Search Results for “why the internet” – Page 9

Inman Connect: Real Estate Meets the Digital World

July 26, 2006 / HASH / 2 Comments

This week I’m in San Francisco at one of the larger real estate conferences in the US called InMan Real Estate Connect. First impressions: it’s really interesting to watch the real estate industry grapple with what the web is doing to it.

Due to there being some confusion around registration, I missed Michael Arrington of TechCrunch fame give his presentation ” Real Estate Technologyâ€”What Is Driving Development?” Hopefully some other blogger was able to make it.

Brad Inman has talked about transparency, and how the internet is changing the industry. Onc CEO of a Web company told us that “the Long-tail is dead for real estate” – this was great because a director from Google and a VP from Yahoo were at the same table.

I’m currently listening to the executives of Zillow talk about why they started and what they’re up to.

My Newsvine Column

February 16, 2006 / HASH / 3 Comments

Leo was kind enough to send me an invite to the invitation-only Newsvine beta. Over the last week I’ve been digging around in this new web-based news application trying to decide if it’s good, worthwhile, valuable, etc… So far, I’m truly impressed.

A basic overview:

The site is split into two, Associated Press articles and what they call The Vine. AP articles are automatically inserted into the website, while The Vine is a combination of userâ€™s articles and seeded links. Userâ€™s articles are written directly on the site about a recent event, a hot topic, or just an opinion. Seeded links are in a way similar to Digg, because users scour the internet for interesting stories and then submit them to Newsvine. (read more)

In my right navigation bar, right under my RSS feed for White African, you can see my feeds from my Newsvine column. If you’re interested in Newsvine and want to give it a try, shoot me an email. I’ve only got a couple invites though, so please be serious about making it a better application if you want one. [hash] [at] [whiteafrican.com]

More insights on Newsvine from a traditional journalist.

Blog Software Comparison

January 1, 2006 / HASH / 2 Comments

Someone had put together a pretty neat blog software comparison chart that allows you to compare functions of the different blog engines easily.

Also, a list of blogging software tools is available from Yahoo’s directory that is worth looking at. I’m firmly in the WordPress camp, but I’ve heard good things about MoveableType, and Drupal as well. I don’t believe in paying for blogging software, so find it very hard to understand why people use Type Pad/Moveable Type, Expression Engine, or Radio Userland. I just can’t see what they offer as being any better than what I get for free.

I Can’t Remember How I Found This Website

December 11, 2005 / HASH / 1 Comment

I came across a Firefox extension called “How’d I Get Here” which is designed to let you know your web surfing path so you remember how you got to a specific website. It was kind of funny, because I couldn’t remember how I got there…

What it does:

Go “back” even after opening a link in a new tab and closing the original tab.
Remember how you found a site you bookmarked yesterday.
When you are sent a link you have already seen, astound the sender by responding with a statement more precise than “I saw that on some blog a few days ago”.

I probably won’t be installing this extension though. Why? I recently had a conversation with someone about how one of the things I enjoyed about the internet was finding new content or tools that were useful or interesting to me. Do I really care how I got to that final website? Not really. I do make sure that I bookmark or email myself the link, then go on with my day.

Others will have different views on this, that’s why I posted the above link to the extension. You’ll most likely find it very useful, and I look forward to someone telling me how much they enjoy the tool at some point in the future.

Update: $100 Laptops for African Kids

November 26, 2005 / HASH / 6 Comments

Not exactly new news, but something that I did want to update everyone on. The $100 computer project that MIT has been working on for the last couple years has now been rolled out. It’s a bright green (I’m not sure why they chose that color) bit of useful hardware, built for everyday use by kids in third-world countries.

Negroponte, the whiz behind MIT’s Media Lab, recently unveiled at the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Big names in technology are interested: Bill Gates, Michael Dell and Steve Jobs just to name a few. Companies like Google and AMD have provided some financial backing, and governments around the world are starting to place orders. Overall, he’s done a masterful job of creating buzz within this high-profile group of mega millionnaires and heads of state, which might be all that’s needed to provide enough cash flow for this project to take off.

What I think is great, is that Negroponte is discussing the idea of making a model to sell to the public. It would retail at around $150, and would help subsidize the non-profit model. Again a masterful stroke to gain awareness and dollars. I know I will buy one, if for nothing more than testing. Think of how many others might buy enough for a village, town or school all on their own.

What’s in the package?

… the tiny laptop will be a stripped-down affair, usable for basic word-processing, Internet, and e-mail. It has no hard drive, instead using flash memory like that in a digital camera. The processor, from AMD, runs at a pokey 500 megahertz. Though spartan, the design is also ingenious: Each laptop will include a Wi-Fi radio transmitter designed to knit machines into a wireless “mesh” so they can share a Net connection, passing it from one computer to the next. Though the laptop has a power cord, that cool little crank can also provide roughly ten minutes of juice for each minute of turning. (from Fortune Magazine)

Skype Goes for $2.6 Billion to Ebay

September 12, 2005 / HASH / 2 Comments

Wow, that’s a lot of money. You start throwing around numbers like $2.6 billion and people will take notice.

I use Skype, it’s a great way to keep in touch with my family around the world. It’s free, except for that internet connection that I already pay for, so why not use it? Not only does it allow me to talk to my family, but I can send them an attachment through Skype at the same time – things like pictures or small movie files. The team at Skype put together an incredible product and I’m glad they’re going to get paid for their efforts.

The big question is how this works into Ebay’s overall strategy. I admit to “not getting it” on this one, but I’m sure someone can enlighten me on how purchasing a communications company fits into being an e-commerce giant. Is eBay trying to reinvent itself? The quote below from eBay president Meg Whitman did nothing to clear up my question:

“Communications is at the heart of e-commerce and community,” said Meg Whitman, eBay’s president and chief executive. “By combining the two leading ecommerce franchises, eBay and PayPal, with the leader in Internet voice communications, we will create an extraordinarily powerful environment for business on the net.” (NY Times)

I guess only time will tell, but I for one am interested in understanding the underlying reasons for this move. Plus, I want to make sure Skype works just as well (or better) for me in the future. eBay doesn’t exactly have a stellar record of taking over companies and giving good service. PayPal, though useful, has had it’s fair share of blunders and is staggeringly disappointing in the customer service department.

Firefox – Or, How I Kicked IE to the Curb

August 5, 2005 / HASH / 5 Comments

I’m a huge fan of Firefox. I have just recently begun to realize that because I work in the tech/web world that I assume that everyone else is aware of the same changes on the web that I am. Not true at all. In the same way that I am not as aware of current trends in other industries, things like biotech or current Angolan politics, others are not cognizant of the sea changes that are going on in the web.

Here is my simple intro to Firefox after discussions with non-technologically inclined family and friends:

Firefox is a web browser. You can use it in place of Internet Explorer, AOL, Safari, or whatever else you might be using. Why switch? There are a couple of easy answers to that question, the first being security compared to Internet Explorer, ease of use, tabbed browsing, and plugins.

You can have Internet Explorer AND Firefox on your computer at the same time. My suggestion is to download Firefox at here. Try it out and, try the tabbed browsing (ctrl+T), and read up on the different plugins. You can also import all of your favorites from Internet Explorer, so if you’re like me, you won’t be going back after the switch!

WhiteAfrican

Where Africa and Technology Collide!