisiting some old Web 2.0 favorites

Over the years that I’ve intermittently poured energy into this blog, I’ve commented on or reviewed a fair number of websites. Every once in a while, I like to check-up on some of them - to see if my predictions of doom or success were spot on or outrageously wrong. Today’s round up includes one… »

Saving Sony: 5 Ways to Turn Around the One-Time King

I try and write this blog with a mature, reasoned voice - but Sony brings out the exasperation in me. So, I apologize if this post reads “annoyed.” Its justified though: Sony has systematically self-immolated - going from leadership positions in console gaming and mobile entertainment, to billion dollar losses and slowly bleeding product families.
IMHO,… »

Social Media growth “swings” both ways

This whole Oprah/Ashton/CNN thing is, I think, going to cause some backlash from the early adopters who’s love of tech is groaning under the weight of its frenetic commercialization.
Matt Haughey tells the story of how social media helped him buy a swing set, without a million followers, celebrity endorsements, a marketing budget, billboards, or anything… »

Scoble and Twitter in the Borneo Bulletin: the future of news?

Wow - a funny occurence, in light of my growing interest in Twitter of late. I was flipping through the Borneo Bulletin at a cafe in Brunei, and amidst the coverage of the catastrophic earthquake in China, stumbled across coverage of none other than the tech blogosphere’s two darlings: Robert “Andrew” Scoble and Twitter…. »

Verified by who??! A letter to VISA.

Dear Visa,
Over the last few days I’ve spent many frustrating hours trying to book an AirAsia ticket over an hsdpa connection from a sandy tropical island. Not fun. Once the lethargic AirAsia site actually allowed me to book a ticket, the payment process was interrupted by something called “Verified by Visa” - a mysterious page… »

HSDPA from Malaysia

Good connection speeds on 3G wireless here in Malaysia - posting this from a sandy dinner table at a restaurant on the beach in Pulau Kapas — good… »

Blog Names - Argh

Dear Everybody - please title your blogs with something useful. Seriously - I’ve been digging through the feed prospects that TechWatching and WheelScore have turned up, and for most of them you can tell absolutely nothing from their titles. For example:

“Steve-o’s Blog” - about what?
“Just Another Blog” - I have no reason to follow this… »

Sony’s got a lock on the Bangladesh market

Seriously, the squat toilet that I balance over daily is branded “Sony.” And that’s about as minor an example of the weird, wonderful world of Bangladesh that I can think off. Pics follow after the main post, all are from flickr, click to expand…

I’ve been here a mind-blowing two weeks now, and have navigated Dhaka,… »

Tin Whiskers and the coming Electro Armageddon

Sounds like a death metal band right? Unfortunately for all of us, its not - instead, its referring to a phenomenon know as “tin whiskers” in which soldered joints in electronics grow minuscule metal stalactites that eventually even short out the device in question, or explode and physically disable it. Tin, if you didn’t know,… »