Lessons from the VCR Clock Flashing 12:00
November 6, 2009 :: Joe LoongSo, continuing some thoughts I started in my earlier entry, “Things That I Don’t Understand” (a limitless topic, to be sure), I revisit the VCR Clock Flashing “12:00″ Scenario (where the inability to program one’s VCR, as demonstrated by the flashing 12:00 on the VCR display, was an indicator of other forms of technological incompetence.)
Now [...]
Things That I Don’t Understand
November 3, 2009 :: Joe LoongBack in the days of Internet Bubble 1.0 (right around the turn of the popular millennium), I used to pause every once in a while to look around at the swirling maelstrom of Internet-enabled technologies that we (and that’s a very collective “we”) were unleashing on the world.
Sure, maybe a lot of it didn’t make [...]
In Case of Emergency, This Space Intentionally Left Blank
November 2, 2009 :: Joe LoongRight off the bat, I’m going to admit that this is pretty much a filler entry. I’ve been mostly laid up this week, working from home because I’m stricken with something that’s either a sinus infection or the flu (variety unknown).
I thought about turning my illness into an entry discussing how the CDC and other [...]
The Absence of Presence and the Presence of Absence
October 21, 2009 :: Joe LoongThe Washington Post last week had an article looking at several Facebook refuseniks (people who’ve taken a stand against joining Facebook or similar online social networks), and investigating their reasons for (and consequences of) non-participation.
This, by itself, is only slightly interesting; as with any technology — dishwashers, automobiles, air conditioning, telephones, TV, cell phones — [...]
Event Recap: PublicMediaCamp
October 19, 2009 :: Joe LoongI make it no secret that I enjoy going to unconferences (even though my presence at social media events has tailed off slightly, recently).
Frankly, I’m somewhat surprised that I’m still allowed to register for some of these (”Hey, buddy: Give someone else a chance for a while, okay?”)
I especially like unconferences that expose me to [...]
HOAs: From Social Shaming to Collaboration for Behavior Modification?
October 15, 2009 :: Joe LoongLast week, I had to do two things: Trim my hedges, and paint my balcony railing. And when I say “had to,” I mean “was compelled to,” after getting a nastygram from my homeowners’ association (HOA).
I’m not trying to shirk my responsibility — I was very definitely in violation, and since I can be kind [...]
Online Networks and the 7-Year Friend Itch
October 9, 2009 :: Joe LoongSometimes, I’ll review the list of my friends and followers on a social networking platform and find myself staring at a name and and asking, “Who are you?”
This isn’t in an existential, “Can one ever truly know someone?” kind of way — I’m literally thinking, “Who the heck are you and I how do I [...]
A Few Thoughts on E-Mail. Regards, Charcoal Grill
October 8, 2009 :: Joe LoongScenes from my spam folder: I’m not sure what’s going on in Global E-Mail Spam HQ these days. (In my imagination, Global E-Mail Spam HQ is located under an extinct volcano somewhere; it’s where the world’s spam masterminds decide it’s time to cease the “clean the inside of your windshield” campaign and spin-up the global [...]
Social Media Policies: Trick or Treat?
October 2, 2009 :: Joe LoongUnfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend Tuesday’s Grow Smart Biz Conference, but by all accounts (and there are a lot of them) and my own dipping in and out of the live stream, it was a great success, so congratulations to the entire team and all the particpants and attendees.
Since I couldn’t monitor the entire [...]
Known Unknowns: Location, Location, Location
September 25, 2009 :: Joe LoongThis past weekend, I was suckered by some friends into joining an impromptu bar crawl (hey, twist my arm, ow, okay) in Ye Olde Reston Towne Centre (it’s an upscale-ish, mixed use “don’t-call-it-a-mall” in the outer DC suburbs of northern Virginia).
Coincidentally, I’ve been getting more active trying out Foursquare, a location-based mobile social network — [...]
